Round 2 Report: 5 December 2015, John Saunders

7TH LONDON CHESS CLASSIC (4-13 DECEMBER 2015)

CLASSIC ROUND 2: 5 DECEMBER 2015

John Saunders reports:

ALL DRAWS...

... in today’s second round. That makes the scores Giri 1½/2; Grischuk, Vachier-Lagrave, Caruana, Anand, Adams,

Aronian, Carlsen, Nakamura 1; Topalov ½. Most of the games were well contested, but elite, classical chess

gravitates towards a drawn result and there’s no point getting hung up about it. One of the dangers of a stellar field

is that the players can play excessively well. It happens in other sports, too. I’m sure we can think of major football

finals which have ended 0-0 and gone to penalties, because the two sides have defended too well, or big cricket

matches where neither side can bowl the other out.

HOME THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD

Before considering the games,

there’s one thing different about

this year’s Classic. We’re missing

Nigel Short. England’s larger than

life grandmaster is a bit poorly at

the moment, having had to pull

out of the British Knock-Out

Championship (where his

replacement, Nick Pert, has taken

full advantage of the unexpected

opportunity). We wish Nigel a

swift recovery. We also miss his

shafts of wit in the commentary

room and elsewhere. For example,

who could forget his ingenuity

when borrowing Boris Becker’s

walking stick to use as a pointer when giving an impromptu lecture at the display board in the VIP room a few years

back? Not many people would have had the chutzpah to ask, but the famous tennis star, visiting the tournament

after sustaining an injury to his leg, didn’t mind a bit.

It gives you an insight into Nigel’s ingenious turn of

mind, and leads you to think that anyone who makes

such a request of a Wimbledon champion can be

expected to have the creativity and confidence to

make that amazing king walk (minus crutch) to

checkmate Jan Timman all those years ago. It was

Tilburg 1991 if you’re minded to look it up.

Nigel’s pining for us, too. He’s following progress

back home in Greece and supplying some feedback

via Twitter. His first missive was “Gutted at not being

at #londonchess. Watching the demigods from my

study.” I’ll interpolate some of Nigel’s other pithy

Twitter comments into the summaries of games.

Figure 1 Nigel Short, with Boris Becker's crutch, in 2011.

Round 2 Report: 5 December 2015, John Saunders

Giri - Adams was

the first game to

finish, around two

hours into the

session. "I wasn’t

too happy – but

then suddenly it

was a draw" was

Mickey Adams'

succinct post-

game comment.

The game opened

with a Classical Nimzo-Indian (4.Qc2). After 16 moves, White had used less than five minutes while Black had already

thought for three quarters of an hour. Black had a cramped position, with a hemmed-in light-squared bishop and a

hole on b6. But then... nothing. White had a bit of a think (though he had only used 37 minutes by the time the game

ended) and decided he couldn't make progress. Anish Giri puts me in mind of the Hogwart's motto: "draco dormiens

nunquam titillandus," or, in English, "never tickle a sleeping dragon." He enjoys being provoked to violence, as in the

round one game, but seems less inclined to initiate chessboard mayhem himself.

Topalov - Grischuk was a Berlin/London Defence. Nigel Short

again: “When I see the Berlin, I almost become happy that I am no

longer a top player.” I tend to agree with his scepticism, whilst

recalling that yesterday’s Berlin game between Grischuk-

Nakamura, though drawn, was pretty good value. 12...Bd7 was

the first unfamiliar move. Later 18.b3 by Topalov looked a little

strange and Grischuk took the initiative with Black. However, it

always looked on the cards that the game would be left with

pawns only on one side of the board and the game petered out to

a draw. If the likes of Messrs Grischuk and Topalov cannot stir up

a storm with the Berlin, it does rather support Nigel’s case.

Aronian-Anand featured an offbeat line of the Nimzo – 1.d4 Nf6

2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bd2!? According to my database,

the first person to try this was Alekhine at a simul in Greenock in

1923 – and he lost. Well, serves him right for indulging in such

pusillanimity. The bishop looks all wrong on such a tame square.

Except for the fact that, when I looked through the game in

question, Alekhine was all over his opponent like a cheap suit,

and only lost because of a ridiculous blunder. So maybe it’s OK

after all. Aronian was probably less interested in a 90-year-old

game from a Scottish simul and more influenced by the fact that

he himself had lost a game to it against Nakamura in Saint Louis

last year. The game transposed to something resembling Nimzo-

Indian orthodoxy. Grandmaster opinion in the VIP room

indicated that White had an edge in the early middle game but that it evaporated quite quickly after the queens

were exchanged. Once Black’s knight was established on e4 for the second time (on move 28), the repetition of

moves was an odds-on bet.

Carlsen - Caruana was another Berlin. Nigel was withering: “Can someone please wake me up if anything happens in

the @MagnusCarlsen - @FabianoCaruana game?” including the players’ Twitter addresses to ensure they would

become aware of his scorn. The players proceeded down a well-worn super-GM path to an innocuous-looking

position on move 20 with a symmetrical pawn structure and a dwindling array of material on the board. Of course,

Figure 2 "... and suddenly it was a draw!" Figure 3 Anish Giri, with his second Vladimir Tukmakov

Figure 4 Topalov playing Grischuk

Figure 5 Aronian - Anand

Round 2 Report: 5 December 2015, John Saunders

you never know with Magnus: his speciality lies in finding

an oasis in a positional desert. Once his passed pawn

came to d6, you started to wonder. Could he be headed

for one of his trademark long grinds? I did my own straw

poll of the GMs in the VIP room. Around move 30, I asked

John Nunn what he thought and he opined that White

had an advantage. A move or two later I asked Chris Ward

and he thought there was nothing significant for White.

Nigel Short put it very well on Twitter: “I know the

engines say equal, but I always get a bit nervous when my

opponent has a passed pawn on the 6th.” Had the 140-

character restriction not prevented a longer comment, I

imagine he might have added, “especially when the

opponent is Magnus Carlsen”. But the dangerous criminal

passed pawn on d6 found itself securely locked up in the

Caruana penitentiary and there was to be no spectacular Carlsen jailbreak. Instead, the American came up with a

witty finish, giving up a rook to force perpetual check.

Nakamura - Vachier-Lagrave was the last, and best, hope of a

decisive result. It started with a Benoni. This time the Athenian

oracle proved more trenchant than the enigmatic Delphic

equivalent. More pithy than Pythian, you might say: “When

deciding upon a crap opening, choose one with an upside – like

the Benoni.” I believe Nigel Short’s predecessor as English

number one, Hugh Alexander, expressed a broadly similar

opinion. “If God played God in the Benoni, I think White would

win; at the lower levels, however, Black has excellent practical

chances.” Those practical chances were certainly in evidence in

this game, as White made a mess of the opening.

Round 2

H. Nakamura - M. Vachier-Lagrave

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.e3 Bg7 4.c4 0-0 5.Be2 c5 6.d5 d6 7.Nc3 e6 8.0-0 exd5 9.cxd5 Na6

10.Nd2 Rb8 11.e4 Reaching a Benoni position where White’s has expended two tempi

getting his e-pawn to e4, which doesn’t fill one with confidence. 11...Re8 12.f3 Nh5 Nigel

Short predicted this: “12...Nh5!? (and mate) now looks promising for Black.” 13.f4 Nf6!?

Cunningly trading two tempi for White’s own two lost tempi in order to reach a known Benoni

position which is better for Black, but which usually occurs after Black’s move 11. 14.Kh1 Nc7 15.a4 a6 16.a5 Bd7 17.Bf3 Nb5 18.e5 Two database games have proceeded 18.Nxb5 and

two have gone 18.e5, but the results have been 0-1 in all four cases. Superficially, it’s not

obvious why White doesn’t continue with something like 18.Re1, trying to prop up the various

weaknesses as they occur but Black’s long-term prospects are not promising. 18...dxe5 19.fxe5 Rxe5 20.Nc4 Rf5! If Black heads home with his extra pawn, White gets some counterplay: 20...Re8 21.Bf4 and Black is obliged to sacrifice the exchange. The text is much

more potent. 21.Ne2 (diagram)

Finally diverging from Ufimtsev-Tal, Spartakiade 1967, which continued 21.Ne3 Rf4

22.Ne2 Rh4 23.g3 Re4! 24.Bxe4 Nxe4 25.Nf4 Nd4 26.Kg2 Qe7 27.Re1 h5 28.Ra3

Re8 29.Ne2? Bh3+! 30.Kxh3 Ng5+ 0-1 because it’s mate. 21...Rxf3!? Julian

Hodgson was straining at the leash to see Black play this. Black’s compensation for

the exchange is very promising. Later, however, when shown 21...Ng4!?, he

regretted not playing that instead. Even so, that would have required calculating

some tricky computer-ish lines. 22.gxf3 Bh3 23.Re1 Qxd5 24.Nf4 24.Qxd5 Nxd5

Figure 6 Carlsen - Caruana

Figure 7 Matthew Sadler and Julian Hodgson

commentating

Round 2 Report: 5 December 2015, John Saunders

25.Nf4 Nxf4 26.Bxf4 looks possible for White, though Black has ample compensation for the exchange. 24...Qxd1 25.Rxd1 Bd7

26.Be3 Bc6 27.Kg2 Re8 The engine indicates 27...Nd4! 28.Bxd4 cxd4 and now 29.Rxd4 Nh5 30.Rad1 Bxd4 31.Rxd4 Nxf4+

32.Rxf4 Rd8 with a healthy extra pawn. 28.Kf2 Here the engine advocates 28.Bxc5 and

is happy to defend 28...g5 29.Nd3 g4 30.Nce5 gxf3+ 31.Kg1, etc. A human player might

worry about Black’s potential minor piece activity, as well as the two pawns’

compensation for the exchange. 28...g5 29.Nd3 g4 30.Nde5 Bd5 31.Rg1 h5 32.h3

(diagram)

32...Bxc4 A good example of how chess engines can calculate the (humanly)

incalculable. Houdini finds the counter-intuitive 32...gxf3! 33.Bh6 Ne4+ 34.Ke3 Kh7!

35.Bxg7 f2 36.Rg2 Nd4, getting ready to win the piece back with 36...Nf5+. The human

would have to calculate all the horrid little sub-variations and move-order tricks, and also

go on to calculate what happens after 37.Nb6 Nc2+, etc, as the complications do not end there. And then, even if the human had

calculated that far, make a decision as to whether to trust all the calculations made. One little mistake in calculation and the game

could be lost. It’s just too much, too far, for the human brain. 33.Nxc4 Nd5 Black’s advantage has largely evaporated and the any

advantage starts to migrate in the direction of White and his two rooks. However, it’s only very slight. 34.fxg4 Nxe3 35.Nxe3 Bxb2

36.Rae1 Bc3 37.Re2 Bd4 38.Kf3 Nc3 39.Ree1 Ne4 40.gxh5+ Kh7 41.Rg2 Nd6 42.Ree2 Re5 43.Nc2 Rxh5 44.Nxd4 cxd4

45.Rg4 Rxa5 46.Rxd4 Nf5 47.Rb4 b5 48.Kf4 Nh6 49.Ke5 Ra3 50.h4 Rg3 51.Ra2 Rg6 52.Rb1 Re6+ 53.Kf4 Rf6+ 54.Ke4 Re6+

55.Kf4 Rf6+ 56.Ke4 Re6+ ½-½

Other events

David Howell defeated Nick Pert in the second game of their six-game match so leads by 1½-½ in the battle for the

British Knock-Out Championship and the £20,000 winner’s cheque. It came down to a tricky rook and pawn endgame

which looked drawn for much of its course but turned round towards the end.

In the FIDE Open, ten players have reached 3/3: Mads Andersen (DEN),

Evgeny Postny (ISR), Mark Hebden (ENG), Eric Hansen (CAN), Sagar Shah

(IND), Jahongir Vakhidov (UZB), Crg Krishna (IND), Keith Arkell (ENG),

Mishra Swayams (IND) and John Bartholomew (USA). In round two

French GM Romain Edouard was downed by 16-year-old V. Ap Karthik

of India.

Round 3 is scheduled for Sunday 6 December 2015 at 14.00. (Apologies

for getting the start time wrong in the last report!)

More of my photos from round two are available here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskqwzhAN

John Saunders

London Chess Classic Reporter (@johnchess)

Website : www.londonchessclassic.com

Twitter: @LondonClassic2015

Figure 8 Keith Arkell is amongst those on 3/3 in

the FIDE Open. You can’t keep a good man down!