Chess for Thursday November 9th 2006

All five games were drawn in the second round of the Mikhail Tal Memorial at Moscow but none were without interest. The fifteen year old Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen got on the scoreboard but had to defend carefully against Alexander Morozevich as the latter strived to avenge his two defeats at the youngster’s hands earlier this year at Biel.

Gelfand draw Ponomariov, Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2 23;
Svidler draw Shirov, Ruy Lopez, 32;
Morozevich draw Carlsen, Sicilian Sveshnikov, 45;
Leko draw Grischuk, Sicilian Najdorf, English Attack 6.Be3, 65;
Mamedyarov draw Aronian, QGD, 68;

Scores: 1-3 Gelfand (Israel), Ponomariov (Ukraine), Aronian (Armenia) 1.5/2; 4-7 Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Shirov (Spain), Svidler (Russia), Leko (Hungary) 1; 8-10 Grischuk (Russia), Morozevich (Russia), Carlsen (Norway) 0.5;

Annotated Game in PGN

Gelfand,B (2733) - Ponomariov,R (2703) [E36]
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (2), 07.11.2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 c5 This slightly unusual move has been played by GMs Gyula Sax and Oleg Romanishin. 7.dxc5 d4 8.Qg3 0-0 [8...Nc6 is an alternative.] 9.Bh6 [9.b4 a5 10.Bb2 axb4 11.axb4 Rxa1+ 12.Bxa1 Nc6 13.Qb3 e5 gives Black rather good play for the pawn.; 9.Bg5 Nc6 10.0-0-0 is also possible.] 9...Ne8 10.e3 Nc6 11.0-0-0 Qc7 [11...e5 12.Nf3 Kh8 13.exd4 gxh6 14.d5 Ne7 15.Nxe5 with three pawns and an attack for the piece.] 12.Qxc7 [12.exd4 Qxg3 13.hxg3 gxh6 14.Rxh6 e5 with counterplay.] 12...Nxc7 13.Bf4 e5 14.Bg3 dxe3 15.fxe3 a5 [15...Ne6 16.b4 keeping an extra pawn.] 16.Ne2N [16.Nf3 f6 17.e4 Bg4 18.Bf2 Ne6 19.Rd5 a4 20.Kd2 Rfc8 21.Kc3 Ne7 22.Kb4 Nc6+ 23.Kc3 Ne7 24.Kb4 Nc6+ 25.Kc3 1/2-1/2 Braun,A (2491)-Romanishin,O (2552)/Kreuzberg GER 2006] 16...Ne6 17.Rd5 f6 18.Nc3 a4!

Preparing Ra5 and ruling out b2-b4 because of an en passant capture on b3. 19.Ne4 Ne7 20.Rd1 Nc6 Black has equalised, the plan of Ra5 and f6-f5 forces the recovery of the pawn. 21.Rd5 Ne7 22.Rd1 Nc6 23.Rd5 1/2-1/2

Gershkovitch

Tseitlin

Mark Tseitlin v Dov Gershkovitch from the Porat Memorial in Israel. Black, in desperate straights has just played 1…Bxg7, White continued 2.Rxg7?? why was this a blunder and what should he have played?

Answer: After 2.Rxg7?? Black continued 2…Rc7+! 3.Rxc7 stalemate White should have played 2.Rd7+ winning.