Magnus plays the Awful French

2 years ago · Quote · #1
banjoman

Today at Corus Magnus Carlsen played the French against Sergei Karjakin, and crushed him after the latter played a precipitous f4-f5. According to chessgames.com, Magnus played 1...e6 on one prior occasion, in 2002.

I thought this might be a good opportunity to reflect on what a weak opening the French is, how none of the top grandmasters play it, how it is essentially passive and boring with no dynamic counterplay for black (a view often expressed in this forum). Anyone? Anyone?
2 years ago · Quote · #2
BlackWaive

Karjakin should have played 3. exd5 and steered into a draw.
2 years ago · Quote · #3
rich

ManicDragon wrote:

I agree. The French Defence is horrendously weak, offers no counter-play, and has essentially been refuted. And to top it all off, it's a boring abomination.

That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention.

Actually the French is okay. This seems weird coming from someone who plays 1.a3 which is a weak move.
2 years ago · Quote · #4
rich

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

I agree. The French Defence is horrendously weak, offers no counter-play, and has essentially been refuted. And to top it all off, it's a boring abomination.

That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention.

Actually the French is okay. This seems weird coming from someone who plays 1.a3 which is a weak move.

"That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention."

Maybe I should have put it in bold for the people who really, really aren't paying attention. Like, in-a-coma-not-paying-attention.

And I'm not sure I consider you to be an authority on openings, Rich.

1.a3 is too rubbish. d4, c4, and e4 are all superior.
2 years ago · Quote · #5
billwall

I looked at those who played the French as Black in the last three months and they include Kamsky (2695), Vitiagov (2681), Sutovsky (2657), Ni Hua (2655), Belieavsky (2648), Akobian (2628), Shulman (2624), L'Ami (2615), Huebner (2603), P Nikolic (2602), M Gurevich (2597), Korchnoi (2567), and Hort (2494). Not bad for some weak players who still play the French in tournaments.
2 years ago · Quote · #6
rich

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

I agree. The French Defence is horrendously weak, offers no counter-play, and has essentially been refuted. And to top it all off, it's a boring abomination.

That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention.

Actually the French is okay. This seems weird coming from someone who plays 1.a3 which is a weak move.

"That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention."

Maybe I should have put it in bold for the people who really, really aren't paying attention. Like, in-a-coma-not-paying-attention.

And I'm not sure I consider you to be an authority on openings, Rich.

1.a3 is too rubbish. d4, c4, and e4 are all superior.

Rich, I'm just going to let this one drop. I have a very difficult time locating your miniature world so that I can argue with you in a way that will actually get through and register.

Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't quote this and start stating things in your "matter-of-fact" way.

Why was you calling the French a bad opening? 1.a3 is by far worse and never played at top level. Don't call other openings when you use even sillier ones.
2 years ago · Quote · #7
Elubas

banjoman wrote:

Today at Corus Magnus Carlsen played the French against Sergei Karjakin, and crushed him after the latter played a precipitous f4-f5. According to chessgames.com, Magnus played 1...e6 on one prior occasion, in 2002.

I thought this might be a good opportunity to reflect on what a weak opening the French is, how none of the top grandmasters play it, how it is essentially passive and boring with no dynamic counterplay for black (a view often expressed in this forum). Anyone? Anyone?

Are you serious?

ManicDragon, I think rich knows that but just wants to be annoying.
2 years ago · Quote · #8
rich

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

Why was you calling the French a bad opening? 1.a3 is by far worse and never played at top level. Don't call other openings when you use even sillier ones.

I said, even in the original post, that it was sarcasm!

Sarcasm!

No.
2 years ago · Quote · #9
rich

tunatin wrote:

Trompowski. (Before someone else says it. )

Wrong. It's Trompowsky. And why would anyone else want to say the word?
2 years ago · Quote · #10
xan701

Your a nub. The french defense is amongst the best openings there is for black and you can not say anything about it cause your a retard. I play the french defense and i crush people with it too.
2 years ago · Quote · #11
dc1985

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

I agree. The French Defence is horrendously weak, offers no counter-play, and has essentially been refuted. And to top it all off, it's a boring abomination.

That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention.

Actually the French is okay. This seems weird coming from someone who plays 1.a3 which is a weak move.

"That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention."

Maybe I should have put it in bold for the people who really, really aren't paying attention. Like, in-a-coma-not-paying-attention.

And I'm not sure I consider you to be an authority on openings, Rich.

1.a3 is too rubbish. d4, c4, and e4 are all superior.

Rich, I'm just going to let this one drop. I have a very difficult time locating your miniature world so that I can argue with you in a way that will actually get through and register.

Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't quote this and start stating things in your "matter-of-fact" way.

Why was you calling the French a bad opening? 1.a3 is by far worse and never played at top level. Don't call other openings when you use even sillier ones.

Rich, for goodness' sake, ManicDragon was using SARCASM! He even stated that he was, in fact, being sarcastic.

For the original thread... How exactly is the French a weak opening? There are plenty of masters and grandmasters who play the French! The top ten or so players may not, but this could very well be a matter of taste.

By the way... You show dislike for the French, yet you play it... routinely... Sounds suspicious to me! =)
2 years ago · Quote · #12
rich

dc1985 wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

rich wrote:

ManicDragon wrote:

I agree. The French Defence is horrendously weak, offers no counter-play, and has essentially been refuted. And to top it all off, it's a boring abomination.

That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention.

Actually the French is okay. This seems weird coming from someone who plays 1.a3 which is a weak move.

"That's sarcasm for those people who aren't paying attention."

Maybe I should have put it in bold for the people who really, really aren't paying attention. Like, in-a-coma-not-paying-attention.

And I'm not sure I consider you to be an authority on openings, Rich.

1.a3 is too rubbish. d4, c4, and e4 are all superior.

Rich, I'm just going to let this one drop. I have a very difficult time locating your miniature world so that I can argue with you in a way that will actually get through and register.

Please, for the sake of my sanity, don't quote this and start stating things in your "matter-of-fact" way.

Why was you calling the French a bad opening? 1.a3 is by far worse and never played at top level. Don't call other openings when you use even sillier ones.

Rich, for goodness' sake, ManicDragon was using SARCASM! He even stated that he was, in fact, being sarcastic.

For the original thread... How exactly is the French a weak opening? There are plenty of masters and grandmasters who play the French! The top ten or so players may not, but this could very well be a matter of taste.

By the way... You show dislike for the French, yet you play it... routinely... Sounds suspicious to me! =)

Don't be stupid.
2 years ago · Quote · #13
SirDavid

Astonishing that not one person on this thread has said the French is weak (except for sarcasm) and still everybody is arguing about it.
2 years ago · Quote · #14
Scarblac

Well, it's a nice opening and all, but before we accept it as an opening used to at top level shall we first wait to see whether Carlsen is going to use it more than once?
2 years ago · Quote · #15
Jaglavak

Scarblac wrote:

Well, it's a nice opening and all, but before we accept it as an opening used to at top level shall we first wait to see whether Carlsen is going to use it more than once?

Since Carlsen is the highest rated player in the World, I am already willing to say that the French is used in top level chess.
2 years ago · Quote · #16
hsbgowd

rich wrote:

dc1985 wrote:

Rich, for goodness' sake, ManicDragon was using SARCASM! He even stated that he was, in fact, being sarcastic.

For the original thread... How exactly is the French a weak opening? There are plenty of masters and grandmasters who play the French! The top ten or so players may not, but this could very well be a matter of taste.

By the way... You show dislike for the French, yet you play it... routinely... Sounds suspicious to me! =)

Don't be stupid.
2 years ago · Quote · #17
Jaglavak

xan701 wrote:

Your a nub. The french defense is amongst the best openings there is for black and you can not say anything about it cause your a retard. I play the french defense and i crush people with it too.

It's good to know that they don't teach logic in New Zealand either. I thought we American's had Western Civilization's lock on that.
2 years ago · Quote · #18
banjoman

a nub!
2 years ago · Quote · #19
NM ozzie_c_cobblepot

Seems to me that rich appreciates the wit of ManicDragon but that the reverse is not true.
2 years ago · Quote · #20
orangehonda

I can only imagine people who say the French it's a weak or boring opening have never actually played it. ManicDragon your first comment made my eyebrows go up for a moment... but then I FINISHED reading it and of course it was sarcasm

I'm sure if you took out the berlin and petroff 1...e6 would be 2nd only to the sicilian as most used against 1.e4 in top level chess -- the berlin and petroff by the way being the boring drawish openings.

And to call it a weak opening is just plain stupid

fluffymop wrote:

Since Carlsen is the highest rated player in the World, I am already willing to say that the French is used in top level chess.

lol, good point. Even as a 1 off, there are dozens of openings you're not going to see at that level -- I think I remember some French's in the Topolov-Kamsky match too and they were 2700s right... anyway the whole idea of it in the first place isn't even worth commenting on, even though my post seems to be nice and long...