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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid) Tournament
Fabiano Caruana4/5(+3 -0 =2)[games]
Hikaru Nakamura3.5/5(+3 -1 =1)[games]
Levon Aronian3/5(+2 -1 =2)[games]
Magnus Carlsen2/5(+1 -2 =2)[games]
Boris Gelfand1.5/5(+0 -2 =3)[games]
Viswanathan Anand1/5(+0 -3 =2)[games]

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid) (2014)

Played in Zurich, Switzerland 4 February 2014, as part of the Zurich Chess Challenge (2014) (which see for details). Official site: http://www.zurich-cc.com/archive/zc...

            1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Caruana   * 1 ½ 1 ½ 1  4 
2 Nakamura  0 * 1 ½ 1 1  3½ 
3 Aronian   ½ 0 * 1 ½ 1  3
4 Carlsen   0 ½ 0 * 1 ½  2
5 Gelfand   ½ 0 ½ 0 * ½  1½
6 Anand     0 0 0 ½ ½ *  1

 page 1 of 1; 15 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Gelfand vs Carlsen 0-1232014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A58 Benko Gambit
2. Anand vs Aronian 0-1442014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A56 Benoni Defense
3. Caruana vs Nakamura 1-0442014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A62 Benoni, Fianchetto Variation
4. Nakamura vs Anand 1-0262014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A01 Nimzovich-Larsen Attack
5. Aronian vs Carlsen 1-0532014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)E06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3
6. Caruana vs Gelfand  ½-½512014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)B52 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
7. Gelfand vs Aronian  ½-½392014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)E06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3
8. Carlsen vs Nakamura ½-½702014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack
9. Anand vs Caruana 0-1702014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)B28 Sicilian, O'Kelly Variation
10. Anand vs Gelfand ½-½912014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)B92 Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation
11. Caruana vs Carlsen 1-0442014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A04 Reti Opening
12. Nakamura vs Aronian 1-0782014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A01 Nimzovich-Larsen Attack
13. Gelfand vs Nakamura 0-1492014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A80 Dutch
14. Aronian vs Caruana  ½-½422014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)A04 Reti Opening
15. Carlsen vs Anand ½-½352014Zurich Chess Challenge (Rapid)C67 Ruy Lopez
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
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Feb-04-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  keypusher: <BobWhoosta> Yes, I can't blame him for drawing in the last round to clinch the tournament, especially since he obviously wasn't in great form today. But to replicate one of the duller games from the Anand match...that is a bit much. Or rather, not nearly enough.

I'm not inclined to make too much of it. I think the format of the event, a single round robin classical followed by a day of rapid, indicates that it isn't to be taken too seriously. But if a chess contest isn't serious, it ought to be entertaining. Generally, this tournament fulfilled that objective, but Carlsen's last-round rapid didn't.

Feb-04-14  Doniez: <capafisher1> and <SirRuthless> and blitz games are rated, too
Feb-04-14  Refused: True, but we all look at the classical rating not the Blitz or Rapid thing.
Feb-04-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  perfidious: <keypusher: Unsporting, grandmasters!>

Will they get a year away from international play as punishment for their transgression, as Korchnoi did?

Feb-04-14  SirRuthless: <Refused> I look at them all and Carlsen is not the best 960, blitzer or rapid player, obviously. He is classical chess world champion that is going to have to be good enough for you for the foreseeable future whether you like it or not.
Feb-04-14  Jason Frost: <SirRuthless> Don't think the <obviously> should be there. Carlsen has had some very strong blitz/rapid results, just doesn't seem like he plays them as much anymore and perhaps doesn't take them as seriously.
Feb-04-14  chessguru1: Anand is unrecognizable. This(rapid) is supposed to be one of his strengths. Time for a re-think his chess, ditch seconds who are not compatible with his style, etc...or, the easy way out, RETIRE.
Feb-04-14  john barleycorn: <chessguru>. tell it to anand in person.
Feb-04-14  chessguru1: <john barleycorn> I will johnny boy...all he has to do is read the comment section of chessgames to realize that it's time for a re-think.
Feb-04-14  john barleycorn: <chessguru1> if you tell him there is nothing for him to do...
Feb-04-14  SirRuthless: I sincerely hope to see him back in action at his best for candidates. It just sucks to see the great ones losing "it."
Feb-04-14  Sokrates: These blitzes and rapids are fun and entertaining, but it's the real chess that counts. Agree with <Jason Frost> that Carlsen may not put that much energy in the quick genres anymore. -

It's very sad - in all tournament forms here in Zürich - to watch the fall of Anand. This former champ, who thrilled us all for decades with his often stellar play, seems to have lost his self-confidence completely. This is not the Anand who beat Kramnik, this is a mere shadow of the great, sympathetic master. So sad.

Feb-05-14  visayanbraindoctor: <Sokrates: It's very sad - in all tournament forms here in Zürich - to watch the fall of Anand.>

Anand is psychologically 'burnt out', I believe. We'll see in the Candidates if he recovers.

<capafischer1: Why combine the different time formats???>

I do not think they should be combined. Way more errors in quick games, and beauty in chess suffers.

<capa and fischer> IMO were the strongest quick game players in chess history. Fischer AFAIK never made much of his abilities in quick games. And Capablanca, the strongest ever quick game player, was actually scornful of quick games, never mind if he was untouchable in it his entire life.

Rapid (transit) tournaments may have been common pre-WW2 (as posts in the Capablanca page recount), but in the Soviet era, Botvinnik's (who seemed to have hated quick games) influence shunted them out. In the post Soviet era, they have become common again. I have nothing against them, but would prefer if tournament sponsors treat them different from classical long chess.

Feb-05-14  mrbasso: <I mean, it's the last round after 5 classical days in a row> Wow, really? 5 classical games in a row?
What a huge effort this is!
Feb-05-14  Wavy: I do prefer to watch rapid games because we can know the result in just a short time. Not to mention that we can see moves a little faster unlike the classical games where I am watching both the games and the paint drying. :-)
Feb-05-14  Sokrates: IMO it's impossible to clearly rank the all-time greatest. One could at most make groups of close-to-equals. In the upper group, I'd place: Capablanca, Lasker, Aljekhine, Botvinnik, Fischer, Karpov and Kasparov. Carlsen would likely be a strong candidate, but we have yet to see a longer reign by him. Am I sure about that upper group? No! My criteria is a long-termed demonstration of strength and supremacy. That is, IMO, common for all the above mentioned masters.
Feb-05-14
Premium Chessgames Member		  LIFE Master AJ: Fabiano Caruana won the Rapid, in my mind, he has to be the next big threat/challenger to Magnus Carlsen.
Feb-05-14  MarkFinan: AJ.. Aronian is the only person who comes close to Carlsen at the moment, Nakamura too if he gets that first victory. You know what it's like when you play someone every day or week for ages, and you always lose. Then one day you beat them, you don't look back! Once he gets over that first hurdle he'll be like Usain Bolt, lol. And you can't judge someone by how they played in a rapid match, if things worked like that he'd have won it in normal time controls.
Feb-05-14  notyetagm: <SirRuthless: The *are rated*>

Yes, blitz and rapid games are *all* rated now.

They count towards the player's FIDE Blitz and FIDE Rapid raing, not the Classical rating.

Feb-05-14  SetNoEscapeOn: "DRR," Zurich organizers. Logical, fair, and satisfying.
Feb-06-14  Sokrates: <MarkFinan> On Nakamura. He HAD normal time controls in the classic tournament. +1, -2 and some draws isn't exactly arguments for your notion. Nakamura's results have been oscillating up and down - his record vs. Carlsen is miserable - couldn't win by his overwhelming position. Aronian, Kramnik, even Caruana have more chances against Carlsen than Nakamura.
Feb-06-14  SirRuthless: <Sokrates> All of whom have infinite chances compared to a nobody like you.
Feb-06-14  corbulo: <SirRuthless> Wow you really told him. You go girl!
Feb-07-14  Sokrates: <SirRuthless> Ouch! That hurt coming from a balanced, erudite man like you - who also kindly obeys rule no. 3 in the posting guidelines. Thanks for the compliment! Feeling better now?
Feb-07-14  SirRuthless: <Sokrates> Thanks for a moment of your precious time, friendo.
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