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Chess Life Magazine 2014 July Best of CLO 2013 #10: GM Rogers on Reykjavik
Chess Life Magazine 2014 July Best of CLO 2013 #10: GM Rogers on Reykjavik | Best of CLO 2013 #10: GM Rogers on Reykjavik |
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| January 17, 2014 | |
 The #10 article in Best of CLO 2013 is Reykjavik Open Ends with a Whimper (or why Greg Shahade is Wrong, Again) by GM Ian Rogers. The article focused on the controversial topic of short draws in the Reykjavik Open in Iceland. After nine eventful rounds, two of the top seeds, Ukrainian Pavel Eljanov and Webster University star Wesley So led the field by half a point and were due to meet in what should have been the game of the tournament. However, their final round game turned into a damp squib when the players agreed to a draw after only three moves and less than five minutes. Ian’s tongue in cheek title referred to one of Greg Shahade’s CLO essays, Greg on Norms & Draws: "I Was Wrong", which softened Greg's usual hardline stance against quick draws. Rogers is a frequent contributor to both CLO and Chess Life Magazine. His 2013 work included coverage of the Carlsen-Anand World Championship match, which he also covered for the Magazine. You can also follow Rogers on twitter. The Judges Sound Off (More on the judges here) I thought this article was very well written, and provided some fresh thoughts and examples on the "problem" of short draws in chess. This article generated lots of comments and feedback, which are often laugh out loud funny, and added to the overall value. The title is great, and shows how chess life online doesn't take itself too seriously, and is nice and playful. “- Tim Brennan “Grandmaster Ian Rogers discusses controversial draws in tournament chess game play. I’ve always believed that chess should be scored with three points for a win and one point for a draw. This would de-incentivize draws in professional tournament chess play. Three points for a win has been implemented with success in European soccer leagues to encourage attacking play.”--Galen Pyle |