The time control in the GP tournaments is 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, 50 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
The first leg, in Sharjah, will be held February 18 - 27 (with a rest day on the 23rd) at the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club. The first prize is €20,000; the total prize fund is is €130,000.
2017 Sharjah GP Participants
All photos by Max Avdeev
Like it or not, there have been an inordinate number of 'grandmaster draws', and four games ended in 23 moves or less, with most of the pieces still on the board.
Levon Aronian's split of the point lasted just 23 moves
One could hardly blame the great Hou Yifan for seeking out to hold the point, since she was already dead lost more than once. Still..... 7 draw out of 7 games.
Both leaders, Sharkhriyar Mamedyarov, and...
... Maxime Vachier Lagrave maintain their half-point lead.
Alex Yermolinsky chose to annotate two games for the readers' pleasure:
Ding Liren vs Hikaru Nakamura (annotated by Alex Yermolinsky)
Alexander Grischuk played on a draw endgame with Michael Adams all the way until the end
Saleh Salem seemed ebullient after his win over Russian champion Riazantsev
Pavel Eljanov is one player who has fought to the end in his games. However, round seven saw him play rather oddly
Li Chao vs Pavel Eljanov (Annotated by Alex Yermolinsky)
If you enjoyed Yermolinsky's analysis, be sure to check out the next issue of ChessBase Magazine where a more in-depth version of his analysis will appear.
| Bo | No | Ti. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Ti | Name | Rtg | No |
| 1 | 1 | GM | Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | 2796 | 4 | ½ - ½ | 3½ | GM | Jakovenko Dmitry | 2709 | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2766 | 4 | ½ - ½ | 3½ | GM | Nepomniachtchi Ian | 2749 | 8 |
| 3 | 9 | GM | Grischuk Alexander | 2742 | 3½ | ½ - ½ | 3½ | GM | Adams Michael | 2751 | 7 |
| 4 | 5 | GM | Ding Liren | 2760 | 3 | ½ - ½ | 3½ | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 2785 | 3 |
| 5 | 14 | GM | Rapport Richard | 2692 | 3 | ½ - ½ | 3 | GM | Aronian Levon | 2785 | 2 |
| 6 | 13 | GM | Vallejo Pons Francisco | 2709 | 3 | ½ - ½ | 3 | GM | Hou Yifan | 2651 | 17 |
| 7 | 10 | GM | Li Chao B | 2720 | 2½ | 1 - 0 | 2½ | GM | Eljanov Pavel | 2759 | 6 |
| 8 | 11 | GM | Tomashevsky Evgeny | 2711 | 2 | ½ - ½ | 2½ | GM | Hammer Jon Ludvig | 2628 | 18 |
| 9 | 16 | GM | Salem A.R. Saleh | 2656 | 2 | 1 - 0 | 2 | GM | Riazantsev Alexander | 2671 | 15 |
| Rk | SNo | Ti. | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | GM | Vachier-Lagrave Maxime | FRA | 2796 | 4,5 |
| 2 | 4 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | AZE | 2766 | 4,5 |
| 3 | 7 | GM | Adams Michael | ENG | 2751 | 4,0 |
| 4 | 12 | GM | Jakovenko Dmitry | RUS | 2709 | 4,0 |
| 5 | 9 | GM | Grischuk Alexander | RUS | 2742 | 4,0 |
| 6 | 3 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | USA | 2785 | 4,0 |
| 7 | 8 | GM | Nepomniachtchi Ian | RUS | 2749 | 4,0 |
| 8 | 14 | GM | Rapport Richard | HUN | 2692 | 3,5 |
| 9 | 10 | GM | Li Chao B | CHN | 2720 | 3,5 |
| 10 | 5 | GM | Ding Liren | CHN | 2760 | 3,5 |
| 11 | 13 | GM | Vallejo Pons Francisco | ESP | 2709 | 3,5 |
| 12 | 2 | GM | Aronian Levon | ARM | 2785 | 3,5 |
| 17 | GM | Hou Yifan | CHN | 2651 | 3,5 | |
| 14 | 16 | GM | Salem A.R. Saleh | UAE | 2656 | 3,0 |
| 15 | 18 | GM | Hammer Jon Ludvig | NOR | 2628 | 3,0 |
| 16 | 11 | GM | Tomashevsky Evgeny | RUS | 2711 | 2,5 |
| 17 | 6 | GM | Eljanov Pavel | UKR | 2759 | 2,5 |
| 18 | 15 | GM | Riazantsev Alexander | RUS | 2671 | 2,0 |
AGON is offering exclusive pay-per-view video of the games and live commentary. It comes in three packages: a one-time $10 fee just for Sharjah GP, a full package of all the events in the World Championship cycle for $30, and a $250 package, which is the same as the $30 Base but comes with signed posters from each event.
For more information, see the widget on the main page.
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 14 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |
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