Carlsen wins Shamkir - Two bishops theory strengthened

After a slow star (by everyone) the second half of the Shamkir tournament saw a lot more action. After Topalov broke the run of draws, Carlsen kicked into gear, winning 3 games and finishing on 6/9. Ding Liren showed he now firmly belongs in the top echelon by finishing on 5.5, while Sergey Karjakin was the only other player to finish above 50%, with 5/9. At the other end, Topalov collapsed after his loss to Kramnik, and finished on 4 (-2 overall), only ahead of David Navara on 2.5. And while Anish Giri finished on 50%, he wasn't actually the 'Giri' of the tournament, as that honour went to Teimour Radjabov, who drew all his games.
Giri's only loss of the tournament was to Carlsen in round 8, in a game that further demonstrates that the bishop pair may well be worth a full porn pawn.


Giri,Anish (2777) - Carlsen,Magnus (2843) [A29]
Vugar Gashimov Mem 2018 Shamkir AZE (8.3), 27.04.2018