Ivanchuk - Anand 1/2 Kramnik - Grischuk 1/2 Krasenkow - Shirov 1-0 Ponomariov - Polgar 1/2 Timman - Topalov 0-1 Bareev - Van Wely 0-1 Karpov - Radjabov 1/2 The titanic battle in Wijk-aan-Zee enter into the decisive phase. This determine the sharpness and tensity in major duels. An offensive exclusion is a short and colourless draw between V.Ivanchuk and V.Anand . The ukrainian grandmaster who always attracts the attention with the freshness of his plans still in no ways could feel a taste to play. This is his 6th draw in a row and without any pride. This astonishs and grieves his numerous fans. But in the rest games to 3 p.m. has already happened many interesting events. Dramatically develops the duel between E.Bareev and L.van Wely . Here a principal discussion has tied already in the opening. The partners outplayed one of the sharp variation of Grunfeld Defence where White sacrifaces a pawn for the sake of getting a pass pawn on the flank and the activization of the forces. Recently this plan has been tested in the game Babula-Svidler in Germany but Black managed to equal chances. This time Bareev decided tp test another plan forcing the partner to exchange his active Bishop. Instead of 16.Ne5 he has played 16.Nd4 resting his hopes upon a perspective to press on the black squares. However Bareev has not managed this aim. Van Wely activated his pieces in the center and has got contrary chanses on that site of the board. A not simple task is staying before Bareev. He has to prove the existing of a sufficient compensation for the sacrificed pawn. As could be expected the middlegame has been fascinating. Each of the sides managed to realize their trumps: Bareev - the dinamics of the passing pawn and the range of two active Bishops, Van Wely - the durability of the central outposts and the garmonic interaction of pieces. As a result of the lively tactical skirmish (31...Nb3!; 38...Rxd3) where the "shield" suitably withstand to the "sword" the game has been simplified significantly and arose the endgame with the material equality. The game rushed to a peaceful end. And here began surprises: instead of an obvious 40.Bxc7 Bareev blundered out 40.Rd8 and after 40...Rce7 simply remaind without the exchange. (Time truble?). The rest was technical affair. An offensive defeat! Once more V.Topalov plays a role of a desperate bully. In a rather calm variation of Sicilian defence in the duel with Timman he gave to the game a paradoxical strategical drawing. He tied the active operation on a flank where usually White has the initiative. Besides he has not been afraid to weaken whie squares in the center. Now it's difficult to predict the consequences but we should pay the attention to the original idea. Topalov today also sacrificed the exchange and lead the offensive with fury. Today his main resources became the passing pawns which he managed to move deeply in Black's camp. It has been appeared a critical position where Timman should find a method to neutralize them. At the end (and maybe at the time truble?) of the game took place absolutely mysterious events. Timman wittily neutralized the dangerous rival's passing pawns, two times was able to fix the draw by repeating the moves and in result has overdone, blundered an effective trick 53...Qc4!! and was forced to resign... Slowly are developing the events in one of the central games of the round R.Ponomariov - J.Polgar . In the Nimzo defence the World Champion make a choice in favour of a little bit unusual plan to capture the space on the queenside to the detriment of a harmonious mobilization of pieces. According to rules of chess strategy Polgar replyed with a counterblow in the center which open the perspective to activate the forces. After the opening of the center Black has got an active play. Trying to intercept the initiative the World Champion took the risk to sucrifice a pawn which allowed him to activate the pieces. However Polgar defenced rather skilfully and gradually neutralized the partner's pressure keeping an extra-pawn. Ponomariov managed to keep the position without a pawn. His pieces occupied active positions and Judit humbled with the inevitability. In the game M.Krasenkov - A.Shirov the partners reanimated the variation of the Accepted Queen gambit which was tested almost half a century before in the game A.Kotov - A.Koblenz. There takes place a lively fight of pieces but with a small range on the queenside. One should take the original decision to "breath in the life" in this situation. Mainly from the White's side. Do they are in Krasenkov's arsenal? M.Krasenkov managed to bring the improvement in one of the problematical posion in the Accepted Queen gambit. The novelty 14.Bd2 turned out to be important although the authority could be give to ... a computer. Last year in the internet has been played a game between the programs "Armageddon" and "Arusan", where first time has been tested the continuation 14.Bd2 Rb8 15.Bxb4 ab 16.Bxc5 Qxc5 17.Rad4 with a slightly better position for White. Shirov contested the decision of the computer and played 15...Rxb5, nevertheless after 16.Ra5! also failed to obtain the equality. In the endgame he lost a pawn and now he has a hard defence. As it could be expected A.Shirov failed to save a hard endgame and was forced to let the lead. Curiously develops the strugle in the game V.Kramnik - A.Grischuk , where the partners have been outplayed a peculiar "hybrid" of Sicilian and Italian game. At the cost of concessions in the center Grischuk managed to solve succesfully the problem of the forces' mobilization but due to some advantage in space the perspectives of Kramnik in forthcoming complicated endgame looks now more favorable. Unfortunately this duel was not long. In a complicated position where the strugle seemed should be full the partners agreed on a draw unexpectedly. Rather calm goes on the meeting A.Karpov - T.Radjabov . The great matador perhaps rest his hopes upon the positional mastery and tries to take possession of initiative with "small blood". Nevertheless still the position of the young opponent looks rather firm. Ex-champion failed to strategically overplay his non-experienced partner. There more when it was not far from a draw he have made several inaccurate moves, remained without a pawn and only the self-control and the experience prompted him a way to the rescue. Karpov passed to an endgame with the Rook against Rook and Bishop which is drawn in the theory. So, the 6th round was a day of the unexpected occurrences and the jitters for many players. And for the spectators also... |
