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The Chess News Thread

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Post by Father Dugal Wed Aug 03, 2016 11:35 am

If the news coverage of this year's depressing election cycle is getting you down (or just mainstream news in general), why not escape into the news feed featuring the game of kings? I can guarantee the news stories from chess stories and chess events in the world will not lead you into thinking that civilization as we know it may end in January of next year. Why not give it a chance?

So...chess events. We all know the Olympics are starting near the end of the week. What I'm sure you don't know is that Chess Olympiad is set to start right on the heels of the Rio game closing ceremonies on September 1st. This biannual event (held every other year) is run by FIDE when teams from 180 different countries come to compete. We can only hope the US men's team does better than last year, although the women's US team managed to crack the top ten list in the final standings. So, black out your calendars from September 1-14th and stop whatever it is you may be doing with your life and just watch chess. Beautiful chess matches you can just watch without feeling the pressure of needing to perform well. Just sit back and criticize the players for missing a chance or two after the fact.

Follow the events as they unfold on the Baku Chess Olympiad website. I mean heck, they even have their very own countdown clock. It don't get much classier than that.
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Post by Father Dugal Wed Aug 03, 2016 11:43 am

And if you can't wait for September, then here's a tournament that will happen a little sooner with some famous players from within and without the US...

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Post by Father Dugal Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:26 pm

Not that any of you would be interested in this (except for one), but here's how the players stand after four rounds of play in the 2016 Sinquefield Cup Tournament. Surprisingly, the USA is keeping pace with the top spots, which is odd for a chess tournament. Of course, nearly half the players in this leg of the Grand Chess Tour are American, so I'm sure that accounts for most of it—ballot-box stuffing at its finest.

Ranking after round 4

Rank Name Score Fed. M/F Rating TPR W-We 1 2 3 4
1 GM Aronian, Levon 2.5 ARM M 2792 2866 +0.38 ½ 1 ½ ½
2 GM So, Wesley 2.5 USA M 2771 2872 +0.54 1 ½ ½ ½
3 GM Anand, Viswanathan 2.5 IND M 2770 2888 +0.63 ½ 1 ½ ½
4 GM Topalov, Veselin 2.5 BUL M 2761 2887 +0.67 1 ½ ½ ½
5 GM Caruana, Fabiano 2.0 USA M 2807 2769 -0.21 ½ ½ ½ ½
6 GM Nakamura, Hikaru 2.0 USA M 2791 2768 -0.13 0 1 ½ ½
7 GM Ding, Liren 2.0 CHN M 2755 2776 +0.11 ½ ½ ½ ½
8 GM Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 1.5 FRA M 2819 2676 -0.81 ½ 0 ½ ½
9 GM Giri, Anish 1.5 NED M 2769 2697 -0.42 ½ 0 ½ ½
10 GM Svidler, Peter 1.0 RUS M 2751 2602 -0.76 0 0 ½ ½
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Post by Casey Mon Aug 08, 2016 7:13 pm

While saying this will make me a target of a McCarthy-era witch hunt, America has rarely shined in the chess-championship spotlight. With the extraordinary exceptions of Morphy and Fischer, we really have no one on the top tier pedestal. Even the Americans in your list above were foreign born, and moved here to earn more $$$.
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Post by Casey Mon Aug 08, 2016 7:18 pm

Correction: Caruana was American born, but played for Italy for a decade.
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Post by Father Dugal Tue Aug 09, 2016 3:02 pm

Even the Americans in your list above were foreign born, and moved here to earn more $$$.

Then it's the foreign countries fault for having a deflated GDP. The point is they're on American soil playing for the almighty force, which we call Team America. It's the team that's going to win, win, win no matter what. Except at chess and soccer.
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Post by Father Dugal Fri Aug 12, 2016 3:26 pm

This has got to be one of my favorite games played thus far in the Sinquefield Cup. This game happened in round 6, and by coincidence, featured the 2nd placed US player Wesley So playing against  first place holder, from Bulgaria, Vaselin Topalov.

I won't say anything more on this game until the collective chess audience (Jon) has said his piece or least watched the video.

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Post by Casey Mon Aug 15, 2016 3:59 pm

Geffert wrote:Then it's the foreign countries fault for having a deflated GDP.


Haha! Are you really blaming other countries for being poor, and for spending money on, say, food instead of chess?

Geffert wrote:The point is they're on American soil playing for the almighty force, which we call Team America.


I think you meant to say "the almighty dollar".

Geffert wrote:It's the team that's going to win, win, win no matter what. Except at chess and soccer.


Um. Yeah, pretty much. And cricket. And table tennis.
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Post by Casey Mon Aug 15, 2016 4:00 pm

Geffert wrote:This has got to be one of my favorite games played thus far in the Sinquefield Cup.


Okay not bad, but why is it your favorite? 'Cause someone actually used the en passant rule? Wink
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Post by Father Dugal Mon Aug 15, 2016 4:14 pm


I think you meant to say "the almighty dollar".

That's exactly what I mean. Team America means Team Dollar.

Okay not bad, but why is it your favorite? 'Cause someone actually used the en passant rule? Wink

Mostly because its one of the few games in the tournament that didn't end in a dead draw.
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Post by Father Dugal Mon Aug 15, 2016 4:24 pm

And who won the Sinquefield Cup? Solve this amusing puzzle and see if you can guess the answer!

The Chess News Thread Giphy

+

The Chess News Thread Tumblr_inline_nszuzjc2cV1rbu04k_500
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Post by Father Dugal Mon Aug 29, 2016 3:24 pm

It's only three days and a few hours from the Chess Olympiad...

Does the U.S. team of men and women have any chance of competing with the chess giants of the world this year? Casey says they don't have a prayer. I say there's hope―slim slivers of hope.

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Post by Casey Tue Aug 30, 2016 1:33 am

At the last Olympiad in 2014, the US team placed 14th, behind such chess behemoths as Cuba, Azerbaijan, and Spain.

Yeah you just hold on to your thin slivers of hope...
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Post by Father Dugal Tue Aug 30, 2016 11:36 am

Yeah you just hold on to your thin slivers of hope...

I hold more slivers of hope for the US women's team, but even they face some pretty stiff competition from China and Russia this time around.

On another interesting note, I find it interesting from the video above that FIDE might be very near bankruptcy. If they did go under, I'm sure worldwide chess would go on, but still I find it amusing. Actually I find it even more hilarious that they spent a tenth of their budget shuttling the FIDE president around the world, presumably in the lap of luxury with solid gold toilets and diamond-crusted silk toilet paper.
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Post by Casey Wed Sep 07, 2016 12:51 am

Here's a link to chess.com's interview with the 4 main presidential candidates:

https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-com-interviews-trump-clinton-johnson-stein


Easily the best chess humor I've read in a long time.
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Post by Father Dugal Wed Sep 07, 2016 11:15 am

Easily the best chess humor I've read in a long time.

That was some funny reading. It makes sense that Trump's favorite chess strategy involves building up a solid pawn wall countering the Mexican defense.

For more chess humor on Chess.com, I suggest following IM Daniel Rensch. He plays on Twitch and does Chess.com news bulletins every week or so.

My favorite Daniel Rensch string of videos is his chess rivals series where he plays Simon Williams, a.k.a. the Ginger GM. Check out this video where he challenges the Ginger GM to a Star Wars themed chess duel.



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Post by Casey Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:27 pm

Casey wrote:Yeah you just hold on to your thin slivers of hope...

I might have to eat my words.
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Post by Father Dugal Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:32 pm

I might have to eat my words.

The USA played Norway yesterday, and it looks like Fabiano Caruano managed to draw with Magnus Carlsen.

Yeesh. One more round to go and team USA is still on top though now they're running neck and neck with Team Ukraine. Tomorrow, the US will be taking on 25th ranked America Jr. aka Canada.  It looks like this competition may be a photo finish chess brawl to the very last round.
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Post by Father Dugal Tue Sep 13, 2016 11:20 am

I hold more slivers of hope for the US women's team, but even they face some pretty stiff competition from China and Russia this time around.

It looks like my slivers of hope were more misplaced in the women's rather than the men's chess team. The results are in and by a fraction of margins, the US team managed to win their first gold medals since some 40 years ago back in 1976. Here's the article that reveals everything...Say what you like. 2016 may be a so-so year, but in the lands of international sports competition, America has a gold mine of gold medals.

Results of the 2016 Chess Olympiad
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Post by Casey Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:59 pm

Whose idea was it to have the chess championship in Iran?

https://heatst.com/world/us-chess-champion-id-rather-sacrifice-my-career-than-be-forced-to-wear-a-hijab/

And aren't the Polgars Jewish? Very interesting.
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Post by Casey Thu Oct 06, 2016 12:48 am

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Post by Father Dugal Thu Oct 06, 2016 11:04 am

Whose idea was it to have the chess championship in Iran?

chess-officials-fight-back-deplore-iran-forced-hijab-rule-for-world-championship/


The heading of this article makes it feel like the title of a future as of yet unnamed Star Wars episode.

I'm a little bemused but mostly saddened by the US Chess Federation's lack of response to this issue. For the United States, I feel this should be a clear-cut decision: Iran is using religious belief to dictate dress rules for all female contenders. This is something the US should be good at since we can decry even a pinhead of religious discrimination within our own borders. I certainly hope the federation's reasons for holding back are not diplomatic ones.

I agree with the opposition here: Iran is probably one of, if not the worst, countries to pick for this kind of international competition. The last I heard, Iran had made the playing of chess illegal for the "gambling problems" it caused. Honestly, who in FIDE thought this was a good idea? Are they trying to make a statement in regard to Iran being a new hip place to have international events? I mean Baku was out of the way in the international community; Iran might as well be its own alien planet.
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Post by Casey Wed Nov 16, 2016 2:40 am

Four draws in a row in the World Chess Championship? I thought Magnus was invincible?

https://www.chess.com/news/view/scissors-can-t-beat-rock-in-world-champs-round-4-3294
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Post by Father Dugal Wed Nov 16, 2016 11:26 am

Four draws in a row in the World Chess Championship? I thought Magnus was invincible?

I'm fine with this. 2016 is already proved to be a messed up year. Why not dethrone the king of the chess world to put the veritable icing on the cake?
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Post by Casey Sat Nov 19, 2016 4:56 pm

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