Comments on: Carlsen beats Jakovenko, breaks 2800 barrier

By: redpawn

redpawn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:15:06 +0000

We know how numbers are important to Kasaprov.
Especially the number 13
He was the 13th world champion, won a key 13th game against Karpov.
Kasaprov was born on 4/13.
Does anyone else think/suspect that part of the reason Kasparov picked Carlsen as his protige – is because Carlsen became a GM at age 13 and 4 months ?

or is this just all coincidence?

By: Castro

Castro — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:28:59 +0000

@Peter

I agree, except for the last part:
´
“…but when it’s a game like this one, it’s a typical Petroff. In this opening it’s simply much more difficult for White players to keep the game going.”

That sentence(s) and the article’s original one make my post(s) fully pertinent, I think. (Even if I’ve “been visiting this site long enough…” )

@Thomas

In Topalov x Radjabov they were simply trying (specialy Veselin), but they couldn’t find nothing, or they didn’t dare risking enough, or realy there was nothing.
The dull character of that phase just lye (IMO) in the stupid “modern” time controls.
There is simply no time to think, no time to play chess, specialy at certain kind of positions. Maybe not even Capablanca nor Fischer could play that position better in the given time.
That is a crap that puts me furious!

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:09:14 +0000

In the given example, the Petroff may also have been boring because Leko chose 5.Nc3. My impression is that, over a span of just a few years, this turned from a surprise weapon to a promising line to something at least as drawish as the main lines (once black realized that opposite castling is more dangerous for him?). From white’s perspective, maybe 3.d4 is now best to play for a win – at least it tends to avoid the symmetric pawn structure Jan mentions. [Am I now making publicity for the Chessvibes opening letters? ]

BTW, while Peter Doggers thinks so (”The Petroff in Leko-Wang Yue was as dull as only a Petroff can be but Topalov and Radjabov fought out a game of no less than 95 moves”) I would consider it a matter of taste to call the latter game more interesting. I also enjoy manoeuvering games if the piece shuffling has some deep hidden meaning – as a relatively weak amateur, I usually only “see the light” if one side eventually emerges with an advantage. But the phase from move 20 to 45 included white transferring his king from g1 to b2 – in the end it wasn’t any “safer” here when black could finally end the game with a perpetual. In the meantime, black played Kg8-h7-h6-h7-h6-h7-g8-h7-g8-h7-g8-h7-g8 (12/25 moves, clearly he wouldn’t have objected to an earlier draw). Altogether, the game could almost qualify for a caricature of the Sofia rules – if not for the fact that their main proponent was involved.

By: Jan

Jan — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 11:17:32 +0000

I agree with Doggers. The Petroff is comparable to the exchange French in pawn structure so it should be no surprise that it is a dull draw in most cases.

By: Peter Doggers

Peter Doggers — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:20:13 +0000

@Castro You’ve been visiting this site long enough to know that I’ve made clear exactly the same point many times: that the Petroff can lead to highly interesting games. However, one cannot deny that there’s no other opening with such a high percentage of uninteresting fights as this one. So when a Petroff game is great, it’s a great Petroff, but when it’s a game like this one, it’s a typical Petroff. In this opening it’s simply much more difficult for White players to keep the game going.

By: Jagdish Dube.

Jagdish Dube. — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:43:33 +0000

Pablo on October 9th 5 12 P.M.

Very good translation. Magnus And live, and live the high-caliber chess and the girl schizoid hairy engages in power struggles in the orbit of a board murderer. The raid of the pieces of the kings Magnus opponents will not ever stop.

By: Pam

Pam — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:28:59 +0000

Aronian? ummm I don’t think so, he is not the one to beat yet. The real challenge are Kramnik and Anand. Anand is Carlsen’s nemesis, and Kramnik is very hard to beat. We are all waiting for Tal Memorial ). Thank you CHESSVIBES!

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:17:11 +0000

Magnus Carlsen’s win will go down in chess history as the most impressive tournament victory by an 18 year old. Possibly he is the strongest ever player for his age, but it is speculative to compare players of different eras. He has much to learn about championship match play, but he has the greatest player in history, and the greatest match player of all time coaching him. If FIDE were a reputable professional organization, we could look forward to Magnus playing for the World Championship within the next 2 to 3 years, but alas, FIDE is a joke, and the reality is that with the schizophrenic FIDE rules, rules that change with the whim of its incompetent leadership, the best current players may never get the opportunity to play this match.

By: ClammyHamster

ClammyHamster — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:39:29 +0000

Nice fighting from Carlsen. Six K.O’s, that’s twice as many as all the other players combined. He really deserved to win. Lets hope there is more action at the Tal Memorial. Maybe Aronian can put up a fight.

By: Castro

Castro — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:55:18 +0000

@Nicko

«“The Petroff in Leko-Wang Yue was as dull as only a Petroff can be”

Well said Doggers, the truth must be spoken.»

Again LOL ! Indeed some people treat lie as the new truth! Day after day!
(Well, take another example of your beloved “truth”: Svidler x Motylev, 7th round ECC)
Someone should gather realy dull sicilians, caro-kahns, frenchs… all openings can be dully played and every Petroff can be sharply played. It’s difficult to win against a Petroff without some daring? Yes. Is it one of the defenses with more theoreticaly known “peaceful” variations, for players that BOTH want them? Maybe. All the rest is demagogic nonsense.
I don’t like to play the Petroff myself, but I respect it, and I’ve seen LOTS of great games with it.