4 Black Wins In Tata Steel Chess Masters Opening Round

Black was more than OK in Saturday's opening round of the 2024 Tata Steel Chess Tournament as GMs Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Wei Yi all started with wins with the black pieces. The Challengers group also saw four decisive games.

Results - Masters Round 1

Even without world number-one GM Magnus Carlsen, who skipped his usual participation in Wijk aan Zee this year, the chess world seemed to be as excited as ever for the 86th edition. The buzz on social media was there once again, for what is generally considered to be one of the "fan favorite" events on the calendar. The participation of world-class players in the Masters, the intrigue of the Challengers group where victory means promotion, and the traditional mixture of younger, older, and mixed-gender players is an evergreen attraction, since 1938 until today.

One of the main attractions of the field in the Masters this year is the participation of the two reigning world champions, GM Ding Liren and GM Ju Wenjun. They'll be playing each other in the final round, which will be the first "two-crown clash" since Carlsen defeated GM Hou Yifan, also in Wijk aan Zee, in 2015.

After comforting words earlier this week that he is doing well again, Ding's last worry perhaps would be a jetlag early in the tournament. That's why a quick and quiet draw was likely a fine result for the world champion, who played his first classical game in 243 days. GM Vidit Gujrathi seemed to have a small edge out of the opening, but it was difficult to maintain.

Wei, who plays for the fifth time in The Netherlands, had no issue with the long travel from China either. He even started with a win against last year's winner of the Challengers, GM Alexander Donchenko. Wei said he wasn't sure when he got the advantage in the game but knew he was doing very well after 29...Bc5.

It is now nine years ago when Wei became the youngest player ever to break 2700, and he is still just 24 years old. He showed his class today in a Benoni-type game resulting from an Anti-Grunfeld:

The third Chinese player in the field, Ju, was involved in the longest game. She was better for a while, but much later things turned around and Giri could start playing for a win, even though the endgame looked very drawish.

After about six and a half hours of play, Ju had to throw in the towel against the 2023 winner, whose 43rd move was nasty. Ju continued well but lost the thread later in a complicated rook endgame. Giri felt that was a draw most of the time and that it was "a matter of finding the last resource for either of us."

Much earlier in the day, it was Nepomniachtchi who scored the first victory against the young Dutchman GM Max Warmerdam. Nepo went for a double-edged opening line, clearly intending to keep chances to play for a win. He said: "If White is not really into the line, it could quickly become like a three-result game."

GM Rafael Leitao analyzes:

Among no fewer than five participants of the upcoming Candidates Tournament is GM Alireza Firouzja, who returns to the tournament three years after a controversy that damaged relations with the organizers. Tournament director Jeroen van den Berg told Chess.com that the two sides are on friendly terms again.

Firouzja, who brought not only his father but also his mother and brother with him this year, seemed quite relaxed indeed. He defeated former winner GM Jorden van Foreest, who unnecessarily blundered away a drawn endgame with plenty of time on the clock.

The two draws, Gukesh-Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa-Maghsoodloo, were very interesting as well and recommended to check out on our events page.

Results - Challengers Round 1

A name that stands out in the Challengers group is that of GM Hans Niemann. The 20-year-old American player, who achieved worldwide fame during last year's (alleged!) cheating scandal, could easily have played in the Masters as well.

After he had shown interest in playing in Wijk aan Zee in the fall, he was invited in early November, when his rating made him more suitable for the Challengers. Niemann said before the tournament that he didn't have a problem with that and that he is confident he can win the group.

A smooth win against Dutch GM Liam Vrolijk got him off to a good start. 

After the game, Niemann said he had come to Wijk aan Zee without a second and that he likes it that way: "The more depressing the city, the more focused you are, so that's how I like it. For other people, it's depressing but for me, who just is very happy to hibernate in my hotel room only to leave to pick up my delivery food, it's very peaceful."

Particularly Salem-Korobov and Yilmaz-Santos were nice victories as well, which you can check out here.

This year there was some added "excitement," in anticipation of the start of the tournament, related to the main sponsor. Tata Steel has recently been under more scrutiny than ever. For many decades it has been known that the steel-producing company (originally Hoogovens, and between 2000 and 2010, Corus), situated just outside Wijk aan Zee, produces unhealthy gasses that spread out over the region. Sponsoring sports events, including chess, is a way of doing something in return for the community.

This state of affairs has always been there and was never more than a brief topic of conversation. In recent years, however, multiple reports of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment have demonstrated a high concentration of carcinogenic substances and metals in the air. In September of 2023, a report from 1975(!) was discovered that had earlier mentioned toxic substances. The company has been accused of a lethargic approach while knowing about the gravity of the situation.

Earlier in the week, the action group Extinction Rebellion, which fights against pollution and the use of fossil fuels, had announced a protest on Saturday. Worried that something might happen inside the playing hall, the tournament organizers set up a plastic curtain separating the grandmasters from the spectators, to prevent anyone from reaching the stage that way. In the end, the protest was limited to a short and rather calm road blockade just outside the village. It's not clear yet if this blockade will be repeated in the coming days.

Today’s protest against Tata Steel consists of continuous three-minute blockades of the (only) road to Wijk aan Zee when drivers are informed about the pollution and asked for their understanding. The tournament itself probably won’t be affected. https://t.co/4tT8KB2kld

— Peter Doggers (@peterdoggers) January 13, 2024

The Tata Steel Chess tournament takes place January 13-28, 2024, in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. The new time control this year is 100 minutes for 40 moves followed by 50 minutes to finish the game with a 30-second increment. The extra 15 minutes after move 60, used in previous years, has been eliminated.

The tournament has maintained the stronger anti-cheating measures that were introduced last year:

• moves are relayed to the internet after a 15-minute delay;
• participants are scanned before their games;
• an extra Fair Play arbiter is specially charged with preventing fraud in the playing hall;
• spectators are no longer allowed to take photos with their phones.

Related:

• Ding Liren Ready For Tata: 'I Feel Much Better Than Before'
• 2024 Tata Steel Chess: World Champion Ding Returns, Carlsen Missing