GRENKE CHESS CLASSIC 2018 ROUND 8

In order to stand a chance at winning the tournament, round 8 with White is a must win for Carlsen. In the final round he will be up against Anand with Black for the ninth time out of their last 10 meetings. And when Caruana and Aronian chose a threefold repetition barely out of their home preparation it opened the door for Carlsen to catch the lead.

Caruana vs Aronian ½-½

Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence. Taking the early draw seems to be the current modus operandi for Caruana when he has the tournament lead. We saw that happen twice during the Candidates in Berlin.

Naiditsch vs Anand ½-½

Giuoco Piano. This was a game that hardly generated a pulse all the way through.

Meier vs Hou ½-½

Open Catalan. A draw is all Hou needed to stay ahead of Meier at the bottom of the tournament table.

Bluebaum vs Vachier-Lagrave ½-½

Symmetrical English. MVL was pushing for a win with Black. After Bluebaum played 41.Rc2 that might have seemed a possibility. However, when MVL took the Knight on e3 the resulting position was a dead draw.

Carlsen vs Vitiugov ½-½

Ruy Lopez. The two players tied for second place duked it out for the chance to be level with Caruana heading into the final round.

Here are the games from the Grenke Classic Round 8:

Caruana,Fabiano (2784) - Aronian,Levon (2794)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (8), 08.04.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0–0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Nf5 C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence: 4 0–0 Nxe4 [10...Re8 11.Bf4 Rxe1 12.Qxe1 Ne8 13.c3 d5 14.Bd3 g6 15.Qe2 c6 16.Nd2 Ng7 17.Re1 Bf5 18.Bxf5 Nxf5 ½–½ (34) So,W (2799)-Grischuk,A (2767) Berlin 2018] 

11.d5 Re8 12.Bd3 Rxe1+ The position is equal. 

13.Qxe1 Qe7 14.Qxe7 Nxe7 

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15.d6N [15.c4 d6 16.Nc3 Bxc3 17.bxc3 Bf5 18.Be2 ½–½ (29) Teufel,J (2215)-Berezovsky,I (2375) Wuerttemberg 1999] 

15...cxd6 16.Na3 d5 17.Nb5 aiming for Nc7. 

17...d6 18.Nxd6 Nc6 19.Bf4 Be6 20.Nxb7 Nb4 21.Nc5 Bxb2 22.Rb1 Nxd3 23.cxd3 Bd4 24.Be3 Bxc5 25.Bxc5= Endgame KRB-KRB 

25...d4 26.Bxa7 Bxa2 27.Rb8+ [27.Rb2 looks sharper. 27...Be6 28.Kf1 f6 29.Rb8+ Rxb8 30.Bxb8 Kf7 31.Ba7] 

27...Rxb8 28.Bxb8 Bb1 29.Ba7 Ba2 30.Bb8 Bb1 31.Ba7 Ba2 32.Bb8  ½–½

Carlsen,Magnus (2843) - Vitiugov,Nikita (2735)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (8), 08.04.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5  7.c3 0–0 C77: Ruy Lopez: 3...a6 4 Ba4 Nf6, unusual lines 

8.0–0 Re8 9.Re1 h6 10.Nbd2 Bb6 11.Nf1 d6 12.Ng3 Be6 13.h3 Bxb3 14.axb3 

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14...d5N [14...a5 15.Nh2 ½–½ (77) Dominguez Perez,L (2719)-Karjakin,S (2723) Moscow 2009] 

15.Qe2 Bc5 16.b4 Bf8 17.Nd2 a5 18.bxa5 Rxa5 19.Rxa5 Nxa5 20.exd5 Qxd5 21.Nde4 Nxe4 22.dxe4 Qc4 23.Qf3 Qe6 24.Nf5 Nc4 25.h4 Kh7 26.h5 g6 27.Ne3 Nxe3 28.hxg6+ fxg6 29.Bxe3 Bd6 30.Qe2 Qc4 

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31.Qxc4! bxc4 32.Ra1! Rb8 33.Bc1 Rb6 34.Ra4 Rc6 35.Be3 h5 36.Kf1 Kg7 37.Ke2 Kf6 38.Kd1 Ke6 39.Kc2 Be7 40.f3 Bh4 41.Ra5 Bg3 42.Bc5 g5 43.Bb4 g4 44.fxg4 hxg4 45.Ra8 Kf7 46.Rc8 Bf4 47.Kd1 Kg7 48.Ke2 Kf7 49.Rf8+ Kg7 50.Rd8 Kf7 51.Kf2 Kg7 52.Rd7+ Kf6 53.g3 Bc1 54.Rd1 Bg5 55.Ke2 Ke6 56.Rh1 Ra6 57.Ba3 Rb6 58.Rh7 Rb7 59.Kd1 Rb8 60.Kc2 Rd8 61.Rg7 Rd2+ 62.Kc1 Bf6 63.Kxd2= Bxg7 64.Bc5 Kd7 65.Be3 ½–½

Bluebaum,Matthias (2631) - Vachier Lagrave,Maxime (2789)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (8), 08.04.2018

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 A34: Symmetrical English: 2 Nc3, lines with ...d5 

6...Qc7 [6...Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 Nc6 8.e4 b6 9.Kc2 Bb7 10.Bf4 h6 11.Rd1 g5 12.Bg3 Bg7 13.h3 ½–½ (45) Harikrishna,P (2744)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2729) Riadh 2017] 

7.e4 Nc6 8.Qd2 e6 9.Qg5 

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9...f6N [9...h6 10.Qg3 Qxg3 11.hxg3 Bd6 12.Be3 b6 13.g4 ½–½ (42) Bluebaum,M (2640)-Tari,A (2599) Wijk aan Zee 2018] 

10.Qh5+ Qf7 11.Qxf7+ Kxf7 12.Be3 e5 13.Bc4+ Be6 14.Bxe6+ Kxe6 15.0–0–0 Be7 16.Rd5 Rhd8 17.Rhd1 b6 18.g4 Na5 19.b3 Rxd5 20.exd5+ Kf7 21.c4 [Much worse is 21.d6 Bf8³] 

21...Nb7 22.Nd2 Rh8 23.Rg1 Nd6 24.Kc2 Re8 25.Kd3 h5 Hoping for ...hxg4. 

26.g5 f5 White must now prevent ...f4. 

27.f4 e4+ 28.Ke2 g6 29.Rc1 Rc8 30.a4 Nb7 31.Nf1 Bf8 32.Bd2 Bg7 33.Ne3 a6 34.Bc3 Bd4 35.Kd2 Re8 36.Rc2 Nd6 37.Ra2 Nb7ƒ Black has good play. 

38.Rc2 Ke7 39.Ra2 Na5 40.Bxa5 [White should play 40.Rb2= ] 

40...bxa5³ 41.Rc2 [41.Ng2³] 

41...Rb8–+ 42.Rc3 h4 [42...Bxc3+–+ 43.Kxc3 Rh8] 

43.h3µ Kd6 44.Kc2 Bxe3 [44...Bxc3? 45.Kxc3 Rb7 46.Kc2–+; 44...Re8µ And now ...Rb8 would win. 45.Kd2 Bxc3+ 46.Kxc3 Re7] 

45.Rxe3  ½–½

Naiditsch,Arkadij (2701) - Anand,Viswanathan (2776)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (8), 08.04.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 0–0 10.Be3 C54: Giuoco Piano: 4 c3 Nf6, main lines with 5 d4 and 5 d3 

10...Bg4 [10...Ne7 11.0–0 c6 12.Bd3 f5 13.exf6 Nxf6 14.Qc2 Bc7 15.Ne5 Ng4 16.Bxh7+ Kh8 17.Bg5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Bxe5 0–1 (25) Amonatov,F (2636)-Svidler,P (2765) Riadh 2017] 

11.h3 Bh5 12.Qc2 Bxf3 13.gxf3 Ng5 14.0–0–0 

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14...Nxf3N [14...Ne6 15.Ne2 Ne7 16.Kb1 f5 17.exf6 Rxf6 1–0 (35) Kravtsiv,M (2621)-Bruzon Batista,L (2659) Berlin 2015] 

15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Qf5 Nh4 17.Qg4 

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Bg5 is the strong threat. 

17...Ng6 18.f4 Qh4 [18...Qc8!³] 

19.Rd3 Qxg4 20.hxg4 f5 21.g5 Kf7 22.Rxh7 [22.Ne2 Rh8 23.Rh5 a5 24.Rd2 Nf8 25.Rc2] 

22...Rh8 The position is equal. 

23.Rxh8 Rxh8 24.a3 Nf8 25.Ne2 Ke7 26.Rc3 Kd7 27.Kd2 Ne6 28.Rc1 g6 29.b4 a5 30.Kd3 axb4 31.axb4 Ba7 32.Ra1 Bb6 33.Ra6 Rb8 34.Ra2 Rh8 35.Ra1 Ke7 36.Ra2 Kd7 37.Ra1 Ke7 38.Ra2  ½–½

Meier,Georg (2648) - Hou,Yifan (2654)

5th GRENKE Chess Classic 2018 Baden-Baden (8), 08.04.2018

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0–0 6.0–0 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bg5 Bd5 11.Qc2 Be4 12.Qd1 E05: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3 Be7 

12...c5 13.dxc5 Bxc5 14.Qxd8 [14.Nbd2 Bc6 15.Ne5 Bxg2 16.Kxg2 Nbd7 17.Rc1 Nxe5 18.Rxc5 Ned7 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 ½–½ (59) Meier,G (2654)-Hou,Y (2676) Dortmund 2015] 

14...Rxd8 15.Nbd2 Bc6 16.Rfc1 

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16...Bb4N [16...Nbd7 17.Ne1 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 h6 19.Bxf6 Nxf6 ½–½ (31) Onischuk,A (2666)-Karjakin,S (2785) Istanbul 2012]
17.Rc4 Be7 18.Ne5 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Nbd7 20.Nd3 Rac8 21.Rac1 Nb6 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.Rxc8+ Nxc8 24.e4 Nd7 25.Be3 Nd6 26.f4 f5 27.Kf3 Kf7 28.g4 g6 29.h3 Ke8 30.Bd4 Kd8 31.Bc3 Ke8 32.Bd4 Kd8 33.Bc3 Ke8= ½–½