Highlights
MVL’s 1.e4
Following his impressive Sinquefield Cup victory, where MVL scored 4.5/5 points with the White pieces, the French number one has won 3 crushing games as White in the first half of the Grand Swiss. The game between MVL and Anton Demchenko in Round 4 saw a rare variation of the Ruy Lopez, in which White seizes central control while Black fights for activity on the flanks. MVL’s successive central advances overwhelmed Black’s defenses and the ensuing kingside attack proved to be decisive.
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6!? 3...Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3 Be7 10.Nc3 Nh4 11.Nxh4 Bxh4 12.f4!? Bf5 13.Rd1+ Ke8 14.g4 Bc8 15.Kg2 h5 16.f5! Be7? 16...g6! 17.Be3 gxf5 18.g5 Rg8 19.Kf3∞ 17.Kg3 4.c3 Bg7 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 a6 7.Ba4 b5 8.Bc2 d6 8...d5 9.Bg5 Nge7 10.Nc3 h6 11.Bxe7 Nxe7 12.e5 9.h3 Nf6 10.0-0 10.Nc3 0-0 11.0-0 Bb7 12.Re1 Re8 13.a3 Na5 14.Bf4 Nc4 15.Qc1 c5 10...Bb7 11.a3 0-0 12.Re1 Re8 13.Bg5 13.Bf4 Na5 14.Nbd2 c5 15.d5 Nd7 16.b4! 16.Rb1?! Bxb2! 17.Rxb2 Qf6 16...Bxa1 17.Qxa1 cxb4 18.axb4± 13...h6 14.Bh4 Ne7 15.Nc3 Nh5?! 15...g5! 16.Bg3 Nh5 17.Bh2 Ng6 16.e5 Qd7 16...Nf4 17.d5 Nf4 18.e6! fxe6 19.dxe6 Qc6? 19...Nxe6! 20.Ne5 Bxe5 21.Rxe5 c5 22.Ne4 20.Re4! 20.Ne4? Qd5 21.Qc1 g5 20...Ned5 20...g5 21.Rxf4 gxf4 22.Qd3 20...Nfd5 21.Nxd5 Qxd5 22.Qe2 21.Nxd5 Nxd5 22.Rg4 Rxe6 23.Bb3 Bxb2 24.Rb1 Bxa3 25.Nd4 Qe8 26.Nxe6 Qxe6 27.Qd2 h5 28.Re1 1–0
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Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2763 | Demchenko,A | 2651 | 1–0 | 2021 | C60 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 | 4.6 |
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The French Defense has recently attracted more attention from players at the highest levels, since Nepomniachtchi tried the Winawer twice in the 2020 Candidates, and some new ideas have been shown for Black in the Classical French (3.Nc3 Nf6) by Grischuk and Bluebaum, among others. Therefore, 1.e4 players have searched for new ideas to challenge their opponents. In Round 6, MVL employed a gambit in the Advanced French with a modern twist from the neural network engines. White’s play is based on slowing down Black’s development and advancing the h-pawn to create pressure on the kingside.
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1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.0-0!? 7.cxd4 7...Bd7 8.Re1 Nge7 9.h4! h6 10.a3 10.h5 a6 11.Na3?! dxc3 12.bxc3 Nc8 13.Nc2 Qc7 10...Rc8 11.b4 a6 12.Bb2 12.h5 dxc3 13.Nxc3 Nxb4 14.Na4 Bxa4 15.Qxa4+ Nbc6 16.Bd2 12.c4!? dxc4 13.Nbd2!∞ 12...g5!? 12...Nf5 13.h5!? 13.Bxf5 exf5 14.cxd4 Be6 13...Be7 14.cxd4 Ncxd4 15.Nc3 15.Nxd4 Nxd4 16.Nc3 13.Nh2 13.hxg5?! hxg5 14.Nxg5 Nf5 13...Bg7 14.Ng4 gxh4 15.cxd4 15.Qf3!? 15...h5? 15...Nxd4! 16.Nd2 Bb5 16.Nf6+ Bxf6 17.exf6 Ng8 18.Qf3 Rh6? 18...Qd8 19.Qxd5 19.Nc3 Kf8! 19...Nxf6 20.Qf3 19.Qxd5 Nxf6 20.Qg5 Ng4 21.Nc3 Qd8 22.Qxd8+ 22.Qg8+ Ke7 23.Nd5+ Kd6 24.Qxf7 Kxd5 25.Qf4 Qf8! 26.Be4+ Kc4 27.Qc1+ Kb5 28.Qc5+ Qxc5 29.bxc5 22...Kxd8 23.Ne4 e5 24.f3 Nxd4 25.fxg4 hxg4 26.Ng5 1–0
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Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2763 | Ponkratov,P | 2659 | 1–0 | 2021 | C02 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 | 6.3 |
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Maxime Vachier-Lagrave wants to qualify for the Candidates | Photo: Anna Shtourman
Firouzja’s 3/3 Start
Following a brilliant queen sacrifice in Round 2, Alexandr Predke faced a tough matchup in Round 3 with the Black pieces against Alireza Firouzja. Firouzja obtained a clear advantage out of the opening but allowed Predke to escape from most of his queenside pressure and reach a holdable endgame. In the end, the game was decided by the difference in king activity, which Firouzja had focused his efforts on.
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Re8 10.d4 Bb7 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.a3 h6 13.Bc2 Nb8 14.b3 Nbd7 15.Bb2 Rb8!? 15...g6 16.a4 Bg7 17.Bd3 c6 18.Qc2 Nh5 19.Bf1 Nf4 20.b4 16.Rb1!? 16.a4 Ba8 17.Bd3 d5 16...g6 17.Bd3 c6?! 17...Bg7 18.Qc2 d5! 18.Qc2 Nh5 19.Bf1 Ng7 19...Nf4 20.dxe5 20.c4 20...dxe5 21.c4 20.dxe5! dxe5 21.c4 Rc8 22.Rbd1 Qe7 23.c5! Nxc5 23...Qxc5 24.Nc4! Rc7 25.b4 Qe7 26.Ncxe5± 24.Nxe5 Nd7 25.Ndc4 Nxe5 26.Nxe5 Red8 27.Qc3 h5 28.Rxd8 Qxd8 29.Re3 29.a4! 29...Rc7 30.Rd3 Qe7 31.Qd2?! 31.a4! c5 32.axb5 axb5 33.Rd1 31...Bc8 32.f4 c5 33.Rf3 Ne6 34.a4 Nd4! 35.Bxd4 cxd4 36.axb5 axb5 37.Bxb5 Qb4 38.Qxb4 Bxb4 39.Bc4 Kg7 39...Bd2!? 40.Rf2 Ra7 41.Nc6 Ra1+ 42.Rf1 Rxf1+ 43.Kxf1 Bd2 44.Ke2 Bxf4 45.Kd3 Bd7 46.Nxd4 g5 47.Kc3 Be5? 47...Kf6! 48.Be2 g4 49.hxg4 hxg4 50.Kc4 Kf6 50...Bd6! 51.Nf5+ 51.b4 Kf6 51.Kd5 Bf8 51...Bxf5 52.exf5 g3 51.Kd5 Bc8 52.b4 Bb7+ 53.Nc6 g3 54.b5 Bc7 55.Kc5 Kg5 56.e5 Kf4 57.Bf3 Ke3 58.b6 Bb8 59.Nxb8 Bxf3 60.Nc6 Bxg2 61.b7 Be4 62.b8Q g2 63.Qb2 1–0
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Firouzja,A | 2770 | Predke,A | 2666 | 1–0 | 2021 | C93 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 | 3.1 |
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Alireza Firouzja, 18 years old and with a live-rating of 2777.6 currently the world's number five | Photo: Anna Shtourman
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
Fire on Board
Alexei Shirov played in his trademark aggressive and uncompromising style to share first place after 6 rounds. In his Round 5 matchup against Ivan Saric, Shirov employed a fashionable variation of the 6…Bc5 Ruy Lopez and quickly seized the initiative after an opening mishap by his opponent.
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.a4 Rb8 9.d4 Bb6 10.a5 Ba7 11.h3 Bb7! 12.Be3 12.Re1 0-0 13.Be3 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 Re8 16.dxe5 Nxe5 13...exd4 14.cxd4 Nb4 15.d5!? c5 16.dxc6 Bxe3 17.cxb7 Bc5 18.Nc3 Rxb7 19.Qd2 12...Nxe4 13.Re1 13.d5 13.Nbd2!? 13...exd4 14.cxd4 d5 15.Nbd2 Ne7 16.Nxe4 16.Ne5!? 0-0 17.Rc1 16...dxe4 17.Ne5 17.Ng5 Bd5 18.Bxd5 Qxd5 19.Rc1 Rc8 20.Nxe4 17...0-0 18.Qg4? 18.Rc1 Bd5! 18...Qd6 19.Qg4 19.Bxd5 Qxd5 20.Rxc7 Rb7= 18...Bd5! 19.Bxd5 Qxd5 20.Rac1 20.Qd7 Rfe8 21.Qxd5 Nxd5 22.Nc6 Ra8 20...c5 21.dxc5? 21.Qd7 Rb7 22.Qxd5 Nxd5 23.dxc5 Rc7 21...Qxe5 22.Bf4 Qxb2 23.Qd7 23.Bxb8 Bxb8 24.Qxe4 Ng6 23...Ng6 24.Bd6 e3! 25.Rf1 25.fxe3 Rfd8 26.Qxa7 Nh4 25...exf2+ 26.Kh1 Rbe8 27.Rcd1 Bb8 28.Bxf8 Kxf8 29.g3 Bxg3 30.c6 Qc2 0–1
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Saric,I | 2644 | Shirov,A | 2659 | 0–1 | 2021 | C78 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 | 5.4 |
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Alexei Shirov | Photo: Anna Shtourman
Ideas Everywhere
In a tournament with over 100 grandmasters, new and exciting ideas can be seen in every round as everyone is trying to put their preparation to use. Of the many examples to choose from, a game between Jorden Van Foreest and Surya Ganguly caught my attention. Van Foreest played a surprising pawn sacrifice in the English Opening, posed tremendous practical problems for his opponent, and won a very nice attacking game.
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1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 d5 4.e5 d4 5.exf6 dxc3 6.bxc3 Qxf6 7.Nf3 b6 8.c5!? 8.d4 Bb7 9.Bd3 h6 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Nd2 0-0 12.Re1 Qh4 13.h3 c5 8...Bxc5 8...bxc5!? 8...Bb7 9.Qa4+! Bc6 10.Bb5 Bxb5 11.Qxb5+ c6 12.cxb6! cxb5 13.b7 9.d4 Bd6 10.Bd3 h6?! 10...Bb7? 11.Bg5 Bxf3 12.Qd2 Bf4 13.Bxf4 Bxg2 14.Rg1 Bb7 15.Rg3 10...Qe7! 11.0-0 11.Be4 c6 12.0-0 Qc7 11...Bb7 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bd2 0-0 14.Re1 Qf7 11.Be4 c6 12.0-0 0-0 12...Bb7 13.c4 Nd7 14.Rb1 Qe7 15.c5 Bc7 16.Re1 13.Re1 Rd8 13...Bb7 14.Ne5! 14.c4 14.g4‼ Bf4 14...Nd7 15.g5 Qe7 16.gxh6 g6 17.h4 15.h4 g5 15...Bxc1 16.Qxc1 16.hxg5 hxg5 17.Kg2 14...Bb7 15.Rb1 Nd7 16.Rb3 Rac8?! 16...Qe7! 17.Bb2 Re8 18.c5! Bf8 19.h4 Qd8 20.Bb1 Rc7 21.Qc2 f5 22.Rbe3 Bc8 23.Qb3 Nf6 24.Bxf5 Nd5 25.Bb1 Nxe3 26.Rxe3 Be7 27.Qc2 Bf6 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Ne5 Bxe5 30.dxe5 Qxh4 31.Bg6 Bd7 32.Rd3 1–0
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Van Foreest,J | 2691 | Ganguly,S | 2617 | 1–0 | 2021 | A18 | FIDE Grand Swiss 2021 | 4.38 |
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I look forward to the excitement of the last 5 rounds, where the world’s best players fight for qualification into the 2022 Candidates and FIDE Grand Prix events.
Grand Swiss Open - Standings after round 6
Rk. |
SNo |
|
|
Name |
FED |
Rtg |
Pts. |
TB1 |
TB2 |
TB3 |
TB4 |
1 |
3 |
|
GM |
Firouzja Alireza |
|
2770 |
4,5 |
20,0 |
22,5 |
16,00 |
0,0 |
2 |
4 |
|
GM |
Vachier-Lagrave Maxime |
|
2763 |
4,5 |
18,0 |
21,0 |
15,50 |
0,0 |
3 |
38 |
|
GM |
Najer Evgeniy |
|
2654 |
4,5 |
16,5 |
18,5 |
14,00 |
0,0 |
4 |
54 |
|
GM |
Sasikiran Krishnan |
|
2640 |
4,5 |
16,0 |
17,5 |
13,25 |
0,0 |
5 |
32 |
|
GM |
Shirov Alexei |
|
2659 |
4,5 |
14,5 |
16,0 |
11,25 |
0,0 |
6 |
11 |
|
GM |
Yu Yangyi |
|
2704 |
4,0 |
19,5 |
22,5 |
14,50 |
0,0 |
7 |
1 |
|
GM |
Caruana Fabiano |
|
2800 |
4,0 |
19,0 |
22,0 |
14,50 |
0,0 |
8 |
89 |
|
GM |
Petrosyan Manuel |
|
2605 |
4,0 |
18,5 |
20,0 |
12,75 |
0,0 |
9 |
41 |
|
GM |
Nihal Sarin |
|
2652 |
4,0 |
18,0 |
20,0 |
12,25 |
0,0 |
10 |
20 |
|
GM |
Korobov Anton |
|
2690 |
4,0 |
17,0 |
19,5 |
12,75 |
0,0 |
11 |
48 |
|
GM |
Tari Aryan |
|
2646 |
4,0 |
17,0 |
18,5 |
11,75 |
0,0 |
12 |
27 |
|
GM |
Sargissian Gabriel |
|
2664 |
4,0 |
16,5 |
18,5 |
12,25 |
0,0 |
13 |
17 |
|
GM |
Navara David |
|
2691 |
4,0 |
16,5 |
18,5 |
11,50 |
0,0 |
14 |
28 |
|
GM |
Sjugirov Sanan |
|
2663 |
4,0 |
16,0 |
18,5 |
12,00 |
0,0 |
15 |
40 |
|
GM |
Sevian Samuel |
|
2654 |
4,0 |
16,0 |
18,0 |
11,50 |
0,0 |
...108 players
All games - Round 6
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Grand Swiss Women - Standings after round 6
Rk. |
SNo |
|
|
Name |
FED |
Rtg |
Pts. |
TB1 |
TB2 |
TB3 |
TB4 |
1 |
7 |
|
GM |
Lei Tingjie |
|
2505 |
5,0 |
18,0 |
20,5 |
16,50 |
0,0 |
2 |
10 |
|
GM |
Batsiashvili Nino |
|
2484 |
4,5 |
20,0 |
23,0 |
16,50 |
0,0 |
|
12 |
|
IM |
Paehtz Elisabeth |
|
2475 |
4,5 |
20,0 |
23,0 |
16,50 |
0,0 |
4 |
15 |
|
WGM |
Zhu Jiner |
|
2455 |
4,5 |
20,0 |
22,0 |
15,50 |
0,0 |
5 |
13 |
|
WGM |
Pogonina Natalija |
|
2467 |
4,5 |
18,0 |
20,0 |
14,00 |
0,0 |
6 |
4 |
|
GM |
Harika Dronavalli |
|
2511 |
4,0 |
19,0 |
21,0 |
13,00 |
0,0 |
7 |
18 |
|
IM |
Javakhishvili Lela |
|
2446 |
4,0 |
18,0 |
20,5 |
12,25 |
0,0 |
8 |
3 |
|
GM |
Kosteniuk Alexandra |
|
2518 |
4,0 |
18,0 |
19,0 |
11,00 |
0,0 |
9 |
1 |
|
GM |
Muzychuk Mariya |
|
2536 |
4,0 |
17,5 |
20,5 |
13,50 |
0,0 |
10 |
22 |
|
WGM |
Zawadzka Jolanta |
|
2428 |
4,0 |
16,0 |
18,0 |
10,75 |
0,0 |
11 |
21 |
|
IM |
Munguntuul Batkhuyag |
|
2433 |
4,0 |
14,5 |
16,5 |
10,00 |
0,0 |
12 |
8 |
|
IM |
Kashlinskaya Alina |
|
2493 |
4,0 |
14,0 |
16,0 |
9,00 |
0,0 |
13 |
2 |
|
GM |
Dzagnidze Nana |
|
2524 |
3,5 |
21,5 |
24,5 |
13,50 |
0,0 |
14 |
34 |
|
IM |
Assaubayeva Bibisara |
|
2400 |
3,5 |
18,0 |
21,0 |
12,00 |
0,0 |
15 |
23 |
|
IM |
Osmak Iulija |
|
2423 |
3,5 |
17,5 |
20,0 |
11,25 |
0,0 |
...50 players
All games - Round 6
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