Grand Prix – Zug 2013 7th round

By | |
Leave a comment

Part of the playing hall, round 7
(photo taken from the official site)

Results of the 7th round

GM Karjakin Sergey 2786 ½ – ½ GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709
GM Giri Anish 2727 ½ – ½ GM Caruana Fabiano 2772
GM Leko Peter 2744 ½ – ½ GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
GM Kamsky Gata 2741 1 – 0 GM Morozevich Alexander 2758
GM Topalov Veselin 2771 ½ – ½ GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767 ½ – ½ GM Radjabov Teimour 2793

Standings after the 7th round

1 GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733 UKR 4½ 16,25
2 GM Topalov Veselin 2771 BUL 4½ 14,50
3 GM Morozevich Alexander 2758 RUS 4 12,50
4 GM Caruana Fabiano 2772 ITA 4 12,00
5 GM Karjakin Sergey 2786 RUS 4 13,50
6 GM Kamsky Gata 2741 USA 3½ 12,00
7 GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767 USA 3½ 10,50
8 GM Giri Anish 2727 NED 3 11,00
9 GM Leko Peter 2744 HUN 3 10,50
10 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 AZE 3 10,50
11 GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709 UZB 2½ 9,25
12 GM Radjabov Teimour 2793 AZE 2½ 9,00

Only one game was decisive yesterday, although all games were full of complicated and interesting ideas.

Kamsky-Morozevich started as a Sicilian but quickly transposed into unusual openings :). Morozevich’s 8…b6 was an interesting novelty but looks like Black was soon out of plan while White gathered power on the kingside after an exchange on d4. In the end, white found lots of very nice tactical patterns like “deflection” and other similar ideas.

Pairings of the 8th round

GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709 – GM Radjabov Teimour 2793
GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733 – GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767
GM Morozevich Alexander 2758 – GM Topalov Veselin 2771
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 – GM Kamsky Gata 2741
GM Caruana Fabiano 2772 – GM Leko Peter 2744
GM Karjakin Sergey 2786 – GM Giri Anish 2727

Official Site.

Grand Prix – Zug 2013 6th round

By | |
Leave a comment

Kasimdzhanov-Nakamura
(Photo taken from the official site of the event)

There have been two decisive games yesterday but all games were really interesting with various missed chances.

Round 6 on 2013/04/24 at 14:00

GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709 0 – 1 GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767
GM Radjabov Teimour 2793 ½ – ½ GM Topalov Veselin 2771
GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733 1 – 0 GM Kamsky Gata 2741
GM Morozevich Alexander 2758 ½ – ½ GM Leko Peter 2744
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 ½ – ½ GM Giri Anish 2727
GM Caruana Fabiano 2772 ½ – ½ GM Karjakin Sergey 2786

Ponomariov-Kamsky transformed into a Nimzo-Indian with Black making a novelty on move 15. White looked a little better due to space advantage in the center and queenside throughout the middlegame. He could have pushed …d5 even on move 27 and get an attack but even on 29th it was very strong and he immediately became much better. Once Black got pinned on the e-file, position became hopeless…

Interesting choice of move order was played in Kasimdzhanov-Nakamura. White had a more pleasant position in the opening and middlegame. The game became quite messy when Black castled long and perhaps white should have attacked with a pawn sacrifice – 19.b5 and then 20.a4 to try to get to the King first. The idea of a R sac on d6 was interesting but didn’t work although Black pieces were very passive.

Pairings of today’s round

GM Karjakin Sergey 2786 – GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709
GM Giri Anish 2727 – GM Caruana Fabiano 2772
GM Leko Peter 2744 – GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
GM Kamsky Gata 2741 – GM Morozevich Alexander 2758
GM Topalov Veselin 2771 – GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767 – GM Radjabov Teimour 2793

Official Site.

Grand Prix – Zug 2013 5th round

By | |
Leave a comment

Playing hall, 5th round
(photo taken from the official site)

What an interesting day – 5 games out of 6 were decisive!

Results of the 5th round

GM Caruana Fabiano 2772 1 – 0 GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709
GM Karjakin Sergey 2786 1 – 0 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
GM Giri Anish 2727 0 – 1 GM Morozevich Alexander 2758
GM Leko Peter 2744 ½ – ½ GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733
GM Kamsky Gata 2741 1 – 0 GM Radjabov Teimour 2793
GM Topalov Veselin 2771 1 – 0 GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767

Leko-Ponomariov was a Bogo-Indian where White made a novelty on move 13. Black equalized quite easily and once queens came off it wasn’t difficult to predict the outcome.

Karjakin-Mamedyarov was a Classical Caro-Kann and White had made a novelty on move 16 – Nxh6. A positional sacrifice in a way – no clear path to an attack, no active pieces on the kingside. Still, White had a clear plan of g2-g4-g5 after which the Black king didn’t feel safe at all.

Giri-Morozevich was a King’s Indian Fianchetto variation. Black got a very good position out of the opening, sacrificed a pawn on move 21 and got an interesting play on the e-file & two bishops for it.

Caruana-Kasimdzhanov was a Queen’s Gambit Declined in which 13.Rd1 was an interesting novelty. The position looked fairly equal in the middlegame as both sides were maneuvering due to lack of open files. 37…b5 was done to block the position and try to create a fortress but instead 37…Qb5 was still equal.

Kamsky-Radjabov was a Rossolimo in which white implemented a novelty on move 9, instead of Tal’s 9.Ba3. Black’s position looked solid and equal throughout the middlegame when he decided to simplify and sacrifice a pawn to get to a R endgame. It looked drawish but naturally White decided to play it out :).42…Rb1 would have made it very difficult for white to win, instead he allowed Rc7+ and was soon lost.

Topalov-Nakamura was a Ruy Lopez which reminded me of Fischer games 🙂 Exchange on e5, then a4-axb5 and play on the a-file for a small advantage or more. Black’s last change of getting counterplay was 33…Nh1 or 33…Nef5 stopping the white h-pawn from advancing.

Round 6 on 2013/04/24 at 14:00

GM Kasimdzhanov Rustam 2709 – GM Nakamura Hikaru 2767
GM Radjabov Teimour 2793 – GM Topalov Veselin 2771
GM Ponomariov Ruslan 2733 – GM Kamsky Gata 2741
GM Morozevich Alexander 2758 – GM Leko Peter 2744
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 – GM Giri Anish 2727
GM Caruana Fabiano 2772 – GM Karjakin Sergey 2786

Official Site.