If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Policy / Politique
The fee for tournament organizers advertising on ChessTalk is $20/event or $100/yearly unlimited for the year.
Les frais d'inscription des organisateurs de tournoi sur ChessTalk sont de 20 $/événement ou de 100 $/année illimitée.
You can etransfer to Henry Lam at chesstalkforum at gmail dot com
Transfér à Henry Lam à chesstalkforum@gmail.com
Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
General Guidelines
---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
Some Basics
1. Under Board "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) there are 3 sections dealing with General Forum Usage, User Profile Features, and Reading and Posting Messages. These deal with everything from Avatars to Your Notifications. Most general technical questions are covered there. Here is a link to the FAQs. https://forum.chesstalk.com/help
2. Consider using the SEARCH button if you are looking for information. You may find your question has already been answered in a previous thread.
3. If you've looked for an answer to a question, and not found one, then you should consider asking your question in a new thread. For example, there have already been questions and discussion regarding: how to do chess diagrams (FENs); crosstables that line up properly; and the numerous little “glitches” that every new site will have.
4. Read pinned or sticky threads, like this one, if they look important. This applies especially to newcomers.
5. Read the thread you're posting in before you post. There are a variety of ways to look at a thread. These are covered under “Display Modes”.
6. Thread titles: please provide some details in your thread title. This is useful for a number of reasons. It helps ChessTalk members to quickly skim the threads. It prevents duplication of threads. And so on.
7. Unnecessary thread proliferation (e.g., deliberately creating a new thread that duplicates existing discussion) is discouraged. Look to see if a thread on your topic may have already been started and, if so, consider adding your contribution to the pre-existing thread. However, starting new threads to explore side-issues that are not relevant to the original subject is strongly encouraged. A single thread on the Canadian Open, with hundreds of posts on multiple sub-topics, is no better than a dozen threads on the Open covering only a few topics. Use your good judgment when starting a new thread.
8. If and/or when sub-forums are created, please make sure to create threads in the proper place.
Debate
9. Give an opinion and back it up with a reason. Throwaway comments such as "Game X pwnz because my friend and I think so!" could be considered pointless at best, and inflammatory at worst.
10. Try to give your own opinions, not simply those copied and pasted from reviews or opinions of your friends.
Unacceptable behavior and warnings
11. In registering here at ChessTalk please note that the same or similar rules apply here as applied at the previous Boardhost message board. In particular, the following content is not permitted to appear in any messages:
* Racism
* Hatred
* Harassment
* Adult content
* Obscene material
* Nudity or pornography
* Material that infringes intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party
* Material the posting of which is tortious or violates a contractual or fiduciary obligation you or we owe to another party
* Piracy, hacking, viruses, worms, or warez
* Spam
* Any illegal content
* unapproved Commercial banner advertisements or revenue-generating links
* Any link to or any images from a site containing any material outlined in these restrictions
* Any material deemed offensive or inappropriate by the Board staff
12. Users are welcome to challenge other points of view and opinions, but should do so respectfully. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Posts and threads with unacceptable content can be closed or deleted altogether. Furthermore, a range of sanctions are possible - from a simple warning to a temporary or even a permanent banning from ChessTalk.
Helping to Moderate
13. 'Report' links (an exclamation mark inside a triangle) can be found in many places throughout the board. These links allow users to alert the board staff to anything which is offensive, objectionable or illegal. Please consider using this feature if the need arises.
Advice for free
14. You should exercise the same caution with Private Messages as you would with any public posting.
Gelfand is one of the most unremarkable players of the top players.
I'm curious if anyone thinks he has one quality or another (or even several qualities?) that really should seperate him from the rest of those at the top. Of course the funny people out there will say... he wins.
Kortchnoi was at least remarkable with a certain style and tenacity. I have no issue with the age of the player, its just that Gelfand never struck me as brilliant.
He seems to know all lines incredibly deep however, for example in the Petroff and in the Catalan. A while ago when he played the Najdorf frequently he was not so bullet-proof, but now he seems to be.
Maybe that Gelfand is bullet-proof is remarkable in itself.
He has remained an elite player for over 20 years. Of the modern-day players who other than Anand and Ivanchuk can say the same? I think Anand is a favourite in their match, but I don't think he's a heavy favourite.
"Tom is a well known racist, and like most of them he won't admit it, possibly even to himself." - Ed Seedhouse, October 4, 2020.
The worst possible outcome for FIDE and its World championship, and hopefully a good lesson. You just cannot setup a quick random formula and hope that the best player, or even one of the best will somehow emerge. It seems that Carlsen has been proven right to stay away from those short matches with unpredictable results. No Kramnik, no Topalov, no Aronian... not even a Kamsky. Weep...
I just wonder, is a match of 20 games between, say Kramnik-Topalov or Aronian-Carlsen any more predictable than any match from the recent Candidates? I also wonder about when after a long(16-20 games) match one player defeats another by a margin of one point, do we really know who is stronger?
I just wonder, is a match of 20 games between, say Kramnik-Topalov or Aronian-Carlsen any more predictable than any match from the recent Candidates?
Such long matches are unpredictable mainly because the players are quite evenly matched. In the current cycle, results are unpredictable mainly because the matches are short and mostly decided by the first win. This seems to discourage risk taking and thus encourage colourless draws.
I think Anand is a favourite in their match, but I don't think he's a heavy favourite.
As heavy a favorite as you will ever get in a World championship match. Of course Gelfand is a very strong GM who will not disgrace himself. For example he will do better than Short did vs Kasparov in 1993.
As heavy a favorite as you will ever get in a World championship match. Of course Gelfand is a very strong GM who will not disgrace himself. For example he will do better than Short did vs Kasparov in 1993.
What makes you say that he's that much of a favorite. You said it yourself. The players are of similar strength. As far as I'm concerned, this match will be interesting. Gelfand as proved that he's able to play under heavy pressure with these controversial candidate matches. He's got time to prepare. His motivation is extraordinary. Anand may have more experience in these kind of matches but I don't think this will give him that much of an edge.
P.S. I still can't believe that the evil dollar kept us from having a world championship match between Kasparov and Shirov in 1998. That would have been some awesome "balls to the walls" fighting kind of chess.
It is worth noting that Short beat Gelfand (as well as Karpov) on his way to play Kasparov. On his recent visit to Ottawa, Nigel gave a highly entertaining lecture on thse two matches.
What makes you say that he's that much of a favorite. You said it yourself. The players are of similar strength. As far as I'm concerned, this match will be interesting.
If anyone knowledgeable had been asked a few weeks ago to name 5 players against whom Anand could lose a serious match (12 games or more), no one would have put Gelfand in that group. Carlsen, Kramnik, Topalov, Aronian, maybe Nakamura, but Gelfand ? No way.
It means that Gelfand is a heavy underdog, not necessarily to lose by four points (Anand is not Kasparov, he will be satisfied just to win), but to lose for sure. Can that match be interesting to some people ? Sure but for a larger public it will be pretty meaningless.
As I said in another thread, Gelfand will be 43, and is only # 16 on the May 1 FIDE rating list. I don't think next year's world championship match will get much coverage in the mainstream press.
I think that they should go back to the old format circa 1972 or some similar setup. Otherwise if we want excitement we can just spin a roulette wheel right at the beginning of the process to see who is the champion. It doesn't seem to me that such a process would be any more absurd than the present one.
Congratulations to Gelfand for emerging from the pack under this present FIDE process. He has shown more in these matches than many had supposed was available to him previously. Maybe he can come up with some surprises in the match against Anand.
As I said in another thread, Gelfand will be 43, and is only # 16 on the May 1 FIDE rating list. I don't think next year's world championship match will get much coverage in the mainstream press.
Bob
I don't think it would have got much coverage in any case. The mainstream press doesn't much care about chess unless they can show pictures of cute kids, pretty women or some kind of lunatic playing.
Topalov would not be a favourite to defeat Anand, in my opinion. In fact he has already lost to Anand and Kramnik.
I think Gelfand can win this. He is motivated and shows the desire to win. Unless something happens to change this before the start of the match, I think Gelfand will win.
Bob, a championship match will get plenty of mainstream press coverage in Europe and other continents. Us older guys love it! Age and guile over youth and exhuberance at the top echelons of chess. The youngsters fell by the wayside in the qualification matches.
As I said in another thread, Gelfand will be 43, and is only # 16 on the May 1 FIDE rating list. I don't think next year's world championship match will get much coverage in the mainstream press.
Bob
I think ratings are overrated. A stronger player can have a slightly lower rating because effort is a major factor. That Gelfand is only #16 doesn't mean he can't raise his game when sufficiently motivated. And he has the match-play experience.
Gelfand is one of the most unremarkable players of the top players. I'm curious if anyone thinks he has one quality or another (or even several qualities?) that really should seperate him from the rest of those at the top.
It is true that most people don't seem to have anything good to say about the new challenger. But I like this dissenting opinion found on Kevin Spraggett's blog:
"Deep down I am pleased that Gelfand has won the right to play for the World Title! Chess is not about age. Boris has done it fairly and squarely. He has beaten players much younger than himself. I think that we must respect that. Sportsmanship applies to the fans as well....the fans should try to get over themselves!"
Tweet
Comment