Anand vs. Gelfand WCC 2012 started

[Houdini]

They went "out of book" with black's 16th move... So despite I liked the idea of opposed castles and opening the h column, it was, again, no risk from any player...

So yes, the most exciting move of the game was 16. ..., e4. And 26. ..., Nb2 as well, so credits to Gelfand. Maybe interesting from a pure technical point of view, but that's not enough to call this game exciting.

As a chess fan I want to see a Kasparov splashing the board with testosterone, or a Tal finding out-of-this world trickeries that would lose 100% against any top 100 engine but would win 9 times out of ten against a top-10 player. I want to see Capablanca's charming moves, Alekhine's energy, Fisher's "draw is not an option". Everything but this technicians' battle: for that I have engines matches already.

You're so spoiled by the past that you forget to appreciate the present .

Is it possible that the real-time engine analyses make the game appear duller than before? Would you have been more excited if you had watched today's game without any computer analysis?

Robert

[JuLieN]

They went "out of book" with black's 16th move... So despite I liked the idea of opposed castles and opening the h column, it was, again, no risk from any player...

So yes, the most exciting move of the game was 16. ..., e4. And 26. ..., Nb2 as well, so credits to Gelfand. Maybe interesting from a pure technical point of view, but that's not enough to call this game exciting.

As a chess fan I want to see a Kasparov splashing the board with testosterone, or a Tal finding out-of-this world trickeries that would lose 100% against any top 100 engine but would win 9 times out of ten against a top-10 player. I want to see Capablanca's charming moves, Alekhine's energy, Fisher's "draw is not an option". Everything but this technicians' battle: for that I have engines matches already.

You're so spoiled by the past that you forget to appreciate the present .

Is it possible that the real-time engine analyses make the game appear duller than before? Would you have been more excited if you had watched today's game without any computer analysis?

Robert

Yes, you're right about that I miss the times when we were trying to guess what the players would play. We often ended up surprised by an unexpected move, that was very exciting.

Clearly, real time analysis takes a great part of the fun (so I might be biased: without engine analysis maybe I would find the games more exciting). Note that the live commentators chose to not use engines anymore after the first game, because they received mails telling them it wasn't very interesting.

Still, I'm the first one to use engines.

@McMad: yep, this kind of moves makes games interesting! Providing they are not blatant blunders, we don't want to feel like watching patzers' championship.

@Sven: then chess is doomed as a sport, because you just can't get crowds interested. Yet it was difficult before the computer era...

[S.Taylor]

They were in a good day: they played 9 more moves than yesterday until they agreed for a draw

You don't do justice to the quality of this game.
It really was an interesting fight.

You're right, they play very high level chess. But we're not here to watch two engines-like players trying to play the scientifically best moves, we're here to see them fight for the world championship title. And for that, you have to take risks. Players like Kasparov, Spassky, Alekhine, Tal and many others were able to CHOSE to play a move objectively weaker but that gave them a chance to destabilize their opponent and increase the chances to push their opponent toward a mistake, at the cost of slightly decreasing their chances of drawing if the opponent kept being accurate.

That's why I personally feel disappointed: this is not a world chess championship until now, it's two technicians emulating engines.

If the whole world championship match was just one game, I'm sure it would be a more interesting game.
But since it is meant to be a whole long match, it becomes an endurance test.
What ever the spectators get, they get. But we cannot criticize the players for the way they are trying to win the championship. They have to be careful. They alone know what they can or cannot do or risk.

[AdminX]

Two minutes till game four show time!

[Jack Lad]

Another drawn semi slav with 6. b3?

[Jimmy Huggins]

Another drawn semi slav with 6. b3?

I've never quite understood this idea of playing very similar openings in the WcC. You would think in ones prep's that you would try something different earlier. I guess that is why they are playing in the championships and I'm the guy on the rail.

[AdminX]

Another drawn semi slav with 6. b3?

I've never quite understood this idea of playing very similar openings in the WcC. You would think in ones prep's that you would try something different earlier. I guess that is why they are playing in the championships and I'm the guy on the rail.

LMAO, Very funny but I get your point!

[JuLieN]

[Event "World Chess Championship"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[ECO "D46"]
[Result "*"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.b3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nbd7
8.Bd3 O-O 9.O-O Bd6 10.Qc2 e5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.e4 exd4 13.Nxd5
Nxd5 14.exd5 Nf6 15.h3 Bd7 16.Rfd1 Re8 17.Nxd4 Rc8 18.Qb1 h6
*

[d]2rqr1k1/1p1b1pp1/p2b1n1p/3P4/3N4/1P1B3P/P2B1PP1/RQ1R2K1 w - - 0 19

Live: http://moscow2012.fide.com/en/

Very aesthetic position!

[AdminX]

[Event "World Chess Championship"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[ECO "D46"]
[Result "*"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.b3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nbd7
8.Bd3 O-O 9.O-O Bd6 10.Qc2 e5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.e4 exd4 13.Nxd5
Nxd5 14.exd5 Nf6 15.h3 Bd7 16.Rfd1 Re8 17.Nxd4 Rc8 18.Qb1 h6
*

[d]2rqr1k1/1p1b1pp1/p2b1n1p/3P4/3N4/1P1B3P/P2B1PP1/RQ1R2K1 w - - 0 19

Live: http://moscow2012.fide.com/en/

Very aesthetic position!

Your diagram is wrong.

[JuLieN]

[Event "World Chess Championship"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2012.05.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[ECO "D46"]
[Result "*"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.b3 Bb4 7.Bd2 Nbd7
8.Bd3 O-O 9.O-O Bd6 10.Qc2 e5 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.e4 exd4 13.Nxd5
Nxd5 14.exd5 Nf6 15.h3 Bd7 16.Rfd1 Re8 17.Nxd4 Rc8 18.Qb1 h6
*

[d]2rqr1k1/1p1b1pp1/p2b1n1p/3P4/3N4/1P1B3P/P2B1PP1/RQ1R2K1 w - - 0 19

Live: http://moscow2012.fide.com/en/

Very aesthetic position!

Your diagram is wrong.

?

EDIT: you're right :$ Because my listing is: I mixed up some rook moves