2/4/2015 – Another day of successes in Gibraltar! Hikaru Nakamura keeps his lead, but shortened to half a point as David Howell beat Daniel Naroditsky on board two. Another half a point behind Howell are Hou Yifan, Nikita Vitiugov, Pentala Harikrishna and Axel Bachmann. Today the Minister of Tourism visited the event, in time to see that an amazing four players achieved their GM norms!
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Gibraltar's new Minister for Tourism, Samantha Sacramento, was shown around the Festival today
With peace on board one, some people were able to reach 7.0/9 to put pressure on Nakamura going into the last round. The American has to draw to guarantee himself a share of first place, and a win to guarantee an outright win, but odds are still very much looking in his favor.
The minister checking out the top board
David Howell came through with a very important victory against Daniel Naroditsky. All of today's analysis is brought to you by IM Sagar Shah.
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1.e4
1,166,623
54%
2421
---
1.d4
947,298
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
281,602
56%
2441
---
1.c4
182,102
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,702
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,265
54%
2427
---
1.f4
5,897
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,801
51%
2384
---
1.b4
1,756
48%
2380
---
1.a3
1,206
54%
2404
---
1.e3
1,068
48%
2408
---
1.d3
954
50%
2378
---
1.g4
664
46%
2360
---
1.h4
446
53%
2374
---
1.c3
433
51%
2426
---
1.h3
280
56%
2418
---
1.a4
110
60%
2466
---
1.f3
92
46%
2436
---
1.Nh3
89
66%
2508
---
1.Na3
42
62%
2482
---
Please, wait...
1.c4e52.Nc3Nf63.Nf3Nc64.g3d55.cxd5Nxd56.Bg2Nb67.0-0Be78.a30-09.b4Be610.d3a511.b5Nd412.Nxe5!?12.Nd2is mainly played12...Bf613.f413.Nc4Nxc414.dxc4Bxc413...Nb3The exchange has to be sacrificed now because the threat is Qd4+ picking up the loose knight on c3.14.Be3Nxa115.Qxa1Nd515...Bxe516.fxe5Nd5was a much more solid way to continue. Black should not be worse.16.Bd4Bxe5?!17.Bxe5 White has excellent compensation here because of the latent attack on the g7 pawn.f618.Nxd5Bxd519.Bxc7Qxc720.Bxd5+Kh821.Kg2Qd722.Qa2Qxb523.Rb1Qc524.a4!Keeping up the pressure.24.Rxb7Rab8Would ease Black's defense.24...Rab825.Rxb7?!Now this makes no sense. If the pawn was to be taken on b7 why didn't White do it on the previous move itself?25.Rb5Could have been much tougher to deal with.Qc326.Qc4Qxc427.dxc4The bishop on d5 is stronger than a rook in this position.25...Qd426.Rxb8Rxb827.Bc6=Qe328.Bf3Qd429.h4Qb430.Qc2Qb331.Qc7Qb632.Qf7Qd4This is the start of Naroditsky's problems. He underestimates the advance of the h-pawn.32...Rd833.h5h6looks scary, but holdable.34.Qg6Qe6!35.Be4Kg8and as long as the Black queen can cover g8 after Qh7 and Qh8, Black is ok.33.h5Qd633...h634.Qg6and Black's queen can't get to g8 in time!Qb235.Qf5!with a weakness on a5.34.h6Qf835.Qa7!gxh636.Qxa5Qg737.Qf5Rg838.g4Black is out of counterplay and the endgame without the queens is hopeless.h539.Qxh5Qd740.a5f541.a6fxg442.Qe5+Rg743.Bd51–0
David Howell is the only person trailing Hikaru Nakamura by a mere half a point
The game between Adhiban Baskaran and Peter Svidler was absolutely nuts!
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1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3d54.cxd5Nxd55.e4Nxc36.bxc3Bg77.Bb5+c68.Ba40-09.Ne2b510.Bb3Bb711.h4!?It is tough to tell whether this is an over the board novelty by Adhiban or he had prepared it at home. One thing is sure, he is going for his opponent's throat.c5!Svidler is not an opponent whom you can scare with rook pawn advances! He correctly adheres to the adage of meeting the flank attack with central play.12.h5Bxe413.f3Bd5The variations below show that Black's position is not easy to defend and hence Svidler tries to exchange the light squared bishops.13...Bb714.hxg6hxg615.Bh6Bxh616.Rxh6c416...Kg717.Qd2Rh818.Rxh8Qxh819.Qf4c420.Qe5+Kg821.Qxb5±16...e617.Qd2Qf618.Kf217.Bc2e517...Kg718.Qd2Rh819.Rxh8Qxh820.Qg5Qh1+21.Kf2Qxa122.Bxg6!?Kf822...fxg623.Qxe7+Kg824.Qxb7+-23.Qf518.Qd214.hxg6hxg615.Bh6White's attack develops naturally.Bxb316.Qd2!A very nice intermezzo by White. The threat now is to take on g7 and get the queen into h6. Bf616...Bd517.Bxg7Kxg718.Qh6+Kf619.Qf4+Kg719...Ke620.Qe5++-20.Qh6+Kf621.Qf4+=17.Bxf8Bc418.Bh6Nc619.Bg5Bg720.Bh6Bf621.Bg5Bg722.Bh6A short but interesting game.½–½
The prodigy Wei Yi was able to hold Veselin Topalov to a draw, despite the first player playing a strong exchange sacrifice in the beginning of this Fianchetto Grunfeld:
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1.d4Nf62.c4g63.g3Bg74.Bg2d55.cxd5Nxd56.Nf3Nb67.Nc3Nc68.e30-09.0-0Re810.a3a511.Ne1Be611...e512.d5Nb813.e412.Nd3Bc413.Nc5!excellent exchange sacrifice by Topalov.Bxf114.Qxf1!? Topalov goes for long term compensation. He doesn't even have a pawn for the exchange but with a knight on c5 and the bishop on g2 his compensation is not under any doubt.14.Nxb7Qc815.Bxc6Bh316.Nc514...Qb815.Qb515.Nxb7Qxb716.Qb5Nxd4!17.exd4Qa618.Bxa8Rxa819.Qxa6Rxa6= The position is just equal.15...e5!Playing in the center.16.Nxb7exd4!17.Ne2?!17.Bxc6dxc318.Bxe8Qxe819.Qxe8+Rxe820.bxc3Nc4=Black has excellent compensation and the position is just equal.20...Bxc321.Ra217...Na717...d3!?18.Qd3dxe319.Bxe3Bxb2Wei Yi is a little greedy and wins the pawn on b2. This gives White good chances to create counterplay.19...c6!?20.Nxa5Na4Black has a good position.21.Nxc6Nxc622.Bxc6Nxb223.Qb123.Qd2Nc423.Qc2Rc823...Rd824.Bxa8Rd1+25.Qxd1Nxd126.Rxd1Qxa8But this should most probably end in a draw.20.Rb1Bg721.Nf4Qc822.Bxb6cxb623.Nd6Qc324.Qxc3Bxc325.Nxe8Rxe826.Rxb6=The position has petered out to a draw.Bd427.Ra6Nb528.Rxa5Nc329.Bf1Rb830.Ne2Bb631.Re5Nd132.Kg2Bxf233.a4Ba734.Rb5Rd835.Rb7Bc536.Rb5Ba737.Rb7Bc5½–½
Harika Dronavalli missed a big opportunity to fight for the top women's prize by letting Alex Lenderman off the hook:
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1.Nf3d62.e4Nf63.Nc3c54.d4cxd45.Nxd4Surprisingly after beginning from a Reti, going into a Pirc or a Philidor, the game has finally ended up being an open Sicilian!Nc66.Bg5e67.Qd2Be78.0-0-0Nxd49.Qxd40-010.f4Qa511.Bc4Bd712.e5dxe513.fxe5Bc614.Bd2Nd715.Nd5Qd816.Nxe7+Qxe717.Rhe1Rfd818.Qg4Nf819.Bd3Rxd3!?One might want to question why is this exchange being sacrificed. But then you click on the tab called reference and see that already 90 games have been played and you say to yourself, there must be some logic behind it! Let's leave it, it is all theory! But let us try to understand what is the exact nature of Black's compensation after making White's next move.20.cxd3The first thing we notice over here is the complete domination of Black on the light squares. The bishop on c6 is excellently placed and has no opponent. The knight on f8 can soon come into the game and has a wonderful square on d5. At the same time White's attacking prospects have vanished and the bishop on d2 lacks scope to some extent because of the e5 pawn. It is true that Bd2 has a nice home on d6 but What exactly will it control from those squares? b8 and f8 squares. Are they even important? So all in all Black has good compensation for an exchange. Ng6Ths is one of my favourite games. Of particular note in this game is the king manoeuvre with 34...Kh7!!-Kg6! by which Black activates his rook.20...Qd721.Kb1Qxd3+22.Ka1h523.Qxh5Ba424.Bc3Bxd125.Rxd1Qe426.Qg5a527.Qd2Ng628.g3Ne729.Qd7Nd530.Bd4Qe231.Rc1b532.Bc5Qd333.Qc6Rd834.Bd6Kh735.Qc5Kg636.h4Rh837.a3Rh538.Qg1Kh739.Rd1Qb340.Rd2Rf541.g4Rf442.Qb1+Kg843.g5b444.Rd3Nc345.axb4Qa2+46.Qxa2Rf1+0-1 (46) Oll,L (2595)-Hodgson,J (2625) Groningen 199321.Kb121.Bb4h5!?22.Bxe7hxg421...Qc522.Bc3Qf223.Re2Qf424.Qg324.Qxf4Nxf424...Rd825.Rf2Qa425...Qxg3Should have been played. This would have taken away all of White's attacking chances and steered the game into a technical phase where it's difficult for White to prove his material advantage.26.hxg3Rd526.b3Qb527.h4h528.Kb2Rd729.Qg5a5 White's counterplay is too slow.30.g4!a431.gxh5+-White is completely winning.a3+32.Kc2Qc533.Qg1?Allow Black a little back into the game.33.Qg3!Had the same idea, but defended the h4 pawn.33...Nxh434.Rf4Qxg135.Rxg1Nf5The endgame is not trivial. The Black knight is very powerful on f5.36.Kd2Kh737.d4Kh638.Ke2Kxh539.Rxf5+exf540.Rxg7Now White doesn't have any real winning chances: the opposite colored bishops will keep the draw.f441.e6?!41.Kd3!41...Re742.Rxf7Rxe6+43.Kf2=Kg444.Bd2Re445.Rg7+Kh546.Rf7Rxd447.Bxf4Rd148.Be5Rd2+49.Ke3Rxa250.Rf2Rxf251.Kxf2Kg452.Ke3Kf553.Bc3Bd554.Kd2Bxb355.Kc1Ke456.Bb4a257.Kb2Kd358.Bf8Bd559.Bg7b560.Bh8b461.Bg7b362.Bh8a1Q+63.Kxa1b2+64.Kxb2½–½
Hou Yifan with another impressive Gibraltar: this time she beat
Richard Rapport and has clinched the top Women's prize of 15,000 pounds
Antoaneta Stefanova has a strong 5.5/9
Padmini Rout deep in concentration against her compatriot, Pentala Harikrishna
There are more good news from Gibraltar! Four (!) people have been able to obtain their GM-norm after nine rounds of play. Padmini Rout from India, Stefan Kuipers from the Netherlands, Dennis Wagner from Germany and Eylon Nakar from Israel.
Mariya Muzychuk from Ukraine can also get a GM-norm tomorrow with a victory.
Hikaru Nakamura will have a big game tomorrow as he basically needs to not lose against Pentala Harikrishna. David Howell will not have an easy time as Black against Hou Yifan, who is on fire in this tournament. Also goign for the top places are Nikita Vitiugov and Axel Bachmann, while those in the 6.5 pack will need a win for a good prize.
The games will be 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 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.
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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