Sporting Distractions Grill ← FREE KRAUT!

Sporting Distractions Grill 296

I’m not remotely ready to move on from what has Happened Here, nor do I think doing so is a good idea. But I do need to think about other things for a bit before I go nuts. May as well be sport.

The USA Dudes National Team starts the final round of World Cup qualifying this afternoon. The best six teams in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean play a double round robin (the “Hexagonal” or “Hex”) over the next year. Top three qualify directly, fourth place plays an Asian also-ran for a final spot. We start off at 5 pm today in Columbus, OH with….USA vs. Mexico. Ugh. I so look forward to this clash of the flat-track bullies every cycle, and yet with things as they currently are, I wouldn’t mind if they all just hugged and walked off the field arm in arm. (The other four teams in the Hex are Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, and Trinidad & Tobago.)

Anyway, Columbus has been a quadrennial nightmare for El Tri. The last four home qualifiers against Mexico have been played there, and all four have finished 2-0 to the USA. This is a talented Mexico squad and a USA team in flux, however. I wouldn’t be surprised if today is the day they break the curse.

The World Chess Championship starts…right now! Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, current champ and possibly the GOAT, faces off in New York against Russia’s Sergey Karjakin. It’s a 12-game match, with 1 point for a win and half a point for a draw. First to 6.5 points wins.

Magnus is a big favorite. I’m too much of a patzer to really grasp the nuances in their play, but my understanding is that Carlsen is a very precise (“accurate” in chess terminology) player who excels at tilting positions to a favorable endgame, and Karjakin plays a slightly less perfect version of the same style. That may mean a lack of tactical fireworks, sadly, as neither player tends to favor “sharp” positions. Perhaps Karjakin, who became a grandmaster at 12, will have to be more aggressive to try to knock Carlsen out of his comfort zone. We shall see.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. Feel free to talk politics in here too, by the way. I just needed a new thread.

296 thoughts on “Sporting Distractions Grill

  1. ptbnl Nov 11,2016 11:45 am

    I’ll see your US/Mexico and raise you an England/Scotland.

    ” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 12:01 pm || Up

      I’m not loving Scotland in hot pink.

      • ptbnl Nov 11,2016 12:25 pm || Up

        They should revert to the 1872 kit – especially the pixie hats:

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  2. FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 11,2016 12:05 pm

    Event of the morning: Pe’ahi Challenge on the Big Wave Tour, live from Jaws in Maui right now.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  3. FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 11,2016 12:07 pm

    Event of the evening: North Carolina opens its 2016-17 college hoops season on the road at Tulane.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • colin Nov 11,2016 1:44 pm || Up

      My Cincinnati Bearcats have their second game of the season tonight, at home against Brown. Time to beat up some nerds!

  4. Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 12:11 pm

    You can watch the chess moves here. Karjakin currently on the clock, looking for his 14th move.

    There’s also a pay per view feed on the official website, with multiple cameras and live commentary and stuff. But not only is PPV chess absurd, it also isn’t working apparently.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 12:39 pm || Up

      Looks like Carlsen played a pretty weird opening as white that I’ve never even heard of, trying to throw Karjakin “off book” (i.e. force him into a line he hadn’t prepared for).

      The computer currently rates the position pretty even, so Karjakin might be able to get a big draw with black. If nothing else, though, Carlsen forced Karjakin to spend some time thinking in the opening, rather than just playing memorized moves. Magnus has a 10-minute advantage on the clock as a result, which could matter in an endgame.

      • sslinger Nov 11,2016 12:54 pm || Up

        Not that I know anything about chess above the basics, but heard an interesting discussion about how advance computers now are, to the point where none of the people playing will attempt a challenge any more. The interesting part for me was the discussion of how the computers play an unorthodox game, and are much more likely to retreat when they calculate that they’ve made a mistake where as humans will press on.

        Also, I keep picturing Marcus Carlsen as Marcus Samuelson.

        • Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 1:14 pm || Up

          Yeah, computers are obscenely strong now. They can calculate so deep that they will make moves that look illogical, but that pay off way down the line in ways that humans can’t see. Those kind of moves are sometimes a tip off that someone is cheating in an online game, as someone will play what looks like an “engine move” showing that they are consulting a computer.

          Interestingly, though, chess engines do still have some blind spots. Correspondence chess, which used to be long games played by people mailing moves to each other by letter, is now a human + computer discipline. A computer that can be overruled by human intuition is actually stronger than the computer alone, assuming the human is a good enough player.

          I don’t understand all the reasons why, but at least in part it seems to be that computers struggle with “blocked” positions, where both sides have impenetrable pawn structures. There’s a funny game where a top American player forces a strong computer into such a position, then proceeds to wear it down and “humiliate” it by promoting to something like six bishops before checkmating it.

        • Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 2:27 pm || Up

          Carlsen is pretty handsome dude.

          Probably not as good a cook as Samuelsson though.

          • sslinger Nov 11,2016 11:13 pm || Up

            Ok, I’ll try a third time: not Marcus Samuelson but Magnus Samuelsson.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 2:55 pm || Up

      They agree to a draw. 1/2-1/2 is a solid start to the match for Karjakin starting with the black pieces.

  5. Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 3:47 pm

    In local men’s college hoop action, Cal hosts San Diego State tonight, while #17 St. Mary’s hosts Nevada-Reno.

    Stanford plays Harvard in Shanghai for some crazy reason. I hope and expect they will lose.

  6. andeux Nov 11,2016 3:53 pm

    The Pacific Pinball Exposition is this weekend. 400+ machines available to play.

    TINSTAAFK
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 4:14 pm || Up

      That sounds like a lot of fun. Expensive though!

      • batgirl Nov 11,2016 4:22 pm || Up

        When I went to Vegas about 7 years ago we went to a pinball museum and it was really fun. One flat rate which wasn’t that much and then you could play anything. They happened to be having a tournament that was like a golf tournament–they had labeled some of the machines Hole 1, Hole 2, etc. The people entered were super serious about it. While I was just goofing around and not having much success.

    • ptbnl Nov 11,2016 4:30 pm || Up

      Playland-not-at-the-beach in El Cerrito is great value for its 30 machines.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  7. Glorious Mundy Nov 11,2016 4:13 pm

    At least we got a new A Tribe Called Quest album this week.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 4:37 pm || Up

      It’s really good, btw.

    • harensheir15 Nov 14,2016 5:02 pm || Up

      “Feds lining up, we’re right here
      And everybody’s hands in the air
      Four-five so get your ass found somewhere
      Caught between hope and despair”

  8. Glorious Mundy Nov 12,2016 8:31 am

    USA 1-2 Mexico by the way. Bummer.

    • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 12,2016 10:50 am || Up

      Game seemed odd to this casual fan, US looked like two different teams in the first and second halves. And the defense was horrible on the set piece to concede the game winner. Also, Howard looked hurt before the game even started.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 12,2016 11:00 am || Up

        I missed most of the second half, but your assessment seems right from what I did see. We came out in a 3-5-2 formation we had never played before, and it seemed to leave gaps for Mexico to exploit everywhere. On the first goal Bradley just blew the tackle in a bad spot, but Mexico should have scored at least two more when they just dribbled around us.

        Agree on Howard too. reminiscent of the Ghana game in 2010 where he played despite a rib injury and looked bad. This time, having to use a sub on him was costly.

        Inexplicably bad set piece defense has been a hallmark of the Klinsmann era. We used to be good at that but now we aren’t.

  9. Glorious Mundy Nov 12,2016 2:28 pm

    Another pretty boring draw today in the chess. Not many chances being taken by either player after two games.

  10. andeux Nov 12,2016 4:21 pm
    TINSTAAFK
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 12,2016 5:49 pm || Up

      “…in exchange for minor-league right-hander Paul Blackburn, who is from Brentwood.” 22 y.o., 99 Ks – 35 BB in 140 AA innings.

      I still don’t fully get why Valencia was on the outs for most of last year.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • mother pucker Nov 12,2016 6:02 pm || Up

        Agreed.

      • 5Aces Nov 13,2016 4:00 pm || Up

        I dont get anything about him. Clearly he is some sort of issue because he has just continued to bounce around, but I dont remember ever seeing anything that would make me think he is a cancer.

        Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
        • Future Ed Nov 13,2016 8:54 pm || Up

          and players backed him publically

          I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • lenscrafters Nov 12,2016 10:53 pm || Up

      The last time the A’s outfield was this barren was when Ryan Sweeney was projected as the starter at all 3 outfield positions.

      Of course, the A’s then went and re-signed Coco, traded for Reddick, and signed some Cespedes guy so something similar this time would be appreciated.

  11. Soaker Nov 12,2016 5:26 pm

    I walked around Pullman and Moscow and both campuses today. They are both nice enough campuses, a little austere in mid-November but probably gorgeous in the spring with all the trees showing their leaves. The towns are OK small towns with Moscow having a nice little Main Street with some eclectic restaurants (and a Vigil For Peace when I went down there for dinner last night) but empty storefronts are possibly attributable to each town having a gigantic Walmart.

    The Palouse is a decent place to visit for 36 hours with a football game but to go to college in one of these isolated small towns, yikes. WSU in particular has a reputation for problems with students’ alcohol consumption and no wonder, especially when it turns to frozen tundra for three months, which I believe starts in about a week (weather is not unlike what I’d expect for a night game in Berkeley, definitely top decile of what I expected when I planned this trip). I haven’t been to Ames but I would guess doctorK can identify the positives and negatives of going to school in Moscow or Pullman.

    GO BEARS!!

    What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • mother pucker Nov 12,2016 9:46 pm || Up

      Sonny Dykes owes you an apology.

      • Soaker Nov 12,2016 11:58 pm || Up

        The action definitely lived down to expectations. Usually there’s a decent turnout of Cal people at these games, this time maybe a few dozen. But, it’s Pullman, it’s the middle of November when it easily could have been 30 degrees colder and oh god that defense.

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • doctorK Nov 13,2016 11:39 am || Up

      I might’ve preferred Pullman or Moscow to Ames. At least there are mountains in the area while you’re freezing your ass off. In Ames, there were times when the wind was blowing out of the north that I swore I could hear faintly “Ho Ho Ho”.

      And Iowa isn’t nearly as cold as Minnesota.

      • batgirl Nov 13,2016 2:01 pm || Up

        I went to Ames one time to visit my uncle. I couldn’t believe how cold it was. And the wind. OMG.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 6:12 pm || Up

      I stopped in Walla Walla once on the way from Portland to Idaho. Nice enough little college town, but oh my god is it remote.

      That trip was actually when I was considering a job out of school that would have had me living in Moscow. I just couldn’t talk myself into it.

      • AV Nov 15,2016 8:20 am || Up

        huh. i stopped in walla walla once too (on the way from brooklyn to riverside — hey, i like a good scenic detour). surprisingly good mexican food.

        actually, and completely not related to that visit, i almost went to grad school there. got accepted and everything. but, NYU.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  12. andeux Nov 13,2016 6:41 pm

    How could you even tell if Gronk had a concussion?

    TINSTAAFK
  13. Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 1:20 pm

    Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 2:16 pm || Up
      • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 14,2016 4:23 pm || Up

        NO ONE BELIEVED IN US!

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  14. Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 1:38 pm

    Four episodes into Stranger Things. I’m enjoying the 80s details and movie-shot references (so far I noticed ET, Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles(?) and I’m sure I missed a ton of horror movies). Some of the acting is great (particularly Hopper and the girl who plays Eleven), and some is pretty iffy (looking at you, Winona and son). A little worried that the whole thing isn’t going to pay off.

    • andeux Nov 14,2016 1:57 pm || Up

      I felt the same way about the first few episodes. It gets a little better as the season goes on, and ties things together to make a reasonable amount of sense (within the fantasy/scifi/horror context, of course).

      TINSTAAFK
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 2:01 pm || Up

        I’m totally not a horror guy, so that’s definitely part of my skepticism.

        • AV Dec 12,2016 8:36 am || Up

          not horror exactly, but i’m getting a really creepy confluence of imagery listening to in the dark after watching stranger things. the stuff that is fun and safe in ST, like the freedom of riding bikes at night with flashlights? NOT fun and safe.

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 20,2016 5:25 pm || Up

        It really did build to something interesting. Thumbs up.

    • AV Nov 14,2016 2:44 pm || Up
      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 2:49 pm || Up

        Nice call.

        I’ve been weirded out by how the R and A connect, but none of the other letters do.

        • AV Nov 14,2016 2:54 pm || Up

          and did they borrow the Gs from van gough?

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 12:45 pm || Up

      I really like the guy who plays the science teacher. He also plays a quintessential early 80s grownup nerd on Halt and Catch Fire.

  15. nevermoor Nov 14,2016 1:59 pm

    Worst. Year. Ever.

    I mean, Gwen Ifill too?!?

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  16. andeux Nov 14,2016 2:01 pm

    Oh, also, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency on BBC America is pretty fun. The only thing really taken from the books is the main character (and even he is rather different, younger and more energetic) along with the “everything is connected” weirdness, but they capture the spirit and the humor.

    TINSTAAFK
    • Future Ed Nov 14,2016 4:31 pm || Up

      i was at a reading of so long and thanks for all the fish at book soup in LA in the 90s. the guy getting an autograph in front of me has a treatment for a HGTTG screenplay that someone somewhere had during a time douglas adams was holding out against a move production.

      He smiled and asked a few questions about the genesis of the document as he turned it around and flipped through a few pages. after they guy explained where he got it, DA picked up the screenplay and handed it to an assistant and politely said he would be taking it and did they guy have a book to sign?

      after seeing the movie I have always been weary of any production of any of his stuff. Glad to hear its OK.

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
  17. Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 2:42 pm

    Finally watched the season finale of Atlanta, too. I’m in love with this show. Unfortunately word on the street is no season 2 until 2018 because of Donald Glover being Lando Calrissian or some crap.

  18. Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 5:20 pm

    About seven hours into Game 3 of the chess match, and Karjakin is desperately trying to cling to a draw under gnarly time pressure. Carlsen is a machine just grinding him to dust.

    EDIT: Wait, Carlsen seems to have blundered away the win, and now it looks like a draw after all!

    • ptbnl Nov 14,2016 5:40 pm || Up

      But it’s Carlsen who makes the tiniest of slips and even a piece up it’s drawn.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 5:45 pm || Up

        That felt like Karjakin escaping a bases loaded no outs situation in the ninth inning of a tie game because Carlsen left third base too early on a sac fly.

        • ptbnl Nov 14,2016 5:48 pm || Up

          Or forgot to touch home when he got there.

          (Too soon?)

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
          • Future Ed Nov 14,2016 5:54 pm || Up

            god dammit

            I have $5. No I don\'t.
          • AV Nov 15,2016 8:27 am || Up

            no. too soon is, hillary with lebron instead of manyfuckingwhere-elses on the 6th.

            *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • nevermoor Nov 14,2016 7:00 pm || Up

        Was there one dramatic misplay, or just an inability to squeeze his advantage over a stretch?

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • ptbnl Nov 14,2016 8:02 pm || Up

          He’d chipped away all game accruing a series of small advantages until he’d built a winning edge, but then lost it all in one imperfect move.

          So dramatic in this particular context, but nothing that you or I would look at and think “wow, what a terrible move”.

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
          • nevermoor Nov 14,2016 9:45 pm || Up

            Got it.

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 11:03 am || Up

            Rook and pawn endgames are very challenging to convert into wins. It’s mostly that we expect perfection from Magnus, and perfection was required to make that a win.

            • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 11:20 am || Up

              Game 4 underway now, and it’s very similar to game 2 so far.

              If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
              • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 11:24 am || Up

                It’s really interesting how the Ruy Lopez remains the choice of super grandmasters. Literally the first opening everyone learns, and these guys are content to play it over and over against each other.

                • futwork Nov 17,2016 12:41 am || Up

                  The Berlin’s omnipresence as a drawing tool has become so frustrating to many top players that the long-neglected Giuoco Piano has started coming back in style at the super-GM level. Not in this match so far, of course. We’ll probably see more ambitious opening choices as the match progresses.

                • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 11:14 am || Up

                  Magnus played the Giuoco Piano today! You are a prophet.

                  So far this looks like he is taking a more aggressive approach.

                • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 11:26 am || Up

                  When the Giuoco Piano is the ambitious opening choice the world really has turned upside down.

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
              • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 12:30 pm || Up

                Action! Karjakin offers a bishop sacrifice on H6 to break up Carlsen’s kingside defense. Shit is getting real.

                Magnus declines the offer.

                • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 12:49 pm || Up

                  Yeah baby!

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 12:51 pm || Up

                  The Chess24 commentators think Karjakin completely blew it.

                • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 2:10 pm || Up

                  Apparently the computers have Carlsen at 63%

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 2:16 pm || Up

                  Sam Wang has him at 99% and is now focusing his attention entirely on downballot chess matches.

                • AV Nov 15,2016 2:22 pm || Up

                  huh. he likes chess? i thought he was more into cricket.

                  *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • andeux Nov 15,2016 2:36 pm || Up

                  Too soon.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 3:50 pm || Up

                  By at least four years

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Future Ed Nov 15,2016 7:43 pm || Up

                  heh heh heh. there won’t *be* four more years

                  I have $5. No I don\'t.
                • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 8:35 pm || Up

                  ::snort::

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • andeux Nov 15,2016 2:25 pm || Up

                  Is that just the position, or also taking his time advantage into account?

                  TINSTAAFK
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 2:48 pm || Up

                  I believe it’s just the position.

                • andeux Nov 15,2016 2:52 pm || Up

                  And now I see they both got time added after the 40th moves, so the time difference isn’t as drastic as it appeared.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 3:01 pm || Up

                  Yeah, and you get another time bonus after move 60.

                  They are also playing with a 30-second “increment,” where your time goes up by 30 seconds after every move.

                • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 3:51 pm || Up

                  And not all the way to 65% two hours later. Like watching paint dry soccer.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:00 pm || Up

                  72%!

                • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 4:21 pm || Up

                  Yeah. I don’t understand chess at anything close to this level. No idea why Carlsen’s moves opened the lead that much, or why they’re now making endless tiny readjustment moves.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • andeux Nov 15,2016 4:25 pm || Up

                  AFAICT, Carlsen is trying to mount an effective pass rush, but so far Karjakin’s QB is moving around in the pocket to avoid the pressure. In other words, me neither.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • andeux Nov 15,2016 4:27 pm || Up

                  Ooh, the bishop just blitzed.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:30 pm || Up

                  Karjakin has built a fortress, where his king is fairly well protected, the g and f pawns are mostly blocked, and Carlsen’s black-square bishop can’t reallly get into the action. He couldn’t do much to improve the position, so he is just moving the king around to pass the initiative back to Carlsen.

                  Carlsen was trying to get his king into the mix to help break things apart.

                • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 4:36 pm || Up

                  Doesn’t seem to be working yet…

                  Why doesn’t Carlsen move his A pawn to add options to get the black bishop involved? It clearly isn’t a good move since it’s been there for 10 years, but…

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:38 pm || Up

                  I guess because even if he gets the bishop to a5, white’s c pawn isn’t going anywhere.

                  He’s starting to get into time-pressure territory now. This will be interesting.

                • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 4:52 pm || Up

                  Are there more time bonuses?

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:54 pm || Up

                  Nope. Just the 30-second increments.

                • ptbnl Nov 16,2016 10:07 am || Up

                  The other answer to this is that a5 was his king’s escape route!

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
                • AV Nov 15,2016 12:55 pm || Up

                  i don’t know why i’m reminded of this.

                  *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • AV Nov 27,2016 12:45 pm || Up
                  *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • batgirl Nov 28,2016 9:16 am || Up

                  They just did this one on Drunk History!

                • AV Nov 28,2016 10:06 am || Up

                  well, that’s me all over. just barely ahead of the echo chamber (and wasted).

                  *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
                • Soaker Dec 6,2016 5:26 pm || Up

                  Tonight on Drunk History: one of baseball’s finest hours.

                  What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
                • Future Ed Dec 6,2016 6:31 pm || Up

                  wait, the subject isn’t supposed to be “drunks”

                  I have $5. No I don\'t.
                • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 3:55 pm || Up

                  Finally a passed pawn!

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 8:15 am || Up

                  Ironically, the post-game commentary pinpoints Carlsen’s decision to pass that pawn as the moment he lost his winning chance. Moving it to that square without the ability to push it further “closed” the position, effectively neutralizing his dark-square bishop.

                • futwork Nov 17,2016 12:44 am || Up

                  Well the knight on f6 was hanging if he takes the bishop, but Karjakin agrees that that was a pivotal moment in the match:

                  “It was a game of one move,” Karjakin explained, pointing to 18. Bxh6. “I thought it was brilliant.”

                  He then showed the line 18…Nxe4 19. Rxe4 f5? 20. Rxc4! and although White’s queen is en prise, the discovered attacks on the a2-g8 diagonal save White.

                  “I thought it was brilliant at this moment! But then when he played Qc6 I thought, ‘What have I done?'”

                • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 8:17 am || Up

                  The post-game press conferences are great. Magnus is pretty boring though.

          • futwork Nov 17,2016 12:37 am || Up

            In fairness, Karjakin was inching closer and closer to a draw for about 30 moves, only to undo all that hard work with Kxf5. Carlsen just returned the favor two moves later.

  19. Glorious Mundy Nov 14,2016 6:04 pm

    accidentally posted about politics in the sporting distractions grill…so…how about those A’s?

  20. Future Ed Nov 15,2016 9:04 am

    I am a terrible adult.

    life insurance, what all this then?

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • dmoas Nov 15,2016 10:31 am || Up

      are you asking what it is or are you seeing something that makes you wonder why people are talking about it?

      • Future Ed Nov 15,2016 1:09 pm || Up

        can anyone give ideas?

        So far what I have is: someone once said get enough to cover mortgage. But that seems silly where SLF or I could almost cover the mortgage alone, so just cutting it dramatically would seem to be enough and given the price breakdowns, getting a payout that high seems like a waste of money on something you would never need (probably, or at least hope to never need)

        Met life has three types, whole, universal and term. Term is limited to 30 years, which seems appropriate given that the house would be paid off then and the kids grown and stuff, but has no cash value, like universal and whole. Whole seems like its for a Rockefeller or something. Maybe someone who is a small business owner that experiences high volatility. Anyway too expensive. Universal is something I was never heard of until this morning.

        I have $5. No I don\'t.
        • dmoas Nov 15,2016 3:05 pm || Up

          Take this with the usual grain of salt since it’s been well over a decade since I’ve had any real knowledge about it. But I hate term only because it’s money towards the expectation that you’ll die within the next 30 years. If you make it past that, it’s more or less worthless. It’s like the car lease of life insurance with similar pros & cons that may or may not work for you depending on your age and when you expect to die. If you had a business to worry about, a lot of debts, and a lot of people dependent on you being alive, whole would be the way to go. Universal is sort of a light version of that. Considering you have kids, you want to make sure whoever ends up with them if you were to die tomorrow, has the financial ability to take care of them, including room & board and whatever else they may need. It also “helps” to assume that you may not go out alone which is partly where things like paying off what’s left of the mortgage, etc. comes into play. If SLF were to go down with you, making sure your kids are in a solid financial position with whomever ends up with them is smart, but also entirely dependent on that person(s) situation is like (whether they’d have room at their place, whether they’d move into yours, etc.) The average person probably doesn’t need a lot. At minimum enough to cover funeral expenses and debt so it doesn’t get dumped on your family (although debt makes a wonderful post-death gift). Hopefully some extra in case your death runs up a huge hospital bill in the process. The older you & your kids get the less you’ll need, so when I talk poorly about term, it’s not so much that it wouldn’t meet your needs *and* be cheaper. You just have to remember that at the end of the term, you may end up having spent all that money over 30 years and effectively start over. I’d hunt down a life insurance agent near you and chat with them though.

  21. Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 2:09 pm

    USA plays at Costa Rica this evening (6pm pacific on the super well known BeIN Sports and NBC Universo networks), a place where we’ve never gotten a point, nor even come particularly close to one.

    Zero points after two games wouldn’t be cause for panic, as we will have played 2 of the 3 toughest fixtures in the Hex (@Mexico being the other) with 8 games left. But it wouldn’t be great. Here’s hoping the boys figure out a way to scrape a draw.

    • AV Nov 15,2016 2:20 pm || Up

      [in the voice of croc dundee] “that’s not a panic.”

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/11/11/argentina-may-not-qualify-for-the-world-cup-and-lionel-messi-is-fuming/

      (i subscribed! come at me, unread articles the interest/quality of which i can’t deduce from the headline alone.)

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 2:26 pm || Up

        Those two free points Chile got due to Bolivia fielding an ineligible player are not helping.

        • AV Nov 15,2016 2:36 pm || Up

          i think it was 3 points. but yeah.

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 2:37 pm || Up

            I thought it went from draw to win.

            • AV Nov 15,2016 2:52 pm || Up

              oh. right. thought you were saying a forfeit gets special number of points.

              *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • AV Nov 15,2016 3:48 pm || Up

      hmm… i’ve seen that goal before somewhere.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:13 pm || Up

        This Chile-Uruguay match is violent as hell.

        • AV Nov 15,2016 4:30 pm || Up

          vidal out against argentina next game.

          suarez out against brazil.

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:47 pm || Up

            Suarez easily could have been sent off just now for a ridiculous dive. He is so good and so maddening.

        • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:55 pm || Up

          Ooooh, what a goal from Sanchez. Muslera looked not great but that was a gorgeous turn.

          EDIT: And another one.

      • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 5:43 pm || Up

        Those Messi highlights were…I need a moment alone please.

        • AV Nov 15,2016 6:18 pm || Up

          he was on fire tonight.

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • AV Nov 15,2016 7:15 pm || Up

      after the game, all the players just grabbed their bags and walked off. the reporters were having trouble catching them. it was a little odd but i though they were just burned out.

      turns out they are not talking to the press anymore. from now on all communiques will be…

      rapped, LL cool J style. they’re that type of guy.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  22. ptbnl Nov 15,2016 4:48 pm

    Moving the chess back to the left edge:

    I’m wondering how Carlsen will break through … maybe eventually Bxa3, sacrificing a bishop for 2 pawns to get passed pawns on both sides of the board?

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 4:50 pm || Up

      Whoa … here we go.

      The computer doesn’t seem to like f3, and it’s a bold move under time pressure.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • andeux Nov 15,2016 4:53 pm || Up

        Given the time difference, seems like he has to either find a winning line real soon or settle for a draw.

        TINSTAAFK
        • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:56 pm || Up

          I don’t see how Carlsen can move that knight off its perch.

        • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 4:57 pm || Up

          Whoa … given the time pressure, that’s really risky! Lots of ways to lose now white has the passed pawn too.

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
          • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 4:58 pm || Up

            Computer says 50-50

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 4:58 pm || Up

            Wait, how much time does Karjakin have? Hard to imagine he can get that pawn down the board without moving his knight, but he may as well think about it.

            • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 5:00 pm || Up

              8min to 35min in Karjakin’s favour.

              If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
              • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 5:12 pm || Up

                I’ve never played with the 30s per move increment … obviously every time you move in less than 30s your time increases, so Carlsen is now accumulating time!

                If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
            • andeux Nov 15,2016 5:05 pm || Up

              I can’t see how anything happens on the left side of the board. And given that, hard to see how either of them can make something happen on the right side either. (Usual caveat that I am not good at chess.)

              TINSTAAFK
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 5:20 pm || Up

            Magnus picked off that passed pawn, but I still don’t see how he breaks through.

            • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 5:27 pm || Up

              Draw … Carlsen must be feeling like he missed a chance there.

              If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
              • Future Ed Nov 15,2016 8:02 pm || Up

                i am a fan of this thread

                I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 5:24 pm || Up

      Draw

      • nevermoor Nov 15,2016 8:37 pm || Up

        It does not challenge my stereotypes for chess players to learn how commonly they engage in sister kissing.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • futwork Nov 17,2016 12:56 am || Up

        Two straight games the likes of which Carlsen has built a reputation on consistently winning, and he converted neither. Hard to say who’s feeling better about where things stand right now. I’m betting we get some fireworks tomorrow, at least.

        • Future Ed Nov 17,2016 7:17 am || Up

          nothing like chess live blogging to bring back commentors

          I have $5. No I don\'t.
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 8:18 am || Up

            Everyone loves a good kibitz.

          • nevermoor Nov 17,2016 8:44 am || Up

            Have to cover for slow cricket news somehow!

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
            • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 11:21 am || Up

              We haven’t even touched on England v India!

              If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  23. ptbnl Nov 15,2016 5:38 pm

    In these challenging times it’s good to have some certainties to hold onto, like England conceding 2 last minute goals to snatch a draw from the jaws of an improbable victory against Spain.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • MikeV Nov 15,2016 5:59 pm || Up

      E
      A
      S
      Y

      And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

      Thanks, and go As.

      • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 8:35 pm || Up

        Or the US losing in Costa Rica.

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • MikeV Nov 15,2016 8:56 pm || Up

          Had to keep our streak going of never winning there

          And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

          Thanks, and go As.

  24. Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 6:52 pm

    Just terrible defense by the USA. Costa Rica takes the lead right before halftime.

  25. MikeV Nov 15,2016 7:32 pm

    Tired of Jurgen Klinsmann now.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

    Thanks, and go As.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 7:37 pm || Up

      He has to go. This is embarrassing.

      • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 7:41 pm || Up

        4-0!!!! Fucking hell this is pathetic.

        • MikeV Nov 15,2016 9:10 pm || Up

          They quit on Klinsmann.

          A FKing national team, in a world cup qualifier, straight up quit.

          And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

          Thanks, and go As.

          • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 10:44 am || Up

            “The fact is, we lost two games. There is a lot of talk from people who don’t understand soccer or the team.”

            His go to move whenever he’s criticized is to say that his critics don’t understand soccer (because they are Americans).

            • MikeV Nov 21,2016 10:55 am || Up

              Yeah I’ve done a full 180 on him. I supported him, but it’s time for him to go now.

              And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

              Thanks, and go As.

            • MikeV Nov 21,2016 1:39 pm || Up

              aaaaaaaand he’s gone.

              And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

              Thanks, and go As.

      • Soaker Nov 15,2016 7:52 pm || Up

        I keep seeing complaints about this guy. Are the issues with field strategy, or is the problem with roster selection? i.e. is it his role as Geren/Melvin or his role as Beane/Forst that’s the problem?

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
        • Glorious Mundy Nov 15,2016 8:57 pm || Up

          I think he mostly calls in the right players. But they so often look like they have no idea what they are doing out there, and he sometimes puts players in spots that don’t fit their skill sets. And then tonight they really seemed to quit, which this team has never done that I can recall.

        • MikeV Nov 15,2016 9:09 pm || Up

          Frankly, it’s both. I could make plenty of complaints about his roster selection.

          His on field tactics are basically nonexistant at this point. He doesn’t give instruction to his players, and that is visible when they are playing. He’s got a terrible habit of playing guys out of position, or trying a different formation with basically zero notice or practice.

          He’s been horribly reliant on old guys, like to a fault, which just really culminated with playing a 35 year old Jermaine Jones 85 minutes against Mexico and then a full 90 only 5 days later against Costa Rica — just after saying Jones was going to play but he wasn’t 90 minutes fit yet — because he’s been injured for like 2 months.

          Basically i’ts been 6 years now. The US should have gotten significantly better, but haven’t.

          And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

          Thanks, and go As.

          • Glorious Mundy Nov 16,2016 12:53 pm || Up

            What do you mean he gives no instruction to players? He tells them to “fight” and “push” and be “proactive” and “nasty” and other empty bullshit slogans all the time.

            • MikeV Nov 16,2016 2:17 pm || Up

              SHOW ME SOMETHING CREATIVE. EXPRESS YOURSELF ON THE FIELD.

              And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

              Thanks, and go As.

              • Glorious Mundy Nov 16,2016 2:19 pm || Up

                How do you feel about Bruce Arena 2.0, because he sure seems like the most likely caretaker hire if Klinsi is canned.

                • MikeV Nov 16,2016 11:28 pm || Up

                  Kinda meh.

                  A lot of folks on the MLS subreddit seem to be behind Oscar Pareja, the FC Dallas coach. He’s got no problem playing and developing youth, which is good I think.

                  Me personally, I’m on the Guus Hiddink train, with the explicit deal that he gets the US through Russia 2018 and then hands over the reigns to a Pareja or a Jesse Marsch type of guy.

                  And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

                  Thanks, and go As.

              • AV Nov 16,2016 2:22 pm || Up
                *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • AV Nov 16,2016 6:43 pm || Up

      wynalda wants arena.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 2:34 pm || Up

  26. elcroata Nov 15,2016 9:41 pm

    When I saw that there were 72 new comments, my first thought was that Bed joined the thread 7 minutes ago. Then, I thought the A’s signed Ohtani. But I guess I just underestimated this site’s devotion to live chess commentary.

    Because survival is insufficient
    • Future Ed Nov 15,2016 9:45 pm || Up

      But I guess I just underestimated this site’s devotion to live chess commentary.

      tagline

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
      • ptbnl Nov 15,2016 10:57 pm || Up

        taglined

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • colin Nov 16,2016 9:59 am || Up

        Speaking of taglines, this one popped up recently for me and boy, was it relevant.

        I used to lean toward malevolence, now I’m fully invested in incompetence.

        • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 16,2016 11:42 am || Up

          Hell, at this point incompetence may be the best hope we have.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  27. Glorious Mundy Nov 16,2016 11:46 am

    Oliver Roeder at 538 does very good and accessible chess coverage, if anyone is interested. Here he is on game 4.

  28. FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 16,2016 12:46 pm

    Big event for fight fans Saturday. Oakland’s Andre Ward moves up to light heavyweight to face champ Sergey Kovalev. Both are undefeated. Contrasting styles, Ward a brilliant tactical defender in the Mayweather mold versus Kovalev’s classic Russian power approach. I might actually get the pay-per-view for this one, rather than rely on sketchy/dubious feeds.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  29. FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 16,2016 2:26 pm

    Just learned that my softball team needs me to play shortstop tonight in our fall league championship tournament. I’m usually 3B or OF or pitcher. Anyone know how I can get in touch with Ron Washington for some ASAP infield whispering?

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • ptbnl Nov 16,2016 4:23 pm || Up

      Just lay off anything down and away.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  30. Glorious Mundy Nov 16,2016 6:20 pm

    • Future Ed Nov 16,2016 7:18 pm || Up

      the thing I like about her pluck, is that every hack and internet base ball expert made jokes about her ruining verlander when he sucked last year and the other time he sucked.

      on the otherhand, she is a fucking lunatic trump supporter, so fuck her (not in a prurient way)

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
      • dmoas Nov 16,2016 9:33 pm || Up

        Someone should point out to her the Hillary had more first place votes and didn’t win. Sometimes it happens.

  31. andeux Nov 17,2016 9:45 am

    We interrupt the chess coverage to say good riddance to Lew Wolff.

    TINSTAAFK
    • Soaker Nov 17,2016 9:54 am || Up

      The Chronicle reported on Oct. 31 that one or more of the A’s owners might sell stakes in the club because of the looming possibility that the team will no longer receive revenue-sharing money in the new collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association.

      If the Trump Manfred administration is going to cut off my welfare payments, I’m leaving the country.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • lenscrafters Nov 17,2016 10:23 am || Up

        Yeah this…may not have good implications for the A’s. With that recent Slusser report on how MLB may cut the A’s revenue sharing, this seems like an indication that scenario is likely to happen. And Lew probably knows as well as anyone how close far the A’s are from getting a stadium to counterbalance that loss of revenue sharing.

        So basically, MLB cuts the A’s revenue sharing, A’s spend even less, A’s suffer for years since the stadium isn’t close to forthcoming, Lew gets out just in time after profiting for years off the revenue sharing teat.

    • Future Ed Nov 17,2016 9:55 am || Up

      ” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • MikeV Nov 17,2016 9:58 am || Up

      Quakes President Dave Kaval taking over for Mike Crowley, too. Weird.

      And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

      Thanks, and go As.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 10:14 am || Up

      Huh. Someone needs to help me with the kremlinology here. Are they still going to suck and whine about being forced to suck?

      • MikeV Nov 17,2016 10:19 am || Up

        wait the Quakes or the As?

        And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

        Thanks, and go As.

      • andeux Nov 17,2016 10:52 am || Up

        It means they can’t keep being profitable while sucking and not building a stadium.
        In the short run, that probably means more sucking and more whining.
        But it also puts pressure on them to “settle for” getting something done in Oakland. Which is the direction they have been moving in the last year or two anyway, but this may accelerate it a bit.

        TINSTAAFK
        • dmoas Nov 17,2016 12:12 pm || Up

          That just assumes there is something to be done in Oakland.

          • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 12:32 pm || Up

            Raiders to Vegas, Warriors to SF & redevelop the Coliseum site.

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 17,2016 6:22 pm || Up

          Very curious to know whether Lew asked out or was forced out.

          Scenario A: He calculated that the current reward of small (by MLB owner standards) but guaranteed annual profits was not worth the upcoming risk of having to invest in the team’s share of a new stadium. And/or that risk/reward calculation as it relates to the value of his ownership stake.

          Scenario B: Fisher outlined the investment plan for a new stadium, wherein the A’s would finance, I dunno, $500M or more of the costs, and Fisher made an ownership cash call to cover that, and Lew couldn’t pony up.

          Wolff was brought onto the team for his ostensible expertise in striking real estate development deals. Clearly that proved inadequate to the task, so his value to Fisher in that regard has to be near zero now. If the A’s and Oakland do strike a deal in the near future, to me it strongly suggests Scenario B.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
          • MikeV Nov 17,2016 8:58 pm || Up

            Bringing Kaval in is curious. He got Avaya built, and Fischer paid the tab.

            And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

            Thanks, and go As.

          • dmoas Nov 18,2016 10:25 am || Up

            I’d guess it was more likely Scenario A. Or more accurately, a combination of A & B that leans towards Scenario A in that nothing is ever quite that simple.

          • Englishmajor Nov 21,2016 12:56 pm || Up

            Wolff is also either 80 or 81 years old, depending on which newspaper you read. Plenty of reasons why a guy that age would leave a job that he doesn’t need in order to survive, even if he was any good at it.

  32. ptbnl Nov 17,2016 12:51 pm

    Let’s get those king-side pawns rolling … I want to see a crazy all-out attack!

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 1:12 pm || Up

      26-minute think before that queen move for Karjakin. Feels like a pivotal moment.

      • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 1:36 pm || Up

        He made the same bishop-for-knight trade as last game, and left himself with the same weak knight’s pawn.

        • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 2:39 pm || Up

          For all the tension, they’re back to lots of deliberate manoeuvering.

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 2:45 pm || Up

            Lots of tension building in front of Magnus’ king, and he doesn’t have ton of time to make this move.

      • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 2:37 pm || Up

        I get the impression he is digging trenches and stocking in supplies once again.

        • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 2:51 pm || Up

          I keep ending up in variations where Carlsen ends up with 4 isolated pawns on the 5th rank!

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 3:16 pm || Up

          Karjakin attacking for the first time in the series.

          If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
          • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 3:41 pm || Up

            Bah … exchange of passed pawns.

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
            • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 4:08 pm || Up

              These guys are just too good at defending.

              • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 4:11 pm || Up

                Yup – but no fortress today!

                If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 4:18 pm || Up

                  Draw. 2.5-2.5

                  If this gets to 6-6 after 12 matches, they play 4 tiebreaking games of 25+10 (25 minutes with 10 second increments).

                  If they are still tied after that, they play two games of 5+3.

                  If they are still tied after that, they play a sudden-death game with these rules:

                  The player who wins the drawing of lots may choose the color. The player with the white pieces shall receive 5 minutes, the player with the black pieces shall receive 4 minutes whereupon, after the 60th move, both players shall receive an increment of 3 seconds starting from move 61. In case of a draw the player with the black pieces is declared the winner.

                  All the tie-breakers happen on the same day, with 10 minutes in between games.

                • andeux Nov 17,2016 4:23 pm || Up

                  Wow, has a (regular) world championship ever been decided by one of those blitz games?

                  TINSTAAFK
                • Glorious Mundy Nov 17,2016 4:32 pm || Up

                  What ptbnl said

                • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 4:58 pm || Up

                  The format for world championships has varied wildly.

                  Post WW2 to 1972 it was best of 24, tie goes to the champion.

                  After Karpov won the title from Fisher by default it was changed to first to 6 wins until the 1984 match against Kasparov was abandoned after 5 months and 48 games (40 drawn).

                  Then it reverted to best of 24 for Kasparov’s 4 wins over Karpov.

                  Then Kasparov and Short split from FIDE on the eve of their championship and for a while there were two champions.

                  The reunification championship in 2006 was a best of 12 with a very similar tiebreak system, and Kramnik won the 4-game tiebreak phase 2.5-1.5.

                  Then there was a championship tournament in 2007.

                  Then it was back to best of 12 championship matches with the same tiebreakers, with the 2012 match also going to the 4-game stage.

                  So yes matches have gone to tiebreaks, but never beyond the first 4-game phase.

                  If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
              • ptbnl Nov 17,2016 4:12 pm || Up

                EVERYTHING IS EN PRISE!

                If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  33. MikeV Nov 17,2016 2:55 pm

    Internet is saying 4/52 now.

    Oh.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

    Thanks, and go As.

    • andeux Nov 17,2016 4:47 pm || Up

      Astros also trade for Brian McCann.

      TINSTAAFK
  34. Englishmajor Nov 17,2016 4:55 pm

    Dog shitting on cricket pitch is a metaphor for nearly everything in the world except Lew Wolff’s departure.

  35. ptbnl Nov 18,2016 10:55 am

    Another of the vagaries of the current chess championship format; Karjakin gets white for the next 2 games (6 & 7).

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 18,2016 11:01 am || Up

      We’re doing Ruy Lopez again.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 18,2016 11:28 am || Up

      Karjakin is up a (doubled) pawn early, but Carlsen has the two bishops with room to operate.

      • ptbnl Nov 18,2016 11:51 am || Up

        Heh … the website briefly had Rae8 there, and white’s odds skyrocketed!

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • Glorious Mundy Nov 18,2016 11:59 am || Up

          Pretty funny pawn pileup on the b file.

          This is going to be another draw.

  36. mother pucker Nov 19,2016 5:52 pm

    This is year four of the Dykes disaster. For the love of Christ, can Cal please fire Sonny fucking Dykes this off season and actually work towards building a real football program?

    • Soaker Nov 19,2016 6:02 pm || Up

      8-5 last year was the one that didn’t belong. Naturally that earned him that contract extension which is why he’ll still be around in September. That seat will be extremely hot though.

      He thinks that hurry-up system is integral to his offense, but when your defense is awful it seems to me the offense should take more time and keep the D off the field. They ask the D to be out there for close to 100 plays every night, and surprise, they were mentioning how many scholarship defensive players are unavailable tonight due to injury.

      This year:
      At least 45 points allowed in the last 6 games.
      At least 300 yards rushing allowed in 5 of 11 games (at least 248 allowed in 8 of 11).

      Next year’s QB will have taken zero game snaps unless he signs another hired hand like Webb.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • mother pucker Nov 19,2016 11:05 pm || Up

        Some additional detail.

        0-4 against Stanfurd (and never competitive)
        0-4 against U$C (see the above, but worse and this was during the Sark era)
        0-4* against UCLA

        Anyway, on the 8-5 season (that was capped off by a bowl game that no one outside of Berkeley and Colorado Springs watched), that team arguably under achieved given the amount of talent on offense. Goff, Treggs, Davis, Anderson, Lasco (injured but it helps my argument), Harris, and (maybe Powe) have all played in the NFL this season. That is nuts! That gets to the main point — Dykes did not inherit a total barren wasteland in the same way that MacIntye or Leach did. Tedford busted his ass recruiting (to the point where it probably became unhealthy), and Dykes clearly has fallen way off in that department, in addition to his obvious limitations as a tactician and coach.

        I agree he is coming back, but a loss to UCLA likely seals his fate for next year, since as you alluded to, the quarterback position is going to be a total clusterfuck among other things. The defense could probably still manage to play worse, and if Hansen declares a 2 to 3 win season feels fell within reach.

  37. Glorious Mundy Nov 20,2016 11:11 am

    Queen’s gambit met with the Slav Defense! Yay for something different. Yay for chess.

  38. elcroata Nov 20,2016 12:43 pm

    Being a pawn up is a good thing, right?

    Because survival is insufficient
  39. Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 11:04 am

    Unusual opening choice from Magnus. He’s got Karjakin out of his prep right from the jump.

    • nevermoor Nov 21,2016 12:43 pm || Up

      Why not take the unguarded pawn at b6? (I suck at chess)

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 12:48 pm || Up

      Apparently this was the Zukertort opening, which sounds delicious.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 2:20 pm || Up

      Spoiler alert: they are probably going to draw again

  40. elcroata Nov 21,2016 12:55 pm

    Action! Karyakin actually slightly ahead, with the threat of double knight positioning on the king’s wing, open files, looks good

    Because survival is insufficient
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 12:58 pm || Up

      I like the diagonals his bishops are on too. This could get exciting.

    • nevermoor Nov 21,2016 1:03 pm || Up

      Those moves actually favored Carlsen on this site.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  41. ptbnl Nov 21,2016 2:39 pm

    Carlsen’s very short of time for such a knife-edge position.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • nevermoor Nov 21,2016 2:41 pm || Up

      Yeah. Polger still thinks draw though, and she’s better at this than I am.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 2:46 pm || Up

        Pick any Polgar off the street and I will trust her word on chess.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 2:48 pm || Up

      They still have a long way to go to the time control. Blunders possible.

      • ptbnl Nov 21,2016 2:50 pm || Up

        Chess24 says Carlsen just ran out of time?!

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 2:52 pm || Up

          Think he has two minutes still

        • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 2:54 pm || Up

          More timely moves, and more accurate clocks on the official site.

      • andeux Nov 21,2016 2:54 pm || Up

        The computer thingy at worldchess really didn’t like Karjakin’s 37th move.

        TINSTAAFK
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 2:53 pm || Up

      Why is Magnus giving away pawns?

  42. ptbnl Nov 21,2016 3:09 pm

    Draw by repetition?

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • AV Nov 21,2016 3:19 pm || Up

      cross-hatch.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  43. Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 3:51 pm

    I’d be peeing myself in this position if I were white. That a pawn is freaking me out.

    • ptbnl Nov 21,2016 3:57 pm || Up

      But everything is so overworked that it’s hard to provide the support to advance it.

      I realize Carlsen’s bishop is doing sterling defensive work, but at some point its going to need to get into the game.

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • nevermoor Nov 21,2016 4:24 pm || Up

        Apparently this was exactly his failure. He missed A5 when he needed it.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • nevermoor Nov 21,2016 9:01 pm || Up

            That.

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • 5Aces Nov 22,2016 9:24 am || Up

            Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
    • andeux Nov 21,2016 4:00 pm || Up

      How common or rare are wins by black at the very top level?

      TINSTAAFK
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 4:34 pm || Up

        Reasonably rare.

        Karjakin won the Candidates Tournament to get to this match without winning a game as black. In that tournament (featuring the eight best players other than Carlsen playing double round robin), black only won 3 out of 56 games.

        Carlsen won 2 out of 5 games as black in his successful title challenge, but then didn’t win a black game in his first title defense.

        According to a study cited in wikipedia:

        Of 755 games played in 34 [world championship] matches between 1886 and 1990, White won 234 (31.0%), drew 397 (52.6%), and lost 124 (16.4%)…

        I guess there is some modern analysis suggesting that white’s perceived advantage is overblown, but the top players seem to play black as content with a draw unless they need a win.

    • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 4:20 pm || Up

      Carlsen resigns! Karjakin now two points from the title.

      • ptbnl Nov 21,2016 4:37 pm || Up

        So defensive specialist that he is, does Karjakin just play for draws in the remaining 4 games?

        If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
        • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 4:44 pm || Up

          Soak up pressure and counter, Mourinho style.

          • ptbnl Nov 21,2016 4:48 pm || Up

            So lose then?

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
            • Glorious Mundy Nov 21,2016 5:02 pm || Up

              Carlsen apparently pulled the Mourinho move of storming out of the post-game press conference today.

    • Future Ed Nov 21,2016 6:20 pm || Up

      I’d be peeing myself in this position if I were white

      All lives matter GM

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
  44. ptbnl Nov 22,2016 3:27 pm

    WTFK happened in Dortmund tonight?

    10 min: 0-1
    17 min: 1-1
    18 min: 2-1
    20 min: 3-1
    24 min: 3-2
    29 min: 4-2
    32 min: 5-2
    Halftime
    52 min: 6-2
    57 min: 6-3
    81 min: 7-3
    83 min: 7-4
    92 min: 8-4
    Fulltime

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 22,2016 3:41 pm || Up

      14 goals for BVB in the two matches against Warsaw.

  45. Glorious Mundy Nov 22,2016 5:05 pm

    MLS semifinal at the Big O in Montreal delayed because the referee realized at the last moment that they painted the penalty boxes the wrong size. Random Quebecers now out there with a tape measure trying to fix it.

    • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 22,2016 6:04 pm || Up

      Québécois, n’est ce pas?

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 22,2016 6:05 pm || Up

      Also, this is what we get for having a soccer playoff game in a metric country.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • ptbnl Nov 22,2016 7:20 pm || Up

      Penalty area or 6-yard box?

      If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 22,2016 7:29 pm || Up

        Penalty area. They were too narrow by at least a meter on each side.

        • Future Ed Nov 22,2016 9:17 pm || Up

          ??

          I’m doomed to never understand football

          I have $5. No I don\'t.
          • nevermoor Nov 22,2016 10:20 pm || Up

            Makes watching niners games easier to not understand…

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • AV Nov 23,2016 8:16 am || Up

            croc dundee voice, that’s not a penalty area, so on and so forth.

            *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  46. Glorious Mundy Nov 23,2016 12:07 pm

    30-minute think here for Carlsen. I wish I could be privy to what is going on in his head.

    • elcroata Nov 23,2016 12:39 pm || Up

      Karjakin built another 20 minute advantage, this cannot feel good for Magnus

      Because survival is insufficient
      • Glorious Mundy Nov 23,2016 2:29 pm || Up

        Time trouble in a tricky position now. He has only two minutes for the next two moves.

        • andeux Nov 23,2016 2:46 pm || Up

          Karjakin taking his own sweet time right now. Supposedly has a couple good moves available.

          TINSTAAFK
          • Glorious Mundy Nov 23,2016 2:54 pm || Up

            Tense moment.

            • Glorious Mundy Nov 23,2016 4:16 pm || Up

              Seems that Magnus got to a drawn position but Karjakin is still pushing pieces around looking for a win that isn’t there.

  47. elcroata Nov 23,2016 12:36 pm
    Because survival is insufficient
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 23,2016 1:55 pm || Up

      Hell yes it is.

      Undoubtedly correct ruling. Also good because Chess24’s main commentator, Peter Svidler, is awesome and played in the Candidates Tournament against Karjakin (two draws).

  48. AV Nov 23,2016 3:21 pm

    been thinking. is there a way to quantify sports disappointment? like, take all the teams you’re into, look at their win expectation lines, add up the angles, especially looking at the degree of downward slopes, weighted for place of slope on timeline of the game, also for tradition-based expectations such as being due and not getting it, multiplied by importance of the game within overall season/tournament.

    because, quite frankly, i believe i’m personally poised to take this trophy. 3 years in a row as losing finalist in the most prestigious award available ATM to my favorite team overall, plus a couple really good ways to lose major tournaments for boca (though i don’t know how to quantify the pepper spray incident since it wasn’t game related), the A’s a couple years ago (oh! add a quotient of disappointment for neighboring or rival teams which do win when you don’t), and even, say, put in a complicated differential derivative, like when the warriors (even though my personal stake is small, it is still in my proximity and affects my mood) won it all once, and posit that this was actually a lead-up to the disappointment of the next season, with the misused W-record and having the finals snatched away suddenly. i win right?

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • sslinger Nov 23,2016 11:54 pm || Up

      What team are you advocating for at the moment?

      • AV Nov 24,2016 7:26 am || Up

        mostly? team AV.

        and yeah, i see your point.

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
        • FreeSeatUpgrade Nov 24,2016 7:58 am || Up

          Yeah, the sanctioning body will vacate your title and seize your belt if you don’t regularly put it on the line.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  49. Soaker Nov 23,2016 3:48 pm

    Thanks Slusser. I always suspected this, though Reddick did a good job of keeping his mouth shut about it.

    What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Glorious Mundy Dec 6,2016 6:46 pm || Up

      I’ve been thinking about this. It makes me sad.

  50. AV Nov 23,2016 4:55 pm

    everybody. vote them all in. everybody!

    (except journey.)

    *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • AV Nov 23,2016 4:59 pm || Up

      i’ve had the blues,

      the reds and the pinks, and one thing for sure…

      THERE’S A GUY PLAYING TWO TRUMPETS WHILE JUMPING ON A POGO STICK!

      yeah yeah.

      *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
      • AV Nov 23,2016 5:07 pm || Up

        huh. see, i woulda thought perry was what was going to turn out embarrassing 25 years down the line for jane’s. but actually it’s the guitar solos. is it too late to get rid of the guitar solos?

        *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
  51. elcroata Nov 24,2016 2:16 pm

    Quite liking today’s match

    Because survival is insufficient
    • Glorious Mundy Nov 24,2016 2:26 pm || Up

      The pawns must be enjoying themselves.

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