Kleine Geschichte der Kandidatenturniere

von André Schulz
16.03.2020 – Morgen beginnt in Jekaterinburg das Kandidatenturniere 2020. Es ist das vierte Turnier dieser Art, seitdem die FIDE 2013 wieder zum Turnierformat zurückgekehrt ist. Zwischen 1950 und 1962 hatte es bereits Kandidatenturnier gegeben, doch wegen Partieabsprachen zwischen sowjetischen Spielern wechselte die FIDE danach zum Wettkampfformat. Ein kleiner Rückblick...| Foto: Kandidatenturnier 1956
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Kleine Geschichte der Kandidatenturniere

Nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg übernahm der Weltschachbund FIDE die Organisation der Schachweltmeisterschaften, die zuvor von den jeweiligen Weltmeistern privat geregelt worden war. Der amtierende Weltmeister hatte sich einen würdigen Herausforderer ausgesucht und  gegen diesen seinen Titel verteidigt. Der letzte dieser "Privat-Weltmeister" war Alexander Aljechin.

Am 24. März 1946 starb Alexander Aljechin - unter reichlich ungeklärten Umständen - und die FIDE nutzt diese Gelegenheit nun die Weltmeisterschaften zu regeln und zu organisieren. 1948 wurde in Groningen und Moskau ein Turnier um die Weltmeisterschaft ausgetragen, aus dem Michail Botwinnik als Sieger hervorging.

Die FIDE führte außerdem einen recht klaren Qualifikationsmodus ein, mit Zonenturnieren, Interzonenturnieren und einem Kandidatenturnier zum Schluss. Dieses Format hielt bis 1962. Nach dem Kandidatenturnier von Curacao 1962 beschwerte sich der damals erst 19-jährige Bobby Fischer öffentlich, dass die sowjetischen Spieler - nicht alle - ihn mit Remisabsprachen betrogen hätten.

 
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1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Bd3 f5 9.Qh3 Bxg1 10.Rxg1 Nc5 11.Bd2 Nc6 12.Nb5 Qb6 13.0-0-0 Bd7 14.Nd6 Na4 15.Bb5 Nd4 16.Be3 Ne2+ 17.Bxe2 Qxb2+ 18.Kd2 Qb4+ 19.Kc1 Nc3 20.Rde1 Nxa2+ 21.Kd1 Nc3+ 22.Kc1 d4 23.Bf2 Rfc8 24.Bd3 Na2+ 25.Kd1 Nc3+ 26.Kc1 Rc5 27.Qh4 Ra5 28.Kd2 h6 29.g4 fxg4 30.Rxg4 Kh8 31.Qxh6+ 1–0
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Fischer,R-Benko,P-1–01962C11Candidates Tournament-0522

Nach der Rückkehr von Curacao in die USA gab Fischer ein Interview in „Sports Illustrated“ („The Russians Have Fixed World Chess“), in dem er die sowjetischen Spieler beschuldigte, ihre Ergebnisse abgesprochen zu haben, um ihn am Sieg zu hindern. Tatsächlich spielten Petrosian, sein Freund Geller, aber auch Keres, der eigentlich als guter Sportsmann galt, gegeneinander alle zwölf Partien in maximal 19 Zügen remis und schonten so ihre Kräfte für die Partien gegen die anderen Spieler und besonders gegen Fischer.

Keres und Fischer beim Kandidatenturnier 1959, Pal Benkö (li.) schaut zu

Tatsächlich waren die Ergebnisabsprachen von sowjetischen Spielern bei Turnieren dieser Art ein generelles Problem und 1962 auch nicht neu. Bekannt ist, dass David Bronstein und sein Freund Issac Boleslavsky ihren Stichkampf nach dem Kandidatenturnier 1950 bis ins Detail abgesprochen hatten und dass die sowjetischen Teilnehmer beim Kandidatenturnier 1953 in Zürich/Neuhausen angewiesen waren, so zu spielen, dass Vassily Smyslov das Turnier gewinnen konnte.

Die folgende berühmte Partie war aber sicher nicht abgesprochen:

 
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1.d4       Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Be3 Das ist eine der berühmtesten Königsindisch-Partien. Danach verschwand das Abspiel mit 10.Be3 praktisch für über 30 Jahre in der Mottenkiste bis es besonders von Kortschnoi wiederentdeckt und regelmäßig gespielt wurde. f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 g5 13.Nd3 Nf6 14.c5 Ng6 15.Rc1 So wie Weiß spielt, macht der Bf2 keinen Sinn. Der B könnte genauso gut auf d2 stehen und Weiß hätte ein wichtiges Tempo gespart. Stattdessen muß Weiß den Punkt a7 angreifen. Rf7 16.Rc2 Bf8 17.cxd6 cxd6 18.Qd2? Zu langsam. g4 19.Rfc1 19.Kh1 g3 20.Bg1 gxh2 21.Bf2 19...g3 Generell gilt: In allen Stellungen dieser Art kann Schwarz ohne Nachdenken oder Durchrechnen immer dieses Bauernopfer bringen und hat mindestens Kompensation, eher mehr. Die Voraussetzung dafür ist, daß eine weiße Figur auf f2 steht, denn sonst hat Weiß evtl. die Möglichkeit h2-h3. Falls Weiß keine Figur auf f2 stehen hat, also h2-h3 spielen kann, muß Schwarz in der Lage sein, möglichst bald auf h3 entscheidend eine Figur opfern zu können, am besten den Bc8 (d7). Andernfalls bleiben die Linien am Königsflügel geschlossen und der Angriff ist beendet. 20.hxg3 fxg3 21.Bxg3 Nh5 Multimedia Dateien nicht kopiert Kramnik: Natürlich hat Schwarz genügend Kompensation für den Bauern. Aber Weiß viele Verteidigungsmöglichkeiten und die Stellung ist nicht so klar wie es vielleicht aussieht. 22.Bh2? Hier steht der B ganz schlecht. Be7 Schwarz verstärkt in der Folge in Ruhe seine Stellung. 23.Nb1 Voice:Kramnik Kramnik: Dieser Zug sieht sehr verdächtig aus. Weiß konnte sich mit Sicherheit viel besser verteidigen. Bd7 24.Qe1 Bg5 25.Nd2 Be3+ Mit einem weißen B auf f2 wäre das nicht möglich. 26.Kh1 Qg5 27.Bf1 Raf8 28.Rd1 b5 Schwarz läßt sich weiterhin Zeit und verhindert Nc4. 29.a4 a6 30.axb5 axb5 31.Rc7 Rg7 32.Nb3 Nh4 33.Rc2 Bh3 33...Rxf3! 34.gxf3 34.Qe2 Ng3+ 35.Bxg3 Rxg3 ∆36.-- Rh3+ 37.gxh3 Qg1# 34...Qg1+ 35.Bxg1 Rxg1+ 36.Kh2 Nxf3# 34.Qe2 34.gxh3 Qg1+ 35.Bxg1 Rxg1+ 36.Kh2 Nxf3# 34...Nxg2 35.Bxg2 Bxg2+ 36.Qxg2 Qh4 37.Qxg7+ Kxg7 38.Rg2+ Kh8 39.Ne1 Nf4 40.Rg3 Bf2 41.Rg4 Qh3 42.Nd2 h5 43.Rg5 43.Rg5 Rg8 44.Rxg8+ Kxg8 45.Rc1 Bxe1 und Matt auf g2 0–1
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Taimanov,M-Najdorf,M-0–11953E99Candidates Tournament4

Die Autogramme der Teilnehmer 1962 | Foto: Auktionshaus Kittich-Pfannkuch

Nach 1962 war erst einmal Schluss mit Kandidatenturnieren.Die FIDE ließ nun stattdessen Kandidatenzweikämpfe durchführen.

Dieses Qualifikationssystem hielt bis 1993. Dann entschieden Nigel Short und Garry Kasparov im Streit mit dem damaligen FIDE-Präsidenten Florenco Campomanes, ihren WM-Kampf unter Ausschluss der FIDE auszutragen. Kasparov gewann und verwaltete seinen Titel wieder auf privater - oder halboffizieller - Basis, bis er 2000 von Vladimir Kramnik entthront wurde. 

Campomanes wurde 1995 aus dem Amt gedrängt und sein Nachfolger Kirsan Ilyumzhinov führte für die FIDE 1997 erst einmal alternative Weltmeisterschaftsturniere im K.o.-Format ein, die Kandidatenkämpfe, in welcher Form auch immer, überflüssig machten. 

Mit Vladimir Kramnik kam es 2006 wieder zur Zusammenführung der beiden konkurrierenden Weltmeisterschaftssysteme und anfangs wurden für die Ermittlung eines Herausforderers auch wieder Kandidatenkämpfe durchgeführt, doch es stellte sich bald heraus, dass die Zeit dafür vorbei war. Im Laufe der Jahr hatte sich der Turnierkalender zunehmend gefüllt. Für mehrstufige Kandidatenwettkämpfe war gar kein Platz mehr. 2007 und 2011 hatte die FIDE etwas halbherzig solche noch zentral in Elista und Kazan durchgeführt. 2007 wurde einige Plätze für das WM-Turnier 2007 in Mexiko vergeben. Es dauerte etwas , bis die FIDE 2011 wieder ein transparentes Qualifikationssystem etabliert hatte. 2011 wurde dann in Kandidatenkämpfen ein Herausforderer für Weltmeister Anand gesucht.

Die Matches, vor allem 2011, waren allerdings recht langweilig. Viele Partien endeten schnell remis, die Entscheidungen fielen meist erst in den Schnellschach- oder Blitz-Tiebreaks.

Aus diesem Grund führte die FIDE 2013 wieder das Format eines Kandidatenturniers ein. Inzwischen hatte der Weltschachbund die Vermarktungsrechte für die Weltmeisterschaften an den inzwischen verstorbenen Andrew Paulson und seine Firma Agon (heute Worldchess) übertragen.

Eine von Paulsons Neuerungen bestand darin, die großen Turniere nicht mehr irgendwo in Osteuropa durchzuführen, sondern in den Metropolen. So fand das ersten Kandidatenturnier nach 1962 im Jahr 2013 in London statt. Der Sieger hieß am Ende Magnus Carlsen, allerdings nur knapp nach Zweitwertung vor dem punktgleichen Vladimir Kramnik. Wie bekannt, wurde Carlsen dann auch Weltmeister.

 
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Magnus Carlsen: "My game against Gelfand in round 10, annotated by Peter Heine Nielsen below, represents the level of chess I aspired to play at in the Candidates. Although I did not succeed in every game, I take great comfort in having reached the main objective which was to qualify for the World Championship match against V. Anand. I would like to express my gratitude to Peter Heine and the other seconds for their valuable help in reaching this goal." 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 Openingwise the players are basically 2 opposites. While Carlsen moves around a lot, Gelfand, both in the WC-match with Anand and in this Candidates tournaments stayed completely loyal to the Grünfeld against 1.d4 and the Sveshnikov against 1.e4. 3.Bb5!? Sveshnikov was right! At least judged by the current trends, White players seems to concede that the actual Sveshnikov Sicilian is fine for Black, and that 3.Bb5 is the way to fight for the advantage. As Sveshnikov claimed years back. Anand did well with Bb5 in the match, and later both Caruana and Ponomariov posed Gelfand some problems. e6 4.0-0 In round 7 Magnus played 4.Bxc6 against Radjabov, and after bxc6 5.b3 d6 6.0-0!? tried this idea, deviating from 6.e5 which was both played by McShane and Grischuk against Radjabov. The idea is that after 6...e5 we have a position known from 3...d6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.0-0 only with the white pawn on b3 instead of b2. Not a huge difference, but definitely leading to a playble position for White. Here Radjabov played Ne7!? and in a complex position, Magnus hallucinated, and was suddenly lost, but saved the game after inaccurate play by Radjabov. 4...Nge7 5.Re1 a6!? In the Tashkent Grand Prix against Caruana and Ponomariov, Gelfand chose 5...Nd4, but part of the reason behind being able to succesfully repeat his openings, is having small surprises within them, and for this candidates he had prepared 5.. .a6, and employed it already succesfully with Grischuk in round 6. 6.Bf1 d5 7.exd5!? I was seconding Magnus in London, but also got help from other seconds online. They suggested this line, thinking it leads to a moderately pleasant position, with a long game ahead, which should suit Magnus style excellently. Grischuk played 7.d3 and we saw an unusually sharp fight for pawn structure with big decisions early on: d4!? 8.e5!? Nd5 9.c4!? dxc3 10.bxc3 Rb8 11.Bb2 b5!? and after a tactical error by Grischuk Gelfand got a winning position, although the game ended in a draw. 7...Nxd5 8.d4 Nf6 9.Be3 cxd4 9...Be7 might be slightly more accurate as after 10.c4 0-0 11.Nc3 cxd4 12.Nxd4 instead of 12...Bd7 also 12...Qc7 indenting ... Rd8 is possible. 10.Nxd4 Bd7 11.c4 This is the concept. White has a bit more space and a queenside majority. Black of course a healthy and solid position though. Nxd4 11...Be7 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Nf3!? White has been quite succesful with, and this is an argument for Gelfand's choice, securing relieving exchanges before it is too late. 11...Bb4!? is a principled choice, but after 12.Nc3 Bxc3 13.bxc3 0-0 14.Bf4 White's activity more than compensates for the structural weaknesses. After Nxd4!? 15.cxd4 Bc6 surprisingly suddenly we have the typically Nimzo pawn structure, very similar to game 11 in the Anand-Gelfand match, where Gelfand had a pleasant position with the 2 bishops, before that game was drawn. 12.Bxd4 Bc6 13.Nc3 Be7 14.a3!? Magnus was happy with this decision, as he thought the interpolation of a3/a5 is probably favouring White. 14.Qd3 0-0 15.Rad1 This was played in the stem game Kinmark (that's actually an anagram of Kramnik as my Swedish friends have pointed out!) -Paoli 1975, also being slightly more pleasant for White. 14...a5!? The principled approach, and what one would expect from Gelfand. 14...0-0 15.b4 is what White wants, but as usual only a slight edge. 15.Qd3 0-0 15...a4?! is an ambitious attempt, but after 16.Rad1 0-0 17.Qg3 White's initiative becomes too strong. 16.Rad1 Qc7 17.Be5 Qb6 18.Qg3 Rfd8 18...Nh5!? 19.Qh3 Nf6 would be an interesting way to defend, as now Bc7 no longer annoys Black, and Black is threatening ...Rfd8. 20.Bd3 h6 21.Bd4 Qc7 22.b4! and White still keeps an edge though. 19.Rxd8+ 19.Nd5 Magnus said at the press-conference that he had wasted quite some time on this move, which fails due to a small tactic: exd5 20.Bd4 Bc5 21.Bxf6 Bxf2+! leading to a drawish ending. 19...Qxd8 20.Rd1 Qb6 20...Qf8!? Speelman mentioned this move at the press conference, to which Gelfand quite rightly replied that from a practical perspective it has no huge relevance. Gelfand's plan was hampering Black's queenside play in an ambitious manner, but this more defensive move does have some bite, as the following tactic: 21.b4!? axb4 22.axb4 Nh5! 23.Qg4 Bxb4 24.Qxh5 f6! 25.Bd3 g6! amazingly holds up for Black, as after 26.Bxg6? 26.Qg4! fxe5 27.Qxe6+ Qf7 28.Qxe5 Ra5 and Black has enough compensation to draw here 26...hxg6 27.Qxg6+ Qg7 and due to the mate on g2, White can't take on f6 with the queen, and thus suddenly ends up a piece short! Instead of 21.b4, probably 21. Bd3!? is stronger, and White remains comfortably placed. 21.Bd4 Qb3 22.Rd3 22.Rd2 is more modest, but White still has a pleasant game after eg. a4 23.Qc7 Nd7 24.Be3 Bd8 25.Qg3 But the game puts much more direct pressure on Black. 22...Qc2 23.b4! axb4 24.axb4 Nh5 25.Qe5 25.Qe3!? This computer move also keeps an edge, the main point being Bxb4 26.Qg5 g6 26...f6! a much better fighting chance 27.Qxh5 e5 28.Qf5 Rf8! () and although White is better, Black keeps definite figthing chances 27.Ne4! Bxe4 28.Qe5! and Black's position suddenly collapses. 25...Bf6 The toughest defence. Both players saw 25...Ra1 26.Nd1! Rxd1 27.Rxd1 Qxd1 28.Qb8+ Bf8 29.Bc5 h6 30.Qxf8+ Kh7 and now 31.Qd6! is the key bringing back the queen for defence, and the ensuing endings will just be winning for White due to the queenside majority and the pair of bishops. 31.Qxf7? Be4! however would completely reverse the situation, as ...Bd3 can't be stopped. 26.Qxh5 Bxd4 27.Rxd4 Qxc3 28.Qa5! The point behind 23.b4, without this, White wouldn't even be better. But now with this intermezzo, White just manages to coordinate in time, and thus his queenside majority secures a huge edge. Rf8 29.Qb6 e5 The only way to fight. 30.Rd1 30.Rd8!? g6 31.b5 Be4 32.Rd7 transposes to the line below. 30...g6 31.b5 Be4 32.Qf6?! 32.h4!? 32.Rd7 This seems almost winning, the idea being Qd6 next, and if now ...Bf5, then Rxb7. Qe1 33.Qd6± 32...h5?! 32...Bf5! A very good fighting chance, 33.Rd5 Be6 34.Qxe5 Qxe5 35.Rxe5 Rc8 as this could be easily drawn for Black, White should probably not liquidate into this ending. An important line is 36.c5 Kf8 37.Bd3 Bd7! followed by ...f6 winning back the pawn. 33.h4 Bf5 34.Rd5 Qc1!? 34...Be6 35.Qxe5 Qxe5 36.Rxe5 Rc8 37.c5 Kf8 38.Bd3 Bd7 is now different, as ...f6 would weaken the g6-pawn, and thus h4/h5 greatly favours White. 35.Qxe5 Be6 36.Rd4 Ra8 37.Qe2 Gelfand has reasonable activity for the pawn, but in time pressure commits a few inaccuracies, which Magnus punished mercilessly. Kh7?! 37...Qa1 38.Qd1 Kg7 eg. was a much tougher defence 39.c5? Qc3! being one resource. 38.Rd1 Qc3 39.Qe4 Ra1? But ...Ra7 as the computer thinks, fights on. But it is impossible for a human to play. 40.Rxa1 Qxa1 41.c5! The time control has been reached, but now White is completely winning, as nothing stops his pawns marching forward. Qc3 42.Qxb7 42.b6 would indeed be safer, but Magnus missed Gelfand's reply to his next move. 42...Qe1!? 42...Qxc5 43.b6 followed by Qa6, and the pawn just queens. 43.b6 Magnus said at the press conference that he quite quickly recovered from the shock, and that despite losing the bishop on f1, it doesn't really change much, as what matters is that the white pawns are queening. Bc4 44.Qf3! Qxf1+ 45.Kh2 Qb1 46.b7 Qb5 47.c6 Bd5 48.Qg3! Controlling g2, and h4, eliminating even any small attempts at counterplay, and simultaneously queening the b-pawn made Gelfand resign. Probably Magnus' best game in London. He achieved only a small edge in the opening, but with some precise tactics managed to enlarge it, and then increased it to decisive proportions in Gelfand's time trouble. This gave Carlsen the sole lead, but much more was still to happen... 1–0
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Carlsen,M2872Gelfand,B27401–02013B30Candidates Tournament10

Im Kandidatenturnier 2014 in Khanty-Mansiysk setzte sich dann Carlsens Vorgänger Viwanathan Anand souverän durch und durfte seinen Nachfolger herausfordern, jedoch ohne Erfolg. Die nächsten Kandidatenturniere 2016 in Moskau und 2018 in Berlin gewannen Sergey Karjakin und Fabiano Caruana.

 
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This was the climax of three weeks of chess, months of preparation and thirteen hard fought previous games. My tournament had its ups and downs, but thanks to a fortunate win the previous day, I entered the final round half a point ahead of my closest rivals, Mamedyarov and Karjakin. My tiebreaks were worse than both of theirs, so I wasn't sure a draw would be enough to win the event, but at the same time I didn't want to burn my bridges playing for a win. I also felt that Alexander would be eager for a fight. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Although this move isn't a usual part of Grischuk's opening repertoire, I wasn't entirely surprised. I realized that this variation, which leads to an unclear, playable and fluid game, might suit his style, so I was at least mentally prepared for this possibility. Nxe4 4.dxe5 d5 5.Nbd2 Nxd2 Interestingly, I was faced with this variation just two weeks later against Vitiugov. In that game I chose to play a new move: 5...Qd7!? , and in the end I won that game. 6.Bxd2 Be7 7.Bd3 I was already not so familiar with this position, but my moves seemed easy to play, so I continued to play naturally. All I could recall was seeing a game by Nepomniatchti recently, where he played a slightly more passive continuation: 7.Be2 7...c5 8.c3 Nc6 9.0-0 Bg4 This was already a big choice. It is very attractive to pin the knight, but I had to make sure I wouldn't run into a powerful e6 after my bishop retreats to h5. 9...Be6 was perhaps more circumspect, although then White can consider mixing it up with 10.b4!? 10.Re1 Qd7 10...0-0 would be less accurate. For example, White could consider posting a bishop on f5, which would be very annoying: 11.h3 Bh5 12.Bf5!? 11.h3 Bh5 12.Bf4 This came as a surprise, but it's probably an excellent move. Now I'm well prepared for 12.e6? fxe6 12.Qc2 Bxf3 13.Bf5 Qc7 14.gxf3 Nxe5 also doesn't work out well for White. 12.b4!? was the move I was mainly concerned with. The variations become very complex, but I felt that my position would be okay after cxb4 13.cxb4 0-0 14.Qb1 14.Qc2? Bxf3 15.Bxh7+ Kh8 16.Bf5 Nd4! is a nice trick. 14.g4 Bg6 15.e6!? fxe6 16.Bxg6 hxg6 17.b5 Nd8 18.Ne5 Qe8 19.Qc2 is an unusual and slightly concerning pawn sacrifice. Here I was mainly looking at moves like 19...Bh4, but strongest is Bd6! 20.Nxg6 Rf6 with an excellent position 14...Bxf3 15.Bxh7+ Kh8 16.Bf5 Qc7 17.gxf3 g6! A very important move. 17...Nxe5? 18.Qd1! is surprisingly already busted for Black 18.Bc2 Nxe5 , and the position is unclear, but no worse for Black. 12...Qe6! This move looks strange, but I came to it by the process of elimination. I need to prevent e6 once and for all, and although the queen is not a good blockader, there was no alternative. My first instinct was to play 12...Nd8? , but then I noticed a strong response: 13.g4 Bg6 13...Ne6 14.gxh5 Nxf4 15.e6! Nxe6 16.Ne5 is likewise very strong 14.e6! Nxe6 15.Ne5 , with a huge attack. 12...0-0 13.Qc2 Bg6 13...Bxf3 14.Bxh7+ Kh8 15.Bf5! Be4 16.Qxe4 also doesn't work out for Black. 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.Rad1 felt like strong pressure for White, because d5 is a weakness and the possibility of e6 is always in the air. 13.a3?! Far too slow. It was here that Grischuk started to drift with his play. 13.Qc2? Bxf3 14.Bf5? Be4 is an important trick, winning a piece. 13.Be2 was the most challenging move. Here I saw two options: 0-0!? offers an exchange sacrifice, but White is not obligated to accept it. 13...Bg6 is playable, but White can perhaps hope for a slight edge after 14.Bg3 0-0 15.Nh4 getting the advantage of the bishop pair. 14.Nd4 14.Qd2 prepares Nd4, and would lead to a very messy situation after Rfe8 15.Nd4 cxd4 16.Bxh5 dxc3 17.bxc3 d4 14...Bxe2 15.Nxe6 Bxd1 16.Nxf8 Ba4 16...Bc2 17.Nd7 Nd8 18.e6 Nxe6 19.Bd2 Rd8 also offers decent compensation. 17.b3 17.Nd7? Nd8 traps the knight 17...Bb5 18.a4 Bd3 19.Nd7 Rd8 20.e6 fxe6 21.Ne5 Nxe5 22.Bxe5 Bc2 This position is likely to end in a draw. 13...0-0 14.b4 h6 Covering g5, which will be useful in many lines in the future. Also making sure h7 no longer ever hangs. I couldn't decide on whether to play h6 or 14...b6 , and probably both are fully playable. 15.Bg3 White has many options, but in every case Black is comfortable. 15.bxc5 Bxc5 16.Be2 Rad8 17.Nd4 Bxd4 18.cxd4 Bxe2 19.Rxe2 Rc8 is at least equal, but I would even prefer Black's position slightly. 15...b6 16.Nd4?! I felt during the game that this was a positional mistake, leading to a comfortable situation for Black. A better move was 16.Be2 Bg6 17.Nh4 Bxh4 18.Bxh4 d4 , with a complex and roughly balanced position. 16...Bxd1 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Raxd1 c4 It's important to play this before White goes for c4 himself. Now the pawn structure is very favorable for me: all of White's queenside pawns on the dark squares are vulnerable, and his bishop on g3 is extremely passive. The only plus for him is that whenever I open up the position, his light-squared bishop will become powerful. 19.Bc2 19.Bg6 b5 20.f4 Bd8! and next ...Ne7 kicks the bishop from g6. 19.Be2 a5 is likewise unpleasant for White, and 20.Bg4 Nd8 is only temporarily inconvenient. Soon I'll play ...g6 and ...h5. 19...b5 Preparing ...a5 without allowing b5. 20.a4 20.f4?! a5 would soon become critical for White, because ...axb4 and ...d4 would completely undermine his queenside. 20...a6 21.f3! A strong and necessary defense. 21.f4 , preparing f5, is most natural, but after Rac8! Black prepares ...d4 and White will fall apart. For example 21...d4? 22.Be4 is clearly wrong. 22.axb5 axb5 23.f5 d4! 24.cxd4 Nxb4 , with a winning position. 21...Bg5?! Too academic. I needed to be more daring to keep the advantage. Now 21...Rac8 22.Bf2 leads nowhere. 21...Nxb4! was the most testing move: 22.cxb4 Bxb4 23.Re2 Be7 24.axb5 axb5 25.Rb1 b4 , and White will have to defend accurately against the three passed pawns. I didn't really consider sacrificing, however, because the game continuation looked so attractive. 22.Bf2? This mistake is very serious, and seems to be the difference between a draw and a loss. 22.h4! Bf4 23.Bxf4 Rxf4 I understand why Grischuk didn't want to give away his bishop pair, but White is already close to equal after 24.Bg6 For example, Rc8 24...Ne7 25.h5 25.Kf2 d4 26.axb5 axb5 27.cxd4 Nxb4 28.Rb1 Nd5 29.Rxb5 Rxd4 30.Reb1 , with a likely draw. 22...Bf4 23.Bc5 Rfd8 24.Bd6 Bg3 25.Re2 g5 When I played 21...Bg5 I saw this position, and I was very happy to get it. White is almost completely paralyzed, due to the dominant bishop on g3. However, it is still difficult to make progress. 26.Kf1 Kf7 27.Bc7 Re8 28.Bd6 Rac8 A strange move. We were both low on time, so I was a bit unsure of what to do, but placing a rook on c8 is certainly not the way. I should have started by placing my pawn on h4, which is useful in many variations down the road. Most concretely, often White will play Rxd5 and e6, and with the pawn on h4 the bishop will be defended. 28...h5! 29.Ra1 h4 30.Bb1 Red8 , and sooner or later White will slowly die. 29.Ra1 Red8 30.Bb1 As usual, when time gets low, Grischuk continues to play very well. Rd7 I could still place my pawn on h4 before deciding what to do next: 30...h5 31.axb5 axb5 32.Ra6 h4 and here 33.Rb6 Rd7 34.Rxb5 Ra8 is not something I should worry about. 31.Ra3 31.axb5 axb5 32.Ra6 was a better defense. I was planning Ra7 , but after Perhaps 32...h5!? is again the best move. 33.Rxa7+ Nxa7 34.Ra2 Nc6 35.Ra6 White's position becomes a bit easier to hold. 31...d4 I was extremely happy to get this move in at an opportune moment. We were both short on time, but now the play becomes forced: 32.axb5 axb5 33.cxd4 Nxd4 34.Rea2 Nc6 35.Be4 Bxe5 36.Bxc6 36.Bc5 Kf6 is also very bad for White. 36...Rxd6 37.Bxb5 Black has a serious advantage, due to the strength of the passed c-pawn and the weakness of White's king. The weakened dark squares around White's kingside make a direct attack very likely in the future. The next few moves were played in heavy time trouble, which led to some poor decisions. Rd1+ 37...c3! was strongest: 38.Ba4 38.Rc2 Rb8 39.Ra5 Kf6 leaves White tied up, and likely to lose the b-pawn. 38...Rcd8 39.b5 Rd3 and White is paralyzed and facing ideas of ...Bd6. 38.Ke2 Rg1 39.Ke3 Rb1? Direct play was again best: 39...c3! 40.Rc2 Rd8 with a decisive edge. For example 41.Ra7+ Kf6 42.Rd7 Rb8 43.Bd3 Rxb4 with a position similar to the game. 40.Ra7+? The last move of the time control, and it is both an extremely natural and a poor one. 40.Ra8! Rxa8 41.Rxa8 Rxb4 42.Ba4 This is difficult to decide on, since White condemns himself to a pawn down position where he will suffer for a very long time. However, trading rooks is absolutely necessary to keep any drawing chances alive. 40...Kf6 And now I could finally get up from the table and check the other games. I was pleased to see Karjakin had already drawn, and Kramnik and Mamedyarov were playing a drawn ending. I felt very safe that a draw would be enough for tournament victory, but of course with a much better position, I continued to play. 41.Bd7 Bf4+ 42.Ke2 42.Kf2 Rd8 is essentially the same as the game. 42...c3? looks very beautiful, but misses the win after 43.Re2! 43.Bxc8? Rb2+ on the other hand, leads to a pawn promotion. 42...Rd8 43.Rc2 At this moment, I think Alexander realized that 43.R2a6 runs into an exchange sac: Rb2+ 44.Kf1 Rxd7! 45.Rxd7 c3 46.Rc6 c2 and the pawn is unstoppable. Black will be a piece ahead. 43...Rxb4 43...Rg1! 44.Kf2 Rd1 is even stronger, and would be immediately winning, but I saw no reason to just take the pawn and win slowly. 44.Bc6 c3 A pawn up, and still with a positional advantage. I knew I was completely winning, and around this point I saw Kramnik and Mamedyarov agree to a draw. A draw would have been enough for me, but I couldn't bring myself to offer it in such an overwhelming position. 45.Rd7 Rc8 Of course, no trade of rooks. 46.Be4 h5 I might as well place the pawn on h4 before deciding on what to do next. White has no ideas, so it was only a question of time until I broke through. 47.Kd3 Rb2 48.Ke2 h4 49.Rd1 Ke5 50.Ra1 Rd8 51.Rd1 Rdb8 52.Ra1 Bd2 53.Ra6 Rd8 54.Rc6 Rb1 55.Kf2 Ra1 56.Rc4 Rd4 57.Rc8 Rb4 58.Ke2 Kf4 59.Kf2 Rbb1 60.Rf8+ Ke5 61.Bd3 Rb2 62.Ke2 Re1+ 63.Kf2 Rc1 64.Rxb2 cxb2 65.Rb8 Bc3 66.Be4 Bd4+ 67.Ke2 Kf4 68.Rb4 e5 69.Rb7 Kg3 And after this, Grischuk resigned and I secured qualification to the 2018 World Championship match! 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Grischuk,A2767Caruana,F27840–12018C43Candidates Tournament14

Beide schafften in ihren Wettkämpfen gegen Titelverteidiger Magnus Carlsen zwar ein ausgeglichenes Ergebnis mit 6:6 nach dem regulären Ende, unterlagen aber gegen den wohl weltbesten Schnellschach- und Blitzspieler im Stichkampf.

Nun werden die Karten im Kandidatenturnier von Jekaterinburg (früher: Sverdlovsk) neu gemischt. Fabiano Caruana ist klarer Elofavorit, doch entscheidend wird die aktuelle Form sein. Vielleicht spielt im Dezember 2020 mit Ding Liren oder Wang Hao erstmals in der Geschichte des Schachs ein Chinese um die Weltmeisterschaft.

Alle Partien in der Mega Database

Die ChessBase Mega Database 2020 ist mit über 8 Mio. Partien aus dem Zeitraum 1560 bis 2019 im ChessBase Qualitätsstandard die exklusive Schachdatenbank für höchste Ansprüche.

Sieger bei Kandidatenturnieren und- kämpfen (ohne Interregnum 1993-2006)

Sieger bei Kandidatenturnieren bis 1962

1950: David Bronstein (Sowjetunion, nach Stichkampf gegen Isaac Boleslavsky)
1954: Vassily Smyslov (Sowjetunion)
1956: Vassily Smyslov (Sowjetunion)
1960: Michail Tal (Sowjetunion)
1962: Tigran Petrosian (Sowjetunion)

Sieger der Kandidatenwettkämpfe 1966 bis 1993

1965: Boris Spassky (Sowjetunion)
1968: Boris Spassky (Sowjetunion)
1971: Bobby Fischer (USA)
1974: Anatoly Karpov (Sowjetunion)
1977: Viktor Kortschnoi (Schweiz)
1980: Viktor Kortschnoi (Schweiz)
1984: Garri Kasparow (Sowjetunion)
1987: Anatoly Karpov (Sowjetunion)
1990: Anatoly Karpov (Sowjetunion)
1993: Nigel Short (England)

2011: Boris Gelfand (Israel)

Sieger der Kandidatenturniere seit 2013

2013: Magnus Carlsen (Norwegen)
2014: Viswanathan Anand (Indien)
2016: Sergey Karjakin (Russland)
2018: Fabiano Caruana (USA)

FIDE-Tournament History...

André Schulz, seit 1991 bei ChessBase, ist seit 1997 der Redakteur der deutschsprachigen ChessBase Schachnachrichten-Seite.

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