Chess speaks for itself

‘Plug the fucking laptop in!’ Hans Niemann, the lively 19-year-old from the US, was left fuming – understandably – after his loss to Jan-Krzysztof Duda at the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami. The organisers set up the equipment, but Duda’s laptop ran out of juice at a tense moment when both players had about a minute remaining. By the time it was resolved, Duda had gained several minutes to think and found an accurate continuation, posing difficult problems in the endgame. An exasperated Niemann lost the game, and collapsed in the next two as well, losing a clean 3-0 sweep in the four-game match.

The technical mishap was all the more absurd since the players were all at the same venue in Miami, and could just as well have played mano a mano. But this event, the FTX Crypto Cup, was the latest in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, the series of online rapid events initiated by Magnus Carlsen during the pandemic. Besides, it is claimed that competitive video games (such as Dota 2 and League of Legends) are now a billion-dollar market, so promoting chess as an eSport is a plausible marketing pitch, even if it rankles the purists.

But also in over-the-board play, unexpected stoppages are not that uncommon – I was once the beneficiary of a timely fire alarm in a difficult position. And during the first game of the Fischer-Petrosian Candidates match in Buenos Aires, 1971, the lights went out due to a power cut. On that occasion, the arbiter stopped Fischer’s clock, and Petrosian left the stage while Fischer remained at the board. Petrosian complained, so Fischer agreed to let his clock run while he sat thinking in the dark.

Niemann’s colourful interview after his match with Duda was eclipsed the very next day, when he beat Magnus Carlsen in the first game of their match. Asked about the game, he gave the gnomic response ‘Chess speaks for itself’ and swaggered off. (In the end, Carlsen still won the match).

In the past couple of years, Niemann has made remarkable progress and he now ranks as one of the world’s strongest juniors. At the time of going to press, he has just defeated Carlsen again, this time in a slow game at the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis. The next day, Carlsen took the shock decision to withdraw from the event, without stating a reason.

Here is Niemann’s win from Miami. Carlsen became burdened by the weak d3-pawn in the middlegame, and didn’t last long once a second front opened on the kingside.

Magnus Carlsen–Hans Moke Niemann

FTX Crypto Cup, Miami, August 2022

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 g6 4 O-O Bg7 5 Re1 Nf6 6 e5 Nd5 7 Nc3 Nc7 8 Bxc6 dxc6 9 Ne4 b6 10 Nf6+ Kf8 11 Ne4 A popular line of the Rossolimo Sicilian (3 Bb5), where White loses time, but Black loses castling rights. Bg4 12 d3 Ne6 13 Neg5 Nxg5 14 Bxg5 Qd5 15 Re4 Bf5 16 c4 Carlsen was critical of this move, which creates a backward pawn on d3. Qe6 17 Re3 h6 18 Bf4 g5 19 Bg3 Rd8 20 h3 Kg8 21 a3 Kh7 22 b4 Rd7 23 bxc5 bxc5 24 Qb3 Rhd8 25 Rd1 Qg6 26 Ne1 h5 27 Nf3 Relying on 27...Bxd3 28 Nxg5+! h4 28 Bh2 e6 29 Qc3 Bf8 30 Ne1 g4 31 hxg4 Bxg4 32 f3 Bf5 33 f4 Bh6 34 Qa5 Qg4 35 Rf3 (see diagram) 35 Rd2 was more stubborn, but 35...Rb8 prepares an invasion on b1. Be4 Forcing a decisive gain of material. 36 Qxc5 Bxf3 37 Nxf3 h3 38 Qf2 Rxd3 39 Rxd3 Rxd3 40 Ne1 Rxa3 41 Qb2 Re3 42 Kf2 Bxf4 White resigns