Shamkir R2: Carlsen, of course
4/18/2015 – Today's round was certainly duller than the one we started out with, and the day ended with four solid draws. None of the players seemed to be in any danger of losing, or even of falling a significantly worse position, and the results seemed like logical conclusions. The one decisive game went to Magnus Carlsen, who wiped Shakhriyar Mamedyarov off the board. Round two report.
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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 Two
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Michael | 2746 |
½-½ |
Caruana Fabiano | 2802 |
| Carlsen Magnus | 2863 |
1-0 |
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 |
| Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 |
½-½ |
Anand Viswanathan | 2791 |
| Giri Anish | 2790 |
½-½ |
Mamedov Rauf | 2651 |
| Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 |
½-½ |
So Wesley | 2788 |
Adams, Michael ½-½ Caruana, Fabiano
White obtained nothing from the opening, a typical anti-Berlin with a quick exchange on c6. If anything it was Caruana that seemed to be enjoying his position more, but after a series of piece trades the players agreed to a repetition.
An effortless draw for Fabiano Caruana
Carlsen, Magnus 1-0 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar
[Event "Vugar Gashimov Mem 2015"] [Site "Shamkir AZE"] [Date "2015.04.18"] [Round "2"] [White "Carlsen, M."] [Black "Mamedyarov, S."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D11"] [WhiteElo "2863"] [BlackElo "2756"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2015.04.17"] [SourceDate "2015.02.07"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 {The Schlechter system of the Slav. This is considered a much more appropiate response to 4.e3 than 4.Nc3, as now the bishop cannot go to f4.} 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O b6 8. a4 a5 9. cxd5 cxd5 (9... Nxd5 {Was Wang Yue's choice against Anand in 2010, but I feel taking with the c-pawn is more logical.}) 10. b3 Ne4 $6 {The beginning of Black's real problems. This trade is normally quite desirable on e4, as Black obtains a good square on d5 for his other knight and retains solid chances. However here, specifically, he is unable to do anything like that because of his slow development.} 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. Nd2 Bb7 13. Ba3 f5 14. Rc1 Kh8 15. Nc4 {Black would like to play the move Nb8-d5, but the knight doesn't stretch so far.} Nd7 16. d5 {Precisely the problem. The pawn push creates issues for Black as the space created behind it activates White's pieces.} Rc8 17. d6 e6 18. b4 $1 { Opening up even more space.} axb4 19. Bxb4 Bd5 20. a5 $1 bxa5 21. Bxa5 Qe8 22. Qa4 {It's very clear that Black is passive. He doesn't have an active plan and simply hopes that his blockade on d7 will hold.} Bc6 23. Qb4 Rb8 24. Nb6 $1 { Why not? The pin looks uncomfortable but Black cannot take advantage of it, more importantly this trades off that d7 knight.} Ne5 $6 (24... Nxb6 25. Bxb6 Qd7 26. Rc2 $16) 25. Qc5 Ba8 $2 {The losing move, technically, but this was already a very difficult position.} (25... Rf7 26. Rfd1 $16) 26. Bc3 Nd7 (26... Qc6 27. Qxe5 $18) 27. Bxg7+ Kxg7 28. Nxd7 Qxd7 29. Qe5+ {Black's position very obviously collapses after the rook incursion to c7.} 1-0
Joining Kramnik and So at the top with +1 (1.5/2): Magnus Carlsen
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime ½-½ Anand, Viswanathan
The idea of playing an early Bf5 in the Ragozin is becoming increasingly popular for Black, but it was unheard of to play it as early as Anand did. The Indian player made it look easy to equalize with Black in the Ragozin. Even though MVL cleverly got some pressure from an equal position, it was still nothing important and the game was eventually drawn.
Carlsen casually on-looking
Daniel King shows the game Carlsen vs Mamedyarov
Giri, Anish ½-½ Mamedov, Rauf
Giri's early Qb3 attempt in this Slav gave him the slightest of edges, if anything. Mamedov put up stiff resistance and defended well, even sacrificing a pawn at some point to cripple his opponent's pieces. The endgame with a bishop vs. knight was a little more comfortable for Giri, but he was unable to put his opponent in any real danger.
Anish Giri was unable to break...
...Rauf Mamedov's defenses
Kramnik, Vladimir ½-½ So, Wesley
Kramnik's unusual opening play netted him nothing. The game was solidly drawn after many trades.
Cool and collected: So had no problems equalizing
Kramnik isn't usually known for his unorthodox play in the opening.
Here he must have been which spirit possessed him to make this decision.
Replay Round Two Games
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Photos taken from the official website
Standings
Schedule
Round 1
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 |
1-0 |
Adams Michael | 2746 |
| So Wesley | 2788 |
1-0 |
Giri Anish | 2790 |
| Mamedov Rauf | 2651 |
½-½ |
Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 |
| Anand Viswanathan | 2791 |
½-½ |
Carlsen Magnus | 2863 |
| Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 |
½-½ |
Caruana Fabiano | 2802 |
Round 2
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Michael | 2746 |
½-½ |
Caruana Fabiano | 2802 |
| Carlsen Magnus | 2863 |
1-0 |
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 |
| Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 |
½-½ |
Anand Viswanathan | 2791 |
| Giri Anish | 2790 |
½-½ |
Mamedov Rauf | 2651 |
| Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 |
½-½ |
So Wesley | 2788 |
Round 3
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So Wesley | 2788 | - | Adams Michael | 2746 |
| Mamedov Rauf | 2651 | - | Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 |
| Anand Viswanathan | 2791 | - | Giri Anish | 2790 |
| Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 | - | Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 |
| Caruana Fabiano | 2802 | - | Carlsen Magnus | 2863 |
Round 4
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Michael | 2746 | - | Carlsen Magnus | 2863 |
| Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 | - | Caruana Fabiano | 2802 |
| Giri Anish | 2790 | - | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 |
| Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 | - | Anand Viswanathan | 2791 |
| So Wesley | 2788 | - | Mamedov Rauf | 2651 |
Round 5
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mamedov Rauf | 2651 | - | Adams Michael | 2746 |
| Anand Viswanathan | 2791 | - | So Wesley | 2788 |
| Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 | - | Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 |
| Caruana Fabiano | 2802 | - | Giri Anish | 2790 |
| Carlsen Magnus | 2863 | - | Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 |
Round 6
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Michael | 2746 | - | Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 |
| Giri Anish | 2790 | - | Carlsen Magnus | 2863 |
| Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 | - | Caruana Fabiano | 2802 |
| So Wesley | 2788 | - | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 |
| Mamedov Rauf | 2651 | - | Anand Viswanathan | 2791 |
Round 7
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anand Viswanathan | 2791 | - | Adams Michael | 2746 |
| Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 | - | Mamedov Rauf | 2651 |
| Caruana Fabiano | 2802 | - | So Wesley | 2788 |
| Carlsen Magnus | 2863 | - | Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 |
| Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 | - | Giri Anish | 2790 |
Round 8
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Michael | 2746 | - | Giri Anish | 2790 |
| Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 | - | Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 |
| So Wesley | 2788 | - | Carlsen Magnus | 2863 |
| Mamedov Rauf | 2651 | - | Caruana Fabiano | 2802 |
| Anand Viswanathan | 2791 | - | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 |
Round 9
| Name | Rtg | Res. | Name | Rtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2754 | - | Adams Michael | 2746 |
| Caruana Fabiano | 2802 | - | Anand Viswanathan | 2791 |
| Carlsen Magnus | 2863 | - | Mamedov Rauf | 2651 |
| Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2762 | - | So Wesley | 2788 |
| Giri Anish | 2790 | - | Kramnik Vladimir | 2783 |
Commentary on Playchess
One of the major tournaments of the year, you can count on www.playchess.com to deliver quality commentary every round!
| Day | Date | Round | English | German |
| Friday | April 17 | Round 1 | GM Daniel King | GMs Oliver Reeh/Dorian Rogozenco |
| Saturday | April 18 | Round 2 | GM Simon Williams | GM Klaus Bischoff |
| Sunday | April 19 | Round 3 | GM Simon Williams | GM Klaus Bischoff |
| Monday | April 20 | Round 4 | GM Daniel King | GM Klaus Bischoff |
| Tuesday | April 21 | Round 5 | GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov | GM Klaus Bischoff |
| Wednesday | April 22 | Free | ||
| Thursday | April 23 | Round 6 | GM Daniel King | GM Klaus Bischoff |
| Friday | April 24 | Round 7 | GM Simon Williams | GM Klaus Bischoff |
| Saturday | April 25 | Round 8 | GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov | GMs Oliver Reeh/Karsten Müller |
| Sunday | April 26 | Round 9 | GM Daniel King | GM Klaus Bischoff |
English Commentators
LinksThe games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |
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Discussion and Feedback
Join the public discussion or submit your feedback to the editors
It seems that So is looking at Chess960 games on the WEB (a have many Chess960 blitz games played on Lichess.org), because this Fisher variation of Chess is the source of new unorthodox ideas for Classic Chess, and Kramnik obviously tried to challenge So with his own new ideas...Take a look...the last Wesley So two games are Chess960 games...
A lot of "Solid" and dull players in this tournament. Look for a very high draw percentage.
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