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| Reports by Rod McShane (also at:
http://icechess.com/Hrokur2003/reports.php):
Round 7 February 25, 2003 Round 7 Alexei Shirov today assumed the sole lead after Round 7 of the Category XV Stormot Hroksins tournament in Reykjavik in a sensational finish which saw Mickey Adams blundering into a mate in one. The audience gasped as Mickey. Although leading with 5.5/7 Shirov still has to play the two players sharing second place with five points. Viktor Korchnoi on four is the only other player with a plus score. Shirov faces the Pole Macieja with Black tomorrow and has White against Sokolov in Thursday´s final round. Macieja and Sokolov have both looked very solid throughout the tournament. Indeed the three leaders remain the only unbeaten players. All three wins today were with Black. Shirov said, “Today, of course, I was much worse. 18...Qe6 was very stupid. I lost some tempi. Maybe I should have played 8...Qe7 instead. “My only explanation for Mickey´s mistake is that he must have thought he was completely winning. Next time he won´t blunder mate in one and I won´t play so lousy.” Both players agreed after the game that Adams had a winning advantage several times during the game. The pair play in two winning national league teams together: Luebeck, the top side in the Bundesliga, and Bosna Sarajevo, which won the last European Club Cup. In what was a disastrous day for the two English players Luke McShane also lost to European Champion Bartek Macieja after blundering a piece with 40.Qxf7 in the time scramble. Before that the result was unclear. “I was lucky,” said Bartek. “It was a good game. It was interesting when I saw the game afterwards on ICC. I made a good preparation and my position was very good but Luke equalised in the middlegame. I then mad a risky pawn sacrifice, but it was okay because of a lack of coordination in the White position. Finally, when the position was equal and I expected a draw, Luke blundered a piece in the time scramble.” The French champion Etienne Bacrot was relieved to win his first game today after a miserable tournament with just three draws and three losses. In Gretarsson-Bacrot, “I just improved on my game against Malakhov and played 12...d5 instead of 12...Nfd7 Etienne he just won, a nice game, I think. Stefan Kristjansson was again well prepared, this time with a c3 Sicllian and as a result avoided his usual difficulties with the clock. Kristjansson-Stefansson´s rook ending was winning for White with his extra pawn. If Stefan had left his a pawn on instead of giving it up for a try at the kingside. He gave it up for a completely drawn ending. With f, g and h pawns it´s an easy draw for Black but White could have won Black´s e pawn with zugzwang, clearing a way for the passers. The finish of Korchnoi-Sokolov had a disruptive effect on the others still playing when he said very loudly while his clock was running, “I give you a draw” and then started debating who stood better. Sokolov found the incident unpleasant, "because Mr Korchnoi beleives his age excuses that kind of behaviour. I said, 'Does that mean you are offering me a draw?' Then he made a move and I accepted. He then claimed that I was a coffeehouse player playing coffee house chess." |
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| All material © Mark Crowther |
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