Multiple Pile-Up on the Rock

No fewer than ten players now share the lead on 5/6 after Sunday's sixth round. Etienne Bacrot (France) was one of the four leaders on 4½/5, but he opted out by taking a half-point bye in round six, while Pentala Harikrishna and Abhijeet Gupta (both India) played a long but ultimately indecisive game. Markus Ragger (Austria), the other player on 4½, had an interesting struggle with Hikaru Nakamura (USA) but they too drew.

Given that there were a large number of players on 4/5, it was inevitable that a good number of them would catch up with the leaders. In the end six of them did so. Perhaps the most impressive of those who advanced to 5/6 was Lázaro Bruzón (Cuba), who won what was probably the game of the day against Alexander Donchenko (Germany).

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2016, Round 6

L.Bruzon  (2666) - A.Donchenko

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 a6 Like Be7 against the French Tarrasch, which Harika Dronavalli used to defeat Nigel Short a couple of days ago, this move, in conjunction with the one that follows, is an idea implemented by Oleg Romanishin in the 1970s. It looks quite lively. 4.d3 b5 5.e4 Bb7 6.e5 The only game on the database in this particular line continued 6.Nbd2 bxc4 7.Nxc4 d5 8.exd5 Qxd5 and White was soon in trouble. 6...Ng4 7.d4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 c5 Stockfish prefers to challenge in the centre with 8...d6 when 9.h3!? allows 9...dxe5 10.hxg4 exd4 11.a3 Ba5 12.b4 dxc3 13.Qxd8+ Kxd8 secures Black a material advantage at the cost, after 14.Bg2 Bb6 15.c5 Ba7, of having his bishop entombed. The text looks more like a human move. 9.Bg2 Nc6 10.dxc5 Ncxe5!? Another try is 10...Qc8, intending the capture on e5 without the b7–bishop being loose. The text leads to a long, forcing sequence which maintains the equilibrium despite the imabalance of material. 11.Nxe5 Bxg2 12.Qxg4 Qf6 13.Qd4 Bxh1 14.Bg5 14.Qxd7+ Kf8 15.Bf4 g5 16.Qc7 Kg7 17.Bxg5 Qf5 18.g4 Ba5!? is finely balanced. 14...Qf5 15.Qxd7+ Kf8 16.Be7+ Kg8 17.0‑0‑0 Threatening mate in two so Black can't take anything. 17...h5 18.Bd6 Bxc3 19.bxc3

19...Bf3? This costs Black a vital tempo. Instead 19...Bg2 and White has compensation for the exchange and a grip on the position but, as yet, nothing tangible. For example, 20.Rd4? Qxf2 21.Rf4 Qe1+ and White is most probably losing. 20.Rd4! Be4 Black no longer has a ready counteroffensive and Rf4 is a deadly threat, so he has to block the rook's path to that square, rather awkwardly, with the bishop. 21.f3 Bb1? A mate in one threat but easily parried leaving the bishop out on a limb. 21...Qg5+!? 22.Kb2 (22.f4 Qf5 23.Rxe4 Qxe4 24.Qxf7+ is only a draw.) 22...Bg6 23.Rf4 f6 is better for White but not quite over. 22.Rd2 Rh6 23.c6 Kh7 It's always hard to admit your error and move a piece back where it came from on the last move but Stockfish gives 23...Rh8 24.c7 Kh7 to stop the passed pawn. However, 25.Nxf7 Rhe8 26.f4 and Black is being tied in knots. The position is lost whatever he does. 24.c7 h4 25.g4 Qf4 26.Nxf7 Qe3 27.Be5 Bxa2 28.Qd3+ Qxd3 29.Rxd3 1‑0

Romain Edouard, of France, lost to Yu Yangyi of China. It was a little unfortunate; though White was pressing in a double rook and pawns endgame just before the time control, it looked defensible but Black launched his passed d-pawn down the board. Often a good plan here but not here.

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2016, Round 6

Yu Yangyi (2747) - R.Edouard (2617)

"Passed pawns should be pushed," said somebody or other. Or not, as the case may be. (I'm not going to risk a good 'Wintering' by blurting out some unverifiable assertion.) Anyway, the point is, it is not necessarily true. This is an example of a passed pawn which should stay exactly where it is and not move at all. 38...d5? Simply 38...Re8 when, if 39.Rh6, now 39...d5 makes more sense. In the position the d6–pawn had been doing a useful job preventing the rooks from using e5 as a jumping-off point. 39.R4e5 d4+? Another inaccuracy. Black would still be in with a chance after 39...R2c3+ 40.Kf4 Re8, though 41.Rh6 may be winning. 40.Ke4! Everything would be hunky-dory if White had to play 40.Kxd4 but he doesn't. 40...Re8 41.Kd5 The white king does a neat slalom round the d4–pawn and advances to support the e7–pawn. White is relaxed about Black's passed pawn. He has a contingency plan should it dare to advance any further. 41...d3 42.Rf5+ Kg7 43.Rg5+ Kf7 44.Rf5+ Kg7 45.Kd6! d2 46.Rg5+ Kf7 47.Rf5+ Kg7 48.Rd5 Kf7 49.Ree5 1‑0 White's primary threat is to check the black king over to the h-file and take the h5–pawn with check, thus creating a passed h4–pawn. Black's most active plan is 49...Rc4 but then 50.Rxd2 Rxh4 51.Rf2+ Kg7 52.Rf8! Rxf8 53.Rg5+ and if 53...Kf7 54.Rf5+, etc.

Let's run through the other results which brought players up to the score of 5/6. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) ground out a win against Gawain Jones (England). I heard tell of Gawain forgetting his theory; MVL gained the two bishops out of the opening and never seemed to release his grip, though it took him some time to prove a win. Richard Rapport (Hungary) refuted Adrien Demuth of France's speculative exchange sacrifice in an entertaining Dutch defence. Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (India) steadily outplayed Moulthun Ly (Australia); and Harika Dronavalli's great run of success was brought to an end by David Anton Guijarro (Spain).

Let's recap on the ten leaders leaders after six rounds: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Etienne Bacrot (both France), Markus Ragger (Austria), Pentala Harikrishna, Abhijeet Gupta, Santosh Gujrathi Vidit (all India), Yu Yangyi (China), Lázaro Bruzón (Cuba), Richard Rapport (Hungary), David Anton Guijarro (Spain).

In the race for the women's prize, Harika Dronavalli is still on 4/6 and has now been caught by Valentina Gunina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Alina Kashlinskaya (all Russia), Irina Krush (USA), Padmini Rout (India), and Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine).

Let's close with this rather attractive finish, which, in rating terms, produced a shock result. And yet GN Gopal of India is surely worth rather more than a rating of 2525 as he has been a contender for first place in Gibraltar more than once. David Howell was doubly unlucky to catch him on particularly good form and with such a surprisingly low rating. But the finish was undeniably delicious.

Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2016, Round 6

G.N. Gopal (2525) - D.Howell

Black had got into a tangle just before the time control and had been in a lost position for some time. But the finish is very nice: 45.Qc1!! Luring the queen away from the kingside to allow the rook, knight and pawn to despatch the king without interruption. 45...Qxc1 46.Rxf8+ Kh7 47.Rxf7+ Kh8 48.Nxg6+ Kg8 49.Rg7 mate