Thanks for posting !

Yes living at the seaside is making it a bit more windy, but we are not close to the bigger oceans and as such we are more "bayish" and hence more calm circunstances.And during the colder periods, our temperatures are lower than in the mid part of the country,due to the sea around.All in all : A fine deal ;)

Hopefulyy you will both enjoy your weekend and do you have any plans ? Here I´ll enjoy the last big cycle race of the year " Round Lombardie" in Italy tomorrow.Then there will be 5 months of silence on that front ):

Germany is indeed a tought opponent but right now they are looking for their A-game,so who knows !?

All is at least relatively well here with the health, so no complaints and life is fine.Even avisit at he dentist went well yesterday ;)

Give my best regards to Maria and hugs to both of you !

So, we're getting closer to the magical moment, are we not? Chessgames did open a forum for it. It didn't go as far as to include it on the list on the left of the page, but I guess it's a rather difficult, or cumbersome task. Maybe that in the end they'll put it there, though, for everybody to easily spot it.

Yeah, probably Carlsen will win it, but you know? How about not, for a change? I mean, imagine Nepomniachtchi world champion. Imagine how Magnus will react. Will we witness a surge in his will to fight back and regain the crown? Most probably so. But even the idea of a totally new world champion, I think, it's benefical. For the spirit of us all, chess players. And for Magnus indeed - he will be ever more determined to take revenge. For the benefit of us all, kibitzers :)

Oh yes, we're living marvelous times. We can see it all live on the internet. So how can one (chess player) not be happy?

And thanks a lot for your fine post which did indeed lighten up here in the northern hemisphere.

So sorry for not answering before, but I have been rather bothered by a blatter which has increasingly becoming smaller and smaller, with difficulties to get the right amount of sleep. Went to my very good doctor yesterday who ordered som pills which may stop the shrinking or delaying it.Otherwise it seems to be an operation.

I do wholeheartely agree upon the importance of being openminded and positive.There are so many things to be gratefull for.I could make a long list ;) but the fact that one is borned and is given so may opportunites,a kind of free will included, is somthing very high on the list.I thank God for that every evening and even sometimes in the mornings ! :) He is a very nice guy and the shop is open the whole day and night.

Remember we,together estimated Nepos´chances for becoming the new champ as somewhere between 20-25% ? And his odds are 3.75 at the danish bookmakers (they do charge some juice) which are to be translated to 22 % !!

Time flies my dear and the big match is just less than one week away.14 games with,I guess,more fighting than the last 2 matches are ahead of us for 3 weeks.Wauw ! I am shure we will have some exchanges about some of all these things that will take place.And a very userfriendly time of the day they will play.13.30 or 12.30 Iasitime, I think.

May you now please take care and enjoy ! Hannah also said today that I should send you my greetings.And the same from me,for the upcoming weekend as well.Any plans ?

I´ll go back to the european championship for teams and send you all the best.As always.

Have you seen Jobavas game yesterday ? I promise you fireworks and it is definately not one for minor kids ;)

See you up or down the road !

Yeah, what a coincidence with the WCM result prediction:) Two days left...but I guess Magnus is already getting preoccupied with the ascent of this future candidate - none other than Firoudja. What do you think of his incredibly fast rise in rating? Not to mention being the youngest ever to cross the 2800 point! It's already clear that from now on we will have another chess star to keep our eyes on...

No particular plans for this weekend, in the other one a week ago we've been in the Cheile Bicazului-Lacu Rosu mountaineus area, and again we've been blessed with great weather. Especially Cheile Bicazului it's a place we keep returning to, as I don't think we have something similar in our country - there are other gorges, but not as narrow and high..

Thank you very much for the latest post which was much appreciated !

Great to hear you had beatifull weather in the in the mountain area you are returning to.

Yes,Firiuoza looks like the new challenger,or at leasrt a potantial one.Already # two on the ratinglist ! Incredible and he is only 18.We need some new blood from time to time, dont we !?...

The bladder has slightly jmproved (knock a lot of wood) ad as you know too:nothing beats a good nights sleep !

Hope all is well on your behalf and you are enjoying the match!?.But now it is time for the players to go all in, in my opinion.Also for the sake of chess as PR and for the entertainment as well.But I understand the players motive for not taking too big risks.

That was it.The sausages and the pasta is waiting, so hereby many hugs to you and your beloved Maria.

For a good game tomorrow !

Of course tomorrow I will hope for a decisive result, but that's because it's in the nature of the kibitzer. A real pro will enjoy simply watching a figting game with the least amount of mistakes in it, regardless of the result. I know that one may say: if you want that, go watch games between top computers. Probably in that case, a decisive result is not due to mistakes, but to a less effective strategy.

Anyhow, let's just be glad that we have those two guys playing, I mean, it's a match for the top spot, between the supposedly most worthy contenders. That is, they are the closest humans can get to the computer power, so to error-free play. How could we then not expect mostly draws as the outcome?

Thank you so much for showing the game as I am really looking forward to see, but first I have to find the occasion and then the board and pieces here in da house.They are supposed to be somewhere;)Looking forward so see some real chess (!), compared to the blunderparty Nepo is doing in Dubai....Sorry if I sound to harsh,but those last two games from him, are far from WC standard.From a human perspective we all make errors, so he is very human for the moment..Hopefully there are a couple of good games left,but I doubt it.

Yes 27.c5 was a big big howler as the answer 27.-c6 should not be difficult to spot in advance.All things seem to indicate, that he was broken after the epic 6th, which always will stand as the crownjewel of this match and the key to Magnus´victory.

The very well informed and reliable norwegian television told us, the viewers, yesterday that Magnus has told he was very tired.But as he added : "Ian is more tired!".Berfore yesterdays game it was.

But let us enjoy the remains of the party and please recieve all my best wishes for your day in Iasi...Showed Hannah some pictures from your town the other day and she definately took pleasure in them !

I'm glad you both liked the pictures from Iasi. Now it's getting ready for Christmas, of course, but no snow to speak of so far.

Not many news here, yesterday I returned a pair of (good) headphones and a dac/amp combo. The sound was great and I was enjoying my HD musical files, only to discover that I was getting even more/longer headaches. Ouch! I think it's the effect of the lower frequencies upon the eardrums, and also the pressure of the cans themselves.

All is well here.Healthhwise as good as it gets.The tree is ready for another year with all the dcoration we have gathered in our soon 28 years long voyage.The presents are bougt and wrapped.The duck and pig waiting in the freezer (hopefully;), while the old man in da house, has put all his experience and feeling into the desert for tomorrow.A dish called "Ris a la Mande" which is purely a danish invention : Cooked rice with milk and vanille.Later topped with cooked almonds and,(this is the most important for me;) whipped cream.When served it is cold with cherry sauce (just a little bit).

And finally Hannah has concluded her busy schedule and is in high spirits doing some visits to friends (mask,off course)while I am holding the fort.

Alll is well and I send you and Maria and your friends and family all the best Christmas Greetings for a hopefully peacefull time with all the security you may need.May it be a time of warmth and friendly exchanges....Perhaps good gifts as well !? :)

To boot, I´ll once again thank you for many warm and fruitfull exchanges in 2021 and I am alreday looking forward to 2022.Not 20222 as I first wrote.That would a real stretcher ;)

Looks like an interesting recipe the one you mentioned, we will try it too :) It's been a great year for me here at cg.com, especially getting to chat with you. I wish we all have good health in 2022 and hope for the virus to soon go away.

En herlig avveksling skal det bli med noen dagers romjuls-sjakk.

And may the New Year be a healthy and safe one for you and your loved ones.

I sincerely thank you for many fine moments in 2021 and looking forward to further explorations and exchanges i 2022.

<<>Tata Steel Masters 2022<>>

Countdown to Tata Steel :
https://www.timeanddate.com/countdo...

♘Tata Steel♘Wijk aan Zee♗Tata Steel♗

Official site: https://tatasteelchess.com/
This tournament will run from January 15th thru January 30th 2021. (13 Rounds)

Participants include: Carlsen, Caruana, Giri, Rapport, Mamedyarov, Duda, Karjakin, Vidit, Esipenko, Dubov, Shankland, Van Foreest, Grandelius & Praggnanandhaa

Average rating: 2736 - Category XX

Schedule - https://tatasteelchess.com/programme/

Round 1 is Saturday, January 15th, & it starts @ 14:00hrs(2:00pm) Wijk aan Zee time & @ 08:00hrs(8:00am chessgames EST)

~~~~~~~~~~

< 3 Prediction Contests: (Win virtual medals - Gold, Silver & Bronze) >

User: lostemperor (FINAL STANDINGS PREDICTIONS) - Predict the order the players will finish. Run & hosted by <lostemperor>. (3 categories to medal in)

User: Golden Executive - (The Game Prediction Contest) - Predict the result 1-0, 1/2, or 0-1. Run & hosted by <Golden Executive>. (3 categories to medal in) This year will be the 14th Anniversary for this contest! (from 2007 to 2021 - 14 years running)

User: OhioChessFan (Moves Prediction Contest) - Predict the result 1-0, 1/2, or 0-1 & the number of moves. (4 categories to medal in) This contest is run by <chessmoron> & hosted by <OhioChessFan>.

Oh, Tata Steel has started, but no Alireza around? Hm, that's yet another point of dispute, I'd guess. But enough on this extremely talented young player, we don't want to arise discussion more than it should - not on matters unrelated directly to chess prowess. So, Magnus starts with a 20 moves draw, against Andrey. By the way, is this guy really as good as they say he is? We'll have to wait for more info during this year.

Thanks for your post and once again, I hope you have entered the New Year in the best of styles.Hopefully the pandemic will fade or even vanish,, when the spring emerges.At least we can hope and on the optimistic side, we can see that the new variation is not as dangerous as feared.But in some respect, we live in unusual times.

I am sorry for not,due to some healthissues, posting more often, but I certainly see you as a friend and do indeed enjoy our conversations during the year ! Hopefully we will talk more frequently in 2022 !?

Do you follow Tata Chess !? Yes I think you do ;) The coverage is fine with Hess and the young woman (dont recall her name right now). After just two rounds, Carlsen in the shared lead and must be considered the clear favourite.Sounds like he has something he wants to prove, after the match and the failed attempt between Christmas and New Year.But 11 thrilling rounds to go, so let us see.

Meat balls in the oven and the potato salad is already done, so it is dinner time :)

Anyhow, I hope you manage to keep your health issues under control, and good luck! Pandemics-wise, optimism must rule, you're right, and indeed a change appears to confirm it, but still, so strange with those huge numbers of infections everywhere.

Weather is fine. almost with a tiny touch of spring.Health is ok and wife´s still enjoying her job at the university.

Our handball team is also performing rather good and has, as the first team, qualified for the semis. It is a pleasure to watch them every second evening and we must live with the "burdon", that they are considered the heavy favourite to win it all !

Carlsen also being the favouriti today in the big game versus the co-leader, Mamedyarov.But as in all sports,handball e.g., they have to play the game first.So let us enjoy while I send you the best of thoughts and good vibes, all the way to Iasi !

Yeah, Magnus won that game, seems like he's playing his best and holding the first place, now that Dubov leaves the tournament he will have an additional win...let's see what he does today against Vidit (a dangerous opponent). Hopefully Daniil is having the light variant of the virus and will recover soon.

Just seen a cat in front of my window climbing a tree this mornig (we're at third floor). And after some winter-like temperatures for a few days, weather tends to warm-up here too, I like it (especially as they say February will be warmer than usual).

Sounds nice that you are having a temperature that suits you better.I also saw a big fat cat yesterday, laying waiting in front of some moleholes.And wonderede how it became that fat and still som moles left ;)

Still some games left too and we are in for the fininsh, though the tournament has lost som of its nerve imho, with the unfortunate departure of Dubov.Hopefully it is the mild version,as you also points out...With Giri loosing yesterday, everything points in the direction of the champ.Carlsen the king of Tata, with nerves of steel ;)

And our handballteam lost to Spain yesterday,very deservedly,and now only the chance for third left.France,again and again.But we (Hannah and I) recovered by cheering for Sweden who played brilliantly and won against France.

Left is, to wish you a very fine weekend with the best of wind in your sails !

So we have a tournament going on, this should be great, in theory. That is, a big one. Chess is such a marvelous thing, you must agree. But even in a lower one, it still should be great. I mean, the feeling of an adventure going on it's about the same. It is just fantastic that one cannot tell the outcome of a game, mostly, and that no chess game ressembles with another (save for some small part of it, in the opening, of course - that part is often identical, but I'm sure you and I can live with this reality).

Fischer random? Who needs that? I don't. I mean, Bobby tried and succeeded in bringing fresh air to chess playing, but, apart from the opening phase, nobody has complained of boredom. Come to think of it though, I should be glad of having Chess960, as I'm not at all fond of memorising long opening variations :)

Anyhow, two of these guys will be among those who will get a chance to be ignored as WCC challenger, should he be unlucky enough not to be hailing from Iran. Actually not quite unlucky, as chances are he'll get the crown without a fight...Well I guess stranger things happened at the sea of Caissa.