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Round 2
Report
by John Saunders |
After two games played, Magnus Carlsen is already three
points clear of the field, on the 3-1-0 scoring system
employed here. After the ‘Pearl Spring’ (the tournament in
China where Carlsen scored a runaway success) comes the
‘London Winter’. Which means rain, of course, but so far no
water has fallen on Magnus Carlsen’s parade.
Let’s look at the games in the order in which they finished.
All the games were hard-fought and provided good
entertainment to another large and appreciative audience.
The first players to take their places in the Commentary
Room were Nigel Short and David Howell after drawing a
44-move game which started with Petroff’s Defence. This
opening, named after Alexander Dmitreyvich Petroff
(1794-1867), the best Russian player of his day, is popular
with super-grandmasters hoping for a solid draw with Black
but very unpopular with chess spectators who always fear
they are going to see a lifeless grandmaster draw. Not so in
this tournament, of course, as we are adhering to the
so-called Sofia Rules. Do you need these rules explained
again? Yes, so do I and so do the players, it seems. Nigel
Short told us at the press conference that, at some point
during the game, David Howell offered him a draw. Nigel
wasn’t quite sure whether this was strictly legal and, after
the game finished asked the arbiter what the procedure was.
Arbiter Albert Vasse advised him that it was legal to offer
a draw but not legal to accept without consulting the
arbiter who (with expert advice) would pronounce it
sufficiently dead for a draw to be agreed. It is useful to
have that explained in clear English as I’m sure we are all
a bit vague about the rights and wrongs of it. One other
comment from Nigel drew a big laugh from the audience at the
beginning of the commentary session: he said it was the
first time in his career that he had been completely
exhausted after only one game of a tournament (a wry
reference to his 163-move marathon of the previous day, of
course).
Whatever the motivating factor or Nigel Short’s generally
positive approach to the game, this was quite a spicy
encounter where White might have won had he found a few key
moves at the right time (that is more or less Short’s
comment, paraphrased). It featured a sufficiently imbalanced
pawn structure and piece configuration to give computer
engines a few problems in making a convincing assessment –
often a good sign of interesting chess. Nigel had a strong
positional advantage at one point but it seemed to fizzle
out around moves 30-34. Offered an engine-generated
alternative in the commentary room (I think it was 29 f4!?),
Nigel dismissed it: “Oh, that’s just a computer move –
that’s not the way I play chess.” A very interesting game,
though, and perhaps one that shows the Petroff has a little
more bite than we think.
Next to finish was Kramnik-Ni Hua. This was a heavyweight
super-GM encounter, in a fashionable line with an
intimidating Slavonic name – the Chebanenko Slav. A big name
for a little move (4...a4 after the well-known moves 1 d4 d5
2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e3) but quite a feisty variation for
those who enjoy hand-to-hand fighting.
Vladimir Kramnik -
Ni Hua
Chebanenko Slav D15
1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 e3 a6 5 Nf3 b5 6 b3 Bg4 7 h3
Bxf3 8 Qxf3 e5!?
Play gets lively very quickly in this variation.
9 dxe5 Bb4 10 Bd2 Bxc3 11 Bxc3 Ne4 12 Bb4 bxc4 13 Qg4 c5 14
f3
Of course, I could give you a hundred variations from Fritz
but let's take a deep breath and trust that the grandmasters
have correctly figured out the tactics around here.
14...cxb4 15 fxe4
Pause for breath. I think we should call this something
pleasantly Anglo-Saxon like the 'Pawn Brawl Variation'
rather than using its current name in order to attract the
attention of street-fighting chessplayers. We are coming to
the end of a bruising fist fight between the little guys in
the centre of the board. It actually looks quite an
entertaining line for club players to have a go at but you
would need to read up on the nuances of it before rolling up
your sleeves and getting stuck in. Nice to see Vladimir
Kramnik ready to rumble in this way. Incidentally, he turned
up with visible designer stubble today after his defeat of
the day before. It recalls to mind the old story (probably
apocryphal) that Anatoly Karpov didn't wash his hair until
after a defeat. I'm wondering if Vlad has decided he isn't
going to shave until he next tastes blood.
15...0–0 16 exd5 cxb3
I don't know about the reader but I couldn't have lived one
more move seeing those two big pawns in the centre and would
have played the reflex 16...Qxd5 ; however, 17 Bxc4 Qxe5 18
0–0!? Qxe3+ 19 Kh1 and White gets good compensation for the
sacrificed pawn.
17 Qd4 Nd7 18 axb3 Qg5
Black's plan is based on a long sequence of moves which both
of them had worked out but which has a sting in the tail in
favour of White.
19 Qf4 Qxe5 20 Qxe5 Nxe5 21 Bxa6 Rfc8 22 Kd2 Rc3 23 Rhb1 f5
24 Ra4 Rc5
I suspect Ni Hua had seen it all to here but now White has a
key move to maintain his material edge.
25 e4! fxe4
25...Rd8 would allow White consolidate with 26 Rxb4 fxe4 27
Bc4 and reach a comfortably winning ending.
26 Ke3 Rc2
Black would like to play 26...Rxd5 but then 27 Bb7! Rd3+ 28
Kxe4 Re8 29 Ra8! would ensure White's ultimate victory;
26...Rc3+ 27 Kxe4 Re8 28 Kd4 also retains an extra pawn.
27 Bd3!
A neat way to simplify the position.
27...Rxa4 28 Bxc2 Ra2 29 Bxe4
That more or less concludes the major business of the game.
Kramnik thought he was winning comfortably here but admitted
his finish may not have been the most efficient.
29...Kf7 30 Rc1 Kf6 31 Rc2 Ra1
Exchanging the rooks with 31...Rxc2 32 Bxc2 wouldn't offer
much hope. One general principle that even super-GMs tend to
adhere to is that you should try to keep at least one rook
on the board if you are trying to defend an endgame a pawn
down. Minor piece endgames tend to be easier for the player
with the advantage to convert (except for opposite bishop
endings, of course).
32 Kd4 Rd1+ 33 Kc5 h5 34 Rf2+ Ke7 35 Re2 Nd7+ 36 Kc6 Rc1+ 37
Bc2+ Kd8 38 Kd6 Nf6 39 Ke6 h4 40 d6 Rf1 41 Re5 Rf2
41...Ne8 is more stubborn.
42 Bf5 g6 43 Bxg6 Nd7 44 Rg5 Rf6+ 45 Kd5 Nb6+ 46 Kc6 Nc8
White is not too bothered about the fate of the d-pawn
because he knows Black's other two pawns are ripe for the
plucking.
47 Kc5 Nxd6 48 Bd3 1–0
Black has no convincing continuation, e.g. 48...Nf7 49 Rh5
Rf4 50 Bc4 and the knight doesn't have a good square:
50...Ke8 51 Bxf7+ Kxf7, etc.
Michael Adams’ game against Hikaru Nakamura was a French
Tarrasch, where the pawns stay closely locked across the
board, allowing the sort of slow manoeuvring that the
English grandmaster prefers. By move 20 Hikaru Nakamura was
completely on the defensive. However, his position remained
pretty solid. Michael eventually simplified down to a rook
and pawn endgame with an extra pawn but his king was left
awkwardly posted and he couldn’t convert.
The game of the day prize of 1,000 euros went, for the
second day running, to the tournament favourite, Magnus
Carlsen. Personally I preferred Kramnik’s win but the people
have voted. It’s certainly a very entertaining game.
Magnus Carlsen -
Luke McShane
King’s Indian Defence E94
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nf3 0–0 6 Be2 e5 7 0–0
Na6
A slightly off-beat way of playing the King's Indian
Defence, but not bad.
8 Re1 Qe8 9 Bf1
Many players would have chosen 9 Be3 but, as in his previous
game, Magnus quite likes putting his bishops back on their
original squares in a manoeuvring game.
9...c6 10 Rb1
As a 12-year-old, Magnus played 10 d5 in the 2002 Gausdal
tournament and won a long game.
10...Bg4 11 d5 c5
The typical closed structure of a King's Indian Defence
game. White's game will hinge around a pawn advance on the
queenside, while Black will look to mobilise on the kingside
whilst keeping a careful on White's queenside play.
12 Be2 Kh8 13 a3 Bd7 14 b4 b6 15 Bg5 Ng8 16 Nb5 f6 17 Bh4
Qe7
This opening can be very hard on dark-squared bishops. For
example, 17...g5 would force the h4 bishop back to g3 where
it is hemmed in. The snag is that it does much the same
thing to Black's own bishop. If you were to suggest such a
move to a top player, they would probably tell you it was
"artificial". By that, they mean that it doesn't fit in with
the general strategy of the opening.
18 Nd2 Nh6 19 Nf1 Rfc8 20 Ne3 Nc7 21 bxc5 Nxb5 22 cxb5 Rxc5
23 f3 Rac8 24 Bd3 Qf8 25 Bf2 f5
One of the signature moves for Black in a number of King's
Indian Defence variations. Sometimes it presages an exchange
on e4, followed by pressure on e4 or occupation of f4 by a
minor piece, but rather more often it is followed by f5-f4
and then an advance of the g and h pawns to start a
full-scale kingside attack.
26 a4 R5c7 27 h3 Bf6 28 Qd2 Bg5 29 a5 fxe4
Here, 29...f4?! would only serve to undermine Black's
kingside counterplay. Magnus had already taken the
precaution of playing h2-h3 to restrain a possible advance
on that side of the board.
30 fxe4 Nf7 31 axb6 axb6 32 Qe2 Rb7
Bearing in mind that White's knight is about to come to c4
with pressure on b6, one's mind turns momentarily to
32...Bxe3 but after 33 Bxe3 Rb7 34 Rf1 the dark squares will
be a nightmare for Black. A case of the cure being more
lethal than the disease.
33 Nc4 Qd8 34 Rf1 Kg7 35 Kh1 Be8 36 Qb2 Nh6
37 Bxb6!
Luke McShane said he had missed this but there is probably
not much he could have done.
37...Qe7
37...Rxb6 38 Qf2 threatens mate with Qf8 and also the rook
on b6, so White would emerge with a healthy material
advantage.
38 Qf2 Rcb8 39 Rb3 Ng8 40 Be2 Nf6 41 Bf3
I've been racking my brains to think of something
intelligent to say about Carlsen's manoeuvre Bd3-e2-f3,
where it seems worse placed than it had been on d3, but I
have to give up. Perhaps White was concerned about the black
knight entering the fray via h5 and this stops it happening.
41...Rxb6!?
Black is no longer willing to sit and suffer, but decides to
mix things a little.
42 Nxb6 Qc7 43 h4 Bh6 44 Na4 Rxb5 45 Be2
White could also have tried the move order 45 Rxb5 Bxb5 46
Be2 but then perhaps 46...Bf4!? complicates the game a
little: 47 Bxb5 Nxe4 48 Qe1 Ng3+ 49 Kg1 Qa7+ 50 Rf2 when,
despite being a rook for pawn up, White has a few problems.
45...Rxb3 46 Qxf6+ Kg8
Has White's attack suddenly run out of steam?
47 Nc5!
No! This remarkable move maintains White's momentum.
47...Rg3
Black cannot take with 47...dxc5 because of 48 d6 Qg7 49
Bc4+, etc.
48 Ne6 Qf7 49 Qxf7+ Bxf7 50 Rb1
Material is level but now White has a very big positional
advantage. His rook is so much better than his opponents.
50...Be8
50...Bxe6 51 dxe6 Bf8 52 Rb8 Kg7 53 Rb7+ Kf6 54 Rf7+ wins a
piece.
51 Bf3 Kf7 52 Rb7+ Kf6 53 Rxh7 Bf4 54 Nxf4!?
White is going to win a piece, albeit for pawns. 54 Rc7 Be3
55 Nf8 threatens mate in one but Black can struggle on with
55...Bf7,etc.
54...exf4 55 e5+! dxe5
55...Kxe5 56 Re7+ is an easy win.
56 d6 e4
56...g5 57 hxg5+ Rxg5 58 d7 Bxd7 59 Rxd7 is a technical win.
Black has no hope of reaching a rook and bishop versus rook
endgame because White's g2 pawn will stay on the board.
57 Bxe4 Re3 58 Bd5
The only move to win, but that is all you need.
58...Kf5
58...Rd3 59 d7! wins a piece with no further ado.
59 Kh2 Re5 60 Bf3 Kf6
After 60...Ke6 61 d7! again wins.
61 d7 1–0
That leaves Magnus Carlsen in the lead on 6/6. Second equal
are Luke McShane and Vladimir Kramnik on 3, David Howell,
Hikaru Nakamura and Michael Adams on 2 and Nigel Short on 1.
More fun tomorrow!
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