Grand Chess Tour - Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz

[David Sedgwick]

The Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz takes place from Friday 22nd November until Tuesday 26th November.

Friday 22nd November: Rapid Rounds 1-3 at 0830, 1000, 1130 (GMT)
Saturday 23rd November: Rapid Rounds 4-6 at 0830, 1000, 1130
Sunday 24th November: Rapid Rounds 7-9 at 0830, 1000, 1130
Monday 25th November: Blitz Rounds 1-9 at half hour intervals starting at 0830
Tuesday 26th November: Blitz Rounds 10-18 at half hour intervals starting at 0730, followed by tiebreaks if required.

Time Limits: Rapid 25 minutes with 10 seconds delay; Blitz 5 minutes with 3 seconds delay;

Players: Viswanathan Anand, Levon Aronian, Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren, Anish Giri, Pentala Harikrishna, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomnischtchi, Wesley So, Santosh Gujrathi Vidit

Pairings: http://chess-results.com/tnr491092.aspx?lan=1&art=2 (Rapid) and http://chess-results.com/tnr491101.aspx?lan=1&art=2 (Blitz)

[David Sedgwick]

This is the last GCT event before the Tour Finals in London in early December. The current GCT standings can be found at https://grandchesstour.org/2019-grand-c ... -standings.

Carlsen has already qualified for the Tour Finals and Ding and Aronian are almost certain to do so. The main interest is likely to be whether Anand can secure the fourth spot. He needs to finish sixth or better to overtake Vachier-Lagrave, who has completed his programme.

So and Nepomniachtchi still have very outside chances; So would need to finish at least equal first of two and Nepomniachtchi would need to finish outright first.

As the luck of the draw would have it, Anand's last two games in the Blitz are against Carlsen and Ding. I imagine that Anand will wish to secure his qualification before then rather than leaving himself needing anything from those two games.

Tuesday 26th November may be an exciting day.

[David Sedgwick]

The GCT players are staying in the same hotel as the Indian cricket time, who also started play today. In their case it is in a Test Match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Representatives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India attended the Opening Ceremony for the Tata Steel Chess India event and Tania Sachdev introduced the chess commentary from Eden Gardens.

The chess will last the full five days whatever happens, but the cricket may not. In that eventuality it will be interesting to see whether any of the Indian cricketers stay on to watch the chess.

[Alex Holowczak]

The chess will last the full five days whatever happens, but the cricket may not.

Doesn't look like it'll get beyond day 3 at the moment; 98/7 with their wicket-keeper retired hurt as a concussion substitute.

I imagine this is something to do with why there are currently three not out batsmen, although I cannot be sure why. I don't understand cricket scorecards anymore.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Looks like Blitz cricket... Bangladesh have been allowed two "concussion substitutes", only one of them is against the rules!

[Chris Rice]

Day 1 report from Peter Doggers.

[JustinHorton]

Meanwhile at the cricket

[Kevin Thurlow]

Magnus looks cross - possibly everybody in the ground recognised Vishy and ignored Magnus. Vishy does rank alongside Sachin Tendulkar in India for public profile. Or maybe Magnus realised that the LBW law is more complicated than the Sveshnikov.

[Mick Norris]

The GCT players are staying in the same hotel as the Indian cricket time, who also started play today. In their case it is in a Test Match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Representatives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India attended the Opening Ceremony for the Tata Steel Chess India event and Tania Sachdev introduced the chess commentary from Eden Gardens.

The chess will last the full five days whatever happens, but the cricket may not. In that eventuality it will be interesting to see whether any of the Indian cricketers stay on to watch the chess.

Lots of time now; doesn't appear that Bangladesh liked the pink ball

Magnus won the rapid with 7.5/9 results

Blitz underway results

[LawrenceCooper]

Standings
Rank Name Score Rating
1 Carlsen, Magnus 27/36 2870
2 Nakamura, Hikaru 23/36 2741
3 Giri, Anish 18½/36 2776
4 So, Wesley 18½/36 2760
5 Ding, Liren 18/36 2801
6 Nepomniachtchi, Ian 17/36 2773
7 Anand, Viswanathan 16/36 2757
8 Harikrishna, Pentala 14½/36 2731
9 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi 14½/36 2722
10 Aronian, Levon 13/36 2772

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Nakamura and Carlsen came joint first in the blitz (not sure if a tie-break separated them, they drew the two games they played against each other). Nakamura went undefeated in the blitz, while Carlsen lost both his games against Ding Liren.

Carlsen won the event overall due to his four-point lead from the rapid section.

Aronian had a bit of a disaster in the blitz, only winning one game, drawing 6 games, and losing 11 games, pushing him from joint third after the rapid section to last overall.

[Chris Rice]

Nakamura had an assist though.

[LawrenceCooper]

Carlsen, Ding, Aronian & MVL confirmed as the four qualifiers. Anand needed to finish one place higher to overtake MVL (and Karjakin).

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I was just about to ask that question! Pity for Anand, as he was playing in India and his supporters would have wanted him to qualify, but good for MVL. Wonder if Ding will be the one to end Carlsen's streak?

[David Sedgwick]

Nakamura and Carlsen came joint first in the blitz (not sure if a tie-break separated them, they drew the two games they played against each other).

No. Tiebreaks only apply to first equal in the overall standings.