39th Chess Olympiad Khanty-Mansiysk 2010 (11)
I bet I become a GM
IM Malcolm Pein - Sunday 10th October 2010
Malcolm Pein talks about an English amateur player who has bet he will become a Grandmaster. He also looks at the Olympiad where Kramnik beat Shirov.
Kramnik beat Shirov to secure Silver for Russia. Photo © | http://www.europe-echecs.com
Will Taylor, a 21-year-old student at Durham University with an ECF grade of 152 or 1866 FIDE, has placed a bet with William Hill that he will become a Grandmaster. Taylor, from Bridgwater in Somerset, has wagered £200 at 25:1.
I can only admire him; it is extremely difficult to improve to such an extent in adulthood. The bookies are being exceedingly miserly with their odds; 250:1 would be more like it. Taylor's lifestyle won't help. He is doing an MSc and has many other hobbies including guitar and the Japanese game of Go, which is probably the only board game harder than chess. He also intends to climb the rating ladder without disenchanting his girlfriend who has not the slightest interest in the game. I wish him luck with that.
Four English GMs competed in the German Bundesliga first weekend and drew in the first round. Michael Adams played for Baden-Baden the holders and Luke McShane for Bremen. Stewart Haslinger and Stephen Gordon, playing for SG Trier, held highly rated Polish GMs Bartolomej Macieja (2651) and Marteusz Bartel, (2599).
Vladimir Kramnik has a poor record against Alexey Shirov and the pair will play twice at the Grand Slam final underway in Bilbao. Kramnik did win their last encounter, in the last round of the Chess Olympiad. Unfortunately for Kramnik, Russia were unable to overhaul Ukraine as Peter Svidler lost to Ivan Salgado Lopez and so Russia took the silver medals. This may be regarded as a disappointment for the top seeds but it was their best performance since 2004.
V Kramnik - A Shirov
Russia vs Spain
Queen's Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.Qb3 Be7 7.e3 h6 8.Bh4 b6 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Bd3 0-0 11.0-0 Bb7 12.Rac1 Ne4 13.Bg3!? Nxg3 14.hxg3 Nf6 15.Rfd1 Rc8 16.e4!
Alexei Shirov
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Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 16.e4!
(Activating the rooks and exposing Black's c6 pawn to attack. This outweighs the weakness of the Isolated Queen's Pawn created on d4)
16...dxe4 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Bxe4 Bf6 19.Qa3! a5 20.Ne5 Qe8 21.Re1 Qd8 22.Qf3! Rc7
(22...Qxd4?? 23.Qf5 wins)
23.Rcd1 g6?
(After 23...Qd6 24.Nc4 Qb4 25.Qf5 g6 26.Qxf6 Qxc4 27.Qd6 White has active pieces and c6 remains weak but Black avoids material loss)
24.Qb3! Kg7?
(24...b5 25.a4! bxa4 26.Qxa4 Re7 27.Qa2 Kg7 28.Bxc6 wins a pawn but not 27.Bxc6? Bxe5 28.dxe5 Bxc6 29.Qxc6 Rxe5!=)
25.Qxb6 Re7 26.Qc5
(The c6 pawn falls as well)
26...Rfe8 27.Bxc6 Bxc6 28.Qxc6 Qb8 29.Qc3 Qb4 30.f4 Qxc3 31.bxc3 Rc7 32.Rd3 Rec8 33.Ree3 Rb7 34.d5+- Rb1+ 35.Kh2 Ra1 36.Nd7 Bd8 37.Re8 Rxa2 38.d6 a4 39.Ne5 a3 40.d7 Rb8 41.Rxd8 Rxd8 42.Nc6 1-0
Alexei Shirov
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Vladimir Kramnik
Final position after 42.Nc6
