European Individual Championships 2010 (Playoffs)
Howell misses out on World Cup Qualification
IM Malcolm Pein - Sunday 21st March 2010
The British champion David Howell was agonisingly close to qualifying for the World Cup but lost 1.5-0.5 to David Navara of the Czech Republic in a speed chess play off that ended his participation in the European Individual Championship at Rijeka, Croatia.
The British champion David Howell was agonisingly close to qualifying for the World Cup but lost 1.5-0.5 to David Navara of the Czech Republic in a speed chess play off that ended his participation in the European Individual Championship at Rijeka, Croatia. Navara is ranked 31 in the world and has a rating of over 2700. The first game was drawn with Howell playing white. With Black Howell defended the Ruy Lopez robustly and was in a level endgame when he chose not to regain a sacrificed pawn and played for more complications. Overall it was a fine performance from Howell who managed to win two successive games with Black in the last two rounds to stay in contention.
The gold medal was won by Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and after a tie break Artyom Timofeev of Russia took the silver medal and Baadur Jobava of Georgia the bronze. The Women's European title was captured by Pia Cramling of Sweden.
Vladimir Kramnik does not lose many matches at the Amber Rapid and Blinfold tournaments and a 0-2 reverse is almost unheard of. However, Boris Gelfand managed to win both games against the fourteenth world champion and his win in the Rapid was particularly impressive. He was modest about it afterwards saying: “ It's always nice to win against such a great player'
V Kramnik - B Gelfand
Queen's Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.Bc3 d5 9.Nbd2 Nbd7 10.Qc2 c5 11.dxc5
(11.e4 dxc4 12.bxc4 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Bb7=)
11...bxc5 12.0-0 0-0 13.Bb2
(13.Rfe1 Bb7 14.cxd5 Nxd5 Kramnik-Gelfand Amber Rapid 2002)
13...Qb6 14.Rfe1 Bb7 15.cxd5 exd5 16.Rad1 Rad8 17.Bh3 Qc6! 18.Rc1 Ne4 19.Bg2 f5!
(Strengthening his control of the centre. The hanging pawns on c5 and d5 are not weak)
20.b4 c4 21.a3 Bf6 22.Nd4 Qb6 23.N2f3 g5!
(Intending g4 winning a piece)
24.e3 g4 25.Nd2 Ne5!
(Exploiting 24.e3)
26.Re2
(26.Nxf5 c3 27.Bxc3 Nxc3 28.Qxc3 Nf3+ wins the queen)
26...Bg7 27.Rd1 Rc8 28.Nf1 Nd3 29.Ba1 Qa6! 30.Qa2 Qa4 31.Rc2? Ndxf2! 32.Bxe4
(32.Rxf2 Nxf2 33.Qxf2 Qxd1)
32...fxe4 33.Ne6 Nxd1 34.Bxg7 Rxf1+! 0-1
Boris Gelfand
 | |  | | | |  | |
 |  | | | | |  | |
| | | |  | | | |
| | | | | | | |
 |  | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
 | |  | | | | | |
| | |  | | |  | |
Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 34...Rxf1+! and if 35.Kxf1 Qxc2! 36.Qxc2 Nxe3+ 37.Ke2 Nxc2
A miniature, with a puzzle at the end.
D Benidze - R Buhmann
11th EICC Rijeka
Slav a6
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nbd2 Bf5 6.Nh4 Bg4 7.Be2 Bxe2 8.Qxe2 g6 9.0-0 Bg7 10.Nhf3 0-0 11.e4 dxe4 12.Nxe4 Nbd7 13.Bg5 Re8 14.Rfe1 h6 15.Bd2 Nxe4 16.Qxe4 e5 17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Rad1 Nxf3+ 19.Qxf3
Rainer Buhmann
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
D Benidze
Black to play and win
19...Qxd2! 0-1
