Tata Steel India Rapid Day 2: Nakamura sets the stage on fire!
After a relatively sedate start on day one, things have begun to heat up at the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid 2018. On the second day we had eight decisive encounters out of the 15 games that were played. Hikaru Nakamura was on fire as he scored 3.0/3 beating Mamedyarov, Ganguly and Nihal. Levon Aronian has kept up the pace and with 4.5/6 is in joint lead with Nakamura. In this report we have the perfect balance of pictures, videos, and analysis. This article tells you how a tournament like Tata Steel Chess India 2018 is making such a big difference to chess culture of our country. We also bring you exclusive footage of Nihal Sarin battling out the big guys. After all, how often do you see a 14-year-old fighting it out against the big guys!
Day two started with three leaders Mamedyarov, Aronian and Harikrishna and ended with two - Nakamura and Aronian. Nakamura had an amazing day at the office as he scored 3.0/3 on the second day, taking his tally to 4.5/6. Nakamura beat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Surya Sekhar Ganguly and Nihal Sarin. Levon Aronian scored 2.5/3 beating Wesley So and Surya Sekhar Ganguly and drawing against Sergey Karjakin.
This super tournament has proved to be a huge boon for the chess fans of India and more so Kolkata. Where else can you see such great players fighting it out under one roof. It has given the youngsters a chance to interact with their idols, to see them in person, to take their autographs. You cannot imagine what an impact it can have on the minds of the youngsters who dream big. When guys like Anand, Aronian, Nakamura and others get swarmed by fans, deep down, even the youngsters start to believe that becoming a chess player is a worthwhile career option!
Round 4:
Bo. | No. | FED | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | FED | Rtg | No. | ||||
1 | 10 | IND | 2608 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 0 - 1 | GM | Karjakin Sergey | RUS | 2792 | 7 | ||
2 | 8 | ARM | 2802 | GM | Aronian Levon | 1 - 0 | GM | So Wesley | USA | 2808 | 6 | ||
3 | 9 | IND | 2660 | GM | Vidit Santosh Gujrathi | ½ - ½ | GM | Anand Viswanathan | IND | 2737 | 5 | ||
4 | 1 | IND | 2743 | GM | Harikrishna Pentala | ½ - ½ | IM | Nihal Sarin | IND | 2127 | 4 | ||
5 | 2 | AZE | 2794 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 0 - 1 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | USA | 2844 | 3 |
The most amazing part of Aronian's victory was the way he played with the Isolated Queen Pawn. When he played his bishop to e3, many might feel that it was an unambitious attempt. Quite the contrary. The bishop moved to e3 to defend the d4 pawn, just so that the knight can move to e5 and then the bishop could sit on f3 and put great pressure on Black's queenside. This plan is really worth learning from and I explain it in my round-up video of day two:
After playing a fine game and getting a winning position Aronian missed what was perhaps the most simple tactic of his chess career.
Round 5:
Bo. | No. | FED | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | FED | Rtg | No. | ||||
1 | 3 | USA | 2844 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 1 - 0 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | IND | 2608 | 10 | ||
2 | 4 | IND | 2127 | IM | Nihal Sarin | ½ - ½ | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | AZE | 2794 | 2 | ||
3 | 5 | IND | 2737 | GM | Anand Viswanathan | ½ - ½ | GM | Harikrishna Pentala | IND | 2743 | 1 | ||
4 | 6 | USA | 2808 | GM | So Wesley | 1 - 0 | GM | Vidit Santosh Gujrathi | IND | 2660 | 9 | ||
5 | 7 | RUS | 2792 | GM | Karjakin Sergey | ½ - ½ | GM | Aronian Levon | ARM | 2802 | 8 |
Round 6:
Bo. | No. | FED | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | FED | Rtg | No. | ||||
1 | 10 | IND | 2608 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 0 - 1 | GM | Aronian Levon | ARM | 2802 | 8 | ||
2 | 9 | IND | 2660 | GM | Vidit Santosh Gujrathi | 1 - 0 | GM | Karjakin Sergey | RUS | 2792 | 7 | ||
3 | 1 | IND | 2743 | GM | Harikrishna Pentala | ½ - ½ | GM | So Wesley | USA | 2808 | 6 | ||
4 | 2 | AZE | 2794 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | ½ - ½ | GM | Anand Viswanathan | IND | 2737 | 5 | ||
5 | 3 | USA | 2844 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | 1 - 0 | IM | Nihal Sarin | IND | 2127 | 4 |
Standings after round 6:
Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | n | w | we | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
1 | 3 | GM | Nakamura Hikaru | USA | 2844 | 4,5 | 0,5 | 11,25 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4,5 | 4,23 | 0,27 | 20 | 5,4 | |
8 | GM | Aronian Levon | ARM | 2802 | 4,5 | 0,5 | 11,25 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4,5 | 3,70 | 0,80 | 20 | 16,0 | ||
3 | 1 | GM | Harikrishna Pentala | IND | 2743 | 3,5 | 0,0 | 9,75 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3,5 | 3,31 | 0,19 | 20 | 3,8 | |
4 | 5 | GM | Anand Viswanathan | IND | 2737 | 3,0 | 0,0 | 9,75 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 2,75 | 0,25 | 20 | 5,0 | |
5 | 6 | GM | So Wesley | USA | 2808 | 3,0 | 0,0 | 7,75 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3,68 | -0,68 | 20 | -13,6 | |
6 | 7 | GM | Karjakin Sergey | RUS | 2792 | 3,0 | 0,0 | 7,25 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3,89 | -0,89 | 20 | -17,8 | |
7 | 2 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | AZE | 2794 | 3,0 | 0,0 | 6,00 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3,92 | -0,92 | 20 | -18,4 | |
8 | 9 | GM | Vidit Santosh Gujrathi | IND | 2660 | 2,5 | 0,0 | 7,75 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2,5 | 2,51 | -0,01 | 20 | -0,2 | |
9 | 4 | IM | Nihal Sarin | IND | 2127 | 2,0 | 0,0 | 6,00 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0,48 | 1,52 | 20 | 30,4 | |
10 | 10 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | IND | 2608 | 1,0 | 0,0 | 3,25 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1,53 | -0,53 | 20 | -10,6 |