FIDE World Cup 2009 (Rd4 Day 3)
The kids are not alright
IM Malcolm Pein - Saturday 5th December 2009
The kids were most certainly not alright in the fourth round of the FIDE World Cup and are all on their way home from Khanty Mansiysk in Siberia after losing in the play offs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, 19, lost to 41 year old Boris Gelfand, while the Italian teenager Fabiano Caruana aged 17, was eliminated by Vugar Gashimov who at 23 is one of the younger players remaining. Wesley So of Philippines aged just 15 had a brilliant run defeating Vassily Ivanchuk and Gata Kamsky but after two draws he lost three Rapid games to the Russian Vladimir Malakhov.
The kids were most certainly not alright in the fourth round of the FIDE World Cup and are all on their way home from Khanty Mansiysk in Siberia after losing in the play offs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, 19, lost to 41 year old Boris Gelfand, while the Italian teenager Fabiano Caruana aged 17, was eliminated by Vugar Gashimov who at 23 is one of the younger players remaining. Wesley So of Philippines aged just 15 had a brilliant run defeating Vassily Ivanchuk and Gata Kamsky but after two draws he lost three Rapid games to the Russian Vladimir Malakhov.
The quarter finals line up
Gelfand (Israel) - Jakovenko (Russia)
Ponomariov (Ukraine) - Gashimov (Azerbaijan)
Svidler (Russia) - Malakhov (Russia)
Karjakin (Ukraine) - Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan)
Gelfand, the top seed had a particularly tough time against Vachier-Lagrave. All four Rapid games were drawn and the match came down to a two game Blitz mini-match. In the first Gelfand won a pawn but then missed a simple tactic and lost two. Only opposite coloured bishops and desperate defence from the Israeli number one saved the game. In the return Gelfand cleverly played a line of the English Opening where White has a simple plan and good quick moves are relatively easy to find. Here is the decisive encounter.
B Gelfand - M Vachier Lagrave
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk (4.8) Blitz
English Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.a3 g6 5.g3 Bg7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 d6 8.d3 h6 9.Rb1 Be6 10.b4 Qd7 11.b5 Nd8
(11...Ne7 defending d5 looks more natural to me then if 12.Nd2 Rab8 13.Qa4 a6 but not 12...Bh3 13.Bxb7)
12.a4 Bh3 13.Nd5 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 Ne8 15.e4 Ne6 16.Bb2
(Preparing to play on the kingside or centre)
16...f5?
(16...Kh7 17.Nh4 c6 18.Ne3)
17.Nh4 Kh7
(17...f4 18.Nxg6 Ng5 19.Nxf8 Qh3+ 20.Kh1 f3 21.Rg1)
18.exf5 gxf5 19.Qh5 c6
(19...Qf7 20.Qxf7 Rxf7 21.f4!)
20.bxc6 bxc6 21.Ne3 f4
(21...Ng5 22.Qg6+ Kg8 23.Nhxf5)
22.Nef5 Rf6 23.d4!
(Black's king will be exposed)
23...exd4 24.Nxd4 Nxd4 25.Bxd4 Re6 26.Qf5+ Kg8 27.Rfe1 Nc7 28.Bxg7 Kxg7 29.Rb7 Re7
(29...Rf8 30.Qxe6)
30.Rxe7+ Qxe7 31.Qxf4 Kg8 32.Nf5 1-0
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
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Boris Gelfand
Final position after 32.Nf5
White's sacrifice was good for a draw but no more and after he overpresses Black defends courageously and finds a spectacular finish. Although Black was winning, hats off to the queen sacrifice 25...Qe8! After 26.Rxe8 Rxe8 the back rank cannot be defended.
F Caruana - V Gashimov
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk (4.3) Rapid
Petroff Defence
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 Ne5 10.h4 Re8 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.Bd3 Bd6 13.Be4 f5 14.Bd5+ Be6 15.Bxe6+ Rxe6 16.Qd5 Qc8 17.g4 f4 18.Bxf4 exf4 19.Rhe1 Kf7 20.Rd4 c6 21.Qb3?!
(21.Qf5+ Rf6 22.Qd3 Re6 23.Qf5+ = but not 21.Qf5+ Rf6 22.Qxh7 Qxg4 but 21. 21.Qf5+ Rf6 22.Qd3 Re6 23.Rxd6 would keep the game alive)
21...Kf6 22.Rxd6 Rxd6 23.g5+ Kg6 24.h5+ Kxg5 25.h6 Qe8!
Vugar Gashimov
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Fabiano Caruana
Position after 25...Qe8!
26.Rg1+
(26.Rxe8 Rxe8 wins)
26...Kxh6 27.Rh1+ Kg6 28.Qxb7 Qf8 29.Rg1+ Kf6 30.Qb4 g5 0-1
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