Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

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JustinHorton
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Sat Jun 25, 2022 6:02 pm

Firouzja has missed a few things in this tournament and here's another
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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David Sedgwick
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by David Sedgwick » Sat Jun 25, 2022 6:03 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 5:14 pm
Put in mind of another occasion on which Radjabov was on the end of a long grind in the Candidates.
At least one of the arbiters remembers that occasion very well.

Jonathan Bryant
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:55 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 5:10 pm
Genuinely dismal, sub-professional performance from Rapport.
It was just bizarre

My guess is the draw after Qb3 and Bxe4 has long been known to all the top GMs* - and the speed he was playing Rapport must have known it before he sat down at the board.

He can’t have expected Nepo wouldn’t have known about it from his World Championship prep.

Why he then would go into a dubious at best messy continuation rather than take the draw is beyond me.

And even if all that wasn’t true why the long thinks in identical positions at move 17 and 19?

And - a curious 3 minutes for 22 Nd2. If you’ve decided to play why not just play it instantly. And if you’re not sure after nearly a combined total of nearly an hour to think about again (again - ignoring the time spent on it before the game) surely at that point it’s time to take the draw?

Very very strange



* there’s one game in the lichess database in which a couple of 2250 guys played out the draw
Last edited by Jonathan Bryant on Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Chris Rice
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by Chris Rice » Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:58 pm

Caruana grinds the win out in a really difficult game.

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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:06 pm

Caruana unimpressed
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by Jonathan Bryant » Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:08 pm

1 minute 52 seconds of Richard Rapport sounding extremely fed up after the game:-

https://youtu.be/e8MGLkQsXHU

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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:33 pm

Kramnik unimpressed
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Sun Jun 26, 2022 2:09 pm

Four open games

Caruana's last Dilworth
Nepo's last Scotch Four Knights in a Candidates Tournament
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Sun Jun 26, 2022 4:43 pm

I wondered how wise it was for Nepo to go so straightforwardly for a draw with White with six rounds still to go after this one, but Caruana is (after 27 moves) in serious trouble against Nakamura so he could be a point and a half ahead tonight.
"Do you play chess?"
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:41 pm

The chess.com sidebar is amusingly refusing to accept reality in Rapport-Duda

Image

Image
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sun Jun 26, 2022 6:06 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Sun Jun 26, 2022 4:43 pm
I wondered how wise it was for Nepo to go so straightforwardly for a draw with White with six rounds still to go after this one, but Caruana is (after 27 moves) in serious trouble against Nakamura so he could be a point and a half ahead tonight.
Ahem, just a point shurely?

Though it looks like Naka is going to be made to work for it.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Sun Jun 26, 2022 6:08 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Sun Jun 26, 2022 6:06 pm

Ahem, just a point shurely?
Ah yes, good point (as it were).

I maybe got carried away thinking about a scenario in which Nakamura overtakes Caruana to come second, they play a match for a vacated championship and Nakamura becomes world champion...

[EDIT: amusingly, Judit Polgar just made precisely the same mistake on Chess24]
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by Mick Norris » Sun Jun 26, 2022 9:41 pm

After Caruana's disappointing loss to Naka, we have tomorrow:

Caruana (5) v Nepo (6)
Rajdabov (3) v Naka (4.5)
Ding (3.5) v Duda (3)
Firouzja (3) v Rapport (4)

Will be interesting to see what opening Caruana chooses, as Nepo will be happy with a draw again
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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Mon Jun 27, 2022 2:04 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Sun Jun 26, 2022 2:09 pm
Four open games
Today, only three
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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Re: Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

Post by JustinHorton » Mon Jun 27, 2022 4:04 pm

All three looking good for White on the two-hour mark:

Firouzja looking to sacrifice two or three pawns to have a huge attack on Rapport's uncastled king
Radjabov a pawn up for an attack that doesn't seem to be happening for Nakamura
Caruana taking advantage of Nepo's increasingly loose position
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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