alf's recent activity
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Comment on Tildes Video Thread in ~misc
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Comment on World number-one Magnus Carlsen defeated Fabiano Caruana in the final classical game to win the inaugural 2024 Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )Link Parent"Freestyle chess" is the same as chess960 and Fischer Random Chess. chess960 is what people usually call it to avoid mentioning its creator Bobby Fischer. That's the first time I've seen it called..."Freestyle chess" is the same as chess960 and Fischer Random Chess. chess960 is what people usually call it to avoid mentioning its creator Bobby Fischer. That's the first time I've seen it called "Freestyle", I guess I'm just misinformed.
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Comment on Ding Liren wins 2023 FIDE World Championship in rapid tiebreak in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )Link ParentI just can't believe Nepo let this win escape through his fingers. He had it at one point. Ultimately, it comes down to personality and work ethic. Ding seemed totally willing to drive himself...I just can't believe Nepo let this win escape through his fingers. He had it at one point. Ultimately, it comes down to personality and work ethic. Ding seemed totally willing to drive himself crazy to squeeze every ounce of grey matter he could get. Looking at him during this match made me sad. On the other hand, Nepo is usually detached, bored, and a bit arrogant at the chessboard. I was rooting for Nepo once again, and I do believe he is the better chess player, but I came to terms with the fact that no one becomes world champion with that attitude. Nepo is always preserving himself from stress, and that is not something you can do at that level and win. Unless your name is Magnus, of course.
Just look at the interview, Ding is falling apart, while Nepo looks just a little distraught.
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Ding Liren wins 2023 FIDE World Championship in rapid tiebreak
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Comment on World Chess Championship game 8: More drama, Ding Liren misses big chance in ~games.tabletop
alf LinkLevy Rozman is often exaggerated and clickbaity. In this case, his reaction was entertaining and appropriate.Levy Rozman is often exaggerated and clickbaity. In this case, his reaction was entertaining and appropriate.
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World Chess Championship game 8: More drama, Ding Liren misses big chance
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Mathematics and chess
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Hans Niemann sues champion Magnus Carlsen and others for $100 million over cheating claim
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )Linkchess.com Hans Niemann Report (direct link to the PDF, 72 pages). This is the report the WSJ commented on. Chess.com: 'Niemann Has Likely Cheated In More Than 100 Online Chess Games'. SHOCKING...chess.com Hans Niemann Report (direct link to the PDF, 72 pages). This is the report the WSJ commented on.
Chess.com: 'Niemann Has Likely Cheated In More Than 100 Online Chess Games'.
SHOCKING UPDATE: Chess Cheating Scandal (Gothamchess reaction to the WSJ report).
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )LinkA lot is being said about this drama. Instead of linking to every single thing I found in /r/chess, I'll just share these: GM Ben Finegold's latest take on the issue. It's over 1 hour, but he's...A lot is being said about this drama. Instead of linking to every single thing I found in /r/chess, I'll just share these:
- GM Ben Finegold's latest take on the issue. It's over 1 hour, but he's seemingly the voice of reason at this moment. In my opinion at least.
- Garry Kasparov on Magnus Carlsen: His behavior was unacceptable!.
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf Link ParentEven though I'm definitely an evidence-first kind of guy, it is hard for me to ignore that Magnus is immensely credible and also competent enough in his domain for his concerns to have enormous...Even though I'm definitely an evidence-first kind of guy, it is hard for me to ignore that Magnus is immensely credible and also competent enough in his domain for his concerns to have enormous weight. I was not at all inclined to have an opinion on vague insinuations, but an actual statement, along with all the other circumstantial evidence, managed to persuade me in the direction of guilt -- but that is merely a conviction, not certainty.
So this is just a personal opinion (and also a consequence that I am, admittedly, kinda tired of this whole thing), and I still believe that concrete evidence must surface in order to justify any actual measures taken against Hans, including the ban from chess.com. And I am still very critical of Magnus and chess.com's handling of the situation.
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )Link ParentReading this statement, I fully empathize with Magnus. While I do believe his course of action was far from ideal, he is after all a human being and I cannot truthfully say that I would do any...Reading this statement, I fully empathize with Magnus. While I do believe his course of action was far from ideal, he is after all a human being and I cannot truthfully say that I would do any better in his position. He now shared his reasoning, the source of his apprehension, and by doing so he opened himself to the same scrutiny Hans Niemann has received. I believe it is important to understand that even someone who is guilty of wrongdoing has the right to a defense, and up until now, without an actual public accusation, Hans Niemann was prevented from doing so (and, since I generally presume innocence, I had no reason whatsoever to believe that Hans was the reason more details didn't come to light).
Ultimately, what we have here are strong suspicions by someone with enormous credibility and little motive to lie. That is extremely relevant, albeit weakly evidential. Hopefully, new analysis and information will surface to settle the matter completely.
Truthfully, I think the odds of Magnus being mistaken are exceedingly low at this point.
EDIT: this may seem like too much of a Ned Flanders thought, but I was worried about Hans Niemann's mental health when I thought he might be innocent, and now that I think he's most likely guilty I'm even more preoccupied. His entire world is about to explode.
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )Link ParentSomeone in /r/chess provided a valid interpretation (permalink):Someone in /r/chess provided a valid interpretation (permalink):
I disagree that its a non-statement. Lets read between the lines.
1: They say Carlsen handled it poorly, called his behavior unprofessional. This one is pretty open.
2: They say online cheating is just as immoral as over the board cheating. Niemann has challenged this notion before, saying it was just online, and used this argument to defend his position.
3: They are urging Carlsen and Niemann, possibly also chess.com, to disclose information to them. It would seem neither party has done it so far, or at least not using the correct procedure.
4: They want to work with online platforms, possibly with the intention to introduce sanctions for online cheating, which reinforces statement number 2.
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )LinkIan Nepomniachtchi: I was unhappy to hear Hans Niemann will replace Rapport in Sinquefield Cup, (full video). FIDE Statement on the Carlsen - Niemann polemic:Ian Nepomniachtchi: I was unhappy to hear Hans Niemann will replace Rapport in Sinquefield Cup, (full video).
FIDE Statement on the Carlsen - Niemann polemic:
Last week, World Champion Magnus Carlsen resigned in a game played in an online competition against GM Hans Niemann before making his move two. The week before, he left an over-the-board tournament after losing the game to the same Mr. Niemann.
These were not FIDE events; however, as the world’s chess governing body, it is our duty to protect the integrity of the game and its image, and in view that the incident keeps escalating, we find it necessary to take a step forward.
First of all, we strongly believe that the World Champion has a moral responsibility attached to his status, since he is viewed as a global ambassador of the game. His actions impact the reputation of his colleagues, sportive results, and eventually can be damaging to our game. We strongly believe that there were better ways to handle this situation.
At the same time, we share his deep concerns about the damage that cheating brings to chess. FIDE has led the fight against cheating for many years, and we reiterate our zero-tolerance policy toward cheating in any form. Whether it is online or “over the board”, cheating remains cheating. We are strongly committed to this fight, and we have invested in forming a group of specialists to devise sophisticated preventive measures that already apply at top FIDE events.
As we have already done before, FIDE calls for reinforcing the cooperation between major online platforms, private events and top players - most of whom have already expressed their will to join efforts with FIDE.
FIDE is prepared to task its Fair Play commission with a thorough investigation of the incident, when the adequate initial proof is provided, and all parties involved disclose the information at their disposal. We are fully aware that, in some cases, uncertainty can harm players' performance. It also can be damaging to a player's reputation - that's why we insist on the anti-cheating protocols to be followed.
It is our hope that this whole situation could have a long-term positive effect, if tackled properly. We propose to launch a dedicated Panel, that would include representatives of the leading chess platforms, Grandmasters, anti-cheating experts and FIDE officers, in order to fight this risk and prevent it becomes a real plague.
Arkady Dvorkovich
FIDE President
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )Link ParentYes, it is true that you generally wanna play like the machine. However, GMs often make choices based on how they perceive their own strengths, and how well expect their opponents to respond to...Yes, it is true that you generally wanna play like the machine.
However, GMs often make choices based on how they perceive their own strengths, and how well expect their opponents to respond to certain lines. If everyone literally tried to play like a computer, all games would start with
1. e4 e5and consist of nothing but theory for the first 20 or moves so.While strong, there are lines that would require superhuman accuracy, so they might be bad for a given player even though it is the correct move according to the engine.
So, in practice, at my level, something very unsound like the Scandinavian Opening is pretty good, and the English Opening is relatively popular at the high level.
There is also the issue of time control... if your opponent doesn't have much time, it is often a good idea to introduce complications that you can manage fine in the time available to you, but they won't be able to calculate properly. I don't think engines account for that.
On one hand, one might say that engines made humans obsolete in chess. On the other, I would argue that engines are almost playing a different game. Engines play chess, humans play other humans.
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf (edited )LinkNaroditsky: I am pretty confident that Magnus believes Niemann has cheated over the board before Saint Louis (video) Daniel King: I’m really disappointed to see how Carlsen behaved with this...Ken Regan calls Hans accusations unfounded (vreddit).
In all seriousness, one big reason this is bad is Hans is by no means a lock to make the final 8. If he makes it by half a point or point over someone, that person has a very legitimate grievance. Magnus forfeit doesn’t only affect him and Hans and IMO he should be disqualified
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
alf Link ParentI really don't know how to qualify Magnus' actions at this point, but no actual evidence was ever shared with the public.I really don't know how to qualify Magnus' actions at this point, but no actual evidence was ever shared with the public.
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Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop
Alan Moore on magic.