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It's too bad, really, for a number of reasons. For example, if we could just have 3+ GMs at our Zonal, GM norms would be possible for other players!
Looks like the GMs found something better to do with their lives than become monkeys dancing for others' amusement.
"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.
Truth is the program "as is" doesn't encourage young women to pursue chess to anywhere near the extent it should. Truth is if most of the top women players were still active and interested then Canada would have one of its strongest women's teams ever.
That is also true of the men's team. If we somehow had a team of Spraggett, Lesiege, Charbonneau, Bluvshtein, and Thomas R-R, that would be great. However, I would say only one of these players is not playing because of the CFC.
It's a fallacy, however, to think that these players (or the top female players) leaving is solely as a result of CFC policies or programs. It is simply that people of this mental ability tend to have more lucrative career opportunities than chess, and tend to choose them; fixing that is beyond the ability of the CFC, and always will be.
Gary, on your earlier post about India not being a "contender", India would be the 4th seed if Anand had the cajones to captain his team. Were Anand playing, the top seeds would be:
1. Russia (2761)
2. Ukraine (2719)
3. Armenia (2711)
4. India (2709)
5. Hungary (2701)
6. China (2693)
7. U.S.A. (2681)
8. Ajerbaijan (2675)
Of course, Indian slides out of the prime contender status without Anand. For a preview of the contenders from an English perspective, check out:
Tangentially, I have an interesting chess bar bet for you. Who's the only top seeded team at the 2012 Olympiad who doesn't have a single team member with the 2nd digit of their rating a 7?
The answer of course is Armenia who has the only 2800+ player in attendance since Carlsen has joined Anand on the sidelines. The rest of the Armenian team is marginally sub 2700.
I also note the Nigel Short is going to play the 3 board for England since he no longer has the requisite desire to play super GMs at this stage of his career. Of course, he'd play the 3 board on merit if Luke McShane had been able to get away from work. At least Luke hasn't retired like every single one of our own young GMs.
Gary, on your earlier post about India not being a "contender", India would be the 4th seed if Anand had the cajones to captain his team. Were Anand playing, the top seeds would be:
1. Russia (2761)
2. Ukraine (2719)
3. Armenia (2711)
4. India (2709)
5. Hungary (2701)
6. China (2693)
7. U.S.A. (2681)
8. Ajerbaijan (2675)
Of course, Indian slides out of the prime contender status without Anand. For a preview of the contenders from an English perspective, check out:
I certainly don't fault Anand for not playing in the Olympiad. I can't see what's in it for him and don't know if team play suits his style of play these days.
I don't know if the team captain for that nation tells the players to play for a draw if that's all they need. Seems to be the team captains of two teams could decide the results of remaining games between them but others would know better than I do.
Pre event seedings don't much matter. Other things factor into the final placings, like the board order and if the players are well prepared.
I never fault a chess player for choosing a career. It depends on the lifestyle he wants. An individual choice.
Let us all rejoice then that all the other elite GMs, with one notable exception, are not taking your me first approach, Garry. They're evidently willing to risk a few rating points for the greater good. It would be a pretty sad Olympiad if me first was the prevalent attitude.
I've been an Anand supporter his past two title defences but I'll definitely be rooting for whomever wins the March 2013 Candidates to determine his next challenger. I'm rather hoping that might be Aronian in which case he'd be the prohibitive favourite given he's clearly Anand's personal nemesis. He's also obviously very much inside Anand's own head who in recent interviews has no explanation for his truly dismal record against Aronian (he has no such trouble with Carlsen).
Let us all rejoice then that all the other elite GMs, with one notable exception, are not taking your me first approach, Garry. They're evidently willing to risk a few rating points for the greater good. It would be a pretty sad Olympiad if me first was the prevalent attitude.
I have no idea if he was invited, Do you? I recall a number of years ago asking an official from a Scandanavian nation why, arguably, their best player at the time wasn't playing in the Olympiad. The reply was that he wasn't invited but he wouldn't tell me the reason.
I have to tell you refusing to play isn't only amongst elite GM's. When I'm invited to play on a correspondence national team I want to know which board I'm playing and it can't be last board. If I don't like it I don't play. Playing last board for Canada isn't a compliment as far as I'm concerned.
For individual tournaments I want to know the category. If it's not category 9 or higher I'm not interested. I want norm possibilities.
A player has to decide his goals and work toward the goals.
Of course, I've retired from that level of competition so it's not a current issue.
Viswanathan Anand is one of the most recognisable celebrities in all of India and has even been considered India’s greatest sporting talent ever. Anand achieved the admiration of a billion Indian people despite the fact that he declined to play for India in the Chess Olympiads, does not take part in chess tournaments organised by the All India Chess Federation and has renounced his Indian citizenship by becoming a citizen of Spain. Regardless of these indiscretions, India has bestowed many prestigious local and national awards upon their hero and his success in chess has created popularity explosion for the game on a subcontinent where there had never been a high level master before him.
"Pre event seedings" are certainly going strictly according to Hoyle at the Sants Open in Barcelona. Heading into tomorrow's penultimate round there's an 11 way tie for 1st at 6.5/8, including all 6 of the top seeds.
The number 1 seed, Nisipeanu, will be on board 1 (vs seed 6) tomorrow; the 2 seed, Gajewski, on board 2; the 3 seed, Canada's own Kevin Spraggett, on board 3; the 4 seed, Rakhmanov, on board 4; and the 5 seed, Shankland, on board 5. Board 6 will see a battle between seeds 10 and 11. Upsets have obviously been few and far between in Barcelona.
On a further Canadian note, should Kevin Spraggett finish strong, he'll almost surely regain his 2600+ status. Can anyone think of a player Kevin's age (he'll be 58 in November) or older who is higher rated? The two oldest players in FIDE's Top 100 August list, which ends at 2652, are Nigel Short and Kiril Georgiev, both born in 1965, 10+ years younger than Kevin.
Can anyone think of a player Kevin's age (he'll be 58 in November) or older who is higher rated? The two oldest players in FIDE's Top 100 August list, which ends at 2652, are Nigel Short and Kiril Georgiev, both born in 1965, 10+ years younger than Kevin.
4100026 Karpov, Anatoly GM RUS 2616 1951
2100010 Mecking, Henrique GM BRA 2602 1952
Both players are still active, but I haven't heard Mecking's name since the '90's.
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