Chess.com Isle Of Man Tournament 23 Sep to 1 Oct 2017

[JustinHorton]

Lawrence Trent went back to the early chapters in books on "how to play the opening" where it is recommended to relative beginners that they lash out with 5. d4 and have to deal with an annoying check on b4 as a consequence. Admittedly his Nbd2 is a different variation to Nc3 and Bd2

There was an SOS on this line a few issues back in New In Chess.

[Jonathan Rogers]

So we can just play 1...b6 now?

How can any one not like Magnus Carlsen?

(There is probably something we are missing though. The game started 1 Nf3, so White didn't have the option of playing an early f3).

[Jonathan Bryant]

So we can just play 1...b6 now?

Maybe not us.

Magnus’s willingness to take such risks/play all sorts of ropey stuff* as black definitely makes a refreshing change.

I wonder what his "dodgy Black openings" score/TPR is.

Obviously it sometimes goes wrong - games against Naiditsch and Adams spring to mind.
And there’s games that he wins only after escaping from something very dodgy - the Tiger Modern at IoM and a Chigorin QGD against Kramnik a few years ago.
But then there are also games like this one and, say, against Wei Yi in Bilbao last year when it all looks rather easy.

[Mick Norris]

Gelfand's game from move 33 worth a look unless you're a Boris fan

[Jonathan Rogers]

So we can just play 1...b6 now?

Maybe not us.

Magnus’s willingness to take such risks/play all sorts of ropey stuff* as black definitely makes a refreshing change.

I wonder what his "dodgy Black openings" score/TPR is.

Obviously it sometimes goes wrong - games against Naiditsch and Adams spring to mind.
And there’s games that he wins only after escaping from something very dodgy - the Tiger Modern at IoM and a Chigorin QGD against Kramnik a few years ago.
But then there are also games like this one and, say, against Wei Yi in Bilbao last year when it all looks rather easy.

About eight years ago now, but he just turned up and played the Alekhine's against Topalov and was a pawn up for nothing after about 12 moves.

[Roger de Coverly]

(There is probably something we are missing though. The game started 1 Nf3, so White didn't have the option of playing an early f3).

It can be a move order thing. If White is intending to play g3 and Bg2, and Black wants to play Bb7, the sooner you get the Bishop to b7, the less you have to worry about long diagonal tactics.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Hmmm, really I think it is important that the game started 1 Nf3 and that Black avoided 1 e4 b6 2 d4 Bb7 3 Bd3, where it is that much harder to find counterplay. Black needs to be able to play ...d5 in a position where White is encouraged to take on d5 because playing e5 would allow ...Ne4. But that ...Ne4 move is only likely to be a good option for Black if White has already committed his knight to f3.

[LawrenceCooper]

1 1 GM Carlsen Magnus 2827 5½ 5 GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2702 12
2 3 GM Caruana Fabiano 2799 4½ 4½ GM Jones Gawain C B 2668 23
3 46 GM Lenderman Aleksandr 2565 4½ 4½ GM Anand Viswanathan 2794 4
4 48 GM Wagner Dennis 2564 4½ 4½ GM Nakamura Hikaru 2781 5
5 6 GM Adams Michael 2738 4½ 4½ GM L'ami Erwin 2611 34
6 68 IM Batsiashvili Nino 2472 4½ 4½ GM Eljanov Pavel 2734 8
7 85 IM Zatonskih Anna 2424 4½ 4½ GM Sutovsky Emil 2683 16
8 18 GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2676 4½ 4½ GM Fressinet Laurent 2657 26
9 19 GM Rapport Richard 2675 4½ 4½ GM Swapnil S. Dhopade 2532 55
10 20 GM Movsesian Sergei 2671 4½ 4½ GM Sokolov Ivan 2603 35

[Richard Bates]

Is the provision within the regulations to take one half point bye in any single round 1-8 a standard provision that I've been missing for many years? I understand pre-approved byes without knowing the circumstances of the tournament, but allowing them at short notice, and only before the draw is produced?

I suppose it could be argued that it is a fair opportunity for individuals projected to get a majority of games with the black pieces to even out their colour balance, but just seems a bit strange to me. Anyone near the top of the tournament with eg. due white in round 8 would probably be well advised to effectively defer that white until round 9. And plenty of scope (as has already happened with Fressinet) to judiciously utilise the bye to possibly avoid playing Magnus!

[Alex Holowczak]

Is the provision within the regulations to take one half point bye in any single round 1-8 a standard provision that I've been missing for many years?

You can take two in the London Chess Classic Open, and have been able to for a few years. Usually the players with conditions have a separate contract that overrides the general provision. I recall a Grandmaster took a 0-point bye in the Classic Open a few years ago for this reason. The difference at the Isle of Man may be that the contract doesn't have that provision in it.

[Roger de Coverly]

but allowing them at short notice, and only before the draw is produced?

I think they are being lenient in allowing invited players in particular to take half point byes for tactical reasons. I wouldn't want to see it in the British Championship.

What do the London Chess Classic Open, Hastings Masters and Gibraltar do in similar circumstances? (see AH post above). The first two would presumably like to keep their higher rated and titled players playing in the interests of the Norm seekers.

[Richard Bates]

but allowing them at short notice, and only before the draw is produced?

I think they are being lenient in allowing invited players in particular to take half point byes for tactical reasons. I wouldn't want to see it in the British Championship.

What do the London Chess Classic Open, Hastings Masters and Gibraltar do in similar circumstances? (see AH post above). The first two would presumably like to keep their higher rated and titled players playing in the interests of the Norm seekers.

Hastings allow in 1-8, except for GMs. I've a feeling the rule used to limit it to New Year's Day. I think it would be better to limit it to earlier rounds ie. effectively creating a mid tournament rest day for those who want it, without realistically allowing people to use it to impact on prizes. Of course it's not just the main Open prizes - a well placed woman could make a lot of money with it. I think the London Classic is a bit of a special case because the location and timing of rounds mean that many people may be combining with days at work, and may necessarily need to take the odd round off.

[Chris Rice]

Remakarble chess.com report from FM Mike Klein on a remarkable tournament with so many remarkable performances. In Round 6 we had:

Carlsen playing another previously discredited opening and winning easily.

IM Harsha Bharathakoti who lost but still has a TPR of 2787 with GM Harika Dronavalli informing us that she was at his birth.

Anand admitting that he couldn't remember the last time he analysed in Tamil with an opponent in a strange game where Sethuraman's light-squared bishop bounced to and from e6 no less than five times.

IM Nino Batsiashvili, who beat Hou Yifan, beat a 2600 as Black. She's played all six games games against GMs, is undefeated with 4.5/6 and has a 2800+ higher than Anand's or Nakamura's. Today she is playing GM Pavel Eljanov.

Then there is Anna Zatonskih who beat Gelfand with Black. I found it ironic that she was interviewed by Simon Williams afterwards who was asking her how she felt. I remember being present in Eilat, Israel in the Euro Club Cup, a short while after Gelfand had narrowly lost the WC match to Anand, when he did the exact same thing. That was a good night as I recall.

Finally, Praggnanandhaa nearly beat another strong GM, but Grandelius just barely held on after more than six hours of play and down a pawn for much of it. The game was the third-to-last to finish. Its easy to believe that this kid will be a WC challenger himself in the next few years.

Round 7 pairings in full. I see that today's byes include Boris Gelfand and Keith Arkell. Finding all these players taking byes in this round and previous rounds very new and a bit odd. I normally associate them with amateur players not pros like these guys.

[Mick Norris]

Boris has lost 2 on the bounce, so may have decided he needs a rest day; Keith's losing fewer rating points, and won yesterday, but may have decided the same

Harika Dronavalli has white against Kramnik I see; Vlad hasn't won with black for 6 games now

[Jonathan Rogers]

Boris has lost 2 on the bounce, so may have decided he needs a rest day; Keith's losing fewer rating points, and won yesterday, but may have decided the same

Harika Dronavalli has white against Kramnik I see; Vlad hasn't won with black for 6 games now

Perhaps that explains his Benko Gambit today?

(Carlsen used to play that in his younger days - but OK, see above on his opening choices as Black, especially v weaker players. However he did also punt it, and drew quite easily, against Aronian in their classic match in 2007)