The Chess Mind

Dortmund is a very funny tournament. Either Kramnik wins (this has happened eight times), or else it's a complete outsider who takes the title. This year, it looks like another instance of plan B, as German GM Jan Gustafsson, the lowest-rated player in the event (considered probable "chum" by at least one commentator), is in clear first with two rounds to go. This was the result of a very quick, strange win against tournament tail-ender Loek van Wely, whose move 14 novelty gave him an immediately lost position that he resigned four moves later. My best guess is that he was simply unprepared for Gustafsson's move order, threatening the Noteboom Variation, and hadn't reviewed his prep for the Marshall (Slav) Gambit in some time. A disaster for van Wely, but happy days for his opponent.

That game finished pretty quickly, as you might imagine. Next up was a short draw between Leko and Nepomniachtchi. Leko had a small advantage on the white side of a 3.Bb5+ Sicilian, but he was unable to achieve anything with it. When Black played 25...e5 and 26...f5 the game turned double-edged, and a few moves later, just as the game was getting lively, Leko offered a draw, which was accepted.

The next draw was Mamedyarov-Kramnik, a game which caught my eye thanks to Kramnik's surprising - and good - 27...f5. The move looks like positional suicide, but it highlights the need and value of activity in even the quietest positions.

Finally, Ivanchuk won a nice ending against Naiditsch, outplaying him from an almost dead equal position in the opening. A remarkable technical display by the Ukranian, bringing him back to 50% overall.

The games can be replayed here, with my comments.

Standings after Round 5:

1. Gustafsson 3.5
2-3. Leko, Nepomniachtchi 3
4-6. Mamedyarov, Kramnik, Ivanchuk 2.5
7. Naiditsch 2
8. van Wely 1

Pairings for Round 6:

Kramnik - Nepomniachtchi
Gustafsson - Leko
Naiditsch - van Wely
Mamedyarov - Ivanchuk