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ChessBase commentary does uplift the lacklustre playing action G1. Beneath the final position diagram: "And that was all she wrote." Notice no piece is ever captured, and only one pawn exchange happens, and then Draw by repetition. It's the nature of their game. Three-fold repetition is more like 14 moves not even 16 moves in practical sense. In contrast, a Baseball pitcher absolute theoretic minimum pitches would be 27, or 24, in perfect game where every batter lines or pops out.
Caissa -- "Carlsen did return and could be seen clasping his hands and bowing his head, almost as though in prayer. I suppose appeasement of Caissa can never hurt." Post-mortem Gms_take. In historic Shatranj Draw territory would not be expected below a goodly 30 Moves.
"The thicker the grass, the more easily scythed." --Alaric, king of the Visigoths
Game 2: Draw in 25: http://www.chessbase.com/post/chennai-02-two-minor-victories-. Would Fischer Random Chess help? http://www.chessvariants.org/diffsetup.dir/fischer.html. Game 3: Draw in 51: http://www.chessbase.com/post/world-championship-anand-carlsen-live-no ************************************************* Chessbase currently exhibits Loyd problem far more exciting than the world championship: http://www.chessbase.com/post/chessbase-puzzles-loyd-s-steinitz-gambit. There the worst possible move to appearance, mates in Three! In fact, variant chess piece-types do make their way into Orthodox topics through problem themes, although Sam Loyd's problem above uses the six standard pieces strictly (Queen off-board). Orthodox bastion Chess Café in 1998 did run Tim Harding's http://www.chesscafe.com/text/kibitz31.txt, which shows Transcendental Prelate and suggests other CV pieces. Would modest Free Castling reinvigorate as needed? Actually, what CVers might contribute is that the rationale should be: which is correct, fixed or variable Castling? That is, "Correct" in the same sense that the consensus has the modern Bishop right and proper and the mediaeval Elephant incorrect or at least less correct. "Elephant" of course is found in form of Chess the predecessor to OrthoChess: http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/shatranj.html.
I) Chess ahead of the Rubber Duck: http://www.ahwatukee.com/arts_life/article_23d30732-4bcc-11e3-91e4-001a4bcf887a.html, far cry from the days of Al-Rashid's "Chess Is Life," http://www.chess-poster.com/english/chesmayne/brief_notes_on_the_history_of_chess_800.htm. II) Game 4: Draw in 64. Http://www.chessbase.com/post/chennai-g4-carlsen-presses-anand-in-epic-battle. This is dedicated 12-game match. Fischer-Spassky 1972 was scheduled 24 games, and Kasparov-Karpov 1984 ran epic 48 games. Then in spectacular, Kasparov-Deep Blue was out to save humanity against machines. Though today the sensitive hoi polloi Orthodoxy avoid the subject, all these top engines would slaughter both Anand and Carlsen: (partial names and list) Houdini, Stockfish, Critter, Komodo, Rybka. III) Carrera invented compounds BN and RN 400 years ago. Revived in turn by Bird 19th century and Capablanca 20th, Seirawan Chess is latest recent incarnation. Wanting to save 64 squares, are not Seirawan Chess', http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seirawan_chess, three pointwise Queen-comparables too much for small 64 squares? (that is, 64 squares as "small" to CVers familiar with regular-size Shogi 81 and regular-size Xiangqi 90 and large-size Turkish Great Chesses of 17th century, http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/greatchessii.html, on 100 squares)
Another rest day and ChessBase (http://en.chessbase.com/) article looks at Draws, http://en.chessbase.com/post/wch-chennai-the-nature-of-draws, a tolerated specialty unique to Chess, or modern/ancient f.i.d.e Chess anyway. That article says Fischer-Spassky 1972 Games 14-20 were fighting Draws. Were we right when we claim a year ago on the fortieth anniversary that Spassky should win Game 15: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=29404 and http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=29413? No one yet challenges the improvement. Summary of the series then was: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/displaycomment.php?commentid=29434.
Maybe I'm an idiot, but I don't see why game 4 was a draw. At the end, Black had K+R+P against White's K+R. Does Black really have no chance to win at that point?
Game 5: Carlsen Wins. http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-g5-carlsen-draws-first-blood, ignoring Draws, the Win score is 1-0 with five games down and seven to go. As to Joseph DeMuro's Game 4 reference, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rook_and_pawn_versus_rook_endgame is important because it applies practically unchanged not just to small 64 squares, but also to regular rectangular 80, as in Capablanca's http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/capablanca.html, and to large 100 of 10x10. It could be added that the hoi polloi Orthodoxy, having seen these endgames so many times ritualistically and pedantically, they know at a glance in chorus: 'Draw' or 'Play'.
Game 6: Carlsen Wins. http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-g6-carlsen-wins-second-straight. This is the most interesting game yet. 6 down and 6 to go, and the score is 2-0. Replaying Game 6, the board seems not so much small as narrow to CVers: they OrthoChessists need to learn about 9-wide Japanese and Korean and Chinese, http://www.chessvariants.org/xiangqi.html, not to mention 10-wide Capablanca or Great Shatranj, http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSgreatshatranjm. [Added later 16.Nov.13, Blunder: http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-06-disaster-for-india.]
Thanks for the link, George. I had no idea that the K+R+P versus K+R endgame had been so well-studied, or that the outcome was so highly dependent on the specific position. Based on game 6, it looks like Carlsen isn't one of the "hoi polloi" you mentioned. Anand gave up a pawn to force a rook/pawn endgame, which he apparently thought would be a draw. But Carlsen kept trying to win, and win he did.
Games 7 and 8 were both Drawn, http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-09-berlin-and-yada-yada-yada, so score remains 2-0 for Carlsen by Wins. 8 down, 4 to go, and odds must be now 30-1 or 40-1 that Anand will prevent that Carlsen will be new World Champion. World OrthoChess enters a new phase with record young Champion still age 22: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnus_Carlsen. For example, Carlsen was only age 4 when this Chess Variant Page started about January 1995 on Internet, only just turned age 2 when December 1992 Falcon the first of the four fundamental Chess pieces was discovered, only age 5 when Fischer proposed face-saving Fischer Random in Buenos Aires mid-1996 etc. All here congratulate Magnus! (Of course the sardonic could scoff that an ideal Tournament for World Title might require, Oh, let's say 20 Wins, not a mere formulaic 2 Wins.) Who will be the first challenger? Here's a vote for Hikaru Nakamura to the extent politics will play a part. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikaru_Nakamura.
Rest Day today. Clarification: the Danube is the longest river in Europe except for the Volga, and Carlsen is to be the youngest Champion ever except for Kasparov, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov.
It appears blundering Anand won't win a single game OrthoChess world championship at Anand's own home turf Chennai, India, http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-09-thrilling-fight-tarnished. Wins are 3 Carlsen with 9 down 3 games to go (as usual Draws really lead 6 to 3). Strictly, it has happened six times before that loser wins nary a game: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_world_chess_championships. [added 23.Nov.13: Showing the decay, in that list it is pathetic that 6 wins have been enough since Fischer won 7 in 1972.] (22.Nov.13: foregone conclusion -- http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-final-magnus-victorious) 23.nov.13: Hey Chess fans, give Anand credit for using a really big word "Microcosm," (wow! or lol up-to-date) in first line that last report -- regardless neither Vishy nor Magnus nor the hoi polloi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoi_polloi Fundamentalists in general can wield a shatranj Alfil, xiangqi Cannon, carreran Centaur or shogi Lion.
http://en.chessbase.com/post/chennai-aftermath-the-experts-opine http://www.chess-poster.com/english/notes_and_facts/chess_quotes.htm --Historic Quotes there from politically- and environmentally-conscious Kasparov, opinionated provoking Fischer, Anand, Karpov and top 20th-century Orthodox GMs. Offhand the only thing Carlsen says that comes to mind: "I am not a genius," something Capablanca or Fischer would never have said. So to be fair, http://www.chessquotes.com/player-carlsen --Magnus Carlsen. And http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/magnus_carlsen.html --Magnus Carlsen. Consider the 20 World Chess Champions since 1886, counting the knockout-tournament interregnum 1993-2006. Seven of the 20 have last name starting with 'K' or hard 'C': Capablanca, Karpov, Kasparov, Khalifman, Kasimdzhanov, Kramnik, Carlsen. This time it is Ilyumzhinov versus Kasparov for president of fide, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/world/europe/former-chess-champion-begins-a-different-pursuit.html?_r=0 after last time Ilyumzhinov versus Karpov. Finally, this http://www.chess.com/news/andrew-paulson-elected-as-president-of-the-english-chess-federation-1607 is first referencing of Agon, whose activity is towards corporate interest, but clear is that Paulson does not favour either Ilyumzhinov or Kasparov.
Post-summary. Danish being understandable to Norweigian speakers, provocative shakespearean cliche "something rotten in Denmark" could apply to Magnus Carlsen. For disappointingly, he reads not, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/magnuscarl484959.html, unlike the 19 other learned Chess Champs since 1886. Those include mathematician Dr. Lasker who coached friend Einstein on relativity formulas. He, Carlsen, emulates not, http://en.chessbase.com/post/magnus-carlsen-on-his-che-career, contemporary GM Nunn's erudition in astronomy. In another letdown, he aspires not to match up with Computers, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/magnuscarl484936.html, the way Kasparov did Deep Blue in the nineties and whilst CVPage work points to some rules-design concepts that are computer-unfriendly. Thus consensual mediocrity in the 3-win Chennai, India, match befits stand-pat 'Time' cover publicity of this day, being predictable, thanks to Capablancan neat and clean precedent: http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/1925/1101251207_400.jpg. Those inter-Euro-war 1920s also saw starting of F.I.D.E. and promulgation Capablanca Chess, http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/capablanca.html.
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" is English picturesque saying from 'Hamlet 1:4'. The expression can serve as metaphor for old guard f.i.d.e. Chess on small 64 squares. Chess having worldwide reach, what are equivalent proverbs as colourful in other languages? Then, what Excellent Chess Variant from each country warrants attention over that computer-conquered Orthodox standard? That is, the one Official Rules represented by this recent Chennai, India, Carlsen-Anand match passionately adhered to by the Hoi Polloi fundamentalists, who know no variant. Following are all real same-meaning proverbs recognizable by native speakers. French: There is an eel under the rock: http://www.chessvariants.org/diffobjective.dir/giveaway.html. Spanish: There is a cat shut up inside: http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/acedrex.html; http://www.chessvariants.org/dpieces.dir/maxima/maxima.html. Japanese: There is a worm in the lion's body: http://www.chessvariants.org/shogi.html. Arabic: There is a snake under the hay: http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/shatranj.html. (For larger board see Great Shatranj.) Russian: There is a needle in the bag: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSallpiecesofcla. Chinese: I don't know what kind of medicine is inside this melon. http://www.chessvariants.org/xiangqi.html. Malaysian: Just because the river is quiet, don't think the crocodiles have left. http://www.chessvariants.org/oriental.dir/thai.html. (Malaysia and Thailand border.) That makes 8 ways to say Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark.
"Look before you leap." There were 3 Wins in Anand-Carlsen 2013, leaving plenty of time later to complete review. Intermission now until the next championship a year hence may as well do many more Proverbs. Ben Franklin's "Morals of Chess"(1786), http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles370.pdf, puts number one "Foresight." What is equivalent expression in other tongues, and what indigenous Chess Variant challengingly beats out quaint f.i.d.e. Official Rules just played to our amusement by hoi polloi Orthodox Carlsen and Anand? Usages are all genuine sayings of each native language. French: Turn the tongue seven times, then speak: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/shako.html. Latin: Think before you leap (cogita ante salis): http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MPlatrunculiduom. Japanese: Have an umbrella before getting wet: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/external.php?itemid=ChuShogi. German: First weigh (consequences), then dare: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/bbchess/bbchess.html. Arabic: Before you drink the soup, blow on it: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/greatchessii.html (regional). Russian: If you don't know the ford, don't cross the stream: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/chessbattle.html. Italian: Be careful bending your head, you may break it: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/subsection.php?itemid=ItalianProgressi. That makes 8 ways to say Look Before You Leap.
"Little drops of water make the mighty ocean" brings to mind ancient Indian saying "Chess is a sea where a gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe." During INTERMISSION til the fall 2014 next Chess Championship, what other like Proverbs are found? And what corresponding superior Chess Variant from or related to each country? Long since fresh and now having fully run its course, Official Rules of f.i.d.e. do govern hoi polloi GM play, though many a well-considered Chess Variant makes far better top-of-the-pyramid mind-sport selection in ideal world. No contest. Now not every both intelligent and whimsical CV is candidate-replacement creme de la creme, but one and all proverbs are genuine translations. French: Little by little the bird makes his nest: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/contest/kings-court.html. Japanese: Grains of dust pile up to make a hill: http://www.chessvariants.org/shogivariants.dir/kamikazeshogi.html. German: Dripping water hollows a stone: http://www.chessvariants.org/3d.dir/3d5.html. Italian: Drop by drop the sea is filled: http://www.chessvariants.org/boardrules.dir/piazzasanmarco.html. Russian: Single threads from all over the world can make a whole shirt for a man: http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/fortress.html. Arabic: A hair from here and a hair from there finally make a beard: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSgreatshatranjm. Chinese: For Chien's army stopped the river's course when each soldier threw in his whip: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSxiangaroo. That makes 8 ways to say Little Drops of Water Make the Mighty Ocean.
"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched." The only 100-year Official Rules -- limited to one fixed form not altogether arbitrary -- are become fringe sport riddled with Draws of under-50% Decisiveness. All the broadening humanistic Proverbs in the world belong now to, let's call it, "Chess variant pluralism." This readily tolerant CV ethos of imaginative inclusiveness and diversity addresses EVERYTHING important (see all current comments). In contrast, the narrow dogmatic my-way-or-the-highway mindset of stasis in f.i.d.e. OrthoChess has NOTHING to say -- except in warning hoi polloi masses never to think for themselves. Today mature audiences understand well-defined Rules undergo change at times for good purpose: (1) intellectual stimulation in exploration of culture and language, (2) whimsical entertainment tried out, (3) mathematical discovery and proof, (4) geometric art and edification, (5) commemoration or commercialization, (6) more correct, complete utmost mental challenge effecting Draw reduction, (7) true historic evolution. German: You can't hang people before you've caught them: http://www.chessvariants.org/dpieces.dir/berlin.html (are one-trick ponies the likes of Carlsen, Kasparov, Karpov ignorant even of classy Berolinas?) French: Don't sell the bearskin before you kill the bear: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/bilateral-chess.html. Spanish: Don't eat the sausages before you kill the pig: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/sissa.html. Japanese: Don't count the badger skins before you kill the badger: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSminishogisetup. Russian: You can't count chickens before autumn comes: http://www.chessvariants.org/difftaking.dir/russianchess.html. Swahili: Don't curse the crocodile before you have crossed the river: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senterej (regional). Jamaican: Don't curse the crocodile's mother until you have crossed the river: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/modern.html (regional, Hispaniola separating Jamaica and Puerto Rico). That makes 8 ways to say Don't Count Your Chickens Before They're Hatched.
"Everyone to his own taste." In aftermath of Chennai, Draws 7 Wins 3, clearly the founders codifying year 1924 Official Rules would not anticipate computer-driven and Draw-ridden western Chess. Today boxed in by dogmatism, one-trick ponies Carlsen, Aronian, Kramnik or most any top 100 cannot tolerate even mention of 1990s Fischer Random Chess -- one mild CV solution suppressed by censorship. The narrow my-way-or-the-highway OrthoChess mentality removes their right to historic legacy altogether, so the Proverbs and languages in the world Chess inspires are responsibly inherited now by Chess variant pluriform philosophy. This includes eastern Chess methods honoured too: Xiangqi and Shogi variants. Spanish: Variety is the spice of life: http://www.chessvariants.org/other.dir/hanga_roa/hanga_roa.html. French: Each to his own taste: http://www.chessvariants.org/multimove.dir/marseill.html. Latin: Concerning tastes there can be no disputing: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MLvenatorchess. (Here are many reforms by same author: http://boardgames.zxq.net/chessvar.htm.) Japanese: Ten men, ten colours: http://www.chessvariants.org/shogivariants.dir/taikyoku_english.html. Arabic: Every person is free in his opinions: http://www.chessvariants.org/historic.dir/tamerlane.html. Russian: Every baron has his own special fantasty: http://www.math.bas.bg/~iad/tyalie/shatra/shatrax.html. Chinese: Let a thousand flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend: http://www.chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSxianghex. That makes 8 ways to say, Everyone To His Own Taste.
"Too many cooks spoil the broth." 'Cook' is also a flaw or dual solution in Chess problem. Anyway whose goose is going to be cooked by the other one's campaign, Kasparov's or Ilyumzhinov's, http://en.chessbase.com/post/kasparov-on-the-campaign-trail-indonesia? Each following Proverb couples with Chess variant having plural inventorship. Too many Cooks? Chess arrives in Europe by first mention year 997. English has far the world's largest vocabulary. Over half its words to this day are French or Latin-through-French origin, latter considerably polysyllabic. Most English-predecessor Germanic Anglo-Saxon one-syllable words do carry over post-invasion. From 1066 on Norman Conquest of England, killing Harold, feudal French overlords contribute to English half each pairing (s)axon/ (f)rench: steer/boeuf, pig/porc, calf/veau, sheep/mouton, chicken/poulet, deer/venaison, want/desire, smell/odor, eat/dine, look at/regard, dead/deceased. Cook itself is of course plain Latin. Latin: Ne quid expectes amicos, quod tute agere possis: http://www.chessvariants.org/crossover.dir/gess.html (like asian go). French: Too many cooks ruin the sauce: http://www.chessvariants.org/other.dir/rococo.html. Spanish: A ship directed by many pilots soon sinks: http://www.chessvariants.org/44.dir/symmetron44/symmetron44.html. Japanese: With too many rowers the ship will crash into a mountain: http://www.chessvariants.org/shogivariants.dir/mortalshogi.html. Chinese: Seven hands, eight feet: http://www.chessvariants.org/contests/luotuoqi.html (look at tower of hanoi!). Russian: When there are five nurses the child loses an eye; with seven nurses the child finally is found to lack a head: http://www.chessvariants.org/large.dir/complete-permutation.html (the four basic pieces). Dutch: Beter alleen, dan in kwaad gezelschap: http://www.seirawanchess.com/ (have gms no shame for a cv "hardly new"?). That makes 8 ways to say Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth.
> Dutch: Beter alleen, dan in kwaad gezelschap That is not the same saying. It translates to "Better alone than in evil company", which refers to quality, rather than quantity. Closest I can think of is "Je kunt geen twee kapiteins op een schip hebben" (You cannot have two captains on one ship.)
Thanks for correction, H.G. Seirawan lives in Netherlands, where his wife works for government, and second inventor Harper in Canada, so Dutch fit, but I couldn't find the right comparable right away.
> Seirawan lives in Netherlands, where his wife works for government Yes, I know (and was quite surprised when I first heard it). He actually visited me once at home, to discuss the possibility of setting up an internet server of Seirawan Chess. The project somehow drowned, however, because he is too busy with other stuff.
Bauble: http://en.chessbase.com/post/vg-interview-with-magnus-carlsen.
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It is pro forma match being trumped up between those two because Chess Base ran article showing neither Anand nor Carlsen stand chance against the best players: Best.
Chess Base is not very well indexed for past articles or subject matter. They want their current pronouncements to be gospel without context of the past: typical Stage-setter. Despite their obfuscation, we shall be able to look back whilst the focus lies in their Ortho- world championship.
Now Chess Base and "World Chess Federation" are venues for entrenched Orthodoxy: one set of rules 500 years old, with century-old concretization for e.p. and castling. Together, FIDE and Chess Base as well as allied Chess Cafe comprise The Great CV Unwashed*. That umbrella nickname indicates, because able to retain only Ortho-Chess 64 of f.i.d.e. persuasion, they show scant knowledge of Chess history, origins, or historical and variant rules. Or they soon forget the History in their own past statements that we may as well recover during the India match.
(*Synonym is greek Hoi_polloi, in context that they obsessively overlook even middle ages Shatranj let alone modern CVs.)