Leuven Day 2: Carlsen wins rapid after 4/4 day

by Albert Silver
6/18/2016 – If day one of the rapid games in Leuven was full of surprises, day two was no less so, though thankfully not due to record numbers of blunders. Vishy Anand started the day with a win, but after two losses lost the lead as he was caught up by Wesley So. In the meantime, Magnus Carlsen showed he was back and managed to win the rapid phase after a fabulous 4/4. Illustrated report.
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The greatest chess tournament ever staged in Belgium, Your Next Move Grand Chess Tour, is taking place in the historic Town Hall of Leuven from Friday 17 June to Monday 20 June. The best chess players in the world at the moment will take part in the tournament: World Champion Magnus Carlsen, former World Champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik, as well as Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru Nakamura, Aronian Levon, Wesley So and Veselin Topalov.

The players will compete in a Rapid Chess and Blitz Chess tournament during the four days. The prize money for the tournament is $150.000 (€134.100). Chess fans will be able to enjoy the experience of seeing the greatest players compete live in Leuven or watch the streaming broadcast, complete with grandmaster commentary.

Follow the games live on playchess

All photos by Lennart Ootes

The sixth round of the rapid games phase of Leuven, or the first round of day two, seemed to suggest a continuation of the first day. Only two wins were notched and one of those was for the leader Vishy Anand who beat Anish Giri in just 26 moves after the latter suffered from a couple of moments of chess blindness. This helped secure his lead by a full point now with 4.5/6.

Magnus Carlsen, who had suffered a dreadful start the previous day, including a disaster against Nakamura in round five, seemed to have recovered well enough as he outplayed Topalov to start the new day with a win.

Veselin Topalov greets Magnus with a jovial smile

One outside help for a symbolic first move is normal.... but two?

A small clock malfunction at the start...

... That is soon resolved. Andiamo!

Round seven was the first turning point as Anand faced his friend and rival Kramnik in a classic bout. Neither player was able to get the better of it, until the endgame when Kramnik held on to an edge for a long time, requiring precise play from the Indian.

A classic: Kramnik vs Anand

Kramnik - Anand

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1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.b3 c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.Bxc3 Bd7 11.Qb1 Rc8 12.Rd1 Bf6 13.d4 Qe7 14.Qb2 cxd4 15.Nxd4 b6 16.Nxc6 Bxc6 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Qxf6 gxf6 19.Rac1 Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Rd8 22.Rc7
It's more than a little remarkable that Kramnik once more finds himself with a favorable rook endgame that looks very reminiscent of his game against Nakamura. 22...Rd2 23.Rxa7 Rxe2 24.Kf3 Rb2 25.g4 Although the position is balanced, if anyone has hopes of a win, it is White thanks to the queenside majority. Kg7 26.h4 e5 27.Ra6 Kg6 28.Rxb6 Rxa2 29.g5 Kh5 30.Rxf6 Kxh4 31.Rxf7 Kxg5 32.Rxh7 Rb2 33.Rb7 Kf5 In spite of the exchnages, little has chnaged fundamentally: White has an extra passed pawn on the queenside, but Black's strong king and rook should be more than enough to neutralize it. Still, White alone can aspire to the full point. 34.Ke3 Rc2 35.Kd3 Ra2? Though not losing per se, it is a fundamental mistake in concept. 35...Rc1 was the principled move. The reason is simple: it keeps the white king cut off from supporting his pawn. 36.Rc7 Rb2 37.Kc3 Ra2 38.Rd7 Kf4? In spite of struggling, Black had been holding on, but short of time, he misses a subtlety. 38...Ke4! was correct. The point is that 39.Rd2 cannot be stopped anyhow, but this prepares the flight of the black king to stop the b-pawn's march. Ra8 40.b4 Rc8+ 41.Kb3 Rb8 42.Rc2 Kd5 and White will be very hard-pressed to make progress. 39.Rd2 Ra8 40.b4 Rc8+ 41.Kb3 Rb8 42.Rd6? White allows Black to correct his mistake, and while he does, for a move, it is clear the main defensive idea was missed. Ke4 43.Rd2 Kf3? 44.Rb2! e4 45.Ra2? A very complex endgame, in spite of the simplified material, that presents swings in the evaluation that only a computer is able to see in the time control the game was played in. 45.Rc2 was winning. 45...Rh8 46.b5 Rh2 47.b6 Rh6 48.Ra6! The threat is b7 of course. Rh1 49.Kc2 Rh6 50.Ra3+ Kxf2 51.b7 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kramnik,V2812Anand,V27701–02016A14GCT Rapid YourNextMove7.1

For the rest of the field this was crucial as it suddenly blew open the doors to the podium, allowing everyone to consider wresting the gold. One player who took advantage of this was Wesley So, who went into a bareknuckle fight with Topalov as the two fought an exciting opposite castling duel.

Wesley So, a top player but still building experience against elite opposition explained that
his MO, or Modus Operandi, was to not lose any games. That doesn't mean he was declaring
a challenge to fellow drawing experts, but that he wanted to lose fewer games.

Topalov - So

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1.c4 g6 2.e4 e5 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Qd4 Nc5 6.Nc3 Ne6 7.Qe4 Bg7 8.Be3 Nc6 9.f4 0-0 10.0-0-0 d6 11.c5 Ne7 12.cxd6 cxd6 13.Rxd6 Qc7 14.g4 Nc5 15.Qc4 b6 16.Bxc5 bxc5 17.h3? This is the source of White's problems. The seemingly innocuous move is precisely that: innocuous. Both sides are playing an opposite-wing race to see who's attack gets there first, and h3 is both slow and passive. 17.Qe2 Rb8 18.Bg2 and if f6 then 19.Nh3 fxe5 20.Rhd1 the most energetic continuation. exf4 21.Ng5 17...Rb8 18.Qe2 Rb4 19.Qd2 Rd4! 20.Rxd4? 20.Nb5 was more resilient. Rxd2 21.Nxc7 Rf2 22.Ne2 g5! and Black is still better thanks to his bishop pair and power rook on the seventh, but the game is far from over. 20...cxd4 21.Qxd4 Rd8! Instead, it is Black who has sacrificed a pawn in order to gain valuable (decisive) tempi in his attack. 22.Qf2 Nd5 23.Nge2 Nb4 24.Kb1 Nd3 25.Qh4 Bb7 26.Rh2 Rb8 26...Nxb2 was already possible, but the move in the game wins too. 27.Kxb2 Rd2+ 28.Kc1 28.Ka1 Qb6 28...Rxa2 29.Qf2 Bf8 with Bc5 and/or Ba3 deciding the game. 27.b3 Nxf4! 28.Nxf4 Qxc3 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Topalov,V2761So,W27700–12016A10GCT Rapid YourNextMove7.3

This left Wesley So tied with Anand for first, while Aronian and Carlsen, also victorious, trailed by just half a point with two rounds to go.

If round seven was a turning point, then round eight was no less pivotal. Magnus Carlsen, who had clawed his way back into the tournament, now faced Vishy Anand, and it was another classic, but this time with the rapid event at stake.

Carlsen and Anand playing for all the marbles

The Norwegian played strong and manged to box his rival in the type of position he is notorious for milking mercilessly. This big win for Carlsen, his third straight, pushed him to the top of the heap, but he was not alone. He shared it with Wesley So, who had drawn against Anish Giri, and Levon Aronian, who overcame Hikaru Nakamura, still unable to shake off his rough event.

Levon Aronian was also a contender for first in the Rapid after his win over Nakamura

Top French player Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, very much in the spotlight, had a lukewarm
event, with a loss to Anand, a win over Kramnik, and the rest drawn.

While Topalov also won his game against Aronian, there still remained one last obstacle for Magnus:

His fellow 2800 player: Vladimir Kramnik

Kramnik - Carlsen

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1.Nf3 e6 2.g3 b5 3.e4 Bb7 4.Qe2 The gloves are off! Phooey with theory, show me what you got! c5 5.Bg2 a6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.e5 Nd5 8.b3 Nc6 9.Bb2 Be7 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.dxc3 0-0 12.Rad1 Qc7 13.c4 Rad8 14.h4 In spite of playing Rad8, Black is very reticent to push the d-apwn and let White unleash his powerful Bb2 with exd6. f6 Still not his favorite, at least with this he can neutralize the bishop. 15.exf6 Bxf6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.cxb5 axb5 18.Qxb5 Nb4 19.Qe2 Nxa2 20.Qc4 White wants to prevent ...Nc3, not only for the double attack, since Ra1 would parry this as well, but ...Ne4 after that, centralizing the knight very nicely. Kh8 21.Ra1 Ra8 22.Rfe1 An imprecision that now swings the game in Black's favor. d5 23.Qg4 e5 and these black pawns are beginning to look extremely uncomfortable. 24.h5 Bc8 25.Qh4 Bb7 26.Nh2 Nb4 27.Rxa8 Bxa8 28.c4 Nc2 29.Rd1 Nd4 30.cxd5 Qf7 31.Qe4 Rd8 32.h6 Bxd5 33.Qg4 Bxb3 34.Ra1 Be6 35.Qe4 Qg6 36.Ra8 Rg8 37.Rxg8+ Bxg8 38.Qxg6?? The losing blunder. 38.Qa8 was the correct continuation. c4 39.Be4 Qg5 39...Qxh6 would allow White to capture the c-pawn after 40.Bd5 Qg7 41.Bxc4 40.Nf3 Nxf3+ 41.Bxf3 c3 42.Qc8 and Black can no longer relly progress. For example Qxh6 42...Qd2 43.Qf8 is mate for White! 43.Qxc3 Qf8 44.Be4 and White should hold. 38...hxg6 39.Ng4 c4 and the pawn will cost White a piece and the game. 40.Nxf6 c3 41.Be4 c2 42.Bxc2 Nxc2 43.Nd7 e4 44.Nf6 e3 45.fxe3 Nxe3 46.g4 Nd5 47.Nxd5 Bxd5 48.g5 Kg8 49.Kf2 Kf8 50.Ke3 Bg8 51.Kd4 Ke8 52.Ke4 Kd7 53.Kd3 Ke6 54.Ke4 Bh7 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kramnik,V2812Carlsen,M28550–12016A04GCT Rapid YourNextMove9.1

In the final round, Nakamura put in a huge effort as he ground down Caruana in 117 moves
in a position even Carlsen, kibitzing live, was unsure could be won

A fantastic performance by Magnus Carlsen, who came back in heroic fashion with four wins in four. However, the Rapid tournament is but half of Leuven, and here remains the Blitz phase now. Although the rapid games are worth double, there are also twice as many blitz games to be played, so only half the total points have been covered and the game is very much afoot. That means Sunday will be full of top notch blitz almost non-stop. Don't miss it!

Replay games of Rapid Rd6-9

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.c3 d6 7.Nbd2 a5 8.a4 Be6 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Nc4 Qe8 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.Nxe3 b6 13.Re1 Rd8 14.Qe2 Qf7 15.Nd2 d5 16.Nc2 Rd7 17.Nf3 Re8 18.b4 Qh5 19.exd5 Nxd5 20.b5 Nd8 21.Qxe5 Qg6 22.c4 Nf6 23.Qb2 Nf7 24.d4 e5 25.dxe5 Nh5 26.e6 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Anand,V2770Giri,A27821–02016C50GCT Rapid YourNextMove6.1

Final rapid standings

Note: In the overall standings, rapid games are worth 2 points for a win, one point for a draw and zero for a loss.
Thus each score above is worth double. Blitz games are worth the usual one for a win and half a point for a draw.

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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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