Be first to comment this article

In this special weekly column we will be looking at the most unexpected upsets that happened last week. Players usually face opponents of a similar level. Considerably less frequent are situations when a significantly lower-rated player succeeds in beating a much stronger adversary.

Be first to comment this article

Comments (4)

Comments (1)

Q1: Do you think Kramnik will be supporting Vishy during his match against Carlsen?

A1: Why not? Viswanathan Anand is a very experienced and result-oriented chess player, so we can expect more action and less PR statements from him. I guess we will find out who the members of his team are only after the match. Moreover, at the moment it looks like Vishy is provoking Magnus into underestimating him: first he announces that his powerful seconds have left him (Nielsen, Kasimdzhdanov), then he loses to Adams with White in a rather helpless fashion...
 

Q2: How does living far away from the chess capital of the country affect a player's career? Can you share your own story?

A2: When I used to live in Kamchatka, I had a chance to travel to only two tournaments per year - championship of the Far East and the Russian Championship. Once I had the opportunity to play in an open event in Moscow and attend a training session there. This was a great experience! The airplane tickets are very expensive there, so I couldn't afford to play anywhere else. For a club player local tournaments are good enough, but in order to improve one has to compete in stronger tournaments. I left Kamchatka when I was 13. I know many talented people who couldn't become professional chess players due to being born in the "wrong" place. Now I live in Saratov, so the situation is better.
 

Q3: From time to time my online blitz opponents win a game only to run away in a cowardly fashion. Why do they do it?

A3: Many scenarios are possible. For example, a) he had to leave asap or answer a phone call b) something happened to his computer/mouse c) he got tired d) he wants to analyze the game before playing the next one e) your rating has become too low f) he doesn't like your playing style/manners g) he wants to practice a particular opening. And so on. Hence, I wouldn't label everyone who does that as a coward.
 

Q4: I know that you believe that bullet chess (1 minute per game or less) is detrimental for one's chess development. Nevertheless, I enjoy watching bullet matches between the very top guys, you know, those rated above 2700. Maybe they know better? Can one become a GM via bullet?

A4: Don't confuse "thanks to" with "despite". With a similar success one can claim that Mikhail Tal was a fantastic player due to smoking a lot. Had those 2700+-rated GMs spent their time more productively, they would have probably become top-5/top-3/World Champions. 
 

Q5: I was particularly impressed by your recent photo shoot. Does it mean that you are giving up on chess and becoming a model? Besides, I guess they earn more than chess players...

A5: Thank you, but I am staying in chess. It is more appealing to me than modelling full-time.
 

Q6: I am having an important tournament in three days. How would you advise me to prepare?

A6: It's too late to prepare chess-wise. Just forget about the chessboard for now and try to accumulate as much positive energy as possible: take a holiday, practice your favorite hobbies. You have to become "hungry" for chess. This is way more important and beneficial than overexhausting yourself with problems and opening variations right before the event.
 

Q7:  Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen are playing brilliantly, while Viswanathan Anand doesn't impress me anymore. Why don't we stage a Kramnik-Carlsen match for the WCC crown? They are by far the strongest players out there. Do you remember how Kasparov chose Kramnik to be his Challenger?

A7: A reputable international organization is supposed to have a stable and transparent World Championship cycle. Whether you like Anand or not, he is the legitimate World Chess Champion, and no one can leave him out of the equation. Of course, the situation that occurred in the Candidates (when Magnus qualified due to the "more wins" tie-break score) was rather ridiculous, like most experts have already mentioned. Instead it would have been interesting to watch a tie-break match between Kramnik and Carlsen. However, this is now history. All we can do is anticipate the Anand-Carlsen match and hope for an exciting struggle.
 

Comments (2)

Comments (6)

Be first to comment this article

Over 200 players took part in Bangkok Open (April 14-21), among them 24 GMs and 3 WGMs. The top seed, British chess legend Nigel Short performed relatively poorly and finished at 11th place, losing 12 rating points. "Had the satisfaction of finishing a very disappointing tournament with an outrageous swindle :)" - he commented on FaceBook.

Koneru Humpy, the world's

Be first to comment this article

Puzzle courtesy of Barry R. Clarke, columnist for The Daily Telegraph and international puzzle expert

Be first to comment this article