Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

[Hugh Brodie]

Both won the first blitz playoff games; Grischuk drew and Gelfand won the second games.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

Both won the first blitz playoff games; Grischuk drew and Gelfand won the second games.

This turns out to be a disaster for FIDE and its World Championship schemes. Whether its Anand vs Grischuk or Anand vs Gelfand, the next World Championship will most likely be a lost one in terms of benefit for chess propaganda unless something totally unexpected happens on the chess board. And who will be interested to sponsor such a match ?

[Laurentiu Grigorescu]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

It may have been a surprise final before the Matches started, but not after watching Aronian, Kramnik and Topalov swimming in dry sand. Gelfand actually came out fighting with Sicilian after years of Petroff. Grischuk also seemed to have a match strategy and was never in real danger. He can gain more support than Topalov from obvious reasons. If Gelfand qualifies, Israel will be very interested to sponsor the match. But in normal circumstances, both should be easy pray for Anand.

[David Bowers]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

But in normal circumstances, both (Grischuk, Gelfand) should be easy pray for Anand.

Anand won't even have to pray!

Grischuk and Gelfand may be quite happy to have gotten this far, but no one is happier than Anand at this time.

The (apparent) lack of concern for the serious implications of fast time controls at the world championship level, (or right here domestically), is really quite depressing for our game.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

The matches themselves have generally been of pretty low quality. Even the players admit this. It can't be easy to be constantly changing your rate of play and the pressure in the blitz games especially must be immense. On the Russian site you can see the players' hands shaking in the blitz. It is great entertainment, but so is watching the WWE. Personally, I was hoping for a bit more than that.

Just my opinion, but I think even now people seriously under-estimate both Gelfand and Grischuk. Stylistically though, I would think that Grischuk might be on the short list of players Anand would least like to see (the others being Aronian, Carlsen and maybe Karjakin).

Grischuk got a bit of flak for basically passing on his White games, but when you see the truly awful games between Kamsky and Gelfand perhaps he has the right idea. ;-)

[Gordon Taylor]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

Well, if Gelfand wins then you're probably right. It would be a tough match I think--they are both about the same age and Gelfand has really increased his playing strength. Grischuk is a different matter. That match could attract some serious money and interest from the Russian oligarchs. Russia would dearly like to regain the World Championship, a title that was theirs for most of the last 60 years, and Grischuk has, or could develop, great charisma. He has that "bad boy" image and once considered giving up chess for poker at which he is also very good. He just needs a few good image consultants and sponsorship deals and he could become a superstar. And he's a lot younger than Anand.

[Alan Baljeu]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

I understand why rapid games are in the cycle, but Blitz? Those games were atrocious, and just having blitz as an option inspired Grischuk to play every game to a draw! I hope he fails, because it would be pretty pathetic to become the new world champion without winning a real game.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

This turns out to be a disaster for FIDE and its World Championship schemes. Whether its Anand vs Grischuk or Anand vs Gelfand, the next World Championship will most likely be a lost one in terms of benefit for chess propaganda unless something totally unexpected happens on the chess board. And who will be interested to sponsor such a match ?

I pick Gelfand to win over Grischuk. Better to be good and lucky than just good. Anand can be taken.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

I understand why rapid games are in the cycle, but Blitz?

In the eighties the candidate match between Hubner and Smyslov went to 6-6 before being decided by a roulette (the match was held in a casino). At the time I thought that some faster games could have have been a better way to determine a winner, but now I understand that it only appears to be so.
The roulette leaves no doubt: this is strickly luck. The rapid games give the illusion that it is something else when it is not. It is like tie-breaking a golf tournament with the longest drive. Hubner and Smyslov understood it and preferred the roulette.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

You could try cutting out the Blitz, and going directly from Rapid to a slow Armageddon game with time bidding, as they have in recent U.S. Championships. Of course, there are downsides. For example, even though it is a slow game, in every other way it is terra incognita. It might be argued that Fischerrandom is more like the chess we know and love.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

I pick Gelfand to win over Grischuk. Better to be good and lucky than just good. Anand can be taken.

That was my pick on May 17th.

[Emil Smilovici]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

That was my pick on May 17th.

Today Grischuk "dared" Gelfand in a Grunfeld and lost the bet.

I hope you're right about the Anand part as well :)

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Candidates - Grischuk and Gelfand advance

GELF-, AN-: you've got to 'AND it to them.

[Bob Armstrong]

Gelfand - If World Champion - Media Star?

Gelfand as World Champion is not going to be a barn-burner in the mainstream media. Though obviously a good ( great? ) match player, and perhaps capable of defeating Anand, he was only # 16 on the recent May 1 FIDE rating list. And he's 43 years old next month ( d.o.b. June 24, 1968 ). Not a very " sexy " set of factors.

Bob

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Gelfand - If World Champion - Media Star?

Gelfand as World Champion is not going to be a barn-burner in the mainstream media. Though obviously a good ( great? ) match player, and perhaps capable of defeating Anand, he was only # 16 on the recent May 1 FIDE rating list. And he's 43 years old next month ( d.o.b. June 24, 1968 ). Not a very " sexy " set of factors.

Bob

There is a perception that youth should win. Youth and exhuberance over age and experience.

Of course, Gelfand isn't winning because he's 43 years old. He's winning because he's a very good chess player.

Regarding the Grunfeld, I don't like it against a strong player who knows what he's doing. To me it's awkward for black and I don't like the piece placements. Nothing in that decisive game changed my view of the defence.