OT: Chess

[rangersfansince08]

Starting to get into chess. Also as a fan of history do articles claiming chess originated in Iran and nto India have any valid points?

CHESS, Iranian or Indian Invention? - History Forum ~ All Empires - Page 1
Chess was invented in Iran

 

[Harbour Dog]

Starting to get into chess. Also as a fan of history do articles claiming chess originated in Iran and nto India have any valid points?

CHESS, Iranian or Indian Invention? - History Forum ~ All Empires - Page 1
Chess was invented in Iran

I think it's supposed to be the other way around: originated in India, then moved into modern day Iran. But I don't know how well proven that is; there could very well be vying theories.

I think the game it came from is actually still played in India!

 

[Ben Grimm]

I think it's supposed to be the other way around: originated in India, then moved into modern day Iran.

Agreed

I think the game it came from is actually still played in India!

A descendant of it may be, but the 6th century CE chaturanga is no longer played.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Samson w/o his man bun! ​

BREAKING: Carlsen On Verge Of Retaining Title As Nepo Blunders Piece - Chess.com

"However, just one move after taking that pawn on b7, Nepomniachtchi committed the gravest blunder of the match so far, and one that cannot be omitted in future collections of biggest mistakes in matches for the highest title. In what seemed another rushed moment, the challenger self-trapped his king's bishop when the game was instantly completely lost. Nepo played 27.c5??, a fine move to fight on in this position if the reply 27...c6! did not exist. Carlsen was visibly surprised to see his opponent's pawn move appearing on the board. He had already seen in advance that his opponent's move just wasn't possible. The world champion pushed 27...c6 after less than three minutes of checking things. It was that simple: the bishop on b7 had nowhere to go and would soon be collected. It was only after seeing 27...c6 being played that Nepomniachtchi realized what he had done. Noting that the move ...c6 never works while White's pawn is on c4, he called it "some insanely bad luck." The theme of the trapped piece is rather common in chess and something that is taught to kids in the early stages of their chess development. To see it in a match like this is almost unheard of. It took 18 minutes for Nepomniachtchi to come back to the board. Although it was probably also a matter of getting himself together, he said that, once again, he had been using the television screen in his private resting area: "I was trying to calculate if there are any practical chances. Perhaps there is no big difference that you calculate sitting at the board or in the room." When he came back to the board, Nepomniachtchi looked at Carlsen twice, with a quick smile, while writing down the move. He played a few more moves, indeed finding the best try, but his position was just hopeless."​

 

[Chimpradamus]

Chess.com is definitely the best site to start with as a newbie. They have a wide variety of lessons, drills, training, and a neverending queue of people from all over the world who are looking to play games.

And if you just want to have some chess content, Hikaru is a great streamer. I have a buddy who hasn't played a game of chess in a decade, but he watches Hikaru regularly.

I disagree, I consider lichess.org a much better site, probably the best chess site there is. And it's free.

 

[Harbour Dog]

I disagree, I consider lichess.org a much better site, probably the best chess site there is. And it's free.

I think that for what it offers beginners, chess.com is unparalleled though.

All the puzzles, training drills, lessons, etc., that a newbie could want, and it's all very well presented and laid out. And their content is designed specifically in mind to draw in new players.

But yeah, to get unlimited access to all that is like $4.50USD a month, and $2.50 for limited access. So perhaps it would be better for somebody to decide how much they really want to get into chess before committing to it.

 

[Brief Candle]

Man... Nepo is one hell of a chess player, but it just goes to show how strong Magnus is.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Magnus about to clinch with 3 games to spare! Beast!

Game 6 is going to be the story of the match. He demoralized and exhausted Nepo.

 

[Brief Candle]

Magnus about to clinch with 3 games to spare! Beast!

Game 6 is going to be the story of the match. He demoralized and exhausted Nepo.

The G3 blunder heard round the world. lol

 

[Harbour Dog]

The G3 blunder heard round the world. lol

Unfortunately, Nepo's couple of big blunders will probably be the story of this championship.

Trapping his own bishop last game was unbelievable. I wouldn't expect somebody at half his rating to make that mistake in a classical game.

The next challenger should pay heed to the importance of being in good shape. Carlsen may be the fittest player in the top 100; he can dig deep into endgames for 14 games straight if that's what it takes to retain.

 

[Brief Candle]

I was just saying how bad I feel for the top 12 players in the world. Having to exist when Magnus exists is tough. I reeeeeaaaally thought Nepo had a good shot and he got decimated.

 

[Ben Grimm]

...The next challenger should pay heed to the importance of being in good shape. Carlsen may be the fittest player in the top 100; he can dig deep into endgames for 14 games straight if that's what it takes to retain.

BREAKING: Carlsen Wins World Chess Championship After New Blunder By Nepo - Chess.com

Agreed. I should be happy, because I didn't want 14 draws, but I didn't think Nepo would blunder 3 games away. After that Game 6 136 move grind down it was over. Bring on Ali or Ding. @Harbour Dog , do you think Ali will be the next challenger?

 

[Harbour Dog]

I was just saying how bad I feel for the top 12 players in the world. Having to exist when Magnus exists is tough. I reeeeeaaaally thought Nepo had a good shot and he got decimated.

Me too. I was doubting Carlsen's drive a bit to be honest; thought Nepo would be fresh and give him a real run. And the first five games looked that way; I would have given Nepo a slight edge at that point... then the wheels fell off.

 

[Harbour Dog]

BREAKING: Carlsen Wins World Chess Championship After New Blunder By Nepo - Chess.com

Agreed. I should be happy, because I didn't want 14 draws, but I didn't think Nepo would blunder 3 games away. After that Game 6 136 move grind down it was over.

2		Firouzja	2804.0	0.0		2656.0		2810.0			18
3		Ding Liren	2799.0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Bring on Ali or Ding. @Harbour Dog , do you think Ali will be the next challenger?

Firouzja is definitely capable of it, and is probably Carlsen's biggest threat right now, but I'm not sure who I favor in the Candidates. If Karjakin can maintain the level he played at during the World Cup, he's my favourite. Otherwise, it's Caruana and Firouzja neck and neck.

Ding hasn't qualified yet, so will need to grab one of the two spots available in the Grand Prix come February. If he gets in, and he shows he's in form, he's right there with Firouzja and Caruana.

Right now:

Nepominiachtchi
Radjabov
Duda
Karjakin
Firouzja
Caruana
+ 2 seats from the Grand Prix.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Shouldn't sleep on Wesley either. If there is one guy that Magnus would legit be worried about, it may be him.

 

[CLW]

Shouldn't sleep on Wesley either. If there is one guy that Magnus would legit be worried about, it may be him.

I thought Nepo might give Magnus trouble. He had a good record against Magnus and was in form. But how anyone can beat Magnus in beast mode and in a grinding match is anybodies guess. As we keep saying game 6 broke Nepo.

The player to beat Magnus must not only be a fantastic chess player but also have nerves of steel, be physically in top shape and be an intense competitor. What a champion Magnus is.

 

[Ben Grimm]

1	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	GM	RUS	2782	1990
2	Grischuk, Alexander	GM	RUS	2764	1983
3	Karjakin, Sergey	GM	RUS	2743	1990
4	Vitiugov, Nikita	GM	RUS	2731	1987
5	Andreikin, Dmitry	GM	RUS	2724	1990
6	Dubov, Daniil	GM	RUS	2720	1996
7	Esipenko, Andrey	GM	RUS	2714	2002

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

FIDE World Chess Championship: Carlsen Crowned, Dubov Criticized - Chess.com

"GM Sergei Shipov, Russia's most famous chess commentator, shared similar surprise and criticism on his Crestbook Telegram channel: "Oh, Dania, why? For how much? Couldn't you sit out for at least one match? You should have commented on the event on any chess platform, in your talented and bright way!" Shipov ended his comment with the words: "P.S. I think that Dubov now won't be playing for the Russian team. And that’s correct."

When Russia has 7 players rated 2714+ it's easy to make threats like that. I'd want Dubov on my team. What do you think, @Harbour Dog ?

 

[Harbour Dog]

FIDE World Chess Championship: Carlsen Crowned, Dubov Criticized - Chess.com

"GM Sergei Shipov, Russia's most famous chess commentator, shared similar surprise and criticism on his Crestbook Telegram channel: "Oh, Dania, why? For how much? Couldn't you sit out for at least one match? You should have commented on the event on any chess platform, in your talented and bright way!" Shipov ended his comment with the words: "P.S. I think that Dubov now won't be playing for the Russian team. And that’s correct."

When Russia has 7 players rated 2714+ it's easy to make threats like that. I'd want Dubov on my team. What do you think, @Harbour Dog ?

I just read that article as well. I think it's dumb.

Dubov is always one of Carlsen's first calls for help with preparation, and they're very good friends. And nobody was going to pay Dubov a tenth as much this year as Carlsen did. The Russian chess world should be proud that they have a guy so creative and well thought of, that the world champion picks him to work with out of the thousand other options.

Dubov is on the national team, and therefore gets a salary for pursuing chess full time, but this wasn't anything to do with the national team, and he should be able to work with one of the absolute best to have ever played the game, if he desires. I have to admit, that I dislike Russia's nationalistic approach to chess, and am probably biased though. I still hate that Alekseenko was chosen as the wild card over Vachier-LaGrave, Aronian, or Mamedyarov; it was an intentional weakening of the field for the sole purpose of giving Russia an better chance at sending the challenger.

Nepo was the only one that came at it from an angle that I understand. Apparently Dubov had helped him for quite a while several years ago too, so he thought there may be a conflict there, in that Daniil may have had inside knowledge of some of his prepared lines. I get that, though I still think Dubov has the right to do as he pleases; it is hard to earn a living from chess. And in the end, Nepo did a pretty good job of beating himself, regardless of how solid Magnus' prep was.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Mostly a sidenote, as it's a bit of a tangent on its own, but I strongly dislike allowing the sponsor to pick the wild card from the qualifiers. It's political garbage that belongs in the Cold War era.

Do away with the wild card altogether, or have all the guys that qualify to for it play a short round-robin against each other to get in.

 

[Ben Grimm]

#11 Rapport (2763) appears to avoid the top 10 at classical time controls. I don't see him at top 16 player tourneys and he's only played 2 classical games against #10 Grischuk (2764) for example. What do you think, @Harbour Dog ?

 

[Harbour Dog]

#11 Rapport (2763) appears to avoid the top 10 at classical time controls. I don't see him at top 16 player tourneys and he's only played 2 classical games against #10 Grischuk (2764) for example. What do you think, @Harbour Dog ?

He definitely hasn't been as active in those tourneys as many of the other top players. I think a lot of it has been opportunity though. His peak rating until recently was in the 2750s; keeping him just outside most super tournaments.

Now that he's worked his way farther up the standings, we may be seeing more of him. He's in the Grand Prix in February for example.

I hope we do; he has a reputation for playing some very unsound and exciting openings.

 

[Brief Candle]

There's plenty of guys who can give Magnus trouble, he always seems to just find a way. Daniil is an interesting one. I didn't realize he's ranked as low as he is! Even Van Foreest made that little run, and he's 34th. It really is amazing just how good these players are now.

 

[Harbour Dog]

There's plenty of guys who can give Magnus trouble, he always seems to just find a way. Daniil is an interesting one. I didn't realize he's ranked as low as he is! Even Van Foreest made that little run, and he's 34th. It really is amazing just how good these players are now.

And Magnus also had van Foreest on his team for the WCC. A couple young guys with a fresh, unique approach to opening theory.

The relative strength of these guys is absurd. I was actually thinking about this yesterday. I was checking some of the games in the Sunway Sitges Intenational Championship, and the top board was Anton Korobov. Korobov is right around 2700, so about 40th in the world. His entire life, he's walked into playing halls and everybody's eyes were drawn to him, "That's Korobov!" He'd sit down across from somebody, and they would be in awe that they were about to play him.

But when he goes to these big events with supergrandmasters, he's the one who's looking around wide-eyed. Doesn't mean he isn't still a wolf though. All it takes is an inkling of an advantage for any of these guys to start pouring on the pressure. What van Foreest did at Wijk aan Zee is a testament to that.

 

[Ben Grimm]

... What van Foreest did at Wijk aan Zee is a testament to that.

Jorden Van Foreest wins Tata Steel 2021

"Jorden Van Foreest wins Tata Steel 2021. Jorden Van Forest won his home tournament Tata Steel 2021 after beating his countryman Anish Giri in Armageddon and became the first Dutchman to claim the title in Wijk aan Zee since Jan Timman in 1985".

My grandfather was Dutch and the tourney, JVF, Giri, and Timman are some of my favorites. The news is:

BREAKING: Carlsen Might Only Defend Title Vs. Firouzja - Chess.com

Ian Nepomniachtchi On The World Chess Championship - Chess.com

Speed Chess Championship: So Edges Out Nihal, Enters Finals - Chess.com

"GM Wesley So defeated GM Nihal Sarin by a slender 15-14 margin in the first semifinal match of the 2021 Speed Chess Championship Main Event. So thus becomes the first player to reach the finals of the event; the other semifinal match is scheduled to be held on Thursday, December 16 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific / 23:30 Central European Time between GM Hikaru Nakamura and GM Ding Liren. The highlight of the match was So's play in the 1+1 bullet segment, where he held off Nihal with a score of 4.5-4.5 with clever and competitive play toward the end, thus thrillingly prevailing in the final minutes of the match. Such a close-scoring encounter has been witnessed only once in the event this year, between GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, which ended in a 13.5-12.5 victory for the former".

Sarin played great. I agree with HD that So may be the next challenger. Who's gonna win the two remaining matches in the Speed Chess Championship, @Harbour Dog ? I wish you knew who my avatar is, HD.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Jorden Van Foreest wins Tata Steel 2021

"Jorden Van Foreest wins Tata Steel 2021. Jorden Van Forest won his home tournament Tata Steel 2021 after beating his countryman Anish Giri in Armageddon and became the first Dutchman to claim the title in Wijk aan Zee since Jan Timman in 1985".

My grandfather was Dutch and the tourney, JVF, Giri, and Timman are some of my favorites. The news is:

BREAKING: Carlsen Might Only Defend Title Vs. Firouzja - Chess.com

Ian Nepomniachtchi On The World Chess Championship - Chess.com

Speed Chess Championship: So Edges Out Nihal, Enters Finals - Chess.com

"GM Wesley So defeated GM Nihal Sarin by a slender 15-14 margin in the first semifinal match of the 2021 Speed Chess Championship Main Event. So thus becomes the first player to reach the finals of the event; the other semifinal match is scheduled to be held on Thursday, December 16 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific / 23:30 Central European Time between GM Hikaru Nakamura and GM Ding Liren. The highlight of the match was So's play in the 1+1 bullet segment, where he held off Nihal with a score of 4.5-4.5 with clever and competitive play toward the end, thus thrillingly prevailing in the final minutes of the match. Such a close-scoring encounter has been witnessed only once in the event this year, between GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, which ended in a 13.5-12.5 victory for the former".

Sarin played great. I agree with HD that So may be the next challenger. Who's gonna win the two remaining matches in the Speed Chess Championship, @Harbour Dog ? I wish you knew who my avatar is, HD.

It's Wilhelm Steinitz, the first world champion haha

I haven't been following the SCC at all actually. Smart money would be on Hikaru though, unless he has an off day against So or Vachier-Lagrave.