|
|
|
|
 |
|
Chess by Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph
 Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)
you can read his chess columns along with those of Nigel Short and David
Norwood at their new
Chess
Club (to read the columns you need to register which is free). Win
prizes in the Telegraph chess challenge on the Chess Club pages. 10th Round Wednesday, 5th March 2003. Luis Rentero, the former patron of the Linares tournament would not have approved as the tenth round saw three more draws in the twentieth edition of the event known as the 'Wimbledon of Chess'. The leading placings remained unchanged and Vladimir Kramnik, who agreed a draw with Francisco Vallejo-Pons after just thirteen moves, retained a half point lead. Snr Rentero once became so frustrated by the lack of fighting spirit in one of his tournaments he fined some of the players for not making enough moves. It caused a scandal at the time but some of the spectators including many on the internet were wistfully recalling those days after one of the three games played finished so quickly. Kramnik could well have continued and had a promising pawn sacrifice available but the temptation to sit on his lead was too much. The other players chose to fight and Garry Kasparov's game against Peter Leko was the highlight of the day's play as both players sacrificed a rook for a bishop in a bid for victory. Leko appeared to have the better chances at one point but with both players short of time Kasparov found a very dangerous tactical chance and Leko then had to play accurately to make him force perpetual check. The fifteen year old prodigyTeimour Radjabov wisely switched from the French Defence to the Sicilian Defence for his game aganst Ruslan Ponomariov and should have converted an advantage to a win as the Fide champion again proved to be badly prepared. Radjabov should have been a clear pawn up but missed a trick and Ponomariov escaped with a draw his innocuous opening play did not deserve. Round ten results: Kasparov draw Leko, Sicilian Rossolimo, 33 moves; Vallejo-Pons, draw Kramnik, English Opening, Sicilian Reversed, 13; Ponomariov draw Radjabov, Sicilian Defence 3…e5, 41; Anand bye Scores after 10 rounds: 1 Kramnik (Russia) 5.5/9; 2 Leko (Hungary) 5/8; 3 Kasparov (Russia) 5/9; 4 Anand (India), 4.5/8; 5-6 Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Ponomariov (Ukraine) 3.5/9; 7 Vallejo-Pons (Spain) 3/8; Kasparov,G (2847) - Leko,P (2736) [B30] XX SuperGM Linares ESP (10), 05.03.2003 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Qc7 5.0-0 Nd4 6.Re1 [ 6.Nxd4 was Anand v Leko round 6 won by Anand] 6...a6 7.Bc4 [ 7.e5 led to a quick draw in Anand v Kramnik round four.] 7...d6 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 g6 10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.d3 h6 Necessary. If [ 11...Bg7 12.Bg5] 12.b4 Bg7 13.Qe2 Bf6 14.Qf3 Kf8 15.Bb2 Qb6 16.a3 h5 17.h3 h4 18.Qf4 Bf5 19.Rab1 Rh5 [ 19...Kg7? 20.Rxe7! Bxe7 21.Bxd4+] 20.a4 Be5 21.Qf3 Rc8 22.a5 Qd8 23.Re2 [ 23.Bc1 followed by Bf4 was another attempt to break Black's blockade on the position. Leko's counter sacrifice gave him good chances.] 23...Rc7 24.Rbe1 Qc8 25.Rxe5 dxe5 26.Rxe5 Rxc4 27.dxc4 Qxc4 28.Re2 Bxc2 29.d6  [ 29.Bxd4 Qxd4 30.Rxc2 Qxd5 with an extra pawn.] 29...exd6 [ 29...Bd1 appears to win for Black but after: 30.Qxb7 Qxe2 31.Qa8+ Kg7 32.d7 it is Black who must force perpetual with Qe1-e5.] 30.Rd2 d3 imprisons Kasparov's rook but make his bishop a monster. [ 30...Qb3 was a safer alternative keeping an extra pawn in the endgame after a queen exchange but the opposite coloured bishops make a draw likely.] 31.Qxb7 Rf5 32.Qd7 [ 32.Qb8+ Ke7 33.Bg7 Ba4 would have put some pressure on Black.] 32...f6 33.Qxd6+ Kf7  1/2-1/2 Ponomariov,R (2734) - Radjabov,T (2624) [B30] XX SuperGM Linares ESP (10), 05.03.2003 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Ng5 0-0 8.f4 Bg4 9.Qe1 exf4 10.Bxf4 Nd4 11.Qd2 Qd7 12.h3 Bh5 13.g4 Bg6 14.Nd5 b5 15.Bb3 Bd8 16.Rae1 Nxb3 17.axb3 Nxd5 18.exd5 Bf6 19.Nf3 Rfe8 20.Qh2 Bxb2 21.Bxd6 a5 22.Be5 Bxe5 23.Rxe5 Rxe5 24.Qxe5 Re8 25.Qc3 Qd6 [ 25...h5 Fritz likes h5 here and so do I. MC.] 26.Kf2 b4 27.Re1 f6 28.Rxe8+ Bxe8 29.Qc4 Bf7 [ 29...h6 would then have enabled Black to round up the d5 pawn with good winning chances.] 30.d4 Bxd5 31.dxc5 Qd7 32.Qf4 Bxf3 33.Qxf3 Qd2+ 34.Qe2 Qf4+ 35.Kg2 Kf7 36.c6 Qd4 37.c7 Qd5+ 38.Qf3 Qc5 39.Qb7 Forcing black to take a draw. 39...Qxc2+ 40.Kf3 Qc3+ 41.Ke2  1/2-1/2 |
|
| All material © Mark Crowther |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
" 
