Levitov Chess Week: Nepo and Svidler widen the gap

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
9/26/2023 – Peter Svidler and Ian Nepomniachtchi have a 2-point lead over their closest chasers with four rounds to go at the Levitov Chess Week in Amsterdam. The co-leaders faced each other twice already — Svidler won with white in round 3, while their double-edged encounter finished drawn on Monday. Levon Aronian and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov are sharing third place with 7½/14 points each. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally.
FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before. 

Sharp struggles

It has been three days of exciting chess at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Amsterdam. The roster of fighting players combined with a relaxed environment and a 10-minute time control made for an entertaining show. With four rounds to go, the two players who are sharing the lead were the ones who managed to survive double-edged positions and more often than not outplay their opponents in tough situations.

Co-leading are Peter Svidler and Ian Nepomniachtchi, creative representatives of two different generations — who, coincidentally, are known for their Grünfeld-Defence expertise.

Svidler and Nepo finished the first half of the double round-robin sharing the lead, and both scored 3½/5 on Monday to also enter the final day of action sharing first place. However, while they had a ½-point lead over Vishy Anand and Levon Aronian after nine rounds of play, they are now a whole 2 points ahead of Aronian and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.

The co-leaders faced each other twice already. Svidler won with white in round 3, while their hard-fought encounter in round 12 finished with a draw by triple repetition.

Levitov Chess Week 2023

Wesley So and Levon Aronian won the ‘hand and brain’ event that took place on the rest day | Photo: ChessBase India X account

Finishing touches

Three sacrifices win for Black here: 38...Rxc6, 38...Rxg2 and Svidler’s 38...Bxh3.

After 39.Qxc7+ Rg7, White has nothing better than 40.Qxg7 Kxg7 41.Kg1, but then comes 41...Bxg2 — and resigns.

42.Kxg2 fails to 42...Qg3+ 43.Kf1 f3 44.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 45.Ke1 Qxd3, and the queen is stronger than the rook and bishop.

Peter Svidler

Peter Svidler | Photo: Lennart Ootes

As sharp as ever, Anand here found 24...Rc4, when White cannot play 25.Rxc4 due to 25...Rd1+ 26.Bf1 Bh3, with mate coming soon.

Daniil Dubov dealt with the mate threat by 25.Ra1, and Black wins a piece by force: 25...Bxb7 26.Be3 Bc8

Anand went on to convert his extra minor piece into a 42-move win.

Vishy Anand

Vishy Anand | Photo: Lennart Ootes

34.Bc4 ends the game — Wesley So politely played 34...Qxc4 allowing Svidler to show 35.f7# on the board. Checkmate.

Standings after round 14

All games

Links

Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.