I'm four kinds of pie into the holidays this week and we haven't even had dinner yet. This is why cross-religious marriages should be encouraged. More holidays, more food, more presents. I hope everyone out there is having a good holiday season and end of 2008. Don't forget to start working on various "best of 2008" lists and your 2009 resolutions for next week's polls. Player of the year, game of the year, clutch performance, blunder, quote, Dirt comment, we'll have it all.
Meanwhile, in the chess equivalent of the North Pole, Elista, the Grand Prix played today and it was definitely not peace on earth and goodwill to pawns. Five of seven games were decisive, leaving a knot at the top of the table with Jakovenko, Radjabov, and Grischuk on 6.5/10 with three rounds to play.
Merry Christmas Ninja bloggers! And hey, how come I haven't seen anyone say the habitual "Chess nuts boasting by an open foyer" joke? Maybe I'm not looking in the right places.
Seth, ask and ye shall receive:
A group of chess enthusiasts had checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.
"But why?" they asked, as they moved off.
"Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all.
Mig: Enjoy the Miglet's first "holiday". Just wait a few year when you get to buy toys YOU will like just as much. My son is 5 and I HAD to buy him the Nerf machine gun - of course, I wouldn't think of playing with it myself...er...
Anyway, hold your family close and enjoy the chaos!
tanc,
You are a horrible person.
get a life koster, you troll even in holidays hehe
That wasn't trolling. He reacted to one of the oldest and worst puns on record.
Greg - well said.
Mig - Happy holidays 'n thanks for the ever-interesting blog.
We all know it's the worst pun around. That's what makes it so memorable. ;P
"He who would pun would pick a pocket."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pun
Google are now listening to Chess masters! (lol)
you guys are gonna love this video:
http://malcolmred.co.uk/
Radjabov played for the last round win versus Grischuk with his KID, but couldn't win the opposite bishop endgame with a pawn up. The GrandPrix has too many draws!
Elista had 65% draws (59/91). Wijk aan Zee (also 14 players) had 60/91 for 66%. I think Poikovsky had the highest draw percentage of the year at 69% (31/45).
Why don't they (meaning FIDE?) try to color-balance the Grand Prix? Radjabov has had an extra White in all 3 of his appearances. He was similarly lucky in Wijk aan Zee, to get 4 extra Whites for the year. Kamsky had three extra Blacks this year, two in the Grand Prix and one in the Tal Memorial.
"Why don't they (meaning FIDE?) try to color-balance the Grand Prix? Radjabov has had an extra White in all 3 of his appearances. He was similarly lucky in Wijk aan Zee, to get 4 extra Whites for the year"
That's not luck for Radjabov...