User Profile: YouRang

YouRang
Member since Feb-23-05

<< ♆ > Game Prediction Contest < ♆ >>
This forum is currently the place to participate in game prediction contests.
<Next tournament>
Dortmund 2013 - July 25 - August 4 - 10 player single round robin.
Players: Kramnik, Caruana, Leko, Hao, Adams, Andreikin, Naiditsch, Fridman, Meier, Khenkin
<Last tournament>
Norway Chess Tournament (2013)
Official site: http://norwaychess.com/en/
== MEDAL WINNERS
• StdRnk: =<OhioChessFan>, =<jsy>, =<wordfunph>, =<lostemperor>
• 123Rnk: =<OhioChessFan>, =<pbercker>, =<jsy>, =<lostemperor>, =<siamesedream>, =<wtwz>
• BetRnk: =<poorpatzer>, =<wordfunph>, =<whiteshark>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This contest was created and originally hosted by <cu8sfan>, but he has discontinued hosting the contests due to time constraints at work. Note that this is NOT the final standings prediction contest, which is hosted by User: lostemperor.
<OBJECTIVE>:
Have fun predicting the outcome of each game in each round, and seeing how well your predictions compare to those entered by other contestants. You win by having the best overall prediction performance.
As with the Olympics, the top 3 placeholders will be honored with 'medals' (gold, silver and bronze), and the gold medal winners will be inducted into the HALL OF FAME (see below). Truly, an unbelievable honor. (Even I don't believe it.)
There will be a few different ways to determine a winner, as discussed under "SCORING METHODS", below.
<RULES>:
1. Enter your game predictions for a round BEFORE any games for that round begin (duh). It is okay to enter predictions long in advance (e.g. you could predict all rounds at the start if you want).
2. Make sure that when you enter game predictions for a round, that you include ALL games in that round, within a single post. If you miss one game, all of your predictions for that round will be ignored.
3. You may change your predictions for a round by re-submitting ALL of your predictions for that round (you must re-submit predictions for all games in the round, even if you changed a prediction for only one game).
4. Keep in mind that I'm using software to process all of the prediction posts. If you enter a post that 'looks' like game predictions, it will be counted as game predictions. If your prediction post contains typos, they become subject to my interpretation of your intent. But if the intent strikes me as being ambiguous, then I must reject your predictions for that game, and thus for that whole round -- so please be careful.
5. A post containing predictions should have one line for each game prediction. The line should be of the form:
[whiteplayer] - [blackplayer] [outcome]
Here are some examples:
Anand - Topalov 1/2
Leko - Kramnik 1-0
Adams - Polgar 0-1
DON'T forget the hyphen between the player's names.
(The software can usually figure out what you mean if you deviate a *little* from this form...)
<SCORING METHODS>
There are 3 different scoring methods, which means that there are actually 3 contests in one. Consequently, we could have as many as 3 different winners (or perhaps one triple-crown winner!)
1. Standard Ranker
This is the traditional contest that <cu8sfan> developed. The winner is simply the person who finishes with the most correct predictions.
2. 1-2-3 Ranker
This contest makes it is more rewarding to correctly predict the outcome of a decisive game than a drawn game. You earn 1 point for correctly predicting a draw, but 2 points for correctly predicting a white win, and 3 points for correctly predicting a black win. The winner is the person ending up with the most points.
3. Betting Ranker
This contest gives greater rewards to those who have a knack for predicting upsets (i.e. games that most other people thought would have a different outcome). Each game prediction is treated as a $1 wager. All of the money wagered on that game is divided up equally to those who correctly predicted its outcome. If you're the only one who got it right, you've hit the jackpot! The winner is the person ending up with the most $$$.
<Notes on Scoring Methods>
For the "Standard Ranker" and "1-2-3 Ranker" reports, you will notice that there are four "pseudo-contestants", which serve as benchmarks for comparison of prediction performance. These are as follows:
1. WHITER = Always predicts white to win.
2. BLACKER = Always predicts black to win.
3. DRAWER = Predicts every game to be drawn.
4. MONKEY = Simulates a monkey that just picks white, black or draw at random, with equal chances for each outcome.
<Miscellaneous comments>:
• My ability to process predictions and post results may be spotty at times. I'll do them as soon as I can -- but I have a number of other things are higher priority. :-)
• I am not always online when the games for a round begin. It would be helpful to me if someone who IS online when the games begin to post a message in this forum simply stating that the games have begun. This lets me know the cut-off point for accepting new predictions for that round.
• TIP: It's easy to get busy and neglect to enter your predictions on time. If so, you'll miss a round, which greatly diminishes your chances of winning. Avoid this by entering a few rounds of predictions in advance. You can always revise them later if you like. :-)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
<<> GAME PREDICTION HALL OF FAME <>>
10 6 5 <Legend> Wij13:StdRnk(2t) / Bil12:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t) / Dor12:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t) / Wij12:StdRnk(3t) / Tal11:123Rnk(2t)+BetRnk(3) / Dor11:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1) / Wij11:StdRnk(1t) / Dor09:StdRnk(3t) / Dor08:StdRnk(2t) / Lin08:StdRnk(1) / WCC07:StdRnk(3t) / Dor07:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(2) / Wij07:123Rnk(1t)+StdRnk(2t) / Dor06:BetRnk(3)
8 4 2 <su3eichfeld> Wij13:BetRnk(2) / Bie12:BetRnk(3) / Dor11:StdRnk(3) / Lin10:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(2) / Tal09:123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(1) / Pea09:123Rnk(1t)+StdRnk(2t)+BetRnk(2) / Dor09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(1)
8 2 5 <lostemperor> Nor13:StdRnk(3t)+123Rnk(3t) / Wij13:BetRnk(3) / Dor10:StdRnk(3t) / Lin10:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t) / Wij10:123Rnk(1t) / Mte09:123Rnk(2t) / Bie08:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1) / Lin07:123Rnk(2t)+StdRnk(3t) / Dor06:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(1)
8 2 <SloVice> WCC13:BetRnk(3) / Wij13:123Rnk(1)+StdRnk(2t) / Wij12:BetRnk(1) / Bil11:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(1) / Pea10:BetRnk(1) / Dor10:123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(1)+StdRnk(3t)
7 4 <NakoSonorense> Wij10:BetRnk(1) / Lin09:BetRnk(1) / Wij09:BetRnk(3) / Bie08:BetRnk(1) / Dor08:BetRnk(1) / Mte08:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(2t) / Lin08:123Rnk(1)+StdRnk(2t)+BetRnk(2) / Wij08:BetRnk(1) / Bie07:123Rnk(2)
7 2 <virginmind> Wij13:123Rnk(3) / Bil12:StdRnk(1t) / Baz11:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(2) / Wij11:123Rnk(2) / Mte09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(1) / Mte07:BetRnk(1)
5 6 5 <SwitchingQuylthulg> WCC13:BetRnk(2) / Bil12:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(2t) / Wij12:BetRnk(3) / Tal11:123Rnk(2t)+StdRnk(3) / Dor11:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(2t) / Baz11:StdRnk(3t) / Wij11:StdRnk(1t)+BetRnk(2) / Pea10:StdRnk(1t) / Dor10:BetRnk(3) / Mte09:BetRnk(2) / Bie08:BetRnk(3) / Bie07:BetRnk(1)
5 <messachess> Lin09:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(2) / Wij09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1) / Wij08:123Rnk(1)
4 4 9 <chessmoron> WCC13:StdRnk(3t) / Bil12:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t) / Bie12:StdRnk(3)+123Rnk(3) / Bil11:StdRnk(2)+123Rnk(3) / Baz11:StdRnk(3t) / Dor10:StdRnk(1t) / Wij10:StdRnk(2)+123Rnk(3t) / Tal09:StdRnk(3t)+123Rnk(3t) / Wij09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t) / Lin08:BetRnk(3) / Wij08:StdRnk(2t)
4 3 2 <zarg> Dor10:StdRnk(3t) / Wij10:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1t) / Tal09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t) / Pea09:StdRnk(2t)+BetRnk(3) / Lin09:StdRnk(2)+123Rnk(2t)
4 4 <Where is my mind> Pea09:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(1) / Dor09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(3t)+BetRnk(3) / Mte09:123Rnk(2t) / Lin09:StdRnk(3t) / Bie08:StdRnk(3t)
4 2 <kolobok> Dor08:123Rnk(3t) / Bie07:StdRnk(1) / Dor07:123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(1)+StdRnk(3t) / Lin07:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(2t)
3 4 5 <cromat> Dor12:123Rnk(2t) / Dor10:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t) / Lin10:StdRnk(3t)+123Rnk(3t) / Dor09:123Rnk(1t)+StdRnk(3t) / Dor08:StdRnk(2t) / Dor07:StdRnk(3t)+123Rnk(3t) / Dor06:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t)
3 3 <nfazli> Dor12:123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(2) / Tal11:BetRnk(1) / Bil11:BetRnk(2)+StdRnk(3t) / Wij09:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(2t)
3 2 10 <OhioChessFan> Nor13:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1) / Bil11:StdRnk(3t) / Baz11:StdRnk(3t) / Wij11:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(3) / Wij10:123Rnk(3t) / Tal09:StdRnk(3t)+123Rnk(3t) / Mte09:123Rnk(2t)+StdRnk(3) / Lin09:BetRnk(3) / Dor08:123Rnk(3t) / Wij08:BetRnk(2) / Bie07:123Rnk(3)
3 2 <blade2012> WCC13:StdRnk(3t)+123Rnk(3t) / Bie12:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(1)
3 <WinKing> Dor12:StdRnk(1t) / Tal11:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1)
2 5 2 <yalie> Dor11:StdRnk(2)+123Rnk(2t) / Wij08:123Rnk(3)+BetRnk(3) / WCC07:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t) / Bie07:StdRnk(2t) / Lin07:123Rnk(1)+StdRnk(2)
2 4 3 <percyblakeney> Wij09:StdRnk(3) / Bie08:123Rnk(2t)+StdRnk(3t) / Mte08:StdRnk(1) / Wij08:StdRnk(2t) / WCC07:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t) / Mte07:StdRnk(2t)+123Rnk(3)
2 3 2 <DCP23> Lin10:BetRnk(3) / Mte09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t)+BetRnk(3) / Lin09:123Rnk(2t) / Lin07:BetRnk(1) / Wij07:BetRnk(2)
2 3 2 <YouRang> Bie12:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t) / Dor12:BetRnk(3) / Bil11:123Rnk(2) / Pea10:123Rnk(2t) / Bie07:BetRnk(3) / Dor06:123Rnk(2t)
2 3 <nimh> WCC13:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1) / Bie08:BetRnk(2) / Dor08:StdRnk(2t)+123Rnk(2)
2 2 3 <Ragh> Tal11:BetRnk(2) / Wij11:BetRnk(1) / Dor10:StdRnk(3t) / Tal09:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(3t) / Pea09:123Rnk(3) / Bie07:StdRnk(2t)
2 2 <iron maiden> Lin08:StdRnk(2t) / Wij08:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(2) / WCC07:StdRnk(3t) / Wij07:StdRnk(1)
2 2 <lmreith> Bie08:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t) / Bie07:123Rnk(1)+StdRnk(2t)
2 <Ziggurat> Dor08:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(2)
2 <Barok Espinosa> Bil12:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1t)+BetRnk(3)
2 <Winter> Pea10:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(3)
2 <hitman84> Mte07:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1)
2 <ooda> Wij12:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(1)
2 2 <wordfunph> Nor13:BetRnk(2)+StdRnk(3t) / Wij12:StdRnk(3t) / Tal11:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2t)
2 <amadeus> Pea10:123Rnk(2t)+StdRnk(3t) / Wij07:123Rnk(1t)+StdRnk(2t)
2 <mikejaqua> Mte08:123Rnk(1)+StdRnk(2)+BetRnk(3) / WCC07:BetRnk(2)
2 <Golden Executive> WCC13:StdRnk(1t)+123Rnk(2) / Tal11:123Rnk(2t)
2 <PinnedPiece> Dor12:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(2t)+StdRnk(3) / Dor11:BetRnk(3)
2 <suenteus po 147> Wij10:BetRnk(2) / Dor08:BetRnk(3) / WCC07:123Rnk(1)+BetRnk(3)
<karpkasp> WCC13:BetRnk(1) / Wij12:BetRnk(2)
<Karposian> Wij13:StdRnk(1)+123Rnk(2)
2 <WannaBe> WCC13:StdRnk(3t)+123Rnk(3t) / Wij13:BetRnk(1)
<ahmadov> WCC07:BetRnk(1) / Wij07:123Rnk(3t)
<imag> Lin10:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(3t)
<poorpatzer> Nor13:BetRnk(1) / Wij11:BetRnk(3)
<sakii> Lin08:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(3t)
<twinlark> Wij07:BetRnk(1)+123Rnk(3t)
<chesssantosh> Baz11:BetRnk(1)
<Civhai> Wij11:123Rnk(1)
************* Multiple Crowns **************
* Triple Crowns: <blade2012> (Bie12), <lostemperor> (Dor06), <SloVice> (Bil11), <su3eichfeld> (Dor09), <virginmind> (Mte09), <Where is my mind> (Pea09)
* Double Crowns: <Legend> (Bil12+Dor11+Dor07), <lostemperor> (Lin10+Bie08), <messachess> (Lin09+Wij09), <su3eichfeld> (Lin10+Tal09), <zarg> (Wij10+Tal09), <Barok Espinosa> (Bil12), <chessmoron> (Bil12), <hitman84> (Mte07), <kolobok> (Dor07), <nimh> (WCC13), <OhioChessFan> (Nor13), <ooda> (Wij12), <SloVice> (Dor10), <virginmind> (Baz11), <WinKing> (Tal11), <Winter> (Pea10), <YouRang> (Bie12), <Ziggurat> (Dor08)
************ Crowns by Contest *************
* StdRnk Crowns: 6 <Legend>; 3 <chessmoron> <lostemperor> <virginmind>
* 123Rnk Crowns: 4 <Legend> <lostemperor> <su3eichfeld>; 3 <SloVice> <messachess>; 2 <zarg> <virginmind>
* BetRnk Crowns: 6 <NakoSonorense>; 4 <SloVice>; 3 <SwitchingQuylthulg>; 2 <virginmind> <nfazli> <su3eichfeld>
************* Crowns by Year ***************
* 2006 (1 tournament): 3 <lostemperor>
* 2007 (6 tournaments): 4 <kolobok>; 3 <Legend>; 2 <yalie> <hitman84>
* 2008 (5 tournaments): 5 <NakoSonorense>; 2 <lostemperor> <Ziggurat>
* 2009 (6 tournaments): 6 <su3eichfeld>; 4 <Where is my mind> <messachess>; 3 <virginmind>; 2 <zarg>
* 2010 (4 tournaments): 3 <SloVice> <lostemperor>; 2 <zarg> <Winter> <su3eichfeld>
* 2011 (5 tournaments): 3 <SloVice> <Legend>; 2 <SwitchingQuylthulg> <WinKing> <virginmind>
* 2012 (4 tournaments): 3 <Legend> <blade2012>; 2 <ooda> <Barok Espinosa> <YouRang> <chessmoron>
* 2013 (3 tournaments): 2 <nimh> <OhioChessFan>
********** Crowns by Tournament ************
* Baz (1 year): 2 <virginmind>
* Bie (3 years): 3 <blade2012>; 2 <YouRang> <lmreith> <lostemperor>
* Bil (2 years): 3 <SloVice>; 2 <Legend> <Barok Espinosa> <chessmoron>
* Dor (7 years): 5 <Legend>; 3 <su3eichfeld> <cromat> <lostemperor>; 2 <SloVice> <Ziggurat> <kolobok>
* Lin (4 years): 2 <su3eichfeld> <NakoSonorense> <lostemperor> <messachess>
* Mte (3 years): 4 <virginmind>; 2 <hitman84>
* Nor (1 year): 2 <OhioChessFan>
* Pea (2 years): 3 <Where is my mind>; 2 <Winter>
* Tal (2 years): 2 <zarg> <WinKing> <su3eichfeld>
* WCC (2 years): 2 <nimh>
* Wij (7 years): 3 <messachess>; 2 <Legend> <NakoSonorense> <SloVice> <ooda> <zarg> <iron maiden>
== Notes:
I keep track of all medals won, but in order to appear in the hall of fame, one must win a gold () medal.
Medals: = Gold; = Silver; = Bronze
Tournaments: Baz=Bazna Kings; Bie=Biel; Bil=Bilbao; Dor=Dortmund; Lin=Linares; Mte=Mtel; Nor=Norway; Pea=Pearl Spring; Tal=Tal Memorial; WCC=World Chess Championship; Wij=Wijk Aan Zee
Contests: StdRnk=Standard Ranker; 123Rnk=1-2-3 Ranker; BetRnk=Betting Ranker
t = tie
<<> = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = <>>
Love chess.
Wish I were better at it.
USA
About my peculiar moniker, "YouRang":
There used to be a show on American TV called "The Addams Family". One of the characters was a creepy 6'9" zombie-like butler named "Lurch" (pictured in my avatar, with a rare smile). In the show, someone would summon Lurch with the bell-pull (a hangman rope), which would make a loud GONG sound, and Lurch would promptly appear and say (in a deep voice), <"You rang?"> (sample: http://www.addamsfamily.com/addams/...). Kind of a dumb show really, yet it has long had cult-like following. Recently many original episodes became available on DVD (http://www.amazon.com/Addams-Family...).
Anyway, I picked "YouRang" for my user name because I was out of my mind at the time, but I'm better now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Glorious accomplishments:
- 2005 Co-winner of <"Best Avatar" Caissar>! (thank you! thank you!)
- 2006 Biel prediction contest (1st place [tie] in final standings prediction)
- 2006 User name "YouRang" named among top 100 TV catch-phrases (http://www.tvland.com/originals/cat...)
- 2007 Defeated GM Arno Nickel (with the help of 2000+ other members & their computers) in the classic: Chessgames Challenge: The World vs A Nickel, 2006
- 2007 Took 1st place (tie) in <lostemperor>'s Final Standing prediction contest for the Linares tournament
- 2008 Defeated GM Gert Jan Timmerman (with the help of 3000+ other members & their computers) in the classic: The World vs G Timmerman, 2007
- 2009 Achieved a draw with the black pieces in my rematch with GM Arno Nickel (with help of 2000+ other members and their computers) in the classic: Chessgames Challenge: A Nickel vs The World, 2008
- 2010 On May 6, User: thegoodanarchist spotted a license plate that said "URANGG", presumably in honor of my moniker.
- 2010 Finished in top 25 with 2,200 chessbucks in Summer leg of chessbookie. (Just 2 bets: predicted Ponomariov was winner of Dortmund, and Caruana as winner of Biel).
- 2010 Won a silver medal in 123 Ranker for the Pearl Spring tournament. (It would have been gold except <Winter> stole it with a fantastic perfect final round. Grrr...)
- 2011 Won gold in <lostemperor>'s Wijk aan Zee 2011 Final Standings prediction contest by finishing in first place for all 3 contests -- absolute ranker, least-squares ranker, and pair betting ranker! Yee-haw!
- 2011 Won silver medal in 123 Ranker for Bilbao tournament.
- 2011 I was honored in a chessvibes.com cartoon: http://www.chessvibes.com/cartoons/...! [Thanks to <Blunderdome> for finding this]
- 2011 Won gold in <lostemperor>'s Tal Memorial 2011 Final Standings prediction contest.
- 2012 A pun I suggested for for the game Akobian vs The World, 2011 ended up winning the <Best Pun> Caissar award! In that game, the World team used a queen sac to force a draw with a flourish. The pun: "Drawma Queen".
- 2012 Won silver and bronze in <lostemperor>'s Wijk Aan Zee 2012 Final Standings prediction contests.
- 2012 Won a bronze in Betting Ranker for the Dortmund 2012 tournament. A complete surprise.
- 2012 At LOOONG last, I managed to make it into my own <Game Prediction Hall of Fame> by winning two golds in Biel 2012 -- both first place ties in Standard Ranker and 123 Ranker :-)
- 2012 Won gold in <lostemperor>'s Bilbao 2012 Final Standings prediction contest.

- 2012 Defeated GM Varuzhan Akobian (with the help of *only* 1500+ other members & their computers) in the classic: Chessgames Challenge: The World vs Akobian, 2012

>> Click here to see YouRang's game collections.

   YouRang has kibitzed 14183 times to chessgames [more...]

   May-18-13 YouRang chessforum

YouRang: <poorpatzer><It feels weird to have missed 2 rounds and only predicted 14 correct results, but when you take a chance it can pay off!> You only had 14 right, but 8 of them were high payoff ($2 or more) games, including a jackpot and two 1/3 jackpots. <The Betting ...

   May-18-13 lostemperor chessforum

YouRang: Congrats to the medal winners, especially <Golden Executive> and <twinlark>. Thanks <lostemperor> for running the contest.

   May-15-13 K Seegert vs M Matthiesen, 2009

YouRang: Hey, surprise, surprise! One of my puns is being exposed to the world! It's probably safe in small doses. As anyone can tell, I adhere to <the worse the better> philosophy of punmanship. Thanks for all the nice comments. ;-)

   May-13-13 Chigorin vs Davydow, 1874

YouRang: You gotta like 23.Be6+!

   May-08-13 Norway Chess Tournament (2013)

YouRang: REMINDER The Game Prediction contest for this tournament is open now that the pairings have been posted. If interested, just enter your game predictions in

   May-05-13 chessgames.com chessforum

YouRang: Could we have a page for the new Norway Chess tournament? Starts Tuesday & round 1 on Wednesday. Includes: Carlsen, Aronian, Radjabov, Karjakin, Anand, Topalov, Nakamura, Svidler, Hao, Hammer

   May-01-13 V Tukmakov vs Schussler, 1983

YouRang: <Once><in crispy situations look for moves that smite, in fluffy situations look for moves that build and in either case don't forget to spell-check.> Very creative use of the Waffle and Word Processor metaphor! ;-)

   Apr-19-13 playground player chessforum

YouRang: <playground player><Last I heard, the equivalent of an infantry brigade had the surviving Chechen bomber surrounded. If so, it seems to be taking them all morning to pry him out. And the whole city of Boston is in "lockdown" for reasons which I for one don't understand. To ...

   Apr-18-13 C Thomson vs A Magalotti, 1988

YouRang: I found that <27.g7> seemed to pop out as a viable tactic -- mostly by virtue of the fact that all other viable tactics failed to pop out. It's a forcing move, and after <28...Kxg7> the king is forced to a square where white's Q & B can hit. It's just a question of which

   Apr-17-13 P Hoffmann vs R Aschenbrenner, 2009

YouRang: Seeing the discovered attack on Pe6, I found the key moves pretty quickly: <18.Nxg6 fxg6 19.Qxe6+> Here black has the choice of blocking check one of 3 ways: with the queen, the bishop, or the knight. I ruled out the knight right away due to Bxg6# -- so I was surprised to see ...

indicates a reply to the comment.

The Game Prediction Contest

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 464 OF 548 · Later Kibitzing>
Apr-20-12		YouRang: <lostemperor: I check your forum <YouRang> for the best source of upcoming tournaments and see that Linares is cancelled this year :(> Yeah, it's kind of sad to see one of the long-time major tournaments fade like this -- cancelled last year and again this year. From chessdom.com: <Linares Cancelled For Second Year Mon, 04/02/2012 at 9:40am. The Spanish newspaper Diario Jaen reports that the 2012 edition of the famous Linares tournament is cancelled. After the 2011 tournament was sadly cancelled, there had been hopeful noises from the organisers that the 'Wimbeldon of Chess' would return in March/April 2012, but it was not to be. The technical director Francisco Fernández Albalate stated that the problem was not an economic one, but rather a lack of suitable dates. Some previous editions had been split between two venues, and the plans for 2012 had entailed Linares sharing hosting duties with Mexico but the talks were unsuccessful.> If indeed the problem was "unsuccessful talks with Mexico", I don't understand why they feel the need to split this tournament across two continents. It's just a silly gimmick and a waste of jet fuel, IMO. It always worked just fine (in fact better) when they simply kept the tournament in Spain.

Apr-20-12		lostemperor: Yes it is a pity <YouRang> but we have been spoiled with several new super round robin tournaments in the past few years like London and Tal memorial! And next tournament, results will likely be even more tough to predict :)

May-10-12		YouRang: Next Game Prediction Contests It's looking like the next one may be Dortmund 2012, July 13-22 (see my forum header for more information). Almost immediately after that, we may be able to do Biel 2012 -- July 23-Aug 2. When it rains, it pours. :-\

May-10-12		WannaBe: I predict I will come in last in the contest. Alright, where is my gold medal??

May-10-12		YouRang: <WannaBe: I predict I will come in last in the contest. Alright, where is my gold medal??> Hey, you've got to contend with me for that honor! ;-)

May-17-12		YouRang: Some pretty cool advances in science & medicine: <Paralyzed woman uses her mind to control robot arm By MALCOLM RITTER \| NEW YORK (AP) — Using only her thoughts, a Massachusetts woman paralyzed for 15 years directed a robotic arm to pick up a bottle of coffee and bring it to her lips, researchers report in the latest advance in harnessing brain waves to help disabled people. In the past year, similar stories have included a quadriplegic man in Pennsylvania who made a robotic arm give a high-five and stroke his girlfriend's hand, and a partially paralyzed man who remotely controlled a small robot that scooted around in a Swiss lab. It's startling stuff. But will the experimental brain-controlled technology ever help paralyzed people in everyday life? Experts in the technology and in rehabilitation medicine say they are optimistic that it will, once technology improves and the cost comes down. The latest report, which was published online Wednesday in the journal Nature, comes from scientists at Brown University, the Providence VA Medical Center in Rhode Island, Harvard Medical School and elsewhere. It describes how two people who lost use of their arms and legs because of strokes years before were able to control free-standing robotic arms with the help of a tiny sensor implanted in their brains. The sensor, about the size of a baby aspirin, eavesdropped on the electrical activity of a few dozen brain cells as the study participants imagined moving their arms. The chip then sent signals to a computer, which translated them into commands to the robotic arms.> Full article: http://news.yahoo.com/paralyzed-wom...

May-20-12		YouRang: Kind of an eerie solar eclipse today. We don't get the full effect here in So. California, but it's weird outside.

May-21-12		WannaBe: <YouRang> I took some pics from NorCal. It was really a nice experience, if no one had told/announced that an eclipse was going to happen, most people wouldn't even know it, because it was not a full eclipse.

May-21-12		YouRang: <WannaBe> Fun! Did you manage to get into a spot where the eclipse was at its maximum? And yes, the eclipse would be easy to miss because it was the annular type -- and because it hit in the late afternoon (peaking at 6:30pm) so it we were approaching sundown anyway. Still, I made one of those hole-in-paper "projectors" and made the kids come out and look. The little round hole projected a nice crescent. I see that Wikipedia has a nice article on it. Those Wikipedia people work fast! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_...

Jun-04-12		ooda: Are you going to do the Tal Memorial? Tal Memorial (2012) The top 5 players in the world will all be competing and the average rating is 2775.

Jun-07-12		OhioChessFan: I know <YouRang> had suggested before Dortmund would be the next. I'm hoping <chessmoron> shows up and we can at least have a Moves Prediction Contest.

Jun-07-12		ooda: It's a bummer because I'm pretty sure <YouRang> didn't know about it - nobody really did, otherwise I think the would have done it. He normally hosts a competition for Tal when it is in November so I don't see why not anyway.

Jun-13-12		YouRang: Hello <ooda> -- I was aware of the Tal Memorial tournament, but I also knew that I wouldn't be able to run a prediction contest for it because I've been out of the country on a family vacation. I don't understand why they moved the Tal Memorial from November. Maybe better weather in Russia?

Jun-13-12		ooda: That's just not good enough, how can you let family and leisure get in the way of chess?? Seriously though I hope you enjoyed your vacation and I guess that explains why you haven't posted on the site for a while. Apparently FIDE asked the Tal memorial organisers to reschedule because it clashed with a planned Candidates tournament in October/November but then the Candidates got moved to March 2013 anyway.

Jun-14-12		YouRang: <ooda><Apparently FIDE asked the Tal memorial organisers to reschedule because it clashed with a planned Candidates tournament in October/November but then the Candidates got moved to March 2013 anyway.> Thanks for the information. So it's just business as usual for FIDE. :-\

Jun-25-12		YouRang: The plight of climate scientists. :-( <http://news.yahoo.com/exposed-terri...>

Jun-29-12		YouRang: <'Miss Holocaust Survivor' crowned in Israel By BLAKE SOBCZAK \| Associated Press HAIFA, Israel (AP) — Grinning and waving, 14 women who survived the horrors of World War II paraded Thursday in an unusual pageant, vying for the honor of being crowned Israel's first "Miss Holocaust Survivor." Billed by organizers as a celebration of life, the event also stirred controversy. In a country where millions have been touched by the Holocaust, many argued that judging aging women who had suffered so much on physical appearance was inappropriate, and even offensive. "It sounds totally macabre to me," said Colette Avital, chairwoman of Israel's leading Holocaust survivors' umbrella group. "I am in favor of enriching lives, but a one-time pageant masquerading (survivors) with beautiful clothes is not what is going to make their lives more meaningful." Pageant organizer Shimon Sabag rejected the criticism, saying the winners were chosen based on their personal stories of survival and rebuilding their lives after the war, and physical beauty was only a tiny part of the competition.> http://news.yahoo.com/miss-holocaus... I have to side with those who described this as inappropriate and even macabre. :-\

Jul-09-12		YouRang: ANNOUNCEMENT This Friday, July 13, the Dortmund 2012 Tournament will begin. More importantly, the <Game Prediction Contest> begins now, because the pairing are already known, and shown below. All are welcome to participate. It looks like an interesting lineup with a wide Elo range and a mix of experience levels. As such, we may have higher chances for decisive games and for upsets. Just enter your predictions (for round 1 at least) on this forum before the games begin. == Round 1 : Fri Jul 13 Fridman - Gustafsson Leko - Ponomariov Caruana - Naiditsch Meier - Bartel Karjakin - Kramnik == Round 2 : Sat Jul 14 Gustafsson - Kramnik Bartel - Karjakin Naiditsch - Meier Ponomariov - Caruana Fridman - Leko == Round 3 : Sun Jul 15 Leko - Gustafsson Caruana - Fridman Meier - Ponomariov Karjakin - Naiditsch Kramnik - Bartel == Round 4 : Mon Jul 16 Gustafsson - Bartel Naiditsch - Kramnik Ponomariov - Karjakin Fridman - Meier Leko - Caruana == Round 5 : Tue Jul 17 Caruana - Gustafsson Meier - Leko Karjakin - Fridman Kramnik - Ponomariov Bartel - Naiditsch == Round 6 : Thu Jul 19 Gustafsson - Naiditsch Ponomariov - Bartel Fridman - Kramnik Leko - Karjakin Caruana - Meier == Round 7 : Fri Jul 20 Meier - Gustafsson Karjakin - Caruana Kramnik - Leko Bartel - Fridman Naiditsch - Ponomariov == Round 8 : Sat Jul 21 Gustafsson - Ponomariov Fridman - Naiditsch Leko - Bartel Caruana - Kramnik Meier - Karjakin == Round 9 : Sun Jul 22 Karjakin - Gustafsson Kramnik - Meier Bartel - Caruana Naiditsch - Leko Ponomariov - Fridman

Jul-09-12		WannaBe: Alright! Another chance for me to come in (dead) last!

Jul-09-12		WannaBe: Here goes nothing: == Round 1 : Fri Jul 13 Fridman - Gustafsson 1/2 Leko - Ponomariov 1/2 Caruana - Naiditsch 1/2 Meier - Bartel 1/2 Karjakin - Kramnik 1/2 == Round 2 : Sat Jul 14 Gustafsson - Kramnik 0-1 Bartel - Karjakin 0-1 Naiditsch - Meier 1/2 Ponomariov - Caruana 1/2 Fridman - Leko 1/2 == Round 3 : Sun Jul 15 Leko - Gustafsson 1/2 Caruana - Fridman 1-0 Meier - Ponomariov 1/2 Karjakin - Naiditsch 1/2 Kramnik - Bartel 1-0 == Round 4 : Mon Jul 16 Gustafsson - Bartel 1-0 Naiditsch - Kramnik 1/2 Ponomariov - Karjakin 0-1 Fridman - Meier 1/2 Leko - Caruana 1/2 == Round 5 : Tue Jul 17 Caruana - Gustafsson 1/2 Meier - Leko 1/2 Karjakin - Fridman 1-0 Kramnik - Ponomariov 1/2 Bartel - Naiditsch 1/2 == Round 6 : Thu Jul 19 Gustafsson - Naiditsch 1/2 Ponomariov - Bartel 1/2 Fridman - Kramnik 0-1 Leko - Karjakin 1/2 Caruana - Meier 1/2 == Round 7 : Fri Jul 20 Meier - Gustafsson 1-0 Karjakin - Caruana 1/2 Kramnik - Leko 1/2 Bartel - Fridman 1/2 Naiditsch - Ponomariov 1/2 == Round 8 : Sat Jul 21 Gustafsson - Ponomariov 1/2 Fridman - Naiditsch 0-1 Leko - Bartel 1/2 Caruana - Kramnik 1/2 Meier - Karjakin 0-1 == Round 9 : Sun Jul 22 Karjakin - Gustafsson 1-0 Kramnik - Meier 1-0 Bartel - Caruana 1/2 Naiditsch - Leko 1/2 Ponomariov - Fridman 1/2

Jul-09-12		YouRang: <WannaBe: Alright! Another chance for me to come in (dead) last!> Alright! A glimmer of hope that someone else besides me might finish dead last! :-) Well, you never know. You could win gold -- crazier things have happened (the dumb MONKEY robot has done well enough to win gold a couple times).

Jul-09-12		YouRang: My first half predictions: == Round 1 : Fri Jul 13 Fridman - Gustafsson 1/2 Leko - Ponomariov 0-1 Caruana - Naiditsch 1-0 Meier - Bartel 1/2 Karjakin - Kramnik 1/2 == Round 2 : Sat Jul 14 Gustafsson - Kramnik 0-1 Bartel - Karjakin 1/2 Naiditsch - Meier 1/2 Ponomariov - Caruana 1/2 Fridman - Leko 0-1 == Round 3 : Sun Jul 15 Leko - Gustafsson 1-0 Caruana - Fridman 1-0 Meier - Ponomariov 1/2 Karjakin - Naiditsch 1/2 Kramnik - Bartel 1-0 == Round 4 : Mon Jul 16 Gustafsson - Bartel 1-0 Naiditsch - Kramnik 1/2 Ponomariov - Karjakin 0-1 Fridman - Meier 1/2 Leko - Caruana 1/2 == Round 5 : Tue Jul 17 Caruana - Gustafsson 1/2 Meier - Leko 1/2 Karjakin - Fridman 1-0 Kramnik - Ponomariov 1/2 Bartel - Naiditsch

Jul-10-12		Blunderdome: == Round 1 : Fri Jul 13 Fridman - Gustafsson 1/2 Leko - Ponomariov 1-0 Caruana - Naiditsch 1-0 Meier - Bartel 1/2 Karjakin - Kramnik 1/2 == Round 2 : Sat Jul 14 Gustafsson - Kramnik 0-1 Bartel - Karjakin 0-1 Naiditsch - Meier 1/2 Ponomariov - Caruana 1/2 Fridman - Leko 1/2 == Round 3 : Sun Jul 15 Leko - Gustafsson 1-0 Caruana - Fridman 1-0 Meier - Ponomariov 1/2 Karjakin - Naiditsch 1-0 Kramnik - Bartel 1-0 == Round 4 : Mon Jul 16 Gustafsson - Bartel 1/2 Naiditsch - Kramnik 0-1 Ponomariov - Karjakin 1/2 Fridman - Meier 1/2 Leko - Caruana 1/2 == Round 5 : Tue Jul 17 Caruana - Gustafsson 1-0 Meier - Leko 1/2 Karjakin - Fridman 1-0 Kramnik - Ponomariov 1-0 Bartel - Naiditsch 1/2 == Round 6 : Thu Jul 19 Gustafsson - Naiditsch 1-0 Ponomariov - Bartel 1-0 Fridman - Kramnik 0-1 Leko - Karjakin 1/2 Caruana - Meier 1-0 == Round 7 : Fri Jul 20 Meier - Gustafsson 1/2 Karjakin - Caruana 1/2 Kramnik - Leko 1/2 Bartel - Fridman 1-0 Naiditsch - Ponomariov 1/2 == Round 8 : Sat Jul 21 Gustafsson - Ponomariov 1/2 Fridman - Naiditsch 1/2 Leko - Bartel 1-0 Caruana - Kramnik 1/2 Meier - Karjakin 0-1 == Round 9 : Sun Jul 22 Karjakin - Gustafsson 1-0 Kramnik - Meier 1-0 Bartel - Caruana 1/2 Naiditsch - Leko 1/2 Ponomariov – Fridman 1/2

Jul-10-12		Penguincw: == Round 1 : Fri Jul 13 Fridman - Gustafsson 1/2-1/2 Leko - Ponomariov 1/2-1/2 Caruana - Naiditsch 1/2-1/2 Meier - Bartel 1/2-1/2 Karjakin - Kramnik 1-0

Jul-10-12		WinKing: == Round 1 : Fri Jul 13 Fridman - Gustafsson 1/2 Leko - Ponomariov 1/2 Caruana - Naiditsch 1/2 Meier - Bartel 1/2 Karjakin - Kramnik 1/2

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