Giri allows Firouzja to close the lead after missed chances against Maghsoodloo in Tata Steel Round 6

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Round 6 Summary

Anish Giri will have been very frustrated at himself for not converting a number of
chances in his game against Parham Maghsoodloo. First of all club players
may well choose 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 themselves as black, I’ve seen
quite a few games where this solid line goes wrong in recent times. Giri
seemed to get a very nice position long before they left theory. 21.fxe5? (21.f5!)
was a definite step in the wrong direction. 21….Rd5?! (21…Rhe8!) didn’t
take advantage of this, 24…Qg6?! 25.Qe3?! (25.Qg6 maybe) b6?! (25…Nxe5=)
26.b4?! (26.Rf7! with advantage) left Giri only a bit better but 36…Qd6?
was a losing error in quite a few ways, 37.Kh3 is very much best (37.Kh2 and 37.e4 might
have been easier to win perhaps) but only if white sees the cruncher 37…hxg3
38.Qf6!! As it was 38.Qxg3, played almost instantly, led to a drawn endgame a pawn down for black which
he had no trouble holding.

Alireza Firouzja got back in contention after Wei Yi just subsided in
an endgame he should have held. 28…Ng6?! (28…Rb8) was the start of
problems and after 32…Ne5?! (Nf4, maybe even a move earlier, was better) he just couldn’t
find any defence.

Gukesh scored his second win in a row when he beat
Jorden van Foreest on the black side of a Scotch. Gukesh was already at least equal
after the opening but the key sequence was 20…g5 (maybe not even that good)
21.fxg6 Qxg6 22.Qf2? (a very strange error 22.Qe3 is obvious and good) and
after taking twice on d3 black was material up and better and went on to win
although 32…Qg4 seems better than 32…Rxa4 which provoked complications
that eventually also proved good for black.

Max Warmerdam won against Alexander Donchenko, this was a sharp struggle
in a King’s Indian and then 27…Re7?? 28. Qg3 dropped the house for black.

Praggnanandhaa seemed very comfortably placed out the opening of a Symmetrical English
as black against Ian Nepomniachtchi. 22…Nd3 (22…Qd3) seemed to give white something
especially after the pseudo-sac 27.Bxe7! There could have been much suffering but
Praggnanandhaa’s pragmatic 33…Nxd4 giving up a piece for liquidation into an eventually
draw endgame was well judged. Ding Liren and Nodirbek Abdusattorov drew a not very interesting game in 30 moves.
Ju Wenjun and Santosh Vidit drew a Queen’s Indian by repetition in 27 moves.

Tata Steel Chess Round 6 Commentary

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