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Tata Steel 06: The King's Gambit

by Sagar Shah - 21/01/2017

The sixth round of the Tata Steel Masters 2017 was extremely exciting. Adhiban played the King's Gambit against Wesley So and managed to outprepare him. In the end the game was drawn. Harikrishna botched up an excellent position against Wojtaszek. Rapport versus Wei Yi was a slugfest, while Giri managed to win a game after fourteen consecutive draws. A detailed report with pictures, analysis and much more.

Pictures by Alina L'Ami

Masters tournament

Round 6 - Friday, January 20
Aronian, L.
½-½
Carlsen, M.
Giri, A.
1-0
Nepomniachtchi, I.
Rapport, R.
0-1
Wei, Y.
Van Wely, L.
½-½
Andreikin, D.
Harikrishna, P.
½-½
Wojtaszek, R.
Adhiban, B.
½-½
So, W.
Eljanov, P.
½-½
Karjakin, S.

Wesley So is definitely considered to be one of the best prepared opponents in the modern era. Play any main line against him and you can be sure that he would have the latest idea analyzed deeply with engines or his seconds. However, what would happen if you play an opening which hasn't been analyzed in great detail by him. Well, for that you might have to play something not 100% sound, because if it is sound you can be sure Wesley has analyzed it. It is with this intention that Adhiban played the King's Gambit in the sixth round of the Tata Steel Masters 2017. 

1.e4 e5 2.f4!? exf4 3.Bc4 When was the last time that Wesley So thought for seven minutes on move three?!

Wesley was caught unprepared and Adhiban got a very promising position out of the opening. However, a few errors in the middlegame allowed So to equalize the game. In any case, a draw against the man in form and the leader of the tournament is not at all a bad result for Adhiban.

[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C33"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2808"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. e4 {0} e5 {11} 2. f4 $5 {0 When was the last time someone played the King's
Gambit against Wesley So?! Well, the databases reveal that this was the first
time! Adhiban has seriously made some very interesting choices at this event.
Rather than going deep into some line, he has just changed the battlefield in
order to make it more even.} exf4 {44} 3. Bc4 {0} (3. Nf3 {is by far the most
popular move in the position.}) 3... d5 {405 Played after seven minutes of
thought. Wesley would have definitely prepared something against the King's
Gambit but to remember all the analysis on the spot is not an easy task.} (3...
Qh4+ 4. Kf1 {The tempo that you will gain with Nf3 is worth losing your
castling rights!}) 4. Bxd5 {0} Nf6 {8} 5. Nc3 {0} Nxd5 {566} 6. Nxd5 {0} Bd6 {8
} (6... g5 {is another possible move, but Wesley likes to go for simple
developing moves rather than clinging on to pawns with moves like g5.}) 7. Nf3
{0} O-O {17} 8. d4 {0 Adhiban was still blitzing his moves.} Re8 {905 15
minutes of thought! The opening is already a success for the Indian player.} 9.
e5 {4} c6 {7} (9... f6 10. Bxf4 $14) 10. Nxf4 {54 White has not only recovered
his pawn, but is a pawn up and has a clearly preferable position. Getting such
a position against Wesley after 10 moves in any major well-known opening line
might be almost impossible.} f6 {38} 11. Nd3 {712 The first move where Adhiban
had to think. 12 minutes for 11.Nd3.} (11. O-O $5 fxe5 12. dxe5 Bc5+ 13. Kh1
Qxd1 14. Rxd1 Bf5 $44) (11. Qd3 $5 fxe5 12. dxe5 Bc7 13. Qb3+ Kh8 14. O-O $16)
11... fxe5 {1654} 12. dxe5 {2} Qb6 {249} 13. Qe2 {901} Bf5 {12} 14. Be3 {197}
Qa5+ {25} 15. c3 {497} Bc7 {901} 16. O-O {196} Qa6 {14 White is a pawn up, but
Black's bishop pair and the pretty weak e5 pawn gives Black decent
compensation.} (16... Bxd3 17. Qxd3 Bxe5 18. Ng5 $1 g6 19. Qc4+ Qd5 20. Qh4 $18
) 17. Rad1 {244} Nd7 {7} (17... Qxa2 18. Ng5 Bg6 19. Nf4 $18) 18. Bd4 {1568
Adhiban played after 26 minutes, but this move lets Black equalize with ease.}
(18. b3 $5 Bxd3 19. Rxd3 Nxe5 20. Nxe5 Bxe5 21. c4 $14) 18... c5 $1 {100} 19.
Bf2 {23} Nxe5 {177} 20. Nfxe5 {23} Bxe5 {284} 21. Qf3 {18} Be4 {27} 22. Qh3 {35
} Bxd3 {166} 23. Qxd3 {115 The position is just even now.} Qxa2 {43} 24. Bxc5 {
621} Qxb2 {40} 25. Bxa7 $1 {239} Bxc3 {357} (25... Rxa7 26. Qd5+ Kh8 27. Qxe5
$11) 26. Bf2 {525} Be5 {251} 27. Rb1 {86} Qa2 {5} 28. Rxb7 {9 The pawns are
exchanged and the game ends in a draw.} Rf8 {33} 29. Qb3+ {173} Qxb3 {47} 30.
Rxb3 {4} Ra2 {3} 31. Rf3 {184} Rxf3 {6} 32. gxf3 {5} Kf7 {4} 33. Bg3 {45} Bd4+
{5} 34. Kh1 {14} Rd2 {30} 35. Bf4 {43} Re2 {4} 36. Rd1 {8} Bc3 {39} 37. Rd3 {11
} Bb4 {32} 38. Rd4 {135} Bc5 {11} 39. Rd2 {3} 1/2-1/2

 

"Son, you forgot to revise the King's Gambit?!" Lotis Key (Wesley's foster mother) and Wesley after the sixth round

King's Gambit is not such a bad opening!

Adhiban to Erwin L'Ami, "What, you have already made a ChessBase DVD refuting the King's Gambit?!"

Erwin L'Ami has made nearly ten hours of instruction on how should Black deal with Gambits after 1.e4 e5. In the first DVD he covers the King's Gambit and against 1.e4 e5 2.f4 he recommends 2...exf4 3.Bc4 Nc6!? You can get each volume of Erwin's DVDs from the ChessBase India shop for just Rs.999/-. However, if you buy Vol.1 + Vol.2 together you will get it for Rs.1799/-

 

Check out Erwin L'Ami's DVDs in the ChessBase India shop

 

Harikrishna played a very simple opening and soon got a very huge advantage against Radoslaw Wojtaszek. However, he couldn't convert it and the game ended in a draw. Magnus Carlsen is impressed by Hari's ideas...

...and so is Anish Giri!
[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Harikrishna, Pentala"]
[Black "Wojtaszek, Radoslaw"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C90"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. e4 {0} e5 {5} 2. Nf3 {0} Nc6 {4} 3. Bb5 {6} a6 {6} 4. Ba4 {6} Nf6 {5} 5. O-O
{53} Be7 {9} 6. Re1 {20} b5 {6} 7. Bb3 {3} O-O {7} 8. a3 {158} d6 {119} 9. h3 {
142 Hari likes to play this move h3 in both the Ruy Lopez as well as the
Guioco Piano.} Na5 {176} 10. Ba2 {63} c5 {6} 11. Nc3 {260} Nc6 {476} 12. d3 {
524} h6 {290} 13. Bd2 {588} Rb8 {845} 14. Rb1 {754} a5 {433} 15. a4 {168} b4 {
29} 16. Nb5 {245} Re8 {275} 17. c3 {335} Bf8 {126} 18. Qc2 {89} Qb6 {349} 19.
Be3 {93} Na7 {978} 20. Bc4 {745} Ba6 $6 {418} 21. Nc7 $1 {373 Harikrishna
alert as ever picks up the light squared bishop.} Qxc7 {288} 22. Bxa6 $14 {
6 With the light squared bishop in his bag, White is clearly for choice.} d5 {
123} 23. cxb4 {134} (23. exd5 Nxd5 24. Bc4 Nxe3 25. Rxe3 $14) 23... Nc6 {190}
24. Bb5 {172} (24. Bd2 $14) 24... Nxb4 {57} 25. Qd1 {113} Red8 {69} 26. exd5 {
19} Nfxd5 {7} (26... Rxd5 27. Bc4 $14) 27. Bd2 {70} Bd6 {139} 28. Qe2 {189} Nf4
{263} 29. Qe4 $16 {239 White is clearly better.} Nc2 {108} 30. Rec1 {69} (30.
Nxe5 $1 Nxe1 (30... Bxe5 31. Qxe5 Qxe5 32. Rxe5 Nxd3 33. Bxd3 Rxd3 34. Bxa5 $16
) 31. Bxf4 $18) 30... Nb4 {5} 31. g3 {359} Ne6 {99} (31... Nxh3+ 32. Kg2 Ng5
33. Nxg5 hxg5 34. Rh1 g6 35. Bxg5 $18) 32. Bxb4 {75} axb4 {4} 33. h4 {48} Rf8 {
472} 34. Re1 {67} Qd8 {251} 35. Kg2 {100} (35. Nxe5 Bxe5 36. Qxe5 Nd4 $44)
35... Nc7 {182} 36. Bc4 {21} Re8 {3} 37. Qf5 {165} Qf6 {29} 38. Qh5 {205} (38.
Qxf6 gxf6 39. Ra1 $16 {White has a clear advantage here because of the strong
light squared bishop and the protected a-passed pawn.}) 38... Ne6 {100} 39.
Nxe5 {87} g6 {48} 40. Nxg6 {0} (40. Ng4 $1 Qd4 41. Qd5 Qxg4 42. Qxd6 $18) (40.
Qxh6 Bxe5 $17) 40... Kh7 $1 {166} 41. Qd5 {1033} (41. Ne5 Ng7 42. Qxf7 Bxe5 43.
Qxf6 Bxf6 $11) 41... Nc7 {573} 42. Qxf7+ {42} Qxf7 {4} 43. Bxf7 {7} Rxe1 {9}
44. Rxe1 {5} Kg7 {19} 45. Ne5 {355} Bxe5 {4} 46. Rxe5 {7} Kxf7 {2} 47. Rxc5 $16
{10 Although White is better it is not so easy to convert this into a full
point.} Ne6 {15} 48. Rc4 {362} b3 {762} 49. Kf3 {277} Ke7 {36} 50. d4 {331} Kd6
{23} 51. Ke4 {7} Nc7 {59} 52. Rc5 {247} Rb4 {291} 53. Rh5 {169} Rxa4 {231} 54.
Rxh6+ {22} Ne6 {93} 55. f4 {177} Rxd4+ {102} 56. Ke3 {51} Rd5 {4} 57. g4 {50}
Ke7 {34} 58. f5 {279} Re5+ {110} 59. Kd3 {123} Nf4+ {6} 60. Kc4 {0} Re4+ {118}
61. Kxb3 {147} Ng2 {5} 62. g5 {625} Nxh4 {34} 63. Rh7+ {5} Kf8 {138} 64. f6 {75
} Rg4 {41} 65. Rh8+ {104} Kf7 {5} 66. Rh7+ {35} Kf8 {5} 67. Rh8+ {9} 1/2-1/2

 

All the photographers throng where the World Champion plays!

The game between Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian ended in a draw

Did Anish inspire Adhiban to play the King's Gambit or Adhiban inspired Anish to win after 14 draws?!

The joy of winning is unparalleled

In case you would like to train your tactical vision, have a look at the wild game between Richard Rapport and Wei Yi. It started as a Petroff, but soon turned so crazy that almost an entire chapter can be written on it. Wei Yi won the game in the end.
[Event "79th Tata Steel Chess 2017-Masters"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2017.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Rapport, Richard"]
[Black "Wei, Yi"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2702"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "ChessBase"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventCountry "NED"]
[SourceTitle "playchess.com"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[TimeControl "40/6000+30:20/3000+30:900+30"]
1. e4 {0} e5 {21} 2. Nf3 {5} Nf6 {39} 3. Nxe5 {127} d6 {9} 4. Nc4 {30} Nxe4 {12
} 5. Qe2 {6} Qe7 {460} 6. Ne3 {57} Be6 {838} 7. Nc3 {204} Nf6 {1112} 8. g3 {445
} Nc6 {615} 9. Bg2 {75} Qd7 {58} 10. b4 {1261} d5 {621} 11. b5 {430} Nd4 {120}
12. Qd3 {62} c5 {33} 13. O-O {536} O-O-O {34} 14. Re1 {494} h5 {364} 15. h4 {60
} g5 {908} 16. b6 {478} a6 {346} 17. hxg5 {73} Ng4 {3} 18. Ncxd5 {49} h4 {126}
19. Nc7 {65} h3 {81} 20. Bxb7+ {41} Kxb7 {21} 21. Qxa6+ {26} Kc6 {1} 22. Nxg4 {
10} Bxg4 {190} 23. b7+ {554} Kxc7 {1} 24. Qa5+ {5} Kb8 {20} 25. Qa8+ {5} Kc7 {2
} 26. Qa5+ {8} Kd6 {205} 27. Qb6+ {22} Kd5 {10} 28. Re3 {612} h2+ {6} 29. Kh1 {
3} Qc6 {3} 30. Rb1 {78} Qxb6 {97} 31. Rxb6 {3} Bd6 {27} 32. Bb2 {34} Rde8 {124}
0-1

 

The game between Eljanov and Karjakin ended in a draw

After four consecutive losses Loek van Wely managed to stop the bleeding by drawing his game against Dmitry Andreikin

Standings after round six in the Masters Section

Gawain Jones managed to beat leader Markus Ragger in the Challengers section. He now leads along with Ragger with 4.5/6.

Sopiko drew her first round game against Lu Shanglei and since then has to go through five defeats
Round 6 - Friday, January 20
Grandelius, N. 1-0 Tingjie, L.
Hansen, E. 1-0 Xiong, J.
Dobrov, V. ½-½ l'Ami, E.
Lu, S. 1-0 van Foreest, J.
Jones, G. 1-0 Ragger, M.
Guramishvili, S. 0-1 Bok, B.
Smirin, I 0-1 Tari, A.

Standings in the Challengers section after six rounds

Indian prodigy R. Praggnanandhaa is playing in the Amateur category. If he wins the section, then he gets the direct qualification for Wijk Aan Zee B category next year. He is the second seed and has good chances of succeeding.

It's good to see young kids coming to the venue and enjoying the games!