Morelia/Linares 2006. Round 10 Brief comments by Malcolm Pein
Round 10 (March 5, 2006)
Leko, Peter - Svidler, Peter 1/2 30 B80 Sicilian Scheveningen
Topalov, Veselin - Aronian, Levon 1-0 76 E20 Nimzo Indian
Vallejo Pons, Francisco - Bacrot, Etienne 0-1 33 D24 QGA
Ivanchuk, Vassily - Radjabov, Teimour 0-1 44 E92 King's Indian Classical
XXIII SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (MEX/ESP), 18 ii-11 iii 2006cat. XX (2732)
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
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1 Leko, Peter g HUN 2740 ** =. =. 1= == 1= 1. =. 6.5 2832
2 Aronian, Levon g ARM 2752 =. ** =0 1= 1. =. 0= 1. 5.5 2769
3 Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2801 =. =1 ** 0. 01 0. 1. =1 5.5 2764
4 Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2700 0= 0= 1. ** =. =. =1 1. 5.5 2773
5 Svidler, Peter g RUS 2765 == 0. 10 =. ** 1= 0. 1. 5.0 2728
6 Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2650 0= =. 1. =. 0= ** =. =0 4.0 2670
7 Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2729 0. 1= 0. =0 1. =. ** =0 4.0 2657
8 Bacrot, Etienne g FRA 2717 =. 0. =0 0. 0. =1 =1 ** 4.0 2659
------------------------------------------------------------------------Round 10 Malcolm Pein comments:
The Topalov charge is fully under way at Linares. The Fide World Champion won his third game in a row in Spain and surpassed 50% for the first time in the tournament after a torrid time in the first half of the event held in Mexico. In round nine Topalov was the only winner, defeating Etienne Bacrot with black as the leader Peter Leko defended tenaciously to hold an ending less a pawn against Teimour Radjabov the world’s highest rated junior.
In the tenth round Topalov overcame world number five Levon Aronian in what can only be described as an attritional game. The position was absolutely level but as in their first game there were no draw offers and Aronian overplayed his hand somewhat although the way Topalov created an advantage in a double rook and opposite bishop ending with equal pawns was remarkable.
Leko drew again, this time against Peter Svidler in a sharp Sicilian. On a better day Svidler might have played more aggressively but although he did seek some complications they led to a drawn endgame. Francisco Vallejo Pons played very rashly, not for the first time this tournament and his weakening of his own kingside was ably exploited by Etienne Bacrot.
Leko,P (2740) - Svidler,P (2765) [B80]
XXIII SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (10), 05.03.2006
[IM Malcolm Pein]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.f3 0-0 9.0-0-0 a6 10.h4 10.g4 is more standard but we soon transpose to main lines 10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Nd7 12.g4 b5 13.g5 Qc7 14.Kb1 b4 15.Na4 Bb7 16.b3 [16.Qxb4 is known to be risky but its critical 16...Bc6 17.Nc3 Rfb8 18.Qc4 Ne5 19.Qe2 Bb5 with good counterplay Iordachescu-Gelfand Bermuda 2004] 16...Bc6 [16...d5!? Seems logical, consequent and good after 17.exd5 Bxd5 18.Be2 Bc6 19.Nb2 e5 20.Be3 Nb6-/+ But 17.g6! is unclear] 17.Nb2 a5 18.h5 Ne5 19.Be2 f5 A novelty, Kasparov played 19...a4 against Leko at Linares 2003 [19...a4 20.h6 (20.Qxb4 axb3 21.cxb3 Bxg5=/+) 20...g6 21.f4? (21.Qxb4 axb3 22.cxb3 Rfc8 23.Qd2 Qb7~~) 21...axb3 22.axb3 Bxe4 23.fxe5 Bxg5!-+; 19...a4 20.Nc4 Bb5 21.Nb6 Rab8 22.h6 Bxe2 23.Qxe2 g6 and the impression was that Kasparov was better although the game was drawn. Svidler does not want to see Leko's home analysis] 20.gxf6 Bxf6 21.Nc4 d5 [21...Nxc4 22.Bxc4 d5! 23.exd5 exd5 24.Bb5=] 22.Nb6 Rad8 23.exd5 Bxd5 24.Qe3
24...Ng4 Rather clever but burns out to a draw [24...Bxf3 25.Bxf3 Nxf3 26.Qxe6+ Kh8 27.Bxf6 Rxf6 28.Qe3 Rff8 29.h6=] 25.Nxd5 Nxe3 26.Nxc7 Bxd4 27.Nxe6 Nxd1 28.Rxd1 Bf6 29.Nxd8 Rxd8 30.Rxd8+ Bxd8 The opposite bishops make the extra pawn meaningless 1/2-1/2
Round ten results
Topalov 1-0 Aronian, Nimzo-Indian g3, 76;
Ivanchuk 0-1 Radjabov, King’s Indian Defence, 44. Ivanchuk played terribly from a well known King’s Indian position where he had a small edge;
Vallejo Pons 0-1 Bacrot, Queen’s Gambit Accepted, 33;
Leko draw Svidler, Sicilian Scheveningen, 30;
Scores 1 Leko (Hungary) 6.5/10; 2-4 Topalov (Bulgaria), Aronian (Armenia), Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 5.5; 5 Svidler (Russia) 5; 6-8 Bacrot (France), Vallejo (Spain), Ivanchuk (Ukraine) 3.5;
F Vallejo Pons - E Bacrot
XXIII SuperGM Morelia/Linares 10)
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.Nc3 a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 Nd5 7.a4 e6 (Tony Miles liked to play this way, Black gives back the pawn for free development. Miles very nearly beat Kramnik with this line at the Intel PCA Speed Chess tournament in London 1995) 8.axb5 Nb6 9.Ng5 h6 10.Nge4 (10.Qh5!? hxg5 11.Qxh8 Qxd4) 10...axb5 11.Rxa8 Nxa8 (with all 7 Black pieces on the back rank) 12.Nxb5 Nb6 13.Be3 Nc6 14.Be2 Bb4+ 15.Nbc3 0-0 16.g4 (Vallejo is a great player but what has got into him? A horribly weakening move because there is no chance of an attack) 16...Bb7 17.0-0 (Abject but what else ? if 17.g5 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Bxe4 ) 17...Ne7 18.Nd2 Bxc3 19.bxc3 Ned5 20.Qc1 Nxe3 21.fxe3 Qg5 (White cannot hold all his weak points) 22.Rf4 Nd5 23.Re4 Ne7! 24.Rf4 Ng6 25.Rf2 (25.Nxc4 Nxf4 26.exf4 Qh4 with Ra8 next) 25...Qxe3 (Ng6-f4 is a terrible threat) 26.Nb3 Qxc1+ 27.Nxc1 c5! 28.Bxc4 (28.dxc5 Nxe5 with Rc8 and takes on c5 wins easily) 28...cxd4 29.Rb2 Bf3 30.cxd4 Rc8 31.Rc2 Be4 32.Nd3 (32.Rc3 Bd5) 32...Nf4 (winning material) 33.Rd2 Nh3+ 0-1
Bacrot
Pons
Final position after 33...Nh3+