Shenzhen March 22nd to April 3rd 2017

[Mick Norris]

Giri, Adams, Ding Liren, Harikrishna, Yu Yangyi and Svidler

[Mick Norris]

Mickey drew with Giri in round 1 Giri used very little time

[Tim Harding]

All three games drawn though Ding Liren tried until move 88 to win his queen ending against Yu Yangyi.
Adams will have White against Harikrishna tomorrow.
This is a double round-robin.

[Tim Harding]

Round 2: Adams lost to Harikrishna. Others drawn: Giri-DIng and Svidler-Yu.

Round 3 tomorrow:
Harikrishna-Giri
Yu-Adams
Ding-Svidler

[Chris Rice]

Yu-Adams was a 37 move draw, the other two games still ongoing.

[LawrenceCooper]

Yu-Adams was a 37 move draw, the other two games still ongoing.

Ding beat Svidler and Giri won with black against Harikrishna.

[Chris Rice]

Emil Sutovsky on FB "Some spectators would find it utterly boring, but both Giri and Ding Liren won highly instructive technical games versus their formidable opponents today. Of course, if it was won by Capablanca or Rubinstein, it would have been appreciated as jewelry work, but it was played today - so these were just boring endgames..."

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... 2017/3/1/1

[Chris Rice]

Chess.com report by Peter Doggers so you can make up your own mind on Sutovsky's comments. Both games feature the power of two bishops against two knights but Ding's win in particular was wizardry.

[LawrenceCooper]

I think round 4 has finished with three quiet draws albeit the Svidler-Adams game disappeared before I saw the result.

[Tim Harding]

Adams has some winning chances after reaching the time control, against DIng Liren today.
He may have missed a better line when short of time (online engine suggesting the far from obvious 38 c5, to threaten Rxf7 and meet 38...Kg8 by 39 Nd6).

Giri-Svidler was drawn. Yu Yangyi is a pawn up in an almost certainly drawn ending against Harikrishna.

[Chris Rice]

Adams-Ding was a draw.

[LawrenceCooper]

Adams has some winning chances after reaching the time control, against DIng Liren today.
He may have missed a better line when short of time (online engine suggesting the far from obvious 38 c5, to threaten Rxf7 and meet 38...Kg8 by 39 Nd6).

Giri-Svidler was drawn. Yu Yangyi is a pawn up in an almost certainly drawn ending against Harikrishna.

I found the games today very difficult to fathom. Giri-Svidler looked very equal from the opening but white quickly got a winning advantage in the middle game only to allow Svidler an unlikely escape. Adams seemed to play a really nice game (far beyond my comprehension) without quite being able to finish it off. Harikrishna turned equal into worse with white but may still escape a pawn down in an ending.

[Chris Rice]

Harikrishna confidently gave up the bishop for Black's last two pawns and is showing his technique in a R v R&B endgame. He has employed both the Cochrane and second rank defence methods but Yu is still playing on......

[Tim Harding]

Harikrishna will have to reach move 102 to survive. Only at move 69 just after noon BST, long way to go...

[Chris Rice]

Harikrishna will have to reach move 102 to survive. Only at move 69 just after noon BST, long way to go...

....and so it came to pass. Move 102...Ke5 Draw.

Standings after Round 5:

1-2 Giri, Ding 3
3-4 Yu, Harikrishna 2½
5-6 Adams, Svidler 2