Alexander Grischuk Became the Winner of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian

On November 11 in the Novotel Moscow City Hotel the final 7th round of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian was played.

The game between leaders of the race Alexander Grischuk and Vladimir Kramnik was drawn rather quickly – the opponents had repeated their moves as early as in the opening.
Thus, Alexander Grischuk became the winner of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian scoring 5.5 points out of 7. This victory is one of the most significant in the Russian grandmaster’s chess career. The “+4” score permitted Alexander to join the “2800+ elite club” in the FIDE ratings.

Vladimir Kramnik finished second with 4.5 points to his credit.
The third place went to Boris Gelfand, who defeated Peter Leko with White in the final round and scored 4 points. Players had exchanged most of their pieces early in the game, and the main struggle took place in the pawn endgame, in which White gradually outplayed his opponent.
Levon Aronian, who scored the same number of points as Boris Gelfand, took the fourth place as his tiebreak indicators were worse. Black developed an attack en masse against the enemy king and, after the attack itself had ended, obtained a better endgame. In the bishop endgame the Armenian grandmaster outplayed his Russian vis-à-vis.

Alexander Morozevich obtained a promising position as White against Ding Liren but committed an inaccuracy after which all his advantage gradually vanished. The Russian player had sacrificed a pawn, but that was enough only for forcing a draw by perpetual check.

Results of round 7:
A. Grischuk – V. Kramnik 1/2, E. Inarkiev – L. Aronian 0-1, B. Gelfand – P. Leko 1-0, A. Morozevich – Ding Liren 1/2

Final standings:
1. A. Grischuk – 5.5, 2. V. Kramnik (both from Russia) – 4.5, 3. B. Gelfand (Israel), 4. L. Aronian (Armenia) – 4. 5. Ding Liren (People’s Republic of China) – 3.5, 6. P. Leko (Hungary) – 2.5, 7-8. A. Morozevich, E. Inarkiev (both from Russia) – 2.

On the same night the closing ceremony of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian took place. The attendees were: the President of the ROC Alexander Zhukov, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Igor Levitin, the President of the TASHIR group of companies Samvel Carapetian, the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the President of the RCF Andrey Filatov, 12th chess world champion Anatoly Karpov, the President of CCIFR Emmanuel Quidet, Director General of CCIFR, Vice-President of the RCF Pavel Shinsky and many others.

Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Igor Levitin shared his impressions of the competition:

- The tournaments dedicated to legends of Soviet chess, such as the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian, are very important. I think that if such tournaments were held more often, we would remember our champions not only by their books.

Chess was extremely popular in the USSR; practically the whole country had been following matches for the world champion title. The whole country was aching for its representative to become the champion of the world.

I believe that the President of Russia’s visit to the “White Castle” tournament in Dagomys this summer is an impulse to development of chess. It is very important as chess develops logic, makes people solve very complex combinations. It is very good for kids who take up chess from their very childhood, because this kind of sport develops intellect. I also think that Russia deserves the right to stage the match for the world champion title between Magnus Carlsen and Visvanathan Anand in our country, in the Olympic city of Sochi that possesses an excellent sportive infrastructure. The whole world follows the match, so people can see the city and the Olympic complex and feel the Russian hospitality.
During the closing ceremony all the prizewinners thanked the organizers – the TASHIR group of companies and the Russian Chess Federation – for a wonderful tournament. The 14th champion of the world Vladimir Kramnik said that he “had played in lots of tournaments already, but would call the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian one of the best in terms of organization.”

After the official part was over, a memorial Tigran Petrosian evening was held where a film about the 9th champion of the world was demonstrated. After that the 12th world champion Anatoly Karpov, a well-known chessplayer and the Armenian National Coach Arshak B. Petrosian, one of the participants of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian Levon Aronian and a well-known chess journalist Stanislav Zhelezny shared their memories of Tigran Vartanovich.

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Vladimir Kramnik Pursues Alexander Grischuk at the Finish of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian



On November 10 in the Novotel Moscow City Hotel the 6th and next to last round of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian was played.
In the game L. Aronian vs. A. Grischuk the Armenian grandmaster demonstrated an interesting novelty in the Gruenfeld Defence. It was connected with a pawn sacrifice, for which he received a solid compensation in the form of white pieces’ activity. The Russian player had spent a lot of time but in the time trouble found an accurate defensive plan and managed to parry all the opponent’s threats with the only moves – in the truest sense of the word “only”. The game was drawn by move repetition.
Vladimir Kramnik scored a spectacular win over Alexander Morozevich. Playing with White, the ex-champion of the world launched an attack against his opponent’s king and, in the heat of the fight, sacrificed an exchange. Until a certain crucial moment Black’s defence had been accurate, but on his 29th move Morozevich committed an oversight that allowed White to create a dangerous play around the enemy monarch. Kramnik managed to find a beautiful blow, and soon the outcome of the game was decided in White’s favor.
Playing White against Boris Gelfand, Ding Liren failed to obtain any significant advantage in the opening; with precise play the Israeli grandmaster was able to achieve equality. Still, the end game turned out to be more pleasant for White, and Gelfand had to play rather accurately in order not to find himself in a difficult situation. The 2010 vice-champion of the world dealt with this problem quite successfully.
Peter Leko and Ernesto Inarkiev also drew their game. Playing with White, Leko sacrificed a pawn for the initiative in the middle game, but that turned out to be insufficient for creating more serious threats. The game was drawn in the deep endgame.
After the 6th round the leader is Alexander Grischuk with 5 points; Vladimir Kramnik is one point behind him. In the final round the leaders are going to face each other.

Results of round 6:

V. Kramnik – A. Morozevich 1-0, Ding Liren – B. Gelfand 1/2, P. Leko – E. Inarkiev 1/2, L. Aronian – A. Grischuk 1/2

Standings after round 6:

1. A. Grischuk – 5, 2. V. Kramnik – 4, 3-5. Ding Liren, B. Gelfand, L. Aronian – 3, 6. P. Leko – 2.5, 7. E. Inarkiev – 2, 8. A. Morozevich – 1.5.

The final 7th round will be held on Monday, November 10, at 13.00.

The pairs are: A. Grischuk – V. Kramnik, E. Inarkiev – L. Aronian, B. Gelfand – P. Leko, A. Morozevich – Ding Liren

Website and live webcast: www.tashir-chess.com

Alexander Grischuk Wins Again at the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian

On November 9 in the Novotel Moscow City Hotel the 5th round of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian was played.
Alexander Grischuk gained another fine victory by outplaying Peter Leko. The opponents held their discussion in a sharp opening variation: White had left his king in a center and advanced with his g-pawn forcing active battle action. In order to neutralize the opponent’s threats Black sacrificed an exchange. In a position with nonstandard material balance Leko had made an error that permitted White to approach with his forces right up to the black king. After white knight had joined the attack, the outcome was decided: Black’s position collapsed like the house of cards.
Boris Gelfand won his first game at the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian. His “victim” was Alexander Morozevich. In the Slav Defence White had sacrificed a piece successfully and obtained strong connected passed pawns on the queenside for it. As a result, white infantry turned out to be stronger than the extra piece. Morozevich attempted to obtain counterplay on the kingside, but Boris parried his threats and gradually managed to convert his advantage into a win.
The game between Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik ended in a draw. The Russian grandmaster played out a variation that had occurred in his practice more than once as Black – and managed to surprise the opponent with an opening novelty at that. Black equalized, and afterwards there followed a battle of maneuvers. When each party had a queen and a rook left on the board, Black had made several inaccuracies after which he had to defend with only moves. Still Kramnik managed to neutralize all white threats, and the opponents agreed to a draw in the queen endgame.
Ernesto Inarkiev and Ding Liren also signed a peaceful agreement. White obtained a spatial advantage in the opening, but the Chinese player was very tenacious in his defence with Black. In the middlegame the Russian grandmaster acted a bit straightforwardly, after which the play leveled and a draw by repetition of moves followed.

Results of round 5:
L. Aronian – V. Kramnik 1/2, A. Grischuk – P. Leko 1-0, E. Inarkiev – Ding Liren 1/2, B. Gelfand – A. Morozevich 1-0

Standings after round 5:
1. A. Grischuk – 4/5, 2. V. Kramnik – 3, 3-5. Ding Liren, B. Gelfand, L. Aronian – 2.5, 6. P. Leko – 2, 7-8. A. Morozevich, E. Inarkiev – 1.5.

Round 6 will be held on Monday, November 10, at 15.00.

The pairs are: V. Kramnik – A. Morozevich, Ding Liren – B. Gelfand, P. Leko – E. Inarkiev, L. Aronian – A. Grischuk

Alexander Grischuk Keeps the Lead at the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian

On November 8 in the Novotel Moscow City Hotel the 4th round of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian was played.

The first to be finished was the game Ding Liren vs. Alexander Grischuk. Grandmasters played out an opening variation that had been well analyzed by both. The events developed forcedly, and the game smoothly reached a draw haven.

The duel of long-standing opponents, Vladimir Kramnik and Boris Gelfand, also ended in a draw. Grandmasters held their discussion in a well-known theoretical variation in which Black gradually managed to equalize. Soon after the exchange of queens Vladimir Kramnik had made a mini-slipup and Black’s position became slightly more pleasant. However, the 14th world champion managed to consolidate his forces with precise play, so the opponents forced a draw in the rook endgame.

The game Peter Leko vs. Levon Aronian was anything but simple. In the opening the Armenian chessplayer obtained a not exactly pleasant position with Black. In the middle game White sacrificed a piece and gained a very strong initiative. It appeared that the defenseless black king would fall to onslaught of white pieces, but due to the Hungarian grandmaster’s procrastination Black managed to more or less consolidate his position. Aronian had to return the piece, but in the following Peter who had still retained his advantage, missed several promising continuations again. Finally with his precise play Black managed to parry all the threats and equalize. After the time control the opponents agreed to a draw.
The most dramatic one was the game between Alexander Morozevich and Ernesto Inarkiev. The opponents carried on a very sharp struggle in the Queen Gambit where both kings had castled queenside. White launched his attack on the queenside, while Black had made a breakthrough along the h-file. The evaluation of position was in White’s favor; however, in time trouble Morozevich made a decision to sharpen the struggle with a breakthrough in the center. Immediately after time control White had made a fatal blunder, after which Black could win in one move. To his fans’ great disappointment, Ernesto overlooked the decisive continuation, and soon the opponents agreed to a draw.

Results of round 4:
V. Kramnik – B. Gelfand 1/2, A. Morozevich – E. Inarkiev 1/2, Ding Liren – A. Grischuk 1/2, P. Leko – L. Aronian 1/2

Standings after round 4:
1. A. Grischuk – 3.5, 2. V. Kramnik – 2.5, 3-5. Ding Liren, P. Leko, L. Aronian – 2, 6-7. B. Gelfand, A. Morozevich – 1.5, 8. E. Inarkiev – 1.

Round 5 will be held on Sunday, November 9, at 15.00.

The pairs are:
L. Aronian – V. Kramnik, A. Grischuk – P. Leko, E. Inarkiev – Ding Liren, B. Gelfand – A. Morozevich

Round 3: Alexander Grischuk Prolongs his Winning Streak at the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian

On Thursday, November 6, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan visited the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian which is held at the Novotel Moscow City Hotel. He examined the photo exhibition dedicated to the 9th champion of the world with great interest, greeted the players and made a symbolic first move in the game L. Aronian (Armenia) vs. Ding Liren (China). After that Serzh Sargsyan, who is also the President of the Armenian Chess Federation, took part in the signing ceremony of the agreement on cooperation between Armenia and Russia in the sphere of school chess and joint holding of the “White Castle” tournaments.

The leader of the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian, the Moscow grandmaster Alexander Grischuk, prolonged his winning streak by defeating his fellow countryman Alexander Morozevich with Black. In the opening Grischuk managed to surprise his opponent with an infrequent continuation. Morozevich evaded the most principled line and soon was stuck with a cramped position devoid of counterplay. With an aggressive attack in the center and on the kingside Grischuk managed to breach the opponent’s defences and won on the move 36.

Both Ernesto Inarkiev and Boris Gelfand had started poorly at the tournament and were in an equally uncompromising mood for their “internecine feud”. Victory was the only goal for both players. Sharp struggle began from the first moves. Black had sacrificed a pawn for the initiative but was unable to tip the scale in his favor. After a series of exchanges the game ended in a draw.

Major experts on opening theory Peter Leko and Vladimir Kramnik made their first 25 moves very rapidly – the variation was clearly well-known to both. As a result, a position with nonstandard balance of material arose: white queen was opposed by two enemy rooks and a pawn - and black forces were not very well coordinated at that. As became clear at the press conference, each player believed that his position was better, but upon a closer view it turned out that the chances were even.

Levon Aronian had been trying to pull out the victory in a slightly better endgame against Ding Liren for nearly six hours. At one point it looked like he would get rewarded for his pains, but the Chinese grandmaster used his chances skillfully and captured a draw.

The results of round 3: Grischuk – Morozevich 1:0, Leko – Kramnik ½:½, Aronian – Ding Liren ½:½, Inarkiev – Gelfand ½:½.

Standings after round 3:

1. A. Grischuk – 3 points, 2. V. Kramnik – 2, 3-5. Ding Liren, P. Leko, L. Aronian – 1.5, 6-7. B. Gelfand, A. Morozevich – 1, 8. E. Inarkiev – 0.5.

Friday, November 7 is a day of rest at the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian.

Round 4 will be played on Saturday, November 8, at 15.00.

The pairs are: Kramnik – Gelfand, Morozevich – Inarkiev, Ding Liren – Grischuk, Leko – Aronian. 

Website and live webcast: www.tashir-chess.com

Round 2: Alexander Grischuk Stretches his Lead at the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian

The second round took place on November 5 in the Novotel Moscow City Hotel. Russian grandmaster Alexander Grischuk stretched his lead by defeating Boris Gelfand with Black. After this win Grischuk’s current rating rose beyond the level of 2800. He became the 8th chessplayer in history to get into this “elite club”: before him the “2800 bar” had been cleared by Garry Kasparov, Visvanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Veselin Topalov, Levon Aronian, Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Alexander Grischuk rose to the 3rd place in the world rating list: now only Carlsen and Caruana are placed higher.

Ex-champion of the world Vladimir Kramnik was another winner of this evening. In his game played with White against Ernesto Inarkiev he chose a rare variation he hadn’t been employing for a long time. His opponent was caught unawares, and Kramnik managed to gain a clear advantage. Playing in accordance with classical patterns, he had chained Inarkiev’s forces to the defence of a weak pawn on the queenside and then launched an irrefutable attack against the black king on the opposite flank.

Levon Aronian had been defending his worse position against Alexander Morozevich for a long time before gaining equality. When the peaceful outcome seemed unavoidable, Morozevich got into a trap and could have faced serious problems. However, Aronian made his own mistake, and the opponents quickly agreed to a draw.

The game Ding Liren vs. Peter Leko proceeded in a placid maneuvering struggle and also ended in a draw.

The results of round 2:

Kramnik – Inarkiev 1-0, Gelfand – Grischuk 0-1, Morozevich – Aronian ½:½, Ding Liren – Leko ½:½

Standings after round 2:

1. A. Grischuk – 2 points, 2. V. Kramnik – 1.5, 3-6. Ding Liren, P. Leko, A. Morozevich, L. Aronian – 1, 7. B. Gelfand – 0.5 8. E. Inarkiev – 0.

The 3rd round will be held on Thursday, November 6; the games start at 15-00.

The pairs are:

Leko – Kramnik, Aronian – Ding Liren, Grischuk – Morozevich, Inarkiev – Gelfand.


Website and live webcast: www.tashir-chess.com

Round 1: Alexander Grischuk Becomes a Leader of the The International "Tashir" Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian

On November 4 the 1st round games of The International "Tashir" Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian were played in the Novotel Moscow City Hotel. Lots of chess lovers and journalists watched those games. Spectators faced a pleasant choice: either to make themselves comfortable in playing hall chairs in close vicinity to participants or to get over to the conference hall and listen to live comments by Sergey Shipov and Ilia Smirin. Significantly, the admission for spectators is free and includes a booklet and a program of The International "Tashir" Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian containing its schedule and tournament table.

The first to finish their game were Ding Liren and Vladimir Kramnik. It’s been known for a long time that Chinese grandmasters in general and Ding Liren in particular are not overfond of end games. That is why the ex-champion of the world chose a well-known variation of the Queen’s Gambit in which Black agrees to the destruction of his pawn structure, but both queens disappear from the board almost immediately. Kramnik’s plan worked: his opponent was unable to create any serious problem for him, and the game was drawn.

Playing with Black against Peter Leko, Alexander Morozevich attempted to surprise the well-known theoretician from the very start by choosing a rare variation of the Sicilian Defence with 2…а6. During the press conference it became clear that the Hungarian grandmaster forgotten that in their game played in 2002 in Monaco Alexander had already played against him in a like manner. Nevertheless, in the beginning the White’s advantage was quite obvious, but Morozevich managed to complicate the struggle and to achieve a draw.

In their first game at The International "Tashir" Chess Tournament in Memory of Tigran Petrosian Levon Aronian and Boris Gelfand were rather solid and accurate. White possessed a small initiative, but Black managed to neutralize it gradually. Another draw.

Alexander Grischuk managed to outwit Ernesto Inarkiev in the opening and gained a steady advantage. While increasing it at a leisurely pace, White neutralized the opponent’s every attempt at gaining counterplay and won in the endgame.

Results of the 1st round:

Ding Liren - Kramnik ½:½, Leko – Morozevich ½:½, Aronian – Gelfand ½:½, Grischuk – Inarkiev 1:0.

Standings after round 1:

1. A. Grischuk – 1 очко, 2-7. Ding Liren, V. Kramnik, P. Leko, A. Morozevich, L. Aronian, B. Gelfand – по ½, 8. E. Inarkiev – 0.

Games of the 2nd round will be played on Wednesday, November 5; the round starts at 15-00.

The pairs are:

Kramnik – Inarkiev, Gelfand – Grischuk, Morozevich – Aronian, Ding Liren – Leko.

Website and live webcast: www.tashir-chess.com

MOSCOW HOSTS THE INTERNATIONAL TASHIR CHESS TOURNAMENT IN MEMORY OF TIGRAN PETROSIAN

The Tashir Group of Companies and the Russian Chess Federation announce the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in memory of Tigran Petrosian, which is to take place between November 3 and 11 at Novotel Moscow City. The tournament is held in memory of the 9th World Chess Champion, who would have celebrated his 85 birthday this year. Its participants will include some of the best grandmasters from around the world. The chairman of the tournament organising committee is the President of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Serzh Sargsyan.

The competitors in the 21 Category tournament will be: the World Cup holder, three-time Olympic Chess Champion Levon Aronian (Armenian), the ex-world champion Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), the two-time World Blitz Chess Champion Alexander Grischuk (Russia), the Vice World Chess Champion Boris Gelfand (Israel), the Vice World Champion Peter Leko (Hungary), the China’s leading grandmaster Din LiZhen, the two-time Chess Champion of Russia Alexander Morozevich and the winner of the Russian Championship Higher Leagues Ernesto Inarkiev (Russia). The tournament will be a round-robin. The prize fund of the tournament is 100,000 euro.

Zara Agemyan, aide to the President of the Tashir Group of Companies, Head of Communications and Marketing department, says: “Tashir invariably strives to support the most promising cultural and sports initiatives. We are convinced that a tournament where the world’s most prominent grandmasters compete will become yet another contribution of our Group to the sports and culture development in Russia. An international tournament is not a mere mastery competition between chess players from different countries. It also represents a uniting effort for nations, an additional confirmation that for people who have a passion for something no borders or divisions exist. That’s what the great Tigran Petrosian, whose extraordinary personality we remember here, believed, and we feel certain that this tournament will do justice to the memory of the great Master, becoming a milestone event of the year both for Russia and for the rest of the world. Striving to be the best today to become even better tomorrow is the winners’ motto by which the Tashir’s team also abides.”

The President of the Russian Chess Federation says: “I would like to express my gratitude to the President of Armenia who agreed to lead the International TASHIR Chess Tournament in memory of Tigran Petrosian organising committee. It is an immense privilege for the Russian Chess Foundation to participate in holding this tournament, which is unarguably one of the most prominent and challenging on the international agenda for 2014. Chess fans from all over the world are promised a plethora of excellent imprssions, the credit for which goes to the tournament sponsors, the Tashir Group of Companies.”


Additional information about the tournament:

Location: Hotel Novotel Moscow City, Presnenskaya naberezhnaya, 2.

Website and live webcast: www.tashir-chess.com