Tata Steel Rd4: Action all around

by Alejandro Ramirez
1/13/2015 – The tournament has seen a tremendous amount of action-packed games! With four games ending in decisive results, three of them with black victories, it was certainly a treat for chess fans. After all was said and done, Ivanchuk emerges as the sole leader. His victory over MVL brings him to 3.5/4, half more than Caruana and Ding Liren, who scored his third win in a row!
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The Tata Steel Chess Tournament has two main tournaments. They are played according to the 'round robin' system, whereby each competitor plays in turn against every other during the tournament. The Tata Steel Masters has 14 participants and the Tata Steel Challengers has 14 participants. Both groups start on January 10th 2015 and the last round is on January 25th. All rounds in Wijk aan Zee begin at 13.30 hours, except for the last round on January 25th, which begins at 12.00 hours. The time control is 100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the remaining moves with 30 seconds cumulative increment for each move starting from the first move.

Admission to the playing hall in Wijk aan Zee, Rotterdam and The Hague is free of charge

Round four - Masters

Round 4 - Tuesday Jan. 13
Van Wely, L. - Carlsen, M.
0-1
Aronian, L. - Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
Caruana, F. - So, W.
½-½
Hou, Y. - Giri, A.
½-½
Jobava, B. - Saric, I.
0-1
Radjabov, T. - Ding, L.
0-1
Ivanchuk, V. - Vachier-Lagrave
1-0

Daniel King shows the game van Wely vs Carlsen

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Van Wely, Loek 0-1 Carlsen, Magnus
A tense Gruenfeld, Fianchetto variation. Van Wely's decision to sacrifice a pawn at around move 28 seems to have been too optimistic. Gruenfeld Expert GM Cristian Chirila brings us his thoughts:

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The world champion has had quite a disturbing event so far. Simply put, his level of play has been nowhere close to what he has used to show. Playing one of the lowest seed, Carlsen surely looked to bounce back after his dissapointing loss yesterday. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 d5 4...c6 5.Bg2 d5 this is the most solid response to the fianchetto, but too drawish for Carlsen 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.0-0 0-0 9.d5 9.e3 is the main line 9...Na5 9...Bxc3?! 10.dxc6 Bg7 11.Qc2 Qd6 12.cxb7 Bxb7 13.Be3 white holds a nice advantage 10.Qc2 10.e4 c6 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bf4 cxd5 13.Nxd5 Nac4= is nothing special for white 10...c6 10...Nxd5 grabbing the pawn is a bit dangerous 11.Rd1 c6 12.Ne1 12.e4 Nb4 13.Qa4 b5 14.Rxd8 bxa4 15.Rxf8+ Kxf8 16.Nxa4 Nc4= 12...Bd7 13.Nxd5 cxd5 14.Rxd5 e6 15.Rd3 Rc8 16.Qd1 Rc7 17.Bf4 e5= 18.Rc1 11.dxc6 Nxc6 12.Rd1 Bd7 12...Qe8= 13.Bf4 Qc8 14.Rac1 Bf5 black is trying to provoke white into blocking his own bishop, as well as irremediably weakening the central d4 square 15.e4 Bg4 16.Qb3 16.Nd5!? e5 16...Nxd5? 17.exd5 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Nd4 19.Qe4 Nxf3+ 20.Qxf3± 17.Bg5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Bxf3 19.Bxf3 Nd4 20.Qxc8 Nxf3+ 21.Kg2 Rfxc8 22.Kxf3 f6 23.Be3 Kf7 black is very close to equality 16...Qe6 17.Qxe6?! 17.Nd5 Qxe4 18.Nxb6 axb6 19.h3 17...fxe6 18.e5 Nd5 19.Nxd5 exd5 20.Ng5! quite precise e6 20...Bxd1 21.Bxd5+ Kh8 22.Rxd1 Bxe5 23.Be3 Bxb2 24.Nf7+ Kg7 25.Bh6+ Kf6 26.Bg5+= 21.f3 h6 22.fxg4 hxg5 23.Bxg5 Nxe5 24.Bf4 24.Rc7 was necessary Rac8 25.Rxb7 Rf7 26.Rxf7 Nxf7 27.Be3 Bxb2 28.Bxa7 Ra8 29.Rd2 Bc3 30.Rc2 Rxa7 31.Rxc3 Rxa2 32.Rc6= 24...Nc6 25.g5? now this is hard to understand, why give away a pawn for no reason? maybe the time situation had a say in this dubious decision 25.Rc2= 25...Bxb2 26.Rc2 26.Rb1 Bd4+ 27.Kh1 Bb6 26...Bd4+ 27.Kh1 Rad8 now black is simply a pawn up, and his central pawns are ready to be advanced 28.Rb1 Rf7 29.Bh3 Re8 30.Re2 e5 31.Rb5 Ref8 32.Be6 exf4 33.Rxb7 33.gxf4 Kg7 34.Bxf7 Rxf7 35.Rxd5 Rxf4 36.Rd7+ Rf7 37.Rxf7+ Kxf7 was a more resilient try, but still black should be winning with good technique (something the world champion doesn't lack) 33...f3-+ 34.Rd2 Kg7 35.Bxf7 Rxf7 36.Rxf7+ Kxf7 37.Rd3 f2 38.Kg2 Ke6 39.h4 Bb6 40.Rf3 Ne5 41.Rf6+ Ke7 42.a4 Bd4 43.g4 Nxg4 44.Rf4 Nh2 a nice bounceback for Carlsen, if his positive trend continues we will soon be seeing him in the title contenders pack. 0–1
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Van Wely,L2667Carlsen,M28620–12015D7677th Tata Steel Chess Masters4

Carlsen triumphed in what was a nearly must-win game

Aronian, Levon ½-½ Wojtaszek, Radoslaw
Wojtaszek seemed to have no problems equalizing from the opening. The game relatively quickly traded off into an endgame that was only marginally better for White. The Polish player held it without any real problems.

Birthday boy! Radoslaw Wojtaszek turned 28 today. Photo by Alina l'Ami.

Caruana, Fabiano ½-½ So, Wesley
First against Carlsen, and now against Caruana, So has shown an extremely solid repertoire which has allowed him to equalize without problems, neutralizing any initiative that White might come up with. Today the Spanish served him well as Caruana obtained nothing from the opening and after reaching a completely equal middle game the players agreed to a draw.

Caruana was neutralized by So

Hou Yifan ½-½ Giri, Anish
Side-stepping the Spanish opening with 3.Bc4 brought Hou Yifan absolutely nothing with White. Giri's approach to the position with 7...Kh8 and 8...Ng8 is not unheard of and is supposed to yield Black an acceptable position after he breaks with f5. A repetition in a position that was equal ended the game in a draw.

Hou Yifan was unable to bring much fight to the board against Giri

Jobava, Baadur 0-1 Saric, Ivan
Jobava pulled a Jobava (playing in a too suicidally creative way).

No one plays chess quite like Baadur Jobava

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 g6 8.e4!? Even though this idea looks bizarre, to play e3 and only then e4, it has been employed in the past by a very strong player... dxe4 9.Nxe4 Bb4+ White's point is that the only way to punish the e4 advance is with this check, but in that case the move g6 might not be desirable. 10.Ke2 Qe7 10...Qf4 11.Qd3 Be7 12.g3 Qc7 13.Bg2 Gave White a slight edge in the game Kramnik-Leko, 2009. Though admittedly that was a blitz game. 11.c5 0-0 12.Qa4 part of the point is that Black's bishop is nearly trapped, so White will try to use the time while Black saves it to improve his position. Na6 13.a3 b5 13...e5!? 14.axb4 exd4 15.Kd3 Bf5 16.Nfd2 Nc7 Gives Black compensation, but it is hard to say exactly how much. 14.Qb3 Ba5 15.Ne5 Nb8 Black has kept all his material, but it feels something has gone wrong. He was unable to exploit the king position on e2 and White now has a nice bind all over the place. 16.Qg3 16.Qe3! 16...Bc7 17.Ke3? Sometimes, however, Jobava just oversteps his limits... 17.f4! Rd8 18.Rd1 Bb7 19.h4! h5 20.Qg5± White's bind is strong. The bishop on b7 is garbage and the rest is suffering for Saric. 17...g5! Creating swift counterplay. The threat of f5 is very real. 18.f4 f5 19.h4 A valiant attempt, but it doesn't come close to working. Bxe5 20.dxe5 fxe4 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.Rh5 Rf5 White simply lacks enough pieces to form an attack. 23.Be2 Qg7 24.fxg5 Nd7 25.Rah1 Nf8 Now there is no chance of creating a threat. 26.Rh8+ 26.Qh2 Ng6 27.g4 Rf7 28.Rh6 Kf8 29.Rh7 Qxh7 30.Qxh7 Rxh7 31.Rxh7 was perhaps the best hope, though White remains down a piece. 26...Qxh8 27.Rxh8+ Kxh8 28.Kxe4 Bd7 29.Ke3 Rf7 30.Qh4+ Kg8 31.Qe4 Rc8 32.a4 bxa4 33.Qxa4 Rb8 34.b4 Rf5 35.Bf3 Rxe5+ 36.Kd4 Rxg5 37.Kc3 Rc8 38.Qxa7 Rg7 perhaps an odd time to resign, but Black does have a winning position. 0–1
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Jobava,B2727Saric,I26660–12015D4377th Tata Steel GpA4

Radjabov, Teimour 0-1 Ding Liren
Ding Liren's hat trick is annotated by GM Cristian Chirila:

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The encounter between these two guys was already announcing to be an explosive one. Even though Radjabov hasn't had his best year in 2014, he remains one of the most aggressive and entertaining players. Ding on the other hand is the leading star in Chinese chess and has proven in recent years that he can be a world championship contender. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.h3 The chinese player is simply a machine in the KID, I personally can't remember how many wins against elite opposition I've seen. His understanding of this opening might be the best in the world at the moment. Even though, one could argue, it is actually his opponent, Teimour Radjabov, who is the best KID player in the world! e5 7.d5 Nh5 8.g3 this is the main line in recent years, previously 8.Nh2 was tried Qe8 9.Be2 Nf4 10.Bf3 f5 11.g3 Nxh3 12.Bg2 fxe4 13.Nxe4 13.Be3 Na6 14.Nxe4 Nf4 leads to a very complicated battle in which black is able to hold his ground 13...Bf5 14.Ng4 14.Rf1 h5 15.Qe2 Na6 16.f3 Nc5 Kuzubov,Y-Adhiban,B 0-1 2014 8...f5 9.exf5 gxf5 10.Ng5 Qe8 10...Nf6 is another option, though I prefer the game's continuation for black 11.g4! white can play this move without losing time with Be2, with the N on h4 that is not possible due to the annoying N jump to f4 Qe8 12.gxf5 Bxf5 13.Be3 Na6 14.Rg1 Nb4 15.Rc1 Qg6 16.Nf3± Khairullin, I- Sutovsky, E 1-0 2011 11.Be2 11.g4?! Nf4 11.c5 is quite interesting dxc5 12.d6 Nf6 12...h6 13.Nd5 hxg5 14.Nxc7 Qg6 15.Nxa8 Rd8∞ I prefer black in this position 13.dxc7 Nc6 14.Bc4+ Kh8 15.Nb5 Ne4 16.Nxe4 fxe4 17.Nd6 Qe7 this position is extremely complex, whoever has the better preparation will probably get the advantage 11...Nf6 12.Be3 Na6 13.Qd2 Bd7 14.0-0-0 h6 this is the first new move 14...Nc5 15.g4 b6 16.Rdg1 Kh8 17.Bd1 Le, T- Ju,W 1/2 2010 15.Nf3 Nc5 16.Nh4 16.Bxc5 dxc5 17.Qe3 17.Kb1 Ne4 18.Nxe4 fxe4 19.Nh4 Rxf2 20.Qe3 Qf7∞ 17...e4 18.Nh4 b6 19.Ng2 c6 20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.Nf4 with a very interesting battle, white has nice control over a few key squares in the center and its proximity, while black has a black square monster on g7 which can very fast become a killing asset. 16...Nce4 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Qc2 Ng5 19.Bd3 19.f4 Ba4 20.b3 exf4 21.Bxf4 Bd7 19...e4 20.Be2 Rc8 21.Kb1 c5 22.dxc6 22.Bf4 this is preferable in my opinion, though the computer doess't tend to agree with me Rf6 23.Ng2 Rb8 24.Ne3 Nf7 25.Rhg1 b5 25...Ne5 26.g4 26.cxb5 Bxb5 27.Bxb5 Qxb5 28.h4 22...Rxc6 23.Qd2 23.Ng2 white had to recycle his knight and bring it on a better square Be6 24.Nf4 Bf7 25.g4 b5 26.c5 with monstruous complications 23...Be6 24.Bxg5? in my opinion this is a strategic blunder, I find it quite unnacceptable to renounce the only piece that can challenge black's main attacker (g7 B), and that for only one pawn. 24.Bd4! Qf7 25.b3 a5 26.Ng2 26.f4!? exf3 27.Bxf3 d5∞ 26...a4 27.Nf4 axb3 28.axb3 Ra8 29.h4 Rca6 30.Qb2∞ 24...hxg5 25.Qxg5 Ra6 25...Rxc4!? 26.Rd2 b5 27.Rc1 27.g4! white had to look for king side counterplay 27...Qf7 28.Ng6 Bf6 29.Qh6 29.Qh5 was the only move to maintain the balance Rc8 30.Nf4 Qxh5 31.Nxh5 Bg5 32.Nf4 bxc4 black has the superior endgame but he still has a lot of work to do 29...Rb8 now the Chinese player's attack is iressistible 30.Nf4 Bxc4 31.Rxc4 31.Bxc4 bxc4 32.Qh5 c3-+ 31...bxc4 32.Nd5 Bg7 33.Qg5 c3! 34.Bc4 34.Nxc3 Rc6 35.Nd5 Qxd5 36.Qxg7+ 36.Rxd5 Rxb2+ 37.Ka1 Rxe2+-+ 36...Kxg7 37.Rxd5 Rbc8-+ 34...cxd2 35.Nf6+ Kf8 36.Nh7+ Ke8 37.Bxf7+ Kxf7 38.Qxf5+ Kg8 39.Kc2?? 39.Qe6+! was a more resilient try, it is not easy to escape the checks Kxh7 40.Qxe4+ Kh8 40...Kg8 41.Kc2 Ra5 42.b4 Re5 41.Qh4+ Kg8 42.Qc4+ d5 42...Kf8 43.Qf4+ Ke8 44.Qe4+ Be5 45.Qg6+ Kd8 46.Qg8+ Kc7 47.Qf7+ Kc6 48.Qc4+ 43.Qxd5+ Kf8 44.b3 Bc3 39...Rxb2+ 40.Kd1 Rb1+ 0–1
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Radjabov,T2734Ding,L27320–12015E9077th Tata Steel Chess Masters4

Ding Liren with another win, a nice recovery after a first round loss!
He also has no draws in this tournament so far.

Ivanchuk, Vassily 1-0 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime
A very clean victory by Ivanchuk over one of the leading experts in the Najdorf:

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bc1 Nf6 8.Be3 8.f3 is another way of side-stepping the repetition, but it does cut off some of White's ideas in certain variations of the English attack. 8...Ng4 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 Bg7 12.h3 Ne5 13.Be2 Nbc6 14.Nb3 b5 15.a4 A novelty. It avoids some ideas of Nc4, so it does make some sense to play this. 15.Nd5 Nc4 16.Bxc4 bxc4 17.Nd2 Bxb2 18.Rb1 Be5?! was the nice positional game Adams-Vallejo Pons in 2005 which was won by the Englishman. 15...b4 16.Nd5 One of the next three Black moves is a dubious one, as after Ivanchuk castles he holds an advantage. However, which one and why is beyond my comprehension on the complexities of this Najdorf variation and its subtleties. e6 17.Ne3 Bb7 18.Qd2 Qc7 19.0-0-0 0-0-0 20.Kb1 The problem for Black is that it is harder for him to transfer his pieces to the queenside and create threats than it is for White to do the same. If Black expands on the kingside he has no real targets to hit, so the question is... what does he do? Kb8 21.f3 a5 22.h4! Playing in both sides taxes Black's position. Someone will now have to defend the g5 pawn as trading it would leave him a structural weakness and pushing it would allow f4, dislodging Black's best piece. Na7 23.Nd4 Ng6 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.Rxh8 Bxh8 26.Bc4 Nf4 26...Be5 27.Bf2 d5 shouldn't work, but it at least made things somewhat uncelar. 28.exd5 Nf4± 27.Bb3 Qc5 28.Nc4 Ba6? A blunder in a bad position. 28...Qxd4 29.Qxd4 Bxd4 30.Rxd4 Nc6 is not something anyone wants to play. 31.Rxd6± 29.Bf2! Bxc4 30.Nb5 Qc6 31.Bxa7+ Ka8 32.Bxc4 Qxc4 33.Bb6 is completely hopeless. White will pick up a5 and b4 while Black is still planless. 33.Bb6 Rd7 34.g3 Ng6 35.b3 Qc6 36.Bxa5+- 1–0
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Ivanchuk,V2715Vachier Lagrave,M27571–02015B9077th Tata Steel GpA4

New leader! Vassily Ivanchuk with an amazing +3 (3.5/4)

Not even this amount of energy was enough to overtake Ivanchuk. Photo by Alina l'Ami.

Grandmaster Cristian Chirila - Guest Commentator

Former World u-16 Champion, he recently finished his studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. Cristian is an ambitious chess player who streams, blogs, teaches and plays plenty! Find out more about Cristian, including his chess lesson services, biography and games here.

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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 g6 8.e4!? Even though this idea looks bizarre, to play e3 and only then e4, it has been employed in the past by a very strong player... dxe4 9.Nxe4 Bb4+ White's point is that the only way to punish the e4 advance is with this check, but in that case the move g6 might not be desirable. 10.Ke2 Qe7 10...Qf4 11.Qd3 Be7 12.g3 Qc7 13.Bg2 Gave White a slight edge in the game Kramnik-Leko, 2009. Though admittedly that was a blitz game. 11.c5 0-0 12.Qa4 part of the point is that Black's bishop is nearly trapped, so White will try to use the time while Black saves it to improve his position. Na6 13.a3 b5 13...e5!? 14.axb4 exd4 15.Kd3 Bf5 16.Nfd2 Nc7 Gives Black compensation, but it is hard to say exactly how much. 14.Qb3 Ba5 15.Ne5 Nb8 Black has kept all his material, but it feels something has gone wrong. He was unable to exploit the king position on e2 and White now has a nice bind all over the place. 16.Qg3 16.Qe3! 16...Bc7 17.Ke3? Sometimes, however, Jobava just oversteps his limits... 17.f4! Rd8 18.Rd1 Bb7 19.h4! h5 20.Qg5± White's bind is strong. The bishop on b7 is garbage and the rest is suffering for Saric. 17...g5! Creating swift counterplay. The threat of f5 is very real. 18.f4 f5 19.h4 A valiant attempt, but it doesn't come close to working. Bxe5 20.dxe5 fxe4 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.Rh5 Rf5 White simply lacks enough pieces to form an attack. 23.Be2 Qg7 24.fxg5 Nd7 25.Rah1 Nf8 Now there is no chance of creating a threat. 26.Rh8+ 26.Qh2 Ng6 27.g4 Rf7 28.Rh6 Kf8 29.Rh7 Qxh7 30.Qxh7 Rxh7 31.Rxh7 was perhaps the best hope, though White remains down a piece. 26...Qxh8 27.Rxh8+ Kxh8 28.Kxe4 Bd7 29.Ke3 Rf7 30.Qh4+ Kg8 31.Qe4 Rc8 32.a4 bxa4 33.Qxa4 Rb8 34.b4 Rf5 35.Bf3 Rxe5+ 36.Kd4 Rxg5 37.Kc3 Rc8 38.Qxa7 Rg7 perhaps an odd time to resign, but Black does have a winning position. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Jobava,B2727Saric,I26660–12015D4377th Tata Steel GpA4
Ivanchuk,V2715Vachier Lagrave,M27571–02015B9077th Tata Steel GpA4
Caruana,F2820So,W2762½–½2015C8477th Tata Steel GpA4
Hou Yifan2673Giri,A2784½–½2015C5577th Tata Steel GpA4
Aronian,L2797Wojtaszek,R2744½–½2015A1377th Tata Steel GpA4

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Masters standings after four rounds

Round four - Challengers

Round 4 - Tuesday Jan. 13
Wei, Y. - Gunina, V.
1-0
Sevian, S. - Potkin, V.
1-0
Klein, D. - Saleh, S.
0-1
l' Ami, E. - Michiels, B.
1-0
Haast, A. - Van Kampen, R.
0-1
Shankland, S. - Timman, J.
½-½
Dale, A. - Navara, D.
0-1

Ari Dale couldn't overcome the gigantic rating point difference today

Sam Shankland vs. Jan Timman ended in a draw

Anne Haast lost to Robin Van Kampen

Second-seed Wei Yi defeated Valentina Gunina

Husband and Wife team: Erwin l'Ami is playing the Challengers
while Alina l'Ami is the official photographer

It's very unclear which one is working harder...

A super bloody round! Six out of seven games today were decisive, two of them going for more than 90 moves! Even though the Masters group is doing a fantastic job of keeping us entertained, the Challengers group is not lagging far behind!

Sagar Shah brings us even more highlights from an exciting round four in the challengers. One of the highlights was that young Sam Sevian won against Vladimir Potkin after the Russian grandmaster cracked under pressure in a long endgame.

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1.a31,22154%2405---
1.e31,07349%2409---
1.d395450%2378---
1.g466646%2361---
1.h444953%2374---
1.c343551%2426---
1.h328356%2419---
1.a411259%2465---
1.f39346%2435---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Be2 g6 4...Nxe4 5.Qa4++- 5.0-0 Bg7 6.Bb5+ 6.Re1 0-0 7.Bf1 is the other way to play in such positions. 6...Nfd7 This is not a very common move but not at all bad. 6...Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Qxd7 8.Re1 0-0 9.d4 gives White a very nice position. 7.d4 0-0 8.Re1 Nc6 9.d5 9.Be3 maintaining the center also looks good for White. 9...Nce5 10.Nbd2 a6 11.Bf1 b5 12.h3 Qb6 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.f4 c4+ 15.Kh1 Nd7 The knight will come to a good square on c5. 16.Nf3 Nc5 17.Be3 Qc7 18.Bd4 Bh6 19.f5 gxf5! A bold decision and one that can be expected from Salem who always plays exciting and ambitious chess. 20.Bxc5 trying to clear the d4 square for the knight but turns out to be not such a great decision. Qxc5 20...dxc5! 21.e5 looks scary but who is going to defend the d5 pawn? Bb7 22.d6 Qd7 23.dxe7 Qxe7 Inspite of the broken structure Black has a clear advantage thanks to his two powerful bishops. 21.Nd4 fxe4 22.Qh5 Bg7 23.Rxe4 e5! A very nice move based on discovered attack. It is very possible that Klein missed this move. 24.Nc6 24.dxe6 Qxh5 sometimes it is easy to overlook such tactics in your calculation. 24.Nf5 Bxf5 25.Qxf5 Qxd5 26.Rg4 leads to a very strong attack. f6 26...Kh8 27.Rxg7 Kxg7 28.Qg5+ Kh8 29.Qf6+= 27.Rh4! h6 28.Be2 Qc5 29.Bf3 d5 30.Rd1 Rad8 31.Bxd5+ Kh8 31...Rxd5 32.Qe6+± 32.Qg6 Rxd5 33.Rxh6+ Bxh6 34.Qxh6+ Kg8 35.Qg6+= 24...Re8 24...f5 25.Ne7+ Kh8 26.Rh4! h6 27.Qg6+- With a crushing attack 25.Rd1 Qf2 very accurate defensive skills shown by Salem. The position is sharp and inspite of his lack of development he is defending wonderfully. 26.Be2 Bf5! 27.Bf3? This takes away the fun from the game and let's black consolidate. Pretty much forced was 27.Rf1! Qxf1+ 28.Bxf1 Bxe4 29.Qh4 Bg6 30.Be2 With some fight although it must be mentioned that Black is better. 27...Bg6 28.Qg5 f6 29.Qc1 f5 30.Ree1 e4 White is run over by the black pawns. 31.Be2 Kh8 32.Qg5 f4 33.Bh5 Bxh5 34.Qxh5 Qxb2 35.Qf5 f3 36.gxf3 exf3 37.Qxf3 Qxc3 38.Rxe8+ Rxe8 39.Qg4 Qe3 40.Nb4 a5 41.Nc2 Qe4+ 42.Qxe4 Rxe4 A tense game and well contested till a certain point and then David played an uncertain move after which Salem took over and won the game with ease. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Klein,D-Salem,A-0–12015B5077th Tata Steel GpB4.2
Shankland,S2652Timman,J2593½–½2015C1977th Tata Steel GpB4.3
Dale,A2291Navara,D27290–12015E5277th Tata Steel GpB4.4
Wei Yi2675Gunina,V25381–02015B1277th Tata Steel GpB4.5
Haast,A2352Van Kampen,R26130–12015C0077th Tata Steel GpB4.6
Sevian,S2511Potkin,V26081–02015B4877th Tata Steel GpB4
L'Ami,E2613Michiels,B25631–02015D5277th Tata Steel GpB4

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Challengers standings after four rounds

Photos by Nadja Wittmann for www.ChessBase.com

Schedule and results - Masters group

Round 1 - Saturday Jan. 10
Radjabov, T. - Van Wely, L.
½-½
Ivanchuk, V. - Jobava, B.
1-0
Vachier-Lagrave - Hou, Y.
1-0
Ding, L. - Caruana, F.
0-1
Saric, I. - Aronian, L.
½-½
Giri, A. - Carlsen, M.
½-½
So, W. - Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
Round 2 - Sunday Jan. 11
Van Wely, L. - Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
Carlsen, M. - So, W.
½-½
Aronian, L. - Giri, A.
½-½
Caruana, F. - Saric, I.
1-0
Hou, Y. - Ding, L.
0-1
Jobava, B. - Vachier-Lagrave
½-½
Radjabov, T. - Ivanchuk, V.
½-½
Round 3 - Monday Jan. 12
Ivanchuk, V. - Van Wely, L.
1-0
Vachier-Lagrave - Radjabov, T.
½-½
Ding, L. - Jobava, B.
1-0
Saric, I. - Hou, Y.
½-½
Giri, A. - Caruana, F.
½-½
So, W. - Aronian, L.
1-0
Wojtaszek, R. - Carlsen, M.
1-0
Round 4 - Tuesday Jan. 13
Van Wely, L. - Carlsen, M.
0-1
Aronian, L. - Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
Caruana, F. - So, W.
½-½
Hou, Y. - Giri, A.
½-½
Jobava, B. - Saric, I.
0-1
Radjabov, T. - Ding, L.
0-1
Ivanchuk, V. - Vachier-Lagrave
1-0
Round 5 - Thursday Jan. 15
Vachier-Lagrave - Van Wely, L.  
Ding, L. - Ivanchuk, V.  
Saric, I. - Radjabov, T.  
Giri, A. - Jobava, B.  
So, W. - Hou, Y.  
Wojtaszek, R. - Caruana, F.  
Carlsen, M. - Aronian, L.  
Round 6 - Friday Jan. 16
Van Wely, L. - Aronian, L.  
Caruana, F. - Carlsen, M.  
Hou, Y. - Wojtaszek, R.  
Jobava, B. - So, W.  
Radjabov, T. - Giri, A.  
Ivanchuk, V. - Saric, I.  
Vachier-Lagrave - Ding, L.  
Round 7 - Saturday Jan. 17
Ding, L. - Van Wely, L.  
Saric, I. - Vachier-Lagrave  
Giri, A. - Ivanchuk, V.  
So, W. - Radjabov, T.  
Wojtaszek, R. - Jobava, B.  
Carlsen, M. - Hou, Y.  
Aronian, L. - Caruana, F.  
Round 8 - Sunday Jan. 18
Van Wely, L. - Caruana, F.  
Hou, Y. - Aronian, L.  
Jobava, B. - Carlsen, M.  
Radjabov, T. - Wojtaszek, R.  
Ivanchuk, V. - So, W.  
Vachier-Lagrave - Giri, A.  
Ding, L. - Saric, I.  
Round 9 - Tuesday Jan. 20
Saric, I. - Van Wely, L.  
Giri, A. - Ding, L.  
So, W. - Vachier-Lagrave  
Wojtaszek, R. - Ivanchuk, V.  
Carlsen, M. - Radjabov, T.  
Aronian, L. - Jobava, B.  
Caruana, F. - Hou, Y.  
Round 10 - Wednesday Jan. 21
Van Wely, L. - Hou, Y.  
Jobava, B. - Caruana, F.  
Radjabov, T. - Aronian, L.  
Ivanchuk, V. - Carlsen, M.  
Vachier-Lagrave - Wojtaszek  
Ding, L. - So, W.  
Saric, I. - Giri, A.  
Round 11 - Friday Jan. 23
Giri, A. - Van Wely, L.  
So, W. - Saric, I.  
Wojtaszek, R. - Ding, L.  
Carlsen, M. - Vachier-Lagrave  
Aronian, L. - Ivanchuk, V.  
Caruana, F. - Radjabov, T.  
Hou, Y. - Jobava, B.  
Round 12 - Saturday Jan. 24
Van Wely, L. - Jobava, B.  
Radjabov, T. - Hou, Y.  
Ivanchuk, V. - Caruana, F.  
Vachier-Lagrave - Aronian, L.  
Ding, L. - Carlsen, M.  
Saric, I. - Wojtaszek, R.  
Giri, A. - So, W.  
Round 13 - Sunday Jan. 25
So, W. - Van Wely, L.  
Wojtaszek, R. - Giri, A.  
Carlsen, M. - Saric, I.  
Aronian, L. - Ding, L.  
Caruana, F. - Vachier-Lagrave  
Hou, Y. - Ivanchuk, V.  
Jobava, B. - Radjabov, T.  

Schedule and results - Challengers group

Round 1 - Saturday Jan. 10
Shankland, S. - Wei, Y.
½-½
Dale, A. - Haast, A.
½-½
Navara, D. - l' Ami, E.
½-½
Timman, J. - Klein, D.
½-½
Van Kampen, R. - Sevian, S.
1-0
Michiels, B. - Gunina, V.
½-½
Saleh, S. - Potkin, V.
½-½
Round 2 - Sunday Jan. 11
Wei, Y. - Potkin, V.
1-0
Gunina, V. - Saleh, S.
1-0
Sevian, S. - Michiels, B.
0-1
Klein, D. - Van Kampen, R.
½-½
l' Ami, E. - Timman, J.
½-½
Haast, A. - Navara, D.
0-1
Shankland, S. - Dale, A.
½-½
Round 3 - Monday Jan. 12
Dale, A. - Wei, Y.
½-½
Navara, D. - Shankland, S.
½-½
Timman, J. - Haast, A.
0-1
Van Kampen, R. - l' Ami, E.
½-½
Michiels, B. - Klein, D.
0-1
Saleh, S. - Sevian, S.
½-½
Potkin, V. - Gunina, V.
1-0
Round 4 - Tuesday Jan. 13
Wei, Y. - Gunina, V.
1-0
Sevian, S. - Potkin, V.
1-0
Klein, D. - Saleh, S.
0-1
l' Ami, E. - Michiels, B.
1-0
Haast, A. - Van Kampen, R.
0-1
Shankland, S. - Timman, J.
½-½
Dale, A. - Navara, D.
0-1
Round 5 - Thursday Jan. 15
Navara, D. - Wei, Y.  
Timman, J. - Dale, A.  
Van Kampen - Shankland, S.  
Michiels, B. - Haast, A.  
Saleh, S. - l' Ami, E.  
Potkin, V. - Klein, D.  
Gunina, V. - Sevian, S.  
Round 6 - Friday Jan. 16
Wei, Y. - Sevian, S.  
Klein, D. - Gunina, V.  
l' Ami, E. - Potkin, V.  
Haast, A. - Saleh, S.  
Shankland, S. - Michiels, B.  
Dale, A. - Van Kampen, R.  
Navara, D. - Timman, J.  
Round 7 - Saturday Jan. 17
Timman, J. - Wei, Y.  
Van Kampen, R. - Navara, D.  
Michiels, B. - Dale, A.  
Saleh, S. - Shankland, S.  
Potkin, V. - Haast, A.  
Gunina, V. - l' Ami, E.  
Sevian, S. - Klein, D.  
Round 8 - Sunday Jan. 18
Wei, Y. - Klein, D.  
l' Ami, E. - Sevian, S.  
Haast, A. - Gunina, V.  
Shankland, S. - Potkin, V.  
Dale, A. - Saleh, S.  
Navara, D. - Michiels, B.  
Timman, J. - Van Kampen, R.  
Round 9 - Tuesday Jan. 20
Van Kampen, R. - Wei, Y.  
Michiels, B. - Timman, J.  
Saleh, S. - Navara, D.  
Potkin, V. - Dale, A.  
Gunina, V. - Shankland, S.  
Sevian, S. - Haast, A.  
Klein, D. - l' Ami, E.  
Round 10 - Wednesday Jan. 21
Wei, Y. - l' Ami, E.  
Haast, A. - Klein, D.  
Shankland, S. - Sevian, S.  
Dale, A. - Gunina, V.  
Navara, D. - Potkin, V.  
Timman, J. - Saleh, S.  
Van Kampen, R. - Michiels, B.  
Round 11 - Friday Jan. 23
Michiels, B. - Wei, Y.  
Saleh, S. - Van Kampen, R.  
Potkin, V. - Timman, J.  
Gunina, V. - Navara, D.  
Sevian, S. - Dale, A.  
Klein, D. - Shankland, S.  
l' Ami, E. - Haast, A.  
Round 12 - Saturday Jan. 24
Wei, Y. - Haast, A.  
Shankland, S. - l' Ami, E.  
Dale, A. - Klein, D.  
Navara, D. - Sevian, S.  
Timman, J. - Gunina, V.  
Van Kampen, R. - Potkin, V.  
Michiels, B. - Saleh, S.  
Round 13 - Sunday Jan. 25
Saleh, S. - Wei, Y.  
Potkin, V. - Michiels, B.  
Gunina, V. - Van Kampen, R.  
Sevian, S. - Timman, J.  
Klein, D. - Navara, D.  
l' Ami, E. - Dale, A.  
Haast, A. - Shankland, S.  

Venues

The tournament has a slight change this year. Most of the rounds will be played in the traditional De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk Aan Zee, but two of the rounds will be played elsewhere. Last year the tournament traveled to the National Museum in Amsterdam and the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven.

This year the fifth round will be held in De Rotterdam. De Rotterdam is a building on the Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam, designed by Rem Koolhaas in 1998.

Rotterdam is ready to host Tata Steel!

The tenth round will be played in the International Press Cnetre Niewuspoort in the Hague. Councillor Karsten Klein of The Hague had this to say: "The Hague is honored to be able to host the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2015 at the heart of the Dutch parliamentary democracy. Our city has a long history of international chess tournaments, a tradition which is continued in this manner. "

Commentary on Playchess

This being the first major event of the year, it is clear that we will be bringing you live commentary on our server www.playchess.com!

Day Date Round English
Wednesday January 14 Free  
Thursday January 15 Round 5 GM Daniel King
Friday January 16 Round 6 GM Simon Williams
Saturday January 17 Round 7 GM Nicholas Pert
Sunday January 18 Round 8 GM Simon Williams
Monday January 19 Free  
Tuesday January 20 Round 9 GM Daniel King
Wednesday January 21 Round 10 GM Simon Williams
Thursday January 22 Free  
Friday January 23 Round 11 GM Daniel King 
Saturday January 24 Round 12 GM Simon Williams
Sunday January 25 Round 13 GM Daniel King

Links

The games will be broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess 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 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.
Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez has been playing tournament chess since 1998. His accomplishments include qualifying for the 2004 and 2013 World Cups as well as playing for Costa Rica in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. He currently has a rating of 2583 and is author of a number of popular and critically acclaimed ChessBase-DVDs.

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