Shanghai Masters 2010 (4)
Shirov defeats Kramnik to take control of the Shanghai Masters 2010
IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 10th September 2010
Malcolm Pein reports on Alexei Shirov's win against Vladimir Kramnik in Round 4 of the Shanghai Masters.
Alexei Shirov took control of the Shanghai Masters with victory over Vladimir Kramnik in the fourth round. Shirov then ensured qualification for the Grand Slam Final in Bilbao by defeating Wang Hao in a wild game that the Chinese player should certainly have drawn if not won. With one game to play, Shirov had an unassailable lead.
Scores (3 points for a win) 1 Shirov +3 =2 -0, 11 points; 2-3 Kramnik, Aronian +1 =3 -1, 6 points; 4 Wang Hao +0 =2 -3, 2 points.
Kramnik has always found Shirov a difficult opponent and lost a WCC final eliminator to him in 1998 although it was Kramnik who went on to play, and defeat Garry Kasparov. This was Shirov at his best. The heir to Mikhail Tal complicates at every opportunity, attacking in the centre at the expense of development. At the end Kramnik blunders in time trouble.
Opening overview: a) The solid option is 4...d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.dxc5 f5 9.Qc2 Nd7 10.e4 Anand - Kramnik Bonn 2008; b) Black can fight for the centre with 6...bxc4 7.Bxc4 Nxd5 8.Bxd5 exd5 9.Qxd5 Nc6 10.Nge2 Ba6; c) After 13.Bxc4 dxe5 14.0-0 Black plays Nd6 with activity for the pawn.
A Shirov - V Kramnik
Shanghai Masters
Nimzo Indian
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 c5 5.d5 b5 6.e4 0-0 7.e5 Ne8 8.f4 exd5 9.cxd5 d6 10.Nf3 c4 11.a4 Bg4 12.axb5 Nd7 13.e6!? fxe6 14.dxe6 Nb6 15.Be2 Nc7 16.Ng5!?
(16.0-0 Bc5+ 17.Kh1 Nxe6)
16...Bxe2 17.Qxe2 d5?
(17...Qe7 18.Qe4 g6 19.0-0 d5 is roughly level)
18.0-0 Qf6
(If 18...h6 19.Nf7 Qf6 20.f5)
19.f5 Rae8!
20.Rxa7?
(20.Be3! with a big advantage)
20...Nxe6! 21.Nxe6 Rxe6 22.Qf2
(22.Qxe6+ Qxe6 23.fxe6 Bc5+ 24.Kh1 Rxf1#)
22...Qe5?
(Black should hold after 22...Re5! 23.Be3 Rxe3 24.Qxe3 d4 25.Qe6+ Qxe6 26.fxe6 dxc3 27.Rxf8+ Kxf8 28.bxc3 Bxc3)
23.g4! Rg6 24.Qg2! Rgf6
(24...Qd4+ 25.Kh1 Rxg4 26.Be3! Qd3 27.Qxg4 Qxf1+ 28.Qg1 Qxg1+ 29.Kxg1 Nc8 30.Rd7 and the b pawn is too strong)
25.Bf4 Qd4+ 26.Qf2 Qxf2+ 27.Kxf2 d4 28.Ne4 R6f7 29.Rxf7 Rxf7
(White is better but Kramnik blunders in time trouble)
30.Ra1 h6 31.Be5 d3 32.Bd4 Rb7 33.h4 Bf8 34.Rc1 Nd5 35.Rxc4 Rxb5 36.Rc8 Kf7 37.g5 Ne7??
(37...d2! 38.Nxd2 Ne7 fights on)
38.Nd6+ 1-0
Vladimir Kramnik
 | |  | | |  | | |
| | | |  |  |  | |
| | |  | | | | |
|  | | | |  | | |
| | |  | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | | |  | | |
| | | | | | | |
Alexei Shirov
Final position after 38.Nd6+
P Maletin - E Najer
Russian Ch. Higher League Irkutsk
Anti Moscow Gambit
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9.Be2 Bg7 10.e5 Nh5 11.a4 Nd7 12.axb5 Nxg3 13.hxg3 c5 14.Ne4 g4 15.dxc5 gxf3 16.Nd6+ Kf8 17.Bxf3 Rb8 18.Rxa7 Nxc5 19.0-0 Nd3 20.Nxf7 Qd4 21.Rc7 Nxe5 22.Nxh8 Bxh8 23.Qc2 Nxf3+ 24.gxf3 Bb7 25.Rd1 Qf6 26.Qh7 Bd5 27.Rd4!
Coming to f4 and if 27...Qxd4 28.Qf7 mate
1-0
