tag: sochi - Page 2

WWch Rd2 G1: Inspired play

3/21/2015 – For some it was another day of battle after a grueling day of tiebreaks, while others came came refreshed and strong and it showed. Top-seed Koneru sweated to overcome Tingjie in their game, but overcome her she did through skill and tenaciousness. Kosteniuk dominated her Chinese opponent Shen Yang, and finished her in style, while Gunina beat Girya in a game reminiscent of Tal.

WWch Rd1 tiebreaks: Watch the clock!

3/20/2015 – It was a tense day for the players and thrilling for the spectators as 22 players fought for their lives in the tournament. Heart-wrenching for Argentina who saw two heroic players fall under the tiebreak sword, while Germany's Elizabeth Paetz also failed to make the cut. In the Armageddon, both Goryachkina and Kosintseva won their games on time. Report, pictures and more!

WWch Rd1 G2: Easy wins and tough matches

3/19/2015 – After the second game of the first round, 21 matches were decided with 21 players going forward and 21 going home. In the meantime, eleven matches will need to be decided in the rapid game tiebreaks in the third day. Unusual pairings saw lopsided pairings and grueling battles, and while many of the big names are in the clear, some fell to heroic performances.

The Women's World Championship begins

3/18/2015 – It would be surprising not to see any surprises at the Women's World Championship. After all, it is a knock-out tournament. But the first round brought hardly any upsets, the favorites won or drew, hoping for better opportunities in the second game. With one exception: Yuan Yuanling used a lethal counter to win against Marya Muzychuk.

Women's World Championship ready to rumble

3/17/2015 – After uncertainty and concerns on the fate of the event last year, the FIDE Women's World Championship was announced and organized in a flurry, and is held in Sochi, Russia. All the brightest stars will be playing with the exception of Hou Yifan, who reserves the right to challenge the winner as a result of her Grand Prix victory. Complete info, pairings, and pictures.

2015 Women's World Championship is announced

1/27/2015 – After the alarming news that the 2014 Women's World Championship had been put on hold with no definition in sight, due to lack of sponsorship, FIDE has finally published the dates, location and prize fund. The event will be held in Sochi, Russia, it will start in less than two months, and the players have two weeks to sign the contracts. Here are the full details.

Carlsen analyzes the World Championship (2/2)

12/6/2014 – In the second part of Magnus Carlsen's overview of the second match against Anand, the world champion analyzes the key moments and his evaluations of the openings as well as the turning points in the games. He brings up the famous mutual oversight in game six, but as will be seen, Anand would have other opportunities later in the match. See Carlsen's analysis.

Carlsen analyzes the World Championship (1/2)

12/4/2014 – Shortly before his mega match against Norway, Magnus Carlsen took advantage of his presence in the NRK studios during his dinner break and decided to record his game-by-game summary of the World Championship match. The video was posted on his YouTube channel, which we have transcribed here with ample diagrams of key moments. It is a fascinating read.

Polgar: Playing Carlsen feels like you're drowning

11/29/2014 – The World Chess Championship in Sochi finished a week ago, but news reports of this achievement and result have not died down. Even the Financial Times has devoted space to analysing the result and interviews people like Judit Polgar on Carlsen's strength. Playing him feels like drowning,” she said. "It's frightening is to see him close to 2,900 points”. Judit thinks he can play even better.

Carlsen interview after the match

11/28/2014 – A lot of people enjoyed our report on the closing ceremony of the World Championship in Sochi. Immediately after the celebrations, which were attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, FIDE's chief press officer, the enchanting Anastasiya Karlovich, sat down for a one-on-one interview with the new and old World Champion Magnus Carlsen. We have a full transcript.

World Championship Sochi: Closing Ceremony

11/27/2014 – The match between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand ended after eleven games, and the closing ceremony had to be rescheduled from the 28th to the 25th of November. It was a lavish prize-giving with a truly VIP guest (guess who!). During his address FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov made a truly electrifying announcement: the 2016 World Championship will be held in the USA!

Kasparov: The quality of the games was not so high

11/25/2014 – The match between Carlsen and Anand got enormous public attention – not just in the usual chess outlets, but also in the straight press. For instance Der Spiegel, Europe's most influential news magazine, broadcast the moves live on their Internet portal, and after the match asked Garry Kasparov (and Women's World Champion Hou Yifan) to summarize the action in Sochi.

Sochi G11: In dramatic finale, Carlsen retains title

11/23/2014 – The game was all the fans could hope with dramatic play throughout. Vishy Anand played the Berlin to groans but after a critical 23...b5! the situation looked very promising. Whether due to nerves or fatigue, he followed this up with a dubious plan that gave up the exchange with no obvious counterplay. This was the death knell as Magnus Carlsen capitalized. Full report.

Sochi G10: Unrealized opportunities

11/21/2014 – Although today's game was by no means winning for the challenger Vishy Anand, there is no question that he had considerable pressure on Magnus Carlsen with a passed d-pawn. The World Champion repeated his Grunfeld and somewhere along the line his preparation failed him and he got into trouble. Time and pressure led to Anand's edge dissipating. Round ten with GM analysis.

Sochi G9: A quick draw tightens the noose

11/20/2014 – While the fans will have been disappointed to see a quick draw in game nine with Carlsen playing white, it will have been much less surprising for the experts. At this point, match strategy is the reigning factor, and with three games left at most, and a one point lead, it is up to the challenger to find a way to make a fight of it with an uncooperative opponent. Report and commentary.

Tal Memorial blitz won by Mamedyarov

11/19/2014 – After the Petrosian Memorial ended in Moscow, a number of the elite players who took part in it, came to Sochi on a double mission: the first was obviously to see first hand the World Championship match, but the second was to play in the Tal Memorial Blitz, a fitting tribute to one of its most passionate aficionados. Mamedyarov took clear first and is now world no.3.

Sochi G8: An easy draw for Carlsen

11/18/2014 – In a match the players usually tend to play for a win with white and for a draw with black. In this sense, game eight of the World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand was a success for Carlsen. He played with Black, repeated the Queens Gambit Declined from game three, but this time was excellently prepared and came to an easy draw.

Sochi G7: Unbreakable Anand

11/17/2014 – Today's game was truly a make-or-break deal for the challenger, with all the signs of a 'break' as he got into trouble in a Berlin and had to give up a piece for two pawns in a position many said was lost. There then followed a titanic struggle as Magnus tried in vain to break Vishy and his impenetrable fortress, but the Indian never gave ground. Report of round seven!

Chess blindness of the Champions

11/16/2014 – Strange things happened in the sixth game of the World Championship in Sochi: Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand both suffered from an attack of chess blindness and overlooked a combination a lot of amateurs would have seen in a blitz game. In the end Carlsen was lucky and won the game. But has such a double blunder ever occurred in a World Championship match? Have a guess!

Sochi G6: Carlsen won, Anand missed big chance

11/15/2014 – In the sixth game of the World Championship match Magnus Carlsen won but could have lost. He got a good position from the opening but later overlooked a simple tactical trick with which Anand could have won. However, Anand missed his chance. Unable to put up much resistance afterwards he lost without much of a fight. As Carlsen said in the press conference: "I was very lucky."

Sochi G5: A few palpitations, but no heart attack

11/14/2014 – Today we saw a very well-prepared Carlsen, in contrast to the round three rout, and he rattled off his Queen's Indian at lightning speed. Vishy Anand was unfazed with White and never backed down from the sharp decisions. It seemed like a sedate draw until Magnus took a risky pawn on b2, providing chances for Anand, but in the end it petered out. Report of a short and sweet game.

Who will win the match?

11/13/2014 – The match between Magnus Carlsen and Vishy Anand is getting exciting. Four of twelve games are played, in the first two Carlsen dominated, but in game three Anand inflicted the first loss in a World Championship match on Carlsen. The fourth game was an unspectacular, hard-fought draw. Today's a rest day. A good opportunity to predict who will win the match.

Sochi G4: Level game ends in Draw

11/12/2014 – Anand tried to stir things up! Rather than going for a positionally sound line in the Spanish, a Carlsen specialty, Anand tried to enter a theoretical battle in the Sicilian! Which type of Sicilian will remain a mystery as Carlsen avoided a sharp, theoretical confrontation, chose a quieter line, but obtained no advantage. With sound play the game was eventually drawn.

Sochi WCh G3: The Tiger roars

11/12/2014 – After the loss in game two, the expectation was a repeat of the 2013 match, with hopefully a final result whose description did not include words such as catastrophic. So far, as much as his supporters wanted to believe, describing him as a 'different' Anand, a 'dangerous' Anand, the results were missing. Game three changed that. Report wtih analysis by GM Gilberto Milos.
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