Thursday November 16th 2006

Round 7

Two ambushes in the opening led to two decisive games in the seventh round of the Tal Memorial at Moscow. Boris Gelfand lay in wait for Peter Svidler’s Gruenfeld Defence and having obtained an advantage played ruthlessly to keep control of the position and register his second victory. Alexander Grischuk played sacrificially, rather in the style of Tal and emerged with a huge pawn roller in the endgame which Alexey Shirov was unable to resist.

Alexander Morozevich is having a torrid time and his misery was compounded when he failed to win a totally won endgame against Shakriyar Mamedyarov. With two to play the lead is shared by Ruslan Ponomariov, Peter Leko and Levon Aronian.

 
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Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (RUS), 6-16 xi 2006              cat. XX (2727)
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                                         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 
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 1. Ponomariov, Ruslan       g UKR 2703  * . = = = 1 = = 1 .  4.5  2834 
 2. Leko, Peter              g HUN 2741  . * = 1 . = = = 1 =  4.5  2830 
 3. Aronian, Levon           g ARM 2741  = = * . = . 0 1 1 1  4.5  2828 
 4. Gelfand, Boris           g ISR 2733  = 0 . * = = 1 . = 1  4.0  2775 
 5. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar   g AZE 2728  = . = = * = . = = =  3.5  2721 
 6. Grischuk, Alexander      g RUS 2710  0 = . = = * 1 1 0 .  3.5  2731 
 7. Svidler, Peter           g RUS 2750  = = 1 0 . 0 * = . =  3.0  2670 
 8. Shirov, Alexei           g ESP 2720  = = 0 . = 0 = * . =  2.5  2622 
 9. Morozevich, Alexander    g RUS 2747  0 0 0 = = 1 . . * =  2.5  2620 
10. Carlsen, Magnus          g NOR 2698  . = 0 0 = . = = = *  2.5  2635 
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Gelfand,B (2733) - Svidler,P (2750) [A05]
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (7), 14.11.2006
[Mark Crowther]

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Qa4+ Bd7 5.Qb3 dxc4 6.Qxc4 a6 7.d4 b5 8.Qb3 c5 9.dxc5 Bg7 10.e4 0-0N Nc6 has been seen in a couple of games before. [10...Nc6 11.Be2 (11.a3 0-0 12.Be3 Be6 13.Qc2 Ng4 14.Bf4 b4 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 Qxd5 17.Bc4 Nd4 18.Bxd5 Nxc2+ 19.Kd2 Nxa1 20.Bxa8 Rxa8 21.Rxa1 Bxb2 22.Ra2 bxa3 0-1 Di Caro,C (2220)-Tomescu,V (2425)/Cesenatico 2003) 11...Be6 12.Qc2 Nb4 13.Qb1 Nd7 14.Be3 Rc8 15.0-0 Bc4 16.a3 Bxc3 17.Bxc4 bxc4 18.Qc1 Bg7 19.axb4 Nb8 20.Qxc4 Bxb2 21.Rad1 Qc7 22.Bh6 Nc6 23.Qxa6 Bc3 24.b5 Nb4 25.Qa3 Qxc5 26.b6 Qxb6 27.Rc1 Qa6 28.Rxc3 Qxa3 29.Rxa3 f6 30.e5 Kf7 31.exf6 Kxf6 32.Ng5 1-0 Vorobiov,E (2552)-Yandemirov,V (2494)/Sochi RUS 2004/The Week in Chess 495] 11.Be2 Bc6 12.e5 Nfd7 13.Be3 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.0-0 e6 16.a4 bxa4 17.Nxa4 Qc7 18.f4 Bg7 19.Nb6 Ra7 20.Rfd1 Re8 21.Bc4 Bh6 22.Rf1 Qb7 23.Rf2 Nd7 24.Nxd7 Qxd7 25.Rxa6 Rxa6 26.Bxa6 Bg7 27.Rd2 Qa7 28.Qb6 Qa8 29.Bb5 Bxb5 30.Qxb5 Rb8 31.Qc4 Qa1+ [31...Bxb2 looks a better try.] 32.Kf2 Rxb2 33.c6 Rxd2+ 34.Bxd2 Qa7+ 35.Ke2 Qc7 36.Ba5 Qc8 37.c7 Bf8 38.Qc6 White plays it slowly, already he's both winning and its also impossible to imagine how he would mess it up. 38...f5 [38...e5 39.fxe5 Qg4+ 40.Kd3 and white will easily evade the checks.] 39.Bc3 Kf7 40.Be5 Be7 41.Kd3 g5 42.g3 gxf4 43.gxf4

The position is completely without hope for black. 1-0

Grischuk,A (2710) - Shirov,A (2720) [B30]
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (7), 14.11.2006
[Mark Crowther]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.Qe2 Qc7 7.Ng5 e5 8.f4 exf4 9.0-0 Ng6 10.Qh5 d6 [10...Bd6 11.g3 Ba6 12.gxf4 Rf8 13.e5 Be7 14.Nc3 0-0-0 15.Nge4 f5 16.Ng5 Bxg5 17.Qxg5 d6 18.Be3 dxe5 19.fxe5 Qxe5 20.Rae1 Rde8 21.Bf2 Qf4 22.Qxf4 Nxf4 23.Bxc5 Rxe1 24.Rxe1 Rf7 25.Re8+ Kd7 26.Ra8 Bb7 27.Rxa7 Kc7 28.Na4 Ne6 29.Bb6+ Kb8 30.Nc5 Nxc5 31.Bxc5 f4 32.Ra4 Kc7 33.Re4 Bc8 34.Kf2 Bg4 35.a4 Bd1 36.a5 Kb7 37.Rb4+ Ka8 38.a6 Rf5 39.d4 Rd5 40.Rb6 Bxc2 41.Rxc6 Rd8 42.Rc7 Be4 43.Rxg7 f3 44.b4 Bc6 45.Rc7 Ba4 46.b5 1-0 Bologan,V (2679)-Lautier,J (2676)/Reykjavic ISL 2004/The Week in Chess 487] 11.Bxf4 h6 12.Nxf7 Qxf7 13.Bxd6 Qe6 14.Bxf8 Rxf8 15.Nd2 Bd7 16.Qxc5 Qe7 17.Rxf8+ Kxf8 18.Rf1+ Kg8 19.Qxe7 Nxe7 20.Nb3 White has three pawns for the piece which proves to be more than enough. 20...Rd8 21.Nc5 Bc8 22.Kf2 Rf8+ 23.Ke2 Rxf1 24.Kxf1 Ng6 25.b4 Kf7 26.Ke2 Nf4+ 27.Kf3 Ne6 28.Nb3 Ke7 29.Ke3 Kd6 30.d4 Nc7 31.c4 Be6 32.Kd3 Bg8 33.a4 Ne6 34.g3 Ng5 35.Nd2 a6 36.h4 Nh3 37.Ke3

White has played this just beautifully, he's completely winning. 37...g5 38.d5 cxd5 39.exd5 gxh4 40.gxh4 Bh7 41.Ne4+ Ke5 [41...Bxe4 42.Kxe4 and the knight is a complete bystander.] 42.Nc5 Nf4 43.d6 Ne6 44.d7 Nd8 45.Nxa6! and why not? 45...Kd6 46.Nc5 Bg8 47.Kd4 Nc6+ 48.Kc3 Ke7 49.b5 White plays his winning idea. 49...Ne5 50.b6 Nxd7 51.b7 [51.b7 Nb8 52.a5 Kd6 53.a6 Nc6 54.a7] 1-0

Morozevich,A (2747) - Mamedyarov,S (2728) [C95]
Tal Memorial Moscow RUS (7), 14.11.2006
[Mark Crowther]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.Nf1 Bf8 14.Ng3 g6 15.b3 exd4 16.cxd4 c5 17.d5 Bg7 18.Rb1 a5 19.Bf4 Qc7 20.Bd3 Ba6 21.a4 c4 22.bxc4 bxc4 23.Bc2 c3 24.Re3 Nb6 25.Nd4 Nfd7 26.Ndf5 Be5 27.Nh6+ Kf8 28.Bxe5 Nxe5 29.Qd4 Nbc4 30.Rxc3 Qa7 31.Qxa7 Rxa7 32.Ng4 Nd7 33.f3 h5 34.Nf2 Rc8 35.Ne2 Na3 36.Rxc8+ Bxc8 37.Rc1 Rc7 38.Bd1 Rxc1 39.Nxc1 Nb1 40.Nb3 Nc3 41.Nxa5 Nb6 42.h4 Bd7 43.Nc6 Nbxa4 44.Bxa4 Nxa4 45.Nd3 Nb6 46.Kf2 Nc4 47.Nd4 Ke7 48.Nc2 Na5 49.Na3 Nb3 50.Ke3 Be8 51.Nb4 Na5 52.Kd4 Nb3+ 53.Kc3 Nc5 54.Nd3 Nd7 55.Nc4 f6 56.f4 Nb8 57.e5 fxe5 58.fxe5 dxe5 59.Ndxe5 Kf6 60.Nf3 Bb5 61.Nd6 Bf1 62.Ne4+ Ke7 63.Ne1 Nd7 64.Kd4 Kf7 65.g3 Ke7 66.Nc2 Bg2 67.Nc5 Nxc5 68.Kxc5 Kf6 69.Ne3 Bh3 70.d6 Bd7 71.Kb6 Ke6 72.Kc7 Ba4 White is definitely winning here but he still has technical problems due to the fact that Mamedyarov has ideas of trading off all the kingside pawns. 73.Nc2 Winning but white has to be accurate because the knight is not very quick at manoevering across the board from queenside to kingside. [73.Nc4 also seems to win.] 73...Ke5 74.Nb4 Be8

75.Kd8? This seems to throw away the win. [75.Nd3+ Ke4 (75...Kf5 76.d7 (76.Nf4 Ba4 77.d7 Bxd7 78.Kxd7 g5 79.Ng2!) 76...Bxd7 77.Kxd7 g5 78.hxg5 Kxg5 79.Ne5 Kf5 (79...h4 80.Nf3+ Kg4 81.gxh4) 80.Kd6 Kf6 81.Kd5 Kf5 82.Kd4 Kf6 83.Ke4) 76.Nf4 Kf5 77.d7 Bxd7 78.Kxd7 g5 79.Ng2] 75...Ba4 76.Ke7 g5! and suddenly black is going to get his way with the kingside pawns. 77.Nd3+ Kf5 78.Nc5 Bb5 79.Ne6 gxh4 80.Nd4+ Kg4 81.Nxb5 Taking a Queen and Knight vs Queen ending but white should draw this easily. 81...h3 82.Nc3 Kxg3 83.Ne4+ Kg2 84.d7 h2 85.d8Q h1Q 86.Qd5 Qh4+ 87.Kf7 Qf4+ 88.Kg6 Qg4+ 89.Kh6 Qf4+ 90.Kxh5 Qf3+ 91.Kg5 Qe3+ 92.Kf5 Qf3+ 93.Ke5 Qe3 94.Qa2+ Kg1 95.Qb1+ Kg2 96.Qc2+ Kg1 97.Qd1+ Kg2 98.Qg4+ Kh2 99.Qh4+ Kg2 100.Qh5 Kg1 White has done his best. Now after a long thought I think he allows the nice conclusion. 101.Kf5

101...Qh3+! 102.Qxh3 Its stalemate. 1/2-1/2