Grand Chess Tour events: Paris GCT and Leuven, Belgium

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Anand, V. (1) 2775 1 - 0 GM Nepomniachtc. (4) 2766
2 GM Carlsen, M. (3) 2851 0 - 1 GM So, Wesley (3) 2789
3 GM Vachier-Lagr. (3) 2783 ½ - ½ GM Kramnik, V. (2) 2789
4 GM Giri, Anish (1) 2764 1 - 0 GM Aronian, L. (2) 2780
5 GM Jobava, B. (0) 2703 0 - 1 GM Ivanchuk, V. (1) 2757

[Matt Mackenzie]

Wesley seems to be doing a bit better in this one thus far.

[Steven DuCharme]

I thought Rxe6(at various points) looked good for Jobava vs. Ivanchuk

[Tim Harding]

I thought Rxe6(at various points) looked good for Jobava vs. Ivanchuk

I don't believe it - specifics? Did you count the pieces??
Totally berserk play by Jobava, and Chucky could probably have been even more ruthless with 25...Bg3.

Nice prep by Anish. He said he had originally prepared this for Anand in some previous event but Aronian walked into it today.

[Steven DuCharme]

Upon further review I plead temporary insanity.

[Chris Rice]

ChessBase report on first day. Don't think I've ever played the Bronstein time control and wonder what it would be like "Note that the event is using the Bronstein mode: the players have 25 minutes for all the moves of a rapid game, and a ten second delay per move. This means that the clock does not run for ten seconds – the point is that you cannot accumulate time by playing very quickly in the Bronstein Mode."

Peter Doggers report
Chessdom report

Rd 4 pairings

1 GM Kramnik, V. (3) 2789 — GM Nepomniachtc. (4) 2766
2 GM Aronian, L. (2) 2780 — GM Anand, V. (3) 2775
3 GM Ivanchuk, V. (3) 2757 — GM Giri, Anish (3) 2764
4 GM So, Wesley (5) 2789 — GM Jobava, B. (0) 2703
5 GM Vachier-Lagr. (4) 2783 — GM Carlsen, M. (3) 2851

[Roger de Coverly]

This means that the clock does not run for ten seconds – the point is that you cannot accumulate time by playing very quickly in the Bronstein Mode."

Don't the DGTs handle this on the basis that they add 10 seconds and then show it counting down? Presumably then if you have 5 seconds remaining, it will show 15 seconds. If you then move within a couple of seconds, presumably it goes back to 15.

[Tim Harding]

This means that the clock does not run for ten seconds – the point is that you cannot accumulate time by playing very quickly in the Bronstein Mode."

Don't the DGTs handle this on the basis that they add 10 seconds and then show it counting down? Presumably then if you have 5 seconds remaining, it will show 15 seconds. If you then move within a couple of seconds, presumably it goes back to 15.

I never played with this time mode. But if you watch the live coverage on chess24 when they have a close-up of the players, board and clock, you can see what happens.
The opponent moves and presses the clock. Your clock shows the 10 (or is it 11?) seconds NOT including your accumulated time. This is the delay time and it counts down to zero. If you move before zero you keep your accumulated time.
After zero, if you have not moved, the clock shows your accumulated time and starts to count that down.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

This means that the clock does not run for ten seconds – the point is that you cannot accumulate time by playing very quickly in the Bronstein Mode."

Don't the DGTs handle this on the basis that they add 10 seconds and then show it counting down? Presumably then if you have 5 seconds remaining, it will show 15 seconds. If you then move within a couple of seconds, presumably it goes back to 15.

I never played with this time mode. But if you watch the live coverage on chess24 when they have a close-up of the players, board and clock, you can see what happens.
The opponent moves and presses the clock. Your clock shows the 10 (or is it 11?) seconds NOT including your accumulated time. This is the delay time and it counts down to zero. If you move before zero you keep your accumulated time.
After zero, if you have not moved, the clock shows your accumulated time and starts to count that down.

Calling it accumulated time is misleading. You start with a certain amount of time and that time is NOT added to. If you move within the 10 seconds of 'delay' time, then you don't use up any of your time. But if you move within 1 second, you don't get the extra 9 seconds, that vanishes (i.e. Roger is wrong to say that the clock would go back to 15 seconds, it would go back to 5 seconds). That is my understanding of the Bronstein Mode. It can be confusing, as the clock can be showing the delay time or the actual time (I think some clocks show both).

The key appears to be to keep moving steadily, to avoid using up time, and to not get very short of time as that will risk losing on time as you can't build time up again. It does also encourage people to think for around 10 seconds for *every* move, rather than bashing out moves every second in 'easy' phases of the game, which helps those people who are unable to bash out moves every second without blundering.

I wonder if a hybrid Fischer-Bronstein setting exists? One that starts the players on Bronstein (delay) mode, but allows time accumulation via Fischer (increment) mode when the time on the clocks falls below (say) one minute?

[John McKenna]

I thought Rxe6(at various points) looked good for Jobava vs. Ivanchuk

Jobava actually played knight takes pawn on e6, preceded by rook takes the g-7 pawn with check. Ivanchuk refuted it all without much bother - like the Russian guns cutting the Light Brigade to ribbons - a death-or-glory charge by Jobava.

Looking through the other end of the telescope at Leuven, after the first day, Jobava's the butt (target) of the tournament with 0/3.

He's playing his customary immaterial romanticised chess, which often works wonders against the lesser lights, but not there in the medieval townhall against the top flight.

In the preceding Paris event Etienne Bacrot was the back marker by a long chalk with a combined score of 8.5/36.

That consisted of a next-to-last 2/9 in the rapids - two draws and a win over Caruana who came last with three draws.

And, 4.5/18 (+3, =3, -12) for last place in the double-round blitz.

Can Jobava do worse than that, or can he better Bacrot's score?

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM So, Wesley (5) 2789 1 - 0 GM Jobava, B. (0) 2703
2 GM Vachier-Lagr. (4) 2783 ½ - ½ GM Carlsen, M. (3) 2851
3 GM Kramnik, V. (3) 2789 ½ - ½ GM Nepomniachtc. (4) 2766
4 GM Aronian, L. (2) 2780 1 - 0 GM Anand, V. (3) 2775
5 GM Ivanchuk, V. (3) 2757 0 - 1 GM Giri, Anish (3) 276

[Richard Bates]

Carlsen punts the Birds lol

[LawrenceCooper]

Carlsen punts the Birds lol

Looked a nice game once he managed to equalise.

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Giri, Anish (5) 2764 ½ - ½ GM So, Wesley (7) 2789
2 GM Carlsen, M. (4) 2851 1 - 0 GM Kramnik, V. (4) 2789
3 GM Nepomniachtc. (5) 2766 1 - 0 GM Aronian, L. (4) 2780
4 GM Jobava, B. (0) 2703 0 - 1 GM Vachier-Lagr. (5) 2783
5 GM Anand, V. (3) 2775 1 - 0 GM Ivanchuk, V. (3) 2757

[Chris Rice]

Carlsen punts the Birds lol

Looked a nice game once he managed to equalise.

Carlsen looked more comfortable in that game than in the post match interview with Maurice Ashley.