English Chess Forum

Great article by Torbjørn Ringdal Hansen The confidence of a Champion which demonstrates just how good Carlsen and Caruana are and that their forthcoming match, in exactly one month from now, could be one of the greatest of all time.

Does anyone have a contact email/tel. for the organisers? I've been looking but can't seem to find one . Or do I have to write to Agon in Moscow?

Catherine Glynn wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 12, 2018 4:27 pm

Does anyone have a contact email/tel. for the organisers? I've been looking but can't seem to find one . Or do I have to write to Agon in Moscow?

Forget it, just found the contacts.
CG

Interesting article here:

Miguel Illescas previews Carlsen vs. Caruana

Illescas speculates on the impact access to AlphaZero may have on the match, focusing on Caruana being American, and Google being (mostly) a US company. I thought I'd read somewhere that Carlsen had seen some of the AlphaZero games, but I might be misremembering. Whatever the result in the match, there might be something said at the London Chess Classic in this regard, as the initial rounds (semi-finals) are "hosted by pioneering artificial intelligence company DeepMind at Google" (just noticed there is a ballot for free tickets to attend the DeepMind part of the event).

Will cross-post this to the AlphaZero thread as well.

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:51 pm

Illescas speculates on the impact access to AlphaZero may have on the match

It ought to be important to GM preparation that AlphaZero and similar approaches should be unbiased. If you consult the evaluation of a conventional engine, the assessment you get is likely to be slightly biased by how the programmers wrote its rules for evaluation of positions and for that matter the engine's confidence that it has the tactical accuracy to hold difficult positions.

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:51 pm

Interesting article here:

Miguel Illescas previews Carlsen vs. Caruana

From my experience as coach and right arm of Vladimir Kramnik in the three World Championship matches in which Volodya [a nickname for Vladimir -Ed.] triumphed

What's the point of the explanation here? Who else and what else might it be?

With the World Championship match a few weeks away World Chess have launched a chess dating app and Peter Doggers has done a report on it. The app is called Mates. Available both for iOS and Android, the app uses dating technology to help find "a chess playing partner near you."

Roman Sidorenko, founder of the Pure app, is quoted:

"Good sex has a lot in common with a good game of chess: it’s as passionate, tense, uncertain and exciting. And just like in sex, no one wants to wait for another person to make a move. Together with World Chess we wanted to create an app that lets people be spontaneous in their desires. That's why Mates limits your conversation to an hour, so you spend less time talking and more time playing."

Anish Giri is quoted "Slowly the World Championship logo starts making sense."

VIP Tickets - with the VIP ticket you will get: separate entrance to the venue with VIP reception and separate coat check; comfortable VIP area with seating zones; bar with free drinks; priority entrance to the Players area; possibility to book seats in the first rows during the games* and press-conference; memorable souvenirs.

General Admission Tickets - if you are buying this ticket you are getting: access to the Players area, where you can watch the two best world chess players compete for the chess crown*; live commentating of the games by chess grandmasters; entertainment area, where you can try to beat your mate in chess; chess cafe where you can buy snacks and drinks; chess shop with chess souvenirs.

The General Admission ticket for Saturday 10th Nov (round 2) is £85 (= the cost subscribing to New in Chess for a year). The VIP ticket is £500 (= price of a season ticket to half the Premier League). Prices vary by day.

Unfortunately the hoped-for banter event round the corner at the Plough has been cancelled due to building works.

It is a pity that what should have been such an important event in the history of chess will have so few people to witness it.

I suggest people (and especially) clubs make arrangements to meet up casually during the event - probably in a pub! I'll be trying to do the same thing for a few of the games - maybe the forum is a reasonable place for people to try and make arrangements and/or suggestions!?

I think that Thomas Rendle's idea of social events based around the match have considerably more appeal. I spent an enjoyable afternoon the other year watching Anand and Carlsen with a friend I don't get to see much. The match was projected through his large TV screen and we watched and did other stuff as well. Extending this to a pub or other friendly environment seems more sociable than visiting the match itself, where you would be somewhat limited in the diversionary activities you might choose in those quieter moments of long thought. Those choosing to buy a ticket are surely a relatively modest sub set of chess players?

Thomas Rendle wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 3:43 pm

I suggest people (and especially) clubs make arrangements to meet up casually during the event - probably in a pub! I'll be trying to do the same thing for a few of the games - maybe the forum is a reasonable place for people to try and make arrangements and/or suggestions!?

I have at least four or five events during the WCH, and hope to have the games up live somewhere. One of the events (Muswell Hill) is in a lively pub with a giant screen in the Kinks room!

John Foley wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 3:09 pm

VIP Tickets - with the VIP ticket you will get: separate entrance to the venue with VIP reception and separate coat check; comfortable VIP area with seating zones; bar with free drinks; priority entrance to the Players area; possibility to book seats in the first rows during the games* and press-conference; memorable souvenirs.

General Admission Tickets - if you are buying this ticket you are getting: access to the Players area, where you can watch the two best world chess players compete for the chess crown*; live commentating of the games by chess grandmasters; entertainment area, where you can try to beat your mate in chess; chess cafe where you can buy snacks and drinks; chess shop with chess souvenirs.

The General Admission ticket for Saturday 10th Nov (round 2) is £85 (= the cost subscribing to New in Chess for a year). The VIP ticket is £500 (= price of a season ticket to half the Premier League). Prices vary by day.

Unfortunately the hoped-for banter event round the corner at the Plough has been cancelled due to building works.

It is a pity that what should have been such an important event in the history of chess will have so few people to witness it.

What absolute joke prices. Who in their right mind would fork out that much?

benedgell wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:59 pm

Who in their right mind would fork out that much?

Not chess players, for sure: they'd be doubly disqualified

David Robertson wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:23 pm

benedgell wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:59 pm

Who in their right mind would fork out that much?

Not chess players, for sure: they'd be doubly disqualified

When you've had a media reach of 600 million people for your launch ceremony with Makro and George Osborne, you have to charge according to the demand you've generated.

Alex Holowczak wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 6:33 pm

David Robertson wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:23 pm

benedgell wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 25, 2018 4:59 pm

Who in their right mind would fork out that much?

Not chess players, for sure: they'd be doubly disqualified

When you've had a media reach of 600 million people for your launch ceremony with Makro and George Osborne, you have to charge according to the demand you've generated.

Premium membership to World Chess to watch it online is $20 which works out at a £1+ a game I guess. Its very similar to the pay per view boxing matches.