Wijk aan Zee 2021

[Roger de Coverly]

07-Tari_Aryan-Van_Foreest_Jorden

It's seemingly been played before, but not by anyone likely to have been heard of.

The chessbomb Stockfish isn't terribly impressed. The plan of overprotecting .. e5 even at the expense of conceding the a2 to g8 diagonal may be original.

As of now
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Bc5 5. O-O Nge7 6. c3 Ba7 7. d4 Ng6 8. Bg5 f6 9. Be3 O-O 10. d5


The chessbomb stockfish doesn't believe in the space gaining but tension reducing 10 d5.

[JustinHorton]

Stockfish currently (after 14 e6) gives Caruana plus two against MVL. If the latter plays a world championship match, what's he going to play against 1 e4?

[Matt Mackenzie]

Its possible to play most of the "other" third move defences to the Ruy "deferred" after 3....a6 4 Ba4.

However (with the obvious exceptions of 4....Nf6 and also 4....d6) the intervening moves tend to make them worse rather than better.

[Mick Norris]

Caruana has white v MVL in the next round of the Candidates (round , if that's got anything to do with what either of them are playing today

[JustinHorton]

Its possible to play most of the "other" third move defences to the Ruy "deferred" after 3....a6 4 Ba4.

However (with the obvious exceptions of 4....Nf6 and also 4....d6) the intervening moves tend to make them worse rather than better.

Is Nf6 an exception though

[JustinHorton]

Anyway Van Foreest wins for the second consecutive round, and Carlsen draws.

[NickFaulks]

The chessbomb stockfish doesn't believe in the space gaining but tension reducing 10 d5.

I don't suppose Tari believes in it now.

I am struggling to understand how White's game went so wrong so fast. I hope nobody will point me towards moves in various shades of red.

[Matthew Turner]

I think d5 d6 is good for White if you can keep the Black pawn on d7. White cannot do this and as soon Black is able to play d5 it is very good for him. I think that is a well understood principle, just occurring in a very very unusual position here.

[JustinHorton]

Van Foreest, Giri and Caruana all winners making them joint leaders. Firouzja would join them if he beat Duda. Early days still.

Grandelius by the way blundered against Giri, which put me in mnd of something I was going to ask yesterday: did Antón miss 37 Qg3, or was he just trying for a cheapo?

[Matthew Turner]

I think Grandelius is completely lost today. So, I don't think his 'blunder' is any worse than other moves.
Yesterday I thought Anton still had chances, so as unbelievable as it seems, I think he just missed Qg3.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Firouzja would join them if he beat Duda. Early days still.

Fascinating endgame, but at the moment I would say Duda has good chances of a draw.

[Matthew Turner]

White is thinking about move 49 I think Firouzja will play Rxa7 and win. The computer disagrees, but I don't really understand what it is saying.

[Matthew Turner]

Scratch that, Black can go backwards and forwards between h6 and h5. Still I think Firouzja has a good chance to win.

[Matt Mackenzie]

He got Duda in a mating net ultimately.

[JustinHorton]

Did White have any way of making progress if Black doesn't take the pawn on d4?