Chess #668

The Tata ended in triumph for Hikaru Nakamura. The 23-year-old American GM won his first super-tournament with 9 points (+6,-1,=6) and a tournament performance rating (TPR) of 2879. This adds 23 points to his January 2011 rating of 2751. “Naka” scored 5.5 off the bottom six players with calculated risk-taking.

Viswanathan Anand took second spot with 8.5 (+4,=9; TPR:2844). The world champion couldn’t match Naka’s bottom feeding effort. Carlsen (+5,-2,=6, TPR:2815) and Aronyan (+3,=10, TPR:2816) shared 3-4. Anand goes to no:1, and a career-high rating of 2817, leapfrogging Carlsen who maintains 2814, and Aronyan stays at no:3 with 2808.

Maxim Vachier-Lagrave and Anish Giri who were both debutants at this level deserve special mention. Vachier-Lagrave scored 7.5 (2795 TPR) to tie for 5-6 with Kramnik while Giri managed 6.5 (TPR:2744).

The B provided even more thrills with David Navarra (TPR 2765) and Luke McShane (TPR:2768) slugging out a difficult final round draw to tie for 1-2 with 8.5. Both qualify for the 2012 premier.

In C group, Daniele Vocaturo, a 21-year-old Italian GM won promotion to the 2012 B with a score of 9 (TPR 2643). Vocaturo held off a determined last-round challenge from the prodigious Ukrainian GM Ilya Nyzhnyk (born 1996), who came second with 8.5 (TPR:2615).

It was nice to hear the Tatas are committed to continuing sponsorship when the tense global economic situation is having a negative impact. The Linares super tournament is likely to be cancelled and Sofia is also in doubt.

Focus now shifts to the ongoing Gibraltar Open. Ivanchuk leads a strong field (Caruana, Bologan Short, Sasikiran, Harikrishna, Adams, Daniel Fridman, etc.) with 8 points from 9 games. As at WAZ, the live Net coverage is excellent.

The diagram, (Nepomniachtchi vs Nakamura, Tata 2011) illustrates Nakamura’s risk-taking attitude. He has provoked 21.g4?! hxg4 22.fxg4 Be4!? Engines show 22...Be7! 23.Qxg7 Rh7 24.Qg8+ Kd7 25.Bxb6 Rxg8 26.Bxc7 Be4 27.Rh3 Kxc7 wins as the passers die.

Play continued 23.Rh3 Be7 24.Qxg7 (Instead maybe 24. Qe3 Bd5 25. h5 defends) Rh7 25.Qe5 Now 25.Qg8+ Kd7 would lead into the winning variation given above but the queen exchange is as decisive after 25...Qxe5 26.Bxe5 Bxh4+ 27.Ng3 Nd7.

Black now has more material and far more activity 28.Bd4 Bf3! 29.g5 Bg4 30.g6 Rh6 31.Rxh4 Rxh4 32.Rc3 Bf3 33.Rxf3 A potential last chance is 33.g7 Ke7 34.Re3 Rxd4?? (34...Kd6! 35.Bc3 Bd5 36.Kd2 Rg8 wins for sure) 35.Nf5+ Kf6 36.Nxd4 Bd5 37.Nxe6! Bxe6 38.Rxe6+ Kxe6 39.Bc4+ Ke5 40.g8Q Rxg8 41.Bxg8 with some drawing chances.

Now Black wrapped up ruthlessly with 33...Rxd4 34.Bh3 Ne5 35.Rf6 Nd3+ 36.Ke2 Nf4+ 37.Ke3 e5! 38.Rf7 Rd3+ 39.Ke4 Rxg3 40.Bd7+ Kd8 41.Bf5 Nxg6 42.Rg7 Rb8 43.b4 b5 44.Bxg6 Rg5 (0-1). A nice example of sharply calculated sparring on the edge of a precipice.

Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player