Simultaneous Displays

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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:05 pm

"... and if you click on the link you can also see a reproduction If The Times front page story of a Karpov simul from the 70s. Imagine that happening now"

When I played Karjakin, the Sunday Telegraph (I think) covered it on an early page (roundabout 2-4ish), I read the report and then looked at the photo and realized I was in the foreground, with SK about to move.

David Williams
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by David Williams » Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:03 am

I've played only one simul, in the late 1960s, and it left me wondering what the 'rules' are.

After four hours and maybe 60 moves nearly all the games were finished, maybe four or five still playing, but somehow mine was still a complicated middle game with lots of pieces on the board, though I felt I had the better of it. It was announced that the venue had to close. The other games were quickly concluded, and my opponent and the organisers arrived at my board.

My first thought was that I had won on time. Or possibly my opponent would generously resign, or we would have to call it a draw, which I found rather annoying. But instead he glanced at the position and adjudicated it as a win for him. When I protested he started blitzing out variations, and was clearly prepared to carry on playing, but with him able to think but me, as the last survivor, having to move as soon as he did. As I was getting pleading looks from the organisers, who were my friends, I resigned.

Still rankles a little.

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John Saunders
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by John Saunders » Thu Apr 29, 2021 11:59 am

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:05 pm
"... and if you click on the link you can also see a reproduction If The Times front page story of a Karpov simul from the 70s. Imagine that happening now"

When I played Karjakin, the Sunday Telegraph (I think) covered it on an early page (roundabout 2-4ish), I read the report and then looked at the photo and realized I was in the foreground, with SK about to move.
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John Saunders
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by John Saunders » Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:13 pm

IM Jack Rudd wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:27 pm
I'm very happy to do simuls, or will be once life returns to normal.
Or, indeed, play in simuls - Gibraltar 2015, playing Salome Melia & Jovi Houska (Tandem Simul)
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Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Apr 29, 2021 12:32 pm

Thanks John. I've further remembered playing against Mike Bulford and Bob Wade (earliest ones), plus Andrew Ledger, Mike Basman, Bogdan Lalic (clock simul), and most recently Matthew Turner. The second one against Matthew was so bad, I seem to have wiped him from my memory!

Alistair Campbell
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Alistair Campbell » Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:13 pm

I've played in a handful, with uniformly dismal results.

There was a minor point of interest in the following position.



I'm black, so an exchange up and threatening mate in one...but it is white to play. What would you (as white) have played?

Angus French
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Angus French » Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:31 pm

I'd have gleefully played Bf4+. However, I think Bg7+ may be better.
Last edited by Angus French on Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Nick Ivell
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Nick Ivell » Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:32 pm

Bf4+ looks pretty good; and Bg7+ even better.

Alistair Campbell
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Alistair Campbell » Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:03 pm

Angus French wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:31 pm
I'd have gleefully played Bf4+. However, I think Bg7+ may be better.
Nick Ivell wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 3:32 pm
Bf4+ looks pretty good; and Bg7+ even better.
Indeed.

Bf4+ wins the queen immediately and picks up the rook a few moves later. A safe win, but the slight risk that I could have dragged the game out.

Bg7+ is mate in 3. I would have thought a top player would not only have spotted it, but would have played it.

Maybe the thought process is different in a simul?

In the event the game went Bf4+ resigns.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:12 pm

"Maybe the thought process is different in a simul?"

I'm not a GM, or anywhere near it. But, as you're usually going at about 10 seconds a move, if you find a win, you just play it and don't worry about the "best" move.

NickFaulks
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by NickFaulks » Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:43 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 5:12 pm
I'm not a GM, or anywhere near it. But, as you're usually going at about 10 seconds a move, if you find a win, you just play it and don't worry about the "best" move.
Particularly if you anticipate, correctly as it turned out, that you will not be required to play another move. Much as snooker players, with their opponent needing four snookers, may play a safety shot rather than taking on a tricky pot.
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Reg Clucas
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Reg Clucas » Mon May 03, 2021 12:38 pm

I also played Larsen, in the early 70s. I got crushed in 16 moves. My only other simul was against Brian Eley, at the time he was British champion.

Martin Benjamin
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Martin Benjamin » Sat May 08, 2021 11:52 am

David Bronstein deserves a mention for sportsmanship. He played a ten board clock simul back in the late 1970s against my school with the school fielding Julian Hodgson, William Watson, Peter Sowray, Simon Knott, both my brothers, Richard Holmes (all 210 ECF or more at the time) and even the rest of us were 190 ECF or higher. William got into his habitual horrendous time trouble with his flag hanging almost horizontally with the old style clocks. He had something like 10-15 moves to make in less than a minute. Without a word, Bronstein picked up the clock, gave Will 15 more minutes and resumed playing. He explained afterwards that the position was so interesting, he didn't want William to lose because of time shortage. I don't even remember the result of the game, but that example made a great impression on me. It contrasted starkly with another GM whose graceless and unsporting attitude at another school clock simul made me lose any respect I had for him.

I feel a bit of sympathy for some of the GMs who have to face opposition which is probably too strong for simuls (e.g. as in the above and and at the London Junior prizegiving simuls), particularly if they have not been told in advance about or fully appreciated the calibre of the opposition, but they should show some class and dignity even in such circumstances. There's a clip on YouTube of Kasparov mouthing off at one simul organiser because someone too strong is playing on one of the boards. I would say "So what? It's just one board in a 30 board simul and who cares?", but I suppose that degree of ultra competitiveness is one element in their success.

NickFaulks
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by NickFaulks » Sat May 08, 2021 1:23 pm

Martin Benjamin wrote:
Sat May 08, 2021 11:52 am
There's a clip on YouTube of Kasparov mouthing off at one simul organiser because someone too strong is playing on one of the boards.
I discovered at short notice that I would be passing through London on the day of Kasparov's 2003 simul against City of London people, sponsored by Sid Belzberg, and asked if I could be shoehorned in. GK originally vetoed the idea, saying that he already had his limit of six strong opponents :o but was evidently persuaded that turning me away would be a poor PR move.
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Andrew Smith
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Re: Simultaneous Displays

Post by Andrew Smith » Sun May 09, 2021 6:19 pm

NickFaulks wrote:
Sat May 08, 2021 1:23 pm
Martin Benjamin wrote:
Sat May 08, 2021 11:52 am
There's a clip on YouTube of Kasparov mouthing off at one simul organiser because someone too strong is playing on one of the boards.
I discovered at short notice that I would be passing through London on the day of Kasparov's 2003 simul against City of London people, sponsored by Sid Belzberg, and asked if I could be shoehorned in. GK originally vetoed the idea, saying that he already had his limit of six strong opponents :o but was evidently persuaded that turning me away would be a poor PR move.
How did you get on against Kasparov ? Quite an experience I imagine ?!
Anybody still around who played Tal in the simul he did in the UK in the 1970's ? I would have loved to have seen that!
I dont think Fischer ever came to the UK, so no-one here would have played him...
Spassky must have played simuls here when Len Barden was running the junior squads...?!

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