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The last issue of the New in Chess Magazine in 2020 is again a treat, and offers a number of interesting articles about various topics. Alireza Firouzja, for example, talks about the differences between "real" and online chess and his passion for the game, Judit Polgar recalls her encounters with Boris Spassky, and Jan Timman takes a look at Levon Aronian's strong performance in the Norway Chess Tournament 2020.
Another highlight of the issue is Erwin l'Ami's search for the games that featured in "The Queen's Gambit", a "potent blend of exquisite chess from the early 17th century till our day". In passing, l'Ami notes that "Harmon hasn't made a single draw throughout the series, Combative she certainly is."
The climax of the series is Beth Harmon's game against World Champion Vasily Borgov, which, as the series suggests, makes Beth Harmon the world's number one and indicates that she has managed to overcome her demons.
The game ends with a with a pretty queen sacrifice, and, as l'Ami found out, is based on a game Vassily Ivanchuk and Patrick Wolff played at the Interzonal Tournament 1993 in Biel. For 36 moves Harmon and Borgov followed this predecessor, but then Harmon goes her own – and probably better – ways.
The end of the game is purely ficticious but this did not stop players such as Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura to comment it in depth.
Carlsen went first:
A little later Nakamura followed suit – again via YouTube. But he now not only comments the game between Harmon and Borgov, but also Carlsen's comments.
And who knows, maybe this fictional game will soon find its way into textbooks and anthologies?
New in Chess 08/2020, 106 pages, $14.99, €13.99
