FIDE Grand Prix 2014-2015

[Roger de Coverly]

Meanwhile Mamedyarov - Radjabov have halved out in 31 moves.

Are there any reports on where they are playing?

[Chris Rice]

Meanwhile Mamedyarov - Radjabov have halved out in 31 moves.

Are there any reports on where they are playing?

Seems to be a concensus that its the Cultural Event Center, Rashid Behbudov Street 3 in Baku.

http://www.chess.com/news/baku-grand-pr ... s-off-8837

[MJMcCready]

Hope so, that's just down the road from where I stay.

[Mick Norris]

Seems to be based on report and pictures here
http://www.chess.com/news/baku-grand-pr ... s-off-8837

First round report here
http://www.chess.com/news/caruana--gelf ... -baku-2274

Caruana live rating now 2847.9

[Chris Rice]

Its usually just the internet spectators that are affected by first round problems!

"Around move 30 Karjakin fell into an unusual trap. He went to the player's room and was monitoring the game from the TV screen. Because of technical problems with the live transmission Sergey Karjakin thought his opponent was still thinking on his move and so he missed 15 priceless minutes which cost him dearly in the time trouble."

Round 2 pairings

Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2706 - Radjabov Teimour 2726
Svidler Peter 2732 - Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2764
Andreikin Dmitry 2722 - Nakamura Hikaru 2764
Caruana Fabiano 2844 - Gelfand Boris 2748
Grischuk Alexander 2797 - Karjakin Sergey 2767
Dominguez Perez Leinier 2751 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2701

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Around move 30 Karjakin fell into an unusual trap. He went to the player's room and was monitoring the game from the TV screen"

I thought it was illegal to analyse on another board!?

[Lewis Martin]

"Around move 30 Karjakin fell into an unusual trap. He went to the player's room and was monitoring the game from the TV screen"

I thought it was illegal to analyse on another board!?

I don't know it, but I am guessing that 'another board' is with regards to physically moving the pieces instead of looking at a screen and imagining your moves.

Otherwise the British Championships in Torquay have been operating illegally by broadcasting the live games right next to the player's boards! (The top 5 boards at least)

[Jonathan Bryant]

I don't know it, but I am guessing that 'another board' is with regards to physically moving the pieces instead of looking at a screen and imagining your moves.

Otherwise the British Championships in Torquay have been operating illegally by broadcasting the live games right next to the player's boards! (The top 5 boards at least)

This argument was settled in the Korchnoi-Spassky Candidates’ final of 1977/78 where the issue arose because Boris refused to sit at the board at all. He moved, went to the rest area, analysed there and came back only to move then leave again.

Korchnoi complained. FIDE agreed with your interpretation.

[Chris Rice]

Here are the round 2 results and reports notable for Gelfand finding a great drawing idea v Caruana, Nakamura finally getting back to winning ways and a seven hour 100 move draw in the Dominguex-Tomashevsky game. But it was a paragraph in the chess.com report which hit home for me:

"The FIDE Grand Prix has always suffered a bit from an identity crisis. The first series was marred by the withdrawal of both host cities and players, and then there was the continuous confusion with the (now defunct) Grand Slam. Simply put: chess fans didn't know what it was about, and therefore didn't care too much. It's a pity, since these tournaments are of the highest calibre and therefore some good games each round are almost guaranteed."


Round 2 results:

Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2706 ½-½ Radjabov, Teimour 2726
Svidler, Peter 2732 1-0 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 2764
Andreikin, Dmitry 2598 0-1 Nakamura, Hikaru 2764
Caruana, Fabiano 2844 ½-½ Gelfand, Boris 2748
Grischuk, Alexander 2797 ½-½ Karjakin, Sergey 2767
Dominguez, Leinier 2751 ½-½ Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2701

Highlight for the round 3 pairings is Nakamura-Caruana:

Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2701 Kasimdzhanov, Rustam 2706
Karjakin, Sergey 2767 Dominguez, Leinier 2751
Gelfand, Boris 2748 Grischuk, Alexander 2797
Nakamura, Hikaru 2764 Caruana, Fabiano 2844
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 2764 Andreikin, Dmitry 2598
Radjabov, Teimour 2726 Svidler, Peter 2732

http://www.chess.com/news/baku-gp-nakam ... und-2-5388

http://en.chessbase.com/post/baku-02-missed-chances

[MJMcCready]

I'm gutted that I missed that 7-hour, 100 move draw.

[Chris Rice]

Round 3 saw Grischuk losing on time in a drawn position in a frantic endgame. Gelfand is again defying the odds and leading on 2.5/3. Nakamura in a tweet reckons he should have "castled like a man" in his game against Caruana. Caruana was again winning but again let Nakamura off. Chessbase report http://en.chessbase.com/post/baku-03-gr ... fand-leads

[Kevin Thurlow]

FIDE do seem to have different interpretations of Laws/Rules depending on the strength of the players, qv drug tests.

"I don't know it, but I am guessing that 'another board' is with regards to physically moving the pieces instead of looking at a screen and imagining your moves."

That would allow you to carry the position around on a pocket set, when you left the playing area which I would regard as illegal.

The display screen should be for the benefit of arbiters and spectators - the players should largely be at the board. I like to walk around a lot, but realise if my opponent moves, I'm losing time. Obviously I usually think about the position when I go for a walk.

[MJMcCready]

Round 3 saw Grischuk losing on time in a drawn position in a frantic endgame. Gelfand is again defying the odds and leading on 2.5/3. Nakamura in a tweet reckons he should have "castled like a man" in his game against Caruana. Caruana was again winning but again let Nakamura off. Chessbase report http://en.chessbase.com/post/baku-03-gr ... fand-leads

Why did he tweet that? Doesn't he know that great players never castle.

[MJMcCready]

FIDE do seem to have different interpretations of Laws/Rules depending on the strength of the players, qv drug tests.

"I don't know it, but I am guessing that 'another board' is with regards to physically moving the pieces instead of looking at a screen and imagining your moves."

That would allow you to carry the position around on a pocket set, when you left the playing area which I would regard as illegal.

The display screen should be for the benefit of arbiters and spectators - the players should largely be at the board. I like to walk around a lot, but realise if my opponent moves, I'm losing time. Obviously I usually think about the position when I go for a walk.

I think a lot of the top players are quick to point out that they don't really need to see the board anyway. I've often wondered how much truth there is in that or whether its some sort of boast. I did notice in the Gelfand Anand match that Boris often went through periods of the game where he hardly looked at the board at all.

[Chris Rice]

Caruana wins again and along with Gelfand leads the event with 3/4. What once seemed a purely theoretical idea of Caruana matching Carlsen's rating now appears to have turned into an almost inevitable countdown of when, not if, he's going to catch him. http://en.chessbase.com/post/baku-04-fabi-unstoppable