Corus, Wijk aan Zee 2006 Round 8. Brief comments by Mark Crowther.

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Corus, Wijk aan Zee 2006

Corus, Wijk aan Zee 2006. Round 8 22nd January 2006. Brief comments by Mark Crowther

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Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (NED), 14-29 i 2006                    cat. XIX (2716)
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                                         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 
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 1. Anand, Viswanathan       g IND 2792  * . 1 = . 1 . 1 = . . = 0 1  5.5  2851 
 2. Topalov, Veselin         g BUL 2801  . * . 0 = . 1 . . = = 1 1 1  5.5  2834 
 3. Karjakin, Sergey         g UKR 2660  0 . * = . . = = . = 1 . 1 1  5.0  2803 
 4. Adams, Michael           g ENG 2707  = 1 = * 0 1 . = = = . . . .  4.5  2776 
 5. Gelfand, Boris           g ISR 2723  . = . 1 * . = = . = = . 0 1  4.5  2752 
 6. Ivanchuk, Vassily        g UKR 2729  0 . . 0 . * = = 1 . . 1 1 =  4.5  2759 
 7. Van Wely, Loek           g NED 2647  . 0 = . = = * . 1 = = = . .  4.0  2716 
 8. Leko, Peter              g HUN 2740  0 . = = = = . * = . . = 1 .  4.0  2717 
 9. Aronian, Levon           g ARM 2752  = . . = . 0 0 = * . 1 . 1 =  4.0  2715 
10. Tiviakov, Sergei         g NED 2669  . = = = = . = . . * = = . 0  3.5  2663 
11. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar   g AZE 2709  . = 0 . = . = . 0 = * = . =  3.0  2620 
12. Sokolov, Ivan            g NED 2689  = 0 . . . 0 = = . = = * = .  3.0  2634 
13. Kamsky, Gata             g USA 2686  1 0 0 . 1 0 . 0 0 . . = * .  2.5  2594 
14. Bacrot, Etienne          g FRA 2717  0 0 0 . 0 = . . = 1 = . . *  2.5  2588 
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Round 8 (January 22, 2006)

Topalov, Veselin        -  Gelfand, Boris          1/2   72  C42  Petroff's Defence
Adams, Michael          -  Leko, Peter             1/2   24  B22  Sicilian Alapin
Van Wely, Loek          -  Ivanchuk, Vassily       1/2   46  E34  Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Tiviakov, Sergei        -  Karjakin, Sergey        1/2   44  B22  Sicilian Alapin
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar  -  Aronian, Levon          0-1   58  E15  Queens Indian
Sokolov, Ivan           -  Kamsky, Gata            1/2   23  D15  Slav Defence
Bacrot, Etienne         -  Anand, Viswanathan      0-1   62  E15  Queens Indian

Viswanathan Anand won in round 8 to rejoin Veselin Topalov in the lead. Both players were involved in drawish endings.

Anand probably started even a fraction worse in his ending against Bacrot but he equalised and then around move 45 he started to set serious problems. Bacrot missed the best saving chances and Anand took the full point after a final blunder.

Bacrot,E - Anand,V [E15]
Corus Wijk aan Zee (8), 22.01.2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 b5 6.cxb5 Bxb5 7.Bg2 Bb4+ 8.Bd2 a5 9.0-0 d5 [9...0-0 10.Nc3 Bc6 11.Qc2 Qc8 12.a3 Bxc3 13.Bxc3 Qb7 14.Rfc1 Be4 15.Qd1 Nc6 16.Bf1 Bxf3 17.exf3 Nd5 18.Be1 Rfb8 19.Rab1 Qb6 20.Rc4 a4 21.b4 Na5 22.Rc2 Nb3 23.Rc4 Na5 24.Rc2 Nb3 25.Rc4 c6 26.f4 Nc7 27.Bc3 Nb5 28.Bb2 Rd8 29.Bd3 f5 30.Qe2 Re8 31.Rd1 d5 32.Rc5 Nxc5 33.dxc5 Qb7 34.Qe5 Qc7 35.Bxb5 Qxe5 36.Bxe5 cxb5 37.c6 Rec8 38.Rc1 Ra6 39.c7 Kf7 40.Rc5 Rb6 41.Kf1 g6 42.Ke2 Ke7 43.Kd3 Kd7 44.Kd2 Rb7 45.Kd3 Rb6 46.Kd2 Rb7 47.Kd3 Rb6 1/2-1/2 Georgiev,K-Granda Zuniga,J/Yerevan ARM 1996] 10.Nc3 Ba6 11.a3 Be7 12.Ne5 0-0 13.Re1 Nfd7 14.Nf3 Nf6 15.Ne5 Nfd7 16.Nxd7 Nxd7 17.e4 dxe4?! According to Anand. [17...c6] 18.Bxe4 Rb8 19.Na4 Nf6 20.Bf3 Qxd4 21.Bxa5 Qxd1 22.Bxd1 c5 23.Rc1 Rfc8 24.Bc3 Nd7 25.Bc2 Bb5 26.Nb2 Bf6 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Re3 Bc6 29.Bd1 Bd5 30.Rec3 Rc7 31.Nd3 Rcb7 32.b4 cxb4 33.Nxb4 Be4 The game is probably just equal here. 34.Re3 Bg6 35.h4 h5 36.Nc6 [36.Bf3 Rxb4 37.axb4 Rxb4 was Anand's planned continuation with a likely draw.] 36...Rb1 37.Rec3 R8b2 38.a4 Kf8 39.a5 Rxc1 40.Rxc1 Ra2 41.Bf3 Kg7 42.Kg2 Kh6 43.Re1 Nc5 44.Re2 Ra1 45.Re3 Kg7 46.Rc3 [46.Kh2 with Bg2 and f4 was a post game suggestion to hold.] 46...Nd3!

Now black is in serious difficulty. 47.Be2 Ne1+ 48.Kh3 Bf5+ 49.g4 hxg4+ 50.Bxg4 Be4 White may be able to hold this but his pieces are so disorganised its possible it just isn't. 51.Nd4 f5 52.Be2 Ra4 53.Nb3 Bg2+ 54.Kg3 f4+ 55.Kh2 Bd5 56.Kg1 Ng2 57.h5 Nh4 58.Bd1 Ra3 [58...Re4] 59.Kh2 Nf5 60.Rd3 Nd6 61.Rd4 Ne4 62.Bc2? [62.Bf3 f5] 62...Ng5 0-1

Veselin Topalov was the last to finish with a 78 move draw against Boris Gelfand. Topalov made no progress in the Petroff's Defence and the game entered a knight and pawn ending where both players seemed to be testing each other out to no avail.

Gata Kamsky played an unusual line in the Slav Defence against Ivan Sokolov. Sokolov might have been able to get more of an advantage but as it was Kamsky found a nice temporary piece sacrifice which allowed him to castle and equalise.

Sokolov,Iv - Kamsky,G [D15]
Corus Wijk aan Zee (8), 22.01.2006

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Qb6 5.e3 Bf5 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Ne5 [7.Bb5+; 7.Na4; 7.Qb3; 7.Bd3] 7...Bd7 [7...e6 1-0 Zinner,E-Herzog,F/Moravska Ostrava 1933 (39); 7...Nc6] 8.Bd2 [8.Bd3 e6 9.0-0 Bd6 10.f4 Nc6 11.Kh1 g6 12.a3 Rc8 13.Bd2 Ne7 14.b4 h5 15.Na4 Bxa4 16.Qxa4+ Kf8 17.b5 Qd8 18.Rac1 Rxc1 19.Bxc1 Bb8 20.Qc2 Kg7 21.Bd2 Nf5 22.Nf3 Ng4 23.Qc1 Bd6 24.a4 Qe7 25.Qe1 Bb8 26.Bb4 Qd8 27.Bd2 Nd6 28.Ng5 Nf6 29.Qa1 Qe7 30.Bb4 Qd7 31.Bxd6 Bxd6 32.h3 Rc8 33.Rc1 Rc7 34.Qb1 Ne8 35.Rxc7 Bxc7 36.Nf3 Bd6 37.Qc2 Qc7 38.Kg1 Qxc2 39.Bxc2 Bc7 40.Kf2 Nd6 41.Ke2 1/2-1/2 Jankovec,I-Grabarczyk,M/Karvina 1994] 8...e6 9.Rc1 Nc6 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.Na4 Qc7 12.b4 a6 13.b5 axb5 14.Bxb5 Ba3 15.Rc2 Nb6 16.Nc5 Bxc5 17.Rxc5 Rxa2 18.Qb1 Ra8 19.Ba5

19...0-0! A temporary sacrifice of a piece which equalises. 20.Bxc6 bxc6 21.Bxb6 Qb7 22.0-0 Rfb8 23.Qc2 1/2-1/2

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov against Levon Aronian saw the former try and improve upon Van Wely - Karjakin round 6. Very quickly Mamedyarov had to give up the exchange which probably should have held but didn't.

Sergei Tiviakov got a big advantage against Sergey Karjakin out of the Sicilian c3 he played. He scattered black's pawn structure at the cost of a pawn. Eventually Karjakin managed to get his rooks active which proved enough to gain a draw.

Michael Adams surprised Peter Leko by playing a c3 Sicilian but the position quickly became equal and repetition followed.

Van Wely was another player who got nothing with white, in fact his opponent Vassily Ivanchuk was better throughout but the Rook ending was just savable.

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