SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
Battle of the ‘G’s to begin this Thursday to decide Anand challenger!
Relieved and content! Gelfand (l) , the arbiter and Grischuk (r) at the press conference
Of course the rules have been criticized by everyone: too few serious games (just 4), too much emphasis on ‘casino’ fun , etc, etc. But that is the world we live in these days, take it or leave it. Or better still, why not just give the wheel one last spin just to see if your lucky number comes up…
In truth, the players did their best to cope and adapt. Perhaps the chess is not the chess of Bobby Fischer, and perhaps the ultimate winner will only be the ‘first amongst equals’, but everyone knew what they were getting into before it started. Unless you are a strong willed individual like Magnus Carlsen–who refused to take part under this format–and are willing to forgo some ‘easy’ money, you take part and do your best to survive.
It is no surprise to me that both Grischuk and Gelfand are to meet in the finals starting this Thursday. Infact, I predicted it last week here on this blog! Gelfand has an angel sitting on his shoulder (reference to his World Cup Qualification), while Grischuk is using his poker experience to his advantage: if he doesn’t like his position (hand) after a few moves (rounds of betting), he just throws in the cards and waits for the dealer to shuffle–that is, he makes short and boring draws!
Congrats to both losers, Kramnik and Kamsky. They played equally well, but were not favoured by the gods. Who will win the finals? Grischuk, of course. (Unless Gelfand is dealt a pair of Aces in every hand!)
You can view a video with some great shots of today’s action at this site.
Spraggett on Chess 