How could we ever have doubted it? Surely it was written in the stars that Magnus Carlsen would retain his World Chess Championship title.  Perhaps he was toying with us by losing Game 8 then disappointing us all by drawing Game 12 meekly when everyone was expecting the grand finish. Was this a deliberate ploy to ensure that he retained his title via the tie breaks on his 26th birthday? Well, if people were denied a grand finish in the classical format, they got a spectacular one instead with the dénouement of the decisive fourth tie break game.

White: Magnus Carlsen (2853)            Black: Sergey Karjakin (2772)

World Chess Championship Tie Break 4  

   1.  e4  c5  2.  Nf3  d6  3.  d4  cd4  4.  Nd4  Nf6  5.  f3  e5  6.  Nb3  Be7 7.  c4  a5  8.  Be3  a4  9.  Nc1  O-O  10.  Nc3  Qa5  11.  Qd2  Na6 12.  Be2  Nc5  13.  O-O  Bd7  14.  Rb1  Rfc8  15.  b4  ab3  16.  ab3 Qd8  17.  Nd3  Ne6  18.  Nb4  Bc6  19.  Rfd1  h5  20.  Bf1  h4  21.  Qf2 Nd7  22.  g3  Ra3  23.  Bh3  Rca8  24.  Nc2  R3a6  25.  Nb4  Ra5 26.  Nc2  b6  27.  Rd2  Qc7  28.  Rbd1  Bf8  29.  gh4  Nf4  30.  Bf4  ef4 31.  Bd7  Qd7  32.  Nb4  Ra3  33.  Nc6  Qc6  34.  Nb5  Rb3  35.  Nd4 Qc4  36.  Nb3  Qb3  37.  Qe2  Be7  38.  Kg2  Qe6  39.  h5  Ra3 40.  Rd3  Ra2  41.  R3d2  Ra3  42.  Rd3  Ra7  43.  Rd5  Rc7 44.  Qd2  Qf6  45.  Rf5  Qh4  46.  Rc1  Ra7  47.  Qf4  Ra2  48.  Kh1 Qf2  49.  Rc8  Kh7  50.  Qh6  resigns   

The excitement that accompanied the final day of this enthralling match was not confined to the 600 spectators crowded into the Fulton Market Building in New York. As well as the millions following the game online, here is the reaction in Moscow’s Red Square……and remember this is in the middle of the night in late November! And the excitement among the spectators only increased when Karjakin opted for the Sicilian Defence in reply to Carlsen’s 1. e4,  suggesting that if he were to go down he would not go quietly. Eventually, however, Carlsen’s pressure told and the reaction of the spectators when the Champion played 50. Qh6 – gasps and then applause – finally made them realise that here was the grand finish they had hoped for but at the right moment.

There has been almost unanimous agreement that Carlsen has not been at his best and that Karjakin excelled most predictions by clinging on to within touching distance of winning the championship, and there can be no doubt that the match has grabbed the public’s attention. The poetic nature of Carlsen’s victory – a queen sacrifice to conclude the final game to win on his 26th birthday – was the perfect way to win a world championship.

                                         The Rubies                  4½-5½           The Pearls

                     Reg and Bob

Every year has its anniversaries but 2016 seems to have had more than its fair share: the death of Shakespeare, the Battle of Hastings, England winning the World Cup……and now we can add one more that appears to have been overlooked in all the hullaballoo. It is forty years since Reg Pidduck joined Broadstairs Chess Club and ten years later Bob Page played his first match. There will be another anniversary of sorts in two years’ time because it will then be twenty-five since they became Treasurer and Secretary respectively of the club. For now, the coincidence of forty and thirty years’ service seemed a good excuse for celebration and so the idea of an anniversary match was born.

Clockwise from the left: Viktor, Reg, John, Clive, John, Nick and David

Twenty players – sixteen from Broadstairs and four friends from local Thanet clubs – were divided into two teams, the Rubies, captained by Reg, and the Pearls, captained by Bob. Each team had equal grade totals and the draw was made on the night. A recipe for numerous mis-matches, I hear you say but not so because this match was run on a fiendish time handicap. With a two-hour limit, the least anyone could receive was ten minutes and when David Faldon (179) was drawn against Viktor Selyukov (73), that is precisely what he got with Viktor getting the remaining one hour fifty minutes. David would still have fancied his chances but the evening got off to a sensational start.

            The crucial game: Colin v Andy

Viktor won his game on time to give the Pearls a surprise 1-0 lead.  The Rubies soon fought back, however, when Viktor’s twelve year old son, Timofey (111) provided another shock, beating Ian Hames (160). Thereafter the lead swung to and fro as the Pearls’ 3-1 lead became a 4½-3½ defecit – Bob and Reg appropriately agreeing a draw in their match – with two games left. Clive Le Baigue looked likely to win against John Clarke in the all-Margate clash which would make the scores level with just Andy Flood’s game against Colin Gregory. Have a look at the position and see what you think. Typically, Andy said later that if he had known the score he would have offered Colin a draw. In the event, time told as is often the case, Colin made an error and Andy won. The match lasted the entire two hours, by no means a given with time handicaps, which was ideal and everyone then adjourned to the pub with a promise to repeat the match in thirty years’ time.

       A relieved Carlsen at the press conference

You would have had to stay up late on Thursday evening to see Magnus Carlsen finally break his duck and level the score in the World Championship at 1-1 with two games to go. Who would bet against the Champion now, especially as he has the white pieces in Game 12? Many experts are predicting a tie break, however, which would be decided next Wednesday, Carlsen’s 26th birthday.  The theme in this match appears to be the consistency of the players’ inconsistency.  True to form, there were moves in this match that puzzled the commentators, none more so than Karjakin’s 20th move. After 20. Nd2 he had the chance to force a draw with 20…Nf2+! He claimed at the press conference that he had overlooked the resulting fork had Carlsen not repeated, winning the queen. Instead he played 20….d5 almost instantly, a move described by one commentator as “one of the most shocking moves of the entire World Championship”! Eventually, Carlsen’s pressure told and after yet another six-hour game it was the challenger’s turn to wilt.

After two wins in the last three matches, the excitement is spreading beyond the chess world. After Game 8 The Independent went so far as to say with apparent sincerity that “The most exciting sporting event on the planet right now is the World Chess Championship match in New York!” although the article’s sign-off line, “It’s exciting stuff, people,” was less than convincing.   To his credit, there was no sulking from Karjakin who, unlike his opponent the other day, fulfilled his contractual obligations by turning up to answer questions at the press conference. This time it was Carlsen who had the last word: “It’s a huge relief. I haven’t won in ten games and that’s basically something that hasn’t happened to me. It’s been a struggle, and it’s still going to be a struggle, but at least now we’re fighting on level terms.”          

White: Magnus Carlsen (2853)            Black: Sergey Karjakin (2772)

World Chess Championship Game 10  

   1.  e4  e5  2.  Nf3  Nc6  3.  Bb5  Nf6  4.  d3  Bc5  5.  c3  O-O  6.  Bg5  h6 7.  Bh4  Be7  8.  O-O  d6  9.  Nbd2  Nh5  10.  Be7  Qe7  11.  Nc4  Nf4 12.  Ne3  Qf6  13.  g3  Nh3  14.  Kh1  Ne7  15.  Bc4  c6  16.  Bb3  Ng6 17.  Qe2  a5  18.  a4  Be6  19.  Be6  fe6  20.  Nd2  d5  21.  Qh5  Ng5 22.  h4  Nf3  23.  Nf3  Qf3  24.  Qf3  Rf3  25.  Kg2  Rf7  26.  Rfe1  h5 27.  Nf1  Kf8  28.  Nd2  Ke7  29.  Re2  Kd6  30.  Nf3  Raf8  31.  Ng5 Re7  32.  Rae1  Rfe8  33.  Nf3  Nh8  34.  d4  ed4  35.  Nd4  g6 36.  Re3  Nf7  37.  e5  Kd7  38.  Rf3  Nh6  39.  Rf6  Rg7  40.  b4  ab4 41.  cb4  Ng8  42.  Rf3  Nh6  43.  a5  Nf5  44.  Nb3  Kc7  45.  Nc5  Kb8 46.  Rb1  Ka7  47.  Rd3  Rc7  48.  Ra3  Nd4  49.  Rd1  Nf5  50.  Kh3 Nh6  51.  f3  Rf7  52.  Rd4  Nf5  53.  Rd2  Rh7  54.  Rb3  Ree7 55.  Rdd3  Rh8  56.  Rb1  Rhh7  57.  b5  cb5  58.  Rb5  d4  59.  Rb6 Rc7  60.  Ne6  Rc3  61.  Nf4  Rhc7  62.  Nd5  Rd3  63.  Nc7  Kb8 64.  Nb5  Kc8  65.  Rg6  Rf3  66.  Kg2  Rb3  67.  Nd6  Nd6  68.  Rd6 Re3  69.  e6  Kc7  70.  Rd4  Re6  71.  Rd5  Rh6  72.  Kf3  Kb8 73.  Kf4  Ka7  74.  Kg5  Rh8  75.  Kf6   resigns