United States grandmaster and its number one chess player Hikaru Nakamura emerged victorious at the recent London Super Sixteen rapid tournament at which some of the finest players in the world were represented. The former Indian world champion Vishy Anand was there, and so was the former Russian world champ Vladimir Kramnik. Italy’s Fabiano Caruana, Israel’s Boris Gelfand, the highest-ranked woman player of all time, Judit Polgar, from Hungary, and the British grandmasters led by Michael Adams and Nigel Short were all there.
Anand reached the semi-finals but was eliminated by Kramnik with black in a thrilling encounter, a game which lasted a mere 27 moves. Short lost to Nakamura, Gelfand outplayed Caruana and Adams beat Peter Svidler. In the finals, it was Nakamura versus Gelfand. Playing resourceful and precise chess, Nakamura defeated the Israeli grandmaster.
Although there are a lot of chess stories circulating, like Garry Kasparov embarking on the campaign trail in Indonesia for the FIDE presidency, I prefer to give readers and enthusiasts of the royal game less story and more games for Christmas.
And incidentally, what can be more valuable than to give a gift of a chess set for Christmas? I will be courageous and say that the receiver would never forget the gift nor the giver. I will always remember my first chess set, and the person, Anthony Willis, who taught me to play the game. Tournament sized chess sets are available from as manageable a sum as $800 per set. So I would encourage you, dear readers, to pick up a chess set and play the game of laymen, kings and queens ‒ and just about everyone. A happy Christmas to all!
Games
Event: London Chess Classic (Knockout)
Site: London England
Date: December 14, 2013
EventDate: December 14, 2013
Round 1.2
Result: 0-1
White: Viswanathan Anand
Black: Vladimir Kramnik
1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. a3 a6
7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qc2 Qe7 11. Rd1 Rd8
12. Be2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 b5 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4
Rac8 17. Qb1 f5 18. Bd3 a5 19. bxa5 Nxa5 20. O-O Nc4 21. Be2
Be4 22. Qa1 Nxb2 23. Qxb2 b4 24. axb4 Rc2 25. Qb3 Rxe2 26. Nd4
Bd5 27. Qd3 Qh4 0-1.
Event: London Chess Classic (Knockout)
Site: London England
Date: December 15, 2013
Event Date: December 14, 2013
Round 2.2
Result: 1-0
White: Hikaru Nakamura
Black: Vladimir Kramnik
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3
c5 7. a3 g6 8. Nf3 Bg7 9. h4 Nc6 10. Be3 Qa5 11. Qd2 cxd4
12. cxd4 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 O-O 14. Bb5 Bd7 15. Rhd1 Rfd8 16. Ke1
Nb4 17. Bxd7 Nc2+ 18. Kd2 Nxa1 19. Ba4 b5 20. Bxb5 Nb3+
21. Ke2 Rac8 22. d5 exd5 23. exd5 Nc5 24. Rc1 Ne4 25. Rxc8
Rxc8 26. Bc6 Rb8 27. Bxa7 Rb2+ 28. Kf1 Ra2 29. a4 Ra1+ 30. Ke2
Nc3+ 31. Kd3 Nxa4 32. Bxa4 Ra3+ 33. Ke2 Rxa4 34. Bb6 Kf8
35. g3 Ke8 36. Be3 Ra5 37. d6 Rd5 38. Bf4 f6 39. Nd2 Kd7
40. Ne4 Ke6 41. Bd2 h6 42. d7 Kf7 43. Nc5 Bf8 44. Ba5 Be7
45. Bb6 Rd6 46. Ba5 Rd5 47. Bb6 h5 48. Kf3 f5 49. Kg2 Rd2
50. Ba5 Rd5 51. Bb6 f4 52. Kf3 fxg3 53. fxg3 Rd6 54. Ba5 Rd4
55. Bb6 Rd1 56. Ba5 Rd5 57. Bb6 Rd1 58. Ba5 g5 59. hxg5 Kg6
60. Bb6 Bxg5 61. Ne6 Rd3+ 62. Ke4 Rd6 63. Nxg5 Rxd7 64. Nf3
Re7+ 65. Ne5+ Kf6 66. Bd8 1-0.
Event: London Chess Classic (Knockout)
Site: London England
Date: December 15, 2013
Event Date: December 14, 2013
Round 3.1
Result: 1-0
White: Hikaru Nakamura
Black: Boris Gelfand
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4
O-O 7. e4 a6 8. e5 b5 9. Qb3 Nfd7 10. Ng5 Nc6 11. Nxf7 Rxf7
12. e6 Nxd4 13. exf7+ Kf8 14. Qd1 Nc5 15. Be3 Bf5 16. Rc1 Qd6
17. b4 Ne4 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. f3 Bf5 20. Qd2 Rd8 21. Kf2 Kxf7
22. Be2 Qf6 23. Rxc7 Ne6 24. Rd7 Rc8 25. Bd3 Rc3 26. Bxf5 gxf5
27. f4 Rc4 28. Rc1 Re4 29. g3 h5 30. h4 Qg6 31. Bc5 Bf6
32. Re1 Qg4 33. Rxe4 fxe4 34. Qd1 Qf5 35. Rd5 Qh3 36. Qf1 1-0
Event: London Chess Classic (Knockout)
Site: London England
Date: December 14, 2013
Event Date: December 14, 2013
Round 1.4
Result: 1-0
White: Boris Gelfand
Black: Fabiano Caruana
1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. Bb5+ Bd7
7. Bxf6 gxf6 8. Ne5 h5 9. Ng6 Rh7 10. Nxf8 Kxf8 11. O-O Nc6
12. dxc5 Qe7 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. b4 b6 15. Ne2 bxc5 16. Nf4 Kf7
17. bxc5 Rg8 18. Qd3 Rhg7 19. g3 Qxc5 20. Nxh5 Rh7 21. Nf4 Bb5
22. c4 Bxc4 23. Rfc1 Rc8 24. Qc2 Qc6 25. Rab1 Kg8 26. Qd2 Rhc7
27. Rb2 e5 28. Ng2 Qe6 29. Rbc2 Rh7 30. f4 Kf7 31. Qb4 Rch8
32. Nh4 exf4 33. Qb7+ Kg8 34. Qb8+ Kf7 35. Qc7+ Ke8 36. Qb8+
Kd7 37. Qxa7+ Kc6 38. Rxc4+ dxc4 39. Qa6+ Kd7 40. Rd1+ Ke7
41. Qb7+Ivanchuk v Anand,
Reggio Emilia, 1989
It is Black to play and win. Level of difficulty: Easy Ke8 42. Qb8+ Kf7 43. Qc7+ 1-0
Solution to chess puzzle for Sunday, December 15
Carlsen played 40.Rxd5! and after …cxd5 came 41.Qf8+ Kh7 42.Ne8! and Black has no defence against the twin threats of Qxg7 and Nf6. Note that the immediate 40.Qf8+? is inaccurate, as Black can mount a defence after 40…Kh7 41.Ne8 Rg8.
