Nakamura defeats Carlsen in Masters shocker

20131229chessSix of the finest chess players on the planet, led by world champion Magnus Carlsen, are doing battle in the Masters Final in Bilbao, Spain. The competition is the strongest of 2016. Particularly interesting would be the clash between Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin, his world championship chess challenger. The two play for the world championship title in November, in Manhattan. The six competitors and their FIDE ratings are as follows: Magnus Carlsen 2855; Hikaru Nakamura 2787; Anish Giri 2785; Sergey Karjakin 2773; Wesley So 2770 and Wei Yi 2696. The Chinese chess phenomenon Wei Yei was included in the Masters Final because he is the youngest and brightest chess talent around.

As early as round one, the Masters tournament was sensationalized with Carlsen’s loss to Nakamura.

Students of St Stanislaus College kibitzing (playing chess for fun) on a cloudy Sunday afternoon at the National Resource Centre during the recent Andrew Arts Memorial chess tournament. The students on the right are: Ghansham Alijohn, John Wong and Jessica Callendar. On the left, playing the black pieces, is Jaden Taylor. Standing next to him is senior member of the Guyana Chess Federation David Khan.
Students of St Stanislaus College kibitzing (playing chess for fun) on a cloudy Sunday afternoon at the National Resource Centre during the recent Andrew Arts Memorial chess tournament. The students on the right are: Ghansham Alijohn, John Wong and Jessica Callendar. On the left, playing the black pieces, is Jaden Taylor. Standing next to him is senior member of the Guyana Chess Federation David Khan.

Nakamura defeated the world champion in a classical game of chess for the first time in his professional career. Playing the black side of the Sicilian Defence, Nakamura forced the world champion’s resignation with a Dragon Variation in 51 moves. The other two games were drawn.

In round two, Carlsen returned with a vengeance and dismissed Wei Yi in a queen pawn game lasting 60 moves. The tournament is a double round-robin and concludes on July 23. The meeting between Carlsen and Karjakin in the Masters will be the last before the world championship match between the two in November.

 

Chess games

The following games were played at the 7th Hainan, Danzhou chess tournament in China. The tournament ended yesterday. Grandmaster Ian Nepomniahtchi leads.

 

White: Ian Nepomniachtchi

Black: Ding Liren

 

  1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. Nc3 Ng6 9. Na4 Bd4 10. c3 Bf6 11. O-O Ne5 12. Be2 O-O 13. f4 Nd7 14. Qc2 c5 15. Bf3 Rb8 16. Be3 Ba6 17. Rfd1 Qe7 18. Bf2 Bb5 19. Rab1 Nb6 20. Nxb6 axb6 21. Re1 Bc4 22. b3 Be6 23. a4 Rfd8 24. b4 Bc4 25. bxc5 bxc5 26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. e5 dxe5 28. fxe5 Bg5 29. a5 g6 30. Qe4 Qe6 31. Bxc5 h5 32. Bd4 Rb3 33. Ra1 c5 34. a6 Bxa6 35. Qa8+ Qc8 36. Rxa6 Rb8 37. Bf2 Kg7 38. Qc6 Rb1+ 39. Kh2 Qf5 40. Qe4 1-0.

 

American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura
American chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura

White: Pentala Harikrishna

Black: Ding Liren

 

  1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Be7 11. Bc2 d4 12. Nb3 d3 13. Bb1 Nxb3 14. axb3 Bf5 15. Re1 O-O 16. h3 Qd7 17. b4 Rfd8 18. g4 Bg6 19. Bf4 Qc8 20. Ba2 a5 21. e6 f6 22. bxa5 Nxa5 23. b4 Nc4 24. Bxc4 bxc4 25. Nd2 c5 26. b5 Be8 27. Rxa8 Qxa8 28. b6 Bc6 29. Bc7 Rd5 30. Nxc4 Qa2 31. Nd2 g5 32. Nf1 c4 33. Qd2 Qa8 34. Ne3 Rb5 35. Nxc4 Bh1 36. Ne3 Bc5 37. e7 Bxe3 38. fxe3 Kf7 39. e8=Q+ Kxe8 40. e4 Bxe4 41. Qe3 1-0.

 

White: Pentala Harikrishna

Black: Wang Yue

 

  1. 20160717 chess puzzled4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 O-O 11. Rc1 Nc6 12. Be2 Qa5 13. Rc5 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 Rd8 15. Ke3 Bd7 16. Rb1 Rab8 17. Bb5 f6 18. g4 Rbc8 19. Rbc1 Kf8 20. g5 Ne7 21. Bxd7 Rxc5 22. Rxc5 Rxd7 23. h4 h6 24. Ng1 hxg5 25. hxg5 Rd6 26. Ne2 Ra6 27. Nc3 Ra3 28. gxf6 gxf6 29. Kd2 f5 30. d5 Ra6 31. dxe6 Rd6+ 32. Ke2 Rxe6 33. Rc7 Rc6 34. Rxc6 Nxc6 35. exf5 Nd4+ 36. Kd3 Nxf5 37. Nb5 a6 38. Ke4 Ne7 39. Nd6 b5 40. Kd4 Nc6+ 41. Kc5 Ne5 42. Ne4 Nd3+ 43. Kb6 b4 44. Ka5 Nc1 45. Kxb4 Nxa2+ 46. Ka5 1/2-1/2.

 

White: Wang Yue

Black: Bu Xiangzhi

 

  1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 d5 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd6 9. O-O e5 10. h3 Bd7 11. Rd1 Qc8 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. e4 Re8 15. f3 c6 16. Be3 Be6 17. Bb3 Bc7 18. Rd3 Bb6 19. Bxb6 axb6 20. Bxe6 Qxe6 21. Rad1 b5 22. a3 Qe7 23. Qd2 b4 24. axb4 Qxb4 25. Kh2 Qe7 26. Re1 Rad8 27. Rd1 Rxd3 28. Qxd3 Qc7+ 29. Qd6 Qxd6+ 30. Rxd6 Kf8 31. Kg3 Ke7 32. Rd1 Ra8 33. e5 Nd7 34. f4 f6 35. exf6+ Nxf6 36. Kf3 Ra5 37. Re1+ Kd7 38. Rd1+ Ke7 39. Re1+ Kd7 40. Rd1+ 1/2-1/2.