In the final round, Magnus Carlsen made a surprising opening choice. He opted for a Philidor Defence, but with the modern 'Lion' move-order. After freeing his position Carlsen advanced his c-pawn seeking active play. Caruana snatched this pawn, but enabled Carlsen to obtain the initiative. This proved sufficient to regain the pawn, but no more, and a balanced position ensued.
Alexander Morozevich's is renowned for some unusual opening choices. Here 3...a6 in the Queen's Gambit was another example of the Russian going his own way. Pelletier opted for the Carlsbad structure and then opened up play in the centre, but Morozevich gradually took control of some key squares. The Queen and Knight pseudo-endgame turned out to be very unpleasant for the defender.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave chose to meet the Semi-Slav with 5.g3 when play reverted to a Catalan. Alexei Shirov snatched, and then held onto the c-pawn, which induced complications as the Frenchman sought compensation. Vachier-Lagrave was more active for his pawn deficit, but didn't find anything better than a repetition.
The Round 10 summary:
| White | Rating | Results | Black | Rating | Moves | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yannick Pelletier | 2590 | 0-1 | Alexander Morozevich | 2694 | 51 | Queen's Gambit Declined |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 2722 | ½-½ | Alexei Shirov | 2714 | 21 | Catalan (by Transposition) Opening |
| Fabiano Caruana | 2711 | ½-½ | Magnus Carlsen | 2821 | 39 | Philidor Defence |
The standings after round 10:
| Rank | Name | Country | Rating | 1w | 1b | 2w | 2b | 3w | 3b | 4w | 4b | 5w | 5b | 6w | 6b | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnus Carlsen | NOR | 2821 | * | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Alexander Morozevich | RUS | 2694 | ½ | ½ | * | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 6.5 |
| 3-4 | Alexei Shirov | ESP | 2714 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 5 |
| 3-4 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | FRA | 2722 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | * | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5 |
| 5 | Fabiano Caruana | ITA | 2711 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | * | * | ½ | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | Yannick Pelletier | SUI | 2590 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | * | * | 2.5 |
The classification according to the Biel points (3 for a win, 1 for a draw) is as follows:
| Position | Name | Country | Rating | Biel Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnus Carlsen | NOR | 2815 | 19 |
| 2 | Alexander Morozevich | RUS | 2694 | 17 |
| 3-4 | Alexei Shirov | ESP | 2714 | 12 |
| 3-4 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | FRA | 2722 | 12 |
| 5 | Fabiano Caruana | ITA | 2711 | 10 |
| 6 | Yannick Pelletier | SUI | 2590 | 5 |
A fine result for Morozevich who will gain further rating points, and should pass the 2700-mark easily on the next list which comes out on the 1st of September.
The rate of play:
