CHESS#1276

The Champions Showdown in St Louis may result in two innovations. One is instant video replays with clocks stopped if there’s an appeal during a fast control game. The second is a review of the rating system. As of now, games played in a match are not rated once the match is decided. 

Obviously video-replays aren’t always available but they usually are, in Super GM events. One problem with an appeal during a fast game is that both players are usually very short of time, especially if the time control is without increments, as in St Louis. The Wesley So-Leinier Dominguez Perez match saw Dominguez breaching the rules in using both hands to move. The penalty would have been time added to So’s clock if he had protested.  

The non-rating rule is presumably supposed to prevent “chucks”. But it punishes a dominant player. Magnus Carlsen would have pushed his blitz rating beyond 3000 otherwise. Carlsen won against Ding Liren with 12 games to spare (out of 30 at different controls). So came from behind to pip Dominguez and gained an incredible 87 blitz Elo. Fabiano Caruana upset Alexander Grischuk and gained 78 points. Hikaru Nakamura beat Veselin Topalov comfortably. 

The fourth and last Fide Grand Prix is on in Palma De Mallorca. 

This decides two Candidates slots. Shakhriyar Mamedaryov and Grischuk lead the GP with 340 and 336 3/7 points, respectively. Both have completed engagements (every player plays three). Teimour Radjabov (241 3/7 pts) and Maxime Vachier Lagrave (211) are playing Palma. Good results from either, or both, could pull them in. An outright win fetches 170, second place is worth 140. The field in this nine-round Swiss with 18 players also includes Levon Aronian, Nakamura and Ding Liren. 

On a less exalted plane, the Indian premier saw Laliith Babu (9) pip Aravindh Chithambaram (8.5) in a tense last round. Babu was outprepared in the opening and struggling a little against Swapnil Dhopade. But Aravindh was in desperate trouble against Debashis Das. So Babu did the pragmatic thing and played for an early draw, as Das forced a very convincing victory. Das tied for third-fifth with Murali Karthikeyan and Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan (all 7.5). After three rounds of the World Junior at Tarvisio (Italy), Harsha Bharathakoti is tied for the lead (3/3). R Praggnanandhaa, Murali Karthikeyan and Sunilduth are just behind (all 2.5). 
 

The Diagram, BLACK TO PLAY (White: Ding, Liren Vs Black: Carlsen, Magnus, Champions Showdown 2017) is a nice example of speed chess tactics and howlers. 

Black played 25...Nxc5! 26.dxc5 Bxc5+ 27.Kh1 d4! 28.Rxb8+ Qxb8 29.Qc4 Rxc3 30.Rxc3 dxc3. All this is forced and now White can try 31.Qxc3 with a very likely draw. Instead, 31.Qxc5?? 31 — Qb1! 32.Kg2 c2 33.Qd6 Qd1 34.Bd3 Qd2+ 35.Kh3 Qh6+ (0–1). 

Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player