{"id":2379,"date":"2024-10-05T18:51:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-05T16:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/?p=2379"},"modified":"2024-10-25T22:08:26","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T20:08:26","slug":"the-chess-olympiad-in-india-has-taken-into-its-hands-the-orphaned-sceptre-of-a-superpower-after-30-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/en\/sachova-olympiada-indie-prevzala-do-svych-rukou-po-30-let-osirele-zezlo-supervelmoci\/","title":{"rendered":"Chess Olympiad: India has taken into its hands the sceptre of a superpower left orphaned for 30 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chess Olympiad has ended in Budapest \u2013 a true celebration of chess. It broke numerous records: the number of participating countries \u2013 teams. A clear division into chess superpowers, stalwarts, developing countries and\u2026 a single superpower. The number of fans at the venue, as well as those following the event online or via recordings. India confirmed its overwhelming rise not only in the open tournament, where success was expected, but also in the women's category! The decisive contribution to the victory with a 4-point lead came from two truly Olympic terminators, Dommaraju Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi; and my articles are primarily dedicated to them.<\/p>\n

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A few days after the Olympiad ended, the winning teams were received by the Indian Prime Minister His Excellency Narendra Modi. (The photograph is taken from the magazine New in Chess 6-7\/2024.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Write about the Czech teams!<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Readers who did not follow the Olympiad so closely might wonder why I do not mention the relatively successful performance of the Czech Republic men's team in a similar way.<\/p>\n

I will write briefly: In the last round, the Czech Republic faced\u2026 the Faroe Islands (the population of this autonomous Danish territory is several times the number of members of the Czech Chess Federation; or in other words: it was as if chess players from the district town of Jihlava participated in the Olympiad \ud83d\ude42), and won the match by the narrowest margin of 2.5-1.5\u2026 This catapulted them to 18th place overall. I add that Slovakia, with the same number of points before the last round was paired<\/em> however, with England featuring Nikita Vitiugov on the first and Gawain Jones on the fourth board!<\/p>\n

I do not want to offend David Navara. He did a great job, as we have been used to from a brilliant chess player and a wonderful person for many years. Nor the brilliantly playing Nguyen Thai Dai Van. With a result of 9 points out of 10 and a performance of 2783 (!) he even became the most successful player on the second board!<\/p>\n

I watched many videos, replayed lots of games, and naturally I could not avoid coming across the names of the captains of various teams. Alexander Grischuk took on the role of captain of the Iranian team (which went through truly hellish trials and faced the strongest teams; three from the top six of the final standings) and the 14th world champion Vladimir Kramnik appeared at the Olympiad as a captain, and here I must emphasise that given the age of the players, he was mainly a coach, the winner of the previous Olympiad with Uzbekistan! According to his own words, he barely slept 4 hours a day. He had so much work preparing the players!<\/p>\n

\u201eAnd who led the Czech Republic?\u201c<\/em>\u00a0is the logical question. One would be mistaken to look for a parallel between the captain and coach of our women's team, who was the experienced professional grandmaster coach Tom\u00e1\u0161 Pol\u00e1k. The captain of the men's team was neither Zbyn\u011bk Hr\u00e1\u010dek nor Ji\u0159\u00ed \u0160to\u010dek or another experienced grandmaster, but a certain Petr Boleslav. I admit, I had to look up and learn who Mr Boleslav actually is\u2026<\/p>\n

All Olympiad results can be found on the page https:\/\/chess-results.com\/tnr967173.aspx?lan=5<\/a><\/p>\n

Terminator number 1: Gukesh's phenomenal play and result<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

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Everyone was eagerly awaiting how the final test of the challenger before the November and December World Championship match would go. Many were also curious about a possible head-to-head on the first board between Ding Liren and Gukesh. After all, the probability that India and China would not meet in the tournament was almost zero\u2026<\/p>\n

Although few predicted that the 18-year-old challenger would perform poorly, his phenomenal result exceeded all expectations! Dommaraju simply won and outplayed whoever he could, including world number two or three Fabian Caruana.<\/p>\n

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Such a result is probably also a historic record. I do not recall or have read that any chess player, quite often the reigning world champion, has ever achieved such a number of points on the first board. The performance (that is, for less knowledgeable readers, how many ELO points<\/em> the chess player played at the tournament<\/em>) was an incredible after winning the last game 3,056<\/strong> (!) and scored more than 30 points.<\/p>\n

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After the Olympiad ended, the world top ten rating list looked like this:<\/p>\n

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Readers surely noticed not only the overwhelming rise of young stars but also a change in the top three places of the ranking after a long time.<\/em><\/p>\n

Seventh round of the Olympiad<\/strong>. Finally, the teams of India and China clash, while the match with the top-seeded United States is probably just postponed. (The sensational victory of the Ukrainian team over the USA, largely thanks to none other than the brilliant and ageless Vassily Ivanchuk, forced the Americans to win several more matches to return among the best teams.)<\/p>\n

I was almost certain that Ding Liren would avoid a direct clash with Gukesh with the black pieces and let the objectively stronger Wei Yi represent him today. What led me to this near certainty was also the fact that in the previous 6th round the world champion lost a drawn rook endgame. Let's look at the critical moment:<\/p>\n

Ding,Liren (2736) - Le,Quang Liem (2741) <\/strong>16 September 2024<\/p>\n

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47.Ra4?? Rb6!<\/span>\u2013+ <\/strong>0\u20131 (62). Only a not difficult position was drawn 47.Re1+ Kf5<\/strong><\/span> (or 47...Kd6 48.Ra1 if 48...d4 then 49.Ra6+ Kd5 50.Rxe6 Kxe6 51.Ke4=) 48.Rd1 Rd6 49.Rd4<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

I searched for a long time for a video that did not contain analytical errors in the endgame or was not too confusing. There was no choice<\/em> but to turn to Nakamura<\/em>; after all, after years I could also revisit the so-called bridge position \ud83d\ude42 .<\/p>\n

https:\/\/skolasachu.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nakamura-Ding-Liren-Li-Quang-VK.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A hyper multifunctional game and a battle to the last bullet<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

An incredible battle, tension and a silence that could be cut with a knife, mutual time trouble on 30 seconds<\/em>, but also one of the most thematically rich games I have ever seen in my life! The game Gukesh vs. Wei Yi<\/strong> should go down in history! No, let's not expect magic in the opening. That itself was certainly the least interesting part of the game, the effort and emotions both youngsters had to put into the game.<\/p>\n

I was thinking about how to approach a report on the recent Olympiad. In the end, I decided on Terminators<\/em>, but the crucial part will be this very game. Yet it is so complex that, on the one hand, believe me, it could be analysed for days if not weeks even with today's technology (!), and on the other hand, just showing it in a single viewer without prior input would create unimaginable chaos.<\/p>\n

So I decided to proceed step by step and first present the reader with various situations that not only actually arose in the game but could quite well have appeared. Besides entertainment, even highly qualified chess players can learn from the following nine tests! I think that even they might not be able to assess some of the positions below perfectly.<\/p>\n

So let's get to it! Your task<\/strong> will be<\/strong>, to, dear readers, evaluate the positions<\/strong> on<\/strong> in the diagrams given below<\/strong> and answer any supplementary questions.<\/p>\n

Task one<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

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After 16\u2026f5<\/strong><\/span> Gukesh could have used a small combination 17.Nb4<\/strong>. How would you respond as Black in this position, and how would you assess your prospects?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Second task<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

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position from the game after 24...Rxb3<\/em><\/p>\n

Such a situation is not seen on the chessboard every day. True, Black undoubtedly has a strong pair of so-called Horwitz bishops, but...<\/p>\n

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... I cannot help but recall and mention an old remark I found in one of Rubinstein's games. I do not know whether it was written by the author of the monograph himself Akiba Rubinstein<\/em> Jurij Sergejevi\u010d Razuvajev or whether it originated even earlier, but it went something like this: \u201eBlack's pawns resemble semi-finished delicacies from the confectionery U Labu\u017en\u00edk. They are all doomed to be eaten!\u201c<\/em> \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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A question for strong players or for deeper reflection: After 24...Rxb3 would you rather respond 25.Nxf4<\/span> or, for example, with prophylactic protection of the b2 pawn by the move 25.Rf2<\/span>? How would you evaluate the prospects of the sides after your suggested move?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Third task<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

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The last move is shown on both diagrams with an arrow. To achieve a draw, would you prefer, playing Black, the endgame on the left or the right diagram?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fourth task<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

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In the comments to the move 63...f4<\/strong><\/span> I wrote: \u201eIt is hard to say what motives led Black to sharpen the game - transforming the endgame in an equal match situation. He played the game to win, considering, for example, that a draw always<\/em>? Did he take into account the clock situation, where White had two minutes left and he himself had about a minute more? On the other hand, Black's plan is highly logical! The metamorphosis of the position will lead to the creation of a distant passed pawn on 'h', while the hypersonic rook can always swiftly transfer to attack on the other wing. Which of the possible continuations would you choose with White <\/strong>in the position of the diagram would you choose?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fifth task... which I simply cannot resist \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

It was very close, and in the game, already under mutual time pressure, this position could have arisen:<\/p>\n

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Here I allow myself to break down the task:\u00a0How would the game end with mutually optimal play?\u00a0<\/strong>Evaluate the position from a strictly theoretical point of view<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sixth task... on the contrary, highly practical<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

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White played in the game 70.Ne5+<\/strong><\/span>. Where would you retreat the king and with what evaluation of the position?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The seventh task<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

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White continued with 71.f6<\/strong><\/span>. \u201eAnother critical moment! Both opponents are now playing on seconds! In case of a draw, the match will end 2-2... Black's task is extremely difficult. Only one move leads to a draw<\/strong>, which moreover looks somewhat silly at first glance\u2026\u201c<\/p>\n

We, however, have unlimited time. So how should Black continue?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Task eight<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Blood runs cold! After 73...h2<\/strong><\/span> White has only two options available:<\/p>\n

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74.Ngf3<\/strong> or 74.Nef3<\/strong>. In both cases queens can appear<\/em> on the board, and the endgame, disregarding the laws of time and perhaps even causality, then transforms back into a middlegame with all its complexities!\u00a0Which of the options to cover the \u201af\u2018 file would you choose after careful consideration?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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While analysing this position, I could not help but recall an old, truly ancient, story told to me by one of the coaches. It concerns (probably) a national team training camp for children around 1995 and one inquisitive question from then nine- or ten-year-old David Navara. The reader will forgive a certain narrative licence and hopefully David will not be offended.<\/p>\n

\u201eSo children, today we will discuss the topic of transition from the opening to the middlegame and from the middlegame to the endgame,\"<\/em> the lecturer said. \u201eAnd why, please, will we not deal with the transition from the endgame back to the middlegame?\u201c<\/em> asked the supposedly young David. \u201eHa, ha, ha,\u201c<\/em> the other children naturally found this very amusing. After all, what nonsense is that? Does the national team novice not know that we cannot get from the endgame back to the middlegame or even that he does not know the definition of the endgame? \u201eOf course, we're playing some endgame, both sides will promote queens, and the game will return to the middlegame!\u201c<\/em> David retorted. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

I don't know how the lecturer managed to return<\/em> to the planned lesson \ud83d\ude42 , that is to calm the children and youth and also to answer the questioner satisfactorily. It is, of course, about statistics, tendency. At heart, little David was right... and here we have proof!<\/p>\n

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golden times...<\/em><\/p>\n

Task nine<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

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Wei Yi fought like a lion and we can perhaps say that with the move 76...Ra3+<\/strong><\/span> he set the last trap! Where would you retreat the king?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Solution<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

In the viewer below, all solutions are presented of all<\/strong> the previous nine tests<\/strong>, yet I would like to pause especially on two of them \u2013 one theoretical and one practical \u2013.<\/p>\n

Solution the fifth test<\/span><\/strong> requires quite deep knowledge of theoretical, or according to Dvoretsky, so-called precise endgames\u2026 and something more!<\/p>\n

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Before us is a position that White wins! I will say straight away that the computer announces mate in 90 moves. How is this possible? After all, many of us learned as children that two knights cannot mate unless the weaker side's king commits suicide. The secret<\/em> we will reveal by considering why knights actually do not deliver checkmate. Knights with their king (indeed even a mere K+N duo) are capable of driving the king to the corner of the board! The problem, however, is that before they force mate, stalemate appears on the board<\/em> \ud83d\ude42 . Well, therein lies the crux of the matter.<\/p>\n

Forget about the pawn on h5, White will capture it in a few moves. That unfortunate pawn on a5 causes the N on a4 to move away at the critical moment! Stalemate does not occur, and the knight has time to hop wherever needed, that is, to (help) checkmate the black king. The problem, however, lies in whether in the meantime the black pawn will promote to a queen and intervene in the game. I will also inform less experienced players that, of course, this is nothing new...<\/p>\n

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\u201eAfter all, let\u2019s be objective, nowadays the game is played much stronger,\u201c<\/em> declared the second of the Olympiad terminators Arjun Kumar Erigaisi about half a year ago in an interview, thus condemning real history to the dustbin of oblivion, as is common today...<\/p>\n

The working diagram on the left represents the so-called Troitsky line (wall). Alexei Alexeyevich Troitsky<\/strong> (1866-1942) discovered by remarkably precise analysis, how far the weaker side\u2019s pawn can advance in a 2N vs. P endgame for White to win<\/strong>! Perhaps he really played much<\/em> weaker, but he certainly knew how to analyse! A more detailed analysis and explanation of the Troitsky line can be found by the reader in the viewer.<\/p>\n

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A. A. Troitsky. A brilliant composer, analyst, the first USSR chess composition master of sport. He introduced new elements into studies and brought them closer to practical chess.<\/em><\/p>\n

Theory and practice, however, diverge partly due to the 50-move rule<\/strong>. At the time Troitsky published his analytical work, nothing like this existed, and therefore his line is only partially useful in today\u2019s practice. Around the turn of the millennium, however, the German grandmaster and mathematician, an expert in various theoretical endgames, Karsten M\u00fcller created a more precise diagram, the so-called M\u00fcller line, also called the second Troitsky line, which respects the 50-move rule. Of course, I have also included in the viewer an example of the procedure by which the stronger side achieves a win. The reader will be able to assess how difficult the entire mating technique is, especially in the case when the opponent defends in the most precise possible way. (He is familiar with the rules of correct defence, that is, which corner of the board to be driven into in the first phase and which to avoid.)<\/p>\n

I am a huge fan of the (miracle) Dommaraju Gukesh also because he might return chess to a normal state of the type classics remain classics<\/em>. I was thrilled by his performance at the Olympiad. Nevertheless, I would really be curious how the game would end if both players continued to fight in the endgame position on the diagram\u2026 with 30 seconds per move!<\/p>\n

Solution the sixth test<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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I was led to this purely practical task by Hikaru Nakamura in his video analysis. After 70.Ne5+<\/strong><\/span> rests the simplest method of achieving a draw in a retreat that may seem paradoxical at first glance 70...Kc7!<\/strong>! In\u00a0ordinary endgames <\/em>such a retreat would not only look counterproductive but perhaps even foolish. After all, why should the king literally run away from a dangerous passed pawn? Its task, in endgames where the pieces are already fully valuable short-legged<\/em> is not only control but also blockade! However, it is much more important here to prevent the knights from giving checks. By doing so, they simultaneously use their tempi to move to the necessary squares. From a practical point of view<\/strong> is the retreat to c7<\/strong> is by far the simplest<\/strong> solution, even though the draw was maintained both in the game played with 70...Kd8<\/strong>, as well as with 70...Ke7<\/strong>.<\/p>\n