Arjun, Abasov, Suleymanli Lead After Day Of Black Domination
GMs Arjun Erigaisi, Nijat Abasov, and Aydin Suleymanli emerged as joint leaders with seven points out of a maximum of 12 after six rounds of the Vugar Gashimov Memorial 2023 being held at Gabala, Azerbaijan, on Saturday. In a typically exciting day of rapid, eight of the 15 games ended decisively, with a significant seven of them won by players with black pieces.
After day two, the margin between the top and bottom group of players in the standings is a meager two points, emphasizing the intensity of competition and the wide-open nature of the field with no clear favorites yet.
The third day of rapid begins on Sunday, December 10, at 6 a.m. ET/12:00 CET/4:30 p.m. IST.
Standings - Day 2
The Commonalities
Saturday proved to be the day of tactics at Gabala, with most games seeing players showing a preference for sharp play, many of them with exciting king hunts.
One of the most beautiful themes of tactical play appears on the chessboard when one of the sides attacks or captures an opponent's piece; the opposing side does not respond to the threat/capture but proceeds to attack or capture another of the opponent's pieces. To this state of bafflement, you add another twist: of the choice of two captures, one player prefers the lower-valued piece—that is when you appreciate the beauty of tactics. And, as you go further and further analyzing the tactical resources for both sides, you appreciate the beauty and depth of chess itself.
It was the encounter GM Jorden van Foreest vs. GM Rauf Mamedov that showcased such a beautiful and sudden tactical melee from a sedate-looking position. An analyst's delight.
A similar sudden action started when GM Teimour Radjabov seemed to have conjured a sudden violent attack on Arjun's king.
In the very next round, it was a reversal of roles for Radjabov and Van Foreest, as they were featured in a beautiful attacking spectacle, which is our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below.
The sixth and final round of the day featured another wild tactical skirmish between GMs Suleymanli and Shakriyar Mamedyarov, with almost 200 points of Elo rating difference between the players. Mamedyarov would have captured the sole lead with a win, and he started his typically combative play from the get-go. However, the game proved to be nothing short of complex. It was a game full of twists and turns, typical of rapid chess.
The Exceptions
Just as all the players seemed to be interested in only the tactical side of chess, it fell upon the formidable GM Boris Gelfand to showcase a positional delight.
GM Richard Rapport created a nuanced endgame victory against Mamedov, which might seem a surprise, as Rapport is more known for his energetic style of play. But one has to remember only that a good calculating chess brain is also capable of playing flawless endgames.
The Topsy-Turvy
Just as with any rapid event, there were many games with ups and downs too. Arjun's win over Abasov is one of the most prominent among them, with an instructively complex rook ending.
Gashimov Memorial 2023 | All Games Day 2
Crosstable - Day 2
How to review?
You can keep up with all the games and results of the Gashimov Memorial on our live events platform by following this link.
The 2023 Vugar Gashimov Memorial is a 10-player tournament taking place December 8-11 in Gabala, Azerbaijan. The tournament consists of a rapid and a blitz tournament with a double round-robin system for the blitz. The final standing of the players shall be determined according to the sum of points of the rapid and blitz tournaments. Players earn two points for a win in rapid and one point in blitz.
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