2016 Ultimate Blitz Challenge: Day 1

The 2016 U.S. Championship has come to an end, but the fun continues! Over two days, the top three finishers: GM's Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Wesley So will join Garry Kasparov in an unrated exhibition blitz tournament.
2016.04.28
USChessChamps.com

[@lllllllllllllllllIll]

Timestamps 12:28: Program starts 18:40: Kasparov vs So | Nakamura vs Caruana 36:35: Caruana vs So | Nakamura vs Kasparov 52:10: Kasparov vs Caruana | So vs Nakamura 1:16:45: So vs Kasparov | Caruana vs Nakamura 1:31:46: So vs Caruana | Kasparov vs Nakamura 1:49:54: Caruana vs Kasparov | Nakamura vs So 2:17:25: Kasparov vs So | Nakamura vs Caruana 2:34:20: Nakamura vs Kasparov | So vs Caruana 2:51:33: Kasparov vs Caruana | So vs Nakamura 3:07:30: [SPOILER] Final standings 3:08:52: [SPOILER] Interview with Caruana 3:11:15: [SPOILER] Interview with So 3:15:10: [SPOILER] Interview with Nakamura 3:21:15: [SPOILER] Interview with Kasparov

[@anhakim1380]

tq so much! the best comment so far XD

[@garncev]

+Classico Please, comment day 2 the same way.

[@noone-qu5ec]

You're a hero

[@robertleeluben]

It's awesome of ole Gk to come out and do this.

[@Electronite1978]

Damn that was impressive. Kasparov simply seemed to have superior understanding of chess compared to others.

[@chessloverontwitch]

I think I speak for many when I say we always dreamed of this scenario. To Watch Kasparov play Nakamura in blitz is like something you thought would never happen. And here it is folks! And what a treat it is. Looking forward to tomorrow!

[@jonathanhockey9943]

Fascinating to see the different strengths, weaknesses and strategies of the different players. Caruana likes to build up a slow strategic edge, difficult sometimes in the quick games, Kasparov likes to play strongest opening play for a pure advantage, Nakamura, likes to keep it tight early and then play fast moves later in difficult technical positions. And So likes to play the h4 pawn break! Of course a lot more to it, but that is what I picked up so far from watching

[@Erik_001]

Such great coverage. All 3 commentators work great together. Very exciting. Great to see Garry.

[@bmetal2]

this thing is more fun to watch than any other thing in this universe!!! Thanks for organizing this wonderful event! I believe blitz should be played much more often at the higher level, it is much much more fun!!!

[@lollipophugo]

These blitz games are a. real treat and I also think this is where Jen's commentary shines, cutting straight into the heart of the tactics quickly as the moves fly out. Great broadcast, thoroughly enjoyable.

[@chrisatkeson4638]

All of the greats in one room! Kasparov, Cuarana, Nakamura, Kummer, So.

[@Cyrano1202]

Thank you so much for this great event. Gary Kasparov is the best player ever for many chess fans, so he is for me, a legend of sport like Diego Maradona, Mike Tyson or Michael Jordan. His style of play is unique, so strong and dominating. He scored 50% today against three of the current leading grandmasters, but in all three games that he lost he had a winning position. Just very impressing.

[@LePredator1]

Yeah, a legend like Diego Maradona. Both have the hand of God, y'know.

[@mattbarger86]

Watching this GM analysis is making me a better chess player. Thanks guys. Great work!

[@ninjako6255]

This is amazing!! We should have this every year!!! plzzzzz Garry!!!!

[@JMcomments]

I hope this can evolve even further. Doing some great work for chess!

[@wiperiser1]

This is by far the most entertaining chess format on the planet today IMO, well done!

[@undertaker66687]

Fantastic event!! More in the future please guys... Kasparov is still BOSS!!!

[@melodychest9020]

What we all know is that there can never be another "Kasparov". You got to love his style of play. He had them all on the ropes! And Maurice, please don't scream that Kasparov is playing all the engine moves .. how silly of you .. where do you think the engines came from?! They are children of Kasparov .. so no surprises there for me!

[@avinashiyer3089]

tbh i am impressed by kasparov , i did not expect him to do so good

[@theo7371]

+Avinash Iyer Many people believe that younger guys have a bigger advantage at Blitz than at Classical but it is quite the opposite. The main disadvantage older guys face is that they can't fully concentrate over very long periods of time to make deep calculations but the Blitz format makes that disadvantage much smaller. It's not like Kasparov's positional understanding and intuition have gone away.

[@scanefez1086]

+Avinash Iyer Right, Kasparov is so good that he lost to Wesley twice in this tournament so far.

[@TremendousSax]

+theo konstantellos Very interesting analysis that I hadn't considered before. I always assumed that younger players had stronger tactical vision and accuracy.

[@chessstrategy9732]

+Avinash Iyer Thats simply because Kasparov is better player than anyone, i even think he is better than carlsen, being old is disadvantage but by being a better player he compensates some of the disadvantage. If Kasparov was under 30 he would still be world champion.

[@scanefez1086]

ChessStrategy Already confirmed that chessplayers of today are far better than the chessplayers of yesterday.

[@whitegoldsilver]

Just imagen without that simple blunders Kasparov could now have 3 points more, or at least 2 !! He is still Champion.

[@janchristiandabi2228]

where u from? ur english sucks and ur spelling sucks too what a shame

[@whitegoldsilver]

+jan christian dabi How about your German? How about your Russian? And your French and Persian? At least I know two forign languages fluently and better than English. And you? Do you think English is Bible? Or God's language? English is English like any other language. Actually shame on you and the way you're thinking sucks. And yea... For sure I can play chess better than you. I am a Fide Master and you?

[@GlennTheSadMarinersFan]

+whitegoldsilver don't mind the trolls.

[@melodychest9020]

+jan christian dabi AH! Your English is so good that I am sure you know what AH stands for!?

[@whitegoldsilver]

+Glenn Hackworth 🆗 :)

[@alirezakousha7909]

Best Chess Show ever!

[@gtrmusic69]

Maurice is ruining this whole thing with his endless nonstop talking. He's making it all about him, as usual.

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+gtrmusic69 His job is to talk and explain the game as well as provide computer evaluations ......He is making it all about exciting players and exciting moves NOT himself,,,,,Do you even play the game grtmusic69 ?

[@gtrmusic69]

+IndigoBassNotes Talking is good. But screaming and yelling and constantly interrupting people backfires and none of the other announcers ever get to finish their thought. The guy is acting like he's describing a motorcycle race and not a blitz chess match. What a ridiculous disaster. Watch other announcers doing blitz matches and you'll see what I'm talking about. Yes I play and have been a member of USCF for almost 20 years. My official USCF rating is 2338 in standard and something close to that in blitz. I also play on ICC and Chess.com and on Chess24.

[@marcusmayeda8092]

+gtrmusic69 Please i would rather hear him talk than jennifer any day.

[@cana123uruguay2]

Come Back Garry !! we miss you

[@DJTalpes]

+Cana123 Uruguay oh yeah, we miss the head shaking,watch getting of the hand before the game, furious getting up from the chair after the game.WE NEED someone who shows his true emotions over the board...i HATE when i see someone loses a tight game and still holds his poker face.bullshit! that's why i respect Gary because he shows his temperament and his endless motivation to DESTROY his adversary

[@62calum]

that was great stuff. i always fall asleep watching the live classical chess but not this blitz. great stuff from the old yeen

[@AndrewBackhouse1]

So exciting!

[@ck1704]

Awesome event

[@MojitoTube]

I am eager to this amazing show (Y)

[@chessloverontwitch]

lol @ Kasparov's face at 45:15. Like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar :)

[@LePredator1]

Hahahahaha

[@RobPalmer454]

+Jimmie Beatty youre a real hoot

[@bonerici]

Touch move is the rule in blitz. clock move is only for casual games. However if your opponent is ok with it you can "take back" a moved piece. Naja saw what happened and let Gary change his move. sure why not I would let Gary do it too. I mean greatest player alive let him do what he feels like.

[@tretayug3500]

True!

[@tharindanimnajith3525]

+Eric Taylor Absolutely! Let's not forget he plays chess after a long time, unlike others who plays tournaments everyday! So these kind of mistakes can happen... Great sportsmanship by Naka! Hope Garry wins the tournament!!

[@kristianfagerstrom7011]

+Eric Taylor Yeah, it was plain by Nakamuras bodylaguage and expression that he was fully aware of the rule. But I really respect his decision to play the game out, instead of calling Kasparov on it. Winning that way just wouldn't be as enjoyable.

[@blankdude4247]

+Eric Taylor I think that Nakamura let Kasparov take the piece back because of all the hate would get by crying about it. It was unrated there was no point of crying to win by that stupid rule. Maybe on a rated tournament it woud make more sense.

[@lollipophugo]

+Eric Taylor He moved the piece that he originally touched, which means the touch move rule was adhered to. The square that piece moves to is not confirmed until the clock is pressed however.

[@leonparks1482]

Kasparov was beautiful. his game is still amazing

[@kristianfagerstrom7011]

This is a great event! But I hope that you will focus on one game in the future, and review the other one after. Going back and forth when moves are being made at both tables gets confusing. At times the comments were about one game, and the graphics showed the other. You do great work, but I feel that three people commenting on two blitzgames simultaneously is a tad too much.

[@leibnitz2357]

Kasparov should cameback. He his a true legend.

[@SP-qp4ff]

I enjoy Yasser Seirawan's analysis. It's calm, understandable, and more interesting than a chess engine report.

[@SP-qp4ff]

+Stewart Pelto Also, thank you Garry Kasparov! Your donation is well received

[@ericchacon5132]

I'm so surprised this only has 70,000 views, considering what other blitz videos get on youtube and this is Kasparov playing. Shocked at the low view count.

[@SinSciSS0rs]

Go Wesley So! Nice games Kasparov.

[@zealandzen]

Fantasy chess show, except it was for real. Keep it up!

[@MickThal]

--Nakamura: I mean if you look at Basketball you see that people always say Stephen Curry is better than Michael Jordan. With every passing generation, the players are better than the previous one. That's why I think it will be more interesting from Garry's point of view than our. Maurice: Because you are supposed to be the better? Hikaru: Well, we are supposed to be. But many consider him to be the best player ever! So it will be interesting.-- So far, Hikaru, you are wrong with your supposing. You drew and lost a game against Garry and you were lucky to win the third game. Thanks for your great analyze John. You ware the only one who have done that so far. It is amazing from Kasparov to take this risk to play against 3 top ten players and he he played very well.

[@simonenoli4418]

new gen chess players are supposed to be better. that doesnt mean they are. or enough to be noticeable anyway. naka prolly prefers a pc for blitz. but caruana showed that next gen is improving.

[@GEM4sta]

+thilo28ful Naka was sandbagging to make the old fart feel better. Day 2 he turns on the boosters and smokes those scrubs.

[@MickThal]

+GEM4sta You call such a legend as Kasparov is an old fart ? You dont like chess. Day 2 : Kasparov vs Nakamura : 2 :1 What are you talking about ?

[@GEM4sta]

thilo28ful Yeah, probably needs viagra to get it up. Only lost by like 3 points lel.

[@extremepietbh]

There seems to be a photo of caruana actually at this event framed on the wall, you can see it at 2:34:11

[@jasonms11]

ermagherd, so frickin exciting!

[@Thegamer-yp7qq]

magnus ,kasparov ,Hikaru , caruana and so .... it will be a good tournament

[@aaronhowe3725]

Nakamura was a class act, and then Jennifer and Yaz sadly give him grief for it!

[@Trombosilbo]

great play by kasparov, according to the engines

[@shreddaily101]

Thank you so much for this! Please add John Bartholomew to your team :)

[@simonenoli4418]

hes not a gm

[@LePredator1]

Doesn't matter, Timothy. Lawrence Trent is an IM, and a good commentator too, in the Tromso Olympiad for example. I vote for IM Danny Rensch.

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+LePredator1 Danny just tries too hard to be witty and ends up annoying.....I can't watch him play with all that smarmy , snarky chatter.

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+shreddaily101 You have put Fins on too high a pedestal, No matter how many 2200 players he crushes he does not belong at THIS LEVEL.

[@DreadsideNubuner]

The #Energy levels were off the charts!!!!!!

[@geonerd]

Guys, I very much appreciate the coverage (and the tournament!), but I have to suggest that there are just too many people trying to talk in too short a time. I'm not keen on the Sports Center style coverage under the best of conditions, but when covering blitz chess it completely falls apart, IMO. T.Y.

[@DreadsideNubuner]

+geonerd I disagree mate, the energy levels were so high; it increased the spectacle so much.

[@p1nesap]

What's status on Ben F? We see Mike, Jon and others but no Ben anywhere.

[@2airtoon21]

+Frugal Teq "and what did he do? he cried"

[@Foxhound3857]

+2airtoon21 He went to vote for Pat Buchanan.

[@janetoss]

Kasparov is on another level, that much is obvious

[@isolani]

This is great for chess.

[@Foxhound3857]

2:34:20 “Kasparov going down AGAIN." You don't hear that very often in the Chess world.

[@nwa4life312]

i am getting to be a huge Wesley So Fan ... the guy is fantastic

[@LePredator1]

Yeah, very good spirited guy too, unlike other super-GMs

[@AgustinMolini]

1:07:11 Who can keep their heart rate down when Jennifer is looking so good? she's also a brilliant chess player but wow that outfit

[@djuri1985]

Kasparov: "I didn't know whether I let go of the piece"... For real?!

[@jrashad]

LIT

[@smwg4187]

"Internet mems" AHAHAHAHAHA

[@PhilomathBret]

Why are they using an engine at 1:47:00? There are 6 pieces left. They don't have the tablebase for that on hand?

[@joshuamusic8812]

Not a fan of using comparison to an engine to analyse how good a move is

[@MrJonathanjms]

it's not letting me watch

[@DraShaQuest1010]

You know.

[@tceterex]

Actually starts at 18:45

[@aadd8459]

caruana is the most awkward person I've ever seen

[@betuscb5707]

interesante

[@rubyperkins]

you have to improve visuals. it's impossible to see black positions.

[@baytuve]

big blunder ! :D

[@khann2159]

LMAO Kasparov would crush this kids in his prime

[@Hallands.]

What a messy setup with 3 commentators making noise and changing boards like perfect fools trying to sound sharp. Gac!

[@tjwpdl]

What software is used? For example at 50:40

[@ElefantenDung]

+tjwpdl CS:GO its from the chess site: chess24

[@giuseppeindelicati7845]

Beautiful! But in blitz the comment is may be a noise...

[@ralflici986]

Does anybody know the chess set name?

[@mattbell5602]

I hate Kasparov reconsidering his knight move and then being the leader halfway through . . . Nakamura shoulda castled with both hands during their next game. Love Yasser though: "True that," "That's how he rolls," "My bad!"

[@harabas3499]

1:29:56 classic!

[@SinSciSS0rs]

8:01 ooooohhhhhh

[@nikdsh]

"Eddzackly" -Yasser

[@booksandblitz1105]

no but even after that knight blunder bs wesely so.....kasparov can still continue and win the game by moving bishop to a7 or c7.... the pawn is unchallenged

[@JJJMMM1]

Why on earth do they play multiple blitz games simultaneously and cut between tables in the middle of games? It makes no sense. You already have very little time to look at the board because the game are so short. The advantage of blitz from a spectator point of view is that you see everything unraveling in real time and you have the same amount of time as the players to figure out the best moves. Swapping between tables removes all that. SHOW US THE FULL GAME IN REAL TIME.

[@ShinyHall]

Is this going on now? Has it just started?

[@jonathanmarin7147]

+Alex Hall Started today finish tomorrow

[@MrOttopants]

It makes me realize just how much practice sports commentators get on how to pronounce things correctly. Yasser always says that a player "essayed" the situation. There was a funny time when Maurice called Yasser "pedantic" when he meant to tell him that he's a good teacher. I hope someone corrects Jen's pronunciation of "meme" before today.

[@jonathanhockey9943]

+MrOttopants yes I thought it was pronounced 'meem'

[@blankdude4247]

I just got cancer, all of them blundered like if they were a random 1200 on chess.com

[@dale2222222]

who's that guy in the grey suit that Gary was talking to in between games all day?

[@CyprusAve]

+dale2222222 His boyfriend

[@SinSciSS0rs]

Michael Khodarovsky,longtime friend, FIDE Senior Trainor.

[@donpatonom9756]

+Mark John Barroga thanks

[@SinSciSS0rs]

Yeah your welcome.

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+dale2222222 Notice the child's answer: his boyfriend......notice the answer from the adult who actually knows something about Chess..... AND there you have it................ KZbin !

[@Thegamer-yp7qq]

I wanna see a match between kasparov and magnus

[@justinlewtp]

Magnus played Kasparov when he was 13, and he successfully drew him

[@justinlewtp]

A Gott to be fair, he was a teen at the time xD

[@sourandbitter3062]

Maurice is super stressful

[@alejandrogonzalez5505]

Moris made me hate the engines.

[@DreadsideNubuner]

+Alejandro González I'm not bothered by it because if THE BORG ever try and assimilate us, we can send Maurice to negotiate.

[@LePredator1]

Yeah, with his alien-like head he'll communicate perfectly with the cyborgs

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+Alejandro González Yeah he gets repetitive but TRUST those A.I. moves are often way beyond the strongest human moves on the planet. The engines do tell the truth ...never get tired....never hang pieces...they are a window in a world the human mind cannot enter.

[@alejandrogonzalez5505]

+IndigoBassNotes i just dont like how he criticizes the players base on the engine in a blitz game.

[@SinSciSS0rs]

2:29:15 ouch

[@pepelepu19]

Why didn't Magnus Carlsen participate in this Championship?? :/

[@LePredator1]

The time control SUCKS!

[@jessebeijer8126]

Can Maurice please be a little less overbearing?

[@LePredator1]

No

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+Jesse Beijer Its just excitement as well as having the " flash light of truth "i.e. .....Chess Program insights that provide moves humans do not always see.

[@bdydavi2644]

Jen it's memes like meem not mems.

[@burningbend]

"internet mem"

[@user-ss8ju6zi2x]

Кто от Максима Омариева?

[@askara2931]

Кто пришел от ChessMaster

[@jalcace]

Garry blundering many times I think it's because all the time he has not played.

[@puddingosu3326]

internet mem

[@ligmanewtons2523]

This football-esk commentary is pretty annoying. I am a fan of calmer, less dramatic narration.

[@JohnSmith-zk6mg]

Not a fan of the video format. First, the commentary sucks -- big time. The commentators detract rather than add to the experience. Second, there is not enough real estate in the browser to show multiple windows. Show the live game of the players, with a crisp viewing angle, and audio of their moves. Lose the annoying commentators. A wasted opportunity.

[@TremendousSax]

I think it would be better, especially with only four participants, to only have one game going at a time. That way the commentators can devote their full attention to a single game without needlessly flipping back and forth. Also, it would allow players to have a brief rest and study their next opponent a bit. Seems like it would be win win

[@crito9778]

+Tremendous Sax Hm, that's a good point. I wonder why they don't do it that way.

[@DreadsideNubuner]

+John Smith DUDE you can just watch the games on some chess website if you don't want commentary. Are you STUPID?

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+DreadsideNubune a bit aggressive there ...but I have to agree with you on that one.

[@Aditya-lr5se]

Horrible commentary Maurice. It is so irritating to hear his loud completely useless comments

[@SinSciSS0rs]

+Aditya Marella Actually, for most of us, it hypes us about the chess. He made chess commentating entertaining and lots of tournaments our gushing to have him as their commentator because, the way he projects himself to the audience,showing moves back and forth,makes me realize how beautiful this game is.But, that's your preference I guess..

[@DreadsideNubuner]

+Mark John Barroga TOTALLY AGREE DUDE - MAURICE RULES

[@SinSciSS0rs]

HAHA HEIN MT

[@IndigoBassNotes]

+Mark John Barroga Yeah Mark I think Aditya Marella was just low level trolling....ya know a beginner troll trying his first steps...

[@SinSciSS0rs]

+Aditya Marella I got your point,bro!

[@JohnDoe-qg1pj]

Maurice is so annoying... "engine this", "engine that"....

[@Game0verFool]

1:48:57 loooool wtf