Tata Steel Chess: Carlsen, the Roger Federer of chess

by Macauley Peterson
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

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.

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.

Anish Giri and Magnus Carlsen

In any other year, Anish Giri and Magnus Carlsen would have been "co-winners" | Photos: Alina l'Ami © 2018 Tata Steel

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.

Replay the full tiebreak:

The first game begins at 6:34:25 | Tata Steel Chess on YouTube

Tiebreak games (annotated by GM Daniel Fernandez)
 
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1.e41,166,62354%2421---
1.d4947,29855%2434---
1.Nf3281,60256%2441---
1.c4182,10256%2442---
1.g319,70256%2427---
1.b314,26554%2427---
1.f45,89748%2377---
1.Nc33,80151%2384---
1.b41,75648%2380---
1.a31,20654%2404---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d395450%2378---
1.g466446%2360---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c343351%2426---
1.h328056%2418---
1.a411060%2466---
1.f39246%2436---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.b3 d5 4.Bb2 Be7 5.e3 Sparing me another annotation of a b3 Catalan. 0-0 6.Nc3 c5 6...b6!= would have been more in keeping with the logic of Anish's main game today- avoiding potentially awkward hanging-pawns formations. 7.cxd5 Just 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? Nxd5 8.Nxd5 exd5 8...Qxd5 9.Bc4 Qd6 10.0-0 Nc6= still looks fine for Black, if a bit passive 9.d4 Qa5+ Technically the novelty. 9...Nc6 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.a3 Bg4 12.Be2 a5 13.0-0 Qd6 14.Qd3 Bh5 15.Rfd1 Rfd8 16.Nh4 Bxe2 17.Qxe2 Qe6 18.Nf3 Votava,J -Froewis,G Austria 2016 10.Qd2 Qxd2+ 11.Kxd2 Nc6 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Bb5 So 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.Ke2 Be6 14...Ne7 might not have been a terrible idea under the circumstances 15.Rac1 Rac8 16.Rhd1 16.Bxc6 bxc6 17.Ne5 was a useful tactical chance: Black can either sacrifice the pawn or allow c5 18.Nd3 but in either case he is definitely suffering. 16...Be7 17.h3 a6 18.Bd3 Nb4 19.Bb1 Rxc1 20.Rxc1 Rc8 21.Rd1 Nc6 22.g4 Thinking about Bf5, and also restricting Black's kingside pawns, allowing for a future f4-f5 thrust. h6 23.Nd4 Nxd4+ 24.Bxd4 Ba3 25.f4 Like that. f6 26.Bg6 26.e4 dxe4 27.Bxe4 looked quite convincing, even though it liquidates the most immediate target of White's pressure. 26...Kf8 27.Kf3 Ke7 28.h4 28.b4!? was worth noticing, but after Bxb4 29.Rb1 a5 30.a3 Bd6 31.Rxb7+ Rc7 32.Rb8 Rc8 33.Rb5 a4= it all just fizzles out a bit 28...Bb4 29.Bd3 Bd7 30.e4 Eventually 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.Bxe4 Bc6 32.h5 Bxe4+ 33.Kxe4 Ke6!= 33...Rc2? 34.Kf5 31.Bf2 Bc6 32.exd5 Bxd5+ 33.Be4 Bxe4+ 34.Kxe4 Ke6?! Just like the previous note, except Black's pieces are now out of sync. 34...Bb4 35.Be3 35.Kf5 Rc2 36.Bd4 Kf7!= 35...Ke6 36.a4 Black has not completely equalised here, but it's better than the game. 35.f5+ Ke7 36.Rc1 Forcing a favourable bishop endgame. Rc6? Definitely losing and almost certainly the decisive mistake. 36...Kd7 37.Kd3 Bb4 38.Rxc8 Kxc8 39.Kc4 Bd6 40.Kd5 Kd7 41.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.Kd3 Bb4 38.Rxc6 bxc6 39.Kc4 Bd6 40.Bc5 Kd7 41.h5 Bf4 41...Kc7 42.Bxd6+ Kxd6 43.b4+- 42.Bf8 Ke8 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.Bc5 Kd7 43...Bc7 was another place to try and defend from. 44.Kb4 Bd8 44...a5+ 45.Ka4 Bd8 46.b4 axb4 47.Kxb4 Bc7 48.a4+- 45.Bd6 Bb6 46.a4 However, it is now zugwang. Black has to play ...a5, and then the game is almost over. a5+ 47.Kc4 Be3 48.b4 axb4 49.Kxb4 White can walk the pawn to a6 and then play Bc5. 44.Kb4 Bd2+ 45.Ka4 Kc7 46.b4 The black king is now caught trying to do two jobs at the same time. Bf4 47.Bf8 Kb6 of course, after 47...Kd7 48.Ka5 Ke8 White is not obliged to take on g7, but can conserve his bishop with 49.Bc5+- 48.Bxg7 Bg5 49.Bf8 Bf4 50.Be7 Bg5 51.Kb3 Heading back to win with Be3. 51.Bd8+ Kb7 52.Ka5 Bh4 53.Be7 Bg5 54.Bc5 Bf4 55.Bd4 Bg5 56.a3+- is another zugzwang idea to win 51...Kc7 52.Kc4 Kd7 53.Bc5 Kc7 54.Kd3 Kd7 55.Be3 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2834Giri,A27521–02018A13Tata Steel Masters TB14
Giri,A2752Carlsen,M2834½–½2018Tata Steel Masters TB15

Three-time winner (the only three times he played!) Garry Kasparov congratulated Magnus:

Start of round 13

Both Giri and Carlsen had black, and the last round attracted quite a crowd | Photo: Alina l'Ami © 2018 Tata Steel

A half point back

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.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 No Breyer today. b4 8...Bb7 is 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.d3 d6 10.Nc3 is White's point; Black's queenside pawns will not be permitted to advance abreast. The best he might be able to do is Na5 11.Ba2 b4 12.Ne2 c5 13.Ng3 g6 13...Bc8 14.c3 Rb8 15.d4 Duda,J-Najer,E Czech Republic 2017 14.h3 when White appears to have extra tempi in his kingside attack, compared to most systems with an early d3. 8...Rb8 is slightly compliant: after 9.axb5 axb5 10.c3 d6 11.d4 Black lacks the usual recourse of ...Na5 in the line exd4 12.cxd4 Bg4 13.Be3 so might have to make do with d5 14.e5 Ne4 15.h3 Bh5 16.Nc3 ; furthermore, 13.Nc3!? might be unexpectedly strong in spite of the doubled f-pawns. 9.d4 9.a5 d6 10.d3 Be6 11.Bxe6 fxe6 12.Nbd2 led to a nice win for Magnus himself in Carlsen,M-Aronian,L Saint Louis 2017; one wonders where the improvement was? 9.d3 d6 10.Nbd2 Na5 11.Ba2 c5 12.c3 Rb8 is now fine for Black, who has not wasted time on .. .Bb7 unlike in the 8...Bb7 line. 9...d6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 11.Nbd2 Ned7!? was an unusual method of pressuring e4, but a successful one: 12.Nd4 Bb7 13.c3 bxc3 14.bxc3 Nc5 15.Bc2 Re8 16.f3 Nfd7 17.a5 d5= Nakamura, H-Svidler,P Saint Louis 2017 11...dxe5 12.Qe2 a5 Possibly still affected by his own experience on the White side, Carlsen decides to avoid White's a5 ideas. 12...Bc5 is of course fine immediately 13.Nd2 Bc5 14.Nf3 Qe7 15.Be3 Ba6 16.Bxc5 Qxc5 17.Qe3 Qxe3 18.Rxe3 Rfe8= 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.c3 19.h3 c5 20.Rd1 c4 21.Ba2 Kf8 is hard to get enthused about from the White side, especially if we remember Adhiban-Carlsen from round 2. 19...Ng4 20.Ng5 Simplifying quickly lest he end up worse. Nxe3 21.Bxf7+ Kf8 22.Bxe8 Rxe8 23.fxe3 bxc3 24.bxc3 h6 25.Nf3 Bd3 26.Rd1 Bxe4 27.Rd7 Continuing to force pieces off, because if White plays slowly the bishop will be superior. Re7 28.Rd8+ 28.Rxe7 Kxe7 29.Nxe5 Ke6 30.Nc4 Kd5 31.Nxa5 Bc2 leads to an odd position where White is a pawn up but only he is taking risks. 28...Kf7 29.Nd2 Bc6 30.Nc4 Ke6 31.Nxa5 Bxa4 32.Nb7 Re8 32...Bd7 might be a try if Black is desperate to play on. 33.e4 33.Nc5+ Kd6 34.Ne4+ Kc6 35.Kf2 Be8 33...Rf7 34.Nc5+ Kd6 35.Nd3 c5 Objectively 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+ Kf6 34.Rxe8= Unlike the previous note, here White gets to play Na6 immediately, and thus seal up the whole position. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2753Carlsen,M2834½–½2018Tata Steel Masters13

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.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Probably trying for some clever move-order trick in a Meran. b6 4...a6 5.b3 Bd6 6.Bb2 0-0 7.g4!? was the experimental continuation of Nepomniachtchi,I -Anand,V London 2017 4...Bb4!? has an equally 'interesting' flavour: 5.a3 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.Nd4 a5 5...Bxc3 6.bxc3 0-0 7.Bb2!? Trying to open the long diagonal quickly, but Black has a gambit idea. 7.d4 c5 Via a circuituous route, we have reached a main line Samisch position. 7...c5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.c4 d4!? 4...c5 is of course fine, when White's main independent continuation could be the attempt to force an IQP position with 5.cxd5 . However, Black is under no obligation to accept this and can continue Nxd5!? 6.d4 cxd4 7.exd4 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Qc7 9.Bd2 Nd7 as in Aronian,L-Carlsen,M London 2015 5.b3 Bb7 6.Bb2 Nbd7 7.g3!? Ducking d4 at any cost. Bd6 7...dxc4 seems logical to try and punish White's omission. For instance, 8.Bxc4 8.bxc4 e5 9.Bg2 e4 8...a6 9.0-0 9.a4 Bb4= is also very comfortable 9...b5 10.Be2 Be7= 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 Re8 10.Rc1 a6 11.Qe2 dxc4 11...c5?! was correctly avoided: 12.cxd5 exd5 12...Nxd5 13.Nxd5 exd5 14.d4 is similar 13.d4 Black does not have a good version of the hanging pawns position. 12.bxc4 b5!? Liquidating. 12...c5 13.Ng5 Bxg2 14.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.f4 Bxc3 16.Bxc3 e5= 13.cxb5 axb5 14.Nxb5 Rxa2 15.d4 It is a running joke in my circle that whenever possible, I will suggest moves like 15.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 continue Nxf6 16.Nfd4 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Ne4 18.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...Qb8 16.Ra1 Rxa1 17.Rxa1 Bf8 18.Nc3 c5 19.Rb1 Maybe a slightly slack move. 19.Qb5 cxd4 20.Nxd4 Bxg2 21.Kxg2= 19...cxd4 20.Nxd4 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Qa8+ 21...Rc8 created a threat and would not have been a totally unreasonable move to play on with. 22.Ba1 Qa8+ 23.Qf3 Qa3 24.Ndb5 Qa6= and while the position is objectively level, White's pieces are a little bit tangled up and a bit less active. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Wei,Y2743Giri,A2752½–½2018Tata Steel Masters13

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.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 c5 Black is fine to take a bit of risk, knowing that White will probably not want to do the same. 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.Rd1 9.a3 is slightly more popular. Qa5 10.0-0-0 10.Ra2!? was the move chosen in a recent, random game. Be7 11.b4 Qd8 12.h3 b6 12...d4!= 13.cxd5 exd5 14.Be2 Be6 15.Ng5 Rc8?! 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Ba6 Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Saint Louis 2017 10.Nd2 Bb4!? 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nb3 Bxc3+ 13.bxc3 Qd8 could have been a decent try for an edge in Topalov,V-Nakamura,H Paris 2017, notwithstanding that it ultimately failed 10...Ne4!? 11.Nb5 11.Nxe4 leads to a long forced line: dxe4 12.Qxe4 Bxa3 13.bxa3 Qxa3+ 14.Kd2 Rd8+ 15.Ke2 Qb2+ 16.Rd2 Rxd2+ 17.Nxd2 e5 18.Bg3 Bg4+‼ 19.f3 19.Qxg4 Rd8 20.Kf3 Qxd2 21.Bh4 f5 22.Qg5 Rd4!= With perpetual check soon. 19...Rd8 20.Be1 Bh5∞ 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...a6 12.Nc7 e5! Not a new idea from Karjakin, merely an old one which had been forgotten. 13.Rxd5! 13.Nxd5 Nxf2! 13...exf4 14.Qxe4 fxe3 15.fxe3 h6 16.Nd4± Ivanchuk,V-Karjakin, S Medias 2017 14.Ng5! 14.Qxf2 exf4 15.Nxf4 b5 14...Bf5! 15.Qxf2 15.Qxf5 g6 15...f6 16.Nh3 exf4 17.Nhxf4 Ne5 Black has full compensation for the pawn. 13...exf4 13...Nxf2 14.Qxf2 Qxc7 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Bxe5 Qc6 17.Bd4! 13...f5? 14.Rxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 Ra7 16.Nd5± Kasparov,G-Vaganian,R Debrecen 1992 14.Qxe4 Qxc7 15.Rxc5 fxe3 16.Bd3!? 16.Qxe3 b6 17.Rh5 Bg4 18.Rg5 Rfe8!= 16...g6 17.Qxe3 b6 18.Rg5 18.Rh5 Bg4 19.Rh4 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Ne5 18...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...Qa5 10.a3 Re8 Treading another of the hallowed paths of chess history. 10...Be7 is more common now, and then 11.Be2 has a huge score for White; indeed I suspect White is probably slightly better following Ne4 12.cxd5 Nxc3 13.bxc3 exd5 14.0-0 Be6 15.a4 Mamedyarov,S-Graf,A Sant Lluis 2005, played by the same White player as the present encounter 11.Nd2 11.Be2 e5 is the point 11...e5 12.Bg5 Nd4 13.Qb1 13.Qc1 Bf5 is liable to lead to a forced draw; two of the world's top players chose this route recently. 14.Bxf6 Nc2+ 15.Ke2 Nd4+= Carlsen,M-Nakamura,H Douglas 2017 15...gxf6?! gets neutralised effortlessly: 16.Nxd5 Qa6 17.g4! Bg6 18.Bg2± 13...Bf5 14.Bd3 Bxd3 14...e4?! is well met by 15.Bf1! giving up a queen for three pieces. 15.Bc2 was nevertheless enough for a slight edge in one of the classics. Nxc2+ 16.Qxc2 Qa6 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Nb3 Kortschnoj,V-Karpov,A Baguio City 1978 15...Ng4 16.cxd5! Ne5 17.exd4 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 exf3+ 19.Be3 Bxb1 20.Nc4! Qc7 21.dxc5± 15.Qxd3 Ne4 16.Ndxe4 Maybe not the most precise, but safe enough. 16.cxd5 Nxc3 17.Qxc3 Qxc3 18.bxc3 Nc2+ 19.Ke2 f6 20.Bh4 Nxa3 21.Ne4 Rac8= 16.Ncxe4 dxe4 17.Qxe4 seems to me to get an advantage 16...dxe4 17.Qd2 Ne6 18.Bh4 18.Nxe4 Qxd2+ 19.Rxd2 f5 20.Nxc5 Nxc5∞ leads to an imbalance and likely quite a good one for Black, who is likely to recover the c4-pawn quite soon. 18...Qa6 19.Qe2 Rac8 20.0-0 Bf8 21.Qg4 Qxc4 21...Rxc4= equalised more reliably 22.Nxe4 Kh8 23.h3 Nc5 24.Nxc5 Qxg4 25.hxg4 Rxc5 26.Rd7 Now White could potentially have a small something again. Rb5 27.b4 f6 28.g5 fxg5 29.Bxg5 a5 30.Rfd1 Kg8 31.Bd8 axb4 32.a4 Rc5 33.Rxb7 Rc8 34.Ba5 Rc4 35.Rd5 b3 35...Re6= is a hard move to make perhaps, but it gets Black some badly needed counterplay. For instance: 36.Rb8 Rc1+ 37.Kh2 Rh6+ 38.Kg3 Rg6+ 39.Kf3 Rf6+ 40.Ke4 Rxf2 41.Kxe5 Rc4 36.Rxb3 Rxa4 37.Bc3 e4 38.Rb7 Ra6 39.Rdd7 The 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. Rg6 40.g3 Rc8 41.Bd4 Re8 42.Kg2 Rc8 43.Kh3 Re8 44.Rf7 Rc8 45.Rf4 Re8 46.Bc3 46.Rg4 Rxg4 47.Kxg4 g6 is still very passive for Black, but this is probably a draw even without the rooks and e-pawn. 46...Rge6 47.Rff7 Rg6 48.Rfc7 Rd8 49.Kg2 Re8 50.Kf1 Rd8 51.Ke2 Re8 52.Kd1 Rg5 53.Kc2 Rf5 54.Bxg7 Bd6 55.Rd7 Rxf2+ 56.Kb3 Bxg3 57.Bd4 Be5 58.Bxe5 Rxe5 Soon White will run out of little things to try and the +/= will collapse to =. 59.Rg7+ Kf8 60.Rxh7 Kg8 61.Kc4 Rg2 62.Rhe7 Rxe7 63.Rxe7 Kf8 64.Rxe4 Rg5 65.Kd4 Kf7 66.Re5 Rg1 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Mamedyarov,S2804Anand,V2767½–½2018Tata Steel Masters13

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.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.d4 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Bd6 5...Be7 is 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.Nf3 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Nf3 dxc4 has scored extremely well for Black 6...0-0 7.0-0 Nbd7 We have obtained a standard 'delayed Catalan', as seen for instance in Karjakin-Wei from this event. 6.Nc3 Trying to make Black take on c4 or play ...c6, neither of which is particularly favourable. 0-0 6...c6 7.e4 dxe4 8.Nxe4 Nxe4 9.Bxe4 Nd7 10.Nf3 Nf6 11.Bc2 Vallejo Pons,F-Quesada Perez,Y Monzon 2016 6...dxc4 might nevertheless be the best move. 7.Qa4+ 7.e4 e5 7...Nbd7 7...Nc6?! 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Qxc6+ Bd7 10.Qxc4 Qb8 11.b3 Qb7 12.Nf3 Bc6?! 13.0-0 Bxf3 14.exf3 Qxf3 15.d5± Donchenko, A-Bartel,M Gjakova 2016 8.Qxc4 a6! 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. Meanwhile 8...0-0 9.Nb5 is arguably another disadvantage of ...Bd6 7.cxd5 If this forcing approach works, there is no need to analyse anything else. 7.e4 might be another move, as in the Vallejo game above, but here Black can eventually play ...c5 in one. 7...exd5 8.Nxd5 Nxd5 9.Bxd5 Bxg3 10.Qb3 Bd6 10...c6 11.Bxf7+ Rxf7 12.hxg3 Qxd4 13.Nf3 Qb6 14.Qxb6 axb6 15.Ng5± 11.Nf3 c6 11...Nd7 After the precise 12.Rg1! Black has an interesting choice to make. Nf6 12...Nb6!? 13.Bh6 g6 14.Bxf8 Qxf8 is not stupid either 13.Bc4 13.Bh6 Ng4 14.Bg5 Be7= 13...Bf5 14.0-0-0 14.Ne5 Bxe5 15.dxe5 Ne4 16.Bh6 Qh4! 14...Qe7 White's attacking chances are not insignificant, but Black has completed development and should be fine. 12.Bc4 Bf5?! Between them the last two moves deserve one 'dubious' mark, and I have decided to award it here. 12...Nd7 13.Rg1 Nb6 was once again worth considering, since White runs into some tactical issues down the road if he takes the exchange 13.Ng5 Qe7 14.Qf3 14.0-0-0 h6 15.e4 is revealed to be really problematic after some deep engine analysis, but the text is more natural. 14...Bg6 15.h4 Bb4 15...h5 16.Bd3 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 g6 18.0-0-0 Nd7 19.e4 16.0-0-0 Bxd2+ 17.Rxd2 h5 17...h6 18.h5 Qxg5 19.hxg6 Qxg6 20.Rdd1 is really difficult to believe for Black 17...Nd7 18.h5 Qxg5 19.hxg6 Qxg6 could have been a bail-out option: the engine recommendation is 20.Qh3 but there could follow 20.Rdd1!? 20...Nf6 21.Bd3 Qh6 and Black has reached an endgame 18.Rg1 The 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...Nd7 19.Qg3 Nb6 20.Bb3 Qf6 20...Nd5 21.e4 does not really do anything to interfere with the threat of Nxf7. 21.e4 Rae8 22.e5 Qf5 23.Bc2 Qg4 24.Bxg6 Qxg3 24...fxg6 25.Qb3++- is of course the point. 25.Bh7+ Kh8 26.Rxg3 f6 27.Bg6 fxg5 28.Bxe8 gxh4 29.Rg5 Rxe8 30.Rxh5+ It is pointless to go on. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2792Hou,Y26801–02018Tata Steel Masters13

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.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 Bc5 4.Bg2 c6 5.Nge2 5.Nf3 looks a bit inconsistent, but may be White's best attempt at trying to use every wrinkle in the position. d5 6.Nxe5 6.d3 d4 7.Ne2 Nbd7 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 is just a standard King's Indian Attack 6...dxe4 7.d3!? Bxf2+ 8.Kxf2 Qd4+ 9.Kf1!? After 9.Be3 Qxe5 10.h3 10.Bf4= is just a repetition 10...exd3 11.Qxd3 0-0 12.Rhe1 White has full compensation for the missing material. 9...Qxe5 10.Bf4 Qd4 11.Nxe4 0-0 5...d5 6.exd5 cxd5 7.d4 exd4 8.Nxd4 0-0 9.0-0 Bg4 10.Nde2 A 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.Qd3 Bxd4 11.Qxd4 Nc6 12.Qc5 d4 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Re8= at least gives White the bishop pair in exchange for Black's dynamism. 10...Qc8 Perceptively played. After the immediate 10...d4 there is a slight problem with 11.h3! 11.Na4 Qe8 12.Nxc5 Bxe2 13.Qe1 Nc6 11...Bxh3 12.Bxh3 dxc3 13.Qxd8 Rxd8 14.Nxc3 Nc6 15.Bf4 Here Kramnik would have risked losing the exact same type of game which he won yesterday. 11.Bg5 On this move and indeed the next few Adhiban plays extremely well. 11.Be3?! d4!? 12.Bxd4 Rd8 13.Qd3 Nc6 14.Bxc6 Qxc6= is unpleasant for White, but playable if he jumps through a few more hoops. 11...d4 12.Na4 Be7 13.Qd3 h6 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nf4 15.Nxd4?! Rd8 16.Qb3!= clings to equality tactically, but this is hard to calculate. 15...Nc6 15...Nd7= was marginally more accurate. 16.Nd5 Be5 17.Qb5 Bd6 18.Nc5 Bxc5 19.Qxc5 Suddenly the bishop pair is gone and Black should think about equality. Re8 19...Bh3 should have been almost an impulse for a Catalan player like Vladimir Kramnik! 20.b4 Kh8 21.Rfe1 Qf5 22.Nc7 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Rd8 23...Rc8 prevents White's strong next move because 24.Ne8 Qxc5 25.bxc5 Nb4 gives Black too much play. 24.Ne8! 24.Re8+ Rxe8 25.Nxe8 Kg8 26.Nd6 Qxc5 27.bxc5 is also good for White, but a bit less convincing 24...Qxc5 25.bxc5 Be6 26.Nd6 Rd7 27.a3 The first hesitation. 27.Rb1 Bxa2 28.Rxb7 Rxb7 29.Nxb7± would have left Black in a lot of trouble. 27...Rc7 28.Nb5 Rc8 29.Nd6 Rc7 30.f4 g6 31.Nb5 The second hesitation, seemingly looking for another move repetition. Rd7 32.Nd6 Na5 But Kramnik is mentally tough enough to not take it, even though his position is far from being better. 33.Rb1 33.Nxb7 Rxb7 34.Bxb7 Nxb7 35.c6 Nd6 might have occupied a fair bit of White's time, and while the position isn't technically winning as such, Black certainly faces more challenges after 36.Rd1 because he will be unable to hold the d-pawn. 33...Rc7 34.Rb5 b6= Just like that, the advantage is gone. 35.Rxa5? Imaginative, but not correct. It was a good time for 35.cxb6 axb6 36.Rb2 Nc4 37.Nxc4 Rxc4 38.Be4 f5 39.Bd3 39.Rxb6 fxe4 40.Rxe6 e3 39...Rc6 40.Rb4 Rd6= 35...bxa5 36.c6 a6 The point is that between this move and ...Re7, Black is able to both discourage Nb5 ideas and hold off the White king. 37.Kf2 37.a4 Re7 38.Nb5 axb5 39.axb5 a4-+ 37...Re7 38.a4 Kg8 39.Ne4 39.Nb5 axb5 40.axb5 a4 41.b6 Bc8 42.b7 Bxb7 43.cxb7 Re8 44.Bc6 Rb8 45.Bxa4 Rxb7-+ 39...Kf8 40.Nd6 Bg4 40...Bf5 was marginally faster. 41.Be4 h5 42.h4 f6 Asking for a move from White. 43.Bxg6 43.Bd3 Rc7 44.Be4 Ke7 45.Nc4 f5 46.Bg2 Bd1-+ 43...Re2+ 44.Kf1 Re6 45.Nb7 Rxc6 46.Nxa5 Rc3-+ 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.Nb3 Rc4 48.Bd3 Rxa4 49.Kf2 a5 50.Ke1 Be6 51.Nc5 Ra1+ 52.Kf2 Bf7 53.Kf3 a4 54.Ke4 a3 55.Kxd4 Rd1 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Adhiban,B2655Kramnik,V27870–12018Tata Steel Masters13

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.


Round-up show with GM Daniel King


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Full commentary

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.

Karpov watching Vidit and van Foreest

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.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 Possibly a psychological choice- White is unlikely to go for the riskiest lines when a draw is so likely to give him first place. 3.e3 Nf6 3...e5 4.Bxc4 exd4 5.exd4 Nf6 is a bit more imbalanced, thanks to the isolated queen's pawn 4.Bxc4 e6 5.Nf3 c5 6.0-0 Nc6 6...a6 might have with hindsight given Black a few perks, assuming White plays the endgame anyway, and plays it in a similar style: 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Bd2 Ke7= Black will set up with ...b5, ...Nbd7, ...Bb7. The position is equal. 7.Nc3 a6 8.dxc5 Qxd1 9.Rxd1 Bxc5 10.Bd2 0-0 10...Ke7 is less advisable here thanks to 11.Bd3!? and Black faces a few problems completing development 11.Rac1 Bd7 12.Be2 The idea is clearly enough Na4-c5, but right now there is an issue with playing it, so Black can safely ignore the idea. 12.Ne2 Bb6 13.Bc3 was more forcing, but also didn't give much: Rfd8 14.Ne5 Be8!= 12...Rfd8 13.Na4 Ba7 14.Be1 14.Nc5 Bxc5 15.Rxc5 Ne4 equalises, unless White can somehow mount a convincing claim that his opponent's bishop is genuinely bad. 14...Be8 15.Rxd8 15.Nc5 Rxd1 16.Bxd1 Rb8= 15...Nxd8 16.b3 16.Nc5 Rc8= 16...Nd5 17.Kf1 Nc6 17...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.Ne5 18.Bxb5 axb5 19.Nc3 Nxc3 20.Bxc3 f6 18...f6 19.Nd3 Ne7 20.Nab2 Rc8= Black has kept his equality without making any concessions. 18.Nc5 Rb8 19.a3 Nce7 20.Ne5 Rc8 21.Ned3 Rc7 22.b4 Maybe not the most precise way to prosecute the advantage. White could have had something following 22.e4 Nf6 23.f3 Bb5 24.Bg3! 22...Bxc5 23.Rxc5 Bb5 24.Rxc7 Here 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.e4 Bxd3 25.Bxd3 Rxc5 26.bxc5 Nf6 is probably not that dangerous for Black anymore ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vidit,S2718Van Foreest,J2629½–½2018D27Tata Steel Challengers13

Vidit: "I thought I should play a bit but not risk too much."

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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.

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Macauley 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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