2017 Tata Rd8: Excitement up and down!

by Alejandro Ramirez
1/23/2017 – It was the turn for the Master's section to provide an incredible amount of entertainment, and they did so in every kind of fashion! We saw some brilliant attacks (Adhiban 1-0 Andreikin), cunning topsy-turvy fights (Eljanov 1/2 Wojtaszek), Carlsen's seppuku, a missed brilliancy by Van Wely, and much more! We bring you four games fully annotated for your deep enjoyment!

ChessBase 18 - Mega package ChessBase 18 - Mega package

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

More...

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 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.

Quick review of Round 8

Game of the day of Round 8

Danny King with his amazing commentary of the game of the day

Video impressions of round eight

Going into round eight, most eyes were on the Rapport vs. Carlsen game, with the question of whether the World Champion could use this opportunity, having the black pieces against an erratic player who had so far not had the best of tournaments, to gain ground and maybe even catch up to the leader, Wesley So. Things were tense in this game, when, out of nowhere, a few of Carlsen's bad moves sent his position straight to disaster:

Aleksandr Lenderman returns with very detailed commentary

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.Nf3!? Stopping 1)e5... first of all. d5 2.b3!? Now that black can't play 2)...e5, white plays this setup with b3. Richard Rapport is well-known to be a creative player in general, and also in the openings. Richard also played b3 on move 1 against Sergey Karjakin but in that game if anyone was better, it was Sergey, so Richard decided to adjust his plays a bit, and it worked very well. Bf5 3.Bb2 e6 4.d3 h6 5.Nbd2 Nf6 6.c4 c6 7.g3 Be7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.a3 a5 Stopping white from explanding on the queenside with b4. 11.Qb1!? Preparing b4 anyway. Bh7 12.b4 axb4 13.axb4 Qb6 14.Bc3 Rxa1 15.Qxa1 Bxb4 16.Bxb4 Qxb4 17.Rb1 Qd6 18.Rxb7 e5 19.d4 exd4 20.Nxd4 c5 21.N4b3 d4!? An ambitious move. If Magnus wanted a quiter, simplified game, he could've opted for 21)...dxc4. But probably Magnus, after a heartbreaking draw last round against Anish Giri, wanted to try hard to win this game with black against Richard Rapport, who has been having a difficult tournament up to this point. 21...dxc4 22.Nxc4 Qe6 23.Ne3 Be4 24.Bxe4 Nxe4= Should just be dead equal. 22.Bh3 d3?! This decision is very double-edged since it makes black's bishop on h7 bad, and gives white strong control of the center. On the other hand, Magnus thinks that the d3 pawn will be enough of a trump, that it will compensate for the drawbacks in his position. It turned out to be a bit too optimistic. 22...Rb8 23.Rxb8+ Qxb8 24.Qa5 Qc8 Should still be quite balanced. 23.e3! White correctly now doesn't simplify the game, and keeps the tension to his advantage. A lot of players might have just tried to release the tension to get closer to a draw if they would play Magnus. But Richard to his credit is a very fighting player, even when his tournament isn't going the way he would like it to be. I really applaud that. 23.exd3?! Qxd3= 23.e4!? 23...Ne5?! Natural move, but considering that black already started playing unbalanced chess he should've probably tried to continue going that route. 23...g5! After this profylaxis move white might be better but it's still not as clear. At least white can't easily expland in the center, like he was able to do in the game. 24.Bg2! 24.f4? Nf3+! 25.Nxf3 Be4 Was a nice trap by Magnus, and perhaps Richard saw it and that's why avoided it and played the strong consolidating move, Bg2. 24...Rc8 24...Ned7 The funny thing is, stockfish thinks going back ned7 is the best move. The knight on e5 turns out to be really misplaced, since it will get hit with e4 and f4. 25.f4 Neg4 26.e4 Re8!? At this point sacrifising a piece might be the best practical chance, since black is already getting streamrolled. 27.e5 Nxe5 28.fxe5 Rxe5 29.Rb6! Very nice geometry. Qe7 30.Rb8+ Ne8 31.Bc6 Re1+ 32.Qxe1 Qxe1+ 33.Nf1 Black resigned because he will be down a piece in the endgame which is completely hopeless. A very nice game by Richard Rapport, trying to play a fighting game against Magnus, playing logical chess, keeping the tension, and taking full advantage of Magnus's over-ambitious play at one moment. 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Rapport,R-Carlsen,M-1–02017A12Tata Steel Masters8

 

The World Champion equalized, and tried to push forward, but
Rapport was crouching and waiting for his opportunity to strike back

Consider the engine evaluation graph. Notice how it gradually climbs in the space of five moves from move 22 to 27, from equal, to dead lost.

The excitement in the Master's section certailny did not end there. Two powerful performances by the White pieces were seen by Adhiban and Aronian, we start with the Armenian:

Give Levon an edge like this, and you are sealing your own fate

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Na3!? In a position where nearly everything has been tried, Aronian comes up with a new idea! It is hard to believe that this move refutes Black's super-solid line, but it's at least an attempt. Nbd7 9.Rc1 Ne4 10.Be3 Bxa3?! Perhaps the beginning of the end for Anish. The idea of installing a knight on c4 looks very tempting, but it is unfortunately met with a strong sacrifice. 11.bxa3 Nd6 12.c5 Nc4 13.Rxc4! A bit obvious, but that doesn't mean it isn't strong! In return for the rook, White eliminates Black's most powerful piece and dominates the dark squares. It will also be difficult to develop some of black pieces, especially that bishop on c8. dxc4 14.Qc2 h6 14...b5 15.Ng5 Nf6 16.Bxc6 Bd7!?± Trying to fight back by giving up a lot of material in exchange for the light squares, was probably a better practical try. But giving up an exchange and a pawn is never easy, and objectively this is also terrible for Black. 15.Qxc4 b6 16.Bf4 Re8 17.Bd6 White's position plays itself, while Black cannot access the b-file. Bb7 18.Ne5 bxc5 19.dxc5 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 a5 20...Qd2 21.Rb1 Doesn't actually improve Black's position, but it would at least give the sense that the queen is active! 21.Rb1 Ra7 22.Qc3 f6 23.Bd6 Ba8 24.Be4 f5 25.Bc2 Rb7 26.Rd1 Rd7 27.e4 With the opening of the light squares on the kingside, Black's position is completely desperate. Notice the sad state of that bishop on a8. Qf6 28.Qc4 Kh8 29.Re1 Qf7 30.Qd3 f4 31.gxf4! 31.e5?! g5 is not so clear yet, though favoring White. 31...e5 32.Qh3! Rxd6 32...exf4 33.e5 is now devastating, with Qd3, e6 and Bf5 all up in the air. 33.cxd6 Qg6+ 34.Qg3 Qxd6 Black has eliminated the bishop on d6, but his position is still hopeless. He doesn't have the time to defend his kingside. Aronian's pieces swoop in for a last attack. 35.Rd1 Qc5 35...Qe7 36.fxe5 wasn't that much more fun either. 36.Rd7 Rg8 37.Bb3 exf4 38.Qg6 f3 39.h4 Qc3 40.Bxg8 Qe1+ 41.Kh2 Qxf2+ 42.Kh3 Qf1+ 43.Kg4 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Aronian,L2780Giri,A27731–02017E1079th Tata Steel GpA8

Meanwhile Adhiban continues to show off creative play. He is shying away from the Italians and Ruy Lopez that have been dominating the elite for the last year, and instead now follows up his King's Gambit with a Vienna Game! Andreikin tried to steer the game towards a Closed Sicilian structure, but his king did not survive, with more annotations by Aleksandr!

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3!? Steering the games into less explored areas has worked incredibly well for Adhiban in this tournament. In the last 4 games Adhiban scored an amazing , all with not the most mainstream lines. Nc6 3.g3 3.f4 Is also possible 3...g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.f4 Nge7 7.Nf3 Nd4 8.0-0 Bg4 9.Be3 c5 10.Qd2 0-0 11.Nh4 exf4 12.Bxf4 Qd7 12...b5!? 13.Rf2 b4 14.Nd1 Bxd1 15.Rxd1 Ne6 16.Bh6 Bxb2!? 17.Bxf8 Qxf8 Deserved attention perhaps. Black has a pawn and a very strong bishop for the exchange and has full control of the dark squares, and also probably won't have to ever worry about an attack. 13.Rf2 Rae8?! 13...f6 Perhaps this was better defence. It's basically a prophylaxis against bh6. 14.Bh6?! 14.Be3 b5 Is probably roughly equal 14...Bxh6 15.Qxh6 g5 This is the main point. Now white is in an awkward spot. 16.Nf3 16.Rxf6 Rxf6 17.Qxg5+ Rg6 18.Nxg6 Nxg6 19.Nd5 Kh8 And white probably doesn't have enough compensation. 16.h3 gxh4 17.hxg4 hxg3 18.Rxf6 Rxf6 19.Qxf6 Rf8 20.Qh4 Ng6 21.Qxg3 Ne5 Black has very good pieces here. 16.e5 gxh4 17.exf6 17.Ne4 fxe5 18.Raf1 Nef5 19.Nf6+ Rxf6 20.Qxf6 Qf7! And again white's initiative falls short. 17...Ng6 16...Nef5! That's the point! 17.exf5 Nxf5 18.Ne5 dxe5-+ 14.Bh6! Bxh6 15.Qxh6 Here white already has dangerous practical initiative if not already an objective advantage. b5 16.h3 Be6 17.Raf1 Qd8?! This move is already a serious mistake in a difficult position. 17...Nec6 18.Nf5! f6 19.Ne3 Qg7 20.Qxg7+ Kxg7 21.Ncd5 White might be slightly better but the game is still defensible for black. 18.Nb1?! Objectively not the most precise execution, though it worked very well for white in the game. 18.Nd1! From here it goes to e3 and really develops lots of initiative. d5 Probably white played Nb1 with the idea to discourage d5, but it turns out even here d5 isn't so effective for black. 19.Ne3 dxe4 20.dxe4 f5! Seems like the only move. 20...Nec6 21.Nhf5! Turns out this threat is too powerful. 20...Bc4 21.e5‼ Bxf1 22.Ng4! f5 23.Nf6+ Rxf6 23...Kf7 24.Bxf1 And white has a decisive attack. 24.exf6 Ne6 25.Bxf1+- 21.c3 fxe4! And again only move. 22.Bxe4 22.cxd4 cxd4 Is suddenly very good compensation for black. 22...Rxf2 23.Rxf2 Ndf5 23...Ndc6? 24.Nxg6+- 24.Nhxf5 Bxf5 25.Nxf5 Nxf5 26.Bxf5 gxf5 27.Rxf5± And after all that white gets an endgame with good winning chances but certainly black is still in the game. 18...d5? This is definitely a mistake, which maximizes the value of the b1 knight and makes it a monster. 18...Kh8 Black should just stand tight and keep his position together. I don't see a clear way white is breaking through here. 19.Nd2! Now white has a decisive advantage, and from here on white played flawlessly. dxe4 20.Nxe4 Nef5 21.Rxf5‼ Perhaps this is what black missed when he played 18)... d5? Without this move black is fine. 21.Nxf5? Nxf5 Isn't even better for white. 22.Rxf5?! 22.Qf4= 22...Bxf5 23.Rxf5 Rxe4! And suddenly the tables turn. 21...Nxf5 22.Rxf5! The point. Now the rook can't be taken. 22.Nxf5? Bxf5 23.Rxf5 Rxe4 22...Qd4+ 22...gxf5 23.Nf6++- 22...Bxf5 23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Nf6++- 23.Rf2 f5 24.Ng5 24.Nxg6!? Might have been slightly more precise and flashier but certainly white's move is more than enough to win. hxg6 25.Qxg6+ Qg7 26.Nf6+ Rxf6 27.Qxe8++- 24...Qg7 25.Qxg7+ Kxg7 26.Bc6+- The rest is matter of technique. Adhiban had very good technique in this game and he capped it off with some very precise calculation. h6 27.Nxe6+ Rxe6 28.Bxb5 Rb8 29.a4 a6 30.Bc4 Re1+ 31.Kg2 Rxb2 32.Bxa6 Rc1 33.Bc4 Rcxc2 34.Rxc2 Rxc2+ 35.Kf3 Kf6 36.a5 g5 37.a6! Rc1 37...gxh4 38.a7+- 38.Ng2 Ke5 39.Ne3 h5!? Loses right away but good practical try, especially right before move 40. 39...Ra1 Would still be losing in the long run but would be a little bit more resiliant. 40.g4 f4 41.Nf5 h5 42.Nh6+- Will win eventually though. 40.Nc2! Very nice to find such a move, especially on move 40. g4+ Best practical chance 40...Rxc2 41.a7+- The pawn just queens since the a2 square is protected. 41.Ke3! Precise calculation 41.hxg4?! fxg4+ 42.Ke3 Rf1 Would still be winning for white but would allow the game to drag on a bit. 41...gxh3 42.a7 h2 43.a8Q h1Q 44.Qb8+! The only move that mates by force. Adhiban probably had to see this move in advance when he played 41)Ke3! 44.Qe8+?! Kd6 45.Qd8+ Kc6 46.Kf4+- Still wins but kf4 would be now the only move that wins by force, which is far from easy to find. 44...Kf6 45.Qf8+ Kg6 46.Bf7+ Black resigned because after Kh7, Qg8+ Kh6 Qg6 mate, or Kf6 Bg8+ Kg6 Qf7+ Kg5 Qg7 mate or Kh6 Qf6 mate, or Kf6 Bg8+ Ke5 Qe7 mate. 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Adhiban,B-Andreikin,D-1–02017B25Tata Steel Masters8

Baskaran certainly has reasons to be happy!
Here he is with legendary commentator Yasser Seirawan.

The game between the leader, Wesley So, and the World Championship Contender from last year, Sergey Karjakin, was a bit of a letdown in terms of excitement. So had no problems equalizing some strange Zukertort/Colle set up, and the game was drawn relatively quickly. To compensate for that, Pavel Eljanov and Radoslaw Wojtaszek gave us a heartstopper of a game! Eljanov's pawns on the queenside gave him a guaranteed win if he got but a tempo of repiste from the onslaught on the kingside, and approaching move 40, this is exactly what he got:

Simply put, a spectacle

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
Welcome everyone! This is GM Aleksandr Lenderman and this is my game of the day for round 8. I also did brief analysis for nice wins by Adhiban against Andreikin and Rapport against Magnus Carlsen, but I chose this draw between Eljanov and Wojtaszek as my game of the day because I thought it was a very interesting sharp struggle and a true back and forth battle, rather than being a one-sided affair. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 The Najdorf, in which Wojtaszek is one of the biggest specialists, along with many other top elite players. 6.Be2 A quiter way to play against the Najdorf. 6.a3!? This move has been tried earlier in the tournament by Sergey Karjakin against Pentala Harikrishna, which prompted Magnus Carlsen to try it against Wojtaszek, where Magnus ended up outplaying black, but it's clear that black could have improved on that game many different ways, so Eljanov doesn't want to test Wojtaszek here. 6...e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Be3 Be6 9.Nd5 Nbd7 10.Qd3 Bxd5 Another approach for black is 10...0-0 I'm curious to know what white had in mind here. 11.c4 Maybe white should play some other way here. 11.a4 11.0-0 11...b5! That's the point of not playing Bxd5, in order to use the c4 pawn as a hook. 12.Nd2 Nc5 13.Bxc5 dxc5 14.b3 Bxd5 15.cxd5 Ne8 16.0-0 Nd6 With a complex game which ended up in black's favor. 17.a4 Bg5 18.Nf3 Bf4 19.axb5 f5 20.Nd2 Qg5 21.Rad1 axb5 22.exf5 Ra3 23.Ne4 c4 24.Qc2 Qxf5 25.Qb2 Rxb3 26.Qxb3 cxb3 27.Nxd6 Qg6 28.Nxb5 e4 29.d6 b2 30.Nd4 Qxd6 31.Bc4+ Kh8 32.Ne6 Bxh2+ 33.Kh1 Rxf2 34.Ng5 Bg3 0-1 (34) Anand,V (2796)-Vachier Lagrave,M (2773) London ENG 2015 11.exd5 0-0 12.a4 Not strictly a novelty, but already sort of a new idea. 12.0-0 Is a much more popular move here, after which there is a lot of theory here. Nc5!? 12...Ne8!? Is also possible with two ideas. One is to play for f5, and another is to try to trade off the dark squared bishops with bg5, since in the long-run the bishop on e7 is a bit passive, while white has a bishop pair advantage. 13.a4 Bg5 14.a5 g6 13.Nxc5 dxc5 14.c4 Qc7 Leads to a non-standard game. 12...Rc8 12...Ne8!? 13.a5 Bg5 I'm not sure if starting with Ne8 a move earlier would make a big difference. 13.a5 Ne8N Is this move according to my database is the first novelty, a very logical one though of course. 13...Re8 The only other game I found featured 13)...Re8. 14.0-0 Bf8 15.c4 g6 16.Nd2 h5 17.f4? 17.h3 White should have at least some advantage though here. White has two bishops advantage and a strong space advantage on the queenside, while black doesn't have a really obvious plan here as far as I can see. 17...exf4 18.Bxf4 b6 19.b4 bxa5 20.bxa5 Nc5 21.Qf3 Nfd7 22.Bxd6 f5 23.Bxf8 Rxf8 24.Qf2 Qf6 25.Nf3 Rb8 26.Rab1 Ne4 27.Qa7 Rxb1 28.Rxb1 Nc3 29.Bd3 Nxb1 30.Qxd7 Nd2 31.Nxd2 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 Qxd3 0-1 (32) Le Goff,D (2270)-Palac,M (2583) Cap d'Agde 2008 14.0-0 Bg5 15.c4 f5 16.f3 16.f4 Stockfish also suggests this move but it's a very double-edged idea to give black the e5 square so easily. exf4 17.Bxf4 Bxf4 18.Rxf4 Ne5 19.Qh3 g6 20.Nd4 Ng7 16...Bxe3+ 17.Qxe3 f4!? A start of a very ambitious plan, perhaps either going for a kingside attack, or more likely just trying to get control of the e3 square. 17...Qh4 This move also seems playable. 18.Qf2 g5 This move might already be a bit too ambitious and weakening. 18...Rb8!? This move would be a very nice profylaxis against Nd2 since black would suddenly open up the b-file and create immediate counterplay. 19.Nd2?! 19.Nc1! After Nc1 though perhaps white is still better, but this move isn't so natural to play. b6 20.axb6 Rxb6 21.Nd3 Now because of the strong knight on d3, black's counterplay falls short. 19...b6 18...g6 This was probably more solid, because in a lot of lines the g5 pawn isn't hanging. 19.Nd2 Ndf6 19...Ng7 20.Ne4 Nf5 21.b4 Would also be better for white. h6 22.Bd3 Nf6 22...Ne3? 23.Nxd6 23.Nxf6+ Rxf6 24.Bxf5 Rxf5 25.Rac1 White's pawns on the queenside will be more mobile and threatening than black's kingside pawns. 20.b4 Ng7 21.Ne4! But white got in his move, Ne4 just in time to interfere with black's plan. Therefore, possibly this plan didn't work out so well for black, and it's possible that Pavel Eljanov knew the neuances of the position a bit deeper than Wojtaszek in this game. 21.Bd3 Was also possible but maybe not as clear. Qd7 Stockfish says white is still better, but practically it's easier to play for black I think since black has ideas like nf5 and g4. 21...Nxe4 22.fxe4 g4 23.c5! White is a bit faster. Qg5 24.c6 bxc6!? I think best practical choice. 24...g3 This move also falls short. 25.Qf3! gxh2+ 25...Qh4 26.h3 Is strategically hopeless for black. 26.Kh1 26.Kxh2!? 26...Rc7 27.Rfc1± And white is in control. Black can't get anything going on the kingside. His knight on g7 isn't great, and white's bishop is a very useful defender and attacker at the same time. 25.Bxa6 g3 26.Qf3 Rc7 27.dxc6 gxh2+ 28.Kxh2 d5! At this point if black doesn't create immediate counterplay he will just lose slowly. 29.exd5 Nf5 30.d6?! Seemingly the idea of this move was probably to simplify the game but in fact this move does anything but :) 30.Rae1! Seems like this move is cleaner. Ng3 30...Rf6 31.Rxe5+- 30...Nd4 31.Qe4 Rg7 32.d6 Qh6+ 33.Kg1 Qxd6 33...f3 34.Bc4+ Kh8 35.Qxe5 Qd2 36.Rf2 Qxf2+ 37.Kxf2 fxg2+ 38.Ke3 Nc2+ 39.Kd2 Nxe1 40.Qxe1 g1Q 41.Qxg1 Rxg1 42.d7+- Picturesque position. Black has two extra rooks against white's lone bishop and pawns, but the rooks are helpless against the 4 monsterous pawns. 34.Bc4+ Kh8 35.Qxe5+- Is an easy technical win. 30...Rg7 31.Rxe5 30...Nh4 31.Qh3 Rf6 32.Kg1 Rh6 33.Be2 31.Kg1! That's the key point. White is of course happy to sacrifise the exchange to eliminate black's main dynamic threat, his powerful knight. Qh4 32.d6 Is just winning. Black's attack doesn't work. Rg7 33.Rxe5 Qh1+ 34.Kf2 Qh4 35.d7+- 30...Qh6+ 31.Qh3 Qxd6 32.Bc4+ The most natural move, to get the bishop to defence and free up the passed pawns, with a tempo. 32.b5!? Maybe this move is playable but to leave the bishop like this on a6 and completely ignore the kingside is only possible for a computer to play like that. Rf6 33.Rfd1 Nd4 I think that in a practical game black has too much initiative even if the computer will miraculously defend. 32...Kh8 33.b5?! Such a natural move but it seems like now black really gets too much initiative. 33.Rfd1‼ It seems like only this very strong move keeps an advantage for white. But it's so hard to give up your pride and soul of the position, your beautiful passers. But the king safety is more important. Qxb4 33...Qxc6 34.Bd3 Here black seems to get enough counterplay 34.Rac1! This seems to be the key 2nd move to make the black queen commit. Ne3?! 34...Qf6 35.Bd3 And at least here white is able to get rid of that dangerous black knight on his terms. 34...Qg6 35.Bd3 Rcf7 36.Be4± 35.Be2! Qxc1 36.Rxc1 Rxc1 37.Qe6+- 34...Ne3 35.Rac1 Qd6! 36.Bxh7! 36.Rxc7 Qxc7 37.Rc1 Qg7 36...Ng4+! 37.Qxg4 Rxh7+ 38.Kg1 Qe7 39.Rc8 Qa7+! 40.Rc5 f3! Even still black can play nd4 and ignore white's pawns. Though the key difference is, now white isn't forced to play b5 33...Nd4! 34.a6! Qxc6 35.a7 Rg7! 36.b5 Qa8! Black keeps making only moves, but now Rg3 is a huge threat. 37.Rd3 f3 38.gxf3 Rxa7 Finally black gets rid of the dangerous passers. 39.Qg3! The only move to continue the battle for an advantage. Re8! Only defence not to lose right away. 40.Bd5! Qb8 41.Rxa7 Qxa7 42.Qg5 Nxb5 43.Qf6+ Qg7 44.Qxg7+ Kxg7 45.Bc6 Re7 46.Bxb5 e4 47.fxe4 Rxe4 Wow! And after all that we end up with rook+bishop vs rook! :) Simply incredible game chess. 34.Be6 Nd4 35.a6 White seems to have good winning chances here 33...Rg7 34.Rad1 Nd4 This move is fine, but objectively 34)... qc5! might've been much tougher for white to deal with. 34...Qc5! Might be stronger since here white seems to be under pressure and has to play only moves to survive. 35.Bd3 35.Be2?! Rg3‼ 36.Qh5 Rg6! 35...Ne3 36.Rc1 Nxf1+ 36...Qa3!? Might be even stronger. 37.c7 Nxf1+ 38.Rxf1 Rxc7 39.b6 Rg7 40.a6 e4 41.Bxe4 Qxa6 42.Rb1 f3 43.Bxf3 Qd3 44.Rd1 Qe3 45.b7 Rg6 46.Rb1 Rh6 47.b8Q Rxh3+ 48.Kxh3 Rxb8 49.Rxb8+ Kg7 50.Rb7+= It's a sample computer line, which is not forced obviously, but shows how difficult it can be for both sides to play, and funnily enough end in a quiet position(fortress) :) 37.Rxf1 Rfg8 38.Kh1 e4! 39.Bxe4 Qxb5 40.Rxf4 Qxa5 And I think if anyone is trying to win, it's black. 35.Rxd4 Qxd4! 35...exd4? 36.Qe6+- 36.Qd3 Qc5 36...Qb2!? 37.Rf3 Qe7 At first chessbomb.com computer claims this move to be a mistake, but in fact it seems like this move is also objectively not bad. 37...Rf6!? 38.Qd8+ Rf8 39.Qd5 Qe7 Would also be enough counterplay for a draw. 38.Bd5 38.Qe4 Rg3! This idea chessbomb computer misses at a lower depth 39.b6 39.Rxg3?? fxg3+ 40.Kxg3 Rf4-+ 39...Qg7‼ Here too black will have enough counterplay for a draw. 38...Qg5! 39.Rh3 Rd8?! Objectively not the best move, but it worked out very well for black in the game, and a very nice practical try it turned out. 39...f3! Objectively maybe this move gives black better chances. 40.Bxf3 Rd8 And now suddenly black generates some counterplay since he now attacks the queen, and the white queen doesn't have a very nice square to go to. 41.Qf1! Seems like the only move that retains winning chances. 41.Qc4? Rd2! Is already a draw. 41.Qe4? Rd4 42.c7 Rxc7 This is equal also. 41...e4! 42.Be2 Rdg8! 43.g4 43.g3 Qe5! The computer on chessbomb.com doesn't see this far! :) 44.Qe1 44.Qf2 e3 45.Qf3 Qe7‼ Sets up a nasty Rf7 threat 46.Rh4 46.b6? Rf7 46...Qd6 47.Rh3 Qe7= 44...e3 43...Qd2‼ With very serious counterplay. Black is still very much in the game. 40.b6? On the last move before the time control Pavel Eljanov made a heart breaking mistake which allows black to force a draw. He just needed to find one more move, and most likely the game would've been over. 40.Qf3! This move would finish off black since now black has no more serious counterplay and white's pawns will be decisive. e4 Maybe this was what Pavel wasn't sure about but it turns out it's not nearly enough for black. 41.Bxe4 Qxb5 I guess Pavel saw up to here and didn't see a clear win here, and in fact it's not so obvious that there is a clear win here, while white just gave up an important b5 pawn. But it turns out black's king is just too exposed. 42.Qc3!+- 42.c7!? This move also wins but again, it's not so obvious Rxc7 43.Qxf4 Rg7 44.Bxh7! And again, this shot is decisive. Rxh7 45.Qf6+ Kg8 46.Qxd8++- 42.Bxh7 Finally this move also wins. Rxh7 43.c7 Transposing into the c7 and qc3 line. 42...Kg8 43.c7! Rc8 44.Bxh7+‼ That's the point. It's the only winning move though. Rxh7 44...Kf7 45.Be4+- Is also completely winning since the attack is unstoppable. 45.Rxh7 Kxh7 46.Qh3+ Kg7 47.Qxc8 And white wins, since black has no perpetual check here. Qh5+ 48.Qh3 40...e4 41.Qxe4 f3! Possibly this move was missed by Eljanov. Now black deflects the queen to a worse square, f3, where it doesn't control the key e5 square. Therefore black will be able to give perpetual check. 41...Rxd5?? 42.c7 Is possibly what Eljanov was counting on when he played 40)b6? 42.Qxf3 Everything else loses. Here Eljanov probably realized that he's blown the win and spend some time to recover and just make sure he doesn't have some miraculous way still to win. But unfortunately for him now the win is gone, and in fact if he plays anything except for qxf3 he loses by force. Rxd5 43.c7 Qe5+ 44.Rg3 Rxg3 45.Qxg3 45.c8Q+?? Rg8+ Is of course a nice point. 45...Qh5+ 46.Qh3 46.Kg1?? Qd1+ And here black will either mate or win the queen by force. 46...Qe5+ And the game ended in a nice fighting draw. This must be very heartbreaking to Pavel Eljanov, especially considering that in the previous round he was very close to beating Wesley So. Pavel Eljanov could've easily been a sole leader going into the rest day, and he has really played great fighting chess in this tournament. Hopefully Pavel can recover from these two difficult games and continue to play even better after the rest day. ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Eljanov,P-Wojtaszek,R-½–½2017B92Tata Steel Masters8

Wei Yi's super solid Petroff was unbroken by Pentala Harikrishna, and that leaves us with only the longest game of the day. Loek Van Wely valiantly tried to break through Ian Nepomniachtchi's defenses for a very long time, but the Russian held strong. It seems that the only win for the Dutch was a very subtle maneuver at the beginning of the uncomfortable endgame for Black:

Close, but no cigar for Loek

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
43...b5 44.Rb2 44.Rc8+! Kd7 45.Rd8+ Ke6 46.Bc3! The only clear win! 46.Bd4 Rd1 47.Re8+ Kd7 48.Rxe3 Rxd4 49.Kxa7 Kc7 is not completely clear yet. 46...Re2 46...Ke7 47.Rd5 Re2 48.Bd4! Bxd4 49.Rxd4 and with the king cut off from the queenside the pawn simply marches forward. 47.Bd4 Rd2 48.Re8+ Kd7 49.Bxe3 and now the rook on d2 is under attack! 44...Kd7 Now Black's king is in the game and despite his best efforts, there is no way through for White. 45.Rxb5 Rd1 46.Be5 Ke6 47.Bb8 f6 48.Rb3 Bg1 49.gxf6 Kxf6 50.Rb5 Be3 51.Bc7 Rd3 52.Be5+ Ke6 53.Bh2 Kf6 54.Bc7 Ke6 55.Bb8 Kf6 56.Bg3 Rd7+ 57.Kc6 Rd3 58.Bd6 Bf2 59.Bb8 Rc3+ 60.Kb7 Rd3 61.Bf4 Rd7+ 62.Kc6 Rd3 63.Bb8 Rc3+ 64.Kb7 Rd3 65.Rb1 Rd2 66.Ka8 Ra2 67.Rf1 Ke6 68.Bxa7 Bxh4 69.Kb7 Rb2+ 70.Kc6 Ra2 71.Kb5 Rb2+ 72.Kc6 Ra2 73.Kb7 Rb2+ 74.Kc6 ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Van Wely,L2695Nepomniachtchi,I2767½–½2017D8379th Tata Steel GpA8

So retains his lead, now followed by Wei Yi and Eljanov, but there is a big group of players trailing only one point behind! Those are Carlsen, Adhiban, Aronian and Karjakin. With five rounds to go anything could still happen in this edition of Tata Steel. So plays Aronian with the white pieces, while Carlsen will be going for full blooded revenge against Van Wely.

Today's young fans certainly had a treat in Wijk

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 0 e5 11 2.Nc3 0 Nc6 1:35 3.g3 0 g6 2:09 4.Bg2 0 Bg7 30 5.d3 6 d6 18 6.f4 4 Nge7 15:48 7.Nf3 3 Nd4 0 8.0-0 9:54 Bg4 2:01 9.Be3 3:20 c5 14:49 10.Qd2 1:09 0-0 23 11.Nh4 0 exf4 4:10 12.Bxf4 1:35 Qd7 3:53 13.Rf2 11:33 Rae8 1:38 14.Bh6 12:42 Bxh6 2:21 15.Qxh6 2 b5 8 16.h3 0 Be6 1:49 17.Raf1 50 Qd8 9:52 18.Nb1 11:51 d5 3:41 19.Nd2 8:20 dxe4 15 20.Nxe4 47 Nef5 7 21.Rxf5 45 Nxf5 32 22.Rxf5 7 Qd4+ 0 23.Rf2 3:15 f5 6 24.Ng5 1:37 Qg7 37 25.Qxg7+ 23 Kxg7 4 26.Bc6 13 h6 7 27.Nxe6+ 1:46 Rxe6 0 28.Bxb5 1 Rb8 45 29.a4 3:22 a6 6 30.Bc4 6 Re1+ 4 31.Kg2 2:38 Rxb2 6 32.Bxa6 9 Rc1 0 33.Bc4 2:20 Rcxc2 46 34.Rxc2 0 Rxc2+ 3 35.Kf3 19 Kf6 4 36.a5 53 g5 15 37.a6 7 Rc1 0 38.Ng2 34 Ke5 6 39.Ne3 4:46 h5 7 40.Nc2 0 g4+ 29 41.Ke3 8:39 gxh3 1:55 42.a7 2:27 h2 0 43.a8Q 38 h1Q 7 44.Qb8+ 21 Kf6 10 45.Qf8+ 9 Kg6 12 46.Bf7+ 14 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Adhiban,B2653Andreikin,D27361–02017B2579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters8
Aronian,L2780Giri,A27731–02017E1179th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters8
Eljanov,P2755Wojtaszek,R2750½–½2017B9279th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters8
Harikrishna,P2766Wei,Y2706½–½2017C4379th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters8
Karjakin,S2785So,W2808½–½2017A1379th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters8
Rapport,R2702Carlsen,M28401–02017A1279th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters8
Van Wely,L2695Nepomniachtchi,I2767½–½2017D8379th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters8

Current Masters standings

Challengers tournament

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.

Perhaps noticing how exciting the round today at the Master's was, the Challenger's slowed down their pace somewhat today as, instead of the usual seven decisive games they have been providing us for the last few rounds, they drew six of their games. Still, the round was full of fun games.

Anish Giri overseeing the black players defending their games

It seems that Sopiko Guramashvili was close to her first win of the tournament, as she was up a queen with a powerful c-pawn, but things were under control as her Dutch opponent found some clever resources:

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
31.c6 Kh7! 31...Nxg2+ 32.Kf1 Rxf3+ 33.Kg1 lets the king escape. 32.Qa5 32.Qe5 Rxg2 33.Qxf4 Rb3! setting up the unusual perpetual with Rg1-g2. 32...Rxg2 33.c7 Rd1+ Fancy and forcing, but not the only move. 33...Rd6 34.c8Q Rg1+ 35.Ke2 Rg2+= 34.Rxd1 Nc2+ 35.Kf1 Ne3+ 36.Ke1 ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Guramishvili,S2370Van Foreest,J2612½–½2017A4079th Tata Steel GpB8

Nils Grandelius played a sacrificial game against Eric Hansen, and even though the computers gave him a line to get a strong advantage at the end of the game instead of taking the perpetual, it was extremely tough to see and evaluate.

Aryan Tari's 50% is exactly his performance rating!

The only decisive game of the day came between Dobrov and Lei Tingjie thanks to a cute tactic:

 
White to move and win!

With these results Markus Ragger and Gawain Jones continue at the lead, but it's, like the Master's, anyone's tournament still.

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.c4 0 c6 1:14 2.Nf3 45 d5 0 3.e3 3:18 Nf6 9 4.Nc3 1:20 e6 1:29 5.b3 36 Nbd7 40 6.Qc2 0 Bd6 3:32 7.Bb2 4 0-0 3:06 8.Rg1 4:12 b5 4:00 9.cxb5 27 Bb7 0 10.bxc6 56 Bxc6 20 11.Nb5 3:32 Bxb5 5:27 12.Bxb5 13 Rc8 18 13.Qd1 2:06 Qa5 10:35 14.Be2 31 e5 0 15.g3 11 Ba3 16:13 16.Bxa3 3:59 Qxa3 1:53 17.Kf1 16 Rc7 3:28 18.Kg2 1:43 Rfc8 11 19.Bb5 11:17 a6 0 20.Be2 12:23 Rc2 4:23 21.Rf1 13:53 R8c7 7:53 22.Kg1 4:25 g6 1:03 23.d4 3:37 e4 59 24.Ne5 3 Nxe5 0 25.dxe5 15 Nd7 5:51 26.Bc4 26 Nxe5 1:06 27.Qxc2 33 Nf3+ 1:08 28.Kg2 13 Qe7 6 29.Rad1 37 dxc4 0 30.Qc3 10:06 Rc8 4:15 31.Rd5 41 f6 9:40 32.Rfd1 38 Rc7 40 33.Qa5 1:26 Ne5 23 34.bxc4 47 Kg7 0 35.R1d4 1:16 Nf7 1:17 36.Qxa6 2:21 Kh6 1:23 37.c5 1:38 Ng5 1:12 38.Qd6 25 Qf7 33 39.h4 50 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Dobrov,V2499Lei,T24671–02017A1179th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers8
Grandelius,N2642Hansen,E2603½–½2017C5479th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers8
Guramishvili,S2370Van Foreest,J2612½–½2017A4079th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers8
Jones,G2665L'Ami,E2605½–½2017C4579th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers8
Lu,S2612Xiong,J2667½–½2017B9079th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers8
Smirin,I2667Ragger,M2697½–½2017C2679th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers8
Tari,A2584Bok,B2608½–½2017C1179th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Challengers8

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.
 
 Aronian, L.
Wojtaszek, R.
 
 Karjakin, S.
Andreikin, D.
 
 Eljanov, P.
Wei, Y.
 
 Adhiban, B.
Nepomniachtchi, I.
 
 Harikrishna, P.
Carlsen, M.
 
 Van Wely, L.
Giri, A.
 
 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.
 
 Grandelius, N.
Ragger, M.
 
 Tari, A.
van Foreest, J.
 
 Smirin, I
l'Ami, E.
 
 Guramishvili, S.
Xiong, J.
 
 Jones, G.
Tingjie, L.
 
 Lu, S.
Hansen, E.
 
 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.
  

Links

The games are being 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 14 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.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.