8th Tal Memorial, Round 6

Game Caruana vs Kramnik finished first and it was a draw. But very exciting and mind teasing game. I would not believe how sharp can be a "dull" Berlin Wall!
Caruana launched pawn storm on the king-side before he fully completed development of his pieces and surprisingly it worked. 
At the press conference Kramnik revealed that he'd prepared such sharp lines some 3 years ago before Candidate Tournament in Kazan and he was convinced that Black was not worse. Replay this game and make an opinion for yourself.





In the game Andreikin vs Mamedyarov, Andreikin playing White did not find the way how to obtain any substantive advantage. Ever so popular Scotch Game has been played.

Press Conference with Hikaru Nakamura

Amazing Hikaru Nakamura outplayed Vishy Anand. Nakamura playing Black and facing to 1.e4 chose 1...e5 and quickly we obtain the basic position of the Ruy Lopez, however, Nakamura came up with 3...g6 which is not the classic way how to play this opening. Quickly the game went into Exchange variation's waters with very complex middle game. Between moves 25 and 30 some simplifications happened and game went into the Knights and pawns ending where Black already had an upper hand. In complex position with rather shortage of time on both sides Anand made mistakes and found himself in desperate position.

In the next game Gelfand drew with Carlsen.



In the last game of this round Alexander Morozevich tried to break his teammate Sergey Karjakin. In Nimzo-Indian Defence, Morozevich definitely gained some positional advantage and later he was capable of capitalizing this kind of advantage into a material one. In other words he went into the ending being pawn up.
However, Karjakin dug trenches and put up immense resistance. He manage somehow to exchange pawns and pieces and finally there was a rook and pawns ending on the chessboard where White was pawn up but it was two against one on the queenside (quite drawish one have to say). Both player stubbornly continued till the move 100 (!) and then they agreed the draw.
Definitely it was by far the longest game in this tournament so far.

Standing after Round 6
1	Nakamura	4.5
2	Gelfand	4
3-4	Mamedyarov	3.5
3-4	Carlsen	3.5
5-6	Caruana	3
5-6	Andreikin	3
7	Karjakin	2.5
8-10	Morozevich	2
8-10	Anand	2
8-10	Kramnik	2