 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
World Championship Candidates Finals Elista 2007. Playoffs 13th June 2007. Comments by Mark Crowther. Flash game notes by IM Malcolm Pein. The final place in Mexico City was settled soon enough in a tie-break match between Alexander Grischuk and Sergei Rublevsky. The final line up for Mexico City is Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Peter Svidler and Alexander Morozevich who were already qualified. They are joined as a result of these matches by Peter Leko, Boris Gelfand, Levon Aronian and Alexander Grischuk to make up an eight player field. Alexander Grischuk might have been badly beaten in game four as black against Sergei Rublevsky in the Scotch Defence but it served him better in the playoffs where he won both games against it as black. In game one black gradually got the initiative and cut the white king off and got a dangerous pawn on the 7th rank which proved fatal. The second game saw Rublevsky with black get a slight advantage but a nice liquidation gave Grischuk the draw. The 3rd game below saw Rublevsky try to keep things complicated but this rebounded and Grischuk caught Rublevsky's King in a nasty mating net which led to resignation. Rublevsky,S (2680) - Grischuk,A (2717) [C45] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 [5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qf3 bxc6 7.Qg3 h5 8.h4 Nh6 was played in games and Grischuk won the latter so Rublevsky changes tack; 5.Be3 Qf6 6.c3 Nge7 was game 2 drawn quickly] 5...Bb6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Qe2 d6 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 g5 The kingside is quite likely to be uninhabitable due to White's imminent 0-0-0 and strong pin on the knight 10.Bg3 Qe7 11.h4 Rg8N [11...Bg4 12.f3 Nh5 13.Bf2 Be6 14.hxg5 Qxg5 15.Qd2 Bxf2+ 16.Qxf2 Ng3 17.Rg1 Nxf1 18.Rxf1 0-0-0 19.Nd2 Qa5 20.a3 b5 21.Qe3 b4 22.Ne2 d5 23.Nb3 Qb6 24.Qxb6 axb6 25.Ned4 Nxd4 26.Nxd4 dxe4 27.Nxe6 fxe6 28.axb4 Kb7 29.Rd1 Rxd1+ 30.Kxd1 exf3 31.Rxf3 Rg8 1/2-1/2 Varga,Z (2592)-Acs,P (2545)/Budapest HUN 2004/The Week in Chess 512; 11...g4 12.h5 Nd4 13.Qd3 Nf5 14.Bf4 Bd7 15.0-0-0 Ng7 16.Qd2 0-0-0 17.Bxh6 Ngxh5 18.Bg5 Qe5 19.f4 gxf3 20.gxf3 Qg3 21.Bh4 Qe5 22.Bg5 Rdg8 23.f4 Qe8 24.Qd3 Ng4 25.Bh4 Nxf4 26.Qf3 Ng6 0-1 Grosse Kloenne,E-Storm,R (2310)/Germany 1990] 12.hxg5 hxg5 13.0-0-0 White should be a bit better but at minutes plus a ten second increment a slight edge can come and go 13...Be6 14.Rh6 [14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.exd5 Qxe2 16.Bxe2 Ne5 17.Bb5+ Kf8 is certainly pleasant for White but, needing a win, Rublevsky probably wanted to avoid early piece exchanges] 14...0-0-0 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 Ne5 Black is fully mobilised, he should not be worse 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.Qf3 Rd6 19.Nd2! Ne8 [19...Nxd5?? 20.Rxd6 Qxd6 21.Nc4 Qe6 22.Qxd5] 20.Rh5 Nf6 21.Qf5+ Kb8 22.Rh6 Ne8 Very annoying ! White now has to try something a little unsound to avoid the repetition 23.Qh7 Qf8 [23...Rg7 24.Qh8 Rxd5 wins a pawn] 24.Rh1 Nf6 25.Qf5 Nxd5 26.Ne4 [26.Qxe5] 26...Ne7! [With the diabolical point 26...Ne7 27.Qxe5 Re6 winning the knight] 27.Qh7 Rublevsky goes fishing and with Grischuk already down to his last two minutes, he is rewarded 27...Rxd1+ 28.Kxd1 f5 [28...Ng6 followed by Rh8 wins] 29.Bc4! Best practical chance 29...fxe4 30.Bxg8 Nxg8 31.Qxe4! White is back in the game 31...a6! 32.Rh8 Ka7 33.Qxe5 Qf7 White is undone by his exposed king 34.Qxg5 Nf6 35.f3 [White cannot run, if 35.Kc1 Ne4 36.Qd8 Qf4+ 37.Kb1 Nd2+ 38.Ka1 Bd4 39.Rh1 Qe5 threatening Bxb2 mate is crushing. If 40.c3 Bxc3] 35...Qd7+ 36.Qd2 Qb5! 37.c3 Nd5 38.Rh1 [38.Qe2 Ne3+ 39.Ke1 Qf5] 38...Be3!
[Perhaps White lost on time but the position is hopeless for example 38...Be3! 39.Qe2 Nxc3+ 40.bxc3 Qb1# mate; or 38...Be3 39.Qc2 Bg1! 40.c4 Ne3+ 41.Kc1 Qc5 42.Qc3 Nxc4 and the attack continues.] 0-1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Kasparov Books |
|
|
 Giant Chess Sets |
|
|
 Chess Computers |
|
|
 Books 2000/1/2/3 |
