VI World Blitz Moscow 2010 (Day 2)
Aronian leads after two days
IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 19th November 2010
Levon Aronian leads the World Blitz after two days. Malcolm Pein takes a look.
Levon Aronian took control of the World Blitz Championship that followed the Tal Memorial at Moscow. After two of the three days play had been completed, Aronian had 18/28 with Magnus Carlsen on 17 and a group of three players; Vladimir Kramnik, Teimour Radjabov and Ian Nepomniachtchi on 16.
As ever, there were some remarkable games and horrendous blunders as the players battled with three minutes starting time and an increment of two seconds per move. Carlsen was not in the form of last year when he swept to victory, he wrote: "My head more or less went on strike today. A head functioning at half speed doesn't work too well in a blitz tournament"
It's a shame that Vishy Anand, the world champion at Classical Chess, is not competing. However in one sense I am delighted as he is in India organising his visa to come to the UK and participate in the London Chess Classic.
After his defiant twittering, Hikaru Nakamura started badly but then reeled off a string of wins to reach 15/28. The tournament is a twenty player double round all play all so ten games remain.
R Ponomariov - H Nakamura
Dutch Defence
1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 c6 4.e3 Qb6 5.a3 Nd7 6.Bd3 e6 7.Nge2 h6 8.Bf4 Ngf6 9.0-0 Be7 10.Na4 Qd8 11.b3 b5 12.Nb2 a6 13.c4 0-0 14.a4 b4 15.a5 c5 16.cxd5 Nxd5 17.Nc4 Bb7 18.Bg3 cxd4 19.Nxd4 Nc5 20.Ne5 Rc8 21.Bc4 Bf6 22.Qe2 Kh7 23.Rfc1 Nc3 24.Qe1 Bd5 25.Rc2
Hikaru Nakamura
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Ruslan Ponomariov
Position after 25.Rc2
Black has two ways to win material, find them both. Answer below.
D Andreikin - S Karjakin
English Opening
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5!? Bg7 6.Bg5 Nge7 7.Nxd4 Bxd4 8.Qxd4!
Sergey Karjakin
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Dmitry Andreikin
Position after 8.Qxd4! and if Nxd4 9.Nf6+ Kf8 10.Bh6 mate
8...0-0 9.Nf6+ Kh8 10.Ng4+ 1-0
In view of 10...f6 11.Bxf6+ Kh8 12.Nh6 mate
Extra game if needed
S Mamedyarov - R Mamedov
Pirc Defence
1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.f4 Nf6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Bd3 c6 7.e5 Nd5 8.Nxd5 cxd5 9.h4 Bg4 10.c3 Nc6 11.Be3 Qb6 12.Qd2 h5 13.Nh2 dxe5 14.fxe5 Be6 15.g4 hxg4 16.h5 f5 17.hxg6 f4 18.Nxg4 fxe3 19.Rh8+ Bxh8 20.Qh2 Rf7
(20...Rf1+! 21.Kxf1 Bg7; 20...Rf1+ 21.Ke2 Qxb2+ 22.Kxe3 Qxh2)
21.gxf7+ Kxf7 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Qh7+ Kf8 24.Qxh8+ Bg8 1-0
Answer to puzzle: The game ended 25...Bxe526.Bxe5 Bxc4 27.bxc4 Nd3 0-1
but 25...Bxc4 26.Nxc4 Bxd4 27.exd4 Nxb3 also wins.
