4 ms·

Yes, that's what people mean, almost by definition. In highly competitive events, even a slight break in focus and drive toward winning are often really proble

Yes, that's what people mean, almost by definition. In highly competitive events, even a slight break in focus and drive toward winning are often really problematic. Once that wolf-like focus and readiness to fight is broken, a competitor is usually done.

SamoyedFurFluff 4y ago
Even wolves are only focused during occasional hunts. They also play, raise their young, mate, sleep, and care for their sick and injured.
Bootvis 4y ago
I think Magnus just changed focus to being the first 2900. I bet the way the last match went was a bit of a let down for him as well.
- cupofpython 4y ago
  i have to imagine there are only so many 'tricks'/new lines left for him to use to win games at that level. revealing them on center stage for a single win is wasteful of the resources he has. the WCC games get studied by everyone, not only live with the worlds best engines, but after the fact too. much better to use those resources in tournaments where you can actually play a lot of games with it before people really get a chance to study it in depth. By resources i mean things like going into a position that gives your opponent an incredibly small advantage but is hard for them to play. It's one of the best ways to win games. it's hard work to find those lines, and he's been doing it for so long at WCC level it's not surprising that he's tapping out against someone he's already beaten. if you use a line in the WCC, it becomes very risky to use it again - because if your opponent studied it and plays it correctly then all you've done is make it even harder for you to win the game. to reach 2900 he has to win games, not tie
  - Scarblac 4y ago
    > much better to use those resources in tournaments where you can actually play a lot of games with it before people really get a chance to study it in depth. That doesn't exist anymore, any game Carlsen plays is studied in depth by the world immediately, and especially by his opponents. Same for other top grandmasters.
  - Andrew_nenakhov 4y ago
    > that he's tapping out against someone he's already beaten. Many observers overplay the importance of one match loss. More than one chess champion title was taken by a challenger who had lost in the previous attempt [1] - and considering there was just a handful of champions, it is a lot. [1]: Spassky and Kasparov have lost in their first attempts against Petrosyan and Karpov.
    - cupofpython 4y ago
      while true, it is still fair to say Carlsen views nepo as a waste of time. While it would be easy to dismiss this as hubris - i think the bigger point is that he doesnt gain anything from beating him again. It's not that Nepo has no chance of winning. Magnus specifically mentioned Firouzja as an opponent that he would consider playing the WCC against[1]. So while not the most important factor in his decision, the fact that Nepo won the candidates again and was the last challenger before Magnus made the Firouzja statement seems relevant. Also relevant is that the candidates tournament concluded on July 5th and Magnus released his withdrawal now in the same month. It seems to me like the challenger being Nepo was the last significant piece of information towards his decision. How specific it is to Nepo or a more general feeling of Nepo being one of many people he doesnt feel any personal benefit from playing against, who knows. [1] https://chess24.com/en/read/news/magnus-carlsen-unlikely-i-will-play-another-match-except-against-firouzja https://chess24.com/en/read/news/magnus-carlsen-unlikely-i-w...
      - Andrew_nenakhov 4y ago
        > Magnus specifically mentioned Firouzja as an opponent that he would consider playing the WCC against[1]. That is not how it works, and not how it is supposed to work. This is hubris and disrespect to all chess players in the world. For more than 100 years champions changed each other in title matches (well, before Kasparov's limitless ego created a decade of turmoil in Chess), with just one exception by Fischer, and now Carlsen 'doesnt feel any personal benefit'. :ThumbDown:
        cupofpython 4y ago
Retric 4y ago
Depends on the game, but people will often come back much stronger after a ~6 months break. It’s a mix of having a new perspective, dealing with stress, and having time to heal etc. This is one of the reasons most sports have an off season. Even if basketball could easily be played year round, the game would suffer.

SamoyedFurFluff 4y ago

Even wolves are only focused during occasional hunts. They also play, raise their young, mate, sleep, and care for their sick and injured.

Bootvis 4y ago

I think Magnus just changed focus to being the first 2900. I bet the way the last match went was a bit of a let down for him as well.

cupofpython 4y ago
i have to imagine there are only so many 'tricks'/new lines left for him to use to win games at that level. revealing them on center stage for a single win is wasteful of the resources he has. the WCC games get studied by everyone, not only live with the worlds best engines, but after the fact too. much better to use those resources in tournaments where you can actually play a lot of games with it before people really get a chance to study it in depth. By resources i mean things like going into a position that gives your opponent an incredibly small advantage but is hard for them to play. It's one of the best ways to win games. it's hard work to find those lines, and he's been doing it for so long at WCC level it's not surprising that he's tapping out against someone he's already beaten. if you use a line in the WCC, it becomes very risky to use it again - because if your opponent studied it and plays it correctly then all you've done is make it even harder for you to win the game. to reach 2900 he has to win games, not tie
- Scarblac 4y ago
  > much better to use those resources in tournaments where you can actually play a lot of games with it before people really get a chance to study it in depth. That doesn't exist anymore, any game Carlsen plays is studied in depth by the world immediately, and especially by his opponents. Same for other top grandmasters.
- Andrew_nenakhov 4y ago
  > that he's tapping out against someone he's already beaten. Many observers overplay the importance of one match loss. More than one chess champion title was taken by a challenger who had lost in the previous attempt [1] - and considering there was just a handful of champions, it is a lot. [1]: Spassky and Kasparov have lost in their first attempts against Petrosyan and Karpov.
  - cupofpython 4y ago
    while true, it is still fair to say Carlsen views nepo as a waste of time. While it would be easy to dismiss this as hubris - i think the bigger point is that he doesnt gain anything from beating him again. It's not that Nepo has no chance of winning. Magnus specifically mentioned Firouzja as an opponent that he would consider playing the WCC against[1]. So while not the most important factor in his decision, the fact that Nepo won the candidates again and was the last challenger before Magnus made the Firouzja statement seems relevant. Also relevant is that the candidates tournament concluded on July 5th and Magnus released his withdrawal now in the same month. It seems to me like the challenger being Nepo was the last significant piece of information towards his decision. How specific it is to Nepo or a more general feeling of Nepo being one of many people he doesnt feel any personal benefit from playing against, who knows. [1] https://chess24.com/en/read/news/magnus-carlsen-unlikely-i-will-play-another-match-except-against-firouzja https://chess24.com/en/read/news/magnus-carlsen-unlikely-i-w...
    - Andrew_nenakhov 4y ago
      > Magnus specifically mentioned Firouzja as an opponent that he would consider playing the WCC against[1]. That is not how it works, and not how it is supposed to work. This is hubris and disrespect to all chess players in the world. For more than 100 years champions changed each other in title matches (well, before Kasparov's limitless ego created a decade of turmoil in Chess), with just one exception by Fischer, and now Carlsen 'doesnt feel any personal benefit'. :ThumbDown:
      - cupofpython 4y ago

Retric 4y ago

Depends on the game, but people will often come back much stronger after a ~6 months break. It’s a mix of having a new perspective, dealing with stress, and having time to heal etc. This is one of the reasons most sports have an off season. Even if basketball could easily be played year round, the game would suffer.