Khanty Rd4: Caruana marches on

by Alejandro Ramirez
5/17/2015 – Caruana won his second game in a row in Khanty-Mansiysk by defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with the black pieces. A complicated Ragozin took place and Caruana seemed to handle the position better than the Frenchman. Tomashevsky had an advantage against Jakovenko, but was unable to do much with it, while none of the other games seemed to really favor any of the remaining players.
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The fourth and final stage of the 2014-2015 Grand Prix Series. This tournament is specially important as it will determine the winner and runner up of this year, both of which will automatically qualify for the 2015 Candidates Tournament - the winner of that will challenge Magnus Carlsen to the World Championship Match! The tournament is taking place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Ugra, Russia from May 13 to May 27.

Round Four

Round 04 – May 17 2015, 15:00h
Gelfand, Boris 2744
½-½
 Giri, Anish 2776
Dominguez, Leinier 2734
½-½
 Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
Svidler, Peter 2734
½-½
 Karjakin, Sergey 2753
Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
½-½
 Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
0-1
 Caruana, Fabiano 2803
Jobava, Baadur 2699
½-½
 Grischuk, Alexander 2780

Gelfand, Boris ½-½ Giri, Anish
Gelfand "won" a pawn in this Ragozin, but the resulting initiative allowed Giri to have a very pleasant double rook endgame, even though he was the one with a material deficit. Gelfand had no problems holding the draw either, though.

Dominguez, Leinier ½-½ Nakamura, Hikaru
The Kalashnikov Sicilian is not the most popular guest at the top levels, but Radjabov has used it in the past and Nakamura has tried it once or twice. Black obtained a good position this time around, won a pawn and White decided to force a perpetual.

Four solid draws for the American, with three blacks so far

Svidler, Peter ½-½ Karjakin, Sergey
A variation that is not supposed to give White much. Karjakin seemed to understand the position well and equalized with the move 11...e4!? After that Svidler only had very minor chances to win.

One of the most solid players in this already solid tournament

Tomashevsky, Evgeny ½-½ Jakovenko, Dmitry
Tomashevsky definitely outplayed Jakovenko - and he had very real winning chances. His extra pawn and his control over the files should have at least allowed him to torture Jakovenko for some time. However his advantage dissipated very quickly after time control.

Tomashevsky needs to use his chances better

Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 0-1 Caruana, Fabiano

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.e3 8.a3 Bd6 is a different variation. 8...Qa5 9.Bd3 Ne4 Following a game between Gelfand-Jakovenko from 2009. For some reason these ideas are not as popular for Black as they should be, it shows you that there is still a lot of unexplored territory in the Ragozin. 10.0-0 Nxg5 11.Nxg5 Nf6 12.Qc2 h6 13.Nf3 Bd6 14.Ne5 The novelty of the game, the aforementioned game had continued with 14.h3. Either way it looks like Black should be ok. Ng4!? Trying to get rid of the knight on e5, as currently f4 is impossible. 15.Nf3 Nf6 16.h3 And now we are back into Gelfando-Jakovenko. 0-0 17.Ne5 a6 17...c5? 18.Nb5 Bxe5 19.dxe5 Nd7 20.f4± Gelfand-Jakovenko, 2009. 18.f4 c5 A desirable break that was not really possible the previous move. 19.g4!? Lunging forward! cxd4 20.exd4 Be6 21.Qb3 21.g5 hxg5 22.fxg5 Bxe5 23.dxe5 Nh5 doesn't really net White any advantage. 21...b5 22.f5 Qb6 23.Nf3 Bc8 One would think taht White is doing ok here, but the deeper I inspect the position the more troubles I find with it. He is over extended on the kingside and the only compensationt is his pressure on d5. However, as soon as this pawn is taken, the diagonal will dangerously open for the bishop. 24.Kg2 24.Nxd5 Nxd5 25.Be4! 25.Qxd5 Bb7 26.Qb3 Rae8 loses quickly. 25...Nc7! 26.Rc6 Qb8 27.Rxd6 Ne8 28.Bxa8 28.Rc6 Qg3+ is not possible. 28...Qxd6 with lots of compensation for the pawn. 24...Bb7 25.Na4 Qa7 26.Nc5 Rac8 White cannot hope to keep this knight on c5. But trading on b7 would mean opposite colored bishops with White's king very exposed on the h2-b8 diagonal. 27.a4?! Bxc5 28.dxc5 d4 Now White's position simply collapses. The power of the bishop on b7 is too much. 29.axb5 axb5 30.Qxb5 Bc6 31.Qb6 Qd7 32.Kg1 Rfe8 33.Rce1 Rxe1 34.Nxe1 Re8 35.Ng2 Nd5 35...Bxg2 36.Kxg2 Qd5+ 37.Kg1 Re3-+ 36.Qb3 Ne3 37.Nxe3 dxe3 38.Qc4 Qc7 Good enough. The following sequence is forced and Black is simply up a piece. 39.Qf4 Qxf4 40.Rxf4 e2 41.Bxe2 Rxe2 42.Rb4 Rg2+ 43.Kf1 Rc2 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vachier-Lagrave,M2754Caruana,F28030–12015D38KM FIDE GP 20154.5

And it's back to #2 in the World in the live ratings for Caruana

To learn more about this opening check out:

The Ragozin Defense

by Alejandro Ramirez

Languages: English

Level: Tournament player, Professional

€29.90 

The Ragozin Defense (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4) is at the forefront of chess theory. With the surge of 3.Nf3 as an answer to Nimzo-Indian set-ups and with the difficulties that the black players have suffered with the Queen’s Indian, it was natural to turn to the Ragozin as a solid and reliable way to counter white’s set-ups. The Ragozin is being played by every top grandmaster in the world - it is time you also add it to your repertoire to get interesting and dynamic positions against 1. d4! The DVD is based around a solid system of play for Black. It favors positions that are strategically complex while trying to minimize any claim that White might have at an opening advantage. The lines given are the latest word in theoretical knowledge. We analyze every single move that White can play once the Ragozin is reached!

The Ragozin Defense is available in the ChessBase Shop

Jobava, Baadur ½-½ Grischuk, Alexander
A 30-minute draw.

Well, there is the Ice Hockey World Championship to watch,
no time to play a real game in the Grand Prix

Standings

Round Four Games

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Gelfand "won" a pawn in this Ragozin, but the resulting initiative allowed Giri to have a very pleasant double rook endgame, even though he was the one with a material deficit. Gelfand had no problems holding the draw either, though. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 0-0 8.Rc1 dxc4 9.Bxc4 c5 10.0-0 cxd4 11.Ne4 Qe7 12.Nxd4 Bd7 13.Bd3 Nc6 14.Nb3 Na5 15.Rc7 Rfd8 16.a3 Nxb3 17.Qxb3 Ba5 18.Rxb7 Ba4 19.Rxe7 Bxb3 20.Nc5 Bb6 21.Nxb3 Rxd3 22.Nd4 Bxd4 23.exd4 Rb8 24.Rxa7 Rxb2 25.Ra4 Ra2 26.h4 g6 27.g3 Kg7 28.Kg2 g5 29.hxg5 hxg5 30.g4 Kf6 31.Re1 Rdd2 32.Rf1 Rd3 33.Re1 Rdxa3 34.Rxa3 Rxa3 35.Rd1 Ke7 36.d5 e5 37.Rb1 Rd3 38.Rb7+ Kf6 39.Rb6+ Ke7 40.Rb7+ ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gelfand,B2744Giri,A2776½–½2015D38KM FIDE GP 20154.1
Dominguez Perez,L2734Nakamura,H2799½–½2015B32KM FIDE GP 20154.2
Svidler,P2734Karjakin,S2753½–½2015A05KM FIDE GP 20154.3
Tomashevsky,E2749Jakovenko,D2738½–½2015E00KM FIDE GP 20154.4
Vachier-Lagrave,M2754Caruana,F28030–12015D38KM FIDE GP 20154.5
Jobava,B2699Grischuk,A2780½–½2015C53KM FIDE GP 20154.6

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Photos from the official website by Kirill Merkurev

Schedule

Round 01 – May 14 2015, 15:00h
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
½-½
 Gelfand, Boris 2744
Jobava, Baadur 2699
0-1
 Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
Grischuk, Alexander 2780
½-½
 Svidler, Peter 2734
Caruana, Fabiano 2803
½-½
 Dominguez, Leinier 2734
Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
1-0
 Giri, Anish 2776
Karjakin, Sergey 2753
½-½
 Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
Round 02 – May 15 2015, 15:00h
Gelfand, Boris 2744
½-½
 Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
Giri, Anish 2776
½-½
 Karjakin, Sergey 2753
Dominguez, Leinier 2734
1-0
 Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
Svidler, Peter 2734
½-½
 Caruana, Fabiano 2803
Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
½-½
 Grischuk, Alexander 2780
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
½-½
 Jobava, Baadur 2699
Round 03 – May 16 2015, 15:00h
Jobava, Baadur 2699
½-½
 Gelfand, Boris 2744
Grischuk, Alexander 2780
½-½
 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
Caruana, Fabiano 2803
1-0
 Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
0-1
 Svidler, Peter 2734
Karjakin, Sergey 2753
½-½
 Dominguez, Leinier 2734
Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
½-½
 Giri, Anish 2776
Round 04 – May 17 2015, 15:00h
Gelfand, Boris 2744
½-½
 Giri, Anish 2776
Dominguez, Leinier 2734
½-½
 Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
Svidler, Peter 2734
½-½
 Karjakin, Sergey 2753
Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
½-½
 Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
0-1
 Caruana, Fabiano 2803
Jobava, Baadur 2699
½-½
 Grischuk, Alexander 2780
Round 05 – May 19 2015, 15:00h
Grischuk, Alexander 2780   Gelfand, Boris 2744
Caruana, Fabiano 2803   Jobava, Baadur 2699
Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738   Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
Karjakin, Sergey 2753   Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
Nakamura, Hikaru 2799   Svidler, Peter 2734
Giri, Anish 2776   Dominguez, Leinier 2734
Round 06 – May 20 2015, 15:00h
Gelfand, Boris 2744   Dominguez, Leinier 2734
Svidler, Peter 2734   Giri, Anish 2776
Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749   Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754   Karjakin, Sergey 2753
Jobava, Baadur 2699   Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
Grischuk, Alexander 2780   Caruana, Fabiano 2803
Round 07 – May 21 2015, 15:00h
Caruana, Fabiano 2803   Gelfand, Boris 2744
Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738   Grischuk, Alexander 2780
Karjakin, Sergey 2753   Jobava, Baadur 2699
Nakamura, Hikaru 2799   Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
Giri, Anish 2776   Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
Dominguez, Leinier 2734   Svidler, Peter 2734
Round 08 – May 22 2015, 15:00h
Gelfand, Boris 2744   Svidler, Peter 2734
Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749   Dominguez, Leinier 2734
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754   Giri, Anish 2776
Jobava, Baadur 2699   Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
Grischuk, Alexander 2780   Karjakin, Sergey 2753
Caruana, Fabiano 2803   Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
Round 09 – May 24 2015, 15:00h
Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738   Gelfand, Boris 2744
Karjakin, Sergey 2753   Caruana, Fabiano 2803
Nakamura, Hikaru 2799   Grischuk, Alexander 2780
Giri, Anish 2776   Jobava, Baadur 2699
Dominguez, Leinier 2734   Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754
Svidler, Peter 2734   Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
Round 10 – May 25 2015, 15:00h
Gelfand, Boris 2744   Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754   Svidler, Peter 2734
Jobava, Baadur 2699   Dominguez, Leinier 2734
Grischuk, Alexander 2780   Giri, Anish 2776
Caruana, Fabiano 2803   Nakamura, Hikaru 2799
Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738   Karjakin, Sergey 2753
Round 11 – May 26 2015, 15:00h
Karjakin, Sergey 2753   Gelfand, Boris 2744
Nakamura, Hikaru 2799   Jakovenko, Dmitry 2738
Giri, Anish 2776   Caruana, Fabiano 2803
Dominguez, Leinier 2734   Grischuk, Alexander 2780
Svidler, Peter 2734   Jobava, Baadur 2699
Tomashevsky, Evgeny 2749   Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime 2754

Links

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.
Grandmaster 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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