Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

[AustinElliott]

Caruana's clock is a big worry, what time does he really have left?

Tempted to reply 'probably more than Grischuk'...!

ADDED: Chess24 now has all players having reached move 40 without anyone losing on time...

[Nick Burrows]

Caruana's clock is a big worry, what time does he really have left?

To answer that we would need to know at what point and what move you were refering to.

[Tim Harding]

Caruana's clock is a big worry, what time does he really have left?

To answer that we would need to know at what point and what move you were refering to.

Touche. Anyway time control made by all six players now.

[JustinHorton]

It's hard to see any outcome other than Caruana winning the tournament.

[Tim Harding]

It's hard to see any outcome other than Caruana winning the tournament.

Unfortunately Vlad seems to have given Shak some hope by missing the liquidatioin tactics just before move 40, so Caruana is not yet home and dry. Kramnik should hold it though.

Ding probably has to accept he is not going to win, though the engine likes ...a3 to permanently tie down the White K. How it thinks Black could win after that is obscure.

[Nick Ivell]

I'm assuming that Caruana wins the tournament now. He deserves to; without setting the Thames on fire, he's played the most correct chess.

What are his chances against Magnus? I would say quite reasonable.

[AustinElliott]

It's hard to see any outcome other than Caruana winning the tournament.

Any other outcome would certainly depend on Grischuk holding on for a draw.

Karjakin seems (typically for him) to have found an impregnable drawing set up even if Ding plays ..a3, so I guess that one is heading for 0.5-0.5.
[EDIT: Yup, draw agreed after ..a3]

As Mamedyarov has N+2P for the R, I guess he can keep playing 'no risk' indefinitely, pushing the K-side pawns forward and trying to torment poor Kramnik, who has had the occasional bout of self-destruction in the tournament.

..Still, the chances definitely all seem to be with Caruana

PS Grischuk having such a long think over his 41st move that one wonders if he feels uncomfortable when NOT in time pressure, and is hence trying to get back there as soon as possible...

[JustinHorton]

Draw in Karjakin - Ding

[Roger de Coverly]

In the Ding game, they've now reached a position for the text books to give as an example of why material advantage in a bad bishop ending isn't always winning.

[SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/4b3/8/1kp1p1p1/1p1pN1P1/pP1P3p/K1P4P/8 w - - 0 46"]
White to move

[Chris Goodall]

In the Ding game, they've now reached a position for the text books to give as an example of why material advantage in a bad bishop ending isn't always winning.

[SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/4b3/8/1kp1p1p1/1p1pN1P1/pP1P3p/K1P4P/8 w - - 0 46"]
White to move

I don't understand why Ding played the ...d5 break just to capture on e4, because the knight is clearly much better on e4 attacking two black pawns than on either d5 or f5.

[JustinHorton]

It's not of any importance, but would Caruana go above 2800 again if he won this one?

[LawrenceCooper]

In the Ding game, they've now reached a position for the text books to give as an example of why material advantage in a bad bishop ending isn't always winning.

[SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/4b3/8/1kp1p1p1/1p1pN1P1/pP1P3p/K1P4P/8 w - - 0 46"]
White to move

I don't understand why Ding played the ...d5 break just to capture on e4, because the knight is clearly much better on e4 attacking two black pawns than on either d5 or f5.

He didn't take on e4, Karjakin took the pawn on d5. Regarding the pawn break itself; it was about the only thing left to try before agreeing to a draw.

[Nick Burrows]

Nick Faulks is crying into his "How to play The Berlin Wall"

[JustinHorton]

Kramnik-Mamedyarov drawn.

[Chris Goodall]

In the Ding game, they've now reached a position for the text books to give as an example of why material advantage in a bad bishop ending isn't always winning.

[SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/4b3/8/1kp1p1p1/1p1pN1P1/pP1P3p/K1P4P/8 w - - 0 46"]
White to move

I don't understand why Ding played the ...d5 break just to capture on e4, because the knight is clearly much better on e4 attacking two black pawns than on either d5 or f5.

He didn't take on e4, Karjakin took the pawn on d5. Regarding the pawn break itself; it was about the only thing left to try before agreeing to a draw.

What did he think would be the result of trying it when he tried it? Whether Black captures on e4 or White on d5, Black ends up with no more pawn breaks and a knight planted on e4. He's got to be able to follow it up with ...c4 if he needs to win, surely? If 39...c4 doesn't work, then instead of ...d5 he has to go 38...a4 39.bxa4 d5 40.Nf2 c4.