6/6/2017 – Despite the numerous draws, it was quite an interesting day in Norway. Kramnik and Aronian were putting very strong pressure on Karjakin and Caruana respectively, but had to settle for a draw. The only win came from a long endgame squeeze by Nakamura over Giri, which was certainly reminiscent of Fischer's famous "minor exchange" idea!
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Altibox Norway Chess has in only a matter of a few years grown to be one of the world’s biggest chess tournaments. Altibox Norway Chess has proven from the start to be a world-class event and is celebrating its 5th anniversary in 2017. This super-tournament had the aim of inviting the ten strongest chess players in the World, and they proclaim themselves as the strongest tournament in the World.
The events began with a 3+2 blitz tournament, won by Magnus Carlsen, to determine the pairing order.
The time control is 100 min for 40 moves + 50 min for 20 moves, + 15 min for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move 61. The prize fund for the main event is 249,000 Euros.
Round One
All photos by Lennart Ootes for the Official Website
Despite the numerous draws, it was quite an interesting day in Norway. Kramnik and Aronian were putting very strong pressure on Karjakin and Caruana respectively, but had to settle for a draw. The only win came from a long endgame squeeze by Nakamura over Giri.
Round one, go!
Round 1: June 6, 2017 in Clarion Hotel Energy
Hikaru Nakamura
1-0
Anish Giri
Levon Aronian
½-½
Fabiano Caruana
Magnus Carlsen
½-½
Wesley So
M. Vachier-Lagrave
½-½
Vishy Anand
Vladimir Kramnik
½-½
Sergey Karjakin
We kick off with the sole victory. It wasn't the flashiest of games, but it really does showcase Nakamura, who in the past was known for his crazy and aggressive style, as a solid technical player:
A magnificent display of the superiority of bishop over knight by Hikaru
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1.e4
1,174,618
54%
2421
---
1.d4
952,919
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
283,849
56%
2440
---
1.c4
183,334
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,804
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,464
54%
2427
---
1.f4
5,926
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,855
50%
2384
---
1.b4
1,775
48%
2379
---
1.a3
1,239
54%
2405
---
1.e3
1,075
49%
2409
---
1.d3
961
50%
2378
---
1.g4
669
46%
2361
---
1.h4
465
54%
2381
---
1.c3
436
51%
2426
---
1.h3
284
56%
2419
---
1.a4
117
59%
2462
---
1.f3
100
47%
2427
---
1.Nh3
92
67%
2511
---
1.Na3
43
60%
2477
---
Please, wait...
1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3d54.Bg5Ne45.Bh4Nxc36.bxc3dxc47.e3Be68.Qb1b69.Nh3Bh610.Bg5Bxg511.Nxg5Qd512.Nxe6Qxe613.Qb4Qd514.Qxc4Qxc415.Bxc4e616.Be2Nd717.a4Ke718.a5c619.Kd2b520.Rab1Rab821.Rb2f522.Rhb1Kd623.f3e524.c4exd425.cxb5cxb526.Bxb5dxe3+27.Kxe3Let us start looking at the game here. Before this, it was a Grunfeld and we got to this position which, though perhaps almost equal, does hold a bit of danger for Black. Bishops are superior to knights, and the kingside pawns will be vulnerable to an attack by the light-squared diagonal user. This endgame is a bit reminiscent of what Fischer called the "minor exchange".Nf628.Bc4Rxb228...Rhe8+29.Kd4Rbd8!Was the unnatural, but best way, to hold. The point is that the rooks create an unsafe environment for the kings, which makes it difficult for White to make progress.30.Rb7Kc6+31.Kc3Re3+32.Kc2Rd4for example29.Rxb2Re8+30.Kd4Notice how Black's knight is uncomfortably controlled compared to White's bishop.Re731.Rb8Rd732.Rc8Rb733.a6!Puttin in the squeeze. The rook can't stay on the seventh rank, but there isn't enough time to create counterplay.Rb433...Re734.Bb5 and the surprising checkmate on c6 is not so easy to parry.34.Kc3Ra435.Kb3Nd736.Bb536.Kxa4Nb6+37.Kb5Nxc838.Bg8h6is no dangerous for Black as there is no penetration square once the knight reaches e736...Ra537.Kb4Ra138.Rd8Rb1+39.Ka5Ra1+40.Kb4Rb1+41.Ka4Ra1+42.Kb3Rb1+43.Kc4Rc1+44.Kd3Rc745.Kd4Black has stabilized from now, but he is far from out of danger.Ke746.Ra8Kd647.h4!Now phase two, if you will: White advances a bit on the kingside to creat threatsKe7?An unfortunate timing47...Nb648.Rh8Ke649.Re8+Kd650.h5is still very hard to hold48.Bxd7!Nakamura does not miss his chances. The rook endgame is hopeless.Rxd7+48...Kxd749.Kd5Ke750.Rh8Kf651.Kd6and everything falls apartRc2! the only way to resist52.Rxh7Rxg253.Rxa749.Ke5Kf750.Rb8This is the killing maneuver. Any rook trade is hopeless.Re7+51.Kd5Kf652.Rb7Re5+53.Kd4Ra554.Rxa7This endgame is sometimes a draw, but not in this csae, with a weak kingside and the pawn on the sixth and not the seventh, as you will find out why soon!f455.Kc4Ra256.Kc5h557.Ra8Rc2+58.Kb6Rb2+59.Kc5Rc2+60.Kb6Rb2+61.Ka7Rxg262.Rb8Rf263.Rb6+Kg764.Kb7Rxf365.a7Ra366.Ra6Rb3+67.Kc61–0
Photo taken before the Rook/Knight vs. Rook/Bishop endgame
MVL was unable to find very much against Vishy Anand in a Caro-Kann, and though the game was rather interesting, it didn't seem as if Black had any real problems. Simplifications led to a drawn pawn endgame.
The Frenchman hit a solid wall in Vishy's Caro-Kann
Carlsen was always the one putting pressure, but it wasn't good enough
Carlsen came out with the Italian looking for a victory against So, but the American proved to be too solid. Despite winning a pawn, the resulting knight endgame was impossible to win for Carlsen due to the reduced amount of pawns and the activity of Black's pieces. The final tactic that simplified into a drawn pawn endgame is rather instructive.
What happens when you lose your no-losses streak? You start counting again!
The other Italian of the day was between Kramnik and Karjakin, a Russian duel that was a close call for the recent challenger for the World Championship
Big Vlad put enormous pressure on his opponent
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1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bc4Bc54.0-0Nf65.d30-06.a4a67.c3d58.exd5Nxd59.Nbd2Kh810.Re1f611.d4Ba711...exd412.Nb3Ba713.Nbxd4Nxd414.Nxd4was on the better side for White in Giri-Tomashevsky of September last year. White's pressure stems from the space advantage on the queenside and the weakness on e6. It isn't very serious, and probably black can hold with precise play, but it's much more comfortable to play white.12.dxe5Nxe513.Nxe5fxe514.Nf314.Ne4seems natural, but it releases the pressure on e5. Nf3 is a bit more ambitious but it clearly has a couple of problems, mainly the weakness on f2.14...c614...Bxf2+was already possible, but not entirely clear15.Kxf2Qh4+16.Kg1Qxc417.Rxe5and after a forced sequence White's position is still slightly more comfortable. His pieces are a bit more active, even though again, black should be ok.15.Bg5Choices aren't easy in chess, and Kramnik presents his opponent with three distinct ones:15.Bxd5!?cxd516.Rxe5Bg4looks a bit dodgy. White will retain extra material (at least one pawn, more if he wants) but his structure on the kingside will be shattered and his king permanently exposed. These kinds of positions sometimes boil down to style, and Kramnik here prefers the initiative.15...Qb6?!Not the most precise. Kramnik ditches the f2 pawn for piece activity and central control15...Bxf2+16.Kxf216.Kh1Qd617.Re2Be6!18.Rxf2e4is also wildly unclear16...Qxg517.Kg1Qd818.Nxe5seems to be a bit better for White15...Qd6!?Keeping the defense on the e5 pawn, now for example:16.Bh4!?16.Re4Qg6!17.Bxd5cxd518.Rxe5Bg419.Kh1!with a huge mess16...Bg417.Bg3Bxf318.gxf3Rf5∞16.Bxd5cxd516...Qxf2+17.Kh1cxd518.Qxd5with e5 falling next, White's king is much safer than Black's.17.Be3!Qxb218.Bxa7Rxa719.Qxd5Kramnik is a cunning tricksterb619...Qxc3?20.Qd6!Rg821.Qb8and the rook cannot be saved!20.Rab1?!20.Qc4the pawn deserved to live. This move also threatens Ra2, winning on the spote4!21.Ra2Rc722.Qxc7Qxa223.Rxe4±20...Qxc321.Rxb6Raf722.Qxe5Qxe523.Rxe5White is up a pawn in the resulting endgame, but because of the pressure on f2, the superiority of a bishop over a knight, and the reduced amount of pawns, winning is tough.Bg424.Re3Kg825.Ne525.Rxa6Bxf326.Rxf3Rxf327.gxf3Rxf3is a draw as the rook gets in behind the pawn25...Rxf226.h3Bc827.Nc6Rf1+28.Kh2R1f629.a5h630.Ne7+Kf731.Nc6Kg832.Rc3 White retains some pressure, but now Black can neutralize it and Karjakin has no problems doing so.Kh733.Ne7Bd734.Nd5Rf535.Rd6Bb536.Nc7Bf137.Rd7Rf238.Rg3R8f739.Rxf7Rxf740.Rc3Rf541.Rc1Bd342.Rc3Bf143.Rc1Bd344.Rc3Bf1½–½
Caruana essayed the Queen's Gambit Accepted against Aronian, an opening that is not in vogue but has never quite died. This game will do little to bolster its reputation, as the pressure that White exerted straight from the opening was considerable. Aronian, however, played a few inaccurate moves and allowed Black's pieces to reposition. Caruana was able to build a solid configuration, and the presence of opposite colored bishops sealed the draw.
Aronian, who was described by Caruana in the post-mortem as a "cheapo artist". Levon agreed, but today it wasn't enough to reel the full point in.
A tournament wouldn't be complete without a giant chess set
Today's commentators from Norway were Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam and Nigel Short
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Alejandro RamirezGrandmaster 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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