- Sep 20, 2007
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OT: Chess
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Harbour Dog
Registered User
Just tuned in... what a thrashing he's giving So
Especially seeing that Ding came so close to beating him, I was expecting So to give it a good run.
Brief Candle
Hank's Forehead Sweat
Brief Candle
Hank's Forehead Sweat
When he's on his game, he's capable of beating Magnus. If he were more consistent, he'd have been world champ by now. Regardless, one hell of a showing from him today. Just amazing chess.
Harbour Dog
Registered User
Speaking of Nihal Sarin, he reminded us all that endgames are hard in his game today. Completely blundered in a +8 position with only pawns on the board, and had to settle for a draw.
Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival 2021 - Live Games
* blunder on move 36.
Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival 2021 - Live Games
* blunder on move 36.
Brief Candle
Hank's Forehead Sweat
Carlsen: "Passion Must Be The Main Driver" - Chess.com
This is an interesting development. Carlsen is imho one of the top two players of all time. What if Ali doesn't win the Candidates? What happens then? I think that players should be at least top eighteen in the world to be worthy Candidates. This will be a drama well worth watching.
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Brief Candle
Hank's Forehead Sweat
Carlsen: "Passion Must Be The Main Driver" - Chess.com
"It is unlikely that I will play another match unless maybe if the next challenger represents the next generation," wrote GM Magnus Carlsen today in a blog post for one of his sponsors. The world champion once again mentioned GM Alireza Firouzja as his desired next opponent in order to generate another "passion-driven" title match. In his blog post for the law firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig, one of his sponsors, Carlsen confirms what he said a week ago: that he may not defend his title another time if his opponent is not Firouzja. This time, Carlsen phrased it more generally, saying he is hoping for a challenger that "represents the next generation," although he mentions Firouzja's name in the very next sentence: "I have by now played against the previous generation and three leading players of my generation. Being result-oriented has worked out for me in these matches, but it doesn’t feel sustainable long term. Passion must be the main driver. It is unlikely that I will play another match unless maybe if the next challenger represents the next generation. (Alireza Firouzja is at 18 already ranked 2nd in classical chess and has qualified for the next candidates.)"
This is an interesting development. Carlsen is imho one of the top two players of all time. What if Ali doesn't win the Candidates? What happens then? I think that players should be at least top eighteen in the world to be worthy Candidates. This will be a drama well worth watching.
I saw something about this yesterday or the day before. Honestly, if you are Magnus, what's left to prove? I can understand why he's tired/a bit over it all. They play SO much these days. He wants to pass the torch to someone he actually thinks is worthy of it who is of the younger generation. Alireza is fantastic. I can understand why he picks him.
Agreed. He may not be as philanthropic as he appears though. He's rich and between Covid, internet chess, and speed chess he may have other motives and he has other opportunities available to him.
Idk what speed you're referring to. Naka is the Chess.com speed chess champ. At classical he's never won the Candidates, is retired, and would have have to come out of retirement and beat Ali, Karjakin, Caruana, Nepo, and Ding Liren. I don't see him being a finalist.
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Gashimov Memorial: Karjakin, Rapport Lead Before Blitz - Chess.com
"GM Sergey Karjakin and GM Richard Rapport are tied for first place after four days of rapid chess at the Vugar Gashimov Memorial in Baku, Azerbaijan. GM Viswanathan Anand is currently in last place, but there are 14 rounds of blitz to play".
Former WC Anand is third in the world in blitz, so I expect him to do well in that. I'm very interested to see how (#11) 25-year-old Hungarian Richard Rapport (pictured above) does in the Grand Prix which starts in February. Former Candidate Karjakin is one of the favorites in the next Candidates. Six of the eight Candidates are known and posted below. I'd like to see the last two be former #2s Ding Liren, Aronian, So, or former #3 Giri. Every Candidates tourney since 2013 has been a double round-robin. Madrid is a likely location. (Spain's top player is former #2 Alexei Shirov) For the first time no player will qualify through rating.
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Hikaru has phenomenal pattern recognition, that's his main strength, that is why he is amazing in speed chess. But I don't think he has a prayer against Magnus in a serious match, especially in the classic part. Imo it would be a repeat of the Nepo match.
If you haven't yet I recommend everyone take a look at YT videos where Hikaru solves puzzles. The talent is just astounding.
Brief Candle
Hank's Forehead Sweat
Maybe I didn't word what I meant well. You kind of made the rest of my point! Thanks! I should learn to comment more after coffee. Hikaru was always juuuuuust on the cusp. I may not really care for the guy, but I give him nothing but credit for being a great ambassador for chess and a fantastic entertainer (not to mention an amazing chess player).
As for Magnus, you can see over the last year or so that he hasn't been playing for himself. Notice most professional athletes, etc really start doing their best philanthropic work after they've retired. I get why he made the comments he made. I think it was less a call out for this current generation to get better, and more for them to step aside and let the next generation take over which is admirable on its own.
Harbour Dog
Registered User
Hikaru and Dubov were the FIDE and organizer's pick for the Grand Prix, so they'll both be competing to get into the Candidates.
Dubov would definitely be an underdog to earn a spot, and I have no idea what to expect from Nakamura at this point. It's been more than two years since his last competitive classical games.
Maybe he's still a top guy, maybe he's a bit out of practice; we'll find out!
Dubov would definitely be an underdog to earn a spot, and I have no idea what to expect from Nakamura at this point. It's been more than two years since his last competitive classical games.
Maybe he's still a top guy, maybe he's a bit out of practice; we'll find out!
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Agreed. I realize that the rating of proven greats such as Karkakin doesn't matter at this level. Dubov though is 25 years old, #24, and rated 2720. He may be slightly too weak to be successful.
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Dreev Wins December 21 Titled Tuesday - Chess.com
"GM Aleksey Dreev won Titled Tuesday on December 21 with a score of 9.5/11, after a big victory in the final round. He edged out second-place GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on the tiebreak system. With nine points out of 11, GM Raunak Sadhwani won third place and GM Aram Hakobyan finished fourth. Titled Tuesday saw a field of 486 players this week. The tournament was the standard 11-round Swiss tournament with a 3+1 time control".
Congrats! Except for #9 Mamedyarov, idk how strong the field was, but for a 52-year-old only rated 2623 I think it's wonderful!
At his peak Dreev was ranked #11 with a 2711 rating.
Gashimov Memorial: Mamedyarov shines in blitz
"Richard Rapport, co-winner of the rapid section, is leading the overall standings table after the first seven rounds of blitz at the Gashimov Memoarial in Baku. The strongest on day 1 of the blitz was Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, though, who scored 5 out of 7 points despite losing his last game of the day against Fabiano Caruana".
The Winning Academy (3): The Art of Exchanging Minor Pieces
"Legend has it that a player who once was analysing with Dr. Tarrasch (pictured), a great believer in the power of the bishops, gave his bishop for a knight and remarked: "Winning the small exchange!" Tarrasch, probably with good reason, felt provoked, and said: "You obviously mean losing the small exchange!" Exchanging minor pieces is a fine and difficult art indeed. Jan Markos knows more"! @Harbour Dog , who is my avatar?
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Karsten Mueller’s Endgame Magic #161: Carlsen and Capablanca
"One of the most fascinating recent endgames was Magnus Carlsen's win against Alireza Firouzja in round 6 of the Norway Chess Tournament: in a slightly better position that seemed to be impossible to win Carlsen worked his magic and created an endgame masterpiece.
José Raul Capablanca, World Champion from 1921 to 1927, is famous for his seemingly effortless play and his great endgame skills. He played many instructive endgames and he showed why it is usually a good strategy in bishop endgames, in which the bishops move on the same colour, to put your own pawns on squares of the other colour and to fix the enemy pawns on squares, where they can be attacked. Carlsen's endgame against Firouzja is a good illustration of this rule". M. Carlsen - A. Firouzja, Norway Chess 2021. Classical games: Magnus Carlsen beat Alireza Firouzja 4 to 0, with 2 draws.
"One of the most fascinating recent endgames was Magnus Carlsen's win against Alireza Firouzja in round 6 of the Norway Chess Tournament: in a slightly better position that seemed to be impossible to win Carlsen worked his magic and created an endgame masterpiece.
José Raul Capablanca, World Champion from 1921 to 1927, is famous for his seemingly effortless play and his great endgame skills. He played many instructive endgames and he showed why it is usually a good strategy in bishop endgames, in which the bishops move on the same colour, to put your own pawns on squares of the other colour and to fix the enemy pawns on squares, where they can be attacked. Carlsen's endgame against Firouzja is a good illustration of this rule". M. Carlsen - A. Firouzja, Norway Chess 2021. Classical games: Magnus Carlsen beat Alireza Firouzja 4 to 0, with 2 draws.
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Throwback Thursday: Ivanchuk scores 9/10 on the Rock
"For no fewer than 18 years, the Gibraltar Chess Festival was organized at the Caleta Hotel. Now that the hotel is about to close and a new format will be used in 2022, we look back at a memorable edition of the Masters Tournament. Ten years ago, in 2011, Vasyl Ivanchuk was the rating favourite on the Rock. The Ukrainian lived up to the expectations and won the event with an astounding 9/10 score and a 2968 rating performance".
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Salamanca: Shirov and Topalov in the lead
"Veterans Alexei Shirov and Veselin Topalov are sharing the lead at the Salamanca Masters, taking place this week as an over-the-board rapid tournament. David Antón and Eduardo Iturrizaga are trailing the leaders a half point behind and are yet to face the Bulgarian. Only round 5 will be played on Friday, while the tournament will come to an end on Saturday".
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Harbour Dog
Registered User
The Winning Academy (3): The Art of Exchanging Minor Pieces
"Legend has it that a player who once was analysing with Dr. Tarrasch (pictured), a great believer in the power of the bishops, gave his bishop for a knight and remarked: "Winning the small exchange!" Tarrasch, probably with good reason, felt provoked, and said: "You obviously mean losing the small exchange!" Exchanging minor pieces is a fine and difficult art indeed. Jan Markos knows more"! @Harbour Dog , who is my avatar?
Capablanca!
Game of the Day Friday, December 24
Ding Liren
vs
Li Chao
Ding Down, Merry Li on High
Player of the Day
Irina Krush
(1983-)
Opening of the Day
Caro-Kann, Two Knights, 3...Bg4
1. e4 c6 2. ♘c3 d5 3. ♘f3 ♗g4
Ding Liren
vs
Li Chao
Ding Down, Merry Li on High
Player of the Day
Irina Krush
(1983-)
Opening of the Day
Caro-Kann, Two Knights, 3...Bg4
1. e4 c6 2. ♘c3 d5 3. ♘f3 ♗g4
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Joe Gallagher plays the King’s Gambit!
"The King's Gambit continues to pose puzzles. The opening evokes memories of glorious sacrificial games from the romantic era, but at the same time it is regarded as somewhat unsound — as theoretically incorrect. But even today the move 2.f4 after 1.e4 e5 leads again and again to unusual positions rich in content. As the games of King’s Gambit expert Joe Gallagher demonstrate"!
Caruana beats Rapport in Armageddon to win Gashimov Memorial
"Fabiano Caruana had a great second day of blitz at the Vugar Gashimov Tournament in Baku. The American even caught up with former leader Richard Rapport in the overall standings table. Caruana then went on to beat his Hungarian colleague in Armageddon to win the event".
Joe Gallagher plays the King’s Gambit!
"The King's Gambit continues to pose puzzles. The opening evokes memories of glorious sacrificial games from the romantic era, but at the same time it is regarded as somewhat unsound — as theoretically incorrect. But even today the move 2.f4 after 1.e4 e5 leads again and again to unusual positions rich in content. As the games of King’s Gambit expert Joe Gallagher demonstrate"!
Caruana beats Rapport in Armageddon to win Gashimov Memorial
"Fabiano Caruana had a great second day of blitz at the Vugar Gashimov Tournament in Baku. The American even caught up with former leader Richard Rapport in the overall standings table. Caruana then went on to beat his Hungarian colleague in Armageddon to win the event".
Levon Aronian
Number of games in database: 3,451Years covered: 1993 to 2021
Last FIDE rating: 2773 (2778 rapid, 2740 blitz)
Highest rating achieved in database: 2830
Overall record: +592 -237 =987 (59.8%)
@Harbour Dog , Levon has been a top 10 player since at least 2007 and been a Candidate on six occasions: 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2018. He qualified by rating for the World Cup (2015) only to be eliminated from the tournament in the shock of the round when he lost in the first rapid tiebreaker to Alexander Areshchenko (2678). I'm unaware of any great success in the Candidates. What is the story and your opinion on this? Happy Holidays!
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Harbour Dog
Registered User
Levon Aronian
Number of games in database: 3,451
Years covered: 1993 to 2021
Last FIDE rating: 2773 (2778 rapid, 2740 blitz)
Highest rating achieved in database: 2830
Overall record: +592 -237 =987 (59.8%)
@Harbour Dog , Levon has been a top 10 player since at least 2007 and been a Candidate on six occasions: 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2018. He qualified by rating for the World Cup (2015) only to be eliminated from the tournament in the shock of the round when he lost in the first rapid tiebreaker to Alexander Areshchenko (2678). I'm unaware of any great success in the Candidates. What is the story and your opinion on this? Happy Holidays!
Aronian has developed a reputation as choking in the Candidates. Twice he's had at least a share of the lead at the halfway point, and then fallen apart. The year Karjakin won it for sure, and one other that I can't remember offhand.
And his performace in 2018 when Fabi won, was terrible; dead last, I believe. I remember one game against Kramnik where he hung a very simple mate.
He's built himself a reputation as a great player who can't handle pressure very well.
Happy Holidays!
World Rapid & Blitz: Can Magnus keep his triple crown?
"Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja are in action as the chess world’s favourite Christmas tradition, the World Rapid and Blitz Championship, starts Sunday, December 26th. The $1 million tournament will see Magnus attempt to retain his triple crown as World Champion in blitz, rapid and classical chess, but the competition is fierce, with only Ding Liren and Wesley So missing from the Top 10. Humpy Koneru and Kateryna Lagno are also back to defend their titles"
Firouzja misses Wijk after compensation demand denied
"Magnus Carlsen's hunt to break the 2900 barrier begins with the 84th edition of the prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, which takes place from January 14-30. Chess fans will unfortunately not see a clash between the World Champion and the new world no. 2, 18-year-old Alireza Firouzja, as the organisers turned down his demands for compensation over the row at the end of the 2021 edition". @Harbour Dog , is Ali in the right or the wrong here?
World Rapid & Blitz: Can Magnus keep his triple crown?
"Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja are in action as the chess world’s favourite Christmas tradition, the World Rapid and Blitz Championship, starts Sunday, December 26th. The $1 million tournament will see Magnus attempt to retain his triple crown as World Champion in blitz, rapid and classical chess, but the competition is fierce, with only Ding Liren and Wesley So missing from the Top 10. Humpy Koneru and Kateryna Lagno are also back to defend their titles"
Firouzja misses Wijk after compensation demand denied
"Magnus Carlsen's hunt to break the 2900 barrier begins with the 84th edition of the prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, which takes place from January 14-30. Chess fans will unfortunately not see a clash between the World Champion and the new world no. 2, 18-year-old Alireza Firouzja, as the organisers turned down his demands for compensation over the row at the end of the 2021 edition". @Harbour Dog , is Ali in the right or the wrong here?
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