World Championship Sochi 2014

[Gordon Ritchie]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

Ladbroke's is now 13/2 or 1/14 on Carlsen. Starting to get very interesting.

[Mathieu Cloutier]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

If game 7 was disgusting, as Mathew Cloutier suggested, for Carlsen playing on unneccessarily

Just for the record, I used the adjectives childish, pathetic, illogical. Never said it was disgusting.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

World Championship Sochi 2014
Nov. 19, 2014

Peter Svidler and Sopiko Guramishvili were talking yesterday before Game Eight of the WCC and Peter made these remarks about ice hockey, revenge and chess:

Sopiko: Peter, what do you think about yesterday’s game?

Peter: An analogy came to me a bit too late for yesterday’s show and to be honest it is better this way because yesterday’s show was silly enough without it. I was happy to see that the comments and antics of the last hour and a half were quite well received. I will try to entertain you with more Internet finds if I decide they are appropriate to the game.

The story I wanted to tell before today’s game begins is this. It occurred a bit late for yesterday’s show but it seems to have some relevance. I checked and it does not seem to be an Urban Legend, I checked and it was widely reported in the Russian press. You can’t always trust those sources but it was also reported in the English- speaking press.

At the 2008 World Ice Hockey Finals in Canada, Russia was playing Canada. The team bus carrying the Canadians was allowed to the gates of the arena whilst the Russian team bus was stopped about a kilometre from the arena and the players had to take their gear, which I suspect was a bit heavier than chess gear, and carry it with them that last kilometer to the arena. This made them mad, and they won, beating Canada in Canada.

I am not a huge hockey fan, but even I heard that story. And the reason I bring it up is that Magnus playing on for 50 moves in a position he could not expect to win - on the one hand he made Vishy stay at the board for an extra hour and Vishy seemed all right with that at the press conference, but it might give him a slight boost in motivation for the rest of the match. And this sometimes backfires as my international hockey story was intended to illustrate.

_________

Does anyone have any further details of the hockey occurrence – venue, score..?

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

Does anyone have any further details of the hockey occurrence – venue, score..?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_II...old_Medal_Game

[Gary Ruben]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

I don't know why Vishy doesn't entertain Magnus with a French Winawer tomorrow.

[Bindi Cheng]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

I don't know why Vishy doesn't entertain Magnus with a French Winawer tomorrow.

French Winawer is a fairly garbage opening although I think I have seen it played a couple times at top level. I think he should just stick with the sicilian, but maybe avoid the Paulsen, there must be other Sicilians out there that he can play.

[Laurentiu Grigorescu]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

I am not sure if you are being serious. A press conference is very important. After EVERY sporting event there is always a press conference. It gives us viewers the chance to see the personalities of our heroes. The press conference might be the most important/intriguing event of the match for some.

I am being serious. I understand the need to make chess more open to public, but this is quantity over quality and poor journalism. It is like asking Federer to have a press conference between the sets. "Are you going to play more drop shots in the next set?" How is that?
The WCC is a "one piece" event and the players can not really say much after each game. Why not organizing public events, with the press, so you can see your heroes in a more genuine attitude? A bit of journalistic creativity instead of this "copy-cat" activity, no?

[Gary Ruben]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

I've been discouraging playing that defence for years now but few stay away from it. Not a good idea against a stronger player.

Euwe played it in his first match with Alekhine. Euwe got a half point from 4 games but won the championship anyhow. In the rematch Euwe didn't play the Winawer and lost the match.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

From Sputnik News 2008

http://sputniknews.com/sport/20080519/107753003.html

Russia's national ice hockey team beat Canada 5-4 in overtime in the final of the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Canada to become world champions for the first time in 15 years.

QUEBEC CITY, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's national ice hockey team beat Canada 5-4 in overtime in the final of the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Canada to become world champions for the first time in 15 years.

Trailing the Canadians 2-4 in the third period on Sunday, two quick goals from Alexei Tereshchenko and Ilya Kovalchuk brought the Russians level.

And with almost three minutes into overtime and with Canadian Rick Nash in the penalty box for delaying the game, Kovalchuk clinched the game with a well-placed wrist shot over the shoulder of Canadian goalkeeper Cam Ward.

The Russian team had not lost a game on the way to the final and now equal Canada with 24 world titles. Canada hosted the championship for the first time in the 100-year history of the champions and was eager to win the trophy on home soil.

Last year at the championship held in Moscow, Russia was also desperate to win the title at home, but was beaten in the semifinal losing to Finland in overtime. The title eventually went to Canada, who beat the Finns in the final.

Speaking after the match in Quebec City, Alexei Morozov, the Russian captain, said the team had learnt the lessons from last year, but said it was difficult to play against the hosts in Canada.

"This championship was different from the one in Moscow [last year]," Morozov, who scored five goals during the championship, said. "But we have learnt the lesson and changed a lot."

The Russian captain also said that an incident involving the Russian team bus, which was stopped by the Canadian police before the final, only stirred up the players.

"We were angry and it was unpleasant," Morozov said. "But in the cloakroom we agreed to forget about the incident and to focus on the game to get results."

While the Canadian team bus was permitted to stop by the main entrance of the Colisee Pepsi stadium, where the final was being held, to drop the players off, the Russian bus was stopped about a kilometer from the entrance and the team was told to walk the remaining distance.

Morozov also said he believed in Kovalchuk, who prior to the final had not scored a single goal, saying that "two or three days ago I told him [Kovalchuk] that he would decide everything in the 'golden' match."

________

I couldn’t easily find a Canadian account of the incident.

[Steve Karpik]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

I don't think comparing the WCC to sets in a tennis match like Wimbledon is accurate. The WCC is much more like the Stanley Cup final. Each game happens on a separate day and players and coaches are expected to be available to the press at the conclusion of each game. I think that Anand and Carlsen have as much to say to journalists as does someone like Sidney Crosby. Maybe even more. If chess longs to have the popularity of other sports, it has to start thinking of the entertainment value that it provides and that includes playing nice with journalists after games.

[Mathieu Cloutier]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

The fact that press conferences are debated just highlights the huge gap between chess and professional sports.

Professional sports work because there's a minimal guaranteed level of entertainment. You can sell that to potential viewers. And in turn, sponsors will be more willing to put their money into it.

Good luck with that in chess, where it's perfectly acceptable to agree to a draw with a board full of pieces and potential continuations.

With that being said, it's true that the guys handling the press conference don't seem to be well prepared. So let's not put all the blame on the players if it's boring.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

World Championship Sochi 2014

Game Nine
November 20, 2014
Carlsen, Magnus – Anand, Viswanathan
C67 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence, Open Variation

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3 Ke8 10.Nc3 h5 11.Ne2 b6 12.Rd1 Ba6 13.Nf4 Bb7 14.e6 Bd6 15.exf7+ Kxf7 16.Ng5+ Kf6 17.Ne4+ Kf7 18.Ng5+ Kf6 19.Ne4+ Kf7 20.Ng5+ 1/2-1/2

Press Conference

Carlsen – Game was very short. I didn’t see what to do here. As long as I don’t see anything and he is well prepared then a draw is good for the match.

Anand – A lot of this is known. You have to play the positions you get. I can count and I know the score but I still have some chances.

Carlsen – It is always better to press with white and every half point brings me to 6.5. It’s a tough match. It looks like it is going the distance.

Journalist – Mr. Anand, were you surprised Mr. Carlsen didn’t get more out of the opening?

Anand – You try to be prepared for everything but with b6 and Bd6 I knew it was comfortable for black

[Both players are reluctant to give an analysis of possibilities here. Anand chose not to answer a question about the inclusion of 12...Ba6 followed by bringing it back to b7. Commentator GM Peter Svidler explained that one reason for intentionally losing a tempo was to force the knight to f4 and thus block the dark-squared bishop from reaching g5, when Black would be unable to use d8 for his rook (chess.com)]

Journalist - Mr. Anand how is you confidence going into the last three games?

Anand – Quite reasonable. An easy draw with black, I’ll just have to try harder with white.

Journalist – Are you feeling better today than in the last game?

Carlsen – Yeah, sure. It is usually more about the position than how you feel.
It wasn’t good enough today to get a game but it was not a disaster.

Journalist - Are you playing your best or do you have another gear?

Carlsen – I think my play has been inconsistent and in world play too but we’ll see.

Journalist - What are you going to do for the rest of the day?

Carlsen - I am not used to having such a lot of time after the games.

Journalist - Is this the shortest game in a World Championship Match?

Carlsen – Not short in moves but in time perhaps.

Journalist – Mr. Anand, how does this compare with Chennai?

Anand – I don’t think about Chennai a lot. I will go and start focusing on tomorrow’s game.

Journalist - Do you always play what your team recommends?

Carlsen – Depends on my mood.

Anand – The team tries to leave you with the best possible situation on the board but you still have to think yourself.

Journalist – Do you use the rest of your free time to train?

Anand - On the rest days I go to the gym for an hour or so to get some strength back.

Journalist – Vladimir Kramnik called you a genius. How do you react to that?

Carlsen – Those were kind words. I am not so generous with the use of the word genius myself. He’s a really great player and he likes to speak his mind.

Journalist - If everything is decided in the last game, isn’t that a lot of pressure?

Carlsen - I am not thrilled with a quick draw today but it is better than some other scenarios. Going into the last games when the score is pretty even is tough on the nerves. It is a pretty even match so far.
It is tougher than Chennai. At this point in that match I was up three points.

Anand - I am not going to discuss scenarios here. There is a match to play here. I am going to focus on that.
_____

Not a very interesting press conference today. The players did not want to reveal any details about the Berlin Defence preparation. There were clearly nerves exhibited as they talked about the last three games.

In the past two years or so I have seen press conferences where everyone was laughing, where we were treated to a twenty-minute master class of analysis, to the players almost having to be restrained against the questioner (Tiviakov), to one-upmanship (Nakamura and Svidler always standing better) and to one player saying the other lacked respect (Jobava and Giri). They give the temperature of the match, if you will. When Grischuk and Ivanchuk feel like talking, it is a great experience. When the players seem secretive and bored like today, it can be a drag.

The match stands at Carlsen 5, Anand 4 with three games to go.

Online Comments

(ChessBase) - In Game Nine, Magnus showed maturity or good sense (take your pick) and lay down his cards by following a well-known game by Leinier Dominguez-Ruslan Ponomariov played in 2012, allowing Anand to enter the mainline of the Berlin. They mirrored the moves until move thirteen, and only two moves later Carlsen set the stage for a repetition, which he promptly seized.

There are only three games left, with two whites for the Challenger, including the last game if needed, and the Indian will need to show what he has in store against an opponent who refuses to cooperate to give him chances for a fight.

In a way, it is a question that has never really been answered: Magnus is known for his tireless fighting spirit, but if he won't play ball, how successfully can you force the issue? It is the question Team Anand will need to address in the final games, and it promises some fascinating bouts.

(Olimpiu Urcan) – There were more questions in this press conference (28) than there were actual moves in the game itself (20).

- Kramnik calling Carlsen a genius..I don’t believe him. Sarcasm or irony…

- Good strategy on Vishy’s part. Now he has two whites in the next 3 games and ample time to prepare for G10 thanks to this one-hour affair

- Another rest day at the office for Carlsen. Who will be his next challenger for the WCC – Caruana or Grischuk?

- I find this game very interesting from a match-strategy perspective.
Is Carlsen really aiming to draw the last four (now three) games to maintain his title? If he could guarantee all draws, he should do so without hesitation.
However...I remember the 2004 (Classical) World Championship match between Kramnik and Leko. That was 14 games, but Kramnik had draw odds in the match.
After winning Game 8 with Black, Leko had a 4.5-3.5 lead, and simply tried to draw the remaining six games! He did achieve five consecutive draws to lead 7-6 going into the 14th and final game...but Kramnik won this last game and tied the match 7-7, retaining his Classical title with his draw odds.

I definitely think this short draw benefitted Anand more than Carlsen. It was virtually half of a rest day, and he got rid of a Black game. Now he has two Whites in the last three games, with two more rest days!

(Mark Crowther) – Maybe Carlsen and Anand need seconds whose job is to think up memorable things to say at the press conferences.

(Mark Crowther) – I think the pre-history of Chennai weighs on Anand in press conferences. They just beat him up.

(Mark Crowther) – I’ve seen press conferences from Gelfand (pre match in 2012) and Gata Kamsky (depending on mood) much worse.

(Mark Crowther) – Acceptable result for Magnus and good result for Anand. Disappointing day for chess fans.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

After today's draw (Game 10) the clock is running down very quickly. Anand has to win one of the last 2 games just to tie the match (I really do NOT like the 12 game match format ... a single loss, as we have seen, can put a player squarely behind the 8-ball). I would have thought Anand would have used today's game to push really, really hard - but seems not. It is hard to see how Anand can pull this out of the fire.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

World Championship Sochi 2014
Game Ten
November 21, 2014
Anand, Viswanathan – Carlsen, Magnus
D97 Grunfeld, Russian Variation (with e4)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 O-O 7.e4 Na6 8.Be2 c5 9.d5 e6 10.O-O exd5 11.exd5 Re8 12.Bg5 h6 13.Be3 Bf5 14.Rad1 Ne4 15.Nxe4 Bxe4 16.Qc1 Qf6 17.Bxh6 Qxb2 18.Qxb2 Bxb2 19.Ng5 Bd4 20.Nxe4 Rxe4 21.Bf3 Re7 22.d6 Rd7 23.Bf4 Nb4 24.Rd2 Re8 25.Rc1 Re6 26.h4 Be5 27.Bxe5 Rxe5 28.Bxb7 Rxb7 29.d7 Nc6 30.d8=Q+ Nxd8 31.Rxd8+ Kg7 32.Rd2 1/2-1/2

Although today's game was by no means winning for the challenger Vishy Anand, there is no question that he had considerable pressure on Magnus Carlsen with a passed d-pawn. The World Champion repeated his Grunfeld and somewhere along the line his preparation failed him and he got into trouble. Time and pressure prevented Anand from the strongest path and his edge dissipated (ChessBase)

The press conference was relaxed with many questions about the pressure that occurs in the last few rounds. The last two questions:

Journalist – We know that chess players have been experimenting with various types of exercise to clear their minds. I am curious, have you ever tried yoga?

Anand – Sure, well in India it is very common. I have tried it various times. Sometimes it works.

Journalist – Mr. Carlsen, did you ever try the Bird of Paradise?

Carlsen (smiling) – (inaudible)

The players get up to leave and Anand asks Carlsen, “Is it a cocktail?”

It turns out to be a yoga position. From the pictures online, you stand on one leg and thrust the other at an impossible angle with the foot head high. I cannot picture Magnus doing this.

Comments Online

- Most of Vishy’s advantage has evaporated. Black is well-coordinated, the d-pawn
isn’t that dangerous

- All the excitement is over, Magnus will hold comfortably the ensuing rook ending

- Anand vs Carlsen game 10 drawn as expected. Nothing left in this game – huge achievement for Magnus (Nepomniachtchi)

Asked if Kasparov helped him with this Grunfeld, Magnus said at the PC “We certainly looked at the Grunfeld when we were training in 2009 and 2010”

- (turns out that) there was a video on VG of Carlsen watching that reporter and Play Magnus chief do the bird of paradise and ask him about it

Game 11 is on Sunday

[Gary Ruben]

Re: World Championship Sochi 2014

The fat lady is getting ready to sing.

Mirror mirror on the wall,
Whose the strongest of them all,

Anand is very strong and a fine chess player,
But that young Carlsen is kicking his ass.