In the past 2 days, we witnessed two exciting chess games from the world’s best players. Chess is like many other sports; contains mental, psychological and emotional elements, etc.
Professional basketball players practice shooting thousands of free throws in the gym day in day out to attain good rhythm and mechanics. Many can shoot 80-90% or even higher in practice. But when it is 1 second left on the clock in the 7th game of the NBA Championship and the team needs 2 points to win or tie, it is no longer mechanics.
Professional tennis players practice thousands of serves, ground strokes and volleys weekly. They can hit these shots like we can add 2+2. But when a player serves at 6-5 in the final set of the US Open Final, all bets are off.
Many chess fans criticized Kramnik for playing 31…Bxf8?? or Topalov for playing 32.Qg6+??, they do not realize the extreme pressure these players are facing. Both of them would probably find the right moves 99% of the time in casual games or in practice. But when the World Championship is on the line, the clocks are ticking and they are many hours into the game, fatigue and nerve can easily set in.
Yes, anyone can find the best moves arming themselves with Fritz, Junior, Shredder, Chessmaster or whatever program they are using. Everyone is a Super Bowl MVP playing Monday morning quarterback. But it is different when you are sitting across Kramnik or Topalov and the World Championship is on the line.
I played for the highest honors in chess such as the World Championships and Olympiad, etc. I can tell you from my own experience that it is not easy. After all, we are humans and that is one of the biggest differences between humans and computers. Cut these guys some slacks and let’s sit back to enjoy one of the most exciting matches in recent times.
i watched game 2 without any “silicon” help – my first thought was …qg6+ will win … then i remembered dan heisman – a move in thought – is not a move on board – 1. check check moves … and all of a sudden i saw …re7 defending qxg7# and rxg4+ in combination with qc7 came to my mind – that was the point, i “understood” the former move qc2 … great, great, great … i was enthusiastic – chess is not only logical, it is great great great – then Topalov played qg6+ … and the world changed again … we are all mortals …
sincerly, Vohaul
PS: i didn’t ever notice bxf8 to be a blunder … 🙁
I fully agree to susan on this…
susan,
I was one of the players criticizing Topalov for not finding the mate in 3.
I agree that these guys should be given some slack due to the stakes and the pressure.
My motivation for criticizing Topalov are completely different.
I cannot see Topalov being the world champion if he misses a simple 3 move combination.
Kramnik can afford to do it.
At this level what separates whoever is going to be the champion from the loser is little things like this.
You mentioned Basketball. Let me point out that one of the things that separated Michael Jordan from his peers were his shots when the game was on the line.
I also think it is such little things that separated Kasparov and Fischer.
Hi Susan,
You are absolutely correct that champions in any sport are susceptible to pressure. Those who are to be remembered as the greatest champions are those who perform when the stakes are highest. No one ever had to make an excuse for Kasparov, Fischer, Rod Laver, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus or Michael Jordan for not winning the “money games”. Topalov is a great player but he may never be included within that extra class of champion. That is no insult to him — rather it is the distinction that these other individuals performed at their peak when the chips were down.
Over the past two years Topalov’s play has been marvelous. The second game of the match looked like Topalov had found his magic again. Sadly, he didn’t rise to the challenge that day. C’est la vie. I am hoping that he can scrap his way back into the match.
Fisher was better than Kasparov and better than Topalov and better than Kramnik too. I love America!
“But when it is 1 second left on the clock in the 7th game of the NBA Championship and the team needs 2 points to win or tie, it is no longer mechanics.”
I think it is only mechanics.
“Yes, anyone can find the best moves arming themselves with Fritz, Junior, Shredder, Chessmaster or whatever program they are using.”
I completely disagree. Chess engines are developed for commercial purposes only, with no practical value for the chess player. When chess is solved (by computers), much of current poor chess engine analysis will be proven wrong, while human analysis will be praised as correct.
iuygaq
I don’t understand at all why humans are commenting on Toplaov-Kramnik, when ONLY chess engines, like Fritz are worth ‘listening’ to?? HUman analysis makes no sense, as it is usually wrong.
Long live Fritz!
Even Kasparov had amateurs refute his analysis using Fritz, right?
I have no problem with them failing to find moves only Fritz would find. I just wonder if this WC sees more blunders overall than past matches if it says more about the chess of today, or these particular players..I understand there’s pressure, and even their worst moves would be good moves for me 🙂 But still.. sloppy is sloppy.
my fritz could beat up your fritz.
I remember reading that the difference between a top 5 golfer (e.g. real money maker) and a top 100 golfer (e.g. maybe make enough for a living) is 1 stroke! That is not much at all!!
The difference between world champion and 2nd place in this case is cutting through the pressure and finding rxg4. Of course bxf8 was also crazy but in that case Kramnik was defending vs. Topo had an interesting attack and just needed 1 more move.
I really hope that Topo wins. He plays exciting chess. Kramnik continues to prove himself as impossible to beat.
“Cut these guys some slacks and let’s sit back to enjoy one of the most exciting matches in recent times.”
The palyers are not in good form, I fail to see any excitement.
“Kramnik continues to prove himself as impossible to beat.”
Kramnik is Russian. Only Russians know how to play chess.
Dear Susan,
I fully agree: When fighting for the World Champion’s crown, concentration is a bit difficult. And yes, in every sport, there are those blunders, and the best players blunder the most.
But this is not the first WCC. Every champion had to fight his nerves. And most succeeded. But this time, things are different. The number of plunders after two games is sufficient for two or three complete matches in recent years.
sincerely,
Chris