Zurich 2014

[Christopher Kreuzer]

That assessment above was for the 0.51 advantage for White in Anand-Nakamura after move 12. Is there a name for the pawn structure in front of Nakamura's king? Two sets of adjacent doubled pawns forming a square.

[Colin S Crouch]

Whatever it's called, Nakamura's position is looking uncomfortable.

On the eagerly awaited Carlsen - Aronian encounter, Carlsen seems to have developed his pieces more smoothly than his opponent. Not a big plus yet, but one senses that Carlsen is starting to build up a prolonged positional grind. Aronian has just spent almost twenty minutes, before retreating his queen from d7 to d8, not necessarily a good sign.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Whatever it's called, Nakamura's position is looking uncomfortable.

Well, Anand should have played 15.a6 apparently. Looking more level now on the assessment (move 19) though the material is unbalanced (two pieces for a rook and two pawns). I don't have a clue what is happening there.

On the eagerly awaited Carlsen - Aronian encounter, Carlsen seems to have developed his pieces more smoothly than his opponent. Not a big plus yet, but one senses that Carlsen is starting to build up a prolonged positional grind. Aronian has just spent almost twenty minutes, before retreating his queen from d7 to d8, not necessarily a good sign.

Again, I don't have a clue what is happening there!

[Colin S Crouch]

The curse of posting something at exacty the wrong time!

Anand was clearly better, after the straightforward 15.a6 b6, loosening Black's queeside pawns, and ten exchanging the minor pieces. Instead, Anand seems to have underestimated Nakamura's exchange sacrifice on h3, leaving the postion probably unclear, but was Nakamura who eventually won.

Meanwhile, Carlsen's 22.Bf3 looked a little quiet, and the position soon ended up level, and then a draw. Houdini's suggestions of 22.Qb2, or 22.Bf5, would perhaps have given more bite.

So Carlsen Aronian and Nakamura are joint leaders on +1. Caruana in not going to join them, as he is strugging, it seems successfully, to hold a knight ending against Gelfand.

[Colin S Crouch]

It looks like Carlsen is in trouble today. Nakamura is pushing his kingside pawn storm hard, and he is itching to open up the h-pawn with h5.
If Nakamura wins, how often has it happened that a player has beaten the current World Champion and the previous World Champion in successive days?

[Carl Hibbard]

It looks like Carlsen is in trouble today.

Looks more aggressive than it is?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Carlsen has been thinking for over half an hour after 23.Bc1 and the top line in the online engine analysis is what looks like a losing exchange down endgame, so presumably Carlsen (if he has seen this) is trying to find some saving resources.

[Barry Sandercock]

Surely Carlsen will lose this one.

[benedgell]

Quite a game. Nakamura's reaction when he realised how bad d6 was was quite entertaining.

[Colin S Crouch]

Barry,
It seems not!!
At the time control, the position is now level!!

[Barry Sandercock]

My mistake. Magnus has turned it round in his usual brilliant fashion.

[Colin S Crouch]

And yet again, I posted too early!!
Carlsen is winning...!

[benedgell]

Seems a bit weird that according to the site -1.76 is winning. I think Carlsen in all probability will win it from here, purely because I don't think Nakamura will adapt to the change in position, but in general terms I don't think -1.76 is what I would call a winning advantage.

[Carl Hibbard]

It will take Nakamura a while to recover from this one considering his press comments before the game.

[Colin S Crouch]

And also considering his bad loss against Aronian, just finished.