Mark is reporting that 10th World Champion Boris Spassky is gravely ill after a stroke in Moscow. According to this Russian report, the 73-year-old French citizen is in intensive care in a Moscow hospital. All the Russian news reports I see online at the moment are at least seven hours old. Fingers crossed. Losing Smyslov, Larsen, and Spassky in the same year would be rough.
Spassky Reported Ill after Stroke
171 Comments
I hope he better.
I hope Spassky gets better. One of the last real gentleman of chessboard. Mig I visited 'La Stancia' as you know, a wondefull restaurant of Buenos Aires. There was a photo of Spassky and Petrosian of end of the seventies, eating on the restaurrant. What is wonderfull is that I was served by the same waiter that appeared serving Petrosian and Spassky. He said he remembered both of them well and Spassky was a really nice and gentle client. By the way, he also knew Karpov, Nadjorf and Fischer!
Well, let's hope Spassky get better!
For once its good to see dailydirt be dailydirt
Don't forget Andor Lilienthal who passed this year at 99.
Let me add my best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery for the irrepressible and brilliant Boris Vassilievich.
There appears to be no update on Spassky's condition after 24 hours. I find that very strange. Anyone know what's going on?
No, I don't. However, as they say, no news is good news. I wish Spassky well and that the effects of his paralysis are only temporary. It would be very sad to see him leave us.
In an arguably greater tragedy, Judit has lost her good looks (and thus FIDE marketing potential... though she had a good 20-year run) and is just another middle-aged babushka. She doesn't even have the Betty Crocker kindly looks... just another harried, exasperated, overwhelmed-looks mom.
http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6699
Do you never stop and ask yourself why you're trolling about women's looks - again - and this time under a post about one of the greatest and most loved chess players fighting for his life? Doesn't your behaviour strike you as sad or grotesque? How did you end up where are you are today?
It's not a sexist thing.
At the last Olympiad, I commented on the good looks (and thus high marketability) of the Russian team - of Kramnik, Moro, Grischuk, Pono. Those guys: each one could be a model.
Then a few days ago, the better looks of Karpov versus Kirsan... Karpov has the devil-may-care good-looks I aim to have at age 55.
Or see what the KK Team have set up or seem involved in the cherubic-looks Carlsen... the 15y.o. Judit would've been bigger.
Very mean bad person is hcl. I hope Boris Spassky get better.
hcl, stop being a turd.
Concur of course with you, Mishanp, and now it appears that this village idiot called hcl is so clueless that he didn't even understand what you had to say aloud -- which is what everyone else of any class was already thinking. Unbelievable.
Had I been an ex-Soviet, I would've lobbied for such persons to receive Mayo-style full medicals, at the pension expense of the State. In such matters Prevention is everything, your post facto simperings not very helpful. (It's clear, at least to me, Spassky did not receive top-notch preventative health care.)
So, MISHANP, I'm calling YOU out (as Russian-speaker and owner of website): have YOU lobbied for a proper health care for the GMs in Russia and other ex-Soviet states? Let's not forget the ex-USSR has at least a dozen other living chess icons...
How about you, kenhabeed? Your heart seems to be in the right place; but where's your head?
I would like to add my best wishes for Mr Spassky’s successful recovery. A great chess player, a gentleman and man of honour. I wish him well.
.
PS I wish inane, misogynistic and insulting posters like HCL would have the intelligence to just go away and crawl back under their rock. But alas, no.
Let's not (ab)use this thread for anti-Soviet rants - some facts and some questions:
- A person having a stroke at the age of 73 (or actually at any age) can happen any time, anywhere, also in western countries. Not that I am a medical specialist, but I don't think it can be prevented, and even if so: should a world class chess player or any other VIP get better preventive health care than "an average citizen"?
- Spassky moved to France in 1976 and became a French citizen, so why should Russia still be responsible for his health care?
Actually I do not quite agree with Jim from Sudbury that "no news is good news". It probably means that he hasn't died, nor has he been released from hospital. Again, I am not a medical specialist, but I think the longer he remains in critical condition the less chances for a full recovery without ongoing physical or maybe brain damage. I also wish the best for him, but (now I am provocative) maybe it's better to pass away than to live a life that isn't worthwhile living?
"I would like to add my best wishes for Mr Spassky’s successful recovery. A great chess player, a gentleman and man of honour. I wish him well."
Yes, yes, hope that makes your ego feel better.
But his recovery will proceed 100% independently, uncorrelative of what you say here.
A voodoo-ic action-at-a-distance does not occur in medicine. His natural vigor and the doctor will determine the recovery hereon.
And yes, with good diagnostics, he would've had warning years ago... did he get them? Because a Mayo-style full examination would give many years warning that the pipes are starting to clog up and % of clogging present...
In matters of physical health, I'm more of a practical person into prevention, early ID of potential problems and not empty words after a SHTF event.
I find it more and more disturbing that wherever you go in the web, you'll encounter - again and again - pathetic or even despicable persons on chess blogs and forums. And I already started to worry whether this has something to do with chess as a game and as an activity. Maybe it's time to move on to something better...
I had the great honour to play against him in a simul in Dublin early 90's I think. He chatted with the players afterwards and was a real gent. I wish him well. PS I lost of course but was thrilled to have the great man thinking at my board.
Some people on this thread think I'm in Spassky's hospital room doing something actually bad to him...
Or at least that's their primitive psychological reaction because their brain cells don't fire too well & confuse reality with flippant comments on the Internet...
talk talk all you want but every one can see you are a mean nasty person. so keep on talking. you meanie. bad person.
@ AXI...I think it is the nature of the web, not chess. The web affords annonimity. A certain small percentage of people say things online that they would not say in person. I hope it is not related to our wonderful game. I have made several nice interesting friends from many countries on ICC that I would not have made otherwise. But it can be discouraging. Don't allow the trolls to dictate.
@Thomas...Agree with you on that. Provacative, maybe, but realistic and honest.
@Brian...I too had the great honor and thrill in Reno, Nevada 1995. His lecutres were wonderful, and he made time for everyone...photos, autographs, etc. Just a wonderful person.
WOW. Adams SPANKED Carlsen! I'll bet somewhere there's going to be a headline "Carlsen in Crisis". Guess now we know why Anand stayed away from the Olympiad...
Also, sparkling win by Nakamura over Quang Liem Le, very nice. Looks like Hikaru's star rises while Carlsen's stumbles. Looking forward to the London Classic now!
Anyone who plays the black side of 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Nf6 against a super GM deserves to get spanked...even if it is Carlsen.
Any more news on Spassky?
Googling reveals no updates beyond what was known a couple of days ago. I certainly wish the best for him.
Correction to first post: It was Reno, Nevada 2005 at Western States Open. Sigh!
Yes, aside from the issue of financial terms, it is also the case that there has been a lot of discord and poor administration in Indian Chess federation circles. There were rival claimants to be the official India Chess Federation, based on a poilitical scism. Not sure that the side which prevailed (i.e. received FIDE recognition) was the most meritorious. Not surprising news about the faction that wins FIDE's seal of approval... There have been persistant claims that India Chess officials have been overbearing--even bullying--towards some of its top players.
So, it's not much of a surpise that Anand would opt to eschew participation. Especially given that even with Anand's participation, and assuming a great personal result from him, the prospects of the team were not bright. World Champions get a bit touchy about things like that.
His big contribution to chess in India are the school visits (noted above), and his mere refusal to shift his federation allegiance to the country where he now lives, Spain.
Slight disagreement about the Indian team, though you may know a lot more than I know generally; my opinion is that with Ganguly and Harikrishna on 2nd and 3rd boards, Anand would have made the team less than easy to deal with.
HCL "Or at least that's their primitive psychological reaction because their brain cells don't fire too well & confuse reality with flippant comments on the Internet... "
Flippant comments on the Internet, when they are as malapropos as you case, may very well be indicative of brain cells not firing too well. Or of a primitive psychological reaction.
Thank you for sharing your self-diagnosis, HCL, albeit unintentionally. ;)
* in your case
"Looks like Hikaru's star rises while Carlsen's stumbles."
Even without the moronic mixed metaphor, this would be a remarkably asinine statement.
Perhaps: “The Rookie Fumbles”
(Recalling Nakamura’s performance at the latest US Open.)
Who pissed in your cornflakes CA? You get dumped by your blow-up doll or something?
Carlsen was due to stumble... and he will eventually drop below 2800. Everyone reaching 2800 for the first time has gone back under. However, it's nothing to get too alarmed about. Nakamura is playing well and may have quieted naysayers for good. He is now approaching top ten.
Daaim,
Naka is definitely approaching top-10 (should be 2750 soon), but its very unlikely Carlsen will fall below 2800 IMO; he's obviously not showing critical prep in this tournament b/c he knows he'll need it for the Candidates matches and other super-GM tournaments -- he's playing practically everyday in October b/t Bilbao and Pearl Spring, plus he's playing in London in December and in the Netherlands in January -- all before the Candidates matches in April.
Carlsen will be fine, but his struggles at the Olympiad open the door for Anand to reach his stated goal of retaking the #1 ranking if he plays well during the next 3-4 months.
Hopefully Naka's showing here will get him an invite at the Tal Memorial in November -- Carlsen isn't playing, and Topalov didn't play last year. Given how well Naka is playing, with a 2750 rating to boot, there shouldn't be too many people offered invitations before he is.
Naka will never quiet the naysayers until he wins the world championship -- sadly, haters gonna hate :(. BTW, sorry about the whole Vietnam prediction flap a few days ago; I only saw your pretournament article from the 18th, not the 12th.
It's difficult to predict anything in this olympiad!
People - or teams - are not playing as expected - or, we get relative upsets. Who is this Jobava Baadur fellow? He's not a one-hit wonder over there. What has happened to Vietnam? Or the Russias? Although not at all unusual, Grishuk would not be expected to lose to Leko these days. Nakamura? Not reliable for a result, but should be thoughtful about betting against him. Come to think of it: Leko, Nakamura, Ivanchuk. Headaches for the bookie.
NY Times is saying the World Sport Court has ruled against Karpov, and the elections will proceed as scheduled.
http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/legal-challenge-fails-so-chess-federation-elections-will-be-held/
this is very very very good news so now there will be votes for some one to be presdent.
regarding the NY Times report and the FIDE statement it references: Kirsan continues to frame this as a fight between Karpov and FIDE, when it is of course nothing of the sort. Another demonstration (as if any were still needed) that he views FIDE as a private fiefdom, part of Kirsan Interglobal Inc, rather than Kirsan offering himself as a servant to enact the will of the chessplaying members who make up FIDE.
no you can nto be corect becuase kirsan is nto a servant he is the presdent and excellenty until some body else become presidentcy.
The pro-Kirsan ruling was expected. I guess elections will now procceed as expected, too - with corrupt, "alienated" Kirsan winning with a clear margin over corrupt, "It Wasn't Me" K-K duo.
Karpov never had a chance since the moment he accepted that Kasparov would be the face of his campaign - very poor judgement on Karpov's part.
Now it is a matter of FIDE member federations to decide which is the lesser of the two evils. My guess is they will pick Kirsan.
maybe irv know answer but why is necesary to have presdent if both canidates are evil. who can say. maybe irv.
Stoopid, isn't it time for your walk? Or your tea? Isn't it time for you to "go away"? Please.
Boris Spassky is a sympathetic character, and I wish him well.
That is not voodoo. Call it prayer.
hcl is Hydrochloric Acid. Useful, *at the proper time and in the proper dose*.
Mishanp -- Any chance of seeing a translated annotation of Nakamura-Wojtaszek?
I was thinking of translating a live running commentary by the 5th member of the Polish team, though it doesn't include any real analysis of the game. I'll see if anything else turns up - I'd guess Shipov will probably cover it in his video for today, but that's not so easy to translate... Anyway, I'll see what's around (probably tomorrow morning!).
Finally an update on Spassky - http://sport.rian.ru/sport/20100928/280078579.html
He's in intensive care, but his condition's stable and not a cause for concern - plus he's conscious and can move and eat on his own. At least according to that report.
i do not like you. other peoples do not like you. they call names at you but nto to me. so you go away not me.
hooray for boris spassky.
Only if it comes with a translated Le Quang Liem - Nakamura, please.
Yea, I wouldn't mind seeing that as well, but it won't likely come from the same source, pioneer. So it would be swell if you could dig one up.
Right. I wish I could follow all the Shipov videos myself. Instructive I'm sure. Meanwhile, that's good news of Boris. Just last week I read his interesting 1988 interview in New In Chess - First 25 Years.
yes good news of boris spassky hooray.
"He's in intensive care, but his condition's stable and not a cause for concern - plus he's conscious and can move and eat on his own. At least according to that report."
That is wonderful news!
Meanwhile I am holding my breath for the results of the FIDE election.
I certainly do hope Anatoli Karpov wins. Perhaps someone can send a helicopter or flying saucer to pick up Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.
Great stuff, many thanks, and 3 cheers for Boris.
"He's in intensive care, but his condition's stable and not a cause for concern" ..
This sounds as describing FIDE's condition throughout Kirsan's reign. Yes, one fine day Kirsan will be dead too, he isn't immortal.
Any recent nominations for sicko of the month?
The Answer: Many, including "Yes, one fine day Kirsan will be dead..." from ugh.
Nothing sicko about it. Just describing the human condition, and with the added attractions of posting under a semi-identifiable handle and in a non-attention-whoring manner.
Ovidiu wrote:
"Yes, one fine day Kirsan will be dead too, he isn't immortal."
Yes and no. Remember, reencarnation is 'second nature' to Kirsan.
"Any recent nominations for sicko of the month?"
Yea, you and your dumb-ass replies to yourself gets a vote from me. Also, hcl and irv.
To bad Mig doesn't have a +censor option on this site. You three would be the first I'd use the option on.
Second nature? Au contraire, it's an alien concept to him.
FIDE election results coming soon...can't wait to see who FIDE gets stuck with: the terrible incumbent or the nefarious pretenders.
A unique no-win no-win situation.
Newsflash: Kirsan wins, by a vote of 95--55
from chessvibes.com
"The elections for the post of President of the European Chess Union was won by the Bulgarian candidate, Silvio Danailov. In the first round Robert von Weizsäcker (the candidate supported by Karpov and Kasparov) was out, and in the second round Danailov beat Ali Nihat Yacizi with 30 against 24 votes.
Hahaha, von Weizsacker was the empty Eurosuit with the fancy pedigree, and he lost out in the first round to both Danailov and the grandiose (and rather litigious) Ali Nahat Yacizi. Given the choice beween Danailov and Yacizi, the Turk was clearly the lesser of the two evil, but lost out in turn to Danailov in the 2nd round of balloting.
This illustates the point that in contested FIDE election, not only is it predictable that a bad candidate will prevail over a mediocrity, but that the worst candidate of the bunch will prevail over everybody.
_____________________________________________
"Kirsan Ilyumzhinov remains FIDE President for at least four more years. He just won the vote for FIDE President in Khanty-Maniysk convincingly with 95 votes, to 55 for Karpov, and 3 abstentions. Update: we just heard that Silvio Danailov won the European Chess Union presidential elections.
According to our source in Khanty-Mansiysk, after his re-election Ilyumzhinov immediately invited Anatoly Karpov to become Vice-President, to which his opponent hasn’t responded yet."
I'd put the odds at 50% that karpov will take the position of FIDE Vice-President.
He just will need some time to formulate a rationalization....
The only satisfying thing about such a scenario is that Makropoulis would finally be booted out.
lol, chesshire!
Doug reports:
"According to our source in Khanty-Mansiysk, after his re-election Ilyumzhinov immediately invited Anatoly Karpov to become Vice-President, to which his opponent hasn’t responded yet."
He will probably demand that Kasparov be given the title of Kirsan's Personal Secretary (with full access to FIDE's history books) in order to accept the offer.
Karpov blundered terribly by allowing Kasparov to bring his considerable baggage along for the campaign. Once Kasparov became the face of Karpov's slate, any chances of upsetting his lunatic opponent were lost.
Post-election reactions :
Spassky has sunk back into unconsciousness when he heard that Kirsan won.
Garry is unfazed. Failure on anything else except playing chess is his career/life trademark : "Life does NOT imitate chess"
Mig has started working hard on keeping his promise (which he made on 3 July) "Seriously, if Karpov doesn't win I'm going to dump a few megs of horrific email on Wikileaks"
Oviduo reports from hospital:
"Spassky has sunk back into unconsciousness when he heard that Kirsan won."
ROTFLMAO!
A desperate Kasparov yells at Kirsan: "Please, let me vin van!"
http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6710
How to censor certain posters so I do not have to read their posts?
The Answer: Dumbass could wear a blindfold.
An out-of-control Kasparov becomes startled when a delegate from an African nation requests that he "respects the house". After a brief back-and-forth, the 7'2" Mandingo Delegate gets close to Kasparov while threatening to finger the Ex-World Champion's considerable proboscis. Kasparov takes a terrorized step back and goes silent.
Check the video:
http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6710
That remark from ugh was pretty sick. Could there be anything sicker than that?
The Answer: Perhaps this more recent one from ugh: "Spassky has sunk back into unconsciousness when he heard that Kirsan won."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/sep/29/chess-karpov-kirsan-ilyumzhinov
Oh well, it appears that FIDE has Kirsan running things again. At least Karpov tried to make a change.
Thank you to the Karpov 2010 team (especially MIG) for all the hard work. I can't imagine how tough it was but at least you tried.
You have not suffered defeat because you lose, you suffer defeat only if you quit. Time to prepare for and create the future.
I've said it for years and I'll keep saying it. Everyone should just quit FIDE. It's corrupt and never will be worth anything ever again. JUST WALK AWAY!
Mig, do you know if Karpov is going to accept Kirsan's offer to be VP of FIDE?
"Karpov blundered terribly by allowing Kasparov to bring his considerable baggage along for the campaign. Once Kasparov became the face of Karpov's slate, any chances of upsetting his lunatic opponent were lost."
Surely no one in his right mind, and certainly not the canny Karpov, would include Kasparov in a campaign for the FIDE presidency.
The solution is that it was KASPAROV who put the entire campaign together and KASPAROV who asked Karpov to sign on.
It was no-lose for both men. Kasparov gets to run around the world playing politician. Karpov gets a great deal of exposure and a one-in-a-thousand shot at the FIDE presidency.
"Surely no one in his right mind, and certainly not the canny Karpov, would include Kasparov in a campaign for the FIDE presidency."
Nothing really changes: Karpov blundered terribly by either including Kasparov in his own political campaign or by agreeing to become Kasparov's puppet, as you suggest.
Karpov can't be that 'canny' if he couldn't see failure around the corner.
It's not that simple.
Karpov failed to win the FIDE presidency.
Karpov succeeded in positioning himself to receive various goodies...because Kirsan will buy him off; neutralizing the opposition forces yet again.
"Karpov succeeded in positioning himself to receive various goodies...because Kirsan will buy him off; neutralizing the opposition forces yet again."
I don't think it makes business sense for Karpov to join forces with Kasparov in anticipation of Kirsan "buying him off". Karpov - unlike the usual recipients of Kirsan's bribes - doesn't need the "cash incentives".
I should mention though, that we have a precendent that gives a bit of credence to your theory. Bessel Kok 'joined forces' with Kirsan after losing the previous election by a very simimlar margin. He has not been heard from since, so you might be right. Who knows...
Excellent sentiment. Thanks to Karpov for putting forth the effort.
Earlier consecutive posts:
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Ovidiu | September 29, 2010 7:36 AM |
"He's in intensive care, but his condition's stable and not a cause for concern" ..
This sounds as describing FIDE's condition throughout Kirsan's reign. Yes, one fine day Kirsan will be dead too, he isn't immortal.
The Answer replied to comment from Ovidiu | September 29, 2010 9:37 AM |
Any recent nominations for sicko of the month?
The Answer: Many, including "Yes, one fine day Kirsan will be dead..." from ugh.
greg koster | September 29, 2010 11:27 AM |
Nothing sicko about it. Just describing the human condition, and with the added attractions of posting under a semi-identifiable handle and in a non-attention-whoring manner.
-----
Since "Ovidiu" isn't remotely recognizable to me, and "greg koster" might be semi-recognizable (if I knew of anyone with that name!), I must conclude that "greg koster" is, in fact, "Ovidiu" (unless, of course, the name got counterfeited).
Just an observation ... one that seems to have escaped this thread, until now! :)
CO
Hilarious even thoug complately predictable. Mig putting anything on wikileaks what a joke. Perhaps he will twitter something naughty about the FIDE president. Back to running around after Gazzoids next piece of nonsense. We all have to put food on the table what your gonna do? Gazzoids running out of chess books to dream up the politics is over god knows whats next but I hope something so that his PA gets a paycheck. Just 1 more vote than KOK sigh they could have got that and done no campaigning at all. Stick to chess and chess books chess training teaching etc If you want to throw money away donate it to chess causes or charity rather than silly greedy New York law firms......
I got the impression that Bessel Kok was given the chance to implement all the ideas and plans Kok's election manifesto but using Kirsan's money as seed capital. Appears that Kok gave up after blowing USD10 million of Kirsan's money.
Geoffrey Borg, Kok's running appears to be still with Kirsan even now. Is that correct?
News from Spassky: he´s better and out from Intensive Care Unit.
http://sport.rian.ru/sport/20100928/280078579.html
(You can translate it in tradukka.com, works pretty well)
That's the same report that's already been mentioned and as far I can tell Spassky's still in the intensive care unit - but he's conscious, and can eat and move.
Tony Curtis died.
I remember seeing a rerun of the old "You Bet Your Life" quiz show, hosted by Groucho Marx. On this particular episode, the two contestants were Tony Curtis's mother, and . . . Grandmaster Isaac Kashdan.
Though she was just an ordinary, middle-aged woman, that fact Mrs. Schwartz had given birth to Tony Curtis garnered her much more attention from Groucho. He didn't really have anything to say to Kashdan.
@ Mig putting anything on wikileaks what a joke.
Yes, I don't expect him doing it either.
But Mig is a man of his word, in some sense, that is he has always stated that he merely aims at being funny, not right.
Late discovery of multiple Olympiad game commentaries by Rybka Aquarium (Shipov would still be welcomed) found at
http://games.ugra-chess.com/broadcast.php?key=r7p1.pgn&game=0
including Le-Nakamura and Nakamura-Wojtaszek.
Interesting. The prose comments there look auto-generated to me, from engine evaluations. But even if so, there is cleverness in how and when to select the "An interesting idea is..." variations.
I know it's not really what you want, but I put quite a lot up about the Nakamura-Wojtaszek game (from a Polish perspective) up here: http://www.chessintranslation.com/2010/09/russia-beats-russia/ (there's also a link to Shipov's video commentary - alas, in Russian! - though he didn't look at the moment in the game when Nakamura could have won)
The Rybka comments are of course automatic - it's quite funny when something goes a bit wrong and it e.g. shows 1...e5 as a novelty.
Yep, as predicted, Kirsan "reimbursed" the teams and delegations for any losses due to the repeated changes in charter flight schedules. and if the voting delgates have a few thousand extra Euros to keep in their pockets, after the expenses have been covered, what's the harm in that?
Sheesh, Kirasn is almost as bad as the Republican party!
from Chessbase (David Levy):
"In this atmosphere, and with Ilyumzhinov waving his magic wand again to arrange for the reimbursement of all teams who are out of pocket due to late changes in the dates of the charter flights, who were the FIDE delegates most likely to vote for? The man who provides so much money for chess, or the man whose campaign talks a good game about future sponsorship but without any concrete evidence that he can keep his election promises?"
I've just watched the video and have to admit to considerable respect for your powers of invention.
Oh my goodness, this is almost Apocolyptic:
The U.S. Virgin Islands team actually won a Match! I can't recall the last time that has ever happened. Perhaps this will imperil their streak of finsihing dead last in every Olympiad?
Bo. 136 Seychelles (SEY) Rtg - 149 U.S. Virgin Islands (ISV) Rtg 1½:2½
74.1 CM Meier Kurt 1991 - Massana Jorge 0 0 - 1
74.2 Hoareau Benjamin 2026 - Creswell Reece 0 0 - 1
74.3 Pillay Ragul 0 - Mongiello Anthony 0 1 - 0
74.4 Vinayagamurthy Kasthuri 0 - Smith Michael 0 ½ - ½
"Sheesh, Kirsan is almost as bad as the Republican party!"
Hah! Thanks for the laugh, DOug. You nailed it. Corruption from the top down.
Thank you, Mishanp. I am grateful. More later.
Jeez, Karjakin is something else. What an amazing year he's had. He's an animal. Anyone who doubts his upward potential now has not been paying attention. Who can stop the guy?
If I had time, I'd look up and compare the rating trajectories of Karjakin and Wojtaszek. Maybe close. Anyone?
Karjakin has always had amazing upward potential, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you give any super-GM 8 whites out of 9 games (most likely going to end up being 10 whites out of 11 games), they are going to have a nice score. Lets see how he does in supertournaments where he'll actually have to play with the black pieces as well.
I just watched the video on TWIC of the FIDE press conference with Kirsan and Karpov. Seemed very odd to me. Sounds like Karpov is seriously considering accepting Kirsan's offer of being a FIDE VP. I'm betting Karpov is off on his own here, can't imagine Kasparov being happy about Karpov accepting the "result" of the election (I know I certainly wouldn't given the blatant violation of FIDE rules; but perhaps Karpov feels he is being practical).
http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/chessnews/events/39th-chess-olympiad-khanty-mansiysk-2010
It may have helped Karjakin to have plenty of whites, but not every super-GM scores as effectively: his teammates Grischuk, Svidler and Malakhov together had 4/7 (+1=6) with white, compared to Karjakin's 6.5/7 [actually he had one black and one rest day, detail ...]. So Bareev's strategy to give Karjakin plenty of whites may have evolved during the event, at least in this extreme form. If we subtract 50 points from his TPR to correct for color distribution, it's still 2907 - better than anyone else at this stage, including Ivanchuk after he lost against Mamedyarov yesterday.
Moreover ... : Karjakin's last results before the Olympiad:
Poikovsky 7/11 (a round robin with five 2700ers plus Onischuk, 2699)
Russian Club Cup Premier League 5.5/7 (another strong team event where you can manipulate color distributions: here Karjakin had five blacks including wins against Motylev and Eljanov).
So even if Karjakin currently benefits from a "funny" but perfectly legal team strategy, that's not the only reason for entering the top 10 with possibly further upward potential.
How many of you remember the match in Mexico that saw Nakamura defeating young Karjakin. Let's call for a rematch!
That Ivanchuk game against Mamedyarov was again a line full of madness. This time he lost, but I bet he bounces back! We need more of Chuky, he's a true genius. In this Olympiad, to me he's the star. Topalov and Carslen are strangely off colour. Kramnik, Gelfand, Aronian are playing OK, but not setting the board on fire. Adams seems subdued after a promising start. Grischuk is his usual erratic self. Shirov doesn't seem to have the energy for a sustained effort any more. Anand isn't playing. His only rival is Karjakin, but he's had this lopsided number of Whites. To me its Chuky up to now, notwithstanding his loss yesterday. How has Mamedyarov faired by the way so far, I haven't been following his games all that much.
As usual, it was trivialized because Naka won...just like when he beat Carlsen on his own soil 3-1 in their blitz final last November shortly after Carlsen won the World Blitz title. Naka's matches/games against fellow super-GMs only matter when he loses ;).
The Nakamura-Karjakin match was in 2004 when he was 17 years old and Karjakin was 14 - guess the age difference mattered more back then than it would now. BTW, of course it's a single game, but last time they met (Corus 2010) Karjakin won rather convincingly with black. Generally, I would argue the opposite: Nakamura's wins are over-emphasized, and his losses are "trivialized". But that's a matter of taste, fanboyism or lack thereof ... .
@d_tal: Mamedyarov scored 5.5/8 on board 1, TPR 2798, "not bad" ... . Another overlooked hero is Sutovsky with 5/6 on board 2 (plus the forfeit point against Yemen) - he wasn't quite in the spotlights because Israel had a slow start and didn't play on the very top tables. As to Shirov: Just before the Olympiad, he had shown in Shanghai that he still has energy - even if he was somewhat lucky to score a crushing tournament victory. Currently he may also save some energy for Bilbao - see also two consecutive rest days (plus the official one) to avoid meeting Carlsen and Caruana.
Still I agree with you on Ivanchuk being a, probably THE star of the Olympiad - for many, post-tournament assessments might depend on whether Ukraine manages to defend their gold spot in the two remaining rounds.
I remember Shirov's victory, but just as you hope he's entering into a phase where he challenges the world's elite, he seems to slip back into the relative obscurity of say a top 50 comfort zone. Same with Adams, another player I really like to watch, as he has a lovely unique style. With Adams its really frustrating as you watch him score a fine victory against a really top player, and then seems to be happy with any number of draws against players I would say are well below his standard. In my opinion Adams' play has more depth than Short's ever had, and he's the best British player ever, but on the other hand he's never challenged for the WCC final.
Wow, Carlsen and Topalov lose yet again. Something in the water or there or what?
Yes. Truth : )
hcl.
humor is the best medicine.
i think even Spassky would appreciate your post.
ck
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6715
Just in case anyone here regreted Karpov's failure.
Appaling.
Probably a bit of hubris on both Carlsen's and Topalov's part. Carlsen seems to be getting a bit arrogant, and so is overconfident, and a bit glib in his play. First he gets outplayed and ground down by Jobava, in a well played game on Jobava's part. Despite some small inaccuracies, White found some great moves througout.
Then Carlsen plays Adams, a "customer" whom he must not hold in high regard. He doesn't take the opeing seriously, and right when he is at the point of neutralizing Adams' advantage, he just loses the thread. Adams puts him away, albeit not in the most accurate way.
This last lost features a truly bad blunder, based on neglecting to look at White's counterplay. The result is his worst loss in years.
Topalov is playing for a win with both colors, and is genuinedly keen to carry the team on his shoulders. He is just mixing up the position when it isn't warranted. Worst, he is the first to lose the thread in these chaotic positions he provokes. He puts himself in a position where he has to find moves just to hold a draw, and he doesn't do it.
Anand is looking like a genius in deciding to sit this one out, while his rivals implode.
Accurate analysis. Except I don't know when he could have equalized v Adams.
But Blitz IS a rather trivial form of Chess! That said, few people would dispute that Nakamura is one of the World's Top 5 Blitz players, and quite probably one of the Top 3. Maybe he's the Best Blitz player, or the Best Blitz player on the Chess Servers.
While these massive 20 playerBlitz tournaments are fascinating, I thing that it would be more interesting yet if there was a match tournament among players who (plausably rank) in the Top 4-8, where there are 10-20 games per match. It could be a Knock-Out or Rouind Robin format.
A 4 game AMtch is a cute exhibition, but it is just not a large enough sample to determine superiority. Not for slow chess, and certainly not for Blitz.
"As usual, it was trivialized because Naka won...just like when he beat Carlsen on his own soil 3-1 in their blitz final last November shortly after Carlsen won the World Blitz title. Naka's matches/games against fellow super-GMs only matter when he loses ;)."
Wow! Sloan pops up everywhere. If only Sloan were to stop running as a candidate for offices in the US Chess Federation, and focus on getting elected to high office within FIDE, he could improve the governance of BOTH organizations
From Chessbase.com:
"Writing about the actual voting procedure during the election of the FIDE President Sam Sloan, a former board member of the USCF reported that he had seen no irregularities in the actual voting porcedure [sic] in the Congress hall"
___________________
Yep, all of the irregularities have already taken place BEFORE the actual vote. :-)
I'm not surprised that Karpov would strike such a conciliatory tone. Whe he announced that he was running, my first assumption was that he was a stooge for Kirsan, playing a role to give an appearance of a contested election, so as to suck up the Oxygen from any serious alternative challenger.
After all, aside from Kirsan himself, nobody has profited more from FIDE policies than Karpov.
Karpov lost. Here come the crybabies and conspiracy nuts. My advice is to let them wail for a while. They will go away eventually and things will be back to normal. If they shows signs of serious sickness by persisting, then perhaps a gentle reminder once in a while that Karpov lost might settle them down. Be aware that they will attack everyone who does not agree with their view of the world, but don't let that bother you. Karpov lost.
Hag
According to comments at chessgames.com, Stefan Buecker (a German "opening maverick") suggested that Carlsen could have equalized with 17.-Nf3:+ 18.Qf3: Nf5. Indeed, white is only left with some space advantage (reminiscent of the Petroff?) which would be hard to convert. BTW, they call the opening "Norwegian Defense" or "North Sea Defense".
Carlsen himself claimed (in a Europe Echecs interview) that he had "excellent positions" against both Jobava and Adams and, on his blog, wrote that "becoming a bit too optimistic I played for a win [against Adams]". Is this hybris or self-confidence? Despite his plus score against Adams he shouldn't underestimate him: Adams was already close to winning with black in their game at the London Classics last year.
Thanks for that, Thomas. I still think the Black position stinks, though-no counterplay, long term space problems and clumsy pieces getting in each others' way. But maybe that's just my style, I dislike such positions, which is why I never play the Alekhine, for example.
Only now I see that it is called the Norwegian Opening- nice touch, Magnus! Witty. But Adams would not have opened 1. c4 (and he's not been playing the English attack lately either).
Spassky Update: Mark Crowther writes "he's in intensive care but not in immediate danger."
Where is mig?
They should call it the "Raw Defense".
Slightly old news by now :) but I just put up a report on round 9, including some entertaining comments by Svidler: http://www.chessintranslation.com/2010/10/svidler-on-rd-9-as-i-dont-know-the-grunfeld-defence/
Mig takes a nice long nap (or siesta, if you will). Hopefully after this he will leave the K's to their devices for awhile and "come back to earth" to join us mere mortals in our Caissaic devotions. Ewww, just realized that was a rather unfortunate choice of phrases given recent events... sorry!
As usual, it was trivialized because Naka won...just like when he beat Carlsen on his own soil 3-1 in their blitz final last November shortly after Carlsen won the World Blitz title. Naka's matches/games against fellow super-GMs only matter when he loses ;).
****
Winning (a match) usually is trivialized if it comes from poor positions -- rather than in a series of games where one is solidly winning throughout.
I'm guessing you were trying to be flamboyant with the statements about blitz chess. IMHO, Blitz is to be respected; it's just a faster version of the game where one works from intuition and quick wits vs. considered replies based on calulation and experience, among other things.
Also I believe that Hikaru is not only the best blitz player on the Internet, but on the planet, period. It is a big reason for his upward climb. He saves many positions in time trouble that many other players would drop.
Could he win a match right now against Karjakin? No way, and I would put good money on that.
Clarification: by match I meant classical. Blitz? I think that goes to Hikaru, but not by much. Sergey is very good at that, too.
@trm
Probably mig is at the losers convention with carcass, Karpov/Kasparov and company. Hanging out with the billionairs as usual.
Round 11 Olympiad, Kramnick put away Shirov with a calculated last quintet of moves to win by a tempo. Nice. Max Vachier-Lagrave took a lesson from Levon Aronian. Congrats to Ukraine.
Sounds like you've got a bad case of jealousy to me, herb. Do you need some cheese to go with that whine?
On Adams' play having more "depth" than Short's:
Really? Why do you think that? (I'm not being argumentative--I really am curious as to what features of his play you find attractive). Personally, I've always found Short to be one of the most entertaining/original players around. Whereas Adams has always struck me as somewhat amorphous--he seems to specialize in closed positions with latent dynamic potential. I don't remember being particularly wowed by any of his games.
Is it really that outlandish to hold the opinion that the Blitz Chess is rather trivial, in comparison to "Classical Chess" time control?
You can respect Blitz if you like, but there is a strong case that attributes such as calculation and knowledge (based on experience) ought to be more highly regarded than Intuition and Quick Wits.
Blitz chess has a certain niche in the Chess World, but it is simply a fact that the Title of World Chess Champion is more prestigious than that of World Blitz champion. Success in regular chess is significantly more valued by most elite players (I can't speak for Nakamura on that point; he may value Blitz prowess more).
The reality is that decades hence, when Nakamura has retired, Nakamura's chess legacy will rest on what he has accomplished in Slow Chess, not on whatever Titles or Championships that he might have earned in Blitz Chess, or FischerRandom chess, or Chess Boxing.
Obviously, there are some intriguing questions that Blitz chess raises. I would certainly like to see these tested, as empirically as possible.
For instance, it is a pretty fair assumption that the level of (quality of) chess play declines as the amount of reflection time decreases. The depth of calculation declines, there are more frequent and more serious mistakes, etc.
It would be an interesting experiment to have Nakamura and other Top Blitz players play against chess engines in matches of length. It should be possible to establish a measurement of a Chess Engine's level of play in Slow Time Controls, by having the program adhere to certain protocols (Limited to a few seconds of reflection time, both on and off the move. The game would be "normalized" by programming the engine to only generate its move after a typical span of a couple of minutes, and by limiting access to "Opening Book".)
Since a computers level of chess skill is easy to adjust (up or down), and these matches will allow for the establishment of baselines, then the standardized chess strength of elite Blitz players can be measured with a degree of precision.
The skill of the Chess engine could be adjusted upward or downward as necessary, to achieve a point of parity.
"I'm guessing you were trying to be flamboyant with the statements about blitz chess. IMHO, Blitz is to be respected; it's just a faster version of the game where one works from intuition and quick wits vs. considered replies based on calulation and experience, among other things."
I like reading discussions of the various time controls in chess. Enjoying all time/control forms myself (including correspondence), the varying skills that are emphasized at each duration is interesting. Certainly not all inclusive, but at fast time controls the ability to analyze/calculate and intuition are tested rather severely, and memorization is quite important. At "regular" time controls, there is more of a balance, while at lengthy time controls in correspondence, memorization is relatively less important, while calculation is mitigated to some degree by computers (when allowed) and analysis is paramount. Intuition is also still important, but not taxed as heavily.
Fun, fun!
I wasn't trying to imply that the Blitz championship is equivalent to classic encounters. I just wanted to comment that blitz is not insignificant, and proof of that is its inclusion at Amber along with the World championship, which sees a strong field.
Blindfold isn't equivalent to classical either, but again, the elite grandmasters take it seriously for more than its novelty, or they wouldn't all show up at Amber. Also, the fact that so many tournaments are decided by blitz or even armaggedon playoff games is, whether we are happy with it or not (and I'm not particularly), it is at least complied with to find a winner.
I wasn't trying to imply that the Blitz championship is equivalent to classic encounters. I just wanted to comment that blitz is not insignificant, and proof of that is its inclusion at Amber along with the World championship, which sees a strong field.
Blindfold isn't equivalent to classical either, but again, the elite grandmasters take it seriously for more than its novelty, or they wouldn't all show up at Amber. Also, the fact that so many tournaments are decided by blitz or even armaggedon playoff games is, whether we are happy with it or not (and I'm not particularly), it is at least complied with to find a winner.
***
Doesn't follow at all -- they show up and play blitz and blindfold at Amber because they are invited and PAID to do so.
If you ran a checker tournament and invited the top 10 chess ELO players -- and paid them well -- I'm pretty sure at least 7 would agree to play....even if at checkers they would be rank amateurs.
As for using blitz for tiebreakers/playoffs...players like to feel that they have "control" over the playoff. Their input usually consists of "let us play chess at fast speeds -- rather than use tiebreak points or a coin flip" -- because it gives an illusion of control. Winning the tiebreak game -- however -- usually is equivalent to the coin flip (especially if the players are evenly matched. This says more about player sports psychology than any inherent worth to bliz chess.
playoff. Their input usually consists of "let us play chess at fast speeds -- rather than use tiebreak points or a coin flip" -- because it gives an illusion of control. Winning the tiebreak game -- however -- usually is equivalent to the coin flip (especially if the players are evenly matched. This says more about player sports psychology than any inherent worth to bliz chess.
***
I should add -- especially as they tend to cheat at it...by moving on the opponent's time or other gamesmanship to try to convince themselves of an illusory advantage.
An anecode about world champion Alekhine and GM Dake comes to mind -- Dake and Alekhine were playing 10-second a move chess for small stakes in front of a group of onlookers. Dake was doing well and won a few pots. Alekhine was upset. Dake said to him "Don't worry about it -- you are by far the stronger player. I'm just a bit lucky today." Alekhine replied "You know that. I know that. But THEY don't know it!"
###
It's just a personal opinion without much weight! Not sure what you meant by amorphous as an adjective for Admas' play, was it lacking definition? I think he has a clear and classical positional style with a fine eye for tactics. I have been seriously wowed by many of his games, and never tire of watching him play, when in form and motivated. I think he gives up far too many easy draws though. I have also seen Short play some pretty games though I freely admit, I haven't paid attention to enough of them. It's just a gut feeling I have, based on some fine wins against top players such as Kramnik, Topalov, Anand, Gelfand, Leko, Svidler etc, coupled with memories of less than impressive performances by Short in the recent past.
And there were players in the past who had mastery over all time controls.. Fischer, Tal, Kasparov, Capablanca ...
Amber is rapid (25 minutes plus increments), not blitz (3-5 minutes with or without increments).
Generally I think there is a pretty good correlation between chess strength at classical, rapid and blitz time controls - just with enhanced variance at faster ones. Hence I would argue that a 4 game blitz match [everyone knows which one I have in mind] doesn't conclusively prove who's the stronger player. A 4 game classical match is more meaningful - unless it ends up being decided in additional tiebreak games at faster time controls.
The correlation weakens at the extreme ends: bullet (where playing fast is as important or more than playing well) and correspondence chess. Obviously there is less data for comparison, but some 'mediocre' OTB players (say, Elo 2200-2400) can be very strong in correspondence chess. Nerves are less important, and extreme time pressure is not an issue - while classical and rapid games can turn into blitz at some stage.
Karpov's handlers (Kasparov drumming up non-sense that Mig is forced to write) are still at it:
http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6720
If they really have the funds, the ideas and the sponsorship lined up, what's stopping them from creating a new federation of chess professionals? It would be much easier and cheaper than running FIDE...
But we know the truth, don't we? Kasparov and Co. don't have any serious backers or any real sponsorship lined up. That's why they had to run on the empty and silly platform of "Karpov needs to be elected, because Kirsan is a bad guy".
http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/2010/09/k-m-olympiad-r3-gashimovs-revenge.htm#comment-226177
Hey Irv - How much are the space aliens paying you to post that drivel? I'm guessing about the same amount Kirsan pays the 3rd world delegates to take a free vacation on FIDE and then turn their voting rights/ballot over to another country to "handle" it for them, lol.
"Hey Irv - How much are the space aliens paying you to post that drivel?"
Actually, I'm NOT a Kirsan supporter at all. If you read my posts carefully, you'll notice my position is very simple: Kirsan is guilty of every crime attributed to him; yes, he is a lunatic, he is dishonest, he is a liar, he promotes lack of transparency in FIDE matters and everything else. Kirsan is a delusional clown with deep pockets.
But the KK Duo - with similar, if not worse baggage - is not a solution to the Kirsan Problem. As simple as that.
Koster:
"Karpov succeeded in positioning himself to receive various goodies...because Kirsan will buy him off; neutralizing the opposition forces yet again."
Your posts are mostly sickening and out of touch.
There's a group, that posts on this blog, that qualifies for the hater tag. i.e. they demean people they do not know, and they enjoy and encourage failure. I call them haters. What makes you happy is to see others fail. Irv and you probably get along well together btw.
Irv and twolf make some leminithic observations. The prudilistic subnandrified nature of these spectacles makes one wonder about the inate occullence that has transpired so many times.
But if we are to believe that the crubstantiated, and quite frankly bobilistic indices are inherently flawed then we must come to the conclusion that the geothermic pudding cannot be sustained.
In my opinion the only solution to this issue is to cromnamblify all the weedlike openings into a concentric pyrofoam.
Thomas makes a valid point about the indistuous ecloderms that have ploriferated in recent months. I will study this glumbistic phenomenon and note down any utensic manifestations that occur.
yes.
Superb.
Thanks for the Amber correction (no blitz there), and just a note about blitz besides Thomas' point that the usual suspects who reign in classical are also damn good in the blitz time control; namely that blitz was Mikhail Tal's favorite thing to do. You couldn't belittle it in front of him. He loved it, and was probably the best in the world at it into his 50s.
Oh yeah, Tal rocked at Blitz. Fischer when in his prime gave him a run for his money though. At the fanous Herceg Novi event, one of the strongest blitz events of all time, the placings were thus out of 22 games:
1. Fischer 19
2. Tal 14½
3. Korchnoi 14
4. Petrosian 13½
5. Bronstein 13
This was sensational at the time..
Tal himself achieved some sensational results, including his 1988 win at the World Blitz Championship, where stories have it that he was inebriated to the point of having to be helped on to his chair...
And Fischer's blitz games were said, by several qualified commentators, to be exemplars of strategic clarity and tactical accuracy. The KID against Korchnoi and the demolition of the Schliemann would have been impressive even at slower time controls.
Rumour also has it that he frequently used no more than 2-3 mts for his games, but this could be gilding the lily after the event, if you will allow me to mangle my metaphors. Certainly it seems to be generally accepted that Fischer made no concession to the much faster TC when playing against the World's best, and he played as he would normally. He is of course known to have fooled around with both opening systems and handicaps when playing people far below his ability, such as giving Adison pawn and move and playing blindfold, and holding his own.
The magician himself said of Fischer's play at Herceg Novi: "His playing is of the same kind as in tournament games: everything is simple, follows a single pattern, logical, and without any spectacular effects. He makes his moves quickly and practically without errors. Throughout the tournament I think he did not lose a whole set of pieces in this way. Fischer’s result is very, very impressive."
Kasparov, the organizer of Karpov's candidacy, sold out to Campo and then to Kirsan some years back. What makes you so sure it won't happen again.? I don't think it's me who's out of touch.
Sorry about the negativity, but when the candidates are Kirsan and Karpov/Kasparov and when Silvio wins his election it's hard to stay upbeat, hard as I try.
This is a bit delayed (I was just too busy...), but here's a final summary of Russian views on the the men's team getting silver at the Olympiad: http://www.chessintranslation.com/2010/10/chess-punished-the-whole-team-russian-views-on-the-chess-olympiad/
If your name's Peter Svidler look away now :)
"Sorry about the negativity"
"Karpov succeeded in positioning himself to receive various goodies...because Kirsan will buy him off; neutralizing the opposition forces yet again."
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6720
Your whining, hater, statement is contradicted by the facts. I doubt it's the first time.
Nice one, thanks.
That must have been some serious vodka imbibing on Mig's part. Three days since last tweet and still no Olympiad blog... ; )
"His playing is of the same kind as in tournament games: everything is simple, follows a single pattern, logical, and without any spectacular effects. He makes his moves quickly and practically without errors. Throughout the tournament I think he did not lose a whole set of pieces in this way. Fischer’s result is very, very impressive."
I thought the quote was that he hadn't lost a pawn this way, while every other player had lost at least a whole set of pieces.
Back to Spassky:
According to http://www.europe-echecs.com/actualites/actualites-spassky-recupere-en-france-2397.html
Spassky is on the way to recovery and will recuperate in France.
Hmmm, so many new words for me. English is not my native language, of course. Nigel, was it your comment???
Thanks for the good news and translation Knallo.
Don't count Karpov out yet, there's still time for Kirsan to win him over.
But you're right that if I am wrong, it wouldn't be the first time...as I once said that Paul Truong was from the Phillipines. (Uzbekistan is correct.)
"I once said that Paul Truong was from the Phillipines. (Uzbekistan is correct.)"
Nice little trap there, Greg :-)
Worry not. He is just amusing himself harmlessly.
Not only no Olympiad blog from Mig, but no report on the FIDE Presidential election shenanigans & no announcement of any winners of the Kirsan slogan contest. Also no anticipation of the upcoming (starts Saturday, no?) awesome foursome between Anand, Carlsen, Kramnik & Shirov...
somehow I don't expect we'll be seeing 1...g6 again from Carlsen! Or any other such experimenting...
Janis Klovans has passed away:
http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/janis-klovans-dies-at-75/comment-page-1/#comment-114844
Don't know about Spassky, but I guess it's a safe assumption that Mig (or Mig's blogging, for that matter) was at ICU and eventually died...
Naka is now a top 10 player by 7 points over #11. Lol at his haters! ;)
10 Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2751 16 1987
11 Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2744 0 1983
Hikaru is a Winner, but you're a Loser.
I would have continued my path of hatred and destroyed us all in the process, but you Fans stopped me and my black soul dead in my tracks. Your support and untiring reminders of the Greatness That Is Your Chess Hero Of The Week have yielded a rich harvest. The 18-hour-a-day hatred campaign was getting tiring though, anyway, I wasn't able to get enough sleep and the pay sucks.
My sights are now set on Vachier-Lagrave.
Tee hee!
Nakamura is the best Japanese chess player of the world!!
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