Kaspy seems to have taken a liking towards Carlsen, even doing one training session with him.  You know you're special when the greatest player of all time gives you a training session!

Some rasping logic there from TK. You see why this man is a GM and I am not!

I keep the scoresheet over my bed, of course. You were about 210 at the time and I was about 180, so I suppose given your late start you were perhaps rather an advanced 'child', certainly chronologically speaking. In terms of experience in fact I believe you were giving me a considerable start.

I believe Tony is one of the few British GMs against whom I have a Kosten number of one, albeit achieved when he was a child.

You wouldn't have guessed Max Euwe had a Kasparov number of 2 easily, would you? I wonder if he's the oldest player of whom that could be said - actually, without searching, I suspect Botvinnik stopped playing earlier than Euwe.

The machine claims I have four based on once beating John Nicholson but I'm sure it's actually three - I believe Murray Chandler once beat Gazza, and I must have beaten someone who's beaten him (maybe Tony, indeed, or Hebden?). Or indeed Short - lots of tough northerners beat him when he was eight or so. Not that I've beaten many tough northerners.

2 links, of course, but I guess any GM who hasn't actually played Kasparov will easily get the same! I have a horrible feeling that a lot of people here will have a similar score against me!

TalJechin wrote on 11/01/06 at 18:15:30:

That may be so, but black still looks better to me. He also has the option of sacking an exchange for a drawn endgame.

What an interesting site! 


To my big surprise I am on the same level as Magnus Carlsen - with a Kasparov Number 4 

Had no idea that any of my games was in Chess Megadata btw... )

No magic today....
Carlsen 0.5 - Karjakin 1.5

I guess that ukrainian boy is not that bad after all....