Tal Memorial 2007. Moscow - Round 6 and 7 by Malcolm Pein

Round 6

Vladimir Kramnik vs Evgeny Alekseev in round 6. Photo © http://www.europe-echecs.com

The Tal Memorial Tournament takes place in Moscow 9th-19th November 2007.

Official site: http://www.russiachess.org/

Vladimir Kramnik increased his lead in the sixth round of the Tal Memorial taking place at Moscow. The fourteenth world champion dismissed the Russian champion Evgeny Alekseev in a powerful display to reach 4.5/6 a point clear. The message was: ‘ you might have won the Russian championship, but that’s because I wasn’t playing’.

Alexey Shirov played in the style of his former mentor Mikhail Tal and despatched Magnus Carlsen with a couple of sacrifices. Gata Kamsky also sacrificed soundly but eventually lost.

Kramnik,V (2785) - Alekseev,Evgeny (2716) [E00]
Tal Mem Moscow RUS (6), 16.11.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 Playing the Benoni is one way of avoiding the dreaded Catalan 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 b5!? 5...d6 with a standard Modern Benoni is also possible. Someone will have to try this against Kramnik soon. 6.e4 Having had several crazy games in this line during a training match against Levon Aronian, Kramnik must have worked out that this aggressive move is best Black's reply is not forced, Bb7 or c4 are possible [6.f3 c4 7.a4 Bb7 8.e4 a6 9.Be3 Bb4+ 10.Nc3 0-0 11.Nge2 d6 12.Kf2 Nbd7 13.axb5 axb5 14.Rxa8 Qxa8 15.Nxb5 Ne5 16.Nec3 Ba6 17.Nc7 Qb7 18.Nxa6 Qxa6 19.Qa4 Qb7 20.Qa7 Qc8 21.Be2 Qh3 22.Qb6 Bxc3 23.bxc3 h6 24.Bf4 Neg4+ 25.fxg4 Nxe4+ 26.Ke1 Ra8 27.Bd1 Nxc3 28.Qb2 Re8+ 29.Kd2 Qg2+ 30.Kxc3 Qxh1 31.Qd2 Re1 32.Bc2 Re8 33.Bxd6 Qa1+ 34.Kb4 Qb2+ 35.Kxc4 Rc8+ 36.Bc5 Qa2+ 37.Kd4 Qa4+ 1-0 Jirka,J (2330)-Kalod,R (2479)/Prerove CZE 2001/The Week in Chess 374; 6.Bg2 d6 7.a4 b4 8.Nd2 g6 9.Ngf3 Ba6 10.Qc2 Bg7 11.Nc4 0-0 12.0-0 Re8 13.Ne1 Bxc4 14.Qxc4 Nbd7 15.a5 Qe7 16.Nd3 Ne5 17.Nxe5 Qxe5 18.Bf4 Qe7 19.Qa6 Rad8 20.Rae1 Ng4 21.h3 Ne5 22.Bc1 Qc7 23.Bg5 Rc8 24.f4 Nd7 25.b3 h6 26.Bh4 Bc3 27.Rd1 c4 28.Qxc4 Qxa5 29.Qd3 Qc5+ 30.Kh1 Re3 31.Qa6 Bf6 32.Bxf6 Nxf6 33.Rf3 Rce8 34.Qc6 Rxe2 35.Qxc5 dxc5 36.d6 Re1+ 37.Rf1 Rxd1 38.Rxd1 Rd8 39.Bc6 Kf8 40.Kg2 Ne8 41.d7 Nf6 42.Ba4 Ke7 43.Re1+ Kf8 44.Rd1 Ke7 45.Re1+ Kd6 46.Re8 Kc7 47.Re7 a5 48.Kf3 Nd5 49.Re5 Kd6 50.Re8 Kc7 51.Re5 1/2-1/2 Ragozin,V-Botvinnik,M/Sverdlovsk 1943] 6...Nxe4 7.Qe2 Qe7 8.Bg2 Nd6 [8...Nf6 9.Qxe7+ Bxe7 10.d6 wins] 9.Be3 b4 An odd position. Black has won a pawn but both his developed pieces obstruct others. Alekseev returns the pawn to gain some time 10.Bxc5 Qxe2+ 11.Nxe2 Na6 12.Bxd6 Bxd6 13.Nd2 With the threat of Nc4 followed by d6. This already looks nice for White 13...Rb8 [13...Bc7? 14.d6] 14.Nc4 Be7 15.d6 Bf6 16.Nf4 Nc5 17.0-0 Ba6 18.Nd5!

18...0-0 [18...Bxc4 19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Rfc1 Be6 21.Rxc5] 19.Nxf6+ gxf6 20.Bd5 Na4 [20...Rfc8 intending Nd3 was possibly better but White can give up a pawn for the attack 21.Rfd1 Na4 22.Rd4 Bxc4 23.Bxc4 Nxb2 24.Bb3 Rc3 25.Re1] 21.Rfc1 Rfe8 22.Ne3 Rb6 [22...Nxb2 23.Rc7] 23.Rc7 Rxd6 24.Rd1 Kh8 [24...Nxb2 25.Bxf7+ Kxf7 26.Rxd6] 25.Nf5 Rb6 26.Bxf7 Nxb2 27.Rdxd7 Black is being mated but he has a few spite checks 27...Re1+ 28.Kg2 Bf1+ 29.Kf3 Be2+ 30.Kf4 Rb8 31.Bc4 1-0

In round seven Shirov won again while Kamsky won a wild game against Mamedyarov. Boris Gelfand drew his seventh straight game although he pressed with black against Magnus Carlsen.