From The Times
March 15, 2008
The Chess Dilemma

Radical chess moves planned for Romania

Sir, The problems concerning the high percentage of chess games that conclude in draws has been exercising the minds of administrators of recent years.

John Fryer (letter, March 12) suggests the games be scored as 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss, rather than the traditional 2, 1, 0. This has been allowed in the laws since 1997. Very few organisers have experimented with this scoring system, probably because there is a greater chance of cheating by collusion between two players in the last round, one throwing the game to the other. This would not have been a problem with the Morelia/Linares Tournament as the prestige of doing well would have outweighed pecuniary gain.

One problem is the perception that a drawn chess game is somehow inferior to one with a positive result. Perhaps Ray Keene helped to compound this belief by including in his column all the decisive games in that event and very few of the draws.

I am working on a more radical system still. It is likely to be tried out in Romania later this year.

Stewart Reuben
Chairman, Fide (World Chess Federation) organiser’s committee
Twickenham

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