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Actually, Carlsen was playing for tricks (as might be reasonable when you have just 30 seconds). Bill Gates had a winning position on the 9th move. If instead o

Actually, Carlsen was playing for tricks (as might be reasonable when you have just 30 seconds). Bill Gates had a winning position on the 9th move. If instead of 9. Nxe5?? which allows an immediate checkmate, he had played 9. Re1!, he would have had a huge advantage. I'm an international master, and more importantly, my computer backs up my opinion. I'm surprised Carlsen played a game with just 30 seconds on his clock; it's easy to lose in that situation since you simply don't have enough time to make more than about 30 moves. And by the way, the best player in the world at ridiculously short time controls ("bullet chess") like 1 minute for the game is Hikaru Nakamura, the top-rated American player, not Magnus Carlsen. Nakamura tends to play soundly in these time controls. Look at this video for a game where Nakamura plays against Grandmaster Max Dlugy (another bullet chess expert) with kibitzing by Grandmaster Ben Finegold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzrap8Vtyq8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzrap8Vtyq8

willvarfar 13y ago
Carlsen actually said he was just playing that for tricks, and started trying to explain this in the Skarvlan show itself, but camera pans quickly away.
- Ironlink 13y ago
  The episode is available here http://www.svtplay.se/video/1753565/del-3-av-12 http://www.svtplay.se/video/1753565/del-3-av-12 but you need to understand Norwegian (speech) or Swedish (subtitles). Edit: The preamble to the chess game starts at 53:00 and is in English.
haberman 13y ago
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzrap8Vtyq8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzrap8Vtyq8 I'm going to go for the most pedestrian, naive chess commentary ever by noting that at 0:20 it looks like there is a road through the middle of the board.
- GraffitiTim 13y ago
  If you mean the vertical line (horizontal from camera perspective) of squares with no pieces on it, that's called an open file, and it's an important concept in chess. Rooks on an open file are generally more powerful.
  - haberman 13y ago
    That makes sense, though I was looking more at the diagonal formation that starts at the bottom left, goes up and into the middle, and then down back into the right corner. It looks like a tree-lined boulevard with a bend in it. :)
usaphp 13y ago
Can you explain what does "playing for tricks" mean in chess?
- GraffitiTim 13y ago
  It means making knowingly inferior moves in order to set a trap that you are hoping your opponent will fall for (which Gates did). Normally not something serious chess players do, but I guess this is a weird situation.
  - bobwatson 13y ago
    Depending on regional dialect - it can also mean playing to capture pieces (i.e. like 'taking tricks' in card games) rather than with an overall strategy.
mmanfrin 13y ago
Is not knowing your opponent part of the strategy? Carlsen played the 'tricks' way he did because he knew, or felt reasonably certain that Gates would fall for them. Critiquing his play based on what you would do in Gates' position is simply wrong, because I'm assuming the #1 chess player in the world would play differently had he been playing against an international master such as yourself.
- jrs99 13y ago
  I don't think Carlsen was at all certain Gates would fall for those tricks. I just don't think Carlsen would care if he lost. People are assuming a lot of things. They're assuming that Carlsen wants to win at all costs. The same with Gates. Carlsen did what he wanted because the outcome didn't really matter to him. Kind of like Gates beating Shaq in a basketball game and then analyzing the strategy of each player to try to understand how that happened.
  - wamatt 13y ago
    > People are assuming a lot of things > "Carlsen did what he wanted because the outcome didn't really matter to him." Hmm.. didn't you just make an assumption too regarding Carlsen's state of mind and motives? Honestly both you and the OP seem to be engaging in pure speculation.
    - jrs99 13y ago
      no, i didn't assume anything. I reason that if you play a TRICK from the beginning, you don't really care to win. You're playing for a good time. To amuse non chess players.
- ca98am79 13y ago
  You are thinking of poker
gus_massa 13y ago
When the difference in level is so big you can use the opponent time to think. Bill has 2:00, but Carlsen has 2:30 :) (I’m not an international master, but I played a lot of chess while I was a child, including some matches with 5:00 for me and 2:00 for the other player.)
- S4M 13y ago
  Yeah, but Carlsen had just 30 seconds, which restricts the number of moves he can physically play (I'd say that it takes 1 secod to play a move).
solutionyogi 13y ago
That video you linked is insane. I couldn't even see what moves they are making. It reminded me of chess between Joey and Phoebe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_zq_M9OGk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_zq_M9OGk Thank you for sharing.
- jvagner 13y ago
  in the speed chess video above, why did both players advance all their pieces off the back rows for the midpoint of the game?
  - vecter 13y ago
    I think the rationale in bullet chess is that playing strategically isn't going to help and you're in less danger of getting checkmated. From that point of view, you might as well prepare for the endgame, so the best way to do that is to keep the king in the center of the board while connecting your rooks.
jrs99 13y ago
you're surprised that Carlsen played a "fake" for fun game with 30 seconds on the clock because he could easily LOSE? And because his reputation would take a total DIVE? And also because he's not the NUMBER ONE bullet player?
kurumo 13y ago
There is an IM in Boston who routinely gives people, mostly without regard for their rating, 30 seconds to 5 minutes odds with no increment. I have seen him win these controls against other masters. So comparatively it is not too surprising that Carlsen would be willing to accept these odds against an unrated amateur. Chess with this kind of time controls is basically a different game, which requires emphasis on different skills than do standard time controls.

willvarfar 13y ago

Carlsen actually said he was just playing that for tricks, and started trying to explain this in the Skarvlan show itself, but camera pans quickly away.

Ironlink 13y ago
The episode is available here http://www.svtplay.se/video/1753565/del-3-av-12 http://www.svtplay.se/video/1753565/del-3-av-12 but you need to understand Norwegian (speech) or Swedish (subtitles). Edit: The preamble to the chess game starts at 53:00 and is in English.

haberman 13y ago

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzrap8Vtyq8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzrap8Vtyq8 I'm going to go for the most pedestrian, naive chess commentary ever by noting that at 0:20 it looks like there is a road through the middle of the board.

GraffitiTim 13y ago
If you mean the vertical line (horizontal from camera perspective) of squares with no pieces on it, that's called an open file, and it's an important concept in chess. Rooks on an open file are generally more powerful.
- haberman 13y ago
  That makes sense, though I was looking more at the diagonal formation that starts at the bottom left, goes up and into the middle, and then down back into the right corner. It looks like a tree-lined boulevard with a bend in it. :)

usaphp 13y ago

Can you explain what does "playing for tricks" mean in chess?

GraffitiTim 13y ago
It means making knowingly inferior moves in order to set a trap that you are hoping your opponent will fall for (which Gates did). Normally not something serious chess players do, but I guess this is a weird situation.
- bobwatson 13y ago
  Depending on regional dialect - it can also mean playing to capture pieces (i.e. like 'taking tricks' in card games) rather than with an overall strategy.

mmanfrin 13y ago

Is not knowing your opponent part of the strategy? Carlsen played the 'tricks' way he did because he knew, or felt reasonably certain that Gates would fall for them. Critiquing his play based on what you would do in Gates' position is simply wrong, because I'm assuming the #1 chess player in the world would play differently had he been playing against an international master such as yourself.

jrs99 13y ago
I don't think Carlsen was at all certain Gates would fall for those tricks. I just don't think Carlsen would care if he lost. People are assuming a lot of things. They're assuming that Carlsen wants to win at all costs. The same with Gates. Carlsen did what he wanted because the outcome didn't really matter to him. Kind of like Gates beating Shaq in a basketball game and then analyzing the strategy of each player to try to understand how that happened.
- wamatt 13y ago
  > People are assuming a lot of things > "Carlsen did what he wanted because the outcome didn't really matter to him." Hmm.. didn't you just make an assumption too regarding Carlsen's state of mind and motives? Honestly both you and the OP seem to be engaging in pure speculation.
  - jrs99 13y ago
    no, i didn't assume anything. I reason that if you play a TRICK from the beginning, you don't really care to win. You're playing for a good time. To amuse non chess players.
ca98am79 13y ago
You are thinking of poker

gus_massa 13y ago

When the difference in level is so big you can use the opponent time to think. Bill has 2:00, but Carlsen has 2:30 :) (I’m not an international master, but I played a lot of chess while I was a child, including some matches with 5:00 for me and 2:00 for the other player.)

S4M 13y ago
Yeah, but Carlsen had just 30 seconds, which restricts the number of moves he can physically play (I'd say that it takes 1 secod to play a move).

solutionyogi 13y ago

That video you linked is insane. I couldn't even see what moves they are making. It reminded me of chess between Joey and Phoebe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_zq_M9OGk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n_zq_M9OGk Thank you for sharing.

jvagner 13y ago
in the speed chess video above, why did both players advance all their pieces off the back rows for the midpoint of the game?
- vecter 13y ago
  I think the rationale in bullet chess is that playing strategically isn't going to help and you're in less danger of getting checkmated. From that point of view, you might as well prepare for the endgame, so the best way to do that is to keep the king in the center of the board while connecting your rooks.

jrs99 13y ago

you're surprised that Carlsen played a "fake" for fun game with 30 seconds on the clock because he could easily LOSE? And because his reputation would take a total DIVE? And also because he's not the NUMBER ONE bullet player?

kurumo 13y ago

There is an IM in Boston who routinely gives people, mostly without regard for their rating, 30 seconds to 5 minutes odds with no increment. I have seen him win these controls against other masters. So comparatively it is not too surprising that Carlsen would be willing to accept these odds against an unrated amateur. Chess with this kind of time controls is basically a different game, which requires emphasis on different skills than do standard time controls.