Fight for fourth spot in GCT Finals heats up
For a second consecutive round, one of the five games ended decisively at the Sinquefield Cup. Javokhir Sindarov scored his first victory of the tournament by defeating Vincent Keymer with the black pieces, while the other four encounters finished drawn.
Wesley So remains the sole leader after a 32-move draw with white against Anish Giri. So now has 4½/7 points and leads by half a point over Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who are tied for second place on 4/7.
The Hyper-Accelerated dragon is fast, from the very first moves, your bishop heads to g7, seizes the long diagonal, and turns into the most feared piece on the board.
It rewards players who love initiative and clear attacking plans.
This two-volume course presents a complete repertoire for Black after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 - the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon. In recent years, this dynamic line has grown significantly in popularity, with several of the world’s top players adding it to their repertoires.
This variation has two main advantages for black, he does not have to face the Rossolimo or Moscower Variation after 3.Bb5 and in many lines he can play d5 in one go and save a tempo. This first volume covers the Open Sicilian with both the razor sharp lines from the dragon and the positional Maroczy Bind.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.Be3 Qb6 Introduction
Sindarov's victory added another layer to the final two rounds. Keymer entered the Sinquefield Cup in fourth place in the overall Grand Chess Tour standings, the final qualifying position for the GCT Finals, only half a point ahead of Sindarov. With both players now on 3½/7 in Saint Louis, Sindarov has a realistic chance of overtaking Keymer if he finishes ahead of his German colleague in the event.
The final two rounds will therefore feature two parallel contests: one for the Sinquefield Cup title and another for qualification to the Grand Chess Tour Finals.
We might get to see Javokhir Sindarov playing in the GCT Finals next week, two months before his match for the World Championship against Gukesh Dommaraju - set to kick off on 25 November in Geneva | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Round 7 results
The closest anyone else came to winning was Sam Sevian against Jorden van Foreest. Sevian obtained a favourable position in a complicated queenless middlegame, but missed the precise 29...Nb5, which would have preserved Black's advantage.
He instead chose 29...Nc6?!, after which Van Foreest found enough resources to restore the balance and eventually secure the draw.
With the moves d4-Nf3-e3-Bd3 White aims for simple piece development and to slowly build up a devastating attack on the kingside!
One of the simplest openings for White to learn, and one of the most frustrating ones for Black to face! With the moves d4-Nf3-e3-Bd3 White aims for simple piece development and to slowly build up a devastating attack on the kingside!
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: e4-e5 attacking ideas
Jorden van Foreest | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Sam Sevian and Jorden van Foreest soon after signing a draw | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Given the situation in the tour standings, Sindarov had strong incentives to play for a win against Keymer. With black, he chose the Benko Gambit, steering the game towards an unbalanced position with plenty of scope for active play.
The Uzbek grandmaster came out of the opening in good shape and initially had the more promising position. His 20...Be4?! altered the balance, however, allowing Keymer to take over the initiative and obtain a clear edge.
Keymer did not make the most of that opportunity. Rather than maintaining the pressure in the more complex position, he simplified into an endgame, a decision that eased Sindarov's task considerably. Sindarov, who also had a substantial advantage on the clock, correctly judged that he could head for a pure opposite-coloured bishop ending.
Such endings are often associated with strong drawing tendencies, but the concrete features of this position favoured Black. Keymer, playing with roughly an hour less on the clock, failed to find the most resilient defensive setup, while Sindarov gradually improved his king and bishop.
By the time Sindarov played 54...Bg1, Black had a completely winning position.
One particularly attractive winning idea involved even giving up the bishop, as the decisive factor was the black king's route through d4 and c3. The king infiltration would have been enough to settle the game despite the material sacrifice.
Keymer resigned soon afterwards. It was his second defeat of the tournament, balancing the two wins he has scored so far in Saint Louis. Sindarov, meanwhile, finally broke through after six rounds without a victory.
Keymer 0-1 Sindarov
In over 4 hours in front of the camera, Karsten Müller presents to you sensations from the world of endgames - partly reaching far beyond standard techniques and rules of thumb - and rounds off with some cases of with own examples.
Vincent Keymer dealing with a tough opposite-coloured bishop ending | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Javokhir Sindarov | Photo: Crystal Fuller
Standings after round 7
All games
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