Lichess4545 Ledger 093

Lichess4545 Ledger

Issue #093 - March 28, 2019

State of the 4545 League

by @kostasvl

After round 4 there were 2 teams leading the 4545 league. These teams were also paired together and they drew their match so now (after round 5) the leading teams increased to 4. There are only 3 rounds left to the end of the season and competitiveness reaches the limits. This round is crucial as these 4 teams face each other. "Lichess Lovers" play against the "Return of the Sac" and "Barely Légal" play against the team ""Stop googling! Zher0 chance Erin is a girl, okei?!". They're one match point ahead of "Sicilian Rhapsody" and "More Zero than Alpha" where they are also paired against each other. For detailed standings click here.

Round 1 of LoneWolf ended last week and there are already many participants in both the open and the U1800 sections. Also registrations are still open, so if you want to play to lonewolf you have to complete this form.

The 6th season of the chess 960 league started on Monday. It will be a 7-round swiss tournament with time control 15+10. If you want to test your skills in a game without opening preparation you should click here to complete the registration form.

The 1st season of the blindfold league ended successfully. It was a really competitive season. Congratulations to the winners of the tournament.

1st place: @Assassin_in_White (played from the Pham_Nuwen account)
2nd place: @Erinyu (played from the Foxier account)
3rd place and top player U1600: @SecretCaveman (played from the BlindCaveman account)

You can see full details in this spreadsheet.

Interview

by @adande1 and @kostasvl with @Somethingpretentious

Our featured player this week has many accomplishments and needs little introduction owing to his omnipresence on Slack. Somethingpretentious (“SP”) recently won Lichess960 #5, the Fantasy League (for season #15 of the 4545 team league) and was the host of the March 4545 simul. This is SP’s first win and top three finish in the Lichess960 League but he has also been on the winning team in the Lichess4545 League not once but two times! (Seasons #2 and #13). However, SP’s most commendable feat maybe that he continues to give back to the community as a longstanding mod for the Lichess4545 League.

Tell us a little something about yourself. What has been your history/ participation with the different leagues in the community and how did you end up becoming a mod for the 4545 League?

That’s a big question to start things off! I’m 25 years old, and although I learnt to play chess as a child and briefly played at a school club, I only really started to play seriously while I was at university ~5 years ago. I joined the league in season 2, playing every season since - as well as blitz battles, the old ladder league, and 960 (and the fantasy league if that counts). You could say I got pretty hooked.

I was asked at the end of season 5 if I wanted to help with running the league as a moderator and I did deliberate for a day or so before accepting - I’m glad I did though as it has led me to so many different experiences that I would not have had otherwise. I will get into that a bit further below...

Please answer some fun facts below

Favorite opening as White: I almost exclusively play d4 so I get QGDs, Slavs, KIDs and the occasional Budapest. I do enjoy e4 in blitz from time to time though when I’m feeling swashbuckling.

Favorite opening as Black against 1.e4: Hyper-accelerated dragon, and I’m not above admitting that I play it mostly due to the cool name.

Favorite opening as Black against 1.d4: Semi-slav but looking into other things - future opponents beware!

Favorite 960 starting position (if there is such a thing?): Anything interesting, which turns out to be most positions fortunately. It’s refreshing to use opening principles without centuries of baggage (or “theory” as some people call it).

Favorite chess icon/ inspiration: Am I allowed to say myself from three or four years ago? Seriously though I’m not a big fan of choosing favourites.

Most memorable achievement (preferably chess related): Possibly most memorable due to its recency but I just crossed 2200 in rapid which is the highest rating (and percentile) I’ve ever reached.

Most memorable failure (preferably chess related): I honestly struggle to think of anything as a failure - although it’s definitely not all successes we can always learn from it. I don’t mind losing to a good opponent in a good game. I will say it was disheartening to score 0.5/8 in season 4 with my first foray onto board 1 (with the half point from a scheduling draw).

Most memorable game and/ or opponent: Probably this game (gamelink) from season 12 because it’s very rare for me to play a sacrifice and attack in that style - I really enjoyed it even though I didn’t execute it perfectly. I’ve had a lot of memorable games over the seasons of course though, and it always surprises me how clearly I remember them even after several years.

What is the story behind your username – how did you come up with it? And what was the origin of the :flirty-sp: emoji?

I actually chose this name when I first made an account on Reddit. I just thought every name I was thinking of sounded pretentious so I decided to be ironic instead. It’s almost certainly not what I would choose if I picked again but I’m stuck with it now!

The background behind the emoji was that I didn't change my old stock profile image for years. So sgis added the eyebrows – so I could be flirty!

Take us behind the scenes of what it is like to be a mod. We’ve all heard about the perks (time on yacht etc.) but how much time do you spend in a week towards your mod responsibilities? What is one thing, if any, that you feel is least known or misunderstood about being a mod?

I probably spend about 2 hours a week actively on league business - of course it fluctuates massively with a big spike around registration time. I’m usually active on the slack but I wouldn’t count that as work. It’s a lot less work now than it used to be with all the great automation that our amazing developers have implemented - and a far cry from the google spreadsheets from before I joined as mod. We’re also of course not working alone, but have a great team sharing the load.

I wouldn’t say people misunderstand what being a moderator is for the most part - although it’s very hard to judge without knowing what people think it entails. The biggest misunderstanding is usually due to not reading the rules! I guess the only other misunderstanding is of why we do what we do - not to be difficult or punitive (or power-hungry dictators) but to try to make the best experience for all members of the league.

What would you say was your secret to winning the Fantasy League last season? It looks like you are doing pretty well this season as well!

As people in the #fantasy channel will know, I always answer this that you have to become the league. I don’t usually explain but it’s a serious answer! I think that as a moderator, and also having been in the league for about 3 years, I have come to know a lot of different players and it really helps with picking a strong team who are maybe a bit underrated. Also huge amounts of blind luck are essential of course.

Talk to us about your recent 4545 simul experience. How did you prep for it and were you happy with the final result (8 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses)? What games were the most challenging and/ or did you spent the most time on?

It was great fun, and thanks to @colwem for adding this new feature to the league family. I didn’t prep in a chess sense of openings, only by holding a mini-simul with four of my teammates at 20+20 to get used to the idea of how to think and manage time in a simul.

I was thrilled with the final result, and it’s much better than I expected to do. Of course I hung my queen in one game, and was forced to give it up in another, which is regrettable. In fact, the game I dropped my queen was the most challenging - and calculating the different options was what distracted me from the fact that I should probably move my queen out of danger (gamelink). I also frustratingly misplayed the opening in this game (gamelink). I think if I hold another simul I will need to pay much more attention to which opponent is in which game and dedicate more time to the higher rated players.

What role does chess play in your life?

Chess is my main hobby by a fair distance, although I also play football and enjoy attempting to program. Chess (and the league) are definitely a big part of my life and a great source of satisfaction.

Do you have any goals with respect to chess?

As a very long term goal I would like to reach candidate master, or equivalent strength. At the moment I’m not dedicating nearly enough time to study (or OTB play) that it would be reasonable but it’s more of a vague aspiration than a hard goal. More generally I just want to see myself improve and keep enjoying the game.

Tell us about your history with Chess960 – how did you get introduced to it and how long have you been playing?

I just saw it on Lichess and thought it sounded fun - I started playing it pretty much right after opening my Lichess account. I’ve really enjoyed the recent 960 events like the fischer random chess championship in Norway, the St. Louis Champions Showdown, and of course the recent Lichess 960 Titled Arena.

Of all the chess variants, what do you think makes Chess960 special? Do you think Chess960 has helped you improve in standard Chess?

I think 960 is definitely the closest variant there is to standard chess, whether that makes it special I am not so sure. It does take away the part of standard chess that I like the least - opening theory. The freedom to think in the opening rather than desperately try to remember critical lines is great. I don’t think it’s helped me any more than playing a standard game would have, but it’s definitely fun!

Talk about your recent performance and the biggest factors behind your success in the 960 League.

The biggest factor was definitely my rating, and I don’t say that to boast! The field this season was a bit weaker than historically and that is really what gave me my chance. I do probably perform slightly better in 960 than standard though, precisely because of my previous point - I don’t like opening theory and it is the weakest part of my game.

Describe your chess regimen. What chess resources (books, applications, websites etc.) do you use regularly and how did these help you?

Other than a weekly 45+45 game in the league, I play a lot (probably too much) blitz and a bit of rapid when I have the time. I like to do tactics on chesstempo and can easily spend a few hours on there without losing patience or interest. Recently I worked through “100 endgames you must know” on chessable which was fun too. Most of my proper study is with @quirked when we get the chance and he can punish us both with difficult problems. There’s a lot to be said for dedicated study sessions, but as I said I’m not spending nearly as much time on this as I should for improvement. As to books, I have quite a few that are unopened or only the first chapters read - probably a common theme among most chess players.

What advice, if any, do you have for the Chess960 player in the league who is trying to improve?

Really focus on the main principles of the opening - space, development and (sometimes) castling. Although castling can be confusing and very double-edged in 960! I am always surprised by how many players will put knights in front of central pawns, or not consider the bishops’ diagonals. Other than that, chess is chess - I wouldn’t recommend anything special for 960.

Has this League and the community affected your experience of the game?

Definitely! I wouldn’t have the chance to play so many serious™ games from the comfort of my own home without it. The league also really offers a club-like aspect with the great community we have and the many side-leagues, events, and learning activities. Playing a long game a week, often with the chance to discuss thoughts with my opponent afterwards, is a huge part of my enjoyment (and hopefully improvement) in chess.

Any final thoughts you’d like to share with the community?

First I want to say thank you to everyone who participates and helps run all aspects of the league. It’s cliche but it really is the people who make all the difference. As I said in one of the earlier questions, it’s a big part of my life and I am very grateful for it. I also want to say that if you see things that you want to change, or that you want to happen, then go for it! In a volunteer community like ours, it can be easy to just float by - but it can be a hugely rewarding and empowering experience to create something yourself for the community. I definitely wouldn’t have had the confidence in my day-job to make some of the decisions that I do every day without the practice I got through helping manage the league.

Thanks for taking the time and for everything you do behind the scenes as a mod to make this league enjoyable for everyone!

Weekly Stats

by @kraaft and @Somethingpretentious

Stats for Season 16 Rounds 5:

The fastest mate was white on move 15 found in Gamelink White: mixalaki2705, Black: tothecloid.
The fastest draw was found in Gamelink White: brokenstones, Black: val1313.
The fastest resign was black on move 12 found in Gamelink White: swandog, Black: aurichalcite.
The biggest upset was 195 points in Gamelink White: mohityadav143, Black: ssyx.
The longest game ended with black on move 73 Gamelink White: numberman768, Black: poopheaderic.
120 was the highest ACPL in Gamelink White: mixalaki2705, Black: tothecloid.
7 was the lowest ACPL in Gamelink White: lenguyenthanh, Black: david252525, Gamelink White: swandog, Black: aurichalcite.
Combined maximum ACPL was 191 in Gamelink White: glbert, Black: rbb791, Gamelink White: adande1, Black: gokuba.
Combined minimum ACPL was 19 in Gamelink White: camelclutcher, Black: erinyu.
The longest think was 32 minutes 31.0 seconds on move 15 in Gamelink White: dmavro, Black: edwarde.
The most time left was 70 minutes 47.0 seconds in Gamelink White: mattcrossette, Black: realrobbert.
The most time spent was 95 minutes 13.0 seconds in Gamelink White: ahmt92, Black: bigevo8.

-PGNs-

Stats for Season 14 Round 1:

The fastest mate was black on move 34 found in Gamelink White: suprascud, Black: gjant.
The fastest draw was found in Gamelink White: aleksiskaarlo, Black: journey_to_nm.
The fastest resign was black on move 11 found in Gamelink White: sirnatealot, Black: era2609, Gamelink White: bennat123, Black: mad_shaving.
The biggest upset was 300 points in Gamelink White: sirnatealot, Black: era2609.
The longest game ended with black on move 82 Gamelink White: kostasvl, Black: agameatdinner.
128 was the highest ACPL in Gamelink White: sirnatealot, Black: era2609.
2 was the lowest ACPL in Gamelink White: grizzhog, Black: grumpar.
Combined maximum ACPL was 226 in Gamelink White: suprascud, Black: gjant.
Combined minimum ACPL was 19 in Gamelink White: titan_twelve, Black: zimny_toster.
The longest think was 18 minutes 55.0 seconds on move 6 in Gamelink White: swornt, Black: quietstorm24.
The most time left was 50 minutes 18.0 seconds in Gamelink White: micromegas1, Black: gm1224.
The most time spent was 59 minutes 44.0 seconds in Gamelink White: kostasvl, Black: agameatdinner.

-PGNs-

Chess Puzzles

by @forhavu, @kraaft and @okei

Thanks to @okei for filtering and arranging this edition of puzzles. You have a link bellow to his study for solutions and annotations.
Any help to continue organizing the puzzles would be much appriciated. Contact us in #lichessledger.

Click on the images for the solution.


Toffeeman (1716) - DMSA_OR (1704) Gamelink. ⚫ Black to play.	mohityadav143 (1377) - ssyx (1572) Gamelink. ◯ White to play.	Forhavu (1653) - H0tblackDesiat0 (1657) Gamelink. ◯ White to play.	mathijshuis (1785) - sgis (1745) Gamelink. ⚫ Black to play.

furrykef (1622) - iHATEblitzANDbullet (1796) Gamelink. ⚫ Black to play.
Shared by the community (can contain imperfect puzzles.)
BlindCaveman (1619) - Pham_Nuwen (2171) Gamelink. Shared by @assassin_in_white. ⚫ Black to play.	RobUmbra (1525) - lapetitemort (1589) Gamelink. Shared by @sgis. ◯ White to play.	krispl (1972) - Aleksandr88_62 (1985) Gamelink. Shared by @kraaft. ⚫ Black to play.	yago666 (2051) - Assassin_in_White (2402) Gamelink. Shared by @assassin_in_white. ⚫ Black to play.
Assassin_in_White (2398) - yago666 (2054) Gamelink. Shared by @assassin_in_white. ◯ White to play.	yago666 (2057) - Assassin_in_White (2394) Gamelink. Shared by @assassin_in_white. ⚫ Black to play.	Assassin_in_White (2420) - yago666 (2036) Gamelink. Shared by @assassin_in_white. ◯ White to play.
Click here for the study on those puzzles by @okei with solutions an annotations.

Chessboard images provided by lenik terenin.

Please feel free to join #lichessledger on slack if you would like to contribute towards the ledger in any way, or provide any feedback. Both are highly encouraged and appreciated. Thank you for reading.

Thanks to @adande1, @forhavu, @kostasvl, @kraaft, @okei, @Somethingpretentious and @Spiteknight.