Masters Final R8: Carlsen and Nakamura narrow gap with Ivanchuk

In the Grand Slam Masters FInal Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nalamura narrowed the gap with tournament leader Vassily Ivanchuk to 3 points on Saturday in Bilbao, Spain. Carlsen beat Francisco Vallejo, while Nakamura won against Levon Aronian. Ivanchuk drew with Vishy Anand. Sunday is a rest day.

A huge crowd, bigger than on any day in 2010, had gathered on Saturday

Round 8

After the rest day (Sunday) the Masters Final tournament will have a great finale: on Monday, with White, Magnus Carlsen plays against Vassily Ivanchuk, who after the 8th round is just 3 points ahead of the Norwegian. Hikaru Nakamura also has chances to become the leader in the next round when he plays tail-ender Francisco Vallejo. Virtually without chances for victory, Anand and Aronian play each other on Monday.

But first round 7, when Vallejo played well again. From a Slav, the Spaniard reached an ending that was about equal, but then he took a poisoned pawn on g2 and suddenly he lost a piece.

[Event "4th Final Masters"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao BRA/ESP"]
[Date "2011.10.08"]
[Round "8.2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2823"]
[BlackElo "2716"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2011.09.26"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3
Qb6 9. Nxg6 hxg6 10. Bd2 Bd6 11. h3 Nbd7 12. O-O-O Qxb3 13. axb3 a6 14. Kc2 Nh5
15. Bd3 Ng3 16. Rhe1 O-O-O 17. e4 dxe4 18. fxe4 c5 19. d5 Rde8 20. Na2 exd5 21.
exd5 Nf5 22. b4 Nd4+ 23. Kb1 Nb3 24. Bc3 cxb4 25. Nxb4 Be5 26. Na2 Bxc3 27.
Nxc3 Ndc5 28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. Bc2 Re3 30. Ka2 Na5 31. Rd4 Rg3 32. Ne4 Rxg2 $2 (
32... Nxe4 33. Bxe4 Nb3 34. Rd1 Re3 35. Bc2 Nc5 {is equal.}) 33. Rd2 $1 {
Suddenly the threat of b2-b4 is winning in all lines.} Rxd2 34. Nxd2 b5 35. b4
Nab7 36. bxc5 Nxc5 37. Ne4 Nb7 38. c5 f5 39. c6 fxe4 40. cxb7+ Kxb7 41. Bxe4
Kc7 42. Kb3 a5 43. Kc3 a4 44. Bc2 g5 45. Kd4 Kd6 46. Bd1 1-0

Carlsen waiting for his opponent to resign, Nakamura watching along

Nakamura played an impressive game against Aronian. From a Queen's Gambit Declined with 5.Bf4 and 7.g4 (the way Botvinnik and Kasparov used to play it!) he kept a small advantage into the ending. Perhaps Aronian could have drawn it somewhere but it wasn't easy and Nakamura showed fine technique.

[Event "4th Final Masters"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao BRA/ESP"]
[Date "2011.10.08"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2011.09.26"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. g4 Be6 8. h4
Nd7 9. h5 Nh6 10. Be2 Nb6 11. Nh3 g5 12. hxg6 hxg6 13. Bg3 Qd7 14. Nf4 O-O-O
15. Nxe6 Qxe6 16. Rg1 Bd6 17. Qc2 Bxg3 18. Rxg3 f5 19. O-O-O Nxg4 20. Bxg4 fxg4
21. Rdg1 Rh4 22. Qe2 Rf8 23. Nd1 Rf4 24. Kd2 Nc4+ 25. Ke1 Rf3 26. Rxf3 gxf3 27.
Qxf3 Qf5 28. Qg3 Rh6 29. b3 Nb6 30. Qg4 Nd7 31. Qxf5 gxf5 32. Nc3 Nf6 33. Ne2
Ng4 34. Nf4 Rh2 35. Nd3 Kd8 36. b4 Ke7 37. a4 b6 $2 {
This looks wrong, as it weakens c6 too much.} 38. Ke2 Kd6 39. Kf3 a5 (39... Kc7
40. Rc1 Kb7 41. b5 cxb5 42. axb5) 40. bxa5 bxa5 41. Kg3 Kc7 42. Rc1 Rh7 (42...
Kb6 43. Ne5 Rh6 44. Nxg4 fxg4 45. Kxg4 Rg6+ 46. Kf5) 43. Kf4 Re7 44. Rc2 Re4+
45. Kg5 Re8 46. Rb2 Rf8 47. Nc5 Kc8 48. Kf4 Rh8 49. f3 Nh2 50. Rf2 Rh3 51. Nb3
Kc7 52. Nxa5 Kb6 53. Nb3 Ka6 54. Nc1 Ka5 55. Ne2 Kxa4 56. Ng1 Rh6 57. Kg3 Ng4
58. fxg4 fxg4 59. Rf5 Rh1 60. Kg2 Rh4 61. Ne2 Kb5 62. Nf4 Rh8 63. Kg3 Rg8 64.
Re5 Kc4 65. Re6 Kb5 66. Re7 Kb4 67. Nd3+ Kc3 68. Ne5 c5 69. dxc5 d4 70. exd4
Kxd4 71. Nd7 Rd8 72. c6 Rc8 73. Re6 Rc7 74. Rd6+ Kc4 75. Kxg4 Kb5 76. Ne5 Rh7
77. Rd7 Rh8 78. Kf5 Kb6 79. Ke6 1-0

The two endings that both will finish in '1-0' still in progress

Ivanchuk played a good game against the World Champion. In a well-known line of the Queen's Indian the Ukrainian kept a small advantage into a knight ending, but Anand was never in real danger.

[Event "4th Final Masters"]
[Site "Sao Paulo/Bilbao BRA/ESP"]
[Date "2011.10.08"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2817"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2011.09.26"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5
bxc5 9. e3 O-O 10. Be2 d6 11. O-O Nbd7 12. Rfd1 Qb6 13. Rd2 Rfd8 14. Rad1 a6
15. h3 Bc6 16. Ne1 Qc7 17. Bf3 Ne5 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. b3 Ra7 20. Bg3 Qc8 21. Na4
Re8 22. Bh4 Ned7 23. Nc3 Ra8 24. f4 Qc7 25. Nf3 Rad8 26. e4 Nb8 27. e5 dxe5 28.
fxe5 Rxd2 29. Qxd2 Rd8 30. Qe1 Rxd1 31. Nxd1 Nh7 32. Bxe7 Qxe7 33. Nf2 Qc7 34.
Ne4 Nf8 35. h4 Nbd7 36. Nf2 Ng6 37. Nd3 Ne7 38. Qe4 Qc6 39. Nf2 Qxe4 40. Nxe4
Nc6 41. Kf2 Kf8 42. g4 Ke7 43. g5 a5 44. Ke3 Ncxe5 45. Nxe5 Nxe5 46. Nxc5 hxg5
47. hxg5 f5 48. gxf6+ gxf6 49. a3 f5 50. Kd4 Nc6+ 51. Kc3 Kd6 52. b4 axb4+ 53.
axb4 e5 54. Nb3 e4 55. b5 Nd8 56. c5+ Kd5 57. Nd4 Kxc5 58. Nxf5 Nb7 1/2-1/2

During the rest day some of the players will do a showcooking in restaurante Yandiola with the cook Ricardo Pérez - they'll prepare special dishes of the famous brand Angulas Aguinaga with angulas (eels), pulpo (octopus) and mejillones (mussels).

Grand Slam Masters Final 2011 | Schedule & results