Players who don't accept a rematch, or - my game against Carlsen

<Chicken_Monster> Allow yourself a bit more optimism - for your sake, and for mine :-)

I go to battle always with my only thought being a win!

And I'm patient :-)

Clever!

I've recently been accepted into the initial group of beta-testers for pocket-patzer. Still need to form an opinion...

So you are going in for battle, and you are patient. I see. I bet if Carlsen is reading this he is getting nervous.

It's better that he suspects nothing...

Did you actually send a rematch request?

You won't believe it, but I actually did :-)

During the game it's impossible (after you resign the "resignation box" disappears after a jiffy)

However, I sent him a friend request, including a letter and a reference to this thread (with the annotated game).

Can't blame him if he doesn't have time to answer - but he just might. 

You should have played the Bongcloud (e.g., 1.e4 2.Ke2) -- it's pretty much the closest thing to an official chess.com opening that there is.

Hard to implement, seeing that the white pieces were controlled by alien forces. 

Did you try accusing him of cheating? 

Hey, no fair, you're a GM!!

or is it SGM?

SO COOL!!!! WHAT A KEEPER!!!!

Carlsen did actually lose a game:

http://www.chess.com/livechess/game?id=998801568

>TheMouth888> other options exist for playing against Carlsen than through chess.com. In addition, he'll be back at chess.com too :-)

<SeanHarper> I believe that the actual difference in strength is more like 900 points, as evidenced by the difference in our FIDE ratings... my standard here is a bit low :-)

And the game was certainly enjoyable. There's much to learn from it, especially in the opening, and then on the right way of handling a central blockade when you've sacrificed material...

<Kleelof> what is an SGM? :-) 

solskytz wrote:

>TheMouth888> other options exist for playing against Carlsen than through chess.com. In addition, he'll be back at chess.com too :-)

I believe that the actual difference in strength is more like 900 points, as evidenced by the difference in our FIDE ratings... my standard here is a bit low :-)

And the game was certainly enjoyable. There's much to learn from it, especially in the opening, and then on the right way of handling a central blockade when you've sacrificed material...

what is an SGM? :-) 

SGM means a Super Grandmaster, rated above 2700. BTW, very well played! And I like your notes on the moves!

I was there live (at the recording location, k-12 nationals) and got  rensches auto graph!  You did great!

<MuhammadAreez10> thanks :-) 

<Phantom_of_the_Opera> amazing! That's really the best experience

- - - - - - - - - - 

Thanks for the compliments :-) It's true that I also got praise from the presenters at chess.com TV (on my move 15...d4). However it's obvious that the game still occupies my thoughts!

Now that I look at it again, I'm amazed that I didn't even consider the move 8...Qa5 on losing my pawn on c5. In fact, the move never even crossed my mind throughout the day - and only this morning, with my coffee, not even with a chess board in sight, realization suddenly dawned on me!

8...Qa5 is a move that I would play almost automatically in this kind of position, even in blitz. It would keep me in the game with equal material.

For some strange reason, maybe because it was Carlsen I was playing, I just became "convinced" that I had just lost a pawn. 

Something to get over, is this feeling of "reverence" that I sometimes get when playing someone much stronger than myself. It will get better, I'm sure. 

Nimzowitsch would be proud of d4 - classical blockade. If you did not play Nf4 white would have much more difficulties in proving their advantage. Notice that the World Champion played d5 to open up Bc3 - that would be impossible with black knight still on d5.

I think Nimzo was right - the blockade is a very powerful strategic device and it can compensate material deficits, especially when the blockading piece is a knight.

Great game, I do not think I would be able to hold for that long against Magnus, even though I know the early Ne2 in the Nimzo-Indian - this is a move order invented by Rubinstein and then played by Reshevsky, Korchnoi and others.

<Dzikus> good catch!! :-)

You're talking with the guy who created the Hebrew version of "My System" back in 2000-2001... :-) It's true, Nimzowitsch is in my veins :-)

I've also seen Ivanchuk playing this kind of ...d4 moves in the French, saccing a pawn and gaining space and sometimes the initiative. 

Most notably, I saw him do that LIVE in Amber Rapid back in Nice, 2008 - that same tournament where I saw Carlsen. I used to live there, so it was really a pleasure to come and watch these players in action. The moment when he actually made that ...d4 push was stunning, unforgettable, unbelievable. 

I can't remember who the opponent was, but he had this determined look on his face as he made that move (I was sitting 5 meters from him). The position was objectively even still, but eventually his attack (without the queens, mind you) carried the day and he won a brilliant game!

- - - - - - - -

I absolutely agree with you re. Magnus' d5 push. However, the pressure, the nerves... :-)

I wouldn't go as far as saying that my blockade in the game actually compensated for my considerable material deficit, certainly not against this specific player - but it definitely made life harder than would otherwise be the case, provided ample counterplay, and left the question open, how white would answer 18...h5 (instead of ...Nf4, and with ...h4 in mind, in order to weaken and demolish his king side!!)

Your commentary re. the opening is interesting - and don't underestimate your chances and ability. Maybe great things would come out of you if you were in a similar occasion :-)

For one pawn I would say the blockade is good compensation, but I think two pawns, epecially considering they are healthy, is pushing it. Although the conversion of white's advantage is not necessarily easy.