Bilbao Masters 2016

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Bilbao Masters 2016

    Bilbao Masters 2016

    July 23, 2016

    Round Ten

    After an hour So and Carlsen draw. Magnus had already won the tournament and had a cold. “It was a Ragozin, and in this line White has the option to more or less force a draw — which happened.”

    We have not heard much from Nakamura. After all, he finally beat Carlsen in a classic game and someone said he is content to place second because he doesn’t have to wear the floppy hat. It is traditional that the winner wear the txapela at the prize ceremony. It is a Basque beret.

    The Txapela is also a restaurant in Barcelona. I have just read a review that I am positive was written by an Englishman. It starts: The food was bloody fantastic (especially loved the pincho sagardoa) and enjoyed sangria.

    Getting back to Nakamura, the players were asked if they had any plans for when they retire from chess. And Naka said he would like to buy land and produce wine in Aveilino (in Italy) but he was really happy playing chess right now.

    Nigel Short has had an olive farm in Messenia, Greece for more than ten years. Somehow it pleases to think that when a grandmaster hangs up the pieces and board, he starts farming.
    _______

    As usual, there is a slow period in the remaining games and Niclas and Jan start talking about movies, television and books. Jan says that the three best movies he has seen recently are: Foxcatcher, Spotlight and Birdman.

    He then pulls out his Kindle and gives half a dozen books that he is reading. Three of them are: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence by Bill James, the Ross Thomas novels and The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. He says that he recommended the Ross Thomas to Peter Svidler, who was silent for three weeks and then said he had read all the 18 novels available. The Greene is a horrible guide to life, a new Machiavelli if you will, dangerous and shameless ways to win power.

    The remaining two games are drawn. The tournament is over for another year.

    The games:

    Bilbao Masters 2016
    Round 10, July 23, 2016
    Karjakin, Sergey – Wei Yi
    D02 Queen’s Bishop Game

    1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bf4 Bf5 4.e3 e6 5.c4 Bxb1 6.Rxb1 Bb4+ 7.Ke2 dxc4 8.Qa4+ Nc6 9.Ne5 Nd5 10.Nxc6 Qd7 11.Rc1 bxc6 12.Rxc4 Rb8 13.Qxc6 Nxf4+ 14.exf4 Bd6 15.b3 Bxf4 16.Qxd7+ Kxd7 17.d5 Bd6 18.dxe6+ Kxe6 19.Ra4 Kf6 20.Kf3 Rb4 21.Rxb4 Bxb4 22.Bd3 Rd8 23.Ke2 Re8+ 24.Kf3 Rd8 25.Ke2 Re8+ 26.Kf3 Rd8 1/2-1/2

    Round 10, July 23, 2016
    So, Wesley – Carlsen, Magnus
    D38 QGD, Ragozin, Marshall Variation

    1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 O-O 8.Rc1 dxc4 9.Bxc4 c5 10.O-O cxd4 11.Nxd4 Bd7 12.Qb3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc3 14.Qxb7 Bxc6 15.Qxc6 Bxb2 16.Rc2 Rac8 17.Qa4 Rc7 18.Bd3 Rxc2 19.Bxc2 Rc8 20.Rd1 Qc3 21.Bb3 Qc5 22.g3 Bf6 23.Rd7 Rc7 24.Rxc7 Qxc7 25.Qe8+ Kh7 26.h4 g6 27.Qa8 Kg7 28.Kg2 h5 29.Qe4 a5 30.Ba4 Qc5 31.Qb7 Qb4 32.Qxb4 axb4 33.Kf3 Bc3 34.Kg2 Be1 35.Kf1 Bc3 36.Kg2 Be1 37.Kf1 Bc3 38.Kg2 1/2-1/2

    Round 10, July 23, 2016
    Giri, Anish – Nakamura, Hikaru
    D37 QGD, Hastings Variation

    1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Be2 Nc6 10.O-O a6 11.Rc1 Ba7 12.Ne5 Ne7 13.Bg5 d4 14.exd4 Qxd4 15.Qxd4 Bxd4 16.Nf3 Bxc3 17.Rxc3 Ned5 18.Rc4 h6 19.Bd2 b5 20.Rd4 Re8 21.Re1 Ne7 22.Bd3 Be6 23.a4 Nf5 24.Rf4 Nd6 25.axb5 axb5 26.Rd4 Nc4 27.Bc3 Rac8 28.Rb1 Bd5 29.Nd2 Nxd2 30.Bxd2 Be4 31.Bc3 Bxd3 32.Rxd3 Ne4 33.h3 Nxc3 34.bxc3 Rc5 35.Rd2 Rxc3 36.Rxb5 Rc7 37.Rb1 Rec8 38.Rbd1 Rc1 39.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 40.Kh2 g6 41.g4 g5 42.Kg2 Rc3 43.Rd6 Kg7 44.Rb6 Rd3 45.Rc6 Rb3 46.Ra6 Rd3 47.Rc6 Rb3 48.Ra6 1/2-1/2

    Final Standings

    1. Carlsen 17/30
    2. Nakamura 12/30
    3. So 11/30
    4. Wei Yi 11/30
    5. Karjakin 9/30
    6. Giri 7/30

    Online Comments About the Last Two Rounds

    - It makes me so happy, in our current world of chess, to see a champion like Magnus. Everyone is always talking about how every game is all prep, fighting in the opening and nowhere else, that chess is going towards all draws, but here we have the best player in the world not even caring about being better out of the opening. He gets a new, dynamic, playable position and then just pressures to get win after win. Carlsen is exactly what chess needs right now, and I hope more of the top ten realize that to challenge Magnus, they are going to have to rethink the way they train and prepare.

    I think it really says something that against all these world-class theoreticians, Magnus can play pretty much every opening and can win with either color. He is just a level above everyone else.

    - "If Giri were more aggressive..., If Giri were more adventurous..., If Giri...", every GM has his weaknesses, even Carlsen, so It doesn´t make much sense this kind of speculation:

    If Kramnik/Anand were younger, he would...

    If MVL played something different from 1e4, he would...

    If Rapport played sound openings, he would...

    If Naka didn´t waste so much time playing blitz/bullet, training classic chess instead, he would...

    Fill the gaps yourself

    - Love him or hate him this is the kind of player Giri is, this is all he can do: Hard-working with excellent preparation but lacking the capabilities to play imaginative chess in unknown territories. If he tries to be another type of player, taking more risks, he will be crushed by most elite GMs and will drop from top 10. He knows his strengths, he knows his limitations, this is the best we will ever see from him, there is not going to be any development in his play because these are his inherent capabilities.

    - How are we not praising Wei here? The kid is 16 years old and just came third against some of the strongest opposition in the World. He only lost to Carlsen and performed exceptionally. The same thing happened in Tata Steel, which is arguably tougher. A 2796 performance in such a field at his age is just unbelievable! Well done.

    - Good luck in NOV Mr. Karjakin . If it wasn't already established.. Carlsen is on a new level. His simply losing a game is a story.

    - Embarrassing that Carlsen won more games than the rest of the field combined. I don't see what's wrong with 'draws' if anything they are more entertaining since they keep the field even in results so win/losses shine brighter.

    Comment

    Working...
    X