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First board in the GM-group today saw the very important meeting between IM Mads Andersen (2470) and GM Jan Werle (2523), the only players at 3.5/4. Running for his final GM-norm,
Andersen true to his positional style chose an English fianchetto as his weapon with white.
After two sets of minor pieces were exchanged white looked slightly better, and at move 19
he started a pawn storm on the kingside. At move 27 white’s queen reached h7 with check, but the position still remained unclear as black could evacuate his king to e7 – hiding behind
a “Sicilian” shelter of pawns at f7, f6, e6 and d6. After 34 moves white, playing with two passed queenside pawns, still looked better. In reality however this was not the case,
as white’s king on f1 now was more exposed than the black king on e7. Although both players had only queen, rook, one minor piece and four pawns left, the game still was an attacking one.
While Andersen ran short of time his position on the board suddenly collapsed: 35.a4? was a mistake allowing black to start a direct attack with Qh2, and 36.f4?? was an outright blunder
allowing black to play Ng4 with decisive threats. As black continued to make all the best moves while white made several more mistakes, Andersen resigned in a hopeless position immediately
after the first time control.
Dutchman Werle really offers no discount for his opponents so far, and is now leading alone at 4.5/5. Andersen after this loss needs a very strong spurt to complete his GM-title in Oslo this week.
On the second board, first seeded GM Andrei Istratescu (2653) playing white against IM Aryan Tari (2456) was still in a hungry mood. After the Grünfeld Indian opening white played for a
direct kingside attack with 10.h4!? and 11.e6!?. As black got counterplay in the center, the position objectively might have been in dynamic balance both before and after some tactical
exchanges. White however had the initiative, and definitely came better as he in moves 24-25 was allowed to activate his remaining rook in the b-file with Rb1-Rxb6. Playing with rook,
bishop, knight and three pawns on each side black still struggled completing his development, and when he finally succeeded in getting out the remaining queenside pieces,
white was a pawn up with a won position on the kingside.
1-0 after 41 moves means Tari at 3.0/5 has a normal result, while Istratescu at 4.0/5 is sharing second place. The biggest tractor seems about to accelerate now. Stopping it might be demanding for everyone in this tournament.
The GMs overall had a much better day than the GM-candidates on the top boards, as IM Benjamin Gledura (2414) lost as black against GM Gabor Papp (2559) in another
Hungarian meeting on board three. Again doing well from his opening preparation, Gledura looked fine after 10 and 15 moves. The position became more shaky as he at
move 20 opened it with an interesting tactical d4-advance. Although white had a pair of bishops and black a somewhat airy king on e7, black still was well into the
game due to his active minor pieces and g-file control. Papp however gradually outplayed his opponent by opening the position around the black king,
and before 40 moves he had hunted the king to c8 with a decisive attack.
Papp after winning his third white game as well is sharing second place at 4.0/5, while Gledura like Andersen lags behind his GM-norm schedule after this first loss.
In the shadow of the top boards firework, the fourth board game between IM Rasmus Svane (2506) and IM Miklos Galyas (2421) was a sound 20 moves draw. Not much except exchanges happened
after the French opening, and the final position with all minor pieces exchanged did not give anyone any chances. Both players remain unbeaten at +2, and so far both seem fairly well satisfied about that.
The big sharks steam upwards now, as the eight GMs today played eight non-GMs and made a remarkable score of 7.5-0.5. The exception was second seeded GM Evgeny Romanov (2647), still playing well
below his usual standard. Today playing black against IM Alexandra Manea (2368), Romanov chose a very patient Bogo Indian line – allowing white to keep a pair of bishops and a small space
advantage into the middle game. Manea made some tries for a kingside attack, but fairly illustrating he after 24.h4 never continued with h5. A draw agreed by repetition of moves just before
40 moves means Manea has repaired his tournament after the first round loss, while Romanov at 3.0/5 remains the sleeping giant in this GM-group.
Third seeded GM Eduardas Rozentalis (2615) on the other hand looked about to wake up this evening, as he instructively demonstrated why his knight was superior to the bishop of
WGM Anita Gara (2322) in their minor piece endgame. Five hours earlier it all started as a balanced if unusual French line with 3.Bd3. White’s isolani pawn at d4 was not weaker than
black’s isolani at c6, and white’s pair of bishops no less active than black’s pair of knights. Rozentalis however got a small initiative as he after 25 moves was allowed to exchange
off one set of minor pieces plus the queens, and during the next ten moves Gara became too helpful when exchanging all the way down to the minor piece endgame. White might have had
some chances for a draw later as well, but even if you enjoy playing minor piece endgames with the less active minor piece and the less active king against GMs,
Rozentalis for sure is not the right opponent...
Although the game lasted 64 moves, the outcome was not really in doubt for the last 20 of them. Rozentalis at 3.5/5 can see the top board without a telescope now, while Gara has lost
it all out of sight despite her rocket start.
Fourth seeded GM Peter Prohaszka (2588) also looked like a GM again this evening, probably inspired by the fact that he got a pleasant advantage from a Classical Nimzo Indian
opening against IM Fabrizio Bellia (2408). After 20 moves, white’s more active pieces combined with the better pawn structure gave a promising pressure against black’s key pawn
on e6. Black’s cockpit crumbled as white a few moves later started a direct attack against black’s weakened kingside. The end came suddenly as Bellia in move 26 blundered his e6-pawn,
and immediately resigned when white took it.
It should be mentioned Bellia played his fourth GM in a row, and his 2.5/5 following this still qualifies as a good start. Hardly noted by anyone except his opponents, Prohaszka at 3.5/5
obviously is a dangerous outsider for the money prizes.
Meanwhile GM fifth seeded Maxim Turov (2586) in a positional mood had few problems equalizing as black in another Bogo Indian opening against surprise man Svetoslav Mihajlov (2154).
As white played f3 without being able to realize e4 afterwards, black got a pleasant pressure against the backward e3 pawn. Controlling the center black instructively opened a second
front on the kingside – and then went on to win both. Mihajlov senior is back to earth, but still of course well above his expected score, while Turov too will candidate for a moneyprize
in the next rounds.
So will the stubborn GM Yuri Solodovnichenko (2566), tonight winning in 77 moves against FM Lars Oskar Hauge (2322). Instead of entering the razorblade tactical lines with long castling,
Solodovnichenko castled short and went for a positional pressure in this Sicilian Dragon duel. As white increased the pressure with a tactical Bd5 followed by e5, Hauge tried to escape
via the emergency exit by giving up his queen for rook and bishop. This succeeded prolonging the game, but not saving it, and white’s endgame probably was a technical win due to his
queenside pawn majority.
Hauge’s emergency exit from the emergency exit was to sacrifice his bishop, reaching a fortress-like position with rook and three pawns versus queen and two. As Solodovnichenko demonstrated
the fortress was not watertight due to a zugzwang maneuver, Hauge finally had to admit it was emergency without exit in this game. Solodovnichenko joins Prohaszka and Rozentalis at 3.5/5,
while Hauge following his double puncture in round 4 and 5 must restart himself to run for an IM-norm.
Having won as black against an English fianchetto with black yesterday, IM Torbjørn Ringdal Hansen (2476) in an inspired mood decided to play the same opening as white against
FM Benjamin Arvola (2318) today. Allowed to get counterplay in the center with c5 and cxd4, black first seemed healthy from the opening. 12.--- Nc6? although creative however
was a too loose pawn sacrifice. White exchanged the knight, took the pawn with his bishop, and although black had active pieces white later played a very sound pawn up.
After giving up his a-pawn as well, without getting any more counterplay, Arvola finally admitted the mistake by resigning as white’s a-pawn was about to promote in move 35.
Hansen following this third win has confidentially repaired his ELO damage from the first round loss. It will be exciting to see what he can do against a GM in the next round.
WIM Nagarjan Raghavi (2253) and IM Goran Djurovic (2408) made a slightly unusual start with 4.Qxd4 a6 in a Sicilian. Allowed to open the f-file and park a knight on d4,
black was better around move 15-20. 22.Qe2? was a blunder from white, as black could have played 22.--- Bxh3! with a very strong attack. Failing to trust his own
variations Djurovic missed that chance, and the game soon dried up to a dead drawn endgame with rook, different colored bishops and six pawns on each side.
Raghavi obviously can be more satisfied than Djurovic at 2.5/5.
The game between Jens Hjort Kjølberg (2058) and FM Joachim B. Nilsen (2363) on the other hand halted in a static and about balanced middle game,
drawn by mutual agreement after 32 games. 20 year old Kjølberg, the second lowest rated player in the field, following this draw remains the sensation man in the 50 % group.
Nilsen on the other hand now must accelerate to stay inside the IM-norm run.
IM Frode Elsness (2465) has not been playing well for the last months, but his mental strength and ability to hit back after lost games still is remarkable.
Having lost as white against a lower rated opponent with a King’s Indian Sämisch opening yesterday, Elsness immediately hit back by an inspiring win against a another
lower rated opponent today – with the King’s Indian Sämisch! Having established a center advantage by playing d5, Elsness this time kept his king on e1
while starting a pawnstorm attack on the kingside. Later opponent Ludy Sousa (2228) failed to find any counterplay for black, while white played both in
the c-file and on the kingside. Logically following this white anyway was winning strategically, when black after 30 moves overlooked a tactical queen
exchange leading to a totally lost endgame.
Although having lost the GM-norm train Elsness is back on track, while Sousa so far does not work out with black in this tournament.
Although played on board 14, Frode Lillevold (2199) versus FM Pier Luigi Basso (2322) was an important meeting between two (now somewhat shaken) candidates for an IM-norm.
Apparently both played for a win with a Queen’s Gambit Exchange line, in which play came to circulate around white’s hanging pawns at d4 and e4.
As white failed to come up with any attack, black came better after exchanging queens and breaking up the pawns with a well timed 19.--- c5.
Due to his knight on d6 white got some counterplay in the endgame, playing with two rooks, knight and four pawns versus two rooks, bishop and five pawns.
Exchanging the queenside pawns to defend with two versus three kingside pawns first appeared like a good plan. White’s g2-pawn however proved too weak,
and helped by Lillevold’s time trouble Basso picked up the remaining white pawns to win the game in 45 moves. Lillevold is ahead of his expected score but behind IM-norm schedule
after this loss, while Basso following a welcome black win still is on schedule.
Although still frustrated about his wasted chances against GM Solodovnichenko yesterday, FM Lars Hjelmås (2302) also hit back with a nice win today.
The opening true enough was no success, as black eager to avoid a home preparation deliberately played a dubious line in the French Winawer.
Opponent Johannes Haug (2194) follow this got a pleasant space advantage and initiative in the middle game, with chances for a kingside attack
following his pawn at e5. As white failed to make anything concrete out of his attack, black gradually improved his position until the e5-pawn went lost, and later soon reached a won knight versus bishop endgame.
IM Petter Haugli (2277) and Vijay Pranav (2197) meanwhile had a typical Grünfeld Indian duel, in which white had a center advantage and black reasonable counterplay against the white d4-pawn.
Draw agreed upon black’s suggestion after 23 moves – not too surprising as the players were about to reach a very well balanced double rook endgame.
66 year old FM Johnny Wieweg (2140) played another generation duel as white versus 15 year old FM Sebastian Mihajlov (2257) today. This one worked out much
less well from a Swedish point of view: White bravely castled long and played f4 in some kind of Vienna position, but after opening the b-file black soon
had an extra pawn plus the more dangerous attack. As white sacrificed an exchange without achieving anything more than exchanges, black reached a totally
won endgame well before 40 moves. Wieweg for sure can do better, while Mihajlov definitely improved this round.
Gunnar Berg Hanssen (2204) versus Sondre Merkesvik (2179) was an English fianchetto duel in which black without risking anything was allowed to establish a
space advantage with d5-d4. White’s search for counterplay was understandable, but still his g4-advance resulted only in more weaknesses.
Playing with different colored bishops, 14 year old Merkesvik in an inspired mood demonstrated a winning attack on the dark kingside squares after 31 moves.
In short this was a disappointing white game in a so far disappointing tournament for chess gentleman Hanssen, while young Merkesvik’s progress of the last months seems likely to continue this week.
Playing black against FM Richard Bjerke (2172) in an unusual Ruy Lopez line with 3.--- Bc5, our Irish chess friend Paul Wallace (2200) again got the
chance to exchange queens and place his king on d8 within 12 moves. Although white had first the pair of bishops and then the better pawn structure,
black had the d-file and different colored bishops in the rook and bishop endgame. Meaning this game between two veterans both doing fair results so far, was peacefully drawn after 33 moves.
Christian Harstad (2002) as white against Eivind X. Djurhuus (2105) in a Dutch improved his play today, but still not the score. Djurhuus in due course
equalized, blocked down white’s queenside play and advanced his own kingside attack. Still not having found any counterplay anywhere, white anyway had a
very unpleasant position when he at move 34 overlooked a decisive tactical blow at g4.
Kenneth Einarsen (2106) and Francisco Gonzalez (2140) despite many losses so far both played for a win without any fear of a loss in their internal meeting today.
The opening was an about balanced Scotch, in which white castled long and black short. While not too much more happened on the queenside, white soon had a dangerous
kingside attack running. After picking up an exchange he efficiently turned on the vacuum cleaner, to reach an easily won endgame with two rooks and six pawns versus rook, knight and six pawns.
Despite a rather depressing tournament so far, WFM Hanne Goossens (2187) and Alf Roger Andersen (2170) both played with optimism for a win today.
White probably came somewhat better as white in a Pirc, but due to a miscalculation overestimated her position when sacrificing an exchange on d1.
After both players reached 40 moves with less than one minute left on the clock, the remaining question was whether white could hold together the
position with queen, knight and six pawns versus queen, rook and five. The game was finally decided during mutual time trouble after 60 moves:
After Goossens fatally weakened her second and third rank by playing g4 and g3, Andersen intervened with his rook to d3 and anyway was winning
when Goossens blundered and lost her queen.
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