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Bad choice of opening today for Alireza to play the najdorf against arguably the best najdorf player for both colors today Nepo. He got clobbered really bad and Firouza is at -2, very bad start for him. Nepo is at +2 and playing really well, I hope he doesn't qualify to face Magnus, but right now, he is playing strong chess with crushing victories, almost miniatures against Firoouza and Ding.
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I agree - not looking good for Firoujza. Nepo leads with +2 (3 out of 4) after 4 rounds.Comment
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I loved Magnus' comments upon Nepo, he was quite disgusted and was not shy to say so. First, he said Nepo often makes poor moves quickly, then at the end he says that Nepo should smell blood in the water, be a shark and play on instead of accepting the repetition.Comment
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I was watching the Russian stream on Levitov Chess with Kramnik and Grischuk commenting. Grischuk said about Nakamura: "He has the same problem as Svidler, he spends too much time during the game thinking about what he's going to say at the press conference."Comment
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Rd 5 all draws. I liked the sparring in the Caruana - Rapport game.Comment
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Rd 6 Interesting to watch Nepo-Duda with white's uncompromising play and Radjabov - Rapport with both kings compromised early.Comment
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Amazing round, Nepo is a monster when he is on form.Comment
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As you said Nepo is a monster on form. Who is going to stop him? Caruana beat Firoujza.
Nepo 4.5 out of 6. Caruana a half point behind and the rest of the field at least one point behind Caruana.Comment
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Nepo plays tremendous chess these days, and is becoming the favorite (big not yet but the favorite anyway) , Will Magnus play him ? That's a tough question. Only Caruana is in a good position right now to catch him.
Nepo's win have all been crisp and clear and he wipes out his oppoments off the board.Comment
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Has Nepo outsmarted Rapport? Either give me a quick draw or play a messy position I know and you do not.Comment
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Nepo sure took Rapport apart.
Nepo and Caruana are running away with the tournament.
At the half Nepo 5.5 (+4!), Caruana 5, Nakamura 3.5 etc.Comment
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At the halfway point, after round 7 today, the 2022 Candidates' tournament has become a two-horse race, between GMs Nepo and Caruana. Each has already played one World Championship title match.
GM Nepo is playing much better in this tournament than against champion GM Magnus Carlsen at the end of 2021.
I am not so surprised to see GM Firoujza struggling; this is his first time at this level, and his rivals have likely looked more closely at his style in recent months, following his very rapid rise, then change of nationality from Iran to France. He is so young; think about GM Fischer at age 16 in his first Candidates', in 1959.
I think GM Caruana has to defeat GM Nepo in their second cycle game, or it could be too late for him and the rest.
But stranger things have happened.
AVRO 1938 in the Netherlands, an eight-player double round robin, saw GM Reuben Fine score 5.5/6 to start (against Alekhine, Capablanca, Botvinnik, Reshevsky, Euwe, and Flohr), then lose to GM Paul Keres in round 7, the final one of the first cycle. The two tied for first place at the end with different routes: Keres +3, =11, Fine +6, =5, -3. They drew their second cycle game. Keres was declared the winner on tiebreak, but never got a direct title shot.
At the 1950 Candidates' in Budapest, a ten-player double round robin, leader GM Isaac Boleslavsky led second placed GM David Bronstein by a point with two rounds to go. Bronstein won both, Boleslavsky drew both, then they were tied. A playoff match later that same year in Moscow went to overtime, before GM Bronstein won. He drew a 24-game title match with champion Botvinnik the next year, the champion keeping the title.Comment
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Nepo is playing great chess. +4 in such a field afyer 7 rounds. Fabi is right behind him at +3, it is now a 2 man race, but I feel Nepo is going to be hard to catch. Maybe he is ready for his 5 seconds blunder, Fabiano is also playing great. Ding and Alireza are big disappointment.Comment
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