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World Championship Candidates Finals Elista 2007. Round 2 7th June 2007. Comments by Mark Crowther. Flash game notes by IM Malcolm Pein. There were two fairly short draws and two extremely difficult battles in the second round of the Candidates. The four winners of these matches will play in the Mexico City (http://www.chessmexico.com) tournament to decide the world champion alongside Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Peter Svidler and Alexander Morozevich to produce an 8 player, 14 round double round robin event September 12th-30th 2007. If the winner of that event isn't Vladimir Kramnik then there will be a further match between Kramnik and the winner. Then there will be a World Cup event (really yet another attempt to get the failed FIDE KO format in with the added twist of a starting round robin phase, you really think they would learn, its their bizarre insistance on 128 players competing in the final stages of their premier event that puzzles me. Have qualifiers by all means but there really aren't that many players who should be anywhere near such a world championship shot) and that winner will also get a world championship match. At least that's how it is at the moment. Mark Week's summary of how we got here. Evgeny Bareev used up 1hr 20mins on the 15 moves played against Peter Leko. Leko has a point lead and can't have been unhappy to draw so easily with black. Bareev must have lacked confidence with his prospects as he actually played just two moves that weren't known. Bareev,E - Leko,P [D11] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.Nc3 e6 6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Nbd7 8.Bd2 Bb4 9.Bd3 0-0 10.a3 Ba5 11.b4 Bc7 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.0-0 Re8 14.Rfc1 [14.e4 e5 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bh4 g5 17.Bg3 exd4 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.exd5 Ne5 20.Bxe5 Bxe5 21.Rfc1 Kg7 22.d6 Qxd6 23.Qxb7 Qb6 24.Qf3 Rac8 25.Rxc8 Rxc8 26.Qf5 Qe6 27.Qh7+ Kf8 28.Bf5 1-0 Kharlov,A (2581)-Al Sayed,M (2455)/Dubai UAE 2003/The Week in Chess 442] 14...Bd6 15.e4
White is down to his last 40 minutes but the draw offer seems strange in this double edged position where Bareev needs to win. 1/2-1/2 Another player with black who must be happy today is Alexander Grischuk who drew his game against Sergei Rublevsky. The was a Scotch where the knights and central pawns were exchange leaving a pretty sterile position after only 18 moves.Rublevsky,S - Grischuk,A [C45] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 7.Bc4 Ne5 8.Be2 Qg6 9.0-0 d6 10.f3 0-0 11.Nd2 d5 12.Kh1 dxe4 13.Nxe4 Bb6 14.Re1 [14.Bf2 Nf5 15.Qc1 Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Nd7 17.Qd2 Bxd4 18.Qxd4 Qb6 19.Qb4 Ne5 20.Rad1 Nc6 21.Qb5 Be6 22.b3 Rad8 23.Nc5 Bc8 24.b4 Qxb5 25.Bxb5 Rxd1 26.Rxd1 Rd8 27.Rxd8+ 1/2-1/2 Milov,L (2472)-David,A (2595)/Bastia FRA 2005] 14...Bf5 15.Bf4 Bxe4 16.Bxe5 Nc6 17.Nxc6 Bxc6 18.Bd3 Qh5
1/2-1/2 Boris Gelfand built a hugely impressive looking position straight out of the opening against Gata Kamsky's Slav Defence. Kamsky's position seemed to be without any discernible counter play of any sort and there are few with the ability to defend such a position. I'm sure Gelfand must have missed a better setup but Kamsky remained flexible and didn't introduce any further weaknesses. Pieces were traded coming up to first time control and a draw agreed on move 52.Gelfand,B - Kamsky,G [D15] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 a6 5.a4 e6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.e3 Qa5 A Cambridge Springs where I don't think the insertion of a6 and a4 helps White particularly 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 Ne4 10.0-0 Nxg5 [10...Nxc3 11.bxc3 Qxc3 12.e4 with Rc1 and Qc2 to come and the game opens up before Black is ready] 11.Nxg5 Be7 12.f4 [12.Qh5 Bxg5 13.Qxg5 0-0 14.Qe7 (14.e4 is worth a look) 14...Nf6 15.b4 Qd8 16.Qxd8 Rxd8+/= 17.b5 axb5 18.axb5 Be6 19.bxc6 bxc6 20.Na4 Nd7 21.Rfc1 Rdc8 22.Kf1 Ra5 23.Nc3 Rxa1 24.Rxa1 c5 25.Bb5 Nf8 26.dxc5 Rxc5 27.Rc1 Bf5 28.Ke2 1/2-1/2 Lapcevic,M (2269)-Krivoborodov,E (2390)/Herceg Novi 2005/CBM 108 ext] 12...Nf6 13.Qc2 h6 14.Nf3 Be6 15.Ne5 Rd8 Black has a potential c6-c5 break to advance the cause of his unchallenged dark squared bishop 16.h3 h5 Kamsky decides against castling as it would present gelfand with a target [16...c5 17.Qf2 c4 18.Bc2 Qb4 (or 18...Bb4 ) ] 17.Nf3 Kf8?!
There aren't many who would play this way but my suspicion is that Kamsky has decided he should try to provoke Gelfand 18.Ng5 Bd7 19.Rae1 Qb4 20.Na2 Qb6 21.b4 Trying to open a second front. 21...a5! Preventing a4-a5 and Na4-c5 after which White can gradually prepare e3-e4 [21...Bxb4 22.Rb1 a5 23.Nxb4 axb4 24.Qd2 Is very pleasant for White] 22.bxa5 Qxa5 23.Rb1 Qa7 24.Nc3 Rh6 25.Qb3 Rb8 26.Nf3 Be8 27.Ne5 Bd6 28.Rf2 Ng8 29.Rfb2 Ne7 30.Qc2 Kg8 31.Nf3 Bd7 32.Rb3 c5! 33.Nb5 Bxb5 34.Rxb5 cxd4 35.exd4 Bxf4 36.Qb3 Rc6 [36...Re6 37.Rxb7 Rxb7 38.Qxb7 Qxa4 and Black has all his back rank squares covered] 37.Rxb7 Rc1+! A nice liquidation. 38.Kf2 Rxb1 [38...Bg3+ 39.Kxg3 (39.Ke2) 39...Rxb1] 39.Rxb8+ Qxb8 40.Qxb1= Bg3+ 41.Ke2 Qe8 42.Qb5 Nc6+ 43.Kd2 Bf4+ 44.Kc3 Qd7 45.a5 g5 46.a6 g4 47.hxg4 hxg4 48.Ne5 Nxe5 49.Qxd7 [49.Qb8+ Kg7 50.dxe5 Qa4 51.a7 Qa3+ 52.Kd4 Bh2! =] 49...Nxd7 50.a7 Nb6 51.Bb5 Bd6 52.Bc6 1/2-1/2 Alexei Shirov and Levon Aronian had another sharp opening struggle with Aronian reacting to pressure by sacrificing his Queen for Rook, Knight and Pawn. Its always a close call as to who has the best of these struggle but certainly Aronian had the initiative for a long time. His 27...Nxe3 swapping his strong knight for a bishop and a wrecked white pawn structure may not have been the best but he found the wonderful 40.Bg5 when any problems he had quickly disappeared and a perpetual followed just a 6 moves later.Shirov,A - Aronian,L [E15] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.d5 Gelfand's pawn sacrifice which has completely revitalised the line. Shirov has devised a particularly wild idea 7...exd5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.0-0 Be7 10.Rd1 Nc6 11.Qa4 [11.Qf5 Nf6 12.e4 d6 (12...g6!? 13.Qf4 h6 (13...0-0 Aronian - Leko Tal Memorial 2006) 14.e5 Nh5 15.Qg4 Ng7 16.Nc3 =∞) 13.e5 Qd7 14.Qxd7+ Nxd7 15.exd6 +/= Bareev - Polgar Candidates (2) Elista 2007] 11...Nf6 12.Nc3 0-0 13.g4 [A really amazing idea straight from the Planet Shirov 13.Nh4 or; 13.e4 Pursuing the White square strategy are more typical but this move also exerts pressure on d5 by creating the possibility of g5 and it is designed to work with Qa4] 13...Nb4 Black seks to mask his weakness on the d file 14.a3 Nbd5 [14...Bc6?! 15.Qb3 Na6 16.g5 Ne8 17.Ne5 Bxg2 18.Rxd7!] 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.g5 Bc6 17.Qh4 Ne8 18.Ne5! Bxg2 19.Rxd7
19...Bb7! We have seen already in his match against Carlsen that Aronian is not afraid to sacrifice his queen. This is a good practical chance as Black's structure is solid and his minor pieces have squares [19...Qc8 20.Rxe7 Bc6 21.g6!? coulld cause some confusion in the Black position as fxg6 leaves the c4-g8 diagonal open even if trying to exploit it immediately is impossible and hxg6 leaves h8 very exposed to say a4 and Ra3-h3 21...fxg6 (21...hxg6 22.Bf4 and if 22...Nd6 23.Nxg6 fxg6 24.Bxd6 +/=) 22.Bh6 Is a Shirovian possibility] 20.Rxd8 Rxd8 21.Be3 Rd5 22.Nf3 Nd6 Black is threatening to strengthen his position with Nf5 and Rhd8 after which a queenside pawn advance might figure 23.Qa4 b5 24.Qc2 Nf5 I don't care what the computer says I would prefer to be Black here 25.a4 b4 26.Rd1 [26.Bf4 Rfd8 27.e4 Nd4 28.Nxd4 Rxd4 29.f3 Rd3 30.Qf2 a5∞] 26...Rxd1+ 27.Qxd1 Nxe3 [27...Rd8 28.Qc1] 28.fxe3 Rd8 29.Qc2 g6 Aronian now plays a series of defensive moves. Black could try and get his queenside pawns moving with [29...Bd5 30.Ne5 Rc8 but after 31.Nc4 Bxg5 32.Qf5 Be6 33.Qxg5 Bxc4 34.Qe7 Be6 35.a5 it can't be done] 30.h4 Bd6 [30...Bd5 31.e4 Be6 32.b3 Rc8 33.Nd2] 31.Kf2 [31.e4!?] 31...a6 32.Nd2 Bf8 33.Nc4 Bc8 34.Qe4 [34.e4!? Followed by Ne3-d5 and e2-e3 was possible but time was short by now] 34...Be6 35.b3 Rd5! 36.Kg3 h6! Now Black has plenty of counterplay 37.gxh6 Bxh6 38.Qf3 Kh7 39.e4 Rh5 40.Nd6 Bg5! 41.Nxf7 Bxh4+ 42.Kg2 c4 43.bxc4 Kg8 [43...Be7 Traps the knight and looks winning but White has 44.Qf4 b3 45.Qc7 b2 46.Qxe7 b1Q 47.Nd8 +=] 44.Nd6 Rg5+ 45.Kh1 Rg3 46.Qf4 Rh3+ A fantastic struggle and worthy of the Candidates Final 1/2-1/2 The second game of the Fritz - Junior Match was drawn. Apparently initially the colours for the computers were given the wrong way round.DEEP FRITZ - DEEP JUNIOR [D85] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 0-0 9.Be2 Nc6 10.d5 Ne5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.Qd2 e6 13.f4 Bc7 14.0-0 exd5 15.exd5 Ba5 16.d6 b6 17.Bf3 Rb8 18.Bb2 b5 19.Ba3 Bf5 20.Rbd1 c4 21.Rfe1 Bd3 22.Re5 b4 23.cxb4 Bb6+ 24.Kh1 Qxd6 25.Bb2 Rbe8 26.Rxe8 Rxe8 27.Qc3 f6 28.Qxf6 Qxf6 29.Bxf6 Kf7 30.Be5 Rd8 31.Rc1 Be3 32.Rc3 g5 33.fxg5 Bd2 34.Ra3 Re8 35.Rxa7+ Kg6 36.Rg7+ Kf5 37.Bg3 c3 38.Bd1 c2 39.Bxc2 Bxc2 40.Rxh7 Re2 41.h3 Bxb4 42.Rb7 Ba3 43.Ra7 Bb2 44.Kh2 Kxg5 45.Ra5+ Kf6 46.Ra6+ Kf5 47.Ra5+ Ke6 48.Ra6+ Kf7 49.Ra7+ Kg6 50.Ra6+ Kh7 51.Ra7+ Kh8 52.h4 Be4 53.Kh3 Bd4 54.Ra4 Bg1 55.Bf4 Bxg2+ 56.Kg4 Bc6 57.Ra6 Rg2+ 58.Kf5 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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 Books 2000/1/2/3 |
