2013 Candidates' Tournament

[billbrock]

@george l harris

I watched the live video of the Aronian – Kramnik game and saw Kramnik hover his hand over his king on move 57 and then he pulled it back to reconsider. He then played the winning move 57…g5.

The only reason he could have had for a king move at that point would have been to play 57…Kd4. However, that would have thrown away the win after 58.Kd6 Kxc4 59.Ke5. Of course, Kramnik must have seen this and that’s why he hesitated with his hand over his king.

At the press conference later, while discussing Aronian’s blunder 50.g6?? (which Aronian played instantly), Kramnik said the win from that point was “actually not so difficult.” Judging from how close Kramnik came to almost blundering away his simple win when his hand hovered over his king on move 57, his post-game comment about an “actually not so difficult” win doesn’t tell the whole story. His hovering hand does.

You really can’t believe everything players say after the game. The winners generally claim they had everything under control, and the losers claim that they had a good game and were probably winning.

50.g6?? and the unplayed blunder 57…Kd4?? should never be played by 2800 players in a normal situation, but they were both exhausted and under intense pressure. Kramnik was right, and so are you.

[tmagchesspgh]

Both Kramnik and Carlsen lose in what was described as a “bizarre” finish to the candidates tournament. Carlsen wins on tiebreak, having scored 5 wins. Svidler and Aronian finish a half point behind Carlsen and Kramnik on 8 points. Had Aronian not slipped up earlier in the tournament, he and Carlsen would have tied with 5 victories. What was the next tiebreak that was going to be used?

[klizzaus]

Sonneborn-Berger