Fabi – MVL start even @ GCT São Paulo
Former GCT champion GM Fabiano Caruana pressed long in a pawn up queen & pawn ending but GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave hung on to a marathon draw in the $ 350,000 Grand Chess Tour finals at World Trade Centre, São Paulo. In the play-off game for the third position GMs Levon Aronian and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu drew their Sicilian Defense Taimanov Variation game after 47 moves. The second classical game with reversed colors is likely to see the GMs with white pieces going all out to take the lead.
Image courtesy: Grand Chess Tour/Saint Louis Chess Club
Soon after the start it appeared Fabi had MVL on the run, thanks to some excellent home preparation in Queen’s Gambit Declined exchange variation. After 22 moves the French Grandmaster was behind by almost an hour on the clock and things started looking tricky. But MVL kept finding the best possible moves to stay in the game as the position kept demanding precision. The ensuing queen and pawn ending lasted more than five hours as the Italian-American Grandmaster kept pressing for more. Proving the draw over the board can be an arduous task but MVL kept playing resourcefully managing to sign peace after 89 moves. A hard fighting draw in the grand finale keeps up the suspense for the next MVL – Fabi showdown tomorrow .
In the play-off for the third place, GM Levon Aronian held GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu to a quiet draw. The Sicilian game promised much but some precise middle-game play by both the players saw the game ending evenly. The trade-offs happening from time to time moved the game into a bishop and pawn ending with no major weaknesses for either side. The first classical game ended by repetition with the next one scheduled for tomorrow under reversed colors.
Image courtesy: Grand Chess Tour/Saint Louis Chess Club
Caruana Fabiano (2789) – Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (2737) 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Bg4 8. Qc2 O-O 9. h3 Be6 10. Nf3 Ne8 11. Bg3 Bd6 12. Ne5 Nc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Bd3 Bxg3 15. fxg3 Qg5 16. Qf2 Nd6 17. O-O Rae8 18. Rac1 Bd7 19. Nd1 Re6 20. Qe1 Rfe8 21. Rf3 R6e7 22. Qf2 h5 23. b4 g6 24. Rf4 Re6 25. b5 cxb5 26. Rxc7 Qd8 27. Rxa7 R8e7 28. Rf6 Kg7 29. Rxe6 Bxe6 30. Rxe7 Qxe7 31. Qb2 Bf5 32. Bxb5 Nxb5 33. Qxb5 Bc2 34. Qe2 Bxd1 35. Qxd1 Qxe3+ 36. Kh2 f5 37. a4 f4 38. gxf4 Qxf4+ 39. Kh1 g5 40. a5 g4 41. a6 gxh3 42. gxh3 Qe4+ 43. Kh2 Qf4+ 44. Kg2 Qe4+ 45. Qf3 Qxd4 46. Qf2 Qa4 47. a7 h4 48. Qe3 Kf6 49. Qc3+ Kg6 50. Qc5 Qe4+
51. Kf2? (51. Kf1! d4 52. Qc4 Qf4+ 53. Ke1 Qe4 54. Kd2 Kg7 55. Qe2 56. Qg4+ Kh7 57. Qxh4+ Kg6 58. Qxd4 winning) 51…d4 52. Qc1 Kh7 53. Qc7+ Kh6 54. Qd6+ Kh7 55. Qc7+ Kh6 56. Qb6+ Kg7 57. Qa5 Qe3+ 58. Kf1 Qxh3+ 59. Ke1 Qe3+ 60. Kd1 Qf3+ 61. Kc1 Qa8 62. Qc7+ Kh6 63. Qb8 Qc6+ 64. Kb1 Qe4+ 65. Kb2 Qe2+ 66. Ka3 Qd3+ 67. Kb4 Qc3+ 68. Kb5 Qb3+ 69. Kc5 Qc2+ 70. Kd5 Qg2+ 71. Ke5 Qg5+ 72. Ke4 Qg2+ 73. Ke5 Qg5+ 74. Kd6 Qg6+ 75. Kc7 Qf7+ 76. Kc6 Qf3+ 77. Kb5 Qb3+ 78. Kc5 Qc2+ 79. Kxd4 Qd2+ 80. Ke4 Qc2+ 81. Kf3 Qd1+ 82. Kf4 Qd4+ 83. Kf5 Qd3+ 84. Ke6 Qg6+ 85. Ke7 Qg7+ 86. Ke8 Qg8+ 87. Ke7 Qg7+ 88. Ke8 Qg8+ 89. Ke7 Qg7+ 1/2-1/2
Aronian Levon (2722) – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (2771) 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Nd4 Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O d5 11. exd5 exd5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Qxd5 cxd5 16. Be3 Bf6 17. Rad1 Bxb2 18. Bf3 Be6 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. Rxd5 Rfd8 21. Rfd1 Rxd5 22. Rxd5 h6 23. Kf1 Rc8 24. Ke2 Rc6 25. Rc5 Rd6 26. Rc4 Bf6 27. g4 Rd5 28. a4 h5 29. h3 hxg4 30. hxg4 Kf8 31. f4 Ke8 32. Kf3 Kd7 33. Ke4 Rd6 34. f5 Rc6 35. Rb4 Be7 36. Rb7+ Rc7 37. Rxc7+ Kxc7 38. Kd5 Kd7 39. Bc5 Bd8 40. Bd4 g6 41. Bc5 gxf5 42. gxf5 Bc7 43. Bd4 Bd8 44. Bc5 Bc7 45. Bd4 Bd8 46. Bc5 Bc7
47. Kd4 1/2-1/2
Picture Courtesy: Grand Chess Tour / Saint Louis Chess Club
