09.07.21 - Garry Kasparov to take on world title challenger, Ian Nepomniachtchi, this weekend.

 

Magnus Carlsen suffered a rare double setback last weekend when the world champion twice lost three games in a row at the $100,000 Goldmoney Asian Rapid. The defeats occurred in his losing semi-final against the world No 5, Levon Aronian, then in his third place play-off against Ding Liren, though he still managed to defeat China’s world No 3.

The 30-year-old Norwegian had an off day, missing several tactical chances.

The No 1 has already qualified for the Meltwater Champions Tour final after winning the two previous events, so diminished motivation explains it. Next week he bids to try and put to rest a longstanding hoodoo when he makes his fourth attempt at the 206-player, $1.9m World Cup knockout in Sochi ... more.

In contrast, English over-the-board competitive chess is only now starting to revive from the pandemic, although pent-up demand is certainly there. This weekend’s 4NCL (Four Nations Chess League) congress in Leamington Spa and next Saturday’s £2500 DecodeChess Rapidplay in Manchester Square, London, have entry limits of 130-150 and are already oversubscribed.

The London tournament is followed next day, Sunday 18 July, by the ChessFest in Trafalgar Square, which may attract thousands of players.

The pandemic wiped out the last 4NCL over-the-board season, although it continued to thrive online. Now the plan is to play the first of five 2021-22 weekends in late November, with venues at Milton Keynes, Leamington and Doncaster.

The return of the 4NCL is significant not only for competing clubs but for individuals, because it offers a realistic chance of qualifying for GM and IM norms, plus the women’s equivalents, which are a prime target for ambitious players.

Diagram: Heikki Westerinen v Gudmundur Sigurjónsson, New York 1977. White to move. Black threatens Qxc2+ and Qxe2 mate. Can you find White’s winning move and winning sequence?