Zurich round 1

[Javier]

Carlsen beat Gelfand (convincingly),

Aronian won against Anand (convincingly also)

and Nakamura-Caruana was a draw.

First game is annotated. The other two can be viewed clicking on the board viewer menu, above the board.

 

[pgn][Event "Zurich Chess Challenge 2014"]
[site "Zurich SUI"]
[Date "2014.01.30"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Carlse n, Magnus"]
[black "Gelfan d, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E60"]
[WhiteElo "2872"]
[blackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "I.M. Javier Gil"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2014.01.30"]

1. c4 g6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 c6 {Javier: It's a pity that we didn't get
to see a King's Indian Defence with ...0-0, ...d6, etc.} 5. Bg2 d5 6. Qa4 (6.
O-O dxc4 {Javier: And now the logical} 7. Ne5 {can be met by} (7. Qc2 b5 $1)
7... Ng4 $1) 6... O-O 7. O-O Nfd7 8. Qc2 Nf6 {Javier: Although black has
virtually wasted a tempo, the position doesn't really change very much.} (8...
dxc4 {Javier: This is probably a more dynamic choice here.} 9. Qxc4 Na6 $5 {
Javier: This was tried by Seirawan once. He played ...e5 next.}) 9. Bf4 Bf5 10.
Qb3 Qb6 11. Nbd2 Ne4 12. e3 Qxb3 13. axb3 Na6 14. cxd5 cxd5 {Javier: If white
doesn't play energetically now, he could easily fall into a rather difficult
position. So he does!} 15. g4 $3 {Javier: Changing gears. This surprising pawn
sacrifice actually works!} Bxg4 (15... Nxd2 16. Nxd2 Bd3 $2 (16... Be6 {This
is slightly better, but white stands better after} 17. Ra5 $14) 17. Bxd5 $1
Bxf1 18. Kxf1 $1 $16 {Javier: With a rather difficult position for black.}) 16.
Nxe4 dxe4 17. Nd2 f5 18. f3 $1 e5 {Javier: Gelfand tries to play actively
rather than defend a difficult position.} (18... exf3 19. Nxf3 {Javier: And
white's two BB, particularly the one on g2, give white plenty compensation for
the sacrificed P.}) 19. dxe5 exf3 20. Nxf3 Rae8 21. Ra5 $1 Nb4 22. Nd4 (22.
Rxa7 $5) 22... b6 23. Rxa7 Bxe5 24. Bh6 Rf6 (24... Rf7 25. Ra4 {Javier: Black
can't move his N now, as that would allow Bd5.} Bd6 26. Nc6 Nxc6 27. Bxc6 {
Javier: Hitting the R and threatening Bd5 again.} Rfe7 $5 {Javier: Perhaps the
best chance.} (27... Re5 28. Ra8+ Bf8 29. e4 $1 {Javier: And Gelfand would
probably be lost here. Bd5 is a new threat and black doesn't have too many
waiting moves.}) 28. Bxe8 Rxe8 {Javier: And black's 2 BB give him some saving
chances.}) 25. h3 Bh5 26. Nc2 $1 g5 (26... Nxc2 27. Bd5+ Rfe6 28. Rc1 Bf3 (
28... Nb4 $2 29. Bxe6+ Kh8 30. Rcc7 $18) 29. Bxe6+ Rxe6 30. Rxc2 Re8 31. Bf4
Be4 32. Rd2 Bf6 33. Rd6 Bxb2 34. Rxb6 $16) 27. Bxg5 Rg6 (27... Nxc2 28. Bxf6
Nxe3 (28... Bxf6 29. Rxf5 $18) 29. Bxe5 Rxe5 30. Rc1 $18) 28. Rxf5 h6 (28...
Nxc2 29. Bd5+ Kh8 30. Rxe5 $1 $18) 29. Bxh6 Rxh6 30. Nxb4 $16 Bxb2 31. Nd5 {
Javier: White's pieces are just too active. The white R on a7 is the killer.}
Kh8 32. Rb7 Bd1 33. b4 Rg8 34. Ne7 Rd8 35. Be4 Bf6 36. Rxb6 Kg7 37. Rf2 $18 {
Javier: The R is coming to g2. Gelfand resigned.} 1-0

[Event "Zurich Chess Challenge 2014"]
[site "Zurich SUI"]
[Date "2014.01.30"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Aronia n, Levon"]
[black "Anan d, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[blackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2812"]
[blackElo "2773"]
[ECO "A13"]
[Opening "English"]
[Variation "Neo-Catalan accepted"]
[WhiteFideId "13300474"]
[blackFideId "5000017"]
[EventDate "2014.01.30"]

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 a6 7. Qb3 Rb8 8.
O-O b5 9. a4 Bb7 10. axb5 axb5 11. d3 Be7 12. Bf4 Nd5 13. Bd2 O-O 14. Rc1 c5 15.
Ba5 Qe8 16. Nbd2 N5f6 17. Rab1 Bd5 18. Qd1 Ra8 19. b4 Ra6 20. e4 Bc6 21. Nb3
cxb4 22. Qd2 Bxe4 23. dxe4 Nxe4 24. Qc2 Nc3 25. Ra1 Nf6 26. Ne5 Nfd5 27. Nd3 Rc6
28. Bxd5 exd5 29. Re1 Rc4 30. f3 Qd7 31. Qf2 Bd6 32. Bb6 Qf5 33. Qe3 h5 34. Bd4
Rc7 35. Ra7 Rxa7 36. Bxa7 Ra8 37. Bc5 d4 38. Nxd4 Bxc5 39. Nxf5 Bxe3+ 40. Nxe3
b3 41. Nd1 Rc8 42. Nxc3 Rxc3 43. Rd1 b2 44. Nxb2 Rxf3 45. Rd8+ Kh7 46. Rd5 Rb3
47. Nd3 g6 48. Rd7 Kg7 49. Kf2 Ra3 50. Ke3 Ra2 51. h4 Kf6 52. Rb7 Ra5 53. Nc5
Ra3+ 54. Kf4 Ra1 55. Ne4+ Kg7 56. Nd6 Rf1+ 57. Ke3 Kf8 58. Rxb5 Ke7 59. Ne4 Re1+
60. Kf4 Kf8 61. Rb8+ Kg7 62. Rb7 Rf1+ 63. Ke3 Kf8 64. Nd6 Rf6 65. Rb8+ Ke7 66.
Ne4 Rf1 67. Ke2 Rf5 68. Rc8 Re5 69. Kf3 Rf5+ 70. Kg2 Re5 71. Ng5 Re2+ 72. Kh3
Rf2 73. Rc4 1-0

[Event "Zurich Chess Challenge 2014"]
[site "Zurich SUI"]
[Date "2014.01.30"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Nakamur a, Hikaru"]
[black "Caruan a, Fabiano"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[blackTitle "GM"]
[WhiteElo "2789"]
[blackElo "2782"]
[ECO "D90"]
[Opening "Gruenfeld"]
[Variation "Flohr variation"]
[WhiteFideId "2016192"]
[blackFideId "2020009"]
[EventDate "2014.01.30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qb3 dxc4 7. Qxc4 O-O 8.
Bf4 c6 9. e4 b5 10. Qd3 c5 11. dxc5 Na6 12. e5 Nxc5 13. Qe3 Nh5 14. Bg5 Ne6 15.
Rd1 Qe8 16. Bh6 Bxh6 17. Qxh6 Bc6 18. Qe3 a6 19. Bd3 Nhf4 20. O-O Nxd3 21. Rxd3
Rd8 22. Nd4 Nxd4 23. Rxd4 Rxd4 24. Qxd4 Qa8 25. f3 Rd8 26. Qc5 Qb7 27. Rd1 Rxd1+
28. Nxd1 Qd7 29. Ne3 Qd2 30. Qc3 Qxc3 31. bxc3 f6 32. exf6 exf6 33. Kf2 Kf7 34.
Ke2 Ke6 35. Kd3 h5 36. Kd4 h4 37. Kc5 Ba8 38. f4 g5 39. g3 hxg3 40. hxg3 gxf4
41. gxf4 Be4 42. Kb6 Kd6 43. Kxa6 Kc5 44. a3 Bf3 45. Ka7 Kc6 46. Kb8 Kb6 47. Nf5
Bg4 48. Nd6 Be6 49. Ne4 f5 50. Nd2 Bd5 51. Kc8 Ka5 52. Kc7 Ka4 53. Kb6 Bg2 54.
c4 bxc4 55. Nxc4 Bd5 56. Kc5 Bg8 57. Kd4 Kb3 58. Nd6 Kxa3 59. Ke5 Kb4 60. Kf6
Kc5 61. Nxf5 Bh7 62. Ne7 Bb1 63. Ke5 Bh7 64. Nd5 Kc6 65. Nf6 Bb1 66. f5 Bxf5 67.
Kxf5 1/2-1/2[/pgn]