Talkchess Is Talking Again

Let's go back almost three months to Talkchess Is/Isn't Talking (August 2021). At that time I wrote,

I went back to the Talkchess forum once a week while preparing my weekly TCEC/CCC post and had the same message ['403 Forbidden'] every time. For this post I decided to look into it more deeply. [...; Unfortunately,] I ran out of time for working on this post. Maybe I'll tackle [the recommended workaround] later if I really, really need Talkchess. I can live without it for now.

A couple of weeks later the TalkChess admins -- the people who keep the site up, running, and interesting -- decided to tackle the problem themselves. A pair of forum threads documented their progess:-

• 2021-09-06: Task force TalkChess access
• 2021-09-11: On the ownership of TalkChess

The admins set up a copy of the software and data behind the system, then used it to isolate and debug the cause of the problem. The entire process took only a few weeks and appears to have achieved a resounding success. Kudos to all who participated. Now I'm able to go back to an older post, Stockfish vs. ChessBase (July 2021), where I wrote,

Talkchess.com is currrently returning '403 Forbidden; You don't have permission to access...' messages, so I'll come back to that forum another time.

For the record, the relevant thread was:-

• 2021-07-20: Stockfish: Our lawsuit against ChessBase

That thread started almost four months ago and petered out nearly three months ago. The original complaint is likely still being litigated.

There have been other developments involving chess engines since then, so my time would be better spent looking into those. I'll save that task for another post.

Three Guys on 'Best Chess Moves'

What's this? Of the 21 videos on this month's short list for featured video, three were titled something like '10 Best Chess Moves Ever'. Here's the first of them.

10 Best Chess Moves Ever Played (36:28) • '[Published on] Oct 25, 2021'

The video's description didn't offer much that was unique to the clip, so I'll use one of the first comments.

I've had an extremely bad day and seeing the thumbnail itself cheered me up...

Yes, that's a great thumbnail and the description links to its source: Emil Adam (instagram.com; @jojochessnoob; 'Thumbnail editor for GMHikaru and GothamChess'). I could easily set off on a tangent about chess video thumbnails, but first I'll finish this post. Here are direct links to the three videos on the short list, where the first is the clip behind the thumbnail shown above:-

• 2021-10-25: 10 Best Chess Moves Ever Played • GothamChess (IM Levy Rozman); 406,341 views; 1,329 Comments
• 2021-11-01: 10 Greatest Chess Moves Of All Time • Chess.com (BriTheMathGuy); 38,829 views; 106 Comments
• 2021-11-05: 10 Greatest Chess Moves of All Time • Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Atlanta (GM Ben Finegold); 23,272 views; 110 Comments

Of course, I don't know how much originality went into these picks. The Chess.com video links to an article on the site that predates the GothamChess video by more than a year: The 10 Best Chess Moves of All Time (chess.com; September 2020; Colin Stapczynski). The idea 'Best Chess Moves of All Time' or 'Best Chess Games etc.' isn't exactly novel. Instead of worrying about ownership, I'll just enjoy the videos and the moves. Thanks, guys!

Carlsen's TMER 2019-21, Chess24

Continuing with Magnus Carlsen's Tournament, Match, and Exhibition Record (TMER; 2000-), the previous post, Carlsen's TMER 2019-21, Lichess (October 2021), demands to be followed by an equivalent post on Chess24. We already know from Carlsen's TMER 2019-21, the Tours (October 2021) that Chess24 played a central role in the organization of the 'Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour' (2020) and the 'Meltwater Champions Chess Tour', (2020-21) but there is more to the relationship with GM Carlsen than meets the eye. In Chess24.com, Wikipedia informs,

In March 2019, Chess24 merged with Magnus Carlsen's company Play Magnus AS in a transaction that made the former Chess24 owners the largest shareholders in Play Magnus.

That sentence has two references in the form of footnotes:-

• 2019-03-15: Chess24 and Play Magnus join forces (chess24.com; Colin McGourty), and
• 2019-03-15: Sjakkekspert inntar Magnus Carlsens spillselskap; Sjakkmester Magnus Carlsen og app-selskapet Play Magnus kjøper en av sine største konkurrenter (dn.no; Dagens Naeringslivs)

Google Translate tells us that the Norwegian headline means,

Chess expert takes over Magnus Carlsen's gaming company; Chess master Magnus Carlsen and the app company Play Magnus buy one of their biggest competitors.

After reading the translated article, I can quibble with the headline phrases 'takes over' and 'one of their biggest competitors', but it's a minor point, maybe due to a glitch in translation. The essentials of the transaction were explained in a few paragraphs:-

The settlement in the transaction takes place by issuing new shares in the company. [Chess24's GM Jan] Gustafsson and [Enrique] Guzman will remain with 38 percent of the shares in Play Magnus, while the current shareholders will remain with 62 percent.

Last summer, Play Magnus raised NOK 38.5 million in fresh capital in a share issue that priced the entire company at close to NOK 150 million. The merger with Chess24 will be carried out at the same pricing as in the previous issue. The total company will thus be priced at NOK 291 million, says chairman of the board Anders Brandt in Play Magnus.

Magnus Carlsen and his father keep their shares, which in the last issue were priced at close to NOK 68 million. Following the acquisition, the second largest shareholder in Play Magnus will only be beaten by the holding company of the two previous Chess24 owners.

At current 2021 exchange rates, NOK 100 (Norwegian Kroner) is equivalent to USD 11.50 or EUR 10.00. More information about the previous transactions is available via links to other articles on the Dagens Naeringslivs site.

Current information about the company is available from its web site. The following image from the site's main page lists eight subsidiaries: Play Magnus app suite, Chessable, Chess24, Silver Knights, Champions Chess Tour, New in Chess [NIC], Aimchess, and iChess.net.

Play Magnus Group (playmagnusgroup.com)
'Defining the Future of Chess'

Getting back to the Chess24.com announcement, 'Chess24 and Play Magnus join forces', the article starts,

Today we’re proud to announce that Chess24 has merged with Play Magnus [...]

Later it also uses the word 'merger', but it's obvious from the structure of the deal that the transaction was a takeover of Chess24 by Play Magnus. In the article we learn,

On our 5th birthday [Carlsen] took on Peter Svidler in a match, and last Friday he played his first Banter Blitz.

That mention of Carlsen and 'Banter Blitz' is worth further exploration for the TMER, but I'll save that for another post.

TCEC Swiss 2, CCC16 Rapid : Both Underway

For the first time in a long while we have both world class engine vs. engine tournaments in full operation. Before we get to the current status, let's summarize the previous post TCEC Cup 9, CCC C960 Blitz Final : Both Underway (October 2021):-

TCEC: The site's 'Cup 9' has reached the semifinal round, with Stockfish, ScorpioNN, KomodoDragon, and LCZero all qualifying for that stage. • CCC: In the 'Chess960 Blitz Semifinals', Stockfish finished a point ahead of Dragon as both engines qualified for the final match, where Stockfish has a non-trivial lead over Dragon.

Since that post, both sites have organized the final round of their respective tournaments and started new tournaments.

TCEC: The results of 'Cup 9' are available on the page TCEC Cup 9, (wiki.chessdom.org), although missing the results of the final match. In the semifinal round, Stockfish beat ScorpioNN +1-0=21, and LCZero beat KomodoDragon +1-0=27. In the final round, Stockfish beat LCZero +1-0=3. In the consolation match ('Bronze') for 3rd/4th place, KomodoDragon beat ScorpioNN +2-0=2.

That semifinal round is an eye-opener -- two decisive games out of 50 played, all using a forced book. The page TCEC Cup rules (ditto), explains,

3. Matches and tiebreaks: a. Each of the matches will initially consist of 2 pairs of games (4 games, every second with reversed colors and the same opening). [...] c. In case of an equal score after 4 games, the tiebreak will be played out immediately. The tiebreak consist of additional game-pairs; a decisive pair of tiebreaker games decides a match.

After some testing, the TCEC launched into 'Swiss 2', which is still in the first of 11 rounds. Each round consists of two games between paired engines with colors reversed in the second game. The 44 engines will be battling each other for the next month.

CCC: I covered the site's 'Chess960 Blitz Championship' on my chess960 blog in a post titled CCC C960 Blitz Championship (October 2021). To summarize that post,

In the final match Stockfish beat Dragon +10-1=589. Yes, more than 98% of the final games were drawn. Stockfish switched to NNUE evaluation last year, while Dragon is also an NNUE engine. Is the high percentage of draws because they both use the same technology for evaluating positions?

I started to answer that question in the previous off-week engine post on this blog, Evaluating the Evaluations (November 2021; 'My first problem was to learn how to find my way around the PGN files'). Given the protracted performance in the TCEC Cup 9 semifinal round, maybe the same sort of analysis should be applied to forced openings from the traditional start position (SP518 RNBQKBNR). I certainly wouldn't want to see forced openings used in chess960. It's high time for the chess engine community to investigate a more creative solution to the problem of excessive draws in engine play.

After the 'C960 Blitz Championship', the CCC started a 'CCC 16 Rapid' tournament with four stages:-

• Qualification (eight engines, two promoting),
• Main event (twelve engines, six promoting),
• Semifinals (six engines, two promoting), and
• Finals (150 rounds, 300 games).

The tournament is currently between the Main event and the Semifinals. Each stage is designed to last a week. Why the name 'CCC 16'? Because the previous scheduled event was 'CCC 15', which halted midway for technical reasons. See last year's post TCEC S19 DivP Chugging Along; CCC15 Halted (September 2020), for more info.

[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; Dragon = KomodoDragon]

Coffee with Cherubs

In this blog's long-running series on Top eBay Chess Items by Price (March 2010), we've seen just about everything, including cherubs: Chess with Cherubs (July 2013). Of course, 'just about everything' doesn't mean everything.

Here's something we haven't seen. Titled 'Antique Dresden Wehsener Hand Painted Playing Chess Scene Cup & Saucer', the item pictured below sold for US $840.00 after three bids from three bidders, on a starting price of $780.00.

The item's description was informative, although I'll use a different order to present the information. It ended,

An interesting and beautiful Dresden cup and saucer set. The cup has a hand painted scene. Depicting a little boy and a little girl playing chess accompanied by beautiful views. The scene has some very fine details, a table covered by green tablecloth with a chessboard and chess pieces on top, the boy sitting on a chair covered by feathers blanket, with red curtain and marble column behind him. The hand painted scene with the beautiful views circle around the exterior of the cup. The surface of the saucer is fully gilded. An interesting and beautiful cup and saucer set.

Before that we had some technical details.

[Date] 1895+ • [Size] The cup: 6.2 cm high /8.5 cm diameter. The saucer: 14.3 cm diameter. • [Condition report] Very good condition with no crack, hairline, restoration or chip. There are gilt wears on the top rim of the cup, two small area on the saucer have gold lost.

The description started with a macro look at the business that produced the cup.

[Factory] Dresden (Richard, Gerhard & Werner Wehsener) Germany. Richard Wehsener started his own business in 1895.His next step was a studio store in the Zinzendorfstrasse. There was great demand for his designs. Even the British Museum and the National-Museum in Washington DC obtained his pieces. Wehsener became known around the world as "Dresdner Handpainting" and "Dresden China".

In 1914 Richard Wehsener, opened the store for his studio store on Prager Strasse; Dresden's famous Prager Strasse, a world-renowned shopping area which was obliterated by World War ll bombing. However, the Wehsener's Porcelain firm survived and is still in business today with Richard Wehsener's descendants although this art of styled of porcelain painting seems to be fading as less are proficient.

The guardian of blogging about chess and coffee is 'Spraggett on Chess' (not for all ages). A recent example, subtitled 'Black Coffee: Always Steamy', was Coffee, Death, FIDE and other Nonsense! (spraggettonchess.com; August 2021). Along with 'Latest Coffee Study', it discussed 'Historic First by a Woman!' (Dora Maar) and 'Trying to keep FIDE honest' (FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich).

Coffee, yup (with cherubs). Dora Maar, yup (see Dora Maar, Weeping Woman; June 2020). FIDE and Dvorkovich, yup. There are only so many subjects suitable for a chess blog.

November 1971 & 1996 'On the Cover'

Just like last month's October 1971 & 1996 'On the Cover' (October 2021), this month we have 'USA all the way' (with a little bit of Belgium). Here we see two giants of American chess, one from 50 years ago, the other from 25 years ago.

Left: '?'
Right: 'George Koltanowski Honored by California Assembly; Leah & George Koltanowski, the Dean of American Chess'

Chess Life & Review (50 Years Ago)

In training for the match with Petrosian, Fischer (left) and his second, Larry Evans, analyze in the pool at Grossinger's Hotel in New York's Catskill Mountains. An early report on the match appears [inside].

'Inside' we learned,

FISCHER LEADING, 4 1/2 - 2 1/2 • As we go to press, the latest score in the Fischer - Petrosian match is 4 1/2 - 2 1/2. Fischer won the 1st, 6th and 7th games, Petrosian the 2nd. Here are the first six games.

According to my page 1970-72 Candidates Matches, two more games would be played in the match, Fischer winning both. For the previous CL&R cover on the candidates matches, see September 1971 & 1996 'On the Cover' (September 2021): 'Fischer and Larsen during the fifth game of the sensational match at Temple Buell College, Denver.'

GM Evans once had a falling out with Fischer. How did the story behind the CL&R cover fit into that chronology? [FLUP no.1]

Chess Life (25 Years Ago)

Most cover introductions take up a paragraph or two. The introduction to the November 1996 took up a full page. First there was an explanation.

"Pawns are like buttons. When they're gone, the pants fall down all by themselves."

Those words of wisdom by George Koltanowski, the Dean of American Chess, were offered to California Assemblyman Scott Baugh during their impromptu game at the California State Assembly in Sacramento on August 5. The occasion was the presentation of a special bipartisan resolution honoring Kolty for his blindfold chess achievements and for his eight decades of dedication to the Royal Game.

George, who celebrated his 93rd birthday on September 17, has been the chess columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle for 49 years. and was named 'Journalist of the Year' by the Chess Journalists of America [CJA]. Our thanks to the Chronicle's Associate Publisher Anthony Newhall. reporter Steve Rubenstein. and photographer Steve Yeater (who provided our cover this month) for sharing this story with Chess Life readers.

The full text of the resolution was copied on the same page.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE
Assembly
RESOLUTION
By the Honorable Curt Pringle, Speaker of the Assembly;
and the Honorable John L. Burton, 12th Assembly District
Assembly Members [...]

For the rest of the resolution, I'll just give the start of the paragraphs.

WHEREAS, International Grandmaster George Koltanowski, a distinguished San Francisco resident, who was born September 17, 1903, has enriched the lives of countless people worldwide through his informative lectures, insightful writings, and spectacular and unparalleled, simultaneous blindfold exhibitions; and

WHEREAS, His staggering successes in Caissa's realm of blindfold play [...]

WHEREAS, His commitment to voluntarily teaching chess to young people [...]

WHEREAS, His accomplishments in the chess world [...]

RESOLVED BY SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY CURT PRINGLE, ASSEMBLY MEMBER JOHN L. BURTON AND THE ABOVE-NAMED COAUTHORS, That the California State Legislature takes pleasure in honoring International grandmaster George Koltanowski for his truly monumental contributions to the game of chess, applaud him on his vast accomplishments that have astounded thousands for more than eight decades, along with the dignity with which he has always comported himself, making him a deserving legend throughout the world, and extend to him best wishes for continued success in his future endeavors.

Members Resolution No. 1366
Dated this 5th day of August, 1996
[signed by Pringle and Burton]

Flipping back 25 years to the 1971 CL&R, we find a curious story 'How Sick Can a Man Get?' by George Koltanowski, under the heading 'Chess Ramblings'.

There is no good way of starting this. "I shoulda had my head examined" is no good -- "I shoulda stood in bed' is even worse. So let me just tell it straight out and get it over with. [...] And now the butcher has asked me for chess lessons: what should I tell him? *** The above was written in 1954. It is pure fantasy on my part. To those members of the medical profession who feel miffed, my apologies.

Now, seventeen years later, I am still overweight, still complain of a variety of aches and pains, but my wife and I are still happy. I still teach on and off. My wife is a wonderful cook, so with her and Khayyam's loaf of bread, jug of wine, and -- not least -- chess, one could hardly ask for more!

Earlier this year, in May 1971 & 1996 'On the Cover' (May 2021), I commented on the unusual nature of Koltanowski's writing ('one of the shortest and strangest tournament reports I have ever seen for a national tournament'). The 'pants fall down' quote given above might be another example. How many other 'Ramblings' did Koltanowski leave us? [FLUP no.2]

Evaluating the Evaluations

In the most recent post on my chess960 blog, CCC C960 Blitz Championship (October 2021), which was itself a crossover idea from this current blog, I ended the post saying,

Given that engines' evaluations for every move are available in the event's PGN game scores, perhaps there is something to be learned about the 960 different start positions. That investigation would make a good follow-up post.

My first problem was to learn how to find my way around the PGN files available from the TCEC and the CCC. I went back to TCEC Season 21 -- reported on this blog a few months ago in TCEC Stockfish Wins S21; CCC Romance Continues (August 2021) -- then downloaded the PGN file containing the 100 games played in the match and loaded it into a normal database, i.e. not a chess database. After an hour or two sorting out a few technical problems, I had a working tool for further exploration.

Of the 26 decisive games played in the S21 Stockfish - LCZero final match, only one was won by Black : game 85. The same opening with colors reversed, game 86, was drawn. All of the games in the match started with openings dictated by the organizers.

Games 85 & 86 used an opening called the English ultra-symmetrical variation, where the initial moves were 1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.a3 e6 6.b4 Nxb4 7.axb4 cxb4 8.Nb5. The TCEC pages for the two games display the following charts showing both engines' evaluations during the course of the games.

In game 85, both engines calculated an advantage for Black that increased steadily. In game 86, the initial advantage for Black slowly evaporated.

I once based an entire post on detecting problems with the evaluations: TCEC Season 8 - Evaluation Anomalies (December 2015). It took me as long to identify those anomalies as it did to create the database for the current post.

Now that I have a tool for rapidly evaluating the engine evaluations, what can I do with it? The first task will be to put it to work on the 960 start positions used in chess960.