CHESS #644

The GStar RAW Chess Challenge demonstrated that marketable stars can generate both money and positive publicity. Magnus Carlsen is young, First World, and personable enough to be the face of a clothings brand. The sporting result was not too surprising — Carlsen won in 44 moves.

The format was loaded in his favour due to the lowest common denominator factor, accentuated by the time-control . The “World” was prompted by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Judit Polgar and Hikaru Nakamura who each suggested an alternative response to every Carlsen move. None of the GMs had engine access.

The moves were chosen by majority vote with voters getting a minute/ move to vote for one out of three options. Blitz voting made it impossible to use engines at full-power and early sub-optimal play sent the world into a tailspin.

But regardless of result, the event was a roaring success.

It’s doubtful the lumbering Fide bureaucracy will be able to build on this positive case-study. But it may trigger some change in attitude.

Just the day before the Norwegian strutted his tough stuff, the last Scandinavian to make a serious tilt at the title passed on. “Great Dane” Bent Larsen (1935-2010) was one of very few non-Soviets with credible ambitions. Very combative and uncompromising, he had an original creative style.

Larsen won a huge number of tournaments. He played several candidates, losing matches only to world champions. He lost to Mikhail Tal in 1964, Boris Spassky in 1968, and Bobby Fischer in 1971.

The last match, where he was shut out 0-6, illustrated his moral courage. Larsen, suffering from high blood pressure and trailing 0-2, realised he had little chance if he did the conventional thing and grafted. He went for broke, playing the sharpest lines and eschewing several draws, hoping to confuse the American. Fischer was in supreme form but the scoreline was very flattering.

The diagram, (Larsen Vs Petrosian, Santa Monica 1966), is one of Larsen’s many big scalps. White may continue 25. Qh3 with an attack but 25. Qxg6!! is a killer. There is no direct mate after 25. --fxg6 26. Bxe6+ Rf7 27. Bxf7+ Kf8 28. Bxg6+ but instead a huge attack with the material equation in white’s favour.

Petrosian went into a similar line with 25. – Nf4 26. Rxf4 fxg6 27. Be6+ Rf7. One unusual mate is 27. – Kh7 28. Rh4+ Bh6 29. Bxh6! Rf5 30. Rxf5 gxf5 31. Bf7 e5 32. Rh3 Qb6+ 33. Kh1 when Bf8# cannot be stopped except by absurdities like Qe3. Larsen captured 28. Rxf7! Kh8 29. Rg5 b5 30. Rg3 (1-0). One possible finish is 30. – Kg8 31. Rf6+ Kh7 32. Rh3+ Bh6 33. Rxh6+ Kg7 34. Rfxg6+ Kf8 35. Rg8#.

Devangshu Datta is an internationally-rated chess and correspondence chess player