“The tournament is great, my play is not”
Less than two months from now, the World Championship match facing Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi will kick off in Astana. Wadim Rosentsein, the main sponsor of the WR Chess Masters and a supporter of Nepo, decided to use the same time control in the German event as in the coming match. Rosenstein told Sagar Shah:
This time control should add to Ian Nepomniachtchi’s practical preparation before the most important match of his life while not hurting any of the other participants, as I’m sure some of them will play in the world championships in the nearest future.
Our experts show, using the games of Botvinnik, how to employ specific openings successfully, which model strategies are present in specific structures, how to find tactical solutions and rules for how to bring endings to a successful conclusion
This factor will surely serve Nepo well, although he is also dealing with the usual restriction of not being able to show his opening preparation in full before the match. For now, Nepo has drawn all four of his games in Düsseldorf. After splitting the point with Wesley So from the black side of a Catalan, the Russian quipped:
The tournament is great, my play is not.
After the rest day, Nepo will get two whites in a row — against Gukesh and Andrey Esipenko — before meeting current sole leader Levon Aronian in round 7. To reach the top of the standings, Aronian won twice with white and drew twice with black on the first four days of action. The 40-year-old is set to face an in-form Anish Giri on Tuesday.
As for round 4, all games finished drawn for the first time in the event. A couple of hours into the day, this outcome did not seem all that likely, though, as Gukesh and Vincent Keymer had a double-edged position on the board, while Giri had obtained a long-term advantage against Esipenko out of the opening.

Frederic Friedel has been keeping an eye on prodigious players for years now (find here the latest update) | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Gukesh ½ - ½ Keymer
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Be3 Nbd7 9.g4 h6 10.Qd3 Nc5 11.Nxc5 dxc5 12.Qe2 Be7 13.Bg2 0-0 14.0-0 Qb6 15.Nd5 15...Nxd5 15...Bxd5 16.exd5 e4 17.c4 Bd6= 16.exd5 Bd7 17.b4 Qxb4 17...Qc7 18.d6 Bg5! 19.Bxg5 Bb5! 19...hxg5 20.Qxe5 Rae8 21.Qxg5± 20.c3 20.Qxe5 Bxf1 21.Be7 Bxg2 22.Bxf8 Rxf8 23.Kxg2 Qd2 24.Qxc5 Rd8= 20...Qa4 21.Qxe5 Bxf1 22.Bxh6 gxh6 23.Rxf1 Rae8 24.Qxc5 Re6! 25.Bd5 25.Bxb7 Rd8 26.Bd5 Rexd6 27.c4 Qxa2 28.Rd1 Re6! 25...Rg6 26.Rb1 h5 27.d7 Qxd7 28.Be4 hxg4 28...Rg7 29.Qxh5 29.Bxg6 fxg6 30.Qc4+ Qf7 31.Qxf7+ Rxf7 32.hxg4 b5 33.Kg2 Rc7 34.Rd1 Rxc3 35.Rd6 Kf7 36.Rxa6 b4 37.g5 b3 38.axb3 Rxb3 39.Rf6+ Kg7 40.f3 ½–½
In a total of 6 chapters, we look at the following aspects: the right decision based on tactical factors, decisions in exchanges and moves, complex and psychological decisions in longer games and in defence.

Jan Gustafsson, Anish Giri’s second, looks on as Gukesh analyses | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Giri ½ - ½ Esipenko
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d5 3.e3 c5 4.dxc5 4...e6 4...Nc6 5.Nf3 5.Bb5 Qa5+ 6.Nc3 a6 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Nf3 Ne4 9.Qd4 Nxc3 10.Qxc3 Qxc3+ 11.bxc3 f6 12.Bc7 e5 13.Bb6= 5...e6 4...Qa5+ 5.b4 a5 6.c3 Nc6 6...axb4 7.cxb4 Bd7 8.Nd2 b6 9.cxb6 Bxb4 10.Bc7 Qe7 11.Ngf3 0-0 12.Be2 Ne4 13.0-0 Nc3 14.Qe1 Bb5 15.Bxb5 Nxb5 16.Bg3 Nd7 7.Bb5 Bd7 8.Qb3 8...Nh5 9.Ne2 Nxf4 10.Nxf4 g6 10...g5! 11.Nh5 g4 12.Nd2 Qg5 11.a4 Bg7 12.Ra2 0-0 13.0-0 13...Ne5 13...Qc7 14.Nd2 d4 14.Bxd7 Qxd7 15.Rd1 Qc6 16.Nd3 Nxd3 17.Rxd3 Rfc8 18.Nd2 axb4 19.cxb4 b6 20.cxb6 Qxb6 21.b5?! 21.g3! Rc1+ 22.Kg2± 21...Rc1+ 22.Nf1 Qa5 23.Rd1 Rc3 24.Qb1 Rc4 25.Rd3 Rb8 26.Rb3 Rxa4 27.Rxa4 Qxa4 28.g3 Rb6 29.h4 h5 30.Kg2 Bf6 31.Nd2 Kg7 32.Qd3 Bxh4 33.gxh4 ½–½
Over the last couple of years nearly all the world's elite grandmasters have been employing the London System, and on this DVD Simon Williams shows what we can learn from their practice. The "Ginger GM" takes a look at all the latest developments whilst teaching you all the basics that you need to know in order to play this opening with success.

Two stylish grandmasters — Andrey Esipenko and Anish Giri | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Results - Round 4
Standings - Round 4
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