Fragments from Baku and Plovdiv

This game has a bit of the `from the opening into the pub´ about it but it´ s an amusing miniature nonetheless. If 23.Kb4?? a5 mate would end the game even quicker.

Mamedyarov,S (2752) - Svidler,P (2746) [E76]
FIDE GP Baku AZE (1), 21.04.2008
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 e5 7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Nxe5 [8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.fxe5 Ne8 10.Bf4 Bg4 11.Be2 Nc6 12.0-0 Bf8 13.Rfd1 Bc5+ 14.Kf1 Bxf3 15.gxf3 Ng7 16.Nd5 Ne6 17.Bg3 Ncd4 18.Bh4 g5 19.Bf2 c6 20.Bxd4 Bxd4 21.Nf6+ Kg7 22.Rab1 Bxe5 23.Nh5+ Kg6 24.Ng3 Bxg3 25.hxg3 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 h5 27.Rd7 Rb8 28.b3 a5 29.Kf2 h4 30.Bf1 b5 31.Rd6 Rd8 32.Rxd8 Nxd8 33.cxb5 hxg3+ 34.Kxg3 cxb5 35.Bxb5 f6 36.a3 Nb7 37.b4 axb4 38.axb4 Nd6 39.Bd3 Kf7 40.b5 Nc8 41.Kg4 Ke6 42.Bc4+ Ke5 43.Bd5 Nb6 44.Bb7 Kd6 45.Kh5 Ke5 46.Kg6 Ke6 47.Bd5+ Ke5 48.Bg8 Nc8 49.Bh7 Ne7+ 50.Kf7 Nc8 51.Bf5 Nd6+ 52.Kg6 Nxb5 53.Bh3 Nd4 54.Bg4 Ne2 55.Kg7 Nf4 56.Kf7 Nd3 57.Bh3 Nf2 58.Bf1 f5 59.exf5 Kxf5 1/2-1/2 McKinney,N-Dumas,S/Las Vegas USA 2002/The Week in Chess 410] 8...Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 Na6 10.Be2 Rd8+ 11.Kc2 Nxe4! 12.Nxe4 Bf5 13.Bf3 Nc5 14.Re1 Bxe5 15.fxe5 Rd4 16.Kc3 Rd3+ 17.Kc2 Rd4 18.Kc3 Rd3+ 19.Kb4 Na6+ 20.Ka5 b6+ 21.Kxa6 Bc8+ 22.Kb5 Bd7+ 23.Ka6 Bc8+ 24.Kb5 Bd7+ 25.Ka6

Pawn grabbing against the former European Individual champion is not advisable. Black takes four before retribution follows.

Sutovsky,E (2630) - Vavrak,P (2466) [C06]
IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (1), 21.04.2008
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Be7 4.Ngf3 Nf6 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bd3 c5 7.c3 Nc6 8.0-0 a5 9.Re1 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qb6 11.Nb1 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Nc3 Bc5 14.Nb5 Qxf2+ 15.Kh1 0-0 16.Bg5 Bb4 17.Rf1 [17.Re3 g6 18.a3 Bd2 19.Rf3 Qxf3 20.Qxf3 Bxg5 21.Qg3 Bh6 22.Re1 Nc5 23.Bc2 Bd7 24.Nd6 Bc6 25.Qh4 Bg7 26.b4 axb4 27.axb4 Ne4 28.b5 Nxd6 29.bxc6 Nc4 30.cxb7 Ra7 31.Qe7 Rb8 32.Rb1 Bxe5 33.Qc5 Ra5 34.Qc6 Ra3 35.Ba4 Rc3 36.Qc8+ Kg7 37.Bd7 Na5 38.Re1 Nxb7 0-1 Hutchinson,N (2087)-Berescu,A (2514)/Dresden GER 2007/The Week in Chess 648] 17...Qxb2 18.a3 Bc5 19.Bf4 Nxe5

Emil Sutovsky, a former winner of the event was one of only three players on maximum points after four rounds of the 2008 European Individual Championship being contested at Plovdiv. Sutovsky won a fine game in round one which we saw on Friday where his opponent had the temerity to grab four pawns in the opening. Here is his round three effort where Black is similarly punished for his greed.

Sutovsky,E (2630) - Miladinovic,I (2579) [B12]
IX EICC Plovdiv BUL (3), 23.04.2008
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.c4 Black's first three moves get him no nearer to castling kingside so Sutovsky opens up the game 5...Bg4 [If 5...cxd4 6.Nxd4 Nxe5 7.cxd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Qa5 9.Bf4 and with Ndb5 or Bb5+ and 0-0 to follow White has a dangerous lead indevelopmen t] 6.cxd5! Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Nxd4 8.Qd1 Qxd5 9.Bb5+ Kd8 10.0-0 Black nev er gets his king to safety and although he manages to establish his knight on d4 Sutovsky's energetic play demolishes the defences 10...e6 11.Nc3 Qxe5 12.b4! Nf6 [12...cxb4 13.Re1 Qd6 14.Bf4 Qxf4 15.Re4] 13.Re1 [13.f4 Qc7 14.Be3 Nd5 15.Nxd5 exd5 16.Bxd4 cxd4 17.Qh5 a6 18.Rac1 Qd6 19.Rc5 Qe6 20.Rxd5+ Kc7 21.Bc4 g6 22.Qd1 Qe3+ 23.Kh1 Bxb4 24.Qa4 Bd6 25.Bb3 Qc3 26.Qxd4 Qxd4 27.Rxd4 Bc5 28.Rc1 b6 29.Bxf7 Rhf8 30.Bb3 Rae8 31.g3 Re2 32.Rdc4 Rd8 33.R4c2 Rdd2 1/2-1/2 Fogarasi,T (2465)-Nagle,S (2375)/Budapest HUN 2004/The Week in Chess505] 13...Qh5 14.Be2 Qf5 15.Bd3 Qh5 16.Be2 Qf5 17.Be3 e5 18.f4!

Even some of the very best players sometimes forget to develop their pieces. In the final position 21...Qb4 or 21...Qc6 is met by 22.Qd3 threatening Qd8 mate or Bxc5 and Qd7+ winning the rook on e6.

S Vokarev (2502) - E Tomashevsky (2658)
IX EICC Plovdiv (3) Ruy Lopez Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Qd6 6.Na3 Be6 7.Qe2 f6 8.Nc4 Qd7 9.Rd1 c5 10.c3 Qf7 11.b3 Qh5?! 12.d4! 0-0-0 13.Be3 exd4 14.cxd4 cxd4 15.Bxd4 Re8 16.Ba7! Bxc4 17.Qxc4 Qb5 18.Qc2 Ba3 19.Nd2 Re6 20.Nc4 Bc5 21.a4! 1-0

Mamedyarov beat Magnus Carlsen in round 4. In this Queen's Indian the battle often revolves around the e4 square. Black seeks to prevent White from advancing a third pawn in the centre before playing either c7-c5, d7-d5 or Nf6-e4 and f7-f5. Mamedyarov avoids the normal move Nb1-c3 which means that the Ne4 plan only exposes the knight to a possible pin on the g2-b7 diagonal.

Mamedyarov,S (2752) - Carlsen,M (2765) [E17]
FIDE GP Baku AZE (4), 24.04.2008
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 Na6 8.Ne5 Bxg2 [8...d5 here or on the previous move came into consideration] 9.Kxg2 c6 [If 9...Qb8 10.e4 c5 11.Bf4 Qb7 12.d5 with more space] 10.e4 White has won the strategic battle in the opening 10...Qc7 11.Nc3 Qb7 12.Nd3 [12.Nf3 b5 13.c5 Ne8 14.Bf4 b4 15.Na4 f5 16.Nd2 fxe4 17.Nxe4 Nac7 18.Be5 Nd5 19.Rc1 Nef6 20.f3 Qc8 21.Nd6 Qa6 22.b3 Bxd6 23.Bxd6 Rf7 24.Qe2 Qa5 25.Qd2 Ne8 26.Be5 Nec7 27.a3 Nb5 28.axb4 Qxb4 29.Qxb4 Nxb4 30.Re3 Nd5 31.Rd3 Raf8 32.Nb2 Nb4 1/2-1/2 Brodsky,M (2549)-Chernyshov,K (2550)/Dagomys RUS 2008/The Week in Chess 702] 12...d5 13.e5 Nd7 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.h4 Nb4 16.Bg5 Nxd3 17.Qxd3 Bb4 18.Rec1 a6 19.Ne2! White's space advantage gives him the freedom to play on the kingside whereas Black's minor pieces lack influence and, in the case of the bishop, stability 19...Rfc8 20.h5 h6 21.a3 Bf8 22.Bd2 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Rc8 24.Rf1! White keeps the rook to support his attack 24...b5 25.f4 Qc6 26.Rc1 Qb7 27.Rf1 Qc6 28.Qf3 Qb6 [28...Nb6 29.f5 Nc4 30.fxe6 Nxd2 31.Qxf7+ Kh7 32.Rc1 Qe8 33.Qf5+ Kg8 34.e7!] 29.f5! exf5 30.Bc3 a5