Grand Chess Tour events: Paris GCT and Leuven, Belgium

[Mick Norris]

Live blitz ratings over 2800 are:
Carlsen
MVL
Ding Liren
Naka
Andreikin
Caruana
Grischuk (who I would have expected would be higher)

Caruana now 30th in Rapid (where Grischuk is 2nd and Magnus is over 2900)

[David Sedgwick]

The following year I noticed that in the FIDE rule book Stewart Reuben had actually cited that Hastings result to highlight an 'absurd' rule which had therefore needed changing. I thought the rule actually did change, but clearly not permanently judging by the Carlsen result.

I would have to research the details, but I too have a recollection of the Law having at one time being different from what it is now.

The problem is that the majority of players and an even greater proportion of arbiters are not of GM strength. Whatever its demerits, the current Law has the benefit of being comprehensible to us lesser mortals.

I accept that it's odd that K+R v K+N is a loss if the R player's flag falls, whereas K+R v K+B is a draw. However, I have never had any difficulty explaining why on Arbiter Training Courses.

[E Michael White]

The law changed in 1997. However under the pre-1997 law this particular game would have had the same result had incremental timings been used then.

The USA version of FIDE Laws in the meantime had differences, which would affect the result. USA commentators may not be able to flip between the two so readily.

The current law also interacts with the current pawn promotion law, in an adverse way to produce difficulties.

[Roger de Coverly]

The law changed in 1997. However under the pre-1997 law this particular game would have had the same result in Blitz had incremental timings been used then.

This link appears to be the 1997 revision.
http://www.janko.at/Retros/Glossary/FideLaws1996.htm

from which

However, the game is drawn, if the position is such that the opponent cannot checkmate the player by any possible series of legal moves ( i.e. by the most unskilled counterplay).

This wording supports awarding the win when a helpmate can be constructed.

Four years earlier
http://www.janko.at/Retros/Glossary/FideLaws1993.htm
in which

The game is lost by a player who has not completed the prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, unless his opponent has only the king remaining, in which case the game is drawn. (See Articles 6.5 and 10.5.)

6.5
When determining whether the prescribed number of moves has been made in the allotted time, the last move is not considered complete until after the player has stopped his clock. This applies to all situations except those governed by Articles 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.6. [i.e. when the move has been completed in the sense of Articles 6.1-6.4, and the game ends immediately after the move in question, which may, for example, put the player's opponent into checkmate. This Law was introduced to prevent the situation where a player returns to the board to claim a win on time, possibly an hour after being checkmated!] .

10.5
A player having a bare king cannot win the game. A draw shall be declared if the opponent of a player with a bare king oversteps the time limit (Articles 10.13 and 10.14) or seals an illegal move (Articles 10.16).

The 1997 changes therefore added positions as a draw where the material balance was such that a mating net could not be constructed.

The "unskilled counterplay" concept comes from the USCF is the context of their equivalent of 10.2/Appendix G claims. I would have thought the term "helpmate" was sufficiently widely known that it could have been used instead.

[Tim Harding]

What are the GT standings now? Do MVL and Carlsen get the same score for Paris?

[LawrenceCooper]

What are the GT standings now? Do MVL and Carlsen get the same score for Paris?

Magnus won the play-off so took maximum points. I think the points started 12, 10, 8 then one less down to 1 for tenth place. None of the wild cards will have their points included though.

[Tim Harding]

That seems unfair to MVL who beat Magnus in the main blitz.
When does Leeuven start?

[LawrenceCooper]

That seems unfair to MVL who beat Magnus in the main blitz.
When does Leeuven start?

http://grandchesstour.org/2017-grand-ch ... chess-tour

Event Dates Prizes

Paris GCT 21 - 25 June $150,000
Your Next Move 28 June - 2 July $150,000
Sinquefield Cup 31 July - 12 Aug $300,000
Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 13 - 20 Aug $150,000
London Chess Classic 30 Nov - 11 Dec $300,000

GCT Prize Pool $150,000 Total GCT Prizes $1,200,000

[David Sedgwick]

When does Leeuven start?

http://grandchesstour.org/2017-grand-ch ... chess-tour

Event Dates Prizes

Paris GCT 21 - 25 June $150,000
Your Next Move 28 June - 2 July $150,000
Sinquefield Cup 31 July - 12 Aug $300,000
Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 13 - 20 Aug $150,000
London Chess Classic 30 Nov - 11 Dec $300,000

GCT Prize Pool $150,000 Total GCT Prizes $1,200,000

Play at the Your Next Move event (Leuven) starts each day at 1300 BST.

Three days of Rapid games, followed by two days of Blitz games, as in Paris.

[Mick Norris]

TWIC has this for Magnus' record in tiebreaks

Carlsen's Tie-Break results since 2007
Year Month Event Opponent Score Carlsen Result
2007 Mar Candidates/Elista Aronian 2.5-3.5 Loss
2007 Aug Biel Onischuk 3-2 Win
2011 Oct Bilbao/Sao Paulo Ivanchuk 1.5-0.5 Win
2012 Oct Bilbao/Sao Paulo Caruana 2-0 Win
2015 Feb Baden-Baden Naiditsch 3-2 Win
2015 Dec London Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 1.5-0.5 Win
2015 Dec Qatar Masters Yu Yangyi 2-0 Win
2016 Nov WCh New York Karjakin 3-1 Win
2017 Jun Paris GCT Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 1.5-0.5 Win

[Chris Rice]

First round at Leuven at 1pm. Some photos from Opening Ceremony https://www.flickr.com/photos/143876364 ... 5489794446

[Tim Harding]

Round 1 of the rapid at 1pm today. Pairings:
So v Kramnik
MVL v Ivanchuk
Carlsen v Aronian
Jobava v Nepomniachtchi
Giri v Anand

Hikaru is not in this one.

[LawrenceCooper]

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

[LawrenceCooper]

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

[David Robertson]

Rd 3 - Super Baadur goes ballistic; Chucky just resists it

Can't wait for the Blitz games between this pair of crazies!