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Home » Chess News » Events » FIDE Grand Prix London 2012 » Gelfand remains in the lead, Nakamura in freefall after London Grand Prix Round 8

Boris Gelfand retained his half point lead with 5.5/8 after a draw in an interesting King's Indian where perhaps he even missed a chance somewhere. The position below looks threatening for white but it does seem that has full counter-play and they eventually drew by repetition.

25. Be7 dxc5 26. Bxf8 Bxf8 27. Rbc1 Qc7 28. bxc5 Bxc5 29. Kh1 Re8 30. Rf1 b6 31. Rxf5 Nxf5 32. Qxf5 Qg7 33. Qe4 Rf8 34. g3 Rf7 35. a4 a5 36. Re1 Bd6 37. Qe3 Qg5 38. Qe2 Qf6 39. Kg2 Bb4 40. Rc1 Bc5 41. Qh5 Qg7 42. Rc2 Rf8 43. Re2 Bd6 44. Re4 Rf4 45. Qh3 Rxe4 46. Bxe4 Qf6 47. Qd7 Kg8 48. Qc6 Be7 49. h4 Kg7 50. Qd7 Kf8 51. Qc8+ Kg7 52. Qg4+ Kf8 53. Bh7 Qf7 54. Qc8+ Kg7 55. Be4 Bc5 56. Qg4+ Kf8 57. Qc8+ Kg7 58. Qg4+ Kf8 59. Qc8+ 1/2-1/2

Vassily Ivanchuk has the reputation of being able to play any kind of position. That's certanly true but he seems to prefer the purely technical against the better players in the world and today he got a little something to work with and almost effortlessly outplayed Hikaru Nakamura in an ending. Nakamura is in free-fall now having lost his 3rd game in a row.

Nakamura has traded into an ending he presumably thought was going to be a draw. However Ivanchuk is very good at technical positions where his opponent enjoys no counterplay and I think he does enjoy whatever prospects there are in the position. He almost made it look like a forced win. Nakamura just didn't have the technique or patience to hold today.

27. Rxd7+ Kxd7 28. Bg3 a5 29. Kf2 b5 30. Nd2 b4 31. Ke2 Kc6 32. Kd1 a4 33. Kc2 a3 34. Nf1?

I think black might actually be already winning now 34. Kd3 Seems to be much better but isn't an automatic draw either.

34... c4 35. Ne3 cxb3+ 36. axb3 Nf8 37. Be5 g6 38. Bg7 Nd7 39. Nf1 Nc5 40. Nd2 h5 41. Bf8 Kd5 42. h3 Bf5+ 43. Kc1 Nd3+ 44. Kb1 Kd4 45. g4 Be6 46. Kc2 Ne1+ 47. Kb1 Nd3 48. Kc2 h4 49. Bg7+ Ke3 50. Bh6+ Ke2 51. Kb1 Nf2 52. Nc4 Nxh3 53. Ne5 g5 54. Nc6 Bd5 55. Nxb4 Bxb3 56. Nc6 Ke3 57. Ne5 Kf4 58. Ng6+ Kg3 0-1

Peter Leko completely refuted Alexander Grischuk's aggressive intentions in the Sicilian but then just seemed to panic and allowed his opponent enough chances to draw.

22. c3?

Quite incomprehensible. White is clearly winning here and Leko is a good enough calculator to get through the complications which surely aren't that great for a former candidate. Instead he turned down the obvious continuations for a weakening move that justifies black's play. I can only presume he was frightened by Qa5 in some lines.

22. g6! Be6 (22... f6 23. Bc4) (22... Qa5) (22... Qa5 23. gxf7+ Kxf7 24. Qf4+ Ke8 25. Bc4) 23. Rh8 wins.

22. Bc4 is the most natural move in the position and also seems to promise a substantial advantage. Qa5 (22... Bb7 23. Nf5 Qa5 24. Nd6+ Ke7 25. Qf4) 23. Bxf7+ Kxf7 24. Qf4+ wins

22... Be6 23. Kb1 Nxb3 24. Nxb3 Bxb3 25. cxb4 Qc6 26. Rh3 Bxd1 27. Qxd1 Rb8 28. Qd4 Rxb4 29. Qe5+ Qe6 30. Qxe6+ fxe6 31. Bxa6 Bd6 32. g6 Be5 33. b3 Rxe4 34. Kc2 Ke7 35. Bd3 Rg4 36. Re3 Kd6 37. Re4 Rxe4 38. Bxe4 Kc5 39. Kd3 Kb4 40. Kc2 Kc5 41. Kd3 Kb4 42. Kc2 1/2-1/2

Wang Hao sacrificed an exchange as black in a Sicilian to simplify against Leinier Dominguez Perez. It didn't seem that easy to me to exploit the exchange but Dominguez didn't come close to trying. After Dominguez returned the exchange the position was almost completely equal.

31...h5 32. g5

The computer suggestion opening up some lines with 32. gxh5 was worth thinking about.

32... Nc5 33. Rxb4 f6 34. gxf6 Bxf6 35. Be3 Be7 36. Rb8?!

Seems to be the start of the wrong idea entirely 36. Bxc5 dxc5 37. Rb8 certainly looks like quite a difficult idea to meet.

36... Na6 37. Rxc8?

White doesn't demonstrate any advatage after this move. Maybe he thought he was winning some more material her but he isn't. 37. Rb6 Rxf3 38. Bg5 Bxg5 39. hxg5 Kg6 40. Rxd6+ Kxg5 41. Rc6 Rf8 42. Rg2+

37... Rxc8 38. Bb7 Rxc4 39. Bxa6 Rc3 40. Bb6 Ra3+ 41. Ra2 Rxf3 42. Bc4 Rf4 43. Be6 Bxh4 44. Be3 Rf3 45. Bf5+ g6 46. Ra7+ Kh8 47. Bxg6 Rxe3 48. Rh7+ Kg8 49. Rxh5 Rh3 50. Bf5 Rh2 51. Kb1 Kf8 52. Rh7 Bg3 53. Rxh2 Bxh2 54. Be6 1/2-1/2

Rustam Kasimdzhanov was gifted a win by Michael Adams who seems to have switched off completely having achieved a totally drawn position. Adams went down to his second loss in a row from good looking positions. This one will really hurt.

Here it is conceivable that under different rules the players would have agreed a draw. Mutually exposed kings seem to guarantee a draw. But Adams just doesn't set up his perpetual check, has to go passive with his queen and his position falls apart rather rapidly. Unless somehow he thought he has some kind of winning chance he miscalculated it is very hard to understand what he was thinking.

37...h5?

37... Qd4 (37...Qc2 is probably equally as good) 38. Qe8 Qe4+ 39. Kg1 Qb1+ 40. Kh2 Qf5 41. f3 Ne3 42. Qb8 Ng4+ with perpetual

38. Qe8 Qg7 39. e4 Nf6 40. Nxf6+ Qxf6 41. Qf8 e5 42. Qxb4 g5 43. hxg5 Qxg5 44. Qc3 h4 45. Qf3 hxg3 46. Qxf7+ Kh8 47. Qf8+ 1-0

Veselin Topalov couldn't find a way to an advantage against the Caro-Kann of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and didn't see anything better than to repeat for a draw on move 30.

1st FIDE GP London (ENG), 21 ix-3 x 2012															cat. XX (2739)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2
1.	Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	2738	*	½	.	½	.	½	1	½	½	.	1	1	5½	2885
2.	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	g	AZE	2729	½	*	0	½	.	½	.	1	.	1	½	1	5	2836
3.	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	2754	.	1	*	½	½	½	½	½	½	.	½	.	4½	2781
4.	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2752	½	½	½	*	½	.	½	.	1	½	.	½	4½	2779
5.	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2737	.	.	½	½	*	1	.	½	½	½	½	½	4½	2782
6.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2769	½	½	½	.	0	*	.	½	.	½	½	1	4	2734
7.	Wang, Hao	g	CHN	2742	0	.	½	½	.	.	*	½	½	½	½	1	4	2736
8.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2730	½	0	½	.	½	½	½	*	½	.	½	.	3½	2696
9.	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	g	CUB	2725	½	.	½	0	½	.	½	½	*	½	.	½	3½	2697
10.	Kasimdzhanov, Rustam	g	UZB	2684	.	0	.	½	½	½	½	.	½	*	1	0	3½	2701
11.	Adams, Michael	g	ENG	2722	0	½	½	.	½	½	½	½	.	0	*	.	3	2648
12.	Nakamura, Hikaru	g	USA	2783	0	0	.	½	½	0	0	.	½	1	.	*	2½	2593

Round 8 (September 29, 2012)
Gelfand, Boris	- Giri, Anish	½-½	59	E97	King's Indian Classical
Topalov, Veselin	- Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	½-½	30	B19	Caro Kann
Leko, Peter	- Grischuk, Alexander	½-½	42	B90	Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Dominguez Perez, Leinier	- Wang, Hao	½-½	54	B60	Sicilian Rauzer
Kasimdzhanov, Rustam	- Adams, Michael	1-0	47	A13	Reti Opening
Nakamura, Hikaru	- Ivanchuk, Vassily	0-1	58	C69	Ruy Lopez Exchange

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