Wijk aan Zee 2009

(1) Van Wely - Radjabov [E97] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (5), 2009 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Nh5 10.Re1 f5 11.Ng5 Nf6 12.f3 Kh8 13.Rb1 [Not a novelty, but a new move as far as encounters between van Wely and Radjabov are concerned. The move 13.Ne6 has been the scene of no fewer than four previous games between the two players. Van Wely won the first, but has lost the last three. The text move was introduced in a game Ponomariev-Radjabov, played at Wijk aan Zee in 2003.] 13...h6 14.Ne6 Bxe6 15.dxe6 fxe4 16.fxe4 Nc6 17.Nd5 Ng8 18.Bd3 Nd4 19.Qg4 g5 20.h4 [This is the move recommended by Ftacnik, in his Chessbase Magazine annotations to the above-mentioned Ponomariev-Radjabov game. Pono instead chose 20.Qh3 and went on to lose.] 20...Nf6 21.Qg3 gxh4 [One crazy variation offered by Fritz 11 is 21...Nxe6 22.hxg5 Nxd5 23.gxh6 Bf6 24.exd5 Bh4 25.Qg4 Bxe1 26.dxe6 Bf2+ with an extremely obscure position.] 22.Qxh4 Nxe6 23.Bxh6 Kg8? [After the text, Black's king falls under a decisive attack. It seems that 23...Nh7 was mandatory, although White still looks to be better after 24.Bxg7+ Kxg7 25.Qg4+ ] 24.Qh3! Once and for all eliminatin possible queen exchanges after Nxd5, and preparing a rook transfer to the third rank. Black's king is not long for this world. 24...Bxh6 25.Qxh6 c6 26.Re3 Kf7 27.Rf1 cxd5 [There is no defence. If 27...Nf4 28.Nxf4 exf4 and now 29.e5 is even more decisive than the capture on f4.] 28.exd5 Ke7 29.dxe6 Kxe6 30.Ref3 a5 31.Be4 1-0

(2) Dominguez - Morozevich [B90] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (5), 2009 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.f3 b5 10.0-0-0 Rc8 11.g4 Nb6 12.g5 b4 A novelty, it would seem. 13.Na4 Nxe4 Mutual desperadoes! 14.fxe4 Nxa4 15.Qxb4 Qc7 16.Rd2 Bd7 17.Qa5 Qc6 18.Bxa6 Rb8 19.Rd5 Be7 20.Ba7 Ra8 One of the more picturesque positions I have ever seen in grandmaster chess. 21.Bb5 Qb7 22.Qxa4 Rxa7 23.Na5 Qc7 24.Rhd1 Bxb5 25.Qxb5+ Kf8 26.Kb1 After the fun and games, we have reached every Najdorf player's nightmare scenario - the good knight v bad bishop position. 26...g6 27.Nc4 Rb7 28.Qa4 Qb8 29.b3 Ra7 30.Qc6 Rc7 31.Rb5 Qa7 32.Qd5 Qf2 33.Qd2 Qf3 34.Nxd6 Bxg5 At this point, with Fritz screaming for 35.Nf5!!, a certain Playchess spectator, name of Friedel, made the outrageous request that somebody in Wijk go over to Dominguez and tell him that 34.Nf5!! wins. It seems that somebody did. 35.Nf5!! Rc8 36.Rb8! 1-0

(3) Aronian - Movsesian [D15] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (5), 2009 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 e6 6.g3 dxc4 7.Bg2 c5 8.dxc5 Qxd1+ 9.Nxd1 Nc6 10.Ne3 Bxc5 11.Nxc4 Ke7 12.0-0 Nd5 13.Rd1 f6 14.Nfd2 Rd8 15.Nb3 Ba7 16.Nca5 Rb8 17.Nxc6+ bxc6 18.Na5 Bd7 19.b3 Bc5 20.Bd2 Bb4 21.Rac1 Rdc8 22.Bxb4+ Nxb4 23.f4 c5 24.Kf2 Rc7 25.Rc3 Be8 26.Rdc1 Kd6 27.Re3 Bf7 28.Bh3 Ke7 29.Re4 g6 30.Rec4 Kd6 31.Bg2 Nd5 32.h4 Nb4 33.g4 h6 34.g5 hxg5 35.hxg5 fxg5 36.fxg5 Nd5 37.Rh1 Rb4 38.Rh8 Ke7 39.Be4 e5 40.Rh7 Kd6 41.e3 Ke6 42.Bd3 Rb8 43.Rc1 Be8 44.Rch1 Rxh7 45.Rxh7 Nb4 46.Be4 Rd8 47.Nc4 Bc6 48.Bxg6 Rf8+ 49.Ke2 Bf3+ 50.Ke1 e4 51.Rh6 Nd3+ 52.Kd2 Ke7 53.Kc3 Rd8 54.Rh7+ Ke6 55.Rc7 Rh8 56.Bh7 Nb4 57.Rxc5 Nd5+ 58.Rxd5 Kxd5 1-0