Can Harikrishna win 53rd Biel Chess Festival GMT?

by Shahid Ahmed - 29/07/2020

Harikrishna has a very good chance to win 53rd Biel Chess Festival GMT. However for him to win the tournament, the first thing he needs is to beat Anton Guijarro in the final round. Then Wojtaszek either needs to make a draw or lose against Noel Studer. In case Harikrishna draws then Wojtaszek must lose and Adams also needs to lose or make a draw with Naiditsch. Harikrishna beating Edouard in Round 6 and Wojtaszek making a draw with Keymer, allowed the tournament to be wide open for anyone between Wojtaszek, Harikrishna and Adams to win the championship. Who do you think will the 53rd Biel Chess Festival. Find round starts in a few hours. Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Harikrishna is one step closer to the championship

Harikrishna scored a clinical win against Romain Edouard to reduce the gap between him and the tournament leader by a half point. Wojtaszek making a tepid draw with Keymer definitely helped increase Harikrishna's chances. Adams defeated Studer in Round 6 to maintain his third position. He is not out of the title hunt either. Keymer can be safely ruled out of the title picture as even if he beats Edouard in the final round, he will still not be able to surpass the leader to win the tournament.

Harikrishna is having a fantastic Classical event | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Harikrishna's Championship scenario

1. Harikrishna must beat Anton Guijarro in the final round and Noel Studer must hold Wojtaszek to either a draw or beat him.

2. If Harikrishna draws then Wojtaszek must lose and Adams also needs to either lose or draw with Naiditsch.

Since there is no mathematical possibility of Harikrishna making a tie with either Wojtaszek or Adams, the chess960 standings which is the tie-breaks will not come into effect.

Harikrishna - Edouard 1-0

Harikrishna scored a clinical victory over Romain Edouard in Round 6.

Harikrishna - Edouard

Position after 15...b5

The first mistake which Edouard made was to play 15...b5. Find out why it is a mistake and what he should have played instead.

Position after 27...Qe8

It is evident that white has a substantial advantage in this position but it's time for white to take it to the next level. Find out the best continuation for white after 27...Qe8

Position after 36...Kf7

The game continued with 37.f3 and white won the game in another seven moves. Can you find a better and quicker win after 36...Kf7 ?

Harikrishna made a brilliant exchange sacrifice | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Keymer - Wojtaszek 0.5-0.5

The highly anticipated game of the tournament between Keymer and Wojtaszek lacked fireworks and the result was an obvious draw.

Keymer had an uneventful draw | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Studer - Adams 0-1

Studer opted for the 7.c5 line in QGD. Much to his chagrin, he was unable to get any advantage out of the opening.

Studer - Adams

Position after 25...dxe4

The game continued with 26.Nxe4 which was certainly not the best continuation for white. Find out what white should have done instead.

Position after 31.Nxb5

White is banking on black to recapture on b5, but black is not forced to take on b5. What is the best move for black after 31.Nxb5 ?

Position after 39.Nc3

The final mistake made by white was 39.Nc3. Find out the winning continuation for black.

Things did not the way Studer wanted | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Naiditsch - Anton Guijarro 1-0

At one point in the endgame, Anton Guijarro was in complete control but a tiny misjudgment shifted the balance in Naiditsch's favor and brought equilibrium.

Naiditsch - Anton Guijarro

Position after 27.Bxc4+

The general logic dictates us to bring the king towards the center during the endgame, well this time the counter-intuitive 27...Kh8 was the better choice for black here.

Position after 35.Rb7

White managed to get some counterplay, despite black having a passed pawn at e3, black can't do much. But black is not in trouble either. Find out the best continuation for black after 35.Rb7. The game continued with 35...Rc8 and then white seized the opportunity with 36.Rdxd7 and won the game in the next six moves.

Anton misplayed from a good position | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Replay all games

All boards of the GMT section | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

The Tournament Hall | Photo: Biel Chess Festival

Overall Standings

Rank	Name	Rapid	Classical	Blitz	Total
1	Radoslaw Wojtaszek	12	10	11	33
2	Pentala Harikrishna	10	16.5	6	32.5
3	Michael Adams	8	12.5	11	31.5
4	Vincent Keymer	10	13.5	4.5	28
5	Arkadij Naiditsch	5	11	6.5	22.5
6	David Antón Guijarro	4	9.5	8.5	22
7	Noël Studer	3	7	5	15
8	Romain Édouard	4	6	3.5	13.5

Details

Scoring system

Rapid: Win - 2 and Draw - 1 point.

Classical: Win - 4 and Draw - 1.5 points.

Blitz: Win - 1 and Draw - 0.5 point.

Replay the live stream

Live commentary by legendary Australian GM Ian Rogers and WGM Dina Belenkaya | Video: Biel Chess Festival

Links

Official site

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