Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

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LawrenceCooper
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by LawrenceCooper » Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:32 pm

Aronian has won to return to 50% :D

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JustinHorton
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by JustinHorton » Wed Mar 14, 2018 6:43 pm

Now everybody agrees that the Petroff and the Berlin are openings that lead to fantastically interesting games, can we start picking on the Najdorf or something?
"Do you play chess?"
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Tim Harding
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:27 pm

Suddenly it's Kramnik who has to prove he can draw! He does seem to be finding the "only" moves, though, so far.
Apparently he should have played 43 c4+- but I missed the explanation.
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LawrenceCooper
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by LawrenceCooper » Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:43 pm

Emil Sutovsky
9 mins ·
THAT IS REALLY TOO MUCH. Grischuk tells he was trying to visit the restroom during his time-trouble. It was occupied - he runs back, makes a move, returns back, and somebody (not a player!) gets out of the ONLY toilet available.

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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:50 pm

An arbiter?
Tim Harding
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:55 pm

Now Caruana will win after all!!
Tim Harding
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LawrenceCooper
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by LawrenceCooper » Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:59 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:27 pm
Suddenly it's Kramnik who has to prove he can draw! He does seem to be finding the "only" moves, though, so far.
Apparently he should have played 43 c4+- but I missed the explanation.
To open the c file for his other rook. It looks totally wrong from a positional point of view though!

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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:11 pm

It seems that subsequently Kramnik stabilised things but then panicked in time trouble. He first missed a chance for slight advantage (54 Bg4), then he could have played 57 Rxf6 (fairly easy draw), then he should have played 58 Kc1 instead of Kb1, so that if 58...Nf3 59 Rd1 would work since ...Ra1+ is met by Bb1+. Finally at move 60 he made the horrendous blunder Rd1 instead of Rxf6 (when he would have to defend R+B v R,N,P but it's tenable).

So now we have Fabi and Shak joint leaders on 3/4 when it could have been Vlad on 3.5/4. Anyone with 50 per cent or better still has hope but it may not feel that way to Kramnik now.
Tim Harding
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JustinHorton
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by JustinHorton » Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:12 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Wed Mar 14, 2018 7:55 pm
Now Caruana will win after all!!
I coughed too early
"Do you play chess?"
"Yes, but I prefer a game with a better chance of cheating."

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LawrenceCooper
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by LawrenceCooper » Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:13 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:11 pm
It seems that subsequently Kramnik stabilised things but then panicked in time trouble. He first missed a chance for slight advantage (54 Bg4), then he could have played 57 Rxf6 (fairly easy draw), then he should have played 58 Kc1 instead of Kb1, so that if 58...Nf3 59 Rd1 would work since ...Ra1+ is met by Bb1+. Finally at move 60 he made the horrendous blunder Rd1 instead of Rxf6 (when he would have to defend R+B v R,N,P but it's tenable).

So now we have Fabi and Shak joint leaders on 3/4 when it could have been Vlad on 3.5/4. Anyone with 50 per cent or better still has hope but it may not feel that way to Kramnik now.
Isn't Shak on +1? :?

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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Chris Rice » Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:39 pm

Leaderboard after round 4:

1 Caruana 3
2-3 Kramnik, Mamedyarov 2½
4-6 Ding, Aronian, Grischuk 2
7-8 So, Karjakin 1

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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:50 pm

LawrenceCooper wrote:
Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:13 pm
Isn't Shak on +1? :?
Whoops yes; I had a table on my computer and typed in the wrong score for Shak after the previous round.

No, Justin, you didn't cough too early. Caruana did indeed fail to convert (and worse) - but then Vlad imploded and handed him a win so obvious that even he couldn't fail to take it.
Tim Harding
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Tim Harding » Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:53 pm

Tomorrow:
Aronian-Grischuk; Caruana-Karjakin; So-Kramnik; Ding-Mamedyarov.

Commentators have been saying Shak's games with Black seem to be where the action is so that last one could be a cracker.
Tim Harding
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Chris Rice
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Chris Rice » Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:29 am


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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Candidates Tournament in Berlin March 2018

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » 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.

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