73rd Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2011 (2)
Quiet second round in Wijk aan Zee
IM Malcolm Pein - Tuesday 18th January 2011
After a lively first day round 2 was much quieter. Malcolm Pein takes a look and also looks at Shirov's disaster of round 1 against Jan Smeets.
Jan Smeets beat Alexei Shirov. Photo © | http://www.tatasteelchess.com
Round two of the Tata Steel tournament at Wijk aan Zee was a more sedate affair. Hikaru Nakamura achieved easy equality with the King's Indian against Levon Aronian and they drew quickly. Vladimir Kramnik reeled off some opening preparation against Vishy Anand in the Nimzo Indian, sacrificing the exchange for development. The world champion decided not to test the idea and returned the material to force a drawn endgame.
Luke McShane has defeated Walter Spoelman of Holland and Li Chao of China in Group B and leads the tournament.
Alexei Shirov had a disastrous first round loss. Black's pawn sacrifice is well known and gives active piece play and chances against White's weakened kingside in compensation. As play develops Black is forced to sacrifice a piece but he has three pawns and more activity. 22.Bd7 was prepared by Jan Smeets and his trainer Jan Gustafsson. They had even checked it with the computer shortly before the game. The move is a novelty in a chaotic position but I suspect Shirov simply forgot his home analysis.
Previously 22.Qd5 Bc5 23.Rbxb2 Rxc6 24.Qxc6 Ng3+! 25.hxg3 Qxg5 26.Rb1 Qh5+ 27.Rh2 Qxf3+ 28.Rg2 Qh5+ draw was Ivanchuk-Shirov Wijk aan Zee 2010. If 22.Rxf2 both Qxg5 and Rxc6 are reasonable.
J Smeets - A Shirov
73rd Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee (1)
Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3 0-0 12.Nxb5 Bg4 13.Re1 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nh5 15.Kh1 Qf6 16.Rg1 exd4
(16...Nf4 17.Be3 Ne7 18.Na3 Ne6 and Black won Svidler-Shirov World Blitz 2009)
17.Bg5 Qe5 18.Bd5 dxc3 19.Bxc6 cxb2 20.Rb1 Bxf2 21.Rg2 Rb6 22.Bd7 Bc5 23.Na7! Ra8?
(Wild play follows after 23...h6 24.Bxh6 d5 or 23...f624.Bd2 d5 25.Nc6 Qd6 26.Bg4 dxe4 27.Bxh5 e3 28.Qg1 exd2 29.Rxg7+ Kh8 30.Rxh7+ drawing)
24.Nc6 Rxc6 25.Bxc6 1-0
Black has little compensation for example 25...Ra1 26.Rgxb2 Qxb2 27.Rxa1!; or 25.Bxc6 Rb8 26.Bc1 Bd4 27.Bxb2 Bxb2 28.Qd2 are winning for White
Alexei Shirov
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Jan Smeets
Position after 25.Bxc6
In Group C Tania Sachdev of India upset the Serbian GM Ivan Ivanisevic by accepting all his sacrifices but she was lost for some of the game.
I Ivanisevic (2630) - T Sachdev (2391)
Vienna Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 d6 7.d4 h6 8.Nxf7 Kxf7 9.Bc4+ Kg7 10.Bxf4 Nf6 11.0-0 Be7 12.Qd2 Na5 13.Bd3 Nc6 14.Nd5 Nxd4 15.Nxe7 Qxe7 16.e5 Nd5 17.exd6 cxd6 18.Bc4 Qe4 19.Bd3
(Black's position is precarious after 19.Rae1 Nf3+ 20.Rxf3 Qxc4 21.Rf2 or 19.Bxd5 Qxd5 20.Rad1 Be6 21.Qxd4+ Qxd4+ 22.Rxd4 and wins the d6 pawn)
19...Qe7 20.Rae1 Qxh4 21.Re4
(The king should have been hunted down after 21.Bxd6! Nc6 22.Bc4 g3 23.Rf7+ Kxf7 24.Qxd5+ Kg6 25.Qf7+ Kg5 26.Re5+ Nxe5 27.Be7+ Kg4 28.Be2+ Nf3+ 29.Bxf3#)
21...Nf5 22.Rc4 b5
(22...Rf8!?)
23.Bxf5! Bxf5 24.Qxd5 bxc4 25.Bxd6!
(25.Qxf5 Rhf8 26.Qd7+ Kg6 27.Qxd6+ Qf6)
25...Rhf8 26.Be5+
(26.Rxf5 Rxf5 27.Qxf5 Qe1+ 28.Kh2 Qh4+ was a draw)
26...Kg6 27.Qc6+ Kh5! 28.Bf4 Qf6 29.Bd6 Rad8 30.Rd1 Rfe8 0-1
Tania Sachdev
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Ivan Ivanisevic
Final position
