Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Marathon of Inaccuracies
The Chennai Grand Masters 2024 was India’s strongest classical super-tournament of the year. It took place in Chennai from November 5 to 11. The tournament used an eight-player round-robin with a time control of 90min and 30 seconds increment from move one. The prize fund was approximately $60,000 ($17,800 for the winner).
The Sports Development Authority of Tamilnadu sponsored the tournament that took place in the Anna Centenary Library. The library takes the name after C.N. Annadurai, former chief minister of the state of Tamilnadu.
GMs taking part included: Erigaisi, Aronian, Vachier-Lagrave, Vidit, Maghsoodloo, Sarana, Tabatabaei and Chithambaram.
The first round was an exciting one with two decisive games. In one of them Vachier-Lagrave won over Maghsoodloo with a masterfully executed endgame technique. The second is the game selected for this post where both compatriots, Erigaisi and Vidit played a marathon game that lasted 96 moves. The game contains many mistakes and fluctuating chances that the diagram below shows:
It’s worth noting Erigaisi’s comments after the game that shows his full focus on his games. Before this game, Erigaisi’s live rating was ELO 2799. After this game, his rating took him to 2803. When asked if this high rating and being the favorite in the tournament put him under any pressure, he answered. “Not really. For now, I am just relieved that I survived a game!”
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