June 5 - Blitz Chess

The strongest chess tournament in history, Altibox Norway Chess 2017, kicked off today with the traditional preliminary blitz tournament. The winner of the blitz tournament is granted the benefit of picking their start number in the main tournament. Moreover, the players finishing in the top five will get the advantage of playing five white games. That might not sound like much, but at the highest level an extra white game can prove decisive.

Magnus Carlsen, being the highest rated player with a blitz rating of 2914, was the clear favourite to win this tournament. However, anything can happen in Blitz. Despite Carlsen’s somewhat slow start with two draws in the first two games, he managed to win all but one of the remaining games, finishing with the exceptional score of 7,5 out of 9. Without losing a single game. This takes him to a Blitz rating of 2943, one step closer to breaking the magical 3000 barrier. Carlsen found his win against Karjakin to be the most interesting game.

Nakamura and Aronian followed in 2nd and 3rd place, with 5,5 points. The remaining two players who get the benefit of playing five white games are Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Vladimir Kramnik, finishing with scores of 5 and 4,5 respectively.

On the bottom half, the current blitz world champion Karjakin had a rough day, and after losing to Kramnik in the last round he ended in the bitter sixth place. Anand finished in 7th place and Wesley So in 8th. While Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri ended in the last two spots with 3 and 1,5 points. Thankfully, there will be a new day tomorrow, with everyone starting from scratch.

The first round of the main tournament starts tomorrow at 16:00 CECT. Already in the first round we will get the long anticipated showdown between the world number one and two, Magnus Carlsen vs. Wesley So.
Round 1

Carlsen – So

Nakamura – Giri

Aronian – Caruana

Vachier-Lagrave – Anand

Kramnik – Karjakin

June 6 - Round 1

The first round of Altibox Norway Chess 2017 produced four draws and one decisive game. Hikaru Nakamura was able to get a winning rook endgame against Anish Giri, and secure a full point after Giri made a conclusive mistake. Despite the other four games being extremely well played and full of life, they all ended in draws.

Magnus Carlsen – Wesley So
Everyone had been waiting for this showdown. Wesley Sos amazing performance the last years have made people wonder if he can take over Carlsens throne. Currently he is only 20 ratings points behind. Carlsen opened with the Italian, achieving a marginally better position after the opening. After a not too exciting middlegame, they reached a theoretically drawn knight endgame despite Carlsen being a pawn up. Carlsen continued to put So to the test. But after So defended perfectly in the endgame they repeated the position to end the game in a draw.

Levon Aronian – Fabiano Caruana
Caruana went for the very solid Queen’s gambit accepted. Aronian found a way to keep his opening advantage and increase the pressure. For a long time it looked like he would win. However, Caruana defended excellently under heavy time pressure, and found a way to exchange into a drawn rook and bishop endgame.

Vladimir Kramnik – Sergey Karjakin
A former World Champion versus the previous World Champion contender. Again we got to see the Italian opening in action. This opening seems to have really gained in popularity amongst the world’s elite the recent years. Kramnik achieved a slightly better position in the early endgame, but it didn’t take long before they exchanged rooks and agreed to repeat the position. Cashing in half a point each.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Vishy Anand
Anand chose the Caro-Kann defense against Vachier-Lagrave, an opening he has had problems defeating in the past himself. The pieces were traded rather rapidly, and after only 33 moves, there were only kings and pawns left on the board, resulting in an easily drawn endgame. Hopefully this will leave the players well rested and fit for fight tomorrow!

Hikaru Nakamura – Anish Giri
In the only decisive game of the first round, Nakamura opted for 4.Bg5 against the Gründfeld, a line rarely seen at the top level. He managed to squeeze a small advantage out of the opening, in the form of space and a bishop against a knight. Giri seemed to have everything under control, but after the mistake 47…Ke7, he found himself in a hopeless rook endgame. Nakamura showed of his perfect technique and easily won the endgame.

Hikaru Nakamura is in the sole lead after the first round, being the only player to score a full point. With 8 rounds to go, however, anything can happen! Tomorrow, we’ll see two former world champions go head to head in Anand – Kramnik. They have played each other 181 times, with Anand currently leading by a small margin. Stay tuned for the next round, starting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 16 CEST.

Round 2:

Nakamura – Aronian
Giri – Karjakin
Caruana – Carlsen
So – Vachier-Lagrave
Anand – Kramnik

June 7 - Round 2

The second round saw some very interesting matchups and games. We had the two former world champions, Anand and Kramnik, face off for the 182th time! Carlsen played Caruana, a player that has proven to match his level when at his best. This round also illustrated that even the best players in the world make mistakes.

Caruana – Carlsen
Caruana vs. Carlsen. The world champion versus the world’s number three. Minds of their caliber rarely make big mistakes, and it became clear rather early that this game would end in a draw. After opening with the Spanish, Carlsen went for the very sharp Gajewski variation. Caruana decided to not accept the sacrificed pawn. After that pieces were exchanged quickly and with only queens and some pawns left, Caruana gave a pawn to force a threefold repetition.

So – Vachier-Lagrave
This game reached a symmetric Reti-ish opening with a quite comfortable position for both players. Queens were off the board after only 13 moves, and although the resulting position perhaps was a bit easier for white to play, Black should be able to hold the draw without too much worry. At the point where they only had pawns and their minor pieces left, Vachier-Lagrave entered the confessional stating that the game would probably end in a draw. After about 20 more moves, there wasn’t much more to play for, so they agreed to repeat the position.

Nakamura – Aronian
Nakamura and Aronian have played some fighting games against each others in the past, and it seemed like both players were trying their best to win this game as well. Especially Aronian was pushing to break through Nakamura’s defence in a position that looked fairly similar. Eventually, Aronian managed to reach an endgame where both players had two rooks and a knight each, while he had an extra pawn. These endgames are usually a theoretical draw, and after exchanging a pair of rooks, they reached a dead draw position and agreed to a draw quickly after.

Giri – Karjakin
It looked for a long time like Giri would manage to squeeze out a win. But Karjakin once again showed of his defensive capabilities. Giri kept a tiny plus out of the opening. Slowly but surely, he gained an increasing edge. However, Karjakin demonstrating excellent endgame technique in a rook and knight against rook and bishop endgame. The game ended in a draw after 78 moves.

Anand – Kramnik
Kramnik won the battle between the two former world champions. The game started out with a standard Spanish opening where Anand opted for 6.Nc3 followed by a quick 7.Nd5. Kramnik went for the critical Nxe4 grabbing a pawn but giving white a few tempi. Anand managed to get the pawn back but found himself in a slightly worse queen and rook endgame.  After Anand mistakenly exchanged his a-pawn for a c-pawn, Kramnik managed to get a passed pawn which would decide the game. This is the first time Kramnik has beaten Anand with the black pieces in a classical games, which is shocking considering they have played each other 81 times.

In the next round Carlsen will go head to head with Nakamura. They’ve had a friendly rivalry going on for years, and it’s always exhilarating to watch these players face each other. We also get to see the two previous players world champion contenders, Karjakin and Anand, face each other.

Round 3:

Carlsen – Nakamura
Kramnik – So
Aronian – Giri
Vachier-Lagrave – Caruana
Karjakin – Anand

June 8 - Round 3

Round 3 was the first round not to feature any decisive games. Despite exciting games and great attempts at winning, no players made big enough mistakes to lose, and all points were shared this round.

Carlsen – Nakamura
Carlsen has historically been doing great against Nakamura. He has won seven games and only lost one. They always play exciting games, both usually fighting for a win, and today was no different. Nakamura went for the Dragondorf, a rarely seen variation in the Najdorf, with a dubious reputation. Carlsen chose a calm approach with h3, g3 and b3, but he didn’t manage to get much out of the opening. After 21…f5 22.b4 the position got extremely complicated. It seemed like black would lose a pawn, but white’s exposed king allowed Nakamura to get sufficient compensation. The game ended with a threefold repetition after 40 moves.

Vachier-Lagrave – Caruana
This game saw a theoretical battle in the Petrov, an opening notable for its high draw ratio. In the recent years, top players have almost exclusively gone for 5. Nc3 with white against the Petrov. Vachier-Lagrave, however, decided to play the old main line, continuing 5. d5, reaching a quite symmetrical position. The players followed the game Adams – Morozevich from 2005, until Vachier-Lagrave deviated with the very natural 16.Rb1. He managed to create some weaknesses and entered a slightly better endgame. Caruana defended excellently and was never in any serious trouble. After 51 moves there were only kings left on the board, and as we all know it can be hard to win with a lone king.

Kramnik – So
Kramnik seems to have faith in the Italian. This game he used it again, but chose a different approach. For a long time, the players followed the mainest of main lines, until Kramnik decided to go for the slightly odd looking 15. c4. The plan seemed to work perfectly as Kramnik managed to double his rooks on the seventh rank. Kramnik proceeded to win a pawn as the players found themselves in a rook and knight endgame. It soon became clear that white’s material advantage wasn’t enough to win. So defended with precision and drew without too much difficulty.

Aronian – Giri
In a 5.Qa4 Ragozin, Aronian got a slight advantage after Giri, a bit hastily, opened up his kingside with 19… g5. The players reached a crazy middlegame, where Aronian soon found himself running out of time. After 28 moves, he had only 90 seconds left! Aronian managed to reach the time control, but failed to keep his edge. Eventually the players reached a drawn rook endgame

Karjakin – Anand
It took three rounds before we got to see the Berlin Defence in action. Karjakin went for the 6.Nxe5 variation, a line he successfully played black against in the latest world championship match. He chose the normal 10.Re1 over the flashy and mysterious Re2, before sacrificing a pawn with 13.Nc3, which Anand gladly accepted. Anand seemed to be well prepared and managed to equalize without any problems. After reaching an equal rook endgame, the players agreed to draw.

Tomorrow is a rest day. The next round starts Saturday at 14 UTC.

Round 4:

Aronian – Carlsen
Nakamura – Vachier-Lagrave
Giri – Anand
Caruana – Kramnik
So – Karjakin

June 10 - Round 4

The players must have really enjoyed their day off. Today every board was on fire. For a long time it seemed like white would win on every board. However, Kramnik and Karjakin defended well and managed to secure draws.

Caruana – Kramnik
Caruana went for the 4.d3 Spanish and got a nice edge after Kramnik played the very ambitious 15…f4. White enjoyed an advantage in the middlegame due to black’s poorly place bishop. Caruana pressured for a long time, but Kramnik’s position proved impenetrable. The players repeated the position after 53 moves. 

Aronian – Carlsen
The game started with a semi-slav and a6 hybrid. Aronian quickly proved that he was the best prepared player. After his mysterious novelty 10.Bc2 (which he said he had prepared back in 2003!), Carlsen went wrong and allowed a very strong exchange sacrifice. Black’s queen soon found itself trapped. Carlsen had no other choice than to give back material.  Aronian broken open black’s kingside with the very strong 17.Bxh7, forcing an endgame with four pawns for a bishop, where it was clear that white was having all the fun. Carlsen again went wrong with 31…e5 allowing a devastating rook lift. This game is a clear contender for game of the tournament.

Nakamura – Vachier-Lagrave
Again Nakamura got to play a Najdorf, this time with the white pieces. This is an opening both players have been playing at the highest level for years and seem very comfortable in. Nakamura went for a quick Nd5 followed by an expansion on the queen side. Vachier-Lagrave decided to go for a kingside attack which for a long time looked deadly. But Nakamura seemed to have everything under control and went on to win the game. Nakamura is now alone in the lead with 3 points.

Giri – Anand
Giri still has faith in the English, an opening Anand has had bad results in the last tournaments. Already after move 7, the players found themselves in unexplored territory. Giri managed to get the full bishop pair before launching an attack on the kingside. It soon became clear that black was in trouble. Anand stepped wrong with 31…Nc5 and resigned after Giri found the winning continuation 32.g6! Qd7 33.Bb4! A fine victory by Giri who is now on two points. Anand is starting to fall behind with one point. But you can never write off Anand.

So – Karjakin
So’s opening preparations seem to be on point. Today he opted for the Italian opening and got a decent edge after 20 moves. He decided to give an exchange to increase his positional advantage. At a point, his position must have been close to winning, but Karjakin defended perfectly as always, and after the very strong 34…Nf6, he managed to set up an impenetrable fortress. So tried to break through, but he went wrong with 67. Ra3, after which the position was a draw.

The next round starts Sunday at 16 CEST.

Round 5:

Carlsen – Giri
Kramnik – Nakamura
Vachier-Lagrave – Aronian
Karjakin – Caruana
Anand – So

June 11 - Round 5

While yesterday presented some intense games with three decisive results, today was more peaceful, with 5 draws. Although all games ended in a draw, we got some very interesting battles.

Anand – So
Anand and So played a relatively short game without too many complications. The previous world champion opened with the Italian, an opening we’ve seen quite some times during this tournament. An exchange of pieces followed, and after 26 moves, there were only pawns and bishops left. They agreed to a draw a couple of moves later, leaving So with a 50% score of 2,5/5 and Anand one point behind.

Carlsen – Giri
This was a game many had been looking forward to. Would the world champion manage to get a win against Giri, the lowest rated player in the tournament? Carlsen also opened with the Italian opening. He didn’t manage to get an advantage after the opening, and surprisingly, Giri was the one having the slight edge after 25… cxb5. That didn’t last for long, and they soon started exchanging pieces, leaving only two pawns and a knight each when they agreed to draw.

Karjakin – Caruana
In this game, Caruana played the Petrov’s Defence, the opening he also played in round 3 against Vachier-Lagrave. They followed the game from round 3 until move 13, where Karjakin took on b7 instead of recapturing on c3. Caruana sacrificed the exchange by leaving the rook on a8, and it looked like the queen might be trapped there. However, Karjakin had calculated accurately, and found the only way to save his queen, by bringing his rook to b3 and give back the exchange. They eventually reached a rook endgame where Karjakin was a pawn up, but Caruana defended excellently, and 40 moves later they had only one king each left.

Vachier-Lagrave – Aronian
In Vachier-Lagrave vs. Aronian, we got a theory battle in the Ruy Lopez. Until move 20, they followed a game they had played against each other before this year, but Vachier-Lagrave deviated with 20. h4 instead of 20. Kg2. None of them got any big chances, so they exchanged pieces until only a rook and three pawns each were left.

Kramnik – Nakamura
The only game this round where black didn’t start with 1… e5. Nakamura played the Sicilian, and got a Najdorf where white played 5. Qxd4 instead of the much more common 5. Nxd4. White castled long, but we didn’t get to see the usual pawn storm. Instead, they exchanged queens and the resulting position looked pretty equal. On move 20, they repeated the position twice, but Kramnik didn’t repeat it the third time, and instead he played for a win. He managed to get an endgame where he was a pawn up, but that wasn’t enough to win. They repeated the position and took a draw on move 49.

With four rounds left in the tournament, Nakamura is leading with 3.5 points, with Aronian and Kramnik half a point behind.

Round 6:
Carlsen – Vachier-Lagrave
Aronian – Kramnik
Nakamura – Karjakin
Giri – So
Caruana – Anand

June 12 - Round 6

Aronian – Kramnik

In Aronian vs. Kramnik, we got a Semi-Tarrasch Defence, an opening Kramnik played twice against Carlsen last year. With e5 and d6, white gained a lot of territory in the center, but such advanced pawns could also easily become weak. Kramnik moved his queen a little carelessly the next moves, and he soon found it being trapped. He managed to get the queen back, but for the prize of an exchange, and he had to resign a couple of moves later.

Carlsen – Vachier-Lagrave

Carlsen chose to play the London, an opening he has had a lot of success with in Blitz lately, but rarely seen in Classical chess at this level. The world champion seemed to be in a good mood, and he even pulled a joke in the confessional, saying that he had forgot his glasses, and that he really meant to play the Italian, which is kind of a mirrored London. Carlsen probably wanted to avoid a theory battle in the Sicilian, and in this regard he succeeded. However, he didn’t manage to get any great winning chances, and the game ended in a draw on move 44 with only kings on the board.

Caruana – Anand

A win by the Indian ex world champion! Caruana ambitiously pushed his queenside pawns in the opening, gaining a lot of space on the queenside and the bishop pair. Anand managed to close the position making Caruana’s bishop pair worthless. Anand continued to exploit Caruana’s weaknesses excellently, and he soon managed to start a deadly king attack. With the mate being unavoidable, Caruana resigned.

Giri – So

Giri keeps playing the English opening. Today he tried a fast h4 followed by a breakthrough in the center with d4. So found the antidote, and already after 14 moves it seemed like the game was gonna end in a draw. However, Giri managed to create some pressure against So’s king and got the initiative. But Giri didn’t manage to keep the initiative into the ending. The game ended in a draw after 59 moves.

Nakamura – Karjakin

The game started with a 4.Qc2 Nimzo-indian. Nakamura managed to get a small edge after the opening in the form of a bishop pair. The players soon found themselves in an endgame where Nakamura had two bishops for Karjakin’s bishop and knight. Nakamura tried to squeeze something out, but Karjakin defended perfectly. After 54 moves all the pieces had come of the draw leaving the game drawn.

Next rounds starts Wednesday, 16 CEST.

Round 7:

Kramnik – Carlsen
Vachier-Lagrave – Giri
Karjakin – Aronian
So – Caruana
Anand – Nakamura

June 14 - Round 7

Anand – Nakamura

The game started in an Italian with a quick a4, a position we have seen many times before during this tournament. Anand decided to break in the centre with 12. d4, giving him a space advantage in the centre. However, after Nakamura’s 17… c5, white’s centre seemed to crumble. Anand went for complications with 20. e6, but soon all the pieces, except a pair of rooks, had been exchanged off. This left them in a technical drawn rook endgame. After 46 moves the players agreed to draw.

Kramnik – Carlsen

Carlsen has really struggled in this year’s Norway Chess. Today he faced off against Kramnik, who has been in great shape. Again we got to see an Italian opening with a4. Kramnik went for a quick break in the centre with 10.d4. Carlsen seemed to have everything under control, but quickly found himself in trouble after Kramnik played the very strong 23. Bxh6, followed by 24. Bxg7. Carlsen was unable to find the correct follow-up, leaving his king in big problems. Kramnik’s attack proved too strong, and after 34 moves, Carlsen was forced to give up material. A few moves later, Carlsen resigned. Kramnik is now only 6 rating points behind Carlsen on the live rating list.

Vachier-Lagrave – Giri

Giri went for the very sharp Sicilian Dragon with black against Vachier-Lagrave. White tried to launch a kingside pawn storm with 16.h4 and 18.g4, but after a few inaccuracies, black got the upper hand. White’s attack lead to nothing. Meanwhile, Giri was able to counter-attack. His simple idea of 32… Rc8 33…Rc5 proved deadly, and Vachier-Lagrave resigned consequently. Giri, who found himself in the last place a few rounds ago, has now climbed up to fourth place.

So – Caruana

The players started with a Queen’s Gambit Accepted. Caruana used the same line he played against Aronian in the first round. So opted for the endgame with 7. dxc5 and 8. Qxd8. White has historically enjoyed a small edge in these lines, and he managed to win a pawn. Unfortunately to So, an extra pawn wasn’t enough, and the endgame with a pair of rooks and opposite colours bishop was impossible to win. After almost seven hours and 67 moves, the game ended in a draw.

Karjakin – Aronian

Aronian is on fire this year. He keeps finding ways to surprise his opponent in the opening. Today he launched a quick, but deadly, kingside attack as black in the Italian. After 31… f3, Karjakin’s kingside was blown open. Aronian continued to put pressure in the f-file before playing the very strong 34… g4, forcing open the kingside yet again. Karjakin was unable to bring all his pieces into the defence. He tried to exchange as many pieces as possible, but in the end, Aronian’s queen and rook finished the job. Another exciting attacking game by Aronian. He is now in the lead with five points, half a point ahead of Nakamura.

Round 8 is played tomorrow at 1600 CEST.

Round 8:

Carlsen – Karjakin

Aronian – Anand

Vachier-Lagrave – Kramnik

Nakamura – So

Giri – Caruana

June 15 - Round 8

Aronian – Anand

This round Aronian decided to test Anand in the Catalan. Anand went for the very solid 4…Bb4 line. The idea is simple. Black wants white to misplace his bishop before returning to its ideal square on e7. Usually white is forced to play Bf4 at a later stage. Instead, Aronian played the novelty 11.Ne1, giving black the option to exchange his knight for the bishop. Anand decided to rather put it on d6. Aronian seemed to get a small plus out of the opening, but black’s position was very solid, making it hard to break through. On move 28, Aronian found a clever way to force a repetition with Bh7+, keeping his lead before the first round.

Carlsen – Karjakin

Carlsen finally managed to secure a full point. He managed to get a small edge out of an e3 Nimzo Indian, due to his pressure on the d5-pawn. The players soon found themselves in time trouble in a complicated middlegame, where white had a rook for two pieces. Karjakin’s king seemed to be in some trouble, but he managed to consolidate. However, straight after move 40, he played the blunder 41…Bd6, allowing the deadly Rh8 followed by Re4, after which Karjakin threw in his towel.

Vachier-Lagrave – Kramnik

This game saw a theoretical duel in the d3 berlin. Vachier-Lagrave and Kramnik had a spacebar battle for 20 moves, both seeming to know the opening well. Eventually, the players found themselves in a double rook endgame with two passed pawns each. Vachier-Lagrave’s pawns were way ahead of Kramnik’s, allowing him to secure his first win of the tournament. Solid win by Vachier-Lagrave.

Giri – Caruana

Giri against Caruana was the longest game of today. Again Caruana decided to go for the Queen’s Gambit Accepted endgame, a line he used successfully against So in round 7. After 20 moves, the position seemed to be in balance, but Giri managed to pick up a pawn before entering an ending with a bishop against a knight. Giri tried to squeeze out a win, but Caruana defended perfectly by making an impenetrable fortress. After 67 moves the game was drawn.

Nakamura – So

Nakamura got a nice edge out of the opening due to his better placed pieces, but So found a way to exchange all of them. The game ended in an eventless draw after 35 moves. So has drawn all of his games this tournament. Can he change this tomorrow?

The last round starts tomorrow at 1600 CEST.

Round 9:

Kramnik – Giri

Karjakin – Vachier-Lagrave

Caruana – Nakamura

So – Aronian

Anand – Carlsen

June 16 - Round 9

Kramnik – Giri

Perhaps the strangest game of the tournament! Already on move 8, the players were out of book. Giri quickly grabbed a lot of space on the queenside with 5…c4 and 6…b5. In return, Kramnik got strong and centralized pieces. In the very unusual middlegame, Giri played the dubious 15… g6, weakening his king. This allowed Kramnik to play the very strong 16.e4, preparing to bring his last minor piece into action and forcing Giri’s king to stay in the centre. Only a few moves later, Giri was forced to resign, as he was losing heavy material. We very rarely see games lasting only 20 moves on this level!

Karjakin – Vachier-Lagrave

Vachier-Lagrave played the very aggressive Najdorf Sicilian. Karjakin opted for the modern g3 variation, with a quick Nd5. He was able to give black some weaknesses going into the endgame. It quickly became clear, however, that the position was equal. The players repeated the moves after 26 moves.

Caruana – Nakamura

In this game, we got a very sharp poisoned pawn Najdorf, a very aggressive opening not often seen at the highest level anymore. Nakamura spent a lot of time in the opening, while Caruana, who seemed quite comfortable with the position, was still in his preparations. White played a thematic knight sacrifice by placing his knight on b5, where it could be captured by the a6 pawn. After Nakamura had to give the knight back, Caruana had a solid advantage, being a pawn up. He then got into an easily winning endgame, where Nakamura resigned on move 59.

So – Aronian

In this game, we got a Queen’s Gambit Declined with an early Bf4. Aronian got an isolated d-pawn after the opening, but So didn’t manage to exploit the weakness sufficiently. It looked like Aronian, being in the sole lead of the tournament and presumably happy with a draw, offered to repeat the position on move 17, but So wanted to play on, offering to exchange queens instead. This lead the players into an endgame with rooks and same coloured bishops. They proceeded to draw by exchanging the remaining pieces, leaving them with only kings left.

Anand – Carlsen

In this game between the former and current world champion, we saw yet another Italian. Anand went for some quick play on the queenside with a4 and b4. Meanwhile, Carlsen got some play on the kingside. Anand managed to pick up a pawn, but Carlsen got some counter-play for it. White found nothing better than to repeat the position to secure the draw on move 30.

Congratulations to Levon Aronian for winning the Altibox Norway Chess 2017!