2017 Korchnoi Zurich Chess Challenge

[Chris Rice]

This event kicks off with a blitz today starting at 5pm BST. The event is a combination of blitz and Classical...but not this blitz today. This blitz today is the Opening Blitz Tournament and has no influence on the overall result, but is played to determine the starting number of each player. Makes sense. Players:

1 Nakamura, Hikaru 2865
2 Svidler, Peter 2797
3 Nepomniachtchi, Ian 2793
4 Anand, Viswanathan 2766
5 Gelfand, Boris 2745
6 Kramnik, Vladimir 2744
7 Oparin, Grigoriy 2571
8 Pelletier, Yannick

[Chris Rice]

Blitz has started. Nepo just beat Anand with Black...not that it counts. https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... litz/2/1/2 Kirsan is talking to Karpov in Zurich in the front row on the live feed. Danny King speculating that Kirsan is looking to make Karpov the next FIDE President.

[Tim Harding]

Blitz finished with Nakamura & Gelfand 4.5/7; Kramnik 4; Nepo & Anand 3.5; Oparin 3; SVidler & Pelletier 2.5

If chess24 have the ties in the right order then it's the first four named who get the extra White in the real tournament and Hikaru gets first pick?

[Chris Rice]

Round 1 of the Classical starts today. Should be a 4pm BST start:

Kramnik, V. (0) 2811 — Anand, V. (0) 2786
Nepomniachtc. (0) 2751 — Svidler, P. (0) 2747
Gelfand, B. (0) 2724 — Oparin, G. (0) 2604
Nakamura, H. (0) 2793 — Pelletier, Y. (0) 2541

[Mick Norris]

The rapid (1 game today, then 2 each for the next 3 days) is followed by the blitz proper, where colours are reversed from the rapid, so not sure the colour distribution makes much difference

Should be an interesting event; Vlad goes to Shamkir for the Gashimov Memorial which starts 3 days after Zurich finishes, so it will be interesting to see how he copes with the schedule

[Chris Rice]

The rapid (1 game today, then 2 each for the next 3 days) is followed by the blitz proper, where colours are reversed from the rapid, so not sure the colour distribution makes much difference.

I'm getting really confused here Mick. On the tournament website, news & reports page, its got "7 rounds New Classical with a time control of 45min + 30sec from 13 April to 16 April" followed by "7 rounds Blitz with a time control of 10min + 5sec on 17 April".

I'm looking at the Laws of Chess Appendix A Rapidplay (For competitions starting from 1 July 2014 till 1 July 2017) and it states: "A ‘Rapidplay’ game is one where either all the moves must be completed in a fixed time of more than 10 minutes but less than 60 minutes for each player; or the time allotted plus 60 times any increment is of more than 10 minutes but less than 60 minutes for each player." So with the "New Classical" time control that's 45 mins + 60 x 30s = 75 mins so it's a Classical time control? But that can't be right can it?

Then looking at the definition of Blitz at Appendix B:

"A ‘blitz’ game’ is one where all the moves must be completed in a fixed time of 10 minutes or less for each player; or the allotted time plus 60 times any increment is 10 minutes or less." So in this case its 10 mins + 60 x 5s = 15 minutes so that's a Rapid, isn't it? But that contradicts what they have on the web site.

[NickFaulks]

None of the games are going to be rated, so they can do whatever they like.

[Mick Norris]

Chris, it seems like a Rapid time control to me! Yes, I'd forgotten they have the funny time controls, as this is what the sponsor wants all events to adopt

[Roger de Coverly]

On the tournament website, news & reports page, its got "7 rounds New Classical with a time control of 45min + 30sec from 13 April to 16 April"

The familiar 90 30 is notionally a four hour session, although games lasting five hours or longer have been known. 45 30 is notionally an hour and half shorter, therefore two and a half hours. That's at the shorter end of evening league game session lengths, although play would have to be at a faster tempo than 30 moves in 75 minutes followed by adjudication or adjournment.

You might consider whether 45 30 is a suitable rate for league chess. There would be the problem that games naturally lasting only 20-30 moves would be over well within the session and the much greater risk of a time overrun with 30 seconds a move added.

[NickFaulks]

You might consider whether 45 30 is a suitable rate for league chess.

I find it hard to imagine a less suitable time control for evening matches.

[Nick Burrows]

You might consider whether 45 30 is a suitable rate for league chess.

I find it hard to imagine a less suitable time control for evening matches.

How about 14 hours with a 30 mins increment?

[Matt Mackenzie]

Kramnik beats Anand in instructive fashion after the latter blundered. Nakamura the day's other winner.

[Roger de Coverly]

I find it hard to imagine a less suitable time control for evening matches.

If on the other hand you wanted a move rate suitable for live coverage, something like 10/15 minutes plus 120/150 second increments might work. This ensures there's always something happening and denies players the right to think for an hour. You might want to accelerate the increment to 30 seconds or faster beyond move 40 or 60.

The President or ex-President of FIDE seemed for many years an enthusiast for faster chess. He never proposed such a move rate though.

[Chris Rice]

Kramnik beats Anand in instructive fashion after the latter blundered. Nakamura the day's other winner.

Vintage Kramnik

Kramnik, Nakamura Early Leaders In Zurich's 'New Classical'

Kramnik & Nakamura strike

[Chris Rice]

Round 2 underway. It's a double round a day now.