tag: Sinquefield Cup 2015 - Page 1

Sinquefield Cup Recap

9/7/2015 – The 2015 Sinquefield Cup will probably be the strongest tournament of the year, and it was an exciting venture. In a very close race until the last couple of rounds, Levon Aronian took the title and impressed even his most die-hard fans as he recuperated from a tough year. We bring you the recap of what happened at the tournament, some interesting facts and Grand Chess Tour standings.

Ultimate Moves ends with jokes and jibes

9/6/2015 – With the final round over and the trophies and checks handed out, one would understandably presume that was the end of the Sinquefield Cup, but not quite yet. There was one last encore for the players and spectators, and not some simul or other, it was the Ultimate Moves. This very fun event brought teams with the stars in blitz games, rotating the players every few moves!

Sinquefield 09: Aronian wins tournament

9/2/2015 – Aronian had no trouble holding a draw today against Topalov, all he needed to crown himself as the winner of the 2015 Sinquefield Cup, and the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour. If anything, Aronian was the one playing for an advantage for a large part of the game. Caruana had a winning position against So, but was unable to convert. Nakamura pushed hard against Grischuk and won a long game...

Garry Kasparov: 'kicking and screaming'

9/1/2015 – It was a relaxed and good-humored Garry Kasparov who appeared in the live commentary beside hosts Yasser Seirawan and Jennifer Shahade, and to the delight of spectators, he seemed in no hurry to leave. He spoke openly about a variety of topics including opening advice to Nakamura (to not repeat his mistake against Kramnik), effusive credit to Vishy Anand, and chess in the USA.

Sinquefield 08: Carlsen forgives Nakamura

9/1/2015 – Today's round featured three solid draws, after which two very long games were the only ones left in the playing hall. Giri suffered slightly against Caruana as he lost a pawn and had to defend, but it wasn't too hard. Nakamura, however, is the one that was lucky. Carlsen's prep basically gave him a winning position, but the World Champion was careless, and Naka found a way to survive!

Sinquefield 07: Aronian's day

8/31/2015 – What a day for the Armenian celebrity, former number two in the world: Levon Aronian was the biggest winner today with a fine positional victory against Hikaru Nakamura. In the meantime, Magnus Carlsen saw his dreams of a comeback hamstrung as he lost a dramatic game against Alexander Grischuk in a long endgame that went down to the final seconds!

Sinquefield 06: Nakamura Brilliant!

8/30/2015 – In a showing of excellent attacking chess, Nakamura took So's deep preparation, shredded it over the board and won a brilliant game with multiple sacrifices. So simply seemed to have no clue where the ball was rolling today and was properly punished for it. It was not the only important win today, as MVL and Grischuk also won their games. This puts MVL, Naka and Giri 0.5 from the leaders.

Sinquefield 05: Topalov loses, Carlsen resurges

8/28/2015 – The tournament has become an even tighter race. Topalov had a fantastic start with 3.0/4 and played very strong chess, but Fabiano Caruana, who had a rough start with 0.0/2, has beaten the Bulgarian, escaped from the basement and Topalov is no longer leading. With Carlsen winning yet another game, the Norwegian is now tied for first with Aronian, who drew Grischuk.

Sinquefield 04: Aronian Brilliant Again!

8/27/2015 – An unusual day today, as we saw four (!) opposite colored bishops positions. It’s an unusual circumstance, which can make the game either extremely exciting or very dull. Unfortunately for us today there were four games in which, because of the opposite colored bishops, the game was simply drawn. To make up for it Aronian played a brilliant sacrifice against So, and ties for the lead.

Sinquefield 03: Carlsen recovering

8/26/2015 – Round three games were much slower paced than the ones we saw in the first two rounds but that doesn’t mean that it was a peaceful round at all. The winners of the round were Carlsen and So. Carlsen managed to make a comeback and now is tied for second in the tournament (behind Topalov, who is still leader). The other decisive game was So, who took advantage of Grischuk's time trouble.

Sinquefield 02: Topalov new leader

8/25/2015 – It started relatively dull, but boy did today's round pick up quickly! Two draws between MVL vs. Aronian and Giri vs. So were rather boring, but it was more than offset by the other three games! Grischuk beat Anand in tough struggle, while the Caruana and Carlsen game went literally down to the last seconds. Finally, in a long and beautiful positional game, Topalov became the new leader.

Sinquefield 01: Five decisives games!

8/24/2015 – What a scintillating start to the 2015 Sinquefield Cup! We could not have asked for more: a round full of brilliancies, attacks, and many confusing moves! Topalov beat Carlsen again, and it was not the only repeat performance... Giri also beat Grischuk, like in Norway! Anand was unable to hold against Nakamura, while So commited suicide against MVL while Aronian played a brilliancy.

Sinquefield Cup starts Sunday

8/23/2015 – It is time! The second leg of the Grand Chess Tour, and the strongest tournament of the year, is starting tomorrow! Today there was an autograph session with the players at the Saint Louis Chess Club, as well as a brief opening ceremony to determine the drawing of lots. As fate would have it, there are two repeats from Norway's first round: Giri-Grischuk, and Carlsen-Topalov!
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