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World Rapid & Blitz Recap - Rapid Day Two

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

Magnus Carlsen is half a point clear going into the final day of the World Rapid but, as you'd expect, he has a host of top names on his tail. Phil and Robin round up Day Two from Warsaw and also respond to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's complaints about the event.

Published 2 years ago

A Distinct Lack of Brits - World Rapid & Blitz preview special

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

Just like with the World Chess Championship, the guys will be doing daily recaps of all the World Rapid & Blitz action in Poland from 26-30 December. For now they provide a history of the Championships, assess the leading contenders, and make some dodgy predictions!

Published 2 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Eleven

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

It's all over! We congratulate Magnus Carlsen on his fifth World Championship victory and ask what's next for him. We also put his legacy into an historical context and wonder how likely it is that Nepomniachtchi can recover to challenge Carlsen again in 2023.

Published 2 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Rest Day Four

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

With the match all but over as a contest, we've invited astrophysicist Leeds fan David Vizgan of 64: A Chess Podcast to talk all things World Championship and wider chess sphere!

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Ten

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

Game 10 was one of the shortest and most straightforward so far, so Phil and Robin mainly analyse Magnus's approach for the home straight starting Friday. They also discuss how successful, or otherwise, the daily press conferences have been.

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Nine

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

With the World Chess Championship all but over as Ian Nepomniachtchi blunders again, the boys are back to talk Game 9, what this means for the match as a whole and what we should expect from the next few games.

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Seven

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

After yesterday's Game 6 drama, everyone expected a quieter (and shorter) game today. And so it transpired: a short and snappy draw carries us over the halfway point in the World Chess Championship.

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Six

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

WE HAVE A DECISIVE GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FIVE YEARS! Jon and Robin give you a whistlestop review of the sixth game of the World Chess Championship and pep you up ready to go again tomorrow.

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Rest Day Two

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

It's the second Rest Day of the World Chess Championship but that's not stopping us! Jon is joined by a couple of very special guests to talk about the action so far. Benji Portheault and Dan Gallagher are both chess coaches and luminaries of the chess world. Listen to their thoughts on the WCC narratives, the availability of high-level punditry, sports washing, the "solutions" to draws and much, much more!

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Five

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

Ian Nepomniachtchi had a little opportunity today, but Game Five eventually fizzled to another repetition. Hear the guys' reactions to Carlsen finally looking vulnerable, as well as their discussion on possible shorter time limits.

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Four

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

A fourth draw to follow the rest day, which now in effect makes this a ten-game match. As the tension ramps up in Dubai, find out whether Phil and Robin's opinions have ramped up too. And is accuracy in chess a direct antithesis of entertainment?

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Rest Day One

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

Robin's no longer snowbound in the East Midlands, so he's able to join Jon and Phil for a look back at the first three games of the World Chess Championship, as well as a discussion of what might happen next.

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Three

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

Three days, three draws. But this is a marathon, not a sprint, and we're not even a quarter of the way through the match. Join Jon and Phil to see if their overarching thoughts on the match narrative have changed ahead of tomorrow's first rest day.

Published 3 years ago

World Chess Championship Recap - Game Two

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

A second consecutive draw, but again not one without intrigue. Phil and Jon also ask whether chess coverage is negatively affected by referral to engines' opinions of heavily-nuanced positions.

Published 3 years ago

A Lack of Vitamin C

The Chess Pit By The Chess Pit

This week Phil is guarding against scurvy, but still gets his metro rail system opinions trashed by Jon and Robin. We also round up the FIDE Grand Swiss and do a preview of next week's World Championship, er... preview.

Published 3 years ago