THE LONDON CHESS CLASSIC 2010 Report by Carl Portman Defence Focus Chess Correspondent The world is full of opportunities both on and off the chessboard. Thanks to the extraordinary organisation skills of Malcolm Pein and his support team I was able to take advantage of such an opportunity. Over two short days I went to London to visit the Chess Classic 2010. This was the strongest chess tournament ever held on British soil and it was happening in my lifetime. There were several events and tournaments Defence FOCUS at the London Classic 2010 going on but the main one, the Classic had eight internationally recognised participants. Viswanathan Anand (India) (World Champion) Magnus Carlsen (Norway) (World Number 1) Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) (Former world champion) Hikaru Nakamura (USA) (American number 1) Michael Adams (UK) (UK Number 1) Nigel Short (UK) (UK Number 2) Luke McShane(UK) (UK Number 3) David Howell (UK) (UK Number 4) It doesn’t get much better than that does it? Four of our own boys and four from around the globe - current and former world champions at that! I’ve seen Kasparov and Karpov live, and the likes of Speelman, Adams and Short in various tournaments but never so many strong players in one stage. What a mouth watering prospect for any chess fan. It was chess utopia for me. A friend drove me from Banbury to my hotel in London and I prepared myself to play Viktor Korchnoi in a 25 board (it was meant to be 30 – where were the others?) simul at 5pm. Arriving at the venue about an hour earlier I was very impressed with the size and layout of the Olympia Conference Centre. All the chess action took place at level 3 which in itself had various rooms for playing, analysis, commentary and of course the main auditorium. There were posters of the players all around the lobby area which in itself was huge, containing a giant chess set in the middle of the room, a refreshment bar, a wonderfully stocked chess stall selling goodies galore and (at this point anyway) a great number of excited children rushing around making ready to play the next round in their respective tournament. This event was not all about the ‘Classic’ eight players; there were other events for players of all ages and strengths – just as it should be, an opportunity for all. Not only did I witness some fine chess, I actually engaged in battle with a true chess legend, Viktor Korchnoi. Here is a man who at almost 80 years of age was giving two simultaneous exhibitions of anything up to 30 boards over the next few days and tonight he would take on 25 of which I was one. This man is a freak of nature – and I mean that in the nicest possible way. He never gives up and he never gives in. He hates draws and always plays to win. His body looks frail but his mind is as sharp and incisive as that of any youngster. He is indefatigable; a powerhouse of energy contained 1 within an ageing body. Like the beautiful butterfly wrapped inside a chrysalis strait-jacket he waits to pupate mentally and demonstrate his skill and artistry at the chessboard. How did I get on against him? Well I lost but I did manage to play for four hours and twenty minutes and make 43 moves. I made one horrible blunder in an already lost position at the very end allowing Viktor to move a pawn one square from queening. As he came to my board he pushed the pawn gleefully to the seventh rank and exclaimed loudly ‘goodbye’. He didn’t mean it nastily – we both laughed and I resigned. I told someone later that at the end I was tired and they reminded me that he was 79 years of age and had just played 25 opponents without a break or a drink so how did I think he felt! Excellent point. There’s no-one quite like him. For those who want to see how to positionally outplay your opponent, I offer my game at the end of the report. I will leave any commentary to the reader. THE MAIN EVENT I was fortunate enough to be allowed close access to try to get some photographs for this story! This brought forth the exciting prospect of being allowed onstage for the first five minutes of round three. This was to be my only full day at the Olympia and I could not have chosen a better one with the pairing of Anand against Carlsen. Anand v Carlsen before round 3. World Champion against world number 1 Anand won a very nice game -Note the packed auditorium! Neither were leading the field at this stage – that particular accolade went to our own Luke McShane who was playing some of the best chess of his life having dispatched Carlsen in round one with an efficient English Opening. To have been in the audience would have been a privilege itself but to be up there on stage with such chess gladiators was unforgettable. That said I had to concentrate hard in order to try to 2 capture a couple of really good shots for my report. Photographers were allowed a five minute window to do this so I had to focus ‘literally’ on the job in hand. Vladimir Kramnik looks to the skies before his game against Luke McShane. The question is what is he thinking? Maybe he is trying to recall an important theoretical novelty or making a final decision on what system he intends to play. Perhaps it is simpler than that. Maybe he is thinking ‘those demonstration boards are nice’! It’s a treat for chess fans to be able to see players like Kramnik ‘live’ in our own country. All too often the only opportunity we get is to read about them in magazines. Live chess really is fun. You get the opportunity to see how players behave at the board and off it. They always give post match commentary, win or lose which affords us average players an insight into what they were thinking during and after the game. Chess is such a complex game that in one way we all have the same problems at our own respective levels. What opening to play? What are the best continuations, how to form a plan and analyse complex positions – it’s all the same to us, even if our playing strengths differ. Sitting in the commentary room listening to the masters talking through the games live was valuable and entertaining. Very often, IM’s and GM’s would disagree on what was going on or what the best moves were but that’s the point – it’s always up for debate. Messr’s King, Ward, Rowson, Trent and Gordon did a fantastic job keeping the hoards entertained and congratulations go to them all. Nigel Short is possibly the most entertaining player in the post match conference. Never short (excuse the pun) of an opinion on almost any subject he would always be honest about his game and deliver his views in a gentlemanly fashion. He was having a particularly rough time in this tournament so it is to his credit that he faced the crowd. None of us like to lose at chess no matter what level we play at. The day I was there he drew with Mickey Adams thus gaining his first point of the tournament. The system used here is three points for a win and one for a draw as they do in football. This made a big difference in the attitude to play as draws were effectively ‘punished’ by a single point. The eventual winner was Magnus Carlsen who fought back after two losses but our own Luke McShane came runner up along with Vishy Anand. This was an astonishing result for Luke who has returned to serious chess after study at Oxford. He truly was a child prodigy and he has realised his true potential. 3 I am able to recall a pleasant day at my friend’s house in 1995. International Master Lawrence Cooper was holding a birthday Blitz chess competition and the young Luke McShane was there. I took some photographs and shot video on the day (which is now on you tube) and I dug deep into the boxes in the loft to find the photographs. Here’s a ‘then and now’ glimpse of Luke – who has an extraordinary future if he stays with chess. He was always good but now he beats the best in the world and seems to me to be a down to earth, engaging young man as is David Howell I might add. Now: against Vladimir Kramnik (2010) Then: aged 11 in Stafford (1995) Hikaru Nakamura (second from right) in his post match conference declared that the position he had on the board way into the game against David Howell was the same one he had on his home preparation board. It’s easy to forget that these guys do so much work away from the board to be able to do their stuff on it. Übung macht den Meister as the Germans would say. If there is a London Chess Classic 3 you must go. I had forgotten how wonderful it was to immerse myself in chess without thinking about anything else in the world for a short time. Whilst students in London were throwing object at the Rolls Royce that was carrying Charles and Camilla I was watching a very different battle – the one we all know and love on the 64 squares.