Chess from Malcolm Pein Chess for Friday December 23rd 2005

Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph

Alexander Morozevich was distraught after arriving five minutes too late for his game against Dmitry Jakovenko in the third round of the 58th Russian Championship Superfinal taking place at Moscow. The world number seventeen apparently overslept which is remarkable because the games start at 1pm local time.

Morozevich arrived at 2.05pm and lost by default. His game was not the first to finish because Evgeny Bareev and Alexander Khalifman had already decided to split the point half an hour earlier.

The three players making the early running all won again; Peter Svidler, competing for his fifth Russian title smoothly outplayed Evgeny Tomashevsky

Round three results.

Khalifman draw Bareev
Jakovenko 1-0 Morozevich (default)
Tomashevsky 0-1 Svidler
Rublevsky 1-0 Dreev
Motylev draw Kramnik
Volkov 0-1 Zvjaginsev

Scores: 1-3 Svidler, Zvjaginsev, Rublevsky 2.5/3; 4 Jakovenko 2/3; 5-6 Kramnik, Motylev 1.5; 7-11 Tomashevsky, Morozevich, Dreev, Bareev, Khalifman 1; 12 Volkov 0.5;

S Volkov - V Zvjaginsev
58th Russian Ch (3) Moscow

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 0-0 6.Qc2 c6 7.e3 Nbd7 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Be2 Re8 11.0-0 Nxc3 12.bxc3 e5 13.a4 (So far a normal QGD but this plan does not impress, there is nothing to be gained on the queenside) 13...e4 14.Nd2 Nf6 15.Rfb1 Bg4 16.Bf1 (16.Bxg4 Nxg4 17.Nxe4 Qxe4 18.Qxe4 Rxe4 19.f3 {19.Rxb7!? Nf6 20.Rab1 Ree8 21.Rc7 Rec8 22.Rbb7 Rxc7 23.Rxc7 Rb8 24.h3=] 19...Rxe3 20.fxg4 is a little better for Black) 16...Rad8 17.c4 (17.a5 Bc8 18.Nb3) 17...c5 18.dxc5 Bc8 19.Nb3 Qe5! (Threatening Ng4) 20.h3 Qg5 21.Kh1 Re5! (Black now plays a finely calculated direct attack on the king with the white pieces offside) 22.Rd1 Rde8! 23.Rd6 Qh4 24.Rad1 Rf5 25.R1d2 Ng4 26.g3

Zvjaginsev

Volkov

Position after 26.g3

26...Qxg3!! 27.hxg4 (27.fxg3 Rxf1+ 28.Kg2 Nxe3+ 29.Kh2 Nxc2 30.Rxc2) 27...Qh4+ 28.Kg1 Qxg4+ 29.Bg2 Rg5 30.f4 exf3 31.Rd8 f2+ ! 0-1 and not (31...Qxg2+?? 32.Rxg2 Rxg2+ 33.Qxg2 fxg2 34.Rxe8#)

Zvjaginsev

Volkov

Final position after 31...f2+