2016 Euro Ch. Rd9: Inarkiev activates 'god mode'

by Albert Silver
5/22/2016 – In a number of video games, such as classics like Doom 2 and many others, there is a secret cheat code that unlocks "God Mode". Once unlocked and active, this usually makes player-characters invulnerable. Ernesto Inarkiev seems to have stumbled on that code as he won a second straight game with black to grab sole lead, a full point ahead.
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What can one say about his play so far, or the way things have worked out. The Russian was never lost or anything of the sort, but he was certainly a bit worse, and at times a bit more, in an endgame that seemed dynamic but without big dangers. This may have lulled Igor Kovalenko, playing with White, to relax when he shouldn't have, and not long after seeing his advantage go up in smoke, things began to turn around. He lost control at this point and it was another point for Inarkiev who is now at 7.0/8 and the sole leader, a full point ahead of the pack.

2.0/2 with black, now that is impressive stuff from Ernesto Inarkiev (right)

Igor Kovalenko - Ernesto Inarkiev

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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Bd2 Bf6 9.Ne5 Nxc3 10.Bxc3 Bxg2 11.Kxg2 This line has been played by Kovalenko several times with White over the past years, so was unlikely to have been a surprise for Inarkiev. c5 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.Qd6 Qb6 13...Be7 14.Qd3 Qc7 15.f4 d6 16.Ng4 f5 17.Nf2 Nc6 18.e4 Bf6 19.exf5 exf5 20.Qxf5 Bxc3 21.Qd5+ Qf7 22.bxc3 Na5 23.Rad1 Nxc4 24.Rfe1 Rfe8 25.Ne4 Qxd5 26.Rxd5 Re7 27.Kf3 Rae8 28.Re2 Kf8 29.g4 a5 30.h4 a4 31.f5 Re5 32.Rxe5 Nxe5+ 33.Kf4 Nd3+ 34.Kf3 Ne5+ 35.Kf4 Nd3+ 36.Kf3 Ne5+ 1/2-1/2 (36) Kovalenko,I (2650) -Kryvoruchko,Y (2700) Poland 2015 14.Rad1 Qxd6 15.Rxd6 Be7 16.Rd2 d6 17.Nd3 a5 The novelty. Previously ...Nc6 had been the preference in three grandmaster games, but it could easily transpose. White stands a bit better thanks to the slight weakness on d6, Black's worse bishop and the half-open d-file for his rooks. 17...Nc6 18.e4 Rfd8 19.Rfd1 Kf8 20.f4 Rac8 21.b3 Bf6 22.e5 Be7 23.exd6 Rxd6 24.Nb2 Rcd8 25.Rxd6 Rxd6 26.Rxd6 Bxd6 27.Nd3 f6 28.Kf3 Ke7 29.Bd2 Nb8 30.Be3 Nd7 31.b4 a6 32.b5 Kd8 33.a4 Kc7 34.a5 Kb7 35.Ke2 h5 36.Bd2 g6 37.Bc3 Ka7 38.Kf3 Kb7 39.h3 Ka7 40.g4 hxg4+ 41.hxg4 Kb7 42.Nb2 Ka7 43.Nd3 Kb7 44.Ke3 Ka7 45.Ne1 f5 46.gxf5 gxf5 47.Nf3 Kb7 48.Nh4 Be7 49.Ng6 Bd8 50.Kd3 Ka7 51.Nh8 Kb7 52.Nf7 Be7 53.Ke3 Ka7 54.Ng5 e5 55.Nf7 exf4+ 56.Kxf4 axb5 57.cxb5 Nb6 58.Kxf5 Na4 59.Be1 Bf8 60.Ne5 Bg7 61.Nc4 Bc3 62.b6+ Kb7 63.Nd6+ Ka6 64.b7 Ka7 65.a6 Bxe1 66.Nc8+ Kb8 67.Ne7 Kc7 68.Nc6 1-0 (68) Kovalenko,I (2611)-Berkes,F (2665) Zalakaros 2014 18.f4 Nd7
19.Ne5! An excellent move that forces Black to retreat his knight (though so will White). Nb8! Taking with 19...Nxe5 20.fxe5 dxe5 isn't really an option as it allows White to penetrate with his rook and that can only be bad news. 21.Rd7 Bf6 22.e4 and now after Rfd8 White forces Black to chase his rook around, for which he will cause a bit more grief. 23.Rc7 Rdc8 24.Rb7 Rcb8 25.Rb5 Rxb5 26.cxb5 a4 27.Rd1 Rb8 28.Rd7 Rxb5 29.Ra7 and after the a-pawn falls, the queenside majority and incredibly active white rook will cause no end of problems for Black. 20.Ng4 f5 21.Nf2 Nd7 22.e4 Nb6 23.exf5 Nxc4 24.Re2 Rxf5 25.Rxe6 Bf8 26.Rfe1 Although White still has the edge, it is a tenuous one at best, requiring razor precision to maintain. 26.Rc1 d5 27.Nd3 a4 28.b3 26...Rf7 27.Ne4 d5 28.b3 Na3 29.Ng5 Rfa7 30.Be5 h6 31.Nf3 a4 White seems a bit at a loss on what to do. His advantage has completely disappeared, and Black is the one threatening to grab the upperhand. It was time to exchange off some of the pieces and steer for a draw. 32.Rb6? 32.Bd6 was better. Nc2 33.R1e2 Ra6 34.Rxc2 Rxd6 35.Rxd6 Bxd6 36.Re2 axb3 37.axb3 Rd8= 32...Ra6 33.Rb7 R6a7 34.Rb6 Ra6 35.Rxa6? White seems to be overestimating his chances. Repeating moves and hoping for a draw was now the way to go. Rxa6 36.Kf2 Rb6 37.Rd1 d4 38.Nd2 Nc2 39.Kf3 Rb7 40.Rb1 Nb4 41.a3 Nd5 42.bxa4 Ra7 43.Rb8 Kf7 44.Ke4 Nc3+ 45.Kd3 Rxa4 46.Nc4 Nd1 47.Rxf8+? Did White underestimate the trouble he was causing himself, or did he just hallucinate? Kxf8 48.Bd6+ Kf7 49.Bxc5 Ne3 50.Nb6 The point was 50.Nxe3 dxe3 and if 51.Kxe3 Rc4! 52.Bb4 Rc2 and the rook is a beast. 50...Ra5 51.Bb4 Rh5 52.a4? There was no need to leave the pawn. The minor pieces will have trouble challenging the rook, giving Black time to regroup and centralize his king. 52.h4 was better. Ke6 53.a4 Nd5 54.Nxd5 Kxd5 55.Be1 52...Rxh2 Now White's position falls apart very quickly. 53.a5 Ra2 54.Na8 Ke6 55.Ke4 Ra4 56.Nc7+ Kd7 57.Na6 Kc6 58.Bf8 Rxa5 59.Nb4+ Kb5 60.Nd3 Kc4 61.Bxg7 Nf5 62.Ne5+ Rxe5+ 63.Bxe5 d3 64.Kxf5 d2 65.Kf6 d1Q 66.f5 Kd5 67.Bf4 Qh5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kovalenko,I2644Inarkiev,E26860–12016E1817th ch-EUR Indiv 20169.1

With two rounds left, Ernesto is the big favorite. In round 10 he will face 25-year-old Aleksey Goganov with 7.0/9, seeking to steal the top spot, though now Inarkiev will have white.

Replay games of round nine

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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Ne4 8.Bd2 Bf6 9.Ne5 Nxc3 10.Bxc3 Bxg2 11.Kxg2 c5 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.Qd6 Qb6 14.Rad1 Qxd6 15.Rxd6 Be7 16.Rd2 d6 17.Nd3 a5 18.f4 Nd7 19.Ne5 Nb8 20.Ng4 f5 21.Nf2 Nd7 22.e4 Nb6 23.exf5 Nxc4 24.Re2 Rxf5 25.Rxe6 Bf8 26.Rfe1 Rf7 27.Ne4 d5 28.b3 Na3 29.Ng5 Rfa7 30.Be5 h6 31.Nf3 a4 32.Rb6 Ra6 33.Rb7 R6a7 34.Rb6 Ra6 35.Rxa6 Rxa6 36.Kf2 Rb6 37.Rd1 d4 38.Nd2 Nc2 39.Kf3 Rb7 40.Rb1 Nb4 41.a3 Nd5 42.bxa4 Ra7 43.Rb8 Kf7 44.Ke4 Nc3+ 45.Kd3 Rxa4 46.Nc4 Nd1 47.Rxf8+ Kxf8 48.Bd6+ Kf7 49.Bxc5 Ne3 50.Nb6 Ra5 51.Bb4 Rh5 52.a4 Rxh2 53.a5 Ra2 54.Na8 Ke6 55.Ke4 Ra4 56.Nc7+ Kd7 57.Na6 Kc6 58.Bf8 Rxa5 59.Nb4+ Kb5 60.Nd3 Kc4 61.Bxg7 Nf5 62.Ne5+ Rxe5+ 63.Bxe5 d3 64.Kxf5 d2 65.Kf6 d1Q 66.f5 Kd5 67.Bf4 Qh5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kovalenko,I2644Inarkiev,E26860–12016E1817th ch-EUR Indiv 20169.1

Results of round nine

Bd
Ti.
Name
FED
Rtg
Pts
Result
Pts
Ti.
Name
FED
Rtg
1
GM
 Kovalenko Igor
2644
6½
0 - 1
7
GM
 Inarkiev Ernesto
2686
2
GM
 Goganov Aleksey
2600
6½
½ - ½
6½
GM
 Wojtaszek Radoslaw
2722
3
GM
 Piorun Kacper
2681
6
½ - ½
6
GM
 Navara David
2735
4
GM
 Jobava Baadur
2661
6
½ - ½
6
GM
 Vallejo Pons Francisco
2700
5
GM
 Fressinet Laurent
2692
6
½ - ½
6
GM
 Hovhannisyan Robert
2632
6
GM
 Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter
2669
5½
½ - ½
6
GM
 Dubov Daniil
2644
7
GM
 Yilmaz Mustafa
2603
5½
½ - ½
5½
GM
 Cheparinov Ivan
2685
8
GM
 Anton Guijarro David
2616
5½
1 - 0
5½
GM
 Najer Evgeniy
2681
9
GM
 Pantsulaia Levan
2613
5½
½ - ½
5½
GM
 Dreev Aleksey
2662
10
GM
 Ter-Sahakyan Samvel
2601
5½
½ - ½
5½
GM
 Bartel Mateusz
2653
11
GM
 Palac Mladen
2577
5½
½ - ½
5½
GM
 Saric Ivan
2650
12
GM
 Ipatov Alexander
2648
5½
0 - 1
5½
GM
 Pashikian Arman
2612
13
GM
 Zhigalko Sergei
2647
5½
½ - ½
5½
GM
 Zubov Alexander
2612
14
GM
 Bortnyk Olexandr
2565
5½
½ - ½
5½
GM
 Kobalia Mikhail
2646
15
GM
 Melkumyan Hrant
2646
5½
½ - ½
5½
GM
 Donchenko Alexander
2569

Click for complete round results

Standings after round nine

Rk SNo Ti. Name Fed Rtg Pts  TB  Perf rtg+/-
1 12 GM Inarkiev Ernesto RUS
2686
8.0
49.0
2967
27.2
2 2 GM Wojtaszek Radoslaw POL
2722
7.0
49.5
2839
12.8
3 60 GM Goganov Aleksey RUS
2600
7.0
43.5
2806
22.8
4 1 GM Navara David CZE
2735
6.5
49.0
2786
6.5
5 26 GM Jobava Baadur GEO
2661
6.5
49.0
2771
14.3
6 5 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco ESP
2700
6.5
47.5
2758
7.1
7 8 GM Fressinet Laurent FRA
2692
6.5
46.5
2764
8.7
8 37 GM Kovalenko Igor LAT
2644
6.5
46.5
2726
11.1
9 43 GM Hovhannisyan Robert ARM
2632
6.5
44.0
2699
9.2
10 51 GM Anton Guijarro David ESP
2616
6.5
43.0
2687
10.5
11 36 GM Dubov Daniil RUS
2644
6.5
42.5
2751
11.3
12 16 GM Piorun Kacper POL
2681
6.5
42.0
2722
6.0
13 54 GM Pashikian Arman ARM
2612
6.5
39.5
2600
1.5
14 30 GM Saric Ivan CRO
2650
6.0
48.0
2695
6.4
15 4 GM Ponomariov Ruslan UKR
2715
6.0
46.5
2707
-0.8
16 13 GM Cheparinov Ivan BUL
2685
6.0
46.5
2679
0.0
17 42 GM Berkes Ferenc HUN
2636
6.0
46.5
2689
7.5
18 56 GM Khismatullin Denis RUS
2609
6.0
46.5
2661
7.5
19 6 GM Ragger Markus AUT
2696
6.0
45.5
2664
-2.7
20 3 GM Vitiugov Nikita RUS
2721
6.0
45.5
2720
-0.1
21 55 GM Zubov Alexander UKR
2612
6.0
45.0
2728
12.4
22 57 GM Yilmaz Mustafa TUR
2603
6.0
44.5
2704
13.4
23 34 GM Kobalia Mikhail RUS
2646
6.0
44.0
2640
0.1
24 33 GM Zhigalko Sergei BLR
2647
6.0
44.0
2673
4.1
25 29 GM Bartel Mateusz POL
2653
6.0
43.5
2668
2.7
  72 GM Palac Mladen CRO
2577
6.0
43.5
2637
8.8
27 80 GM Donchenko Alexander GER
2569
6.0
43.5
2701
14.6
28 53 GM Pantsulaia Levan GEO
2613
6.0
43.5
2620
2.6
29 59 GM Ter-Sahakyan Samvel ARM
2601
6.0
43.5
2656
9.0
30 24 GM Dreev Aleksey RUS
2662
6.0
43.0
2642
-1.4

Click for complete standings

Schedule

Day
Date
Time
Program
Wednesday
11.05.2016
 
Arrival of participants
Wednesday
11.05.2016
20:00
Opening ceremony
Thursday
11.05.2016
22:00
Technical meeting
Thursday
12.05.2016
15:30
Round I
Friday
13.05.2016
15:30
Round II
Saturday
14.05.2016
15:30
Round III
Sunday
15.05.2016
15:30
Round IV
Monday
16.05.2016
15:30
Round V
Tuesday
17.05.2016
15:30
Round VI
Wednesday
18.05.2016
 
Rest day
Thursday
19.05.2016
15:30
Round VII
Friday
20.05.2016
15:30
Round VIII
Saturday
21.05.2016
15:30
Round IX
Sunday
22.05.2016
15:30
Round X
Monday
23.05.2016
11:00
Round XI
Monday
23.05.2016
20:00
Closing ceremony
Tuesday
24.05.2016
 
Departure

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Born in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and after college moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had a peak rating of 2240 FIDE, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family as an editor and writer at ChessBase News. He is also a passionate photographer with work appearing in numerous publications, and the content creator of the YouTube channel, Chess & Tech.

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