This week I focus on a number of key positions from the World Championship qualifier, the Candidates tournament, which concluded at the beginning of this week in Khanty-Mansisk in Siberia. The Candidates was a remarkable event, with two former world champions, Viswanathan Anand (the ultimate winner) and Vladimir Kramnik, competing, along with a former Fidé (World Chess Federation) champion, Veselin Topalov, the current world no. 2, Lev Aronian, and the seven-times Russian champion Peter Svidler.
On an open board in the endgame, a bishop will usually outperform a knight. Here Anand gives a textbook example.
Anand-Aronian; Fidé Candidates, Khanty-Mansisk 2014
39 Bd4 Nxa4 40 Rxc6 Rd8 41 Rc4 Bd7 42 b3 Bb5 43 Rb4 Nb2 44 Bxb5 axb5 45 Ke3 Re8+ 46 Kd2 Rd8 47 Kc3 Black resigns The knight is trapped after 47 … Nd1+ 48 Kc2.
Aronian-Mamedyarov; Fidé Candidates, Khanty-Mansisk 2014 (see diagram 2)
In the following seemingly balanced position, White unleashed a thunderbolt.
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