World Team Championship 2010 (2)
USA lead after two rounds of the World Teams
IM Malcolm Pein - Sunday 10th January 2010
The United States have got off to a good start in the World Team Championships with Nakamura starting with 2/2 on the top board.
The World Team Championships are supposed to take place every four years so the one underway at Bursa in Turkey is a year late and is really the 2009 event. The first round saw two matches with some political overtones. Israel defeated Egypt 3-1 and in the Caucasus grudge match Azerbaijan got the better of Armenia.
After two rounds the USA are in the lead thanks to perfect starts by top board Hikaru Nakamura and Alexander Onischuk.The USA have defeated Turkey and India. Yet again it is a tale of woe for Russia in a team event. In the absence of Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Svidler they struggled to defeat Brazil and then went down to Greece despite out-rating their opponents by over 100 points per board.
Greece 2.5-1.5 Russia
1 Kotronias 2599 0 : 1 Jakovenko 2730
2 Papaioannou 2625 1 : 0 Morozevich 2732
3 Banikas 2608 1 : 0 Tomashevsky 2705
4 Mastrovasilis 2510 draw Vitiugov 2692
Few mix it with Morozevich and survive but Black plays imaginatively and decisively, sacrificing a pawn to counter White's early attack which weakens his position and the queenside pieces never emerge.
A Morozevich - I Papaioannou
7th World Team Bursa (2)
Nimzo-English
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.g4 0-0 5.g5 Ne8 6.Rg1 d5 7.Qb3 c5! 8.cxd5 Nd6 9.Bh3
( After 9.dxe6 Bxe6 10.Qc2 Nc6 11.a3 Ba5 12.e3 Re8 13.Be2 Qd7 14.d3 Rac8 Black is very active)
9...Na6 10.g6!
(10.dxe6 c4 11.Qc2 Bxe6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.g6 h6)
10...c4
(10...fxg6 11.dxe6)
11.gxh7+ Kh8 12.Qc2 exd5 13.Bxc8 Rxc8 14.Nxd5 Re8
(Intending Na6-c5-d3)
15.Kf1 Ne4 16.Ne3 Qd7
(It's far from obvious how White unravels)
17.Ng5 Nac5! 18.Qxc4 Nxg5 19.Rxg5 Ne4 20.Qb5 Rc6! 21.Rf5
(The queen and rook are in a deadly embrace, if 21.Rg2 Rxc1+ 22.Rxc1 Qxb5 or 21.Qd5 Qh3+ 22.Rg2 Rec8!)
21...Nd6 22.Qd3
Ioannis Papaioannou
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Alexander Morozevich
Position after 22.Qd3
22...Rxe3! 23.dxe3 Qxf5 24.a3 Qh3+ 25.Kg1 Nf5 0-1
Several England juniors acquitted themselves well at Hastings. Today's puzzle is from a game between two of them. Black is a pawn up but under some pressure on the kingside. How did Ravi Haria, black, win more material ?
Ravi Haria
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Rhys Cumming
Position after 18.Qg4, Black to play and win.
Answer to puzzle: 18...h5! 19.Qxh5 Nf4 and Black won a piece in Cumming-Haria Hastings Masters 09-10. 19.Qg5 Qxg5 20.Nxg5 Nxd4 wins a second pawn.
V Gashimov - L Aronian
7th World Team Bursa (1)
Ruy Lopez Anti Marshall
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.h3 Bb7 9.d3 Re8 10.Nc3 Bc5 11.a4 b4 12.Nd5 Na5 13.Bg5 Nxb3 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.cxb3 f5 16.Qc1 fxe4 17.Rxe4
(17.Qxc5 exf3; 17.dxe4 d6 18.Qh6 Re6)
17...f5
(17...Bxd5 18.Rg4+ Kh8 19.Qxc5 Bxf3 20.gxf3 a5)
18.Rxe5
(18.Qxc5!? fxe4 19.dxe4)
18...Rxe5 19.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Qh4+ 21.g3 Qd4+ 22.Kf1 Qxd5 23.Qg5+ Kh8 24.Qf6+ Kg8 25.Qg5+ draw
