As curtains drew on the FIDE World Chess Championship 2021, with the reigning champion Magnus Carlsen fixing the crown stronger on his head, challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi had much to regret. It was a blunder - that slipped the game that was closing for a draw - from his hands and handed over the match to Carlsen.
After five games and five draws, Carlsen seemed to have left with few chances to play anything more. Nepo’s errors in the 8th, 9th and 11th games occurred within a short time, blundering a pawn and a bishop.
It is human to err; and definitely in chess! Fatal errors and unexpected blunders are part and parcel of a sport that demands more than just skill and brains. Focus, patience, perseverance and deep strategic thinking underlines every move on the board.
Yet, legends had legendary slips, tipping on their own blunders and derailing the course of many championships.
Here’s a look at a few:
Carlsen vs Nepomniachtchi
We shall begin with the recent match, of course, where the imperious Magnus Carlsen affirmed his rule as the world champion for the fifth consecutive time since 2013.
After the third move, Carslen had it mapped out but Nepo seemed to be prepared for surprises. The champion had trouble with time and shifted to his family strategy of pawn sacrifice to gain active playing. Though things looked in favor of Nepo, he stumbled after a few moves, blundering with his bishop. It was an error that was never heard of in championship match level play. The unexpected blunder surprised the champion too but he displayed his matured play and shrewd calculation by staying calm and focusing on the best way to tackle the opportunity.
Though Nepo giving up at the end of a marathon match is understandable, his blunder that credited the second victory to his opponent was lethal as both the players were on equal footing. As Nepomniachtchi himself ruefully remarked, he probably might never have blundered like this in his entire career!
Carsen’s winning score was 7½-3½ with just 3 games to spare. This was considered to be the most lopsided win with two high profile players.
Steinitz vs Chigorin
Wilhelm Steinitz and Mikhail Chigorin were opposite poles when it came to attack and defense on the board. Rivals back in the 19th century, both encountered each other in two matches while competing for the world championship. Steinitz, the first ever official world chess champion, won the first easily in 1889 with a score of 10.5 – 6.5.
However, in 1892, the game changed. In the 23rd game, as the aggressive attacker Chigorin seemingly marched towards victory with a possible tie-up, the drama unfurled with a blunder from his part. Chigorin removed protection of the pawn of h2 with a surprising 32.Bb4, where the fate of the match was supposed to be decided after 32.Rxb7. The match closed at 32…Rxh2+, retaining Steinitz’s championship.
Capablanca vs Saemisch
Friedrich Saemisch, a strong German chess player and one of the inaugural recipients of FIDE's International Grandmaster (1950) was known for his opening system for white against the King’s Indian. Saemisch was a player who never got too excited or impatient, and often engaged the Balance of Trade approach to skilfully exploit his advantage.
However, no one thought he could humble the legendary Capablanca with his poised strategies. Yet, in one of the most amusing historical blunders of the chess championship, Capablanca erred and lost the match to Saemisch.
The story goes that during the match at Carlsbad 1929, the wife and the lover of Capablanca entered the venue at the same time. Capablanca must have blinked - and made the worst move in his career! The former world champion lost a piece in the opening. Though he refrained from resigning, the disadvantage was too costly even for a player of his calibre.
Kramnik vs Deep-Fritz
Blunders in chess champ[ionship wouldn’t be complete with the great match between a human champion and a chess machine. In the 2005 World championship, the then World Champion Vladimir Kramnik was pitted against Deep Fritz, a chess playing computer program. Though the human champion displayed spirited play in the final match, he was pinned down by the machine at his own blunder. It was a double-edged encounter with the computer having an upper hand with some extraordinary ideas. It was very clear that a human being can lose concentration, but a machine can’t. Kramnik during his move decided to force the exchange of queens after 34…Qe3. This ended in a disaster after 35.Qh7#.
Bronstein vs Petrosian
One of the (in)famous gaffes of all times happened at the match between legendary player Tigran Pterosian and his Soviet counterpart David Bronstein at Amsterdam, 1956. Petrosian was undoubtedly going to be the winner with a positional advantage. Bronstein, on the other hand, had time trouble and left with no choice but to overstep the time limit.
It was then that Tigran lost his iron grip and came tumbling down by putting his queen en prise. However, that by itself wouldn't have derailed him off the track: Petrosian, overwhelmed by the blunder, instantly resigned completely overlooking his opponent’s hopeless situation!
Rising above your flaws
In chess, every other game could possibly remind us of the principle that to err is human. The above blunders of master players teach us that no one is flawless. None of us is immune to mistakes. So, whenever you blunder, remember that the mighty ones have faltered. What matters is to learn from our mistakes and keep moving ahead, with focus and perseverance.
When it comes to chess, one needs immense patience, talent, intelligence and right strategic thinking to make the right move. The key to a right move is critical thinking and that’s where meticulous training and guidance take you higher at the game of chess.
At Mind Mentorz, we believe in strengthening the cognitive capabilities of our students so they will be able to gather themselves in the face of adversities and remain poised. With patience, perseverance and composure one can stay clear of confusions and overplay. To know more about our chess coaching programs in Bengaluru, reach us at: info@mindmentorz.com or +91 9606847428.