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Round 3 (May 13, 2006)
Anand, Viswanathan - Kamsky, Gata 0-1 57 C88 Ruy Lopez Closed
Ponomariov, Ruslan - Topalov, Veselin 1/2 66 D45 Anti-Meran Variations
Bacrot, Etienne - Svidler, Peter 1/2 32 D85 Gruenfeld Defence
Mtel Masters Sofia BUL (BUL), 11-21 v 2006 cat. XX (2745)
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1 2 3 4 5 6
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1 Kamsky, Gata g USA 2671 ** .. 1. =. .. 1. 2.5 3022
2 Svidler, Peter g RUS 2743 .. ** .. 1. =. =. 2.0 2875
3 Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2803 0. .. ** .. 1. 1. 2.0 2852
4 Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2738 =. 0. .. ** =. .. 1.0 2614
5 Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2804 .. =. 0. =. ** .. 1.0 2636
6 Bacrot, Etienne g FRA 2708 0. =. 0. .. .. ** 0.5 2466
-------------------------------------------------------------The third round of the Mtel Masters took place on Saturday 13th May 2006. Gata Kamsky retired from chess at the age of 22 after his failed FIDE world title bid against Anatoly Karpov and the Donner Memorial of 1996. He virtually disappeared for 8 years apart from a brief appearance in 1999 until 2004. It emerged then that he had just finished his legal studies but it wasn't quite clear whether he was going to resume his career fully. His invitation to the Wijk aan Zee tournament at the start of the year signalled the possibility that he may do so. Two things were obvious there, firstly that he retained much of his power as a player, and secondly he would have to do some drastic work to bring his openings up to date. Although its early days things seem promising for him. His start was a fairly grovelly draw against Ruslan Ponomariov followed by a ground out win against Etienne Bacrot. In round three he faced the sole leader Viswanathan Anand with black. The game started as a Ruy Lopez Anti-Marshall where Kamsky came up with an interesting plan. Eventually Kamsky got the d5 break in and equalised and the game appeared to be drifting towards a draw. However Kamsky had other ideas and it gradually became apparent that Anand was in trouble and things quickly ran away from him. This places Kamsky at the head of the field with 2.5/3. Anand,V - Kamsky,G [C88] Mtel Masters (3), 13.05.2006 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.h3 Bb7 9.d3 d6 10.a3 Qd7 11.Nbd2 Nd8 12.c3 [12.Nf1 c5 (12...Ne6 13.c3 Rfe8 14.Ng3 Bf8 15.Ba2 g6 16.d4 exd4 17.cxd4 Bg7 18.b4 Rad8 19.d5 Nf8 20.Bb2 c6 21.dxc6 Bxc6 22.Ng5 Ne6 23.Nxe6 fxe6 24.Rc1 Kh8 25.e5 dxe5 26.Qxd7 Bxd7 27.Bxe5 Rc8 28.Rcd1 Nd5 29.Bxg7+ Kxg7 30.Ne4 Rc7 31.Rd2 Nf4 32.g3 Nxh3+ 33.Kg2 e5 34.Red1 Bg4 35.f3 Bf5 36.Nd6 Ree7 37.Nxf5+ gxf5 38.Kxh3 e4 39.fxe4 fxe4 40.Bb1 e3 41.Re2 Rc3 42.Rd3 Rc1 43.Ba2 Ra1 44.Bd5 a5 45.Rexe3 Ra7 46.Bc6 axb4 47.axb4 R1a6 48.Rd7+ Rxd7 49.Bxd7 Kf6 50.Rc3 1-0 Xie Jun-Li Ruofan/Xiapu 2005) 13.Ng3 Ne6 14.Nf5 Bd8 15.Be3 Bb6 16.Qd2 Qc7 17.Ba2 Rfe8 18.Bg5 Nh5 19.Be3 Rad8 20.Bd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 Nef4 22.c4 Qd7 23.Bxf4 Nxf4 24.Ng3 bxc4 25.dxc4 f5 26.b4 Rf8 27.Rab1 Rde8 28.b5 a5 29.a4 h6 30.Ne2 Ng6 31.Nc1 e4 32.Nh2 Ne5 33.Qc2 Qe7 34.Rb3 Qg5 35.Rg3 Qf6 36.Rge3 Qg5 37.Rg3 Qf6 38.Rge3 Qg5 39.Rg3 1/2-1/2 Zhigalko,S-Staniszewski,P/Warsaw POL 2005/The Week in Chess 583] 12...Ne6 13.d4 Rad8 14.d5 Nf4 15.Nf1 Ng6 16.Ng3 c6 17.Bg5 cxd5 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Bxd5 Nf4 20.Bxb7 Qxb7 Black is going to be able to get in d5 and equalise. 21.Qc2 g6 22.Rad1 d5 23.exd5 Rxd5 24.Rxd5 Qxd5 25.Rd1 Qe6 26.Qe4 Rb8 Stopping the white queen going to b7. 27.Ne2 Nxe2+ 28.Qxe2 Re8 29.Qe4 Stopping e4. 29...h6 30.g4 Bg5 An interesting idea, Kamsky is prepared to have his pawn's doubled. The idea is Bf4 which of course Anand can't prevent. 31.Nxg5 hxg5 32.Qd5 Kg7 33.Qxe6 Rxe6 34.Rd7 Kf6 35.Kf1 Rc6 36.Ke2 Ke6 37.Rd8 e4 White is definitely on the back foot. 38.f3 exf3+ 39.Kxf3 Rd6 40.Re8+ Kd5 41.b3 Rf6+ 42.Kg2 Rc6 43.Re3 f5 44.gxf5 
Straightening out Kamsky's pawns but clearly Anand didn't like giving a protected passed pawn to his opponent. 44...gxf5 45.Rg3? After this Kamsky seems to be winning. [45.Kf3] 45...Ke4 46.a4 bxa4 47.bxa4 Kf4 48.Rf3+ Ke5 49.Re3+ Kf6 50.Rd3 f4 51.Kf3 Ke5! A very nice plan indeed. 52.Kg4 Rd6! 53.Rxd6 [53.Rf3 Rd1 wins also.] 53...Kxd6 54.h4 gxh4 55.Kxh4 Kd5 56.Kh3 Ke4 57.Kg2 Ke3 0-1 The first game to finish was that between Etienne Bacrot and Peter Svidler. Bacrot started to put pressure on Svidler and forced him to play the rather unusual 14. Bf6. The assessment of the position became unclear but an interesting tactical sequence left Svidler the opportunity to take the initiative with 23. ...Ne4 instead he traded into an ending where he had to display some care. The game finished with a repetition. Bacrot,E - Svidler,P [D85] Mtel Masters (3), 13.05.2006 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 [7...0-0 is the other option.] 8.Rb1 0-0 9.Be2 b6 10.0-0 Bb7 11.Qd3 Qc7 12.d5 Nd7 13.Qc2 Rad8 [13...Ne5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.c4 e6 16.Bb2 Qc7 17.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.a4 exd5 19.exd5 Rfe8 20.Bd3 Bc8 21.a5 Rb8 22.axb6 axb6 23.Qc3+ Qe5 24.Qxe5+ Rxe5 25.Rb3 Bf5 26.Bxf5 Rxf5 27.g3 1/2-1/2 Bacrot,E-Navara,D/Gothenburg SWE 2005/The Week in Chess 561] 14.Bg5 Bf6 Probably forced. [14...Nf6 15.c4!; 14...Rfe8 makes no sense.] 15.Bh6 [15.Bxf6 Nxf6 16.c4] 15...Bg7 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.a4 e6 18.dxe6 Nf6 19.Ng5 h6 20.Nxf7 Bxe4 21.Qb3 [21.Qc1 Rxf7 22.exf7 Bxb1 23.Qxb1 Qxf7] 21...Rxf7 [21...Bxb1 22.Nxd8 Bf5] 22.exf7 Bxb1 23.Rxb1  23...Qxf7?! [23...Ne4! was definitely the best move. 24.c4 would be the likely continuation.] 24.Qxf7+ Kxf7 25.Bc4+ Kf8 26.f3 Rd2 27.a5 bxa5 28.Ra1 Rc2 29.Bd3 Rd2 30.Bc4 [30.Bxg6 Nd5 31.Rxa5 Ne3 32.Be4 Rxg2+ 33.Kh1 c4 34.Rxa7 Rb2 35.Ra1] 30...Rc2 31.Bd3 Rd2 32.Bc4 1/2-1/2 The final game to finish was a complex struggle between Ruslan Ponomariov and Veselin Topalov. The players fought for the initiative on the queenside. The game continued on in dynamic equality to an ending where Topalov had three pawns for the piece which also turned out to be equal as the game finished in a repetition. Ponomariov,R - Topalov,V [D45] Mtel Masters (3), 13.05.2006 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 a6 6.c5 b6 7.cxb6 Nbd7 8.Na4 Nxb6 9.Bd2 Nxa4 10.Qxa4 Bd7 11.Ne5 Ne4 [11...c5 12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.Qxd7+ Kxd7 14.dxc5 Bxc5 15.b4 Bd6 16.Bd3 Rhc8 17.Ke2 Ne4 18.Bxe4 dxe4 19.Rhc1 Rab8 20.a3 Be5 21.Rxc8 Rxc8 22.Rc1 Rxc1 23.Bxc1 Kc6 24.g3 Kb5 25.Kd2 Kc4 26.Kc2 Bc3 27.Bb2 Bxb2 28.Kxb2 f5 29.h4 e5 30.h5 g5 31.h6 f4 32.g4 Kd3 33.a4 Ke2 34.b5 axb5 35.axb5 Kxf2 36.b6 fxe3 37.b7 e2 38.b8Q e1Q 39.Qa7+ Kg3 40.Qxh7 Qb4+ 41.Kc2 Qc4+ 42.Kd2 Qd3+ 43.Ke1 Qb1+ 44.Ke2 Qc2+ 45.Ke1 Qf2+ 46.Kd1 Qf1+ 47.Kc2 Qe2+ 48.Kc3 Qd3+ 49.Kb2 Qd2+ 50.Kb3 Qd1+ 51.Ka3 Qd3+ 52.Kb2 Qd4+ 53.Kc2 e3 54.Qd3 Qxd3+ 55.Kxd3 Kf3 56.h7 e2 57.h8Q e1Q 0-1 Spielmann,R-Van den Bosch,J/Amsterdam 1936] 12.Ba5 c5 13.Nxd7 Qxd7 14.Qxd7+ Kxd7 15.f3 Nf6 16.Rc1 c4 17.b3 Rb8 Its just a question of how black handles his counter play. [17...cxb3 18.Rc7+ Ke8 19.axb3 Bd6 20.Rb7; 17...Ba3 18.Rc3 Rab8 19.bxc4 Rb1+ 20.Kd2 Rb2+ 21.Rc2 Rhb8 22.c5 Rxc2+ 23.Kxc2 Rb2+ 24.Kc3 Rb1] 18.bxc4 Bb4+ 19.Bxb4 Rxb4 20.c5 Rb2 21.a4 Ra8 22.Be2 Kc7 23.Rf1 Rab8 24.Rf2 R8b3 25.Bxa6 Rxe3+ 26.Kf1 Rb4 27.Ra2 Reb3 28.Rd1 Ng8 29.a5 Ne7 30.Be2 Nc6 Both sides are playing sharply. 31.a6 Kb8 32.Rad2 Ra3 33.Kf2 g5 34.h4 gxh4 35.Rh1 Rxd4 36.Rb2+ Kc7 37.Rhb1 Ne5 38.Rb8 Kc6 39.Rc8+ Kd7 40.Rg8 [40.Rbb8 Rd2] 40...Ke7 41.Rb7+ Kf6 42.a7 Rda4 43.c6 Nxc6 44.Bb5 Ra2+ 45.Kg1 Rxa7 46.Bxc6 Rxb7 47.Bxb7 h5 The game is still in dynamic equality. 48.Kh2 Ra1 49.Bc6 Rc1 50.Bb5 Rb1 51.Be2 Re1 52.Ba6 Ra1 53.Bd3 Rd1 54.Bh7 d4 55.Rb8 Kg7 56.Rb1 Rd2 57.Be4 f5 58.Bb7 e5 59.Rb5 Kf6 60.f4 e4 61.Bc8 d3 62.Rxf5+ Kg7 63.Rg5+ The players settle for the draw. 63...Kf6 64.Rf5+ Kg7 65.Rg5+ Kf6 66.Rf5+ Kg7 1/2-1/2 |
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 Kasparov Books |
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 Giant Chess Sets |
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 Chess Computers |
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 Chess Assistant |
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 Books 2000/1/2/3 |
