Like a person who had simply hit the snooze button on a ticking time bomb, Boris Gelfand obtained up from his seat and walked away from the board, leaving his opponent R Praggnanandhaa pondering his subsequent transfer of their third spherical conflict on the FIDE Grand Swiss event. Gelfand had made his sixtieth transfer with one second left on the clock however had unlocked 15 extra minutes by reaching this threshold. He was a relieved man, having matched his younger quarry move-for-move for nearly six hours. However a couple of minutes later, when he arrived again on the board and noticed Pragg’s response, he sank on his seat like he had been sucker punched.
When he had walked away from the board, the 57-year-old may need been feeling like he might nonetheless squeeze the Indian teenager for one thing greater than a draw. However he had blundered away the sport in a single single push of a rook on transfer 60. He sat there for a lot of minutes, his face betraying his shock at how the entire sport had modified in a single single set of strikes from each gamers. At one level he gaped on the younger Indian prodigy in utter disbelief, then planted his palm on his head, distraught at how his fortunes had modified. Finally he resigned after 65 strikes.
Chess legend Boris Gelfand reacts after noticing his blunder towards Praggnanandhaa within the spherical 3 conflict on the FIDE Grand Swiss event. (PHOTOS: FIDE YouTube)
Pragg thus joined Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, who additionally gained their video games on Saturday. Gukesh’s victory over Daniil Yuffa was the best of the three, with the Spaniard blundering early on and Gukesh by no means letting go of his benefit. Arjun had fought a extra intense battle towards Anton Demchanko earlier than prevailing. Nevertheless it was the battle of generations between Pragg and Gelfand that was the spotlight of this spherical, because it had seen a one-move turnaround.
Are you able to guess the transfer that Pragg present in response to this game-changing blunder from Gelfand?
Boris Gelfand’s essential blunder vs Praggnanandhaa that modified the sport in a single transfer. (PHOTO: Lichess)
The Dramatic Blunder: How ONE MOVE modified all the pieces
Gelfand’s sixtieth transfer — Rg3 — was an try from him to assault Pragg’s queen on h3 and concurrently shield his pawn on e3. However he had neglected an apparent reply, which Pragg discovered: withdrawing his personal queen to h4 which created a pin: Gelfand couldn’t transfer his rook now as a result of then Pragg might seize his queen. The subsequent pawn push transfer from Pragg (61…f4) proved to be the coup de grace because the strain rose manifold.
Chess legend Boris Gelfand analyses the sport with Praggnanandhaa after dropping to the Indian in spherical 3 of the FIDE Grand Swiss event. (PHOTO: FIDE/Michal Walusza)
INTERACTIVE: How one single error value Boris Gelfand sport towards Praggnanandhaa
Judit Polgar’s professional evaluation: Misplaced within the jungle
Chess legend Judit Polgar mentioned that Gelfand had ‘gotten misplaced within the jungle’ whereas attempting to chase victory obsessively.
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“When the sport goes into the second time management between transfer 40 and transfer 60, there’s rather a lot to be performed. And if the sport was enjoying out in a sophisticated method till transfer 40, it may well occur that you simply get misplaced within the jungle. That is what occurred with Gelfand. It’s a really instructive sport. How a lot do you management your self, how a lot do you wish to win, and the way reasonable do you wish to keep. Gelfand is an skilled participant with over 5 many years. He tried to press for a win, and it backfired on him. It was very unlucky,” Polgar mentioned on commentary on Chess.com. “He had selections to make and he pressed too exhausting, he wished to win. He wished to play it out however Pragg was not the proper particular person to do that towards.”
It could occur that you simply get misplaced within the jungle. That is what occurred with Gelfand at the moment
Gelfand is a dwelling legend from Vishy Anand’s period who’s enjoying on the Grand Swiss after receiving a wild card from FIDE. A lot was anticipated from his duel with Pragg as a result of the Israeli stalwart was one of many gurus at Anand’s Westbridge Anand Chess Academy who has performed a job in sharpening the minds of India’s present technology of world beaters together with Pragg and Gukesh.
For the primary 60 strikes, the battle was a reasonably degree one, with no participant having an awesome edge despite the fact that the quinquagenarian had been the one pushing the tempo. All of the drama that the Gelfand vs Pragg battle had missed for 59 strikes, erupted in a single push of the rook on transfer 60.
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