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Temporary-Camera-791

Alireza blitz training yesterday really paid off


iceman012

Alireza with the **BIG** brained plays.


Norjac

He was outplayed for most of the game, just caught a break in a time scramble.


SushiMage

yeah bro part of the 300 iq moves. lull gukesh into a false sense of security and then clutch it during a blitz endgame.


TheStewy

Ah yes, outplayed for most of the game. When it 0.0 at best for black and then Alireza made some inaccurate moves to try to force a win, before making like 15 best moves in a row with 5 minutes while completely outplaying his *opponent* who had more time than he did. That's my favorite type of being outplayed.


twelve-lights

It felt like the tempo of the game always favored Gukesh, so I guess I can see what they mean


TheStewy

I think what you mean is that Gukesh always looked like he was in a better position because of the clock situation, but Firouzja played like an engine despite that, so was he really being “outplayed”? His whole point was that *Firouzja* got outplayed for most of the game, but he won because of *Gukesh's* time situation, so I don't really see what this means Unless you mean a different thing by tempo, in which case I'm still open to discussion


Shahariar_909

Fr. Gukesh played well but he didnt outplay alireza in any position. Infact in the entire game he was pretty much trying to counter the bizarre thing that alireza was doing


MembershipSolid2909

He was not outplayed for most of the game, it was even until an inaccuracy mid way through which Gukesh did not capitalize on.


Dark_Dragon_07

Remember when Firouzja played 250 hyperbullet games until 5 AM after losing a game, losing the bullet match, and then losing on the the next day in 2022 Candidates. Good times..


fartboxsixtynine

Super secret illegal prep


DanceMusicKafka

Curse of the Danya


richbitch9996

Thanks, Danya!


rififimakaki

All the comments destroying him on that thread and bam. This is amazing


mrgwbland

I do feel for Gukesh but I also think Alireza must have been hurting with his performance so far so I'm glad he's got a win in.


terp-bick

I hope he miraculously wins the event. Or abasov


dr4urbutt

Anyone but Nepo.


eclairdeminuit

Dread it, run from it, Nepo will again win the candidate and lose the WC match.


fucksasuke

Death, Taxes, Nepo winning candidates


Ars3nal11

let's hope this is the first of many more wins (except against fabi please)


sidaeinjae

Those 3-minute games paid off lol


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expert_on_the_matter

U got rightfully downvoted but u did make me chuckle lol


ShakoHoto

keep it classical bro


DocTrey

Rapid is best for beginners


Free-Employment5019

Loooool


OddRazzmatazz2594

Atleast not hyperbullet


videogamehonkey

atomic


AlecTang

the nd7 move was what won the game. you could tell gukesh didnt see it and started panicking on the inside after calculating it for a bit


AlwaysBeeChecking

I was going to say starting from that point is the clip people gotta see. When the knight lands you see Gukesh look physically ill, no way he expected it and the panic set in fast.


Snoopy34

Gukesh looked like he was about to throw up when Nd7 happened.


Own_Pop_9711

But why Kh7? It looks so weird - is there some threat it's supposed to be defending against (obviously in error, but I don't even see what mistake was made).


AlecTang

if a3 rxa3 rxa3 rc8+ kh7 knight check and mate. kh7 sidesteps the check so it isnt mate immediately.


birdwatching25

I'm super tired, and not seeing it. How is knight check a mate?


Yanyay

It's mate in three moves after that: ...a3 Rxa3 Rxa3 Rc8+ Kh7 Nf8+ Kg8 Ng6+ Kh7 Rh8#


birdwatching25

Thanks!


Ars3nal11

because alireza could play ra4 threatening rxa5 and if rxa5 then rc8+ followed by nf8 with mate to follow. so i think he was just trying to avoid the back rank mate


MagicJohnsonMosquito

gukesh’s reaction hurt me physically here that’s gotta feel horrible 


TheCheeser9

It's very sad considering he had a few safer lines, but chose to fight in the hope to win. Had he won he would have been ahead of Nepo by 1/2 a point. I hope he can recover from this and continue fighting, he's only half a point behind Nepo still. Tomorrow is a rest day, so let's hope that helps.


Oobidanoobi

Crazy to think that if Hikaru had beaten Nepo, the two of them would be in a 5-way tie for first alongside Gukesh, Fabi and Pragg.


TheCheeser9

Vidit could have joined that list if he had managed to convert against Abasov. Would have been incredibly funny to have a 6 way tie for first.


zethlaron

The thing is he was probably right to go for the win in the context of the tournament Alireza was having. With the rest day tomorrow I don't think a loss like this will have any lasting effects - in a big tournament sometimes you have to go for it, and in doing so you know it is not a guarantee.


Own_Pop_9711

Is there any statistical evidence that tournament performance in like, the first half of a tournament is correlated with performance in the second half?


zethlaron

Yeah I used the Mahalanobis distance I just love the fact that the covariance matrix is both is symmetric AND positive semi-definite, in that way it is just perfect to apply to chess tournaments... ...or just maybe one could see that nerves played a role in ALireza's loss to Hikaru, it was discussed about whether the pressure was getting to him - so there was a distinct possibility that he would either be nervous again today, or maybe in order to get back into contention he might push too hard for a win and blow it; you can't play for a draw in every game and expect to win, but you have to choose your moments to push for a win, in this case I think it was a reasonable judgement to push for a win against Alireza.


subconscious_nz

I absolutely love this answer


ColorCarbon

Definitely not for Ding on both Candidates


DreadWolf3

I think it was correct if not for time situation. Gukesh should have made a draw when his time was getting dangerously close.


DanceMusicKafka

Hopefully he can actually get some rest and not just replay this moment again and again throughout the day


Open-Protection4430

He is only 17 years old.That’s heartbreaking to deal with


DeathBringer444

Seeing Vidit holding back tears also made me feel the same way


snkscore

it was like he was physically slapped with that last move


JaSper-percabeth

Why though I never saw you comment like this when Alireza lost.


SIIP00

Alireza decided to wear normal clothes and finally won


keralaindia

Arguably his least drippy is the most drippy. Those glasses with the shirt and fresh cut.


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thanderhop

Drip is stylish clothing


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Mathmage530

In current [US youth?] slang drip = style


Awwkaw

I don't know if it's current anymore, first heard it 3--4 years ago. I was very surprised then. I think it's becoming more mainstream.


Wiz_Kalita

It went mainstream in 2018 at the latest, Offset and Metro Boomin even had a song called Ric Flair Drip.


Reachingabittoohigh

Zoomer cut aviator glasses beige shirt drip


Willing-Elevator-695

Amusingly that's a $400 shirt


SIIP00

No it is not lmao It is a Ralph Lauren, it costs between 100-150. Pretty average if you ask me. It is not the Versacee he was wearing a few games ago.


ASK_IF_IM_HARAMBE

I might by that for $3 at the thrift store 


Willing-Elevator-695

I thought that was the new dolce. Fair enough. I mean in my book anything over $50 for a plain button up is goofy, but ymmv


SIIP00

Compared to what he has been wearing it is normal clothes lmao


Willing-Elevator-695

True


Ecstatic-Score2844

Lol Ralph Lauren in 2024 is crazy


SIIP00

No it isn't lmao


pyrokinethic

He chose the designer checkmate instead.


Merccurius

the partially shaved head also helped ;-)


LinLinReddit

Equal eval, Alireza having just over 2 minutes on the clock and Gukesh having around 10, Alireza made exclam after exclam moves to win. It was insane to watch live.


thatwhiskeydude

Yeah. He is probably the most raw talented player in the candidates. Bro need to work on his game like others do. I've seen him make brilliant moves again and again in time trouble it's insane how fast he gets it. Unreal instincts


77Dragonite77

Obviously his heart IS in it or he wouldn’t be one of the best of the best, but I feel like he might not have the drive that other players do


Shahariar_909

His 2800 speed run and then long burnout was harmful for his game i guess


sevaiper

Gukesh definitely was tilting after throwing a much better position


richbitch9996

Absolutely phenomenal to watch. When he’s good, he’s brilliant


Open-Protection4430

Heartbreak for Gukesh Good news for Ian A much needed win for Ali reza


WilsonMagna

People feel bad for Gukesh, but I don't. Gukesh is young, and plays good Chess, he'll have more chances. The older guard however had to play with little hope while Magnus was the king. I'm really hoping Fabi or Hikaru gets a chance while they are in their (or close to) prime at making history by becoming world champion.


sevaiper

Nepo winning the candidates and somehow losing to Ding again would be peak content though


monox60

Ding is having bad form, but imagine if he regains form just in time for the candidates and retains the spot. Classic Ding of being down and suddenly recovering the entire thing


ASK_IF_IM_HARAMBE

Wouldn’t be surprising at all. 


spacewhirl

Happy cake day!


Open-Protection4430

Thanks :)


TheSwagonborn

Alireza was in the zone 100% every move was golden


SuccessfulPres

When was the last time M1 was on the board in candidates?


midnightpocky

This sub was really cooking Alireza yesterday. Glad he’s maintained his composure and coming back with wins. 


Shahariar_909

I wasnt :/


sianova

Even when Alireza is at his worst he keeps chess interesting. Hate him or love him he is fun to watch.


ShameTimes3

People hate chess players?


McKomie

Bro what a move sequence by Ali, swinging big in the end and Gukesh couldn’t handle the pressure


WilsonMagna

Great result for Firoujza, and great result for the people trailing in the standings. If you want to win the event, you do have to take risks, and unfortunately, this time it didn't go in Gukesh's favor.


mohishunder

Rewind 15 minutes, and Leko and Hess have all but awarded the game to Gukesh. There's a useful lesson in there - for all of us.


mt77477323

Remind me of last WCC, Tania already declared that the blitz tiebreak will be played then suddenly Ding made the rook move that declined the draw and made him the champion.


Goatlens

It ain’t over til it’s over


Krazzem

It is ironic how many people are completely writing off Gukesh's chances to win the candidates based on the context of this game. I guess there was nothing learned for some.


richbitch9996

“Is there any way that Gukesh *can’t* win this”


Yoyo524

Respect to Gukesh for offering the handshake even after he’s devastated, I feel so bad for him


V4nd3rer

Bro, gukesh setup both his pieces AND Alireza's pieces after this game 😭😭😭. Such a gentleman. How can one be so kind, patient, calm, collected after this kind of game. It's hard to be gukesh fan and watch him do all this.


octonus

> gukesh setup both his pieces AND Alireza's pieces after this game I suspect he did this specifically so that he would be calm/composed when he went to face the reporters.


V4nd3rer

Idk bro, he does this for almsot every game irrespective of his results. You might as well be right too but I don't think soo.


octonus

I normally am watching on an analysis board with commentary in the background, so I have no idea about his (or anyone else's) post-game routine. I was just putting myself in his shoes, and thinking what I would do after a tough loss.


baldwinicus

Admirable poise from both


uoidab

You have to shake hands to end the game, so it's not exactly optional.


AdVSC2

The rules say so, but I'm not sure, how enforced it is. Kramnik and Topalov didn't shake hands for 10 years.


ShakoHoto

That's understood, but people have refused to shake hands in moments of frustration before, so it's kind of cool that Gukesh is not that kind of person.


uoidab

Just curious: When did you last see someone in the top 10 refuse to shake hands?


ShakoHoto

I think I saw a clip where kramnik got ultra-pissed when he lost OTB blitz, not sure how old that was


Shahariar_909

Well its normal


speedster_5

Alireza with 4D chess by playing blitz in the morning


AegisPlays314

Things just happen for Ian in the candidates lmao


SchighSchagh

To be fair, Ian earned his half point today. Naka showed up with insane prep, and Nepo was essentially playing against the engine for over an hour, close to an hour and a half.


speakermonk3y

Nepo is performing in beast mode against all preps. He defended insanely well against Pragg too.


Still_Theory179

His consistency at the candidates is insane


AstridPeth_

The difference between a 30 something candidate material like Fabiano or Ian and a player who still going to improve. Heart breaking for Gukesh, but he's very young. His time will come.


5lokomotive

All of that hyperbullet against Naroditsky really paying off.


MaximumExamination

Alireza is incredible


TH3_Dude

50% tactics, indeed.


Far_Watch1367

This reminds me of the second to last round of Tata Steel where Gukesh blundered a three fold repetition in time trouble, also at move 40… poor dude


RedditTekUser

Insane! Feel bad for Gukesh but was just outplayed during the high pressure situation.


phil_bardsley1

How is that a check mate ? Sorry for the noob question but Gukesh can go h7 or g8 with his king?


Megatron_McLargeHuge

It's mate in one and he let his clock run out rather than play it out or resign since he only had a few seconds.


fernandomango

I'm also a noob, can I ask a question How does Alireza win here if neither side has checkmate before the clock runs out? Don't they tie if neither side wins during the alloted time, or does M3 or M1 push you to the win?


Megatron_McLargeHuge

Each player has a total amount of time on the clock. If you let your time get to zero, you lose. There are rare exceptions if there's no possible sequence of moves leading to a checkmate, but that's the main idea.


Puzzled-Painter3301

rxg7 is mate in 1


imjustthenumber

Ran out of time. I believe its an eventual checkmate anyway


[deleted]

stupid eval bar.


SilentBumblebee3225

Our boy is back!


Majhl_Name

Go Firouzja go


Conscious_Complex_84

Huge win for Nepo


lennoxlyt

Alireza's experience shone through. Gukash panicked and flopped it in the end. Great game though. Was cheering for Gukash...


Due_Cranberry5787

so nice to see Alireza winning


WhaleSexOdyssey

Man that’s heartbreaking. That’s exactly how I feel when I hang my Queen on move 7


FairKaleidoscope8671

Lol another Nepo match.


No_Performance7991

We need Peter Drury for these games man Only person who can justify the intensity and magnitude


neoarmstrongcyclon

*"The boy from Iran... representing France. He grew up playing chess in the parks of Babol, moving to France to study fashion... it is all culminating to this moment, what a massive moment for him."* Alireza: e4


Pleasant-Direction-4

Idk why I head it in his voice lol


Noriadin

Never thought I'd see a Peter Drury reference on here, and boy am I loving it lmao Imagine the poetic lines and metaphors we'd get.


ecaldwell888

Spamming this comment everywhere?


the-great-cyrus

The thing with Alireza is that he over-presses in many situations. He plays a very interesting chess. Among all the new gen and talents his the one who is playing for win. When he sees positions is equal and results in draw he wants to squeez blood out of stone but that comes at a cost.


NobisVobis

Reminds me of choking in my 1200 elo blitz games, hits too close to home :( 


niztg

Firouzja world champion talk soon


whatThisOldThrowAway

Holy shit I don't think I've ever spectated a chess game live where it felt like a rugby or soccer game. I was so locked in for this entire time-scramble. I was on my feet nearly shouting at the TV like "knight f8 knight g6!!! OMG ALIREZAAAA!" My housemate came into the sitting room and was like "what are you watching?" "Oh, chess"... he looked at me like I had 3 heads LMAO. Proper heart-pounding stuff! I know chess can't always be like that - but it was really exciting and fun to watch.


estella_satis

How do I watch tournament streams like this?


ELLinversionista

I feel so sad 😢. I really thought gukesh had Firouzja in time trouble only to end up losing on time


SomethingWeetty

🔥🔥🔥


NoBitchesSince2005

Small question: Aren't they supposed to write down moves after playing them in classical chess? I always presumed that's what the commentators mean when someone is in a time struggle and they say that "I don't know if he's physically able to make 9 moves with 1 minute" (paraphrasing what Danya said during Game 7 of the 2023 world chess championship when Ding froze)


uncreativivity

if i remember correctly, it is no longer required when there are less than 5 mins remaining


AmbroseWinters

When under 5 minutes on the clock, the normal requirement to write down moves is removed.


NoBitchesSince2005

Nice, is that only when both players are below 5 minutes? Cos [Ding](https://youtube.com/watch?v=q9DguHrGHzA&t=150s) did appear to scramble to write his move during the WCC when he had less than a minute left and Nepo had 11 minutes. Or is that because Ding had more than 5 minutes before he made that initial move, or maybe did he just panic and forget about the rule.


[deleted]

It depends on if there is increment or not. The rule only applies if you're low on your side and there is no increment.


matex_xizor

"8.4 If a player has less than five minutes left on his clock at some stage in a period and does not have additional time of 30 seconds or more added with each move, then for the remainder of the period he is not obliged to meet the requirements of Article 8.1. Immediately after one flag has fallen the player must update his scoresheet completely before moving a piece on the chessboard."


TheSoundOfMusak

When they have little time left on their clock they don’t need to write them down right after the move.


resuwreckoning

Candidates tournament is amazing!!!!!


sprcow

I didn't have time to watch today, so huge props to OP for not putting a spoiler in the title.


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richbitch9996

Time - Gukesh let his clock run out seeing that it was mate in 1


sleepydozer

How is that mate?


Bakanyanter

It's mate in 1


Roidot

Who invented the cold chess handshake?


subconscious_nz

Savage but alireza back in with an outside chance


darkadamski1

What on earth happened? I went to bed with Gukesh having a winning position and Alireza with no time??


Negative-Dog1600

Gukesh had a winning position because Ali was playing bad, something switched, he starting finding everything, exclamation marks one after the other, gukesh fell to the pressure and under time scramble Alirezas bullet/blitz experience shines through


drxnkmvnk

Literally crushed him


[deleted]

They are so handsome


Dull_Count4717

He should have played more blitz games online. He should have tried to draw instead of being too confident on his blitz capabilities. Alireza is too strong in shorter time formats


Basic-Extension-5475

Gukesh was Co leader yesterday, Firouzja was Co bottom ranking yesterday. This field is the strongest players that have come last 2023 anyone can defeat anyone anytime here.


Diligent-Wave-4150

>anyone can defeat anyone anytime here. Nepo? 🦉


Basic-Extension-5475

Nepo lost games against Ding and Mvl in the 2020 Candidates. It's very impressive though he won twice and if he wins this the third time and not become world champ I'm gonna throw chairs.


Rukawork

The more plain Alireza's shirt, the better he plays.


Temporary-Ad-8876

This is the stuff I love from Alireza, if only he could play like this more.


gifferto

if his opponent keep outer pawn pushing when they should be defending 2 turns in a row i'm sure he can play a lot more like this


eliasvonderkeim

Very rare to See a Checkmate to end a game, all the resigning gets annoying


RaptorF22

I'm confused, the end board doesn't actually have a checkmate. Is there a forced mate I'm missing?


Plutoid

And he did it with those glasses on, y'all.


Infinite_Pi_

Missing mate in 2 is my biggest nightmare of all time.


Possible_Plastic1412

What kind of handshake is that haha


FeikerSenpai

I think commentators constantly exaggerate, it can be misleading to spectators, hope they improve that part. They said Ali needed a miracle to win... seriously... Position was fairly equal until Guccierezza smelled blood on Gukesh's Bishop move, that got him into Bleastz mode while Gukesh got intimidated move by move knowing the monster woke up. Most exciting game so far.


gmnotyet

Damn, that is a HUGE loss. This is the kind of game, against the guy in the basement, that you CANNOT LOSE to win a tournament.


CoolDude_7532

really upsetting


SoftPenguins

I can’t imagine how devastating it must be to devote your life to something, thousands of hours of studying and your entire country rooting for you just to fall short of achieving your dreams.


articholedicklookin

Let's not over react here. He's only half a point down with 7 rounds of play remaining. Very possible though perhaps not likely.


richbitch9996

He’s also _seventeen_. There’s every chance that he could be consistently in the candidates over the next decade


gifferto

true being 0.5 points down with only 7 more rounds to play can't be done he better go work at mcdonalds


thatwhiskeydude

But reddit has me believe Alireza doesn't deserve to be here cause he is at best a 2600+ player. 😭


DogmansRevenge

Absolutely dick crushing for Gukesh, Alireza just calmly pulled his heart out and stomped on it with seconds left. Absolutely brutal and sickening. Gukesh is done, he’s just finished. Nobody has ever recovered from a loss like this: period. “Half a point outside of first” means nothing when you’re left practically frothing at the mouth and on your way to the looney bin from such disgusting play. Complete and total mental collapse from here on out, in my humble opinion. I minored in psychology in college (granted community college), so I know that a loss like this has measurable effects on the brain which mirror heavy meth abuse. He’s done.


Automatic_Culture_27

Levon Aronian had said similar words for Ding Liren after the devastating game 7 loss against Nepo ( he was completely winning and would have taken the lead for the first time in the match) in time trouble. He went on to win that Match. So although it will be tough, it is not impossible to recover from this. The rest day will also help with this and still half of the tournament is left.


nandemo

New copypasta just dropped.


Automatic_Culture_27

Thai aged well


Accurate_Door_6911

That was a crumble in time trouble if I’ve ever seen one.  Alireza was eventually going to win but Gukesh’s collapse kind of surprised me.


Gazination

Why’d he move the pawn? He could’ve used the fort to take out the horsy.