2016 Candidates Moscow 10-29 March

[LawrenceCooper]

Topalov-Caruana looks interesting, at least until someone tells me it's probably known theory ending in a draw

[Matthew Turner]

Looks fantastically interesting - computer assessment jumping around all over the place.

[JustinHorton]

My program is quite fond of 10...Rb8, but both players were playing quickly until the capture on g4, so they must have a different opinion.

[Roger de Coverly]

Looks fantastically interesting - computer assessment jumping around all over the place.

The position at move 12 appears to have been reached by Matlakov and Grishuk in the 2014 World Blitz, Grishuk preferring 12. .. g5. You might assume then, that neither player stumbled into this variation. With a much earlier deviation, this line of the English also appeared in the 1989 Speelman-Timman Candidates match.

[Chris Rice]

Liking Giri's position. Is this the day he breaks his run?

[AustinElliott]

One rather pleasing aspect of this iteration of the Candidates is that the games are getting wilder and more interesting as the rounds pass by. Excellent entertainment today, a mad opening in Topalov-Caruana, an IQP with K-side attack in Aronian-Svidler, and even the inevitable anti-Berlin looks a bit less sterile than some. And can I put in another thumbs-up for a tournament without any examples of the like-watching-paint-dry-but-less-interesting Berlin Endgame?

[Mick Norris]

(Re: last comment, I guess it would be more complicated if any tie between them was also with a third party or more. But just between the two of them, that's right, isn't it?)

If Caruana is only a point clear before round 14, then in a 2 way tie, a win for Karjakin wins the event

For Caruana to get 1.5 points clear, he either needs 3 wins, or for Karjakin to lose a game (which hasn't looked likely, given how well he has defended poor positions)

I guess Caruana has 2 openings prepared for round 14, one a go for it if he needs to win, the other a shut it down if he needs to draw

Lots of chess to be played before then though (I expect Svidler will actually beat someone at some point, Giri too)

[JustinHorton]

What I'm thinking about Karjakib/Caruana is less that Caruana might need a last round win and more that Karjakin doesn't need to panic if he falls a bit behind.

I think Caruana might win today. The position's unorthodox rather than wild and if Topalov is keen to win I think he'll have to take risks that Caruana can cope with.

[Matt Mackenzie]

And can I put in another thumbs-up for a tournament without any examples of the like-watching-paint-dry-but-less-interesting Berlin Endgame?

Heresy!

[JustinHorton]

Key moment, Topalov appears to have a forced draw if he wants it

[Jonathan Bryant]

And can I put in another thumbs-up for a tournament without any examples of the like-watching-paint-dry-but-less-interesting Berlin Endgame?

Heresy!

Gustafson said on chess24 the other day that the Berlin ending wasn’t boring but it was tremendously difficult to explain. You can see why. The usual 'rules’ - development, rooks to the a central open file, the value of the bishop pair for example - simply don’t apply.

In my experience people who say Berlin games are boring don’t understand what they’re seeing. Which is a very good reason to be bored indeed.

[NickFaulks]

Key moment, Topalov appears to have a forced draw if he wants it

He won't take it.

[NickFaulks]

I was right, but what's he doing after ...Bxb5?

[MJMcCready]

Naka slowly getting into trouble.

[JustinHorton]

Key moment, Topalov appears to have a forced draw if he wants it

He won't take it.

To lose one's objectivity is almost invariably to lose the game as well