Morelia / Linares 2008. Round 3. Comments by Mark Crowther

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Morelia / Linares 2008.

Round 3 (February 17, 2008)
Topalov, Veselin	- Ivanchuk, Vassily	1-0	46	B90	Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Aronian, Levon	- Radjabov, Teimour	½-½	24	E61	King's Indian Defence
Lékó, Peter	- Shirov, Alexei	½-½	37	B90	Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Carlsen, Magnus	- Anand, Viswanathan	0-1	59	D43	Anti-Meran Gambit

XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares (MEX/ESP), 15 ii-7 iii 2008																	cat. XXI (2756)
					1		2		3		4		5		6		7		8
1.	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2780	*	*	.	.	1	.	1	.	.	.	½	.	.	.	.	.	2½	3014
2.	Anand, Viswanathan	g	IND	2799	.	.	*	*	0	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	1	.	1	.	2	2867
3.	Aronian, Levon	g	ARM	2739	0	.	1	.	*	*	.	.	.	.	½	.	.	.	.	.	1½	2771
4.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2751	0	.	.	.	.	.	*	*	1	.	.	.	½	.	.	.	1½	2755
5.	Lékó, Peter	g	HUN	2753	.	.	.	.	.	.	0	.	*	*	1	.	.	.	½	.	1½	2747
6.	Radjabov, Teimour	g	AZE	2735	½	.	.	.	½	.	.	.	0	.	*	*	.	.	.	.	1	2632
7.	Carlsen, Magnus	g	NOR	2733	.	.	0	.	.	.	½	.	.	.	.	.	*	*	½	.	1	2643
8.	Shirov, Alexei	g	ESP	2755	.	.	0	.	.	.	.	.	½	.	.	.	½	.	*	*	1	2636

Veselin Topalov didn't have a particularly good Wijk aan Zee but already things look much better for him at the start of the Morelia/Linares tournament. He leads going into the first rest day with a fine 2½/3 score. In round 3 he defeated the mercurial Vassily Ivanchuk. It's always hard to predict Ivanchuk's opening choices and he is prepared to go further off the beaten track than most of his elite rivals. Today he chose an unusual line of the Sicilian Najdorf and quickly got into trouble. Topalov was certainly winning by move 25 and he had many ways to bring home the point, he chose to do it slowly but certainly.

Topalov,V (2780) - Ivanchuk,V (2751) [B90]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (3), 17.02.2008
[Mark Crowther]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.g4 b5 10.g5 b4 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.exd5 Bf5 13.Bd3 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Be7 15.h4 a5 [15...0-0 16.0-0-0 a5 17.Nd2 a4 18.Kb1 f5 19.f4 Qb8 20.Nc4 e4 21.Qf1 b3 22.cxb3 axb3 23.a3 Rc8 24.Bd4 Ra4 25.Ne3 Bf8 26.Qh3 Nc5 27.Nxf5 Nd3 28.Nh6+ Kh8 29.Qe6 1-0 Jasny,S (2311)-Palliser,R (2411)/Millfield School ENG 2004/The Week in Chess 507] 16.a3 a4 17.Nd2 Rb8 18.axb4 Rxb4 19.Qa3 Qb8 20.c3 Rxb2 21.Qxa4 Rb7?! Maybe black doesn't find the correct reconfiguration of his pieces. [21...Qd8!?] 22.Ke2 Rc7 23.Rhb1 Qc8 24.Bb6 Rb7 25.Ba7

Topalov-Ivanchuk diagram

It seems that black is already lost. 25...e4 Giving up a pawn in an attempt to get some play. Black is already pretty desperate but maybe this makes things worse. 26.fxe4 [26.Qa6 exf3+ 27.Nxf3 Rc7 28.Qxc8+ Rxc8 29.Bd4 is a winning computer line.] 26...Rxb1 27.Rxb1 0-0 28.Qc6 Ne5 29.Qxc8 Rxc8 30.Rb8 Rxb8 31.Bxb8 Topalov takes the ending in the certainty that this is a slow and sure win. 31...Kf8 32.Nf3 Ng6 33.c4 Ke8 34.e5 Kd7 35.Kd3 h6 36.exd6 Bxd6 37.Bxd6 Kxd6 38.gxh6 gxh6 39.Kd4 f6 40.c5+ Kd7 41.Ke4 They're past first time control, and its only a question of when Ivanchuk resigns. 41...h5 42.d6 Ke6 43.Nd4+ Kd7 44.Nf5 Ne5 45.Kd5 Nc6 46.Nd4 1-0

Magnus Carlsen was another player to get into trouble straight from the opening and this allowed Viswanathan Anand to get to 2/3 a score that includes a loss from what appeared to be a pretty favourable position in the last round. Today Anand played an unusual variation of the Moscow Variation of the Semi-Slav and very quickly Carlsen ran into trouble. It may be that Carlsen was in trouble as early as move 12, by move 20 it was clear this was serious and by the time the queen's were forced off on move 29 he was lost. Carlsen put up some desperate resistance but Anand's technique was up to the task.

Carlsen,M (2733) - Anand,V (2799) [D43]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (3), 17.02.2008
[Mark Crowther]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Ne5 h5 A rare variation and one that seems to catch Carlsen out. [9...Bb7; 9...Bb4; 9...b4] 10.f3 h4 11.Bf2 Bb7 12.Be2?! Maybe white's problems all stem from here with Be3 being better either straight away or after a4. [12.Be3 Nfd7 (12...Rg8 13.Qd2 Nfd7 14.Nxd7 Nxd7 15.Be2 e5 16.Rd1 exd4 17.Qxd4 Qc7 18.f4 Bg7 19.e5 gxf4 20.Bxf4 Nxe5 21.Qe3 Rd8 22.Bh5 Rh8 23.Bf3 Qb6 24.Qxb6 axb6 25.Ke2 Nxf3 26.gxf3 Bxc3 27.bxc3 Rd5 28.Rxd5 cxd5 29.Rb1 Bc6 30.Be3 Rg8 31.Rg1 Rxg1 1/2-1/2 Bellon Lopez,J (2401)-Bellia,F (2390)/Las Palmas 2005) 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.Qd2 Be7 15.Be2 Rg8 16.g3 Qc7 17.Bf2 a6 18.Rg1 0-0-0 19.0-0-0 c5 20.gxh4 cxd4 21.Bxd4 Nc5 22.Qc2 gxh4 23.e5 0-1 Manninen,M (2420)-Hansen,L (2530)/Ostersund 1992; 12.a4 a6 13.Be3 Nh5 14.Qd2 Rg8 15.Be2 f6 16.f4 Ng7 17.Ng4 b4 18.Nd1 gxf4 19.Bxf4 c5 20.d5 exd5 21.exd5 Nf5 22.0-0 Bxd5 23.Qxd5 Qxd5 24.Nxf6+ Kd8 25.Nxd5 h3 26.Bc7+ 1-0 Delemarre,J-Moran Reyes,J/Bratislava 1993] 12...Nbd7 13.Nxd7 Nxd7 14.0-0 e5 15.a4 a6 16.d5 Rh6 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.axb5 axb5 19.Rxa8 Qxa8 20.Qc1 It looks like black is already better here so white needs to start to find improvements, maybe the line he chose isn't any good because there is a certain sense of inevitability that white ends up in the lost position he does on move 29. 20...Rg6 21.Rd1 Bc5 22.Bxc5 Nxc5 23.Qe3 Nb3 24.Qb6 Nd4 25.Rxd4 exd4 26.Nxb5 [26.Qxd4 Qa1+ 27.Nd1 is wholely unappetising but I suppose might offer more swindling chances.] 26...Bxb5 27.Qxb5+ Qc6 28.Qe5+ Re6 29.Qxd4 Qb6!

Carlsen-Anand diagram

It might take a long time but this is a winning endgame. 30.Qxb6 Rxb6 31.Bxc4 Rxb2 32.g3 f6 33.Be6 Ke7 34.Bg4 Re2 35.gxh4 gxh4 36.h3 Kd6 37.Kf1 Rb2 38.f4 Kc5 39.e5 Rb4 40.exf6 Rxf4+ 41.Ke2 Kd4 42.Bf3 Rxf6 The computer tablebases have this 6 piece ending all worked out. Its a win, although not trivial. 43.Bb7 Rb6 44.Bc8 Ke4 45.Bg4 Rb2+ 46.Ke1 Ke3 47.Kf1 Kf4 48.Ke1 Kg3 49.Kf1 Jeff Caveney points out this "is identical to the position after 3...Kf8 in the line after position 11-23 on p.225 of Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual (chapter Rook vs. Bishop, section Rook Pawns, first position) with colors reversed, except for the placement of the bishop which has no effect on the position. And Dvoretsky cites Enevoldsen's 1949 book as the source for the position--so it didn't take a computer to work it out. And indeed Anand played it exactly along the lines Dvoretsky gives." 49...Rf2+ 50.Ke1 Rf4 51.Bc8 Rf8 52.Bg4 Kg2 53.Ke2 Re8+ 54.Kd3 Kf2 55.Bf5 Re3+ 56.Kd4 Kf3 57.Bg4+ Kf4 58.Kd5 Re5+ 59.Kd4 Rg5 White has seen enough. Caveney quotes the above book again. [If] "Carlsen and Anand continued with 60.Be6 Rg6, we again have the exact position with colors reversed in the Dvoretsky analysis after 14...Be3 15.Rg3. Following Dvoretsky, the game would have concluded 61.Bc8 Rd6+ 62.Kc5 Rd2 63.Bg4 Kg3 64.Kc4 Rh2 65.Kd3 Rxh3 -+. Black had to drive the white king all the way to the c-file before capturing on h3, so that the white king is one tempo too slow to get back to stop the rook pawn." 0-1

One of the criticisms of Levon Aronian is that his openings aren't quite as good as they should be for a player of this level. Today it seems he was inaccurate with white in a King's Indian Fianchetto variation and quickly allowed a simplification to sterility and a draw.

Aronian,L (2739) - Radjabov,T (2735) [E61]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (3), 17.02.2008
[Mark Crowther]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 c5 5.Nf3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 0-0 7.Bg2 Qc7 8.b3 d5 9.0-0N New and perhaps an inaccuracy. [9.Bxd5 Bh3 (9...Nxd5 10.Nxd5 Qd8 11.Bg5 f6 12.Be3 e6 13.Nc3 Qa5 14.Bd2 f5 15.e3 Qd8 16.0-0 e5 17.Nde2 Nc6 18.Nd5 Be6 19.Bc3 Qd7 20.Qd2 Rad8 21.Rad1 Qf7 22.f4 b5 23.fxe5 bxc4 24.bxc4 Nxe5 25.Bxe5 Bxe5 26.Nef4 Bc8 27.Qb4 g5 28.Ne7+ Kh8 29.Rxd8 Rxd8 30.Nfd5 Be6 31.Nc6 Bf6 32.Nxf6 Qxf6 33.Nxd8 1-0 Garcia,R (2420)-Todorcevic,M/Skopje 1972) 10.Bb2 Rd8 11.Qc1 e6 12.Bf3 a6 13.Nc2 Nc6 14.Qf4 Ne5 15.Rc1 h6 16.Na4 Nfd7 17.Ne3 g5 18.Qe4 Nxf3+ 19.exf3 Nc5 20.Nxc5 Qa5+ 0-1 Hansen,C (2595)-Gelfand,B (2665)/Cap D'Agde FRA 1996] 9...dxc4 10.Ncb5 Qd8 11.bxc4 a6 12.Nc3 Ng4 13.e3 Nc6 14.Rb1

Aronian-Radjabov diagram

14...Nxe3! 15.Bxe3 [15.fxe3 Nxd4 16.Nd5 Nc6] 15...Bxd4 16.Bxd4 Qxd4 17.Qxd4 Nxd4 18.Nd5 Kg7 19.Nxe7 Be6 20.Nd5 Rac8 21.Ne3 b5 22.cxb5 axb5 23.Rb2 Rfd8 24.Rd1 Black has completely equalised.1/2-1/2

Peter Leko and Alexei Shirov contested a Sicilian Najdorf sideline and unbalanced play resulted. Leko believed in his good knight and Shirov in his dynamic chances. It's hard to know who was right and once Shirov sacrificed a pawn to release his central pawns and thus his bishop a draw was agreed.

Leko,P (2753) - Shirov,A (2755) [B90]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (3), 17.02.2008
[Mark Crowther]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Bc4 0-0 9.0-0 Be6 10.Bb3 Nc6 11.Qe2 Na5 12.Rfd1 Nxb3 13.cxb3 Qb8 14.Bg5 b5 15.Rd3 [15.Ne1 h6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Nc2 Bd8 18.Nb4 Bb6 19.Ncd5 Bc5 20.Nc6 Qb7 21.b4 Bxd5 22.exd5 Bb6 23.a4 Rfe8 24.Kf1 bxa4 25.Rxa4 Qc8 26.Rda1 Qf5 27.g3 e4 28.Rxa6 Rxa6 29.Rxa6 Bxf2 30.Qxf2 Qxd5 31.Qe2 e3 32.Kg1 Qd2 33.Kf1 Qd5 34.Kg1 Qd2 1/2-1/2 Mainka,R (2455)-Skembris,S (2530)/Dortmund 1992] 15...h6 16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Rad1 Be7 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.Rxd5 Qc7 20.Ne1 Rac8 21.g3 f5 22.exf5 Rxf5 23.Qe4 Rcf8 24.R1d2 h5 25.Rc2 Qa7 26.Nd3 h4 27.Kg2 hxg3 28.hxg3 Qd7 29.Rc1 Rh5 30.Rh1 Rxh1 31.Kxh1 Qf5 32.Qxf5 Rxf5 33.Kg2 Kf7 34.Nb4 Ke6 35.Rd1 a5

Leko-Shirov diagram

Sacrificing a pawn to get his central pawns running and free his bishop. 36.Nc6 Rf8 37.Nxa5 One of those positions where with a no draw rule you could imagine some interesting play.1/2-1/2

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