TATA STEEL MASTERS 2018 WIJK AAN ZEE – ROUND 6

The rest day on Thursday did nothing to dampen the fighting spirit of the players despite the 132km/h wind storm that kept the players indoors and forced the cancellation of the planned outing to play basketball.

The two decisive games of the day, both with the Black pieces had a degree of luck to them. First was Shakhriyar Mamedyarov’s win against Baskaran Adhiban, and then Wesley So who won out of a completely lost position in a game that reminded me of the expression that nobody has ever won a game by resigning.

This was Mamedyarov’s second consecutive win and launched him into the sole lead with 4.5 out of 6.

The pairings for round 5 were as follows, with tournament points in brackets:

Yifan Hou 2680 (0.5) vs Sergey Karjakin 2753 (2.5)

Fabiano Caruana 2811 (1.5) vs Maxim Matlakov (2.5)

Baskaran Adhiban 2655 (1) vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2804 (3.5)

Yi Wei 2743 (2.5) vs Wesley So 2792 (3)

Anish Giri 2752 (3.5) vs Viswanathan Anand 2767 (3.5)

Vladamir Kramnik 2787 (3) vs Gawain Jones 2640 (2.5)

Peter Svidler 2768 (2.5) vs Magnus Carlsen 2834 (3)     

The standings at the end of Round 6:

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2804 (4.5)

Anish Giri 2752 (4)

Viswanathan Anand 2767 (4)

Wesley So 2792 (4)

Vladamir Kramnik 2787 (3.5)

Magnus Carlsen 2834 (3.5)

Sergey Karjakin 2753 (3)

Maxim Matlakov (3)

Gawain Jones 2640 (3)

Peter Svidler 2768 (3)

Yi Wei 2743 (2.5)

Fabiano Caruana 2811 (2)

Baskaran Adhiban 2655 (1)

Yifan Hou 2680 (1)

Here are the decisive games from round 6:

Adhiban,B (2655) - Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar (2804)

80th Tata Steel Masters 2018 Wijk aan Zee (6), 19.01.2018

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.a3 Bc5 7.Be3 Nxd4 8.Bxd4 b6 9.e4 Bb7 10.b4 Be7 11.Bd3 d6 12.0–0 0–0 13.Qe2 Nd7 14.Rfd1 Rc8 15.Rac1 Qc7 16.Nb5 Qb8 17.Qg4 Nf6 18.Qe2 Nd7 19.Qg4 Ne5 20.Qg3 Ng6 21.f3 Rfd8 22.Bf1 Bh4 23.Qg4 h6 24.Be3 Bf6 25.Nd4 Re8 26.Nb5 Rcd8 27.a4 Bc6 28.Qg3 Bh4 29.Qg4 Re7 30.Bd3 Bf6 31.f4 Qa8 32.Re1 Rdd7 33.Bf2 Long maneuvering in a standard Hedgehog structure didn't produce much, and Shakh decided to rock the boat. 

33...a5!? 34.Bxb6 [34.bxa5 Qxa5] 

34...axb4 35.a5 b3 36.Kh1 [From the point of view of keeping Black's counterplay to minimum 36.Rb1 b2 37.g3 Re8 38.Qe2 Rb8 39.Rxb2 Bxb2 40.Qxb2 comes into consideration.] 

36...e5?! I'm not sure I like that, as the b-pawn loses the support of the dark-squared bishop. 

37.f5 Nf4 38.Bb1 d5 39.exd5 Bxb5 40.cxb5 Qxd5 41.Be4 Qd2 White looks totally winning here. 

42.a6 [Swapping the passed pawns after 42.Qf3 b2 43.Rc8+ Kh7 44.Rb1 Qb4 45.Rc2 Qxb5 46.Rcxb2 was perhaps not the fastest but the surest way to victory.] 

42...b2 43.Rb1 Qb4 44.Bc6 Rd3 45.Be3? [45.Re3 would put the stop to Black's idea of sacrificing the exchange as it happened in the game.] 

45...Ra3! 46.a7 Rexa7 47.Bxa7 Rxa7 Now it's anyone's game, and we all know how good Shakh is in such situations. 

48.Qd1 Ra3 49.Be4 Qxb5 50.Qd2 Rb3 51.g3 Nh3 52.Bg2 Ng5 53.h4 Nf3 54.Bxf3 Rxf3 55.Rxb2 Qa4 56.Re3 [Sometimes it's necessary to accept a little defensive task, just like Magnus Carlsen did against Vladimir Kramnik a couple of days ago. I vote for 56.Qb4 Qxb4 57.Rxb4 Rxg3 58.Rf1 hanging tough.] 

56...e4 57.Rb8+ Kh7 58.Kg2 Qc6 59.Rxf3?! I don't think it was forced just yet. 

59...exf3+ 60.Kf2 That king in the middle is going to give Adhiban a lingering headache. [I wonder if 60.Kh3 was a better option.] 

60...Be7! From this point on there was simply no stopping to the surging Mamedyarov. 

61.Qd3 Bc5+ 62.Kf1 Ba7 63.Rb1 Qc5 64.Ke1 Qf2+ 65.Kd1 f6 66.Rb3 Qg1+ 67.Kc2 Qg2+ 68.Kc3 Qxg3 69.h5 Qe5+ 70.Kb4 Qf4+ 71.Kb5 f2 72.Rb1 Qg4 73.Ra1 Bd4 74.Rf1 Qg2 75.Kc4 Bb6 76.Kb5 Be3 77.Ka4 The white king is wandering in the emptiness. 

77...Bd2! 78.Kb5 Be1 79.Kc5 Qg4 80.Kd6 Qxh5 81.Ke7 Qh2 82.Qd8 Qh3 83.Qc8 Bb4+ 84.Ke8 Qh5+ 85.Kd8 Qe2 86.Qc1 Be1 0–1

Wei,Yi (2743) - So,Wesley (2792)

80th Tata Steel Masters 2018 Wijk aan Zee (6), 19.01.2018

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 dxc4 [4...a6 5.b3 Bd6 6.Bb2 0–0 7.g4 Nxg4 8.Rg1 f5 9.cxd5 e5 10.h3 Nf6 11.Ng5 Qe7 12.Qf3 1–0 (37) Nepomniachtchi,I (2729)-Anand,V (2782) London 2017] 
5.Bxc4 a6 6.b3 A17: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with ...Bb4 
6...c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.Qc2N The position is equal. [8.0–0 Be7 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.exd4 b5 0–1 (42) Scherer,F (2155)-Wiley,T (2292) Neustadt an der Weinstrasse 2012] 
8...Be7 9.a3 b6 10.g4 h6 11.Rg1 b5 12.Be2! Bb7 13.g5 [13.h4=] 
13...hxg5³ 14.Nxg5 Rh6 [14...Rxh2?! 15.Nxf7! Kxf7 16.Qg6+ Kf8 17.Ne4=] 
15.Nce4 Nxe4 [15...Na5³] 
16.Nxe4= g6 17.Nxc5 Bxc5 18.Qxc5 Rxh2 19.a4 Qh4 [Black should play 19...Rc8² 20.Bg7 (20.axb5 Qh4µ) 20...Ne7] 
20.Rf1!± Rc8 [20...Qe7± was necessary. 21.Qxe7+ Kxe7] 
21.Qb6!+- Nd8 next ...Bg2 is good for Black. 
22.axb5 Bg2 23.Ra4 Qh3 24.Ba3 [24.Qxa6 Bxf1 25.Bxf1 25...Qf5!!–+; Better is 24.bxa6+- Bxf1 25.Qb5+ (25.Bxf1 Rh1+-) 25...Kf8 26.Bxf1] 
24...Rh1± [Avoid the trap 24...Bxf1? 25.Qd6+-] 
25.bxa6 Qh8? [25...Bxf1± 26.Qb5+ Nc6 27.Bxf1 Rc7] 
26.Rd4? [26.Qb5++- Nc6 27.d4 (27.Rxh1 Qxh1+ 28.Bf1 Rb8±) 27...Bxf1 28.Bxf1] 
26...Bxf1‚ Black has some attack. 
27.Qb5+ [27.Bxf1= keeps the balance. 27...Nc6 28.Qc5 (28.Qb7? Rxf1+ 29.Ke2 Re1+ 30.Kxe1 Qh1+ 31.Ke2 Nxd4+ 32.Kd3 Qxb7–+) 28...Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Qh1+ 30.Ke2 Qh5+ 31.f3 Nxd4+ 32.Qxd4 Qb5+ 33.Kf2 Qxa6 34.Bb4] 
27...Nc6µ 28.Bxf1 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 [29.Qxf1µ is the only way for White. 29...Nxd4 30.exd4 Qxd4 31.Qb5+ Kd8 32.Qa5+ Kd7 33.Qb5+ Rc6 34.Qb7+ Rc7 35.Qb5+ Rc6 36.Qb7+ Rc7 37.Qb5+ Kd8 38.Ke2] 
29...Qh1+–+ 30.Ke2 Hoping for Ra4. 
30...Qh5+ 31.Qxh5 Nxd4+ 32.exd4 Qb5+ would kill now. 
32...gxh5 Endgame KR-KB 33.b4 Threatens to win with b5. 
33...Rb8 34.Kf3 Kd7 35.Kg3 Kc6 36.b5+ [36.a7µ Rg8+ 37.Kh4] 
36...Rxb5 Strongly threatening ...Rb3+. 
37.Bc5 Rb2 38.a7 Kb7 39.d5? [39.d3] 
39...exd5 Black is clearly winning. 
40.Be3 Rb4 41.d4 [¹41.f3 d4 42.Bg5] 
41...Rb1  0–1