Quang Liem’s secret to sublimation on Champions Chess Tour
Le Quang Liem finished 18 of his last 19 Charity Cup games in more time than his opponent, a tactic that gives him more confidence.
Quang Liem Not only achieving the best individual performance on the Champions Chess Tour, but also setting records in this prestigious speed chess tournament system thanks to a new approach. In the first stage of the Tour this season, Airthings Masters in February 2022, Quang Liem has just 9 games to finish with more time than his opponent, over 19 games played. This figure is 47%, the average figure.
In the Charity Cup, this shot up to 95%, with 18 of 19 games he had more time than his opponent. There are 13 matches Quang Liem has more than the opponent at least twice the time remaining. And the number of games he has more than three times the opponent’s time is also up to 47%. Opponents also only have one match with more than 5 minutes remaining, and with Quang Liem this number goes to 9 matches.
Quang Liem won against Gawain Jones in game 5 of the group stage with 12 minutes 46 seconds remaining, while the opponent only had 1 minute 25 seconds.
Quang Liem’s time dominance was worth his achievements. After 19 matches, the number one player in Vietnam won 11 times, drew 6 times and lost only 2 times. With 32 of the maximum 45 points in the group stage, he set a tournament record. In the quarter-finals, Quang Liem continued to maintain a fast game to beat David Navara 2.5-1.5. In which, there are two Quang Liem matches with more than 9 minutes remaining. Both of these games he won or had a winning advantage at the end.
Quang Liem’s fighting style in the Charity Cup reminds me of world runner-up Ian Nepomniachtchi. The Russian is also known for his fast play, as shown when he topped the Airthings Masters group stage.
In fast chess, timing is key. The time for each side is 15 minutes, plus 10 seconds after each move. Assuming each play lasts an average of 40 moves, the time for the player to think for a move is 32.5 seconds. But Quang Liem only used an average of 24.2 seconds per move, while opponents used an average of 29.5 seconds.
Chess players are often taught to make good use of their time, to avoid unnecessary mistakes. For example, in this case Quang Liem’s opponent thinks on average 5 seconds longer than him, and closer to 32.5 seconds. As long as that limit is not crossed, long thoughts are never superfluous. But Quang Liem proved that going fast wasn’t a mistake.
“Confidence is a key factor, especially in fast chess,” said Quang Liem after winning in the quarter-finals on the morning of March 24. “If you are not confident, you will think again and again and waste valuable time. In fast chess, we don’t always have to make the best moves, we need to make the most sensible moves.”
In standard chess, for example at the FIDE Grand Prix which took place in Berlin, each player has an average of 2 minutes 45 seconds per move, 5 times the thinking time in fast chess.
Le Quang Liem has always been appreciated for his quick and lightning-fast chess, when he won the world chess championship in 2013. Photo: Chess.com
A high level player always has some logical steps in mind in every situation. In standard chess, they will calculate each of these options to find the best one. In fast chess, time is sometimes not enough for them to find the optimal move. At that point, they have to trust their intuition, about the move they think makes the most sense.
Quang Liem doesn’t waste time on overly complicated situations, but trusts his intuition. For example, in game 5 of the group stage against Gawain Jones, he only used an average of 15.2 seconds per move, but still won by a full stroke.
The fast style has the advantage of helping players become more confident, because there is always more time than the opponent. That is, when he feels the opponent’s moves are weak, Quang Liem can take the time to find a way to punish them. You won’t be able to do this if you run out of time. Of course he also understood that the same was true for his opponents, even for the Chess King.
For example, in game 13, meet Magnus Carlsen, he narrowly escaped defeat when the chess king had to make a crucial move when the clock had only 3 seconds left. And that move was a mistake that cost the world champions the win. Given a little more time, Carlsen could barely pass up such an opportunity.
Chess king Carlsen smashes the table when he misses Quang Liem
When playing fast chess, players will pay more attention to the clock. When they see more time, they will feel more confident. And when time is short, they will feel a bit clumsy, and under less pressure to hit faster. That’s the view of the world’s number one lightning chess player Hikaru Nakamura.
Of course, a player had to reach a certain level to be able to play with confidence so quickly. Quang Liem won the world lightning chess championship in 2013, and is referred to as a “speed chess expert” by Champion Chess Tour commentators. That was why he could trust his intuition.
Another factor that helped Quang Liem save time for this tournament was that he only used one hole when holding white pieces, namely Gambit Hau. When wielding black, he usually uses Two Horse Defense. Using familiar preambles saves time remembering complex variables.
The Ho Chi Minh City player did not expect that he would be this successful in this tournament, as he was busy preparing tournaments for students at Webster College and competing. He was the most impressive performer in the tournament’s history, and had the great opportunity to attend the main stage of the Champions Chess Tour for the first time. And Quang Liem’s performance will help him be appreciated more and have more opportunities to hang out with top players.
The Chess Champions Tour takes place online only, but any tournament featuring King Carlsen is considered a “super prize”. And every player who makes Carlsen must pounding the table angry also commendable.
Xuan Binh
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
