Quick on the draw

IF the same position occurs three times in a game, the rules allow either player to declare a draw. This is called a draw by repetition.

When two grandmasters want to abandon a game without much of a fight, one of them offers a draw. The other accepts. This is a draw by reputation.

But this cheats fans, who like to see a real battle. So the strongest tournament of 2017, which began in Stavanger, Norway earlier this month, outlawed draw offers.

But it didn’t eliminate draws. Twenty of the first 25 games were drawn.

The players simply found more creative ways to repeat the position three times.

Or they played to an endgame that even tournament officials had to admit could not be won or lost without a blunder.

Only one of the draws, shown in this week’s diagram, was memorable.

In this week’s blitz game, 19 Bh2 would keep matters even. Black turned a win into a loss when he missed 21…Kb6! followed by 22 Rxd8 Bc5!.

For example, 23 Rxh8 Qxf2+. Or 23 Qe6+ Ka5! 24 Rd2 Rd8!.