Intense fights at the Ukranian Championships

by Sagar Shah
11/19/2014 – With 85 GMs and 198 IMs Ukraine is one of the strongest chess countries in the world. And this year a lot of the top players start in the National Championship, among them Vasily Ivanchuk, Ukraine's number one. He is one of five players in the category 17 tournament with an Elo of 2700+. However, after seven rounds another player emerged as sole leader.
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Kuzubov leads in 83rd Ukrainian National Championships

This Ukrainian National Championships are taking place in Lviv from the 11th to 22th November 2014. The men's tournament is a 12-player Round-Robin event while the women's is a 10 player one. The former is probably the strongest Ukrainian Championship ever with an average Elo of 2659. And who is the biggest attraction for the spectators?

Vassily Ivanchuk: the man who has chess all over him!

Known as one of the most brilliant and original players in chess, Ivanchuk's participation has surely enhanced the stature of this event. Along with Ivanchuk, former World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov, Pavel Eljanov, defending champion Yuri Kryvoruchko and Alexander Moiseenko are also in action - these are the five players in the event with an Elo of 2700+. The tournament has been a complete street fight with just about every player taking a beating from the other. After seven rounds Yuriy Kuzubov leads with 5.0/7.

Yuri Kuzubov (2661) is currently leading the tournament after he took down erstwhile leader Pavel Eljanov in the sixth round.

GM Pavel Eljanov

GM Pavel Eljanov was having a great tournament and was leading with 4.0/5 until Kuzubov stopped his run in the sixth round. It must be mentioned that Eljanov did beat the top seed of the event Vasily Ivanchuk in smooth positional fashion.

Let's check the game that was crucial at the half-way mark between Eljanov and Kuzubov.

 
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Eljanov was off to a blazing start, racing to 3/3 before 2 draws. This put him at an impressive score of 4/5. Kuzubov had also started off well with a win in the first round, after which followed 4 consecutive draws putting him at a solid 3/5. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ The Bogo-Indian Defence, a solid opening for Black. 4.Nbd2 The latest trend. White avoids exchanging the dark squared B, and opts to block the check with the N instead. 4.Bd2 is the main line. 4...0-0 4...b6 has been the most played move. 5.a3 Be7 This move allows White to build up his center, while Black will try to undermine it with the immediate ...d5, or an eventual ...e5 as played in the game. 5...Bxd2+ is the other move. Black trades off the Knight and will try to control the e4 square with b6-Bb7. 6.e4 d6 6...d5 is the main line which leads to sharp, uncompromising play after 7.e5 7.Be2 Nbd7 8.0-0 e5 9.Qc2 Developing the Q to a natural square. White has a very pleasant position, and a stable center. Black is somewhat passive and restrained in such positions. exd4 10.Nxd4 Re8 11.b3 Bf8 12.Bb2 g6 Black prepares Bg7, opposing the B on b2. 13.Rfe1 13.f4!? was interesting, expanding in the center and on the Kingside. White seems to have a lot of space to work with after Bg7 14.Bf3 Black is cramped here. 13...c6 14.Bf1 Bg7 15.Rad1 a5 The position now resembles the g3 system against the Kings-Indian Defence (KID), with the only difference being the White B is on f1 and not g2. ...a5 is a classical KID move, discouraging White from playing b4, and preparing to cement the d7 N on c5. 16.g3 Qb6 16...Nc5 immediately would allow 17.b4 17.Bg2 Nc5 Black has made progress, and now has a bit more room for his pieces. 18.h3 A logical move, cutting off the g4 square for Black. Nfd7 19.Ba1 I'm not really sure why White played this. 19.Re3 seeems better, covering the d3 square and preparing f4. 19...h5 I like this move which tries to force a weakness on the Kingside. 19...Ne5 20.Re3 Ne6 is the computer suggestion, after which it says Black is doing fine and it's White who has to think about equality. 20.Nf1 Nf6 The computer jumps with joy at the sight of winning a pawn with 20...Bxd4 21.Bxd4 Qxb3 before realizing that it is infact a terrible idea. 22.Qd2± White's dark squared B is now unopposed. Perhaps the computer will find someway for Black to defend, but every KID player knows that trading the dark squared bishop for something other than White's dark squared bishop is equivalent to suicide. 21.Kh1 White is preparing f4, but Black is well placed to counter it. Bd7 22.f3 This looks like a strange move, but Black doesn't have any immediate way to refute it. Perhaps Eljanov was hesitant to play 22.f4 due to Re7 followed by doubling on the e-file, and he disliked the building pressure on the e4 pawn. 22...Nh7 A logical plan by Kuzubov, preparing to relocate the Knight on e6, and clarify the position somewhat. 23.Bc3? 23.f4 Re7 23...h4 24.g4 g5!? aiming to secure the e5 square might be possible, although it looks a bit risky here. The idea is reminiscent of the game Vaganian-Ivkov Rio de Janeiro Interzonal 1979, where Ivkov implemented a similar concept. The only difference was that White hadn't played f4 yet. 23...Ng5 24.f4? A grave oversight. 24.h4 was necessary, and the position remains equal after Nge6 25.Nxe6 Bxe6 26.Bxg7 Kxg7 27.Re3= 24.Kh2 Bxh3! 25.Bxh3 Bxd4 26.Bxd4 Nxf3+ 27.Kg2 Nxe1+ 28.Rxe1 Qxb3 24...Ngxe4! 25.Bxe4 Nxe4 26.Rxe4 Rxe4 27.Qxe4 c5! The idea is revealed now. After White removes his N, Black plays Bc6 skewering the Queen to the K. 28.Ne2 Bc6 29.Rd5 Forced. Re8 30.Qd3 Bxd5+ 31.cxd5 Qxb3 Everything is hanging for White. His pieces are all pinned, and he has no coordination at all. 32.Ne3 c4 33.Qd2 Qb1+? This move nearly throws away the win according to the computers. 33...Bxc3 34.Nxc3 b5 Advancing the queenside was the simplest. 35.f5 b4-+ 34.Kg2 Qd3 35.Kf2? 35.Kf3! and now Black would have to find the precise b5-+ and the computers say Black wins. Still, this is not an easy move to find, and it is probable both the players were in time trouble. 35...Bxc3 36.Qxd3 Be1+ White resigned here. A great victory for Kuzubov who joins Eljanov in the lead with 4/6, going into the rest day. An over cautious approach led to a swift downfall for White in this game. 0–1
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Eljanov,P2719Kuzubov,Y26610–12014E11Ukrainian Men - 20146.1

Ivanchuk, often affectionately called "Chucky", has not been having the best tournament of his life.

GM Alexander Zubarev

Before beating Ivanchuk in round six, Zubarev (2588) had a horrible score of 0.5/5. Maybe his win over the strongest Ukrainian player will give him the much needed confidence for the second half of the event.

 
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At this stage, Ivanchuk was on 2.5/5, while Zubarev on 0.5/5. These players were headed on different tracks when they collided in the 6th round and produced an eventful game. It seemed like Ivanchuk would move to 4/6 as he had the White pieces as well, but things turned out to be quite different. 1.d4 It's impossible to predict what opening Ivanchuk will play since he has been known to play literally every single opening that exists. Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 The Saemisch variation of the Nimzo, which leads to both positional and sharp lines. Ivanchuk has only played this 8 times, the last time being in 2010. 0-0 Not the main move, but certainly a playable one. 4...d5 is the main line. 4...c5 is the other main line. 5.a3 5.e4 is the other option for White. It can lead to unclear positions after d5 5...d6 is a more quieter approach, after which Black plans ...e5. 6.e5 Nfd7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 f6 10.exf6 Qe8+ 11.Qe2 Qf7 12.fxg7 Re8 13.Be3 Nc6∞ 1-0 (44) Mamedyarov,S (2757)-Aronian,L (2830) Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2014 5...Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nh5 Black's idea is very simple. He wants to play ...f5, to discourage White from bolstering his center with e4. ...Qh4 check is threatened as well, and so Whites next move is very logical. 7.Nh3 Now ... Qh4+ can be met by g3 or Nf2. f5 8.Bg5 8.e3 was played earlier in the year by Karjakin against Carlsen. d6 9.Be2 c5 10.0-0 Nc6 11.g4 fxg4 12.fxg4 Nf6 13.Nf2 h6 14.e4 e5 1/2-1/2 (63) Karjakin,S (2772)-Carlsen,M (2881) Shamkir AZE 2014 8...Qe8 9.g4 This continuation is a bit risky for White, but if it works out it will pay high dividends. White is undermining Black's kingside expansion with ...f5, to gain access to the e4 square for either his pieces or pawn. It does expose his own King, but there is no immediate way for Black to capitalize. fxg4 10.fxg4 Nf6 11.Qd3 11.Bxf6 is the more straightforward approach. White trades off the f6 N which was threatening to leap to e4, and prepares Bg2-Nf2-0-0. Rxf6 12.Bg2 Nc6 13.Qd3 Ne7 14.Be4 g6 15.g5 Rf7 16.Nf2 1-0 (44) Khairullin,I (2617)-Adams,M (2704) Rijeka 2010 11...d6 11...d5 was a more aggressive approach. But White is doing fine after 12.Bg2 Nbd7 13.cxd5 exd5 14.0-0 and although the computers say Black is OK, the position looks quite good for White. All his pieces are developed, while Black's are rather awkwardly placed. 11...Nxg4 doesn't really make any sense, as after 12.Rg1 White has the open g-file at his disposal, and his pieces stare menancingly towards the Black K. 12.Bxf6 Rxf6 13.Bg2 Ivanchuk now plans to play Be4 which would force Black to weaken his kingside. This wouldn't have been possible earlier, as the f6 N was covering the e4 square. Nc6 It's tough to say if the text, or 13...Nd7 was better. Both have their merits and drawbacks, and it depends on the player where he would like to place his N. 14.Be4 g6 15.g5 15.Nf2 I think Chucky should have simply followed with the routine plan of Nf2 followed by 0-0 or even h2-h4 immediately. It's an extremely unpleasant idea for Black encounter over the board. I guess a human would try to react in the center with e5 but White can march forward on the Kingside with 16.h4± and Black is in problems. 15...Rf8 16.Nf2 This seems similar to the 15.Nf2 variation, but there are some significant differences. Black's Rook is now on f8, and White's pawn is on g5. Black also has access to the f5 square now for his B, after he strikes in the center with e5 17.h4 This is not as effective now as we'll see. Kg7! Black plans to meet h5 with ...gxh5. 18.h5 Qf7 Now White has to make a decision on how to protect his N. 18...gxh5 might be OK, but it's not really neccessary to allow White to capture on h7. 19.Qg3? This seems so natural, defending the Knight by transferring the Q to the Kingside. Chucky underestimated ...gxh5. The computer suggests 19.Qe3 and after Black plays gxh5 then 20.Rb1!? and the evaluation is quite monotonous at 0.00. Anyways, I cannot imagine any human playing or even thinking about the move Rb1 in their thought process. 19...gxh5 20.Bd5 Vacating the B from e4 square, and preparing to bring the N there instead. Qg6 21.Ne4 Kh8! Powerful defense by Zubarev. Now Nxf6 is not possible for the time being, as Black simply plays Rxf6. That was the point of Kh8, as White cannot play gxf6 with check anymore! 22.0-0-0 Ivanchuk whisks his K to the Kingside, activating the dormant a1 R. Ne7! Another strong move. Black has two threats now - Nxd5 followed by Qxe4, and c6 trapping the d5 B. 23.Rdf1?? A blunder, probably due to a miscalculation. 23.Nf2 was the best try for White, but Black is still the one in control. There are several ways Black can play here, the most simple being Rf5 24.Nh3 Nxd5 25.cxd5 Bd7 23...Bf5 23...Bf5 keeps a decisive advantage for Black, but Zubarev could have ended the game immediately with 23...Rxf1+ 24.Rxf1 Nxd5 25.cxd5 Qxe4 26.Rf8+ Kg7 27.Qf2 Qg6!-+ followed by b6-and Bb7 untangling his Queenside. Black is just a solid piece up. 24.Nd2 Nxd5 25.cxd5 exd4 26.cxd4 Bg4 The dust has settled, and it's clear that Black is completely winning. He is a pawn up, and it's only a matter of time before he captures the g5 pawn. His K is safe, his pawn structure is better, and his B is better than White's N. 27.Rxf8+ Rxf8 28.Qe3 Qe8 A strange move, but perhaps Zubarev didn't want to lose control of the f-file by playing 28...Re8 although White doesn't have anything after 29.Qf4 Bxe2-+ 29.Ne4 Chucky avoids the exchange, hoping to generate some counterplay with Qs on the board. But Zubarev closes out the game without any hiccups. 29.Qxe8 Rxe8 30.e4 was the most tenacious defense for White Kg7 31.Kc2 Kg6 32.Kd3 Kxg5 Black is two pawns up, and the position should be winning although it will require some precision and accuracy. White may have saving chances here after 33.Ke3 29...Kg7 30.Kd2 Rf7 31.Qd3 Re7 32.Ng3 32.Nf6 Qg6 33.e3 33.Qxg6+ Kxg6 34.e4 Kxg5 33...Qxd3+ 34.Kxd3 Kg6-+ 32...Qg6 33.Rf1 Qxg5+ 34.e3 Qg6 35.e4 h4 36.Nf5+ Bxf5 37.exf5 Qg2+ 38.Kc3 Kf6 and White resigned as he is 2 pawns down, about to lose a 3rd on d5, and he can't stop the advance of the h-pawn. A well played game by Zubarev. He took down the top seed as Black, a satisfying result after a dissatisfying start. 0–1
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Ivanchuk,V2726Zubarev,A25880–12014E27Ukrainian Men - 20146.6

Ruslan Ponomariov (2711) has been pretty impressive in this event with wins over Areshchenko and Kryvoruchko.

 
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In this game Super GM Ponomariov opens with 1.e4, the opening move that he has played the most throught his career. GM Areshchenko responds with the Sicilian, as expected, and the game steers itself into the channels of the Najdorf. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3!? This move is not the most common in this position, but it is still a highy popular choice for players who want to avoid the sharp and complex main lines of the Najdorf. 6.Be3 and 6.Bg5 are the main, and most scrutinized moves in this opening. 6...e5 Some players prefer 6...e6 turning the game into a Schvenningen. White follows up with 7.g4 and we reach the Keres Attack (e4,c5,Nf3,d6,d4,cxd4,Nxd4,Nf6,Nc3,e6,g4) by transposition. 7.Nde2 h5 This is probably the best way to play after 6...e5, and has become the main line in recent years. Black's idea is simple - stop White from playing g4, the usual idea in this position. This move is not without some drawbacks though, as the g5 square becomes a bit weak, but overall Black's position still remains quite solid and a tough nut to crack. 8.g3!? The 2nd most played move in this position, White prepares to develop his B to g2, and refrains from the main line 8.Bg5 8...Be7 8...Be6 followed by the routine development with Nbd7-Rc8 is another viable plan here. 9.Bg2 0-0 Most players played 9...b5 which is quite sensible. Black waits for White to castle first before he commits his own King to the kingside, and makes a useful move as well. Areshchenko has played this before against Efimenko, so perhaps he wanted to avoid any possible preparation by Ponomariov by playing the rare ...0-0. 10.Be3 Nbd7 The blocking of the bishop turns out to have grave ramifications. Black will sorely miss being able to cover the exposed d5 square. 10...Be6 is correct, after which a normal game arises after 11.a4 Nbd7 and Black shouldn't be much worse. 11.a4! This typical move by White is especially strong here. Aside from preventing b5, he also sets up a devilish trap. Qc7? This looks so natural, right? What other square does does Black place his Queen on in the Najdorf? It seems like a perfectly normal, developing move. But infact, it is a huge mistake. Ponomariov capitalized on this swiftly with 11...b6 was correct, preventing a5 and preparing the development of the c8 B to b7. If White plays 12.g4 then Black can lock things up with h4! White can try to charge forward with 13.g5 Nh7 13...Ne8 14.Qd2 Nc7 15.g6 is annoying. 14.g6 but after Nhf6 15.gxf7+ Rxf7 I don't really see how White can claim an advantage here. Black will follow up with Bb7, pressuring e4, and he has the semi open c file and f file to work with. 12.g4! and now we can see the gaping drawback of Black's previous move, ...Qc7. The threat g5, Nd5 looms large over Black's position like menacing dark clouds over the Amazon. hxg4 12...h4 was worth a try here as well. I don't see anything concrete for White after 13.g5 Nh7 14.Nd5 Qa5+ It's important to include this check. 14...Qd8 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Qd2+- defending g5, and preparing 0-0-0. The d6 pawn is a goner. 15.b4 15.Nec3 leads to some wild complications Bxg5 16.Bb6 Nxb6 17.b4 Nxd5 18.bxa5 Nxc3 19.Qd3 Rd8 20.Qxc3 Be6∞ Black has 2 minor pieces for the Queen, but the evaluation of the position remains rather foggy. Black has better placed pieces, more coordinated pieces, and a better pawn stucture. So I think we can safely say that he has reasonable compensation for the Q. 15...Qd8 16.Nxe7+ Qxe7 17.Qd2 a5! Now we can see the importance of playing ...Qa5+. Black forces White to make some concessions in his pawn structure. 18.b5 Nc5 19.0-0-0 Nxa4 20.Qxd6 Qxd6 21.Rxd6 Be6 and of course White has a better endgame; but Black has defending chances here. 13.hxg4 Nb6 13...Nxg4 The computer now rattles of a forced win for White after 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.Ng3 Ndf6 15...Nxe3 16.fxe3+- and Black will either lose material or be mated on the h-file. 16.Bb6 Qe8 17.Nf5 Bxf5 18.exf5+- and now White will play the unexpected Ra3-Rh3 with a decisive attack 14.g5 Ng4 15.Qd3! A beautiful idea which even the computers take a couple of minutes to find. White is simply planning to swing his Q over to the h-file, and Black is completely defenseless. Qd8 16.a5 Nxe3 16...Nd7 17.Nd5 would be absolutely pulverizing. Bxg5 18.Bxg5 Qxg5 19.Qg3! threatening Qxg4,...Qxg4,Ne7 # Nc5 20.b4+- 17.Qxe3 Nc4 18.Qg3 Bxg5 19.b3 Nxa5 19...Nd2 20.Rd1 Be6 21.Rxd2 Bxd2+ 22.Kxd2+- 20.Rxa5 Qxa5 21.Qxg5 Be6 22.Qh5 f6 23.Bf3! An essential move, without which White would not be outright winning. The entry of the B into the attack turns out to be the decisive factor. A quick victory to start off the event for Ponomariov! 23.Bf3 Rac8 24.Qh7+ Kf7 25.Bh5+ Ke7 26.Qxg7+ Bf7 27.Kd2+- 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ponomariov,R2711Areshchenko,A26551–02014B90Ukrainian Men - 20141.1

On the receiving end of Ponomariov's h3-Najdorf: GM Alexander Areshchenko (2655)

Anton Korobov (2680). He is the only one in the tournament who has beaten
Ponomariov but suffered a surprising defeat against the only IM in the event.

IM Stanislav Bogdanovich is perhaps one of the highest rated International Masters
in the world with an Elo of 2590. Some of the readers might
remember him from his 210 move marathon in the 2013 Ukrainian Championships.

Alexander Moiseenko (2701): The only other unbeaten player in the tournament
apart from Kuzubov is on 4.5/7 and in shared second place.

The reigning champion: Yuri Kryvoruchko

GM Alexander Zubov (2588)

GM Alexander Kovchan (2585)

With four rounds more to go it will be an intense fight to the finish line.

WOMEN'S SECTION

The Ukrainian women's final is also a strong event with as many as three grandmasters participating: Anna Muzychuk, Natalia Zhukova and Anna Ushenina. The average rating of the event is 2364.

Maybe you wonder why some players have played four games, others five, and Anna Ushenina only two?

Well, GM Anna Ushenina (2494), former World Champion, withdrew from the tournament.

In the first round Ushenina was paired against 16-year-old Osmak Lulija. The game witnessed fluctuating fortunes as Ushenina built up a winning game from an equal position only to blow it away with some inaccurate moves.

 
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1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 g6 5.d4 Bg7 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 Be6 8.b3 Ne4 9.Bb2 Nxc3 10.Bxc3 Bg4 11.b4 Nd7 12.Rc1 Bxf3 13.gxf3 dxc4 14.Bxc4 e5 15.Be2 exd4 16.Bxd4 Qg5+ 17.Kh1 Rfd8 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.Qb3 Nb6 20.a4 Qf6 21.Rc2 Nd5 22.b5 cxb5 23.axb5 a5 24.bxa6 bxa6 25.Rd1 Rab8 26.Qa3 Nb4 27.Rcd2 Rxd2 28.Rxd2 Rb6 29.Qa5 Qc3 30.Rd8 Rf6 31.f4 Rf5 32.Qb6 a5 33.Qd6 Qc5 34.Qb8 a4 35.Rg8+ Kh6 36.e4 Rf6 The game has been interesting and evenly balanced until this point but now the former World Champion makes a huge blunder. 37.f5? Qc1+? 37...Qxf2!-+ I wonder what White had planned in reply to this move. It's all over. 38.Qf8+ 38.fxg6 Qe1+ 39.Kg2 Qxe2+-+ 38...Kg5-+ 38.Kg2 White is completely winning now. The threat is Qg3 followed by Qh4# Qg5+ 39.Kh3! Qf8# has to be parried in some way now. Qd2 40.Qf8+? 40.Qg3+- Would have instantly finished the game. Qg5 41.Bg4!+- a difficult move to foresee. It is now difficult to meet the move f4 followed by Qh4. 40...Kg5 The 16-year-old Osmak Lulija starts to play very accurately now. 41.Qb8 Rd6 42.Qb5 Kh6 43.fxg6 43.Qb8 Nd3!-+ 43...fxg6 44.Qe5 44.Qe8 would have maintained the balance. 44...Nd3! 45.Qg7+? in her bid to win at all costs, Ushenina goes too far. 45.Qxd6 Nf4+-+ 45.Bxd3 Rxd3+ 46.Kg2 Qg5+ 47.Qxg5+ Kxg5 was the lesser evil. 45...Kg5 46.Qe7+ Rf6 it's all over now. 47.e5 47.Bxd3 Qxd3+ 48.Kg2 Qf3+-+ 47...Nf4+ 48.Kg3 Nxe2+ 49.Kg2 Nf4+ 50.Kg3 Nh5+ 50...Qc3+ 51.f3 Qe1# 51.Kh3 Qd3+ 52.Kg2 Qf3+ A very interesting first round battle. 0–1
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Ushenina,A2494Osmak,I22460–12014A0974th ch-UKR w 20141.1

While this loss could have played a part in Ushenina not turning up for the second round game without informing the arbiters, sources say that she also had problems with the lighting of the tournament hall and accommodation. These issues were solved and the reason remains unclear as to why the former World Champion withdrew from the tournament and took a train to Kiev on the next day itself. As things stand, there will be a bye in every round as now only nine players play in the event.

Top seed, Anna Muzychuk, (2545)

GM Natalia Zhukova (2470)

The other Muzychuk sister: Maria (2529)

Friendly family rivalry?

It is always interesting when two closely related people (be it siblings or married couples) have to fight with each other on the board. Anna and Maria Muzychuk were paired against each other in the first round. They split the point, which definitely was to stay in the family, in 25 moves.

 
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1.c4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Qb3 Qc7 8.Nxg6 hxg6 9.g3 Nbd7 10.Bg2 Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Bd2?! 12.cxd5 seems to be the best move in the position. exd5 13.f3!? With the intention to build a strong center with e3-e4 as was played in Giri-Motylev, Biel 2014. b5 14.e4!? could be the improvement 14.Ne2 Qb6 15.Kh1 c5 was the game continuation. 14...dxe4 15.fxe4 Qb6 16.Rd1 12...Nb6 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.Rfc1 Nc4 15.Be1 Qd7 15...Na5 was better 16.Qd1 Nc6 with a small edge for White but nothing substantial. 16.e4! Na5 17.Qb5 Qxb5 18.Nxb5 Nc6 19.exd5 Nxd5 20.Nc3 Rfd8 21.Nxd5 exd5 22.Bc3 Bf6 23.Rd1 g5 24.Bf3 Rac8 25.Kg2 g6 White does hold a small advantage thanks to his double bishop advantage but the pressure on d4 is irritating to say the least and whatever be the result, the point stays in the family! A draw was agreed. ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Muzychuk,M2529Muzychuk,A2545½–½2014D1274th ch-UKR w 20141.2

WFM Osmak Lulija (2246), is the only player in the event who will not get a
bye as she played GM Ushenina in the first round. But that game brought her
some of the 16 Elo-points she would gain from the tournament
were it to end after five rounds.

In high spirits before the game: WGM Evgeniya Doluhanova (2284)

IM Inna Gaponenko (2381) has five draws and is yet to receive her bye

WGM Olga Kalinina (2259)

WIM Maria Tantsuria

WFM Vira Tarleva (2127)

Pictures by Eugene Kravs from the official website

A special thanks to the youngest ChessBase author, 15-year-old IM Akshat Chandra, for lucidly annotating the three games in the men's section

Akshat Chandra

Links

The games will be broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com with full GM commentary. If you are not a member of Playchess get instant access, but you can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs to log on.

 

Sagar is an International Master from India with two GM norms. He loves to cover chess tournaments, as that helps him understand and improve at the game he loves so much. He is the co-founder and CEO of ChessBase India, the biggest chess news portal in the country. His YouTube channel has over a million subscribers, and to date close to a billion views. ChessBase India is the sole distributor of ChessBase products in India and seven adjoining countries, where the software is available at a 60% discount. compared to International prices.

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