CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO

By finishing 8th and 9th in the 10-man field of the Superbet Chess Classic in Romania, newly crowned champ Ding Liren and narrowly defeated challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi provided clear (and superfluous) evidence that until a new Carlsen emerges, the new definition of World Champion is “a first among equals.” The event was won by Fabio Caruana, who has since also secured a place in the next Candidates tournament by achieving a top-three finish in last month’s World Cup.

Even among the new plethora of prodigies (Indians Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Erigaisi, Sarin, the Uzbek Abdusattorov and the naturalised Frenchman Firouzja) none stands out from the pack in the dominant way that Carlsen or Garry Kasparov did on their way up. At least, not yet.

Of the crop born between Magnus (1990) and the millennials, the two super-GMS who have most often raised – and alas, just as frequently dashed – our hopes of undisputed greatness are the Pole Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Hungarian-born Richard Rapport who last year moved to Romania. This pair produced 19th Century style thrills at the aforementioned Superbet event in May.

Rapport Duda (2724) [Vienna

(2745) – Game, Paulsen Attack]:

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 f4 d5 4 fxe5 Nxe4 5 Qf3 Nxc3 6 dxc3 Be6 7 Bf4 Qd7 8 O-O-O c5 9 Bc4 Bg4

(After this pair of forcing Bishop moves, things get messy) 10 e6 Qxe6 11 Qxd5 Bxd1 12 Qxb7 Qxc4 13 Bxb8

Qf1 (White has sacrificed a Rook for the privilege of making Back’s King tap-dance on a window ledge. One false step and he will fall) 14 Qc6+ Kd8 15 Qc7+ Ke8 16 Qc6+ Kd8 17 Bc7+ Ke7 (17 … Kc8? 18 Ba5+ Kb8 19 Qc7 mate) 18 Qd6+ Ke8 19 Qc6+ Ke7 20 Bd6+ Kd8 (If the King moves to e6 or f6, White mates in 19 moves. Work it out for yourself!) 21 Qc7+ Ke8 22 Nf3! (To bring a third piece into the attack, White donates his second Rook!) 22 … Qxh1 23 Qc6+ Kd8 24 Qc7+ Ke8 25 Qc6+ Kd8 26 Bc7+ Ke7 27 Qe4+ Kd7 (27 … Kf6? 28 Qe5+ Kg6 29 Qg5 mate) 28 Ne5+! Ke7! (28 … Kxc7 29 Qc6+ Kb8 30 Nd7 mate or 28 … Ke8? 29 Qc6+ Ke7 30 Qd6+ Ke8 31 Qd7 mate or 28 … Ke6 29 Qc6+ Kf5 30 g4+! Bxg4+ 31 Qxh1 Be7 32 Qf1+ etc) 29 Nf3+ Kd7 30 Ne5+ Ke7 31 Nf3+ Kd7 Duda has defended accurately, so Draw agreed.

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