Gashimov Memorial, Round 5: Radjabov Leads After Both Cars Crash
It was a great day for the Azeri players at the Vugar Gashimov Memorial: Teimour Radjabov defeated one leader, Magnus Carlsen (who also happens to be the world champion and world #1), while Shakhriyar Mamedyarov defeated Fabiano Caruana, the other leader. After five rounds, the first cycle is complete. Radjabov is at +1 and in clear first, Mamedyarov is -1 and alone in the cellar, and Carlsen, Caruana, Nakamura and Karjakin (the latter two drew today) are all on 50%.
Radjabov is a great King's Indian specialist, and simply did a better job of understanding and assessing the goings-on than his illustrious opponent. Carlsen was unhappy about his 19th move (19.exf5) and confessed that he was wrongly optimistic about his exchange sac. He thought that Radjabov would be without play, but when 28...b5 came it was clear that he was mistaken. Radjabov finished very effectively and was a deserved winner.
For Caruana it was a different story. Mamedyarov was better forever, but Caruana was holding down the fort pretty successfully. The critical moment came at the start of the third and final time control, when Mamedyarov played 61.e4. Black had a choice, to force the trade of queens with 61...Qg6 or to force matters with 61...Qc3. Caruana thought for half an hour and made the right decision from a computer perspective, but from a human point of view it was at least questionable. The former would have led to further suffering, but the position would have been easier to play, much more manageable. Instead, he played 61...Qc3. This draws if one sees everything - the computer gives it a shiny 0.00 evaluation - but Black must find a lot of only moves. When Caruana missed one of them - 67...Qf3! - it wasn't just some sort of inaccuracy. Black was completely lost, and Mamedyarov successfully converted his advantage.
Tomorrow is a rest day, and on Saturday the second cycle begins with these pairings:
- Mamedyarov - Carlsen
- Caruana - Nakamura
- Radjabov - Karjakin
Reader Comments (6)
It's very strange about Carlsen. I don't mean to be treating him as a demigod, nor ignoring the prosaic explanation that today, for example, he just misjudged the exchange sac. But in the interviews after the game he's seemed really out of sorts. In both losses his opponents seemed to see much more than him, and he's been presenting as being quite depressed (as opposed to just being upset at losing) -- often hard to recognize in high functioning people. It seemed quite different from his not infrequent lack of engagement in postgame interviews. Pure speculation, but I wonder whether he was thrown by not converting against Karjakin, with all the hype of 2900 etc.. Still, it was good to see Radjabov enjoy some success at last, and come across so well in the postgame interview.
In all the brouhaha, I thought Mamedyarov's game was even more impressive, just keeping at it and taking the risk to sac the bishop. Deserved win!
[DM: There was no risk with the bishop sac, as he always had a perpetual check for the taking. I certainly agree that the game was impressive, though I'm not sure if I'd go along with more impressive.]
I wonder wether Carlsen will ever post a new blog entry right after a loss. I wold bet never, hoping that he will prove me wrong.
Is there a lesson from Caruana game that you should not be completely dependent on computers for analysis?
[DM: Caruana wouldn't be a near-2800 player if he were completely dependent on computers for analysis. Not even close.]
I'm not an expert on the Hungarian Nge2-g3 line, although I do play the KID and know the basic traps to avoid, but it certainly seemed from the game as if Black had an easy time. I did not see whatever Carlsen saw that made him think the exchange sacrifice would leave black "without play". I guess that is why I'm a mortal.
I always thought of Carlsen as a King's Fianchetto player against the KID, stylistically, or maybe even an Exchange player, although among KID people that's an insult.
I thought Radjabov's victory was well deserved, but Carlsen's play has been oddly mortal the last three rounds.
I too thought that Carlsen's slide began with the Karjakin game; he failed to "Carlsen" him in the kind of position he normally wins. Then, he was "carlsened" by Caruana--this put him on emotional tilt, and he played more weakly against Radjabov. I hope he has recovered his equilibrium.