Magnus Carlsen - Vishy Anand Norway Chess 2013
I was surpised to see two Grandmaster Chess Players, especially the World Champion and the highest rated player in the world, play all the way down to an insufficient force draw like two beginning players. I recognized that this game was going to be a draw a good number of moves earlier and I am sure they must have known it to, yet they continued to play right down to the very end in which Carlsen had a knight and king against the lone king of Anand.
Calsen seemed to exhibit some strange behavior by making sure each of his pawns and pieces were exactly lined up and in the center of the square. He also wiped at the center of the board as if he was clearing away some invisible dust from the board. Perhaps, he thought a piece of dust might hinder the movement of his pawns. What a strange guy.
The Instructor
Hi RJ
Neither player wanted to be the first to offer the draw.
In the end it was Carlsen who shrugged his shoulders.
Nothing else strange, Carlsen was going through his openng routine.
A lot of players like to centralise every one of their pieces before the start
of a game and brushing away imaginary dust/fluff is also quite common.
Loads of physche going on (I thought you of all people would have would noticed that.)
Each player trying to impose their will on the opponent.
Carlsen getting up early to see if Anand would make a move whilst he was away.
(some players actually wait till you return - some players move and when
their opponents return they point out the move they have just played.)
None of this worked on Anand and Carlsen knew it would not but it might
put Anand off thinking this up and down nonsense in the opening would affect him.
"I know you have played a match with Kasparov and have seen every piece
of gamesmanship chess can produce but....I'll try it anyway...anyway who are you?"
Then you can either play "I'll get up and walk around too gambit" or just sit and
look non-phased like Anand did.
So we have Carlsen looking all uniterested and Anand playing 'How easy is this' Chess.
Did you notice Anand gently clicking his pen on and off to write down the moves.
(Carlsen had a normal pen.)
So you got, move, press clock, click pen on, write down the move, click the
pen off.
A few times Anand did not click his pen off.
Carlsen would have been waiting for that second click....
(he may not have noticed it but for a few seconds his mind would be
thinking there is something astray....something is missing.)
There is lot more going on between very good players that just the Chess.
It will be an interesting match.
hi guys just reading this post about the players wiping the board etc etc............. its same in all professional sports.. snooker players wiping the cloth chalking the cue over and over whilst watching other player... ronnie dabs his finger on the cloth to pick a piece of dust up, tennis players want the same ball after an ace etc, hi jumpers twitching there fingers before a jump tennis players blowing on their fingers, adjusting the strings... all about being a perfectionist and anand and carlsen are just that professional perfectionists all part of the show.............. even when we played tennis slam at school id be smelling the tennis ball just love the smell thats how much i love the game ..... that first move on the chess board like when u see a still swimming pool at the baths or a dead calm on the sea not disturbed just still in the moment djs twitching the knobs on a mixer its just a habit that grows on you i guess, ..
Originally posted by greenpawn34I guess it is their form of psychological warfare before and during the game.
Hi RJ
Neither player wanted to be the first to offer the draw.
In the end it was Carlsen who shrugged his shoulders.
Nothing else strange, Carlsen was going through his openng routine.
A lot of players like to centralise every one of their pieces before the start
of a game and brushing away imaginary dust/fluff is also quite common.
Loads of ...[text shortened]... ng on between very good players that just the Chess.
It will be an interesting match.
The instructor
Originally posted by rookorbycrookJust an aside, what the hell happened to Rafi at Wimbleton? He was going great guns on clay then total stumble on grass? Is that going to be his legacy, great on clay but that's it?
hi guys just reading this post about the players wiping the board etc etc............. its same in all professional sports.. snooker players wiping the cloth chalking the cue over and over whilst watching other player... ronnie dabs his finger on the cloth to pick a piece of dust up, tennis players want the same ball after an ace etc, hi jumpers twi ...[text shortened]... in the moment djs twitching the knobs on a mixer its just a habit that grows on you i guess, ..
Originally posted by sonhouseI'm sort of the same way with chess. I am lackluster on vinyl boards, but stellar on floppy boards. I get great traction on the new silicone boards, but sacrifices are harder to pull off.
Just an aside, what the hell happened to Rafi at Wimbleton? He was going great guns on clay then total stumble on grass? Is that going to be his legacy, great on clay but that's it?
God forbid I should ever have to play on cardboard again-I'd probably pull a muscle.
Originally posted by Paul LeggettI remember when I played at the World Open in 1982, they provided paper chess boards at all tables and I did very well. Now we normally play on roll-up boards at the chess club and I haven't done very well. However, I beat a player rated 1900+ when we played on the more expensive wooden board that had sensors that recorded the moves and the amount of time used for each move on a remote computer. Perhaps the surface one plays on has a psychological effect on ones play.
I'm sort of the same way with chess. I am lackluster on vinyl boards, but stellar on floppy boards. I get great traction on the new silicone boards, but sacrifices are harder to pull off.
God forbid I should ever have to play on cardboard again-I'd probably pull a muscle.
The Instructor