CHESS #1397

Beating a world champion is a good way to announce your presence on the world stage. Beating a world champion in a match, as opposed to winning a single game, is extraordinary. Even if the match is blitz. Doing this when you’re just 16 years old is unprecedented.

Alireza Firouzja was already marked as an extraordinary talent before he won his Banter Blitz match with Magnus Carlsen. Winning 8.5 to 7.5 was incredible. It made for fantastic showing for the thousands following it on streaming video, since the banter format requires both players to keep commentating their games live.  

Despite his ability, Firouzja has not had it easy. The teenager has suffered frustration multiple times when he’s been forced to concede games to Israeli opponents due to his nation’s insistence on mixing politics with sport. The Iranian youngster has been forced to move to France to further his career.

While he’s been touted as a future champion since he was 14, his magnificent performance at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament this January made it clear that he’s moved up into the elite. His victory over Carlsen is plain amazing.

This is, in fact, only the second time that Carlsen has lost a match at any control. The first loss was also to Firouzja, just a few days ago in an unofficial bullet match of 90-odd games. Firouzja grabbed the lead here, by winning the first game with Black. But Carlsen equalised in game 3 and kept coming back after each win by Firouzja. In game 12, Carlsen took the lead for the first time, but Firouzja levelled in 13. They exchanged wins in 14 and 15 again before Firouzja took 16 in a high pressure finale where he missed mate in one! The prize money (Firouzja got $14,000, Carlsen received $9,000) was loose change compared to the prestige.

It may be noted that Firouzja belongs to an extremely strong age cohort and becoming world champion is hardly a foregone conclusion. He’s just a tad older than Nihal Sarin,Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Javokhir Sindarov, Gukesh D, Awonder Liang , etc. It’s not as though Carlsen, who isn’t elderly at 29, is going to roll over and hand him the title and those other prodigies will also push hard.

There was also the Abu Dhabi Super Blitz which Vladislav Artemiev won. The Magnus Carlsen Invitational Challenge Rapid starts this weekend with eight top players and a prize fund of $250,000. Firouzja gets a chance of a rematch with Carlsen there.

The diagram, White to Move (White: Carlsen  Vs Black: Firouzja, Game 1 Banter Blitz Match 2020) is an object lesson. White’s only defence is 28. Qc3! Qxg5 29. Qxe5 but he played 28. Qxf5?? and black takes 28.— Qxg5! Even world champions blunder if they’re pushed hard enough. 

Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player