Candidates Tournament 2020

[JustinHorton]

And Ding decides it's completely the right time to resign.

[JustinHorton]

Giri-Nepo ending

[Mick Norris]

Giri loses, so that blows his chance of 14 draws again; will be astonishing if he wins enough games from here to win the tournament, but if may free up his mind

[Jonathan Rogers]

indeed, both players who last finished a candidates' event unbeaten lost their first round today, and with white - seems too early to write either of them off and at least their tie break will be better if or when they do fight back to equal or "plus one"

[IM Jack Rudd]

[Event "Candidates"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2020.03.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Ndb5 Ne5 8. Bf4 Nfg4 9. e3 a6 10. h3 axb5 11. hxg4 Nxc4 12. Rc1 d5 13. b3 Bb4 14. bxc4 Ra3 15. Be5 f6 16. Bd4 Qa5 17. Be2 Bxc3+ 18. Rxc3 Rxc3 19. Kf1 b4 20. g5 e5 21. Bxc3 bxc3 22. gxf6 gxf6 23. Qb1 Qc7 24. Qd3 b5 25. Qxc3 bxc4 26. e4 dxe4 27. Rh4 Be6 28. Rxe4 O-O 29. Bxc4 Kg7 30. Qb3 Rb8 31. Bxe6 Rxb3 32. Rg4+ Kf8 33. Bxb3 Qc1+ 34. Kg2 Qc6+ 35. Kg1 h5 36. Rg8+ Ke7 37. Rg7+ Kd6 38. Rh7 Qf3 39. Rh8 e4 40. Rd8+ Ke7 41. Bd1 Qc3 42. Rd5 h4 43. gxh4 f5 44. Rxf5 Qe1+ 45. Kg2 Qxd1 46. Rg5 Qa1 47. Rg4 Qb1 48. Rg3 Qxa2 49. Rh3 Qd5 50. Kf1 Qd1+ 51. Kg2 Qg4+ 52. Rg3 Qh5 53. Ra3 Qd5 54. Kg1 Kf6 55. Rg3 Qd1+ 56. Kg2 Kf5 57. Rg5+ Kf4 58. Rg3 Qd5 59. Kf1 Qd2 60. Kg2 Qd1 61. Re3 Kf5 62. Rg3 Kf6 63. Rh3 Kg6 64. Rg3+ Kh5 65. Rh3 Qb1 66. Re3 Kxh4 67. Rg3 Kh5 68. Rh3+ Kg4 69. Rg3+ Kf4 70. Re3 Qd1 71. Ra3 Ke5 72. Rg3 Kd4 73. Re3 Qd3 0-1

[LawrenceCooper]

Giri loses, so that blows his chance of 14 draws again; will be astonishing if he wins enough games from here to win the tournament, but if may free up his mind

Hard to argue with that although I noticed the following observation on chess24:
"Ian Nepomniachtchi starts by beating Anish Giri, just as he did in Round 1 of the 2019 Tata Steel Masters - the promising news for Anish is that back then he went on to finish on +4!"

[Angus French]

[Event "Candidates"] [Site "Moscow"] [Date "2020.03.17"] [Round "1"] [White "Giri, Anish"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "0-1"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Ndb5 Ne5 8. Bf4 Nfg4 9. e3 a6 10. h3 axb5 11. hxg4 Nxc4 12. Rc1 d5 13. b3 Bb4 14. bxc4 Ra3 15. Be5 f6 16. Bd4 Qa5 17. Be2 Bxc3+ 18. Rxc3 Rxc3 19. Kf1 b4 20. g5 e5 21. Bxc3 bxc3 22. gxf6 gxf6 23. Qb1 Qc7 24. Qd3 b5 25. Qxc3 bxc4 26. e4 dxe4 27. Rh4 Be6 28. Rxe4 O-O 29. Bxc4 Kg7 30. Qb3 Rb8 31. Bxe6 Rxb3 32. Rg4+ Kf8 33. Bxb3 Qc1+ 34. Kg2 Qc6+ 35. Kg1 h5 36. Rg8+ Ke7 37. Rg7+ Kd6 38. Rh7 Qf3 39. Rh8 e4 40. Rd8+ Ke7 41. Bd1 Qc3 42. Rd5 h4 43. gxh4 f5 44. Rxf5 Qe1+ 45. Kg2 Qxd1 46. Rg5 Qa1 47. Rg4 Qb1 48. Rg3 Qxa2 49. Rh3 Qd5 50. Kf1 Qd1+ 51. Kg2 Qg4+ 52. Rg3 Qh5 53. Ra3 Qd5 54. Kg1 Kf6 55. Rg3 Qd1+ 56. Kg2 Kf5 57. Rg5+ Kf4 58. Rg3 Qd5 59. Kf1 Qd2 60. Kg2 Qd1 61. Re3 Kf5 62. Rg3 Kf6 63. Rh3 Kg6 64. Rg3+ Kh5 65. Rh3 Qb1 66. Re3 Kxh4 67. Rg3 Kh5 68. Rh3+ Kg4 69. Rg3+ Kf4 70. Re3 Qd1 71. Ra3 Ke5 72. Rg3 Kd4 73. Re3 Qd3 0-1

With the plan being to move Black's king around to e2 and then play ... Qf3 and win the pawn on f2?

[Mick Norris]

Dennis Monokroussos is back with Chess Mind preview, round 1 report and analysis

Pete Doggers report on round 1

[JustinHorton]

Wang v Giri looking very eighties after Black's fifth. 6 d4 used to be a dangerous-but-iffy gambit here as I recall.

[Ian Thompson]

Wang v Giri looking very eighties after Black's fifth. 6 d4 used to be a dangerous-but-iffy gambit here as I recall.

Just delayed for a move by inserting 6.h4 h6. So what difference does that make?

[JustinHorton]

Meanwhile Nepo after 16 moves has gained seven minutes on the clock from where he started

[JustinHorton]

Hugely interesting round. After three hours play:

Caruana is wiping the floor with Alekseenko, who will be glad to have White next round.

Grischuk has played the Berlin very nicely against Nepo and has an edge, but may have missed a strong continuation earlier.

Ding just seems to have disintegrated, against MVL today and perhaps generally.

Wang and Giri have had quite a peaceful time of it, after the exciting opening.

[LawrenceCooper]

Caruana & MVL have won, Nepo game drawn. All three have 1.5/2 whilst Wang on 1 is slightly better against Giri (0).

[JustinHorton]

Wang v Giri currently looks like an instructive game out of Irving Chernev

[Jonathan Rogers]

hard to give Ding the benefit of the doubt, he must be losing. Has quite overplayed his position.

So much for my wondering whether Wang would win a game! I'll refrain from suggesting that he might not win a second ....

Wang's advantage is growing, and against Giri (!)