Soccer, hockey and now chess
Who among you still doubts that chess is a bright and dynamic sport?
Now you will receive another interesting confirmation of this.
The fact is that the International Chess Federation (FIDE) plans to introduce a video assistance system for referees (VAR) in the near future. It is reported that the first tournament in which idChess technology will be tested will be the West Asian Youth Chess Championship – 2023.
The VAR system has already proven itself in football, volleyball, tennis. And now I have come to chess. Don’t be fooled by the ease with which chess players play. Trust me, it’s misleading!
The use of VAR in chess will take place in three stages:
An appeal by one of the players to the referee to note the offense of an opponent; VAR review and recommendations (if there is a broadcast using the idChess platform, the referee can pause the game broadcast on the mobile app and watch a VAR recording of the match, which shows the behavior of the players); Decision making.
The number of points of contention should now be reduced to a minimum. In football, after all, VAR helps prevent many scandals.
Even in football with VAR, not everything is perfect yet:
“Varovsky” penalties spoil the RPL and contradict football justice
“I didn’t take my hand off the horse!”
Russian grandmaster and well-known chess observer Sergey Shipov humorously commented on the news on his Telegram channel:
“For example, if you stole a piece from the board from your opponent when he turned around, and then you say that this piece was not there at all, then the judges in the video playback will understand everything and punish the offender.
Even more relevant is the situation when you took the knight on the d7-square and sent it to c5, but then realized that you were losing quality as a result, and with a deft wave of your hand you moved the knight from c5. to f8. Like, I did not remove my hand from the knight on the c5 field, but kept it there … ”Shipov hinted at the scandal in the confrontation with Garry Kasparov * (included in the list of persons acting as a foreign agent .- Approx. ” Championship”) and Judit Polgar.
The 1994 tournament in the Spanish Linares was the most stellar, but it was remembered mainly for Kasparov’s controversial act.
Kasparov then battled absentee for the lead with Karpov and wanted to be better at any cost. In the 5th round, he met Judit Polgar and managed to take advantage with black. However, move 36 entered chess history.
Kasparov took the d7 knight and placed it on the c5 square. However, he immediately realized that he was getting a fork in a bishop and a rook and losing an exchange. He then returned the knight to d7 and then moved it to f8. The 17-year-old Hungarian had every right to call the judge, but she was confused or shy.
As a result, Kasparov easily brought the matter to victory with black.
More about that scandalous party:
“This move doesn’t count.” The great scandal that destroyed Kasparov’s chess reputation*
Interestingly, later chess fans turned to the unofficial analogue of VAR. That game was filmed by Spanish television. And in the frame-by-frame scroll, one can clearly see how Kasparov opens his fingers and releases his knight to c5! The record was reviewed by the judges and the tournament director, but the winner was never penalized. And the chess world was perplexed: Kasparov committed a bad deed, after which many fans turned away from him.
Carlsen raped, Nepomniachtchi did not notice
But there were also those who treated the incident patronizingly. The events of 1994 cannot be condemned by Garry Kasparov’s student, world champion Magnus Carlsen. In fact, in his reputation there is also a similar controversial story.
In 2021, in the ninth game of the duel for the chess crown with the Russian Jan Nepomniachtchi, the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen unpleasantly surprised everyone.
During the fight, Nepomniachtchi spent a lot of time in the bathroom. So this time, as the Russian was walking away from the table, Carlsen touched the knight, but made no move with it. The Norwegian jerked his hand away, then preferred to move the pawn forward. The Russian could have insisted on observing the “touch and go” rule, but he did not notice this episode. And they just played it.
Here you can see how Magnus touches the horse:
Photo
Magnus Carlsen tagged his knight, but moved a pawn. Ian Nepomniachtchi did not see this
“There was only one tower in this place!”
You may also recall a comic story from classic literature. With the VAR system, the legendary Ostap Bender will also not be able to cheat in competitions.
Ostap’s first moves on Vasyuki, as they say, were at the level, but things did not go further. In the climax, Bender stole someone else’s rook from the board.
“My boat was right in this spot!” he yelled the one-eyed man, looking around. “And now she’s gone.”
“No, that means it wasn’t!” said Ostap rudely.
– How could it not be possible? I remember clearly!
“Of course it wasn’t.
– Where was he? Did you win it?
– Cattle.
– When? In what movement?
One Eye went back to his notes and it came to a massive fight. This is where he would definitely help the video referee assist system.
A detailed analysis of chess scenes in classic movies:
“Right in this place was my ship!” How the famous Ostap Bender played chess
* recognized in the Russian Federation as an individual acting as a foreign agent.
