Wesley So vs. Garry Kasparov; Round 10 Blitz Game Analyzed

Here is the Round 10 game of Wesley So vs. Garry Kasparov of the recently concluded US Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016, as explained and analyzed by IM John Bartholomew.

If you’re not yet convinced this is the best blitz game ever played, then I don’t know what else is.

Carlsen wins Norway Chess 2016

Chessbase:

After seven rounds Magnus Carlsen looked almost certain to win the Altibox Norway Chess tournament. But then he lost against Levon Aronian in round eight, endangering his tournament win. But things went his way in round nine. Aronian drew against Pentala Harikrishna while Carlsen defeated Pavel Eljanov to win Norway Chess for the first time.

A true champion knows how to pick himself up after a fall–even from the penultimate round.

TCEC Season 9

TCEC (Top Computer Engine Championship) Season 9 – group 1a starts today.

TCEC-season-9

Chessdom:

The premier computer chess championship TCEC is starting this May 1st with the strongest ever field – 12 engines over 3100 ELO and a total of 32 participants. Live games will be available at the official site of the competition starting at 13:00 CET.

Apparently, humans can’t compete with these computers, the latter now have a world of their own.

Final Standings: US Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016

The last day of the challenge has finished, and Hikaru Nakamura came out to be the overall winner, followed by Wesley So with a full point behind. Garry Kasparov retained his 3rd rank from Day 1, and so did Fabiano Caruana, the champion of the US Chess Championship 2016, his tailender.

US Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016 Final Standings

US Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016 Final Standings

Wesley So’s round 10 win over Garry Kasparov was hailed by commentators as “one of the finest attacking game since Morphy!”. Here’s the game:

Thus, at the end of this challenge, the Wesley So vs. Garry Kasparov matchup stands at 4.0-2.0 in favor of Wesley So.

Wesley So leads Day 1 of the US Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016

9 Rounds down, and 9 rounds to go.

Wesley So lost his very first game in this tournament/challenge against the legendary Garry Kasparov, but he managed to get back at the latter in their next two matchups (thus, their score so far is 2-1 in favor of So). He even come out ahead of the pack at the end of the day. He who scored 5.0 out of 9 games — tied with Hikaru Nakamura in points but leads after the tie-break was applied.

Day 1 Results: US Ultimate Blitz Chess Challenge 2016

Day 1 Results: US Ultimate Blitz Chess Challenge 2016

Garry Kasparov vs. Wesley So in Round 1, US Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016

Wesley So is facing off Garry Kasparov in the very first round of the US Ultimate Blitz Challenge 2016, the continuation of the US Chess Championship 2016. We’re bringing it to you live!

UPDATE: Kasparov won the Round 1 game against Wesley So. Replay the game below.

Check out the update about the results of Day 1 where Wesley So is leading.

Replay Round 1 game of Garry Kasparov vs. Wesley So below:

Carlsen ahead by a full point with 2 rounds to go at Norway Chess 2016

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Chessbase reports on Norway Chess: Carlsen and Aronian win:

In round seven Magnus Carlsen played against Vladimir Kramnik, one of his predecessors as World Champion. Carlsen seemed well prepared and won a fine strategic game in which he exploited Black’s weak square f5 in textbook fashion. Levon Aronian used his space advantage to harass Black’s king and to win with a mating attack. The three other games were drawn.

With the way Carlsen is playing outstanding chess in recent months, I wonder if he gets to break the 2900 ELO rating barrier anytime soon?

Check out Carlsen’s win against Kramnik in Round 7 of Altibox Norway Chess 2016.