2017 World Cup 2-27 September, Tbilisi

[NickFaulks]

Certainly we can be excused for switching off during the relatively unimportant final, as the players themselves might do.

Well, there is the first prize of $96,000 net, which is by chess standards very large indeed. It was enough to get Carlsen and Karjakin interested. Also, I imagine they would all like to win the title.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Certainly we can be excused for switching off during the relatively unimportant final, as the players themselves might do.

Well, there is the first prize of $96,000 net, which is by chess standards very large indeed. It was enough to get Carlsen and Karjakin interested. Also, I imagine they would all like to win the title.

Yes, I had thought about the money. But I also thought about the utter embarassment, chess quality-wise, that Svidler v Karjakin was last time. (Ok, but they were probably exhausted rather than disinterested, you might say).

[John McKenna]

The rating differences between So and Ding at the different time controls may yet be significant. In Classical on the current live ratings not a great deal of difference with So at 2787 and Ding at 2770 so a couple of hard fought draws could be expected.

The first two rapid games today would be expected to favour So as his rapid is 2815 while Ding is 2725. If it goes to 10' + 10" its difficult to tell, depending on whether you consider that to be rapid or blitz.. [SNIP]

FIDE's definition of rapidplay seems to be - less than 60 mins. and at least 15 mins.

With an increment the test is - does the initial time, plus 60 (moves) times the increment amount to less than 60 mins. and more than 15 mins.

10 mins. + (60 x 10 secs) = 20 mins. Therefore it is rapidplay.

[Matthew Turner]

Move 15 and I don't think things are going well for So at all.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Some practical advantage for MVL, in the first game with White (improving on the opening in their draw yesterday), and also a clearer advantage for ... Ding, playing Black.

[NickFaulks]

Therefore it is rapidplay.

In any case, Ding's rapid and blitz ratings are based on so few recent games as to signify very little.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Incidentally, there has never been a French candidate before, nor a Chinese one. There has of course been an Armenian one and several Americans. Come to that, there has even been a Filipino one before.

[LawrenceCooper]

A win for MVL and So hangs on to draw against Ding.

[Roger de Coverly]

So hangs on to draw against Ding.

chessbomb Stockfish reckons Ding was seriously winning at various stages with a plus 4 advantage on the moves it was suggesting.

[Chris Rice]

Um....how did So do that?

[NickFaulks]

chessbomb Stockfish reckons Ding was seriously winning at various stages with a plus 4 advantage on the moves it was suggesting.

I don't think it needs Stockfish to tell us that. I imagine Ding can barely have believed the moves he was making.

[Jonathan Rogers]

One of those hellish positions for Ding, where any sensible move preserves a winning position, but there is rarely a direct line which wins on the spot; and looking for one just leads one astray. One then plays several second and third best moves until the win is no longer there.

So could have plausibly blundered to immediate defeat at several stages though, and must be given some credit for hanging on.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

chessbomb Stockfish reckons Ding was seriously winning at various stages with a plus 4 advantage on the moves it was suggesting.

I don't think it needs Stockfish to tell us that. I imagine Ding can barely have believed the moves he was making.

32.Na3 is a strange move, as is 46...Be4.

In the other match, crunch time for Aronian.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Er, that piece sacrifice in the second rapidplay game in the Aronian-MVL match, is that theory?

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 e6 6. e4 Bg7 7. Nge2 O-O 8. Ng3 a6 9. a4 h5 10. Bg5 Qc7 11. Qd2 exd5 12. cxd5 Nh7 13. Bh6 h4 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Bc4 hxg3 16. hxg3

[Roger de Coverly]

In the other match, crunch time for Aronian.

A big improvement/change of direction for MVL in that Spanish. Second time around he aimed to trade White square bishops and exploit a Knight v dark square Bishop position by leaving the pawn on d4.

Game 1
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 Bg4 10. Be3 Nd4 11. Bxd4 exd4 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Rc8 14. h3 Bd7 15. Nxd4 c6

Game 3
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 Bg4 10. Be3 Nd4 11. Bxd4 exd4 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 Rc8 14. Bc6 Bf6 15. a4 Bd7 16. Bxd7 Qxd7 17. Qd2 Qc6