Once again, the fans overwhelmingly voted (https://chessdailynews.com/live-commentary-poll-round-4/) to see the game Carlsen – Aronian. If this game is postponed, I will cover the Ponomariov – Anand game. The game will begin at 7 am NY time and 6 am Texas time.
For those of you who are new to my LIVE commentary, simply refresh your browser to see my updated commentary after the game begins.
Update: Espen Agdestein informed Chessdom.com and Nettavisen that Carlsen has been given antibiotics. He is sick, but he will play today.
This is a dual LIVE commentary from me. It will be on this blog as well as on Chessdom.com.
Chessdom: Welcome to Susan Polgar who will be co-leading commentary here at the Live Chessbomb Arena, as well as http://games.chessdom.com/carlsen-aronian-tal-memorial and her very popular http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com.
SusanPolgar: Thanks. Hope I know what I am doing. First time here 🙂
Manaw: Susan, have you played with a strong opponent while in fever 🙂
SusanPolgar: Yes, part of chess
JavierSoto: and if yes, what is it like and how does it affect ur game?
SusanPolgar: Let’s put it this way, I prefer to play healthy 🙂
SusanPolgar: Aronian should be careful and just play chess as he is capable of. If he tries to be cute because of Magnus’ condition, he may get in trouble.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. Nd2 (The most popular move is 9. 0-0, 9. Qc2, or 9. e4. If Magnus played it that quickly, it can only mean that he was well prepared against Aronian.)
9…Bb7 10. Nce4 Be7 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. O-O = / +– (Black’s goal eventually is to play c5 to free up the diagonal. But he must consolidate his King safety and the b5 pawn first.)
12…0-0 13. Nb3 (The goal for White is not to allow c5. But Black can play c5 here right away. 13…c5 14. Nxc5 Bxc5 15. dxc5 Qd5. And if 14. Bxb5 Qd5 15. Qf3 Qxf3 16. gxf3 Bxf3 =+. Once black successfully plays c5, he is OK.
As I mentioned yesterday, from time to time you will see a GM spending a lot of time at a particular point in the opening. There could be a number of reasons for this:
1. They do not remember the opening lines and they’re trying to recall it.
2. They do know the lines but they are deciding on which line to choose against a particular opponent. For example, if he/she is playing against someone who is a very positional player, he/she may choose a more open and aggressive line to get his/her opponent out of the comfort zone.
3. Or they could be day dreaming 🙂 )
13…c5 14. dxc5 Qd5 15. f3 Rfd8 16. Be2 (Black is OK in this position. That is why I like 13…c5.)
Levon: Susan, how do you explain the kid’s opening choice? Black has no problems
SusanPolgar: There is no opening which gives White a win 🙂 We all must work hard in the middle and endgame.
SusanPolgar: You may think that White has nothing. But if an average player has Black against Carlsen, can he hold? 🙂
SusanPolgar: Magnus has an excellent memory. That is important for top players to remember their own analysis.
Bambole: Susan, why dont top players play more unusal openings? Grob? Scandinavian?
SusanPolgar: Scandinavian, no problem. Grob, no thank you 🙂
SusanPolgar: Computer is both good and bad. The good is it can help you improve at home. The bad is some people become lazy and not calculate things out for themselves. This becomes a problem in a real game.
Zeblakob80: Polgar (J) and Carlsen stated that they do not like playing against programs !!!
SusanPolgar: I would play a match against a computer with the right conditions.
manCatur: can u explain what do you mean by “Right condition”?
SusanPolgar: Right conditions = fair conditions, both humans and computers have the same access to data.
16…Qe5 (In this position, White can move his Queen to either c2 or e1. Both are OK, just a matter of preference. I personally like Qe1.)
techgambit89: susan, is it true that you trained magnus when he was 10-11? did you then ever think he’d reach so far so fast?
SusanPolgar: No, I have never trained magnus.And yes, I predicted that he would rise this fast.
SusanPolgar: I also predict that Robson will have a bright future. So is Wesley So, if both have proper training. Hammer is good but I don’t think he will be a pro. Caruana is good, yes. And so is Giri. Many good and talented players. But to get to the next level, they need proper training.
17. Qe1 Bd5 (One quick line: 18. Bxb5 Bxb3 19. axb3 Bxc5 20. Qc3 Qxc3 21. bxc3 Nd5 22. Bc6 Nxe3. Another quick line: 18. Qg3 Qxg3 19. hxg3 b4 20. e4 Bxb3 21. axb3 Bxc5+ 22. Kh2. Aronian is a very difficult player to play against. He told me that he likes to mix things up and make the positions very complicated. He counts on out-calculating his opponents. At least that was what he told me 🙂 )
pista: Susan, What sort of techniques GMs generally resort to remain focussed and sustain their levels, do they meditate? What would you propose?
SusanPolgar: I like to hit the gym. When I am physically fit, I am mentally fit as well.
18. Qc3 (Magnus spent a lot of time in the last two moves and rightly so. The position is quite complicated. 18…Qxc3 19. bxc3 Bxb3 20. axb3 Bxc5 =)
18…Qxc3 19. bxc3 Bxb3 20. axb3 Nd5 = (21. c4 Nc3 22. Kf2 Bxc5 23. cxb5 Rab8 24. Bc4 =)
21. b4 (I did not expect b4. Obviously now Black will take on c3. Then after Kf2, a5. I am not sure I like this line that much.)
21. Nxc3 22. Kf2 a5 23. Rxa5 (Now this is a possibility: 23…Rxa5 24. bxa5 Bxc5 25. Bb2 Nxe2 26. Kxe2 Bb4 27. Ra1 Rd2+ 28. Kf1 Rxb2 29. a6 Bc5 30. Rc1=)
23…Rxa5 24. bxa5 Bxc5 25. Bb2 Nxe2 26. Kxe2 Bb4 27. Ra1 Rd2+ 28. Kf1 Rxb2 29. a6 Bc5 30. Rc1 g6 31. Rxc5 Ra2 32. Rxb5 Rxa6 1/2
Even though Magnus drew with White, it is important that he gets his proper rest for future rounds.
Click here to replay the game.
Hope all this flu business will not distract Aronian and put him off-guard.
Chessdom: Magnus Carlsen has been confirmed to have the flu. Espen Agdestein informed that Carlsen has been given antibiotics. He is sick, but he will play today.
If he has the flu *virus,* antibiotics are meaningless. All he’s doing is exposing others to the virus. If it is either of the flu virus strains going around, he should be in bed away from others.
I’d be ill also if playing with Aronyan.
‘ But to get to the next level, they need proper training.’
How many people in the world are there who can provide such training?
Kramnik seems to have adopted a more aggressive playing style for this tournament. Do you agree?
‘Do you agree?’
No.
‘Same access to the data’ … not necessarily fair.
Humans do not have access to each others opening preparation, or to their analysis of the position during the game.
Today, a computer could easily the tactic of going into the game with no endgame tablebases and have at least 5-man tables calculated before they were required.
I don’t see Susan playing computers – or humsns in FIDE-rated games – any time soon I’m afraid.
‘No.’
Why not?
Shouldn’t it be Qc3 instead of Qc1?
Okay, the typo was corrected :)!
21.c4?! seems to abandon white’s passed c5 pawn. Why not 21.b4!? instead?
SusanPolgar: I would play a match against a computer with the right conditions.
manCatur: can u explain what do you mean by “Right condition”?
SusanPolgar: Right conditions = fair conditions, both humans and computers have the same access to data.
—
Please explain this.
Are You planning to
use a computer when
playing a computer?
Of course not 🙂
It’s actually a fascinating (and literally a philosophical) question. What does it mean to “have access” to the same data? If you consider the opening-databases and tablabases as being somehow “exterior” (as a tool) to how the comp “thinks” (meaning that it literally “has access to” something outside its “brain”), then humans should be allowed to use the same databases. But if its not considered to be exterior or instrumental, but rather a part of comps own “memory”, then human beings should use their own “database”, i.e. the human memory(i.e. the computer just has a much better memory and that’s that). So it all boils down to the question of the difference between what it means to remember and what it means to think, and what it means to think using external tools. And how should we interpret whatever it is that the computers do.
When Kasparov and Kramnik played against the machine, various conditions were set for fairness. I would have no problem going back to training to play a match against a computer in similar conditions. But until there is a serious offer, it is senseless to debate this issue.
Carlsen is the new Leko.
*yawn*
I do not think that Carlsen is a Future World Champion!
His games in Moscow are not very inspiring at all!