Pawn Power in Youtube Videos

Kudos to Youtube's Netflix channel for publishing this video on International Chess Day. It would be even more impressive without the obvious errors: a chart of the relative value of the pieces switches the Bishop and the Rook (1:00); the survival rate chart (1:10) labels the ranks and files correctly, but shows the wrong colors for all the squares; and the 'Stonewall Formation' is only marginally recognizable (4:15).

Why The Most Important Chess Piece Isn’t The One You Think | The Queen’s Gambit (7:09) • '[Published on] Jul 20, 2021'

The biggest quibble is about the title of the clip. Its description says,

The King is often called the "most important piece" in chess, but there’s one piece everyone might be overlooking.

No one is overlooking anything. The King is the 'most important chess piece'...period...full stop. Lose it and you lose the game. Lose a Pawn and, as another chart shows (6:00), you're still in the game.

A better title would be 'Why The *Least* Important Chess Piece Isn’t The One You Think'. In fact, there is no least important piece, and the video does a good job of explaining the many strengths of the Pawn. For more chess videos from the Netflix channel, see Netflix search?query=chess.

Carlsen's TWIC Data 2019-21

On my World Championship Blog, I used the most recent post, TWIC Documents Chess History (August 2021), to bring my TWIC files up to date. An important reason behind that was a project for this current blog:-

Along with the games from the World Cups, I'll need TWIC data to document [...] GM Carlsen's record since the last World Championship match; see posts starting Carlsen's Events 2017-18 (September 2018).

Here's a record of that series of posts, which I'll use as a template for the 2019-21 exercise:-

• 2018-09-10:- Carlsen's Events 2017-18
• 2018-09-17:- Carlsen's Chess.com Events 2017-18
• 2018-09-24:- Carlsen's Record 2017-18
• 2018-10-01:- Carlsen's TMER 2017-18
• 2018-10-08:- Carlsen's PGN 2017-18
• 2018-11-26:- Carlsen's PGN 2000-2018

The objective will be to update my page that overviews Magnus Carlsen's Tournament, Match, and Exhibition Record (TMER; 2000-); Last updated 2018-11-26, where the last entry is currently:-

'2018-08; 6th Sinquefield Cup 2018; Saint Louis USA; 1-3/10; +2-0=7; B8H-STLO; 9/9'

A preliminary scan of the TWIC files published since that last entry found 1453 Carlsen games in 94 TWIC files. That count is not definitive because the latest TWIC file doesn't have Carlsen's final games from the 2021 World Cup; Sochi (Russia).

My deadline for updating the TMER will be the start of the 2021 Carlsen - Nepomniachtchi title match, currently scheduled for 24 November - 16 December 2021, in Dubai. With more than 1450 games to process, I'll need all the time I can get.

August 1971 & 1996 'On the Cover'

Last month's 'On the Cover' composite photo, covering the months July 1971 & 1996 (July 2021), showed a World Championship encounter on the left and an important U.S. tournament on the right. A month later, the focus was switched.

Left: ?
Right: 'Karpov wants to keep his FIDE crown!; Kamsky wants the title, the glory and a shot at Kasparov!'

Chess Life & Review (50 Years Ago)

Clarence Kalenian of Philadelphia, winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, May 29-31. • Photo by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Showing the U.S. Amateur Champion on the cover was a CL tradition at the time. Last year we had the same in August 1970 & 1995 'On the Cover' (August 2020). Inside the August 1971 CL&R, the 'Chess Life, Here & There' story started,

The 21st Annual United States Amateur Championship, played May 29-31 at Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Hotel, drew an astounding 312 players -- 62 more than ever before. The host city may point with pride not only to the turnout, but to the fine performances of its local players, topped by Clarence Kalenian, the new U.S. Amateur Champion; Al Quindry, the second place finisher; and Steven Hokanson, the Group Two Champion.

Kalenian scored a 6-0 sweep of the 174-player Group One tournament. marking the third straight year this tournament has been won with a perfect score. Ranked 13th with a 2059 rating, he defeated Harry Judy (1886), Dom Sciarretta (1871), Martin Kabat (1703), Herbert Jacklyn (1675), Joseph Bradford (2076), and Luis Busquets (2079) finally to achieve the top spot after being a serious contender several previous years, most notably in 1967 when he led the field before losing in the last round to tournament winner Ron Lohrman.

We also saw the 1967 U.S. Amateur in the post August 1967 'On the Cover' (August 2017).

Chess Life (25 Years Ago)

The long-awaited struggle begins! Dan Kisner sets the mood (on paper) for the 20-game match between current FIDE World Champion Anatoly Karpov, and the American challenger for that title, Gata Kamsky.

The table of contents listed an article 'Kamsky Squares Off Against Karpov' by Gabriel Schwartzman, while the actual article was titled 'Let the Games Begin!' without a byline. It started,

After many false starts, postponed deadlines, extended deadlines, and last minute negotiations, we finally have a match! And if the first few games are any indication of what is to come, this will be QUITE a match for the FIDE World Championship.

The site is the Elista House of Children Recreation. In Elista, Kalmykia. FIDE President Kirsan Iljuinzhinov is also President of the Kalmyk Republic, which is part of Russia. The country is located on the northwest shore of the Caspian Sea, with the Lower Volga River serving as a northern boundary.

Although match terms were still being ironed out on the morning of June 6, the first game began at 4:00 pm the same day. The time control Is 40 moves in two hours. with a second time control of 16 moves in one hour, completing the session. If an adjournment is necessary, play will begin the next day at 2:00 pm with three successive time controls of 16 moves in one hour. The chief arbiter is Geurt Gijssen of the Netherlands.

The article included full annotations for the first four games, after which Karpov led by a score of +2-1=1. For the full score of the match, see my page 1996 Karpov - Kamsky FIDE Title Match; Elista, VI-VII, 1996 (m-w.com). The long Schwartzman article was followed by a short Arnold Denker article titled 'Why Kamsky Can't Lose'. Here it is in its entirety:-

What most people fail to understand is that [a] World Championship chess match is very much like a boxing match. In both instances age and physical condition play the leading part in determining the final result. It was true when Capa beat Lasker. It was also true when Alekhine beat Capa, and it was also so when Alekhine lost his first match to Euwe. It is even more true today with the tremendous proliferation of chess knowledge.

For a moment let us look carefully at both of these gladiators. In one corner we have a very determined, hungry young man in the prime of life, who will stop at nothing to reach his goal. In the other corner we see a complacent Karpov, grown soft and pudgy from living the good life these past twenty years. You may also recall that in his match with Kasparov in 1984, he became so ill in the later stages that Campomanes felt it necessary to stop the match. It is now twelve years later. Why should it get any better?

Denker was an amateur boxer. The 'complacent', 'soft and pudgy' Karpov won by a score of +6-3=9.

TCEC S21 Sufi Underway; CCC Still Romancing

For the previous report on this blog concerning two world class, ongoing engine vs. engine tournaments, see TCEC Prepares S21 Sufi; CCC in Romantic Mode (July 2021). Here is a summary of that post:-

TCEC: The top two Premier Division ('DivP') finishers, Stockfish and LCZero, will meet in the S21 Superfinal ('Sufi'). This will mark the fifth consecutive Sufi match between the same two engines. • CCC: The site continues to feature offbeat openings.

For the current report, continue reading.

TCEC: The S21 Sufi is currently at 72 games played. Stockfish leads LCZero by a score of +13-6=53. Extrapolating this to the full 100 games projects a win for Stockfish by +18-8=74, which has already won the three previous Sufis against the same opponent. The match should finish during the next week.

CCC: The site continues to run multi-engine, multi-round-robin blitz/bullet tournaments based on thematic 'romantic openings'. Here is a list of thematic events seen since the last post, when the first in the list was then underway. The last in the list is now underway. The initial forced moves for the event are in parentheses.

Urusov Gambit Accepted (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d4 exd4)
Blackmar-Diemer Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3)
Stafford Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nc6)
Calabrese Countergambit (1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 f5)

The site is seeking additional help; see CCC Looking for New Server Admin and Developer! (chess.com). More info, including a job spec and application, is available via the site's Discord platform.

[For further information from the various stakeholders in the engine-to-engine events, see the tab 'TCEC/CCC Links' at the top of this page. • NB: Leela = LC0 = LCzero]

eBay Deja Vu

I've been doing the series on Top eBay Chess Items by Price (March 2010) for so long that I sometimes can't remember if I'm about to repeat an item that was featured years earlier. A case in point is the painting pictured below. I had the distinct feeling that I'd seen the item before, but a couple of searches on my blog returned nothing.

Adding to the tricks on my memory was the discovery that the painting was listed on eBay as having been sold twice in July by the same seller -- once mid-month and once end-month -- without any mention of difficulties arising from the first sale, like non-payment. The title of both auctions was '19thC Antique Juan Gonzales 18thC Palace Interior, Chess Game Oil Painting, NR'.

The first time the painting was listed it sold for US $730 after 16 bids from 9 bidders; the second time it sold for US $660 after 27 bids from 14 bidders. The winning bid on the first auction was submitted three seconds before the auction ended and it was the only bid by the winning bidder. The second auction started a day after the first auction ended. The description of both auctions said,

This auction is for a 19th century, Victorian oil painting by the Spanish/Peruvian artist, Juan Antonio Gonzales (1842-1914). It depicts a detailed, 18th century palace room with a Cardinal and several aristocrats enjoying a game of chess. This opulent, marble room is decorated with statues, architectural accents and paintings. Signed in the lower left-hand corner Juan Antonio Gonzales this original oil painting is in very good condition.

The canvas has been professionally re-lined and, under the blacklight, we did find a couple of small, invisibly in-painted restorations. Executed on 19” by 27” stretched canvas, this 19th century painting comes in an antique, 21” by 20½” frame, which has been repainted gold and does have some edge wear.

Even after discovering that the painting had been listed twice, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd seen it before, especially the distinctive white bust over the fireplace behind the players. A search on the artist's name ('Gonzalez' also works) revealed several copies of the work. The most important listing was Juan Antonio Gonzales, Peruvian, 1822-1914 (christies.com). It said,

Property from a Massachusetts estate • A competative [sic] game of chess • Price realised USD 4,375 • Estimate USD 1,500 - USD 2,000 • Closed: 17 Dec 2010

If the phrase 'original oil painting' in the eBay description was accurate, the painting must have been the same as in the Christie's auction. Someone lost money on the eBay auction.

Back to the first paragraph and my concern about repeating a featured item, I don't have that problem with the item in the March 2010 post, an Alcoa chess set from Austin Enterprises. I see that same chess set every time I look at 'Top eBay Chess Items'. For this post, I found 21 of the Alcoa sets sold in the last three months.

Three Times Yahoos

After last month's Yahoos post, Speculative Yahoos (June 2021; see the footnote below for an explanation of the term), Google News changed its format. Previous posts in the series were based on a title/subtitle combination for each story, but for the month of July, Google returned only the title.

For my homemade database software, this change didn't present much of a challenge. I simply inserted a blank line as subtitle. The downside is that for searches on relevant keywords, e.g. 'Netflix' or 'streamer', less data means fewer hits.

Taking a look at the news sources, Chess.com alone accounts for 46 stories. That number eclipses the 38 stories from last month, which was already the largest number of stories for any month.

What to make of this? Are there fewer chess stories from non-chess sources or is there some other, more benign explanation? The other eight sources with two or more stories account for 23 stories total, leaving 31 stories from sources with a single story.

The count of sources shows three sources with 'Times' in the name of the source. Let's use that observation to sample the non-chess sources. First, here are the stories from the New York Times (NYT):-

• 2021-07-09:- Yury Dokhoian, Chess Coach Who Guided Kasparov, Dies at 56 (nytimes.com)
• 2021-07-13:- The Dark Side of Chess: When Is a Grandmaster Not So Grand? (ditto)

Where's the third? That second story, 'Dark Side of Chess' by Ivan Nechepurenko and Misha Friedman, accounted for two Google references. The NYT loves to tell me that 'You’ve reached your limit of free articles', but I can usually manage to find a way to read the story. The 'dark side' -- focusing on Sergei Karjakin and Abhimanyu Mishra -- is a long exposé about how young chess talents *really* earn their GM titles. The NYT story quoted a former World Championship challenger (1993):-

'We have a dog called Pasquales,' said Nigel Short, the vice president of FIDE. 'I believe it is possible that if I went to the effort, I think I could get my dog a grandmaster’s title.'

The reason for the tattletale gossip was a widely reported story that appeared in both chess and non-chess sources, e.g. Abhimanyu Mishra Becomes Youngest Grandmaster In Chess History (chess.com). He thereby grabbed the record from Karjakin, who later became a World Championship challenger himself (2016).

Another 'Times' source had three stories. All of them featured Indian teenagers:-

• 2021-07-26: Biel Chess festival: Grandmaster Nihal Sarin takes second spot in rapid event (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
• 2021-07-28: Biel Chess festival: Nihal Sarin holds Boris Gelfand to draw (ditto)
• 2021-07-28: Unbeaten Raunak nets silver in OTB Portuguese Chess League (ditto)

The third 'Times' source was the Financial Times:-

• 2021-07-13: Chess: all-time No.1 Garry Kasparov, 58, loses in seven moves in disastrous comeback (ft.com) • 'Outdated openings and poor time management lead to run of defeats for legend [at Zagreb]'
• 2021-07-21: Chess: teens shine as top seeds eliminated from $1.9m World Cup (ditto)

Of the 100 total number of chess stories for the month, 17 were about the World Cup. Of those, 13 were from Chess.com. The site consistently reported on the main chess event of the month. Is that the reason for the record 46 stories from that source? If so, let's hope that the other sources catch up in August, when the World Cup reaches its final round.

[Yahoos (mainstream news stories about chess) are derived from Google News top-100 (or so) stories from the past month.]

2021 CJA Award Entries

It's been two months since I posted about the 2021 CJA Awards Announcement (May 2021), so it's time to look at the entries. In last year's post, 2020 CJA Award Entries (July 2020), I was critical of the entry process, mainly because the list of entries -- as far as I could see -- was disorganized and hard to understand.

The CJA appears to have learned from that unfortunate exercise and has improved the presentation of the entries by an order of magnitude. There are two pages listing the entries:-

• 2021 CJA Awards Entry List (chessjournalism.org)
• 2021 Chess Journalist of the Year Entries (ditto)

That first link, 'Awards Entry List', is particularly useful. Every single entry is associated with a link leading to an online, digital copy of the entry, using drive.google.com where there is no online copy available directly from its source. I didn't count the number of entries, but there might well be over 100, enough chess literature to keep the most ardent enthusiast occupied for months to come.

In the category 'Best Online Blog', there are four entries. This might be the most competitive year for the blog category in the 15+ years (I've lost track) that I've been following the CJA awards. A sure winner is the Chess Life cover for August 2020, titled 'New Chess Boom'. It was nominated in two categories : 'Best Art' and 'Best Single Chess Magazine Cover'.

The award winners will be announced in early August. I'll follow up this current post as soon after that as I can.