World Cup 2007. Khanty-Mansiysk - Round 2 by Malcolm Pein

Mickey Adams crushed Mickey Gurevich in the second game of their second round match at the FIDE World Cup taking place in the Siberian city of Khanty Mansiysk Gurevich chose to play a line of the French Defence which is a speciality of the England number one, a risky strategy which led to disaster in the game below.

Adams will play the winner of the match between Ukrainian GM Andrei Volokitin and Zhou, Jianchao of China in the third round. Thirty two players remain in the battle for $1,600,000 in prize money and the right to a world title final eliminator against Veselin Topalov.

Adams,Mi (2729) - Gurevich,M (2627) [C07]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (2.2), 28.11.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 [4...Nc6 5.exd5 exd5 is the other main line] 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Bc4 Qd8 [6...Qd6 is the normal move and more active. This was presumably an attempt to take Adams out of his detailed preparation.] 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Nb3 a6 9.Qe2 [9.Nbxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Nf6 11.Bf4 b5 12.Be2 Bb7 13.Bf3 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Qd5 15.Rad1 Qxf3 16.Nxf3 Rc8 17.a3 Be7 18.Rfe1 0-0 19.Bd6 Bxd6 20.Rxd6 Ra8 21.Red1 Nd5 22.Ne5 Rfd8 23.Rxd8+ Rxd8 24.c4 bxc4 25.Nxc4 1/2-1/2 Hlgatian,G (2175)-Gervais,C (2225)/Yerevan ARM 1996] 9...b5 10.Bd3 Nf6 11.Rd1 Black cannot hang on to his extra pawn for long 11...Be7 12.Nbxd4 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Qc7 [Of course not 13...Qxd4 14.Bxb5+] 14.c3 Bc5!? [Very risky 14...Bb7 would be a 'normal' move] 15.Bg5 Bb7 16.Bxf6! gxf6 17.Be4

A simple manoeuvre that gives White a clear edge, with safer king and better development 17...Bxe4 18.Qxe4 0-0 19.Qh4 Rfd8 [19...f5 20.Rd3 Bxd4 21.cxd4 forces Black to play 21...f6 22.Re1 Qf7 when he has a difficult defence] 20.Qxf6 Bf8 21.Rd3 Bg7 22.Qg5 Qe5 23.Qg4 Black's pawn sacrifice has not eased his plight 23...Rd6 24.Rg3 Rc8 25.Qh4 Kh8 26.Qe7 Qc5 Black sets a couple of traps but he is lost here 27.Re1 [27.Qxf7?? Bxd4 28.cxd4 Qc1+ 29.Rxc1 Rxc1# mate] 27...Rf8 28.Nxe6! Qe5 [A nice trick as White cannot capture because of his back rank weakness not 28...fxe6 29.Qxg7# mate] 29.Rge3! White emerges the exchange a two pawns ahead 1-0

Michael Adams faces Zhou Jianchao in the last thirty two of the Fide World Cup being held at Khanty Mansysk in Siberia. The Chinese GM overcame Alexander Volokitin of Ukraine in the ‘Armageddon Game’, a blitz match in which White has six minutes to Black’s five but has to win.

The prodigy Magnus Carlsen is through after defeating Arkady Naiditsch in both Rapid Chess tie breakers but the former FIDE champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov was eliminated by Kiril Georgiev of Bulgaria also in Armageddon. This match was settled by a blunder - see below.

Georgiev,Ki (2649) - Kasimdzhanov,R (2690) [A11]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (2.7), 29.11.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Bf5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Qb3 Qb6 7.Nc3 Qxb3 8.axb3 Nc6 9.d3 e6 10.Be3 [10.Nb5 Kd7 11.Nbd4 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Bg6 13.f4 Bc5 14.Be3 Rhc8 15.h3 Ne8 16.g4 Nd6 17.Kf2 f6 18.Nc2 Bf7 19.Bxc5 Rxc5 20.Nd4 a6 21.b4 Rcc8 22.Ra5 b6 23.Ra2 Nb5 24.Nf3 Ra7 25.Rha1 Rca8 26.Ra4 a5 27.Rc1 Rc7 28.Rxc7+ Nxc7 29.e4 Be8 30.bxa5 Rxa5 31.Rb4 Rb5 32.Rxb5 Nxb5 33.e5 fxe5 34.fxe5 Bg6 35.Ke3 Kc6 36.Bf1 Nc7 37.Nd4+ Kc5 38.h4 b5 39.g5 Bf7 40.Bh3 b4 41.Bg4 g6 42.Nb3+ Kc6 43.d4 Ne8 44.Nc5 Ng7 45.Kd2 Kb5 46.Be2+ Ka5 47.Bg4 Kb5 48.Kd3 Nh5 49.Ke3 Ng7 50.Kd3 Nh5 51.b3 Nf4+ 52.Ke3 Ng2+ 53.Kf2 Nxh4 54.Nxe6 Nf5 55.Bxf5 gxf5 56.Nf4 Kc6 57.Kf3 Be8 58.Nd3 Kb5 59.Kf4 Bh5 60.Nc5 Bg6 61.Nd7 Kc6 62.Nf6 1-0 Pigusov,E (2565)-Gradalski,P (2305)/Swidnica POL 1997] 10...a6 11.Nd4 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Nd7 13.e4 dxe4 14.dxe4 Bg6 15.0-0 Bc5? 16.Bxg7 Rg8 17.Bh6 Ne5 18.Na4 Ba7 19.h3 Nd3 20.Rad1 0-0-0 21.Rd2 Rd7 22.Kh2 b5 23.Nc3 Nc5 24.Rxd7 Nxd7 25.f4 f6 26.Ra1 Nb8 27.Nxb5 Bb6 28.Nd6+ Kc7 29.e5 fxe5 30.fxe5 Bd4 31.Rc1+ Kd7 32.Rd1

The bishop is dominated and cannot find a haven from the impending double check 1-0