6th Tal Memorial 2011 (1)
Tal Memorial starts with Nempomniachtchi beating Kramnik
IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 18th November 2011
Malcolm Pein reports on the start of the Tal Memorial with one of the strongest fields ever assembled. He gives a Tal win and the end of Ian Nepomniachtchi's win against Vladimir Kramnik.
Ian Nepomniachtchi beat Vladimir Kramnik in Round 1. Photo © | http://www.russiachess.org
The Tal Memorial has started in Moscow and has one of the strongest fields ever assembled. The average rating of the players is 2776 which is just above Vasily Ivanchuk's rating of 2775 and he is ranked 6th in the world. Ivanchuk was one of two winners in the first round as he accepted a pawn sacrifice from Peter Svidler, consolidated, and won the endgame. In the other decisive game, Ian Nepomniachtchi, the lowest rated of the ten players, defeated Vladimir Kramnik.
The uncertain form of the world champion Vishy Anand continued and he managed to draw against Sergey Karjakin despite a blunder in a totally level position. Anand's challenger for the world title, Boris Gelfand, drew solidly with black against Hikaru Nakamura. The world number one Magnus Carlsen went astray against Levon Aronian but managed to hold a difficult endgame.
Today's puzzle is from a quick Tal victory. His opponent, Bent Larsen, always played for a win and avoided simplification here but blundered.
M Tal - B Larsen
World U-26 Ch Reykjavik 1957
Sicilian Najdorf
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Bd7
Larsen liked to go his own way in the opening and was partial to an early Bd7 in many lines
8.Qf3 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Nxd4 10.Rxd4 Bc6
This is the point, the bishop shadows the enemy queen
11.Be2 Be7 12.Rhd1 Qa5 13.Qe3 h6 14.Bh4 e5! 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.R4d3 0-0
The opening has been a success for Black
17.Kb1 Rfd8 18.Bxf6 Bxf6 19.Nd5 Bg5 20.Qf3 Rac8?
(20...Bxd5 21.Rxd5 Qc7=)
Bent Larsen
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Mikhail Tal
Position after 20...Rac8? White to play and win
Answer:
21.b4 Qa4 22.Ra3 Rxd5 23.exd5 e4 24.Qc3 Bf6 25.Rxa4 1-0
Ian Nepomniachtchi
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Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 24...Bg7
V Kramnik - I Nepomniachtchi
Kramnik was a little casual now and played
25.h4?!
(25.b5 Nd4 26.Nxd4 Bxd4; 25.b5 Ne5 26.b6 are fine for White but now the b4 pawn becomes weak)
25...b5! 26.Bf1 a6 27.Nc5 Rd2 28.Ne3 Bd4 29.Ne4
(29.Nxa6 Nf5 30.Nxf5 gxf5 31.Bxb5 Ne5 looks risky after 32.Rf1 Ng4 or32.Kf1 Rxf2+ 33.Ke1 Nf3+)
29...Rb2!
The b4 pawn falls
30.Rxb2 Bxb2 31.Nc2 Nd5 32.Nc5 Ndxb4 33.Nxb4 Nxb4 34.Nd3 Nxd3 35.Bxd3 Kf7 36.f4 Ke6 37.Kf2 Kd5 38.Ke2 Kc5
Opposite coloured bishops do not quite save White
39.Kd2 a5 40.f5 a4 41.Bc2
(41.fxg6 b4! wins)
41...a3 42.Bb1 gxf5 43.Kc2 Kb4 44.Ba2 Be5 45.Be6 a2 46.Bxa2 Bxg3 47.h5 h6 48.Kd3 Ka3
The passed pawns are three files apart and White cannot attend to them both
49.Bd5 b4 50.Kc2 Be5 51.Bb3 f4 52.Bd5 Bf6 53.Kb1 b3 0-1
53...b3 54.Kc1 b2+ 55.Kb1 Be5 56.Bf3 Kb3 57.Bd5+ Kc3 and the king goes to the kingside.
