2/27/2019 – Which are the commonest words in the English language, which are the most common girls' and boys' names? Today it is possible to calculate these things fairly easily, but it becomes really useful if you are able to present the results in a comprehensible way. Like with dynamic graphs and bubbling. This was done very nicely for historical chess strength in 2016 by Abacaba, a site that makes videos about data and math. Now a YouTube channel called TheRanker has published a 10-minute video visualisation tracking official FIDE ratings from 2000 to the present. It is informative, interesting and even relaxing to watch.
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The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3.
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The 20 highest rated players (2000 to 2019)
This visualisation tracks FIDE ratings of the top 20 players starting from July 27, 2000, through February 24th, 2019. There are a lot of interesting features that pop out, such as the rapid ascendence of Magnus Carlsen beginning in June 2007, or the extreme variability of Vassily Ivanchuk. You'll notice certain players disappear, such as when Garry Kasparov abruptly retired in 2005 while still number one. Others see more gradual moves up and down.
Want more? For reference, here's the 2016 Abacaba visualization charting the history of top chess players over time. The video presents historical ratings of the top ten players for any given time are tracked. This video is six minutes long, and you would do well to maximize the YouTube player, lean back, sip your coffee (or chai) and enjoy this extraordinary presentation.
Try to spot patterns, e.g. at what age do players enter the group of top ten; do most players peak in their twenties; how dominating were the top players; how long did they stay in place one; who were the oldest ones that were still in the top ten? Feel free to post your observations in our comments section below.
Frederic FriedelEditor-in-Chief emeritus of the ChessBase News page. Studied Philosophy and Linguistics at the University of Hamburg and Oxford, graduating with a thesis on speech act theory and moral language. He started a university career but switched to science journalism, producing documentaries for German TV. In 1986 he co-founded ChessBase.
Why does the FIDE Elo not reach back further than 2000? You can find the older FIDE Elo ratings, in the last few pages of end-of-year Chess Informant, from the 70s on through the 90s. Of course, someone would have to scan or type them in.
guitarchess77 2/27/2019 07:41
Very nice article, thanks a lot :)
NMcrazyim5 2/27/2019 03:55
In terms of ratings and stats, Carlsen is probably the GOAT even at this "tender" age! But he is definitely not the people's champ.
benedictralph 2/27/2019 03:21
Anand appears to be the most consistent. Until age started to catch up with him later in his career.
In this course, you’ll learn how to take the initiative against the London and prevent White from comfortably playing their usual system by playing 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 Nh5.
London System Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains in all 11 285 games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 282 are annotated.
The London System Powerbook 2026 is based on more than 410 000 games or game fragments from different opening moves and ECO codes; what they all have in common is that White plays d4 and Bf4 but does not play c4.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Opening videos: Open Spanish (Sipke Ernst) and Classical Sicilian (Nico Zwirs). Endgame Special by Igor Stohl: ‘Short or long side’ – where should the defending king be placed in rook endgames? ‘Lucky bag’ with 35 master analyses.
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The Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange Variation with 5.Bf4 has a great balance between positional play and sharp pawn pushes; and will be a surprise for your opponents while being easy to learn for you, as the key patterns are familiar.
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