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Re: London Chess Classic 2017
London Chess Classic 2017
December 13, 2017
Is Carlsen Tired of Chess?
Two Opposing Viewpoints
Nick Ivell in the EC Forum:
And my view for the past couple of years or more: Carlsen is bored.
He's bored with chess, with playing it, with playing the same guys down the same lines. He's bored with the effort of endless prep to meet players engaged in endless prep. The game rewards him well; makes him famous; and comes easily to him. He can't explain why he became so good so young. But that's then; passed. And now it's boring, boring. And by the standards set by obsessives, he is lazy.
Evidence? I thought it first when he punted the Ponziani (v. Harikrishna, Tata 2013). Since then, there have been several occasions when I felt his choice of opening had displayed, not arrogance, but frivolity - a search for something 'fresh'; that is, fresh to the jaded palate, not fresh to outwit an opponent's prep (though that could feature too).
Frankly, it would come as small surprise to me if Carlsen announced he was jacking it in. That's my gut reading. I think it's unlikely, rationally, because the rewards remain large. But if he loses No. 1 status (if not yet WC status ), why carry on as No. 2 or worse?
As I say, he looks and plays 'bored'. So good so young. Now bored.
David Robertson in reply:
You certainly aren't alone there. He tends to look bored in some of his games. If he plays in closed tournaments, often against the same players that will become overly familiar. I noticed last year he entered an open tournament or two and in one - I think it was Gibraltar- he drew with a female IM in the first round.
He probably needs to lose his title to Aronian and be knocked off his number one spot to rediscover the passion he once had.
https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic...209222#p209222
_________
Fabelhaft on chess.com (comments)
I think Carlsen’s talking about lacking energy highlights one of the differences between now and then in chess. Carlsen plays 12 OTB tournaments this year, and some online events. Combined with family, girlfriends, promotion events, friends etc and preparation for the tournaments it makes the modern chess player a very busy person.
The feeling of entitlement from the public is also much more marked today. When one follows a chess tournament the players are called idiots more or less every round, and if they draw the complaints, ”BUT I WANTED MORE ENTERTAINMENT” are repeated everywhere, and the players are criticised for their play, personalities, opinions, etc.
Especially a player like Carlsen has a very energy draining style. Kasparov had an opening prep that made him start playing OTB first well into the middlegame. The first decades of his career the different time controls with adjournments that were analysed by teams made it easier to make less mistakes in endgames. Carlsen wants to get a playable position, and then ideally plays very long games with both colours, not being happy to just draw with black. And when you play a dozen tournaments a year it isn’t strange that the players get drained.
Now Kasparov was probably the greatest player ever, so it is fairer to compare Carlsen at 27 with other World Champions. And compared to Spassky, Smyslov, Kramnik, Anand, Petrosian etc he has done quite well. But even Kasparov didn’t always play that well. He had a period of 2 years and 9 months 2002-04 when he played in all two individual classical tournaments. In one he finished third and in the other he drew 11 of his 12 games, only winning with white against 170 Elo lower rated Vallejo.
Had this happened today he would have been showered with abuse, since the comments are on that level nowadays. But he could prepare for those events for many months. Today none of the top players have that possibility. Just like none of them can win lots of tournaments against one or two opponents in the top ten, as Karpov did, and have a bunch of top players help you with every adjournment. In the games that weren’t drawn after 11-12 moves. So it’s tougher to be a top player today, and this probably also explains why none of Carlsen’s competitors score top results more than now and then.
https://www.chess.com/news/view/caru...age=2#comments
London Chess Classic 2017
December 13, 2017
Is Carlsen Tired of Chess?
Two Opposing Viewpoints
Nick Ivell in the EC Forum:
And my view for the past couple of years or more: Carlsen is bored.
He's bored with chess, with playing it, with playing the same guys down the same lines. He's bored with the effort of endless prep to meet players engaged in endless prep. The game rewards him well; makes him famous; and comes easily to him. He can't explain why he became so good so young. But that's then; passed. And now it's boring, boring. And by the standards set by obsessives, he is lazy.
Evidence? I thought it first when he punted the Ponziani (v. Harikrishna, Tata 2013). Since then, there have been several occasions when I felt his choice of opening had displayed, not arrogance, but frivolity - a search for something 'fresh'; that is, fresh to the jaded palate, not fresh to outwit an opponent's prep (though that could feature too).
Frankly, it would come as small surprise to me if Carlsen announced he was jacking it in. That's my gut reading. I think it's unlikely, rationally, because the rewards remain large. But if he loses No. 1 status (if not yet WC status ), why carry on as No. 2 or worse?
As I say, he looks and plays 'bored'. So good so young. Now bored.
David Robertson in reply:
You certainly aren't alone there. He tends to look bored in some of his games. If he plays in closed tournaments, often against the same players that will become overly familiar. I noticed last year he entered an open tournament or two and in one - I think it was Gibraltar- he drew with a female IM in the first round.
He probably needs to lose his title to Aronian and be knocked off his number one spot to rediscover the passion he once had.
https://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic...209222#p209222
_________
Fabelhaft on chess.com (comments)
I think Carlsen’s talking about lacking energy highlights one of the differences between now and then in chess. Carlsen plays 12 OTB tournaments this year, and some online events. Combined with family, girlfriends, promotion events, friends etc and preparation for the tournaments it makes the modern chess player a very busy person.
The feeling of entitlement from the public is also much more marked today. When one follows a chess tournament the players are called idiots more or less every round, and if they draw the complaints, ”BUT I WANTED MORE ENTERTAINMENT” are repeated everywhere, and the players are criticised for their play, personalities, opinions, etc.
Especially a player like Carlsen has a very energy draining style. Kasparov had an opening prep that made him start playing OTB first well into the middlegame. The first decades of his career the different time controls with adjournments that were analysed by teams made it easier to make less mistakes in endgames. Carlsen wants to get a playable position, and then ideally plays very long games with both colours, not being happy to just draw with black. And when you play a dozen tournaments a year it isn’t strange that the players get drained.
Now Kasparov was probably the greatest player ever, so it is fairer to compare Carlsen at 27 with other World Champions. And compared to Spassky, Smyslov, Kramnik, Anand, Petrosian etc he has done quite well. But even Kasparov didn’t always play that well. He had a period of 2 years and 9 months 2002-04 when he played in all two individual classical tournaments. In one he finished third and in the other he drew 11 of his 12 games, only winning with white against 170 Elo lower rated Vallejo.
Had this happened today he would have been showered with abuse, since the comments are on that level nowadays. But he could prepare for those events for many months. Today none of the top players have that possibility. Just like none of them can win lots of tournaments against one or two opponents in the top ten, as Karpov did, and have a bunch of top players help you with every adjournment. In the games that weren’t drawn after 11-12 moves. So it’s tougher to be a top player today, and this probably also explains why none of Carlsen’s competitors score top results more than now and then.
https://www.chess.com/news/view/caru...age=2#comments
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