Playing Conditions and World Chess Championship

Five thousand bucks.

These chess pieces, not including the board, are on sale at two thousand bucks off the normal price. It's a good deal at only $12,995.00!

"Crafted from 40,000-year old Wooly Mammoth Ivory, they capture the exquisite design and proportions of the original Staunton pattern Chess set, registered by Nathaniel Cooke and produced by Jaques of London in 1849."

$20.00 bucks was too much for me. :)

I said $20.00 bucks, not 20,000.

I am surprised that there are no little decals on the world championship chess board, for sponsors, like on NASCAR. I mean, I'm not going to look at the wall behind  Anand, where the sponsors are listed, but at the board, where the action is.

Each decal would cost each sponsor a million bucks. Think of the huge prize fund! A 2.5 million prize fund in the 21st century is nothing to get excited about. This game decides who is the best chess player in the world. That is really big stuff, when you think of how many people play the game. 

These super GM's don't know how to market the game of chess. Too stupid to know how to make real money, like Bobby Fischer did in the 70's, by commanding bigger bucks for the main events, because he was worth it, and he knew it.  

The decals could be tiny little stylish decals around the board, like at a soccer event, or hockey event.

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Actually, after this world championship, I would like to see some Las Vegas gazillionaire put up ten million bucks to see who the true world champ is - a match between Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen. This Anand vs. Gelfand match is gonna be a blow out. What is Gelfand ranked? 20th in the world?  Vishy could open with the King's Gambit, or any other opening, and win.

Didn't Pan once say he thought Josh was going to be the best?

The picture post#7 (& the board) refer to trial-run of playing environment. I always understood World-Championship uses only a standard type of staunton-pieces & board size ?

I did watch the movie, "Searching for Bobby Fischer", and the idea was that the kid was maybe as good as, or better than, Bobby Fischer. It's important to note that in Chess Life this month, Pandolfini said that his favorite player was Bobby Fischer. So if anyone would know if a kid had more promise than the young Bobby Fischer, it would be Bruce Pandolfini, since he lived in New York and spent time with Fischer.  Pandolfini also covered the 1972 world championship match between Fischer and Spassky, which was a huge hit on Public Broadcasting, put Pandolfini on the map, and made chess a much desired game in the U.S. It has since become less popular among adults, with children being the main reason for the continued growth of the game.

I figured there was some sort of standard size, but when looking at the trial-run picture, the board did not look standard to me, but a bit smaller. Like I said, it probably had something to do with the angle of the picture and the size of the room. Everything looked smaller.

I never knew any of that.

Knew Fischer was responsible for surge in chess-interest in US but hadn't heard as much about Pandolfini.

Like these from The Chess Store??

I played with the same equipment recently at a weekend tournament. Nice to play on, certainly better than the green/white vinyl roll-ups (although they are stored flat) we're used to on the weekend scene here in Scotland. You get over the nice finish of the wood after just a couple of minutes and the contrast, although not as good as the green/white, is more than sufficient. Having said all that, i lost a won endgame against an inferior opponent after my concentration was broken.

I just knew he was Joshes' coach.

I think you can't find the answer on google because noone cares.

Seriously, 2 1/4 inches, 2 1/2 inches, makes no difference.

Who is going to pay a million to sponsor a chess set? You're in a dream world.

Yes. I am in a dream world. It's fun to dream up stuff now and then.

As to 2 1/4 inches - 2 1/2 inches, that is important. You don't want pieces that are too big for the squares, and you don't want the opposite, pieces too small for the squares. Both would be a distraction.

At local clubs, you sometimes find guys bringing in these really big chess pieces, and placing them on standard size boards. It looks stupid, and it blurs the diagonals and lines.

Google failed me, but you did not. Thank you!

This is ridiculous, but you get used to different standards, or at least tolerate them. Kaspy v. Korchnoi.

In Scotland, is that common at some tournaments to have the leaders play on the nice wood tables and boards? It would create more spectator interest, I would think, seeing the wood tables and boards on a stage, knowing that the tournament is decided at that location. 

What does the cable from the clock to the board register?

Excellent eyes!

I see you are from Holland. My neighbor is from Holland, and my mother was born in Holland. Love the country, and the people. 

Here again, google has failed me! I am watching a replay of game one between Anand and Gelfand. Link to video: http://moscow2012.fide.com/en/

Nigel Short is fun to listen to.

Yes. There is a cable connected to the clock, and I can't find that clock sold on the internet, not yet. Anyone know what the cable does?

My guess is that it is a data cable, linking the time on the clock that the players are using to some master clock that the audience sees, and the audience is in a theatre setting with a big glass separating the players from the audience.

Kinda sad to see this wall of glass, since there is no glass seperating an orchestra from the audience, and when attending a symphony, everyone knows to behave, NOT bring crying babies, and NOT clap between movements in a symphony!

If you have ever been to an orchestra concert, and I mean one like the London, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. - well - you can hear a pin drop on carpet during the quiet sections in the music, and yet there are no pins that drop. It is the best behaved audience in the world.

Too bad a chess audience can't be that well behaved and trusted for such a world class event.

I wonder if there are microphones picking up the sighs, grunts and moans of Anand and Gelfand? To only see them live, but not hear them - I don't know - that would be a disappointment. 

We have had some real classic moments in big time chess, like the time when Kasparov made a huge blunder, and his expression was one for the record books!

The Big Blunder by Kasparov, playing against Anand in 2007.