
Gaioz Nigalidze is the Al Ain Classic champion!
Report from the Gulf by Sagar Shah
It is not every day that you see the 28th seed of a tournament winning
it. And even rarer when there are 17 players rated above 2600. For many
it might seem like an impossible dream, but not for a players who is ambitious
and dedicates eight hours of his day religiously to perfecting his art.
GM Gaioz Nigalidze is the man of the moment. After winning the Georgian
Championships consecutively in 2013 and 2014, he capped off a wonderful
year by winning the Al Ain Classic.
The closing ceremony was short and to the point
Many dignitaries attended the ceremony
The video shown at the closing ceremony to
the players – it is well worth watching!

Gaioz Nigalidze receives the champion’s
trophy at the hands of Sheikh Sultan Bin Shakhboot
Gaioz, who wpm the Georgian Championships consecutively in 2013 and 2014,
scored a healthy 7.0/9 and was tied for the top spot with three more players:
Tigran Petrosian, Vladimir Onischuk and Sergei Zhigalko. He was ajudged
the champion on the basis of a superior tie-break. His rating performance
was a hefty 2763 and he gained 30 Elo points from the tournament.

Gaioz (2536) went home richer by $11,000.
After the prize-giving ceremony, I managed to conduct a short interview
of this 25-year-old rising Georgian talent. Here are excerpts:
Sagar Shah: How does it feel to
win this tournament?
Gaioz Nigalidze: This is the first time I have won such
a big event! It feels crazy!
SS: What was your expectation when
you came to this tournament?
GN: I just wanted to play good chess.
SS: What were the turning points
of the tournament?
GN: I was a little lucky in two games of the event. One
was against Abhijeet Gupta and the other against Yuri Kuzubov.
SS: The game against Kuzubov was
a delight for the viewers. You unleashed a novelty in a well-known position
which had already appeared in 300 games. Take us through your thought process?
GN: My game against Kuzubov was the best one in the tournament.
I was leading with a score of 4.5/5 and it was the crucial encounter. I
saw that if White was allowed to play Bf3, it would give him control over
the position. Hence, I decided to complicate play by changing the character
of the game. I found Nxe4 over the board. It was one of those cases where
thinking with your own brain is better than pregame preparation. I was able
to find this interesting idea which otherwise I wouldn’t have been
able to if I was prepared. The resulting position was slightly advantageous
for White. Although I must add that it was easier to make moves with the
black pieces as they were quite natural. (You can find the annotated game
over
here).
SS: What was the schedule that you
were following during the tournament?
GN: I and my room-mate, Mikheil Mchedlishivili, were following
the same schedule every day. We would wake up, have our breakfast, prepare
for three to four hours before the game and then do some physical activity
like working out in the gym or in the pool after the game.
The gymnasium of the hotel was well equipped
and used by many players
SS: You became a GM in 2014, the
Georgian champion consecutively in 2013 and 2014. How did you bring about
this sudden improvement in your play?
GN: In the past year I had no other distractions, so I
decided to devote my time completely to chess. I did not have a trainer
or training partner. I was working all alone but consistently for seven
to eight hours every day. I think this is the main reason behind my recent
successes. And thanks to that I am now a fulltime professional chess player.
SS: How did it feel when you were
paired against your room-mate (Mchedlishivili) in the last round?
Roommates: Mikheil Mchedlishivili and Gaioz
Nigalidze
GN: Well, what to do? This is how it was. I was fighting
for something big.
SS: What’s next on your agenda?
GN: I will be playing the Georgian Championship in January
2015.
SS: I wish you all the best and
hope you score a hat-trick at the Georgian Championships!
GN: Thank you.

Tigran Petrosian vs Gaioz Nigalidze in the
eighth round (1-0)
The only person to beat the champion of the tournament was Tigran Petrosian.
He remained unbeaten in the event and scored 7.0/9, finishing second. One
of the key features behind Petrosian’s success was his simply amazing
endgame technique. His patience was immense and he would wait for his opponents
to make mistakes in seemingly equal positions. Here is one of his fine endgame
victories. Please pay attention to his unambitious opening choice and how
he was aiming for just an equal position from which he could outplay his
opponent.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 a6 6.a4 0-0 7.0-0 b6 8.e5 Nfd7 9.Bf4 Nc6 10.Re1 Bb7 11.Bc4 dxe5 12.dxe5 e6 13.Qe2 h6 14.h4 Qe7 15.Bd3 Nc5 16.Be4 Rad8 17.Rad1 Rxd1 18.Rxd1 Rd8 19.Rxd8+ Qxd8 20.Qe3 Nxe4 21.Nxe4 Qd1+ 22.Kh2 Ne7 23.Nf6+ Bxf6 24.exf6 Nf5 25.Qc3 Bxf3 26.Qxf3 Qxf3 27.gxf3 c6 28.Kh3 h5 29.Be3 b5 30.axb5 axb5 31.f4? 31.Bc5!? e5! 31...Kh7 32.f4!= 32.c3 Kh7 33.Ba7! 33.Be3 Nd6 33...Nxe3? 34.fxe3+- Kh6 35.f4 e4 36.Kg2 Kh7 37.Kf2 Kg8 38.b4 Kf8 38...Kh7 39.c4 bxc4 40.Ke2 Kg8 41.Kd2 Kf8 42.Kc3+- 39.Kg3! Kg8 40.f5!+- 34.Kg2 Ne8 35.Bg5 Nc7 36.Kf1 Ne6 37.Be3 37.Ke2 Nxg5 38.hxg5 Kg8-+ 37...g5! 38.hxg5 Kg6 33.Bb4? g5 34.hxg5 Kg6 33...g5 34.hxg5 Kg6 35.Bb8! Kxg5 36.Bxe5 c5 37.Bc7 37.Kg2 Nh4+ 38.Kg3 Ng6 37...Kxf6 38.b3 Ke6 39.Bf4 Kd5 40.Be3 c4! 41.b4 Ke5 42.Bd2 Ne7 43.Be3 Nd5 44.Bd2 Nxb4! 45.cxb4 Kd4-+ 31...Kf8! 32.Bc5+ Ke8 33.f3 Kd7 34.b4 Kc7 35.c3 Kd7 36.Bf8 Ne3 37.Bc5 Nd1 38.Bd4 Kd6 39.Kg3 Kd5 40.f5 exf5 41.Kf4 Nb2 42.Ke3 Nc4+ 43.Kf4 Ke6 44.Kg3 Nd6 45.Kf4 Ne8 46.Kg5 Nc7 47.Bb6 Nd5 48.Bd4 f4 49.Kh6 Nxf6 50.Kg5 Nd5 51.Bh8 Ne7 52.Bd4 Nf5 53.Bf2 Ne3 54.Bg1 Ke5 55.Bf2 Nf5 56.Be1 Ng3 57.Bf2 Ne2 58.Ba7 Nxc3 59.Bb8+ Ke6 60.Bxf4 Nd5 61.Bd2 Ne7 62.Be1 f6+ 63.Kf4 g5+ 64.hxg5 Nd5+ 65.Ke4 fxg5 66.Kd4 h4 67.Kc5 Nf4 68.Kxc6 Nd3 69.Bd2 h3 0–1
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Kovchan,A | 2577 | Petrosian,T | 2651 | 0–1 | 2014 | B08 | Al Ain Classic 2014 -19-27 December | 7.4 |
Please, wait...
Showing technical brilliance just like his
namesake, ninth World Champion Tigran Petrosian
23-year-old Vladimir Onischuk (2614) was tactically
alert in all his games, and
with wins over strong players like Parligras, Grover and Volkov, he finished
third
Here is a game that shows a little combination by the Ukrainian player:
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bh4 6.Bd2 6...g5 7.Bg3 Ne4 8.Nge2 f5 9.f3 Nxg3 10.hxg3 Bd7 11.a3 Bxc3+ 12.Nxc3 Nc6 13.f4 g4 14.Qd2 Qe7 15.Nd1! 0-0-0 16.Ne3 h5 17.0-0-0 Kb8 18.c4 dxc4 19.Bxc4 Nxd4?! 19...h4 20.gxh4 Rxh4 21.Rxh4 Qxh4 22.d5 exd5 23.Bxd5 Bc8 20.Qxd4 Ba4 21.Rxh5! 21.Qc3 Bxd1 22.Nxd1 21...Rhe8 21...Rxh5 22.Qxd8++- 21...Bxd1 22.Rxh8 Rxh8 23.Qxd1± 22.Qc3 Bxd1 23.Nxd1 Qc5 24.Rh7 Qg1 25.Bb3 c5 26.Qa5! Qxg2 27.Bxe6! Rd4 27...Rxd1+ 28.Kxd1 Qf1+ 29.Kc2 Qe2+ 30.Kb1 Qd1+ 31.Ka2 28.Bxf5 Red8 29.Bc2 29.Bxg4+- 29...Rd2 30.Qc3 c4 31.e6 Re2 32.Rd7 Re8 33.f5 a6 34.Ba4 Rc8 35.e7 b5 36.f6 Qc6 37.Qd4 1–0
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Onischuk,V | 2614 | Volkov,S | 2599 | 1–0 | 2014 | C12 | Al Ain Classic 2014 -19-27 December | 8.3 |
Please, wait...
Slimmest players of the event?! Amruta Mokal
(photographer)
with GM Sergei Zhigalko,who finished fourth
Sergei Zhigalko from Belarus also remained unbeaten with a score of 7.0/9.
He finished off the tournament with a strong win over Anand’s second
Sandipan Chanda.
Vishy Anand’s second and strong grandmaster
Sandipan Chanda

Top seeded Yuriy Kryvoruchko, above with his
wife WGM Vita Kryvoruchko, finished fifth
Top final ranking (after nine rounds)

The first and the second prize for the best
women players went to
Eesha Karavade (right) and Atousa Pourkashiyan respectively

There was a special prize for the best score sheets. Prior to the tournament
I was wondering how the winner of this prize would be selected. The organizers
carefully went through the score-sheets of all the rounds and found two
worthy candidates.
IM Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman (left) and Rucha
Pujari had the best handwriting in the Al Ain Classic!
The Romanians: Mircea Emilian Parligras and
the recently married couple Constantin and Mirela Lupulescu
Eight Armenians took part in the event. Some of them are seen here (from
left clockwise): GM Levon Babujian, IM Manuel Petrosyan, GM Tigran Petrosian,
GM Sergei Zhigalko (BLR), GM Arman Pashikian, GM Ter-Sahakyan Samvel, GM
Sergey Volkov (RUS), chief arbiter Ashot Vardapetyan and GM Hovik Hayrapetyan.
Eleven Ukrainians came to Al Ain: WIM Irina Andrenko, GM Andrey Baryshpolets,
GM Alexander Kovchan, GM Mikhailo Oleksienko, GM Vladimir Onischuk, GM Martyn
Kravtsiv, GM Alexander Areshchenko and GM Eldar Gasanov

Azerbaijan sent a huge squad of 23 players.
In the picture above we see WGM Gulnar Mammadova,
WIM Khayala Abdulla, GM Nijat Abasov, Narmin Soyunlu and WFM Narmin Khalafova

But as is usually the case in terms of sheer quantum Team India was the
winner with 31 participants! Above in the front row are Akash Thakur, WGM
Soumya Swaminathan, GM Abhijeet Gupta, IM Sagar Shah, Amruta Mokal; in the
back row: IM S. Vijayalakshmi, IM Eesha Karavade, GM Deep Sengupta, GM Vidit
Gujrathi, GM Vishnu Prasanna, GM Shyam Sundar, GM Arun Prasad, GM G. N.
Gopal
There is one little story about two Indian players which I must tell. Both
of them were in the joint second position in the tournament after seven
rounds, with 5.0/7.
They were GM Vidit Gujrathi (2625) and GM Deep Sengupta (2566). While they
fought hard in the tournament, and also against each other in the eighth
round, both of them were thanking their lucky stars that they were alive
and well. The reason?
Just before they left for the airport from Kerala, India, after finishing
the Indian National Premier Championships to catch their flight to Dubai,
they met with an accident. Their driver had dozed off and the car had slammed
into the wall on the side of the road. As you can see in the picture above,
it was badly damaged. Both the players were injured and taken to the hospital.
The injuries however were not so serious. Both players were discharged in
an hour and they limped their way to catch the flight to Dubai to play in
the Al Ain Classic!
The 3rd Al Ain Classic 2014 came to an end on 26th December 2014 and I
go back home with some very nice memories from the tournament.

The hotel staff of the Hili Rayhaan hung a Christmas sock outside the doors
of every chess player. The sock contained little gifts like fruits, nuts,
chocolates and cookies! Its little gestures like these that make your stay
truly a memorable one!

The organizers and their team (in the picture above: Sonia Lalaouna, Mariyam
Dad, Fatima Algelda) must be applauded for making the third Al Ain Classic
2014 a grand success. I definitely intend to back there next year!
Game analysis of rounds seven and eight by GM Dmitry Komarov
All pictures by Amruta Mokal