Time scrambles key to Ding-Gukesh match

(Newcastle Chronicle, 29 November 2024)

In seconds, it will all be over. The outcome depends on who makes their move before the time runs out. North East fans watching the World Championship this week between Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh in Singapore were thrilled to see the players scrambling as the seconds ticked down to zero.

In Game 1, Gukesh escaped losing on time by just one second, but in Game 3 Ding lost on time, pieces flying across the board as his clock reached zero. So why are the players struggling with the clock?

It’s the time controls. Most matches now use increments (time added on for each player after they make a move). But in this match, there is no increment added until after Black’s 40th move.

In the last 20 years, matches have increasingly used digital clocks, rather than analogue clocks with a flag that fell once a player’s time ran out. Increments of up to 30 seconds are easily set on digital clocks. They make event management simpler, as a chess referee doesn’t have to be on hand to sort out time scrambles. The chess world got used to increments, and players always knew they would have a little extra time for each move.

Taking away those extra precious seconds has left Ding and Gukesh wrong-footed. Time management skills learned in the 20th century need to be relearned – and it is creating some chaotic finishes.

No one in the Northumbria League really wants matches to go back to no increments. Disputes with no arbiters present, just well-meaning but highly partisan team captains often led to huge arguments, Mexican standoffs and even years-long grudges between clubs.

But in a World Championship match, you can play with no increments – as there are highly-qualified arbiters on hand to correct any infringement on the single game in progress.

The increments have been dropped after World Championship matches were producing too many draws. Players would memorise opening theory for 15-20 moves, then know they could fall back on the 30 seconds extra per move. Having no increments means that the Ding-Gukesh match may well come down to who handles the clock better.

In the Northumbria League, unless we want to see pieces (and possibly blood) spilled on the board in frantic time scrambles, it seems increments are here to stay.

The World Championship match runs until December 11. Games start at 9am UK time. For live commentary, go to chess.com.

PUZZLES

This week’s puzzles are from the Northumberland Championships.

Puzzle A: Puzzle A: Brookes-Russell. White to play & win.

Puzzle B: Peardon-Sathishkumar. White to play & win.

Puzzle C: Cheung-Stipanovic. Black to play & win.

Puzzle D: Wright-Green. White to play & win.

ANSWERS:

A: 1 Nb3! Qb5 2 a4 wins the knight on e5.
B: 1 e4! traps the bishop on d5.
C: 1…Bd5! forks queen and knight.
D: 1 Qh1+! Kg6 (if 1…Qh5 2 Rh7+! Kxh7 3 Qxh5+) 2 Qh7 checkmate.