CHESS!

[The Doctor]

Jul 24, 2022 18:10:48 GMT The Doctor said:

ACTUAL CHESS NEWS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF 'BBC NEWS':

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62286017

-Ralph

MORE CHESS NEWS ON THE FRONT PAGE OF 'BBC NEWS':

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-63010107

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

It's been a rollercoaster alright. And the ride ain't over yet.

[The Doctor]

MORE FRONT PAGE CHESS NEWS:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-63062092

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Yeah, culturally chess is still very sexist.

[Shockprowl]

Gentlemen, the World Chess Championship has begun. As I'm sure you're all aware.


The most shocking news, the news that has dominated the world of chess for months, is that-

World Champion Magnus Carlsen IS NOT defending his title.


He has declined to defend his title.


The World Championship match is therefore being played between:

Ian (Yan) Nepomniachtchi from Russia.

And

Ding Liren from China.


Nepo won the latest 'Candidates' tournament. (The Candidates Tournament is where the world's best players, after qualifying for the tournament in different ways, play each other for the right to challenge the World Champion in a match for the crown.) Ding finished second. When Carlsen declined to defend his title, these two were decreed to play the match to determine THE NEW CHESS WORLD CHAMPION.

The 17th World Champion; latest in the long line of Champions that is traced back to 1886, and beyond.

Problem is, although Nepo crushed the other contenders in the last Candidates Tournament in 2022, Carlsen demolished him in the last World Championship match in 2021.

Carlsen is clearly the strongest chess player in the world, in terms of rating and results, and has been for over ten years.

Nepo and Ding are rated 2nd and 3rd in the world, respectively.

It's a strange situation. The next World Chess Champion will not be the strongest player in the world. It's not like in the 50s and 60s, when there was a truck-load of great players, all tussling for the top spot, with the Soviet Patriarch Mikhail Botvinnik only holding onto the crown as long as he did by some rather unfair Champion-favouring conditions. Carlsen is a mile ahead of his contemporaries.



The World Championship match kicked-off yesterday with a very tense fighting draw where Nepomniachtchi had Ding on the ropes, but the Chinese Grand Master defended brilliantly to secure a draw.

But today, playing with the black pieces, NEPO DRAW FIRST BLOOD.

He played a spectacular game, beat Ding, and takes the lead.



Any questions please ask.

[Shockprowl]

Thrilling stuff in game three. Nepomniachtchi, with white (playing white has the first move advantage), tried to shake things up, but Ding had seemingly had enough time to adjust to the match situation and fought back, almost getting an advantage at one point, before the players neutralised eachother and the game ended in a well-fought draw.

Bit worried about Ding; he'd been extraordinarily candid in the post game interviews after games one and two, eluding to some emotional and anxiety based issues. But, again quite candidly, said after game three that he was feeling better and more confident.


There's a long way to go.




Any questions please ask. It's no bother.

[blueshift]

Apr 12, 2023 23:13:14 GMT Shockprowl said:

Thrilling stuff in game three. Nepomniachtchi, with white (playing white has the first move advantage), tried to shake things up, but Ding had seemingly had enough time to adjust to the match situation and fought back, almost getting an advantage at one point, before the players neutralised eachother and the game ended in a well-fought draw.

Bit worried about Ding; he'd been extraordinarily candid in the post game interviews after games one and two, eluding to some emotional and anxiety based issues. But, again quite candidly, said after game three that he was feeling better and more confident.


There's a long way to go.




Any questions please ask. It's no bother.

If you are losing, can you pull out your heart and use it as a chess piece?

[Shockprowl]

Yes you can.

[The Doctor]

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

(Kinda hoping for more chess related questions, but... I should have realised what would happen...)


I imagine, Doctor, that if a woodchuck could chuck wood then it would be very keen to chuck as much wood as possible; it would see it as a vocation, once only dreamt about, but now realised at last.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Would a true chess fan name his one and only firstborn son Chesney? And then if Chesney was also a true chess fan, would he change his surname by deed poll so he could be called Chesney Chessington?

Martin

[Shockprowl]

Chesney Chessington is a great name. I definitely think that could happen.


IN BREAKING NEWS: DING HAS STRUCK BACK!

In game 4 Ding won a spectacular game. Nepo is known as a brilliantly creative player, but he can be prone to being rash and impulsive and he made some rushed moves and then a bit of a clanger which Ding skillfully exposed. Fantastic game to go over. All level!



Amy questions please ask.

[Pinwig]

Chessington Zoo had a Llama called Chesney.

[Shockprowl]

Apr 13, 2023 22:02:22 GMT Pinwig said:

Chessington Zoo had a Llama called Chesney.

NO WAY!

[Nigel]

That's wrong! Hawks are the only animals that should be named Chesney!

[Pinwig]

www.alamy.com/surrey-zoos-bottle-baby-six-weeks-old-llama-christened-chesney-is-six-weeks-old-llama-is-one-of-the-most-entertaining-babies-at-the-chessington-zoo-surrey-chesney-is-still-being-fed-off-the-bottle-by-her-keeper-photo-shows-chesney-the-six-weeks-old-llama-doesnt-need-much-persuading-to-take-feed-from-the-milk-bottle-25-november-1937-image359461142.html

The more disturbing find is that searching Google for Chesney Chessington now brings up Shockprowl's forum posts worryingly close to the top of the list. Anyone looking for info on the REAL Chesney will be confronted with the ramblings of a mad Yorkshireman.

[Shockprowl]

I *am* the internet.

[Pinwig]

It's a bit disturbing to think something less than 24 hours old on the internet can come up in the top ten search results on Google if you use the right term. Sometimes I forget the Hub is viewable by every automated webcrawler and data miner in the world. Even now some bot somewhere is mulling over the importance of my Camberwick Green fetish.

[Nigel]

Yes. The Hub seems private and personal because so many of us have known each other for years. It's easy to forget that it's not.

[The Doctor]

Before the Hub was, I was.

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

Before the Hub was, I was... solvent.

[Shockprowl]

The World Championship Match took another turn yesterday, Nepo immediately struck back with a win in game 5. He played a very solid game and Ding didn't really make any mistakes. It was a good example of a good player getting a slight advantage and gradually squeezing all counter-play out of the position. So Nepo back in the lead!

It's over 14 'classicsl' games, classical is the long time control. You get one point for a win, half a point for a draw, and it's the first to 7 and a half points. If there's a tie after the 14 classical games, they move to shorter time controls.


Game 6 later today. Can Ding strike back? Again?


Any questions please ask.

[Shockprowl]

AND DING STRIKES BACK AGAIN!!!

Ding wins game 6 in spectacular fashion.

Pawn to d5 is the move heard around the world. They all thought he was simply advancing his passed pawn, as you do, but what he was really doing was taking a crucial escape square away from Nepo's king, setting up an amazing mating net. Absolutely spectacular. And like the last game, that Nepo won, here Nepo didn't really make any mistakes. There were a couple of moves that he rushed when he had plenty of time on his clock to find a stronger defensive move, but, no howlers by any stretch.

Absolutely thrilling game. Well Done Ding, seemingly unaffected at loosing game 5.

It's all level again!




Any questions please ask.

[The Doctor]

Why?

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Because it's there.

[The Doctor]

...why?

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

All things end. But for something to have ended, it must once have begun.

[The Doctor]

...what?

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

All. Things.

[Shockprowl]

Sorry for the late report, chaps, but I'm still in shock from game 7 played today.

In a remarkably tense and sharp game, blows, initiative, and advantage were traded back and forth in a real 64 squared thriller. Finally Ding seemed to convince himself he was worse and got into some shocking time trouble in an incredibly complex position. He went wrong, struggling to make moves with barely any time on his clock. And Nepo put it away, solid, playing on Ding's clock. Nepo back in the lead. I... I can't take this drama!




Any questions please ask.