Chess - The Scotsman 07/04/2012

One of the common misconceptions non-players have about competitive chess is that it is slow-paced – players just sit about for hours with not a lot happening. Well no, in fact every second counts, as both players desperately strive to find creative solutions to difficult problems as the available time rapidly ticks away. Now, due to modern rules, players also have to be time-conscious before the game starts.

The old rule was that players had an hour after the official start of play to get to the board. Now the players must be sitting at the board at the official starting time – one second late and you have lost.

At last month’s European Individual Championship in Bulgaria this rule cost the No.2 seed a game – Azeri GM Shak Mamedyarov claims he was eight seconds late. The Georgian contingent fared even worse, as six of them were late on the same day. The daylight savings change apparently does not exist in Georgia and the confused players carefully adjusted their watches one hour back instead of forward.

In the following game from Bulgaria, Scotland’s Alan Tate was punctual and effective against an Israeli international master.

White: A Tate; Black: D Raznikov. Opening: Sicilian Defence.

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e5 7 Nb3 Be6 8 Qd2 Nbd7 9 0–0–0 Rc8 10 f4 b5 11 Kb1 Be7 12 f5 Bc4 13 g4 h6 14 Qg2 Bxf1 15 Rhxf1 Rxc3 16 bxc3 Nb6 Too slow. Instead after 16...Qa8 17 Nd2 Qc6 White would have to react to the threat to c3, as if he allowed the queen to c3 then his bishop would also be attacked. 17 Bxb6 Qxb6 18 h4 Qc6 19 Rfe1 Qxc3 Now White has a free move to continue his attack. 20 g5 hxg5 21 hxg5 d5? A clever try, but it doesn’t work. 21...Nd7 was a tougher defence. 22 Qd2! Otherwise ...Ba3 was deadly. 22...Qxd2 23 Nxd2 Nxe4 24 Nxe4 dxe4 25 Rxe4 f6 Perhaps Black was relying on 25...0–0 but it is refuted by 26 f6! gxf6 27 gxf6 Bxf6 28 Rg4+ and to avoid mate, Black must give up the bishop with 28...Bg7 29 Rdg1. 26 g6! Black’s king is in terrible trouble. 26...Rh5 Or 26...0–0 27 Rh1 and White doubles rooks to force mate. 27 Re3! The plan of Re4-e3-c3 -c8 feels slow, but Black cannot stop it. 27...b4 Delaying the inevitable for one move. 28 Re4 Bc5 29 Rd5 Black resigned. Since 29...Bd4 fails to 30 Rdxd4 the white rooks will soon get to grips with Black’s king.