The Corus Chess Tournament
Wijk aan Zee, 9th-25th January 2004
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GM Konstantin Aseev
annotates the games of the 3rd round:
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Hello dear chessfriends! I am very glad to greet you! Today I will annotate the course of the 3rd round.
What should we expect of this round? Certainly there are the following central games:
1) Van Wely-Anand 1/2
Early Queens trading in Nimzo Indian is the precursor of cautious intentions. Ending, most likely, has equal character. But it's easier to play such a position by White.
We just can to state that Black had no any problems in this game. Moreover White had to play accurately. Anand tried to get an advantage by a7-a5-a4.
What happens when the strong contender does not want to risk playing with White? Right! The draw is the most likely result. It was demonstrated in this game clearly.
2) Leko-Topalov 1/2
What will the leaders show today? Will anyone of them be able to strengthen the leading position?
And in this game White did not want to play double-edged position with opposite sides castling, prefering to play the game in a positional way. Decision of Veselin 12...Nc5 leaves for White slightly better chances in ending, but it simplifies the purposes of Black. Once I could win a similar ending, but it was so long time ago.
So, Peter Leko could not put serious problems before contender and he calmed his ambitions by repetition of moves. The draw is an achievment for Black in this game
Of course I wait for the specular struggle in the folowing games as well.
3) Svidler-Bareev 1-0
Bareev almost always had suficcient problems playing with Black against Peter before. Let's see how he will resist against 1.e4 today.
Decision of Bareev looks at least strange. Up to 13th move White has got a huge advantage in development+pressure on the Q-side. In some variations the pawn b7 can be lost. If 13...Bc5 then there is 14.Nb3 with following 14.Вb7. And if 13...Be7 then there is the cuff 14.Nc6 0-0 15.Ne7 Qe7 16.Qd6 and there is no much joy in this ending for Black.
After 14...е6-е5 White had a lot of tempting ways. For example, to win the pawn after 15.Qd5 0-0 16.Ne5 Rd8 17.Qa5. But then Black has some chances due to his pair of Bishops. There are and other ways where Black has serious problems.
Peter Svidler has chosen another continuation 15.Ne7 Qe7 16.f4!. After 16...0-0 17.f5 White has clear advantage, but there it was possible to defence. Instead of that the incomprehensible for the chessplayer of such high level blunder has followed - 16...ef4 and after evident 17.Bb7! Black resigned immediately.
4) Bologan-Kramnik 1/2
Where will the struggle bring Viorel and Vladimir, who met with each other twice in the last year?
After 12 moves Black has got comfortable position, at least it looks so. Position became open and the strength of Black Bishops is notable. But Black has to solve the problem of the Knight e7. White has to be very careful.
Not wishing to defence, Viorel offered the pawn sacrifice on the 16th move. However Kramnik played very cautiously and kept a sligthly better position. Meanwhile, there was not anything concrete after taking on b2. So, if 17.Bf4 then 17... Be5, or computer move 17...Qa7 and Black keeps an advantage. Apparently, the blunder from the 1st round forced Kramnik to play rational chess. Only this can explain his decision.
It looks like Vladimir has fulfiled his aim for today and has got the desirable result.
I hope and other games will please us by tension of struggle:
5) Shirov-Zhong 1/2
The idea of Shirov 22.с4-с5, after prior Rooks trading looks erroneous. White has lost the advantage at the center and did not get any compensation for that. Maybe Aleksei underestimated the move 22...Nh5? But even in case of 22..Ne8 Black is okay. Otherwise, the unloading at the Q-side and at the center is in favour of Black.
After 24.b4 the tense position with mutual chances appeared on the board. It seems to me that after possible 27...g5 (instead of 27...Qc8) with idea 28.Bc1 N7-g6 and Black has good counter-play. After happened in the game White by move 30.Nh4! has got an initiative. There are the possibilities to bring the Bishop to the battle through d1 to g4. I think Black, having such a King, is doomed to defence.
I think the contenders acted not successfully at the end of the 1st time control. After 40th move White had certain chances for a win. Nevertheless on 42th move Black could get the draw after 42...Qd8(instead of 42...Qg7)43.Kg1(if 43.Qf3? then Kh6! and Black has got an advantage!),43...b4 44.Rd3 Bf7 45.Bf7 Rd3 46.Qh5 Kg7 47.Be6 Qf8 with perpetual check. After 45 moves White has got the possiblity to penetrate on the 8th horizontal.
In this duel the game held one in tension till the end. Probably at the final partners became tired and they began to make mistakes. So, the great problems could put Alexei if he would start with 46.Rc8. After 46...Bd7 47.Rb8 Bf5 48.Qf8 Black still had to avoid a trick. So, on 48...e4? there is mate 49.Qh8 Kg6 50.Bf7! Rf7 51.Rg8+-, and after 48...Kh6 49.Rb6 Kh7!50.Qf6 Qf6 51.Rf6 White stands more active although most likely nevertheless would be a draw. After the move in text draw became inevitable.
6) Sokolov-Adams 1/2
The ending appeared in the variation 6...Qf5 of Nimzo Indian met in this game. After 20 moves White should transfer Knight from e2 to d3, or he will get worse chances.
Ivan Sokolov had to look for the ways to solve the problems. For example, if 27.Na4 then 27...b6! and there is no 28.Nb6 Rdb7 29.Nc8 Rb3 30.Na7, because the Knight f3 "hangs".
7) Akopian-Timman 1/2
In Pirc defence Akopian has chosen not most principal continuation 7.Ng5. Then he wanted to crush the solid defence of Black by e4-e5, taking serious obligations upon himself. But, as it turned out, that on planned 15.Qg4 Nf4 16.Rd7 there is the reply 16...h5!. After 15.Qc4 Ne5 16.Be5 Qg5 White cannot hope for an advantage due to the week position of his King.
Akopian could equalize the chances to the 30th move. Although there are some minimal problems to get the draw, since Bishop is stronger than Knight in such positions.
In 2 last games the caution and peaceableness have celebrated the victory. Although in both games Black tried to derive some micro benefits.
So, dear users of our transmission! Thanks for your attention! Welcome to our site! We try to do our best and will wait you more and more! Today with you was Konstantin Aseev.