Topalov Simul in Mexico City

2 comments

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  Anonymous says:

  February 20, 2006 at 1:01 pm

  Amazing! How do you GMs do it?

  So many games, so many moves…

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  chessmagic77 says:

  October 24, 2006 at 3:24 pm

  Playing many games simultaneously is more a physical(!) challenge than a mental one. As a National Master I played 75 games simultaneously against High School kids – winning them all! The best answer I can give to your question is that it was like solving math problems all at the same time. Some games were like doing basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.) while others were like solving differential equations, integral calculus and Laplace Transforms. I can do addition (big nos.) for many hours and not get “mentally” tired. The stronger rated players took longer to “solve” or beat. Understanding the basic concept (stategy) to solve the problem helps me to win the game, but the real challenge was the stamina needed so as to keep walking around and around without getting worn out. My method involves moving extremely fast so as to prevent players from having more time to “solve” and analyze the early positions (or each others games). My opening knowledge is very advanced and extensive as it is all GM’s. The faster I moved in the opening allowed me to catch many players in simple traps. Once I achieved an advantage (i.e. won piece, exchange, etc.)… the rest is just a matter of technique. Masters and GM’s understand this and could play a million people simultaneously. They just need the stamina to complete the games. Fortunate for me, in my prime, I was conditioned like a marathon runner. ~ Chessmagic77 ~