World Cup 2007. Khanty-Mansiysk - Round 3 by Malcolm Pein

The England number one Michael Adams is through to the last sixteen of the $1,600,000 Fide World Cup being held at Khanty Mansysk in Siberia. Adams overcame Zhou Jianchao of China 1.5-0.5, winning with white and drawing comfortably with black.

Adams’s victory came in the Berlin Wall endgame that seemed un-breachable when it was reintroduced by Vladimir Kramnik against Garry Kasparov in 2000. Adams played patiently and nurtured a slight advantage in a position with rooks and opposite coloured bishops. Zhou’s inferior pawn structure led to the loss of a pawn and Adams made progress very methodically, see below.

Adams,Mi (2729) - Zhou Jianchao (2566) [C67]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (3.1), 30.11.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ke8 10.h3 Be7 11.Rd1 Nh4 12.Nxh4 Bxh4 13.g4 [13.Ne2 Be7 14.Be3 h5 15.Rd2 h4 16.Rad1 Rh5 17.Bf4 Be6 18.Nd4 Bd5 19.b3 Rd8 20.c4 Be4 21.e6 Bf6 22.Bxc7 Rxd4 23.Rxd4 Bxd4 24.Rxd4 Bb1 25.Rd8+ Ke7 26.exf7 Kxf7 27.Rb8 b5 28.a4 bxa4 29.bxa4 Ba2 30.Rb7 Bxc4 31.Rxa7 Ke6 32.Bd8 Rh8 33.Bg5 g6 34.a5 Bd5 35.a6 c5 36.Rc7 c4 37.a7 Rf8 38.Bxh4 Rf4 39.Re7+ Kd6 40.Re8 Rxh4 41.Rd8+ Ke6 42.Rxd5 Rh8 43.Ra5 Ra8 44.Kf1 1-0 Svidler,P (2690)-Van den Doel,E (2594)/Bled SLO 2002/The Week in Chess 417] 13...h5 14.f3 Be6 15.Kg2 Rd8 16.Be3 Be7 17.b3 hxg4 18.hxg4 Rxd1 19.Rxd1 a6 20.Ne2 b6 21.c4 Rh7 22.Bf4 b5 23.Nd4 Bd7 24.Rc1 c5 25.Ne2 bxc4 26.bxc4 g5 27.Bd2 Rh6 28.Nc3 Rb6 29.Rc2 Re6

30.Nd5! Bd8 [If 30...Rxe5 31.Bc3 Re6 32.Nxc7+] 31.Bc3 c6 [31...Rh6 32.Rb2] 32.Nf6+ Bxf6 33.exf6 Rd6 34.Bd2 Rxf6 35.Bxg5 Black should have reasonable chances to draw but Adams' pieces, particularly his king become quite active and he gradually advances his mobile pawn majority 35...Rd6 [35...Re6 36.Rb2!] 36.Be3 Be6 37.Bxc5 The loss of the pawn is less serious than the fine position of White's bishop which restricts the black king 37...Rd3 38.Kg3 a5 39.Kf4 a4 40.Ke4 Whereas White's king rules the roost 40...Rd1 41.g5 Re1+ 42.Kf4 Kd7 43.Bf2 Rf1 44.Ke4 Bxc4 [This leads to a lost rook and pawn endgame but 44...Kd6 45.f4 Ke7 46.f5 Bd7 47.Ke5 is grim] 45.Rxc4 Rxf2 46.Rxa4 Ke6 47.Kf4 Ke7 [47...c5 48.Ra6+ Kd5 49.Rf6 Rxa2 50.Rxf7 wins] 48.Re4+ Kf8 49.a4 Rf1 50.Rc4 Ra1 51.Kf5 Ke7 52.f4 Ra2 53.Rb4 Rd2 54.Re4+ Kf8 55.Re5 One rank at a time 55...Kg7 56.Rc5 Rd4 57.a5 Ra4 58.Ke5 White is ready to move his king to the queenside and shepherd home the a pawn 58...f6+ 59.gxf6+ Kf7 60.f5 1-0

When they were juniors Alexey Shirov and Vladimir Kramnik looked at the Noteboom Variation, a sharp sideline of the Slav Defence where Black gives up the centre but secures two connected passed pawns on the queenside. The line went out of fashion but Shirov used it to good effect here. Usually White plays e4 and Black has to find a way to counter and hope his pawns will carry the day. In this game Shirov takes control of e4 and plays the game like a Dutch Defence with a kingside pawn storm. He succeeds because the centre is closed and both white bishops out of play.

Onischuk,Al (2674) - Shirov,A (2739) [D31]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (3.2), 01.12.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.e3 b5 6.a4 Bb4 7.Bd2 a5 8.axb5 Bxc3 9.Bxc3 cxb5 10.b3 Bb7 11.bxc4 b4 12.Bb2 Nf6 13.Bd3 0-0 14.0-0 Nbd7 15.Re1 Ne4 16.Qc2 f5 17.c5 Qc7 18.Bb5 Bd5 19.Qe2 [19.Rec1 Ndf6 20.h3 1/2-1/2 Rogozenko,D (2562)-Apicella,M (2509)/Bucharest ROM 2000] 19...Ndf6 20.h3 g5! 21.Ne5 g4! 22.hxg4 [22.f3 gxf3 23.gxf3 Ng5 24.Kh1 Kh8 25.Rg1 Rg8 is good for Black] 22...fxg4 23.Nd3 Qg7!

Black cannot be prevented from opening the kingside with g4-g3 24.Nf4 Qh6 25.Rf1 g3 26.Nh3 gxf2+ 27.Rxf2 Nxf2 28.Nxf2 Bxg2! 29.Kxg2 Ra7 30.Rh1 Qg6+ 31.Kf1 Ng4 32.Be8 Qb1+ 33.Kg2 Rxf2+ 34.Qxf2 Qxh1+ 35.Kxh1 Nxf2+ 36.Kg2 Nd1 37.Bc1 b3 38.e4 b2 39.Bxb2 Nxb2 40.Bb5 a4 41.d5 exd5 42.exd5 a3 0-1

The favourite and world number two Vasily Ivanchuk has been eliminated from the World Championship yet again. The Ukrainian fell in the third round of the Fide World Cup to the Romanian Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu a former European champion. Perhaps it is not a coincidence, Ivanchuk’s nerves are always frayed in these knockout events and it was Nisipeanu who eliminated him at Las Vegas in 1999. Michael Adams faces the Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen.

The match started badly for Ivanchuk as he failed to convert an extra pawn after putting pressure on Nisipeanu’s Blumenfeld Gambit which runs 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.d5 b5!? Game two was a quiet draw and Ivanchuk defeated the Blumenfeld in the first tie break game. However a clever piece sacrifice from Nisipieanu in game four led to a panicked response and a bad defeat.

Nisipeanu,LD (2668) - Ivanchuk,V (2787) [B90]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (3.4), 02.12.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.0-0-0 b5 10.f4 Qc7 11.Kb1 Rc8 12.a3 [12.f5 Bc4 13.Be2 Be7 14.g4 Bxe2 15.Qxe2 Qc4 16.Qg2 b4 17.Nd5 Nxd5 18.exd5 Bd8 19.g5 a5 20.Rc1 Bb6 21.Nd2 Qc7 22.Rhe1 a4 23.c3 b3 24.a3 Bxe3 25.Rxe3 Nb6 26.c4 Nd7 27.Qg4 Nc5 28.Rf3 Qd7 29.Qh5 h6 30.Rg1 Kd8 31.Qh4 Kc7 32.g6 f6 33.Rc1 Kd8 34.Qe1 Ke7 35.Nf1 Rhe8 36.Ng3 Kf8 37.Rcc3 e4 38.Rfe3 Re5 39.Qf1 Rce8 40.Qh3 Nd3 41.Qg4 Qa7 42.Nf1 Qd4 43.Rcxd3 Qxd3+ 44.Rxd3 exd3 45.Kc1 Re1+ 46.Kd2 Rxf1 47.c5 Rf2+ 48.Kxd3 Rxb2 49.cxd6 Rbe2 50.d7 R8e3+ 51.Kd4 Re4+ 52.Kc5 Ke7 53.d8Q+ Kxd8 54.Qg3 Re5 55.Qd3 b2 56.Kd6 Rd2 57.Qxd2 b1Q 58.Qa5+ Kc8 59.Qc7# 1-0 Llaneza Vega,M (2438)-Onischuk,V (2506)/Grodzisk Mazowiecki POL 2007/The Week in Chess 664] 12...Be7 13.f5 Bc4 14.g4 Nxg4 15.Rg1 h5 16.h3 Nxe3 17.Qxe3 Rh7 18.Bxc4 bxc4 19.Nd2 Nf6 20.Nf3 Rb8 21.Ka2 Qb6 22.Qc1 Qb7 23.Ng5 Rh8 24.Rg2 h4 25.Rdg1 Rh5 26.Nxf7!!

26...Kxf7 27.Rxg7+ Kf8 28.R1g6 d5? [It is easy to go astray here as so many of the alternatives lose: 28...Ke8 29.Rxf6 wins; 28...Ne8 29.f6 Nxf6 30.Nd5 Nxd5 31.exd5 Qxb2+ 32.Qxb2 Rxb2+ 33.Kxb2 is better for White as is; 28...Ne8 29.f6 Nxg7 30.Rxg7 Qxb2+ 31.Qxb2 Rxb2+ 32.Kxb2 Bxf6 33.Ra7 Rg5 34.Nd5 despite the pawn deficit; However the game would have been unclear after 28...Qb6 because 29.Nd5 leads to a draw 29...Nxd5 30.Rg8+ Kf7 31.R6g7+ Kf6 32.Rg6+ Kf7; 28...Rh7 29.Rxh7 Nxh7 30.Qh6+ Ke8 31.Nd1 Nf8 32.Rg7 is also good for White] 29.exd5 Nxd5 30.Rg8+ Kf7 31.R6g7+ Kf6 32.Nxd5+ Qxd5 33.Rg6+ Kf7 34.Rxb8 c3+ 35.Kb1 Rxf5 36.Qg1 Bf8 37.Rg8 Bh6 38.Qg6+ 1-0

The match went to blitz and Ivanchuk went to pieces.

Ivanchuk,V (2787) - Nisipeanu,LD (2668) [E14]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (3.5), 02.12.2007
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Bb4+ 4.Nbd2 b6 5.a3 Bxd2+ 6.Qxd2 Bb7 7.e3 0-0 8.Be2 d6 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.b4 Ne4 11.Qc2 f5 12.Bb2 Rf6 13.d5 Rg6 14.Rad1 e5 [14...Qe7 15.Nd4 Nf8 16.Bd3 exd5 17.Nxf5 Qg5 18.f3 Qxf5 19.fxe4 Qh5 20.exd5 Rh6 21.h3 Ng6 22.Rf5 Qh4 23.Rdf1 Rf8 24.Rxf8+ Nxf8 25.Bf5 Qe7 26.e4 Qe8 27.Qc3 Rf6 28.Qg3 Rf7 29.Qg4 a6 30.Rf3 b5 31.Be6 Nxe6 32.dxe6 1-0 Gonda,L (2447)-Bindrich,F (2486)/Balatonlelle HUN 2006/The Week in Chess 611] 15.Bd3 c6 16.Bxe4 fxe4 17.Qxe4 cxd5 18.cxd5 Nf6 19.Qc4 Rc8 20.Qb3 Qd7

21.Ne1 [21.Bxe5!] 21...Ba6 22.f3 Bc4 0-1