A fair number of elite grandmasters, including world champion Magnus Carlsen, Anand, Caruana, Karjakin and Judit Polgar have been doing chess battle at the World Rapid and Blitz championships in Dubai, UAE. Well over 120 grandmasters were competing for honours in the championships. The tournaments concluded yesterday.
Carlsen won the Rapid earlier in the week, with Caruana capturing the silver medal and Anand, the bronze. After that he turned his attention to the onerous Blitz tournament. Twenty-one rounds were to be played with a time limit of three minutes plus two seconds per game. In the rapid segment, the time control was fifteen minutes plus ten seconds per game. Fierce competition undoubtedly came from Nakamura, the US champion, Grischuk, Caruana, Anand and Karjakin, to name a few of the speed experts.
In the recent traditional Norway chess tournament, in which seven of the world’s highest ranked players participated, Russia’s Serjey Karjakin denied the world champion Magnus Carlsen victory in his home country. Karjakin repeated last year’s performance, by capturing the tournament with a half point advantage. Carlsen was second and Grischuk third.
Chess games
These two games were played at the 2014 World Rapid Championship, Dubai.
Anand v Harikrishna
White: Viswanathan Anand
Black: P Harikrishna
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. Nc3 Bb7 4. Qc2 d6 5. e4 e5 6. d5 Be7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. Be2 c6 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Be3 Rc8 11. Nd2 Nc5 12. Rfd1 a6 13. Qb1 a5 14. a3 a4 15. Bxc5 bxc5 16. Nxa4 cxd5 17. cxd5 Rb8 18. Qc2 Ne8 19. Nc3 Bc8 20. Nc4 g6 21. a4 f5 22. a5 fxe4 23. Nxe4 Ng7 24. a6 Nf5 25. a7 Ra8 26. Qa4 Nd4 27. Bd3 Bb7 28. Qa5 Bxd5 29. Nb6 Bc6 30. Nxa8 Qxa8 31. Qc7 Bh4 32. Qxd6 Bxe4 33. Bxe4 Bxf2+ 34. Kh1 Qxe4 35. Qxf8+ Kxf8 36. a8=Q+ Qxa8 37. Rxa8+ Kg7 38. Re8 Nc6 39. Rd7+ Kh6 40. Rd6 Na5 41. Rxe5 Nc4 42. Re2 Nxd6 43. Rxf2 Kg5 44. Kg1 Ne4 45. Rf7 h5 46. Kf1 c4 47. Rc7 Kf5 48. Ke2 Nd6 49. Ke3 Ke6 50. Rc5 h4 51. Kf4 Kf6 52. h3 Ke6 53. Kg4 Nf5 54. Rc6+ Kd5 55. Rxg6 Ne3+ 56. Kxh4 Kc5 57. Rg8 1-0.
Harikrishna v Polgar
White: Pentala Harikrishna
Black: Judit Polgar
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 c5 5. c3 Nbd7 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. Bd3 b6 8. Ne5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Nd7 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. f4 Bb7 12. O-O O-O 13. Qe2 Rad8 14. Nf3 f6 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. Rad1 g6 17. Rfe1 Rd6 18. Qf2 Qg7 19. Bc2 Qe7 20. Qg3 Nh5 21. Qg4 Nf6 22. Qh3 Bc8 23. Qh4 Bb7 24. Ne5 Kg7 25. Rf1 Qd8 26. Qg5 Nd7 27. Qg4 Nf6 28. Qg5 Nd7 29. Qg3 Nxe5 30. fxe5 Rd7 31. Qg4 Rdf7 32. Rf4 Qc7 33. Qg5 Qe7 34. Qg3 Ba6 35. Rd2 d4 36. h4 dxe3 37. Rxf7+ Rxf7 38. Rd6 e2 39. Kh2 Rf1 40. Bxg6 hxg6 41. h5 Qf7 42. Rd7 Qxd7 43. Qxg6+ Kh8 0-1.
The following games were played at the FIDE 2014 Stavanger chess tournament, Norway.
Caruana v Karjakin
White: Fabiano Caruana
Black: Sergey Karjakin
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nc7 7.a3 g6 8.h4 h6 9.d3 Bg7 10.O-O Bd7 11.Be3 Ne6 12.Rb1 Rc8 13.Ne4 b6 14.b4 cxb4 15.axb4 Ncd4 16.Bxd4 Nxd4 17.Nxd4 Bxd4 18.e3 Bg7 19.b5 O-O 20.d4 Rc7 21.f4 Qc8 22.Rb2 Rd8 23.Kh2 Be6 24.Rff2 Bf5 25.Rbc2 a5 26.Qc1 Rxc2 27.Rxc2 Qb8 28.Rc6 Bd7 29.Nc3 e6 30.Rc4 Bf8 31.Bc6 Qd6 32.Na4 Bxc6 33.Rxc6 Qb4 34.Nc3 a4 35.Qc2 a3 36.Rxb6 Rc8 37.Rc6 Rxc6 38.bxc6 Qc4 39.c7 Qxc7 40.Qb3 Qa5 41.Qc2 Qb4 42.Na4 Qe1 43.Nc5 Qxe3 44.Nd7 Qxd4 45.Qc8 Qb4 46.Nf6+ Kg7 47.Ne8+ Kh8 48.Qc7 Qe7 49.Qe5+ f6 50.Nxf6 Bg7 
51.Qb8+ Qf8 0-1.
Kramnik v Grischuk
White: Vladimir Kramnik
Black: Alexander Grischuk
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8. Be3 Qa5 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Rc1 Bg4 11. d5 Nd7 12. c4 Qa3 13. Be2 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Bd4 15. Bxd4 cxd4 16. O-O Ne5 17. Qxd4 Nxf3+ 18. gxf3 Qxf3 19. Rc3 Qe2 20. f4 Qxa2 21. f5 b6 22. e5 Qb2 23. Kh1 Qe2 24. Rf2 Qe1+ 25. Kg2 Rac8 26. Rf1 Qe2+ 27. Rf2 Qe1 28. Rg3 Qb4 29. d6 Rxc4 30. Qd3 Rg4 31. d7 Rd4 32. Qf3 e6 33. f6 Rxd7 34. Qe3 Rfd8 35. Qh6 Qf8 36. Qg5 h6 37. Qe3 Kh7 38. Rh3 h5 39. Rg3 Qh6 40. Rg5 Rd3 0-1.
