Zurich 12-15 February 2016

[Mick Norris]

website

Candidates Anand, Aronion, Giri & Nakamura, plus Kramnik & Shirov - will Vishy bounce back from Gibraltar?

5 round "classical" at rate of 40 minutes per game with additional 10 seconds for each move, followed by blitz with colours reversed from "classical" game

The winner of a classical game earns 2 points for the Overall Standings, in case of a draw each player earns 1 point and the loser 0 points; in the blitz games, the winner earns 1 point, by a draw each player half a point and the loser 0 point.

Bonus - 2 game match between Gelfand & Morozevich "classical"

[Roger de Coverly]

5 round "classical" at rate of 40 minutes per game with additional 10 seconds for each move

That's just a slowed down Rapid. They could try "club", 80 minutes with 10 seconds.

[Mick Norris]

The oldest chess club in the world and its honorable member Oleg Skvortsov suggest a most important innovation for the future of new classical chess with a new time control of 40 minutes per game with additional 10 seconds for each move. We think that in the future classical chess could pass to 1 hour control for each player. We have come to the conclusion that the game needs to become faster.

I think it is interesting as a warm up for the Candidates, but I prefer longer time controls

[NickFaulks]

I think it is interesting as a warm up for the Candidates, but I prefer longer time controls

I think the point is that nobody will have to worry about hiding preparation, because at this time control top players don't feel the need to play serious openings anyway.

[Matt Mackenzie]

The games are still FIDE rated aren't they?

[Roger de Coverly]

The games are still FIDE rated aren't they?

Only for rapidplay.

[Mick Norris]

The games are still FIDE rated aren't they?

Yes, but as Rapidplay

FIDE

[Mick Norris]

I think the point is that nobody will have to worry about hiding preparation, because at this time control top players don't feel the need to play serious openings anyway.

Comments here Kramnik interview

I think it has a future. At the current moment, no doubt, there’s no need to introduce that time control everywhere, but you can try it. For now it’s an experiment, but within five years the format “two games a day with a time control of one hour per game”, might well become the norm. Perhaps even World Championship matches will be held like that.
True, neither I nor my opponents have ever played with such a control, so we’ll have to get used to it, but that’s not such a big issue – it’ll gradually happen. It’ll be very interesting to see how much such a time control affects the quality of play. If the contrast to classical chess doesn’t turn out to be so big i.e. if the games are of high quality, then that time control will start to gain in popularity.

[Roger de Coverly]

if the games are of high quality, then that time control will start to gain in popularity.

Is there really much difference between the 25 10 of a rapid play event and the 40 10 of this event? It will look and feel like a rapid, players not being required to keep score for example.

[Mick Norris]

I think Carlsen's quote is interesting

40 minutes is a little bit strange because then you really want to play the quality of a classical game, just at some point you don’t have any time to think

[Stewart Reuben]

I do wish people wouldn't use the term 'Classical' for innovative projects. It is traducing the English language.

[NickFaulks]

It’ll be very interesting to see how much such a time control affects the quality of play. If the contrast to classical chess doesn’t turn out to be so big i.e. if the games are of high quality, then that time control will start to gain in popularity.

If the collapse in the quality of games when FIDE forced G/90+30" on the world is any guide, we shouldn't expect too much.

[Brian Towers]

Very interesting interview with Kramnik. I really liked this bit:

You have to understand that grandmasters are often people who prefer simply to play chess, while they’re not bothered much about organisational issues

so no different (in that respect) from most club players!

[NickFaulks]

Comments here Kramnik interview

A “professional” cheater won’t be stopped. I studied the issue of what you can do in that regard and made proposals to the FIDE anti-cheating committee more than once. I’m willing to vouch for the fact that there’s a method of fully excluding cheating, but it requires certain financial expenditure, even if nothing over the top.

Wow! That's been a well kept secret.

[Mick Norris]

Very interesting interview with Kramnik. I really liked this bit:

You have to understand that grandmasters are often people who prefer simply to play chess, while they’re not bothered much about organisational issues

so no different (in that respect) from most club players!

My favourite bit was Kasparov's very true

Kramnik's comments prove that exceptional chess ability does not represent intelligence or moral character

Garry presumably doesn't do irony