OT: Chess: Part Two

[Ben Grimm]

Candidates R9: Maiden wins

Round 9 of the Candidates Tournament saw three players scoring their first wins of the event. The one drawn encounter was the showdown between Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, in which Caruana tried an offbeat line against his opponent’s Petroff but could not make the most of the small...

en.chessbase.com

3 players get their first wins. There's only 3 1/2 points between the leader and last place now. It's heated up to an exciting finish.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Candidates R12: Radjabov stops Ding, Nepo almost there

In the one decisive game of round 12, Teimour Radjabov stopped Ding Liren’s winning streak by beating him from the black side of a Nimzo-Indian Defence. Much earlier, less than ten minutes after the round started, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura signed a 14-move draw by repetition. The...

en.chessbase.com

It's over. Nepo only needs a draw and a loss to play Carlsen for the WC.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Candidates R14: Ding beats Naka, grabs second place

The 2022 Candidates Tournament came to an end on Monday, with an eventful round that saw three decisive results and a hard-fought draw. In the most important game for the standings, Ding Liren beat Hikaru Nakamura to finish in sole second place. Teimour Radjabov and Alireza Firouzja also scored...

en.chessbase.com

1		Carlsen		2864.0	0.0		2848.4		2835.4			31
2		Ding Liren		2808.4	+2.4		2836 i		2788 i			29
3	↑4	Nepomniachtchi		2792.4	+26.4

 

[Ben Grimm]

Breaking News: Magnus Carlsen won't defend his title!

Ending months of speculation, Magnus Carlsen has officially announced he will not be defending his title in a rematch against Ian Nepomniachtchi come the end of 2022. As a result, the second-place winner of the 2022 Candidates Tournament, Ding Liren, will face the Russian to determine the new...

en.chessbase.com

@Harbour Dog

 

[OthmannOut]

Wow. Magnus not defending.
I really hope he can make it to 2900 elo. Would be insane.

 

[NORiculous]

Carlson said he would have played if Firouzja had won the candidates.

He should pull a Kasparov and challenge Firouzja to a championship match outside of FIDE.

Would be a great match.

 

[NORiculous]

All the experts agree it would a terrible match, because the kid isn't ready. The 19 year old did not finish top 2 in the Candidates, is not ranked top 3 in the world, and had a little breakdown where he played 300 blitz games during the Candidates.

All the experts agree the Finals winner will be the 2nd best player in the world.

At the time, Shirov beat Kramnik in a match.

Kasparov still played Kramnik for the championship.

All the « experts” though it was a bad idea but we now know they were wrong.

Sure Firouja still needs « work » but with a very good prep team I think he would perform better then what is currently expected.

And saying it would be a “terrible match”, to see current #4 vs. #1, is a weak comment at best.

I’m sure Carlson thought about it but I guess he probably did not want to recreate all the saga with 2 champions.

 

[NORiculous]

World Chess Hall of Fame Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Legendary 1972 World Chess Championship

The World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) pays homage to American chess phenom Bobby Fischer with the largest exhibition of its kind, <a href="https://worldchesshof.org/exhibit/72-fischer-spassky?mc_cid=0274788ba4&mc_eid=3790e8c2dc">1972 Fischer/Spassky: The Match, Its Origin, and Influence"</a>, on...

en.chessbase.com

Not understanding that a 19-year-old is not ready to play more Candidate and WC experienced GMs for the WC is a weak comment at best. Carlsen said before the Candidates he would not play unless a young player won. Everyone agrees he's bored after already beating the vets Anand twice, Karjakin, Caruana, and Nepo. He's concentrating on speed chess and other non-chess interests.

Kasparov played his first championship at 21 (was winning but they stopped the match but still won the year after) which isn’t that far off of 19.

So… stating that “ Not understanding that a 19–year-old is not ready to play more Candidates and WC” is a very weak argument.

The match Carlsen / Firouja is perfectly fine although Carlson is obviously the favourite. But, that could be said if he faced anyone.

So say “all the experts” say it would be a terrible match. How about you link 10 of those “experts” to back up what you are saying? If they are all saying this, then linking 10 quotes should be easy.

Cheers,

 

[Ben Grimm]

Levon Aronian beats Wei Yi, wins FTX Road to Miami

Levon Aronian beat Wei Yi in the finals of the FTX Road to Miami online tournament. By reaching the finals, both Aronian and Wei gained a ticket to the upcoming FTX Crypto Cup in Miami, where the players will meet in-person but will play their games online from individual computers.

en.chessbase.com

Carlsen and Firouzja set for FTX Crypto Cup clash in Miami

The FTX Crypto Cup, kicks off next week with world champion Magnus Carlsen and new rival Alireza Firouzja topping a stellar line-up. The all-play-all tournament is the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour’s second Major of the season and will be held on-site at the Eden Roc Miami Beach in Miami...

en.chessbase.com

First post in this thread since July 22nd.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Recognizing chess positions

How fast and how reliably can strong chess players recognize chess positions? How good are world-class grandmasters at identifying games? And how do they compare with amateurs in this respect. The very successful science and engineering channel Veritasium has picked up this subject and made a...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

Ding Liren: “I suddenly got a chance”

Ding Liren had a very tough start at the 2022 Candidates Tournament. He lost his first game, and a series of seven draws ensued. At that point, the world number two began to score one win after another, ending with a very impressive 8/14 in second place. We conducted an interview with him...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

The young guns who ruled the Olympiad - Team Uzbekistan

After the closing ceremony, well past midnight, IM Sagar Shah made his way to the Grand Sheraton hotel where the Uzbekistan team was staying. Youngsters - Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Javokhir Sindarov, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, and Jakhongir Vakhidov had just won the gold medal at the...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

FTX Crypto Cup: Pragg keeps pace with Carlsen

Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen are sharing the lead with perfect scores at the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami. In Wednesday’s third round, Pragg defeated Hans Niemann while Carlsen got the better of Levon Aronian. Le Quang Liem and Alireza Firouzja were the remaining winners of the day, with the...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

50 years ago: Fischer leads 9:6

Fischer leads by three points. The Match of the Century was coming to a head, with Spassky, despite all his efforts, unable to reduce the deficit. "I felt that Fischer was like a large fish in my hands," he lamented, "one that was slippery and hard to hold on to. At certain moments I let him...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

FTX Crypto Cup: Carlsen and Pragg runaway leaders

With three rounds to go at the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami, Magnus Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu continue to dominate the field, as they both won a fourth consecutive match on Thursday. Carlsen defeated Le Quang Liem, while Pragg got the better of Levon Aronian. Alireza Firouzja, who beat...

en.chessbase.com

 

[aufheben]

I sure as shit never thought a Part 2 would be necessary.

Right on though.

 

[Ben Grimm]

FTX Crypto Cup: Firouzja in the hunt as Duda beats Carlsen

With two rounds to go, Magnus Carlsen is in the sole lead at the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami. Carlsen lost his match against Jan-Krzysztof Duda in blitz tiebreaks —gaining 1 point in the standings— while former co-leader Praggnanandhaa was defeated by Le Quang Liem in the rapid section of their...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

FTX Crypto Cup: Carlsen beats Firouzja in thrilling match, leads

Magnus Carlsen has a 2-point lead on Praggnanandhaa going into Sunday’s final round. The young Indian star will get a chance to win the whole thing if he beats the world champion in the rapid section of their direct encounter — winning in tiebreaks will not cut it for Pragg. In round 6, Carlsen...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

St. Louis Rapid & Blitz: MVL catches Firouzja

An action-packed third day of action at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament left French representatives Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the shared lead going into the blitz section of the event. Sam Shankland beat Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura to climb to sole third...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

Stunning: Firouzja wins St. Louis Rapid & Blitz with four rounds to spare!

There was no stopping Alireza Firouzja at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament, as the 19-year-old won the event with four rounds to spare! In his first-ever participation at a tournament in Saint Louis, Firouzja finished with an astonishing 26/36 score, five points ahead of second-placed...

en.chessbase.com

Monicka Socko wins the European Women’s Chess Championship

Polish grandmaster Monika Socko was the clear winner of the European Women’s Championship which took place at the Don Giovanni Hotel in Prague. Socko scored 8½/11 points to leave a 5-player chasing pack a half point back. Azerbaijani representatives Gunay Mammadzada and Ulviyya Fataliyeva...

en.chessbase.com

A Hundred Years Ago: London 1922, (July 31-August 19, 1922)

London 1922 is a historically significant event that gathered the day’s greatest players and produced the London Rules of 1922. They were designed by the then reigning World Champion Capablanca (pictured) and laid down what players had to do - and how much money they had to come up with - who...

en.chessbase.com

1		Carlsen		2861.0	−3.0		2834.0		2830.0			31
2		Ding Liren		2808.0	0.0		2836 i		2788 i			29
3		Nepomniachtchi		2792.0	0.0		2778.6		2781.0			32
4		Firouzja		2778.0	0.0		2732.0		2902.6			19
5	↑2	So		2771.0	−2.0		2784.0		2763.0			28

 

[Ben Grimm]

Sinquefield Cup: Carlsen beats Nepo

In a rematch of the latest confrontation for the World Championship title, Magnus Carlsen took down Ian Nepomniachtchi to grab the early lead at the Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis. All remaining games finished drawn. Carlsen will face Levon Aronian with black in the second round, while Nepo will...

en.chessbase.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

Sinquefield Cup: Niemann joins the lead, Nepo beats Firouzja

Hans Niemann joined Magnus Carlsen in the lead of the Sinquefield Cup by beating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov with the white pieces in Saturday’s second round. The tournament underdog kicked off the event with two whites and is set to face Carlsen with black in round 3. Meanwhile, Ian Nepomniachtchi...

en.chessbase.com

 

[OthmannOut]

Carlsen withdraws from the cup, with many looking at accusations of Niemann cheating as the reason.
I checked out Hikaru's video reacting to Niemann's analysis and it seems pretty damning that Niemann is cheating. He has previously been banned on chess.com for cheating and his understanding of the position in the post-game interview was baffling. Sucks to see at the highest level but hopefully something comes out of this.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Sinquefield Cup: Carlsen withdraws, Caruana scores

For the first time in his career, world champion Magnus Carlsen has withdrawn from a professional tournament. Before the start of the Sinquefield Cup’s fourth round, the Norwegian shared his decision on Twitter, adding a short clip in which football coach José Mourinho says, “If I speak I’m in...

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Sinquefield Cup: Four draws

Following Magnus Carlsen’s intriguing withdrawal, the Sinquefield Cup continued in Saint Louis, now as a 9-player single round-robin. All four games finished drawn in round 5, with Wesley So keeping the sole lead after splitting the point with Levon Aronian. Wendesday is a much-needed rest day...

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[Ben Grimm]

The Carlsen-Niemann Affair

In the last few days the chess world has been in enormous upheaval after the World Champion Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the Sinquefield Cup in protest after three rounds, with an unspoken accusation of cheating of the player who had defeated him, US rising star Hans Niemann. Lines were drawn...

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Game of the Week #532: M. Carlsen vs O. H. Niemann

In his “Game of the Week” show #532 Merijn van Delft looks at the controversial game between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann at the Sinquefield Cup 2022. Carlsen lost with White and then withdrew from the tournament. The tweet, with which Carlsen announced his withdrawal caused a fervent and...

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Sinquefield Cup: So in pole position, Firouzja wins rollercoaster

Wesley So is the only player with a +2 score at the Sinquefield Cup after his win over Hans Niemann in Thursday’s sixth round. With three rounds to go, two players stand close behind on +1: Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alireza Firouzja. While Nepo drew Fabiano Caruana in round 6, Firouzja got a rather...

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