Chess

Ravishing · Apr 21, 2021

I am getting a kick out of the fact Chess is rising on the twitch platform and we're getting streams from Magnus Carlson.
He will be defending his World Championship in November-December.

Funny video posted 3 days ago, per the YouTube channel comments, these matches took place last year.

Sterling · Apr 21, 2021

Ravishing said:
I am getting a kick out of the fact Chess is rising on the twitch platform and we're getting streams from Magnus Carlson.
He will be defending his World Championship in November-December.

Funny video posted 3 days ago, per the YouTube channel comments, these matches took place last year.

There's a lot of good chess streamers now. Hikaru streams a lot.

Gankak · Apr 21, 2021

Sterling said:
There's a lot of good chess streamers now. Hikaru streams a lot.

Yeah i really like Hikaru's streams. They are also streaming the candidates matches that will produce the challenge to play against Magnus later this year for the title. If you are a fan of chess there is a lot of quality chess being streamed on twitch right now

Captain Suave · Apr 21, 2021

I've been getting back into chess as its popularity has risen during the pandemic. I used to play competitively in junior high but haven't really touched a board in almost 30 years. I'm loving re-learning as the GOAT and most ruthless PVP game ever. The modern chess apps are truly spectacular learning tools compared what was available when I was a kid.

I enjoy GothamChess and agadmator on YT. Magnus' content is obviously the pinnacle technically and he can keep up some pretty sharp and entertaining banter. Personally, I find Hikaru to be almost unwatchable. However godly he is at chess, dude has the personality of an autistic microwaved potato.

I love that chess has entered the modern era and memes are everywhere.

Airisch · Apr 21, 2021

Chris · Apr 22, 2021

I watch Hikaru and GothamChess on YouTube.

I started last year on chess.com and immediately dropped to ~700 and was humbled as apparently 1200 is a beginner. Climbed my way up and I'm around ~1230 now in Rapid.

I need to study more but it's too tempting to just play a game.

reavor · Apr 22, 2021

Looks like it's gonna be Carlsen vs Ian Nepomniachtchi for this years world championship. as usual it probably goes to rapid chess, where I think carlsen has the upper hand. chessbrahs for chess streams.

Gankak · Apr 22, 2021

Chris said:
I watch Hikaru and GothamChess on YouTube.

I started last year on chess.com and immediately dropped to ~700 and was humbled as apparently 1200 is a beginner. Climbed my way up and I'm around ~1230 now in Rapid.

I need to study more but it's too tempting to just play a game.

When I competed in tournaments my biggest gains in rating, from 1400ish to 1700ish, was from reading a book called How To Reassess Your Chess by IM Jeremy Silman. It is easily one of the best chess books I have read if you are serious about wanting to study. The method Silman uses to evaluate the board and how to come up with a plan made it so much easier for me to find good moves over the board.

Ravishing · Apr 22, 2021

Sterling said:
There's a lot of good chess streamers now. Hikaru streams a lot.

Hikaru was signed by TSM last year, which sounds nuts to me.

Also, Magnus has been streaming a lot this past week... I don't know if that's normal or if he's just getting into the streaming scene?

OU Ariakas · Apr 22, 2021

Ravishing said:
Hikaru was signed by TSM last year, which sounds nuts to me.

Also, Magnus has been streaming a lot this past week... I don't know if that's normal or if he's just getting into the streaming scene?

It seems like TSM and Liquid are trying to get out in front of the big streamers in every category to become the de facto 'agents' for the online media era that we are entering. Good on them for seeing the coming wave.

Gankak · Apr 22, 2021

Ravishing said:
Hikaru was signed by TSM last year, which sounds nuts to me.

Also, Magnus has been streaming a lot this past week... I don't know if that's normal or if he's just getting into the streaming scene?

Its not normal. Magnus hasn't really streamed at all thus far. In fact right after Hikaru got signed by TSM there was a bunch of backlash/drama from the upper echelon of the chess world about Hikaru doing that.

Ravishing · Apr 22, 2021

Magnus streaming now

Sterling · Apr 22, 2021

There's a lot of snobbery at the high end. A lot of elitist sentiment. People get mad because Hikaru and others try to bring the game to the masses. People get mad because Pogchamps is a bunch of streamers just starting out in chess and getting attention. Failing to see that this is how you grow the game. Not really unique to chess though.

Furry · Apr 22, 2021

Sterling said:
There's a lot of snobbery at the high end. A lot of elitist sentiment. People get mad because Hikaru and others try to bring the game to the masses. People get mad because Pogchamps is a bunch of streamers just starting out in chess and getting attention. Failing to see that this is how you grow the game. Not really unique to chess though.

The fuck? In my experience it's the exact opposite. There's a higher share of strange crazies than normal, but calling eltie chess players snobs? I can't agree to that. Tons of them do things like play people at clubs or do simuls for kids. I've played multiple world contenders at such events, and even a world champion at a local club when he happened to visit my city. I really don't get how you get an aire of elitism from that.

Captain Suave · Apr 22, 2021

Furry said:
The fuck? In my experience it's the exact opposite. There's a higher share of strange crazies than normal, but calling eltie chess players snobs? I can't agree to that. Tons of them do things like play people at clubs or do simuls for kids. I've played multiple world contenders at such events, and even a world champion at a local club when he happened to visit my city. I really don't get how you get an aire of elitism from that.

I get what he's trying to say. If you're part of a club and going to organized events you're already doing chess the "intended" way. He's talking about people who look down on stuff like the Hikaru/Magnus bongcloud draw because it's attention-grabbing in a 'disrespectful' way and draws fans for the lulz, while they would have been fine with them insta-moving the standard 40-move repetition finish that GMs traditionally use when they don't actually want to play the match.

Sterling · Apr 22, 2021

Obviously it's not universal, but there's a surprising amount of pushback. Some GMs talking poorly about Agadmator and Pogchamps and streaming etc. Again, it's not unique to chess, it happens with a lot of competitive arenas.

Furry · Apr 22, 2021

Captain Suave said:
I get what he's trying to say. If you're part of a club and going to organized events you're already doing chess the "intended" way. He's talking about people who look down on stuff like the Hikaru/Magnus bongcloud draw because it's attention-grabbing in a 'disrespectful' way and draws fans for the lulz, while they would have been fine with them insta-moving the standard 40-move repetition finish that GMs traditionally use when they don't actually want to play the match.

Yea, I think the ubiquitous grandmaster-draw is something that's always been looked down on by some watchers. But I think that's more the noisey fringe than the bulk of elite players. They won't ever go away and I don't think they're a problem, unless there's a serious outcome attached to it. All the real fans just have a laugh at it.

Furry · Apr 22, 2021

And while I'm thinking on chess, I'd like to recommend a couple books intended for more advanced players on improving the way they think about their moves. Both are quite good and not so widely known.

Zoom 001 Zero Hour for Operative Chess Opening Models, by Bent Larsen and Steffen Zeuthen. It's a very analytical book intended to impress upon the reader the importance of pawn structure, and why certain pawn structures are good and bad, and methods of exploiting them. It's meant to be a general book that helps you fill in the gap between opening theory and applying it to real world games once your knowledge of the opening runs out.

The search for chess perfection, by CJS Purdy. Not the most known chess player, but quite quite a brilliant chess mind that was good at breaking down and explaining a chess positions and particularly good at putting it to paper. Since this is a forum of gentlemen, be sure to find the original version, and not the censored poppycock that modern retailers are likely to carry.

Captain Suave · Apr 22, 2021

Anyone have a recommendation on a good basic overview book for opening theory? I keep making early game mistakes because I remember nothing beyond like the first three moves of the Sicilian.

Furry · Apr 22, 2021

Captain Suave said:
Anyone have a recommendation on a good basic overview book for opening theory? I keep making early game mistakes because I remember nothing beyond like the first three moves of the Sicilian.

Memorizing moves is certainly useful, but I’d say if you’re making mistakes you may want to look into a book along the lines of “My System” by nimzowitsch. Excellent book for beginner tactics. If you aren’t studied in chess it’s where to start on chess thinking.

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