Chess (#1174)

Armenia's Levon Aronian is the wild card for the Candidates, scheduled to be held in Moscow in March next year. Several Russians, including Vladimir Kramnik and Alexander Grischuk, were in the running for that slot.

But the tournament sponsor is Tashir Group, a diversified conglomerate headed by an ethnic Armenian. Tashir operates across many parts of the former Soviet Union and it wanted Aronian. There can be no doubts about his class though he has never done well in the Candidates.

The inclusion of Aronian, currently world #7, locks the list in the eight-man, double round robin. The prize money is at least €$420,000 with a multi-million title match guaranteed for the winner. The other Candidates are Veselin Topalov (on high rating - world #2), Viswanathan Anand (loser of the last title match, world #3), Fabiano Caruana (Grand Prix winner, world #6), Hikaru Nakamura (Grand Prix runner-up, world #5), Sergei Karjakin (World Cup winner, world #11), Peter Svidler (World Cup runner-up, world #17). The one slot still open is the second "high ratings" qualifier. Anish Giri (world #9) is almost mathematically assured of that place.

The European Teams got under way last weekend in Iceland. There are no pushovers and 11 teams have average ratings of 2650-plus out of the 36 open squads. The favourites remain Russia on seeding, but Ukraine, Armenia and Azerbaijan will fancy their chances. The women's event has 30 teams.

Across the Big Pond, Nakamura and Caruana will play a "Showdown in St. Louis". Side by side, Parimarjan Negi will be up against Hou Yifan. The format swings through classical, Fischer-random, blitz and rapid. Thirty years ago, Garry Kasparov became world champion beating Anatoly Karpov 13-11 in an epochal match.

THE DIAGRAM, Black to play, (White: Karpov, Anatoly Vs Black: Kasparov, Garry, World Championship Game 24, 1985) featured black's counter-attack as white went for broke. Both were in desperate time trouble.

Play went 31...g5! 32.fxg5 Ng4 33.Qd2 Nxe3 34.Qxe3 Nxc2 35.Qb6 Ba8 36.Rxd6?! [Instead 36.Qxb8 Rxb8 37.Bh3 Rxb3 38.Bxe6 Bd4+ 39. Kh1 Rxb2 40. Rf4 Bxc3! is complicated but equal.]

Play continued 36...Rb7 37.Qxa6 Rxb3? [The killer is 37...Nb4! 38.Qe2 Qxd6 39.e5 Bxe5 40.Bxb7 Bxb7 ] 38.Rxe6 Rxb2? [ 38...Ne3 won. This draws which is good enough.] 39.Qc4 Kh8 [ The long forced line 40. Rxe8 Qxe8 41. Nd1 Na3 42. Qd3 Rb1 43. e5! h6 44. Rd4 Rb8 45. Bxa8 Rxa8 allows white to fight on.] The game and match concluded with 40.e5? Qa7+ 41.Kh1 Bxg2+ 42.Kxg2 Nd4+ (0-1).

Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player