Booked for introduction
**clears throat**
Welcome to the live broadcast/commentary of the Fide Chess Championship Match between Norwegian GM, Magnus Carlsen and Nigerian FM, Femi Balogun holding at Hualing Hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Some bit of iniformation from the official tournament site tbilisi2017.fide.com
"The 2017 FIDE World Chess Cup is taking place in Hualing Hotel (and Biltmore Hotel for the final) in Tbilisi, Georgia from 3-27 September. The 128-player knockout tournament features World Champion Magnus Carlsen, defending World Cup Champion Sergey Karjakin and almost all of the world's best players. The total prize fund is $1.6 million, with $120,000 for the winner and $6,000 for first round losers. The finalists will qualify for the 2018 Candidates Tournament.
The format is six knockout rounds of 2-game classical matches before a 4-game final. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1. If the score is tied the players then play two 25-minute + 10-second increment rapid games, then two 10+10 games, then two 5+3 and, finally, Armageddon, where White has 5 minutes to Black's 4 but a draw qualifies Black for the next round".

Of the 128 players we have
120 GMs (Grandmasters)
6 IMs (international masters)
1 FM (Fide Master)
1 untitled player

The highest ELO rating is 2822 (Carlsen, world champion).
The lowest ELO rating is 2255 (Balogun, Africa Zone 4.4 Individual Chess Championship winner)

Note that Balogun is 100 points lower than the next lowest ranking and 567 points lower than his opponent


Cc AlBaqir

Balogun Oluwafemi
Nationality : Nigerian
DOB : 1987
Title: Fide Master

You can check some of his past games here
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=140226

Sven Magnus Carlsen
Nationality : Norwegian
DOB : 30 November 1990
Title: Grandmaster (Current World Chess Champion).

A chess prodigy, Carlsen earned his grandmaster title at the age of 13 years and 148 days. He had at some point been known as "The Mozart of Chess".

Known for his attacking style as a teenager, Carlsen has since developed into a more universal player. He uses a variety of openings in order to make it more difficult for opponents to prepare against him, and, according to Jan Timman, he "aims for middlegames that lend themselves to a strategic approach". His positional mastery and endgame prowess have drawn comparisons to those of former World Champions Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, Vasily Smyslov, and José Raúl Capablanca.


Carlsen was taught to play chess at the age of 5 by his father, and had been reported to have exceptional memory even at a tender age (he was able to recall the areas, population numbers, flags and capitals of all the countries in the world by the age of five).

Carlsen's peak rating stands at 2882 (May 2014).

Style of play
Magnus is an exceptional positional player who relies on his mastery of positional principles aided by sound tactical play. He rarely allows the tension in a position to dissipate by mindless exchanges.

"Magnus Carlsen is the quintessential pragmatic chess player. He will do whatever it takes to get the best possible result.
His goal in any chess game is to win (or sometimes draw), not to create a masterpiece.

He is well aware that you don't get any points for style in chess, so he doesn't take the artistic beauty of a move into consideration when deciding which move to play (unless choosing between two equally winning moves)" - (Håkon Hapnes Strand, 2177 FIDE. Friend and clubmate of Magnus Carlsen).

He is also a deeply psychological player and can grind out advantages from seemingly balanced positions against the strongest of opponents.

Booked for my prematch thoughts

Booked for my own history

I started playing chess when I was 9 but due to lack of coaching and steady play, I didnt really improve so much. I cudve been a GM by now if i had access to a good teacher and good books..

I generally like tactics but recently had to start learning to be positional.
my favourite openings as white are the ruy lopez and fischer variation of the sicilian and as black i like playing the dragon sicilian, najdorf sicilian or the Queen's Gambit Decline (if offered).

I'm generally better in classical chess than blitz

My favourite parts of the game are the middle and end games.

I dont have an official rating but will prolly put myself at maybe 1700

Booked for Nigeria's victory.

The fact that there is a very wide gap between Balogun and Carlsen makes it intriguing.

Unfortunately, Femi Balogun lost!

Hmm..let the castling begin

After reading about the Magnus Carlsene I just realise what a mismatch this is. It's like FC Barcelona Vs Ogudu FC.
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Modified
Balogun is doing very well. Dude should be proud of himself

It's a walkover for Carlsen though...but the Balogun guy has made a reputation for himself.

yorex2011:
Booked for my prematch thoughts

Carlsen playing white in the first game.

There is very little Balogun can do. Generally in chess especially in GM games, playing as white has a minor advantage. Hence you see many players trying to draw as black. I doubt if there will be a draw here. Carlsen's game is just too strong (especially as he is a business minded player - He doesnt care so much about beauty but about results...)
Game 1 may not get up to 50 moves but would be a huge boost for Balogun if he can hold on

Game 1 starts in 5 mins

Game can be followed live on

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments

yorex2011:
Balogun Oluwafemi
Nationality : Nigerian
DOB : 1987
Title: Fide Master

You can check some of his past games here
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=140226

is femi a fide master or untitled?..

babyfaceafrica:
is femi a fide master or untitled?..

He is a Fide Master

Game underway with

1.e4

Game underway with

1.e4 d6
2. d4 g6

The Pirc Defence ( A long time favourite of Femi)

yorex2011:


He is a Fide Master

who then is untitled?

babyfaceafrica:
who then is untitled?

one chinese dude like that

3. Bc4 Nf6
4. Qe2

Balogun taking a long while to think, prolly because white deviated a little from standard book move on move 3

Carlsen has started his psychological game.. Taking so long to think...

Lolz..abeg mynd44.Seun,Lalasticlala. .front page

current game position

White to move

Seems carlsen is controlling.midfield..but femi back strong karaka

seun, front page please

Game just about balanced...

Femi to move

He should castle now (standard stuff)

Hmmm

Femi taking too long to think about castling...Na wa o

yorex2011:
Femi taking too long to think about castling...Na wa o

lolz...

Following keenly...

Nice update. ... it will be a major upset if Femi wins tho...

yorex2011:
Game just about balanced...
Femi to move
He should castle now (standard stuff)

Please where are you following the game live?

Cybertext:
Nice update. ... it will be a major upset if Femi wins tho...

even Draw will be wonderful