World Cup 2007. Khanty-Mansiysk - Round 6 by Malcolm Pein

Youth was vanquished a second time at the FIDE World Cup taking place at Khanty Mansiysk in Siberia as Alexey Shirov eliminated the former prodigy Sergei Karjakin 1.5-0.5 to qualify for the final where he will play Gata Kamsky. Kamsky eliminated the 17 year Magnus Carlsen in the other semi final.

At stake will be the winner’s prize of $120,000 and the right to play a world title eliminator against Veselin Topalov.

The first game between Shirov and Karjakin, given in part below, was an epic encounter with many twists and turns. After catching Shirov in a prepared line Karjakin appeared to have a huge attack but was rocked by some typically brilliant sacrificial play from Shirov that brought the white king into the open.

Karjakin defended desperately and after a huge time scramble the players reached an endgame of rook and bishop against two knights. These endgames have all been analysed out and in theory, according to the computer, Shirov could win if he found 208 perfect moves in succession. Of course in practice winning this endgame is extremely difficult and at Rapid Chess virtually impossible. Shirov tried until move 103.

In the return Karjakin was ground down in a rook and opposite coloured bishop endgame less a pawn that arose from the line of the Marshall Attack in which we saw Shirov defeat Jakovenko last week. Not an inspired choice from the youngster.

Karjakin,Sergey (2694) - Shirov,A (2739) [B33]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (6.3), 11.12.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c3 Bg5 12.Nc2 0-0 [12...Ne7 13.h4 Bh6 14.a4 led to a win for White in Karjakin-Shirov Wijk aan Zee] 13.a4 bxa4 14.Rxa4 a5 15.Bc4 Rb8 16.b3 Kh8 17.Nce3 g6 18.h4 White gives up a pawn to launch a big attack along the opened h file 18...Bxh4 19.g3 Bg5 20.Qe2 A new move which has the unpleasant, and concealed idea of transferring the queen to h2 [20.f4 exf4 21.gxf4 Bh4+ 22.Kf1 f5 23.Ra2 fxe4 24.Rah2 g5 25.Ng2 Rb7 26.Nxh4 gxh4 27.Rxh4 Rg7 28.Qh5 Bf5 29.Ne3 Bg6 30.Qd5 Ne5 31.Ke2 Nxc4 32.Qxc4 Qf6 33.Kd2 d5 34.Qd4 Qxd4+ 35.cxd4 Rb7 36.Rh6 Kg8 37.Rf1 Rxb3 38.f5 Rd3+ 39.Ke2 Rb8 40.Nd1 Bf7 41.Rg1+ Kh8 42.Rgh1 Bg8 43.Ra6 Rf3 44.f6 Rf8 45.Rh6 a4 46.Rxa4 R8xf6 47.Rxf6 Rxf6 48.Ne3 h5 49.Ra5 h4 50.Ra1 Be6 51.Rh1 h3 0-1 Hracek,Z (2595)-Mista,A (2489)/Czech Rep CZE 2006/The Week in Chess 594] 20...f5 21.f4 exf4 22.gxf4 Bh4+ 23.Kd1 Rb7 Black must cover h7 24.Qh2 g5 25.Ba6 Rxb3!! Forced but good 26.Kc2 Bxa6 27.Kxb3 fxe4 White cannot recapture else Black's bishop enters the fray to great effect. Karjakin had been well ahead on the clock but now he started to think 28.fxg5 [28.Rxe4 Bd3! covering h7 and attacking the enemy king] 28...Qb8+

29.Rb4 [The point of Shirov's sacrifice was 29.Kc2 Rf2+; but Karjakin missed 29.Nb4 Nxb4 30.Qxh4 Nd3+! 31.Rb4! Qc7! 32.g6! axb4 33.Qxh7+ Qxh7 34.Rxh7+ Kg8 35.Ng4 Nc5+ 36.Kb2 Nd3+ draws] 29...axb4 30.Qxh4 bxc3+ 31.Kxc3 Qa7 32.Qxe4 Ne5 33.g6 [33.Nf6 Bd3! 34.Rxh7+ Qxh7! wins] 33...Bd3 34.Rxh7+ Qxh7 35.Qxe5+! dxe5 36.gxh7 Bxh7 Now both players had virtually no time and were down to the second increment. To survive, Karjakin has to capture the final pawn and in a flurry of moves he managed it 37.Ng4 Rc8+ 38.Kb4 e4 39.Ngf6 Bf5 40.Nh5 Bg4 41.Ng3 Bf3 42.Nf5 Rc1 43.Nc3 Kh7 44.Kc4 Rc2 45.Kd4 Kg6 46.Ne3 Rd2+ 47.Ke5 Rd3 48.Ned5 Rd2 49.Nxe4 Ra2 50.Nf4+ Kh6 51.Ne6 Ra5+ 52.Kf4 Bd1 53.Nd4 Kg6 54.Nc3 Bh5 55.Ne4 Rd5 56.Ke3 Rd8 57.Nc6 Re8 58.Kd4 Ra8 59.Ne5+ Kg7 60.Nd6 Kf6 61.Ne4+ Ke6 62.Nc5+ Kf5 63.Nc6 Re8 64.Nb4 Rd8+ 65.Ke3 Be8 66.Nbd3 Bb5 67.Nb4 Rh8 68.Nbd3 Rh3+ 69.Kd4 Rh4+ 70.Ke3 Rc4 71.Nb3 Re4+ 72.Kd2 Rh4 73.Kc3 Ke4 74.Nd2+ Kd5 75.Nb4+ Kd6 76.Nc2 Rh3+ 77.Kb2 Kd5 78.Na3 Ba4 79.Nc2 Kc5 80.Kc1 Rd3 81.Ne1 Rc3+ 82.Kb2 Kb4 83.Nb1 Rb3+ 84.Kc1 Rh3 85.Nc2+ Kc4 86.Ne1 Rh1 87.Kd2 Rh2+ 88.Ke3 Bd1 89.Nd2+ Kd5 90.Nef3 Re2+ 91.Kf4 Re8 92.Kg3 Rf8 93.Kg2 Bxf3+ 94.Nxf3 Ke4 95.Nd2+ Kd3 96.Nf1 Rf6 97.Ng3 Rf4 98.Nh5 Rf8 99.Ng3 Ke3 100.Nf1+ Ke2 101.Ng3+ Ke1 102.Ne4 Rf7 103.Ng3 1/2-1/2