Vidit's Gargantuan Grunfeld Genius!

by Tanmay Srinath
2/15/2020 – After three hard-fought rounds of chess in Prague we finally have a sole leader! Vidit Gujrathi, after surviving a mega-scare against David Anton yesterday, found his rhythm and squeezed Markus Ragger in a Grunfeld endgame to go to world number 21 and 2½/3. Alireza Firouzja has found the going tough in the first two rounds, but he seems to have benefited from the close shave yesterday, as he outplayed Harikrishna in a Closed Ruy Lopez structure to score his first win of the event. David Anton was seriously worse, but David Navara's struggles continued as he missed numerous chances for an advantage with White to gift the Spaniard the point. Grandelius continued to falter in decisive moments, as Vitiugov escaped by a hair's breadth to maintain a plus score, and Shankland missed out on what could have been a brilliant win over Duda as Black. | Photo: Vladimir Jagr

The Grünfeld is a highly dynamic opening in which Black's position often seems to hang together by a single thread; and yet, this apparently precarious equilibrium appears to be enough to make it entirely viable — up to the highest level.

Grandelius and Shankland miss their chances

What differentiates a world top 10 player from an 'ordinary' super grandmaster? Well, to answer this question let me give you two positions to solve:

 
Duda - Shankland, Round 3
Position after 28.Qa6

 
Vitiugov - Grandelius, Round 3
Position after 29.Qe2

Well, I hope you thought long and hard in the given positions. Here are the games with the solutions to the questions. Click or tap an entry from the list to switch between games:

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e5 7.Nde2 h5 8.Bg5 Be6 9.Bxf6 Qxf6 10.Nd5 Qd8 11.Qd3 Nd7 12.0-0-0 g6 13.Kb1 Nc5 14.Qa3 Bg7 15.h4 Rb8 16.Nec3 0-0 17.f3 f5 18.Ne3 b5 19.b4 Bh6 20.Ned5 fxe4 21.bxc5 b4 22.Nxb4 a5 23.Rxd6 axb4 24.Qa6 bxc3+ 25.Ka1 Qxd6 26.Qxd6 Bf7 27.Be2 Rb2 28.Qa6 Rxa2+? 28...Rxc2‼ It takes guts and machine-like precision to do this. 29.Bc4 I think this is what Shankland must have been scared about. Rxg2 Grabbing another pawn. 30.c6 exf3‼ Not a care in the world! Black allows White to win a rook, but the strength of his passed pawns will decide. 31.c7 Bxc4! 32.Qxc4+ Kh7 33.c8Q Rxc8 34.Qxc8 e4-+ There is a high chance that Sam would have reached this position in his calculations, but failed to have assessed it correctly. Black has 3 potential queens, and White doesn't have any respite despite the extra material. Black wins. 29.Qxa2 Bxa2 30.Kxa2 Rc8 31.fxe4 Rxc5 32.Kb3 Kg7 33.Rh3 Bd2 34.g4 hxg4 35.Bxg4 Rb5+ 36.Kc4 Rb2 37.Bd1 Rb1 38.Rh1 Kh6 39.Kd5 Bf4 40.Kc4 Bd2 41.Kd5 Bf4 42.Kc4 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Duda,J2755Shankland,S2683½–½2020Prague Festival Masters 20203.3
Vitiugov,N2731Grandelius,N2659½–½2020Prague Festival Masters 20203.4

To answer the question posed at the very top, there are basically four factors:

  1. Incisive / Clinical - The World Top ten player is usually far more clinical and incisive in his/her calculations. He is able to finish a game off without allowing a lot of counterplay most of the time, and when there is a need to find the only move to win/draw, he will most likely find it.
  2. Better at bending the rules - No, not the rules of the game, but the rules of positional chess. Many a times in the FIDE World Championship 2018 during the live commentary I used to notice that Alexander Grischuk suggested moves that Svidler would fail to consider/understand, but most importantly fail to refute as well, and it turned out that Sasha was right most of the time! Shows how open-minded they all are.
  3. Greater consistency - The top 10 player has fewer bad days/moments, and they play at a stronger level consistently!
  4. Will to win - The champion's attitude, which is to fight and fight, even when there is no hope, and the will to grind out an equal endgame.

Shankland played brilliant chess today, but it wasn't enough to win | Photo: Vladimir Jagr

There can be different interpretations, and perhaps better points than these, but these four should encompass the main strengths of a top ten player. Why this subject? Well, as one could observe, both Shankland and Grandelius missed big chances! Both are super strong players, but when it came to finishing their opponents off they failed. This shows how hard it is to actually win games, and why we should appreciate the legends of the game who win, even against the very best.

Vitiugov has Caissa on his side! | Photo: Vladimir Jagr

Vidit - Ragger 1-0

Vlastimil Hort makes the ceremonial first move | Photo: Vladimir Jagr

 
Vidit - Ragger, Round 3
Position after 3...d5

The game started with a Grunfeld Defense, against which Vidit decided to enter the Endgame Variation.

 
Position after 13.Kxd2

After the Alpha Zero-Stockfish Match many top players investigated this endgame in depth and have come up with some interesting ideas. The current consensus is that White should have a small stable advantage, but Black should hold.

 
Position after 16.Rc5

Here Ragger chose 16...♜d8, which is a natural move but perhaps objectively not the best. ♝d7 seems like a better try.

 
Position after 21.e5

Moving the same piece again and again, even if the position is closed, is rarely a good option. Can you find the best way for Black to equalize here. Hint: Ragger played 21...f8?!, which is objectively a dubious sacrifice.

 
Position after 25.Bb3

Vidit's 25.b3? was his only mistake of the game. Ragger missed a golden opportunity and played 25...d5?!, giving White his advantage back. What did the Austrian miss here?

 
Position after 36.Ng1

After a few twists and turns we reached this position on the 36th move. What is Black's best move here, to effectively hold the balance?

 
Position after 39.h5

Two more moves to the time control. What would you do here as Black?

 
Position after 40.Nf3

It's time trouble. You have to make one more move to gain additional time on the clock. What is the only move for Black to stay in the contest?

 
Position after 46.Rc1

The final position is a beauty to behold — Black has no good way of stopping the h-pawn.

 
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It was a hard choice for me to choose one game to go through deeply, but in the end I decided to focus on this one. Vidit's play in the queenless middlegame that soon arises is the best I have seen him play since the past year and half since I started covering tournaments, and it shows how much work he has put into becoming a top 20 player! 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 The Grunfeld, Black's de-facto choice at the top when playing for a win. 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 White has tried almost every good move from this position, but these days 7.Bc4 and 7.Be3 seem to be the best tries for an opening advantage. 7.Be3 Ever since it was found that the revolutionary AI Alpha Zero preferred this way of combatting the Grunfeld, most of the top players started devoting a lot of time into developing this variation, and these days it is hotly contested by both sides. c5 8.Nf3 Qa5 9.Qd2 Nc6 10.Rb1 To provoke a weakness on the queenside before going Rc1 a6 11.Rc1 cxd4 12.cxd4 Qxd2+ 13.Kxd2 It is from here that the serious analysis begins. How to assess this position? Generally speaking Black should be very happy with the fact that the queens are off the board, which means he is one step closer to the dream ending with the outside passed pawn. Since there are lesser pieces on the board, White's space advantage in the center should have a lesser effect than it normally does. Thus, it was generally thought that Black is okay in this endgame, and that is what the regular engines like Stockfish seem to say here. However, in recent times, thanks to the development of chess AI, the general consensus on this position has changed a bit. For starters, White is better developed, and has more space. Second, his king is already centralised. Thirdly, if Black fails to mount an immediate attack on White's center, he risks being squeezed to a pulp. Nowadays this endgame is a legitimate try for White to get a game of two results - either he wins or it's a draw, and Black is somewhat struggling in some lines to get the sharp counterplay he normally likes. e6 The main move, and in the opinion of the NN giants the only real way for Black to play for equality. 14.Bd3 Vidit plays the main move here, simply developing a piece and not comitting to any pawn pushes yet. 14.h4!? 0-0 15.e5!? is my independent attempt at gaining an advantage, but Black is fine here - Rd8! 16.Bd3 h6! Key move, intending to meet 17.h5 with g5 18.Nxg5! Looks scary for Black, but the machine points out Nxd4 19.Ne4! 19.Nf3!? is interesting, but here I can see why Black is equal - Nxf3+ 20.gxf3 Bxe5! 21.Rhg1+ Kh8 22.Bxh6 Bd7 23.f4 Bb5! 24.Rg3 Bf6= with good development and equal chances. 19...Bxe5 20.Bxh6 f5 21.Nc5 Nc6 22.Rh3 Rd6∞ and claims to hold this for Black. This might be an interesting try in Blitz or Rapid though - how does Black develop his queenside? 14...0-0 15.h4 This is probably still preparation from both players, as I see a lot of deep analysis on Let's check. If White is allowed to play h5-h6 he will be seriously better, so Ragger's next move is forced. h6 16.Rc5 Ragger's next move is logical, but is not liked by some of the engines I am using here. There seems to be better ways to equalise fully. Rd8 Natural, but slightly innacurate. I am wondering what Vidit had in mind after the most accurate move - 16...Bd7! Connecting the rooks and trying to advance the queenside without dropping a piece on c6! Here there seems to be two major ideas - 17.h5!? Seems the most problematic for Black - he has to find 17.Rb1 is just straight-forward for Black - b5! 18.e5 Rac8 19.Nh2 Ne7! 20.Rbc1 Rxc5 21.Rxc5 Rc8 22.Ng4 h5 23.Nf6+ Bxf6 24.exf6 Nd5 25.Bg5 Rxc5 26.dxc5 Kf8= and the game is around equal. 17...g5 18.Rb1 b5! The cleanest. 18...Rab8!? is the engine - like way to defend. Here the best for White seems to be 19.d5 exd5 20.exd5 Ne7 21.Rc7 Rfd8 22.Ba7 Rbc8 23.d6 Nd5 24.Rbxb7! Nxc7 25.dxc7 With wonderful compensation for the exchange, but is it enough to win? The comps don't think so, and neither do I, if Black plays well from here. 19.e5 Rfc8 20.Nh2 Bf8 21.Rcc1! 21.Ng4!? Bxc5! 22.dxc5 Kh8 and White definitely has compensation, but is it enough for an advantage? Sadly, no. 21...Nb4 22.Ng4 Kg7 23.Be4 Bc6 and Black is definitely equal here, for example 24.Rxc6 Nxc6 25.Rc1 Nb4 26.Bxa8 Rxa8 27.f4 Nxa2!∞ and the computers feel that Black survives the complications. 17.Rb1! Bf8 17...Nxd4! Seems like the best move to me. Black has to see in advance that after 18.Bxd4 Bxd4 19.Nxd4 Rxd4 20.Ke3 he has Ra4! keeping the rook active, and after 20...Rd8 21.Rb6! White has all the freedom in the world to torture Black for a long time. 21.Rc7 The key move to remember is e5! 22.Bc4 Be6 23.Bxe6 fxe6 24.Rbxb7 White seems to be dominating, but Black has Ra3+ 25.Ke2 Rxa2+ 26.Ke1 Ra1+ 27.Ke2 Ra2+ 28.Kf3 Rf8+ 29.Kg4 Rf4+ 30.Kh3 Raxf2= with equality. While it is unclear whether Ragger could have seen all this, what is surprising to me is that a GM of his class either didn't see the idea of Ra4! and e5!, or saw it and didn't assess it properly. 18.Rc4! No more tricks on the d4 pawn. Bd7 19.Rb6 Be8 20.Rc1 20.Ke2!? Rd7 21.Rc1 Bg7 22.e5 also seems like an interesting option. 20...Bg7 21.e5 This is a double edged move, but the only one to try and play for an advantage. White dulls the effect of the Indian bishop on the long diagonal, but gives up the d5 square, and now was precisely the time for Ragger to try and make a draw. Instead, he falters. Bf8?! Borderline dubious. I don't like this concept of giving up the pawn, as White is in the worst case on the better side of equality, as the onus will be on the second player to justify his pawn minus with activity. 21...Rab8! was the cleanest way to equalise, the point being that White has only one weakness to attack in the position and Black can easily hold his own if he has to defend only one point. 22.Rcb1 Na5 23.Ke2!? Rbc8! Now that the knight is guarding the pawn Black breaks free for activity. 24.Nd2! 24.Bd2!? Nc4! 25.Rxb7 Nxd2 26.Kxd2 Bc6 27.R7b4 a5! 28.Rc4 Bd5= is a dead draw - the backward pawn on d4 means that White can never make use of the extra pawn. Ragger tries something similar in the game, but the difference is that White gets a lot of activity as well. 24...Nc6! 25.Nb3! This move seems unnecessary, but it is important not to allow the g7 bishop to breath fire again. Bf8 26.Be4 Nb4! Black maneuvers with only one piece, but that one piece alone causes havoc in White's position! 27.Rb2 Bb5+ 28.Kf3 Nd5 29.Bxd5 Rxd5 30.Na5 Rd7 31.Kg3 Rc3= and Black successfully manages to hold his position together. 22.Rxb7! Nb4 23.Bc4 Bc6 24.Rc7 Bb5 25.Bb3? Vidit's only mistake in the game. 25.Nh2!? is interesting, but after h5 26.Nf3 Bxc4 27.R1xc4 Nd5 28.Rb7 Rab8! 29.Rxb8 Rxb8 30.g3 I don't see how White wins this, though the computers are adamant about White's 1.00 advantage! 25.a3! is definitely better than what Vidit did in the game - Bxc4 26.R7xc4 Nd5 27.a4 a5 28.Ke2 Rdb8 29.Nd2± with a serious advantage and lasting pressure. 25...Nd5? Ok, a natural move being given a question mark? Well, this gifts White his advantage back, so this should be a mistake. 25...Nd3! How did Ragger miss this move? After 26.Rb1 Bb4+! 27.Kd1 Ba5! 28.Rc2 Nb4= White has nothing better than to repeat moves, owing to the super-active Black pieces. 26.Bxd5! Rxd5 27.Rc8 Rd8 28.Rxa8 Rxa8 29.Bf4!? Not the best move, but my guess is that both sides were in time trouble by now. Kg7 The next few moves are natural and don't require any explanation. 30.Rc7 Bb4+ 31.Ke3 Rd8 32.g4 White has to try something, and he decides to push his kingside. However, due to the weakness of the d5 square and the two bishops Black should hold this. Rd7 33.Rc8 A trade says bye to White's winning hopes! a5 34.Bg3 Making some hand moves to get closer to the time control - this adds extra protection to f2 and in some cases the king can come up the board. Ba6 35.Rc2 Bb7 36.Ng1 g5?! Commital decisions should be avoided just before the time control. Ragger must have underestimated White's response. Just waiting with 36...Rd8! is more than enough to hold the balance - White has no constructive plan. For example - 37.Ne2 Rc8 38.Rxc8 Bxc8 39.Nf4 Ba6 40.Nd3 Ba3 41.f4 h5! This move is the simplest to hold. 42.g5 Bc4 43.Be1 a4 44.Nc5 Bxc5 45.dxc5 Kf8= and even a sub-2000 player should hold this as Black. 37.f4! Give the man one chance and he takes it with open arms. Suddenly White has some hopes of winning! gxf4+ 38.Bxf4 Be7 39.h5 Ba6? A serious innacuracy on the last move before the time control. The feeling is that 39...Bd5! should still hold for Black, for example 40.Ne2 Bd8 41.Ng3 Rc7! Exchanging rooks is best - now the two bishops are too strong to be broken through. 42.Rxc7 Bxc7 43.a3 Bd8 44.Ne4 a4 45.Nd6 Be7 46.Bg3 Bc6 47.Bf4 Kh7 48.Bg3 Kg7 49.Bf4 Bd5= and White can't make progress. 40.Nf3! Bb4? Just before the addition of time to the clocks Ragger falters. Again, Ragger misses out on the best defensive idea - 40...Rb7! gives White the greatest headache. After 41.g5 Bxg5! 42.Bxg5 hxg5 43.Nxg5 Kh6! 44.Ne4 Kxh5 45.Rc6 Bb5 46.Rc5 Rb6!± it is difficult to say if Black will hold this, but the pawns are equal and White has a long long way to go towards a decisive advantage. 41.g5!+- Now the Indian No.2 gets a decisive advantage, and he finishes it off mercilessly. hxg5 42.Nxg5 Bb7 43.Ne4 Be7 44.Nd6 Bd5 45.h6+ Kg6 46.Rc1 and Ragger resigned. A brilliant game by Vidit, who is clearly the man to beat in this tournament! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vidit,S2721Ragger,M26701–02020D85Prague Festival Masters 20203.5

Vidit's tenacity and persistence have led him to 2½/3! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Navara - Anton 0-1

Is it the pressure of the home turf for David Navara? He is clearly playing sub-optimal chess at critical moments, and Anton took his chance when it came.

 
Navara - Anton, Round 3
Position after 19...Nxc3

Here the right recapture is 20.♖xc3!, not fearing Black grabbing the d4-pawn, as White then gets a humongous initiative that decides the outcome of the game in his favour. Instead, 20.bxc3? as played in the game allows Black to equalize.

 
Position after 24...Ng8

White's last chance to keep an advantage was 25.♕e1!. Instead, 25.e3?! equalized the game, and soon Navara started misplaying the position.

 
Position after 31...Kg7

Here it was already time to try and force a draw with 32.♕c2! ♜db8 33.♗c1. Instead, the immediate 32.c1 allowed Black to take over with 32...e8!. There were a few mistakes, but eventually Anton managed to win.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 c6 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Nf3 Ne4 9.Bf4 Ndf6 10.Qc2 0-0 11.0-0 Bf5 12.Ne5 g6 13.f3 Nd6 14.Rad1 Bxd3 15.Rxd3 a6 16.Kh1 Rc8 17.e4 Nb5 18.Qb3 Kg7 19.a4 Nxc3 20.bxc3? 20.Rxc3! dxe4!? Critical. 20...Rc7 21.Ng4± 21.fxe4 Qxd4 22.Qxb7 It is hard to see that White is winning here, but the fact of the matter is that Black is lagging too much behind in development - Nxe4 23.Rcf3 Qb4 24.Qd7! Nf6 The best move. 24...Rfd8 25.Bh6+ Kg8 26.Rxf7‼ 25.Qh3 and White has a decisive advantage. For example - Kg8 26.Bh6 Rfe8 26...Rfd8 is refuted beautifully - 27.Nxf7‼ Kxf7?! 28.Bg5! Kg7 29.Rxf6! Bxf6? 30.Bxf6+! Kg8 31.Qe6+ Kf8 32.Bd4# Of course, this is only a sample line, but it beautifully illustrates White's potential. 27.Bg5 Nh5 28.Bxe7 Qxe7 29.Nxf7+- with a winning attack. 20...b5 21.Qa2 Nh5 22.Bc1 Nf6 23.axb5 axb5 24.Qd2 Ng8 25.Re3 25.Qe1! 25...dxe4 26.Rxe4 Qd5 27.Rfe1 Ra8 28.Ng4 Bd6 29.R4e2 Rfd8 30.Bb2 Kf8 31.Ne5 Kg7 32.Bc1 32.Qc2! Rdb8 33.Bc1∞ 32...Re8! 33.h4? 33.Qd1 33...f6 34.Ng4 Rxe2 35.Rxe2 Bg3 36.Kg1?! 36.Ne3! Qd6 37.h5 Qf4 38.Kg1 36...Qh5? 36...Bxh4! 37.Ne3 Qd6-+ 37.Qe3?? 37.Ne3! Qxh4 38.Nf1! 37...Qxh4 38.Qe6 f5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Navara,D2717Anton Guijarro,D26970–12020D35Prague Festival Masters 20203.2

After three topsy-turvy games David Anton is on 1½/3 | Photo: Vladimir Jagr

Firouzja - Harikrishna 1-0

This is a mildly shocking result, as Harikrishna Pentala is usually close to unbeatable when he is playing well. Today, though, was just not his day. Let us have a look at some critical moments from this game.

 
Firouzja - Harikrishna, Round 3
Position after 11...Qc7

The players reached the Chigorin Ruy Lopez where White is a tempo down, but whether Black can take advantage of this or not is something only further testing will tell.

 
Position after 15.axb5

Black's best chance to equalize was here — 15...cxb3! 16.♗d3! ♞fd7! followed by f5 gives him enough play.

 
Position after 17...bxc4

Where to develop the bishop? a3 or e3? Alireza played 18.a3 in the game, but the other move is stronger. Check the notes to the game.

 
Position after 19.Bb4

The best defensive setup here is ♞b6, ♝a6 and f5!. Instead Hari chose 19...c5?! and was in big trouble already.

 
Position after 21...f5

Can White take on f5?

 
Position after 26...Qc8

The cleanest finish here was 27.♗d1! followed by ♗e2, simply mopping up a pawn. Instead, Alireza went for 28.a1?, drastically reducing his advantage.

 
Position after 29.Nb1

Black's last hope was 29...♜xa5! 30.♕xa5 ♛a6. Instead, 29...g5 just sped up the defeat.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 Chigorin Ruy Lopez a tempo down! 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Bd7 14.b3 Rc8 15.Bb2 Nc6 16.Nc3 Nb4 17.Bb1 Re8∞ is another way to play. 12.d5 Nc4 13.b3 Nb6 14.a4 c4 15.axb5 axb5? 15...cxb3! is the best move here - 16.Bd3 Nfd7! 17.Nfd2 f5 18.Nxb3 fxe4 19.Bxe4 Nf6 with good play for Black. 16.Rxa8 Nxa8 17.bxc4 bxc4 18.Ba3?! 18.Be3! is a better square. Nb6 19.Na3 Ba6 20.Qa1 Ra8 21.Qb2 White's setup here is much more harmonious. Nfd7 22.Rb1± Is a sample line, giving White a big plus. 18...Nd7! 19.Bb4 Nc5?! 19...Nab6! 20.Na3 Ba6 21.Ba4 f5! and Black is fighting back. 20.Qe2!? 20.Nbd2!± seems to be even stronger. 20...Nb6 21.Nbd2 f5 Hari is fighting desperately, but for a lost cause - White is already having a nearly decisive advantage. 22.Rd1?! 22.exf5! Nd3 23.f6! Rxf6 24.Bxd3 cxd3 25.Qxd3 Bf5 26.Qb5+- and White should win this easily. 22...g6 23.Qe3 f4 24.Qe2 Ba6 25.Ra1 Ra8 26.Qf1! Qc8 27.Ra5 Ncd7? 27...Nb3!± 28.Qa1? 28.Bd1!+- should be winning for White. 28...Bb5 29.Nb1 g5? 29...Rxa5 30.Qxa5 Qa6± is worse for Black, but the last realistic try. 30.Rxa8! Nxa8 31.Qa7+- Nc7 32.Na3 Ba6 33.Ba4 Nf6 34.Nxg5 White is a pawn up and Alireza finished it quite easily. Nfxd5? 35.exd5 Bxg5 36.Bxd6 Nxd5 37.Bd7! Qb7 38.Be6+ Kg7 39.Bxe5+ Bf6 40.Qd4 A nice win by the Phenom! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Firouzja,A2726Harikrishna,P27131–02020C55Prague Festival Masters 20203.1

After a slow start, Alireza has got his 1st win of the event! | Photo: Vladimir Jagr


Standings after Round 3

Rk.NameRtg.Nt.Pts.n
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
TBPerf.
1
GM
GM
2721

1
GM
2683
1


3
GM
2670
1

4
GM
2659
½

5
GM
2726
1

6
GM
2731
½

7
GM
2713
½

8
GM
2717
0

9
GM
2755
0

Ø 2706
5/9
2721
5.0
9
3.50
2749
2
GM

1
GM
2670
½

2
GM
2659
½


4
GM
2731
½

5
GM
2721
0

6
GM
2717
½

7
GM
2755
1

8
GM
2683
½


Ø 2705
5/9
2726
5.0
9
3.50
2748
3
GM
GM
2755

1
GM
2717
1

2
GM
2713
½

3
GM
2683
½


5
GM
2670
½

6
GM
2659
½

7
GM
2726
0

8
GM
2731
½

9
GM
2721
1

Ø 2702
5/9
2755
5.0
9
3.00
2745
4
GM

1
GM
2721
0

2
GM
2717
½

3
GM
2755
½

4
GM
2713
½


6
GM
2670
½

7
GM
2659
1

8
GM
2726
½

9
GM
2731
1

Ø 2710
5/9
2683
5.0
9
3.00
2753
5
GM

1
GM
2731
0

2
GM
2721
½

3
GM
2717
1

4
GM
2755
½

5
GM
2683
½

6
GM
2713
½

7
GM
2670
½

8
GM
2659
1

9
GM
2726
½

Ø 2708
5/9
2697
5.0
9
2.50
2751
6
GM


2
GM
2670
½

3
GM
2659
½

4
GM
2726
½

5
GM
2713
½

6
GM
2721
½

7
GM
2717
½

8
GM
2755
½

9
GM
2683
0

Ø 2705
4.5/9
2731
4.5
9
3.00
2705
7
GM

1
GM
2659
½

2
GM
2755
½

3
GM
2726
0

4
GM
2683
½

5
GM
2731
½


7
GM
2721
½

8
GM
2670
½

9
GM
2717
1

Ø 2707
4.5/9
2713
4.5
9
2.50
2707
8
GM
GM
2670

1
GM
2726
½

2
GM
2731
½

3
GM
2721
0

4
GM
2717
½

5
GM
2755
½

6
GM
2683
½


8
GM
2713
½

9
GM
2659
½

Ø 2711
4/9
2670
4.0
9
3.00
2668
9
GM
GM
2717

1
GM
2755
0

2
GM
2683
½


4
GM
2670
½

5
GM
2659
1

6
GM
2726
½

7
GM
2731
½

8
GM
2721
1


Ø 2706
4/9
2717
4.0
9
2.50
2663
10
GM

1
GM
2713
½

2
GM
2726
½

3
GM
2731
½

4
GM
2721
½

5
GM
2717
0

6
GM
2755
½

7
GM
2683
0


9
GM
2670
½

Ø 2713
3/9
2659
3.0
9
2.50
2588
TBs: Koya, Wins, Direct encounter

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3 a6 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Bc5 10.Bf4 d6 11.Qd2 h6 12.Rad1 e5 13.Be3 Bb4 B47: Sicilian: Taimanov: 5 Nc3 Qc7 6 f4, 6 g3 and 6 Be2. 14.a3 14.Nb5!? axb5 15.Qxb4 14...Bxc3! 15.Qxc3 Qxc3 White has an edge. 16.bxc3 Be6 17.Rxd6 Rc8
18.Bb6N 18.Bd2 seems wilder. Ke7 19.Rb6 Rhd8 20.Rxb7+ Kf8 21.Be3 Predecessor: 18.Rb1 Rxc3 19.Rxb7 0-0 20.Ra7 Ng4 21.Bd2 Rxa3 22.Bf1 Rc8 23.Bd3 Ra1+ 24.Kg2 1-0 (60) Rocco,F (2157)-Wadsworth,M (2418) Torquay 2019 18...0-0 19.Ba5 Rc4! 20.Rb6 Nxe4 21.Re1 Nxc3 22.Bxb7 Na4 23.Rxa6 Nc5 The position is equal. 24.Ra7 Nxb7 25.Rxb7 Rxc2 26.Rxe5 Ra2 27.Kg2 Re8
aiming for ...Bh3+! 28.Bc7 Rxa3 29.Rb8 Rxb8 30.Bxb8=       Endgame KRB-KRB g5 31.h3 Rd3 32.Re1 h5 33.Ba7 Kg7 34.Kh2 Kg6 35.Be3 g4 36.h4 Bd5 Accuracy: White = 90%, Black = 95%.
½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Grandelius,N2659Harikrishna,P2713½–½2020B47Prague Festival Masters 20201.1
Firouzja,A2726Ragger,M2670½–½2020C84Prague Festival Masters 20201.2
Vitiugov,N2731Anton Guijarro,D26971–02020B31Prague Festival Masters 20201.3
Vidit,S2721Shankland,S26831–02020E46Prague Festival Masters 20201.4
Navara,D2717Duda,J27550–12020B90Prague Festival Masters 20201.5
Shankland,S2683Navara,D2717½–½2020E06Prague Festival Masters 20202.1
Grandelius,N2659Firouzja,A2726½–½2020C67Prague Festival Masters 20202.2
Anton Guijarro,D2697Vidit,S2721½–½2020D38Prague Festival Masters 20202.3
Harikrishna,P2713Duda,J2755½–½2020A40Prague Festival Masters 20202.4
Ragger,M2670Vitiugov,N2731½–½2020C11Prague Festival Masters 20202.5
Firouzja,A2726Harikrishna,P27131–02020C84Prague Festival Masters 20203.1
Navara,D2717Anton Guijarro,D26970–12020D35Prague Festival Masters 20203.2
Duda,J2755Shankland,S2683½–½2020B90Prague Festival Masters 20203.3
Vitiugov,N2731Grandelius,N2659½–½2020A48Prague Festival Masters 20203.4
Vidit,S2721Ragger,M26701–02020D85Prague Festival Masters 20203.5
Ragger,M2670Navara,D2717½–½2020C50Prague Festival Masters 20204.1
Harikrishna,P2713Shankland,S2683½–½2020B90Prague Festival Masters 20204.2
Firouzja,A2726Vitiugov,N2731½–½2020C84Prague Festival Masters 20204.3
Anton Guijarro,D2697Duda,J2755½–½2020A05Prague Festival Masters 20204.4
Grandelius,N2659Vidit,S2721½–½2020C65Prague Festival Masters 20204.5
Shankland,S2683Anton Guijarro,D2697½–½2020A45Prague Festival Masters 20205.1
Navara,D2717Grandelius,N26591–02020A33Prague Festival Masters 20205.2
Vitiugov,N2731Harikrishna,P2713½–½2020D02Prague Festival Masters 20205.3
Duda,J2755Ragger,M2670½–½2020C68Prague Festival Masters 20205.4
Vidit,S2721Firouzja,A27261–02020D10Prague Festival Masters 20205.5
Harikrishna,P2713Anton Guijarro,D2697½–½2020E01Prague Festival Masters 20206.1
Ragger,M2670Shankland,S2683½–½2020C55Prague Festival Masters 20206.2
Grandelius,N2659Duda,J2755½–½2020B51Prague Festival Masters 20206.3
Firouzja,A2726Navara,D2717½–½2020C50Prague Festival Masters 20206.4
Vitiugov,N2731Vidit,S2721½–½2020A45Prague Festival Masters 20206.5
Shankland,S2683Grandelius,N26591–02020D86Prague Festival Masters 20207.1
Anton Guijarro,D2697Ragger,M2670½–½2020A50Prague Festival Masters 20207.2
Navara,D2717Vitiugov,N2731½–½2020A20Prague Festival Masters 20207.3
Duda,J2755Firouzja,A27260–12020A11Prague Festival Masters 20207.4
Vidit,S2721Harikrishna,P2713½–½2020D37Prague Festival Masters 20207.5
Harikrishna,P2713Ragger,M2670½–½2020C84Prague Festival Masters 20208.1
Grandelius,N2659Anton Guijarro,D26970–12020B31Prague Festival Masters 20208.2
Firouzja,A2726Shankland,S2683½–½2020C50Prague Festival Masters 20208.3
Vitiugov,N2731Duda,J2755½–½2020D02Prague Festival Masters 20208.4
Vidit,S2721Navara,D27170–12020E12Prague Festival Masters 20208.5
Navara,D2717Harikrishna,P27130–12020D25Prague Festival Masters 20209.1
Ragger,M2670Grandelius,N2659½–½2020B52Prague Festival Masters 20209.2
Anton Guijarro,D2697Firouzja,A2726½–½2020E92Prague Festival Masters 20209.3
Shankland,S2683Vitiugov,N27311–02020A10Prague Festival Masters 20209.4
Duda,J2755Vidit,S27211–02020D38Prague Festival Masters 20209.5

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Tanmay Srinath has been writing for ChessBase India since quite some time now. His tournament reports and depth of analysis have been widely appreciated. Pursuing a full-fledged career in engineering Tanmay doesn't get enough time to pursue chess, but he loves to follow top-level encounters and analyzes those games with his Fat Fritz engine. We hope you find his analysis useful in your games.

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