During the 2010 ECC today, Hammer had White against Ivanchuk as Black. Despite being more than 100 rating points lower than Vassily, Hammer pulls out the win. Here is the game:

Wow, did Magnus Hammer beat Veselin Ivanchuk?

I think a 2600 rated player is good enough to beat anyone on a given day. After all, you're talking about a senior master in most cases a grandmaster.

Ivanchuck probably fell asleep when he saw whites boring play.

How many days are given?  That is the question.

I was there during the tourney, and it was so cool to see Hammer beat Ivanchuk! Hammer definitely looked like Mr. Sunshine the rest of the day - he just couldn't stop smiling.

Ivanchuk on the other hand looked so much older irl than in pictures, I think. In this tourney he didn't come across as the great personality that I think he sometimes is.

How great to have an actual witness to the event! Thank you :)

A solid patient game from White... well played!

Granted given the ratings, anything can happen. However, THIS IS IVANCHUK! The guys been in the top 5-10 players in the world for how long now?! 20 years?! I gotta scroll FOREVER just to see the games I have on him in Chessbase!

This guy DOMINATED his part of the Olympiad to the point of being "ridiculous"!

This is in no way an insult to "The Hammer" (BTW-THE BEST CHESS NAME EVER!!!) If Magnus's name was "Magnum" it'd be close, but it's not! lol)

Quite the contrary, this long curly haired, dishelved, laid back, soft-spoken, seeming introvert, REALLY IS A GREAT PLAYER!!!

My hat is off to him!

My only wish is that he could take all of those brilliant thoughts and REALLY learnhow to verbalize them a little better. That's all.

Go HAMMER! Go HAMMER! Go HAMMER!

BTW, This comment isn't fair IMO. lol If you just play through the gtame you can see Hammer's quiet, consistent, and effective, nearly "effortless" moves and exchanges that won this game. Not "boring", no, but clearly "efficient" IMO.

Also, let's face it, when Magnus Carlsen is one of your countrymen AND also one of your BEST FRIEND'S, that you hang with, party with, play and discuss chess with, and do so for years, one HAS to rub off on the other!

Hammer has beaten Carlsen too MANY TIMES!

What do you say about that?!

Is THAT BORING play TOO?!

Come on my Brother?

Love your neighbor! Love him till it hurts!

LOLOL

These are GREAT comments, gang :) I hope Hammer's reading them!

Stop! Hammer time!

 Just had to comment on this one :)

In the last 10 years Hammer has beaten Carlsen 1 time. ONE time. That was a rapid game.

I have nothing against Hammer, who has turned from a hyperactive annoying kid, to a nice, young gentleman during these 10 years, I just like facts to be facts.

It seems to me that the Black overlooked 35. e5 winning a pawn, which on this level should probably count as a blunder.

OK, first of all, I never said the word "OFFICIAL".

They've been FRIENDS for MANY MORE than 10 years and in that time, YES, Hammer HAS beaten Carlsen MANY times.

And yeah, HAMMER IS THAT GOOD!

Look up some of HIS "OFFICIAL" and his ICC Online games. Some of them are actually quite brilliant.

No disrespect to "our very own "Mentor" and MY chess hero, IM Danny Rensch, but justn in last week's show, Hammer beat him "rather easily", even Danny admitted, like 5 times!

So your point is taken, but my comment had a lot more thought behind it than its simple literal meaning.

Thanks for commenting though!

Only ONCE huh?! Wow!

JS/BF