When did they get it? - The ten highest-ever rated players

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
10/1/2020 – The 2700chess.com webpage has been keeping track of top players’ ratings on a daily basis for quite a while now. Besides presenting the highest rated players in classical, rapid and blitz, both in the open and the women’s categories, they have included a list of the highest live ratings ever achieved. Let us recap the top ten of this list, and look at the games which gave each of the players their highest-ever live rating.

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Magnus CarlsenMagnus Carlsen (2889.2)

The world champion achieved his stratospheric highest-ever live rating, a little over ten points short of the 2900 mark, on 21 April 2014, after defeating Hikaru Nakamura from the white side of a Slav Defence at the Vugar Gashimov Memorial in Shamkir. Carlsen would go on to win that event ahead of Fabiano Caruana. [Analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez].

 
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1.e41,164,14354%2421---
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 A favorite move of Carlsen's. 6.Qb3 b5!? is complicated and interesting. 6...Ra7 is also possible, a line that Carlsen has used himself with Black in a blitz game against Gelfand. 6...h6 7.Bd3 This is certainly a hard move to understand. h6 does not seem to be a particularly weakening move, but Bd3 the World Champion has some deep idea in this system, but it is not obvious at all. Bxd3 8.Qxd3 e6 9.0-0 Bb4 Exchanging this bishop to control e4 has become somewhat popular lately (without the move h6) but the solid approach with Be7 allowing e4 is also hard to crack. 9...Be7 10.Bd2 0-0 11.Rfd1 Bxc3 12.Bxc3 Nbd7 Black is very solid but is at a slight space disadvantage and White's bishop can become a nuisance later. It is hard to stop it from becoming active as it always has the a3-f8 diagonal to go to as well as maneuvering around with be1-g3. 13.b3 Qe7 14.Rac1 Rac8 15.Qe2 Ne4 16.Bb2 Rfd8 17.Ne1 The knight was on the way from the pawn push f3, which would give White control over e4. Also it will be overall better placed on d3. White holds the slightest of edges in a quiet position, and it seems that the World Elite has had some problem surviving these kinds of situations against Carlsen. Nd6?! The start of a strange series of moves. Black was maybe going to be kicked out of e4, but he might as well wait for f3. 17...dxc4 18.Qxc4 Ndf6 isn't quite equal but it seems more solid than what Nakamura followed up with. 17...a5!? Was also possible, trying to get some dark squares back. 18.Ba3 f5 Nakamura plans to fully control e4, but it is a questionable plan. His dark squares are too weak and he position will not remain closed forever. 19.Nd3 Nf6 20.Bb4! A slight repositioning of the bishop, which is annoying as Ba5 can be an idea once in a while. Qc7 21.Qf3 21.f3 seemed more natural, but Carlsen wants to put his queen on the great square g3 first. 21...dxc4 22.bxc4 Nf7 23.a4 a5 24.Be1 b6 25.Qg3 The queen is very well placed here, eyeing all of the dark squares in the center. Black has no choice but to trade off. Qxg3 26.hxg3 Ra8 27.f3 Rdb8 White's structure is simply better now. Black is confined to passive play and his weaknesses have a permanent nature. It is very unpleasant to play such positions, and Nakamura is known for being an aggressive player who handles the initiative wonderfully, not for his backwards defenses. 28.Rc2 b5 Breaking through, in typical Nakamura style, but this does not solve all the problems yet. 29.Nc5 bxc4 30.Rxc4 Nd5 31.Bd2 e5 32.e4! Exposing more of Black's pawns. fxe4 33.Nxe4 Nb6? 33...Rb6 Passive but necessary 34.dxe5 Nxe5 35.Rc5 Nd7! 36.Rcc1 36.Rxa5 Rxa5 37.Bxa5 Ra6= Black regains his pawn and has excellent chances of fully equalizing. 36...Ne5 37.Bf4!? 34.Rxc6 Nd8 34...Nxa4 35.Ra1 Nb2 35...Nb6 36.Rxa5 Rxa5 37.Bxa5 Na4 38.dxe5 Nxe5 39.Rc7± looks very dangerous as Black's knight is stranded on a4 and his kingside needs some protection, but on the other hand he did manage to eliminate all the pawns from the queenside. 35.Rg6 Nc4 36.dxe5 Kh7 37.Rg4 Nxe5 38.Rh4 White's rook is not bad on h4, actually, as it can easily move to h5 to eye the a5 pawn. Ndf7 39.Bc3 Rb3 40.Rd5! White is playing all over the board. Black cannot hold on to the kingside, which is currently defended by the two knights, and his weakness on a5. He also is not in time to counterattack the a4 pawn. Re8 41.Rf4! Beautiful precision, the pawn on a5 will fall and there is no reason to give Black any activity. 41.Rxa5 Ng6 42.Rg4 Rxe4 43.Rxe4 Rxc3 44.Ra7 Nd6± is better for White, but Black has hope. 41.Bxa5 Rxf3! is a nice trick! 41...Re7 42.Bxa5 Ng6 43.Rff5 Nfe5 44.Rd1 Nc4 45.Rc1 Nxa5 46.Rxa5 White has basically consolidated and now he is simply up two pawns. The rest is simple technique for the World Champion. Ra3 47.Rcc5 Ra2 48.Kh2 Rd7 49.Ra6 Ne7 50.g4 Rb7 51.Rb5 Rc7 52.Nc5 Rc6 53.Rxc6 Nxc6 54.Rb7 Nd4 55.Kh3 Kg8 56.Rb4 Ne2 57.g5 Ng1+ 58.Kg3 Ne2+ 59.Kg4 hxg5 60.Kxg5 Ng1 61.Rg4 Black's g7 pawn will eventually fall. Carlsen played with immaculate precision. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2881Nakamura,H27721–02014Vugar Gashimov Mem 20142.2

Garry KasparovGarry Kasparov (2856.7)

The frequent discussion regarding who is the greatest player of all time almost always includes Carlsen, Fischer and, of course, Garry Kasparov. After winning the World Championship in 1985, he all but dominated the chess world until his retirement in 2005. He achieved his peak live rating on 3 March 2000, on his way to getting his sixth title in Linares. Fittingly, he achieved his highest-ever rating from the black side of a Najdorf Defence. His opponent was none other than Vishy Anand.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.0-0 Be6 9.f4 Qc7 10.Nd5 Bxd5 11.exd5 Nbd7 12.c4 0-0 13.Kh1 Rfe8 14.Be3 exf4 15.Bxf4 Bf8 16.Rc1 Qb6 17.Rc2 g6 18.Bf3 Rac8 19.Nc1 Ne5 20.b3 h5 21.h3 Bg7 22.Ne2 22.Rcf2 and capturing the bishop with Nxf3 like in the game was did not give Black much. 22...Qc7 was the alternative. 22...Nxf3 23.gxf3 Qc5 24.Rc1 b5 25.Qd2 bxc4 26.bxc4 h4 Black needs the h5-square for his knight, opening up the diagonal for the dark-squared bishop. 27.Bg5 Nh5 28.Bxh4 Rb8 29.Ng1 Rb2 30.Rc2 Qxc4 31.Rxc4 Rxd2 32.f4 Rxd5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Viswanathan Anand-Garry Kasparov-0–12000B92Linares4

Fabiano CaruanaFabiano Caruana (2851.3)

In a memorable 2014 for the latest World Championship challenger, he won in Dortmund, kicked off the Sinquefield Cup with seven straight wins and got tournament victory with an astounding 3080 TPR, and obtained his highest-ever live rating at the Baku stage of the Grand Prix. He got it by beating Peter Svidler’s Gruenfeld Defence in round 6. [Analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez].

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 Caruana seems to know this positions very well as he has played it many times, especially with Black. 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Qd6 10.Kb1 a6!? A relatively new idea. 11.h4 Rd8 12.d5 Ne5 13.Qf2 h5?! Probably the start of Black's problems. 13...f5! It seems as if there was no choice for Svidler but to counterattack on the center as soon as possible. However the position is still double edged and it looks more natural to play with White. 14.Bc5 Qf6 15.Bd4 Qd6 16.g4! A well timed break. hxg4 17.f4 Ned7 18.e5? This move actually is very weak as it allows Black to relieve the pressure. 18.Nge2! Bxd4 19.Nxd4 Qf6 20.Qh2! Leaves Black gasping for air. 18...Nxe5 19.fxe5 Bxe5 20.Bg2 Bxd4 21.Rxd4 Bf5+ 22.Ka1 e5 23.Rd1 Nc4 24.h5 Qb6 Black is down a piece, but with three pawns and interesting counterplay things are still double-edged. Both kings are weak, which means that every move is important. 25.Qe2 Ne3 26.Rd2 26.Rc1!? 26...Kg7 27.Be4 Rh8? A mistake that Caruana capitalizes on. 27...Bxe4! 28.Nxe4 Rxd5 looks risky but is necessary. 28...f5!? 29.Ng5 Qb5!?∞ A strange exchange sacrifice that would leave Black down a rook for three pawns. But they are all connected and passed! 28.Rd3 Nc4 29.b3 Nd6 30.Bxf5 Nxf5 31.Qxg4 With the loss of a pawn Svidler finds himself without compensation. Now it is White that has the extra material and the attack. It is very difficult to hold on, and in time pressure Svidler collapses. e4?! 32.Nxe4 Rae8 33.Ne2 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Caruana,F2844Svidler,P27321–02014Baku FIDE Grand Prix 20146.1

Levon AronianLevon Aronian (2835.5)

Much like Carlsen and Caruana, the top Armenian star reached his peak rating in 2014, on 2 February. He did it at the Zurich Chess Challenge, where he beat Hikaru Nakamura’s King’s Indian Defence in round 4. During the six-player single round robin, Aronian had also defeated Vishy Anand in the first round. [Analysis by GM Cristian Chirila].

 
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1.e41,164,14354%2421---
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What a round! Three decisive results and a very tough choice for me. I decided to focus on this game because of last round's result, I was way too curious to see how Nakamura will deal with his psych crushing loss. His calm tweets in Italian, as well as his good mood before today's round were a sign of a cured mind, but was that the whole truth? 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 d6 Nakamura goes for his favorite KID, I don't think Aronian had a hard time preparing for this round, Naka's love for risky and complicated positions is well known 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 Nc6 7.d4 a6 7...Rb8 8.Bf4 a6 9.Rc1 h6 10.b3 g5 11.d5 gxf4 12.dxc6 fxg3 13.hxg3 b5 With a good game for black in Carlsen- Nakamura Sinquefield 2013 8.h3 Rb8 9.e4 b5 10.d5 A rare move, but again the top scoring pick in this position, Aronian's theoretical preparation is the best in the world by a large margin and we can see why in this game 10.e5 Nd7 11.e6 11.cxb5 axb5 12.Ng5 dxe5 13.Bxc6 exd4 14.Nxb5 Rb6 15.Na7 Ra6 16.Nxc8 Rxc6∞ 11...fxe6 12.d5 Nce5 13.Nd4 Nb6 14.cxb5 Nxd5 with a very complicated battle, the type of position in which Hikaru feels like a fish in the water 10...b4 10...Na5 11.cxb5 axb5 12.b4 Nc4 13.Nd4 Bd7 14.a4 bxa4 15.b5 Nb6 16.Qd3 Ra8 17.Nc6 Bxc6 18.bxc6 Qc8 19.Ra3!N 19.Be3 was seen in Matlakov, M- Ding, L 2012, 0-1 19...Qa6 20.Nb5 Rab8 21.Nxc7 Qxd3 22.Rxd3 Rfc8 23.Na6 Ra8 24.Nb4 11.Ne2 Na5 12.Qc2 c6 12...c5!? 13.Nf4 Nd7 14.Re1 b3 15.Qd3 bxa2 16.Rxa2 Nb3 13.Nfd4 cxd5 13...c5 14.Nb3 Nxb3 15.axb3 e6 Would have been an interesting alternative, but Hikaru will almost always chose an open center 14.exd5 Qc7?! In my opinion this move only helps white develop easier, necesarry would have been 14...e5 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.b3 e5 15.b3 e5 15...Nd7 16.Bb2 Nc5 17.Nf4 Re8 18.Rfe1± White's position is very pleasant, black's knights are stepping on each other's feet, or bucks... 16.dxe6 fxe6 17.a3 bxa3 18.Bd2 Nb7 19.Rxa3 e5 20.Nc6± White already has a crushing advantage, all his pieces are well coordinated while black's pieces are moving back and forth in an attempt to find theor optimal spot Ra8 20...Bf5 21.Qa2 Ra8 22.Nb4 a5 transposes 21.Nb4 a5 22.Qa2 Bf5 22...Be6 controlling the d5 square is of imperial importance 23.Nd5 Nxd5 24.cxd5 Bf5 25.b4 h5 26.bxa5 Nc5 white is in control but the game is not done yet, the bishop on g2 is out of game and if black will be able control the "a" pawn the tides can easily change 23.Nd5 Nxd5 24.Bxd5+ Kh8 25.b4 Bxh3 26.Rb1 Bf5 27.Rb2 Bd7 28.bxa5 Bc6 29.Nc3 Nc5 30.Be3 e4 31.a6 White is simply playing the best moves, black's position is getting worse and worse with every move Nd3 31...Rxa6 32.Rxa6 Nxa6 33.Qxa6 Bxc3 34.Rc2 Bxd5 35.cxd5 Qg7 36.Qxd6± 32.Rb7 Qc8 32...Bxb7 would have been a more resilient defense, the position remains extremely difficult though 33.axb7 Rab8 34.Nb5 34.Nxe4? Nb4 34...Qd7 35.Bxe4 Nc5 36.Bd5± 33.Nxe4 Bxd5 34.cxd5 Qg4 35.Rxd3 Qxe4 36.Rdb3 36.Qb1 would have been a stylish way to protect the d5 pawn Rxa6 37.Rxg7 Kxg7 38.Qb7+ Rf7 39.Qxa6+- 36...Qxd5 37.Qe2 Qc6 38.a7 d5 39.Rxg7! the most precise Kxg7 40.Bd4+ Kh6 41.Qe3+ Kh5 41...g5 42.g4 Kg6 43.Rb7+- 42.g4+ Kh4 43.Qh6+ Kxg4 44.Qh3+ Kf4 45.Rf3+ What a crushing performance from Aronian, it seems like Aronian is being motivated by Carlsen's performance and doesn't want to lose the battle without a fight. So far both title contenders are simply crushing their opposition and playing marvelous chess! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Aronian,L2812Nakamura,H27891–02014Zurich Chess Challenge4

Veselin TopalovVeselin Topalov (2826.5)

One of the most exciting players of our time, Topalov won the FIDE World Championship in 2005 and played in a World Championship match for the last time in 2010, when he lost to Vishy Anand in Sofia. However, he achieved his peak live rating on 24 August 2015, after getting back-to-back victories over Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura at the Sinquefield Cup. [Analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez].

 
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1.e4 5 e5 7 2.Nf3 7 Nc6 4 3.Bb5 7 Nf6 6 4.d3 14 Bc5 5.Nbd2 d6 208 6.0-0 211 0-0 71 7.c3 6 Ne7 92 8.d4 242 exd4 21 9.cxd4 4 Bb6 5 10.Re1 92 Ng6 283 11.h3 180 c6 211 12.Bd3 696 Already not a theoretical position. However the ideas heavily resemble the Italian game. Nh5 959 12...d5 13.e5 Nf4 14.Bc2 N6h5 looks good for White because after 15.Nf1 it's hard to prevent Ng3 with problems: f6 16.Ng3 fxe5 17.Nxh5!± 13.Nc4 271 Bc7 12 14.d5!? 200 Nhf4 204 15.Bf1 161 f5!? 253 Uncompromising play. Black hits the center strong, but Topalov comes up with an excellent decision. 16.e5! 259 An excellent pawn sacrifice. He receives the pair of bishops and specially an unopposed dark squared monster. Nxd5 86 17.exd6 563 Bxd6 19 18.Nxd6 8 Qxd6 3 19.b3 23 The bishop on b2 will be targetting the g7 pawn and the king feels very uncomfortable. Bd7?! 999 19...Be6 directly was much, much better. 20.Bb2 Rfe8 21.Qd4 Qc7 22.Ng5 Ngf4!? trying to consolidate, but White retains real initiative. 20.Bb2 33 Rfe8 48 21.Qd4 67 Qf6 22 22.Qd2 14 Qd6 7 23.Bc4 316 h6 380 24.Qd4 296 Already Black's position is very bad. Nakamura returns his material, but then the pair of bishops is very strong. Qf6 76 25.Qxf6 271 gxf6 4 26.Bxf6 38 Rxe1+ 475 27.Rxe1 32 Re8 4 28.Rd1 337 Be6 339 29.Nd4 41 Kf7 326 30.Nxe6 8 Rxe6 129 31.Bd4 100 The pair of bishops is very strong. a6 5 32.Kf1?! 447 32.g3! preventing Ngf4 was better. 32...Ngf4 221 33.b4 30 Re4 181 34.f3 228 Re8 3 35.g3 601 Ne6 32 35...Nxh3 36.f4 traps the knight, this doesn't look playable. 36.Bf2 39 Rd8 230 37.Re1 133 f4? 70 A strange move. This allows White easier play thanks to the possibility of moving forward on the kingside with the pawns. 37...Kf6 38.g4 121 Ng5 58 39.Kg2 76 Re8 118 40.Rd1 0 Re5 0 41.Bd4 540 Re8 87 42.h4 242 Ne6 30 43.Bf2 20 Nec7 9 44.h5 394 Kf6 435 45.Kh3 54 b5 495 46.Bd4+ 668 Kg5 267 counterintuitive! The king is almost mated in this position, but Nakamura's position was already bad. 47.Bxd5?! 446 47.Bb3! Was even cleaner. Here Black basically gets mated: Nxb4 48.Bf2+- 47...Nxd5 50 48.Rc1 6 Re6 4 49.Rc5 6 Rd6 1 50.Bg7 82 Re6 118 51.Bd4 223 Rd6 37 52.a3! 298 Re6 5 53.Rc1 119 Black is in zugzwang. Ne7 283 Analysis: 53...Rd6 54.Re1 gets mated. Ne3 55.Rxe3! fxe3 56.Be5 Rf6 57.Kg3+- 54.Bf2 300 Kf6 44 55.Bh4+ 5 Kf7 12 56.g5 41 hxg5 405 57.Bxg5 13 White's passed pawn on the kingside gives him a decisive advantage. Topalov converts in Capablanca style. Nd5 15 58.Kg4 60 Kg7 26 59.Bxf4 79 Nxf4 261 60.Kxf4 8 interestingly this endgame without all the pawns on the queenside is probably drawn or close to drawn, but because of potential queen trades I don't think Black has any hope here. Rd6 26 61.Rc3! 29 Kf6 264 62.Kg4 68 a5 174 desperation. 63.bxa5 24 Rd4+ 1 64.f4 14 Ra4 1 65.Rxc6+ 139 Kg7 9 66.a6 112 Rxa3 3 67.f5 55 b4 84 68.f6+ 21 Kf7 24 69.h6 162 Too many passed pawns. Kg6 26 70.Rc8 11 b3 281 71.Rg8+ 90 Kf7 42 72.h7 21 Ra4+ 18 73.Kf3 36 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Topalov,V2816Nakamura,H28141–020153rd Sinquefield Cup 20152

Shakhriyar MamedyarovShakhriyar Mamedyarov (2826.2)

The last player to beat Carlsen in a classical game had a great couple of years in 2017 and 2018, reaching the world number 2 spot in the rankings with a streak of strong performances in elite tournaments. After winning the 2018 Biel Tournament (where he beat the world champion), he obtained his peak live rating on 30 September, with a win over David Navara while representing Azerbaijan at the Olympiad in Batumi. [Analysis by GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly].

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c5 Once again Mamedyarov is facing the same line which Adams played against him on 3rd round. 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 0-0 The main tabiya of this line. In 2015 Mamedyarov played a fine game and defeated Kramnik. Since then he didn't face this line at top level until Ding Liren beat him in Berlin Candidates. 11.Bc4 Nd7 12.0-0 b6 13.Rad1 Bb7 14.Rfe1 Rc8 15.Bb3 Re8 Adams started with h6 here but it eventually got transposed after h3-Re8 16.h3 h6 16...Nf6 was started by Kramnik and then Ding used this to beat Mamedyarov in Candidates. 17.Qf4 Nh5 18.Qh2 h6 19.Ne5 Nf6 20.Qf4 b5! Black was fine in 0-1 (43) Mamedyarov,S (2809)-Ding,L (2769) Berlin 2018 Mega2018 Update 23 [Ding Liren] 17.Qf4 Both players were making their moves instantly following Mamedyarov - Adams game from round 3. Now finally Mamedyarov deviates by Qf4 which was also played instantly. 17.Re3 was the Adams game 17...Qc7 17...Qf6 is also equally doable and its matter of taste where black would like to put his queen. 18.e5 Computers top choice is 18.Qc7 but of course this will lead nowhere and practically it would be much easier for black to play once the queens are off. Nf8 After 15min of thought. It is always difficult to make choice when different options are available and all of them are of similar strength. Right here black had at least three decent options...1. Keeping the knight on d7 flexible and advancing the queenside pawns with a5-b5. 2. Play Nf6-Nd5 immediately 3. To play Nf8-Ng6 as happened in the game. All of these moves are equally good and once again its matter of taste how one will play. 18...Nf6!? 19.Rc1 Qb8 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.Nd2 a5 22.Qh4 Almost every knight retreat is possible and keeps the balance. 18...a5!? I like this. For now, black simply keeps d7 knight flexible and starts advancing on queenside which is very typical idea in this line. 19.d5 19.Ba4 Red8 19.Qg4 Bxf3 20.Qxf3 b5 21.a3 Nb6 the advantage of keeping the knight flexible! 19...Bxd5 20.Bxd5 exd5 21.Rxd5 Nc5 Once again the knight on d7 came handy 19.Nd2 Ng6 20.Qg4 b5 Natural follow up 21.Ne4 Bxe4 22.Qxe4 a5!? 22...Ne7 This was quite simple solution. Brining the knight back to e7 from where it not only controls d5 but also ready to meet Re3-Rg3 with Nf5. 23.Re2 23.Re3 Red8 There is no attack in kingside so black can focus on center 23.d5 Nxd5 24.Bxd5 exd5 25.Rxd5 Qc4= 23...Red8 24.Rc2 24.Bc2 g6 24...Qd7= 23.d5 exd5 24.Rxd5 a4 25.Bd1 With the bishop on d1 it is hard to imagine white can hope for any advantage. Qb7?! Now white gets to activate his bishop and finally can hope for getting slight edge. 25...Rcd8! A little tactical solution was available to liquidate further. 26.Rxb5 Nxe5 27.Rf1 Nc4! 28.Qc2 or else white loses! Re7 Black is active enough to hold the balance here. 26.Bf3 Ne7 27.Rd6 Qxe4 28.Bxe4 With pawns on both wings and having an active bishop on e4 white is definitely psychologically feeling better to reach this position from what he had a few moves back. Ng6? An immediate mistake based on miscalculation. 28...Rb8 It would have been wiser to try and exchange queenside pawns somehow and then play Ng6 at right moment to get into some pawn down drawish rook pawn endgame. 29.e6! Not that this move was missed rather it was expected and Navara played his next move instantly.... Nf4 30.exf7+ Kxf7 31.g3! This is the move which was missed or perhaps somehow Navara thought it won’t work due to Rc4 but then white has the cool f3 which in the only move but sufficient to win the game. Ke7 31...Nxh3+ 32.Kg2 31...Rc4 32.f3! Otherwise white is in trouble! Nxh3+ 33.Kg2 32.Rd2 Ne6 33.Rd5! Mamedyarov now starts playing with utmost preciseness. b4 34.f4 b3?! 34...Kf6 35.Rf5+ 34...Red8 35.Rb5 b3 36.axb3 axb3 37.Rxb3 would have been less evil although it won’t be fun to defend this position either. 35.axb3 axb3 36.Bg6! Rf8 36...Red8 37.Rxd8 Rxd8 38.f5+- 37.f5 Rf6 38.Rxe6+ 38.Rb5+- 38...Rxe6 39.fxe6 b2? Expedite things 39...Rb8 40.Kf2 Kxe6 White will win eventually just that it would take longer moves now. 40.Rb5 Kf6 41.Bh7 1–0
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Mamedyarov,S2820Navara,D27401–02018Batumi Chess Olympiad | Open6.1

Wesley SoWesley So (2824.5)

Prior to Mamedyarov, the Filipino-American grandmaster also reached the world number 2 spot by getting impressive tournament victories from August 2016 until April 2017 (Sinquefield Cup, London Chess Classic, Tata Steel Masters and US Championship). His peak live rating was fittingly achieved at the Saint Louis Chess Club, after beating Alexander Onischuk with white on 1 April 2017. [Analysis by GM Elshan Moradiabadi].

 
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In the only decisive game of the day, Wesley So, the world No.2 faced solid and 'almost always in shape' Alex Onischuk, who happens to have been my ex-coach during my time at Texas Tech. In the close battle that ensued, Wesley So posed problems to Alex Onischuk which the latter did not manage to solve in time pressure. 1.Nf3 0 d5 25 2.g3 0 Nf6 32 3.Bg2 0 It is hard to guess what opening Wesley would choose for each game. e6 40 4.0-0 12 Be7 30 5.c4 268 0-0 114 6.b3 4 Wesley goes for an off-beat line instead of playing the main line of the Catalan, which Onischuk most likely expected. b6 39 7.Bb2 299 Bb7 26 8.cxd5 8 8.e3 is equally popular but is also a better known and more probed line. 8...Nxd5 (183) This is one of many common approaches. 9.d4 21 Nd7 236 10.Re1!? 22 Wesley might have analyzed this line after he beat Anish Giri last June in Paris! 10.Nbd2 is more popular. 10...c5 374 11.e4 17 N5f6 80 12.Nc3 74 cxd4 187 13.Nxd4 138 Ne5 238 So far so good! both players are following the known theory of this line. 14.Qe2 495 Bc5 183 14...Qxd4? 15.Nd5 Qc5 16.Rac1 Qd6 17.Nxe7+ Qxe7 18.Bxe5 leaves White with a pair of bishops and an ensuing endgame in which Black has no active way to hold. 15.Red1 108 15.Ncb5 a6 16.Rad1 axb5 17.Nxe6 Qe7 18.Nxf8 Kxf8 19.Bd4 b4 20.f4 Bxd4+ 21.Rxd4 Qc5 22.Qe3 Nfg4 23.Qd2 Nc6 24.Rd1 Rd8 0-1 (24) Giri,A (2782) -So,W (2770) Paris 2016 15...Qe7 1369 15...Bxd4 16.Nb5 Bxb2 16...Bxf2+ 17.Qxf2 Qb8 18.Nd6 Nfd7 Looks bad for Black but it is not clear how White can break Black in this position. 17.Rxd8 Bxa1 18.Rd1+- does not work either. 16.Na4 501 Bxd4 57 17.Bxd4 375 Nc6 144 despite White's pair of bishops Black should be able to hold this position. 18.Be3 125 Rfd8 175 19.Nc3 250 Qb4 302 20.Qb2 80 a provocative move by World no.2 . Onischuk could stay still or go for the battle. What would a principled player do in such situations? Ng4!? 350 Of course Onischuk accepts the challenge. 21.Bf4 459 Nce5 373 22.a3 904 Qc5 44 22...Qe7 23.h3 g5 24.Bxe5 24.Bd2 Nxf2 loses 24.hxg4 gxf4 is very bad for white. 24...Nxe5 25.Nb5 f6 was a better choice in my opinion. 23.Na4 99 Qb5 53 24.Nc3 305 Qc5 32 25.Na4 250 Qb5 11 26.h3 469 not a draw for Wesley, yet! Nd3 81 27.Rxd3 4 Rxd3 40 28.hxg4 7 The moment of truth for Onischuk.... Qxb3? 349 Onischuk had played a very good game so far but this is a grave mistake. 28...Rxb3 29.Qd4 Rc8 30.Bf1 Qe8 , as both super GM Nakamura and engines suggest, should keep the position balanced although it might be a matter of taste to on whether one prefers White or Black in this position. 29.Bf1! 30 The move that Onischuk might have missed. Qxb2 237 29...Bxe4 30.Bxd3 Qxd3 31.Qc3 Qd5 may be a worthy of consideration continuation given the practical aspects of the game. 30.Nxb2 11 Rb3 35 31.Nc4 19 Rd8 311 32.Nd6 103 Ba8 94 33.g5! 91 This prevents g5. White is winning and Wesley converts this game into a full point like a machine. Speaking of technique in chess, one should show this game to every kid who learns chess. Rc3 41 34.a4 309 Rc5 43 35.e5 9 Rd7 200 36.Be3 443 Rxe5 50 37.Rc1 1 Rd8 16 38.Rc7 1 Rd5 156 39.Nxf7 6 Rf8 174 40.g6 0 hxg6 55 41.Ng5 266 Rd1 334 42.Nxe6 61 Re8 97 43.Rxg7+ 74 Kh8 3 44.Rxg6 244 Be4 25 45.Bd4+ 20 1–0
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So,W2822Onischuk,A26671–02017U.S. Championships Men 20174

Vishy AnandViswanathan Anand (2820.7)

The five-time world chess champion, still going strong at 50, is a living (and still active) legend of the royal game. After beating Topalov in the 2010 World Championship match, he achieved his peak live rating on 26 January 2011 in Wijk aan Zee. The five-time winner of the Tata Steel Chess Masters (previously known as Hoogovens and Corus) defeated Alexei Shirov from the white side of a Queen’s Gambit Declined in round 2.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qd2 Bb4 9.Rc1 h6 10.Bh4 c5 11.Bc4 This is exactly the same position that Shirov had a round earlier against Levon Aronian. That continued 11...cxd4 12.Qxd4 and Aronian won in 53 moves. Today Shirov tried Nxc3 12.bxc3 Ba3 13.Rb1 a6 14.Be2 0-0 15.0-0 b5 16.c4 Bb4 17.Qc2 Bb7 18.Rfd1 bxc4 19.dxc5 Nxc5 20.Rd4 Rab8 21.Ne5 Bd5 "After 20.Rd4 and 21.Ne5, I had to see 22.Be7 " said Anand, "the position was so complicated that you never can be sure everything is working out as you hoped it would. But he just walked into it, because he didn’t see Rfe8 23.Bd6 Rbd8 24.Bh5 Indeed: Rxd6 25.Bxf7+ Kf8 26.Bxe8 1–0
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Anand,V2810Shirov,A27221–02011D5273rd Tata Steel GMA10

Maxime Vachier-LagraveMaxime Vachier-Lagrave (2819.3)

Currently sharing first place in the Candidates Tournament that will resume a month from now, the French star has yet to fight for a World Championship title. On 28 July 2016, ‘MVL’ achieved his highest-ever live rating during a match with Peter Svidler in Biel. Much like Kasparov, he did it by winning with his beloved Sicilian Najdorf! [Analysis by Johannes Fischer].

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e6 7.g4 h6 8.Bg2 Be7 9.h4 9.Be3 or 9.f4 are the most popular moves here. 9...Nc6 10.g5 hxg5 11.hxg5 Rxh1+ 12.Bxh1 Nh7 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.g6 fxg6 15.Qd3 e5 16.Qc4 Bd7 17.Bd2 Bg5 18.0-0-0 Qf6 19.Na4 Rb8 20.Bxg5 Qxg5+ 21.Kb1 (#) The position is double-edged and complicated but perhaps more or less equal. Black has a lot of pawn weaknesses and a terribly exposed king but the white pieces do not cooperate well. The bishop on h1 makes a sad impression and the knight on a4, too, needs time to come back into the game. Nf6 It might have been better to play 21...Qf6 with the idea to bring the knight to g5 and perhaps later to f7. 22.a3 Making some "luft". Qh4?! Now Black gets into trouble. Better was 22...Ke7 23.Qd3 Ne8 e.g. 24.Qxa6 Qf4 25.Qa7 Rc8 and the engines give White only a slight edge. 23.Qd3 d5 24.Nc5 d4 25.Qxa6 Qxf2 26.Rf1 Qg3 (#) 27.Bf3?! With the idea to activate the white rook. In the game White wins an exchange but the textmove still does not seem to be aggressive enough. The engines recommend 27.Qa7 Rd8 28.Nb7 Bh3 29.Rc1 Rd7 30.Qb8+ Ke7 31.Na5 c5 32.Nc6+ Ke6 33.a4! with a clear advantage for White. 27...Qh3 28.Rh1 Qxf3 29.Rh8+ Ke7 30.Rxb8 Nxe4 (#) Black now has two pawns for the exchange and White's a-pawn might become dangerous. Moreover, Black's king seems to be vulnerable. But in the game it is the white king that gets mated! 31.Nxd7? On first sight this looks rather promising and seems to be the logical consequence of White's play. However, the move backfires. Correct was 31.Nxe4 Qh1+ 32.Ka2 Qxe4 and now White has nothing better than 33.Kb1 Qh1+ 34.Ka2 Qe4 with a draw. 31...Nd2+! (#) But not 31...Kxd7?? 32.Qb7+ and White wins, e.g. Kd6 33.Rd8+ Ke6 34.Qxc6+ etc. 32.Ka2 Or 32.Kc1 Qe3 33.c3 33.Kd1 Nf3 34.Qa5 Qg1+ 35.Ke2 Qg2+ 36.Kd3 Qf1+ 37.Ke4 Qe2# 33...d3 34.Qa4 Nb3+ 35.Kb1 Qg1+ 36.Ka2 Nc1+ 37.Ka1 Ne2+ 38.Ka2 d2 39.Qb4+ c5+- 32...Qd5+ 33.b3 Weakening the king's position. But 33.Rb3 Kxd7 34.Qb7+ Ke6 35.Qxg7 Kf5 36.Qf8+ Kg4 37.Qh6 Nxb3 38.Qxg6+ Kf4 does not offer much joy for White, either. 33...Qh1 Suddenly Black has a winning attack. 34.a4 Qb1+ 35.Ka3 Qa1+ 36.Kb4 Qc3+ 37.Ka3 Nb1+ White resigned. After 38.Ka2 Qxc2+ 39.Ka1 Nc3 White is lost. A fascinating game with a surprising turnaround. 0–1
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Svidler,P2759Vachier Lagrave,M27980–1201649th Biel Masters Match3

Hikaru NakamuraHikaru Nakamura (2819.0)

The five-time US champion featured three times in this list, as he lost to Carlsen, Aronian and Topalov while they were at the very top of their game. That speaks volumes about Nakamura’s fighting spirit, which took him to make this list. In fact, he reached his peak almost simultaneously with Topalov, on 23 August 2015, a day before the Bulgarian would beat him to achieve his own highest-ever live rating. Nakamura beat Anand from the white side of a Catalan. [Analysis by GM Alejandro Ramirez].

 
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1.d4 20 Nf6 13 2.c4 9 e6 6 3.Nf3 59 d5 15 4.g3 16 Be7 34 5.Bg2 14 0-0 11 6.0-0 11 dxc4 7 7.Qc2 9 a6 9 8.a4 5 Bd7 70 9.Qxc4 32 Bc6 9 10.Bg5 4 Bd5 273 11.Qc2 51 Be4 468 12.Qd1 17 c5 237 13.dxc5 32 Bxc5 29 14.Qxd8 59 Rxd8 10 15.Nbd2 1 Bc6 172 16.Nb3 18 Be7 82 17.Na5 59 h6 220 18.Be3 120 Nd5 390 19.Bd2 487 Even though this position has been reached before (twice!) it seems that neither player was 100% familiar with the position. Anand finds a good equalizing plan though. Nb6! 858 The double attack on a4 and d2 (after Bxf3) is annoying. White doesn't want to take on b8 since Black's development would be seriously accelerated. 20.Bf4 659 Nd5 76 21.Ne5 268 g5!? 1016 Kicking out the bishop, but weakening the kingside. This seems to be a good move, though not the most obvious. 22.Bd2 263 Bf6 112 23.Nd3 115 23.Nexc6 Nxc6 24.Nxc6 bxc6 maybe is a bit better for White, but Black's activity is considerable. 23...b6 330 24.Nc4 101 b5 277 25.Bxd5 1443 25.Nce5 bxa4 26.Nxc6 Nxc6= 25...bxc4 19 25...Bxd5 26.Nb6 Ra7 27.axb5 doesn't work. 25...exd5!? 26.Bxc4 14 Bxb2 21 27.Ra2 593 White keeps a little bit of pressure with his superior development, but Black is close to equality. Bg7 172 27...Bd4! 28.Rc1 Be4= 28.Rc1 118 Be8 96 A little passive, but White has to prove his advantage somehow. 29.Nc5 114 Bf8 493 30.Bd3 171 Nc6 321 31.Be4 508 Rdc8 120 32.Kf1 110 Ra7 269 White has a little bit of pressure, but it isn't too bad for Black yet. 33.Nb3 642 Rac7 169 34.Rac2 56 Bd6?! 46 34...Ba3! Was much better 35.Ba5? is what Anand was worried about. Nxa5 36.Rxc7 Rxc7 37.Rxc7 Nxb3-+ and Black has Nd2+ as a threat, so White can't do anything. 35.f4 51 f5 177 36.Bd3 27 Nb8? 147 36...Rb8! keeps the game interesting, with White being a bit better. 37.Rxc7 23 Rxc7 5 38.Rxc7 57 Bxc7 6 39.fxg5 176 hxg5 74 40.Nc5 0 Now Black just loses a pawn. Bd6 0 41.Nxe6 12 Bxa4 27 42.Nxg5 147 Bd7 14 43.Bc3 12 Perhaps premature resignation, but Black has a horrible position and the h-pawn is rolling down the board. 1–0
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Nakamura,H2814Anand,V28161–020153rd Sinquefield Cup 20151

How I became World Champion Vol.1 1973-1985

Garry Kasparov's rise to the top was meteoric and at his very first attempt he managed to become World Champion, the youngest of all time. In over six hours of video, he gives a first hand account of crucial events from recent chess history, you can improve your chess understanding and enjoy explanations and comments from a unique and outstanding personality on and off the chess board.

Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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