Candidates Tournament 2013

[Christopher Kreuzer]

It's been good to hear everyone's experiences of visiting the Candidates tournament. I'm looking forward to seeing round 7 this weekend. Just a quick question - I can understand the rigorous body checks before being allowed in the playing hall, but is it true that mobile phones (even switched off) are not allowed?

No big deal if not (I can drop mine off at work on the way in), but forewarned is forearmed! Interesting that I could see nothing on the ticket website, or during the booking process, about this. If indeed it's true. And assuming I've not missed something obvious. Which is entirely possible.

It is true. No warning before booking, it seems, but signs in the foyer as you go in. There is a staffed cloakroom where you are asked to deposit bags, coats and mobile phones/cameras etc (similar to the one in operation at the London Chess Classic). I agree if you are not happy to deposit valuable electronics, you may be in a bind, but if you are prepared to deposit items it is no problem as far as I can tell (it has been OK for me so far). You would still be free to look round the shop and (I presume with a ticket) enter the commentary room and take photos and/or use your phone/computer there. Probably different arrangements for the press room, but I've not seen that and presumably one would need a press pass or invitation to go there.

[MikeTasker]

I can understand the rigorous body checks before being allowed in the playing hall, but is it true that mobile phones (even switched off) are not allowed?

I think phones and valuables are kept in some sort of store box in the cloakroom, but don't lose the key as I did, as they charge £5 for a replacement

[Eoin Devane]

Round 6 link: http://new.livestream.com/accounts/1504 ... ts/1966305

[Eoin Devane]

Ivanchuk's left himself extremely low on time again. Chesscasting says he's got 12 minutes for 20 moves.

Also, Carlsen must be close to winning against Svidler. The white position is in danger of becoming very passive.

[Eoin Devane]

Kramnik's now sacrificed a whole rook against Ivanchuk.

[Eoin Devane]

Carlsen has beaten Svidler with black.

[Eoin Devane]

Ivanchuk 1 minute for 13 moves - can he hang on?

[John McKenna]

Grischuk v. Gelfand - Boris is a pawn up and Grischuk played 25.Qd1... 27.Qd1... Don't like it when he does that move - if he does it again before move 40 I'll think he may be losing.

[Eoin Devane]

Draw between Kramnik and Ivanchuk. Lawrence Trent just described Kramnik in this tournament as like Fernando Torres - he just can't put the ball in the back of the net!

[Clive Blackburn]

Kramnik's now sacrificed a whole rook against Ivanchuk.

It ended in a draw, Kramnik was getting into time trouble and best he had was repetition

[Matt Mackenzie]

Kramnik's now sacrificed a whole rook against Ivanchuk.

It ended in a draw, Kramnik was getting into time trouble and best he had was repetition

Thought it was Ivanchuk who was short of time (again)??

I wonder what odds you could get on Vlad drawing all his games?

[Clive Blackburn]

Kramnik's now sacrificed a whole rook against Ivanchuk.

It ended in a draw, Kramnik was getting into time trouble and best he had was repetition

Thought it was Ivanchuk who was short of time (again)??

I wonder what odds you could get on Vlad drawing all his games?

Well both of them were in time trouble really but Kramnik's case it was more serious.

When the draw was agreed they had played 30 moves each, Kramnik had only 1 min left on his clock and Ivanchuk had 5 mins.

[Brendan O'Gorman]

Clive,

I think you've got this the wrong way round. Ivanchuk was the one with only one minute left. In the commentary room, Kramnik was asked why he hadn't played on given that his opponent had but a minute left. He said he would have played on if Ivanchuk had only five seconds left!

[Clive Blackburn]

Clive,

I think you've got this the wrong way round. Ivanchuk was the one with only one minute left. In the commentary room, Kramnik was asked why he hadn't played on given that his opponent had but a minute left. He said he would have played on if Ivanchuk had only five seconds left!

Ok Brendan, in that case I am sure that you must be right. I was taking my information off chessbomb and it is possible that the clock times were wrong on there.

I have just looked at the game again on chessbomb and I can confirm that it does show the final times as 1m:02s for Kramnik and 5m:19s for Ivanchuk.

[Eoin Devane]

Indeed it was Ivanchuk who got down to 1 minute for 13 moves (again!). Kramnik had plenty of time at that point (about 30 minutes), but when they were repeating moves he used up most of that time desperately trying to find a win. You could see on the video feed that he was shaking his head a lot - clearly he was really hoping to win that one.