European Individual Championships (11)
Howell determination takes him to playoffs
IM Malcolm Pein - Saturday 20th March 2010
David Howell pulled off the unlikely feat of winning his last two games with Black at the European Individual Championship and reached the play offs for a qualifying spot in the World Cup.
David Howell pulled off the unlikely feat of winning his last two games with Black at the European Individual Championship and reached the play offs for a qualifying spot in the World Cup. Howell defeate a highly rated Georgian GM in his eleventh round and took advantage of a blunder to win a pawn and made no mistake thereafter. Howell's final score of 7.5/11 put him in joint 11th-40th place. The ten players who scored over 7.5/11 are through and Howell's group of 30 players must fight for the remaining 12 places.
The tournament was won by Ian Nepomniachtchi with the phenomenal score of 9/11 and a tournament performance rating of 2868. Baadur Jobava of Georgia and Russian Artyom Timofeev were joint second.
T Gelashvili - D Howell
Gruenfeld Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.c4 c6 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Ne5
(This kind of symmetrical position where White has the extra move must have been depressing to see for Howell. It's hard for White to lose)
8...e6 9.0-0 Nc6 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Na4 Nd7 12.Bf4 Qa5
(Now Rc1 or Bd6 controlling c5 are both good)
13.a3
(Aiming for complete control of c5 after b2-b4)
13...Ba6 14.Rc1?
(A gift - this loses a pawn 14.b4 Qb5 15.Re1 Bxd4!? 16.Qxd4 Qxa4 17.Bh6 e5 18.Qh4 looks too dangerous so 15...Rfe8 preparing e6-e5 is better)
14...Bxe2!
David Howell
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T Gelashvili
Position after 14...Bxe2!
15.Qxe2 Qxa4 16.Rfd1 Rfc8 17.Bf1 Qb3 18.Qa6 Qb6
(Black is going to play c6-c5)
19.b4 Bxd4! 20.Qxb6 axb6!
(20...Bxb6 21.Ba6 with counterplay)
21.Rxd4 e5 22.Bh3 f5 23.Bxe5 Nxe5 24.Bg2 b5!
(Nc4 will win a second pawn)
25.Re1 Re8 26.Rxd5? cxd5 27.Bxd5+ Nf7 0-1
David Howell
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T Gelashvili
Final position after 27...Nf7 Howell is a piece up.
Adams also won in the last round and escaped with no serious damage to his rating.
M Adams - A Zhigalko
Sicilian Rossolimo
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Qc7 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 e6 7.Bxc6+ Qxc6 8.e5 Nd7 9.d4 d5
(White is better developed so Black closes the position)
10.a4 b6 11.Re1 h6 12.Ne2 a6
(12...Ba6!?)
13.h4 Bb7 14.c3 c4 15.a5 bxa5 16.Rxa5 Qb6 17.Ra1 a5 18.Nf4 Bc6 19.Nh2 Nb8 20.Qh5 Bd7 21.Re3
(21.Nxd5!? exd5 22.e6 Bxe6 23.Qxd5)
21...Ra7 22.Rg3 Qb3 23.Qe2 Ba4 24.Nh5 Qc2 25.Qe1
(25.Qxc2 Bxc2 26.Nxg7+ Bxg7 27.Rxg7 Bg6 28.Bxh6 Nd7 is not so clear, the rook is trapped)
25...Rh7 26.Ng4! Nd7
(26...Qd1 27.Nhf6+!)
27.Ne3 Qb3 28.Bd2 g6 29.Nf4 Be7 30.Qb1
(30.Nfxd5!?)
30...Bxh4
(30...Nf8)
31.Rh3 Be7 32.Nxg6
(32.Nxe6! also works)
32...fxg6 33.Qxg6+ Rf7 34.Rf3 Bf6 35.Rxf6 Nxf6 36.exf6 Kd8 37.Ra3 Qb5 38.Ng4
(Typical Michael Adams, total control of the position)
38...Rad7 39.Ne5 Qxb2 40.Nxf7+ 1-0
40.Nxf7+ Rxf7 41.Rxa4 wins
Andrei Zhigalko
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Michael Adams
Position after 40.Nxf7+
