Theoretical draws

[Jonathan Bryant]

The daddy of all 'threefold repetitions straight from the opening' also involves Sax with the White pieces.

I’ve always thought a collection of immediate draws from the opening would make a good book.


[Event "Brussels World Cup"] [Site "Brussels BEL"] [Date "1988.04.15"] [EventDate "1988.??.??"] [Round "12"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [White "Gyula Sax"] [Black "Yasser Seirawan"] [ECO "B09"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "26"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 c5 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. e5 Ng4 8. e6 fxe6 9. Ng5 Bxb5 10. Nxe6 Bxd4 11. Nxd8 Bf2+ 12. Kd2 Be3+ 13. Ke1 Bf2+ 1/2-1/2

[NickFaulks]

The daddy of all 'threefold repetitions straight from the opening' also involves Sax with the White pieces.

After the Saturday afternoon round of one Bermuda Open, the two invited Icelandic GMs were alone on 3/3. They went out on the town.

The following morning one of them arrived at the start of the round, much the worse for wear, to say that they had agreed a draw. Sorry, said the arbiter, you have to both appear at the board and play something resembling a game of chess. That is what they produced.

[Roger de Coverly]

I’ve always thought a collection of immediate draws from the opening would make a good book.

In the absence of such a book, we could always add them to this thread. Here's a couple of mine with the Black pieces.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4 b5 6. Bb3 Bd6 7. O-O Bb7 8. dxe5 Nxe5 9. Nxe5 Bxe5 10. f4 Bd6 11. e5 Bc5 12. Kh1 Ne4 13. Bd5 Bxd5 14. Qxd5 Nf2 15. Kg1 Nh3 16. Kh1 Nf2 17. Kg1 Nh3

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d6 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O exd4 8. Nxd4 Re8 9. f3 Nc6 10. Be3 Nh5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. g4 Be5 13. gxh5 Bxh2 14. Kxh2 Qh4 15. Kg1 Qg3 16. Kh1 Qh3

[LawrenceCooper]

1. c4 b6 2. Nf3 Bb7 3. d4 e6 4. g3 Bxf3 5. exf3 d5 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c6 8. d5 exd5 9. Nxd5 Ne7 10. Nf6+ gxf6 11. Bxf7+ Kxf7 12. Qxd8 Nd5 13. O-O Bg7 14. Qd6 Bf8 15. Qd8 Bg7 16. Qd6 Bf8 17. Qd8 Bg7 18. Qd6 1/2-1/2

[IM Jack Rudd]

[Event "GBR-ch 93rd"] [Site "Swansea"] [Date "2006.08.16"] [Round "10"] [White "Parker, Jonathan"] [Black "Pert, Nicholas"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D07"] [WhiteElo "2509"] [BlackElo "2503"] [PlyCount "33"] [EventDate "2006.08.07"] [EventType "swiss"] [EventRounds "11"] [EventCountry "WLS"] [SourceTitle "CBM 113 Extra"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "2006.09.14"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 4. a3 Nc6 5. e3 Nge7 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Be2 dxe3 8. Qxd8+ Rxd8 9. Bxe3 Bxf3 10. Bxf3 Nxe5 11. Bxb7 Nxc4 12. Bxa7 Na5 13. Bf3 Nb3 14. Ra2 Nc1 15. Ra1 Nb3 16. Ra2 Nc1 17. Ra1 1/2-1/2

[John Clarke]

There is a pair of sisters who routinely go through the motions with this line whenever they are paired.

Ah yes, the Kosintsevas. Fourteen draws and counting, according to chessgames.com.

But the Zhigalko brothers of Belarus aren't that far behind, with eight ...

[Jonathan Bryant]

Here’s one of mine from many years ago.

[Event "London League"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "A Bloke"] [Black "JMBG"] [Result "*"] [ECO "D18"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.O-O Nbd7 9.Qb3 a5 10.Na2 Be7 11.Qxb7 Rb8 12.Qa6 Ra8 13.Qxc6 Rc8 14.Qa6 Ra8 15.Qb5 Rb8 *

[Jonathan Bryant]

Here’s another - if you’re flexible with your definition of "immediate" draw.

I was out of book before 10 g4. When I saw it on the board I was happy that I was getting an exciting game with competing attacks and winning chances albeit at the cost of a risky position for Black. Computer analysis after the game suggests 10 g4 is in fact just a forced draw. If either side varies from the moves played they are worse or lost.



[Event "Correspondence"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "1"] [White "Angus"] [Black "JMGB"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B07"] 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 a6 5.h3 Bg7 6.f4 O-O 7.Qf3 c6 8.O-O-O Qa5 9.Kb1 b5 10.g4 b4 11.Nce2 Be6 12.Nc1 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Bd5 14.Qxe7 Bxh1 15.Qb7 Nd7 16.Qxd7 Rfd8 17.Qb7 Rdb8 18.Qd7 Rd8 19.Qb7 1/2-1/2

[Paul Cooksey]

Since we are talking about early threefold repetition generally, and draws here and in another thread, here is a game with a famous anecdote:

[Event "Linares 1992"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Yusupov, Artur"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Qa5 10. O-O-O Ne4 11. Nb5 a6 12. Nc7 e5 13. Nxd5 Nxf2 14. Ng5 Bf5 $1 15. Qxf2 exf4 16.Qxf4 Ne7 17. Nxe7+ Bxe7 18. Rd5 Qe1+ 19. Rd1 Qa5 20. Rd5 Qe1+ 21. Rd1
S&B quote the story from NIC 1992/3 about the orgnaiser deciding to penalise short draws

... the next morning seven players received a letter in which they were informed that one hundred thousand pesetas (one thousand dollars) would be deducted from their bonus.

The players' reactions varied ... The most impressive answer was given by Yusupov who went up to Mr Rentero and handed him an envelope with words to the following effect:'This envelope not only contains the one hundred thousand pesetas you want to deduct, but my complete bonus. If you think that I do not deserve this money I beg you to keep it. Tomorrow I will continue to fight as I have done in all previous rounds. At the end of the tournament I will come back to you and then you may decide whether I deserved this money or not.'

Speechless, Rentero tried to put the letter back into Yusupov's pocket and almost on the brink of tears he stammered: 'You are the most honest man I know. As long as I live you will play in Linares.'"

Which is good of them because it is always easier to find this stuff on google than to look through old magazines.

I wanted to mention it because the only time short, even arranged, draws bother me is if they bother the organiser, and this is how organisers can deal with it if they want.

[Ian Kingston]

Best friends Almira Skripchenko and Alexandra Kosteniuk demonstrate another early (unforced) repetition:
[Event "FIDE Womens Grand Prix 2015-16"] [White "Skripchenko, Almira"] [Black "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"] [Site "Khanty-Mansyisk"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2016.11.19"] [WhiteElo "2456"] [BlackElo "2538"] [PlyCount "25"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. c4 Ba6 9. Qe4 Nf6 10. Qe2 Nd5 11. Qe4 Nf6 12. Qe2 Nd5 13. Qe4 1/2-1/2

[Stewart Reuben]

I abhor games concocted to circumvent regulations not allowing quick draws, and thus having repetitions as with the Kosintseva sisters.
1974 saw the absolutely honest, perfectly played game: Tony Miles v Stewart Reuben. It was 1 draw agreed.
That would no longer be allowed, it would have to be such as 1 e4 e5 2 draw agreed,

Lloyds Bank Masters Shirov 8/9 was paired with Shabalov 7.5. Both were from Latvia. Nobody else had more than 7. I asked them point blank whether thy intended to have a quck draw. When the answered, yes, their 'game' was not on a demo board.