Levon Aronian showed his class by winning this year's super-strong Melody Amber tournament. This was his second win in a row, achieved with neat symmetry with a share of first in both the rapid and blindfold on 7/11. That's a half-point less than his combined score last year. Trailing by a half-point were Anand and Kramnik, who took very different paths on the final day of action. Anand reached the infamous "Halley's Comet" endgame against Wang Yue in the blindfold. The defunct American magazine Inside Chess had an article on two knights versus pawn and gave it that name because you should only see it once in your lifetime. It's a very difficult endgame to win even if you've worked on it for some reason (insomnia?) and Anand couldn't pull it off blindfold. Aronian somehow managed to draw his blindfold game with Topalov and then took a short draw in the rapid. Anand's rapid win over Wang Yue wasn't enough to catch the Armenian. Topalov accepted a repetition in a position where he's still completely winning. He must have "seen" some ghosts with the b3 pawn that scared him away from 45.Kd6.
Kramnik had been lurking for a while but not looking his best. Today, however, he gave Peter Leko a taste of the lash in a 2-0 rout that put him on the podium when Carlsen could only split with Radjabov. In yesterday's 10th round Kramnik beat Carlsen 1.5-0.5 thanks to a roll with black in the blindfold. Kramnik even trotted out the Sicilian to beat Leko today in a game with a nice exchange sac and pretty mating net at the finish. Carlsen tired in the stretch, getting his queen trapped by Radjabov in the blindfold. Things like a major piece being run out of squares are extremely visual and often missed in regular games unless you're actively looking for them. The Norwegian did win his final game, bouncing back in the rapid with a deceptively simple plan against Black's queenside structure.
Karjakin had a poor event but must have been happy to break his hoodoo against countryman Ivanchuk with a 2-0 beating on the final day. The Corus winner was getting hammered as usual in the rapid but hung tough and won when Ivanchuk totally fell apart. Somewhat oddly Karjakin won with R+B vs Q in both games. Kamsky was clearly at sea in the blindfold, finishing last, but his rapid score, equal first with Anand and Aronian, showed his hierarchy. If anyone thinks his World Cup win was a fluke they will be proven wrong if they haven't been already. Wang Yue finished a distant last in the combined standings, ending an incredibly busy and tough stretch for a relative newcomer to the elite scene. Olympiad, Nanjing Grand Prix, Corus, Linares, Amber. 50 classical games in around four months. At least he won't lose any rating points from this outing. Radjabov also played that same set of events, btw. The Chinese #1 will be back at M-Tel in May.
Looks like Topalov intentionally accepted the draw in a winning position to prevent Anand and Kramnik to share 1st.
I thought so. Surly not by taking a conscious decision. But assuming that decisions can be taken consciously is a human illusion anyway :-)
Congratulations to Aronian! Actually the second year in a row he wins both categories.
No matter how much I despise Topalov, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in this case. He says he thought the Black rook was on f2 (and consequently e2 when it goes to the e-file), and that is not so hard to believe given all the blindfold gaffes that happen. In this case neither 43.Kd6 nor 44.Kg6 works.
Great success by Aronian of course you need some luck but thats the same for everyone. Can he go on and become a WCC challenger? Having Kamsky seeded into the challengers on the basis of an irrelevant and outdated world cup performance is not going to help him. Kamsky rated 17 places below Aronian on the live ratings .... I never thought Kamskys world cup victory was a fluke but I dont think doing well in the rapids is significant - any one of the top 30 could have turned in this performance its not a reliable indicator for classical form - good performance in the rapids though.
Certainly doing well in rapid is more significant than doing well in rapid blindfold..
I agree with the others. Topalov totally threw the last two games on purpose to let Aronian win.Disgustingly underhanded. I wish they could remove him from events for that bs. a draw in a winning position? A 17 move draw without even trying?
Mig said, "Kamsky was clearly at sea in the blindfold, finishing last, but his rapid score, equal first with Anand and Aronian, showed his hierarchy."
Shouldn't the last word be "pedigree" or "mettle" or "class" or "talent", etc., rather than "hierarchy".
I love videos. In one of the videos of the interview of Gata Kamsky in the last Amber I herd he says : "I don't play that long spanish (bulls**t) torture games? That is probably not exactly what he said, but I need help. English is not my first language (esay to note it). I was scared Gata said a bad word on camara.
Rafael Llanos.
¨Pedigree¨ is more for animals , why hierarchy sounds so bad to you?
It's incorrect in this context. It should be sth like "his place in the hierarchy" if he really wants to use it. But, heck, I like Mig, I'll allow him two more errors before I release the hounds.
thx, cat
Kamsky's exact words (as quoted by Chessvibes, but I also heard it on chess.fm):
"I wanted to show that I can also play Sicilians, instead of some Spanish torturing manoeuvring b****.”
So yes he was swearing, and one blogger keeps criticizing Chessvibes for quoting it without censorship. But actually, he is well known for his Spanish manoeuvring games.
BTW, somehow I cannot imagine a similar quote by Kramnik on his last-round game against Leko: "I played the Sicilian because I got tired of the Petroff" - so far it's plausible ... .
Kramnik also played Sicilian when he needed the full point with black, in the match vs. that computer.
Kramnik, last round, with black, and needing a win, will play Sicilian. Even Mr. Petroff Drawme Berlin can get frisky.
"Topalov totally threw the last two games on purpose to let Aronian win.Disgustingly underhanded. I wish they could remove him from events for that bs. a draw in a winning position? A 17 move draw without even trying?"
Your first point's already addressed in my first comment. The short draw was not his only one in the tournament (he also played a 17-move draw against Anand and a 19-move draw with the Petroff against Radjabov.. and for that matter he played another Petroff but lost with it to Karjakin), and he didn't have anything to play for anyway (in such situations he has agreed to early last-round draws before as well, even when he has been fighting hard in general throughout the tournament).
I think he was joking.
That's possible. I don't know. I've seen others say pretty much the same thing apparently being serious. And it's not like I would be utterly shocked if they turned out to be right.
Poor acirce, clueless as usual. How's life in the police state btw?
Sigh... Go troll somebody else, d_whatever.
Sure, I am the troll. You keep digging away for a hit from your relentless topalov bashing. Good luck, may the police stay away from you.will
Sure, I am the troll. You keep digging away for a hit from your relentless topalov bashing. Good luck, may the police stay away from you.
Sure, I am the troll. You keep digging away for a hit from your relentless topalov bashing. Good luck, may the police stay away from you.
We don't need ya, thanks.
I'm actually always surprised by how *little* top chessplayers swear.
You guys crack me up -- you apparently suffer from an acute case of
Topa-phobia. You see Topa even where he doesn't exist. So according to
the Topa-paths here, if he wins, he's despised. If he loses, he's a
demon. He just had a totally average performance at Amber and you
still put him on the top of the headlines. Jeez, Danailov really
created a monster that scares the geeks...
Let's see, you "give him the benefit of the doubt", as if Topalov had
some kind of clairvoyant powers to know one round before the end how
Kramnik, Anand and whomever else would do, so that to offer a personal
gift to Aronian. And as a gift, why not just lose the first game and
settle it all? But why would he give it away exactly to Aronian? Is he
a cousin of his, or something??? And it's not like Aronian hasn't won
this Tournament before? And it's not like Topalov hasn't blundered
before, particularly in the blind games. Anyway, you guys need a
shrink. Hey acirce, I thought you're smarter than that, but I see I've
been wrong. Does Topalov scare you at night? Do you see Danailov in
your nightmares chasing you around the room in cold sweat? But if you
think that Topalov has such superpowers then more power to him...
D.
Topalov asserts that he played better than Kramnik at Elista, but lost nonetheless, because Kramnik was aided in some unknown way by FSB agents who weren't very good chessplayers.
And then there's VT writing "Urinoir" on the scoresheet of a game with Kramnik.
Anyone capable of such bizarre accusations and conduct is certainly worth keeping an eye on and probably deserves to be "doubted" more than the average Joe. The best that this odd character can hope for is the benefit of the doubt, which in this case he probably deserves.
Dimi, it is not about Aronian is his cousin, it is about Kramnik being his enemy and this guy can do anything to not let Kramnik winning.
Hey Greg, it's Amber 2009 and you still regurgitate E**** 2006. I
thought there was a deal not to mention that name for a month. Now I
think there should be a permanent ban on talking about that stuff
unless in a dedicated thread. Degenerate minds will always find a way
to do a U turn back in time and I think at this point it's not even
amusing. It does lower the level of the forum.
Anil, Topalov today had two draws with Aronian. See, unlike Leko,
Topalov didn't even drop a game. Now, if that still tickles your mind
towards a conspiracy theory then you really need to consult a
specialist.
You guys made an utterly forgettable performance by Topalov feel
unforgettable... Could it be that Danailov is paying you for creating
noise around Topalov? Anyway, you still scare me. The idea that
Topalov got into a winning position against Aronian (which hasn't been
very often in blind) and then just made a theatrical blunder to a draw
because he thought of VK. is somewhat schizophrenic to even consider.
D.
And you also show a great disrespect towards Aronian. He doesn't need
handouts to win a Tournament.
D.
Dear Greg:
Isn´t it ironic to hear people complain about something that the Sofia rules could have prevented?
"Degenerate minds"
Dimi, where did you learn this kind of wording?
Danailov?
I respect Topalov very much as a chessplayer. When I heard his interview after the very last official game with Kasparov I really became a fan of his modest and friendly attitude.
Topalovs greatest handicap are "friends" like Dimi and Silvio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_W3NF4CEqI&feature=PlayList&p=FBFCE71D8E933F3A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=21
That interview is awesome , i mentioned here in another discussion but didnt give the link , thx.
"Let's see, you "give him the benefit of the doubt", as if Topalov had some kind of clairvoyant powers to know one round before the end how Kramnik, Anand and whomever else would do"
Yep, advanced clairvoyant powers were needed to see that Kramnik, playing one of the early blindfold games, had already won to get within half a point of Aronian. (Though of course Topalov and his camp have long since forgotten any old animosities, so you're probably right that he didn't notice) Before the final game Topalov no doubt had no idea that a quick draw would guarantee Aronian clear first place ahead of Anand and Kramnik.
The funniest part of the comments here is that Acirce genuinely did defend Topalov... and got attacked for it. Sorry, scrap that: the funniest thing is a Danailov associate accusing others of coming up with outrageous conspiracy theories :)
Is not Topalovs fault if the rule that prevents short draws is not used in this tournament.
Especially when he is the first to promote the use of that rule and has even won awards because of his fighting spirit.
It is disgusting to hear people complain when they get what they asked.
In spanish that is called ¨ser la gata Flora¨ and its definition is rude enough to avoid posting it here.
>Yep, advanced clairvoyant powers were needed to see that Kramnik,
>playing one of the early blindfold games, had already won to get
>within half a point of Aronian.
Then why did Topalov even got himself into a winning position, you
moron? He could have lost right away and then you might have had a
point. He could have drawn quickly and then you might have had a
point. But the way the game was played demonstrates that a bunch of
Kramnik-schizophrenics need to be sent to an asylum for recuperation.
There playing Chess can help - something like learning to consider
moves 1, 2, and even 3 for advanced retards like you can help to draw
a more realistic picture of the Universe.
D.
First, the whole issue was not about "helping Aronian", but about hurting Kramnik.
That being said: Along with acirce, I give Topalov the 'benefit of doubt' for the blindfold game (and even this statement is tongue-in-cheek). But I am pretty sure that he would have been more motivated for the rapid game [and that already starts with the opening choice] in any other situation: certainly if the opponent was Kramnik rather than Aronian, presumably also if the game was irrelevant for the overall standings. And Manu, I don't see your point about the Sofia rule: maybe the main proponent of that rule could (or even should) feel bound to it even when it is not enforced on everyone else?
@Dimi:
"unlike Leko, Topalov didn't even drop a game."
Now comes an insult to Leko, as if he had blundered (on purpose?) in his games against Kramnik. No, he was convincingly outplayed twice. Of course, two things aren't new at all from Topalov fans:
1) reacting to insults against Topalov (and it doesn't matter if those are at all justified) by insulting other people
2) showing disrespect for Kramnik
¨maybe the main proponent of that rule could (or even should) feel bound to it even when it is not enforced on everyone else?¨
Maybe the people who consider short draws such a nice outcome for a game could be a little more realistic on what they ask to a great fighter?
Remember that Topa said that it was a relax situation and that you cannot give 100 percent all the time .
The guy had his head somewhere else , who can blame him?
He has a world championship match ahead of him ...
Unlike other players that i dont want to mention
;)
Haha. acirce tried to defend Topalov? How dumb do you think the readers of this blog are? Most can recognise calculated trolling. As in defaming and insulting Topalov is not actually defending him. If you are still struggling try this on for size: "Kramnik is a lily livered scumbag who's fully capable of cheating but I believe he did not cheat in the one instance of Elista." If I say that, I am NOT defending Kramnik, I am trolling.
"Maybe the people who consider short draws such a nice outcome for a game ..."
Whom do you mean? Maybe Kramnik, but actually he didn't even participate in the current discussion (nor did he criticize Topalov - at the present occasion in the given context). BTW, did you look at Kramnik's blindfold games in the meantime? Would you agree with me that his wins weren't at all boring?
[Cross-posting from what I just wrote at Chessvibes:] You wrote before that Topalov's result isn't that important because the tournament isn't ELO-rated, and Topalov hinted the same in his Chessbase/Europe Echecs interview. This can be considered a pragmatic (professional?) approach, but it can also be interpreted as sort of an insult against the organizers ... . In my opinion, it would have been more polite to simply say "OK, I [Topalov] am not as good in blindfold and rapid games."
"He has a world championship match ahead of him ..."
Stating the obvious: The same holds for another Amber participant, no need to mention his name ,:) . But some people still hold his poor Bilbao result against him, when match preparation was a valid and legitimate excuse.
Saying you despise a player (Topalov, Kramnik, or whoever) and believes him capable of doing unethical things is not trolling, it's simply stating an opinion.
Now you'll get something to work with though.
Eyal on chessgames.com pointed out to me that really sounds more odd than I had thought if he had believed the rook to be on f2, since it had JUST AT THE VERY END OF THE GAME been moving back and forth e1-f1-e1-f1... and Topalov would have seen all those moves indicated on the monitor.
My source for Topalov believing the rook to be on f2 is Chessvibes: "Even at the very end White is winning of course, but there Topalov thought that Black’s rook was on f2 instead of f1. What can we say..." http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/levon-aronian-wins-18th-amber/ - and the video says the same thing.
If that is really what he said, I think I will change my mind -- it really looks suspicious.
Oh boy , you didnt understand the joke of boring/classic in my other post , i didnt corrected you because i felt it would be redundant.
You acusing me (or anyone ) of stating the obvious is too shocking , im sorry , im out of words for u.
BTW i never said anything about Vishy in Bilbao , im an e4 player and buddist , i think Vishy rocks.
Unlike other players that i dont want to mention
;)
"Then why did Topalov even got himself into a winning position, you moron?"
Dimi, I just pointed out your quote about "clairvoyance" was nonsense. I didn't comment on the game.
Oh Manu, I just thought you had calmed down a bit and there would be room for discussions without personal insults ... .
"i didnt corrected you because i felt it would be redundant"
I don't get the meaning of 'corrected' in this context, this may be an English language issue. Anyway, another interpretation would be "I (Manu) didn't want to admit that I was wrong ...".
"You acusing me (or anyone ) of stating the obvious is too shocking .... "
You didn't get my point - "stating the obvious" referred to what I wrote (next) and was sort of self-irony. Yet I considered it worthwhile mentioning that Topalov is not the only one with an upcoming world championship match in about a year's time [well, obvious again that 'this always takes two'].
"BTW i never said anything about Vishy in Bilbao ..."
This was also not specifically against you, but - unless I am wrong - Topalov himself said that a WCh match between players #5 and #6 (Anand-Kramnik) is irrelevant. However, Anand had fallen down on the ELO list after losing lots of rating points in Bilbao.
And BTW, the main point of my previous post was the second paragraph ... .
¨Oh Manu, I just thought you had calmed down a bit and there would be room for discussions without personal insults ... .¨
If get any more calm than this i fall into coma.
¨another interpretation would be "I (Manu) didn't want to admit that I was wrong ...".¨
Again , you didnt understand the joke , maybe is not within your reach , but watching the Southpark movie can help you .
¨You didn't get my point - "stating the obvious" referred to what I wrote (next) and was sort of self-irony.¨
That is too sad to be ironic.
¨And BTW, the main point of my previous post was the second paragraph ... .¨
Good to know, you should maybe rank your crap before showing them to the rest of the world.
I didnt answered that because your opinion about what is offensive for the organizers is preposterous enough and very different than theirs , so...
Do you know the organizers (personally)? Do you really think they appreciate comments as 'for me, your event is the least important one of the entire year'? Of course I exaggerate a bit to make my point clear ... .
And of course they will still invite Topalov next time - he is a strong player and attracting media attention. But any weaker player may well be "out" for such remarks. Quod licet Iovi non licet bovi - fair enough but still a bit strange.
More generally, we have different sorts of humour and irony and different opinions on what is "crap". Just a fact, and actually good to know - because if only one version would be around this blog may become boring.
What i will never understand is the (seemingly) organic need of some people here to defend their hero against every possible or impossible attack. It's not even debating things, it's just the need for a combat, troll-wise or whatever-wise. And neither do i understand the need to insult people. Let's say it wasn't such an important tournament and that some people will always find Topalov suspicious (even when he is!) and that yes, he is a great fighter, yes, he seems overzealous with Kramnik and with something wrong in his head (i mean, with his views too closed on his world, but heh, who doesn't) but here he wasn't at all at his best (neither chess-wise nor fighting-wise) for whatever the reason. Now, is it needed to prove one is not just too angry about people saying those bad, bad things about Topa by saying one is a budist? (just to prove one is not attacking Anand, even when one is, but Kramnik). I don't think so
Have fun, people, i love this blog
Alez
¨Do you know the organizers (personally)? Do you really think they appreciate comments as 'for me, your event is the least important one of the entire year'? Of course I exaggerate a bit to make my point clear ... .¨
Childish and idiotic statement, there is no need to put words in Topalovs mouth.
In fact if you listen to the interview he gave before Amber he praises the tournament and the organizers of it.
And this is it , last answer for a while , go get your ass kicked by someone else,Thomas.
¨Now, is it needed to prove one is not just too angry about people saying those bad, bad things about Topa by saying one is a budist? (just to prove one is not attacking Anand, even when one is, but Kramnik). I don't think so¨
I was just pointing a few of the many reasons why i like Vishy, what can be wrong with that?
I dont think i was attacking Kramnik , i already said he had a great tournament..
see u@.
Of course, he had a great tournament "unlike other players i don't want to mention". While i'm not sure if your personal agressive style is just your argentinian way of viewing things (by the way, River or Boca? :)) i think most of the time it's a bit out of place. Not that i have a personal problem, since the people mostly attacked don't seem to care too much, but still, it had to be said. Keep cheering for Topa, especially if you can manage to do so less agressively!
San Lorenzo would be the team , but im not interested in soccer that much.
I dont think my ¨style¨ (if im lucky to have one which i m not so sure , but thx anyway) has that much to do with where i came from , i travelled a lot.
I also dont consider it that agressive , it was more like the typical tease directed to the opponent team or something like that.
And when i quoted my self with the phrase: "unlike other players i don't want to mention". I was just playing with the fact that Kramnik was excluded from that pharagraph too.
It is very interesting that you find my posts particulary agressive ,when this thread is full with words like ¨despice¨ or ¨moron¨.
¨ Not that i have a personal problem, since the people mostly attacked don't seem to care too much, but still, it had to be said.¨
Keep cheering for your whatever you are cheering , especially if you manage to do it without such an obvious bias.
Two weeks in Nice. All expenses paid. Big prize fund. Great tournament.
Well i found your style, you found my bias. Now, if you can argument a little more, i would be grateful. As for your style, i don't care, it was more commenting than critizicing. I'm not cheering for anything, and i didn't intend to attack you personally, it was mostly cheering for your :) (not that i think you would need it) More in the theme of the post, it's not surprising Aronian won. He's very strong in such divided events and the relaxed atmosphere in the tournament goes well with him (he seems the most "relaxed" of the top players, not meaning non-serious by this)He is very strong, but i don't think he could win really strong, serious tournaments with the very top players. I think Topalov, Anand, Kramnik and Carlsen are more likely to do so. Still it's just my opinion and i would love Aronian to prove me wrong.
¨Now, if you can argument a little more, i would be grateful.¨
Sorry , maybe next time , but look around your profiling suggestions about my nationality and you will eventually hit something .
Oh, sorry if you felt profiled, it wasn't at all my intention, but as a spaniard, i know how argentinians live sport (well, not all of them, of course) I'm surprised however as to how you call it a joke when someone is offended by anything you posted and how quickly you react when feeling the slightest sting of an imaginary attack on yourself. I definitely wouldn't call such a thing profiling, but hey, each one gives his own measure
Sorry , can´t help you .
"He is very strong, but i don't think he could win really strong, serious tournaments with the very top players. I think Topalov, Anand, Kramnik and Carlsen are more likely to do so. Still it's just my opinion and i would love Aronian to prove me wrong"
As in for example Linares 2006, Corus 2007, Corus 2008 maybe :)
I dream of the day when Kramnik and Topalov may hold hands and walk through a beautiful meadow of flowers. The two doting fathers pushing strollers, one for baby Daria and the other for baby Ivan Cheparinov.