Radjabov's Qualification Chances Take Hit After Second GP Loss

The two men attempting to qualify for the next Candidates' tournament tried the hardest today. The hardest not to lose. Only one was successful.

GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Teimour Radjabov played the two longest games of round seven of the FIDE Grand Prix in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The Frenchman had some chances to win or lose, but the Azeri player was mostly just trying to keep any hopes alive.

In the end, Vachier-Lagrave held to remain in the hunt, while Radjabov lost his second game of the tournament. The former wunderkind Radjabov is now 1.5 points off the lead and his chances to qualify are on life support. He may well need to go 3.0/3 the rest of the way (he needs clear third, and there's two fistfuls of players ahead of him right now).

On the top board, GM Peter Svidler wanted to quell his chessic "ennui" as he told Chess.com.

GM Peter Svidler thinking about his next DVD series and what other "SAT words" he'll use in his interviews. | Photo: Mike Klein/Chess.com.

His Benoni against tournament leader GM Levon Aronian was a fun adventure for fans as well before the eventual repetition.

Palma Grand Prix | Round 6 Results

Before those three closing rounds are played, let's see the qualification race as it stands today. Radjabov's potential points went way down while Vachier-Lagrave took only a minor hit (one more player joined his score group, watering down his points slightly).

Put another way: Vachier-Lagrave told Chess.com that his minimum qualification score will be at least "plus two" (one more win) while Radjabov's maximum score at the moment is plus two, and that's only if he runs the table. One more curious twist: They've still not played, and quite possibly won't as they are several score groups away at present.

Radjabov began the day on an even score and did just about everything he could to get into positive territory and join the large peleton chasing Aronian. As Black against GM Evgeny Tomashevsky, the Azeri played the Pirc, then he eschewed a repetition, then started advancing pawns in front of his king.

GM Teimour Radjabov tried to win as Black against GM Evgeny Tomashevsky with the Pirc (recall Carlsen uses it occasionally, like at this year's Isle of Man). | Photo: Mike Klein/Chess.com.

It all came to nothing, and then just after bailing out by trading queens and entering a slightly worse opposite-colored-bishop ending with rooks, Radjabov erred badly and allowed a neat decisive breakthrough. The snap loss means he will need to be perfect down the stretch to qualify.

Unlike Radjabov, Vachier-Lagrave's imbalances actually gave him some hopes for a full point. His rook+two pawns vs. two minors against GM Pentala Harikrishna eventually fizzled when the Indian decided to form a fortress rather than go for activity. The draw was agreed with only Tomashevsky and Radjabov still battling in the playing hall.

"I thought I was better," the Frenchman told Chess.com. "I missed one move - 37. f5 - and after that I'm already back to fighting for my life."

Before the tournament began, Vachier-Lagrave told Chess.com that he estimated his chances at qualification at "30 percent." Does he feel that number has gone up or down? We caught up with Vachier-Lagrave afterward to ask him about that percentage, playing in a hotel that is closed for winter, and the all-important question of French vs. Spanish beaches:

On top board Aronian and Svidler only played 24 moves but most were exciting. In typical Svidler fashion, he performed his usual sound byte that combined humor with self-deprecation.

"I have a suspicion that Levon Aronian looked at the line, which happened in the game, in more detail, because I think it’s more difficult to look at it in less detail than I did."

Like Vachier-Lagrave, Aronian said he didn't mind the solitude afforded by choosing a closed hotel as the site.

"Nothing affects a chess player’s play, he said. "Once you’re in the playing hall, nothing affects your play.”

GM Levon Aronian and GM Peter Svidler chat amiably about their game afterward. | Photo: Mike Klein/Chess.com.

The man is clearly excited about playing chess these days. After winning the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz, then the World Cup, he got married and now leads here in Mallorca. That's enough to make anyone bounce in his chair:

Is standing up from the board the chess equivalent of dropping the mic? 🎤🖐️@LevAronian#FIDEGP pic.twitter.com/DSf0KOPn18

— Chess.com (@chesscom) November 22, 2017

Chess.com caught up with Svidler to ask him about the choice of the Benoni and why his opponent had a "long think, wrong think." You may also be further impressed by the Russian's vocabulary in English, which is already legendary:

Chess.com did get that answer from Aronian on why he played 20. Ng5.

"I saw 20. Ra3 leads to a big advantage for me," he said. "I thought, ‘Why don’t I mate him?’ I just got carried away. I just forgot that the rook could take on e6. That came as an unpleasant surprise."

In other action, GM Boris Gelfand lost to GM Ernesto Inarkiev, meaning something that hasn't happened for a dozen years just occurred:

For the first time since 2005 Gelfand is out of the 2700 club. https://t.co/AqWG3Dhsvi Photo: @amrutamokal pic.twitter.com/kRAwhgjvsc

— 2700chess (@2700chess) November 22, 2017

The only other winner of the round was GM Richard Rapport, who crept up into the +1 score group with what he called "coffeehouse" chess at the finish. In an equal position but in terrible time pressure, GM Alexander Riazantsev allowing a punishing knight infiltration that led to an Arabian mate:

On playing the Reverse Stonewall today, Rapport joked to Chess.com that it's part of his regular repertoire anyway, and perhaps the only person who used it at a higher rate lives in his house (WGM Jovana Rapport, née Vojinović).

"The only person who played it more is my wife," Rapport said. "She changed her name just to secure this achievement!"

All other games were drawn. We also learned today that in addition to playing sports on yesterday's rest day (mostly football), a few of the players watched the Speed Chess Championship semifinal, where GM Magnus Carlsen beat GM Alexander Grischuk. 

GM Ding Liren watched much of the match (this time at a safer distance than last week, when the world champion demolished him at the Champions Showdown). As for GM Hikaru Nakamura, he stopped following after the lopsided five-minute section, where Carlsen built up his big lead.

GM Hikaru Nakamura (left) told Chess.com that he did see GM Ding Liren's G/30 and G/20 games in St. Louis last week as part of his preparation. | Photo: Mike Klein/Chess.com.

Chess.com asked Nakamura on pure speculation: If he gets passed GM Sergey Karjakin in his own semifinal, how would he feel about a finals rematch with the Norwegian?

"I like playing Magnus," he said. "If you gave me a choice, the list goes: Magnus one, then Karjakin and Grischuk together [in second].”

Palma Grand Prix | Round 6 Standings

Pairings round seven: Rapport-Aronian; Vachier-Lagrave-Tomashevsky; Svidler-Nakamura; Jakovenko-Harikrishna; Ding-Giri; Inarkiev-Vallejo; Radjabov-Li; Eljanov-Hammer; Riazantsev-Gelfand.

The Palma de Mallorca Grand Prix takes place November 16-25 (with a rest day on Nov. 21) in the Iberostar Cristina hotel in Palma de Mallorca. It is a nine-round Swiss with 18 players. The prize fund is €130,000 / $152,892. The time control is 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, 50 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

Previous reports:

• Giri, MVL, Inarkiev Start With Wins At Palma Grand Prix
• Aronian, Radjabov Join Leaders At Palma GP
• Svidler Moves To Shared First Place At Palma GP
• Bloody Sunday Produces Six Winners, Aronian As Sole Leader
• Rest Day Before The Rest Day: All Grand Prix Games Drawn