August 16, 2013

  • After the "quite" okay performance in Caissa HK Open, I think I have more confidence in participating in the HKU International Open.

    http://www.caissahk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/cross-table-caissa-summer-rapid-13-july-2013.pdf

    People always have the funny impression that rapid and blitz are different from long games. Well, it kind of depend on what approach the players take.

    If the players are indeed playing some different variations they are not playing when they are in standard games, that might be possible. But my practical experience is that people usually are even more inclined to stick to what they have been playing in order to avoid having to think in comparatively unfamiliar positions (Speaking of some real world tournament games)

    The most famous example should be Fischer's notes in Herceg Novi Blitz in 1970, of which he outplayed everyone in the tournament except Korchnoi whom he drew with, each have one won game.

    The players noted that Fischer plays blitz like a standard game, able to produce every move after the games with very detailed analysis. His notes were put on bid a few years ago, and the price was quite high indeed.

    Certainly I think that way and that it seems to me producing good moves regardless of time control is the one and only thing we should do. Let's not kid ourselves of the time control or anything else, we are all probably going to lose on time or lose because of running short of time anyway. Deal with it. Your opponent is not going to give up some easily, have the patience to find good moves, after all that's the true understanding of chess that nothing can be forced. Let it go and see how it goes.

    The current Tromso World Cup kinda shows this: Elo is who you have been, not who you will be. The upsets of Super-Grandmaster show that they are human beings too, and if you are not playing good moves youalso lose.

    Time for hardware mode, shunning active use of Facebook for two months (Nowadays I have no life and I only use it for about 15 mins per day, but well... It's something.) I will see you guys in the Convocation Room.

    And yes, I will be playing for Tromso in 2014, I'd like to call it Action Aurora.