Ivanchuk wins the Capablanca Memorial 2010

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Capablanca Memorial 2010 (10)

Ivanchuk wins the Capablanca Memorial 2010

IM Malcolm Pein - Wednesday 23rd June 2010

Vassily Ivanchuk won the Capablanca Memorial for the 4th time. Malcolm Pein reports.

Vassily Ivanchuk was a deserved winner of the 45th Capablanca Memorial in Havana and continued his astonishing run of success in Latin America. The Ukrainian chess genius started with a run of wins and coasted home. Nigel Short also had an excellent result in a tournament with a rating average of 2700.

45th Capablanca Mem Elite Havana (CUB), 10-20 vi 2010											cat. XVIII (2700)
					1		2		3		4		5		6
1.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2741	*	*	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	7	2841
2.	Nepomniachtchi, Ian	g	RUS	2695	0	½	*	*	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	1	6	2773
3.	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	g	CUB	2713	½	½	½	½	*	*	½	½	½	1	½	½	5½	2733
4.	Short, Nigel D	g	ENG	2685	0	½	½	0	½	½	*	*	1	½	1	1	5½	2739
5.	Alekseev, Evgeny	g	RUS	2700	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	½	*	*	½	½	3	2551
6.	Bruzon Batista, Lazaro	g	CUB	2668	½	0	½	0	½	½	0	0	½	½	*	*	3	2557

Short won his last round in style. How did he simplify to a won position from the position below ?

Lazaro Bruzon Batista

Nigel Short

Position after 43...Kh7

The world number one Magnus Carlsen is storming away with the 4th Kings tournament and his live rating is on the up. With three to play the 19 year old Norwegian has a full point lead after outplaying Teimour Radjabov in a sharp tactical battle that resolved itself into an endgame of two rooks and two pawns each but with Carlsen doubled on the seventh rank and creating mating threats. Perhaps Radjabov could have held the position but in practice it was very unpleasant and he should have prevented it from arising, eventually conceding on move 64.

1 Carlsen (Norway) 5.5/7

2 Gelfand (Israel) 4.5

3 Radjabov (Azerbaijan), 3.5

4-6 Nisipeanu (Romania), Ponomariov (Ukraine), Wang Yue (China) 2.5

Gelfand's technique is flawless once he has secured and extra pawn

B Gelfand - R Ponomariov

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 c5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Be2 cxd4 10.Qxd4 Qxd4 11.Nxd4 Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 Ke7

(12...Be6 13.Rb1 b6 14.Nb5 Kd7 15.c4 Na6 16.Rd1 is also good for White)

13.Bf3 Rd8 14.Rb1!

(A nice move which restricts the Bc8 and threatens Rb5 winning the d5 pawn)

14...b6

(14...Na6 15.Ke2 Nc7 16.c4 Kf8 17.Rhc1 and Black is suffering but he does not lose a pawn)