Phoenix
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I kind of follow chess, probably most people here don't...but amazingly enough it is in fact considered a sport. (No I don't know why)...so I'm posting this here for anyone interested in the game. I'm simply amazed by Magnus Carlsen, the highest rated player in history, and he's only 24. He just recently became the first man ever to win the chess triple crown (classic, rapid, blitz), and his rating is even higher than the former "best player in history", Garry Kasparov, ever had. Magnus had been the #1 rated player for like three years, then late last year defeated the Indian Vishy Anand for the World Championship.
(They are playing again for the WC in a few months, as Anand pulled off something of an upset and won the "Candidates" tournament a few months ago...that is the tournament that whoever wins gets the chance to be destroyed by Magnus in the next WC match.)
The #1 American, Nakamura, will be leading the USA team. Interestingly, Nakamura had recently been the World Champion on either Rapid or Blitz, I forget which...and after Magnus made some kind of comments about Nakamura's classic play, Nakamura smack talked back saying something like, "well, we'll see how he fares against me in <rapid> <blitz> (whichever it was)"... I had to lol when Magnus destroyed him a short while later.
Anyway, I'll be paying attention to this, anyway.
......................
http://www.themarysue.com/2014-chess-olympiad-primer/
Friday August 1st kicks off the Chess Olympiad 2014. What exactly is the Chess Olympiad? Teams from 174 countries compete for world chess dominance. It happens every two years, and it’s the fourth-largest sporting event in the world. It’s a big deal for chess nerds. Here’s everything you need to know to get on board.
How It Works
The 174 participating countries send teams of four players, plus one alternate to, the Open section. 137 of those countries are also sending teams to the Women’s section. There are 1,800 players in the event. (Countries can send multiple teams.)
Play is governed by the FIDE laws of chess, and the tournament will follow the Swiss system. Teams are being scored collectively with points awarded to each player in their respective games. One point is given for a win. Half a point is given to both players in a draw. Losers don’t get any points
Top Ten Countries by Average Rank
Top team teams (via Chessdom)
Magnus Carlsen Is Leading “The Best Norwegian National Team in History”
Russia may have the highest average rating, but Norway has World Champion and Triple Crown title-holder Magnus Carlsen, the highest-rated player in the world—ever. Carlsen’s personal rating is currently 2877, a full 100 points ahead of the Russian average.
(They are playing again for the WC in a few months, as Anand pulled off something of an upset and won the "Candidates" tournament a few months ago...that is the tournament that whoever wins gets the chance to be destroyed by Magnus in the next WC match.)
The #1 American, Nakamura, will be leading the USA team. Interestingly, Nakamura had recently been the World Champion on either Rapid or Blitz, I forget which...and after Magnus made some kind of comments about Nakamura's classic play, Nakamura smack talked back saying something like, "well, we'll see how he fares against me in <rapid> <blitz> (whichever it was)"... I had to lol when Magnus destroyed him a short while later.
Anyway, I'll be paying attention to this, anyway.
......................
http://www.themarysue.com/2014-chess-olympiad-primer/
Friday August 1st kicks off the Chess Olympiad 2014. What exactly is the Chess Olympiad? Teams from 174 countries compete for world chess dominance. It happens every two years, and it’s the fourth-largest sporting event in the world. It’s a big deal for chess nerds. Here’s everything you need to know to get on board.
How It Works
The 174 participating countries send teams of four players, plus one alternate to, the Open section. 137 of those countries are also sending teams to the Women’s section. There are 1,800 players in the event. (Countries can send multiple teams.)
Play is governed by the FIDE laws of chess, and the tournament will follow the Swiss system. Teams are being scored collectively with points awarded to each player in their respective games. One point is given for a win. Half a point is given to both players in a draw. Losers don’t get any points
Top Ten Countries by Average Rank
Top team teams (via Chessdom)
- Going into the Olympiad, the players on the Russian teams have an average rating of 2777, almost 50 points higher than the next-highest average of 2730 in the Ukraine.
- France is third with 2718.
- Armenia is fourth with 2705.
- The US has the fifth-highest average rating with 2704, and they’re being led by the 5th highest rated player in the world, Hikaru Nakamura (2787.)
- Next is Hungary with a rating of 2702. Their team also features the top-rated female player in the world, Judit Polgar. She’s rated 2676 and is the 66th top-rated player in the world. She’s also the sister of the first Chess Triple Crown winner Susan Polgar.
- China is seventh with 2696.
- Azerbaijan has an average rating of 2694.
- England’s average rating is 2682.
- Closing out the top ten is Netherlands with 2682.
Magnus Carlsen Is Leading “The Best Norwegian National Team in History”
Russia may have the highest average rating, but Norway has World Champion and Triple Crown title-holder Magnus Carlsen, the highest-rated player in the world—ever. Carlsen’s personal rating is currently 2877, a full 100 points ahead of the Russian average.
