Candidates Tournament 2020

[Daniel Gormally]

Ok here's my feeble, and no doubt wrong attempt
Grish- draw Caruana
Alekseenko-0-1 giri
Nepo-Ding Draw
Wang-MVL draw

[NickFaulks]

Here we go again
Grischuk - Caruana 1-0
Alekseenko - Giri 1-0
Nepo - Ding draw
Wang - MV L 1-0

That is certainly radical. I'll go for four draws.

[LawrenceCooper]

If all the other players were to publicly offer the same opinion

which those who think they have a real chance of winning obviously won't.

That was my point. It's unlikely to happen, but even if it did I'm not sure it would have any impact. It's also less likely that players would withdraw when returning home for some of them is a far from trivial task.

[JustinHorton]

Early openings report: we have

- a Giouco Pianissimo

- a Lopez (Møller? Archangel? I never played these)

- another Lopez (Anderssen?)

- a mailine Grunfeld

Our phone line's been down for about an hour and the 4G is underperforming, so my ability to follow this may be constrained for quite a while

[Tim Harding]

After about two hours:

Grischuk v Caruana: Archangelsk Spanish; Caruana accepts a pawn sac, keeps blitzing out his moves to move 22 at least. Time trouble likely for the Russian; position objectively equal maybe.

Alekseenko v Giri: Italian Game with d3 and c3, developing slowly, about equal after 120 minutes' play. Maybe edge to Giri who is thinking about move 18.

Nepomniachtchi v Ding: A slow Spanish with early d3 and a3 became a very sharp game with Nepo' playing fast and possibly still in preparation at move 29. Ding in danger of getting a lost ending say commentators.

Wang Hao v MVL: Gruenfeld Exchange Variation, simplified after 25 moves to Q, B and N each. The Chinese GM has also been moving quite fast and Maxime is under pressure.

Occasional updates posted at http://www.chessmail.com/xtras/Candidates2020.html

[Mick Norris]

A win for Ding would make it very interesting

You can back that result at 28/5, but I shan't be.

https://www.marathonbet.co.uk/en/betting/Chess

If Grischuk is intending to withdraw he should do that now, when it won't really make much difference. I hope he is being told that.

Normal service today, as he's down below 12 minutes thinking about move 25

Alekseenko behind on the clock as normal, but like Grischuk his game appears fairly level

Nepo has a half hour lead on the clock, and a promising looking position too

MVL 45 minutes down on the clock at move 27

[Tim Harding]

Ding rejected Q exchange at move 31 (must have thought the endgame bad) but now chess24's online Stockfish is saying he's dead lost. Time will tell.

Queens off in MVL's game. Wang may win this.

[LawrenceCooper]

Nepomniachtchi wins to move to 4.5/6 which should be a point clear.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Then of course there is the exit strategy or more accurately lack of one for the non-Russians. Caruana was saying earlier that he has no idea what his situation will be once this tournament is finished. The USA are unlikely to let him back in now and he has no idea whether the Russians will let him stay. Giri added, in jest, that their only hope is that FIDE have a private jet to fly them back to their homes.

Seriously, something like that is the least FIDE could do if this event is indeed completed.

[Daniel Gormally]

Annoyed didn't go for a Nepo win today as that was my gut instinct.

But my pre tournament analysis working out well so far:

"All this stuff can't be ideal for Ding and Wang Hao. Can't be ideal preparation. Plus they have a lot of pressure as it is.

Don't like Caruana either. Think he'll "bounce" after a big performance in Wijk.

I sense an upset quite strongly here. Giri, Nepo, Gris. One of those three will win."

[Daniel Gormally]

This Giri though also disappointing. Every time he gets a great position, seems to blow it.

[Jonathan Rogers]

I think you singled out Nepo in particular some time ago, so you're doing very well, Danny.

Nepo seems to be the only one converting good positions - in fact he has converted every good position, and held his three bad positions. Impressive tournament-winning stuff, if it continues, but it might be relevant that he HAS had three bad positions and maximising possible results cannot be guaranteed to continue. He now has to cope with the pressure of being clear leader too.

By contrast the three other games also very clearly favoured one player - and yet all are ending up as draws. Still, if one of them can suddenly find the extra 5% between very good and winning positions, there may yet be a challenge to Nepo.

Giri will now have played 20 candidates' games without a win ...

[Jonathan Rogers]

(I just noticed that Giri's game still has play left in it. Still - who believes in it?)

[NickFaulks]

(I just noticed that Giri's game still has play left in it. Still - who believes in it?)

Yes, loads of tricks with Q+N. I know these guys aren't supposed to fall for tricks, but they are human.

[David Robertson]

After going +3...

I'm definitely feeling not OK and actually I wanted to make like some kind of a quick draw today. (...) I got a couple of these tests and both [were] negative. But again, you know, the whole atmosphere, it doesn't help you to feel healthy.