It's blitz! Really. The August 22 Zurich exhibition with Kasparov, Polgar, Karpov, and Korchnoi, once announced as rapid, then shuffle, then rapid, is actually going to be 5'+2" blitz, double round-robin. That is, six rounds. Apparently the jubilee organizers wanted to hurry things along after finding out it could take over three hours to play three rapid games... Those old guys need breaks between games!
I think 5-2 blitz is just what the doctor ordered for Polgar. Should be a fun exhibition to watch.
Polgar, Karpov and Korchnoi are extremely string blitz players, therefore I only expect a massive Kasparov victory.. :-)
Such fast time control events of traditional chess do not generate interesting games for the chess public to then replay or study.
Chess soars over every other sport in that its individual games live on being replayed for generations. Someone who replays the gamescore of a Spassky-Korchnoi 1971 game is like a "spectator". Every day uncounted thousands of old chess games are re-spectated.
In pitiful contrast, does anybody care to watch say a 1982 NFL mid-season football game between the San Diego Chargers and the New York Jets? Nope.
Gene Milener
http://CastleLong.com/
I think I will have to take issue with the claim:
"Such fast time control events of traditional chess do not generate interesting games for the chess public to then replay or study."
I don't know how many times I've been studying some opening line and they quote a game first introduced on playchess or ICC. They don't tend to be some tremendous struggle for the most part, but I don't think Kasparov has any particular reason not to spring a few novelties if he, as he claims, is done with chess except for exhibitions.
sorry, but I can't believe Korchnoi is that good at blitz anymore.
Kasparov +4
Polgar +1
Karpov even
Korchnoi -5
Easy question: who is the odd one out??
Ans: Polgar
[ youngest, only mom, only one without 'K' in her name, only one who hasn't been a WC finalist... ]
Karpov - Korchnoi and Karpov - Kasparov rivalry are well known.... quite an interesting bunch... representing diff generations... perhaps they could've invited a still younger gen (under 20) too...
"The perfect is the enemy of the good." --Voltaire
Given that
--Kasparov his retired from playing long games
--three great old warriors will be brought together once again across a chessboard
--the event is free to us
is there really any good reason to rain on this parade?
Garry should win this one easily. After all not like he hasn't been practicing against Moro on playchess.com all summer. Oops did I say that?
It seems like the organisers are making up new rules for the event on a whim whenever they feel like it.
Perhaps they should organise the next WCC cycle! :)
I am sure all the players preferred 5 minute games. I am also sure they get paid the same amount. so why work harder on a longer game. get paid the same for a 5 minute game.
I would think the organizer talked to the participants and everyone agreed to the 5 minute format.
this is intended to be an exhibition match. publicity for the sponsor and fun for the players. of course with the prestige everyone wants to win while having a good time.
Kaspy just might be a little rusty. never know. but he has to be the favorite to win.
Joshua Gutman (8/17 13:59) wrote:
"...studying some opening line and they quote a game first introduced on playchess or ICC."
Good point. Blitz is known as a testing ground for interesting opening novelties, some of which then transfer to long time controls.
Gene M, "does anybody care to watch say a 1982 NFL mid-season football game between the San Diego Chargers and the New York Jets?"
Let's not get ridiculous here. Of course people watch those games. That's how networks like ESPN classic get all their viewers. People who find things about the old games to admire. Some techniques never go out of style. That is true for all sports.
In contrast, if there were a chess classic network, would they be playing games from the 7th Russian metalworkers qualifier of 1937? Probably not.
The real problem with TV and chess is that there is too much hapenning for the audience to understand. Well, at least for me to understand. That's why I have a hard time following games without some kind of commentary, or a computer program.
I love chess. I wish I could play it better, but I am happy just to be able to play.
Now if somebody could tell me how to use Fritz to improve my chess. That would be great.
Now if somebody could tell me how to use Fritz to improve my chess. That would be great.
Posted by: runnerpadilla at August 17, 2006 22:20
Easy - throw it in the bin and use books instead...
Using Fritz *correctly* requires tremendous discipline, to be sure. Most people will just get lazy and use it as a crutch.
It used to be that I would rush to Fritz after very game I played to use it for analysis, with the idea of doing my own analysis later.
Now I try to analyze the game with my oponent if possible or jut myself if that is not possible. I use Friz later to check for tactics.
Untill you get your rating to about 2100 all you need is tactics. (I am 1800)
Fritz and other engines are only good for tactics.
It's definitely not true that "until you get to about 2100 all you need is tactics." In fact Lev Alburt published a column a year or so ago whose title was, "Does it pay for 1200 players to study endgames?" His answer, convincingly documented by the analysis of a K+P ending sent in by a reader with a 1200-something rating, was "Yes."
Now, while even 1800 players (hell, even 1200 players) need some strategy and some endgame knowledge, it might well be that, for an 1800 who already possesses the understanding of strategy and endgame knowledge typical for players of that class, the marginal payoff from studying tactics exceeds that from trying to augment his strategic or endgame understanding.
While that isn't quite what Jason said, it may be what he meant. If so, I won't dispute the point (although I think at least some authorities on chess instruction would).
As for how to use Fritz to improve, the programs do include various training features, sample positions to play out, comment features, and the like. I haven't used them, so I can't really comment about their value.
I have used Fritz at great length to analyze games -- my own and others'. I believe the key to getting value when using Fritz for analysis is, to not blindly accept whatever the program spits out, but always strive to combine your own insights with the program's insights and reach some kind of synthesis.
Here's what I mean. Let's say Fritz evaluates a key position in the game you are analyzing as, say, +0.93, giving a main line of, say, 16 plies deep. But in that situation, I often find that the final position in the main line doesn't look at all like +0.93 to me. When I then enter all the moves to reach that position, keeping the engine turned on, Fritz then looks ahead from there. And lo and behold, as a result of its further analysis, the evaluation might switch from +0.93 to +0.43 -- or even minus-0.43!
Even more common is this: while looking through Fritz's main line, I find a move in that line that looks to me not best for one side or the other.
Since White comes out with a clear edge (i.e., "+0.93") in the hypothetical case I'm considering at the moment, let's assume the move that doesn't look right is one of Black's moves in the main line. So I go ahead and input what I feel is a better move for Black at that point -- and voila, after 30 seconds or so the evaluation shifts to minus-0.62 -- or sometimes minus-3.45 !
Does this make Fritz useless for analysis? Of course not. It's actually a good thing, because it means all those 1400-players who kibitz live games second-guessing GM commentators by saying things like, "Fritz says White is +0.93 after 27.Bg4," are likely to be right no better than half the time. In fact I'd estimate a non-titled kibitzer using Fritz would probably be right no more than 10% of the time if his opinion about a particular position in a live game conflicts with the GM commentator's opinion.
What it does mean is that if you want Fritz to work for you, you must be willing to work with it -- not just sit back and suck up everything it says, without question.
Kind of the same way you'd work with a human coach. But better: Fritz is less likely to be offended if you point out another line, even a better line, than its first choice.
Is touch move in effect? I hope Garri brushes up on the rule before his rematch against Judit.
Someone should definitely videotape the games and then post them on youtube or something.