Wijk aan Zee

(1) Wang,Yue (2739) - Ivanchuk,Vassily (2779) [D30] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (2), 18.01.2009 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 dxc4 5.Qa4+ Nbd7 6.Nc3 a6 7.g3 [Apparently a novelty, 7.e4 being the usual move.] 7...b5 8.Nxb5 Rb8 9.Na7?? Clearly based on a miscalculation, this move effectively loses a piece 9...Rb4 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Qa5 Bb7 12.Bh3 Qb8 13.Qh5 Ke7?! [The computer suggests 13...Rb6 as a more natural way to defend e6.] 14.d5 Qxa7 [14...Rxb2 is answered in the same fashion as in the game.; whilst 14...Bxd5 15.Qxd5 exd5 16.Nc6+ is the point of White's play. However, this variation may actually be the best for Black, as after 16...Kd6 17.Nxb8 Rxb8 he retains a clear advantage in the ending.] 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.Bxe6! Kxe6 17.Qe8+ Be7 18.Qxh8 Nf8 19.Qg8+ Kd7 20.0-0-0+? [Now Black seizes the advantage again. Instead, after 20.Qg4+ Black can probably not avoid a perpetual, eg. 20...Kc6 21.Qe4+ Kd7 22.Qf5+ etc.] 20...Ke8 21.Qg4 Qc5 22.a3 Rxb2! 23.Kxb2 Qxa3+ 24.Kb1 Qb3+ 25.Ka1 c3 0-1

(2) Dominguez Perez,Leinier (2717) - Kamsky,Gata (2725) [B12] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (2), 18.01.2009 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Nd7 6.0-0 Ne7 7.Nbd2 h6 8.Re1 Rc8 9.Nf1 Bg6 10.Ne3 Nf5 11.Bd3 Nxe3 12.fxe3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 c5 14.Rf1 Be7 15.Bd2 0-0 16.c3 Qb6 17.Qc2 Qc6 18.Be1 b5 19.a3 a5 20.Qe2 cxd4 21.exd4 Qc4 22.Qd1 Nb6 23.Bh4 Rfe8 24.Bxe7 Rxe7 25.Nd2 Qc6 26.Rf3 Nd7 1/2-1/2

(3) Smeets,Jan (2601) - Karjakin,Sergey (2706) [B92] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (2), 18.01.2009 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Be2 Nbd7 9.0-0 Rc8 10.a4 Nb6 11.a5 Nc4 12.Bxc4 Bxc4 13.Re1 Be7 14.Bb6 Qd7 15.Nc1 Be6 16.N1a2 Bd8 17.Bxd8 Qxd8 18.Nb4 Rc5 19.Ra3 0-0 20.Qa1 Rc4 21.Nd3 Qd7 22.Rb3 Rfc8 23.Qa3 h5 24.Rb4 h4 25.h3 R8c6 26.Rd1 Qc7 27.Ne1 Nh5 28.Rb6 Rd4 29.Rxd4 exd4 30.Rxc6 Qxc6 31.Ne2 Qxe4 32.Qf3 Qe5 33.Nd3 Qxa5 34.Qxb7 Qg5 35.Qa8+ Kh7 36.Qf3 Bd5 1/2-1/2

(4) Movsesian,Sergei (2751) - Adams,Michael (2712) [C50] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (2), 18.01.2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d4!? A move which has been recommended to club players, in one or two repertoire books of the "Win with White by force in 20 moves" variety, but it has never been taken very seriously at GM level. Maybe the present game will force a change in attitude. 5...Bxd4 [5...exd4 leads to the infamous Max Lange Attack after 6.e5 d5 7.exf6 dxc4 etc. Adams prefers to avoid such heavily-analysed byways.] 6.Nxd4 Nxd4 7.f4 d6 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.Bg5 Be6 10.Na3 Qe7 11.c3 Nc6 12.Kh1 Rd8 [Megabase 2009 deems this move a novelty, with the immediate 12...h6 having been played previously. However, this is not a position which has been tested very extensively (to say the least!) amongst super-GMs, so theory's conclusions must be treated with some caution.] 13.Qe2 h6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Rf2 Rg8 16.Raf1 Rg6 17.Nc2 By simple means, White has achieved at least adequate compensation for his pawn. 17...Kf8 18.Ne3 Nb8 19.Qh5 Kg7 20.Qf3 Kh7 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.exd5 e4 23.Qf4 Rd6?! [Fritz 11 advocates 23...b5 24.Bb3 Na6 so as to defend the e4-pawn. ] 24.Re2 Nd7 25.Rxe4 Ne5 26.Bb3 Kg8 27.c4 White has recovered his pawn, whilst retaining his positional advantages. 27...b6 28.Bc2 Qf8 29.Re3 Rg5 30.Bf5 Kh8 31.Rfe1 a5 32.b3 c6 Hastening the end, but Black is very short of constructive moves. 33.dxc6 Rxc6 34.h4 Rg8 35.Rd1 a4 36.Rd8! Qg7 37.Rxg8+ Kxg8 38.Rg3 1-0

(5) Stellwagen,Daniel (2612) - Carlsen,Magnus (2776) [C67] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (2), 18.01.2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ke8 10.h3 b6 11.Rd1 Bb7 12.Bf4 Rc8 13.g4 Ne7 14.e6 fxe6 15.Ng5 Nd5 16.Nxe6 Nxf4 17.Nxf4 Bd6 18.Ne6 Kf7 19.Ng5+ Kg6 20.Nce4 Be5 21.Nf3 Bxb2 22.Rd7 Bf6 23.Nxf6 Kxf6 24.g5+ Kg6 25.Re1 Rhe8 26.Ne5+ Kxg5 27.Rxg7+ Kf6 28.Rf7+ Ke6 29.Rxh7 Rg8+ 30.Ng4+ Kd5 31.Ree7 c5 32.Rxc7 Rxc7 33.Rxc7 Bc8 34.Rxa7 Bxg4 35.hxg4 Rxg4+ 36.Kf1 1/2-1/2

(6) Morozevich,Alexander (2771) - Van Wely,Loek (2625) [D97] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (2), 18.01.2009 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 0-0 7.e4 a6 8.Qb3 c5 9.dxc5 Qc7 10.Qb6 Qxb6 11.cxb6 Nbd7 12.Be2 Nxb6 13.Be3 Nbd7 14.Nd4 b6 15.f3 Bb7 16.0-0-0 h5 17.Nb3 Kh7 18.Rd4 Rfc8 19.Rhd1 Rc7 20.Kb1 Bh6 21.Bxh6 Kxh6 22.Nd2 g5 23.a4 Ne5 24.Nc4 Nxc4 25.Rxc4 Rac8 26.Rcd4 Kg7? [26...Rc5! ] 27.e5 Ne8 28.g3 f6 29.f4 fxe5 30.fxe5 g4 31.Rb4 Rc6 32.Nd5 Rc2 33.Nf4 b5?! [33...Bf3 34.Re1 Bxe2 35.Rxe2 Rxe2 36.Nxe2 Rc5 is more stubborn] 34.axb5 axb5 35.Nxh5+ Kh6 36.Bxg4 R8c5 37.Nf4 Rxh2 38.Nd3 Rcc2 39.Bf5 Bf3 40.Rf1 Be2 41.Kxc2 Bxf1+ 42.Kc3 Nc7 43.Rg4 1-0

(7) Radjabov,T (2761) - Aronian,L (2750) [C45] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (2), 18.01.2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qf3 bxc6 7.Nc3 d6 8.Qg3 Qg6 9.Bd3 Nf6 10.Na4 Bd4 11.c3 Bb6 12.f3 Nd7 13.Bf4 f6 14.Bc4 Ne5 15.Qxg6+ 1/2-1/2