2017 Tata Rd9: More excitement, only one result

by Alejandro Ramirez
1/24/2017 – There is something about Wijk aan Zee, it just never fails to provide exciting and thrilling encounters! Despite today's abundance of draws, the way the players reached these "peaceful" results were incredibly wild. Andreikin-Eljanov takes the cake, a game that saw passed pawns, kings in the center, two exchange sacrifices, but it was Carlsen took the chance to gain some ground.

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The elite Tata Steel tournaments in Wijk aan Zee are underway and take place from January 13-29, with two main tournaments, the Masters with both Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin as headliners, as well as Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, Baskaran Adhiban, Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Richard Rapport, Dmitri Andreikin, Wei Yi, Pavel Eljanov, and Loek van Wely. All rounds in Wijk aan Zee begin at 1.30pm, except for the last round on 29 January 2017, which begins at 12.00pm. Both rounds on the Chess On Tour days start at 2.00pm.

All Photos by Alina l'Ami for the official site

Masters tournament

Round 9 - Tuesday, January 24
So, W.
½-½
 Aronian, L.
Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Eljanov, P.
Wei, Y.
½-½
 Adhiban, B.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Harikrishna, P.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
Giri, A.
½-½
 Rapport, R.

Quick Review of Round 9

Video with impressions from round nine

The entrance to the event hall

The press knew where the blood was going to be spilt

Despite the results of today, this was one of the most thrilling rounds we have seen! Many still remember Carlsen's resurgence in 2015 when, after losing to Wojtaszek, he went on a rampage to win the event. His first step towards this repeat performance was a clean victory over one of his favorite clients (including exhibition games, Carlsen is now 14-2 against Van Wely). The game was pretty simple: an opening advantage transformed into an extra pawn in an endgame, and Carlsen's technique was immaculate.

Carlsen bounced back nicely against the legendary Dutchman

The game of the day, without a doubt, goes to the topsy-turvy match between Andreikin and Eljanov. One could argue that Eljanov was ahead most of the game, but we bring you full analysis of the game courtesy of American resident and Filipino Grandmaster Julio Sadorra:

Julio "Ino" Sadorra is one of the funniest GMs you'll meet...

GM Julio Catalino Sadorra is a professional player from the Philippines based in Dallas, USA. He played on board 1 for his country in the 2014 and 2016 World Olympiads. When he's not competing, he trains young talented players in North Texas Chess Academy (NTCA).

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1.e41,165,57054%2421---
1.d4946,47455%2434---
1.Nf3281,31256%2441---
1.c4181,93756%2442---
1.g319,68856%2427---
1.b314,23654%2427---
1.f45,88648%2377---
1.Nc33,79651%2384---
1.b41,75348%2380---
1.a31,19754%2403---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d394850%2378---
1.g466246%2361---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c342651%2425---
1.h327956%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
1.f39147%2431---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 This shouldn't be a surprise from Andreikin as he's known to play London and Torre Attack structures both in short and long time-control games. e6 3.Nd2 The other popular move here is 3.e4 leading to imbalanced middlegames after h6 or 3...c5!? 4.e5 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.c3 d6= where both sides have advantages and disadvantages. 3...h6 4.Bh4 d5 5.e3 c5 6.c3 We're now officially in the land of Torre Attack :-) Nc6 7.Bd3 Andeikin's handling of the Torre System, delaying his king's knight development, is intriguing as he leaves himself the option of switching to a favorable Stonewall game after the move f2-f4 (his dark-squared bishop is outside of the pawn chain instead of being passive on c1)! Qb6 Controlling the important b5-square with tempo. 8.Rb1 and now Eljanov doesn't allow Andrekin to achieve his desired Stonewall set-up with e5! 9.Ne2!? Placing the knight on e2 is another option availed by Andreikin's move-order. Black has no problems after 9.dxe5 Nxe5 Do you see now why it's important to control b5? :-) 10.Bc2 10.Be2? Bf5 10...Be7 safe and solid. 10...Qa6?! A nice idea but a little too ambitious because White can take over the initiative with accurate play after 11.Ndf3! 11.Ngf3 Nd3+ 12.Bxd3 Qxd3 with the bishop pair advantage. 11.Ba4+? only helps Black's cause Bd7 12.Bxd7+ Nfxd7 11...Nxf3+ 12.Nxf3 Be7!? sac-ing a pawn may be the best practical choice 12...Be6 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Bd3 Qb6 15.0-0 0-0-0 16.b4! 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Qxd5 Be6 15.Qe4! 15.Qxc5?! Rc8 16.Qb4 Rc4 White's queen is in trouble giving Black at least enough compensation for the pawns! 15...Qxa2 16.0-0 16.Qxb7 0-0∞ 16...Qd5 17.Ra1! It is clear that White has good pressure, but Black still has chances for a successful defense. 11.Ngf3 Nxf3+ 12.Nxf3 Be6= 9...cxd4 10.exd4 e4 11.Bc2 g5 12.Bg3 Bg7 13.0-0 0-0 the opening was a success for Black as not only did he manage to equalize but also achieved better chances in the ensuing middlegame struggle due to the simple plan of pushing down his pawns on the kingside. 14.b4 starting counterplay on the queenside with ideas of kicking back the c6-knight, but it's also positionally risky as it weakens many squares. Nh5 15.Bd6 Rd8 16.Bc5 Qc7 17.f3 e3 18.b5 Black is also better after 18.Nb3 b6 19.b5 Ne5! a nice small tactic 20.Bb4 20.Ba3 Nc4 20...Nc4 transposes to the line above 21.Qd3 f5 Black has great space advantage well-controlled by stable pieces. 18...b6 I think the simple move 18...Na5 also works, but Eljanov was probably concerned about White complicating things with 19.b6!? 19.Nb3 b6 20.Bb4 Nc4 transposes to the line above 19...Qc6 20.Nb3 and now Black has to be careful 20.Ba4 Qe6 21.Nb3 Nc4 20...Nc4! 20...axb6? 21.Nxa5 bxa5 22.Rb6 Qc7 23.Qd3 and White is suddenly better! 21.bxa7 Nf4 and Black is still in control of the advantage. 19.bxc6 bxc5 20.Nb3 c4 21.Nc5 Nf4 22.Re1 Bf8! planning to remove White's most active piece while avoiding any counterplay. Taking the pawn right away, gives White chances to equalize after 22...Qxc6 23.Qc1! Qe8 23...Re8?? 24.Ba4+- 24.Ng3 and the e-pawn is falling. 23.Ba4 Now the previous idea doesn't work due to 23.Qc1 Re8 and things are under control. 24.Ba4? Nd3!-+ 23...Bxc5 24.dxc5!? White is faced with a tough choice in a worse situation, in which Andreikin makes a decision on practical grounds-- to be an exchange down with chances of counterplay in an oddly complex position rather than be a pawn down in a simpler position. 24.Nxf4 gxf4 25.dxc5 Qa5 this is the simple position that Andreikin rejected playing which anyone will most likely lose against a player of Eljanov's sytle and calibre. 24...Nd3 25.Nd4 Nxe1 26.Qxe1 Re8 27.h4!? White will not go down without a fight! Instead of waiting for his doom, Andreikin makes sure that the Black king will also be exposed, even slightly, when his king gets attacked in the future! Re7 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Rb7 a logical follow-up to his White's idea Bxb7 30.cxb7 Rb8 A good practical choice. Eljanov only had 16 min left to make time-control and chooses to avoid hazy positions that requires too much calculations. Here's a few sample lines of how tricky and hairy things can get: 30...Qxb7 31.Bc6 Qb8 32.Bxd5! and Black will have more problems ahead of him to solve. 32.Bxa8!? is also not that easy for Black to face otb with little time on the clock Qxa8 33.Qg3 and here Black has to reject the temptation to push the passed pawn to win: f6 33...e2? 34.Qxg5+ Kf8 35.Qh6+ Ke8 36.Nxe2!∞ 36.Qh8+ I know you were hoping for this! Kd7 37.Qxa8 e1Q+ 38.Kh2 Qh4+ 39.Kg1 Re1# 34.Nf5 Re5!-+ 34...Re6? 35.Qc7 32...e2? 33.Nc6± 31.c6 Rbe8 32.Ne2 f6 Another good attacking move and probably better is 32...Kg7! 33.Qd1 Rh8 34.Qd4+ 34.Qxd5 Qh2+ 35.Kf1 Qh1+ 36.Ng1 e2+ 37.Kf2 e1Q# 34...f6 35.g3 and there are many ways to win from here e.g. Qe5-+ 33.Qd1! With 7 minutes left on his clock, Andreikin finds the most problematic moves. Eljanov either missed or underestimated this as it took him longer to play his next move compared to the previous ones. Rh7! the right direction to the "puzzle solution" 34.Qxd5+ Kg7 35.g3
With 4 minutes on the clock, which will you choose a) Rd8 then Rdh8, or b) immediate Rdh8?**************** 35...Rd8 After using most of his remaining time, Eljanov chose the more logical move--to force the White queen to lose control of h1 before doubling rooks. As we will see in the game, Black unfortunately has no concrete way to gain the advantage in this direction. The correct solution is: 35...Reh8! 36.f4 Qf7‼ an important move to foresee in one's analysis 37.Qxf7+ Kxf7 38.Kg2 38.g4 Ke6-+ and the passed pawns are stopped. 38...g4-+ with mate coming next. What a position! If Eljanov had more time, I have a good feeling Eljanov would have been able to figure it out. 36.Qe6 Rdh8 37.f4 Rh1+ 38.Kg2 R1h2+ 38...R8h2+ is risky as one of the rooks could end up being misplaced and come late to stop the White passes pawns later. 39.Kf3 Rf1+ 40.Kg4 could lead to a force draw 40.Ke4? Rxe2 41.Qd7+ Qxd7 42.cxd7 Rd2‼ 43.b8Q e2-+ 40...Rh4+ 40...Rxe2 Now this doesn't work anymore 41.Qd7+ Qxd7+ 42.cxd7 Rd2 43.b8Q e2 44.d8Q Rxd8 45.Qc7+! Kh6 46.Qxd8 e1Q 47.Qf8+ Kg6 48.Bc2++- 41.gxh4 Rxf4+ 42.Nxf4 42.Kh3 Rxh4+ 43.Kg2 Qh2+ 44.Kf3 Qf2# 42...Qxf4+ 43.Kh3 Qf3+ 44.Kh2 Qf2+= 39.Kf3 The beginning of another episode of the king marching towards the center! (We saw it earlier in Rapport-Wei Yi) Rf2+ 40.Kxe3 Rhh2 Fortunately for Andreikin, his critical moment arose after he makes the time-control! Seeing that Eljanov has lost control of the situation, Andreikin now uses all of his resources to keep himself out of trouble from here on. 41.Bd1! best defense. All other moves lose: 41.Nd4 gxf4+ 42.Ke4 Re2+ 43.Kd5 Qa5+ 44.Kd6 Rxe6+ 45.Nxe6+ Kf7 46.b8Q Qe5+-+ 41.Qd7+ Qxd7 42.cxd7 Rxe2+ 43.Kf3 g4+ 44.Kxg4 Rh8-+ 41...gxf4+ 42.Nxf4 Qb6+ After a few commercial breaks, we now resume the king's marching show! 43.Ke4 Qb1+= but they play on! 44.Kd5! In this unclear complex stage, both players still display great fighting spirits! The game could end in a draw now with 44.Ke3 Qb6+ 45.Ke4 Qb1+= but they play on! 44...Qxd1+ 45.Kc5 Rxf4 46.Qe7+ After trying and finding no way to play for more, Eljanov finally settles for a perpetual. Another way for the game to continue was 46.gxf4 Qg1+ 46...Rh5+? This only misplaces the rook and loses coordination with the queen. 47.f5 Qd8 47...Rh8 48.Qe7+ Kh6 49.Qxf6+ Kh7 50.Qxh8++- 48.Qd7+ Qxd7 49.cxd7 Rh8 50.Kd6 Kf7 51.Kc7+- 47.Kxc4 47.Kd6? Rd2+ 48.Ke7 Qc5+ 49.Ke8 Qf8# 47...Qf1+ 48.Kc5 will most likely end in a perpetual too. 46.b8Q?? Rh5+-+ and White is forced to give up both queens! 46...Kg6 47.Qe8+ Kg7 Andreikin, likewise, cannot find a way to escape checks that's favorable for him. Thus, the game logically ends in a peace treaty. 47...Kf5 48.b8Q+- now Black doesn't have a check along the 5th rank! 48.Qe7+ Kh6 49.Qf8+ Kh7 50.Qf7+ Kh6 51.Qf8+ Kh7 52.Qf7+ Kh6 53.Qf8+ Kh7 54.Qf7+ This is a game with rich opening ideas, a tense middlegame struggle in which White fights to keep control of his advantage against Black's desperate attempts to create counterplay and break from the shackles of passivity, and a nerves-testing time trouble situation that gave Eljanov problems and allowed Andreikin to come back. Subsequently after time-control, Andreikin even showed ambition to win with his queening pawns by bravely walking his majesty to the middle of the board! In the end, Eljanov minimizes the damage and successfully stops Andreikin's ambitions by creating mating threats, forcing Andreikin to engage in an inescapable repetition of checks. A truly epic battle! 1/2-1/2 (54) Andreikin,D (2736)-Eljanov,P (2755) 79th Tata Steel Chess-Masters 2017 [Sadorra, Julio] ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Andreikin,D2736Eljanov,P2755½–½2017A4579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9

Game of the day: Andreikin v Eljanov

Giri was unable to put any real pressure on Rapport and drew. The game between Nepomniachtchi was definitely crazy. An exchange sacrifice left the Indian's king in dire straights, but Nepo missed the finishing blow, perhaps you can find it?

 
White to move and win!

This game was crazy from move seven until the very end

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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 e6 6.Nxd5 exd5 7.b4!? c4 8.Bb2 Bxb4 9.Bxg7 Can't say you see this very often! Rg8 10.Be5 Nc6 11.Bg3 Bf5 12.Be2 Be7 13.0-0 h5 14.d3 h4 15.Bf4 d4 16.exd4 Nxd4 17.dxc4 Nxe2+ 18.Qxe2 Bd3 19.Qe5 Bxf1 20.Rxf1 Rc8 21.Re1 Rc6 22.Nd4 Rcg6 23.g3 hxg3 24.hxg3 Kf8 25.Rd1 Qd7 26.Rd2 Rf6 27.Qh5 27.Nf5‼ Rxf5 27...Qe8 28.Re2 and the pin is fatal, though Bh6+ was also good enough. 27...Qxf5 28.Bh6+ Rxh6 28...Ke8 29.Qb8+ is mate 29.Qxf5+- 28.Bh6+ Ke8 29.Qb8+ picks up the queen and the game Qd8 30.Rxd8+ Bxd8 31.Qxb7+- 27...a6 28.Bg5 Rd6 29.Bh6+ Ke8 30.Qe5 b6 31.a4 Qb7 32.Bf4 Rd7 33.Nf5 Rxd2 34.Bxd2 Rg6 35.Bb4 Re6 36.Ng7+ Kd7 37.Qd4+ Rd6 38.Bxd6 Bxd6 39.Nf5?! 39.Qf6! and Black can't defend the f7 pawn, this should be good enough to win. 39...Qc6 40.Qf6 Bc5! 41.Qxf7+ Kc8 42.Qg8+ Kb7 43.Qg7+ Kc8 44.Qh8+ Kb7 45.Qh7+ Kb8 46.g4 Qxa4 47.Qh2+ Kb7 48.Qf4 a5! Black's a-pawn is just a bouot enough counterplay to hold the balance. The endgame is still incredibly complicated, but with correct play Black is fine. 49.g5 Qc6 50.Nd4 Qg6 51.Nb5 Qg7 52.Kg2 a4 53.Qf3+ Kb8 54.Qg3+ Kc8 55.g6 a3 56.Nd6+ Kd7 57.Nf5 Qg8 58.g7 a2 59.Qg4 a1Q 60.Nh6+ Qe6 61.Qxe6+ Kxe6 62.g8Q+ Kd7 63.Qf7+ Kc6 64.Ng4 Qd4 65.Qf5 Bd6 66.Ne3 Qg7+ 67.Kf1 Bc5 68.Qc8+ Qc7 69.Qe6+ Kb7 70.Qe4+ Qc6 71.Nd5 b5 72.Qh7+ Ka6 73.Qe4 Ka7 74.Qh7+ Ka6 75.Nc7+ Ka5 76.Nxb5 Qf3 77.Qc2 Kb4 78.Qd2+ Kxc4 79.Qe2+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nepomniachtchi,I2767Harikrishna,P2766½–½2017A1779th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9

Wesley's move nineteen novelty against Aronian in a complicated Vienna was insufficient for a real advantage. The game simplified into a compltely drawn rook endgame quite early.

Never doubt Aronian's book

An easy draw to keep the lead, why not?

Wei Yi was the one that came very close to shaking things up in the leaderboard. Trailing So by only half a point, he had a golden opportunity to tie for first. To say that his opponent, Adhiban, was lost out of the opening, would not be an exaggeration. The Chinese's decision to simplify into a pawn-up endgame was questionable at best, and gave his opponent realistic drawing chances. The fight continued for hours and until move 85, at which point Wei Yi had to concede that there was no breaking through Adhiban's defenses.

Sometimes your job is to just sit there and grovel for six hours

Last and kind of least, Wojtaszek simply found nothing against Karjakin and the game was drawn after a repetition on move 33.

Somtimes you try, but that doesn't mean Karjakin is going to give you an inch to work with

How to not be happy with these games?

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1.d4 Nf6 8 2.Bg5 16 e6 31 3.Nd2 1:21 h6 32 4.Bh4 16 d5 2:42 5.e3 1:02 c5 15 6.c3 24 Nc6 0 7.Bd3 42 Qb6 10:46 8.Rb1 7:28 e5 2:44 9.Ne2 14:11 cxd4 11:29 10.exd4 39 e4 8 11.Bc2 1:17 g5 3:58 12.Bg3 8 Bg7 25 13.0-0 12:26 0-0 3:07 14.b4 15:01 Nh5 12:26 15.Bd6 0 Rd8 40 16.Bc5 24:03 Qc7 20 17.f3 2:06 e3 2:53 18.b5 14 b6 0 19.bxc6 13 bxc5 56 20.Nb3 4 c4 11 21.Nc5 5 Nf4 20:19 22.Re1 1:02 Bf8 5:08 23.Ba4 5:21 Bxc5 0 24.dxc5 4 Nd3 10 25.Nd4 26 Nxe1 27 26.Qxe1 4 Re8 3:09 27.h4 2:49 Re7 1:50 28.hxg5 8:38 hxg5 0 29.Rb7 4 Bxb7 55 30.cxb7 4 Rb8 7:50 31.c6 12 Rbe8 1:28 32.Ne2 32 f6 1:38 33.Qd1 3:30 Rh7 0 34.Qxd5+ 1:29 Kg7 21 35.g3 3:31 Rd8 3:20 36.Qe6 15 Rdh8 1:15 37.f4 5 Rh1+ 39 38.Kg2 3 R1h2+ 0 39.Kf3 6 Rf2+ 27 40.Kxe3 0 Rhh2 27 41.Bd1 26:54 gxf4+ 10:48 42.Nxf4 6:49 Qb6+ 1:22 43.Ke4 6 Qb1+ 7:43 44.Kd5 14:47 Qxd1+ 16:18 45.Kc5 1:34 Rxf4 1:08 46.Qe7+ 3:18 Kg6 0 47.Qe8+ 5 Kg7 59 48.Qe7+ 1:14 Kh6 4:17 49.Qf8+ 5 Kh7 29 50.Qf7+ 1:30 Kh6 5 51.Qf8+ 10 Kh7 0 52.Qf7+ 1:20 Kh6 4 53.Qf8+ 4 Kh7 44 54.Qf7+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Andreikin,D2736Eljanov,P2755½–½2017A4579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9
Carlsen,M2840Van Wely,L26951–02017B8179th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9
Giri,A2773Rapport,R2702½–½2017E1679th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9
Nepomniachtchi,I2767Harikrishna,P2766½–½2017A1779th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9
So,W2808Aronian,L2780½–½2017D3979th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9
Wei,Y2706Adhiban,B2653½–½2017E9079th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9
Wojtaszek,R2750Karjakin,S2785½–½2017E1579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters9

Current Masters standings

Challengers tournament

The Challengers section became even more exciting! Young Jeffery Xiong took down Gawain Jones to tie for third, only half a point of Ragger and now Ilia Smirin, who took down van Foreest!

Xiong's game was winning from the opening, but his technique was not the best. In an endgame that should have caused no troubles, he allowed his opponent to come back and even have a drawing resource:

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48...Rb1 49.Ra4?? 49.a6 Ra1 50.Rh6 and just pushing the f-pawn wins. Ra4 51.Rb6 Kh1 51...Ra3 52.f4 Ra4 53.e3 Ra2+ 54.Kf3+- 52.Kg3 49...Kh1?? 49...Rg1! 50.a6 Ra1! A nice stalemate trick. 51.Rd4 Rxa6 52.f4 Rg6 and in this line Black can extract his king from h2 and draw. 49...Ra1 50.Rd4 Rxa5 50...Rg1! 51.a6 Rg2+ 52.Ke3 Rg6 53.Ra4 Kg3 54.a7 h2 55.a8Q h1Q with a likely draw as White can't use his extra tempo. 51.f4 also makes White's life more complicated, but should be winning. 50.a6 h2 51.a7 Rf1+ 52.Ke3 Kg2 53.Rg4+ Kh1 54.a8Q Rxf3+ 55.Qxf3# 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Xiong,J2667Jones,G26651–02017A6279th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9

2017 Samford Fellow, Jeffery Xiong

A great day for Jeffery Xiong, as not only did he win his game, but it was announced that he was chosen as the 2017 Samford Fellow! This prestigious fellowship allows young grandmasters and aspiring grandmasters to pursue their chess career without financial concern. It is designed to foster future American World Champions. You can read what that's about in this link. Let's just say, it's a big deal.

Smirin's win was quite precise, and very cold-blooded:

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21.Bd2 It seems that White has excellent winning chances: He is down two pawns, but the threats on the kingside seem to be insurmountable. Smirin turns that on its head. Be4! 22.Nxe4 Qxe4 23.Rxh5 Rxf3 24.Rg5 Raf8! It was mandatory to have found this move before embarking on Be4. It seems that Rxg6 is decisive, but Black has an ace up his sleeve. 25.Rxg6 25.Re1 was better, but hindsight is 20/20. 25...Rf1+! The point. 26.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 27.Qxf1 Qxg6 28.Qxc4+ d5! And this is the real key. Any other move and the position is about equal, but now White has to be careful of his back rank as well as of the pawn on d4. He cannot do both. 29.Qf1?! 29.Qe2 Qg1+ 30.Be1 Bxd4 29...Bxd4 30.Bc3 Qg1 31.Qxg1+ Bxg1 And black went on to win. 32.Kd2 Kf7 33.Kd3 Ke6 34.Bb4 Kf6 35.a4 e5 36.Bf8 e4+ 37.Ke2 d4 38.Bd6 Be3 39.c3 Bc1 40.cxd4 Bxb2 41.Ke3 Ke6 42.Bc5 Kd5 43.Bb6 Bc1+ 44.Ke2 Kc4 45.a5 e3 46.Ba7 Bd2 47.Bb6 Kb5 48.d5 cxd5 49.Kd3 Bxa5 50.Bxe3 Bb6 51.Bc1 a5 52.Bb2 a4 53.Kc3 d4+ 54.Kd3 Kb4 55.Bc1 Kb3 Kxd4 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Van Foreest,J2612Smirin,I26670–12017B0779th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9

An excited fan gets Dobrov's autograph

The amateur section going on strong

And what would be chess without analysis and an appropiate beverage to accompany it?

Hansen made quick work of Dobrov's French, keeping up the pressure through the entire game and winning without any questions asked.

This game was also rather one sided, as White's pressure remained from the opening to the endgame and l'Ami beat Guramashvili

Bok drew his game in a relatively solid performance

Round 9 - Tuesday, January 24
Bok, B.
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Ragger, M.
½-½
 Tari, A.
van Foreest, J.
0-1
 Smirin, I
l'Ami, E.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 Jones, G.
Tingjie, L.
½-½
 Lu, S.
Hansen, E.
1-0
 Dobrov, V.

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,165,57054%2421---
1.d4946,47455%2434---
1.Nf3281,31256%2441---
1.c4181,93756%2442---
1.g319,68856%2427---
1.b314,23654%2427---
1.f45,88648%2377---
1.Nc33,79651%2384---
1.b41,75348%2380---
1.a31,19754%2403---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d394850%2378---
1.g466246%2361---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c342651%2425---
1.h327956%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
1.f39147%2431---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.e4 0 e5 55 2.Nf3 0 Nc6 5 3.Bb5 2 a6 16 4.Ba4 0 Nf6 7 5.0-0 7 Be7 1:13 6.Re1 4 b5 18 7.Bb3 4 0-0 8 8.c3 13:53 d5 1:33 9.exd5 1:19 Nxd5 8 10.Nxe5 10 Nxe5 9 11.Rxe5 3 c6 18 12.d3 4 Bd6 51 13.Re1 30 Bf5 4:46 14.Qf3 4:17 Qh4 1:25 15.g3 1:15 Qh3 9 16.Be3 0 Bxd3 3:22 17.Nd2 3:43 Qf5 1:30 18.Bd4 3:11 Rfe8 1:16 19.a4 6:40 Kf8 14:22 20.Kg2 27:14 f6 5:03 21.Qxf5 0 Bxf5 33 22.Rxe8+ 2 Rxe8 14 23.axb5 2 axb5 16 24.Ra6 16 Re2 15:31 25.Rxc6 11:45 Be5 41 26.Bc5+ 11:19 Ke8 44 27.Bxd5 6 Rxd2 0 28.Bf3 4 Rxb2 3:16 29.Ra6 4:18 Rd2 35:01 30.Ra7 3:27 Bxc3 2:15 31.Bc6+ 11:01 Bd7 28 32.Rxd7 5 Rxd7 0 33.Bxb5 4 Kd8 14 34.Bxd7 5 Kxd7 3 35.Kf3 9 Ke6 4 36.Ke4 10 Ke5+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Bok,B2608Grandelius,N2642½–½2017C8979th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9
Hansen,E2603Dobrov,V24991–02017C1379th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9
L'Ami,E2605Guramishvili,S23701–02017A4979th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9
Ragger,M2697Tari,A2584½–½2017B1279th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9
Lei,T2467Lu,S2612½–½2017B9079th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9
Van Foreest,J2612Smirin,I26670–12017B0779th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9
Xiong,J2667Jones,G26651–02017A6279th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers9

Current Challengers standings

Schedule, pairings, and results

Tata Steel Masters 2017

Round 1 - Saturday, January 14
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
  Aronian, L.
Adhiban, B.
½-½
  Van Wely, L.
Eljanov, P.
1-0
  Rapport, R.
Karjakin, S.
½-½
  Giri, A.
So, W.
½-½
  Carlsen, M.
Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
  Nepomniachtchi, I.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
  Wei, Y.
Round 2 - Sunday, January 15
Aronian, L.
½-½
 Wei, Y.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Andreikin, D.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Wojtaszek, R.
Giri, A.
½-½
 So, W.
Rapport, R.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Van Wely, L.
0-1
 Eljanov, P.
Harikrishna, P.
1-0
 Adhiban, B.
Round 3 - Monday, January 16
Adhiban, B.
½-½
 Aronian, L.
Eljanov, P.
½-½
 Harikrishna, P.
Karjakin, S.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
So, W.
1-0
 Rapport, R.
Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
 Giri, A..
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Carlsen, M.
Wei, Y.
1-0
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Round 4 - Tuesday, January 17
Aronian, L.
½-½
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Wei, Y.
Giri, A.
½-½
 Andreikin, D.
Rapport, R.
½-½
 Wojtaszek, R.
Van Wely, L.
0-1
 So, W.
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Adhiban, B.
0-1
 Eljanov, P.
Round 5 - Thursday, January 19
Eljanov, P.
0-1
 Aronian, L.
Karjakin, S.
0-1
 Adhiban, B.
So, W.
1-0
 Harikrishna, P.
Wojtaszek, R.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Rapport, R.
Wei, Y.
½-½
 Giri, A.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Carlsen, M.
Round 6 - Friday, January 20
Aronian, L.
½-½
 Carlsen, M.
Giri, A.
1-0
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Rapport, R.
0-1
 Wei, Y.
Van Wely, L.
½-½
 Andreikin, D.
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
 Wojtaszek, R.
Adhiban, B.
½-½
 So, W.
Eljanov, P.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Round 7 - Saturday, January 21
Karjakin, S.
1-0
 Aronian, L.
So, W.
½-½
 Eljanov, P.
Wojtaszek, R.
0-1
 Adhiban, B.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Harikrishna, P.
Wei, Y.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Rapport, R.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Giri, A.
Round 8 - Sunday, January 22
Aronian, L.
1-0
 Giri, A.
Rapport, R.
1-0
 Carlsen, M.
Van Wely, L.
½-½
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
 Wei, Y.
Adhiban, B.
1-0
 Andreikin, D.
Eljanov, P.
½-½
 Wojtaszek, R.
Karjakin, S.
½-½
 So, W.
Round 9 - Tuesday, January 24
So, W.
½-½
 Aronian, L.
Wojtaszek, R.
½-½
 Karjakin, S.
Andreikin, D.
½-½
 Eljanov, P.
Wei, Y.
½-½
 Adhiban, B.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
½-½
 Harikrishna, P.
Carlsen, M.
1-0
 Van Wely, L.
Giri, A.
½-½
 Rapport, R.
Round 10 - Wednesday, January 25
Aronian, L.
 
 Rapport, R.
Van Wely, L.
 
 Giri, A.
Harikrishna, P.
 
 Carlsen, M.
Adhiban, B.
 
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
Eljanov, P.
 
 Wei, Y.
Karjakin, S.
 
 Andreikin, D.
So, W.
 
 Wojtaszek, R.
Round 11 - Friday, January 27
Wojtaszek, R.
 
 Aronian, L.
Andreikin, D.
 
 So, W.
Wei, Y.
 
 Karjakin, S.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
 
 Eljanov, P.
Carlsen, M.
 
 Adhiban, B.
Giri, A.
 
 Harikrishna, P.
Rapport, R.
 
 Van Wely, L.
Round 12 - Saturday, January 28
Aronian, L.
 
 Van Wely, L.
Harikrishna, P.
 
 Rapport, R.
Adhiban, B.
 
 Giri, A.
Eljanov, P.
 
 Carlsen, M.
Karjakin, S.
 
 Nepomniachtchi, I.
So, W.
 
 Wei, Y.
Wojtaszek, R.
 
 Andreikin, D.
Round 13 - Sunday, January 29
Andreikin, D.
 
 Aronian, L.
Wei, Y.
 
 Wojtaszek, R.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
 
 So, W.
Carlsen, M.
 
 Karjakin, S.
Giri, A.
 
 Eljanov, P.
Rapport, R.
 
 Adhiban, B.
Van Wely, L.
 
 Harikrishna, P.
  

Tata Steel Challengers 2017

Round 1 - Saturday, January 14
Jones, G.
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Guramishvili, S.
½-½
 Lu, S.
Smirin, I
½-½
 Dobrov, V.
Tari, A.
½-½
 Hansen, E.
Bok, B.
1-0
 Tingjie, L.
Ragger, M.
1-0
 Xiong, J.
van Foreest, J.
1-0
 l'Ami, E.
Round 2 - Sunday, January 15
Grandelius, N.
½-½
 l'Ami, E.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 van Foreest, J.
Tingjie, L.
0-1
 Ragger, M.
Hansen, E.
½-½
 Bok, B.
Dobrov, V.
½-½
 Tari, A.
Lu, S.
½-½
 Smirin, I
Jones, G.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
Round 3 - Monday, January 16
Guramishvili, S.
0-1
 Grandelius, N.
Smirin, I
1-0
 Jones, G.
Tari, A.
0-1
 Lu, S.
Bok, B.
0-1
 Dobrov, V.
Ragger, M.
1-0
 Hansen, E..
van Foreest, J.
0-1
 Tingjie, L.
l'Ami, E.
½-½
 Xiong, J.
Round 4 - Tuesday, January 17
Grandelius, N.
0-1
 Xiong, J.
Tingjie, L.
0-1
 l'Ami, E.
Hansen, E.
1-0
 van Foreest, J.
Dobrov, V.
0-1
 Ragger, M.
Lu, S.
1-0
 Bok, B.
Jones, G.
1-0
 Tari, A.
Guramishvili, S.
0-1
 Smirin, I
Round 5 - Thursday, January 19
Smirin, I
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Tari, A.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
Bok, B.
0-1
 Jones, G.
Ragger, M.
½-½
 Lu, S.
van Foreest, J.
1-0
 Dobrov, V.
l'Ami, E.
½-½
 Hansen, E.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 Tingjie, L.
Round 6 - Friday, January 20
Grandelius, N.
1-0
 Tingjie, L.
Hansen, E.
1-0
 Xiong, J.
Dobrov, V.
½-½
 l'Ami, E.
Lu, S.
1-0
 van Foreest, J.
Jones, G.
1-0
 Ragger, M.
Guramishvili, S.
0-1
 Bok, B.
Smirin, I
0-1
 Tari, A.
Round 7 - Saturday, January 21
Tari, A.
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Bok, B.
0-1
 Smirin, I
Ragger, M.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
van Foreest, J.
0-1
 Jones, G.
l'Ami, E.
½-½
 Lu, S.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 Dobrov, V.
Tingjie, L.
½-½
 Hansen, E.
Round 8 - Sunday, January 22
Grandelius, N.
½-½
 Hansen, E.
Dobrov, V.
1-0
 Tingjie, L.
Lu, S.
½-½
 Xiong, J.
Jones, G.
½-½
 l'Ami, E.
Guramishvili, S.
½-½
 van Foreest, J.
Smirin, I
½-½
 Ragger, M.
Tari, A.
½-½
 Bok, B.
Round 9 - Tuesday, January 24
Bok, B.
½-½
 Grandelius, N.
Ragger, M.
½-½
 Tari, A.
van Foreest, J.
0-1
 Smirin, I
l'Ami, E.
1-0
 Guramishvili, S.
Xiong, J.
1-0
 Jones, G.
Tingjie, L.
½-½
 Lu, S.
Hansen, E.
1-0
 Dobrov, V.
Round 10 - Wednesday, January 25
Grandelius, N.
 
 Dobrov, V.
Lu, S.
 
 Hansen, E.
Jones, G.
 
 Tingjie, L.
Guramishvili, S.
 
 Xiong, J.
Smirin, I
 
 l'Ami, E.
Tari, A.
 
 van Foreest, J.
Bok, B.
 
 Ragger, M.
Round 11 - Friday, January 27
Ragger, M.
 
 Grandelius, N.
van Foreest, J.
 
 Bok, B.
l'Ami, E.
 
 Tari, A.
Xiong, J.
 
 Smirin, I
Tingjie, L.
 
 Guramishvili, S.
Hansen, E.
 
 Jones, G.
Dobrov, V.
 
 Lu, S.
Round 12 - Saturday, January 28
Grandelius, N.
 
 Lu, S.
Jones, G.
 
 Dobrov, V.
Guramishvili, S.
 
 Hansen, E.
Smirin, I
 
 Tingjie, L.
Tari, A.
 
 Xiong, J.
Bok, B.
 
 l'Ami, E.
Ragger, M.
 
 van Foreest, J.
Round 13 - Sunday, January 29
van Foreest, J.
 
 Grandelius, N.
l'Ami, E.
 
 Ragger, M.
Xiong, J.
 
 Bok, B.
Tingjie, L.
 
 Tari, A.
Hansen, E.
 
 Smirin, I
Dobrov, V.
 
 Guramishvili, S.
Lu, S.
 
 Jones, G.
  

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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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