WORLD CHESS CANDIDATES 2018 BERLIN – ROUND 8

One interesting side note to spectating games at the FIDE organized Candidates Tournament in Berlin. There is a wardrobe area where you can leave your thick heavy winter coat while watching the games.  However, the wardrobe area closes (and gets locked) at 20:00, irrespective of whether the games of the day are finished or not. So, like today for instance, you have the spectators rushing to the wardrobe area to check out their winter coats just as the games are reaching critical points at the 5 hour mark. This is vital – because if you are late you will need to make the journey back to the hotel without your winter coat. Tonight the temperature in Berlin is -6 Celsius.

Mamedyarov vs Karjakin was the first to finish. It was an Open Catalan that presented no serious problems for either player.

The second game of the day was another Open Catalan. This time between Ding and Aronian. This time Aronian didn’t self-destruct. It allowed Ding to maintain his perfect 50% score of 8 draws from 8 games.

Then was So vs Caruana, a Petroff. Caruana held a small advantage as Black almost the whole way through. In the end the position was played down to when there were just kings remaining.

The final game was a Queens Gambit Accepted between Grischuk and Kramnik. Maybe, as Nigel Short suggested, Kramnik believed that he was winning because he had the two bishops. This being a jibe at Kramnik’s round 7 press conference where he played on for 5 hours in a dead position because he was winning and then “Kramsplained” that any move would provoke the collapse of his less experienced opponent – which never happened. If his goal was the same in round 8 against Grischuk then his plan was wholly inadequate.

Here are the games from round 8:

Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar (2809) - Karjakin,Sergey (2763)

World Chess Candidates 2018 Berlin (8), 19.03.2018

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 dxc4 7.Qc2 c6 E05: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3 Be7 [7...a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Nc3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Qxd4 14.Qxc7 Nc6 15.Qxb7 Na5 16.Qc7 Qd8 17.Qf4 Rb8 18.Rfd1 1–0 (33) Mamedyarov,S (2804)-Wei,Y (2743) Wijk aan Zee 2018] 

8.a4 b6 9.Nbd2 Bb7 10.Nxc4 

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10...c5N [10...Nbd7 11.Rd1 Rc8 12.Nfe5 Nd5 13.Qb3 Ba6 14.e4 N5f6 15.Bg5 0–1 (29) Poulopoulos,I (2212)-Erenberg,A (2359) Pardubice 2016] 

11.Rd1 Nbd7 12.b3 Rc8 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Nfe5 Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Qc7 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 17.Qe4 Nf6 18.Qf3 Qc6 

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19.Qxc6 Rxc6 20.f3 Rfc8 21.e4 Kf8 22.Bf4 Be7 23.Rd3 Rd8 24.Rxd8+ Bxd8 

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25.Rd1 Be7 26.Ne5 Rc2+ 27.Rd2= Rc3 28.Rd3 Rc2+ 29.Rd2 Rc3 30.Rd3 Rc2+ ½–½

Ding,Liren (2769) - Aronian,Levon (2794)

World Chess Candidates 2018 Berlin (8), 19.03.2018

1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 e6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.Qa4+ Bd7 6.Qxc4 c5 7.d4 Bc6 8.dxc5 Nbd7 9.Be3 Bd5 10.Qc2 E04: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3 

10...Be4 11.Qc1 

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11...Ng4N [11...Bxc5 12.Bxc5 Rc8 13.b4 b6 14.Nc3 bxc5 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Qc4 Nef6 17.0–0 0–0 ½–½ (28) Zhou,J (2566)-Adams,M (2729) Khanty-Mansiysk 2007] 

12.b4 a5 13.Bg5 f6! 14.Bd2 axb4 15.Bxb4 

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15...Nxc5! 16.Bxc5 Rc8 17.Qc4 Bxc5 18.Qxe6+ Kf8 19.Qxg4 Bb4+ 20.Nbd2 Bxd2+! 21.Nxd2 Bxg2 22.Rg1 Bd5 

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23.Rd1 Qc7 24.Ne4 Rd8 25.f3 Qe5 26.Qf4 Qxf4 27.gxf4 Kf7 28.Nc3 Bc4 29.a4 

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29...Rxd1+ 30.Kxd1 Rd8+ 31.Kc2 Rc8 32.Kd2 Ba6 33.Ne4 Kf8 34.f5 Rd8+ 35.Ke3 Rd5 36.Rc1 Rxf5 

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37.Rc8+ Ke7 38.Rc7+ Kf8 39.Rc8+ Ke7 40.Rc7+= Kf8 41.Rc8+= ½–½

So,Wesley (2799) - Caruana,Fabiano (2784)

World Chess Candidates 2018 Berlin (8), 19.03.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Qe2 Qe7 6.d3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Qxe2+ 8.Bxe2 g6 C42: Petroff Defence: 3 Nxe5 and unusual White 3rd moves 

9.Bg5 [9.Nd4 a6 10.Bf4 Bg7 11.h3 Bd7 12.Bf3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.0–0–0 Kd7 16.Rhe1 1/2–1/2 (41) Carlsen,M (2834)-Caruana,F (2811) Wijk aan Zee 2018] 

9...Bg7 10.0–0–0 

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10...0–0N [10...h6 11.Bd2 Bd7 12.Rde1 0–0 13.Bd1 a6 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Rxe4 Nc6 16.h3 1/2–1/2 (34) Foisor,C (2427)-Foisor,M (2217) Warsaw 2011] 

11.Rhe1 h6 12.Bh4 Nc6 13.d4 a6 14.a3 [14.Bxf6!? Bxf6 15.Nd5=] 

14...Bd7 [14...g5!? 15.Bg3 Re8=] 

15.d5 

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[White should play 15.Bxf6= Bxf6 16.Nd5] 

15...Na7!³ 16.Nd4 Nc8 17.Nb3 g5 18.Bg3 Re8 19.Na5 b5 20.f3 Nh5 21.Bf2 Nf4 22.Bf1! Nb6 23.Rxe8+ 

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23...Rxe8 [Much weaker is 23...Bxe8?! 24.Bxb6 cxb6 25.Nb7²] 

24.Bxb6! cxb6 25.Nb7 Be5 26.Ne4 Rb8 27.Nexd6 Ng6 28.g3 Ne7 29.a4 Nf5 30.Nxf5 Bxf5 31.Re1 f6 32.Rxe5 fxe5= 

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Endgame KRB-KBN 

33.Nd6 Bd7 34.axb5 axb5 35.Bxb5 Bxb5 36.Nxb5 KR-KN 

36...Rf8 37.Kd2 Rxf3 38.Ke2 g4 

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And now ...Rf5 would win. 

39.Nd6! h5 40.Nc4 b5 41.Nxe5 Rf5 42.Ng6 Kf7 43.Nf4 h4 44.Ng2 hxg3 45.hxg3 Rf3 46.Ne3 Rxg3 47.c4 bxc4 48.d6 Ke6 49.Nxc4 Rf3 50.d7! Rf8 51.Ne3! g3 52.d8Q Rxd8 53.Kf3 Rd3 54.Kf4 Rb3 55.Ng2! Kd5 Threatens to win with ...Kd4. 

56.Nh4 Kc4 aiming for ...Kd5. 

57.Kg4 Rd3 

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White must now prevent ...Rb3. 

58.b4! Rb3 [58...Kxb4 59.Kh3] 

59.b5! Kd5 

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[59...Rxb5 60.Kxg3] 

60.b6! Ke4 

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[60...Rxb6 61.Kxg3] 

61.b7! Rxb7 Hoping for ...Rg7+. 

62.Kxg3 Rg7+ 63.Kf2 Rg4 64.Ng2! Rxg2+ 65.Kxg2  ½–½

Grischuk,Alexander (2767) - Kramnik,Vladimir (2800)

World Chess Candidates 2018 Berlin (8), 19.03.2018

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.e3 [5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+] 

5...dxc4 6.Bxc4 a6 7.Bb3 b5 8.e4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bb7 10.e5 Ne4 11.0–0 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Nc6 13.a4 Bc5 14.axb5 axb5 15.Rxa8 Bxa8 16.Nxb5 0–0 17.Qxd8 Rxd8 18.Bf4 h6 19.h4 Ne7 20.Rd1 Rb8 21.Bc4 Bc6 22.Nd4 Be4 23.h5 Nd5 24.Bxd5 Bxd5 25.Be3 

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25...Rc8 [25...Bxd4 26.Rxd4 Rc8] 

26.Re1 Bc4 27.Nf3 Ba3 28.Bd4 Bd3 29.Nd2 Bb2 30.Nf1 Rc4 31.Re3 Bf5 

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I didn't see much danger in the position, I didn't want to force it - Kramnik [31...Bxc3 32.Bxc3 Rxc3= 33.f3 Kh7 34.Kh2 (34.Kf2 Rc2+) 34...Rc1 35.Rxd3 (35.Nd2 Bf5) 35...Rxf1] 

32.Ng3 Bh7 33.Kh2 Bc1 34.Re2 Bf4 35.Kh3 Ra4 36.Kg4 Bc1 37.Kf3 Bd3 38.Re1 Bb2 39.Ke3 Bc2 40.Kd2 Bb3 41.Rb1 Ra2 42.Kd3 Ba4 43.Ne4 Ba3 44.Ke3 Bc2 45.Re1 Bb3 46.g4 Bd5 47.Kd3 Be7 48.Rb1 Ra8 49.f4 Bh4 

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50.Rh1 [50.c4 Ra3+ 51.Nc3 Bf3 52.c5] 

50...Bd8 51.Rb1 Bc7 52.Ke3 Kh7 53.Nd6 Kg8 54.Rb5 Bc6 55.Rb4 Bd8 56.Bb6 Bh4 57.Bd4 Bg2 58.Rb2 Bc6 59.Rb6 Bg2 60.Rb2 Bc6 61.Rb3 Bg3 62.c4 Bh2 63.f5 exf5 

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64.Nxf5 [64.gxf5 f6 65.Rb6 A difficult move to foresee... 65...Bg2 (65...fxe5 66.Rxc6 Bg1+ 67.Kd3 exd4 68.c5+-) 66.e6 Ra3+ 67.Kf2 Ra2+ 68.Rb2 Rxb2+ 69.Bxb2 Bc6] 

64...Kh7 [64...Re8] 

65.Bb2 [65.Ne7; 65.c5] 

65...Re8 [65...Bg1+; 65...Ra4] 

66.Nd6 Re7 67.Rb8 [67.Kf2] 

67...f6 

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68.Rc8 [68.Nf5 Re6 69.Nh4 Bg1+ 70.Kd2 fxe5 71.Ng6 Re8 72.Bxe5 Rxb8 73.Bxb8 Be8=] 

68...Bh1 [68...Bd7! 69.Rc7 fxe5 70.c5 

a) 70.Nf5; 

b) 70.Rb7 Bf4+ 71.Kd3 Bg5 72.c5 Bc6 (72...Bxg4) 73.Rxe7 Bxe7 74.Bxe5 Bf3=; ] 

69.Nf5 Rb7 

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70.exf6 [70.e6+- Rb3+ (70...Rxb2 71.e7) 71.Bc3 Be5 (71...Rxc3+ 72.Kd2 Ra3 73.e7 Bf4+ 74.Kc2 Ra2+ 75.Kc3 Re2 76.e8Q Rxe8 77.Rxe8 Bf3 78.Nd4 Bxg4 79.Re4+-) 72.e7 Rxc3+ 73.Kd2+-] 

70...Rb3+ 71.Bc3 gxf6 [71...Rxc3+ 72.Kd4] 

72.Kd2 Bf4+ 73.Kc2 Rb8 74.Rxb8 [74.Rc5 Be4+ 75.Kd1 Bf3+ 76.Kc2=] 

74...Bxb8 75.Ne7 [75.Bxf6 Bf3 76.Ne3 Ba7 77.Kd3 Bxe3 78.Kxe3 Bxg4] 

75...Be4+ 

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[75...Ba7; 75...Kg7! 76.Nd5 Kf7 77.Nxf6 Bf4 78.Kd3 Bf3 79.Bd4 (79.c5 Ke6 80.Bd4 Bg5 81.Ne4 Bd8 82.g5 Bxh5 83.gxh6 Bg6=) 79...Bg5 80.Ne4 Bxg4 81.Nxg5+ hxg5 82.h6 Kg6 83.Bg7 Bf3 84.Kd4 Kh7=] 

76.Kd2 Bf4+ 77.Ke2 Kg7 78.Nf5+ Kf7 79.Bd2 

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79...Be5 [79...Bxd2 80.Kxd2] 

80.Bxh6 Ke6 81.Be3 [81.Ne3] 

81...Bxf5 82.gxf5+ Kxf5 83.h6 Kg6 84.c5 f5 85.Kf3 Kf7 86.Bf4 Bd4 87.c6 Ke7 88.c7 Kd7 89.h7 Kc8 90.Ke2 Kd7 91.Kd3 Bf6 92.Kc4 Bg7 93.Kd5 Kc8 94.Be5 1–0