GM Joel’s Chess Week Recap - Episode 143

Opening: A17, D30, E15, B19, D87, C45 :

Player(s): Grischuk, Vachier-Lagrave, Duda, Buksa, Yuffa, Rodshtein, Jones, Xiong, Sethuraman

Alexander Grischuk won the Hamburg Grand Prix, greatly increasing his chances of qualifying for the Candidates Tournament. If he doesn't emerge as the automatic qualifier from the Grand Prix, he will be the favorite to receive a wild card selection from the Russian Organizers. The European Club Championship saw a lot of the favored teams return. In the end the powerhouse Obiettivo Risarcimento Padova emerged the winner with a perfect match record, clinched in the final round by home country representative Daniele Vocaturo defeating Vladislav Kovalev of Alkaloid on bottom board. In St. Louis where the Winter Classics are wrapping up, Jeffery Xiong is tied for first going into the last round with a solid 5/8. I'd like to look at his game from the very first round against Sethuraman. It shows a little of why Jeffery was able to make a deep run in the World Cup - he is adept at varying up his openings and finding offbeat lines to challenge the preparation of his opponents.

Download Joel's annotated games HERE!