For the first time since Carlsen-Caruana 2018 the World Championship is tied heading into the final classical game. Will we continue to see tension-wrought oscillations in the eval bar, or will Nepo and Ding tighten things up and take us to tiebreak? This match has been so dramatic that a rapid tiebreak feels like our destiny. Should be fun! As usual, I’ve got some interesting posts for you to read in case there any slow moments during the World Championship match. Have a good weekend, and may your favored player win!
World Championship Drama
Leonard Barden sets the stage for Game 14 on Saturday “Fabiano Caruana, was scathing in his Chess.com commentary about Nepo’s Game 12 play. “I don’t understand this decision to rush every move. It’s a world championship,” he said. “You have one or two chances in your lifetime – how can you play every move like it’s a Titled Tuesday game? ” (The Guardian)
Martin Justesen interviews Dr. Benjamin Portheault on the fascinating psychology of this match. “During a tournament things go very fast and you ideally need plans and procedures in place before the tournament. First and foremost handling very strong emotions is the number one challenge.” (Say Chess Substack)
Misc.
GM Levon Aronian won a Rapid & Blitz Event that ran Concurrently to the World Championships in Astana “Asked on-site by FM Mike Klein whether playing in the event was just for himself or if he felt like he was playing for his generation, with so many young opponents in the field, Aronian responded that he wanted to play as long as GM Viktor Korchnoi but be a nicer person along the way. “ (NM Anthony Levin for Chess.com)
Speaking of Korchnoi, “SimaginFan” provides a fascinating stroll through some of Korchnoi’s more interesting late 1970’s games. (Chess.com Blog)
The New York Times did a Long Article on How Chess.com is Corrupting Teenagers with Chess (Sarcasm Emoji) (Matt Richtel for the NYT)
More mainstream chess coverage- David Hill for the Ringer on Magnus’ Decision to Step Down (The Ringer)
More Magnus- He gave a Revealing Interview for Sjakksnakk, a Norwegian Podcast, and Tarjei Svensen graciously Translated some Highlights (Chess.com)
Interesting Essay by Sam Kahn about AI, Chess and the Engine’s Influence on Chess Analysis “Yes, chess is played at a higher level than ever before. But the deeper truth is that the fun has gone out of it” (Persuasion Blog)
Chess Improvement
IM Junta Ikeda on His Proclivity toward Procrastination, both Over the Board and Away from It (Infinite Chess Blog)
The Ono Zone with a Hunter S. Thompson like meditation on toddler’s and chess improvement, I think. “I watched all these courses, read all these books, but where I really learned this ending was in practice.” (TheOnoZone’s Lichess Blog)
Two top Dutch talents, IM Eline Roebers and FM Machteld van Foreest on their approaches to chess study ““If I have a free day, I can study eight hours a day,” says Eline. “But there are also days where you spend two, three hours a day.”" (Karel van Delft for the Chessable Blog)