Today's pairings: Anand-Adams 1-0, Polgar-Kasimdzhanov 1-0, Svidler-Leko 1-0, Morozevich-Topalov 0-1. Anand and Topalov lead on +2, Leko trails at -2.
Round two again stirred up the anger of the computer-addicted twits out there who wouldn't recognize a good game if it bit them in their silicon ass implants. The tablebase-endowed got all hot and bothered about all the "blunders" in the Topalov-Anand game, and they weren't even talking about the real mistakes! Both players made real human mistakes in the queen and two pawns vs queen endgame, i.e. errors that they could reasonably be expected not to make. But comparing the rest of the complicated check-fest to perfect tablebase computer play is absurd.
Back to human chess, Anand exhibited his habit of playing quickly and lazily in technical positions and allowed Topalov to create real threats with his bishop pair. (46.Bg5! was nice.) Later, the clearest win to me looks like 60.g5 Qe7 61.Qxe7 Bxe7 62.Bd4+ Kh7 63.Bxb2 Bxg5 64.Bg7. So, first Anand should have drawn, then he was clearly lost but defended with his usual tenacity and Topalov couldn't find the knockout. A thrilling game, if not a great one, and no doubt exhausting for both players.
Leko won the draw and got two whites in a row to start the event. He has used both of them to exhibit a total inability to play aggressively enough to put someone away in the Open Sicilian. Here he let his h-pawn sit around against Morozevich instead of blasting away. (31.h5 looks like a no-brainer, but surely not a forced win.) At least Leko didn't go on to lose this one, although it was close. He has reverted to Leko 1.0 at just the wrong moment.
Caught some of Seirawan's live audio commentary at Playchess.com during the round, great stuff as always from Yaz. Having done it myself I know it's tough to drone on constantly without a visible audience, but he is a stud at it. Informative and fun, he only needs to put some John Madden BANG! BOOM! into his voice so he doesn't hypnotize us all. (Unless that is his evil plan!) But he was doubtlessly as tired as the players by the third hour. He should also feel free to kick back and tell a few stories, that sort of thing, instead of worrying about giving a constant stream of variations and analysis. Maybe he did that when I wasn't listening.
[Round 3 update: White is okay! Adams lost control in complications and lost to a fine Anand attack. Polgar beat Kasimdzhanov in her style (20.Bb5!) in the same ultra-sharp, ultra-theoretical Sicilian piece sac line where she beat Anand a few years ago. But Fritz points out 22..Be5!! as saving, maybe even winning, for Black. (23.f4 Rxa2!; 24.Kb1 Kg7! amazing) So she should have taken the queen. That doesn't look good at first but White gets a rook back with an easy win: 22.Rxe8+ Kxe8 (22...Qxe8 23.Qd6+) 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Nd5+ The trick. White wins the a8 rook no matter what. 24...Kf8 (24...Kd6 25.f6!) 25.Nc7 with mate threat 25..Bf6 26.Nxa8]
Svidler beat Leko in a game that confirms Leko's horrible form. After the mindlessly passive 24..Rd8 Black is just wiped off the board. That knight on b7 is a crime against cavalry. Topalov won against Morozevich with black long after picking off a pawn with an amusing knight wheel starting with 24..Nc6. Moro is certainly not his normal aggressive self so far.
Nice work Mig! Keep up the good commentary of the event.
"Later, the clearest win to me looks like 60.Bd4+." 60.Bd4 was played, you mean 60.g5 ? It's a pity about Leko .. hope he finds his best play again.
Yah, was just fixing that. Typed in the line instead of the variation. Put the whole thing in this time.
The reporter Nigel Short has delivered the goods.
Better story this time, but no analysis by himself.
As I assumed in my last comment he had been busy tasting the argentinian wine.
The reporter confirms:
" I am exhausted. Perhaps it is due to the copious quantities of wine I have imbibed."
Well all three result were possible in Topalov-Anand. So I think I was closest in predicting all draws for the rest and ??-?? for Topalov-Anand!
Great fighting human! game!
I listened to Yasser and his live thing was awesome. It's nice when a talented GM comments games, I am sure that Short's commentary owes to be taped as well.
clearly non GM/IM commentators would have a tougher time doing it, even if helped by fritz
In an enterview in the New in Chess magazine, Topalov says he is not afraid to lose, which explains the way he handled Leko and Anand. Kavalek called him modern Tal, for his enterprising style. Good for us fans, he will deliver during the next few days a lot of excitement. Disappointing so far, IMO, are the performances of Leko (unable to win with white), Svidler (did not fight first game and underestimated Kazim in the second one) and Morozevich (shying away from his wild and brilliant style).
Slight error on chessbase, unless Kasim is taking them on 2 at once?! :-)
Heh. Sneaky Uzbeks and their cloning program! I didn't write that one, but I just fixed it. In case anyone is wondering, it said, "Peter Leko once more got into trouble, this time against Rustam Kasimdzhanov, but unlike in the first round he saved this game. Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Peter Svidler played a 24-move draw."
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2657
Could be an idea for future tournaments, invite an odd number of players and have someone different play 2 on each day?
OK, stupid idea... but who wouldn't pay to see Moro beat two 2700s at once??
Morozevich (Russia) 1-0 Topolov (Bulgaria)
Svidler (Russia) 1/2 Leko (Hungary)
Anand (India) 1-0 Adams (England)
Polgar (Hungary) 1/2 Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan)
Morozevich 1-0 Topolov
Svidler 1-0 Leko
Anand (India) 1/2-1/2 Adams
Polgar 1-0 Kasimdzhanov
Ok, here's again my predictions..
Moro-Topal 1-0
Svidler-Leko 1-0
Anand-Adams 0-1
Polgar-Kasim 0-1
Hello acirce,
Do you know the link for Shipov's site? Thanks.
Great article Mig. Wit flows from your pen like rating exagerations off Dittli's lips. I have one final word of warning for Knight after his sexist comments yesterday. If you continue with six or more of those slurs we will be forced to remove your name from the nominations of "Most congenial chess ninja". Harsh to be sure, but I'm quite serious. Bradford
ryan -
http://www.chesspro.ru/events/sanluis05-en.shtml
gansy:
thanks a lot.
Is there a way to follow the games behind a firewall? I.e. a particular port I can use on the freechess.org (FICS) client?
I know from the official website that Anand beat Adams and Svidler beat Leko. Anyone can give an update on how Moro-Topo is going? Also, after Bb5 (last available snapshot from TWIC) Polgar seemed to be crushing Kazim, is that still the case?
Yes, Judit won. Morozevich is still playing. He is a pawn down but it is not easy for Black (Topalov) to win.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
www.SusanPolgar.blogspot.com
looks pretty tight to me ... the algorithm i look at has topalov up a little more than his pawn advantage ...moro offering Q xchange.... topo not interested yet ...move 47
Just added this to the main item:
Update: White is okay! Adams lost control in complications and lost to a fine Anand attack. Polgar beat Kasimdzhanov in her style (20.Bb5!) in the same ultra-sharp, ultra-theoretical Sicilian piece sac line where she beat Anand a few years ago. But Fritz points out 22..Be5! as saving, maybe even winning, for Black. (23.f4 Rxa2!) Svidler beat Leko in a game that confirms Leko's horrible form. After the mindlessly passive 24..Rd8 Black is just wiped off the board. That Nb7 is a crime against cavalry. Topalov is winning against Morozevich with black after 50 moves, but with a lot of game still to play.
Sutovsky ("GMAlex") said on ICC:
GMAlex(GM) kibitzes: I am not so sure...well, Nb5 is clearly a mistake,but I think white retains serious attacking chances after Be5 Kb1 anyway
GMAlex(GM) kibitzes: it's kind of position,Fritz can't evaluate properly
I agree, but that's the entire point of this line. But after Kb1 Kg7 White is definitely going to have trouble proving compensation.
And I agree with that. A pity it wasn't played instead of heading for a lost endgame. As for Leko it's a mystery what is going on.
When Svidler beat Leko today, I thought about how he had seconded for Kramnik at Brissago and I wondered whether that had anything to do with it.
Yeah Polgar was crushing Kasim, and her 22. Nb5 was simply a blunder. Had she played 22.Rxe8, or simply 22. Rxe7, the game would have been one for the ages.
Still an awesome win.
I don't think the word "simply" applies at all in that position, not for humans. Winning the a8 rook after taking the queen is not trivial, nor is the amazing ..Be5 refutation of her Nb5 and the perfect defense required after that.
I see nowhere what "teams" the players have (seconds,...). Anybody?
Well that was a very pretty round, the games are indeed getting even better! Anand punished Adams swiftly and beautifully for a slight miscalculation, which even looked like a good idea. Topalov played much more confidently never losing his advantage and even Polgar played well, even if it was still a bit workmanlike.
Everything is easy with Fritz and Shredder running. The players don't have that luxury.
Toppy rules because he can f*ck you up with black too. He will win the event by at least a point. Maybe.
"Winning the a8 rook after taking the queen is not trivial, nor is the amazing"
Not to be obnoxious, but how is Nd5+, king move practically anywhere, Nb6, winning the a8 Rook not trivial, at least for a GM. Given the position most club players would see it. Has nothing to do with silicon either.
ok, mig seems to provide the best summary of round 3 that can be found in English anywhere.. Not going to even bother looking at shorts crap on Chessbase when it eventually come up. I think maybe he writes all the reports before the rounds, and changes a word here and there. Easy to do, because there's no chess content in them.
Anyway looks like Topy is continuing in the same amazing vein that brought him to equal no. 2. Anand looks frighteningly smooth too though, think its going to be a clear 2 hoss race. Only major disappointment for me is Moro, but Topy is probably his worst opponent here, and he played W, so I'm still hoping.. sometimes the only thing you can do when you're a Moro fan. But the chess so far has been AMAZING.
CHESS REPORTS
Then I found this among the comments here to the previous round:
http://www.thechessdrum.net/tournaments/FideCh2005/round2.html
Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up.
Posted by Daaim Shabazz at September 30, 2005 11:47 AM
----
Great! Did not know its existence.
The site gives no author/no responsible, as far as I can see.
Are you doing it yourself Daaim Shabazz?
Congrats! Keep on the good work, Daaim.
Moro-Topalov could have been an anticlimax. Apparently (according to Short) Moro offered a draw after 12 moves.
yes, finally something interesting in Short's report. Maybe Moro is sick, cant think of any other explanation.
Maybe adjusting to Argentinian time and climate is harder than Moro thought? Didn't he arrive there only a couple of days before the start? Not exactly enough time to acclimatize properly, at least for some people.
The main thing about onsite reporting is that it has to exploit the onsite advantage, something many fail to do. There is a wealth of fascinating information Short can provide - color stuff - simply because he's there.
It's not just that a club player has to find the discovered check that wins in Polgar-Kasimdzhanov. But also find that Nb5 doesn't win because of ..Be5, which Kasim also missed. This is why it's a human game, because it's all mixed together. Fritz just sees one move as +3 and another as -2. But if you don't see, or disagree with the conclusion of the so-called -2 line, and the +3 line is either unseen or tricky compared to a nice winning endgame, you play Nb5. This is how a human brain works. Or are you trying to tell us that one of the most tactically gifted players on earth "simply" missed something any club player would find. What a joke.
Stany,
Thanks for the kind remarks.
Yes... I am solo at The Chess Drum, http://www.thechessdrum.net.
There are various sites and blogs (like this one) that do a great job at covering major chess news, so I cover selected international events. The Chess Drum primarily reports on chess news pertaining to the African Diaspora around the globe. We always hear about the powerful chess nations and players, but chess touches so many places and there are some fascinating stories to be told!
However, I can tell you... it's really hard work.
Third round
http://www.thechessdrum.net/tournaments/FideCh2005/round3.html
Have just seen your 3. round report, Daaim.
Very well done, and easy to understand it must be a hard and time consuming work.
You are not in San Luis?
You say: "There are various sites and blogs (like this one) that do a great job.."
Apart from Mig, Shirov and Susan P - any sites you would recommend for instant reports?
CHESS REPORTS
Mig says:
"The main thing about onsite reporting is that it has to exploit the onsite advantage, something many fail to do. There is a wealth of fascinating information Short can provide - color stuff - simply because he's there."
So true! Onsite - among journalists and players - there is a wealth of observations you can do. Juicy stuff, interesting points, colourful situations in front of your eyes, a little gossip, some minor news (like Anand preparing and stocking his line 7 years ago, to launch it in future in a crucial encounter),
small things telling us about the psychological preassure under which the players find themselves,funny things, remarks you pick up the from players. Every report is a movie!
The readers should be on the edge of their chair when watching your movie!
But that takes talent.
It is easy to talk as a reporter. But:
"In der Erschränkung zeigt sich der Meister".
It takes a lot of self dicipline.
Havent heard from a certain Mr. Henderson for a long time. And that is good.
A chess journalist who was a plague.
By nature I am a flegmatic, but reading Mr. Henderson made me furious every time.
Mouth diarreah... reporting with never ending enchaining associations.. trying to be funny without talent... volumes of bubbles about other things than chess.
I think it was Ronald Reagan who retorted to a view-point of Walter Mondale in a TV-duel:
"Where is MEAT?".
Just that. The spectators want the meat.
Just the fact that you use a remark of Mr. Reagan, the man who had a vision thing, to make your point, i so much want to disagree with you.
And i do. Whether or not one gets what one expects from a story shouldn't be a reason to say it's garbage. i find Nigel's stories very nice, witty and well written, yet some people claim it shows he's not a journalist. Is that important? Doesn't bother me one bit.
But then, i do find traditional journalism to be a lot of hogwash. But i don't mean Mig, Mig's always writing well, though a lot of times i disagree.
I like Henderson reports, and all the stuff he tells beside chess, make for an interesting read. I miss him
Stany,
Don't get me wrong... the work is rewarding indeed.
Mig has a point, but let me share something. I was at the Calvia Olympiad last year and I arrived one week into the tournament. I was one day behind and despite me working hours and hours, I never caught up. I was across from Frederic Friedel of ChessBase and I said to him, "It's certainly is easier to cover events at home." He says, "Absolutely!" HOWEVER... there is no substitute for being onsite.
To be able to see the emotions of the players and to have access to the them is invaluable. I got to meet Anand briefly and to meet some other players, but what was really most impressive is to see the hard working journalists in that press room... amazing experience!! Yes... this was the controversial Olympiad where Azmaiparashvili was manhandled. I certainly agree with Mig though... much, much more can be done, but perhaps GM Short is enjoying himself too much.
As about your "instant" reports... well that's another story. (smile)
As for me, i rather read the witty and to the point reports of Nigel who is enjoying himself 'too much' than informative reports of someone who is 'working hard' and taking his work, not to mention himself, way too seriously.
i suppose i prefer a subjective angle of someone who has a vision than an objective angle of someone who just reports.
sacateca,
Well... certainly it is good that a chessplayer has such options!
A few little things to emend Stany's comments:
"In der Beschränkung..."
discipline
phlegmatic
There is an excellent term for mouth diarrhea: logorrhea.
I strictly recommend not to hold back until you earn enough cash to order different goods! You should get the loan or sba loan and feel yourself fine