7th Gashimov Memorial R6-7: Rapport and Karjakin top Rapid standings
Richard Rapport lost to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 0-3 in Round 6. He beat David Navara 3-0 in Round 7 to finish at the top of the Rapid standings at 7th Vugar Gashimov Memorial 2021. Sergey Karjakin beat Vugar Asadli and Rauf Mamedov 3-0 to tie with Rapport at the top of the points table 16.0/21. Caruana and Mamedyarov are close behind at 14.0/16 each. Vishy Anand had another tough day as he lost both of his matches against Caruana and Asadli. He was completely winning in three out of four games. Anand finished at the bottom of the points table in Rapid. It only means one thing, a strong comeback is forthcoming. Seven rounds of Blitz will be played today, starting from 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Gashimov chess
Richard Rapport is now World no.5 in Rapid rankings
The third day of Rapid event did not witness a single match to be tied 1-1. Thus, no Armageddon was required.
Round 6: Anand - Caruana: 0-3
Vishy Anand got himself a fantastic against Fabiano Caruana in the first game.
Anand - Caruana, Rapid 1
Black is already in a difficult position. He needed to defend f7 either Nd7 or Rf8. 37...Nxc1 allowed 38.Bxf7+ Kh8 39.h4 Qe5 40.Bxe8. It was better to get rid of the c1-knight 40.Rxc1. Anyway 40.Bxe8 was also enough.
White had a significant decisive advantage, however the position was not that easy to play, especially with less time on the clock. White made the mistake of playing 47.Bxe4 which created an opportunity for Black to get back in the game. Find out how.
Karjakin - Asadli: 0-3
Vugar Asadli got a couple of good chances against Sergey Karjakin in the first game.
Karjakin - Asadli, Rapid 1
Arguably the best opportunity Black had in the entire game was after 47.Re3. Black had to play 47...Rxg2+ 48.Kxg2 g4 and there is no good defense for White. Black might not be winning immediately, but the eventuality of it is undeniable.
Round 7: Asadli - Anand: 3-0
Anand would have won the first game against Asadli. He just needed to spot the intermediate move.
Asadli - Anand, Rapid 1
Find out what Black needed to do before taking the queen at b4.
Anand was winning the second game too. However, he misplayed in time scramble.
Anand - Asadli, Rapid 2
White actually does not need to defend the knight. 54.Ka5 is winning. The knight cannot be taken because then d-pawn will promote. 54.Nd8+ was played and the game ended in a draw eventually.
Replay Round 6-7 games
Results
Round 6
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov - Richard Rapport: 3-0
David Navara - Rauf Mamedov: 0-3
Sergey Karjakin - Vugar Asadli: 3-0
Vishy Anand - Fabiano Caruana: 0-3
Round 7
Fabiano Caruana - Shakhriyar Mamedyarov: 0-3
Vugar Asadli - Vishy Anand: 3-0
Rauf Mamedov - Sergey Karjakin: 0-3
Richard Rapport - David Navara: 3-0
Standings after Round 7 Rapid
Scoring
Players will get the following points per round:
Victory in the best of two Rapid games: 3 points
Loss in the best of two Rapid games: 0 point
Tie in Rapid games and victory Armageddon: 2 points
Tie in Rapid games and loss Armageddon: 1 point
Armageddon Rules
• If the score after two Rapid games is 1-1, then the players will move on to Armageddon.
• Armageddon time control is 5 minutes for White and 4 minutes for Black. Increment of 3 seconds each starts from move no.61. Black has draw odds.
Replay the Live Stream
Links
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Caruana bests Rapport in Armageddon to win 7th Gashimov Memorial 2021
@ 24/12/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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7th Gashimov Memorial Blitz R1-7: Mamedyarov makes an impressive start
@ 23/12/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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7th Gashimov Memorial R4-5: Rapport takes sole lead and now World no.6 in Rapid
@ 21/12/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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7th Gashimov Memorial R2-3: Caruana soars to the top
@ 20/12/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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7th Gashimov Memorial R1: Mamedov beats Anand in Armageddon
@ 19/12/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |