Wijk aan Zee

Startposition

(1) Van Wely - Smeets [D44] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (3), 2009 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.exf6 Bb7 12.g3 c5 13.d5 Qb6 14.Bg2 0-0-0 15.0-0 b4 16.Rb1 Qa6 17.dxe6 Bxg2 18.e7 Bxf1 19.Kxf1 Bxe7 20.fxe7 Rdg8 21.Ne4 Rxg5 22.Nxg5 Re8 23.Qe2 Qg6 24.Ne4 Rxe7 25.Re1 Kd8 26.Qxc4 Qg4 27.Qd5 f5 28.Qa8+ Kc7 29.Qxa7+ Kc6 30.Qa8+ Kc7 1/2-1/2

Startposition

(2) Aronian - Stellwagen [B13] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (3), 2009 1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 dxc4 7.Bxc4 h6 8.Bh4 Qxd4 9.Qxd4 Nxd4 10.0-0-0 e5 11.Nf3 Nxf3 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Bb5+ Ke7 14.Nd5+ Kd8 15.gxf3 Bd6 16.Rd2 Be6 17.Rhd1 Bc5 18.Nb6+ Ke7 19.Nxa8 Rxa8 20.Bd7 Bxa2 21.Bg4 Bd4 22.f4 1/2-1/2

Startposition

(3) Kamsky - Morozevich [C78] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (3), 2009 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d6 8.a4 Rb8 9.axb5 axb5 10.d3 [The main line is 10.d4 with long and heavily-analysed complications. In keeping with his style ever since his junior days, Kamsky prefers a less critical continuation, leading to a more manoeuvering style of game.] 10...0-0 11.h3 Ne7 12.Na3 Ng6 13.Nc2 h6 14.Re1 Bb6 15.Ne3 c6 Black looks to be very comfortable here, but it soon becomes clear that Morozevich has ambitions to complicate the game. 16.Nh2 Kh8 [16...Be6 would be a solid option, but Black instead starts a plan of taking the initiative on the kingside.] 17.Nhg4 Nxg4?! Commenting on the game for the Russian site Crestbook, Sergey Shipv was critical of this risky move, but it is all part of Black's idea. 18.hxg4 Qh4 19.d4 exd4?! [Another move which drew the opprobrium of the online GM commentators. Black concedes the centre without good reason, but Morozevich clearly felt that his piece pressure on the centre would be effective. 19...Be6 is again a solid alternative.] 20.cxd4 Qf6 21.Nf5 Kg8 [Shipov speculates, highly plausibly, that Morozevich had intended 21...Bxf5 22.exf5 Bxd4 but only now spotted the dastardly refutation 23.g5! hxg5 24.Qh5+ Kg8 25.Qxg6 ] 22.Be3 Now White has been able to support his centre, and it is clear that Black's entire strategy over the past few moves has been refuted. As so often, a poor strategic decision results from a tactical oversight. Having obtained a clear positional advantage, Kamsky punches it home in convincing style. 22...Bxf5 23.gxf5 Ne7 24.Bc2 Rfd8 25.b4 c5 Passively waiting for White to prepare the e4-e5 break was hardly attractive, so Morozevich tries his only breakout, but it is crisply refuted. 26.bxc5 dxc5 27.Qg4! Rxd4 [27...cxd4 is met by 28.e5 Qxe5 29.Bxh6 Qf6 30.Bg5 winning.] 28.Bxd4 Qxd4 29.Qg3 Nc6 30.e5 c4 31.Rad1 Qb2 32.f6 g5 33.Re2 Qb4 34.Qh3 As Fritz 11 will inform you in a nanosecond, it is mate in 11! For the human player, it is enough to see that there is no defence to the threats of Qxh6 and Qf5. 1-0

Startposition

(4) Carlsen - Movsesian [D11] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (3), 2009 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Nh4 Bh5 8.h3 Nbd7 9.g4 Bg6 10.g5 Ng8 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Qc2 Ne7 13.Bd2 Nf5 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.Nb5 Bd6 16.Qa4 a6 17.Rc1 Ke7 18.Nxd6 Nxd6 19.Bd3 Rhc8 20.Ke2 e5 21.Qb4 e4 22.Bc2 Qxb4 23.Bxb4 a5 24.Bxd6+ Kxd6 25.f3 exf3+ 26.Kxf3 Nf8 27.Bd3 Ne6 28.h4 Rxc1 29.Rxc1 Rh8 30.Kg4 Re8 31.Bb5 Rg8 32.Rc3 f5+ 33.Kg3 Rf8 34.Bd3 f4+ 35.exf4 Nxf4 36.Kg4 Nxd3 37.Rxd3 Rf2 38.Rb3 Kc6 39.Rc3+ Kd6 1/2-1/2

Startposition

(5) Ivanchuk - Radjabov [E97] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (3), 2009 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0-0 6.Nf3 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.b4 Ne8 [9...Nh5 is much the most usual move, and has been the scene of several successful Radjabov games, notably against Van Wely. ] 10.a4 f5 11.a5 Nf6 12.Bg5 Nh5 13.exf5 gxf5 14.Qd2 Nf6 15.c5 Bd7 16.b5 Be8 17.c6!? Commenting on Playchess, Yasser Seirawan expressed his surprise at this move, as locking the queenside should be in Black's favour. [Positionally, 17.b6 is White programmed move, undermining the base of Black's pawn chain on c7, in good Nimzowitschian fashion. However, it is not clear that it results in so much after 17...axb6 18.axb6 Rxa1 19.Rxa1 cxb6 20.cxd6 Qxd6 ] 17...b6 18.Nh4 Bf7 19.Bd3 Bg6 20.f3 Qe8 Round about here, Fritz 11 is highly optinistic about White's position, but it may be that it overrates White's space advantage on the queenside. 21.Kh1 Kh8 22.Bc2 Qf7 23.g4!? Always a critical idea in such structures, trying to wrench control of the central white squares, but in the words of George W Bush, the danger to the white king should not be "misunderstimated". 23...Nfg8 24.Ra4 Rae8 25.axb6 axb6 26.Ra7 Rc8 27.Nxg6+ Qxg6 28.Rg1 Qf7 By this stage of the game, Ivanchuk was down to barely a minute on the clock, to reach the time control at move 40 (Wijk uses a classical time conrol, with no increments in the main stage of the game). Radjabov himself had only about ten minutes, but in such a complicated position, such a lead on the clock is almost worth an extra piece. 29.Rg3 e4 30.Ne2 Nf6 31.Nf4 Now the real blitz started, with the rest of the game being played in about about a minute. 31...exf3 32.gxf5 Nfxd5 33.Rxf3 Nxf4 34.Qxf4 Bf6 35.Bb3 Qh5 36.Bxf6+ Rxf6 37.Be6 Rcf8 38.Rxc7?? [Tragic. After 38.Rg3 best play seems to be 38...Rxe6 39.fxe6 Qd1+ 40.Kg2 Qe2+ and a draw by perpetual.] 38...Rxe6 39.fxe6 Rxf4 40.Rxf4 Qd5+ The final sting in the tail; the rook on g4 drops off. 41.Kg1 Qg5+ 0-1

Startposition

(6) Karjakin - Wang Yue [B30] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (3), 2009 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Nc3 Qc7 5.0-0 Nd4 6.Re1 a6 7.Bc4 d6 8.Nd5 Nxd5 9.exd5 g6 10.Nxd4 cxd4 11.d3 h6 12.Bf4 Bg7 13.Qd2 Kf8 14.a4 b6 15.h4 Ra7 16.Re2 Kg8 17.Rae1 Qd8 18.f3 f5 19.Bg3 Bf6 20.Bf2 Kf7 21.c3 Qg8 22.g3 Qg7 23.Rc1 Bd7 24.Bb3 g5 25.h5 b5 26.axb5 axb5 27.c4 bxc4 28.Bxc4 Rb8 29.b4 Kf8 30.Be1 Qf7 31.Rh2 Bb5 32.Qb2 Rab7 33.Qb3 Qe8 34.Ra1 Rc8 35.Ra5 Kg7 36.Bxb5 Rxb5 37.Qa4 Rcb8 38.Rc2 Kf7 39.Kf1 Be5 40.Ke2 Qd7 41.Ra2 R8b6 42.Rxb5 Rxb5 43.Qa8 Rb7 44.Rc2 Bg7 45.Rc8 Qb5 46.Qa5 Qd7 47.Qa8 Qb5 48.Qa5 Qd7 49.Rd8 Qc7 50.Bd2 Ra7 51.Qxc7 Rxc7 52.Ra8 Be5 53.f4 gxf4 54.gxf4 Bf6 55.Kd1 e6 56.dxe6+ Kxe6 57.Rb8 Kd5 58.Rb5+ Ke6 59.Rb8 Kd5 60.b5 Bh4 61.b6 Rc5 62.Rh8 Rb5 63.Rxh6 Rxb6 64.Rg6 Rb1+ 65.Bc1 Bf2 66.Kc2 Ra1 67.Kb2 Ra8 68.h6 Be3 69.h7 Rb8+ 70.Kc2 Rc8+ 71.Kb3 Rh8 72.Ba3 Bxf4 73.Rf6 Ke5 74.Rg6 Kd5 75.Rf6 Ke5 1/2-1/2

Startposition

(7) Adams - Dominguez [B87] Corus Chess 2009 Wijk aan Zee (3), 2009 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.0-0 Be7 9.Qf3 Qb6 10.Be3 Qb7 11.Qg3 b4 12.Na4 Nbd7 13.f3 0-0 14.a3 bxa3 15.Rxa3 Rb8 16.Rfa1 Nh5 17.Qh3 Nhf6 18.Qg3 Nh5 19.Qh3 Nhf6 20.Ba2 Nc5 21.Nxc5 dxc5 22.Rb3 Qc7 23.Nc6 Rxb3 24.Nxe7+ Qxe7 25.Bxb3 Nd5 26.Bf2 Nf4 27.Qh4 Qd6 28.Be3 Ne2+ 29.Kh1 Nd4 30.Rd1 Qb6 31.Qe7 Nxb3 32.cxb3 Qb7 33.Qd6 Qxb3 34.Bxc5 Re8 35.h3 h6 36.Rd2 e5 37.Kh2 f6 38.Ba3 Qb5 39.Rd5 Qb7 40.Rc5 Be6 41.Rc7 Qb8 42.Qc6 Qb5 43.Qxb5 1/2-1/2