yes let's get some Berlins going

Anand is really already on another level than Gelfand in classical, an edge that's only being magnified with Gelfand apparently content to play for a draw as white. So it's unlikely Gelfand makes it to the tie breaks. If he does, it's over. Their record excluding draws in rapid is 8-1 Anand. In blitz it's 3-0 Anand. For that matter, the last time Gelfand beat Anand in classical chess was nearly 2 decades ago - 1993.

I can only assume Gelfand's strategy here is to simply get through the first 9 or 10 games without losing since a loss would be all but impossible for him to come back from. Then in the last handful of games go for the jugular, hope to get lucky and hold onto the point against a newly motivated and energized Anand. I think the most likely result is Gelfand ends up losing a game before the end, then goes all out trying to regain the point and ends up losing another at which point he goes into a shell just trying to save some face. I'll call it here: +2 =10 -0 Anand.

Sounds reasonable. Now let's just hope Anand wins game 5, so we can see a few exciting games soon (and become experts at medieval russian art along the way).

This match was severely unanticipated by most everyone, and it's coming out even worse than expectations. 4 draws in a row and counting.

Who put up 2 million dollars for this? And that's not a rhetorical question. I genuinely would like to know who agreed to pay the prize pool and why.

People need to learn to give at least some amount of damn respect. You dislike the match/players? That's your right of course.. but to blatantly throw all sorts of random **** at them (and mainly at Gelfand) is just low IMO. Gelfand did not just randomly get to play for the crown you know? Had he got to play this match via some politics/finance/other bull****, I proly woulda been hating too. Yet he qualified lawfully and via some brilliant play, so for the love of God, cut a guy some slack. Or maybe he shoulda just withdrawn from the match because he is not the most interesting chess player in the world.. Boohoo.. Petrosian must be rolling in his grave right about now.

From the tiny bits and pieces I understand of the game of chess I find Petrosian pretty admirable. But then I found Barca - Inter in 2010 to be a great football match and not a lot of people agreed with me (Inter defended harder than Petrosian could have ever done).

That said, I believe people are angry that it's not the Norvegian prodigy playing, which in part is indeed due to politics (whoever may be in the right or wrong may be a question though).

I can appreciate strategical, defensive, match oriented play. I also appreciate fireworks though so let's hope for some in the upcoming games.

I remember the Kramnik vs Kasparov WC
and the howls against vlad for his berlin.

Now berlins are popcorn moments?


re: this match.

I think the frustrating thing about this is that it appears so deeply within preparations that it does not feel like it is happening or being contested at the board.
I realise that that says as much about super GM matches as much as it does about this WC match. But I just think some different openings and a range of skills being shown not just positional/preparation but also tactical/dealing with pressure games are what I think fans want.

Chess ought to draw openings out of a hat like top flight checkers does.

I find playing to draw as white in a world championship match incredibly disrespectful to the game. You can't even try to argue it's some sort of subtle positional maneuvering. He is taking positions that have lots of life and looking for the quickest possible way to extinguish it all. Petrosian was an artist. I don't think it's a remotely fair comparison.

I also appreciate that this is a part of Gelfand's match strategy, but ultimately somebody put up millions of dollars for this match to happen and Gelfand is turning it into a mockery; more of a mockery than it already was with the 4th best player in the world playing the 20th best player in the world for the title of "world champion." If somebody decided to have a boxing match and thought running around the ring instead of fighting would be a good strategy - you shouldn't be surprised when they're called a coward, booed and ultimately penalized points by the ref. Unfortunately in chess there are no refs. And again comparing that 'strategy' against something like Mayweather's boxing style would just be an insult to the latter.

There's no way Gelfand is "playing for a draw" with White. He hasn't got an advantage in either of his White games, but neither has Anand. He probably didn't focus on Anand's a6 move in his preparation and he doesn't know it as well as his opponent. That's just what happens in top level chess when both players are prepared to the teeth. And especially in match play where a loss with White would be disastrous, it doesn't really favour playing in a kamikaze style.

I mean, I'm all for changing the format to make it more exciting for the spectators. But don't hate on the players for doing what they feel gives them the best chance to win.

I have no problem with Gelfand doing whatever he thinks is strategically best in order to try to win the match.

I hope draws his way home then wins a single fluke to take the upset. In part because good for him as an underdog, and in part because it will hopefully embarrass FIDE into fixing the system that put him into the match to begin with.

Even though I like the Berlin and am even now playing it as Black in a corres game, that was still sarcasm

This.
btw he did play pretty aggressively in his black games which were both quite interesting. Let's see if he manages to turn up with something better with white.

Anyone remember the epic Kramnik-Anand match and Kramnik's first white game (in the slav exchange)? The hate people are piling up on Gelfand is just incredible. OK your idol Carlsen pussed out and someone else won instead the right to challenge Anand in a match tournament featuring the best players in the world. Deal with it.

Gelfand is proving that he is a great player. I actually am starting to believe he has a decent chance (>10%) to win, although In my eyes anand is still the favourite. However, I think Aronian deserved to be playing in this match and just underperformed in the candidates... but that's easy for me to say... anyway, I hope to see aronian next year as his chess is incredible imo. (Hopefully he will keep his form until then)

They are who we thought they were. I've enjoyed all the games, but 1&3 had more spark. I expect benoni game 5??

IIRC Aronian had the flu during the candidates.

Unlike the NHL where we have a 3, 6 and 8 seed still playing. And the 8 seed is gonna win.

What was Fischer's record going into Iceland 1972? +0 -4 =2?
Even in 1970, Spassky was still beating him with ease even in Bobby's beloved Gruenfeld.

Not that Boris is Bobby, but still, some respect for one of the greatest players of the past 25 years.

And Carlsen took himself out of the running. Why he punked out I have no idea but there's nobody to blame but himself for that [and I do think he is the best player currently, shades of Bobby refusing to play Candidates in 66 and 69]

I mean we would all like to see another Lyon Karpov vs Kasparov with some big swings and sharp sicilians etc.
But it does not look like it is going to happen.

Interesting. Gelfand's castling move is really unusual in this position, giving up the b-pawn. Let's see what happens.

16....bxd5 seems to have suprised everyone.

good to have a sicilian on the board

I think it's going to be hard for Anand to squeeze anything out of this position.

bd7 through to bc6 looks promising?

By the way, for all the criticism of the art lectures on the official site, I've been to the Tretyakov gallery and I can honestly say that it really is worth all the hype. I recommend anyone who visits Moscow to check it out.

Yeah, looks promising. On a second look, White has some advantage here. Of course Black should hold with best play, but maybe Anand can pose some problems.