Thanks for covering this event, with Superbet coming up it may be largely ignored by commercial sites.
"the dangers Black can suffer in the Ruy if he brings too many pieces to the queenside". Might be interesting to compare Gukesh-Keymer 1-0 with Praggnanandhaa-Keymer 1-0 from WR Chess Masters (which you had annotated). Less similarities than I thought from memory, but arguably some ... and also differences. In the previous game:
- the black bishop went to e7 and back to f8 rather than c5 and b6, thus staying on the kingside.
- 23.Bxh6 wasn't decisive, while now 22.Bxh6 was at least the beginning of the end.
- black could at least open up the queenside (now nothing ever really happened on the queenside). But in a way it backfired as the white rook could - typical for the Ruy Lopez - enter via the a-file (Gukesh didn't aim for this resource, see 13.Rad1).
- black should have played d6-d5 but never did, now he played 20.-d5 but at least the timing was wrong.
In any case, Keymer and his coach Leko - but also anyone playing the Ruy Lopez with either color - may benefit from checking both games again.
As to Gelfand: he now faces co-tailender Jorden van Foreest who also paid the prize so far for risky chess. We'll see how they approach their game. Their fate so far may be for different reasons: Gelfand strives for the best move that may - or may not - lead to complications. van Foreest looks for the "most dynamic move or plan" - good or bad, always risky?
Thanks for covering this event, with Superbet coming up it may be largely ignored by commercial sites.
"the dangers Black can suffer in the Ruy if he brings too many pieces to the queenside". Might be interesting to compare Gukesh-Keymer 1-0 with Praggnanandhaa-Keymer 1-0 from WR Chess Masters (which you had annotated). Less similarities than I thought from memory, but arguably some ... and also differences. In the previous game:
- the black bishop went to e7 and back to f8 rather than c5 and b6, thus staying on the kingside.
- 23.Bxh6 wasn't decisive, while now 22.Bxh6 was at least the beginning of the end.
- black could at least open up the queenside (now nothing ever really happened on the queenside). But in a way it backfired as the white rook could - typical for the Ruy Lopez - enter via the a-file (Gukesh didn't aim for this resource, see 13.Rad1).
- black should have played d6-d5 but never did, now he played 20.-d5 but at least the timing was wrong.
In any case, Keymer and his coach Leko - but also anyone playing the Ruy Lopez with either color - may benefit from checking both games again.
As to Gelfand: he now faces co-tailender Jorden van Foreest who also paid the prize so far for risky chess. We'll see how they approach their game. Their fate so far may be for different reasons: Gelfand strives for the best move that may - or may not - lead to complications. van Foreest looks for the "most dynamic move or plan" - good or bad, always risky?