Candidates Tournament 2020

The very latest International round up of English news.
Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Mick Norris » Tue Apr 27, 2021 9:45 am

Maybe Nepo's cat could play against Aronian's dog :)

TWIC round 13 report
Round 13 Standings: 1 Nepomniachtchi 8.5 (having won his mini-match with Giri he cannot be overtaken as this is the first tie-break), 2 Giri 7.5, 3 Caruana 7, 4 MVL 7, 5 Grischuk 6.5, 6 Ding Liren 6, 7 Wang Hao 5 and 8 Alekseenko 4.5.

Final Round 14 Pairings: Caruana-Grischuk, Giri-Alekseenko, Ding-Nepomniachtchi and MVL-Wang Hao
Wonder how long today's games will be

Pete Doggers
In hindsight, Nepomniachtchi is the justified winner as the Russian GM was never in trouble in the second half of the tournament and grabbed his chances when they were presented to him.

The Russian grandmaster, who was born Bryansk, 379 kilometers (235 mi) southwest of Moscow, is now the fourth player who will try to dethrone Carlsen.
A nice historic detail is that back in 2002, Nepomniachtchi won the U12 World Youth Championship where he edged out Carlsen on tiebreak. More worrying for Carlsen should be the head-to-head score: Nepomniachtchi is the only top grandmaster who has a plus score against him, leading four to one in classical games, with six draws.

Asked about his compatriot's chances in the match, Grischuk noted: "They exist. For most players, they are a bit illusory but for him, they definitely exist. Less than 50 percent but much more than zero."
Chess Mind
Any postings on here represent my personal views

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5821
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Apr 27, 2021 11:54 am

What's the name of Aronian's dog?

Paul Cooksey
Posts: 1519
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2016 4:15 pm

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Paul Cooksey » Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:10 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 11:54 am
What's the name of Aronian's dog?
Ponchik

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:24 pm

MVL v Wang is a Berlin endgame. I don't know anything about 11...b6 where I have a feeling Lysyj and Ovetchkin recommend 11...Be6 12 Nf4 Bc8.

Giri v Alekseenko is a Catalan with 4...Bb4+ 5 Nd2.

Ding v Nepo is a Benoni, I reckon, though not one you could get to by any move order I'd recognise as a Benoni, so your mileage may vary.

Caruana v Grischuk is a Sicilian Four Knights and Fab is showing us Qd3 again.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Mick Norris » Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:26 pm

TWIC has Ding - Nepo as "King's Indian without Nc3" not that it matters
Any postings on here represent my personal views

Roger de Coverly
Posts: 21301
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:51 pm

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:21 pm

Mick Norris wrote:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:26 pm
TWIC has Ding - Nepo as "King's Indian without Nc3" not that it matters
Arguably Black has played usual Kings Indian or Benoni moves whilst White has used the move order with 3 f3 to play Ng1-e2-c3. That leaves open the option to play Nb1-a3/d2-c4. The opening idea from Black of playing ..g6 and then .. e6 looks a bit odd to start with, but it fits in if the game goes into Benoni structures.

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5821
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:33 pm

Ponchik looks good!

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:22 pm

Nepo finishes early today, and not in a good way, miscalculating to find himself with a rook and two pawns but no actual development against two pieces, and losing back the pawns and more in trying to untangle. Wang meanwhile loses his last three games, this one even more tamely than the two before.
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

Nick Ivell
Posts: 1138
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:33 pm

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Nick Ivell » Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:27 pm

Nepo still bosses the post mortem. That's what world champions do.

User avatar
Matt Mackenzie
Posts: 5206
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:51 pm
Location: Millom, Cumbria

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:38 pm

Though it doesn't look like Giri will win unless Alekseenko self-destructs again.

(Which is just as well, considering the amount of "its unfair!" whining - not from him, tbf - that will ensue if he does finish level)
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:47 pm

Well, it's not really the precise finishing scores that are the issue though. (I am not taking any particular view on the tie-break system or the tournament form.)
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

User avatar
Matt Mackenzie
Posts: 5206
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:51 pm
Location: Millom, Cumbria

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:57 pm

Given that lengthy play off matches now seem to have been consigned to history, some method has to be used.

And all the players will have known about, and indeed consented to, the rules beforehand.

EDIT: looking like Giri might actually lose now, credit to his opponent who has been game throughout a very novel experience for him.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

Mick Norris
Posts: 10329
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:12 am
Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by Mick Norris » Tue Apr 27, 2021 4:04 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:38 pm
Though it doesn't look like Giri will win unless Alekseenko self-destructs again.

(Which is just as well, considering the amount of "its unfair!" whining - not from him, tbf - that will ensue if he does finish level)
From yesterday:
Giri didn't agree with the pundits who had called the rules unfair for him:

"As a phenomenon, they're quite absurd. It just makes no sense in general but we live with that so it's completely fine. The way everybody played was knowing the fact that the rules were as such.

"It gave me a lot of motivation to push much harder than I would otherwise push. That partly brought me so many points at the start as well and that also affected Fabiano. You cannot just take this out of context and blame it. The way Ian played and the way I played was with that in mind as well. Ian played two great halves and I messed up one of the two already so it was not even close, I think he did a great job."
Any postings on here represent my personal views

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Apr 27, 2021 4:06 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Tue Apr 27, 2021 3:57 pm
Given that lengthy play off matches now seem to have been consigned to history, some method has to be used.

And all the players will have known about, and indeed consented to, the rules beforehand.
Sure, but the same was true in 1962!
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com

User avatar
JustinHorton
Posts: 10364
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:06 am
Location: Somewhere you're not

Re: Candidates Tournament 2020

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Apr 27, 2021 4:24 pm

I confess to being baffled by a couple of Giri's moves before the time control and particularly 40 f4, did he just think f4 was so weak he had to resort to emergency measures?
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

lostontime.blogspot.com