SHAMKIR CHESS 2018 ROUND 7

Magnus Carlsen stepped up to the plate and beat tournament leader Veselin Topalov in round 7 to assume the lead of the Gashimov Memorial in Shamkir. Ding Liren, the other Mr 50% in the tournament emulated Giri by moving to plus one thanks to a victory over an out of form David Navara.

This was Carlsen’s first win against Topalov in six years, yet ironically Ljubo used over two minutes of the press conference to try and find out what Carlsen’s favourite number is. The World Champion had the grace to answer: “I like number one!”

Carlsen,Magnus (2843) - Topalov,Veselin (2749)

5th Shamkir Chess 2018 Shamkir (7), 26.04.2018

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e3 Bb4 5.Qc2 Bxc3 6.bxc3 d6 A28: English Opening: Four Knights Variation [6...0–0 7.Be2 d6 8.d3 Qe7 9.e4 Ne8 10.Ba3 b6 11.0–0 f5 12.d4 exd4 13.e5 d3 14.Qxd3 Bb7 15.exd6 Nxd6 1/2–1/2 (27) Harikrishna, P (2738)-Svidler,P (2763) Palma de Mallorca 2017] 

7.e4 0–0 8.g3 Ne8 The position is equal. 

9.Nh4 Ne7 

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10.d3N [10.Bg2²; or: 10.Qb3 Rb8 11.d4 c5 12.dxc5 dxc5 13.Qa3 b6 14.Qxa7 Bb7 1/2–1/2 (40) Suba,M (2535)-Komarov,D (2580) Sovata 1998] 

10...f5= 11.exf5 Nxf5 12.Nxf5 Bxf5 13.Bg2 c6 14.h3 Nc7 15.0–0 Ne6 16.Be3 Nc5 17.Rad1 Qd7 18.Kh2 Bg6 19.Rd2 Rae8 20.Qd1 b6 21.Re1 h6 22.Bxc5 dxc5 23.Re3 Re6 24.Kg1 Rd6 25.h4 Rd8 26.Rxe5 Bxd3 27.Be4 Bxc4? [Black should try 27...Kf8² ] 

28.Rxd6+- Qxd6 

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29.Re8+! Rxe8 30.Qxd6 Rxe4 31.Qxc6 Endgame KQ-KRB 

31...Re1+ 

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32.Kh2! Bxa2 33.g4 Kh7 [¹33...Be6] 

34.f4 h5 35.f5 [35.gxh5?! Bf7] 

35...hxg4 

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36.h5 [36.Qb7!+- is more deadly. aiming for f6. 36...Rf1 37.Qa6 (37.Qxa7 Bc4±) 37...Rf2+ 38.Kg3] 

36...Bf7± 37.Qb7 Kg8 [37...Bxh5? 38.f6+-] 

38.Qxa7 Bxh5 [¹38...Rf1] 

39.Qxb6 c4 40.Qd8+ 

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40...Be8 [40...Kh7± 41.Qg5 g3+ 42.Kg2 (42.Qxg3 Re2+ 43.Kh3 Re4+-) 42...g6 43.fxg6+ (43.Qxg3 Re2+ 44.Kh3 gxf5+-) 43...Bxg6 44.Qh4+ (44.Qxg3 Re2+ 45.Kf3 Bd3±) 44...Kg7 45.Qd4+ (45.Qxg3 Re2+ 46.Kf3 Rc2+-; 45.Kxg3 Bd3±) 45...Kf8 46.Qxc4 (46.Kxg3 Bf7+-) 46...Ke7 47.Qc5+ Kf6] 

41.Kg3+- Kh7 42.Qc7 Kg8? [42...Rf1 is a better chance. 43.Kxg4 (43.Qxc4 Rxf5 44.Qxg4 Rf6+-) 43...Rg1+ 44.Kf3 Bh5+ 45.Ke4 Re1+ 46.Kf4 Rg1] 

43.Qxc4+ Bf7 44.Qd4  1–0

Navara,David (2745) - Ding,Liren (2778)

5th Shamkir Chess 2018 Shamkir (7), 26.04.2018

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.a3 d6 9.c3 Na5 10.Ba2 C90: Closed Ruy Lopez with 7...d6: Early deviations 

10...c5 11.d4 c4 

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12.Bg5N The position is equal. [12.Nbd2 Bb7 13.Bb1 Qc7 14.Bc2 Rae8 15.d5 Nd7 16.Nf1 Nc5 17.Rb1 Bc8 0–1 (68) Loskutov,O (2433)-Belozerov,A (2552) Tomsk 2004] 

12...h6 13.Bh4 Bg4 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Qxf3 Nc6 16.d5 Na5ƒ Black fights for an advantage. 

17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Nd2 Bg5 19.Nf1 g6 20.a4 Qe7 21.Bb1 Nb3 22.Ra2 Nc5 23.Bc2 Rfb8 24.g3 h5 [Of course not 24...bxa4?! 25.h4²] 

25.h4 Bh6 26.axb5 axb5 27.Rea1 Rxa2 28.Rxa2 Kg7 29.Qe2 Rb7 Threatens to win with ...Ra7. 

30.Qe1 Qc7 31.Kg2 Qb6 32.Kf3 [¹32.Qd1] 

32...Rc7 [Better is 32...Nd3 33.Bxd3 cxd3] 

33.Kg2? 

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[33.Qd1µ was necessary.]
33...b4!–+ And now . ..b3 would win.
34.cxb4? [34.Ra1 Nd3 35.Bxd3 cxd3 36.Ne3]
34...Nd3 Black is clearly winning.
35.Bxd3 cxd3 36.Ra1 Rc2 0–1