Levon Aronyan pulled off his second successive Melody Amber title. The Armenian GM won the ¤216,000 rapid-blindfold with 14 points from 22 games. Anand and Kramnik tied for second with 13.5. Magnus Carlsen was 4th with 13 with Morozevich trailing a distant fifth on 11. Everyone else — Topalov, Karjakin, Kamsky, Leko, Ivanchuk, Radjabov and Wang — logged minus scores.
Aronyan tied for first in both blindfold and rapid. It was a creative, gutsy and “lucky” performance with a WDL of +9,-3,=10. Aronyan won several dead-lost games and also drew a couple of lost positions. Kramnik and Anand each scored one win less. Anand won the personal mini-match versus Kramnik.
As always, the unique format meant howlers. Top GMs can play brilliantly without sight of the board but they are more prone to lapses of memory. Amber doesn’t allow the recording of scoresheets as aide memoires. That might cut down lapses.
While Amber was cooking, Koneru Humpy stormed to a grandstand finish at the first Women’s Grand Prix in Istanbul. Tied for first place after the penultimate round with 7.5 from 10, she cranked out a last round win against Marie Sebag to pull clear of Hou Yifan and Elina Danielan (both 8).
Humpy lost in the seventh round to Hou but managed 3.5 from her last four to register a 2680 performance. Her win was worth ¤6.500, which is comparatively speaking, peanuts. But the GP sequence should culminate in a big payoff for the overall prize winners.
The fourth men’s GP has just been announced for mid-April. It’s shifted from Montreaux to Nalchik in the Russian part of the southern Caucasus where the last women’s world championship was held.
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Top seed Aronyan leads a 14-player field that includes Grischuk, Svidler, Akopian, Evgeny Alekseev, Bacrot, Eljanov, Boris Gelfand, Ivanchuk, Kamsky, Karjakin, Kasimdzhanov, Leko and Mamedyarov. The prize fund is ¤165,000. Grischuk fresh off victory at Linares and Karjakin, who won Corus must fancy their chances.
The diagram, WHITE TO PLAY, (Aronyan Vs Kamsky Amber 2009 Blindfold) was one of those “lucky” Aronyan wins. The blindfold is also played at rapid controls and both were in time pressure. White has ingeniously fought clear of a lost position. He can continue 39. Qc4+ Qe6 40. Qd3 f5 41. Bxg5 with some edge.
Instead he chose 39.g4 Qd5 40.Qc2 Qf7 41.Rxh7? Qxh7. White embarks on an attractive but incorrect combination and play continues 42.Qc4+ Qf7? This keeps some edge but 42. –Kf8! 43.Qxa6 Qh2+ 44. Ke1 Rb8 is killing. Both players missed the possibility of a mating attack. Kamsky made the last error after 43.Qxa6 Qb3 44.c6 Qe6? (black is better after 44.—Qc2 45. Qb7) 45.c7! Qxa6 46.cxd8Q+ Kf7 47.d5 Qb5 48.d6 exd6 49.Qxd6 (1–0).