Tal Memorial 2007. Moscow - Round 3 by Malcolm Pein

Round 3

Vladimir Kramnik against Peter Leko. Photo © http://www.europe-echecs.com

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

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

The 16 year old prodigy Magnus Carlsen is one of the leaders after one of the most eventful rounds of top flight chess this year at the Tal Memorial in Moscow. The Norwegian was one of four winners after outplaying the former Russian Champion Dimitry Yakovenko with black.

Vladimir Kramnik demonstrated that knowing he is going to play the Catalan is not enough as he reached 2/3 by defeating Peter Leko. Leko suffered a second time; he lost with black to Kramnik in a Catalan at Mexico City. Kramnik again obtained nagging pressure that he converted prettily in the endgame – see below

Kramnik,V (2785) - Leko,P (2755) [E05]
Tal Mem Moscow RUS (3), 12.11.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.Qxc4 b5 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Bd2 Ra7 11.Rc1 Be4 12.Qb3 Nc6 13.e3 Qa8 14.Qd1 b4 15.Qf1 Bd5 16.Be1 Rc8 17.Nbd2 [17.Nfd2 Na5 18.a3 bxa3 19.Nxa3 Bxg2 20.Qxg2 c5 21.dxc5 Rxc5 22.Rxc5 Bxc5 23.Nac4 Nxc4 24.Qxa8+ Rxa8 25.Nxc4 Nd5 26.Kf1 f5 27.Ke2 Be7 28.Ne5 g5 29.Nd3 g4 30.b4 Nc7 31.Rc1 Nd5 32.Rc6 Kf7 33.Bd2 h5 34.Rc4 Ra7 35.e4 fxe4 36.Rxe4 Rc7 37.Re5 Rc4 38.Rxh5 Re4+ 39.Kf1 Nxb4 40.Ne5+ Kg8 41.Ng6 Bd6 42.Ra5 Kf7 43.Nf4 Bc7 44.Rh5 Bxf4 45.Bxf4 Nd3 46.Be3 Ra4 47.Ke2 Nb4 48.Bd2 Nd5 49.Rh4 Nf6 50.h3 1/2-1/2 Berkes,F (2606) -Efimenko,Z (2624)/Hamburg GER 2007/The Week in Chess 676] 17...Na5 18.Ne5 c5 19.dxc5 Bxc5 20.Nd3 Bf8 21.Bxd5 Nxd5 22.e4 Nb6 23.Rxc8 Qxc8 24.Nf3 Qb7 25.Nxb4 Qxe4 26.Qd3 Qxd3 27.Nxd3 Nac4 28.b3 Nd6 29.Rc1 Nd5 30.Rc6 Nf5 31.Ba5 Ra8 32.Nfe5 Nfe7 33.Rd6 Nf6 34.b4 Ned5 35.Rc6 Be7 36.a4 g6 37.Nc4 Kf8 38.Nc5 Bxc5 39.bxc5 Ke8 40.f3 Ng8 41.Nb6 Nge7 42.Rd6 Rb8 43.Nxd5 Nxd5 44.Rxa6 Rc8 45.Bb6 Nb4 46.Ra7 Nc6 47.Rb7 Ra8 48.Rc7 Nd4 49.a5 Nxf3+ 50.Kf2 Nxh2 51.c6 Ng4+ 52.Kf3 Nf6 53.Rb7 Nd5 54.Ke4 Nb4 55.c7 Rc8 56.Kd4 Kd7 57.Kc5 Nc6 58.a6 h5 59.a7 f5

60.a8Q Rxa8 61.c8Q+ Kxc8 62.Kxc6 [White threatens Re7-e8 mate and if 62.Kxc6 Ra2 63.Re7 Rc2+ 64.Bc5 and Black must give up his rook to prevent mate.] 1-0

Vassily Ivanchuk is suffering a big dip in form. The world number two lost three games at the European Team Championship and at Moscow he suffered a bad defeat at hands of world number seven Shakriyaz Mamedyarov whose bishop sacrifice destroyed Ivanchuk’s position at a stroke. Ivanchuk blundered his queen but his position was already resignable.

Gata Kamsky also blundered, he put a knight en prise in a poor position against Alexey Shirov who found a sharp counter to the English club players surprise weapon 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 with which Julian Hodgson enjoyed success with in the 1990s.

Kamsky,G (2714) - Shirov,A (2739) [D00]
Tal Mem Moscow RUS (3), 12.11.2007

1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 h6 3.Bh4 c5 4.dxc5 g5 5.Bg3 Bg7 6.c3 [6.Nc3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Nf6 and Qa5 is fine for Black] 6...Na6 7.Qa4+!? [7.e4!? dxe4 (7...Nf6 8.Bb5+ Kf8 9.Bxa6 bxa6 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nf3 Bg4 12.Nbd2 Nf4 13.Bxf4 gxf4 14.Qa4 Qc7 15.0-0 Rb8 16.Qa3 Rg8 17.Kh1 Qc6 18.Rg1 Rd8 19.Qb4 e5 20.Rae1 f6 21.Qe4 Qxc5 22.Qg6 Qc8 23.Ne4 Bf5 24.Qh5 Bg4 25.Qh4 Qf5 26.Nxe5 Qxe5 27.Qxg4 f5 28.Qh4 Re8 29.f3 Qc7 30.Nf6 Re3 31.Nd5 Qe5 32.Nxf4 1-0 Bonin,J (2315)-Costigan,R (2312)/ICC INT 2005) 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Bxa6 bxa6 10.Na3 f5 11.0-0-0+ Ke8 also looks fine for Black] 7...Bd7 8.Qa3 Qc8 9.c6 [9.b4 is the only test of Black's idea then 9...Nc7 10.Nf3 a5] 9...Bxc6 10.Nd2 [10.Nf3!] 10...e5 11.e4 Ne7 12.Ngf3 f6 13.exd5 Bxd5 14.Bb5+ Kf7 15.c4 Bc6 16.0-0 Rd8 17.Rad1 Qd7 18.h4 [18.Bxa6 bxa6 19.b4 or Bxc6 Qxc6 b4 give White some play although he is not worse here] 18...g4 19.Nh2 Qd4 20.Rfe1 h5 21.Nhf1 Qc5 22.Qa4 Bxb5 23.cxb5 Qb4 24.Qc2 Qxb5 25.Nc4 Qc6 26.Qb3 Kf8 27.Na5 Qc7 28.Qb5 Qc5

29.Qb3?? 0-1