World Top Ten
1. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2834 2. Fabiano Caruana USA 2811 3. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2804 4. Levon Aronian ARM 2797 5. Maxime Vachier- Lagrave FRA 2793 6. Wesley So USA 2792 7. Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2787 8. Hikaru Nakamura USA 2781 9. Ding Liren CHN 2769 10. Peter Svidler RUS 2768 This is going to be one heck of a chess year. In March 10- 28 the following 8 players will be competing in the Candidates’ Tournament, a double round- robin tournament to be held in Berlin, Germany:
Sergey Karjakin RUS 2753 ( losing finalist in 2016)
Levon Aronian ARM 2797 (Qualifier from World Cup)
Ding Liren CHN 2769 ( Qualifier from World Cup)
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2804 (Qualifier from Grand Prix)
Alexander Grischuk RUS 2767 (Qualifier from Grand Prix)
Fabiano Caruana USA 2811 (Qualifier by rating)
Wesley So USA 2792 ( Qualifier by rating)
Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2787 (Organizers’ nominee)
Whoever wins will challenge Magnus Carlsen for the world title in a 12game match to take place in London, England from Nov. 9-28, 2018. This is the first time since 2007 that Viswanathan Anand is not involved in the world championship, but don’t count him out yet for the next cycle as he just proved to be a force to reckon with in the justconcluded World Rapid Championship.
And don’t forget the 43rd Chess Olympiad scheduled for Sept. 23- Oct. 7, 2018 in Batumi, Georgia.
BOOK OF THE YEAR
The English Chess Federation awarded the 2017 Book of the Year to Jan Timman for his book Timman’s Titans ( you can order this from hyperlink http:// www.newinchess.com, www.newinchess. com). The subject of the book is about the World Champions he had known personally from Euwe to Kasparov (other than Alekhine).
This book was chosen from a shortlist which included:
King’s Indian Warfare! by Ilya Smirin My Secrets in the Ruy Lopez by Lajos Portisch
Thinking Inside the Box by Jacob Aagaard
WESLEY SO
The Chessbase Web site is considering candidates for the best game, best endgame, and move of the year for 2017. Wesley So had two games nominated. This one is for Game of the Year, played in the 2017 USA Championship which Wesley won. His opponent, Jeffery Xiong, is currently 17-years-old and the 2016 World Junior Champion. His rating as of January 2018 is 2634 which makes him the no. 4 junior in the world behind Wei Yi CHN 2743, Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2724 and Vladislav Artemiev RUS 2697.
Xiong, Jeffery (2674) — So, Wesley (2822) [E05] USA-CHN (9), 07.04.2017 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0–0 6.0–0 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Rd1 Bc6 10.Nc3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nc6 Wesley is provoking White to take the knight on c6 otherwise ...Na5 makes it difficult for the first player to regain his pawn. It is true that Black’s queenside
pawns will be disfigured but he figures that the elimination of White’s light-squared bishop is worth it. Besides, Black also gets his rook on the b-file. 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bg5 Rb8 14. e3 c5!?
According to GM Moradiabadi who was observing the game in Saint Louis, Xiong was surprised by this move which has only been played once before. The move 14...a5 is almost automatic here. 15.dxc5 Qe8 16.Rd4 Nd7!
Wesley’s improvement over 16... Rb4 which was played in Sjugirov vs Smirnov, the only other game where 14...c5 occurred. 17.Na2 Qxa4 18.Nxb4 Qxa1+ 19.Kg2 Qa5 20.Nc6 Qxc5 Black’s pieces were awkward but he managed to hold the position. Sjugirov, S (2624)- Smirnov,P (2610) Novosibirsk 2012 1/2 26. 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. c6 Ne5 19. Qe4 Qc5
With the idea of ...f7–f5.
20.Nd5 Nd3!
[ 20... exd5 21. Qxe5 Qxc6 22. Rxd5 White has survived the opening with the better game] 21.Nxc7 <D>
POSITION AFTER 21.NXC7
Now the tactics begin. 21...Nxf2! 22.Kxf2 Rxb2+ 23.Kf1 After 23. Kg1? Black has the same reply: 23...Qh5! 24.h4 Qe2 White will be mated. 23...Qh5 24.Qg4 Qxh2 25.Qf3 c3!
It looked like Black does not have a good follow-up but it turns out that all he has to do is push his pawn down the board!
26.Rc1 e5! The White rook cannot leave the 4th rank because ...e4! will follow, forcing the queen to move after which Black will mate him. So the rook has to move along the 4th rank — to either h4 or c4. 27.Rh4?
The best defense was 27.Rc4 which still loses but forces Black to negotiate some difficult tactics: Wesley would have to calculate the following mindblowing lines:
27...Qd2? is refuted by 28.Rd1 Rd8 (28...Qc2 29.Nd5 and it is White who wins; 28...Qh2 29.Rh4) 29.Nd5!! Rxd5 30.Rxd2 Rdxd2 and now 31.Qe2!! Rxe2 32.c7 forcing Black to take the perpetual.
The correct way is not obvious: 27... Rfb8! ( getting ready for ...Qd2 which can now no longer be met by Rd1 because of ...Rb1!) 28.Nd5 (28.Nxa6 Qd2 29.R4xc3 e4! 30.c7 Rc8 Black is clearly winning) 28...Rf2+! 29.Qxf2 Qh1+ 30.Qg1 (30.Ke2 Rb2+) 30... Qxd5 31. R4xc3 Rb2 32. c7 Qf3+ 33.Ke1 Qe2# Whew! 27...Qd2 28.Rd1 Rd8!
Wow. 29.Nd5
Not 29. Rxd2 Rdxd2 30. Kg1 Rb1+ 31. Qf1 Rxf1+ 32. Kxf1 c2 33. Rc4 Rd1+ 34. Ke2 c1Q 35. Rxc1 Rxc1 36. Nd5 f6! (not 36...Rxc6?? 37.Ne7+) White’s pawn on c6 is lost and with it any chance for salvation. 29...Rxd5 30.Rd4
[30.Qxd5 Qf2#] 30...Rxd4
Please do not fall for 30...exd4?? 31.c7 the pawn will queen 31.exd4 0–1
And Jeffery resigns. What will follow is 31...Qxd1+ 32.Qxd1 c2 33.Qd2 Rb1+ 34.Ke2 c1Q.
AND THIS ONE FOR ENDGAME OF THE YEAR
Jobava was in great form during the World Cup, held in his home city, and it took this great game to eliminate him.
So, Wesley (2810) — Jobava, Baadur (2687) [E17] FIDE World Cup 2017 Tbilisi (4.3), 14.09.2017 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 Bb7 4.Bg2 e6 5.0– 0 Be7 6. Nc3 0– 0 7. Re1 d5
8. cxd5 exd5 9. d4 Re8 10. Bf4 h6 11. Ne5 Nbd7 12. Qa4 Nf8 13. Nc6 Qd7 14. Nxe7+ Rxe7 15. Qxd7 Rxd7 16.Bh3 Re7 17.Nb5 Ng6 18.Be3
[ 18. Bxc7 Ba6 19. Bd6 Bxb5 20. Bxe7 Nxe7 Black has two knights for his rook and pawn. I think he is better] 18... Ne4 19. a4 a6 20. Nc3 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Rae8 22.Bg2 c6
Wesley notes his opponent’s queenside pawn weakness and shifts his pieces to take advantage of this. Watch! 23.Ra2 f6 24.Bc1! Nh8
Tempting is to play 24...c5? before White has gotten in Ba3, but here it loses material: 25.Ba3 Rc7 (if he uses the other rook then 25... Rc8 26. Rb2 Re6 27.Bh3) 26.Rb1 Re6 27.dxc5 bxc5 28.Rxb7 Rxb7 29.Bxd5 and wins. 25.Ba3 Rc7 26.Rb2 b5 27.e4!
Opening up the position for his bishops. 27...Nf7
[ 27... dxe4 28. Bxe4 ( Wesley takes over the e- file. He is threatening to win Black’s e8– rook via discovered check so the rook has to leave the file) 28...Rd8 29.Bc5 Rcc8 30.Rbe2 White’s grip on the position is winning] 28. Re3 bxa4 29. exd5 Rxe3 30.fxe3 cxd5 31.c4!
Black cannot take this pawn due to the weakness of his bishop on b7.
31...Rd7 32.Bh3 Rc7 33.Bg2 Rd7 34.Rb6 Nd8 35.cxd5 f5
Black has to give up the pawn as 35... Bxd5 36. Bh3 Rb7 37. Rd6 wins a piece for White. 36. g4 Bxd5 37. gxf5 Bc4 38. Bf1 Bxf1 39.Kxf1
All of White’s pieces are better and he makes no mistake to confidently reel in the full point.
39... a5 40. Rb5 Nc6 41. Kf2 Ra7 42.Ke2 Kf7 43.Kd2 Nb4 44.e4 Rc7 45.Rxa5 Rc2+ 46.Kd1 Rc4 47.Ra7+ Kg8 48.Rxa4 Rxd4+ 49.Ke2 Rxe4+ 50. Kf3 Re5 51. Rxb4 Rxf5+ 52. Rf4 Ra5 53.Bb4 Rb5 54.Bc3 Rb7 55.Rc4 Rf7+ 56.Ke4 Kh7 57.Be5 Rf1 58.Rc7 Rg1 59.Kf5 Rg5+ 60.Ke6 Kg8 61.Rc3 Rg6+ 62. Kf5 Rg5+ 63. Kf4 Rg1 64.Kf5 Rf1+ 65.Kg6 Rg1+ 66.Bg3 1–0
Chessbase has not yet announced the winners. We will let you know the winners as soon as we have news.