Dortmund 2018

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 4, 2018

The annual Sparkassen Chess Meeting takes place from 14 - 22 July 2018 in the "Orchesterzentrum NRW" in Dortmund, Germany.

From Chessdom.com

http://www.chessdom.com/dortmund-chess-2018/

Six international grandmasters and two top players of the German chess national team will sit in Dortmund on the boards that move the world. For the fifth time the Grandmaster Tournament will take place in the Orchesterzentrum NRW. The domicile in the Brückstraßenviertel has established itself as a venue due to its modern facilities in recent years.

The field of participants of the Grandmaster Tournament is led by Vladimir Kramnik (Russia). At 42 years of age he is the “tournament senior”, but no. 4 of the world rankings, but still one of the best players in the world.

In tenth place in the world rankings is Anish Giri (Netherlands). Despite his tender age, the 23-year-old grandmaster is considered an outstanding theorist and a solid player who is hard to beat. After 2011 Anish Giri starts for the second time at the Sparkassen Chess-Meeting.

For the third time, Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) will be playing in Dortmund. The 27-year-old won the European Championship in 2010 and silver at the Blitzschach World Cup 2014.

The Polish No. 2 Radoslaw Wojtaszek starts as a defending champion at the Sparkassen Chess-Meeting. His tournament victory in 2017 has been his biggest success to date and he wants to continue this year. He is at the peak of his career at the age of 31.

Jan-Krzysztof Duda introduces another Polish grandmaster this year. The 20-year-old is the No. 1 of the junior world ranking and thanks to his creative and tactically accomplished style of playing in Dortmund a lot of confidence. Vladislav Kovalev (Belarus) qualified for the Sparkassen Chess meeting by winning the Aeroflot Open. The 24-year-old from Belarus improved by more than 50 points in the world ranking in 2017.

The German Chess Federation has nominated Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu and Georg Meier for the Grandmaster Tournament.

The parts in the Orchesterzentrum NRW will be broadcast on large projection screens and accompanied by live commentaries via headphones.

Live games with analysis will be provided daily with the best chess software competing in the Top Chess Engine Championship – Komodo, Houdini, and Stockfish.

________

The pairings have already been made and can be seen at:

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-to...ing-2018/1/1/1

First Round:

Wojtaszek-Meier
Kramnik-Nisipeanu
Duda-Kovalev
Nepomniachtchi-Giri

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 13, 2018

Schedule

Round 1, July 14

Wojtaszek-Meier
Kramnik-Nisipeanu
Duda-Kovalev
Nepomniachtchi-Giri

Round 2, July 15

Meier-Giri
Kovalev-Nepomniachtchi
Nisipeanu-Duda
Wojtaszek-Kramnik

Round 3, July 17

Kramnik-Meier
Duda-Wojtaszek
Nepo-Nisipeanu
Giri-Kovalev

Round 4, July 18

Meier-Kovalev
Nisipeanu-Giri
Wojtaszek-Nepo
Kramnik-Duda

Round 5, July 20

Duda-Meier
Nepo-Kramnik
Giri-Wojtaszek
Kovalev-Nisipeanu

Round 6, July 21

Meier-Nisipeanu
Wojtaszek-Kovalev
Kramnik-Giri
Duda-Nepo

Round 7, July 22

Nepo-Meier
Giri-Duda
Kovalev-Kramnik
Nisipeanu-Wojtaszek

Games start at 16:15 Dortmund time or 10:15 Toronto/Montreal time

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 14, 2018

Round One

The broadcast at the chess24 site is only in Spanish. The two commentators are David Anton, whose nickname is “El Nino” and Divis, whose full name is David Martinez.

The result of the first day is four draws with Duda vs Kovalev going to 6.5 hours.

Maybe when the FIFA World Cup is over tomorrow, the chess will get more interesting.

Dortmund 2018
Dortmund, GER
Round 1, July 14
Wojtaszek, Radoslaw – Meier, Georg
A40 Queen’s Pawn, English Defence

1.c4 b6 2.Nc3 Bb7 3.d4 e6 4.e4 Bb4 5.f3 Ne7 6.Bd3 e5 7.Ne2 exd4 8.Nxd4 Nbc6 9.Ne2 Ne5 10.a3 Bxc3+ 11.Nxc3 O-O 12.Bg5 f6 13.Bh4 N7g6 14.Bg3 Nxd3+ 15.Qxd3 d6 16.Nd5 Qd7 17.O-O-O Bxd5 18.Qxd5+ Qf7 19.Kc2 Ne7 20.Qxf7+ Kxf7 21.Kc3 a5 22.b3 Rfe8 23.Rd2 h5 24.h4 g6 25.Rhd1 Nc6 26.Rd5 Re6 27.Bf4 Ne7 28.R5d2 Nc6 29.Rd5 Ne7 30.R5d2 Nc6 31.Rd5 1/2-1/2

Round 1, July 14
Duda, Jan-Krzysztof – Kovalev, Vladislav
E52 Nimzo-Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 d5 5.e3 O-O 6.Bd3 b6 7.O-O Ba6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5 Bxd3 10.Nxd3 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Nc6 12.Qc2 Na5 13.Ba3 Re8 14.Nb2 Ne4 15.Rad1 Qd7 16.Bb4 Nc6 17.Nd3 Nd6 18.Bxd6 cxd6 19.Qa4 Ne5 20.Qxd7 Nxd7 21.Rb1 Rac8 22.Rfc1 Rc4 23.Kf1 Rec8 24.Rb3 f5 25.Ke2 Kf7 26.Kd2 Nf6 27.f3 Ra4 28.Ra1 g5 29.a3 Nh5 30.Rb5 Ke6 31.Nb4 Nf6 32.h3 h5 33.h4 gxh4 34.Nd3 Kd7 35.Rb4 Ra5 36.Nf4 Rg8 37.Rb3 h3 38.gxh3 h4 39.Ke2 Rg3 40.Kf2 Ng8 41.Rh1 Rg7 42.Ng2 Rh7 43.Rg1 Ne7 44.Ne1 Ra4 45.Ke2 Ke6 46.Nd3 Kf6 47.Nf4 Ra5 48.Kd3 Rh8 49.Kc2 Rg8 50.Rxg8 Nxg8 51.Kb2 Ne7 52.Ka2 Ng6 53.Ng2 Ke6 54.Rb4 Kd7 55.Rb1 Ke6 56.Rg1 Kf6 57.Kb3 Rb5+ 58.Kc2 Ra5 59.Kb3 Rb5+ 60.Ka2 Ra5 61.Ne1 Ra4 62.Kb3 Rc4 63.f4 Rc8 64.Kc2 Ne7 65.Nf3 Rh8 66.Rb1 Ke6 67.Kd3 Kd7 68.Rg1 Rh7 69.Ng5 Rg7 70.Nf3 Rh7 71.Ng5 Rg7 72.Nf3 1/2-1/2

Round 1, July 14
Kramnik, Vladimir – Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter
D35 QGD, Exchange

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Qf3 Bg6 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.Qxf6 gxf6 10.Nf3 Nd7 11.Nh4 Be7 12.Ne2 f5 13.g3 Bxh4 14.gxh4 Nf6 15.f3 Ke7 16.Rg1 Nh5 17.Kf2 Rae8 18.b4 f4 19.Nxf4 Nxf4 20.exf4 Kf6 21.a4 Bf5 22.Ra2 Re7 23.Re2 Rxe2+ 24.Bxe2 a6 25.Ke3 h6 26.Kd2 Ra8 27.a5 Re8 28.h5 Rc8 29.Ke3 Re8+ 30.Kf2 Rc8 31.Ke1 Re8 32.Kd2 Rc8 33.Bd3 Bxd3 34.Kxd3 Re8 35.h4 Rc8 36.Ke3 Re8+ 37.Kf2 Rc8 38.Re1 Ra8 39.Re5 Rb8 40.Re3 Ra8 41.f5 Rc8 42.Re1 Rd8 43.Kg3 Rc8 44.Kf2 Rd8 45.Kg3 Rc8 46.Kf2 Rd8 1/2-1/2

Round 1, July 14
Nepomniachtchi, Ian – Giri, Anish
C42 Petrov, Classical Attack

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bf5 7.O-O Be7 8.Re1 O-O 9.Nc3 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 Nc6 12.Re2 a6 13.Bf4 Qd7 14.Rae1 Rfe8 15.h4 h6 16.Qe3 b5 17.h5 Rac8 18.Nh2 b4 19.Qg3 Bd6 20.Ng4 Kh8 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Rxe8+ Qxe8 23.Bxd6 cxd6 24.Qxd6 Qe1+ 25.Kh2 Qe6 26.Qf8+ Kh7 27.Ne3 bxc3 28.Qc5 Qf6 29.Qxc3 Qxf2 30.Qxc6 Qf4+ 31.g3 Qxe3 32.Qxd5 Qf2+ 33.Kh3 Qxc2 34.Qxf7 Qc8+ 35.Kg2 Qc2+ 36.Qf2 Qe4+ 37.Kg1 a5 38.a4 Kg8 39.Qa2+ Kf8 40.Qc4 Qg4 41.Qc5+ Kg8 42.Qd5+ Kh7 43.Kf2 Qd1 44.Qe4+ Kg8 45.Qe6+ Kh7 46.d5 Qxa4 47.d6 Qc2+ 48.Kf3 Qd3+ 49.Kg2 Qc2+ 50.Kh3 Qc6 51.Qf5+ Kg8 52.d7 Qd6 53.Kh2 a4 54.Qg4 Kf7 55.Qxa4 Ke7 56.Qe4+ Kxd7 57.Qg4+ Ke8 58.Qxg7 Qd2+ 59.Kh3 Qd7+ 60.Qg4 Kd8 1/2-1/2


Peter Doggers: “Dortmund is the tournament that the former world champion Kramnik never skips, and the one he has won a record 10 times. The last time, however, was seven years ago. At 42, Kramnik is the oldest participant but as the world number-five, he is the top seed nonetheless.”

https://www.chess.com/news/view/kram...ns-in-dortmund

Past Winners of Dortmund since 2008

2017 Wojtaszek
2016 Vachier-Lagrave
2015 Caruana
2014 Caruana
2013 Adams
2012 Caruana/Karjakin
2011 Kramnik
2010 Ponomariov
2009 Kramnik
2008 Leko

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 15, 2018

Round Two

Today the Spanish commentary was provided by Miguel Santos and Pepe Cuenca. If they keep changing the GM commentators I will eventually know the names of fourteen of them. If only there were to be a category on Spanish-speaking Chess Commentators on Jeopardy!

Round 2, July 15
Kovalev, Vladislav – Nepomniachtchi, Ian
B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.O-O a6 5.Bd3 Ngf6 6.Re1 g6 7.c3 Bg7 8.Bf1 b5 9.d4 cxd4 10.cxd4 Bb7 11.e5 dxe5 12.dxe5 Nd5 13.a4 b4 14.Nbd2 O-O 15.Nb3 e6 16.Bg5 Qb6 17.a5 Qc7 18.Rc1 Qb8 19.Qd4 h6 20.Bd2 Rd8 21.Nc5 Nxc5 22.Qxc5 Bf8 23.Qc4 Ne7 24.Nd4 Qa7 25.Be3 Nd5 26.Nxe6 Nxe3 27.Rxe3 Bd5 28.Nxd8 Bxc4 29.Nc6 Qd7 30.Rxc4 Re8 31.Nxb4 Bxb4 32.Rxb4 Rc8 33.Rc4 Rxc4 34.Bxc4 Qc7 35.Bxa6 Qxa5 36.Bf1 Kg7 37.b3 Qa3 38.h4 g5 39.hxg5 hxg5 40.g3 Qb2 41.Kg2 Qd4 42.Be2 Qd5+ 43.Bf3 Qb5 44.Kg1 Qb4 45.Bd5 Qd4 46.Bc4 Qa1+ 47.Kg2 Qd4 48.e6 fxe6 49.Rxe6 Qc5 50.Kg1 Qd4 51.Re7+ Kf6 52.Rb7 Qd6 53.Rb5 Qd2 54.Bf1 Ke7 55.b4 Kd8 56.Kg2 g4 57.Kg1 Qd4 58.Rb7 Kc8 59.Rf7 Qxb4 60.Rf4 Qb1 61.Rxg4 Kd7 62.Kg2 Ke7 63.Rf4 Qb7+ 64.Kh2 Qb2 65.Bh3 Qd2 66.Bg4 Qb2 67.Kh3 Qh8+ 68.Kg2 Qb2 69.Bf3 Qd2 70.Be4 Ke6 71.Kh3 Qb2 72.Kh4 Ke7 73.Kg5 Qe5+ 74.Kh6 Qa1 75.Bg6 Qh1+ 76.Bh5 Qc1 77.Bg4 Qh1+ 78.Kg6 Qc6+ 79.Kg7 Qc3+ 80.Kh7 Qa1 81.Kg6 Qa6+ 82.Kg5 Qa8 83.f3 Qg8+ 84.Kh4 Qa2 85.Rf5 Qh2+ 86.Bh3 Qb2 87.g4 Qh2 88.g5 Qf2+ 89.Kg4 Qg1+ 90.Kh5 Qh2 1/2-1/2

Final position in Kovalev-Nepo



Round 2, July 15
Meier, Georg – Giri, Anish
E05 Catalan, open, Classical line

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.O-O Be7 5.c4 O-O 6.d4 dxc4 7.Ne5 Nc6 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.Nxc6 Qe8 10.Nxe7+ Qxe7 11.Qa4 e5 12.dxe5 Qxe5 13.Nc3 Ne4 14.Qxc4 Nxc3 15.bxc3 Be6 16.Bf4 Bxc4 17.Bxe5 c6 18.Rfe1 Rfe8 19.Bd4 Bxe2 20.a4 a5 21.Kg2 h5 22.f3 Bc4 23.g4 hxg4 24.fxg4 Rxe1 25.Rxe1 Bb3 26.Bb6 Bxa4 27.Ra1 Bb3 28.Rxa5 Rxa5 1/2-1/2

Round 2, July 15
Wojtaszek, Radoslaw – Kramnik, Vladimir
E21 Nimzo-Indian, Three Knights variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 O-O 5.Bg5 c5 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 cxd4 8.exd4 d5 9.Rc1 Nc6 10.a3 Be7 11.c5 Ne4 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Be2 Rd8 14.O-O e5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.dxe5 Nxc3 17.Rxc3 d4 18.Rc1 Qxe5 19.Bd3 Bf5 20.b4 a5 21.Re1 Qxe1+ 22.Qxe1 Bxd3 23.bxa5 Rac8 24.Qe7 Ba6 25.c6 Re8 26.Qb4 Rxc6 27.Rxc6 bxc6 28.h4 d3 29.Kh2 Kh7 30.Qd6 Re6 31.Qd7 Rf6 32.Qd4 h5 33.a4 Re6 34.Kg3 Rg6+ 35.Kf3 Re6 36.Kg3 g6 37.Qa7 Kg7 38.Qd4+ Kg8 39.Qd8+ Kh7 40.Qd4 Re2 41.Qd7 Bc4 42.Qxc6 Rc2 43.Qe4 Rc3 44.Qd4 Rc2 45.Qe4 Rc3 46.Qd4 Rc2 47.Qe4 1/2-1/2

Round 2, July 15
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter – Duda, Jan-Krzysztof
B52 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.O-O Nf6 6.Re1 Nc6 7.c3 e6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e5 Ng8 11.a3 Nge7 12.Nc3 h5 13.Bg5 Nf5 14.Rc1 Be7 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Qd3 O-O-O 17.Na4 Kb8 18.Nc5 g5 19.Rc3 g4 20.Nd2 Ncxd4 21.Rec1 Rc8 22.Nf1 Rc6 23.Ng3 Ka8 24.Nxf5 Nxf5 25.b4 Rhc8 26.a4 b6 27.Nb3 Rxc3 28.Rxc3 Rxc3 29.Qxc3 Kb7 30.a5 Qd7 31.Nd4 Nxd4 32.Qxd4 Qc7 0-1

Standings after Round Two

1 Duda 1.5
2-7 Giri, Kovalev, Nepo, Meier, Kramnik, Wojtaszek 1
8 Nisipeanu

_________

Yesterday, was Nepomniachtchi’s 28^th birthday and he almost got a birthday gift from Giri.

In this position:



48.Ke3! is winning for Nepo, whereas 48.Kf3?, as played by Ian, was only a draw.

Later, after a good meal with his second Vladimir Potkin, he tweeted:

As they say, good company and good food are the most important things in life

ChessTalk readers may remember a whole discussion of this quote in Great Chess Quotes #312, November 1, 2016

https://forum.chesstalk.com/forum/ch...-quotes/page21

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 17, 2018

Round Three

Antonio Pereira at chessbase:

“Dortmund: An exciting round leaves Duda in first place

All four games in Dortmund's third round could have easily finished with decisive results. Ian Nepomniacthchi and Vladislav Kovalev obtained their first victories, while Jan-Krzysztof Duda beat his compatriot Radek Wojtaszek to stay at the top of the standings. Vladimir Kramnik pushed for a win once again, but was stopped by Georg Meier's solid defence.

Twenty-twenty vision

After overtaking Wei Yi as the top junior in the world and winning the strong Polish Championship, Jan-Krzysztof Duda attracted the chess world's attention. Everybody wanted to see if he would be up to task in Dortmund's traditional supertournament, and Duda proved that he is indeed in great shape by winning two out of his first three games. Right now, at 20, he is the 20th highest-rated player in the world.

His rivals in Germany did not let him open a bigger gap in the standings, however, as both Ian Nepomniachtchi and Vladislav Kovalev won and now share the second place on 2/3. On the other hand, Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu is having a bad time at the Orchesterzentrum — he lost again and is now in the cellar with only half a point.”

Round 3, July 17
Giri, Anish – Kovalev, Vladislav
B29 Sicilian, Nimzowitsch-Rubinstein

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 7.c3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 d6 9.Bb5 Bd7 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.O-O O-O 12.Nb3 a6 13.Be2 Qc7 14.h3 Rfe8 15.Re1 Re5 16.Be3 Rae8 17.Bd3 g6 18.Qd2 Qd8 19.Nd4 Nxd4 20.Bxd4 Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 22.Qxe1 Qe8 23.Qd2 Be5 24.Be3 Qe6 25.f4 Bf6 26.a3 h5 27.Bc2 Bc6 28.Bf2 Qe7 29.Bd1 Qe6 30.Bc2 Qe7 31.Bb6 Qe6 32.Qf2 Qe8 33.Qd2 Qe6 34.Bc5 Qe8 35.Qd1 d4 36.Qd2 dxc3 37.bxc3 Qe6 38.Bd4 Bxd4+ 39.cxd4 Qa2 40.Qc3 Qd5 41.Qd2 Qa2 42.Qc3 h4 43.Kh1 a5 44.a4 Qd5 45.Qd2 b6 46.f5 Kg7 47.fxg6 fxg6 48.Bd1 Qf5 49.Kg1 Bd5 50.Bc2 Qf6 51.Qe3 g5 52.Bd3 Kh6 53.Bc2 Kg7 54.Bd3 Kh6 55.Bc2 Qf4 56.Qd3 Kg7 57.Qg6+ Kf8 58.Qd3 Kg7 59.Qg6+ Kf8 60.Qd3 Ke7 61.Bd1 Qe4 62.Qd2 Kd6 63.Bc2 Qf4 64.Qd3 Kc7 65.Qh7+ Kb8 66.Qd3 g4 67.hxg4 Qxg4 68.Qg6 Qxd4+ 69.Kh1 Bb7 70.Qe8+ Ka7 71.Bf5 Qd1+ 72.Kh2 Qd6+ 73.Kh1 Qg3 0-1

Position after 34…Qe8



There followed 35.Qd1 whereas Qe3 or f5 would have retained his small advantage because then 35..d4!

Round 3, July 17
Nepomniachtchi, Ian – Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter
D36 QGD, Exchange, positional line

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2 Be7 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Bd3 h6 9.Bh4 Nh5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.O-O-O Nb6 12.Nf3 Nf6 13.Kb1 Be6 14.Ka1 O-O-O 15.Na4 Kb8 16.Rc1 Rhe8 17.Nc5 Bc8 18.b4 Ne4 19.a4 Nd6 20.Nd2 Qf6 21.Rhf1 Bf5 22.Bxf5 Qxf5 23.Qxf5 Nxf5 24.a5 Nd7 25.a6 Nxc5 26.bxc5 Kc7 27.axb7 Rb8 28.Kb2 Rxb7+ 29.Kc3 Rb5 30.Ra1 Kb7 31.Ra2 Ne7 32.Rfa1 Ra8 33.Nb1 Kb8 34.Ra6 Kb7 35.R6a4 Kb8 36.Na3 Rb7 37.Ra6 Kc7 38.Nc2 Kd7 39.Nb4 f6 40.f3 f5 41.Nd3 Ke6 42.Ne5 Rc7 43.g4 fxg4 44.fxg4 h5 45.h3 hxg4 46.hxg4 Kf6 47.Rf1+ Ke6 48.Rf7 Rg8 49.g5 Rb7 50.g6 1-0

Round 3, July 17
Kramnik, Vladimir – Meier, Georg
C10 French, Rubinstein variation

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.c3 c5 8.Be3 Qc7 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7 11.d5 exd5 12.Qxd5 Nf6 13.Qc4 Bd6 14.Bg5 Qe7+ 15.Kf1 O-O 16.Re1 Qd8 17.g3 h6 18.Bxf6 Qxf6 19.Kg2 Rfd8 20.Re4 Qf5 21.Rd1 Qc8 22.Rd5 Qc7 23.g4 Bf8 24.Rde5 g6 25.h4 Bd6 26.Rd5 Bf8 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.h5 gxh5 29.gxh5 Qc6 30.Rg4+ Bg7 31.Rg3 Rd5 32.Qh4 b5 33.b3 Qe6 34.c4 bxc4 35.bxc4 Rd3 36.Rg4 Rc3 37.Qg3 Qf6 38.Qb8+ Kh7 39.Qb1+ Kh8 40.Qb8+ Kh7 41.Rf4 Qe6 42.Qb1+ Kg8 43.Re4 Qc8 44.a4 Bd4 45.Rf4 Be5 46.Rf5 Bg7 47.Rf4 Be5 48.Rf5 Bg7 49.Rf4 1/2-1/2

Round 3, July 17
Duda, Jan-Krzysztof – Wojtaszek, Radoslaw
A45 Trompovsky Attack

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 gxf6 4.c4 dxc4 5.e3 c5 6.d5 Bg7 7.Bxc4 f5 8.Nc3 Nd7 9.Nge2 a6 10.a4 Ne5 11.Ba2 O-O 12.O-O Rb8 13.Ng3 b5 14.axb5 axb5 15.Qc2 Qd6 16.Nce2 b4 17.Rac1 b3 18.Bxb3 c4 19.Bxc4 Rxb2 20.Qd1 Qb4 21.Nd4 Nxc4 22.Nc6 Qc5 23.Qa4 Rd2 24.Rxc4 Qd6 25.Qa7 Bf6 26.Nh5 Kh8 27.Nxf6 exf6 28.Rd4 Rc2 29.Nb4 Rc5 30.Rfd1 Bd7 31.Qa6 Qxa6 32.Nxa6 Rb5 33.h4 Rc8 34.Nb4 Kg7 35.Kh2 Kf8 36.R1d2 Rcb8 37.Nd3 Ke7 38.Nf4 Rb2 39.d6+ Kf8 40.Nh5 1-0

Standings after Round Three

1 Duda 2.5
2-3 Kovalev, Nepo 2
4-5 Meier, Kramnik 1.5
6-7 Giri, Wojtaszek 1
8 Nisipeanu 0.5

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 18, 2018

Round Four

Round 4, July 18
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter – Giri, Anish
B92 Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky variation

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Bg5 Be6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Qd3 Be7 11.Rd1 Nd7 12.Nd5 Bxd5 13.Qxd5 b5 14.Bg4 Nf6 15.Qc6+ Kf8 16.Bh3 g6 17.O-O Kg7 18.Rfe1 Ra7 19.Qc3 Qb6 20.Qe3 Qxe3 21.Rxe3 a5 22.a3 Rb8 23.c3 b4 24.axb4 axb4 25.c4 Rc7 26.Nd2 Ne8 27.Ree1 Bg5 28.Nf3 Bh6 29.b3 Ra8 30.Rd5 Ra3 31.Rb1 Nf6 32.Rxd6 Nxe4 33.Rd8 Rca7 34.Nxe5 Nd2 35.Rxd2 Bxd2 36.Kf1 Ra1 37.Rxa1 Rxa1+ 38.Ke2 Re1+ 39.Kxd2 Rxe5 40.Bd7 Kf6 41.Bc6 Ke7 42.f4 Ra5 43.Kd3 Kd6 44.Bd5 Kc5 45.Bxf7 Ra3 46.Bg8 Rxb3+ 47.Kc2 Re3 48.Bxh7 Re2+ 49.Kb3 Rxg2 50.h4 Rg3+ 51.Kb2 b3 52.Ka3 Kxc4 53.Bg8+ Kc3 54.Bxb3 Kd4 55.Kb4 Rxb3+ 56.Kxb3 0-1

Round 4, July 18
Meier, Georg –- Kovalev, Vladislav
E05 Catalan, open, Classical line

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bf4 Bd6 11.Qc1 a5 12.Bd2 Nbd7 13.Nc3 Ne4 14.Nxe4 Bxe4 15.Ng5 Bxg2 16.Qc2 Nf6 17.Kxg2 c5 18.Bc3 cxd4 19.Bxd4 Rc8 20.Qb1 e5 21.Bc3 b6 22.Rd1 Qe7 23.Ne4 Qb7 24.f3 Nxe4 25.Qxe4 Qxe4 26.fxe4 Rfd8 27.Rd5 f6 28.Rad1 Be7 29.Rxd8+ Rxd8 30.Rxd8+ Bxd8 31.Kf3 Kf7 32.Ke3 Ke6 33.Kd3 Kd7 34.Kc4 Kc6 35.b4 axb4 36.Bxb4 h5 37.h3 Bc7 38.g4 hxg4 39.hxg4 Bd6 40.Bd2 Be7 1/2-1/2

Round 4, July 18
Kramnik, Vladimir -– Duda, Jan-Krzysztof
A29 English, Bremen, Smyslov System

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 d6 6.O-O O-O 7.d3 Bxc3 8.bxc3 e4 9.Nd4 exd3 10.exd3 Nxd4 11.cxd4 d5 12.Bg5 c6 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.Qb3 b6 15.Rae1 h6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Re5 Be6 18.f4 Rac8 19.Rfe1 Rc7 20.Bxd5 Bxd5 21.Qxd5 Rc2 22.Re8 Rc8 23.Qd7 Rd8 24.Rxd8 Qxd8 25.Re7 Qc8 26.Qxc8 Rxc8 27.Kf2 Kf8 28.Rxa7 Rc2+ 29.Ke3 Rxh2 30.d5 g5 31.f5 f6 32.d6 Ke8 33.Kd4 h5 34.Kd5 b5 35.Ke6 Re2+ 36.Kxf6 h4 37.Re7+ 1-0

Final position in Kramnik-Duda

• Cute finish Re7+ Congratz, easy win for Kramnik
• Cute finish? Re7? A little frivolous in my opinion, there is no necessity to let the opponent queen to win

Round 4, July 18
Wojtaszek, Radoslaw –- Nepomniachtchi, Ian
D06 QGD, Grau

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Nh4 Bb4 6.cxd5 Qxd5 7.e3 O-O 8.Be2 Ne4 9.Bd2 Bxc3 10.bxc3 Nxd2 11.Qxd2 Be4 12.f3 Qg5 13.g3 Bc6 14.e4 Qe7 15.O-O Nd7 16.c4 Rfd8 17.Qe3 b6 18.f4 Bb7 19.Bf3 Nf8 20.Qc3 Rd7 21.Rad1 Rad8 22.Rf2 Ng6 23.Ng2 f5 24.e5 Bxf3 25.Rxf3 Qf7 26.Rfd3 Ne7 27.Ne3 c6 28.a4 h6 29.Qb3 Kh7 30.R1d2 g5 31.Qd1 gxf4 32.gxf4 Rg8+ 33.Kh1 Rg7 34.Qf3 Rd8 35.Rg2 Rxg2 36.Kxg2 Ng6 37.Kf1 Qd7 38.Rd1 Qe8 39.Ng2 Qd7 40.Ne3 Qe8 41.Ng2 Qd7 42.Ne3 1/2-1/2

Standings after Round Four

1-4 Kovalev, Duda, Nepo, Kramnik 2.5
5-6 Giri, Meier 2
7 Wojtaszek 1.5
8 Nisipeanu 0.5

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 20, 2018

Round Five

Round 5, July 20
Kovalev, Vladislav –- Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter
C07 French, Tarrasch, open variation

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.Nb5 Na6 8.Nc3 Qd6 9.a3 Bd7 10.Nc4 Qxd1+ 11.Nxd1 Nc5 12.Nc3 Na4 13.Nxa4 Bxa4 14.b3 Bd7 15.Bb2 O-O-O 16.Bd3 Nd5 17.O-O-O f6 18.Be4 b6 19.Bxd5 exd5 20.Rxd5 Be6 21.Rxd8+ Kxd8 22.Nd2 Bd5 23.Nf3 Kc7 24.Rd1 Bxf3 25.gxf3 Bd6 26.h3 Bf4+ 27.Kb1 Re8 28.Rg1 g6 29.Bxf6 Bd6 30.Bb2 Rf8 31.h4 Rxf3 32.h5 gxh5 33.Rg7+ Kc6 34.Rxh7 Rxf2 35.Rxh5 Rf1+ 36.Ka2 Rf2 37.Kb1 Rf1+ 38.Ka2 Rf2 39.c3 a5 40.a4 Re2 41.Rh6 Kc7 42.Rh1 Rg2 43.Re1 Kc6 44.Kb1 Bc5 45.Re6+ Kd5 46.Rh6 Rg1+ 47.Ka2 Rg2 48.Rh4 Bd6 49.Rh5+ Kc6 50.Rh6 Kc7 51.Rh1 Bc5 52.Rh4 Bd6 53.Re4 Rf2 54.Rg4 Kb7 55.Rg1 Bc5 56.Re1 Kc6 57.Kb1 Rg2 58.Re4 Kd5 59.Rh4 Rg1+ 60.Ka2 Rg2 61.b4 axb4 62.cxb4 Bf2 1/2-1/2

Round 5, July 20
Giri, Anish –- Wojtaszek, Radoslaw
A13 English, Neo-Catalan

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Qa4+ Bd7 6.Qxc4 c5 7.Ne5 Qc8 8.Qd3 Nc6 9.Nxd7 Nxd7 10.b3 Be7 11.Bb2 O-O 12.Nc3 Rd8 13.Rc1 Nf6 14.Qb1 Qd7 15.d3 Nd4 16.O-O Nd5 17.Rfe1 Nxc3 18.Bxc3 Rac8 19.e3 Nf5 20.Red1 b6 21.Qb2 Bf8 22.Qe2 g6 23.Be1 Qb5 24.Bf1 a5 25.Rc2 Ne7 26.Qg4 Qe8 27.Qa4 Nd5 28.Qxe8 Rxe8 29.a3 Ra8 30.Rb1 Reb8 31.Bd2 b5 32.e4 Nf6 33.Bf4 Rb7 34.Be3 Nd7 35.e5 Rd8 36.f4 Rbb8 37.Bg2 c4 38.dxc4 bxc4 39.Rxc4 Bxa3 40.Rd1 Nf8 41.Rxd8 Rxd8 42.Be4 Rb8 43.Bc2 Nd7 44.Rc7 Nb6 45.Be4 Nd5 46.Bxd5 exd5 47.Bd4 Kf8 48.Bc5+ Bxc5+ 49.Rxc5 Rxb3 50.Rxa5 Rd3 51.Kf2 Rd2+ 52.Ke3 Rxh2 53.Rxd5 h5 54.Rd7 Rg2 55.Kf3 Rb2 56.Ra7 Rb3+ 57.Kf2 Rb2+ 1/2-1/2

Round 5, July 20
Nepomniachtchi Ian –- Kramnik, Vladimir
C78 Ruy Lopez, Moeller Defence

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 b4 9.d4 Ba7 10.Bg5 Rb8 11.Bd5 Ne7 12.dxe5 Nfxd5 13.exd5 O-O 14.exd6 Qxd6 15.c4 Nf5 16.Nbd2 f6 17.Bh4 Qf4 18.Bg3 Nxg3 19.hxg3 Qxg3 20.c5 Qg6 21.Rc1 Qf7 22.Ne4 Re8 23.Re1 Bf5 24.Ng3 Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Bg4 26.Qe4 h5 27.Nf5 Re8 28.Qd3 Bb8 29.N3h4 Be2 30.Qd2 Bg4 31.Ne3 Bd7 32.Qxb4 a5 33.Qxa5 c6 34.d6 Qb3 35.Qc3 Qxa4 36.Nhf5 Qe4 37.Ne7+ Kh8 38.Qb3 Rf8 39.Qc2 Qxc2 40.Nxc2 Kh7 41.Nd4 1-0

Position after 31.Ne3

• normally a bishop pair has a slight advantage over a knight pair. here's a very extreme example of knight beating the heck out of bishops

Round 5, July 20
Duda, Jan-Krzysztof –- Meier, Georg
A13 English Opening, Agincourt variation

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.b3 dxc4 6.Bxc4 a6 7.Bb2 b5 8.Be2 Bb7 9.g4 h6 10.Rg1 g5 11.Ne5 Nbd7 12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.Bf3 O-O-O 14.Bxb7+ Kxb7 15.Qf3+ Qc6 16.Qxc6+ Kxc6 17.Ne2 Rh7 18.Rc1+ Kb7 19.Bxf6 Bxf6 20.h3 Be5 21.Rc2 h5 22.Nc1 hxg4 23.hxg4 Bh2 24.Rg2 Bd6 25.Ke2 Rh1 26.Nd3 Rdh8 27.Ne1 Be7 28.Nf3 Kb6 29.Ne5 R8h7 30.Nd7+ Kb7 31.Nc5+ Kb6 32.Nd7+ Kb7 33.Nc5+ Kb6 1/2-1/2

Standings after Round Five

1 Nepomniachtchi 3.5
2-3 Kovalev, Duda 3
4-6 Giri, Meier, Kramnik 2.5
7 Wojtszek 2
8 Nisipeanu 1

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 21, 2018

Round Six

Giri’s record against Kramnik was 7 losses and 7 draws until Wijk 2018 when he finally won against him in an English. Today, he wins again.

Round 6, July 21
Kramnik, Vladimir -– Giri, Anish
D05 Queen’s Pawn game, Zukertort variation

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.d4 c5 4.Nbd2 e6 5.b3 cxd4 6.exd4 Bb4 7.Bb2 Ne4 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.O-O Bc3 10.Bxc3 Nxc3 11.Qe1 Nb4 12.Nb1 Nxd3 13.Qxc3 Nf4 14.Qe3 Ng6 15.c4 dxc4 16.bxc4 O-O 17.Nc3 Bd7 18.Rfd1 Rc8 19.Nd2 Nh4 20.Qd3 Nf5 21.Rac1 Qc7 22.d5 Rfd8 23.h3 b6 24.Nf3 Qxc4 25.Qxc4 Rxc4 26.dxe6 fxe6 27.Rd3 e5 28.Nxe5 Rd4 29.Rf3 Nh4 30.Re3 Nf5 31.Ree1 Be8 32.Ne4 Ra4 33.Rc7 Rxa2 34.Kh2 h6 35.Ng4 Kf8 36.Rec1 Re2 37.f3 Nh4 38.Ngf2 Bg6 39.Rc8 Re8 40.Kg3 Nf5+ 41.Kh2 Nd4 42.R1c3 a5 43.R8c4 Rd8 44.Rc7 Ne6 45.R7c6 Nf4 46.Rc8 Re8 47.Rxe8+ Kxe8 48.Rc8+ Kd7 49.Rg8 Ne6 50.Kg3 Kc7 51.h4 Rc2 52.Ra8 Kb7 53.Rh8 Rc6 54.h5 Bxe4 55.Nxe4 a4 56.Re8 a3 57.Re7+ Ka6 58.Re8 Ka7 59.Nd2 a2 60.Nb3 Rc3 61.Na1 Rc1 62.Rxe6 Rxa1 63.Re2 b5 64.Kf4 Kb6 0-1

Position after 38….Bg6, then 39.Rc8 where Kg1 instead is recommended




Round 6, July 21
Duda, Jan –- Nepomniachtchi, Ian
B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4 a6 6.Bxd7+ Bxd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.Qd3 h6 9.Nd2 Rc8 10.Nc4 Be6 11.Ne3 Nf6 12.Bd2 Be7 13.a4 O-O 14.O-O Qd7 15.a5 Rfd8 16.Rfd1 Bf8 17.Be1 Rc6 18.Na4 Qe8 19.c4 Nd7 20.Qc2 Rb8 21.b3 Nc5 22.Nb6 Nd7 23.Nbd5 Qd8 24.Bc3 Qh4 25.f3 Qd8 26.g3 Ra8 27.Kh1 Qb8 28.Ra2 Rc8 29.Rda1 Rc6 30.Nb4 Rc5 31.f4 f6 32.f5 Bf7 33.Ned5 Qe8 34.g4 Be7 35.Bd2 Bd8 36.Be3 Rcc8 37.Nc3 Rab8 38.Ba7 Ra8 39.Be3 Rab8 40.Nbd5 Kh7 41.Kg2 Nc5 42.h4 b5 43.axb6 Bxb6 44.Nxb6 Rxb6 45.Bxc5 dxc5 46.Rxa6 Rcb8 47.Rxb6 Rxb6 48.Ra7 Rb8 49.Na4 Rd8 50.Nxc5 Rd4 51.Kf3 Qc6 52.Na4 Bxc4 53.bxc4 Rxc4 54.Qb1 Rxa4 55.Rxa4 Qxa4 56.Qd3 Qa1 57.Kg2 Qc1 58.h5 Qf4 1/2-1/2

Duda had Nepo on the ropes but didn’t play 51.g5

Position after 50…Rd4

• Duda won't sleep well tonight and tomorrow he must play Giri

Round 6, July 21
Meier, Georg –- Nisipeanu, LD
A15 English, Neo-Catalan

1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.d4 O-O 6.Nc3 dxc4 7.Ne5 Qd6 8.O-O Qa6 9.a4 Rd8 10.Nb5 Ne8 11.Qc2 Nc6 12.Qxc4 Nxd4 13.Be3 Nf5 14.Bc5 Bxc5 15.Qxc5 Qb6 16.Qxb6 axb6 17.Rfd1 Nfd6 18.Rac1 f6 19.Nc4 Bd7 20.Nxc7 Bxa4 21.Rxd6 Nxd6 22.Nxd6 Ra7 23.Nc4 Rd1+ 24.Rxd1 Bxd1 25.Nxe6 Ra1 26.Bd5 Bxe2+ 27.Kg2 Bxc4 28.Bxc4 Kf7 29.Nd4+ Ke7 30.Nf5+ Kf8 31.b3 Rd1 32.Ne3 Rd2 33.h4 g6 34.g4 Rb2 35.Nd1 Rd2 36.Nc3 Rd4 37.Kg3 Rd8 38.f3 Kg7 39.Kf4 Rd2 40.Ne4 Rd1 41.h5 b5 42.Be6 Rh1 43.Bd5 b6 44.hxg6 hxg6 45.Nc3 b4 46.Na2 g5+ 47.Ke3 Kf8 48.Nxb4 Ke7 49.Be4 1-0

Round 6, July 21
Wojtaszek, Radoslaw –- Kovalev, Vladislav
E10 Queen’s Pawn game

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.Nc3 Nbd7 7.Qd3 a6 8.Bf4 c5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.O-O b5 11.dxc5 Nxc5 12.Qd1 Bb7 13.Rc1 Rc8 14.Be5 Ng4 15.Bd4 Ne6 16.e3 Nf6 17.Ne2 Nxd4 18.Nfxd4 g6 19.Rxc8 Qxc8 20.Qb3 Qc4 21.Bh3 Qxb3 22.Nxb3 Bc8 23.Bg2 Be6 24.Nf4 g5 25.Nxe6 fxe6 26.Rc1 Rd8 27.Nd4 Kf7 28.Nc6 Rd6 29.Ne5+ Ke8 30.Bh3 h5 31.Bf1 Nd7 32.Rc8+ Bd8 33.Nd3 Nb6 34.Rc2 Ke7 35.b3 Nd7 36.Be2 h4 37.gxh4 gxh4 38.Nb4 Kf6 39.Rc8 Ne5 40.Nd3 Nxd3 41.Bxd3 e5 42.a4 bxa4 43.bxa4 a5 44.Bb5 e4 45.Rc6 Rxc6 46.Bxc6 Ke5 47.h3 1/2-1/2

Standings after Round Six

1 Nepo 4
2-5 Giri, Kovalev, Meier, Duda 3.5
6-7 Kramnik 2.5
8 Nisipeanu 1

Last Round Pairings

Nepo-Meier
Giri-Duda
Kovalev-Kramnik
Nisipeanu-Wojtaszek

[Wayne Komer]

Dortmund 2018

July 22, 2018

Round Seven

From Peter Doggers at chess.com:

Nepomniachtchi Crushes Meier To Win 1st Dortmund

“It was three times a charm for Ian Nepomniachtchi, who won his first Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund at the third attempt. He secured victory quickly today with a crushing, 27-move win vs Georg Meier.

Vladimir Kramnik was again suffering, but after almost seven hours of play he managed to avoid a third loss as Vladislav Kovalev failed to convert a tablebase win in an endgame.

July has been treating Nepomniachtchi well. Two weeks after winning the Japhet Memorial, a rapid tournament in Jerusalem, he also took the top spot at the 46th Sparkassen Chess Meeting.

Nepomniachtchi, who turned 28 in between these two tournaments, finished on 5/7, a full point more than Kovalev, Duda and Giri. His score was good for a 2873 performance rating and an Elo gain of 10.9 points. The Russian GM is now the world number 12 in the live ratings, only 0.1 point behind Vishy Anand.”

https://www.chess.com/news/view/nepo...dortmund-title

Round 7, July 22
Giri, Anish – Duda, Jan-Krzysztof
B08 Pirc, Classical (Two Knights) System

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be3 O-O 6.Qd2 Nc6 7.d5 Nb8 8.Bh6 e5 9.dxe6 Bxe6 10.Bxg7 Kxg7 11.O-O-O Nc6 12.h3 Re8 13.g4 a6 14.Bg2 Nd7 15.Ng5 Nb6 16.f4 Nc4 17.Qd3 b5 18.e5 Nb4 19.Qg3 d5 20.a3 a5 21.Qh4 h6 22.Nxe6+ fxe6 23.Qxd8 Rexd8 24.Rde1 d4 25.Nxb5 d3 26.axb4 d2+ 27.Kb1 dxe1=Q+ 28.Rxe1 Rab8 29.Nxc7 Rd2 30.Nxe6+ Kf7 31.Bf1 Rxb4 32.Kc1 Rf2 33.Nd4 Nxe5 34.fxe5 Rxd4 35.Bd3 g5 36.Re3 Rdf4 37.Be2 Ke7 38.Kb1 Rf8 39.Ka2 R2f4 40.Ka3 Rb8 41.b3 Rc8 42.Bc4 Rcxc4 43.bxc4 Rxc4 44.c3 a4 45.e6 Rf4 46.Kb2 Rf2+ 47.Ka3 Rf4 1/2-1/2

• Duda once again on a slippery slope
• He was almost dead yesterday
• Duda collapsing in his last two games, amazing

Round 7, July 22
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter – Wojtaszek, Radoslaw
D38 QGD, Ragozin variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qb3 c5 6.dxc5 Na6 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Qxc3 Nxc5 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Be3 Nce4 11.Qe5 Qxe5 12.Nxe5 Nd5 13.Bc1 Bd7 14.f3 Nc5 15.e4 Nb3 16.Rb1 Nb6 17.Be3 Rc8 18.Nxd7 Kxd7 19.Be2 Ke7 20.O-O Rhd8 21.Rfd1 Rxd1+ 22.Bxd1 Nc4 23.Bxb3 Nxe3 24.Kf2 Nc4 25.Rc1 Nb6 26.Rxc8 Nxc8 27.e5 f6 28.f4 fxe5 29.fxe5 Kd7 30.Ba4+ Kc7 31.Bb3 Kd7 32.Ba4+ Kc7 33.Bb3 Kd7 34.Ba4+ 1/2-1/2

Round 7, July 22
Kovalev, Vladislav – Kramnik, Vladimir
C44 Scotch Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Ng5 Nh6 6.Nxf7 Nxf7 7.Bxf7+ Kxf7 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qxc5 d5 10.O-O dxe4 11.c3 Re8 12.cxd4 Nxd4 13.Nc3 b6 14.Qc4+ Be6 15.Qa4 c5 16.Nxe4 Bd5 17.f3 Bxe4 18.fxe4+ Kg7 19.Qc4 Kh8 20.b4 Rxe4 21.Bb2 Qg8 22.Rf7 Rf8 23.Rxf8 Qxf8 24.bxc5 bxc5 25.Rf1 Qe7 26.Qd5 Kg7 27.h3 g5 28.Bc3 a6 29.Kh1 Kh6 30.Rb1 Nb5 31.Bf6 Qxf6 32.Qxe4 Nc3 33.Qf3 Qxf3 34.Rb6+ Kh5 35.gxf3 Nxa2 36.Rc6 Nb4 37.Rxc5 Nd3 38.Ra5 Kh4 39.Kh2 Nf4 40.Rxa6 Kh5 41.Rd6 Ne2 42.Rd2 Nf4 43.Kg3 Ng6 44.Rd7 h6 45.Rf7 Ne5 46.Rf5 Ng6 47.Ra5 Nf4 48.h4 Ne2+ 49.Kf2 Nf4 50.hxg5 hxg5 51.Ke3 Ng2+ 52.Kf2 Nf4 53.Ra8 Kg6 54.Ke3 Ng2+ 55.Ke4 Nh4 56.Ra6+ Kf7 57.Ra2 Kf6 58.Ra1 Ke6 59.Rh1 Ng6 60.Rh6 Kf6 61.Rh7 Nh4 62.Ke3 Ng6 63.Ra7 Nh4 64.Ra6+ Kf5 65.Kf2 Ng6 66.Kg3 Ne5 67.Ra8 Ng6 68.Rg8 Ne5 69.Rf8+ Ke6 70.Kf2 Ng6 71.Rb8 Kf5 72.Rb5+ Kf6 73.Ra5 Ne5 74.Ke2 Ng6 75.Ra6+ Kf5 76.Ke3 Nh4 77.Ra5+ Kf6 78.Ke4 Kg6 79.Ra1 Kf6 80.Rg1 Nf5 81.Rg2 Nh4 82.Rh2 Ng6 83.Rh5 Nf4 84.Rh8 Ng6 85.Rb8 Nh4 86.Rg8 Ng6 87.Kd4 Kf5 88.Ke3 Kf6 89.Ke4 Kf7 90.Rb8 Nh4 91.Rc8 Kf6 92.Rc1 Ke6 93.Ke3 Kf5 94.Rc5+ Kf6 95.Rb5 Ng6 96.Ke4 Nh4 97.Rd5 Kg6 98.f4 gxf4 99.Kxf4 Kf7 100.Kg5 Nf3+ 101.Kf4 Nh4 102.Kg5 Nf3+ 103.Kg4 Ke6 104.Kxf3 Kxd5 1/2-1/2

Position after 51…Ng2+



The database says that White should win in 32 moves after 52.Ke4

• That was some defence by Kramnik. And all these people speaking how he should retire.

Round 7, July 22
Nepomniachtchi, Ian – Meier, Georg
C10 French, Rubinstein, Capablanca line

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Nxf6+ Nxf6 7.Ne5 Bd6 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 O-O 10.Bd3 c5 11.Qe2 Qa5+ 12.c3 cxd4 13.Nc4 Qc5 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Qg4+ Kh8 16.cxd4 Qb4+ 17.Kf1 Bc7 18.Qe4 f5 19.Qh4 Kg7 20.g4 f4 21.Rg1 Bd7 22.Qh5 Rh8 23.g5 hxg5 24.Qxg5+ Kf8 25.Qf6 Rxh2 26.Rg7 Be8 27.Bh7 1-0

Peter Doggers: “Today, Georg Meier got crushed in a French Rubinstein, but it was not because of the opening. The German GM must have looked at it recently, because Nepomniachtchi's early knight sortie 7.Ne5 (recommended by his second GM Vladimir Potkin) was also played more than once by Leinier Dominguez in his Speed Chess match with Meier last month.

After losing to Dominguez, Meier said: "Of course it's very dangerous when you're not prepared for this at all." In today's game, he seemed to be doing OK but suddenly White's attack was decisive. The computer says it's equal after 19...Kh7 instead of 19...Kg7.”

Final Standings

1 Nepomniachtchi 5
2-4 Giri, Kovalev, Duda 4
5 Meier 3.5
6-7 Kramnik, Wojtaszek 3
8 Nisipeanu 1.5