Karjakin,Sergey (2723) - Gelfand,Boris (2758) (C55)
A more experienced player prevailed in the first clash.
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4. Ouch! We all wanted to learn a new weapon against the Petroff, but it remains secret.
2...Nf6 3.d3.
The Bishop's Opening is an old and rather toothless weapon. The character of play is a mix of the Giuoco Piano and the Ruy Lopez.
3...Nc6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Bb3 d5. A brave and principled move. Black is ready to suffer a bit for his space advantage,
7.exd5 Nxd5 8.h3. A useful prophylactic move. If 8.Re1, then 8...Bg4, planning 9.h3 Bh5 10.g4 Bg6 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Rxe5 c6, and Black has strong Marshall-like initiative for a pawn.
8...a5 9.a4. This is double-edged. White does not lose space, fixes important squares on b5 and ñ 4, but allows Black to use the b4-square. In Kramnik-Kasparov, 1995 White played subtler: 9.a3, but failed to get an advantage after 9...a4 10.Ba2 Kh8 11.Re1 f6 12.d4 exd4 13.Nxd4 Ndb4! (an important nuance) 14.axb4 Qxd4 15.c3 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Bf5 17.Na3 Ne5 18.Nb5 c5 19.bxc5 Bxc5 20.Nd4 Rfd8, etc. The game was eventually drawn.
9...Nd4. A cardinal solution of the e5-pawn problem. After 9...Kh8 10.Re1 f6 both 11.Nc3 and 11.d4 give White better chances.
10.Nxd4. I think even the most greedy players won't go for 10.Nxe5?! Nxb3 11.cxb3 Nb4! 10...exd4.
11.Re1. A new and obviously not home-prepared move, as Sergey spent a lot of time on it. White is yet to choose the way of developing his queenside, and makes a useful move. An earlier game continued 11.Qf3 Be6 12.Nd2 Bg5 13.Ne4 Bxc1 14.Raxc1 b6 15.Rfe1 Qh4 16.g3 Qd8 17.h4 h6 18.Nd2 Qd7 19.Re5 Nb4 20.Bxe6 fxe6 21.Qg4 Rf5 22.Nc4 with approximately even game, Stepovaia Dianchenko-Jaracz, Warsaw 1999. The game ended in White's favor.
11...Ra6! A very interesting rook transfer. Black suggests his opponent to win a pawn and get mated.
12.Qh5. Both players spent a lot of time calculating the key variation 12.Bxd5 Qxd5 13.Rxe7 Rg6. The spectators liked 14.g4! Qh5!, and the post mortem confirmed it. The game can continue 15.Re4! (15.Kh2? Bxg4 16.Qf1 is bad due to 16...Bxh3! 17.Qxh3 Qd1, and Black wins) 15...Qxh3 16.g5 f5! 17.Re5 (17.Re1? f4!) 17...f4 18.Qf1 Qg4+ 19.Qg2 Qd1+ 20.Qf1 Qg4+ 21.Qg2 (21.Kh2? Rff6!) 21...Qd1+, and the game logically ends in a draw. The knight cannot be transferred to the kingside easily: 12.Nd2 Rg6! 13.Qf3 (13.Nf3? Bxh3) 13...Be6, and on 14.Ne4 Black has a highly unpleasant maneuver 14...Nb4!, pointing at the weakness on c2.
12...Nb4. 12...Be6 is solid, but leaves the a6-rook awkwardly placed. After the game Boris suggested 12...Bb4!, which is indeed very strong. For instance, on 13.Re2 Black can continue 13...Re6! with an excellent game.
13.Na3. White develops and defends on c2 at the same time.
13...Rg6.
The train has arrived. From now on the White's king feels insecure.
14.Bf4?! This natural move gives Black good targets for his attack. Armed with knowledge of the subsequent game, one can easily recommend the cautious 14.Bd2.
14...b6. This rearrangement with the idea to place the bishop to b7 was very likely prepared at home, so Gelfand sticks to his plan instead of improving it by 14...Be6! Now the a5-pawn cannot be taken due to exchange on b3 followed by capturing on d3. If the bishops on e6 are exchanged, Black gets strong initiative. 15.Nc4 is strongly met by 15...Bd5!
15.Qf3?! White could play the more practical 15.Bg3! The point is that after 15...Bb7 he has a very unpleasant resource 16.Nb5!
15...Be6! White created a new target on the f-file, so opening the file makes a lot of sense, even if Black creates a new weakness.
16.Bxe6. In a blitz game I'd go for the desperate 16.Rxe6 fxe6 17.Qe4, but in classical chess such attempts are suicidal. For instance, Black can refute it by 17...Na6!, and the knight on c5 will finish White off.
16...fxe6. The f8-rook immediately jumps into the action. White lacks a tempo in order to organize his defense and use a strategic weakness on å 6.
17.Qe4 Bd6. Sitting in the playing hall, we couldn't understand why Boris rejected 17...Nd5. In many lines Black can trade bishops and transfer the knight to f4. However, Gelfand's move was also strong.
18.Bxd6?! Here the crows liked 18.Bd2!, which, as we thought, would stabilize the game. However, the post mortem shows the truth: 18...Nd5! 19.Nc4 (19.g3 Bf4!) 19...Bf4 20.g3 (20.Ne5 is also bad: 20...Bxe5 21.Qxe5 Qh4!) 20...Bxd2 21.Nxd2 Nf4 (21...Qg5 is also fine) 22.Nf3 Nxh3+ 23.Kg2 Nxf2! 24.Kxf2 Rgf6 25.Kg2 Rxf3, and White lack material.
18...cxd6!
A very good move! Black supports his central pawns, opens the c-file and deprives White of an outpost on e5. And what about the d4-pawn? The answer was given in the game.
19.Qxd4. This move certainly makes practical sense. Maybe Black will not find a mate, and a pawn is a pawn. Other moves give Black the initiative for nothing. For example, 19.g3 e5 20.c3 (20.Re2 Qd7!) 20...Rf4! 21.Qe2 Qc8! 22.cxb4 Qxh3 23.Qf1 Rxg3+ 24.fxg3 Rxf1+ 25.Rxf1 Qxg3+ 26.Kh1 axb4 27.Nb5 Qxd3 with a totally crazy position, in which White is probably lost. However, this line is far from forced for both sides.
19...Qg5. Threatening mate in one.
20.g3 Qf5. The h3-pawn will also do.
21.g4. What else? White lacks defenders. Just look at the a3-knight! If White offered a pawn by 21.Kh2 Black could suddenly accept it: 21...Nxc2! 22.Nxc2 Qxf2+ 23.Qxf2 Rxf2+ 24.Kh1 Rxc2, and White quickly drops another pawn.
21...h5. The Black's knight can quickly join the attack. 21...Nd5! was very strong, ending the game quickly by Nd5-f4.
22.Re4. White is balancing on a brink, and will inevitably fall.
22...d5 23.Kh2. Sergey offers the opponent to trade queens and show his technique. However, Boris finds a more convenient move.
23...Qf3! Weaker is 23...Qxf2+ 24.Qxf2 Rxf2+ 25.Kg3. The game could be finished in the middlegame, too: 23...Qg5!?
24.Ree1 hxg4 25.Qe3. Otherwise White gets mated, although in the long run it cannot be avoided anyway.
25...gxh3. Black starts grabbing material and wins easily.
26.Qxf3 Rxf3 27.Rg1 Rxf2+ 28.Kxh3 Rxg1 29.Rxg1 Nxc2.
Two extra pawns is a good outcome of the attack.
30.Nb5 Rf3+ 31.Kg4 Rxd3 32.Nd6 Ne3+ 33.Kf4 Nc4. And White resigns. On 34.Ne8 Black has 34...Kf7! 35.Nxg7 e5+ with an easy win.
A very good game of the more experienced grandmaster! He played his best chess, as if he didn't have five exhaustive rounds with enduring tie-breaks.
Ponomariov,Ruslan (2739) - Malakhov,Vladimir (2706) (D15)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6. Malakhov plays the Chebanenko Variation for many years, and keeps finding new ideas for Black.
5.c5 Nbd7 6.Bf4 Nh5 7.Bd2 Nhf6 8.Bf4 Nh5 9.Bg5 h6 10.Bd2 Nhf6 11.Qc2 Qc7 12.e4 dxe4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Nf6 15.Qc2 Be6!
The bishop is transferred to d5. This maneuver first appeared in Topalov-Kasparov, Linares 2004.
16.Ne5. A novelty. First White always played 16.Bd3, but failed to get an edge: 16...Nd7 17.0-0 Bd5, etc. Then in Eljanov-Laznicka, Dresden 2007 White tried 16.0-0-0, but Malakhov personally took care about it by 16...Nd7 17.h4 Bd5 18.Bc4 Bxc4 19.Qxc4 e6 20.Kb1 Be7 (Eljanov-Malakhov, Sochi 2007). The resulting position resembles of the Caro-Kann Defense and is quite solid. It seems Ponomariov wasn't very optimistic about White's chances in these lines, so he developed his own direction.
16...Nd7. Immediately exchanging the most active enemy.
17.Bf4. In my opinion, 17.Nd3 deserves attention, intending to bring the knight to f4.
17...Nxe5 18.Bxe5 Qa5+ 19.Qc3 Qxc3+ 20.bxc3. Without queens and knights the game becomes very boring, especially for Black. However, Black is usually content with a draw.
20...Bf5. The bishop has nothing to do on d5 any more, while from f5 it prevents the unpleasant Ra1-b1.
21.0-0-0. Nothing is changed by 21.Bc4 in view of 21...f6 22.Bg3 (22.Bc7 Kd7 23.Bb6 g5!?) 22...e5, and the Black's king can move freely.
21...0-0-0.
An important moment of the game.
22.Be2. Too gentle! White could play for a win by 22.Bg3. If Black replied as in the game – 22...f6, then White would meet Black's counterplay with strong pressure on the e-file: 23.Bd3! Bxd3 24.Rxd3 e5 25.Kc2 Be7 26.Re1! Rd7 27.Rde3! Rhd8 (after 27...Kd8 the king goes to ñ 4 – 28.Kb3!) 28.f4! exf4 29.Bxf4 Bf8 30.g4!, and this is a dream position for White and a nightmare for Black.
22...f6! 23.Bg3 e5 24.Rhe1. White cannot release the central tension and get an advantage at the same time.
24...Be7 25.Kb2. Here 25.Bd3? Bxd3 26.Rxd3 loses a pawn after 26...Bxc5!
25...Rd7. Black creates some pressure on d4, forcing White to act.
26.dxe5 Bxc5 27.exf6 gxf6 28.Bh5. Pawns on f6 and h6 aren't really that weak.
28...Rxd1 29.Rxd1 Rd8 30.Bf4 Rxd1 31.Bxd1 Bf8.
The f8-bishop is passive, but this is the only thing White can rejoice about before offering a draw.
32.g4 Be6 33.h4 b5 34.h5 Kd7 35.Be3 c5. Black even has some queenside counterplay.