Well, I'm rarely happy to draw 3 in a row, but I achieved my goal of surviving day one nerves and look forward to pressing harder tomorrow.
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Never have chess fans been so eager to see all draws. GM Garry Kasparov didn't mind them either. "Unlike 20 years ago, I was happy with three draws," he said at the end of a day that left him tired. Lead Photo: Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. After three half-points in as many games in day one of his return at the St. Louis Blitz and Rapid, Kasparov isn't the leader. Neither is he far behind after coming out his 12-year retirement. "I was quite pleased with my performance," Kasparov said. "My plan was to survive day one." Short-sleeved, watch-less, and jacket-less, GM Garry Kasparov must not have wanted anything encumbering him today. Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. He survived, even if he didn't exactly thrive. Game one was another all-Russian "K vs. K" battle, but GM Sergey Karjakin has long since supplanted traditional Kasparov rival GM Anatoly Karpov. Kasparov neither pressed nor was under too much duress. Game two was more shaky, as he squandered a noticeable advantage but held after a directional endgame mistake by GM Hikaru Nakamura. Game three didn't disrupt the streak as GM Leinier Dominguez's isolated queen pawn, the only positional imbalance, was swapped off for a third draw by the 13th world champion. "I was not happy I had two Whites today," Kasparov said. "My plan was to play very solid." Since GM Maurice Ashley called GM Hikaru Nakamura a "bear," then with Kasparov showing his teeth this must be the "The Revenant" Attack. Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. It's not common in reporting to ignore the leaders, but the Kasparov name is the asterisk of chess. He trails four other players, all by a half-point. Three of the four leaders on 2.0/3 went the opposite way of Kasparov and played no draws. GM Levon Aronian, GM Fabiano Caruana, and GM Le Quang Liem all scored two wins and one loss as they collectively accounted for two-thirds of the day's wins. GM Ian Nepomniachtchi joined them 2.0/3 with a more "traditional" super-GM method: one win and two draws. Well look at who came out to play! Image: 2700chess.com. Perhaps the balanced reporting and crowd attention will begin during day two, but today Kasparov's trio of games superseded the others. Even top-class players focused on one man. Eagerly waiting for the #STLRapidBlitz to watch how @Kasparov63 will fare after so much time away from professional chess! Garry is Garry, but a plus score in this field at 54 after 12 yrs would be phenomenal. Funny that non-chess people assume he's the favorite! In round one, Kasparov admitted he was "quite worse and I had less time" against Karjakin. As you might expect after such a long hiatus, his form and confidence have yet to build back up to his prior levels. Particularly worrying was his 10 minute, 55 second-think on move 18. In his heyday, Kasparov wouldn't normally spend 40 percent of his time on one move (time control: G/25 with a 10-second delay). "I had to adjust myself to the atmosphere," he said, adding that even yesterday he was in a "very nervous state." Game two pitted Kasparov against one-time student Nakamura. Most of the field hedged about Kasparov's expected placement. Not Nakamura. Although Nakamura's prediction wasn't exactly strident, he did say that it would be unlikely for Kasparov to win (and that he'd put the odds at 3-1against him finishing last). The game unearthed the best chances for Kasparov of the opening day. "Garry has said that he hasn't been doing anything different than before retiring," Nakamura said to Chess.com prior to their game. "We all know that's not true." The photo shows the final move of the game, with Nakamura promoting to a queen. Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. Nakamura had said he preferred to play Kasparov later in the rapid event to get a sense of his openings and his form. That didn't happen. The first moves did end up problematic, but for Nakamura. "This opening has been a disaster for Hikaru,” commentator GM Yasser Seirawan said. Indeed, White's pieces had trouble finding useful squares while Kasparov registered the only bishops on the board by move 15. Afterward, Kasparov spoke in similar terms: "His position looked very dubious." No argument from Nakamura's camp. Longtime second NM Kris Littlejohn, spotted pre-round with Nakamura in front of a laptop at the adjoining cafe, said they had their plan ready and were merely reviewing things. "Probably the wrong things!" Littlejohn said as the opening unfolded. The hot sauce opening? GM Hikaru Nakamura and NM Kris Littlejohn review their plans in the short interregnum between games. Chess.com/Mike Klein. GM Maurice Ashley's years of watching Nakamura play offered him the most prescience. "But [Nakamura's] like a bear that’s hard to bring down,” Ashley said after the meek retreat 12. Ng1. "His pieces just crumbled in the center," Kasparov said. Then after allowing the blockading formation of knights on b3 and d4, Kasparov said his sacrifice on a7 was "totally crazy" and came about after he was "mesmerized by the two bishops" in trying to force a win. In his recent MasterClass taping, Kasparov cited the beauty and the importance of the ending, which was never more on full display than here.
The newly retired and the momentarily un-retired. The first move was played by the former NFL player John Urschel (middle). Kasparov has a laugh while club director Tony Rich explains to Urschel about the "zero tolerance" rule used in some events. Yet another "innovation" Kasparov never had to face (it's not in use at Grand Chess Tour events). Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. Game three showed what might be twin concerns for the legend -- strong home preparation by his opponents and late afternoon fatigue. Prior to his game against Dominguez, Kasparov admitted to tiredness, then also had to deal with what he presumed was a novelty, 16...Ne6. "I faced very, very precise preparation," Kasparov said. "It's a forced draw." Indeed, the knight assisted with the strategic liquidation ...d4. As is often the case when Black can successfully advance his IQP, any hint of a White advantage was gone. Kasparov dutifully came downstairs for an on-air interview, but the club went to extraordinary lengths not even afforded GM Magnus Carlsen to shield Kasparov from fans and the press. He spent the short break between rounds in a closed-door office, and entered by a back door. In round two, organizers may have sensed the crowd was on to them. They produced a novelty: After Kasparov exited the playing hall via a back fire escape, Kasparov entered the club via a second, different back door.
GM Garry Kasparov paces while waiting to be let in the back door. Chess.com/Mike Klein. Following his stint on the commentary, Kasparov left the club for good via a hidden egress leading from the club's basement. With no media interviews granted by the club prior to the tournament, the three questions from the press at the opening ceremony comprise the entirety of Kasparov's interaction with independent media. Chess fans can look past that at a full day of highlights from other players. Round one's most scintillating moment came from a Grand Chess Tour first-timer. Le was an alternate in the 2013 Sinquefield Cup, but otherwise had never played a high-level event at the St. Louis Chess Club despite going to college at Webster University a few miles away.
The new college graduate GM Le Quang Liem, under the radar no longer. Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. The 2013 world blitz champion went from a computer evaluation of around -6 to checkmating Caruana, all in one quick, time-dwindling series. "Somehow he missed this 49. Rd7 idea, which gave me some counterplay," Le said. "I would be happy with a draw." As it turns out, the game loosely reminded of Caruana's loss to GM Varuzhan Akobian in the same room at the 2017 U.S. Championship -- completely winning, then getting his king bottled up. "I was very lucky," Le told Chess.com. "I must be losing. This is a very lucky win." He said the luck continued in round three in a precise endgame with Nakamura. In yet another bishop-battling-pawn endgame, this time Nakamura had the defensive task, but made a late slip after recovering at one point from a lost ending. Once again, the king direction was the key. Besides Le's adventurous endgames, other flashy contests came from Aronian. In the opening game, his opponent pretty much made him sacrifice. "It's clear that if I remove the knight (on move 19), then Black is just fine," Aronian said. "I was searching for a way to sacrifice the knight...Probably in a long game I would think for much longer." "Levon’s wearing a very colorful shirt and he’s playing a very colorful game," GM Robert Hess said. In round two, Aronian tried another blistering kingside attack but it failed, giving Nepomniachtchi his lone win. Still, Aronian came back to win in round three as Ashley called him an "artist."
GM Levon Aronian's must be trying to emulate his French friend by riding a full beard to the top. Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. Despite the multiple piece offerings in the first round, Aronian was chatting about his second win more. Was it a compliment or a dig at the recent Sinquefield Cup champ?
Open up the magazine. Maybe your name will be in it! Chess.com/Maria Emelianova. Caruana recovered from his opening-round debacle to win the last two games. First he beat the luckless GM David Navara in round two, then he demolished Karjakin in round three. This wasn't much of a struggle -- Caruana brought his pieces over to the black king while the a-file counterplay was punchless and ineffectual.
Graphics courtesy Spectrum Studios. Kasparov's card tomorrow features two leaders: Aronian, Nepomniachtchi, and GM Viswanathan Anand. Aronian told Chess.com that he agreed with Nakamura -- it's better to play Kasparov later in the event. "It's clear that Garry hasn't played in a while and you want to see what he's prepared in his openings," Aronian said. You can follow the games live at Chess.com/Live and watch the live broadcast at Chess.com/TV with commentary by GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade. Games start every day at 1 p.m. local time (11 a.m. Pacific, 2 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. CET). Games from TWIC. Previous reports:
Kasparov 'Survives' While 4 Others Surge To Top
Kasparov, Garry (2812) vs. Karjakin, Sergey (2773)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 1.1 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: E34 | 1/2-1/2
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d55. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nf3 Qf5 7. Qb3 Nc6 8. Bd2O-O 9. h3 a5 10. g4 Qg6 11. a3 a4 12. Qc4Bxc3 13. Bxc3 Nd5 14. Bd2 f6 15. Rc1 Bd716. Qc2 Qxc2 17. Rxc2 Be8 18. e3 Bg619. Rc5 Be4 20. Be2 e5 21. O-O exd422. Nxd4 Nxd4 23. exd4 c6 24. Re1 Bg625. Bf1 Bf7 26. f4 Rfd8 27. f5 Rd7 28. Ra5Rxa5 29. Bxa5 g6 30. fxg6 hxg6 31. Bd2g5 32. Bd3 Kg7 33. Bc2 b5 34. Bf5 Rd835. Kf2 Bg6 36. Be6Clearly White does not want to have his Bd2 face the Nd5. 36... Bf737. Bf5 Bg6 38. Be6Looks surely a draw, but Karjakin doesn't fear the legend.38... Nf4 39. Bxf4 gxf4 40. Rd1 Be4 41. h4Kg6 42. Re1 Bc2 43. Rc1 Be4 44. Re1Bc2This time he takes the handshake.
Nakamura, Hikaru (2792) vs. Kasparov, Garry (2812)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 2.1 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: D80 | 1/2-1/2
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Bg75. Bxf6 Bxf6 6. cxd5 c6 7. e4 O-O 8. Nf3cxd5 9. e5 Bg7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Bb5 Bg412. Ng1 f6 13. h3 Be6 14. exf6 Rxf615. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Nge2 Qd6 17. O-O Raf818. Rae1 Bc8 19. Na4 e5 20. dxe5 Qxe521. b4 Re6 22. Nc5 Ree8 23. Nb3 Qb224. Qxb2 Bxb2 25. Ned4 Rxe1 26. Rxe1Bd7 27. Re2 Bc3 28. Rc2 Bxb4 29. Nxc6Bd6 30. Nxa7 Re8 31. g4 h5 32. f3 Re1+33. Kg2 Kf7 34. Nc6 h4 35. Ncd4 Rd136. Rd2 Rxd2+ 37. Nxd2 Kf6 38. Kf2 Ke539. Ke3 g5 40. f4+!Kasparov correctly praised this move. 40... gxf4+ 41. Kd3 Be742. N2f3+ Kd6 43. Nf5+Played instantly.43... Bxf5+ 44. gxf5 Kc5 45. Nd4 Kd646. a4 Bd8 47. Ne6 Bb6 48. Nxf4 Ke549. f6 Bc5(49... Kxf4 50. f7 Bc5 51. a5 Ke5 52. a6 Kf653. a7wins for White by a tempo)50. f7 Kf6 51. Nxd5+ Kxf7In a recurring theme of the day (later seen again in Nakamura's final-round game) the question arises: Which way with the king? 52. Ke4It seemed winning at first sight to this reporter too, but it's just barely not.(52. Kc4 Bf2 53. Kb5 Ke8 54. Kc6 Kd855. Kb7and White "shoulders" Black's king out of the way, while his knight can reroute to guard a5, then land on b6 to even block the bishop and safeguard the advance to a7. With the h-pawns remaining, it's a win.)52... Ke6 53. Nf4+ Kd6 54. Ng2 Bf2 55. Kf3Bg3 56. Kg4 Kc5 57. Nxh4 Bf2 58. Nf5Kb4The problem for White is that is takes so many move to keep blocking the bishop (and there's now not two but three dark squares to clear). It's just too slow and Black's king returns all the back for the fight. 59. Ng3Kxa4 60. h4 Kb5 61. h5 Be3 62. Ne4 Kc663. Ng5 Kd7 64. h6 Ke7 65. h7 Bd4 66. Kf5Ba1 67. Kg6 Bb2 68. Nf7 Ba169. Nh6Some care is required! 69... Bh8(69... Bb2? 70. Ng8+ Kf8 71. Nf6)70. Ng4 Ba1 71. Ne3 Bh8 72. Nd5+ Ke673. Nf4+ Ke7 74. Nh3 Ke6 75. Ng5+ Ke776. Nf7 Ba1 77. h8=Q Bxh8
Kasparov, Garry (2812) vs. Dominguez Perez, Leinier (2739)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 3.1 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: D53 | 1/2-1/2
1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be75. e3 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5Nbd7 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe711. Nxd5 exd5 12. Nf3 Nxc5 13. Be2 Bg414. O-O Rac8 15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. h3 Ne617. Qa4 Bh5 18. Rd2White would love to get a piece to d4 and make Black suffer a little, but there's no time.(18. Nd4doesn't really work after 18... Bxe219. Nxe2 Qf6 20. Nd4 Rc4and if 21. Qxa7Nxd4 22. exd4 Rc2then Black has the initiative.)18... d4!Black always loves to get this move in when saddled with the IQP. It's particularly vexing for White since he seemed to be marshaling all of his forces on d4. There's no shortage of Chess.com and ChessKid.com videos showing that only a piece outposted in front of the pawn can truly prevent this idea. 19. Qxa7 Bxf3 20. Bxf3 Qb4! 21. Rad1Rc1!Simplification through tactics. 22. Rxc1Qxd2 23. Rd1 Qxb2 24. Qxb7 Qxa225. Qb1 Qxb1 26. Rxb1 dxe3 27. fxe3 Ng528. h4 Nxf3+ 29. gxf3
Le, Quang Liem (2739) vs. Caruana, Fabiano (2807)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 1.3 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: D20 | 1-0
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 Nf6 4. e5 Nd55. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Bg4 8. f3Bh5 9. Nbc3 e6 10. Be4 Bg6 11. O-O Be712. Be3 Bxe4 13. fxe4 O-O 14. Nf4 Bg515. Kh1 Qe7 16. Qh5 h6 17. Rad1 Nc418. Bc1 Rad8 19. b3 Nb6 20. Nce2 Rd721. Rd3 Rfd8 22. Rg3 Nxd4 23. Nxd4 Rxd424. Nxe6 fxe6 25. Bxg5 Qe8 26. Qxe8+Rxe8 27. Bxh6 Re7 28. Rg4 Nd7 29. Be3Rd3 30. Bf4 Rd4 31. Re1 c5 32. h3 b533. Rg3 Rf7 34. Bc1 c4 35. Kh2 a5 36. bxc4Rxc4 37. Bb2 Rc2 38. Bd4 Rxa2 39. Rd1 b440. Rg6 Nf8 41. Rg3 Rd7 42. Rf3 Ng643. Rg3 Kh7 44. Rg5 b3 45. Rh5+ Kg846. Rg5 b2 47. Rxg6 Rxd4!Obvious and perfectly fine. 48. Rxd4 b1=Q 49. Rd7 Kf8(49... Kh8This also works despite its cringe-inducing nature.)50. Rdxg7 Ke8??And now Black is completely lost.(50... Rf2is an uncommon regrouping, with the point 51. Rg8+ Ke7 52. R6g7+ Rf7)51. Ra7?Still better for White, but not as a good as(51. Rg8+ Kd7 52. R6g7+ Kc6 53. Rc8+Kb5 54. Rb7+ Ka4 55. Rxb1was the cleanest)51... Kf8?(51... Rf2is the sad necessity, but never something you'd play unless you saw the forced mate coming 52. Rg8+ Rf8 53. Ra8+Kd7 54. Rgxf8And White should win, but you can never count out a queen with both clocks under 30 seconds)52. Ra8+The live show expecting some sort of repetition, but no! 52... Kf7 53. Rag8!The last two moves came immediately from Le as he pounced even before computer-assisted commentators could speak them. Black resigned since there's no useful checks or ways to prevent R6g7.
Le, Quang Liem (2739) vs. Nakamura, Hikaru (2792)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 3.3 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: E10 | 1-0
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Qc2Ne4 9. Bf4 c6 10. Nc3 g5 11. Bc1 f5 12. b3b6 13. Bb2 Bb7 14. Rad1 Qe8 15. Ne5Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Rc8 18. e3Qg6 19. Qc1 Qg7 20. f4 gxf4 21. gxf4 Kh822. Kh1 Rg8 23. Bf3 Qh6 24. Ba3 Bxa325. Qxa3 Rg7 26. Qb2 Rcg8 27. Rg1 Qh428. Rxg7 Rxg7 29. Qd2 Ba6 30. cxd5 cxd531. Rg1 Rc7 32. Qg2 Qd8 33. Qh3 Rg734. Qh6 Rxg1+ 35. Kxg1 d4 36. Qxe6 dxe337. Qd6 Qg8+ 38. Bg2 Qg4 39. e6 e240. Qe5+ Qg7 41. Kf2 Qxe5 42. fxe5 Kg743. Bf3 Kf8 44. Bxe2 Bc8 45. Bc4 Ke746. Ke3 Bb7 47. Bd3 h6 48. Bxf5 Bc6The two extra pawns aren't so easy since they essentially count as one, and Black's blockade is in place, for now. 49. b4 Bd550. a3 Bb3(50... Bxe6 51. Bxe6 Kxe6 52. Ke4is hopeless for Black, as was capturing the pawn back on move 46.)51. Bg4 Ba4 52. Kf4 Bc2 53. Kg3 Bd354. Kh4There's no harm in trying to break in this way. 54... Bg6 55. Bh5 Bc2 56. Bg4(56. Bf7 Bd1)56... Bg6 57. Kg3 Bc2 58. Kf4 Bd3 59. Ke3Bc2 60. Kd4On to the other side! 60... Bb361. Bf5 Bd1 62. Kd5 Ba4 63. Bd3 Be864. b5?(64. Bc4is eventually zugzwang 64... a565. b5 h5 66. h4and at some point the Black king or bishop will move, allowing an invasion)64... Bh5 65. Kc6 Bf3+ 66. Kc7 Kxe667. Kb8 Kxe5 68. Kxa7 Kd4 69. Kxb6?(69. Bc2gives better chances but Black can hope to hang on by 69... Kc5and trading his b- for a-pawn, then offering his bishop for the b-pawn.)69... Kxd3This, however, is a draw. 70. Kc5Ke4?First the white king went the wrong way, now the Black king follows suit.(70... Kc3White could easily draw by running after the h-pawn, but let's see what happens if he tries to win at all costs 71. a4Kb3 72. a5 Ka4 73. a6 (73. Kb6 Be2 74. a6Bf3and White can't make progress because of (74... Bxb5? 75. a7) 75. Kc5 Ka5)73... Ka5 74. a7 Bg2 75. b6 Ka6and White would even lose for over-pressing.)71. a4 Ke5 72. a5 Ke6 73. Kb6 Be2 74. Kc6Ke7 75. b6Neither 75...Kd8 76. b7 nor 75...Bf3+ 76. Kc7 save Black.
Aronian, Levon (2799) vs. Navara, David (2737)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 1.4 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: E15 | 1-0
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba65. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg2d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. O-O Re8 11. Ne5 Bb712. Qc2 c5 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Rad1 Qc815. e4 Bf8 16. f4 d4 17. Nd5 Nxd518. exd5The key moment. Black tries to expel the strong knight. 18... f619. Rde1!Aronian said that removing the knight wasn't an option. He had to go for it.19... fxe5 20. fxe5 Nd7 21. e6 Nf622. Rxf6! gxf6 23. Qf5"The question is not 'How does White win?'" Ashley said. "The question is, 'What does Black do in these next three moves?'" 23... Qd8?(23... Qc7 24. Re4 h5is apparently equal and certainly impossible to find.)24. Re4 Re7 25. Rg4+ Kh8 26. Be4 Rc827. Rh4 Kg8 28. Rxh7 Bxd5 29. Qg6+ Rg730. Qh5!It's all over, but Navara does the sportsmanly gesture and allows the mate.30... Bxe4 31. Rh8#
Anand, Viswanathan (2783) vs. Aronian, Levon (2799)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 3.5 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: C50 | 0-1
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf65. d3 O-O 6. a4 a5 7. c3 d5 8. exd5 Nxd59. Nbd2 Nb6 10. Bb5 Bd6 11. Ne4 Bg4 12. h3Bh5 13. Ng3 Bg6 14. Re1 Re8 15. Be3 Kh816. Qb3 Nd7 17. Bc4 f5 18. Bg5 Nc5 19. Bxd8Nxb3 20. Bxc7 Nxa1 21. Bxd6 Rad8 22. Bc7Rc8 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. Bxe5 f4 25. Bb5 fxg326. Bxe8 Rxe8 27. d4 gxf2+ 28. Kxf2 Nb329. g4 Kg8 30. Kg3 Nd2 31. b4 Ne4+ 32. Kh4Nxc3 33. bxa5 Nd5 34. Rc1 Be4 35. Rc5 Ne736. Kg3 Rc8 37. Rb5 Rc3+ 38. Kh2 Rc2+39. Kg1 Nd5
Caruana, Fabiano (2807) vs. Karjakin, Sergey (2773)
Saint Louis Rapid 2017 | Saint Louis USA | Round 3.2 | 14 Aug 2017 | ECO: E21 | 1-0
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. e3Bb7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. cxd5 exd59. Ne5 c5 10. f4 Nc6 11. Ne2 c4 12. Bc2 Ne713. Ng3 Nc8 14. Nh5 Be7 15. b3 cxb316. axb3 Nd6 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. Ba3 Bc819. Qf3 Bb7 20. Bd3 a5 21. Rac1 a422. Qh3In the starting position, all of White's pieces are playing their part. 22... g623. Nd7One part fork, one part obstruction.23... Be7(23... Re8 24. Bxd6)24. Nxf8 Bxf8 25. f5 axb3 26. fxg6 hxg627. Bxg6! fxg6 28. Qe6+ Kh7 29. Bxd6 Qxd630. Rf7+ Kh6 31. Qh3+ Kg5 32. g3
Comments
Good display Garry, bit nervous but will improve I guess over the next few days.
Looking forward to seeing day 2 and how Kasparov develops, but also Ian Nepomniachtchi. He's capable of blowing anyone off the board in Rapid/Blitz when he is on form and I'd love to see him put a streak together. Obviously I'm supporting Levon Aronian overall though as he's my favourite player.
Today will be very telling. First day jitters will be gone and Garry will come out hungry. The blush and fanfare of having him out of retirement will abate and he will be playing current tournament leaders. Everyone has had a chance to adjust. Sink or swim day.
Loving the games!
Rapid is often so exciting!
Liem, my fellow countryman. Go, Liem!
Nakamura's reaction on his game against Le, Quang shows immaturity based on the gif. He's like a 5 year old boy. Lol!
that's just naka being mad at himself. he doesnt hide his emotions.
Just like a rematch between Fischer vs Spassky, how about a rematch between Karpov vs Kasparov?
I love Nepo in that gif.
You mean Naka in that gif....
If Kasparov Draws against 3 top player in the world...means that him is still a top player.
I am so happy of this.
Nakamura's reaction on his game against Le, Quang shows immaturity based on the gif. He's like a 5 year old boy. Lol!
So Kasparov now has the same status as Hou Yifan? Draws against world top players are considered successes and discussed in great detail.
In this case - 54 years old, ex-world-champion, barely played for past 12 years - I think it's fair, no?
Generally, I think people are most interested to know how Kasparov is doing first - it's the most unusual aspect of an interesting event.
So Kasparov now has the same status as Hou Yifan? Draws against world top players are considered successes and discussed in great detail.
The analysis seems wrong in Nakamura vs Kasparov; at the end of the line suggested at move 69 (ending with 71. Nf6), they claim White should win; however, 70... Ke6 is an auto-drawn wrong rook pawn+bishop endgame.
It seems like somebody might have been "inspired" by my comment
@jaguelp
The analysis seems wrong in Nakamura vs Kasparov; at the end of the line suggested at move 69 (ending with 71. Nf6), they claim White should win; however, 70... Ke6 is an auto-drawn wrong rook pawn+bishop endgame.
Quote Of The Day: (As Naka resigns Game 3) "Oh, the walking handshake" - Yasser.
I love Nepo in that gif.
To be the man, you've got to beat the man. Ric Flair.
@peterdoggers
hi peter , great read and analysis, just one small glitch in Le, Quang Liem (2739) vs. Nakamura, Hikaru (2792):
the position analyzed as winning variation after 75. Kxa5 is a draw after 75..Bxb5 since its the wrong queening square!
In the Nakamura - Kasparov analysis, 70...Kf8 would be the real blunder. Ke6 draws.
Just sayin'
Kasparov Rules