Sinquefield Rd6: So leads after action-packed round

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.

Participants

Rounds start at 1 p.m. local time (CDT), which is UTC-5, 20:00h Europe, 23:30 India.
Check the start time at your location here.

Round six

All photos by Lennart Ootes from official site

Vishy Anand came dangerously close to losing against Anish Giri, and it was only a blunder at move 40 that saved the Indian from certain defeat. The opening went fine for both players, in a fighting Semi-Tarrasch. The turning point came after 25…Rc4? due to a serious miscalculation. Anand realized it very soon and admitted he was shaken when he did. As much as he tried to recover his equanimity and position, Giri pressed his advantage well, albeit at a serious cost to his time. This ended up being crucial as a near certain win was thrown out the window on move 40 when he blundered with just four seconds left on the clock. After that it was accept the draw or be worse.

Anish Giri lost in thought, which would eventually cost him

Anish Giri - Vishy Anand

Levon Aronian tried inventive chess, but soon lost confidence in his concept

Levon Aronian succumbed to Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a Symmetrical English after he sacrificed a pan for active play, but was unable to keep his initiative alive. After 11…c4 he said he was already no longer happy with his position and he reacted badly, which did nothing to recover the position’s equilibrium.

Maxime moves back to 50% after his win over Aronian

After round five, Fabiano Caruana had mentioned trying to play the Benoni with black for the previous six months, but somehow not getting the collaboration by his opponents, who knew nothing about this wish. In round six, Caruana got his desire, as Hikaru Nakamura went straight into it, playing the most principled line per Fabiano’s words. In spite of a decent opening he never really got anywhere with it, and they eventually ended up in a queen and a-pawn ending against rooks reminiscent of game one in Leko-Kramnik 2004, which they drew. (Ed: I take no credit for this reference. Caruana casually mentioned it in the post-game interview)

Peter Leko - Vladimir Kramnik (WCh 2004)

Position after 37. Qxc3

Hikaru Nakamura - Fabiano Caruana

Position after 44...Qb3

Nakamura was happy to oblige, and gave Caruana his much desired Benoni, which they eventually drew

Ding Liren defeated Peter Svidler in their game, showing how hard it is, even for a player of Svidler’s caliber, to arrive in an elite event with little preparation.

Ding Liren had to be delighted to finally score his first win

Ding Liren - Peter Svidler (annotated by GM Elshan Moradiabadi)

Veselin Topalov was unable to cope with all the questions Wesley So posed at the board

Finally, the game of the day in terms of sporting importance was Wesley So’s victory over Veselin Topalov. GM Elshan Moradiabadi analyzes it in detail and explains how So gave Topalov a taste of his own medicine: forcing your opponent to constantly have to make difficult decisions until they finally go astray.

Wesley So - Veselin Topalov (annotated by GM Elshan Moradiabadi)

Wesley So is all smiles as he is interviewed by Maurice Ashley after his win

Wesley So’s win places him in sole first with 4.0/6, followed closely by Anand and Topalov with 3.5/6. Needless to say it is still wide open and the last rounds promise to be thrilling.

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 six

Select games from the games list below the board

Standings after six 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.