4/17/2015 – An awesome way to start the 2015 Shamkir Tournament. It seemed as if most of the players with white today were pressuring their opponents from the get-go. Giri cracked soon and So devastated his position. Adams lasted longer, but also fell to Kramnik. Meanwhile Carlsen and Caruana had monumentally difficult problems set in front of them, but somehow they both managed to hold.
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The Vugar Gashimov Memorial, is being held in Shamkir, Azerbaijan, from the 17th to the 26th of April, in memory of the great Vugar Gashimov, who passed away on the 10th of January 2014. The tournament consists of some of the strongest players in the World: reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen, former World Champions Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik, as well as, Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Michael Adams, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Rauf Mamedov will compete in this prominent event.
Round One
SNo.
Name
Rtg
Res.
Name
Rtg
1
Kramnik Vladimir
2783
1-0
Adams Michael
2746
2
So Wesley
2788
1-0
Giri Anish
2790
3
Mamedov Rauf
2651
½-½
Vachier-Lagrave Maxime
2762
4
Anand Viswanathan
2791
½-½
Carlsen Magnus
2863
5
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar
2754
½-½
Caruana Fabiano
2802
Daniel King shows the highlights of round 1
Kramnik, Vladimir 1-0 Adams, Michael Kramnik repeated a line that he used last year in the Candidates against Anand. He was unsuccessful, but maybe he had a new idea. Aronian also used it to beat Nakamura in their rapid match last year. Adams was the first one to deviate with 13...Qc6, though the typical ideas of the position remained: Black had a very weak c4 pawn that he cannot really hold on to, but he receives an initiative as compensation. This cost Kramnik his extra pawn, but he was able to obtain a slight advantage thanks to his bishop over a knight.
Adams seemed to be doing a good job of holding on, but things went awry when on move 23 he attacked White's queen with the wrong rook. The beautiful riposte 24.Rfd1! gave White an advantage whith Kramnik increased move by move, until reaching a winning double rook endgame.
Kramnik won in the typical style that made him World Champion: with patience and precision
So, Wesley 1-0 Giri, Anish Complete annihilation:
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1.c4g62.e4!?e5!?Modern Chess! Already we are mostly out of theory.3.d4Nf63...d6might transpose back into a King's Indian Defense, but we wouldn't want that would we?4.dxe54.Nf3exd45.e5Ne46.Qxd4Bb4+ was the game Nakamura-Svidler from a 2013 Grand Prix. It was also Svidler-Carlsen from 2014, but that was a blitz.4...Nxe45.Bd3Bb4+6.Kf1!6.Nd2was a completely wacko game between Kortschnoj-Timman back in 1976! 6...Nc57.Nf3The opening can hardly be called a success for Black. White cannot castle, but besides that everything is going well. His development will be faster than Black's. Giri also has to worry about his dark squares on the kingside.Ne6covering g5.8.a3Be79.Nc3d610.exd6Bxd611.b411.Bh6was also possible, So prefers the fianchetto and the queenside expansion.11...Bf8!?It's hard to guess that this bishop mas already moved three times. It will move a fourth to g7, definitely its best square.12.Qe2Bg713.Bg5Bf6a fifth time?!14.Bxf6only to be traded. This leaves Giri in a position with basically no development. It is not surprising that So's attack will be very strong.Qxf615.Qd20-016.Re1Qd817.Rd1!a518.h4!White's simply crashing through. Without Black's pieces being active it is clear that the king will find it difficult to survive.axb419.axb4Nd720.h5+-Nf621.c521.Qc1‼Would have been a beautiful shot. The point is that afterNxh521...Qe722.Nd5Nxd523.cxd5Ng724.hxg6fxg625.Re1Qf625...Qf726.Rxh7!Kxh727.Ng5++-26.Qh6Black's position simply falls apart.22.Bxg6+-21...b621...Nxh522.Rxh5gxh523.Qh6is about as ugly as it gets.22.hxg6fxg623.Qe3Qe724.Bc4bxc525.b5!There is no need to retake the pawn. White simply pushes his own pawn in order to prevent counterplay.Rb826.Re1Rb627.Na4Material losses are now inevitable.Rd628.Nxc5Ng429.Qe4Nxf229...Nf630.Qh4is of no help, the simply threat of Ng5 cannot be parried.30.Kxf2Rd2+31.Kg3!31.Kf1??Qxc532.Bxe6+Kh833.Qh4h5!and despite being down a pawn this position is far from easy. Black has a subtle point:34.Bxc8Rxf3+‼35.gxf3Qxb5+36.Kg1Qb6+37.Kf1Qb5+with a draw. Grandmasters are very tricky!31...Rxf3+31...Qxc532.Nxd2+-32.gxf3Black doesn't have a lot of checks and he is down a huge amount of material.1–0
A very clean round one victory for the American, who comes from his "worst tournament ever", in his own words
Mamedov, Rauf ½-½ Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime Maroczy style structures with few pieces on the board rarely tend to be dangerous for black. In this game Mamedov held a slight edge through-out, but it never seems as if the Frenchman was in any real danger.
No real problems for Vachier-Lagrave today
Azerbaijani Champion Rauf Mamedov
Anand, Viswanathan ½-½ Carlsen, Magnus Normally in the Marshall Gambit of the Spanish Opening black obtains a serious initiative for his missing pawn. This time, however, it seemed that all he obtained where chances to hold on and suffer in a long endgame. Carlsen set up a fortress looking position which Anand kept trying to breach. It seemed as if the World Champion would have a very tough time holding on to his position, but Anand was unable to find a way to break through.
Anand-Carlsen is always a highly anticipated match
It is unclear if Anand was really winning at any point, but the resilience of Carlsen paid off when on move 47 Anand made a mistake, allowing Carlsen to regain his pawn and draw the game. Perhaps the Norwegian would have drawn anyway without this mistake, but it would have been much harder.
Carlsen had to suffer today for many moves, but it could have been worse
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar ½-½ Caruana, Fabiano What a game! Mamedyarov's handling of the Grunfeld was unorthodox, to put it mildly, and its probably that with proper play Caruana would have equalized. However he underestimated the expansion on the queenside and the resulting majority and bind provided by the pawns on c5 and b4.
It's not often that a 2800 player gives up a bishop when he doesn't absolutely have to
In a very bold practical choice Caruana decided to sacrifice his bishop for two pawns, hoping to draw the resulting endgame. It does seem that his play was sound, as a quick look through some variations reveals no way for Mamedyarov to have made progress. The Azerbaijani eliminated all of Caruana's pawns, but at the cost of all his own pawns, and Caruana comfortably held the R+B vs. R endgame.
Replay Round One Games
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Maroczy style structures with few pieces on the board rarely tend to be
dangerous for black. In this game Mamedov held a slight edge through-out, but
it never seemes as if the Frenchman was in any real danger.1.e4c52.Nf3d63.Bb5+Bd74.Bxd7+Qxd75.c4Nf66.Nc3g67.d4cxd48.Nxd4Bg79.f30-010.Be3Nc611.0-0a612.Qd3Rfc813.b3Qd814.Rac1Nd715.Rfd1Bxd416.Bxd4Nxd417.Qxd4b518.Nd5bxc419.Rxc4Rxc420.Qxc4Nb621.Qc7Nxd522.Qxd8+Rxd823.Rxd5Rc824.Ra5Rc625.Kf2Kf826.Ke3Ke827.Kd3Kd728.Ra4h529.h4f530.Ra5Ke631.b4Kf632.a4e533.b5axb534.Rxb5Rc135.a5Ra136.Kc3Ke637.Kb2Ra438.Kb3Ra139.Kb2Ra440.Kb3Ra1½–½
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Alejandro RamirezGrandmaster Alejandro Ramirez has been playing tournament chess since 1998. His accomplishments include qualifying for the 2004 and 2013 World Cups as well as playing for Costa Rica in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. He currently has a rating of 2583 and is author of a number of popular and critically acclaimed ChessBase-DVDs.
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