CHESS
WHEN Bill Belechick ran off the Super Bowl field with a second left on the clock, some sports fans were critical. But to chessplayers it was routine: The New England Patriots coach was resigning in a hopeless position.

Only a beginning chessplayer waits until he is checkmated. The stronger the player, the more likely he will give up in a position that weaker players wouldn’t realize was hopeless.

But there’s nothing more embarrassing than when a grandmaster resigns and then realizes there was no good reason to do it.

This occurred to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in the first round at the Wijk aan Zee super-tournament this month. The Azerbaijani GM reached the time control after weathering a fierce attack by Magnus Carlsen.

He thought for 25 minutes about the obvious 41 b3!, then decided he was lost after 41 . . . Rd8, and he resigned to the young Norwegian.

“Friends called me immediately and said, ‘You resigned in a drawn position!’ I put it in computer and was convinced: White has very big drawing chances,” Mamedyarov said afterward.

Carlsen’s supporters insisted he was winning. But no one has found a really convincing answer to 42 Kg1 Rd2 43 Bh1!.

BRIDGE
CY the Cynic and I were talking about how frequently players blow opportunities.

“Opportunity is always there,” Cy observed, “but people ignore it because it often smells like work and wears overalls.”

Cy showed me today’s deal. He had been North.

“East missed an opportunity,” Cy said. “When I bid two clubs, Stayman, he could have made a lead-directing double. Then West would have beaten 3NT by leading the ace and another club.”

“When I try a double like that,” I said, “South turns up with A-Q-10-7 of clubs. He redoubles, everyone passes and he makes two overtricks for a score like a telephone number.”

The Cynic sniffed. He is more concerned with actual results.

“So your partner made 3NT?” I asked.

“He had a chance,” Cy said, “but he blew it. West led a spade, and East took the ace and led the jack of clubs. South ducked, and West won the next club with the ace and led another spade.

“South won and cashed the top hearts,” Cy went on. “When hearts didn’t break 3-3, he tried the A-K-Q of diamonds. West discarded, and my partner took only eight tricks.”

“Opportunity knocks at the least opportune time,” I sighed.

After South tests the hearts, he cashes the A-K of diamonds, unblocking the 10-9 from dummy, and takes the king of spades. When East discards, South can count East-West’s distribution: He knows East had two spades, two hearts and five clubs, hence four diamonds. So South can lead a diamond to his eight to fulfill the contract.