Magnus Carlsen’s wait for challenger almost over as Candidates returns

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/apr/16/magnus-carlsen-wait-for-challenger-almost-over-candidates-returns-year-delay-covid-chess?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1618569813

23-year-old Russian Kirill Alekseenko came into the #FIDECandidates as the clear underdog. In the 1st half he made five draws but lost to Caruana & Giri. He starts tomorrow's Round 8 with White vs. Grischuk!

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/4

Chinese no. 1 & world no. 3 Ding Liren began the #FIDECandidates as joint favourite but suffered a disastrous start with losses to Wang Hao & MVL. He now needs an epic fightback & starts with Black vs. Wang Hao in tomorrow's Round 8:

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/2

Alexander Grischuk is the one player to draw all his games in the 1st half of the #FIDECandidates. For now he's only 6th on tiebreaks, but he has White vs. both leaders to come. He starts with Black vs. Alekseenko tomorrow: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/4

Wang Hao was reluctant to start the #FIDECandidates but his 1st round victory over Chinese compatriot Ding Liren was of huge significance. He nearly beat MVL as well, but was punished for one bad move vs. Nepo. He has White vs. Ding tomorrow: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/2

Anish Giri ended a sequence of 14 #FIDECandidates draws in Moscow 2016 by starting with a loss in Yekaterinburg, but he hit back to join the 4-player group on 50% with a win over Alekseenko. He's Black vs. Nepo in tomorrow's crucial 8th round: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/3

Pre-tournament favourite Fabiano Caruana is a point behind after some deep preparation vs. Ding Liren backfired, but if he can win tomorrow's game with White vs. co-leader MVL things will look very different!

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/1

#FIDECandidates

Caption this photo from today #FIDECandidates

🔗 Lennart Ootes (@LennartOotes)

30-year-old Ian Nepomniachtchi amazingly only entered the world Top 10 in 2019, but he raced to +3 in his 1st #FIDECandidates before losing to MVL. He has 4 Whites in the 2nd half, starting vs. Giri tomorrow!

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/3

Leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is also playing his 1st #FIDECandidates, as a late replacement for Radjabov! If his first 2 games go well - Black vs. world no. 2 Caruana & no. 3 Ding Liren - he'll have a great chance to challenge Magnus!

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/1

"I am ready to play and win the tournament, like the rest of the participants who are ready to fight with all their strength. We had a lot of time to prepare, so the games promise to be very interesting," - Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

A press conference dedicated to the #FIDECandidates Tournament, which resumes tomorrow in Yekaterinburg, was carried out today at the building of the Sverdlovsk union of journalists.

Press release: https://fide.com/news/1030

"Pure horror!" (Magnus Carlsen) for MVL as Fabiano Caruana unleashed a devastating novelty to win the first game back in Yekaterinburg and blow the #FIDECandidates race wide open! Full report:

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/candidates-r8-caruana-stuns-mvl-to-blow-race-wide-open

#c24live

A photo from 1961, featuring Stein, Kholmov and Taimanov.

🔗 David Llada ♞ (@davidllada)

GM Robert Byrne was born #onthisday in 1928.
The 1972 US Champion, Bryne represented the United States 9 times in #ChessOlympiads and won 7 medals. He was also a World Championship Candidate in 1974.
From 1972 to 2006, Bryne was the chess columnist for The New York Times.

"If a chess statistician were to try and satisfy his curiosity over which stage of the game proved decisive in the majority of cases, he would certainly come to the conclusion that it is the middlegame that provides the most decisive stage."

🔸 Alexander Kotov

@UnityChessClub

🔗 David Llada ♞ (@davidllada):
This is Jose Raul Capablanca. And that seemed to be the fashion those days.
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🔗 David Llada ♞ (@davidllada):
Guess the chess player!
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