Games are here:
https://www.goldchess.com/en/other/winnerslist.html#g0_wins
Sinquefield Cup Tournament
Analysis of selected games.
Round I
Caruana v Foreest 1–0
In the first round, there were draws and just one loss – Foreest’s defeat by Caruana on move 55. Playing our way, we would have won one move earlier. This game of ours will feature in our Grandmaster Corner competition: win in 54 moves. We’ll show it here after the competition.
Round 2
Sinquefield Cup Tournament
Aronian v Keymer 1–0
The highly-ranked Keymer (8) lost to Aronian (19). Well, Aronian is not to be underestimated. He knows how to play chess too. Let’s take a look. The endgame. White has two extra pawns; there is no possibility of another check; the d7-square must be defended against mate, but there is no defence. After 91… Qc6, the sequence 92.Qf7+ Kd8, 93.Qd7+ Q:d7, 94. ed7 K:d7, 95.f5 follows, and Black is unable to prevent the queen’s promotion. So let’s look for a point earlier where Keymer lost his way.
We can see it now. The problem lies in the ill-considered rook move, 58…Rd4, after which the rook was left unprotected and White emerged from the situation with an extra pawn. A moment’s inattention and that was the end of it. Capturing it, after White had sacrificed their rook, gave White a winning position. Keymer fought on for a long time, but unfortunately, the extra pawn proved decisive. Keymer had a draw in the bag; all he needed to do was repeat check with his queen instead of moving the rook. That’s an old piece of chess wisdom. If you have a draw, don’t play for a win, or you’ll lose. Keymer forgot that.
Besides, in this round, So took his revenge on Foreest for his defeat in the Saint Louis Rapid.
Round 3
Caruana–So 0–1
The most important game of Round 3. Caruana lost to So, putting So in the lead. We have a draw and a win. These are extraordinary games, which is why we won’t be showing them; both will feature in our Top tournament. To win or draw such a game, you need to know a thing or two about chess, and that’s what we want to teach you.
Round 4
Draws all round, with only Praggna beating Foreest – a result we do not dispute. At the top of the table, So drew with Aronian, and Caruana drew with Sevian. Both were playing Black. We do not dispute these draws, but just to be sure, we’ll check whether either of them could have won – So or Caruana.
Sevian–Caruana, a draw on move 61.
The game was already a draw on move 46; Sevian kept playing because he thought he could win with a rook against a bishop. It turns out, however, that a bishop defending pawns and defended by pawns is unbeatable.
So if anyone could have won this game, it was only Caruana. However, the capture 39…f:g4 was a mistake. We played differently and have a win on move 58. Let’s take a look.
Aronian–So
Here, So, who was in a difficult position, ‘trapped’ Aronian into a draw. We have two draws in different variations. And in both, if CEEC makes a mistake, we win. So a draw, with the advantage to Aronian, who could have won if So had made a mistake. We’ll show one of the draws. The c6 bishop prevented us from carrying out a beautiful combination ending in mate
Round 5
Keymer beat Giri, and Caruana beat Aronian, who consequently dropped to 6th place. This is Aronian’s first defeat. Let’s take a look. The endgame was dramatic. Black was down a piece, and what’s more, their two minor pieces were under attack. A masterfully played game by Caruana.
But the most important game of this round was the draw between So and Praggna. Could the leader have won it and pulled a full point clear of his rivals? That is the question. And here is the answer. Contrary to appearances, Black’s 19… Ge4 was a weak move. So responded with an even weaker move, allowing his own pawns to double. We capitalise on Praggna’s weak move and make a different one. The iron logic of chess follows, with a few brilliant moves by White resulting in the capture of a piece. And then, when White decides to sacrifice a piece, it is also a masterclass in play. And after this combination, one can say: it’s all over. Thanks to the Goldchess style and techniques, we naturally have a quicker win, but we’re showing this one because of its captivating beauty. This is how So could have played.
Round 6
None of the leading players lost. We’re taking a closer look at Lagrave’s draw with So, who retained the lead despite the draw. We have a win. We’re demonstrating the technique by which So could have won this game. The basis of our combination is the capture of a white pawn (50…e:f5).
It’s quite astonishing that So, ranked 2773, played at a 1000 Elo level – or perhaps even at an amateur level – by doubling his pawns on the ‘c’ file himself, and then allowing the move 62.f6. It seems that So has some gaps in his training, as in the game of the previous round he also allowed his pawns to be doubled up, thereby depriving himself of any chance of winning in both games. Setting aside So’s rating, his chess instinct alone should have told him that he must not allow f6, as White would then gain a free pawn. Our victory is a real chess feast. Take a look.
Round 7
Only one game ended in a result: Keymer lost with the white pieces against Sindarov. The rest were draws.
Wesely So retained the lead by drawing with Giri. Another missed chance to win?
Let’s take a look at both games. So. So made a fundamental mistake – a textbook blunder, you might say – by exchanging rooks on move 27. Being left with opposite-coloured bishops bodes for nothing but a draw. A lack of fighting spirit on So’s part? It’s hard to say. So yes, a third missed opportunity to win. In our view, a 100 per cent certainty. We have a draw and two wins when, in the CEEC position, he makes two different moves.
Keymer. To lose with White? The old chess rule applies: win with White, draw with Black. We’ve also been repeating at Goldchess for years: to win, you have to play. Keymer didn’t play.
And we simply cannot understand why he played 49.Ke2, giving up the e4 pawn. 49.Bg6 also loses, whilst the very obvious 49.Bf3 wins. 49.Ke2 (?). If there were a role at tournaments for someone to set up the pieces on the board for the masters, I suppose that person would not have played 50.Ke2.
Round 8
A precarious situation. So’s sixth draw in a row – he’s practically asking to lose. What’s more, Praggna has drawn level with him on points after beating Lagrave, and his lead is now in jeopardy. Round 9 will decide everything. In this round, Caruana also lost to Keymer and is now in 6th place, whilst Keymer, despite two defeats, has moved up to third.
Lagrave–Praggna 0–1. Gaining a pawn at the cost of the game. An interesting alternative. White are attacking, but not really attacking. It is only we who show what an attack should look like in this game. And although this is a ‘Tal-style’ attack – risky, but with the hope that Black will take the a2 pawn – it’s worth demonstrating. Keymer could have played it, because, knowing Praggna and his penchant for taking pawns, he could have assumed that Praggna would take that pawn. It’s mate in 35 moves. But we also have a more stable winning line, a variation which Praggna would certainly not have been able to handle. We’ll show both games here at a later date; first, we’ll give our players a chance to find these solutions in the Top or Immortal tournaments.
Sevian–So draw. The leader’s position hangs by a thread. We’ll show two variations of how Sevian could have won.
In our analytical assessments of positions, we are rarely wrong – if ever.
Round 9
A draw-filled round. So held on to his lead and is the winner. A score of 5.5 points out of 10 – 2 wins and 7 draws – is nothing to write home about. Besides, he also made a lot of mistakes and failed to ‘press home his advantage’ in many games. Although he did leave many excellent players – some even better than himself – in his wake, the quality of his play leaves much to be desired. For the sake of it, let’s analyse his latest draw. And as before, he could have won. We have a few winning moves, the best of which we’ll show here.
Summary.
We use simple and effective game plans. The greats don’t see them. Learn to play like this.
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