Tal Memorial 2016

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tal Memorial 2016



October 2, 2016

Round Six (concluded)

When a rich patron proposes a chess tournament in an art gallery, the gallery greets him with open arms.

However, the gallery has exhibitions and has to let the public see the pictures on the walls and so, occasionally, the tournament has to take a day off.

So far, we have completed six rounds and there have been or will be, two rest days – after Rounds Two and Six. This slows the pace of the tourney.

Also, if one of your sponsors is a phosphate company (Phosagro), then you pretty well have to let them run a video of their production – trucks carrying crushed rock and so forth. This is fine for one or two days but when it is during every broadcast – it tends to annoy the chess purist.

Online comment:

- Another thrilling look at phosphate production, in case we missed any details
________

Well, that takes care of the art gallery and the phosphate, it only remains to give the games that were not finished in the last posting. A very good day for White:

Tal Memorial 2016
Round 6, Oct. 2, 2016
Nepomniachtchi, Ian – Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar
C50 Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 h6 7.a4 a6 8.h3 O-O 9.Re1 Re8 10.Nbd2 Be6 11.Bxe6 Rxe6 12.b4 Ba7 13.Qc2 d5 14.Nb3 Ne7 15.exd5 Qxd5 16.c4 Qd6 17.Nc5 Bxc5 18.bxc5 Qxc5 19.Ba3 Qa5 20.d4 Ng6 21.Bb2 Rae8 22.Bc3 Qb6 23.Rab1 Qa7 24.dxe5 Nd7 25.Rbd1 Ndf8 26.h4 Qc5 27.h5 Ne7 28.Re4 Rc6 29.Nd4 Qxc4 30.Nxc6 Qxc6 31.Qd3 b5 32.axb5 axb5 33.Bb4 Qb7 34.Bxe7 Rxe7 35.Rd4 Rxe5 36.Rd8 Qc6 37.Qd7 Qc5 38.Qc8 Rxh5 39.Rxf8+ Qxf8 40.Rd8 Qxd8 41.Qxd8+ Kh7 42.Qd7 f6 43.Qxc7 b4 44.Qc2+ Kh8 45.Qc4 Re5 46.g3 Kh7 47.Kg2 b3 48.Qxb3 Kh8 49.Kh3 Rh5+ 50.Kg4 Rg5+ 51.Kh4 Re5 52.f4 Ra5 53.Qc3 Rd5 54.Qb4 1-0

Round 6, Oct. 2, 2016
Svidler, Peter – Li, Chao B
A09 Reti, Advance Variation

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 Bg4 4.Qb3 Nf6 5.g3 a5 6.b5 a4 7.Qd3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 c6 9.Bg2 e5 10.O-O Be7 11.d3 O-O 12.Nd2 h5 13.h3 g6 14.Rb1 Nh7 15.e3 Re8 16.exd4 exd4 17.Re1 h4 18.bxc6 bxc6 19.Rb7 hxg3 20.fxg3 Bf6 21.Ne4 Nd7 22.Rf1 Rxe4 23.Qxe4 Nc5 24.Qxc6 Rc8 25.Qb5 Nxb7 26.Bxb7 Rc7 27.Bf4 Re7 28.Be4 Nf8 29.c5 Be5 30.Bg5 Bxg3 31.Qb6 Qxb6 32.cxb6 Re5 33.Bf6 Rb5 34.b7 Ne6 35.Rc1 Nc7 36.Kg2 Bf4 37.Rc4 Kh7 38.Kf3 Bh2 39.Rc5 Kg8 40.Rxb5 Nxb5 41.Bc6 Nc3 42.Bh4 1-0

Round 6, Oct. 2, 2016
Tomashevsky, Evgeny – Anand, Vishy
E10 Queen Pawn Game

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Be7 7.Qc2 c5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Nxd5 exd5 11.dxc5 Nxc5 12.e3 O-O 13.Be2 Bg4 14.O-O Rac8 15.Rac1 Qf6 16.Qc3 Qxc3 17.Rxc3 Ne4 18.Rcc1 Rfd8 19.Rfd1 Kf8 20.Kf1 Ke7 21.Nd4 Rxc1 22.Rxc1 Rc8 23.Rxc8 Bxc8 24.Ke1 Bd7 25.f3 Nd6 26.Kd2 Nf5 27.Nxf5+ Bxf5 28.Kc3 Kd6 29.Kd4 a5 30.Bb5 b6 31.Ba4 Bc8 32.a3 f6 33.b4 axb4 34.axb4 Bb7 35.Bb3 Bc6 36.Ba2 Bb7 37.h4 Bc6 38.Bb3 Bb7 39.b5 Ba8 40.Ba2 Bb7 41.h5 Ba8 42.Bb1 Bb7 43.Bf5 Ke7 44.Bh3 Kd6 45.Bg4 Ke7 46.f4 Kd6 47.Bf5 Ke7 48.g3 Kd6 49.Bg4 1/2-1/2

- anyone who read shereshevky’s endgame strategy knows toma-anand is no easy draw


Round 6, Oct. 2, 2016
Kramnik, Vladimir – Gelfand, Boris
B96 Sicilian, Najdorf

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qe2 Qc7 9.O-O-O b5 10.a3 Bb7 11.g4 Rc8 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.h4 Qb6 14.Rh3 h5 15.f5 e5 16.Nb3 hxg4 17.Qxg4 b4 18.axb4 Qxb4 19.Kb1 Nb6 20.Qe2 Bh6 21.Qf2 Rc6 22.Na2 Qa4 23.Rc3 Ke7 24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Na5 Qc7 26.Nxb7 Qxb7 27.Nb4 Rb8 28.Qxb6 Qxb6 29.Nd5+ Kf8 30.Nxb6 Rxb6 31.c3 Be3 32.Kc2 Kg7 33.b4 Kh6 34.Bc4 Bf2 35.Rh1 Rc6 36.Kb3 Rb6 37.Kc2 Rc6 38.Kd3 Rc7 39.Bxa6 Kh5 40.Bc4 Ra7 41.Bd5 Kh6 42.h5 Bb6 43.Kc4 Be3 44.Kb3 Bb6 45.Rh2 Be3 46.Re2 Bb6 47.Ra2 Rxa2 48.Kxa2 Kxh5 49.Kb3 Bf2 50.Ka4 Kh6 51.Kb5 Kg7 52.Kc6 Kf8 53.b5 Ke7 54.Kc7 1-0

Standings After Round Six

1. Nepomniachtchi 4.5
2. Giri 4.0
3. Kramnik 3.5
4. Aronian 3.5
5. Anand 3.5
6. Svidler 3.0
7. Li Chao 3.0
8. Mamedyarov 2.5
9. Tomashevsky 2.0
10. Gelfand 0.5

Tomorrow is a rest day. Play resumes on the 4th of October.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tal Memorial 2016

Tal Memorial 2016

October 4, 2016

Round Seven

Mark Crowther described the action today quite succinctly:

The first day after the final rest day saw all the games drawn. This meant Ian Nepomniachtchi leading on 5/7 half a point clear of Anish Giri.

Ian Nepomniachtchi held a draw with the Gruenfeld with black against Li Chao. 6.Na4 used to be a way to avoid theory but there seemed to be a long line of theory played here.

Anish Giri was outprepared by Vladimir Kramnik whose Queen's Gambit with black led to total equality.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov didn't get any advantage against Levon Aronian and they reached a drawn King and Pawn Endgame.

Boris Gelfand played very solidly with white against Evgeny Tomashevsky and the game was drawn in 26 moves. Gelfand had to bring to an end his 5 game losing streak in any way he could. The rest of the event will be about damage limitation.

Viswanathan Anand pressed a little bit with an Anti-Marshall Ruy Lopez but Peter Svidler held comfortably enough in the final game to finish.

http://theweekinchess.com

The games:

Tal Memorial 2016
Moscow
Classical
Round 7, Oct. 4, 2016
Gelfand, Boris – Tomashevsky, Evgeny
E00 Queen’s Pawn Game

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Be7 5.Bg2 d5 6.Nf3 O-O 7.O-O Nbd7 8.Qc2 c6 9.Bf4 b6 10.Rd1 Ba6 11.cxd5 cxd5 12.Ne5 Rc8 13.Nc6 Nh5 14.Bc1 Nb8 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Qd2 Nc6 17.b3 Rfd8 18.Ba3 Qd7 19.Nc3 Nf6 20.Bb2 h6 21.Rac1 Qe7 22.Rc2 Qe8 23.Qe1 Rd7 24.Qd2 Rdd8 25.Qe1 Rd7 26.Qd2 Rdd8 1/2-1/2

Round 7, Oct. 4, 2016
Giri, Anish – Kramnik, Vladimir
D56 QGD Neo-orthodox Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Qc2 c5 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Nxd5 exd5 13.Be2 Bg4 14.O-O Rac8 15.Rad1 Rfd8 16.Nd4 Ne6 17.Qd3 Nxd4 18.Bxg4 Ne6 19.Qb3 Rc4 20.Bf3 Rb4 21.Qa3 d4 22.Rd3 a5 23.Qxa5 Rxb2 24.Qe5 Qb4 25.exd4 Rxd4 26.a3 Qc4 27.Rdd1 Rxd1 28.Rxd1 Qb3 29.Qb8+ Kh7 30.Qd6 Qc2 31.Qd3+ Qxd3 32.Rxd3 Nc5 33.Rd1 g5 34.h4 b6 35.hxg5 hxg5 36.Rd6 Kg7 37.g3 f5 38.g4 f4 39.Bc6 Rb1+ 40.Kg2 Rb3 41.Rd5 Kh6 42.Rd6+ Kg7 43.Rd5 Kh6 1/2-1/2

Round 7, Oct. 4, 2016
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar – Aronian, Levon
D37 QGD, Hastings Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.a3 c5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.dxc5 Nxc5 11.Be5 Bf5 12.Be2 Bf6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Nd4 Ne6 15.Nxf5 Qxf5 16.O-O Qe5 17.Qd2 d4 18.Bc4 dxe3 19.Qxe3 Qxe3 20.fxe3 Rae8 21.Rad1 Re7 22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.Rxf8+ Kxf8 24.Rd8+ Re8 25.Rxe8+ Kxe8 26.Kf2 Ke7 27.Kf3 e5 28.Kg4 Kf6 29.e4 g6 30.b4 b5 31.Kh4 Kg7 32.Kg5 h6+ 33.Kg4 Kf6 34.h3 Kf7 35.h4 Ke6 36.h5 g5 37.Kf3 Kf7 38.Kg4 Ke6 39.Kf3 Kf7 40.Kg4 1/2-1/2

Round 7, Oct. 4, 2016
Anand, Viswanathan – Svidler, Peter
C88 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Anti-Marshall

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.a4 b4 9.d3 d6 10.a5 Be6 11.Nbd2 Bxb3 12.Nxb3 Re8 13.h3 h6 14.Nh4 Bf8 15.Nf5 Ne7 16.Ne3 Qd7 17.Ng4 Nh7 18.d4 exd4 19.Nxd4 c5 20.Ne2 h5 21.Ne3 Nf6 22.Ng3 h4 23.Nh5 Nxh5 24.Qxh5 Qe6 25.Qxh4 Ng6 26.Qg4 Qxe4 27.Qxe4 Rxe4 28.Rd1 Rae8 29.Kf1 Be7 30.g3 Ne5 31.Nf5 Rc4 32.c3 bxc3 33.bxc3 Rxc3 34.Nxd6 Bxd6 35.Rxd6 Nc4 36.Rxa6 Rc2 37.Rc6 Ree2 38.Be3 Nxe3+ 39.fxe3 Rh2 40.Kg1 Rcg2+ 41.Kf1 Rxg3 42.a6 Rxe3 43.Kg1 Rexh3 44.Ra4 Rh1+ 1/2-1/2

Round 7, Oct. 4, 2016
Li Chao B – Nepomniachtchi, Ian
D90 Grunfeld, Three Knights Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Na4 Bf5 7.Nh4 Bd7 8.e4 e5 9.Nf3 exd4 10.exd5 O-O 11.Be2 d3 12.Qxd3 Bxa4 13.O-O c6 14.Qe4 Qe8 15.Qxa4 Qxe2 16.Qb3 Na6 17.Be3 Qxb2 18.Qxb2 Bxb2 19.Rab1 Ba3 20.Rxb7 cxd5 21.Rd1 Nc5 22.Rc7 Ne6 23.Rd7 Rfc8 24.h4 Bc5 25.Bxc5 Nxc5 26.R7xd5 Kg7 27.g4 Rab8 28.g5 h6 29.gxh6+ Kxh6 30.Ng5 Kg7 31.Rc1 Ne6 32.Nxe6+ fxe6 33.Rd7+ Kf6 34.Rxc8 Rxc8 35.Rxa7 Rc4 36.a4 Rxh4 37.a5 Ra4 38.a6 e5 39.Ra8 e4 40.a7 Kg7 41.Kf1 Ra2 42.Ke1 Kh7 43.Kd1 Kg7 44.Kc1 Kh7 45.Kb1 Ra6 46.Kb2 Kg7 47.Kc3 Ra4 48.Kb3 Ra1 49.Kc4 Kh7 50.Kd5 Ra4 1/2-1/2
________

Before the start of the round, chief referee of the tournament Anatoly Bykhovsky congratulated Anish Giri on the birth of his son.

Entrance to the museum (during the tournament)

Entrance fee - 300 rubles.

Admission for pensioners - 100 rubles.

Gift card - 200 p. (When buying a ticket may visit the museum the next day)

Admission for children - up to 18 free of charge.

Admission for veterans and the disabled - free.

100 rubles at today’s rate of exchange is just a little over $2 CAN.
________

Standings After Round Seven

1. Nepomniachtchi 5.0
2. Giri 4.5
3. Kramnik 4.0
4. Aronian 4.0
5. Anand 4.0
6. Svidler 3.5
7. Li Chao 3.5
8. Mamedyarov 3.0
9. Tomashevsky 2.5
10. Gelfand 1.0

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tal Memorial 2016

Tal Memorial 2016

October 5, 2016

Round Eight

Mark Crowther at TWIC - Leader Ian Nepomniachtchi drew with Viswanathan Anand in an original English Opening which ended in repetition in 29 moves.

Second placed Anish Giri draw with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in a Giuoco Pianissimo where they traded to a draw in 40 moves.

Vladimir Kramnik got a small stable advantage against Evgeny Tomashevsky in a quiet King's Indian Attack style position where he eventually won a pawn. Kramnik tried for a very long time before having to concede the draw on move 108.

Peter Svidler didn't get much of an edge in a 3.Bb5 Sicilian against Boris Gelfand and was drawn in 29 moves. Levon Aronian had a small edge against Li Chao but it didn't look enough for a win. Draw in 60 moves.

http://theweekinchess.com

The Kramnik-Tomashevsky game went on for 7 hours and 15 minutes. Miro would not leave the game, he wanted to see how it played out. In seven rounds so far, the last player to leave has been either Tomashevsky or Kramnik. If Vladimir thought he was going to outsit his opponent, he had another think coming.

Reports said that Anish and Sopiko’s son was born on the rest day and his name is Daniel. Someone said that in view of the chess-playing prowess of his parents, he should get an ELO rating of 2200 at birth!

The games:

Tal Memorial 2016
Moscow
Classical
Round 8, Oct. 5, 2016
Aronian, Levon – Li Chao B
D06 QGD, Grau

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Bf4 Bd6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Nxd5 Be4 8.Nc3 Bxf3 9.Bxd6 Qxd6 10.gxf3 Qxd4 11.e3 Qf6 12.Nd5 Qd6 13.Qb3 Nge7 14.Nxe7 Nxe7 15.Rd1 Qf6 16.Qa4+ Nc6 17.Qe4+ Kf8 18.Bb5 Re8 19.Qc2 Qxf3 20.Qc5+ Kg8 21.Rg1 Qf6 22.Bxc6 bxc6 23.Rd2 g6 24.Rg4 Kg7 25.Rc4 Rd8 26.Rf4 Qe6 27.Rfd4 Rb8 28.Rd7 Qf6 29.b3 Rb7 30.Qe7 a5 31.R2d4 Rf8 32.Ke2 Qxe7 33.Rxe7 Kf6 34.Ree4 Ra8 35.Rf4+ Ke7 36.Rfe4+ Kf6 37.Rf4+ Ke7 38.Rde4+ Kf8 39.Re6 g5 40.Rf3 g4 41.Rf4 Rb4 42.Ref6 Rxf4 43.Rxf4 h5 44.Rf5 a4 45.Rxh5 Ke7 46.b4 a3 47.Kd3 Rd8+ 48.Kc2 Ke6 49.Rc5 Rh8 50.Rxc6+ Ke5 51.Rxc7 Rxh2 52.Rxf7 g3 53.Kb3 Rxf2 54.Rg7 g2 55.Kxa3 Ke4 56.Rg3 Re2 57.Ka4 Rxa2+ 58.Kb5 Kd3 59.Kc6 Rc2+ 60.Kb6 Rf2 1/2-1/2

Round 8, Oct. 5, 2016
Nepomniachtchi, Ian – Anand, Viswanathan
A21 English, Kramnik-Shirov Counter-Attack

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Nd5 Bc5 4.Nf3 c6 5.Nc3 d6 6.e3 Bb4 7.d4 e4 8.Nd2 Bxc3 9.bxc3 Nf6 10.f3 exf3 11.Qxf3 O-O 12.h3 Qa5 13.Bb2 Qf5 14.Ba3 Re8 15.Qxf5 Bxf5 16.Kf2 Rd8 17.Kf3 c5 18.g4 Bg6 19.Bg2 h6 20.Kf4 Nc6 21.Bxc6 bxc6 22.e4 Nd7 23.Nb3 Re8 24.Rhe1 Re6 25.Re3 Rae8 26.Rae1 Rf6+ 27.Kg3 Rfe6 28.Kf4 Rf6+ 29.Kg3 Rfe6 1/2-1/2

Round 8, Oct. 5, 2016
Kramnik, Vladimir – Tomashevsky, Evgeny
A07 Reti, King’s Indian Attack, Yugoslav Var.

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 c6 4.O-O Bg4 5.d3 Nbd7 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Bxf3 e5 8.e4 dxe4 9.dxe4 Bc5 10.Nd2 Qe7 11.a4 a5 12.Qe2 O-O 13.Nc4 Qe6 14.Kg2 Nb6 15.Ne3 Rfd8 16.b3 Nc8 17.Bb2 Bd4 18.Rad1 Nd6 19.Bxd4 exd4 20.Rxd4 Ndxe4 21.Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.Nc4 b5 23.axb5 cxb5 24.Nxa5 Rd2 25.Qxb5 h6 26.Nc4 Rxc2 27.Qb8+ Kh7 28.Qe5 Qxe5 29.Nxe5 Rb2 30.Bd1 Nd5 31.Nc4 Ra2 32.Bf3 Ndc3 33.h4 g5 34.h5 Kg7 35.b4 Ra4 36.Bxe4 Nxe4 37.Rb1 Nc3 38.Rc1 Ne2 39.Rc2 Nd4 40.Rd2 Nc6 41.Ne3 Rxb4 42.Nf5+ Kh7 43.Rd6 Ne5 44.Rxh6+ Kg8 45.Ra6 Ng4 46.Ra8+ Kh7 47.Ra7 Nh6 48.Nd6 Kg7 49.Kf3 g4+ 50.Kg2 Rb6 51.Ne8+ Kh7 52.Ra5 Re6 53.Nc7 Rf6 54.Kf1 Rf5 55.Rd5 Rf6 56.Rd7 Rf5 57.Nd5 Kg7 58.Nf4 Re5 59.Rd5 Re4 60.Ng2 Kf6 61.Ne3 Ra4 62.Ke2 Ra3 63.Rc5 Rb3 64.Nd5+ Kg7 65.Nc3 Rb6 66.Rg5+ Kf8 67.Re5 Kg7 68.Ke3 Rb3 69.Rc5 Rb2 70.Rg5+ Kf8 71.Rb5 Rc2 72.Ne4 Kg7 73.Rg5+ Kf8 74.Nf6 Rc3+ 75.Ke4 Rc4+ 76.Kd3 Ra4 77.Nh7+ Ke7 78.Re5+ Kd6 79.Rb5 Kc6 80.Rb8 Ra2 81.Ke3 Ra5 82.Nf6 Rf5 83.Ne4 Rxh5 84.Rd8 Kc7 85.Re8 Rf5 86.Rh8 Rf3+ 87.Kd4 Nf5+ 88.Ke5 Ne7 89.Rh7 Ng6+ 90.Kd4 Kd8 91.Ng5 Rxf2 92.Nxf7+ Ke8 93.Ng5 Rf5 94.Ne6 Rf7 95.Rh6 Ne7 96.Rh8+ Kd7 97.Nc5+ Kc7 98.Ra8 Nc6+ 99.Kc4 Rf1 100.Ne4 Rd1 101.Re8 Re1 102.Kd5 Rd1+ 103.Ke6 Rd8 104.Rxd8 Kxd8 105.Nc3 Nd4+ 106.Ke5 Nf3+ 107.Kf4 Nh2 108.Nd5 1/2-1/2

Round 8, Oct. 5, 2016
Svidler, Peter – Gelfand, Boris
B31 Sicilian, Nimzowitsch-Rossolimo Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.O-O Bg7 6.Re1 Nh6 7.c3 O-O 8.h3 d5 9.d3 c4 10.dxc4 dxe4 11.Qxd8 Rxd8 12.Rxe4 Nf5 13.Re1 c5 14.Nbd2 Bb7 15.Ne4 Rac8 16.Ng3 Nd6 17.Rxe7 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Nxc4 19.Bg5 Nxb2 20.Rxa7 Ra8 21.Rb7 Rd1+ 22.Rxd1 Nxd1 23.Ne4 Nxc3 24.Nxc5 h6 25.Be3 Rxa2 26.Rb8+ Kh7 27.Rb7 Kg8 28.Rb8+ Kh7 29.Rb7 Kg8 1/2-1/2

Round 8, Oct. 5, 2016
Giri, Anish – Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar
C50 Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 h6 7.Re1 O-O 8.Nbd2 a6 9.Nf1 Na5 10.b4 Nxc4 11.bxc5 Na5 12.cxd6 cxd6 13.a4 b5 14.axb5 axb5 15.Rb1 Qc7 16.Bd2 Re8 17.h3 Nb7 18.Nh4 d5 19.exd5 Nxd5 20.Rxb5 Nxc3 21.Bxc3 Qxc3 22.Nf3 Ra5 23.Rxa5 Qxa5 24.Qd2 Qb5 25.Qc3 f6 26.d4 exd4 27.Nxd4 Qd7 28.Rxe8+ Qxe8 29.Ne3 Nd6 30.Qc5 Qe5 31.Qxe5 fxe5 32.Nc6 e4 33.Kh2 Kf7 34.Kg3 g5 35.h4 Nf5+ 36.Nxf5 Bxf5 37.hxg5 hxg5 38.Ne5+ Kf6 39.Nc4 Be6 40.Ne3 1/2-1/2

Standings After Round Eight

1. Nepomniachtchi 5.5
2. Giri 5.0
3. Kramnik 4.5
4. Aronian 4.5
5. Anand 4.5
6. Svidler 4.0
7. Li Chao 4.0
8. Mamedyarov 3.5
9. Tomashevsky 3.0
10. Gelfand 1.5

Last Round Pairings

1. Mamedyarov-Kramnik
2. Li Chao-Giri
3. Anand-Aronian
4. Gelfand-Nepomniachtchi
5. Tomashevsky-Svidler

Note: The last round starts two hours earlier than usual. Moscow 13:00 – Toronto/Montreal 6:00 a.m.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Tal Memorial 2016

Tal Memorial 2016

October 6, 2016

Round Nine

The final round with Nepo and Giri vying for first place. If they are tied, then a playoff.

The game that everyone is watching is Mamedyarov-Kramnik. In the moves before the first time control Kramnik is playing on increment and Mamedyarov is close to delivering the knockout punch. A tremendous fighting game:

Tal Memorial
Moscow
Round 9, Oct. 6, 2016
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar – Kramnik, Vladimir
D37 QGD, Hastings Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.a3 c5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.dxc5 Nxc5 11.Be5 Bf5 12.Be2 Bf6 13.O-O Bxe5 14.Nxe5 Qf6 15.b4 Qxe5 16.bxc5 Rac8 17.Rc1 Rfd8 18.Qd4 f6 19.g4 Bg6 20.Rc3 Rc7 21.Rfc1 Re7 22.Rd1 Qg5 23.Qb4 Re4 24.Rd4 Rde8 25.Rcd3 Kh8 26.Rd2 h5 27.Qxb7 hxg4 28.Rxd5 f5 29.Bf1 Rxe3 30.c6 Rc3 31.c7 Qf4 32.Rd7 Rg8 33.R2d4 Qc1 34.Qb8 Kh7 35.Rd8 Bf7 36.Rxg8 Bxg8 37.Rd8 Be6 38.Rh8+ Kg6 39.Qe8+ Kf6 40.Qf8+ Kg6 41.Qd6 Rc6 42.c8=Q 1-0
________

The rest of the games went to draws. Giri thought for a long time on move 41 and played a move that let Li Chao escape with a draw. Gelfand played 37. Ne5 which let Nepo draw.

Round 9, Oct. 6, 2016
Gelfand, Boris – Nepomniachtchi, Ian
A32 English, Symmetrical Variation

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 d5 6.e3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bb5+ Bd7 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.O-O Nc6 11.Ne2 a6 12.Ba4 Bg4 13.Bb3 Na5 14.Ba4+ b5 15.Bc2 O-O 16.Qd3 g6 17.Nd4 Bf6 18.Bd1 Qd7 19.Bd2 Nc4 20.Bxg4 Qxg4 21.Bc3 Bg7 22.b3 Ne5 23.Qd2 Rac8 24.Rac1 Rc7 25.f4 Nd7 26.h3 Qh5 27.Nf3 Bxc3 28.Rxc3 Rxc3 29.Qxc3 Qf5 30.Qc6 Nb8 31.Qd6 Rc8 32.Rd1 Qe4 33.Rxd5 Qxe3+ 34.Kh2 Nc6 35.Rc5 Qe8 36.f5 Na7 37.Ne5 Rxc5 38.Qxc5 gxf5 39.Nf3 Nc6 40.Qxf5 Qb8+ 41.Kh1 Qd6 42.Qg4+ Kf8 43.Ng5 h6 44.Ne4 Qd5 45.Qf4 Kg7 46.Nd6 Qe6 47.Nf5+ Kh7 48.Qf2 Ne7 1/2-1/2

Round 9, Oct. 6, 2016
Anand, Vishy – Aronian, Levon
C53 Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 O-O 6.Nbd2 a5 7.O-O d6 8.Bb3 Be6 9.Ba4 Qb8 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.d4 Ba7 12.b3 Nd7 13.Bb2 a4 14.c4 Bg4 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.h3 Bxf3 17.Nxf3 Rd8 18.Qc2 f6 19.Bc3 Nf8 20.c5 Bxc5 21.Bxe5 Ne6 22.Bg3 Qb5 23.Rac1 axb3 24.axb3 Rd3 25.b4 Bxb4 26.Qxc6 Qxc6 27.Rxc6 Bd6 28.Bxd6 Rxd6 29.Rxd6 cxd6 30.Rd1 Ra4 31.Rxd6 Rxe4 32.g3 Ng5 33.Nxg5 fxg5 34.Rd7 Re8 35.Kg2 Rf8 36.g4 h6 37.Kg3 Kh8 38.Ra7 Kg8 39.Rb7 Kh8 40.Rc7 Kg8 1/2-1/2

Round 9, Oct. 6, 2016
Li Chao B – Giri, Anish
E21 Nimzo-Indian, Three Knights Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 O-O 5.Bg5 c5 6.Rc1 h6 7.Bh4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 d5 9.e3 e5 10.Nb3 g5 11.Bg3 Nc6 12.a3 Bxc3+ 13.bxc3 dxc4 14.Qxd8 Rxd8 15.Bxc4 Ne4 16.f3 Nxg3 17.hxg3 Kg7 18.Ke2 b6 19.e4 Ne7 20.Rhd1 Bd7 21.Rd2 Ba4 22.Rxd8 Rxd8 23.Nd2 h5 24.Ke3 h4 25.gxh4 gxh4 26.Bf1 Ng6 27.c4 Rc8 28.Nb1 Bd7 29.Nc3 Be6 30.Nb5 a6 31.Nd6 Rc6 32.Rd1 Kf6 33.Ne8+ Ke7 34.Ng7 Bxc4 35.Nf5+ Kf6 36.Bxc4 Rxc4 37.Rd6+ Kg5 38.Rxb6 Nf4 39.Nh6 Nxg2+ 40.Kf2 Rc2+ 41.Kg1 Ne3 42.Nxf7+ Kf4 43.Rxa6 Nc4 44.a4 Ra2 45.a5 Kxf3 46.Rc6 Nxa5 1/2-1/2

Round 9, Oct. 6, 2016
Tomashevsky, Evgeny – Svidler, Peter
A48 Kings Indian, London System

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e3 O-O 5.c3 d6 6.h3 b6 7.Be2 c5 8.O-O Bb7 9.Bh2 Nbd7 10.a4 a6 11.Nbd2 Ne4 12.Qb3 Nxd2 13.Nxd2 Qc7 14.Rfd1 Rab8 15.Qa3 Rfc8 16.Bf1 Nf6 17.c4 a5 18.d5 Re8 19.Nb1 e5 20.dxe6 Rxe6 21.Nc3 Rd8 22.Qb3 Ne4 23.Nd5 Bxd5 24.Rxd5 Be5 25.Bxe5 Rxe5 26.Rad1 Rxd5 27.Rxd5 Re8 28.Be2 Qd8 29.Qc2 Re6 30.Rd1 h5 31.Bf3 Nf6 32.g3 Qc7 33.Kg2 Qd8 34.Rd2 Qe7 35.Qd1 Kg7 36.b3 Kg8 37.Bc6 Kg7 38.Qf3 Qc7 39.Ba8 Kf8 40.Qf4 Kg7 41.Qf3 Re8 42.Rd1 Qb8 43.Bc6 Re6 44.Qe2 Qc7 45.Bf3 Qe7 46.Kg1 Kg8 47.Bg2 Kg7 48.Rd3 Ne4 49.Bxe4 Rxe4 50.Qf3 Re6 51.Kg2 Rf6 52.Qd5 Re6 53.Qf3 Rf6 54.Qd5 Re6 1/2-1/2

Giri came to the final post mortem with Dirk and Miro. He was in a good mood even though getting second place. It is sometimes hard to understand what the expressions “kind of winning” and “half-winning” mean.

He thought that he might win the tournament at one point because Gelfand had a good position.
He said that Nepo was optimistic throughout and never got punished for it! If you calculate well, you can get away with a lot of nonsense. Players who think they are winning all the time make good moves. When everything works, these players play on bravely. For Ian, the game is one long variation from move one. He took risks against Anand and Aronian and pushed forward.

Anish said he needed a bit more drive in his games; he gave up early, not on the board but in his head. He got second place, 10 Elo points and doesn’t have to play a tie-break but he did think for a long time after the time control and made the wrong move.

Standings After Round Nine

1. Nepomniachtchi 6
2. Giri 5.5
3. Aronian 5
4. Anand 5
5. Svidler 4.5
6. Mamedyarov 4.5
7. Li Chao 4.5
8. Kramnik 4.5
9. Tomashevsky 3.5
10. Gelfand 2

I thought the tournament had good chess but rather boring games. The World Cup knock-out and the Olympiad are the type of tournaments with excitement in every round.

Two players who are candidates for the player of the year are Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. To them we should add Ian Nepomniachtchi