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Comparing the records of the world chess champions has become a popular pursuit. Such investigations have been fuelled by the fiftieth anniversary of Bobby Fischers conquest of the championship, which fell precisely at the end of last month. Debate has been intensified by the announcement from the reigning champion, Magnus Carlsen, that he will retire from his throne while still undefeated. Only two previous champions achieved this feat: Alexander Alekhine in 1946 by passing away while in retention of the title, and Bobby Fischer in 1975, by forfeiting his title without moving a pawn in defence. Both Carlsen and Alekhine played no fewer than five matches for the championship, Fischer just one, thus seriously disappointing his millions of fans around the world.

Earlier this year I suggested that Emanuel Lasker might have been the greatest champion of them all. Coincidentally, a new book by the ever reliable Steve Giddins, in partnership with Gerard Welling, has proposed a most innovative instruction manual, The Lasker Method to Improve in Chess, published by New In Chess a curious simultaneous endorsement of my own recent analysis.

Chess enthusiasts love statistics. This week I have taken my research even further, to ascertain who was the most effective World Champion, by collecting all the results of games between the sixteen World Champions and working out the percentages between them.In other words, a league table of the best against the best.

Belowis the table of World Champions results (in classical time limit games only) against other World Champions whom they have played.

World Champions percentages against other World Champions, in chronological order

1 Wilhelm Steinitz 46.79%

2 Emanuel Lasker 60.59%

3 Jos Raul Capablanca 54.59%

4 Alexander Alekhine 51.09%

5 Max Euwe 41.60%

6 Mikhail Botvinnik 51.16%

7 Vasily Smyslov 47.46%

8 Mikhail Tal 48.51%

9 Tigran Petrosian 49.35%

10 Boris Spassky 47.06%

11 Bobby Fischer 54.67%

12 Anatoly Karpov 50.48%

13 Garry Kasparov 53.74%

14 Vladimir Kramnik 50.00%

15 Viswanathan Anand 48.09%

16 Magnus Carlsen 52.58%

It is interesting that Emanuel Lasker, the secondchampion,with a very long reign of 27 years, comes out on top. Meanwhile, in spite of his refusal to defend the title, Bobby Fischer edges out the sublime Capablanca for silver medal in this celestial battle of the grandest of grandmasters on the peak of Mount Olympus.

Laskers percentage lead is clear and quite extraordinary. It includes games stretching from 1894 to 1936 against Steinitz, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe and Botvinnik a remarkable display of chessboard longevity.

Interestingly, Carlsens style appears to imitate that of his great predecessor, Emanuel Lasker. I have summarised the winning formula, present in the games of perhaps the greatest historic and the reigning champion, encapsulated in ten easy to learn memorable M principles. Standing for Magnus: the World Champion will standardly put these into practice. Of course, Magnus did not invent these principles; they are present in the victories of all great champions. The games of Magnus Carlsen, though, are the clearest contemporary expression of this winning programme, also clearly visible in the games of Emanuel Lasker.

Mental Stamina: the resilience to fight through remorselessly to the end.

Motivation: Fierce desire to succeed. Without these first two M qualities, no aspiring champion will ever succeed. There have been outstanding players in the history of chess, such as Johannes Zukertort, Akiba Rubinstein, Paul Keres and Peter Leko, who have been highly creative and technically immaculate yet, lacking Mental Stamina and Motivation to the most extreme degree, they never quite fulfilled their ambition of reaching the very top.

Mobilisation: Activating resources at your command.

Momentum: seizing and maintaining the initiative.

Material: converting momentum to material advantage.

Muralism: A word which I have coined from the Latin word Murus, a wall, implying here impenetrable defence against enemy attacks. Away from the chess board this would imply having no moral or ethical chinks in ones affairs.

Masquerade: mastering the art of deception, throwing the opposition off balance by an unexpected manoeuvre or sacrifice.

Massacre: moving in for the kill and showing no mercy.

Mate: the coup de grce. Most opponents will surrender or resign before final evisceration occurs; but it is important to maintain vigilance to the very end.

And one M to avoid: Mistake.

Not all Carlsen games can exemplify all the Ms. However, the linked game from a tumultuous moment in world chess history shows some key applications of the M for Magnus principles.

Norway was in uproar; India in mourning and chess trended on Twitter at number three slot in the world. Magnus Carlsen finally broke through to score a decisive victory in his $5 million dollar World Championship Challenge against the previous Champion, Viswanathan Anand. As has become customary, Carlsen, like Lasker, achieved no advantage from the opening, but a tense and complex position where a draw was unlikely. Under intense pressure, Anand eventually plunged from the tightrope he had been carefully navigating, vanished into the precipice and lost both game and title in one fell swoop.

Is Carlsen the modern counterpart to Lasker? You judge on our Style Council;

Emanuel Lasker vs. Jose Raul Capablanca (1914)

Alexander Alekhine vs Emanuel Lasker (1924)

Viswanathan Anand vs Magnus Carlsen (2013)

Raymond Keene s latest book Fifty Shades of Ray: Chess in the year of the Coronavirus, containing some of his best pieces from TheArticle, is now available from Blackwell s .

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Chess secrets: from Lasker to Carlsen - TheArticle

Indias Pranav Anand and AR Ilamparthi emerged champions in the Open under-16 and under-14 categories respectively in the World Youth Chess Championship .

The top-seeded Anand, who Thursday became the countrys 76th Grandmaster, scored nine points from 11 rounds to emerge clear winner. He was half a point ahead of the rest of the field. Anands compatriot M Pranesh, who was the second seed, finished joint third with eight points along with three others.

Anand remained unbeaten through the 11 rounds and posted seven wins apart from four draws. He drew his 11th and last round game against Frances Droin Augustin after scoring over Armenias Emin Ohanyan in round 10.

Pranesh, on the other hand, recorded six wins and four draws. However, a defeat at the hands of Ohanyan in round six hurt his title chances.

Like Anand, Ilamparthi was half a point ahead of the rest of the field with 9.5 points from 11 rounds. Though he lost to Ukraines Artem Berin in the fourth round, he won nine games and drew one to claim the top prize. In the Open under-18 event, Sohan Kamotra took the 14th place with 7 points while S Harshad (6.5 points) had to be content with 24th place.

Among the girls, Mrittika Mallick finished fourth in the girls under-14 section with 8 points. Also, Anupam M Sreekumar and H G Pragnya secured seventh and eighth place respectively. In the girls under-18 event, S Kanishka with 7.5 points took sixth place while Rakshitta Ravi finished eighth, also with the same number of points

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Indian chess players Pranav Anand, Ilamparthi win titles - The Indian Express

A 12-year-old Kiwi chess player has been dubbed one to watch by the chess world, after outstanding performances at the 2022 Chess Olympiad, the worlds biggest chess championships.

Cadence Yu, a year 8 student at Aucklands Diocesan School For Girls, has only been playing chess for the three years, and is already ranked among the best in the chess world.

Yu said she first got into chess while she was still living in China, and started playing at a local club and taking chess lessons.

READ MORE:* All the right moves: Why is chess so popular in New Zealand?* The real Beth Harmons: The Georgian women chasing the Queen's Gambit glory* I'm an Australian Grandmaster and The Queen's Gambit has all the right moves

However, she said wasnt crazy about chess until she watched the Candidates Tournament, an international tournament where one of her grandmasters was playing.

I dont know how many times I have watched that video, but it was a great game. Thats when I started to get serious about chess and wanted to learn more, Yu said.

Alex Cairns/Stuff

Cadence Yu may only be 12, but she is already playing chess with some of the world's best.

A grandmaster is the highest honour you can be awarded in chess, which Yu said would be incredible to achieve.

It would be really amazing to become a grandmaster, but more realistically I would want to try to be a female grandmaster, because there are female counterparts to all the titles, Yu explained.

Female players are also able to gain the title of (male) grandmaster if they are good enough only 39 women in the world are currently bestowed with that honour.

Yu earned her first honour candidate master thanks to her incredible performance at the 2022 Olympiad, where she won four of the eight games that she played.

One of Yus goals is to get more girls her age interested in chess.

Yu is the youngest member of the New Zealand womens team, which finished 67th out of 162 nations, including the best players in the world.

The 12-year-old was recognised for her achievements by being awarded with an individual Women's Candidate Master title, however it will not officially be awarded until her ranking reaches 1800.

Currently, Yus ranking sits around 1500 to put that in perspective, the worlds number one chess player is ranked 2864.

Alex Cairns/Stuff

Cadence is in year 8 at Diocesan School for Girls, where she is an enthusiastic member of the schools chess club.

Although chess may be regarded by some as a game of skill or mathematics, Yu describes it as creative.

I love how you have to be responsible for all of your pieces, and if you lose concentration on one of your pieces, you will probably lose the progress you made, she said.

Although Yu is working to improve her ranking, she said one of her main goals is to encourage more Kiwis to play chess.

There arent a lot of female players that play chess professionally, so it would be nice to make the people around me love chess too, because it is a really amazing game, she said.

By training to become a stronger player myself, I hope to inspire more girls in New Zealand.

Alex Cairns/Stuff

The pre-teens love for the board sport blossomed after watching her idols play in the Candidates Tournament.

With Yus incredible skill in mind, Stuff challenged the year 8 student to a very competitive and serious game of chess.

The match consisted of three very quick games, with one lasting just 17 seconds and another stretching to a couple of minutes Yu came out on top every time.

Yu said her longest games sometimes reach up to five hours, of which she has won many.

Despite the games with Stuff being purely being for fun, Yus commitment to every move was admirable and humbling to watch.

Originally posted here:
12-year-old NZ chess player faces off against some of the world's best - Stuff

Each week, On3s Mike Huguenin and Matt Zenitz spotlight six games with interesting coordinator matchups. The proverbial chess match between the coordinators very well could determine the outcome.

Here are the six in Week Three.

Time/TV: 3:30 p.m., CBSThe coordinator matchup: Penn State OC Mike Yurcich vs. Auburn DC Jeff SchmeddingThe buzz: Will Penn State be able to run? The running game was stifled in the season-opening win at Purdue, then PSU ran wild last week against Ohio. Auburns defense will be the best the Nittany Lions have seen, so the viability of the run is a genuine question for Yurcich. Schmedding was promoted to DC when Derek Mason left for Oklahoma State, and this is his first big test. Penn State has good receivers, headed by Parker Washington and transfer Mitchell Tinsley; if Sean Clifford has time to throw, the Nittany Lions will do some damage even though Auburns secondary is solid. Given Auburns offensive malaise, it shouldnt take a huge offensive effort from Penn State to win. Still, the potential lack of a rushing attack could mean Clifford is going to have to dodge pass rushers all day, and that could lead to mistakes.

Time/TV: 6 p.m., ESPNThe coordinator matchup: Mississippi State coach Mike Leach vs. LSU DC Matt HouseThe buzz: Leach is his own play-caller, and he and QB Will Rogers likely are looking forward to throwing it around against LSUs rebuilt secondary, which counts heavily on six transfer DBs. The talent is there in the secondary for the Tigers, but everyone still needs to get comfortable with each other. Playing zone and keeping everything in front of you is the key for a defense when playing against a Leach offense. Will Houses group be disciplined enough? Disrupting Rogers will be tough, given all the quick passes. But LSU edge rusher B.J. Olujari, who missed last weeks rout of Southern, is expected to play.

Time/TV: 7 p.m., ESPN2The coordinator matchup: Texas Tech OC Zach Kittley vs. NC State DC Tony GibsonThe buzz: Texas Tech has thrown the ball on 57 percent of its offensive snaps (wed bet that figure is higher than 60 percent soon), and 77 percent of its total offense has come via the pass; thus, NC States DBs are going to be busy Saturday. That should be OK with Gibson, as the Wolfpack secondary is one of the best in the ACC. S Tanner Ingle is the headliner of an experienced group, and that experience needs to show up. Tech had protection issues in last weeks OT win over Houston, but the Wolfpack pass rush has been nonexistent in the first two games. Gibson cant afford to let Tech QB Donovan Smith have a clean pocket, so what does he do?

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m., ABCThe coordinator matchup: Michigan State OC Jay Johnson vs. Washington DC William IngeThe buzz: The first real test for both teams this season. Michigan States offensive balance generally causes problems for opposing defenses; the Spartans can run effectively, especially between the tackles with transfer RB Jalen Berger, and also have a solid passing attack because of WR Jayden Reed. The second part likely worries Inge, whose corners have been spotty against lackluster foes in the first two games. The return of CB Jordan Perryman, a UC Davis transfer who missed last weeks game with a minor injury, will be important. The Huskies have some edge rushers who can provide pressure, and that aspect needs to come to the fore against the Spartans.

Time/TV: 9 p.m., ESPNThe coordinator matchup: Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher vs. Miami DC Kevin SteeleThe buzz: Fisher is his own play-caller, and this will be the eighth time in his career he has gone against a Steele-led defense; Steele leads 4-3. A&M is coming off an abysmal offensive performance against Appalachian State, and there is a quarterback switch from Haynes King to LSU transfer Max Johnson. Miamis secondary can be exploited, so A&M has to get its passing game going. Expect Steele to try to get a ton of pressure on A&Ms quarterback, whoever it is, and load up to stop Aggies RB Devon Achane.

Time/TV: 10:30 p.m., FoxThe coordinator matchup: Fresno State OC Kirby Moore vs. USC DC Alex GrinchThe buzz: Moore, the younger brother of Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore, will rely heavily on the right arm of QB Jake Haener, one of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast. Fresno also has a solid running back in Jordan Mims. USCs offense figures to put up big numbers, so Moore needs to find a way to manufacture a ton of points. Grinchs defense has been OK through the first two games, but Fresnos passing attack is going to make USC DBs work.

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Chess match: Six coordinator matchups to watch in Week 3 - On3.com

It was a startling surprise last November when the Baltimore Ravens, among the NFLs hottest teams at the time with six wins in seven games, visited the struggling Miami Dolphins and their 2-7 record. The Ravens got out-coached, out-played and generally just outed as not an elite playoff contender.

It was a shock when the Ravens, averaging 29 points per game over the previous month, had no clue how to move the football when facing the zero blitz a gambling defensive strategy the Dolphins used so many times it frustrated quarterback Lamar Jackson to the extent he was yelling at coaches and teammates on the Baltimore sideline.

I was hot, Jackson said at the time, very much meaning angry.

And it would be a stunning surprise if the Ravens, with 10 months to study and recover from this game of coaching wits, arent more prepared to deal with what the Dolphins may to bring to Sundays rematch in Baltimore.

We would have been negligent if we hadnt worked on it, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this week. Its something we needed to get a lot better at. Weve studied it the whole offseason. Well have a plan for it and hope it works.

These guys are probably the best in the league at doing it right now. They do it more than anybody, they do it better than anybody. Its something theyre committed to. I have all the respect in the world for what theyre doing defensively.

Advantage Dolphins.

The Dolphins crafted a strategy so effective that other teams copied the blueprint and used it against the Ravens. Harbaugh, arguably the best coach in the NFL, responded by having his best minds figure out how to combat the strategy.

But the big advantage for the Dolphins is they can try to use it again Sunday. Or not perhaps using something different the Ravens didnt spend months of prep work trying to figure out.

The element of surprise remains with Miami. The Ravens are expecting Miami to do it. But Miami knows this and might predictably go another direction.

Its the proverbial I know that you know that I know situation.

So Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, who has been with the club since 2019 and became the coordinator in 2020 under Brian Flores, has options. Hes obviously not saying what the Dolphins will do next and will actually try to disguise his intentions up until the moment the ball is snapped.

Sometimes when you line up, obviously you can kind of tell whats coming defensively, Boyer said. We try to disguise things as best we can so that all looks dont look the same. But I think it comes down to execution. I really do. I know you guys keep referring to the game from a year ago, but even in some of those zero blitzes, they had some good answers, but it really came down to execution.

And thats in any defensive scheme or any offensive scheme. They have good coaches over there. Theyre going to be well prepared. We know and understand that. Were working very hard to put together the best game plan that we feel going into the game and were looking forward to the competition on Sunday.

Zero blitz, by the way, is a strategy that lines up one defender in coverage against each of the offenses receivers be that three receivers or four. And everyone else rushes the quarterback.

Its great when the pressure, which comes from all positions including safeties, confuses or even sacks the quarterback. But it can also be a nightmare for the defense against quarterbacks that get the ball out quickly to receivers who beat man coverage quickly.

So its a gamble, which is why not a lot of teams use it often and definitely not as often as Miami, which led the NFL in zero blitzes a season ago.

Heres a stat: The Dolphins blitzed a defensive back on 24 of Jacksons 48 dropbacks last November. That represents the most blitzes from the secondary by any team since Next Gen Stats started tracking those numbers in 2016.

The Dolphins didnt use it a ton against the New England Patriots last week but that was perhaps because they enjoyed a 17-0 halftime lead and there was no need to use dangerous blitzes while nursing that lead.

Maybe Boyer was saving his best blitzes for this week. But maybe he intends to go a totally different route.

Remember that Boyer comes from the same New England coaching staff that virtually stopped the Los Angeles Rams and their dynamic offense in the Super Bowl in February 2019. Largely because after playing man coverage most of that season, they played zone in that game.

The Rams had prepared for man and simply didnt produce against the unexpected strategy. When Boyer and former coach Brian Flores were in Miami and played the Rams again in 2020, they did not recycle the strategy they used in the Super Bowl.

This time they attacked L.A. quarterback Jared Goff with the zero blitz again, something the Rams were not expecting.

So Boyer comes from a school of thought that tries to do something different every rematch rather than repeat the same strategy. Thats why a chess match looms Sunday.

We hadnt really gone over defenses doing all-up zero against us, like, just all-up, flat-out zero, Jackson said this week recalling the last game. But I feel like well have an answer for it this year. We watched a lot of film on those guys, because we dont want it to happen again.

Well see.

Follow on Twitter: @ArmandoSalguero

For a breakdown of the rest of Sundays games, check out Dan Zaksheskes piece here.

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Miami Dolphins And Baltimore Ravens Have Been Playing A Chess Match For 10 Months - OutKick