London Chess Classic 2019

**Hans Jung** · Wednesday, 27th November, 2019, 10:23 AM

Sad not having Vishy Anand in the field.

**Ian Findlay** · Wednesday, 27th November, 2019, 01:07 PM

Originally posted by Hans Jung View Post

Sad not having Vishy Anand in the field.

Agreed, but he is not what he used to be. Truly one of the nicest super GM's I have ever met.

**Egidijus Zeromskis** · Sunday, 1st December, 2019, 04:19 PM

There will be an interesting conference with an emphasize on women in chess - Chess & Female Empowerment.
https://londonchessconference.com

The previous years conf presentations (mostly about educational part of chess) could be found and viewed on the same website.

**Wayne Komer** · Monday, 2nd December, 2019, 09:56 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 2, 2019

Round One

I was a bit worried turning on the broadcast of the matches today. First, there had been a terrorist attack in London and, second, Levon Aronian had been in poor health. I was afraid that the matches might be suspended. But, not to worry, things started going at 11 AM here.

The commentators from St. Louis were Shahade, Svidler and Ramirez; Skripchenko and Miroshnichenko in Russian; Gustafsson in German; Pepe Cuenca and Divis in Spanish and Edouard and Mullon in French.

From the official site:

The semi-finals of 2019 Grand Chess Tour Finals kicked off in Hammersmith London. Magnus Carlsen and Ding Liren are competing against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian respectively in a series of classical, rapid and blitz matches to determine the two finalists. Whilst both classical games ended in a draw, there was no lack of action on the board. Tomorrow, the two pairs will meet again with the opposite colors before moving on to the rapid and blitz portion.

Magnus Carlsen vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: ½ - ½

The fascinating Sicilian Najdorf ended in a hard-fought draw in 32 moves. Magnus Carlsen deviated in the opening with an unusual combination of ideas, taking the game into unknown territory from move 7. With the kings castled on the opposite sides, Carlsen was attempting to build an attack on the kingside, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was mobilizing his pieces on the queenside. During his interview with Maurice Ashley, Levon Aronian predicted that “feathers would fly” and they did when the center opened up and Vachier-Lagrave sacrificed a piece for an attack. But as is the case with all perfectly played games, this battle ended in a draw after Carlsen realized that avoiding a repetition would result in a disaster. After the game, the Frenchman promised another fighting encounter tomorrow.

Levon Aronian vs Ding Liren: ½ - ½

Levon Aronian explained that he had a poor night of sleep due to jet lag following the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz and simply wanted a quiet game. He essayed a sideline with 6.g3 in the Semi Tarrasch variation, which his opponent was well prepared for. Once Aronian spotted a tactical sequence where he sacrificed his rook for a perpetual, the game ended in a draw. Ding Liren was satisfied with the draw with Blacks, while Aronian was not disappointed wasting his white pieces, reasoning that as in the World Cup, he will get his chances.

https://www.fide.com/news/237

Round 1, Dec. 2
Carlsen, Magnus – Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime
B95 Sicilian, Najdorf

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f3 h6 8.Be3 b5 9.a3 Nbd7 10.Qd2 Bb7 11.O-O-O h5 12.Kb1 Be7 13.Qe1 Rc8 14.Rg1 Qc7 15.g3 Ne5 16.Rg2 O-O 17.h3 d5 18.f4 Nc4 19.e5 Nxe3 20.Qxe3 Ne4 21.Nxe4 dxe4 22.Re2 Bd5 23.Bg2 Qc4 24.Nb3 Bc5 25.Nxc5 Qa2+ 26.Kc1 Rfd8 27.c4 bxc4 28.Red2 Qa1+ 29.Kc2 Qa2 30.Kc1 Qa1+ 31.Kc2 Qa2 32.Kc1 1/2-1/2

Position after 27…bxc4

Stockfish suggested the line:

(28. Na4 Rb8 29. Nc3 Qa1+ 30. Kd2 Bc6+ 31. Ke1 Rxd1+ 32. Nxd1 Rb3 33. Qc5 Bd5 34. Bf1 Qc1 35. Re3 Rxb2 36. Qd4 Rh2 37. Rc3 Qb1 38. h4 Qa2 39. Qe3 Kh8 40. Rc1 Rh1 41. Nf2 Rg1 42. Nh3 Rh1 43. Ng5)

Round 1, Dec. 2
Aronian, Levon – Ding, Liren
D41 QGD, Semi-Tarrasch

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.g3 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 b6 11.Bg2 Bb7 12.O-O O-O 13.Rfc1 Nd7 14.Qd3 Nf6 15.Ne5 Bxg2 16.Kxg2 Qd5+ 17.f3 Rac8 18.e4 Qb7 19.Qa3 h5 20.h4 Rfd8 21.Rxc8 Rxc8 22.Rc1 Rc7 23.Rc3 Qc8 24.Qxa7 Rxc3 25.Qxf7+ Kh7 26.Qg6+ Kg8 27.Qf7+ Kh7 28.Qg6+ Kg8 1/2-1/2

Online Comments

Svidler: "And Levon in his signature bright red shoes. I endorse this, I'm very much into red shoes!"

- Magnus starts the same way as all of us, with difficulty remembering things like the date and his own name for the scoresheet

- Levon Aronian shares his thoughts on the ongoing game between Carlsen and MVL, says nothing surprises him anymore with the modern computers and that he assumes that everything is a deep analysis

Mikhail Golubev - MC vs MVL was an interesting game. Because it was The Sicilian! Hardly ever seen that 7.f3 move after 6.Bg5 e6. Hardly a great idea, but playable.

- Very unusual Najdorf in the game. Magnus lost a tempo with Bg5-e3, while MVL played h6-h5. This position has only occurred twice before in the database

- GM Tari on #2sjakk: "Can't remember the last time Carlsen spent 1 hour on two moves. He must feel uncomfortable here."

- Carlsen-MVL ends in a 32-move draw that was brilliantly played by both sides!

- Playing like Jobava is tough, even if you're Magnus Carlsen! Check out the full game

**Wayne Komer** · Tuesday, 3rd December, 2019, 09:42 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 3, 2019

Round Two

From the official site:

The finalists of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour will be determined in rapid and blitz as both classical games ended in a draw. The matches tomorrow will consist of two rapid and four blitz games, where a win in rapid is worth four points while a victory in blitz is equal to two points. Tomorrow promises to be an exciting day as faster time controls bring out the fireworks on the chessboard.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Magnus Carlsen: ½ - ½

Magnus Carlsen wanted to surprise his opponent in the opening again, opting for a rare line in the Open Spanish that he played in Zagreb GCT against Caruana earlier this year. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave decided to take a cautious route, probably keeping in mind the loss Aronian suffered against Mamedyarov at the 2018 Olympiad in the same line. The Frenchman had a better pawn structure but this advantage was offset by his misplaced minor piece. Although both opponents felt that the resources to continue the battle were petering out, they played it out until only the lone kings were left on the board.

Ding Liren vs Levon Aronian: ½ - ½

Ding Liren escaped unscathed after finding himself in a worse position with the white pieces. An uncommon line in the Nimzo Indian Defense lead to a symmetrical position which the Chinese star thought would be better for him. However, he was unable to find a way to deal with the Bg4-pin and started playing “bad and unnatural” moves. Levon Aronian had a comfortable edge but still feeling unwell decided to end the day early with a repetition.

https://www.fide.com/news/239

Round 2, Dec. 3
MVL – Carlsen, Magnus
C80 Ruy Lopez, open

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 Be7 7.Re1 b5 8.Rxe4 d5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Rxe5 bxa4 11.b3 O-O 12.Ba3 Bxa3 13.Nxa3 Re8 14.Rxe8+ Qxe8 15.Qd2 Bf5 16.Re1 Qc6 17.c4 axb3 18.axb3 h6 19.cxd5 Qxd5 20.Nc4 Be6 21.Re5 Qd7 22.d5 Rd8 23.dxe6 Qxd2 24.Nxd2 Rxd2 25.g3 fxe6 26.Rxe6 Ra2 27.Rc6 Ra3 28.Rxc7 Rxb3 29.Ra7 Ra3 30.g4 h5 31.gxh5 Kh7 32.Kg2 Ra5 33.f4 Ra3 34.Ra8 a5 35.Ra6 a4 36.f5 Rb3 37.Rxa4 Rb5 38.Rf4 Kh6 39.f6 gxf6 40.Rxf6+ Kxh5 41.h4 Rb2+ 42.Rf2 Rxf2+ 43.Kxf2 Kxh4 1/2-1/2

Position after White’s 40.Rxf6+

Round 2, Dec. 3
Ding, Liren – Aronian, Levon
E50 Nimzo-Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.exd4 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.O-O Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4 Bg6 12.Ne2 Nc6 13.Bg5 Re8 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Rc1 Qd7 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qd3 Re4 18.Ng3 Re7 19.a3 Bd6 20.Rfe1 Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Kg7 22.Kg2 Nd8 23.Ne2 Ne6 24.Nd2 Rh8 25.Rh1 Rh4 26.Nf3 Rh8 27.Nd2 Rh4 28.Nf3 Rh8 1/2-1/2

- Both classical games ended in a draw. The two finalists will be decided tomorrow as we move to rapid and blitz! Tomorrow two games of rapid and 4 games of blitz (and possible playoffs) will be played

Tarjei J. Svensen - 105 games without a loss for Carlsen

Olimpiu G. Urcan - Peter Svidler ranks the top three players having the highest chances in a match against Magnus Carlsen: Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren and Alexander Grischuk.

**Wayne Komer** · Wednesday, 4th December, 2019, 10:32 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 4, 2019

Rapid and Blitz (Rds 3-10)

From the official site:

Ding Liren and Vachier-Lagrave meet in the final

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ding Liren will meet in the finals after defeating Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian respectively. While Ding was dominant in his match, Vachier-Lagrave had to go all the way to tiebreaks to secure his spot. Ding and Vachier-Lagrave will be competing for the $150,000 first-place prize and the title of Grand Chess Tour Champion, while Carlsen and Aronian will battle it out for the third-place qualifying spot to the 2020 GCT in addition to a $60,000 prize. Tomorrow the players will take a break from the action to partake in the corporate day, where they will be paired with entrepreneurs in friendly games to raise money for the UK charity Chess in Schools and Communities. Action will resume on December 6.

Ding Liren vs Levon Aronian

The Chinese player was completely dominant in his match, advancing to the finals with three blitz games to spare. Aronian was unable to deal with the complications arising from his opponent’s piece sacrifices in both rapid games, collapsing at the crucial moments. The two wins in the rapid gave Ding a 6 point lead, and he only needed 1 draw in the remaining 4 blitz games. He secured his spot in the finals by locking up the position in the first blitz game, forcing a draw and reaching 15 points. Aronian suffered two more losses but did manage to end the day with a win. The Armenian star felt “ashamed” about his play today, whereas Ding felt lucky to win the first game.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Magnus Carlsen

Unlike the smooth sailing by Ding, the match between Carlsen and Vachier-Lagrave was a complete roller coaster ride and was decided on the tiebreak. Carlsen later explained to Maurice that he felt sluggish and “not good enough in the critical moments.” After two tame rapid games, the World Champion escaped unscathed in the first blitz game only to go on to lose the next one. In his typical fashion, he bounced back immediately in the very next game with a win in a rook endgame. After a draw in the final blitz game, the match moved on to tiebreaks. The first tiebreak game was a wild affair with the evaluation of the position changing drastically several times. Carlsen had a crushing attack, but let the advantage slip with inaccurate play. After another blunder, he found himself in a difficult position, then ultimately in a lost knight endgame, which Vachier-Lagrave converted masterfully with seconds on his clock. The Frenchman sealed the deal with a draw in the second game. This marks the World Champion’s second tiebreak loss this year, a blemish on his otherwise flawless tiebreak record.

https://www.fide.com/news/243

Round 3, Dec. 4
25+10
MVL – Carlsen, Magnus
C78 Ruy Lopez, Moeller Defence

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Bc5 6.c3 O-O 7.d4 Ba7 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.Qd5 Nc5 10.Bc2 Ne7 11.Qd1 d5 12.exd6 Qxd6 13.Qxd6 cxd6 14.Re1 Re8 15.Na3 Bg4 16.Bf4 Bxf3 17.gxf3 d5 18.Rad1 Ne6 19.Be3 g6 20.Bb3 d4 21.cxd4 Nf5 22.d5 Ned4 23.Bxd4 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Bxd4 25.Nc4 b5 26.Ne3 Nd6 27.Rc1 Bxb2 28.Rc6 Be5 29.Ng4 Bf4 30.Nf6+ Kg7 31.Ne4 Nf5 32.d6 Ra7 33.Bd1 Nd4 34.Rb6 Rd7 35.Rxa6 f5 36.Nc5 Rxd6 37.Rxd6 Bxd6 38.Nb3 Ne6 39.Be2 b4 40.Bc4 Nf4 41.Nc1 Kf6 42.Nd3 Nxd3 43.Bxd3 Bf4 44.Bc4 Bd6 45.Bd3 Bf4 46.Bc4 Bd6 1/2-1/2

Round 3, Dec. 4
25+10
Ding, liren – 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.Be2 dxc4 8.O-O a6 9.a4 Nd5 10.Bxc4 Nxf4 11.exf4 c5 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Qe2 b6 14.Rad1 Qe7 15.Rfe1 g6 16.Nd5 Qd8 17.Ng5 exd5 18.Bxd5 Ra7 19.b4 Bxb4 20.Bxf7+ Rxf7 21.Nxf7 Qf8 22.Nd6 Bxd6 23.Qe6+ Kg7 24.Rxd6 Rc7 25.g3 Qf7 26.Rc6 Rxc6 27.Qxc6 Qf8 28.Rc1 Nc5 29.Qxb6 Ne6 30.Qc6 Nd4 31.Qc7+ Kh6 32.Qxc8 Qe7 33.Rd1 Nf3+ 34.Kg2 Qe4 35.Kh3 Nd4 1-0

Round 4, Dec. 4
25+10
Carlsen, Magnus – MVL
D87 Grunfeld, Exchange, Spassky variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bc4 c5 8.Ne2 O-O 9.Be3 Nc6 10.h4 cxd4 11.cxd4 Qa5+ 12.Kf1 Bd7 13.h5 Rac8 14.hxg6 hxg6 15.Bb3 Qa6 16.Kg1 Na5 17.Nf4 Rfe8 18.e5 Bf5 19.Kh2 Nxb3 20.axb3 Qc6 21.Rxa7 Red8 22.Qf3 Qxf3 23.gxf3 f6 24.Rxb7 fxe5 25.dxe5 Bxe5 26.Rxe7 Re8 27.Rxe8+ Rxe8 28.Kg2 Rb8 29.Nd5 Rxb3 30.Bf4 Bxf4 31.Nxf4 Kg7 32.Nd5 Rb5 33.Rd1 Be6 34.Ne3 Rg5+ 35.Kh2 Kf6 36.Rd6 Ke7 37.Rb6 Kf7 38.f4 Rc5 39.Kg3 g5 40.fxg5 Rxg5+ 41.Kf4 Ra5 42.f3 Ra4+ 43.Kg3 Ra3 44.Nc2 Ra4 45.Nb4 Ra3 46.Nc6 Bd5 47.Ne5+ Ke7 48.Kg4 Bxf3+ 49.Nxf3 Ra5 50.Kf4 Ra1 51.Nd4 Rf1+ 52.Ke5 Re1+ 53.Kd5 Rd1 54.Re6+ Kf7 55.Re4 Kf6 56.Kd6 Rf1 57.Re6+ Kf7 58.Rh6 Rf6+ 59.Rxf6+ Kxf6 1/2-1/2

Round 4, Dec. 4
25+10
Aronian, Levon – Ding, Liren
A28 English, Four Knights, Capablanca variation

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 Be7 7.Be2 O-O 8.Bd2 Be6 9.a3 a5 10.Qc2 Nb6 11.b3 f5 12.Bc1 Bf6 13.Bb2 g5 14.Nd2 Bg7 15.h3 Qe7 16.g4 f4 17.Nde4 Nd5 18.O-O-O a4 19.b4 Ndxb4 20.axb4 a3 21.Ba1 Nxb4 22.Qb1 f3 23.Bf1 Ra6 24.Nxg5 a2 25.Qb2 Rb6 26.Nxe6 Qxe6 27.Qa3 Rd8 28.Rd2 c5 29.Ne4 Bf8 30.Qc3 Nd5 31.Qc2 Rb1+ 32.Qxb1 axb1=Q+ 33.Kxb1 Nb4 34.g5 Qb3+ 35.Bb2 Ra8 36.Nc3 e4 37.g6 Bg7 38.d4 cxd4 39.exd4 Bxd4 0-1

Round 5, Dec. 4
5+3
MVL – Carlsen, Magnus
C80 Ruy Lopez, open

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 Be7 7.Re1 b5 8.Rxe4 d5 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Rxe5 bxa4 11.Qe2 c6 12.Bd2 Be6 13.f4 g6 14.Nc3 a3 15.b3 Bd6 16.f5 gxf5 17.Rf1 Bxe5 18.Qxe5 Rg8 19.Na4 Qb8 20.Qe3 Rg4 21.Nc5 Re4 22.Nxe4 fxe4 23.Qh6 Qa7 24.Qg7 O-O-O 25.Bb4 Re8 26.Bxa3 h5 27.Bc5 Qd7 28.Qg5 e3 29.Qxe3 Bf5 30.Qf2 Bg6 31.c4 Bd3 32.Re1 Rxe1+ 33.Qxe1 dxc4 34.bxc4 Bxc4 35.h3 Qe6 36.Qxe6+ Bxe6 37.a3 Bd5 38.Kf2 Kd7 39.g3 Be6 40.h4 Bg4 41.Ke3 Ke6 42.Kf4 Kd5 43.Ke3 Ke6 44.Kf4 Kd5 45.Ke3 Ke6 46.Kf4 1/2-1/2

Round 5, Dec. 4
5+3
Ding, Liren – Aronian, Levon
A56 Czech Benoni Defence

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e5 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Nbd7 6.Bd3 Be7 7.Nge2 g6 8.h4 a6 9.a4 b6 10.g3 Rb8 11.f3 Rb7 12.Bh6 Bf8 13.Be3 h5 14.Qd2 Bg7 15.Kd1 Kf8 16.Kc2 Ne8 17.Nd1 Nc7 18.Nec3 Nf6 19.Nf2 Bd7 20.b3 Kg8 21.Rhb1 Kh7 22.b4 Qb8 23.b5 a5 24.Rh1 Qf8 25.Nh3 Kg8 26.Ng5 Nfe8 27.f4 Nf6 28.f5 gxf5 29.exf5 Nce8 30.Raf1 Ng4 31.Nce4 Nef6 32.Be2 Nxe4 33.Nxe4 Nxe3+ 34.Qxe3 f6 35.Qd3 Be8 36.Qd1 Rd7 37.Rh2 Qf7 38.Rg1 Kf8 39.g4 hxg4 40.Rxg4 Ke7 41.h5 Kd8 42.Rg6 Qe7 43.Bg4 Qf8 44.Qf3 Rh6 45.Rf2 Kc7 46.Kd3 Re7 47.Rf1 Rd7 48.Rf2 Re7 49.Rf1 1/2-1/2

Round 6, Dec. 4
5+3
Carlsen, Magnus – MVL
A48 King’s Indian, East Indian Defence

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nbd2 d5 4.b3 Bg7 5.Bb2 a5 6.a4 O-O 7.e3 Bf5 8.Be2 Nc6 9.O-O Nb4 10.Ne1 Ne4 11.c3 Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Nc6 13.Nd3 e5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Bxe5 16.Rfd1 Qd6 17.Ba3 c5 18.Qxd5 Qxd5 19.Rxd5 Bxc3 20.Rad1 Bb4 21.Bxb4 cxb4 22.Bc4 Be6 23.Rb5 Rfd8 24.Rd4 Rac8 25.Rxd8+ Rxd8 26.Kf1 Bxc4+ 27.bxc4 Rd2 28.Rxb7 Ra2 29.c5 Rxa4 30.Ke2 Ra3 31.c6 Rc3 32.c7 Kg7 33.Ra7 b3 34.Rxa5 Rxc7 35.Rb5 Rc2+ 36.Kf3 b2 37.Rb6 h5 38.h3 Kf8 39.g4 h4 40.g5 Ke7 41.e4 Kd7 42.Ke3 Kc7 43.Rb5 Kc6 44.Rb8 Kc5 45.f4 Kc4 46.f5 Kc3 47.Kf4 Rg2 48.fxg6 fxg6 49.e5 Re2 50.Rb6 Kc2 51.Rc6+ Kd1 52.Rd6+ Kc1 53.Rc6+ Rc2 54.Rb6 Rc4+ 0-1

Round 6, Dec. 4
5+3
Aronian, Levon – Ding, Liren
A21 English, Kramnik-Shirov Counter-Attack

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Qc2 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nd5 Ba5 6.a3 d6 7.e3 Nxd5 8.cxd5 Ne7 9.Bc4 O-O 10.b4 Bb6 11.Bb2 Bf5 12.d3 Ng6 13.h4 h6 14.h5 Ne7 15.e4 Bg4 16.a4 a5 17.b5 Rc8 18.d4 c6 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.Qd2 Bxf3 21.gxf3 d5 22.Rg1 dxc4 23.Qxh6 Ng6 24.Qd2 Nf4 25.d5 Nd3+ 26.Ke2 Qh4 27.Raf1 Qf4 28.Qxf4 Nxf4+ 29.Kd2 cxd5 30.Bxe5 Nxh5 31.exd5 Rc5 32.Kc3 Rxd5 33.Bh2 Rfd8 34.Rg4 Rd3+ 35.Kxc4 Nf6 36.Rh4 Rxf3 0-1

Round 7, Dec. 4
5+3
MVL – Carlsen, Magnus
B56 Sicilian Defence

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bd7 6.Bg5 e6 7.Ndb5 Bxb5 8.Bxb5+ Nc6 9.Qf3 Be7 10.e5 dxe5 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.Qxc6+ Kf8 13.O-O Qc8 14.Qf3 Rb8 15.Rab1 h6 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Rfd1 f5 18.Qe3 Qc7 19.Na4 Kg7 20.b3 Qxc2 21.Qxe5+ Bf6 22.Qg3+ Kh7 23.Qd3 Rhc8 24.Qd2 Rc7 25.g3 Rbc8 26.a3 Kg6 27.Qxc2 Rxc2 28.b4 R8c4 29.Nc5 Bd4 30.Nd3 Ra2 31.Rbc1 Rxc1 32.Rxc1 Rxa3 33.Nf4+ Kf6 34.Kf1 Ra2 35.Ne2 Bb6 36.f4 Rb2 37.Rc4 Ke7 38.h4 Kd6 39.Nc3 Rf2+ 40.Ke1 Rf3 41.Ne2 Kd5 42.Rc8 Rb3 43.Kd2 Ke4 44.Nc3+ Kf3 45.Rh8 Bd4 0-1

(to be continued)

**Wayne Komer** · Wednesday, 4th December, 2019, 10:35 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 4, 2019

Rapid and Blitz (Rds 3-10) (continued)

Round 7, Dec. 4
5+3
Ding, Liren – Aronian, Levon
C50 Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.O-O Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 O-O 7.Re1 Bb6 8.Nbd2 Ng4 9.Re2 Kh8 10.h3 f5 11.exf5 Nxf2 12.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 13.Kxf2 Bxf5 14.Nf1 d5 15.Bb3 e4 16.dxe4 Bxe4 17.Kg1 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Qh4 19.Kg2 Ne5 20.f4 Rf6 21.Bc2 Rh6 22.Bf5 Ng6 23.Bg4 Qe7 24.f5 Nh4+ 25.Kh2 Rb6 26.Ng3 Re8 27.Bh5 Rf8 28.Qg4 g6 29.Bg5 Rxb2+ 30.Kh1 gxh5 31.Qxh4 Qe5 32.Rf1 d4 33.Qxd4 Qxd4 34.cxd4 Rxa2 35.Nxh5 Kg8 36.Bh6 Ra5 1-0

Round 8, Dec. 4
5+3
Carlsen, Magnus – MVL
A37 English, symmetrical variation

1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 d6 6.O-O Bf5 7.h3 Nf6 8.d3 O-O 9.a3 a6 10.Rb1 Rb8 11.b4 cxb4 12.axb4 b5 13.cxb5 axb5 14.e4 Be6 15.Bd2 Nd7 16.Kh2 Nde5 17.Nxe5 dxe5 18.Be3 Nd4 19.Nd5 Bxd5 20.exd5 Qd6 21.Qd2 Rfc8 22.Rfc1 e6 23.Bxd4 exd4 24.Rc6 Rxc6 25.dxc6 h5 26.h4 Bf6 27.Kg1 Ra8 28.Qc2 Be7 29.Qc5 Qxc5 30.bxc5 Rb8 31.c7 Rc8 32.Rxb5 Rxc7 33.c6 Kg7 34.Ra5 Bd6 35.Ra8 Kf6 36.Be4 Ke7 37.Kg2 Bc5 38.Kh3 Kd6 39.Kg2 Ra7 40.Rd8+ Ke7 41.Rb8 Rc7 42.Kf1 Kd6 43.Ke2 Ba7 44.Rd8+ Ke7 45.Ra8 Bc5 46.Kd1 Bb4 47.Ke2 Bc3 48.Kf1 Bb4 49.Kg2 Bc3 50.Ra4 Kd6 51.Kh3 Ke7 52.Bg2 Be1 53.Ra2 Bb4 54.g4 hxg4+ 55.Kxg4 Bd6 56.Rb2 Kf6 57.Rb7 Kg7 58.Rb5 f5+ 59.Kh3 g5 60.hxg5 Kg6 61.Rb7 Kxg5 62.Rxc7 Bxc7 63.Bf3 Bd6 64.Bd1 Kf4 65.Kg2 e5 66.Kf1 e4 67.Ke2 Bc7 68.Bb3 Bd6 69.Be6 Bc7 70.Bd7 Bd6 71.Be6 Bc7 72.Bd7 Bd6 1/2-1/2

Round 8, Dec. 4
5+3
Aronian, Levon – Ding, Liren
C53 Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Be2 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Nxd2 10.Nbxd2 O-O 11.O-O f6 12.Nb3 fxe5 13.Nxe5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 c6 15.f4 Bf5 16.Bd3 Ba5 17.Bxf5 Bb6+ 18.Kh1 Rxf5 19.g4 Rf8 20.f5 Qg5 21.Qf3 Rae8 22.Rae1 h5 23.gxh5 Bc7 24.Nc5 Rxe5 25.Rxe5 Bxe5 26.Nd7 Re8 27.Re1 Qd2 28.Qe2 Qf4 29.Nxe5 Qxf5 30.h6 gxh6 31.Qg2+ Kh7 32.Rg1 Qe4 1-0

Aronian-Ding 9-19

Round 9, Dec. 4
10+5
Carlsen, Magnus – MVL
B95 Sicilian, Najdorf

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f3 h6 8.Be3 b5 9.a3 Nbd7 10.Qd2 Bb7 11.O-O-O h5 12.Kb1 Be7 13.Rg1 Rc8 14.Be2 Nb6 15.Qe1 Nfd7 16.g4 hxg4 17.Rxg4 Bf8 18.Rg2 Ne5 19.f4 Nec4 20.Bc1 Qc7 21.Bxc4 Nxc4 22.Rd3 g6 23.b3 Bg7 24.Qd1 Qa5 25.f5 Ne5 26.b4 Qb6 27.fxg6 Nxg6 28.Be3 Bh6 29.Ndxb5 Bxe3 30.Nxd6+ Ke7 31.Nxb7 Ne5 32.Rxe3 Nc4 33.Rd3 Qxb7 34.Na4 Rhd8 35.Nc5 Rxd3 36.Nxd3 Nxa3+ 37.Kc1 Qxe4 38.Rf2 Qe3+ 39.Kb2 Nc4+ 40.Ka2 Nd6 41.Qh5 Nf5 42.Re2 Qg1 43.Qf3 Qb6 44.Ne5 Qb5 45.c4 Qa4+ 46.Qa3 Qxa3+ 47.Kxa3 f6 48.Nd3 Rxc4 49.Nc5 Nd4 50.Re4 a5 51.Ka2 Rxb4 52.Nd3 Nb5 53.Rxb4 axb4 54.Nxb4 f5 55.Kb2 Kf6 56.Kc2 Nd4+ 57.Kd3 Nf3 58.h3 e5 59.Ke3 Nh4 60.Nd5+ Kg5 61.Ne7 Ng6 62.Nc8 Nf4 63.h4+ Kxh4 64.Ne7 Kg5 65.Kf3 Ng6 66.Nd5 e4+ 67.Ke3 Ne5 68.Kd4 Ng4 69.Nc7 Nh2 70.Ke3 Nf1+ 71.Kf2 Nd2 72.Ke3 Nc4+ 73.Kd4 Nd6 74.Ne6+ Kg4 75.Ke3 Kg3 76.Nd4 f4+ 77.Ke2 Kg2 78.Ne6 f3+ 79.Ke3 Kg3 80.Nf4 Nc4+ 81.Kxe4 f2 82.Ne2+ Kg4 0-1

Position after Black’s 58…e5

Welki writing in chess.com:

what a game - real drama...

it was equal till move 25. ... Ne5 by MVL

next 10 moves MC was winning by 3+ points

then came terrible 35.Nc5 where MC lost app. 4.5 points...
soon after MC lost another 2 points with 37.Kc1...
after that, it was MVL turn to lose app. 4 points with 38. ... Qe3+

game was drawish till MC made 45. c4 and lost app. 2 points

MC soon after lost 2 points with 50. Re4
and that was it, even MVL lost 2 points with 52. ... Nb5 he had enough advantage and kept it to the end

"4 blunders versus 3 blunders" game confirms the saying - the winner is the one who makes one mistake less...

Round 10, Dec. 4
10+5
MVL – Carlsen, Magnus
B51 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4 a6 6.Bxd7+ Qxd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.Qd3 Qc6 9.O-O Be6 10.Rd1 Rc8 11.a4 h6 12.Nd2 Nf6 13.Nf1 Be7 14.Ne3 O-O 15.Ncd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 Qd7 17.Nf5 Kh8 18.c4 e4 19.Qh3 Nh7 20.b3 Bf6 21.Ra2 b5 22.axb5 axb5 23.cxb5 Ng5 24.Qg4 Qxb5 25.Bxg5 hxg5 26.Nxd6 Qxb3 27.Nxc8 Qxa2 28.Nd6 e3 29.Qh3+ Kg8 30.Qxe3 Rd8 31.Ne4 Rxd5 32.Nxf6+ gxf6 33.Rf1 Kg7 34.h3 Qc4 35.Qf3 Qd3 36.Qxd3 Rxd3 37.Re1 Rd6 38.Rf1 Rd7 39.Re1 Rd8 40.g4 Rd7 41.Kg2 Rd8 42.Kg1 Rd7 43.Kg2 Rd8 44.Kg1 1/2-1/2

Carlsen-MVL 14.5-15.5

Comments

Peter Svidler: "Spare a thought for Levon Aronian who lost horribly today and gets a match against Magnus Carlsen as a consolation" :)

Carlsen: "I felt early on this wasn't my day. I felt really sluggish."

Carlsen: "He's a great player and a deserved winner. He outlasted me in the match. At this format, he is very, very good. I knew if I didn't have a perfect day, it was going to be tough."

Magnus: "I played like an old patzer, an old retired grandmaster!"

Grand Chess Tour - Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will face off against Ding Liren for the title of 2019 Grand Chess Tour Champion in addition to the $150,000 prize.

Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian will battle it out for third place and $60,000.

Tomorrow is a day off. Action will resume on December 6

**Wayne Komer** · Friday, 6th December, 2019, 10:20 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 6, 2019

Final

Round 1

GCT London Finals: Vachier-Lagrave miraculously escapes

The players returned to the board after spending their day off at the Pro Biz Cup raising money for the UK charity Chess in Schools and Communities. After the opening phase, the commentators expected to see two victories. While Carlsen was able to put away his opponent, Vachier-Lagrave escaped by the skin of his teeth thanks to his resilient and resourceful defense. Aronian will have the white pieces tomorrow to try to overcome the 6 point deficit. The games will resume tomorrow 2 hours earlier, at 2 PM GMT/8 AM CST.

Results after first classical games

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Ding Liren: ½ - ½

Vachier-Lagrave miraculously weathered the storm in what looked like a completely lost position. Ding repeated the same line against the Ruy Lopez that he had played against Carlsen in 2017. The Frenchman misplayed the middlegame and found himself in an unpleasant position, with a bad knight against a superior bishop in a queen endgame. Vachier-Lagrave decided to give up a pawn in order to trade the minor pieces, but inadvertently entered a lost endgame where his opponent’s passed c-pawn was unstoppable. Ding’s king ran across the board in order to hide from his opponent’s checks and to support his passed pawn. The situation looked hopeless for the Frenchman, but at the critical moment on move 66, the Chinese star made the grave error of allowing his opponent to promote to a queen as well, thinking that he had a forced win. The unusual endgame with four queens on the board went on for 32 moves until Ding had to accept that the victory had slipped out of his hands, eventually settling for a perpetual. Vachier-Lagrave was very critical of his performance, calling it unworthy of a final match. Ding was disappointed but found some solace in his high-quality middlegame play.

Magnus Carlsen vs Levon Aronian: 1-0

Carlsen returned to the board eager to recover from his loss against Vachier-Lagrave. The main culprit of Aronian’s downfall was his poor time management throughout the game. The World Champion maintained a small edge after getting the bishop pair but Aronian was in the game. The position blew up on move 32 when the Armenian sacrificed a pawn in order to activate his pieces. Unfortunately, he was already low on time and missed a key resource to fully equalize. After a few more inaccuracies by both sides, the players ended up in an opposite-colored bishop endgame where Aronian was down a pawn and already relying heavily on increment, making it practically impossible to hold. He conceded defeat after it became clear that another one of his pawns would inevitably fall.

https://www.fide.com/news/251

Round 1, Dec. 6
MVL – Ding, Liren
C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a3 O-O 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Ba2 Be6 11.b4 Bxa2 12.Rxa2 Nc6 13.Bg5 Qd7 14.Bxf6 Bxf6 15.Nd5 a5 16.c4 Ne7 17.Qb3 bxc4 18.Nxe7+ Bxe7 19.dxc4 axb4 20.axb4 Qc6 21.Re1 Rxa2 22.Qxa2 Ra8 23.Qb3 g6 24.b5 Qc5 25.Qc2 c6 26.bxc6 Bd8 27.Nd2 Bb6 28.Nb3 Qxc6 29.Ra1 Rc8 30.Rc1 h5 31.h4 Ra8 32.Ra1 Rxa1+ 33.Nxa1 Qd7 34.g3 g5 35.Qd2 gxh4 36.c5 Bxc5 37.Qg5+ Kf8 38.Qxh4 Ke8 39.Nb3 Qa4 40.Nxc5 dxc5 41.Qxh5 Qxe4 42.Qh8+ Ke7 43.Qc8 Qd4 44.g4 c4 45.g5 c3 46.Kg2 Kd6 47.f3 Qd2+ 48.Kh3 Kd5 49.Qf5 Kc6 50.Qc8+ Kd6 51.Qf8+ Kc6 52.Qc8+ Kb5 53.Qb7+ Kc5 54.Qa7+ Kd6 55.Qb8+ Kd5 56.Qb7+ Kd4 57.Qe4+ Kc5 58.Qxe5+ Kc4 59.Qe4+ Kb3 60.Qb1+ Ka3 61.Qa1+ Kb4 62.Qb1+ Kc5 63.Qf5+ Qd5 64.Qc8+ Kd4 65.Qg4+ Kd3 66.g6 c2 67.gxf7 c1=Q 68.f8=Q Qh1+ 69.Kg3 Qe5+ 70.Qgf4 Qg1+ 71.Kh4 Qh1+ 72.Kg3 Qee1+ 73.Kg4 Qhh4+ 74.Kf5 Qh5+ 75.Kf6 Qa1+ 76.Ke6 Qa2+ 77.Kf6 Qb2+ 78.Ke6 Qb3+ 79.Kf6 Qb2+ 80.Ke6 Qb3+ 81.Kf6 Qc3+ 82.Ke6 Qg6+ 83.Q4f6 Qc6+ 84.Ke7 Qc5+ 85.Ke6 Qc6+ 86.Ke7 Qc7+ 87.Ke6 Qb6+ 88.Ke7 Qc5+ 89.Ke6 Qcf5+ 90.Ke7 Qc5+ 1/2-1/2

Position after 66.g6. Black should play fxg6

Position after 83.Q4f6

- 4 queens on board, but it seems Ding Liren has missed a huge chance to beat MVL!

Round 1, Dec. 6
Carlsen, Magnus – Aronian, Levon
D02 Queen’s Bishop Game

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 7.Nb3 Bg4 8.a4 a6 9.a5 Qa7 10.c3 e6 11.Be2 Nh5 12.Be3 Qb8 13.h3 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Nf6 15.Be2 Bd6 16.Bd3 O-O 17.O-O Qc7 18.Re1 Kh8 19.Qf3 Rae8 20.Bg5 Ng8 21.Re2 Nge7 22.Qh5 Ng6 23.Bc2 Kg8 24.Bd2 Nb4 25.Bb1 Nc6 26.Bd3 Rb8 27.Be3 Rfe8 28.g3 Nf8 29.Bc2 b6 30.axb6 Rxb6 31.Bc1 Reb8 32.Nc5 e5 33.Nxa6 Qa7 34.dxe5 g6 35.Qg4 Nxe5 36.Qa4 Rc8 37.Be3 d4 38.Bxd4 Nf3+ 39.Kg2 Nxd4 40.Qxd4 Ne6 41.Rxe6 fxe6 42.Be4 Rf8 43.Ra2 Rb7 44.Qxa7 Rxa7 45.b4 Rb8 46.c4 Rb6 47.b5 Kf7 48.Rc2 Rbxa6 49.bxa6 Rxa6 50.c5 Be5 51.c6 Ra7 52.h4 Kf6 53.Rd2 Bc3 54.Rd3 Bb4 55.Kh3 Be7 56.f3 e5 57.Rc3 Bd6 58.Rc1 h6 59.Rd1 Be7 60.Kg4 Kf7 61.Rb1 Bd6 62.h5 gxh5+ 63.Kxh5 Kg7 64.Rd1 Bb4 65.Rd5 Re7 66.Bf5 1-0

Position after 38.Bxd4

**Wayne Komer** · Saturday, 7th December, 2019, 10:31 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 7, 2019

Final

Round 2

GCT London Finals: Ding Liren scores, Carlsen escapes

The 2019 Grand Chess Tour is nearing the end after another action-packed day in London. Levon Aronian was very close to equalizing the score but ultimately was unable to break Magnus Carlsen’s defense. Ding Liren, on the other hand, played a clean game to put away Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Both Carlsen and Ding will enter the final day with a 6 point lead, putting an enormous amount of pressure on their opponents to score in the rapid to collect as many points as possible. The winner of the tour will be decided tomorrow at the end of two rapid and four blitz games followed by tiebreaks if required. As a special treat, legendary former World Champion Garry Kasparov will be calling into the show to share his thoughts. It’s not a day to miss!

Results after the classical games

Ding Liren vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: 1-0

After failing to deliver the decisive blow yesterday, Ding Liren proceeded more methodically in the final moments today. The commentators thought that Ding didn’t get any advantage out of the opening in the Symmetrical English, but that he simply played better than his opponent thereafter. The critical developments in the game happened on move 33, when the opening of the kingside made the g-file available for Ding, while he still kept control of the queenside and the center. While Vachier-Lagrave’s pieces were overcommitted on the queenside, the Chinese star was able to launch an unstoppable attack on the opposite wing by lifting his rook. The game ended with a beautiful sacrifice by Ding, who admitted to double-checking the line several times in order to avoid yesterday’s fiasco. Tomorrow, one of these two fine players will be crowned the 2019 Grand Chess Tour Champion.

Levon Aronian vs Magnus Carlsen: ½ - ½

Magnus Carlsen ended the year without a single loss in classical chess after a miraculous save, extending his undefeated streak to 107 games. Trouble began for the World Champion right out of the opening when he felt compelled to sacrifice a pawn in order to muddy the waters. He gave up another pawn a few moves later to open the center and get at his opponent’s king, but could never claim enough compensation for the material deficit. The evaluation of the position was changing throughout the game as Aronian kept allowing his opponent back in the game. The final blunder occurred on move 43, when Aronian miscalculated a tactic, ultimately entering a queen ending which ended with a perpetual on move 82. Carlsen described the game as “objectively awful quality-wise”, but to his credit, he did find amazing resources to survive.

Taken from the Official Site:

https://www.fide.com/news/253

Round 2, Dec. 7
Ding, Liren – MVL
A37 English, symmetrical variation

1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e5 6.O-O Nge7 7.d3 d6 8.a3 a5 9.Rb1 O-O 10.b3 Rb8 11.Bb2 h6 12.Nd2 Be6 13.Nd5 b5 14.e3 Qd7 15.Re1 Bg4 16.Qc2 Rfc8 17.Ne4 Nxd5 18.cxd5 Ne7 19.Nd2 Bh3 20.Bh1 Nf5 21.a4 h5 22.axb5 Rxb5 23.Ra1 h4 24.Bc3 Ra8 25.Ra4 Qd8 26.Bf3 Rab8 27.Rea1 Bh6 28.Re1 Qg5 29.Ne4 Qd8 30.Ra3 Ne7 31.Nd2 Nf5 32.Qd1 Bg7 33.g4 Nh6 34.Kh1 f5 35.gxf5 gxf5 36.Rg1 Qd7 37.Qe2 Kh8 38.Ra4 Rxb3 39.Rxh4 Rxc3 40.Rxh3 a4 41.e4 Rc2 42.Rh5 f4 43.Qd1 Rbb2 44.Nc4 a3 45.Bg4 Qd8 46.Nxb2 Rxb2 47.Be6 a2 48.Rxg7 Kxg7 49.Qg1+ Kf8 50.Rf5+ 1-0

Position after 47…a2

- Boom, Rg7 played! With this win, Ding Liren will enter the final day with a 6 point lead over MVL

Round 2, Dec. 7
Aronian, Levon – Carlsen, Magnus
E60 King’s Indian Defence

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 Nc6 4.d5 Ne5 5.e4 d6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.f4 Ned7 8.Be3 O-O 9.Be2 e6 10.dxe6 fxe6 11.h4 b5 12.cxb5 Bb7 13.Qb3 Kh8 14.Bf3 e5 15.Nh3 Nh5 16.Bxh5 gxh5 17.f5 Nf6 18.Nf2 a6 19.b6 cxb6 20.Bxb6 Qd7 21.Rd1 Rac8 22.Be3 h6 23.Rh3 d5 24.exd5 Ba8 25.Rf3 Rb8 26.Qc2 Rfc8 27.Qe2 Qf7 28.Qd2 Kh7 29.Nfe4 Nxe4 30.Nxe4 Rd8 31.f6 Bf8 32.Qc2 Kh8 33.Nc3 Rb4 34.Qf2 Bxd5 35.Bc5 Rd4 36.Bxd4 Bxf3 37.gxf3 exd4 38.Rxd4 Rb8 39.Qh2 Rb6 40.Nd5 Qe6+ 41.Qe2 Qg8 42.Kf1 Re6 43.f7 Qxf7 44.Rf4 Qg6 45.Rxf8+ Kg7 46.Qd1 Kxf8 47.Nf4 Qe8 48.Nxe6+ Qxe6 49.Qd8+ Kf7 50.Qc7+ Ke8 51.Qb8+ Kd7 52.Qb7+ Kd8 53.Qb8+ Kd7 54.Qa7+ Ke8 55.b3 Qh3+ 56.Ke2 Qxh4 57.Qb8+ Ke7 58.Qc7+ Kf8 59.Qc5+ Kg7 60.Qe5+ Kg8 61.a4 Qh1 62.Qb8+ Kf7 63.Qf4+ Ke8 64.Qb8+ Kd7 65.Qa7+ Kd8 66.Qd4+ Ke8 67.Qe5+ Kd7 68.Qd4+ Ke8 69.b4 Qg2+ 70.Qf2 Qg5 71.f4 Qd5 72.Qe3+ Kf7 73.Qa7+ Ke8 74.Qc5 Qa2+ 75.Kf3 Qxa4 76.Qxh5+ Ke7 77.Qe5+ Kf7 78.Qd5+ Kg7 79.Qd4+ Kf7 80.Qd5+ Kg7 81.Qd4+ Kf7 1/2-1/2

Position after 70…Qg5

- In his last classical game in 2019, Carlsen finds the spectacular save Qg6 and may keep his incredible unbeaten streak.

- After a cricketing analogy Peter Svidler sums up: "The best way to play queen endings is by not playing them!"

Olimpiu Urcan - These days, it's easier to break the armour glass windows of a brand new Tesla cybertruck than to break down Magnus Carlsen's defenses in a classical chess game.

- Magnus Carlsen ends his classical year with a 107th game unbeaten, despite coming incredibly close to losing to Levon Aronian!

**Wayne Komer** · Sunday, 8th December, 2019, 11:29 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 8, 2019

Final

Rapid and Blitz

Ding Liren is the winner of Grand Chess Tour 2019

A new name was etched on the Grand Chess Tour trophy as Ding Liren was crowned the 2019 champion after defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the final. The Chinese player earned $150,000 for his efforts, bringing his winnings to a total of almost $300,000 for the entirety of the tour. Vachier-Lagrave consequently finished in second place and collected $100,000. Magnus Carlsen won his match against Levon Aronian, claiming the third qualifying spot to the 2020 tour and $60,000, while Aronian took home the remaining $40,000. The 2020 season will kick off in Bucharest, Romania in May.

Ding Liren vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

The six-point lead going into the day gave Ding Liren a huge advantage, allowing him to clinch the title in the first two games. Vachier-Lagrave must have felt an enormous amount of pressure to score in the rapid games, choosing the risky Benoni with the black pieces in game one. Perhaps the lack of experience of playing those structures was the main culprit, but the Frenchman’s position went down in flames shortly after the opening stage. The eventual champion was under a bit of pressure in the second game with the black pieces but managed to hold without many difficulties. There was some consolation for Vachier-Lagrave, who scored 3.5/4 in the remaining blitz games. The win was a big confidence boost for Ding, who now believes that in his best shape he can compete with anyone. His next big event will be the Candidates Tournament, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where he is one of the favorites to win and earn the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen’s crown. Vachier-Lagrave conceded graciously, telling Maurice that Ding played “amazing” in the second classical game and “struck when it counted and struck very hard.”

Magnus Carlsen vs Levon Aronian

Just as Ding, Magnus Carlsen also entered the day with a six-point advantage. He, too, was close to putting away his opponent when the unthinkable happened and he blundered a checkmate in a completely winning position. The World Champion couldn’t help but chuckle at the ludicrousness that had transpired at the board after resigning. The win in the second rapid game practically meant the end of the match, as Aronian would need to win the rest of the blitz games to tie the score while Carlsen only needed a draw. The World Champion achieved the desired result in the first blitz game, thus bringing the match to a conclusion. The final score in the blitz was 2-2. Carlsen has had a phenomenal year, specifically in the Grand Chess Tour, but felt that he was already in poor shape in London and felt that “the right two people played in the final.”

https://www.fide.com/news/254

-
	Grand Chess Tour 2019
-
Pos.		Player	GCT Points	Prize Money
-				$
1		Ding Liren	43.8	294,833
2		M. Vachier-Lagrave	36.8	200,000
3		Magnus Carlsen	67.5	302,500
4		Levon Aronian	37.5	161,250
5		Sergey Karjakin	36.5	99,250
6		Vishy Anand	36	97,500
7		Wesely So	33.5	110,000
8		Ian Nepomniachtchi	29.5	68,583
9		Hikaru Nakamura	27.5	75,000
T10		Fabiano Caruana	26.5	76,250
T10		Anish Giri	26.5	67,333
12		Shakh Mamedyarov	16	48,750
-
-

Finals

Rapid

Game 1, Dec. 8
25+10
Ding, Liren – MVL
E60 King’s Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.d5 d6 7.Nc3 e6 8.O-O exd5 9.cxd5 Re8 10.Re1 Bf5 11.Nd2 Na6 12.e4 Bg4 13.f3 Bd7 14.Nc4 Qb8 15.Bf4 Bf8 16.a4 Nb4 17.Qd2 Nh5 18.Bg5 f6 19.Be3 f5 20.exf5 Bxf5 21.g4 Bd3 22.Bf1 Bxf1 23.Kxf1 Nf6 24.Bg5 Bg7 25.Bf4 Qd8 26.Nxd6 Rf8 27.Kg2 Qd7 28.Bg3 h5 29.g5 Ne8 30.Re6 h4 31.Bf4 h3+ 32.Kg3 Nxd6 33.Bxd6 Rf5 34.Rae1 Bf8 35.Rxg6+ Kh7 36.Ree6 Re8 37.Bxf8 Rxe6 38.Rxe6 Rxf8 39.f4 1-0

Game 1, Dec. 8
25+10
Aronian, Levon – Carlsen, Magnus
A09 Reti, Advance variation

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 c5 4.g3 cxb4 5.a3 b3 6.d3 Nc6 7.Nbd2 a5 8.Qxb3 a4 9.Qc2 e5 10.Bg2 Nf6 11.O-O Be7 12.Rb1 O-O 13.Rb5 Nd7 14.Bb2 Nc5 15.Rb1 Qc7 16.Bc1 Na5 17.R5b2 Bd7 18.Qd1 Bc6 19.Ne1 Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Ncb3 21.Nc2 b5 22.cxb5 Rfb8 23.Nxb3 axb3 24.Nb4 Rxb5 25.e4 dxe3 26.Qf3 Rd8 27.Bxe3 Qd7 28.Rc1 f5 29.Rbb1 Qe6 30.Bd2 e4 31.Qe3 Bxb4 32.Bxb4 Rxd3 33.Qa7 Nc4 34.Rxc4 Qxc4 35.Qa8+ Kf7 36.Qf8+ Kg6 37.Rc1 Qxc1 38.Qe8+ Kh6 39.Qe6+ g6 40.Bf8+ Kh5 41.Qe7 1-0

Position after 39.Qe6

The reply 39…g6 blunders into mate.

Game 2, Dec. 8
25+10
MVL – Ding, Liren
A13 Reti, Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 d5 4.b3 c5 5.Bb2 Nc6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bb5 Bd6 8.O-O O-O 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Bc7 11.Nd2 Qd6 12.N2f3 Bg4 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Qc2 Bxf3 15.Nxf3 Ne4 16.Rfd1 Rac8 17.Be5 Qe7 18.Bxc7 Rxc7 19.Rac1 Rd8 20.Qb2 c5 21.Qe5 Qxe5 22.Nxe5 g6 23.b4 Rdc8 24.f3 Nf6 25.bxc5 Rxc5 26.Rxc5 Rxc5 27.Rd2 Kf8 28.Rb2 Rc7 29.Kf2 Ke7 30.g4 Nd7 31.Nd3 Nb6 32.Nf4 Rc5 33.Ne2 Ra5 34.Nd4 Kf6 35.h4 h6 36.Rc2 Nc4 37.e4 Ra4 38.Nb5 dxe4 39.Nc3 e3+ 40.Ke2 Na3 41.Rc1 Rc4 42.Kxe3 Ke5 1/2-1/2

Game 2, Dec. 8
25+10
Carlsen, Magnus – Aronian, Levon
D02 Queen’s Bishop game

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nbd2 cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 7.Nb3 a6 8.Be2 Bg4 9.a4 e6 10.a5 Qd8 11.Ne5 Bxe2 12.Qxe2 Rc8 13.c3 Be7 14.h4 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 Nd7 16.h5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 O-O 18.Ra4 Qd7 19.Rg4 f5 20.exf6 Bxf6 21.O-O e5 22.h6 Kh8 23.hxg7+ Bxg7 24.Rd1 Qf7 25.Rd3 e4 26.Rh3 Rc6 27.Rgh4 h6 28.Qe3 Rf6 29.Nd4 Rxf2 30.Rxh6+ Kg8 31.Qg3 Rf1+ 32.Kh2 Qf4 33.Ne6 Qxg3+ 34.Rxg3 R8f7 35.Rhg6 e3 36.Rxe3 1-0

Blitz

Game 3, Dec. 8
5+3
Ding, Liren – MVL
E60 King’s Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.e3 O-O 5.Be2 b6 6.O-O Bb7 7.Nc3 e6 8.b3 c5 9.dxc5 bxc5 10.Bb2 Qe7 11.Qc2 Nc6 12.Rad1 Rfd8 13.Rd2 d5 14.Rfd1 Rac8 15.Qb1 d4 16.exd4 cxd4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Rxd4 Rxd4 19.Rxd4 Nd5 20.Nxd5 exd5 21.Qd1 Re8 22.Bf1 Qe1 23.Qxe1 Rxe1 24.Rd2 Bxb2 25.Rxb2 Rc1 26.f3 Ba6 27.Kf2 dxc4 28.bxc4 Kg7 29.Rb4 Rc2+ 30.Kg3 Rxa2 31.Bd3 f5 32.Rb8 Rd2 33.Ra8 Kf6 34.Rxa7 Bc8 35.Bf1 g5 36.h4 f4+ 37.Kh2 g4 38.fxg4 Bxg4 39.Rxh7 Rd1 40.Kg1 Be2 41.Kf2 Bxf1 42.g3 Bd3 43.Rh6+ Kg7 44.Rd6 Rf1+ 45.Kg2 f3+ 46.Kh2 Be4 0-1

(to be continued)

**Wayne Komer** · Sunday, 8th December, 2019, 11:31 PM

London Chess Classic 2019

December 8, 2019

Final

Blitz (continued)

Game 3, Dec. 8
5+3
Aronian, Levon – Carlsen, Magnus
A11 English

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 a6 5.Qc2 Bg4 6.Ne5 e6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nxg4 Nxg4 9.h3 Nf6 10.g3 g6 11.Bg2 Bg7 12.Ne2 O-O 13.b3 Nbd7 14.Bb2 Re8 15.d3 Nh5 16.O-O Bxb2 17.Qxb2 Qf6 18.Qc2 a5 19.e4 dxe4 20.dxe4 Qe7 21.Rad1 Nc5 22.Nc3 Rad8 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Rd1 Ng7 25.Rxd8+ Qxd8 26.Qd1 Qf6 27.Qd2 Nge6 28.f4 h5 29.h4 Kg7 30.Kf2 Nd7 31.Ne2 Ne5 32.Ke1 Ng4 33.Qc3 Qxc3+ 34.Nxc3 Ne3 35.Bh3 Nc2+ 36.Kd2 Ncd4 37.Ke3 f5 38.e5 Kf7 39.Bf1 Ke7 40.Bd3 b5 41.Nb1 Kd7 42.Nd2 Kc7 43.Bf1 Kb6 44.Kd3 Kc5 45.Kc3 Nc7 46.a3 Nd5+ 47.Kd3 b4 48.a4 Nc7 49.Ke3 Nd5+ 50.Kd3 Nc7 51.Ke3 Nd5+ 52.Kd3 Nc7 1/2-1/2

Game 4, Dec. 8
5+3
MVL – Ding, Liren
C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed

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.a4 Bb7 11.d3 h6 12.Nbd2 Bf8 13.Nf1 Nb8 14.Ng3 Nbd7 15.Nf5 Nc5 16.Bc2 Nxa4 17.Bxa4 bxa4 18.Qxa4 d5 19.Qc2 Qd7 20.Ng3 Rad8 21.Ra5 c5 22.c4 dxc4 23.dxc4 Qd3 24.Qxd3 Rxd3 25.Bd2 Nd7 26.Bc3 f6 27.Nf1 Nb8 28.Ra3 Nc6 29.Rb3 Nb4 30.N3d2 Red8 31.Re2 a5 32.Ne3 a4 33.Ra3 Bc6 34.g4 Kf7 35.Kg2 g6 36.Nd5 Nc2 37.Ra2 f5 38.Nf3 Rxf3 39.Kxf3 Nb4 40.Ra1 fxe4+ 41.Kxe4 Nxd5 42.cxd5 Rxd5 43.Ke3 h5 44.g5 e4 45.Rd2 Rxg5 46.Rd8 Rf5 47.Rc8 Bh6+ 48.Ke2 Bb5+ 49.Ke1 e3 50.fxe3 Bxe3 51.Kd1 Bd3 52.Rxa4 Rf1+ 53.Be1 c4 54.Rb4 Rh1 55.Rb7+ Kf6 56.Re8 Bd4 57.h4 c3 58.bxc3 Bxc3 59.Rb3 Rxe1+ 60.Rxe1 Bxe1 61.Kxe1 Be4 62.Rb5 Bf5 63.Kf2 g5 64.Rb6+ Kg7 65.hxg5 h4 66.Rh6 h3 67.Kg3 Bd7 68.Rf6 Bc8 69.Rf2 Kg6 70.Kh4 Bf5 71.Re2 Bd7 72.Rd2 Bf5 73.Rd6+ Kg7 74.Kg3 Bc8 75.Rh6 Bf5 76.Kf4 Bd7 77.Ke5 Bg4 78.Rh4 Bd7 79.Ke4 Kg6 80.Kf4 Kg7 81.Rh6 Bc8 82.Rd6 Kf7 1-0

Final Position

Game 4, Dec. 8
5+3
Carlsen, Magnus – Aronian, Levon
B90 Sicilian, Najdorf

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.a3 g6 7.f3 Bg7 8.Be3 b5 9.Qd2 h5 10.a4 b4 11.Na2 a5 12.c3 bxc3 13.Bb5+ Bd7 14.Nxc3 O-O 15.O-O Na6 16.Nc6 Bxc6 17.Bxc6 Rb8 18.Bb5 Nc5 19.Rad1 Qc7 20.Kh1 Rfd8 21.Bg5 Qa7 22.Qf2 Rdc8 23.Be3 Qc7 24.e5 Nh7 25.Nd5 Qa7 26.Nxe7+ Qxe7 27.exd6 Qe5 28.f4 Qf5 29.d7 Ne4 30.dxc8=Q+ Qxc8 31.Qf3 Nhf6 32.Bd4 Qf8 33.Rfe1 Qb4 34.b3 Rd8 35.Bxf6 Rxd1 36.Rxd1 Bxf6 37.Bc4 Nd6 38.Qd5 Be7 39.Bd3 Kg7 40.g3 Qc3 41.Qe5+ Qxe5 42.fxe5 Nb7 43.Bc4 Nc5 44.Rf1 f5 45.exf6+ Bxf6 46.Rd1 Be7 47.Rd5 g5 48.Kg2 Kf6 49.Kf3 Kg6 50.Ke3 Kf6 51.h3 Kg6 52.g4 hxg4 53.hxg4 Kf6 54.Rf5+ Kg6 55.Kd4 1-0

Game 5, Dec. 8
5+3
Ding, Liren – MVL
E60 King’s Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg2 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.d5 b5 8.cxb5 a6 9.bxa6 Bf5 10.Nc3 Ne4 11.Nxe4 Bxe4 12.Nd2 Bxg2 13.Kxg2 Qa5 14.Nc4 Qxa6 15.Qc2 Nd7 16.a4 Rfb8 17.Ra3 Nb6 18.Nxb6 Rxb6 19.b3 Rc8 20.Bd2 c4 21.a5 Rbb8 22.bxc4 Rxc4 23.Qd3 Qb5 24.Rc1 Rxc1 25.Qxb5 Rxb5 26.Bxc1 Bd4 27.a6 Rb8 28.Be3 Bxe3 29.Rxe3 Ra8 30.Ra3 Kf8 31.Kf3 Ke8 32.Kg4 f6 33.h4 Kd7 34.h5 Ra7 35.f4 Kc7 36.hxg6 hxg6 37.f5 g5 38.Kh5 Kb6 39.Kg6 Kc5 40.e4 Kd4 41.Ra4+ Ke3 42.Kf7 Kf3 43.Ra3+ Kxe4 44.Ke6 g4 45.Ra4+ Kf3 46.Ra3+ Ke4 47.Ra4+ Kf3 48.Ra3+ Ke4 1/2-1/2

Game 5, Dec. 8
5+3
Aronian, Levon – Carlsen, Magnus
C16 French, Winawer, Petrosian variation

1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Qd7 5.Nh3 b6 6.Nf4 Ba6 7.Bxa6 Nxa6 8.O-O Bxc3 9.bxc3 Ne7 10.Nh5 Kf8 11.a4 Nb8 12.g4 Nbc6 13.f4 Rg8 14.Qd3 Ke8 15.f5 exf5 16.gxf5 Kd8 17.Kh1 Kc8 18.f6 g6 19.Ng3 Nf5 20.Nxf5 gxf5 21.Qxf5 Nd8 22.Qxd7+ Kxd7 23.Rf3 Ne6 24.Rh3 Rh8 25.Be3 Rag8 26.Rg1 Rxg1+ 27.Kxg1 h5 28.Kf2 c5 29.Ke2 a5 30.Rg3 Kc6 31.dxc5 bxc5 32.Kd3 h4 33.Rg4 h3 34.c4 Rb8 35.Bd2 Rb1 36.Rh4 dxc4+ 37.Kxc4 Ra1 38.Kd3 Ra3+ 39.c3 Kd5 40.Rxh3 c4+ 41.Ke3 Rxa4 42.Rh7 Kxe5 43.Rxf7 Ra1 44.h4 a4 45.h5 a3 46.Ra7 Kxf6 47.h6 Rh1 48.Rxa3 Rxh6 49.Ke4 Rh5 50.Be3 Re5+ 51.Kf3 Rf5+ 52.Ke2 Ke5 53.Ra5+ Ke4 54.Ra4 Kd5 55.Ra5+ Ke4 56.Ra4 Kd5 1/2-1/2

Game 6, Dec. 8
5+3
MVL – Ding, Liren
C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Centre Attack

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.d4 exd4 7.e5 Nd5 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Nb6 10.Bb3 O-O 11.Bf4 d5 12.exd6 Bxd6 13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.Qxd6 cxd6 15.Re1 d5 16.Nd2 a5 17.a3 Bd7 18.Nf3 Rfe8 19.Nd4 Kf8 20.f3 Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Re8 22.Rd1 Ke7 23.Kf2 Kd6 24.h4 Kc5 25.Ba2 Nc4 26.Nb3+ Kc6 27.Nd4+ Kc5 28.Bxc4 dxc4 29.c3 b5 30.b4+ Kb6 31.Ne2 Bc6 32.h5 axb4 33.axb4 Ra8 34.Rd2 Kc7 35.Ke3 Ra1 36.Kf4 h6 37.Nd4 Rc1 38.Rc2 Rxc2 39.Nxc2 Kd6 40.Nd4 Bd7 41.Nf5+ Bxf5 42.Kxf5 Kd5 43.g4 Kd6 44.f4 Ke7 45.Ke5 g6 46.f5 gxh5 47.gxh5 Kd7 48.Kf6 Ke8 49.Kg7 Ke7 50.Kxh6 Kf6 51.Kh7 Kxf5 52.Kg7 Kg5 53.h6 1-0

Game 6, Dec. 8
5+3
Carlsen, Magnus – Aronian, Levon
C44 Konstantinopolsky Opening

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nc3 Qd6 6.Bg2 Bg4 7.h3 Bh5 8.g4 Bg6 9.Nh4 O-O-O 10.d3 Nd4 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Ne4 Qd7 13.c3 Ne6 14.Qb3 Qxd3 15.Be3 Qa6 16.Bf1 Qc6 17.Bg2 Qa6 18.Bf1 Qc6 19.Qc4 Nf6 20.Qxc6 bxc6 21.Ba6+ Kb8 22.Ng5 Nxg5 23.Bxg5 Bc5 24.Ke2 Rd6 25.f3 Nd5 26.Rad1 f6 27.Bc1 g5 28.Rd3 Nf4+ 29.Bxf4 exf4 30.Kd2 Be3+ 31.Kc2 c5 32.Rxd6 cxd6 33.Bc4 Kc7 34.Bd5 a5 35.Kd3 Kb6 36.Kc4 Bf2 37.Rh2 Be3 38.Be4 Bg1 39.Rd2 Kc7 40.Kb5 Rxh3 41.Kxa5 g6 42.Rd1 Be3 43.Rf1 Rh2 44.b4 Rxa2+ 45.Kb5 cxb4 46.cxb4 f5 47.gxf5 gxf5 48.Bxf5 d5 49.Rh1 Kd6 50.Rh5 Rb2 51.Rxg5 Bd2 52.Rg6+ Ke5 53.Bd3 Kd4 54.Bf5 Bxb4 55.Kc6 Ra2 56.Rg4 Bd2 57.Rg1 Ra6+ 58.Kb5 Ra3 59.Bg4 Rc3 60.Rh1 Ke3 61.Rh8 d4 62.Rd8 d3 63.Bf5 Be1 64.Re8+ Kf2 0-1

Final Position

Score in the Finals

Ding Liren – MVL 16-12
Magnus Carlsen – Levon Aronian 17-11

Garry Kasparov - Congrats to Ding Liren for his very impressive win over the world’s best in London. A worthy Grand Chess Tour champion!