New World Championship Rules!
For some shocking reason, FIDE has decided that the high number of draws and drawn world championship matches isn't making for the most awe-inspiring spectacle ever, and so they're making changes. Here are the main ones:
1. 14 games. This change from 12 games doesn't exactly turn world championship matches into marathons, but it's a move in the right direction. When the match is too long, it's an exhaustive and expensive slog, but when it's too short the cost of a loss is so high that the players become extremely risk-averse. That makes sense for them, but it's awful for the fans and the general public. This is a change in the right direction.
2. Five rest days, not six. Another step in the right direction, even though the seconds might hate it. In most tournaments the players get a rest day after playing for four or five rounds, so having a day off after every second game was too much. The playing schedule is still relatively leisurely, even if it's busier than it has been in a long time.
3. No draws by mutual agreement before move 40. If it's a repetition, the arbiter can approve it; otherwise, the players are stuck until move at least 40. Now, the players will have no trouble meeting that requirement if they want to kill the game, but it's also true that such rules typically succeed in getting more fighting chess out of the opponents. It's a good change.
4. True Classical time controls. It's 40/2, 20/1 with no increment or delay. Only in the third time control, after move 60, is there a 30-second increment, along with a final 15-minute bonus.
I'm not sure how the new time controls will affect the players in terms of their possible fatigue, but the first three changes could have a significant effect. And that's good news for us: the more tired they are, the more mistakes they'll make, and the more decisive results we're likely to see. Now, it would be a pity if they're so tired that the play turns into a farce, but that's unlikely to happen. Hopefully, the overall effect will be combative play from the start of the match, with both players maintaining a high level of energy through the end of the match. These are good changes, IMHO, and they're also the right sort of changes to make. If fairly conservative changes don't work, FIDE can move in increasingly radical directions. But this seems like a good place to start.
Reader Comments (5)
I'm a pessimist and hope that I'll be wrong.
Should have been 16, not 14 :)
These are good decisions I like it! The # of games is a toughie, hmm, 24 sounds best but no one cares to go that long. maybe 20. 14 still sound low, but 16 and 18 doesn't feel quite right either.
Let me comment on the new rules..
1. "12 games becomes 14 games". The difference is small. No big deal.. It's rather a warning for players and maybe it's further increased in the future if things are not improved..
2. "Five rest days, not six". Since most preparation is done before the match starts, this is definitely good..
[DM: Yes and no. Of course a colossal amount of preparation is done beforehand, and quantitatively that can't be equaled during the match. But the players - or rather, their seconds - do a stupendous amount of work during the match and get almost no sleep. That is not a trivial change.]
3. "No draws by mutual agreement before move 40" : Hm, maybe yes, maybe no... It's again a kind of pressure to the players.. They can easily select a line where everything is OK and draw is certain after 40 moves..
4. "True Classical time controls" : this is good for the player who needs more time to think..
IDEA : Winner to be the one to reach 4 wins first! No draws counting.
In any case, I think Carlsen will try a little bit harder to win the next WC match next time..
[DM: That's a little insulting to the players. But I suspect you mean that he'll try harder to win during the classical phase.]
What is the penalty if the players agree to a draw before move 40 ? If you subtract a point from each player it will not change the match situation. Maybe it is a fine? If so, what is the amount?
[DM: I assume the arbiter follows Nancy Reagan's mantra and just says no: the players have to return to the board and keep playing.]