Biel R7: Carlsen 0.5 – 0.5 Vachier-Lagrave

A very exciting round was played on Sunday at the Accentus GM Tournament in Biel. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Peter Svidler won their games, while Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drew after a hard fight. That left Mamedyarov with a one-point advantage over the World Champion with three round to go.

Vachier-Lagrave worked as Magnus’s second in the last World Championship match, but their friendship didn’t stop them from playing two fighting games in Biel. In Round 7, Maxime used one of the weapons that helped him climb to the very top of the ratings list, the Najdorf. Trusting his deep knowledge in this variation, he left the usual paths and went for something a little unconventional.

The leader will have Black against MVL in the eighth round, while Carlsen will try to close the gap in the standings by beating Svidler.

See also:

• Official website
• All the Biel games with computer analysis on chess24
• Biel R1: Carlsen squeezes, Mamedyarov demolishes
• Biel R2: Vintage Magnus wins again
• Biel R3: Short but sweet
• Biel R4-5: MVL scores
• Biel R6: Shak grabs the lead