Amber Rapid & Blindfold 2009 started today.
What some may consider good news and others as not so good, I won't be updating the blog very often in the months ahead. One reason is that Magnus has become more sensitive with regard to sharing information about his games, and he will in general not reveal more on the blog than what he does in video interviews after the game and in the occasional annotations of games.
Back to Linares;
We would like to start by congratulating the 2009 winner Grischuk and equal first Ivanchuk!
Maybe somewhat surprising to some, Magnus was not in any way devastated by ending half a point shy of the winners after having blundered quite badly in a winning position in the penultimate round against Radjabov.
He is rather quite happy with having played many really good games and with the +1 result and sole 3rd place, despite the loss of concentration and some half points in the 5th or 6th hour of play.
He emerged from the openings without any serious problems as black, and he got many good positions with white although he was out-prepared by Dominguez and Aronian.
He beat World Champion Vishy Anand for the first time with classical time control and also won their "match" 1,5-0,5.
It was also absolutely noteworthy that he beat the winner A.Grischuk (also for the first time with classical time control) in a great Sicilian, causing Grischuk's only Linares loss in 2009.
The tournament showed that Magnus has again expanded his opening repertoire.
And despite some opening problems in two games as white, as well as two major endgame blunders, he performed according to his January 1st 2009 rating, and expects to be ranked 3rd in the world on April 1, 2009!
Six out of the eight Linares participants had played in Corus this year, and Magnus has scored better than any of the others in the two events combined (+2)!
As a last note on Linares, we'd like to thank the organiser for another excellent top event.
It was well organised, in a most friendly atmosphere, and everything ran smoothly. Thank you!
Having waited for the release of the audio files from the December 27th video conference on World Championship cycles in vain for more than two months some news finally emerged from FIDE early this week.
During the last weekend of Linares, the FIDE Presidential Board met and the press release did contain news about the World Championship cycles.
The Anand-Topalov match has been deferred to latest April 2010 and UEP's bid for the next World Championship cycle was accepted.
What is amazing about the press release is the lack of information regarding changes to the World Championship Regulations which the acceptance of the UEP bid must rest upon.
If the regulations indeed were changed to accommodate the acceptance of the UEP bid for a candidate tournament / matches (and the 2011 World Championship match), with the candidates replacing the current stipulated match between the GP and World Cup winners, this could well have been worth mentioning in the press release.
For one thing, we imagine that the GP participants in Nalchik would like to know the status of the World Championship regulations after several months of frustrating uncertainty. It could also have provided a tiny bit of much needed credibility to FIDE despite the appalling act of introducing a change to the regulations in the middle of the cycle.
Alternatively, the possibility that the PB did not formally decide to change the WC Regulations and FIDE is planning to let the GP participants play another event without alignment between regulations and what FIDE is actually planning to do, would simply be beyond belief, and will hopefully be disproved shortly.
Today the 18th edition of the Amber Rapid & Blindfold started. This great event, organised with the courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. van Oostrom, is staged for the second time in a row in the exquisite Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice. The 2009 edition is stronger than ever with the top 5 and 10 out of the world top 13 ranked players.
The drawing of lots and opening dinner was held in the grand hall of hotel Negresco yesterday.
Having drawn start number 12, Magnus played Gata Kamsky in round 1, and in an interesting position in the blindfold game, Gata blundered a piece and Magnus finished the game without allowing much counterplay.
As black in the rapid game, Magnus was maybe slightly worse most of the game and having spent too much time in the middle game, he was down to increments in the endgame.
In a worse, but maybe drawn queen ending, Magnus lost on time. 1-1 in round one.
Two of the other blindfold winners, Anand and Kramnik also lost the rapid (to Leko and Morozevich).
Only Aronian managed to win both games (against Ivanchuk) and is the sole clear leader a whole point ahead of ten players at one out of two points.
The weather is great in Nice, sunshine and +15oC.
Tomorrow Magnus plays black against Ivanchuk in the blindfold at 2:30 PM and he'll have white in the rapid at 17:45.
Nice, March 14th 2009,
Henrik Carlsen
Back to Linares;
We would like to start by congratulating the 2009 winner Grischuk and equal first Ivanchuk!
Maybe somewhat surprising to some, Magnus was not in any way devastated by ending half a point shy of the winners after having blundered quite badly in a winning position in the penultimate round against Radjabov.
He is rather quite happy with having played many really good games and with the +1 result and sole 3rd place, despite the loss of concentration and some half points in the 5th or 6th hour of play.
He emerged from the openings without any serious problems as black, and he got many good positions with white although he was out-prepared by Dominguez and Aronian.
He beat World Champion Vishy Anand for the first time with classical time control and also won their "match" 1,5-0,5.
It was also absolutely noteworthy that he beat the winner A.Grischuk (also for the first time with classical time control) in a great Sicilian, causing Grischuk's only Linares loss in 2009.
The tournament showed that Magnus has again expanded his opening repertoire.
And despite some opening problems in two games as white, as well as two major endgame blunders, he performed according to his January 1st 2009 rating, and expects to be ranked 3rd in the world on April 1, 2009!
Six out of the eight Linares participants had played in Corus this year, and Magnus has scored better than any of the others in the two events combined (+2)!
As a last note on Linares, we'd like to thank the organiser for another excellent top event.
It was well organised, in a most friendly atmosphere, and everything ran smoothly. Thank you!
Having waited for the release of the audio files from the December 27th video conference on World Championship cycles in vain for more than two months some news finally emerged from FIDE early this week.
During the last weekend of Linares, the FIDE Presidential Board met and the press release did contain news about the World Championship cycles.
The Anand-Topalov match has been deferred to latest April 2010 and UEP's bid for the next World Championship cycle was accepted.
What is amazing about the press release is the lack of information regarding changes to the World Championship Regulations which the acceptance of the UEP bid must rest upon.
If the regulations indeed were changed to accommodate the acceptance of the UEP bid for a candidate tournament / matches (and the 2011 World Championship match), with the candidates replacing the current stipulated match between the GP and World Cup winners, this could well have been worth mentioning in the press release.
For one thing, we imagine that the GP participants in Nalchik would like to know the status of the World Championship regulations after several months of frustrating uncertainty. It could also have provided a tiny bit of much needed credibility to FIDE despite the appalling act of introducing a change to the regulations in the middle of the cycle.
Alternatively, the possibility that the PB did not formally decide to change the WC Regulations and FIDE is planning to let the GP participants play another event without alignment between regulations and what FIDE is actually planning to do, would simply be beyond belief, and will hopefully be disproved shortly.
Today the 18th edition of the Amber Rapid & Blindfold started. This great event, organised with the courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. van Oostrom, is staged for the second time in a row in the exquisite Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice. The 2009 edition is stronger than ever with the top 5 and 10 out of the world top 13 ranked players.
The drawing of lots and opening dinner was held in the grand hall of hotel Negresco yesterday.
Having drawn start number 12, Magnus played Gata Kamsky in round 1, and in an interesting position in the blindfold game, Gata blundered a piece and Magnus finished the game without allowing much counterplay.
As black in the rapid game, Magnus was maybe slightly worse most of the game and having spent too much time in the middle game, he was down to increments in the endgame.
In a worse, but maybe drawn queen ending, Magnus lost on time. 1-1 in round one.
Two of the other blindfold winners, Anand and Kramnik also lost the rapid (to Leko and Morozevich).
Only Aronian managed to win both games (against Ivanchuk) and is the sole clear leader a whole point ahead of ten players at one out of two points.
The weather is great in Nice, sunshine and +15oC.
Tomorrow Magnus plays black against Ivanchuk in the blindfold at 2:30 PM and he'll have white in the rapid at 17:45.
Nice, March 14th 2009,
Henrik Carlsen
Comments:
Posted by: Tony
Its always great to read your blog Henrik. I very much enjoyed your general comments on Linares and the latest twist in the byzantine workings of FIDE.
But I doubt if anyone expects Magnus to give away secrets! It would be good if you maybe modified your rationale for blogging then perhaps decided to blog regularly afterall?
But I doubt if anyone expects Magnus to give away secrets! It would be good if you maybe modified your rationale for blogging then perhaps decided to blog regularly afterall?
Posted by: erjifo
I also enjoy reading this blog very much and was disappointed that there were so few Linares updates. Of course we don't expect Magnus to give away his opening preparation! As Larsen once said, many grandmasters have such secrets that they are prepared to sell for a very reasonable price--one point!
Hopefully you can find something to write about for the many Magnus fans out there, even if it's not chess related, for example, how he relaxes in between rounds, what food he enjoys, reading material, etc.
Hopefully you can find something to write about for the many Magnus fans out there, even if it's not chess related, for example, how he relaxes in between rounds, what food he enjoys, reading material, etc.
Posted by: Eulers
This blog is great Mr. Carlsen, hope that at least you be able to tell us some of the happenings surrounding the tournaments, you write very interestingly always.
Please, keep a good eye on the round against Kramnik, he probably has been preparing something for Magnus. Vlad is a very dedicated professional and knows the prestige and psychological ascendancy that can be gained through a win over the most talented and dangerous rivals. He either uses the game as a test or goes on to score a win.
Please, keep a good eye on the round against Kramnik, he probably has been preparing something for Magnus. Vlad is a very dedicated professional and knows the prestige and psychological ascendancy that can be gained through a win over the most talented and dangerous rivals. He either uses the game as a test or goes on to score a win.
Posted by: Sam
May I just take this opportunity to congratulate Magnus on a very successful tournament in Linares. 2nd place is very commendable, and despite the endgame blunders, Magnus once again showed that he is now easily able to hold his own in a tournment with the world's best chess player. Well done!
And good luck for the remained of this tournament. I still have no idea how you guys manage to play a whole game without seeing the pieces. I wouldn't be able to get up to move 5 without losing track of everything, so I very much am in awe of your skills.
And good luck for the remained of this tournament. I still have no idea how you guys manage to play a whole game without seeing the pieces. I wouldn't be able to get up to move 5 without losing track of everything, so I very much am in awe of your skills.
Posted by: Tassilo
"He is rather quite happy with having played many really good games and with the +1 result and sole 3rd place, despite the loss of concentration and some half points in the 5th or 6th hour of play. "
yes, some games were really magnificent. At times I will repeat "ludus Caroli Magni" here :-D
yes, some games were really magnificent. At times I will repeat "ludus Caroli Magni" here :-D
Posted by: erjifo
re: Tassilo
Okay, I'll bite. What is "ludus Caroli Magni" supposed to mean?
Okay, I'll bite. What is "ludus Caroli Magni" supposed to mean?
Posted by: david
I went to an online latin to english translator and it said "ludus caroli magni" means "game flesh magni"? I guess he's saying Magnus is chess personified? Anyways, I am sad you wont be updating the blog frequently, it was my favorite but I understand the decision.
Posted by: david
(edit) i guess Caroli Magni (capital C M) is Charlemagne i think it's supposed to be a double meaning? oh well i tried
Posted by: Tassilo
Posted by: ArcticStones
Hi Henrik,
It has been wonderful to follow Magnus? growing strength, self-confidence and maturity as a grandmaster. Reading your blog has been an important part of that.
Glad to read that Magnus felt good about Linares. He has every reason to be, precisely for the reasons you stated. The fact that he still has so much room for improvement must be making his fellow grandmasters very nervous, indeed!
I do, however, hope that you will reconsider your decision -- and continue to share your excellent reports. It is of course understandable that Magnus may wish not to "give away secrets".
As other posters have mentioned, it would be great to receive continued insights into the "human" side of Magnus? life as a grandmaster, and from time to time how he evaluates things.
All my best wishes to Magnus at Amber and M-Tel Master. Also best regards to you and the rest of your family!
:) ArcticStones
It has been wonderful to follow Magnus? growing strength, self-confidence and maturity as a grandmaster. Reading your blog has been an important part of that.
Glad to read that Magnus felt good about Linares. He has every reason to be, precisely for the reasons you stated. The fact that he still has so much room for improvement must be making his fellow grandmasters very nervous, indeed!
I do, however, hope that you will reconsider your decision -- and continue to share your excellent reports. It is of course understandable that Magnus may wish not to "give away secrets".
As other posters have mentioned, it would be great to receive continued insights into the "human" side of Magnus? life as a grandmaster, and from time to time how he evaluates things.
All my best wishes to Magnus at Amber and M-Tel Master. Also best regards to you and the rest of your family!
:) ArcticStones
Posted by: pb
Your chess comments are good reading even if you never would mention some Norwegian player you happen to know :-) Nice to see someone criticising FIDE like this, and good luck!
Posted by: Jan Th.
For oss som har fulgt Magnus' sjakkarriére de siste 4-5 årene er denne bloggen svært kjærkommen! Analyser og partikommentarer finnes mange andre steder, og er ikke det som vil bli savnet mest. Dine/deres vurderinger av livet rundt turneringer, rundt sjakkpolitikken (dessverre, siden tematikken burde vært unødvendig) og almenn informasjon om superstormesterturneringene er svært spennende og informative - og er unike! Jeg støtter derfor varmt oppfordringene om å bibeholde frekvensen her, omenn med et fokus som ikke røper strategiske, psykologiske o.a. elementer som er viktige for spillsuksses.
Posted by: Henrik C.
With all the above encouraging comments, I guess I have to reconsider. It is of course possible to provide some potentially interesting insights from the major tournaments as well as our take on chess politics while not divulging to much information from Magnus about his games and strategy. But, after two years blogging from much the same annual tournaments it is gradually getting more challenging to provide something new. I'll give it a try though :-)
Important round today. Seldom boring when Magnus plays Aronian.
Henrik C.
Important round today. Seldom boring when Magnus plays Aronian.
Henrik C.
Posted by: Paul Franklin
Dear Mr. Carlsen,
it is perfectly understandable that Magnus does not want to give away too much information about his games. As much as we enjoyed the many remarks - Magnus should do what he comfortable with.
Of course this site is not the typical chess info site. But since Magnus has been involved in many things surrounding the Grand Prix / World Championship Cycle, it has always been good to get some first hand information here.
Thus far i have always found it worth stopping by and reading whatever you had to share.
Greetings!
it is perfectly understandable that Magnus does not want to give away too much information about his games. As much as we enjoyed the many remarks - Magnus should do what he comfortable with.
Of course this site is not the typical chess info site. But since Magnus has been involved in many things surrounding the Grand Prix / World Championship Cycle, it has always been good to get some first hand information here.
Thus far i have always found it worth stopping by and reading whatever you had to share.
Greetings!
Posted by: ArcticStones
Dear Henrik,
Thank you for reconsidering! :)
I look forward to whatever blog posts you care to share with us.
And I fully respect the important considerations you have to take.
Best regards,
ArcticStones
Thank you for reconsidering! :)
I look forward to whatever blog posts you care to share with us.
And I fully respect the important considerations you have to take.
Best regards,
ArcticStones
Posted by: erjifo
Dear Mr. Carlsen,
Thank you very much for reconsidering. It is GREATLY appreciated. Any comments (or photos!) you are willing to share are always welcome.
Best wishes,
erjifo
P.S. It's nice to see Magnus take the lead in the blindfold event. Good luck for the rest of the tournament!
Thank you very much for reconsidering. It is GREATLY appreciated. Any comments (or photos!) you are willing to share are always welcome.
Best wishes,
erjifo
P.S. It's nice to see Magnus take the lead in the blindfold event. Good luck for the rest of the tournament!
Posted by: andy
Hei Henrik!
Fortsett med den gode bloggen. Men gjør den kortere og dropp partianalyse. Ikke slit deg ut med de lange og krevende innleggene som holder utmerket høyt nivå. Spør du meg så er et avsnitt eller to noen ganger i uken mye bedre og kanksje et godt minimum som fansen er fornøyd med!Fortell oss om alt det andre rundt tureneringen og om kampen i turneringene. Det er nødvendig at en blogg ofte oppdateres om den skal ha interesse. Legg heller ned mindre arbeid hver gang.
Fortsett med den gode bloggen. Men gjør den kortere og dropp partianalyse. Ikke slit deg ut med de lange og krevende innleggene som holder utmerket høyt nivå. Spør du meg så er et avsnitt eller to noen ganger i uken mye bedre og kanksje et godt minimum som fansen er fornøyd med!Fortell oss om alt det andre rundt tureneringen og om kampen i turneringene. Det er nødvendig at en blogg ofte oppdateres om den skal ha interesse. Legg heller ned mindre arbeid hver gang.
Posted by: Caissa
Awesome blindfold play by Magnus :) Nice and thrilling win over Topalov today.
Posted by: Gegga
What was the "discussion" at the end of the blindfold game against Topalov about?
Posted by: Henrik C.
All, thanks!
Gegga, the discussion after the game was simply about variations and what they both missed. My impression is that Topalov generally is eager to discuss the games and he also comments frequently on the other games in the analysis room during the rounds.
Henrik C.
Gegga, the discussion after the game was simply about variations and what they both missed. My impression is that Topalov generally is eager to discuss the games and he also comments frequently on the other games in the analysis room during the rounds.
Henrik C.
Posted by: Daniel
Please continue the blog! I do not come here to see 'secrets' I come to hear about life of a wonderful professional.
Posted by: João
Dit har en litte kanin i min hage, men jeg har ikke hage så dit har ingenting kanin. Men hvis jeg hadde en hage hadde kaninen være dit?
Kanskje det hadde men da, hadde min hage ville en kaninen? Muligens ikke, kaniner spise gress, ikke sant? Så jeg sier kaniner og hager samsvarer ikke, og hvorfor? Fordi jeg har spiser et ristet brød og ingenting gir mening.
Kanskje det hadde men da, hadde min hage ville en kaninen? Muligens ikke, kaniner spise gress, ikke sant? Så jeg sier kaniner og hager samsvarer ikke, og hvorfor? Fordi jeg har spiser et ristet brød og ingenting gir mening.
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