The Week in Chess: IM Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph: Chess Columns

Tournament of Kings Bazna 2009

Ivanchuk secures draw to win in Bazna

IM Malcolm Pein of the Daily Telegraph

Monday June 29th 2009

Vasily Ivanchuk easily secured the draw he needed to win the Tournament of Kings at Bazna in Romania and his recovery from the worst run of his career continues apace. Playing Black against Temour Radjabov, Ivanchuk uncorked an unusual move order in the Sicilian Najdorf and soon had a comfortable game. Radjabov provoked exchanges and a draw.

T Radjabov - V Ivanchuk

Tournament of Kings Bazna (10)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 Nbd7

(6...e6 7.f4 Qb6 or 6...e6 7.f4 Qc7 are the main lines)

7.f4 Qc7 8.Qe2

(8.Qf3 is standard)

8...e5! 9.Nf5 h6 10.Bxf6 Nxf6 11.Ne3 exf4 12.Ned5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 Qa5+ 14.Qd2 Qxd2+ 15.Kxd2 Rb8

(Black's d6 pawn is weak but the e4 pawn is also isolated and on an open file)

16.Nxf4 Be7 17.Bc4 Bg5 18.Raf1 Be6 19.Bxe6 fxe6 20.Kd3 Bxf4 21.Rxf4 Rf8 22.Rxf8+ Kxf8 23.Rf1+ Ke7 24.Rf3 Rc8 25.Rg3 Kf7 26.Rf3+ Ke7 27.Rg3 Kf7 28.Rf3+ draw

Alexey Shirov played a fine game, sacrificing rook for bishop in a queenless middlegame to reduce his opponent to complete passivity.

A Shirov - LD Nisipeanu

Sicilian Defence

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0-0-0 Bb4

(More aggressive than d7-d6 or Be7)

9.f3 Ne7 10.Nde2

(Protecting c3)

10...b5 11.Bf4 e5 12.Bg5 Qb6 13.a3 Bc5 14.b4! Bf2 15.Qd6! Qxd6 16.Rxd6 Neg8

(Black hopes to unravel later but surely only a strong GM would play such a move. 16...Bb7 was better. After 17.Nd1 Ba7 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Rxf6 d5 Black's bishops come alive but 17.Ng3 Nc8 18.Rd3 is good and if 17.Ng3 Bd4 18.Nce2 Nc8 19.Nf5!)

17.Ng3 h6 18.Nd1! Ba7 19.Be3!

(Black's position is awful without his only active piece)

19...Bb8 20.Bc5!!

LD Nisipeanu