Serious
business
A running report by Jonathan Tisdall - for the
live version see our Chess Message Boards.
Round Five, Day One
Things are getting truly interesting now,
and even though there are a few "boys" left and
some real men gone, all of these matches should
provide the drama and quality we are hoping for.
I seem to remember that Anand and Khalifman met
in the first FIDE KO, and Anand won after being
in very big trouble, needing a lucky escape
to avoid elimination. Khalifman has improved since,
so this should be a full-blooded duel.
Khalifman's unexpected choice of the Marshall Gambit
brings him a very comfortable position, and it is
Anand who must tread carefully. The Indian
GM's frightening string of wins with the white pieces
comes to an end as peace is quickly agreed.
The boys (Grischuk and Tkachiev) took the day more
or less off. Incredibly, Grischuk is only 17, and
Tkachiev is a talented dangerman of 27, who is the
wild card of the remaining group. No bets here.
All we know is that there will still be a
dark horse in the semis.
Stripped bare
Adams and Topalov argue a sharp Sicilian position
that seems to be the latest word in English
attacking. I must confess I don't understand
the point of playing Be2, reaching a kind of position
where this move does not seem to fit in with the
system of f3+g4 at all.
But Adams gets the kind of position he thrives in,
a deceptively tense duel where black's activity
disguises lingering positional weaknesses.
Adams excels in this kind of gradual disrobing,
and eventually the hidden problems come to light.
Topalov thrashes as best he can, but the Englishman
pockets a pawn and exploits it with crisp,
textbook technique in a rook ending.
Going overboard
Bareev opts to squeeze Shirov in the minimalist
queenless middlegame arising from a Queen's Gambit
Accepted - the position type seen in the memorable
game 4 of the recent Kramnik-Kasparov match - where
Bareev was a Kramnik second.
Shirov handles the position with his customary demands
for activity, and this leads to another game where
the result will hinge on a player's ability to compensate
for long-term weaknesses with nimble pieces.
Once again, the day goes to the guy without the
weaknesses - Shirov gets stretched very thin and
then makes things worse with a hyperactive king
move. His position implodes, and his entire
performance today reeks of fraying nerves.
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