Some face time with Ivanchuk

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  • Some face time with Ivanchuk

    As the Closing Banquet was winding down in Beijing I noticed Ivanchuk sitting with the Draughts delegation, playing with one of them using his pocket chess set. I don't know the result but the World Champion told me "he plays with us now, forget about chess" He went on so say that Vassily calculated some of the combinations very well.

    After the game I asked Ivanchuk about a drill that I use with my students, using 2 knights against 6 pawns in a game of anihilation. Pawns can promote if the Knights don't catch them first. He asked if he could try it. He first played me with the Knights and soon had everything zugged. Then he used the pawns and got discouraged when I forked two of them on their starting squares. I told him not to despair, that the Knight may not have time to capture. Sure enough he was able to create a decisive promotion threat with 4 pawns against the 2 Knights. He was quite gracious, calling the contest "very interesting".

  • #2
    Re: Some face time with Ivanchuk

    Neat drill.
    What squares do the pawns start on? Can the player with the p's choose?

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    • #3
      Re: Some face time with Ivanchuk

      I centralize the pawns and the Knights start on their original squares.

      Incidentally, I spoke to the World Draughts Champion at breakfast today about Ivanchuk's playing level. He described Vassily as very promising but not at the level of players in this event.

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      • #4
        Re: Some face time with Ivanchuk

        Hal -

        What variant of "draughts" were they playing?
        Was it the traditional 8x8 "English" game (promoted Kings moving one square diagonally unless capturing on the same diagonal)?
        Was it the Eastern European 8x8 game with promoted Kings that move like chess Bishops/Queens along diagonals and can land on any square beyond an opposing piece (and capturing it)?
        Was it the Eastern European 10x10 game (with the above described "super-Kings")?
        was is the so-called 12x12 "Canadian" game (with the above described "super-Kings")?
        Some of the above variants also allow capturing moving backwards with non-promoted pieces.

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        • #5
          Re: Some face time with Ivanchuk

          Whether it was a reduced Международные шашки or чудо шашки or ???, it was played on Ivanchuk's pocket chess set, so it must have been an 8x8 variety. Wikipedia describes 16 varieties of Draughts. The equivalent article in the Russian language lists 17 varieties.

          I remember at the YMCA Chess Club at 40 College Street in Toronto, Mohan and I found the checkers club and played some games of 5-minute checkers. We were doubtless atrocious players, but the idea of playing with a clock, especially at quick time controls, was a novelty to the checkers regulars. Year, early 1971.

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          • #6
            Re: Some face time with Ivanchuk

            According to the Mind Games official site, the tournament was a 10x10 event, with 8x8 as a "demonstration" game. Not sure which 8x8 rules they used.

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            • #7
              Re: Some face time with Ivanchuk

              Originally posted by Hugh Brodie View Post
              According to the Mind Games official site, the tournament was a 10x10 event, with 8x8 as a "demonstration" game. Not sure which 8x8 rules they used.
              Since most of the participants seemed to be from Eastern Europe I assume that it was the Russian Checkers version.

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