Valerij Popov GM Valerij Popov annotates the games of the 13th round:




Sokolov-Anand 1/2
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bd6 9. Bd2 O-O 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Bb7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. b4 Qe7 14. Qb3 e5 15. dxe5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Qb1 g6 18. O-O Qd6 19. Bc3 Bxh2+ 20. Kh1 Be5 21. Rfd1 Qe7 22. Bxe5 Qxe5 23. Rd7 Rc7 24. Rd2 Qe7 25. Bf3 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Qb2 Rd7 28. Kg1 Rd2 29. Qc3 Qd6
Anand has got the chance to get Leko - he has an extra-pawn! About the compensation we will talk later ... After zeitnot!
Opening: strange opening... Then - the 2nd place.
8...Bd6 (D47) - Meran or not? Sokolov did not know that or he just did not want to show us if he knows. Opponents avoided theoretical ways and that's sometimes very good - for Anand :). At least today Black has got an extra-pawn right after opening. But some compensation for that White has got. And one felt that this compensation could be decisive, but the game ended by the drawn rook ending. Ivan has showed his character(noone doubted he has it). But why so late?

Leko-J.Polgar 1/2
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bd2 Nd7 8. Nxd5 exd5 9. g3 Bd6 10. Bg5 Be7 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12. Rc1 c6 13. Bh3 O-O 14. O-O Nf6 15. b4 a5 16. Ne5 axb4 17. axb4 Qxb4 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. Rxc6 Ne4 20. Qb1 Qxd4 21. Qxb6 Qxb6 22. Rxb6 1/2-1/2
Leko hurries nowhere, he doesn't dream about the crown anymore... :) One plays Queens-Indian not for a win!
Peter did not even try to make any efforts to win in the last game... Uncomely opening, no fresh thought in the middlegame, quiet ending, breath and... a draw! - 1st or 1-2 places are in the pocket. Evidently he has counted all possible variations... :) About opening - E12 and... a draw! :)

Svidler-Topalov 1/2
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. Bf4 dxc4 15. Bxc4 Bd6 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Qd2 Qd7 18. Bxd6 cxd6 19. Re1 Re8 20. Rxe8+ Qxe8 21. Qf4 Qd7 22. Nh4 Bc2 23. Qd2
Like the most of the participants Topalov strives nowhere: Petrov defence (C42) on the board! Peter checked his opponent a bit and at once let him to go with a peace.
Opening - and end!
Peter "betrayed" popular 17.Ng5 Bg6 18.Bd6 in favour of immediate exchange on d6. What's the sense of this I don't understand - now the Bishop comes into the game, and as a result soon opponents agreed for a draw. Or Svidler did not want to struggle... Or maybe there's nothing in Petrov defence? :)

Ponomariov-Bruzon 1/2
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bd7 14. Nf1 Rac8 15. Re2 Nc6 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 Nh5 18. Bxe7 Nxe7 19. Bb3 Nf6 20. Rc2 Qb8 21. Ng3 Ng6 22. Rac1 Rxc2 23. Rxc2 Rc8
Ponomariov plays today positionally "literate" chess, I mean according theory. Bruzon plays so always. Is it a holiday today? :)
In Rui Lopez (C99) Black has got a normal position, but further he missed the "schwindel" 25.Nh5! after which his chances became sufficiently lower due to his weak pawn structure on the K-side. And here Ponomariov again forced us to doubt whether he an elite chessplayer of chess Olymp is. In 10 moves in conditions of the coming zeitnot he lost all his advantage. Although it seemed so easily to win. For example Gurevich or Vaganian would win this game right in these 10 moves. Well, Ponomariov is not classic yet...

Van Wely-Short 1-0
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. Nh4 Be7 12. g3 Nb6 13. f3 a5 14. Kf2 a4 15. Rc1 Nc8 16. Be2 Nd6 17. Rhd1 O-O 18. Bd3 Rfe8 19. g4 Bf8 20. Ne2 Bh6 21. f4 Bxd3 22. Rxd3 Bf8 23. Ng3 Ra5 24. Rc2 Rb5 25. Nhf5
I have a strong predjuce to this opening choice of Black. Even beginners know that such a broken pawn structure f6,f7 and h7 is very bad! But some chessplayers are ready to prove that this "Queensgambit" ending is not that bad... And among these chessplayers was even Alexander Khalifman! What a pity! :) How to teach children now? Maybe Van Wely will show?
Opening and after...
Carlsbad variation (D35).
15.Rc1 is a formal novelty, but it has not sufficient meaning for this ending. Van Wely played according to the plan of prevention of any activity from the side of Black and it has brought the fruits. A stable better position in the ending, what to expect more? White gains an important f5-square and moves his Knights there, black's dark-colored Bishop has not perspectives, King is in danger. Short refuted to exchange the Knights on f5 and missed a terrible blow 29.Nh5!,30.Ra2!,30.Ra4!. White treathens b4, Rook is moving to the 8th line, Nh6 + and Rf8 checkmate! And how Short could play so... I repeat - this variation is bad for Black. Please, never play 6...Bf5! (6...Be7 is much more reliable)

Adams-Grischuk 1/2
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 9. g4 Nb6 10. g5 Nh5 11. Qd2 Be7 12. Qf2 Nc4 13. Bxc4 Bxc4 14. Rg1 O-O 15. O-O-O Rc8 16. Kb1 g6 17. Na4 Be6 18. Nb6 Rc7 19. Qd2 Rc6 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Qc8 22. Rd2 Bd8 23. Nc1 1/2-1/2
Very popular variation of Najdorf 6.Be3 - 9...Nb6 was popular in 2002-2003, but lately one played this system not so often. But why not? At least Adams today could not show anything for White - 22...Bd8 with the following Bishop's exchange on b6 seemed to him so fearful and he decided to end this tournament!
Opening and after...
Now everyone knows what B90 is. White plays 0-0-0, Black 0-0. White moves his pawn on K-side ahead, Black only imitate the same on the Q-side - taking into account possible ending and then White can use the weakness of Black's "a" and "b" pawns. Mickey is a great master to make this trick - he shows that he is going to attack, but in fact he is just waits! Sometimes it happens that opponent believes him and starts his own counter-play on the Q-side and then Mickey uses this "activity" with a great pleasure. But not today...
9...Nb6 stops White's attack for a long time: f4 is under control of Black and already White's pawn structure can be a problem in the possible ending.
Instead of 11...Be7 sometimes met 11...Rc8.
14.Rg1 - a novelty. In this and analogical positions White played so with the pawn on h4. This pawn can be used in possible later attack - logically? But Mickey hopes for an ending (I think so :) ), so he is not going to have one more weakness on K-side.
Further events developed logically, but why White offered the draw? PC says that White has a definite advantage, of course it does not even consider ending factor. But to me too seems that White has a preferable position after 23.c3!?

Kramnik-Morozevich 1/2
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg5 Bg7 5. Qd2 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Nh5 8. Nge2 e6 9. O-O-O Nc6 10. f3 Nxg3 11. hxg3 1/2-1/2
One could expect everything from Morozevich, but Pirc defence... Kramnik, well it seems it's boring for him to play chess at all! Or maybe in this tournament only. In the final position White has a space advantage, but Black has 2 Bishops. Yes, these are the reasons for a draw ... Hmmm...
Ok. Nothing to say about opening, both chessplayers are just tired!
What a difference which moves were made when both(for certain :)) opponents have nothing against draw.