Shamkir, Round 5: Anand, Navara and Grischuk with wins

by Johannes Fischer
4/5/2019 – There were three wins in Round 5. Vishy Anand won against Anish Giri with the help of his strong pawn centre, David Navara benefited from a tactical inaccuracy vs Ding Liren and Alexander Grischuk showed how strong the bishop pair can be against Veselin Topalov. Magnus Carlsen and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov drew as did Teimour Radjabov and Sergey Karjakin. With 3½ out of 5, Carlsen remains the sole leader. GM DANIEL FERNANDEZ examines all the games. | Photos: ShamkirChess.com
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Carlsen retains half point lead

V. Anand 1-0 A. Giri

Viswanathan Anand scored a nice win over Anish Giri. In a variation of the Berlin defence White gained a pawn majority on the kingside after exchanging his light-squared bishop for Black's c6-knight, which he used to arrange his pieces on strong squares. After an inaccuracy from Giri, Anand got a strong passed e-pawn, and when Giri weakened his king position so as not to be crushed by the white pawns, Anand moved in for the kill.

Annotations by GM Daniel Fernandez
 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.Nbd2 Re8 7.0-0 a6 8.Bxc6 Setting the prelude to a typical Anand game: tactically-justified operations from a seemingly quiet position, which land him in the driver's seat by move 30. dxc6 9.Nc4 Nd7 10.Re1 Bf8 This might look unduly passive, but all truly strong players know that the bishop controls more squares from the back rank. 11.d4 exd4 12.cxd4 Nb6 12...Nf6 13.Nce5 Be6 14.h3 Nd7 15.Nd3 Alekseev,E-Godena,M Eilat 2012 12...Qf6!? Going for ...b6 and .. .Qg6. 13.Nxb6 cxb6 14.h3 b5 15.Bf4 Both sides play this part of the game extremely well and in accordance with well-established plans. Be6 16.Re3 f6 17.b3 Qd7 18.Qc2 Rad8 19.Rd1 Qf7 20.Bg3 Qh5 In fact it is only with this move that Black commits to something- or rather commits to not doing something. The kingside pawn-storm had been an option for a while and now Black decides against it- in the process allowing Bc7-b6-c5. 20...a5!? 20...h5 21.e5 fxe5 22.Nxe5 Qf5= was perhaps a more typical way of playing with the bishop-pair. 21.Bc7 Rd7 22.Bb6 Bb4?! Somewhere around here Black gets into a worse position. 22...Bf7= also prevents Bc5, and seemingly at lower cost. 23.Ne1! Bf7 24.Nd3 Bd6 25.Rde1 Bb8 26.f4! Perhaps intending g4 next, squashing Black completely. 26.g4 Qh6 27.Kg2 Bg6 is somehow not as good because the passive Black pieces are relatively successful in attacking the White centre. 26...f5 26...Qh4 27.Ne5 Bxe5 28.dxe5 fxe4 29.Qxe4± It transpires that Black can't stop g4, f5 and e6 in the long run. Rd2 29...Bd5 30.Qc2 Rf7 31.Rf1 g6 might be best, but White is significantly better after 32.Qf2 Qh6 33.Bc5± 30.R3e2 Bd5 31.Qe3 Rxe2 32.Rxe2 Qf5 Trying to scare White off. 33.g4! Qb1+ 34.Kf2 h5 35.f5 Qh1 35...h4 is the last idea to keep the game in +/- territory, but it looks precarious anyway after the steady 36.Bd4 Qh1 37.e6± 36.Kg3! Not difficult to find, but completely winning. Re7 37.Bc5 Re8 38.e6 Kh7 39.Qg5 1–0
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Anand,V-Giri,A-1–02019Shamkir Chess5

M. Carlsen ½-½ S. Mamedyarov

By contrast, the game between Magnus Carlsen and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was unspectacular. Although Carlsen tried to put pressure on Mamedyarov, after 37 moves, there was a balanced queen ending on the board and the game ended in a draw.

According to Norwegian chess journalist Tarjei Svensen, Carlsen is unbeaten in 46 consecutive games at classical time controls. In the live world rankings, Carlsen is now 33 points ahead of Fabiano Caruana with an Elo of 2849.

 
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1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 c5 Expressing a rare wish to play a Tarrasch structure. 4.e3 Obviously, I and most others expected Carlsen to snap it right off: 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 with g3, etc. to come. 4...Nf6 5.Nf3 a6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3 Nc6 8.Bg2 c4 9.Ne5 Bb4 Following in the mini-tradition of this tournament so far: there has been a definite trend towards exchanging Black's dark-squared bishop in d4 openings. 10.Bd2 In general White wants this if he's going to trade on c6. The alternative is to avoid trading on c6, but past a certain point that just looks silly, e.g. 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qc2 Ne7! 10...0-0 11.0-0 Re8 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.b3 a5 14.Qc2 14.bxc4 Ba6 15.Qc2 Bxc4 16.Rfb1 14...cxb3 15.axb3 g6 16.Rfc1 Bf5 17.Qd1 Qd6 18.Ra2 h5 19.Na4 19.h4 Rab8= gives Black the chance to play ...Bg4 on demand, which is maybe not ideal. 19...h4 20.Nc5 Kg7 21.Bxb4 Maybe a try is 21.Rca1!? but then again, the computer thinks Black can even give the a-file with hxg3 22.hxg3 22.Bxb4 gxf2+-+ 22...Rab8 23.Bxb4 axb4 24.Ra7 Rh8 Somehow I think this might eventually be good for a squeeze though, e.g. by Qf3-f4. 21...axb4 22.Rxa8 22.Rca1 Rxa2 23.Rxa2 Rh8 is the same 22...Rxa8 23.Ra1 Rh8 24.Qe1 With one rook on the board and none on the seventh, 24.Qf3 starts to seem like less of a grinding move and more of a simple bad idea, since Black can recapture on e4 with the bishop if need be after Ne4!= 24...hxg3 25.hxg3 Ne4! There will be no small nibble for Carlsen. 26.Nxe4 26.Qxb4 Nxg3 is dangerous. 26...Bxe4 27.Bxe4 dxe4 28.Ra5 Rh5 29.Rxh5 gxh5 30.Kg2 c5 31.dxc5 Qxc5 32.Qd1 Qc3 33.Qd5 Kf6 34.Qd6+ Kg7 35.Qd5 Kf6 36.Qd6+ Kg7 37.Qd5 Kf6 ½–½
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Carlsen,M-Mamedyarov,S-½–½2019Shamkir Chess5

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich performs the ceremonial first move | Photo: ShamkirChess.com

Mamedyarov did not seem to be worried about the game | Photo: ShamkirChess.com

D. Navara 1-0 Ding Liren

David Navara scored his first victory in the tournament. After a small tactical inaccuracy in the Meran variation of the Semi-Slav, Ding Liren found himself in a worse endgame.

 
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One of those games that could have been preparation until almost any moment whatsoever- especially considering the pedigree of David Navara (think Kh8!) when it comes to this. 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 a6 9.e4 c5 10.e5! The split between the text and 10.d5 is basically even. That being said, concensus seems to be that the dangers of an isolated e-pawn have been overstated, and Black need not worry about c4 10...exd5 11.e5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bd6 13.Nf3 isn't a very believable '0.00' as these things go. 11.Bc2 Qc7 12.dxe6 fxe6 10...cxd4 11.Nxb5 axb5! 11...Nxe5 12.Nxe5 axb5 13.Bxb5+ Bd7 14.Nxd7 Qa5+ 14...Nxd7 15.0-0± 15.Bd2 Qxb5 16.Nxf8 Kxf8 17.a4 Qxb2 18.0-0 White has more than adequate compensation, but Black should play like this if he wants to win. 11...Bb4+ 12.Bd2 Bxd2+ 13.Qxd2 axb5 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Bxb5 e5 16.0-0 0-0 17.Rfe1± White seems to be demonstrably better in the line 11...Ng4 12.Qa4 Ngxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.Nd6+ Ke7 15.Nxc8+ Rxc8 16.Bxa6 which dates back to a Spassky-Novotelnov game! 12.exf6 gxf6 12...Nxf6 13.Bxb5+ Bd7 14.Bxd7+ Qxd7 15.Qxd4 Black is struggling a bit to explain the missing pawn. 12...Bb7!? To my mind this is a valid alternative. 13.fxg7!? 13.0-0 Qxf6! Now Black can take this without worrying about losing his queen. 14.Bxb5 14.Bg5 Bxf3-+ 14...Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Qxf3 16.gxf3 Bc5= 13...Bxg7 14.0-0 0-0 15.Bxb5 Ne5 Black has plausible Sveshnikov-esque compensation. 13.0-0 Qb6 14.Qe2 b4 15.Bf4 h5 Still visited 1,300 times, despite not being a novelty. 15...Bc5 16.Nd2 Bb7 17.Rac1 e5 18.Rfe1 h5 19.Be4 Bxe4 20.Nxe4 Be7∞ Gordievsky,D-Potapov,P Khanty-Mansiysk 2013 16.Rfc1 White is threatening-oddly- Bc7, so Black's replies are limited. Bc5 16...e5 simply doesn't work after 17.Bxe5 fxe5 18.Nxe5 Qe6 19.Qf3!+- 17.a4 bxa3 17...Kf8!? 18.a5 Rxa5 19.Rxa5 Qxa5 20.Bb5 Kg7 21.Qd3 With ideas like Nh4 and Qg3 in the air, Black faces continuing tactical issues which are difficult to find your way through. 18.bxa3 Ba6 19.Rab1 Bxd3 20.Qxd3 Rxa3!? Not wrong, but leads to a difficult decision several moves later after a sequence of forcing moves. If Black suspected that this could still have been preparation- it's reasonable that White could have something in mind against ...h5- he might have held back and played 20...Qc6! , where usually he ends up taking a rook for two pieces but with a strong central pawn mass. 21.Rb5 0-0 22.Nxd4 Qd5= 21.Qxa3 Bxa3 22.Rxb6 Bxc1 22...Nxb6 23.Rc6 e5 24.Rxb6 Kd7 25.Bd2± is not the answer either 23.Rc6 Bxf4 24.Rc8+ Ke7 25.Rxh8 d3 It is pretty obvious that Black should play to win the piece. 26.Kf1 Nc5 27.Rxh5 Ne4 28.Rh4 e5 29.g3 d2 30.Nxd2 Nxd2+ 31.Ke2 Bg5 32.Rb4 e4? White gets reasonable winning chances after either move, but after the text there is no prospect of a simple fortress. It is very far from being immediately obvious that Black saves his piece after 32...Kd6!? but in fact White shouldn't even try and take it. 33.h4! Now Black has to seek salvation in fortresses. 33.f4 exf4 34.gxf4 Kc5! 35.Ra4 35.fxg5 Kxb4 36.Kxd2 fxg5 37.Kd3 Kc5 38.Ke4 g4 39.Kf5 Kd6 40.Kxg4 Ke7= 35...Kb5 36.Rd4 Nb3= 33...Bh6 34.h5 Kd5 35.Rb8 Ne4 35...Ke6 36.Rh8 Bg5 37.g4 f5 38.h6 fxg4 39.Re8+ Kd7 40.h7 Bf6 41.Rg8 Ne4 42.Rxg4 Nc3+ 43.Kf3 Ke6 44.Rg8 Kf5 45.h8Q Bxh8 46.Rxh8= is the other way to hold the draw, though this still requires a small amount of patience 36.Rh8 Bg7 37.Rh7 Bf8 38.h6 Ng5 39.Rh8 Bd6 40.h7 e4 41.g4 Black will soon be in zugzwang so the main question is really whether he can assemble some kind of fortress before then. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that he can, and that it's easier with a bishop than a knight: f5 42.gxf5 f6 43.Ke3 Nxh7 44.Rxh7 Ke5 45.Rh8 Bc5+ 46.Ke2 Bd6= 33.Rd4 Nb3 34.Rxe4+ Kd6 34...Kd7 is a bit more steady, considering how useful the back rank is to White in this position. 35.h4 Bh6 36.h5 Kd7 37.Rb4 This could be objectively winning already, but somehow I still doubt it. Nc1+ 37...Nc5 38.Rb8 f5 39.Rh8 Bg7 40.Rh7 Bd4 41.Rxf7+ Ke6 42.Rf8 Bg7± The position will be tough to hold, but it's likely doable. 38.Kf3 Ke6? Maybe the decisive mistake if it hasn't happened already. The king absolutely had to head for the bunker on g7 with 38...Ke7± 39.Rb6+ Kf5 40.Rb5+ Ke6 41.Ke4! Ne2 42.Rb6+ Ke7 43.Kd3 Nc1+ 44.Kc4 It's not possible to save the knight anymore, against the slow but inexorable threat of Rb2, f4, Rc2. Ne2 45.Rb1 1–0
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Navara,D-Ding,L-1–02019Shamkir Chess5

T. Radjabov ½-½ S. Karjakin

Teimour Radjabov and Sergey Karjakin made a lively draw. Radjabov gave up a pawn on the 22nd move, for which he got active play and tactical threats as compensation. Karjakin bypassed all the traps, but he could not keep his pawn. After 40 moves, the material equality was restored and one move later, the game ended in a draw.

 
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.d4 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2 c6!? An extremely rare choice compared to 7...a6, and even compared to 7...b5. However, there seems to have been some elite interest in it, including- a game between Karjakin and another Azeri top player from the previous year. 8.Qxc4 In that game, White very, very slowly edged his way to a small endgame plus: 8.a4 b6 9.Nbd2 Bb7 10.Nxc4 c5 11.Rd1 Nbd7 12.b3 Rc8 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Nfe5 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Qc7 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 17.Qe4 Nf6 18.Qf3 Qc6 19.Qxc6 Rxc6 20.f3 Rfc8 21.e4 Mamedyarov,S-Karjakin,S Berlin 2018 - and indeed it is hard to see what Black could have done better. 8...b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Bg5 Playing by analogy to the 7...a6 system: surely it cannot be to Black's advantage needing to play ...c5 in two moves? Mamedyarov also adopted 7... c6 himself in Berlin, in a twist to an opening discussion which I confess had flown very much under the radar for me, especially compared to the Semi-Tarrasches from that event: 10.Nc3 Nbd7 11.Rd1 Qb6 12.Ne5 Rfd8 13.Be3?! 13.Bg5 13...Nd5! 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Rac1 Rac8 16.Qd3 b4= So,W-Mamedyarov,S Berlin 2018 10...Nbd7 So Black intends ...c5. There are only a few possible ways to stop this. 11.Ne5 11.Rc1?! is the kind of thing Catalan players derive perverse satisfaction from coming up with, but it doesn't actually prevent ...c5 because of the tactic c5 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.dxc5 Nxc5 14.Qxc5 Rc8 15.Qe3 Bxb2 11.a4!? a6 12.Nbd2 is the best I've found. c5 12...Qb6 13.Ne4! prevents ...c5 for a good long stretch. 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 13...gxf6 14.Ng5 fxg5 15.Bxb7 Ra7 16.Bg2 cxd4 17.axb5 Rc7 18.Qe4 axb5 19.Qxd4= Black's kingside looks quite loose, but pieces are likely to be traded soon and then things will quieten down. 14.axb5 axb5 15.dxc5 Rc8 16.Nb3 It will take Black some time to recover the c5-pawn, and when he does White will have his other knight on d3 ready to claim superior co-ordination. 11...Nxe5 12.dxe5 Nd7 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.f4 It looks like White has achieved something, but in fact ...e5 releases just as much potential energy as the more usual break ...c5. f6! Equalising. 15.exf6 Nxf6 16.Nd2 e5 On a human level, this simply has to be done, and the sooner the better- but it's also interesting to keep ...c5 on the table by beginning with ...Rac8!? 17.e3 The engine recommends some 'big-picture chess' beginning with 17.Ne4!? Nxe4 17...exf4?! 18.Rxf4 Nd5 19.Rxf8+ Rxf8 20.Qc5 18.Qxe4 but after Qc5+ 19.e3 exf4 20.Qe6+ Kh8 21.Rxf4 Rfe8 22.b4!? it is all looking rather tenuous. Rxe6 23.bxc5 Kg8= 17...exf4 18.exf4 Rae8 19.Rac1 Qe3+ 20.Kh1 Qb6 21.b4 Nd5 22.Nf3 Nxb4 22...Ne3!? played for a win, perhaps justifiably so. 23.Qb3+ Kh8 24.Rfe1 Nxg2 25.Kxg2 c5!?∞ and Black gets compensation in all lines. 23.Qb3+ Nd5 24.Ne5 Rd8 25.a4 bxa4? Now Black's tactical problems will persist for some time. 25...Kh8= was a lot more natural. 26.Qxa4 c5 27.Rb1!? There are other moves of equal value, but this is reasonably straightforward. 27.Qa2!? Ba8! Nevertheless, after something like 27...Kh8?! 28.Rb1± regains the pawn since Qa6? actually loses a full piece to 29.Qxa6 Bxa6 30.Rfd1+- 27...Qa6 28.Rf2 Qxa2 29.Rxa2 a6 30.Raa1 Rc8 31.Ra5 Rfd8 32.Kg1 White keeps some pressure. 28.Ra1 Kh8 29.Rfb1 Qc7 30.Qxa7 Qxa7 31.Rxa7 Ne3 32.Bxa8 Rxa8 33.Rab7 it is hard to not slightly prefer White. 27...Qa6 28.Qxa6 Bxa6 29.Rfc1 Ne3 30.Ra1 Now Black gets active and slips the leash. 30.Bf3 c4 31.Ra1 Rd6 32.Rc3 Nf5 33.Nxc4 Bxc4 34.Rxc4 This should be a draw, but Black has some work still to do. 30...Nxg2 31.Rxa6 Rd2 32.Nc4 Re2 33.Kg1 Ne3 34.Re6 We should always stop to consider whether White can get doubled rooks on the seventh, e.g. by 34.Nxe3 Rxe3 35.Kf2 Rb3 36.Rxc5 Rb2+ 37.Kf3 Rxh2 38.Rxa7 Rh6 39.Rcc7 Rg6= Despite the indisputable passivity of Black's position, the reduced material means that White has no tries left. 34...Rg2+ 35.Kh1 Rc2 36.Rxc2 Nxc2 37.Ra6 Ra8 38.Kg2 Nd4 39.Ra5 Re8 40.Rxa7 Re2+ 41.Kh3 ½–½
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Radjabov,T-Karjakin,S-½–½2019Shamkir Chess5

Teimour Radjabov | Photo: ShamkirChess.com

A. Grischuk 1-0 V. Topalov

The third victory of the day was provided by Alexander Grischuk. Facing Veselin Topalov, the Russian number two demonstrated how strong the pair of bishops can be.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2 7.c5 We've just seen this in the previous round. Nh5 7...Ne4!? 8.Bd3 Nxf4 9.exf4 b6 10.b4 a5 11.a3 c6 12.0-0 Qc7 13.g3 Ba6 Yesterday we reached this position in Giri,A-Radjabov,T Shamkir Chess 2019 7.Qc2 c5 8.Rd1 cxd4 9.Rxd4 Qa5 10.Bg3 Nb6 11.Nd2 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nxc4 13.Nxc4 Qa6= Mamedyarov,S-Giri,A Shamkir 2018 7.g4 Topalov would probably have loved to meet this had he read my comment yesterday about irony. 7...dxc4 8.0-0 c5 8...a6 It seems to me that in cases where he holds the bishop-pair, it is decidedly to Black's advantage to insert this (practically forcing White's reply) so as to be able to use the b4-square. 9.a4 b6 10.Bxc4 10.Nd2!? Nd5 11.Bg3 Bb7 12.Nxc4 Bh4= 10...Bb7 11.Qe2 Nh5 12.Rad1 Nxf4 13.exf4 Nf6 14.Rfe1 Bb4 That key square! 15.Ne5 Nd5 16.Qd2 Rc8 17.Nd3 Bd6 18.Ne4 Nf6 Black was the one playing on in Harikrishna,P-Caruana,F Saint Louis 2019. 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.Bxc4 b6?! It's slightly unusual to keep the queens on, even if taking them off does mean backing down in some sense. 10...Qxd1 11.Rfxd1 b6 12.Bd6 Bxd6 13.Rxd6 Bb7 14.Rad1 Bxf3 15.gxf3 Rfc8 16.f4 Kf8 17.R6d4 was agreed drawn in Smirnov,P-Jakovenko,D Khanty-Mansiysk 2017. Bet they were both really proud of themselves. 11.Qc2 Bb7 11...a6 avoids the specific problems of the game, but Black is under-developed and can't afford this. 12.Rad1 Qe8 13.b4! Ncd7 14.Ne4! 12.Rfd1 Qc8 13.Nb5 a6 14.Nd6 Bxd6 15.Bxd6 Rd8 16.Rac1 The bishop-pair is here to stay, so White has a stable edge. Nce4 17.Bb4 Rxd1+ 17...a5 18.Be1 doesn't achieve anything since Black can't really play the logical ...Ba6. Ba6?! 19.Rxd8+ Qxd8 20.Bxa6 Rxa6 21.Ne5± 18.Qxd1 Qe8 19.Be2!? Not necessarily a bad move, but I can't think what it was hoping to accomplish. Rd8 20.Qb3 Bd5 21.Qa3 a5 22.Be1 h6?! After this mistake White's bishop-pair gets the run of the Black position. 22...e5 is still more or less equal, notwithstanding that it's not really fun for Black 23.Ne5 Rc8 24.b3 Rxc1 25.Qxc1 Qb8 26.Qb2 Nc5 27.f3 Nfd7 28.Bg3 Qc8 29.Nc4 29.e4 was also possible so that Black didn't have the option of taking on c4, but then slightly annoying could have been Bb7 30.Nc4 Ba6! pinning the knight. 29...Bxc4 30.Bxc4 Qc6 31.Qe2 f6 32.Bb5 Qd5 33.Bc4 Qc6 34.Qb2 Kf7 35.h3 Nb7 36.Qd4 Ke7 37.Qg4 Kf7 38.Kh2 Ndc5 39.a3 g6?! These pawn weaknesses will add up eventually. 39...b5 sitting tight on the kingside was the way to go 40.b4 axb4 41.axb4 h5 42.Qf4 Nd7 42...b5 43.Be2 g5 44.Qd4 h4 45.Bxh4 gxh4 46.bxc5± 43.Ba6 Nd8 44.Qh6 Nf8 45.Bd3 f5 46.e4 Qd7 47.Qe3 White is objectively winning here, it is just a matter of technique. The holes in Black's position are massive. Qc6 48.Qd4 Qd7 49.Qc3 g5! Continuing to push pawns on the kingside, because that worked out so well before. It's hard to offer better advice though. 50.exf5 exf5 51.Bc4+ Nde6 52.Qh8 At some point over the following few moves White probably regretted not having flicked this in at some moment. 52.h4!? 52...Kg6 53.Be5 Qe7 54.Qg8+ 54.Bd3 with the threat of g4 is the win proposed by our silicon overlord. 54...Ng7 55.Qd5 Qd7 56.Bd6 56.Qd4!? was valid, switching attention to the b6-pawn with decisive effect. 56...Nfe6 57.Qe5 h4! White has drifted a little bit and the position has gone back from being winning to simply being a lot better. Grischuk has to master his emotions and continue pressing. 58.Bb5 Qc8 59.Qd5 59.Qe3± stretches Black more 59...Qc3?! 59...Nf4! With this move, Black could have placed the entire outcome in doubt. White is still better, but in order to make progress the bishop pair must now be ceded, which is a bad sign. 60.Bxf4 gxf4 61.Qd6+ Qe6 62.Qxf4 Qe7! 60.Be8+ Kh7 61.Bd7 Qe1? A second mistake and it's over. 61...Qf6 62.Qb5 Qd8 63.Qc6± 62.Be5! f4 Maybe he had counted on 62...Nf4 not realising that White has 63.Bxf5+! Nxf5 64.Qf7+ Kh6 65.Bxf4 gxf4 66.Qf6+! as an in-between move to seal the deal. 63.Qd3+ Kh6 64.Bc3+- Neither knight can move and now perpetual check is also ruled out. The game is over. Qe3 65.Qc4 Kg6 66.Bc6 Kf7 67.Bd5 Ne8 68.Bd4 b5 69.Qc6 1–0
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Grischuk,A-Topalov,V-1–02019Shamkir Chess5

Alexander Grischuk | Photo: ShamkirChess.com

Friday is a rest day in Shamkir, and play will resume on Saturday.

Results of Round 5

 

Standings after Round 5

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Round-up show with GM Daniel King

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Round 5 commentary webcast

Commentary by GM Arkadij Naiditsch

Translation from German: Macauley Peterson

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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".

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