26 April 2023

2023 Nepomniachtchi - Ding Liren, Third Week

In the previous report on this blog, 2023 Nepomniachtchi - Ding Liren, Second Week (April 2023), I summed up the action saying,
The last four games this week were all decisive, leaving Nepo with a +3-2=2 lead. As the game seven report implies, Ding Liren had the opportunity to take the lead.

Since then, all four games have ended in draws. Starting with last week's +3-2=2 and adding this week's +0-0=4 gives a current score of +3-2=6 in Nepo's favor, with three games still to be played. Ding will have the White pieces in two of those games.

Let's document the action using reports from the same site, worldchampionship.fide.com, and the same journalist, Milan Dinic. Here are his reports on the four draws:-

While writing this, I'm watching game 12 on YouTube's FIDE chess channel. Currently around move 30, the game has now entered a phase where the evaluation bar is swinging up and down on every move. I have rarely understood so little while watching an online game.

In a recent post on my main blog, World Championship Social Media 2023 (April 2023), I noted,

The main drawback to the FIDE broadcasts is the chat stream. There are some notable exceptions to the many cringeworthy comments, but how to eliminate the dross?

The chat has disappeared for game 12, so it appears that other people felt the same as I did. While I miss the knowledgeable comments, I can do without the racist and sexist slurs that are too common. Imagine watching a Grand Slam tennis tournament while rubes are hollaring insults at the players. There's no reason why we should accept such behavior during top chess events. Thanks, FIDE chess, for improving the atmosphere of your broadcast.

No comments: