Candidates Matches 3rd - 27th May 2011

[Matt Mackenzie]

What with Topa blowing a winning position *and* the football, this has been a very satisfying day

[Lara Barnes]

Lets hope that the rapid games are decisive, Alex has to score all the playoff games!! (or one of the others but apparently neither is an 'active arbiter')
I can't see him recording the Blitz games by himself!

[Alex McFarlane]

Franca is actually active but just modest as to the amount of activity. But who am I to argue with a woman.

[Mick Norris]

Tiebreaks now under way

Live games here
http://kazan2011.fide.com/live-games.html

Video streaming here
http://video.russiachess.org/view/275

[David Sedgwick]

Lets hope that the rapid games are decisive, Alex has to score all the playoff games!! (or one of the others but apparently neither is an 'active arbiter')
I can't see him recording the Blitz games by himself!

Franca is actually active but just modest as to the amount of activity. But who am I to argue with a woman.

I've just seen all three of the arbiters on stage on the video stream. (Thanks for the link, Mick.)

Alex is recording Aronian v Grischuk and Franca Dapiran is recording Kramnik v Radjabov

[Roger de Coverly]

Alex is recording Aronian v Grischuk and Franca Dapiran is recording Kramnik v Radjabov

The decision to have the arbiters record the moves seems to show a certain lack of faith in the sensory boards and the software driving them. Perhaps it's just being pragmatic so that the players have a readily available record if a disputed threefold or fifty move claim arose.

The rapidplay and blitz tie-breaks are being played with increments. If they get to the sudden death game, I suppose the new rules about adequate supervision are applied, so that 10.2 claims become possible.

[Mick Norris]

The arbiters got the players to sign the scoresheets at the end, which I assume is to make sure there is a permanent record

I think the scoresheets are available during games for players to consult about repetitions and 50 move draws

Grischuk won with black, Radjabov held with black despite being down on the clock for most of the game

[LozCooper]

Aronian has just lost with white in the first tie-break game and so is under real pressure in game 2. Kramnik-Radjabov was a draw.

[LozCooper]

Schedule as follows:

Four games at 40/2h
Four games at g/25 + 10 sec. per move
Two games at g/5 + 3 sec. per move
Two games at g/5 + 3 sec. per move
Two games at g/5 + 3 sec. per move
Two games at g/5 + 3 sec. per move
Two games at g/5 + 3 sec. per move (maximum five matches)
Armageddon blitz"

[Alex Holowczak]

Roger, regardless of the supervision, no player can claim a 10.2 in the playoffs, because they're using increments.

[Mick Norris]

Kramnik - Radjabov game 2 also drawn, still no wins for white in the whole Candidates (Grischuk won with black and looks like he won't win with white in game 2)

[Mick Norris]

Aronian has just lost with white in the first tie-break game and so is under real pressure in game 2. Kramnik-Radjabov was a draw.

Aronian has won with black

[LozCooper]

Aronian has just lost with white in the first tie-break game and so is under real pressure in game 2. Kramnik-Radjabov was a draw.

Aronian has won with black

I made that comment before I realised it was a 4 game rapidplay match not 2

[Jonathan Rogers]

More to the point Aronian has clearly noted Mick's point about the lack of White wins thus far, and so has now started 1 a3!

Sigh ... my first half point with a GM came when I played 1.a3. Against Fedorowicz, Lloyds 1990 it was. We each played a bit too fast, and when the arbiter pointed out that my flag had fallen after two hours, at a time when various other games were being decided in time trouble approaching move 40, we pointed out that we were already at move 55! And years later there was the usual Rogers story concerning my games - Gufeld apparently tried to strangle Ian Rogers at some tournament for trying 1 a3 v Fedorowicz.

[LozCooper]

More to the point Aronian has clearly noted Mick's point about the lack of White wins thus far, and so has now started 1 a3!

Sigh ... my first half point with a GM came when I played 1.a3. Against Fedorowicz, Lloyds 1990 it was. We each played a bit too fast, and when the arbiter pointed out that my flag had fallen after two hours, at a time when various other games were being decided in time trouble approaching move 40, we pointed out that we were already at move 55! And years later there was the usual Rogers story concerning my games - Gufeld apparently tried to strangle Ian Rogers at some tournament for trying 1 a3 v Fedorowicz.

Wasn't it 5 a3?