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This columnist has come across enough material to create another fun quiz for your enjoyment. Lets get started!

1. After the pairings are posted for the first round, Player A approaches the TD and points out that the pairings are wrong. Why? They are paired against Player B, a member of their club. Five members of the club, including both Players A and B, all entered the event all at once together online. The TD should have known to not pair them against each other. After checking the early entry fee records the TD cannot find any non-pairing request. What can the TD do at this point?

2. You and your opponent are in time trouble in a game with 90 minutes per player and 15 seconds of increment per move. You still have several minutes left. Your opponents digital clock is displaying all zeros on move 60. You claim a win on time. Your opponent disputes your claim. They point out the clock was set with an increment of 10 seconds instead of 15 seconds; therefore, the missing time (5 seconds per move) should be, and can be, added to the playing time. The clock is theirs. They set it wrong. What did the TD Rule?

3. In a rated US Chess Blitz game your opponent grabs a piece from the board and hesitates before setting it on the intended square. During that hesitation their digital clock displays those dreaded zeros, meaning that they are out of time. You have mating material, so you claim a win. They claim that the intended move was going to be checkmate; therefore, they did not lose. They claim that you lost and they won. Thats the rule, is their explanation. What did the TD rule?

1. Rule 28T tells us that players can request a non-pairing as long as it does not cause any pairing problems. But if those requests come late like after the pairings are made that is a problem. TDs have workarounds if they choose, but are not required, to use them. So, in this instance, D is the correct answer.

2. In rule 16P1 the rulebook solution when there is no delay or increment set is: The delay or increment should be set for the remainder of the game. Since this game is over, rule 16P1 and/or rule 16P cant be applied. Players need to make a claim about any clock issues before the flag falls: they had the entire game to notice any irregularities. Given that the clock owner (your opponent) set the timer, their claim just might be a dirty trick. Or is it? Did they plan the clock miscue? This is fodder for a lot of investigation. The best bet by the TD here is answer B.

3. C is the answer. Why? Your opponents flag fell before checkmate was delivered (Chapter 11, rule 7c). Besides, the wording to the rule they cited does not appear in the rulebook. One of the challenges with Blitz chess is that there are many different types of local rules that players might be used to, but these rules cannot be used in officially rated US Chess events.

The free, updated US Chess Rules (Chapters 1+2 + 9 + 10 +11 from the 7th edition rulebook) are now downloadable and available online.

Want more? Past columns can be found here or by searching the Chess Life Online archives.

Plus, listen to Tim when he was a guest on the US Chess podcast One Move at a Time.

Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, which are both available from US Chess Sales and Amazon/Kindle. Additionally, Tim revised The Guide To Scholastic Chess, a guide created to help teachers and scholastic organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program. US Chess awarded the 2022 Tournament Director Lifetime Achievement Award to Tim. He is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee plus the Tournament Director Certification Committee (TDCC). His new column, exclusive to US Chess, Just the Rules will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.

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Just The Rules: Quiz-a-mania is Runnin' Wild - uschess.org

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GM Ian Nepomniachtchi moved one step closer to the world championship title on Sunday after equalizing with Black and drawing in 45 moves in the 10th game of the 2023 FIDE World Championship.

GM Ding Liren reverted to the English Opening and valiantly tried to imbalance matters, but his opponent was up to the task and exchanged into a drawn rook endgame. Nepomniachtchi, now leading 5.5-4.5, is just two points away from claiming the world championship title.

The 11th round of the world championships will continue on Monday, April 24, at 15:00 Astana time (2 a.m. PT/11:00 CEST).

How to watch the 2023 FIDE World Championship

Coming into the 10th game, the intrigue centered around the importance of Ding's rest day and specifically, whether he could concoct preparation that could challenge the resolute defense of Nepomniachtchi.

The negative impact of a training games leak was put to bed by Nepomniachtchi, who claimed that his own preparation strategy did not change much after his team "took a look" at the games. He further reinforced this, stating: "I'm still doing what I'm supposed to do. This information didn't change it much."

Another factor in the championship has been GM Richard Rapport's influence on Ding, but in game 10, the Chinese number-one stayed true to his usual style, playing in a classical fashion.

Sachdev correctly predicted that Ding would play 1.c4 in a return to the opening move that he employed and won with in round four, and the position quickly turned into the English Opening: Four Knights, Nimzowitsch Variation.

Nevertheless, Nepomniachtchi seemed adequately prepared to deal with Ding's English Opening and even managed to surprise the world number-three with 9.Bc5, instead of the more common 9.Be7. The move had been played just four times in master-level chess games and notably, the highest-rated player who had previously played the move was none other than our own GM Rafael Leitao, who provides his own insights on the game later in the article.

The move somewhat paralyzed Ding, who later admitted that it came as a "complete surprise" to him, also evidenced by the fact that the challenger spent 11 minutes deciphering the move.

Unfortunately for Ding, after 10.Kf8!, a most unusual move in the eyes of many chess viewers, the resulting position was one that Nepomniachtchi was indeed familiar with. In fact, the world number-two had played the exact same position from the white side in a 2020 Titled Tuesday clash with the now-GM Jose Gabriel Cardoso, something that was potentially missed by Ding and his team.

Ding's masterful calculating ability still allowed him to progress through the middlegame with a minuscule advantage; however, Nepomniachtchi was able to force the queens off the board, aided by some enterprising kingside pawn play. In the process of trading queens, Nepomniachtchi did give away a pawn but gained adequate compensation in the form of rapid development and structural weaknesses on White's queenside.

The resulting endgame, which featured a pair of rooks and a bishop alongside several pawns each, was identified by both players as close to equal. Although Ding would later state: "I believe I had some chances in the endgame," the quick rate of play by both players indicated their confidence that they were heading toward a draw.

"The defensive resources for Black are vast" was the take from former world championship challenger Caruana, who firmly believed that the players would reach a peaceful conclusion from early on in the piece. Demonstrating that Black had compensation for the pawn, Caruana asked viewers to "look at all the pawns on light squares" and note that they were easy to target for Black's bishop and rooks.

It was no surprise that pieces began to fly off the board as the combatants neared the 40-move mark. By move 37, with only a rook and three pawns left each, Ding was able to cash in his initiative and win one of Nepomniachtchi's pawns, but the resulting endgame was a straightforward rook and two pawns versus rook and one pawn ending.

For just the second time in a world chess championship, the players dueled all the way until their kings were the only pieces remaining on the board.

What made the game so incredible is the accuracy rating of the two players, which clocked in at 98.6 percent and 98.7 percent for Ding and Nepomniachtchi respectively, according to Chess.com's Game Review tool. Neither really put a foot wrong.

For an extensive look into the round 10 clash, Leitao's annotations are below.

After shaking hands on move 45, Ding left the board and stormed out of the room. Despite showing no obvious signs of anger, he was undoubtedly unhappy with the result. With just two White games left in the match, the pressure on the Chinese GM increases with each passing round.

Now with Ding due to play with the black pieces in round 11, many feel that the odds are against him. GM Hikaru Nakamura weighed in during his YouTube recap and proclaimed that he felt Ding is "running out of steam" in the opening phase of the game.

To Ding's credit, the surprise element has been a refreshing and entertaining feature of the world championship match and should another surprise pay off on Monday, he will find himself at 5.5-5.5 alongside Nepomniachtchi.

For now, rest and preparation are the two most important things for Ding if he is to mount a resurgence. As for Nepomniachtchi, he will feel bullish about his chances to secure two more match points and achieve his dream of becoming the chess world champion should things go well in round 11.

You can watch video recaps of the FIDE World Championship in our playlist below (clickhere).

Match Score

The 2023 FIDE World Championship is the most important over-the-board classical event of the year and decides who will be the next world champion. Nepomniachtchi and Ding play a match to decide who takes over Carlsen's throne after the current world champion abdicated his title. The match has a 2 million prize fund and is played over 14 classical games; the first player to gain 7.5 points wins.

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Nepomniachtchi Holds Ding To Draw, Closes In On World ... - Chess.com

There has always been trash-talking in sports like basketball and football. Pro wrestling derives its legitimacy from the quality of the trash-talking by glowering behemoths vying for supremacy in the squared circle. But chess?

Several months ago I wrote about trash-talking and ferocious playing among older pool hustlers at a recreation center in East Liberty. It didnt take long for another venerable sport 1,400 years old by most estimates to come to my attention because of the familiar litany of trash-talking.

The men and women who gather to play friendly but raucous rounds of chess every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at the University of Pittsburghs Community Engagement Centers in Homewood and the Hill District have never treated it like the Game of Kings it was billed as in ancient India where the game was born.

The folks who came together to play recently at the Homewood CEC have colorful nicknames like June Bug, Toby a.k.a. Sho Nuff of Shaolin Temple #9, School Teacher, the Pawn Instructor, whose motto is seek and destroy, and Master Brown.

I call myself the Jedi, said a player the others call June Bug. I control players with weak minds. His friend Sho Nuff a.k.a. the New Bully accused June Bug of hamming it up.

A lively debate broke out about whether chess was stressful or not. Several of the players who regularly play chess in the Hill District loudly announced that the neighborhood produces the citys best players. Were the best in Pittsburgh, a Hill District player who was visiting Homewood said, and we regularly prove it.

There were no women present on the day I visited, but they, like the men, have nicknames and no shortage of confidence. On any given day, most of the chess board combatants are middle-aged or older, overwhelmingly African American and inclined toward hyping their mastery of a game that recognizes no caste system. A full house might be as many as 15 to 20 people.

Donald Boyd, aka Pawn Instructor, has been playing the game for decades. He even taught neighborhood kids to play the game during classes conducted at the Homewood Library decades ago.

One of Boyds proudest moments is captured in a black and white photo featuring WQEDs Fred Rogers visiting his chess club at the Homewood Library sometime in the 1990s.

Now youre in my neighborhood, he told the childrens television icon while conducting the tour. The way Pawn Instructor recalls that moment caused his chess-playing buddies to crack up. Sassing Mr. Rogers to his face was Olympic-level trash-talking as far as they were concerned.

Learning this game teaches kids the skills they need in everyday life, said Bill Scott, aka The School Teacher. It helps them to think ten steps ahead.

This is a lesson that Pittsburgh Police Officer Dave Shifren, the man who started clubs in Homewood and the Hill District, has known for years. Shifren started a chess club for kids and teenagers six years ago in Hazelwood before establishing similar clubs in Brookline, Beechview and Knoxville. The pandemic shut down many of those programs that were housed in schools and libraries.

Undaunted, Shifren moved the chess clubs to Market Square because they were open-air. To his surprise, kids didnt show up in the numbers they used to, but curious adults did. Before he knew it, Shifren had an older, more experienced constituency of players.

He opened the first chess club for adults in the Hill District. It was followed by the club in Homewood. This success led to the revival of chess clubs for kids around the city. Shifren believes that interest among very young players is still there because attendance is growing.

Shifren will be familiar to readers of this column as the driving force behind book discussion groups for adults that meet in both the Hill District and Homewoods Community Engagement Centers. Instead of walking a beat all day, Shifrens role on the force has shifted to that of community engagement officer whose interest in literature, screenwriting and chess has served him and the department well, especially in neighborhoods with troubled relations with police. Knowing how to listen and tell stories works to his advantage.

Always thinking of the next angle, Shifren is considering starting a movie screening discussion group.

Gerald Smith, the only player wearing a mask that afternoon, jokes that Shifren, who is always in uniform doesnt have to walk a beat around us.

At one point, two players concentrating on a game are exchanging chess pieces at lightning speed, making it look easy.

My level of play isnt as good as these guys, Shifren said, but after 40 years of teaching, I can teach someone who is at zero and bring them to a two or a three where Im at. I cant take them to an eight or a nine like these guys.

When I asked how many of them were ever ranked by professional chess federations, most of their hands went up. Turns out, many of the players were ranked decades ago, but life interfered. They worked jobs and raised families, but they still played the game when they could. Theyre older now, but they look forward to playing folks as good as they are, if not better, because it is the only way to improve their game.

The chess club hosted by the Hill District CEC meets on Tuesdays, from noon to 3:30 p.m. at 1908 Wylie Ave. The chess club hosted by the Homewood CEC meets on Thursdays, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at 622 N. Homewood Ave.

On Tuesday, May 2, 33-year-old Edgar Colon Melendez the 8th highest rated player in the history of Puerto Rico, whos also a graduate student at Pitt will visit the Hill District CEC to meet members and play chess.

When Shifren retires from the Pittsburgh Police in a year, he hopes hell be able to continue working with all the clubs he started and maintain the friendships hes made across the thin blue line that separates too many cops from the communities they patrol.

Tony Normans column is underwritten by The Pittsburgh Foundation as part of its efforts to support writers and commentators who cover communities of color that historically have been misrepresented or ignored by mainstream journalism.

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Jedi mind tricks and trash talkin' over chess in Homewood - NEXTpittsburgh

Jonah Audu and MichelleChiamaka Nwankwo, at the weekend, emerged champions of the inaugural Eduline Chess Academy Primary and Secondary School Championships held at Fun Plex Resort, CMD Road, Magodo, Lagos.

The competition, which featured over 75 students, was supported by Cornerstone Believers Church.

Organiser of the event, Gabriel Airewele, said the Eduline Chess Academy tournament is aimed at grooming and exposing children to the game at the grassroots level, adding that it would be every month to sustain students interest in it.

Airewele said: The Eduline chess competition brought students from all over Lagos State to participate in the games.

Prizes were won under different categories, but the main champions, Michelle Chiamaka Nwankwo, who excelled in the Primary Schoolcategory and Jonah Audu, who won the secondary school category,gave a good account of themselves to emerge tops among other students at the event.

The competition is for students not older than 18 years.

The parent body, Eduline Learning Co., according to the organiser, is promoted by Airewele, a partner, Rocklegal Law Firm and Pastor Emmanuel Okonkwo, the senior pastor at Cornerstone Believers Church.

Airewele affirmed his commitment to youth development through chess, adding that to encourage the students, cash prizes, books and other gift items were given to participants at the end of the event.

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Audu, Nwankwo are inaugural Eduline academy chess champions - Guardian Nigeria