Dortmund 27 June - 5 July 2015

[NickFaulks]

Chess is not at all like tennis. In men's tennis, the four players who have in recent years dominated the semi-finals in Grand Slam events are clearly significantly better than the chasing pack, and have had to demonstrate this by beating them on a regular basis in order to reach those semi-finals. In chess, it does appear that Jon Ludvig Hammer, ranked 61 in the world, struggles a bit in top ten company. However, there is no reason to believe that would be true of those clustered around 20th place - Dominguez, Tomashevsky, Svidler, Adams, Radjabov, need I say more? They just don't get invited, and it is the chess world's loss.

[Matt Mackenzie]

All those you mention have played in "super tournaments" just in the last few years, though.

Indeed, Svidler and Radjabov at least used to be pretty regular participants......

[NickFaulks]

I think that's my point, really. They haven't got noticeably weaker, they've just dropped to the wrong side of the barrier.

[David Robertson]

As evidence of uniformity, one only need consider the recent Stavanger tournament with both the next two super-tournaments in St Louis (end Aug) and London (Dec). Nine of ten players are exactly the same in all three events. Qatar (late Dec) by contrast is relatively diverse

[Barry Sandercock]

What time does it start ?

[Barry Sandercock]

It's ok. Started now. Must be a time delay on it.

[Chris Rice]

Nisipeanu clobbers the "American" Wesley So! While Kramnik is losing to "Azeri" Naiditsch.

Update: Lawrence Trent "After 25...Qxb3 Fabiano has a dream position and would be surprised to see him not convert this advantage" .

Result on move 46: Nepomniachtchi, Ian (RUS) - Caruana, Fabiano (ITA) ½-½

update: Naiditsch wins

Meier messes up a won game to draw with Hou Yifan.

Standings after round 1:

1= Nisipeanu, Naiditsch 1
3- Nepomniachtchi, Caruana, Meier, Hou Yifan ½
7= So, Kramnik 0

[David Robertson]

Update: Lawrence Trent "After 25...Qxb3 Fabiano has a dream position and would be surprised to see him not convert this advantage"

Hard to win with that Irish pawn centre. If he was going to convert, he wouldn't start from there

[Chris Rice]

Some reports on Round 1. Nisipeanu completely forked Wesley So and that's well worth going through.

ChessBase: http://en.chessbase.com/post/dortmund-01-germans-excel

Chess.com: http://www.chess.com/news/kramnik-so-go ... tmund-7158

TWIC: http://www.theweekinchess.com/chessnews ... nd-round-1

Round 2 Pairings:
Caruana-So
Naiditsch-Nisipeanu
Hou-Kramnik
Nepomniachtchi-Meier

[Barry Sandercock]

Interesting line in the Sicilian in the Caruana - So game today. New to me , but I suppose they know what they are doing.

[Roger de Coverly]

New to me , but I suppose they know what they are doing.

The Najdorf with 6. h3 has had a certain popularity in recent years.

Rather an amusing position at move 15. Black is attacking the White h3 pawn from h5 and c8, whilst White is defending it from g2 and a3. Black played h5 to challenge a pawn on g4, whilst White played a3 to challenge a Black one on b4, thus both ending up with "beginners" rook development.

There almost a case for one or both of the players to make notes, but it would have to be a mental one. The note is that if the Rook returns to h8, it isn't legal to castle king side.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Eek! King safety isn't high on the list of priorities in that game, is it? I find it hilarious that the computer evaluation is "0", but most humans on either side of the board would be very worried unless they had prepared this line.

[Roger de Coverly]

I find it hilarious that the computer evaluation is "0", but most humans on either side of the board would be very worried unless they had prepared this line.

The assessment of "0" would be, I suspect, because it sees best play as a repetition. In a way, that also indicates an engine very worried about King safety.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Playing through the current top four lines on Chessbomb, even when the position opens up, it seems that there is enough to hold the balance on both sides.

This possible position is scary:

1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nde2 b5 8. g4 b4 9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 h5 11. gxh5 Rxh5 12. a3 bxa3 13. Rxa3 Nd7 14. Bg2 Nf6 15. O-O Rb8 16. f4 Be7 17. Rf2 Kf8 18. Re3 Rh4 19. c4 a5 20. Rc3 Kg8 21. fxe5 dxe5 22. Bg5 Rh5 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Ng3 Rh7 25. c5 Bxh3 26. Bxh3 Rxh3 27. Nf5

White has two passed pawns and is a pawn down, but no pawn cover left for his king. Assessed as slightly better for Black, though I'm sure the result would be decisive from a position like that.

[Chris Rice]

Round 2 and 3.5/4 for Black:

Caruana - So 0-1
Hou Yifan - Kramnik 0-1
Naiditsch - Nisipeanu 0-1
Nepomniachtchi - Meier ½-½

Standings:

1 Nisipeanu 2
2= Naiditsch, Nepomniachtchi, Meier, Kramnik, So 1
7= Caruana, Hou Yifan 0.5