The Week in Chess

Alexander Morozevich defeated Fabiano Caruana in a Ruy Lopez Berlin to remain the only player on 100% after two rounds of the FIDE Grand Prix in Tashkent. Caruana chose passive defence right into a rook and pawn ending but it was his 40...Rxa4? that cost him the game rather than 40...Rf4! which would have given good drawing chances. The remaining games were drawn. Wang Hao vs Dominguez Perez was a lively Gruenfeld sideline where Wang said he struggled to remember his preparation. Eventually he got a perpetual check. Peter Leko got less than nothing against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov's Pirc and had to show care to draw the game. Peter Svidler seemed to get a promising initiative against Boris Gelfand in a 3.Bb5 Sicilian but the advantage dissipated. Kamsky-Karjakin and Kasimdzhanov-Ponomariov were both draws where white got little or no advantage from the opening.