QUICK DRAWS, MISSED CHANCES AND RAPPORT LOSING AGAIN
If you ever wondered whether I try my luck in sports betting, this post might give you a concrete answer.
Because during the round one report I predicted more fighting chess and less draws during this Swiss event.
It goes without saying that my prediction was way of the mark so far, since round three of the Sharjah Grand Prix 2017 resulted in only one decisive game.
However, it could have been a completely different story if we purely judge the positions that appeared on the board during round three.
Because if we disregard all the quick draws, at least in the two games players managed to spoil completely winning positions and throw away what should have otherwise been an almost certain win.
For example, Michael Adams will certainly have some trouble sleeping tonight. In his game against Eljanov, the following position was reached:
The other miss is perhaps even more amazing and potentially even more significant for the tournament, since it happened on board one.
MVL, the hero of round two, played far from his best against ever so dangerous Shakhriyah Mamedyarov and landed in a losing endgame.
However, in the following position, the tricky Frenchman devised a cunning piece sacrifice:
GAME ANALYSIS: HIKARU NAKAMURA – RICHARD RAPPORT
Hikaru Nakamura almost completed the hat – trick of misses in this round, as he managed to turn a completely winning position in an equal one. However, in time scramble Rapport was last to make a mistake, and Hikaru managed to win the game in the end.
Judging by the course of the game, that result is fair in the end.