10/7/2016 – After a power rush in the early rounds with 4.5/6, Ian Nepomniachtchi was unable to maintain the momentum as he finished with three draws. This allowed other players to make their move and try to change their fate, but it never worked out. Anish Giri, who trailed by only half a point, had a golden opportunity as he held a completely winning position, but a slip on move 41 cost him his advantage, and a drew ensued. Mamedyarov was the only win as he beat Kramnik. Report, games, and GM analysis.

10/5/2016 – In a sense, the event was both uneventful in that it ended with five draws, yet not quite so, as it leaves Ian Nepomniachtchi in the driver’s seat going to the last round, with Anish Giri right behind. Of the five games, the two hardest fought were Levon Aronian against Li Chao, and Kramnik’s 7-plus hour battle with Tomashevsky as he tried his hardest to convert a material advantage. Report with analysis by GM Moradiabadi.

10/1/2016 – A relatively quiet day in Moscow, as we had been spoiled with about three decisive games per day in the Tal Memorial. The only win today was by Vishy Anand against the completely luckless Boris Gelfand. It was an interesting affair in a Rossolimo Sicilian, but White with good preparation always had the edge. Priyadarshan Banjan brings a full transcript of Anand's post-game interview.

9/29/2016 – A relatively bloody day in Moscow, as three white victories significantly change the standings. All of them came in very different ways: Mamedyarov annihilated Gelfand with a powerful attack, Nepomniachtchi was able to defeat Kramnik with excellent positional maneuvers while Giri ground down Tomashevsky in an extremely long endgame. Report, GM commentary and even a transcript of Vishy's analysis!

9/26/2016 – The first round of the Tal Memorial had absolute dominance by Ian Nepomniachtchi in a Scotch against his compatriot Evgeny Tomashevsky. After only 23 moves and less than two hours of play, Black was forced to resign in a hopeless position. Svidler almost toppled Kramnik, but was unable to put the finishing touch. All other games were solid draws to kick off the event.

9/25/2016 – The first day of the X Tal Memorial opened with a favorite of fans all over: a blitz tournament. There is nothing quite like spending a Sunday watching the elite go crazy in blitz games all day to fight for the right to an extra white in the event to follow. It was Mamedyarov’s party as he crushed the field, with live video commentary in both Russian and English. Here is the report with some fun positions to test your skills!