Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz 2017

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Aronian, L. (19) 2809 1 - 0 GM Le, Quang L. (14) 2726
2 GM Nakamura, H. (17) 2792 1 - 0 GM Anand, V. (11½) 2783
3 GM Caruana, F. (15½) 2807 0 - 1 GM Kasparov, G. (11) 2812
4 GM Karjakin, S. (18) 2773 0 - 1 GM Navara, David (10½) 2737
5 GM Nepomniachtc. (15½) 2742 1 - 0 GM Dominguez Pe. (13) 2739

[NickFaulks]

Presumably Aronian and Kasparov won on time.

[LawrenceCooper]

Presumably Aronian and Kasparov won on time.

Kasparov won the position with a mating net. The commentators assume Aronian won on time but were too busy on focusing on the Kasparov game to notice!

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Navara, David (11½) 2737 ½ - ½ GM Nepomniachtc. (16½) 2742
2 GM Dominguez Pe. (13) 2739 1 - 0 GM Caruana, F. (15½) 2807
3 GM Karjakin, S. (18) 2773 ½ - ½ GM Aronian, L. (20) 2809
4 GM Kasparov, G. (12) 2812 1 - 0 GM Nakamura, H. (18) 2792
5 GM Anand, V. (11½) 2783 ½ - ½ GM Le, Quang L. (14) 2726

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Nakamura, H. (18) 2792 0 - 1 GM Dominguez Pe. (14) 2739
2 GM Nepomniachtc. (17) 2742 ½ - ½ GM Karjakin, S. (18½) 2773
3 GM Le, Quang L. (14½) 2726 ½ - ½ GM Kasparov, G. (13) 2812
4 GM Aronian, L. (20½) 2809 ½ - ½ GM Anand, V. (12) 2783
5 GM Caruana, F. (15½) 2807 1 - 0 GM Navara, David (12) 2737

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Karjakin, S. (19) 2773 1 - 0 GM Caruana, F. (16½) 2807
2GM Dominguez Pe. (15) 2739 ½ - ½ GM Le, Quang L. (15) 2726
3GM Nepomniachtc. (17½) 2742 0 - 1 GM Aronian, L. (21) 2809
4 GM Navara, David (12) 2737 0 - 1 GM Nakamura, H. (18) 2792
5 GM Kasparov, G. (13½) 2812 ½ - ½ GM Anand, V. (12½) 2783

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Le, Quang L. (15½) 2726 1 - 0 GM Navara, David (12) 2737
2 GM Aronian, L. (22) 2809 ½ - ½ GM Kasparov, G. (14) 2812
3 GM Nakamura, H. (19) 2792 1 - 0 GM Karjakin, S. (20) 2773
4 GM Anand, V. (13) 2783 0 - 1 GM Dominguez Pe. (15½) 2739
5 GM Caruana, F. (16½) 2807 0 - 1 GM Nepomniachtc. (17½) 2742

Aronian is guaranteed first with two rounds left.

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Dominguez Pe. (16½) 2739 0 - 1 GM Kasparov, G. (14½) 2812
2 GM Nepomniachtc. (18½) 2742 ½ - ½ GM Nakamura, H. (20) 2792
3 GM Caruana, F. (16½) 2807 0 - 1 GM Aronian, L. (22½) 2809
4 GM Karjakin, S. (20) 2773 1 - 0 GM Le, Quang L. (16½) 2726
5 GM Navara, David (12) 2737 ½ - ½ GM Anand, V. (13) 2783

[LawrenceCooper]

1 GM Anand, V. (13½) 2783 ½ - ½ GM Karjakin, S. (21) 2773
2 GM Kasparov, G. (15½) 2812 ½ - ½ GM Navara, David (12½) 2737
3 GM Le, Quang L. (16½) 2726 0 - 1 GM Nepomniachtc. (19) 2742
4 GM Nakamura, H. (20½) 2792 1 - 0 GM Caruana, F. (16½) 2807
5 GM Aronian, L. (23½) 2809 1 - 0 GM Dominguez Pe. (16½) 2739

1 Aronian, Levon 24½/36 2809
2= Karjakin, Sergey 21½/36 2773
2= Nakamura, Hikaru 21½/36 2792
4 Nepomniachtchi, Ian 20/36 2742
5= Caruana, Fabiano 16½/36 2807
5= Dominguez Perez, Leinier 16½/36 2739
5= Le, Quang Liem 16½/36 2726
8 Kasparov, Garry 16/36 2812
9 Anand, Viswanathan 14/36 2783
10 Navara, David 13/36 2737

[Chris Rice]

Chess.com report on the final day. Great win by Aronian but it was Kasparov who was the headline news in this tournament so the report discusses him mostly and I'm not so sure he doesn't want another go at the top players in due course:

"I still cannot imagine that I recovered after the game with Navara because... it's like a nightmare," Kasparov said. "I'm afraid it will be hunting me for the rest of my life...The Navara game killed the fun."

Kasparov: "It’s not about winning or losing, but of course at the end of the day it’s about winning or losing." Clearly, the losing still affects him greatly.

Throughout the week he lamented that his good moves were too scattered and not congealing into one solid effort. "I don't know what happened but in every game I had some kind of paralysis. Totally blind spots...In so many games I was just one move short of delivering. "I don't know if it's age, whatever many things I'm doing...Maybe it's the revenge of the chess Godess: 'You have to be involved with chess only. You cannot just come out of retirement, I play a few more games and come back. Do other things.'"

It seems Kasparov will go back to those other things, or will he? The door was left slightly ajar with his cryptic "if" statements to Ashley:

"It's too much pressure. It's too much, also studying the openings, maybe if we can eliminate opening theory, then I can play. You have to remember everything and they have so much practice. It's a huge disadvantage. I was learning a lot. If I could use this experience playing again, I would do probably better."

Kasparov said that his comeback was largely to help promote the Grand Chess Tour, and he thought it worked. The live show announced that more than one million viewers had watched this week's tournament.

Still, for most of the week Kasparov navigated and exited the club via back doors and little-used staircases. While not at the board, he was an apparition. As he ascended the broadcast's basement stairs one last time, a nylon divider separated him from both fans and media. He didn't acknowledge fans or address media. Kasparov and his manager walked quickly into club offices, followed quickly by one last closed door.

No one will mind if he opens it again."

[JustinHorton]

"It's too much pressure. It's too much, also studying the openings, maybe if we can eliminate opening theory, then I can play. You have to remember everything and they have so much practice. It's a huge disadvantage.

Yeah maybe, although I'm thinking that only one of the competitors was able to prepare for the tournament and only the tournament.

[NickFaulks]

It's too much, also studying the openings, maybe if we can eliminate opening theory, then I can play. You have to remember everything and they have so much practice. It's a huge disadvantage.

In fact he had clearly done more preparation for this event than the other nine combined and nearly always emerged well from the opening. On the odd occasion when he didn't, such as in Karjakin - Kasparov, it was lights out.

Quite understandably, it was his practical hacking skills that looked rusty.

In any case, this had the makings of a great event and I was disappointed that the industry chose to present it as being solely about Kasparov. I quickly gave up on the live commentary but am not surprised by Lawrence's report that when the tournament leader appeared to have lost on time in a good position, the commentators couldn't say what had happened because they were far more interested in the battle for ninth place.


edit : Just seen Justin's post.

[JustinHorton]

I'd be interested to know whose assistance he had in preparing.

[David Sedgwick]

I quickly gave up on the live commentary but am not surprised by Lawrence's report that when the tournament leader appeared to have lost on time in a good position, the commentators couldn't say what had happened because they were far more interested in the battle for ninth place.

The tournament leader won on time in a bad position.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Gazza didn't disgrace himself in the end, which is good, but equally it can be argued this event showed chess has moved on from even his era.