Bundesliga: Baden-Baden leads after rd4
By André Schulz
The fourth round of the Bundesliga brought several decisive results, including two in Hamburg: The host won against König Tegel 7-1. Among the players defendin Hamburger SK were two youths, Rasmus Svane and Jonas Lampert, who accounted for 1.5 points on their own, while Werder Bremen defeated SF Berlin 6.5-1.5.
Rasmus Svane
However, the most crushing victory of the round was Baden-Baden over Viernheim. The only draw Viernheim’s players managed to score was Fabien Libiszevski’s split point against Etienne Bacrot, following Magnus Carlsen’s example, he used the same Berlin defense from game eight of the world championship played less than a week before. At the very least Viernheim would not go home without scoring a single point and managed to stay out of last place.
Iranian GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami
Robin van Kampen
The same could not be said of the Bavarians from Munich, who were unable to resist Solingen and remain empty-handed. After four rounds they are the only team without a point.
Alexander Areschenko is one of the top rated players in the competition and
will represent Ukraine in the World Team Championship
French GM Romain Edouard
Of note was the closely fought match between SV Mullheim Nord and Sportfreunde Katernberg (Katernberg Sportsfriends) decided by an impressive victory on the top board of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave over Andrei Volokitin as well as Mihail Saltaev on board eight against Christian Scholz. This allowed Mullheim to take the match 5-3.
Here is Vachier-Lagrave’s win over Volokitin:
[Event "BL 2013-2014"] [Site "Germany"] [Date "2013.11.24"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Volokitin, Andrei"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D71"] [WhiteElo "2742"] [BlackElo "2682"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [EventCountry "GER"] [WhiteTeam "SV Mülheim-Nord"] [BlackTeam "SF Katernberg"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 d5 5. Qa4 {A rare move.} ({The usual continuation is} 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. O-O O-O 7. cxd5 cxd5) 5... Nfd7 ({Or} 5... Bg7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O a6 8. Bf4 Be6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Qb3 Ra7 11. Ne5 Ne4 12. Rd1 Nd7 13. Nc3 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 Ra8 15. Qb3 a5 16. Bxd5 a4 17. Qxb7 Rb8 18. Nxf7 Rxb7 19. Nxd8 Bxd5 20. Nxb7 Bxb7 21. Rac1 Bd5 22. Rc7 Rd8 23. a3 Kf7 24. Rd2 Nf6 25. f3 Bb3 26. Be5 Ne8 27. Rc5 Bxe5 28. Rxe5 Nd6 29. Rc5 Nc4 30. Rd3 Nxb2 31. Re3 Rxd4 32. Rc7 Be6 33. Ra7 g5 34. Rc3 Rc4 35. Re3 Rc2 36. Re4 Rc3 37. h4 h6 38. hxg5 hxg5 39. Ra6 Ba2 40. Ra7 Be6 41. Ra6 Bc4 42. Rc6 Rxa3 43. Rcxc4 Nxc4 44. Rxc4 {1/2-1/2 (44) Carlsen,M (2815)-Aronian,L (2808) Monte Carlo 2011}) 6. Qc2 dxc4 7. Qxc4 Nb6 ({In another game, Black chose} 7... Bg7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Nc3 Qe7 13. Bf4 Be6 14. Qe4 Bg7 15. Rad1 Rd8 16. Bh3 Rxd1 17. Rxd1 f5 18. Qc2 Nd7 19. e4 Qf7 20. exf5 Bxf5 21. Bxf5 gxf5 22. Re1 Nf8 23. Bd6 Ng6 24. h4 Rd8 25. Rd1 Re8 26. h5 Nf8 27. Bxf8 Rxf8 28. Qb3 Qxb3 29. axb3 Bf6 30. Rd6 Be5 31. Rd7 Rf7 32. Rd8+ Kg7 33. Re8 Bxc3 34. bxc3 Kh6 35. Kg2 Kxh5 36. Rg8 Kh6 37. Kf3 Rg7 38. Ra8 Kg5 39. Rxa7 Rd7 40. Ke3 Re7+ 41. Kf3 Rd7 42. b4 Rd3+ 43. Ke2 Rxc3 44. Rxb7 h5 45. Rg7+ Kf6 46. Rh7 Kg5 47. Rg7+ Kf6 48. Rc7 Rc4 49. Kd3 Rxb4 50. Rxc6+ Kg5 51. Ke2 h4 52. gxh4+ Rxh4 {1/ 2-1/2 (52) Akopian,V (2681)-Mamedov,R (2647) Warsaw 2013}) 8. Qd3 {And after only eight moves, "theory" is left behind.} Na6 9. Nf3 Bg7 10. O-O O-O 11. Rd1 c5 12. Nc3 Bf5 ({Or} 12... cxd4 13. Nxd4 e5 (13... Nc5 14. Qf3 Qe8 15. b3 Bd7 16. Ba3 Rc8 17. Qe3 $16 {with a white advantage}) 14. Ndb5 Qxd3 15. Rxd3 Nb4 16. Rd1 Nc2 17. Rb1 Nd4 18. Be3 Bf5 19. Rbc1 $14) 13. e4 cxd4 (13... Bg4 $5 14. Be3 cxd4 15. Bxd4 Bxd4 16. Qxd4 Qxd4 17. Rxd4 Rad8 18. Rad1 Rxd4 19. Rxd4 Nc5 $11) 14. exf5 dxc3 15. Qe2 Qc8 (15... Qc7 $5 16. Bf4 Qc4 $11) 16. fxg6 hxg6 17. bxc3 Na4 ({Also possible was} 17... Bxc3 18. Rb1 Bf6 19. Ne5 Qe6 20. Bxb7 Rad8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Bxa6 Qxe5 23. Qxe5 Bxe5 24. Kg2 $11) 18. Bd2 Nxc3 19. Bxc3 Qxc3 20. Rab1 (20. Qxe7 Bf6 (20... Qxa1 21. Rxa1 Bxa1 22. Qh4 $16) 21. Qxb7 Nc5 22. Qb5 Rab8 23. Qf1 Ne4 {With active play for the pawn.}) 20... Qc7 21. Ng5 { White has an initiative for the pawn.} Nc5 22. Rdc1 Rab8 (22... Qd6 $5 23. Bxb7 Rab8 24. Bf3 Rxb1 25. Rxb1 Bd4 26. Rd1 e5 $11) 23. Bd5 (23. Qc4 b6 24. Qh4 Rfd8 25. Rb4 Rd6 26. Rf4 Rf6 $11) 23... b6 {The threat was to take on f7 twice followed by Qc4+ winning the knight on c5.} (23... e6 24. Bxe6 $40) (23... Bf6 24. Bxf7+ Rxf7 25. Nxf7 Kxf7 26. Qc4+ Kg7 $18) 24. Qg4 e6 $6 (24... Bf6 {would lead to complications that favor White.} 25. Nxf7 Kg7 26. Be4 Rxf7 27. Qxg6+ Kf8 28. Bd5 e6 29. Bxe6 Nxe6 30. Rxc7 Nxc7 31. Rd1 Re8 32. h4 $16) 25. Bxe6 Bf6 (25... fxe6 26. Rxc5 (26. Nxe6 {would lose to} Qd7 $19) 26... bxc5 27. Qxe6+ Qf7 (27... Kh8 28. Rxb8 Rxb8 29. Qxg6 Rb1+ 30. Qxb1 Bf6 31. Ne6 Qe5 32. Nf4 $18 ) 28. Qxf7+ Rxf7 29. Rxb8+ Rf8 30. Rxf8+ Bxf8 31. f4 c4 32. Kf2 Bc5+ 33. Ke2 Bd4 34. Nf3 Bb2 35. Kd2 {and Black is lost.}) 26. Nxf7 Kg7 27. h4 Rxf7 28. h5 Rbf8 $2 (28... Rd8 29. Qxg6+ Kf8 30. Bxf7 Qxf7 31. Qxf7+ Kxf7 32. Rd1 Rg8 33. Rd5 $18 {and the kingside pawns will win the day.}) 29. Qxg6+ Kh8 30. Qh6+ ({ Also good was} 30. Rxc5 Qxc5 31. Bxf7 Qg5 32. Kg2 Qxg6 33. Bxg6 $18) 30... Kg8 31. Qxf6 Nxe6 32. Qg6+ (32. Rxc7 $2 Rxf6 {mit Mehrfigur.}) 32... Rg7 33. Qxe6+ Qf7 34. Rc6 Rg5 ({The rook endgame after} 34... Qxe6 {is won for White. For example} 35. Rxe6 Kh7 36. Kg2 Rf5 37. Rh1 Ra5 38. h6 Rf7 39. g4 $18) 35. Rd1 Rxh5 36. Rd7 Qxe6 37. Rxe6 Ra5 38. Ree7 Ra8 39. Rg7+ Kh8 40. Rh7+ Kg8 41. Rdg7+ Kf8 42. Rg4 Re8 43. Rh8+ Kf7 44. Rf4+ Ke7 45. Re4+ 1-0
Lars Tiede
Mladen Muse
Standings after four rounds
