(Photo taken from the official site of the event)
Morozevich and Caruana won against Kasimdzhanov and Radjabov respectively.
Round 1 on 2013/04/18 at 14:00
GM Morozevich Alexander 2758 1 – 0 GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 ½ – ½ GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733
GM Caruana Fabiano 2772 1 – 0 GM Radjabov Teimour 2793
GM Karjakin Sergey 2786 ½ – ½ GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767
GM Giri Anish 2727 ½ – ½ GM Topalov Veselin 2771
GM Leko Peter 2744 ½ – ½ GM Kamsky Gata 2741
Morozevich got the advantage of two bishops out of the opening and the game was progressing quietly, with white gaining space on the kingside, to improve the light square B, then improving other pieces. The preparation of …c4 push seems the key plan here as it prevented Black from getting any counterplay on the queenside. Another very interesting positional decision was definitely 42.Bc5 as it gave the N on g2 a path to f5.
Caruana-Radjabov was an interesting Schliemann/Jaenisch when white went for the relatively rare 7.Bxc6. The 11…Nxe4 looked like Black willingly went for a middlegame where he cannot play for a win. Later on white won the e-file and kept on improving the pieces and gaining space. Perhaps, pushing the pawn to h4 was a mistake as it became weak and instead Black should have waited with, for example, Rd7.
Today’s pairings
Round 2 on 2013/04/19 at 14:00
GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709 – GM Kamsky Gata 2741
GM Topalov Veselin 2771 – GM Leko Peter 2744
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767 – GM Giri Anish 2727
GM Radjabov Teimour 2793 – GM Karjakin Sergey 2786
GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733 – GM Caruana Fabiano 2772
GM Morozevich Alexander 2758 – GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
