FIDE Candidates 2022 Kicks off in Madrid

@Yuno_Me said in #46:
> wtf my prediction was proven wrong in the first 4 hours of the candidates. Ding already lost

Ding just has a new simple direct assignment - win 4 games with the rest all draws!
Piece of cake for him.
After games 2 and 3, we will know if Ding has managed to recover.
I still have hope for Ding finishing within the top 3!

@thefrickouttaherelol said in #19:
> This is one of the most exciting Candidates in a long time. So many "wildcards" for one reason or another. Firouzja training in secret, Liren given a free spot, Duda insistent they deserve a shot at the championship, Nepo potentially learning from his mistakes.
>
> My personal rankings:
>
> 1) Fabi
> 2) Firouzja
> 3) Nepo
> ...
> 4) Duda
> 5) Liren
> 6) Nakamura
> 7) Rapport
> 8) Radjabov
>
> I do not personally think Firouzja is ready unless his secret training will pay off. I doubt Nepo can actually learn from his mistakes. I think Duda is over-estimating himself. I don't think Liren is creative enough to face against Magnus. Nakamura doesn't stand a chance against Magnus or anyone with very strong chess fundamentals at the GM level (sorry!).
>
> I actually wish Rapport was a bit stronger as I've seen his recent games on GothamChess and there is potential but his chess is too wild to be considered seriously. I don't know who Radjabov is personally.
>
> I only think my personal top 3 have any real chance. I don't know why Liren is being given a real chance here. I think he's evidence that you can be an overall globally ranked player without ever being truly amazing. I've never seen Ding Liren go out of his comfort zone or do anything truly brilliant.
>
> Firouzja and Fabi have done brilliant things, and Nepo plays exciting chess. Fabi is the only one who has proven the level of endurance needed and creativity to keep up with Magnus, though!

I got downvoted for these rankings, but who's laughing now? :)

I'm sticking to my guns here. Fabi remains the most fundamentally strong player, but Nepo is ready for his comeback! Firouzja is brilliant but gets stuck in weird positions.

Duda had an edge but kept losing it.

Liren, Nakamura, Rapport and Radjabov underperformed as expected. Come on now. Let's see how the rest of this tournament plays out, but my bets remain!

@Antillana said in #50:
> Buenas noches veo Ding 1 Firouzja 2 lo veo creativo pero ?Caruana lo veo seguro nepomn iachtchi se puede agotar en la final ,kicaro lo veo estable

пора обедать

Fabi
>2) Firouzja
>3) Nepo
>...
>4) Duda
>5) Liren
>6) Nakamura
>7) Rapport
>8) Radjabov
>
>I do not personally think Firouzja is ready unless his secret training will pay off. I doubt Nepo can actually learn from his mistakes. I think Duda is over-estimating himself. I don't think Liren is creative enough to face against Magnus. Nakamura doesn't stand a chance against Magnus or anyone with very strong chess fundamentals at the GM level (sorry!).
>
>I actually wish Rapport was a bit stronger as I've seen his recent games on GothamChess and there is potential but his chess is too wild to be considered seriously. I don't know who Radjabov is personally.
>
>I only think my personal top 3 have any real chance. I don't know why Liren is being given a real chance here. I think he's evidence that you can be an overall globally ranked player without ever being truly amazing. I've never seen Ding Liren go out of his comfort zone or do anything truly brilliant.
>
>Firouzja and Fabi have done brilliant things, and Nepo plays exciting chess. Fabi is the only one who has proven the level of endurance needed and creativity to keep up with Magnus, though!

I got downvoted for these rankings, but who's laughing now? :)

I'm sticking to my guns here. Fabi remains the most fundamentally strong player, but Nepo is ready for his comeback! Firouzja is brilliant but gets stuck in weird positions.

Duda had an edge but kept losing it.

Liren, Nakamura, Rapport and Radjabov underperformed as expected. Come on now. Let's see how the rest of this tournament plays out, but my bets remain!

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SantoshWildlifeArt
5 часов назад

#53
Regarding Carlsen not playing unless Firouzja wins, that's a clever bit of psyop there by Carlsen. He very well knows that Firouzja poses the only real threat to him in the current field, so he's trying to pile enormous pressure on the youngster, hoping either the praise will get to his head or he'll crumble with the expectations. And Magnus gets to face another uncreative, fairly non-threatening player.

But no matter who wins, Magnus will play. The guy is simply too competitive and egoistic to slink away into relinquishing is crown and fading into dubious retirement. EVEN if Nepo wins, Magnus will play, if only to pummel him into the ground once more, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind who is world champion. Magnus didn't become WC by retiring spirit. He likes to kill people on the board. He won't give up on the opportunity for spilling some blood, no matter if its stale blood.

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@SantoshWildlifeArt said in #53:
> Regarding Carlsen not playing unless Firouzja wins, that's a clever bit of psyop there by Carlsen. He very well knows that Firouzja poses the only real threat to him in the current field

I wouldn't be too sure about that. Firouzja, whilst clearly brilliant, can have dips in performance. It'd be a tough ask for Firouzja to maintain his performance long enough to win the candidates, then beat Carlsen in a bruising championships match at such a young age. I think Firouzja would suit Magnus down to the ground. Of course, Firouzja could confound my expectations and achieve just this, but it's a superhuman task with his relative lack of experience.

On the other hand, I doubt Carlsen would relish playing Fabi again. Fabi is relentlessly consistent, and has proven already that he can stay the pace over a championship match. I think Fabi would have at least a 50:50 chance against Magnus. I doubt any other candidate could say the same.

On a separate note, Fabi is the world champion Chess needs. A brilliant player, who is also personable, likeable and an excellent communicator.

I want Firouzja to win

Nakamura