Chess Scotland Noticeboard

GN · King Joined: 30 Mar 2007 Posts: 415

If I had any doubt about whether or not this guy would truly make it to very top then his performance over past few days at World Blitz has removed that doubt. 3.5 points clear of 2nd place Anand with 2 rounds to go. 28 wins compared with next highest no of wins = 20. This is in a field with all world top players bar Topalov. OK, it's Blitz but somehow this convinces me even more than his recent classical performances. Looks to me like this really is another Fischer or Kasparov in the making. Personally I have always felt Blitz is like a microscope that shows-up where the true natural talent is as opposed to that which is learnt. What do others think?

Paul Denham · Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 7:59 pm Post subject:

I don't think too much can be read into this result in itself though the last 2 or 3 months have seen stunning form from Carlsen and that for me is more telling. If only because Leinier Dominguez last season won it and was nowhere this year and I think there was some Russian player a few years back who was a legend within Russia who although not noted for his strong rating & results in slow games, was a phenomenal player at Blitz.

That said Tal, Fischer & Bronstein were great players and wore the laurel wreath of World Chess Champion or tied for the title.

Petrosian was reputedly a phenomenal blitz player even before he won the world title. Wasn't it he who they called for to go the Central Chess Club in Moscow to face a young American Lad who was winning all his games?

Wikipedia would seem to suggest you are right when you see the winners of the World Blitz championships.

World Blitz chess champions

# Name Year Country
1 Garry Kasparov 1987 Russia
2 Mikhail Tal 1988 Russia
3 Viswanathan Anand 2000 India
4 Alexander Grischuk 2006 Russia
5 Vassily Ivanchuk 2007 Ukraine
6 Leinier Domínguez 2008 Cuba
7 Magnus Carlsen 2009 NOR

I am just hoping that Carlsen gets a fair crack at the title and that FIDE & the forces of darkness (Topalov, Danailov and co in Sofia) don't derail his chances through incompetence or in the case of the latter skulduggery.

PD

PS I am having a wee bet to myself that this will be the last post on this topic since I seem to have sounded the death knell to a few of them recently
Wink

Alex McFarlane · King Joined: 13 Mar 2007 Posts: 413

Not this time.

It will be interesting to see how Carlsen gets on at the London Classic.
http://www.londonchessclassic.com/

Might as well do an advert here about that.

Jonathan Rowson is doing part of the commentary and he is on the appeals panel for the Classic.

There are plenty of other events for all abilities. Unfortunately at the moment there seems to be a higher proportion of Scots involved behind the scenes than actually playing. (Our EO is going down to help with the live games and I'll be there at the FIDE Open.)

But enough of the advert - now the serious bit. I think/hope that there will be considerable publicity attached to the event. I hope that the chess community will be in a position to deal with any new players interested because of this. In a time of lower congress entries and struggling clubs this is a great oportunity not to be wasted.

AMcHarg · Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:47 pm Post subject:

Carlsen is the best in the world and will be the future world champion, it's inevitable. It's just unbelievable that he is so strong yet still so young.

Martin Robinson · Rook Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 45 Location: Edinburgh

I thought it was remarkable that Carlsen scored 2/2 against each of the 2nd-5th placed players (including Anand & Kramnik). Kasparov was no.2 in the world at 19 (behind Karpov) so it looks like Carlsen is on a similar trajectory.

GN · King Joined: 30 Mar 2007 Posts: 415

The picture of Carlsen on the Chessbase article tells it's own story:

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5923

That is a picture of someone who is feeling pretty pleased with himself!

Paul Denham · Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:53 am Post subject:

He certainly does.

I wonder whether he is putting down big enough psychological markers to the older generation to say "my time is coming, destiny is with me, I won't be stopped" and is getting the fear factor going where psychologically the doubt whether they can stop his march to the title.

Seems a bit like Karpov felt this way when Kasparov came on to the scene and I wonder if there has ever been a time apart from then and Fischer's run to the WC match with Spassky over the 1970/71 period when there was such a feeling among the chess world that "this guy WILL be world champion its just a question of when"

PD

Duncan Grassie · Rook Joined: 25 Feb 2007 Posts: 64

Paul Denham · Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 9:17 pm Post subject:

Any Scots get into the 1st 30 to play Korchnoi in the Simul for £40 ??

PD

Paul Denham · Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:12 pm Post subject:

Found the name of that great Russian Blitz player whose blitz skills were majorly higher than his OTB rating - Genrikh Chepukaitis aka Smartchip from St Petersburg... found it when looking up a book for my Brother in Law or Sister in Law to get me for Christmas.

The title How to Win at Blitz games may be topical given Team Blitz at Grangemouth on Sunday

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1894

http://www.chesscircle.net/forums/computer-chess/25751-how-to-win-blitz-games-by-genrikh-chepukaitis.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/3624130/David-Norwood-on-the-death-of-the-worlds-true-master-of-blitz-chess.html

www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles205.pdf