Corus R10: as internet drops, Anand beats Shirov
27 January 2010, 13.12 CET | Last modified: 3:52 | By Peter Doggers | Filed under: Reports | Tags:
Alexei Shirov lost his pole position in a dramatic game against Viswanathan Anand today. The Spaniard reached a winning position against the World Champ, but as both players missed an important tactic, the game went on and Anand eventually won. Carlsen defeated Karjakin with Black in a French and Kramnik and Ivanchuk drew.
The Corus Chess Tournament takes place January 16-31 in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands. Next to hundreds of amateurs, three Grandmaster Groups (A, B and C) with 14 players each play a closed round-robin. The rate of play is 100 minutes for 40 moves, then 50 minutes for 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, and 30 seconds increment starting from move 1.
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Games round 10
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Round 10
13:12 CET
Another great round is ahead of us, with Anand-Shirov , Kramnik-Ivanchuk and Karjakin-Carlsen in A, Giri-Naiditsch in B and Swinkels-Li Chao as today’s main attractions.
14:21 CET
Ivanchuk played the Vienna against Kramnik’s 1.d4 and the two have already reached quiet unfamiliar territory after eleven moves. Kramnik’s Qe2 & Rad1 concept seems to be new, and Ivanchuk is thinking now.
Against Karjakin, Carlsen went for the French. A surprising choice since according to the database the Norwegian played this defence only once before, when he was 11 and rated 2214! Karjakin decided to play it safe and castled kingside.
Anand doesn’t want to risk too much either against Shirov and closed the queenside with 10.a5 in another Archangelsk Ruy Lopez. Dominguez and Nakamura are still in a well-known Accelarated Dragon position while Caruana and Van Wely are also looking at a familiar middlegame position – there it’s a Sicilian Scheveningen.
Smeets got Tiviakov thinking after11…Nxc5, which is still known however, e.g. from J.Polgar-Skembris, Moscow OL 1994. Nigel Short tried the Alekhine against Leko; an opening played by ‘people with a difficult childhood and by Short’, as I heard in the press room, but that’s how we used to describe the opening two decades ago. In the 90s Ivanchuk sometimes tried it, and these days it’s slightly more popular. Recently Carlsen defeated Topalov with Black using 1…Nf6.
15:28 CET
Nakamura came up with an interesting pawn sacrifice on move 14 and instead of trading on c1, 18…Bxd5 followed by 19..Ne4 was possible as well. It seems that Shirov still hasn’t equalized completely against Anand, who will probably try to get something going against the black king. Kramnik seems to be thinking in that direction too, but Ivanchuk’s manoeuvering looks solid enough. Not much excitement on the other boards so far.
In the B group, Giri and Naiditsch already drew in a Semi-Tarrasch. The game of the round is l’Ami-Nisipeanu; a King’s Indian in which the always creative Romanian GM sacrificed a piece for two pawns and an attack. In C, Swaminathan-Grandelius is very sharp and Li Chao looks already more than fine with Black against Swinkels.
03:52 CET
The talk of the town was not about chess this time, but about the sudden failure of the internet connection in the venue, including the press room. The boards were not transmitted correctly to the press room, and some TV screens in the playing hall also showed wrong positions. Besides, the tournament website was down for a long time as well (at the time of writing it still is, but that’s simply because the ISP cannot be contacted before 9 AM). And so nobody exactly knew what was going on, sometimes players would suddenly finish their games and journos would ask what had happened, this time wondering not only about the course of the game, but also about the result.
Shirov suffered a terrible loss against Anand – terrible, because for one moment he could have won. As Anand showed at the press conference (without having looked at a computer), 39.Ne6? could have been met by 39…Ng3! – a tactic he had seen before in a slightly different version, but one which both players missed in that exact position.
Carlsen defeated Karjakin with surprising ease but left the playing hall quickly anyway, like his opponent, so the exact details of this game will have to be checked by the computer. Although he thought for about an hour in the opening phase while the position was still known, Tiviakov did beat Smeets, who basically tricked himself.
In B, Giri kept his slim lead because both l’Ami and Ni Hua drew, while in C Li Chao is very close to tournament victory after beating one of his rivals, Robin Swinkels. The young Chinese GM leads by 1.5 point.
Corus 2010 | Schedule & results Grandmaster Group A
Corus 2010 | Schedule & results Grandmaster Group B
Corus 2010 | Schedule & results Grandmaster Group C
Corus 2010 | Round 10 Standings Grandmaster Group A
Corus 2010 | Round 10 Standings Grandmaster Group B
Corus 2010 | Round 10 Standings Grandmaster Group C
Links
- Official website
- Games in PGN via TWIC: Group A | Group B | Group C
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Carlsen playing the French for the first time in his life in an official game? Pretty interesting
There are also just four French games from Kasparov (playing black) in the chessgames.com database, including two blitz games and one from 1980 when he was only an IM …. . So it seems to be something entirely new from Carlsen. Did he buy a book on the French, like Kramnik did for the Pirc (so he said)? Was he inspired by Kamsky who used the French against Topalov – successfully as far as the opening is concerned?
So far, contrary to Kasparov (Scheveningen-King’s Indian/Grunfeld) or Fischer, it seems to me that Carlsen has always had an eclectic repertoire, from time to time picking up another opening for a moment or just a single game, isn’t it ? I don’t think he has a reccurrent opening so far – perhaps, as he is still growing, he wants to try a lot of things in chess.
Carlsen is winning now.
Something is wrong with the game transmission. Any info on that?
Unfortunately, it seems that the tension in the standings was too much for the official website and the moves are not getting out of the Netherlands anymore.
It always happens when I watch, the website goes down or the player I’m rooting for loses.
Official site sucks! Pays-Bas, welcome to the 21st century!
Anyone LOCAL who can update us??
Update please. Any games is finished yet?
Internet has been dead in the press room for 1,5 hours already. Typing this from my mobile…
@jussu: The moves aren’t available inside the Netherlands (but about 100km away from the venue) either
According to the Coruschess website (wich I luckily got into some minutes ago) Carlsen has won against Karjakin!!!
Ouch. I’ll sleep here then.
some results here in pgn:
http://corus1.connections-it.com/r4/round.pgn
Tell us please Peter: did Shirov, Carlsen, Van Wely, Kramnik already win? Or were there games all spoiled and did they all lose? We are desperate to know!!
Shirov lost
Carlsen won
Kramnik drew
Van Wely playing
Broadcast is back…
Thanks Hortensius, given that you weren’t joking!
@unknown,
Many thanks!
According to ICC, Shirov is still playing as well. What’s the source of your info, Hortensius? Tivi beat Smeets though.
pgn from corus
Ah right, my deep excuses. I’m wrong about Shirov! My apologies all!
Chessbomb has live transmission as well
anand shirov 1-0 courtesy http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/
Suddenly the link to the Corus site via Chessvibes is “forbidden” for me, more people with this problem!?
Anand finally won!
Susan Polgar’s blog says Anand won
http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/
Anand – Shirov 1-0
Kramnik – Ivanchuk 1/2
Karjakin – Carlsen 0-1
Dominguez – Nakamura 1/2
Leko – Short 1/2
Caruana – van Wely 1/2
Tiviakov – Smeets 1-0
@Rini Luyks:
You’re not the only one, I’ve got the same problem.
afact, the direct live link ( http://corus1.connections-it.com/r4/ ) never stopped working
Internet still not solved at the venue. Now at my appartment; games added.
Where are Karjakin’s superb Russian trainer? A complete disaster in preparation once again…
Even if not in time trouble, calculating the following win for black from move 39 would be tremendous:
39…Ng3!! 40.Rxb4,Rc8! (…Bxd3? Rb8+,Kh7 (…Kf7?? Rf8#) Nxg5+,Kg7 (hxg5?? Rxe7+,Kh6 Rh8#) Rxe7+,Kf6 and simply 44.Bxd3+-) 41.Nxg5,Rxe1 42.Qf3,hxg5! tying the queen to f1 (due to the threat of …Rxf1+ & Rh1#) with black able to simplify to a piece up ending at an opportune moment.
I should say my prior post fleshes out Rybka’s suggestion, and that it’s from Anand-Shirov.
Terrible to see Jan Smeets going down against Tiviakov! The latter might be a good player in open tournaments but his style is so booooooring. Smeets made the game but lost in style. Tiviakov should never be in roundrobin tournaments: he just anticipates on mistakes and can’t play a real game on his own. He might be cheap (to invite)for the organisers but leave him in Groningen and first find out why he really left the Dutch Championship..the invitation for Cores 2010 might be based on a contract but he left a competition for money! Besides that i consider him a disgrace to chess.
Bravo Jan Smeets for trying to get his scalp…and in the end you will be invited by Corus for the next 3 years and Tiviakov will be World Champion in beating amateurs like me. Jeroen vd Berg should be spending more time in inviting real chess players (also for the audience, the press and the chesslovers) than Tiviakov who will not end on his ultimate deserved last place in the A-group due to your experiment with h5!
I’ll pay vd Berg next year 5000 euro’s (in benefit of the tournament) if he leaves Tiviakov safely at home and invite a real (Dutch) chessplayer with courage and ideas ( like Stellwagen)
@guncha: This is obviously an unfair comment. It was not an issue of bad preparation, but no preparation – because he couldn’t possibly expect the French from Carlsen. And, while I didn’t check this thoroughly, I think the only other player in the tournament that does have the French in his repertoire is Ivanchuk – and Karjakin has black against him in the next round.
BTW, what do you mean with “once again”?
I believe Nakamura also thought he had the French in his opening repertoire? :-9
Bravo Paul. I join your offer, get done with Tiviakov and Leko and let us have Giri and Malakov instead, I mean, Naka may be an *sshole but he is not boring!
If Kramnik loses to Anand, the tournament finish could be really exciting. Besides Kramnik, Anand is playing Smeets (14) & Van Wely (13), the bottom markers. Carlsen has the easiest finish of the leaders playing 6, 9 & 10 in the crosstable. Kramnik plays 3, 4 & 8. Shirov plays 1, 6 & 8.
If you cant say something good about somebodies chess–dont say anything.!
so I have no comment to make about Tiviakov
I still beleive that Carlsen will win the tournement.
What a beautiful sentence you wrote Jo..it’s like politics, better to ignore them to oppose them!
Does anyone know whether the press conferences are on youtube and if so could you please post the link?
Can someone explain me where Shirov missed a win?
@ Sergio on January 28th, 2010 1:27 am
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 Ra8 13. Nbd2 Bb7 14. Re1 Re8 15. Ng5 Re7 16. d5 Nb8 17. Bxa7 Rxa7 18. Nf1 c6 19. Ne3 cxd5 20. exd5 h6 21. Nf3 Rc7 22. Nd2 Nbd7 23. c4 Nc5 24. Bc2 b4 25. Ndf1 Bc8 26. Ng3 g6 27. b3 Nh7 28. Ne4 f5 29. Nxc5 Rxc5 30. Qd2 Rb7 31. Bd3 f4 32. Nc2 Qg5 33. Ra4 Bxh3 34. Bf1 Nf6 35. f3 e4 36. fxe4 Re7 37. Nd4 Nxe4 38. Qd3 Bf5 39. Ne6 Rxe6? 40. dxe6 Re5 41. Rxb4 Qd8 42. Qd4 f3 43. gxf3 Ng5 44. Rxe5 Nxf3+ 45. Kf2 Nxe5 46. Rb6 Bxe6 47. Be2 Qf6+ 48. Ke3 Qg5+ 49. Qf4 Qg1+ 50. Kd2 Qa1 51. Rxd6 Qxa5+ 52. Kd1 g5 53. Qd4 Kf7 54. Rd5 Bxd5
Shirov’s 39th move was weak.Instead . … Ng3 40. Qd4 Bxe6 41. dxe6 f3 42. Ra2 Ne2+ 43. Rexe2 fxe2 44. Rxe2 Re5 45. Qxd6 Rxe2 is advantage Shirov as indicated
in ChessBomb.com .Again Shirov’s 52nd & 53rd moves were weak.
Please post your remarks .
@ eric on January 27th, 2010 10:00 pm
I feel your analysis is also correct.
Anand said in the press conference that 39. Ne6 could have been easily met by 39…. Ng3. It’s here that Shirov missed the trick maybe due to time pressure
On Anand’s 55 Qxe5 Shirov has resigned.
Ive seen some pressconferences, which are very entertaining, especially Kramniks, but i wonder: why havent we seen any pressconference from Magnus Carlsen yet???
@Paul,
I hope you will come back and repeat your suggestions when you have become strong enough to teach anything to Tiviakov (which I consider highly unlikely to occur) or Leko (which I deem utterly impossible). Until then, please stay in your 18th century chessic kindergarten and save your lectures for other kids.
@Paul: repress your anger and go psychotic instead, plz. Tiviakov is playing in a tourney with players far stronger than himself. To berate him for not trying to push them around and outthink them is harsh and unfair. He was invited and is doing his best against players who are so far above your level that it should be hard for you to even begin to understand what he is going through.
Dont worry about Tiviakov, guys. He has his mother to take care of him. OMG!!
Jagdish i must say the first thing i looked to in that posistion was Ng3, but couldn’t find the winning continuation. It just looked good Ng3. ( was looking at it without knowing shirov missed the win, was yesterday watching in wijk aan zee)
Well about Tiviakov (and Leko), the problem is that, thanks to his nationality, he was given a tremendous chance to prove his worthyness by challenging, as much as he can, the best players in the world – and no more play lower or even players below 2700, as strong as they can be, of course.
Then, there is a difference between coming with a not-to-lose spirit and a fighting-experimenting spirit (compare with Smeets for instance or Van Wely), especially when you know that you will not win and more probably that you will end at the bottom of the tournament.
Therefore, I find it hard to criticize him for his style or his talent (I am simple patzer) but as a chess fan and a chess players, I find totally normal to criticize his figthing spirit. (I tend to forgive Anand due to his coming match against Topalov, even if….)
@VladimirOo
Second your opinion on being allowed to want fighting spirit. However, this was not what originally caused the reactions to Paul’s post which read:
“can’t play a real game on his own. He might be cheap (to invite)for the organisers but leave him in Groningen and first find out why he really left the Dutch Championship..the invitation for Cores 2010 might be based on a contract but he left a competition for money! Besides that i consider him a disgrace to chess.”
One thing is to be a fan of aggressive, creative play. Another is to call a player a “digrace” who “can’t play a real game”.
I doubt Titiakov got his rating without ever playing a “real game”, whatever that is. And like you defend Anand bc of his upcoming WC match, the same defense can be used for Titiakov, who also has reason to be cautious while playing the game’s greatest players in this tournament. Smeets playing aggressively for a win is very noble and entertaining indeed, but to claim that he should be placed over Titiakov bc of bravery is neglecting that chess is also about not losing (at least until they change the scoring system. Maybe 0-1-3 as in London?). IMHO you can salute Smeets without smeering Titiakov. Leko, on the other hand, has been playing in these A-tournaments forever, and is easier to criticize for passive/draw-seeking play.
Still on Anand-Shirov: An amateur on a German blog wrote that he saw 39.-Ng3 immediately, but overlooked (or forgot) that his queen is hanging!?
Reportedly, Shirov had about 30 seconds left. While it’s trivial for engines, can we expect a human to
- consider 39.-Ng3 as one of the first candidate moves, AND
- calculate (and double-check) that it actually works?
There is hardly enough time to realize that the game move 39.-Re6: simply loses, and then (only then) find the winning alternative?
Anand is another story, he had about half an hour left. Was he “accidentally blundering” or deliberately gambling?
LMAO it was so funny watching Carlsen waiting to make his first move with Kramnik’s voice commenting the strange situation.
Well Rothschild, I never said that I agree with Paul’s agressivity (I should have precised). I intended to show that it can be normal to have suspicious considerations over Tivi’s play.
Of course, Tivi got his rating with wins, pretty ones I guess. Of course, chess is also about not losing. But, when you only care about not to lose, when you are, not matter what, at the bottom, one can only disagree with this mood of play.
This tournament is for Tivi a wonderful opportunity to test his strenght, to evaluate his potential against the top, not just trying to keep some rating points (he will regain them in another tournament where, no matter what, he will participate). One should not forget that being invited to Group A in Corus is an honour, especially when you have not been to previous groups (such as Caruana or Short), especially when you get there because of your nationality.
I don’t care cautious play during an olympiad, a world cup, a lower tournament where you earn your money to live : but in this case, it is the moment to prove your worthyness, otherwise there are plenty of chess players that dream to take your place.
It is a pity, because, as Shirov himself said, Tivi is especially that kind of players that can bring new positions, that can produce creative chess (please, remark that creative and enterprising chess does not mean agressive play).
I would be much more bitter if they had invited Wang Yue for instance, and if as usual he only cared about making sterile draws : what’s, in this case, the point in being invited to such tournament? In Aeroflot, it is different, but here ?
@Paul,
you said that Tiviakov’s play too boring. Try to play a boring game against a 2500, and draw it.
I claim that you will consider yourself as world champion if you manage to draw
such a game even by boring play.
I am wondering that chess become like politics and football when one person plays and 1 millions are watching. In chess every one has the opportunity to
prove himself on the chess board (even by boring play).
Try to reach 2500 by boring play.
Otherwise, I completely agree with you
Carlsen will take this…. “Easy” last few rounds. But judging from Kramnik against Carlsen, he can really kick ass with black…. Hmm… Maybe I spoke too soon…
To be honest I find it somewhat gratuitous to condemn someone for complaining about Tiviakov’s play. Of course one doesn’t need to reach 2600 level himself in order to point out that, for instance, Tivi’s opening repertoire is extremely small and monotonous and that his results (mostly draws) hardly appeal to the general audience. A mere 1200 player can point this out and still be absolutely correct about it.
Of course, it’s a completely different question whether playing like this against the elite players is easy – it’s not, obviously. But something being difficult is not the same as something being interesting, or attractive. There’s more to chess than just making good, solid moves, especially in a tournament with such a history and so much publicity and feedback from amateurs, like Corus.
Anand and Carlsen, they make me the impression of two tigers hidden in shadow who little by little show their claws to the other participants to take the entire tournament : discret in the beginning, then irresistibly gaining power through the tournament.
if Anand plays like this he is going to face big problom with Topalov.i hope not
Round 10 report: http://blip.tv/play/AYHBiEEC
Why do people complain about Tiviakov? This tournament has been a success in A, B and C sections. Coverage was great until yesterday’s outage. That’s the only thing to complain about and they say the internet is in it’s infancy: Duh. If people get bored with the A section, watch the games in the other sections. Welterweights are always a good fight. And Kramnik has reinvented himself in the heavyweight section, that’s the real story. Oh yeah, the last game Tiviakov played was exciting…
oh Sorry, I meant KRAMNIK and Carlsen are like tremendous beasts.
About that Tivi discussion. I think the difference in ways of playing is interesting enough. Only players like Shirov in a 13 round tournament is like eating pizza every day; it’s nice, but it becomes boring after a few days!
@ PP
With all due respect, but personally, If I’d be forced to choose; I’d prefer to eat 13 Shirov’s as opposed to 13 Tiviakov’s.
Seriously, in this tournament Tiviakov has a good excuse to play conservatively, but the problem is that Tiviakov always plays like this, it seems like it’s just his style.
I believe Kramnik said this recently in an interview: players like Morozevich do not play like that just to please the crowds, they play in the style that is best suited to them and more importantly; they play in such a way that get’s them the most points. Again, it’s more a matter of style than anything else.
They are not Mother Teresa’s.