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Candidate matches semi finals Game 1 LIVE!
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Click on the links below for live commentary of Game 1 of the semi finals of the Candidates Matches, brought to you by Chess Evolution and Chess Friends.

Gelfand - Kamsky live

Grischuk - Kramnik live

All games with computer analysis / Video

Note: GM Danielsen has produced videos on ALL games from yesterday, review them in the Facebook chess fan page

The way of the players to the semi finals

Kamsky - Topalov Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3 / Game 4

Aronian - Grischuk Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3 / Game 4 / Rapid 1 / Rapid 2 / Rapid 3 / Rapid 4

Kramnik - Radjabov Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3 / Game 4 / Rapid 1 / Rapid 2 / Rapid 3 / Rapid 4 / Blitz 1 / Blitz 2 / Blitz 3 / Blitz 4

Gelfand - Mamedyarov Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3 / Game 4

Topalov - Kamsky game 4 review

Mamedyarov - Gelfand game 1 video analysis

Mamedyarov - Gelfand game 1 video analysis
GM Danielsen on the key moments in the Candidates matches first game

Chess analysis by chess phenom IM Daniel Naroditsky

Chess Prodigy IM Daniel Naroditsky analyzes his own game against Andre Diamant Posted on May 4, 2011 by William

Summary by Naroditsky:

In a sharp Paulsen, White starts a standard f3-g4 attack on the Kingside and Black counters with his own counter-attack on the Queenside. Black weakens the d5 square at the wrong moment, allowing White’s pieces to pour into Black’s position. Eventually, White is able to sacrifice an exchange and break through. Black sacrifices back the exchange in order to create some last-ditch tricks, but White’s pieces are too well-coordinated and Black’s king is hopelessly weakened. With his last critical move Qf5, White wins the game immediately.

IM Naroditsky, Daniel

GM Diamant, Andre

SPICE Spring Invitational 2011

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O Be7 9. f3 O-O 10. g4 b5 11. g5 Nh5 12. Nce2 Rd8 13. Ng3 Quite possibly Solodvnichenko’s innovation 13.f4!? is best. He lost the game, but White’s position looked very promising. Now, the question is whether or not Black will be able to conduct the ...d5 break. (13. f4 !? Bb7 14. Bg2 g6 (14... Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Bc5 !? 16. Bf3 Rac8 !? 17. Bxh5 Bxe4 18. Rhe1 Bxd4 19. Bxd4 Bxc2 20. Bc3 Bxd1 21. Kxd1 Qc4 unclear position) 15. Nb3 (15. f5 ? Ne5 16. f6 Bc5 17. b3 (17. Ng3 Nc4 18. Qe1 Nxe3 19. Qxe3 e5 Black has a decisive advantage) 17... d5 ! (17... Rac8 Black has a moderate advantage {(Fier)}) 18. exd5 Bxd5 19. Bxd5 Rxd5 Black has a moderate advantage) (15. Bf3 e5 ! 16. fxe5 Nxe5 17. Bxh5 Bxe4 ! White has moderate counterplay) 15... Rac8 16. Kb1 d5 17. e5 d4 ! (17... Bb4 18. c3 Bf8 unclear position) 18. Nexd4 Nxd4 19. Nxd4 Bc5 20. Bxb7 Qxb7 21. Qf2 Qe4 22. Nf5 ? (22. Rhf1 ! Rd5 23. Qf3 ! Qxf3 24. Rxf3 h6 25. gxh6 Bf8 26. Kc1 Bxh6 27. Ne2 White has a slight advantage) 22... exf5 23. Bxc5 Nxf4 24. Bd6 ? (24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Re1 (25. Rg1 Nh3 Black has a decisive advantage) (25. Rc1 Ne2 26. Rf1 Rd2 Black has a decisive advantage) 25... Qxe5 ! Black has a slight advantage) 24... Ne2 Black has a moderate advantage 25. Ka1 Rxc2 Black has a decisive advantage 26. Rhe1 Rdc8 27. a3 Rxb2 ! 28. e6 fxe6 29. Rb1 Rd2 30. Rec1 Rcc2 {0-1 Solodvnichenko-Fier, Sabadell 2009.}) 13... Nxd4 ‘*’ 14. Bxd4 Nf4 (14... Nxg3 ? 15. hxg3 Qxg3 16. f4 Bb7 17. Bd3 White has the attack) 15. h4 (15. Be3 !? Bxg5 16. Rg1 f6 {(Mekhitarian-Leitao, Brasil 2008)} 17. h4 ! Bh6 18. Nh5 Nxh5 19. Bxh6 Kh8 20. Be3 White has a slight advantage) 15... e5 ? A major error, both from a positional and tactical point of view. Black missed that after an eventual Bc3 White will be threatening Ba5. (15... Bb7 ! !46 16. Bc3 ! (16. Bb6 Qxb6 17. Qxf4 d5 Black has a slight advantage {Flores Rios-Leitao, Sao Paulo 2009.}) 16... b4 !? 17. Bxb4 Bxb4 18. Qxb4 d5 White has the initiative) 16. Nf5 ! (16. Bc3 Bc5 17. Nf5 d5 unclear position) 16... Bc5 17. Bxc5 Qxc5 18. Nd6 Rb8 19. h5 Rb6 20. Rh4 ?! Returning the favor. Black now had a chance to bring the game very close to equality. (20. g6 ! fxg6 21. hxg6 h6 (21... Nxg6 22. Qa5 ! { } Rf8 23. Bc4+ Kh8 24. Nf7+ White has a decisive advantage) 22. Qa5 ! {A very strong idea which I had failed to take notice of during the game. Black’s position falls apart.} Ne6 23. Nf5 (23. b4 Qe3+ 24. Kb1 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Qxf3 26. Rg1 Qf2 27. Rh1 Qf3 equal chances, quiet position) 23... Rc6 24. Rh2 White has a moderate advantage) 20... Bb7 ? (20... Ne6 ! { } 21. g6 fxg6 22. hxg6 hxg6 ! 23. c3 Rf8 (23... Nd4 24. Qh2 Rxd6 25. Rh8+ Kf7 26. Rxd8 White has a decisive advantage) 24. Bg2 Nf4 White has moderate counterplay) 21. Rxf4 ! A strong blow after which Black has to give back the exchange. 21... exf4 (21... Rxd6 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 exf4 { Understandably, this was Black’s original intention, but after} 24. Rb6 ! Bc8 25. c4 White has a decisive advantage {White wins everything.}) 22. Qxf4 Rxd6 (22... Rf8 23. h6 b4 24. hxg7 Kxg7 25. Kb1 White has a decisive advantage { }) 23. Rxd6 Rc8 24. Rd2 d5 25. e5 (25. g6 ! hxg6 26. hxg6 Rf8 singular move (26... fxg6 27. Bh3 Re8 28. Bd7 Re7 29. Qb8+ Kf7 30. Qxb7 White has a decisive advantage) 27. exd5 fxg6 (27... Bxd5 28. Qf5 White has a decisive advantage) 28. Qe4 Qg1 29. Qe6+ Kh7 30. Rd1 White has a decisive advantage) 25... Qg1 26. Rd1 Qf2 27. Bd3 d4 28. g6 fxg6 (28... hxg6 29. hxg6 Rf8 ! 30. Bf5 ! Bxf3 31. e6 fxg6 32. e7 gxf5 33. exf8=Q+ Kxf8 34. Qxf5+ Kg8 35. Qc8+ Kh7 36. Qh3+ Kg8 37. Rf1 Qe3+ 38. Kb1 Bc6 39. Qc8+ Qe8 40. Qxe8+ Bxe8 41. Rd1 White has a decisive advantage) 29. hxg6 Bxf3 30. Qf5 ! 30... Rb8 31. Rf1 Qe3 32. Kb1 1-0

A lot more here.

Game analysis: Zhu Chen vs Humpy Koneru

Click on image above to view the full analysis

Chess analysis

Chess analysis by OnlineChessLessons

2011 US Chess Championship - GM Elect Sam Shankland vs GM Alexander Shabalov - Round 5

Game analysis

Here is a past game from GM Lahno, the reigning Women’s World Blitz Championship, from a few years ago.

K. Lahno (2479) – K. Nemcova (2344)

Plovdiv, Bulgaria (4),
04.24.2008 [C63]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 The Schliemann/Jaenisch Gambit has regained its popularity in recent years thanks to top GMs Radjabov and Zvjaginsev.

4.Nc3 In the recent game Topalov – Radjabov, Morelia/Linares 2008, White got a small advantage after 4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.0-0 Bc5 7.Qd3 d6 8.Qc4 Qe7 9.Nc3 Bd7 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Nd4 12.Bxd7+ Qxd7 13.Nxd4 Bxd4 14.a4 a6 15.Be3 Bxe3 16.fxe3 0-0-0 17.Rf2 Rdf8 18.Raf1 Rxf2 19. Rxf2, but Black should be able to hold this queen and rook endgame.

4...fxe4 5.Nxe4 Nf6 This is the newest fashion. After 5...d5, White is better in the old main line after 6.Nxe5 dxe4 7.Nxc6 Qg5 8.Qe2 Nf6 9.f4 Qxf4 10.d4.

6.Qe2 d5 7.Nxf6+ Forcing Black to recapture with the g-pawn in order to protect the pawn on e5.

7...gxf6 8.d4 It is important for White to play energetically and to undermine Black’s strong pawn center.

8...Bg7 9.dxe5 0-0 After 9...fxe5 10.Nxe5 0-0, Black did not get enough compensation for the sacrificed pawns after 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12. Nxc6 Qd7 13.Ne7+ Kh8 14.0-0 Bb7 15. Bg5 in Mikhalchishin – Annageldyev, Uzhgorod 1988.

10.Bxc6 In the game J. Polgar – Radjabov, Wijk aan Zee, 2008, Black solved all his opening problems after 10.e6 Ne5 11.0–0 Bxe6 12.Nd4 Bg4 13.f3 Bc8 14. f4 c6 and the game ended in a draw after: 15.fxe5 fxe5 16.Rxf8+ Qxf8 17. Bd3 e4 18.Bxe4 Bxd4+ 19.Be3 Bxe3+ 20.Qxe3 dxe4 21.Qg5+ Qg7 22. Qd8+ Qf8 23.Qg5+ Qg7 –

10...bxc6 11.e6 Upon 11.exf6 Qxf6 12.0–0 Bg4, Black wins the pawn back by pinning White’s knight and will have an excellent position.

11...Re8 Black will win the pawn back, but White hopes for an advantage based on the difference in the pawn structure.

12.0-0 c5 Black wants to make sure that White will not block the advance of the cpawn on c5. In Shirov – Radjabov, Odessa, 2007, after 12...Rxe6 13.Be3 Re8 14.Qd3 Bg4, White had the option to gain the advantage by 15.Bc5.

13.Bf4 White often tries to play aggressively by 13.Qb5, but, after 13...Bf8, it is unclear if the white queen is well positioned on the queenside.

13...Rb8 14.b3 Another reasonable option was 14.c3.

14...Rb6 15.Qd2 With the idea of a double attack on Black’s a7- and c5-pawns by Qd2-a5.

15...Bf8 Defending against the above threat by protecting the c5-pawn. If 15... Rbxe6 16.Qa5.

16.Rad1 Bxe6 Now Black’s rook looks useless on b6.

17.Rfe1 White is playing logical, commonsense chess by centralizing all her pieces.

17...c6 18.Bh6 It is a good idea to try to trade dark squared bishops.

18...Bd6 Black’s only hope for counter play to keep the bishop-pair.

19.c4! Another strong move!

19...Bf7 Removing the potential exchange sacrifice Rxe6. This is where Black lost the thread of the game, although White had a nice advantage in any case.

20.Nh4 Immediately takes advantage of Black’s last move, which weakened the f5-square.

20...Rxe1+ 20...Qd7 would not stop the white knight entering on f5, as after 21.Rxe8+, Black would be forced to recapture with the queen, because the bishop is busy guarding the d5-pawn. Or 20...Be6 21.cxd5 cxd5 22.Rxe6! Rxe6 23.Qxd5 Qe8 24.Nf5 is also very good for White.

21.Rxe1 Qd7 22.Qc3 Black’s position is hopeless now.

22...Qd8 If 22...Be5, White wins by 23.Rxe5! fxe5 24.Qg3+ Bg6 25.Nxg6 hxg6 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 27.Bg5 Qg7 28.Bf6. Other tries such as 22...d4 23.Qf3 or 22... Be7 23.Qg3+ would not help either.

23.Qf3 Threatening Qg4+.

23...Kh8 24.Qg4 24.Bg5 fxg5 25.Qxf7 Rb8 26.Nf5 was also strong.

24...Bf8 24...Qg8 is answered by 25.Qd7.

25.Bxf8 Qxf8 26.Qf4 Bg8 27.Re8! A nice deflection combination!

27...Qf7 The game ends immediately after 27... Qxe8 28.Qxf6#.

28.Qd6 Rb7 29.Nf5 Threatening 30.Rxg8+!.

29...Qg6 30.Qe6 Rf7 31.Rxg8+! Qxg8 32.Nh6 Qg6 33.Qc8+ 1–0

Source: AJ