Alexander Motylev triumphed at the 10th Karpov tournament held in the small Siberian town of Poikovsky. The former Russian champion scored 7/9, a fine performance in one of the strongest events of the year and he was the only undefeated player.

Alexey Shirov scored only 2/9, well adrift in tenth place and he then headed for the Tournament of Kings at Bazda in Romania, another high class tournament, even stronger than Poikovsky where he will face Teimour Radjabov, Vasily Ivanchuk, Boris Gelfand, Gata Kamsky and Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu.

I revisited one of Shirov's defeats at Poikovsky and found an error in my analysis. Shirov missed many tactical points during the event, which is very unusual for someone so gifted. A half point was thrown away in this game.

Black appears lost and I wrote 'Black's three extra pawns cannot save him'. The game ended

30...f3 31.Qf1 Qg7 32.Rxg7 Kxg7 33.Rxh7+! 1-0

but

from the diagram there is a saving resource as Black can cut the white queen off from h5 another way with 30...Qe4+! 31.f3 Qe3 32.Qf1 Rb6!

E Sutovsky - A Motylev

10th Karpov Poikovsky (4)

Petroff Defence

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.dxe5

(Avoiding the symmetry after 5.Nxe5)

5...Nc6 6.0-0 Bg4 7.h3

(Very risky, the pawn structure is damaged, 7.Nbd2!?)

7...Bxf3 8.gxf3 Nc5 9.f4 Qh4 10.Nc3 0-0-0 11.Bf5+

(11.Qg4+ Qxg4+ 12.hxg4 Nxd3 13.cxd3 h5!)

11...Kb8 12.Qg4 Nd4!

(A lovely move to play leaving the queen en prise and if 13.Qxh4 Nf3+)

13.Rd1 h5 14.Qxh4 Nf3+ 15.Kf1 Nxh4 16.Bd3 Be7 17.Ne2 g6 18.Be3 Nxd3 19.Rxd3 c5

(Advancing the pawn majority, a simple but effective plan)

20.Rad1 d4 21.Bc1 Nf5 22.Ng3 Kc7!

(Black is delighted to allow an exchange on f5 because it fixes the f4 pawn that blocks the white bishop)

23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Rg3 Rhg8 25.Rdd3 Kc6 26.c3 Rxg3 27.Rxg3 Bh4 28.Rd3

(28.Rg7 dxc3 29.bxc3 Rd1+)

28...c4!

(White's bishop is so bad Black is winning the endgame with a pawn less)

29.Rxd4 Rxd4 30.cxd4 Kd5 31.Ke2

(31.Be3 is met similarly 31...Bd8 32.Ke2 Bb6 33.Kd2 Bxd4 34.Bxd4 Kxd4 with a winning king and pawn endgame. White cannot make a passed pawn)

31...Bd8 32.Kd1 Bb6 33.Kc2 Kxd4 34.a4

(34.Be3+ Ke4 35.Bxb6 axb6 36.Kc3 Kxf4 37.Kxc4 Kf3 38.Kd4 Kxf2; 34.f3 resists longer)

34...Ke4 35.Kc3 Bxf2 36.Kxc4 Be3 0-1

In view of

36...Be3 37.Bxe3 Kxe3 38.Kd5 Kxf4 39.Kd6 Kg3 40.Ke7 f4 41.Kxf7 f3 42.e6 f2 43.e7 f1Q+

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