TRADEWISE GIBRALTAR MASTERS 2018 – ROUND 7

Round 7 had a couple of interesting results from the top end of the leader board. Nakamura recorded his second consecutive draw to go 6/7. On board 2 Howell beat Saric to pull level with Nakamura. The American Grandmaster is still listed as the leader due to a very tiny tiebreak advantage.

Varchier-Lagrave and Aronian also won their games to move up to just a half a point off the lead. Aronian’s win over Nigel Short was especially interesting and is annotated below.

With just three rounds remaining and 2 players on 6 and another 8 players on 5.5 there is still everything to play for.

The pairings on the top boards for round 7 were as follows, with tournament points in brackets:
Nakamura Hikaru  (5.5) vs Antipov Mikhail Al.  (5)

Howell David W L (5) vs Saric Ivan  (5)

Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (4.5) vs Sandipan Chanda  (5)

Aronian Levon (4.5) vs Short Nigel D  (4.5)

Navara David (4.5) vs Gupta Abhijeet  (4.5)

Harikrishna P.  (4.5) vs Oparin Grigoriy  (4.5)

Grandelius Nils  (4.5) vs Vitiugov Nikita  (4.5)

Duda Jan-Krzysztof  (4.5) vs Esipenko Andrey (4.5)

Vocaturo Daniele  (4.5) vs Adams Michael  (4.5)

Rapport Richard (4.5) vs Huzman Alexander  (4.5)

Moussard Jules  (4.5) vs Cheparinov Ivan  (4.5)

Gelfand Boris  (4.5) vs Deac Bogdan-Daniel  (4.5)

  

Here are some decisive games from round 7:

Aronian,Levon (2797) - Short,Nigel D (2681)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (7), 29.01.2018

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nf3 f5 4.g3 Nc6 5.d4 e4 6.d5 A27: English Opening: Three Knights Variation 

6...Ne5 7.Nxe5 [7.Nd4 h5 8.Bh3 g6 9.Bf4 Qe7 10.c5] 

7...dxe5 8.g4 White is slightly better. 

8...Bc5N [8...g6 9.gxf5 gxf5 10.Rg1 Nf6 11.Bg5 Be7 12.e3 Rg8 1–0 (27) Aronian,L (2793)-Ivanchuk,V (2738) Leuven 2017] 

9.Qb3 Nf6 10.Qb5+ Nd7 11.h4 a6 12.Qb3 e3! 13.Bxe3 Bxe3 14.fxe3 fxg4 15.Ne4 Nf6 16.Bg2 0–0 17.c5 Kh8 [Wrong is 17...Nxd5? 18.Nc3+-] 

18.0–0–0 Bf5 19.Ng3 Bg6 20.h5 Nxh5 [Black should try 20...Be8 ] 

21.Nxh5± Strongly threatening d6. 

21...Rf2 22.Bf1 Qf8 23.Ng3 aiming for Qb4. 

23...Qxc5+ 24.Qc3 Qe7 [24...Qd6± was called for.] 

25.e4 Qg5+ 26.Kb1 Qf4 27.Ka1 Rf8 28.Rg1 Rf7  [28...Bxe4 is a better defense. 29.e3 (29.Qxc7 Bxd5 30.Qc3 Bc6=) 29...Qf7] 

29.e3!+- Qg5 30.Bc4 And now d6 would win. 

30...Rd7 31.Qb4 b5 32.Nf5! h5 [32...Bxf5 33.Qf8#] 

33.Qe1 Hoping for Bxb5. 

33...Rf3 34.Be2 Rh3 35.Bf1 Bxf5? [35...Rh2 36.Qg3 Bxf5 37.Qxh2 (37.exf5 Qh4+-) 37...Bxe4] 

36.Bxh3 Bxe4 37.Bg2 Bxg2 38.Rxg2 h4? [38...Kh7 was necessary. 39.Qh1 Kg8] 

39.Qb4  1–0

Howell,David W L (2682) - Saric,Ivan (2664)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (7), 29.01.2018

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Bg4 3.Bg2 c6 4.0–0 e6 5.c4 Nf6 6.cxd5 Bxf3 7.Bxf3 cxd5 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.d4 Be7 A11: English Opening: 1...c6 

10.e3 0–0 11.Bd2 Rc8 12.Rc1 Ne8 13.Ne2N [13.Na4 Nd6 14.Nc5 b6 15.Nd3 Ne4 16.Be1 Qd7 17.Be2 1/2–1/2 (65) Bachmann,A (2598)-Lupulescu,C (2660) Dubai 2014] 

13...Nd6 14.Nf4 Qb6 15.Bc3 Rfd8 16.a3 Nb5 17.Bd2 Bg5 18.Nd3 Nd6 19.Bc3 Nb5 20.Bd2 Nd6 21.Rc2 h6 22.Kg2 Nc4 23.Bc1 a5 24.Rc3 Be7 25.Be2 Qa7 26.Qa4 Rb8 27.Qb5 Rdc8 28.Nc5 Bxc5 [28...b6 is more complex. 29.Nd3 Nd6 30.Qa4 b5 31.Qd1 b4] 

29.Qxc5 Qa8 30.Qb5 Na7 31.Qb3 b5 32.Qd1 a4 33.b3 [33.Rd3=] 

33...b4!µ 34.axb4 Nb5ƒ Black has strong initiative. 

35.Rd3 a3! 36.bxc4 dxc4+ 37.Bf3 Qa6! 38.Rd2 a2 39.Bb2 Hoping for Ba1. 

39...c3 40.Rc2 Ba1 is the strong threat. 

40...cxb2 41.Rxb2 Black should prevent Qa1. 

41...Nc3 42.Qa1 Qa3? [42...Rc4µ stays on course. 43.Rc1 Rcxb4 44.Rxb4 Rxb4 45.Rxc3 (45.Qxc3 Rb1µ) 45...Rb1 46.Rc8+ Qxc8 47.Qxa2 Rc1] 

43.Rc1± Rxb4? [43...Qa6±] 

44.Rxa2!+- Qxa2 45.Qxa2 Nxa2 46.Rxc8+± Endgame KRB-KRN 

46...Kh7 47.d5 exd5 48.Rc2 Ra4 49.Bxd5 Nb4 50.Rc4 Ra5 51.Be4+ White has a decisive advantage. [Weaker is 51.Rxb4 Rxd5 52.h4 Ra5±] 

51...f5 52.Rxb4 fxe4 53.Rxe4  1–0

Vachier-Lagrave,Maxime (2793) - Sandipan,Chanda (2579)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (7), 29.01.2018

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 d5 5.h3 Nf6 6.e5 Ne4 7.Nxe4 dxe4 8.Ng5 c5 9.dxc5 aiming for Qxd8+. 

9...Qxd1+ B15: Caro-Kann: 3 Nc3: 3... g6 and 3...dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+ exf6 

10.Kxd1 Bxe5 [10...Nc6 11.Nxe4 Bf5 12.Nd2 Bxe5 13.g4 Be6 14.Bc4 Bxc4 15.Nxc4 0–0–0+ 16.Bd2 Bd4 17.Ke2 Bxc5 1–0 (42) Navara,D (2710)-Polak,T (2520) Prague 2012] 

11.Nxe4 0–0 White is slightly better. 

12.c3 Rd8+ 13.Kc2! Bf5 14.f3N [14.Bd3 Na6 15.g4 Rxd3 16.gxf5 Rad8 17.fxg6 hxg6 1–0 (30) Michalczak,T (2260)-Heinemann,E Baden 1999] 

14...Nd7 15.Be3 Rdc8 16.Bd3 Bxe4 17.Bxe4 [Much worse is 17.fxe4 Nxc5 18.Rad1 e6=] 

17...Nxc5 18.Bxc5 Rxc5 19.Bxb7 Rb8 20.Be4 h5 21.Rhd1 h4 22.Rd5 Rxd5 23.Bxd5± Endgame KRB-KRB 

23...Rd8 24.Rd1 Kg7 25.Rd3 f5 [¹25...e6] 

26.b4 Kf6 27.c4 Kg5 [27...Bg3± 28.c5 e6] 

28.c5+- Kf4 29.a4 Kg3 30.Bf7 Rf8 31.Bxg6 Kf4 [¹31...Bf4] 

32.Rd2 Kg5 33.Rd5 Bb8 [¹33...Bg3 34.Bh7 a5] 

34.Bh7 e6 35.Rd7 Kh6? [35...Kf6 was called for. 36.Rb7 a6] 

36.Kd3 Rc8 37.a5 a6 [¹37...Rc7] 

38.Re7 White is clearly winning. 

38...Bg3 39.Kc4 Ra8 40.Bg8! Rxg8 41.Rxe6+ Kg5 42.Rxa6 Be5 43.Re6 Kf4 44.b5 Rxg2 45.b6  1–0

Ivanchuk,Vassily (2726) - Muzychuk,Mariya (2540)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (7), 29.01.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nf3 Nb6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.e3 0–0 9.0–0 Re8 10.Re1 a5 D76: Fianchetto Grünfeld: Main Line with 7...Nb6 

11.h3 a4 12.Rb1 a3 The position is equal. [12...e5 13.d5 Nb4 14.e4 c6 15.a3 Na6 16.Bg5 f6 17.Be3 cxd5 18.Bxb6 Qxb6 19.Nxd5 1–0 (52) Le,Q (2712) -Cheparinov,I (2678) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013] 

13.bxa3N [13.b3 e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Bxe5 16.Qc2 Be6 17.e4 c6 18.Be3 0–1 (35) Ulrich,T (2213)-Eckert,D (2247) Saint Louis 2012] 

13...e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Qxd8 [15.Nxe5 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Bxe5 17.Ne2 Nc4 18.Bxb7 Rb8 19.Be4] 

15...Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Rxd8 17.Nb5 Be5 18.Nd4 Bxh3 [18...Ra7= remains equal.] 

19.Bxb7± And now Nc6 would win. 

19...Bxd4 20.exd4 Rab8 21.Bf3 Black must now prevent Bf4. 

21...Be6 22.Bf4 Nd5 23.Bd2 [23.Rxb8± Rxb8 24.Bh6] 

23...Rxb1 24.Rxb1 Ra8 25.Rb5! c6 26.Ra5! Rb8 27.Bh6 f5 [27...Ne7± might work better.] 

28.Ra6+- Rc8 29.Ra7 Nc3 30.a4 Bd5 [¹30...Bxa2 31.a5 Bc4] 

31.Bxd5+ cxd5 Endgame KRB-KRN 

32.a5 White is clearly winning. 

32...Ne2+ 33.Kg2 Nxd4 34.a6 Nc6 35.Rg7+ Kh8 36.Rb7 d4 37.a7 d3 38.Rc7!!  1–0

Martinez Martin,David (2399) - Lagno,Kateryna (2556)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (7), 29.01.2018

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.d4 0–0 6.h3 e5 7.d5 Na6 8.Be3 Nh5 9.Nd2 Qe8 10.c5N E90: King's Indian: Classical: Early deviations and 6 h3 [White should try 10.a3= ; Predecessor: 10.a3 f5 11.Nb3 b6 12.Qc2 Qe7 13.0–0–0 Nc5 14.Be2 Nxb3+ 15.Qxb3 Nf6 16.Qc2 f4 17.Bd2 Bd7 1–0 (47) Bachmann,A (2577)-Istratescu,A (2671) Graz 2014] 

10...Nxc5³ 11.Nb3 [11.Nb5³ Qd8 12.b4] 

11...Nxb3µ 12.Qxb3 Black is better. 

12...c5 13.dxc6 bxc6 14.0–0–0 Qe7 15.Qa3 Rd8 16.Ba6 Be6 17.Rd2 Nf4 18.f3 Qc7 19.Kb1 d5 20.Bc5 [20.exd5µ Nxd5 21.Nxd5 Rxd5 22.Rxd5 cxd5 23.Rc1] 

20...dxe4!–+ 21.Bd6  [21.Rxd8+ might work better. 21...Rxd8 22.g3] 

21...Rxd6! 22.Qxd6 Qb6 23.Qa3 e3 24.Rc2 Rd8 25.Ne4 Rd4 26.Rhc1 Bd5 27.Ka1? [27.Be2 keeps fighting.] 

27...Bxe4 28.fxe4 Bf8 29.Qxe3 Qxa6 30.Rxc6 Qb5 31.R6c3 Nxg2 32.Qf2 Nf4 33.Rc7 a5 34.h4 Rxe4 35.Qa7 Nd3 36.Rb1 Ra4 37.b3 Rxa2+! 38.Kxa2 Qb4  0–1