Tag: World Chess Championship

  • Campfire Digest – December 10, 2021

    Campfire Digest – December 10, 2021

    Good Morning, campers! Welcome to Campfire Chess Digest for Friday, December 10, 2021! The World Chess Championship 2021 is still underway and it has certainly had a share of ups and downs, breathtaking and disappointing moments. There’s still much more chess to come before the year is done!

    Here’s some of the best chess action we’ve seen this week:

    Magnus Carlsen is…once again…World Chess Champion

    https://www.chess.com/news/view/fide-world-chess-championship-2021-game-11
    Magnus Carlsen cruised to defend his World Championship title for the fifth time this week against Ian Nepomniachtchi. It was one of the most lopsided and unusual championships I can recall. Ian just couldn’t capitalize on several opportunities presented to him by Magnus. And for another two years, Norway is king of world chess.

    A World Record at the World Chess Championship

    https://en.chessbase.com/post/world-championship-2021-g6
    Magnus Carlsen came out on top of an incredible 136 move game that set a world record for the longest chess game played in a world championship. The previous title was held by Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in the 1978 World Chess Championship.

    A Century of Chess: Karlsbad 1907

    https://www.chess.com/blog/kahns/a-century-of-chess-karlsbad-1907
    Long before the Soviet Empire dominated the professional chess world, the German Empire’s elite held firmly to the title of the world’s best chess players. This exceptional article from Chess.com (a rarity these days) explores Akiba Rubinstine’s rise to prominence in the early part of the twentieth century.

    World Rapid and Blitz Coming to Warsaw

    https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-world-rapid-and-blitz-championships-will-take-place-in-warsaw
    The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz tournament will soon be making its way to Warsaw beginning on Christmas Day and running through December 31st.

  • Campfire Digest – December 3, 2021

    Campfire Digest – December 3, 2021

    Good Morning, campers! Welcome to Campfire Chess Digest for Friday, December 3, 2021! As you read this, the 2021 World Chess Championship rages (if you can call it that) in Dubai between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi. There’s no clear leader at this point but Nepo certainly put Magnus on the ropes a few times going into Thursday’s rest day.

    Here’s some of the best chess action we’ve seen this week:

    Anish Giri Annotates WCC 2021 Game 5

    https://en.chessbase.com/post/world-championship-2021-g5-expert-annotations
    After the sleeper draw that was Game 5 of the World Chess Championship, GM Anish Giri published a very nice annotated game outlining some of the missed opportunities for both players.

    Hikaru Nakamura Departs the FIDE World Ranking List

    https://en.chessbase.com/post/the-new-fide-world-ranking-list-december-2021
    GM Hikaru Nakamura was nowhere to be found on the newly published FIDE World Ranking List because he has not been active in international tournament play for quite some time. He’s mostly traded those commitments for a life on Twitch these days.

    Chess.com Remains Undisputed Clickbait Article Champion

    https://www.chess.com/article/view/chess-coms-holiday-gift-buying-guide
    Ten ways to mate your opponent in five moves… Ten streamers you wouldn’t want to play blitz with… and the list goes on and on. Maybe we could start making a list of Chess.com’s most click-baity articles. In any case, this year’s “Buying Guide” for the holidays is no better than the website’s recent forays into Bitcoin, PogChamps, and other nonsensical stuff.

    Levon Aronian Joins the US Chess Federation

    https://chess24.com/en/read/news/levon-aronian-completes-transfer-to-usa
    The United States continues to build an impressive roster of players with the recent addition of GM Levon Aronian. He joins the ranks of recent additions such as GMs Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana.

    The World Chess Championship 2021 continues today in Dubai live via Chess24’s YouTube channel. Chess.com has a stream with GMs Hess and Caruana, but I recommend the Chess24 stream as its less headache-inducing.

  • The World Chess Championship Approaches

    The World Chess Championship Approaches

    It’s upon us! The great day of judgment where two of the world’s best chess players will meet to do battle for the title of World Chess Champion. GM Magnus Carlsen has held this title 2013 after defeating legendary Indian GM Viswanathan Anand. Since then, he has defended his title against Anand, GM Sergey Karjakin (2016) and GM Fabiano Caruana (2018). This year, he will face Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in Dubai.

    As of this entry, the official website from FIDE has not launched, but the schedule of events has been released.

    • 24 November: Opening Ceremony
    • 25 November: Off day
    • 26 November: Game 1
    • 27 November: Game 2
    • 28 November: Game 3
    • 29 November: Off day
    • 30 November: Game 4
    • 1 December: Game 5
    • 2 December: Off day
    • 3 December: Game 6
    • 4 December: Game 7
    • 5 December: Game 8
    • 6 December: Off day
    • 7 December: Game 9
    • 8 December: Game 10
    • 9 December: Off day
    • 10 December: Game 11
    • 11 December: Game 12
    • 12 December: Game 13
    • 13 December: Off day
    • 14 December: Game 14
    • 15 December: Tie break (or Closing Ceremony)
    • 16 December: Closing Ceremony

    Live coverage of the event will be available on Chess24 and Chess.com. For additional details on the event itself, visit FIDE’s official press release on the World Chess Championship and Expo 2020 Dubai.

  • The Grand Chess Tour 2021

    The Grand Chess Tour 2021

    June 3rd marks the beginning of the 2021 Grand Chess Tour, which is a collection of the highest rated tournaments in the world forming a pathway leading up to this year’s World Chess Championship. The upcoming events are:

    • June 3-15: Superbet Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest, Romania
    • June 16-23: Paris Rapid and Blitz in Paris, France
    • July 5-12: Croatia Rapid and Blitz in Zagreb, Croatia
    • August 9-16: Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz in Saint Louis, Missouri
    • August 16-28: Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis, Missoui

    This year, the total prize fund is approximately $1.25 million US dollars with a chance for the top three tour finishers to earn a share of an additional $175,000! Live coverage of the games will be provided by Chess.com, Chess24, and by a variety of chess streamers on Twitch.

  • We Will Be Back

    We Will Be Back

    Attention, Campers!

    Campfire Chess has been dormant since the summer, but fear not! It is not dead. I am prepared to return to regular chess blogging shortly after the new year, so check back in January 2019 for updates!

    In the meantime, congratulations to GM Magnus Carlsen for retaining his World Chess Champion title. I was rooting for Fabiano (USA, USA), but alas, we will get it next time!

    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!

  • Magnus Carlsen Retains World Chess Title

    Magnus Carlsen Retains World Chess Title

    Magnus Carlsen put the final nail in the coffin for the 2016 World Chess Championship with a [spectacular finish](http://theweekinchess.com/chessnews/events/world-chess-championship-2016/magnus-carlsen-retains-world-championship-title-with-a-spectacular-final-move) in the 25 | 10 rapid tiebreaker. Carlsen had been frustrated throughout the event and fell behind before managing to equalize the standings in Game 10. He went on to win the last two games of the rapid event, which finally put an end to his challengers efforts and solidified his place as World Chess Champion for the next two years. As the main portion of the event drew to its conclusion, many in the chess world began taking note of the precarious position Sergey Karjakin could find himself in against one of the strongest rapid and blitz players in the world.

    The first two tiebreaker games were drawn with Karjakin narrowly escaping a loss in the second game but unable to stop the onslaught that ultimately allowed Carlsen to retain his title.


    Carlsen’s incredible finish to the rapid tiebreaker event.

    The position above is stunning and reaffirms why Magnus Carlsen is the best chess player in the world. With **Qh6+**, Magnus brought his opponent’s bid to become the next world champion to his stunning halt. There were moments throughout the event where it seemed that Sergey Karjakin was poised to overtake Carlsen, but never found a way to convert his opportunities into solid wins. Of course, there were moments throughout the event were Magnus seemed to struggle both with his chess abilities and his ability to keep his emotions in check (no pun intended). Magnus took a little bit of criticism on social media for his outburst following his loss in the classical round, but I have to say that him storming out of the press conference is the kind of stuff that chess needs if it wants to become a popular, respectable, and marketable activity in the United States.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh Rapid TB 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.30”]
    [Round “1”]
    [White “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Black “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “C84”]
    [WhiteElo “2772”]
    [BlackElo “2853”]
    [PlyCount “74”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.30”]
    [EventType “rapid”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3
    O-O 9. Nc3 Nb8 10. Ne2 c5 11. Ng3 Nc6 12. c3 Rb8 13. h3 a5 14. a4 b4 15. Re1
    Be6 16. Bc4 h6 17. Be3 Qc8 18. Qe2 Rd8 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. d4 bxc3 21. bxc3 cxd4
    22. cxd4 exd4 23. Nxd4 Nxd4 24. Bxd4 Rb4 25. Rec1 Qd7 26. Bc3 Rxa4 27. Bxa5
    Rxa1 28. Rxa1 Ra8 29. Bc3 Rxa1+ 30. Bxa1 Qc6 31. Kh2 Kf7 32. Bb2 Qc5 33. f4 Bd8
    34. e5 dxe5 35. Bxe5 Bb6 36. Qd1 Qd5 37. Qxd5 Nxd5 1/2-1/2

    [Event “WCh Rapid TB 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.30”]
    [Round “2”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “C50”]
    [WhiteElo “2853”]
    [BlackElo “2772”]
    [PlyCount “167”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.30”]
    [EventType “rapid”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. a4 a6 7. c3 d6 8. Re1
    Ba7 9. h3 Ne7 10. d4 Ng6 11. Nbd2 c6 12. Bf1 a5 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Qc2 Be6 15.
    Nc4 Qc7 16. b4 axb4 17. cxb4 b5 18. Ne3 bxa4 19. Rxa4 Bxe3 20. Bxe3 Rxa4 21.
    Qxa4 Nxe4 22. Rc1 Bd5 23. b5 cxb5 24. Qxe4 Qxc1 25. Qxd5 Qc7 26. Qxb5 Rb8 27.
    Qd5 Rd8 28. Qb3 Rb8 29. Qa2 h6 30. Qd5 Qe7 31. Qe4 Qf6 32. g3 Rc8 33. Bd3 Qc6
    34. Qf5 Re8 35. Be4 Qe6 36. Qh5 Ne7 37. Qxe5 Qxe5 38. Nxe5 Ng6 39. Bxg6 Rxe5
    40. Bd3 f6 41. Kg2 Kh8 42. Kf3 Rd5 43. Bg6 Ra5 44. Ke4 Rb5 45. h4 Re5+ 46. Kd4
    Ra5 47. Kc4 Re5 48. Bd4 Ra5 49. Bc5 Kg8 50. Kd5 Rb5 51. Kd6 Ra5 52. Be3 Re5 53.
    Bf4 Ra5 54. Bd3 Ra7 55. Ke6 Rb7 56. Kf5 Rd7 57. Bc2 Rb7 58. Kg6 Rb2 59. Bf5
    Rxf2 60. Be6+ Kh8 61. Bd6 Re2 62. Bg4 Re8 63. Bf5 Kg8 64. Bc2 Re3 65. Bb1 Kh8
    66. Kf7 Rb3 67. Be4 Re3 68. Bf5 Rc3 69. g4 Rc6 70. Bf8 Rc7+ 71. Kg6 Kg8 72. Bb4
    Rb7 73. Bd6 Kh8 74. Bf8 Kg8 75. Ba3 Kh8 76. Be6 Rb6 77. Kf7 Rb7+ 78. Be7 h5 79.
    gxh5 f5 80. Bxf5 Rxe7+ 81. Kxe7 Kg8 82. Bd3 Kh8 83. Kf8 g5 84. hxg6 1/2-1/2

    [Event “WCh Rapid TB 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.30”]
    [Round “3”]
    [White “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Black “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Result “0-1”]
    [ECO “C84”]
    [WhiteElo “2772”]
    [BlackElo “2853”]
    [PlyCount “76”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.30”]
    [EventType “rapid”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3
    O-O 9. Nc3 Na5 10. Ba2 Be6 11. b4 Nc6 12. Nd5 Nd4 13. Ng5 Bxd5 14. exd5 Nd7 15.
    Ne4 f5 16. Nd2 f4 17. c3 Nf5 18. Ne4 Qe8 19. Bb3 Qg6 20. f3 Bh4 21. a4 Nf6 22.
    Qe2 a5 23. axb5 axb4 24. Bd2 bxc3 25. Bxc3 Ne3 26. Rfc1 Rxa1 27. Rxa1 Qe8 28.
    Bc4 Kh8 29. Nxf6 Bxf6 30. Ra3 e4 31. dxe4 Bxc3 32. Rxc3 Qe5 33. Rc1 Ra8 34. h3
    h6 35. Kh2 Qd4 36. Qe1 Qb2 37. Bf1 Ra2 38. Rxc7 Ra1 0-1

    [Event “WCh Rapid TB 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.30”]
    [Round “4”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [ECO “B54”]
    [WhiteElo “2853”]
    [BlackElo “2772”]
    [PlyCount “99”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.30”]
    [EventType “rapid”]

    1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. c4 a5 8. Be3
    a4 9. Nc1 O-O 10. Nc3 Qa5 11. Qd2 Na6 12. Be2 Nc5 13. O-O Bd7 14. Rb1 Rfc8 15.
    b4 axb3 16. axb3 Qd8 17. Nd3 Ne6 18. Nb4 Bc6 19. Rfd1 h5 20. Bf1 h4 21. Qf2 Nd7
    22. g3 Ra3 23. Bh3 Rca8 24. Nc2 R3a6 25. Nb4 Ra5 26. Nc2 b6 27. Rd2 Qc7 28.
    Rbd1 Bf8 29. gxh4 Nf4 30. Bxf4 exf4 31. Bxd7 Qxd7 32. Nb4 Ra3 33. Nxc6 Qxc6 34.
    Nb5 Rxb3 35. Nd4 Qxc4 36. Nxb3 Qxb3 37. Qe2 Be7 38. Kg2 Qe6 39. h5 Ra3 40. Rd3
    Ra2 41. R3d2 Ra3 42. Rd3 Ra7 43. Rd5 Rc7 44. Qd2 Qf6 45. Rf5 Qh4 46. Rc1 Ra7
    47. Qxf4 Ra2+ 48. Kh1 Qf2 49. Rc8+ Kh7 50. Qh6+ 1-0
    [/pgn]

    #### Viewership Review
    Agon, which has become a *four letter word* In the chess community has refused to release (at least for now) the exact number of people who purchased their premium package for viewing the event, but initial estimates project that less than 10,000 people paid for the premium streaming and commentary package. Personally, I was pleased to be able to follow the games as a premium member of [Chessbase](http://play.chessbase.com), on [ChessBomb](http://www.chessbomb.com), and to watch the exceptional commentary and analysis from some of my favorite people over on [chess24.com](http://www.chess24.com). Still, just a long way to go if it wants to build an American audience to the point where corporations like Pepsi, Red Bull, or other major corporations are willing to sponsor the events. As mentioned in an excellent news [article](http://sports.yahoo.com/news/norwegian-vies-russian-world-chess-championship-231509689–spt.html) published shortly after Carlsen’s victory, chess needs a series of dramatic stories in order to sell itself to the American people. Bobby Fischer made history as the lone genius who challenged the world’s greatest chess power, the Soviet Union, during the Cold War which allowed the American people to relate what was happening on the board to what was happening every day in their news. When professional chess can find a way to bring the drama and excitement of playing the game to people in a way that relates to their everyday struggles and experiences, then it will find itself at a buffet of sponsors and fans. Compelling drama and personal connection sells products, not frivolous litigation.

  • WCC2016 Tie Breaker on Wednesday

    WCC2016 Tie Breaker on Wednesday

    The World Chess Championship ended its standard round series yesterday with a whimper as Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin drew the final game after a mere 30 moves.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.28”]
    [Round “12”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [WhiteTitle “GM”]
    [BlackTitle “GM”]
    [WhiteElo “2853”]
    [BlackElo “2772”]
    [ECO “C67”]
    [Opening “Ruy Lopez”]
    [Variation “Berlin defence, open variation”]
    [WhiteFideId “1503014”]
    [BlackFideId “14109603”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8.
    Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bf4 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Ne8 13. c3 d5 14. Bd3 g6
    15. Na3 c6 16. Nc2 Ng7 17. Qd2 Bf5 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. Ne3 Nxe3 20. Qxe3 Qe7 21.
    Qxe7 Bxe7 22. Re1 Bf8 23. Kf1 f6 24. g4 Kf7 25. h3 Re8 26. Rxe8 Kxe8 27. Ke2 Kd7
    28. Kd3 Ke6 29. a4 a6 30. f3 Be7 1/2-1/2
    [/pgn]

    So, what happens now? As Magnus celebrates his birthday on Wednesday, he will face Karjakin in a series of rapid and blitz games to determine who will be the overall champion. For those games, the will be four rapid games at 25 | 10 with blitz games scheduled if the rapid games end in a tie. In the unlikely event that all of those games are tied then there will be a 5 minute for white, 4 minute for black game where the winner will take all.

  • WCC2016 Tied Entering Final Round

    WCC2016 Tied Entering Final Round

    The 2016 World Chess Championship in New York City has been nothing short of a nail biter and will at least come down to determination in the final round scheduled to be played Monday at 1400 EST. Games 7 and 8 offered some tense moments in which Magnus missed opportunities to turn the tide of the tournament against his opponent. However, his over aggressiveness prevented him from capitalizing on these positions as he would normally be able to.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.18”]
    [Round “6”]
    [White “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Black “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [WhiteTitle “GM”]
    [BlackTitle “GM”]
    [WhiteElo “2772”]
    [BlackElo “2853”]
    [ECO “C88”]
    [Opening “Ruy Lopez”]
    [Variation “closed, 7…O-O”]
    [WhiteFideId “14109603”]
    [BlackFideId “1503014”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
    Bb7 9. d3 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxe5 Nd4 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. Bf4 Nxb3 14. axb3 c5 15.
    Ne4 f6 16. Nf3 f5 17. Neg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 h6 19. Ne6 Qd5 20. f3 Rfe8 21. Re5 Qd6
    22. c3 Rxe6 23. Rxe6 Qxe6 24. cxb4 cxb4 25. Rc1 Rc8 26. Rxc8+ Qxc8 27. Qe1 Qd7
    28. Kh2 a5 29. Qe3 Bd5 30. Qb6 Bxb3 31. Qxa5 Qxd3 32. Qxb4 Be6 1/2-1/2

    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.20”]
    [Round “7”]
    [White “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Black “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [WhiteTitle “GM”]
    [BlackTitle “GM”]
    [WhiteElo “2772”]
    [BlackElo “2853”]
    [ECO “D10”]
    [Opening “QGD Slav defence”]
    [WhiteFideId “14109603”]
    [BlackFideId “1503014”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 e6 7. Nf3 c5 8. O-O b5
    9. Be2 Bb7 10. dxc5 Nc6 11. Nd2 Bxc5 12. Nde4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Be7 14. b3 Nb4 15.
    Bf3 O-O 16. Ba3 Rc8 17. Nf6+ Bxf6 18. Bxb7 Bxa1 19. Bxb4 Bf6 20. Bxf8 Qxd1 21.
    Rxd1 Rxf8 22. Bxa6 b4 23. Rc1 g6 24. Rc2 Ra8 25. Bd3 Rd8 26. Be2 Kf8 27. Kf1 Ra8
    28. Bc4 Rc8 29. Ke2 Ke7 30. f4 h6 31. Kf3 Rc7 32. g4 g5 33. Ke4 Rc8 1/2-1/2
    [/pgn]

    But everything changed in Game 8 when that over aggressiveness finally backfired and awarded a powerful win to challenger Sergey Karjakin.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.21”]
    [Round “8”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Result “0-1”]
    [WhiteTitle “GM”]
    [BlackTitle “GM”]
    [WhiteElo “2853”]
    [BlackElo “2772”]
    [ECO “D05”]
    [Opening “Queen’s pawn game, Rubinstein (Colle-Zukertort) variation”]
    [WhiteFideId “1503014”]
    [BlackFideId “14109603”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. b3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Bb2 b6 8. dxc5
    Bxc5 9. Nbd2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Nbd7 11. c4 dxc4 12. Nxc4 Qe7 13. a3 a5 14. Nd4 Rfd8
    15. Rfd1 Rac8 16. Rac1 Nf8 17. Qe1 Ng6 18. Bf1 Ng4 19. Nb5 Bc6 20. a4 Bd5 21.
    Bd4 Bxc4 22. Rxc4 Bxd4 23. Rdxd4 Rxc4 24. bxc4 Nf6 25. Qd2 Rb8 26. g3 Ne5 27.
    Bg2 h6 28. f4 Ned7 29. Na7 Qa3 30. Nc6 Rf8 31. h3 Nc5 32. Kh2 Nxa4 33. Rd8 g6
    34. Qd4 Kg7 35. c5 Rxd8 36. Nxd8 Nxc5 37. Qd6 Qd3 38. Nxe6+ fxe6 39. Qe7+ Kg8
    40. Qxf6 a4 41. e4 Qd7 42. Qxg6+ Qg7 43. Qe8+ Qf8 44. Qc6 Qd8 45. f5 a3 46. fxe6
    Kg7 47. e7 Qxe7 48. Qxb6 Nd3 49. Qa5 Qc5 50. Qa6 Ne5 51. Qe6 h5 52. h4 a2 0-1
    [/pgn]

    Some believed that Magnus would be unable to recover from the loss but managed to pull out a win shortly thereafter in Game 10 to even things up.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.24”]
    [Round “10”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Result “1-0”]
    [WhiteTitle “GM”]
    [BlackTitle “GM”]
    [WhiteElo “2853”]
    [BlackElo “2772”]
    [ECO “C65”]
    [Opening “Ruy Lopez”]
    [Variation “Berlin defence”]
    [WhiteFideId “1503014”]
    [BlackFideId “14109603”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. O-O
    d6 9. Nbd2 Nh5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nc4 Nf4 12. Ne3 Qf6 13. g3 Nh3+ 14. Kh1 Ne7 15.
    Bc4 c6 16. Bb3 Ng6 17. Qe2 a5 18. a4 Be6 19. Bxe6 fxe6 20. Nd2 d5 21. Qh5 Ng5
    22. h4 Nf3 23. Nxf3 Qxf3+ 24. Qxf3 Rxf3 25. Kg2 Rf7 26. Rfe1 h5 27. Nf1 Kf8 28.
    Nd2 Ke7 29. Re2 Kd6 30. Nf3 Raf8 31. Ng5 Re7 32. Rae1 Rfe8 33. Nf3 Nh8 34. d4
    exd4 35. Nxd4 g6 36. Re3 Nf7 37. e5+ Kd7 38. Rf3 Nh6 39. Rf6 Rg7 40. b4 axb4 41.
    cxb4 Ng8 42. Rf3 Nh6 43. a5 Nf5 44. Nb3 Kc7 45. Nc5 Kb8 46. Rb1 Ka7 47. Rd3 Rc7
    48. Ra3 Nd4 49. Rd1 Nf5 50. Kh3 Nh6 51. f3 Rf7 52. Rd4 Nf5 53. Rd2 Rh7 54. Rb3
    Ree7 55. Rdd3 Rh8 56. Rb1 Rhh7 57. b5 cxb5 58. Rxb5 d4 59. Rb6 Rc7 60. Nxe6 Rc3
    61. Nf4 Rhc7 62. Nd5 Rxd3 63. Nxc7 Kb8 64. Nb5 Kc8 65. Rxg6 Rxf3 66. Kg2 Rb3 67.
    Nd6+ Nxd6 68. Rxd6 Re3 69. e6 Kc7 70. Rxd4 Rxe6 71. Rd5 Rh6 72. Kf3 Kb8 73. Kf4
    Ka7 74. Kg5 Rh8 75. Kf6 1-0
    [/pgn]

    The tournament remains tied and goes into Monday’s final round with the very real possibility of a rapid or blitz playoff being needed to decide the overall winner.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.26”]
    [Round “11”]
    [White “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Black “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [WhiteTitle “GM”]
    [BlackTitle “GM”]
    [WhiteElo “2772”]
    [BlackElo “2853”]
    [ECO “C84”]
    [Opening “Ruy Lopez”]
    [Variation “closed defence”]
    [WhiteFideId “14109603”]
    [BlackFideId “1503014”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O
    9. Nc3 Be6 10. Nd5 Nd4 11. Nxd4 exd4 12. Nxf6+ Bxf6 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. f4 c5 15.
    Qg4 Qd7 16. f5 Rae8 17. Bd2 c4 18. h3 c3 19. bxc3 d5 20. Bg5 Bxg5 21. Qxg5 dxe4
    22. fxe6 Rxf1+ 23. Rxf1 Qxe6 24. cxd4 e3 25. Re1 h6 26. Qh5 e2 27. Qf3 a5 28. c3
    Qa2 29. Qc6 Re6 30. Qc8+ Kh7 31. c4 Qd2 32. Qxe6 Qxe1+ 33. Kh2 Qf2 34. Qe4+ 1/2-1/2
    [/pgn]

  • WCC2016: Too Early to Draw Any Conclusions

    WCC2016: Too Early to Draw Any Conclusions

    All eyes are on New York City as Magnus Carlsen defends his World Chess Champion title against Russian challenger Sergey Karjakin. Carlsen is the heavy favorite to win the tournament but if the first few games are any indication of what to expect from the whole tournament, we might be in for a long ride. As the name of the post suggests, its too early to *draw* any conclusions from these games, but there are many conclusions in these games that end in *draws*…

    #### Game 3: Bending Space and Time
    Hopes were high after the first two games that there would be some dramatics appearing in the third game and they came…in a sense. Reminding players, commentators, and fans alike that chess requires *mental* and *physical* resilience, the players battled it out in a 7-hour, 78-move nightmare that ended…you guessed it..in a draw.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.14”]
    [Round “3”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “C67”]
    [WhiteElo “2857”]
    [BlackElo “2769”]
    [Annotator “Mark”]
    [PlyCount “156”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. e4 {Carlsen switches to 1.e4. Maybe this is his white true weapon for the
    rest of the match.} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 {The Berlin can hardly have come
    as a surprise.} 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5 8. Rxe5 {
    White doesn’t have a lot here, what is Carlsen’s idea?} O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re2
    $5 {There is nothing new under the sun. This has been played three times.} b6 {
    Karjakin had a big think here, he has a number of options.} (10… Nf5 11. d5
    d6 12. c3 c6 13. Bf4 Bg5 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15. Nd2 Bd7 16. Nf3 Qf6 17. Qa4 Rfd8 18.
    Rae1 h6 19. Qb3 b5 20. h3 c5 21. Re4 Rdb8 22. Qd1 Kf8 23. g4 Nh4 24. Nxh4 Qxh4
    25. Qf3 Re8 26. b4 Rxe4 27. Rxe4 Rc8 28. a3 {1/2-1/2 (28) Vallejo Pons,F (2677)
    -Tabatabaei,M (2461) Karlsruhe GER 2016}) (10… Re8) 11. Re1 (11. Bf4 Nf5 12.
    c3 Ba6 13. Re1 Bxf1 14. Kxf1 d5 15. Nd2 Qd7 16. Nf3 Rfe8 17. Qb3 Nh4 18. Nxh4
    Bxh4 19. Bg3 Bxg3 20. hxg3 g6 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Re1 Rxe1+ 23. Kxe1 c5 24. dxc5
    bxc5 25. Kd2 Qf5 26. Qb8+ Kg7 27. Qf4 Qb1 28. Qe5+ Kg8 29. Qb8+ Kg7 30. Qe5+
    Kg8 31. Qb8+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ {1/2-1/2 (32) Matinian,N (2439)-Lysyj,I (2628) St
    Petersburg RUS 2012}) 11… Re8 (11… Nb7 12. Na3 d5 13. c3 Nd6 14. Nc2 a5 15.
    Ne3 Nf5 16. Ng4 Bg5 17. Bd3 Bxc1 18. Rxc1 Nd6 19. h3 Re8 20. Qf3 Bxg4 21. Qxg4
    g6 22. Re5 c6 23. Rce1 Qc7 24. R1e3 Kg7 25. h4 f6 26. Rxe8 Rxe8 27. Rxe8 Nxe8
    28. h5 f5 29. Qg5 Nd6 30. hxg6 {1/2-1/2 (30) Kasimdzhanov,R (2704)-Melkumyan,H
    (2622) Berlin GER 2016}) 12. Bf4 Rxe1 13. Qxe1 Qe7 {Up to here Carlsen was
    playing quickly but here he thought for around 20 minutes.} 14. Nc3 (14. Na3 $5
    ) 14… Bb7 15. Qxe7 Bxe7 16. a4 $5 (16. Re1 Kf8) 16… a6 17. g3 (17. g4) (17.
    Bd3) 17… g5 {The computer’s favourite move. Is Carlsen still in preparation
    here? The computer thinks this position is level but maybe this will somehow
    be a long term weakness.} (17… Re8) 18. Bxd6 {This seems the only way
    forward for white but he has little if any advantage.} Bxd6 19. Bg2 (19. Bh3
    Be7 {is good enough.}) 19… Bxg2 20. Kxg2 f5 {straightening out black’s pawn
    structure.} 21. Nd5 Kf7 22. Ne3 Kf6 (22… Ke6 23. Re1 {is also playable.}) 23.
    Nc4 Bf8 {It’s understandable but not forced to avoid the trade of minor pieces.
    } (23… Re8 24. Nxd6 cxd6 25. Ra3 Rc8 26. c3 d5) 24. Re1 Rd8 {This move came
    under criticism after the game. It’s not clearly bad I think.} (24… b5) 25.
    f4 {A key moment and Karjakin spent some time here.} gxf4 26. gxf4 b5 27. axb5
    axb5 28. Ne3 c6 29. Kf3 Ra8 30. Rg1 Ra2 {This move is the start of a wrong
    plan from Karjakin. He’s not yet losing.} (30… Bh6) 31. b3 c5 $2 {Now black
    is under extreme pressure.} (31… d5) 32. Rg8 $1 {The most testing move.} Kf7
    33. Rg2 cxd4 34. Nxf5 d3 35. cxd3 Ra1 {Staying active.} (35… Ra3) 36. Nd4 (
    36. Rc2 {computers slightly prefer this move.}) 36… b4 37. Rg5 (37. Ke4 {
    was the alternative.}) 37… Rb1 38. Rf5+ {Played quite quickly by Carlsen.}
    Ke8 39. Rb5 Rf1+ (39… Bd6) 40. Ke4 Re1+ 41. Kf5 Rd1 42. Re5+ (42. Rb8+ {
    was perhaps stronger.} Kf7 43. Nf3 Bd6 44. Rh8 Rxd3 45. Ng5+ Ke7 46. Rxh7+)
    42… Kf7 43. Rd5 Rxd3 44. Rxd7+ (44. Ke4 Rh3 45. Rxd7+ Ke8 46. Rb7 Rxh2 47.
    Nf3 Re2+) 44… Ke8 45. Rd5 Rh3 46. Re5+ Kf7 47. Re2 Bg7 48. Nc6 Rh5+ {With
    this move Karjakin moves closer to the draw and avoids the obvious Rxb3 which
    loses.} (48… Rxb3 $2 49. Nd8+ Kg8 50. Re8+ Bf8 51. Kf6 Rh3 52. f5 Rh6+ 53.
    Ke5 Kg7 54. Ne6+) 49. Kg4 Rc5 50. Nd8+ Kg6 51. Ne6 h5+ 52. Kf3 Rc3+ 53. Ke4 Bf6
    54. Re3 h4 55. h3 Rc1 56. Nf8+ Kf7 57. Nd7 Ke6 58. Nb6 Rd1 59. f5+ Kf7 60. Nc4
    Rd4+ 61. Kf3 Bg5 62. Re4 Rd3+ 63. Kg4 Rg3+ 64. Kh5 Be7 $2 {After a long and
    tiring defence Karjakin finally goes wrong.} (64… Kf8) 65. Ne5+ Kf6 66. Ng4+
    Kf7 67. Re6 Rxh3 68. Ne5+ Kg7 69. Rxe7+ Kf6 70. Nc6 $2 (70. Re8 Kxf5 71. Nc6
    Rh1 72. Re2) 70… Kxf5 $2 {Should be losing.} (70… Rc3 $1 {saves the game.})
    71. Na5 {Maybe not the easiest way.} (71. Re1 Kf4 72. Rf1+ Ke4 73. Na5 {
    was winning for Carlsen.}) (71. Re2) 71… Rh1 72. Rb7 $2 {A mistake, now the
    game will be drawn.} (72. Rf7+ Ke6 73. Rf2 {returns to the winning idea.})
    72… Ra1 $1 {The only saviing move.} 73. Rb5+ {Now the draw is comparitively
    easy for Karjakin to find..} Kf4 74. Rxb4+ Kg3 75. Rg4+ Kf2 76. Nc4 h3 77. Rh4
    Kg3 78. Rg4+ Kf2 1/2-1/2
    [/pgn]

    #### Game 4: Drawing Up A New Strategy?
    After the marathon of Game 3, I was very impressed that the players were able to squeeze out the next game, which went 94 moves before ending in another *draw*. It was apparent in this game, however, that Magnus was becoming frustrated with Karjakin and that a draw was certainly not on his list of game ideas for the day.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.15”]
    [Round “4”]
    [White “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Black “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “C88”]
    [WhiteElo “2772”]
    [BlackElo “2853”]
    [PlyCount “187”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
    Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Qd7 ({Relevant:} 10… Nb8 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 12. Nf1 Re8 13.
    Ng3 Bf8 14. Ng5 d5 15. exd5 Nc5 16. c4 Nxb3 17. Qxb3 c6 18. dxc6 Bxc6 19. cxb5
    Bd5 20. Qd1 axb5 21. N5e4 h6 22. Qf3 Ra6 23. Bd2 Ba8 24. Bb4 Nd5 25. Bxf8 Rxf8
    26. d4 exd4 27. Nf5 Ne7 28. Rad1 Nxf5 29. Qxf5 Re6 30. f3 d3 31. Qxb5 Bxe4 32.
    Rxe4 Rxe4 33. fxe4 Qd4+ 34. Kh1 Rd8 35. Qb4 Qe3 36. Qa5 Rd4 37. Qd2 Qxe4 38.
    Re1 Qd5 39. Re3 Kh7 40. b4 {Zhigalko,S (2656)-Carlsen,M (2850) Berlin 2015 0-1}
    ) 11. Nbd2 Rfe8 12. c3 Bf8 13. Nf1 h6 14. N3h2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 14. Ng3 Ne7
    15. Nh2 d5 16. Qf3 c5 17. Bc2 Rad8 18. Bxh6 gxh6 19. Qxf6 Bg7 20. Qf3 Rf8 21.
    Nh5 Ng6 22. Nf6+ Bxf6 23. Qxf6 dxe4 24. dxe4 Qd6 25. Qf3 Kg7 26. Rad1 Qe7 27.
    Nf1 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Rd8 29. Ne3 Rxd1+ 30. Qxd1 Bc8 31. a4 Qg5 32. Qf3 Nf4 33. Kf1
    c4 34. axb5 axb5 35. Nf5+ Bxf5 36. exf5 Nd3 37. Bxd3 cxd3 38. Qxd3 Qc1+ 39. Ke2
    Qxb2+ 40. Kf3 b4 41. cxb4 Qxb4 42. Qe4 Qb3+ 43. Qe3 Qd1+ {Zeytinoglu,N (1927)
    -Tokmak,H Konya 2010 1-0}) 14… d5 15. Qf3 Na5 16. Ba2 dxe4 17. dxe4 Nc4 18.
    Bxh6 Qc6 19. Bxc4 $2 bxc4 20. Be3 Nxe4 21. Ng3 Nd6 22. Rad1 Rab8 23. Bc1 f6 24.
    Qxc6 Bxc6 25. Ng4 Rb5 26. f3 f5 27. Nf2 Be7 28. f4 Bh4 29. fxe5 Bxg3 30. exd6
    Rxe1+ 31. Rxe1 cxd6 32. Rd1 Kf7 33. Rd4 Re5 34. Kf1 Rd5 35. Rxd5 Bxd5 36. Bg5
    Kg6 37. h4 Kh5 38. Nh3 Bf7 39. Be7 Bxh4 40. Bxd6 Bd8 41. Ke2 g5 42. Nf2 Kg6 43.
    g4 Bb6 44. Be5 a5 45. Nd1 f4 $2 {Carlsen thought this just won but Karjakin
    shows this is a fortress.} (45… Be6) (45… fxg4) 46. Bd4 Bc7 47. Nf2 Be6 48.
    Kf3 Bd5+ 49. Ke2 Bg2 50. Kd2 Kf7 51. Kc2 Bd5 52. Kd2 Bd8 53. Kc2 Ke6 54. Kd2
    Kd7 55. Kc2 Kc6 56. Kd2 Kb5 57. Kc1 Ka4 58. Kc2 Bf7 59. Kc1 Bg6 60. Kd2 Kb3 61.
    Kc1 Bd3 62. Nh3 Ka2 63. Bc5 Be2 64. Nf2 Bf3 65. Kc2 Bc6 66. Bd4 Bd7 67. Bc5 Bc7
    68. Bd4 Be6 69. Bc5 f3 70. Be3 Bd7 71. Kc1 Bc8 72. Kc2 Bd7 73. Kc1 Bf4 74. Bxf4
    gxf4 75. Kc2 Be6 76. Kc1 Bc8 77. Kc2 Be6 78. Kc1 Kb3 79. Kb1 Ka4 80. Kc2 Kb5
    81. Kd2 Kc6 82. Ke1 Kd5 83. Kf1 Ke5 84. Kg1 Kf6 85. Ne4+ Kg6 86. Kf2 Bxg4 87.
    Nd2 Be6 88. Kxf3 Kf5 89. a4 Bd5+ 90. Kf2 Kg4 91. Nf1 Kg5 92. Nd2 Kf5 93. Ke2
    Kg4 94. Kf2 1/2-1/2
    [/pgn]

    #### Game 5: Drawn of the Dead
    Game 5 was played earlier today and felt like a blitz game at times. The moves were fast in some areas deep into the position with Magnus finding himself in trouble against his challenger for the first time in the match. There were certain moments in the game when Karjakin had clear advantage on the board, but Magnus was able to bring these situations back into balance and force a draw on move 51.

    [pgn]
    [Event “WCh 2016”]
    [Site “New York USA”]
    [Date “2016.11.17”]
    [Round “5”]
    [White “Carlsen, Magnus”]
    [Black “Karjakin, Sergey”]
    [Result “1/2-1/2”]
    [ECO “C50”]
    [WhiteElo “2853”]
    [BlackElo “2772”]
    [PlyCount “102”]
    [EventDate “2016.11.11”]

    1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. a4 d6 7. c3 a6 8. b4 ({
    Relevant:} 8. h3 Ba7 9. Re1 Ne7 10. d4 Ng6 11. Bd3 c6 12. Be3 Nh5 13. Nbd2 Nhf4
    14. Bf1 exd4 15. Bxd4 Bxd4 16. cxd4 d5 17. e5 f6 18. Ra3 fxe5 19. dxe5 a5 20.
    Qc1 Qe7 21. Rb3 Bf5 22. Nd4 Ne6 23. Nxf5 Rxf5 24. Bd3 Rf4 25. Bxg6 hxg6 26. Qd1
    Raf8 27. Rf3 Qb4 28. Rxf4 Rxf4 29. Nf3 Qxa4 30. Qd3 Rf5 31. Qb1 Qf4 32. Qc2 Kh7
    33. Re3 Qc4 34. Qd1 Rf4 35. Rc3 Qb4 36. Qc1 a4 37. h4 Kg8 {Nepomniachtchi,I
    (2740)-So,W (2782) Baku 2016 0-1}) 8… Ba7 9. Re1 Ne7 10. Nbd2 Ng6 11. d4 c6
    12. h3 exd4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12… Re8 13. Bd3 Be6 14. b5 axb5 15. axb5 Nf4
    16. Bf1 cxb5 17. Nb1 Bc4 18. Bxf4 exf4 {1/2-1/2 (18) Serazeev,A (2490)
    -Szczepanski,Z (2541) ICCF email 2014}) 13. cxd4 Nxe4 14. Bxf7+ $5 (14. Nxe4 d5
    15. Bd3 dxe4 16. Bxe4) 14… Rxf7 15. Nxe4 d5 16. Nc5 h6 17. Ra3 Bf5 18. Ne5 (
    18. Rae3 $5) 18… Nxe5 19. dxe5 Qh4 {25 minute think for Karjakin. He has 30
    minutes plus 30 seconds a move to reach move 40. If the position remains
    complicated he could have problems later.} (19… a5 {was the alternative that
    Karjakin was probably looking at.} 20. Rf3 axb4 21. e6 Re7 22. Nxb7 Rxb7 23.
    Rxf5) 20. Rf3 (20. e6) 20… Bxc5 $6 {It seems Karjakin was unhappy with a
    calculation battle.} (20… Bg6 {was the more critical move.}) 21. bxc5 Re8 22.
    Rf4 Qe7 23. Qd4 Ref8 24. Rf3 Be4 25. Rxf7 Qxf7 26. f3 Bf5 27. Kh2 Be6 28. Re2
    Qg6 29. Be3 Rf7 30. Rf2 Qb1 31. Rb2 Qf5 32. a5 Kf8 {Karjakin takes his king to
    the queenside.} 33. Qc3 Ke8 34. Rb4 g5 35. Rb2 Kd8 36. Rf2 Kc8 37. Qd4 {
    The position is equal but Carlsen is starting to drift.} Qg6 38. g4 (38. Qd2)
    38… h5 39. Qd2 Rg7 40. Kg3 (40. Bxg5 hxg4 (40… Qxg5 41. Qxg5 Rxg5 42. f4
    Rg8 43. f5 hxg4 44. hxg4 Rxg4) 41. h4 gxf3 42. Rxf3) 40… Rg8 (40… Qh6) 41.
    Kg2 $2 {Now white is definitely worse.} hxg4 42. hxg4 d4 $5 {Played quickly.} (
    42… Qh6 {is the computer suggestion.}) 43. Qxd4 (43. Bxd4 Qh6 44. Kg1 Qh3 45.
    Qe2 Rf8) 43… Bd5 $2 (43… Rh8 44. Qe4 Qh6 45. Kf1 Rd8 {with dangerous
    attacking chances for black.}) 44. e6 $5 {Opening up the queen to cover h8.} (
    44. Kg3 {is completely equal as white can challenge the h-file.}) 44… Qxe6
    45. Kg3 Qe7 $6 {Now any advantage for black has really gone.} 46. Rh2 $1 Qf7 (
    46… Qc7+ 47. f4 Qxa5 48. fxg5 {is equal but white still has to show care.})
    47. f4 $1 gxf4+ 48. Qxf4 Qe7 49. Rh5 $1 {Now a draw is absolutely the
    favourite result.} Rf8 50. Rh7 Rxf4 51. Rxe7 Re4 1/2-1/2
    [/pgn]

  • America Shows Agon How an Open Market Works

    America Shows Agon How an Open Market Works

    Just prior to the start of the [2016 World Chess Championship](http://nyc2016.fide.com) (WCC) in New York City, [Agon](http://www.agonlimited.com) Limited [filed suit](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chess-world-lawsuit-idUSKBN1322PE) in United States Federal Court against [Chess24](http://www.chess24.com), [Chessbomb](http://www.chessbomb.com), and [ChessGames.com](http://www.chessgames.com) to prevent them from broadcasting the moves just as they did (and lost) [in Moscow](http://www.campfirechess.com/posts/2777) earlier this year.

    > “These entities expend no time, effort, or money of their own in organizing, producing, or hosting the chess events for the World Championship and instead reap economic benefit from free-riding on the work and effort of World Chess.” – *Reuters*

    However, just as with their loss in Moscow, New York District Judge Victor Marrero [ruled in favor](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judge-refuses-block-chess-websites-showing-moves-43453622) of the defendants for most of the reasons that have been covered on this blog and in countless others in the chess community already. The most important of those? **CHESS IS FOR THE MASSES!**


    Chess is a game that transcends all boundaries. (Credit: [WikiMedia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/Union_Square_chess_with_spectators.jpg))

    #### RIAA of the Chess World
    Although they were readily handed defeat in two countries, Agon promises to [continue pursuit](https://www.chess.com/news/chess24-wins-court-case-agon-to-appeal-2210) of its business model despite widespread business and consumer disapproval. Despite obvious attempts to assist the company with its model, Agon refuses to acknowledge that its attempts to restrict access to tournament moves is misguided. As a direct result, it seeks to **force** consumers to engage its unreliable and third-rate content delivery system instead of offering a compelling service for fans of the game to watch and enjoy.

    Agon has quickly turned itself from an obscure entity into the modern chess equivalent of the [Recording Industry Association of America](https://www.eff.org/wp/riaa-v-people-five-years-later) which successfully sued a multitude of families in the early 2000s for downloading mp3 files from Napster and other file-sharing services. By suing grandmothers and teenagers for untold millions of dollars, the RIAA quickly became synonymous with corporate greed, censorship, and created a gap between recording artists and their fans from which some artists never recovered.

    Hope for an Agon awakening remains dim, but I am pleased to see that both the United States and Russia dealt a blow for freedom to its blatant attempts to monopolize public domain information.