TRADEWISE GIBRALTAR MASTERS 2018 – ROUND 8

There was an interesting series of results from key players in round 8 of the Tradewise Gibraltar Masters. You may recall that after his win in round 7, Howell had moved up to share the lead with Nakamura.

Nakamura drew his third consecutive game to move up to 6.5 points. However, Rapport beat Howell in round 8, not only dropping Howell out of a share of the lead, but also moving up to 6.5 himself. Vachier-Lagrave and Dubov also won their games and also share the lead at 6.5 points.

Aronian drew his game to stay just a half a point off the lead, a score he shares with 8 other players.

There are 2 rounds remaining and the top 13 players are separated by just half a point.

The pairings on the top boards for round 8 were as follows, with tournament points in brackets:
Wang Hao (5.5) vs Nakamura Hikaru (6)

Rapport Richard (5.5) vs Howell David W L (6)

Oparin Grigoriy (5.5) vs Aronian Levon (5.5)

Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (5.5) vs Moussard Jules (5.5)

Dubov Daniil (5.5) vs Antipov Mikhail Al. (5.5)

Tregubov Pavel V. (5) vs Navara David (5)

Vitiugov Nikita (5) vs Gledura Benjamin (5)

Gupta Abhijeet (5) vs Ivanchuk Vassily (5)

Narayanan S. L. (5) vs Duda Jan-Krzysztof (5)

Adams Michael (5) vs Sandipan Chanda (5)

Ju Wenjun (5) vs Gelfand Boris (5)

Sutovsky Emil (5) vs Vocaturo Daniele (5)

  

Here are some decisive games from round 8:

Rapport,Richard (2700) - Howell,David W L (2682)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (8), 30.01.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 c6 5.Nc3 d5 6.Qb3 0–0 7.Bg2 Qb6 8.0–0 Rd8 9.Bd2  D78: Fianchetto Grünfeld: 6 0–0 c6 

9...Be6 10.Na4 Qxb3 11.axb3 Strongly threatening Nb6!The position is equal. 

11...Na6 12.Rfc1 Ne4N [12...Ne8 13.e3 h6 14.Ba5 Rdc8 15.Nd2 Nec7 16.Bf1 Bd7 17.Bxc7 Rxc7 18.cxd5 cxd5 19.Bxa6 Rxc1+ 20.Rxc1 bxa6 1–0 (46) Ding,L (2777)-Haddouche,M (2487) Tbilisi 2017] 

13.Ba5 Rdc8 14.e3 g5 15.Nd2ƒ White has good play. 

15...Nxd2 16.Bxd2 g4 17.Bf1 dxc4 18.bxc4 c5 19.Bg2 Rab8 [#] 20.d5! Bd7 21.Bc3 Bxa4 22.Rxa4 Rd8 23.h3 gxh3 24.Bxh3 Rd6 25.e4 Bxc3 26.Rxc3 Rb6 27.b3 e5 28.Rf3 Kg7 29.Ra5 h6 30.Bd7 Rd6 31.Bb5 Nc7 32.Ba4 Na6 33.Rf5 f6 34.f4 exf4 35.gxf4 Kg6 36.b4! Nxb4 37.Bd1 [Not 37.Rxc5 Ra6=] 

37...Na6? [37...Kg7 is more resistant. 38.Rxc5 Na6] 

38.Bh5++- White is clearly winning. 

38...Kh7 39.e5 Rb6 40.Rb5 Rg8+ [¹40...Rxb5 41.cxb5 Nb4] 

41.Kf2 Rxb5 42.cxb5 Endgame KRB-KRN 

42...Nc7 43.d6 Nxb5 44.Rxf6 Rd8 45.Rf7+ Kg8 46.Rxb7 a6 [¹46...Nxd6 47.exd6 Rxd6 48.Rxa7 Rc6 49.Bf7+ Kf8] 

47.Rb6 c4 48.Rxa6 c3 49.Rc6  1–0

Vachier-Lagrave,Maxime (2793) - Moussard,Jules (2571)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (8), 30.01.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3 Nf6 6.d4 d5 7.Bd3 Bd6 8.Qe2+ Be6 C01: French: Exchange Variation 

9.c4 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qe7 The position is equal. 

11.0–0 0–0 12.Nc3 h6 13.Re1N aiming for d5. [13.d5 Bg4 14.Qxe7 Bxe7 15.Nb5 Nbd7 16.Re1 1/2–1/2 (40) Carlsen,M (2838)-Caruana,F (2817) Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden 2017] 

13...Re8 ...Bxc4 is the strong threat. 

14.d5 Bg4 15.Qxe7 Bxe7 [15...Rxe7 looks sharper. 16.Rxe7 Bxe7 17.Ne5 Nbd7 18.Nxg4 Nxg4 19.Bf4 Rc8] 16.Nb5 Na6 17.Bf4 Bb4 18.Rec1 Bxf3 19.gxf3 Ba5 20.Bb3 Re7 21.d6 cxd6 22.Nxd6 Rd8 23.Rc8ƒ White is more active. 

23...Rxc8 24.Nxc8 Re2 [24...Rd7²] 

25.Kf1 [¹25.Be3!] 

25...Re8± 26.Nxa7 Nc5 27.Bc4 Rd8 28.Nb5 Nd3 29.Bxd3 Rxd3 30.Ke2 Rd5 31.a4 Nd7 32.Rb1 Bb4 [32...Nc5²] 

33.Rd1 Rxd1 34.Kxd1 Endgame KBN-KBN 

34...Kf8 35.Kc2 Ke7 36.Kd3 g5 37.Bc7 Ke6 38.Kc4 Be1 39.Nd4+ Kf6 40.Bg3 [40.b4!+-] 

40...Ne5+  [40...h5±] 

41.Kb5!+- Black must now prevent Nc2. 

41...Nd3 [¹41...Nd7 42.b4 Kg6] 

42.Nc2 Bd2 43.b4 Ke6 44.Kb6! Nb2 45.a5 Nc4+ 46.Kxb7 Strongly threatening a6. 

46...Bxb4 47.Nxb4 Hoping for a6. 

47...Nxa5+ 48.Kb6 Nb3 49.Nc2 h5 [¹49...f5 50.f4 Kd5] 

50.Kc6 h4 51.Bc7 h3 52.Bb6 White is clearly winning. 

52...Nd2 53.Nd4+ Ke5 54.Kc5 f5 55.Bc7+ Kf6 56.f4 Ne4+ 57.Kd5 Nxf2 58.Bd8+ Kg6 59.Bxg5 Ng4 60.Nf3 Kh5 61.Kd4 Nf2 62.Bh4 Ne4 63.Ke3 Nc3 64.Bg3 Ne4 65.Be1  1–0

Dubov,Daniil (2694) - Antipov,Mikhail Al (2588)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (8), 30.01.2018

1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 g6 6.g3 D15: Slav Defence: 4 Nc3 a6 and gambit lines after 4 Nc3 dxc4 

6...Bg7 7.Bg2 0–0 8.0–0 The position is equal. 

8...Bg4 9.Ne5 Bf5 10.h3 Nfd7 11.f4 b6N [11...Nf6 12.Qb3 Qc8 13.g4 Be4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 dxe4 1/2–1/2 (26) Krysa,L (2491)-Caruana,F (2827) Caleta 2017] 

12.cxb6 Qxb6 13.Kh2 Be6 14.b3 f6 15.Nxd7 Nxd7 16.Ba3 Rfe8 17.Na4 Qb7 18.Rc1 Rac8 19.e3 Bf7 20.Qf3 Kh8 21.h4 Be6 22.g4 Bg8 23.Bb2 [23.g5!±] 

23...e5² 24.dxe5 fxe5 25.g5 Be6 26.h5 exf4 27.Bxg7+ Kxg7 28.h6+ Kg8 29.Qxf4 Bf5 30.Kh1 Qb8 31.Qd4 Qe5 32.Nc5 Nb8 33.Rce1‚ White is up to no good. 

33...Rc7? [33...Rcd8²] 

34.Qxe5+- Rxe5 35.e4! dxe4 36.Nxe4 Bxe4 37.Rxe4 [Inferior is 37.Bxe4 Rce7=] 

37...Rxe4 38.Bxe4 KRB-KRN 

38...Nd7 39.Bd3 Threatens to win with Bc4+. 

39...Ne5 40.Bxa6 Rf7? [Much worse is 40...Ra7 41.Bc8+-; 40...c5 41.a4 c4 42.Bxc4+ Nxc4] 

41.Bc4 . 1–0

Solomon,Kenny (2420) - Moroni,Luca Jr (2547)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (8), 30.01.2018

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 c5 3.e4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 d6 6.0–0 Nd7 B42: Sicilian: Kan Variation: 5 Bd3 

7.c3 [7.c4 Ne5 8.Be2 Nf6 9.Nc3 Be7 10.Be3 0–0 11.f4 Ng6 12.Nb3 b6 13.Bf3 Bb7 14.Qe1 Nd7 15.g3 Rc8 16.Nd2 Qc7 17.Rc1 Qb8 18.h4 Bf6 19.Qe2 1/2–1/2 (19) Palac,M (2535)-Sulava,N (2452) Mali Losinj 2017] 

7...Ngf6 8.Qe2 Be7 The position is equal. 

9.Rd1N [9.Bg5 Qc7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Nd2 0–0 12.Kh1 b5 13.a3 Bb7 14.Rae1 Qc6 15.N2b3 1/2–1/2 (51) Korman,J (1409)-Lebek,R (1389) Saarbruecken 2006] 

9...Qc7 10.Bc2 0–0 11.Nd2 Re8 12.Nf1 b5 13.a4 bxa4! 14.Bxa4 Bb7 15.Ng3 Rec8 16.Bg5 Nf8 17.Bc2 h6 18.Be3 N8d7 19.f4 Bf8 20.Kh1 Rab8 21.Bd2 Re8 22.Ba4 [22.Rf1=] 

22...Red8 23.Bc2 Re8 24.Ba4 Re7 25.Nf3 g6 [25...Rc8=] 

26.e5 [26.Bc2²] 

26...dxe5= 27.Nxe5 [Better is 27.fxe5= Ng4 28.Bf4] 

27...Nxe5 28.fxe5 Nd7 29.Bf4 Bg7 30.Re1 Bd5 31.h4 Bc4 [Black should play 31...Nc5µ ...Qd8 is the strong threat. 32.Rf1 Nd7] 

32.Qe3 [32.Qd2³] 32...Rxb2–+ White must now prevent ...Nc5. 33.Bxh6 Qxe5 [33...Bxh6–+ 34.Qxh6 Nxe5] 34.Bg5 [34.Qxe5µ Bxe5 35.Bc1] 

34...Qxe3 [Inferior is 34...Qd5 35.Ne4=] 

35.Rxe3 f6‚ Black has strong attack. 

36.Bf4 [36.Re4 is the only way for White.] 

36...e5 37.Ree1 Bd5? [37...exf4–+ and Black stays clearly on top. 38.Rxe7 Ne5] 

38.Rad1? [38.Bc1µ Rxg2 39.Bb3! Bxb3 40.Kxg2] 

38...Bxg2+ 39.Kg1  Hoping for Bc1. 

39...Nc5 40.Bc1 Ra2 [Not 40...Nxa4 41.Bxb2 Bf3 42.Rd8+ Kh7 43.Ba3µ] 

41.Rd8+ Kh7 42.Bd1 Bb7 43.Re2 [¹43.Kf1] 

43...Ra1 Black is clearly winning. 

44.Bb2 Rb1 And now ...Rd7 would win. 

45.Kf2 Ne6 46.Rd6 Nf4 47.Bc2 Nh3+  0–1