Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

[Mick Norris]

So then, three games with symmetrical pawn structures and basically equal, with one only result really at all likely on each board.

And Kramnik's game.

Vlad seems to have found a losing plan a bit earlier today

[Tim Harding]

Susan Polgar commented on both's performance on Facebook:

"The absolute worst thing for Kramnik at #BerlinCandidates is the brilliant win with black against Aronian in round 3 to go +2 and tied for the lead...
This is why I kept saying that players need good seconds/coaches to keep them grounded in such an important event."

The first point there sounds like she agrees with what her sister Judit has written in the latest New In Chess about the dangers of winning a good game.

Is the other point to be read as a criticism of Anish Giri?

[NickFaulks]

I haven't actually see Karjakin's tweets, is he heralding the dictatorship in even stronger tones than usual?

I wonder what it's like to live in a country where the elected leader is actually liked by a majority of the population? This has been unknown in the West for a long time.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I have a sneaky feeling Kramnik (currently at move 23) might win this and get on a roll...

[Tim Harding]

...and we're all cheering for Kramnik in this one, aren't we now!

I might have been, because he is playing Karjakin, but by the time I started watching it looked like Kramnik was on the suicidal trend again.

But after Karjakin rejected 20 cxb7 maybe it is still murky.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I haven't actually see Karjakin's tweets, is he heralding the dictatorship in even stronger tones than usual?

I wonder what it's like to live in a country where the elected leader is actually liked by a majority of the population? This has been unknown in the West for a long time.

Not *that* long ago here, though (Blair circa 1997-2003) Hard to believe these days, I know.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

...and we're all cheering for Kramnik in this one, aren't we now!

I might have been, because he is playing Karjakin, but by the time I started watching it looked like Kramnik was on the suicidal trend again.

But after Karjakin rejected 20 cxb7 maybe it is still murky.

Now Karjakin has to find 24.Be1 and will be worse if he plays anything else.

[Mick Norris]

I have a sneaky feeling Kramnik (currently at move 23) might win this and get on a roll...

He's certainly put the wild into wildcard

[Tim Harding]

24 Be1 found and commentators/online engine say White is winning. 24...Be6 25 Bh4 was the continuation.

Meanwhile both Caruana and Aronian have glimmers of an advantage though draws are the most likely outcome.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

24 Be1 found and commentators/online engine say White is winning. 24...Be6 25 Bh4 was the continuation.

Meanwhile both Caruana and Aronian have glimmers of an advantage though draws are the most likely outcome.

And now after 25...Rf8 Karjakin has to again find an 'only' move (26.Kg2) or he is just lost (EDIT: he played it, game swinging back and forth, Kramnik short of time though).

[Tim Harding]

He found it and it wasn't difficult. The first point of Bh4 was to play Kg2 without allowing a queen check and the other point was to rule out ...Rd8.
Now Karjakin has a wide choice and it's Kramnik who is short of time.

JUST seen your edit. I don't agree with the "swinging back and forth". Karjakin seems to have been totally in control and calculating accurately.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

He found it and it wasn't difficult. The first point of Bh4 was to play Kg2 without allowing a queen check and the other point was to rule out ...Rd8.
Now Karjakin has a wide choice and it's Kramnik who is short of time.

JUST seen your edit. I don't agree with the "swinging back and forth". Karjakin seems to have been totally in control and calculating accurately.

Thinking about this, I agree with you. I've been too quick to follow the engine assessments. Karjakin is controlling and defending nicely (certainly better than I did recently when a rook up - I managed to lose that game!).

[Tim Harding]

It's still very complicated of course and Karjakin has spent a long time on his 27th. He just played Rc1 which was the online engine's second choice. Both down to 6-7 mins plus increments.

[JustinHorton]

If Kramnik wants to chuck a point at every opponent he plays until the end of the tournament I can make arrangements to get up to Berlin for a friendly game on the rest day.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

White is a bit stuck for moves... (move 33).