GMs Giorgi Kacheishvili and Melikset Khachiyan agreed to a quick draw in the 7th and final round of the 2008 North American Open, securing a minimum of 1st place for Kacheishvili with 6/7. Khachiyan will finish at least third and possibly second depending on the result of the game between GMs Zviad Izoria and Yury Shulman on board 2.
The video shows the lighter side of competitive chess when Kacheishvili offers Khachiyan a draw and at one stage Khachiyan forgets to accept it by touching a piece. Kacheishvili makes him capture the piece before accepting the draw. Meanwhile, IM Andranik Matikoyzyan was standing near by waiting for the game to finish so he could use their clock in his game on board 3!
I’m not blaming it on the players, but this is how money distorts things that should be for pleasure-the commodification of pleasure negates pleasure.