Magnus Carlsen is an embarrassment

Where did I claim there was a forced win? Nowhere. It’s also completely irrelevant whether or not it’s a forced win.

Magnus Carlsen is getting paid upwards of a million dollars for playing this match, and all he has to do in return is play to the best of his abilities for 12 games. That’s what the sponsors paid for, that’s what the viewing public paid for. They paid for the right to watch the two best chess players on the planet play 12 games against each other to the best of their ability. Magnus did not do that, and I’m sorry you can spin it anyway you want but it doesn’t make his behavior okay

Great post. Fabi should get some money for playing honestly but Magnus should not. He didn’t keep up his end of the contract

It's a match.  You use match tactics.  Sure it's boring, but no-one included anything in the rules that means players need to not be boring.

That perspective is fine but the priorities seem flawed in this way of thinking. If you were to put yourself in a position to risk the WORLD CHAMPION title or practically increase the chances of winning by a good amount, what would you choose? Let's say Magnus makes a move that looks fine but gives Caruana the advantage. It's not like he can take it back and act like it never happened. I would think that Carlsen's #1 priority would be to retain the title. Therefore, you can't really blame him for taking the correct measures to theoretically increase the probability of that happening.

I understand what you are saying but it is coming off very anti-Magnus pro-Caruana because you know that Caruana would of perhaps had a chance to turn the game around if given that chance. You also know that Caruana has a much better chance of that happening than beating Magnus in blitz. 

You can be a Caruana fan without belittling Carlsen and visa versa. It's entirely possible.

How many sponsors would Carlsen have if he lost the world championship? More or less? You agree that there's no forced win (that would basically be the only reason that such a backlash to an otherwise rational decision should happen). That only hurts your argument in terms of the decision being wrong and it is very debatable whether there was any chance of an actual win occurring.

It can’t be argued that it was a lame draw offer. We can dance around everything else but bottom line is Carlsen crapped out. That will always be the judgement on that game, and probably this match. Maybe Mags can be forever know as King of the Speeders...but Lasker or Fischer he sure ain’t.

I would agree with most of that. I get the feeling that Carlsen likes chess because he's good enough at it to make a lot of money.

I would say Fischer and Lasker cared deeply about the game itself and were dedicated more to the game than the title. 

Who would you say has the drive that Fischer had in today's field? 

I think FIDE holds some of the blame. This match setup isn't the best. I'm not saying it's easy to find a good system - does anyone want the 48 and counting games of Karpov-Kasparov, 1984, I think not.  But asking for a plus score in 12 games in this age of computer prep might be too restricting. And now we crown, or re-crown, our World Champion based on speed chess. 

It's like granting a boxing title after 15 indeterminate rounds, and now they will arm wrestle for it.  I don't necessarily blame Magnus for tiring of it all and just wanting to get done, but he really should have worked on that last game at least to see if Fabio could make his time control. Of course, he probably didn't want to become champion on a fallen flag, either...

Basically seems like Magnus made the right choice. People didn't like the choice from a spectators point of view but can't really come up with a reason that actually relates to the position. 

Analogy:

I will give you $1000 right now. Or you can pick a number between 1 - 100. If you get the number right, I will give you $2000. If you get it wrong, I will give you nothing.

Before:

Oh this is going to be exciting. I wonder what the man will do. I support him.

After:

Man takes the $1000 = an embarrassment and worthless man with no "heart"

Man picks the wrong number = a stupid embarrassment and worthless man

Man picks the right number = a man who is lucky and takes stupid risks

Q&A:

Q: Well, wouldn't you take the $1000? 

A: No, I would of picked the right number. He should of at least said something. He owes me that much. He owes his sponsors that much.

Q: Did his sponsors and spectators want him to walk away broke?

A: Yes. 

Hello YGNR

How are you today?

Riddle me this batman,

I am a part of a boat and used as auxiliary power for maneuvering,

I am two words with the 2nd one being motor and the 1st is what you are doing.

Fair enough. Fischer is a totally different animal in regards to his passion for the game.

Imagine if you put Fischer's passion in Carlsen's body. That is what everyone wants but it is a rather unfair request. I feel like this is something that isn't turned on/off or teachable. You either have it or you don't and very few have ever had it. 

Carlsen has immense talent but kind of like a Good Will Hunting type. 

I wasn't trying to refer to "passion" there but rather a "complete passion" per se.

I can learn passion for basketball and have passion for basketball. To have a passion for basketball like Michael Jordan is something entirely different if that makes sense.

Part 1 is learning 

Part 2 is applying

I would say that part 2 of something on the level Fischer had is very very rare. 

I agree with you 100%. I refuse to call him World Champion even he beats Caruana in the tie-breaks. 

Anything is possible when money is involved, but I don't think Carlsen is exactly wanting. In any event, if they were going to pre-arrange a game, it would not have ended like this. It would have been a huge struggle going back and forth that ended in a draw. The problem with prearrangement is both players have to remember the moves. No problem if the game is 20 moves ending in three-fold repetition, but if it is 60 moves or more, they might need listening receivers so the moves are relayed to them and no one makes a mistake. 

Who knows. The whole WC match has been a farce. I refuse to call whoever happens to win the tiebreaks World Champion. As far as I am concerned, the title is vacant. 

Nobody posting in this thread is remotely close to Magnus' level of chess.  If you're a grandmaster maybe you can question his decision making but otherwise anything he does will be infinitely better than whatever you could do in his situation.  Calling him "pathetic" and "embarrassing" is silly imo.

As I've already said, Magnus is playing for his title. Not for the entertainment of the chess world. How about you start with 1g4 or 1h4? Sure, it would be entertaining, but Magnus is playing to keep his title, and not to entertain.

1.g4 or 1.h4 would be uglier than a blobfish sandwich.

"I agree with you 100%. I refuse to call him World Champion even he beats Caruana in the tie-breaks. "

Well, that ought to break his little heart!