What's in a handshake?
: Created:23 Jan 2008 , byMatch night. Your opponent automatically extends his hand to you. Think carefully because your response could cause an international incident!
On Sunday at the major international tournament currently being contested in Corus, Ivan Cheparinov refused to shake hands with England's Nigel Short before the beginning of their group B match. Nigel is more alert than his Bulgarian opponent to the latest FIDE advice because his protest to the arbiter was upheld and after one pulsating move each. 1.e4 c5, the game was awarded to our Nige. By the way any attempt to argue that this proves that the Sicilian Defence is unsound is rejected by this writer.
Cheparinov is Vesely Topalov's second and his protest at the board was in response to Short's forthright published views on the "Toiletgate" incident at the 2006 world championship between Topalov and Viktor Kramnik. The inevitable appeal by Cheparinov went to a Corus committee that irony of ironies included Kramnik! The appeals committee ordered a replay as long as Cheparinov apologised and the game took place on Monday with Short winning in seventy-two moves.
This was only the prelude to the Lord Mayor's show because last night Topalov and Kramnik met in round nine of the thirteen round event. There had been some stage management of the sit down at the board because neither player offered a handshake. Instead they avoided eye contact and ignored each other as they busied themselves with paraphernalia by the board.
The game was won by Topalov who uncorked a novelty prepared several years ago by the self-same Cheparinov. 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Ne5 Bg7 and now a piece sacrifice 12.Nxf7. Sound or not Kramnik failed to find the answers over the board.