It has been three days of exciting chess at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Amsterdam. The roster of fighting players combined with a relaxed environment and a 10-minute time control made for an entertaining show. With four rounds to go, the two players who are sharing the lead were the ones who managed to survive double-edged positions and more often than not outplay their opponents in tough situations.
Co-leading are Peter Svidler and Ian Nepomniachtchi, creative representatives of two different generations — who, coincidentally, are known for their Grünfeld-Defence expertise.
Svidler and Nepo finished the first half of the double round-robin sharing the lead, and both scored 3½/5 on Monday to also enter the final day of action sharing first place. However, while they had a ½-point lead over Vishy Anand and Levon Aronian after nine rounds of play, they are now a whole 2 points ahead of Aronian and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
The co-leaders faced each other twice already. Svidler won with white in round 3, while their hard-fought encounter in round 12 finished with a draw by triple repetition.
Wesley So and Levon Aronian won the ‘hand and brain’ event that took place on the rest day | Photo: ChessBase India X account
Three sacrifices win for Black here: 38...Rxc6, 38...Rxg2 and Svidler’s 38...Bxh3.
After 39.Qxc7+ Rg7, White has nothing better than 40.Qxg7 Kxg7 41.Kg1, but then comes 41...Bxg2 — and resigns.
42.Kxg2 fails to 42...Qg3+ 43.Kf1 f3 44.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 45.Ke1 Qxd3, and the queen is stronger than the rook and bishop.
Peter Svidler | Photo: Lennart Ootes
As sharp as ever, Anand here found 24...Rc4, when White cannot play 25.Rxc4 due to 25...Rd1+ 26.Bf1 Bh3, with mate coming soon.
Daniil Dubov dealt with the mate threat by 25.Ra1, and Black wins a piece by force: 25...Bxb7 26.Be3 Bc8
Anand went on to convert his extra minor piece into a 42-move win.
Vishy Anand | Photo: Lennart Ootes
34.Bc4 ends the game — Wesley So politely played 34...Qxc4 allowing Svidler to show 35.f7# on the board. Checkmate.
