We have another exciting game from the Thanet All Play All League.

White exchanges Queens very early. However this game doesn’t become positional as both players look to attack their opponent’s King with their remaining pieces – and we see that development and tempi really are essential when we play chess.

 White:  pm5       Black:  samfeuillatre

Thanet All Play All 2021

Here is the position after 2 moves from a ‘ game ‘ played yesterday between World Champion Magnus Carlsen & his top Blitz challenger Hikaru Nakamura

The players agreed a draw!

This was played in the final round of the preliminary stages of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational Event: 16 top players competing for a prize fund of $1.5M

Carlsen and Nakamura had already qualified for the Knockout rounds of the event when they played this little joke of a game

Do you think that they were entitled to take a quirky quick draw and save energy?

Or

Do you think that they manipulated the system and made it harder for non players/sponsors to take chess seriously as a sport?

Not only are there very few pieces on the board, material is equal.

If Black had the move then the players could agree a draw, however it is White to play, can you find a forcing  way to claim the win?

White to Move

Just for a change we have two games of the week

The first is between 2 Indian young talents and the second game is from the Thanet All Play All League. In both games we see a fairly level opening followed by one player gradually getting the upper hand.

I find the pair of games instructive to watch how simple moves and gaining activity for the pieces can quickly lead to overwhelming positions.

In Game one we see a young IM take down his higher rated opponent

 White:  Ghosh Aronyak       Black:  Ab Gupta

Vidit Tour KO 2021

In game two we see a very nice win from the Thanet All Play All

 White:  John Hunt       Black:  Robert Starley

Thanet All Play All 2021