Chess.com Isle Of Man Tournament 23 Sep to 1 Oct 2017

[Chris Rice]

When I said short draw I was thinking as soon as move 30 appeared or when of those Zaitsev repeat things with Ng5 Rf8 etc in the Ruy. However, I'm wondering now if the two just agreed a short draw before move 30 whether there is any chess organiser of such events in the world that would want an official to go up to Carlsen and Nakamura and say "well you two can forget coming here again".

[Richard Bates]

Ok, but that's not a short draw as such; I would be astonished if the game isn't a draw though

They could rattle through 30 moves in about 10 minutes if they wanted. So pretty short, from one perspective

[NickFaulks]

These anti-draw regulations have always beeen cosmetic nonsense. Organisers have ways to encourage players to produce combative chess, but if a draw is the result which really does suit both players, then so be it. Forcing players to produce something that looks like a game but which everyone knows really isn't serves no purpose.

[IM Jack Rudd]

The actual effect of these anti-draw regulations isn't to get rid of quick agreed draws in situations where both players obviously want them, it's to get rid of the Lalicisms where an early draw is agreed just because the option to offer a draw early exists and someone exercised it.

(Bogdan really ought to play in events with these rules. I think his rating would increase significantly.)

[Jonathan Bryant]

These anti-draw regulations have always beeen cosmetic nonsense. Organisers have ways to encourage players to produce combative chess, but if a draw is the result which really does suit both players, then so be it. Forcing players to produce something that looks like a game but which everyone knows really isn't serves no purpose.

Agreed. And anyway, when nothing happens when a top player deliberately loses a game nobody's going to be bricking it at the thought of potential consequences for agreeing a quick draw

[Jonathan Bryant]

And the crowd* goes wild as Anand plays an Interesting French Exchange against Yifan.


In other news, Carlsen eschews 10 0-0-0 (a line which Kasparov described as "scratched next to its bottom" several years ago) in favour of the traditional 10 Rd1. Are they still following a Karpov - Korchnoi game from ’78 here?

UPDATE:
To answer my own question: not any more.
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1068084

Carlsen varied with Qc1 rather than Qb1 and now Naka is thinking.

If this isn’t a TN for the sake of variety, presumably this is an indicator that Carlsen is going to try a bit harder to win than predicted.







*1 person.

[Roger de Coverly]

And the crowd* goes wild as Anand plays an Interesting French Exchange against Yifan.

It was the line of the Petroff that transposes. The moral of the story being that if you don't want to face an Exchange French, don't play the Petroff. Black isn't obliged to play .. d5, but not playing it leaves the defender short of space.

[NickFaulks]

Agreed. And anyway, when nothing happens when a top player deliberately loses a game

Evidence of such cases is always gratefully received. Unfortunately, the few which do surface are too often based on nothing more than "a GM lost with White in 19 moves, which would be impossible unless he were throwing the game".

[Chris Rice]

oooh I spy a possible repetition in less than 30 moves in the Carlsen-Naka game. Who could have guessed? Update: draw

[Matt Mackenzie]

Agreed. And anyway, when nothing happens when a top player deliberately loses a game

Evidence of such cases is always gratefully received. Unfortunately, the few which do surface are too often based on nothing more than "a GM lost with White in 19 moves, which would be impossible unless he were throwing the game".

A rather prominent one involving a rather prominent female player, just in recent memory?

[Jonathan Bryant]

If this isn’t a TN for the sake of variety, presumably this is an indicator that Carlsen is going to try a bit harder to win than predicted.

Or not.

Agreed. And anyway, when nothing happens when a top player deliberately loses a game

Evidence of such cases is always gratefully received.

A rather prominent one involving a rather prominent female player, just in recent memory?

Quite. I take both take Nick’s point and yet also find it a rather thin argument when such a blatant case passes by with next to no comment.

[LawrenceCooper]

If this isn’t a TN for the sake of variety, presumably this is an indicator that Carlsen is going to try a bit harder to win than predicted..

No TN, Gozzoli-Gharamian French Ch 2017 ended after an additional 19 Ke2.

[NickFaulks]

A rather prominent one involving a rather prominent female player, just in recent memory?

Oh, I see. If that is what was meant, that's different. I was thinking of collusion between the players.

[NickFaulks]

I take both take Nick’s point and yet also find it a rather thin argument when such a blatant case passes by with next to no comment.

There is a world of difference between two players conspiring to produce an unnatural result and one player unilaterally giving the finger to a tournament and its sponsors. Both are unacceptable, but the remedies are not the same.

[Jonathan Bryant]

If this isn’t a TN for the sake of variety, presumably this is an indicator that Carlsen is going to try a bit harder to win than predicted..

No TN, Gozzoli-Gharamian French Ch 2017 ended after an additional 19 Ke2.

Thanks. I gathered from twitter after I posted that all this had been seen before.

Oh, I see. If that is what was meant, that's different.

It was chucking a game which, regardless of motivation, would attract consequences in any serious sport.

And the crowd* goes wild as Anand plays an Interesting French Exchange against Yifan.

It was the line of the Petroff that transposes. The moral of the story being that if you don't want to face an Exchange French, don't play the Petroff.

Indeed. Short did the same thing against Heine Nielsen at an Olympiad a few years ago (2008?), winning eventually. I used to think that this was a clever move order to force Black into the ... Nf6 lines / avoid a variety of options for Black. Now I tend to think this is Black’s best choice anyway.

Interestingly, Short decided to invest a tempo on h3 to prevent the ... Bg4 which Yifan has played against Anand.