In yet another key round of Corus, Aronian grabbed sole lead with a fine win against Adams, while Karjakin had to be satisfied with a draw against Van Wely. The third leader, Dominguez, lost to Carlsen who finally scored his first win. After an incident in timetrouble, Radjabov and Smeets made life easy for the arbiters by agreeing to a draw.Let's start this report with the Radjabov-Smeets incident, to get it over with, so to speak. In severe timetrouble, Radjabov pushed Black's queen's bishop away from its square e8, while playing 39.Re7. Down to his last second, he pressed the clock but opponent Smeets started his clock again and said
something along the lines of "you should correct the piece first" made just one sound, something like “Jaaa” in an outraged tone. Radjabov's flag fell, and the Azeri GM protested.
The arbiters Cor Roet and Pavel Votruba then discussed the matter for about ten minutes, joined by tournament director Jeroen van den Berg, press officer Tom Bottema and a few others. Several players from the A, B and C groups watched the scene closely, as well as many amateur chess players.Because both players had done something wrong (which is clear for Radjabov, but Smeets shouldn't have spoken during the game and probably he should have stopped the clock, instead of starting Radjabov's again), the arbiters suggested to the players a draw as the most ethical outcome. The players agreed and with no hard feelings, they analyzed their game for quite a while, while Roet and Votruba then explained everything to the media in a short press conference. Parts of all this will be included in this round's
Corus Chess News, of course.Food for thought, and discussion, but for now let's go to today's games. Karjakin was out for blood in a sharp but not so topical 6.Be3 Najdorf against Van Wely. With 14...b5 the Dutchman deviated from the rapid game Svidler-Topalov, Monaco 2006, while Karjakin 15.Kb1 seemed to be the novely. The position became extremely tense with yet another opposite-castling in Karjakin's game. Van Wely defended accurately and managed an excellent draw, and possibly an expensive one for the young Ukrainian.
Against Dominguez, Carlsen tried to postpone Ng1-f3 in a 4.Qb3 Gr?ºnfeld, a setup that was also tried by Ivanchuk in the past. Instead of the normal 9.Qc5, White went for the apparently new move 9.Qd3!? leading to a position with about equal chances. White's knight seemed to be at least as strong as the Black bishop's pair. Before the time control the game was suddenly decided in White's favour when Dominguez overlooked 33.Rb7. According to Carlsen, Black could have drawn at several moments with the move ...Qd5.Aronian-Adams was a quiet endgame in which Aronian got a more pleasant position from the start, and after the Englishman missed a few chances for counterplay, the game was quickly over. Rubinstein would gladly have included this one into his rook endings collection. Naturally, this round's press conference was done by the sole leader after today, Aronian, so all the details will become clear in the video!There were many more interesting opening duels in this round. Movsesian again tried 5.c4 (a move that is underrated according to ChessVibes editor Merijn van Delft) against¬†the Petroff,¬†but¬†Wang Yue had no problems drawing the game.¬†Morozevich and Stellwagen made a relatively quick draw as well, following the game Volokitin-Kasimdzhanov from a previous round in the B group for all the moves!
The longest game in this top group was Ivanchuk-Kamsky. The American still has faith in his Slav/Gr?ºnfeld hybid systems and today he went for the move order that is still called the Schlechter system, we believe. His knight manoeuvre to d6, gaining more control over e4, is one to remember; After playing e6-e5 himself he allowed his queen's pawn to be isolated (like on many other boards in this round!) and by sacrificing it in return for active piece play, he held Ivanchuk to a draw.In Group B, some sharp Sicilians could be enjoyed, for instance Hou Yifan-Caruana and Reinderman-Navara, but the latter ended in a draw quickly. Also, the Gr?ºnfeld seems a popular opening, as it¬†could be seen in¬†Kasimdzhanov-Vallejo Pons and Giri-Gupta¬†in Group C, too. The Russian talent outcalculated the Indian Junior World Champion nicely. Yet another sharp Sicilian was Bosboom-Bitalzadeh from the same group. Note White's exchange-sac 17.Rxe5!? which lead to interesting complications, soon undefendable for Black.
The B group's situation at the top didn't change after many draws today, while in C it also remained the same because both Hillarp Persson and So won their games. The Swede still leads by half a point. Again, all games were decided in that lowest group today, and the drawing percentage there is amazingly low: just 31% after ten rounds!Here are all of today's games for replay:
GM Group A | | GM Group B |
| | |
GM Group C |
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Schedule & results Grandmaster Group A
| Round 1 - Saturday 17.01.2009 |
| D. Stellwagen - S. Movsesian ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Carlsen - T. Radjabov ¬?-¬? |
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| L. Aronian - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
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| V. Ivanchuk - J. Smeets 0-1 |
|
| S. Karjakin - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
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| L. van Wely - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
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| G. Kamsky - M. Adams ¬?-¬? |
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| Round 2 - Sunday 18.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - M. Adams 1-0 |
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| L. Dominguez - G. Kamsky ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Morozevich - L. van Wely 1-0 |
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| J. Smeets - S. Karjakin ¬?-¬? |
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| Wang Yue - V. Ivanchuk 0-1 |
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| T. Radjabov - L. Aronian ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Stellwagen - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
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| Round 3 - Monday 19.01.2009 |
| M. Carlsen - S. Movsesian ¬?-¬? |
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| L. Aronian - D. Stellwagen ¬?-¬? |
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| V. Ivanchuk - T. Radjabov 0-1 |
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| S. Karjakin - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
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| L. van Wely - J. Smeets ¬?-¬? |
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| G. Kamsky - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
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| M. Adams - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
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| Round 4 - Tuesday 20.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Morozevich - M. Adams ¬?-¬? |
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| J. Smeets - G. Kamsky ¬?-¬? |
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| Wang Yue - L. van Wely ¬?-¬? |
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| T. Radjabov - S. Karjakin ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Stellwagen - V. Ivanchuk ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Carlsen - L. Aronian ¬?-¬? |
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| Round 5 - Thursday 22.01.2009 |
| L. Aronian - S. Movsesian 1-0 |
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| V. Ivanchuk - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
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| S. Karjakin - D. Stellwagen 1-0 |
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| L. van Wely - T. Radjabov 1-0 |
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| G. Kamsky - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Adams - J. Smeets ¬?-¬? |
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| L. Dominguez - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
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| Round 6 - Friday 23.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
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| J. Smeets - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
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| Wang Yue - M. Adams 0-1 |
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| T. Radjabov - G. Kamsky 1-0 |
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| D. Stellwagen - L. van Wely ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Carlsen - S. Karjakin ¬?-¬? |
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| L. Aronian - V. Ivanchuk ¬?-¬? |
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| Round 7 - Saturday 24.01.2009 |
| V. Ivanchuk - S. Movsesian 0-1 |
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| S. Karjakin - L. Aronian ¬?-¬? |
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| L. van Wely - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
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| G. Kamsky - D. Stellwagen ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Adams - T. Radjabov ¬?-¬? |
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| L. Dominguez - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Morozevich - J. Smeets 1-0 |
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| Round 8 - Sunday 25.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - J. Smeets ¬?-¬? |
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| Wang Yue - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
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| T. Radjabov - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Stellwagen - M. Adams ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Carlsen - G. Kamsky ¬?-¬? |
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| L. Aronian - L. van Wely ¬?-¬? |
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| V. Ivanchuk - S. Karjakin 1-0 |
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|
| Round 9 - Tuesday 27.01.2009 |
| S. Karjakin - S. Movsesian 1-0 |
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| L. van Wely - V. Ivanchuk ¬?-¬? |
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| G. Kamsky - L. Aronian 0-1 |
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| M. Adams - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
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| L. Dominguez - D. Stellwagen 1-0 |
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| A. Morozevich - T. Radjabov ¬?-¬? |
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| J. Smeets - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
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| Round 10 - Wednesday 28.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
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| T. Radjabov - J. Smeets ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Stellwagen - A. Morozevich ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Carlsen - L. Dominguez 1-0 |
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| L. Aronian - M. Adams 1-0 |
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| V. Ivanchuk - G. Kamsky ¬?-¬? |
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| S. Karjakin - L. van Wely¬?-¬? |
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| Round 11 - Friday 30.01.2009 |
| L. van Wely - S. Movsesian |
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| G. Kamsky - S. Karjakin |
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| M. Adams - V. Ivanchuk |
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| L. Dominguez - L. Aronian |
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| A. Morozevich - M. Carlsen |
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| J. Smeets - D. Stellwagen |
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| Wang Yue - T. Radjabov |
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| Round 12 - Saturday 31.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - T. Radjabov |
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| D. Stellwagen - Wang Yue |
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| M. Carlsen - J. Smeets |
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| L. Aronian - A. Morozevich |
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| V. Ivanchuk - L. Dominguez |
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| S. Karjakin - M. Adams |
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| L. van Wely - G. Kamsky |
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| Round 13 - Sunday 1.02.2009 |
| G. Kamsky - S. Movsesian |
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| M. Adams - L. van Wely |
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| L. Dominguez - S. Karjakin |
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| A. Morozevich - V. Ivanchuk |
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| J. Smeets - L. Aronian |
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| Wang Yue - M. Carlsen |
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| T. Radjabov - D. Stellwagen |
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|
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[TABLE=591]
Schedule & results Grandmaster Group B
| Round 1 - Saturday 17.01.2009 |
| Hou Yifan - R. Kasimdzhanov 0-1 |
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| K. Sasikiran - E. l'Ami ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Reinderman - F. Vallejo Pons 0-1 |
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| N. Short - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Volokitin - F. Caruana ¬?-¬? |
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| H. Mecking - Z. Efimenko 0-1 |
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| A. Motylev - D. Navara 0-1 |
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|
| Round 2 - Sunday 18.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - D. Navara ¬?-¬? |
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| Z. Efimenko - A. Motylev ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Caruana - H. Mecking 1-0 |
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| J. Werle - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Vallejo Pons - N. Short 0-1 |
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| E. l'Ami - D. Reinderman ¬?-¬? |
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| Hou Yifan - K. Sasikiran 1-0 |
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| Round 3 - Monday 19.01.2009 |
| K. Sasikiran - R. Kasimdzhanov 0-1 |
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| D. Reinderman - Hou Yifan 1-0 |
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| N. Short - E. l'Ami 1-0 |
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| A. Volokitin - F. Vallejo Pons ¬?-¬? |
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| H. Mecking - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Motylev - F. Caruana ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Navara - Z. Efimenko 1-0 |
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|
| Round 4 - Tuesday 20.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - Z. Efimenko ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Caruana - D. Navara 1-0 |
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| J. Werle - A. Motylev 0-1 |
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| F. Vallejo Pons - H. Mecking 1-0 |
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| E. l'Ami - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
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| Hou Yifan - N. Short ¬?-¬? |
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| K. Sasikiran - D. Reinderman ¬?-¬? |
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|
| Round 5 - Thursday 22.01.2009 |
| D. Reinderman - R. Kasimdzhanov ¬?-¬? |
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| N. Short - K. Sasikiran 0-1 |
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| A. Volokitin - Hou Yifan 1-0 |
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| H. Mecking - E. l'Ami ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Motylev - F. Vallejo Pons ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Navara - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
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| Z. Efimenko - F. Caruana 1-0 |
|
|
| Round 6 - Friday 23.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - F. Caruana ¬?-¬? |
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| J. Werle - Z. Efimenko ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Vallejo Pons - D. Navara 0-1 |
|
| E. l'Ami - A. Motylev 0-1 |
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| Hou Yifan - H. Mecking 1-0 |
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| K. Sasikiran - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Reinderman - N. Short 0-1 |
|
|
| Round 7 - Saturday 24.01.2009 |
| N. Short - R. Kasimdzhanov 1-0 |
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| A. Volokitin - D. Reinderman 1-0 |
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| H. Mecking - K. Sasikiran 1-0 |
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| A. Motylev - Hou Yifan 1-0 |
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| D. Navara - E. l'Ami 0-1 |
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| Z. Efimenko - F. Vallejo Pons ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Caruana - J. Werle 1-0 |
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|
| Round 8 - Sunday 25.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Vallejo Pons - F. Caruana 1-0 |
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| E. l'Ami - Z. Efimenko 1-0 |
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| Hou Yifan - D. Navara ¬?-¬? |
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| K. Sasikiran - A. Motylev ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Reinderman - H. Mecking ¬?-¬? |
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| N. Short - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
|
|
| Round 9 - Tuesday 27.01.2009 |
| A. Volokitin - R. Kasimdzhanov ¬?-¬? |
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| H. Mecking - N. Short ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Motylev - D. Reinderman ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Navara - K. Sasikiran 1-0 |
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| Z. Efimenko - Hou Yifan ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Caruana - E. l'Ami 1-0 |
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| J. Werle - F. Vallejo Pons 0-1 |
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|
| Round 10 - Wednesday 28.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - F. Vallejo Pons 1-0 |
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| E. l'Ami - J. Werle 1-0 |
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| Hou Yifan - F. Caruana ¬?-¬? |
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| K. Sasikiran - Z. Efimenko 0-1 |
|
| D. Reinderman - D. Navara ¬?-¬? |
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| N. Short - A. Motylev ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Volokitin - H. Mecking ¬?-¬? |
|
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| Round 11 - Friday 30.01.2009 |
| H. Mecking - R. Kasimdzhanov |
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| A. Motylev - A. Volokitin |
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| D. Navara - N. Short |
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| Z. Efimenko - D. Reinderman |
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| F. Caruana - K. Sasikiran |
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| J. Werle - Hou Yifan |
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| F. Vallejo Pons - E. l'Ami |
|
|
| Round 12 - Saturday 31.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - E. l'Ami |
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| Hou Yifan - F. Vallejo Pons |
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| K. Sasikiran - J. Werle |
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| D. Reinderman - F. Caruana |
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| N. Short - Z. Efimenko |
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| A. Volokitin - D. Navara |
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| H. Mecking - A. Motylev |
|
|
| Round 13 - Sunday 1.02.2009 |
| A. Motylev - R. Kasimdzhanov |
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| D. Navara - H. Mecking |
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| Z. Efimenko - A. Volokitin |
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| F. Caruana - N. Short |
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| J. Werle - D. Reinderman |
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| F. Vallejo Pons - K. Sasikiran |
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| E. l'Ami - Hou Yifan |
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|
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[TABLE=592]
Schedule & results Grandmaster Group C
| Round 1 - Saturday 17.01.2009 |
| T. Hillarp Persson - R. Pruijssers ¬?-¬? |
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| D. Howell - M. Bosboom 0-1 |
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| F. Nijboer - W. So 0-1 |
|
| O. Romanishin - A. Bitalzadeh 1-0 |
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| A. Giri - F. Holzke ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Gupta - D. Harika 0-1 |
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| E. Iturrizaga - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
|
|
| Round 2 - Sunday 18.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
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| D. Harika - E. Iturrizaga ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Holzke - A. Gupta ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Bitalzadeh - A. Giri ¬?-¬? |
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| W. So - O. Romanishin ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Bosboom - F. Nijboer 1-0 |
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| T. Hillarp Persson - D. Howell 1-0 |
|
|
| Round 3 - Monday 19.01.2009 |
| D. Howell - R. Pruijssers 1-0 |
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| F. Nijboer - T. Hillarp Persson ¬?-¬? |
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| O. Romanishin - M. Bosboom ¬?-¬? |
|
| A. Giri - W. So ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Gupta - A. Bitalzadeh 0-1 |
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| E. Iturrizaga - F. Holzke 1-0 |
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| M. Leon Hoyos - D. Harika 1-0 |
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|
| Round 4 - Tuesday 20.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - D. Harika ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Holzke - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
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| A. Bitalzadeh - E. Iturrizaga 1-0 |
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| W. So - A. Gupta ¬?-¬? |
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| M. Bosboom - A. Giri ¬?-¬? |
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| T. Hillarp Persson - O. Romanishin 1-0 |
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| D. Howell - F. Nijboer 1-0 |
|
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| Round 5 - Thursday 22.01.2009 |
| F. Nijboer - R. Pruijssers 1-0 |
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| O. Romanishin - D. Howell 0-1 |
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| A. Giri - T. Hillarp Persson 0-1 |
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| A. Gupta - M. Bosboom 1-0 |
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| E. Iturrizaga - W. So 0-1 |
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| M. Leon Hoyos - A. Bitalzadeh 1-0 |
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| D. Harika - F. Holzke ¬?-¬? |
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|
| Round 6 - Friday 23.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - F. Holzke 0-1 |
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| A. Bitalzadeh - D. Harika ¬?-¬? |
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| W. So - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
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| M. Bosboom - E. Iturrizaga 1-0 |
|
| T. Hillarp Persson - A. Gupta 0-1 |
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| D. Howell - A. Giri ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Nijboer - O. Romanishin ¬?-¬? |
|
|
| Round 7 - Saturday 24.01.2009 |
| O. Romanishin - R. Pruijssers ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Giri - F. Nijboer ¬?-¬? |
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| A. Gupta - D. Howell 1-0 |
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| E. Iturrizaga - T. Hillarp Persson 0-1 |
|
| M. Leon Hoyos - M. Bosboom 1-0 |
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| D. Harika - W. So ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Holzke - A. Bitalzadeh ¬?-¬? |
|
|
| Round 8 - Sunday 25.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - A. Bitalzadeh 1-0 |
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| W. So - F. Holzke 0-1 |
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| M. Bosboom - D. Harika ¬?-¬? |
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| T. Hillarp Persson - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
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| D. Howell - E. Iturrizaga 1-0 |
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| F. Nijboer - A. Gupta 1-0 |
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| O. Romanishin - A. Giri 0-1 |
|
|
| Round 9 - Tuesday 27.01.2009 |
| A. Giri - R. Pruijssers 1-0 |
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| A. Gupta - O. Romanishin 1-0 |
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| E. Iturrizaga - F. Nijboer 1-0 |
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| M. Leon Hoyos - D. Howell 0-1 |
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| D. Harika - T. Hillarp Persson ¬?-¬? |
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| F. Holzke - M. Bosboom 1-0 |
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| A. Bitalzadeh - W. So 0-1 |
|
|
| Round 10 - Wednesday 28.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - W. So 0-1 |
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| M. Bosboom - A. Bitalzadeh 1-0 |
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| T. Hillarp Persson - F. Holzke 1-0 |
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| D. Howell - D. Harika 0-1 |
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| F. Nijboer - M. Leon Hoyos 0-1 |
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| O. Romanishin - E. Iturrizaga 0-1 |
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| A. Giri - A. Gupta 1-0 |
|
|
| Round 11 - Friday 30.01.2009 |
| A. Gupta - R. Pruijssers |
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| E. Iturrizaga - A. Giri |
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| M. Leon Hoyos - O. Romanishin |
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| D. Harika - F. Nijboer |
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| F. Holzke - D. Howell |
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| A. Bitalzadeh - T. Hillarp Persson |
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| W. So - M. Bosboom |
|
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| Round 12 - Saturday 31.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - M. Bosboom |
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| T. Hillarp Persson - W. So |
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| D. Howell - A. Bitalzadeh |
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| F. Nijboer - F. Holzke |
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| O. Romanishin - D. Harika |
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| A. Giri - M. Leon Hoyos |
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| A. Gupta - E. Iturrizaga |
|
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| Round 13 - Sunday 1.02.2009 |
| E. Iturrizaga - R. Pruijssers |
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| M. Leon Hoyos - A. Gupta |
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| D. Harika - A. Giri |
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| F. Holzke - O. Romanishin |
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| A. Bitalzadeh - F. Nijboer |
|
| W. So - D. Howell |
|
| M. Bosboom - T. Hillarp Persson |
|
|
|
[TABLE=593]Links:
In yet another key round of Corus, Aronian grabbed sole lead with a fine win against Adams, while Karjakin had to be satisfied with a draw against Van Wely. The third leader, Dominguez, lost to Carlsen who finally scored his first win. After an incident in timetrouble, Radjabov and Smeets made life easy for the arbiters by agreeing to a draw.Let's start this report with the Radjabov-Smeets incident, to get it over with, so to speak. In severe timetrouble, Radjabov pushed Black's queen's bishop away from its square e8, while playing 39.Re7. Down to his last second, he pressed the clock but opponent Smeets started his clock again and said 
The arbiters Cor Roet and Pavel Votruba then discussed the matter for about ten minutes, joined by tournament director Jeroen van den Berg, press officer Tom Bottema and a few others. Several players from the A, B and C groups watched the scene closely, as well as many amateur chess players.Because both players had done something wrong (which is clear for Radjabov, but Smeets shouldn't have spoken during the game and probably he should have stopped the clock, instead of starting Radjabov's again), the arbiters suggested to the players a draw as the most ethical outcome. The players agreed and with no hard feelings, they analyzed their game for quite a while, while Roet and Votruba then explained everything to the media in a short press conference. Parts of all this will be included in this round's Corus Chess News, of course.Food for thought, and discussion, but for now let's go to today's games. Karjakin was out for blood in a sharp but not so topical 6.Be3 Najdorf against Van Wely. With 14...b5 the Dutchman deviated from the rapid game Svidler-Topalov, Monaco 2006, while Karjakin 15.Kb1 seemed to be the novely. The position became extremely tense with yet another opposite-castling in Karjakin's game. Van Wely defended accurately and managed an excellent draw, and possibly an expensive one for the young Ukrainian.
Against Dominguez, Carlsen tried to postpone Ng1-f3 in a 4.Qb3 Gr?ºnfeld, a setup that was also tried by Ivanchuk in the past. Instead of the normal 9.Qc5, White went for the apparently new move 9.Qd3!? leading to a position with about equal chances. White's knight seemed to be at least as strong as the Black bishop's pair. Before the time control the game was suddenly decided in White's favour when Dominguez overlooked 33.Rb7. According to Carlsen, Black could have drawn at several moments with the move ...Qd5.Aronian-Adams was a quiet endgame in which Aronian got a more pleasant position from the start, and after the Englishman missed a few chances for counterplay, the game was quickly over. Rubinstein would gladly have included this one into his rook endings collection. Naturally, this round's press conference was done by the sole leader after today, Aronian, so all the details will become clear in the video!There were many more interesting opening duels in this round. Movsesian again tried 5.c4 (a move that is underrated according to ChessVibes editor Merijn van Delft) against¬†the Petroff,¬†but¬†Wang Yue had no problems drawing the game.¬†Morozevich and Stellwagen made a relatively quick draw as well, following the game Volokitin-Kasimdzhanov from a previous round in the B group for all the moves!
The longest game in this top group was Ivanchuk-Kamsky. The American still has faith in his Slav/Gr?ºnfeld hybid systems and today he went for the move order that is still called the Schlechter system, we believe. His knight manoeuvre to d6, gaining more control over e4, is one to remember; After playing e6-e5 himself he allowed his queen's pawn to be isolated (like on many other boards in this round!) and by sacrificing it in return for active piece play, he held Ivanchuk to a draw.In Group B, some sharp Sicilians could be enjoyed, for instance Hou Yifan-Caruana and Reinderman-Navara, but the latter ended in a draw quickly. Also, the Gr?ºnfeld seems a popular opening, as it¬†could be seen in¬†Kasimdzhanov-Vallejo Pons and Giri-Gupta¬†in Group C, too. The Russian talent outcalculated the Indian Junior World Champion nicely. Yet another sharp Sicilian was Bosboom-Bitalzadeh from the same group. Note White's exchange-sac 17.Rxe5!? which lead to interesting complications, soon undefendable for Black.
The B group's situation at the top didn't change after many draws today, while in C it also remained the same because both Hillarp Persson and So won their games. The Swede still leads by half a point. Again, all games were decided in that lowest group today, and the drawing percentage there is amazingly low: just 31% after ten rounds!Here are all of today's games for replay:
