page 1 of 32; games 1-25 of 779  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. E Mass vs B Avrukh   0-1 32 2012 Reykjavik Open A07 King's Indian Attack 2. J Fivelstad vs J Aguera Naredo   0-1 33 2012 Reykjavik Open E94 King's Indian, Orthodox 3. A Moen vs D Andersen   1-0 29 2012 Reykjavik Open C07 French, Tarrasch 4. P Mozelius vs D Arngrimsson   0-1 38 2012 Reykjavik Open A07 King's Indian Attack 5. A L'Ami vs M Karlsson   1-0 43 2012 Reykjavik Open E34 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Noa Variation 6. M Helin vs T Thorhallsson   0-1 55 2012 Reykjavik Open B23 Sicilian, Closed 7. J Thomassen vs H Sjol 1-0 22 2012 Reykjavik Open D02 Queen's Pawn Game 8. A Ziska vs T Trella   0-1 64 2012 Reykjavik Open C01 French, Exchange 9. B Thorfinnsson vs Joerg Mehringer   1-0 36 2012 Reykjavik Open E62 King's Indian, Fianchetto 10. G Kjartansson vs S Ingason   1-0 21 2012 Reykjavik Open A96 Dutch, Classical Variation 11. O Jonsson vs T Coleman   0-1 52 2012 Reykjavik Open D12 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav 12. P Doggers vs T Michalczak   ½-½ 45 2012 Reykjavik Open C91 Ruy Lopez, Closed 13. I Johannesson vs A Antonsson   1-0 57 2012 Reykjavik Open E98 King's Indian, Orthodox, Taimanov, 9.Ne1 14. E De Winter vs H Mertens   0-1 38 2012 Reykjavik Open A21 English 15. D Cummings vs D Ragnarsson   0-1 43 2012 Reykjavik Open A14 English 16. A O Johansen vs G Gislason 0-1 41 2012 Reykjavik Open A40 Queen's Pawn Game 17. S D Sigfusson vs J Johannsdottir   1-0 47 2012 Reykjavik Open B27 Sicilian 18. G Gunnlaugsson vs A Vuilleumier   0-1 47 2012 Reykjavik Open A07 King's Indian Attack 19. K F Kiewra vs P Ledent   1-0 30 2012 Reykjavik Open C05 French, Tarrasch 20. B Thorfinnsson vs H R Thjomoe   1-0 22 2012 Reykjavik Open C45 Scotch Game 21. P Guisset vs K Akshayraj   0-1 24 2012 Reykjavik Open A15 English 22. S Williams vs O Kristinsson   1-0 39 2012 Reykjavik Open D26 Queen's Gambit Accepted 23. H Palsson vs A Kveinys   0-1 27 2012 Reykjavik Open E11 Bogo-Indian Defense 24. F Libiszewski vs E Bjornsson   1-0 39 2012 Reykjavik Open B31 Sicilian, Rossolimo Variation 25. J Rodriguez Fonseca vs Stefansson   0-1 34 2012 Reykjavik Open B23 Sicilian, Closed  page 1 of 32; games 1-25 of 779    REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)

< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 7 OF 9 ·  Later Kibitzing> Mar-13-12    Jim Bartle: This is the first Open tournament where I've looked at many games where highly-ranked players play lower-ranked players in the early rounds. I expected to see the better players win quickly, winning a piece or a couple of pawns early on. But what I've seen over and over is that the better player exchanges down to what to me looks like a fairly equal ending, but then almost always wins that ending. They really do seem just to have much deeper understanding. Mar-13-12    twinlark: <25. Qb4> it is! The engine has been looking at this move for a while and is getting to like it more and more: click for larger view Caruana must now choose between <25...Nc6>, or <25...Nxc4> and the third option seems to be to sac the Knight on a4 with <25...Nxg2> (White wouldn't take the Knight on g2), which looks really dangerous if White isn't really careful. Mar-13-12    twinlark: All hell could break out at any moment... Mar-13-12    twinlark: Navara and Cheparinov have agreed to a draw. Mar-13-12    twinlark: <Jim> <what I've seen over and over is that the better player exchanges down to what to me looks like a fairly equal ending, but then almost always wins that ending. They really do seem just to have much deeper understanding.> Right on. One thing weaker players hate more than anything else is playing "equal" endgames against GMs... Mar-13-12    twinlark: Caruana is down to 12 minutes (Hou 36 mins) and still hasn't decided. Mar-13-12    twinlark: Heh...the games server is overloading. Mar-13-12    twinlark: Wow...<25...Nxc4> it is: <26. Rxa8 Qxa8 27. Nxc4 Qa1+>: click for larger view Engine prefers an intervention on e1 here to a king move for reasons I'm not sure I understand. Mar-13-12    twinlark: Ahh...<28. Kh2 Qf1> and Black is winning. Mar-13-12    Labgrunt: Could IM Krush be in the running for a GM norm here? Mar-13-12    twinlark: Even the engine is finding it hard to decide which intervention is the better between 28. Re1 and 28. Ne1. Yifan chose <28. Re1> to which Caruana plays <28...Qa2>: click for larger view If now <29. Qxd6 then 29...Bxh3> as the f2 pawn is weak. Best seems <29...Nfd2> covering up. Mar-13-12    twinlark: <Labgrunt> Doesn't look like it. Mar-13-12    twinlark: <29. Nfd2> it is. click for larger view <29...f5> at long last? Mar-13-12    twinlark: No. He plays <29...Rc8>. The tension is palpable, Caruana has 6 minutes, Yifan 18. Mar-13-12    twinlark: She plays it safe with <30. Re3>: click for larger view probably protecting h3 and maybe even f2. Mar-13-12    twinlark: But Caruana has a riposte here with <30...Qc2>. White has only one move that works: <31. Kh2>. everything else loses! Mar-13-12    brankat: A smart move, I think. She is not in a hurry. Caruana should be. Plus Yifan Hou still has a somewhat better position. Mar-13-12    twinlark: <31. Kh2> it is. Now Black has only one move, namely: <31...Qd1>, as everything else loses! Mar-13-12    twinlark: What an awesome battle of the wits so far! Caruana has only a couple of minutes left. Mar-13-12    twinlark: Caruana cracks under time pressure with <31...Nd3>. He only had about 30 seconds left. This loses with both <32. Qb7> or <32. Qxd6>. Can Yifan find one of these moves? Mar-13-12    twinlark: Even <32. Qa5> wins. Mar-13-12    twinlark: She's taking her time thinking this one through. She has about 6 minutes left to Caruana's 46 seconds. Mar-13-12    nok: Caruana has to have miscalculated something with 25...Nxc4 as he had the simple 25...Nc6 Mar-13-12    twinlark: Caruana is virtually playing blitz. Yifan finds <32. Qb7>. Mar-13-12    twinlark: OMG this is a tactical nightmare to work through in time pressure. <32. Qb7 Nc5 33. Qb6 Nd3 34. Qxd6 Rf8 35. N6c4 Nxf2 >: click for larger view With seconds left, Yifan's moves are either 36. Qb7 or 36. Qb3 or even 36. Qb1 Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 9) < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 7 OF 9 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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