Imagine if everyone else was standing there too to appear like a brainiac to passerby, nodding wisely at the eloquent points my by the guy next to you.
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Imagine if everyone else was standing there too to appear like a brainiac to passerby, nodding wisely at the eloquent points my by the guy next to you.
Today is the day. Caruana wins, putting pressure on Carlsen. Carlsen turns it around and wins the last two games.
Where do you guys follow these matches?
So I've been following this match and just started to understand a bit more about openings and stuff.. never realized just how complex Chess could be and the sheer depth of strategy/tactics it involves and the prep that can go into it in terms of being able to force particular patterns of play from your opponent.
What level are you guys that are posting in this thread and do you have any tips/books/websites/videos you recommend to improve one's competitiveness against good players and what are the main tactics one should be looking to add to their arsenal as a beginner?
What level are you guys that are posting in this thread and do you have any tips/books/websites/videos you recommend to improve one's competitiveness against good players and what are the main tactics one should be looking to add to their arsenal as a beginner?
I watch it on Chess24. Like being in a lecture today with Anish Giri and Svidler spewing out lines
When you're new the biggest return is on tactical puzzles. Any website that do them is good.
I think this is the first time since game 1 where Caruana has been out of prep first and it's costing him a lot on the clock. Although the position is fine for him atm.
I have never played classical chess in my life. I used to play a lot of online blitz and was around 2100 but I'd be a lot worse now I don't play regularly.
There are lots of resources to improve your chess online. Lichess is my favourite site.
https://lichess.org/practice
Teaches you the basics of tactics.
https://lichess.org/training/
Tactical puzzles generated from real games.
For learning strategy you have to play slow games and analyse them after with an engine. Again you can do this on lichess, against other players or a chess engine with various difficulty settings. You don't need an account.
If you have the time then there are a ton of good chess youtubers who you will benefit from watching.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6hOVYvNn79Sl1Fc1vx2mYA/playlists
John Bartholomew's climbing the rating ladder and tactics training series are super instructive.
ChessNetwork and GingerGM also have a lot of good videos. Remember to stick to longer games. Watching someone play a single 30 minute game is much more instructive than watching them play 30 bullet games.
Who is the most talented chess player of all time? Not the most consistent, but the most talented. Or in othet words, who had the highest peak?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chess_players_by_peak_FIDE_rating
Magnus has the highest peak elo followed by Karsparov. The thing in chess is tha it's pretty much undeniable players have gotten better through the years because they have more resources, can study more and then have platforms to hone their skills against the best from all across the world.
Unlike some other sports, where the analysts were former players (and are a little dim as a result), so they constantly try to downplay the current generation for the previous.
I like to believe some of the older champions were the most talented, like Lasker, Capablanca or Alekhine. Used to enjoy reading about them as a kid in one big-ass "Chess Encyclopedia" book, and they stood in my mind for some reasons.
It's probably someone like Fisher though.
It's probably someone like Fisher though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_top_chess_players_throughout_history
It's either Kasparov or Fischer.
Kasparov had a 2851 elo in 1999 and Fischer was 2785 in 1972. Two insane ratings.
A few years ago when Carlsen was getting close to 2900 people were putting him in the conversation but he has dipped since then. Of course he is still relatively young and Skills is right that if the best players of today could go back in a time machine they would beat the best players of the past quite comfortably. But that's not really talent, it's like how an average premier league today would be the best team in the world in the 1980s because they would be far fitter and more tactically organised than anyone else.
Morphy always deserves a mention as well because even though he played in the amateur era he was comically better than anyone else at the time and was completely self taught.
It's either Kasparov or Fischer.
Kasparov had a 2851 elo in 1999 and Fischer was 2785 in 1972. Two insane ratings.
A few years ago when Carlsen was getting close to 2900 people were putting him in the conversation but he has dipped since then. Of course he is still relatively young and Skills is right that if the best players of today could go back in a time machine they would beat the best players of the past quite comfortably. But that's not really talent, it's like how an average premier league today would be the best team in the world in the 1980s because they would be far fitter and more tactically organised than anyone else.
Morphy always deserves a mention as well because even though he played in the amateur era he was comically better than anyone else at the time and was completely self taught.
Carlsen should definitely be in the conversation as the most talented. I mean, he played Kasparov when he was 13 and managed a draw. That's insane, and actually quite humiliating for Kasparov at the time.
Technically, I believe Caruana in the Sinquefield cup where he won 7 games in a row is the highest performance rating ever recorded. Carlsen also has one that is very very high from 2010 or 2011 maybe (in China).
With the Elo-ratings, it's easier to compare quantitatively performance.
If you check old games with engines they show they played worse then, although the very best players of old are not that far behind the modern top players. Mainly in opening preparation, as the computer have reformed that part of the game.
The other day I read an article about this championship, saying that computer-based preparation had made these finals even more defensive. They cited Illescas, a Spanish chess player who proposed that at the end of the game -in case of draw- start another game(changing colors) with the remaining time. However there are criticisms as it would favor fast players.
What would do you?
What would do you?
Thanks buddy - been enjoying it so far.
Exciting position now.
Hope Magnus wins this one, then he'll win with a draw in the next one 
Obviously he did a pretty weak move after i said that.
Weak in theory, good in practice! Now it will probably fizzle out in a draw, but great game.
Carlsen messed up a possibly slightly better rook endgame, but not too badly, and it's a draw again.
Win for either player today and they are the world champion. Carlsen played for the draw with white in game 11 but Caruana will surely go for the win.
Looks like we'll have a thrilling game today.
Yeah this is tense. Caruana's white games have been great all the way through.
I'd be a nervous wreck playing any position for high stakes, let alone this mess.
Top game this one is. Carlsen will win it, Caruana is running out of time fast.
Considering the position and what's at stake that has to be the weirdest draw offer I've ever seen.
Ok I haven't watched chess in years so how do I go about watching this and when is it on? Please and thanks
The classical section finished tied. The tie break games are tomorrow starting at 15:00 GMT.
There are a ton of places to watch.
https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/9v8din/chess_event_carlsen_vs_caruana_world_chess/
The most high level commentary will be on chess24 who also broadcast on youtube while Chess Network on twitch is good at explaining things to lower rated players.
Great stuff thanks for that
Thanks for that, ive been getting back into Chess lately thanks to coverage of the Carlsen game In the mainstream media (Guardian).
Any apps you recommend? Would be nice to be able to play on the tube without an internet connection
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What would you guys recommend as the easiest or most solid two openings (a pair for white and black) to use as a beginner.
I used to be addicted to an android tactics app called 'Chess Tactic Puzzles'. Very minimalist but at the time it was the best tactics app by miles.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.timleg.chesstactics
Lichess also has free apps for android and ios. I've never used them myself but if they are half as good as the site they should work well.
https://lichess.org/mobile
Thanks - will check them out
The London System for white and the Petrov for black, both are simple and solid. However it's generally recommended that beginners don't worry about theory and focus on opening principles, e.g:
1. Fight for the centre and space.
2. Develop all your pieces as fast as possible.
3. Castle king to safety.
Playing is more fun than studying and if you analyse after the game, which is a must if you want to improve, then the computer will tell you what opening you played and what moves it recommends. You will naturally gravitate towards certain move orders and systems depending on your style of play, if you like open vs closed games, tactical vs positional etc.
This is going to be tense.
e4 is what I play in that position, not a good sign probably 
Sneaky win in drawn rook ending followed by three draws would be the most Magnus Carlsen way to win the WC ever.
Its best of 4 right?
Yup
Isn’t three draws very unlikely considering how Caruana has to push and draws are generally less likely in rapid chess? I’m hoping Caruana pushes too hard / gets caught by his nerves and Magnus goes up 2-0, however every draw is worth cheering for right now