Madrid Candidates 16th June to Tue 5th Jul 2022

[Jonathan Rogers]

Strictly speaking everybody down to Radjabov still has a chance to overhaul Nepo.

By the way, am I right in thinking this is the first time in modern Candidates history that a player has reached +5?

I think so, without having checked. Others have been on +4, as was Nepo last time before losing the last round to Ding, as were both Carlsen and Kramnik (!) before the last round in 2013. 8.5/14 has generally been the usual winning score.

[Jonathan Rogers]

It does seem this tournament has favoured those who have been more solid and waited for chances than those who have tried to make something happen. But I suppose that is common for candidates, both modern and historic.

It's an exercise in maturity, all right.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I recall Bill Hartston saying, "You don't win games by actually doing something." He was being funny, but there is truth in it. Wasn't there a saying, "Before you learn how to win, you must learn how to draw."?

[Mick Norris]

Douglas Griffin

Winning scores:
Yekaterinburg 2020/21 - 8½/14
Berlin 2018 - 9
Moscow 2016 - 8½
Khanty Mansiisk 2014 - 8½
London 2013 - 8½.

This year Nepomniachtchi has scored 8 points with 3 rounds still remaining.

[Mick Norris]

MVL

Before the tournament began, I considered Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren and Alireza Firouza as the top contenders. Since Caruana has been playing great chess for some time, I thought he would eventually win.

[Mike Gunn]

... Wasn't there a saying, "Before you learn how to win, you must learn how to draw."?

Allegedly this was Botvinnik's advice to Kasparov during Karpov vs Kasparov I.

[Graham Borrowdale]

By the way, am I right in thinking this is the first time in modern Candidates history that a player has reached +5?

The one that comes to mind is Topalov’s start of 6 wins and 1 draw, followed by 7 draws in the second cycle, in 2005. Technically that tournament was for the world championship, although many people do not regard Topalov as a genuine world champion, and his win in that tournament resulted in a reunification match with Kramnik the following year, and we all know what happened there.

[Chris Rice]

Nakamura perhaps inadvertently revealing what's really more important to him on his game yesterday: "I tried everything I could. Sometimes chess is just a draw. Recap is out on YouTube. Thank you so much for all the support, the comments, the new subs on youtube. It means the world..."

and yet despite all the off the board activity he's been up to he still had time to make another comment last night: "Maybe I should try 250 bullet games tonight to prep for Nepo? What do you all think?"

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Hmm. How to win the Candidates. Don't get distracted and be professional.

I do sympathise somewhat for Caruana (and to a lesser extent Ding) as Nepo has been the main beneficiary. Can anyone explain Caruana's collapse in the second half? What have the others gained from this tournament (Firouzja, Rapport, Radjabov, Nakamura, Duda)?

It has been a very strange tournament. Does anyone think that it would have been a stronger/better tournament if it had included the likes of MVL and Giri, and also Aronian and So? It is those four from the current top 10 by ratings that were missing, and IMO the tournament would have been more solid with those sort of players. But they failed to qualify, so there we have it.

Also, it is not over yet! (Well, it nearly is.)

[LawrenceCooper]

and yet despite all the off the board activity he's been up to he still had time to make another comment last night: "Maybe I should try 250 bullet games tonight to prep for Nepo? What do you all think?"

I think that's a dig at Alireza.

[Leonard Barden]

Naka asked his followers:

Should I try 250 bullet games tonight to prepare for Nepo?

Over 8,000 voted, and the vote was 2-1 in favour of "Definitely a good idea".......

[LawrenceCooper]

Hikaru was never one for displaying a poker face: https://twitter.com/chesscom/status/1542594853657354240

[Matt Mackenzie]

Hmm. How to win the Candidates. Don't get distracted and be professional.

I do sympathise somewhat for Caruana (and to a lesser extent Ding) as Nepo has been the main beneficiary. Can anyone explain Caruana's collapse in the second half? What have the others gained from this tournament (Firouzja, Rapport, Radjabov, Nakamura, Duda)?

It has been a very strange tournament. Does anyone think that it would have been a stronger/better tournament if it had included the likes of MVL and Giri, and also Aronian and So? It is those four from the current top 10 by ratings that were missing, and IMO the tournament would have been more solid with those sort of players. But they failed to qualify, so there we have it.

Also, it is not over yet! (Well, it nearly is.)

Its always easy to suggest other players might have made it better, but Aronian in particular has had his chances before and not taken them.

And tbh I don't think it should simply be "the highest rated players" anyway, there should be a bit more to it than that.

[LawrenceCooper]

We finally get to see another one of these: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... 022/12/1/4

[JustinHorton]

Nepo has three Whites in his next four games, the exception being Firouzja in round eleven. I am guessing that if he can get them (and if he does not lose in round eleven) he will be happy with draws in all of those games.

That's the first ticked off

And the second