Carlsen with double victory, Rapport with double defeat

Written by Michael Busse on 29 March 2024.

GRENKE Chess Classic

Day 3 of the GRENKE Chess Classic was very successful for Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian took the lead in the GRENKE Chess Classic after two successes against Vincent Keymer and Richard Rapport. Before the games could begin, the organizers had to cope with the 2,551 players who streamed into the venue, the Schwarzwaldhalle Karlsruhe, to play in the GRENKE Chess Open. 

round 5

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs. Richard Rapport 1:0

The game opened with the Winawer Variation of the French Defence, which led to imbalances and a chaotic position. Rapport defended MVL's mate-in-1 threat (on a7)  with 49 ... d4? instead of playing 49...Nxa1. The evaluation bar then made a few more swings, but in the end the Frenchman managed to bring the game home. 

Vincent Keymer vs. Magnus Carlsen 0:1 

Carlsen surprisingly opted for the Benoni Defence with Black. Keymer responded with his Benoni main line, for which Carlsen had obviously prepared. The two not only engaged in a theoretical debate on the board, but also in a duel of glances.

Keymer had three extra pawns in the meantime, but a rather unpleasant position. Carlsen then took advantage of a tactical mistake by White. With... Nd5 he attacked the knight and the rook (using the bishop on g7) at the same time. That was enough to win. 

The two opponents were observed by their respective girlfriends, who apparently get along well with each other.

This time, Wolfgang Grenke, the founder of GRENKE AG and long-time promoter of chess, had the honour to make the symbolic first move:

Daniel Fridman vs. Ding Liren 0,5:0,5

Fridman and Ding both played a rock-solid game in which neither side was able to gain a decisive advantage. Ding saw that his extra pawn would be of no use to him in the opposite-coloured bishop endgame, and agreed to a draw. 

round 6

Daniel Fridman vs. Vincent Keymer 0,5:0,5

In an absolutely dominant position, Keymer - as he did yesterday against Carlsen - unexpectedly found himself in an "only move" situation in which he could not find the only winning move. ... Kxh4 allowed White to drive away the well-placed black rook with Kc1. The right (computer) move would have been... g5. 

A few moves later, the valuation bar again showed a winning opportunity for Keymer. But Fridman managed to lure Keymer into perpetual check, which eventually resulted in a draw. 

Magnus Carlsen - Richard Rapport 1:0

And another Benoni - but this time for Carlsen with the white pieces! Carlsen played very accurately and finally got a queen against two rooks, but was able to achieve a safer king and a dangerous center pawn. The victory for Carlsen was therefore inevitable in the end, and Rapport had to resign. 

Ding Liren vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 0,5:0,5

The sixth draw in the sixth game for Ding! The world champion is obviously trying to regain his recently lost self-confidence through solid play. He seems to be succeeding in this, because he is playing much more stable than recently. In the game, none of the players was able to develop a clear winning plan, and so the game ended in a draw by repetition. 

Table and outlook

Carlsen's double victory and Rapport's double zero caused a lot of confusion in the standings. Magnus Carlsen is now at the top with a one-point lead. The rest of the field is close together. 

Friday, March 29 is a day off for the players. On Saturday, it will continue again from 3 p.m. Spectators in the Schwarzwaldhalle Karlsruhe are very welcome. 

GRENKE Chess Open

For the players of the Open, the tournament started today with the first round. On Friday, rounds two and three will continue at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. 

Several top players are on the list. There are some well-known names such as Hans Niemann (pictured), Arjun Erigaisi or the German national players Blübaum and Kollars. 

On the top boards, the favorites won. For some amateurs, the game against a well-known grandmaster will have been a career highlight. Felix Gerlach of Schachfreunde Brackel, for example, kept up well against former European champion Matthias Blübaum until Blübaum captured the knight on f4 with his rook. Gerlach replied with gxf4, overlooking the fact that ...Qd2+ would cost his rook. The correct reply would have been to capture the opponent's knight with the rook himself - a nice motif.

Links to all the games of the day: GRENKE Chess Classic and Open 2024 - Chess.com

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photos: Angelika Valkova

Screenshots: chess24 / chess.com