Endgame Training with Chessimo

Due to the recommendation of another member of the Spokane Chess Club, I recently added Chessimo to the chess applications on my iPad. Chessimo is also available for the iPhone and Windows PC. Chessimo uses repetition to develop memory, and consequently chess skill. It offers tactics training, endgame training, opening training, and other features.

The endgame training seems useful, but occasionally the software recommends one move over another that leads to checkmate in fewer moves.

Consider the following position

White to move

The pawns stand on the same squares as in a key position in Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual, 2nd ed. (2008). However, Dvoretsky has the kings on b5 and b7. Black is on move. White has the opposition, but it is insufficient to win. With the kings beside the pawns, as in the Chessimo exercise, White wins by seizing the opposition, executing an outflanking, and exchanging the a-pawn for Black's pawn. The king is then in position to escort to the c-pawn to its promotion square.

Chess engines accessing tablebases reveal that 1.Kd7 is the best move. Chessimo prefers 1.Kd6, which I played. After 1...Ka7 (Rybka played 1...Kb7 when I tried the position against the engine), I attempted 2.Kc7.

Chessimo pops up with the message, "This move is very good and leads to the same conclusion. Please continue with the highlighted move."

My move leads to checkmate in two fewer moves. Moreover, Chessimo's solution leads to the intended position  two moves later. I understood the position, and attempted to play the most precise move. Chessimo steered me towards a weaker move that still wins.

On their website, the developers of Chessimo claim, "If the answer isn't the most accurate one, the software shows the correct move." In this case, their claim is false. A less accurate move is favored over the most accurate one.

Empirical Rabbit made similar observations in his review of Chessimo's endgame training nine months ago.

For $7.99, the tactics and endgame training offered by Chessimo's iPad version is a lot of bang for the buck, but it should not be used to the exclusion of good endgame books. The repetition built into the program would be more beneficial if careful editing improved the favored solutions.

Rook and Bishop versus Rook

The ending of rook plus bishop vs. rook is one of the most irritating endings that can arise in over-the-board play, especially for the defender. Everybody knows that it is a draw, and the general drawing method (the "second-rank defense"...) is quite well-known. Nevertheless, it is frequently lost in practice.
John Nunn, Nunn's Chess Endings, vol. 2, 330.

In the final round of the Tata Steel Chess tournament, Fabiano Caruana sacrificed a rook for Levon Aronian's last two pawns to reach a theoretically drawn endgame (see "Tata Steel Chess, Final Round"). He then had to defend the drawn position for thirty-seven moves. Watching the game, I knew the ending was drawn (except in certain situations with the defending king on the edge), but did not fully appreciate the difficulties faced by the defender.

My database that contains most games through 2011 reveals a shocking number of wins in this theoretically drawn ending. The victims include Judit Polgar, Peter Leko, Alexander Morozevich, Gata Kamsky, Michael Adams, Loek Van Wely, Nigel Short, and many other strong grandmasters.

RB vs. R Statistics in Big Database 2011

Levon Aronian has won this ending before.

White to move

Position from Eljanov -- Aronian, Moscow 2010

That was in the World Blitz Championship, and according to the game score in Big Database 2011, he won in a drawn position after missing several clear wins, including Eljanov's rook left en prise. Two conclusions are possible: 1) the game score is incorrect, and 2) he was playing the clock more than the board.

In the 2008 Olympiad, Peter Leko reached a difficult position against Vassily Ivanchuk.

White to move

Only one move holds the draw, 124.Rf8. Leko played 124.Rd8 and lost a few moves later.

124...Re3 125.Rg8 Re7 126.Rg5 Rh7 127.Ke1 Rd7 0-1

Leko lost the ending again in the 2009 World Blitz Championship. This time Magnus Carlsen was the beneficiary.

Carlsen missed the correct 72.Kc5 here.

White to move

Twelve moves later, Carlsen again had a winning position and found success. I tried 72.Kc5 against Rybka, but quickly lost my way. Playing the dominant side offers little risk, but is far from an elementary ending.

My game against Rybka continued (from the diagram):

72.Kc5 Ka6 73.Rh1 (not the best, but winning) Kb7 74.Rb1+ (the second best of two winning moves) Ka8 75.Kc6 (another suboptimal move) Rb7

White to move

Here there are two winning moves, but I played 76.Rh1 only to discover how easily I could stalemate the defender.

Although I know that the ending is generally drawn, it is clear that there are some things worth learning concerning it. Time to hit the books.

Watching Youth Competition

As a youth chess coach, I have recurring frustration watching games between players who lack fundamental skills. Among elementary players, and sometimes older beginners, easily won positions are often drawn. I have watched many dozens of draws by agreement, repetition, fifty-move rule, and stalemate when one player has a queen or rook and the other only a bare king.

There are many similar tragicomedies in youth chess. Yesterday afternoon, at the Spokane high school individual championship, I watched a bishop move with check revealing a discovered attack of rook against queen. The players shuffled the bishop and opposing king back and forth as the aggressor appeared oblivious to her attack on her opponent's queen.

Meanwhile, at another board, the following position was reached.

Black to move

The game ended in a draw.

Lesson of the Week

We continued our holiday from the Beginning Tactics series. The position on the demonstration board came from a game in Seigbert Tarrasch, Three Hundred Chess Games, trans. Sol Schwartz (1999). Students were asked to find Tarrasch's move from that position (the first diagram), and a couple of other positions as we went through the moves of the game from that point.


Von Scheve,Theodor - Tarrasch,Seigbert [C30]
Breslau, 1879

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.c3 Bg4 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bxf3 7.gxf3 Qh4+ 8.Ke2 Bb6 9.Nc3 Nc6 10.Be3 Nf6 11.Na4 Nh5 12.Nxb6 axb6 13.d5 Ne7 14.Kd2 Nxf4 15.Qc2 0–0 16.Qxc7

Black to move

16...Nfxd5 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Qc4

Because Black sacrificed material, White wants to trade queens.

18...Qf6

Most students were able to identify how Black protected the knight.

19.Bd3 Qxb2+ 20.Qc2 Qb4+ 21.Ke2 Rfe8 

White to move

Black has a pin along the e-file that will recover the sacrificed material, and render the White king even more vulnerable than before.

22.Bxh7+ Kh8 23.Be4 Nxe3 24.Kxe3 d5 25.Rhb1 Qe7 26.Rxb6 dxe4 27.f4

We looked at how Tarrasch would have met 27.fxe4 with Rac8. We also talked about using an opponent's pawn to shield our own king. This idea is less effective in this instance, but capturing the pawn is just as bad.

27...Rac8 28.Qb2 Qc5+ 29.Qd4 Qh5 30.Rf1

Black to move

30...Rc2 0–1

30...Qh3 was suggested by several students. It is as good, if not better, than Tarrasch's move. The idea behind Tarrasch's move--cutting off the escape--is difficult for many young players to comprehend.

Training Log: January 2013

I posted my resolutions for 2013 on the last day of 2012. On the penultimate day of January, it is time to assess my progress thus far.

1. In 2013, I will solve correctly 300 tactics problems each month.

I met this goal last week. Most of the 300 were solved on the iPad, which has proven its value for chess training. Moreover, last week a friend at the Spokane Chess Club (I should call him an adversary, as on Thursday he handed me my fourth OTB standard rated loss since September 2011) introduced me to Chessimo--a comprehensive chess training iPad app.* I am not counting the 330 problems that I have solved in that app (120 unique) as they are all checkmate in one. When I reach the point where I am solving tactical combinations, I may count those encountered through this app.

Lev Alburt has been sitting on my desk. That is to say, Alburt's Chess Training Pocket Book II has remained on my desk unopened through the entire month. My non-use of that book and my relatively limited use of the Anthology of Chess Combinations are both sources for self-criticism.

I finished my second run through the puzzles in Shredder's iPad early in the month, but have not yet begun the third cycle. The third cycle will be completed in 2013 with the goal of 80%+ score. With eleven months remaining, that amounts to 91 problems per month.

My four sessions on Chess Tempo were short (13 correct in 25 attempts on the longest session), but I emphasized accuracy while keeping my average solving time near 100 seconds.

One of the Chess-wise exercises that I did this morning was familiar from having encountered it somewhere else a few months ago. I immediately knew the first move, but sought to calculate the whole sequence before playing the move. Chess-wise cannot tell me if this calculation was correct. If the first move played is correct, the problem is solved. Chess Tempo, Shredder, and other sources mitigate this defect in training with Chess-wise.

White to move

2. In 2013, I will study whole games and whole books.

When writing my resolutions, I anticipated that I might have finished Logical Chess: Move by Move by now. That expectation overlooked that I often spend the latter half of January focused on the games in Wijk aan Zee. Following this year's games as I did, with an emphasis upon one game each day certainly counts as studying whole games even if it will be several months before those games make their way into books.

Magnus Carlsen said that Aronian -- Anand was the best game of this year's Tata Steel Chess tournament. I watched part of the game while it was in progress, and then memorized it that evening after work. I am close to memorizing Rotlewi -- Rubinstein 1907, which Anand referenced in the post-game interview. John Donaldson and Nikolay Minev, Akiba Rubinstein: Uncrowned King (1994) compile annotations from several writers on Rubinstein's immortal game. I am going through these.

I count my January progress on this second resolution adequate.

3. In 2013, I will finish my Pawn Endgame Flash Card project.

I am continuing to use these flash cards in elementary classrooms while teaching beginners chess, and some of the positions came up in the first endgame lesson that I completed in Chessimo. Nonetheless, progress studying Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual and mastering the blue diagram positions must be rated substandard.

The bright spot in pawn endgame training this month came while watching a game in the C Group at Wijk aan Zee. I watched part of round nine at home, then part in my classroom with two groups of homeschool students. After the games in A Group finished, we watched the ending in one of the games in C Group. I thought the ending was drawn, and yet GM Robin Swinkels managed to win. At lunch, I tested my hunch that it was drawn by playing the position against Hiarcs for the iPad. Later, watching the post-game interview with Swinkels the following day, he admitted that he had won a drawn ending. I drew the ending against Hiarcs.

4. In 2013, I will lose fifteen pounds.

Not at this rate, I will not. January ends with me at the weight I carried when the month began.

Update: 10 February 2012

*We discussed iPad chess training before beginning our game, which was the last one to finish that night. Two weeks later, I clarified the iPad he had raved about. He has not used Chessimo, but was raving about Chess Quest. I have completed over 1400 problems in Chessimo--very basic problems in two weeks. The past few days, I have started exploring Chess Quest. I now understand his enthusiasm for the latter.

Tata Steel Chess, Final Round

Yesterday's win over Hikaru Nakamura assured Magnus Carlsen of first place. When Levon Aronian agreed to a draw with Anish Giri, Carlsen was assured that he would not be sharing first. What remained to determine today was whether Carlson would break Garry Kasparov's 1999 record of 10/13 in this event. Second place, too, remains to be determined.

The games today began at noon Central European Time. As that is 3:00 am in my part of the world, I cherished no illusions about watching these games while in progress. I told my wife, when we wake up, I will check the results. At 7:00 am, I checked the games. Carlsen found himself in some danger with the King's Indian Defense, but Anish Giri's could not find the way. In the end, Giri's king was under attack but had sufficient defense. Magnus Carlsen tied Kasparov's record of 10/13.

Viswanathan Anand got a playable endgame against Wang Hao, but was outplayed and lost. Levon Aronian needs a draw for clear second. Fabiano Caruana is ahead the exchange against Aronian, and both have passed pawns. Aronian has two pawns to Caruana's one.

After watching the game to its conclusion from the point illustrated above, I began to go back through the game from the beginning and make some notes.

Caruana,Fabiano (2781) - Aronian,Levon (2802) [C67]
75th Tata Steel Chess Group A Wijk aan Zee, 27.01.2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8

White to move

This position in the Berlin Wall has become frequent when Black wants a draw. Indeed, the percentage of draws is quite high. But as this game and others have demonstrated, both sides have chances to play for an advantage.

9.h3

9.Nc3 is vastly more popular. 9.h3 appears to have been introduced into play by Women's World Champion Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978. The move had been suggested as interesting in Dragoljub Minic's annotations to Gulko -- Bisguier, Sombor 1974 (see Chess Informant 18/264). It may be no more than a move order nuance, but it has been growing in popularity, especially in the past three years.

Caruana has played 9.Nc3 in his previous game, but Aronian has played 9.h3 against Vladimir Kramnik.

Reference game:

Aronian,Levon (2820) - Kramnik,Vladimir (2801) [C67]
Zuerich m Zuerich (4), 25.04.2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0–0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.h3 Ke8 10.Nc3 h5 11.Bg5 Be6 12.b3 Be7 13.Rad1 h4 14.Rfe1 Rd8 15.Rxd8+ Kxd8 16.Ne4 b6 17.Bf4 Kc8 18.Neg5 Bxg5 19.Bxg5 Bd5 20.Nh2 c5 21.Rd1 Bc6 22.c3 a5 23.Ng4 Bd7 24.f3 a4 25.Kf2 ½–½

9...Bd7 10.Nc3 Kc8

10...h6 is more common.

11.b3

White scores an astonishing 73% after 11.g4, but drawing conclusions from a mere fifteen games would be foolishness. Clearly, 11.g4 is an aggressive try for action on the kingside, but Black's tenth move demonstrates thta his king seeks sanctuary on b7.

11...b6 12.Bb2

Black to move

12...Be7

12...h6 could have transposed into a more frequent position.

13.Rad1 Nh4

This position had been played twice before, and White won both games. Presumably, Aronian has done some preparation and developed some ideas.

14.Nd4 h5

White to move

This position is unique in the annals of chess history. Did Aronian prepare it? There are imbalances that allow both sides to struggle for advantage.

15.Kh2 Kb7 16.g3 Ng6 17.Rfe1 c5 18.Nf3 Bf5 19.Rd2 Rhd8 20.Rde2 Nf8 21.Ne4 Ne6

White to move

It appears to me that both players have sought to improve their pieces. My chess engine, Stockfish 2.3, considers this position as favoring Black.

22.Bc1 a5 23.Neg5 Bxg5 24.Bxg5 Rd5 25.Be3 a4

White to move

26.Nh4

The players are in a complicated positional struggle. What alterations of the pawn structure might be beneficial? What minor piece exchanges are worth pursuing?

My chess engine prefers 26.Ng5 and evaluates White's position as deteriorating after the move played by Caruana. Do engines understand this sort of position?

The text move allows Aronian to create a material imbalance, giving up a rook for a minor piece and two pawns.

26...Rxe5 27.f4 Rxe3 28.Rxe3 Bxc2 29.bxa4 Rxa4 30.a3 Nd4 31.Nf3 Bf5 32.Rc1 Be6 33.Nd2 c4 34.g4 hxg4 35.hxg4

Black to move

Black would seem to have a clear advantage. His queenside pawns are compact and mobile. White's a-pawn may be difficult to defend.

35...Nb3 36.Rc2 Nxd2 37.Rxd2 Bxg4 38.Rg2 Bh5 39.Rxg7 Ra5 40.Kg3 Bg6 41.Rc3 Rc5 42.Rg8 b5 43.Re8 Rd5 44.Kf2 Bd3 45.Ke3 c5 46.Rc1

Black to move

46...Rh5

My engine favors the immediate 46...b4 here. It's evaluation suggests that here Black is letting the advantage slip away. In the final press conference, Magnus Carlsen said that he got the most from each game throughout the tournament. Aronian, who finished 1 1/2 points behind, with a score that has often been good enough to win the event, had two draws in games where at one point he had a decisive advantage.

Had he been able to solve over the board problems that Anand and his team prepared for the World Chess Championship match with Gelfand, but that was used in Wijk aan Zee instead, Aronian might have avoided his one loss. Carlsen called that loss the best game of the event.

47.Re7+ Kb6 48.Rxf7 Rh3+ 49.Kf2 b4 50.Re1 Rh2+ 51.Kf3 Rh6 52.axb4 cxb4 53.f5 b3 54.Rf8 Kc5 55.f6 Kd4 56.Kf4 Kc3 57.Ke5

Black to move 

It was from this position that I began watching the game more or less continuously. Both players, it seems to me, have problems to solve. Neither faces problems that strike me as insurmountable. The key positions, I now realize, occurred while I slept. Aronian managed to create an apparently winning position, and then let the win slip from his grasp.

57...Rh5+ 58.Ke6 Kd2 59.Rg1 Rh6 60.Rd8 b2 61.Ke7 Rh7+ 62.f7 c3 63.Rg2+ Ke3 64.Rb8 Bc4

White to move

Looking at this position on the Tata Steel Chess website during the game, I told my beloved wife that Caruana could trade a rook for two pawns, losing his pawn in the process. The result would be a theoretically drawn endgame of rook and bishop against rook.

Almost as soon as I subjected my poor wife to my patzer commentary, the website showed that three rapid moves had been played, and my fantasy position appeared on the board.

65.Rbxb2 Rxf7+ 66.Kd6 cxb2 67.Rxb2 Kd4

White to move

Inasmuch as I thought it was well-known that rook and bishop vs. rook is drawn, I cannot comprehend why an additional 36 moves were played. It may be because the theoretical draw was not without checkmate threats, and Caruana appeared to be playing with approximately three minutes on his clock, with thirty seconds added per move. Perhaps Aronian wanted to test his opponent's tactics in blitz mode. Perhaps Aronian was frustrated at having let the win slip away.

68.Rd2+ Bd3 69.Rd1 Rf6+ 70.Ke7 Ra6 71.Kd7 Ke4 72.Ke7 Bb5 73.Rc1 Kd5 74.Rd1+ Ke5 75.Re1+ Kf5 76.Re3 Bc6 77.Re1 Be4 78.Rf1+ Ke5 79.Re1 Ra7+ 80.Ke8 Kd5 81.Kf8 Bf5 82.Re7 Ra6 83.Re1 Be4 84.Re2 Re6 85.Ra2 Ke5 86.Ra7 Rb6 87.Re7+ Kf4 88.Ra7 Bd5 89.Rc7 Ke5 90.Ke7 Rh6 91.Kd8 Bc6 92.Re7+ Kd5 93.Rg7 Re6 94.Kc7 Kc5 95.Rg5+ Bd5 96.Rg7 Ra6 97.Kd8 Kd6 98.Rd7+ Ke5 99.Rc7 Ra5 100.Re7+ Be6 101.Rb7 Rc5 102.Ke7 Rc1 103.Ra7 Bc8 104.Ra5+ ½–½

I knew that rook and bishop against rook is a theoretical draw while watching the game, but in fact there are many positions that are not drawn. None of these positions occurred in this game, but a few were threatened. Moreover, the weaker side's defense can prove difficult. In practice, these ending frequently are won. I expect that I will offer another post on this ending in the coming days.

Tata Steel Chess, Round 12

The 75th Tata Steel Chess tournament ends tomorrow. With two rounds remaining, Magnus Carlsen leads by a full point over Levon Aronian. Viswanathan Anand is behind Carlsen 1 1/2 points, and three players have a chance to tie the leader if he loses his last two games. One of these, Hikaru Nakamura, opted for the aggressive Kalashnikov Sicilian against Carlsen today. This game bears watching. Can Nakamura upset the leader? Anand and Aronian have relatively easier opponents.

By the time the games have been going for 2 1/2 hours, it will be time for me to leave the house, and my internet connection. Today is the eleventh annual Winterfest Scholastic chess tournament, an event that I created and run. As many as 143 young chess players have competed in this event in past years, although it will be much smaller today. By the time my event is over, the players in Wijk aan Zee will be asleep.

Carlsen,Magnus (2861) - Nakamura,Hikaru (2769) [B32]
75th Tata Steel Chess Group A Wijk aan Zee (12), 26.01.2013

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5

White to move

I played this variation of the Sicilian in the 1990s before switching to the Sveshnikov (4...Nf6 and 5...e5). Vladimir Kramnik played the Sveshnikov in his youth, but switched to more solid defenses when he started playing against the world's top players.

The Kalashnikov is similar to the Pelikan, which was a frequent choice of Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais in his match with Alexander MacDonnell. In the Pelikan, Black plays 5...a6, which permits 6.Nd6. MacDonnell played 5.Nxc6, which is now considered a positional error, thanks to La Bourdonnais's terrific win in one game that every chess player should study.

The Kalashnikov would seem too risky for top-level grandmasters, but checking the database reveals a number of games. Garry Kasparov played it once in 1997. Vasily Ivanchuk and Teimour Radjabov both have played it on multiple occasions.

Reference games:

Nakamura,Hikaru (2774) - Radjabov,Teimour (2744) [B32]
Bazna Kings 5th Medias (9), 20.06.2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 d6 6.N1c3 a6 7.Na3 b5 8.Nd5 Nge7 9.c4 Nxd5 10.cxd5 Nd4 11.Bd3 g6 12.Nc2 Bg7 13.0–0 0–0 14.Be3 Kh8 15.Rc1 f5 16.f3 Bd7 17.Qd2 f4 18.Bf2 g5 19.Nxd4 exd4 20.Be2 Qb6 21.Rfd1 Rac8 22.Rxc8 Rxc8 23.b4 Be5 24.a3 Kg7 25.Kf1 Kf7 26.Ke1 Qc7 27.Bxd4 Bxd4 28.Qxd4 Qc3+ 29.Qxc3 Rxc3 30.Rd3 Rxd3 31.Bxd3 h5 32.g3 h4 33.gxf4 gxf4 34.Kd2 Kf6 35.Kc3 Ke5 36.a4 Be8 37.Be2 Bd7 38.Bf1 Be8 39.axb5 axb5 40.Kd3 Bd7 41.Ke2 Kd4 42.Kd2 Ke5 43.Kd3 Bc8 44.Kc3 Bd7 45.Kd3 Bc8 46.Kc3 Bd7 ½–½

Carlsen,Magnus (2837) - Radjabov,Teimour (2788) [B32]
Wch Rapid Astana (14), 08.07.2012

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qe7 8.Qxe7+ Ngxe7 9.Nc3 d5 10.Bd2 Be6 11.0–0–0 0–0–0 12.f3 Kc7 13.b3 f6 14.exd5 Nxd5 15.Nxd5+ Rxd5 16.Bd3 h6 17.Be4 Rd7 18.Bc3 Rhd8 19.Rxd7+ Rxd7 20.Re1 Bd5 21.Bf5 Rd8 22.Kb2 Bf7 23.Bd3 Bd5 24.a4 a5 25.Re3 Nb4 26.Bf5 Nc6 27.g3 b6 28.f4 Re8 29.fxe5 Nxe5 30.Bd4 Bc6 31.h4 Nf3 32.Rxe8 Bxe8 33.Bf2 g5 34.Kc3 Bc6 35.Kb2 Be8 36.c3 Bc6 37.Ka3 Bd5 38.Bc2 Bc6 39.c4 Bd7 40.Be4 Bc6 41.Bf5 Be8 42.Kb2 Bc6 43.Kc3 Be8 44.Be4 Bc6 45.Bf5 Be8 46.Be6 Bc6 47.Bg4 Be4 48.hxg5 hxg5 49.c5 bxc5 50.Bxc5 f5 51.Bh5 Bd5 52.Be3 Kc6 53.Bg6 Be6 54.Be8+ Kb7 55.Bb5 Bd5 56.Bd3 Be6 57.Bc2 Kc6 58.Bd1 Bd5 59.Be2 Kb7 60.Bd1 Be4 61.Bc5 Bd5 62.Bd6 Kc6 63.Be7 Kd7 64.Bf8 Kc6 65.Bg7 Kc7 66.Be2 f4 67.gxf4 gxf4 68.Bh6 Bxb3 69.Bxf4+ Kd8 70.Bxf3 Bxa4 71.Kd4 Bb3 72.Bd6 Kd7 73.Ke5 a4 ½–½

5.Nb5 d6 6.g3 h5 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Nge7 10.Bg2 Bg4 11.f3 Be6 12.c3 h4 13.Nc2 Bxd5 14.exd5 Na5 15.f4 Nf5 16.g4 h3 17.Be4 Nh4 18.O-O g6 19.Kh1

Black to move

19...Bg7 20.f5 gxf5 21.gxf5 Ng2 22.f6 Bf8 23.Qf3

Black to move

By this point in the game, Carlsen believed he was winning.

23...Qc7 24.Nb4 Nb7 25.Nc6 Nc5 26.Bf5 Nd7 27.Bg5 Rg8 28.Qh5 Nb6 29.Be6 Rxg5 30.Qxg5 fxe6 31.dxe6 1–0

Magnus Carlsen offers analysis in a postgame video.

Tata Steel Chess 2013, Round 11

Battle for Second Place

Nakamura,Hikaru (2769) - Aronian,Levon (2802) [D45]
75th Tata Steel Chess Group A Wijk aan Zee (11), 25.01.2013

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 a6 6.c5 Nbd7 7.Na4 b5 8.cxb6 Nxb6 9.Bd2 Nxa4 10.Qxa4 Bd7 11.Qc2 Qb6 12.Rc1 Rb8 13.Bd3 Qxb2 14.0–0 Bd6 15.Ne5 Qxc2 16.Rxc2 c5 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 18.Bxa6 c4 19.a4 Bb4 20.Bc1 Nf6 21.f3 0–0 22.e4 Ne8 23.Bb5 Rb6 24.Bf4 Nd6 25.Rb1 Ba5 26.Kf1 f6 27.Rcb2 Rfb8

White to move

28.h4

There are plenty of interesting games to watch today, but I have chosen one that could have an impact on the final standings for second place. I like these two players. It is hard to choose who to favor. Aronian's style of play is closer to what I try to emulate, but patriotism and respect for the excitement that Nakamura brings to the game has me hoping for success. At the beginning of the tournament, when folks were making predictions, I had to balance objectivity (Carlsen is playing very strong) with hopes for my favorites. I picked those I want to win: Aronian, Anand, or Nakamura. My players all share second at the start of this round, and it is unlikely that Carlsen will lose the next three games.

28...c3 29.Re2

Racing through the other games after sleeping in this morning, I see that Hou Yifan appears to be playing aggressively against Anand's Sicilian. He has not had the opportunity to castle, but now the queens are off the board.

The other Chinese player, Wang Hou, has White against Magnus Carlsen, and that game, too, is a Sicilian. Wang has a nice position. Could a player one point out of last place take down the leader to give those trailing some faint hopes of catching him during the last two rounds?

Update 7:23 am PST; 16:23 CET

Returning to my game of the day, Nakamura has two connected passed pawns with which to contend. His own passed pawn appears to have no prospects of advancement.

29...e5 30.dxe5 Nxb5 31.axb5 d4

White to move

Lazy spectators, and those of us with minimal understanding of the complex positions the big boys and girls play, can watch engine evaluations of the position as the games unfold. These silicon monsters give us the illusion that we patzers can understand what is taking place before us. My default engine in ChessBase 11 these days is Stockfish 2.3 because it won the engine -- engine battles that I set up with my strongest commercial engines. The website is using an older version of Houdini, but newer than the one I have installed.

Stockfish thinks that Nakumura's position is critical, while Houdini believes that Fabiano Caruana is losing to Anish Giri. My eyes find Caruana's position complex. His pieces are passive on the back row, but at the moment he is ahead one pawn. No doubt, Houdini sees that he is losing material, and likely more than the exchange (White's bishop could take the rook on a8 now, but there is likely a move that creates more serious problems for Black).

Aronian's pawns are frightening.

Update 7:45 am PST

Nakamura eliminated the noxious pawns, but gave up a rook for a bishop in the process.

32.Rd1 Rxb5 33.Rc2 d3 34.Rxd3 Rb1+ 35.Bc1 R8b2 36.Rcxc3 Bxc3 37.Rxc3

Black to move

37...Rd2 38.Rc8+ Kf7 39.Rc7+ Ke6 40.exf6 gxf6

Caruana has conceded in that game; Carlsen drew Wang. He will remain at least one point ahead of Aronian and Anand with two rounds to play. Nakamura is struggling to salvage half a point.

Update 8:05 am PST

Of course the bishop could not survive, but Nakamura managed to get three pawns for the rook.

41.Kg1 Rd1+ 42.Kh2 Rbxc1 43.Rxh7 Rd7 44.Rh6 Rcc7

Three connected passed pawns can be equal to a rook, even superior if the rook's king is too far away. White does not have that imbalance here.

White to move

As I said earlier, I like both of these players. It hurts to see either one lose, although it hurts a lot more when I lose, especially when I give my opponent a clear advantage with the Black pieces before move ten, as I did last night. But, even seeing Nakamura defend a position that looks losing provides comfort because it means that Aronian could win, and thus gain half a point on Carlsen. I did not want to see a draw in Nakamura -- Aronian today.

Of course, it is not over yet. Watching Nakamura's face at the board, he seems to be trying to recall an endgame where three pawns could battle a rook. I can see his pain. Indeed, I can feel it.

Update 8:20 am PST; 17:20 CET

Nakamura kept his rook on the board at the cost of a pawn.

45.Rh8 Rh7 46.Re8+ Kf7 47.Ra8 Rxh4+ 48.Kg3 Rh1

White to move

Perhaps White is in less danger of zugzwang with a rook on the board.

Update 8:33 am PST

I watched the video interviews of Wang Hou and Magnus Carlsen after their draw, and came bacl to discover that Nakamura had resigned.

0-1