Sunday, January 21, 2018

TATA STEEL MASTERS 2018 WIJK AAN ZEE – ROUND 8


Round 8 of the Tata Steel Masters could be blandly described as a round with three decisive games and four draws. However, that does not give justice to the high drama that played out as well as the reversals of fortune.

First Giri beat Mamedyarov to regain a share of the lead. Then Carlsen blundered a piece with 17. g4? against Jones. The World Champion then hunkered down and clawed his way back into the game to eventually take the win and a share of first place.

Hou was on track to create a massive upset with her completely dominating position over Caruana, but lost her way. In the end Caruana got the better of the position and took the full point.

Tomorrow the 3 co-leaders have some interesting match ups. Of the three leaders, only Mamedyarov will have the white pieces for his game against Kramnik. Carlsen will have Black against Anand. Giri will have Black against Matlakov.

The pairings for round 8 were as follows, with tournament points in brackets:
Yifan Hou 2680 (1) vs Fabiano Caruana 2811 (2)
Baskaran Adhiban 2655 (1.5) vs Sergey Karjakin 2753 (4)
Yi Wei 2743 (2.5) vs Maxim Matlakov (3.5)
Anish Giri 2752 (4.5) vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2804 (5.5)
Vladamir Kramnik 2787 (4.5) vs Wesley So 2792 (4.5)
Peter Svidler 2768 (3.5) vs Viswanathan Anand 2767 (4)
Magnus Carlsen 2834 (4.5) vs Gawain Jones 2640 (3.5)       

The standings at the end of Round 8:
Anish Giri 2752 (5.5)
Magnus Carlsen 2834 (5.5)
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2804 (5.5)
Vladamir Kramnik 2787 (5)
Wesley So 2792 (5)
Viswanathan Anand 2767 (4.5)
Sergey Karjakin 2753 (4.5)
Peter Svidler 2768 (4)
Maxim Matlakov (4)
Gawain Jones 2640 (3.5)
Yi Wei 2743 (3)
Fabiano Caruana 2811 (3)
Baskaran Adhiban 2655 (2)
Yifan Hou 2680 (1)

Here are the decisive games from round 8:

Giri,Anish (2752) - Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar (2804)
80th Tata Steel Masters 2018 Wijk aan Zee (8), 21.01.2018

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.e3 Nf6 5.d4 cxd4 6.exd4 d5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 e6 9.Bb5 Bg7 10.0–0 A35: Symmetrical English: 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Nf3 
10...0–0 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Re1 Qd6N [12...Qb6 13.Qc2 ½–½ (13) Tomashevsky,E (2710)-Alekseev,E (2622) Sochi 2017] 
13.Ne4 Qb4 14.Qc2 a5 15.a3 Qb6 16.Nc5 Re8 17.Ne5 [17.Bg5] 
17...f6 18.Nc4 Qc7 19.Bd2 e5 20.dxe5 fxe5 21.Qa4 Nb6 22.Nxb6 Qxb6 23.Qc4+ [23.Be3] 
23...Kh8 24.Bc3 Bf5 25.g4 Bc8 26.Re4 Qb5 27.Rae1 Qxc4 28.Rxc4 Rb8 29.h3 h5 30.gxh5 gxh5 [30...e4± war angesagt.] 
31.Rh4 [Weaker is 31.Bxa5 Bxh3 32.Bc3 Bg4²] 
31...Kh7 32.Ne4+- [Don't do 32.Bxa5?! Rg8±; Much less strong is 32.Rxh5+ Kg6±]  1–0


Carlsen,Magnus (2834) - Jones,Gawain C B (2640)
80th Tata Steel Masters 2018 Wijk aan Zee (8), 21.01.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0–0 9.0–0–0 [9.Bc4] 
9...d5 10.Qe1 e5 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bc4 Be6 14.Kb1 Re8 15.Ne4 f5 16.Ng5 [16.Bg5 Qb6] 
16...Bc8 17.g4? [17.Bb3² stays ahead.; 17.h4] 
17...f4! 18.h4 [Avoid the trap 18.Qh4? h6–+; 18.Bxf4 exf4 19.Rxd5 Rxe1+ (19...cxd5 20.Bxd5+ Qxd5 21.Qxe8+ Bf8) 20.Rd1+ Be6 21.Bxe6+; 18.Bf2 Qxg5 19.Bh4 Qh6] 
18...fxe3 19.Qxe3 h6 20.Qc5 Bb7 [But not 20...hxg5 21.Qxc6 Be6 22.Bxd5µ] 
21.Ne4 Re6 [21...Qe7] 
22.h5 [22.Bb3] 
22...Qb6 [22...Bf8–+ 23.Qf2 g5; 22...g5] 
23.g5! hxg5 [23...Bf8³ 24.Qg1 Qxg1 25.Rdxg1 Be7] 
24.Qa3! Rb8 25.b3 Qd8 [25...gxh5= remains equal. 26.Rxh5 Rg6] 
26.Qxa7 [26.Rdg1] 
26...gxh5? [26...Re7±] 
27.Rxh5 Rg6 28.Rxg5! Rxg5 29.Nxg5 Qc8 30.Rg1 Ra8 31.Qb6 [31.Qf2 Qf5] 
31...Ra6 32.Qc5 [32.Qb4] 
32...Qd7 [32...Qf8 33.Ne6 Qxc5 34.Rxg7+ Kh8 35.Nxc5] 
33.Ne4 Kh8 [33...Kf7] 
34.Qf2 Qe7 35.Bxa6 Bxa6 36.Qh2+ Kg8 37.Qh6 Qa7 [¹37...Kf8 38.Qxc6 Bb7] 
38.Qe6+ Kf8 39.Rg5 Ne3 [¹39...Qe7 40.Rf5+ Nf6 41.Qxc6 Bb7 42.Rxf6+ Bxf6 43.Qxf6+ Qxf6 44.Nxf6 Bc6] 
40.Qd6+ Kf7 41.Nc5 [¹41.Qxc6 Bc4 42.bxc4] 
41...Bc8+- 42.Rxg7+ 1–0


Hou,Yifan (2680) - Caruana,Fabiano (2811)
80th Tata Steel Masters 2018 Wijk aan Zee (8), 21.01.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7 12.d5 Nb6 C96: Closed Ruy Lopez: Chigorin Defence: 11 d4, replies other than 11...Qc7 
13.Nbd2 Bd7 14.Nf1 Nb7 15.b3 a5N [15...c4 16.b4 a5 17.g4 axb4 18.cxb4 Na4 19.a3 g6 20.Ng3 0–1 (63) Kryvoruchko,Y (2676)-Polgar,J (2709) Achaea 2012] 
16.Rb1 c4 17.bxc4 Nxc4 18.a4 Qc7 19.axb5 Nb6 20.Be3 Rfc8 21.Bd3 Nc5 22.Re2 a4 [22...Nba4= keeps the balance. 23.Rc1 Nxd3 24.Qxd3 Qc4 25.Qxc4 Rxc4] 
23.Ra2 Bd8 24.Bc2 Nc4 25.N3d2 [Much weaker is 25.Bxa4?! Nb6=] 
25...Nxe3 26.Nxe3 Rcb8 27.c4 Qc8 28.Ra3 [¹28.Bxa4 Ba5 29.Bc2] 
28...Ba5 29.Ndf1 Bb6 30.Ng3 Qd8 31.Nef5 [Of course not 31.Bxa4?! Qg5=] 
31...g6 32.Nh6+ [Viel schlechter ist 32.Nxd6?! Qf6=] 
32...Kg7 33.Qd2 [33.Ng4±] 
33...Qh4! 34.Ng4 Bxg4 35.hxg4 Qxg4 36.Kf1 [36.Qe2³ Qf4 37.Nf1] 
36...Qh4! 37.Ke2 h5 38.Kf1 Rh8 39.Rba1 Qf6 [39...Rhc8µ] 
40.Rf3 Qe7 41.Ne2 [¹41.Kg1] 
41...Nb3! 42.Bxb3 axb3 43.Ra6 Rxa6 44.bxa6 Ra8 45.Rxb3 Rxa6 46.g3 h4 47.gxh4? [47.Kg2µ] 
47...Qxh4 48.Ng3 Bxf2 49.Qxf2 Qh3+ 50.Ke2 Ra2+ 51.Ke1 Rxf2 52.Nf5+ Qxf5! 53.exf5 Rxf5 54.Rb6 Rf4 55.Rc6 g5 56.Ke2 Rd4 57.Kf3 f6–+ 58.Rxd6 Rxc4–+ 0–1



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