CHESS

Magnus Carlsen won all his seven matches at last month’s $210,000 Meltwater Tour online final in San Francisco, as the world champion continues to dominate internet events. Fast time limits suit his powerful game, his alertness to fleeting opportunities and his ability to grind out endgame wins.

If online tournaments were rated like classical chess, his San Francisco performance would rank close to the record 2900 level he has twice narrowly missed over

the-board. Discounting tiebreaks, Carlsen won 14 games, drew nine and lost only once.

In contrast to his online superiority, Carlsen’s overthe-board rating topped out in August 2019 when

3843 Robin van Kampen v Pontus Carlsson, Reykjavik 2015. White to move and win. Black threatens mate in one by Qxg2, or mate in two by Qc1/d1+. it reached a peak of 2882, equal to a previous peak in 2014. Since then, his performances have been on a plateau, albeit an exalted one. At the start of last year, he stated his ambition to achieve the 2900 rating. It is likely he will end 2022 with a lower rating than he started it.

There will be a new opportunity in 2023, starting with Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee, in January, which will be a major arena for a clash between the established GMs and the new generation who jumped to prominence at the Chennai Olympiad.