30 September 2016
Anish Giri Takes the Lead in the Tal Memorial
Vladimir Kramnik defeated Vishy Anand.
Three games ended decisively in the 4th round of the 10th Tal Memorial, which takes place in the Museum of Russian Impressionism in Moscow.
Vladimir Kramnik had White against Vishy Anand. In the Italian Game, the Russian grandmaster developed the initiative on the queenside, then invaded the 7th rank with his rook, and forced the opponent to make mistakes. After White won two pawns, Anand resigned.
Anish Giri won as Black against Peter Svidler and became a sole leader of the tournament. The players went for a symmetrical line of the English Opening. Black solved his opening problems rather easily, and soon seized the initiative, utilizing an awkward position of the white queen. After White lost a pawn, Giri showed a very good technique and converted his advantage with a mating attack.
Li Chao played Black against Boris Gelfand and went for a pawn sacrifice in the Gruenfeld Defense. A sharp position arose, and the Israeli grandmaster offered his opponent an exchange. Li Chao declined the offer in order to keep the g7-bishop on the board. His decision paid off – in the subsequent play White made several mistakes, and Black managed to pick up the exchange under better circumstances. Despite White's attempts to create a fortress, Li Chao went on to win the game.
The Two Knights Defense occurred in Nepomniachtchi-Aronian. The queens were traded on the 17th move, and the game continued quietly with White having a slight plus. Aronian defended accurately, and a draw was agreed soon after the first control.
Evgeny Tomashevsky and Shakhriyar Mamedyrov played the Slav Defense. The struggle was tense until Mamedyarov decided to sacrifice two minor pieces for a rook. After that Tomashevsky pressed hard, and Mamedyarov was forced to defend a difficult position with the material deficit. The game lasts 83 moves, but Black managed to hold.
Standings after 4 rounds:
Giri – 3.5
Nepomniachtchi – 3
Li Chao – 2.5
Kramnik, Anand, Aronian, Mamedyarov – 2
Svidler – 1.5
Tomashevsky – 1
Gelfand – 0.5
Round 5 pairings:
Aronian-Kramnik, Giri-Nepomiachtchi, Mamedyarov-Svidler, Li Chao-Tomashevsky, Anand-Gelfand.
Photos by Eteri Kublashvili
