2017 World Cup 2-27 September, Tbilisi

[LawrenceCooper]

MVL 1 up.

[JustinHorton]

Good round for the favourites so far, with only Rapport-Najer and Ivanchuk-Giri overturning the seedings. Both the winners of those ties are dozens down on their Elo peaks, though in Ivanchuk's case his peak is still below Giri's.

By the way how come Rapport shed so many points?

[PeterFarr]

Good round for the favourites so far, with only Rapport-Najer and Ivanchuk-Giri overturning the seedings. Both the winners of those ties are dozens down on their Elo peaks, though in Ivanchuk's case his peak is still below Giri's.

By the way how come Rapport shed so many points?

Not an expert on the calculations, but 4.5/13 at Wijk an Zee and 2.5/9 at Geneva Grand Prix can't have helped.

[JustinHorton]

Good Lord it's another variation on R+P v B+P

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Not another one of those tablebase R+P vs B+P endings...

Grischuk probably too short of time though. Different time control to the Aronian game.

Case in point: Grishuk had seconds to decide between 47.h3 and 47.h4 and chose the wrong one.

(EDIT: But some are saying that tablebases give 47.h3 as a win and 47.h4 as a draw. )

[LawrenceCooper]

Not another one of those tablebase R+P vs B+P endings...

Grischuk probably too short of time though. Different time control to the Aronian game.

Case in point: Grishuk had seconds to decide between 47.h3 and 47.h4 and chose the wrong one.

(EDIT: But some are saying that tablebases give 47.h3 as a win and 47.h4 as a draw. )

44 h3 seemed an obvious improvement as the pawn on g3/bishop on f2 does tie up white's pieces somewhat.

[NickFaulks]

Is there any way to claim 3x repetition in blitz? Nobody seems to know.

[LawrenceCooper]

MVL qualifies.

[Mick Norris]

Bottom half is:
So v Fedoseev
Ding v Rapport

Top half is:
Svidler v MVL
Aronian v Ivanchuk

[Mick Norris]

Good round for the favourites so far, with only Rapport-Najer and Ivanchuk-Giri overturning the seedings. Both the winners of those ties are dozens down on their Elo peaks, though in Ivanchuk's case his peak is still below Giri's.

By the way how come Rapport shed so many points?

Not an expert on the calculations, but 4.5/13 at Wijk an Zee and 2.5/9 at Geneva Grand Prix can't have helped.

His rating chart is interesting 2700chess; seems to indicate his slide started a year ago; he's +13 for the WC so far (classical rating) at 2688 on the live list

[Christopher Kreuzer]

[Rapport's] rating chart is interesting 2700chess; seems to indicate his slide started a year ago; he's +13 for the WC so far (classical rating) at 2688 on the live list

If So and Rapport meet in the semi-finals, then Rapport might have an influence on the qualification by rating scenario, if he holds So to a couple of draws (or wins the classical round) and then beats him (meaning So can't qualify through the World Cup route).

[JustinHorton]

Grischuk going out is bad news for anybody who might have hoped third place in the Grand Prix would be good enough. Potentially that was quite a few players.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Grischuk going out is bad news for anybody who might have hoped third place in the Grand Prix might be good enough. Potentially that was quite a few players.

Ding Liren is still in it, so if he qualifies by this route (World Cup), and then takes second or first in the Grand Prix, that is another (albeit unlikely) scenario where third place comes into play again.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Interestingly (or maybe not), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is the only person still able to qualify to the Candidates by all three routes (albeit the World Cup is his best practical chance of qualifying).

[Jonathan Rogers]

The Grand Prix strikes me as the odd one out in this circus. It isn't exactly entirely composed purely of potential contenders, after all, so why it is a separate qualifying route? (But ratings and World Cup, one understands - anyone can try to qualify or to win as many rated games as possible).

Not that I have given it much thought, and am not trying to take the thread pages off topic. But I should have thought that a maximum of one qualifier only from this cosy circle is enough.