Tis_Your_Move_Chess

The tie-break games from Tata Steel Masters 2024! You have to like a humble top level player like GM Wei... I would love to see him ascend to the World Chess Championship throne. But that requires so many things to line up in one's life and the effort given to such an undertaking requires total dedication. But being a player from China where they have a sufficiently large talent pool from upon which to draw means they - the Chinese Nation - could set up a system that would rival that of the former Soviet Union and end up producing the majority of top level chess players in the World. Them and India would be in a race for that top honor! Riding such a wave to the World Chess Championship could be GM Wei Yi. The format for these Tie-Break games was that each player would play a knock out round of two games each at a time control of three minutes per game plus a two second increment added per move from move one - for each player. Very quick indeed! As there were four players who tied for first place the two winners in the first round matches would face off in a final... the Indian super GM Gukesh came up short against the Chinese Chess Superstar in the final this time around. In round one Gukesh overcame GM Giri and our Champion GM Wei had to overcome rising chess world star GM Abdusattorov. And in the first game he ended up drawing when Nodirbek overlooked a perpetual check draw from a clearly winning position. Such are the vagaries of blitz chess tie break games! Wei Yi went on to win the second game and thus the match with one and half points out of a possible two games. Which is what set up the aforementioned final against GM Gukesh where he again prevailed with a draw and a win to take that match as well. Enjoy the games and see you later on down the time line! ~ S.

Showdown in the Netherlands at Tata Steel Masters! Our congratulations to GM Wei for his outstanding Tata Steel Masters 2024 performance! Four way tie after round 13, with playoffs that were/are being conducted to determine final standings. Hard fought event… giving truth to the statement of “First among equals” as has been said of the Chess World before. Who are our 4 players that finished at 8.5 points out of 13? The winner of today’s game GM Wei, Yi who triumphed over impressive World Championship candidate GM Vidit, Indian superstar! Tough final round game for our round twelve hero but Marathons can tire one out and I feel that this may have indeed played a role in the amount of energy he had for today’s game. That and the preparation of his Chinese opponent - who also played some outstanding chess in this year’s edition of Tata Steel Masters. The other three top place finishers were Grandmasters Giri, Abdusattorov and Gukesh. I will do a post about the tie breaks later on as that deserves its own coverage space! LINKS: TATA STEEL CHESS TOURNAMENT 2024 WEBPAGE: Webpage at: https://tatasteelchess.com Final Standings Masters: https://tatasteelchess.com/masters/masters-standings/ Great interviews, great photos, and just the best in chess tournament organizer coverage thus far in 2024! Mark Brothers TWIC (The Week In Chess) https://theweekinchess.com CHESS24: https://chess24.com/en PGN GAME SCORE for GM Wei vs GM Vidit: [Event: "Tata Steel Chess 2024"][Site: "Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands"] [Date: "2024.01.28"][Round: "13"] [White: "Wei, Yi"][Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"] [WhiteElo: "2740"][BlackElo: "2742"] [TimeControl "40/6000+30:3000+30"][Result "1-0"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. c3 e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. Nbd2 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Qc7 9. e4 cxd4 10. cxd4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 b6 12. Bg5 Nxe4 13. Rxe4 Bb7 14. Rc1 Qb8 15. Rh4 f5 16. Bc4 Qe8 17. Qb3 Kh8 18. Re1 Be4 19. Bxe6 Qg6 20. Bd2 Nf6 21. Ng5 f4 22. Rxh7+ Nxh7 23. Nxe4 f3 24. g3 Be7 25. d5 Rad8 26. Qa4 a5 27. Qc6 Bb4 28. Bxb4 axb4 29. h4 Ra8 30. Nd6 Ra7 31. Qxb6 Rxa2 32. Qc7 Nf6 33. Nf7+ Kh7 34. Ne5 Qh6 35. Qc2+ g6 36. Nxg6 Rfa8 37. Ne5+ Kg7 38. Qc7+ 1-0 Thanks for joining in on the chessboard hostilities between Grandmasters Wei and Vidit - both honorable players who are phenomenally talented - I look forward to their future chess games against each other! Stay healthy and be well ~ S.

In a Marathon you have to pace yourself. But there are times where you either have to put distance between yourself and your pursuers or you have to make gains on the leader. Such was the drama of today’s round twelve Marathon chess match between Grandmasters Vidit of India and Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan playing white and black pieces respectively. Grandmaster Abdusattorov employed a faulty plan with his 11. …Bc4 and the new Indian number one chess player did not let him off the hook despite the apparent counter-play that the second player drummed up. It was all illusory and GM Vidit ended up converting a nice technical pawn up win. With Gukesh blundering away a winning game with a careless three fold repetition of position which was claimed drawn by Praggnanandhaa immediately we now have a five way tie for first place between Grandmasters Gukesh, Vidit, Giri, Abdusattorov and the Chinese Super GM Wei. There is everything to be played for in tomorrow’s final round 13 of the 2024 edition of Tata Steel Masters. With Praggnanandhaa and Firouzja both on 7 points they are both “theoretically” within striking distance of sharing first place should one of them win in their personal round 13 encounter on Sunday January 28th (tomorrow) and provided that everyone else only merely draws. The Moves from today’s featured game: GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi versus GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov Tata Steel Masters, Wijk aan Zee NED. Round 12, Saturday 0127.2024 ECO: E51 Opening: Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 1.d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd2 b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Rc1 Be7 9. g3 Nbd7 10. Bg2 Ba6 11. Qa4 Bc4 12. b3 Bd3 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 Ne4 15. Qd4 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 Bg6 17. Bxd5 c6 18. Bg2 Qc8 19. e6 f6 20. Qd7 Ba3 21. Rd1 Bf5 22. Qxc6 Bxe6 23. Qxe6+ Qxe6 24. Bd5 Qxd5 25. Rxd5 Rfc8 26. Kd2 Rc7 27. Kd3 Rac8 28. Bd4 Kf7 29. Rd1 Ke6 30. e4 Rc2 31. Rd2 Rc1 32. f4 Bb4 33. f5+ Ke7 34. Re2 Rd1+ 35. Ke3 Rcc1 36. e5 fxe5 37. Rxe5+ Kf7 38. g4 Rc7 39. Re6 Rd7 40. Be5 Rg1 41. Kf3 Rd3+ 42. Kf4 Bd2+ 43. Ke4 Rd7 44. Bg3 Bb4 45. Rc6 Bc5 46. g5 Kf8 47. g6 hxg6 48. fxg6 Re7+ 49. Be5 Re8 50. Kf5 Rf1+ 51. Kg4 Rg1+ 52. Kh5 Be7 53. h4 Rh1 54. Bg3 Rd8 55. Rce6 Bc5 56. Bc7 Rc8 57. Bf4 Rd1 58. R2e4 a5 59. Kg4 Rg1+ 60. Kf5 Rd8 61. Bg5 Rf1+ 62. Kg4 Rg1+ 63. Kh5 Rc8 64. Rc4 Ra8 65. Rf4+ Kg8 66. Rfe4 Rf8 67. Re2 Rgf1 68. Re8 Bb4 69. Rxf8+ Kxf8 70. Rc2 Bc5 71. Kg4 Rg1+ 72. Kf5 Rf1+ 73. Ke6 Ke8 74. Re2 Rg1 75. Re5 Kf8 76. Rd5 Re1+ 77. Kf5 1-0 Thanks for tuning in, enjoy tomorrow’s chessboard hostilities in the final round of Tata Steel Masters! ~ S.

Hello again! Round eleven of Tata Steel produced some very interesting chess and, yet again, a change in the standings in the hunt for first place! Now it is GM Abdusattorov in the lead by a slim half point with many pursuers hot on his trail... can he hold up for the next final two rounds of chess to take top honors at this year's edition of Tata Steel Chess Masters? Round 12 is a good place to see on the 'morrow! Thanks for joining me - stay well and be well!

Today we cover a round one game... An interesting fight between top Chinese Grandmaster Yi Wei and GM Alexander Donchenko... Four Puzzles on the table for your solving enjoyment! After an interesting opening choice by Alex which was then met and answered nicely by Yi, GM Donchenko was forced to play somewhat speculatively but the Chinese GM brought home the full point after containing his rival's tricky Knight moves. GAME SCORE: DONCHENKO vs Yi WEI EVENT: Tata Steel, 86th Edition / SITE: Wijk aan Zee, NED DATE: 01/13/2024 / Round: One WHITE: Alexander Donchenko vs BLACK Yi Wei FIDE ELO MATCH UP: 2643 versus 2740 ECO: E60 OPENING: King's Indian Defense, RESULT 0-1 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. Be2 c5 6. d5 e6 7. Nc3 d6 8. O-O exd5 9. cxd5 Bg4 10. Nd2 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Na6 12. e4 Re8 13. Nc4 b5 14. Nxb5 Nxe4 15. Qf3 Qd7 16. a4 Nb4 17. Bf4 Nc2 18. Rad1 Nd4 19. Rxd4 cxd4 20. Ncxd6 Nxd6 21. Nxd6 Red8 22. b3 g5 23. Bg3 f5 24. Qxf5 Qxf5 25. Nxf5 Bf6 26. Nd6 h5 27. h3 h4 28. Bh2 Be7 29. Nb5 Bc5 30. d6 Rac8 31. Be5 d3 32. Bf6 Rd7 33. Bxg5 a6 34. Nc3 Bxd6 35. Ne4 Be7 36. Rd1 Bxg5 37. Nxg5 d2 38. Kf1 Re7 39. Donchenko Resigns. 0-1 LINKS: Chess24 https://chess24.com/en THE WEEK IN CHESS (TWIC) https://theweekinchess.com Thanks for watching... please help out with a "like", "share" and then a "subscribe" as this helps me to cover chess today and tomorrow for you here on Rumble. Have a good one ~ S.

Nepo Nailed it! Nepomniachtchi nailed Liren Ding’s King to the wall in their Wednesday round 10 encounter of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament being held in the Netherlands. Sweet revenge after their World Chess Championship Title square off that went in Ding Liren’s favor. Very instructive game today, three puzzles given, and game coverage where in the tactics or puzzle questions are answered. CHESS GAME SCORE: White: Ian Nepomniachtchi Black: Liren Ding Tata Steel Masters; Round 10 Wednesday 01.24.2024 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. a4 Bd7 10. Ba2 h6 11. h3 Re8 12. Be3 Rb8 13. Nbd2 Bf8 14. g4 Be6 15. Bxe6 Rxe6 16. axb5 axb5 17. g5 hxg5 18. Nxg5 Re8 19. Kh2 d5 20. Rg1 d4 21. cxd4 exd4 22. Bf4 Bd6 23. Bg3 Bxg3+ 24. Rxg3 Qd6 25. Kg1 Ra8 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 27. Qb3 Qd7 28. Ndf3 Rb8 29. Qc2 Rb6 30. e5 Nh5 31. Rg4 Rb8 32. Qc5 Rd8 33. Ne4 Qe6 34. Rh4 Rd5 35. Qa3 g6 36. Nfg5 Resigns 1-0. Generating material winning threats which hang in the air above Ding Liren’s head - like a chess sword of Damocles! This is always a risk when you play chess... you might lose. But winners get right back up again and push forward… and to get good you have to learn your lessons along the way. Thanks for watching, see you later on down the timeline! ~ S.

Hard fought tournaments produce chess art... I remember as a really young child watching "ABC's Wild World of Sports" and always being amazed at the opening where the narrator spoke of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. At the mention of "defeat" they show a skier come flying off of a jump arms all akimbo! The 2024 edition of Tata Steel Masters has produced a lot of thrills and spills thus far. But who will end up with top honors? So many players are within striking distance and all are fighting tooth and nail for top honors. Over the course of the final five rounds we should see some top level fighting chess. Today's featured game is between Grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Ian defeated the tournament leader and now first place really is up for grabs! Enjoy today's technical game that features: Knights on the Rim are, in deed, Grim; Pawn Sac for Pawn Weaknesses & Line/square clearance; Pawn Structure awareness; Trapping a piece and Exchanging down to win in the endgame. All good things to keep in mind when playing chess! THE MOVES: GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian vs GM Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Round 8; Result 1-0; Date 01/21/2024 Event: Tata Steel Masters 2024 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4 Be6 8. a5 Bxc4 9. dxc4 b6 10. Bd2 Nxa5 11. Bxa5 bxa5 12. Rxa5 c6 13. Ra2 Qc7 14. Nc3 a5 15. Qe2 Nd7 16. b3 Nc5 17. Na4 Ne6 18. c5 dxc5 19. Nb2 Nd4 20. Qd3 Qb8 21. Rea1 Rd8 22. g3 Qb4 23. Nc4 Nb5 24. Qe3 Qc3 25. Nfxe5 Rac8 26. Qxc3 Nxc3 27. Rxa5 Nxe4 28. Nb6 Rc7 29. Ra8 f6 30. Rxd8+ Bxd8 31. Ra8 fxe5 32. Rxd8+ Kf7 33. Nc4 Ke6 34. Kg2 Nf6 35. Kf3 e4+ 36. Kf4 Ke7 37. Rd6 Rc8 38. h3 Ne8 39. Rd1 Nf6 40. Rd6 Ne8 41. Rd2 Nf6 42. Nd6 Ra8 43. Nxe4 Nd5+ 44. Ke5 c4 45. bxc4 Nb6 46. Re2 Nxc4+ 47. Kd4 Na3 48. c4 Rb8 49. Ra2 Ra8 50. Rb2 Ke6 51. Kc3 Ke5 52. Nd2 Ra7 53. Rb3 Ke6 54. Nf1 Kd6 55. Nd2 Ke6 56. h4 Kf5 57. f3 h6 58. Rb6 Re7 59. Ne4 g5 60. hxg5 hxg5 61. Rxc6 g4 62. Nd6+ Kf6 63. Nc8+ Re6 64. Rxe6+ Kxe6 65. f4 1-0 Enjoy ~ S.

Today our resident Ghost in the Machine Robert James Fischer helps us review a recent game winning combination that comes to us courtesy of the Dublin Open out in Ohio USA via contributor PEJ. Well played game... double edged throughout but the final combination may have even restored Ghost in the Machine Fischer's faith in chess. Or at least put him in a good mood... Enjoy the chess puzzle and solution ~ S.

Blitz Chess. Fun. Action Packed. Full of errors. And stressful! Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana ended up tying for first in the Blitz tournament with 11 points out of 18 possible points or games but winner overall in the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz combined standings. Congratulations to one of the top GMs in the World and our American/Italian chess legend! In a winner takes all (Or if Caruana draws!) round 18 final blitz showdown between leaders MVL and Caruana it was a game lost by Maxime Vachier-LaGrave… when MVL blundered away his win with a careless move. See puzzle one! As the third Chess Champion of the World Jose Raul Capablanca said: “The stronger player is always lucky”. Of course we could have stated this had MVL won that game as well! THE GAMES: GM Fabiano Caruana vs GM Maxime Vachier-LaGrave Saint Louis Blitz, Saturday November 18th of 2023 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 a6 9. O-O c5 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Bb7 12. Nxf6+ Nxf6 13. a4 b4 14. b3 Bd6 15. Bb2 O-O 16. h3 Ne4 17. Qc2 Qe7 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Bc4 Ng5 20. Nxg5 Qxg5 21. f4 Qe7 22. Qe2 Bc7 23. Rfe1 Kh8 24. Qg4 f6 25. Qe6 Qxe6 26. Bxe6 Be4 27. Bc4 a5 28. Kf2 h5 29. g3 Kh7 30. Ke2 Kg6 31. Bd3 Bxd3+ 32. Rxd3 Rxd3 33. Kxd3 Rd8+ 34. Ke2 c4 35. bxc4 Bb6 36. c5 Bxc5 37. Rc1 Bf8 38. g4 hxg4 39. hxg4 b3 40. Rc3 Rb8 41. Rc4 Bb4 42. Kd3 Rh8 43. Rc1 Rh4 44. Bd4 Rxg4 45. Rb1 Rg2 46. Rxb3 Ra2 47. e4 Rxa4 48. Rb1 Kf7 49. Rc1 Ra3+ 50. Kc4 Bd2 51. Rf1 Rh3 52. Ra1 Bxf4 53. Rxa5 Be3 54. Bc3 Bf2 55. Ra6 Re3 56. e5 fxe5 57. Bd2 Re2?? 58. Kd3 Rxd2+ 59. Kxd2 Bd4 60. Kd3 g5 61. Ke4 Ke7 62. Rg6 Kf7 63. Rxg5 Ke7 64. Rxe5+ Bxe5 Draw - By insufficient Material. 1/2-1/2 GM Alireza Firouzja vs GM Ian Nepomniachtchi Saint Louis Blitz, Saturday November 18th of 2023 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. d4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nc6 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bd7 12. Rb1 Na5 13. Nb3 Bc6 14. Qxd8 Bxd8 15. Ba3 Re8 16. Nxa5 Bxa5 17. Bxc6 bxc6 18. c4 Red8 19. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Rd8 21. Rb1 h5 22. Bc5 Rd2 23. Rb8+ Kh7 24. Rb7 Bb6 25. Bxb6 axb6 26. e3 Rc2 27. Rxf7 Rxc4 28. Re7 Re4 29. Rd7 b5 30. Rd6 c5 31. Rc6 Re5 32. Kf1 Kg6 33. Ke2 Kf7 34. Rc7+ Kf6 35. f3 h4 36. f4 Rd5 37. e4 hxg3 38. hxg3 Rd4 39. Kf3 c4 40. e5+ Kg6 41. Re7 Rd3+ 42. Kg4 Ra3 43. Rxe6+ Kh7 44. Rb6 Ra5 45. e6 Kg6 46. f5+ Kf6 47. Rb7 c3 48. Rf7+ Ke5 49. e7 Ra8 50. Rf8 Kd5 GM Fabiano Caruana vs GM Ian Nepomniachtchi Saint Louis Blitz, Saturday November 18th of 2023 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 6. bxc3 e4 7. Ng5 Qe7 8. f3 d6 9. Nxe4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qxe4 11. fxe4 b6 12. d3 h5 13. Be2 h4 14. h3 f6 15. Bd2 Be6 16. Rf1 Ke7 17. Kd1 Rag8 18. Kc2 g5 19. d4 Bd7 20. Rf2 g4 21. hxg4 Bxg4 22. Bd3 Rh6 23. Raf1 Rg7 24. Be1 Bc8 25. Rh1 Ba6 26. Bf1 Na5 27. c5 Bxf1 28. cxd6+ cxd6 29. Rhxf1 Rhg6 30. Kd3 Rh7 31. c4 Nc6 32. Rh1 Nb8 33. a4 Nd7 34. a5 Ke6 35. axb6 axb6 36. Ra2 Rg4 37. g3 h3 38. Rah2 Rh8 39. Rxh3 Ra8 40. Rh7 Nf8 41. d5+ Resigns. 1-0 CHESS NEWS WEBSITES: Mark Crowther’s THE WEEK IN CHESS (TWIC) https://theweekinchess.com The SAINT LOUIS CHESS CLUB Website @ https://saintlouischessclub.org Chess24 https://chess24.com/en Thanks for tuning in - get out there and roll the bones! ~ S.

SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES: Saint Louis Rapid Puzzles TWO Rapid Chess and Crazy Tactics equal a good old fashioned chess Donnybrook! Some great games played out in Saint Louis… and not all of them were wins or losses. Some of the Draws were even acrobatic feats of chess creativity and tactical genius. WHERE TO FOLLOW THIS EVENT: Mark Crowther’s THE WEEK IN CHESS (TWIC) https://theweekinchess.com The SAINT LOUIS CHESS CLUB Website @ https://saintlouischessclub.org THE GAME: Alireza Firouzja vs Anish Giri, 1-0 Saint Louis Rapid, Round #9, 11/16/2023 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 c5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. d4 Nc6 9. Nc3 h6 10. Be3 c4 11. Ne5 Bb4 12. Qa4 a5 13. Qb5 Na7 14. Qa4 Bf5 15. a3 Be7 16. h3 Rb8 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Nc6 19. g4 Bxb4 20. Na2 Ra8 21. Nxc6 Rxa4 22. Nxd8 Bg6 23. Nxb4 Rxb4 24. Ra8 c3 25. Rc8 c2 26. f4 Be4 27. g5 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Ne4 29. Rc1 Nd6 30. Rb8 Nc4 31. Bf2 Na3 32. Nc6 Rb1 33. Ne7+ Kh7 34. Rxf8 Rxc1 35. Be3 Re1 36. Kf2 c1=Q 37. Bxc1 Rxc1 38. Rxf7 hxg5 39. f5 White Wins! …a real nailbiter of a chess game! It’s not the person who makes the next to last mistake that losses a game of chess. It’s the person who takes an opportunity and doesn’t wait for a handout! Because that is how Opportunities are taken. I hope you enjoyed this presentation and that you get out your own chessboard and create some chess art of yourself! ~ S.

BIG-TIME CHESS is BACK! Rex Sinquefield has kept Big chess on the map - in America and World Wide. So on behalf of chess fans everywhere: Thank you Mr Rex Sinquefield! The Rapid event will be held from Tuesday the 14th till the 16th of November. The Blitz event will be held on 17th and 18th… with big money prizes on the line. This is part of a circuit of events and there are overall standings on the line as well. Then the Sinquefield Cup will be held from November 19th until December 3rd and this is a Standard Time control event. The Saint Louis Chess Club has TWITCH and YOUTUBE CHANNELS where you can follow these events in real time. WHERE TO FOLLOW THIS EVENT: (Live Links at these websites) Mark Crowther’s THE WEEK IN CHESS (TWIC) https://theweekinchess.com The SAINT LOUIS CHESS CLUB Website @ https://saintlouischessclub.org THE GAMES: Quang Liêm Le vs Wesley So Saint Louis Rapid, 11/14/2023 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qa4+ Nc6 6. e3 O-O 7. Qc2 Re8 8. Bd2 a6 9. a3 Bd6 10. Rd1 h6 11. h3 Bd7 12. Be2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 b5 14. Bd3 e5 15. O-O Qe7 16. d5 Nd8 17. e4 c6 18. Rfe1 Nb7 19. dxc6 Bxc6 20. Nh4 Bd7 21. Qc1 Rac8 22. Bc2 Bc5 23. Nf3 a5 24. Qb1 b4 25. axb4 Bxb4 26. Nd5 Nxd5 27. exd5 Qf6 28. Bxb4 axb4 29. Nd2 Qb6 30. Nf3 Qf6 31. Nd2 Nd6 32. Ne4 Qg6 33. Nc5 Bf5 34. Bxf5 Nxf5 35. Nd7 Qg5 36. Qe4 Nh4 37. g3 Ng6 38. d6 Qd8 39. Qf5 e4 40. Nf6+ Qxf6 41. Qxf6 gxf6 42. d7 Ne5 43. dxc8=Q 1-0 Samuel Sevian vs Ian Nepomniachtchi Saint Louis Rapid, 11/14/2023 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 Bb4 4. Bg2 O-O 5. e4 Bxc3 6. bxc3 c6 7. Nf3 d5 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Re1 e4 12. Nd4 Nxd4 13. cxd4 Bf5 14. d3 exd3 15. Qf3 Qa5 16. Bg5 Be6 17. Qxd3 h6 18. Bxh6 gxh6 19. Rxe6 Nb4 20. Rg6+ fxg6 21. Qxg6+ Kh8 22. Qxh6+ Kg8 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. Be4 Qc7 25. a3 Nc6 26. Qh6+ Kg8 27. Bd5+ Rf7 28. Re1 Ne7 29. Bxf7+ Kxf7 30. Qe6+ If you have the time then commit a little chess thought crime and enjoy the games via a live broadcast! ~ S.

I've decided to cover the games of Robert James Fischer so that I could share my appreciation of the American Chess Genius's praxis. I will cover a great many of games so I hope you enjoy these presentations. Should you have any comments then please do share them down below as long as they are on topic. This first game is covered in so many books it has to be one of the most well known Fischer Games. And for very good reason - it's quite a gem of a game for a then thirteen year old Bobby Fischer to have played! It should quite a deep understanding of the position and will reward anyone who spends time studying this game with better chess performances in the future. The PGN GAME SCORE: 1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 d4 O-O 5 Bf4 d5 6 Qb3 dxc4 7 Qxc4 c6 8 e4 Nbd7 9 Rd1 Nb6 10 Qc5 Bg4 11 Bg5 Na4 12 Qa3 Nxc3 13 bxc3 Nxe4 14 Bxe7 Qb6 15 Bc4 Nxc3 16 Bc5 Rfe8+ 17 Kf1 Be6 18 Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19 Kg1 Ne2+ 20 Kf1 Nxd4+ 21 Kg1 Ne2+ 22 Kf1 Nc3+ 23 Kg1 axb6 24 Qb4 Ra4 25 Qxb6 Nxd1 26 h3 Rxa2 27 Kh2 Nxf2 28 Re1 Rxe1 29 Qd8+ Bf8 30 Nxe1 Bd5 31 Nf3 Ne4 32 Qb8 b5 33 h4 h5 34 Ne5 Kg7 35 Kg1 Bc5+ 36 Kf1 Ng3+ 37 Ke1 Bb4+ 38 Kd1 Bb3+ 39 Kc1 Ne2+ 40 Kb1 Nc3+ 41 Kc1 Rc2 mate. Anyways - Enjoy! ~ S.

Dangerous Opening Weapons: The FRENCH DEFENSE! Today I will share one of my games with you - I had previously posted this game several days ago but there were some issues with that post. So here now for your enjoyment is attempt number two! I played the Black side of the French Opening in the Advance variation. An interesting opening and variation! Just a short game which is less than 25 moves in duration and thus qualifies for "Chess Caviar" status as Senior Master John Curdo referred to such games. RIP John Curdo - a true New England Chess Legend. Enjoy and get out the board and play! ~ Sean.

The Carlsen Tactical Fireworks Show as presented by Magnus Carlsen the Competitor: A Monstrous Force to be reckoned with! Six Tactics for you here today in this post on RUMBLE… There will be a different version of this post on BitChute that will be much shorter and does not include the game review. How bad does Carlsen want to win? Bad enough to break chess history and reclaim his title of World Chess Champion from the ground up all over again? That would be a first… like no other in the entire history of Championship chess. But does he want to wear the wreath that badly? Time will tell. But time waits for no man - not even the most talented among us. The GAME: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d3 Nf6 6. d4 g6 7. Bd3 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. h3 b6 10. c4 Bb7 11. Nc3 Re8 12. Be3 Nbd7 13. Re1 h6 14. d5 Nc5 15. Bc2 c6 16. Qd2 cxd5 17. cxd5 Nfe4 18. Nxe4 Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Rxe4 20. Bxh6 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Bxh6 22. Qxh6 Bxd5 23. Nd4 Qf6 24. Qd2 Rc8 25. a3 a6 26. Re3 Kg7 27. Ne2 Bc4 28. Ng3 d5 29. b3 Bb5 30. a4 Bd7 31. Ne2 Be6 32. Nd4 a5 33. Kh2 Qf4+ 34. g3 Qf6 35. Kg2 Bd7 36. g4 Re8 37. Rxe8 Bxe8 38. Qe3 Bd7 39. Nf3 Bc6 40. g5 Qd6 41. Qxb6 d4 42. Kf1 Kg8 43. Qxd4 Qe6 44. Ne5 Qxh3+ 45. Ke1 Qh1+ 46. Kd2 Bf3 47. Nd7 Qd1+ 48. Ke3 Qxb3+ 49. Kf4 Bc6 50. Nf6+ Kg7 51. Nh5+ Kf8 52. Qd6+ Kg8 53. Qd8+ Resigns 1-0 White wins. Thanks for joining me my follow chess aficionados and puzzle solvers! Have a great day and see you next time! ~ Sean.

Indian Chess Players Mop up at FIDE GRAND SWISS! An Indian gentleman by the name of Vidit Gujrathi has won the Men’s FIDE GRAND SWISS with eight and half points out of a possible eleven. His closest pursuer was American Hikaru Nakamura who managed a draw in the final round against Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi. Four Indian players actually took spots in the top 13 places including GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa who has already qualified for the 2024 candidates. He also has a sister that plays chess… In the Women’s FIDE GRAND SWISS Vaishali Rameshbabu took first place! Surely a first - a sister and brother team at the Candidates! She played solid chess and this is the latest in several phenomenal results she has scored in her most recent tournaments. With her brother rated at 2727 they surely have plenty to discuss and prepare for in the upcoming candidates matches. She is well on her way to scoring a Men’s or Open Grandmaster’s title and her 2448 rating is nothing to sneeze at. Especially and particularly in light of the fact that she keeps winning more and more rating points! The blitz games they play must be fierce in that household! The GAME: GM Vidit Gujrathi versus GM Alexandr Predke FIDE GRAND SWISS 2023, Round 11, 11/04/2023 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 a6 6. O-O c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Be2 Ke7 10. Nbd2 Bd7 11. Nb3 Bb6 12. Bd2 Nc6 13. Bc3 Rhg8 14. Rfd1 Rad8 15. Rac1 g5 16. Nfd4 Nxd4 17. Bb4+ Ke8 18. Nxd4 g4 19. Nb3 Rg5 20. Nc5 Bc6 21. Nxa6 Nd7 22. Bf1 Ra8 23. Bd6 Ba4 24. Bf4 Ra5 25. Nc7+ Bxc7 26. Bxc7 Bxd1 27. Bxa5 Rxa5 28. Rxd1 Ne5 29. a4 Rc5 30. Rd4 Rc1 31. Rb4 Rb1 32. f4 gxf3 33. gxf3 Nxf3+ 34. Kg2 Nd2 35. Bd3 Re1 36. Kf2 Rh1 37. Kg2 Re1 38. Rxb7 Rxe3 39. Bb5+ Kf8 40. a5 Re5 41. a6 Rg5+ 42. Kf2 Ne4+ 43. Ke3 Nd6 44. a7 Re5+ 45. Kf3 Rf5+ 46. Kg2 Rg5+ 47. Kh1 Resigns 1-0 Thanks for taking some time and tuning in, I appreciate it. If you could leave a “like”, “share” and “subscribe” that would help me deal with the “cyber hall monitors” as they do tend to play favorites. The social media landscape is curated for our enjoyment and for “exposure” but we still have a vote. If you feel I deserve a vote of your confidence for what I am doing then please do give me your vote. I want to thank you in advance and I want you to know that it makes it worth while to do this posts if I know people are looking at them and appreciate them. Thanks again. Stay healthy, be well and always play the best moves in the game of life! ~ Sean.

“There can only be one” is a line from the original HIGHLANDER FILM. Hikaru Nakamura lived that exhilaration during and after his round 10 mind war. Only tactics drawn from variations or the game will be showcased in today’s post. We will cover the full game in the future. In a tight field of leading runners Hikaru Nakamura makes his move in the dash for the finish line - by finishing off co-leader and fellow American Fabiano Caruana in a knock down drag out affair in a Four Knights Scotch opening. In the end there could only be one victor! With a round to go Nakamura has 7.5 points while Caruana falls back from the pack stuck on 6.5 points. Conservative “safe” playing has it’s benefits and it’s drawbacks. GM Caruana found this out after the dust of round 10 settled that near the end of an event you may not have enough time remaining to play for a win… and too many easy draws early on can cost you dearly. Top level chess is a lot of stress… and every single one of the participants at the FIDE Grand Swiss is a fighter who came to play for the right to face currently missing in action World Champion Ding Liren in 2024. At the end of this event there can only be two qualifiers out of over 150 participants. Meritocracies can be cruel but fair. GAME: GM Hikaru Nakamura vs GM Fabiano Caruana FIDE Grand Swiss, Round 10 of 11, 11/04/2023 1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O cxd5 10. h3 Be6 11. Qf3 c5 12. Rd1 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qa5 14. Bg5 Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qg3 Kh8 17. a4 Rfe8 18. Rd6 h6 19. Bf4 Re7 20. Qe3 Rc8 21. Bxh6 f6 22. Qxe4 Qxc3 23. Rad1 Rce8 24. Rd8 Bg8 25. Qh4 Qxc2 26. R1d3 Bh7 27. R3d7 g5 28. Qg3 Qb1+ 29. Kh2 Qf5 30. Rxe7 Rxd8 31. Qc7 Qf4+ 32. Qxf4 gxf4 33. Bg7+ Kg8 34. Bxf6 Bb1 35. Rg7+ Kf8 36. Bxd8 Kxg7 37. Bg5 f3 38. g4 c4 39. Kg3 Be4 40. Bd2 1-0 WEBSITES with COVERAGE of the FIDE GRAND SWISS: Official Website: https://grandswiss.fide.com Chessbase - a must visit website. https://en.chessbase.com Mark Crowther’s TWIC (The Week In Chess) https://theweekinchess.com Live long and prosper - but remain free! ~ S.

Sometimes you have to pull out all the stops and go all in! Va banque!! Trailing by half a point and playing super strong Bulgarian grandmaster Ivan Cheparinov the American Hikaru Nakamura had to show steel nerves, great time management and his usual attacking chess inclinations. And despite missed opportunities by GM Cheparinov “the stronger player is always lucky” as Jose Casablanca once quipped. WEBSITES with COVERAGE of the FIDE GRAND SWISS: Official Website: https://grandswiss.fide.com Chessbase - a must visit website. https://en.chessbase.com Mark Crowther’s TWIC (The Week In Chess) https://theweekinchess.com The Game: Hikaru Nakamura vs Ivan Cheparinov FIDE GRAND SWISS 2023, Round 9, 11/03/23 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Be7 6. d4 d5 7. Bd3 Bb4+ 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. O-O Bf5 10. Nb3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nd7 12. a3 Be7 13. Bd3 Bg6 14. Re1 Nd6 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Na5 Nb6 17. Bf4 Nf5 18. Nxb7 Qd5 19. Nc5 Bd6 20. Bxd6 cxd6 21. Ne4 Rfe8 22. Qd3 Na4 23. b3 Nc5 24. Nxc5 dxc5 25. Rxe8+ Rxe8 26. Qb5 Rc8 27. dxc5 Qxc5 28. Qxc5 Rxc5 29. Rd1 f6 30. g4 Nh6 31. Rd8+ Kh7 32. Rd4 Rc3 33. Nd2 Nf7 34. h4 g5 35. hxg5 Nxg5 36. Kg2 a5 37. f3 Ne6 38. Rd6 Nf4+ 39. Kf1 Nd3 40. a4 Nc1 41. Rb6 Re3 42. Rb5 Nd3 43. Nc4 Re1+ 44. Kg2 g5 45. Rb7+ Kg6 46. Rd7 Nc5 47. Kf2 Rc1 48. Ra7 Nxb3 49. Ne3 Nd4 50. Rxa5 Ra1 51. Nc4 Nb3 52. Ra7 Nc5 53. a5 Nd3+ 54. Ke3 Ne5 55. Nxe5+ fxe5 56. Ra6+ Kf7 57. Ke4 Ra3 58. Kxe5 Rxf3 59. Rd6 Ra3 60. a6 Ra5+ 61. Kd4 1-0 Thanks for watching… watch yourself out there in this wide wild world, stay free and guard your health! ~ S.

How to defeat your chess opponent? You can win with a nifty opening trap... catch them out in a discredited opening line, beat them tactically or even out play them in the endgame. But when it comes to the endgame, that is where real chess understanding can be appreciated the most. And playing endgames comes down to a contest of wills between each of the players. A solidly artful or scientifically played game of chess is a story in three acts: The Opening, the Middle-game and the Endgame. When skilled players lock horns what they do in the opening is the base of a pyramid that, if solidly constructed, will support a solid Middle-game, and if the Middle-game portion of the pyramid is solid then atop that sits the endgame. Of course sometimes an opponent gets to write the plot to their own game with logical play that threads between and connects all three stages of the game. Not all stories are one sided and, in fact, a lot of games have messy plots! Online Resources: Official FIDE Website at: https://grandswiss.fide.com TWIC (The Week In Chess) by Mark Crowther. https://theweekinchess.com Leading the FIDE GRAND SWISS OPEN at 5.5 points after 7 rounds is GM Santosh Gujrathi Vidit. He plays American GM Hikaru Nakamura in round 8 tomorrow... with a lot of other players standing only half a point behind the tournament leader. THE GAME: Bogdan-Daniel Deac vs Nodirbek Yakubboev FIDE Grand Swiss 2023, Round 7 Douglas/Isle of Man 11/01/2023 1. e4 [e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. O-O a5 7. Re1 Ba7 8. Na3 O-O 9. h3 Ne7 10. d4 Ng6 11. Be3 Bd7 12. Qc2 Bc6 13. Bd3 Re8 14. Nb5 exd4 15. Bxd4 Bxb5 16. Bxb5 c6 17. Bf1 Ne5 18. Nd2 h5 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Bxa7 Rxa7 21. f4 Ned7 22. Nc4 d5 23. Qf2 Qc5 24. exd5 Rxe1 25. Rxe1 Qxf2+ 26. Kxf2 cxd5 27. Nd6 Kf8 28. Kf3 Nc5 29. g4 hxg4+ 30. hxg4 b6 31. Rd1 Rd7 32. Nf5 Ne6 33. Bb5 Rd8 34. Rh1 Ng8 35. Rh8 d4 36. Bc4 dxc3 37. bxc3 Rd2 38. g5 Rc2 39. g6 Rxc3+ 40. Ne3 Nd8 41. Ke4 b5 42. Bd5 Rc1 43. f5 Rg1 44. Kf4 a4 45. Ng4 Rd1 46. Ke4 Re1+ 47. Kd4 Rd1+ 48. Kc5 Rxd5+ 49. Kxd5 fxg6 50. fxg6 b4 51. Ne5 b3 52. axb3 axb3 53. Nd7+ Ke7 54. Rxg8 Kxd7 55. Rxg7+ Ke8 56. Ra7 Resigns 1-0 Thanks for "checking" this video out - see you all later on down the timeline! ~ S.

Sometimes Playing the Dragon Sicilian can be a real drag-on morale. Just ask some of the players at the World Senior Championship currently going on in Terrasini Italy. In round four two players, George Mohr and Darcy Lima, trotted out the Sicilian Dragon and both were roundly defeated. Though this is a bit unfair to devotees of the Dragon Sicilian it does, however, conform with the opinion of most of the top level players. This is to say that the Dragon isn’t quite “solid” enough. Yet it is a powerful surprise weapon when wielded by the right player against the right opponent. As perhaps is always the case with our opening selections when seated across from the “other”. THE GAMES: Devaki V Prasad versus Georg Mohr World Senior Championship, Round 4 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Be3 O-O 9. Qd2 Ng4 10. Bxg4 Bxg4 11. Nd5 Rc8 12. c4 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Rxc4 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Ne3 Rxe4 16. f3 Bxf3 17. Rxf3 Qb6 18. Kh1 e6 19. h3 f5 20. Rd1 d5 21. b3 Qc7 22. Nc2 Rc8 23. Nd4 a6 24. Re3 Qe5 25. Rxe4 fxe4 26. Qf4 Qf6 27. Qd6 Re8 28. Rc1 Re7 29. Rc8 g5 30. Nf5+ exf5 31. Rg8+ Kf7 32. Rf8+ Kxf8 33. Qxf6+ Ke8 34. Kg1 d4 35. Qxd4 Kf7 36. Qd5+ Kf6 37. g4 fxg4 38. hxg4 e3 39. Qf5+ Kg7 40. Qxg5+ Kf7 41. Kf1 e2+ 42. Ke1 Kf8 43. Qf5+ Ke8 44. a4 Kd8 45. Qf8+ Kd7 46. b4 Resigns 1-0 Ivan Morovic-Fernandez versus Darcy Lima World Senior Championship, Round 4 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. Qe1 e5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Bc4 Be6 14. Kb1 a5 15. Ne4 Qb8 16. Bc5 Re8 17. Ba3 h6 18. g4 Nf4 19. Bxe6 Nxe6 20. h4 Qc7 21. g5 h5 22. Bd6 Qb6 23. Nf6+ Bxf6 24. gxf6 Nf4 25. Be7 Qb5 26. a4 Qxa4 27. Qxe5 Nd5 28. Rxd5 cxd5 29. Qg5 Rec8 30. Qh6 Resigns 1-0 Thanks for joining us all for this edition of SPOT ON CHESS PUZZLES. Let’s all hope for better times ahead… for ourselves and the Dragon Sicilian!!! ~ Sean.

Sudden OTB Impact!! Can never get enough time to enjoy all of the quality games being played. But today we take time to enjoy one of Carlsen's "standard" wins! Today’s London System opening is a rather well worked out weapon and no longer just an attempt to dodge opening theory. Magnus used the element of surprise upon his venerable opponent GM Kaidanov to great effect during round 8 of the Qatar Masters Chess Open. A well played game and very instructive. Puzzles to challenge as well! THE GAME: [Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"][Site "Doha QAT"] [Date "2023.10.19"] [EventDate "2022.10.11"][Round "8."][Result "1-0"] [White "GM Magnus Carlsen"][Black "GM Gregory Kaidanov"] [ECO "D00"][Opening "London System"] [WhiteElo "2839"][BlackElo "2554"] 1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 c5 3. e3 Nc6 4. c3 Nf6 5. Nd2 e6 6. Ngf3 cxd4 7. exd4 Nh5 8. Be3 Bd6 9. Bd3 Nf4 10. Bxf4 Bxf4 11. O-O O-O 12. Re1 Bd7 13. Nb3 b6 14. Qe2 g6 15. a4 f6 16. Bb5 Qc7 17. a5 Rae8 18. g3 Bh6 19. axb6 axb6 20. c4 dxc4 21. Qxc4 Qd6 22. Ra6 Rb8 23. Nc5 Nxd4 24. Nxd4 Qxc5 25. Ra7 Rbd8 26. b4 Qxc4 27. Bxc4 Rfe8 28. b5 Bc8 29. Nc6 Rd6 30. Rc7 Bd7 31. Ra1 Bf8 32. Raa7 Bxc6 33. bxc6 Rd1+ 34. Kg2 Rc1 35. Ra4 b5 36. Bxb5 Rc5 37. Bc4 Bd6 38. Rb7 Kh8 39. Bxe6 Re7 40. Rxe7 Bxe7 41. Ra8+ Kg7 42. Ra7 Rxc6 43. Rxe7+ Kf8 44. Rf7+ 1-0 Thanks for joining me as we appreciate this excellent GM Carlsen OTB (Over The Board) win! See you next time ~ S.

PART II coverage of the game Carlsen versus Karthikeyan. Which was the second loss incurred by Magnus while playing at the QATAR MASTERS OPEN 2023. A fighting game of chess but clearly Magnus was not “100 percent” on. So I would rate this as a game where he made a miscalculation and wasn’t playing his best. But a win is a win and a loss is a loss. It happens. Chess happens. Here is the game again given as a pgn score: [Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"][Site "Doha QAT"] [Date "2023.10.18"][EventDate "2022.10.11"] [Round "7.1"][Result "0-1"] [White “GM Magnus Carlsen"] [Black “GM Murali Karthikeyan"] [ECO "C77”][Opening: “Spanish or Ruy Lopez”] [WhiteElo "2839"][BlackElo "2611"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nd5 d6 8. c3 Be6 9. d4 exd4 10. cxd4 Bxd5 11. exd5 Bb4+ 12. Kf1 Ne7 13. Qd3 Qd7 14. h4 h6 15. h5 Nexd5 16. Rh4 O-O-O 17. a3 Ba5 18. a4 Bb6 19. Nd2 Rhe8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Ne4 Kb7 22. Qf3 Qc6 23. Bxh6 Rxe4 24. Rxe4 gxh6 25. Ree1 Kb8 26. Re2 Qb7 27. Bxd5 Nxd5 28. Qxf7 c6 29. Qxb7+ Kxb7 30. Rd1 Kc7 31. Re6 Rf8 32. Rd2 Rf6 33. Re4 Kd7 34. g3 Rf5 35. g4 Rf7 36. Rd3 Nc7 37. Ree3 Ne6 38. d5 cxd5 39. Rf3 Rg7 40. Rxd5 Rxg4 41. Rf6 Bd4 42. Rxh6 Rf4 43. Rxb5 Rxf2+ 44. Ke1 Nc5 45. Kd1 Be3 0-1 Thanks for watching, get out there and roll the bones! ~ S.

To be a wolf you must run with the Wolves. Once you reach the top of the Chess World everyone around you is gunning for that number one spot or a claim to some chess fame. But you didn’t get to the top without putting your time in. Even as King you still have lessons to learn about chess, how you handle the stress of competitive tournament play and how to keep one step ahead of everybody else in the chess World. A lost game has consequences but the biggest of these is a chance to learn from your mistake or mistakes and to become an even better chess player. We will look at the game during the next posting. But for now enjoy the four tactics taken from out of this game. Some of the positions are of the lines of play avoided by the players. So we get to learn vicariously through their great OTB (Over The Board) chess struggle. PGN score given down below. The Game: [Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"][Site "Doha QAT"] [Date "2023.10.18"][EventDate "2022.10.11"] [Round "7.1"][Result "0-1"] [White “GM Magnus Carlsen"] [Black “GM Murali Karthikeyan"] [ECO "C77”][Opening: “Spanish or Ruy Lopez”] [WhiteElo "2839"][BlackElo "2611"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nd5 d6 8. c3 Be6 9. d4 exd4 10. cxd4 Bxd5 11. exd5 Bb4+ 12. Kf1 Ne7 13. Qd3 Qd7 14. h4 h6 15. h5 Nexd5 16. Rh4 O-O-O 17. a3 Ba5 18. a4 Bb6 19. Nd2 Rhe8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Ne4 Kb7 22. Qf3 Qc6 23. Bxh6 Rxe4 24. Rxe4 gxh6 25. Ree1 Kb8 26. Re2 Qb7 27. Bxd5 Nxd5 28. Qxf7 c6 29. Qxb7+ Kxb7 30. Rd1 Kc7 31. Re6 Rf8 32. Rd2 Rf6 33. Re4 Kd7 34. g3 Rf5 35. g4 Rf7 36. Rd3 Nc7 37. Ree3 Ne6 38. d5 cxd5 39. Rf3 Rg7 40. Rxd5 Rxg4 41. Rf6 Bd4 42. Rxh6 Rf4 43. Rxb5 Rxf2+ 44. Ke1 Nc5 45. Kd1 Be3 0-1 Thanks for watching, be safe out there! ~ S.

Great Works of Art - Make it while you can for this too shall pass! Time flows on… long after we are gone. But as long as people persist then great works of chess art can, and will, be appreciated. And those that created those gems will be long remembered. To be on top is partly, in the end, a factor of how worn out from the stress one gets. And a complete man or woman doesn’t have to be defined by only one thing in their life but to be truly great at something is what most people desire and can only ever even dream about. Former World Champion Magnus Carlsen has worked hard to live the dream that most other players can only imagine. And he has produced many works of chess art that will live beyond his own personal story line. One of my favorites was his win as a young man versus Alexander Bielavsky with the White pieces in a Ruy Lopez opening in the B tournament Corus 2006. An epic attacking masterpiece in my humble opinion. Today we look at one of Magnus’s losses. Certainly something that most players can only ever dream about is scoring a win against the legendary highest rated chess player in history. For Alisher Suleymenov that dream came true during round two of the Qatar Masters Open. Today we look at the game in detail so my apologies about going long in this edition of Spot on Chess Puzzles. We will discuss many tactical ideas in this game… but there won’t be a puzzle set this time around. Enjoy the art instead and live vicariously through the efforts of both Carlsen and Suleymenov! Game included down below and just a reminder that the previous video did cover two tactical positions that did or could have arisen in this game. So with that… Enjoy! THE GAME: [Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"][Site "Doha QAT"] [Date "2023.10.12"][Round "2"] [White "Suleymenov, Alisher"][Black "Carlsen, Magnus"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2512"][BlackElo "2839"][ECO "E12"] [Opening "Queen's Indian"][Variation "Petrosian system"] [EventDate "2023.10.11"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Nc3 c5 7. e4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bc5 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. b4 Be7 11. Bb2 Qb8 12. Rd1 O-O 13. Be2 d6 14. O-O Rc8 15. Rfe1 Bf8 16. Bf1 Ne7 17. Nb5 Ne8 18. Ng5 Ng6 19. e5 d5 20. Qb3 Be7 21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. cxd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 exd5 24. Qxd5+ Kf8 25. Nd4 Nf4 26. Qf3 Kg8 27. Qxf4 Qb7 28. Nf5 b5 29. Bxb5 Bf8 30. Bc4+ Kh8 31. Nh6 1-0 Stay safe and see you all later on down the timeline. Hopefully ~ S.

When we are at the height of our chess prowess we don't know it because like a morning fog our peak chess performance will, eventually, dissipate. I have been a fan of many top level chess players and over time they come and go. Some hang in there till death parts them from playing the best moves of their lives, in the game of life and in the game of chess. Viktor Korchnoi was one of these amazing players that was always dangerous, right on up until the end of his life. With GM Magnus having shrugged off playing for the World Title and thus forfeiting it, with him becoming a stickler for match play that requires less effort and less preparation from him, with complaints about tournament player conditions and anti-cheating protocols are we watching his very bright star fade from the chess firmament? He has burned oh so brightly too. With more standard time control losses and fewer Over the Board standard time control wins is Magnus losing his "magic touch" at the chessboard. I hope not. But the fact remains: He has lost more games this year than he has in any one year over the time he has been World Champion. I hope, as a fan, that he decides to endure the stress and do it all again. That is to get back out there and win the title and then defend it one last time. However the chess crown ways heavy. THE GAME: GM Alisher Suleymenov versus Magnus Carlsen Qatar Masters Chess Open, Round 2, 10.12.2023 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Nc3 c5 7. e4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bc5 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. b4 Be7 11. Bb2 Qb8 12. Rd1 O-O 13. Be2 d6 14. O-O Rc8 15. Rfe1 Bf8 16. Bf1 Ne7 17. Nb5 Ne8 18. Ng5 Ng6 19. e5 d5 20. Qb3 Be7 21. Nxf7 Kxf7 22. cxd5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 exd5 24. Qxd5+ Kf8 25. Nd4 Nf4 26. Qf3 Kg8 27. Qxf4 Qb7 28. Nf5 b5 29. Bxb5 Bf8 30. Bc4+ Kh8 31. Nh6 Resigns 1-0 Thanks for watching and be safe out there. ~ S.

We take a look at the game we discussed in our last puzzle set - the fighting chess game of Garv Gaur versus Bakhrillaev from the Qatar Open. It was a fighting chess game right out of the opening but in the middle-game Garv took over and showed some impressive ideas to seal the deal and take home the full point. THE GAME SCORE: [Event "Qatar Masters Open 2023"] [White "Garv Gaur"][Black "Bakhrillaev,Bakhrom"] [Site "Doha"][Round "6.19"] [Result "1-0"][Date "2023.10.17"] [WhiteElo "2401"][BlackElo "2302"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. h3 a6 11. Be3 Rb8 12. b3 c5 13. Nde2 b5 14. Qxd6 b4 15. Na4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Bxa1 17. Rxa1 Rxe4 18. Nxc5 Re8 19. Rd1 Qe7 20. Qxe7 Rxe7 21. Nf4 Nxc5 22. Bxc5 Rd7 23. Nd5 Kg7 24. Bd4+ f6 25. Bxf6+ Kf7 26. Be5 Ra8 27. Rc1 Rd8 28. Nb6 Ra7 29. c5 Re7 30. f4 Bxh3 31. c6 Bc8 32. c7 Rg8 33. Nc4 Re6 34. Rd1 Ke7 35. Bd6+ Kf6 36. Bxb4 Ree8 37. Bc3+ Ke6 38. Kf2 Ref8 39. Bb4 Re8 40. Nd6 Ref8 41. Ne4 Re8 42. Rd6+ Kf7 43. Ng5+ Kg7 44. Bc3+ Kf8 45. Nxh7+ Ke7 46. Bb4 Kf7 47. Ng5+ Kg7 48. Bc3+ Kf8 49. Bf6 a5 50. a3 Bg4 51. Rd8 Bc8 52. b4 a4 53. b5 Bb7 54. Rd7 Rc8 55. Rf7+ Ke8 56. Re7+ 1-0 Enjoy this donnybrook of a chess game, stay well and be well ~ Sean.