Candidates Tournament 2020

[Nick Burrows]

And Then There Were Three...

which we have heard before

Today could easily see Wang Hao and MVL and even Grischuk win. When it remains wide open.

[JustinHorton]

Let's suppose everything is drawn today though. What do Caruana and Giri do in the penultimate round - go all in with Black, or reason that it's still possible even if they need a point more than Nepo in the last round?

[Paul Cooksey]

I think that both would need to make a serious winning attempt, but all in perhaps too much. I'd expect to see the aggressive end of their normal repetoire rather than something entirely off beat. Fabi's benoni if allowed for example.

Arguable Giri has slightly the better pairing, in that Grischuk likely to very willing to enter complications, whereas Wang usually a bit more solid

[Matthew Turner]

Have we ever seen e4 e5 transpose to the French before?

[JustinHorton]

Did the board just change its mind about Caruana's sixth move?

[Tim Harding]

Have we ever seen e4 e5 transpose to the French before?

I think it is well known that some lines in the Petroff reach positions that can arise in the Exchange French.

Given the deep study the Chinese have made of the Petroff, I was quite surprised to see Nepo' play this defence, but I guess he is aiming to draw as effortlessly as possible.

[JustinHorton]

Caruana v Giri is an old-fashioned Scheveningen, or at least it is from Black's side of the board, I'm not sure what White's set-up is about.

Wang v Nepo is, as advised above, an Exchange French via a Petroff.

Ding v Grischuk is a 5 Bf4 QGD which the computer doesn't like for White, but White's got more time than he started with so presumably he does.

MVL v Alekseenko is a 3 f3 Caro-Kann where Black has taken seven moves and twenty minutes on the clock to achieve two red Chessbomb markings and a minus 1.38 computer scre.

[Nick Ivell]

I don't understand Qd3 in the Schev at all; things have moved on since my day.

[JustinHorton]

Yeah I was just thinking that on the Black side it looks exactly like the sort of game I used to play 30-40 years ago, but presumably White would have castled by now and the queen would quite likely be on e1.

If anybody can work out why the computer's top choice for Nepo was 17...Kg8 I'll be impressed.

[Matthew Turner]

Yeah I was just thinking that on the Black side it looks exactly like the sort of game I used to play 30-40 years ago, but presumably White would have castled by now and the queen would quite likely be on e1.

If anybody can work out why the computer's top choice for Nepo was 17...Kg8 I'll be impressed.

To play Ne4 (Bf8 Nd6 Ne4)

[Nick Ivell]

All my instincts tell me that Qd3 gives White nothing, but I assume Caruana has different ideas...

[Mick Norris]

Have we ever seen e4 e5 transpose to the French before?

I've had the position at move 4, according to my database, 21 times, but the position at move 6 only once (albeit certainly more in casual or rapid games) and I note that Tal didn't play 6 ..d5; whereas Wang played Kxe7 at move 9, I played Bxe7

I'd imagine it isn't uncommon at club level

[JustinHorton]

I've had the position at move 4, according to my database, 21 times, but the position at move 6 only once (albeit certainly more in casual or rapid games) and I note that Tal

Hang on what

[Mick Norris]

It's in my notes from the game I played in 2002

Back to today, I assume Nepo is going to draw

[JustinHorton]

A game against Tal from 2002 would attract a certain amount of interest