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After Vishy Anand lost to Anton Kovalyov in the second round of the World Cup 2017, many people started to speak about his retirement once again. I wonder why people do not learn their lesson. Every time Vishy has had a low in his career, he has fought back and come out stronger.
He did this once again at the Chess.com Isle of Man International 2017. It was a strong Open tournament where Anand was the fourth seed behind Carlsen, Kramnik and Caruana. Vishy scored five wins and four draws to finish with a solid 7.0 / 9, gaining two Elo points in the process. He finished joint second with Nakamura, half a point behind Magnus Carlsen.
A curious fact is that although the tournament had 13 players above the rating of 2700, Anand didn't face any. One could say he was a tad lucky with the pairings, but he did make most of the chances offered to him.
Players like Shirov, Fressinet, Hou Yifan, Grandelius and Sethuraman can beat the best in the business on their day and Anand managed to not only stave them off, but also scored 4.0 / 5 against them.
Let's take a closer look at Vishy Anand's scorecard:
| Rd. | Bo. | SNo | Name | Rtg | FED | Pts. | Res. | |
| 1 | 3 | 74 | IM | Esserman Marc | 2453 | USA | 3,5 | w 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 59 | IM | Lampert Jonas | 2514 | GER | 5,0 | s ½ |
| 3 | 12 | 58 | IM | Lubbe Nikolas | 2515 | GER | 4,0 | w 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 31 | GM | Shirov Alexei | 2630 | LAT | 6,5 | s ½ |
| 5 | 5 | 28 | GM | Grandelius Nils | 2653 | SWE | 5,5 | w ½ |
| 6 | 6 | 33 | GM | Sethuraman S.P. | 2617 | IND | 5,0 | w 1 |
| 7 | 3 | 46 | GM | Lenderman Aleksandr | 2565 | USA | 6,0 | s ½ |
| 8 | 4 | 26 | GM | Fressinet Laurent | 2657 | FRA | 5,5 | s 1 |
| 9 | 2 | 22 | GM | Hou Yifan | 2670 | CHN | 6,0 | w 1 |
Pleased with his performance at Isle of Man | Photo: Alina l'Ami
After Anand was back from Isle of Man and before he left for Seychelles, ChessBase India contacted him and did a short interview. Here's the entire transcript and at the end of the article you will also find the full recording.
Sagar Shah (SS): Which was your favourite game from the event?
Vishy Anand (VA): That's a tough one! I would choose between Lubbe in the third round and Hou Yifan in the ninth. Both games are quite pretty. In one I am about to give a mate to the king on e4 and I like the Hou Yifan game also very much. I think it is a game of one piece.
Not the Petroff, again! Vishy Anand played an excellent game to beat Hou Yifan (Annotated below) | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
SS: What lessons did you learn from Gibraltar 2016 that you applied here?
VA: I think mainly the difference between Gibraltar and here is that I managed to remain calmer. In Gibraltar and even in World Cup 2017 I was unable to get into a calm state of mind, where you make sensible decisions at the board. In this tournament I managed to do this quite nicely. In fact I got into my groove in the last two games.
Gibraltar 2016 was a tough tournament for Anand where he lost a ton of rating points, but he learned his lessons and applied them at the Isle of Man | Photo: Sophie Triay
SS: How did you prepare for this event after the World Cup?
VA: I couldn't do all that much of preparation after the World Cup. First of all I was not in the mood and second of all there wasn't much time. I tried to take a break. I enjoyed playing in the Isle of Man because it allows you a little bit of freedom to experiment. I believe this also is the case with Magnus. He seemed to happy to do stuff which he wouldn't be able to do at other places. I needed a little bit of luck against Fressinet in the eighth round. Otherwise the tournament wouldn't have ended so well.
Top players are able to try out different openings moreso than in top closed Round-Robins | Photo: chess.com/ Maria Emelianova
SS: Which are your next events?
VA: The next tournaments will be the London Chess Classic and in the new year Wijk Aan Zee Tata Steel event. I am looking forward to both.
A super tournament victory is something that has been missing for Anand for quite some time now. Will London 2017 change that? | Photo: Amruta Mokal
SS: Did you read the article by IM Lanka Ravi for Times of India. Do you have anything to say about it? We received 153 comments for the contest where people had to quote the reason why you must not retire. The best 10 we published here. Can you say something to your fans who love you so much.
VA: I don't understand why all sorts of ridiculous people tell me that I should retire. I was very touched by what the readers have written. I think the ones who have written, look, if playing chess brings him pleasure and he enjoys it, then what's the reason for him not to do it! And I think they nailed the reason why I continue playing.
If I like playing, then I will play. That's all.
SS: Lastly, how did you feel playing with 30 more Indians in the same playing hall?
The best of Indian chess (almost!) captured in one frame! | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
VA: I had also experienced this in Gibraltar, this sensation of playing 30 Indians. There are some practical problems. Because normally in a Round-Robin I can find my table very easily by looking for the Indian flag. But in Isle of Man I couldn't find my table at all that way. In fact I would look for my opponent's flag. That was much easier to find! It's nice to bump into my Indian colleagues, at the venue or while taking a walk. I wish I had the chance to know them better. Hopefully this will be the case in future.
Selfies and photos abounded on social media as Indians got a chance to take a picture with their role model. Clockwise from top left: Swapnil Dhopade, Fenil Shah, Swayams Mishra and Rakesh Kumar Jena.
The first DVD with videos from Anand's chess career reflects the very beginning of that career and goes as far as 1999. It starts with his memories of how he first learned chess and shows his first great games (including those from the 1984 WCh for juniors). The high point of his early developmental phase was the winning of the 1987 WCh for juniors. After that, things continue in quick succession: the first victories over Kasparov, WCh candidate in both the FIDE and PCA cycles and the high point of the WCh match against Kasparov in 1995.
Running time: 3:48 hours
Anand selected two of his favourite games from the event. The first one was his third round win against Nikolas Lubbe and the second was his ninth round triumph over Hou Yifan. The Lubbe game is annotated in the replayable board below, while the Hou Yifan game is analyzed in the youtube video.
In 60 minutes you will get a crash course how to play such a complicated opening like the Sicilian Najdorf by the hands of GM van Wely who knows by experience how the dangers look like! The contents:
• Video 1, 2, 3: how to survive versus whites most aggressive approach: 6. Bc4, 6. Be3 and 6 Bg5
• Video 4: how to deal with the latest fashion in the Najdorf 6. h3 and last but not least
• Video 5: how to play vs the more classical set ups 6. Be2 and 6. g3
Vishy Anand and Hikaru Nakamura congratulate each other on scoring 7.0/10 and finishing joint second | Photo: John Saunders
India's number three and the most upcoming player, Vidit Gujrathi, played against the World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the seventh round. The way that game went goes to show how much Vidit has progressed as a player. He kept the pressure right from the opening and was able to outplay the World Champion with the black pieces. If it was anyone else Vidit would have surely pushed on, but against Carlsen he decided to play it safe and simplify the game into a drawn endgame.
There are games that can change the direction of a chess career. And this is surely one of them. Vidit's confidence has increased by leaps and bounds after this draw against Magnus Carlsen. The 2721 rated 22-year-old from Nashik has started to believe that he too belongs right up there with the best. As this game has such great import, we decided to ask Vidit what he felt before, during and after the struggle. There is a short interview in this article, but before that you can replay the game below to get a better idea of what transpired.
Confident Vidit shows he is ready to fight with the best! | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
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.
SS: What was your reaction when you got to know that you were going to play the World Champion Magnus Carlsen?
VG: Normally you would expect a player to be excited or nervous when he gets the opportunity to play the World Champion. But I was very chilled out. I was just happy that I was getting a chance to play against Magnus.
SS: How did you prepare for the game?
VG: When you play against Carlsen, you cannot really predict the opening. So I took more rest than usual and prepared myself mentally for a long fight.
SS: What openings were you expecting from him?
VG: I looked at what Magnus would usually play, but in Isle of Man he was very unpredictable. He was more in the freestyle mode. So I did look at the normal lines and checked my notes there, but I was expecting him to play something different.
SS: Were you surprised when he played 1.Nf3?
VG: Of all the lines that I prepared before the game, I didn't spend so much time on 1.Nf3. So you could say that I was surprised to some extent!
SS: You thought a lot before making your first move what were you thinking?
Magnus has made his move, and Vidit's time is ticking | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
VG: I was not really thinking at that point. I didn't even know that he had made his move. I was just trying to get myself in the zone before the game.
SS: When did you start feeling comfortable during the game?
VG: When I made this move ...Nd6 I saw that all my pieces were well placed. At the same time he was taking a lot of time for his moves, from which I understood that he was not very happy with his position!
The opening went really well for Vidit and Magnus couldn't find a way to put even the slightest of pressure on his opponent | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
SS: Do you think you showed too much respect for your opponent. Like if it was someone else you would have pressed harder?
VG: I think it was happening at a subconscious level. I didn't realize that the position was so much better, because I didn't look for it. Maybe, if it was someone else I would have looked harder and tried to find more resources. But I was happy to see ...Bd7 and that I had no problems. But yes, you are right, if it was someone else I would have tried harder. In hindsight it was clearly a big mistake and something to work on in the future.
This was the position where Vidit could have kept up the pressure with a move like 21...Qe7. Instead he went for 21...Bd7 and after 22.Qxc7 Bxb5 23.Bf1 White had fewer problems to solve.
SS: What did Magnus say after the game?
A relieved-looking Magnus Carlsen after the game | Photo: John Saunders
VG: We were just discussing the various positions after the game. We exchanged our ideas and thoughts. Many of our opinions matched and on some we disagreed. But overall it was a very healthy post-mortem analysis.
SS: How was your feeling after drawing the game?
VG: Initially I thought that I played a good game, which is true, but I think I could have played better. After coming back to the room, I checked with the computer and realized that I could have put pressure on him with something like ...Qd8 and even later I had many chances to push. To sum it up — I was happy with the game but the objective part of me said that I could have done better.
The move 24...Bxf3 in the above position showed too much respect for the World Champion. Against someone else Vidit would have gone for Qd8 with ideas like Qd5.
SS: What did Nigel Short say to you before the game? That photo has been liked by everyone a lot!
Readers are welcome to give their captions to this image in the comments section! | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
VG: It was a nice picture indeed and a perfectly timed capture. I think some things are more fun if there is some mystery attached with it. So I think I will keep it that way!
Vidit's DVDs (part I and II) on Caro Kann is one of the best materials available out there on the opening. If you are interested to play the Caro Kann with black this is all that you need!
The Fashionable Caro-Kann Vol.1 and 2
The Caro Kann is a very tricky opening. Black’s play is based on controlling and fighting for key light squares. It is a line which was very fashionable in late 90s and early 2000s due to the successes of greats like Karpov, Anand, Dreev etc. Recently due to strong engines lot of key developments have been made and some new lines have been introduced, while others have been refuted altogether. I have analyzed the new trends carefully and found some new ideas for Black.
Swapnil Dhopade lost the last round of the National Challengers 2017 to Deepan Chakkravarthy and with it missed out on the championship title. It was a depressing moment for the Amravati lad, especially because he was completely dominating the tournament with a 8½ / 9. After the event, I felt that Swapnil would be devastated, but in an interview with Ankit Dalal, he seemed extremely calm. He objectively pin-pointed his error that had led to the last round defeat and looked determined to make a strong comeback. It was then that I knew that a powerful performance from Mr. Dhopade was on the cards. Which tournament it would be had to be seen.
Swapnil chose Isle of Man to show to the world what he was capable off. And he couldn't have chosen a better event. In a star-studded tournament, where he faced seven grandmasters, six of them being above 2650, Swapnil scored 6½ / 9, with four wins and five draws. An astonishing performance of 2768 gaining 28 Elo points! This was by far the best performance of his career. We caught up with the man of the moment and did a small interview with him to decode his performance. What is it that is turning the tide in Swapnil Dhopade's chess career?
| Rd. | Bo. | SNo | Name | Rtg | FED | Pts. | Res. | |
| 1 | 44 | 80 | WGM | Shvayger Yuliya | 2442 | ISR | 4,5 | s 1 |
| 2 | 27 | 121 | IM | L'ami Alina | 2286 | ROU | 3,5 | w 1 |
| 3 | 9 | 27 | GM | Granda Zuniga Julio E | 2653 | PER | 6,0 | s ½ |
| 4 | 9 | 20 | GM | Movsesian Sergei | 2671 | ARM | 6,0 | w ½ |
| 5 | 16 | 23 | GM | Jones Gawain C B | 2668 | ENG | 5,5 | s ½ |
| 6 | 18 | 41 | GM | Tari Aryan | 2588 | NOR | 5,5 | w 1 |
| 7 | 9 | 19 | GM | Rapport Richard | 2675 | HUN | 6,5 | s ½ |
| 8 | 11 | 14 | GM | Short Nigel D | 2698 | ENG | 5,5 | w 1 |
| 9 | 3 | 8 | GM | Eljanov Pavel | 2734 | UKR | 6,5 | s ½ |
Swapnil's scorecard at the Isle of Man International includes wins ver Shvayger, l'Ami, Tari and Short. All his draws were against 2650+ opponents. | Photo: Chess.com / Maria Emelianova
Sagar Shah (SS): 2768!! Swapnil, how were you able to perform so well at the event?
Swapnil Dhopade (SD): I cannot really point out one specific reason. As always is the case with such good performances it was a mixture of many reasons. I have been training hard for past several months with the goal of 2600 in mind. I think all my work was useful in this tournament. Also I performed well in National Challengers. I feel one of the main reasons might be my work with Jacob Aagaard. I attended his camp in August in Glasgow and I feel I have learned a lot of things with him.
Swapnil with his latest trainer Jacob Aagaard | Photo: Jacob Aagaard
SS: How did working with Jacob Aagaard help?
SD: Working with Jacob has really helped me a lot. First of all I have worked a lot with his books. I especially liked his books on calculation and positional play. In August I attended a camp of his. I learned a lot of things in the camp. He pushed us out of our comfort zones by giving really tough positions. The quality of his material is amazing. Also I learned the importance of physical fitness after working him. During the camp we used to go to the gym daily for two hours and play badminton. I feel working on fitness and energy helps one to perform better in the tournaments for sure. Jacob is one of the fittest chess players I have seen.
The training camp in Glasgow in the first week of August at Jacob Aagaard's residence was attended by two Indians Swapnil Dhopade and Tania Sachdev
SS: Tell us something about your king walk against Aryan Tari! Were you inspired by Short-Timman?!
Swapnil offered his queen for exchange on g3 and then marched his king all the way up to g5 to weave a mating net around the black king
SD: I have obviously seen such king walks many times, especially in the end games. It just came very naturally to me, as we both already had less time. I just followed my intuition and took the king to g5. When you see many such ideas it gets stored in your mind subconsciously and pops up during the game automatically. Therefore studying classical games of great players is important. You get to learn many such interesting ideas.
Aryan Tari has been improving at a rapid pace and has reached an Elo of 2600 in the past. Swapnil was able to masterfully outplay him in the endgame! | chess.com/ Maria Emelianova
SS: Tell us some key analysis of the move e4 against Rapport. He is known as an aggressive player, but you were playing like him!
Play through the moves on the live diagram!
SD: Well Rapport always plays such aggressive chess! Before the game I thought I will play solid from the opening because he takes a lot of risk and I will get my chances anyway. When he played 15.Bf3 his idea was to take on g6 with the knight and play Qh4. But I felt something was wrong with the placement of Qg4-Bf3. So 15...e4 came to my mind with ideas like Ne5. But obviously after 16.dxe4 I cannot play Ne5 because he can simply play Bxe5. So I considered 16...Be5 when he has to play 17.c3 but then the d3 square becomes weak and I have 17...Nc5 exploiting the weak d3 square.
Once I imagined this position in my mind it became clear to me that Black is going to have a strong initiative. I checked some other lines after e4 and then went for it.
SS: Which was your favourite game from the tournament?
SD: My favorite game in this tournament was my win against Nigel Short.
Nigel Short in good spirits before the start of his game against Swapnil | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
SS: Nigel Short is a legend. How were you able to beat him in such smooth style?
SD: Nigel is of course a world class player. Before our game he had a series of draws so I felt he will try hard to win against me. That is why he went for a rare move in the Catalan. He just wanted to play a position over the board which is new for both of us.
But unfortunately the opening experiment backfired. I got a typical Catalan edge. I had control over the two most important breaks in the position which could free his pieces. The c5 and e5 squares. Without these breaks blacks position is always a bit cramped and uncomfortable.
I just put of my pieces on the right squares and I was better. I think the critical moment of the game was after he played Qb5.
I was hesitating to play a4 and I took a long time there. I had to assess the arising Rook knight vs rook knight Endgame which comes by force. In that Endgame which came in the game the weakness of the b7 pawn and the badly placed d8 knight gives white a clear advantage.
Another important moment was to gain space on the Kingside with h4-h5 and fix blacks Kingside pawns. Once his f5 square was weak, I just had to find a way to manoeuvre the knight to f5, after which it was just winning.
The final nail in the coffin — pushing the pawn to h5!
The Catalan: A complete repertoire for White!
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!
SS: How was it to have Vishy Anand playing in the same tournament?
SD: I was very excited to know that Vishy Anand was going to play. It would be the first time I was going to play in the same tournament as him. I didn't miss my chance to take a selfie with him [smiles]! He is a very humble and down to earth human being which I really admire about him. He is always calm during the game, something that every player should learn. He is a true inspiration for us all.
How can one pass the chance of taking a selfie with the five-time World Champion!
SS: Magnus won the tournament when he came with his girlfriend to the event. Are you thinking on these lines for future events?!
Carlsen with Synne Kristin Larsen — secret for his success? | Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
SD: Magnus won the tournament because he is a very strong player. First I have to focus on improving my game then start thinking along these lines [laughs]. I still make a lot mistakes!
SS: Do you think this is the revival of your chess career and that you can now dream of 2600 and beyond?
SD: Yes this performance has really charged me up. I don't want to go too far but 2600 has been at the back of my mind for a long time. I hope to reach there soon.
Swapnil's next tournament will be the National Premier Championship beginning from the 27th of October 2017. It would be interesting to see if he can repeat his performance and give B. Adhiban, the top seed of the event, a run for his money!
Swapnil S. Dhopade | Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova
These interviews of Indian players were originally published on ChessBase India. By bringing forth the stories of successful achievers ChessBase India hopes to give the young talents in India and all over the world an insight into what it means to be performing well at the highest level. True to its tagline it is trying to Power chess in India.
