Carlsen-Caruana Chess World Championship

[Peter_Spaeth]

Perhaps somewhere, Robert James Fischer is looking up (I assume) with contempt.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Perhaps somewhere, Robert James Fischer is looking up (I assume) with contempt.

No doubt Fischer is looking up. He earned his place in hell with his anti-semitic rants

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

No doubt Fischer is looking up. He earned his place in hell with his anti-semitic rants

He was already mentally unwell, it seems, at his peak. Amazing piece by the way, must reading.

http://www.thestacksreader.com/the-day-bobby-blew-it/

A priceless line: He wears a business suit about as naturally as a python wears a necktie.

[mark evans]

Thanks, Peter. Good story.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I know very little about chess, but I followed the game for a while just now and was disappointed to see Carlsen agree to a draw after just 31 moves when it seemed he was starting to press the attack and perhaps had an advantage. In the hour or more I followed it, I did not see a single piece captured. I assume that's unusual. Caruana just seemed to be making nothing moves hoping to survive, although I don't know enough to judge. I imagine by chess standards this was extremely boring and even pathetic. Certainly the posters commenting on the site I was watching were disgusted.

[barrysloate]

The 12th and final game just ended in a draw.

With all due respect, the game started out sharply with both players fighting for a win. Fabiano had an early advantage, but let it slip as Magnus developed a very strong attack. He wavered a little, and then without warning offered Fabiano a draw. Apparently he actually said he would have a big advantage in the tiebreaker and expected to beat Caruana. Very strange ending for sure.

Wednesday they play four games, 25 minutes each per player, and if that ends 2-2 they will play a long series of 5 minute blitz games until someone wins.

In Carlsen's long career, he has never lost a tiebreaker. Wednesday should be interesting.

[Arazi4442]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The 12th and final game just ended in a draw.

With all due respect, the game started out sharply with both players fighting for a win. Fabiano had an early advantage, but let it slip as Magnus developed a very strong attack. He wavered a little, and then without warning offered Fabiano a draw. Apparently he actually said he would have a big advantage in the tiebreaker and expected to beat Caruana. Very strange ending for sure.

Wednesday they play four games, 25 minutes each per player, and if that ends 2-2 they will play a long series of 5 minute blitz games until someone wins.

In Carlsen's long career, he has never lost a tiebreaker. Wednesday should be interesting.

No matter how the tiebreak ends up, I'm sad to say I was pretty disappointed in this world title match. Magnus looking to cement his status as the best ever vs. the first American challenger in nearly a half century. If they had traded hyper aggressive wins or even if they both took chances and Magnus wiped the floor with Fabiano, it could have gotten much more attention.

Like waiting 4 years for a Super Bowl game and it's decided in OT by a FG contest.

[barrysloate]

I was just watching the grandmasters moderating the match do an analysis of the position. In almost every line, Magnus had a winning game. Yet he decided to offer Fabiano a draw, when Fabiano was in very bad time pressure (which of course makes it harder to find a successful defense). None of them understood why he did not press on to victory.

When Carlsen was shown all his winning lines in the post game analysis, he apparently responded "I don't care." A great mystery to me.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He was already mentally unwell, it seems, at his peak. Amazing piece by the way, must reading.

http://www.thestacksreader.com/the-day-bobby-blew-it/

A priceless line: He wears a business suit about as naturally as a python wears a necktie.

I finally read the article Peter, thanks for the link. I always knew how hard it was to get Bobby to go to Iceland, but never read that much detail about it. I always thought he was afraid of losing.

His mental problems continued when the match started. He lost game one on a silly blunder, and forfeited game two when he refused to play. He claimed his chair was bugged with microphones, and there were cameras hidden in the florescent lights. His entourage thought he was having a breakdown and were ready to give up on the match.

After a few days he calmed down, and when he sat down for game three he proceeded to play some of the best chess ever seen. Over the final nineteen games he won seven times and only lost once. That is an enormous margin for players of that caliber.

It was also the last competitive chess he ever played. He never played another serious game for the rest of his life.

[Peter_Spaeth]

He was supposed to play Karpov in 1975 but his conditions were rejected.

He played Spassky in 1992. It was not for a title, but I think most people would consider it a serious match.

[barrysloate]

The 1992 match was an exhibition and not sanctioned. Fischer was 49 and Spassky was in his mid-50's, and the chess they played was mediocre. It was also what got Fischer banned from ever returning to the United States. IIRC, it was played in Yugoslavia and Americans weren't allowed there. The whole match was kind of sad as it reminded Fischer's fans of how he wasted his talents.

[barrysloate]

Magnus Carlsen won the first game of the tiebreaker and leads 1-0.