TRADEWISE GIBRALTAR MASTERS 2018 – ROUND 10

What a massively tense finish to the Tradewise Gibraltar masters for 2018.

Aronian drew against Nakamura and Vachier-Lagrave drew against Rapport. That left Daniil Dubov with the chance to take the win by beating Liem Le Quang with Black.  Dubov was slightly worse for most of the game till the Chinese GM uncorked the massively powerful d4 on move 45. After that Dubov’s position just crumpled.

Various lower boards that had decisive results, we finished with 7 players tied on 7.5 points. Based on the rules we had the top 4 players on tie break going on to play a series of rapid and blitz knock out matches to see who would get the GBP25000.

The playoff semi -finals were Nakamura vs Vachier-Lagrave and Rapport vs Aronian. Vachier-Lagrave and Aronian won their respective semi -finals to match up against each other. This was a match too close to call. They had a rating difference of only 3. Head to head across all time controls Vachier Lagrave had won 5, Aronian had won 4 with 17 draws.

The two rapid games of the finals were both draws, as was the first blitz game where Vachier -Lagrave had White. Then in the fourth game Aronian won and sealed the title.

The women’s event was simpler. Of the three co-leaders only Pia Cramling scored a draw in the final round to secure an outright victory.

The pairings on the top boards for round 10 were as follows, with tournament points in brackets:
Aronian Levon (7) vs Nakamura Hikaru (7)

Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (7) vs Rapport Richard (7)

Le Quang Liem (6.5) vs Dubov Daniil (7)

Vitiugov Nikita (6.5) vs Antipov Mikhail Al. (6.5)

Gupta Abhijeet (6.5) vs Duda Jan-Krzysztof (6.5)

Wang Hao (6.5) vs Howell David W L (6.5)

Adams Michael (6.5) vs Grandelius Nils (6.5)

Cheparinov Ivan (6.5) vs Vocaturo Daniele (6.5)

Oparin Grigoriy (6.5) vs Gelfand Boris (6.5)

Kobo Ori (6.5) vs Ivanchuk Vassily (6)

Deac Bogdan-Daniel (6) vs Navara David (6)

Motylev Alexander (6) vs Peralta Fernando (6)

  

Here are some decisive games from round 10 and the tiebreaks:

Aronian,Levon (2797) - Vachier Lagrave,Maxime (2793)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (18), 01.02.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.Nb5 Na6 6.e3 D00: 1 d4 d5: Unusual lines 

6...c6 [6...0–0 7.h3 c6 8.Nc3 Nc7 9.Be2 Bf5 10.0–0 Rc8 11.Bh2 Ne4 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.c3 1/2–1/2 (55) Aronian,L (2799) -Vachier Lagrave,M (2804) Tbilisi 2017] 

7.Nc3 0–0 8.Bxa6 White is slightly better. 

8...bxa6 9.h3 Nd7N [9...Bb7 10.g4 Rc8 11.Na4 0–1 (33) Tippach,G-Kobs,R Wuerzburg 1987] 

10.0–0 Bb7 11.Na4 Rc8 12.b4 a5 13.Nc5 Nxc5 14.bxc5 Ba6 15.Re1 a4 16.Qd2 Bb5 17.e4 dxe4 18.Rxe4 Bc4 Threatening ...Bd5. 

19.Bh6 Bxh6 [Better is 19...Bd5!² 20.Bxg7 Kxg7] 

20.Qxh6±  White threatens Ng5 and mate. 

20...f6 21.Nd2 Bd5 22.Re3 Rb8 [¹22...Bf7] 

23.c4‚ White goes for the king. 

23...Bf7 24.Re4 White wants to mate with Rh4. 

24...g5 With the idea ...Bg6. 

25.Rae1 e5 [25...Rb2± is a better defense. 26.Nf1 (26.Rxe7 Rxd2 27.Qxf6 Qxd4–+) 26...e5] 

26.dxe5 Bg6 27.R4e2! Rb2 28.Nf3 Rxe2 29.Rxe2 fxe5 30.Rxe5 Qd1+ 31.Re1 Qc2 32.a3 Qxc4 [¹32...Rf5 33.Re7 Qb1+ 34.Re1 Qc2] 

33.Qxg5+- Rf5 34.Re8+ Kg7 35.Qe7+ Kh6 36.Qe3+ Qf4 37.Qxf4+ Rxf4 Endgame KRB-KRN 

38.Re6 Rc4 39.Rxc6 Kg7 40.Ne5 Rc1+ 41.Kh2 Be4 42.Ra6 Rxc5 43.Rxa7+ Kg8 44.Nd7 Rf5 45.Rxa4 Bc6 46.Rg4+ Kf7 47.Nb8 Bb7 [¹47...Be8 48.f3 Ra5] 

48.f3 Rb5? [48...Ra5 49.a4 Bd5] 

49.Rb4 Rxb4 50.axb4 1–0

Le,Quang Liem (2737) - Dubov,Daniil (2694)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (10), 01.02.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0–0 Bg7 5.Nc3 e5 6.d3 Nge7 7.Bc4 B31: Sicilian: 2...Nc6 3 Bb5 g6 7...0–0 8.a3 d6 9.h3 The position is equal. [9.Rb1 h6 10.b4 Kh7 11.bxc5 dxc5 12.Nd5 b6 13.Re1 Be6 14.Nxe7 Qxe7 1/2–1/2 (39) Ni,H (2671)-Mamedov,R (2709) Riadh 2017] 

9...h6 10.b4 Kh7 11.bxc5N [11.Rb1 f5 12.Nd5 b6 13.b5 Nd4 14.Nxd4 cxd4 0–1 (45) Stoinev,M (2232)-Videnova,I (2311) Thessaloniki 2018] 

11...dxc5 12.Rb1 b6 13.Nd5 Be6 14.Nxe7 Qxe7 15.Bd5 Qd6 16.c4 Rab8 17.Bb2 Bd7 18.Bc3 Ne7 19.Qd2 g5 20.Rfe1 Ng6 21.Nh2 Nf4 22.Re3 h5 23.Qd1 Qg6 24.Rg3 f6 25.Bd2 Bh6 26.a4 Qe8 27.Ra1! a5 28.Nf1 Rd8 29.Ra3 Bc8 30.Ne3 Rd6 31.Rf3 Bd7 32.g4 Rh8 33.Rg3 Bf8 34.Nf5 Bxf5 35.gxf5 h4 36.Re3 Qh5 37.Qxh5+ Nxh5 38.Rb3 Be7 39.Re1 Rc8 40.Kg2 Bd8 41.Kf3 Kh6 42.Reb1 Bc7! 43.Rb5 Bd8 44.Kg4ƒ Black is under pressure. 

44...Bc7?  [44...Nf4²] 

45.d4!+- exd4  [45...cxd4 46.c5] 

46.e5! Rdd8? [46...Rxd5 47.cxd5 Bxe5 48.Rxb6 Nf4; 46...fxe5 47.Bxg5+] 

47.Rxb6 Bxb6 48.Rxb6 Nf4 49.Rxf6+ Kg7 50.Bxf4 gxf4 51.Kxf4 [¹51.Rg6+ Kh7 52.Kg5 Rxd5 53.cxd5 Rf8 54.e6 Ra8 55.Rh6+ Kg8 56.f6] 

51...d3 52.Ke3 Rb8 53.Rg6+ Kh7 54.e6 Rg8 55.Rxg8  1–0

Adams,Michael (2709) - Grandelius,Nils (2647)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (10), 01.02.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7 5.0–0 Ngf6 6.Re1 e6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Be7 B52: Sicilian: Moscow Variation with 3...Bd7 

9.c4 0–0 10.b3 [10.Nc3 a6 11.b3 Rc8 12.Bb2 Qa5 13.Qd2 Rfd8 14.Rad1 Qh5 15.h3 Bf8 16.Qe3 Nc5 17.g4 Qg6 18.f4 1–0 (35) Karjakin,S (2786)-Indjic,A (2539) Tromsoe 2014] 

10...Re8 White is slightly better. 

11.Bb2 Nc5 12.Nc3 d5N [12...Qb6²; Predecessor: 12...Qb6 13.Qf3 Nfd7 14.Rad1 Rad8 15.h3 Ne5 16.Qe2 Bf6 17.Nc2 a6 18.Kh1 Nc6 19.f4 1/2–1/2 (27) Dovzik,J (2386)-Pinter,G (2384) Hungary 2001] 

13.exd5+- exd5 14.Nf5 Bf8 15.Rxe8 [Don't play 15.Nxd5?! Rxe1+ 16.Qxe1 Nxd5±] 

15...Qxe8 16.Nxd5 Nxd5 17.Nh6+! Kh8 aiming for ...Nf4. [17...gxh6 18.Qg4+] 

18.Qxd5 Qe6 19.Nxf7+ Kg8 White must now prevent ...Qxd5. 

20.Qxe6 Nxe6 21.Ne5 Rd8 22.Bc3 Bc5 23.Kf1 Bd4 24.Bxd4 Rxd4 Endgame KRN-KRN 

25.Re1 Nc5 26.Nf3 Rd6 27.Ng5 Rd8 28.g3 h6 29.Ne6 Nxe6 30.Rxe6 KR-KR 

30...Kf7 31.Re5 Rd2 32.a4 Rb2 33.Rb5 b6 34.h4 Ke6 35.h5 Kd6? [35...Kf6 36.Kg2 Re2] 

36.a5 White is clearly winning. 

36...Kc6 37.axb6 axb6 38.Kg2  1–0

Gledura,Benjamin (2612) - Praggnanandhaa R (2515)

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2018 Caleta (10), 01.02.2018

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.d4 g6 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.0–0 0–0 7.Nc3 b6 8.Ne5 Bb7 9.Bg5 D77: Fianchetto Grünfeld: 6 0–0: Replies other than 6...c6 

9...Nbd7N [9...Qd6±; 9...h6 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.cxd5 exd5 12.e4 Bxe5 13.dxe5 d4 14.Nd5 c5 15.b4 Nd7 16.f4 Kg7 1–0 (35) Sargissian,G (2671)-Cheparinov,I (2678) Khanty-Mansiysk 2013] 

10.cxd5+- exd5 11.Nxd5! White has a decisive advantage. 

11...Bxd5 12.Bxd5 Nxe5 13.Bxa8 [Weaker is 13.dxe5 Qxd5 14.Bxf6 Qe4²] 

13...Qxa8 14.dxe5 Ne4 15.Bf4 Nc5 16.Be3 Ne6 17.f4 Qe4 18.Qd3 Qb4 19.a3 White is winning. 

19...Qe7 20.Rad1 Rd8 21.Qc4 c5 22.Rd5 1–0