Tata Steel: looking with pleasure at B and C

This event is taking place from January 14th to 30th, 2011 in the traditional De Moriaan Center in Wijk aan Zee. There are three Grandmaster Groups, with 14 players each and each competitor playing against every other. The rate of play is 100 minutes for 40 moves, then 50 minutes for 20 moves and finally 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30 seconds/move increment starting with the first move of the game. Games begin at 13:30h local time (CET), except for the last round on January 30th, which begins at 12:00h. There are three rest days, on January 19th, 24th, and 27th.

The Rising Stars in "B" and "C"

With the three top rated players in the world playing in the “A” group, and a group of stars, it is quite understandable that the focus of the reports has been on them, but we would be remiss to ignore the “B” and “C” groups which have helped reveal some of them. The world number one, Magnus Carlsen climbed the the ladder just as everyone, by winning the “C” group in 2004, and then the “B” in 2006 (no, not 2005, which he failed to win) to qualify for the “A” group.  

This same trial-by-fire is true of 16-year-old Anish Giri, whom some might think was given a spot by virtue of his status as the top-rated Dutch player, and Wijk aan Zee being played on his home turf, but banish all such thoughts from your mind. Giri also passed the test, by qualifying from “C” in 2009 (just behind Wesley So), and winning “B” outright in 2010, and jumping from his FM title, obtained in 2008, to GM a year later.

This is merely to say that the Wijk “B” and “C” events have traditionally served to herald rising stars, and this year seems unlikely to be an exception. Should you wish to peruse past events and reports, you will find them all neatly organized by year under Games and Tournaments.

By order of immediate prestige, the “B” event has been taken by storm in the first rounds by English GM Luke McShane who started with an immaculate 3.0/3 and though he slowed down to a sedate 4.0/5, he is still the sole leader.

Luke McShane going for gold in his quest for a spot in the "A" group

Here is a fine game he won in the first round against Spoelman, which attracted the attention of GM Karsten Mueller, who admired how the Englishman mounted a mating attack in the endgame.

McShane,L (2664) - Spoelman,W (2547) [B51]
73rd Tata Steel GMB Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 15.01.2011 [Mueller,Karsten]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nc6 4.0-0 Bd7 5.Re1 Nf6 6.h3 a6 7.Bf1 e5 8.c3 Be7 9.d4 0-0 10.d5 Na7 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.d6 Bc6 13.dxe7 Qxe7 14.Nd2 Nb5 15.Qc2 Nd6 16.b3 b6 17.Bd3 Rfd8 18.Nf1 h6 19.Ng3 a5 20.Qe2 Qd7 21.Qf3 Nh7 22.Bc2 Ng5 23.Qh5 f6 24.f4 exf4 25.Bxf4 Qf7 26.e5 fxe5 27.Bxe5 Nc4 28.Qxf7+ Nxf7 29.Bf4 Ncd6 30.Re6 Bd5 31.Rg6 b5 32.Re1 a4 33.Nh5 Ne8 34.Rxe8+ Rxe8 35.Nf6+ Kh8 36.Nxd5 Re2 37.Bd3 Rxa2 38.bxa4 Ra1+ 39.Kf2 bxa4 40.Nc7 Rd8 41.Bc4 a3 42.Ra6 g5 43.Bxf7 gxf4

The Mating Attack: Usually direct attacks occur in the middlegame. One major difference in the endgame is that the king often joins its attacking army. 44.Ne8! McShane starts the attack. Many mating motifs will crop up again and again. A real pleasure to enjoy! 44...Kh7 45.Bg6+ Kg8 46.Ra7

46...Rd2+ Black must give checks to prevent the mate, but this only drives White's king into the attack. 46...a2?? 47.Nf6+ Kf8 (47...Kh8 48.Rh7#) 48.Rf7# 47.Kf3 Rf1+ 48.Ke4 Re1+ 49.Kf5 Rd5+ 50.Kf6 Rd8 51.Bf7+ Kh8

52.Nc7! McShane's knight will be more powerful on e6, forcing Black to take urgent measures, however he is unable to save himself. 52...f3 53.gxf3 Re3 54.f4 Rxc3 55.f5 Rb8. 55...Rxh3 56.Ne6 Rb8 57.Nf4 Rg3 58.Ng6+ Rxg6+ 59.Kxg6 c4 60.Bxc4 Rb6+ 61.Be6+- 56.h4 c4 57.Nb5 Rb6+ 57...Rxb5? 58.Ra8+ Kh7 59.Bg6#; 57...Rg3 58.Nxa3 c3 59.Rc7+- 58.Be6 Rg3. 58...Rxb5? 59.Ra8+ Kh7 60.Bg8+ Kh8 61.Bf7+ Kh7 62.Bg6# 59.Ra8+ Kh7 60.Ra7+ Kh8 61.Nxa3 c3 62.Rc7 Ra6. 62...Rb8 is more tenacious, but White would still win after 63.Nc4 Rf8+ 64.Ke5 Rg7 65.Rc6 c2 66.Ne3 Rg3 67.Nxc2+- 63.Rc8+ Kh7 64.Rc7+ Kh8

65.Nc4! Ra8 66.Ne5 Rf8+ 67.Ke7 Ra8. 67...Rg7+ runs into 68.Kxf8 Rxc7 69.Ng6+ Kh7 70.Bg8# 68.Ng6+ Kg7 69.Kd6+ After Kf6 70.Rf7# 1-0. [Click to replay]

The highest rated player in the “B” group is the Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek (2726) who suffered an instant false-start when he lost to top Czech GM David Navara (2709) in a fascinating endgame that GM Mueller will analyze in detail in the next issue of Chessbase Magazine. This might have seemed a very bad sign of things to come, as usually such disasters tend to signal poor form, or lead to a significant loss of self-confidence. However, the Polish star, who has seconded Anand in two World Championship matches, and gone from good GM to top 20 in the last year, erased this from his mind and has been on the comeback track with 3.0/4 in the last four rounds, and is now in the top third.

Radoslaw Wojtaszek's work as Anand's second seems to be paying off as he has
gained 90 Elo in the last year to a remarkable 2726.

This is his win over Li Chao (2649) in the third round.

Wojtaszek,R (2726) - Li Chao2 (2649) [D72]
73rd Tata Steel GMB Wijk aan Zee NED (3), 17.01.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nb6 7.Ne2 c5 8.d5 e6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nec3 exd5 11.exd5 Bf5

11...Na6 12.Nd2 Bf5 13.Nde4 Qd7 14.Qb3 Bh3 15.Bxh3 Qxh3 16.Be3 c4 17.Qb5 Nc7 18.Qa5 Qf5 19.Rad1 Rfd8 20.Bxb6 axb6 21.Qxb6 Bxc3 22.Nxc3 Nxd5 23.Nxd5 Rxd5 24.Qxb7 Rad8 25.Rxd5 Rxd5 26.Qb8+ Kg7 27.Qb4 1-0 Bareev,E (2709)-Van Wely,L (2679)/Monte Carlo 2005/CBM 105 ext (42) 12.g4!? An interesting and ambitious decision. 12...Bxb1 13.Rxb1 Qd7 14.Ne4 Na6 15.g5 Qf5 16.d6 Rad8 17.Qf3 Nc4 18.Bf4 Nb4 19.Rfc1 b5 20.b3 Nd5 21.Bg3 Na3

22.Rxc5! Nxb1. 22...Qxf3 23.Bxf3 Nxb1 24.Rxd5 Nc3 25.Nxc3 Bxc3 26.Rxb5 and the monster passed pawn on d6, supported by the bishop pair, ensures and advantage for White. 23.Rxd5 Qc8? Though unpleasant, Black just had to lop off the queen and hope for the best. It might seem desirable to keep the queens on, but here the white queen is the stronger of the two. 23...Qxf3 24.Bxf3 Nc3 25.Nxc3 Bxc3 26.Rxb5 24.Nf6+! Kh8 25.h4 Qc2

26.Qd3. White had the simple and strong 26.h5! here. The threat is 27.h6! If 26...Qc3 27.Be5 Qxf3 28.Bxf3 gxh5 h6 was still threatened. 29.Rxb5 26...Qc1+ 27.Kh2 Nc3 28.Rc5 b4 29.d7 Qb2 30.Bh3 Qxa2 31.Rc8 a6 32.Qe3 Qe2 33.Rxc3 1-0. [Click to replay]

Still, the player closest on the heels of McShane is Ukrainian GM Efimenko (2701) who beat Navara in round five, and is now only half a point behind with 3.5/5. Note that the tournament is thirteen rounds long, so there is *plenty* of play left for all.

Zahar Efimenko is not about to let Luke take the title without a fight

The “C” event is usually the hardest to judge, not so much for the current result, as because players on the rise are not always easy to identify if they are still on the bottom rung. “Usually”, but not in this case. The world’s current youngest grandmaster, 14-year-old Ukrainian Ilya Nyzhnyk (2530) pretty much started with as big a bang as he could hope for, when he played the top-rated GM Kazhgaleyev (2637) and outplayed him so badly that the latter has been unable to muster any good form since.

GM Ilya Nyzhnyk with his mother

An impressive game, judge for yourself.

Nyzhnyk,I (2530) - Kazhgaleyev,M (2637) [E94]
73rd Tata Steel GMC Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 15.01.2011

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Nf3 e5 7.0-0 exd4 8.Nxd4 Re8 9.f3 c6 10.Nc2 Kh1 is more common here but Nyzhnyk's choice is unquestionably one of specific preparation against his opponent. 10...Na6 11.Be3 11.Kh1 Nh5 12.g4 Nf6 13.Bf4 h5 14.g5 Nh7 15.Rg1 Be5 16.Qd2 b6 17.Rad1 Bb7 18.Bf1 Qe7 19.Nd4 Rad8 20.Bh3 Nc7 21.b4 Kh8 22.b5 cxb5 23.Ncxb5 Nxb5 24.cxb5 f6 25.Ne6 Rb8 26.Bxe5 dxe5 27.gxf6 Qxf6 28.Ng5 1/2-1/2 Kasimdzhanov,R (2685)-Kazhgaleyev,M (2623)/Guangzhou 2010/CB00_2011 (39)

11...d5! This is the reason 10.Kh1 is the more common line. This classic liberating move achieves near equality for Black. 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.exd5

13...Nb4! 14.Nxb4 Rxe3 15.Nc2 Re8 16.Kh1 Qa5. Another possibility was to play 16...a6 with the idea of Qd6 and Bf5 to complete development. 17.Bc4 Bd7 18.Qd2 h5?! A weakening move that the young GM immediately goes about to exploit. 19.Qf2 a6 20.Rad1 Rac8 21.Bb3 Qc5

22.Qg3 White is already preparing nasty tricks along the lines of d6, opening the bishop diagonal, and Qxg6. 22...Rcd8 23.Nd4 Kh7

24.d6! Rf8 25.Rfe1 Bc8 26.Nc2 b5 27.Re5 Qb6 28.Re7 Rd7 29.Ne3 Qd8 30.Rxd7 Qxd7 31.Ned5 Bb7 32.Ne7 Kh8

33.Bxf7! Diagram - exclamation point - diagram - exclamation point.... No comments? Other than 'brilliant' and its synonyms, there really hasn't been much to add. Ilya's conduct of the initiative and attack has been exemplary in its efficiency, and could easily serve as a model of one of those "Guess the Next Move" columns. 33...Rxf7 34.Nxg6+ Kg8 35.Ne5 Qe6 36.Nxf7 Qxf7 37.Re1. Look who's coming to dinner. 37...h4 38.Qg5 Bc6 39.Re7 Qf8 40.Rc7 b4 41.d7 Nxd7

42.Nd5! Qe8. 42...Bxd5 43.Qxd5+ Qf7 44.Qxf7+ Kxf7 45.Rxd7+ Kf8 46.b3; 42...Qd6? 43.Rxc6! Qxc6 44.Ne7+

43.Rc8! The queen is lost, since after Qxc8 comes Ne7+ so... 1-0. [Click to replay]

In spite of this superb game, and blistering 4.0/5 start with a 2748 performance, he is not the leader. That title belongs to Italian GM Daniele Vocaturo who has had an astonishing run of 4.5/5, peppered by good play and good luck.

The “C” group also has the only two ladies in any of the groups, including World Women’s Blitz champion, GM Kateryna Lahno (2518) who is third with 3.5/5, and Tania Sachdev (2391) on 50%.

Indian Tania Sachdev (2391)

Pictures by Frits Agterdenbos (ChessVista), André Schulz, and Fabrice Wantiez

Current standings after five rounds

Grandmaster "B" tournament

Grandmaster "C" tournament

Watching the games

It goes without saying that the options to watch the games live are wide and varied. You can watch them at no cost on Playchess, enjoying the software's new options to display multiple boards at the same time, and if you are a Premium member, live grandmaster commentary will be provided on Playchess for every round by GM Daniel King, author of the best-selling Power Play series, and GM Lubomir Ftacnik.

A 10-minute sample of the Daily Roundup by GM Daniel King on the fourth round action.

If you miss the live games, you can always watch the commentary after the fact, or get an abridged tale via the Daily Roundup show also hosted on Playchess. Again, if you miss the show, it remains available on the server at your disposal.

Schedule of Grandmaster Group B

Schedule of Grandmaster Group C

Links Official tournament site "A" tournament games in PGN "B" tournament games in PGN "C" tournament games in PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009!