In a direct duel, Karjakin defeated Movsesian to take over the lead again at the Corus Chess Tournament today. Aronian joined him by winning with Black against Kamsky, while Dominguez won the only other decisive game, against Stellwagen.Movesian's novelty 15...Qf4! looks strong and indeed, after the game Karjakin admitted that his opponent had come to the game better prepared than him. "18.Bh3 was perhaps a bit strange, but the point was not to make a draw immediately", he said. "My Rg1-g5-b5 was strong, although it's perhaps still equal, but then 27...Rd1+ was strange." Black lost an important tempo and soon found himself in a queen ending that was perhaps not yet lost, but practically very hard to defend.
Kamsky-Aronian was the longest game of the round - including all the amauteur players and the games from groups B and C. Interestingly, Aronian said he is "tired of the Marshall" and wanted to go for complications. He followed up with an even better quote: "The only chance to win the game is to give your opponent chances." And indeed, Black got a winning position but then almost gave it all away. "I almost managed to draw it", the Armenian said. He was happy that he didn't spoil it again, like in the previous round.
A great game was Dominguez-Stellwagen - such a sharp Winawer French is always a joy to watch, isn't it. 19...a6 and 20...Nc4 seems to be the new thing here, and the Dutchman immediately followed up with the typical d5-d4 pawn sac, which is difficult to assess. OK, Black should probably have taken the rook on move 24, but on the other hand White could have taken on b7 a move earlier. In the game Black had to fight for his life, and it looked like he almost succeeded but Dominguez had calculated sharply that he could liquidate to a winning pawn ending by force.
Quite a few games were drawn quickly today. Morozevich tested Radjabov's KID repertoire with a fianchetto of the king's bishop, which for today turned out to be a rare line of the Gr?ºnfeld. White got nothing out of the opening and after swapping some material the players called it a day. Smeets-Wang Yue was more interesting until a certain point - the moment when someone tells you that it was all played before. ALL. Carlsson-Pileckis, Plovdiv 2008, was followed till the end. At the Olympiad in Dresden, Grischuk had tried 25.0-0 against Illescas but this game also ended in a draw.
Carlsen hasn't won a game yet and today he seemed to be going for it. But even Kasparov often had trouble creating enough chaos (and consequently serious winning chances) against Adams' typical, quiet and positional play, and the Norwegian's Dragon couldn't do the trick either.Van Wely and Ivanchuk was another game that started with loads of theory; the Dutchman has much experiece in this English line and his 19.a4 was the first new move, which more or less by force led to a drawn rook ending.In the B group, Short tried to increase his lead to a point for a long time in a slightly better ending against Mecking, but the Brazilian didn't falter. Many players are now chasing the Englishman with just half a point less, Navara being one of them. He played a gem against Sasikiran using the Closed Sicilian. "I was inspired by grandmaster Boris Spassky", he said before the camera (a clip with the Czech will be in this round's
Corus Chess News).Bosboom missed his GM norm, for which he needed to beat Holzke - instead, he lost more or less without a chance. So narrowed the gap between him and Hillarp Persson to half a point by beating Bitalzadeh with Black.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 ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Carlsen - T. Radjabov ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. Aronian - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
  |
| V. Ivanchuk - J. Smeets 0-1 |
  |
| S. Karjakin - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
  |
| L. van Wely - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
  |
| G. Kamsky - M. Adams ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 2 - Sunday 18.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - M. Adams 1-0 |
  |
| L. Dominguez - G. Kamsky ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Morozevich - L. van Wely 1-0 |
  |
| J. Smeets - S. Karjakin ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Wang Yue - V. Ivanchuk 0-1 |
  |
| T. Radjabov - L. Aronian ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Stellwagen - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 3 - Monday 19.01.2009 |
| M. Carlsen - S. Movsesian ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. Aronian - D. Stellwagen ¬?-¬? |
  |
| V. Ivanchuk - T. Radjabov 0-1 |
  |
| S. Karjakin - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. van Wely - J. Smeets ¬?-¬? |
  |
| G. Kamsky - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
  |
| M. Adams - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 4 - Tuesday 20.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Morozevich - M. Adams ¬?-¬? |
  |
| J. Smeets - G. Kamsky ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Wang Yue - L. van Wely ¬?-¬? |
  |
| T. Radjabov - S. Karjakin ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Stellwagen - V. Ivanchuk ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Carlsen - L. Aronian ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 5 - Thursday 22.01.2009 |
| L. Aronian - S. Movsesian 1-0 |
  |
| V. Ivanchuk - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
  |
| S. Karjakin - D. Stellwagen 1-0 |
  |
| L. van Wely - T. Radjabov 1-0 |
  |
| G. Kamsky - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Adams - J. Smeets ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. Dominguez - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 6 - Friday 23.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
  |
| J. Smeets - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Wang Yue - M. Adams 0-1 |
  |
| T. Radjabov - G. Kamsky 1-0 |
  |
| D. Stellwagen - L. van Wely ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Carlsen - S. Karjakin ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. Aronian - V. Ivanchuk ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 7 - Saturday 24.01.2009 |
| V. Ivanchuk - S. Movsesian 0-1 |
  |
| S. Karjakin - L. Aronian ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. van Wely - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
  |
| G. Kamsky - D. Stellwagen ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Adams - T. Radjabov ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. Dominguez - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Morozevich - J. Smeets 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 8 - Sunday 25.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - J. Smeets ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Wang Yue - A. Morozevich 1-0 |
  |
| T. Radjabov - L. Dominguez ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Stellwagen - M. Adams ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Carlsen - G. Kamsky ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. Aronian - L. van Wely ¬?-¬? |
  |
| V. Ivanchuk - S. Karjakin 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 9 - Tuesday 27.01.2009 |
| S. Karjakin - S. Movsesian 1-0 |
  |
| L. van Wely - V. Ivanchuk ¬?-¬? |
  |
| G. Kamsky - L. Aronian 0-1 |
  |
| M. Adams - M. Carlsen ¬?-¬? |
  |
| L. Dominguez - D. Stellwagen 1-0 |
  |
| A. Morozevich - T. Radjabov ¬?-¬? |
  |
| J. Smeets - Wang Yue ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 10 - Wednesday 28.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - Wang Yue |
  |
| T. Radjabov - J. Smeets |
  |
| D. Stellwagen - A. Morozevich |
  |
| M. Carlsen - L. Dominguez |
  |
| L. Aronian - M. Adams |
  |
| V. Ivanchuk - G. Kamsky |
  |
| S. Karjakin - L. van Wely |
  |
|
| Round 11 - Friday 30.01.2009 |
| L. van Wely - S. Movsesian |
  |
| G. Kamsky - S. Karjakin |
  |
| M. Adams - V. Ivanchuk |
  |
| L. Dominguez - L. Aronian |
  |
| A. Morozevich - M. Carlsen |
  |
| J. Smeets - D. Stellwagen |
  |
| Wang Yue - T. Radjabov |
  |
|
| Round 12 - Saturday 31.01.2009 |
| S. Movsesian - T. Radjabov |
  |
| D. Stellwagen - Wang Yue |
  |
| M. Carlsen - J. Smeets |
  |
| L. Aronian - A. Morozevich |
  |
| V. Ivanchuk - L. Dominguez |
  |
| S. Karjakin - M. Adams |
  |
| L. van Wely - G. Kamsky |
  |
|
| Round 13 - Sunday 1.02.2009 |
| G. Kamsky - S. Movsesian |
  |
| M. Adams - L. van Wely |
  |
| L. Dominguez - S. Karjakin |
  |
| A. Morozevich - V. Ivanchuk |
  |
| J. Smeets - L. Aronian |
  |
| Wang Yue - M. Carlsen |
  |
| T. Radjabov - D. Stellwagen |
  |
|
  |
[TABLE=588]
Schedule & results Grandmaster Group B
| Round 1 - Saturday 17.01.2009 |
| Hou Yifan - R. Kasimdzhanov 0-1 |
  |
| K. Sasikiran - E. l'Ami ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Reinderman - F. Vallejo Pons 0-1 |
  |
| N. Short - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Volokitin - F. Caruana ¬?-¬? |
  |
| H. Mecking - Z. Efimenko 0-1 |
  |
| A. Motylev - D. Navara 0-1 |
  |
|
| Round 2 - Sunday 18.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - D. Navara ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Z. Efimenko - A. Motylev ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Caruana - H. Mecking 1-0 |
  |
| J. Werle - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Vallejo Pons - N. Short 0-1 |
  |
| E. l'Ami - D. Reinderman ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Hou Yifan - K. Sasikiran 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 3 - Monday 19.01.2009 |
| K. Sasikiran - R. Kasimdzhanov 0-1 |
  |
| D. Reinderman - Hou Yifan 1-0 |
  |
| N. Short - E. l'Ami 1-0 |
  |
| A. Volokitin - F. Vallejo Pons ¬?-¬? |
  |
| H. Mecking - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Motylev - F. Caruana ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Navara - Z. Efimenko 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 4 - Tuesday 20.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - Z. Efimenko ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Caruana - D. Navara 1-0 |
  |
| J. Werle - A. Motylev 0-1 |
  |
| F. Vallejo Pons - H. Mecking 1-0 |
  |
| E. l'Ami - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Hou Yifan - N. Short ¬?-¬? |
  |
| K. Sasikiran - D. Reinderman ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 5 - Thursday 22.01.2009 |
| D. Reinderman - R. Kasimdzhanov ¬?-¬? |
  |
| N. Short - K. Sasikiran 0-1 |
  |
| A. Volokitin - Hou Yifan 1-0 |
  |
| H. Mecking - E. l'Ami ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Motylev - F. Vallejo Pons ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Navara - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
  |
| Z. Efimenko - F. Caruana 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 6 - Friday 23.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - F. Caruana ¬?-¬? |
  |
| J. Werle - Z. Efimenko ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Vallejo Pons - D. Navara 0-1 |
  |
| E. l'Ami - A. Motylev 0-1 |
  |
| Hou Yifan - H. Mecking 1-0 |
  |
| K. Sasikiran - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Reinderman - N. Short 0-1 |
  |
|
| Round 7 - Saturday 24.01.2009 |
| N. Short - R. Kasimdzhanov 1-0 |
  |
| A. Volokitin - D. Reinderman 1-0 |
  |
| H. Mecking - K. Sasikiran 1-0 |
  |
| A. Motylev - Hou Yifan 1-0 |
  |
| D. Navara - E. l'Ami 0-1 |
  |
| Z. Efimenko - F. Vallejo Pons ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Caruana - J. Werle 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 8 - Sunday 25.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - J. Werle ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Vallejo Pons - F. Caruana 1-0 |
  |
| E. l'Ami - Z. Efimenko 1-0 |
  |
| Hou Yifan - D. Navara ¬?-¬? |
  |
| K. Sasikiran - A. Motylev ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Reinderman - H. Mecking ¬?-¬? |
  |
| N. Short - A. Volokitin ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 9 - Tuesday 27.01.2009 |
| A. Volokitin - R. Kasimdzhanov ¬?-¬? |
  |
| H. Mecking - N. Short ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Motylev - D. Reinderman ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Navara - K. Sasikiran 1-0 |
  |
| Z. Efimenko - Hou Yifan ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Caruana - E. l'Ami 1-0 |
  |
| J. Werle - F. Vallejo Pons 0-1 |
  |
|
| Round 10 - Wednesday 28.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - F. Vallejo Pons |
  |
| E. l'Ami - J. Werle |
  |
| Hou Yifan - F. Caruana |
  |
| K. Sasikiran - Z. Efimenko |
  |
| D. Reinderman - D. Navara |
  |
| N. Short - A. Motylev |
  |
| A. Volokitin - H. Mecking |
  |
|
| Round 11 - Friday 30.01.2009 |
| H. Mecking - R. Kasimdzhanov |
  |
| A. Motylev - A. Volokitin |
  |
| D. Navara - N. Short |
  |
| Z. Efimenko - D. Reinderman |
  |
| F. Caruana - K. Sasikiran |
  |
| J. Werle - Hou Yifan |
  |
| F. Vallejo Pons - E. l'Ami |
  |
|
| Round 12 - Saturday 31.01.2009 |
| R. Kasimdzhanov - E. l'Ami |
  |
| Hou Yifan - F. Vallejo Pons |
  |
| K. Sasikiran - J. Werle |
  |
| D. Reinderman - F. Caruana |
  |
| N. Short - Z. Efimenko |
  |
| A. Volokitin - D. Navara |
  |
| H. Mecking - A. Motylev |
  |
|
| Round 13 - Sunday 1.02.2009 |
| A. Motylev - R. Kasimdzhanov |
  |
| D. Navara - H. Mecking |
  |
| Z. Efimenko - A. Volokitin |
  |
| F. Caruana - N. Short |
  |
| J. Werle - D. Reinderman |
  |
| F. Vallejo Pons - K. Sasikiran |
  |
| E. l'Ami - Hou Yifan |
  |
|
  |
[TABLE=589]
Schedule & results Grandmaster Group C
| Round 1 - Saturday 17.01.2009 |
| T. Hillarp Persson - R. Pruijssers ¬?-¬? |
  |
| D. Howell - M. Bosboom 0-1 |
  |
| F. Nijboer - W. So 0-1 |
  |
| O. Romanishin - A. Bitalzadeh 1-0 |
  |
| A. Giri - F. Holzke ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Gupta - D. Harika 0-1 |
  |
| E. Iturrizaga - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 2 - Sunday 18.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
  |
| D. Harika - E. Iturrizaga ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Holzke - A. Gupta ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Bitalzadeh - A. Giri ¬?-¬? |
  |
| W. So - O. Romanishin ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Bosboom - F. Nijboer 1-0 |
  |
| T. Hillarp Persson - D. Howell 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 3 - Monday 19.01.2009 |
| D. Howell - R. Pruijssers 1-0 |
  |
| F. Nijboer - T. Hillarp Persson ¬?-¬? |
  |
| O. Romanishin - M. Bosboom ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Giri - W. So ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Gupta - A. Bitalzadeh 0-1 |
  |
| E. Iturrizaga - F. Holzke 1-0 |
  |
| M. Leon Hoyos - D. Harika 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 4 - Tuesday 20.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - D. Harika ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Holzke - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
  |
| A. Bitalzadeh - E. Iturrizaga 1-0 |
  |
| W. So - A. Gupta ¬?-¬? |
  |
| M. Bosboom - A. Giri ¬?-¬? |
  |
| T. Hillarp Persson - O. Romanishin 1-0 |
  |
| D. Howell - F. Nijboer 1-0 |
  |
|
| Round 5 - Thursday 22.01.2009 |
| F. Nijboer - R. Pruijssers 1-0 |
  |
| O. Romanishin - D. Howell 0-1 |
  |
| A. Giri - T. Hillarp Persson 0-1 |
  |
| A. Gupta - M. Bosboom 1-0 |
  |
| E. Iturrizaga - W. So 0-1 |
  |
| M. Leon Hoyos - A. Bitalzadeh 1-0 |
  |
| D. Harika - F. Holzke ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 6 - Friday 23.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - F. Holzke 0-1 |
  |
| A. Bitalzadeh - D. Harika ¬?-¬? |
  |
| W. So - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
  |
| M. Bosboom - E. Iturrizaga 1-0 |
  |
| T. Hillarp Persson - A. Gupta 0-1 |
  |
| D. Howell - A. Giri ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Nijboer - O. Romanishin ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 7 - Saturday 24.01.2009 |
| O. Romanishin - R. Pruijssers ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Giri - F. Nijboer ¬?-¬? |
  |
| A. Gupta - D. Howell 1-0 |
  |
| E. Iturrizaga - T. Hillarp Persson 0-1 |
  |
| M. Leon Hoyos - M. Bosboom 1-0 |
  |
| D. Harika - W. So ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Holzke - A. Bitalzadeh ¬?-¬? |
  |
|
| Round 8 - Sunday 25.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - A. Bitalzadeh 1-0 |
  |
| W. So - F. Holzke 0-1 |
  |
| M. Bosboom - D. Harika ¬?-¬? |
  |
| T. Hillarp Persson - M. Leon Hoyos 1-0 |
  |
| D. Howell - E. Iturrizaga 1-0 |
  |
| F. Nijboer - A. Gupta 1-0 |
  |
| O. Romanishin - A. Giri 0-1 |
  |
|
| Round 9 - Tuesday 27.01.2009 |
| A. Giri - R. Pruijssers 1-0 |
  |
| A. Gupta - O. Romanishin 1-0 |
  |
| E. Iturrizaga - F. Nijboer 1-0 |
  |
| M. Leon Hoyos - D. Howell 0-1 |
  |
| D. Harika - T. Hillarp Persson ¬?-¬? |
  |
| F. Holzke - M. Bosboom 1-0 |
  |
| A. Bitalzadeh - W. So 0-1 |
  |
|
| Round 10 - Wednesday 28.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - W. So |
  |
| M. Bosboom - A. Bitalzadeh |
  |
| T. Hillarp Persson - F. Holzke |
  |
| D. Howell - D. Harika |
  |
| F. Nijboer - M. Leon Hoyos |
  |
| O. Romanishin - E. Iturrizaga |
  |
| A. Giri - A. Gupta |
  |
|
| Round 11 - Friday 30.01.2009 |
| A. Gupta - R. Pruijssers |
  |
| E. Iturrizaga - A. Giri |
  |
| M. Leon Hoyos - O. Romanishin |
  |
| D. Harika - F. Nijboer |
  |
| F. Holzke - D. Howell |
  |
| A. Bitalzadeh - T. Hillarp Persson |
  |
| W. So - M. Bosboom |
  |
|
| Round 12 - Saturday 31.01.2009 |
| R. Pruijssers - M. Bosboom |
  |
| T. Hillarp Persson - W. So |
  |
| D. Howell - A. Bitalzadeh |
  |
| F. Nijboer - F. Holzke |
  |
| O. Romanishin - D. Harika |
  |
| A. Giri - M. Leon Hoyos |
  |
| A. Gupta - E. Iturrizaga |
  |
|
| Round 13 - Sunday 1.02.2009 |
| E. Iturrizaga - R. Pruijssers |
  |
| M. Leon Hoyos - A. Gupta |
  |
| D. Harika - A. Giri |
  |
| F. Holzke - O. Romanishin |
  |
| A. Bitalzadeh - F. Nijboer |
  |
| W. So - D. Howell |
  |
| M. Bosboom - T. Hillarp Persson |
  |
|
  |
[TABLE=590]Links:
In a direct duel, Karjakin defeated Movsesian to take over the lead again at the Corus Chess Tournament today. Aronian joined him by winning with Black against Kamsky, while Dominguez won the only other decisive game, against Stellwagen.Movesian's novelty 15...Qf4! looks strong and indeed, after the game Karjakin admitted that his opponent had come to the game better prepared than him. "18.Bh3 was perhaps a bit strange, but the point was not to make a draw immediately", he said. "My Rg1-g5-b5 was strong, although it's perhaps still equal, but then 27...Rd1+ was strange." Black lost an important tempo and soon found himself in a queen ending that was perhaps not yet lost, but practically very hard to defend.
Kamsky-Aronian was the longest game of the round - including all the amauteur players and the games from groups B and C. Interestingly, Aronian said he is "tired of the Marshall" and wanted to go for complications. He followed up with an even better quote: "The only chance to win the game is to give your opponent chances." And indeed, Black got a winning position but then almost gave it all away. "I almost managed to draw it", the Armenian said. He was happy that he didn't spoil it again, like in the previous round.
A great game was Dominguez-Stellwagen - such a sharp Winawer French is always a joy to watch, isn't it. 19...a6 and 20...Nc4 seems to be the new thing here, and the Dutchman immediately followed up with the typical d5-d4 pawn sac, which is difficult to assess. OK, Black should probably have taken the rook on move 24, but on the other hand White could have taken on b7 a move earlier. In the game Black had to fight for his life, and it looked like he almost succeeded but Dominguez had calculated sharply that he could liquidate to a winning pawn ending by force.
Quite a few games were drawn quickly today. Morozevich tested Radjabov's KID repertoire with a fianchetto of the king's bishop, which for today turned out to be a rare line of the Gr?ºnfeld. White got nothing out of the opening and after swapping some material the players called it a day. Smeets-Wang Yue was more interesting until a certain point - the moment when someone tells you that it was all played before. ALL. Carlsson-Pileckis, Plovdiv 2008, was followed till the end. At the Olympiad in Dresden, Grischuk had tried 25.0-0 against Illescas but this game also ended in a draw.
Carlsen hasn't won a game yet and today he seemed to be going for it. But even Kasparov often had trouble creating enough chaos (and consequently serious winning chances) against Adams' typical, quiet and positional play, and the Norwegian's Dragon couldn't do the trick either.Van Wely and Ivanchuk was another game that started with loads of theory; the Dutchman has much experiece in this English line and his 19.a4 was the first new move, which more or less by force led to a drawn rook ending.In the B group, Short tried to increase his lead to a point for a long time in a slightly better ending against Mecking, but the Brazilian didn't falter. Many players are now chasing the Englishman with just half a point less, Navara being one of them. He played a gem against Sasikiran using the Closed Sicilian. "I was inspired by grandmaster Boris Spassky", he said before the camera (a clip with the Czech will be in this round's Corus Chess News).Bosboom missed his GM norm, for which he needed to beat Holzke - instead, he lost more or less without a chance. So narrowed the gap between him and Hillarp Persson to half a point by beating Bitalzadeh with Black.Here are all of today's games for replay:
