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2/7/2015 – It was the clash of the titans as the two leaders locked horns in round seven. Inarkiev, the leader throughout, was caught up by top seed Nepomniachtchi and an all-out Najdorf unfolded. With superb play, Inarkiev dispatched his rival and is now clearly ahead. In the meantime, showing the cultural exchange with Japan is mutual, there was even a shogi-chess tournament.

Round seven

The center of attention was obviously the top board between Ernesto Inarkiev and Ian Nepomniachtchi. Inarkiev has had a sparkling tournament and the leader throughout, but all it took was a single draw for Nepo to catch up with him in the lead. One might be inclined to think the two leaders would play it safe, but with six others just half a point behind, it might easily lead to the ten-way jumble in the female Open B. As a result, the two followed a sharp Najdorf that Ian had played a couple of months ago in December and sparks flew.

With 6.5/7, Ernesto Inarkiev is having the result of his life, with an outstanding 2960 performance

Ernesto Inarkiev - Ian Nepomniachtchi

[Event "Moscow Open A 2015"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2015.02.06"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Inarkiev, Ernesto"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2675"] [BlackElo "2714"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2015.01.31"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. f3 Nbd7 10. g4 b5 11. g5 Nh5 12. O-O-O Nb6 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bd7 15. Na5 Qc7 16. Kb1 O-O {It is strange to call the 17th move a critical opening juncture, but thus it is: White has played with certain frequency 17.c4, 17. Rg1, and 17.Bd3. Though in grandmaster play c4 has been the popular choice in the last few years. Note that there is nothing wrong with any of the choices.} 17. Rg1 ({In December 2014, Nepo won a good game against top Cuban Leinier Dominguez.} 17. c4 f6 18. Rc1 b4 19. gxf6 Rxf6 20. Qxb4 Rb8 21. Qd2 Rxf3 22. Be2 Rh3 23. Bxh5 Rxh5 24. Ka1 Rh3 25. Nb3 Ba4 26. Rc3 Qd7 27. c5 dxc5 28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Qf5 30. Rhc1 h6 31. d6 Kh7 32. Rc7 Rd8 33. Rg1 Rd7 34. Qg2 g5 35. Bc5 Rf3 36. Qe2 e4 37. Rxd7+ Bxd7 38. Rc1 Bb5 39. Qd2 Rd3 40. Qe1 Qf4 41. Rc3 Rd5 42. a3 Qe5 43. Qf2 Rd1+ 44. Ka2 Qd5+ 45. Rb3 Bc4 {0-1 (45) Dominguez Perez, L (2726)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2714) Beijing 2014}) 17... g6 18. c4 f6 19. Rc1 b4 { An aggressive push to gain tempi on the attack.} 20. Qxb4 {White accepts the challenge though he has little choice. The knight is being attacked, and if the knight comes back to b3, then a5-a4 will follow shortly.} Rab8 21. Qc3 fxg5 22. Bxg5 Bxg5 23. Rxg5 Nf4 24. c5 $5 {Inarkeiv is playing for keeps, and this will not be a safe draw between the leaders.} Bb5 (24... Nxd5 {is bad because of} 25. Bc4 {and the pin plus pressure on d6 are costly.} Be6 (25... Qxc5 26. Nb3 Kg7 27. Qxe5+ $1 dxe5 28. Nxc5 {and Black's position is falling apart.}) 26. Qd3 Nf4 27. Qxd6 $16) 25. Nb3 Rfe8 {Black goes astray here and decides to protect e5 in view of the pressure on d6, but this was not the time to play passively.} ({Instead he should have just punched back with} 25... a5 26. Bxb5 (26. Qxa5 Bd3+ $1 {a great zwischenzug. (thank you Komodo)} 27. Bxd3 Qxa5 28. Nxa5 Nxd3 29. Rc2 Rxf3 {and Black has the upper hand.}) 26... Rxb5 {and nothing is decided.} 27. Qc4 $6 Rb4 $1) 26. Bxb5 Rxb5 27. cxd6 Qxd6 28. Qc6 Qd8 29. Nc5 Rb6 30. Qd7 Ne2 31. Rc2 Nd4 32. Rxe5 Qxd7 33. Nxd7 Rxe5 34. Rc8+ Kg7 35. Nxb6 Re1+ 36. Rc1 Rxc1+ 37. Kxc1 Kf6 {White is up a pawn (one will fall), though his king is still far away.} 38. f4 $1 {Exactly right! Since the f-pawn will fall, White decides he will at least get a tempo to develop his king in exchange.} Ne2+ 39. Kd2 Nxf4 40. Ke3 Kf5 $2 {One could argue that the position is lost anyhow, but why not ...g5 to at least start the kingside pawns rolling? Aside from resigning, what else does Black have?} 41. Kd4 g5 42. a4 h5 43. b4 g4 44. Nc4 Kf6 45. b5 axb5 46. axb5 Ke7 47. b6 Kd7 48. Ne5+ Kc8 49. Ke4 Ne2 50. d6 Nc3+ 51. Kd4 1-0 [Event "Moscow Open A 2015"] [Site "Moscow RUS"] [Date "2015.02.06"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Inarkiev, Ernesto"] [Black "Nepomniachtchi, Ian"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B90"] [WhiteElo "2675"] [BlackElo "2714"] [PlyCount "101"] [EventDate "2015.01.31"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. f3 Nbd7 10. g4 b5 11. g5 Nh5 12. O-O-O Nb6 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Bd7 15. Na5 Qc7 16. Kb1 O-O {It is strange to call the 17th move a critical opening juncture, but thus it is: White has played with certain frequency 17.c4, 17. Rg1, and 17.Bd3. Though in grandmaster play c4 has been the popular choice in the last few years. Note that there is nothing wrong with any of the choices.} 17. Rg1 ({In December 2014, Nepo won a good game against top Cuban Leinier Dominguez.} 17. c4 f6 18. Rc1 b4 19. gxf6 Rxf6 20. Qxb4 Rb8 21. Qd2 Rxf3 22. Be2 Rh3 23. Bxh5 Rxh5 24. Ka1 Rh3 25. Nb3 Ba4 26. Rc3 Qd7 27. c5 dxc5 28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. Rxc5 Qf5 30. Rhc1 h6 31. d6 Kh7 32. Rc7 Rd8 33. Rg1 Rd7 34. Qg2 g5 35. Bc5 Rf3 36. Qe2 e4 37. Rxd7+ Bxd7 38. Rc1 Bb5 39. Qd2 Rd3 40. Qe1 Qf4 41. Rc3 Rd5 42. a3 Qe5 43. Qf2 Rd1+ 44. Ka2 Qd5+ 45. Rb3 Bc4 {0-1 (45) Dominguez Perez, L (2726)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2714) Beijing 2014}) 17... g6 18. c4 f6 19. Rc1 b4 { An aggressive push to gain tempi on the attack.} 20. Qxb4 {White accepts the challenge though he has little choice. The knight is being attacked, and if the knight comes back to b3, then a5-a4 will follow shortly.} Rab8 21. Qc3 fxg5 22. Bxg5 Bxg5 23. Rxg5 Nf4 24. c5 $5 {Inarkeiv is playing for keeps, and this will not be a safe draw between the leaders.} Bb5 (24... Nxd5 {is bad because of} 25. Bc4 {and the pin plus pressure on d6 are costly.} Be6 (25... Qxc5 26. Nb3 Kg7 27. Qxe5+ $1 dxe5 28. Nxc5 {and Black's position is falling apart.}) 26. Qd3 Nf4 27. Qxd6 $16) 25. Nb3 Rfe8 {Black goes astray here and decides to protect e5 in view of the pressure on d6, but this was not the time to play passively.} ({Instead he should have just punched back with} 25... a5 26. Bxb5 (26. Qxa5 Bd3+ $1 {a great zwischenzug. (thank you Komodo)} 27. Bxd3 Qxa5 28. Nxa5 Nxd3 29. Rc2 Rxf3 {and Black has the upper hand.}) 26... Rxb5 {and nothing is decided.} 27. Qc4 $6 Rb4 $1) 26. Bxb5 Rxb5 27. cxd6 Qxd6 28. Qc6 Qd8 29. Nc5 Rb6 30. Qd7 Ne2 31. Rc2 Nd4 32. Rxe5 Qxd7 33. Nxd7 Rxe5 34. Rc8+ Kg7 35. Nxb6 Re1+ 36. Rc1 Rxc1+ 37. Kxc1 Kf6 {White is up a pawn (one will fall), though his king is still far away.} 38. f4 $1 {Exactly right! Since the f-pawn will fall, White decides he will at least get a tempo to develop his king in exchange.} Ne2+ 39. Kd2 Nxf4 40. Ke3 Kf5 $2 {One could argue that the position is lost anyhow, but why not ...g5 to at least start the kingside pawns rolling? Aside from resigning, what else does Black have?} 41. Kd4 g5 42. a4 h5 43. b4 g4 44. Nc4 Kf6 45. b5 axb5 46. axb5 Ke7 47. b6 Kd7 48. Ne5+ Kc8 49. Ke4 Ne2 50. d6 Nc3+ 51. Kd4 1-0

Boris Savchenko (2599) has been unable to keep the ball rolling and is at 4.0/7

Vladislav Artemiev was in the driver's seat throughout his game and constantly seemed on

the verge of converting it into a winning advantage, but failed to break his opponent

In the Open B, the ten-way tie for first in round seven cleared up somewhat as Goryachkina, Guseva, Lei Tinjie, and Hojjatova all won their games to share first with 6.0/7

WGM Nino Maisuradze (right), French champion, was doing well until a slip in round seven, against

Azeri WCM Aydan Hojjatova (left)

13-year-old Kamaliya Bulatova against 17-year-old Anna Malova

Oksana Komissarova

Shogi - Chess

There have been numerous reports on Shogi in ChessBase, noting also the desire for a cultural exchange of this fascinating game that even Kasparov has shown a keen interest. Whereas even at the Shogi Olympiad they held western chess activities, the Moscow Open organizers showed the reciporcity by organizing a Shogi-Chess event.

The competition involved both chess and shogi, and the participants needed to play both

There were several childen who clearly enjoyed it

The arbiter and coordinator

Shogi games took place at the same time as chess

The winners received a certificate and medal

No one left empty handed

The participants and organizers gather for a photo

Photos by Galina Popova and Eteri Kublashvili

Standings of Open A after seven rounds

Click for complete standings

Standings of Open B after seven rounds

Click for complete standings