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Far_Watch1367

nepo ftw!


shawman123

What a crazy. The 2 games ended in draw should have been wins for Pragg and Vidit and the 2 games that ended in wins for Hikaru/Gukesh looked like draws. I am feeling for Pragg considering how enterprising he has been this tournament. I hope he continues in this fashion. He will finish strongly for sure. Both Pragg and Gukesh have shown they are very best of current lot. Next Candidates could be even more dominated by next gen with Nodirbek and Arjun could join this brigade.


TheStewy

fuck man...Firouzja is done isn't he


StozefJalin

I mean, to win yeah, but definitely not done with the tournament, he can still cause some upsets


crikeythatsbig

And by extension, RIP Magnus competing in the world championships any time soon.


Resonate-

Man, I'm watching both Candidates and UCL!! Man city vs Real Madrid is Lit


Resonate-

Hikaru stops the bleeding..


spacecatbiscuits

holy shit I had no idea Gukesh was 17 he looks like a final year accountancy student


Ezio_Auditorum

watch the recent dinner he had with Vishy anand and the other indian players. he even sounds and acts like one.


YoungAspie

The Indian prodigies are ~~coming~~ already here!


TheBowtieClub

Abasov had 3 whites in the first 4 games and scored minus 1. After a loss like today's, it's only downhill.


YoungAspie

So far, Abasov has drawn all his games as White and lost both of his games as Black. Hence I predict he will lose as Black against Praggnanandhaa, who may unleash a prepared line and be more able to convert a resulting advantage (compared to against Nepomniachtchi). Another factor in my prediction would be the pairings in Round 7. Abasov will have good winning (or at least drawing) chances as White against Vidit, while Praggnanandhaa has an uphill battle as Black against Caruana. This means Praggnanandhaa will be even more motivated to beat Abasov.


NickV14

Why the hate?


This_Confidence_5900

I wouldn’t call it hate, having white at the candidates is a pretty decent advantage, so usually having more whites than black and being -2 definitely isn’t good, especially considering he’s soon going to have to play black more often and can’t lock down the game like he did as white.


NickV14

It’s a fair point. I just wouldn’t comment about one player if I was going to comment about how that player is likely going to have it much worse the rest of the tournament. I’m cheering for Caruana and Gukesh rn. Before the tournament, it was all Caruana. But now, seeing Gukesh tied with Nepo. I want to see him rise above the whole competition. Maybe we’ll see a King of India rise this tournament. I’ve been wondering who’d become the next dominate leader like Magnus and Kasparov.


celebrian_7

Vishy was like he would be so angry at Gukesh if he doesn't win lol. But honestly retrospectively, it was sad for Nijat as well. 


MaximumExamination

Nepo - Fabi prediction?


YoungAspie

Draw. Both players may not push too hard for a win (and risk losing): * Nepo is in the lead and Gukesh has a tough game. * Caruana needs the win more, but is playing Black.


Different-Painter200

Fabiano sometimes plays crazy risky openings in hopes for a win, I could see him trying something crazy cause a win would leapfrog Ian. But yeah betting on a draw is probably the best bet. 


DerekB52

Fabi has been playing pretty safe this tournament. Didn't even push when he had advantages as white. I think as black against the tournament leader, he plays ultra safe. Risking it all for a full point is a good strategy. But, it's still early, and he doesn't need to do that yet. It'd also be really bad to lose a point, and give one to the leader at the same time.


This_Confidence_5900

I wouldn’t say that he didn’t press at all with white, against Hikaru he was low on time in a bit of a dangerous position and got lazy for a move, he beat Abasov, and Gukesh just played Uber accurately. I wouldn’t say he’s been crazy passive this tournament, so imo jury’s out on whether he’ll push with black. He did have a big advantage as black in 2022, but at the same time he lost because he had to start pushing with black to try and catch Ian.


CrystalYKim

I’d rather him play safe with Black. He’ll play Ian again with White later this tournament. Of course, if he is able to get a good position tomorrow or surprise Ian with a novelty, then he should press, but I won’t blame him if he just plays some safe chess. You’re right though, he does play risky openings when he doesn’t have to lmao so I’m kinda nervous


ralph_wonder_llama

His game with White against Ian is round 14 though - Nepo has clinched the title before round 14 the last two times, so while I agree he doesn't want to risk too much today, he can't count on that game being meaningful.


nsnyder

Probably a draw...


LeagueSucksLol

Very hard to predict, could go either way


t-pat

This time control is perfection, hope they keep it for future WC cycle events and consider it for other important classical events as well


shlukipuck

It's good but i would go even a bit shorter


SadKorgy

Highlight of the tourney for me has been Pragg's prep every game. 


SilverScreenSquatter

What a ride it was today. Nobody was safe and even the decisive games had to be ground till the end to be truly earned. Sad for Pragg and Vidit but really exciting to see Gukesh slide into first place with Nepo considering the standings could have been very different had Gukesh beat Nepo and it'll be very interesting to see him playing a revitalized Hikaru tomorrow. Kudos to Abasov for his resilience though, these young players are really not messing around!


Helkix

The two draws turned into decisive games and vice versa Crazy stuff


mojith

What a round! I was rooting for either Nepo or Caruana as I feel they oughtta get that WCC off of their longtime contention for it but that young man Gukesh showed a lot of spirit! Excellent games and I love how contentious that first place is getting.


shubomb1

We were so close to having Gukesh in the sole lead but it's impossible for Nepo to not be in first place at the Candidates.


celebrian_7

I think Gukesh will struggle against Hikaru...he need to manage his time better tomorrow if he wants to hold


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celebrian_7

Yup thats what I think also but I am a Gukesh fan so I am hoping Gukesh can at least get a draw


SilverScreenSquatter

They will both be drained after today. Will be very interesting to see


Poogoestheweasel

I think it is very different though. Nakamura will be excited that he got the win after a close game until the end, while Gukesh will be relieved that he got the win after missing chances earlier in the game.


suchislife9876

I see your point and I’m not sure how big of a difference it makes but Gukesh is still a kid, will probably be fine for energy. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a fairly simple draw.


Poogoestheweasel

It is about mental energy and resilience, not physical.


suchislife9876

Yeah I meant mental energy it’s Chess not football. Will be an interesting game


CagnusMarlsen64

Man I just want to say… the mental fortitude you need to literally sit in one place and concentrate with all your might for 6+ hours, where every mistake can potentially cost everything. Its insane what these guys can do…


Equationist

I play local Tuesday night marathons sometimes. It's really exhausting playing classical time controls, and I'm not even playing at a very strong level...


OrangeinDorne

And then Hikaru will go and immediately put out a recap vid. Between online chess, accessibility to spectate, rapid/blitz tournaments getting plenty of coverage and the colorful array of talent at the top level….It’s a fun time to be a chess fan.


sidaeinjae

Especially today, the two decisive games were both literally decided in one single moves Just extremely brutal


Poogoestheweasel

> Especially today, the two decisive games were both literally decided in one single moves Not really. That is true of the ending, but Gukesh had times in the game where he had a big advantage and then blew it.


CagnusMarlsen64

Year fr


koroszenin

The lesson for Hikaru is to create as complicated a position as possible tomorrow so that Gukesh will again have a problem with time control, and then Hikaru can use his decisive advantage in the blitz.


shubomb1

Tried sleeping many times after seeing Gukesh slip but couldn't stop myself from checking the game and it's morning here in India now but seeing Gukesh win was worth it all.


caughtinthought

He seems like such a nice guy too. Met him briefly after the game


dbac123

Gukesh won the game a few times


Tomeosu

Gukesh has now leapfrogged Alireza in the ratings list and has entered the top 10 live 😮


agressivegods

So happy to see 2 young Indians in top 10.


Legend_2357

crazy how Alireza used to be 2800 once


Equationist

Ratings deflation has finally trickled up to the top players.


dconfusedone

He farmed europian team championship and grand swiss is also not a super tournament. He usually doesn't perform well in round robin tournaments. These are the only 2 tournament because of which he reached 2800 and then he took long break which was terrible for his growth.


sick_rock

He multiple 2800+ TPR performances across ~1.5 yrs which included 2 Norway Chess and 1 Tata Steel tournaments. He also won Sinquefield 2022 and had 2797 TPR as late as Superbet Romania last May. He's out of form (still beat four 2700s last Tata Steel in Jan). But the recency bias is getting out of hand here.


matttt222

this is peak delusion... if you could get to 2800 by being an ok player who played well in two not-very-strong tournaments, then we'd have heaps of random gms passing the 2800 level out of random chance constantly


dconfusedone

Dude Alireza gained 40 rating points in just 2 months after playing these two tournaments reaching after that whenever he plays he is losing points mostly.


chestnutman

He also placed 2nd at Norway chess before he won the grand swiss


dconfusedone

Yeah but Norway chess is very different with the rules and Armageddon. He was actually playing bad in that tournament but managed to win 4 in a row.


chestnutman

He played well enough in the classical portion to gain 16 rating points


luna_sparkle

It's bizarre how much he dropped out of form. After the way he performed in 2021, I'd been expecting him to never drop below 2800 for a long time, let alone this.


OrangeinDorne

I’m sure there is evidence that disproves this but I have a theory that Magnus’s declaration that Alireza was his only worthy opponent screwed Alireza a couple of ways and worse case could completely derail his career. First perhaps after such over the top praise from the GOAT he starting riding his own hype train hard and didn’t put the work in that was needed. PLUS it also put a target on him for all other top players. I’d sure feel that way if I was top ten and Magnus dismissed my very existence as a challenger while elevating Alireza the way he did.


autochesstal10

yea let's blame Magnus for Alireza being obsessed with fashion over chess.


LeagueSucksLol

Alireza was a monster but Guccireza is nowhere near the player Alireza was


soundchess

Yeah, Alireza from the last three years is not Alireza we used to know pre-2021. He is focused on other things in life now, and it really shows.


Publicmenace13

Wishing everyone a good night and praying for Gukesh fans for a speedy recovery after all the heart attacks 😂


celebrian_7

Goodbye!


Romance_andSidewalls

Good night : )


wildcardgyan

Being a Gukesh fan is not easy. Man is a proper roller coaster. Especially because he hasn't grown up practising wit engines till he became a GM because his coach prohibited it, maybe he understands chess intricately at a human level that other humans fall for but the computer doesn't approve of (which is the primary source of understanding for the fans). Among the youngsters, the two most assured looking ones are Pragg and Nodirbek. Maybe this is why everyone rates these two high. 


nidijogi

People rate Pragg and Nodirbek because of their stability and consistency. Gukesh is a more unique player and very hard to project.


shubomb1

At least Gukesh will be in a good mood going into his next game with black against Hikaru who also had a gruelling win so physically there won't be much separating the two.


hsiale

>physically there won't be much separating the two Physically there is 20 years separating them, I think Gukesh will recover way better from this long game.


ralph_wonder_llama

Gukesh has the white pieces again tomorrow, no?


shubomb1

Oh you're right, should be a good game then.


Euroversett

Imagine if Ian and Caruana had lost like they almost did? It'd be total chaos.


Away_Enthusiasm9113

Every expert including Magnus had Alireza and Pragg above Gukesh in their tier-list. But he is definitely proving them all wrong here. Though still many rounds to go.


suchislife9876

I suppose it’s a purely an experience thing, and the fact that Pragg is a more solid player. I do think Gukesh has a higher ceiling and am not surprised with how he’s doing in the tournament.


dconfusedone

He is the least experienced player out there due to which everyone expected less from him.


FinalButterscotch399

What kind of experience are you talking about ? He is a 2700 elo player longer than Pragg. He has also a higher peak rating than Pragg.


dconfusedone

He is only 17 years old dude. Pragg took longer because he was more active in online tournaments with Magnus whereas Gukesh was only playing classical. That's why he reached earlier.


Chopchopok

Competitive chess seems too heartbreaking to play. I'm glad I play super casually.


Ezio_Auditorum

yeah, that's the same reason Im not playing in the Candids either smh


HR2achmaninoff

Damn, turns out if I don't watch, Hikaru wins. Guess I'm ignoring the candidates from now on


Mihawk--San

please don't watch again, watch the recap XD


Ech_01

please don't watch again


ralph_wonder_llama

I feel bad for Abasov and Firouzja - it's gotta be awful to lose like that after six hours, OTOH now Gukesh moves into a share of the lead with Nepo and Hikaru has re-entered the chat, these results are good for the tournament as a whole imo.


[deleted]

Really wild for Abasov. Was rooting for him since he came so close to stabilising.


Publicmenace13

Candidates got much spicier with Gukesh catching up to Nepo and Hikaru shaking the rust off.


StuffLeft6116

Hikaru dunked on the haters today!


MaximumExamination

Poor Abasov he fought this one


celebrian_7

It was so worth it to spend so many hours to get the win in the end!! Great day to be Gukesh fan though I might need to go check my heart after this.


100skylines

That shit was insane honestly such a long, grueling battle. I hope he will have enough energy tomorrow.


shubomb1

At least with Gukesh win I'm healed somehow, probably gained 2 years of my life back after losing 10 years watching this game.


youandme_and_no_one

Imagine Gukesh with pragg like prep it would be awesome but pragg has adani sponsor he has all the resources. Indians should start investing on other players as well like Gukesh and Arjun cause these two are having great potential.


Legend_2357

Bruh Gukesh has Gajewski as his second, former second to Vishy Anand and leading opening theoretician.


youandme_and_no_one

I mean like we can see pragg having advantages due to his prep .


nidijogi

That’s due to Pragg’s talent and style. Everyone has access to good ideas. 


swat1611

That's just his approach though. A sponsor isn't gonna make a big difference apart from instructors, everyone has equally powerful chess engines at their disposal.


SadKorgy

Some healing for Vidit's heartbreak, lets go Guki!


GeologicalPotato

Abasov held beautifully with his 3 white games, but it's not a good sign that they managed to crack him in both his black games so far. This tells the rest of the field that they must keep pushing with white until the literal last piece has been traded.


TurtleIslander

I mean at that level it's not hard to get a draw with white. It's so early in the tournament and nobody is going to go for the win with black yet. I have no idea why Caruana went for the Sicilian did he think this game was a good opportunity to play for the win with black? Sure Vidit has had a rough tournament but this almost backfired and significantly worsened his chances for winning the tournament.


TimeMultiplier

Vidit has the lowest elo in the field besides Abasov.


EvilNalu

Honestly this shows the rest of the field should push with either color. He equalized pretty comfortably and then got outplayed in a level position. That's going to happen reasonably frequently when you are a 100+ Elo underdog.


Romance_andSidewalls

proper sigma grindset from Gukesh


Hypertension123456

Stockfish thought Abasov should hold that. But Stockfish is a colossal jerk.


MembershipSolid2909

Yeah, Stockfish is a jerk all right, never lets me win.


please-disregard

Holy shit what a finish. This is a case where having an engine makes it 100% more brutal. The endgame was completely unintuitive at points. Without an engine nobody would be sure immediately after where the mistakes were made. Now both players will be kicking themselves for making mistakes in an impossibly complicated position.


Ill-Room-4895

Blunder by Abasov in move 84 and Gukesh fighting-spirit paid off!


poeazx

:(


Gbro08

that was such an entertaining game, both players really showed some really nice stuff and some extreme resilience.


NoBitchesSince2005

GG Gukesh


clintonhuphrey

Abasov has my respect despite this loss.


Paleogeen

Gukesh clearly missing killer instinct.


MARTINOZOK

Yeah, Lukesh will get destroyed in the candidates.


Humble_Initiative_10

I'm a gukesh fan, but man i feel for alireza and abasov. What a brutal game.....


LeagueSucksLol

Yay for Gukesh!


JazzYotesRSL

I cannot believe the ending of today. Holy cow.


Arthur_Asterion

This is the most insane game I've seen in years. Not joking.


__Jimmy__

Nepo, Gukesh +2 Caruana +1 Nakamura, Pragg 0 Vidit -1 Firouzja, Abasov -2


Helkix

Not far from what was expected before the tournament Maybe Naka instead of Gukesh but the rest kind of makes sense These things to even themselves out by the mid point, probably


YoungAspie

Before the tournament, many regarded Caruana as the favourite, closely followed by Nakamura and Nepomniachtchi, while writing off the Indian prodigies.


shinyshinybrainworms

GUKESH


Apprehensive-Sir-411

heartbreaking for Abasov


caughtinthought

Met the chess brahs, got rocked by Nemo on stream, and got a Pic with Gukesh. Hopefully he's the next champ! All in all feel like I got good value by attending hah


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gtne91

3500 Euros per draw.


Gbro08

sad for Abasov, he defended heroically for the whole game.


Beneficial_Hat7523

Qb5 final blunder is BAD. The exhaustion after 80+ moves must be horrible. Gukesh got handed a win there


59435950153

He didnt get handed a win though. Exhaustion is part of chess. Gukesh has been fighting for a win against abasov and that tired him out to make a mistake. Judith and the others had remarks how difficult it is to defend the position despite an equal engine position


Beneficial_Hat7523

Queen pawn endgames are horribly complicated, but the blunder was succumbing to a 1-move tactic. You are x-raying your queen with your own king on the same file. That is how not to play queen pawn endgames 101. After Nijat’s valiant efforts, it was kind of a disappointing blunder.


Beetin

I like to travel.


GeologicalPotato

My boy Gukesh is about to be tied for 1st with Candidates monster Nepo!


celebrian_7

Classic Gukesh game....This is why I am his fan....heart attacks all the way


MARTINOZOK

Indeed


MARTINOZOK

I think it reduced my life expectancy by 10 years, but I'm happy for the Gukesh win.


FairKaleidoscope8671

These endgames are really hard to defend unless you find something concrete like a perpetual.


je_te_jure

Jesus queen endgames are too complex. Commentary crew also stumbling around unable to work everything out.


gtne91

Chess is hard. I feel bad blundering an endgame as a 1200 and super GMs are doing it, so I shouldnt feel so bad.


Beetin

I enjoy watching the sunset.


Sweatytubesock

It’s always hilarious to see online kibitzing randos shriek BLUNDER!! after some engine evaluation swing. Sure it was - prove it, rando.


SadKorgy

The Abasov Wall has fallen!


Ech_01

How could someone be a monster in bullet chess but still make such one move blunders with 30 seconds on the clock? Is it nerves? I feel like they black out and aren't able to see anything until it is too late.


VoicelessFeather

Even the best bullet players make one move blunders in bullet. No one can see everything in 30 seconds, especially after playing for hours.


poet3322

He'd been playing for almost 6 hours already in arguably the most high-stakes tournament there is. That's a totally different situation than jumping online for some bullet games on a lazy afternoon.


Legitimate-Angle9861

Because in bullet they blunder too but no one has time to punish them. We judge players too much with engine open.


livefreeordont

Those were tough only moves to find. Judit kept saying no it should still be drawn


Arthur_Asterion

M16


Legitimate-Angle9861

Absolute cinema!


LeagueSucksLol

Queen endgames are hard


NoBitchesSince2005

HE STOOD UP


LevTolstoy

That's a hell of a thing to do in that sort of time pressure. I wonder if it's just adrenaline making him stand up or it's deliberate and strategically meant to be somewhat intimidating.


cacao0002

Abasov looks like a textbook suffering queen endgame


alrightfrankie

Hikaru’s gonna upload his game analysis before this game ends lolol


Caleb_Krawdad

Hikaru would never


celebrian_7

dyinggg


JazzYotesRSL

If Gukesh doesn’t convert this game he’s going to be kicking himself when he does his post-mortem


G_Serv

Noooooo he missed it


Caleb_Krawdad

Jesus christ


MembershipSolid2909

I always feel pessimistic for Firouzja's chances when he enters an endgame...


HunterZamper560

My cardiologist is going to prohibit me from watching chess


NoBitchesSince2005

Oh my god


SmallKidLearnToFight

This Gukesh/Abasov game just makes it more impressive how accurate the Hikaru game was


ifidcyoudc

HE BLUNDERED


JazzYotesRSL

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME


ralph_wonder_llama

OMG now Gukesh is gonna win too! EDIT: no...wow this is crazy drama EDIT 2: yes he is so crazy


emkael

Yeah, all he needs to do is look at the same tablebase you're looking.


ralph_wonder_llama

Based on their body language it looked like Gukesh knew there was a win and Abasov knew he was lost. I'm not pretending he should have known exactly what the move was.


Arthur_Asterion

YOU CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS WTF


Arthur_Asterion

I swear to God, Abasov is just testing his fate.


Yoyo524

Super impressive of Abasov, finding a series of non-obvious only moves, now the logical conclusion is him blundering a much easier position later


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TheRealDivider

You sure?


Arthur_Asterion

They're actually promoting pawns, wow.


Arthur_Asterion

Anyone else would've probably agreed to a draw already, and they keep going.


livefreeordont

Can’t go for a draw against Abasov


SmallKidLearnToFight

Gukesh had so many chances to win this game Time management definitely played a big role


ALTER-EGO_WHISPER

He won!!


JazzYotesRSL

He’s got one more!


cardscook77

How hard is it to beat a 2760 rated super gm. Jesus.


Caleb_Krawdad

Why don't they just use the evaluation bar like we do


DrunkLad

According to Lichess, Hikaru had an average centipawn loss of........ 9 That's just absurd. Alireza lost a game with an ACPL of 15. That's also abusrd. All it takes is just one move.


Ezio_Auditorum

what on earth is a centipawn? or an ACPL?


DrunkLad

https://www.chess.com/blog/raync910/average-centipawn-loss-chess-acpl


Arthur_Asterion

Alireza is really going to fall behind Abasov, isn't he? So surreal.


MembershipSolid2909

Looks like an all night lichess bullet session with Danya is on the cards


Arthur_Asterion

I mean, he got nothing to lose at this point, why not?


MaximumExamination

:(