28 September 2016
Giri and Anand Win in the Round 2 of Tal Memorial
September 28 is a rest day.
In the second round of the 10th Tal Memorial, which takes place in the Museum of Russian Impressionism, Anish Giri, playing Black, defeated Boris Gelfand. The player went to a Classical variation of the King's Indian, in which White develops his king's bishop to g2. Gelfand got a promising position after the opening, but spent too much time. In the middlegame Giri employed a creative idea associated with a pawn sacrifice, and Gelfand accepted the offer. Black developed pressure in the center and on the kingside, and additionally sacrificed an exchange. Being under serious time pressure, Gelfand did not find the best defense and resigned after Black's 36th move.
Anish Giri: “I was reading Boris Gelfand's book prior to the tournament, so I was really well prepared for him (laughs). Boris loves sacrificing pawns, therefore I was happy to play a pawn down myself.”
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, playing Black against Vishy Anand, employed the Svidler system in the Ruy Lopez. Responding to Black's queenside activity, Anand organized a pawn storm on the kingside. Mamedyarov reacted in the most principled way, sacrificing a knight for two pawns and attack against the white king. Anand parried all direct threats, and in the resulting complex endgame White's extra piece proved stronger than Black's extra pawns. With subtle play, Anand outplayed his opponent and secured a win.
Peter Svidler and Ian Nepomniachtchi played a sharp 4.Bg5 line of the Gruenfeld, in which Black sacrifices a pawn for the initiative. Both players showed deep theoretical knowledge, and the game ended in a draw by move repetition on the move 22.
Evgeny Tomashevsky and Levon Aronian played a Queen's Gambit. Black solved all his opening problems, and the game ended in a draw by move repetition.
Vladimir Kramnik and Li Chao played the Petroff Defense. The 14th World Champion kept trying to shake Black's defenses in a long maneuvering struggle, but the Chinese defended tenaciously and held the balance.
Standings after 2 rounds:
Anand, Giri, Nepomniachtchi – 1.5
Svidler, Kramnik, Li Chao, Aronian – 1
Gelfand, Mamedyarov, Tomashevsky – 0.5
Wednesday, September 28 is a rest day.
Round 3 pairings:
Nepomniachtchi-Kramnik, Aronian-Svidler, Giri-Tomashevsky, Mamedyarov-Gelfand, Li Chao-Anand.
Photos by Eteri Kublashvili
