English Chess Forum

NICC with Gawain Jones

chess24 preview

Once again it’s a cut-throat format of three days and 15 rounds of rapid chess to reduce the 16-player field to just 8 players for the knockout.

For one tournament only the games are starting at the late time of 19:00 CEST, since on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday the New in Chess Classic will be played on the same days as the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg. The six-hour difference in the starting times should reduce any overlap, though as we’ve seen, games can run longer than six hours in the Candidates!

Round 1 includes Carlsen - Karjakin and Radjabov - Gawain; Gawain has black in round 2 v Praggnanandhaa

Mick Norris wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:25 am

NICC with Gawain Jones

chess24 preview

Once again it’s a cut-throat format of three days and 15 rounds of rapid chess to reduce the 16-player field to just 8 players for the knockout.

Is it just that I haven't had coffee yet, or does this not make sense?

"Is it just that I haven't had coffee yet, or does this not make sense?"

I haven't had coffee either - does it mean an all-play-all qualifier to take the top 8 into the KO? I might be missing something?

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:47 am

"Is it just that I haven't had coffee yet, or does this not make sense?"

I haven't had coffee either - does it mean an all-play-all qualifier to take the top 8 into the KO? I might be missing something?

Yes, that's the format with these events

So what's the cut-throat bit

Mick Norris wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:25 am

For one tournament only the games are starting at the late time of 19:00 CEST, since on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday the New in Chess Classic will be played on the same days as the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg. The six-hour difference in the starting times should reduce any overlap, though as we’ve seen, games can run longer than six hours in the Candidates!

Round 1 includes Carlsen - Karjakin and Radjabov - Gawain; Gawain has black in round 2 v Praggnanandhaa

Assuming Gawain Jones is still in New Zealand that means a 5 am start for him.

"So what's the cut-throat bit"

The difference between 8th and 9th (which will probably be on tie-break) may make a large financial difference? I suppose the cut-throat bit might be journalistic hyperbole.

If Gawain is starting at 5 am, he will definitely need coffee.

Ian Thompson wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:44 am

Assuming Gawain Jones is still in New Zealand that means a 5 am start for him.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:53 am

If Gawain is starting at 5 am, he will definitely need coffee.

I've just seen there are a lot of messages on twitter about the event, in one of which he says he's back in the UK.

Ian Thompson wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:04 am

Ian Thompson wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:44 am

Assuming Gawain Jones is still in New Zealand that means a 5 am start for him.

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:53 am

If Gawain is starting at 5 am, he will definitely need coffee.

I've just seen there are a lot of messages on twitter about the event, in one of which he says he's back in the UK.

I also saw a comment from him on Facebook (in a thread started by a Paul LIttlewood puzzle!) where he said he's back in the UK and self isolating.

TWIC

The rounds start later than any event so far to try and avoid a clash with the Candidates, they start at 6pm BST. Players: Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Leinier Dominguez Perez, Levon Aronian, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Teimour Radjabov, Quang Liem Le, Wesley So, Sergey Karjakin, Alireza Firouzja, Santosh Gujrathi Vidit, Gawain C B Jones, Aryan Tari, Johan-Sebastian Christiansen and R Praggnanandhaa.

Gawain 1 Wesley So 0 22 moves

https://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2021-ne ... -So_Wesley

LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:18 pm

Gawain 1 Wesley So 0 22 moves

Seemingly a trap in the Scotch (.. Bc5 is bad in that position) that So was unaware of. It's far from common.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bd2 Qf5 11. Bg5 Bc5 12. Nh4

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:48 pm

LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:18 pm

Gawain 1 Wesley So 0 22 moves

Seemingly a trap in the Scotch (.. Bc5 is bad in that position) that So was unaware of. It's far from common.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bd2 Qf5 11. Bg5 Bc5 12. Nh4

I saw a comment that black should play 11... h6 12 Bh4 and then Bc5 when there's no longer Nh4.

LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:56 pm

I saw a comment that black should play 11... h6 12 Bh4 and then Bc5 when there's no longer Nh4.

That So "forgot" the theory seems a probable explanation with a number of games following that path,

I'm not sure Gawain is getting the credit he deserves here.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qa5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Bd2 Qf5 11. Bg5 Bc5 12. Nh4 Qd5 13. c4 Qe5 14. Nf3 Qf5 15. Nh4 Qe5 16. f4 d3+ 17. Kh1 Qd4 18. Nf3 Qxc4 19. Rc1 d2 20. Rxc4 dxe1=Q+ 21. Qxe1 Bxc4 22. Nxc5+ 1-0

When So played 13...Qe5 I found 6 games in the database with only one White win. Four of those games went 16 Nf6+ gxf6 17 Rxe5 fxe5 and Black won three of them and drew the other. It maybe that So thought he was the one laying the trap but Gawain played the TN 16 f4!! which simply wins. Guessing that was probably some high class computer prep, but whatever, brilliant result!