April is suddenly a big chess month. The first of the new (classical!) Grand Prix tournaments begins Sunday. (The first round is probably Monday.) There is a clean template site up, committing the cardinal sin of putting up nav items without content. (Here there will be games! Here there will be interviews!) But at least it's not covered with Flash like most of the Spanish sites and doesn't batter you with sound, like the homepage of this year's European Individual Championship. Turn your volume off before you go if you're at work.
The Baku Grand Prix participants: Magnus Carlsen (2765), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2752), Teimour Radjabov (2751), Peter Svidler (2746), Sergey Karjakin (2732), Michael Adams (2729), Gata Kamsky (2726), Alexander Grischuk (2716), Etienne Bacrot (2705), Ivan Cheparinov (2695), Wang Yue (2689), Ernesto Inarkiev (2684), Vugar Gashimov (2679), David Navara (2672). That's a 2715 average rating. And that's three local Azerbaijani players from the 14. Rather shocking to see Carlsen as the top seed, isn't it? Amazing he's already #5 in the world.
Does that make him the favorite in this tough event, however? Will Svidler's Bunratty Massacre help him shake off his family-man apathy? Will Grischuk and Bacrot stop playing five-card stud long enough to be studs at the chessboard? Are Kamsky's openings up to the scrutiny? Will Cheparinov step out of Topalov's shadow with a breakout performance? Will the event site put up a schedule so we know when the first round is and when the two rest days are? My three picks are Kamsky, Carlsen, and Radjabov. Mamedyarov never seems to show much when he's up against the big boys so it will be interesting to see him playing at home as one of the top seeds.
Meanwhile, over in Plovdiv, and give yourself a hot cup of bob chorba if you know where that is without looking it up, the first round of the 11-round European Championship also begins on Monday. There are 71 players rated 2600 or higher, #71 being my latest Facebook friend, Erwin L'Ami. (I'm going to stick with Scrabulous in his case.) First prize is a tasty 15,000 euros, which is roughly a million dollars. Why don't China and Saudi Arabia just buy the US wholesale in one go and get it over with? Movsesian is the top seed of this incredibly strong event that sends 22 players to the next World Cup, the winner of which challenges for the world championship, probably after playing Topalov.
The second seed in Plovdiv is Spain's Paco Vallejo, who may have trouble in his first round game no matter whom he faces. He just knocked out Shirov in the first round of the Dos Hermanas rapid, meaning he'll have to face either Topalov or Polgar in the Dos Hermanas final on Sunday and then hustle to Bulgaria for the first round Monday. That's 2677.1km to make the 14:30 start time when the fourth game of the final won't end before 19:00 Spanish time, not including tiebreaks! Vallejo said he has let the Plovdiv organizers know he might be late if the logistics don't work out. Don't miss the spectacular 2nd Shirov-Vallejo game, btw. Shirov arrived tired from the Russian Team Ch but said that shouldn't take anything away from Vallejo's win.
Why don't China and Saudi Arabia just buy the US wholesale in one go and get it over with?
They did a few years ago.
I remember reading in azerisport.com that the first round starts on Monday, and I also read somewhere that the opening ceremony will be held on Sunday.
Hardy Berger, maybe because Israel already got there first?
"... 15,000 euros, which is roughly a million dollars ..."
Is it so? My, my ... What has world come too ...
Let me ask something I don't understand yet. Where the so-called "Grand Slam" enters into this? Whta is the relation among the two of them (the Grand Prix and the Grand Slam?). The system is so confuse that I think none of the participants is thinking in this series of tournaments as a way to play for the world championship, but just as series of tournaments that look good from the monetary point of view, so they just participate, get some rating points, but after Anand-Kramnik' match in Bonn, the system to decide the world champion will surely change
The first round is on Monday indeed, - here's the schedule:
http://grandprix.fide.com/gp-schedule.html
Btw I agree that putting up nav items without content is a sin, but last year's material got lost somehow. ;-)
@Sandorchess
There's no connection to the Grand Slam. The Grand Prix is part of the (very confusing) Wch cycle and the Grand Slam is just a new thing of some major tournaments joining forces - all the more confusing, but in the end not too bad for chess I think.
I understand that participating in these FIDE events gives a lot of money but, except for that, I much prefer tournaments such as Wijk aan Zee or even smaller tournaments, like ones we have in Spain... FIDE´s system is just too obscure and confuse.
Too confusing? For the love of baby Caissa, do you even try to understand?
1) There are 6 round-robin tournaments, each with 14 contestants out of a pool of 21. The player with the best overall score, determined by Grand Prix points is Semifinalist #1
2) There is one big single-elimination tournament (Also called 'World Cup'). Winner of that tournament is Semifinalist #2
3) The Semifinalists play a match against each other. Winner gets to challenge the reigning World Champion
4) Repeat at 1) every two years.
Smooth and stable system. Also, anyone has a chance to participate (World Cup spots can be gained at the open continental championchips).
umm.. shouldn't there be *four* semifinalists ?
yes, definitely too confusing :)
If this system gets to work as a stable 2-year cyclus, some players will have to make some tough career choices. Take the Grand Prix winner, for example:
When he knows (by the end of 2009) that he is the GP winner, he will have one or possibly two tough matches ahead of him in 2010. First against the World Cup winner, then (he hopes) against the World Champion. At this point, before he knows the outcome, he will have to decide whether or not to play in the 2010/2011 Grand Prix. If he chooses to, he already has most of 2010 booked. Maybe he won't be able the prepare as he should for the WC match. If he chooses not to, and he doesn't become champion, he won't have another shot at the title until 2014.
The same choice is up for the World Cup winner and the champion - can you imagine a World Champion planning his comeback even before he has lost his title? If, for example, Anand is the reigning champion and loses the title to Carlsen in 2010, and he hasn't signed up for the GP as a backup, then Anand will be out of the 2010/2012 cycle.
I think it's complicated AND flawed.
Agreed; it's not so much complicated as bonkers.
"umm.. shouldn't there be *four* semifinalists ?"
Don't worry...by the time that FIDE gets to that phase in the Cyclem there will be 4!:
The World Champion (Kramnik or Anand)
The Winner of the Grand Prix
The Winner of the World Cup
AND a Wildcard Semi-Finalist designated by Silvio Danailov. You can guess who that will be.
"If he chooses to, he already has most of 2010 booked. Maybe he won't be able the prepare as he should for the WC match. If he chooses not to, and he doesn't become champion, he won't have another shot at the title until 2014.
The same choice is up for the World Cup winner and the champion - can you imagine a World Champion planning his comeback even before he has lost his title? If, for example, Anand is the reigning champion and loses the title to Carlsen in 2010, and he hasn't signed up for the GP as a backup, then Anand will be out of the 2010/2012 cycle."
I don't think that committing to play an extra 3 Tournaments per year will adversely impact their preparation for a World Championship Match. The problem for Anand is that he would prefer to play in more lucrative events such as Linares, Wijk aan Zee, etc. Those offer substantial appearance fees. Grand Prix events probably offer modest appearance fees, and the prixe fund is too modest to interest the Elite players.
Even is a player took clear 1st in 4 Events, thereby winning the Overall Grand Prix to boot, he would only stand to earn (4 x E30,000)+ E75,000= 195,000 Euros.
That's practical Pin money for an Anand or a Kramnik. The whole point of the system is to coerce the Elite players into participating, where they will be playing chess for a fairly modest fee.
When it has suited them, both Anand and Kramnik have opted to compete in FIDE KO tournaments before. Indeed, Anand would always have reasonable chances of winning the FIDE World Cup, which is an "all-in one" path to a Candidates' Match, which would only cost him the time needed to participate in one event, rather than 4
Place
Euros
GP Points
1st
30,000
140 points + 40 bonus
2nd
22,500
130 points + 20
3rd
20,000
120 points + 10
4th
15,000
110 points
5th
12,500
100 points
6th
11,000
90 points
7th
10,000
80 points
8th
8,500
70 points
9th
7,500
60 points
10th
6,000
50 points
11th
5,500
40 points
12th
5,000
30 points
13th
4,500
20 points
14th
4,000
10 points
Total
162,000
7.3 Accumulated Prize Fund
10 prizes will be awarded from the minimum accumulated prize fund of 300,000 (Euros) as follows :
Overall Place Accumulated Prize (Euros)
1st 75,000
2nd 50,000
3rd 40,000
4th 30,000
5th 25,000
6th 20,000
7th 18,000
8th 16,000
9th 14,000
10th 12,000
300,000 (total)
DOug,
How much is price pool for corus and how much Anand get appearance fee there ?
I think the internet is drunk.
I dig the shuffling thread effect. Hopefully in ten days the Grad Prix! Euro Ch! topic can be at the top of the page again.
x
poux ilia
poux ilia
Could anybody clarify if FIDE still have "Champion Challenger" Rule ?
Is it live or abandoned officially ?
Or is it grey area today?
Morozevich refused to Play GPrix (so as Anand, Topalov and Kramnik).
Question: if anybody above (~2750-Kasparov suggestion) is still able to challenge reigning World Champion. In my opinion this rule should not be abandoned. Moreover, with "on-going professionalization of Chess" and more interest to chess this rule should be further developed rather then abandoned. It should be formalized now with time-windows of opportunities and enforced up to the point that refusing WCH should be dethroned by just refusing to play "Challenger Match"
Certainly players who are backed up by strong managers like Topalov and Radjabov will benefit from this (as well as chess community).
Another issues here - chess community should not allow real appearing chess talent linger in weak tournaments and never be able to challenge WChs.
For example, for me, it is perfectly fair, if Morozevich can find $1M for a match, he should be able to challenge reigning WCh.
The same for others. If we have a very stroong players who win everyone and everybody (whether it is Movsesian now, Nakamura tomorrow, any Chinese Super GMs, or any other Wonderboy or Wondergirl) they should be able to challenge Wch.
FIDE should work on establishing plank (whether it is 2750 best 10, best 15 or best 20)and rule for submitting "Challenge". We should not have WCH idling a year from now on. It is huge time on chess scale. Both becausue of computer advancement and appearance a lot of really talented players.
Speaking again about WCH Challenge in-between of established Grand Prix event.
Everyone should remember how both Karpov and Kasparov qualified for World Championship. They had a chance virtually by accident.
They were both growing players. Karpov was saying "it is not my cycle". Kasparov was put on tournament by accident because people disregard to some extent that it was "for adult".
There should be always a chance for world title aside Grand Prix for strong upstarts.
Also remember- how long strongest and brightest Tal and Fisher were at the peak ?
Now think about 4 years ahead- some strong players missed this window of GrPrix. When they jump into the next they might be not in the best form.