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Fabiano Caruana against Peter Svidler

"It's a very fashionable position and we're all looking at it and we're looking at pretty much the same stuff I guess. Up to Rxg7 this is definitely in the notes, I remembered what my "main line says" but I couldn't work out the move order and by this point I realised that if I take on f3 Nxe6 will happen and I didn't like this position."

Peter Svidler played a fashionable variation of the Sicilian Taimanov against Fabiano Caruana and either forgot or had an error in his preparation which led to a very difficult position for both sides but one where white was clearly better. Svidler's position almost invevitably collapsed on move 38.

Caruana went over 2800 for the second time in the live list although he said he wasn't really thinking about it after the game. Caruana has black against World Champion Magnus Carlsen in round 3.

"It's time to stop him!" Carlsen on his game against Caruana although he added that he at least should stop the winning run.

17. Rxg7 exf3

(17... Bf6 18.Rg3 exf3 19. Qxb4 {Svidler} (19. Nxf3))

18. Nxe6 fxe6 19. Bd3

"Playing this position at the board is not a bundle of laughs." Svidler.

Bf6

(19... Rb8 {Practically impossible to find at the board.}) 20. Bg6+ Nxg6 21. Bxc7 Bxg7 { Giving the queen up was a practical try but white's position is much better.}

22. Qd3 Nge5 23. Bxe5 Bxe5 24. Qe4 Ra7 25. Nc5 Ke7 26. Rf1 Rf8 27. Nxd7 Rxd7 28. Qxe5 Rd5 29. Qe3 Rdf5 30. Qf2 a5 31. b3 Bd7 32. Rg1 Bc6 33. Kb2 R8f7 34. Rg8 Rf8 35. Rg4 R8f7 36. a3 bxa3+ 37. Kxa3 Kd6 38. Rc4 Bd5 39. Rc8 1-0

Levon Aronian against Sergey Karjakin

Levon Aronian moved into second place with a comfortable win against Sergey Karjakin. Aronian decided to avoid castling queenside and launching an all out war against Karjakin's Queen's Indian but didn't think he got that much. Maybe 23...bxc4 might have been the start of problems and later black's position might have been holdable but black's position was certainly miserable and Karjakin collapsed to defeat very quickly.

Vladimir Kramnik against Magnus Carlsen

Vladimir Kramnik drew against Magnus Carlsen in the final game to finish. Carlsen chose the Bogo-Indian against Kramnik's Catalan an "old man's opening" according to Nigel Short and a "chicken" variation according to the players. It's certainly not the most ambitious variation in most player's hands but Carlsen has used it with success against Kramnik who also lost another game to it and he actually expected it. An interesting game followed where Carlsen equalised.

Hammer on #2sjakk: "Carlsen-Kramnik will be drawn within the next 3 minutes."

Instead the game was drawn over two hours later.

Carlsen managed to create complications in the Queen and Knight ending but the objective evaluation didn't change and the game was eventually drawn. The game was drawn and the players had a cordial post-mortem. There didn't seem a lot of tension. Kramnik said in their discussion they found they were both "missing the same very, very simple thing at one point that's what we were laughing about."

Veselin Topalov vs Alexander Grischuk

Alexander Grischuk won a sharp Najdorf Sicilian against Veselin Topalov having been worse out of the opening. Indeed Topalov said that it was only when he started thinking deeply that he started to go wrong and collapsed quickly.

32. hxg6?!

32...gxf5 and white retains the advantage.

32...hxg6 33. Rfd3?

In an already difficult position Topalov goes quite wrong. 33...gxf5 had to be tried.

33. ..Nd5 34. cxd4 Bf4 35. Bxf4 Nxf4 36. Rf3 Re1 0-1

After the game Grischuk said he was almost falling asleep even in very sharp positions. He was finding it really hard to get into the event.

"I felt much more motivated for the blitz than the main tournament." - "It's completely stupid."

Simen Agdestein against Anish Giri

Bottom seed Simen Agdestein secured a second draw in the event and was even disappointed not to have the advantage against Anish Giri. 20.c4 would have been that move. After that Agdestein was in danger of losing but he liquidated to a draw just in time.

2nd Norway Chess 2014 Stavanger NOR (NOR), 3-14 vi 2014															cat. XXI (2774)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0
1.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2791	*	.	.	.	.	.	1	1	.	.	2
2.	Aronian, Levon	g	ARM	2815	.	*	½	.	.	.	.	.	.	1	1½	2892
3.	Agdestein, Simen	g	NOR	2628	.	½	*	.	½	.	.	.	.	.	1	2783
4.	Carlsen, Magnus	g	NOR	2881	.	.	.	*	½	½	.	.	.	.	1	2767
5.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2752	.	.	½	½	*	.	.	.	.	.	1	2754
6.	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	2783	.	.	.	½	.	*	.	½	.	.	1	2817
7.	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	2792	0	.	.	.	.	.	*	.	1	.	1	2781
8.	Svidler, Peter	g	RUS	2753	0	.	.	.	.	½	.	*	.	.	½	2594
9.	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2772	.	.	.	.	.	.	0	.	*	½	½	2588
10.	Karjakin, Sergey	g	RUS	2771	.	0	.	.	.	.	.	.	½	*	½	2600

Round 2 (June 4, 2014)
Caruana, Fabiano	- Svidler, Peter	1-0	39	B48	Sicilian Paulsen
Aronian, Levon	- Karjakin, Sergey	1-0	55	E15	Queens Indian
Agdestein, Simen	- Giri, Anish	½-½	36	D38	QGD Ragozin
Kramnik, Vladimir	- Carlsen, Magnus	½-½	60	E00	Catalan
Topalov, Veselin	- Grischuk, Alexander	0-1	36	B90	Sicilian Najdorf Variation

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