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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 11:52 am
by LawrenceCooper
Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 11:50 am
I really hope Kramnik recovers from this and goes on to win the event. It would be agonising if this game made the difference at the end. If Kramnik had won, he would be a whole point ahead. It does keep things tight. Maybe we will see a cagey few rounds and lots of draws as the players conserve their energies.
Traumatic though it must have been there are ten rounds to go and he is very experienced. I think that fatigue may be more relevant to his chances of success. Impressive to see Aronian recover from his round 3 nightmare albeit with some help from his opponent.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:02 pm
by Mick Norris
It also affects the potential tiebreak (head to head) as, unless he beats Caruana with black, then if the 2 of them tie on points, Vlad loses out again on first tiebreak; so, he not only has to catch Caruana, but pass him too
Long way to go; maybe only reasonable to say it is down to a 6 horse race from the initial 8
Chess Mind round 4 report with
analysis
Had he won the game, he'd have been a huge favorite to win the event, even with ten rounds to go, but as it is he trails Caruana by half a point and must regain his psychological equilibrium. It would have been much easier on him had he just lost the first time he had a losing position, but let's stay tuned and see how he bounces back.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:18 pm
by NickFaulks
Mick Norris wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:02 pm
Long way to go; maybe only reasonable to say it is down to a 6 horse race from the initial 8.
Would you even still say that if Karjakin were to win this afternoon?
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:07 pm
by IM Jack Rudd
I'm watching Aronian-Grischuk. Good Benoni stuff there.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:10 pm
by Roger de Coverly
IM Jack Rudd wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:07 pm
Good Benoni stuff there.
So appears to have turned down an early draw by repetition. Kramnik has been using the semi-Tarrasch since at least the London Candidates. He employs it also as a defence to the Exchange Variation.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:45 pm
by Mick Norris
NickFaulks wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:18 pm
Mick Norris wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 12:02 pm
Long way to go; maybe only reasonable to say it is down to a 6 horse race from the initial 8.
Would you even still say that if Karjakin were to win this afternoon?
Never going to happen, was it? Draw
Karjakin can come back and do well (he's done so before) but I don't think he's going to win
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:58 pm
by NickFaulks
Mick Norris wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:45 pm
Never going to happen, was it?
Certainly wasn't the way to bet, but my point was that if a player is one win away from being back in it, then they're not really out of it. That's the way he should be thinking.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:49 pm
by Mick Norris
You need +3 to win, maybe, so was Karjakin going to go +5 over 10 rounds in this company? 9 rounds now; I think not after a poor start which seems to show not the best form
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:56 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
Aronian-Grischuk is interesting. Two big blunders on moves 24 and 27.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 5:14 pm
by Tim Harding
Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:56 pm
Aronian-Grischuk is interesting. Two big blunders on moves 24 and 27.
And now on move 29 by Aronian, why not take the bishop with check?
Pity we don't know the real clock times but it seems Aronian, with more time, has missed two (difficult) wins and could end up worse.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 5:51 pm
by Mick Norris
Moves with clock times on
TWIC
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 6:27 pm
by LawrenceCooper
Aronian-Grischuk drawn despite 42...Ne4 appearing. Allegedly a botched attempt at placing the kings in the middle.
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:02 pm
by Chris Rice
Leaderboard after Round 5:
1 Caruana 3½/5
2-3 Kramnik, Mamedyarov 3/5
4-6 Aronian, Grischuk, Ding 2½/5
7-8 Karjakin, So 1½/5
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 3:50 pm
by Jonathan Rogers
In what seems, remarkably, to be a novelty in this event so far, White is a little or even somewhat better in every game! Shock!
Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 4:21 pm
by Mick Norris
White did well in the first 2 rounds; it is still a total of 3 white wins to 4 black wins (albeit that is not what you would have guessed in advance)