One winner in round two
After four decisive games yesterday, the players were calmer today. Three games ended in interesting draws. Sam Shankland had the best chance of the round against Vidit Gujarathi, but the former US Champion missed a chance to start a ferocious attack involving a potential exchange sacrifice. Peter Leko tried for 101 moves to break through with rook and knight vs rook, but Nico Georgiadis held firm to take home half a point. Jorge Cori had very little to play with as White against Abdusattorov, and soon took a draw. In the only decisive game of the round, Sebastian Bogner began his comeback with a fine win over Parham Maghsoodloo. Time to dig in:
Bogner 1-0 Maghsoodloo
After the storm of the first few days, sunshine finally shone on the beleaguered Bogner. It was not some fantastic luck — he put his head down, got to work and played one of his finest games to dismantle the current World Junior Champion.
The Swiss No.1 was too strong for the Iranian No.2 | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Here are a few critical moments:
Maghsoodloo plays his favourite line with 3...a6 against the Queen's Gambit.
Parham's best chance to stay in the game lay in castling short and playing in the centre. Instead, 12...h6 created further problems for the current World Junior Champion.
15.♗xd6! is a fine voluntary exchange from Bogner. The plan is to further weaken the dark squares by exchanging off their best defender.
In this position, Maghsoodloo finally erred with 20...♝h5?!. It was imperative to move the queen — either to c7 or b8 — to retain chances to hold. Instead, after the mistake in the game, Bogner was quick to cash in with 21.♘xa6! winning a pawn.
After the queens were exchanged, the endgame is close to trivial for White.
Quiz: How should White finish the game off?
41.Nfe6! The final position is picturesque — Black has no way to avoid mate!
The Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange Variation is one of the most important opening systems, having been played by most of the great players in history and from both sides of the board. The most outstanding specialists in this method of play include Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Botvinnik and Samuel Reshevsky. The Black side proponents include Anatoly Karpov, Boris Spassky and Paul Keres. It is truly an opening of champions!
The Swiss Champion has started to fire | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Shankland ½-½ Vidit
The rating favourites have clashed early, and Shankland put Vidit under a lot of pressure right from the get-go. Unfortunately for him, finishing the dogged Black player wasn't something he was able to accomplish today.
Vidit survived a trial by fire | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Vidit had to go for 17...f5! here, preventing White from expanding on the kingside. 17...♝e7? was a touch materialistic and allowed Shankland to launch a terrifying attack after 18.f5! The main point is that after Black plays 17...f5 18.♕d4 ♚f7! is a strong move for Black when he is in the game, alive and kicking.
Find the move that Sam missed here, which gives White a surging initiative.
19.Qg4! (heading for h4) was White's best chance.
The Queen's Indian Defense is one of the most solid and rich openings against 1.d4. Together with the Nimzo-Indian and the Catalan it forms the so called "Classical Setup", which any player should know. Victor Bologan calls the b7 bishop “the soul of the opening, the most important piece...keep it active”. Every chess enthusiast, from beginner to high level player, can profit from this DVD. Enrich your chess vocabulary, be open to new ideas: play the Queen’s Indian!
Wow, did I really blow it? | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Leko ½-½ Georgiadis
This is a new Peter Leko we are seeing. Instead of agreeing to tame draws, he is fighting until bare kings these days. A low rating and lack of invitations are perhaps telling, but what I believe is that the man himself wants to make another surge to the top, and to do so he has to reinvent himself. So instead of his perennial 1.e4, he has played 1.d4 exclusively. While he didn't win today, he did play the longest game of the round, something we don't really associate with the Leko of the past. Credit to Nico as well, who defended a piece down for a long time without faltering.
Youth managed to hold on, but not without some nightmarishly good defensive play! | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Peter has outplayed the young Swiss, but here he had to calculate and finish the job. Can you do better than him?
White to play and get a huge advantage
After 48...♞xf5! 49.gxf5 ♜xf5, Nico managed to transpose into an endgame a piece down, but a theoretical draw with correct play. He managed to hold on creditably.
The Semi-Slav (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6) can arise via various move orders, has decided World Championships, and is one of Black's most fascinating replies to 1 d4. Magnus Carlsen's second, Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen explains in detail what this opening is all about.
The former Hungarian No.1 couldn't outlast his opponent today. | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Cori ½-½ Abdusattorov
The game in itself was a disappointment for White, but credit must be given to the young Uzbek for his outstanding opening preparation.
Cori needs to find some form, and find it quickly, if he needs to start challenging the leaders | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Here is one point where Abdusattorov could have gotten ambitious:
Black could have tried to play on with a4 or ♜c4, but Abdusattorov chose to simplify with 25...♛b7. A draw soon ensued.
Watch out...here I come! | Photo: Simon Bohnenblust / Biel Chess Festival
Overall standings
| Rank |
Name |
Games |
Classic |
Rapid |
Blitz |
Total |
| 1 |
GM Peter Leko |
9 |
4 |
10 |
0 |
14 |
| 2 |
GM Sam Shankland |
9 |
4 |
9 |
0 |
13 |
| 3 |
GM Santosh Vidit |
9 |
4 |
8 |
0 |
12 |
| 4 |
GM Parham Maghsoodloo |
9 |
3 |
8 |
0 |
11 |
| 5 |
GM Jorge Cori |
9 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
8 |
| 6 |
GM Nico Georgiadis |
9 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
7 |
| 7 |
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov |
9 |
1 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
| |
GM Sebastian Bogner |
9 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
6 |
All classical games
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