London Classic: Bartel and Tabatabaei grab full points in wild games

It’s all about the adventure!

After losing his first-round game out of a French Defence gone wrong, Mateusz Bartel replied to an amusing social media post by Anish Giri with the phrase:

Life is not about [the] result, it’s about an adventure. Though, this time it was not especially entertaining.

True to his statement, the Polish grandmaster has been playing exciting game after exciting game at the London Chess Classic. Bartel has yet to draw a game in the event, as his four wins and three draws have allowed him to enter the final two rounds at a 1-point distance from sole leader Michael Adams.

In round 7, Bartel fearlessly pushed the pawns standing in front of his king and seemed to be headed to a loss in his game against Hans Niemann. There was no lack of tactical tricks in the position, though, and Bartel not only managed to survive but even went on to grab a full point in the rollercoaster encounter lasting 75 moves.

Attack like a Super Grandmaster

In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.

Also exciting was Amin Tabatabaei’s victory over Nikita Vitiugov. The Iranian grandmaster has been showing great fighting spirit in the event as well — he has only drawn one game so far. Thanks to his win on Friday, his fourth of the tournament, he climbed to shared second place, a half point behind Adams.

Sharing second place with Tabatabaei is Gukesh, who drew underdog Shreyas Royal with the black pieces in the seventh round. With two rounds to go, the Indian ace will need a number of results to go his way to get sole first place — which, importantly, would allow him to overtake Anish Giri in the FIDE Circuit leaderboard.

According to Tai Pruce-Zimmerman, a.k.a. Chess by the Numbers, only getting a half point against the lowest-rated in the field greatly reduced Gukesh’s chances of winning the tournament outright:

As pointed out above, Adams still has to face Royal (in the final round), while his remaining opponent will be Luke McShane, who has been struggling in the event. Gukesh, on his part, will face Tabatabaei and Niemann in the tournament’s final two rounds.

Chief Arbiter Shohreh Bayat observes the games | Photo: Tao Bhokanandh

Niemann 0 - 1 Bartel

Analysis by GM Karsten Müller and IM Wolfram Schön

Niemann, Hans Moke2659

0–1

Bartel, Mateusz2651

GM

13th London Chess Classic 2023 08.12.2023[Mueller,Karsten]

GM

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.c3 d6 6.a4 g6 7.a5 a6 8.0-0 Bg7 9.Nbd2 0-0 10.Re1 Nh7 11.Qb3 Kh8 12.Bxf7 Qf6 13.Bc4 g5 14.Re2 14.Kh1!? with the idea g4 15.Ng1 Qxf2 16.Rf1 is favored by the engines. 14...g4 15.Ne1 h5 16.Nf1 h4 17.Qd1 17.Ne3!? 17...Ne7 18.Qd2 c6 19.g3 d5 20.Bb3 Be6 21.Ng2 21.d4!? exd4 22.e5 Qf7 23.Qxd4 was the alternative. 21...Ng6 22.exd5 22.Ra4!? 22...cxd5 23.d4 e4 24.Ra4 h3 25.Ne1 Qf7 26.Rb4 Rac8?! 26...Bf6 27.Qd1 Bd8= 27.Bc2?!

Very slow. 27.Rb6 was called for. 27...Bf6 28.Qd1 Bd8 29.Bh6 Rg8 29...Re8 30.c4 Bxa5 31.Ra4 Bd8= was objectively called for. 30.c4 Bg5?! 30...Bxa5 is favored by the engines. 31.Bxg5 Nxg5 32.Ne3 Nh4? Objectively this loses. But it is really amazing of course. 32...Rc7 is favored by the engines and only after 33.cxd5 33.Rb6 Ne7 33...Bxd5 34.Rb6 can the knight come with Nf4 The engines always give White an advantage but in a human over the board game all 3 results are possible of course. 33.gxh4 Nf3+ 34.Kh1 Nxh2 35.cxd5 g3 36.dxe6 g2+ 37.N3xg2! The right knight capture. 37.N1xg2? runs into hxg2+ 38.Nxg2 Qf3 39.Bxe4 Qh3 40.Nf4 Qxh4-+ 37...hxg2+ 38.Kg1 Qf4 39.Rxe4 Qxf2+ 40.Kxf2 g1Q+ 41.Ke2 Nf1 42.Qc1 Rg2+ 43.Kd1 Rcxc2 44.Qxc2? Amazingly the counterblow 44.Qh6+ wins as after Kg8 45.e7 Black has no real continuation, e.g. Rgd2+ 46.Qxd2 Rxd2+ 47.Kc1+- 44...Rxc2 45.Nxc2 Ne3+ 46.Kd2 Qf2+ 47.Kd3 Nxc2 48.d5 48.Rxb7 draws as well, e.g. Qf3+ 49.Kd2 Qxe4 50.e7 Qg2+ 51.Kc1 Qg8 52.Kxc2 Qc8+ 53.Kb1= 48...Nxb4+ 49.Rxb4 Qc5 50.Rd4 Qd6 51.Ke4 Kg7 52.Rd3?! This is probaly still playable. Buit now White has to defend extremely precisely and sometimes passively. WS: SF16 thinks this is losing. The active direct 52.h5! was much easier, e.g. Kf6 52...Kh6 53.Kf3 Kxh5 54.Re4 Qe7 55.d6= 53.h6 Qh2 54.Kd3 Qxb2 55.d6 Qb5+ 56.Ke3 Qg5+ 57.Kd3 Kxe6 58.d7= 52...Qh2 WS: 52...Qe7 is an alternative according to SF16. 53.Rc3?

The rook cannot invade anyway. 53.d6 probably still defends, e.g. Qe2+ 54.Re3 Qc4+ 55.Kf3 Qd5+ 56.Ke2 Kf8 57.e7+ The right advance. 57.d7? Ke7 58.Rc3 Qd6 59.h5 Qd5 60.h6 Qh5+ 61.Kf2 Qh4+ 61...Qxh6? 62.Rc8= 62.Kf1 Qf6+ 63.Kg2 Qxe6-+ 57...Ke8 58.Rd3 Qe4+ 59.Kd2 Kd7 WS: 59...Qb4+ and only later Ke8-d7 is an alternative according to SF16. 60.Rc3 Only now can the rook come to invade. 60.Re3? Qd4+ 61.Ke2 Ke8 62.Rd3 Qxb2+-+ 60...Qf4+ 61.Ke2 Qe5+ 62.Kd2 Qxa5 63.h5 Qxh5 WS: The h5 is indeed poisoned. Black can still win by manoeuvres, e.g. 63...Qd5+ 64.Kc2 Qe4+ 65.Kd2 Qe6 66.Re3 Qd5+ 67.Kc2 Qf5+ 68.Kd2 Ke8 69.Rd3 Qf4+ 70.Kc2 Kd7-+ 64.Rc7+ Kxd6 65.Rxb7 Qh2+ 65...Qe5 can even be met by 66.Rb3 Qxe7 67.Ra3= 66.Kc1 Qg1+ 67.Kc2 Qc5+ 68.Kb1 Qf5+ 69.Ka1 Qc8 70.e8Q Qxe8 71.Rb6+ Kc5 72.Rxa6 Kb4 73.Ra3= with a known fortress. 53...Qxh4+ 54.Kf5 Qh5+ 55.Ke4 Qh4+ 56.Kf5 Qh2 This stops the activation of the rook. 57.Ke4 Kg6 58.Rc8 Qd6 59.Rc2 Qg3 60.Rc8 60.e7 is met by Kf7-+ 60...Kg7!? However, not the direct 60...Kf6? 61.Rf8+ Ke7 61...Kg7 62.Rf7+ Kg6 63.Rxb7= 62.Rf7+ Kd6 63.Rd7+ Kc5 64.b4+ Kxb4 65.Rxb7+ Kxa5 66.e7= 61.Kd4 Qf4+ 62.Kd3 Qd6 63.Kc4 Kf6

Now the king can come and it will be over sooner or later. 64.Rh8 Qc7+ 65.Kd4 Qg7 66.Rh1 Ke7+ 67.Kc5 Qg6 68.Rc1 Qd3 69.Rc4 Qe3+ 70.Rd4 Qc1+ 71.Rc4 Qxb2 72.Re4 Qb5+ 73.Kd4 Qxa5 74.Ke5 74.d6+ Kxd6 75.e7 Qd2+ 76.Kc4 Qd5+ 77.Kc3 Qxe4-+ 74...Qc7+ 75.Kf5 Qg3 76.Rd4 Kd6 77.Ke4 Qe1+ 78.Kf3 78.Kd3 Ke5 79.e7 Qd1+ 80.Ke3 Qxd4+-+ 78...Qe5 79.Re4 Qf5+ 80.Rf4 80.Ke3 Qxd5 81.e7 Qxe4+ 82.Kxe4 Kxe7-+ 80...Qxd5+ 81.Re4 Qxe6 82.Re2 Qxe2+ 83.Kxe2 b5 84.Kd3 a5 85.Ke3 Kc5 86.Ke4 a4 87.Kd3 b4 88.Kd2 a3 89.Kc2 Kc4 90.Kc1 b3 91.Kd2 a2 92.Ke2 a1Q 93.Kf2 b2 94.Kf3 b1Q 95.Kg3 Qd3+ 96.Kh4 Qf6+ 97.Kh5 Qh3# 0–1

Calculation Training Booster

In this video course, twenty-nine examples with multiple questions are presented in the interactive format, which is ideal for a range of playing strengths. Step by step you will be taken through the complex positions.

Hans Niemann and Mateusz Bartel | Photo: Tao Bhokanandh

Tabatabaei 1 - 0 Vitiugov

Analysis by GM Karsten Müller

Tabatabaei, M. Amin2694

1–0

Vitiugov, Nikita2712

GM

13th London Chess Classic 2023 08.12.2023[Mueller,Karsten]

GM

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f4 e5 7.Nf3 Nbd7 8.a4 Qc7 9.g4 d5

The advance on the flank is met in typical style by a counterblow in the centre. 10.g5 d4 11.gxf6 dxc3 12.fxg7 Bxg7 13.f5 cxb2 14.Bxb2 Qb6 15.Ba3 Qe3+ 16.Be2 Qxe4 17.Rg1 Bf8 18.Qd2 Nc5? This runs into a knight attack. 18...Nf6 is favored by the engines, e.g. 19.Bxf8 Rxf8 20.Qd6 Rg8 21.Qxf6 Rxg1+ 22.Nxg1 Qd4= 19.Ng5! Qh4+ 20.Rg3 h6 21.Nxf7!? The knight opens the roads for the long range pieces. Ne4 21...Kxf7 runs into 22.Qd5+ Be6 23.fxe6+ Nxe6 24.Bc4 Re8 25.Qf3++- 22.Qd5 Nxg3 23.Qxe5+ Kxf7 24.hxg3 Qh1+ 25.Kf2 Qc6 26.Bh5+ 26.Qxh8 wins as well, e.g. Bc5+ 27.Bxc5 Qxc5+ 28.Kg2 Qxf5 29.Bc4+ Ke7 30.Qg7+ Kd8 31.Rf1 Qe4+ 32.Kh2 Bd7 33.Bd3 Qe7 34.Rf7+- 26...Kg8 27.Bxf8 Rh7 28.Bg6 Rc7 29.Bxh6 Qc5+ 29...Qxc2+ is met by 30.Kf3 Qc3+ 31.Qxc3 Rxc3+ 32.Kg4+- 30.Qxc5 Rxc5 31.g4! Rxc2+ 32.Kg3 Bd7 33.Re1

White's rook enters the attack with decisive effect. 33...Rc6 34.Re7 Be8 35.Bh7+ Kh8 36.Bf4 Rc5 37.f6 Another attacker comes. Bxa4 38.Bg6 Rf8 39.g5 Rc3+ 40.Kf2 Bc2 41.Bxc2 Rxc2+ 42.Kg3 Rc5 43.Rxb7 Rb5 44.Ra7 Of course not 44.Rxb5?? axb5 45.Bd6 Rd8 46.Be7 Ra8= 44...Kg8 45.Rg7+ Kh8 46.Kg4 White's king enters the attack with decisive effect. a5 47.Bd6 Rd8 48.Be7 48.g6 wins directly due to Rxd6 49.Rh7+ Kg8 50.f7+ Kf8 51.Rh8+ 48...Rc8 48...Rg8 is met by 49.Rxg8+ Kxg8 50.g6 Rb4+ 51.Kf5 Rb5+ 52.Ke6 Rb6+ 53.Bd6+- 49.Kh5

The king just marches on. 49...Rg8 50.Rg6! 50.Rxg8+? is met by Kxg8 51.Kh6 Rf5 52.g6 a4= 50...Rxg6 51.Kxg6 Rb6 52.Kh6 The king opens the pawn's path. a4 53.g6 Rb1 54.f7 Rh1+ 55.Kg5 Rg1+ 56.Kh5 Rh1+ 57.Kg4 Rg1+ 58.Kh3 Rf1 59.Bf8‼ Of course not 59.f8Q+?? Rxf8 60.Bxf8 a3 61.Bxa3 Kg7= 59...Rg1 60.Bc5 60.Bc5 Rxg6 60...Rf1 61.Bd4+ Rf6 62.Bxf6# 61.f8Q++- 1–0

Middlegame Secrets Vol.1 + Vol.2

Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!

Amin Tabatabaei and Nikita Vitiugov | Photo: Tao Bhokanandh

Standings - Round 7

Rk.		Name	Rtg.	Nt.	Pts.	n	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	TB	Perf.
1	GM	Adams,M GM Adams,M 2670 1 GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 1 2 GM Niemann,H 2659 ½ 3 GM Bartel,M 2651 1 4 GM Vitiugov,N 2712 ½ 5 GM Gukesh D 2746 ½ 6 GM Moussard,J 2639 1 7 GM Volokitin,A 2660 ½ Ø 2680 5/7	2670		5.0	7		½	1	1	1	½	½		½		18.75	2838
2	GM	Gukesh D GM Gukesh D 2746 1 GM Bartel,M 2651 1 2 GM Vitiugov,N 2712 ½ 3 GM Volokitin,A 2660 1 4 GM Moussard,J 2639 0 5 GM Adams,M 2670 ½ 6 GM McShane,L 2626 1 7 GM Royal,S 2404 ½ Ø 2623 4.5/7	2746		4.5	7	½			1	0	1		½	½	1	14.50	2725
3	GM	Tabatabaei,M GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 1 GM Adams,M 2670 0 2 GM McShane,L 2626 1 3 GM Royal,S 2404 0 4 GM Volokitin,A 2660 1 5 GM Niemann,H 2659 ½ 6 GM Bartel,M 2651 1 7 GM Vitiugov,N 2712 1 Ø 2626 4.5/7	2694		4.5	7	0			1		1	½	0	1	1	13.50	2728
4	GM	Bartel,M GM Bartel,M 2651 1 GM Gukesh D 2746 0 2 GM Moussard,J 2639 1 3 GM Adams,M 2670 0 4 GM McShane,L 2626 1 5 GM Royal,S 2404 1 6 GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 0 7 GM Niemann,H 2659 1 Ø 2634 4/7	2651		4.0	7	0	0	0		1		1	1		1	11.00	2684
5	GM	Moussard,J GM Moussard,J 2639 1 GM Niemann,H 2659 ½ 2 GM Bartel,M 2651 0 3 GM Vitiugov,N 2712 1 4 GM Gukesh D 2746 1 5 GM Volokitin,A 2660 ½ 6 GM Adams,M 2670 0 7 GM McShane,L 2626 ½ Ø 2675 3.5/7	2639		3.5	7	0	1		0		½	½		1	½	11.25	2675
6	GM	Volokitin,A GM Volokitin,A 2660 1 GM Vitiugov,N 2712 ½ 2 GM Royal,S 2404 1 3 GM Gukesh D 2746 0 4 GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 0 5 GM Moussard,J 2639 ½ 6 GM Niemann,H 2659 1 7 GM Adams,M 2670 ½ Ø 2646 3.5/7	2660		3.5	7	½	0	0		½		1	1	½		11.00	2646
7	GM	Niemann,H GM Niemann,H 2659 1 GM Moussard,J 2639 ½ 2 GM Adams,M 2670 ½ 3 GM McShane,L 2626 ½ 4 GM Royal,S 2404 1 5 GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 ½ 6 GM Volokitin,A 2660 0 7 GM Bartel,M 2651 0 Ø 2621 3/7	2659		3.0	7	½		½	0	½	0		1		½	10.00	2571
8	GM	Royal,S GM Royal,S 2404 1 GM McShane,L 2626 ½ 2 GM Volokitin,A 2660 0 3 GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 1 4 GM Niemann,H 2659 0 5 GM Bartel,M 2651 0 6 GM Vitiugov,N 2712 ½ 7 GM Gukesh D 2746 ½ Ø 2678 2.5/7	2404		2.5	7		½	1	0		0	0		½	½	9.00	2576
9	GM	Vitiugov,N GM Vitiugov,N 2712 1 GM Volokitin,A 2660 ½ 2 GM Gukesh D 2746 ½ 3 GM Moussard,J 2639 0 4 GM Adams,M 2670 ½ 5 GM McShane,L 2626 ½ 6 GM Royal,S 2404 ½ 7 GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 0 Ø 2634 2.5/7	2712		2.5	7	½	½	0		0	½		½		½	8.75	2532
10	GM	McShane,L GM McShane,L 2626 1 GM Royal,S 2404 ½ 2 GM Tabatabaei,M 2694 0 3 GM Niemann,H 2659 ½ 4 GM Bartel,M 2651 0 5 GM Vitiugov,N 2712 ½ 6 GM Gukesh D 2746 0 7 GM Moussard,J 2639 ½ Ø 2644 2/7	2626		2.0	7		0	0	0	½		½	½	½		5.75	2486
TBs: Sonneborn-Berger

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Links

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• All ChessBase reports on previous editions: 2021 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016