Sinquefield Rd4: An encore of draws

2016 Sinquefield Cup The 2016 Sinquefield Cup is an elite international event, featuring 10 of the strongest chess players in the world. Over the course of nine rounds, these competitors will battle for $300,000 in prize money (first: $75,000, second: $50,000, third: $40,000, last: $15,000) plus points toward the Grand Chess Tour and the coveted title of 2016 Sinquefield Cup Champion. The venue is the Chess Club and Scholastic Center at 4657 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108. Tickets cost $10 per round or $80 for all ten rounds. Full information available at the official web site.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators worldwide are expected to enjoy the all-star commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade as they provide keen insights and analysis, in depth player interviews and witty discussions. Commentary is also available on the CCSCSL YouTube Channel, Livestream and Twitch.

Round four

All photos by Lennart Ootes from official site

In spite of a round with only draws, always a disappointing tally for spectators and players alike, the round was hardly denuded of interest. We are past the phase of ‘grandmaster draws’ at the elite stage, and all the top players can be counted on for a good fight or at least attempt.

One of the quickest games of the day was between Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana, but was not a little intriguing: the reason was the opening. A very rare guest at the top level, Caruana played the Benoni as Black, an opening that has gained a reputation as being somewhat suspicious when playing fellow Top 10 or Top 20 players. Somewhat disappointingly, Aronian did not choose to challenge Fabiano on the sharpest possibilities, opting to exchange material off and take the draw, but he forgivingly explained he had been sick and was not at his best.

Nevertheless, this did not explain the Benoni, which was a choice by his opponent. Caruana explained he had been trying to play it for the past six months, but somehow his opponents always seemed to sidestep it unwittingly.

Veselin Topalov is outright intrigued to see the makings of a Benoni on the board. Sadly for him and the fans, Aronian would refuse to commit himself to it, and transposed to a Queen's Gambit Declined, leading to a somehwate uneventful draw.

“I’ve been trying to play the Benoni for the past half a year, since Wijk aan Zee, and I’ve given my opponents 20 or more chances to play the Benoni and I’ve only gotten it once.” Maurice Ashley, interviewing him, promptly asked whether they were backing down to the challenge, but Caruana saw this as just one of those coincidences where the stars just refused to align the way he wished.

“At the start, they just didn’t know. Like Carlsen played 1.g3 against me on the first move; Giri played 1.e4, and against all odds I only managed to get one Benoni, in the Candidates against Levon. But today I guess he just wasn’t feeling up to it. I mean, it would be a very tough game, and if you’re not feeling well it makes sense to try to simplify.” After jokingly addressing the camera and audience to avoid playing the terrible Benoni, he did comment more seriously about his choice: “I’m getting bad positions in the Queen’s Gambit Declined, so how much worse can the Benoni be?”

Two of the most uncompromising players in the world, Hikaru Nakamura and Veselin Topalov played a game that promised all manner of craziness, and indeed it did, though neither walked away with the win.

Hikaru Nakamura - Veselin Topalov (annotated by GM Elshan Moradiabadi)

Ever the fighter, Hikaru Nakamura

Wesley So and Anish Giri also had a long struggle. After a fairly balanced game, the two players headed toward a knight endgame in which Anish Giri began to outplay his opponent. Before things got out of hand though, Wesley So fought back and avoided a defeat.

Wesley So had a tough day at the office but was up to the challenge

The reality of a top player today: Anish Giri observes his own game against Wesley So, while a cameraman takes advantage of the moment he stood up to get a good angle for the fans watching at home.

The production team of the Sinquefield Cup is not just a few computers with some choice webcams...

... it is a full-fledged TV production crew.

Vishy Anand played a tough game against...

... top Chinese player Ding Liren with whom he drew.

Peter Svidler held his own against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

About GM Elshan Moradiabadi Elshan Moradiabadi is a GM born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He moved to the US in 2012. Ever since, he has been active in US college chess scenes and in US chess. Elshan co-authored "Chess and the Art of War: Ancient Wisdom to Make You a Better Player" with Al Lawrence. He has also published written articles for ChessBase, and edited opening materials for fellow authors. Elshan Moradiabadi is a veteran instructor and teaches chess to every level, with students ranging from beginners to IM. He can be contacted for projects or teaching at his email. You can contact him at his email or follow him on Twitter.

Replay games of round four

Select games from the games list below the board

Standings after four rounds

The games are being broadcast live on Playchess, with expert analysis.

Schedule

Pairings

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.