Anand v Gelfand

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Paul McKeown
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Paul McKeown » Fri May 18, 2012 2:56 pm

John McKenna wrote:One, or both, "reasonable club players' would have to do something unreasonable to make pig's ear out of this. The greatest danger would be trying too hard to win, in my opinion.
I could easily picture a 150 graded duffer worrying about his b-pawn at move 22, seeing stuff like 22... Rc5? 23 Rxc5 Qxb7, and coming up instead with a plan to place the b-pawn on b5. So. 22... Ba7 23. h5 b5 24. Re1 Qc6 25. h6 g6 26. Re7 Rc7 27. Qe4, at which point said 150 graded duffer realise he stands completely lost.

Of course Anand is not graded 150.
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John McKenna

Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by John McKenna » Fri May 18, 2012 3:04 pm

Neither am I 150, only a humble 145! Thanks for turning over the page on my last post though, Paul. It may have saved me being censured.
Last edited by John McKenna on Fri May 18, 2012 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Paul McKeown
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Paul McKeown » Fri May 18, 2012 3:12 pm

John McKenna wrote:Neither am I 150, but only a humble 145!
I'm pretty sure that a 190 graded whiffer could easily lose Black's position at move 22 on a bad day, too. But then again, Anand isn't graded 190, either.
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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Fri May 18, 2012 3:41 pm

Well, we can only hope the second half of the match has more to catch the eye. It shouldn't be difficult, at least :)
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Jonathan Bryant
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Fri May 18, 2012 4:26 pm

Paul McKeown wrote: Of course Anand is not graded 150.
Quite.

I think the estimates of the ability of club players to draw the position are a bit optimistic though. I can see a 150-ish person and higher losing the final position from either side through lack of basic endgame knowledge. (Especially if short of time, but then in my experience 'average' players often play endgames quickly regardless of how much time they have on the clock).

Actually I've beaten a 180 ish player in a drawn king and single pawn position (defending king in front of the pawn) and drawn a lost king and single pawn position (defending king not in front of the pawn) so I think it's quite possible for even significantly above average players to lose from the final position.

I suspect in practice it would lost likely be drawn because it wouldn't be played on. If the two average joes decided to slug it out to the finish anything could happen.


But then, as you suggest, Anand and Gelfie aren't average Joes.
Last edited by Jonathan Bryant on Fri May 18, 2012 4:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JustinHorton
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by JustinHorton » Fri May 18, 2012 4:33 pm

Looking at the games where Anand's had black, I've felt each time that I would have lost a correspondence game, with computers available, if I'd had his side of the game.

I have not however felt that I would have won with White.
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Simon Brown
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Simon Brown » Fri May 18, 2012 4:45 pm

I beat a future Grandmaster (W: Kf5, f6; B: Kf7 played Kg8). Mind you he was only 7 at the time.
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Jonathan Bryant
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Fri May 18, 2012 4:49 pm

Simon Brown wrote:I beat a future Grandmaster (W: Kf5, f6; B: Kf7 played Kg8). Mind you he was only 7 at the time.
That's pretty much how I won. My opponent was significantly older - but tired, stressed and short of time at the end of a long night, things are not always as easy as they might appear to be.
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abi&timadams
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by abi&timadams » Fri May 18, 2012 4:56 pm

Matthew Turner wrote:FIDE announced today that the second half of the match will be sponsored by Dulux. Ivor Brush, Marketing Director at the international paints manufacturer has said that they are very excited by this opportunity. "Many of the spectators of this tense encounter to determine the World Champion chessplayer will undoubtedly enjoy observing our products."
I am delighted that Matthew isn't glossing over the main issues of the match. :D

Cheers

Abi
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Simon Brown
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Simon Brown » Fri May 18, 2012 5:22 pm

Yes, nice one, matt (sorry)

Simon
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John McKenna

Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by John McKenna » Fri May 18, 2012 5:22 pm

Simon Brown >I beat a future GM... he was only 7 at the time.<
Looking to the future, how long before the first 7-year-old GM?
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JustinHorton
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by JustinHorton » Sat May 19, 2012 5:31 am

BBC: Chess in India
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."
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Mats Winther
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Mats Winther » Sat May 19, 2012 8:46 am

Bad chess is much more entertaining than the WCH. This I played today as black:



M. Winther
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Ian Kingston
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Ian Kingston » Sat May 19, 2012 10:23 am

The World Championship has popped up on the BBC News radar: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18074307. The article is mostly about the growth of chess in India.
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Roger de Coverly
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Re: Anand v Gelfand

Post by Roger de Coverly » Sat May 19, 2012 10:38 am

It's even on a Daily Mail site

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/in ... ds-newsxml

but the "Indian edition"
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