Kamsky on verge of 3rd US Title

Home » IM Malcolm Pein » Kamsky on verge of 3rd US Title

US Chess Championships 2011 (Final)

Kamsky on verge of 3rd US Title

IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 29th April 2011

Gata Kamsky won the first game of his final against Yuri Shulman and stands on the verge of a 3rd US Title. IM Malcolm Pein takes a look.

Kamsky-Shulman Game 1.

Kamsky-Shulman Game 1. | http://saintlouischessclub.org

Gata Kamsky needs only to draw a black to retain the US championship after defeating Yury Shulman in game one of the final staged at the St Louis Chess and Scholastic Centre. Kamsky enjoyed just a tiny advantage arund move 30 but managed to provoke some errors from his opponent.

Black has just played ...f5 and ...h5 which seems unnecessary to me. An open position favours White whose pieces have more scope. Black's a4 pawn can be vulnerable to the white king after a rook exchange. Kamsky commented: "After he took twice on g4, I thought it was already unpleasant for Black. Before that it was equal."

G Kamsky - Y Shulman

Yuri Shulman

Gata Kamsky

Position after 35.g4

35...hxg4 36.hxg4 fxg4?! 37.fxg4 Rd8 38.Rb1 Kd7 39.Rb7+ Kd6 40.Rg7 Rh8 41.Rxg6 Rh2 42.Kd2 Rh3 43.Rg8 Rg3 44.Kc2 Be3

(44...Rg2 45.g5 Rxe2+? 46.Kd1 Rxa2? 47.g6 Rg2 48.g7 wins)

45.Rd8+ Ke7 46.Rd3!

(Forcing an exchange of rooks, the bishop ending is an easy win)

46...Bf4 47.Bb4+ Kf6 48.Rxg3 Bxg3 49.Kb2 Kg5 50.Ka3 Kxg4 51.Kxa4 Bf2 52.c5 Kf4 53.Ka5 Ke3 54.Kb6 Kxe2 55.Kxc6 Kd3 56.Kb5 Kd4 57.a4 Kd5 1-0

Yuri Shulman

Gata Kamsky

Final position after 57...Kd5

Shulman qualified for the final by virtue of this fine attack.

Y Shulman - RL Hess

King's Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 c6 8.d5 Ng4 9.Bg5 f6 10.Bh4 Na6 11.0-0 c5 12.Ne1 h5 13.h3 Nh6 14.Nd3 Nf7 15.f4! exf4 16.Nxf4 Ne5 17.Bg3 Qe7

(17...Nc7 18.a3 f5 19.b4 b6 was better)

18.Nb5! Rd8

(A sad necessity, 18...Nc7 19.Nxg6! Nxg6 20.Bxd6)

19.Be1! f5?

(Weakening,19...Nc7!)

20.Bc3!

Robert Hess