CHESS : TOO MANY DRAWS?

Garry Kasparov promised a change in the rules for the next world championship match. Many fans were disappointed by the number of short draws in Kasparov’s recent 10 1/2-7 1/2 victory over Viswanathan Anand in the Professional Chess Assn. world championship. Shortly after the match, Kasparov said, “We understand this concern of the public and now we’re going to react.”

Kasparov’s idea is to link the size of the prizes with the number of draws in the match. Although he did not spell out details, he said, “The PCA will offer financial incentives to play through the game and not to draw.”

Probably Kasparov means well, but offering more money to the players will not make them fight harder if they believe a draw will improve their standing in the match. The real issue is not the percentage of draws, but the cowardly attitude that stops games before the chances for active play have been exhausted. If Kasparov is sincere in his desire to make chess a spectator sport, he must give the audience the full measure of entertainment.

Chess officials have tackled these subjects before. In the 1960s, some tournament organizers attempted to enliven play by adopting the 30-move rule, which banned draw offers before move 30. This quick fix failed, too, because overly pacific players found ways to circumvent it. But the concern over colorless games faded when a generation of ambitious young players, led by Bobby Fischer, demonstrated that uncompromising aggression at the chessboard produced both the best results and the most entertaining games.

We don’t need to fiddle with the rules to boost interest in chess. I think the remedy for colorless games is finding two combative opponents.

LOCAL NEWS

Santa Barbara Halloween, a four-round Grand Prix tournament, takes place Oct. 28-29 at the Recreation Center, 100 E. Carrillo St. in Santa Barbara. For details, call Irv Besen at (805) 644-5050.