1/29/2018 – Magnus Carlsen scored his record sixth Tata Steel Chess tournament win, on the same day tennis legend Roger Federer won his sixth Australian Open title. Draws from the tournament leaders in the Masters forced a playoff blitz match, which Magnus won with seeming ease. Challengers leader Vidit made a solid draw which secured him the top spot and automatic invitation to next year's Masters. And there will be a next year; at the conclusion of the round, it was announced that the tournament was guaranteed for January 11-27, 2019. Analysis and commentary by GM Daniel Fernandez | Photo: Alina l'Ami Tata Steel Chess on Facebook
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Blitz decides
As the players started the final round in Wijk aan Zee, on the other side of the world in Melbourne, Australia, Roger Federer was making history winning his sixth Australian Open title, tying the all-time record, and his 20th Grand Slam event (a record that it's hard to see ever being broken). Chess fans in Melbourne woke up Monday morning to a new six-time Tata Steel Chess tournament winner: World Champion Magnus Carlsen.
Much as Federer's feat took a full match of five sets to accomplish, Carlsen relied on his blitz accumen to carry the day, after a pair of last round draws left the leaders Carlsen and Anish Giri tied with 9 / 13, which has been the winning tally since 2015. Carlsen was the heavy favourite, not only due to his rating edge (he ends the tournament at 2843, his highest rating since November, 2016), but also because of his unbleamished record in rapid and blitz tiebreaks, going back over a decade.
Unlike Federer, who won a slew of tournaments in 2017, this was Carlsen's first classical round-robin tournament win since July, 2016 in Bilbao. At the closing press conference he called that "a big deal", adding "it was a huge relief already for me before today that I actually played kind of decently here, apart from blundering a piece [referring to round eight -Ed.], I don't think I made major mistakes." That stands in contrast, Magnus noted, to recent tournaments such as the London Chess Classic and the Sinquefield Cup during which his play was much more uneven.
This was the first time that a blitz playoff was used to determine the winner in Wijk aan Zee. Carlsen said afterward that he thought it was important to settle a tournament winner over the board, via a tiebreak match, or else it's better to treat players who tie for first as "shared winners", as has been done in the past editions.
Impressions from Round 13
The start of the grand finale at the 80th Tata Steel Chess tournament | Tata Steel Chess on YouTube
The tiebreak
Carlsen had white in the first game, and went for a quick queen trade. He maintained a tiny advantage until liquidating into a winning bishop endgame. "A very clean technical win," noted live commentator GM Eric Hansen. That meant that Giri was forced to strike back in his white game.
In the second game Giri played 1.e4 and Magnus calmly finished adjusting his pieces even after his clock had begun to tick. Giri sacrificed a piece for two pawns and immediately Carlsen started grimacing. He decided to give back the piece immediately and instead play a pawn down, with a minute less on the clock to boot. Carlsen's 27...Rde8 came with sort of shrug, but Anish spent all of his time advantage and more and that really hurt him. Carlsen managed to get maximum activation for his pieces, and ensure a draw.
1.Nf3Nf62.c4e63.b3d54.Bb2Be75.e3Sparing me another annotation
of a b3 Catalan.0-06.Nc3c56...b6!=would have been more in
keeping with the logic of Anish's main game today- avoiding potentially
awkward hanging-pawns formations.7.cxd5Just as theorised in the notes to
the main game, this is the way White should play. Obviously d4 is fine
immediately, but why not make Black play with a central structure he doesn't
like?Nxd58.Nxd5exd58...Qxd59.Bc4Qd610.0-0Nc6=still looks
fine for Black, if a bit passive9.d4Qa5+Technically the novelty.9...Nc610.dxc5Bxc511.a3Bg412.Be2a513.0-0Qd614.Qd3Bh515.Rfd1Rfd816.Nh4Bxe217.Qxe2Qe618.Nf3Votava,J -Froewis,G Austria 201610.Qd2Qxd2+11.Kxd2Nc612.dxc5Bxc513.Bb5So the position is still fine
for Black, but White is taking no risks, and can choose to play against the
IQP 'as is' or maybe with some kind of Bxc6, Rfc1, Bd4-c5 thing. Ideal for
blitz.Bb4+14.Ke2Be614...Ne7might not have been a terrible idea
under the circumstances15.Rac1Rac816.Rhd116.Bxc6bxc617.Ne5
was a useful tactical chance: Black can either sacrifice the pawn or allowc518.Nd3but in either case he is definitely suffering.16...Be717.h3a618.Bd3Nb419.Bb1Rxc120.Rxc1Rc821.Rd1Nc622.g4Thinking about Bf5,
and also restricting Black's kingside pawns, allowing for a future f4-f5
thrust.h623.Nd4Nxd4+24.Bxd4Ba325.f4Like that.f626.Bg626.e4dxe427.Bxe4looked quite convincing, even though it liquidates the most
immediate target of White's pressure.26...Kf827.Kf3Ke728.h428.b4!?was worth noticing, but afterBxb429.Rb1a530.a3Bd631.Rxb7+Rc732.Rb8Rc833.Rb5a4=it all just fizzles out a bit28...Bb429.Bd3Bd730.e4Eventually White had to make this break, though he has spent enough
time in the process that Black is probably objectively fine again.Bc3?!30...dxe4+31.Bxe4Bc632.h5Bxe4+33.Kxe4Ke6!=33...Rc2?34.Kf531.Bf2Bc632.exd5Bxd5+33.Be4Bxe4+34.Kxe4Ke6?!Just like the
previous note, except Black's pieces are now out of sync.34...Bb435.Be335.Kf5Rc236.Bd4Kf7!=35...Ke636.a4Black has not completely
equalised here, but it's better than the game.35.f5+Ke736.Rc1Forcing
a favourable bishop endgame.Rc6?Definitely losing and almost certainly
the decisive mistake.36...Kd737.Kd3Bb438.Rxc8Kxc839.Kc4Bd640.Kd5Kd741.a4±might also be winning, or it might not- but White can play
with various ideas, like Bd4 and then g5, or Bc5 at the right moment. I
suspect Black has just enough answers.37.Kd3Bb438.Rxc6bxc639.Kc4Bd640.Bc5Kd741.h5Bf441...Kc742.Bxd6+Kxd643.b4+-42.Bf8Ke8
The last idea is to try and trap this bishop, but White can just go back and
pick a better time for the incursion.43.Bc5Kd743...Bc7was another
place to try and defend from.44.Kb4Bd844...a5+45.Ka4Bd846.b4axb447.Kxb4Bc748.a4+-45.Bd6Bb646.a4However, it is now zugwang. Black
has to play ...a5, and then the game is almost over.a5+47.Kc4Be348.b4axb449.Kxb4White can walk the pawn to a6 and then play Bc5.44.Kb4Bd2+45.Ka4Kc746.b4The black king is now caught trying to do two jobs at the
same time.Bf447.Bf8Kb6of course, after47...Kd748.Ka5Ke8White
is not obliged to take on g7, but can conserve his bishop with49.Bc5+-48.Bxg7Bg549.Bf8Bf450.Be7Bg551.Kb3Heading back to win with Be3.51.Bd8+Kb752.Ka5Bh453.Be7Bg554.Bc5Bf455.Bd4Bg556.a3+-
is another zugzwang idea to win51...Kc752.Kc4Kd753.Bc5Kc754.Kd3Kd755.Be31–0
One tweet in a row without any dubious jokes and puns: thank you all for your support, great result @tatasteelchess , tremendous achievement for my team, my fans and myself! Special thanks to my sponsor @OptiverEurope#TataSteelChess
Three-time winner (the only three times he played!) Garry Kasparov congratulated Magnus:
Since it is @MagnusCarlsen's record sixth @TataSteelChess victory, I could save time by retweeting previous congratulations. But winning supertournaments never gets old, so neither should the tweets! https://t.co/J5dZ94U0Cm
Vladimir Kramnik's third place finish was first among the participants in the upcoming Candidates tournament. His last round win allowed him to edge past Mamedyarov on Sonneborn-Berger tiebreak score. Long gone are the days of rueful fans cracking jokes about "Drawnik" — in fact Kramnik played the most decisive games of any plus scorer in either tournament (Hou Yifan lost eight games). That, in part, helped him win the Vugar Gashimov "Fair Play Award" awarded by Sarkhan Gashimov (Vugar's older brother), who initiated the prize three years ago: Previous winners in 2017 were Baskaran Adhiban in the Masters and Canadian GM Eric Hansen in the Challengers.
"It's nice to get at least some trophy, if not the main one, but still something for my kids to play with." Kramnik hadn't played in TSC since 2011, but for no special reason. He feld some nostalgia for the tournament while watching as a spectator last year, and reached out to the organisers to see about playing once again. "For me coming to Wijk aan Zee after seven years break was like a new place. It was like a new tournament. Maybe that's also the reason why I played so many interesting and decisive games." He noted that 20 years ago he also had six wins and two losses, the one time he shared first in the tournament (with Anand).
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov ended the tournament fourth, but was upbeat after his last round draw with Vishy Anand. 'Shak' noted that in his first trip to Wijk aan Zee he scored 4½ points in thirteen games. This year he had the same score after six games. He also ends the tournament solidly in posession of the number two spot on the Elo list with a career best rating of 2814. When asked if this was his last tournament before the Candidates he inadvertantly broke the news of the upcoming Tal Memorial, which has yet to be announced on the Russian Chess Federation web site. But Russian guests at TSC familiar with the planning said it will be a rapid and blitz tournament in Moscow from March 2nd to 5th. Therefore for Mamedyarov it'll be a warm-up of sorts for the Candidates tournament which starts just a few days later. Among other players (to be confirmed) expected are Hikaru Nakamura, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Sergey Karjakin and Peter Svidler.
Final standings
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Analysis and comments by GM Daniel Fernandez
Sergey Karjakin ½-½ Magnus Carlsen
In Karjakin-Carlsen, one of the tournament leaders made a relatively safe draw with Black from the Black side of a Spanish sideline. Only White ever seemed to be in any danger and indeed probably Black could have played on a bit if he'd wanted.
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1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.Bb5a64.Ba4Nf65.0-0Be76.Re1b57.Bb30-08.a4No Breyer today.b48...Bb7is more popular, but I have never understood
the appeal of developing the bishop to a diagonal that will remain closed, in
the case when the Breyeresque ...c5-c4 is still some moves off.9.d3d610.Nc3is White's point; Black's queenside pawns will not be permitted to
advance abreast. The best he might be able to do isNa511.Ba2b412.Ne2c513.Ng3g613...Bc814.c3Rb815.d4Duda,J-Najer,E Czech Republic 2017
14.h3when White appears to have extra tempi in his kingside attack,
compared to most systems with an early d3.8...Rb8is slightly compliant:
after9.axb5axb510.c3d611.d4Black lacks the usual recourse of ...Na5
in the lineexd412.cxd4Bg413.Be3so might have to make do withd514.e5Ne415.h3Bh516.Nc3; furthermore, 13.Nc3!? might be unexpectedly
strong in spite of the doubled f-pawns.9.d49.a5d610.d3Be611.Bxe6fxe612.Nbd2led to a nice win for Magnus himself in Carlsen,M-Aronian,L
Saint Louis 2017; one wonders where the improvement was?9.d3d610.Nbd2Na511.Ba2c512.c3Rb8is now fine for Black, who has not wasted time on ..
.Bb7 unlike in the 8...Bb7 line.9...d610.dxe5Nxe511.Nxe511.Nbd2Ned7!?was an unusual method of pressuring e4, but a successful one:12.Nd4Bb713.c3bxc314.bxc3Nc515.Bc2Re816.f3Nfd717.a5d5=Nakamura,
H-Svidler,P Saint Louis 201711...dxe512.Qe2a5Possibly still affected
by his own experience on the White side, Carlsen decides to avoid White's a5
ideas.12...Bc5is of course fine immediately13.Nd2Bc514.Nf3Qe715.Be3Ba616.Bxc5Qxc517.Qe3Qxe318.Rxe3Rfe8=Initially this position
looked to me to be slightly nicer for White, but this isn't really the case.
In fact, Black may have more ideas in the position, and in the long term has
the better bishop, so it would not surprise me if he was vaguely thinking
about winning here.19.c319.h3c520.Rd1c421.Ba2Kf8is hard to
get enthused about from the White side, especially if we remember
Adhiban-Carlsen from round 2.19...Ng420.Ng5Simplifying quickly lest he
end up worse.Nxe321.Bxf7+Kf822.Bxe8Rxe823.fxe3bxc324.bxc3h625.Nf3Bd326.Rd1Bxe427.Rd7Continuing to force pieces off, because if White
plays slowly the bishop will be superior.Re728.Rd8+28.Rxe7Kxe729.Nxe5Ke630.Nc4Kd531.Nxa5Bc2leads to an odd position where White is a pawn
up but only he is taking risks.28...Kf729.Nd2Bc630.Nc4Ke631.Nxa5Bxa432.Nb7Re832...Bd7might be a try if Black is desperate to play on.33.e433.Nc5+Kd634.Ne4+Kc635.Kf2Be833...Rf734.Nc5+Kd635.Nd3c5Objectively this might be nothing for Black, and so there is no
reason to go for it, especially if one has looked at Anish Giri's game and
concluded he is unlikely to win.33.Nc5+Kf634.Rxe8=Unlike the
previous note, here White gets to play Na6 immediately, and thus seal up the
whole position.½–½
Among the open games the only opening with which White can really fight for an advantage in the long term is the Ruy Lopez. But in order to make this serious effort, he has buckle down and learn a whole series of sub-variations. That is what the professionals do, including of course Viktor Bologan, who now reveals the secrets of his own grandmaster repertoire.
Carlsen: "I thought it would be reasonable to play solidly today" | Tata Steel Chess YouTube
Wei Yi ½-½ Anish Giri
Likewise in Wei-Giri, the other tournament leader navigated the move-order subtleties of a Meran-type position sufficiently well to equalise with Black. He could also have perhaps played on a few more moves at the end, just to see how White untangled, but chose not to. Interestingly, the thought process involved in his opening decisions seemed not to stick in his mind long — he could have used it during the tiebreaks...
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1.Nf3d52.e3Nf63.c4e64.Nc3Probably trying for some clever
move-order trick in a Meran.b64...a65.b3Bd66.Bb20-07.g4!?
was the experimental continuation of Nepomniachtchi,I -Anand,V London 20174...Bb4!?has an equally 'interesting' flavour:5.a35.Qa4+Nc66.Nd4a55...Bxc36.bxc30-07.Bb2!?Trying to open the long diagonal
quickly, but Black has a gambit idea.7.d4c5Via a circuituous route, we
have reached a main line Samisch position.7...c58.cxd5exd59.c4d4!?4...c5is of course fine, when White's main independent continuation
could be the attempt to force an IQP position with5.cxd5. However, Black
is under no obligation to accept this and can continueNxd5!?6.d4cxd47.exd4Nxc38.bxc3Qc79.Bd2Nd7as in Aronian,L-Carlsen,M London 20155.b3Bb76.Bb2Nbd77.g3!?Ducking d4 at any cost.Bd67...dxc4
seems logical to try and punish White's omission. For instance,8.Bxc48.bxc4e59.Bg2e48...a69.0-09.a4Bb4=is also very comfortable9...b510.Be2Be7=8.Bg20-09.0-0Re810.Rc1a611.Qe2dxc411...c5?!was correctly avoided:12.cxd5exd512...Nxd513.Nxd5exd514.d4
is similar13.d4Black does not have a good version of the hanging pawns
position.12.bxc4b5!?Liquidating.12...c513.Ng5Bxg214.Kxg2
leads to a position reminiscent of the 6.b3 Catalan discussed yesterday; both
sides have glaring backward pawns but White is probably slightly more
comfortable unless Black hurries to get pieces off with (say)Be5!15.f4Bxc316.Bxc3e5=13.cxb5axb514.Nxb5Rxa215.d4It is a running
joke in my circle that whenever possible, I will suggest moves like15.Bxf6
to try and exploit, after a further 50 moves, some perceived superiority of
White's compact structure. This may or may not be present, but on objective
grounds the move deserves consideration. Play could continueNxf616.Nfd4Bxg217.Kxg2Ne418.Rfd1=when White has the 'threat' of Nc3, exchanging
off more pieces and thus getting closer to the ideal RB v RN position, where
in theory the backward c-pawn could become a factor.15...Qb816.Ra1Rxa117.Rxa1Bf818.Nc3c519.Rb1Maybe a slightly slack move.19.Qb5cxd420.Nxd4Bxg221.Kxg2=19...cxd420.Nxd4Bxg221.Kxg2Qa8+21...Rc8
created a threat and would not have been a totally unreasonable move to play
on with.22.Ba1Qa8+23.Qf3Qa324.Ndb5Qa6=and while the position is
objectively level, White's pieces are a little bit tangled up and a bit less
active.½–½
The English Opening with 1.c4 is one of the most subtle yet combative means of starting a chess game which has found favour with many of the great players in history. On this DVD Davies tells you everything you need to know to start playing the English in tournament games, showing how White should react to Black’s different set-ups using 40 illustrative games.
Giri: Based on "how many tiebreaks Magnus has won, the pressure's on him." | Tata Steel Chess YouTube
Viswanathan Anand ½-½ Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Mamedyarov-Anand could have produced one more last-minute leader to join those two, but in an optically slightly better endgame White failed to find a way to set his opponent enough problems, and indeed in analysis I have the same issue, so it is hard to blame him. The opening, however, was (for the second time running for Vishy!) of tremendous historical value, and I have made a summary of the main points in the notes.
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1.d4Nf62.c4e63.Nf3d54.Nc3Be75.Bf40-06.e3c5Black is fine to
take a bit of risk, knowing that White will probably not want to do the same.7.dxc5Bxc58.Qc2Nc69.Rd19.a3is slightly more popular.Qa510.0-0-010.Ra2!?was the move chosen in a recent, random game.Be711.b4Qd812.h3b612...d4!=13.cxd5exd514.Be2Be615.Ng5Rc8?!16.Nxe6fxe617.Ba6Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Saint Louis 201710.Nd2Bb4!?11.cxd5exd512.Nb3Bxc3+13.bxc3Qd8could have been a decent try for an edge
in Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Paris 2017, notwithstanding that it ultimately failed10...Ne4!?11.Nb511.Nxe4leads to a long forced line:dxe412.Qxe4Bxa313.bxa3Qxa3+14.Kd2Rd8+15.Ke2Qb2+16.Rd2Rxd2+17.Nxd2e518.Bg3Bg4+‼19.f319.Qxg4Rd820.Kf3Qxd221.Bh4f522.Qg5Rd4!=
With perpetual check soon.19...Rd820.Be1Bh5∞The mess continues,
and White has a few moves now, but I don't think there will be any way found
for him to keep an edge.11...a612.Nc7e5!Not a new idea from
Karjakin, merely an old one which had been forgotten.13.Rxd5!13.Nxd5Nxf2!13...exf414.Qxe4fxe315.fxe3h616.Nd4±Ivanchuk,V-Karjakin,
S Medias 201714.Ng5!14.Qxf2exf415.Nxf4b514...Bf5!15.Qxf215.Qxf5g615...f616.Nh3exf417.Nhxf4Ne5Black has full
compensation for the pawn.13...exf413...Nxf214.Qxf2Qxc715.Nxe5Nxe516.Bxe5Qc617.Bd4!13...f5?14.Rxe5Nxe515.Bxe5Ra716.Nd5±Kasparov,G-Vaganian,R Debrecen 199214.Qxe4Qxc715.Rxc5fxe316.Bd3!?16.Qxe3b617.Rh5Bg418.Rg5Rfe8!=16...g617.Qxe3b618.Rg518.Rh5Bg419.Rh4Bxf320.gxf3Ne518...Na5∞From a brief
investigation it doesn't seem like White has a convincing follow-up here,
though there are, as usual, many complicated lines ending in perpetual check.9...Qa510.a3Re8Treading another of the hallowed paths of chess history.10...Be7is more common now, and then11.Be2has a huge score for White;
indeed I suspect White is probably slightly better followingNe412.cxd5Nxc313.bxc3exd514.0-0Be615.a4Mamedyarov,S-Graf,A Sant Lluis 2005,
played by the same White player as the present encounter11.Nd211.Be2e5is the point11...e512.Bg5Nd413.Qb113.Qc1Bf5is liable to
lead to a forced draw; two of the world's top players chose this route
recently.14.Bxf6Nc2+15.Ke2Nd4+=Carlsen,M-Nakamura,H Douglas 201715...gxf6?!gets neutralised effortlessly:16.Nxd5Qa617.g4!Bg618.Bg2±13...Bf514.Bd3Bxd314...e4?!is well met by15.Bf1!
giving up a queen for three pieces.15.Bc2was nevertheless enough for a
slight edge in one of the classics.Nxc2+16.Qxc2Qa617.Bxf6Qxf618.Nb3Kortschnoj,V-Karpov,A Baguio City 197815...Ng416.cxd5!Ne517.exd4Nf3+18.gxf3exf3+19.Be3Bxb120.Nc4!Qc721.dxc5±15.Qxd3Ne416.Ndxe4Maybe not the most precise, but safe enough.16.cxd5Nxc317.Qxc3Qxc318.bxc3Nc2+19.Ke2f620.Bh4Nxa321.Ne4Rac8=16.Ncxe4dxe417.Qxe4seems to me to get an advantage16...dxe417.Qd2Ne618.Bh418.Nxe4Qxd2+19.Rxd2f520.Nxc5Nxc5∞leads to an imbalance and
likely quite a good one for Black, who is likely to recover the c4-pawn quite
soon.18...Qa619.Qe2Rac820.0-0Bf821.Qg4Qxc421...Rxc4=
equalised more reliably22.Nxe4Kh823.h3Nc524.Nxc5Qxg425.hxg4Rxc526.Rd7Now White could potentially have a small something again.Rb527.b4f628.g5fxg529.Bxg5a530.Rfd1Kg831.Bd8axb432.a4Rc533.Rxb7Rc834.Ba5Rc435.Rd5b335...Re6=is a hard move to make perhaps, but it
gets Black some badly needed counterplay. For instance:36.Rb8Rc1+37.Kh2Rh6+38.Kg3Rg6+39.Kf3Rf6+40.Ke4Rxf241.Kxe5Rc436.Rxb3Rxa437.Bc3e438.Rb7Ra639.Rdd7The position looks threatening, but it is
not clear to me how White makes progress, and apparently it was not clear to
Mamedyarov either. There are little things to try, but they end up being
neutralised.Rg640.g3Rc841.Bd4Re842.Kg2Rc843.Kh3Re844.Rf7Rc845.Rf4Re846.Bc346.Rg4Rxg447.Kxg4g6is still very passive for Black,
but this is probably a draw even without the rooks and e-pawn.46...Rge647.Rff7Rg648.Rfc7Rd849.Kg2Re850.Kf1Rd851.Ke2Re852.Kd1Rg553.Kc2Rf554.Bxg7Bd655.Rd7Rxf2+56.Kb3Bxg357.Bd4Be558.Bxe5Rxe5Soon
White will run out of little things to try and the +/= will collapse to =.59.Rg7+Kf860.Rxh7Kg861.Kc4Rg262.Rhe7Rxe763.Rxe7Kf864.Rxe4Rg565.Kd4Kf766.Re5Rg1½–½
On this DVD Grandmaster Daniel King offers you a repertoire for Black with the QGD. The repertoire is demonstrated in 10 stem games, covering all White's major systems: 5 Bg5, 5 Bf4, and the Exchange Variation.
Mamedyarov: "I never win against him in my life" | Tata Steel Chess YouTube
Anand: Plus three is not a bad result but you shouldn't get too impressed either | Tata Steel Chess YouTube
Wesley So 1-0 Hou Yifan
So-Hou featured another slightly strange Black opening from the female player (Anand-Hou and Jones-Hou from a few days ago fell into this category too.) Again, detailed analysis shows that it was probably okay, and I have indicated where the line can be patched, but the overall impression is one of under-preparation rather than mistaken preparation. White's central pawns played a nuanced role to perfection in the final attack, which manages to succeed without explicit use of any complicated tactics whatsoever.
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1.c4e62.g3d53.Bg2Nf64.d4Bb4+5.Bd2Bd65...Be7is far more
common. It has a few advantages over the text- for instance, covering the
h4-d8 diagonal; avoiding c5 with tempo, and keeping d5 better covered.6.Nf36.Nc30-07.Nf3dxc4has scored extremely well for Black6...0-07.0-0Nbd7We have obtained a standard 'delayed Catalan', as seen for instance in
Karjakin-Wei from this event.6.Nc3Trying to make Black take on c4 or
play ...c6, neither of which is particularly favourable.0-06...c67.e4dxe48.Nxe4Nxe49.Bxe4Nd710.Nf3Nf611.Bc2Vallejo Pons,F-Quesada
Perez,Y Monzon 20166...dxc4might nevertheless be the best move.7.Qa4+7.e4e57...Nbd77...Nc6?!8.Bxc6+bxc69.Qxc6+Bd710.Qxc4Qb811.b3Qb712.Nf3Bc6?!13.0-0Bxf314.exf3Qxf315.d5±Donchenko,
A-Bartel,M Gjakova 20168.Qxc4a6!According to what I can see,
this position has never been viewed, let alone played, but a preliminary
investigation indicates Black is probably okay playing the standard ...Rb8, ...
0-0 and then whichever of ...b5, ...e5 and ...c5 best suits the position.
Meanwhile8...0-09.Nb5is arguably another disadvantage of ...Bd67.cxd5If this forcing approach works, there is no need to analyse anything
else.7.e4might be another move, as in the Vallejo game above, but here
Black can eventually play ...c5 in one.7...exd58.Nxd5Nxd59.Bxd5Bxg310.Qb3Bd610...c611.Bxf7+Rxf712.hxg3Qxd413.Nf3Qb614.Qxb6axb615.Ng5±11.Nf3c611...Nd7After the precise12.Rg1!Black has an interesting choice to make.Nf612...Nb6!?13.Bh6g614.Bxf8Qxf8is not stupid either13.Bc413.Bh6Ng414.Bg5Be7=13...Bf514.0-0-014.Ne5Bxe515.dxe5Ne416.Bh6Qh4!14...Qe7White's attacking chances are not insignificant, but Black has completed
development and should be fine.12.Bc4Bf5?!Between them the last two
moves deserve one 'dubious' mark, and I have decided to award it here.12...Nd713.Rg1Nb6was once again worth considering, since White runs into some
tactical issues down the road if he takes the exchange13.Ng5Qe714.Qf314.0-0-0h615.e4is revealed to be really problematic after some deep
engine analysis, but the text is more natural.14...Bg615.h4Bb415...h516.Bd3Bxd317.Qxd3g618.0-0-0Nd719.e416.0-0-0Bxd2+17.Rxd2h517...h618.h5Qxg519.hxg6Qxg620.Rdd1is really difficult to
believe for Black17...Nd718.h5Qxg519.hxg6Qxg6could have been a
bail-out option: the engine recommendation is20.Qh3but
there could follow20.Rdd1!?20...Nf621.Bd3Qh6and Black has reached an endgame18.Rg1The position is now basically objectively winning in a number of ways.
18.Qg3!?is a slightly cunning move, cuing up Ne6 (the text does not do
this, because of the x-ray attack from the f8-rook.)18...Nd719.Qg3Nb620.Bb3Qf620...Nd521.e4does not really do anything to interfere with
the threat of Nxf7.21.e4Rae822.e5Qf523.Bc2Qg424.Bxg6Qxg324...fxg625.Qb3++-is of course the point.25.Bh7+Kh826.Rxg3f627.Bg6fxg528.Bxe8gxh429.Rg5Rxe830.Rxh5+It is pointless to go on.1–0
The Catalan is one of the most solid openings for White. It forms part of the large and strong fianchetto family in which White builds his strategy mainly around the bishop on g2. Grandmaster Victor Bologan covers all of Black’s replies to the Catalan, some of which can even transpose to other openings such as the Tarrasch System and the Queen’s Indian. Suffice it to say that the Catalan rules!
Baskaran Adhiban 0-1 Vladimir Kramnik
Adhiban-Kramnik was a great shame for the Indian player — having allowed his world champion opponent to equalise from the opening (by move 10), he then outplays Kramnik (!), and could have reached a selection of pawn-up endgames, but then loses his nerve, begins to repeat, and then, undoubtedly in time pressure, makes a totally uncharacteristic exchange sacrifice which simply doesn't work.
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1.e4e52.Nc3Nf63.g3Bc54.Bg2c65.Nge25.Nf3looks a bit
inconsistent, but may be White's best attempt at trying to use every wrinkle
in the position.d56.Nxe56.d3d47.Ne2Nbd78.0-00-09.h3is just a
standard King's Indian Attack6...dxe47.d3!?Bxf2+8.Kxf2Qd4+9.Kf1!?After9.Be3Qxe510.h310.Bf4=is just a repetition10...exd311.Qxd30-012.Rhe1White has full compensation for the missing material.9...Qxe510.Bf4Qd411.Nxe40-05...d56.exd5cxd57.d4exd48.Nxd40-09.0-0Bg410.Nde2A standard-looking move, unleashing some kind of
pressure against the d5-pawn, but here the pawn is free to advance, which was
what White should have tried to avoid.10.Qd3Bxd411.Qxd4Nc612.Qc5d413.Ne4Nxe414.Bxe4Re8=at least gives White the bishop pair in
exchange for Black's dynamism.10...Qc8Perceptively played.After the
immediate10...d4there is a slight problem with11.h3!11.Na4Qe812.Nxc5Bxe213.Qe1Nc611...Bxh312.Bxh3dxc313.Qxd8Rxd814.Nxc3Nc615.Bf4Here Kramnik would have risked losing the exact same type of game
which he won yesterday.11.Bg5On this move and indeed the next few
Adhiban plays extremely well.11.Be3?!d4!?12.Bxd4Rd813.Qd3Nc614.Bxc6Qxc6=is unpleasant for White, but playable if he jumps through a few
more hoops.11...d412.Na4Be713.Qd3h614.Bxf6Bxf615.Nf415.Nxd4?!Rd816.Qb3!=clings to equality tactically, but this is hard to
calculate.15...Nc615...Nd7=was marginally more accurate.16.Nd5Be517.Qb5Bd618.Nc5Bxc519.Qxc5Suddenly the bishop pair is gone and
Black should think about equality.Re819...Bh3should have been almost an
impulse for a Catalan player like Vladimir Kramnik!20.b4Kh821.Rfe1Qf522.Nc7Rxe1+23.Rxe1Rd823...Rc8prevents White's strong next move
because24.Ne8Qxc525.bxc5Nb4gives Black too much play.24.Ne8!24.Re8+Rxe825.Nxe8Kg826.Nd6Qxc527.bxc5is also good for
White, but a bit less convincing24...Qxc525.bxc5Be626.Nd6Rd727.a3
The first hesitation.27.Rb1Bxa228.Rxb7Rxb729.Nxb7±would have
left Black in a lot of trouble.27...Rc728.Nb5Rc829.Nd6Rc730.f4g631.Nb5The second hesitation, seemingly looking for another move repetition.Rd732.Nd6Na5But Kramnik is mentally tough enough to not take it, even
though his position is far from being better.33.Rb133.Nxb7Rxb734.Bxb7Nxb735.c6Nd6might have occupied a fair bit of White's time, and while the
position isn't technically winning as such, Black certainly faces more
challenges after36.Rd1because he will be unable to hold the d-pawn.33...Rc734.Rb5b6=Just like that, the advantage is gone.35.Rxa5?
Imaginative, but not correct.It was a good time for35.cxb6axb636.Rb2Nc437.Nxc4Rxc438.Be4f539.Bd339.Rxb6fxe440.Rxe6e339...Rc640.Rb4Rd6=35...bxa536.c6a6The point is that between this move and
...Re7, Black is able to both discourage Nb5 ideas and hold off the White king.
37.Kf237.a4Re738.Nb5axb539.axb5a4-+37...Re738.a4Kg839.Ne439.Nb5axb540.axb5a441.b6Bc842.b7Bxb743.cxb7Re844.Bc6Rb845.Bxa4Rxb7-+39...Kf840.Nd6Bg440...Bf5was marginally faster.41.Be4h542.h4f6Asking for a move from White.43.Bxg643.Bd3Rc744.Be4Ke745.Nc4f546.Bg2Bd1-+43...Re2+44.Kf1Re645.Nb7Rxc646.Nxa5Rc3-+The front c-pawn being dead, the game is now over. A curious
feature of this tournament, first in variations and now in an actual game,
seems to be nearly-trapped White knights on a5.47.Nb3Rc448.Bd3Rxa449.Kf2a550.Ke1Be651.Nc5Ra1+52.Kf2Bf753.Kf3a454.Ke4a355.Kxd4Rd10–1
The King’s Indian Attack is a unique opening system in that it offers White a dynamic and interesting game but without the need to know reams of theory. In addition to being easy to learn it has an excellent pedigree, leading exponents including great players such as Bobby Fischer, Tigran Petrosian, David Bronstein, Viktor Korchnoi, Leonid Stein and Lev Psakhis. GM Nigel Davies presents a complete repertoire for White.
Commentary by GM Eric Hansen and GM Jan Smeets (and guests) | Tata Steel Chess YouTube
Challengers
Vidit Gujrathi capped off a phenomenal week with a draw that secured a tie for first place with 9 / 13. He had no way of knowing how the tiebreak scores would shake out should Anton Korobov manage a win with black, but not long after his game, Korobov's position deteriorated, and Vidit could relax. Ultimately Korobov would lose, which made no difference compared to a draw for his own final position in clear second place.
The post-mortem of Vidit and van Foreest attracted the interest of Anatoly Karpov | Photo: Macauley Peterson
Vidit Gujrathi ½-½ Jorden van Foreest (annotated by GM Daniel Fernandez)
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1.d4d52.c4dxc4Possibly a psychological choice- White is unlikely to go
for the riskiest lines when a draw is so likely to give him first place.3.e3Nf63...e54.Bxc4exd45.exd4Nf6is a bit more imbalanced, thanks to the
isolated queen's pawn4.Bxc4e65.Nf3c56.0-0Nc66...a6might have
with hindsight given Black a few perks, assuming White plays the endgame
anyway, and plays it in a similar style:7.dxc5Bxc58.Qxd8+Kxd89.Bd2Ke7=Black will set up with ...b5, ...Nbd7, ...Bb7. The position is equal.7.Nc3a68.dxc5Qxd19.Rxd1Bxc510.Bd20-010...Ke7is less advisable
here thanks to11.Bd3!?and Black faces a few problems completing
development11.Rac1Bd712.Be2The idea is clearly enough Na4-c5, but
right now there is an issue with playing it, so Black can safely ignore the
idea.12.Ne2Bb613.Bc3was more forcing, but also didn't give much:Rfd814.Ne5Be8!=12...Rfd813.Na4Ba714.Be114.Nc5Bxc515.Rxc5Ne4
equalises, unless White can somehow mount a convincing claim that his
opponent's bishop is genuinely bad.14...Be815.Rxd815.Nc5Rxd116.Bxd1Rb8=15...Nxd816.b316.Nc5Rc8=16...Nd517.Kf1Nc617...Bb5!?was most principled, and would have been an interesting way for Black to
remind his opponent that the draw is subject to good play from both sides and
is not a God-given right.18.Ne518.Bxb5axb519.Nc3Nxc320.Bxc3f618...f619.Nd3Ne720.Nab2Rc8=Black has kept his equality without
making any concessions.18.Nc5Rb819.a3Nce720.Ne5Rc821.Ned3Rc722.b4Maybe not the most precise way to prosecute the advantage.White could
have had something following22.e4Nf623.f3Bb524.Bg3!22...Bxc523.Rxc5Bb524.Rxc7Here the draw was agreed, so we assume White could not
really be bothered pressing but was fine to halve out as soon as the draw
margin was large enough for Black to completely forget about winning himself.24.e4Bxd325.Bxd3Rxc526.bxc5Nf6is probably not that dangerous
for Black anymore½–½
Correction 9:30 CET: This story initially noted that TSC 2018 was Carlsen's "first classical tournament win since July, 2016", however the word "round-robin" was omitted. He also won the Chess.com Isle of Man Open.
Macauley PetersonMacauley served as the Editor in Chief of ChessBase News from July 2017 to March 2020. He is the producer of The Full English Breakfast chess podcast, and was an Associate Producer of the 2016 feature documentary, Magnus.
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The Black Sniper is back – sharper and deadlier than ever! This dynamic system (1...g6, 2...Bg7, 3...c5 against 1.e4, 1.d4 and 1.c4) creates unpredictable, high-pressure positions, leaving opponents struggling to adapt.
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