Thursday, December 12, 2013

London Super Sixteen Starts

12/12/2013 – The London Super Sixteen is the crown jewel of the London Chess Classic. This rapid tournament brings the top rapid players of the world and the best British players in an exciting event. The games were certainly not dissapointing as the fans saw many blunders, traps, crazy and wild games and very few solid draws. Group stages continue tomorrow and the day after while the knockout begins on Saturday. Round one and two reports.
 

The London Super Sixteen rapid tournament has started. The main event of the London Chess Classic takes place from December 11th to December 15th at the Olympiad Conference Center in London, England. The tournament brings together many of the best players of the World as well as two qualifiers from the Open section of the London Chess Classic.
Players were divided into four groups initially, to play a double round robin between them and determine two qualifiers to the knock out stages.


A guitar performance opened the event
The groups are as follows:
Group A
Name Rating
Vishy Anand 2775
Michael Adams 2761
Andrei Istratescu 2709
Luke McShane 2697
A very close group. Despite Anand having focused so much energy in the recent World Chess Championship, it is cear that he is a magnificent rapid chess player and he has excellent chances of making it out of the group stage. Luke McShane will have to prove that he is not rusty to be able to have a chance of second, while it seems that more realistically the second place will be a toss-up between Adams and Istratescu.
Group B
Name Rating
Vladimir Kramnik 2794
Peter Svidler 2746
Matthew Sadler 2646
Jonathan Rowson 2573
Despite Sadler's unquestionable talent and his magnificent return to chess with an over 2900 performance in a recent tournament, it is unlikely Rowson or him have a chance against Kramnik and Svidler. Surprises are always fun but it's hard to expect one here.
Group C
Name Rating
Hikaru Nakamura 2772
Boris Gelfand 2764
Judit Polgar 2696
Gawain Jones 2633
Gelfand and Nakamura come as the favorites in this group, unquestionably, but unlike Group B this one is rather dangerous. Polgar is an experienced tactician who has defeated Kasparov in rapid time controls, so she is a force to be reckoned with. Further Gawain Jones is very talented and he can take away a key half or even full point from the favorites to make the group interesting.
Group D
Name Rating
Fabiano Caruana 2779
Nigel Short 2684
Emil Sutovsky 2663
David Howell 2644
Probably the hardest group to call. Caruana has a nice rating advantage over his opponents but rapid and blitz have never been his strong suit. On the other hand there is Nigel Short who can always play amazing chess if he feels like it, Sutovsky who is very experienced and Howell who is still young and talented.

Round 1


Young players checking out who is in the Super Sixteen
Round 01 – Group A: Wednesday December 11th, 14:00
Luke McShane 2697
0-1
 Vishy Anand 2775
Andrei Istratescu 2709
0-1
 Michael Adams 2761
Round 01 – Group B: Wednesday December 11th, 14:00
Vladimir Kramnik 2794
1-0
 Peter Svidler 2746
Jonathan Rowson 2573
1-0
 Matthew Sadler 2646
Round 01 – Group C: Wednesday December 11th, 15:30
Boris Gelfand 2764
1-0
 Judit Polgar 2696
Gawain Jones 2633
½-½
 Hikaru Nakamura 2772
Round 01 – Group D: Wednesday December 11th, 15:30
Nigel Short 2684
½-½
 David Howell 2644
Fabiano Caruana 2779
1-0
 Emil Sutovsky 2663

This English duel ended in a fought draw
Relatively few surprises were seen on round one. What we did see was a flurry of decisive results. Istratescu's English Opening against Adams was more than shady, and the highest rated English player played a nice technical game to win with Black.

Istratescu (left) qualified from the Open Section, as did Sutovsky
Luke McShane's game however was very different. He valiantly sacrificed a pawn in the opening and soon obtained a winning position as Anand had to surrender an exchange. Unfortunately for McShane his followup was less than stellar and his technique was atrocious, so much so that Anand even got a winning endgame being down the exchange...

Gelfand doesn't seem to approve of such aggression on move one
Svidler essayed one of those novel opening ides with the knight on the rim against Kramnik and his position was actually rather playable out of the first few moves. A miscalculation left Kramnik down a rook and a pawn against two pieces and Black was certainly looking like he had good chances to win. Carelessness however tied Black's pieces down to each other and a nice tactical coup with the king spelled disaster for Svidler's position.
Hikaru Nakamura held on by the skin of his teeth against Gawain Jones but he was able to set up a fortress and hold a draw. Meanwhile Gelfand convincingly beat Polgar. Finally the Short-Howell game was spectacularly weird but it somehow ended in a draw.

Kramnik won a game he probably should not have against Svidler

Round 2


Round 02 – Group A: Wednesday December 11th, 18:00
Vishy Anand 2775
½-½
 Michael Adams 2761
Luke McShane 2697
1-0
 Andrei Istratescu 2709
Round 02 – Group B: Wednesday December 11th, 18:00
Peter Svidler 2746
½-½
 Matthew Sadler 2646
Vladimir Kramnik 2794
1-0
 Jonathan Rowson 2573
Round 02 – Group C: Wednesday December 11th, 19:30
Judit Polgar 2696
0-1
 Hikaru Nakamura 2772
Boris Gelfand 2764
1-0
 Gawain Jones 2633
Round 02 – Group D: Wednesday December 11th, 19:30
David Howell 2644
1-0
 Emil Sutovsky 2663
Nigel Short 2684
0-1
 Fabiano Caruana 2779
Anand and Adams played a "real game" instead of a rapid and played some theory, exchanged some pieces and solidly drew. McShane's game against Istratescu was complicated, wild and razor sharp, and the Englishman took it in the end with a beautiful finishing checkmate.
Svidler misplayed horribly his white side of a French against Sadler and had to resort to some tactics to force a perpetual. Kramnik just steamrolled over Rowson from a Reti opening.

Polgar had the advantage all throughout the game against Nakamura, probably a winning advantage too, but she misplayed the position badly and the American was able to convert an endgame that should have been harder than it was. Gelfand always had a nagging edge against Jones who blundered in an endgame which might have been held.
Howell took advantage of a blunder by Sutovsky to win an exchange and the game. Nigel Short played a ridiculous opening against Caruana (1.b4), proceeded to play in consistent ridiculous fashion and was promptly checkmated.

The Lawrence Trent and Danny King duo are doing a fantastic job doing the live analysis of the games

Daniel King's highlights of the day

Standings

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D


Schedule

Round 01 – Group A: Wednesday December 11th, 14:00
Luke McShane 2697
0-1
 Vishy Anand 2775
Andrei Istratescu 2709
0-1
 Michael Adams 2761
Round 01 – Group B: Wednesday December 11th, 14:00
Vladimir Kramnik 2794
1-0
 Peter Svidler 2746
Jonathan Rowson 2573
1-0
 Matthew Sadler 2646
Round 01 – Group C: Wednesday December 11th, 15:30
Boris Gelfand 2764
1-0
 Judit Polgar 2696
Gawain Jones 2633
½-½
 Hikaru Nakamura 2772
Round 01 – Group D: Wednesday December 11th, 15:30
Nigel Short 2684
½-½
 David Howell 2644
Fabiano Caruana 2779
1-0
 Emil Sutovsky 2663
Round 02 – Group A: Wednesday December 11th, 18:00
Vishy Anand 2775
 
 Michael Adams 2761
Luke McShane 2697
 
 Andrei Istratescu 2709
Round 02 – Group B: Wednesday December 11th, 18:00
Peter Svidler 2746
 
 Matthew Sadler 2646
Vladimir Kramnik 2794
 
 Jonathan Rowson 2573
Round 02 – Group C: Wednesday December 11th, 19:30
Judit Polgar 2696   Hikaru Nakamura 2772
Boris Gelfand 2764   Gawain Jones 2633
Round 02 – Group D: Wednesday December 11th, 19:30
David Howell 2644
 
 Emil Sutovsky 2663
Nigel Short 2684
 
 Fabiano Caruana 2779
Round 03 – Group C: Thursday December 12th, 14:00
Gawain Jones 2633   Judit Polgar 2696
Hikaru Nakamura 2772   Boris Gelfand 2764
Round 03 – Group D: Thursday December 12th, 14:00
Fabiano Caruana 2779
 
 David Howell 2644
Emil Sutovsky 2663
 
 Nigel Short 2684
Round 03 – Group A: Thursday December 12th, 15:30
Andrei Istratescu 2709
 
 Vishy Anand 2775
Michael Adams 2761
 
 Luke McShane 2697
Round 03 – Group B: Thursday December 12th, 15:30
Jonathan Rowson 2573
 
 Peter Svidler 2746
Matthew Sadler 2646
 
 Vladimir Kramnik 2794
Round 04 – Group C: Thursday December 12th, 18:00
Judit Polgar 2696   Boris Gelfand 2764
Hikaru Nakamura 2772   Gawain Jones 2633
Round 04 – Group D: Thursday December 12th, 18:00
David Howell 2644
 
 Nigel Short 2684
Emil Sutovsky 2663
 
 Fabiano Caruana 2779
Round 04 – Group A: Thursday December 12th, 19:30
Vishy Anand 2775
 
 Luke McShane 2697
Michael Adams 2761
 
 Andrei Istratescu 2709
Round 04 – Group B: Thursday December 12th, 19:30
Peter Svidler 2746
 
 Vladimir Kramnik 2794
Matthew Sadler 2646
 
 Jonathan Rowson 2573
Round 05 – Group A: Friday December 13th, 14:00
Luke McShane 2697
 
 Michael Adams 2761
Vishy Anand 2775
 
 Andrei Istratescu 2709
Round 05 – Group B: Friday December 13th, 14:00
Vladimir Kramnik 2794
 
 Matthew Sadler 2646
Peter Svidler 2746
 
 Jonathan Rowson 2573
Round 05 – Group C: Friday December 13th, 15:30
Boris Gelfand 2764   Hikaru Nakamura 2772
Judit Polgar 2696   Gawain Jones 2633
Round 05 – Group D: Friday December 13th, 15:30
Nigel Short 2684
 
 Emil Sutovsky 2663
David Howell 2644
 
 Fabiano Caruana 2779
Round 06 – Group A: Friday December 13th, 18:00
Michael Adams 2761
 
 Vishy Anand 2775
Andrei Istratescu 2709
 
 Luke McShane 2697
Round 06 – Group B: Friday December 13th, 18:00
Matthew Sadler 2646
 
 Peter Svidler 2746
Jonathan Rowson 2573
 
 Vladimir Kramnik 2794
Round 06 – Group C: Friday December 13th, 19:30
Hikaru Nakamura 2772   Judit Polgar 2696
Gawain Jones 2633   Boris Gelfand 2764
Round 06 – Group D: Friday December 13th, 19:30
Emil Sutovsky 2663
 
 David Howell 2644
Fabiano Caruana 2779
 
 Nigel Short 2684

Links


at
Labels:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)