Saturday, December 4th 2021
Irrelevant moves up to a draw
The next World Cup novelty follows an epic chess game
The sixth game of the World Chess Championship does not end until after midnight and is sure to have an entry in the history books. The day after, Carlsen and challenger Nepomnyashchi almost inevitably add a chapter to the writing of history. The game itself is unspectacular.
One day after the record game, defending champion Magnus Carlsen defended his lead at the World Chess Championship in Dubai without any problems. In the seventh game, the Norwegian and challenger Jan Nepomnjaschtschi parted ways, as they had drawn five times before. Carlsen is 4: 3 ahead after half of the 14 scheduled games.
Because the game the day before, in which Carlsen took the lead with a win in the longest game in World Cup history, did not end until after midnight, two games were played on the same day for the first time at a World Chess Championship. He wasn’t lacking in strength, said Nepomnyashchi, even if he got less sleep than usual after the previous game, which lasted almost eight hours.
In a Spanish opening, the challenger on move 11 deviated from the course of game five and got the kind of little advantage that “usually vanishes,” as Carlsen put it. It is basically difficult to get more than a small advantage out of the opening. With a few precise moves, the defending champion created the balance on the board.
Because draw bids are prohibited before move 40, both reeled the second half of the game with inconsequential moves and shared the point on move 41. “The match is going well, but there is still a long way to go,” said Carlsen. In the eighth game this Sunday, the 31-year-old Norwegian has the white stones.
A maximum of 14 games are played, the starting right changes after each match. One point is awarded for a win and half a point for a draw. Whoever reaches 7.5 points first is world champion.
Carlsen, who successfully defended his title in 2014, 2016 and 2018, has known his opponent since childhood. Nepomnyashchi had prevailed against seven other top players in the candidates tournament. The world number five from Russia led before the World Cup in a direct comparison with industry leader Carlsen with 4: 1 wins in six draws.