Boris Gelfand Wins 8th Tal Chess Memorial, Magnus Carlsen Second, Fabiano Caruana Third
12th Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Latest Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
Boris Gelfand was declared sole winner of the Tal Memorial on Sunday in Moscow. The Israeli Grandmaster had an undefeated performance of +3; two of his wins were achieved with the black pieces. This great run put Gelfand back in the top-10 at the live ratings list; he is 9th after gaining 18 points in this event. Defending champion Magnus Carlsen recovered from his loss against Caruana in the third round to finish sole second with 5.5/9 points.
The best Russian in the competition ended up being the lowest-rated, Dmitry Andreikin. The national champion drew eight of his games and defeated Vladimir Kramnik. Andreikin shared 3rd-5th places with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Fabiano Caruana. The young Italian jumped to third place in the live ratings list, and is four points away from the 2800-mark.
The eventual champion arrived to his last game with a draw in mind. His rival, Vladimir Kramnik, did not have a good event and was not likely to push too hard with white, as he was probably expecting to finish the tournament as soon as possible, rest and think about his next compromises. This forecast was accurate as their game was the first one to finish. The experienced strategists split the point in 25 moves.
Gelfand left the playing hall and went on to wait for the result in the game of his closest follower, favorite Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian also had the black pieces, and faced Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. This game was a totally different affair, as the players went into a sharp middlegame. Gelfand must have been relieved to see that the Azerbaijani was in the driver seat in the middle of the complications, but it is impossible to write-off Carlsen even in the worst situations. This time, the Israeli finished on top as the game ended in a draw in 33 moves.
Boris Gelfand with his trophy
The only decisive game of the day was the win of Alexander Morozevich over Hikaru Nakamura. This was Morozevich’s only victory of the event and Nakamura’s third straight loss. The American had a performance full of ups and downs, as he only drew one game, won four and lost four. He seemed in good shape to win the tournament after the sixth round, when he was sole leader and only had Gelfand close behind.
The game was a sharp Queen’s Gambit Accepted where Morozevich chose very complicated lines at the critical moments. The American was left with a healthier pawn structure while black had the bishop pair and a dangerous passed c-pawn. However, the decisive factor in the end was Morozevich’s control of the open h-file. Nakamura sacrificed an exchange to free himself but the material disadvantage was impossible to overcome later. The American resigned on move 49.
Fabiano Caruana and Dmitry Andreikin drew their last round game in 41 moves of a Ruy Lopez. Both players finished on +1 which might be considered more successful for the Russian. Caruana comes from playing the Grand Prix in Thessaloniki and, with two good results in these two events, he rose to third place in the live ratings lists, thanks to an impressive gain of 22 points in the last period. The Italian was not very satisfied with his play in the event, but said that his result was not bad, and that he got it with a little bit of luck.
Sergey Karjakin and Viswanathan Anand signed a rather quick draw in a Sicilian. The world champion’s performance was below par, as he lost three games, something that is very rare for the Indian. The young Russian finished on -1 and was probably expecting a better result in the tournament. (Text: Chessdom.com/Photo: Eteri Kublashvili)
Final Standings:
1 Gelfand, Boris ISR 2755 6
2 Carlsen, Magnus NOR 2864 5½
3 Caruana, Fabiano ITA 2774 5
4 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar AZE 2753 5
5 Andreikin, Dmitry RUS 2713 5
6 Nakamura, Hikaru USA 2784 4½
7 Karjakin, Sergey RUS 2782 4
8 Morozevich, Alexander RUS 2760 3½
9 Anand, Viswanathan IND 2786 3½
10 Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 2803 3
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Labels: Boris gelfand, Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen, tal chess memorial
Tal Chess R8 - Fabiano Caruana in Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Round 8: Caruana-Kramnik 1-0
The 7th Tal Chess Memorial saw a new leader emerge as Italy's Fabiano Caruana beat Vladimir Kramnik (on a blunder mission) in the eighth round in Moscow. This was the second consecutive loss for Kramnik who slipped down in the standings.
Another earlier leader, Alexander Morozevich, continued the string of bad results and lost the third game in a row, this time with white against Luke McShane. In the other games, Alexander Grischuk beat Hikaru Nakamura, Carlsen - Tomashevsky and Radjabov - Aronian were drawn.
Round 8 results:
Caruana - Kramnik 1-0, Morozevich - McShane 0-1, Carlsen - Tomashevsky draw, Grischuk - Nakamura 1-0, Radjabov - Aronian draw
Round 8 standings:
1. Caruana – 5; 2-3. Carlsen, Radjabov – 4,5; 4-7. Morozevich, Grischuk, McShane, Kramnik – 4; 8-9. Nakamura, Aronian – 3,5; 10. Tomashevsky – 3.
Check out these two games with Chess King
Italian Job in Moscow Tal Chess R8: Caruana-Kramnik 1-0
Tal Chess R8: Tomashevsky Does a Clark Kent against Carlsen!
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Labels: Fabiano Caruana, tal chess memorial, vladimir kramnik
Tal Chess Memorial R7: Both Leaders Kramnik, Morozevich Lose; Five in Joint Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Five players are in joint lead at the 7th Tal Chess memorial in Moscow. Consider that there are total of 10 players in the event playing a round-robin format! This unlikely situation came about when both joint leaders Alexander Morozevich and Vladimir Kramnik lost their games to Evgeny Tomashevsky and Luke McShane. Fabiano Caruana held his nerves and drew a tough game against Teimour Radjabov. The Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen game was also a draw as was the Levon Aronian-Alexander Grischuk game. Two more rounds are to be played.
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| Amazing - Both Leaders Lost! |
(Carlsen and Nakamura possibly wondering about Kramnik and Morozevich.)
Standings:
1-5. Morozevich, Carlsen, Radjabov, Kramnik, Caruana - 4
6. Nakamura - 3.5
7-9. Grischuk, Aronian, McShane - 3
10. Tomashevsky - 2,5
The Tal Chess Memorial is being held at the Pashkov House in Moscow with 10 of the world's top players from June 8-18.Draw offers are not allowed until after the first time control. The prize fund is 100,000 euros. You can watch the excellent live broadcast of the event at the of Russian Chess Federation.
Labels: Alexander Morozevich, evgeny tomashevsky, luke mcshane, tal chess memorial, vladimir kramnik
Tal Chess Memorial Round 6: Kramnik Catches up with Morozevich for Joint Lead; Morozevich Loses to Nakamura
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
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Alexander Morozevich in Joint Lead with Vladimir Kramnik at Tal Chess Memorial after six rounds.
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The 7th Tal Chess Memorial resumed on Saturday after a day's break. Six rounds had been played till Friday and the talk of the previous round was leader Alexander Morozevich's loss to US Chess Champion Hikaru Nakamura.
This allowed Vladimir Kramnik - who beat Evgeny Tomashevsky - to catch up for a joint lead. Fabiano Caruana beat Luke McShane. Other games were drawn.
Round 6 standings:
1-2. Morozevich, Kramnik - 4, 3-5. Carlsen, Radjabov, Caruana - 3,5, 6. Nakamura - 3, 7-8. Grischuk, Aronian - 2,5, 9. McShane - 2, 10. Tomashevsky - 1,5
You can watch the tournament live a the official website. You can check out Nakamura's inspiration play with Chess King.
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Labels: Alexander Morozevich, Hikaru nakamura, tal chess memorial, vladimir kramnik
Tal Chess Memorial Round 5: Morozevich in Sole Lead After Aronian Self-Destruct; Carlsen Beats Radjabov
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
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Alexander Morozevich - Leading at
Tal Chess Memorial 2012 |
The Tal Chess Memorial witnessed two decisive games in the fifth round. Alexander Morozevich defeated Levon Aronian with black pieces and moved into the sole lead with 4 points. Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen scored his first victory against the earlier co-leader Teimour Radjabov.
Round 5 results:1. Grischuk - Caruana draw, 2. Radjabov - Carlsen 0-1, 3. Aronian - Morozevich 0-1, 4. Nakamura - Kramnik draw, 5. Tomashevsky - McShane draw
Round 5 standings: 1. Morozevich - 4, 2-4. Carlsen, Radjabov, Kramnik - 3, 5. Caruana - 2,5, 6-9. Grischuk, Aronian, Nakamura, McShane - 2, 10. Tomashevsky - 1,5.
Round 6 pairings: Morozevich - Nakamura, Carlsen - Aronian, Grischuk - Radjabov, Kramnik - Tomashevsky and Caruana - McShane.
Official website
You can check out the Levon Aronian - Alexander Morozevich Game with Chess King.
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Labels: Alexander Morozevich, levon aronian, Magnus Carlsen, tal chess memorial, teimour radjabov
Tal Chess Memorial Round 4 - Morozevich, Radjabov Lead with 3 Points
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
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Teimour Radjabov in joint lead with
Alexander Morozevich after four rounds. |
The Tal Chess Memorial Round 4 included fireworks by Magnus Carlsen against Alexander Grischuk. The latter held the No. 1 to a draw after a long-drawn battle. Fabiano Caruana beat Evgeny Tomashevsky. All other games were drawn as well. Vladimir Kramnik was a trifle upset about his draw. Alexander Morozevich and Teimour Radjabov continue to lead with three points each.
Round 4 results:
1. Carlsen - Grischuk draw
2. Caruana -Tomashevsky 1-0
3. Kramnik - Aronian draw
4. McShane - Nakamura draw
5. Morozevich - Radjabov draw.
Round 4 standings
1-2. Morozevich, Radjabov - 3; 3. Kramnik - 2,5; 4-6. Aronian, Carlsen, Caruana - 2; 7-9. Grischuk, McShane, Nakamura - 1,5; 10. Tomashevsky - 1.
Round 5 pairings: Aronian - Morozevich, Radjabov - Carlsen, Grishuk - Caruana, Nakamura - Kramnik and Tomashevsky - McShane.
Official website
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Labels: Carlsen, Grischuk, morozevich, Radjabov, tal chess memorial
Tal Chess Memorial Round 3 - Morozevich, Radjabov Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Great games continue to be played at the Tal Chess Memorial 2012 in Moscow at the beautiful Pashkov House. In Round 3, Alexander Morozevich beat Alexander Grischuk. Levon Aronian decided to go for a risky line and went down fighting to Luke McShane. Three chess games - Carlsen-Caruana, Radjabov-Kramnik, and Nakamura-Tomashevsky - were drawn.
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Morozevich and Grischuk in
Round 3 at Tal Chess Memorial 2012 |
Round 3 standings:
1-2. Morozevich, Radjabov – 2,5;
3. Kramnik – 2;
4-5. Aronian, Carlsen – 1,5;
6-10. Grischuk, Caruanа, McShane, Nakamura, Tomashevsky – 1.
Round 4 pairings (June 12th):
Morozevich – Radjabov
Carlsen – Grischuk
Kramnik – Aronian
McShane – Nakamura
Caruana – Tomashevsky
Monday is the rest day. You can watch the Tal Chess Memorial live at the official website
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Labels: Aronian, Carlsen, morozevich, Radjabov, tal chess memorial
Tal Chess Memorial - Teimour Radjabov Leads With Perfect Score After Two Rounds
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi everyone,  Teimour Radjabov - leading in Moscow Teimour Radjabov won his second game in a row to become sole leader at the Mikhail Tal Chess Memorial in Moscow after two rounds. He beat Luke McShane with the Black pieces. Meanwhile, Vladimir Kramnik defeated Alexander Grischuk. Also, Alexander Morozevih allowed Magnus Carlsen to escape! Evgeny Tomashevsky and Levon Aronian drew their game as did Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. The latter played a long chess game lasting seven hours and 107 moves.Round 2 results:
Kramnik – Grischuk 1-0
McShane – Radjabov 0-1
Caruana – Nakamura draw
Morozevich – Carlsen draw
Tomashevsky – Aronian draw
Round 2 standings:
1. Radjabov 2; 2-4. Morozevich, Kramnik, Aronian 1,5; 5-6. Carlsen, Grischuk 1; 7-9. Nakamura, Tomashevsky, Caruana 0,5; 10. McShane 0.
Round 3 pairings: Carlsen – Caruana, Grischuk – Morozevich, Radjabov – Kramnik, Aronian – McShane and Nakamura – Tomashevsky.
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Labels: tal chess memorial, teimour radjabov
Tal Chess Memorial: Morozevich Wins Blitz Draw of Lots; Watch Live Round 1
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Tal Chess Memorial saw the drawing of lots in a unique manner - a blitz chess tournament of time control 3 minutes plus 2 seconds increment. A fantastic live coverage of the event was available on the official website of the Russian Chess Federation.
The final result saw Alexander Morozevich beat Magnus Carlsen, on tiebreak to win the event. Both scored 6.5 points out of 9. They were followed by Alexander Grischuk, Teimour Radjabov, Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura, Evgeny Tomashevsky, Luke McShane, Vladimir Kramnik, and Fabiano Caruana.
On Friday is the first round of the Tal Memorial that can be watched live at the official website. The first round pairings will see Morozevich - Caruana, Carlsen - Kramnik, Grischuk - McShane, Radjabov - Tomashevsky, and Aronian - Nakamura. Stay tuned for more updates about the Tal Chess Memorial right here at Chess Blog.
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Labels: Alexander Morozevich, Magnus Carlsen, tal chess memorial
Public wants Luke McShane for the Tal Chess Memorial 2012
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hello everyone,
Chessdom has just carried the news that the 7th Mikhail Tal Chess Memorial will take place from 7th to 19th June, 2012, in Moscow, Russia. Two weeks ago the RCF started the voting contest allowing the chess fans to select the 10th player. In the thrilling finale, English Grandmaster Luke McShane was placed on the top with 3860 votes. Alexei Shirov is second with 3732 votes, while Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) is third with 3682 votes.
Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan was supported by 1646 voters, which was enough only for the 4th position.
Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian, Radjabov Teimour, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana have confirmed the participation.
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Labels: luke mcshane, tal chess memorial
Tal chess memorial interview: Carlsen says more draws because of very high level of defense
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
Maria Fominykh interviewed Sixth Tal Chess Memorial winner Magnus Carlsen for the official site - Russian Chess Federation website. Here are some excerpts and great photos.
Magnus, did this Tal Memorial be any different from previous tournaments?
There were lot of draws but the level of defence has risen significantly. That’s a really notable difference between the current Memorial and the previous ones – the resistance has reached a totally new level.
The abundance of draws doesn’t spoil the impression made by the tournament?
I don’t think so. All of the players were trying to fight. Many times someone could not win despite winning chances because the opponent defended very strongly.
Ian Nepomniachtchi at third place.
Levon Aronian at second place on tiebreak
Which games were you most satisfied with?
Overall I played well in the first half of the tournament. I made some mistakes, but the games were very hard-fought. In the second half I played worse: tiredness had its say and I lacked energy. I got lucky in the last round and I won.
Can you compare this tournament to a World Championship?
Of course this tournament is the strongest this year,and one of the strongest for many years. For me the Tal Memorial is one of the main tournaments and I take it very seriously.
Your contemporaries Sergey Karjakin and Ian Nepomniachtchi played very well, but you finished the tournament ahead of them?
I’ve known Nepomniachtchi and Karjakin for long. Sergey was well-known chess player even before I got the international master title. Ian’s also a great talent and he was beating me back in junior tournaments. So the history of our rivalry started a long time ago and it promises to continue for a long time!
You can read our previous post about the tournament here:
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Labels: ian nepomniachtichi, levon aronian, Magnus Carlsen, tal chess memorial
Tal Chess Memorial R 6 and 7: Ivanchuk beats Nakamura; five players in joint lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
Just when we were about to say that the sixth round at the VI Tal Chess Memorial in Moscow ended in all draws for the third round in a row, the nice one decisive game of Round 7 happened. All games were drawn in the sixth round and the seventh round except Vassily Ivanchuk beating Hikaru Nakamura in the seventh round!
Now, Ivanchuk joins Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin in the lead with all of them having 4 points in seven rounds. There are two more rounds to be played.
Have a look at the pairings for the eighth and ninth rounds and you are unlikely to miss the finish of the tournament.
Round 8: Thursday, November 24, 2011
- Magnus Carlsen Ian Nepomniachtchi
- Levon Aronian Peter Svidler
- Vladimir Kramnik Sergey Karjakin
- Vassily Ivanchuk Boris Gelfand
- Vishy Anand Hikaru Nakamura
Round 9: Friday, November 25, 2011
- Hikaru Nakamura Magnus Carlsen
- Boris Gelfand Vishy Anand
- Sergey Karjakin Vassily Ivanchuk
- Peter Svidler Vladimir Kramnik
- Ian Nepomniachtchi Levon Aronian
You can access the official website at this link. Meanwhile, here are all the games of Round 6 and 7.
Labels: 2011, Aronian, Boris gelfand, Hikaru nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi Levon, Magnus Carlsen, peter svidler, sergey karjakin, tal chess memorial, Vassily Ivanchuk, vishy anand, vladimir kramnik
Tal Chess Memorial 2011 begins in Moscow with super line-up
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
The Tal Memorial Chess Tournament 2011 with a dream line-up has begun in Moscow, Russia. The players include
Magnus Carlsen (2823, Norway), Vishy Anand (2817, India), Levon Aronian (2802, Armenia), Vladimir Kramnik (2800, Russia), Vassily Ivanchuk (2775, Ukraine), Sergey Karjakin (2763, Russia), Hikaru Nakamura (2753, USA), Peter Svidler (2755, Russia), Boris Gelfand (2746, Israel) and Ian Nepomniachtchi (2730, Russia). How many can you spot in the photo?
The first round pairings include
Aronian - Carlsen, Kramnik - Nepomniachtchi, Ivanchuk - Svidler, Anand - Karjakin and Nakamura - Gelfand.
You can access the Russian Federation website at this link. Watch the video at this link and the games at this link.
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Labels: Boris gelfand, ian nepomniachtchi, levon aronian, Magnus Carlsen, Moscow, peter svidler, tal chess memorial, Vassily Ivanchuk, vishy anand, vladimir kramnik
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