Chess from Malcolm Pein Tuesday December 20th 2005

Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph

Armenian GM Levon Aronian won the Fide World Cup after defeating the former Fide Champion Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine 2-0 in a Rapid Chess play off to triumph 3-1 overall. Games one and two, played at a slower time limit, were both drawn. Aronian took home $100,000 less 20% that went to Fide. Aronian, a former World Junior champion is currently ranked 10th in the world but might get as high as five when the next list comes out in January.

The tournament was played in the Siberian town of Khanty Mansyisk and the autonomous Russian region of Yugra put up a $1.57 million dollar prize fund with the organisational costs reportedly covered by Fide President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

The Russian Championship just started in Moscow sees a return to action for the Classical Chess World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and he faces top seed Peter Svidler in round one. Alexander Grischuk has apparently withdrawn in protest at the size of the prize fund and Evgeniy Najer is unwell.

Round one pairings.

Jakovenko - Zvjaginsev
Khalifman - Volkov
Motylev - Dreev
Rublevsky - Bareev
Svidler - Kramnik
Tomashevsky - Morozevich

Today's game is from the battle for third and fourth place at the World Cup which was won by French number one Etienne Bacrot who was playing a nice game before a mutual blunder just before the end.

E Bacrot - A Grischuk
Queen's Indian. Round 7.3

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 (This looks like a loss of time but the Bd2 is awkwardly placed) 7.Bg2 c6 8.Bc3 d5 9.Ne5 0-0 10.Nd2 Bb7 11.0-0 Na6 12.e4 Rc8 13.Re1 Rc7 14.Nd3 (With the idea of e4-e5 when the Black pieces on b7 and a6 are out the game and White might be able to launch an attack with Qg4 and Nf4 ) 14...dxe4 15.Nxe4 c5 (The only logical counter in the centre) 16.d5! (You have to admire a move that places a pawn on a square defended just once but attacked four times) 16...exd5 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.Bxf6 Qxf6 19.cxd5 g6 ( Black could have attacked the d5 pawn immediately with 19...Rd7 20.Ne5! Rdd8 21.Qg4 Rfe8 22.Nc6 Bxc6 23.dxc6 but the passed pawn would be strong ) 20.Qg4! Rd8 21.Rad1 h5 (21...Bxd5 22.Bxd5 Rxd5 23.Qc4 hits d5 and a6) 22.Qa4! (Again defending the d5 pawn tactically, if Black captures the Na6 is lost.) 22...Rd6 23.Ne5 Rc8 (23...Nb4 was the last chance to get the knight in the game but then 24.Qxa7 Nc2 25.Nc4! Nxe1 26.Rxe1 Rd8 27.d6 Rcd7 28.Bxb7) 24.Nc4! (Once the d pawn gets to d6 Black's position becomes untenable) 24...Rdd8 25.d6 Bxg2 26.Kxg2 Nb4 27.Qxa7 Nc2 (Black has an inferior version of the variation given on move 23) 28.Re4 Nd4 29.Rd3 Qf5 (29...b5!? 30.Qe7 Qxe7 (30...Qf5!) 31.dxe7 Re8 32.Nd6) 30.Qe7?? Kh7?? (30...Nc6 wins as the Re4 loses his guardian) 31.Rf4 Qd5+ 32.f3 Re8 33.Rxf7+ Kg8 34.Rg7+ 1-0

Grischuk

Bacrot

Final position after 34.Rg7+