FIDE Grand Prix Palma de Mallorca - Round 7
There is a saying in poker that it is great to be the no.10 player in world, except when the top nine are all playing at your table. In a sense, that is very much the tale of Palma for many of the players. Take a player like Vallejo Pons. The Spaniard is a great player in every sense of the word, with imagination and talent that are a pleasure to watch.

Top Spaniard Francisco Vallejo Pons | Photo: Valerij Belobeev
When he will play in the Florianopolis Open in Brazil in a couple of months, he will be the top seed by far and have a deserved red-carpet treatment, yet in a field such as Palma, he is not even in the top half. To be fair, this is a situation he is well acquainted with, having faced all the best in fields much tougher than this, and having been hardened by those experiences.

Richard Rapport gets ready for the ultimate challenge in Palma: facing in-form Levon Aronian | Photo: Valerij Belobeev
Richard Rapport is an immensely talented player with enormous reserves of creativity, that can be hit-or-miss depending on the level of his opposition. Against the likes of Levon Aronian, it was tough trying to rock the boat enough to have the Armenian frown. The game started well for the young Hungarian, and for a good long time he was fine, but things went badly and the leader gradually outplayed him into an ending that began to look decidedly dodgy for Rapport.
Richard Rapport - Levon Aronian
White just played 51.Nf6 with the obvious threat of Nd7+ winning the rook or the b6 pawn. Therefore if Black plays 51...Rxc4, White will equalize with Nd7+ and Nxb6. In the game, Black played 51...Ke7?, and after 52.Nd5+ Kd6 53. Rd1 Nxc4 54.Nxb6+, the danger was past and White was able to resume breathing.
However, instead Black could have played 51...Kg7! and because White suddenly has no checks, Black will indeed pick up a pawn with good winning chances. Ex: 52.Ne8+ Kh8 53. Rd1 Nxc4 and though Black will need to tread carefully after 54. Rd8 he has every reason to hope.
It’s a problem every player encounters when he stands better in a game: how to convert his plus into a full point? In this DVD the author answers this difficult question of chess strategy, considering both the psychological aspects of the realisation of an advantage and the technical methods.

Teimour Radjabov has every reason to frown, but his persistence in pursuing the win against Li Chao allows him to still hope | Photo: Valerij Belobeev
After his loss to Tomashevsky in round six, setting up a truly desperate situation that many would argue was insurmountable, Teimour Radjabov struck back in round seven by outplaying Li Chao in a complex endgame out of sheer grit and determination. This only brings him to the 50% mark, meaning he absolutely needs to win his last two games to entertain hopes of qualifying for the Candidates, but nothing is written for some.
Pavel Eljanov - Jon Hammer
Black was done for and knew it, but had been trying his best to create as many swindle chances as he could. In this position, Black just played 24...Ne4 with threats of Nd2 mate, Qf2 mate, and Nxg3+, all with bad news for White. White had seen this in advance, and after 25. Qxg7+!! Black was forced to capitulate.
Finally, the player we had been waiting to score did so. Boris Gelfand overcame Alexander Riazantsev with Black to score his first win of the tournament. Enjoy the detailed instructive notes by GM Tiger Hillarp-Persson.
Alexander Riazantsev 0-1 Boris Gelfand (Annotated by GM Tiger Hillarp-Persson)

PGN
1.e4 | 1,184,215 | 54% | 2421 | --- |
1.d4 | 958,932 | 55% | 2434 | --- |
1.Nf3 | 286,327 | 56% | 2441 | --- |
1.c4 | 184,722 | 56% | 2443 | --- |
1.g3 | 19,884 | 56% | 2427 | --- |
1.b3 | 14,598 | 54% | 2428 | --- |
1.f4 | 5,953 | 48% | 2377 | --- |
1.Nc3 | 3,906 | 50% | 2384 | --- |
1.b4 | 1,790 | 48% | 2378 | --- |
1.a3 | 1,250 | 54% | 2406 | --- |
1.e3 | 1,081 | 49% | 2409 | --- |
1.d3 | 969 | 50% | 2378 | --- |
1.g4 | 670 | 46% | 2361 | --- |
1.h4 | 466 | 54% | 2382 | --- |
1.c3 | 439 | 51% | 2425 | --- |
1.h3 | 289 | 56% | 2420 | --- |
1.a4 | 118 | 60% | 2461 | --- |
1.f3 | 100 | 47% | 2427 | --- |
1.Nh3 | 92 | 67% | 2511 | --- |
1.Na3 | 47 | 62% | 2476 | --- |
Please, wait...
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Bb4+ 3...d5 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Nbd2 0-0 6.Bg2 4.Nd2 4.Bd2 Be7 5.Bg2 d5 4...0-0 5.Bg2 d5 6.Ngf3 b6!? 6...dxc4 7.a3!? Bxd2+ 8.Bxd2 Nc6 9.e3 Rb8 10.0-0 b5 11.b3! cxb3 12.Qxb3 Bb7 13.Rfc1 Ne7 14.Bb4 Re8 15.Ne5 6...c5 7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2! 7.0-0 Bb7 8.a3 8.Ne5 Nbd7 9.Qa4 Bd6 10.Nxd7 10.Nc6?! Qe8 10...Qxd7 11.Qxd7 Nxd7 12.cxd5 Bxd5 12...exd5 13.e4 Bb7 14.Rd1 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5 Re8 10.Ndf3?! Ne4 8.b3 Qe7 9.Bb2 a5 10.a3 Bd6 11.Qc2 Na6?! 11...c5! 12.Nh4! c5 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.Ne4 8...Be7 8...Bd6 9.b4 a5 10.c5 Be7 11.Bb2 Ba6 12.Ne5 Nfd7 9.cxd5 exd5 10.b4 a5!? 10...c6 11.b5 11.Rb1?! axb4 12.axb4 Nc6! 13.b5 Nb4 11...c6! 12.bxc6 Nxc6 13.Bb2 13.e3 b5 14.Ne5 Bd6 14...a4!? 15.Bb2 a4 16.Qb1 Rb8 17.Bc3 Ba8 18.Nxc6 Bxc6 19.Bb4 Qe7 20.Bxd6 Qxd6 21.Nf3 b4 22.axb4 Rxb4 13.Rb1 Ba6 14.Re1 b5 15.Ne5 Nxd4 16.e3 Ne6 17.Nc6 Qd7 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.Nb3 Ne4 20.Bb2 13...a4 13...b5 14.Ne5 14.Nb3!? Ne4! 15.Rc1 a4! 16.Nc5 Na5 17.Bc3! 17.Nxb7 Nxb7 18.Ne5 Na5 18...Nbd6 19.Bc3 17...Nxc5 18.dxc5 Nc4 19.Qd4 Bf6 20.Qd3 14...b4 15.axb4 Bxb4 16.Nd3 Qb6 17.Rb1 Ba6 14.Qb1 b5 15.Ne5 Qb6 15...b4 16.axb4 Bxb4 17.Ndc4 16.Nxc6 Bxc6 17.Bc3 Rfc8 18.e3?! 18.Bb4! Ra7! 18...Qd8 19.Rc1 Bd7 20.Qb2 Qf8 21.Bxe7 Qxe7 22.e3 19.Bh3! Bxb4! 19...Bd7 20.Bxe7 Bxh3 21.Bc5 20.Qxb4 Bd7 21.Bxd7 Rxd7 22.Rac1 Rdc7 23.Rxc7 Rxc7 24.Rb1 Rc2 18.Rc1?! Bd7! 18.Nf3 Be8! 19.Bb4 Bxb4 20.Qxb4 Rc4 18...Bd7 19.Bb4 Bxb4 20.Qxb4 Rc7!? 20...Qc6!? 20...Rc2 21.Nf3 21.Rfc1 Rac8 22.Rxc7 Qxc7 23.Nf3 Qc3 21...Rac8 22.Ne5 Bf5! 23.Ra2 Ne4! 24.Rb2 Nc3 25.Ra1? 25.g4! Bg6! 25...Be6?! 26.h3 f6 27.Nd3 Rc4 28.Qe7 R4c7 29.Qb4 Rc4= 26.Re1 26.f3 f6 27.Nxg6 hxg6 28.Re1 Kf7 26...h5!? 26...f6?! 27.Nxg6 hxg6 28.Bf1 27.gxh5 Bf5 28.f3 Qh6 29.Bf1 Qxh5 30.Rg2 25...f6 26.Nf3 Kf7! 26...Rc4 27.Qe7 Qb8 28.Nh4 Bg4 29.h3 Re8 30.Qxe8+ Qxe8 31.hxg4 Qc8 32.Kh2 27.Rd2? 27.Nd2 Bd3 28.Re1 Qe6 27...Rc4 28.Qb2 Ne4 28...b4! 29.axb4 Rxb4 30.Qc1 Ne2+ 31.Rxe2 Rxc1+ 32.Rxc1 Rb1 29.Re2 29.Ne1 b4 30.Bxe4 Bxe4 31.axb4 Rxb4 32.Qa2 Qb5 29...b4! 30.Nh4 Bg4 31.h3 31.f3 b3 32.fxg4 Rc2 33.Rxc2 Rxc2 34.Qb1 b2 31...Bxe2 32.Qxe2 g6 33.axb4 Qxb4 34.Qg4 Qb7 35.Bxe4 dxe4 36.Kg2 Rc2 37.d5 37.Rf1 Rc1 37...Rxf2+ 38.Kg1 38.Kxf2 Qb2+ 38...f5 39.Qd1 Rcc2 40.Qd4 Qb2 0–1
- Start an analysis engine:
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Riazantsev,A | 2651 | Gelfand,B | 2719 | 0–1 | 2017 | E16 | FIDE Grand Prix Palma 2017 | 7 |
Please, wait...
Constancy and a striving for solid positions are what define Sergei Tiviakov’s opening repertoire. On his two repertoire DVDs against 1.d4 the top Dutch grandmaster presents to you exactly those variations and ideas with which he himself has been successful in tournament chess for many years. On the two DVDs all important systems which are available to White after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 are dealt with in detail. Also, in many areas Tiviakov offers you a choice between alternative variations for Black, between which you can decide according to your temperament. A further highlight of the DVDs is Tiviakov’s collection of all the games which he has played during his career with the Catalan, the Queen’s Indian and the Nimzo-Indian. Many of these are published on these DVDs for the very first time. Video running time: 5 hrs 36 min.
Results of round seven
Standings after seven rounds
1 |
1 |
|
GM |
Aronian Levon |
|
2801 |
4,5 |
2832 |
10 |
2,9 |
2 |
2 |
|
GM |
Vachier-Lagrave Maxime |
|
2796 |
4,0 |
2787 |
10 |
-0,8 |
|
3 |
|
GM |
Nakamura Hikaru |
|
2780 |
4,0 |
2786 |
10 |
0,9 |
|
4 |
|
GM |
Ding Liren |
|
2774 |
4,0 |
2775 |
10 |
0,3 |
|
5 |
|
GM |
Svidler Peter |
|
2763 |
4,0 |
2782 |
10 |
2,4 |
|
9 |
|
GM |
Harikrishna P. |
|
2738 |
4,0 |
2763 |
10 |
2,9 |
|
10 |
|
GM |
Jakovenko Dmitry |
|
2721 |
4,0 |
2780 |
10 |
6,7 |
|
14 |
|
GM |
Tomashevsky Evgeny |
|
2702 |
4,0 |
2788 |
10 |
9,8 |
|
15 |
|
GM |
Rapport Richard |
|
2692 |
4,0 |
2759 |
10 |
7,6 |
10 |
6 |
|
GM |
Giri Anish |
|
2762 |
3,5 |
2697 |
10 |
-7,5 |
|
8 |
|
GM |
Radjabov Teimour |
|
2741 |
3,5 |
2768 |
10 |
3,3 |
|
12 |
|
GM |
Eljanov Pavel |
|
2707 |
3,5 |
2725 |
10 |
2,0 |
|
16 |
|
GM |
Inarkiev Ernesto |
|
2683 |
3,5 |
2748 |
10 |
7,0 |
14 |
13 |
|
GM |
Vallejo Pons Francisco |
|
2705 |
3,0 |
2674 |
10 |
-3,6 |
15 |
7 |
|
GM |
Li Chao B |
|
2741 |
2,5 |
2662 |
10 |
-9,0 |
|
11 |
|
GM |
Gelfand Boris |
|
2719 |
2,5 |
2564 |
10 |
-16,5 |
|
17 |
|
GM |
Riazantsev Alexander |
|
2651 |
2,5 |
2631 |
10 |
-2,7 |
18 |
18 |
|
GM |
Hammer Jon Ludvig |
|
2629 |
2,0 |
2574 |
10 |
-5,7 |
All games of Round 7
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
- 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.
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