For the first time in the event, all five games in today’s round ended peacefully, as while a few players stood better at various points, no one could increase their advantage to a significant degree. With the slew of draws, So, Vachier-Lagrave, and Dominguez remain at the top of the standings with 4.0/6, while Caruana is still a half-point behind with three rounds left to play.
Swiercz - Mamedyarov | ½-½, 42 moves
A 5.Re1 Berlin gave Swiercz a small but nagging advantage in terms of the structure, though he was never able to do much against Mamedyarov’s stubborn defence. A risky pawn grab (23...Bxa2) a-la Game 1 of the 1972 Spassky-Fischer World Championship worked out just fine for Mamedyarov, who managed to force liquidations and eventually secure a draw in the endgame.
Dominguez - Svidler | ½-½, 35 moves
One of the sharpest games of the round featured aggressive handling of the Black side of the Italian Game by Svidler, who seemed to burn all bridges by advancing his kingside pawns towards White’s king. Missing an opportunity (pointed out by the engines) in the middlegame to sacrifice a knight and launch a powerful attack, Svidler instead played more calmly, allowing Dominguez to consolidate and equalize the game.
26...b5! 27.axb5 Nf3+!! was winning according to the engines, with the point that 28.gxf3 gxf3 29.Rfd1 Qh4!-+ (followed by Ra7-g7) gives Black a decisive attack.
Caruana - Vachier-Lagrave | ½-½, 46 moves
In a highly important game for the standings, Caruana came armed with some deep theoretical preparation, targeting MVL’s beloved Najdorf and repeating the same line (6.Be3) that Dominguez used earlier to score a win against the French No. 1. Maxim deviated from the game with Dominguez, though he still found himself under serious pressure, using up more than half his time while Caruana was still clearly in his preparation.
In a complex middlegame with opposite sides castling, Fabiano had managed to create a powerful passed pawn on f6, but MVL was just in time to create counterplay with a passed pawn of his own. Not seeing a way to break through, Caruana forced a draw as the players reached the first time-control.
Shankland - Rapport | ½-½, 47 moves
An unusual line in the Scotch Opening led to a fresh position early on, as both players castled queenside before starting to fight for key squares in the center and kingside. It seemed as though Rapport had a small edge thanks to his healthier pawn structure but ultimately couldn’t make anything out of it, eventually allowing simplifications into a drawn rook endgame.
Xiong - So | ½-½, 56 moves
The final game of the round to finish saw Xiong utilizing the London System, as he managed to put So under some pressure in the middlegame thanks to his better piece coordination. So defended well, and although Xiong missed a few chances to increase his edge, he was never close to winning, as the game eventually petered out into a drawn bishops of opposite color endgame.
Round 7 of the 2021 Sinquefield Cup takes place on Tuesday, August 24, starting at 2:50 PM CDT, with all the action covered live by commentators GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Alejandro Ramirez, and GM Maurice Ashley. Watch live on grandchesstour.org as well as twitch.tv/kasparovchess.
Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy
Photo: Lennart Ootes and Bryan Adams
Further Information:
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Venue:
Saint Louis Chess Club, USA
August 10- August 16, 2021
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Photos: Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum Studios Credits available on Flickr.
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