Grand-Prix 2017 Events Venues and Dates confirmed

[Roger de Coverly]

Rapport found a way to lose a drawn R v R+N. Quite extraordinary.

8/8/8/8/8/2r2k2/6n1/4R1K1 w

According to the Shredder tablebase, the squares where the rook moves to draw are a1,b1,e6,e7,e8. The danger is the mate in the corner, this one for instance.

8/8/8/8/8/5nk1/2r5/R6K b

In the initial position, White had just sacrificed the Bishop for a Black pawn that had reached g2.

[NickFaulks]

According to the Shredder tablebase, the squares where the rook moves to draw are a1,b1,e6,e7,e8. The danger is the mate in the corner, this one for instance.

The king needs to escape from the corner via f1. The move Re1-f1 is therefore not helpful.

[Ian Thompson]

Rapport found a way to lose a drawn R v R+N. Quite extraordinary.

8/8/8/8/8/2r2k2/6n1/4R1K1 w
The game went:
80. Rf1+ Kg3
81. Rf8 Rc1+
82. Rf1

and now the quickest way to win according to the computer is

82. .... Ne1

which I don't think is a very obvious move, until you've seen it and realised that White has no good moves

83. Kh1 Ra1
84 Rg1+ Kf2

and White has no reasonable defence to 85... Nf3+

[Leonard Barden]

Rapport found a way to lose a drawn R v R+N. Quite extraordinary.

Not so very extraordinary in practice. Inter alia, this ending has been won by Kasparov against Polgar at Dos Hermanos 1996, with Polgar's WK trapped at h8 and Black playing Ne8!, the same idea as just quoted by Ian Thompson.

It has also been won by Carlsen against Erwin L'Ami at Tata Steel 2011. The latter example was sneaky as the loser's king was not in the corner.

I gave it once as an Evening Standard puzzle: WK e5, WR g1, WN f5; BK g4, BR a2. The black king is in check; what is the only move to lose?

Not really relevant, but I am now obliged to look at the Carlsen v L'Ami diagram every single day. This is because I accidentally once placed the puzzle diagram among the choices on my laptop wallpaper, put it on the home page, and then found I could not restore the home page to blank as I wished. Microsoft/Google allows me to change to other types of wallpaper, but apparently lacks a facility to remove the wallpaper entirely from the home page. If any cyberliterate reader can suggest a simple solution (nothing complex please) to deleting L'Ami's defeat I'd be grateful.

[Tim Harding]

Geneva Grand Prix pairings today:

Radjabov (2.5) v Harikrishna (2) already agreed drawn
Grischuk (2) v Aronian (2) Spanish 6 d3
Mamedyarov (2) v Elyanov (2) Queen's Indian
Svidler (1.5) v Adams (2) Queen's Gambit Declined 5 Bf4
Gelfand (1.5) v Giri (1.5) Fianchetto Gruenfeld without Nc3
Li Chao (1.5) v Jakovenko (1.5) Nimzoindian 4 f3
Nepo' (1) v Hou Yifan (1) Spanish Berlin
Riazantsev (1) v Inarkiev (1) Nimzoindian 4 Qc2
Salem (0.5) v Rapport (0.5) O'Kelly Sicilian 3 c4

[LawrenceCooper]

Mamedjarov-Eljanov & Gelfand-Giri were also drawn.

[John McKenna]

By the way, Radjabov-Harikrishna was a QGD (5.Bf4) drawn in 21 moves.

Mamedyarov-Eljanov draw in 22 moves.

Gelfand-Giri was a draw in 24.

Salem-Rapport is another exciting Sicilian (in a similar vein to Rendle v. Bates at Kingsplace on Sat.) but it may already be all over after only 22 moves?

[Tim Harding]

Grischuk-Aronian also drawn.

It's looking bad for Adams and Hou Yifan.

Salem nearly has his king safe but a time scramble is imminent; he hasn't the point safe yet.

[LawrenceCooper]

Grischuk-Aronian also drawn.

It's looking bad for Adams and Hou Yifan.

Salem nearly has his king safe but a time scramble is imminent; he hasn't the point safe yet.

Adams & Hou Yifan have indeed both lost. Svidler seemed to be one of the top players that Adams had a good score against but the two losses this year have slightly dented that.

Salem has won so just two games left. Possibly draws but still play left.

[Tim Harding]

It looks from the ChessBase coverage that Rapport may have lost on time.

Li Chao-Yakovenko drawn.
Riazantsev has an extra outside passed pawn against Inarkiev at move 41, with ,maybe some winning chances. Two rooks and a knight each.

Apropos of nothing, Moeen Ali has just taken his tenth wicket in the Test Match and could make it 11 in the match.
(Now he cannot: Dawson took the last wicket.)
And England women just beat Australia women in their World Cup after a very tight finish at Bristol.

[LawrenceCooper]

Pairings/Results
Round 4 on 2017/07/09 at 14:00
Bo. No. Name Rtg Pts. Result Pts. Name Rtg No.
1 12 GM Radjabov Teimour 2724 2½ ½ - ½ 2 GM Harikrishna Pentala 2737 8
2 4 GM Grischuk Alexander 2761 2 ½ - ½ 2 GM Aronian Levon 2809 1
3 2 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2800 2 ½ - ½ 2 GM Eljanov Pavel 2739 7
4 5 GM Svidler Peter 2749 1½ 1 - 0 2 GM Adams Michael 2736 9
5 11 GM Gelfand Boris 2728 1½ ½ - ½ 1½ GM Giri Anish 2775 3
6 10 GM Li Chao B 2735 1½ ½ - ½ 1½ GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2703 14
7 6 GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2742 1 1 - 0 1 GM Hou Yifan 2666 16
8 17 GM Riazantsev Alexander 2654 1 ½ - ½ 1 GM Inarkiev Ernesto 2707 13
9 18 GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2638 ½ 1 - 0 ½ GM Rapport Richard 2694 15

Pairings/Results
Round 5 on 2017/07/10 at 14:00
Bo. No. Name Rtg Pts. Result Pts. Name Rtg No.
1 2 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2800 2½ 3 GM Radjabov Teimour 2724 12
2 1 GM Aronian Levon 2809 2½ 2½ GM Svidler Peter 2749 5
3 7 GM Eljanov Pavel 2739 2½ 2½ GM Grischuk Alexander 2761 4
4 8 GM Harikrishna Pentala 2737 2½ 2 GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2742 6
5 9 GM Adams Michael 2736 2 2 GM Li Chao B 2735 10
6 14 GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2703 2 2 GM Gelfand Boris 2728 11
7 3 GM Giri Anish 2775 2 1½ GM Riazantsev Alexander 2654 17
8 13 GM Inarkiev Ernesto 2707 1½ 1½ GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2638 18
9 16 GM Hou Yifan 2666 1 ½ GM Rapport Richard 2694 15

[Chris Rice]

Peter Doggers report on Round 4.

[LawrenceCooper]

Mamedyarov-Radjabov the first draw of the day soon followed by Jakovenko-Gelfand, Aronian-Svidler & Adams-Li Chau.

[soheil_hooshdaran]

GrandPrix's are also closed events? How do you qualify?

[LawrenceCooper]

GrandPrix's are also closed events? How do you qualify?

https://cdn.worldchess.com/media/downlo ... 6_2017.pdf