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The Gashimov Memorial commemorates former Azerbaijani top player Vugar Gashimov, who died of a brain tumour at the age of just 27. The prize fund is 100,000 euros, of which the winner receives 25,000 euros. The players have two hours to make 40 moves, then one hour for 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with a 30 seconds per move bonus starting from move 61.
In the first round, the drawing of lots dictated a meeting between the top two players, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who is currently number three in the world, and Magnus Carlsen, world champion and world number one.
But those who had hoped for an exciting and thrilling game were disappointed. In a Gruenfeld-Indian with g3, mass exchanges came thick and fast. After 41 moves, the draw was sealed.
The position after 15 moves already looks quite dry and had been reached before in a grandmaster game from 2016:
Chess Endgames 8 - Practical Rook Endgames
Rook endings are amongst the most frequently encountered endgames there are, and so your training effort will be quickly repaid in the form of half and full points. Knowing even a few rules of thumb and key methods makes life a great deal easier and provides a guiding light even in complex positions. This DVD focuses on the important themes which are to be found in common rook endings.
Once both bishops were exchanged ten moves later, the players used less than a minute per move for the duration of the rook ending.
Former Women's World Champion Nona Gaprindashvili made the first move for Mamedyarov and Carlsen | Photo: shamkirchess.az
The game between Anish Giri and Sergey Karjakin also ended in a draw. With a double-edged version of the Nimzo Indian, the game started promisingly, but before it got really exciting, Giri and Karjakin found a repetition and the game ended quickly.
26.Qe3 Qd4 27.Qf4+ In the event of a queen exchange if anyone is better it's black, and Giri has no promising continuation.
A lifetime repertoire: Play the Nimzo Indian
This DVD provides everything you need to know to be able to play one of the most classical openings with Black, the Nimzo-Indian, arising after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4. Nearly every World Championship and top tournament features the Nimzo-Indian.
Sergey Karjakin and Anish Giri at the Opening Ceremony | Photo: shamkirchess.az
More spectacular was the game between David Navara and Rauf Mamedov, in which Navara responded to a Sicilian novelty from Mamedov with an enterprising bishop sacrifice to drag the opposing king into the open. This led to a wild tactical exchange but ultimately also ended in a quck draw by repetition.
The Accelerated Dragon by Nigel Davies
The Accelerated Dragon is much more than just a dynamic yet solid means of countering 1.e4. By knowing how to counter the Maroczy Bind Black can counter both the English and Reti Openings and even develop the basis of a defence against 1.d4.
Whilst having been used extensively by superstars such as Bent Larsen and Tigran Petrosian, Davies argues that the Accelerated Dragon is an even more effective proposition for club players. As he explains on this DVD, many White players are under the mistaken impression that the positions are like a regular Sicilian Dragon. And if this is the case they can find himself being demolished right out of the opening.
Veselin Topalov and Teimour Radjabov also fought hard. Radjabov opted for the Berlin defence, which Topalov opted for a fashionable variation, which was also employed at the Candidates tournament in Berlin in the game between Kramnik and Karjakin.
On top level the Berlin Defense is a popular defensive weapon but it also offers Black good chances to win if White does not proceed precisely. On this DVD Victor Bologan shows what Black can and should do if White tries to avoid the main lines of the Berlin Defense.
The players followed Kramnik-Karjakin (Berlin 2018) up to this point. There Kramnik played 18.Bg5. In this line, White sacrifices a pawn to advance out his pawn majority on the kingside. Topalov went for 18.Nd4, and soon sacrificed a second pawn (c3), yet another draw by repetition was the result.
The longest game of the round was played by Ding Liren and Radoslaw Wojtaszek. This was a draw likely to disappoint Ding Liren who had reached a winning position through patient positional pressure. But in the tactical exploitation of his advantage, he overlooked a resource that allowed Wojtaszek to slip out and snare a draw.
A very tricky position! Ding played the natural looking 49.Ke3, but that led to a perpetual check draw after 49...Qd8!
49.fxe4 is similarly drawn after Qc3, heading or h3. But here 49.Ke2 would have won! Ding could collect the b7-bishop next and manage to avoid a perpetual.
Williams main teaching method behind this set of two DVDs is to teach you some simple yet effective set ups, without the need to rely on memorising numerous complicated variations.
Ding Liren missed a win | Photo: shamkirchess .az
Translation from German and additional reporting: Macauley Peterson
