Nakamura Wins Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel Chess Festival) Convincingly

If the chess world didn't know it before, they do now.  USA's GM Hikaru Nakamura won the A Group at the Tata Steel Chess Festival convincingly, a half-point ahead of the other contenders, including current World Chess Champion GM Anand of India and the world's current highest-rated player GM Magnus Carlsen.  Here are the final standings:

1.	H. Nakamura	9
2.	V. Anand	8½
3.	L. Aronian M. Carlsen	8
5.	V. Kramnik M. Vachier-Lagrave	7½
7.	A. Giri R. Ponomariov	6½
9.	I. Nepomniachtchi Wang Hao	6
11.	A. Grischuk E. l'Ami J. Smeets	4½
14.	A. Shirov	4

Nakamura takes home the Euros 10,000 first prize.  What the heck happened with Grischuk and Shirov?  I'm not used to seeing them at the bottom of the rankings!

In the C Group, where the two chess femmes played, here are the results of the final round and the final standings:

Round 13 - Sunday the 30th
R. van Kampen - B. Bok ½-½
D. Vocaturo - I. Nyzhnyk ½-½
M. Kazhgaleyev - D. Swiercz ½-½
J.W. de Jong - K. Lahno 0-1
M. Bluvshtein - I. Ivanisevic 1-0
T. Sachdev - S. Siebrecht 0-1
R. Pruijssers - M. van der Werf 0-1

Standings after round 13:
1. D. Vocaturo 9
2. I. Nyzhnyk 8½
3. K. Lahno 8
4. M. Bluvshtein 7½

I. Ivanisevic
D. Swiercz
7. M. Kazhgaleyev 7
8. B. Bok 6½
T. Sachdev 
10. S. Siebrecht 5½
11. M. van der Werf 5
12. R. van Kampen 4½
13. J.W. de Jong 4
R. Pruijssers

An excellent result by GM Kateryna Lahno and an outstanding showing by IM Tania Sachdev, who was the lowest rated player in the C Group at ELO 2391!  Congratulations to both GM Lahno and IM Sachdev for their fine play - I do love a femme who plays fighting chess :)

How about seeing more women chessplayers introduced into the A and B Invitational Groups too!  Hey, Tata Steel, you have one of the best female players in the world in India, your home base.  Make an offer to her to play in the B Group next year and make it so good she won't refuse.

2011 Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel Chess)

Results of the ladies (only 2, both playing in C Group):

Round 11 - Friday the 28th
I. Nyzhnyk - B. Bok 1-0
R. van Kampen - D. Swiercz 0-1
D. Vocaturo - K. Lahno 1-0
M. Kazhgaleyev - I. Ivanisevic ½-½
J.W. de Jong - S. Siebrecht 1-0
M. Bluvshtein - M. van der Werf ½-½
T. Sachdev - R. Pruijssers ½-½

Round 12 - Saturday the 29th
B. Bok - R. Pruijssers 1-0
M. van der Werf - T. Sachdev 0-1
S. Siebrecht - M. Bluvshtein 0-1
I. Ivanisevic - J.W. de Jong 1-0
K. Lahno - M. Kazhgaleyev ½-½
D. Swiercz - D. Vocaturo 1-0
I. Nyzhnyk - R. van Kampen 1-0

Last round tomorrow.

Standings after R12:
1. D. Vocaturo 8½
2. I. Nyzhnyk 8
3. I. Ivanisevic 7½
4. K. Lahno 7
D. Swiercz 
6. M. Bluvshtein  6½
M. Kazhgaleyev
T. Sachdev
9. B. Bok 6
10. S. Siebrecht 4½
11. J.W. de Jong 4
R. Pruijssers
M. van der Werf
R. van Kampen

Tomorrow's pairings:
Round 13 - Sunday the 30th R. van Kampen - B. Bok
D. Vocaturo - I. Nyzhnyk
M. Kazhgaleyev - D. Swiercz
J.W. de Jong - K. Lahno
M. Bluvshtein - I. Ivanisevic
T. Sachdev - S. Siebrecht
R. Pruijssers - M. van der Werf

2011 Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel Chess)

Round 10 - Wednesday the 26th
B. Bok - T. Sachdev ½-½
R. Pruijssers - M. Bluvshtein 1-0
M. van der Werf - J.W. de Jong 0-1
S. Siebrecht - M. Kazhgaleyev 1-0
I. Ivanisevic - D. Vocaturo 1-0
K. Lahno - R. van Kampen ½-½
D. Swiercz - I. Nyzhnyk 1-0

Standings after Round 10
1. D. Vocaturo 7½
2. K. Lahno 6½
3. I. Ivanisevic 6
I. Nyzhnyk
5. M. Kazhgaleyev 5½
6. M. Bluvshtein 5
B. Bok
T. Sachdev
D. Swiercz
10. S. Siebrecht 4½
11. R. van Kampen 4
12. R. Pruijssers 3½
M. van der Werf
14. J.W. de Jong 3

Tomorrow is the final rest day.  The final three rounds will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  GO LADIES GO! 

Crosstable of grandmaster group C

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Score
1	M. van der Werf		0	½	1	1	½	0	0	0	0				½	3.5
2	S. Siebrecht	1		½	0	0	0	1	0	1				½	½	4.5
3	I. Ivanisevic	½	½		½	½	1	½	1				0	½	1	6
4	K. Lahno	0	1	½		½	½	½				½	1	1	1	6.5
5	D. Swiercz	0	1	½	½		1				1	0	0	1	0	5
6	I. Nyzhnyk	½	1	0	½	0				1	½	½	1	1		6
7	R. van Kampen	1	0	½	½				0	0	1	0	½	½		4
8	D. Vocaturo	1	1	0				1		1	1	1	0	1	½	7.5
9	M. Kazhgaleyev	1	0				0	1	0		1	1	1	½	0	5.5
10	J.W. de Jong	1				0	½	0	0	0		0	0	½	1	3
11	M. Bluvshtein				½	1	½	1	0	0	1		1	0	0	5
12	T. Sachdev			1	0	1	0	½	1	0	1	0			½	5
13	R. Pruijssers		½	½	0	0	0	½	0	½	½	1				3.5
14	B. Bok	½	½	0	0	1			½	1	0	1	½			5

Match-ups for Friday:

I. Nyzhnyk - B. Bok
R. van Kampen - D. Swiercz
D. Vocaturo (7.5) - K. Lahno (6.5) 
M. Kazhgaleyev - I. Ivanisevic
J.W. de Jong - S. Siebrecht
M. Bluvshtein - M. van der Werf
T. Sachdev (5.0) - R. Pruijssers (3.5)

2011 Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel Chess)

Round 9 - Tuesday the 25th
D. Swiercz - B. Bok 0-1
I. Nyzhnyk - K. Lahno ½-½
R. van Kampen - I. Ivanisevic ½-½
D. Vocaturo - S. Siebrecht 1-0
M. Kazhgaleyev - M. van der Werf 1-0
J.W. de Jong - R. Pruijssers ½-½
M. Bluvshtein - T. Sachdev 1-0

Standings after round 9
1. D. Vocaturo 7½
2. K. Lahno
I. Nyzhnyk 6
4. M. Kazhgaleyev 5½
5. M. Bluvshtein
I. Ivanisevic 5
7. B. Bok
T. Sachdev 4½
9. D. Swiercz 4
10. S. Siebrecht
M. van der Werf
R. van Kampen 3½
13. R. Pruijssers 2½
14. J.W. de Jong 2

2011 Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel Chess)

Round 8 Group C results (the only two chess femmes are playing in Group C):

Results
Round 8 - Sunday the 23rd
B. Bok - M. Bluvshtein 1-0
T. Sachdev - J.W. de Jong 1-0
R. Pruijssers - M. Kazhgaleyev ½-½
M. van der Werf - D. Vocaturo 0-1
S. Siebrecht - R. van Kampen 1-0
I. Ivanisevic - I. Nyzhnyk 1-0
K. Lahno - D. Swiercz ½-½

Standings after round 8
1. D. Vocaturo 6½
2. K. Lahno 5½
I. Nyzhnyk
4. I. Ivanisevic 4½
M. Kazhgaleyev
T. Sachdev
7. M. Bluvshtein 4
D. Swiercz
9. B. Bok 3½
S. Siebrecht
M. van der Werf
12. R. van Kampen 3
13. R. Pruijssers 2
14. J.W. de Jong 1½

Tania Sachdev 22 Jan 2011, photo from Chessbase

Tournament: Tata Steel 2011 C
Round: 08
White: Sachdev
Black: De Jong
Date: Sun Jan 23 2011
Result: 1-0

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ c6 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qd3 Nbd7 8. e4 b4 9. Na4 Qa5 10. b3 c5 11. Be3 Bb7 12. Nd2 cxd4 13. Bxd4 Be7 14. f3 O-O 15. Rc1 Rfc8 16. Nc4 Qd8 17. Be2 Bc6 18. Nab2 Bb5 19. O-O Nc5 20. Qe3 Qf8 21. Rc2 Rd8 22. Rd1 Rac8 23. Kh1 a6 24. Rdc1 Nfd7 25. Qf2 Nb7 26. Rd1 Nf6 27. Rcd2 h6 28. Qf1 Nd7 29. e5 Qe8 30. Be3 Nb8 31. Nd6 Nxd6 32. exd6 Bf6 33. Bb6 Bxe2 34. Qxe2 Rd7 35. Nc4 Rb7 36. Qe4 Qd7 37. Bc7 Rbxc7 38. dxc7 Qxc7 39. Nd6 Bc3 40. Nxc8 Bxd2 41. Ne7+ Kf8 42. Qd4 Bf4 43. Nc8 Nc6 44. Qc5+ Ke8 45. Nd6+ Bxd6 46. Rxd6 1-0

2011 Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel)

The men's play usually doesn't interest me, but I have to toot the horn for this win by GM Nakamura (a resident GM at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis, in Missouri, USA, who has this month broken into the Top 10 players of the world for the first time) in R1 againt GM Alexander Grischuk:

The 500-euro “Piet Zwart Prize” for the best game of the day – named after a popular tournament director from the years before Corus, when the event was known as the Hoogovens Tournament – was awarded to Hikaru Nakamura of the U.S. for his victory with white in 42 moves from a Nimzo-Indian Defence against Russia’s Alexander Grishuk.

“It was a beautiful game, conducted with a steady hand by Nakamura,” said grandmaster Ivan Sokolov, who commented on the day’s games for an audience of several hundreds of chess fans in a marquee on the village commons. “Grishuk was cramped for space and saw no other way out than to sac a piece for two pawns after only 18 moves. It was an effort to obtain active play but he never got a chance. It isn’t often that Grishuk gets clobbered in such a way.”

[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2011.01.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nakamura,Hi"]
[Black "Grischuk,A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[EventDate "2011.01.14"]
[ECO "D38"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. e3 c5
8. dxc5 Qa5 9. Rc1 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 O-O 11. Nd4 Qxc5 12. Bd3 Ne4 13. Bf4 Nb6
14. Qc2 h6 15. f3 Nf6 16. g4 Re8 17. Kf2 Nc4 18. h4 Bxg4 19. Bxc4 dxc4 20.
fxg4 Nxg4+ 21. Kf3 Ne5+ 22. Bxe5 Rxe5 23. Kf2 Rae8 24. Rh3 b5 25. Rg1 Re4
26. Qd1 b4 27. Qf3 Rxe3 28. Rxg7+ Kxg7 29. Qg4+ Kf8 30. Rxe3 Rxe3 31. Kxe3
bxc3 32. Ke2 Qe5+ 33. Kd1 Qh2 34. Ne2 Qd6+ 35. Qd4 Qxd4+ 36. Nxd4 Kg7 37.
Nc6 a6 38. Nb8 a5 39. a4 Kf6 40. Nc6 Ke6 41. Nxa5 Kd5 42. Kc2 1-0

2011 Wijk aan Zee (Tata Steel)

It's the chess femmes playing that I care about, and there are two playing in the "C" Group.  Here is the cross-table showing their results after R1:

I. Ivanisevic - T. Sachdev 0-1

K. Lahno - M. Bluvshtein ½-½

In R2, the two chess femme play each other:  T. Sachdev - K. Lahno.