Norway Chess 2023: Caruana Stopped by Mamedyarov, Nakamura Wins Against Tari

Game Intelligence and Average Game Point Loss Rankings

Here are the players' GI and average GPL scores as we have finished the halfway point of the tournament. The board is currently dominated by the three Americans, with Caruana leading the pack! Note that these are for statistics purposes and are different from the standings.

According to the engine, Anish Giri played with the lowest GPL, followed closely by Wesley So and Magnus Carlsen! This means that while they played more accurately, Caruana took more calculated risks and induced his opponents to make more mistakes, despite the fact that he lost to Mamedyarov in the last round!

Round 5 Game Summaries

In an exciting match, Magnus Carlsen and Anish Giri faced off with the Catalan Opening. Carlsen sacrificed a pawn for an attack in the center, but Giri was able to hold his ground. The game ended in a draw after 39 moves with both players showcasing their skill and avoiding any major mistakes or blunders.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov defeated Fabiano Caruana, the tournament leader, in a game that started with the English Opening, Four Knights Variation. In the middle game, Mamedyarov found a critical top engine move a5. Caruana struggled to keep the balance and after 24. Qg3, Mamedyarov was a clear pawn up and had the edge. Mamedyarov finally secured the victory after 47 moves, earning 3 points. Find the game here.

GM Alireza Firouzja met GM Wesley So in a match that opened with the Grünfeld Defense, Modern Exchange Variation. The game was mostly balanced, with neither player making any significant blunders. The game ended in a draw after 54 moves​.

The game between GM Hikaru Nakamura and GM Aryan Tari opened with the Bishop's Opening, Berlin Defense. Nakamura, playing white, put on an impressive performance and won the game. See the stats here.

Finally, in the match between young grandmasters GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov and GM Gukesh D, Nodirbek played a novelty 10. h3 in the Semi-Slav Defense. Gukesh defended very well and the game eventually ended in a draw. Gukesh drew the Armageddon game, receiving 1.5 points to Nodirbek’s 1 point.

Stay tuned for more thrilling matches in the Norway Chess 2023! Follow the Tari – Carlsen game below!

Information for the stats.

Stockfish provides Win, Draw, and Loss probabilities for each player based on its data.

Game Point Loss (GPL) represents the number of points lost by a player by making “sub-optimal” moves compared to the engine. A point loss of a move is the difference between expected value of a player’s move and the best move according to engine Win-Draw-Loss probabilities. The lower the GPL, the better the player played according to Stockfish.

Note that in Norway Chess, a win earns 3 points, while in a draw, the Armageddon winner gets 1.5 points, and the loser gets 1 point. GPL takes this unique scoring system into account.

The Game Intelligence (GI) Score is calculated by subtracting the player's GPL from the game result. This score combines human decision-making and engine evaluations in a single measure. If the game isn’t finished, then expected GI score is provided.

If both players play perfect engine moves, their GI would likely be 1, given that the majority of engine vs engine games end in a draw. However, when a player takes a calculated risk that results in a win, their GI could rise above 1. Moreover, if one player plays perfectly while their opponent blunders, then the GI has the potential to reach as high as 3.