3 Most Memorable Berlin Draw Games

If you have seen the other blogs I have written, you can probably tell that I'm normally not a very serious person online. This idea of writing a blog on Berlin draw games was originally thought of as a joke, like the other blogs I have written. However, as I started to look up games featuring this quick draw line, I realised that I could research a few examples of grandmasters' Berlin draws  and explain why they went for such a line.

The Berlin Draw

The Berlin draw is a line of the Berlin Defence of the Ruy Lopez Opening which is often used by top-level players to agree to an early draw. It results after the moves:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.dxe5 Nxb5 7.a4 Nbd4 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 d5 10.exd6 e.p. Qxd6 11.Qe4+ Qe6 12.Qd4 Qd6 13.Qe4+ Qe6 14.Qd4 Qd6 (see below)

Why would someone want a quick draw with white?

You may think that it is illogical to not play for a win as white. After all, white has the advantage of having the first move. However, there are a few reason why a player with white would want a quick draw. These reasons include:

1. Energy conserving: if a player thinks they has better chances of winning subsequent rounds if they did not exert all their energy into one game, they might for a quick Berlin draw.
2. Extending lead: if a player has basically guaranteed the self first place in a tournament (e.g. if a person is ahead by one whole point going into the last round), they could go for a draw to avoid complications that might costs them the tournament. 
3. Higher rated players: a lower rated play might play the Berlin draw against a higher rated opponent if they do not feel confident enough with winning.

Nepomniachtchi vs Nakamura, Madrid 2022

Going into the 12th round of the 2022 Candidates Tournament, Ian Nepomniatchi was having a clear lead on a score of 8 out of 11, with a 1.5 point lead ahead of second place, Ding Liren, and only 3 rounds left of the tournament. Nepomniatchi was set to play Hikaru Nakamura. Going into the game, commentator Daniel Naroditsky, Robert Hess and Almira Skripchenko were talking about the opening that Ian might choose. Naroditsky remarked, "We're expecting 1. e4 from Ian, but will Hikaru play his typical Berlin. And if he does, I fully expect Ian to force the queen e4 queen d4 draw, and we certainly would not be able to blame him for that." 

Naroditsky also noted that if Hikaru wanted guarantee a fight, he might play a Caro-Kann or a Sicilian. As we know, Hikaru did end up playing a Berlin and a draw was quickly ensued. 

In his candidates recap video, Hikaru noted that he did not play the Sicilian because he did not want to play for a win against Ian, especially not in his form at the time. He noted three games where black played a Sicilian in a must win situation and ended up losing: game 10 in the 1992 Candidates tournament between Nigel Short and Anatoly Karpov, game 11 of the 2008 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik and the last round of the 2016 Candidates tournament between Sergey Karjakan and Fabiano Caruana.

This decision by Hikaru proved to be wise after the game as Teimour Radjabov defeated Ding Liren, making Hikaru the clear second place with 2 rounds left, which benefitted Hikaru as defending World Champion Magnus Carlsen suggested that he might not play another World Championship match, leaving the match to the first and second place finishers of the Candidates tournament.

Nakamura vs So, Berlin 2022

In game 2 of the finals of the classical portion of Tournament 3 of the FIDE Grand Prix 2022 (fittingly located in Berlin), Hikaru Nakamura was playing Wesley So in a best of 4 games (2 classical, 2 rapid). The first game was a Nimzo-Indian Defence and had ended in a draw by agreement on move 30. 

Commentator Evgenij Miroshnichenko jokingly remarked, "And, we have... we have the Berlin, ladies and gentlemen. Uh, I mean there is still a chance for dxe5 after Nd6 which is... which is a scary option." 

He even showed the Berlin draw line on his analysis board and brought up a joke about the Berlin draw being the "Nepomniatchi refutation of the Berlin", which he corrected to "refusation", just refusing to play against the Berlin by simply offering a draw. 

Some bystanders speculated that Hikaru chose to play the quick draw to better prepare for the Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship. Unfortunately for Hikaru, he lost one of his tiebreak matches against Wesley So and only managed to come second in the tournament, but he did manage to come first in the Grand Prix standings thanks to his results from the two previous tournaments. 

Rapport vs Nakamura, Almaty 2022

In round 13 of the World Blitz Chess Championship, Hikaru Nakamura, who had been featured in this blog for the third time now, was up against Richard Rapport. Rapport is known for his extremely unpredictable playing style and being a fighter on the chess board, so everyone expected a long and fascinating game. The game ended in a draw in just 38 seconds, 36 seconds after the first move was played, with Rapport deciding on playing the Berlin draw against Hikaru. 

The Berlin draw (or even the Berlin endgame) is not not be an opening that we would like, as the audience, to see in major tournaments. GothamChess even once jokingly proposed to ban the Berlin endgame (and Berlin draw) from major tournament events. Players playing as black are often too scared to decline the draw offer, which is understandable as winning with black is not an easy task, especially if the player with white is in really good form.

As for my opinion on this, I believe that the Berlin draw and the Berlin endgame should not be banned for major tournaments. While reducing the amount of Berlin draws/endgames would result in more interesting games for the fans, it is important to note that top players are playing major tournaments to earn money to fund their careers. Often a quick draw is needed to secure a tournament win and not risk losing the prize fund.

What do you think about the Berlin draw/endgame and top level grandmasters who often use them to make quick draws? Comment your thoughts down below.

Thank you for reading this blog. I hope you enjoyed it.