Round 8 of September 21st 2007 by IM Malcolm Pein

Gelfand - Anand in Round 8. Photo © Gerard Demuydt http://www.europe-echecs.com who have videos, photos and analysis each day.

Round 8 (September 21, 2007)

Gelfand, Boris         -  Anand, Viswanathan     1/2   20  E06  Catalan
Leko, Peter            -  Grischuk, Alexander    1-0   60  C88  Ruy Lopez Closed
Aronian, Levon         -  Morozevich, Alexander  1/2   69  E17  Queens Indian
Svidler, Peter         -  Kramnik, Vladimir      1/2   29  C42  Petroff's Defence

WCh Mexico City MEX (MEX), 13-29 ix 2007               cat. XXI (2752)
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                                     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 
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1 Anand, Viswanathan     g IND 2792 ** == =. =. 1. 1. 1. =.  5.5  2885
2 Gelfand, Boris         g ISR 2733 == ** =. =. =. 1. =. 1.  5.0  2854
3 Kramnik, Vladimir      g RUS 2769 =. =. ** =. =. =. == 1.  4.5  2790
4 Leko, Peter            g HUN 2751 =. =. =. ** =1 0. =. =.  4.0  2748
5 Grischuk, Alexander    g RUS 2726 0. =. =. =0 ** =. =. 1.  3.5  2711
6 Aronian, Levon         g ARM 2750 0. 0. =. 1. =. ** =. ==  3.5  2709
7 Svidler, Peter         g RUS 2735 0. =. == =. =. =. ** 0.  3.0  2669
8 Morozevich, Alexander  g RUS 2758 =. 0. 0. =. 0. == 1. **  3.0  2663
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Malcolm Pein Notes Rounds 4-10 in PGN

Peter Leko was the sole winner in the eighth round of the 1.3 million dollar Fide World Championship tournament at Mexico City but his victory over Alexander Grischuk only brought him to 50%. The leaders were involved in short but rather tense draws and as ever it was left to Alexander Morozevich to take the role of entertainer in his game against Levon Aronian.

Morozevich played the Queen’s Indian with black but he can spice up even the dullest opening and he chose to refine a pawn sacrifice he played against Boris Gelfand two rounds earlier.

The concept looked risky as Aronian’s position had no serious weaknesses but after a series of errors by both sides, during which Aronian missed chances to consolidate, Morozevich scrambled into a rook and pawn endgame a pawn down similar to the one seen in round three between Anand and Kramnik. Morozevich was even able to give up a second pawn and still draw.

Round eight of fourteen: Gelfand draw Anand, Catalan, 20 moves ; Svidler draw Kramnik, Petroff Defence, 29; Aronian draw Morozevich, Queen’s Indian, 69; Leko 1-0 Grischuk, Ruy Lopez Anti Marshall,8.a4 b4 60;

Scores 1 Anand 5.5/8; 2 Gelfand 5 3 Kramnik 4.5; 4 Leko 4; 5-6 Grischuk Aronian 3.5; 7-8 Morozevich, Svidler 3;

Aronian,L (2750) - Morozevich,A (2758) [E17]
WCh Mexico City MEX (8), 21.09.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 Ne4 7.Bd2 f5 8.d5 Bf6 9.Qc2 Na6 [9...Qe7 10.Nxe4 fxe4 11.Qxe4 Bxb2 12.Rd1 Bf6 13.0-0 Na6 14.Nd4 Nc5 15.Qe3 Gelfand - Morozevich round 6] 10.Nxe4 fxe4 11.Qxe4 Nc5 [11...Bxb2 12.Rd1 0-0] 12.Qe3 [12.Qc2 exd5 13.0-0-0!? d4!=/+] 12...0-0 13.dxe6 Re8 Black has some play for the pawn 14.Qa3 Qe7 [14...Rxe6 15.Be3 (15.Rc1?? Bxb2 16.Qxb2 Nd3+) 15...Re4 16.Rc1] 15.Be3 [15.0-0 Qxe6 hits e2 and c4 and regains the pawn] 15...Qxe6 16.Rc1 Ne4 17.0-0 Nd6 18.Bd4!

[18.b3 would leave the queen a little lonely on a3 then perhaps a6 intending b5] 18...Be7 [18...Qxe2 19.Rfe1 traps the queen] 19.c5 [The following sequence of moves all the way to move 24 is bit hard to understand. White seems to have missed chances for advantage and Black chances to equalise 19.Qc3 looked good and if 19...Nf5 20.Bxg7 Nxg7 21.Nd4 Qg6 22.Bxb7] 19...Ne4 20.Nd2

20...Nxd2 [20...Nxc5 21.Bxb7 Nxb7 22.Qc3 Bf8 23.Qxc7 Nd6 Threatens Rc8 trapping the queen. Black could then take on e2; 20...Nxc5 21.Bxb7 Nxb7 22.Qc3 c5 23.Bxg7 d5 24.Be5 d4 25.Qc4 Qxc4 26.Nxc4 b5 27.Nd2 (27.Na3 Bg5 28.f4 Rxe5 29.fxe5 Bxc1 30.Rxc1 a6~~) 27...Bg5!-/+] 21.Bxb7 Rab8 [21...Nxf1 22.Bxa8 Rxa8 23.Rxf1 Qxe2 24.Qb3+ Qe6 looks playable now Black is worse] 22.Rfd1 Rxb7 23.Rxd2 Reb8 Black is just a pawn down 24.Qe3 [Allowing Black to reach a tenable rook and pawn endgame 24.b3 consolidates] 24...bxc5 25.Qxe6+ dxe6 26.Bxc5 [26.Bc3 Bf6 27.b3+/-] 26...Bxc5 27.Rxc5 Rxb2 28.Rd7 Rc8 29.a4 [29.Rcxc7 Rxc7 30.Rxc7 Rxa2=; 29.Re5 Re8 30.Rg5 g6 31.Rc5 Rc8 32.Rcxc7 (32.Re5!? Rxa2 33.Rxe6 c5 34.Ree7; 32.Re5 Rb6 33.Rc5 Rb2) 32...Rxc7 33.Rxc7 Rxa2 34.e3] 29...Rxe2 30.Rcxc7 Rxc7 31.Rxc7 a6 32.Ra7 Ra2 33.Rxa6 e5 34.a5 [34.Re6 Rxa4 35.Rxe5 is a known theoretical draw] 34...e4 Stopping Kg2 35.Ra7 h5 36.h4 [36.h3] 36...Kh7 37.a6 Ra1+ 38.Kg2 Ra2 39.Kf1 Kg6 40.Ra8 Kh7 Black hides his king to avoid any possibility of a7 and rook away check. We saw this is Anand - Kramnik 41.a7 g6 42.Ke1 Kg7 43.Kd1 Ra1+ 44.Kc2 Ra2+ 45.Kb3 Ra1 46.Kc4 Ra2 47.Kd4 Ra1 48.Kxe4 Even with a second extra pawn the position is a draw as with the pawn on the seventh White's king cannot hide from checks in front of the a pawn. To win he needs to be able to make a passed f pawn and advance it f6 to force the black king from g7 and h7 but this cannot be arranged

48...Ra4+ 49.Kf3 Ra3+ 50.Kg2 Ra2 51.Kh3 Ra3 52.f3 Kh7 53.Kg2 Ra2+ 54.Kf1 Ra1+ 55.Ke2 Ra2+ 56.Kd3 Kg7 57.Kc4 Ra1 58.Kc5 Rc1+ 59.Kd6 Rd1+ 60.Ke5 Ra1 61.Kf4 Ra4+ 62.Ke5 Ra1 63.f4 Ra2 64.f5 gxf5 65.Kf4 Ra5 66.Re8 Rxa7 67.Kxf5 Rf7+ 68.Ke4 Rf1 69.Re5 Kg6 1/2-1/2

Peter Leko finished his game stylishly from the position below.

41.h4 Nh7 42.Nf3 Nf6 43.g5 hxg5 44.hxg5 Nh5 45.Bd2 Ra4 46.Qe2 Ra2 47.Qe1 Nf4 48.Bxf4 exf4 49.Qh4 Qe8 50.g6 Nh6 51.Qxf4 Re2 52.Ng5 Qa4 53.Qxd6 Qxc4 54.Qd5+ Qxd5 55.Rxd5 c4 56.Rd7 c3 57.Ne6 Rc8 (57...c2 58.Rxg7+ Kh8 59.Rh7+ Kg8 60.Rh8+ Kxh8 61.g7+ Kg8 62.gxf8Q+) 58.Rgd1 Rd2 (58...c2 59.Rd8+ Rxd8 60.Rxd8 mate) 59.R1xd2 cxd2 60.Rxd2 1–0

Svidler,P (2735) - Kramnik,V (2769) [C42]
WCh Mexico City MEX (8), 21.09.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Bf4 0-0 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.0-0-0 Nc5 10.Be3 Re8 11.Bc4 Be6 12.Bxe6 Nxe6 13.h4 Qd7 14.Qd5 Qc6 15.Qf5 Qc4 16.Kb1 g6 17.Qh3 h5 18.Nd2 Qe2 [18...Qg4 19.Qxg4 (19.Qh2 d5) 19...hxg4 20.h5 gxh5 21.Rxh5 Ng7 22.Rh2 Nf5 23.Rdh1 Bf6] 19.Rde1 Qg4 20.Qh2 d5 21.f3 Qa4 22.g4 Bd6 23.Qf2 [23.Qg2 Nf4 (23...Ng7 24.c4 dxc4 25.Ne4 Be5~~) 24.Bxf4 Qxf4 25.gxh5 Qh2 26.Qxh2 Rxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Bxh2] 23...Ng7 24.c4 dxc4 25.Bd4 Qc6

26.Bc3 [26.Bxg7 Kxg7 27.Qd4+ Kg8 28.gxh5 c3 29.bxc3 (29.Nc4 Rxe1+ 30.Rxe1 Re8 31.Rd1 Bf8 32.hxg6 fxg6 33.Qxc3 b5 34.Na5 Qxc3 35.bxc3 Re6=; 29.Ne4 Be5 30.Qb4) 29...Qb5+ 30.Ka1 Be5-/+] 26...Bc5 27.Qg3 Bd6 28.Qf2 Bc5 29.Qg3 Bd6 1/2-1/2