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Home » Chess News » Events » 85th Tata Steel 2023 » Caruana and So win in Round 6 of the Tata Steel Masters

Michiel Abeln reports from Wijk aan Zee on Tata Steel Round 6 20th Jan

Today there were two wins for the Americans Caruana and So. Abdusattorov remained in the lead after drawing against Praggnanandhaa.

Gukesh defended with the Ragozin against Caruana and played the rather rare move 7...Ne7 and later they transposed to the game Grachev-Bluebaum, 2016. Gukesh played 12...c5 which in combination with 13...Rxc5 is a dubious setup for Black. Caruana played normal moves and already on move 15 seemed to have a clear advantage. On move 20 Caruana had a stronger move with 20.e4 but even with the game move he maintained a clear advantage and he won easily.

Wesley So opened with the Spanish against Keymer. Black deviated from the main line with 9..,Rb8 where 9..d6 is still well-known. Keymer followed up with the original idea 13...Rb5 winning the pawn on a5. Considering the clock times, Black was clearly still in his preparation. White had sufficient compensation for the pawn but no more until Black played the slightly dubious 24...Rd8 where 24...Qc8 would have been stronger. White was better in the endgame but not winning but Keymer went wrong on move 33 followed by an even bigger mistake on the next move (Black should have played 31...c4 with a draw). Keymer said he had missed 36.Bb2 after which White was winning.

Ding and Aronian played another Italian game, a popular opening this tournament. On move 9 Aronian deviated from his previous game in this line against Nepomniachtchi where he played 9...Ng6. This time he exchanged on d4 followed by d5. Ding got a small advantage which he could have pushed for a long time but he missed Black’s 40..,e5 after which a draw was unavoidable.

Giri and Erigaisi discussed a sharp line of the Meran that is no longer so fashionable anymore. On move 13 Erigaisi castled queenside where Bd6 is known as the main move for Black to equalize. White seemed to get a nice opening advantage, so perhaps Erigaisi mixed something up from his preparation. On move 26 Giri could increased his advantage with 26.Nd4. Instead he went first for 26.a4 but now if he plays a4 on the next move, Black can take the knight on d4 followed by taking the pawn on a4. So Giri prepared the knight move by first playing 27.Rfd1 and now Black chose to take on a4. Giri was winning but then he had to play 34.Kf1 and now the difference with the game is that after 34…Rxc2 35.Rxa4 Bxf2 White has the winning 36.Rf4! In the game Giri decided to liquidate to a drawn endgame.

Abdusattorov faced the open Spanish against Praggnanandhaa and with 11.Bxc5 he played a move that hasn’t been seen before at top level. He got a small edge, and his main chance was when he could have gone 25.e6 fxe6 26.Qa2 dxc3 27.Rxe6 Qf7 28.Ng5 Nb4 29.Rxb4 c2 30.Nxf7 c1+Q 31.Kh2 and White has a small edge. In the game White had an extra pawn but the position soon moved to an endgame where White had no realistic winning chances.

Van Foreest had a long think at move 9 against Carlsen in a well-known position from the Sicilian Taimanov. He went for Bf3 in combination with Qd4, a concept rarely seen in this line. The players traded queens and the endgame looked better for Black, but still within the drawing margin. Carlsen tried hard but Van Foreest managed to keep the balance.

In a Sicilian Rapport took back with his queen on d4 and followed a line that is mainly played by Xiong with 6.Qd3. Rapport said afterwards he played a bit boring chess, was maybe slightly better but nothing concrete.Maghsoodloo agreed that he never felt in danger.

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	.	½	.	.	.	.	1	1	1	.	.	½	4½	2941
2.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	USA	2766	½	*	½	.	.	½	.	.	.	½	.	1	.	1	4	2855
3.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2764	.	½	*	½	.	.	½	.	½	.	1	.	.	1	4	2870
4.	Praggnanandhaa, R	g	IND	2684	½	.	½	*	½	.	½	1	.	.	.	.	½	.	3½	2797
5.	Aronian, Levon	g	USA	2735	.	.	.	½	*	½	½	½	.	.	½	.	1	.	3½	2812
6.	So, Wesley	g	USA	2760	.	½	.	.	½	*	½	.	.	½	.	½	1	.	3½	2780
7.	Erigaisi, Arjun	g	IND	2722	.	.	½	½	½	½	*	½	.	.	.	.	½	.	3	2741
8.	Ding, Liren	g	CHN	2811	.	.	.	0	½	.	½	*	½	.	½	.	.	1	3	2740
9.	Maghsoodloo, Parham	g	IRI	2719	0	.	½	.	.	.	.	½	*	½	.	1	½	.	3	2734
10.	Rapport, Richard	g	ROU	2740	0	½	.	.	.	½	.	.	½	*	.	½	.	½	2½	2670
11.	Carlsen, Magnus	g	NOR	2859	0	.	0	.	½	.	.	½	.	.	*	½	1	.	2½	2676
12.	Van Foreest, Jorden	g	NED	2681	.	0	.	.	.	½	.	.	0	½	½	*	.	½	2	2636
13.	Keymer, Vincent	g	GER	2696	.	.	.	½	0	0	½	.	½	.	0	.	*	.	1½	2553
14.	Gukesh, D	g	IND	2725	½	0	0	.	.	.	.	0	.	½	.	½	.	*	1½	2552

Round 6 (January 20, 2023)
Abdusattorov, Nodirbek	- Praggnanandhaa, R	½-½	54	C80	Ruy Lopez Open
Caruana, Fabiano	- Gukesh, D	1-0	36	D38	QGD Ragozin
Giri, Anish	- Erigaisi, Arjun	½-½	45	D47	Queens Gambit Meran
So, Wesley	- Keymer, Vincent	1-0	51	C88	Ruy Lopez Closed
Ding, Liren	- Aronian, Levon	½-½	48	C50	Giuoco Piano
Rapport, Richard	- Maghsoodloo, Parham	½-½	33	B53	Sicilian Hungarian
Van Foreest, Jorden	- Carlsen, Magnus	½-½	54	B47	Sicilian Paulsen

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.	Yilmaz, Mustafa	g	TUR	2609	*	.	½	.	½	.	.	1	1	½	1	.	.	.	4½	2791
2.	Donchenko, Alexander	g	GER	2627	.	*	.	½	.	½	½	.	.	.	.	1	1	1	4½	2742
3.	Ivic, Velimir	g	SRB	2585	½	.	*	½	.	½	.	½	.	1	.	.	1	.	4	2705
4.	Sindarov, Javokhir	g	UZB	2654	.	½	½	*	.	½	½	.	.	.	.	.	1	1	4	2707
5.	Beerdsen, Thomas	m	NED	2515	½	.	.	.	*	½	½	.	.	.	.	1	½	½	3½	2598
6.	Adhiban, Baskaran	g	IND	2610	.	½	½	½	½	*	.	.	½	.	.	.	½	.	3	2582
7.	Supi, Luis Paulo	g	BRA	2608	.	½	.	½	½	.	*	½	½	.	½	.	.	.	3	2620
8.	L'Ami, Erwin	g	NED	2627	0	.	½	.	.	.	½	*	.	1	1	0	.	.	3	2556
9.	Tabatabaei, M. Amin	g	IRI	2686	0	.	.	.	.	½	½	.	*	½	.	½	.	1	3	2564
10.	Mishra, Abhimanyu	g	USA	2559	½	.	0	.	.	.	.	0	½	*	½	1	.	.	2½	2523
11.	Warmerdam, Max	g	NED	2616	0	.	.	.	.	.	½	0	.	½	*	½	.	1	2½	2509
12.	Roebers, Eline	m	NED	2361	.	0	.	.	0	.	.	1	½	0	½	*	.	.	2	2480
13.	Vaishali, Rameshbabu	m	IND	2425	.	0	0	0	½	½	.	.	.	.	.	.	*	1	2	2479
14.	Pechac, Jergus	g	SVK	2637	.	0	.	0	½	.	.	.	0	.	0	.	0	*	½	2186

Round 6 (January 20, 2023)
Yilmaz, Mustafa	- Beerdsen, Thomas	½-½	28	D45	Anti-Meran Variations
Ivic, Velimir	- Adhiban, Baskaran	½-½	64	E94	King's Indian Classical
Supi, Luis Paulo	- Sindarov, Javokhir	½-½	42	C50	Giuoco Piano
L'Ami, Erwin	- Warmerdam, Max	1-0	50	D12	Slav Defence
Mishra, Abhimanyu	- Tabatabaei, M. Amin	½-½	79	D12	Slav Defence
Roebers, Eline	- Donchenko, Alexander	0-1	27	B12	Caro Kann Advanced
Pechac, Jergus	- Vaishali, Rameshbabu	0-1	41	D85	Gruenfeld Defence

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