Chess from Malcolm Pein Chess for Saturday December 24th 2005

Malcolm Pein writes for the Daily Telegraph

Alexander Morozevich got out of bed in good time for the fourth round of the 58th Russian Championship Superfinal and bounced back from his loss by default the previous day by outplaying former Fide Champion Alexander Khalifman in some style with an early kingside attack in the Ruy Lopez. Morozevich cannily left his king in the middle and after commencing hostilities shifted the monarch to safety on the queenside.

Morozevich got back to 50% and is in the company of Vladimir Kramnik who tried an old line playing white against Vadim Zvjaginsev's King's Indian. The plan is hardly seen at the top level nowadays and it fell from grace spectacularly when Mark Taimanov lost two games with it during his 0-6 drubbing by Bobby Fischer in a 1971 Candidates match. Kramnik achieved no advantage and was perhaps quite relieved when the draw agreed.

Round four results.

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

Scores:

1-3 Svidler, Zvjaginsev, Rublevsky 3/4; 4 Jakovenko 2.5; 5-8 Kramnik, Motylev, Morozevich, Bareev 2; 9-10 Tomashevsky, Dreev 1.5; 11 Khalifman 1; 12 Volkov 0.5;

S Rublevsky - A Dreev
58th Russian Ch (3) Moscow
Sicilian Rossolimo

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 ( One odd idea now is 3...Na5!? which aims to harass the Bb5 as early as possible with a7-a6 or c5-c4. I do not know of any refutation however very strong players instinctively distrust this sort of thing) 3...d6 4.Bxc6+ bxc6 5.0-0 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.e5 (A very aggressive idea tried by AlexeyShirov. With Black four moves from castling White tries to open up the game as fast as possible) 7...dxe5 8.g4 e4 (The critical test although 8...Bg6 9.Nxe5 f6 10.Nxg6 hxg6 is also possible when the weakness on h3, which can be fixed by g6-g5, compensates for the pawn on c5 which in the long term cannot be defended) 9.gxh5 exf3 10.Nc3! (10.Qxf3 Qd5!) 10...Rc8 11.Qxf3 e6 12.d3 Qf6 13.Qg3! (Of course White keeps the queens on as the Black king remains a long way from safety) 13...Qf5 14.Re1! ( This isn't even a sacrifice as the pawn is regained) 14...Qxh5 (14...Nf6 15.Re5 Nxh5 16.Qe3 Qg6+ 17.Rg5 Qh6 18.Qf3 Nf6 19.Rxc5 Qg6+ 20.Rg5 is not very appetising) 15.Re5 Qg6 16.Rg5 Qf6 17.Ne4 Qd8 (Black has been completely outplayed and has the double indignity of all his pieces on the back rank and next, the fracturing of his kingside) 18.Rxg7 Nf6 19.Nxf6+ Qxf6 20.Rg4 Be7 21.Bf4 Qf5 (21...Qxb2 22.Be5) 22.Re1 Bf6 23.Be5 (Exchanging Black's only good piece) 23...h5 24.Bxf6 Qxf6 25.Ra4 (Black cannot coordinate his rooks and his pawns are horribly weak) 25...Qe7 26.Qg7 Rf8 27.Re5 h4 28.Rh5 Rd8 29.Rhxh4 Rd5 30.Kf1 Rg5 31.Qh7 Rfg8 32.Rhg4 (Dreev has done his best to create counterplay but this accurate move ends it) 32...Rxg4 33.hxg4 Qg5 34.Ke2 Kf8 35.Qh5 Qe7 (35...Qxh5 36.gxh5 Rg5 37.Rxa7 Rxh5 38.a4) 36.Qe5 Rg5 37.Qh8+ Rg8 38.Qe5 Rg5 39.Qb8+ Kg7 40.Rxa7 Qf6 41.Ra8 1-0

Dreev

Rublevsky

Final position after 41.Ra8 Black must allow an exchange of queens and the rook and pawn endgame is hopeless.