NRR: Official 2014 World Chess Championship Thread

do you have a link to it wrote:

Runsingcheck wrote:

Just watched the Game 3 press conference. Loved the thinly veiled disgust from Carlsen and the "hush hush" response from Anand regarding his change in strategy from last year. Both men came to win this year.

I've checked all the links and don't find a video for the game 3 press conference.

Elo 2100 wrote:

Peter Svidler's commentary is starting to get annoying. He likes the sound of his own voice too much.

I haven't seen much of the commentary, but I like Svidler. He seems erudite and good-humored. I like Yasser Seirawan, too.

Nigel Short can be an entertaining choice. You just listen and hope something scandalous comes out of his mouth. Here's Nigel's rather infamous obituary for his old rival Tony Miles:

In addition to detailing Tony's mental illness, unsportsmanlike conduct, and overall rudeness, Nigel includes this revelation:

"I obtained a measure of revenge not only by eclipsing Tony in terms of chess performance but also by sleeping with his girlfriend, which was definitely satisfying but perhaps not entirely gentlemanly." Among Nigel's closing words," I never actually liked Tony."

That's the kind of commentary I'd like to hear once in a while, especially during a game as dull as Game 4 of this match.

do you have a link to it wrote:

do you have a link to it wrote:

I've checked all the links and don't find a video for the game 3 press conference.

You can find it in the video archives on the official match web site.

Another well played 1. d4 draw today. Vishy seemed to always have the initiative, but Magnus defended solidly enough. Interesting that with 3 blacks he has played 3 different defenses. Perhaps trying to avoid theory/prep?

Magnus has 2 consecutive whites now. I say he comes out of them with a win, but with the way Vishy's been playing, I don't think 1 win will be enough to seal the match.

Let's hope both players keep bringing heat.

Carlsen hasn't looked as prepared, but long match series are a young man's game. I expect Magnus to win 6.5-4.5

A bizarre win by Magnus in game 6. He makes a serious blunder on move 26, overlooking a simple 2-move tactic. Anand misses the correct reply, and his game quickly falls apart.

Such double-blindness is extremely uncharacteristic of these two players; the pressure must be extraordinary. But even after a rest day tomorrow I'd find it impossible to make predictions about the remaining six games.

jalfano wrote:

A bizarre win by Magnus in game 6. He makes a serious blunder on move 26, overlooking a simple 2-move tactic. Anand misses the correct reply, and his game quickly falls apart.

Such double-blindness is extremely uncharacteristic of these two players; the pressure must be extraordinary. But even after a rest day tomorrow I'd find it impossible to make predictions about the remaining six games.

Bizarre game that seems kinda typical of this match. Hope we see higher quality in the second half.

Caruana has been live tweeting the match so far with just a small bit of analysis. He seemed absolutely shocked at today's game. Is there any doubt right now that he'd bury either player? This has been a strange and entertaining match, but neither player seems to be sharp.

Fabiano #1 wrote:

Caruana has been live tweeting the match so far with just a small bit of analysis. He seemed absolutely shocked at today's game. Is there any doubt right now that he'd bury either player? This has been a strange and entertaining match, but neither player seems to be sharp.

Caruana has certainly been on a tear, but don't crown him the de facto champion just yet. He showed himself to be mortal in the last tournament he played.

Just watched the game 6 press conference. Vishy spoke cordially, but it was easy to see he was totally disgusted. Just goes to show it happens to even the best. Let's hope he reacts to this loss the same way he did to the last one.

Just goes to show what applying pressure over the board can do to even a great chess player. I'd bet Vishy sees Nxd5 9 times out of 10. Quite the gift for Magnus!

Vishy called it "a pretty terrible game." But that's putting it too mildly. It wasn't even enjoyably terrible. It was depressingly terrible.

Avocado's Number wrote:

Vishy called it "a pretty terrible game." But that's putting it too mildly. It wasn't even enjoyably terrible. It was depressingly terrible.

Post game press conferences here have been really interesting. You generally don't see American sports reporters ask such blunt questions. Reporter to Anand: "This is being considered a historical game due to its mistakes. Can you describe what it's like to be the loser of this game?" Ouch!

I really liked Magnus's comment, "Most the time you get severely punished for making such an oversight." These guys both seem shaky in terms of confidence.

Josh Hamilton's Addiction wrote:

Avocado's Number wrote:

Vishy called it "a pretty terrible game." But that's putting it too mildly. It wasn't even enjoyably terrible. It was depressingly terrible.

Post game press conferences here have been really interesting. You generally don't see American sports reporters ask such blunt questions. Reporter to Anand: "This is being considered a historical game due to its mistakes. Can you describe what it's like to be the loser of this game?" Ouch!

I really liked Magnus's comment, "Most the time you get severely punished for making such an oversight." These guys both seem shaky in terms of confidence.

Haha, yes, no pulled punches from the press!

Interesting observation on the confidence matter.

One thing is for sure, neither player is nearly as good as he was this spring (Vishy at Candidates and Magnus at Shamkir).

I think Game 7 will tell the tale of the rest of the match. Either Vishy pulls even and they fight to the end, or Magnus wins again and it's all over.

I would usually favor a draw with these two, but with the number of blunders from both so far, I'm counting against it.

Magnus seemed pretty baffled discussing the move, like he still couldn't believe it. He was looking at the board they had up on the laptop and said any other move would've been fine. Almost like it was an impossible mistake for a player of his level to make. Meanwhile, Vishy said when you don't expect a gift, sometimes you don't take it. Also while analyzing the move, I think Magnus was trying not to insult Vishy. The "most the time you get severely punished" answer was in response to how often that type of mistake will cost a player. I think Magnus's true answer was 100% of the time unless you're playing a player who's also as shaky as Anand has been.

Fabiano #1 wrote:

Caruana has been live tweeting the match so far with just a small bit of analysis. He seemed absolutely shocked at today's game. Is there any doubt right now that he'd bury either player? This has been a strange and entertaining match, but neither player seems to be sharp.

Yes, of course there's doubt. No guarantee at all he'd beat them. That's why they play the actual games.

This match is starting to lose me. Hope game 8 is better than the last few. Also hope the next championship match isn't Anand - Carlsen III.

Loooong game today. Very "Carlsenesque" to press on in that sort of position. Some might call it boring, but I love the fact that there have been no quick draws so far. Fighting chess!

Runsingcheck wrote:

Some might call it boring, but I love the fact that there have been no quick draws so far.

Fair enough, but perhaps it would have been better for everyone, including those who promote our beloved game, if the last forty-five moves or so could have been avoided today.

I give credit to Vishy for sacrificing his bishop for a couple of pawns and holding on to the draw. But there were very few (if any) original moves between the players' opening preparation and that interminable rook-and-knight endgame.

Good point.

I didn't follow this morning's game live, but I'm guessing that its length may have tired Magnus more than Anand. Vishy has the White pieces tomorrow -- and although he's behind in the match overall, I can easily envision him equalizing in game 8 if he manages to surprise Magnus in the opening.

... Not that I have any real evidence to support this prediction....

jalfano wrote:

Good point.

I didn't follow this morning's game live, but I'm guessing that its length may have tired Magnus more than Anand. Vishy has the White pieces tomorrow -- and although he's behind in the match overall, I can easily envision him equalizing in game 8 if he manages to surprise Magnus in the opening.

... Not that I have any real evidence to support this prediction....

I think I disagree, but we will find out tomorrow. Carlsen is at his best grinding out close endgames, and although he didn't get a full point today, I think he was more in his comfort zone than Anand was.

I've enjoyed the games so far - good fighting chess.