Grand Chess Tour 2017

[Alex Holowczak]

Pah! So you're using the rules for who qualifies to play in the Grand Chess Tour to advertise this wonderful new rating system... and then you're ignoring the results of the new rating system (when they produce the wrong answer).

Not sure who "you're" is in that context, but I'm not doing anything. The Grand Chess Tour is nothing to do with me.

But actually, I think you're wrong.

The three wildcards are - apparently in this order:
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS)
GM Sergey Karjakin (RUS)
GM Viswanathan Anand (IND)

Their FIDE ranking is 11, 8 and 6 respectively
Their FIDE rapidplay ranking is 5, 12 and 11
Their FIDE blitz ranking is 13, 2 and 19
Their URS ranking is 5, 6 and 10

So their URS rankings are higher using URS than they would be using any of the FIDE ratings as a basis for invitation.

So they have used it as a basis, which is what they said they were doing. 5 and 6 picked themselves, and then they appear to have invited one of the two players ranked #10 rated 2771, rather than the #9 rated 2772. This is hardly a significant deviation.

I think the wildcard selection is obvious based on the URS ratings, actually. 5 and 6 are the two players clearly ranked above other potential wildcards. As for the third pick, I'd pick Anand for the following reasons:
(1) Grischuk is Russian. I can imagine you don't really want a 4th Russian out of 9 players. So you move on past Grischuk.
(2) Anand is a many times former World Champion, unlike Aronian. So you pick Anand, and have Aronian as reserve.

[David Sedgwick]

"based on" doesn't imply that they were the sole criterion. It was possibly even done subjectively.

Exactly.

The press release issued on 3rd January, available at http://www.grandchesstour.org/press-rel ... selections, gives a short explanation for the selection of each of the three GCT wildcards.

Pah! So you're using the rules for who qualifies to play in the Grand Chess Tour to advertise this wonderful new rating system... and then you're ignoring the results of the new rating system (when they produce the wrong answer).

Not sure who "you're" is in that context, but I'm not doing anything. The Grand Chess Tour is nothing to do with me.

You're in the clear, Alex. Angus's sneer was clearly aimed at me.

I won't be dignifying the sneer with a response.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

(1) Grischuk is Russian. I can imagine you don't really want a 4th Russian out of 9 players. So you move on past Grischuk.

Poor Grischuk (if that is a reason to keep excluding a 'fourth' Russian).

(PS. I suspect Angus was using 'you' in the plural sense to refer to all those behind the GCT decision making process. Who is the head honcho at the GCT anyway? It is not really Kasparov is it? Surely Sinquefield and the London Chess Classic get some sort of equal say, or is there some actual constituted board structure?)

[Angus French]

"based on" doesn't imply that they were the sole criterion. It was possibly even done subjectively.

Exactly.

The press release issued on 3rd January, available at http://www.grandchesstour.org/press-rel ... selections, gives a short explanation for the selection of each of the three GCT wildcards.

Pah! So you're using the rules for who qualifies to play in the Grand Chess Tour to advertise this wonderful new rating system... and then you're ignoring the results of the new rating system (when they produce the wrong answer).

Not sure who "you're" is in that context, but I'm not doing anything. The Grand Chess Tour is nothing to do with me.

You're in the clear, Alex. Angus's sneer was clearly aimed at me.

I won't be dignifying the sneer with a response.

I wasn't aiming at either you or Alex. My reference was to the advertiser (and creator) of the URS - i.e. the Grand Chess Tour.

[Paul Cooksey]

I was surprised Aronian not a wildcard after Rex Sinquefield's interview: https://youtu.be/Onhiwz6NB0M?t=36m32s

A shame from my point of view, I understand the selection criteria but I think the tour does suffer a bit from having a lot of players with similar styles.

[AustinElliott]

I was surprised Aronian not a wildcard after Rex Sinquefield's interview: https://youtu.be/Onhiwz6NB0M?t=36m32s

A shame from my point of view, I understand the selection criteria but I think the tour does suffer a bit from having a lot of players with similar styles.

Of course, Aronian not being a GCT wildcard might mean him appearing in a few more non-GCT tournaments, even opens. Does he play Gibraltar? As a player with an entertaining style and a good interviewee (in multiple languages) he would be a big draw, surely?

[Alex Holowczak]

(1) Grischuk is Russian. I can imagine you don't really want a 4th Russian out of 9 players. So you move on past Grischuk.

Poor Grischuk (if that is a reason to keep excluding a 'fourth' Russian).

Well, it would make marketing sense: Will you get a bigger audience with four Russians, or three Russians and an Indian? I guess we'll see how much of a factor this is at the Sinquefield Cup, if the 10th player is a 4th American.

On the other hand, if I'm coming up with reasons speculating why ... it could be as simple as Grischuk proactively asking not to be selected.

As a player with an entertaining style and a good interviewee (in multiple languages) he would be a big draw, surely?

Not as big a following as Anand will get from India, I'd have thought. He isn't as good a pick as far as attracting mainstream media goes, either. The media can quote a "former World Champion" very easily, but I'm not sure the mainstream media can label Aronian quite so easily should they interview him.

In any case, there are three Rapidplay events and two Standardplay events in the Tour. There are four more wildcards for the Rapidplay events. So Aronian may well still end up playing 3/5 of the tournaments.

[David Sedgwick]

You're in the clear, Alex. Angus's sneer was clearly aimed at me.

I won't be dignifying the sneer with a response.

I wasn't aiming at either you or Alex. My reference was to the advertiser (and creator) of the URS - i.e. the Grand Chess Tour.

Thanks for that, Angus. I apologise for being oversensitive, inflating my own importance, or both.

As the GCT Chief Arbiter for 2016, I was consulted about the wildcard selections, so I must accept some responsibility for the decisions.

[David Sedgwick]

.... is there some actual constituted board structure?)

Yes there is. "Grand Chess Tour" is a non-profit corporation registered in Saint Louis. Missouri. USA.

See, for example, http://nonprofits.findthecompany.com/l/ ... Chess-Tour.

That's pretty much all I know, so I won't be able to respond further on this.

[Nick Grey]

Looks like a good decision particularly as ratings move each month.

[Angus French]

You're in the clear, Alex. Angus's sneer was clearly aimed at me.

I won't be dignifying the sneer with a response.

I wasn't aiming at either you or Alex. My reference was to the advertiser (and creator) of the URS - i.e. the Grand Chess Tour.

Thanks for that, Angus. I apologise for being oversensitive, inflating my own importance, or both.

As the GCT Chief Arbiter for 2016, I was consulted about the wildcard selections, so I must accept some responsibility for the decisions.

Thanks David. I admit I could have expressed myself better and less aggressively. I would have liked to have seen Grischuk selected as he plays interesting and fighting chess. I have also to admit I'm suspicious of the purpose of the Universal Rating System.

[Roger de Coverly]

I have also to admit I'm suspicious of the purpose of the Universal Rating System.

I expect the intention of some is to undermine FIDE. An organisation that creates a regulation to prevent players accessing their personal history doesn't really deserve support.

Those who have put in the legwork to process data and produce ratings just like playing with computers.

[Alex Holowczak]

I have also to admit I'm suspicious of the purpose of the Universal Rating System.

You didn't have to admit that - it was blindingly apparent anyway.

[Chris Rice]

Looks like Kramnik won't be playing in the GCT this year due to scheduling problems which he is unhappy about. There may be a window of opportunity for him to appear at Paris or Leuven as a wildcard though. https://www.chess.com/news/view/carlsen ... paign=news

[Mick Norris]

That's a pity, though hopefully he will get a wildcard to an event or two

I see he's playing Zurich in April, and then Norway in June; I assume he'll be playing Dortmund in July given they are naming the 25th anniversary tournament in his honour