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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
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"Levon Aronian was the only winner today with a positional victory against Hikaru Nakamura."
"With this big result Aronian is the clear leader in the tournament by a point since Carlsen lost!"
"Levon Aronian was the only winner today with a positional victory against Hikaru Nakamura. ... All other games were drawn today, some with more excitement than others. A couple of players suffered to get their draw, while others did it effortlessly."
"Grischuk tortured Carlsen for a long time, until eventually Carlsen, in the bitter end, blundered."
And instead of the game displayed being Grischuk-Carlsen? "Grischuk, Alexander 2771–Caruana, Fabiano 2808 1–0"
Giri’s game is the first to finish. He said that once Topalov exchanged queens, the position dried up. After you lose two games, you want to play one solid game.
Maurice – You haven’t lost a game on the Grand Chess Tour yet. How do you think the tournament is going?
Anish – This is a very tough tournament, there are no outsiders. Normally there is always a Van Wely of some sort... You can expect the standing to be quite tight.
Maurice – Your bracelet is quite unusual. What’s the story behind it?
Anish – My friend Robin has a similar bracelet, the same brand. People think it is a bromance thing between the two of us. Actually I got it from my mother when I became 18. Once I forgot to put it on and during the game I felt quite uncomfortable. There is a song with the line, “I got it from my Mother”.
Antoon Frehe - I guess Anish is talking about 10cc's Dreadlock Holiday.
Eric Hansen - haha appreciate the chessbrah shoutout GM robinvk
Round 7, Aug. 30, 2015
Topalov, Veselin – Giri, Anish
A16 English
Jennifer, Yasser and Maurice wonder what to call this round – if there is the last round and the penultimate, what is the one before that? Those of us who took Latin in school would say “antepenultimate”. Other viewers give this as well, one taking it two steps further with ultimate, penultimate, antepenultimate, preantepenultimate and propreantepenultimate.
Walter Fürst - Letzte Runde, vorletzte Runde, vorvorletzte Runde.
MVL – dernier, avant dernier and antepenultimate.
_______
Round 7, Aug. 30, 2015
Caruana, Fabiano – Vachier Lagrave, Maxime
B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky
Wesley - the critical point was when Anand sacrificed his queen for two pieces and my pawns became vulnerable and I couldn't make progress. I probably shouldn't have gone for it.
_______
Nigel Short – Hikaru’s position has subsided faster than the Greek economy.
Jonathan Tisdall - Just noticed that Aronian has completed a sweep of the USA.
At the postgame Aronian said that he has Anand and Topalov to play. He enjoys playing against the very best in chess history and likes his tournament position now.
_______
The final game to finish was a titanic struggle, six and a half hours long. The endgame was very complex and time pressure, severe. There was a moment when Magnus could draw but he blew it. Maurice announces mate in 29. The players shake hands and Grischuk has won. An endgame that will be analyzed by all the chess magazines next month.
Round 7, Aug. 30, 2015
Carlsen, Magnus – Grischuk, Alexander
B92 Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation
Magnus at the postgame said it was an absolutely dreadful game. It was playable for both sides, then Grischuk sacrificed his pawn, which he hadn’t forseen. After taking the pawn he didn’t see how to equalize.
Jennifer asks what is worse than losing a chessgame? And Yasser says, “Losing with white!”
Alexander at the postgame says that he is satisfied that he has played three good games in a row – against Aronian, Caruana and Carlsen. At some point in this game he had to fight for survival and sacrificed a pawn. Then he was comfortable in getting a draw but didn’t expect to win. At the end he got lucky. There could have been a draw but Magnus was low on time and couldn’t find the most precise moves.
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Despite the fact that he has never beaten Carlsen in 28 classical encounters (11 losses and 17 draws), Nakamura is not the biggest dog tomorrow at 63/10. Anand has higher odds at 37/5 in his game against Aronian which seems about right given the plus 9, minus 4, equal 21 score in Aronian's favour between the two.
Aronian is now the overwhelming 2/13 favourite to win the tournament outright with Carlsen the distant 2nd favourite at 10/1.
Garry Kasparov is a special guest and talks for an hour or so. A kibitzer online says that Fischer would make a marvelous guest and another says, “Fischer fans are more annoying than vegans”.
The commentary seems to be primarily on the games of Aronian and Carlsen today. Magnus was so disgusted with himself at the end of yesterday’s game that he could hardly sign the score sheets and leave the table. Wlll he come back with a vengeance?
Round 8, Aug. 31, 2015
Aronian, Levon – Anand, Vishy
A29 English, Bremen, Smyslov System
Anand with deep preparation let Aronian have a marvelous centre, which looked very dangerous but wasn’t. Aronian sacrificed a pawn for some pressure on the b-file, but Black had everything under control and a draw was the result.
In the postgame Aronian says that Garry Kasparov is his favorite player and the strongest of all time and not just because Kasparov is sitting with Jen and Yasser watching him!
_______
Hikaru was in trouble from the opening. Kasparov looking on said that Black wasn’t lost but in a very bad position. Carlsen pushed Nakamura around and the computer evaluation said that he had a much better game. At one point Hikaru called over the Arbiter and said that there had been a three-fold repetition of position. This was checked out and it was found that that had occurred but with a different player to play.
This is where the confessional was such an asset. Chris Bird, the Chief Arbiter, came into the booth and said that Hikaru claimed a three-fold of the position starting with move 59. It did turn out to have been by a different player and so the draw was not upheld. The players went back the board, Magnus got some time added to his clock and the game continued.
I was trying to place Chris’s accent and found this:
Born and raised in Hull, England, Chris moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1998 and has lived in the U.S. ever since, currently residing near Boston, Massachusetts, where his full-time occupation is as an administrator at Harvard Medical School.
Round 8, Aug. 31, 2015
Carlsen, Magnus – Nakamura, Hikaru
D31 QGD Charousek (Petrosian) Variation
Lawrence Trent came on to talk about things with Maurice. He said that Caruana has not been playing well but their plans are to use the World Cup (September 10 to October 4) to prepare for London.
It would be great to see Caruana against Kovalyov, if they were to meet in the 3rd round.
_______
ChessBase - Despite the fact that So-Topalov played over 50 moves, it didn’t last long in regards to playing time. Wesley So obtained a slight advantage somehow after Topalov made inaccurate form during the opening. Unfortunately, the position was so locked up that an incredible amount of precision was required in order to create even minor problems. So kept banging out his moves, and was even above two hours on the clock (more than he started with, due to the extra hour at move 40) at some point. Topalov held comfortably in the endgame.
To fill a bit of time and to exemplify how chess can be paired with exercise, GM Alejandro Ramirez showed bullet chess played on an outside board, with oversized pieces and two two-player teams.
The clock was placed on a table and the players would make a move, then run over and punch the clock. Vaulting the men was a plus. Unfortunately, the two-foot high plastic pieces were not weighted and kept falling over. Rather comical now that I think of it...There was no good way to capture a piece, there being no time to place the captured piece at the side. The team with the winning position lost on time. I doubt that this will replace croquet at seniors’ homes.
________
The warning for spectators:
Chris Bird - No phones, laptops, ipads, tablets, smartwatches... basically anything electronic except a boring old camera!
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The first game to finish – a perpetual. At the postgame Aronian says that this is his best performance of this year. A year ago he did well at Wijk aan Zee. His plan is to win at least one strong tournament a year and now it’s time to play for more.
He thinks playing in St. Louis is very special, all eyes are upon you, so you have to dance your best.
Topalov said during his interview that it was as if Levon was in his hotel room watching his preparation for this game last night. Levon said that he has been studying the positions from this opening (the Ragozin Vienna Variation) for ten years, so he is very familiar with it. He explained that along with national teammate GM Gabriel Sargissian, they were the first two to popularize the opening at the highest levels.
He credits his fiancée, his second Ashot (Nadanian) and his parents for getting his mojo back. In fact, during the game, his thought was, with a better position, to exchange off all the pieces and get a draw so that his parents, watching in Europe, could go to bed and get some sleep.
He is travelling to Baku in a week for the World Cup, then, there is the World Blitz in Berlin and finally, London. London is a chance to work his way up in the World Tour.
He doesn’t actually celebrate winning a tournament. He feels that he has done the job and now you are free to relax. He says that tonight he will take Arianne for oysters and a glass of wine.
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Arianne Caoili (born in Manila, Philippines). Father is Filipino/Chinese and mother is Dutch/Irish. Arianne is an international master, plays for Australia). She says,” Officially I would have met Levon in Las Palmas, world youth championships in 1996. But we became friends in 2006. Our mutual friend, International Master Alex Wohl, introduced us in Berlin. Alex has known me since I was 6 years old and Lev since he was a young teenager.”
“I love khorovats [barbeque] and Armenian food in general – especially Lev’s mum’s cooking and the village food which you cannot get in Yerevan. I also love Armenian history – I have read a lot from Armenia’s most prominent historians. Armenian people are fascinating. If I wasn’t in love with Armenian culture I wouldn’t have done a thesis on Armenia!”
“My favourite game is with taxi drivers in Yerevan. They think I don’t know where I am going (but I am quite familiar with streets in the center), so in many cases they double the charge or take me the wrong way. I always answer: ‘es incha akhber? ’ (What are you doing bro?)”
Kasparov – Congratulations to Levon Aronian on his victory in the Sinquefield Cup. The chess world is a better place when Aronian is playing well.
Aronian is very popular. When he drew his game and won the tournament, several players went over and shook his hand.
In the postgame Maurice points out to Fabiano a possibility if he had taken with his bishop instead of his rook – 21. Rxd6. The line is 21.Bxd6 Bxd6 22.Rxd6 Rxc4 23.bxc4 Qxd6 24.Qh8+! The point Kxh8 25. Nxf7+ Kg7 26.Nxd6+.
Fabiano is going to the World Cup and then coming back for the Millionaire. He will see how far he can go in the World Cup. There is less pressure on him since he has already qualified for the Candidates.
Yasser mentions to Fabiano that he first played Wesley in the World Under 12 back in 2004. Fabiano says he remembers that meeting vividly because he lost the game and his coach said the proverbial few words about his bad moves in the opening! He remembers the opening but cannot remember who won the tournament.
_______
The last game to finish. Six and a half hours with little time left on the clocks near the end. Maurice kept coming up with variations from his machine and Jen and Yasser commenting, added to the tension with the time trouble. Alexander had possibilities of drawing but needed a couple of study-like moves and there was no time to find them.
Alexander extends his hand in resignation. The guys discuss the game and the score sheets are signed.
Hikaru has clawed his way back to share second in the tournament.
He is happy going to London. It is one of his favorite cities. He always seems to celebrate his birthday when in London. In case you are going to send him a gift - the birthday is on December 9.
Aronian 6
Carlsen 5
Nakamura 5
MVL 5
Giri 5
Grischuk 4.5
Topalov 4.5
Caruana 3.5
Anand 3.5
So 3
_______
** For those interested in So-Caruana from 2004:
It was at the World Youth in Crete, Greece, November 2004. Zhao Nan and Ding Liren tied for first with 9.5. Caruana was 10th with 7.5 and So 13th with 7.5
Round 3, Nov. 6, 2004
So, Wesley – Caruana, Fabiano
B21 Sicilian, Grand Prix Attack
So, Nakamura ties for second in the tournament with a 76 moves win in the last round. Only decisive game of that last round. Gained a couple rating points and is now sitting at #2 in the world.
So, Nakamura ties for second in the tournament with a 76 moves win in the last round. Only decisive game of that last round. Gained a couple rating points and is now sitting at #2 in the world.
He sure looked exhausted from that simul!
You might want to be careful though about saying that. Magnus was very very close to crushing him, and it wasn't Hikaru's amazing play that saved him, it was Magnus playing poorly. Hikarua got wrecked by Levon, and even his game against Grischuck wasn't totally clean. He did fairly well as far as points go, but he said himself "I don't know how I'm on 50% after the way I've played". Did the simul affect him? Maybe, maybe not, but he didn't play as well as he has in previous events in 2015.
Grandmaster Levon Aronian Named Sinquefield Cup Champion
BY PR NEWSWIRE
SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- After nine intense days of competition against the very best chess players in the world, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis crowned Grandmaster Levon Aronian as the champion of the third annual Sinquefield Cup and the winner of the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour.
"It feels amazing since this leg of the Grand Chess Tour is one of the strongest events in the history of chess," said the new Sinquefield Cup champion Levon Aronian. "Winning a tournament by one point is a great accomplishment." Aronian successfully bested nine of the top-ranked chess players in the world to take home the title and the $75,000 grand prize. Bouncing back after a disappointing showing at Norway Chess 2015, Aronian won three games and drew six games at the Sinquefield Cup. Playing before more than one million viewers online, Aronian forced a draw against Veselin Topalov in the final round and went undefeated in the tournament.
"The competition in the newly-formed Grand Chess Tour is proof that the very best players in the world can thrill and excite," said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL. "The Sinquefield Cup is another shining example of what professional chess can be."
All nine rounds of the 2015 Sinquefield Cup featured live play-by-play updates and analysis from different teams of grandmaster commentators including GMs Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley, as well as WGM Jennifer Shahade on www.grandchesstour.com
The tournament also featured on-site commentary at the CCSCSL, World Chess Hall of Fame and Kingside Diner from Grandmasters Ben Finegold, Robert Hess, and Ian Rodgers. GM Alejandro Ramirez also provided tweets for the event and conducted sideline interviews for the live streaming.
On Thursday, September 3, all of the Sinquefield Cup players will join Garry Kasparov and other special guests in a series of rapid and blitz exhibition games called Ultimate Moves. The event will take place at 1:00 p. m. CT at the CCSCSL with online commentary at www.grandchesstour.com.
Saint Louis will then host a special screening for the Hollywood film, Pawn Sacrifice, Thursday, September 3 at the Chase Park Plaza. Starring Tobey Maguire as American chess legend Bobby Fischer, the film highlights the intense battle of will and strategy during the 1972 World Chess Championship.
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Nakamura - Grischuk was a great game, very difficult for both players. With computer analysis it is easy to spot less than optimal moves, but overall I think both players played very well. Nakamura is the biggest threat to Anand-Topalov-Caruana establishment at the Candidates.
And what they would spend some money on? Caruana and Grischuk had the best answers:
Caruana – I think I will buy a goat. It will see tactics better than me
Grischuk – As they said in an old Soviet animated cartoon, before you spend it, you must earn it. And to earn it, you need to play better than I did.
________
A friend’s father retired to the country and would sit in the sun all day reading his favorites – Walter Scott, Dickens and Solzhenitsyn. He had a pet nanny goat that he would feed carrots and it would follow him around like a dog. I should like to see Fabiano with a pet goat.
Last edited by Wayne Komer; Thursday, 3rd September, 2015, 03:43 PM.
Very impressed with the commentary of this great event. For example: Rd 8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2ex6B0HSpA has very interesting interviews with Rex Sinquefeld and Dr Jean (his wife). More than 100,000 Boy Scouts playing chess and next project a team chess championship of Boy Scouts with the final rounds in St Louis! Also Gary Kasparov himself joined the commentators for 2 hours. Even better on site where you can eat and drink in the chess themed restaurant and pub while watching GM's Ramirez and GM's Finegold doing live commentary next to your table and enjoying their great wit. If you were lucky you could get rook odds from Magnus Carlsen as IM Lawrence Trent did.
The latter has two videos. In the first you can watch Yasser playing blitz with Garry.
In the second, there are the speeches at the closing ceremonies.
The players saw a special screening of the new movie about Fischer-Spassky:
Gail Katz, the producer, said the movie was mostly filmed in Montreal and that painstaking detail went into details like getting Fischer's and Spassky's chairs right (they had to be specially made).
The most unsupported claim the movie made came in the closing text, that Spassky-Fischer Game 6 was the best game played in history. Although subjective, the merits of that statement were questioned by many in attendance.
"Pawn Sacrifice" officially premiers September 18, 2015 in the U. S.
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Three comments from the above two sites:
- That was a great video, great to see Yasser getting back in the game and take the draw with Garry and this video shows what kind of a monster Kasparov was I mean no matter how friendly a game is no matter who is sitting on the other side he just looks he wants to kill anyone sitting on the other side of the board! I miss him playing pro chess.
- Oh, man! This is the coolest thing I've ever watched! Thank you!
- Wesley So needs to train with Kasparov to be able to swim with the sharks.
2. Hikaru Nakamura is World Number 2 – and deservedly so
3. Goats Are Great Tacticians
I had commented on Caruana wanting a goat and gave the example of a gentle nanny goat following the owner around like a dog.
I had forgotten that there is a video of a screaming goat – really quite unsettling – and the video is a favorite of Aronian. The goat can be seen screaming on Queen’s We are the Champions video in the article.
4. So Loses in Style
5. Anand is the Last of the Mohicans
6. The 2015 Sinquefield Cup Will Go Down in History
7. Spectators Like Their Free Food
8. The World Chess Tour Scoring System needs Some Tweaking for 2016
Here Rogers says: Stranger anomalies occur further down the list, with Carlsen ahead of Giri despite having scored two points fewer overall. Using 'most losses' to break the tie for second in Saint Louis strongly favoured the less consistent Carlsen, but with tens of thousands of dollars at stake is hardly an ideal system.
Carlsen and Giri like to trash talk each other. At the banquet after the tournament Carlsen had this to say about that:
“I'm very happy to take second place in this tournament at plus one, and to be ahead of Anish in the standings despite having scored two less points. That takes, I think, some talent, and I'm very happy about everything.”
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