Chess (#990)

The Soviets believed in planning. Talent was identified early and put through rigorous training. The talented were given “jobs” as journalists or trainers, or on the sports quota of public enterprises. They would mostly play mega round robins. Open tournaments were rare because opens incorporate a slice of random luck and playing for prizemoney was un-Soviet. The prizemoney structure of Opens also encourages cut-throat risk-taking.

The system worked in that it turned world titles into Soviet fiefdoms and the USSR won multiple Olympiads. But it also meant that freewheeling, temperamental individuals were always on the edge of being declared non grata and it encouraged an over-rational approach. David Bronstein, Mikhail Tal, Viktor Korchnoi and Garry Kasparov among others, suffered because they refused to accept this rigid and arbitrary system. The 90-year-old Yuri Averback’s fascinating memoirs, “Centrestage and behind the Scenes”, offers a very cynical understanding of exactly how the system worked and how it changed over the decades. The political system in the successor nations to the USSR can be best described as robber baron capitalism. Chess remains popular and enough oligarchs like the game to ensure money is available.

 

Ironically, given the Soviet legacy, the Aeroflot Open in Moscow is the world’s strongest open. It offers a massive prize fund and also a spot in the Dortmund Super GM for the winner. The top-section of the Aeroflot in 2012 has 86-players including 79 GMs. It has a huge Indian contingent led by Sasikiran. Three rounds in, five players share the lead with 2.5 each.

The ChessCafe Book of the Year winner “Invisible Chess Moves” by Emmanuel Neiman & Yochanan Afek has excellent explanations for the blind spots when strong players miss “simple” moves. Afek picked a couple of examples from the Tata Steel.

In the Diagram, BLACK TO PLAY (Gashimov Vs Navarra, Tata Steel 2012), Black must move his knight. If he tries 24. - Nf6 25. Qg5 Qb4+ 26. Kf1 Nxh5 27. Rxh5 he faces enduring attack. So he played 24. --Nh6 25.g4 Rg6 26.Ng3 Qd8 27.Rh5 Be6. After some hair-raising but well-calculated exchanges, the draw came with 28.g5 Bxd5 29.gxh6 Rxg3 30.Qh2 Rg5 31.hxg7 Kxg7 32.Rh7+ Kf6 33.exd5 Qxd5 34.Rh6+ Ke7 35.Rxc7+ Kd8 36.Rhc6 Qxf3 37.Rc8+ Ke7 38.R8c7+ Kd8 39.Rc8+ Ke7 40. R8c7+ (½-½).

Go back to the position after 24. --Nh6?. White wins instantly with 25. Rxc7!! when 25.--Qxc7 26. Qg5 Rg6 27. Qxg6 is mate. Otherwise, 25. Rxc7 Qd6 26. Qg5 is simple and a quicker win may exist with 25. Rxc7 Qd6 26. g4! The explanation could be, both players were focussed on the K-side and didn't “see” the diversionary breakthrough on c7.

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Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player