The FIDE Candidates is over, but the think-pieces and narrative shaping are just beginning! Here are a few questions that I, and others are pondering..
Will Gukesh now put distance between himself and his prodigy contemporaries?
Was this the last stand for the Fabi/Naka/Nepo generation?
IF the younger generation is starting to take over in the Men’s World Championship Cycle, why isn’t it occurring yet in the Women’s Candidates, where we are set for a 2018 World Championship rematch?
Are openings at the professional level going to be fun again?
My answers to these questions are still unformed, as I’ve still got some Candidates post-mortems to catch up on, but meanwhile, we have plenty of other chess-related stories to digest, along with the usual array of chess improvement advice and book reviews. Here are some of the most interesting ones I found from the last two weeks.
Have a good weekend!
The FIDE Candidates
FM Dennis Monokroussos reflects on the FIDE Candidates “Its a great moment for D. Gukesh… but it’s a tragic moment for Fabiano Caruana, who had a win in his grasp against Ian Nepomniachtchi - repeatedly - before letting his opponent slip out a final time to make a draw. Had Caruana won, he and Gukesh would have had a playoff match today (Monday); now, he must deal with “what if?” and regret.” (The Chess Mind Blog)
FM Andy Lee (New Blog!) dissects the opening choices in the epic last round. “That’s top-level chess in a nutshell: it’s often more valuable to play an unusual move that catches your opponent off guard than the very best move in every opening line.” (Lit & Chess)
IM Greg Shahade has some interesting suggestions for how to improve the Candidates Cycle. He suggests a bigger emphasis on qualifying through winner-take-all tournaments in order to increase the drama in each tourney (Greg Shahade’s Blog)
Colin McGourty chronicles the hero’s welcome GM Gukesh received when he returned to Chennai, along with some info about potential World Championship match venues (Chess.com News)
Chess Improvement
Dr. Nick Vazquez shares some great ideas from science and medicine about how to incorporate “timeouts” in order to limit blunders in his games (Chess in Small Doses)
GM Noel Studer on why you, as an amateur, should not study openings like a Grandmaster does. “Here’s the key: Your games are decided by big mistakes, not small advantages nursed over 60+ moves.” (Next Level Chess Blog)
NM Matt Gross looks at what amateurs can learn by comparing the chess study approaches Gukesh and Firouzja (MoveLibrary)
Book Reviews
“Path to Chess Mastery” belatedly reviews American Grandmaster: Four Decades of Chess & Adventure, a 2007 book by GM Joel Benjamin.I have to say that I enjoyed the book more than he did! (Path to Chess Mastery)
ArunJ of Forward Chess reviews GM Jesse Kraai’s favorite book (that I shamefully have never read), Tal-Botvinnik 1960. "It’s notable that opening preparation was not a major component of the pre-match activities, which is a far cry of what happens in top-class chess these days!” (Forward Chess Blog)
Peter Boel touchingly shares his memories of long-ago meetings with legendary IM Mark Dvoretsky, who is remembered in new book The Chess Coach: The Profound and Lasting Legacy of IM Mark Dvoretsky (NIC Blog)
John Upham recommends The Caro Kann: The Easy Way by IM Thomas Engqvist (British Chess News)
Misc.
Touching post from GM Avetik Grigoryan about what he learned from former Armenian Champion Karen Asrian, who died at the age of 28 in 2008, and recently would have celebrated a birthday. “From Karen I learned that it’s possible to go up and forward, while at the same time staying true to your values, humble and nice.” ((LiChess Blog)
Fun interview with the always insightful GM Maurice Ashley. “I don’t know that there’s a magic formula (in spotting talented players), but certain things have to be in place. They have to absolutely hate losing. But even though they hate losing, they keep coming back. That’s already a huge sign” (Steve Sheinkin for Chess Life Online)
Tunde Onakoye broke a world record in order to help raise money for The Gift of Chess (Tarjei Svensen for Chess.com)
The BBC is developing a new chess/reality show called The Master Game (Nicola Methven for The Mirror)
Martin Justesen weighs in on a recent debate regarding how chess broadcasts should utilize eval bars (Say Chess Blog)
I also really enjoyed Joel Benjamin's part biography/part funny storytelling back in the day. And I think "back in the day" is the key phase here, I kinda laughed when the reviewer complains about part of the book being dated, while he himself is some fifteen years late reviewing said book. Duh!
That picture… lol. Fabi is the only one who doesn’t look upset and confused. Fabi only looks skeptical.