Hans Niemann dominates Tournament of Peace in Zagreb

by André Schulz
11/30/2023 – Hans Niemann won the Tournament of Peace in spectacular fashion. The US grandmaster secured tournament victory with a round to spare, but nonetheless checkmated rating favourite Anton Korobov in the final round. Korobov, Ante Brkic and Vasyl Ivanchuk finished in shared second place, a whole 3 points behind the winner. | Photo: Official website
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“Two lone Americans up against the world”

Hans Niemann spectacularly won the 2023 Tournament of Peace in Zagreb. The US grandmaster was the second seed in the lineup, behind Anton Korobov, and dominated the rest of the field at will.

Niemann started with a win over Alexander Motylev and then drew his game against Hrvoje Stevic. Niemann then grabbed six wins in a row, including victories over well-known grandmasters Vasyl Ivanchuk, Ivan Cheparinov and Ivan Sokolov.

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1.e41,165,57054%2421---
1.d4946,47455%2434---
1.Nf3281,31256%2441---
1.c4181,93756%2442---
1.g319,68856%2427---
1.b314,23654%2427---
1.f45,88648%2377---
1.Nc33,79651%2384---
1.b41,75348%2380---
1.a31,19754%2403---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d394850%2378---
1.g466246%2361---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c342651%2425---
1.h327956%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
1.f39147%2431---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5 5.Bg2 The main variation is 0-0 6.0-0 e4 7.Ng5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re8 9.f3 e3 9...exf3 5...e4 A good alternative is also 5...Bc5 6.Bg2 0-0 7.b4!? Nxb4 8.Nxb4 Bxb4 9.Nxe5 Re8 10.Bb2= 1-0 Caruana,F (2766)-Bok,B (2607) American Cup Blitz Saint Louis 2023 (3) 6.Nh4 0-0 7.a3 Ãœblich ist 7.Bg2 Re8 8.0-0 Bc5 Or 8...d6 7...Bc5 8.Bg2 d6 9.0-0 Re8
10.d3 Previously has been played 10.e3 e.g.: g5 11.b4 Bb6 12.Bb2 Nxd5 13.cxd5 Nd4 14.d3 gxh4 15.dxe4 Ne6 16.dxe6 Rxe6 17.e5 hxg3 18.hxg3 Qg5 19.exd6 Rxd6 20.Qb3 h5 21.Rad1 Rh6 22.Rd5 Qe7 23.Qc4 Bg4 24.Qf4 Rg6 25.Re5 Qd6 26.Be4 1-0 Nakamura,H (2790)-Anand,V (2762) Candidates Tournament Moscow 2016 (12) 10...exd3 11.Qxd3 Ne5 12.Qc2= 12.Qc3 Bg4 13.b4 Nxd5 14.cxd5 Bb6 15.Ra2 a5 16.b5 a4 17.Kh1 Qd7 18.Rb2 Ra5 19.f4 Ng6 20.Nxg6 hxg6 21.Qd3 Bh3 22.e4 Bxg2+ 23.Kxg2 f5 24.Re1 Rxe4 25.Rxe4 fxe4 26.Qxe4 Rxb5 27.Qxg6 Rxd5 28.Re2 Rf5 29.Bb2 Qc6+ 30.Kh3 Qd7 31.Kg2 Qc6+ 32.Kh3 Qd7 33.Kg2 ½-½ Vachier Lagrave,M (2734)-Robson,R (2696) Saint Louis Rapid 2023 (7) 12...c6 13.Nc3?! White gives up the c4-pawn and hopes to capitalise in the upcoming complications. However, he is simply in an inferior position. 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.Ra2 g5!? 13...Nxc4 14.Na4 Be6 15.Rd1
After this move, White is in deep trouble. 15.Nxc5 dxc5 16.b3 Nd6 17.Rd1 Bd5 18.Bf4 h6 19.Rac1 Nde4 15...Bxf2+ 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Ke1? Correct was 17.Kg1 resulting in: b5 18.Bxc6 18.Nc3 Qb6+-+ 18...bxa4 19.Nf3 19.Bxa8 Qb6+ 20.e3 Rxa8-+ 19...Nge3 20.Bxe3 Nxe3 21.Qxa4 Nxd1 22.Rxd1 Qb6+ 23.Nd4 White wins back an exchange and can still fight. 17...b5 Not as strong is 17...Nce3 18.Bxe3 Nxe3 19.Qc3 Bd5 20.Bxd5 cxd5 21.Qd3 But also good was 17...Qf6 18.Bf3 g5 19.Bxg4 19.Ng2 Nxh2-+ 19...Bxg4 20.Qxc4 Rxe2+-+ 18.Rd4 18.Nc3 Qb6 19.e4 d5-+ 18...Nce3 19.Bxe3 Nxe3 20.Qc3 Bd5 21.Be4 21.Bxd5 cxd5-+ 21...Bxe4 22.Qxe3 Bd5 23.Qd2 bxa4 regaining the piece. 24.Rxa4 Re5 25.Rd4? Necessary was, e.g. 25.Kf2 to give the h4-knight a square to retreat to. The position after Qb6+ 26.Rd4 Rae8 27.Re1 h6 28.Ng2 g5 29.e3 R8e6-+ is not very pleasing for Black, however. 25...g5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Cheparinov,I2649Niemann,H26590–12023Peace Tournament 20236.3

In round 8, Niemann signed a short draw with Ante Brkic, only to really step on the gas again in the final round, when he faced rating favourite Korobov.

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.0-0 a6 5.Bd3 Ngf6 6.Re1 e6 7.Bf1 b6 8.c4 Bb7 9.Nc3 Ne5 10.d4 Nxf3+ 11.gxf3 g6 11...cxd4 12.Qxd4 Nd7 13.f4 Rg8 14.Bg2 Qh4 15.Qd3 g5 16.fxg5 h6 0-1 Niemann,H (2687)-Giri,A (2760) Miami FTX Crypto Cup rapid 2022 (4.4) 17.Re3 12.Be3 Bg7 13.Qd2 0-0 14.Rad1 Bc6 14...Nh5 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.Qxd8 Raxd8 17.Na4 Bd4 18.Bxd4 cxd4 19.Nxb6± ½-½ Naroditsky,D (2617)-Keymer,V (2700) Aimchess Rapid Prelim chess24.com INT 2022 (2) 15.Bg5=
15...Qb8 15...cxd4 16.Qxd4 h6= 16.d5 exd5 17.cxd5 Bd7 18.Ne2 Re8 19.Bg2 b5 20.Kh1 a5 21.Ng3 h5 22.Rg1 Ra7 23.Bf1 c4 24.Be2 24.Nf5!? 24...Bc8? There was a hidden defensive idea for Black, with the queen transferring to f8. However, the c8-bishop now blocks the way. 24...Rb7 25.Bxf6 Bxf6 26.Nxh5 Bh8 27.Qh6 Re7 28.Qg5 28.f4 Qf8 28...Qf8 25.Bxf6 Bxf6 26.Nxh5 Bh8 27.Qh6 Threatening Rxg6, followed by Rg1. Qb6 28.Rg2 After 28.Rxg6+ fxg6 29.Rg1 Black now has Qd4 30.Rxg6+ Bg7 28...Ree7 29.f4
29...Rxe4? Even better was 29...Bh3 30.Rg3 Qxf2 but after 31.Rxh3 Qxe2 White has 32.Qxh8+ Kxh8 33.Ng3+ Kg7 34.Nxe2+- 30.Rxg6+ Initiating a deep combination. fxg6 31.Qxg6+ Kf8 32.Qh6+ But not 32.Qxe4? Qxf2 33.Rf1 Qd4= and White has nothing. 32...Bg7 33.Nxg7 Rxg7 34.Rg1 The point. The g7-rook is no longer easy to defend. Bg4 34...Ree7 35.Qh8+ Kf7 36.Rxg7+-+ 34...Qc7 35.Qh8+-+ 35.Bxg4 Just like that. 35.Rxg4? Qd4= 35...Qd4 36.Be6 Qxb2 Black will be checkmated 37.Qh8+ Ke7 38.Rxg7+ Kf6 39.Qh6# 1–0
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Niemann,H2659Korobov,A26671–02023Peace Tournament 20239.2

Towards the end of the tournament, some players apparently more or less gave up their hopes and completed the remaining rounds with short draws.

Niemann won the tournament with a 3-point lead and had a 2946 tournament performance rating. Ante Brkic, Anton Korobov and Vasyl Ivanchuk finished tied for second place with 5 points each.

After winning the tournament, Niemann shared a couple of posts on X comparing his triumph with that of Bobby Fischer in 1970. Back then, Fischer had won the Tournament of Peace, which took place in Rovijn and Zagreb. The US legend scored 13/17 points in the 18-player single round-robin, leaving Viktor Korchnoi, Vasily Smyslov, Svetozar Gligoric and Vlastimil Hort two points behind in the final standings.

As reported by Tarjei J. Svensen on X, the organizer of the event in Zagreb referred to Niemann’s out-of-this-world victory in an interview given to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.

Final standings

Rg. Name Elo Land 1 3 Pkt.  Wtg1   Wtg2   Wtg3 
1 Niemann, Hans Moke 8 4,5
2 Brkic, Ante 5 3
3 Korobov, Anton 5 2
4 Ivanchuk, Vasyl 5 2
5 Motylev, Alexander 4,5 2
6 Sokolov, Ivan 4,5 1,5
7 Stevic, Hrvoje 4 2,5
8 Kozul, Zdenko 3,5 1,5
9 Zelcic, Robert 3 2
10 Cheparinov, Ivan 2,5 1

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1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e3 d6 6.d3 Nge7 7.Nge2 0-0 8.0-0 Rb8 9.Rb1 a6 10.b4 b5 A25: English Opening vs King's Indian with ...Nc6 but without early d3. 11.cxb5 axb5 12.a4 Na7! 13.d4
13...exd4N Predecessor: 13...Bg4 14.h3 exd4 15.Nxb5 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 Nxb5 17.axb5 Qd7 18.Bb2 Rxb5 19.Bxd4 Bxd4 20.exd4 ½-½ Makarichev,S (2510)-Gausel,E (2440) Reykjavik op 1990 (9) 14.Nxd4 Bd7 15.Ncxb5 Much worse is 15.a5 c5 16.Nde2 cxb4 15...Nxb5 16.axb5 Bxb5 17.Nxb5 Rxb5 18.Qd3 Qb8 19.Bd2 d5 20.Rbc1 Rxc7! would be deadly. c6 21.Rc2       Rd8 22.Rfc1 h5 23.Bf1 Rb7 24.Ra2 Be5 25.Ra4 Bd6 26.Qa3 c5 The position is equal. 27.bxc5 Rb3 28.Qa2 28.Qa1!? Be5 29.Rd4 28...Rb2 29.Qa3 29.Qa1!? Be5 30.f4= 29...Rb3! 30.Qa2 Rb2 31.Qa3 Weighted Error Value: White=0.03 (flawless) /Black=0.01 (flawless) 31.Qa1!? Be5 32.Be1= ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Cheparinov,I2649Stevic,H2549½–½2023A25Peace Tournament 20231.1
Sokolov,I2588Zelcic,R2478½–½2023E29Peace Tournament 20231.2
Brkic,A2622Kozul,Z2531½–½2023B62Peace Tournament 20231.3
Korobov,A2667Ivanchuk,V2653½–½2023D32Peace Tournament 20231.4
Motylev,A2619Niemann,H26590–12023C02Peace Tournament 20231.5
Stevic,H2549Niemann,H2659½–½2023B10Peace Tournament 20232.1
Ivanchuk,V2653Motylev,A2619½–½2023D45Peace Tournament 20232.2
Kozul,Z2531Korobov,A2667½–½2023D19Peace Tournament 20232.3
Zelcic,R2478Brkic,A26222023B45Peace Tournament 20232.4
Cheparinov,I2649Sokolov,I25880–12023C88Peace Tournament 20232.5
Sokolov,I2588Stevic,H2549½–½2023D19Peace Tournament 20233.1
Brkic,A2622Cheparinov,I2649½–½2023C47Peace Tournament 20233.2
Korobov,A2667Zelcic,R2478½–½2023D02Peace Tournament 20233.3
Motylev,A2619Kozul,Z25311–02023B67Peace Tournament 20233.4
Niemann,H2659Ivanchuk,V26531–02023C42Peace Tournament 20233.5
Stevic,H2549Ivanchuk,V2653½–½2023C02Peace Tournament 20234.1
Kozul,Z2531Niemann,H26590–12023A64Peace Tournament 20234.2
Zelcic,R2478Motylev,A2619½–½2023B92Peace Tournament 20234.3
Cheparinov,I2649Korobov,A26670–12023C02Peace Tournament 20234.4
Sokolov,I2588Brkic,A26220–12023E49Peace Tournament 20234.5
Brkic,A2622Stevic,H2549½–½2023C54Peace Tournament 20235.1
Korobov,A2667Sokolov,I2588½–½2023D26Peace Tournament 20235.2
Motylev,A2619Cheparinov,I2649½–½2023C48Peace Tournament 20235.3
Niemann,H2659Zelcic,R24781–02023B12Peace Tournament 20235.4
Ivanchuk,V2653Kozul,Z2531½–½2023B63Peace Tournament 20235.5
Stevic,H2549Kozul,Z2531½–½2023A38Peace Tournament 20236.1
Zelcic,R2478Ivanchuk,V26530–12023C07Peace Tournament 20236.2
Cheparinov,I2649Niemann,H26590–12023A29Peace Tournament 20236.3
Sokolov,I2588Motylev,A2619½–½2023E04Peace Tournament 20236.4
Brkic,A2622Korobov,A2667½–½2023C11Peace Tournament 20236.5
Korobov,A2667Stevic,H25491–02023A25Peace Tournament 20237.1
Motylev,A2619Brkic,A2622½–½2023B22Peace Tournament 20237.2
Niemann,H2659Sokolov,I25881–02023C54Peace Tournament 20237.3
Ivanchuk,V2653Cheparinov,I26491–02023D32Peace Tournament 20237.4
Kozul,Z2531Zelcic,R24781–02023E04Peace Tournament 20237.5
Stevic,H2549Zelcic,R2478½–½2023D00Peace Tournament 20238.1
Cheparinov,I2649Kozul,Z2531½–½2023B63Peace Tournament 20238.2
Sokolov,I2588Ivanchuk,V2653½–½2023D27Peace Tournament 20238.3
Brkic,A2622Niemann,H2659½–½2023C67Peace Tournament 20238.4
Korobov,A2667Motylev,A2619½–½2023Peace Tournament 20238.5
Motylev,A2619Stevic,H2549½–½2023C47Peace Tournament 20239.1
Niemann,H2659Korobov,A26671–02023B51Peace Tournament 20239.2
Ivanchuk,V2653Brkic,A2622½–½2023A13Peace Tournament 20239.3
Kozul,Z2531Sokolov,I25880–12023E01Peace Tournament 20239.4
Zelcic,R2478Cheparinov,I2649½–½2023B61Peace Tournament 20239.5

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.
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