The 86th edition of the Tata Steel Chess officially kicked off yesterday in Wijk aan Zee with the first round.
The players went all-in to open the tournament in a great style and four games concluded with the decisive results. It is interesting that all the players who scored in the first round played with the black pieces, taking the early lead in the tournament: Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouza, Anish Giri, and Wei Yi.
GM Max Warmerdam vs GM Ian Nepomniachtchi | 0-1
Playing with black pieces, Nepo chose a very sharp Queens’ gambit accepted variation and managed to develop a tremendous attack on Warmerdam’s Kingside. It seemed that Nepomniachtchi had better preparation for the game and Warmerdam had issues keeping the equality. Already in the 24th move, Nepomniachtchi earned a decisive advantage after 24.Qc1? and won the game in a miniature after only 29 moves of play.
GM Ju Wenjun vs GM Anish Giri | 0-1
The reigning Women’s World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun opened the game well, gaining a slight positional advantage. It was a simplified strategical position, when the defending Tata Steel Champion Anish Giri decided to sacrifice the exchange and sharpen things up. Ju Wenjun defended well and the game eventually transposed into a very drawish endgame, but unfortunately for her, she made a crucial mistake in the Rooks endgame and lost her first-round game.
GM Jorden Van Foreest vs GM Alireza Firouzja | 0-1
Alireza Firouzja chose to open the first round of the Tata Steel Chess Masters 2024 with the French defense. The players went for early trades and the game was around the 00.00 engine bar all the time. However, Jorden Van Foreest made a fatal mistake with 36.Nd4? and resigned in the next move.
GM Alexander Donchenko vs GM Wei Yi | 0-1
Alexander Donchenko and Wei Yi played a double-edged Benoni in the Round 1. Nonetheless, the Chinese grandmaster gained a clear advantage after the opening and successfully converted it into the full point. Donchenko sacrificed an exchange but it didn’t end up well, and Wei Yi won the game.
The other three games finished in a draw and the rankings after the first round are:
| 1 | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | 1/1 | 2769 |
| 2 | Firouzja, Alireza | 1/1 | 2759 |
| 3 | Giri, Anish | 1/1 | 2749 |
| 4 | Wei Yi | 1/1 | 2740 |
| 5 | Ding Liren | ½/1 | 2780 |
| 6 | Maghsoodloo, Parham | ½/1 | 2740 |
| 7 | Abdusattorov, Nodirbek | ½/1 | 2727 |
| 8 | Praggnanandhaa | ½/1 | 2743 |
| 9 | Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi | ½/1 | 2742 |
| 10 | Gukesh | ½/1 | 2725 |
| 11 | Van Foreest, Jorden | 0/1 | 2682 |
| 12 | Donchenko, Alexander | 0/1 | 2643 |
| 13 | Warmerdam, Max | 0/1 | 2625 |
| 14 | Ju Wenjun | 0/1 | 2549 |
The second round starts today at 14:00 CET and games can be followed here. Round 2 pairings are:
- Alireza Firouzja vs Parham Maghsoodloo
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs Praggnanandhaa
- Wei Yi vs Gukesh D
- Ding Liren vs Alexander Donchenko
- Anish Giri vs Vidit Santosh Gujrathi
- Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ju Wenjun
- Jorden Van Foreest vs Max Warmerdam
Photos by Jurriaan Hoefsmit
