2/4/2016 – Hikaru Nakamura won the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival last year and he won it this year. But not as smoothly as before. This year after nine of ten rounds Nakamura shared the lead with seven players. By winning the last round against David Anton, he qualified for a tie-break against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Here, after four draws Nakamura won the fifth game and the tournament.
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Have you always wanted to play the Sicilian as Black, but been discouraged by the abundance of options for White? Here is the solution to becoming a lifelong successful Sicilian player!
Before the tenth and last round no less than eight players had chances to win the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival: after nine of ten rounds Hikaru Nakamura, David Anton, Sebastien Maze, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Pentala Harikrishna, Li Chao, Etienne Bacrot, and Sethuraman S.P. all shared the lead with 7.0/9. A multi-player tie-break was looming. However, things turned out differently: two of the four games on the top boards were decided, two ended in a draw - and thus only two players made it to the tie-breaks.
Harikrishna and Li Chao shared the point as did Bacrot and Sethuraman.
Pental Harikrishna and Li Chao
India's number two, Pentala Harikrishna had a good tournament, scored 7.5/10, won 3.5 Elo-points and in the live-rating list he is now only 5 points behind Anand.
Hikaru Nakamura played energetic chess against David Anton, won his game and was the first to qualify for the tie-break.
Nakamura-Anton
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1.e4
1,183,387
54%
2421
---
1.d4
958,449
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
286,131
56%
2441
---
1.c4
184,608
56%
2443
---
1.g3
19,877
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,598
54%
2428
---
1.f4
5,953
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,905
50%
2384
---
1.b4
1,790
48%
2378
---
1.a3
1,249
54%
2406
---
1.e3
1,081
49%
2409
---
1.d3
969
50%
2378
---
1.g4
670
46%
2361
---
1.h4
466
54%
2382
---
1.c3
439
51%
2425
---
1.h3
289
56%
2420
---
1.a4
118
60%
2461
---
1.f3
100
47%
2427
---
1.Nh3
92
67%
2511
---
1.Na3
47
62%
2476
---
Please, wait...
1.d4f52.c4Nf63.Nc3d6After3...g6Black might have been afraid of4.h4Bg75.h54.Bg54.Nf3g64...Nbd75.Qc2g66.h4Still...6.e46...Bg77.0-0-0Nakamura leaves no doubts that he wants to win.c68.Nh3Eyeing the weakness e6.Nf88...Qa59.Nf4Nf810.h5Ne411.h6Bxd412.Nxe4fxe413.Bxe7Qxa214.Rxd4Qa1+15.Kd2Qa5+16.b4Qxb4+17.Kd1Kxe718.Rxe4+Ne619.Rh3Re820.Rb3Qa521.Qb2Qf522.Qg7+Kd823.Nxe6+Bxe624.Rxb7Qa525.Rxe6Qa4+26.Kc11-0 (26) Laznicka,V (2679)-Muzychuk,M
(2483) Legnica 20139.e3Qa510.Kb1Ne611.Be2Bd712.Bxf6Bxf613.g40-0-013...Bxh414.d514.gxf5Qxf515.Bd3Qf816.f40-0-014...Nc515.g5and the bishop h4 is slightly misplaced.14.gxf5gxf514...Qxf5was
not to Black's taste, perhaps because of15.Bd3Qa516.f415.Bd3Kb816.Ne2Not16.Bxf5?because ofNxd4-+16...Bxh417.Bxf5Bf6
18.e4Black is under pressure and finds no adequate defense.c519.d5Nc720.Bxd7Rxd7
21.f4±with a clear space advantage for White. Okay, the
bishop f6 is very active and throws threatening glances at White's position
but Nakamura soon takes measures to limit its possibilities.Rhd8Trying to
prevent e5, but the two rooks behind the d-pawn lack elegance.22.Nf2b523.Ng4Bh824.Rxh7Qb425.Ne3a6After25...bxc426.Nxc4Nb5fails
because of27.a3and Black's queen is trapped.26.a3Qa527.Nf5Re828.e5After the interlude on the wings White again concentrates on the center.bxc429.Rdh1Asking the bishop h8 a question - to which there is no
satisfying response.Nb529...Rdd8does not help either:30.Nxe7Rxe731.Rxe7Nxd532.Reh7+-30.a41–0
Things were a bit more difficult for Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who was playing with Black against his countryman Sebastien Maze. The game was roughly balanced for a long time but then Vachier-Lagrave managed to exert some pressure and finally came up with a nice tactical surprise which gave him the game - and a tie-break duel against Nakamura.
Mazé vs Vachier-Lagrave
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1.e4c52.Nf3d63.Bb5+Nd74.d4cxd45.Qxd4a66.Bxd7+Bxd77.0-0Nf68.Nc3e59.Qd3h610.Nd2The main move is10.a410...b511.a311.a4Rb812.Rd1Be713.axb5axb514.Nf1b415.Nd5Nxd516.Qxd50-017.Ne3Be618.Qd3Qc719.Bd2Rfc820.c3bxc321.Bxc3Qb722.Nd5Bg523.h3Ra824.Ne3Bxe325.Qxe3Rxa126.Rxa1Ra827.Rxa8+Qxa828.f3Qc629.Kf2f630.Kg1Qc531.Qxc5dxc51/2-1/2 (31) Anand,V (2816)-Topalov,V (2816) Saint
Louis 201511...Be711...Be612.Re1Qa513.b3Rd814.Bb2Be715.Nf10-016.Ne3Qc717.Rad1Rc818.Re2Qc519.a4b420.Ncd5Nxd521.exd5Bd722.Qxa6f523.Nc4f424.Ree1Bf525.Rd2f326.Bd4exd427.Rxe7d328.cxd3Qd429.Rd1fxg230.Qa7Qf631.Qe3Bg432.Re1Bf333.Nb6Rcd834.a5Qh435.a6Kh736.a7Rf537.Re4Bxe438.dxe4Rff839.Ra1Qf640.e51-0
(40) Yudasin,L (2635)-Svidler,P (2630) Haifa 199612.Rd1Bg413.f3Qb6+14.Kh1Be615.Nf10-016.Ne3White wants to occupy the d5-square.Rac817.Qe2Rc518.Bd2Rfc819.Be1Qb720.Rd2a521.Bf2b422.Na4R5c623.Nd5
25...Ra6Also worth considering was25...Bxd5!?26.exd5Nxd527.Rxd5Rxc2and White has to be careful:28.Nc528.Bg1Bg5-+28...Qa829.Bg129.Qxc2Qxd530.Rxa330.Qe4Qxe431.Nxe4d5-+30...dxc5
with two extra-pawns.29...Bb630.Qxc2Qxd531.Qe4Qxe432.Nxe4=26.Rxa3Nxd527.exd5Bf528.c4Bg529.Rda2e430.fxe4Bxe431.Nc3Bf532.Nb5Bd733.Nc3
The critical part of the game: Black obtains good play and
various hidden tactical possibilities. Objectively the position might still be
equal but White now gradually loses his grip.33...Re834.h3Qb4Eyeing not only
b3 but also e1.35.Qc235.Bd4was better.Be336.Ra1=35...Be336.Nd1Bc537.Kh2Re1White was caught by surprise and commits a mistake.38.Ra4?A creative idea which, however, does not work.38.Bxe1?!Qxe1
threatens mate. But White still has39.Nf2Bxa340.Rxa3Ra841.Ra2Qe5+42.g3Bf5though Black here has a strong initiative.38.Nb2Bxf239.Qxf2Qc340.Nd3!Re441.Qg3and White seems to hold.38...Bxa439.Rxa4If
Black now had to move his queen things would be fine for White, but...Bxf2!40.Rxb4Bg1+41.Kg3axb442.Qd2The black pieces dominate in all lines, e.
g.:42.Nb2Ra2-+42.Nf2Re3+43.Kf4Rc344.Qe2Bh2+45.Kf5Ra746.Ng4Be547.Nxe5Re7-+42...Re843.Qxb4Rb643...Rb644.Qc3Reb80–1
The tie-break between Nakamura and Vachier-Lagrave was close and exciting. After four draws the fifth game was played in Armageddon mode to force a decision: Nakamura won the game, the tie-break and the tournament.
36.g4White is getting active but this only
brings trouble for him.36.Nc4Nxc437.bxc4Rxc438.Rxe4=36...Qf636...hxg437.h537.Nxg4Qxh437.Qxg4f537...f5is also
OK for Black.37.Qg3Exchanging queens with37.Qxf6+Kxf638.gxh5gxh539.Kh2Rg8gives Black a better endgame. His king is more active.37...hxg438.Nxg4?Correct was38.h5Nf538...gxh5?allows39.Qxd6Qxd640.Nf5+±winning a piece.39.Nxg4=38...Qc3Forcing
liquidation into an endgame that is better for Black.39.Qxd6?White's
attack is an illusion.39.Qxc3+Rxc340.Ne3f539...Qxe1+40.Kg2Qc341.Ne5Qc70–1
With a score of 6.5/10 and a rating-performance of 2541 former World Champion Vishy Anand had a dismal tournament. However, he managed to end it with a fine win against Swedish GM Erik Blomqvist.
Anand won with Black against the Najdorf with Bc4 - a favorite of Bobby Fischer.
Grigoriy Oparin and Nigel Short drew
The best woman-player was Anna Muzychuk, who won in the last round against GM Salem A.R. Saleh to finish on 17th place with 7.0/10.
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.
Throughout the video course, Sasikran shows various examples from his career to explain sacrifices for initiative, an attack, a better pawn structure and much more.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
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Powerbook based on more than 618 000 games in which White already sidesteps the main variations of the Sicilian on move 2.
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