Tata Steel Rd.5: Anand, Carlsen win, Grischuk loses to Wang

This event is taking place from January 14th to 30th, 2011 in the traditional De Moriaan Center in Wijk aan Zee. There are three Grandmaster Groups, with 14 players each and each competitor playing against every other. The rate of play is 100 minutes for 40 moves, then 50 minutes for 20 moves and finally 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30 seconds/move increment starting with the first move of the game. Games begin at 13:30h local time (CET), except for the last round on January 30th, which begins at 12:00h. There are three rest days, on January 19th, 24th, and 27th.

Tata Steel Chess Pavilion

Results of round five

The leadership switched hands in the fifth round, with both pole positions enjoying kindnesses from their opponents, but Anand more so.

Startlingly strong in Wijk: American GM Hikaru Nakamura

Nakamura once again found himself with a difficult position, this time against Ponomariov, and decided to try to solve his problems tactically. It didn’t quite work, as the Ukrainian was still better, but the weakness around Ruslan’s king was not to his liking, especially against a player renowned for finding unexpected solutions and a draw was agreed.

Ukrainian GM and former FIDE Knockout World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov

Anand, playing Black, had a good game against Smeets and eventually pressured him into a cramped, unpleasant endgame after sacrificing the exchange. The Dutch player held true and was still clinging to a drawn when he hallucinated, jettisoned a pawn and quickly lost. With this gift, the World Champion is now in the lead with 4.0/5 followed by Nakamura on 3.5/5.

Magnus Carlsen kibitzing Jan Smeets vs Vishy Anand

Smeets,J (2662) - Anand,V (2810) [C95]
73rd Tata Steel GMA Wijk aan Zee NED (5), 20.01.2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.Nf1 Bf8 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 c5 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.a4 c4 18.N3h2 Re6 19.Qf3 Qb6 20.Ng4 Be7 21.Nxf6+ Bxf6 22.Bg3 Bg5 23.Ne3 Bxe3 24.Qxe3 Qxe3 25.Rxe3 Nc5 26.f3 Rd8 27.Re2 Bc6 28.axb5 Bxb5 29.Bf2 Nd3 30.Rd2 Rc8 31.Bb1 Rd6 32.Be3 Rcc6 33.Bxd3 cxd3 34.Kf2 Rd7 35.Rdd1 Rb7 36.Ra5 f6 37.Ke1 Bc4 38.b4 Bb5 39.Kd2 h5 40.Bc5 Kf7 41.Rc1 Bc4 42.Be3 Bb5 43.Bc5

Jan Smeets has held up pretty well in this Ruy Lopez Breyer, but Anand has kept pressing. His solution to this proffered repetition is in the air: 43...Rxc5 44.bxc5 Bc4 45.Rd1 Rb2+ 46.Kc1 Rc2+ 47.Kb1 Ke7 48.c6 Kd8 49.Ra4 Bb5 50.Ra2 Kc7 51.c4 Rxc4 52.Rc1 Rd4 53.Rd2 Ba4 54.Rc5 Bc2+ 55.Kb2 Rd6 56.Kc3 h4

The Dutch GM has withstood all the pressure brought against him by the World Champion, but now he suffers an inexplicable blackout (is it something in the air in Wijk?): 57.g3?? hxg3. Here Smeets probably intended 58.Rg2, but now it dawns on him that 58...d2! 59.Rxd2 Rxd2 60.Kxd2 g2 would seal his fate. 58.h4 g6 59.Rd5 Rxc6+ 60.Kb2 Rb6+ 61.Kc3 Rb3+ 62.Kc4 Rb1. Perfect play by Vishy, who is heading for f1 and f2 with that rook. Jan Smeets makes it even easier for him: 63.Rg2 Bb3+ 64.Kxd3 Bxd5 65.exd5 Rb3+ 0-1. [Click to replay]

Another decisive game of the round was Wang Hao’s strong win against Grischuk, though both continue to populate the bottom half of the crosstable.

The daily 500-euro “Piet Zwart Prize” for the best game of the day went to Wang Hao. GM Ivan Sokolov: "No ifs or buts about it – his handling of the white side of the King’s Indian with 3.g3 was exemplary. The other A-Group games in the fifth round were far less interesting. In fact, none came even close.”

Wang Hao (2731) - Grischuk,A (2773) [E63]
73rd Tata Steel GMA Wijk aan Zee NED (5), 20.01.2011
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 a6 8.b3 Rb8 9.Nd5 Bg4 10.Bb2 Nxd5 11.cxd5 Nb4 12.e4 f5 13.h3 fxe4 14.hxg4 exf3 15.Bxf3 Qe8 16.g5 Rxf3 17.Qxf3 Qf7 18.Qe2 Rf8 19.f4 Nxd5 20.Rf2 h6 21.Raf1 c6 22.g4 e6 23.Qe4 hxg5 24.fxg5 Qe8 25.Rxf8+ Bxf8 26.Re1 Kf7 27.Kg2 b5 28.a4 b4 29.Bc1 a5 30.Bf4 Qd7 31.Bg3 Be7 32.Rf1+ Kg7 33.Be5+ dxe5 34.Qxe5+ Kg8 35.Rh1 Nf4+ 36.Kf1 1-0. [Click to replay]

Not in great shape in this event: World Championship candidate Alexander Grischuk

The longest game of the day was Carlsen-l'Ami which went past the 90-move mark. The number one managed to keep a slight edge throughout the game but never seemed to be able to push it toward a full point. A mistake by l'Ami changed this, and suddenly it seemed like a clear win for Magnus. Then 20 moves later, Magnus returned the favor, and found himself in a theoretically drawn rook and knight versus rook endgame. He pressed on, understandably, and his persistence was finally rewarded as the Dutch player failed to find the correct defense.

Carlsen,M (2814) - L'Ami,E (2628) [C77]
73rd Tata Steel GMA Wijk aan Zee NED (5), 20.01.2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.Re1 0-0 9.Nbd2 Kh8 10.Nf1 Ng8 11.Bg5 f6 12.Bh4 Qe8 13.d4 Bd7 14.d5 Nd8 15.Bxd7 Qxd7 16.N3d2 Nf7 17.f3 f5 18.c4 a5 19.Bf2 Nf6 20.c5 fxe4 21.Nxe4 dxc5 22.Nxc5 Qxd5 23.Qxd5 Nxd5 24.Rad1 c6 25.Ne3 Rfd8 26.a4 Nxe3 27.Bxe3 b5 28.b3 bxa4 29.bxa4 Rd5 30.Ne6 Bf8 31.Nc7 Rxd1 32.Rxd1 Rd8 33.Rc1 Rd3 34.Bb6 Bb4 35.Rxc6 Ra3 36.Ne6 h5 37.f4 Rxa4 38.fxe5 Ra1+ 39.Kf2 Re1 40.Bd4 Kg8 41.Rc8+ Kh7 42.Nf8+ Kh6 43.Nd7 Rd1 44.Be3+ Kg7 45.Rc7 a4 46.e6 Nd6 47.h4 a3 48.Ra7 g5 49.hxg5 Kg6 50.e7

The world's number one has been pressing and probing, but Erwin l'Ami, almost 200 points his inferior on the rating scale, has weathered the storm and whould now be able to draw (e.g. with 50...Ne4). However he simply drops a pawn: 50...a2? 51.Nf8+ (51.Rxa2 straight away also works) 51...Kf5 52.Rxa2 Ne4+ 53.Kf3 Rf1+ 54.Ke2 Ng3+ 55.Kd3 Bxe7 56.Ra5+ Kg4 57.Ra4+ Kf5 58.Ra5+ Kg4. White is clearly winning and pauses only to gain some time on the clock with a two-fold repetition. Now he must continue to victory. 59.Ne6 Rd1+ 60.Kc2 Rd7 61.g6 Nf1 62.Bc1 Bf6 63.g7 Bxg7 64.Rg5+ Kh4 65.Nxg7

65...Ne3+! A clever little trick. 66.Bxe3 Rd2+! The rook cannot be touched (Black would be stalemated) and turns into what the Dutch call a "dolle toren", a crazy rook which harasses the opponent's king. 67.Kc1 Rd1+ 68.Kb2 Rd2+ 69.Kc3 Rd3+ 70.Kc4. The suicidal checks end here (or after 70...Rc3+ 71.Kd4 Rd3+ 72.Ke4). White now has a clear and comfortable win. 70...Rxe3 71.Rxh5+ Kg4

72.Rh2? Shock on the Playchess server, numerous spectators faint away as their kibitzing engines switch from between +4 and +6 pawns to 0.00 = draw. Magnus has thrown away the win. This becomes quite clear after 72...Re7 73.Nh5 Re5 74.Nf6+ Kg3 75.Rh7 Kxg2

This endgame is – ask Cheron or any endgame tablebase – a theoretical draw. The Norwegian GM mutters a curse and sticks out his hand to concede the draw – you would think. But not Magnus, who is famous for playing on in drawn positions and, as we shall see, not out of spite. 76.Kd4 Re1 77.Ng4 Kg3 78.Ne3 Ra1 79.Rg7+ Kf4 80.Rf7+ Kg3 81.Nc2 Ra4+ 82.Ke3 Kg4 83.Nd4 Kg5 84.Ke4 Kg6 85.Rf1 Ra5 86.Nc6 Ra4+ 87.Ke5 Kg5 88.Rg1+ Rg4 89.Ra1 Rg3 90.Re1 Rg2 91.Ne7 Kg4 92.Nf5 Ra2 93.Rg1+

The secret of the world's number one: always keep up the pressure, play relentlessly, give them problem after problem to solve. In the end they will crumble. 93...Kf3? 94.Nh4+ and 1-0 because after 94...Ke3 95.Rg3+ the black king is forced on the second rank and the black rook falls to the skewer on g2. [Click to replay or check out full analysis by GM Karsten Müller]

French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, third youngest player in the A-Group (Magnus is a month younger), faced Holland’s Anish Giri, the youngest in a Petroff. Maxime played a solid game and after 27.f4 Anish had no trouble equalizing. The encounter ended in a 39-move draw.

Vachier-Lagrave vs Giri: White takes a stroll while Black ponders his next move

In the “B” group, McShane continues in sole lead despite two draws in the last couple of rounds, though Efimenko is now breathing down his neck after beating Navara in round five.

In the “C” Group, Ukrainian prodigy 14-year-old GM Ilya Nyzhnyk is in a race to catch up with GM Vocaturo, after winning his round five game. But the Italian GM seems to be on a magic ride, after winning a dead lost game in round four, and now picking up a full point in what should have been a drawn endgame in round five.

Current standings after five rounds

Grandmaster "A" tournament

Grandmaster "B" tournament

Grandmaster "C" tournament

Watching the games

It goes without saying that the options to watch the games live are wide and varied. You can watch them at no cost on Playchess, enjoying the software's new options to display multiple boards at the same time, and if you are a Premium member, live grandmaster commentary will be provided on Playchess for every round by GM Daniel King, author of the best-selling Power Play series, and GM Lubomir Ftacnik. If you miss the live games, you can always watch the commentary after the fact, or get an abridged tale via the Daily Roundup show also hosted on Playchess. Again, if you miss the show, it remains available on the server at your disposal.

Schedule of Grandmaster Group A

Schedule of Grandmaster Group B

Schedule of Grandmaster Group C

Links Official tournament site "A" tournament games in PGN "B" tournament games in PGN "C" tournament games in PGN The 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 the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!