Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
ROMGAZ
and the Chess Club Society "Elisabeta Polihroniade” of Bucharest
are staging a double round robin tournament with six of the world's top GMs:
the young Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaidjan, Elo 2756, ranking 5th in the world),
the experienced Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, Elo 2746, 12th in the world), Alexei
Shirov (Spain, Elo 2745, 13th), Boris Gelfand (Israel, Elo 2733, 15th), Gata
Kamsky (USA, Elo 2720, 24th), as well as the best ever rated Romanian chess
player Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (Elo 2675, 55th in the world), 2005 European Champion.
The competition is taking place from June 14th to 25th 2009 in Bazna, Romania.
Round 9: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 |
||
Vassily Ivanchuk |
½-½ |
Gata Kamsky |
Boris Gelfand |
½-½ |
Alexei Shirov |
Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu |
½-½ |
Teimour Radjabov |
Nisipeanu-Radjabov was an important theoretical game in Sicilian Dragon. The Romanian grandmaster prepared a novelty, which required very precise play from Black. Radjabov did everything correctly, but even so his position looked suspicious. The concrete variations showed that in spite of White’s activity, Nisipeanu never had more than a draw, which was agreed on move 40 due to the upcoming repetition of the position.
Romania's top GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu during his game against Teimour
Radjabov
Ivanchuk was slightly better the entire game against Kamsky. In time trouble on move 33 the leader of the tournament decided to exchange queens, hoping to break through in endgame. However, Kamsky found a strong regrouping of his pieces and built a sort of fortress. Draw agreed on move 55.
US grandmaster Gata Kamsky before the start of round nine
Vassily Ivanchuk in action
For most of the time Gelfand-Shirov looked like a quiet game, where White got a slight advantage, but not enough for a victory. At some point Shirov decided to defend actively and gave up his weak pawn. The position was still a draw, until in the opposite-coloured bishops endgame Shirov allowed his opponent to activate the king. Then at some moment Gelfand had a study-like win, which both opponents missed during the game. Such a nice win would have been a perfect self-present for Gelfand, who turned 41 years old today. The Israeli GM was disappointed after the game, but he took it easy: “It’s a pity, of course, that I missed a forced win, especially because I saw the idea. But in principle, the game was drawn all the time and I got this chance only due to his inaccurate play in the end”.
Alexei Shirov waiting for his opponent...
... Boris Gelfand, top grandmaster of Israel
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter - Radjabov,Teimour [B76]
Kings' Tournament Bazna ROM, 24.06.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 d5 10.Kb1 Nxd4 11.e5
|
|
17.f4. A very interesting novelty! The idea of the Romanian GM is to force soon his opponent to exchange the powerful knight. [In case of 17.Nxd4 f4 Black's strong minor pieces secure sufficient compensation for the exchange. Here is an example from practice: 18.g3 Qd8 19.Nb3 (19.c3 loses due to 19...Bxd4 followed by a check with the bishop on f5.) 19...Qf6 20.Qc1 Bf5 21.Bd3 Rc8 (Stronger is 21...Bxd3! 22.cxd3 Qf5 with a great play for Black) 22.Bxf5 Qxf5 23.Re2 a5 24.Rhe1 a4 25.gxf4 axb3 and in this unclear position a draw was agreed in Akshayraj,K (2400)-Ganguly,S (2603)/Mangalore 2008.]
17...Qc5 The only move, otherwise Black is in trouble. 18.c3 Nxf1 19.Re8+ [19.Rhxf1?? Qxb5] 19...Bf8 20.Qxd4 Qxb5 21.Qd8 Nd2+ 22.Kc2 [22.Qxd2?? Qxe8; 22.Ka1? Qc5 23.Qxd2 b6] 22...Qa4+ [22...Qc5 doesn't work in view of 23.b4] 23.Kc1 [23.Kxd2 looks very risky, although after 23...Qxf4+ 24.Kd1! Qh6 25.Rhe1! f4 26.R1e2! White defends against immediate threats.] 23...Qxe8 24.Qxe8 Ne4!
|
After a more or less forced sequence of moves the players came to a very sharp position. Often the three pieces are stronger than the queen, but here Black has problems to complete development and therefore Radjabov's position looks dangerous. But if Black would succeed to play b6 and Bb7, he will have the advantage, that's why next few moves are actually forced as well.
25.Rd1. Threatening 26.Rd8. 25...Nf6 26.Qe5 Nd7! 27.Qe8. If the queen goes elsewhere, Black would consolidate with Nc5-e6. 27...Nf6 28.Qd8 Ne4
|
29.Rd7. The only attempt to play for a win. 29.Qe8 leads to a draw by repetition. 29...Bxd7 30.Qxa8 Bc6 31.Qxa7 Nc5! In the post-mortem analysis the players came to the conclusion that this move is very strong. Nisipeanu realized after it that White should better settle for a draw before Black creates counterplay. 32.g3 Nd3+ 33.Kb1 [After 33.Kc2 Black plays 33...Be4 anyway] 33...Be4 34.Ka1 Bc5 35.Qb8+ Kg7 36.Qd8 Bg1 37.h4 h5 38.a4 Bf2 39.a5 Bxg3 [In case of 39...Nc5 with the idea to put it on e6, after which Black can try to play for more than a draw, White can continue 40.Qb6 and Black will have nothing better than repetition anyway.] 40.Qd4+. Black cannot escape perpetual check: 40.Qd4+ Kh7 41.Qd7 Kg7 42.Qd4+ Kf8 43.Qd8+. Draw. [Click to replay]
Ivanchuk,V (2746) - Kamsky,G (2720) [D15]
Kings' Tournament Bazna ROM (9), 24.06.2009
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 c6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 e6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.e3 a5 8.Be2 Na6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qb3 Nb4. As it often happens in the Slav, Black has a slightly passive, but very solid position. 11.Na2 Na6 12.Rac1 h6 13.Bh4 g5 14.Bg3 Ne4 15.Nc3 Nxg3 [15...h5 16.cxd5 exd5 favours White: 17.Nxe4 dxe4 18.Nd2 h4 19.Be5 and Black is left with a lot of weaknesses.] 16.hxg3 Bf6 17.Ne5 Bg7
|
|
|
"/portals/all/_for_legal_reasons.jpg" (Ivanchuk). Now it becomes clear that White cannot break through. 51.Ra1 Ra5 52.Bb3 R8a7 53.Ra2 Ra8 54.Ra1 R8a7 55.Rf1 Ra8. Draw. [Click to replay]
Gelfand,B (2733) - Shirov,A (2745) [A15]
Kings' Tournament Bazna ROM (9), 24.06.2009
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c5 8.Nxd5 Qxd5 9.d4 cxd4 10.Be3 Rd8 11.Nxd4 Qh5 12.Qc2 Bxd4. A new move. Previously Black played 12...e5. 13.Bxd4 Nc6 14.Bc3 Bh3 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.Rfd1 Qf5 17.Qxf5 Bxf5
|
|
|
58.a4? 58.f5!! White gives up all (!) his kingside pawns, wins the bishop and then it does not allow the opponent's king to come to a8: 58...exf5 (58...gxf5 59.h5) 59.e6 Bxe6 (59...fxe6 60.Kxg6) 60.h5 gxh5 61.g6 fxg6 62.Kxe6 Both opponents saw this idea, but they both thought it's a draw because the a8 is "/portals/all/_for_legal_reasons.jpg" coloured corner. Gelfand calculated this line with the bishop on e7 instead of d6, when indeed it doesn't work because of f5-f4. 62...Kd8 63.Kd5 Kc8 64.Kc6
|
The point of the entire idea: black king is cut from square a8! 64...g5 65.a4 f4 66.a5 f3 67.a6 f2 68.a7 f1Q 69.a8Q#]
58...Bxa4 59.f5 Bc2 60.fxe6 fxe6 61.Kxe6 Bb3+ 62.Kf6 Bc2 White is two pawns up, but it's a draw. 63.e6 [63.h5 gxh5 64.g6 h4 65.g7 Bh7 this is a draw even without Black's h-pawn.] 63...Bd3 64.Bg3 Bc2 65.h5 gxh5 66.g6 Bd3 67.Bh4 Kf8 68.e7+ Ke8 69.Kg7 Bc2 70.Kh6 Bb3 71.Kxh5
|
White cannot win: 71...Ba2 72.Kh6 Bb3 73.Kh7 Bc2 74.Kh6 Bb3 75.g7 Bg8 76.Kg6 Kd7 and then back to e8. Draw. [Click to replay]
LinksThe games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program to read, replay and analyse the PGN games. |
|
