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World Champion Magnus Carlsen on Monday picked up another one of those victories he has become famous for, squeezing blood from stones vs. GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Carlsen now leads the 2022 Norway Chess in Stavanger alone after six rounds and got his live rating up to 2870, 19 points from his highest ever.

GMs Viswanathan Anand and Wesley So won armageddon games in their respective match-ups and are now in second and third place. Round seven will begin on Tuesday, June 7, at 8 a.m. PT / 17:00 Central Europe.

With the top games being decided in armageddon games, the results in games in round six only meant minor changes at the top of the tournament standings. The biggest movements happened among the lower-ranked where two wins in the classical games shifted things a bit around. More about those games below.

One of the indisputable strengths of Carlsen is the ability to pull himself together and carry on toward his goals after momentary or temporary setbacks. In round five of the tournament he got completely outplayed by Anand in the classical game but somehow managed to hang on to hold the draw. Then in the armageddon game, he held advantages of various sizes, yet he went on to lose in a painful fashion to the Indian "re-tigered" former teen prodigy and five-time world champion.

In round six, Carlsen had to play Mamedyarov against whom he had a memorable game back in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee earlier this year. This was the game that Mamedyarov at the closing ceremony said that it gave him hope for humanity's fight against the engines due to Carlsen's amazing precision and ingenuity.

In that game, as well as his two classical wins in this event, Carlsen had played the Catalan and therefore, for obvious reasons, Mamedyarov saw no point in walking into that kind of killing zone willingly. Instead, he chose a set-up that transposed into the super-solid symmetrical line of the Fianchetto Grunfeld.

Carlsen reacted by sacrificing a pawn and when Mamedyarov expertly navigated the complications and returned the pawn, Carlsen sacrificed another pawn. Yet Mamedyarov continued playing the defense incredibly accurately.

Despite the material gradually being reduced, the Norwegian kept pushing, shoving, and creating micro-problems for the Azeri grandmaster. Shortly after the time control when the commentators seemed ready to call the game as drawn and prepare for yet another armageddon game, Mamedyarov, who was down to playing on the increments, missed a draw and then ended up in a nasty pin.

While it was not lost, you don't want to play such a position against Carlsen with 30 seconds on the clock. Mamedyarov collapsed with a blunder on move 46, allowing Carlsen a simple combination to win a pawn and that sufficed to force resignation a mere 10 moves later.

A disappointing loss for Mamedyarov, but also an example of why Carlsen is so ridiculously difficult to deal with at the board: you play almost perfect chess for more than 40 moves and then you commit one mistake and the game is lost.

Perhaps inspired by Anand's comments in connection with his game against So earlier in the tournament about not having analyzed a certain line in the past five to six years, GM Anish Giri opted for the English Opening against the Indian veteran, but rather than repeating his play from the game against So, Anand went for 3...d5. This seemed to be a solid and reasonable choice as White never really had much of an advantage.

After having made some attempts at breaking through on the queenside, Giri invited to a repetition of moves which was dutifully accepted by Black.

In the armageddon game, Giri tried Danish GM Bent Larsen's 1.b3. Anand responded with a relatively rare line involving 3...a6 which stops White's ideas of playing Bb5(+). Giri played inaccurately, allowing Black to play ...d5-d4. Already after 10 moves, it was clear that White's opening had been a failure.

Things got gradually worse as Black was allowed to set up a bind on the dark squares on the queenside. Forced to avoid exchanges, Giri had to make several poor choices, and ultimately, Black was completely winning. But only needing a draw due to the draw odds in the armageddon, Anand steadfastly refused to make an attempt at winning the game, and instead demonstrated that White had zero chances of winning.

Another round, another worrisome effort from the participant in the upcoming Candidates tournament in Madrid. GM Teimour Radjabov earned his spot by qualifyingin the previous cycle through winning the 2019 World Cup and then not showing up for the 2020 Candidates tournament in Yekaterinburg, Russia due to his concerns about Covid-19. The other players showed up but then had to travel home amid the global chaos of canceled flights and many other complications and then return to Yekaterinburg nearly a year later to complete the event.

Since then, Radjabov has only participated in online events and while that kind of thing can be sufficient for some, it clearly has not been for Radjabov who has been struggling throughout the entire event, with some momentary reminders of what an amazing chess player he can be when things work out for him.

Former FIDE World Champion GM Veselin Topalov has also struggled a bit, but as a mostly self-imposed semi-retiree, that has been entirely understandable.

Their classical game had for unfamiliar eyes the appearance of an interesting battle where the players thought long and hard about the complications on the board that arose from a 4.Qc2 Nimzo-Indian, but for those of us in the know, it resembled a charade. Even I, who does not play this line with either color, knew that all of it had been played before. In fact, it had been played twice in Yu-Ding, FIDE World Cup (Khanty-Mansiysk 2019) and Yilmaz-Berkes, FIDE Grand Swiss (Isle of Man) 2019. All of it.

In the armageddon game, things somehow got even worse. Radjabov played a line he was unfamiliar with, the Anti-Moscow Gambit, where his knowledge seemed outdated by at least a decade. He did not respond accurately to Topalov's 10...Nh5, which is considered risky for Black. But after 12 moves, White was essentially a pawn down without compensation.

In the final position, where Topalov gave a perpetual check, as it would guarantee the armageddon bonus, Radjabov was down four pawns entirely without compensation.

One of the pleasant surprises of this year's Norway Chess has been the performance of last-minute replacement GM Aryan Tari, who has scored an impressive 50 percent in the classical games. His round-six opponent So has proven himself in excellent form this spring and demonstrated that he is near the peak of his powers at the moment.

In an Italian Game, Tari carefully defended against So's attempts at breaking through and afforded the American no serious chances of an advantage, in fact, at one point, Black even seemed to be marginally better.

It was not the most interesting game, but undoubtedly a very satisfactory for the young Norwegian player who celebrated his 23rd birthday a couple of days ago.

So has proven a bit of a beast in the armageddon games, and therefore it was not a surprise that Tari would attempt to rattle the American. The fact that he succeeded in that was surprising, the sad thing is that he let it slip out of his hands again.

After several mistakes, from inaccuracies to outright game-losing blunders by both players, Tari made the last crucial mistake and thus lost the game. A crazy game but once more, Tari demonstrated his potential.

The first game of the round to finish was the classical game in this match-up. GM Wang Hao allowed GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave his first Najdorf Sicilian of the tournament. White opted for GM Bobby Fischer's 6.h3 which has been extremely popular for the last several years, but when encountered with a very rare idea, 8...b5, White went for an unambitious option that allowed Black to get a good game.

Shortly after, apparently satisfied with a draw, Vachier-Lagrave opened the door for a repetition of moves, and Wang jumped on that option faster than you could blink your eyes.

20 minutes later, the players got themselves going with the armageddon game. Here, Wang altered his approach, instead choosing the London System rather than allowing the Frenchman to play his Grunfeld Indian.

It quickly became clear that the Chinese player was not particularly familiar with the nuances of the London. Even after a missed opportunity by Vachier-Lagrave, White started to flounder, and even when given additional opportunities as a result of Black's aggressive game plan, he did not step up to the challenge. After a couple of mistakes by White, Vachier-Lagrave was allowed to deliver the killing 32...Re2!, forcing instant resignation.

Round 6 Standings

All Games Round 6

The 2022 Norway Chess runs May 31-June 10, 2022. The event consists of a 10-player single round-robin in a classical time control of 120 minutes for the game with a 10-second increment after move 40. The scoring system is three points for a win instead of the usual one. If the game is drawn, competitors play an armageddon game with the winner scoring 1.5 points and the loser 1 point. The prize fund is 2.5 million Norwegian kroner (NOK).

Previous coverage:

Read more from the original source:
Carlsen Wins, Leads, Hits A 2870 Live Rating - Chess.com

Football fans, rejoice! If you've ever caught yourself squeezing some bullet games in between Super Bowl commercials, we have good news. Chess.com is excited to announce BlitzChamps, an event where NFL stars will compete in a series of rapid games to prove who has the best moves! The event is happening on July 9 and 10, with players competing for a piece of the $100,000 prize fund for their favorite charity, not to mention the bragging rights.

One of the greatest wide receivers of all time, Larry Fitzgerald, headlines the field. The second-leading receiver in NFL history and surefire future Hall of Famer is a longtime chess aficionado.

Another confirmed player for the event is Kayvon Thibodeaux, fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft and the New York Giants' newest pass rusher. Football and chess fans know that Thibodeaux is no stranger to the royal game and even attributes part of his success to chess.

The Giants linebacker isn't the only player making moves over the board. Another football-playing chess veteran in the event is WR Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns. The four-time Pro Bowler will be a formidable challenger to whoever stands in his way. Like Thibodeaux, Cooper also uses chess as a tool to improve his playa strategy that has been clearly working in his favor:

Cooper will have to stay on top of his game, though, as his former teammate and chess rival LB Micah Parsons is coming for him. The two players faced each other over the board when Cooper was still playing for Parsons' Dallas Cowboys. Back then, each player got one win. Now, they'll have the chance to show who truly dominates the chessboard. And while Cooper uses chess to improve his game, the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year Parsons plays chess to build a champion mentality:

And what might ensue between Thibodeaux and Parsons? A rookie and second-year player, respectively, they play the same position for hated division rivals in New York and Dallas. We know that both can win their matchup against any offensive lineman, but who will win the chess match?

Make sure you tune in to Chess.com/TV or to our Twitch and YouTube channels on July 9 to watch these and other football stars playing their best moves!

Who are you excited to see battle it out in BlitzChamps? Let us know in the comments below!

Originally posted here:
Announcing BlitzChamps With NFL Stars Fitzgerald, Thibodeaux, Parsons, And More! - Chess.com

The main event of this year's Women's Speed Chess Championship begins on June 13. That means it's time for another bracket contest! Still free-to-play and featuring cash prizes, we've streamlined the prediction system, so keep reading! The prize pool is $1,000 in cash prizes and over a dozen diamond memberships in this classic bracket contest.

You have from right now up until the start of the first match at5 a.m. Pacific/14:00 CET on June 13 to make your picks. Don't wait too long, or the tournament might begin before you know it!

Jump Ahead: Click Here For Prediction Instructions! | Scoring | Tiebreaks | Prizes

How to watch?

The WSCC will air on all usual Chess.com channels: at Chess.com/TV or Chess.com/Eventson site, or on YouTube and Twitch. The full schedule is available on the official event page.

No more Google Forms like we've had to do in the past! Instead:

The deeper the tournament goes, the more points you get for each correct prediction.

Chess.com will apply tiebreaks if there are multiple perfect brackets or ties at the top of the standings. The tiebreaker system is the same as earlier bracket predictions:

The top finisher will win the big $500 first-place prize. The prize for second place is $300 and third place earns $200. Diamond memberships will be awarded to those who place between 4th and 20th, and all players who tie for 20th earn memberships even if tiebreaks would otherwise eliminate them.

This is your chance to join fun and drama as all the action unfolds at Chess.com/TV!

Original post:
Your Chance To Predict the 2022 Women's Speed Chess Championship Is Here! - Chess.com

Every player with internet access now has a 3500-rated-plus assistant for analysis. Switch on "Infinite Analysis," go to the kitchen, make yourself a cup of coffee, return, and voila: decades of analysis at your fingertips.

Games of the not-so-distant past did not have this luxury, and even today your average reader might find mistakes in older chess books. Some games have even gone down in history as masterpieces, only to be shredded to pieces by today's engines.

Despite the "objective" merits of the following games, they still deserve the reputations they earned for their creativity and, at times, audacity. I recommend readers first click through the game "cold" without looking at the analysis. Then, take a look at my notes to see a more truthful picture.

The first example, Yakov Estrin vs. Hans Berliner 1965, has been exalted as the greatest correspondence chess game ever. Played in the Fifth World Correspondence Chess Championship, the second player ultimately won.

Google the game and you can find many claiming it to be one of or the best game ever. Indeed, it is the first game in GM Andy Soltis' book The 100 Best Chess Games of the 20th Century. Severalpoints are praised by NM Sam Copeland in this blog post, although he acknowledges that there were some very real mistakes. While portions of the game are astounding after White gave Black a winning position after 15.Be2??, they would not have been possible without cooperation by the first player. The same line does not score so well for Black now despite this success in the pre-computer era.

The following game between GM Efim Geller and former world champion Max Euwe is taken from one of the strongest and most famous tournaments in history, Zurich 1953, largely popularized by GM David Bronstein and GM Miguel Najdorf's books on the event. The game, which first seems like a defensive masterpiece, has some flaws, and the flashy move 22...Rh8? (you can find "!!" attached to it in online forums) could have thrown the win away.

The following example, with the unforgettable 18.Qxg6!!, looks flat-out awesome when you click through it for the first time (please do). However, besides the fact that the flashy 17.Ndc4?? doesn't even work, there has been speculation as to whether A.W. Fox existed or whether this game was ever genuinely played.

Readers should certainly expect a game by former world champion Mikhail Tal to make it into this article. While his play was not sound in the scientific sense, the greatest players in the world succumbed to his daring, challenging, and hyper-aggressive style of play.

The following game immediately became one of my favorites once I read it in his book about the Tal-Botvinnik 1960 World Championship Match that he won. Likely the most famous move of the match, 21...Nf4 in game six is nothing short of legendary.

Unlike some of the other examples in this article, nobodyincluding Talpretended that this move is an irrefutable sacrifice, but I include it to expose more readers to this great game and add notes that are not in Tal's book, written many, many decades ago.

With the best play, White should achieve a much-better-to-winning position, but keep in mind that he was playing a person with feelings and fears, not a 3700-rated silicon monster.

The second world champion Emanuel Lasker called this game against Harry Pillsbury "the best I ever played" after he was "able to ward off a furious attack and then succeed in carrying my own counterattack through" (quoted here). He admitted to making some mistakes due to tiredness and time pressure.

Brilliant games are not produced without mistakes by the other side (as I write this, I think of Kasparov's immortal 24.Rxd4!!?? against Topalov in 1999), but this attack certainly needed a bit of help from Caissa to work at all and ultimately survive in the great book of time.

The last example is special and is, in many ways, the antithesis of this article's topic. But I wanted to use this opportunity to set the record straight about a widespread misconception.

World Champion Bobby Fischer's infamous 29...Bxh2!? against then-reigning World Champion Boris Spassky in game one of the 1972 World Championship Match was nota blunder. Although many people still reference this game when teaching beginners about piece-traps, or casually reference similar moves as "pulling a Bobby Fischer," the move in itself is not losing and could have led to a draw with the best play.

The real mistake occurred on 39...f5??, a detail that has been overlooked and not talked about as much, and I hope our dear readers may better appreciate the creativity behind Fischer's piece sacrifice after reading my notes.

I hope this article helps shed greater insight into some of the most exciting chess games out there. I also hope that the mistakes annotated above do not take away from the brilliance of these players and games because chess is played between two people on a board with a clock, and not in a laboratory.

Happy reading and please share any examples that are relevant to the topic in the comments below.

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5 Chess Brilliancies That Stockfish Hates - Chess.com

Isolated pawns are a key concept in chess endgames and mid-games. It is one of the first concepts that gets introduced to intermediate players. Isolated pawns are, as the name would suggest, alone and separated from their counterparts, which means that they can only be protected by pieces. This makes them juicy targets for the enemy and finicky weakness to defend for you.

That isnt to say theyre without advantages: earlier in the game, when many pieces are still on the board, the lines opened up around the isolated pawn offer great attacking opportunities for you as long as you know how to take advantage of them.

Hopefully youve got a plan in mind if youve purposefully gotten yourself into a position where you ended up with an isolated pawn! They can emerge from any of the popular mainstream chess openings, if you play your cards right. Though the isolated pawn is a long-term weakness, it also grants you great attacking opportunities in the mid-game.

Try to set up an attack on the enemy king by using open lines to your advantage.

Theres often enough space and territory to execute a rook lift in these positions. Any time you can get in a pawn break and push the isolated pawn further should also be a big step forward for you as it can give you control of very valuable squares in the enemy position.

The most important element of playing against isolated pawns is to stop them from moving. They can become a real thorn in your side (or worse still, in your middle) if they can run up the board, escorted by a myriad of pieces.

To make sure this cannot happen, you need to blockade them by placing a piece on the square immediately in front of them. The best piece to get the job done is a knight because of its unique way of attacking as it can still take care of vital targets on the board while right ahead of a pawn, while most other pieces on the chessboard would see their mobility greatly reduced by this activity.

The other thing with isolated pawns, as mentioned before, is that they are ultimately a source of weakness in the endgame.

To get there, youll need to trade-off most of the pieces on the board.

With most of the knights, bishops, and rooks gone (not to mention the queens), it will become much more difficult to defend an isolated pawn. Gobble it up and enjoy your clear advantage in the endgame!

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What is an isolated pawn in chess? - Dot Esports