GRENKE CHESS CLASSIC 2018 ROUND 7

After battling through and winning the tough 14 rounds of the Candidates Tournament in Berlin, Caruana stated that the Grenke Classic tournament would be of secondary importance. The focus would be to make this a training tournament and have fun.

Well, after 7 rounds of the just training and fun super tournament the American challenger to Carlsen’s crown is in the sole lead with a +3 score.

Naiditsch vs Carlsen 0-1

Sicilian Najdorf. It is clear that Magnus has maintained his sharp wit. When he was asked after the game how it felt to be just half a point behind Caruana, the tournament leader, his reply was: “It’s actually not too different from yesterday… or this morning.”

Vachier-Lagrave vs Caruana 0-1

English Opening, Four Knights Variation. Even though it was MVL that came up the novelty on move 17, just two moves later Caruana had grabbed the initiative and turned the screws relentlessly.

Aronian vs Vitiugov vs ½-½

English Opening. The third co-leader of the tournament held a draw against Aronian to stay just a half point off the lead and level with Carlsen.

Anand vs Meier ½-½

French Defence. Black got a really dangerous knight onto d5 and Anand chose to sacrifice the exchange just to get rid of the knight. In the end Anand held the draw despite being down the exchange.

Hou vs Bluebaum ½-½

English Opening. Neither player was able to gain any sort of advantage at all and a truce was called just six moves after the time control.

Here are the games from the Grenke Classic Round 7:

Vachier Lagrave,Maxime (2789) - Caruana,Fabiano (2804)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (7), 07.04.2018

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 e4 7.Ng5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 Re8 9.Qc2 d5 A29: English Opening: Four Knights Variation with 4 g3 [9...Qe7 10.d3 exd3 11.exd3 b6 12.Bd2 Bb7 13.Rfe1 Qa3 14.Bf4 Na5 15.Be5 Bxg2 16.Kxg2 Ng4 17.d4 ½–½ (40) Ljubojevic,L (2571)-Karpov,A (2626) Platja d'Aro 2017] 

10.cxd5 Qxd5 11.d3 Bf5 The position is equal. 

12.Bf4 h6 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qb2 b6 15.Rfd1 Qc5 16.dxe4 Bxe4 

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17.Bf1N [17.Bxe4 Rxe4 ½–½ (31) Stulrajter,M (1821)-Blasko,A (1900) Slovakia 1998] 

17...Re7 18.a4 Rae8 19.Rac1 [19.Qb5!=] 

19...g5ƒ Keeping White busy. 

20.Bd2 Qf5 21.f3 [21.c4µ] 

21...Qc5+–+ 22.Kh1 Bd5 23.Be1 

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Strongly threatening e4. 

23...Bc4 24.e4 Black must now prevent Bf2. 

24...Bxf1 25.Bf2 Qc4 26.Rxf1 Qxa4 27.c4 Ne5 28.Bd4 g4 [Resist 28...Nxc4 29.Qc3³] 

29.fxg4 Qd7 

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...Nd3 is the strong threat. [29...Nxg4 30.h3µ] 

30.Qc3 c5 [Much less strong is 30...Qxg4 31.Rf4µ] 

31.Bxe5 Rxe5 32.Qf3 Rxe4 33.Rcd1 Qe6 34.g5 [¹34.Kg1] 

34...hxg5 35.Rd5 [¹35.Qh5 Qg6 36.Qxg6+ fxg6 37.Rd6] 

35...g4 36.Qc3 Re5  0–1

Naiditsch,Arkadij (2701) - Carlsen,Magnus (2843)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (7), 07.04.2018

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.g3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Bg2 0–0 9.0–0 Be6 10.Re1 B91: Sicilian Najdorf: 6 g3 

10...Nbd7 11.Nd2 b5 12.Nf1 

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12...Bg4N [12...Nb6 13.Ne3 b4 14.Ncd5 Nfxd5 15.exd5 Bd7 16.Bd2 a5 17.a3 bxa3 18.Rxa3 0–1 (46) Balogh,C (2648)-Wojtaszek,R (2715) Budapest 2014] 

13.f3 Be6 14.Ne3 Rc8 15.a3 Nb6 16.f4 Re8 17.Kh1 [17.f5!? Bd7 18.Kh1=] 

17...Bf8 [Black should play 17...exf4µ 18.gxf4 Bf8] 

18.f5 Bd7 19.Qd3 h6 20.b3 Bc6 21.Bd2 Qc7 22.Rac1 Qb7 23.Ned5 Bxd5 24.exd5 Nbd7 25.Nd1 e4 [25...Be7³] 

26.Qd4 Ne5 [Weaker is 26...Nxd5 27.Rxe4 N7f6 28.Rxe8+-] 

27.Nf2 [27.Nc3=] 

27...Nf3 [Don't play 27...Qxd5?! 28.Qxd5 Nxd5 29.Nxe4= (29.Bxe4 Nf6=) ] 

28.Bxf3 exf3 29.c4 bxc4 30.bxc4 

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30...Re5! 31.Re3 Rxe3 32.Qxe3 Qb2 33.Nd3 Qxa3 34.Qxf3 Qa2 35.Bc3 Rxc4 36.Ra1 Qb3 37.Bxf6! gxf6 38.Kg2 Rc3 39.Rd1? 

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[39.Qg4+ Kh7 40.Nf2] 

39...h5! 40.Kh3 Bh6 41.Re1? [41.Qxh5 Rxd3 42.Rxd3 Qxd3 43.Qxh6] 

41...Rxd3 42.Qxh5 Re3–+ 0–1

Aronian,Levon (2767) - Vitiugov,Nikita (2735)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (7), 07.04.2018

1.c4 c6 2.g3 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.0–0 Nbd7 6.Na3 Nb6 7.Qc2 g6 A11: English Opening: 1...c6 [7...Be6 8.Ng5 Bg4 9.Nxc4 Bxe2 10.Ne5 Bh5 11.b4 e6 12.b5 Bd6 13.Bb2 Bxe5 14.Bxe5 Bg6 15.Qb3 ½–½ (25) Nepomniachtchi,I (2751)-Karjakin,S (2763) Moscow 2018] 

8.Nxc4 Nxc4 9.Qxc4 Bg7 10.d3 0–0 11.Bd2 Nd5 12.Qc1 

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12...a5N [12...Qb6 13.Rb1 Rd8 14.b4 Qa6 15.Qc2 ½–½ (34) Mondry,M (2229)-Tripp,G (1999) ICCF email 2016] 

13.Bh6 Bg4 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Ne5 Be6 16.d4 Nf6 17.Rd1 Qb6 18.e4 Rfd8 19.Qc3 Kg8 20.Rd3 Rd6 21.Rad1 Rad8 [Black should try 21...Bxa2³ 22.b3 a4] 

22.b3² Qb4 23.Qa1 a4 24.h3 axb3 

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aiming for ...b2.The position is equal. 

25.axb3 Nd7 26.Nxd7 R6xd7 27.d5 cxd5 28.exd5 Bf5 29.Re3 Be6 30.Rde1 [30.Qe5 Qd6 31.Qb2 Rc7 32.Ree1 Bf5 33.Rc1] 

30...Bxd5 31.Bxd5 Rxd5 32.Rxe7 Qxe7 [32...Rd1 33.Rxd1 Qxe7 34.Rxd8+ Qxd8 35.Qc3 b5] 

33.Rxe7 Rd1+ 34.Qxd1! Rxd1+= Endgame KR-KR 

35.Kg2 b6 36.Kf3 Rd3+ 37.Re3 Rd2 38.Re4 Rd3+ 39.Re3 Rd2 40.Re4 Rd3+  ½–½

Anand,Viswanathan (2776) - Meier,Georg (2636)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (7), 07.04.2018

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.g3 Be7 6.Nf3 Ngf6 C10: French with 3 Nc3: Unusual Black 3rd moves and 3...dxe4 

7.Qe2 [7.Nxf6+ Bxf6 8.Bg2 0–0 9.0–0 e5 10.Be3 c6 11.a4 exd4 12.Bxd4 a5 13.Re1 Bxd4 14.Qxd4 Nf6 15.Qc5 Re8 16.Nd4 ½–½ (39) Short,N (2510)-Seirawan,Y (2510) Thessaloniki 1988] 

7...Nxe4 8.Qxe4 

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8...Rb8N [8...Nf6 9.Qe2 b6 10.Bg2 Bb7 11.c3 0–0 12.0–0 Qc8 13.Re1 c5 14.Be3 c4 15.Ng5 ½–½ (15) Rigo,J (2340)-Somlai,L (2360) Hungary 1994] 

9.Bg2 b5 10.0–0 0–0 11.Rd1 Bb7 12.Qe2 Nf6 13.c3 a6 14.a4 Bd5 15.Ne5 Bxg2 16.Kxg2 Qd5+ 17.Qf3 Qxf3+ 18.Kxf3 Bd6 19.axb5 axb5 20.Bg5 Bxe5! 21.dxe5 Nd5 22.Ra6 c5 23.Be3 Rfc8 24.Rda1 h5 25.Ra7 c4 26.Rd7 b4 27.Bd4 bxc3 28.bxc3 Rb3 29.Rxd5 exd5 30.Kf4 Rbb8 31.Kg5 Ra8 32.Re1 Rc6 33.f4 [33.h3=] 

33...Ra2 34.h3 Rd2 [34...Rg6+µ 35.Kh4 Rg2] 

35.f5 Rd3 36.Kf4 h4 37.e6 [37.gxh4= keeps the balance. 37...Rxh3 38.Kg4] 

37...Kf8 38.gxh4 fxe6 [Of course not 38...Rxh3?! 39.Kg4=] 

39.Ra1 exf5 40.Kxf5 Rxh3 41.Ra8+ Ke7 42.Ra7+ Ke8 43.Ke5 

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43...Rxh4 [43...Kf8µ 44.Kxd5 Rg6 45.Ra8+ Kf7 46.Ra7+ Kg8 47.Ra8+ Kh7 48.Kxc4 Rgg3] 

44.Kxd5 Rg6 45.Bxg7= ½–½

Hou,Yifan (2657) - Bluebaum,Matthias (2616)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (7), 07.04.2018

1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Nf6 4.b3 Be7 5.Bb2 0–0 6.Nc3 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qc2 A13: English Opening: 1...e6 [8.Nxd5 exd5 9.d4 Qa5+ 10.Qd2 Qxd2+ 11.Kxd2 Nc6 12.dxc5 Bxc5 13.Bb5 Bb4+ 14.Ke2 Be6 15.Rac1 Rac8 1–0 (55) Carlsen,M (2834)-Giri,A (2752) Wijk aan Zee 2018] 

8...Nb4 9.Qb1 b6 10.a3 Nd5 11.Nxd5 exd5 12.d4 Nc6 

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13.Bb5N [13.Bd3 h6 14.0–0 Bg4 ½–½ (14) Tazelaar,H (2373)-Krimbacher,W (2333) ICCF email 2017] 

13...Bd7 14.0–0 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Bxd7 Qxd7 17.Bxd4 Rfc8 18.Rd1 Rc6 19.Qb2 Qf5 20.Qe2 Rc2 21.Qf3 Qxf3 22.gxf3 Bh4 23.e4 dxe4 24.fxe4 Bg5 25.a4 Bd2 26.Rab1 Rac8 27.Rb2 Rxb2 28.Bxb2 Rc2 29.Bd4 f6 30.Kg2 Kf7 31.Kf3 Ke6 32.h3 h5 33.Ke2 Bf4+ 34.Kf3 Bd2 35.Ke2 Bf4+ 36.Kf3 g5 37.Rd3 Bd2 38.Ke2 Bf4+ 39.Kf3 Be5 40.Be3 Rb2 41.a5 bxa5 42.Bxa7 f5 43.exf5+ Kxf5 44.Kg2 g4 45.hxg4+ hxg4 46.Rd5 Rxb3= ½–½