Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee 2011 (13)
Nakamura's finest victory
IM Malcolm Pein - Tuesday 1st February 2011
Hikaru Nakamura scored his finest tournament win so far in winning the Tata Steel A-Group in Wijk aan Zee. Malcolm Pein also looks at Anand's final round draw against Nepomniachtchi.
Nepomniachtchi against Anand from Round 13. Photo © Michiel Abeln. | http://www.chess.co.uk/twic
The US number one Hikaru Nakamura secured his finest ever tournament victory by finishing half a point ahead of world champion Vishy Anand at the prestigious Tata Steel tournament at Wijk aan Zee.
Nakamura deliberately avoided the style of play that led him to being nicknamed the 'H-Bomb'. He was solid when he needed to be and aggressive on occasion. Nakamura's final score of 9/13 included just one defeat to Magnus Carlsen.
In the last two rounds Nakamura played it safe with quiet draws. Anand went for wins and nearly lost to prodigy Anish Giri before just failing to overcome the Russian champion Ian Nepomniachtchi in the final round despite winning rook for knight and pawn. The tournament ended when Anand accepted he could not break through and the position became totally blocked.
I Nepomniachtchi - V Anand
Sicilian Najdorf
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Bc4 0-0 9.0-0 Qc7 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.Bxd5 Nd7 12.c4 Nf6 13.Qb3 Nxd5 14.cxd5 b5 15.Rfc1 Qb8 16.Qc3 f5! 17.Qc7 Rf7 18.Nd2 Qxc7 19.Rxc7 Bd8
(Black intends f5-f4. White is a little worse if he exchanges
on f7 so he sacrifices) 20.Rc6 Bd7 21.Rxd6 Bc7 22.Rxd7 Rxd7 23.f3 f4 24.Bc5 Bd6 25.Bxd6 Rxd6 26.Nb3 Rc8 27.Rf1 Kf7 28.Na5 Rc2 29.Rf2 Rc1+ 30.Rf1 Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 g5 32.Nc6 Kf6 33.b4 Rd7 34.h3 h5 35.Kf2 Rg7 36.Kf1 g4 37.hxg4 hxg4 38.Kf2 g3+ draw
Viswanathan Anand
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Ian Nepomniachtchi
Final position after 38...g3+
At the Tradewise Chess Festival in Gibraltar, Nigel Short defeatedNadezhda Kosintseva of Russia to become sole leader on 5/5. Short defeated Nadezhda's twin sister Tatyana in round three.
Veteran IM Leon Piasetski from Canada provided the mjor upset of the first round by defeating a French GM. See if you can find his winning plan from the position below.
L Piasetski - JP Le Roux
English Opening
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 g6 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7 7.Nxc6 dxc6 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Bg5 h6 10.Rd1+ Ke7
(10...Bd7 11.Bxf6+ Bxf6 12.Bh3 wins)
11.Bf4
(Karpov played 11.Be3 against Etienne Bacrot but this attack on c7 looks as least as good)
11...Be6 12.e4 Ne8 13.f3 Nd6?! 14.c5 Ne8
(14...Nc4 15.Bxc4 Bxc4 16.Bxc7)
15.h4 a5
(15...Bxc3+ 16.bxc3 Bxa2 17.c4 a5 18.Bh3 is risky for Black)
16.Rh2
Defending a2 in the event of Bxc3+
16...a4 17.Be3 Be5 18.f4 Bxc3+ 19.bxc3 Nf6 20.Bd4 Rhe8
(20...Nxe4!? 21.Bxh8 Rxh8 with good compensation and a solid position)
21.f5 gxf5 22.exf5 Bd5??
22...Bxf5 23.Re2+ Be6 was possible
JP Le Roux
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Leon Piasetski
Position after 22...Bd5??
White to play and win
Answer to puzzle
23.Re2+ Be4 (23...Ne4 24.c4)24.Rd3Black cannot untangle and Rd3-e3 followed by Bxf6 win the knight on e4 1-0
