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🏆 Airthings Masters 2020/21

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
The Airthings Masters was the 2nd event of the $1.5 million Champions Chess Tour 2020-2021, and also the first Major event of the Tour. The games were played online from 26 December 2020 - 3 January 2021 on the chess24 Playzone. It started with a 12-player round robin on the first three days (time control 15 minutes for all moves, with 10 seconds added per move from move one), from which the eight best players qualified for an elimination (knockout) phase on the last six days (29 December - 3 January). The ... [more]

Player: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 37  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Harikrishna vs Vachier-Lagrave  ½-½272020Airthings Masters 2020/21B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
2. Vachier-Lagrave vs Nakamura  ½-½482020Airthings Masters 2020/21C50 Giuoco Piano
3. Dubov vs Vachier-Lagrave ½-½692020Airthings Masters 2020/21A33 English, Symmetrical
4. Vachier-Lagrave vs Nepomniachtchi  0-1692020Airthings Masters 2020/21B90 Sicilian, Najdorf
5. D Anton Guijarro vs Vachier-Lagrave  ½-½842020Airthings Masters 2020/21B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
6. Vachier-Lagrave vs Aronian  ½-½572020Airthings Masters 2020/21A18 English, Mikenas-Carls
7. Carlsen vs Vachier-Lagrave  ½-½412020Airthings Masters 2020/21A15 English
8. Vachier-Lagrave vs So  ½-½342020Airthings Masters 2020/21C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed
9. Giri vs Vachier-Lagrave  1-0652020Airthings Masters 2020/21B89 Sicilian
10. Vachier-Lagrave vs Radjabov  ½-½602020Airthings Masters 2020/21B30 Sicilian
11. Grischuk vs Vachier-Lagrave  0-1552020Airthings Masters 2020/21B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
12. Vachier-Lagrave vs So  ½-½502020Airthings Masters 2020/21C67 Ruy Lopez
13. So vs Vachier-Lagrave 0-1452020Airthings Masters 2020/21B90 Sicilian, Najdorf
14. Vachier-Lagrave vs So  ½-½522020Airthings Masters 2020/21C67 Ruy Lopez
15. So vs Vachier-Lagrave  0-1422020Airthings Masters 2020/21B90 Sicilian, Najdorf
16. So vs Vachier-Lagrave  1-0642020Airthings Masters 2020/21D85 Grunfeld
17. Vachier-Lagrave vs So  ½-½522020Airthings Masters 2020/21C67 Ruy Lopez
18. So vs Vachier-Lagrave  ½-½92020Airthings Masters 2020/21B90 Sicilian, Najdorf
19. Vachier-Lagrave vs So ½-½1042020Airthings Masters 2020/21C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
20. Vachier-Lagrave vs So  1-0562020Airthings Masters 2020/21C67 Ruy Lopez
21. So vs Vachier-Lagrave  1-0342020Airthings Masters 2020/21A15 English
22. So vs Vachier-Lagrave  ½-½502020Airthings Masters 2020/21A30 English, Symmetrical
23. Vachier-Lagrave vs Aronian 0-1672020Airthings Masters 2020/21C67 Ruy Lopez
24. Aronian vs Vachier-Lagrave ½-½742020Airthings Masters 2020/21A48 King's Indian
25. Aronian vs Vachier-Lagrave  1-0572020Airthings Masters 2020/21E60 King's Indian Defense
 page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 37  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Vachier-Lagrave wins | Vachier-Lagrave loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jan-02-21  metatron2: After completely dominating all the top (covid) online rapid tourneys, there seems to be a change of trend in the last 3 tourneys. Not only that he didn't win any of one of those, he seems to be doing worse from tourney to tourney.

Did Carlsen get tired/bored from those kind tourneys, or maybe his opponents got better in that format and also studied him well? Or maybe he just got into bad form lately?

Who knows..

Jan-02-21  Messiah: <metatron2: After completely dominating all the top (covid) online rapid tourneys, there seems to be a change of trend in the last 3 tourneys. Not only that he didn't win any of one of those, he seems to be doing worse from tourney to tourney.

Did Carlsen get tired/bored from those kind tourneys, or maybe his opponents got better in that format and also studied him well? Or maybe he just got into bad form lately?

Who knows..>

Probably his mysterious girlfriend demands too much time and energy.

Jan-02-21  Messiah: Donald will lead the white pieces in the first game. On the losers' spot MVL - Dubov was drawn to be the initial clash.
Jan-02-21  Sokrates: Hi, <metatron2>,

This is also my observation. I don't know why Carlsen's form has decreased of late, but I know that I would get tired of playing online in so many events for such a long time. There is a huge difference of motivation between sitting at home in a chair playing chess on a screen and participating in a live tournament with all the socialisation over the board confrontation in a game.

For me the distance, the artificial cyber reality would become demotivating in the long run.

When I listen to old colleagues, who still work, they have - during these corona lock-downs - grown immensely tired of online-meetings. At first, in spring, it had the fun of a novelty and the comfort of being at home, but now it's just surreal and tiresome. I can easily imagine that. Nothing beats the reality of meeting people face to face. We humans are social animals after all.

Jan-02-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Tabanus: Done for today, the last 17 games now missing.
Jan-02-21  Messiah: Donald edged out Aronian, and MVL magically reached equality against Dubov in mutual craziness. All of my sympathies with these two great warriors. Tomorrow's gonna be interesting, despite this is not a classical OTB tourney.
Jan-02-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Williebob: Okay, you got me: Why call Radjabov "Donald"?

I watched a bit of an online roundtable type thing the other day, with GMs So and Radjabov, plus two other masters whose names I forget right now. Radjabov was acting quite rascally, making light of the whole production.

He seems like somebody I'd enjoy getting drunk with.
Jan-02-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: One might equally ask why the omniscient superior being takes such joy in styling Carlsen <Justin>. Seems to me if he were truly superior, he would have no need of such temporal nonsense.
Jan-03-21  fabelhaft: <Done for today, the last 17 games now missing>

The Airthings event not being up to date is one thing, at least some games are there and more will probably be added when it’s over. But many classical OTB events were never included at all, making the database incomplete: German league games with Aronian, MVL, Mamedyarov and Caruana, with the latter losing to l’Ami, the Chinese Championships with Wei Yi in third place, the tournament Cheparinov won etc.

In online rapid Rapport won a 14 rounder in a field with Grischuk, Ding Liren, Giri, Wei Yi, Topalov, Wang Hao etc but maybe such events are less interesting than classical OTB. Still interesting to have a look at for example Topalov’s rare games nowadays and I’d rather see such events included than not.

Jan-03-21  Messiah: <fabelhaft: <Done for today, the last 17 games now missing>

The Airthings event not being up to date is one thing, at least some games are there and more will probably be added when it’s over. But many classical OTB events were never included at all, making the database incomplete: German league games with Aronian, MVL, Mamedyarov and Caruana, with the latter losing to l’Ami, the Chinese Championships with Wei Yi in third place, the tournament Cheparinov won etc.

In online rapid Rapport won a 14 rounder in a field with Grischuk, Ding Liren, Giri, Wei Yi, Topalov, Wang Hao etc but maybe such events are less interesting than classical OTB. Still interesting to have a look at for example Topalov’s rare games nowadays and I’d rather see such events included than not.>

Please keep pinpointing the missing tourneys - eventually they will get added, I am certain.

Jan-03-21  WorstPlayerEver: I presume 'Airbag Masters' sounded too humiliating.
Jan-03-21  Messiah: Donald won, then Aronian, MVL, and Dubov are the finishers.
Jan-03-21  Sokrates: <fabelhaft>

You know what you have to do:

1. Post the requests for these events repeatedly on the members' forum. Keep doing it until ...

2. <Susan Freeman> notices it and promises to wake up ...

3. <Sargon>, who, after a random number of days decides it's time to update half of what you have requested, and ...

4. after having done that, leaves the front page for other more important tasks.

5. New tournaments not shown on CG? Start all over again with 1.

Make no mistake. I love this entertaining circle of communication - keeps the members alert, active, and participating.

Jan-03-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp:
MVL has finished third,
That isn't such a rare thing.
He never said a stupid word
Or ever did an Airthing.
Jan-03-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Tabanus: Now if only CG added the 24 missing games (the very least they should do), I could edit game type.
Jan-03-21  Z4all: <Tab> did you submit the games, and they just haven't been published yet?

(Just wondering)

Jan-03-21  AdolfoAugusto: I believe that my friend Messiah is referencing an old inside joke from a kibitz (around the time of the match with Karjakin), someone (I don't remember if it was even I -when I was not yet a Carlsen fan-) mentioned that Carlsen looked a little bit like Justin Bieber. And his Donald reference must be in the same line -I suppose- somehow I can also imagine Radjabov (hairstyle) resembling a little Donald Trump.
Jan-04-21  fabelhaft: Radjabov was very impressive in this event, surprisingly easy wins against Dubov and Aronian. He was very close to be eliminated by Nepomniachtchi, but after that he looked different class than the opposition.
Jan-04-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Tabanus: <Z4all> No, I consider it CG's job. If they don't I may do it one last time, since the tournament started in 2020.
Jan-04-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Tabanus: 129 games now, it's a miracle. All the games should have right game type now too, please check.
Jan-04-21  0ZeR0: Congratulations, Radjabov. Indeed, he was very impressive and solid throughout, especially the final two matches. I'd also be remiss not to mention the third place match between Dubov and MVL, which was for me, the most exciting of all the matches in this tournament with Dubov only needing a draw after two wins on the first day but still attacking like a madman. Great stuff!
Jan-04-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Williebob: < perfidious: One might equally ask why the omniscient superior being takes such joy in styling Carlsen <Justin>. Seems to me if he were truly superior, he would have no need of such temporal nonsense.>

We should hope so. Although it is written that God made Man in his own image - I wonder what other attributes the great one shares with us lumpy mortals?

<Messiah>, what if it turned out that your heavenly father looks like Magnus Carlsen? Bwahahahh!

Theological kidding aside: It sure is looking like Rapid time control is being nudged towards becoming the main competitive realm of 'serious chess'. Carlsen said as much last year, though I also think he's dodging a little; hopefully we will see a WC match this year - face to face, ideally - and this will further test his idea.
Jan-05-21  Sokrates: Just a note of information to those of you who have seen "The Queen's Gambit" on Netflix.

The series AND the games in it are comprehensively covered, analyzed and commented in the latest issue of New in Chess.

Jan-14-21  tonsillolith: <Messiah: I shall return calling GM Mamedyarov Resultfixer, leaving the name Donald for Teimour Radjabov.>

It's hard to overstate how little I care.

But if it makes you happy.

Jan-14-21  Messiah: <tonsillolith: <Messiah: I shall return calling GM Mamedyarov Resultfixer, leaving the name Donald for Teimour Radjabov.>

It's hard to overstate how little I care.

But if it makes you happy.>

Thank you my friend.

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