Grenke Open draws 1,202 bets

The Grenke Super GM Classic in Germany was another major tournament in the year’s second quarter.

The entry list had Norwegian world champion  Magnus Carlsen, world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana (USA), Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, ranked fifth in the world, and world No. 9 Levon Aronian of Armenia.

The rest of the field included former women world champion Hou Yi Yifan of China, world No. 49 Arkadji Naiditsch of Azerbaijan, local GM Georg Meier and the 19-year-old German rising star Matthias Bluebaum, winner of the 2016 Grenke Open.

Round one has started in the German  tourist city of Karlsruhe.

Meanwhile, the 2017 Grenke Open has also gotten underway with a record 1,202 participants, including 56 GMs and 51 IMs.

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In Switzerland, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), coming back from a three-month layoff, showed he’s still quite effective by taking the lead at the sixth Zurich Chess Challenge in Switzerland’s largest city.

Kramnik, 42, had two points after three rounds on one win and two draws record. Tying Kramnik at two apiece were American Hikaru Nakamura and the Russian tandem of Ian Nepomniachtchi and Peter Svidler.

Another late-40 GM still playing at high level is the 47-year-old Boris Gelfand of Israel, who had 1.5 points.

2017 Zurich Challenge

W) V. Kramnik (Russia)

B)  V. Anand (India)

English Opening

1. c4        c5

2. g3       ...

A well-known standard continuation is 2. Nc3 and after Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nc7 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. 0--0 e5 8. d3 Be7, the game transposes into a reversed Sicilian, with a slight advantage for White.

2...           g6

3. Bg2        Bg7

4. Nc3    Nf6

The modern preference. An old-fashioned but solid line is 4...Nc6 5. e3 e6 6. Nge2 Nge7 7. 0-0 0-0 with good chances for equality.

5. e3        e6

6. d4       cxd4

7. exd4      0-0

8. Nf3         d5

9. b3       Ne4

10. Bb2      Nxc3

11. Bxc3    b6

12. cxd5    exd5

13. 0-0        Nc6

14. Ne5      Nxe5

14...Qd6 is probably better according to the engine. For instance 15. Qd2 Re8 16. Rac1 Bb7  17. f4 Rac8 with only a slight edge for White, if any. The text exposes Black’s isolated d pawn.

15. dxe5    Be6

16. Re1     Qd7

17. Qd2     Rac8

18. Bd4     Rc7

19. a4         Rfc8

20. Bf1       Bf8

21. Ba6     Rd8

22. h4         Bc5

Not without a point, but missing the interesting alternative 22...Bf5!? which activates the light-squared Bishop. For example 23. Qf4 Bc5 24. Rac1 Bxd4 25. Qxd4 Qe7 26. b4 Be4 and Black has an even game, according to the computer.

23. b4    Bxd4

24. Qxd4                Qe7

25. Bd3     Kg7

26. a5         Rdc8

27. axb6                axb6

28. Bf1       b5

29. Bd3     Rc4?!

Seems premature as Black gets very little for the exchange sacrifice. The conservative 29... Qd7 is probably better.

30. Bxc4                Qxb4

31. Rab1                Qxc4

32. Qd2     h5

33. Rbc1                Qb3

34. Rxc8                Bxc8

35. Qf4!     ...

The decisive blow as Black has no satisfactory reply against the threat of 36. Qf6ch followed by an eighth-rank rook invasion.

35...         Bf5?

This loses outright, but Black has very little choice. If 35...Qa3 36. Qf6ch Kg8 37. Rb1 Be6 38. Rxb5 and wins.

36. e6!   ...

A neat final touch to a highly instructive game.

36...         Bxe6

37. Qe5ch             Kh7

38. Ra1!  1:0

There’s no adequate defense. For instance 38...Bc8 39. Ra8 Qd1ch 40. Kg2 Qg4 41. Qe8 Qh3ch 42. Kg1 and wins.

Solution to last week’s puzzle:

White to move and draw.

white=Kc3, Ra2

black=Kd7, Rb1, Bd1, Pa4

1. Ra1!       Rxa1

2. Kb2   draw

3. Kxa1 is a theoretical draw as Black cannot force White to abandon the a1 square.