[Event "rated standard match"]
[Site "freechess.org"]
[Date "2006.11.13"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rodion"]
[Black "Xpoint"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "1897"]
[BlackElo "2194"]
[ECO "A45"]
[TimeControl "1200"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. Bxf6 gxf6 4. c4 dxc4 5. e3 e5 6. Bxc4 Rg8 7. Qh5 Rg7
8. dxe5 Bg4 9. Qh4 Qd1# {Rodion checkmated} 0-1
class A player mated in 9 moves...yep everyone makes mistakes
Originally posted by mtthwThat is the strange reality of competitive chess. You could see a blunder like that and then ask the question: How can such a super GM make such a blunder?
Tal Memorial tournament earlier today. Levon Aronian, 2741 Elo, number 7 in the world, is white.
[fen]2r1r1k1/1p3pbp/6p1/p5B1/P1qp4/3QP3/5PPP/R2R2K1 w 0 23[/fen]
White plays exd4...
I played in some tournaments in the past, and in some of them, I made silly blunders. Those were moves that a beginner wouldn't make, but in spite of lots of analysis, theoritical preparations etc, one has the tendency to blunder.
I think more than anything else, it is the psychological impact of the game that is the culprit. When you are playing in a tournament, with all eyes on you, and at the back of your mind people are expecting the best out of you, the pressure can be just too much.
In the recent Kramnik/Topalov game 2, Kramnik was accused of cheating and apparently had a very high percentage agreement with a computer program in that game. Yet Kramnik missed a mate in 3. What's even funnier, his accuser also missed it! One might ask, how can these super GMs miss a 3-move combination?
When under pressure you mind plays tricks on you.
You look through all the best moves and you can't find a good continuation so you panic a play a move that adresses none of the problems in your position.
A much higher rated player than I did that in a 30min+12 match and I had to give him a rook an miss an en prise pawn for him to finally get back in the match!
