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Round 5 - Amber highlights
Monte Carlo, Monaco -
Vishy Anand continues to show stellar form in the rapid event, boasting a perfect score with the white pieces. In the following game Vassily Ivanchuk falls victim to the Indian's ruthless endgame technique.
Anand (2790) - Ivanchuk (2717)
Amber Rapidplay (5), 2001
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4
The most popular method of avoiding the Marshall Gambit, which arises after 8.c3 d5.
8...b4 9.d3 d6
10.a5
Grabbing some extra space on the queenside and turning a6 into a potential target.
10...Be6 11.Nbd2 Bxb3 12.Nxb3 Re8 13.h3 Qd7 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 Nh7 16.Bxe7 Rxe7 17.d4 exd4 18.Nfxd4 Nf6 19.f3 Nxd4 20.Qxd4 Qb5 21.Qd3 Qg5?!
I much prefer 21...Qxd3 22.cxd3 c5.
22.Qd2 Qxd2 23.Nxd2 Rae8 24.Nb3
24...c5
This looks like an unnecessary weakening of d6, but White would have been able to provoke this advance anyway with Ra4 and/or Red1-d4.
25.Red1 Re6 26.Rd2 Kf8 27.Rad1 Ke7 28.Nc1 Rd8
Exchanging weakness for weakness was better, i.e. 28...Rb8 29.Ne2 Rb5 30.Nf4 Re5 31.Rxd6 Rxa5.
29.Nd3!
Heading for c4.
29...Rd7 30.b3 g5?! 31.Kf2 Rb7 32.Nb2
32...Rb5?
Black is clearly suffering after 32...Rd7 33.Nc4 h5 34.Ne3, but the text seems to lose more or less by force.
33.Nc4 Ne8
34.e5! dxe5 35.Rd7+ Kf6 36.Ra7 Kg6 37.Rdd7 f6 38.Rd8
Now a6 is doomed.
38...h5 39.Rda8 h4 40.Rxa6 Nc7 41.Rxe6 Nxe6
42.a6 Nc7 43.Ra7 resigns.
43.Ra7 Nd5 44.Rb7 and White's passer decides the game. 1-0
ALEXEI SHIROV CONTINUES to suffer from bad form, and his score with black is truly depressing. In his rapid game with Jeroen Piket, the Spanish ace was only able to offer only token resistance.
Piket (2632) - Shirov (2718)
Amber Rapidplay (5), 2001
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6
7.dxc5
This anaemic line is the main reason why Shirov should stay away from the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Boring, technical positions are clearly not his cup of tea.
7...Bxc5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nbd2 Nc6 10.Be2 Ke7 11.a3 a5 12.b3 b6 13.Bb2 Rd8 14.Rfd1 Bb7 15.Ne1 Rd7 16.Nd3
16...Rad8?
Concedes the two bishops and allows White to scatter Black's queenside pawns. 16...Bd6 was the obvious choice.
17.Nxc5 bxc5 18.Nc4 Ba6 19.Rxd7+ Rxd7 20.Ne5! Nxe5 21.Bxa6 Nd3 22.Bc3
22...Ne4
Normally, exchanging your a-pawn for your opponents f-pawn is a good deal, but in this ending Black's kingside play is practically worthless.
23.Bxa5 Ndxf2 24.Bb5 Rb7 25.a4 f5
25...Ng4 26.Bc6 Ra7 27.b4 didn't look like much fun for Black either.
26.h3!
Trapping Nf2.
26...Ra7 27.Bb6 Rb7 28.a5 Kd6
29.Rf1
Winning an exchange and the game.
29...Nc3 30.Ba6 Rxb6 31.axb6
The rest is simple.
31...Nfe4 32.Bc4 Kc6 33.Bxe6 g6 34.Bg8 Nf6 35.Bc4 Nfe4 36.Ra1 Kxb6 37.Ra6+ Kb7 38.Re6 Nd1 39.Bd5+ resigns. 1-0
VLADIMIR KRAMNIK WAS able to keep up with the overall leaders by notching up a fortunate win in his blindfold encounter with Zoltan Almasi. After White's 33rd move, this reasonably well-contested duel deteriorated into a virtual blunderfest.
Almasi (2640) - Kramnik (2772)
Amber Blindfold (5), 2001
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.0-0 Nbc6 7.Nxc6 Nxc6 8.Be3 Be7 9.Nd2 0-0 10.c3 b5 11.a4 Rb8 12.axb5 axb5 13.b4 Bf6 14.Ra3 Ne5 15.Be2 d6 16.f4 Nc6 17.Bd3 Bd7 18.Qe2 Qc7 19.Nf3 e5 20.f5 Qb7 21.Bc2 Ra8 22.Rxa8 Rxa8 23.Bb3 Ne7 24.Bg5 Qc7 25.Rc1 Bc6 26.Rd1 Ra3 27.Bxf6 Rxb3 28.Bxe7 Qxe7 29.Qd3 h6 30.Qxd6 Qa7+ 31.Kh1 Bxe4 32.Qxe5 Bxf3 33.gxf3
33...Qf2?
This brave leap leaves Black's king vulnerable to a counterattack. A draw seems to be the most likely outcome after 33...Qa8 34.Qd5.
34.Qe4!
Protects f3 and carries its own lethal threat.
34...Kh7?
34...Rb2 was no good either because of 35.Rd8+ Kh7 36.f6+ g6 37.Rh8+ Kxh8 38.Qe8+ Kh7 39.Qxf7+ Kh8 40.Qg7 mate. So, it appears that 34...Qb6 had to be played.
35.f6+ g6 36.Qd5! Kh8
37.Rg1??
White wins after 37.Qb7, with the simple threat of Rd8+:
For example 37...h5 38.Rd8+ Kh7 39.Qxf7+ Kh6 40.Rh8+ Kg5 41.Qd5+ Kxf6 (41...Kh4 42.Qe4+ Kg5 43.Qe5+ Kh4 44.Qf4+ Kh3 45.Qg4 mate) 42.Rf8+ Kg7 43.Qf7+ Kh6 44.Rh8+ Kg5 45.Qe7+ Kf4 46.Rf8 mate.
37...Rb2
Now there's no way to protect both f3 and h2.
38.Rxg6 Qxh2 mate. 0-1
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GM Einar Gausel 