CHESS!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I suppose if there was a chess-master character in Mortal Kombat, their fatality would be to summon a giant finger to come down from the sky and tap their opponent on the side of the head, and they would topple over sideways and then roll around like a fallen chess piece.

Martin

[Shockprowl]

Well I don't really know what any of that means, but, ok!

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Any questions, please ask.

Martin

[Shockprowl]

What will be the landscape of world elite chess when we have a world champion who isn't the clear strongest player in the world?

(Carlsen is clearly the strongest player in the world. There have been periods in chess history where there have been a couple or a few contenders of fairly equal strength, but historically when there has been a player who is clearly the strongest in the world, they have gravitated to and maintained themselves at, the top )

[The Doctor]

Does Carlsen make lager?

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Apr 29, 2023 8:06:39 GMT The Doctor said:

Does Carlsen make lager?

-Ralph

No, he makes Norwegian schnapps.

[Shockprowl]

GAME 14.

The last at normal (long, 'classical') time control.

Score level. Ding with white. The winner takes the title of World Chess Champion.

Will we see an attacking game from either player? Or will they head for the safe waters of a draw to fight again in the shorter time control tie-breakers? (The debate over if the 'Classical' World Championship should be decided over shorter time control games, which have their own world championships, rages on.)

What kind game would we see? Attacking, or quiet?

IT WAS THE FORMER.


What we saw was yet another rollercoaster game. Edge of the seat stuff. Both players started well, good development, tension building.

And then Ding went for it.

But, he attacked too soon! There was no attack! It quickly became obvious that his attempt at an attack was ill-conceived! Nepo easily defended and got himself in a better position. Nepo in the driving seat.

It wasn't over for Ding, he just had to hunker down and stabilise.

But... He didn't do that either! After his botched attack, he attempted to simplify down to a drawish position it a very poor way; offering a Bishop exchange which wrecked his pawn structure! You go into an Endgame with crap pawns at this level and you're in a taxi going home.

It was like Ding got caught in two minds, trapped in a netherworld between attacking or drawing.

It was Nepo who hunkered down, the Queens came off, and he entered the Endgame a pawn up.

Ding had work to do. Only Nepo could win this game now. All Ding could hope for was a draw.

But Nepo rushed it again! A reoccurring theme in this match. The win wasn't obvious, but given a bit more consideration he could've asked more questions of Ding.

Then Ding played an excellent tactical combination, all pieces were exchanged off bar a Rook each and four pawns for Nepo, and three pawns for Ding. Ding had managed to force the game into the best ending from which he could to secure the draw.

They maneuvered back and forth before Ding played a remarkable move. A pawn sacrifice that gave him dangerous counter-play. Ding had saved the game! They maneuvered some more before the game ended in a draw. 90 moves. Over 6 hours play.

Spellbinding drama. Absolutely incredible.



What happens now?


Tie-breaks. PLAYED TODAY. NOW.

4 'Rapid Play' games: 25 mins each plus 10 second increment each move made. Winner will be the best of those 4 games.

If it's still a tie, then we enter the mad lottery of 'Blitz'. 3 minutes plus three seconds increment.

And they'll keep playing blitz until someone loses.

And the new World Chess Champion will decided, ending Magnus Carlsen's 10 year self-terminated reign.

Both are highly competent at faster time controls.

It couldn't be closer.



Any questions please ask.

[The Doctor]

Is Magnus Carlsen related to Ultra Magnus?

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

WE HAVE A NEW WORLD CHESS CHAMPION.




Tie-breaks. 4 games of Rapid chess. 25 minutes for all your moves, 10 second increment per move. Best of the four games. If it's still a tie, then they enter the Blitz section.


Games 1, 2, and 3 were draws. But fighting draws. My Godfathers. Brutal, ingenious, furious battles... the tension was palpable.

Nepo and Ding trading blows, trading advantage. Absolutely thrilling. Nepo even tried to sacrifice his Queen for a checkmating attack in game one. Ding refuted it by offering his own Queen in reply! Incredible chess.


Then... Game 4.


Again, it was a tense struggle, each player gaining, losing, then regaining a slight advantage. Nepo was worse out of the opening, but pulled it back. The game went this way and that before it too began to look like a draw, which would have been an appropriate outcome.

But then, with only a minute left on his clock, DING SPOTTED A WIN. A slim chance to win by pushing two advanced, but unconnected, passed pawns. A terrifying gamble, with so little time. The courage, the balls of this guy. He was risking everything. If Nepo could maneuver out of this threat, he would win the game and the match! It was incredible. All or nothing.

The tension was immense. Ding moving his pawns closer and closer to the Queening squares whilst his and Nepo's pieces swarmed around them. Nepo frantically positioning and repositioning his forces to keep them at bay. One slip and Ding would have lost it all.



Ding held his nerve.

Nepo desperately tried to fight back.

Until...



Until he realised.



Ding's pawns couldn't be stopped. Nepo realised he could get one, but not the other. One of Ding's pawns would become a Queen.




Ian Nepomniachtchi resigned the game.




Ding Liren is the new Chess World Champion.



A momentous moment. Either player deserved to win. As is often the way, it is so sad that someone had to lose.

But Ding's remarkable courage, to pursue the win, with so little time on his clock, when the safe draw was there waiting... Well it's extraordinary.

Both Ding and Nepo are known to be pretty nice guys, but Ding has gained many followers due to his incredibly honest and often candid post-game interviews. At times, seeming quite vulnerable. Ian Nepomniachtchi was gracious in defeat, but he was crushed. He commented on the chances he's missed in the match. If he'd have taken then, he would be champion.


But in end, Ding's courage and creativity held out. He won a remarkable game, and with it the match, and title of World Chess Champion.



The 17th in a long line of great players.


Steinitz
Lasker
Capablanca
Alekhine
Euwe
Botvinnik
Smyslov
Tal
Petrosian
Spassky
Fischer
Karpov
Kasparov
Krammnik
Anand
Carlsen
Ding

[The Doctor]

What about Delta Magnus?

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

*Face-palm*

[Pinwig]

Spoilers!

I'm still on the first match.

[Shockprowl]

May 1, 2023 9:46:07 GMT Pinwig said:

Spoilers!

I'm still on the first match.

What, Steinitz v Zuckertort, 1886...?

[The Doctor]

CHESS NEWS.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66647445

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Yes.


The world number 1 and (at time if writing) number 2 have not coloured themselves in favour during this episode.

[Pinwig]

Firstly, why is the chess thread not in the tabletop games forum?

Secondly, I call on our resident chess expert for comment on the following discovery:

QI has drawn my attention to napflix.tv, a Netflix clone set up to stream the most boring television possible in the hope it will send you to sleep. I ended up there because one of the examples of content mentioned was a two part doc on the history of Scalextric, which looks far from boring.

However, the channel also has the World Chess final 2013. So - televised chess, so boring it'll send you to sleep, or was the 2013 final just particularly dull?

napflix.tv/?id=qa12XYa1Ols

[Philip Ayres]

Sept 16, 2023 14:15:25 GMT Pinwig said:

Firstly, why is the chess thread not in the tabletop games forum?

A good point, well made

Blame, initially, the original poster and then the God Mods for not coming down hard on this infraction before now

[The Doctor]

It was fine where it was. For the last 6 years.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Chess is a game, it belongs in the games forum

Just because something is somewhere doesn't mean it it's in the right place

[The Doctor]

Yes, but no one complained for 6 years.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

They have now, blame Pins and add it to his list of crimes

[Stomski]

Sept 16, 2023 19:50:19 GMT The Doctor said:

Yes, but no one complained for 6 years.

-Ralph

No one's complained about Phil's forum upkeep either!

[Philip Ayres]

Plenty have, I just ignore them ;-)

[Stomski]

Never let the facts get in the way of a good joke (or antagonising Ralph)!

[Pinwig]

I just wanted to post about chess and went to the games forum to find the thread, logic dictated. It wasn't a complaint, more a question. Phil's marshalling of the content here is incredibly helpful and something you don't usually find on public forums. If he didn't do that this place would end up as impossible to use as systems that don't organise content, like Facebook.

[The Doctor]

CHESS NEWS.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66921563

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67770604

Heard her interview on the radio this morning. Mind blown.

Martin

[The Doctor]

CHEWS NEWS.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-67822137

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

CHESS NEWS.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-68852876

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Sept 16, 2023 19:39:33 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Chess is a game, it belongs in the games forum

Chess is more than a game, Philip!


Chess is everything; art, science, war.
-Anatoly Karpov