On the second day at the Grand Prix in Baku, Azerbaijan there were also two winners: Hikaru Nakamura and Peter Svidler. In a Dutch Leningrad, Nakamura outplayed Dmitry Andreikin of Russia, who also lost yesterday. Svidler defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in a Queens Gambit Declined. The FIDE Grand Prix has always suffered a bit from an identity crisis. The first series was marred by the withdrawal of both host cities and players, and then there was the continuous confusion with the (now defunct) Grand Slam. Simply put: chess fans didnt know what it was about, and therefore didnt care too much. Its a pity, since these tournaments are of the highest caliber, and therefore some good games each round are almost guaranteed. (Besides, the revived Agon company is putting some effort in making everything look better too. Great!) The four draws were all very interesting, but lets start with the decisive games. The first winner of the day was Peter Svidler, who defeated local hero Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Commentator GM Emil Sutovsky called it a convincing victory, but Svidler said: “Not really, I spoilt it quite badly. (...) Shakhriyar just missed Bd6.”
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 10:07:39 +0000
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