Carlsen Beats Kramnik, Increases Lead In Shamkir

In round seven of the Shamkir Chess tournament GM Magnus Carlsen beat GM Vladimir Kramnik and extended his lead to a full point.

GM Viswanathan Anand defeated GM Michael Adams and is now in second place as GM Wesley So lost to GM Fabiano Caruana.

A clash between Carlsen and Kramnik is always interesting, and especially when one (C) calls the other (K) his most difficult opponent before the tournament. As it turned out, Kramnik was one of Carlsen's easier opponents in Shamkir 2015.

Against the 14th world champion, the reigning world champion opened 1.e4 for the first time in a classical game. Not surprisingly, Kramnik went for a Berlin but what happened next was remarkable. Carlsen had prepared a line in the 4.d3 system and before move 20 Kramnik had used more than an hour on the clock.

I've seen some things in my life, but never expected MC outpreparing Kramnik to be one of them. #2sjakk

— Jon Ludvig Hammer (@gmjlh) April 24, 2015

The worst thing was that, by then, Kramnik was more or less lost already. He had seen that 19...Bb7 would leady to equality, but “all of a sudden” he calculated the game continuation, which looked “very interesting but I don't think it works out for Black,” as Carlsen put it.

“I'm probably in bad form, I cannot calculate anything. I was missing lots of things,” lamented Kramnik, who for the first time in his career lost three classical games in a row in one event.

Carlsen winning vs Kramnik at #ShamkirChess - when has the formerly so solid Kramnik last lost 3 in a row? https://t.co/7P0zVS63ZM

— Lars Bo Hansen (@GMLars) April 24, 2015

Chess.com checked it in the database, and couldn't find any event so the answer must be...never!

Carlsen, who now finally has a plus score against Kramnik, said: “I think I have very good chances to win the tournament. Obviously there's a key game tomorrow [against Wesley So -- PD.] but the tournament couldn't have gone much better point-wise so far. It's the best situation I can be.”

Kramnik: “When you are on minus-two you're not incredibly motivated to play great chess but of course I'm going to play. It's clear that I'm in very bad form, cannot calculate for some reason, I don't know.

“Still, I'm a professional, of course I will play again. There is nothing to fight for any more but still I want to show decent chess in the last two games.”

GM Viswanathan Anand is the new number-two in the standings. The ex-world champion won another excellent game as White against GM Michael Adams, playing 1.c4 in a classical game only for the fourth time in his career!

“I'm trying to experiment a little bit,” said Anand. “I had some ideas. Interestingly, the problem with 1.c4 I felt today was that Mickey himself has just started playing it, so maybe in a year or two it's in his own repertoire, which is a pity. But I thought I'll give it a shot.”

Anand then also went for a long-term exchange sacrifice, which the players evaluated slightly differently. Adams thought his position was still perfectly OK after 15.Rxf5!? whereas Anand preferred White.

As always, Anand didn't want to reflect too much on the tournament situation. “Obviously it's a very important win, but beyond that I have no idea what's happening.”

Annotations by GM Dejan Bojkov

Another inspiring game by Vishy today! With a bit more luck he would simply be leading the event. #ShamkirChess

— Erwin l'Ami (@erwinlami) April 24, 2015

GM Wesley So dropped back to shared third place with GM Fabiano Caruana, who beat him in a direct encounter today.

“I think Wesley probably wasn't very familiar with this line,” Caruana started explaining, “because 11...Rf6 is not considered a very good move because of 11.Ne1 and if 11...Rh6, 12.g3. I think it's some game of Leko, he won.”

Caruana had clearly done his homework, was better out of the opening but then wasn't sure how to continue. On almost each move he had alternatives, but it was important to keep the pressure because, after all, he was a pawn down.

From the moment So misplaced his knight on g3, Caruana got the upper hand. He won his pawn back, then another and the B vs N ending was winning.

GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and GM Anish Giri drew an interesting game that started as a Ragozin. The French player deviated from Giri-Carlsen from earlier in the tournament, and kept some play in the position. But it wasn't that he exactly knew what he was doing.

“To be honest from my side it was more ridiculous than anything. I was checking this line this morning and I couldn't remember any move order,” MVL said. 

GM Rauf Mamedov escaped with a draw against his good friend GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. The lowest-rated player has now more or less reached his expected score, with two rounds to go.

In an Anti-Moscow Gambit, Mamedov played 10...Nbd7 instead of 10...Bb7 which allows 10.d5. It is playable, but now the way he did it! Mamedyarov played the most principled moves and was probably winning, but miscalculated.

At the press conference both Carlsen and Anand were asked about GM Yuri Razuvaev, the famous Russian player and trainer who would have turned 70 this year. Amongst others he coached GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and GM Evgeny Tomashevsky.

Carlsen, who worked with him: “I was in Moscow in 2005. I worked with Razuvaev and also Nikitin, for different purposes. Razuvaev taught me about positional play and his task was the easier one [smiles] because I felt that my instincts were good. I learned some endgames from him and some of Rubinstein's games he showed me. I know he was very fond of those. It's very sad that he's passed away.”

Anand: “I played him in one of my first attempts to become a grandmaster, so a tournament in Calcutta. Afterwards we met each other in a couple of tournaments. In Moscow.... I was playing in the B tournament. I just remember him always for his sense of humor. He always had a mischievous look on his face, and he was always saying something very witty. He entertained us a lot, let's put it that way. I was very sad to hear that he passed away.”

Shamkir Chess 2015 | Schedule & Results

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Shamkir Chess 2015 | Round 7 Standings

#	Name	Rtg	Perf	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	Pts	SB
1	Carlsen	2863	3001		½	1		1	½	1		1	½	5.5/7
2	Anand	2791	2872	½			1		½	½	½	½	1	4.5/7
3	Caruana	2802	2834	0			1	½	½	½		1	½	4.0/7	12.25
4	So	2788	2810		0	0		½	1		1	½	1	4.0/7	11.00
5	Mamedyarov	2756	2778	0		½	½		½	½	½	1		3.5/7
6	Giri	2790	2725	½	½	½	0	½		½	½			3.0/7	11.75
7	Vachier Lagrave	2765	2723	0	½	½		½	½		½		½	3.0/7	10.00
8	Mamedov	2658	2724		½		0	½	½	½		½	½	3.0/7	9.25
9	Kramnik	2783	2670	0	½	0	½	0			½		1	2.5/7
10	Adams	2745	2620	½	0	½	0			½	½	0		2.0/7