8th Tal Memorial, Round 9

Well, well, well, well, the final round of one of the strongest world chess tournament this year has come. The tournament leader Boris Gelfand is half a point clear from the runner-up Magnus Carlsen and those two players are chased by quartet of players with 4½ points - Nakamura, Caruana, Mamedyarov and Andreikin. So many things can happen. Obviously, if Boris Gelfand won today and Magnus Carlsen as well, then Gelfand would be a winner and Carlsen a runner-up, but there are other options as well.

On the picture above you can see the situation on the boards soon after the beginning of this round.

Kramnik vs Gelfand

Kramnik playing White went for calm opening with the hope to obtain some small but long-term advantage. English Opening had been played and Boris Gelfand played symmetrical line. Soon similar pawn structure to fianchetto Grünfeld Indian had emerged; in fairly even position Gelfand had obtained the   pair of Bishops advantage. But Kramnik's pieces were rather active and Kramnik forced draw by repetition.

Boris Gelfand - the winner of 8th Tal Memorial

Mamedyarov vs Carlsen

Carlsen needed to win so it dictated the opening strategy. Playing Black he decided to play King’s Indian Defence. Mamedyarov playing for safe chose for kingside fianchetto. Carlsen developed his Bishop on f5 then Ne4 followed by exchange of Knights on c3. After Carlsen had exchanged his light-squared Bishop for the Knight on f3, Not only did Mamedyarov decide to sacrifice the pawn to open centre and to take an advantage of bishop pair, but he sacrificed two pawns.
Game become sharp and complicated. The critical position arose after the move 16.Qxb7 when Carlsen replied 16...Qf5?. This move is perhaps a mistake and Mamedyarov perhaps could have won playing 17.Bb2! He did not, but despite that he had retained a small edge all the game through, even after the simplifications when he left pawn up. But it was not enough to win the game.
After the game, Carlsen admitted that he'd underestimated the significance of pawn sacrifice.

Karjakin vs Anand

The game started in the fighting spirit when Vishy Anand disclosed his aggressive intentions right from the outset, when he decided to play Najdorf – Poisoned Pawn Variation. And Karjakin was not scared and played aggressively as well.

White rook penetrated on the seventh rank but Anand castled kingside and manage to exchange this rook. White castled kingside as well on the board there was position where White has got an advantage of pair of Bishop.
Position after 18...Rf7, as Vishy Anand mentioned at the press conference is ridiculous because it looks as if the Black was completely busted. But he admitted he had analysed the position several days ago so he had know that it was draw. Hoewer, not knowing that, it would have been nearly impossible to find the drawing line over the board. But nobody would go for such a position accidentally. Either you know it or you avoid it.

Anand, on the question from the floor if he plans to take part in any other tournaments before his match with Carlsen, answered that he had already played six tournaments this year and this was enough and from this point on he would be preparing for the world championship match.

Caruana vs Andreikin

Caruana started with 1.e4. The Ruy Lopez - deferred Steinitz defence - has been played where Andreikin decided to fianchetto his dark-squared Bishop.
At the press conference Caruana was not very happy with White position. He mention some Black's ideas connected with move ...c6 before Black played ...b6.

Nakamura vs Morozevich

Nakamura opened with 1.d4, Queen’s Gambit Declined has been played. Morozevich took on c4 and build up the strategy on keeping this gambit pawn.

In very complicated game Morozevich outplayed Nakamura and won deservedly.

It must be terrible disappointment for Nakamura who several rounds ago was  tournament leader.

Standing after Round 9
1	Gelfand	6
2	Carlsen	5½
3-5	Caruana	5
3-5	Mamedyarov	5
3-5	Andreikin	5
6	Nakamura	4½
7	Karjakin	4
8	Anand	3½
9	Kramnik	3
10	Morozevich	2½

East Midlands Chess - Junior Training Tournament

8th Tal Memorial, Round 8

Vishy Anand quickly drew with Vladimir Kramnik in Nimzo-Indian Defence.



Another quick draw followed in the game Andreikin vs Karjakin.




Boris Gelfand playing White with Mamedyarov did not achieve more that draw.




Very interesting game full of venom and tactical motifs, shortage of time and some mistakes was the game played by Alexander Morozevich and Fabiano Caruana.
Caruana mentioned at the press conference that he had not played the opening precisely, but if we have look at this game we can see that the position had been balanced for a long time. Caruana also demonstrated several sharp lines and the ways how the game could have finished draw.
He said, he had taken some risk when he'd decided to continue fighting despite that he had run short of time.
Obviously, there was losing mistake at the move 38.g5?? but to be fair for both players  just few second had left on the clock.





In the last game Magnus Carlsen beat Hikaru Nakamura in the English Opening. The style how he fought for the centre where he obtained mobile pawn majority is very inspiring and impressive.
Nakamura, trying to turn the tables, sacrificed an exchange, but this was not enough.





There is the last round tomorrow starting not at 15:00 Moscow time but 13:00 which means the ChessTV broadcast will start at 10:00 BST.
In the last round Boris Gelfand will be playing against Vladimir Kramnik and Magnus Carlsen against Mamedyarov. If Gelfand drew and Carlsen won then these two players will be sharing the victory in the tournament.

Standing after Round 8
1	Gelfand	5½
2	Carlsen	5
3-6	Nakamura	4½
3-6	Andreikin	4½
3-6	Mamedyarov	4½
3-6	Caruana	4½
7	Karjakin	3½
8	Anand	3
9-10	Morozevich	2½
9-10	Kramnik	2½

8th Tal Memorial, Round 7

Round 7 of Tal Memorial has started with two draws; they occurred in the games Mamedyarov vs Anand and Carlsen vs Morozevich. The later is rather big surprise for me because of the way how Carlsen with White played against Caro-Kann. It seems to me as if Carlsen was not excited by Caro (or knowing well that it is a part of Anand's opening repertoire he did not want to show too much "on the eve" of their upcoming match. Morozevich, much to my surprise,  went for Smyslov-Petrosian (or Modern) line 4...Nbd7 which used to be Anatoly Karpov's pet line and had served him very well throughout all his successful career.
Carlsen avoided all lines which should give White some advantage and played an offbeat and unambitious line. Morozevich just quickly simplified the problem by exchanging his pieces. In the presence of heavy pieces in nearly symmetrical  pawn structure the result was obvious.

Elated Andreikin at the Press Conference...

And from now on very exciting things have happened. Dmitry Andreikin with Black pieces completely outplayed Vladimir Kramnik and gained his first full point in the tournament. For Kramnik it is another massive disappointment and from broader perspective it means that he is really not in very good shape at this moment.







A real crowd-puller of this round was obviously the match Nakamura vs Gelfand in which current leader and runner-up battled with each other. Nakamura, playing White, pick the gauntlet in the Sicilian Sveshnikov. Not only was this deed quite refreshing but also rather dangerous. Refreshing because

Gelfand comments his duel with Nakamura

nowadays most of players would try to avoid this line going for Rossolimo variation 3.Bb5; and dangerous because Gelfand has substantial expertise in Sveshnikov. Playing 13.g3 Nakamura came up with a novelty. Gelfand giving up the pawn gained initiative and with pair of Bishop and more harmoniously placed pieces it was the factor which made the difference.




The longest game so far in this tournament has been Morozevich vs Karjakin from round 6 when both players agreed a draw in hundred moves. This round brought a "new record", and it was again Karjakin playing this time against Fabiano Caruana. The game was of course influence by shortage of time on the both sides and perhaps there were some moments where both players could have played better and so all of three results could have been possible. Draw agreed in 138 moves in the endgame Rook and Knight vs Rook should be draw in most of cases. Both player deserve recognition for the will to play and draw is perhaps very fair result. Decisive moments of this game are perhaps somewhere in the positions between moves 35 - 55 and you have to make judgment for yourself. Karjakin had definitely an edge.


 

Standing after Round 7
1	Gelfand	5
2	Nakamura	4½
3-5	Mamedyarov	4
3-5	Carlsen	4
3-5	Andreikin	4
6	Caruana	3½
7	Karjakin	3
8-9	Anand	2½
8-9	Morozevich	2½
10	Kramnik	2