Two very different glimpses into the future of chess

We have just been given a peek at the possible future of chess — in more ways than one.

Last week’s Checkmate: USA vs. India event, pitting five players of varying strengths from the world’s rising chess superpowers, might seem to be a traditional team match, drawn from the days when games were played before respectfully silent spectators in rooms featuring “low ceilings and high foreheads.”

But this event, held in the Esports Arena in Arlington, Texas, was very different. The games were played at a 10-minutes-per-side rapid clip, with just a tiny one-second increment given to the players in the final minute. Draw offers were forbidden, and all games were required to play out to checkmate — no resignations allowed.

The players, including Indian world champ GM Dommaraju Gukesh, entered the hall in team jerseys, and the audience was encouraged to cheer and jeer raucously during play (without calling out moves — a tricky needle to thread).

When U.S. top-rated GM Hikaru Nakamura downed Gukesh in their individual encounter, the American No. 1 celebrated by tossing his opponent’s king to the crowd — something Bobby Fischer at his most contrarian probably never thought of doing after beating Boris Spassky.

The U.S., the “home team” in the match, had White in every game and scored a clean 5-0 sweep in the event, though India will have first-move odds when the squads meet a second time.

Whether or not a faster-paced, glitzier version of the game will eventually prevail, we can say there was some quality chess played, particularly in American GM Fabiano Caruana’s taut victory over Indian star GM Argun Erigaisi.

Despite Caruana’s appropriately unorthodox 1. c3!?, the game settles in to a Semi-Slav Queen’s Gambit with a lot of high-level positional shadow-boxing as the two players strive for the initiative.

Black passes on several chances to solve his c-file problem (20…c5!, with the idea of 21. Ba6 Bf5! 22. e4 [Bd3? Bxd3 23. Qxd3 c4] Nxe4 23. Ka2 c4, would have been tough for White to counter), and after 33. Nf2 Re6!? (again, 33…c5 could have been played) 34. Qb3 Ne4 35. Ndxe4 fxe4 36. g4, Erigaisi can only sit back and defend as White considers how and when to break through.

One last missed chance by Black allows White to ramp up on the pressure: 42. Ne5 Bxe5?! (the computer recommends 42…b4! 43. Rxc6 Rxc6 44. Rxc6 Qb5! 45. Rc1 [axb4 Rxe5 46. fxe5 Kxc6 47. exd6 Qxb4 equalizes] b3 46. Qb1 Qe2, with good play for the lost pawn) 43. dxe5 Rf7 44. Rc5 Rh7 45. Qb1! — with the simple but lethal idea of tripling major pieces on the c-file.

It’s effectively over on 47. Qc3! (guarding the White e-pawn before the final assault) Reg6 48. f5 Rg2 49. e6!, cutting off a key defender of the c6-square. Black’s desperation measures predictably fall short and the Indian GM is down two full rooks when — as the rules insist — he is checkmated.

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The future may also be now for the remarkable Argentinian prodigy Faustino Oro. Oro, who turns 12 next week, scored a stunning victory in the Legends and Prodigies Tournament in Madrid last week with an undefeated 7½-1½ score, 1½ points ahead of veteran GMs Julio Granda Zuniga of Peru and Alan Pichot of Spain.

The victory secured Oro’s first grandmaster norm, pushed his FIDE rating over 2500 and gave him until March to secure the two other norms needed to break American GM Abhimanyu Mishra’s record as the youngest GM ever.

The Argentine tween ground out some impressive long wins in Madrid, but also displayed his combinational chops in his victory over 18-year-old Spanish IM Diego Macias Pino. In a Closed Sicilian, Oro as White sets up a devastating battery of bishops that strafe the Black kingside for the entire game. Also nice is 22. Ne4 Kf8 23. c5! Bxc5 24. Nxc5 Qxc5 25. Rc1 Qd6 26. h3!, opening new lines of attack while also parrying any back-rank tricks.

With all White’s pieces operating at maximum efficiency, Black is forced to walk a defensive tightrope. One small wobble sends him tumbling: 30. a4 Qe7? (Qc5 may be the last chance to hold, though White remains better in lines such as 31. Bb1 Qc7 32. Ng4 Nxg4 33. hxg4 Nf6 34. Rc1 Qd7 35. Qc3) 31. Ng4 (simple and logical, targeting Black’s best defensive piece) Qc7 (Nxg4?? already runs into 32. Bxg7+! Kxg7 33. Qh7+ Kf6 [Kf8 34. Qh8 mate] 34. Qh8+ Kg5 35. Qg7+ Kf4 36. Rd4 mate) 32. Be5 Qb6 (see diagram), allowing for a geometrically satisfying conclusion.

Young Oro displays a mature tactical touch in the finale: 33. Qa3+ Kg8 (Nb4 34. Nxf6 gxf6 35. Bd6+ Kg8 36. Qg3+ Kh8 37. Bf8! and wins) 34. Nxh6+! gxh6 (Kh8 35. Qf8+ Ng8 36. Bxg7 mate) 35. Qg3+ Kf8 (on 35…Kh8, simply 36. Rd4!, threatening various mates along the h-file, is decisive) 36. Bd6+ Ne7 (Qxd6 37. Qxd6+ loses prosaically, but now White needs just his queen and rook to deliver the final blow) 37. Bxe7+, and Black resigned, not needing to play out 37…Kxe7 38. Qa3+ Qd6 39. Qxd6 mate.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Caruana-Erigaisi, Checkmate: USA vs. India Team Match, Arlington, Texas, October 2025

1. c3 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. cxd4 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bf4 Bd6 6. Bg3 Ne7 7. e3 Nf5 8. Bd3 Nxg3 9. hxg3 g6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. Qd2 Qe7 12. O-O-O Nf6 13. Kb1 Bg4 14. Qc2 O-O-O 15. Rde1 Kb8 16. Nd2 Be6 17. Nb3 h5 18. a3 Rc8 19. Na4 b6 20. Nc3 Qb7 21. Qe2 Qd7 22. Rc1 Bg4 23. Qd2 Bf5 24. Ka1 Bxd3 25. Qxd3 Ng4 26. Rc2 Rhe8 27. Rhc1 Qb7 28. Nd1 a5 29. Nd2 Ka7 30. Nf1 f5 31. Nd2 Rc7 32. f4 Nf6 33. Nf2 Re6 34. Qb3 Ne4 35. Ndxe4 fxe4 36. g4 b5 37. gxh5 gxh5 38. g4 a4 39. Qa2 hxg4 40. Nxg4 Qb6 41. Rc3 Kb7 42. Ne5 Bxe5 43. dxe5 Rf7 44. Rc5 Rh7 45. Qb1 Rh3 46. Qc2 Rhh6 47. Qc3 Reg6 48. f5 Rg2 49. e6 b4 50. axb4 a3 51. Qxa3 Rhh2 52. e7 Rxb2 53. e8=Q Ra2+ 54. Qxa2 Rxa2+ 55. Kxa2 Qa6+ 56. Kb2 Qe2+ 57. R1c2 Qxe3 58. Qxc6+ Kb8 59. Qb6+  Ka8 60. Rc8 mate.

Oro-Macias Pino, Legends and Prodigies Tournament, Madrid, September 2025

1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Bc4 Nb6 5. Bb3 d6 6. exd6 e6 7. Nf3 Bxd6 8. O-O Nc6 9. d4 O-O 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Qe2 Nd5 12. Rd1 Qb6 13. Bc2 h6 14. a3 Rd8 15. b4 Be7 16. c4 Nf6 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Bb2 a5 19. b5 Nb8 20. Nbd2 Nbd7 21. Rd1 Qc7 22. Ne4 Kf8 23. c5 Bxc5 24. Nxc5 Qxc5 25. Rc1 Qd6 26. h3 Nd5 27. Qd3 N7f6 28. Ne5 Bd7 29. Rd1 Be8 30. a4 Qe7 31. Ng4 Qc7 32. Be5 Qb6 33. Qa3+ Kg8 34. Nxh6+ gxh6 35. Qg3+ Kf8 36. Bd6+ Ne7 37. Bxe7+ Black resigns.

• Got a hot chess tip or a cool game to share? David R. Sands can be reached by email at davidrsands18@gmail.com.