27.12.2005
Round 8: Svidler-Zvjaginsev, Rublevsky-Jakovenko
*Feel free to send your questions to Konstantin: sakaev@e3e5.com. Please also include your name and location.*
Live commentary by Konstantin Sakaev
Svidler,P (2740) - Zvjaginsev, V (2659)
ch-RUS superfinal Moscow, Russia (8), 27.12.2005
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.Bxc6+ bxc6 5.0-0 e5 6.c3 Ne7 Another knight move that has never occurred at a serious level from Zvjaginsev! The main line is 6...Nf6 7.Re1 Bg4, or 6...Bg4 at once; the most recent development is a double-edged 6...f5!?
7.d4 Ng6
This was Zvjaginsev's idea - Black does not want to lose the center. He will have to play with the ruined queenside pawn structure. Let's see how serious a weakness would it be against Svidler.
8.Na3 Not determining the situation in the center just yet. The knight goes to с4. By the way, now after the eventual dxc5 Black will be deprived of the idea d6-d5 (although one can't be certain in objective value of this idea even without Na3).
8...Be7 9.dxc5 dxc5
10.Be3 White has a stable plus. Exchanging the queens is not very good for Black as the White's knight will infiltrate to d6. And after a natural 0-0 Peter will be choosing choose among several promising plans.
10...Qxd1 11.Rfxd1 Ba6 Somehow I overlooked this simple and good move! The bishop stands very well on a6... It seems it was advisable to keep queens on board by 10.Qa4!? After the text-move the following variation is possible: 12.Nd2 Be2 13.Re1 Bd3 14.f3 0-0-0. Black just wants to double on the d-file. White will have a minimal advantage and hardly anything more. If 12.c4, then 12...f6, preparing to transfer the knight via f6 to e6. Still, 12.с4! should be played. The ideas of White can be seen from the following sample variation: 13.b3 Nf8 14.Nb1 Ne6 15.Nc3 Nd4 16.Ne1 and then Na4 and Nd3.
12.Ne1 Rd8?! (Black should have seriously considered 12...с4, where he is very close to equality) 13.Rxd8 Kxd8 14.Nd3!
14.с4 here is less effective: 14...Kc7 15.Rd1 Bc8 16.Nd3 Rd8 followed by f5. After the text-move the game will probably continue 14...Bxd3 15.Rd1 Kc7 16.Rxd3 Rd8 17.Rxd8 Kxd8 18.Nc4 with reasonable winning chances in the endgame.
14...с4!? Such move can sometimes be useful even at a pawn's cost. 15.Nc5 (weaker is 15.Nb4 Bxb4 16.cxb4 Kc7 17.Bxa7 Nf4) 15...Bxc5 16.Bxc5, and now 16...Nf4 17.Bxa7 Kc7 18.Be3 Nd3 19.b3 Ra8. Despite his minus pawn, Black has decent drawing chances.
15.Nb4?! Leaving out the reamining advantage.
15...Bxb4 16.cxb4 Kc7 17.Rd1 Now Black can play 17...Nf4. After 18.Bxf4 exf4 the position is approximately even.
17...Nf4 18.Bxf4 18...exf4 19.Nb1! with the idea to transfer the knight to с3 is the most precise, with narely noticeable edge for White.
Meanwhile Volkov loses to Motylev - after 21.Qxc3 Black will have to give up an exchange without compensation.
18...exf4 19.Nb1 Rd8 20.Rxd8 Kxd8 21.Nc3
In my opinion, 21.g3 is more precise, 21...f3 is met by 22.Nd2. In this case Black would have to play accurately: 21...fxg3 (21...g5 22.gxf4 gxf4 23.Kg2) 22.hxg3 +=.
21...Ke7
22.Kf1 Kd6 23.Ke2 Ke5 24.Kd2 Bc8 The position is drawish, but it is White who must play accurately...
25.b5 cxb5 26.Nxb5 Bd7 27.Na3 Kd4 28.f3 f5 29.e5!
The most clear-cut way to a draw. After 29.exf5 Bxf5 White's position is more dangerous. Now Black may play 29...g5 30.Nc2+ Kxe5 31.Kc3 Kd5 32.Na3 g4 33.Nxc4 h5=.
29...c3+ 30.bxc3+ Kxe5 31.Kd3 Kd5 32.c4+. Game drawn. ½-½
Rublevsky, S (2652) - Jakovenko, D (2644)
ch-RUS superfinal Moscow, Russia (8), 27.12.2005
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d3 Nf6 6.d4 Be7 7.Bd3 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.Nc3.
The game against Kramnik has left Rublevsky without any arguments against the Petroff. In this game Sergey avoided heavy theoretical debate, aiming at merely playable position with minimal advantage. White has virtually nothing here.
9...c6 A precise move. As White has not decided with castling yet, playing 0-0 is dangerous for Black in view of 10.Be3 or even 10.g4, preparing 0-0-0.
10.g4 Nevertheless! In my opinion, White discloses his intentions a bit prematurely. One could have kept them hidden by 10.Bf4. Let us see what Rublevsky wants. He started the game very sharply!
10...Bg6 11.g5
11...Nfd7 Unsatisfactory is 11...Nh5 in view of 12.Be2!, which means that 11.g5 is precise move that helped Rublevsky to seize the initiative.
12.Bxg6 Rublevsky can be satisfied with the opening results - he drove the Black's knight back to d7, and Dmitry will have to spend some time to develop his pieces. One can conclude that Black's move 7...Bg4 was inaccurate. He should have castled 7...0-0, and bring the bishop to g4 only after White castled short.
12...hxg6 13.Qe2 13.Bf4 looked more natural. Maybe White was worried about Nf8-e6? Still, 13.Qe2 can't be wrong, as it prepares 0-0-0 and leaves the queen's bishop an opportunity to choose any final destination. 13.Qd3 could waste a tempo after Na6-b4.
13...d5 14.Bd2 Nf8 15.0-0-0 Qd6 16.Rde1 Nbd7 17.h4 Ne6 18.h5
18...0-0-0!
Bad is 18...gxh5 19.g6! or 18...Rxh5 19.Rxh5 gxh5 20.g6! Black has problems also after 18...Ndf8 19.hxg6 Nxg6 20.Rxh8 Nxh8 21.Ne5 - White's initiative is strong.
19.hxg6 Nf4 20.Bxf4 Qxf4+ 21.Qe3 Qxe3+ 22.fxe3
White has a slight advantage.
22...Rxh1 23.Rxh1 fxg6 24.Ne2 Rf8 25.Nf4 Weaker is 25.Rh3 Rf5 26.Nf4 Nf8.
25...Bd6 26.Rh4 Rf7 27.Kd2 Nf8 White will probably play 28.Ke2, protecting the f3-knight, preparing Nf4-d3-e5 and keeping the option of light-squared play b3 and c4 in reserve.28.Ke2 Kd7 29.b3 Rf5 30.Rg4 Be7 31.Nh3 Bd6 32.Nh4 Rf7 33.c4
Rublevsky conducts the endgame in an exemplary fashion. Probably Shipov on Chesspro.ru was right, suggesting29...b7-b5 in order to prevent White from strengthening in the center.
33...b6 34.Nf2 dxc4 35.bxc4 b5?! This looks like a positional capitulation. White's position becomes stretagically won.
36.c5 Bc7 37.Nd3 a5 38.Nf3 Re7
Black is dead lost. White's plan is clear - e4, Ke3, then the rook comes to the h-file and to h8. Combined threats of Ne5 and d4-d5 multiplied by the presence of the White's rook on the h-file is more than Black can bear.
39.Rh4 Ne6 40.Rh8 Nf4+ 41.Kd2 Nxd3 42.Kxd3 Rf7 43.Nh4 Bg3 44.Nxg6 Rf5 45.Ra8 Ke6 46.Ra7 Rf7
47.d5+! cxd5 48.Nf4+ Bxf4 49.Rxf7 Bxe3 50.c6. Black resigned. 1-0.
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