CORUS round 1 LIVE

Subtitle: WORRALL-WISE:
WHEN TO PLAY QE2:
at move 5, move 6, or later?

TIVIAKOV vs CARLSEN
Corus round 1

My views as the game unfolded are below the playable game.





First game from the frozen North.
After Marakesh, Wijk-aan-Zee will be something of a shock.
Bleak at the best of times, this extra cold winter won't have improved the ambience of the place.
Glad I don't have to be there.
Anyways, today Carlsen faces Tiviakov as Black.
What new maroccan delights has Kasparov instilled in Carlsen's young brain?
We shall see.

C77, RUY LOPEZ



Spanish game, of course, as per instructions from Garry no doubt.



Tiviakov played 7.d3 against Godena in 2000 and lost in 35 moves.

8.Bg5 looks like a novelty.






This Worrall (if it still IS the Worrall with Qe2 being played before White castles) is showing a few minor sophistications as far as the Bishops are concerned, although it all ends up as usual.


Now the white Knight must travel to =f1= and =e3= before White can think of castling.

I can't quite see why White isn't taking control of the a2 - g8 diagonal while he has the chance.

Thye have each used 40 minutes so far.





I am not sure if this game has caught up with those where Qe2 is played later.

Finally: move 15.Bb3





Now, is this the gem position that Kasparov and Carlsen have been working on?
It's been a long time since I enjoyed a Ruy this much.

Move 20, and not a piece or pawn gone off the board.
I wonder what the longest game without exchanges is?
Correction: I had missed the daft Bishop exchange on move 15, when all looked better for White.
So now, after :




things look drawish. Pity. I can feel an attack of boredom coming on.

42 vs 58 mins



Hmmmmmm.
I would have preferred the reverse order:
21.Rxa4 Rxb2 22. Qxb2 Qxa4 23. Rb1

But what do I know.


23.Nd2???
What about doubling the Rooks on the a-file first?

Now what.
DSB to c7 rather than LSB to d7??

Probably not much in it whatever the sequence of Black's Bishop moves.

But what about 23...Bxd5 24. exd5 and then Bc7??? forcing White to concentrate on the kingside.


33 vs 43 mins.
Is Carlsen beginning his python campaign maybe at this point?
Playing less than perfect moves to make his opponent use up time.

He is a master in creating ambiguous positions, which he can work out faster than anybody else. It's a gift. I hope it doesn't burn out his grey cells at too fast a rate. He will need as many as possible for his later years.
In my ignorance, I am comparing these brain cells to pancreas beta cells, which cause all sorts of trouble if their numbers have fallen.

Ah, what do I know.
Getting bored.

White has 20 minutes for 15 moves.
I'm out of here.
I need a walk.
Back soon.

=========

Obviously they were getting bored too, as they drew as soon as I was out the door.

Quick draws are 'de rigeur' it seems.
They don't even get to the 40 moves.
I think the players need a good talking to: too many boring draws.
Let's hope they pull their sox up tomorrow.