Olympiad

[Barry Sandercock]

Maybe he should have taken the perpetual.

[Roger de Coverly]

However he has now left himself 10 mins for 20 moves.

Ten minutes plus ten minutes-worth of increments. Not time trouble at all by his standards. The Stockfish at chessbomb considers the game equal.

[Barry Sandercock]

Yes, and Adams game looks O.K.

[Barry Sandercock]

David Howell short of time now.

[John Moore]

Howell is just lost - rather sad. A draw with Black wouldn't have been a disaster.

[Barry Sandercock]

Yes. Sambuev's pawns look strong !

[John Moore]

This match has the potential to be a disaster. As well as David, Matthew is also much worse and Mickey will have to play accurately to draw.

[Mick Norris]

Move 34 Matthew looks OK

Move 29 Gawain slightly better, short of time but his opponent very short on time

I though David was doing well earlier, but looks lost now

Move 43 Mickey has a queen and pawn ending, looks worse but I am assuming there are drawing possibilities (or probabilities hopefully)

[Mick Norris]

1 move on, Mickey drawing and Gawain winning

[Barry Sandercock]

They all look rather better than they were half an hour ago.

[John Moore]

Gawain now winning. Eric Hansen, another time trouble fan, has turned an awkward and unpleasant position where he was a pawn up but still worse, into a loss.

Roger is right to keep reminding people about the increments (why it should be necessary, I don't know) but 10 moves in a minute plus 5 minutes worth of increments is not the same as 10 moves in 6 minutes because in the latter situation, to state the obvious, you can have a longer think on one of the moves if you need it.

[Mick Norris]

Gawain has won, computer assessments are level on the other 3, although visually David's looks frightening to me

EDIT Matthew has reached move 40 and appears to be winning?

[Roger de Coverly]

although visually David's looks frightening to me

I'm not sure the engines are giving the whole story. You play through their suggested lines and you get a stand off between the White King side pawn army and the Black a pawn because the pieces have to stay put in order to prevent pawns queening. You could then get a problem like Zugswang winning theme for White.

[Mick Norris]

Computer now has David losing - Mickey has drawn - Matthew winning

[John Moore]

Mick - probably the answer is to stop looking at engines too much and try to analyse as though you were playing it yourself. David's position is very unclear and Matthew might be doing very well now but even the best engine line doesn't look totally winning to me.