alf's recent activity

  1. Comment on Ding Liren wins 2023 FIDE World Championship in rapid tiebreak in ~games.tabletop

    alf
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    I totally understand that body language is not really science, but when you put it in the context of the number of moves he plays at an absurd speed that astonishes even a genius like Fabiano...

    I totally understand that body language is not an exact really science, but when you put it in the context of the number of moves he plays at an absurd speed that astonishes even a genius like Fabiano Caruano, as well as the varying quality of those moves, I start to draw a picture in my head.

    Edit: after rereading your comment... Nepo needs a good sports psychologist. He clearly has trouble performing at the highest level, or "closing the deal". The skills are there. If you allow me more totally unscientific and intuitive speculation (also called "guess"), his aloofness is how he copes with his inability to function under pressure. He is masking, and playing super fast is a way to get rid of the problem in the short term, performing an act of overt confidence. And I say this as someone who loves the dude. God, I'm a great psychotherapist, where is my diploma!?!?!?

    1 vote

  2. Comment on Ding Liren wins 2023 FIDE World Championship in rapid tiebreak in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
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    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...

    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.

    3 votes

  4. Comment on World Chess Championship game 8: More drama, Ding misses big chance in ~games.tabletop

  8. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
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    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...

    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).

    Gothamchess coments on chess.com's report.

    GM Ben Finegold comments the WSJ article.

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

  10. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
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    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...

    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:

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

  13. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    6 votes

  14. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Someone 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.

    5 votes

  15. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
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    Ian 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

    5 votes

  16. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    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...

    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 e5 and 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.

    5 votes

  17. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
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    Naroditsky: 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...

    Naroditsky: 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 strange resignation protest. (video)

    Ken Regan calls Hans accusations unfounded (vreddit).

    GM Greg Shahade on Twitter:

    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

    2 votes

  18. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    Link Parent
    I 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.

    2 votes

  19. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

  20. Comment on Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Sinquefield Cup in ~games.tabletop

    alf
    (edited )
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    Official statement from the Chief Arbiter of the 2022 SinquefieldCup (Twitter, image): Now for a personal comment... I've been trying to stick to the facts in this post, but I will now talk about...

    Official statement from the Chief Arbiter of the 2022 SinquefieldCup (Twitter, image):

    We currently have no indication that any player has been playing unfairly in the 2022 Sinquefield Cup.

    Now for a personal comment...

    I've been trying to stick to the facts in this post, but I will now talk about something less precise: how the community is reacting to all this.

    Up until now, I was very much in my bubble, interacting sparingly and keeping to myself. Because of that, I had the misguided impression that most chess fans agreed with my positions on the matter. I was profoundly mistaken. I forgot how Fandoms often embrace corporations and capitalists.

    For many, Magnus Carlsen is the best chess player that ever lived. He is also incredibly charismatic. When Magnus wins, he is always respectful to the opponent. When Magnus loses, it's the same. Some may not be fans, but no one hates Magnus, not even his opponents. Everything about him is consistently wholesome. It is hard to find fault in Magnus, and that applies both inside and outside the matches. So, in addition to being probably the GOAT, Magnus Carlsen is also the most credible chess player on the globe.

    Talking more generally about cheating, I honestly have no idea how online tournaments with cash prizes can even exist, since it is virtually impossible to effectively referee the setup of every single player in their own homes, and there are dozens of ways to cheat online and never get caught. The notion that a similar level of insecurity is also present in over-the-board tournaments is enough to make chess-heads spin. I'm saying that to give an idea of how scary it is to even hear about the possibility of cheating in chess. The stakes are high, and the emotions involved are immeasurable. For chess, cheating is not just an issue, it is an existential threat.

    It should surprise no one that many chess fans hold certain companies and projects in high regard. So there are the Lichess fanboys that will always say chess.com is terrible, and vice-versa. I shouldn't have, but I was baffled to see that some people... just believe what they say. And that's it. If Magnus and chesscom say so, why would anyone need any proof to make someone's life a living hell?

    Adding to that, because Hans was accused of cheating, there's a psychological association between him and the very notion of cheating, something for which many chess player harbor a profound and uncontrollable hatred. It doesn't matter that we don't have any evidence of wrongdoing -- the accusation remains like a curse.

    So most people in places like /r/chess are fruitlessly trying to answer the question did he cheat?, which is a valid concern of the utmost importance, but also completely ignoring the question: did Magnus and chesscom deal with the issue in an ethical manner?. To many, the answer to the former is yes and no further proof is necessary. Of course, it is possible that Hans really is guilty of cheating, but I don't wanna be part of this mob mentality.

    It's disheartening.

    8 votes