GM Einar Gausel
annotates the WCC
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Several heavyweights had to leave New Delhi after
the second day of competition, most notably Joel
Lautier (France), Ruslan Ponomariov
(Ukraine) and Alexei Fedorov (Belarus).
Moldavian super-GM Viktor Bologan almost
joined them on their flight home to Europe, after
misplaying a roughly equal position against Icelandic
GM Hannes Stefansson. Stefansson had drawn
fairly easily with black in the first game and
was in the process of nailing Bologan's head to
the board when a catastrophic slip cost him a
spot in the second round.
Stefansson (2557) - Bologan
(2641) FIDE WCNew Delhi (1.2), 2000
1.e4
e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7
6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4
Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.a4 Bf8 14.Bd3
c6
Black's setup looks very solid, but it's not
a very dynamic one.
15.b3 g6 16.Bf1 Rc8 17.Ba3 Qb6 18.Qc2 Nh5
19.Rad1 Nf4 20.Qa2 Ne6 21.dxe5 Nxe5 22.Nxe5
dxe5 23.Nf3 Qc7 24.Bxf8 Rxf8 25.b4 Rcd8 26.c4
White appears to have a slight initiative,
but Bologan fights back energetically.
26...Rxd1 27.Rxd1 c5!? 28.cxb5 cxb4 29.Bc4
I think it's anyone's game after 29.bxa6 Bxe4
30.Qe2 Bxf3 31.Qxf3 Nd4.
29...Nc5 30.Qb2
30...a5?
Protecting the passed pawn looks natural enough,
but White comes out on top after a series
of exchanges. 30...Nxa4 31.Qxb4 axb5 32.Bxb5
Nc5 was preferable.
31.Qxe5 Qxe5 32.Nxe5 Bxe4 33.Nd7 Nxd7
33...Rc8 was an absolute necessity.
34.Rxd7 Bc2 35.b6 b3
Which b-pawn is more dangerous?
36.Rxf7! b2
36...Rxf7 37.b7 and White wins.
37.Ra7+?
Throwing it all away. Much stronger was 37.Rc7+
Kh8 38.Ba2, with the point 38...b1Q+ 39.Bxb1
Bxb1 40.b7 Bf5 41.g4 Be6 42.Rc6! White gets
a rook ending two pawns up after 42...Rb8
(42...Bd7 43.Ra6 wins at once.) 43.Rxe6 Rxb7
44.Ra6.
37...Kh8 38.Ba2 Rb8 39.b7 Kg7 40.Rxa5 Rxb7
41.h4 Rb3 42.Rb5 b1Q+ 43.Bxb1 Rxb1+ 44.Rxb1
Bxb1
The rest is a simple matter of technique.
45.f3 Kf6 46.Kf2 Ke5 47.Ke3 Bf5 48.a5 Bc8
49.g3
49...Bb7 and White resigned.
49...Bb7 50.g4 (50.Kf2 Kd4 is just as hopeless.)
50...h5 51.gxh5 gxh5 52.f4+ Kf5 and Black
cleans up on the kingside.
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Einar Gausel