Shanghai Masters Underway

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Shanghai Masters 2010 (1)

IM Malcolm Pein - Saturday 4th September 2010

The Shanghai Masters has got under way. It is a qualifier for the Bilbao Masters after the Olympiad. Malcolm Pein reports.

The Grand Slam Final will be in two parts this year. A schism in the organisation, the cancellation of the 2010 MTel Masters in Sofia, and Magnus Carlsen's domininance in the last twelve months has led to a lack of qualifiers for the final, traditionally composed of winners of elite events.

The first stage is already underway in Shanghai with:

Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian, Alexei Shírov and the home pick Wang Hao competing in a six game, double round all play all. The top two in Shanghai will play the final in Bilbao in October where they will be joined by world number one Magnus Carlsen and world champion Vishy Anand.

This is the first time the Grand Slam has been without Veselin Topalov whose agent Silvio Danailov was a prime mover in the organisation. There appears to have been a falling out after Topalov withdrew from last years's Bilbao final where budgets, and prize money, were cut.

I will publish some games from Shanghai on Monday but today we can catch up on a couple of interesting matches from recent events.

Levon Aronian was at his brilliant best at the World Rapid Championship. The key move in this game is 12...b5!! a positional pawn sacrifice, often seen in the Caro Kann, which opens queenside files and secures the d5 square for a black knight from where it is unassailable.

R Kempinski - L Aronian

Grenkee Rapid World Ch Mainz

Slav Defence

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Bf5 4.Nc3 e6 5.g4 Bg6 6.Nge2 Bd6 7.Qb3 b6 8.Bg2 Ne7 9.e4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Bc7 11.Be3 Nd7 12.0-0-0 b5!!

Levon Aronian

Robert Kempinski

Position after 12...b5!!

13.h4 h5 14.Nf4

(14.cxb5 Rb8 is possible or Black can sacrifice a pawn and White must be careful for example; 14.cxb5 cxb5 15.Qxb5 Rb8 16.Qa4 0-0 17.gxh5 Bxh5 18.Rhe1 Nb6 19.Qxa7 Ned5)

14...Bxe4 15.Bxe4 Nf6 16.Qc2 hxg4 17.cxb5 Bxf4 18.Bxf4 Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Qd5! 20.Qe5

(20.Qxd5 Nxd5 21.Bg3 cxb5 with a huge advantage)

20...f6 21.Qe2 cxb5 22.b3

(Unfortunately 22.Kb1 Qf5+ picks up the bishop)

22...Qf3 23.Qxb5+ Kf7 24.Bg3 Rac8+ 25.Kb2 Rhd8 26.Qa5 Nc6 27.Qa6 Nb4 28.Qxa7+ Kg8 29.Qb6 Qc3+ 0-1

Levon Aronian

Robert Kempinski

Final position after 29...Qc3+

An interesting endgame played by Sanan Sjugirov, who was equal first at the World Junior. In this type of position Black can win if he is able to prise the knight away from the king and trap it, as he does here, or, force the enemy king back and infiltrate with his own king to win the pawn on h3.

I Saric - S Sjugirov

Sanan Sjugirov