 "Chess (#1212)")
The game has always had a large number of prodigies but they are getting ever-younger and there are more and more of them. Sundry 10- and 11-year-olds at master strength. There are innumerable 16-year-old GMs and the Iranian national team includes three 15-year-olds.
Sergei Karjakin (born 1990) became the youngest GM ever - at age 12 years and 7 months - after becoming the youngest IM at 11 years and 11 months. His IM record has already been broken and he must live in the expectation that his GM record will soon be surpassed by R Praggnanandhaa (born July 2005, current Elo 2429), the current IM record holder. He completed his IM title in May. The GM record could be broken soon by "Praggu" or by one of his peers, which include the Uzbek youngsters Javokhir Sindarov (2374) and Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2375).
Obviously, the explanation for prodigies in large quantities is not a binary one of human coaches versus machine training. This cohort are native computer users. They do their primary analysis and databasing with engines. But the talented ones also find coaches as well (often working online in Skype sessions). They also spend a lot of time playing blitz and rapid chess. The result seems to be early development. It remains to be seen whether this age group will break out to Elo 3000-plus levels.
Incidentally, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has jumped to 2800-plus. He's now rated at 2819 and world #2. India has seven players in the Top 100 (and two in the top 20) in the latest rating list. Harikrishna will also play at Baku in the next Olympiad where India will be looking for medals in both sections. Unfortunately, Koneru Humpy (world #2)and P Harika (world #5) are unlikely to play.
The Russian Chess Federation (RCF) has a controversial proposal to place before the FIDE Congress at Baku. The RCF proposes that anybody who can raise the requisite funding should be allowed to challenge the world champion in a title match. The sweetener: FIDE would take an incredible 50 per cent of the prize fund for such title matches.
The Diagram, White to play (White: So Vs Black: Kasparov, Ultimate Blitz Challenge, Saint Louis 2016) is a good example of play by a modern computer kid Wesley So played.
19.Ncxe5! fxe5 20.Bxb5! Rb8 21.Ba4! [The same idea works with 20...Qb7 21.Ba4! Bxa4 22.Qxa4+ Kf7 23.Rd7 Qxe4 24.Qb3+ Ke8 25.Qe6 and a mating attack. The engines suggest the apparently insane 20.- Rb8 21.Bxh6!! Bxh6 [ or 21...Rxh6 22.Rxc6 Nxc6 23.Qg8+ ] 22.Rxc6 Nxc6 23.Qe6+ Kf8 24.Qf6+ Kg8 25.Bxc6 which also wins].
Black tried 21...Qb7 22.Rxc6! Nxc6 23.Qe6+ N8e7 24.Bc5! Pure geometry 24...Rc8 25.Bxe7 (1-0). The variations are not hard. One of the most emphatic losses Kasparov has suffered.
Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player
