Korchnoi Zurich Chess Challenge: Nakamura supreme

by Albert Silver
4/17/2017 – After having shared first in the New Classical games, both Nepomniachtchi and Nakamura fought to confirm their place under the sun in the final blitz phase. Here it was all Nakamura as he dominated proceedings, taking clear first, with Anand in second. The combined overall standings gave Nakamura clear first with a point lead, ahead of Nepomniachtchi in second, and Anand in third. Express report.
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2017 Kortchnoi Zurich Chess Challenge

Full report with GM analysis will follow...

Replay all the blitz games

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.a4 a6 7.0-0 h6 8.Na3 C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3 0-0 9.Nc2 Re8 10.Re1 White has an edge. Ba7 11.Be3 Bb8N 11...Be6 12.Bxe6 Rxe6 13.Bxa7 Rxa7 14.d4 exd4 15.Nfxd4 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 1/2-1/2 (38) So,W (2773)-Mamedyarov,S (2747) Wijk aan Zee 2016 12.Qd2 Ng4 13.b4 Ne7 14.d4 14.Rad1!? is more complex. Ng6 15.a5 Nxe3 16.Nxe3 Nf4 17.d4 14...Ng6 15.dxe5 Nxe3 16.Nxe3 Threatens to win with exd6. Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Rxe5 18.Qa2 18.f4!? creates asymmetry. Re8 19.a5 Ba7 20.Kh1 Bd7 21.Rad1 18...Be6 The position is equal. 19.Bxe6 Rxe6 20.Nf5 Ba7 21.Nd4 Re5 22.Nf3 Re6 23.Nd4 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2786Kramnik,V2811½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz1
Svidler,P2747Nepomniachtchi,I2751½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz1
Oparin,G2604Gelfand,B2724½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz1
Pelletier,Y2541Nakamura,H27930–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz1
Nakamura,H2793Oparin,G26041–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz2
Nepomniachtchi,I2751Kramnik,V28111–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz2
Gelfand,B2724Svidler,P2747½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz2
Pelletier,Y2541Anand,V27860–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz2
Kramnik,V2811Gelfand,B27240–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz3
Anand,V2786Nepomniachtchi,I2751½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz3
Svidler,P2747Nakamura,H2793½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz3
Oparin,G2604Pelletier,Y2541½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz3
Nakamura,H2793Kramnik,V28111–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz4
Gelfand,B2724Nepomniachtchi,I2751½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz4
Oparin,G2604Anand,V2786½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz4
Pelletier,Y2541Svidler,P27470–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz4
Kramnik,V2811Pelletier,Y2541½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz5
Anand,V2786Gelfand,B27241–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz5
Nepomniachtchi,I2751Nakamura,H2793½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz5
Svidler,P2747Oparin,G26041–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz5
Nakamura,H2793Gelfand,B2724½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz6
Svidler,P2747Anand,V2786½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz6
Oparin,G2604Kramnik,V28110–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz6
Pelletier,Y2541Nepomniachtchi,I27510–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz6
Kramnik,V2811Svidler,P27471–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz7
Anand,V2786Nakamura,H2793½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz7
Nepomniachtchi,I2751Oparin,G26040–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz7
Gelfand,B2724Pelletier,Y25411–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 2017-Blitz7

Final blitz standings

Replay all the New Classical games (45 min. + 30 sec increment)

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1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.e3 e6 LiveBook: 6 Games. A34: Symmetrical English: 2 Nc3, lines with ...d5 5...0-0 6.Nge2 Nc6 7.d4 d6 8.0-0 Bd7 9.b3 a6 10.Bb2 Rb8 11.a4 Na5 12.e4 e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.Nd5 Nc6 15.f4 Re8 16.h3 Nxd5 17.exd5 Nb4 18.Qd2 e4 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 1/2-1/2 (28) Svidler,P (2759)-Ponomariov,R (2706) Almaty 2016 6.d4 cxd4 7.exd4 0-0 The position is equal. 8.Nf3 d5 9.b3N 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.0-0 Qb6 12.b3 Nc6 13.Bb2 Be6 14.Qd2 Rac8 15.Rac1 Rfe8 16.Ne5 Ne7 17.Rxc8 Rxc8 18.Rc1 1/2-1/2 (18) Rochel,H-Klarius,G DDR 1984 9...Ne4 10.Bb2 Nxc3 11.Bxc3 b6 12.cxd5 exd5 13.0-0 Nc6 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 With the idea Bb4. Be6 16.Re1 Qd7 17.Qd2 Rac8 18.Bd4 Rc7 19.a4 Rfc8 20.Bf1 Bf8 21.Ba6 Rd8 22.h4 Bc5 23.b4 Bxd4 24.Qxd4 Qe7 25.Bd3 Kg7 26.a5 White has good play. Rdc8 27.axb6 axb6 28.Bf1 b5 28...h5= 29.Bd3 Of course not 29.Bxb5 Rb8 30.Bf1 30.Ra5 Rcb7 31.Bd3 Rxb4= 30...Qxb4= 29...Rc4 30.Bxc4 Qxb4 31.Rab1 Qxc4 32.Qd2 h5 32...Ra8± was necessary. 33.h5 Kg8 33.Rbc1+- Qb3 34.Rxc8 Bxc8 35.Qf4 Bf5?
35...d4 36.e6! White is clearly winning. Bxe6
37.Qe5+! Kh7 38.Ra1 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kramnik,V2811Anand,V27861–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20171
Nakamura,H2793Pelletier,Y25411–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20171
Nepomniachtchi,I2751Svidler,P2747½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20171
Gelfand,B2724Oparin,G2604½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20171
Kramnik,V2811Nepomniachtchi,I2751½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20172
Anand,V2786Pelletier,Y25411–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20172
Svidler,P2747Gelfand,B2724½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20172
Oparin,G2604Nakamura,H27930–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 20172
Nakamura,H2793Svidler,P27470–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 20173
Nepomniachtchi,I2751Anand,V27861–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20173
Gelfand,B2724Kramnik,V2811½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20173
Pelletier,Y2541Oparin,G2604½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20173
Kramnik,V2811Nakamura,H2793½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20174
Anand,V2786Oparin,G-1–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20174
Nepomniachtchi,I2751Gelfand,B27241–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20174
Svidler,P2747Pelletier,Y2541½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20174
Nakamura,H2793Nepomniachtchi,I27511–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20175
Gelfand,B2724Anand,V27860–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 20175
Oparin,G2604Svidler,P27470–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 20175
Pelletier,Y2541Kramnik,V2811½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20175
Kramnik,V2811Oparin,G2604½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20176
Anand,V2786Svidler,P27471–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20176
Nepomniachtchi,I2751Pelletier,Y25411–02017Kortchnoi ZCC 20176
Gelfand,B2724Nakamura,H27930–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 20176
Nakamura,H2793Anand,V2786½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20177
Svidler,P2747Kramnik,V2811½–½2017Kortchnoi ZCC 20177
Oparin,G2604Nepomniachtchi,I27510–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 20177
Pelletier,Y2541Gelfand,B27240–12017Kortchnoi ZCC 20177

Final New Classical standings

(Note: the New Classical games are worth double the blitz, which is not reflected in the crosstable above)

According the the rules of the Zurich Chess Challenge 2017 the winner of a classical game is awarded two points for the overall standings. A draw gives each player one point, and the loser gets zero points. In the final Blitz tournament on Monday, 17 April, the winner is given one point, a draw gets a player half a point, and the loser gets zero points.

Combined scores

Rk Name ELO Pts SB
1. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2793 15.0 44.25
2. Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) 2751 14.0 40.75
3. Viswanathan Anand (IND) 2786 13.5 39.25
4. Peter Svidler (RUS) 2747 12.0 38.25
5. Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 2811 11.0 37.75
6. Boris Gelfand (ISR) 2724 9.0 24.25
7. Grigoryi Oparin (RUS) 2604 5.5 16.75
8. Yannick Pelletier (SUI) 2541 4.0 12.25

 

Link to Official site

 

Born in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and after college moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had a peak rating of 2240 FIDE, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family as an editor and writer at ChessBase News. He is also a passionate photographer with work appearing in numerous publications, and the content creator of the YouTube channel, Chess & Tech.

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