
Caruana, Karjakin Winners in 7th Round Tashkent GP
Fabiano Caruana got back to 50 percent today at the Grand Prix in Tashkent as Boris Gelfand blundered a double attack. Sergey Karjakin bounced back after two losses, and beat Anish Giri.
After round 5, Caruana said: “A lot of players have shown that even if you start badly there's always chances to come back so I still keep some hope for a decent result.”
That is still possible for the world number two after Gelfand kind of helped him to get to 50 percent today.
GM Dejan Bojkov analyzes what was a Nimzo-Indian where Black was fairly comfortable out of the opening. But then “it went from completely unclear to me slightly pressing,” said Caruana.
The game was still clearly within the drawing margin when Gelfand overlooked a double attack: “I thought it was a clear draw, then I couldn't find anything clear and then I blundered,” he said.

Giri was still fairly cheerful at the press conference despite the fact that he lost a pretty bad game. In a sideline of the Sicilian Taimanov, the Dutchman erred as early at move 10 and was lucky that he didn't become the victim of a miniature!
Can you see why 13.Nxb5 is so strong?
The way Karjakin played it gave Black a chance to get back into the game, and suddenly things looked bright again from a strategic point of view: Black had the bishop pair, and e5 was weak. This got Giri to overestimate his position, and soon his king came under a second wave of attack.

Jobava has played fairly solid openings so far, but what he did against Vachier-Lagrave today was far from solid. After just 12 moves in an Advance Caro-Kann, he was forced to give up a piece, but as so often his creativity saved the day.
Or maybe it was simply the fact that MVL isn't in top shape — the French GM was quite disappointed: “It's a pity I couldn't finish it off,” MVL said.
The press conference between these two players ended somewhat mysteriously as Jobava left with the words: “There is a reason why I played like this today but I cannot say it now.”

Kasimdzhanov-Nakamura, however, was a fairly good game by both players. Nakamura said he went for the Dutch because his opponent wasn't in great shape, but in this game the Uzbek GM was the one who had chances for an advantage — even in the final position!

Nakamura kept his shared first place in the standings because Andreikin had drawn his game before him, against Jakovenko. In fact, the Russian followed Nakamura's recipe in the well-known QGD line that was also seen in Gelfand-Jakovenko (as Black!) earlier in this tournament: putting the bishop on f6.

The draw between Mamedyarov and Radjabov was the quickest, and the easiest to predict. It seems like these players have made a pact for life to stay friendly in all their mutual games!

2014 Grand Prix, Tashkent | Round 7 Standings
# | Name | Rtg | Perf | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Pts | SB |
1 | Andreikin,D | 2722 | 2861 | ![]() |
½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 4.5/7 | 16.00 | ||||
2 | Nakamura,H | 2764 | 2854 | ½ | ![]() |
1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 4.5/7 | 14.50 | ||||
3 | Jobava,B | 2717 | 2808 | 0 | ![]() |
½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4.0/7 | 12.75 | ||||
4 | Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2757 | 2800 | ½ | ![]() |
½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 4.0/7 | 12.00 | ||||
5 | Mamedyarov,S | 2764 | 2803 | 0 | ½ | ![]() |
½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4.0/7 | 11.25 | ||||
6 | Radjabov,T | 2726 | 2748 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ![]() |
½ | ½ | ½ | 3.5/7 | 13.25 | ||||
7 | Caruana,F | 2844 | 2749 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ![]() |
½ | 1 | 3.5/7 | 12.00 | ||||
8 | Jakovenko,D | 2747 | 2735 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ![]() |
0 | ½ | ½ | 3.5/7 | 12.00 | ||||
9 | Karjakin,S | 2767 | 2741 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ![]() |
1 | ½ | 3.5/7 | 11.25 | ||||
10 | Giri,A | 2768 | 2710 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ![]() |
½ | ½ | 3.0/7 | |||||
11 | Kasimdzhanov,R | 2706 | 2590 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ![]() |
2.0/7 | 7.75 | ||||
12 | Gelfand,B | 2748 | 2614 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ![]() |
2.0/7 | 7.00 |
xxx
2014 Grand Prix, Baku | All Results
Round 1 | 15:00 UZT | 21.10.14 | Round 2 | 15:00 UZT | 22.10.14 | |
Giri | ½-½ | Gelfand | Gelfand | ½-½ | Karjakin | |
Mamedyarov | 0-1 | Andreikin | Jakovenko | ½-½ | Radjabov | |
Nakamura | 1-0 | Jobava | Vachier-Lagrave | 1-0 | Kasimdzhanov | |
Caruana | 0-1 | Vachier-Lagrave | Jobava | ½-½ | Caruana | |
Kasimdzhanov | ½-½ | Jakovenko | Andreikin | ½-½ | Nakamura | |
Radjabov | ½-½ | Karjakin | Giri | ½-½ | Mamedyarov | |
Round 3 | 15:00 UZT | 23.10.14 | Round 4 | 15:00 UZT | 24.10.14 | |
Mamedyarov | 1-0 | Gelfand | Gelfand | ½-½ | Jakovenko | |
Nakamura | ½-½ | Giri | Vachier-Lagrave | ½-½ | Karjakin | |
Caruana | ½-½ | Andreikin | Jobava | ½-½ | Radjabov | |
Kasimdzhanov | 0-1 | Jobava | Andreikin | ½-½ | Kasimdzhanov | |
Radjabov | ½-½ | Vachier-Lagrave | Giri | ½-½ | Caruana | |
Karjakin | 1-0 | Jakovenko | Mamedyarov | ½-½ | Nakamura | |
Round 5 | 15:00 UZT | 26.10.14 | Round 6 | 15:00 UZT | 27.10.14 | |
Nakamura | 1-0 | Gelfand | Gelfand | ½-½ | Vachier-Lagrave | |
Caruana | ½-½ | Mamedyarov | Jobava | ½-½ | Jakovenko | |
Kasimdzhanov | ½-½ | Giri | Andreikin | 1-0 | Karjakin | |
Radjabov | ½-½ | Andreikin | Giri | ½-½ | Radjabov | |
Karjakin | 0-1 | Jobava | Mamedyarov | 1-0 | Kasimdzhanov | |
Jakovenko | 1-0 | Vachier-Lagrave | Nakamura | ½-½ | Caruana | |
Round 7 | 15:00 UZT | 28.10.14 | Round 8 | 15:00 UZT | 29.10.14 | |
Caruana | 1-0 | Gelfand | Gelfand | - | Jobava | |
Kasimdzhanov | ½-½ | Nakamura | Andreikin | - | Vachier-Lagrave | |
Radjabov | ½-½ | Mamedyarov | Giri | - | Jakovenko | |
Karjakin | 1-0 | Giri | Mamedyarov | - | Karjakin | |
Jakovenko | ½-½ | Andreikin | Nakamura | - | Radjabov | |
Vachier-Lagrave | ½-½ | Jobava | Caruana | - | Kasimdzhanov | |
Round 9 | 15:00 UZT | 31.10.14 | Round 10 | 15:00 UZT | 01.11.14 | |
Kasimdzhanov | - | Gelfand | Gelfand | - | Andreikin | |
Radjabov | - | Caruana | Giri | - | Jobava | |
Karjakin | - | Nakamura | Mamedyarov | - | Vachier-Lagrave | |
Jakovenko | - | Mamedyarov | Nakamura | - | Jakovenko | |
Vachier-Lagrave | - | Giri | Caruana | - | Karjakin | |
Jobava | - | Andreikin | Kasimdzhanov | - | Radjabov | |
Round 11 | 11:00 UZT | 02.11.14 | ||||
Radjabov | - | Gelfand | ||||
Karjakin | - | Kasimdzhanov | ||||
Jakovenko | - | Caruana | ||||
Vachier-Lagrave | - | Nakamura | ||||
Jobava | - | Mamedyarov | ||||
Andreikin | - | Giri |
The total prize fund is €120,000. The games start each day at 14:00 local time which is 11:00 in Amsterdam, 10:00 in London, 05:00 in New York, 02:00 in Los Angeles and 19:00 in Sydney. The last round starts three hours earlier. The winner and second placed player in the overall final standings of the Grand Prix will qualify for the Candidates’ Tournament to be held in the last quarter of 2015 or the first half of 2016. | Games via TWIC
Previous report
- Rouns 6: Andreikin Crushes Karjakin, Catches Nakamura in Tashkent GP
- Round 5: Nakamura Grabs the Lead in Tashkent as Vachier-Lagrave Loses First
- Round 4: “MVL” Still Leads in Tashkent After 6 Draws in Round 4
- Round 3: Three Winners in Tashkent; Vachier-Lagrave Still on Top
- Round 2: Vachier-Lagrave Moves to 2/2 in Tashkent; Did Caruana Miss a Win?
- Round 1: Nakamura, Vachier-Lagrave, Andreikin Win as Tashkent Grand Prix Takes Off