Sinquefield Rd5: Topalov takes lead midway

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 five

All photos by Lennart Ootes from official site

The fifth round threatened to be a repeat of rounds three and four, with hard-fought games, chances for wins, but only draws to show for them. Mind you, this was absolutely contrary to the way they started or how they even progressed.

The first standout game, and quickest to end, was between five-time World Champion Vishy Anand and Wesley So. Anand played a Giuoco Piano, or Italian game, for which So came well prepared, opting for a move and line that only very recently first saw the light of day.

The fascinating try of 9…Ne7! leads to a Marshall Gambit sort of position in Anand’s words, and though White is up a pawn, it is worth a fraction of a pawn at best.

Wesley So said he had first prepared this for a game against Anish Giri in Bilbao this year, but the first time this was actually played on the board was by Norwegian GM Jon Hammer in the French Top 12 League in May. That said, Vishy had also studied it in detail, and both rattled off the moves quite quickly, leading to a position that was quite equal in spite of the initial material balance, and it soon simplified into a draw.

Wesley So played a new line on the circuit that he and other grandmasters seem to have been preparing for some time

Vishy Anand - Wesley So

Anand was ready for it, but could not find a way to wrest an advantage

Another game that promised to conclude in a win was the game by Fabiano Caruana against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. After his 19th move, MVL went to the confession box, a form of live commentary by the player during the game that remains hidden from the rival while heard by the live commentators and audience. In it he commented his last move had been highly committal and he suspected he had made a do-or-die move that would most likely decide things one way or the other very soon.

Fabiano Caruana got a winning position against MVL, but let it slip away

While quite correct in his assessment, the position’s evaluation didn’t really waver from the slight plus for white according to the engine, until the serious mistake 25…Qh5? left him lost. This seemed to ensure the game would lead to the day’s first decisive result, but a series of slips by Caruana allowed MVL to escape with half the point.

Fabiano Caruana - Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Peter Svidler and Hikaru Nakamura played a strong game that seemed better for Svidler but eventually drew

The final game of the day to end, and also one of the tensest, was between Veselin Topalov and Ding Liren. Topalov slowly outplayed his opponent to reach a winning position, but suddenly, in spite of two full extra pawns, things became very challenging to convert.

Ding Liren had managed to reach a drawn position, but missed his chance

Veselin Topalov - Ding Liren (annotated by GM Elshan Moradiabadi)

Veselin Topalov is the leader of the 2016 Sinquefield Cup after five rounds

With this win, Topalov takes the lead in the Sinquefield Cup with 3.5/5 after the first half, followed by So, Anand, and Aronian, all on 3.0/5. Wednesday is a rest day, with play resuming Thursday, August 11. Be sure not to miss it!

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 five

Select games from the games list below the board

Standings after five 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.