Grand Chess Tour events: Paris GCT and Leuven, Belgium

[David Robertson]

How did MVL win that??? From feather duster to cock of the roost

[LawrenceCooper]

How did MVL win that??? From feather duster to cock of the roost

White's move 48 certainly swung the game from winning for white to better for black. That doesn't tell the whole story but was certainly the moment that got Maurice all excited (again!).

[Chris Rice]

How did MVL win that??? From feather duster to cock of the roost

White's move 48 certainly swung the game from winning for white to better for black. That doesn't tell the whole story but was certainly the moment that got Maurice all excited (again!).

Loved Maurice Ashley's quote that MVL was dodging bullets like Neo in The Matrix

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM So, Wesley (11) 2789 1 - 0 GM Aronian, L. (7) 2780
2 GM Vachier-Lagr. (10) 2783 1 - 0 GM Nepomniachtc. (8) 2766
3 GM Carlsen, M. (9) 2851 ½ - ½ GM Anand, V. (5) 2775
4 GM Jobava, B. (0) 2703 ½ - ½ GM Giri, Anish (8) 2764
5 GM Kramnik, V. (6) 2789 1 - 0 GM Ivanchuk, V. (6) 2757

[Chris Rice]

Jobava off the mark with a draw and expecting a bottle of champagne from the organisers, perhaps he should wait till after the final round of the day before he uncorks the bottle:

Rd 9 pairings:
1 GM Ivanchuk, V. (6) 2757 — GM So, Wesley (13) 2789
2 GM Aronian, L. (7) 2780 — GM Vachier-Lagr. (12) 2783
3 GM Nepomniachtc. (8) 2766 — GM Carlsen, M. (10) 2851
4 GM Giri, Anish (9) 2764 — GM Kramnik, V. (8) 2789
5 GM Anand, V. (6) 2775 — GM Jobava, B. (1) 2703

[JustinHorton]

Do I spot Malcolm Pein watching Anand-Jobava?

[LawrenceCooper]

Do I spot Malcolm Pein watching Anand-Jobava?

Quite possibly. He's certainly there and did the introductions at the start of the round today.

[JustinHorton]

On the Spanish commentary Alejandro Ramírez is going spare at Jobava failing to play 37...Qb1 ("obvio", he says).

[JustinHorton]

Do I spot Malcolm Pein watching Anand-Jobava?

Quite possibly. He's certainly there and did the introductions at the start of the round today.

Seems to have been Vishy-watching

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Ivanchuk, V. (6) 2757½ - ½ GM So, Wesley (13) 2789
2 GM Aronian, L. (7) 27801 - 0 GM Vachier-Lagr. (12) 2783
3 GM Nepomniachtc. (8) 2766½ - ½ GM Carlsen, M. (10) 2851
4 GM Giri, Anish (9) 2764½ - ½ GM Kramnik, V. (8) 2789
5 GM Anand, V. (6) 27751 - 0 GM Jobava, B. (1) 2703

[Chris Rice]

Standings after Day 3 (Jobava look away now). So wins the Rapid:

1 So 14/18
2 Vachier-Lagrave 12
3 Carlsen 11
4 Giri 10
5= Aronian, Kramnik, Nepomniachtchi 9
8 Anand 8
9 Ivanchuk 7
10 Jobava 1

Now they move to the Blitz of 5 minutes + 3 seconds Delay. Only 1 point for a win, 0.5 for a draw though.

[LawrenceCooper]

Standings after Day 3 (Jobava look away now). So wins the Rapid:

1 So 14/18
2 Vachier-Lagrave 12
3 Carlsen 11
4 Giri 10
5= Aronian, Kramnik, Nepomniachtchi 9
8 Anand 8
9 Ivanchuk 7
10 Jobava 1

Now they move to the Blitz of 5 minutes + 3 seconds Delay

Lawrence Trent
1 hr ·
Twitter
Baadur will surprise a few people in the blitz tomorrow...

[David Sedgwick]

Greetings from Leuven. I arrived today.

In the last round I watched Kramnik struggling to make a move with 1 second left. He made it and the clock went to 11 seconds

That isn't supposed to happen?

If he started with 10 seconds and moved after 9, then no, it shouldn't. However, if he started with 11 seconds and moved after 10, then it is correct.

What I was getting at is if Kramnik had not resigned and played another move with say 5 seconds to go would the clock have gone to 15 seconds or defaulted back to 11 seconds?

It should default back to 11 seconds.

It may depend on the model,

There is (American) delay and there is Bronstein (delay).

In the former there is a countdown of the extra time and then the clock resumes from the original time. In the latter the 'bonus' is added on up to the previous time and then that time counts down.

The DGT America does the former as can the 3000 (which I think can be set to do both). Other DGTs do the latter.

I''ll try to check this out tomorrow.

[Chris Rice]

Peter Doggers report on Day 3.

Chess24 report

Watching the number of turnarounds (and that Anand-MVL game will live long in the memory) I find it strange that in this type of event its quite often easier to play a lost position than a won one. When you're lost you just try and find a move that doesn't lose immediately, which you can often find in seconds, while your opponent has a range of winning moves but which need to be calculated accurately in order not to throw away the advantage. The time ticks down, the pressure builds as the winning side can't quite find that killer blow, messes it up and collapses in a heap. Pretty much what I remember Simon Webb writing in Chess for Tigers many years ago.

Well shame the tournament is nearly over, just 18 rounds to go....

[Chris Rice]

Article from FIDE International Arbiter Chris Bird on time controls. There are a couple of paragraphs explaining the difference between Time Delay and the Bronstein Method. As David is intending to come back to us on this I would be curious to know the reasoning the Bronstein method was brought in for Leuven. Is it simply to try something new? I can see the benefit over the Bonus methods is that the game is likely to be shorter given the lack of accumulation.