World Chess Championship - Anand V Kramnik

Well, it seems Kramnik (better known in chess circles as Drawnik) has proven he just isn't of world champion caliber - again. In his battle against Anand, he can never seem to get a deciding edge in any game. Surprise, a draw is the best he can do.

While this is chess at the top level, and Anand is playing extremely well, I know there are more than a few of us who miss the attacking players like Alekhine, Tal, Morphy and, of course, the infamous Bobby Fischer. Players today seem to be satisfied with the draw, rather than committing to try for the win.

Why? Fighting for a win means risking a loss. Gone are the days of risky pawn or piece sacrifices for the psychological edge. Gone are the days of discovering opening novelties that place the opponent in awkward situations. With computers becoming stronger study aids with each passing year, the new trend is solid, structured chess that is safe, but rather boring to watch.

Not that Anand is playing boring games - don't get me wrong here. He's playing with all the flash and style of a true top-performing grandmaster, and what more could we ask? However, with the fierce competition and well-known opening lines, taking chances is almost silly.

So what we end up with is the phenomenon known as the "grandmaster draw", where two hard-hitters play fifteen or twenty moves of a popular line, and call it a draw. Yay. Thrilling. Is there a fix? Is there a way to discourage this? There is, and I've seen it.

A few years ago there was a tournament held with very special rules. Several of the "fighting grandmasters" were invited, and were informed of the special circumstances of the event. This new idea was that players could not claim a draw until after thirty moves were played. What was the result of this? Very few draws were agreed to. There was fighting, brutal, and bloody chess that was an absolute pleasure to watch!

So why isn't this idea more popular now? I don't' know, but I sure hope it gains in popularity in the coming years, because quite frankly, I'm tired of opening up the latest chess magazine and seeing fifteen move draws. If we make the players play thirty moves before agreeing to a draw, we see far fewer draws. What a concept!
If you are a tournament director who regularly sees Experts and above at your venues, I strongly recommend implementing this rule, at least once - see what happens! It's high time we bring chess back to the beautiful, magical days of having to battle, instead of shaking hands for the half-point.