Tal Memorial 2007. Moscow - Round 2 by Malcolm Pein

Round 2

Alexei Shirov against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Photo © http://www.europe-echecs.com

The Tal Memorial Tournament takes place in Moscow 9th-19th November 2007.

Official site: http://www.russiachess.org/

There was plenty of fighting play but no decisive results in the second round of the Tal Memorial being played at Moscow. Peter Leko, who has started with two games with the white pieces is the only player on 1.5/2. Leko was easily held to a draw by the American Gata Kamsky in the second round. Kamsky played the Pirc-Modern Defence, rarely seen at the top level and was never in any difficulty.

Vladimir Kramnik and Boris Gelfand had another hugely complicated game during which Kramnik had to sacrifice a piece to extricate his queen but the material had to be returned by force and accurate play led to a draw on move 31.

The game between Shakriyaz Mamedyarov and Alexey Shirov was played in the style of Mikhail Tal. Shirov, white sacrificed a pawn and his opponent offered a piece but Shirov declined for reasons I cannot fully fathom and instead forced Mamedyarov to give up his queen for two rooks. In a position where neither king was safe the players repeated moves.

Shirov,A (2739) - Mamedyarov,S (2752) [C72]
Tal Mem Moscow RUS (2), 11.11.2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.0-0 Bd7 6.d4 exd4 7.Nxd4 b5 8.Nxc6 Bxc6 9.Bb3 Nf6 10.c4 [Trying to get permanent control of the d5 square but 10.Nc3 is also good 10...Be7 11.Re1 0-0 12.a4 Re8 (12...b4 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd5 Nd7 15.a5 Nc5 16.Ba4 Rb8 17.Bc6 Bf6 18.Qe2 Bd4 19.Rb1 Qf6 20.Rd1 h6 21.Qd2 Rfe8 22.Bxe8 Rxe8 23.Qf4 b3 24.c3 Qe7 25.Bd2 Be5 26.Qg4 Ne4 27.Be3 g6 28.g3 Bg7 29.Re1 h5 30.Qe2 h4 31.Qxa6 f5 32.Qb5 Be5 33.a6 hxg3 34.fxg3 Kf7 35.a7 Rh8 36.Qb8 Rxh2 37.a8Q 1-0 Leko,P (2740)-Mamedyarov,S (2709)/Wijk aan Zee NED 2006/The Week in Chess 586) 13.Qd3 Rb8 14.Bg5 Nd7 15.axb5 axb5 16.Bxe7 Rxe7 17.Nd5 Re5 18.Nb4 Bxe4 19.Rxe4 Nc5 20.Nc6 Nxd3 21.Nxd8 Rxe4 1/2-1/2 Vachier Lagrave,M (2542)-Mamedyarov,S (2709)/Moscow 2006/CBM 112] 10...Be7 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Re1 Re8 13.Qf3 b4 14.Nd5 a5 15.a4 Nd7! A typical manouevre to activate bishop and knight. Black seeks counterplay against e4 16.Be3 Bf6 17.Nxf6+ [17.Re2 Nc5 18.Nxf6+ Qxf6 19.Qxf6 gxf6 20.Bxc5 dxc5 is actually fine for Black, the superiority of his bishop compensates for his shattered pawns] 17...Nxf6 Black wins the e4 pawn but Shirov has seen this coming 18.Bd4! Nxe4 [18...Bxe4 19.Bxf6 Qxf6 20.Rxe4 wins a piece] 19.Bc2 Qh4 [Black's position hangs by a thread as the knight is pinned if 19...Nf6 20.Qxc6] 20.g3 Qe7 21.Qf4 [The devious retreat 21.Qg2 deserved attention as White wins the knight by force, after 21...Qe6 22.b3 f5 23.f3 d5 24.fxe4 dxe4 25.Rad1 I don't think Black has quite enough compensation] 21...g5 22.Qe3 g4 Black has prevented f3 but seriously weakened his king 23.Qf4 Qe6 24.h3 h5 25.hxg4 hxg4 26.Rxe4 Bxe4 27.Re1

27...Bxc2!! Shirov may have underestimated this. Black's king looks doomed but is actually safe and there is a brilliant defensive line see below 28.Rxe6 Rxe6 29.Qxg4+ Kf8 30.Qh4 Ke8! 31.f3

[31.Qh8+ Kd7 32.Qxa8 Re1+ 33.Kh2 Be4! wins for Black

]

31...Kd7 32.Qh5 f5 33.g4 Rf8 34.c5 Kc6 35.cxd6 Rxd6 36.Bg7 Rfd8 37.gxf5 Rd5 38.Qh6+ Kb7 39.f6 Bb3 40.Qe3 Rd1+ 41.Kf2 R8d3 42.Qc5 Rd5 43.Qe3 R5d3 44.Qc5 Rd5 45.Qe3 1/2-1/2