Tata Steel

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tata Steel

Tata Steel 2015

Round One
January 10, 2015

One of the most entertaining games was Ivanchuk-Jobava. The prevailing opinion from Seirawan and Stockfish was that the game was equal after the move-40 time control. Yasser could not believe that there was a resignation after Ivanchuk’s 43. Rxa4

Tata Steel Masters
Round One, Jan. 10, 2015
Ivanchuk, Vassily – Jobava, Baadur
B32 Sicilian, Labourdonnais-Loewenthal (Kalashnikov) Var.

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 g6 7. Be3 Be6 8. N1c3 a6 9. Na3 Nf6 10. Be2 Bg7 11. Nc2 Rc8 12. Rc1 O-O 13. O-O Ne7 14. Na3 Nc6 15. Re1 Nd4 16. f3 Qb6 17. Rb1 Nxe2+ 18. Rxe2 Qb4 19. Rd2 Rfd8 20. c5 Qa5 21. Rxd6 Bf8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Qe2 Bxc5 24. Nc2 Bd4 25. Qe1 b5 26. Nxd4 exd4 27. Bg5 dxc3 28. Qxc3 Qxc3 29. bxc3 Bxa2 30. Bxf6 Rd6 31. Be5 Re6 32. Ra1 Rxe5 33. Rxa2 Re6 34. Kf2 Kf8 35. Ke3 Ke7 36. g4 Kd7 37. f4 Rc6 38. Kd4 Kc7 39. f5 Rc4+ 40. Kd5 Kb6 41. Ra3 a5 42. e5 Ra4 43. Rxa4 (43... bxa4 44. Kc4 Kc6 45. h4 Kd7 46. Kd3 Ke7 47. Kc2 h5 48. fxg6 fxg6 49. gxh5 gxh5 50. Kb2 Ke6 51. Ka3 Kxe5 52. Kxa4 Kd5 53. Kb5 a4 54. Kb4 Ke4 55. Kxa4 Kf5 56. c4 Kg4 57. c5 Kxh4 58. Ka5) 1-0

Vassily comes in with a scarf around his neck. It looks like he has a cold. He dazzles Yasser with variations and seems like his old self.

Ivanchuk – A very complicated game. I wasn’t satisfied with my 20. c5.

Even though Yasser was confused in the analysis of the endgame, Vassily says 44. Kc4 and winning is not so difficult for a good grandmaster (said without malice or irony, just Chukky matter-of-factness).

Other results:

Ding, Liren – Caruana, Fabiano 0-1
Giri, Anish – Carlsen, Magnus 0.5-0.5
Radjabov, Teimour – Van Wely, Loek 0.5-0.5
Vachier-Lagrave, M. – Hou, Yifan 1-0
Saric, Ivan – Aronian, Levon 0.5-0.5
So, Wesley – Wojtaszek, Radoslaw 0.5-0.5

Tata Steel Masters
Round One
January 10, 2015
Ding, Liren – Caruana, Fabiano
D78 Neo-Grunfeld, 6.O-O c6

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 d5 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. b3 dxc4 8. bxc4 c5 9. Bb2 Qb6 10. Qc1 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Nc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Nd2 Bf5 14. Nb3 Rac8 15. e4 Be6 16. e5 Nd7 17. Re1 c5 18. Nd2 Qa6 19. Re3 Rb8 20. Ra3 Qb6 21. Rb3 Qc7 22. f4 Nb6 23. Rb1 Rbd8 24. Bc3 Qd7 25. Bf1 Bf5 26. Ra1 f6 27. exf6 exf6 28. Rb5 Na4 29. Nb3 Nxc3 30. Qxc3 Be4 31. f5 Qxf5 32. Re1 Rfe8 33. Rxc5 Qd7 34. Qc1 f5 35. Qf4 Re7 36. h4 a5 37. Rxa5 Bc3 38. Rd5 Qa7+ 39. Kh2 Rxd5 40. cxd5 Bxe1 0-1

(The Week in Chess) World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen's comments on Giri's "cowardly" safety first play, no-matter how lighthearted he thought they were, added some tension to their round 1 clash. Carlsen chose a Modern System with 1...g6 against 1.d4 which may be a risky thing to repeat but worked very well as a one off against Giri who only had some vague general knowledge about the opening. 9.c5 looked like a major test of the formation but Carlsen's very precise 9...dxc5 10.dxe5 Nxe5! seems to have pretty much equalised. This at least was the conclusion of the players after the game. The game was drawn on move 30 in a king and pawn ending.

"Yes, it was a little experiment in opening. Unfortunately it was not as exciting as some of us had hoped for, and it was a quite forced liquidation to a draw." said Carlsen in an interview in Norwegian:

http://www.tv2.no/2015/01/10/sport/m...arlsen/6434858.

Carlsen's manager Espen Agdestein had already promised some opening experiments in the tournament.

Tata Steel Masters
Round One, Jan. 10, 2015
Giri, Anish – Carlsen, Magnus
A40 Modern Defence

1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.e4 d6 4.Nf3 e5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 f6 7.Be3 Nh6 8.h3 Nf7 9.c5 dxc5 10.dxe5 Nfxe5 11.Nxe5 fxe5 12.Bb5 Bd7 13.Bxc6 Bxc6 14.Bxc5 Bf8 15.Bxf8 Rxf8 16.O-O Qxd1 17.Rfxd1 Rd8 18.Rxd8+ Kxd8 19.Rd1+ Ke7 20.Nd5+ Bxd5 21.Rxd5 Ke6 22.f3 c6 23.Rd3 Rf7 24.Kf2 Rd7 25.Rxd7 Kxd7 26.h4 c5 27.g3 b5 28.b3 Ke6 29.Ke3 h6 30.f4 h5 1/2-1/2

(TWIC) Wesley So and Radoslaw Wojtaszek drew a complex fluctuating struggle that saw an endgame where both missed strong continuations (57.Rf5! for white and 65...Rxd5 for black).

Tata Steel Masters
Round One, Jan. 10, 2015
So, Wesley – Wojtaszek, Radoslaw
B90 Sicilian, Najdorf, Byrne Attack

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 h5 9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nbd7 11. Be2 g6 12. Qd2 Bg7 13. O-O b6 14. Rae1 O-O 15. c4 Rc8 16. h3 Nh7 17. Na1 a5 18. Nc2 Bf6 19. Na3 Bh4 20. Rb1 f5 21. Nb5 f4 22. Bf2 Bxf2+ 23. Rxf2 Nc5 24. Qc2 Qf6 25. b3 Ng5 26. Bd3 Kg7 27. a3 Nf7 28. b4 Nxd3 29. Qxd3 Qf5 30. Qxf5 gxf5 31. Rc2 Kf6 32. bxa5 bxa5 33. Na7 Rb8 34. Rb5 a4 35. Nc6 Rbc8 36. c5 dxc5 37. Rb6 Nd6 38. Na5 Ke7 39. Nc6+ Kf6 40. Na7 Rcd8 41. Rxc5 e4 42. Ra5 Rd7 43. Raa6 Ke5 44. Nc6+ Kxd5 45. Ra5+ Ke6 46. fxe4 fxe4 47. Rxh5 Rf6 48. Nd4+ Ke7 49. Nc6+ Ke6 50. Nd4+ Ke7 51. Re5+ Kf7 52. Rd5 Ke8 53. Rb8+ Kf7 54. Nb5 Ke6 55. Nc3 f3 56. Rb6 Rg6 57. g4 Rh6 58. Kh2 f2 59. Rf5 e3 60. Kg2 Rc7 61. Nd5 Kd7 62. Re5 Rc5 63. Rb1 Nc4 64. Rf5 Kd6 65. Rb8 Re6 66. Rd8+ Kc6 67. Rc8+ Kd6 68. Rd8+ Kc6 69. Rc8+ Kd6 70. Rd8+ ½-½

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Tata Steel

Aronian and Giri played blitz until Aronian's 24.Rad1. Both players had more than their original 100 minutes on their respective clocks at this point but Giri has now gone into a bit of a deep think, nearing 20 minutes. Interestingly enough, while never losing to Carlsen, Giri has never beaten Aronian. Going into this game he had a rather dismal 4 losses and 4 draws in 8 previous encounters with Aronian.

[Vlad Dobrich]

Re : Re: Tata Steel

And if you follow the tactics closely, your neurons will turn into pretzels! Clearly the first 20 moves were home cooking. Fun game!

[Dan Scoones]

Re: Re : Re: Tata Steel

GM Valentina Gunina notched her first win in the Challengers event today, defeating GM Saleh Salem of the United Arab Emirates when the latter went badly wrong in a complicated position where both kings were under attack. Just the sort of high-pressure situation in which Gunina thrives!

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tata Steel

Tata Steel 2015

Round Two
January 11, 2015

Caruana has won his second game and his progress is already being described as a “mini streak”. He has a very laid back interview with Seirawan after. Yasser discloses the stats that up until the tournament, Fabiano had met the participants in 99 games and had a plus 3 score against them.

Tata Steel Masters
Round Two, Jan. 11, 2015
Caruana, Fabiano – Siric, Ivan
C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed (9.h3)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Re8 10. d4 Bb7 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. d5 Nb8 13. Nf1 Nbd7 14. N3h2 a5 15. a4 b4 16. cxb4 axb4 17. Bg5 Be7 18. Bc4 Nc5 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Bb5 Rf8 21. Nd2 Ba6 22. Nb3 Bxb5 23. Nxc5 Be8 24. Nd3 Qb8 25. b3 Bg5 26. Nf1 c6 27. Nb2 f5 28. dxc6 Bxc6 29. exf5 d5 30. Ne3 Qb7 31. Nd3 Rae8 32. Qg4 Bxe3 33. fxe3 Bd7 34. Qxb4 Qa8 35. g4 Qa6 36. Nc5 Qd6 37. e4 Rc8 38. Rac1 Rfd8 39. exd5 e4 40. Re3 Qh6 41. Qe1 Bxf5 42. gxf5 Rxd5 43. Nxe4 1-0

The coffee house bout beween Aronian and Giri:

Tata Steel Masters
Round Two, Jan. 11, 2015
Aronian, Levon – Giri, Anish
D97 Grunfeld, Russian, Byrne Variation

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Nc6 8. Be2 e5 9. d5 Nd4 10. Nxd4 exd4 11. Qxd4 c6 12. Qc4 b5 13. Qxc6 Bd7 14. Qd6 Re8 15. Bg5 b4 16. Qxb4 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Qxg5 18. O-O Rab8 19. Qd6 Bh3 20. Nf4 Bg4 21. Bxg4 Be5 22. Qd7 Qxf4 23. g3 Qf6 24. Rad1 Bxb2 25. Qa4 Red8 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. Qxa7 Kg7 28. Be2 Rd2 29. Qe3 Qc3 30. Qxc3+ Bxc3 31. Bc4 Bd4 32. Kh1 Rc2 33. Bb3 Rxf2 34. Rd1 Bb6 35. h4 Bc7 36. Rd3 h5 37. a4 Kh6 38. Bc4 f5 39. exf5 Rxf5 40. Kg2 Rc5 41. Bb5 g5 42. hxg5+ Kxg5 43. Kh3 Be5 44. Re3 h4 45. gxh4+ Kf4 46. Rg3 Rc1 47. a5 Rh1+ 48. Kg2 Rg1+ ½-½

The first game between Carlsen and So:

Tata Steel Masters
Round Two, Jan. 11, 2015
Carlsen, Magnus – So, Wesley
E46 NimzoIndian, Reshevsky Variation

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.d4 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Ne2 d5 6.a3 Be7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.g3 Nbd7 9.Bg2 Nb6 10.O-O Re8 11.b3 h6 12.Qc2 Bd7 13.a4 a5 14.Nf4 c6 15.Bb2 Bb4 16.Nd3 Bf5 17.Qd1 Bd6 18.Re1 Nbd7 19.Ba3 Bxa3 20.Rxa3 Nb8 21.Ra2 Na6 22.Rae2 Re7 23.Ne5 Nb4 24.e4 dxe4 25.Nxe4 Bxe4 26.Bxe4 Nxe4 27.Rxe4 Qd5 28.R4e3 b5 29.Ng4 Rxe3 30.Nxe3 Qe4 31.Ng4 Qc2 32.Ne3 Qe4 33.Ng4 Qc2 34.Ne3 Qe4 1/2-1/2

Magnus: Wesley outplayed me in the middle game. He played a very decent game and at the end I had no choice but to go for a draw. I had expected to put more pressure on him. He is a good player. My chances are good in the tournament though two draws is not an ideal start but the last time I played here I started with two draws and that went pretty well.

Today’s Results

Radjabov – Ivanchuk 0.5-0.5
Jobava – Vachier-Lagrave 0.5-0.5
Carlsen – So 0.5-0.5
Caruana – Saric 1-0
Aronian – Giri 0.5-0.5
Van Wely – Wojtaszek 0.5-0.5

Tata Challengers
Round Two, January 11, 2015
Wei, Yi – Potkin, Vladimir
C11 French, Steinitz, Boleslavsky Variation

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. Bd3 b4 10. Na4 c4 11. Be2 c3 12. Qd1 cxb2 13. Nxb2 Be7 14. O-O O-O 15. Bd3 f5 16. g4 a5 17. gxf5 exf5 18. Qe2 Nb6 19. Kh1 a4 20. Rg1 a3 21. Nd1 Na4 22. Rg3 Rf7 23. Qg2 Nc3 24. Nxc3 bxc3 25. Bb5 Qb6 26. Rg1 Bf8 27. Rh3 g6 28. Ng5 Qxb5 29. Nxf7 Ne7 30. Nh6+ Bxh6 31. Rxh6 Ra7 32. Qh3 Qe2 33. Rxh7 Qxc2 34. Rh8+ Kf7 35. Qh7+ Ke6 36. Rxg6+ 1-0

Tata Challengers
Round Two, January 11, 2015
Gunina, Valentina – Salem, A.R. Saleh
King’s Indian, Samisch-Benoni (7.Nge2)

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Nge2 c5 7. Be3 Nc6 8. d5 Ne5 9. Ng3 e6 10. Be2 exd5 11. cxd5 a6 12. a4 h5 13. O-O Nh7 14. Qd2 h4 15. Nh1 f5 16. Nf2 b6 17. Rae1 Ra7 18. exf5 gxf5 19. Nh3 Ng6 20. f4 Bf6 21. Kh1 Rg7 22. Bd3 Ne7 23. Qf2 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Nxd5 25. Bc4 Bb7 26. Ng5 Nxg5 27. fxg5 b5 28. axb5 axb5 29. Bxd5+ Bxd5 30. Qxh4 Qa8 31. Qg3 Ra7 32. g6 Rf6 33. Qg5 Ra2 34. Bf2 Rf8 35. Kg1 Be4 36. Qe7 Ra7 37. Qe6+ Kg7 38. Qxd6 Re8 39. Bxc5 Ra2 40. Bf2 Qd8 41. Qg3 Kg8 42. Qh3 Qd7 43. Rxe4 Rxe4 44. Bd4 Rxd4 45. cxd4 Ra6 46. Qxf5 1-0

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Tata Steel

The Van Wely game was rather an amusing draw, albeit perhaps not for Loek. He missed several wins: Stockfish had him up 4.9 Pawns at move 37, 6.0 Pawns at move 48, and a whopping 39.71 Pawns at move 52 and still couldn't bring home the full point ):

[Nigel Hanrahan]

Vlad somebody or another on Tata Steel

The issue is likely there are no Russian players. Considering where the event is being held I can understand the players from the Netherlands but no Russians is putting politics into sports.

As Dan Scoones pointed out, there is (Russian) GM Valentina Gunina in the Challengers Tournament. Vlad (not Putin) Tkachiev points out the following in his Preview:

I can’t recall it ever having had such a young line-up – eight of the 14 players are under 25! That’s a fact that can be celebrated, but I don’t know what to think about the next: for the first time the main tournament doesn’t have a single Russian. Perhaps, distracted by the holidays, I missed something and a new wave of anti-Russian sanctions has been directed against players from the chess superpower? In their defence I can recall that Kramnik now lives in Switzerland, Svidler is a well-known anglophile and Karjakin recently got married. I didn’t forget about Grischuk – since 2011 he’s declared sanctions on Wijk himself – the January weather there doesn’t suit him. Let’s hope for global warming, in a political sense as well.

77 years is a long time to suddenly change direction, but who knows? Maybe, maybe not. Tkachiev isn't sure.

Vlad Tkachiev also has some interesting remarks on the prize fund. To wit:

1. What are they competing for?

A question that’s often passed over in shameful silence. I didn’t manage to discover anything on the tournament website, so I had to turn to unofficial sources. It’s well-known that super tournaments can be divided into three categories: the “winner takes it all” system, where all the money goes into the prize fund (St. Louis, Stavanger, Linares in its last years of existence and the FIDE Grand Prix), “old school events” – in which the lion’s share of resources goes on the players’ fees (Dortmund, Zurich…) and those in which both approaches are combined (the Tal Memorial, Tashir). It’s no surprise that Wijk aan Zee, which is marking its 77th anniversary this year, is true to the long-standing tradition and makes up for only a symbolic first prize with impressive fees for the top players: they vary from 15,000 to 50,000 Euro. However, that applies to far from all the players, with the debutants and rating outsiders usually grateful for the chance to prove themselves for a few thousand. It’s all very differentiated...

Vlad T on Tata Steel

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: Tata Steel

Right... and after Mr. Drkulec rants and posts random song lyrics totally out of context, Nigel Hanrahan will chime in as well. :D

Fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake,...
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate,...
Players gonna play, play, play, play...
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake,
Shake it off.
- Taylor Swift

I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake,
Shake it off.

Not sure why but as soon as I see a post from Paul Bonham I think of that Taylor Swift song.

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Tata Steel

[QUOTE=Wayne Komer;91057]Tata Steel 2015

Carlsen's manager Espen Agdestein had already promised some opening experiments in the tournament.

Today's Wojtaszek - Carlsen game is certainly delivering on that promise (:

http://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2015-...Carlsen_Magnus

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Vlad somebody or another on Tata Steel

As Dan Scoones pointed out, there is (Russian) GM Valentina Gunina in the Challengers Tournament. Vlad (not Putin) Tkachiev points out the following in his Preview

Being not Putin, he could have done an interview with not playing RUS players, and asked why they are not playing. CAN do not play too. Though, it had happened before. Yeah, NED are ignoring us LOL

[Nigel Hanrahan]

Tata Steel and Taylor Swift and a Vladian idea

blah blah

Fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake,...
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate,...
Players gonna play, play, play, play...
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake,

Shake it off.

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Tata Steel and Taylor Swift and a Vladian idea

With his win today against Aronian, Wesley So is now the #1 ranked player in the U.S., just ahead of Nakamura.

http://2700chess.com/

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tata Steel

Tata Steel 2015
Round Three
January 12, 2015

Tata Steel Masters
Round 3, Jan. 12, 2015
Ivanchuk, Vassily – Van Wely, Loek
B83 Sicilian, Scheveningen

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Qe2 a6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Rc8 10. Kb1 Qc7 11. Nb3 b5 12. g4 b4 13. Na4 e5 14. g5 Bg4 15. Qg2 Bxd1 16. Bxa6 Nd7 17. Rxd1 Ra8 18. Bb5 Be7 19. f5 Qb7 20. c4 O-O 21. f6 Bd8 22. Rxd6 Ncb8 23. Qg4 g6 24. h4 h5 25. Qf3 Bc7 26. Rxd7 Nxd7 27. Bxd7 Rad8 28. Nbc5 Qa8 29. Qd1 Qa7 30. Qd5 Ra8 31. Bd2 Rfd8 32. Bxb4 Ba5 33. a3 Qc7 34. Nc3 Bxb4 35. axb4 Qa7 36. Kc2 Rac8 37. Nb5 Qa1 38. Nd6 1-0

Chessbomb comments:

- Chucky in good form, hooray!
- van Wely took a trip to planet Ivanchuk, the atmosphere there was unbreathable for him
- very good game, chucky is in form

Tata Steel Masters
Round 3, Jan. 12, 2015
Wojtaszek, Radoslaw – Carlsen, Magnus
A41 Queen’s Pawn Game

1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 f5 4. b4 Bg7 5. Bb2 a5 6. b5 a4 7. e3 Nf6 8. Be2 c6 9. bxc6 bxc6 10. O-O O-O 11. Qc2 Qc7 12. Nc3 a3 13. Bc1 Nbd7 14. Rb1 Ne4 15. Nxe4 fxe4 16. Nd2 Nf6 17. Rb3 Bf5 18. Rxa3 h5 19. Rxa8 Rxa8 20. a3 h4 21. Bb2 h3 22. g3 Qc8 23. Re1 Rb8 24. Bc3 Nh7 25. a4 Ng5 26. Rb1 Ra8 27. Qd1 c5 28. Rb6 Qe6 29. g4 cxd4 30. Bxd4 Bxd4 31. exd4 e3 32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Nf1 exf2+ 34. Kxf2 Ne4+ 35. Ke1 Qf6 36. Qd3 Rxa4 37. Rb1 Qh4+ 38. Ng3 Kf7 39. Qf3 Kg7 40. Qf4 Qxf4 41. Nh5+ Kf7 42. Nxf4 Ng5 43. d5 Kf6 44. Kf2 Ra3 45. Bd3 Ra2+ 46. Kg3 Ra3 47. Re1 Ne4+ 48. Kf3 Ng5+ 49. Ke3 Ra2 50. Re2 Ra3 51. Rf2 Ne4 52. Rf3 1-0

Seirawan: If So wins the game with Aronian, he will pass Nakamura on the Live Rating List

Tata Steel Masters
Round 3, Jan. 12, 2015
So, Wesley – Aronian, Levon
C45 Scotch, Mieses Variation

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. Nd2 Rb8 9. c4 Nf4 10. Qe3 Ng6 11. f4 f6 12. Qxa7 Rb7 13. Qf2 fxe5 14. f5 Nf4 15. Qf3 Qf7 16. g3 Nh5 17. Be2 Nf6 18. g4 d5 19. g5 e4 20. Qh3 Ng8 21. Bh5 g6 22. fxg6 Bxh3 23. gxf7+ Kd7 24. fxg8=Q Rxg8 25. Rg1 Bd6 26. cxd5 cxd5 27. Bf7 Rf8 28. Bxd5 Rb4 29. g6 hxg6 30. Rxg6 Rd4 31. Bxe4 Re8 32. Kf2 Rf8+ 33. Ke2 Re8 34. Kf2 Rf8+ 35. Ke3 c5 36. Rg7+ Kd8 37. Ke2 Bc8 38. Bf3 Ba6+ 39. Kf2 Rh4 40. Nf1 Kc8 41. Be3 Rh3 42. Nd2 Rxh2+ 43. Kg1 Rxd2 44. Bg4+ Kb8 45. Bxd2 Be5 46. Re7 Bd4+ 47. Be3 Rg8 48. Bxd4 Rxg4+ 49. Kf2 Rxd4 50. Rh1 Bb7 51. Rh8+ Ka7 52. Ke3 Rb4 53. b3 c4 54. Rh4 1-0

Tata Steel Masters
Round 3, Jan. 12, 2015
Giri, Anish – Caruana, Fabiano
D37 QGD, Hastings Variation

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.c5 Ne4 8.Rc1 Nxc3 9.Rxc3 b6 10.c6 Nf6 11.a3 a5 12.Rc2 Ne4 13.Bd3 Ba6 14.Bxa6 Rxa6 15.Ne5 Bd6 16.Nd7 Bxf4 17.Nxf8 Bxe3 18.Nd7 Bg5 19.Qd3 Ra8 20.a4 Nf6 21.h4 Bh6 22.Nxf6+ Qxf6 23.h5 Bg5 24.O-O Qf4 25.Rd1 Bf6 26.g3 Qg4 27.Qe2 Qh3 28.Rc3 Be7 29.g4 Qh4 30.f4 Bd6 31.Rf1 Qf6 32.Qf2 Rb8 33.Rb3 g6 34.hxg6 hxg6 35.Kg2 Kf8 36.Rh3 Ke7 37.b3 Rh8 38.g5 Qg7 39.Rxh8 Qxh8 40. Rh1 Qg8 41. Rh3 Qg7 42. Kf3 Qg8 43. Kg2 Kd8 44. Qh4 Qe8 45. Rc3 Kc8 46. Kf3 Kb8 47. Qh7 Qf8 48. Kg4 Ka7 49. Rf3 Qe8 50. Qg7 Qxc6 51. Qxf7 Qc1 52. Qxe6 Qg1+ 53. Rg3 Qxd4 54. Qe3 Qh8 55. Rh3 Qc8+ 56. Kh4 Qf8 57. Rf3 Qh8+ 58. Kg3 Qh5 59. Kg2 Qg4+ 60. Kf1 Bc5 61. Qd3 Qg1+ 62. Ke2 Bb4 63. Rf1 Qg4+ 64. Qf3 Qf5 65. Rd1 c6 66. Rh1 Bc5 67. Kf1 Bd6 68. Rh7+ Kb8 69. Qe3 Qxf4+ 70. Qxf4 Bxf4 71. Rg7 Bxg5 72. Rxg6 Be7 73. Rxc6 Bc5 74. Ke2 Kb7 75. Rg6 Kc7 76. Kf3 Kd7 77. Kf4 Bd4 78. Kf5 Ke7 79. Rg4 Bc3 80. Rg3 Bb2 81. Rg2 Bc3 82. Rc2 Ba1 83. Rc6 Bd4 84. Rh6 Kd7 85. Re6 Kc7 86. Kf4 Kd7 87. Rh6 Kc7 88. Kf3 Kd7 89. Ke2 Bc5 90. Kf3 Bd4 91. Rh4 Bc5 92. Rg4 Kd6 93. Rg6+ Kd7 94. Rh6 Bd4 95. Kf4 Kc7 96. Kf5 Kd7 97. Rh4 Bc3 ½-½

Tata Steel Challengers
Round 3, Jan. 12, 2015
Dale, Ari – Wei, Yi
E52 NimzoIndian, 4. e3 Main Line

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Ne5 Bd6 10. Nb5 Be7 11. f4 c5 12. Nc3 Nc6 13. Qf3 Re8 14. g4 cxd4 15. g5 dxc3 16. gxf6 Bxf6 17. Bxh7+ Kf8 18. bxc3 g6 19. Ba3+ Kg7 20. Nxf7 Kxf7 21. Qg4 Ne7 22. f5 g5 23. Qh5+ Kg7 24. Rf3 Rh8 25. Rh3 Rc8 26. Qh6+ Kf7 27. Bg6+ Kg8 28. Bh7+ Kf7 29. Bg6+ Kg8 30. Bh7+ Kf7 ½-½

(ChessBase – Express Report) - In today's round, the top seeds all found themselves down material, voluntarily or involuntarily. The first surprise was Carlsen's loss to Wojtaszek, when he preferred to give a piece for swindling chances but lost. This was followed by Aronian who blundered a piece to Wesley So. In the Challengers, lowest-rated Dale drew top-seed Wei Yi after he sacrificed two pieces

(Tata Steel Press Release) Anne Haast has caused a sensation in the Tata Steel Challengers by beating Dutch chess legend Jan Timman this afternoon. The most experienced player of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament was beaten by the Dutch women’s chess champion. Timman is the highest ranking grandmaster Anne Haast has beaten so far. This morning Anne was still in Tilburg for her studies. She had prepared for the match against Timman last night and in the car over to Wijk aan Zee.

Tata Steel Challengers
Round Three, January 12, 2015
Timman, Jan – Haast, Anne
D20 QGA 3. e4

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Bxd2+ 7. Nbxd2 Nc6 8. O-O Qf6 9. e5 Qg6 10. Re1 Nge7 11. Qb3 O-O 12. Bd3 Qh6 13. Ne4 Bf5 14. Rac1 Rab8 15. Nc5 Bg4 16. Be4 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Nxe5 18. Bxb7 N7g6 19. Rcd1 Rfe8 20. Re4 Qg5 21. g3 d3 22. Re3 Nf4 23. h4 Qg4 24. Rf1 d2 25. Qd1 Nh3+ 26. Kg2 Nxf2 27. Qxd2 Qh3+ 28. Kg1 Neg4 29. Rxe8+ Rxe8 30. Rxf2 Qxg3+ 0-1
________

All Results

Masters

Ding, Liren – Jobava 1-0
Ivanchuk – Van Wely 1-0
Giri – Caruana 0.5-0.5
Wojtaszek – Carlsen 1-0
Vachier-Lagrave – Radjabov 0.5-0.5
So – Aronian 1-0

Masters Standings
Caruana 2.5/3
Ivanchuk 2.5/3
Wojtaszek 2/3
So 2/3
MVL 2/3
Ding 2/3
Radjabov 1.5/3
Giri 1.5/3
Aronian 1/3
Saric 1/3
Carlsen 1/3
Van Wely 1/3
Jobava 0.5/3
Hou 0.5/3

Challengers

Michiels – Klein 0-1
Potkin – Gunina 1-0
Dale – Wei 0.5-0.5
Van Kampen – L’Ami 0.5-0.5
Navara – Shankland 0.5-0.5
Salem – Sevian 0.5-0.5

Challengers Standings
Klein 2/3
Van Kampen 2/3
Wei 2/3
Navara 2/3
Dale 1.5/3
Potkin 1.5/3
Shankland 1.5/3
Haast 1.5/3
Gunina 1.5/3
Michiels 1.5/3
L’Ami 1.5/3
Timman 1/3
Sevian 0.5/3

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Tata Steel

Fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake,...
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate,...
Players gonna play, play, play, play...
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake,
Shake it off.
- Taylor Swift

I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake,
Shake it off.

Not sure why but as soon as I see a post from Paul Bonham I think of that Taylor Swift song.

Sure, why not? Chanting those words, you can believe and act any way you want. No one has to have a conscience. What a great thing to be teaching all those Windsor kids!

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Tata Steel

I'm not sure how the 16-year-old Australian, Ari Dale, managed to get an invitation to Tata Steel (Challengers) with his 2291 FIDE rating, but he's certainly taking advantage of it.
His R1 draw with the 2nd lowest seed, Anne Haast (2352) was hardly surprising, but drawing the #3 and #2 seeds, Sam Shankland (2652)and Wei Yi (2675), in R2 & R3 was remarkable to say the least. The next lowest rated player in the Challengers is Sam Sevian at 2511, so for both Ari and Anne to have 1.5/3 in this kind of field would have the father of probability, Blaise Pascal, shaking his head in disbelief (:

After drawing the #3 and #2 seeds the past 2 rounds, Ari gets to try his luck against the top seed, Navarra (2729) tomorrow. Navarra is the prohibitive favourite, to the tune of 2/5 even though he's playing Black. Ari is 15/2 to win his 1st game and 33/10 to draw. Anne is almost in the same betting boat against van Kampen, who is also the 2/5 favourite and who is also playing Black. Anne is 9/1 to win her 2nd game in a row and 3/1 to draw. I'm not sure what Blaise Pascal might say about these odds but I'm going to pass (:

https://www.marathonbet.com/en/betting/Chess/