Dortmund: Caruana takes down Kramnik

by Patrick Zelbel
7/2/2023 – Going into the final day of action at the Dortmund Chess Festival, Fabiano Caruana, Frederik Svane and Dinara Wagner are leading the standings in the No Castling Masters, the A-Open and the Sportland NRW Cup, respectively. Caruana defeated Vladimir Kramnik in style to get a half point lead over the former world champion and Dmitrij Kollars. Kollars beat Pavel Eljanov with white in Saturday’s fifth round. | Photo: Michelle Lassak
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.

White wins

The players marshalling the black pieces had big problems in the fifth round of the NC World Masters at the 50th edition of the Dortmund Chess Festival. Fabiano Caruana and Dmitrij Kollars convincingly beat Vladimir Kramnik and Pavel Eljanov, both with white.

Kramnik spectacularly chose to play the Sicilian Dragon despite not being allowed to castle in the entire game. Caruana quickly took the initiative with 11.e5!

Caruana vs. Kramnik

Kramnik reacted inaccurately and Caruana, the world no. 3 in classical chess, played a flawless game to score a valuable win. The opening move was played by DSB President Ingrid Lauterbach. She works as an honorary arbiter at the Dortmund Chess Festival.

On the other board, Dmitrij Kollars managed to use an idea he had prepared at home. In the post-game interview, the defending champion confessed that he had slept badly after his missed win against Caruana, but that did not prevent him from playing a near perfect game and scoring his second win of the event. Pavel Eljanov was left without chances after playing weakly in the opening.

A satisfied Kollars analysed his game afterwards (in German):

Standings - Round 5

Rk.NameRtg.Nt.Pts.n
1
2
3
4
TBPerf.
1
GM
Kramnik,V
GM
Kramnik,V
2753
1
GM
Eljanov,P
2694
1
2
GM
Kollars,D
2618
0
3
GM
Caruana,F
2773
1
Ø 2695
2/3
2753
2.0
3
1
1
0
3.00
2820
2
GM
Caruana,F
GM
Caruana,F
2773
1
GM
Kollars,D
2618
1
2
GM
Eljanov,P
2694
½
3
GM
Kramnik,V
2753
0
Ø 2688
1.5/3
2773
1.5
3
0
½
1
1.75
2688
3
GM
Eljanov,P
GM
Eljanov,P
2694
1
GM
Kramnik,V
2753
0
2
GM
Caruana,F
2773
½
3
GM
Kollars,D
2618
1
Ø 2715
1.5/3
2694
1.5
3
0
½
1
1.75
2715
4
GM
Kollars,D
GM
Kollars,D
2618
1
GM
Caruana,F
2773
0
2
GM
Kramnik,V
2753
1
3
GM
Eljanov,P
2694
0
Ø 2740
1/3
2618
1.0
3
1
0
0
2.00
2615
TBs: Sonneborn-Berger

All games

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 2 d5 9 2.e3 18 Nf6 1:22 3.Nf3 30 e6 1:38 4.b3 18 c5 2:18 5.Bb2 46 Nc6 25 6.Nbd2 2:10
6...h5N 4:01 D05: Colle System with ...e6. Predecessor: 6...Bd6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.a3 0-0 9.b4 Bb6 10.c4 a5 11.c5 Bc7 12.b5 Ne7 13.Bd3 Ng6 14.0-0 Qe7 1-0 Nakamura,H (2736)-Alekseenko,K (2696) Titled Tuesday intern op 29th Sept blitz 2020 (5) 7.h4 5:51 7.c4! 7...cxd4= 2:33 8.exd4 24 Ng4 2:37 The position is equal. 9.a3 1:24:41 Qf6 6:30 10.Bd3 0 Bc5 2:18 11.dxc5 0 Qxb2 40 12.c4 0 Ke7 8:54 12...Qc3= 13.Be2 a5 13.Qc1 0 13.0-0 13...Qf6 29 14.Kf1 0 14.b4= remains equal. 14...Rd8 4:16      
And now ...dxc4 would win. Black is up to no good. 15.Ra2 0 White should try 15.Qe1 15...Kf8 12:58 Black has more active pieces. 16.cxd5 0 exd5 3:03       Weaker is 16...Rxd5 17.Be4= 17.g3 1:12 17.Kg1 was called for. 17...Nce5-+ 3:01 18.Be2 6 Bd7 2:27      
Threatens to win with ...Bc6. 19.b4 9 Bc6 1:21 20.Kg2? 3:06 20.b5 was forced. Bxb5       Deflection 21.Bxb5 Nxf3 22.Nb3 20...d4 1:13 Hoping for ...Re8. Black is clearly winning. 21.b5 51 Bd5 1:19 22.Rb2 7 Re8 7:38 ...Nxf3 would be deadly. 23.c6 14 bxc6 2:01 24.Qc5+ 54 24.bxc6 Bxc6 25.Rf1 24...Kg8 11 25.bxc6 40 Bxc6 2:03 aiming for ...d3. And not 25...Nxc6 26.Bc4 Bxf3+ 27.Nxf3 26.Rc1 37 d3 1:01       Deflection. Weighted Error Value: White=1.11/Black=0.61 0–1
  • 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,P2694Kramnik,V27530–12023D05NoCastling Masters 20231.1
Kollars,D2618Caruana,F27730–12023A42NoCastling Masters 20231.2
Kollars,D2618Kramnik,V27531–02023A25NoCastling Masters 20232.1
Caruana,F2773Eljanov,P2694½–½2023B56NoCastling Masters 20232.2
Kramnik,V2753Caruana,F27731–02023D12NoCastling Masters 20233.1
Eljanov,P2694Kollars,D26181–02023D04NoCastling Masters 20233.2
Kramnik,V2753Eljanov,P2694½–½2023A30NoCastling Masters 20234.1
Caruana,F2773Kollars,D2618½–½2023A00NoCastling Masters 20234.2
Caruana,F2773Kramnik,V27531–02023B75NoCastling Masters 20235.1
Kollars,D2618Eljanov,P26941–02023A34NoCastling Masters 20235.2
Kramnik,V2753Kollars,D26181–02023A29NoCastling Masters 20236.1
Eljanov,P2694Caruana,F27730–12023B38NoCastling Masters 20236.2

A-Open: Svane in the lead

The A-Open saw three German and three Indian grandmasters on the top three boards. The all-German duel between Alexander Donchenko against Rasmus Svane ended in a draw after Donchenko tried to make the most of his small advantage for a long time. The Indian duo of Raja Rithvik and Leon Luke Mendonca agreed to a draw earlier on board 3.

These results left the door open for Frederik Svane on the top board. With a fabulous preparation, lasting 22 moves in the open Sicilian, Svane obtained an advantageous middlegame position. After five hours, he was finally able to make use of his extra pawn in the rook ending against Aryan Chopra.

Svane vs. Aryan
Svane's connected passers on the queenside were simply too strong...

Svane now leads the field by half a point going into the last round and has the best chance of winning the first prize of €5,000.

Frederik Svane

Frederik Svane

Standings - Round 8

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Svane,Frederik, 7 39
2 Donchenko,Alexander, 6,5 41
3 Dudin,Gleb, 6,5 36
4 Aryan Chopra, 6 42
5 Mendonca,Leon Luke, 6 39,5
6 Adams,Michael, 6 39,5
7 Svane,Rasmus, 6 39
8 Kobo,Ori, 6 38
9 Guo,Arthur, 6 38
10 Raja Rithvik R, 6 37
11 Wagner,Dennis, 6 37
12 Seemann,Jakub, 6 36
13 Prohaszka,Peter, 6 35,5
14 Raja Harshit, 6 35
15 Pranav Anand, 6 34

...328 players

All games

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 3 c5 10 2.Nf3 4 d6 14 3.d4 4 cxd4 5 4.Nxd4 4 Nf6 18 5.Nc3 4 a6 5 6.Nb3 4 e6 5:51 B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5. 7.g4 3 h6 5:37
8.Qe2N 1:36 Predecessor: 8.h4 b5 9.f3 b4 10.Ne2 Nc6 11.Be3 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bf2 Be7 14.Qd2 ½-½ Deepan Chakkravarthy,J (2535)-Salem,A (2682) Titled Tuesday intern op 06th July blitz 2021 (6) 8...Qc7 3:02 The position is equal. 9.h4 4:17 b5 6:29 10.a3! 2:24 Bb7 1:23 11.Bf4 8:22 Nbd7 3:01 12.0-0-0 5:10 Rc8 7:31 13.Rh3 14:22 White wants to play g5. Ne5 3:40 13...g6= might be stronger. 14.g5 4:18 hxg5 1:30 15.hxg5 15:36 Rxh3 18 16.Bxh3 6 Nfd7 13 17.Bg3 10:57 17.Bd2± 17...g6!= 2:42 18.Nd4 11:40 18.f4= Nc4 19.Be1 18...Nc4 9:12 18...Qb6 19.Nd5 exd5 20.exd5 Rc5 19.Nd5 2:28 19.Bxe6!= was the only way to keep the balance. fxe6 20.Nxe6 19...Qa5 12:24 19...exd5 20.exd5+ Be7 20.Bxe6 9:59 fxe6 22 21.Nxe6 9:19 b4 4:13 22.Nxb4 0       22.Qg4!= and White has nothing to worry. 22...Nxa3!-+ 46
Threatens to win with ...Nc4. 23.Nxf8? 1:00 23.Qd3 Nc4 24.c3 23...Nc4 3:53 Black is clearly winning. 24.Kb1 0 Prevents Qa1+. Qxb4 7 25.c3 0 Qb5 14 Excellently played by Petrovskyi! Weighted Error Value: White=1.13/Black=0.20 (precise) 0–1
  • 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
De Winter,A2378Petrovskyi,V24230–12023B90Sportland NRW Cup 20231.1
Karthik Venkataraman2548Souleidis,G24190–12023A22Sportland NRW Cup 20231.2
Besou,H2325Bagrationi,A24541–02023A42Sportland NRW Cup 20231.3
Wagner,D2447Saltaev,M24621–02023E05Sportland NRW Cup 20231.4
Schneider,J2326Koellner,R24290–12023C41Sportland NRW Cup 20231.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Koellner,R2429½–½2023C77Sportland NRW Cup 20232.1
Saltaev,M2462Schneider,J2326½–½2023C77Sportland NRW Cup 20232.2
Bagrationi,A2454Wagner,D24470–12023B21Sportland NRW Cup 20232.3
Souleidis,G2419Besou,H2325½–½2023B22Sportland NRW Cup 20232.4
De Winter,A2378Karthik Venkataraman25480–12023B81Sportland NRW Cup 20232.5
Karthik Venkataraman2548Petrovskyi,V24231–02023A29Sportland NRW Cup 20233.1
Besou,H2325De Winter,A2378½–½2023B94Sportland NRW Cup 20233.2
Wagner,D2447Souleidis,G2419½–½2023D07Sportland NRW Cup 20233.3
Schneider,J2326Bagrationi,A24540–12023B13Sportland NRW Cup 20233.4
Koellner,R2429Saltaev,M24621–02023B11Sportland NRW Cup 20233.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Saltaev,M24620–12023B19Sportland NRW Cup 20234.1
Bagrationi,A2454Koellner,R24290–12023E11Sportland NRW Cup 20234.2
Souleidis,G2419Schneider,J23261–02023C14Sportland NRW Cup 20234.3
De Winter,A2378Wagner,D2447½–½2023B33Sportland NRW Cup 20234.4
Karthik Venkataraman2548Besou,H2325½–½2023E51Sportland NRW Cup 20234.5
Besou,H2325Petrovskyi,V2423½–½2023C88Sportland NRW Cup 20235.1
Wagner,D2447Karthik Venkataraman2548½–½2023E11Sportland NRW Cup 20235.2
Schneider,J2326De Winter,A23780–12023B30Sportland NRW Cup 20235.3
Koellner,R2429Souleidis,G24191–02023D02Sportland NRW Cup 20235.4
Saltaev,M2462Bagrationi,A2454½–½2023B70Sportland NRW Cup 20235.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Bagrationi,A2454½–½2023B15Sportland NRW Cup 20236.1
Souleidis,G2419Saltaev,M2462½–½2023B12Sportland NRW Cup 20236.2
De Winter,A2378Koellner,R24291–02023C41Sportland NRW Cup 20236.3
Karthik Venkataraman2548Schneider,J23261–02023D35Sportland NRW Cup 20236.4
Besou,H2325Wagner,D24470–12023B99Sportland NRW Cup 20236.5
Wagner,D2447Petrovskyi,V24231–02023E08Sportland NRW Cup 20237.1
Schneider,J2326Besou,H2325½–½2023B13Sportland NRW Cup 20237.2
Koellner,R2429Karthik Venkataraman2548½–½2023D04Sportland NRW Cup 20237.3
Saltaev,M2462De Winter,A23780–12023B90Sportland NRW Cup 20237.4
Bagrationi,A2454Souleidis,G24191–02023B31Sportland NRW Cup 20237.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Souleidis,G24191–02023B15Sportland NRW Cup 20238.1
De Winter,A2378Bagrationi,A2454½–½2023C18Sportland NRW Cup 20238.2
Karthik Venkataraman2548Saltaev,M24621–02023B19Sportland NRW Cup 20238.3
Besou,H2325Koellner,R24290–12023C65Sportland NRW Cup 20238.4
Wagner,D2447Schneider,J23261–02023E11Sportland NRW Cup 20238.5
Schneider,J2326Petrovskyi,V24230–12023B92Sportland NRW Cup 20239.1
Koellner,R2429Wagner,D2447½–½2023D02Sportland NRW Cup 20239.2
Saltaev,M2462Besou,H2325½–½2023B90Sportland NRW Cup 20239.3
Bagrationi,A2454Karthik Venkataraman25480–12023E71Sportland NRW Cup 20239.4
Souleidis,G2419De Winter,A23781–02023B50Sportland NRW Cup 20239.5

Sportland NRW Cup: Wagner in first place

In the Sportland NRW Cup, it is certain that a GM norm will be earned by the end of the event. Dinara Wagner and Ruben Gideon Köllner won their games and are set to face each other in the final round. A score of 7/9 is needed to earn a GM norm — since Wagner is leading with 6½ points and Köllner stands a half point behind, it is impossible for both to miss on reaching the coveted score.

On Saturday, Wagner won after a long fight against her national team colleague Jana Schneider, while Köllner got the better of 11-year-old prodigy Hussain Besou.

Dinara Wagner

Dinara Wagner beat Jana Schneider in round 8

Standings - Round 8

Rk. Name Pts.  TB1 
1 Wagner,Dinara, 6,5 5
2 Köllner,Ruben Gideon, 6 5
3 Karthik Venkataraman, 5,5 4
4 De Winter,Arthur, 4,5 3
5 Petrovskiy,Vadim, 3,5 2
6 Souleidis,Georgios, 3,5 2
7 Bagrationi,Alexander, 3,5 2
8 Besou,Hussain, 3,5 1
9 Saltaev,Mihail, 2,5 1
10 Schneider,Jana, 1 0

All games

New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 3 c5 10 2.Nf3 4 d6 14 3.d4 4 cxd4 5 4.Nxd4 4 Nf6 18 5.Nc3 4 a6 5 6.Nb3 4 e6 5:51 B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5. 7.g4 3 h6 5:37
8.Qe2N 1:36 Predecessor: 8.h4 b5 9.f3 b4 10.Ne2 Nc6 11.Be3 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bf2 Be7 14.Qd2 ½-½ Deepan Chakkravarthy,J (2535)-Salem,A (2682) Titled Tuesday intern op 06th July blitz 2021 (6) 8...Qc7 3:02 The position is equal. 9.h4 4:17 b5 6:29 10.a3! 2:24 Bb7 1:23 11.Bf4 8:22 Nbd7 3:01 12.0-0-0 5:10 Rc8 7:31 13.Rh3 14:22 White wants to play g5. Ne5 3:40 13...g6= might be stronger. 14.g5 4:18 hxg5 1:30 15.hxg5 15:36 Rxh3 18 16.Bxh3 6 Nfd7 13 17.Bg3 10:57 17.Bd2± 17...g6!= 2:42 18.Nd4 11:40 18.f4= Nc4 19.Be1 18...Nc4 9:12 18...Qb6 19.Nd5 exd5 20.exd5 Rc5 19.Nd5 2:28 19.Bxe6!= was the only way to keep the balance. fxe6 20.Nxe6 19...Qa5 12:24 19...exd5 20.exd5+ Be7 20.Bxe6 9:59 fxe6 22 21.Nxe6 9:19 b4 4:13 22.Nxb4 0       22.Qg4!= and White has nothing to worry. 22...Nxa3!-+ 46
Threatens to win with ...Nc4. 23.Nxf8? 1:00 23.Qd3 Nc4 24.c3 23...Nc4 3:53 Black is clearly winning. 24.Kb1 0 Prevents Qa1+. Qxb4 7 25.c3 0 Qb5 14 Excellently played by Petrovskyi! Weighted Error Value: White=1.13/Black=0.20 (precise) 0–1
  • 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
De Winter,A2378Petrovskyi,V24230–12023B90Sportland NRW Cup 20231.1
Karthik Venkataraman2548Souleidis,G24190–12023A22Sportland NRW Cup 20231.2
Besou,H2325Bagrationi,A24541–02023A42Sportland NRW Cup 20231.3
Wagner,D2447Saltaev,M24621–02023E05Sportland NRW Cup 20231.4
Schneider,J2326Koellner,R24290–12023C41Sportland NRW Cup 20231.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Koellner,R2429½–½2023C77Sportland NRW Cup 20232.1
Saltaev,M2462Schneider,J2326½–½2023C77Sportland NRW Cup 20232.2
Bagrationi,A2454Wagner,D24470–12023B21Sportland NRW Cup 20232.3
Souleidis,G2419Besou,H2325½–½2023B22Sportland NRW Cup 20232.4
De Winter,A2378Karthik Venkataraman25480–12023B81Sportland NRW Cup 20232.5
Karthik Venkataraman2548Petrovskyi,V24231–02023A29Sportland NRW Cup 20233.1
Besou,H2325De Winter,A2378½–½2023B94Sportland NRW Cup 20233.2
Wagner,D2447Souleidis,G2419½–½2023D07Sportland NRW Cup 20233.3
Schneider,J2326Bagrationi,A24540–12023B13Sportland NRW Cup 20233.4
Koellner,R2429Saltaev,M24621–02023B11Sportland NRW Cup 20233.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Saltaev,M24620–12023B19Sportland NRW Cup 20234.1
Bagrationi,A2454Koellner,R24290–12023E11Sportland NRW Cup 20234.2
Souleidis,G2419Schneider,J23261–02023C14Sportland NRW Cup 20234.3
De Winter,A2378Wagner,D2447½–½2023B33Sportland NRW Cup 20234.4
Karthik Venkataraman2548Besou,H2325½–½2023E51Sportland NRW Cup 20234.5
Besou,H2325Petrovskyi,V2423½–½2023C88Sportland NRW Cup 20235.1
Wagner,D2447Karthik Venkataraman2548½–½2023E11Sportland NRW Cup 20235.2
Schneider,J2326De Winter,A23780–12023B30Sportland NRW Cup 20235.3
Koellner,R2429Souleidis,G24191–02023D02Sportland NRW Cup 20235.4
Saltaev,M2462Bagrationi,A2454½–½2023B70Sportland NRW Cup 20235.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Bagrationi,A2454½–½2023B15Sportland NRW Cup 20236.1
Souleidis,G2419Saltaev,M2462½–½2023B12Sportland NRW Cup 20236.2
De Winter,A2378Koellner,R24291–02023C41Sportland NRW Cup 20236.3
Karthik Venkataraman2548Schneider,J23261–02023D35Sportland NRW Cup 20236.4
Besou,H2325Wagner,D24470–12023B99Sportland NRW Cup 20236.5
Wagner,D2447Petrovskyi,V24231–02023E08Sportland NRW Cup 20237.1
Schneider,J2326Besou,H2325½–½2023B13Sportland NRW Cup 20237.2
Koellner,R2429Karthik Venkataraman2548½–½2023D04Sportland NRW Cup 20237.3
Saltaev,M2462De Winter,A23780–12023B90Sportland NRW Cup 20237.4
Bagrationi,A2454Souleidis,G24191–02023B31Sportland NRW Cup 20237.5
Petrovskyi,V2423Souleidis,G24191–02023B15Sportland NRW Cup 20238.1
De Winter,A2378Bagrationi,A2454½–½2023C18Sportland NRW Cup 20238.2
Karthik Venkataraman2548Saltaev,M24621–02023B19Sportland NRW Cup 20238.3
Besou,H2325Koellner,R24290–12023C65Sportland NRW Cup 20238.4
Wagner,D2447Schneider,J23261–02023E11Sportland NRW Cup 20238.5
Schneider,J2326Petrovskyi,V24230–12023B92Sportland NRW Cup 20239.1
Koellner,R2429Wagner,D2447½–½2023D02Sportland NRW Cup 20239.2
Saltaev,M2462Besou,H2325½–½2023B90Sportland NRW Cup 20239.3
Bagrationi,A2454Karthik Venkataraman25480–12023E71Sportland NRW Cup 20239.4
Souleidis,G2419De Winter,A23781–02023B50Sportland NRW Cup 20239.5

Links

Patrick Zelbel is the press officer at the Sparkassen Chess Trophy yearly event in Dortmund.
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.