ROMGAZ
and the Chess Club Society "Elisabeta Polihroniade” of Bucharest
are staging a double round robin tournament with six of the world's top GMs:
the young Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaidjan, Elo 2756, ranking 5th in the world),
the experienced Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, Elo 2746, 12th in the world), Alexei
Shirov (Spain, Elo 2745, 13th), Boris Gelfand (Israel, Elo 2733, 15th), Gata
Kamsky (USA, Elo 2720, 24th), as well as the best ever rated Romanian chess
player Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (Elo 2675, 55th in the world), 2005 European Champion.
The competition is taking place from June 14th to 25th 2009 in Bazna, Romania.
Round one commentary
By GM Dorian Rogozenco
Radjabov,Teimour - Gelfand,Boris [C42]
Kings Tournament Bazna ROM (1), 14.06.2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Re1
Bg4 9.c4 Nf6 10.Nc3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Nxd4 12.Qd1 Ne6 13.cxd5 Nxd5 14.Bb5+ c6 15.Nxd5
cxb5 16.Qb3 0-0 17.Be3 Bc5 18.Rad1 Bxe3 19.Rxe3 Qa5 20.Qc2
20...Rfe8. [20...Qxa2 suddenly runs into a mate with a queen sacrifice:
21.Ne7+ Kh8 22.Qxh7+! Kxh7 23.Rh3#]
21.f4 b4 [21...Qxa2 is again bad idea:
22.f5 Nf8 23.Rg3 Kh8 24.Qc3 with a winning attack]
22.f5 Nf8 23.Ne7+. Only
this is a new move.
[Leko-Gelfand, Nalchik 2009 continued 23.Red3 Nd7
24.Qc7 Qc5+ 25.Kf1 Qb5 26.Qg3 Ne5 27.f6 g6 28.Qg5 with a very strong attack for
White. Undoubtedly Gelfand analyzed all this and had an improvement in mind. But
Radjabov is the first one to deviate.]
23...Kh8 24.Qc4. [After 24.Rde1
Black can choose between 24...Ne6
(or
24...Qb6 25.Kh1 Red8 26.Qb3 Qf6
27.Qxb4 Rd7 in both cases with acceptable positions.
) ]
24...Ne6
25.Nd5 Qc5 26.Qxb4 Qxb4 27.Nxb4 Nc5 28.Nd5 Rxe3 29.Nxe3. The endgame is slightly
better for White.
29...h5 30.f6. [Another good try to fight for advantage
was 30.b4 Re8 31.Nf1 Ne4 32.Rd7]
30...Ne4 31.fxg7+. [Again White had an
attractive alternative: 31.Rd7 ]
31...Kxg7
32.Kf1. [Now after 32...Re8 Black equalizes and that's why the Azerbaijani
GM offered a draw. As Radjabov stated after the game, Black would have still
had problems to solve after 32.Rd7 Rc8 and now a move that escaped Radjabov'
attention: 33.h4! (Teimour didn't want to make a move like 33.Kf1
which would have offered Black some tactical possibilities) ]
draw. [Click to
replay]
Nisipeanu,Liviu Dieter - Ivanchuk,Vassily [C92]
Kings Tournament Bazna ROM (1), 14.06.2009
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 Re8 10.d4 Bb7 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.Bc2 h6 13.d5 Ne7 14.b3 c6 15.c4 cxd5 16.cxd5
Nd7
17.a4. Nisipeanu thought for almost half an hour for this move. Ivanchuk
himself with the White pieces against Morozevich, Nice 2009 (blindfold) continued
17.g4.
17...f5 18.axb5. A new and stronger move than the previously played
18.exf5.
18...axb5 19.Rxa8 Qxa8 20.Bd3
20...Nf6. An interesting positional pawn sacrifice (though temporary: Black
will soon win back the pawn d5)
[20...b4 was another possibility to treat
the position. Black gives up square c4, but in the future control over square
c3 might be important as well.]
21.Bxb5 Rc8 22.Bc4 fxe4 23.Nxe4 Nxe4 24.Rxe4
Bxd5 25.Rg4 [25.Re1 Kh8
(25...Bxc4 26.bxc4 Rxc4 27.Qxd6 favours White
)
26.Bxd5 Qxd5 27.b4 keeps the position close to equal]
25...Kh8 26.Be3 Bxf3!
27.gxf3 [A better practical decision with little time on the clock would
have been 27.Qxf3 Qxf3 28.gxf3 d5 29.Ba6 Rc3 30.Rb4 with an equal endgame]
27...d5
28.Bd3
28...Rc3! Now Black has a strong initiative and with little time on
the clock it is extremelly difficult for White to defend. 29.Bb1 d4 30.Be4
Qa2 31.Bd2 Rxb3 32.Kg2? The decisive mistake. [32.Bc1 was necessary,
to prevent opponent's rook to come to b2. In that case objectively Black is
only slightly better.] 32...Rb2 33.Be1 Nd5 34.Kg1. White lost on time,
but Black is winning anyway. The simplest is 34...Nf6 followed by 35...Nxe4
and 36...Rb1. 0-1. [Click
to replay]
Kamsky,Gata - Shirov,Alexei [A14]
Kings Tournament Bazna ROM (1), 14.06.2009
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.b3 d4 7.e3 c5 8.exd4 cxd4
9.d3 Nc6 10.Qe2 a5 11.Na3 a4 12.Bb2 Nd7 13.Nb5 e5 14.Nd2
14...Nc5 [Both players considered that 14...a3 15.Bc1 favours White, who
doesn't have to fear Black's queenside counterplay any longer.]
15.Ba3. A
standard exchange in these structures. Control over square e4 is more important
than the dark-squared bishop.
15...Bf5 16.Bxc5 Bxc5 17.Kh1. This plan to
prepare the advance of the f-pawn looks too slow.
17...Bg6 18.Ne4 Be7 19.f4
f5 20.Nd2 exf4 21.gxf4 [Worse is 21.Rxf4 Bg5]
21...Re8 22.Qe6+ Kh8
[22...Bf7? 23.Qxf5]
23.Nf3
23...Bb4. A good idea - the bishop on c3 will cause White headache.
[23...Bg5 brings nothing due to 24.Qd6 and Black has no time to take pawn f4.]
24.Qd5 Bc3 25.Rad1
[25.Nxc3? dxc3 26.Rac1 axb3 27.axb3 Qf6 leaves Black with a large advantage.]
25...Qe7? This tactical mistake remained unexplored by Kamsky.
[The simple 25...axb3 26.axb3 Qf6 leads to a position where Black's chances are
at least not worse.]
26.Nd6? [26.Nfxd4! Nxd4
(No better is
26...Bxd4
27.Nxd4 Nxd4 28.Qxd4) 27.Nxc3 White could win a pawn and remain with better
chances.]
26...Nb4 27.Qe5 a3. A nice exchange sac, based on counterplay
versus pawn a2.
28.Nxe8 Qxe8 29.Rf2 Bb2 30.Nh4 Qxe5 [Better is 30...Bh5
]
31.Nxg6+? A bad mistake, only helping Black.
[After the immediate
31.fxe5 Nxa2 32.Bxb7 Ra7 33.Bd5 Nb4 White has much more ideas than in the game.
For instance 34.Rg1 and it is Black who is struggling.]
31...hxg6 32.fxe5 Nxa2
33.Bxb7 Ra7 34.Bd5 Nb4
35.Rf3. "/portals/all/_for_legal_reasons.jpg" Black to advance the a-pawn.
[However,
preferable was 35.Kg2 and the draw would have been the most likely outcome.]
35...Nxd5
[35...a2?? 36.Rh3#]
36.cxd5 a2 37.Rff1 Kg8 38.Ra1 Bxa1 39.Rxa1 Ra5 40.b4
Rxd5 41.Rxa2 Rxe5
The endgame is difficult for White, who has weak pawns and big problems to activate
the king.
42.Ra8+ Kf7 43.Rd8 Re1+ 44.Kg2 Re2+ 45.Kg1 g5 46.Rxd4 g4 47.b5 Rb2
48.Rd5 Ke6 49.Rc5 g5 50.d4 Rb4 51.Rc6+ [After 51.Re5+ Kf6 52.Rd5 f4 53.Kf2
Rb2+ 54.Kg1 Black wins by playing Kg6-h5-h4-h3.]
51...Kd5 52.Rc5+ [52.Rg6
Ke4 53.Rxg5 Rxb5 54.Kf2 Rb2+ 55.Kg1 Rd2 must be winning for Black as well.]
52...Ke4
53.Re5+ Kf4 54.Rd5 Rb1+ 55.Kg2 Rb2+ 56.Kg1 Rd2!
White is helpless due to zugzwang.
57.Rc5 [57.b6 Rb2 58.Rd6 Kf3]
57...Rxd4
58.b6 Rb4 59.Rc6 g3 60.h3 Ke4 0-1. [Click
to replay]
