Nepomniachtchi Wins Again

Ian Nepomniachtchi will certainly enjoy his rest day on Tuesday, having won Monday’s game against Ding Liren to put him in first place at the 2020 Candidates by a full point after six rounds of play. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is in second place with 3.5 points, while Fabiano Caruana a point and a half behind Nepomniatchtchi at 3/6 along with Anish Giri, Alexander Grischuk, and Wang Hao. Giri had the second win of the day, claiming his full point after a seven-hour endgame with Kirill Alekseenko.

photo Lennart Ootes

Nepomniachtchi’s win provided separation from the field in the standings, but it also served to blunt Ding Liren’s mini-resurgence these past few rounds. After losing in Rounds 1 and 2, Ding had worked his way back to -1 (2/5) coming into the day’s play, certainly within striking distance of the top with so many games left.

His chances at facing Magnus Carlsen in December have surely dimmed, though, after today’s loss to Nepomniachtchi. Ding’s attempt at channeling Alpha Zero and pushing his h-pawn almost gave him enough counterplay against Nepomniachtchi’s expanding b-pawn, but it would have taken an inhumanly difficult tactic to save the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EzCbpAM0kk

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2020.03.23"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Nepomniachtchi, I."] [Black "Ding Liren"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C84"] [WhiteElo "2774"] [BlackElo "2805"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 O-O 9. Nc3 Na5 10. Ba2 Be6 11. b4 Bxa2 12. Rxa2 Nc6 13. Bg5 Qd7 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 a5 16. Rb2 axb4 17. axb4 Bd8 18. c4 Nd4 19. Nxd4 exd4 20. Qc2 Re8 21. g3 bxc4 22. Qxc4 c6 23. Nf4 Bg5 24. Ne2 d5 25. exd5 cxd5 26. Qb3 h5 27. b5 h4 28. b6 h3 29. Kh1 Reb8 30. Rfb1 Bd8 31. Qb5 Qg4 32. Qxd5 (32. Nf4 Bxb6 33. Qxd5 Bc7) 32... Ra5 33. Qc6 $2 Rc5 ({The computer sees the inhuman tactical shot} 33... Rxb6 $3 {all based on the presence of the h3-pawn:} 34. Rxb6 Qxe2 $1 35. Rb8 Re5 $1 $11 {and White has to give back material to avoid mate, i.e.} 36. Rxd8+ (36. Rg1 Qxf2 37. Rxd8+ Kh7 38. Rh8+ {has a similar idea}) 36... Kh7 37. Rh8+ Kxh8 38. Qc8+ Kh7 39. Qxh3+ $11) 34. Qe8+ Kh7 35. Ng1 Rxb6 36. Qxd8 Rxb2 37. Rxb2 Rc1 38. Qh4+ Qxh4 39. gxh4 Rd1 40. f3 1-0 [/pgn]

Anish Giri won his first game in a Candidates Tournament after 19 tries, breaking down Kirill Alekseenko’s stubborn defenses in 98 moves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9chfmPrfVA

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2020.03.23"] [Round "6.2"] [White "Alekseenko, K."] [Black "Giri, A."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C50"] [WhiteElo "2698"] [BlackElo "2763"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [PlyCount "196"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 O-O 7. Re1 a5 8. Nbd2 Be6 9. Bb5 Ba7 10. Nf1 Ne7 11. Ng3 c6 12. Ba4 Ng6 13. h3 d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Bc2 Qc7 16. d4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Rae8 18. Bg5 Ndf4 19. Qd2 Bd5 20. Rxe8 Rxe8 21. Re1 Re5 22. Bxf4 Rxe1+ 23. Qxe1 Qxf4 24. Qe8+ Nf8 25. Bb3 Bxd4 26. cxd4 Bxb3 27. axb3 Qf6 28. Qe4 g6 29. Ne2 Ne6 30. h4 h5 31. g3 Qd8 32. Qe5 Qb6 33. d5 cxd5 34. Qxd5 Kf8 35. Nc3 Qc7 36. Ne4 Qc1+ 37. Kg2 Qxb2 38. Qd7 b6 39. Nd6 Qf6 40. Qe8+ Kg7 41. Qd7 Kg8 42. Qe8+ Nf8 43. Qc6 Qd8 44. Nc4 Ne6 45. Nxb6 Nd4 46. Qc5 Nxb3 47. Qb5 Nd2 48. Qxa5 Qd3 49. Qa1 Qe4+ 50. Kg1 Nf3+ 51. Kf1 Nxh4 52. Qa8+ Qxa8 53. Nxa8 Nf3 54. Kg2 Ne5 55. f4 Ng4 56. Nb6 Kf8 57. Nd5 Ke8 58. Nc3 Ke7 59. Ne4 Ne3+ 60. Kf3 Nc4 61. Ng5 Kf6 62. Ne4+ Kf5 63. Nf2 Nd2+ 64. Ke3 Nf1+ 65. Kf3 Nh2+ 66. Kg2 Ng4 67. Nh3 f6 68. Kf3 Ke6 69. Ke4 Kd6 70. Ng1 Kc5 71. Kd3 Nh6 72. Ke3 Nf5+ 73. Kf3 Kc4 74. Nh3 Nd4+ 75. Ke3 Nf5+ 76. Kf3 Kd4 77. Nf2 Nd6 78. Nh3 Ne4 79. Ng1 Kd3 80. Kg2 Nd2 81. Kf2 Ke4 82. Ne2 Nb1 83. Ng1 h4 84. Nh3 Kf5 85. gxh4 Kg4 86. f5 gxf5 87. Ke3 Nc3 88. Nf2+ Kg3 89. Nd3 $2 (89. h5 Nd5+ 90. Kd4 Kxf2 91. Kxd5 f4 92. h6 Kg2 93. h7 f3 94. h8=Q f2 $11) (89. Nh1+ Kg2 90. Kf4 $1 Kxh1 91. Kxf5 {looks scary, especially with little time on the clock, but the knight can get back to save the game:} Ne2 (91... Nd5 {also works}) 92. Kg6 (92. h5 Ng3+) 92... Ng3 93. Kxf6 Kg2 94. Kg5 Kf3 {etc}) 89... Nd5+ 90. Kd4 Nf4 91. Nc5 Kxh4 92. Ke3 Kg3 93. Nb3 Ne6 94. Nd2 f4+ 95. Ke2 Ng5 96. Kf1 f3 97. Kg1 f2+ 98. Kf1 f5 0-1 [/pgn]

For some time it looked like Fabiano Caruana might have good chances to defeat Alexander Grischuk with the black pieces, especially after Grischuk inexplicably burned 41 minutes repeating moves after 12. … Re8, only to play on with 15. Re1.

Caruana’s 38. … Nc7 gave Grischuk a way to trade queens with 39. Qc3+, effectively equalizing, and the game was drawn after 54 moves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbIqZ7b5JYk

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2020.03.23"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Grischuk, A."] [Black "Caruana, F."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C78"] [WhiteElo "2777"] [BlackElo "2842"] [PlyCount "108"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. c3 d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. a5 Ba7 11. h3 O-O 12. Be3 Re8 13. Ng5 Rf8 14. Nf3 Re8 15. Re1 exd4 16. cxd4 Nxe4 17. d5 Bxe3 18. Rxe3 Na7 19. Qd4 Bf5 20. Nbd2 Nc5 21. Rxe8+ Qxe8 22. Re1 Qf8 23. Bd1 b4 24. Be2 Qd8 25. Bf1 h6 26. Re3 b3 27. Qf4 Bd7 28. Nd4 Rb4 29. Rg3 Qe7 30. Bc4 Nb5 31. N4xb3 Nxb3 32. Rxb3 Qe1+ 33. Kh2 Rxb3 34. Nxb3 Qb4 35. Qe4 c5 36. Qd3 g6 37. g4 Kg7 38. Kg2 Nc7 39. Qc3+ Qxc3 40. bxc3 f5 41. Nd2 Kf6 42. Kg3 Bb5 43. Bb3 Be2 44. gxf5 gxf5 45. f4 Nb5 46. c4 Nc3 47. Bc2 Bd1 48. Bd3 Na2 49. Kf2 Nb4 50. Ke3 Bc2 51. Be2 Na2 52. Nf1 Nc1 53. Kd2 Nxe2 54. Kxe2 Ba4 1/2-1/2 [/pgn]

It’s not often that an 83 move game is only the second longest game of the day, but the draw between Wang Hao and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was just that. Wang tried 11. h4 against Vachier-Lagrave’s 10. … b6 Exchange Grunfeld – Caruana played 11. Qd2 against Nepomniatchtchi in Round 4 – and eventually got a position that he could try and grind for a win.

photo Maria Emelianova

Vachier-Lagrave’s defenses were strong, and eventually the players shook hands to share the point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F222KqK_K3M

[pgn] [Event "FIDE Candidates 2020"] [Site "Yekaterinburg RUS"] [Date "2020.03.23"] [Round "6.4"] [White "Wang Hao"] [Black "Vachier-Lagrave, M."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D87"] [WhiteElo "2762"] [BlackElo "2767"] [PlyCount "165"] [EventDate "2020.03.17"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. Be3 b6 11. h4 e6 12. h5 Qh4 13. hxg6 hxg6 14. f3 Bb7 15. Qd2 cxd4 16. cxd4 Rfd8 17. Rac1 Qe7 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Bg5 Bf6 20. Bxf6 Qxf6 21. Qe3 Kg7 22. Kf2 Rh8 23. Rh1 Rxh1 24. Rxh1 Rh8 25. Rxh8 Kxh8 26. Qc3 Kg8 27. d5 Qxc3 28. Nxc3 Na5 29. Bd3 exd5 30. exd5 Kf8 31. Ke3 Ke7 32. Kd4 Bc8 33. Nb5 a6 34. Nc7 Kd6 35. Nxa6 Nb7 36. g4 g5 37. Nb4 Bd7 38. Nc2 Ke7 39. Ne3 Nd6 40. Nd1 Ba4 41. Nf2 f6 42. Be2 Be8 43. Nd1 Ba4 44. Nb2 Be8 45. Bd1 Nb5+ 46. Kc4 Nc7 47. Bb3 Kd6 48. Kd4 Nb5+ 49. Kd3 Nc7 50. Nc4+ Kc5 51. Nd2 Bb5+ 52. Ke4 Bd7 53. Nf1 Nb5 54. Ng3 Nd6+ 55. Ke3 f5 56. gxf5 Bxf5 57. Nxf5 Nxf5+ 58. Ke4 Nh4 59. Ba4 Kd6 60. Be8 Ng2 61. Bf7 Ne1 62. a4 Nc2 63. Be8 Ne1 64. Bb5 Ng2 65. Bc4 Nh4 66. Bf1 Kc5 67. Bh3 Kd6 68. Be6 Ng6 69. Bf7 Nh4 70. Be8 Ng2 71. Bb5 Nh4 72. Bd3 Kc5 73. Bf1 Kd6 74. Bh3 Ng6 75. Be6 Nh4 76. Bf7 Ke7 77. Bh5 Kd6 78. Bg4 Ng2 79. Kf5 Kxd5 80. Kxg5 Ke5 81. Kg6 Nf4+ 82. Kf7 Nd3 83. Ke7 1/2-1/2 [/pgn]

Tuesday is a rest day in Yekaterinburg, the second of the event. Play resumes Wednesday with Round 7.