Chess on TV: from famine to glut
Sue Perkins & Chess (image created in Shutterstock)
After years with no chess on mainstream TV channels, we now have a plethora. BBC Two’s recently broadcast series Chess Masters: The Endgame divided opinions. “Talia”, a transgender (former male) winner, was eventually crowned as the Victrix Ludorum and The Endgame reached its grand finale amid a continuing debate between experts, but not because of the transgender element in sport, recently challenged in the UK Supreme Court.
More experienced chess players dismissed the BBC series as patronising, while the profanum vulgus of amateurs, social players, inexperienced novices and children, found its mixed format of competitive games, puzzles, set tasks and diverse personalities, quite engaging. In general, the hosting team — comprising a chess commentator, Grandmaster David Howell, the ubiquitous presenter Sue Perkins and Anthony Mathurin, a chess coach who had briefly appeared on the popular BBC series The Traitors — was adjudged to have performed well.
According to an authoritative report in The Guardian, viewer numbers, as supplied by Broadcast, peaked in the first week at 890,000, then gradually dipped to a low of 535,000 on Easter Monday before rebounding to 655,000, a 5.5% share of the viewing audience, for the final week. This compares reasonably well with the figures from my broadcasts covering the 1993 Kasparov vs. Short world championship match. There, assisted by Daniel King, Jon Speelman, Cathy Forbes and the anchor Carol Vorderman, we achieved a batting average for our 80-plus transmissions of 800,000 to 1,000,000.
The Supreme Court should have put a stop to transgender males competing in physical sport against genuine females, but, in any case, chess and Mind Sports as a whole have not been plagued by recent controversies over gender definitions, egregious pronouns or identity issues. To be fair, the Polgar sisters had at first to battle to establish their status against male opponents, but these heroic struggles are now a relic of past times.
Logically, ethically and now legally, the inherited superior upper body strength of the male must exclude former men from transitioning into female sport. In spite of the testosterone or oestrogen counts so beloved of our misguided sporting authorities as a yardstick for gender definition, new, more accurate and more holistically sensible criteria must be developed for deciding who can and who cannot participate in female sport. For me this is axiomatic and I stand four-square with JK Rowling and Olympic medallist Sharron Davies on this point, saying, metaphorically, with Roman orator Cato the Elder: “Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.”
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has, according to BBC News, just banned chess until further notice, thus taking a Gordian Knot scimitar-based solution to any questions of transgender participation. This move is due to fears from the Faithful, that the game is a hotbed of gambling.
Again, according to BBC News: “Officials said the game has been prohibited indefinitely until its compatibility with Islamic law can be determined.”
Chess is the latest sport to be restricted by the Taliban, according to whose diktats women are essentially barred from participating in any sport at all. Thus, since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban have steadily imposed laws and regulations that reflect their own super-austere vision of Islamic law.
On Sunday, May 11, Atal Mashwani, the spokesman of the Taliban government’s sports directorate, proclaimed that chess in Islamic sharia law is “considered a means of gambling”.
“There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess,” he told AFP news agency. “Until these considerations are addressed, the sport of chess is suspended in Afghanistan.” One cafe owner in Kabul, who has hosted informal chess competitions in recent years, said he would respect the decision but it would hurt his business.
‘Young people don’t have a lot of activities these days, so many come here every day,’ Azizullah Gulzada said. ‘They would have a cup of tea and challenge their friends to a game of chess.’ He also noted that chess is played in other Muslim-majority countries.”
The relationship between chess and Islam has occasionally been a rocky one. Indeed, in the Islamic world over the past 1,000 years or so, chess has from time to time been banned, only for the prohibition to be regularly rescinded. When the Ayatollahs came to power in Iran, incidentally torpedoing my position as chess tutor to the Iranian Imperial Court, one of their first acts was to issue a fatwah against the playing of chess; this prohibition has subsequently been relaxed, in Iran, if not in Afghanistan, and chess is permitted once more in the land of the Ayatollahs.
This cyclical aversion to chess is difficult to justify, given that the original form of chess, Shatranj, first flourished in the Baghdad Caliphate over 1,000 years ago. Indeed, Harun al-Rashid, the Abbasid Caliph from 786-809 AD, was known to be an ardent chess-player.
The most likely pretext for forbidding chess derives from a verse of The Koran which, when translated, reads: “Oh true believers, surely wine and lots and images and divining-arrows are an abomination of the works of Satan, therefore avoid ye them that ye may prosper.” Although chess is not specifically proscribed in The Koran, some Muslim lawyers around 800 AD extended the condemnation of lots, dice and images to chess.
Fortunately, Ash-Shafii, the 9th-century Islamic scholar and jurist, put forward counterarguments. He asserted that chess, as a simulacrum of warfare, could be played, not just for a stake or for pure recreation, but as a mental exercise for the sake of military strategy and tactics.
This view has tended to prevail, not least because the Caliphs themselves were often avid chess-players. During the late 9th and early 10th centuries in Baghdad, they kept a court retinue of aliyat, or “Grandmasters”, such as Al Adli, Al Lajlaj and As Suli, who regularly conducted competitions for their rulers’ amusement. Tradition states, in fact, that the oldest chess problem on record was composed in 840 by the Caliph Mutasim Billah, third son and successor of Harun al-Rashid. Unfortunately, the hardline clerics of Kabul appear to be ignorant of the arguments proposed by Ash-Shafii.
This week’s game was, in spite of its importance, cancelled by the BBC and never screened, due to a technicians strike. I now redress the balance with an historic British win against a reigning world champion.
Mastergame TV tournament (not broadcast) Bath 1983
- e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 6.Nf3 Bf5 7. Bf4!?
This was a new move at the time, but the idea was old. It was just a matter of 6.Bc4 usually being played first. 7. Be2 Qc7 8. O-O e6 9. c4 Nd7 10. d5 O-O-O was Spassky-Larsen, Buenos Aires 1979.
7… Nd7
7… Na6, intending to transfer the knight to c7, comes into consideration. 7… Qb6 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Qxb2 10. O-O with compensation.
- c3
If 8 Bd3 Bg6
8… Qb6 9. b4!?
On 9. Qb3 Black could either castle long or just play 9… e6. In the later game Karpov-Miles, Oslo 1984, the World Champion essayed the promising gambit 9. Bd3!?
9… e5
As usual, a reckless advance on the flank is met by a counter-operation in the centre.
- Bg3
- dxe5 fxe5 (10… O-O-O!? with compensation) 11. Nxe5 Bg7 ⩱
10… O-O-O
An Inaccuracy. Best was 10… a5.
- Be2 h5!
This is a fully justified kingside operation, since the Bg3 is vulnerable.
- O-O Be4
Perhaps this was not the best move, but Miles did not want to face 12… Bg4 13. Bh4 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 exd4 when the pawn-grabbing could prove expensive.
- Nd2
On 13. Bh4 Black could have played 13… Rg8! intending to infiltrate on g4. The engine prefers, 13. h3! exd4 14. Bd3 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 dxc3 16. a3 Rg8 17. Kh1 c5 18. Qxc3 Bd6 19. bxc5 Nxc5 20. Rac1 Bxg3 21. fxg3 Rd5 22. Nd2 Kb8 23. Rxf6 Ne6 ⩱
13… Bd5
Miles was eating up the clock here. There seems to be a difference of opinion on the line 13… Bxg2!? 14. Kxg2 h4 15.Bf4! exf4. Miles thought it was about equal, but Karpov claimed an advantage for White. On 13… Bg6 the players could head for a draw with 14. Nf3 Be4, though that result was unlikely, since this was a sudden death game. The machine in fact favours Karpov’s perspective on the outcome of 13… Bxg2!?
- Bxh5 exd4 15. c4 Be6 16. a3
White has a generally more compact pawn structure, but Black has counterplay in the centre with his passed d-pawn.
16… Ne5
Freeing d4 for the queen.
- Re1 d3 18. c5 Qb5
Inaccurate: 18… Qa6 19. a4 Bh6 20. f4 Nc4 21. b5 Qa5 22. Rxe6 Nxd2 23. Rxf6 Ne4 24. Qg4+ Kb8 25. f5+ Nxg3 26. Qxg3+ Qc7 27. Qxc7+ Kxc7 28. Rxf7+ Kc8, with an oscillatory advantage to White’s pawn majority and respectively, Black’s advanced passed d-pawn; for example, after 29. Bg4 Rd4 30. Bf3 Be3+ 31. Kh1 Bf4 32. h3 d2 33. Rd1, with chances for both players.
- Rb1
Karpov later pointed out 19. Bxe5 fxe5 20. Rxe5 Bg7 21.Bxf7! Bxe5 22. Bxe6+ Kb8 23. Bc4 Bxh2+ 24. Kf1 Be5 25.Kg1 Bh2+ with a draw. Miles provided 20. Bg4! Rh6 21.Rxe5! Bg7 22. Bxe6+ fxe6 23. Re4! Bxa1 24. a4! Qa6 25.Qxa1 with an excellent position for the exchange.
19… Bh6 20. a4 Qa6
Unclear.
- f4!? Nc4 22. b5 cxb5
23.Rxb5
This move took Miles by surprise. He had been expecting 23. axb5 Qa2, which is unclear. The engine regards 23. Rxb5? as a blunder. Correct is 23. Bf3! (23. axb5?! Qa2 24. b6 a6 25. c6 f5 26. Nxc4 Qxc4 27. cxb7+ Kb8 28. Rc1 Qb4 29. Rc8+ Bxc8 30. bxc8=R+ Rxc8 =) 23… b4 24. Rxb4 Na5 25. Rb5 f5 26. Qa1 Rhg8 27. Qc3 Nc6 28. Rxe6 fxe6, and White is much better.
23… Na3!
23… Nxd2 24. Qxd2 Qxa4 25. Reb1 Qc2? [25… Bd5] 26. Qa5 d2 [26… Bd5 27. R5b2 +-] 27. Bd1! +-
- Rb2
There are a lot of tempting sacrificial lines, but none of them works.
24…Nc2
Perhaps 24… Bf8 (intending 25… Bxc5+ 26. Kh1 Nc2) would have been better, but Miles was influenced by the fact that Karpov was uncharacteristically short of time, having about two minutes left for 16 moves.
- Bf3 Bd5 26. Re7 Bf8 27. Bxd5 Rxd5
Now logical was 28. Rexb7 Bxc5+ 29. Bf2! and Black could have tried to hold a draw with 29… Qxb7 or head for muddy waters with 29… Bb6!? 30. R7xb6 or Rxf7. For example, 28. Rexb7 Bxc5+ 29. Bf2! (29. Kh1 Bb6 30. Rxf7 Ne3 with initiative) 29… Bxf2+ (29… Bb6!? 30 R7xb6/Rxf7; 29… Qxb7) 30. Kxf2 Qxa4 (30… Qxb7 =) 31.Qg4+! f5 32. Qg5! (intending Rb8+) 32… Qd4+ 33. Kg3 Qe3+ 34. Nf3 +-.
- Rbxb7?
A blunder. He must take with the other rook.
28… Bxe7 29. Rxe7 Qc6! 30. Rxf7
30… Rxc5
30… Rxc5?? is a blunder which gifts full equality to White. Black should play either, a) 30… Rd7! 31. Rxd7 Ne3 32. Qf3 Qxf3 33. Nxf3 Kxd7 34. Be1 Rg8 35. g3 Kc6; or, b) 30… Nd4! 31. h3 Ne2+ 32. Kh2 Rxc5 33. Nf1 Nxg3 34. Nxg3 Rd8 35. Qg4+ Kb8. Whilst 30… f5 is superior to the text, it is not as strong as the previously cited moves.
- Qg4+ f5
Now this is the only move; 31… Kb8? 32. f5+ Ka8 33. Qg7 +-
- Qg7?
- Rxf5 was obvious and good. Karpov must have been in a state of panic.
32… Re8 33. h4
- h3 would have held out longer, but White would lose in the end: 33… Ne3 34. Bf2 Rc1+ 35. Kh2 Qxg2+ 36. Qxg2 Nxg2 37. Kxg2 Rc2 -+ The move, 33. h4?? is a terminal blunder and despite 33. h3 being comparatively better, the engine suggests that, 33. Bf2 is the best of all, as after, 33… Nd4 34. h3 Ne6 35. Qg3 Rc236. Be3 Nc7 37. Nf1 Nd5 38. Bf2 d2 39. Nxd2 Rxd2 40. Rxf5 Qd7, the status quo is maintained. That is, Black is much better and closing in on a winning position.
33… Ne3 34. Bf2 Rc1+ 35. Kh2 Ng4+ 36. Kg3 Nxf2 37. Nf3
If 37. Kxf2 Re2+ and …Qxg2 mate.
37… Ne4+ 38. Kh2 d2 39. Nxd2 Nxd2
Here Karpov’s flag fell and Karpov shook hands. Was it a resignation or loss on time? Miles didn’t care; he had collected the point. A most unclear game.
STOP PRESS
If the BBC’s recent chess series was meant to appeal to Horace’s Profanum Vulgus, a new eight part tv series, now showing on Disney, is tailored for the more elite spectrum of the global tv market.
“Rematch” commenced on Wednesday 21 May with Season 1, no 1 of 8 episodes. According to information from the promoters, the British actor Christian Cooke plays Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov in this eight-part series set in 1997.
It’s inspired by the true story of the original man-vs-machine match between the then World Chess Champion and the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue, which was programmed to calculate more than 200 million moves per second. But behind the scenes, the Deep Blue team are hit by allegations of unfairness, while Garry battles some personal demons.
The series “invites viewers to reflect on technology, the future of AI and the value of human connection,” says Ordeal by Innocence star Christian. “But mastering Garry Kasparov’s Russian accent was tricky to get right – it’s very easy to sound like a James Bond villain!”
Ray’s 206th book, “ Chess in the Year of the King ”, written in collaboration with Adam Black, and his 207th, “ Napoleon and Goethe: The Touchstone of Genius ” (which discusses their relationship with chess) can be ordered from both Amazon and Blackwells. His 208th, the world record for chess books, written jointly with chess playing artist Barry Martin, Chess through the Looking Glass , is now also available from Amazon.
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