GM Yermolinsky -  Norway Chess 2023 Part 1

Opening: B30, C54: Sicilian Defence: 2.Nf3 Nc6 (without 3.Bb5 g6 (B31) 3.Bb5 d6 (B51)), Giuoco Piano

Player(s): Tari, Abdusattorov, Firouzja, Gukesh

The 2023 edition of the traditional tournament in Stavanger holds answers to two questions. First, is Magnus Carlsen still a dominant player in classical time control? Second, has the new generation, represented by Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Domaraju Gukesh, truly arrived in the sense of replacing the old guard? At the time of writing these words, the answers are negative. Carlsen, who lost his opening game to his old rival Fabiano Caruana, is languishing in the middle of the field with no wins in Classical to his credit. Magnus's perfect record in Armageddon games is a small consolation in both impact on the standings and the sense of dissatisfaction with his overall quality of play. One wonders whether Carlsen's decision not to defend his title was due to his losing interest in World Championship matches in particular or, perhaps, part of a larger trend of no longer having the heart for long time controls altogether. I will hold on with a final judgment on that matter until the tournament is over. In the meantime, Video #1 shows some games of the above-mentioned youngsters. At best, they're a mixed bag. The biggest disappointment belongs to Abdusattorov, while Firouzja fights well only to come up short in the results department. To his credit, Gukesh has been steady, but the crosstable sees the older guys ahead of them.

Teacher's library (718) B30 C54 Tari Abdusattorov Firouzja Gukesh recap