2017 Tata Rd7: Win some, draw some

by Albert Silver
1/22/2017 – As unexpected a round as could be where none of the expected results panned out. In fact, the biggest surprise of the day was precisely that the standings remained unchanged! Carlsen was crushing Giri but missed a mate in three and drew, while So faced imminent loss to Eljanov but somehow emerged unscathed and extended his unbeaten streak to 50 games. Still, Wei Yi's powerful win over Loek Van Wely meant he now shares 2nd-4th. Alex Yermolinsky brings superb notes not to be missed!

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The elite Tata Steel tournaments in Wijk aan Zee are underway and take place from January 13-29, with two main tournaments, the Masters with both Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin as headliners, as well as Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, Baskaran Adhiban, Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Richard Rapport, Dmitri Andreikin, Wei Yi, Pavel Eljanov, and Loek van Wely. All rounds in Wijk aan Zee begin at 1.30pm, except for the last round on 29 January 2017, which begins at 12.00pm. Both rounds on the Chess On Tour days start at 2.00pm.

All photos by Alina L'Ami for the official site

Masters tournament

Round 7 - Saturday, January 21
Karjakin, S.
1-0
 Aronian, L.
So, W.
½-½
 Eljanov, P.
Wojtaszek, R.
0-1
 Adhiban, B.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Harikrishna, P.
Wei, Y.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Rapport, R.
Carlsen, M.
½-½
 Giri, A.

Quick recap of round 7

 

Video impressions of round seven

At the start of the round, the standings stood as follows: Welsey So in first, followed by Magnus Carlsen and Pavel Eljanov half a point behind. At the end of the day, those standings would remain unchanged, and it is not without a heavy dose of irony that this is precisely what made the day so dramatic. the reason will be clear very soon.

In more ways than one, this was the game of the day. It wasn't the most exciting, albeit solid, but it was as dramatic as could be for the standings. While Magnus built up a decisive advantage over Anish, Wesley So looked like his 49-game unbeaten streak was about to fall as he seemed poised to lose to Pavel Eljanov.

The fans were in full swing this weekend, and to boot, it was Kid's Weekend

Anish Giri knew full well he was completely dead and was just playing his last moves, a final swindle if possible, even if it ended in an embarassing finale. He was right about the embarassment, but it turned out Caissa had other plans...

Magnus Carlsen - Anish Giri

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49.Rf5 20 e4 9:29 50.Rxh5 11 e3 15 51.Rh7+ 58 Ke8 6 52.Rxc7 3:32 e2 3 53.Bf3 4:23 e1Q 0 54.Bh5+ 26 Kf8 3 55.Rf5+ 10 Kg8 4 And here is the defining moment.
White to play and win the house, or give mate.
Show Solution
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2840Giri,A2773½–½2017D0579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7

 

Anish Giri himself had not realized the big miss and is seen here shown it right after his game

 

Anish Giri talks about his escape in round seven

Game of the day: Carlsen v Giri

Anish Giri wasn't the only lucky escape, as Wesley So, tournament leader, was facing a possible tough loss to Pavel Eljanov. In fact, it seemed so certain that Carlsen would win, that the only outcomes of the day appeared to be either Carlsen tied with So for first if So drew, or Carlsen tied with ELjanov for first if Eljanov won. However, Wesley So's guardian angel was working double duty. In fact, Vishy Anand, watching live, joked that So's guardian angel had not slept in days....

Wesley So - Pavel Eljanov

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1.e4 0 e5 35 2.Nf3 0 Nc6 5 3.Bc4 0 Bc5 16 4.0-0 0 Nf6 5 5.d3 4 d6 1:55 6.c3 12 a6 9 7.a4 24 Ba7 1:01 8.Na3 1:07 h6 7:13 9.Nc2 37 Qe7 5:20 10.Be3 1:31 Be6 9:20 11.Bxe6 55 Qxe6 2:44 12.Bxa7 1:40 Rxa7 0 13.d4 58 Ne7 1:47 14.Nd2 12:42 0-0 2:04 15.Qe2 9 Raa8 3:26 16.g3 4:50 Rfe8 6:20 17.a5 6:06 Rac8 0 18.d5 11:39 Qd7 1:44 19.Ne3 1:18 Nh7 7:25 20.Ra3 4:21 Rf8 5:23 21.Rb3 5:09 Rb8 11 22.Ra1 37 f5 0 23.exf5 11 Nxf5 39 24.Qg4 1:30 h5 2:25 25.Qxh5 18:23 Nxe3 6 26.fxe3 3 Rf5 29 27.Qh4 6:58 Although he took it sportingly, White missed a chance to obtain a decisive advantage three straight moves with the same shot. Ng5 7:57 27...Rbf8! 28.g4 R5f6 29.c4 Qe7 threatening Rf1+ with a discovered attack on the queen. 30.Qg3 Qf7 and Black's attack becomes unstoppable. 28.Rb4 10:31 e4 4:02 28...Rbf8! 29.Rg4 Nh7 30.c4 Qf7 31.Qh3 Ng5 and again Black's advantage should be decisive. 29.Kg2 7:49 Qf7 8:09 This was the most definitive as th king exposed on g2 means the Rf2+ threat has that much more bite. 29...Rbf8! 30.Nxe4 Nf3 31.Qh3 Qe8 32.Qg4 Qf7 and Black is winning. 30.Nxe4 1:03 Qxd5 2:44 30...Nf3 was the last chance to keep the edge. 31.Qh3 Qxd5 31.Rd4 52 Nf3 4:09 32.Nf6+ 1:06 Rxf6 4 33.Rxd5 3 Nxh4+ 5 34.gxh4 4 Rbf8 0 35.Rd2 39 Rg6+ 31 36.Kh1 5 Rf3 42 37.Re1 2:09 Re6 23 38.Rd4 37 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2808Eljanov,P2755½–½2017C5479th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7

The standings weren't completely stuck in time that said. Wei Yi notched his second straight win to move to +2 and is now tied with Carlsen and So for 2nd-4th.

Alex Yermolinsky chose Wei Yi's victory over Loek Van Wely as the game of the day to analyze, and brings some fascinating insights on the Sicilian as a whole.

Alex Yermolinsky annotates Wei Yi vs Loek Van Wely

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7!? An interesting attempt to delay e7-e6 and change the move order of the regular Najdorf theory. 7.Bc4! The most principled reply. For some time everybody went gaga over 7.Qe2 but this move gets more credit for its edgy unorthodox appearance than it really deserves for its quality. h6 8.Bxf6 Nxf6 9.0-0-0 e5! A true Najdorf reply! 10.Nf5 g6 11.Ne3 Be6 White has no attack, and for the slow plans of controlling the pace of events through occupation of the d5-square his king really doesn't belongs in the Q-side. Inaccurate is 7.f4 Qc7 White never gets to place his bishop on c4, which has always been considered the best weapon against Black's setup with Nbd7. 8.Qf3 b5 9.0-0-0 Bb7 10.Bd3 and... g6! Welcome to the Dragon's Den, courtesy of the late, great Vugar Gashimov. 7...Qb6 8.0-0 8.Bb3 appear the most logical, but White cannot quite transpose to the regular lines of Bg5 Najdorf. e6 9.Qd2 This is more like a Richter-Rauser attack of the Classical with a pinch of Fischer-Sozin's Bc4-b3 thrown in. if 9.f4 Be7 then White cannot place his queen on f3. 9...Be7 10.0-0-0 Nc5 11.Rhe1 0-0 12.f4 h6 13.h4 was played by Andreikin, but Dmitry's opening choices are not to be always taken for granted. 8.Qd2!? is a Poisoned Pawn combined with Bc4. Velimirovic would be ecstatic! Qxb2 9.Rb1 Qa3 10.0-0 Qc5 11.Bd5 We follow a recent game Tsydypov-Yu Yangyi which I witnessed at Hainan International just a month ago. e6 12.Rfe1 Ne5 12...Qc7 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.Nxe6 13.Na4 Qc7 14.Nb6 Rb8 15.f4 Black's position came under considerable pressure. 8...Qc5 Recently Black tried (and survived!) 8...Qxb2 9.Nd5 Nxd5 10.Rb1 Qc3 11.Bxd5 Qc7 One wonders what the Chinese GM analytical team has up their collective sleeve. 9.Bd5 e6 Call me coward, but I'd choose 9...g6 10.Qd2 Bg7 11.Rad1 0-0 just to play a game of chess, not some memory contest. 10.Re1 Be7 11.Be3 Qa5 12.Bxe6 Figures. This typical sac has been tested in practice with good results since 2014. The ownership belongs to Belorus GM Sergey Azarov. Previously Wei Yi played 12.Bb3 and didn't get much: Nc5 13.f3 Qc7 14.a4 Nxb3 15.Nxb3 b6 Wei Yi-Xu Yinglun, China Team Ch 2015 12...fxe6 13.Nxe6 Nc5 It only took Loek 50 minutes to come up with this over-the-board innovation. In reality it's not such a good move, but additional value is placed on a surprise factor. Nobody wants to let his opponent just follow his computer-approved preparation all the way to victory. Like it or not, Black has to follow the main line, 13...Kf7 14.Ng5+ Ke8 14...Kg8 15.b4! Qe5 15...Qxb4 16.Nd5 16.Qd3 h6 17.f4 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Ne5 16...Nf6 17.Bd4 Kf8 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Qh5 was an Azarov quick kill against Xiong in 2014. Rest assured Jeffery doesn't lose game in this fashion anymore! 17.Bf4 Bf6 18.Ne4 Qc7 Adhiban-Swiercz, 2014 is a reference game, but to my eye Black's position stops inspiring any confidence once you recall that he had already moved his king and therefore cannot castle 14.b4 We can also look at 14.Nxg7+ Kf7 15.Nd5 Kxg7 16.Nxe7 Black is just hopeless here. Qc7 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 etc. 14...Qxb4 15.Nc7+ Kd8 16.N3d5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Qa3 18.Nb6 One and only miss by Wei Yi in the whole game. 18.Qf3! would make this a typical van Wely Najdorf miniature loss in Wijk aan Zee tournaments - I recall he had three of those in 2010 alone. Rf8 18...Qa5 19.Qf7 Bf6 20.Bg5 Bxg5 21.Qxg7 19.Qg3 Qa5 19...Be6 20.Nxe7 Kxe7 21.Bg5+ and there goes the queen. 20.Qxg7 Re8 21.Bg5 Also, pretty strong was 18.e5 18...Rb8 19.Nc4 Qb4 20.Nxd6 Nd3! 21.Qxd3 Wei Yi is still very young but his play shows maturity. Here he goes for a technical solution, hoping to win slowly but surely. 21.Nf7+ Ke8 22.Qh5 g6 23.Qd5 seems murky when you sit at the board. 21...Qxd6 22.Qxd6+ Bxd6 23.Rad1 Kc7 24.Rxd6 Kxd6 25.Bf4+ Ke6 26.Bxb8 Just like this we have arrived at an ending Black may or may not lose. Of course, Loek had maybe a minute left on his clock and was all but mentally spent. Bd7 27.Ba7 Rc8 28.Rc1 Rc4 29.f3 Ra4 30.Ra1 Rc4 31.c3 b5 32.a3 a5 No, not this. 32...Rxc3 33.Bd4 Rc2 34.Bxg7 a5 offers some counterchances. 33.Bb6 Ra4 34.Bd4 g6 35.Kf2 g5 36.Ke3 Bc6 37.Kd2 h5 38.Kc2 b4?! This offers White an easy expressway ride to victory. 38...h4 had to be played to be able to trade the h-pawns once White begins to make his connected passers. 39.cxb4 axb4 40.axb4 Rxb4 41.Kc3 Ra4 42.Rxa4 Bxa4 43.g3! h4 44.f4 gxf4 44...hxg3 45.f5+! 45.hxg3? gxf4 46.gxf4 Bc6 47.f5+ Kf7 48.Kd3 Bb7 49.Ke3 Bc6 50.e5 Bd7= is what Every Russian Schoolboy Knows about opposite-color bishop endings. 45...Kf7 46.hxg3 having saved his g-pawn White is happy to trade e- and f-passers for the black bishop. 45.gxf4 Same story here, because White's bishop is of the right color for the remaining rook pawn. h3 46.Kd2 Kd6 47.Ke3 Bc2 48.f5 Kc6 49.Kf4 Bd3 50.Bb2 Bc2 51.e5 Kd5 52.Kg5 Bd3 53.e6 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Wei Yi2706Van Wely,L26951–02017B9479th Tata Steel GpA7

The technical team behind the scenes ensuring a smooth operation

Still, if anyone could lay claim to the most topsy-turvy game of the day, that honor would have to go to Wojtaszek - Adhiban. After his forays with the French against Karjakin, and then the King's Gambit against Wesley So, anything was possible. Even though the opening was offbeat from the get-go, it literally swung all the way in both directions.

It was as confusing for the players playing, the players watching, and the spectators. Adhiban once more did very well, and achieved a solid edge with chances to improve. Somehow this went South and he found himself equal and then dead lost in no uncertain terms. However, when it seemed a done deal, Wojtaszek completely messed it up, and ended up losing himself!

IM Sagar Shah analyzes Radoslaw Wojtaszek vs Baskaran Adhiban

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1.d4 0 e6 30 2.c4 0 b6 4 The English Defence. Once again Adhiban chooses a system which is not theoretically popular. 3.Nc3 159 Bb4 5 Now this has a flavour of the Nimzo Indian + the Queen's Indian. 4.Qc2 119 Bb7 30 5.a3 7 Bxc3+ 20 6.Qxc3 6 f5 127 And now we have some sort of a Dutch! 7.Nh3 184 Wojtaszek develops his knight on h3 so that he can keep the e4 square under control with the move f3. Nf6 40 8.f3 13 0-0 75 9.e3 14 Nh5 59 10.Be2 285 Qh4+ 16 11.Nf2 30 Overall White has a very harmonious position with the centre, and the bishop pair. But Black's play is easy. He just develops d6-Nbd7 and breaks in the centre with e5. d6 14 12.b3 261 Nd7 109 13.Bb2 358 e5 20 14.d5 87 f4 1192 Adhiban decides that it is best to close down the position against White's bishops. 15.e4 80 a5 688 16.g3 1246 Qe7 8 16...fxg3 17.hxg3 Qg5 18.f4 Qxg3 19.Rxh5 Qg1+ 20.Kd2 20.Bf1 Rxf4-+ 20...Qxf2 21.Rf1∞ 17.g4 5 Nhf6 2 18.Qc2 77 c6! 95 The white king doesn't really have a safe spot to go to and hence Adhiban opens up the position in the center. 19.dxc6 284 Bxc6 62 20.b4 11 axb4 126 21.axb4 154 Rxa1+ 21 22.Bxa1 5 Ra8 109 Black pieces are activated without any issues. 23.Bb2 8 Nf8! 87 The knight is making its way from e6 to d4. 24.Qd2 671 Ne6 81 25.0-0 159 h5 80 26.Rd1 13 Ra2 1003 27.b5?! 924 27.Qxd6 Qxd6 28.Rxd6 Rxb2 29.Rxe6 Bd7! 30.Rd6 Rxe2 31.g5 Nh7 32.Rxd7 Nxg5= When the position is around even. 27...Bd7 704 28.c5 704 This was Wojtaszek's plan. To get the bishop to c4. Nd4! 175 29.c6 93 29.Bc4+ d5! 30.exd5 Nxf3+-+ 29...Be6 7 True the pawn on c6 is strong. It is even protected. But the knight on f6 is going to come around to c7 and blockade the pawn. The other knight will also jump in and the b5 pawn would become quite weak. Although at first look this seems like better for White, it is in fact the other way around. 30.g5 89 Ne8 78 31.h4 125 Nc7 16 The right idea, but the wrong timing. Black would have been better served first swining his queen over to a7 31...Qa7 32.Kg2 Nxe2 33.Qxe2 Qa4 34.Rc1 and only now play Nc7! after which he has successfully infiltrated the white position and has ensured the b5 pawn will fall without giving up his other advantages. 35.Rc2 Qb3 36.g6 Kf8 37.Qd2 Ke7 38.Nd3 Qxb5 39.Nb4 Ra4 32.Kg2 135 Bb3 517 32...d5!? 32...Ncxb5? 33.Bxb5 Nxb5 34.Qb4 Nd4 35.Bxd4± 32...Qe8! 33.Bd3 Ncxb5 34.Bxb5 Nxb5 33.Rc1 139 Nxe2 20 34.Qxe2 7 Ba4 362 Black goes after the b5 pawn, but now the d6 is also equally weak and Black loses control. 35.Qc4+ 130 Qf7 19 36.Qb4 20 White is already pretty fine, because the d6 pawn is falling. Bxb5 303 37.Nd1! 62 The bishop on b2 is defended and the d6 pawn is attacked. Kh7 754 37...Qe6 38.Nc3± 38.Qxd6+- 43 In a matter of few moves the position has turned into a clearly better one for White. Be2 54 39.Qxe5! 128 Ra5 32 40.Qd6 0 40.Qd4! Ne6 41.Qxb6+- Rb5 42.Qf2 Bxd1 43.Rxd1+- 40...Ra2 48 Forty moves have been made. Now White is clearly winning and also has a lot of time in hand. 41.Qb4 683 41.Qd7! Not an easy combination to see. Qxd7 42.cxd7 Ne6 43.g6+‼ The only move to win. Kh6 43...Kxg6 44.Rc6+- 43...Kg8 44.Rc8++- 44.Rc2! Bxd1 45.Bxg7++- 41.Rc2 is the simpler way to win. Bxd1 42.Qxd1 Qb3 43.Qc1 Ne6 44.Rd2+- 41...b5 788 42.Nf2 372 Ne6 350 43.Ra1 1101 Rxa1 108 44.Bxa1 34 White is still better, but nowhere close to what he was four moves ago. Qa7 235 45.Qd2 228 Qe3 217 46.Qxe3 5 fxe3 2 47.Be5?! 196 47.Nh3 b4 Maybe Wojtaszek was afraid of this position, but it should be a draw. 47...b4 269 48.c7 95 exf2 80 49.Kxf2 5 Ba6 9 Black has won a piece but White has two pawns in return and very strong structure. The game should be objectively drawn. 50.Ke3 69 g6 574 51.Kd2 75 51.f4 b3 52.Kd2 Bc8 53.Kc3 Nc5 54.Bd4 Nxe4+ 55.Kxb3-+ This is als losing as the knight will pick up the h4 pawn and the pawn will queen. 51...Kg8 83 52.Kc2 17 Bc8 403 53.Kb3 129 Nc5+ 0 54.Kc4 5 54.Kxb4 Nd3+-+ 54...Na6 9 55.Bd6 291 Be6+ 71 56.Kd4 4 56.Kb5 b3-+ 56...Kf7 41 57.f4 39 b3 53 58.Kc3 37 Ke8 5 59.c8Q+ 196 59.f5 gxf5 60.exf5 Bxf5 61.Kxb3 would have given better drawing chances. Kd7 62.c8Q+ Kxc8 63.Kc4 Kd7 64.Kd5= 59...Bxc8 3 60.Kxb3 0 Kd7 99 61.Ba3 10 Bb7 15 62.f5 6 62.e5 Nc7-+ 62...Bxe4 6 63.f6 73 Bd5+ 130 64.Kc3 67 Nc7 97 65.Kd3 107 Ke6 51 66.Bc1 29 Nb5 48 Black has complete control on the light squares and Wojtaszek saw no reason to continue the fight. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Wojtaszek,R2750Adhiban,B26530–12017A4079th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7

Warm thanks to IM Sagar Shah for sharing his analyses published at ChessBase India.

Being Kid's Weekend, it meant lots of children enjoying many acitivities

Chess was central to all this needless to say

"Get ready to meet your maker"

Hans Böhm has ensured the on-site live commentary and it has been greatly appreciated

Some prefer to let the event inspire them to a game of their own

Not to mention the many amateur events underway now

Hypnotism is an underappreciated skill. The question is whether hypnotizing the pieces actually works...

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1.c3 0 e5 3:34 2.d4 40 exd4 9 3.cxd4 13 d5 5 4.Nc3 0 c6 6 5.Bf4 22 Bd6 18 6.Bg3 35 Ne7 1:11 7.e3 1:03 Nf5 0 8.Bxd6 5:01 Nxd6 58 9.Bd3 8 Bf5 4:12 10.Bxf5 8:45 Nxf5 8 11.Qg4 7 g6 2:05 12.e4 39 dxe4 0 13.Qxe4+ 7 Ne7 3:25 14.h4 6:18 0-0 7:33 15.h5 1:21 Nd5 3:50 16.Nge2 7:32 Re8 3:41 17.Qf3 23 Qf6 0 18.hxg6 3:00 fxg6 2:47 19.Qh3 2:11 Qf7 52 20.0-0-0 34:32 Nd7 2:35 21.Nxd5 8 cxd5 26 22.Nc3 6 Nb6 0 23.Rd3 4:23 Re7 1:42 24.Rf3 3:51 Qg7 4:32 25.Re3 57 Rf8 3:38 26.Qh4 8:42 Rxe3 7:35 27.fxe3 8 Qd7 0 28.e4 7:53 dxe4 26 29.Qxe4 3 Re8 4:26 30.Qd3 3:25 Nd5 6:44 31.Kb1 4:23 Qe6 11:38 32.a3 1:18 Nxc3+ 0 33.Qxc3 4 Qe4+ 1:47 34.Ka2 10 Qd5+ 37 35.Ka1 32 Qxg2 3:19 36.Qb3+ 6 Kh8 1:31 37.Rd1 19 Qe2 0 38.d5 47 Re3 36 39.Qa4 7 Re4 51 40.Qb3 0 Re3 39 41.Qa4 3:05 Re4 8 42.Qb3 35 Re3 0 43.Qa4 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Andreikin,D2736Harikrishna,P2766½–½2017D3179th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7
Carlsen,M2840Giri,A2773½–½2017D0579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7
Karjakin,S2785Aronian,L27801–02017C2479th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7
Nepomniachtchi,I2767Rapport,R2702½–½2017C5579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7
So,W2808Eljanov,P2755½–½2017C5479th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7
Wei,Y2706Van Wely,L26951–02017B9479th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7
Wojtaszek,R2750Adhiban,B26530–12017A4079th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters7

Current Masters standings

Challengers tournament

Round 7 - Saturday, January 21
Tari, A.
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Bok, B.
0-1
 Smirin, I
Ragger, M.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
van Foreest, J.
0-1
 Jones, G.
l'Ami, E.
½-½
 Lu, S.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 Dobrov, V.
Tingjie, L.
½-½
 Hansen, E.

The Challengers saw a return to business as usual, which means that the leaders all scored wins.

Ilia Smirin had the toughest opponent in Benjamin Bok, but managed to overcome him in the end

Vladimir Dobrov succumbed to an inspired and brilliant Jeffery Xiong

Jeffery Xiong vs Vladimir Dobrov

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1.e4 0 c5 7 2.Nf3 0 b6 75 3.g3 547 Bb7 124 4.Qe2 132 g6 311 5.Bg2 71 Bg7 4 6.0-0 106 Nf6 1093 7.e5 150 Nd5 60 8.d4 305 Nc7 183 9.Rd1 600 Qc8 271 10.c3 675 Bc6 255 11.h4 266 Qa6 277 12.Qe3 190 cxd4 149 13.cxd4 20 Nd5 129 14.Qe1 63 Qb7 9 15.h5 374 0-0 1143 16.Nh4 77 Na6 53 17.a3 25 e6 252 18.Nd2 201 d6 181 19.Nc4 221 dxe5 12 20.dxe5 40 Qe7 396 21.b4 316 g5 314 22.h6 349 Bxh6 319 23.Nd6 77 Nac7 87 24.a4 663 White could play the immediate 24.b5! that comes with a venemous idea. Nxb5? 24...Bd7 is the only move. 25.Bxd5 Bxd5 26.Rxd5! exd5 27.Nhf5 Qe6 28.Nxh6+ Qxh6 29.Nxb5+- 24...Bg7 154 25.Nf3 33 f6 204 26.b5 35 Be8 2 27.Ba3 41 Qd7 287 28.Ne4 113 f5 69 29.Nexg5 165 Bh5 3 30.Bxf8 15 Rxf8 31 31.Rac1 80 Qe7 113 32.Rc6 85 f4 44
Finishing with style. 33.Rxd5! 260 exd5 127 33...Nxd5 34.Nxe6 fxg3 35.Nxf8 Qxf8 36.Qe4 34.Qb1 58 Bg6 59 35.Rxg6 21 hxg6 2 36.Qxg6 7 Rd8 63 37.Nh4 19 Kf8 8 38.Nf5 24 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Xiong,J2667Dobrov,V24991–02017B2779th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers7

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nf3 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6 8.e4 Nb6 9.d5 Na5 10.Nc3 c6 11.Bf4 Nac4 12.dxc6 Qxd1 13.Nxd1 bxc6 14.e5 Nd5 15.Rc1 Ncb6 16.Nd4 Bd7 17.Re1 Rac8 18.Bd2 c5 19.Nb3 c4 20.Na5 Be6 21.Bf1 Rfd8 22.Nxc4 Nxc4 23.Rxc4 Nc7 24.Rxc7 Rxd2 25.Rxc8+ Bxc8 26.a3 Bh6 27.h4 Be6 28.f4 Bb3 29.Ne3 Rxb2 30.Rc1 Bf8 31.Rc8 Ra2 32.Rc3 Ba4 33.e6 fxe6 34.Bc4 Ra1+ 35.Kf2 Kf7 36.Ng4 Bg7 37.Ne5+ Bxe5 38.fxe5 Bc6 39.Bxe6+ Kxe6 40.Rxc6+ Kxe5 41.Ra6 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Lei,T2467Hansen,E2603½–½2017D7479th Tata Steel GpB7.1
Bok,B2608Smirin,I26670–12017B0679th Tata Steel GpB7.2
Ragger,M2697Guramishvili,S23701–02017B5079th Tata Steel GpB7.3
Xiong,J2667Dobrov,V24991–02017B2779th Tata Steel GpB7.4
Tari,A2584Grandelius,N2642½–½2017A1379th Tata Steel GpB7.5
Van Foreest,J2612Jones,G26650–12017C5079th Tata Steel GpB7.6
L'Ami,E2605Lu,S2612½–½2017D0279th Tata Steel GpB7.7

Current Challengers standings

Schedule, pairings, and results

Tata Steel Masters 2017

Round 1 - Saturday, January 14
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
  Aronian, L.
Adhiban, B.
½-½
  Van Wely, L.
Eljanov, P.
1-0
  Rapport, R.
Karjakin, S.
½-½
  Giri, A.
So, W.
½-½
  Carlsen, M.
Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
  Nepomniachtchi, I.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
  Wei, Y.
Round 2 - Sunday, January 15
Aronian, L.
½-½
 Wei, Y.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Andreikin, D.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Wojtaszek, R.
Giri, A.
½-½
 So, W.
Rapport, R.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Van Wely, L.
0-1
 Eljanov, P.
Harikrishna, P.
1-0
 Adhiban, B.
Round 3 - Monday, January 16
Adhiban, B.
½-½
 Aronian, L.
Eljanov, P.
½-½
 Harikrishna, P.
Karjakin, S.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
So, W.
1-0
 Rapport, R.
Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
 Giri, A..
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Carlsen, M.
Wei, Y.
1-0
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Round 4 - Tuesday, January 17
Aronian, L.
½-½
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Wei, Y.
Giri, A.
½-½
 Andreikin, D.
Rapport, R.
½-½
 Wojtaszek, R.
Van Wely, L.
0-1
 So, W.
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Adhiban, B.
0-1
 Eljanov, P.
Round 5 - Thursday, January 19
Eljanov, P.
0-1
 Aronian, L.
Karjakin, S.
0-1
 Adhiban, B.
So, W.
1-0
 Harikrishna, P.
Wojtaszek, R.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Rapport, R.
Wei, Y.
½-½
 Giri, A.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Carlsen, M.
Round 6 - Friday, January 20
Aronian, L.
½-½
 Carlsen, M.
Giri, A.
1-0
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Rapport, R.
0-1
 Wei, Y.
Van Wely, L.
½-½
 Andreikin, D.
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
 Wojtaszek, R.
Adhiban, B.
½-½
 So, W.
Eljanov, P.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Round 7 - Saturday, January 21
Karjakin, S.
1-0
 Aronian, L.
So, W.
½-½
 Eljanov, P.
Wojtaszek, R.
0-1
 Adhiban, B.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Harikrishna, P.
Wei, Y.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Rapport, R.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Giri, A.
Round 8 - Sunday, January 22
Aronian, L.
 
 Giri, A.
Rapport, R.
 
 Carlsen, M.
Van Wely, L.
 
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Harikrishna, P.
 
 Wei, Y.
Adhiban, B.
 
 Andreikin, D.
Eljanov, P.
 
 Wojtaszek, R.
Karjakin, S.
 
 So, W.
Round 9 - Tuesday, January 24
So, W.
 
 Aronian, L.
Wojtaszek, R.
 
 Karjakin, S.
Andreikin, D.
 
 Eljanov, P.
Wei, Y.
 
 Adhiban, B.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
 
 Harikrishna, P.
Carlsen, M.
 
 Van Wely, L.
Giri, A.
 
 Rapport, R.
Round 10 - Wednesday, January 25
Aronian, L.
 
 Rapport, R.
Van Wely, L.
 
 Giri, A.
Harikrishna, P.
 
 Carlsen, M.
Adhiban, B.
 
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Eljanov, P.
 
 Wei, Y.
Karjakin, S.
 
 Andreikin, D.
So, W.
 
 Wojtaszek, R.
Round 11 - Friday, January 27
Wojtaszek, R.
 
 Aronian, L.
Andreikin, D.
 
 So, W.
Wei, Y.
 
 Karjakin, S.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
 
 Eljanov, P.
Carlsen, M.
 
 Adhiban, B.
Giri, A.
 
 Harikrishna, P.
Rapport, R.
 
 Van Wely, L.
Round 12 - Saturday, January 28
Aronian, L.
 
 Van Wely, L.
Harikrishna, P.
 
 Rapport, R.
Adhiban, B.
 
 Giri, A.
Eljanov, P.
 
 Carlsen, M.
Karjakin, S.
 
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
So, W.
 
 Wei, Y.
Wojtaszek, R.
 
 Andreikin, D.
Round 13 - Sunday, January 29
Andreikin, D.
 
 Aronian, L.
Wei, Y.
 
 Wojtaszek, R.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
 
 So, W.
Carlsen, M.
 
 Karjakin, S.
Giri, A.
 
 Eljanov, P.
Rapport, R.
 
 Adhiban, B.
Van Wely, L.
 
 Harikrishna, P.
  

Tata Steel Challengers 2017

Round 1 - Saturday, January 14
Jones, G.
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Guramishvili, S.
½-½
 Lu, S.
Smirin, I
½-½
 Dobrov, V.
Tari, A.
½-½
 Hansen, E.
Bok, B.
1-0
 Tingjie, L.
Ragger, M.
1-0
 Xiong, J.
van Foreest, J.
1-0
 l'Ami, E.
Round 2 - Sunday, January 15
Grandelius, N.
½-½
 l'Ami, E.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 van Foreest, J.
Tingjie, L.
0-1
 Ragger, M.
Hansen, E.
½-½
 Bok, B.
Dobrov, V.
½-½
 Tari, A.
Lu, S.
½-½
 Smirin, I
Jones, G.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
Round 3 - Monday, January 16
Guramishvili, S.
0-1
 Grandelius, N.
Smirin, I
1-0
 Jones, G.
Tari, A.
0-1
 Lu, S.
Bok, B.
0-1
 Dobrov, V.
Ragger, M.
1-0
 Hansen, E..
van Foreest, J.
0-1
 Tingjie, L.
l'Ami, E.
½-½
 Xiong, J.
Round 4 - Tuesday, January 17
Grandelius, N.
0-1
 Xiong, J.
Tingjie, L.
0-1
 l'Ami, E.
Hansen, E.
1-0
 van Foreest, J.
Dobrov, V.
0-1
 Ragger, M.
Lu, S.
1-0
 Bok, B.
Jones, G.
1-0
 Tari, A.
Guramishvili, S.
0-1
 Smirin, I
Round 5 - Thursday, January 19
Smirin, I
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Tari, A.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
Bok, B.
0-1
 Jones, G.
Ragger, M.
½-½
 Lu, S.
van Foreest, J.
1-0
 Dobrov, V.
l'Ami, E.
½-½
 Hansen, E.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 Tingjie, L.
Round 6 - Friday, January 20
Grandelius, N.
1-0
 Tingjie, L.
Hansen, E.
1-0
 Xiong, J.
Dobrov, V.
½-½
 l'Ami, E.
Lu, S.
1-0
 van Foreest, J.
Jones, G.
1-0
 Ragger, M.
Guramishvili, S.
0-1
 Bok, B.
Smirin, I
0-1
 Tari, A.
Round 7 - Saturday, January 21
Tari, A.
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Bok, B.
0-1
 Smirin, I
Ragger, M.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
van Foreest, J.
0-1
 Jones, G.
l'Ami, E.
½-½
 Lu, S.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 Dobrov, V.
Tingjie, L.
½-½
 Hansen, E.
Round 8 - Sunday, January 22
Grandelius, N.
 
 Hansen, E.
Dobrov, V.
 
 Tingjie, L.
Lu, S.
 
 Xiong, J.
Jones, G.
 
 l'Ami, E.
Guramishvili, S.
 
 van Foreest, J.
Smirin, I
 
 Ragger, M.
Tari, A.
 
 Bok, B.
Round 9 - Tuesday, January 24
Bok, B.
 
 Grandelius, N.
Ragger, M.
 
 Tari, A.
van Foreest, J.
 
 Smirin, I
l'Ami, E.
 
 Guramishvili, S.
Xiong, J.
 
 Jones, G.
Tingjie, L.
 
 Lu, S.
Hansen, E.
 
 Dobrov, V.
Round 10 - Wednesday, January 25
Grandelius, N.
 
 Dobrov, V.
Lu, S.
 
 Hansen, E.
Jones, G.
 
 Tingjie, L.
Guramishvili, S.
 
 Xiong, J.
Smirin, I
 
 l'Ami, E.
Tari, A.
 
 van Foreest, J.
Bok, B.
 
 Ragger, M.
Round 11 - Friday, January 27
Ragger, M.
 
 Grandelius, N.
van Foreest, J.
 
 Bok, B.
l'Ami, E.
 
 Tari, A.
Xiong, J.
 
 Smirin, I
Tingjie, L.
 
 Guramishvili, S.
Hansen, E.
 
 Jones, G.
Dobrov, V.
 
 Lu, S.
Round 12 - Saturday, January 28
Grandelius, N.
 
 Lu, S.
Jones, G.
 
 Dobrov, V.
Guramishvili, S.
 
 Hansen, E.
Smirin, I
 
 Tingjie, L.
Tari, A.
 
 Xiong, J.
Bok, B.
 
 l'Ami, E.
Ragger, M.
 
 van Foreest, J.
Round 13 - Sunday, January 29
van Foreest, J.
 
 Grandelius, N.
l'Ami, E.
 
 Ragger, M.
Xiong, J.
 
 Bok, B.
Tingjie, L.
 
 Tari, A.
Hansen, E.
 
 Smirin, I
Dobrov, V.
 
 Guramishvili, S.
Lu, S.
 
 Jones, G.
  

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Born in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and after college moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had a peak rating of 2240 FIDE, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family as an editor and writer at ChessBase News. He is also a passionate photographer with work appearing in numerous publications, and the content creator of the YouTube channel, Chess & Tech.

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