Gibraltar 01: A Spectacular Start!
Gibraltar Masters is one of the most exciting open tournaments in the world. The first round witnessed top seeds taking on players rated nearly 400 Elo points below them. Most of them breezed through their opponents without any difficulties, but like every event, there were some hiccups. We bring you round one report with interesting moments and special emphasis on the Indian players who have gone in huge numbers to the Rock! An illustrated report by Aditya Pai.
Photos by John Saunders
GM Opens are always fascinating to watch. At the Gibraltar Masters however, both the stakes and competition are higher than usual. Running at its full capacity, the 255 player field – of which 177 are titled players – was up for a grueling battle from the very first round. Masterful maneuvers, tantalizing tactics and annihilative attacks were a common sight when players crossed swords in their quest for victory. At the very top, the masters simply outclassed their lower rated opponents.
Caruana won with an amazing long term exchange sacrifice against India’s Rakesh Kumar Jena
Nakamura won with a surprisingly anti-positional looking 21. Nxd4
Sometimes activity is more important than positional considerations!
Thinking about his next move or making evening plans! What do you think Topalov was doing? Veselin defeated his opponent Thomas Paehtz in merely 16 moves
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.7"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Paehtz, Thomas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2739"]
[BlackElo "2365"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.7"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Paehtz, Thomas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A40"]
[WhiteElo "2739"]
[BlackElo "2365"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 3. Bf4 Nf6 4. e3 b6 5. Be2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. c4 Ne4 8. Nfd2
Nxd2 9. Nxd2 O-O 10. Bf3 d5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rc1 c6 13. Qa4 b5 14. Qb3 Nd7 15.
Bxd5+ $1 {This is one of those hidden tactics which is geomtrically very
pleasing!} cxd5 16. Rc7 $1 {The only way to defend the bishop on b7 is with
Rb8 but after Rxb7, Rxb7 Qxd5, the rook is lost.} 1-0
Nxd2 9. Nxd2 O-O 10. Bf3 d5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Rc1 c6 13. Qa4 b5 14. Qb3 Nd7 15.
Bxd5+ $1 {This is one of those hidden tactics which is geomtrically very
pleasing!} cxd5 16. Rc7 $1 {The only way to defend the bishop on b7 is with
Rb8 but after Rxb7, Rxb7 Qxd5, the rook is lost.} 1-0
Nikita Vitiugov demolished IM Siva Mahadevan with a vicious king-side attack.
Arkadij Naiditsch had a nightmare of a first round game against...
...Rakesh Kulkarni, who threw everything but the kitchen sink at his Grandmaster opponent.
In a Sicilian Grand Prix like setup against Naiditsch’s 1.c4, the Mumbai lad sacrificed a piece right out of the opening to take advantage of Naiditsch’s uncastled king but faltered and lost the game in 25 moves. The game however was so enterprising that even the great Hikaru Nakamura took a closer look at it at one point.
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.11"]
[White "Naiditsch, Arkadij"]
[Black "Kulkarni, Rakesh"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2344"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.11"]
[White "Naiditsch, Arkadij"]
[Black "Kulkarni, Rakesh"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2344"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5 4. d4 e4 5. Ng5 h6 6. Nh3 g5 7. e3 Nf6 8. Be2 Bg7
9. f3 exf3 10. gxf3 d5 11. Nf2 Be6 12. e4 fxe4 13. fxe4 O-O 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15.
exd5 Bxd5 16. O-O Bxd4 17. Be3 Bxe3 18. Qxd5+ Kg7 19. Kg2 Qe7 20. Qe4 Rae8 21.
Bh5 Qxe4+ 22. Nfxe4 Rd8 23. Rxf8 Rxf8 24. Nd5 Bd4 25. Nxc7 1-0
9. f3 exf3 10. gxf3 d5 11. Nf2 Be6 12. e4 fxe4 13. fxe4 O-O 14. cxd5 Nxd5 15.
exd5 Bxd5 16. O-O Bxd4 17. Be3 Bxe3 18. Qxd5+ Kg7 19. Kg2 Qe7 20. Qe4 Rae8 21.
Bh5 Qxe4+ 22. Nfxe4 Rd8 23. Rxf8 Rxf8 24. Nd5 Bd4 25. Nxc7 1-0
That nonchalant look when you know you’re going to win even in a drawn endgame
While most of the top seeds succeeded in easily securing wins against lower rated opposition, some suffered a few hiccups. On the fourth board, World Rapid Champion, Vassily Ivanchuk, was almost held for a draw by his 2352 rated opponent Petra Papp. Chucky however won a seemingly dead drawn same coloured bishop endgame.
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Papp, Petra"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2352"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "178"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Papp, Petra"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2352"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "178"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nc6
8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Bf5 10. Nd4 Nxd4 11. cxd4 Re8 12. Bd3 Qd7 13. h3 d5 14. Bf4
c6 15. Rde1 Bf8 16. Bxf5 Qxf5 17. g4 Qd7 18. Rxe8 Rxe8 19. Re1 f6 20. f3 Kf7
21. Re3 g6 22. Rxe8 Qxe8 23. Kd1 Qd7 24. Bg3 Bd6 25. Qh2 Ke7 26. Kd2 (26. Bxd6+
Qxd6 27. Qxd6+ Kxd6 {What do you think about this endgame? According to me
Petra should have gone for it because there is absolutely no way to
breakthrough.} 28. Kd2 Ke6 29. Ke3 $11) 26... Bb4+ 27. c3 Ba5 28. Qe2+ Kf7 29.
Kc2 Bd8 30. Qe3 Qe6 31. Qxe6+ Kxe6 {Of course the bishop endgame is also
completely equal. Let's see how Chucky manages to trick his opponent.} 32. Kd3
b5 33. b3 Be7 34. Bb8 a6 35. Bf4 Bf8 36. Ke3 b4 37. cxb4 Bxb4 {The d4 pawn is
now isolated, but the position is still equal.} 38. Kd3 Kd7 39. Bg3 Ba3 40. Kc3
Kc8 41. Bf4 a5 42. Bg3 Kb7 43. Bh4 f5 44. Bg5 Kb6 45. Bh6 Kb5 46. h4 a4 47. h5
gxh5 48. gxh5 Be7 49. Bf4 Bf6 50. Bd6 axb3 51. axb3 Kb6 52. Kd3 Bg5 53. Kc3 Kb7
54. Be5 Be7 55. Kd3 Kc8 56. Ke3 Kd7 57. Kf4 Ke6 58. Bc7 Bh4 59. Bb8 Bf2 60. Ba7
Kf6 61. Bb6 Be1 62. Bd8+ Ke6 63. Kg5 $2 {A bad move by Petra.} (63. Ke3 $1 {
There is no good way for Black to breakthrough.}) 63... Bd2+ $1 64. Kh4 Be1+
65. Kg5 Bd2+ 66. Kh4 Be3 67. Bb6 Kd7 $6 (67... Kf6 $1 {was the winning move.}
68. Bd8+ Kg7 69. Bb6 Kh6 $1 $19 {And now the bishop checks comes on f2 and the
h5 pawn is lost.}) 68. Kg3 Kc8 69. Kg2 Kd7 70. Kh3 $2 (70. Kf1 $1 Ke6 71. Ke2
Bg1 72. Kd3 Kf6 73. Bd8+ Kg7 74. Bg5 $11) 70... Ke7 71. Kh4 Ke6 72. Kg3 Kf6 73.
Bd8+ Kg7 {Ivanchuk hits the right plan.} 74. Kh4 Kh6 75. Bf6 Bf2+ 76. Kh3 Kxh5
$19 {The rest is easy.} 77. Kg2 Be3 78. Kg3 Bd2 79. Be7 Kg6 80. Kh4 Bc3 81. Bc5
Be1+ 82. Kh3 Kg5 83. Kg2 Kf4 84. Kf1 Bh4 85. Ke2 Kg3 86. Bd6+ Kg2 87. Be5 h5
88. Ke3 Bg3 89. Bf6 f4+ 0-1
8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Bf5 10. Nd4 Nxd4 11. cxd4 Re8 12. Bd3 Qd7 13. h3 d5 14. Bf4
c6 15. Rde1 Bf8 16. Bxf5 Qxf5 17. g4 Qd7 18. Rxe8 Rxe8 19. Re1 f6 20. f3 Kf7
21. Re3 g6 22. Rxe8 Qxe8 23. Kd1 Qd7 24. Bg3 Bd6 25. Qh2 Ke7 26. Kd2 (26. Bxd6+
Qxd6 27. Qxd6+ Kxd6 {What do you think about this endgame? According to me
Petra should have gone for it because there is absolutely no way to
breakthrough.} 28. Kd2 Ke6 29. Ke3 $11) 26... Bb4+ 27. c3 Ba5 28. Qe2+ Kf7 29.
Kc2 Bd8 30. Qe3 Qe6 31. Qxe6+ Kxe6 {Of course the bishop endgame is also
completely equal. Let's see how Chucky manages to trick his opponent.} 32. Kd3
b5 33. b3 Be7 34. Bb8 a6 35. Bf4 Bf8 36. Ke3 b4 37. cxb4 Bxb4 {The d4 pawn is
now isolated, but the position is still equal.} 38. Kd3 Kd7 39. Bg3 Ba3 40. Kc3
Kc8 41. Bf4 a5 42. Bg3 Kb7 43. Bh4 f5 44. Bg5 Kb6 45. Bh6 Kb5 46. h4 a4 47. h5
gxh5 48. gxh5 Be7 49. Bf4 Bf6 50. Bd6 axb3 51. axb3 Kb6 52. Kd3 Bg5 53. Kc3 Kb7
54. Be5 Be7 55. Kd3 Kc8 56. Ke3 Kd7 57. Kf4 Ke6 58. Bc7 Bh4 59. Bb8 Bf2 60. Ba7
Kf6 61. Bb6 Be1 62. Bd8+ Ke6 63. Kg5 $2 {A bad move by Petra.} (63. Ke3 $1 {
There is no good way for Black to breakthrough.}) 63... Bd2+ $1 64. Kh4 Be1+
65. Kg5 Bd2+ 66. Kh4 Be3 67. Bb6 Kd7 $6 (67... Kf6 $1 {was the winning move.}
68. Bd8+ Kg7 69. Bb6 Kh6 $1 $19 {And now the bishop checks comes on f2 and the
h5 pawn is lost.}) 68. Kg3 Kc8 69. Kg2 Kd7 70. Kh3 $2 (70. Kf1 $1 Ke6 71. Ke2
Bg1 72. Kd3 Kf6 73. Bd8+ Kg7 74. Bg5 $11) 70... Ke7 71. Kh4 Ke6 72. Kg3 Kf6 73.
Bd8+ Kg7 {Ivanchuk hits the right plan.} 74. Kh4 Kh6 75. Bf6 Bf2+ 76. Kh3 Kxh5
$19 {The rest is easy.} 77. Kg2 Be3 78. Kg3 Bd2 79. Be7 Kg6 80. Kh4 Bc3 81. Bc5
Be1+ 82. Kh3 Kg5 83. Kg2 Kf4 84. Kf1 Bh4 85. Ke2 Kg3 86. Bd6+ Kg2 87. Be5 h5
88. Ke3 Bg3 89. Bf6 f4+ 0-1
Yu Yangyi seemed to have even better luck as his opponent, Bjarke Sahl, bestowed upon him the entire point in time trouble after having put the Chinese prodigy in serious trouble.
Was Gelfand having a premonition about his result?
Boris Gelfand, the 10th seed in the tournament, was held for a draw by the veteran British IM Robert Bellin.
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.10"]
[White "Bellin, Robert"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2353"]
[BlackElo "2721"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.10"]
[White "Bellin, Robert"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A45"]
[WhiteElo "2353"]
[BlackElo "2721"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 {Whether you face Magnus Carlsen or some lower rated opponent,
you have to be prepared against the London!} g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Be2 d6
6. O-O c5 7. c3 b6 8. h3 Bb7 9. Nbd2 Nbd7 {Both sides have finished their
development and overall Boris should not be unhappy with his position. It is a
complex middlegame where the superior player can outplay his opponent. Let's
see what happens next.} 10. a4 a6 11. Bh2 Ra7 $5 {A very interesting plan of
transferring the queen to a8.} 12. Qb3 Qa8 13. Rfd1 Ne4 14. Bf1 Bd5 $146 {
This the first new move of the game. All this has been played before.} (14...
Nxd2 15. Nxd2 Bc6 {With the idea of b5 could be a plausible idea.}) 15. Qa3 Rc7
16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Nd2 Bd5 18. Re1 f5 19. Rad1 Nf6 (19... c4 $5) 20. c4 Bf7 21.
b4 a5 22. b5 Rd8 23. Be2 g5 24. Bf3 {White is slowly be steadily getting his
pieces to better positions.} Ne4 25. Qd3 Bg6 26. g4 $5 e6 27. Bg2 {The bishop
is now safe on g2 and hence the threat of d5 becomes real.} (27. d5 exd5 28.
gxf5 Bxf5 29. cxd5 Nxd2 30. Qxf5 Rf7 $19) 27... Rcd7 $2 (27... Rcc8 $11 28. d5
Nc3 $1 $11 {And dxe6 is not going to attack anything.}) 28. Nxe4 (28. d5 $1 {
would have put Black is some big trouble.} exd5 (28... Re7 29. Nxe4 fxe4 30.
Bxe4 Bxe4 31. Qxe4 $16 {A pawn is a pawn.}) 29. gxf5 Bxf5 30. cxd5 $18) 28...
fxe4 29. Qb3 (29. Qc2 $5 {With the idea of d5 is also very strong.}) 29... Bf6
30. d5 Re8 31. Qc2 exd5 {A draw was agreed at this point. However, White is
surely better.} (31... exd5 32. Rxd5 {The d6 and e4, both the pawns are weak.
Black has a long defensive task ahead and it was a good idea that Boris
offered a draw and took home the half point.}) 1/2-1/2
you have to be prepared against the London!} g6 3. e3 Bg7 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Be2 d6
6. O-O c5 7. c3 b6 8. h3 Bb7 9. Nbd2 Nbd7 {Both sides have finished their
development and overall Boris should not be unhappy with his position. It is a
complex middlegame where the superior player can outplay his opponent. Let's
see what happens next.} 10. a4 a6 11. Bh2 Ra7 $5 {A very interesting plan of
transferring the queen to a8.} 12. Qb3 Qa8 13. Rfd1 Ne4 14. Bf1 Bd5 $146 {
This the first new move of the game. All this has been played before.} (14...
Nxd2 15. Nxd2 Bc6 {With the idea of b5 could be a plausible idea.}) 15. Qa3 Rc7
16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Nd2 Bd5 18. Re1 f5 19. Rad1 Nf6 (19... c4 $5) 20. c4 Bf7 21.
b4 a5 22. b5 Rd8 23. Be2 g5 24. Bf3 {White is slowly be steadily getting his
pieces to better positions.} Ne4 25. Qd3 Bg6 26. g4 $5 e6 27. Bg2 {The bishop
is now safe on g2 and hence the threat of d5 becomes real.} (27. d5 exd5 28.
gxf5 Bxf5 29. cxd5 Nxd2 30. Qxf5 Rf7 $19) 27... Rcd7 $2 (27... Rcc8 $11 28. d5
Nc3 $1 $11 {And dxe6 is not going to attack anything.}) 28. Nxe4 (28. d5 $1 {
would have put Black is some big trouble.} exd5 (28... Re7 29. Nxe4 fxe4 30.
Bxe4 Bxe4 31. Qxe4 $16 {A pawn is a pawn.}) 29. gxf5 Bxf5 30. cxd5 $18) 28...
fxe4 29. Qb3 (29. Qc2 $5 {With the idea of d5 is also very strong.}) 29... Bf6
30. d5 Re8 31. Qc2 exd5 {A draw was agreed at this point. However, White is
surely better.} (31... exd5 32. Rxd5 {The d6 and e4, both the pawns are weak.
Black has a long defensive task ahead and it was a good idea that Boris
offered a draw and took home the half point.}) 1/2-1/2
GM Nigel Short had a narrow escape against FM Lombaers Peter who let a clearly winning position slip out and conceded a draw.
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.16"]
[White "Lombaers, Peter"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E40"]
[WhiteElo "2314"]
[BlackElo "2675"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.16"]
[White "Lombaers, Peter"]
[Black "Short, Nigel D"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E40"]
[WhiteElo "2314"]
[BlackElo "2675"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bd3 c5 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. a3
cxd4 9. axb4 dxc3 10. b5 {Belarussian GM Aleksej Aleksandrov has played this
system many times with the white pieces.} Ne5 11. bxc3 O-O 12. O-O Re8 13. Nf4
b6 14. Ra4 $5 {A very novel way to activate the rook.} Bb7 15. Bb2 Qc7 16. Qc2
$1 {The other rook is coming to a1 and overall White looks pretty well
co-ordinated.} Nc4 17. Rfa1 Ne4 (17... Qb8 18. Nxd5 $16) 18. Rxa7 Rxa7 19. Rxa7
{White has won a pawn, Black has some compensation but not enough.} Qc8 20. Ra4
g6 21. Ba3 Qd7 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Rxc4 Ra8 24. Rd4 Qxb5 25. Bb4 $16 {Being a
pawn down, Black has a long defensive task ahead.} Nc5 26. f3 Ba6 27. Rd1 Bb7
28. e4 Qc4 29. Qd2 $18 {White has strengthened his position even further.} Bc6
30. Qd4 Qb3 (30... Qxd4+ 31. cxd4 $18) 31. h4 h5 32. Qd6 Nb7 33. Qd3 Rd8 34.
Nd5 Bxd5 35. exd5 Nd6 36. Bxd6 Rxd6 37. c4 Qb4 38. Qd4 {Peter has played this
pretty well. Now all that he needs to do is activate his rook and combined
with his d-pawn as well as threats on the black king, this should be easily
won.} Kh7 39. Kh2 Rd7 40. d6 Qa4 41. Rb1 Rb7 42. Qd5 (42. Rxb6 Rxb6 43. Qxb6
Qxc4 {complicates the issue.}) 42... Ra7 43. Rxb6 $18 {[#] Two pawns up! What
more can one ask for.} Qe8 44. Rb4 $4 {An extremely careless move by Lombaers.}
(44. Qd4 $1 $18 {The queen guards everything and Nigel must stretch out his
hand in resignation.}) 44... Qe1 $1 {A double attack!} 45. Qd4 Qxb4 46. Qxa7
Qxd6+ $11 {Now the weakness of white king is enough for Black to find a
perpetual.} 47. g3 Qd2+ 48. Kh3 Kg7 49. Qa1+ Kg8 50. Qf1 Qc2 51. g4 hxg4+ 52.
fxg4 Qc3+ 53. Kg2 Qc2+ 54. Kf3 f5 55. Qe2 fxg4+ 56. Kf2 Qc3 57. Qxg4 Qd2+ 58.
Kf1 Qc1+ 59. Ke2 Qc2+ 60. Ke3 Qc3+ 61. Kf2 Qd2+ 62. Kg3 Qc3+ 63. Kg2 Qc2+ 64.
Kh3 Qd3+ 65. Qg3 Qxc4 66. Qxg6+ Kh8 67. Qh6+ 1/2-1/2
cxd4 9. axb4 dxc3 10. b5 {Belarussian GM Aleksej Aleksandrov has played this
system many times with the white pieces.} Ne5 11. bxc3 O-O 12. O-O Re8 13. Nf4
b6 14. Ra4 $5 {A very novel way to activate the rook.} Bb7 15. Bb2 Qc7 16. Qc2
$1 {The other rook is coming to a1 and overall White looks pretty well
co-ordinated.} Nc4 17. Rfa1 Ne4 (17... Qb8 18. Nxd5 $16) 18. Rxa7 Rxa7 19. Rxa7
{White has won a pawn, Black has some compensation but not enough.} Qc8 20. Ra4
g6 21. Ba3 Qd7 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Rxc4 Ra8 24. Rd4 Qxb5 25. Bb4 $16 {Being a
pawn down, Black has a long defensive task ahead.} Nc5 26. f3 Ba6 27. Rd1 Bb7
28. e4 Qc4 29. Qd2 $18 {White has strengthened his position even further.} Bc6
30. Qd4 Qb3 (30... Qxd4+ 31. cxd4 $18) 31. h4 h5 32. Qd6 Nb7 33. Qd3 Rd8 34.
Nd5 Bxd5 35. exd5 Nd6 36. Bxd6 Rxd6 37. c4 Qb4 38. Qd4 {Peter has played this
pretty well. Now all that he needs to do is activate his rook and combined
with his d-pawn as well as threats on the black king, this should be easily
won.} Kh7 39. Kh2 Rd7 40. d6 Qa4 41. Rb1 Rb7 42. Qd5 (42. Rxb6 Rxb6 43. Qxb6
Qxc4 {complicates the issue.}) 42... Ra7 43. Rxb6 $18 {[#] Two pawns up! What
more can one ask for.} Qe8 44. Rb4 $4 {An extremely careless move by Lombaers.}
(44. Qd4 $1 $18 {The queen guards everything and Nigel must stretch out his
hand in resignation.}) 44... Qe1 $1 {A double attack!} 45. Qd4 Qxb4 46. Qxa7
Qxd6+ $11 {Now the weakness of white king is enough for Black to find a
perpetual.} 47. g3 Qd2+ 48. Kh3 Kg7 49. Qa1+ Kg8 50. Qf1 Qc2 51. g4 hxg4+ 52.
fxg4 Qc3+ 53. Kg2 Qc2+ 54. Kf3 f5 55. Qe2 fxg4+ 56. Kf2 Qc3 57. Qxg4 Qd2+ 58.
Kf1 Qc1+ 59. Ke2 Qc2+ 60. Ke3 Qc3+ 61. Kf2 Qd2+ 62. Kg3 Qc3+ 63. Kg2 Qc2+ 64.
Kh3 Qd3+ 65. Qg3 Qxc4 66. Qxg6+ Kh8 67. Qh6+ 1/2-1/2
GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, the highest rated participant from India, was almost effortlessly held for a draw by the 2309 rated FM Alan Tate.
The biggest upsets of the round were suffered by GM Abhijeet Gupta from India and GM Grigoriy Oparin from Russia rated 2645 and 2625 respectively.
While GM Gupta let a seemingly equal position slip like sand out of his clasp against FM Frank Buchenau, GM Oparin was stunningly outplayed in a transposed Philidor by FM Emilio Sanchez.
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.25"]
[White "Gupta, Abhijeet"]
[Black "Buchenau, Frank"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E01"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2274"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.25"]
[White "Gupta, Abhijeet"]
[Black "Buchenau, Frank"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E01"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2274"]
[Annotator "Sagar,Shah"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 cxd4 7. O-O Bc5 8.
Nxd4 {I would already count this as a very favourable Catalan for White.} O-O
9. Nc3 (9. Nb3 Be7 10. e4 Nb4 11. Nc3 $14) 9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Qc7 {White has
taken on a positional weakness. In return he has excellent compensation in the
form of the strong g2 bishop, pressure down the b-file and a well centralized
knight. However, it is important that White play actively creating threats.
Because if Black can consolidate, he would be more than fine.} 11. Rb1 $6 (11.
Nb5 Qe7 $11) (11. Be3 $5 Na6 12. Qd3 Bd7 13. Rfb1 $14) 11... e5 12. Nb3 Be7 13.
Qc2 Nc6 14. Be3 Be6 {Black can be happy with what he has achieved out of the
opening.} 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Bxc5 Rfd8 17. Qa4 Bd5 18. Rfd1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 b6 20.
Bb4 h6 {Very solid and calm play by Buchenau.} 21. e4 $2 (21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.
Rd1 $11) 21... Nxb4 $1 22. Qxb4 (22. cxb4 Qc4 $15) 22... Rac8 $15 {White is
slightly worse now.} 23. Qb3 g6 24. Qa4 Kg7 {If you were not looking at the
names, you could be mistaken that the black player is Anatoly Karpov. g6-Kg7
is a typical way to slowly but surely improve one's position.} 25. Kg1 h5 26.
Rd5 Rxd5 27. exd5 Qxc3 28. Qxa7 Qd4 $1 {Rc2 is a big threat.} 29. a4 Rc2 (29...
h4 $1 30. Qxb6 (30. Qa6 Rc4 $19) 30... Rc1+ $19) 30. Rf1 Ra2 31. Qd7 Rxa4 32.
d6 Ra5 33. Qe7 Rd5 34. Rc1 Rxd6 {Black is two pawns up now. Abhijeet had hoped
for a final attack on the last rank.} 35. Rc8 Qd1+ 36. Kg2 Qd5+ 37. f3 {
The position was anyway lost, but this just hastens the end.} (37. Kg1 Rd7 $1
38. Qf8+ Kf6 $19) 37... Qa2+ 38. Kh3 Qe6+ 39. Qxe6 Rxe6 {Winning a position
where you are two pawns up in the rook endgame is just a matter of technique.}
40. Rb8 Kf6 41. Kg2 Rc6 42. h4 Ke6 43. Rb7 f5 44. g4 hxg4 45. fxg4 fxg4 46. Kg3
Kf5 47. Rf7+ Rf6 48. Rd7 b5 49. Rb7 Rc6 50. Rf7+ Ke4 51. Rb7 Kd3 52. Rxb5 e4
53. Rd5+ Ke2 54. Rd4 e3 55. Kg2 Ke1 56. Rxg4 e2 57. Rd4 Rc1 58. Rd6 Rd1 59.
Rxg6 Kd2 60. Re6 e1=Q 61. Rxe1 Rxe1 62. Kf3 Rh1 63. Kg4 Ke3 64. h5 Ke4 65. Kg5
Ke5 66. Kg6 Rg1+ 67. Kf7 Kf5 68. h6 Ra1 69. h7 Ra7+ 70. Kg8 Kg6 71. h8=N+ Kf6
0-1
Nxd4 {I would already count this as a very favourable Catalan for White.} O-O
9. Nc3 (9. Nb3 Be7 10. e4 Nb4 11. Nc3 $14) 9... Nxc3 10. bxc3 Qc7 {White has
taken on a positional weakness. In return he has excellent compensation in the
form of the strong g2 bishop, pressure down the b-file and a well centralized
knight. However, it is important that White play actively creating threats.
Because if Black can consolidate, he would be more than fine.} 11. Rb1 $6 (11.
Nb5 Qe7 $11) (11. Be3 $5 Na6 12. Qd3 Bd7 13. Rfb1 $14) 11... e5 12. Nb3 Be7 13.
Qc2 Nc6 14. Be3 Be6 {Black can be happy with what he has achieved out of the
opening.} 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Bxc5 Rfd8 17. Qa4 Bd5 18. Rfd1 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 b6 20.
Bb4 h6 {Very solid and calm play by Buchenau.} 21. e4 $2 (21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22.
Rd1 $11) 21... Nxb4 $1 22. Qxb4 (22. cxb4 Qc4 $15) 22... Rac8 $15 {White is
slightly worse now.} 23. Qb3 g6 24. Qa4 Kg7 {If you were not looking at the
names, you could be mistaken that the black player is Anatoly Karpov. g6-Kg7
is a typical way to slowly but surely improve one's position.} 25. Kg1 h5 26.
Rd5 Rxd5 27. exd5 Qxc3 28. Qxa7 Qd4 $1 {Rc2 is a big threat.} 29. a4 Rc2 (29...
h4 $1 30. Qxb6 (30. Qa6 Rc4 $19) 30... Rc1+ $19) 30. Rf1 Ra2 31. Qd7 Rxa4 32.
d6 Ra5 33. Qe7 Rd5 34. Rc1 Rxd6 {Black is two pawns up now. Abhijeet had hoped
for a final attack on the last rank.} 35. Rc8 Qd1+ 36. Kg2 Qd5+ 37. f3 {
The position was anyway lost, but this just hastens the end.} (37. Kg1 Rd7 $1
38. Qf8+ Kf6 $19) 37... Qa2+ 38. Kh3 Qe6+ 39. Qxe6 Rxe6 {Winning a position
where you are two pawns up in the rook endgame is just a matter of technique.}
40. Rb8 Kf6 41. Kg2 Rc6 42. h4 Ke6 43. Rb7 f5 44. g4 hxg4 45. fxg4 fxg4 46. Kg3
Kf5 47. Rf7+ Rf6 48. Rd7 b5 49. Rb7 Rc6 50. Rf7+ Ke4 51. Rb7 Kd3 52. Rxb5 e4
53. Rd5+ Ke2 54. Rd4 e3 55. Kg2 Ke1 56. Rxg4 e2 57. Rd4 Rc1 58. Rd6 Rd1 59.
Rxg6 Kd2 60. Re6 e1=Q 61. Rxe1 Rxe1 62. Kf3 Rh1 63. Kg4 Ke3 64. h5 Ke4 65. Kg5
Ke5 66. Kg6 Rg1+ 67. Kf7 Kf5 68. h6 Ra1 69. h7 Ra7+ 70. Kg8 Kg6 71. h8=N+ Kf6
0-1
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.29"]
[White "Oparin, Grigoriy"]
[Black "Sanchez Jerez, Emilio Miguel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2257"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.29"]
[White "Oparin, Grigoriy"]
[Black "Sanchez Jerez, Emilio Miguel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C41"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2257"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. d4 d6 2. e4 e5 3. Nf3 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bf4 O-O 7. Qd2 Nc6 8.
O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 a6 10. f3 b5 11. g4 c5 12. Qd2 b4 13. Ne2 Qa5 14. Kb1 Be6
15. Nc1 Rfd8 16. g5 Nh5 17. Be3 d5 18. Qe2 Qc7 19. exd5 Rxd5 20. Rxd5 Bxd5 21.
Bh3 Re8 22. Qxa6 Bf8 23. Qd3 Bxf3 24. Rf1 Be4 25. Qe2 g6 26. Bg4 Bg7 27. Nb3 c4
28. Nd4 b3 29. axb3 Bxd4 30. Bxd4 cxb3 31. Kc1 Nf4 32. Qd2 Nd3+ 33. Kd1 bxc2+
34. Qxc2 Qxc2+ 35. Kxc2 Ne5+ 36. Kc3 Nxg4 37. h3 Rc8+ 38. Kd2 Rc2+ 39. Ke1 Nh2
40. Rf4 Nf3+ 41. Kd1 Rd2+ 0-1
O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 a6 10. f3 b5 11. g4 c5 12. Qd2 b4 13. Ne2 Qa5 14. Kb1 Be6
15. Nc1 Rfd8 16. g5 Nh5 17. Be3 d5 18. Qe2 Qc7 19. exd5 Rxd5 20. Rxd5 Bxd5 21.
Bh3 Re8 22. Qxa6 Bf8 23. Qd3 Bxf3 24. Rf1 Be4 25. Qe2 g6 26. Bg4 Bg7 27. Nb3 c4
28. Nd4 b3 29. axb3 Bxd4 30. Bxd4 cxb3 31. Kc1 Nf4 32. Qd2 Nd3+ 33. Kd1 bxc2+
34. Qxc2 Qxc2+ 35. Kxc2 Ne5+ 36. Kc3 Nxg4 37. h3 Rc8+ 38. Kd2 Rc2+ 39. Ke1 Nh2
40. Rf4 Nf3+ 41. Kd1 Rd2+ 0-1
Among the rest of the Indian GMs, SP Sethuraman won with the black pieces against FM Rolf Bergstrolm’s unconventional 1. b3, GM Lalith Babu MR won convincingly against Vea Odin Bilkra and GM G. N. Gopal got the better of German WIM Josefine Heinemann.
We have a gut feeling that Sethuraman is going to perform exceedingly well at this event!
Lastly, one game that needs special mention is the 39th board encounter between the 2580 rated GM Mikhail Antipov (Yes, even the 39th seed is rated 2580!) and Bujnoch Radek. After Black’s slip in the opening, Antipov went all guns and won with an impressive sacrificial attack.
[Event "Gibraltar Masters 2017"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.39"]
[White "Antipov, Mikhail Al"]
[Black "Bujnoch, Radek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2233"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
[Site "Caleta ENG"]
[Date "2017.01.24"]
[Round "1.39"]
[White "Antipov, Mikhail Al"]
[Black "Bujnoch, Radek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2233"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "2017.01.24"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Nf3 Qc7 5. O-O e6 6. Re1 Nd4 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Nxd5 exd5 9. Nxd4 cxd4 10. e6 Be7 11. exf7+ Kf8 12. d3 Qc5 13. Qh5 h6 14. Bg5
hxg5 15. Qxh8+ Kxf7 16. Re5 a6 17. Rae1 axb5 18. Rf5+ Kg6 19. g4 1-0
Nxd5 exd5 9. Nxd4 cxd4 10. e6 Be7 11. exf7+ Kf8 12. d3 Qc5 13. Qh5 h6 14. Bg5
hxg5 15. Qxh8+ Kxf7 16. Re5 a6 17. Rae1 axb5 18. Rf5+ Kg6 19. g4 1-0
With the first round being this dramatic, we can be sure that the Gibraltar Masters is going to be a thorough entertainer for us spectators.
Player overview for India
| SNo | Name | Rtg | FED | 1 | Pts. | Rk. | Group | |
| 19 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 2657 | IND | ½ | 0,5 | 118 | Masters |
| 25 | GM | Gupta Abhijeet | 2645 | IND | 0 | 0,0 | 140 | Masters |
| 26 | GM | Sethuraman S.P. | 2637 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 22 | Masters |
| 37 | GM | Lalith Babu M R | 2587 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 31 | Masters |
| 40 | GM | Gopal G.N. | 2579 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 34 | Masters |
| 61 | IM | Aryan Chopra | 2503 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 51 | Masters |
| 72 | GM | Debashis Das | 2472 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 62 | Masters |
| 91 | GM | Sundararajan Kidambi | 2420 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 80 | Masters |
| 92 | IM | Karavade Eesha | 2418 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 81 | Masters |
| 115 | WGM | Soumya Swaminathan | 2375 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 102 | Masters |
| 124 | IM | Siva Mahadevan | 2356 | IND | 0 | 0,0 | 145 | Masters |
| 129 | Kulkarni Rakesh | 2344 | IND | 0 | 0,0 | 149 | Masters | |
| 132 | FM | Rakesh Kumar Jena | 2335 | IND | 0 | 0,0 | 152 | Masters |
| 141 | IM | Saravanan V. | 2306 | IND | 0 | 0,0 | 159 | Masters |
| 154 | WIM | Pratyusha Bodda | 2247 | IND | 1 | 1,0 | 110 | Masters |
Pairings of round two for India
| Rd. | Bo. | No. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 2 | 5 | 72 | GM | Debashis Das | 2472 | 1 | 1 | GM | Adams Michael | 2751 | 5 | |
| 2 | 22 | 26 | GM | Sethuraman S.P. | 2637 | 1 | 1 | GM | Sundararajan Kidambi | 2420 | 91 | |
| 2 | 23 | 92 | IM | Karavade Eesha | 2418 | 1 | 1 | GM | Akobian Varuzhan | 2633 | 27 | |
| 2 | 31 | 100 | IM | Batchimeg Tuvshintugs | 2390 | 1 | 1 | GM | Lalith Babu M R | 2587 | 37 | |
| 2 | 34 | 40 | GM | Gopal G.N. | 2579 | 1 | 1 | FM | Ladron De Guevara Pinto Paolo | 2386 | 105 | |
| 2 | 43 | 50 | GM | Schroeder Jan-Christian | 2550 | 1 | 1 | WGM | Soumya Swaminathan | 2375 | 115 | |
| 2 | 49 | 58 | GM | Stefanova Antoaneta | 2512 | 1 | 1 | WIM | Pratyusha Bodda | 2247 | 154 | |
| 2 | 51 | 146 | FM | Buchenau Frank | 2274 | 1 | 1 | IM | Aryan Chopra | 2503 | 61 | |
| 2 | 60 | 149 | Gluhovsky Mark | 2263 | ½ | ½ | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 2657 | 19 | ||
| 2 | 70 | 194 | WFM | Haussernot Cecile | 2108 | 0 | 0 | GM | Gupta Abhijeet | 2645 | 25 | |
| 2 | 74 | 124 | IM | Siva Mahadevan | 2356 | 0 | 0 | Seraoui Mohcen | 2100 | 195 | ||
| 2 | 78 | 129 | Kulkarni Rakesh | 2344 | 0 | 0 | Lochte Thomas | 2070 | 200 | |||
| 2 | 81 | 132 | FM | Rakesh Kumar Jena | 2335 | 0 | 0 | Hewson Brian Wr | 2055 | 204 | ||
| 2 | 88 | 211 | Skou Niels | 2025 | 0 | 0 | IM | Saravanan V. | 2306 | 141 |
Results of round one for India
| Rd. | Bo. | No. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | GM | Caruana Fabiano | 2827 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | FM | Rakesh Kumar Jena | 2335 | 132 |
| 1 | 9 | 9 | GM | Vitiugov Nikita | 2724 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | IM | Siva Mahadevan | 2356 | 124 |
| 1 | 11 | 11 | GM | Naiditsch Arkadij | 2702 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | Kulkarni Rakesh | 2344 | 129 | |
| 1 | 19 | 19 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 2657 | 0 | ½ - ½ | 0 | FM | Tate Alan | 2309 | 140 |
| 1 | 20 | 141 | IM | Saravanan V. | 2306 | 0 | 0 - 1 | 0 | GM | Howell David W L | 2655 | 20 |
| 1 | 25 | 25 | GM | Gupta Abhijeet | 2645 | 0 | 0 - 1 | 0 | FM | Buchenau Frank | 2274 | 146 |
| 1 | 26 | 147 | FM | Bergstrom Rolf | 2268 | 0 | 0 - 1 | 0 | GM | Sethuraman S.P. | 2637 | 26 |
| 1 | 37 | 37 | GM | Lalith Babu M R | 2587 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | Vea Odin Blikra | 2234 | 160 | |
| 1 | 40 | 163 | WIM | Heinemann Josefine | 2227 | 0 | 0 - 1 | 0 | GM | Gopal G.N. | 2579 | 40 |
| 1 | 61 | 61 | IM | Aryan Chopra | 2503 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | FM | Weeramantry Sunil | 2129 | 188 |
| 1 | 72 | 200 | Lochte Thomas | 2070 | 0 | 0 - 1 | 0 | GM | Debashis Das | 2472 | 72 | |
| 1 | 91 | 91 | GM | Sundararajan Kidambi | 2420 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | FM | Press Shaun | 1970 | 219 |
| 1 | 92 | 220 | FM | Odeh Kenneth | 1969 | 0 | 0 - 1 | 0 | IM | Karavade Eesha | 2418 | 92 |
| 1 | 115 | 115 | WGM | Soumya Swaminathan | 2375 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | Ford Clifton P | 1781 | 245 | |
| 1 | 121 | 154 | WIM | Pratyusha Bodda | 2247 | 0 | 1 - 0 | 0 | Ramirez Leyva Freddy | 1862 | 236 |
Check out more details related to Indian players
Tania Sachdev is doing a great job and interviewing all the top players at the event. Watch all of her interviews here.
Live games begin at 19.30 hours IST (15.00 hours local time)
Report on ChessBase International by IM Sagar Shah
About the author
Aditya Pai is an ardent chess fan, avid reader, and a film lover. He has been an advertising copywriter and is currently pursuing a Master's in English Literature at the University of Mumbai. He loves all things German and is learning the language. He has also written scripts for experimental films.