The recent FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, just confirmed what many have long predicted: India, the country with the longest history with our noble game, may also be the country with the brightest future.
In a result that caused a sensation in the ancient homeland of chess, four young Indian grandmasters were among the eight quarterfinalists at the elite 206-player open knockout tournament, with rising 18-year-old superstar GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa losing in the hard-fought finals to former world champ Magnus Carlsen. “Pragg” with the result booked a berth in the upcoming FIDE Candidates’ tournament to pick the next challenger to reigning world champ Ding Liren of China.
India, after a few centuries adjusting to the modern, European version of the game, already has produced one world champion in the great Viswanathan Anand, who at 53 is still the ninth-ranked player in the world. And GM Humpy Koneru at 36 is the fourth-highest-rated female player on the planet. Thanks in part to the craze inspired by Anand’s success, India also boasts one of the world’s most active chess scenes and enjoys considerable commercial support for promising players.
The result: the deepest bench and richest chess farm system of perhaps any country in the world.
Even at his tender age, the Chennai-born Praggnanandhaa has been a player to watch for years — an international master at 10, a grandmaster at 12 and already the 19th-highest-rated player on the late FIDE global list. He defeated another former world champ, Bulgaria’s Veselin Topalov, with a sparkling attack against the great attacker at the annual Gibraltar Masters tournament in 2020 just before COVID-19 shut down international play.
In a Classical French after 13. Bf2 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Nxa6, Black manages to rid himself of his problem bishop but gives Pragg the opportunity to immediately commence an attack on the kingside.
After 21. Qxf2 Qd7 22. Qh4 Qd8, Black is clearly trying to trade down to ease the pressure, but White has other ideas: 23. Nf6+! gxf6 (Kh8?? 24. Qxh7 mate is a hard no here) 24. Rad1! (simple and deadly; the rook lift 24. Re3? [also bad would be 24. exf6? Qd4+ 25. Qxd4 Nxd4 and Black wins] is tempting, but Black holds on 23…fxe5 25. Rg3+ Kh8 26. Qh6 Qd4+ 27. Kf1 Qxa1+ 28. Kf2 Qd4+), and Topalov must give up his queen as 24…Qc7 25. exf6 Kh8 26. Rd3 is now decisive.
Black gets a rook and knight for his queen, but White’s attack is by no means spent. Another piece falls after 28. Rf1 f4 29. g4! Rd3 30. gxh5 Rg3+ 31. Kf2 Nxh4 32. Qxh4 Rxc4 33. Re1, and Black decides to pack it in.
GM Dommaraju Gukesh, 17, another of Baku’s Indian quarterfinalists, is, like Pragg, a Chennai native and insanely talented. His win over veteran Armenian GM Gabriel Sargissian from last year’s 44th Olympiad, held in Chennai, channels Pragg-Topalov in striking ways: a kingside assault and a timely minor piece sacrifice result in White getting a queen for a rook and minor piece and a winning edge.
Out of a QGD Ragozin, the kings castle on opposite wings and Gukesh has a half-open g-file for his major pieces to exploit. Black rightly seeks queenside counterplay but can’t shake White’s single-minded focus on checkmate on the other wing: 19. Rg5 Ba6 20. Rdg1 g6 (always a scary move in these positions, but 20…Bxe2?? 21. Rxg7+ Kh8 22. Qxh7 mate was not an option) 21. Bxa6 Rxa6 22. f5 Ba7?! (few humans would even consider it, but the engines like 22…Rc6!?, with the idea of defending after 23. Kb1 Qe8 24. Qe4 Be7) 23. e6!? (stronger was 23. Kb1 right away, in lines like 23…Rd8 24. e6 Rad6 25. fxg6 fxg6 26. Rxg6+ hxg6 27. Rxg6+ Kh8 28. Qe4!, and if 28…Rxd2, White wins with 29. Qe5+ Kh7 30. Qh5 mate) Kh8? (missing a last chance to defend with 23…fxe6 24. fxg6 h6! 25. g7 hxg5 26. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 27. h4 Qd7, and Black is still fighting) 24. Kb1 gxf5 (see diagram), and White just needs one tempo to break through.
Gukesh finds it with 25. Bxb4! Qxb4 26. Qg2 (the lineup of the big guns on the g-file proves too powerful) Qe4+ (Qb8 27. Rg7 Rxe6 28. Rxh7+! Kxh7 29. Qg7 mate) 27. Qe4 fxe4 28. e7! Re8 29. Rg8+!, and White can’t be stopped from getting a new queen.
Any hopes Black’s bishop and rook can set up a fortress disappear after 33. Qg5+ Rg6 34. Qxa5, and the White a-pawn will run free even if the position locks up. Things conclude more quickly after 40. Qxe4+ Kf8 41. Qb4+, as 41…Kg7 (Ke8 42. Qb5+ also picks off the rook) 42. Qg4+ is curtains.
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Looks like Beth Harmon has really and truly played her last imaginary game on the ceiling.
Despite social media rumors (and some wishful thinking to the contrary), Netflix officials are saying there will not be a second season of the phenomenally popular “The Queen’s Gambit” series, and no reprise of actress Anya Taylor-Joy as chess prodigy Beth Harmon. With Garry Kasparov among the show’s technical advisers, the series brought a new level of realism and sophistication to the actual chess played by the actors.
Netflix shot down similar rumors last fall and was at it again last week, telling Chess.com in a statement, “There will not be a continuation of the series.”
On a happier note, Beth can retire knowing her last game will forever be her upset win over world champion “Vasily Borgov.”
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
Praggnanandhaa-Topalov, Gibraltar Masters, La Caleta, Gibraltar, January 2020
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Be7 7. Be3 b6 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O cxd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Nb8 13. Bf2 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Nxa6 15. f5 exf5 16. Nxd5 Nb4 17. c4 Rc8 18. a3 Nc6 19. Rfe1 Bc5 20. b4 Bxf2+ 21. Qxf2 Qd7 22. Qh4 Qd8 23. Nf6+ gxf6 24. Rad1 Nxe5 25. Rxd8 Rfxd8 26. Qxf6 Ng6 27. h4 h5 28. Rf1 f4 29. g4 Rd3 30. gxh5 Rg3+ 31. Kf2 Nxh4 32. Qxh4 Rxc4 33. Re1 Black resigns.
Gukesh-Sargissian, 44th Olympiad, Chennai, China, August 2022
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd6 9. Qc2 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Be2 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 a6 13. O-O-O b5 14. Rhg1 b4 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. fxe4 Qe7 17. f4 a5 18. e5 Bc5 19. Rg5 Ba6 20. Rdg1 g6 21. Bxa6 Rxa6 22. f5 Ba7 23. e6 Kh8 24. Kb1 gxf5 25. Bxb4 Qxb4 26. Qg2 Qe4+ 27. Qxe4 fxe4 28. e7 Re8 29. Rg8+ Rxg8 30. Rxg8+ Kxg8 31. e8=Q+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ Rf6 33. Qg5+ Rg6 34. Qxa5 Rg1+ 35. Kc2 Rg2+ 36. Kb3 Bb6 37. Qe5+ Kf8 38. Qh8+ Ke7 39. Qxh7 Re2 40. Qxe4+ Kf8 41. Qb4+ Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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