Candidates 2014

[Roger de Coverly]

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ment-.html

Not a great surprise that it's in Khanty-Mansiysk, but who was it who said that he wanted to bring world chess out of Siberia?

Presumably this makes Svidler the favourite for the wild card place.

[Angus French]

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ment-.html

Not a great surprise that it's in Khanty-Mansiysk, but who was it who said that he wanted to bring world chess out of Siberia?

Presumably this makes Svidler the favourite for the wild card place.

Much as I like Peter Svidler, I think I'd prefer the wild card to go to Fabiano Caruana:
- Peter Svidler only played in two of the four Grand Prix events to which he was invited;
- If all - rather than the best three - Grand Prix results are counted then Fabiano Caruana scored most points; he's also currently the highest-rated non-qualifier.

[Mick Norris]

Grischuk did well in the Grand Prix and may be the wild card

I can't see them choosing a non-Russian

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Grischuk did well in the Grand Prix and may be the wild card

I can't see them choosing a non-Russian

Wouldn't a Russian wild-card make it four Russians and half the eight-player field. Surely that would cause problems, though I'm sure past Candidates tournaments were also heavily dominated by Russians (or those playing under the Soviet flag).

[Mick Norris]

Yes, but that's not their problem when choosing the wild card - there are 3 anyway, and 3 played in London

It would mean all Russian match ups in rounds 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 & 10 presumably

[Angus French]

Hmm... FIDE have announced that Peter Svidler is the organiser's nominee.

[Mick Norris]

Straight choice with Grischuk

Google translate gives me from http://chess-news.ru/node/13821

In a telephone comments for our customers Chairman of the Board of RCF Ilya Levitov admitted that the selection of party candidates tournament between Svidler and Grischuk was very painful:

"They're both my friends, and make friends with each other ... I had to cut to the quick."

"First, the decision-making period were very limited - FIDE required to name the candidacy until November 5. Because of this it was not possible to organize a match or maybe even match tournament. But this idea was. Easiest would be to plant them to the board and let determine who is better at the moment is playing chess. But playing rapid chess and blitz in this case is irrelevant - someone cut down the flag and someone will get in applicants. Better, perhaps, to throw a coin .. . A classic play is not that they have refused, but simply had no time. Both have recently played in the club Eurocup, and two days later began collecting a team championship of Europe.

In my eyes, Svidler and Grischuk - roughly equivalent candidates. Both have their pros and cons. Sasha higher the rating, and he played well in the Grand Prix, Peter champion like Russia, it is better addressed in the World Cup and the Candidates tournament in London. Which of them is being overwhelmed, very difficult to understand. Especially because Grischuk did not play in the national championship, so we let him go, that he was prepared for the two team tournament.

The right decision in this matter, unfortunately, was not. But we still decided to opt for Petit. The main criterion decided to read the result in London, and Peter played well there. And indeed in such tournaments he plays well - you can remember and San Luis in 2005, where he shared 2-3 places with Anand ... "

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Hmm... FIDE have announced that Peter Svidler is the organiser's nominee.

Tough choice. Hopefully Grischuk (seven years younger than Svidler) will get more chances later.

[Angus French]

Straight choice with Grischuk

Google translate gives me from http://chess-news.ru/node/13821

In a telephone comments for our customers Chairman of the Board of RCF Ilya Levitov admitted that the selection of party candidates tournament between Svidler and Grischuk was very painful:

"They're both my friends, and make friends with each other ... I had to cut to the quick."

"First, the decision-making period were very limited - FIDE required to name the candidacy until November 5. Because of this it was not possible to organize a match or maybe even match tournament. But this idea was. Easiest would be to plant them to the board and let determine who is better at the moment is playing chess. But playing rapid chess and blitz in this case is irrelevant - someone cut down the flag and someone will get in applicants. Better, perhaps, to throw a coin .. . A classic play is not that they have refused, but simply had no time. Both have recently played in the club Eurocup, and two days later began collecting a team championship of Europe.

In my eyes, Svidler and Grischuk - roughly equivalent candidates. Both have their pros and cons. Sasha higher the rating, and he played well in the Grand Prix, Peter champion like Russia, it is better addressed in the World Cup and the Candidates tournament in London. Which of them is being overwhelmed, very difficult to understand. Especially because Grischuk did not play in the national championship, so we let him go, that he was prepared for the two team tournament.

The right decision in this matter, unfortunately, was not. But we still decided to opt for Petit. The main criterion decided to read the result in London, and Peter played well there. And indeed in such tournaments he plays well - you can remember and San Luis in 2005, where he shared 2-3 places with Anand ... "

Sceptical about the relevance of the London Candidates and the Russian Championship. Peter S only played in 2 of the 4 qualifying Grand Prix tournaments to which he was invited and is lower rated.

[Mick Norris]

Sceptical about the relevance of the London Candidates and the Russian Championship. Peter S only played in 2 of the 4 qualifying Grand Prix tournaments to which he was invited and is lower rated.

A family bereavement torpedoed Svidler's involvement in the Grand Prix, according to TWIC

[Angus French]

Sceptical about the relevance of the London Candidates and the Russian Championship. Peter S only played in 2 of the 4 qualifying Grand Prix tournaments to which he was invited and is lower rated.

A family bereavement torpedoed Svidler's involvement in the Grand Prix, according to TWIC

In two of the Grand Prix events? Does sympathy trump performance?

[Angus French]

Which is the qualifying event:
- the official Paris Grand Prix - 22 Sep to 4 Oct - from which Peter S withdrew; or,
- the Russian Championship - 5 Oct to 14 Oct - in which Peter S played?

(I think it would have been asking a lot of Alexander G to play in both.)

[Mick Norris]

Sceptical about the relevance of the London Candidates and the Russian Championship. Peter S only played in 2 of the 4 qualifying Grand Prix tournaments to which he was invited and is lower rated.

A family bereavement torpedoed Svidler's involvement in the Grand Prix, according to TWIC

In two of the Grand Prix events? Does sympathy trump performance?

I assume it was his late withdrawal from the London Grand Prix, when Mickey Adams stepped in as a last minute substitute

By the time it came to the last GP in Paris, like others he knew he was out of the running, so like others he withdrew to play in the Russian championships, whereas Grischuk played in Paris because he could still qualify for the Candidates with a win there

Regardless of what anyone thinks, it is up to the Russians who they pick

[Stewart Reuben]

Mick Norris >Regardless of what anyone thinks, it is up to the Russians who they pick.<

The President of the ECF also has a say. Perhaps he plumped for the one with an interest in cricket, rather than the one interested in poker.
We discussed this in the abstract in early 2012. Andrew said he disliked the idea of an organisation being able to buy a place in the Candidates. He thought, 'The wild card should go on merit.'

[Mick Norris]

Line up now finalised

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Ches ... nship_2014