Candidates 2014

All Things Chess
21

Round 12 was fun to watch. What could have been three decisive results wound up being just one. Meanwhile, the proverbial fat lady is not singing just yet. However, the arbiters have had to ask her to tone down her warmup exercises backstage. :laughing:

Aronian-Kramnik was the first game to finish. Aronian took some risks in a Queen’s Gambit Declined, knowing he needed to win if he wished to improve his chances at first place. However, Kramnik was super-solid, and Aronian really didn’t have anything to show for his attempts at activity. The players went for a repetition at move 31, when Aronian likely judged that pressing any harder would actually leave him worse.

Topalov-Svidler featured a Taimanov Sicilian where Topalov played what looks like a rare (new? I couldn’t find it in my database, anyway) 12th move. Svidler never seemed to get his bearings, and Topalov maintained a pleasant edge throughout the early middlegame. Svidler then went off the rails starting on move 26, and Topalov’s position was so dominant by move 32 that Svidler was compelled to resign shortly thereafter. A very surprising loss by Svidler, who very frankly said afterward that the result was absolutely deserved, based on his poor play.

Anand-Andreikin was a very exciting game. Andreikin rolled out a Caro-Kann, similar to what Carlsen employed against Anand in Chennai. However, Anand was prepared with a significant improvement, and Andreikin’s aggressive-looking queenside setup was exposed in short order as a “paper tiger”. Anand’s initiative allowed him to establish a powerful passed pawn on d7 in the early middlegame - though the commentators thought that, on the move where Anand pushed to d7, a simple plan of Ng4 followed by f5 was decisive. Andreikin, to his credit, didn’t wait for the executioner’s axe - he found a way to complicate the position, eventually pitching a piece to expose Anand’s king somewhat (though his own was quite drafty, too). The computers loved Anand’s position, with evaluations over +3 throughout the second half of the game. However, the moves required to cash in that advantage were rather dangerous, and many involved allowing lots of checks. Anand was also low on time, for the first time in this tournament - he was down to about 7 minutes to make his final 4 moves before the first time control at one point. Eventually, Anand decided to shut things down, and repeat moves to secure the draw. Many Twitter observers, including GM Robin van Kampen, expressed disappointment and puzzlement over Anand’s decision. However, I thought it was understandable, given his dominant position in the tournament. Why risk letting the field back in to the hunt if you can’t be 100% sure you have not missed anything in an extremely sharp position?

The last game of the round was Mamedyarov-Karjakin. In a Nimzo, Karjakin appeared to go wrong in the early middlegame, and Mamedyarov was able to sacrifice three (!) pawns to reach a massive attacking position by move 30. Compounding matters for Karjakin was that he was down to about 40 seconds or so to make time control (an remember, there’s no increment). So, in his opponent’s time pressure, Mamedyarov played a very inaccurate 31st move (Bxf6 appeared to be winning almost on the spot). Karjakin was able to make time control with 2-3 seconds to spare, and Mamedyarov was left wondering how he’d managed to work his way from a winning middlegame attack to a pawn-down ending. Suddenly, it was Karjakin trying to win (which would have pulled him within a point of Anand, in a tie for second). However, Mamedyarov did the “this is why I’m a GM, and you’re not” thing, demonstrating good technique to hold the draw.

So, after 12 rounds, Anand continues to lead, with 7.5/12. Aronian remains clear second, with 6.5/12. Mamedyarov and Karjakin are joint third, with 6/12. Kramnik, Andreikin, Svidler and Topalov share fifth place, with 5.5/12.

A few observations…

  • I thought there were some excellent practical lessons to learn from today’s games.
  • Mamedyarov made his ill-fated 31st move very quickly, in what appeared to be an obvious attempt to blitz Karjakin. Something I often told students when I coached is that the best way to exploit an opponent who is low on time is to find and play the best moves they could.
  • For the first time in this tournament, Anand really had to make some tough decisions under duress. He seemed to look for the moves that gave the most opportunity while risking the least. This is often a good way to play in positions like his - especially if you don’t absolutely have to win.
  • Andreikin, though objectively lost, showed a lot of heart and poise. Indeed, the body language of the two players would have led an impartial observer to think that Andreikin was just winning. Maintaining a good rhythm of play and a confident posture can be worth a lot, especially if your opponent seems unsure of himself. Engines can’t evaluate that aspect of the game (yet, anyway).
  • Anand has bounced up to third on the live ratings list. Meanwhile, Andreikin’s continued solid run of play has completely inverted his place on the live ratings list - he’s now 31st, and will likely enter the world’s top 30 in the near future.
  • This might be the first day where Svidler didn’t win the press conference - but it took a tag team to beat him. Mamedyarov and Karjakin were quite funny while discussing their game.
  • Anand is still the only undefeated player. Every other player has lost at least twice.

Tomorrow is the last rest day. Round 13 is Saturday at 5am.

Karjakin gets white against Anand. If Karjakin is to mount any sort of campaign to win the event, he absolutely must win. So I would expect this game to be a good fight, but Anand has been so solid in this tournament. Mamedyarov is on the same score as Karjakin, but Anand has Mamedyarov beat on tiebreaks, so Mamedyarov basically must win his last two games and hope for lots of help. Aronian, meanwhile, will probably push somewhat in round 13, as his opponent is Andreikin. However, Andreikin has white, and he has been rock-solid on that side of the board (his troubles have come as black).

22

Boyd this is really excellent stuff.

As good as, if not better than the recaps on chessbase.com and other first rate sites.

As someone who has spent the last week or so hiking around arizona and unable to follow the games, your threads have been just very enlightening.

Thank you again.

23

I owe it all to Houdini, the commentators and the players. :laughing:

Thanks for the compliments. I find these tournaments fun to watch - which is one big reason why I’ve been pursuing IA status. Maybe someday, I’ll get to run one of them.

24

Round 13 of the Candidates is over…and that sound you hear?

Things got spicy early in this round, which is not a surprise, given the tournament situation.

Andreikin rolled out the Trompowsky against Aronian, who seemed surprised by the opening choice and went wrong fairly early. Andreikin offered an exchange sacrifice that Aronian declined, but then Andreikin simply got a dominant position. Andreikin’s 30th move, however, gave Aronian a new lease on life, it seemed. Unfortunately for the world #2, he declined that lease with his 32nd move (…Rb8 appeared to maintain an equal position in the double-rook ending). Andreikin played accurately the rest of the way, and Aronian resigned shortly after the first time control was reached.

Kramnik and Topalov resumed their hostilities this round. Topalov employed the Semi-Slav, and invested about 17 minutes on move 10 to come up with a novelty. However, Kramnik’s response was rather convincing, securing a large advantage into the early middlegame. Kramnik appeared to dissipate his advantage en route to the endgame, though, and the position, while still sharp, seemed balanced. Then, Topalov simply overlooked a line that allowed Kramnik to trap and collect a bishop marooned on h8. Seven moves later, Topalov resigned.

Svidler and Mamedyarov was a Najdorf that neither player seemed especially interested in probing for an advantage. They liquidated to a double-rook ending where White’s slightly better pawn structure was completely negated by Black’s piece activity. The draw was never really in doubt, and became official on move 44.

The last game of the round, fittingly, was Karjakin-Anand. Karjakin, of course, was looking to win. So, he played…the English. This decision seemed to pay off for him, as Anand was left with a very weak c-pawn. Anand made the decision to sacrifice the pawn for piece activity, which looked promising until Anand played …Qa5 instead of …Ra5. This allowed Karjakin to organize his pieces and put long-term pressure on Black. Things looked pretty dicey for the former world champion, but he nervelessly sacked two pieces for a rook and pawn.

The players reached an endgame of R+4P vs. B+N+4P, with all the pawns connected on the kingside. It was clear that Karjakin couldn’t breach Black’s position with just his minor pieces - he was going to have to attempt a pawn break of some kind as well. He eventually tried this pawn break, but Anand wound up with a protected passed h-pawn that, coupled with his active king and excellently placed rook, essentially inoculated him from losing. Karjakin, to his credit, didn’t lay down in the least (of course, both players were by this point aware that Aronian had lost, and so this game suddenly took on even more importance). The draw was finally agreed on move 91.

So, the standings after 13 rounds are these: Anand is in first place, with 8/13. Mamedyarov, Karjakin, Kramnik, Andreikin and Aronian are tied for second, with 6.5/13. Svidler is in seventh, with 6/13, and Topalov is in eight, with 5.5/13.

With one round to spare, five-time world champion GM Viswanathan Anand has secured a rematch against reigning world champion GM Magnus Carlsen in November. Congratulations to Anand, who was not given much chance of winning this event by the pundits. Despite being the oldest player in the field, Anand showed good energy, made good practical decisions, and showed great nerve when pressed hard by Karjakin.

A few notes…

  • Kramnik and Topalov had separate press conferences again - this time, Kramnik went first, since he won. These two REALLY don’t like each other.
  • Andreikin, amazingly, could finish as high as clear second in this event. He’s really put it together since that rough start he had.
  • Karjakin should get a lot of credit too - he went from an early -2 to being the only player with a practical chance of overtaking the eventual winner.
  • PH Nielsen was basically by himself in the commentary today - it was unsaid if Viktorija Cmilyte was ill or otherwise indisposed. Here’s hoping all is well.
  • Carlsen made an appearance via Skype as part of the commentary. He was critical of Anand’s 17th, saying that …Bb7 would have made his life much easier. As subsequent events showed, Carlsen was on the mark, though Anand was up to the task.

Round 14 is tomorrow at 5am EDT. Though the first place is decided, there’s still a great deal to play for - everyone else in the field except Topalov has a shot at second. There is a lot of money on the line, so the players should have plenty of motivation.

25

It was mentioned very early that GM Cmilyte was absent due to a prior Brundesliga commitment.

26

I watched the games on my iPad for a while when I woke up. I didn’t tumble out of bed and turn on my laptop until 6. Thanks for the additional information.

27

No one who has appeared on the broadcast today seems to know what the prize fund is on a place-by-place basis. I do! :laughing:

Here’s the distribution. The prizes are all net (so the FIDE 20% fee and any local taxes are pre-paid).

  1. €135,000
  2. €125,000
  3. €107,000
  4. €78,000
  5. €58,000
  6. €40,000
  7. €32,000
  8. €25,000

Prizes are split between equal scores.

28

Thanks for the info on the prize money. How long ago did they change the format for determining a challenger. Carlson wins the championship in November 2013 and 4 months later we know who his challenger is for next November. No more interzonals, etc. ! I have been away from the game for a while :laughing:

29

(Apologies for the delay in this report - I was actually trying to play chess today, but of course spent time between games doing moderator stuff. :frowning: Of course, my opponents had no mercy. :laughing:)

The 2014 Candidates Tournament has concluded.

Anand decided to allow a Marshall Gambit by Svidler in their game. Anand had dreams of conducting a B vs. N endgame with pawns on both sides of the board (thus conceptually favoring the bishop). However, Svidler got rid of all the queenside pawns, and once they reached move 34, the players agreed to draw.

Mamedyarov-Kramnik was even less to write home about. Mamedyarov went for the Qc2 Nimzo-Indian. Kramnik got to play his pet line against it, queens came off on move 11, neither side seemed interested in testing the waters further, and the draw was signed on move 30.

Topalov-Andreikin was a Berlin where Andreikin, somewhat suprisingly, went for a ultra-sharp idea of a kingside attack. Topalov happily opened the position, and in the ensuing tactics, won a pawn. However, Topalov’s own pawn structure made it very hard to convert his material advantage. Topalov entered a B+N endgame hoping to have a chance with rooks off the board. Andreikin, however, was quite equal to the defensive task, and Topalov eventually gave it up on move 69, agreeing to a draw not too long after the knights were exchanged.

Finally, Aronian-Karjakin saw Aronian play a rare e4, and Karjakin equalized quickly in a Sicilian. However, Karjakin then made a calculating error that cost him a pawn. Undeterred, Karjakin pitched an exchange to get some practical chances. Aronian’s response to the sacrifice landed him in some trouble. Even after he gave back the material, Aronian was still in some trouble, but appeared to have the position under control. Unfortunately, Aronian’s 73 simply dropped a piece for a pawn, and despite Aronian’s effort to make the passed extra pawn work, Karjakin compelled the Armenian #1’s resignation on move 94.

Congratulations to Viswanathan Anand, who emerged as the only undefeated player with 8.5/14. Anand earns the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen in November’s world championship match.

Final standings and prizes:

  • 1st: Anand - 8.5/14 (€135,000 + WC qualifier).
  • 2nd: Karjakin - 7.5/14 (€125,000 + WC alternate).
  • 3rd-5th: Kramnik, Mamedyarov, Andreikin - 7/14 (€81,000 each).
  • 6th-7th: Aronian, Svidler - 6.5/14 (€36,000 each).
  • 8th: Topalov - 6/14 (€25,000).

A few observations:

  • Aronian really had a disastrous finish to the event. He climbed out of that first-round loss, and was second for most of the event. His bad closing stretch cost him 18 rating points - and about €80,000.
  • Conversely, Karjakin’s second half of the tournament was brilliant. He went +3 over the last seven games, pulling him from dead last to clear second.
  • Andreikin is now 27th in the world on the live rating list. An even score in this event would have to be considered a massive accomplishment for the young Russian. He’ll be heard from again.
  • Perhaps no player’s score under-represents the overall quality of his play quite like Mamedyarov. He played enterprising chess almost every round, staying true to his style.
  • The live broadcast had a familiar problem - how to fill time when the most obvious source of drama is gone? The solution: guest commentators. :slight_smile: WGM Anastasia Karlovich (FIDE press officer), IA Jamie Kenmure (arbiter) and WGM Anna Burtasova (editor of ChessTV, and a translator at this event) were all on the show.

I hope folks found these recaps at least somewhat useful. I’d like to say I learned something from my two weeks spent watching top-flight chess. Unfortunately, I doubt it will ever translate into improved play. :laughing:

30

I think the current format was set in 2011 or 2012. A double-round-robin, 8-player event, and the winner qualifies to play the champ.

It should be noted that FIDE has made several significant changes to its WC format a few times since the last full 3-year Candidates cycle. (Tell the truth, I miss the old interzonals and Candidates matches too - not to mention the 24-game title match - but a three-year cycle is probably too slow to hold the public’s interest these days.)