Morozevich

Alexander Morozevich

An unorthodox player and indomitable warrior always spoiling for a fight, Alexander Morozevich is one of the most interesting grandmasters of modern chess. He made his international debut as a teenager at the elite Tilburg Interpolis Tournament of 1993, where the shy youngster became the darling of the public for his unique style in an impressive series of consecutive wins against three well-known members of the chess establishment. A year later, he again stunned the chess world when he won the Lloyds Bank Open in London with a phenominal 10.5/11. His predilection for unusual openings does not always make for the best results in match play but that has not prevented him from gradually rising through the ranks to reach his current fourth position in the FIDE ratings. In the tournament arena, where he loves to uncork theoretical novelties and unleash the most daring attacks, he can be virtually irresistible. Asked to describe his style, he replied: “Honestly, I don’t know. It always turns out crazy: something is always hanging and my King is constantly open… But is seems that I can play different chess yet.” Some of his peers feel his chess is “incorrect” but that does not seem to worry him in the least. “Such talk doesn’t bother me at all, I play as I understand the game and see fit.”

About Alexander Morozevich

What other grandmasters are saying about GM Alexander Morozevich...

"Morozevich is a bright player; I like how he plays. This is active chess: only forward! Sometimes luck is on his side, sometimes it is not. It is not boring to watch his games." – Vladimir Kramnik (’64-Chess Review’, No. 2, 2000)

"Morozevich is a fresh player with very original thinking. He makes many mistakes, but plays with tremendous ingenuity. It is a pleasure to watch his play." – Nigel Short (’64-Chess Review’, No. 2, 2000)

"I know that he makes quick draws very rare and he is an original player with great fighting spirit. I like that he plays for win against everybody." - GM Zoltán Gyimesi (e-mail, Oct. 2000)

"Morozevich is one of the most talented players in the world, a genius of the game of Chess. I first watched him in person in the Lloyds Bank 1994 wherein he scored an incredible score of  9.5 / 10, drawing only against Tkachiev and beating several GMs. One of the most enterprising players, too." - GM Thipsay (e-mail, Oct. 2000)

"He is the biggest talent in modern chess, with extremely original openings. He has big chances for World Champion title."  GM Adrian Mikhalchishin: (23rd October 2000)

"Alexander is one of the most original players in the top ranks today.  His youth means that he has every right to try and fight for the highest title in the future." GM Yasser Seirawan (13th October 2000)

"I first saw Morozevich at Hyeres open in 1992. Already then his bright talent was evident. His game against GM Tony Kosten earned his a nickname ‘modern classic’. I always believed in his great chess future." GM Dmitry Komarov (4th October 2000)

More, More, Morozevich!

Mig on Chess #81, 8.1.99

The next time 21-year-old Russian champion Alexander Morozevich shows up for a tournament his opponents might look a little green. This will either be because the thought of playing against the hottest player in the world today makes them nauseous or because they have covered themselves in kryptonite in order to have a chance against the Russian superman. While Viswanathan Anand has garnered headlines for his run of tournament wins at the top level in the past few years, Morozevich has won just about everything else, or at least everything he has played in. His remarkable play has the side-effect of highlighting the fallacy of only updating the FIDE rating lists twice a year as it’s crystal clear he is playing at a completely different level than his 2625 rating would suggest. In the past year he has run up almost impossible scores in strong events, hitting a 2900 performance rating on more than one occasion! (A TPR, or tournament performance rating, is a measure of how well you playe 14b0 d in that one tournament. 2900 is very, very rare, even for folks with real ratings of 2700 and 2800.) An updated rating list, such as that of the WCC (or whatever), more correctly shows Morozevich breaking into the top ten, as can be seen from his play.

Oh, his play? Well, he just finished decimating yet another tournament field, this one in Pamplona, Spain. Doing a fine impression of one of the bulls the town is known for Morozevich scored eight out of nine (seven wins and two draws) to take first place two full points ahead of Poland’s Krasenkow. His games were full of the creative energy that has become his trademark. He seeks complications from the outset, values the initiative over almost any quantity of material, and seems to almost enjoy playing with doubled pawns and other structural weaknesses that would horrify a more traditional player. Again and again he would throw his pawns forward in the opening, daring his opponent to refute his aggressive play and time after time he would come out on top in these experiments. With his foe’s pieces in disarray and a storm brewing on the board the tactics would come like a hurricane, usually leaving his opponent soggy, windblown, and down material or facing mate. In even positions it was never Morozevich who made the fatal mistake. Just when it looked like he would have to settle for a draw there would come the tiny opportunity he needed and WHAMMO! it was over.

Chess fans have known Morozevich’s name for years, although he is only 21 years old. At the age of 17 he scored his first 2900 performance at the Lloyd’s Bank open, scoring 9.5/10 and the world only wondered how long it would take until he was knocking on the door of the world championship. But the next few years weren’t kind to him and he failed to impress in most of the big tournament invitations that came his way. Apart from his first place in, again, Pamplona 95-96, he finished in the middle of the pack of the international round-robins and strong Russian events he played in. He even finished in clear last place at the 1996 Donner Memorial and people began to wonder if a player with his unbalanced style could compete in the world of category 16+ tournaments. But he continued with his nose to the grindstone, playing the tough Russian Cup circuit and when 1998 arrived, so did Morozevich. And this time he wasn’t taking any prisoners.

Ahem. Before you run out to stock up on canned goods and bottled water some questions remain. While these scores are very impressive, none were made against top 10 players. Morozevich has played only two games against players rated 2670 or higher in the past two years, so it still remains to be seen if he can compete with the big boys. (Those two were against Peter Svidler and Sergei Rublevsky in 1998 and yes, he beat them both!) But when the new rating lists come out we can expect to see Morozevich receiving some choice invitations and testing his mettle against some 2700s. According to Spanish chess journalist Leontxo Garcia Morozevich will be playing in this year’s edition of Dos Hermanas in Seville in April. Past events have included the likes of Anand, Kramnik, Karpov, Shirov, and other usual suspects. His risky style is an organizer’s dream and he hates short draws almost as much as I do. (According to ChessBase 7.0’s handy "player dossier" feature less than 6% of his games are draws of under 20 moves.) He plays 1.e4 exclusively with the white pieces and has a varied black repertoire that includes the French, the Sicilian, and various fashionable Slavs with which he has been very successful. (He has long given up the Chigorin’s Defense that he revived four years ago.)

While Morozevich was busy racking up points like a pin-ball machine, second and third places went to two of the other foreign invitees, Krasenkow and Holland’s Van Wely. Spanish number two (after Alexei Shirov) Miguel Illescas tied with Emil Sutovsky of Israel with an even score. Former women’s World Champion Xie Jun finished at minus one, about what her 2510 rating predicted. The rest of the crosstable was filled in with Spanish players with too many names and not enough points. Jesus de la Villa Garcia was the best of the lot, at minus one with Xie Jun. Junior hope Francisco Vallejo Pons, Oscar de la Riva Aguado and Lluis Comas Fabrego shared last place at minus three in a heartwarming display of unity.

Morozevich - Alexandrov

It's not always a pleasure annotating a game of Alexander Morozevich. As one of the world's most dynamic players it is hard to even guess at what he may be thinking. Worse still is to make a judgement about his moves. Your just as likely to be wrong and guess that the culprit for his defeat was in fact the moment of a crowning glory that was messed up later... In the following game, he is at his enterprising best as he goes on a sacrificial rampage to begin the game. No one would envy being in Aleksandrov's shoes under such circumstances yet he prevailed with flying colors!

King's Gambit C37
GM Morozevich (2756)
GM Aleksandrov (2591)
FIDE World Cup Group A Shenyang CHN (2), 02.08.2000

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.d4!?

A romantic sacrifice typical for games played one hundred years ago. The Kieseritzky Gambit variation: 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 d6 6.Nxg4 Nf6, is currently the theoretical rage with a surprising number of games between top players. The text virtually compels a piece sacrifice.

4...g4 5.Bxf4!?

Rats! Five moves out of the opening and my theoretical knowledge is already exhausted. While an enterprising sacrifice: White has tempi and the center for a piece, the defensive technique of modern players is about one hundred years of testing better then it was when the King's Gambit was in vogue. In any case: 5.Ne5 Qh4+ 6.g3 fxg3, isn't an attractive option for White.

5...gxf3 6.Qxf3 d6 7.Nc3

Nunn's Chess Openings (NCO) considers: 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.O-O as offering compensation. In that case, White immediately focuses against the f7-pawn aiming for a tactical knockout. The text is more positional as White seeks to complete his development followed by a tactical blow. But the tempi lost by this positional shuffle, will allow Black better defensive possibilities too.

7...Nc6 8.0-0-0

I assume this is all part of Morozevich's preparations, after all, Black's moves are easy to guess. Personally, I'd be somewhat dubious of the placement of White's King. After castling short, the Rook is nicely placed on the half-open f-file for ye old hack attack. The "plus" of being castled long is lost on me. Especially when considering the diagonal c1-h6. For instance a move like ...Qd8-h4/f6 sets up ...Qh4/f6xf4 and ...Bf8-h6 trading pieces.

8...h5!?

Of course in such situations, everyone is anxious to develop and trade pieces as rapidly as possible. The text is resisted as "making to many pawn moves in the opening" is frowned upon. In this case the move has several points. Firstly, 9.h3? Bg4! 10.hxg4 hxg4 11.Qxg4 Nf6, doesn't stop Black's ...Bc8-g4 threat. Secondly, the move ...Bf8-h6, forcing future trades is now better supported. Finally, there are occasions where Black might find ...Rh8-h7 to have a defensive benefit. I'm reluctant to award the move an exclamation mark as the ramifications of: 9...Qh4, aren't that clear to me.

9.e5!?

Another in the series of tough calls. White wants to do his utmost to take advantage of his superior development, continuing with his sacrificial play. To this end a line like: 9.Bb5 Bg4 10.Qf2 Bxd1 11.Rxd1 a6 12.Ba4 b5 13.Bb3, is a nice way to go. But it's also a whole Rook! After, 13...Qd7, the proof is in the pudding and besides Nc3-d5, it's not obvious what White is supposed to do for an encore. The text is right in line with the idea of busting the game wide open to enhance the superior development. Black benefits too as the heightened clash allows him to challenge White's pieces and to offer some trades.

9...Bg4 10.Qe4 Bh6!

This one is easy enough to understand and I'm anxious to award someone for making a good move! It is obvious enough as Black seeks to complete his development while vacating the f8-square gives Black's King a side exit. Considerably weaker was: 10...Bxd1? 11.exd6+ Kd7 12.dxc7, when a subsequent Kc1xd1 will leave a material count of three pawns for a Rook, but Black's King would be swimming in dangerous currents.

11.Bxh6

Now: 11.exd6+ Kf8 12.dxc7 Qxc7 13.Bxh6+ Rxh6 14.Rd2 Re8, only helps Black complete his development, giving him a material advantage as well as a winning initiative.

11...Rxh6 12.Rd2

An indication that White's earlier bravery isn't panning out. Besides acting to save the exchange, a line like: 12.Be2 Qg5+ 13.Kb1 O-O-O, would allow Black to happily complete his development. In that case, Black's material advantage should be enough for a win. Such a line is a further indication that long castling by White in the King's Gambit isn't quite so wonderful.

12...dxe5 13.h3

Trying to give the Bishop the boot to a less comfortable square. Clearly: 13.dxe5? Qg5 14.Nd5?? O-O-O, would be a colossal failure for White. His center is eliminated; Black is fully developed and has seized the initiative.

13...Bd7 14.d5 Nce7 15.Qxe5

Once more it seems to me that Morozevich could easily have foreseen this position in his preparations and must have felt good about his prospects. Indeed it doesn't appear that Black's King is escaping to the Queenside any time soon. While White has open files for his Rooks and the possibility of clipping a second (h5) pawn. Aleksandrov now rises to the challenges of the position.

15...Kf8!!

I've always been partial to surprising King moves in the opening and at first sight, this one seems quite confounding. However, in a single stroke Black's position suddenly fits together. In the first place, potential incursions by Qe5-g7 are neatly stopped. The e7-Knight is no longer pinned and ideas like, ...Ne7-g6 and ...Qd8-h4 will allow Black to develop with tempi! Finally, the d7-Bishop, which is really desperate to prove its usefulness, has the possibility of ...Bd7-e8 covering the f7-pawn shield if needed. With this move, Black's game comes alive and now the onus is back on White to prove the soundness of his sacrifice.

16.Bd3 Nc8!?

Aleksandrov must have felt quite confident about his position as: 16...Ng6, developing with tempo is nearly impossible to resist. He may have reasoned that by 17.Bxg6 Rxg6 18.Qxh5 (18.Rf1!?), White wins a second pawn for his piece, improving his compensation. Still, in that case, I'd prefer Black's position. The idea behind the text is quite simple, the d6-square is an ideal blockading square for the Knight, which nicely covers the f7-pawn as well.

17.Rf1 Nd6 18.Rdf2 Qe7 19.Qd4 Qg5+ 20.Kb1

Once more it appears as if White isn't doing so badly. His pieces are nicely coordinating and the threat of Nc3-e4 might blow away the f7-shield causing Black to have a major accident.

20...Be8!

Another fine defensive move. The defensive minded: 20...Qg7 21.Qc5 Rc8 22.Qxa7 (20.Ne4), would gain a second pawn. With the text, Black offers nothing and once more asks White to prove his sacrifice.

21.Ne2

The search for compensation isn't easy. After: 21.Qc5 Qd8 (21...Qe7!? 22.Re2 Qd8) When White runs up against a brick wall. The text plots an invasion on the e6-square that is easily spotted.

21...b6! 22.Nf4 Bd7 23.Qc3!

Trying to make Black's consolidation task as awkward as possible. White will now win back some material but will have to trade Queens.

23...Rc8

Of course covering the c7-pawn by 23...Qd8?? 24.Ng6+, puts White right back into the game.

24.Ba6 Qg7!

This is the rub. White must allow the Queen trade as: 24.Qa3? Re8, allows Black to skip away and in time take over the game.

25.Qxg7+ Kxg7 26.Bxc8 Bxc8

Although the material is about even, in fact, Black has a significant advantage in the diagram. The key to the position is the effectiveness of the pieces. A cursory glance reveals that White's Rooks will not be effective on either the f-file or the e-file. With the Rooks neutralized, Black's pieces will be drawn to favorable outposts throughout the board.

27.Rf3 Nf6 28.b3

Active play by: 28.Rd3? Nfe4, playing for the d2-fork will cost White material. The text is defensive in nature, as White wants to play c2-c4 so that the d5-pawn is protected. It's interesting to observe how quickly White is tied up.

28...Nfe4 29.Kb2 h4!

Not just threatening the d2-fork, the text cements control over the g3-square and keeps White's Kingside fixed on light squares.

30.Re1 a5!

Getting a further grip over the c5-square. Black is having an embarrassment of riches finding squares for his pieces.

31.c4 Rh8!?

Black only needs to find a way to activate his Rook and the game is completely over. I must confess that: 31...f5, intending ...Kg7-f6 and then putting the Rook on the g-file would have been my choice. The text might be a bit more flexible.

32.Nd3!? Rh5! 33.Rf4?!

No one envies White's position and indeed it might be lost. That said, the best way for White to fight is to try in some measure to improve the role of the Rooks. That cannot happen as long as the e4-Knight lords over the position. A better chance was: 33.Nf2 f5 34.Nxe4 Nxe4 35.b4!? axb4 36.Kb3, Hoping to open some ranks and files for the Rooks.

33...Bf5 34.Ne5 Nc5 35.Ka3 f6 36.Nc6

36...Be4!

The presence of the extra pair of minor pieces is to much as White's Rooks are further limited. The e4-Bishop is far to powerful and the game is nearing hopelessness as Black begins to press against the g2-pawn...

37.Re3 Rg5 38.Rxh4 Rxg2 39.Rg4+ Rxg4 40.hxg4 Kg6

The trade of Rooks hasn't brought White any relief. It is remarkable to consider the plight of White's Rook. Now after: 40.Rh3 Kg5 41.Rh8 Kxg4 42.Rg8+ Kf3 43.Rg7 Na6, Black is likely to make a Queen of his f-pawn before White can disturb the Queenside.

41.Nd4 Kg5 42.Rg3 Bg6 43.Rg1 Be8

The winning plan is rather direct: capture the g4-pawn. Morozevich does his best to prevent this from happening, but the task is impossible. White's a3-King is far from the action.

44.Ne6+

Else, ...Be8-d7xg4 is too easy.

44...Nxe6 45.dxe6 Bc6 46.Kb2 Bf3 47.c5!

A desperate fling but a good one as White hopes to open some files for his Rook.

47...bxc5 48.e7 Kg6 49.Rc1 c4 50.e8Q+!

This is White's point. The a5-pawn has been isolated. If it can be won...

50...Nxe8 51.Rxc4 Kg5 52.a4 c6!?

I don't think I would have been so anxious to close the diagonal to the a8-square. Aleksandrov may have been concerned that: 52...Nd6 53.Rxc7 Kxg4 54.Ra7 Nb7 55.b4 axb4 56.Kb3, would allow to many pawns to be traded. Still, this line looks very strong for Black.

53.Kc3 Bd5 54.Rc5 Kxg4 55.Rxa5 f5 56.Ra8 Nd6 57.Rd8 Ne4+ 58.Kd4 Ng5 59.Re8 f4 60.a5

60...Ne6+!

The clincher as White's a-pawn isn't going anywhere.

61.Kd3 Nc5+ 62.Kc3 f3 0-1

An exemplary game of fine defense and excellent technique by Aleksandrov! Bravo! And an excellent explanation as to what happened to Morozevich in the World Cup!

Notes by GM Yasser Seirawan

Judith Polgar - Morozevich

Judith Polgar - Morozevich

Wijk aan Zee 2000 (3)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 de4 5.Ne4 Be7 6.Bf6 gf6 7.Nf3 a6!?
Many have already condemned this, but in my view it is a quite acceptable continuation.
8.g3
After the two convincing wins gained against me by players with the letter 'L' (Leko and Lputian) in Frankfurt, I assumed that in the very near future I would again have to encounter this move. And indeed, I did not have to wait long.
8...b5
In Pamplona 2000 Nigel Short was relatively successful with 8...f5, but I did not see any reason to deviate from my plan.
9.Bg2 Bb7 10.Qe2 Nd7!
A more flexible continuation than 10...Bd5, as chosen in both the afore-mentioned 25-minute games.
11.0-0 0-0 12.Rad1
White had a very 'wide' choice available - beginning with 12.a4 and ending with 12.Nh4. Judit prefers play in the centre.
12...Bd5
Reverting to the old idea, but in a more favourable version.
13.Rfe1 Kh8
A useful prophylactic move. I made it without hesitation, and at the same time invited White to declare her intentions, i.e. her choice of plan.
14.Nfd2
To all appearances, White rejects the idea of exchanging the bishop (Ne4-c3xd5) in favour of preparing c2-c4. 14...c6 15.c4
However, it transpires that preparing the desired c2-c4 is far from easy. 15.b3 is met by the blockading 15...b4!, while if 15.c3 f5!, and the white knight can only go to c5. Finally, in the event of 15.a3 even the impudent 15...a5 is possible, intending if 16.b3 to capture 16...Ba3.
15...bc4 16.Nc4 a5!
Cutting off for ever the knight's route to a5. The time had come to evaluate the position. After the game my opponent said that she had considered her position to be better, although in my opinion it is approximately equal. Evidently as a result of this over-estimation, Judit began operating with one-move threats, trying to provoke at least some targets to attack, whereas more in keeping with the spirit of the position was an unhurried plan such as a3, Rd2, Rc1 etc., eyeing Black's queenside.
17.Nc3
The bishop at e7 is hanging.
17...Re8
Dull, but effective - the bishop is defended.
18.Ne3
Aha! What are we up to? It appears that I will soon have a piece sacrificed against me. (Incidentally, this type of typical sacrifice often proves dangerous.) Let's check.
For example, after 18...Nf8 (planning Ng6 and f6-f5) this idea would seem to work: 19.Qh5! Ng6 20.Ncd5 cd5 21.Nd5! ed5 22.Bd5, and if the rook moves, then 23 Bf7 wins.
But after 18...f5 what was planned? 19.Qh5 will not do - after 19...Nf6! 20.Qf7 Rf8 the queen is trapped, if 19.Ncd5 cd5 20.Qh5 Black has 20...Bb4, while if 19.Ned5 cd5 20.Qh5 even the primitive 20...Rf8 is possible, since White has no particular ideas. There remains the most cunning option, 19.Bd5 cd5 20.Qh5. I analysed this position quite carefully during the game, since I assumed that this was why 18.Ne3 had been played. If 20...Rf8 White can make the typical piece sacrifice: 21.Ncd5 ed5 22.Nf5! (this way), and although after the possible 22...Bb4 23.Re3!? the position remains unclear, I looked for an alternative. In the end the following idea was discovered: 20...Nf6! 21.Qf7 Ra6!, and in view of the threat of Rf8 White is forced to give up a piece: 22.Nf5 ef5 23.Re5!, retaining compensation sufficient for a draw. But my opponent had quite different thoughts.
18...f5 19.Nc4
After provoking f6-f5, White wants to base her play on the e5 square. But as soon as Black's bishop goes to f6, all the dangers will be behind him.
19...Qb8 20.Na4 Qb4!?
Just in case, Black excludes 21.Nc5, which was possible after the immediate 20...Bf6.
21.b3 Bf6 22.Qc2 Rg8
Of course, it is not possible to take on d4 because of 23.a3!
23.Qc1?
'Just in case' against f5-f4, but essentially a waste of time. Nothing terrible for White is apparent after the immediate 23.Ne5 Ne5 24.de5 Be7 25.Nb2. Now, however, after the doubling of rooks on the g-file the initiative passes to Black.
23...Rg4 24.Ne5 Ne5 25.de5 Be7 26.Rd3 Rag8 27.Red1
This doubling does not threaten anything - it is impossible to budge the bishop from d5.
27...f4 28.Qc3?!
Another delay. White could hardly have been satisfied with variations such as 28.h3 fg3! 29.Bd5 gf2 or 28.Bd5 cd5 29.Rd4? Qb8!, taking aim at the e5 pawn. In the event of 28.Nc3, threatening to 'speculate' on opposite-colour bishops, White has to reckon with 28...Bc5!?, when the f2 square is weak. Therefore I think that the immediate 28.Bd5 cd5 29.Qc7! was the best practical chance - the position would have remained fairly tense.
28...fg3 29.hg3
It was probably worth trying to change the course of the play with the unexpected 29.fg3!?, although after the possible 29...R4g5 30.Rf1 Qc3 31.Nc3 Bc5 32.Kh1 Re5 33.Nd5 cd5 34.Rf7 Black's chances are undoubtedly better.
29...h5!
A perfectly concrete approach. White does not have time to exploit the h-file, whereas after h5-h4 his g3 will be on the point of collapse.
30.Bd5
Following the principle 'better late than never', White goes looking for accidental tactical chances.
30...cd5 31.Rf3 Kg7 32.Qc7
In the endgame - 32.Qb4 ab4 - White would have had little hope of saving the game.
32...h4 33.Kg2 hg3 34.fg3
34...Qe4!
A simple but spectacular move, which places White in a critical position.
35.Qc3
Everybody back! Other moves would also not have saved White:
A) 35.Qe7 Qe2 36.Rf2 Rg3! 37.Kg3 Kh7;
B) 35.Rdf1 Rg3 36.Kg3 Qh4 37.Kg2 Kh8;
C) 35.Kf2! The toughest defence, and although objectively Black wins here, in two ways moreover, I am not at all sure that in the time remaining I would have managed to find at least one of them:
C1) 35...Rh4! (a non-trivial introduction) 36.Rf1! Kh8!! 37.Qe7 Qc2 38.Ke1 Re4;
C2) the second way is perhaps even more impressive: 35...Rh8 (a banal introduction) 36.Rf1 Rh2 37.Kg1. Let us draw breath for a moment and... 37...Qe2!! 38.Rf7 Kh8! 39.Rf8 Rg8! and wins.
35...Qe2 36.Kh3 Rg5
And White resigned in view of mate in four moves.

Notes by Alexander Morozevich

Morozevich - Xie Jun

Morozevich - Xie Jun

Morozevich's games from Pamplona are like bon-bons, it’s hard to choose just one. He played several sacrificial attacks and almost all of his games were full of tactics start to finish. Here he out-combos Chinese GM Xie Jun after strong play out of the opening left her pieces mangled around her king.

Morozevich, A (2625) - Xie Jun (2510) [C45]
It Pamplona ESP (4), 30.12.1998
[Mig; Gurevich,M; Games from the ChessBase Megabase 99]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 [5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5=] 5...bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.c4 Ba6 9.b3 [9.Nd2] 9...0–0–0 10.g3 '!?' Gurevich,M.

[10.Bb2 Re8 11.g3]

10...Re8 11.Bb2 f6 12.Qd2

[12.Bg2 fxe5 13.0–0 h5 (13...g6!?) 14.Qd2 Nf6 15.Qa5 Bb7 (15...Kb7?! 16.Re1 d6 17.Bxc6+±) 16.Ba3 (16.Qxa7 Qc5) 16...Qe6 17.Bxf8 (17.Qxa7 Qg4) 17...Rhxf8 18.Qxa7 Qg4 19.Na3! Abgabezug. Ѕ–Ѕ Kasparov,G-Karpov,A/Lyon/New York 1990/CBM 21/[Gurevich,M] (40); 12.f4?!]

12...Nb6 13.a4

[13.Bg2 fxe5 14.0–0 g5 15.Re1 Bg7 16.Nc3 Kb8 17.a4 h5 18.Ba3 Qd8 19.a5 Nc8 20.Ne4 d6 21.Qb4+ Nb6 22.axb6 axb6 23.Bc1 Bb7 24.Qa4 d5 25.Bxg5 1–0 Socko,B-Kostyra,S/Krynica 1997/CBM 61 ext (25)]

13...Kb8 14.a5 Nc8 15.Bh3

The first new move of the game, and it looks stronger than 15.Bg2. It’s also more active, fitting in with Morozevich’s style. One comment I remember reading about Morozevich years ago that still holds true, he knows how to get the type of positions he likes!

[15.Bg2 fxe5 16.0–0 Qf7 17.Rd1 Bc5 18.b4 Bd4 19.b5 Bxb2 20.Qxb2 cxb5 21.cxb5 Bb7 22.Bxb7 Kxb7 23.Nc3 e4 24.Nd5 e3 25.fxe3 Ne7 26.a6+ Kc8 27.Nxc7 Kxc7 28.Qc3+ Nc6 29.bxc6 d5 30.Rab1 Kd6 31.Rb5 Qf3 32.Qc5+ Ke6 33.Rxd5 g6 34.Rb7 0–1 Coelho,L-Batista,G/Brasilia 1998/CBM 65 ext (34)]

15...fxe5?

Xie Jun is also known for her aggressive manners, but the pawns on c7 and c6 are ugly runts now. 15...d5!? is a little crazy but offered Black some chances to unwind her pieces. Or, White would probably sac the e-pawn after the defensive 15...Rd8 16.0-0 fxe5 17.Re1 d6 18.Bg2 with a lot of play for the pawn.

16.Qxd7 Qf6 17.0–0

Of course not 17.Qxe8?? Bb4+ winning the queen.

17...Bc5 18.Nc3 Nd6

[18...Bd4 19.Ne4!]

19.Qxc6 Nb7 20.Qd7!

Why trade into a pawn-up ending when you can keep your queen in a dominating position and attack?
20...Rd8? [...Rhf8] 21.Nd5!+- Now it’s over Rxd7 22.Nxf6 Rd2 23.Nd7+ Ka8 24.Bxe5 Bb4 25.Bxc7 Nc5??

A blunder in a lost position. Now it's mate in 6.

26.Bg2+ Bb7 27.Nb6+ (diagram) 1–0

[27.Nb6+ axb6 28.axb6+ Ra2 29.Rxa2+ Ba5 30.Rxa5+ Na6 31.Rxa6#]

Morozevich - Bezgodov

Morozevich - Bezgodov

Tomsk 1998. The Scotch Game

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Ne4 7. Nd2 Nc5 8. Be2
Then it was a novelty. Perhaps here Black had to try 8...Qg5.
Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Nb3! Nxb3 11. axb3 d5 12. exd6 Bxd6?
Black hopes that active piece play will compensate his chronic pawn weaknesses, but Morozevich proves that this idea is flawed. Better was 12...cxd6.
13. Ra4!
From here the rook works very nicely.
Bf5 14. Bd3!
Every exchange helps White to exploit Black's pawn weaknesses.
Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Qf6 16. g3! Rfe8 17. Kg2 Bc5 18. Rf4 Qe6 19. Rd1 Bd6 20. Rc4! c5 21. Qf3 Rab8 22. Bd2 f6 23. Ra1! Rbd8 24. Be3 Qe5 25. Rc3! Ra8 26. Ra5
White's splendid position play is bearing fruit now.
Qe4 27. Bxc5 Qxf3+ 28. Kxf3 Be5 29. Re3 Bxb2 30. Rxa7 Rxe3+ 31. Kxe3 Rxa7 32. Bxa7 Kf7 33. Kd3 Ke6 34. b4 c6 35. Bd4 Bc1 36. Be3 Bb2 37. Kc4 Kd7
Black resigned as after 38.c3 he would lose his bishop.
1-0         
[notes by Alexander Morozevich]

Morozevich - Rublevsky

Morozevich - Rublevsky

Ch of Russia, St. Petersburg 1998, Sicilian

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 a6 4. g3 b5 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. d3 d6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Ng5 White plans f2-f4, while Black has also keep in mind the possibility of e4-e5 now. b4 9. Ne2 Be7 This came as a surprise to me. I expected mostly 9...h6 10.Nh3 Nc6. 10. f4 Here White could consider 10.Nf4, but the position after 10...e5 11.Nfe6 fxe6 12.Nxe6 Qd7 13.Nxg7+ Kd8 is absolutely unclear. Bearing in mind the importance of this game, I decided not to force the game so early. d5 11. e5 Nfd7 12. Nf3 Nc6 More elastic was 12...Nb6 13.c3 a5. 13. c4 bxc3 14. bxc3 a5 15. Rb1 Rb8 After 15...Ba6 White had 16.f5! exf5 17.Nf4 Rb8! 18.Rxb8 Ndxb8 19.Re1 0-0 20.h4 with a very good compensation for a pawn. 16. f5! Bc8? [Black had to play 16...exf5 17.Bf4 (17.Nf4? Bc8 18.Rxb8 Ndxb8) 17...Bc8 18.e6 fxe6 19.Bxb8 Ndxb8 20.Nf4 0-0 21.Re1 Qd6 22.c4 and White's chances are only slightly better. 17. Rxb8 Ndxb8 18. fxe6 Bxe6 19. Nf4 O-O 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Bf4? Having received a generous gift (16... Bc8?) I relexad and got the idea that the position would play itself. Having received a generous gift (16...Bc8?) I relaxed and got the idea that the position would play itself. I saw the line 21.Qa4! Qd7 22.Qg4!, but failed to recognise that after further Bf4 and Rb1 or h2-h4-h5 White's position would become overwhelming. Na6 22. Qa4 Qd7 23. Rb1 Rb8 23...Nxe5? loses after 24.Qxd7 Nxd7 25.Rb7 Rd8 26.Ra7. 24. Rxb8+ Naxb8 25. Qb5 Qc8 26. c4 White clears the diagonal for his light-squared bishop. Qa6 27. Bh3 Kf7 28. Qb1? This 'deep' move allows Black's queen to get active. Much better was 28.Qb3 dxc4 (28...a4? loses in view of 29.Bxe6+! Kxe6 30.cxd5+) 29.dxc4 Nd7 30.Qd3 Nf8 31.Bxe6+! I failed to see the blow, while considering my 28th move. Now after 31...Nxe6 (or 31...Kxe6 32.Qd5+ Kf5 33.e6+ Kg6 34.g4+-) 32.Qf5+ Bf6 33.exf6 Qxc4 34.Ng5+! Nxg5 35.fxg7+ Kxg7 36.Qxg5+ Kf7 37.Qh5+ White wins. dxc4 29. dxc4 29.d4 could be a good try, taking into consideration that both players were rather short of time - Black's defence might not be easy. But after 29...Nxd4 30.Nxd4 cxd4 31.Qxb8 d3 32.Bg4 Qc6 33. h4 c3 34.Qh8! Qb6+ 35.Kg2 Qb2+ 36.Kh3 Black has the fantastic 36...Qe2!!, with a draw after 37.Qxh7 Qf1+. Qxc4 30. Qxh7 Nd4? Black had to play 30...Qxa2 when it's hard for White to prove any advantage. 31. Qh5+? We both missed 31.Bg4!, after which Black would be in a critical situation. Kf8? Black had to evacuate his king to d7. 31...g6 32.Qh7+ Ke8 33.Nd2 Qxa2 34.Qxg6+ Kd7. 32. Bf1? White could have won with 32.Nd2 Qc1+ 33.Kg2 Nd7 34.Bg4. Nxf3+ 33. Qxf3 Qd5 34. Qxd5 Also worth considering was 34.Bg2!?, with a clear advantage after 34...Qxf3 35.Bxf3 Nd7 36.h4. exd5 35. Bb5 g5 36. Bd2 Bd8?? Black had to play 36...Kf7 37.Bxa5 Ke6, with great chances for a draw. 37. e6! Now it all over as the unfortunate b8-knight finally loses all its mobility. c4 38. Kf1 a4 39. Ke2 Bf6 40. Bb4+ Be7 41. Ba5 Bd6 42. Bd8 g4 43. e7+ Bxe7 44. Bc7 1-0          
[notes by Alexander Morozevich]

Rogozenko - Morozevich

Rogozenko - Morozevich

34th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul, 2000 (Published in New In Chess)

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 3. cxd5 Qxd5 4. e3 e5 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 exd4 8. Ne2 Nf6 9. Nxd4 O-O 10. Nb5 Qg5 11. h4 Qh6 12. Be2 Rd8 13. Qc2
Here we deviated from an earlier game Peng-Botsari, played in Istanbul. That game went 13.Qa4 Nd5 14.Rd1 Be6 15.h5 a6 16.Rxd5 Bxd5 17.Nxc7 Rac8 18.Nxd5 Rxd5 and soon ended in a draw.
Nd5 14. Rd1 Be6= 15. a3 Rd7 Here I was tempted to sacrifice a piece: 15...Nxe3 16.fxe3 Qxe3, with great complications arising.
16. Nd4 Also possible was 16.Bd2 Rad8 17.g3 a6 and then both 18.e4 Qg6 19.h5 Qf6 20.exd5 Bxd5 21.Bc3 Qe6 22.Nxc7 Rxc7 and 18.Nc3 Nf6!? lead to unclear play. Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Nxd4 18. Rxd4 Rad8 19. Rxd7 Rxd7 20. Bf3 Probably simpler was 20.g3 Qg6 21.0-0 h6 22.Rd1 Rxd1+ 23.Bxd1 Qb1 24.Qc2=.
b6 21. g3 Qf6 22. Qxf6 gxf6 23. h5 h6 24. Rh4 c5
Strangely enough all chess programs 'think' that White is a bit better here, though during the game both of us thought on the contrary - White is slightly worse, although with accurate play he should make a draw. Black's advantage lies in the control over the d-file and the queenside pawn majority, which could become dangerous.
25. Be2?! Better was 25.Bg4! Rd5 26.Bxe6 fxe6 27.Ke2 Kf7 28.e4 Rd4 29.Rg4, with equality. Bb3!=/+ 26. Rf4 Kg7 27. g4 Rd6 28. Re4 Kf8 Around here both players were short of time, which showed in the way we played.
29. Rf4 a5 30. Re4 Rd8 31. Rf4 Ke7 32. Re4+ Kd6 33. Bd1 Be6! 34. Be2? This leads to difficulties; White had to play 34.Rf4 Ke5 35.Bc2 b5 36.Re4+ Kd6 37.Rf4=.
f5=/+ 35. gxf5 Bxf5 36. Rf4 Ke5 37. Rf3 b5! 38. e4? This move surrenders dark squares to Black and leads to White's defeat. He should have defended with 38.Rf4! b4 39.Rc4 Kd6 40.e4 Be6 41.Rc1 Kc6 42.axb4 axb4 43.f4 Rd4 44.Bf3 c4, when Black is only marginally better. Be6!-+ 39. Rc3 c4 40. f3 Kf4 41. Rc2 Rd4 42. Bd1 b4 43. axb4 axb4 44. Be2 Ke3 45. Rc1 Rd2! 46. Bxc4 Rh2 47. Bf1 Rh1 48. Rc2 Bh3
This game with full annotations by Alexander Morozevich will appear (or has appeared, depending when you see this) in the New in Chess magazine.
0-1         
[notes by Alexander Morozevich]

Morozevich - Minasian

Morozevich - Minasian

4th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul, 2000  (Published in New In Chess)

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Nf3 Bb4 8. Bd3?! Better was 8.Rc1. dxc4 9. Bxc4 h6 10. Bh4?! Better was to play 10.Be3 Nd5 11.Qd3 0-0 12.0-0, with unclear position. Bxc3+? Instead of this move Black could and should have played more aggressively - 10...g5. After 11.Bg3 Ne4 12.Qd3 Nxg3 13.hxg3 g4 14.Ne5 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Qxd3 16.Bxd3 chances are equal.
11. bxc3 Qa5 12. O-O Nd5 13. Rc1!
This pawn sacrifice is much more attractive for White than the line 13.Bxd5 Qxd5 14.Qd3 Na5 15.Ne5, where Black has 15...Nc6!, with almost a full equality. Nxc3 14. Qd3?? White had to play 14.Qb3 instead.
Nd5? Black had top grab yet another pawn with 14...Nxa2!. After 15.Ra1 Nab4 White has a wide choice, but his initiative is not enough to compensate for 2 pawns. 15. Bxd5 exd5 After 15...Qxd5 16.Qa3 f6 White has a very nice move - 17. Ne5!. Then Black has to choose between 17...Bd7 18.Ng6 Kf7 19.Nxh8+ Rxh8, and White is better or 17...Nxe5 18.dxe5 Qxe5. In the latter line after 19.Bg3 Qb5 20.Rc7 Bd7 21.Rd1 Rd8 22.h4! White maintains the attack.
16. Rfe1+ Be6 17. Rxe6+ fxe6 18. Qg6+ Kf8 19. Ne5! Nxe5 20. dxe5 Qb4 21. g3?? This is bad slip, while after 21.h3! Black would be in serious trouble, for example: 21...Kg8 22.Qxe6+ Kh7 23.Qf5+ Kg8 24.Rc7 Qf8 25.Qe6+ or 21...Re8 22. Bf6!. Relatively best is 21...Qe4 22.Qxe6 g5 23.Rc8+ Rxc8 24.Qxc8+ Kg7, but even then White is close to winning.
Re8 22. h3? Yet another mistake. .. Better was 22.Bf6! Rg8 23.Qh5! gxf6 24.Qxh6+ Ke7 25.exf6+ Kd6 26.f7 Rgf8 27. fxe8Q Rxe8 and now 28.Qg7 Re7 29.Qf8 Qb6 30.h4! e5 31.h5 Ke6 32.h6 leads to White's advantage.
Rg8! 23. a3 Qe4! 24. Be7+ Kxe7 25. Rc7+ Kd8 26. Qf7 Qe1+ 27. Kg2 Qxf2+ 28. Kxf2 Rgf8 29. Rd7+ Kc8 30. Rxb7 Rxf7+ It's tempting to take the queen immediately, but better was to play 30.. .a5! - after 31.Ke3 Rxf7 32.Rxf7 g5 33.Rh7 Rf8 34.Rxh6 Kd7 35.Rh7+ Ke8 36.Rh5 the ending is drawn.
31. Rxf7 Rd8 32. Rxa7 Rd7 33. Ra8+ Perhaps 33.Ra6 would be a better winning try. Kc7 34. Ke3 Kb6= 35. Re8 Ra7 36. Rxe6+ Kc5 37. Rg6 Rxa3+ 38. Kf4 Ra7 39. h4 Rf7+ After 39...Kd4 40.Kf5 Ke3? Black loses: 41.Rd6 d4 42.e6 d3 43.Rd7 d2 44.e7.
40. Ke3 Re7 41. Kf4 Kd4 42. e6 Ra7 Safer was 42...Kc5 43.Ke5 d4 44.Rg4 d3. However, Black decided to play for a win, which in this position was a sure way to a disaster!
43. Rg4! h5? This is the final mistake. Black could still make a draw by playing 43...Kc5 44.Ke5 Kc6 45.h5 Rb7 46.Ra4 Rb1 47.g4 Re1+ 48.Kf5 Kd6.
44. Rg5 Re7 45. Kf5 Kc5 46. Ke5 d4? Better was 46...Ra7, but after 47.Rxh5 Ra3 48.Rg5 Re3+ 49.Kf5 Kd6 50.Rxg7 Rxe6 51.Rg8 White wins anyway.
47. Rxh5 d3 48. Rh8 Kc4 49. Rc8+ Kb3 50. Rd8 Kc2 51. Kd6 Re8 52. e7 d2 53. Ke6 This game with full annotations by Alexander Morozevich will appear (or has appeared, depending when you read this) in the New in Chess magazine.
1-0         
[notes by Alexander Morozevich]

Morozevich - Vladimirov

Morozevich - Vladimirov

FIDE Championships, New Delhi, 2000

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. h3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. c3 c5 9. Bc2 Nc6 10. d4 Be6 11. Re1+/= Qc8? Better was 11...d5 12.Bg5 Qb6. 12. Bg5 Nd5?! 13. Na3!+/-
This developing move highlights the fact that Black's pieces are poorly co-ordinated. h6 14. Qd3 Here 14.c4!? was also worth considering. Bf5 14...f5 loses after 15.Bd2 Bf6 16.Rxe6 Qxe6 17.Re1 Qf7 18.Qxf5.
15. Qxf5 Qxf5 16. Bxf5 Bxg5 17. Be4 Nc7?!
Better would be 17...Nb6 18.Nxg5 hxg5 19. Nb5 cxd4 20.Nxd6 dxc3 21.bxc3 Rab8 22.Rad1 .
18. Bxc6 bxc6 19. dxc5 dxc5 20. Ne5+- Rfd8 21. Nac4 Rd5 22. Nxc6 Kf8 23. a4 h5 24. a5 Nb5 25. Nb6?! The line 25.Rad1 Rxd1 26.Rxd1 Rc8 27.N6e5 Ke8 28.Rd7 Be7 29.Rb7+- was easier.
axb6 26. axb6 Rxa1 27. Rxa1 Nd6 28. h4! Ke8 29. hxg5 Kd7 30. Na5 Kc8 31. c4 Rxg5 32. Rd1 Rg6 33. Rd5 Nb7 34. Nxb7 Kxb7 35. Rxc5+- Rxb6 36. Rxh5 Rxb2 37. Rh7 Kc6 38. Rxg7 Rb7 39. Rg5 Kd6 40. Rd5+ Ke6 41. Rd1 Rb2 42. Rc1 Kd6 43. c5+ Kc6 44. g3 Rb3 45. Kg2 f5 46. Rc4 Rd3 47. Kh3 Rd2 48. Rf4 Rd5 49. Kh4 1-0         

[notes by Alexander Morozevich]