Today was round 1 of the last FIDE Grand Prix event of the year, which takes place in Paris. All games were drawn except for one, in which Gelfand beat Giri with the white pieces. Lots of strong players here, this should be a fun event to follow. It's 11 rounds, so there is plenty of great chess to be played.

Here's a link to the official tournament site. Chessbase also has a good round one report.

Last but not least, the participant list...

Caruana
Grischuk
Nakamura
Gelfand
Dominguez
Ponomariov
Wang Hao
Giri
Ivanchuk
Bacrot
Fressinet
Tomashevsky

Thanks for this. Was having withdrawls sine the Sinquecup. Fun games despite the draws yesterday.

No kidding. That Nakamura-Tomashevsky game was just nuts.

No live webshow?

Found it! Looked like a banner to me. http://livegames.fide.com/paris2013/live_video.html

Another fun draw by Naka today. He reminds me of Bent Larson dragging out old, out of favor opening and bringing new life to them. Really keeps opponents on their toes.

I'm really enjoying Sergey Tiviakov's commentary: first rate game analysis combined with painfully awkward press conferences. His post-match conversation with Nakamura was a classic.

hehe yea. the only thing that slightly annoys me are the "and he plays this move which i saw immediately, but it took him twenty minutes to play it" comments

Grischuk-Caruana could get interesting with the reversed KIA

Does reversed KIA = KID?

I haven't seen the game, just being a jerk

i saw that one coming, smartass

Hahahahah

With round four completed, here are the OVERALL Grand Prix standings, if grand prix points were to be awarded for this leg based on the current Paris standings. Remember, the top two qualify for the Candidate's Tournament (this WILL be Topalov and Mamedyarov, unless Caruana or Grischuk wins a *clear* first place, no ties, in the current event, in which case they would supplant Mamedyarov. Doesn't look likely for Grischuk right now, but Caruana's still in the running.) Additionally, third place becomes the first alternate for the Candidate's Tournament, should one of the eight qualifiers be unable to play (see speculation about Anand retiring if he loses to Carlsen, among other ways the alternate could become relevant):

I think Ivanchuk flagged in an equal position against Nakamura today, round 8. Oh, Chucky.

Yeah, that free half point is a total beating for Caruana. In other news, I think 2/2 or 2.5/3 puts Naka over 2800.

I think he needs 2.5/3, but it's definitely possible. He's losing points from draws, and even beating Caruana was only worth +5.1, and he's currently 6.0 points away from the magical 2800 mark. So WDD won't get him there, and WWL obviously won't since he'll lose more from the loss than he'd gain from the second win. Of course 2/3 might not get him to 2800, but it WOULD get him to the "world #2" spot, which would still be pretty spectacular.

2.5/3 definitely does it though. White against Ponomariov, white against Gelfand, then black against Giri for the last three rounds is definitely a slate where it's at least reasonable to hope for 2.5/3 (though obviously it's not likely to come through). And even if he doesn't do that, his 2794 live rating right now is already the highest in his life.

Edit: I didn't notice that you said 2/2, not 2/3. Yeah, 2/2 gets him there, but it's not enough to put him in line for a PUBLISHED 2800 rating unless he closes the deal with at least a draw in the last round.

He's also 2.4 points short of No. 2 in the live ratings.

There's still some life for Caruana's chances at stealing the Candidates berth from Mamedyarov. He's +0.87 while Nakamura is -0.93 right now in Houdini evals. Of course since Naka is playing Gelfand that game doesn't really matter for Caruana as long as Nakamura doesn't win.

If Caruana wins and Gelfand does too, then Caruana is tied for first with Gelfand (remember ties are no good, he needs to finish ALONE in first place) with one round left. If Caruana wins and Naka draws then same thing, except it's Naka that he's tied with.

Caruana with some WIM, beating Tomashevsky who had drawn every other game so far.

So it all comes down to the last round. If Gelfand wins, then Mamedyarov qualifies for the Candidates Tournament, and either Gelfand or Caruana will be the first alternate, depending on the results of Caruana, Nakamura, and Bacrot's games.

If Gelfand draws, then Caruana can supplant Mamedyarov with a win. If Caruana fails to win, he can still clinch the first alternate slot with a draw, but if he loses then any of Caruana, Gelfand, or Nakamura could end up as first alternate, depending on how Naka and Bacrot do.

If Gelfand loses, then it's easier for Caruana, as he can possibly also supplant Mamedyarov with a draw, IF neither Nakamura or Bacrot wins. And from there even I lose track of the threads.

Okay, I broke it down in more detail. We'll divide it into several broad categories based on Gelfand and Caruana's results.

If Gelfand wins:
Mamedyarov finishes #2 in the overall Grand Prix Standings and qualifies for the Candidates Tournament.

Either Caruana or Gelfand finishes #3 in the overall standings, and becomes first alternate. It is Caruana in all scenarios except the following three:
1) Caruana draws, Nakamura AND Bacrot win.
2) Caruana loses, Nakaumra OR Bacrot win.
3) Caruana loses, Nakamura AND Bacrot draw.

If Gelfand loses OR draws and Caruana wins:
Caruana finishes #2 overall and earns the Candidates berth.
Mamedyarov finishes #3 overall, and is first alternate.

If Gelfand and Caruana both draw:
Mamedyarov finishes #2 overall and earns the Candidates berth.
Caruana finishes #3 overall, and is first alternate.

If Gelfand draws and Caruana loses:
Mamedyarov finishes #2 overall and earns the Candidates berth.
#3 (and first alternate status) goes to either Gelfand, Nakamura, or Caruana.
1) If Nakamura wins, he is the alternate.
2) If Nakamura and Bacrot BOTH draw, Gelfand is the alternate.
3) Otherwise, Caruana is the alternate.

If Gelfand loses and Caruana draws:
If NEITHER Nakamura NOR Bacrot win then
Caruana finishes #2 overall and earns the Candidates berth.
Mamedyarov finishes #3 overall, and is first alternate.

Otherwise Mamedyarov finishes #2 overall and earns the Candidates berth, and Caruana finishes #3 overall, and is first alternate.

If Gelfand and Caruana both lose:
Mamedyarov finishes #2 overall and earns the Candidates berth.
Nakamura or Caruana finishes #3 overall and is first alternate.
It is Nakamura if he wins, but if he draws or loses the alternate is Caruana.

I believe that fully covers every possibility.

Actually though, it can all be stated a lot more simply if you look at it one player at a time, looking at what they're playing for and how they could achieve it:

Gelfand is playing for third place in the overall Grand Prix standings, and the chance to be first alternate should someone be unable to participate. He can get there in one of three ways:

1) Gelfand wins, Caruana draws, Nakamura AND Bacrot win.
2) Gelfand wins, Caruana loses, Nakaumra OR Bacrot win.
3) Gelfand wins OR draws, Caruana loses, Nakamura AND Bacrot draw.

Nakamura is playing for the same thing, first alternate position. He can get it in one simple way:

1) Nakamura wins, Caruana loses, and Gelfand draws OR loses.

If none of the above scenarios come to pass, then Caruana is *at minimum* the first alternate. However Caruana is playing for more: if he wins a clear first place in this event then he passes Mamedyarov and immediately qualifies for the Candidates Tournament, leaving Mamedyarov as first alternate. He can get there in these two ways:

1) Caruana wins, Gelfand draws OR loses.
2) Caruana draws, Gelfand loses, Nakamura draws OR loses, Bacrot draws OR loses.

So ignore the last post and go by this one, I think it's a lot easier to understand. Now get ready to enjoy tomorrow's games with so much riding on the outcomes (except those other two games that don't matter at all).

Personally, I'd like for Caruana to get in and Nakamura to get a wildcard, think that would be the best. Excited for tomorrow. If Caruana and Naka both don't get in, it will be interesting to see which if any gets a wildcard spot.

Draws for Gelfand, Caruana, and Bacrot have finalized things. Nakamura's game no longer matters for Candidates implications. Mamedyarov is #2 in the overall Grand Prix standings, and has officially qualified for the 2014 Candidates Tournament. Caruana is #3 overall, and is the first alternate for the field.

Bob you can probably describe what happened and why in better detail?

Why would Caruana repeat moves for a draw early in the opening after he hears that Gelfand draws? If he wins then he is in the candidates