As I’m sure is the case for many of you, the lack of in-person tournaments during the pandemic has only increased my craving for watching and analyzing high-quality chess games while at home, and the Tata Steel 2021 tournament did not disappoint! In my opinion, it was one of the most memorable tournaments of all time; in fact, I don’t recall any other tournament that I have followed as closely and enjoyed as greatly as this one in recent years. 

The tournament boasted a diverse mix of young talents and well-established great players, and I hope that other super tournaments will follow suit in order to bring fresh perspectives and more exciting games to their competitions.

For example, what I enjoyed most from this tournament was the variety of unique opening ideas that appeared in almost every round, especially from tournament winner Jorden Van Foreest. 2 years ago, I happened to play a rare opening idea against him during our match. Even then, he was well-prepared. Of course, he is a well-rounded player, and thus I am not surprised that he was the victor of this tournament – after all, one cannot win Tata Steel only with their superior opening knowledge! 

Game of the Week is: Jorden Van Foreest vs. Nils Grandelius 

Van Foreest’s best game in Tata Steel was played in the last round and is annotated below. His trademark of great opening preparation in a rare line shines in this game. 

Critical Position (Black to move)

Analysis of the game:

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Contributors:

Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli

Grandmaster Burak Firat

Edited by Della Almind