Gukesh wins Chennai Grand Masters, overtakes Giri
Arjun, Gukesh and Harikrishna with their trophies after the prizegiving | photo: Chennai Grand Masters
Gukesh held a tricky endgame against Harikrishna to win the Chennai Grand Masters on tiebreak from Arjun Erigaisi, who beat Sanan Sjugirov in a dramatic game. Gukesh has taken over from Anish Giri as the leader of the FIDE Circuit race to claim a 2024 Candidates spot. In the day's other decisive game, Parham Maghsoodloo's aggressive play with the black pieces was rewarded with a blunder from Alexandr Predke and a 22-move win.
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The quick and quizzical
Pavel Eljanov's game against Levon Aronian was the first to end in a peaceful draw, which was a surprise. With Eljanov one of the three players following Gukesh by just half a point in the standings, one could have expected him to fight for the championship by playing aggressively, or at least keeping a long game going to "probe" his opponent and put him under pressure. After all, Aronian hadn't been victorious in the tournament in a single game, and was not showing any great form. Eljanov also had the white pieces.
In this background, his pivotal decision at a crucial moment was puzzling, to say the least.
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It is a symmetrical position without any clear line of play for White. But one expected him to push for an edge here, banking on his bishop pair and Black's "wrong-colored" bishop in the middlegame, or even in the endgame. But Eljanov unexpectedly played 16.Rac1?!, allowing Aronian to equalize with 16...Qxd4, starting a simple tactical sequence leading to a quick draw.
Eljanov preferred to have a safe and peaceful final round | photo: Chennai Grand Masters 2023
The aggressive and ambitious
The most power-packed game of the round was between Alexandr Predke and Parham Maghsoodloo. Predke had been winless in the tournament till this point while Maghsoodloo had been playing aggressively in all the games, and it was a full-fledged fight between these players in the last round.
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With the incredible offer of two pawns for free—a Predke home improvement, the game erupted into complications here.
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An incredible concept: Black aims to hide his king behind his own f-pawn in case of a white sacrifice with 20.Bxc6.
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When he saw 22.Qb7?? played on the board, Maghsoodloo looked up at Predke for a moment, probably indicating surprise, and settled down to think. Probably after double-checking his calculations, he played the killer 22...Rh7!!, and again glanced at Predke, and Predke sank into thought, understanding that it was all over for him, before resigning. A dramatic end to a short but thrilling game.
When he saw 22.Qb7?? played on the board, Maghsoodloo looked up at Predke for a moment, probably indicating surprise, and settled down to think. Probably after double-checking his calculations, he played the killer 22...Rh7!!, and again glanced at Predke, and Predke sank into thought, understanding that it was all over for him, before resigning. A dramatic end to a short but thrilling game.
Speaking after the game, Maghsoodloo confessed that the game was "so complicated," he needed to do "so much calculation," and it was a "very, very difficult game."
The Grand Game
For the capacity crowd turning out at the venue for the last round, the Arjun Erigaisi vs. Sanan Sjugirov encounter was the most entertaining encounter of the day. Wanting to win at all costs, Arjun played aggressively from the word go, and just a glance at the position after the 14th move was enough to be convinced that this was going to be a tough fight.
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With the white king temporarily hanging around at f2, a volatile pawn structure all around, White taking it easy with development but being ahead in space, and the definite prospects for White for a future attack on the kingside, all the indications were that this was going to be an exciting affair.
And it got even better when Arjun started applying pressure on both sides of the board—always an indication of an advanced level of conducting the game.
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This fascinating clash is our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below, who commented:
This game is a delight, an enigma that needs to be analyzed multiple times until it's better understood and appreciated.
The Arjun-Sjugirov encounter was the most entertaining of the day | photo: Chennai Grand Masters 2023
Arjun needed to win the tournament outright to have any chances to qualify to the Candidates, but he sounded fine about the result by now.
The long probe
One game was undoubtedly the most important of the event and would decide the final standings in a big way. Being tied in the second point group behind Gukesh, it was expected that Harikrishna would push for a win against Gukesh. But the curious question was the territory and the method they would choose. Aggressive? Safe? Deep Preparation? Originality?
But as the game began, it became obvious that it was Harikrishna who would be calling the shots. Choosing a harmless-looking variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted with queens exchanged early, Hari decided to keep it a game for two results: keeping a draw in hand, he would be probing Gukesh long in a slightly advantageous endgame.
But Gukesh kept his nerves under control, and when he played the concrete 16...Bxc4, giving up the bishop pair but ensuring that his position was without weaknesses, it looked as if Black had solved his problems.
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But Harikrishna started gradually pushing for an advantage after this, and it seemed like Gukesh was coming under some pressure too. At this point, Gukesh's trainer, GM Vishnu Prasanna joined the live commentary, and even sounded apprehensive about his ward's position: "Playing Harikrishna in this ending? That's a challenge!"
But Gukesh showed his defensive skills by achieving a fortress by the 31st move, and it was time to sign the peace treaty.
Talking after the game, a relieved Gukesh confessed:
It was really good. I finally managed to enjoy myself in a tournament! Obviously, the last few months have been very stressful.
What was Prasanna's advice for Gukesh to succeed in aiming for a berth in the Candidates?
I said you first of all have to play well to qualify!... Try to find what used to work well for you, and try to put the idea of the Candidates slightly behind in your head. It should be in your head, but it should not be the dominant thing.
Wise words.
That meant the final standings looked as follows, with the two players the event was aimed at giving a chance to qualify for the Candidates finishing tied for first place.
Gukesh took first on tiebreaks and has overtaken Anish Giri in the race to take a Candidates spot via the FIDE Circuit. Giri is still in with a chance, though he now needs to finish in the top-three in the World Rapid Championship, or win the World Blitz, while for Arjun only a win in the World Rapid will do. The world number-one felt that was curious, since he considers the blitz tougher to win.
See also
Chennai GM 6: Gukesh leads before final round
Chennai GM 5: Gukesh surges towards Candidates
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