Bareev defeats Carlsen, Bacrot KO's Lautier

The FIDE World Chess Cup is being staged from November 26th to December 18th, 2005, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. This 128-player event replaces what was known as the "FIDE Knockout World Championship" and serves as a qualifier for the Candidates stage of the world championship. The prize fund is US $1.5 million, with President Ilyumzhinov providing $300,000 for organisational costs.

FIDE WORLD CUP, 2005 ROUND 4 – Tiebreak

The playing hall in Khanty-Manyisk

Etienne Bacrot (above) is turning out to be the eternal nemesis for France's erstwhile top GM Joel Lautier, who always seems to have problems in tiebreaks against his younger compatriot.

Aronian,L (2724) - Vallejo Pons,F (2674) [D45]
WCC Khanty Mansiysk RUS (4.4), 08.12.2005
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 a6 7.b3 Bd6 8.Bb2 e5 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.0-0-0 Qe7 11.cxd5 0-0 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.dxc6 Be6 14.Be2 Rac8 15.Bf3 bxc6 16.Ne4 Bxb2+ 17.Kxb2 Nxe4 18.Bxe4 h6 19.Ka1 a5 20.Bh7+ Kh8 21.Bd3 Rb8 22.Qc3 Bxb3 23.Rb1 a4 24.g3 Rbd8 25.Rhc1 Be6 26.Bc2 a3 27.Rb4 c5 28.Rh4 Kg8 29.Ra4 Rd2

Vallejo is trying to put pressure on the white king. 30.Qxd2 is met with 30...Qf6+ and White must return the rook with 31.Rd4 (31.Kb1?? Qb2#). However Aronian continued forcefully with 30.Bh7+ Kxh7 31.Qxd2 c4 32.Qb4 Qf6+ 33.Qc3 Qf3 34.Rxa3 Rd8 35.Qc2+ Bf5 36.Qxc4 and now White has a clear material advantage and no mortal danger to his king. The game ended after 36...Rd2 37.Qxf7 Qe4 38.Qc4 Qe7 39.Qc5 Qe4 40.Rb3 Rxf2 41.Rb2 Rf3 42.Rb4 Qe6 43.Rf4 Rxf4 44.gxf4 Bg6 45.Qe5 Qh3 46.a4 Qxh2 47.Rc7 Qg1+ 48.Kb2 Bd3 49.f5 Qg5 50.Kc3 Bb1 51.a5 Qg1 52.Kb2 Bd3 53.f6 Qg2+ 54.Ka3 1-0.

Israeli GM Boris Gelfand won his first tiebreak game with black against Alexey Dreev, then went on to spoil the second game to a loss, in spite of a favourable opening. The first blitz game was a draw, then Boris took the second to finally proceed to round five.

The boy wonder Magnus Carlsen, who has just turned 15 and is showing little fear in face of top ranking opposition, outplayed world class Russian GM Evgeny Bareev in their first tiebreak game.

Carlsen,M (2570) - Bareev,E (2675) [B12]
WCC Khanty Mansiysk RUS (4.3), 08.12.2005
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 c5 7.h4 h5 8.Nf4 Bh7 9.Nxh5 cxd4 10.Nb5 Nc6 11.Nxd4 Nge7 12.c3 Nxe5 13.Bb5+ Nd7 14.Bg5 a6 15.Bxd7+ Qxd7 16.Qe2 0-0-0 17.Rh3 Bg6 18.Nf4 e5 19.Nxg6 Nxg6 20.Bxd8 Kxd8 21.Nf5 Nf4 22.Qxe5 Nxh3 23.0-0-0 Kc8 24.Qg3 g6 25.Ne3 Nxf2 26.Nxd5 Bc5 27.Nb6+ Bxb6 28.Rxd7 Kxd7 29.Qf3 Kc8 30.Qxf7 Rd8 31.Kc2 Kb8 32.Qxg6 Be3 33.g5 Rd2+ 34.Kb3 Nd1 35.a4 b5 36.axb5 axb5 37.Kb4 Rxb2+ 38.Ka5 Nxc3 39.Qe8+ Kc7 40.Qe5+ Kb7 41.Qg7+ Kb8 42.g6 Bf4

Remarkably Carlsen has completely outplayed Bareev and could have finished him off with almost no effort, for instance with 43.Qf7, after which Black loses material, e.g. 43...Ra2+ 44.Qxa2 Nxa2 45.g7; or 43...Bd2 44.Ka6 Ra2+ 45.Qxa2 Nxa2 46.g7. Even 43.Kb6 was enough to win. But Magnus played 43.Qf8+?? and ruined this game and his chances of advancing even further in the tournament.

You see of course why this move loses by force?! In spite of being a check, and in a position where you would least expect it. Well, after 43...Kb7 there is the primitive threat of 44...Bc7 mate, and after 44.Qxf4 Black unfortunately has 44...Ra2+ 45.Kb4 Nd5+, forking the king and queen (or even worse: 45...Ra4+ 46.Kxc3 Rxf4). The game continued 44.Qf7+ Bc7+ 45.Qxc7+ Kxc7 46.h5 Rg2 and the dejected Magnus resigned. 0-1. The second tiebreak game was a draw and the Norwegian was out.

Results

• Click to replay and download all games from today's round

Levon Aronian: Friends call me a cheap tactician!

Levon Aronian of Armenia, 23 years old, surprised the chess world recently by climbing ot the top ten in the FIDE rankings. In the World Cup in Khanty he startled the field by winning his first five games – all of them. Then followed the first reluctant draw, which took him into round four, where both his regular games against top Spanish GM Vallejo were drawn. In the tiebreak Levon struck out, winning the second game to advance to round five. There is an interview on the official site, which says he "charmed the public with his sincere answers and laugh". We bring you excerpts:

• I like it here: good organization, we play and live in nice places. Everything is great… My games were of not a really high quality – I won the games because of luck.

• Generally, psychology plays a great role in chess. For example, a person had a bad sleep or food and then he had a bad game. Absolutely everything can influence the game. Yesterday I woke up only at 20 past 2 and I had only 10 minutes to get ready. I didn’t even eat…

• I wouldn’t compare myself to a computer. I can only say that I calculate rather quickly and this differentiates me from other players. What else? I’m always self assured and try to win, I always have this ''fighting spirit''.

• I started to play when I was in my father’s motherland Byelorussia. My older sister taught me. I was fond of chess, and when we came back to Armenia my parents put me in a chess school, where I got serious training.

• I live in Germany now, but I have close connections with Armenia. I don’t even speak German I only understand it. I can speak English too, but I speak only Russian really well.

• Generally, friends call me a cheap tactician, and that is not far from the truth. I try to play for the victory when I need it…

Tomorrow's play

Note that the players who were knocked out in round four continue playing for the places 9-16. This has relevance for the next world championship cycle, as we shall explain in a separate article very soon.

• Download the games as a zipped PGN file
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