2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

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Mick Norris
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Mick Norris » Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:31 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:03 pm
Giri v Hou looked dead drawn last time I looked, but Q endings are tricky!
Was it still drawn when the queens were exchanged?
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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:32 pm

Matt Mackenzie wrote:
Sat Jan 13, 2018 8:03 pm
Giri v Hou looked dead drawn last time I looked, but Q endings are tricky!
She went wrong in a difficult K+P ending, a few moves after the queens were exchanged. The drawing line pointed out by the computer after Kd6 instead of the game move of Kc6 is instructive.

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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Mick Norris » Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:27 am

Round 1 reports chess.com and Chess Mind
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Chris Rice
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Chris Rice » Sun Jan 14, 2018 9:36 am

Mick Norris wrote:
Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:27 am
Round 1 reports chess.com and Chess Mind
I noted Dennis Monokroussos said "Finally, Gawain Jones played a chicken line in the opening against Sergey Karjakin, with White offering a draw by repetition on move 12. Was this nervousness, fear, or a psychological trick? Karjakin declined the repetition, and Jones later obtained an edge, though only briefly, and the game was drawn before the first time control."

My guess is that Gawain will see himself perhaps as the tournament bunny and the main advantage of this is that you can play lines like this when a draw is always a good result and the much higher rated players may over reach in their attempts to beat him. If so then Round 1 worked a treat.

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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Tim Harding » Sun Jan 14, 2018 1:17 pm

Chris Rice wrote:
Sun Jan 14, 2018 9:36 am
I noted Dennis Monokroussos said "Finally, Gawain Jones played a chicken line in the opening against Sergey Karjakin, with White offering a draw by repetition on move 12. Was this nervousness, fear, or a psychological trick? Karjakin declined the repetition, and Jones later obtained an edge, though only briefly, and the game was drawn before the first time control."

My guess is that Gawain will see himself perhaps as the tournament bunny and the main advantage of this is that you can play lines like this when a draw is always a good result and the much higher rated players may over reach in their attempts to beat him. If so then Round 1 worked a treat.
Certainly not nervousness or fear. I wouldn't call it a trick either, but a standard way for the lower-rated player to operate.
Karjakin would have prepared for Gawain's usual Scotch, and also for the fashionable slow lines of the Italian (not specifically for Gawain but for other players also), so choosing the d4, Bd2 line would have evaded the lines Karjakin was most likely to have looked at recently.
Then playing the Ne4!? move instead of the more usual a2-a4 showed Gawain was prepared to fight in a little-known sideline.

A good start by him but today he has it tough with Black in a King's Indian. Caruana has played the 5 h3, 6 Be3 line.
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John Moore
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by John Moore » Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:16 pm

It's a shame no-one is watching. Gawain is defending a R and 2 against R and 1 which I think is drawn - but what do I know.

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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by NickFaulks » Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:29 pm

John Moore wrote:
Sun Jan 14, 2018 6:16 pm
It's a shame no-one is watching.
I expect lots of people are watching. Must be a draw if Gawain stays cool without much time - easier said than done.
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Matt Mackenzie
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sun Jan 14, 2018 7:05 pm

He held the draw 8)

In other games, Kramnik imploded against Giri whilst Carlsen scored a classy win. Tough start for Hou.
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Tim Harding » Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:21 pm

Round 3 just started.

Jones v Adhiban: French 3 Nd2 c5
Carlsen v Wei Yi: Catalan
Svidler v Giri: Spanish 3...Nf6 4 Nc3 Nd4
So v Karjakin: Queen's Gambit 4...Bb4
Anand v Caruana: Petroff
Mamedyarov v Matlakov: Semi-Slav
Kramnik v Hou Yifan: English, 2 Nc3 e6 3 e4
Tim Harding
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Jonathan Rogers
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Jonathan Rogers » Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:46 pm

Probably not too premature to congratulate Gawain on winning today. What a start! There was plenty of adverse comment on his first round choice of opening, including from his GM peers, over the 4NCL weekend, but all forgotten now. No one will be arguing with 2/3.

Incidentally, I just realised a random element which surely works in his favour - many of his opponents will just have played Carlsen in the previous round.

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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by NickFaulks » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:08 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:
Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:46 pm
Incidentally, I just realised a random element which surely works in his favour - many of his opponents will just have played Carlsen in the previous round.
I don't think Wei Yi will be feeling particularly battered after today's game.
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:08 pm

"Incidentally, I just realised a random element which surely works in his favour - many of his opponents will just have played Carlsen in the previous round."

Good point! Reasonable number of decisive games and Vishy getting stuck in - what more can you ask?

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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by LawrenceCooper » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:12 pm

Jonathan Rogers wrote:
Mon Jan 15, 2018 4:46 pm
Probably not too premature to congratulate Gawain on winning today. What a start! There was plenty of adverse comment on his first round choice of opening, including from his GM peers, over the 4NCL weekend, but all forgotten now. No one will be arguing with 2/3.
Your congratulations have now become reality :D

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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Mick Norris » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:12 pm

Well done Gawain

As for the adverse comments, it's a marathon not a sprint comes to mind with a 13 round event
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Chris Rice
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Re: 2018 Wijk aan Zee 12 - 28 January

Post by Chris Rice » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:37 pm

Its really refreshing to see another English player competing at this level other than Adams and Short. I had the feeling that Gawain might have targeted Adhiban with the White bits as a decent chance of a win. Adhiban offered a repetition on a couple of occasions and Gawain must have been sorely tempted to take it but it was really brave of him to play on and he's been rewarded for it. Brilliant.