Chess thread

[The Baron]

Not had time to look it up but heard from a friend in Mensa Kaspy has a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking.

Any other "genius" chess players over the years?

The puzzle I posted the other day was from John Nunn. He's not a bad answer to that question, Mr Baron.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nunn

As a junior, he showed a prodigious talent for the game and in 1967, at twelve years of age, he won the British under-14 Championship. At fourteen, he was London Under-18 Champion for the 1969/70 season and less than a year later, at just fifteen years of age, he proceeded to Oriel College, Oxford, to study mathematics. At the time, he was Oxford's youngest undergraduate since Cardinal Wolsey in 1520. Graduating in 1973, he went on to gain his doctorate in 1978 with a thesis on finite H-spaces, and remained at Oxford University as a mathematics lecturer until 1981, when he became a professional chess player.

Fascinating stuff tyty

[MintTrav]

Not had time to look it up but heard from a friend in Mensa Kaspy has a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking.

Means nothing, particularly without the age that the tests were done being stated.

I get how they work, FWIW I'm not sure age would have much bearing on the 30 odd points between them. My point is how many super gms are intelligent to near genius level?

There is never 30 points between them. 160 is pretty much the maximum that has any meaning - anything reported above that is very questionable. Kasparov has been rumoured to have an IQ of 190 but he scored 135 in the only test he is definitely known to have taken.

[Tal]

The level of calculation in the top bracket of GM is insane. It's like comparing the top dozen sprinters. Only so much of it can be nurture.

Kasparov always said his edge against the field wasn't intelligence but his ability to concentrate better than his rivals.

[The Baron]

Not had time to look it up but heard from a friend in Mensa Kaspy has a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking.

Means nothing, particularly without the age that the tests were done being stated.

I get how they work, FWIW I'm not sure age would have much bearing on the 30 odd points between them. My point is how many super gms are intelligent to near genius level?

There is never 30 points between them. 160 is pretty much the maximum that has any meaning - anything reported above that is very questionable. Kasparov has been rumoured to have an IQ of 190 but he scored 135 in the only test he is definitely known to have taken.

Well by the sounds of it its so subjective we cant be sure of anything. It may be more than 30. If Kasparov is 135 (only source I find for this is a chess forum) then there's still 30 odd between them no?

I guess every super GM seemed like the next world champion at local/national level.

[The Baron]

Just reading that the world no 21 has passed away. Sad news.

[curnow]

Just reading that the world no 21 has passed away. Sad news.

very sad news about Vugar Gashimov ,

[McGlashan]

Not had time to look it up but heard from a friend in Mensa Kaspy has a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking.

Any other "genius" chess players over the years?

Bobby Fischer was off the charts, he could listen to a conversation in a foreign language with which he was not familiar, then repeat the conversation word for word.

[Tal]

Not had time to look it up but heard from a friend in Mensa Kaspy has a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking.

Any other "genius" chess players over the years?

Bobby Fischer was off the charts, he could listen to a conversation in a foreign language with which he was not familiar, then repeat the conversation word for word.

He would likely have been considered autistic nowadays, I imagine. He couldn't understand sarcasm at all, for example.

[McGlashan]

Attends a beauty pageant, pulls out a pocket chess set and asks your opinion on Bishop to G6. He had to of been someway along that spectrum.

[MintTrav]

Didn't know chess could be so dangerous -

http://news.sky.com/story/1194062/chess-row-killing-man-stabbed-over-move

[MintTrav]

Oh Christ! Seems that the killer told the police that he ate the guy's heart.

His chest had been opened and, actually, not his heart but one of his lungs had been removed and 'has not been located'.

Bloody chess.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/chess-murder-victims-lung-was-removed-and-has-not-been-located-29910709.html

[Tal]

The Wijk aan Zee tournament is one of the biggest in the calendar. Ithad had many names due to sponsor changes, much like the football league cup, but it is Tata for now.

I've been rather busy at work, so haven't been able to give you the daily reports I would normally do, but here is the crosstable after the rounds:



Aronian will be hoping to set down a marker for the others, with the candidates tournament less than a couple of months away.

[Tal]

No glass boxes in the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, where the fourth round of the Wijk aan Zee main event took place. The event has had a Rembrandt theme, with the opening ceremony featuring the players getting involved in a recreation of the famous Night Watch painting. Some would do a pun on that name, but I am only slightly above that.

The big game was Aronian v Nakamura and the American went for an attack in choosing the King's Indian Defence. He looked like he would hold until he made a small error and the Armenian pounced like a puma and delivered a merciless finish. Hereis a report of the action and a nicely annotated version of the Aronian win:

http://en.chessbase.com/post/tata-04-rijksmuseum

[Tal]

Aronian will start as favourite for the upcoming Candidates tournament and justifiably so. But we should also remember that Kramnik isn't playing in Wijk and he will be hurting from his narrow second in London's Candidates comp last time.

[The Baron]

Can't wait for the candidates after last year's drama