Gukesh unlikely to win the event outright
The plot has thickened in the race for the last two spots in the 2024 Candidates, as it is now unlikely for Gukesh to get sole first place in the London Chess Classic — which would allow him to overtake Anish Giri in the FIDE Circuit leaderboard — and Leinier Dominguez has been confirmed as a last-minute addition to the lineup in the Sunway Sitges open tournament.
He was a child prodigy and he is surrounded by legends. In his best times he was considered to be unbeatable and by many he was reckoned to be the greatest chess talent of all time: Jose Raul Capablanca, born 1888 in Havana. Three players are fighting for the FIDE Circuit spot, with Giri almost certain to keep the lead after the event in London (in fact, Fabiano Caruana is the leader, but he is already qualified to the Candidates).
Wesley So and Gukesh, however, are still in time to get ahead — Gukesh is already listed as a registered player in the World Rapid and Blitz Tournament, while So is currently playing in the over-the-board Champions Chess Tour Finals, which is also an eligible event for the Circuit.
Meanwhile, in the fight for the rating spot, So is barely ahead of Dominguez (2757.4 to 2756.2 as per the live ratings list), and since the Sunway Festival is the last classical tournament listed as eligible for the FIDE Circuit, it will all come down to Dominguez’s ability to gain a couple of points against markedly lower-rated opponents in the 10-round Swiss open.
Needless to say, Dominguez will be rooting for So in the Champions Chess Tour, as he might get the rating spot without needing to get those extra rating points if the Filipino-born GM gets the FIDE Circuit spot.
Royal and Volokitin score
While chess enthusiasts keep an eye on the race to reach the Candidates, the participants in the London Chess Classic continue to fight for tournament victory. With one round to go, Michael Adams is still the sole leader in the standings, as he has a half-point lead over Gukesh and Amin Tabatabaei.
While Adams held Luke McShane to a draw with black on Saturday, Gukesh and Tabatabaei split the point in their direct encounter.
The decisive results of the day were seen in the games Andrei Volokitin vs. Mateusz Bartel and Jules Moussard vs. Shreyas Royal. Volokiting took down Bartel’s French Defence, while Royal, the clear underdog in the field, got his second win of the event by turning the tables in a manoeuvring skirmish against Moussard.
In Sunday’s final round, Adams and Gukesh will both play with the black pieces, against Royal and Niemann respectively, while Tabatabaei will play white against Moussard.
Volokitin 1 - 0 Bartel
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 cxd4 8.Qxg7 Rg8 9.Qxh7 Qc7 10.Ne2 Nbc6 11.f4 dxc3 12.Nxc3 Nd4 13.Bb2 Bd7 14.0-0-0 Qc5 15.Qd3 Ndf5 16.Nb5 Rc8 17.Qb3 Nc6 18.g3 Na5 19.Qc3 Qb6 20.Qb4 Qe3+ 21.Kb1 Nc4 22.Bxc4 Rxc4 23.Nd6+ Nxd6 24.Qxd6 Rc6 25.Qb8+ Rc8 26.Qxb7 Qe4 27.Ka1 Ke7 28.Rhe1 Qc4 29.f5 exf5 30.Rxd5 Rc7 31.Qb3 Be6 32.Qxc4 Rxc4 33.Ra5 Ra8 34.Re2 a6 35.Bc1 Kd7 36.Be3 Kc6 37.Rd2 Rc3 38.Bd4 Rf3 39.Rd1 Kd7 40.Be3+ Ke8 41.Bg5 Kf8 42.Bf6 Kg8 43.Kb2 Rf2 44.h4 Kh7 45.Rc5 Kg6? 45...Rb8+! 46.Kc3 f4 47.gxf4 Rxf4 46.Rd8! Rxd8 46...Ra7 47.Rh8 Rb7+ 48.Kc3 Rf3+ 49.Kd2 Rf2+ 50.Ke3 Rh2 51.Bg5+- 47.Bxd8 Rg2 48.Rc3 Re2 49.Bg5 Rxe5 50.Bf4 Rb5+ 51.Kc1 Kh5 52.Re3 Rc5 53.Kd2 Rc4 54.Rd3 Ra4 55.Bd6 Rc4 56.c3 Rc8 57.Rd4 Bc4 58.Bf4 Bf1 58...Bb5 59.Rd6 Re8 60.Rf6+- 59.Rd7 Bc4 60.Rc7 Rd8+ 60...Rxc7 61.Bxc7 f6 62.Ke3 Kg6 63.Kd4 Be2 64.c4 Kf7 65.Bd8+- 61.Kc2 Bd5 61...Bd3+ 62.Kc1 Kg6 63.Rc6+ f6 64.a4+- 62.c4 Be6 62...Be4+ 63.Kc3 Rd3+ 64.Kb4 a5+ 65.Kxa5 Rxa3+ 66.Kb4 Ra6 67.Kb5+- 63.Kc3 Kg4 64.Rc6 a5 65.Rc5 Ra8 66.Rb5 Rc8 67.c5 a4 68.Bd6 Ra8 69.Rb8 Ra7 69...Rxb8 70.Bxb8 Kh5 71.Kb4 Bd7 72.Ka5+- 70.Rg8+ Kf3 71.h5! f6 72.Re8 Bf7 73.Rh8 Rb7 74.c6 Rb3+ 75.Kd4 Ke2 76.c7 Be6 77.Re8 77.Re8 Rd3+ 78.Kc5 Rc3+ 79.Kb4 Re3 80.h6+- 1–0
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.
The playing hall | Photo: Tao Bhokanandh
Standings - Round 8
All games
| Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Links
