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Millionaire Chess 2: Nakamura is supreme by Albert Silver 10/13/2015 – Millionaire Monday was all that it was cracked up to be. Not only did the top stars fight it out for a grand $100 thousand, but dozens of amateurs also fought for unheard of prizes in the tens of thousand of dollars. For many, if not all, these were life-changing matches, everything the organizers Maurice Ashley and Amy Lee had dreamed the event could be. Fantastic games and magic moments. C hessB ase 13 D ownload ChessBase 13 is a personal, stand-alone chess database that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy your chess even more. More... When news of the quick draw in round seven came, it was controversial to say the least. The arbiters and organizers huddled and debated for over an hour and a half. Angry words were pronounced, all with understandable justification, but in the end, it was an enormous gamble. This was not a quick draw that guaranteed a spot among the final four, it was a draw that almost guaranteed a fight among ten players, two of whom are Top Ten themselves, for one single spot. David Smerdon even wrote a piece on the math of this decision, showing it to be unwise to say the least. The grand playing hall where Millionaire Monday took place. It bears remembering that there were semifinals and finals for each and every category prize Today on playchess.com 10/15/2015 – Did you ever play against a Grandmaster? GM Dejan Bojkov plays a simul at 8 pm GMT+1 in the Simultaneous room versus Premium members. The early bird catches the worm. Become Premium Member! News ChessBase 13 is a personal, stand-alone chess database program that has become the standard throughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateur next door. New functions: ChessBase-Cloud, improved repertoire function etc. A must-have for every chess lover: More than 6.4 million games from 1560 to 2015, more than 68,500 high-class games analysed by masters and experts, update service for 2016 (for CB 13 users): 5,000 new games every week, classified by openings, players etc A must-have for every chess lover: More than 6.4 million games from 1560 to 2015, more than 68,500 high-class games analysed by masters and experts, update service for 2016 (for CB 13 users): 5,000 new games every week, classified by openings, players etc ChessBase playchess.com www.playchess.com We are sorry, your browser needs an update. Please install the latest version. We recommend using Chrome or Firefox on Windows/Android/Linux, Safari on iOS. Enjoy your chess! PLAYCHESS.COM No registration! No download! » Close x converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

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Page 1: Millionaire Chess 2015

Millionaire Chess 2: Nakamura is supremeby Albert Silver

10/13/2015 – Millionaire Monday was all that it was cracked up to be. Not only did the top stars fight itout for a grand $100 thousand, but dozens of amateurs also fought for unheard of prizes in the tens ofthousand of dollars. For many, if not all, these were life-changing matches, everything the organizersMaurice Ashley and Amy Lee had dreamed the event could be. Fantastic games and magic moments.

C h e s s B a s e 1 3 D o w n l o a d

ChessBase 13 is a personal, stand-alone chess database that has become the standardthroughout the world. Everyone uses ChessBase, from the World Champion to the amateurnext door. It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to knowmore about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy your chesseven more.

More...

When news of the quick draw in round seven came, it was controversial to say the least. The arbiters andorganizers huddled and debated for over an hour and a half. Angry words were pronounced, all w ithunderstandable justification, but in the end, it was an enormous gamble. This was not a quick draw thatguaranteed a spot among the final four, it was a draw that almost guaranteed a fight among ten players,two of whom are Top Ten themselves, for one single spot. David Smerdon even wrote a piece on themath of this decision, showing it to be unwise to say the least.

The grand playing hall where Millionaire Monday took place. It bears remembering that therewere semifinals and finals for each and every category prize

Today on playchess.com

10/15/2015 – Did youever play against aGrandmaster? GM DejanBojkov plays a simul at8 pm GMT+1 in theSimultaneous room

versus Premium members. The early birdcatches the worm. Become PremiumMember!

News

ChessBase 13 is apersonal, stand-alonechess databaseprogram that hasbecome the standardthroughout the world.Everyone usesChessBase, from theWorld Champion to the amateur nextdoor. New functions: ChessBase-Cloud,improved repertoire function etc.

A must-have for everychess lover: More than6.4 m illion games from1560 to 2015, morethan 68,500 high-classgames analysed bymasters and experts,update service for 2016

(for CB 13 users): 5,000 new gamesevery week, classified by openings,players etc

A must-have for everychess lover: More than6.4 m illion games from1560 to 2015, morethan 68,500 high-classgames analysed bymasters and experts,

update service for 2016 (for CB 13users): 5,000 new games every week,classified by openings, players etc

ChessBase

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www.playchess.comWe are sorry, your browserneeds an update. Please installthe latest version. Werecommend using Chrome orFirefox onWindows/Android/Linux, Safarion iOS. Enjoy your chess!

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Page 2: Millionaire Chess 2015

Maurice Ashley strolls down to check on the games, and make sure everything is up to standard

Still, if lack of fighting spirit was the feeling left by this limp effort, now only the fiercest gladiator wasgoing to survive the ordeal, and in this respect, Hikaru Nakamura showed how tough he could be. It wasnot a crushing performance in which he dominated his rivals, but one in which he somehow pulledthrough the direst situations, and punished unrelentingly each opportunity he was given. This was thestory of his qualification to the final four, and one that persisted into the semifinals.

The top semifinals

Samuel Sevian faced Holden Hernandez in the 2400-2549 semifinal. Holden went on to win,and then defeated Marcin Tazbir in the final. Sevian took third, defeating Gil Popilski.

Of the three other finalists, Yu Yangyi was hardly the easiest pairing he could have. Playing in a mini-match of two games of 25 minutes, neither player was able to show any advantage, and both gamesended in draw. This led to the first tiebreak, now a minimatch of 15 minute games, and here things nearlywent very badly for the American.

Victor Bologan showsfrom blacks point ofview all Anti-Berlinsetups as well as howto gain advantage inthe Berlin Defence.

Saint Louis and Bie l -classical analyses +videos by King, Vachier-Lagrave,Kasimdzhanov,Williams. Tactics,Strategy and Endgame+ 14 Opening articles

with new ideas for your repertoire - lookforward to a rich training programme!

This DVD offers Black acomplete repertoireagainst all weaponsWhite may employ onmove six. Therecommendedrepertoire is not asrisky as other Sicilians

but still offers Black plenty of counter-play.

The odd-looking move5….Qe7 is an idealsurprise weaponagainst the ExchangeVariation of the RuyLopez. Robert Ris takes

a look at possible variations.

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Page 3: Millionaire Chess 2015

After a grueling Playoff, Nakamura now faced Yu Yangyi in the semifinals

Yu Yangyi - Hikaru Nakamura (Game three)

In his post-tournament interview, Nakamura readily admitted he had been dead lost, and had he actuallysuccumbed, the chances were high that he would have been fighting for third place and not first. In gamefour though, he got his chance and milked it for all its worth, w inning game four and making the final.

Yu Yangyi - Hikaru Nakamura (Game four)

[Event "Millionaire Chess KO 2015"] [Site "Las Vegas USA"] [Date "2015.10.12"] [Round "1.4"] [White"Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Yu, Yangyi"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B40"] [WhiteElo "2816"] [BlackElo "2721"][PlyCount "161"] [EventDate "2015.10.12"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bg2 e57. Nb5 d6 8. Bg5 a6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. N5c3 f5 11. O-O Bg7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nc4 Nd4 14. Nd5 fxe4 15. Ncb6Be6 16. c3 Bxd5 17. Nxd5 Nf3+ 18. Bxf3 exf3 19. Qxf3 f5 20. Rad1 Kh8 21. Rd2 e4 22. Qh5 Be5 23. Ne3Qc8 24. Nd5 Qd8 {[#]} 25. f4 $1 {Now White gains a near decisive advantage in all lines.} exf3 ({If}25... Bg7 26. Rfd1 { followed by Ne3 w ill bring White nothing but joy.}) 26. Rxf3 Qd7 27. Nb6 Qe8 28.Qxe8 Raxe8 29. Rdf2 Bg7 {The f-pawn was doomed no matter what.} (29... f4 { would merely delay theinevitable for one move.} 30. Nd5) 30. Rxf5 Rxf5 31. Rxf5 Re2 32. Rf2 Re1+ 33. Kg2 Kg8 34. Rd2 Be5 35.Nc4 Kf7 36. Nxe5+ Rxe5 37. Kf3 Rb5 38. b4 Ke6 39. Rd4 h5 40. Ke3 Rg5 41. Re4+ Kd5 42. a4 b5 43. axb5$2 { It doesn't really change the outcome, but} (43. a5 $1 {was stronger, fixing the weakness on a6 aswell as the b6 square. For example,} Rf5 44. Rf4 Re5+ 45. Kd3 Rg5 46. Rf7 {and Ra7 is deadly.}) 43...axb5 44. Rd4+ Ke6 45. Rh4 Kd5 46. Kd3 Rf5 47. Rf4 Rg5 48. c4+ Kc6 49. cxb5+ Kxb5 50. Rd4 Kc6 51. Ke3Rf5 52. h3 Rf1 53. Rh4 Rf5 54. Rc4+ Kd5 55. Rf4 Rg5 56. Kf3 Ke6 57. Re4+ Kf6 58. g4 hxg4+ 59. hxg4 Rd560. Ke3 Rd1 $2 ({After} 60... Rb5 {it is not clear how White w ins, though of course Black would need toplay very precisely.}) 61. Rd4 $1 {Now it is over. Black cannot exchange the rooks of course, andtherefore loses a second pawn.} Rb1 62. Rxd6+ Ke5 63. Rb6 Rb3+ 64. Kd2 Kd4 65. Kc2 Rg3 66. Rc6 Rxg467. Kb3 Kd5 68. Ra6 Rg1 69. Ka4 Kc4 70. Rc6+ Kd5 71. Rc8 Kd6 72. Ka5 Kd7 73. Rc2 Rg8 74. b5 Rb8 75.Ka6 Kd6 76. b6 Ra8+ 77. Kb7 Ra1 78. Rd2+ Ke7 79. Kb8 Rb1 80. b7 Ke6 81. Ra2 1-0Anyone who happened to notice that he was coughing on occasion should know that he was also quitesick, hiding it well, making no excuses for himself, since excuses would be poor consolation for $50thousand dollars, the difference between first place and second, and more so for third or fourth.

Jamie Lynn Olsen-Mills was the only woman in the finals, making the final match in theunder-1800 section, where she took second and $17 thousand. Great job and great hat!

Quang Liem Le on the other hand, was the player in form w ith a capital F. His play had been superbthroughout the event, never in any danger, and having dominated the first seven rounds, had been ableto rest up before Millionaire Monday to arrive fresh and strong.

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Quang Liem Le was the one player who had never faltered throughout the event. Was heto repeat the same success when he won the super-strong Aeroflot Open two years in a row?

To his good fortune, he also faced the least dangerous of the finalists, the ever-friendly Alex Lenderman,who was the only one not rated 2700. Of course, one could argue fairly that having made the last four,Lenderman was a proven danger, but so were his rivals, and they had a significant ratings edge to boot.While the young American's friends and fans wanted to read of heroic underdog performances, it was notto be. After losing his first game, he managed to reach a w inning position in the second, but failed tocapitalize, and the Vietnamese player, studying at Webster University, took the match 2-0.

It was a powerful performance by the Vietnamese, but Lenderman did get his chance in game two

Aleksandr Lenderman - Quang Liem Le (Game two)

[Event "Millionaire Chess KO 2015"] [Site "Las Vegas USA"] [Date "2015.10.12"] [Round "1.2"] [White"Lenderman, Aleksandr"] [Black "Le, Quang Liem"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D31"] [WhiteElo "2623"] [BlackElo"2697"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2015.10.12"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf66. e3 Bf5 7. Qb3 Nc6 8. g4 Nxg4 9. Qxd5 Qxd5 10. Nxd5 Bb4+ 11. Nxb4 Nxb4 12. Rc1 c6 13. h3 Nf6 14. a3Nbd5 15. Be5 Nd7 16. Bd6 N7b6 17. b3 Rd8 18. Bg3 O-O 19. Ne2 Rfe8 20. Rg1 Re6 21. Kd2 Rde8 22. Be5f6 23. Bh2 Rd8 24. Ng3 Bg6 25. h4 Ne7 26. Bh3 Re5 27. Kc3 Rb5 28. e4 Bf7 29. Rb1 Ra5 30. a4 c5 31. d5Nbc8 32. b4 $2 {A bad mistake, not just because it misses the w inner Nf5, but because it liberates Black'srook, which had been prisoner until now.} (32. Nf5 $1 Nxf5 33. Bc7 Re8 34. Bxf5 Ra6 35. Kc4 {and White'sdomination is crushing. the combination of passed d-pawn, bishop pair and piece activity areunstoppable.}) 32... Rxa4 33. bxc5 b6 34. Ra1 Nxd5+ 35. exd5 Rxh4 36. Bxc8 Rxc8 37. c6 (37. Rxa7 {wasstronger and would keep the balance.} Rxc5+ 38. Kb2 Bxd5 {The white rook on the a-file ensure thereare no mates against the white king. Instead after} 39. Re1 $1 {White would generate counter threatswhich might keep the game alive w ith chances of his own. White needs to w in to stay in the match, sodraws are no good.}) 37... Bxd5 38. Nf5 Rxc6+ 39. Kd2 Rxh2 40. Ne7+ Kf8 41. Nxc6 Bxc6 42. Rxa7 Rxf2+43. Ke3 Rg2 44. Re1 Rg5 45. Kf4 Re5 46. Rg1 g5+ 47. Kg4 Re7 48. Ra6 Re4+ 49. Kg3 Re3+ 50. Kf2 Rf3+51. Ke1 Rb3 52. Rg4 Kg7 53. Rc4 Bf3 54. Rc7+ Kg6 55. Kd2 h5 56. Kc2 Rb5 57. Raa7 Rc5+ 0-1The stage was set for the grand finale everyone had been fighting for and waiting for, the match for allthe marbles, the match for the opulent $100 thousand first prize. In a sense, there was a certain irony init. While Hikaru Nakamura, the current world no. 2 player, had reached this moment after no end of gritand tribulations, overcoming obstacle after obstacle, the lower-rated Quang Liem Le had been the onesweeping past his opponents one after the other in a sparkling performance. What would the finalbetween the two hold? Game one set the tone.

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The handshake that started the final

Hikaru Nakamura - Quang Liem Le (Game one)

[Event "Millionaire Chess KO 2015"] [Site "Las Vegas USA"] [Date "2015.10.12"] [Round "2.1"] [White"Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Black "Le, Quang Liem"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D30"] [WhiteElo "2816"] [BlackElo"2697"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2015.10.12"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6.Qb3 c6 7. e3 Qe7 8. Nbd2 Qb4 9. Qc2 Nd7 10. a3 Qa5 11. Be2 dxc4 12. O-O Be7 13. Nxc4 Qc7 14. b4 O-O15. Rac1 Rd8 16. Qb3 a6 17. Bd3 Nf6 18. Bb1 Bd7 19. e4 Be8 20. e5 Nh7 21. Qe3 b6 22. Rfd1 a5 {[#]}{Under extreme pressure, Black overlooks} 23. d5 $1 Rxd5 ({ After} 23... exd5 24. Nxb6 {the sametactics as in the game would follow.}) 24. Rxd5 exd5 25. Nxb6 Rd8 {[#]} 26. Nxd5 $3 Qb7 ({The point isthat after} 26... Rxd5 27. Qe4 $1 {Threatening to take on h7 w ith mate to follow.} Nf8 28. Qxd5 { Whiteis up the exchange and the pawn.}) 27. Nxe7+ Qxe7 28. bxa5 Ra8 29. a6 $1 {Again the motif of thedouble attack protects the pawn.} Nf8 (29... Rxa6 $4 30. Bxh7+ Kxh7 31. Qd3+ {wins the rook on a6.})30. Bd3 Ne6 31. Nd4 Nxd4 32. Qxd4 Rd8 33. Qc3 c5 34. Bf1 Rd5 35. Qa5 Bc6 36. a7 Ba8 37. Rb1 Kh7 38.Rb8 c4 39. Qa6 Rd2 40. Rxa8 Qc5 41. Rh8+ Kxh8 42. a8=Q+ 1-0In spite of there being no question of Hikaru's favoritism before the games started, no one had expectedthis massacre in game one. The commentators rightly noted that this was the Nakamura everyone hadbeen waiting for, and it now seemed as if he had saved it for last, when he needed it the most. This alsoplaced enormous pressure on Quang Liem Le to play for a w in at all costs, since anything less wouldmean victory for the American.

Quang Liem Le - Hikaru Nakamura (Game two)

[Event "Millionaire Chess KO 2015"] [Site "Las Vegas USA"] [Date "2015.10.12"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Le,Quang Liem"] [Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A13"] [WhiteElo "2697"] [BlackElo"2816"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2015.10.12"] 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd76. Qxc4 c5 7. O-O Bc6 8. Rd1 Nbd7 9. Qc2 Rc8 10. Nc3 b5 11. d3 a6 12. e4 Be7 13. Bf4 O-O 14. a4 Qb6 15.Qe2 Qb7 16. Nd2 Bd8 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nb3 Bb6 19. Bd6 Rfe8 20. Na5 Bxa5 21. Rxa5 b4 $1 {SuddenlyWhite is lost.} 22. Nb1 Qb6 23. Ra1 e5 $1 {The door of the cage is shut, and the threat of Bb7 or Re6mean the Bd6 is lost.} 24. f4 { The only move to save the piece, but...} c4+ 25. Qf2 (25. Kh1 cxd3 26.Qxd3 ( 26. Rxd3 Bb5 $1) 26... Ng4 {and Nf2 is unstoppable.}) 25... Qxf2+ 26. Kxf2 cxd3 27. Nd2 (27. Rxd3Bxe4 28. Bxe4 Nxe4+ 29. Kf3 Nec5 $1 {w ith e4+ to follow.}) 27... Ng4+ 28. Kg1 Ne3 29. Rdc1 Nxg2 30.Kxg2 {White offered a draw in this dead lost position, effectively resigning the match.} 1/2-1/2In the fight for third place, Yu Yangyi and Alex Lenderman played an extremely nervy match, in whichnothing seemed to happen as expected. In game one, Lenderman was practically in zugzwang in themiddlegame, yet Yu lost control so bad it was he who was facing imminent defeat, until Lendermanreturned the favor and the Chinese player prevailed in the end. Yu Yangyi may regret not finding the w inagainst Nakamura, but he did succeed in finishing third for the second consecutive year.

It wasn't only about the world's Top Ten, and players such as Rigoberto Rodriguez (left),playing in his second tournament ever, won the under-1400 section for $24 thousand

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For many, the entire thing was beyond belief. Khasen Levkin won the under-1600 sectionfor $30 thousand and was over the moon. The ebullient and very funny Russian ("I from Russia")

explained that he would be sending the wins to his family at home. A touching scene that isguaranteed to put a smile on your face. See the video, the one on the Finals, and skip to 2:29:30.

The commentary of Tania Sachdev, Robert Hess, and Lawrence Trent (above), was bothentertaining and utterly democratic, giving due attention to all levels and not just the superstars

Yu Yangyi came in third for the second year in a row, defeating Alex Lenderman in their match

On the other hand, although Lenderman was no doubt disappointed at finishing fourth among the lastfour, he should go home w ith his head high, comforted by the knowledge that he did what giants such asFabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Gata Kamsky were unable to do: make it to Millionaire Monday w ith achance to fight for the top prize... plus the $16 thousand dollars isn't too shabby either.

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Hikaru Nakamura receives his check for $100 thousand from Maurice Ashley and Amy Lee

The post-event interview with champion Hikaru Nakamura

Maurice Ashley and Amy Lee are to be congratulated for proving this unique event was nota one-off, improving on it, and promising a third edition next year. We can hardly wait.

For those grumbling the event did not award an actual million, know that during the closing ceremony thewinners were squared off in a mini gameshow, for the right to choose a number from the large 64 squarechess board behind them. If the correct one was chosen, the w inner would take away a genuine $1million. Although no one won this grand lottery, to his credit, Maurice Ashley was adamant about provingthat one of the numbers did indeed hide that elusive w inning million. He and Amy then awarded the'loser' w ith an all-expenses invitation to next year's edition of the Millionaire Chess.

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0 Twittear

Links

Official tournament siteAll Open games in PGNAll Playoff games in PGNAll Other Section games in PGN

The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and onthe chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you candownload a free Playchess client there and get immediate access.You can also use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chessprograms.

Albert SilverBorn in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and aftercollege moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was champion of Rio de Janeiro w ith a peak rating of2240, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family asan editor and writer at ChessBase News.

Feedback and mail to our news servicePlease use this account if you want to contribute to or comment on our news page service

Topics

Millionaire Chess, Las Vegas

See also

Millionaire Chess 2: Fighting for a million10/12/2015 – The Millionaire Open is in its second edition, and is the firstserious open in history to bring three of the Top Ten players in the world. Morethan that, it offers unbelievable prizes for each and every category, w ith tensof thousands of dollars even for under-1200! The competition is wellunderway, w ith four lucky players fighting for the top prizes. Massiveillustrated report. [Discuss]

Things heat up in Vegas10/12/2014 – After six rounds six players lead the Millionaire Chess Open w ith5.0/6, nine more follow half a point behind, the four best after seven roundswill qualify for the knock-out, one w ill w in 100.000 USD. The seventh roundbegins Sunday, 11 am Vegas time. Play-offs w ill follow right after the round,either rapid or blitz. Sounds like fun and excitement. [Discuss]

DiscussRules for reader comments

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I completely disagree w ith the fuzz about the short draw. A tournament that advertisesitself w ith "1.000.000 $ prize guaranteed" should not w ine if players in any way they thinkappropriate try to maximize their chances to w in the big cash. The players are there toearn money, nothing more, nothing less.

Nakamura quite w ise to play in this rather than World rapid and Blitz, unfortunate clash.For Carlsn the titles are worth more than the prize money in Vegas but for other players?

@Rational I am sure they have ways to ensure people aren't sandbagging, if thebenefactor wants to promote chess offering big prizes to low ratings sections then so beit. It only becomes a problem if people are intentionally playing to keep their ratings low.

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eltollo 10/14/2015 01:08

Rational 10/14/2015 01:11

Exclam 10/14/2015 03:13

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Too bad the organizers did not arrange so that there be no conflict w ith the Rapid andBlitz championships.

Congratz to Hikaru! Had to fight for that last spot then defeat tough opponents.Reminded me of a Bruce Lee movie fighting his way to get to the final boss. And also abeautiful end in the final game w ith the final move queening a pawn.

So, there was a rapid and blitz World Cup, w ith the participation of the best players in theworld (World Champion included) and the three top American players deserted it to playthe Millionaire Chess show. Am I the only one to find this regretful?

Hika (or Naka if you prefer) is a good-looking young fellow. But I've never seen such asmug smile on a face. But I guess he's entitled.

I understand that historically a short agreed draw has been part of big time chess. But consider that among of the sporting "offenses" predetermining a result (or "fixing") amatch/game/contest is for many fans the one unforgivable sin - drunk driving,manslaughter, being a terrible human in general are often forgiven if player is verycapable and skillful but "fix" a match - banned for life. Imagine if Real Madrid and Chelseaabout 5 minutes into a football match as part of the EUFA League both decided well,

neither side really wanted to press things and so after kicking the ball around a bit just picked it up andwent to the referee and said "OK, we agreed to a nil nil tie and we're off to the showers". You'd have tocall out the army to quell the unrest.

@treetown Those offenses are forgiven after a respectively lengthy JAIL sentence. A ban"merely' means you can't play chess competitively.

Jail is by far the greater punishment.

I once more point to the fact that by agreeing to a draw both players got to play a wholelot more chess than they would have otherw ise.

This is most often not the consequence of a draw agreement, but in this particular case, itwas.

Fide scheduled the World Rapid and Blitz event long after Millionaire chess was scheduledso the American players were the ones who got screwed. They did not choose Millionairechess over this event. They shought they would be able to play both but FIDE did whatFIDE does. Carlsen by the way collapsed completely in day two of the blitz event and lost40 points. Not only did he lose the title to Grischuk but he lost the world #1 blitz rating otNakamura who was busy making 100k in Vegas. Double gut punch.

Someone put this up on the chat during the event:

Some fun sandbagging facts about Khasen Levkin (U1600 w inner): 1. He entered w ithFIDE rating of 1490. 2. He's had a FIDE rating for just THREE months. 3. To get that rating,he played 54 games in Russia in that time: lost 40, drew 3, won 11. 4. In MC2, he scoredan incredible 6/7, then 5/6 in the playoffs. Time for an investigation?

i don't understand why semi finals and final match was in rapid and blitz time control.

It isn't sandbagging to improve w ithout having played many rated games. The classsections are going to be tough. And the kids improve so much faster than their rating,they could be hundreds of points under-rated even playing every weekend. Actualsandbagging can be detected by computer analysis of the ratings database.

Congratulations to Nakamura, $100k that's like 2 weeks of rent in NY, right?

To Aristarchus

No, you are not the only one who finds it regretful that the three high-rated Americans didnot participate to the FIDE Rapid and Blitz World Championship. The Millionaire thingorganizers should have arranged the event so that it does not happen at the same time.And chessbase should have covered the official event in priority to the private Millionaire

event.

Raymond Labelle 10/14/2015 06:36

ChiliBean 10/14/2015 06:49

Aristarchus 10/14/2015 06:51

johnmk 10/14/2015 07:13

treetown 10/14/2015 08:01

ff2017 10/14/2015 08:40

Jacob woge 10/14/2015 09:21

DJones 10/14/2015 09:43

Ivan Wijetunge 10/14/2015 10:10

daftarche 10/14/2015 10:20

Aighearach 10/15/2015 01:30

Raymond Labelle 10/15/2015 05:49

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Given that he lives in florida now, property is cheap.

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