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Tbilisi Grand Prix R5: Tomashevsky retains full point lead |
Russian Grandmaster Evgeny Tomashevsky is still leading Tbilisi FIDE Grand Prix after splitting a point with Anish Giri in round five. With 4 points Tomashevsky maintains one point margin ahead of the chasing pack.
Local GM Baadur Jobava and Cuban GM Leinier Dominguez signed their first respective wins, while Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan continues his fine form by defeating Peter Svidler.
Three games were drawn. Results and pairings are online, visit also the photo gallery and replay the games.
Former world champion Nona Gaprindashvili, ECU President GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili and Georgian GM Meran Gagunashvili made appearance as guest commentators during the live broadcast.
Azmaiparashvili noted that the playing conditions were excellent and that the players feel inspired to play fighting games.
Press conferences will be available in the video gallery.
Jakovenko - Grischuk 1/2
The game finished abruptly with repetition in the opening. In the fianchetto Modern Benoni Grishuk played a rare move 10...Bf5.
He revealed it is something prepared as a backup line for the days he doesn't want to waste time before the games.
Jakovenko admitted he didn't know how to proceed and decided to take a draw. He proposed 12.Qc1 but the position is very complicated and he was not experienced in this opening.
Jobava - Mamedyarov 1-0
After the poor start 0,5/4 the Georgian star returned into competition with a victory against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Jobava used the same unorthodox opening he already tried against world champion Magnus Carlsen this winter.
At one point white sacrificed a pawn but then missed the best continuation and black took the tempo to solidify the structure.
The only way to retain some chances was to also sacrifice a bishop, which is exactly what Jobava did.
After several forced moves black made a terrible mistake, completely blundering white's 19.Rxd5. Mamedyarov said he immediately wanted to resign but then he noticed that 19...Qb4 allows him to stay in the game a little longer. 18...Qc7 19.Qb2 where Jobava claims to have good compensation.
White committed another inaccuracy on move 22, but black quickly returned the favour and ended up checkmated.
Zurab Azmaiparashvili pointed that 22.Rd8+ Rxd8 23.Rxd8+ Kf7 24.c3 would win on the spot.
Vachier-Lagrave - Radjabov 1/2
In the Winawer French white used the most aggressive continuation 7.Qg4 and black accepted the challenge by responding with the sharpest 7...Qc7. Here white wins a pawn but has suffers from lack of pieces coordination.
Radjabov commented: "This is of course a huge theoretical line. Very artificial play from both sides". He played the neat 16...Qc6 which poses a question how will white complete the development.
But only two moves later, the Azeri said he couldn't figure out how to continue. He was bothered by the position after 18...Qd4 19.Rg2 Bc6 20.gxf5 Bxg2 21.Bxg2 Rxg2 22.Qxg2 0-0-0 23.Qg4! Qe4+ 24.Kf2 where he was getting stuck. Another line that was proposed is 18...Qa4 19.Qc4!?
In the end black decided to establish a strong knight on d4. It appeared as he was pinned down, but 23.Rd1 would have been met with ...Bxe4 24.Bxd4 Qxa3 25.Rg3 Bc6 26.Rxc3 Qa5 and black is fine.
Radjabov proposed that 26.h3 Rxf4 27.Rg3 might have been better move order for white, as well as 26...Rh8 was stronger than the game continuation. Finally, he was afraid that 35.h6 Kd5 36.g5 Kxe5 37.Rf1 Rh7 38.Rf6 was winning for white, but further analysis is needed.
The game was drawn on move 37. Vachier-Lagrave tweeted: "So far disappointed with my result, not much went according to the plan but games were interesting and of decent quality. Need wins ASAP!"
Kasimdzhanov - Svidler 1-0
Svidler defended with his favourite Gruenfeld Indian and Kasimdzhanov repeated the line that he used against Giri in round three.
Black deviated from Giri's play by preventing e4 advance, and was then "treated to his own medicine", as Svidler put it, because he introduced white's line in the Candidates' game against Gelfand.
By now the main line is 8...c5 9.dxc5 N6d7, but Svidler borrowed Gelfand's forgotten idea of Bg4-Bxf3, only with a small twist - 10...N8d7 which saves valuable tempo and is much superior to the known 10...c6.
White was taken by surprise, but nevertheless he continued with normal development and castled long. He refrained from pushing the h-pawn, and Svidler has shown why he was right - 15.h4 Rad8 16.e5 f6 17.h5 fxe5 18.hxg6 h6 and black rook is great on f8.
The players have suggested several alternative variations:
15...Rac8!? (Svidler)
16...e5!? 17. f5 gxf5 18.Qxf5 Ne6 "with a monster knight on d4" (Kasimdzhanov)
16...Rxd2 17.Rxd2 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Rc8 19. Ka1 Nca4 etc (Kasimdzhanov)
Svidler underestimated 18.Nb5! and both players agreed that the position after 20.Qa3 is extremely complicated.
The losing move was 23...Rf7, both agreed, and tried to find a possible improvement:
23...Rxb4 doesn't work 24.Qxb4 Nf6 25.Nxd5 Nxd5 26.Qc4
23...Qf7 24.Bxc5 Rf1 25.Rd1; 23...Qh4 24.Nxd5 and g3 is a huge threat; 23...Qd6 24.Bxd7 Qxd7 25.Bxc5
23...Rc4 (engine) 24.Nxd5 Qf7 25.Ne3 Rxb4 26.Qxb4 Nd3 27.Qd6 Nxe1 28.Be6 etc
Tomashevsky - Giri 1/2
The tournament leader attempted to repeat the line in the King's Indian defence that he used against Grischuk, but was only met with a well-prepared Giri.
White was prepared for 11...h6 12.Bd2 Na6 13.Bg2!?, but black changed the moves order and white started losing ground.
The hasty 13...f4 14.gxf4 exf4 15.Bd4 would have turned bad for black, but he played the strong 13...Nh7 to which white couldn't remember how to continue.
Giri suggested the calm 14.a3, but instead white committed himself with 14.h4. Tomashevsky admitted that his "position started falling apart" and that "black has won the theoretical duel".
After 24...b5 white realised that he was outplayed and should look how to save the game. He did put up a stubborn defence and eventually earned a draw.
Andreikin - Dominguez 0-1
It started as Ruy Lopez Delayed Exchange Variation where black used an interesting idea of placing the knight on c5. The plan was to transfer the piece via e6, but white was faster to jump with his knight to f5.
This did leave white with an exposed pawn that needed constant care. Further, he refused to repeat the moves and rushed to push c2-c4, allowing black to seize the initiative.
With some skilled maneuvering black forced his opponent to sacrifice a bishop for two pawns. He was better, but the process of converting the material advantage took 68 moves and more than six hours of play.
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