Anish Giri has turn out to be the most recent participant to beat Ding Liren after the World Champion allowed a robust piece sacrifice on transfer 11 in Spherical 7 of the Superbet Chess Traditional. Ding has dropped to final place, however he has the corporate of his World Championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, who was put to the sword by Alireza Firouzja. The younger star now co-leads with Fabiano Caruana going into the ultimate two rounds.

Spherical 7 of the Superbet Chess Problem was a repeat of Spherical 5, with each of the 2023 World Championship individuals crashing to heavy defeats.

There was no distraction from these two video games, because the remaining three video games had been comparatively uneventful attracts. Wesley So confirmed zero ambition in opposition to Fabiano Caruana and took a 24-move draw, Duda-MVL featured an offbeat opening however by no means flared into life, whereas it felt as if the drama within the longest recreation of the day, Rapport-Deac, wasn’t actually on the chessboard.

Since switching to the Romanian Chess Federation, Richard Rapport has taken over Bogdan-Daniel Deac’s no. 1 spot, and the connection seems strained. There was a curious begin, as Richard determined to go away the ceremonial opening transfer on the board, whereas Bogdan-Daniel wished him to take the transfer again after which make it once more himself.

After that, commentator Cristian Chirila revealed that his father, working as an arbiter on the occasion, had been approached by Richard with a criticism about Bogdan-Daniel hitting the clock too laborious after his strikes. We by no means bought open battle on the board, nevertheless, with only one pair of pawns swapped off earlier than a draw on transfer 63.

In his Spherical 7 post-game interview, Fabiano Caruana commented of Ding Liren’s close to loss to Wesley So the day earlier than:

The best way he performed simply confirmed an absence of feeling of hazard. One thing’s very off.

That will apply much more to Spherical 7, the place, regardless of Anish Giri enjoying his strikes immediately, Ding Liren determined to go for 10…g5?, inviting a bit sacrifice on g5.

It was the worst doable state of affairs for Ding, since Anish, with Jan Gustafsson as his second, knew the place.

I remembered that this transfer order isn’t excellent, as a result of the sac right here is powerful… I used to be lucky that I’d checked out this.

For the rest of the sport Ding was on the ropes, always looking for methods to keep away from quick catastrophe. There have been alternatives as nicely, as an example on transfer 16.

The pc claims 16…Bxe3+! as 0.00, with the follow-up 17.fxe3 Nb8! and the knight coming to d7 to alleviate its pinned colleague on f6.

That was a theme that may return later, however in a a lot trickier scenario, after Anish Giri discovered the important 22.Qe2! to maintain a bonus.

What to do in regards to the attacked bishop on e6? The best choice was once more to surrender the dark-squared bishop with 22…Bxe3+! 23.fxe3 after which play 23…Bg4!, when after 24.hxg4 Ne4! Black has actual counterplay.

As a substitute Ding picked the easier method to get one thing for the bishop with 22…Bxh3!? 23.gxh3 Kf8 24.h4 Bd4.

Right here Anish Giri’s 25.Rxd4!? exd4 26.Nf5 was an echo of Ding Liren’s first win within the match in opposition to Ian Nepomniachtchi, although on this case it was solely the pc’s third selection within the place. Anish defined, nevertheless, that he dreaded the ridicule if he’d missed an opportunity to beat the World Champion by not enjoying such a transfer.

He needn’t have frightened, as within the following sequence he performed the pc’s first selection for eight strikes in a row, by which stage he was completely successful. As an illustration, he discovered essentially the most scientific end of exchanging off one of many knights with 30.Nh6+! and after 30…Nxh6 he didn’t recapture.

31.Qxe5! was extra highly effective, and Giri would later power resignation with one other queen transfer, 36.Qc3+!.

The black knight on g4 can’t be saved, and the endgame is totally hopeless for Black.

That implies that regardless of a really gradual begin, Anish Giri is all of a sudden proper again within the hunt for 1st place in one other supertournament. He additionally holds the bragging rights of getting crushed each World Champion Magnus Carlsen, in Wijk aan Zee, and now World Champion Ding Liren. The truth is, he additionally beat Ding in Wijk, so Anish may declare much more.

After all, I’m completely happy to defeat the World Champion. This yr I’ve crushed a World Champion you may say thrice. It’s laborious to say, as a result of I beat Magnus when he was a champion, then I beat Ding earlier than he was a champion, and now I’ve crushed him once more, so I’m actually pleased with that.

There’s severe competitors for bragging rights, nevertheless, since 19-year-old Alireza Firouzja can now say he’s crushed each the World Champion and the runner-up, Ian Nepomniachtchi, in the identical match. There’s clear water between him as world no. 2 and the chasing pack, although in fact there’s a good greater hole to Magnus Carlsen as world no. 1.

Firouzja-Nepomniachtchi in some ways adopted an identical state of affairs to the Giri-Ding recreation. Alireza commented of successful with a quiet opening setup:

It feels nice. Ian has a really stable repertoire with Black, so it’s actually troublesome to get a recreation in opposition to him… It’s not something particular, nevertheless it’s fascinating, to get a recreation at the very least.

We didn’t get a dramatic sacrifice the best way we did within the Giri recreation, however with 23.Qxa7 Alireza had gained a pawn.

“It’s not straightforward for Black as a result of he’s down a pawn”, mentioned the teenager, and Nepomniachtchi wanted to play precisely to carry the stability. 23…Ng6! was the proper transfer right here, not 23…Nf5!?, and on transfer 26 Ian missed one other probability to equalise with 26…Nh4!

Alireza, in the meantime, was in a position to win the sport by enjoying completely logical strikes. After grabbing the a7-pawn he pushed his queenside pawns to create a handed pawn, with the scenario vital after 28.a5. As soon as extra, Ian’s Achilles’ heel of enjoying too quick in such positions returned, and he went for the shedding 28…Qe2?

At a look the transfer seems highly effective. There’s no time to defend the f3-pawn with 29.Kg2? attributable to 29…Nxe3+, however there was an important element within the place. After 29.a6! Qxf3 Alireza had 30.Qg4!

After 30…Qxg4+ 31.hxg4 Nd6 32.Be5 Black has to surrender the knight to cease the pawn. Ian’s 30…Qd5 31.e4 Qxb5 32.Ba1!? Qxa6 33.exf5 featured the identical commerce of a bit to cease the pawn, however right here Nepomniachtchi bought a glimmer of hope, since he was in a position to sacrifice his queen for a place with some possibilities to carry.

Alireza mentioned he wasn’t a believer within the fortress, however there might need been a troublesome combat forward if after 37.h4 Ian hadn’t instantly weakened his king place with 37…g6? however as a substitute gone for 37…Rg6+.

Because it was, Alireza was in a position to manoeuvre till the proper alternative arose to surrender his queen for Black’s rook. 57.Qxf7+! ended the sport.

After the heavy items are traded the pawn endgame is a simple win for White.

That implies that with simply two rounds to go Alireza Firouzja has caught Fabiano Caruana within the lead, whereas Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren be part of Bogdan-Daniel Deac in final place.

They actually need a win, however Ding faces his second Richard Rapport in Spherical 8, whereas Nepomniachtchi is up in opposition to the rock stable Wesley So. For the leaders, in the meantime, there are additionally fascinating battles forward, with Caruana White in opposition to Anish Giri, whereas Firouzja is Black in opposition to Jan-Krzysztof Duda.

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