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Chess Life Online 2009 March The Final Stretch in London: Kramnik or Carlsen
Chess Life Online 2009 March The Final Stretch in London: Kramnik or Carlsen | The Final Stretch in London: Kramnik or Carlsen |
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| December 14, 2009 | |
 After six rounds of the London Chess Classic, Nakamura has yet to post a win. This must be particularly disappointing to our US Champion because in this tournament, a win is equivalent to three points. GM Ian Rogers, reporting from the scene, told CLO that it's an error to call the 3-1-0 tabulation, "Sofia rules" and that "soccer scoring" or "Bilbao scoring" (in honor of the first high-level tournament in which it was used) are more accurate terms. After today's game, Nakamura said, "What can I say? I was Black and I tried to win but I never got any winning chances." 3912 Howell said, "He played his first 10 or 15 moves in less than a minutes so I was really worried. I think I must have had a big advantage somewhere but I couldn't find anything." Carlsen was in trouble today but wiggled out with a draw. 3910 In another crucial game in the fight for first, Kramnik prevailed over GM Nigel Short. 3911 Carlsen now has 12 points (3 draws, 3 wins, 0 losses), while Kramnik has 11 points (2 draws, 3 wins, 1 loss.) This gives Kramnik an advantage compared to traditional scoring systems: if Kramnik wins tomorrow (he plays our US Champion Nakamura) and Carlsen only draws (against Nigel Short), he will finish ahead of Magnus. According to traditional tabulation, a draw for Carlsen would clinch at least a tie for first. Catch tomorrow's games live on the official website or on the Internet Chess Club at a new time two hours earlier, 7 AM EST. |