3 ms·

> Personally, I'm on the side which thinks that this format is a total stagnation. I was with you until this WCC. In almost every game, Gukesh took Ding out o

> Personally, I'm on the side which thinks that this format is a total stagnation. I was with you until this WCC. In almost every game, Gukesh took Ding out of prep extremely early. It wasn't always a success for him either! Leaving the opening book typically means you accept an objectively-worse position, but one that your opponent has to spend a significant amount of time finding the right ideas in. Even in the cases where Ding found the right idea, Gukesh put him in serous time-trouble as a result. Yes, many of the games resulted in draws. But they were extremely sharp and imbalanced, and in virtually every game one side of the board (typically Gukesh) had a serious advantage and very strong attacking opportunities. The resulting draws were due to not finding the right ideas in time (and very likely both players psyching themselves out of the "obvious" correct move) rather than inherently boring and drawn positions. Overall it seemed to be an extremely effective strategy for Gukesh. But it was also actually exciting to watch unlike some previous WCCs where almost every game was likely in prep through the first 20+ moves and where the resulting positions had ample drawing chances for both sides.

auc 2y ago
This lacks some context. Gukesh took Ding out of prep bc Gukesh prepped for 7 months, while Ding prepped for 3 weeks and basically wanted to retire from chess. Ding would be out of prep by move 8 as white and be an hour down on time very consistently.
- dyauspitr 2y ago
  Ding says he wants to continue playing for a long time after the final. Sounds like you’re getting defensive.
- hilux 2y ago
  There's a recent video where Caruana says he doesn't believe Ding prepped at all!
- stouset 2y ago
  Gukesh repeatedly played opening lines that went out of book shockingly early. No amount of prep can prepare you adequately for someone willing to go off script on move 6.
  - ludston 2y ago
    That is what high level chess has been for years: preparing lines where you have the disadvantage if your opponent plays perfectly, but it uses up their clock and gives you opportunities to punish mistakes in their calculation. The same technique is used in ameture level chess too, although these are more likely to be piece gambits than merely positional ones.

auc 2y ago

This lacks some context. Gukesh took Ding out of prep bc Gukesh prepped for 7 months, while Ding prepped for 3 weeks and basically wanted to retire from chess. Ding would be out of prep by move 8 as white and be an hour down on time very consistently.

dyauspitr 2y ago
Ding says he wants to continue playing for a long time after the final. Sounds like you’re getting defensive.
hilux 2y ago
There's a recent video where Caruana says he doesn't believe Ding prepped at all!
stouset 2y ago
Gukesh repeatedly played opening lines that went out of book shockingly early. No amount of prep can prepare you adequately for someone willing to go off script on move 6.
- ludston 2y ago
  That is what high level chess has been for years: preparing lines where you have the disadvantage if your opponent plays perfectly, but it uses up their clock and gives you opportunities to punish mistakes in their calculation. The same technique is used in ameture level chess too, although these are more likely to be piece gambits than merely positional ones.