50th Biel: Round 7 - Four winners, four leaders

50th Biel International Festival

Round 7

The leader Etienne Bacrot faced Hou Yifan with black today — amazingly their first encounter over the board. Bacrot was prepared to play a Berlin Defense, Hou went for the 4.d3 anti-Berlin and after 14 moves a nearly symmetrical position arose.

Almost symmetry

Hou then concentrated on the kingside, while Bacrot sought counterplay in the center. White's chances were perhaps a little better, but a draw would certainly have been the most logical result if the Frenchman had not committed a slight inaccuracy — with dire consequences:

Bacrot played 35...Rd8 and gave up after White's next move. Instead 35...Rd7 would have been OK for black. Well, what is the difference?

Pentala Harikrishna and Ruslan Ponomariov are the immediate pursuers of Bacrot, with only half a point behind him. The Ukrainian played today with the black pieces against Alexander Morozevich who played a sharp attacking novelty in the Queen's Gambit Declined.

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Move	N	Result	Elo	Players

Replay and check the LiveBook here

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Nbd7 Common is 6...dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 7.e3 Be7 This is almost a classical Queens Gambit Declined. 8.Qc2 0-0 8...a6 9.a3 0-0 10.Rd1 b6 11.Be2 Bb7 12.0-0 Rc8 13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Nd7 15.Bg3 b5 1/2-1/2 (15) Ponomariov,R (2709)-Mamedyarov,S (2762) Tashkent 2016 9.0-0-0 With an almost 75% success rate for White, in practice. dxc4

10.g4!? A new move. White doesn't bother to recapture on c4, but instead starts his kingside attack. To date, White players nearly always recaptured 10.Bxc4 b5 11.Bd3 10...b5 11.Rg1 Nd5 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.g5 h5 13...hxg5 14.Nxg5 threatens mate, but after g6 the attack is not exactly playing itself. 14.g6 f5 Other ideas are 14...Nxc3!? 15.Qxc3 f6 or 14...fxg6 all of which are unclear. 15.Ne5 The most direct plan for White is to go after the h5 pawn. Nxc3 After 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 Black no longer has the f6 square for his knight, but he can play f4 for instance 17.e4 Nb6 18.Qe2 Qh4 16.Qxc3 Nf6 17.e4 Ng4?! to easy the pressure by exchanging knights. Probably this is not the best plan. 17...fxe4 18.Qh3 with the intention of Rg5 and Rxh5 is unpleasant for Black. 17...Bb7!? 18.Qh3 18.Nxg4? fxg4 would have some sense for Black. 18...Qg5+ 18...h4? is not an option here. After 19.Nxg4 fxg4 20.Qxg4 Qf6 21.Qh5 Qf4+ 22.Kb1 Qh6 23.Qe5 White has complete controll. 19.Kb1 Qh6 20.Qh4 f2 still had to be covered.

20...Nf6? Correct was 20...fxe4 After 21.Be2 White remains on top, but Black is fighting. 21.Nxg4? hxg4 22.Qxg4 e5-+ is nothing for White. 21.Rg5+- Or after 21.Nf7 Rxf7 22.gxf7+ Kxf7 23.e5 Ng4 24.Qd8+- 21...Bd7 22.Nxd7 Nxd7 23.e5+- Not 23.Rxh5? Qxg6 24.Rg5 24.Rh8+ Kf7 24...Qh7 and White's advantage has dissolved, with the g6 pawn in the air. 23...c5 24.Be2 Overlooking the h5 square. cxd4 25.Rxh5 Qxg6 26.Rh8+ Kf7 27.Bh5 This is the difference to the variation on move 23. Rxh8 28.Bxg6+ Kxg6 29.Qe7 1–0

White	EloW	Black	EloB	Res	Year	ECO	Event	Rnd

Morozevich,A

2675

Ponomariov,R

2699

1–0

2017

D43

50th Biel GM 2017

The Queen's Gambit Declined

The Queens Gambit Declined, Orthodox Variation is an opening choice for Black which will never be refuted. It perhaps has an unjust reputation of being solid and passive, but this all-new ChessBase DVD will challenge that perception. Basing his Black repertoire on the Cambridge Springs variation, Andrew Martin takes you on a tour of classic games, showing how Black may conveniently sidestep the dangerous lines with Bf4, whilst retaining good chances and providing comprehensive coverage of the lines where White captures early on d5. This is a repertoire which will suit all levels of player. Video running time: 4 hours 23 min.

Rarely has Morozevich been so content with himself. | Photo: Pascal Simon

Today there was also a duel between the two young Swiss, Noel Studer and Nico Georgiadis. Just looking at the players' Elo the two are not far apart, Georgiadis has been punching well above his weight class while Studer has struggled, scoring just two draws. Even today, Georgiadis had the upper hand.

A nice position. The knights form a harmonious image.

In a queenless middlegame, Black won a pawn, then another, and his passed queenside pawns, were eventually cashed in for a knight, which allowed a straightforward technical win.

The young men of Biel | Photo: Pascal Simon

Peter Leko also scored his second win of the tournament. Rafael Vaganian passed up the invitation to the Armenian variation of the French, this time chosing the solid Rubinstein. During a long manevering middlegame, Leko cultivated the positional advantage of a queenside pawn majority along withe the bishop pair, finally converting to an easily winning rook ending.

The meeting between David Navara and Pentala Harikrishna was not as eventful as the other games. In a French Tarrasch, the players followed 18 moves of theory, reached an equal middlegame and shook hands five moves later. Harikrishna has no reason to press hard with black as he remains tied for the lead, while Navara is probably wishing the tournament would be over already.

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