Wijk aan Zee 2009

(1) Reinderman,D (2549) - Short,N (2663) [C69] Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (6), 23.01.2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 f6 6.d4 Bg4 7.c3 Bd6 8.Be3 Ne7 9.dxe5 fxe5 10.c4 c5 11.b4 b6 12.bxc5 bxc5 13.Nbd2 0-0 14.Qa4 [Technically a novelty. In the game Shaw-Ashton, Gibraltar 2006, White first interpolated 14.h3 Bh5 and only then proceeded with 15.Qa4 In either case , one feels that Black should have good chances, with his kingside prospects at least balancing his queenside pawn weaknesses. Like many classical players, Short always likes such situations, pointing out the unarguable fact that if things go well for White, he will win a pawn or two on the queenside, and may or may not win the game. In the other hand, if Black manages to cash his trumps, he will deliver mate.] 14...Ng6 15.Kh1 Qe7 16.Ne1 Nf4 17.f3 Bd7 18.Qa5 Rf6 19.Rf2 Rh6 20.Nf1 g5 21.g4!? A radical response. 21...Rh3!? And an equally radical reply! The rook move looks odd at first sight, but is perfectly logical - Black wants to play h7-h5, and in the meantime, his rook takes aim at the freshly-created weakness on f3. 22.Ng3 h5 23.gxh5 Rf8 24.Qd2 Qf7 25.Rc1 Be6 26.Bxf4?! After this, White's position soon crumbles, but it is extremely hard to suggest a constructive move for White. The best that Fritz can come up is 26.Rb1 or 26.Rd1, and it is probably significant that it evaluates both moves equally. Possibly 26.Kg1 is the best try, but White is clearly in the toils. 26...exf4 27.Nf5 Bxf5 28.exf5 Qxf5 29.Nd3 This makes things even worse, by allowing Black's next, but I am really not very motivated to try to defend the white position. 29...g4 30.Qe2 g3 31.Rg2 Qxh5 32.Qe6+ Kg7 33.Rcc2 Re8 34.Qd5 Qxd5 35.cxd5 Re3 Simple and totally decisive. Reinderman sportingly allows Short to administer mate, a gesture that was appreciated by the English GM after the game. 36.Nf2 Re1+ 37.Rg1 Rxh2# 0-1

(2) Vallejo Pons,F (2702) - Navara,D (2638) [D70] Corus B Wijk aan Zee NED (6), 23.01.2009 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 f5 10.h4 fxe4 11.h5 gxh5 12.Rxh5 Bf5 13.Rg5 Bg6 14.Nxe4 [The first novelty. Theory concentrates on the move 14.Be2 but the Polish GM Laznicka, who is the main expert on this variation, lost with this move against ,last time out: 14...e5 15.d5 Nd4 16.fxe4 c6 17.dxc6 Nxc6 18.Qe1 Qf6 19.Qg3 Rad8 20.Nf3 Nd4 and Black was fine, and went on to win (Laznicka-Krasenkov, Ostrava 2007).] 14...e5 15.d5 Nd4 16.Nc3 c6 17.dxc6 Qc7! Despite being caught in his opponent's preparation, Navara does not hesitate to sacrifice material, to open lines against the white king. Of course, in such a position, tactical specifics predominate over positional generalities, but even so, just looking at the position (especially the black bishop on g6), I am irresistibly reminded of the famous Keres-Botvinnik minitiature, from the 1941 Absolute Championship of the USSR. And we all know what happened to the white king in that game! 18.cxb7 Rab8 19.f4 Rfd8 20.fxe5 Ne6 [20...Nb3+ 21.axb3 Rxd2 22.Rxd2 is less clear.] 21.Qe2 Rxd1+ 22.Qxd1 Nxg5 23.Bxg5 Bxe5 Materially, White is not so badly off, but his king is fatally exposed. 24.Ba6 Bxc3 25.Qb3+ Nd5 26.Qxd5+?! [26.bxc3 is a better try, although Black remains clearly better in the ending after 26...Bf7 27.Ne2 Qc6 28.Qb5 Qxb5 29.Bxb5 Rxb7 ] 26...Bf7 27.Qf5 Bf6+ 28.Kd1 Qd6+ 29.Kc1 Bxb2+ 30.Kxb2 Qxa6 31.Kc1 Qc6+ 32.Kd2 Qxg2+ 33.Ne2 Qd5+ 34.Qxd5 Bxd5 and Navara mopped up the ending. 35.a4 Rxb7 36.a5 Kf7 37.Be3 Rb2+ 38.Ke1 a6 39.Bb6 h5 40.Nf4 Bf3 41.Nd3 Re2+ 42.Kf1 h4 43.Bd4 Bh5 44.Bf2 h3 45.Nf4 h2 0-1

(3) Giri,A (2469) - Hillarp Persson,T (2586) [D12] Corus C Wijk aan Zee NED (5), 22.01.2009 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Be4 7.f3 Bg6 An extremely daring choice. 8.Qb3 b5?! [An extremely daring choice. Does Black really have enough after the capture on b5? Giri decides to believe his opponent and play things positionally. 8...Qb6 would be the normal move.] 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Nxg6 hxg6 11.Bd2 a5 12.0-0-0? [Really a case of castling into it. 12.Bd3 looks much safer.] 12...Be7 13.g4 Na6 14.Qc2 a4 15.h4 Nb4 16.Qb1 a3 17.b3 Qd6 18.Be2 Rc8 19.h5 gxh5 20.gxh5 Qe6 21.f4? c5! 22.h6 Rxh6 23.Rxh6 gxh6 24.Bxb5+ Kd8 An original position. The black king turns out to be as safe as houses on d8, whereas the white monarch is facing extinction. 25.Bd3 cxd4 26.exd4 Qh3 27.Bc4 [Desperation, as he cannot save material. If 27.Be1 Qe3+ mates.] 27...dxc4 28.bxc4 Rxc4 29.Qb3 Rc8 30.Be1 Nfd5 31.Qa4 Rxc3+ 0-1