2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

The very latest International round up of English news.
Chris Rice
Posts: 3417
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2012 5:17 am

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Chris Rice » Fri May 22, 2020 12:26 pm

Thanks John, that makes sense. An innovative approach having three mini-matches to decide a match, similar to tennis.

John McKenna

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by John McKenna » Fri May 22, 2020 1:03 pm

Happy to try to clarify, Chris, in response to your -

Chris Rice wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 9:31 am
Rest day today but tomorrow it's the quarter finals:

Nakamura - Aronian
Carlsen - So
Yangyi - Liren
Dubov - Karjakin

Each is a best of three 4-game match series (what?)
Time to catch up with thanks to Mick -
Mick Norris wrote:
Fri May 22, 2020 9:31 am
TWIC Report on Day 3

SNIP

Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Mick Norris » Sun May 24, 2020 11:20 am

TWIC Report on semi-finals Day 1
Any postings on here represent my personal views

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by JustinHorton » Sun May 24, 2020 11:27 am

Semi-finals?
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Mick Norris » Sun May 24, 2020 11:54 am

Oops, quarter finals, sorry
Any postings on here represent my personal views

John McKenna

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by John McKenna » Sun May 24, 2020 11:55 am

The quarters are a drawn-out affair -

'23/2020 – The first mini-matches of the Lindores Abbey quarter-finals went down to the wire, as Hikaru Nakamura and Yu Yangyi got wins over Levon Aronian and Ding Liren in Armageddon tiebreakers... Aronian and Ding will get a chance to bounce back on Monday, when the second pair of mini-matches will take place." (Chessbase News)

"The second pair of quarter-finals mini-matches will kick off on Sunday — Magnus Carlsen v Wesley So and Sergey Karjakin v Daniil Dubov." (Chessbase News)

For full report & schedule see -

https://en.chessbase.com/post/lindores-abbey-2020-qf-1

John McKenna

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by John McKenna » Sun May 24, 2020 3:46 pm

How could it go So wrong?!

Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Mick Norris » Sun May 24, 2020 5:26 pm

Wins for Carlsen and Dubov, who both started 1-0 today
Any postings on here represent my personal views

John Moore
Posts: 2226
Joined: Wed May 14, 2008 6:33 pm

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by John Moore » Sun May 24, 2020 5:51 pm

Presumably So just agreed a draw in Round 3 with a view to regrouping for the next mini-match. Or, after the horrible loss in the second game, he couldn't cope with possibly losing in the third game. Perhaps he should have tried something sharp in the third game and said to himself if I lose I lose. I can imagine a lot of players at all levels doing just that.

Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Mick Norris » Mon May 25, 2020 1:09 pm

TWIC Report on quarter-finals Day 2
We're back to Yu Yangyi vs Ding Liren and Nakamura vs Aronian on Monday 25th May at 3pm BST. Both Ding and Aronian must win in this second set of mini-matches in order extend these ties into the final day on Wednesday.
Any postings on here represent my personal views

Tim Harding
Posts: 2318
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:46 pm
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Tim Harding » Mon May 25, 2020 2:49 pm

John Moore wrote:
Sun May 24, 2020 5:51 pm
Presumably So just agreed a draw in Round 3 with a view to regrouping for the next mini-match. Or, after the horrible loss in the second game, he couldn't cope with possibly losing in the third game. Perhaps he should have tried something sharp in the third game and said to himself if I lose I lose. I can imagine a lot of players at all levels doing just that.
It's a character flaw in the grandmaster isn't it? At least one of the commentators was rightly critical of him. Going for an early repetition draw in a must-win game is equivalent to throwing the game.

He is a professional and presumably getting paid to play in this event. Therefore he has a responsibility to try and to entertain the locked-down spectators around the world who were looking forward to one or two more Carlsen games.
If I were a tournament promoter or sponsor, I would cross So's name off my list of potential invitees. They should certainly dock him 50% of his prize or appearance fee in this one.
Tim Harding
Historian and FIDE Arbiter

Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
http://www.chessmail.com

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by JustinHorton » Mon May 25, 2020 3:45 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Mon May 25, 2020 2:49 pm
They should certainly dock him 50% of his prize or appearance fee in this one.
You say certainly, but you'd surely want to know what contractual clause would allow them to do so.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

John McKenna

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by John McKenna » Mon May 25, 2020 4:45 pm

Wes So, like David Navara, is prone to winning brilliance in one event but spending too much time in the pits in another.

There is a happy medium for such players, however, their extremes are probably higher and lower than most other elite GMs.

I suppose that in some sports there are fines for not trying, but there's tendency to try to put failures behind one and get on to the next contest to try harder then. So must try to bounce back in the 2nd of the 3 mini-matches to avoid being written off tomorrow.

Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Mick Norris » Mon May 25, 2020 6:47 pm

Nakamura won again tp reach the semi-finals

Ding won to take it to a decider on Wednesday
Any postings on here represent my personal views

Richard Bates
Posts: 3338
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 8:27 pm

Re: 2020 Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge

Post by Richard Bates » Mon May 25, 2020 7:05 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Mon May 25, 2020 2:49 pm
John Moore wrote:
Sun May 24, 2020 5:51 pm
Presumably So just agreed a draw in Round 3 with a view to regrouping for the next mini-match. Or, after the horrible loss in the second game, he couldn't cope with possibly losing in the third game. Perhaps he should have tried something sharp in the third game and said to himself if I lose I lose. I can imagine a lot of players at all levels doing just that.
It's a character flaw in the grandmaster isn't it? At least one of the commentators was rightly critical of him. Going for an early repetition draw in a must-win game is equivalent to throwing the game.

He is a professional and presumably getting paid to play in this event. Therefore he has a responsibility to try and to entertain the locked-down spectators around the world who were looking forward to one or two more Carlsen games.
If I were a tournament promoter or sponsor, I would cross So's name off my list of potential invitees. They should certainly dock him 50% of his prize or appearance fee in this one.
Perhaps Carlsen should have ensured that he put up a fair fight, but made sure he lost, to ensure that the spectators got their "money's worth"?
Perhaps ensuring he lost the next one as well to allow an Armageddon.

Meanwhile Nakamura/Aronian should definitely be fined today for denying the spectators a whole 4(5) games!