1/12/2020 – It is hard to call a win by Alireza Firouzja a surprise after his stellar performance at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships — and his general good form from last year — but it is still noteworthy that he won his first ever game in Wijk aan Zee. He is joined in the lead in the Masters by Jorden van Foreest, who beat Yu Yangyi. In the Challengers, Pavel Eljanov, Surya Ganguly and Erwin l'Ami kicked off with victories. GM ALEX YERMOLINSKY reports. Round-up show by IM LAWRENCE TRENT. | Photo: Official site
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Another slow start for Carlsen
The 82nd edition of the chess festival in Wijk aan Zee takes place from January 11th to 26th. The Masters and the Challengers are both 14-player single round robins. Rounds start at 12:30 UTC, except January 16th in Eindhoven, when it starts 30 minutes later.
The 82nd edition of traditional Tata Steel tournaments kicks off the 2020 season of never-stop chess entertainment. It hasn't even been two full weeks since the end of the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Moscow and our chess gladiators gather round again to give us more games to watch and study.
This year's field is shorter on world's elite representation, due to the last moment withdrawal of Nepomniachtchi, and Grischuk's famous “I don't want to play in Wijk aan Zee anymore” quip. No doubt, both Russians are doing the right thing by focusing on the upcoming Candidates tournament, along with Ding Liren and Radjabov, who also are keeping low profile. Of course, the invitations went out before the names of surprising qualifiers, Wang Hao and Alekseenko, were known. These two, I suppose, wouldn't mind getting some practice in Wijk, but they will have to be content with playing in the Gibraltar Masters, which starts ten days from now.
This leaves only Caruana and Giri among the 2020 Candidates present at Tata Steel Chess this year. Of course, World Champion Carlsen is there, along with So and Anand, making the tournament's top rated group. The way the luck of pairing would have it, the four of them faced each other in the opening round.
Anish Giri finished in sole second place last year | Photo: Official site
We are used to Magnus' habit of starting slowly, and today was no exception. Carlsen's experimental treatment of the English Opening with White failed to impress Giri. For a moment it seemed Anish could try for more, but it was no more than an illusion, and soon a draw was agreed.
The World Champion confessed that he was “really embarrassed” by what he did, referring specifically to his decision of going for 10.h3 — a move that quickly left him a pawn down while playing White — after thinking for over twenty minutes. He added:
I definitely liked the idea of playing [Giri] as White, but as I said I'm hugely embarrassed by thinking for twenty minutes and missing a simple tactic. And, truth be told, with that in mind I'm happy with the result.
Scarcely any world champion has managed to captivate chess lovers to the extent Carlsen has. The enormously talented Norwegian hasn't been systematically trained within the structures of a major chess-playing nation such as Russia, the Ukraine or China.
The other battle between rating favourites, Caruana vs So, was a non-theoretical Grunfeld that looked more like a Queen's Gambit. Black seemed very comfortable, and possibly even more, but Wesley's 21st move opened a window to simplifications.
Caruana vs. So
Wesley So played 21...Rd7 in this position
What didn't he like about 21...g5 remains unknown.
Wesley So published two new opening DVDs: 1.b3, the so called Nimzo-Larsen-Attack, for White and his black secrets in the modern Italian. Get them in a package and save money!
Wesley So | Photo: Official site
There are many intriguing names in this year's event, and none more than Alireza Firouzja. The 16-year-old Iranian keeps on making headlines: his refusal to represent Iran in chess competition may mean settling in another country for good. Will it be France, where Alireza is currently residing? Then, there was a controversial incident during the much-anticipated battle with Carlsen at the World Blitz. Did Magnus let out a swear word when he blundered a pawn, and, more importantly, does it represent sufficient grounds for an appeal?
Today, all that was put on hold, as Firouzja went down to business, efficiently dispatching the rating underdog Vladislav Kovalev, who seemed strangely confused in a well-known opening line.
The old Zaitsev Variation, that has been lurking around
here and there since its peak of popularity passed with the 1980s. A fresh
look at the position in front of us shows a Benoni structure, ironically
compromised by the "active" position of Nb4. Had that piece stayed where it
belonged, which is the d7-square, there would be no reason for Black to have
any particular issues, aside of the proverbial " a good Benoni is still a
Benoni".16...c4?!A bit strange.A standard move order is to start with16...Nd7, wait for17.Ra3, and then playc4Of course,17...f5
was the scene of memorable battles between Kasparov and Karpov before Firouzja
was even born, but Alireza already had a game of his own on the black side of
this position, where his opponent, Alexey Shirov, replied with18.g4!?18.Nd4Qf619.N2f3Nc520.axb5axb521.Nxb5In this situation White wins a
pawn, but Black's invasion to d3 gives him counterchances. Kovalev played this
line against Shirov in 2015. One wonders what made Vladislav change his mind.All modern theory aside, I wonder if Black can agree on breaking up his pawn
pair,16...g617.Nf1Bg718.Ng3bxa419.Rxa4a5as in Kinderman-Dorfman,
1983, and just wait for further developments. The pressure against d5, exerted
by the black knights, makes accomplishing the e4-e5 break a difficult
proposition.17.Nd4So, the b5-pawn comes under attack without White
having to spend a tempo on the Ra3 move.Nd7?!Kovalev decides not to
bother with defending it.17...Qb618.N2f3bxa419.Rxa4a520.Nf5Bc821.Be3Qd822.Ng3is a familiar scenario. White stands better, what else to say.
18.axb5axb519.Rxa8Bxa820.Nxb5Qb821.Na3Nd322.Re3
22...Nxc122...Nxb223.Qc2Nd324.Ndxc4Nxc1would have been an improvement, if it
weren't for25.e5!g626.e6ripping Black's position to shreds.23.Qxc1g624.Naxc4Two pawns down, and still a Benoni....Bg725.Ra3Qc726.b4Bb727.Bd3Rb828.Qd1Bc829.Qa4Ne530.Nxe5Qc1+31.Bf1Bxe532.Nc4Bd433.Qe8+Kg734.Rf3f635.Qe7+Kg836.Qd8+1–0
Pavel Eljanov explains in depth what Gyula Breyer already saw in 1911 and what became an opening choice of the likes of Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand or Carlsen. The Breyer Variation, which is characterised by the knight retreat to b8.
A confident start for Alireza. All eyes are on him, will he manage to handle the pressure? When asked about his expectation at the post-game interview, the youngster responded:
As I said before, I'm not the favourite here of course, but I'm trying to get some good results with some top players, and we'll see what is gonna happen.
Is he afraid of any other participants? Firouzja laughed and confidently said:
I've played almost all of them, so I'm experienced, and we will see.
A future World Champion? — Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Official site
From the youngest to the oldest. Vishy Anand celebrated his 50th birthday, and here he is, playing more chess! For his battle against the talented Russian Vladislav Artemiev, Vishy prepared a less-known path in an Advanced Caro, 12. ♘a3, instead of the common 12.♘♘c3, which goes all the way back to Gelfand vs Karpov, 1995. Vlad replied in style, playing actively in the centre (15...f6!?) and soon sacrificed a pawn. Anand wisely (what else is new?) returned the material and offered an exchange sac to take the game into a drawn endgame. Very correctly played, indeed.
Another Russian participant, Nikita Vitiugov, came to replace his compatriot, Ian Nepomniachtchi. As it goes, look out for a last-minute entrant. Nikita proved a dangerous opponent for another aspiring youngster, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, by tricking him into a seemingly innocent line of the old Boleslavsky Classical Sicilian. Suddenly problems began to emerge, and it took a miracle for Duda to survive.
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1.e4c52.Nf3d63.d4cxd44.Nxd4Nf65.Nc3Nc66.Be2e57.Nb3Be78.0-00-09.Kh1a5A standard Boleslavsky pawn push.Alternatively,9...Be610.f4exf411.Bxf4d512.e5Nd713.Nxd5Ndxe5is an old line. Black
appears to be holding, but Nikita must have had his own thoughts about it.10.Be3White refuses to give up the b4-square:10.a4Nb411.Be3b612.f4Bb713.Bf3Qc714.Rf2Bc615.Rd2Qb7is unclear.10...Be611.Nd2d512.exd5Nxd513.Nxd5Qxd514.c3
White's modest treatment of the opening is
deceptive. He has no weaknesses of his own, and hopes to exploit the b6-square.
14...a415.Nc4Qe4Duda refuses to accept the simple fact that he stands worse.In the endgame, after15...Qxd116.Rfxd1Rad817.Bb6Rxd1+18.Rxd1
Black has to look for tactical solutions. One of them is represented byRc8!19.a3Nd420.cxd4Bxc421.Bxc421.Rc1Rc621...Rxc422.dxe5Rc223.Bd4f616.f3Qg617.Nb6Ra5Was the pawn sac,17...Rad818.Qxa4Bg5
the way to go?18.Bd3f519.Qc2Qf720.Nxa4Bxa2
True to his style,
Jan-Krzysztof doesn't shy away from complications.21.b4Bb322.Qe2Raa823.Nc5Vitiugov prefers simpler solutions.The attractive23.b5could be
met by the sharp replye4!?24.fxe4Ne525.Rxf5Qe623...Rxa124.Rxa1Bxc525.Bxc5Re826.h3This is a very unpleasant situation for the second
player. His active play with the e and f-pawns is going nowhere, while
White's bishop pair and pawn majority on the Q-side spell doom in most
endgames.Qe627.Re1Kh828.Rb1Ra8A bailout attempt,28...e429.fxe4fxe430.Qxe4Qxe431.Bxe4Rxe432.Rxb3would be on most players' minds, but
Duda always plays a no-yield kind of chess.29.b5Nb8
30.Rxb3
White had a wide choice of options, and Nikita went for the most visually
pleasant one.The restrained30.c4Nd731.Bg1Ra232.Qf1Bc233.Bxc2Rxc234.Rd1may have been the best,While30.Bxf5is the least
attractive of them all:Qxf531.Rxb3Ra1+32.Bg1Nd7with counterplay.30...Qxb331.Qxe5Qf732.Qxf5Qxf533.Bxf5
33...Ra5!Jan finds a great
tactic to get his knight into the game.34.c4Nc6!35.Bd635.bxc6??
is met with the cool recapturebxc6and White's bishops are skewered!35...Nd436.Be4Ra437.Bxb7Rxc438.b6Rc1+39.Kh2Rb140.Bc540.Be4Rxb641.Bc5Nxf3+Since the second tie-break game of the 2016 World Championship
match between Carlsen and Karjakin, such endings are considered drawish.40...Ne641.Be3Nd842.Be4Rb343.Bf2Better was43.Bc5Rb244.Be7
to force the black rook into a defensive position,Rd2White can get his
king out,45.Kg3Kg846.Kf4Kf747.Ke3Rd748.Bb4and think of advancing
his K-side pawns. Still, a long slog. I wonder why this line was advertised as
"winning" for White.43...Rb244.Bg3Kg845.Bd5+In case of45.Be5
Black defends withRb546.Bc7Ne647.Bc6Rb248.Bd5Kf749.b7whenRxb7is his saving grace.45...Kf846.Bd6+Ke847.Be5Rxb648.Bxg7Ne649.Be5
The bishop pair is great for supporting remote passed pawns, but when
it comes to working a restricted area of the board, it often comes as
surprisingly ineffective. Such is the case here, where White has no winning
chances left.49...Kf750.f4Rb551.Bf3Nf852.Bd4Ne653.Be5Nf854.Kg3Ng655.Bc3Ne756.Be5Ng657.Bc3Ne758.Be5½–½
Xiong vs Dubov was a great effort from both. Jeffery pushed hard, but couldn't break down Daniil's active defences.
The game that finished last produced another decisive result, as Jorden Van Foreest was able to take advantage of Yu Yangyi's error in a deep rook endgame.
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43...e4+44.Kd4The sharpest reply.On44.Kd2Kg445.b6
Black again has the resourceRb8!which cheapens White's pawn advantage
and leads to a draw after46.bxa7Ra847.Ke2Kf5as the white king cannot
go up the board.48.Ra5Ke649.Kd2Kd650.c4dxc451.Kc3e352.fxe3fxe3etc.On the other hand,44.Ke2allows Black to activate his rook withRc844...Kg445.b6Kf3?Yu stumbles.The right way to defend was still
45...Rb846.bxa7Ra8leading to an extremely complex situation after47.Kxd5Kf348.c4Kxf249.Kxe4f350.Kd550.Rf6Ke2=50...Ke251.Kc5f252.Re6+Kf1White plays53.Re7but runs intonot53.Kb6Rf8!53...Rc8+!which forces the white king to block the b-file,The plan was to answer53...Rf8with54.Rb7Ke255.Rb2+54.Kb6and then,
miraculously,Rf855.Rf755.Rb7Ke255...Rxf756.a8QRf4!is a draw.
It goes without saying that such accuracy is impossible to achieve in an
over-the-board game.46.Rxa7From this point on Jorden Van Foreest
demonstrates an impeccable technique.Rb847.a5Kxf248.Re7f349.b7e350.a6e251.Re6e1Q52.Rxe1Kxe153.a7Rxb754.a8QRe755.Qf8Re4+56.Kxd5Re357.Qc5Kd257...Re858.Qg1+Ke259.Qg4Ke360.Qg5+Ke261.Qh5Re362.c458.Kd4Rd3+59.Ke4Rxc360.Qf2+Kc161.Kd4Ra362.Kd5Rd3+63.Kc4Ra364.Qc5Kb265.Qb4+Ka266.Qd2+Kb167.Kb4Ra268.Qd1+Kb269.Qxf3Kc170.Qf1+Kc271.Qe1Rb2+72.Kc4Ra273.Qe2+Kb174.Qd1+Kb275.Kb41–0
Rules of thumb are the key to everything when you are having to set the correct course in a complex endgame. In this final DVD of his series on the endgame, our endgame specialist introduces you to the most important of these rules of thumb.
The Challengers group started with more experienced players dominating their youthful opposition, as Eljanov, Ganguly and l'Ami all scored endgame victories.
Surya Shekhar Ganguly kicked off with a win | Photo: Official site
1.c4Nf62.Nc3e53.e3Nc64.Qb34.a3g65.d4exd46.exd4Bg77.Nf30-08.d5Re8+9.Be2Ne510.Nxe5Rxe511.Bf4Re812.Qd2½-½ (30) Laznicka,V (2670)-Vitiugov,N (2726) Prague 20194...g65.Nf3NPredecessor:5.d3Bg76.g3b67.Bg2Bb78.Nf30-09.0-0Qe710.e4d611.Bg5Qd71-0 (44) Stripunsky,A (2561)-Shetty,A (2368) Arlington 20155...Bg76.d4A25: English Opening vs King's Indian with ...Nc6 but without early d3exd47.exd40-08.Be2d69.0-0Re810.h3Ne4And now ...Nxc3 would win.11.Nxe4Rxe4
Double Attack12.Be3Nxd413.Nxd4The position is equal.Bxd414.Bf3Rh415.Bxd4Rxd416.Bxb7Bxb717.Qxb7Rxc418.Rac1Rxc119.Rxc1= Endgame KQR-KQRc5...Rb8 is the strong threat.20.Rd1!Rb821.Qxa7Rxb2
Hoping for ...Qf6.22.Qxc5!dxc523.Rxd8+Kg724.Rc8Rxa225.Rxc5½–½
1.d4d52.c4e63.Nf3a64.cxd5exd55.Nc3Nf66.Bg5D37: Queen's Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4.Be67.e3Nbd78.Bd3White is slightly better.h69.Bf4g510.Bg3Nh511.Qc2Nxg312.hxg3Bg713.Bf5Qf6 Black fights for an advantage.14.g40-0-015.0-0-0Kb816.Kb1c617.Ne2
17.Rh5is interesting.Rc818.a3Rce819.Rdh1Qe720.R5h317...Bxf5NPredecessor:17...Bf818.Ng3Bd619.Nh5Qe720.e4Bxf521.exf5Rde822.Rde1Qd823.Qc3Qc71-0 (90) Grela,K (2294)-Baum,J (2064) Marianske Lazne 201818.Qxf5Qxf5+19.gxf5g4!20.Ne1h521.g3Bf621...Nf622.Nf4=The position is equal.h423.gxh4Bxh424.Ned3Bg525.Ne2Bh426.Nef4Bg527.Ne2Bh428.Nef4Accuracy: White = 90%, Black = 95%.½–½
Alex YermolinskyYermo is enjoying his fifties. Lives in South Dakota, 600 miles way from the nearest grandmaster. Between his chess work online he plays snooker and spends time outdoors - happy as a clam.
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