Chess - The Scotsman 06/10/2012

Modern chess players are much less predictable in their opening play than their pre-computer predecessors. In the late 1960s, if you played 1.e4 against Bobby Fischer you could expect the Sicilian Najdorf in reply with some degree of certainty.

Play 1.e4 against the current world No.1, Magnus Carlsen, and he will decide which one of a dozen defences to try. The aim, of course, is to avoid the opponent’s computer-aided preparation.

In the following recent game 
from the Women’s Grand Prix, Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun – playing Black – chose a defence she had played many times before.

Instead of facing the best moves her Russian opponent could find, she had to deal with computer-generated analysis White had memorised.

Nowadays, computers play far stronger chess than any human, so 
the result was predictable. Black’s 
error was made before the game started. If a modern chess player is predictable, then every plausible variation must be tested in advance with the fastest possible computer.

White: T Kosintseva; Black: W Ju Opening: Sicilian Najdorf

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Be7 8 Qf3 Qc7 9 0–0–0 Nbd7 10 g4 b5 11 Bxf6 Nxf6 12 g5 Nd7 13 f5 0–0 This is Ju Wenjun’s pet line. She had played it before against the same opponent and also against Tatiana Kosintseva’s equally strong sister, Nadezhda. 14 Qh5 A new move, which at first seems to make no sense. 14...b4 Seemingly kicking the knight away and seizing the initiative. 15 Rd3!! Now the point of White’s play appears: there will be no retreats, just sacrifices and attacks. A fast computer will quickly suggest this move with the assessment “0.00”. That means the machine thinks best play leads to a draw. The problem is that Black will have to play like a genius to find the draw. 15...bxc3 16 Rxc3 Qb6 17 Nc6 Now only one move draws and everything else loses. 17...Re8? Plausible but wrong. The correct move is inhuman: 17...Bf6!! Then the computer suggests 18 e5 g6 19 Qh4 Bxe5 20 Ne7+ Kh8 21 fxg6 fxg6 22 Nxg6+ Kg8 23 Ne7+ Kh8 24 Ng6+ with a draw. 18 fxe6 Ne5 19 exf7+ Nxf7 20 Bc4 The pin is deadly. 20...Be6 Or 20...Qf2 fails to 21 Rf3. 21 Bxe6 Bxg5+ 22 Qxg5 Rxe6 It seems Black has escaped but there is one more hidden tactic. 23 Ne7+! Kf8 24 Qd5! The rooks are forked; Black loses a decisive amount of material. You can be sure this position was on Kosintseva’s computer screen before the game started. 24...Kxe7 25 Qxa8 Qf2 26 Qb7+ Kf6 27 Qxa6 Qf4+ 28 Kb1 Qxe4 29 Qf1+ Kg6 30 Rg3+ Black resigned