Highlights: Sinquefield Cup 2024

A lot of known elite players participated except for Magnus Carlsen, with an average FIDE rating 2755. Draw rate was 75% so 11 desisive results out of 45 games. Still there were some interesting games. So, I'll just go through players, their perfomance and interesting games / positions. You can check games in the form of study. Alireza became the winner scoring 6/9 unbeaten. Puzzles from these games!

Alireza Firouzja

Alireza started his tournament with a black win against Caruana with some battle of maneuvers. This win turned out to be important, since Caruana finished second, 0,5 point behind Alireza himself.

In the 5th Round Alireza won Giri, in a way it seems that it's rather Giri who lost, than Alireza who won. After some good defence, Giri blundered some tactics on move 42

In the 7th Round, Firouzja won Ding, who didn't really showed good playing in the second half of the tournament. Position was closed and complex, dynamically balanced though, but once Ding decided to open it up, it turned to be in big Alireza's favor.

Alireza made draws in other games, becoming a sole winner. Incredibly solid, just reminding how much of a strong player he is.

Fabiano Caruana

While he started the tournament with a loss against Alireza, he managed to not tilt but go on +3 after.
In the 3rd Round, not without help from the opponent, won Abdusattorov

Win against Nepo in the 6th Round featured some thematic Dragon stuff. Not the opening you see very often on elite level in classical!

And he won Anish in the last round. Some interesting opening stuff, I suppose Giri went for a wrong plan

Maxim Vachier-Lagrave

Seems like he had a peaceful mood a whole tournament. For example he agreed to a repetition in this position against Alireza. I mean not like it's winning for black, but there's ton of play, and black is preferable. Maybe it's wise in some way.

Anyway he had like 25 drawing streak, which ended with his win against Ding

Quite solid tournament for Maxim, Caruana said that he's improving lately on his podcast and will be able to go back on 2750 soon

Abdusattorov Nodirbek

Even though losing to Caruana, was able go on +1 winning Wesley in the 7th and Nepo in the 9th Round.
Win against Nepo is kinda interesting

Gukesh and Pragg

Put in one section since they both made 9 draws but both also has their own moments when they swindled / didn't convert something winning. Their game against each other is kinda interesting rook endgame

Wesley So

Made it to the 50% by losing to Nodirbek and winning against Nepo. Seems like he just played solid. Nepo kinda gifted him a win in a semi-drawish endgame. Not like it's really simple but not something very often lost on 2700+ level. But Wesley is inconvenient opponent for Ian, their score suggests that

Ding Liren

Finished with -2 losing to Alireza in 7th and Maxim in last round. In Astana, in FIDE World Rapid&Blitz Team Championship, there were some signs that he's back in shape as well as in the first half of the tournament, but still lost 2 games in the second half. So, we'll see how he will compete against Gukesh in Sungapore for the World Champion Title. For now, we have their game here, where Ding opted for a fast draw while had some other opportunities to keep game going. Kinda reminds his draw in Catalan with white against Magnus in Norway Chess.

Nepomniachtchi Ian

Started 2/3 winning Anish in 3rd round in style with crushing attack.

Then lost this rook endgame to Wesley in Round 4 and got tilted I suppose. What's kinda funny coincidence, he had the same endgame in Round 5 against Ding, having a pawn up himself. Game ended in a draw this time. -2 in the end

Anish Giri

Lost 3 games to Ian, Caruana and Alireza and draw all other games. Not much games to show, not a good perfomance from him.

I also made some puzzles from these games!

Some meme in the end