Chess Leisure

Opportunities Galore, in the Chess War, Jaw, Jaw

Barry Martin

December 18, 2024
8 min read

Opportunities Galore, in the Chess War, Jaw, Jaw

As I write this column, the World Chess Championship (WCC) in Singapore has reached its close, or climax, as some would have it. Closer to home, although the internet makes the whole world feel ‘close to home,’ the London Chess Classic, held at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in North London, has similarly concluded. A connection between these two events, given their timing, is Gukesh D, who played in the Classic last year. That event was won by Michael Adams with an unbeaten 6/9 points. Notably, Adams let Gukesh off with a draw, despite being in a better position.

This year’s Classic featured superstar Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Vidit Gujrathi, plus our evergreen stars like Gawain Jones, Adams, and Nikita Vitiugov, alongside the young Shreyas Royal and Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun. For details, visit londonchessclassic.com.

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In the WCC in Singapore, Gukesh D and Ding Liren went into Game nine level at 4.5 points each. The 14-game contest concluded with a thrilling finish. Before Game 10, both players admitted to the mental strain of neutralising each other’s attacks in earlier games. Ding, who started this three week championship without a win in Classical timed chess in 28 games (304 days), had many pundits doubting his chances. Gukesh, on the other hand, who has been on top form this past year, came into the event sparkling. Even Magnus Carlsen initially favoured him. However, as the games progressed, Carlsen changed his vote to a probable Liren win. There had been missed chances for both players, which otherwise may have placed one player into the lead.

After a rest day, Game 10 saw Liren playing the White pieces, but it was Gukesh who seized the moment. His victory at this crucial stage of the Championship dealt an immense psychological blow to his adversary!

The first player to reach 7.5 pts was declared the winner. If after 14 games there is a draw with seven points each, a series of faster time controls are played, which was the situation when Liren took the WCC crown winning against Ian Nepomniachtchi previously. The opening move of the current WCC series was made by Sir Demis Hassabis, the AlphaZero guru who recently received a Nobel prize for his AI developments in the medical field amongst other world class firsts.

Ding Liren won Game One, and the 18-year-old pretender to the WCC crown, Gukesh, saw his historic prediction of becoming the youngest-ever World Champion shaping up to be a hard uphill struggle!

Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen both won the title at the age of 22, and broke Mikhail Tal’s record who won the title when he was 23. In so doing, shocking the old guard in succeeding against the great Mikhail Botvinnik.

The championship has had its ups and downs with creative moments such as in Game 7 where Gukesh took his foot off the pedal when playing White. He ‘produced a sharp new variation ‘ on move 7, securing a clear advantage. Ding rescued his position, albeit a pawn down, but on move 40 blundered with time pressure and only 7 secs left on his clock. Carlsen commented, ‘Ding lost his mind with move 40…..Ke5?’. However, Liren dug deep and after another 32 moves a draw was declared.

The 14th edition of the London Chess Classic, sponsored by XTX Markets, featured a number of richly produced events, including the Grand Master Tournament, the FIDE Masters 9-round Classical tourney (for player seeking title norms}, the FIDE U-2000 Elo event (similar in format to Classic timed event).

Additionally, there was the LCC Festival for players of all standards, offering Classical and Blitz games; a Schools Festival for hundreds of children to learn more about the game and experience the world-class tournament; numerous fun events each evening, including GM displays and chess lectures; and the Pro Biz Cup, where GMs team up with business leaders in an alternate-move contest. A true cornucopia of events that the organisers should be proud of!

I’m pleased to be able to support the latter again by donating works of mine for auction at the concluding dinner to celebrate the event. Held at The Dorchester, Park Lane, London, this raises funds to support the work of Chess in Schools and the Community charity. This time round I’m donating 3 portraits of Grand Masters I’ve created at world level events, Magnus Carlsen defending his World Championship Crown; Garry Kasparov, who toured the world with Anatoly Karpov, when the latter vied for the Presidency of FIDE; and a unique portrait of the current, at the time of writing, Ding Liren and autographed by him when playing in London at a major FIDE tournament a few years ago.

In the FIDE Grand Masters event, Gawain Jones emerged victorious with 4 points, followed by Michael Adams (3.5 points) and Nikita Vitiugov (3.5 points). Shreyas Royal, the UK’s youngest-ever GM, struggled but gained valuable experience. Jones’ win over Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun in the final round sealed his first London Chess Classic title. Post-match, he stated, “The last few days felt like a lot of suffering! Today was better!” He received the trophy and the £25,000, first prize award! Much better!

Michael Adams, the defending champion and eight times British title winner, was runner up with 4/7 pts, after a draw in round seven with American Andrew Hong, aged 19 years. Adams post match said, “Really, I ended up with more points than I deserved. At least I’m still fighting!” And long may he do so!

He has played in 14 of the LCC’s elite GM championships with more to play. Nikita Vitiugov, England ‘s number two finished 3rd, drawing with Vidit Gujrathi, India’s 2023 World Chess Candidate. Shreyas Royal, the UK’s youngest ever GM, had a tough tournament finishing last with I/7 pts losing in the last round to Azerbaijan’s former World Rapid Champion, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who finished with 4/7 pts. Previous winners of this tournament include some of the illustrious greats and goats of the elite world chess fraternity including Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Ding Liren, Hikaru Nakamura, and Michael Adams.

In world chess terms, this international tournament cements England’s position in the elite chess world. Long may it continue, well done!

Editor’s Recommendation: Barry Martin, our valued chess contributor at EyeOnLondon, has co-authored an outstanding anthology titled Chess Through the Looking Glass alongside Grandmaster Raymond Keene OBE. This recently published collection features over 40 essays originally appearing in TheArticle and EyeOnLondon, offering insights into chess’s storied history, controversies, and cultural impact. Highlighted by the Editor’s foreword, the book examines chess’s allure and artistry, with Barry Martin’s own artistic flair shining through in his renowned Grandmaster portraits, including Viktor Korchnoi’s celebrated piece displayed at the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame. It’s a must-read for chess enthusiasts and art lovers alike

The Challenge
The puzzle for this month’s article is taken from Gawain Jones’ first-round win over Michael Adams at The XTX Markets London Classic Elite Grand Masters Tournament, Emirates Stadium, North London 2024.
Jones, as White, played 27.Ne3… attacking Black’s bishop on g4 and blockading Black’s rook on e8 from occupying the e2 square. This potentially potent strategy is a clue as to how the game concluded 14 moves later, but instead, White followed a similar strategy on Black’s 7th rank and won the game. Can you see White ‘s journey in achieving this result and Black’s attempts to thwart White’s plan. Answer, upside down below.
This move paved the way for White to achieve victory 14 moves later by a similar strategy on Black’s 7th rank. Can you see White’s journey and Black’s attempts to thwart this plan?