Dubious Daniil Dubov

Game fixing in any sport is seriously frowned upon. Chess is no different. If uncovered, there can be severe consequences for the players. At the recent World Blitz Chess Championship in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a game between two 2700+ rated grandmasters earned them a 0-0 result instead of the anticipated ½-½ draw. 

The Chief Arbiter, after reviewing the game on video and upon receiving confirmation from the players themselves, accused Daniil Dubov and Ian Nepomniachtchi of bringing the game into disrepute. Citing Article 11.1 of the FIDE Laws of Chess, Chief Arbiter Ivan Syrovy docked them their respective half point from this game. Nepomniachtchi later brought the Chief Arbiter's decision to the Appeals Committee but the decision was upheld.

The blitz championship was played over 21 rounds and this particular game was played in the 11th round, halfway through the event and the final round of the first day's programme, where Dubov, Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen and Sarin Nihal were leading the table standings with eight points each after 10 games. But while Dubov and Nepomniachtchi looked quite content to split the point, they needed not make their intentions to draw their game so blatantly obvious, especially in front of the cameras. That, I believe, was a factor that led to the action taken against them.

This wasn't the only dark cloud hovering over Dubov. (Note: before anyone misunderstands him, he is one of the best blitz players in the world today.) In the eighth round, he agreed a very quick short draw with Vladislav Artemiev, yet another 2700+ rated grandmaster and strong blitz player. When the round began, Artemiev was nowhere to be seen. His clock was started after Dubov had opened the game with 1 d4. Turning up about a minute later, he even had time to straighten his own pieces before replying with 1....d5, thereupon Dubov played 2 Nf3 and both players immediately shook hands on a draw. Prearranged? Looked very much like it.

Dubov did not suffer much from the docked half point as there were still 10 rounds to go. He still concluded the tournament in second place behind winner Carlsen. Artemiev was third and Nepomniachtchi finished fifth. There were 206 participants from all over the world.

On the matter of prearranged draws, it is likely to be a common scenario in local chess tournaments when a chess coach faces off against his chess student. The dilemma arises: should the coach use his superior experience to defeat the student, or should they opt for a draw? The question extends to how the student perceives this match-up – as an intimidating challenge or an inspiring opportunity to showcase his skills. This decision gains significance, especially in the final round when there is a chance of winning a prize. Personally, I have no qualms if the game between the coach and student results in a hard-fought draw, but I take issue if it concludes hastily with a lacklustre, uninspired draw. Question: how would you react if the game personally involved you as a chess coach or a chess student?

Finally, here is the video of the Dubov-Nepomniachtchi game from Samarkand. The original video was posted by Chessbase India but it was just too long for my liking. I had taken it upon myself to show only the pertinent section of the two grandmasters going through the motion of playing this chess game. (My appreciation to Chessbase India which was my source of the original video.)