I think a few words in the intro is actually the way to go as personally I wanna be informed about current chess culture but the channel is about the game and I have huge respect for Levy for keeping it that way. He's giving the game the honor it deserves.
@@aramhovsepyan3085 I guess, but there are a bunch of channels by great teachers about the game, I like gotham becuase hes f'n entertaining and a good teacher, I think he should lean into the drama as well
How come When i look at the Top, where all the successful people are.. i see NO mexicans 😪it makes me sad. I review weed products on my TH-cam channel for a living.. trying to make it out ! 💯💯.
The Medvedev situation is, as Levy said, ludicrous - for better or worse, at least Karjakin was banned for things he SAID; Medvedev was banned for something he HASN'T said?!
Yeah - collective responsibility of every citizen from Russia for allowing Putin to accumulate all this power and Russian imperialism to become so strong that it affects global affairs. Similarly, to what Germans have gone through after WWII
@JMUDoc Let's add that "Karjakin was banned for things he FREELY SAID; Medvedev was banned for something he HASN'T said WHILE HE COULDN'T SAY IT WITHOUT GREAT RISK FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY?!"
@@ecco2k771 maybe the dumbest thing I have ever read. Why don’t you go over to Russia and protest the war and see what happens. The Russian people bear no responsibility for Putin’s horrific actions.
Really loved what Magnus said. Let's not exclude Russian people, especially when we know they feel exactly the same as us. Let them be part of it. There have been so many revoked invites and bans to athletes, musicians and artists who openly denounced the war, hinted at it or simply never said anything. To all naive people here in the west: that takes a ton of courage and your life can be over after that. This is not the same as you writing an "unpopular take" on reddit, this is everything on the line. Let's not do even more to build the next iron curtain, only punish those waging the war.
It's well known that you can't openly criticize the president in Russia. But most of the time there is a choice. I know some Russians who migrated because they do not support Putin's propaganda. Of cause, it requires effort. But you need to understand. If you do nothing in that direction and just silently support the war, it's your choice! I am, as a Ukrainian, decided to take a risk and defend my country, so I do understand the risk of being killed.
@@viacheslavmartynenko6429 I wish you and everyone fighting the best of luck, I can't imagine what you're going through. I have great respect for you Ukrainians! I overall agree with your stance, except now it's very difficult to leave Russia. I know of people getting stopped by police when they tried.
ITF is a weird beast. They always refused to act against Djokovic's blatant spread of misinformation and hostile behavior on Covid, along with his refusal to get vaccinated, but then come up with this BS. Now Medvedev has reached out to the UK government to try and clear things up, and the minister for sports seems to be firmly on the side of the russian and belarussian players.
The drama, the intrigue, the memes... you have truly shaped chess into a spectator sport, and I don't think there's anything that could be healthier for the game than growing the audience.
@@GiorgoMas Support what massacre? In the mean time you ignored the bombing (shelling) of people in Donetsk and Lugansk for 8 years? Why didn't you speak up about it? Hypocrite with the fake name Blind!
@@supernukey419 So you saying you are unaware that the Ukrainian army has been shelling the people of Lugansk and Donetsk for 8 years? That's Super Stupey!
I haven't watched Ding play much, I guess not many people have lately, but after watching him give Hikaru all he could handle in a match a month or so ago and him playing well against magnus really makes me wish he was in the candidates.
Just would like to point out, Daniil Medvedev has not received a statement from Wimbledon saying that he can't play if he doesn't denounce Putin and the war. There was a clickbait article that made that claim, but it's unjustified. The truth is that Wimbledon is considering it, but he will be banned or not allowed if he plays under the Russian flag. Medvedev (along with other Russian tennis players Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev) has denounced the war in Ukraine very strongly. I hope they will be all right. Edited to fix grammar
He has already exoressed his opposition to war. They will take away his flag, but I don't see them not inviting him or forcing him to say something tgat would get him into problems in Russia.
@@dariogreggio7981 Flag represents current Russia Federation that does what it does on Ukraine. The least you can do to show support is to not play under that flag of your own accord. It should not be them asking for it, it should be Russin players taking that initiative instead. Also for the reason why it is being done, it is quite simple. It is because of ultra nationalism that exists in Russia and can be seen just by taking a glance at Karjakin's twitter: "I will support this country and my president no matter what happens and what he does." This view is insane and it is not some overblown figure of speech. It is statement that most Russians share.
I don't support Russia, but the fact that Ian cannot play with the Russian flag is horrible. Same thing for Sergey. This is a violation of free speech.
I agree with you in relation to Daniil Medvedev, forcing him to denounce Putin, that's Ridiculous & Crazy, as it has far reaching implications to other scenarios.
I come to you for tournament recaps, I would really appreciate if you would be able to describe the format (how many ppl are playing, time control, how many rounds, is there playoffs at the end) or atleast a link that explains all of that. Even knowing the ppl who are involved. Quick 3 mins explanation would be good. Other than that, good content 👍🏼
Levi, you should be the chess commentator for a live chess tournament! The way you explained the moves like it's an exciting American football game is amazing!
@FlochBasedKing GM Maurice Ashley tried explaining chess in American football terms a few years ago and some in the commentary were negative, probably because they were not American, so it depends on the culture as you say.
Hi 👋 Gotham, sorry to hear your closed position video isn’t doing well. It was honestly my favourite piece of chess content this year. Watched it twice, gave me an instant ELO boost. Loved it!
I wish more tournaments were actually sey up like this, by rewarding players +3 for winning you make draws look unattractive in comparison and reward more risky play. Very fun tournament and great recap, id watch these daily tbh
@@onniruusunen9444 i would argue that incentivizing players to create more unusual and imbalanced positions, and then figure their way out of them, the level of skill required is higher than trading down in ways that both players know will draw
bro ive been watching you for a while and honestly you get better and better, i mean " sorry for y'all watching in the dark..." thank you king. absolute legend.
I don't support Karjakin, he has very twisted view on situation. At the same time, I don't think FIDE should start doing moral policing, you can't enforce for "correct" opinion.
Your view is formed by mass media propaganda, including internet too. You know nothing concerning history of Russia and so called Ukraine, and the crucial reasons of what happens now, you know nothing concerning Donbass people being killed for eight years. So you'd better look at a mirror and ask yourself, what information you get to form your views. Sport IS the part of Western russophobic politics nowadays, it all started long before the ukrainian nazi takeover in 2014, western countries never willl forgive Russia having its own course.
@@Saturnaruim If your answer is violence and defying very systems which were placed to avoid it. If your answer is ignoring bloodshed and biggest tragedy of our lifetime. Yet, you think and believe so convincingly you're right. I have to say, I slightly lose faith in humanity today.
@@xxxmxxwm1564 I agree, words have power. I agree, we should not tolerate genocide, wars. I can't agree with organizations like FIDE start doing moral policing though, it's not in their purview and it should not take such stance on complex geopolitical situations. It should've banned USA long ago, if FIDE had any moral compass.
Nice work Patriot. Someone forgot to tell TH-cam the same thing. They are attempting to give themselves more power than the U.S. Constitution to enforce free speech. Reading the enormous number of comments on this thread by the fools who cheer for their own rights being removed by a godless organization like FIDE tell us what morality is shocking. Why would we trust CNN's take on Putin's military operations anyway? What had CNN done to earn our trust?
This is the most dramatic Candidates qualification cycle ever starting with Radjabov getting wild card, Firouzja qualifying and getting 2800 and 2nd in the world, Nakamura taking a break from streaming and winning a Grand Prix leg, Ding not being able to play anything, and now Karjakin losing his spot, Wow.
I love how you explained the first game! and it's so fun to see your clear love for chess in the way you enthuse over certain moves. thanks as always for the amazing content!
And now all this time later, it's fascinating to watch Ding Liren's journey to become the World Champion in 2023 began because Sergey Karjakin got banned by FIDE.
10:29 ¡¡Ge cinco!! ¡Gotham, eres el comentarista y comediante número uno, gracias! El ajedrez puede ser increíblemente divertido. Incluso Magnus se ríe a menudo durante los partidos.
This kind of censorship is uncalled for and harms the reputation of FIDE more in my eyes than any player voicing their opinion could. I don't care much about political analysis with pattern recognition in overdrive. Whether it's done by Fischer, Kasparov or some active players. Let the guys play chess! Have a fair competition! And keep the politics out of it! Let them blather on about politics in their spare time! They don't represent FIDE nor chess when they do so.
To be fair, the US entered Iraq for terroristic suppression. It isn't nearly the same concept as the Russian invasion. In fact, Russia has broken several international laws by entering the war for numerous reasons including the bombing of civilians and entering without cause
Hi Levy. I have an idea as to why your community feedback might seem contradictory. It is possible that people who are not casual chess content viewers are more likely to have longer watch time and more likely to comment. There are usually far fewer comments than views on a given video, and those commenting are your core audience, people who are deeply interested in chess. Whereas a casual viewer may just watch the video (generating a view) because you make good content, whether or not they have an interest in chess. Cheers!
that and just keep in mind TH-cam model is mostly shit, for example : watching a video doesn't imply you liked it if it is super interesting for fewer people it doesn't count almost uninteresting for everyone videos gets lot more views which in turn triggers dmca issues that's why it should be up to people to invest in videos they like but heh, that's not TH-cam
For me, I qm nog always in the mood for an instructionsl video. However a video like this takes way less commitment and thought from me, so easier to digest. And can therefore be watched in more moods. And then, I notice that I should watch that video that takes more work from me to watch, but I just forget.
I typically watch during my lunch break. I’m not in the mindset of learning how to actually get better at that point in time. I’ll watch the instructional stuff because it’s extremely helpful but I likely won’t watch it the day that it is uploaded because I want to take those learnings seriously.
Hey Levy, thanks for showing the Duda v Navara game, I'm really happy that you show a whole plethora of players, not just the top ones, and also talk about them a little bit. Luv u
@@randomspectator2580 Not exactly, that only happens with the "gui" and "gue". The u would be pronounced in words like "pingüino" and mute in "guitarra" because the u doesn't have a dieresis
Honestly my opinion is this: everyone is entitled to their opinion, whether favourable or not. We are meant to have the right to free speech yet people are being called racist, transphobic, etc etc if they don't have the same views as everyone else Now do I support what he has said? No. But has he done anything wrong? No... He's made his opinion known and whether you like it or not he's entitled to it....
And fide is entitled to ban him for it. And he is Russian btw, he doesn't have free speech anyways. Russians who call the war a war go to jail over there for it. Maybe that's what he should be calling out instead of the crap he's spewing.
@Rick = it's not as though he's getting banned for liking cherry coke (or whatever). sergei's not getting banned for his 'opinions', or 'what he says'... He's being banned because he supports war + a tyrant who partakes in genocide, starves/dehydrates people to death, indiscriminately murders people, turns guns on his own people & attacks hospitals, animals shelters + red cross staff. there is a vast difference. [el'sda2].
@@list9016 Freedom goes both ways. You are perfectly free to make fun of Ukrainians dying, there's no law against it in America at least. FIDE is also free to institute punishments for such disgusting statements as long as they're not overstepping human rights. They're not, as playing in the candidates tournament is a privilege, not a right.
I mean, I get why russian players wouldn't be part of the event. Russia is currently cracking down on any sign of opposition, accepting the invitation could be dangerous for them. Inviting them would force them to choose between their image and their safety, I'm not sure it is doing them a favor.
I'm eating at a late night diner with the sound on low and the auto generated captions spell his name "Dingley Wren" and I keep cackling like an idiot by myself.
That news is disgusting, FIDE has no right to enforce any political opinion on any of their players. It doesn't matter what opinion it is. As for the slippery slope idea this is the slope, banning people for their politics is defiantly the slope.
As a private entity I’m pretty sure the do have the right to ban whoever they want lmao. It literally said in the video “anyone who gives an bad look to chess or FIDE can be banned” if they thing he does the. He can be banned lmao.
@@harryt2756 "they have the right" doesnt mean its right to do it . Now for the guy who said those fucked up jokes he deserved what he got . But to not allow Russian players to play in the charity event for Ukraine to like say "Heeey look at us we support Ukraine by banning people who are Russian ( a lot of them are against it but we wont talk about that ) Look we are good people now give us the money and views :)"
This is always a dumb argument. Politics should be in everything - from sport to education. The problem is most people have never studied politics and don't even know the definition of the word without looking it up. Well done to FIDE for banning this puppet. They should also revoke his GM title.
This is not true. There is a big difference between having a political opinion and supporting the killing of civilians. In a civilized world, you cannot openly call for genocide. Therefore, FIDE's actions are justified and correct.
Get a load of all these boot lickers in the comments. “Govern me harder daddy!” Lamo, from now on the world chess champion isn’t the best chess player in the world, he’s the best chess player that has FIDE approved opinions. It blows my mind that some of you are okay with this crap.
Getting with the politics first, I understand your stance through and through Levi, I mean, I understand the whole "no doing business in Russia" thing, but when I heard in the news that Nestle (despite all of its obvious shortcomings past and present) was being publicly slammed for the decision it took to maintain the sale nursing foods to Russia, such as powered milk and baby meals; I figure people have no sense of perspective. Starving children in Russia will bring zero benefit, if anything it will only ostracize an entire population and lead it to sway onto a "charismatic" and "strong". Likewise, in the chess world, I also think open-minded Russians, should be given the opportunity to voice themselves - the very idea of having GM's participations be linchpinned by a public decry of Putin is idiotic, for the same, dim-witted reason that starving children in Russia is not good practice - in particular or in general - because, more often then not, aggravating words lead only to aggravated responses. They don't need to say what they are against, need only manifest what they are for. It would be most excellent if they simply stated their opinion about loving they're sovereign, independent brethren nation of Ukraine and that they wish for a peaceful resolution that fully restores Ukraine borders, and show support for the ailing Ukrainian population - sowing words of love, not hatred, is how this kinds of things are settled; anything short of this, only fuels the mills of war on which the hawk and the vulture feed. Anyway... Crazy tournament, amazing games!
Sanctions on Russia will only lead to more hatred between ordinary Russians and the west. Let's say you're not a putin supporter and live in Russia. All you know is that the world is out to make your life worse and more miserable through sanctions, if anything that would just proves that it's them vs the west. Most people in Russia do not have political power and are not responsible for the war, yet even the anti-war activists are affected by the draconian sanctions. Imagine if the whole world sanctioned US when they invaded Iraq or Afghanistan and all of you ordinary Americans goes straight to poverty because your president is a warmonger. Heck, even if half of you didn't vote for him, everyone would be affected by the sanctions. And guess what leads to radicalization, hardships and poverty. The huge inflation and reduction of living standard was how Nazi won election in Germany.
Levy when talking about the pieces that dont move like knight pawn or king you can just say sliding pieces, this is often the term used by chess engine developers so they can group the way the pieces move together since all of them slide across the board as many squares as they please
Loved the video Levy. Minor technical feedback: There's a fairly noticable audio echo throughout (and especially as your volume increases). Normally you've got a great commentator's voice but the echo is kinda jarring. Great, informative video nonetheless!
Unfortunately Karjakin "lost the opportunity to stay silent". It is not a crime to be russian, hell, you can even support the invasion, you have the right to have your own opinion. But publicly making jokes about people dying is just disgusting and I am happy that he got banned.
Just saying the amount of jokes about Russian soldiers dying is like to the amount about Ukrainians dyings is like 1000:1. In my view its completely reasonable for someone to lose their cool and make a dumb joke on Twitter after seeing a bunch of jokes about their fellow citizens dying. If it was a joke about Russians dying no one would care, its very politically motivated ban
@@ethan6627 That's really not what happened though. Karjakin didn't slip up and made a joke, this isn't a situation where he lost his cool. He was methodically and actively spreading propaganda and using logical fallacies to justify the Russian invasion from a moral standpoint. Not to mention his provocative statements towards the _people_ of Ukraine, not even limiting himself to their armed forces or government. It also should be noted that this ban most likely wasn't even made because of FIDE's political opinion. It was an issue about their image. The world generally seems to view Russia as the unjustified aggressor and condemns their invasion, and Karjakin was actively defending it and insulting the would-be victims. FIDE prefers not to be associated with that message and banned Karjakin.
@@nicolaszan1845 You perfectly described a politically motivated ban on FIDE's part. Karjakin is a Russian and is subject to the same propaganda as many other Russians and is merely repeating his beliefs. He isn't some mastermind trying to spread pro-Russian propaganda in some methodical way. Ukrainians are labeled as terrorists by the Russian government and Karjakin probably believes they are as well. This is deeply worrying that so many people are supporting banning someone due to their stance on a war. I hate Russia but Im well ware that there is a high chance another war will break out in the future where the I disagree with the Western powers and this seems to me a terrifying precedent on what people deem speech that isn't worth protecting.
I guess Karjakin had it coming. However, the other russian players and sports people... it's becoming sort of a witch hunt and a "guilty until proven innocent" situation. Crazy.
Bombing hospitals makes a statement. Banning a tennisplayer also makes a statement. Saying "Levi is an idiot!" Well I think that counts as a statement as well.
Regarding Russian players not being invited to this, my take is, it is to avoid putting them into even more difficult position. Given Russian's regime, any of those who attended would likely face very severe personal consequences. My guess is this was discussed with some of Russian players before decision was made. I also guess that if any of them proactively expressed interest in playing they'd be welcome -- but the consequences in Russia for them would likely be similar to ones for speaking out publicly against the war now, so unless they were already willing to make that sacrifice, I would not expect any to attend.
Better idea: Stop pussyfooting around the issue and if NATO and the West in general really believes in their cause for a "Free Ukraine", then use the right tool for the job: NATO military. And let apolitical fields remain so. But instead the West wants to do drama and virtue signalling while standing on the sidelines, bullying innocent citizens of their enemy's country, bullying developing nations into condemning who they want to condemn, etc while at the same time they continue to give excuses for why they themselves are unwilling to let _any_ economic or military pain fall upon their own nations. Bloody hypocrites.
Sports should be apolitical. Everyone should be able to join despite their political ideology. Or else they should ban those who support ukraine as well.
The West is not in the mood for that. They want to cover up their own military ineptness and unreliability as an ally by using tools such as sanctions, forcing apolitical areas to become political and generally bullying anyone who has the faintest connection to the other side. The sheer amount of arrogance the West displays is staggering. Its as bad as Putin's own arrogance.
@@death_parade Karjakin getting banned is a good thing because but for the completely wrong reason. It exposes the complete hypocrisy of the west. Like when the USA invaded Afghanistan and Iraq what happend? Did we have the whole world speaking up against USA? Did we have charities for Iraq and Afghanistan? The worse thing is it's even less justified for the USA. Russia may be wrong in invading Ukraine but at least it has even the slightest of justifications, which is that if Ukraine were to join NATO, the west would have an easy path to invade Russia. Despite this, the original comment summarizes it very well. Sports should stay out of politics and not banned for their political, religious whatever ideology.
@@list9016 The only difference between what's occurring today and 20 years ago is the people the US invaded were by a large majority too dirt poor to afford cell phones and post videso to social media, so everyone relied solely on what the news media fed them.
I get why he was banned but it would have been such a storyline for him to play the candidates and be the villain, so that he can be taken down on the board
Censorship is absurd, does not matter if the Russian Government, Chinese Government or FIDE does it. If you support censorship for any reason good or bad, there will always be people in power deciding what is good and what is bad.
First off, let me say that I am totally against the war. But at the same time, we can not punish ppl just for their nationality. In the case of Karjakin, I understand the ban. But not allowing a Russian to play just because they are Russian... That is a bridge to far. How can we say we want to fight against discrimination, just to turn and start discriminating the first chance we get? Were Americans asked to denounce our president when we invaded Afghanistan? We know that that war was unjustified as well, just like this one. We dropped thousands upon thousands of bombs on Yemen. Are we any better than the Russian ppl? Before we are so swift to judge the ppl of Russia, we need to be ready to hold ourselves to the same standard we want to hold them to.
First let me say I totally agree with you, this is just plein simple rasism, you read the definition it is exactly that: expluding people because of their home countries, but even in the case of karjakin I dont understand, like at all. We are supposed to be democrats, this requires to be polyphony, every opinion is welcome, I mean I would never agree/support a nazi but I would also never ban him from playing chess! Just to be clear I consider nazism to be an extreme and increadibly selfish ideology, one that has costed millions of innocent people their lives and their well being. Still just going ahead and killing, exiling, enprizoning or muzzling an individual just because he believes something like that does not make what he believes seem worst, it just makes me a liar and fool for telling myself I am a democrat, while at the same time I become worstening my image. btw democrat or republican it is the same for the purpose it was frased above: someone who believes the majority should rule, while we are free to speak our part. Essencially what FIDE has done (fact not opinion, considering the absolute defition of the words) is rasism and violate the freedom of speach, not for the first ands certainly not for the last as this game just got political.
i think karjakin shouldnt have been banned, karjakin at the end of the day is an excellent chess player if u really wanna show ur pissed at him then other players should boycott his games but not letting him play is wrong imo.
Can't punish people for their nationality? Yeah we can. Isn't that the definition of war? We've been in a cold war with Russia since the 1950s. Sometimes it heats up. This is one of those times. One front we're fighting on is with economic sanctions, another is with sports. It's always been this way. Those players that don't like being banned? Maybe they need a new country. Or a new president. They could work on that.
@@robertl30 You probably don't understand how does Russian politics work. All of those people who say something like "go change your president", how do you imagine that? I mean, theoretically, what should people do in your opinion? At the end of the day, it is not even possible because more than half of Russians support this war and the president. If you will ask to go and talk to them: they are nonstop watching TV shows with propaganda, it is impossible to change their mind. By the way, the Russian government has already developed several laws for censorship, also preventing any demonstrations. Also, this war is not about you, me, or any of the Ukrainian civilians. This war of imperialism, markets, billions of dollars, that we don't even know about. I don't hate anyone from Ukrain, as I didn't before 24 February, nothing changed for me since then. If you think this is your war (economical war or informational war, IDC) - you are getting used by politicians in achieving their aims. Every time when politicians talk about dying people they do this to achieve their goals, please remember that. Yeah, the world is cruel, humanity is the cruelest form of life, but chess is an immortal game, it is not about humanity, Stockfish can teach you that. Chess is logic, math, combinatorics, geometry, this game cannot be an instrument in the politicians' hands for god sake.
I feel like sometimes I don't always resonate with your humor, but I really did in this video haha. You were on a roll. Also just checked out your song on spotify and it's low key fire lol. You should get your audio guy to use a limiter on it tho to make it competitively loud like -10dbfs. It's super quiet compared to other stuff on spotify (when auto gain is disabled) and it's fairly easy for someone with audio skills to fix. I could even do it for you if you want
Karjakin himself said "the basic principle that sport isn't mixed with politics has been trampled." and I completely feel for the man. He supports his country's president, whether that's a good thing or not shouldn't matter, he lost his opportunity to play the candidates and if he won he'd play in the world chess championship. But he was not allowed due to his political view. That's messed up.
Are you an idiot? He was banned for openly supporting Russia's brutal attack on innocent Ukrainian civilians. It was not for "not publicly denouncing the attack". He doesn't have to say anything. A correct analogy would be if the Williams sisters were allowed to continue plays tennis after tweeting "Obama keep blowing up the middle east". People like you are the reason why democracy cannot work
"Yo mama London!!" Too funny! Really entertaining recap with five super games. Thanks for highlighting the play of some lesser known GMs - some fantastic chess being played. Thanks for the hard work!!
i myself didn't see what sergey wrote so i can't judge the ban but i'll say this it depends on the context since there are thinga that you should not say obviously but there shouldn't be anything that you have to say. if sergey advocated for killing russians or ukrainians whoever side he is on then yes the ban is justified but if he said something as simple as "i support the motherland" then the ban is as stupid as the flat earth debate qnd finally if anyone gets banned from anything just because they didn't dinounce putin then that is the worst dicision since attaking russia in winter because you're forcing someone to oblige to whatever you want by making him say what you want to hear which is taking freedom of speech obvioualy thats my stance if anyone has a better i'll gladly read it
There's a little bit of context that's being missed here. In cases such as this, the 'usual' sanction is a total ban for everyone from the country. FIDE did not want to enforce a blanket ban, as they felt it was unfair to those who had no part in the atrocities committed by the Russian government. So instead, they did a sort of half-ban. Every Russian player is banned, but they can be unbanned if they publicly denounce the Russian invasion. They're enforcing the rules of sports sanctions for hostile nations while also giving recourse to those who do not support the invasion. It's certainly not a perfect solution, but it's pretty competent considering FIDE's track record.
Just search his account on Twitter and it should be clear that the ban was justified. He is actively spreading Russian propaganda. He also refuses to call the fighting in Ukraine a war. And he also basically stated he willl blindly follow Russia and especially Putin. I mean, if you are Russian, please support your country all you want and tell us that Ukraine also was at fault - but Karjakin is on a whole other level than just supporting his country. He is pretty much actively using his popularity to justify the war that he refuses to acknowledge. And that is a big No-Go.
@@Scheater1337 it’s freedom of speech. If he wants to support his country and advocate for it (no matter how idiotic he is for doing so) that should be his right.
@@EventHorizon643 FIDE is a sports organization not a government; freedom of speech doesn't exist. they can protect their image however they see fit. i have freedom of speech too but that doesn't mean i can walk into work and start swearing at customers without my boss firing me.
Me watching the Hans x Guijarro game recap thinking to myself: “ there’s a position I’ve seen before” then Levy goes “ if you gave me this position I would say the game is being played by 600s “ ouch Levy
@@Marcv1285 Kasparov didn't make extremely provocative comments in an ongoing war of aggression, which is internationally condemned. Karjakin did. It's not a matter of FIDE having an opinion. It's a matter of image, and Karjakin was ruining it with very vocal attacks on not just the Ukranian government and war effort, but its very people, who are generally perceived to be the good guys in this scenario. Hence, ban; they did not want to associate themselves with Karjakin's very public, very vocal views.
I personally hate Sergey karjakin for his statement about the war. However that doesn't give fide the right to ban him from the candidates tournament. They could have banned him from all other tournaments not from a tournament he worked on it and he's a big favourite in it.
I think they definitely have the right. Fide tournaments are their business. If someone portrays themself as a radical and ruins their own self image then it makes sense to not want them in your establishments. Athletes who get caught in scandals lose sponsorships all the time.
It is definitely a slippery slope, but yeah, you need to be held to certain standards. You cannot act like a edgy 15 year old on social media and not get reprimanded for it. It is not entirely dissimilar from say, if it was around at the time, a German memeing the Jews during WWII. You can support your country, not murder.
Is that not what a bunch of Western players did when they supported wars in the Middle East, how many players do you think posted support in relation to the deaths of terrorists, I'd say a lot, should they all be banned for supporting murder? Comparing Ukrainians to Jews and Russia to Nazis is so detached from reality, Russia is invading Ukrainian along nationalistic views and Putin's own polling. The Nazis tried to commit mass genocide across the whole world, they are not comparable.
I somehow got addicted to Gotham chess due to his incredible clear communication; thanks, I'm using this channel to learn not also chess but a lot of English too
What I like about GothamChess is he takes a pretty boring game for the most part (I really like chess but have to admit chess can be a bit dull) and makes it exciting
What the fuck does FIDE have to do with what Karjakin posts on social media lmao, they are a Chess federation as far as i know, not a political party or an ethics commission This world is going mad I swear....
@@xxxmxxwm1564 Homie it's called freedom of speech. The man has every damn right to state his opinion, it is quite literally his fucking right. How is it that the entire world is openly supporting one side of the conflict going as far as enabling death threats against a man on social media, but when a single fucking chess master shows support to the same man ...now that's a problem. I literally cannot believe people don't see that as an issue, it's manipulation of the masses of the highest order...
banned for being a Russian.. or banned for refusing to criticize Putin when the media has shown authorities in Russia arresting those who protest the war in Ukraine... hell of a choice for Karjakin to make.. but yes his joke on twitter was without much class
Banned for refusing is massive misinformation. It was about discussion of whether Russian athletes should be banned from playing udner RF flag while still being allowed to play w.o flag. And just like I said it is still just in discussion. As for Karjakin. That guy did much more than one god awful joke. He supports what happens there on daily basis. It is one thing to not go public because you might get yourself into problems, it is on completely different level to support the regime and say that you will always support Putin no matter what happens. This implication itself is insane. He could literally go to public place and shoot a kid and this guy would still support him openly on twitter.
That's disgusting, bringing politics to chess, what's their fault? being Russians? supporting their countries? it's politics, americans see that their country fighting for their freedom when they invaded against Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, etc... Russian see their country to be fighting for its interests against NATO's expansion, so there's no wrong or right, would u have a propaganda against russian invasion? fine, but don't do stupid things such as banning chess world champions for such things, these things are the things that damages chess and fide reputations + I don't see the benefit from banning them, what's gonna change about the war? were they trying to make them hate their countries and blame them for this? ofc not, it'll just make Russians stick with their government more Chess is a thing and politics is an another
@@user-tb5hs6pf2m Is there any american GM who publicly supports US politics? Karjakin directy supported russia who does gen...de in Ukraine, that's why he was banned. While Dubov, Kasparov, Nepo and other russian players can participate with no problem.
none of the other russian players has been lashing out in social media saying all sorts of absurd shit about the war so it's really just a karjakin problem
You contributed to this mess by supporting and voting for Joe Biden
Lmao
Pin of politics
I bet you own a riding lawnmower. You should mow your lawn while your entire family is sunbathing, and do America a favor.
with trump we would be on the brink of extiction, throwing bones and radiated black snowballs at each other.
Harry is absolutely 100% spot-on. You voted for The Establishment, you got The Establishment. Lefties are crassly stupid.
in an alternate universe he’s arrested for Sergej Carjackin
Lmao
Sirgay
gsus
how long have you had that joke saved up XD
Ou apenas pô Ser Gay :D
Everyone loves the chess drama Gotham, don’t be ashamed to go through it, I’d watch an entire video on this stuff by you
I think a few words in the intro is actually the way to go as personally I wanna be informed about current chess culture but the channel is about the game and I have huge respect for Levy for keeping it that way. He's giving the game the honor it deserves.
I could watch anything that has Gotham. I love how he commentates and adds a spice of humor to it
me too
@@aramhovsepyan3085 I guess, but there are a bunch of channels by great teachers about the game, I like gotham becuase hes f'n entertaining and a good teacher, I think he should lean into the drama as well
How come When i look at the Top, where all the successful people are.. i see NO mexicans 😪it makes me sad. I review weed products on my TH-cam channel for a living.. trying to make it out ! 💯💯.
The Medvedev situation is, as Levy said, ludicrous - for better or worse, at least Karjakin was banned for things he SAID; Medvedev was banned for something he HASN'T said?!
Yeah - collective responsibility of every citizen from Russia for allowing Putin to accumulate all this power and Russian imperialism to become so strong that it affects global affairs. Similarly, to what Germans have gone through after WWII
@@ecco2k771 Yeah like they could have done something
The Medvedev situation is a shame since Daniil is an actual contender for titles. Karyakin is no match for the top guys.
@JMUDoc Let's add that "Karjakin was banned for things he FREELY SAID; Medvedev was banned for something he HASN'T said WHILE HE COULDN'T SAY IT WITHOUT GREAT RISK FOR HIM AND HIS FAMILY?!"
@@ecco2k771 maybe the dumbest thing I have ever read. Why don’t you go over to Russia and protest the war and see what happens. The Russian people bear no responsibility for Putin’s horrific actions.
For Sergey, GM stands for “Grounded Master”
Lol
How about "ghoulish monster?" Just saying.
More like Grounded Moron
BOOOOOO 🍅
Gimp miester
Let’s be real, we’re _always_ curious if someone will beat The Final Boss of Chess
AlphaZero?
ngl he s an ass but u cannot deny he s one of the most dangerous ppl for magnus if not the most dangerous
Karpov is the final boss ahahah
So far no, Misha still in training arc.
@@aenimalewis159 Yeah what has Karpov or Spassky said?
Really loved what Magnus said. Let's not exclude Russian people, especially when we know they feel exactly the same as us. Let them be part of it.
There have been so many revoked invites and bans to athletes, musicians and artists who openly denounced the war, hinted at it or simply never said anything. To all naive people here in the west: that takes a ton of courage and your life can be over after that. This is not the same as you writing an "unpopular take" on reddit, this is everything on the line.
Let's not do even more to build the next iron curtain, only punish those waging the war.
It takes even more courage to defend against russian army
Divide and Conquer, anything to divide the people including your own brothers, wake up folks ;)
Let's punish those who support the war. And not ban anyone who doesn't spread propaganda.
It's well known that you can't openly criticize the president in Russia. But most of the time there is a choice. I know some Russians who migrated because they do not support Putin's propaganda. Of cause, it requires effort. But you need to understand. If you do nothing in that direction and just silently support the war, it's your choice! I am, as a Ukrainian, decided to take a risk and defend my country, so I do understand the risk of being killed.
@@viacheslavmartynenko6429 I wish you and everyone fighting the best of luck, I can't imagine what you're going through. I have great respect for you Ukrainians!
I overall agree with your stance, except now it's very difficult to leave Russia. I know of people getting stopped by police when they tried.
Bobby Fisher would have been baned left and right
In fact Boby Fisher was pursued by US justice.
How was Bobby so anti-Semitic when he was half-Jewish himself? Crazy.
@@JoseLuis-wj3vc for tax evasion, not the bull shit he used to say...
@@Skylarking00 it's called having paranoid delusions
@@thepoisonkid2483 No, he had a warrant put on him for playing in Yugoslavia.
Levy: "He ain't shook!
Me: "Cause ain't no such things as halfway rooks!"
from the critically acclaimed film: 8 File
That's Deep.
FIDE to Karjakin:
"You're minor, we're major
You're all up in the game and don't deserve to be a player!"
@@dchousoseiso H file
This deserves more likes.
I hadn't heard about the situation with the tennis player. That is an absolutely insane thing to ask someone to do.
ITF is a weird beast. They always refused to act against Djokovic's blatant spread of misinformation and hostile behavior on Covid, along with his refusal to get vaccinated, but then come up with this BS. Now Medvedev has reached out to the UK government to try and clear things up, and the minister for sports seems to be firmly on the side of the russian and belarussian players.
Problem with ears?
@@robertjansen6019 but Medvedev is against this war. It's wrong to disqualify Russian players even if they are criticizing their own government
@@duuude_ No that's absolutely just
@@duuude_ you have to be blind to not see westren media hypocrisy and propaganda
The drama, the intrigue, the memes... you have truly shaped chess into a spectator sport, and I don't think there's anything that could be healthier for the game than growing the audience.
I think agadmator startet shaping it, now recently gotham does too
Both are very good chess content creators.
Agadmator is much better, his analysis is more comprehensive also apolitical
@@evenly.2529 agreed, both their content is different but amazing in their own ways
@@fts_02 then why are you here adding to his viewcount? lol
"you cant force people who live in a country where you cant speak out, to speak out" what a great point!
You can't protest in Canada without being called a fascist and have your bank account frozen!
no one is dforcing him to speak out. but support this massacre? nah, good riddance
@@GiorgoMas Support what massacre? In the mean time you ignored the bombing (shelling) of people in Donetsk and Lugansk for 8 years? Why didn't you speak up about it? Hypocrite with the fake name Blind!
@@elcid451 What bombings?
@@supernukey419 So you saying you are unaware that the Ukrainian army has been shelling the people of Lugansk and Donetsk for 8 years? That's Super Stupey!
I love how Levy cares about small things for their viewers and he even notices those things "Apologies to those who watches in dark" ❤️👌🏻
Yeah lavys great.
I haven't watched Ding play much, I guess not many people have lately, but after watching him give Hikaru all he could handle in a match a month or so ago and him playing well against magnus really makes me wish he was in the candidates.
He's been top 3 in the world for years now.
To put it simply, Ding is a humble machine.
You talking about the speed chess semifinal? That was amazing to see livestreamed!
He's to Magnus what Kramnik was to Kasparov, the guy who can cause him the most problems
Just would like to point out, Daniil Medvedev has not received a statement from Wimbledon saying that he can't play if he doesn't denounce Putin and the war. There was a clickbait article that made that claim, but it's unjustified. The truth is that Wimbledon is considering it, but he will be banned or not allowed if he plays under the Russian flag. Medvedev (along with other Russian tennis players Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev) has denounced the war in Ukraine very strongly. I hope they will be all right.
Edited to fix grammar
He has already exoressed his opposition to war. They will take away his flag, but I don't see them not inviting him or forcing him to say something tgat would get him into problems in Russia.
taking away someone's nationality flag because they don't like wars that they have nothing to do with... disgusting
@@dariogreggio7981 Flag represents current Russia Federation that does what it does on Ukraine. The least you can do to show support is to not play under that flag of your own accord. It should not be them asking for it, it should be Russin players taking that initiative instead. Also for the reason why it is being done, it is quite simple. It is because of ultra nationalism that exists in Russia and can be seen just by taking a glance at Karjakin's twitter: "I will support this country and my president no matter what happens and what he does." This view is insane and it is not some overblown figure of speech. It is statement that most Russians share.
@@martintvrdik1655 stfu you're fascist, if i want i can bring my flag wherever i want, it's personal choice
@@martintvrdik1655 free speech is still free speech wimbledom has nothing to do with conflicts, so a flag doesn't harm anyone
I don't support Russia, but the fact that Ian cannot play with the Russian flag is horrible. Same thing for Sergey. This is a violation of free speech.
I dont think you know what free speech is…
I mean, would you like seeing some German from 1940's trying to play under THAT flag?
@@artcory6224 That's some stupid comparison.
@@artcory6224
I would not mind
Google en passant.
I got 3rd in my first otb tournament because of you, thank you so much
well done!
Me too! I got 3rd too
Nice work!!
Maybe you would have come first if you hadn't started watching him at all
It's because of you not him bro
I agree with you in relation to Daniil Medvedev, forcing him to denounce Putin, that's Ridiculous & Crazy, as it has far reaching implications to other scenarios.
err, nope. do you even know what putin is doing? nobody with any humanity could support that maniac.
@@lemsdarkapprentice2535 i think you dont know what the US are doing atm..
both cases was ridiculous, one was more than the other..
Kudos to Pragg for being a respectful young man.
I come to you for tournament recaps, I would really appreciate if you would be able to describe the format (how many ppl are playing, time control, how many rounds, is there playoffs at the end) or atleast a link that explains all of that. Even knowing the ppl who are involved. Quick 3 mins explanation would be good. Other than that, good content 👍🏼
A link would be nice, but you could also just google the event, he always says the full name at the beginning
Yeah that‘s a good suggestion tbh that‘s always missing for me
too
Levi, you should be the chess commentator for a live chess tournament! The way you explained the moves like it's an exciting American football game is amazing!
yes you should do live commentary I will watch.
that's not what most people look for in chess commentary
Levi
@@youtubeaddict487 L*vi
@FlochBasedKing GM Maurice Ashley tried explaining chess in American football terms a few years ago and some in the commentary were negative, probably because they were not American, so it depends on the culture as you say.
Hi 👋 Gotham, sorry to hear your closed position video isn’t doing well. It was honestly my favourite piece of chess content this year. Watched it twice, gave me an instant ELO boost. Loved it!
I wish more tournaments were actually sey up like this, by rewarding players +3 for winning you make draws look unattractive in comparison and reward more risky play. Very fun tournament and great recap, id watch these daily tbh
I am in favor of discouraging draws. Draws suck.
That's just dumb. Makes no sense.
@@onniruusunen9444 i would argue that incentivizing players to create more unusual and imbalanced positions, and then figure their way out of them, the level of skill required is higher than trading down in ways that both players know will draw
Nah the old scoring system was flawless all what this trashy scoring system did is reward the people who have worse performances
@@frozenfeet4534 lol by changing the scoring system? Nah bro raise the prize money for a win but do not use childish solutions
bro ive been watching you for a while and honestly you get better and better, i mean " sorry for y'all watching in the dark..." thank you king. absolute legend.
Bruh, I love your recaps. I love your guess the elo. Your personality and enthusiasm make anything you put out enjoyable. Keep it up.
I love ur vids, and your recaps, glad to be a sub of yours (:
You should be doing commentary for all of these gm matches in Big tourneys
You make chess so much more fun to watch
I don't support Karjakin, he has very twisted view on situation. At the same time, I don't think FIDE should start doing moral policing, you can't enforce for "correct" opinion.
Your view is formed by mass media propaganda, including internet too. You know nothing concerning history of Russia and so called Ukraine, and the crucial reasons of what happens now, you know nothing concerning Donbass people being killed for eight years. So you'd better look at a mirror and ask yourself, what information you get to form your views. Sport IS the part of Western russophobic politics nowadays, it all started long before the ukrainian nazi takeover in 2014, western countries never willl forgive Russia having its own course.
@@Saturnaruim If your answer is violence and defying very systems which were placed to avoid it. If your answer is ignoring bloodshed and biggest tragedy of our lifetime. Yet, you think and believe so convincingly you're right. I have to say, I slightly lose faith in humanity today.
@@xxxmxxwm1564 I agree, words have power. I agree, we should not tolerate genocide, wars. I can't agree with organizations like FIDE start doing moral policing though, it's not in their purview and it should not take such stance on complex geopolitical situations. It should've banned USA long ago, if FIDE had any moral compass.
Nice work Patriot. Someone forgot to tell TH-cam the same thing. They are attempting to give themselves more power than the U.S. Constitution to enforce free speech.
Reading the enormous number of comments on this thread by the fools who cheer for their own rights being removed by a godless organization like FIDE tell us what morality is shocking.
Why would we trust CNN's take on Putin's military operations anyway? What had CNN done to earn our trust?
Karjakin wasn't banned.
That's just a special peace operation by FIDE.
Sort of like the Merciful angel but 2times longer :)
Just like the sanctions aren‘t really sanctions but special economic operations!
@@FireSignd Nobody is claiming the sanctions aren’t really sanctions.
This is the most dramatic Candidates qualification cycle ever starting with Radjabov getting wild card, Firouzja qualifying and getting 2800 and 2nd in the world, Nakamura taking a break from streaming and winning a Grand Prix leg, Ding not being able to play anything, and now Karjakin losing his spot, Wow.
I love how you explained the first game! and it's so fun to see your clear love for chess in the way you enthuse over certain moves. thanks as always for the amazing content!
Gawain Jones is such a Welsh name, or so I thought before googling him and finding out his middle names are Christopher and Bernard...
I was thinking the exact same thing!
The guy is from Yorkshire. Could have some Welsh ancestry...
Thank you. Love your entertaining videos. It gives me a little bit of break in a sad world.
And now all this time later, it's fascinating to watch Ding Liren's journey to become the World Champion in 2023 began because Sergey Karjakin got banned by FIDE.
10:29 ¡¡Ge cinco!! ¡Gotham, eres el comentarista y comediante número uno, gracias! El ajedrez puede ser increíblemente divertido. Incluso Magnus se ríe a menudo durante los partidos.
"Peaceful manner"? Chess is literally a metaphor for war.
literally a metaphor ...
@@arnastubuttwehak994 nice catch XD
@@arnastubuttwehak994 informal but correct still
Chess is a metaphor for political intrigue, which does not necessarily involve war.
Wtf are you people smoking?? Chess is a strategy game, it's not a metaphor for anything lmao
The fairytale for Ding started right from this point ❤
This kind of censorship is uncalled for and harms the reputation of FIDE more in my eyes than any player voicing their opinion could. I don't care much about political analysis with pattern recognition in overdrive. Whether it's done by Fischer, Kasparov or some active players. Let the guys play chess! Have a fair competition! And keep the politics out of it! Let them blather on about politics in their spare time! They don't represent FIDE nor chess when they do so.
100%!!
When America invaded Iraq did they ban American players or force them to condemn there country.
To be fair, the US entered Iraq for terroristic suppression. It isn't nearly the same concept as the Russian invasion. In fact, Russia has broken several international laws by entering the war for numerous reasons including the bombing of civilians and entering without cause
For the tennis player part, forcing a high-profile Russian citizen to denounce Putin is a death sentence.
Hi Levy. I have an idea as to why your community feedback might seem contradictory.
It is possible that people who are not casual chess content viewers are more likely to have longer watch time and more likely to comment. There are usually far fewer comments than views on a given video, and those commenting are your core audience, people who are deeply interested in chess.
Whereas a casual viewer may just watch the video (generating a view) because you make good content, whether or not they have an interest in chess.
Cheers!
that and just keep in mind TH-cam model is mostly shit, for example : watching a video doesn't imply you liked it
if it is super interesting for fewer people it doesn't count
almost uninteresting for everyone videos gets lot more views
which in turn triggers dmca issues
that's why it should be up to people to invest in videos they like
but heh, that's not TH-cam
Agreed. We serious players are, unfortunately, a vocal minority.
For me, I qm nog always in the mood for an instructionsl video. However a video like this takes way less commitment and thought from me, so easier to digest. And can therefore be watched in more moods.
And then, I notice that I should watch that video that takes more work from me to watch, but I just forget.
I typically watch during my lunch break. I’m not in the mindset of learning how to actually get better at that point in time. I’ll watch the instructional stuff because it’s extremely helpful but I likely won’t watch it the day that it is uploaded because I want to take those learnings seriously.
He got banned for saying things on twitter? About things unrelated to chess?
If so, that’s horrifying.
Tbh levy, the Intro on chess world ( what is happening ) is great idea, levy keep being our chess news tv in every beginning of video.
You're completely right. I didn't watch the video of closed positions. I'm really glad you pointed that out and am watching it right after this video.
The final move in the last game was absolutely savage.
Hey Levy, thanks for showing the Duda v Navara game, I'm really happy that you show a whole plethora of players, not just the top ones, and also talk about them a little bit. Luv u
Excited for a new tourney coverage from Levy!
Gotham Recaps are the best part of my day
Thanks for them :)
Vidit Game against Duda and Rapport was also amazing should included one of them
Levy, you pronounce "Guijarro" as "Gijarro". U is mute because its in spanish. I know you like pronouncing stuff well.
It’s mute because it’s in Spanish, the vowels after the u, and no dieresis :) (not trying to be mean just helping out)
He knows it's in Spanish lmao
@@randomspectator2580 Not exactly, that only happens with the "gui" and "gue". The u would be pronounced in words like "pingüino" and mute in "guitarra" because the u doesn't have a dieresis
@@Almirante1741 yep! Im a native Spanish speaker lol. The vowels after the u are Important, since anything other than e or i wouldn’t work.
Honestly my opinion is this: everyone is entitled to their opinion, whether favourable or not. We are meant to have the right to free speech yet people are being called racist, transphobic, etc etc if they don't have the same views as everyone else
Now do I support what he has said? No. But has he done anything wrong? No... He's made his opinion known and whether you like it or not he's entitled to it....
And fide is entitled to ban him for it. And he is Russian btw, he doesn't have free speech anyways. Russians who call the war a war go to jail over there for it. Maybe that's what he should be calling out instead of the crap he's spewing.
Yes, but FIDE is also entitled to their opinion, which is that he shouldn't play in the candidates tournament.
@@zachs.4371 ??? And people say America is a country supporting freedom of speech.
@Rick = it's not as though he's getting banned for liking cherry coke (or whatever). sergei's not getting banned for his 'opinions', or 'what he says'... He's being banned because he supports war + a tyrant who partakes in genocide, starves/dehydrates people to death, indiscriminately murders people, turns guns on his own people & attacks hospitals, animals shelters + red cross staff. there is a vast difference. [el'sda2].
@@list9016 Freedom goes both ways. You are perfectly free to make fun of Ukrainians dying, there's no law against it in America at least. FIDE is also free to institute punishments for such disgusting statements as long as they're not overstepping human rights. They're not, as playing in the candidates tournament is a privilege, not a right.
The sad thing is that Sergey was born in Simferopil and he is a perfect example that even the grandmaster's brain are vulnerable for propaganda.
Karjakin used to be Ukrainian citizen.
He studied chess in Ukraine
Damn, imagine if Bobby Fischer was alive today lmao
No more stealing cars I guess. Nobody expected a chess organization to ban Karjakin'...
Maybe FIDE didn't get that "The Minister of Defence" was just a surname... and he's not really involved in the invasion of Ukraine
Despicable. Sports should unite what men divide.
True, what Sergei Karjakin was saying on twitter is despicable, he was using sports to share russian propaganda. It's good FIDE took action.
I am always pleased, when someone mentions Czech Republic, or David Navara. We are just a small country.
I mean, I get why russian players wouldn't be part of the event. Russia is currently cracking down on any sign of opposition, accepting the invitation could be dangerous for them. Inviting them would force them to choose between their image and their safety, I'm not sure it is doing them a favor.
Lmao but then forcing Russian players to speak out against putin is moral.
I'm eating at a late night diner with the sound on low and the auto generated captions spell his name "Dingley Wren" and I keep cackling like an idiot by myself.
That news is disgusting, FIDE has no right to enforce any political opinion on any of their players. It doesn't matter what opinion it is. As for the slippery slope idea this is the slope, banning people for their politics is defiantly the slope.
As a private entity I’m pretty sure the do have the right to ban whoever they want lmao. It literally said in the video “anyone who gives an bad look to chess or FIDE can be banned” if they thing he does the. He can be banned lmao.
@@harryt2756 "they have the right" doesnt mean its right to do it . Now for the guy who said those fucked up jokes he deserved what he got . But to not allow Russian players to play in the charity event for Ukraine to like say "Heeey look at us we support Ukraine by banning people who are Russian ( a lot of them are against it but we wont talk about that ) Look we are good people now give us the money and views :)"
This is always a dumb argument. Politics should be in everything - from sport to education. The problem is most people have never studied politics and don't even know the definition of the word without looking it up. Well done to FIDE for banning this puppet. They should also revoke his GM title.
This is not true. There is a big difference between having a political opinion and supporting the killing of civilians. In a civilized world, you cannot openly call for genocide. Therefore, FIDE's actions are justified and correct.
Get a load of all these boot lickers in the comments. “Govern me harder daddy!” Lamo, from now on the world chess champion isn’t the best chess player in the world, he’s the best chess player that has FIDE approved opinions. It blows my mind that some of you are okay with this crap.
Getting with the politics first, I understand your stance through and through Levi, I mean, I understand the whole "no doing business in Russia" thing, but when I heard in the news that Nestle (despite all of its obvious shortcomings past and present) was being publicly slammed for the decision it took to maintain the sale nursing foods to Russia, such as powered milk and baby meals; I figure people have no sense of perspective. Starving children in Russia will bring zero benefit, if anything it will only ostracize an entire population and lead it to sway onto a "charismatic" and "strong". Likewise, in the chess world, I also think open-minded Russians, should be given the opportunity to voice themselves - the very idea of having GM's participations be linchpinned by a public decry of Putin is idiotic, for the same, dim-witted reason that starving children in Russia is not good practice - in particular or in general - because, more often then not, aggravating words lead only to aggravated responses.
They don't need to say what they are against, need only manifest what they are for.
It would be most excellent if they simply stated their opinion about loving they're sovereign, independent brethren nation of Ukraine and that they wish for a peaceful resolution that fully restores Ukraine borders, and show support for the ailing Ukrainian population - sowing words of love, not hatred, is how this kinds of things are settled; anything short of this, only fuels the mills of war on which the hawk and the vulture feed.
Anyway... Crazy tournament, amazing games!
Sanctions on Russia will only lead to more hatred between ordinary Russians and the west. Let's say you're not a putin supporter and live in Russia. All you know is that the world is out to make your life worse and more miserable through sanctions, if anything that would just proves that it's them vs the west. Most people in Russia do not have political power and are not responsible for the war, yet even the anti-war activists are affected by the draconian sanctions. Imagine if the whole world sanctioned US when they invaded Iraq or Afghanistan and all of you ordinary Americans goes straight to poverty because your president is a warmonger. Heck, even if half of you didn't vote for him, everyone would be affected by the sanctions. And guess what leads to radicalization, hardships and poverty. The huge inflation and reduction of living standard was how Nazi won election in Germany.
@@ncs9753 Loooove your comment man
Levy when talking about the pieces that dont move like knight pawn or king you can just say sliding pieces, this is often the term used by chess engine developers so they can group the way the pieces move together since all of them slide across the board as many squares as they please
Loved the video Levy. Minor technical feedback: There's a fairly noticable audio echo throughout (and especially as your volume increases). Normally you've got a great commentator's voice but the echo is kinda jarring. Great, informative video nonetheless!
Hopefully ding will get in to the candidates!
This vid is the best, never been so excited in watching game replays (stops watching live and waits for levy)
Thank you for understanding how difficult/dangerous it is to speak up in Russia. Not everyone does
i mean i enjoy the 30 seconds of “politics” because i’m not on twitter or watch the news
so thank you for the updates levi :)
2:02 he didn't just put in 25 games he did 14 on the world biggest stage and then pined himself for greatness
Unfortunately Karjakin "lost the opportunity to stay silent". It is not a crime to be russian, hell, you can even support the invasion, you have the right to have your own opinion. But publicly making jokes about people dying is just disgusting and I am happy that he got banned.
What about every other conflict the last 20 years that meant nothing to you????
@@michaelr1577 What?
Just saying the amount of jokes about Russian soldiers dying is like to the amount about Ukrainians dyings is like 1000:1. In my view its completely reasonable for someone to lose their cool and make a dumb joke on Twitter after seeing a bunch of jokes about their fellow citizens dying. If it was a joke about Russians dying no one would care, its very politically motivated ban
@@ethan6627 That's really not what happened though. Karjakin didn't slip up and made a joke, this isn't a situation where he lost his cool. He was methodically and actively spreading propaganda and using logical fallacies to justify the Russian invasion from a moral standpoint. Not to mention his provocative statements towards the _people_ of Ukraine, not even limiting himself to their armed forces or government.
It also should be noted that this ban most likely wasn't even made because of FIDE's political opinion. It was an issue about their image. The world generally seems to view Russia as the unjustified aggressor and condemns their invasion, and Karjakin was actively defending it and insulting the would-be victims. FIDE prefers not to be associated with that message and banned Karjakin.
@@nicolaszan1845 You perfectly described a politically motivated ban on FIDE's part. Karjakin is a Russian and is subject to the same propaganda as many other Russians and is merely repeating his beliefs. He isn't some mastermind trying to spread pro-Russian propaganda in some methodical way. Ukrainians are labeled as terrorists by the Russian government and Karjakin probably believes they are as well. This is deeply worrying that so many people are supporting banning someone due to their stance on a war. I hate Russia but Im well ware that there is a high chance another war will break out in the future where the I disagree with the Western powers and this seems to me a terrifying precedent on what people deem speech that isn't worth protecting.
I guess Karjakin had it coming. However, the other russian players and sports people... it's becoming sort of a witch hunt and a "guilty until proven innocent" situation. Crazy.
Finally someone says it.
@@blakeunderwood1075 I agree and I'm a Dan Bongino fan if that matters.
Bombing hospitals makes a statement. Banning a tennisplayer also makes a statement. Saying "Levi is an idiot!" Well I think that counts as a statement as well.
Good thing his name is Levy then.
Regarding Russian players not being invited to this, my take is, it is to avoid putting them into even more difficult position. Given Russian's regime, any of those who attended would likely face very severe personal consequences. My guess is this was discussed with some of Russian players before decision was made. I also guess that if any of them proactively expressed interest in playing they'd be welcome -- but the consequences in Russia for them would likely be similar to ones for speaking out publicly against the war now, so unless they were already willing to make that sacrifice, I would not expect any to attend.
Better idea: Stop pussyfooting around the issue and if NATO and the West in general really believes in their cause for a "Free Ukraine", then use the right tool for the job: NATO military. And let apolitical fields remain so.
But instead the West wants to do drama and virtue signalling while standing on the sidelines, bullying innocent citizens of their enemy's country, bullying developing nations into condemning who they want to condemn, etc while at the same time they continue to give excuses for why they themselves are unwilling to let _any_ economic or military pain fall upon their own nations. Bloody hypocrites.
Sports should be apolitical. Everyone should be able to join despite their political ideology. Or else they should ban those who support ukraine as well.
The West is not in the mood for that. They want to cover up their own military ineptness and unreliability as an ally by using tools such as sanctions, forcing apolitical areas to become political and generally bullying anyone who has the faintest connection to the other side. The sheer amount of arrogance the West displays is staggering. Its as bad as Putin's own arrogance.
@@death_parade Karjakin getting banned is a good thing because but for the completely wrong reason. It exposes the complete hypocrisy of the west. Like when the USA invaded Afghanistan and Iraq what happend? Did we have the whole world speaking up against USA? Did we have charities for Iraq and Afghanistan? The worse thing is it's even less justified for the USA. Russia may be wrong in invading Ukraine but at least it has even the slightest of justifications, which is that if Ukraine were to join NATO, the west would have an easy path to invade Russia. Despite this, the original comment summarizes it very well. Sports should stay out of politics and not banned for their political, religious whatever ideology.
@@list9016 The only difference between what's occurring today and 20 years ago is the people the US invaded were by a large majority too dirt poor to afford cell phones and post videso to social media, so everyone relied solely on what the news media fed them.
I get why he was banned but it would have been such a storyline for him to play the candidates and be the villain, so that he can be taken down on the board
Censorship is absurd, does not matter if the Russian Government, Chinese Government or FIDE does it. If you support censorship for any reason good or bad, there will always be people in power deciding what is good and what is bad.
Not all countries have the same 1st amendment rights as in the U.S.
Yes. But we are the good peolpe, it's okay to punish all the bad people as good as we can xD :(
First off, let me say that I am totally against the war. But at the same time, we can not punish ppl just for their nationality. In the case of Karjakin, I understand the ban. But not allowing a Russian to play just because they are Russian... That is a bridge to far. How can we say we want to fight against discrimination, just to turn and start discriminating the first chance we get? Were Americans asked to denounce our president when we invaded Afghanistan? We know that that war was unjustified as well, just like this one. We dropped thousands upon thousands of bombs on Yemen. Are we any better than the Russian ppl? Before we are so swift to judge the ppl of Russia, we need to be ready to hold ourselves to the same standard we want to hold them to.
First let me say I totally agree with you, this is just plein simple rasism, you read the definition it is exactly that: expluding people because of their home countries, but even in the case of karjakin I dont understand, like at all. We are supposed to be democrats, this requires to be polyphony, every opinion is welcome, I mean I would never agree/support a nazi but I would also never ban him from playing chess! Just to be clear I consider nazism to be an extreme and increadibly selfish ideology, one that has costed millions of innocent people their lives and their well being. Still just going ahead and killing, exiling, enprizoning or muzzling an individual just because he believes something like that does not make what he believes seem worst, it just makes me a liar and fool for telling myself I am a democrat, while at the same time I become worstening my image.
btw democrat or republican it is the same for the purpose it was frased above: someone who believes the majority should rule, while we are free to speak our part.
Essencially what FIDE has done (fact not opinion, considering the absolute defition of the words) is rasism and violate the freedom of speach, not for the first ands certainly not for the last as this game just got political.
i think karjakin shouldnt have been banned, karjakin at the end of the day is an excellent chess player if u really wanna show ur pissed at him then other players should boycott his games but not letting him play is wrong imo.
Can't punish people for their nationality? Yeah we can. Isn't that the definition of war? We've been in a cold war with Russia since the 1950s. Sometimes it heats up. This is one of those times. One front we're fighting on is with economic sanctions, another is with sports. It's always been this way. Those players that don't like being banned? Maybe they need a new country. Or a new president. They could work on that.
@@robertl30 Waging cold war with Russia does not mean waging cold war with Russians.
@@robertl30 You probably don't understand how does Russian politics work. All of those people who say something like "go change your president", how do you imagine that? I mean, theoretically, what should people do in your opinion? At the end of the day, it is not even possible because more than half of Russians support this war and the president. If you will ask to go and talk to them: they are nonstop watching TV shows with propaganda, it is impossible to change their mind. By the way, the Russian government has already developed several laws for censorship, also preventing any demonstrations.
Also, this war is not about you, me, or any of the Ukrainian civilians. This war of imperialism, markets, billions of dollars, that we don't even know about. I don't hate anyone from Ukrain, as I didn't before 24 February, nothing changed for me since then. If you think this is your war (economical war or informational war, IDC) - you are getting used by politicians in achieving their aims. Every time when politicians talk about dying people they do this to achieve their goals, please remember that.
Yeah, the world is cruel, humanity is the cruelest form of life, but chess is an immortal game, it is not about humanity, Stockfish can teach you that. Chess is logic, math, combinatorics, geometry, this game cannot be an instrument in the politicians' hands for god sake.
I feel like sometimes I don't always resonate with your humor, but I really did in this video haha. You were on a roll. Also just checked out your song on spotify and it's low key fire lol. You should get your audio guy to use a limiter on it tho to make it competitively loud like -10dbfs. It's super quiet compared to other stuff on spotify (when auto gain is disabled) and it's fairly easy for someone with audio skills to fix. I could even do it for you if you want
Karjakin himself said "the basic principle that sport isn't mixed with politics has been trampled." and I completely feel for the man. He supports his country's president, whether that's a good thing or not shouldn't matter, he lost his opportunity to play the candidates and if he won he'd play in the world chess championship. But he was not allowed due to his political view. That's messed up.
Imagine if the Williams sisters couldn’t play unless they publicly denounced bush and the Iraq war. Such a stupid idea.
Are you an idiot? He was banned for openly supporting Russia's brutal attack on innocent Ukrainian civilians. It was not for "not publicly denouncing the attack". He doesn't have to say anything. A correct analogy would be if the Williams sisters were allowed to continue plays tennis after tweeting "Obama keep blowing up the middle east". People like you are the reason why democracy cannot work
@@gene_0630 You are a braindead zog bot
@@fisher2536 Kinda like how many American athletes and competitors supported the Bush wars?
@@gene_0630 why?
@@gene_0630 Please explain how this isnt a logical argument?
"Yo mama London!!" Too funny! Really entertaining recap with five super games. Thanks for highlighting the play of some lesser known GMs - some fantastic chess being played. Thanks for the hard work!!
Never force people to become political activists. Especially if its dangerous. 🇺🇦❤️
i myself didn't see what sergey wrote so i can't judge the ban but i'll say this
it depends on the context since there are thinga that you should not say obviously but there shouldn't be anything that you have to say. if sergey advocated for killing russians or ukrainians whoever side he is on then yes the ban is justified but if he said something as simple as "i support the motherland" then the ban is as stupid as the flat earth debate qnd finally if anyone gets banned from anything just because they didn't dinounce putin then that is the worst dicision since attaking russia in winter because you're forcing someone to oblige to whatever you want by making him say what you want to hear which is taking freedom of speech obvioualy
thats my stance if anyone has a better i'll gladly read it
There's a little bit of context that's being missed here. In cases such as this, the 'usual' sanction is a total ban for everyone from the country. FIDE did not want to enforce a blanket ban, as they felt it was unfair to those who had no part in the atrocities committed by the Russian government. So instead, they did a sort of half-ban. Every Russian player is banned, but they can be unbanned if they publicly denounce the Russian invasion.
They're enforcing the rules of sports sanctions for hostile nations while also giving recourse to those who do not support the invasion. It's certainly not a perfect solution, but it's pretty competent considering FIDE's track record.
Just search his account on Twitter and it should be clear that the ban was justified. He is actively spreading Russian propaganda. He also refuses to call the fighting in Ukraine a war. And he also basically stated he willl blindly follow Russia and especially Putin.
I mean, if you are Russian, please support your country all you want and tell us that Ukraine also was at fault - but Karjakin is on a whole other level than just supporting his country. He is pretty much actively using his popularity to justify the war that he refuses to acknowledge. And that is a big No-Go.
@@Scheater1337 it’s freedom of speech. If he wants to support his country and advocate for it (no matter how idiotic he is for doing so) that should be his right.
@@EventHorizon643 FIDE is a sports organization not a government; freedom of speech doesn't exist. they can protect their image however they see fit. i have freedom of speech too but that doesn't mean i can walk into work and start swearing at customers without my boss firing me.
@@bignope5720 it's amazing how many people don't understand this
I love your instructional videos (including closed positions). Please keep making them
I'm watching from Ukraine. Everybody's support really helps us to understand that we are not alone.
Stay strong and good luck!
not sure how banning chess and sports players is supporting Ukraine...it has no effect on Russian politics.. just ruins their career
Слава России
@@lostc0ntrol супер иронично это читать под видео о бане одного из гранд мастеров
@@Igqueens because they support terrorism in Ukraine or do you think support terrorism is ok?
Fun fact: on the video's url, there's a secret message
dieM4IDbJsQ = die maid jsq. yea very secret and very interesting tf u talkin
Oh😂
Me watching the Hans x Guijarro game recap thinking to myself: “ there’s a position I’ve seen before” then Levy goes “ if you gave me this position I would say the game is being played by 600s “ ouch Levy
Imagine banning all USA chess player because of the war in Irak, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen etc.
Karjakin specifically did deserve the ban, though. Take a look at his Twitter and public stances and you might see why.
@@nicolaszan1845 Why then Kasparov wasn't banned for his zionist views, pro western and anti Russia stance...
@@Marcv1285 Kasparov didn't make extremely provocative comments in an ongoing war of aggression, which is internationally condemned. Karjakin did.
It's not a matter of FIDE having an opinion. It's a matter of image, and Karjakin was ruining it with very vocal attacks on not just the Ukranian government and war effort, but its very people, who are generally perceived to be the good guys in this scenario. Hence, ban; they did not want to associate themselves with Karjakin's very public, very vocal views.
@@nicolaszan1845 Advocating for banning people is more than extremely provocative. It's evil.
@@baaldiablo8459 Not really, no. It's not as much of a slippery slope as you think it is.
I personally hate Sergey karjakin for his statement about the war. However that doesn't give fide the right to ban him from the candidates tournament. They could have banned him from all other tournaments not from a tournament he worked on it and he's a big favourite in it.
It gives them the right. It's time to choose sides.
I think they definitely have the right. Fide tournaments are their business. If someone portrays themself as a radical and ruins their own self image then it makes sense to not want them in your establishments. Athletes who get caught in scandals lose sponsorships all the time.
they have the right because they make the rules you dummy, don't like it? maybe he shouldn't have broken their rules
@@chesslover8829 Why anyone should chose a side in chess? Is chess a political thing?
@@JoseLuis-wj3vc You play chess, right? You think ahead, correct? Then, you must realize we have entered WWIII, yes? So, which side are you on?
Gotham: don't skip classes
Me agreeing at 5 a.m with no sleep and classes in 3 hrs
It is definitely a slippery slope, but yeah, you need to be held to certain standards. You cannot act like a edgy 15 year old on social media and not get reprimanded for it. It is not entirely dissimilar from say, if it was around at the time, a German memeing the Jews during WWII. You can support your country, not murder.
Is that not what a bunch of Western players did when they supported wars in the Middle East, how many players do you think posted support in relation to the deaths of terrorists, I'd say a lot, should they all be banned for supporting murder? Comparing Ukrainians to Jews and Russia to Nazis is so detached from reality, Russia is invading Ukrainian along nationalistic views and Putin's own polling. The Nazis tried to commit mass genocide across the whole world, they are not comparable.
From reading the comments I get the impression that a lot of people don't know how freedom of speech works
I somehow got addicted to Gotham chess due to his incredible clear communication; thanks, I'm using this channel to learn not also chess but a lot of English too
What I like about GothamChess is he takes a pretty boring game for the most part (I really like chess but have to admit chess can be a bit dull) and makes it exciting
@@kindmulberry7196 he has the ability to create storytelling climax upon stupidity amid logic battle
@@snk-js Very true
Thank god that Magnus Carlsen is from Norway and not Russia
Yes :-) And wish you all the best for your unbirthed half baby xD
David Anton killed it in the Fabiano and Alireza tournament for the candidates
What the fuck does FIDE have to do with what Karjakin posts on social media lmao, they are a Chess federation as far as i know, not a political party or an ethics commission
This world is going mad I swear....
@@xxxmxxwm1564 Homie it's called freedom of speech. The man has every damn right to state his opinion, it is quite literally his fucking right. How is it that the entire world is openly supporting one side of the conflict going as far as enabling death threats against a man on social media, but when a single fucking chess master shows support to the same man ...now that's a problem. I literally cannot believe people don't see that as an issue, it's manipulation of the masses of the highest order...
banned for being a Russian.. or banned for refusing to criticize Putin when the media has shown authorities in Russia arresting those who protest the war in Ukraine... hell of a choice for Karjakin to make.. but yes his joke on twitter was without much class
If you are a public person and support a country invading another country shutting up is the way to go in all cases.
He got banned for being an idiot.
Banned for refusing is massive misinformation. It was about discussion of whether Russian athletes should be banned from playing udner RF flag while still being allowed to play w.o flag. And just like I said it is still just in discussion. As for Karjakin. That guy did much more than one god awful joke. He supports what happens there on daily basis. It is one thing to not go public because you might get yourself into problems, it is on completely different level to support the regime and say that you will always support Putin no matter what happens. This implication itself is insane. He could literally go to public place and shoot a kid and this guy would still support him openly on twitter.
thank you for apologizing about the brightness at the start I was about to be livid
That's disgusting, bringing politics to chess, what's their fault? being Russians? supporting their countries? it's politics, americans see that their country fighting for their freedom when they invaded against Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, etc...
Russian see their country to be fighting for its interests against NATO's expansion, so there's no wrong or right, would u have a propaganda against russian invasion? fine, but don't do stupid things such as banning chess world champions for such things, these things are the things that damages chess and fide reputations + I don't see the benefit from banning them, what's gonna change about the war? were they trying to make them hate their countries and blame them for this? ofc not, it'll just make Russians stick with their government more
Chess is a thing and politics is an another
+ you know what's funny? is that some ukranians are with this war and Sergey himself is a Ukranian
what a joke
FIDE is not US. its international. it was founded in Paris, now headquarters are in Switzerland. The leader is Arkadi Dvorkovich. He is russian 🤣.
@@jizzervirusreptikonski8756
yeah sure, FIDE is international as much as UN is international too 🤣🤣
@@user-tb5hs6pf2m Is there any american GM who publicly supports US politics?
Karjakin directy supported russia who does gen...de in Ukraine, that's why he was banned. While Dubov, Kasparov, Nepo and other russian players can participate with no problem.
@@user-tb5hs6pf2m And again FIDE's leader is russian
I feel bad, for the Russian. People can’t pick the country you from.
Sure, but Karjakin is not banned for being from Russia. He's banned for his public statements about the Ukraine war. That, he can choose what to say.
none of the other russian players has been lashing out in social media saying all sorts of absurd shit about the war so it's really just a karjakin problem