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Three draws, including between the top two leaders Caruana and Mamedyarov meant no change at the top of the standings. Caruana clings to a half point advantage with four rounds to play. But one of the other big stories of the tournament has been the rollercoaster ride of "Big Vlad", who has been involved in the most decisive games of the tournament — four losses but now after beating Levon Aronian for the second time this tournament — also three wins. The Armenian is on the verge of becoming the first player to be mathematically eliminated.
German football legend Felix Magath scored the winning goal in the 1983 European Team Championship, and is also a chess fan | Photo: World Chess
ChessBase contributor IM Marco Baldauf explains in detail in his game commentary how the two top players today tried to secure an advantage, but in the end were unsuccessful:
The Catalan: A complete repertoire for White!
The Catalan is one of the most solid openings for White. It forms part of the large and strong fianchetto family in which White builds his strategy mainly around the bishop on g2. Grandmaster Victor Bologan covers all of Black’s replies to the Catalan, some of which can even transpose to other openings such as the Tarrasch System and the Queen’s Indian. Suffice it to say that the Catalan rules!
GM Daniel King also takes a crack at it for his Power Play Chess channel
Vladimir Kramnik had a lot of plans for this tournament — you could see that easily from his furious start. As the fortunate beneficiary of the wild card, he received a fresh chance to vie for the highest title once more. But his enterprising play has ended in catastrophe one too many times, and Kramnik's win today is but cold comfort. Barring a miracle, he's out of the running to face Carlsen.
In the actual DVD Bologan covered all answers by Black against 3.Bc4, especially 3...Bc5, presenting all relevant possibilities for White.
Bravo to Kramnik for having the stomach to keep on fighting after so many painful losses. it takes extraordinary self-posession and creative energy to tend to one's wounds and re-enter the battlefield with such bold and fearless play.#BerlinCandidates #c24live https://t.co/dD5cdK2rqW
— Jonathan Rowson (@Jonathan_Rowson) March 22, 2018
The game today between the two Russians was somehow lacking on both sides, that absolute will to win, to grab the very last (Karakin) or perhaps penultimate (Grischuk) chance of winning the tournament:
Attacking the Semi-Slav with g3
The Semi-Slav with 5.g3 offers White a simple but dangerous weapon to fight one of Black's most popular options against 1.d4. Rather than emphasizing on the loads of theory, the 60 min DVD thoroughly explains typical plans for White to develop his pieces effectively while keeping an eye on tactical traps.
A tenth draw in the tenth game for the Chinese Ding Liren, who is thus all but out of the race for the Carlsen challenge. Wesley So had already cratered at the beginning of the tournament, and in light of this the game between the two was not the most exciting, although there was a certain imbalance after the opening:
A waiting Game in the Queen's Indian 7...Na6
Let FIDE Senior Trainer and IM Andrew Martin introduce you to the Tiviakov method, where he covers all of 8.b3, 8.Re1, 8.Bf4, 8.Bg5, 8.a3, 8.Qa4 and 8.d5 and all in around an hour!
Day by day, draw by draw, Ding's chances of winning the tournament quickly wane | Photo: World Chess
Translation from German: Macauley Peterson
