I was gone on vacation for a couple of weeks so I will comment now about the Candidates tournament. It was exciting and unpredictable to say the least. Carlson was the favorite and won in the end but not without being pushed to the finish. Some people are saying that Carlson showed weaknesses in his opening preparation and his nerves under pressure that could be exploieted by Anand in the world championship but I think he is just to strong and will still win. His openings my not be as strong but his middle game and endgame more than make up for that. His domination in tournament play over the last two years demonstrate that he can handle pressure.
I must admit I was cheering for Ivanchuk throughout the tournament just because he is so unpredictable. Losing 5 games on time and then beating the two leaders in the final rounds is typical for him. Kramnik and Svidler also impressed me. Aronian had a great start but a horrible finish and must be disappointed Gelfand did better than I expected him to do.
I haven't played much over the last month and don't have much interest either but I am thinking of entering the Calgary International Reserves next month so I better start playing soon if I want to continue improving my play and rating
