Norway Chess: Carlsen grabs the lead

by Johannes Fischer
6/7/2022 – With an impressive win in the classical game against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Magnus Carlsen grabbed the sole lead at the Norway Chess Tournament. After six rounds, Carlsen has collected 12½ points, one more than second-placed Vishy Anand, who on Monday won with black in Armageddon against Anish Giri. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Norway Chess, Round 6

Magnus Carlsen was the only player to win his classical game in the sixth round. The remaining four encounters all ended in draws and were only decided in Armageddon.

Against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Carlsen won thanks to his good preparation, good technique and his ability to put his opponent under pressure.

Carlsen 3 - 0 Mamedyarov

 

Magnus Carlsen during the game and... | Photo: Lennart Ootes

...Magnus Carlsen after the game | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Giri 1 - 1½ Anand

Vishy Anand is playing an excellent tournament in Stavanger so far, and in round 6 he showed all his class and experience against Anish Giri. In the classical game, he surprisingly gave up his bishop for a knight in the middlegame, but then had no problems neutralizing the white bishop pair to hold a draw.

 

In the following Armageddon game, he also parried all of White’s winning attempts and obtained a comfortable draw.

 

Anish Giri and Vishy Anand after the Armageddon game | Photo: Lennart Ootes

So 1½ - 1 Tari

In the classical game, Wesley So put Aryan Tari under pressure from the start, but could never turn his advantages into anything tangible and had to settle for a draw in the end.

Thoughtful: Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes

In the Armageddon game, So chose a different approach: in a sharp variation of the Tarrasch Defence he played a double-edged queen sacrifice, which after two inaccuracies by Tari led to a spectacular victory — albeit a lucky one.

 

Wang 1 - 1½ Vachier-Lagrave

After a quick draw in the classical game, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave came out on top in Armageddon: in the London System, Wang Hao gradually came under pressure with the white pieces and then missed a tactical blow.

 

Wang Hao | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Radjabov 1 - 1½ Topalov

In the classical encounter, Teimour Radjabov and Veselin Topalov quickly found a way to draw the game with a perpetual check. The Armageddon game also ended with a perpetual check. However, Topalov had a winning position, but since in Armageddon a draw with Black is enough to win, he happily “shared the point”.

 

Veselin Topalov | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Standings after round 6

  Name Points
1 Magnus Carlsen 12½
2 Viswanathan Anand 11½
3 Wesley So 10
4 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 8½
5 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 8½
6 Anish Giri 8
7 Aryan Tari 7
8 Veselin Topalov 6
9 Wang Hao 4
10 Teimour Radjabov 4

All games

 

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Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".