Moscow GP Final: Tie-breaks it is

by Antonio Pereira
5/28/2019 – The first leg of the 2019 Grand Prix series will be decided on tie-breaks after Alexander Grischuk and Ian Nepomniachtchi signed a 23-move draw in the second game of the final match. The tie-breaks will be played on May 29th, starting at 15:00 local time, with two 25+10 rapid games set to initiate the battle. The champion will earn eight points in the overall GP (plus all the extra points gained by not going to tie-breaks). | Photo: Niki Riga / World Chess

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A short draw

The second classical game of the final match at the Moscow Grand Prix final was a short affair. Without the obligation to show a triple repetition or play a minimum amount of moves (two of the most widely used regulations to avoid short draws), the contenders simply agreed to split the point after 23 moves. As sometimes happens in knock-out events, the players probably estimated that their Expected Value would increase by avoiding risks during the classical phase of the match. It stills remains to be seen whether this will change in the final legs of the GP, when the overall standings will play a big role in the decision-making process of each participant — after all, the main motivation is to get a ticket to the Candidates Tournament.

Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexander Grischuk

Ian Nepomniachtchi had white in game two | Photo: Niki Riga / World Chess


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The players explored the fashionable 5.e1 variation of the Berlin Defence (played at least twenty times in official tournaments only during this month) and repeated a line that was seen for the last time in Wijk aan Zee, when Vladimir Kramnik defeated Vladimir Fedoseev with the black pieces. The first one to deviate was Nepomniachtchi, who chose to expand on the queenside instead of defending his central pawn:

 
Nepomniachtchi vs. Grischuk - Final Game #2
Position after 11...Nb6

Nepomniachtchi's 12.a4 differed from Fedoseev's 12.c3. Fedoseev played a4 later in the game, while Nepo kept his c-pawn on its initial square until the end of the game, thus laying out a struggle of a completely different nature.

However, only future struggles with this setup will shed light on the appraisal of this particular line, as, after some simplifications, the players stopped the clocks and signed their score sheets with a half point allocated for each of them. This was the final position:

 
Position after 23.Re1

Black's best alternative is to exchange the queens and the pawn structures are symmetrical — apparently, all the risk-taking will be seen on the tie-break rounds...

Alexander Grischuk

Alexander Grischuk is a three-time World Blitz Champion | Photo: Niki Riga / World Chess

Afterwards, Eteri Kublshvili spoke with the players, with Ian Nepomniachtchi explaining:

I think it was very complex, because when someone plays the Berlin it's very difficult to refute this line. [...] Okay, there are some complex positions despite the symmetrical structure, but somehow the computer doesn't like these b3-a4-a5 moves — I don't know why, so probably there is a better [version] of this position.

Alexander Grischuk, on the other hand, felt he fared better than in game one:

Today was better than yesterday, but still not fantastic. [...] At least I got some counterplay, as I said, and I almost took over the initiative — I don't know, in the end maybe I should play on, but I was not sure about 23...♛e2 24.♖xe2 ♚f8 and now 25.c3 ♜e8 26.♖d2; my rook gets to b1, but what happens next I was not sure.

So the champion will be decided Wednesday on tie-breaks, with the following rules: best-of-two matches will take place while the tie is unbroken — first with a time control of 25'+10'', then 10'+10'', and finally 5'+3''. If a winner has not emerged, the players will go to an Armageddon game, with 5 minutes for White and 4 minutes for Black (a 2-second increment will be used from move 61), with Black having draw odds. 

Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexander Grischuk

Two top Russian players fighting for first place | Photo: Niki Riga / World Chess


Full post-game interview


Commentary webcast

Commentary by GMs Evgeny Miroshnichenko and Daniil Yuffa


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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 e5 5.Nxe5 0-0 6.Nf3 A16: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with ...d5 Re8! 7.d3 d5! 8.cxd5 White is slightly better. Nxd5 9.Bd2N Predecessor: 9.Nxd5 Qxd5 10.Be2 Qd6 11.0-0 c5 12.Qc2 Nc6 1-0 (49) Aronian,L (2784)-Grischuk,A (2752) chess.com INT 2016 9...Bg4 10.Qb3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Na6 12.Be2 Don't play 12.Qxb7 Nc5 12...Nc5 13.Qc2 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Qh4 15.d4 Ne6 16.Qc1 c6 17.a4 Qh3 18.Rb1 b6 19.Be3 Rac8       Black has compensation. 20.Qd2 20.Rg1= 20...f5! 21.Qd3
21.Rf1 21...Kh8 21...c5! 22.e5 f4 22.e5 c5 23.d5 Better is 23.f4 23...f4 Black should try 23...c4 24.Qc2 f4 25.dxe6 fxe3 24.dxe6 Rcd8 25.Qe4! Don't go for 25.Bd4? cxd4 26.cxd4 Bxe5-+ 25...fxe3 26.fxe3 Rxe6 White must now prevent ...Qg2. 27.Rd1 Rde8 28.Bf1 White should play 28.Qg4 Qxg4 29.fxg4 28...Qh6 29.Qf4
29...g5 But not 29...Rxe5?! 30.Qxh6 Bxh6 31.e4= 29...Qh5! 30.Bb5 Rf8 30.Qg4! Bxe5 ...Bf4 is the strong threat. 31.Bb5 Rf8 32.Rd7 Bf4 32...Bxc3+ 33.Kf2 Rd6 34.Rxd6 Qxd6 33.Bd3= The position is equal. Rxe3+ 34.Kf2 Rfe8 aiming for ...Re1! 35.h4 R3e7! 36.Rxe7 Rxe7 Accuracy: White = 56%, Black = 65%.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Giri,A2787Dubov,D2690½–½2019A05Grand Prix Moscow 20191.1
Mamedyarov,S2781Wojtaszek,R2724½–½2019A28Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Grischuk,A2772Karjakin,S27521–02019D38Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Aronian,L2762Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019A20Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Nakamura,H2761Radjabov,T2759½–½2019D37Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Radjabov,T2759Nakamura,H2761½–½2019A14Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
So,W2754Duda,J27281–02019B78Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Svidler,P2739Vitiugov,N27341–02019C80Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Jakovenko,D2708Wei,Y27360–12019C77Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Dubov,D2690Giri,A27871–02019D30Grand Prix Moscow 20191.2
Nakamura,H2761Radjabov,T27591–02019D37Grand Prix Moscow 20191.3
So,W2754Duda,J27281–02019C54Grand Prix Moscow 20191.3
Duda,J2728So,W27541–02019C54Grand Prix Moscow 20191.3
Radjabov,T2759Nakamura,H2761½–½2019D37Grand Prix Moscow 20191.4
Karjakin,S2752Grischuk,A2772½–½2019D45Grand Prix Moscow 20191.4
Duda,J2728So,W2754½–½2019C54Grand Prix Moscow 20191.4
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Aronian,L27621–02019C88Grand Prix Moscow 20191.5
Wei,Y2736Jakovenko,D2708½–½2019A05Grand Prix Moscow 20191.6
Vitiugov,N2734Svidler,P2739½–½2019A36Grand Prix Moscow 20191.7
Wojtaszek,R2724Mamedyarov,S27811–02019D82Grand Prix Moscow 20191.8
Grischuk,A2772So,W2754½–½2019D37Grand Prix Moscow 20192.1
Nakamura,H2761Dubov,D2690½–½2019D33Grand Prix Moscow 20192.1
Svidler,P2739Wojtaszek,R2724½–½2019B51Grand Prix Moscow 20192.1
Wei,Y2736Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019B51Grand Prix Moscow 20192.1
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Wei,Y2736½–½2019C80Grand Prix Moscow 20192.2
So,W2754Grischuk,A2772½–½2019B33Grand Prix Moscow 20192.2
Wojtaszek,R2724Svidler,P27391–02019A50Grand Prix Moscow 20192.2
Dubov,D2690Nakamura,H2761½–½2019E06Grand Prix Moscow 20192.2
So,W2754Grischuk,A2772½–½2019B33Grand Prix Moscow 20192.3
Wei,Y2736Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019B97Grand Prix Moscow 20192.3
Dubov,D2690Nakamura,H27610–12019A29Grand Prix Moscow 20192.3
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Wei,Y27361–02019B10Grand Prix Moscow 20192.4
Grischuk,A2772So,W27541–02019D41Grand Prix Moscow 20192.4
Nakamura,H2761Dubov,D2690½–½2019A22Grand Prix Moscow 20192.4
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Wojtaszek,R2724½–½2019B90Grand Prix Moscow 20193.1
Nakamura,H2761Grischuk,A2772½–½2019C50Grand Prix Moscow 20193.1
Grischuk,A2772Nakamura,H27611–02019E06Grand Prix Moscow 20193.2
Wojtaszek,R2724Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019D70Grand Prix Moscow 20193.2
Wojtaszek,R2724Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019A48Grand Prix Moscow 20193.3
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Wojtaszek,R2724½–½2019B51Grand Prix Moscow 20193.4
Wojtaszek,R2724Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019D70Grand Prix Moscow 20193.5
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Wojtaszek,R27241–02019B51Grand Prix Moscow 20193.6
Grischuk,A2772Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019D85Grand Prix Moscow 20194.1
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Grischuk,A2772½–½2019C67Grand Prix Moscow 20194.2
Grischuk,A2772Nepomniachtchi,I2773½–½2019C42Grand Prix Moscow 20194.3
Nepomniachtchi,I2773Grischuk,A27721–02019C50Grand Prix Moscow 20194.4

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Antonio is a freelance writer and a philologist. He is mainly interested in the links between chess and culture, primarily literature. In chess games, he skews towards endgames and positional play.

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