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Home » Chess News » Events » 85th Tata Steel 2023 » Abdusattorov and Giri draw in the battle of the leaders in Round 11 of the Tata Steel Masters

Michiel Abeln reports from Wijk aan Zee on Tata Steel Round 11 27th Jan

Today the round was maybe slightly disappointing with solid chess, six draws and only one win, for Maghsoodloo.

The game between the current numbers one and two in the standings was not the big fight that was hoped for. Anish Giri was surprised when Abdusattorov opened with the Queens Gambit Accepted. On move 7 Giri took back on d4 with his knight, which is less popular than Qxd4. There was opposite castling and the players were still following a game between Banikas and Balogh from 2016. Giri admitted afterwards he had mixed up the lines and had no opening advantage. He had some slight hopes in the endgame but Black played precisely and soon the game was drawn.

Carlsen played against So a not very inspiring line of the Nimzo Indian. It was a bit of a surprise to Magnus that So played this line but he immediately understood that this was well-checked by So before the game. A lot of pieces were quickly exchanged (a deliberate choice by Carlsen) after which White had a tiny advantage. This advantage would have become bigger, maybe even winning, if White would have managed to get his pawn to b5, but So defended well. Carlsen referred to a game that Ivanchuk once had won where Black’s pawn was on b7, but in today’s game Black played more precisely. Carlsen tried for a long time but So managed to hold the draw.

Praggnanandhaa was maybe a little surprised when in the Najdorf Maghsoodloo played 7…,Qc7 but White’s response, 8.Nh2 was a real shocker! White had some advantage out of the opening but spoiled it with 17.Nf5 (17.b4 followed by 18.a4 was the way to go). Over the next few moves White did not play precisely and Black got the advantage, especially after the dubious 24.f4. Black lost a bit of his advantage when he missed 27…,Na4 but then White made a big mistake with 29.Bxc4. Black was completely winning and on move 38 he should have played c1Q for quick resignation. But in the game he also still had a winning advantage, it just took a bit longer to score the full point.

Keymer and Rapport managed to leave established theory soon and reach a position that has only been played in a few games before. Slowly the position transposed to a kind of Maroczy position and White could have gotten some advantage with 23.e4 and 27.Nxb6 followed by2 28.Bxa6 was an interesting option. In the game Black freed himself with 19…,d5. White got some advantage when Rapport took drastic measures with 26…,Nbd5. White should maybe have maintained the tension with 28.Qa3, in the game he had two pieces for a rook and a pawn but the position remained within the drawing margin.

Arjun and Gukesh followed a topical line in the Spanish (anti-Berlin) where White played the new 12.Nbd2 but the position remained equal. The players exchanged some pieces to reach an endgame on move 22. The game was always in balance and they agreed a draw on move 45.

In a main line of the Slav defense Van Foreest managed to bring a novelty with 10..,dxc4 against Ding Liren. Faced with this unknown position to him, the Chinese player did not manage to find the most critical line. He exchanged to an endgame that was about equal. Van Foreest felt White had some pressure but it was not serious and the game was drawn.

Aronian didn’t know all the specifics of the Tarrasch opening that Caruana played. Maybe white should have chosen another line, for example 7.a3 Aronian mentioned afterwards, because in the game Black played 12…,h6 which kind of kills this line. Within two hours the players agreed to a draw.

Tata Steel Chess Commentary

85th Tata Steel Masters Wijk aan Zee (NED), 13-29 i 2023																cat. XX (2741)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4
1.	Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	g	UZB	2713	*	½	1	.	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	.	1	½	7½	2880
2.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2764	½	*	1	½	½	½	.	½	1	½	1	.	½	½	7	2846
3.	Carlsen, Magnus	g	NOR	2859	0	0	*	½	½	1	1	.	½	1	½	½	.	1	6½	2802
4.	So, Wesley	g	USA	2760	.	½	½	*	½	½	½	.	½	½	1	½	½	1	6½	2812
5.	Aronian, Levon	g	USA	2735	½	½	½	½	*	½	½	½	½	.	.	½	½	1	6	2781
6.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	USA	2766	½	½	0	½	½	*	½	½	.	½	1	1	½	.	6	2772
7.	Rapport, Richard	g	ROU	2740	0	.	0	½	½	½	*	1	.	½	½	½	1	½	5½	2732
8.	Praggnanandhaa, R	g	IND	2684	½	½	.	.	½	½	0	*	1	0	0	1	½	½	5	2697
9.	Ding, Liren	g	CHN	2811	½	0	½	½	½	.	.	0	*	½	1	½	½	½	5	2696
10.	Maghsoodloo, Parham	g	IRI	2719	0	½	0	½	.	½	½	1	½	*	0	1	.	½	5	2709
11.	Gukesh, D	g	IND	2725	½	0	½	0	.	0	½	1	0	1	*	½	½	.	4½	2682
12.	Van Foreest, Jorden	g	NED	2681	.	.	½	½	½	0	½	0	½	0	½	*	1	½	4½	2682
13.	Erigaisi, Arjun	g	IND	2722	0	½	.	½	½	½	0	½	½	.	½	0	*	½	4	2632
14.	Keymer, Vincent	g	GER	2696	½	½	0	0	0	.	½	½	½	½	.	½	½	*	4	2642

Round 11 (January 27, 2023)
Giri, Anish	- Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	½-½	29	D20	QGA
Carlsen, Magnus	- So, Wesley	½-½	58	E42	Nimzo Indian Rubinstein
Aronian, Levon	- Caruana, Fabiano	½-½	39	D33	Tarrasch Defence
Praggnanandhaa, R	- Maghsoodloo, Parham	0-1	52	B90	Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Ding, Liren	- Van Foreest, Jorden	½-½	33	D12	Slav Defence
Erigaisi, Arjun	- Gukesh, D	½-½	45	C67	Ruy Lopez Berlin
Keymer, Vincent	- Rapport, Richard	½-½	41	A48	King's Indian Defence /c2-c4

Tata Steel Challengers Wijk aan Zee (NED), 13-29 i 2023																cat. XIV (2580)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4
1.	Donchenko, Alexander	g	GER	2627	*	1	½	½	.	1	.	0	½	1	1	½	1	1	8	2756
2.	Yilmaz, Mustafa	g	TUR	2609	0	*	1	½	½	1	½	1	.	1	1	½	½	.	7½	2727
3.	Sindarov, Javokhir	g	UZB	2654	½	0	*	½	½	.	.	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	7	2671
4.	Adhiban, Baskaran	g	IND	2610	½	½	½	*	½	½	½	.	1	.	½	½	0	1	6	2605
5.	Ivic, Velimir	g	SRB	2585	.	½	½	½	*	½	0	½	0	½	1	1	1	.	6	2631
6.	Tabatabaei, M. Amin	g	IRI	2686	0	0	.	½	½	*	1	1	½	½	.	½	1	½	6	2613
7.	Beerdsen, Thomas	m	NED	2515	.	½	.	½	1	0	*	½	½	0	½	1	½	1	6	2610
8.	L'Ami, Erwin	g	NED	2627	1	0	½	.	½	0	½	*	½	1	½	1	.	0	5½	2567
9.	Supi, Luis Paulo	g	BRA	2608	½	.	½	0	1	½	½	½	*	½	0	.	½	1	5½	2576
10.	Warmerdam, Max	g	NED	2616	0	0	½	.	½	½	1	0	½	*	.	½	1	½	5	2552
11.	Vaishali, Rameshbabu	m	IND	2425	0	0	0	½	0	.	½	½	1	.	*	½	1	½	4½	2516
12.	Mishra, Abhimanyu	g	USA	2559	½	½	0	½	0	½	0	0	.	½	½	*	.	1	4	2472
13.	Pechac, Jergus	g	SVK	2637	0	½	0	1	0	0	½	.	½	0	0	.	*	½	3	2397
14.	Roebers, Eline	m	NED	2361	0	.	0	0	.	½	0	1	0	½	½	0	½	*	3	2421

Round 11 (January 27, 2023)
Donchenko, Alexander	- Tabatabaei, M. Amin	1-0	40	A15	English counter King's Fianchetto
Sindarov, Javokhir	- Warmerdam, Max	½-½	40	B54	Sicilian Rauzer
Adhiban, Baskaran	- Mishra, Abhimanyu	½-½	73	B99	Sicilian Najdorf
Beerdsen, Thomas	- Ivic, Velimir	1-0	55	B31	Sicilian Rossolimo
Supi, Luis Paulo	- Roebers, Eline	1-0	28	A20	English Opening
Vaishali, Rameshbabu	- L'Ami, Erwin	½-½	62	C72	Ruy Lopez Modern Steinitz
Pechac, Jergus	- Yilmaz, Mustafa	½-½	31	B22	Sicilian Alapin

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