June 2010 Archives

After a few days pass it's hard to work up the gumption to post, especially when I feel out of the loop. I've been dragged into the Karpov2010 campaign more and more with Garry (consider this full disclosure), not to mention my other jobs and, of course, the World Cup. (AR-GEN-TINA!) Unfortunately, this is going on with some very interesting chess taking place.

Ivanchuk won his fourth Capablanca tournament in La Habana, finishing a point clear of Nepomniachtchi with an impressive +4 undefeated score. Dominguez and Short finished with +1 Alekseev and Bruzon both had disastrous -4 showings, both failing to win a game. Ivanchuk was clearly the class of the event, but Nepomniachtchi played the highlight reel game, hammering Short with the black pieces while dumping a bagful of exclams on the board. The computer sez White can actually hold with the comically blase retreat 25.Bd4, but that's not really much of a point.

Magnus Carlsen has also put up a +4 score and still has two rounds to improve on that in the Kings tournament in Medias, Romania. ("medias" means "socks" in Argentine Spanish, which is amusing in my sleep-deprived state.) Carlsen was cruising along with draws for the early rounds but woke up to win four in a row. His 6/8 is a point better than Gelfand and two better than Radjabov. Underdog Nisipeanu has done the local fans proud by battling to a -1 score with a couple of wins. Ponomariov has lost two games on the white side of the Samisch KID, continuing what my memory tells me is a recent history of trouble dealing with Benoni and KID tactics. He is kept out of the cellar by Wang Yue, whose rating again climbed up to the top ten. This despite having zero wins against 2700+ opposition in the last year.

Uh-oh, time for all those film projects about Fischer to get into rewrite. Maybe they can add a new zombie angle. As reported widely and here in the NY Times chess blog, the Icelandic Supreme Court has ordered Fischer's body be exhumed for DNA testing to prove or disprove paternity of the nine-year-old daughter in the Philippines he is assumed to have fathered. This is all about the fate of Fischer's sizable estate. Anyone know the status of his various copyrights? He let so many things lapse that I wonder if whoever eventually controls his estate will be able to benefit from book sales, however small.

It's all rather ghastly, if not uncommon in this day and age. It's a little surprising they couldn't come up with anything to get a sample from since he spent many of his last days in the hospital. Hey, while they're at it, maybe they can test some more people to determine Fischer's own paternity. The circumstantial case for Paul Nemenyi is quite strong. Where is he buried, by the way? Anyone got a shovel? Just asking.

I admit I wasn't paying any attention this this Vegas Chess Festival at all until my homeboy Arthur Kogan Facebooked the final round win that gave him a share of second. Clear first is a rarity in these short opens, but Timur Gareev of Uzbekistan pulled it off with class by taking out leader Akobian in the final round in an overpowering tactical effort. PGN after the jump. [Standardized to Gareev.]

Sorry for all the quick hits. Swamped. Along with my usual three jobs, I'm helping coordinate Garry's world tour on behalf of the Karpov2010 campaign. Between him and Karpov himself it's a full-board attack. Peru, Bolivia, Honduras, Puerto Rico, several destinations in Africa and then it's on to open the Asian front. Wild. And a new member of the Karpov Advisory Board is going to be speaking with the crown prince in the UAE in a few days, which could get interesting. I'll wrap Bologan and Karjakin winning Poikovsky as soon as I can, and oh god Bazna just started with Carlsen, Radjabov, and Gelfand. Zoinks!

I made a few Men in Black jokes about fighting against Kirsan and his alien pals, but the inimitable Diaz has taken it to a new level. Maybe they can neuralize us so we can forget the last 15 years of Kirsan?

Running out and no time to look, so please tell me that Riazantsev-Karjakin wasn't all theory. Really wild king chase. Three black wins today.

Not the old-fashioned kind, in which the champion kept the title by drawing the match. That has been abandoned since it would be a huge advantage with matches as short as they have become. hansie bring this idea in the comments:

In the event of any world championship match ending at tie, 6-6, after the regulation 12 games at classical time control, what do you feel of replacing the rapid cum blitz tiebreaker by a single armageddon (13th) game at classical time control with the Champion having the Black pieces and the Challenger having the White, with the proviso that the Challenger must win the game to dethrone the Champion, if the game ends in a draw, the Champion keeps his title on the ground that he could not be defeated in the match despite having more Blacks and less Whites?

My very first instinct was to hate it. But my second reaction is that it's no worse than rapids and blitz and has a cute logic. Another 60 seconds in and I'm almost in love with it. Has this idea been postulated before? Seems too good not to have been.

The main downside is if the champion loses the draw odds part is forgotten and there's a beef about color disparity. If he draws it feels fair, but if he loses it looks odd. Draw odds games are a pretty serious distortion, basically. Same goes with time handicaps, etc. Any time you have to asterisk a game -- that is, it wasn't played under normal rules -- you're playing with history and with fire. Still, while my traditionalist side rebels it's certainly a tidy idea and one I'd like to see run by players for fun. Most feel draw odds are such an advantage that they might think this is too much to give to the champion. See our recent US championship threads on the armageddon time handicap game system they used this year.

Okay, this is getting to be a bit much. For the second day in a row, the only winners of the previous round were the only losers. That's just trivia, but it's statistically wacky trivia. If they pull this off for the third day in a row (watch out, Riazantsev and Jakovenko) we'll assume that first prize at Poikovsky is a Celine Dion CD and a kick in the nuts. The 7th round is already live here.

Also, get ready for the Capablanca Memorial, with hot favorite Ivanchuk joined by Alekseev, Dominguez, Short, Bruzon, and Nepomniachtchi. Some nice material on the official site from Nigel Short about realizing his dream of finally visiting Cuba. But of the, um, 23 votes in their "pick the winner" poll I'm afraid Nigel is at zero. Help a brother out! Round one of the double round-robin is tomorrow.

There have been so many interviews around the Anand-Topalov match it's a little odd to be linking to one with Anand that was done way back in 2009. But I don't think I'm alone in saying that Vishy's tendency -- admirable and frustrating at the same time -- to show goodwill to man and to skate on the surface doesn't make him the best interview in the world. So it's great to read this one, which so far is one of the more interesting and insightful I've ever read with Anand. The material on the changes in the game and the impact on match play in particular are very good.

I'm assuming a lot with this tack, but I think the "Kasparov's shadow" argument applies beyond chess. Since Garry always had an opinion, or five, about everything, he both provided cover and stole attention from everyone else. Since he retired we've seen both Kramnik and Anand flower in unexpected ways in dealing with the media; they didn't get as much sunlight with Kasparov grabbing, and being given, the mic all the time. So it's a combination of having more chances to speak and that leading to being more thoughtful and having more to say. Which in turn makes you more interesting and more likely to be asked, etc.

I still think the "Tiger Woods Effect" of having a tent-pole superstar representative does more good than harm for a sport, even if one guy is giving 4/5 interviews to the mainstream press -- when the alternative is an 80% drop in interviews overall. That is, the attention (and money) Kasparov got didn't just go to other chessplayers when he left, unfortunately. If Tiger Woods retired tomorrow his sponsors, those who remain, wouldn't say, "get some other golfer asap." But eventually they do need another golfer, if one at a lower pay grade. Having marketable stars who say interesting things and represent the sport well is essential. As both Garry and Karpov have pointed out, their anniversary match in Valencia being the top mainstream chess news story of last year was rather tragic. Magnus Carlsen is fantastic, but he isn't going to be the Tiger Woods of chess any more than chess is going to replicate the success of poker. More realistically, we need the Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe.

Of course those who know Anand well -- and this partly goes for Kramnik as well -- would likely say he hasn't changed, that he's been all these things all this time. And why not? But embracing the public and being embraced by the public doesn't come naturally for many. Let's hope it's not too late for the world to discover our worldly, kind, funny, insightful, multilingual world champion from a giant rising nation. I sort of feel the chess world is only just discovering him and we need to make up for lost time. He may be 40, but just defended his title again, people; he's not just keeping the throne warm!

He's already on his way back from his meetings in Nicaragua to promote Karpov's FIDE presidential bid. I'll have much more about it here soon, and I'm sure the Karpov site will have more from the scene. They already have a news summary up in Spanish. But I just couldn't resist getting this video up as soon as I found it. I've been traveling with Garry for many years and am pretty jaded about star appeal and whatnot, but this is still cool. Not exactly the Beatles landing at JFK, but it must say something about the ability to leverage celebrity to promote chess in countries that just don't see that many international stars.

It will be interesting to see if Ilyumzhinov's somewhat embarrassing list of supporting countries holds up for long against this onslaught. Even some of Ilyumzhinov's most loyal allies were absent. Even if they eventually vote for him, that they are keeping silent is huge. Karpov and Kasparov are a sort of ultimate weapon Ilyumzhinov has no direct answer for. If Carlsen continues and if Anand got involved actively it would be a steamroller. Latin America is the only place well represented on Ilyumzhinov's list, because his guy there, Vega, is an old-school warrior and has been given resources to spread around along with plenty of intimidation about how federations that oppose Kirsan will be cut off. But as one Central American federation president pointed out to Garry in Managua, they pay more in fees to FIDE than they get back in CADEC development funds at a rate of 3-to-1! But of course that's money that goes to the federations, as opposed to money that has no official origin or destination... Anyway, I expect Karpov's big-time backers to set up a development fund, a sort of PAC, to show the developing federations they have nothing to fear but fear itself.

An unpredictable fifth round at the Poikovsky Karpov tournament. Leaders Karjakin and Jakovenko both lost sharp games to completely muddle the crosstable. Five players are now tied for first with 3/5, two are on even scores, and five are on -1! We're going to parity like it's 1999. Vitiugov, who doesn't get out much despite a steady climb up the rating list, beat Karjakin. Ivan Sokolov brought some chaos into the steady Jakovenko's life and it paid off for the Bosnian this time. A truly wild game. There were also a few more non-game draws, however, so things are not all rosy in Siberia.

To tangent off Sokolov's nice win, there is something special about the veterans who can still play scintillating attacking chess when they are on and feel they have nothing to lose anymore. They are mostly beyond worrying about a few rating points here and there and won't let that get in the way of trying to create a nice piece of chess art. This surely also has something to do with being from the pre-computer era and having a more romantic sensibility about the game. It can backfire badly -- young players today have computer-honed defensive technique -- but they are a welcome addition to any field. It's the same sort of aggressive, entertainingly unrealistic production you often get from the teens for entirely different reasons.

Unfortunately for the non-elite late 30-somethings, they don't get the invites the new stars get. Even Judit Polgar isn't seen much these days, and you'd think she'd still be in a class by herself as a draw because she adds gender rarity to her high rating and spectacular chess. She may have two kids, but the Mama Bear ripped David Navara into bite-sized bits of Czech cereal a few weeks ago at the Cez Trophy rapid match in Prague. 6-2 was even more of a whooping than Kramnik and Ivanchuk laid on Navara in previous editions. Much like Leko has done with his home-hosted challenge matches, kudos to Navara for aiming high and getting his butt kicked. It's the only way to learn anything. Do they have bears in Hungary, btw?

Since I have already digressed beyond recognition, let's talk human resources. It's tragic that one of the all-time great ambassadors of the sport, the strongest female in the history of the game -- whose chess is dazzling, btw -- and, to be frank, one of the few super-elite chessplayers capable of consistently presenting herself with professionalism, diplomacy, and intelligence, is essentially missing in action. Note to Karpov campaign: if FIDE doesn't already have a "roving ambassador" position, create one for Judit Polgar. (They probably do have one, but it's probably a crony position for septuagenarian politicians.)

I would love to see more GM outreach, the way the serious sports federations coordinate players doing charitable work and appearances at schools, etc. I've spent a lot of time with a lot of GMs, and recognition of achievement -- recognition of chess -- can be just as motivating as cold hard cash. Karpov's refrain of "putting chess back on the map" needs to mean more than moving big tournaments from dusty spa towns in the Caucasus. It also means acting like the game is special so the players get the recognition they deserve. Any corporate management book will tell you that recognition goes a long way. Money matters, and a lot, but so does good PR, which then leads to more money. It's easy to ding GMs for apathy and a "pay me what I deserve for being good at this game" attitude of entitlement some have, this is just a small aspect of the amateurish and undeveloped chess culture. It's hard to ask players to give back when they feel they have little to give.

In this regard, having Kasparov show up in Nicaragua for Karpov and see the huge impact it has in the media -- with a big resulting bump for chess and players in the entire region -- is more than a campaign junket. Having chessplayers and officials rubbing shoulders with government honchos for a few days, having chess programs and events everywhere in the news for a few days, it has lasting dividends. It doesn't replace well-designed and well-funded development programs, of course, but it does illustrate that elite GM support isn't as meaningless as it looked for Bessel Kok in 2006. Leveraging it politically is the key.

Since I've already hijacked my own item three times, Wang Hao won the Chinese title on tiebreaks over Bu Xiangzhi, which is good news. He plays ambitious chess and should get more invites. Boris Gelfand just beat Levon Aronian in blitz tiebreaks to win the Leon rapid event. They had knocked out Vallejo and Dominguez in the semis, respectively. Aronian needed only a draw in the fourth rapid game to win the match, but couldn't hold a queen and pawn endgame. A scan of the games in the events mentioned here indicates that a memo went out making the Nimzo-Indian mandatory. Must have missed that one.

Jeez, it's it the 5th already? Too much work, and things just got tougher at home with our regiment of grandmas withdrawing and leaving us to our own devices. (Aka, the two children.) Some exciting meetings with publishers about a new book I hope you'll be hearing a lot about by the end of the year. Even better, at least for my sanity, it has nothing to do with chess or Russian politics! One of the best things about working with Garry is the range of material we work on, and variety being the spice of life I get plenty of pepper, curry, and even the occasional sprig of mint tossed in with the borscht. Hmm, that doesn't sound half bad.

So yeah, that chess thing. I heart the Poikovsky Karpov tournament even more than ever this year because, unlike all the events that are chopping their fields to cut down on expenses and leading to a deluge of six-player round-robins, this Russian event just expanded their field to twelve. Regulars Bologan, Rublevsky, Sutovsky, and Onischuk now have even more strong interlopers to bash them around. After four rounds it looks like Jakovenko and Karjakin were properly warmed up by reaching the ACP Rapid Cup final and they are sharing first at +2. Sutovsky and Riazantsev are following on +1. Last year's Poikovsky winner, Russell Crowe lookalike Alexander Motylev, is there to defend his title, but he's drawn all four games so far.

Speaking of Sutovsky, his win over Onischuk in round three gave me a case of chess blindness when I first saw the final position. It illustrates how our brains can see only what we want them to see, especially when it comes to tactical chunks. I was tempted to give this diagram as "Black to play and win" just to see if I could inspire contagion, but I was afraid nobody else would catch it and just wonder if I had lost my mind. If anyone is still wondering. Anyway, it is indeed Black to play. If you, even for a second, also wanted to give mate with ..Qxf2+! Rxf2 Rd1# you aren't alone. That is, you aren't alone in making illegal moves.

Ivan Sokolov played a creative piece sac against Karjakin but couldn't get his kingside pawns moving in time to get a real attack going. Sokolov is running a wine distribution business on the side these days, which seems a match made in Burgundy, if not Heaven. He swears he does little sampling of the wares these days. Jakovenko beat Bologan today with a nice pawn run ending in a skewer to win the exchange. The bishop did good work on b1 and then e8. Jakovenko's win over Jobava in the second round was a great battle over the whole board. But for real excitement, check out the draw between Riazantsev and Naiditsch. White gave up his queen for two minor pieces, got the queen back almost immediately, and then both sides played fantastic stuff (if inaccurate according to the comp, but still sensational; 32.Bg1 and Black runs out of steam) to slug to a draw by repetition. Wild human chess!

There is a fun pictorial report up on ChessPro. The pictures of the ceremonial tree planting are entertaining even if the typically loopy captions and report are lost on many of you. Live games are here.