Chess vs. poker

Readers of my columns in TheArticle will have observed my hitherto thinly disguised disdain for the so-called Chess , currently in progress in Astana, Kazakhstan. Without the reigning world champion, Magnus Carlsen, this contest is a striking example of Hamlet without the Prince syndrome. Early games confirmed my scepticism, with Ding’s loss in Game 2 falling well below the accepted standard for a world title clash. Ding’s early h3 was spectacularly pusillanimous, if spectacular is an epithet which can legitimately be applied to pusillanimity. Yet, astonishingly, so misguided was Nepo’s response, based on the decentralising blunder …Na5, that White could have established a huge advantage with the obvious Nxc5, instead of Nxf6+ (see Game 2 link below).

Having more or less abandoned all hope of this match registering in any positive way on any of the three scales of accuracy, aesthetics or sporting interest, I was pleasantly astonished by Ding’s Phoenix-like resurrection in Game 4. This turned out to be a masterpiece in the style of Aron Nimzowitsch, with characteristic strategic ideas of the author of My System. Ding’s Nimzowitschian ploys included an English opening based on pawn moves to c4 and e4, followed up by overprotection in the e file, restraint of Black’s activity, a successful blockade and then utter destruction of the shattered remains of Nepo’s crumbling fortress. A true victory for the anthologies.

Ding Liren vs. Jan Nepomniachtchi (Game 2)

Ding Liren vs. Jan Nepomniachtchi (Game 4)

… and now witness the prototypical model:

Aron Nimzowitsch vs. Friedrich Saemisch

Meanwhile, what of the truculent truant Carlsen himself? Surreally, the absent world chess champion, as he will still be until resolution of the match in Astana, is competing in the Norwegian Poker championship, being staged in …Bratislava!

The 32-year-old chess champion is in the Slovakian capital in order to bypass Norway’s strict gambling laws. Last year in Dublin, Carlsen made headlines in this peripatetic “Norwegian” event: he finished in an impressive 25th place out of 1,050 players, earning a modest cash prize of about 5,000 Euros.

Speaking to the official broadcast after Day 1, Carlsen jokingly confirmed that he prefers poker over chess. Carlsen, one of 435 players to make it through Day 1 of the Main Event of this curiously located Norwegian Poker Championship, replied:  “Yeah, but it does say something about me not liking the World Chess Championship.”

Carlsen went through to Day 2, but dropped down the rankings in the last hours of the day. “It went a bit astray during the last half an hour. A lot of strange things happened. Let’s try again tomorrow,” said Carlsen. He was at that stage left with 47,500 chips, after starting on 100,000. Asked if he thought poker was fun, he replied to the official YouTube broadcast:

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s a bit tiring. I was sitting here for an hour, or an hour and a half , and I didn’t win a single hand. I just folded and folded. That’s not very exciting, but when something happens, it’s fun.”

Meanwhile, congratulations to the RAC Hamilton Russell Chess Team. Last week, a small group of the Royal Automobile Club’s strongest available Club Chess players assembled, hoping to defend the Hamilton Russell Trophy in 2023, the 100th year of the competition.

The team triumphed in spectacular style, defeating arch Chess rivals the MCC Club 5.5/2.5. Nigel Povah IM, Richard Farleigh, Stephen Meyler and Wayne Clark all secured fine victories whilst Chris Gant, Natasha Regan WIM and Lee Green also secured 1/2 points. It is both a fitting and celebratory end to the Club’s Chess league season , as the Royal Automobile Club actually host the 100 year Hamilton Russell Dinner this year in the Mountbatten Room on Tuesday 10 October.

Thanks to Henry McWatters, Chair of the Chess Circle Committee, for the above information.

Here is the match score – a win or draw for MCC would have given them the Hamilton Russell Cup. Given that RAC are custodians of the cup, this is something the RAC simply couldn’t let happen in this, the centenary year of the competition! RAC won the toss and chose White on odd boards.

Stephen Meyler vs. Ed Goodall

1. d4 g6 2. c4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4.e4 Nc6 5. Be3 e5 6. d5 Nce7 7. Bd3 Nf6stronger would have been 7… f5 8. f3 Nf6 9. Nge2 O-O as in Gundavaa-Sarissian, 2013; 8. f3 c5 The most common reply is 8… Nh5 but my engine prefers either 8… O-O or 8… c6. 9. Qd2 h5 10. Nge2 a6 11. a3 Bd7 Either11… Neg8 or … b6 would have been better tries. 12. O-O Rb8 13. b4 b6 14. Rfb1 O-O 15. Rb2 Qc7 16. Rab1 Rfc8 17. Rb3 

17… a5 Playing into White’s strengths by opening the b file,   where   White, who was already much better, has been concentrating his heavy legions. Indeed, this is the tipping point, after which, any chances for recovery by Black are slim.  18. bxa5 bxa5 19. Qb2 Rxb3 20. Qxb3 Ra8 21. Qb7 Qxb7  It might be worth retaining the queens.  22. Rxb7 Nc8 23. Bg5  Not quite as strong as 23. Nb5 Kf8 24. Nec3.  23… Nh7 24. Bd8 Be8 25. Nb5 Bf6 26. Bc7  Even more incisive is 26. Nc7!  26… Be7 27. Nec3  White should prefer 27. Bb8! when 27… Bxb5 28. cxb5 is winning.  27… Nf6 28. Bc2 Nd7 29. Na4 Kf8 30 Nb6  Finally   cashing in his chips, to borrow a poker analogy. 

30… Ndxb6 31. Bxb6 Bxb5 32. cxb5 Nxb6 33. Rxb6 Ke8 White’s passed b pawn now turns out to be a winner. 34. Ba4  Kd8 35. Rb7 Bg5 36. b6 f5 37. Rd7+ Kc8 38. b7+ Black resigns

STOP PRESS

In another twist to the eventful, if not exactly prestigious world championship match: the fifth game has, as I write, just been won by Ian Nepomniachtchi, playing White against Ding Liren. Nepo now leads 3-2 after 5 games from a possible 14. Quicker time limit games will decide in the case of an overall drawn outcome to the main contest.

Raymond Keene’s latest book “Fifty Shades of Ray: Chess in the year of the Coronavirus”, containing some of his best pieces from TheArticle, is now available from  Blackwell’s . His 206th book, Chess in the Year of the King, with a foreword by The Article contributor Patrick Heren, and written in collaboration with former Reuters chess correspondent, Adam Black, is in preparation. It will be published later this year.  

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