Tal Memorial November 11
As last year the Tal Memorial is taking place in the famous Central Chess Club. A painting of young Tal at the chess board is overseeing the 10 participants together with organiser Alexander Bakh and chief arbiter Geurt Gijssen.
Since last year the floor has been covered by a new carpet to reduce creaking from the wood beneath.
There may not have been much information about Tal Memorial in the English language chess press, but the tournament is well organised and the quality of the internet coverage for onsite spectators (4 out of 5 boards) is excellent.
Round 2 brought intense fighting on all boards and the spectators could expect a number of decisive games. It came as quite a surprise that all games were drawn in the end.
Against Magnus' 1.d4 Alekseev chose an opening he plays very seldom. Magnus initially thought the plan with 7.cxd5 was interesting but soon discovered that Alekseev could equalize. When he also missed 15....g6 Magnus was probably worse already, and after what he considers a very poor middle game he was clearly worse, and soon a pawn down.
Magnus then decided that he really had to pull himself together to try to defend half a point, and he did!
Despite the 2 free (a and b) pawns Magnus put up a blockade and Alekseev obviously did not dare to sacrifice an exchange on c4 to try to make progress. On move 45 they repeated moves and agreed a draw. A narrow escape for Magnus but it does show that he has become quite resilient when in trouble, even against 2700 players.
We expected Gelfand-Kramnik to be rather peaceful, but what a game! After Kramnik grabbed a pawn on a3 the rest of the game was full of tactics. When Gelfand finally collected the piece Kramnik had produced sufficient counterplay in the centre to secure a draw.
Leko's position against Kamsky looked somewhat better but then he started to consolidate his own defences, and short on time he let the initiative evaporate, and after exchanges the game steered into a drawn rook ending.
Shirov-Mamedyarov was an intensely tactic battle after Shak captured with his knight on e4. Following a long sharp battle black sacked his queen for 2 rooks but in the endgame Shirov advanced his a pawn to f6 and had sufficient play to force black into repeating moves.
Ivanchuk-Jakovenko looked like a balanced struggle on both sides of the board and ended in a draw before the time scramble.
Leko is still leading with 1,5 points. Shirov is last with 0,5 points before round 3.
Magnus obviously was unhappy about his many mistakes today but happy to secure a draw in the end.
Tomorrow he has black against Jakovenko and intends to improve his play.
Henrik Carlsen
Moscow, November 11th
Since last year the floor has been covered by a new carpet to reduce creaking from the wood beneath.
There may not have been much information about Tal Memorial in the English language chess press, but the tournament is well organised and the quality of the internet coverage for onsite spectators (4 out of 5 boards) is excellent.
Round 2 brought intense fighting on all boards and the spectators could expect a number of decisive games. It came as quite a surprise that all games were drawn in the end.
Against Magnus' 1.d4 Alekseev chose an opening he plays very seldom. Magnus initially thought the plan with 7.cxd5 was interesting but soon discovered that Alekseev could equalize. When he also missed 15....g6 Magnus was probably worse already, and after what he considers a very poor middle game he was clearly worse, and soon a pawn down.
Magnus then decided that he really had to pull himself together to try to defend half a point, and he did!
Despite the 2 free (a and b) pawns Magnus put up a blockade and Alekseev obviously did not dare to sacrifice an exchange on c4 to try to make progress. On move 45 they repeated moves and agreed a draw. A narrow escape for Magnus but it does show that he has become quite resilient when in trouble, even against 2700 players.
We expected Gelfand-Kramnik to be rather peaceful, but what a game! After Kramnik grabbed a pawn on a3 the rest of the game was full of tactics. When Gelfand finally collected the piece Kramnik had produced sufficient counterplay in the centre to secure a draw.
Leko's position against Kamsky looked somewhat better but then he started to consolidate his own defences, and short on time he let the initiative evaporate, and after exchanges the game steered into a drawn rook ending.
Shirov-Mamedyarov was an intensely tactic battle after Shak captured with his knight on e4. Following a long sharp battle black sacked his queen for 2 rooks but in the endgame Shirov advanced his a pawn to f6 and had sufficient play to force black into repeating moves.
Ivanchuk-Jakovenko looked like a balanced struggle on both sides of the board and ended in a draw before the time scramble.
Leko is still leading with 1,5 points. Shirov is last with 0,5 points before round 3.
Magnus obviously was unhappy about his many mistakes today but happy to secure a draw in the end.
Tomorrow he has black against Jakovenko and intends to improve his play.
Henrik Carlsen
Moscow, November 11th
Comments:
Posted by: Øyvind
Takk for oppdateringen, flott jobb som vanlig!
Posted by: finn
who is Magnus second?
Posted by: andy
Bra av Magnus og ri halvpoenget i land.:-)
Posted by: Henrik C.
Finn,
Magnus hasn't got a second over here but he'll get Kjetil Lie over for the World Cup.
Øyvind, Andy,
thank you :-)
Magnus hasn't got a second over here but he'll get Kjetil Lie over for the World Cup.
Øyvind, Andy,
thank you :-)
Posted by: Chessmaster
Great blog! Thanks for your updates Henrik!
Posted by: Martin
Yes, thanks, Henrik, always a pleasure to read your comments, all the more, if they are so detailed and differentiated. What a wonderful game against Jakovenko today! Magnus really seems to have a strong character and fighting spirit. At this high level, it is so important not to let yourself go after a "bad" (I mean in terms of what is bad in Magnus' sense, not for me, of course) game, always to be ready to recover and find back to wanting and believing in being able to win. That's fascinating and overwhelming to follow...
I admit, I found myself counting the won rating points already (about 6 up to now, isn't it?) - I wonder, if this has to be looked at as a rather superficial way of being interested in the development of Magnus, or whether I secretly believe that it's that what Magnus does, too (and that I so get a clue in the form of numbers how additionally motivated or disappointed, as the case may be, he feels after a game - apart from what a result means for his standing within a tournament, of course). Very nice that he won with black - a break in tennis, which is even more important here, as Magnus has one game less with white... Well, good luck for the summit meeting with Mamedyarov tomorrow - with white...! :)
Best wishes from Freiburg, Germany
Martin
I admit, I found myself counting the won rating points already (about 6 up to now, isn't it?) - I wonder, if this has to be looked at as a rather superficial way of being interested in the development of Magnus, or whether I secretly believe that it's that what Magnus does, too (and that I so get a clue in the form of numbers how additionally motivated or disappointed, as the case may be, he feels after a game - apart from what a result means for his standing within a tournament, of course). Very nice that he won with black - a break in tennis, which is even more important here, as Magnus has one game less with white... Well, good luck for the summit meeting with Mamedyarov tomorrow - with white...! :)
Best wishes from Freiburg, Germany
Martin
Posted by: Yves
Thanks for keeping this blog. I stumbled upon it some time ago and have been checking it on a daily basis.
Great game today with the black pieces. Well deserved.
White against Mamedyarov will be interesting, especially since Mamydyarov seems to have been in excellent form lately. I am looking forward to that game. Good luck!
Great game today with the black pieces. Well deserved.
White against Mamedyarov will be interesting, especially since Mamydyarov seems to have been in excellent form lately. I am looking forward to that game. Good luck!
Posted by: Henrik C.
Martin,
thank you!
Although he obviously disliked losing it is not something Magnus is thinking about during a game or something he is afraid of. He is always reasonably optimistic or at least has a positive attitude and that is good!
From what I understand Magnus does not think much about rating changes during a tournament but it is of course an important yardstick for any high level player.
My understanding of most of the top players is that in the case of a loss they're generally so angry with themselves that they don't need to add to the misery by thinking about rating points :-)
Yves,
thanks a lot :-)
Unfortunately todays game was not the firework we could have hoped for. Coincidences play a part too. Magnus could not remember the variations after Nbxd7 and soon let Mamedyarov equalise. When the higher ranked player offered a draw in an equal endgame I guess Magnus felt he should accept (and he did not believe he had any winning chances with the weak bishop due to the pawn on f4. (If it only had been on f2!)
thank you!
Although he obviously disliked losing it is not something Magnus is thinking about during a game or something he is afraid of. He is always reasonably optimistic or at least has a positive attitude and that is good!
From what I understand Magnus does not think much about rating changes during a tournament but it is of course an important yardstick for any high level player.
My understanding of most of the top players is that in the case of a loss they're generally so angry with themselves that they don't need to add to the misery by thinking about rating points :-)
Yves,
thanks a lot :-)
Unfortunately todays game was not the firework we could have hoped for. Coincidences play a part too. Magnus could not remember the variations after Nbxd7 and soon let Mamedyarov equalise. When the higher ranked player offered a draw in an equal endgame I guess Magnus felt he should accept (and he did not believe he had any winning chances with the weak bishop due to the pawn on f4. (If it only had been on f2!)
Posted by: Yves
I still enjoyed following the game against Mamedyarov, especially since I am a huge fan of the Pirc opening. I had my Pirc theory book on my lap, eagerly awaiting what variation they'd play. When Magnus played 8. e5 ( whereas 8.d5 apparently is the main theoretical variation), I was wondering if he had prepared a novelty in advance. Anyways, still a good game and a draw isn't a bad outcome at all. :)
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