
The IX European Individual Chess Championship took place in Plovdiv, Bulgaria,
from April 21st to May 3rd 2008, with one free day, on Monday, April 28. The
tournament halls were in the Novotel Plovdiv. The championship was an 11 round
Swiss, playing time is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest
of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one.
The total prize fund in the men's section was 92,200 EUR (first 15,000, 2nd
10,000, third 8,000, fourth 6,500, fifth 5,500 etc.) and in the women's section
34,500 EUR (first 6,000, second 5,000, third 4,000, fourth 3,000, fifth 2,000,
etc.). According to Bulgarian law all prizes were taxable (10%).
Round eleven report (final)
The winner of the IX European Individual Chess Championship 2008 in Plovdiv
was GM Sergey Tiviakov of the Netherlands. He scored 8.5/11, half a point more
than his nearest rivals. Tiviakov's performance was 2794. We note that he was
always amongst the leaders, having started with 3.5 out of 4 and playing on
the top boards after that. Sergey fully deserved the the title, since he stood
worse in none of the games (maybe slightly worse in the Scandinavian Defence
in his game against Kurnosov). He played very efficiently, scoring fairly effortless
draws with black and winning five out of six games with the white pieces.

The winner and European Champion 2008: Sergey Tiviakov
Sergey Tiviakov, who will be leaving for a tournament in Cuba shortly, has
annotated some of his games for the next issue of ChessBase
Magazine. Here is the critical game in the final round. In CBM 124 the game
will be more extensively analysed, especially with regard to the opening. The
following are excerpts of the European Champion's notes.
Tiviakov,Sergei (2634) - Sutovsky,Emil (2630) [B22]
IX EICC Plovdiv (11), 02.05.2008 [Tiviakov,S]
This game from the last round of the European Championship was extremely
important. Only this victory allowed me to win the tournament alone, without
any tie. There were eight players at the lead before the start of the last round
and I was the only one to win (the other three games were quick draws). Emil
also offered me a draw in the evening before this game. But being White in the
last round also having a big positive score against Emil I saw no single reason
to accept it.
1.e4 c5 2.c3. The choice of this move in this game was completely motivated
by the answers of Emil to it since 2000. Otherwise I could have chosen other
lines of the Sicilian Defence. 2...d5. Objectively speaking this move
is worse than 2...Nf6. After 2..d5 White gets a slightly better position in
all lines no matter what Black plays. 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 e6 6.Na3
Nc6. Emil continues to play this dubious move with a regularity. Solid 6...Qd8
is normal. 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nb5 Qd8 9.Nbxd4 Nd5. A critical position of the
whole line with 6...Nc6 where White has a difficult choice out of two good moves
- 10.Nc6 and 10.Bg5. 10.Bg5!? Qb6. The best reaction. Other moves are
worse! 11.Bc4. White has to play energetically to fight for advantage!
11...Nxd4!?N 11...Nf6 is too passive. 12.0-0 (12.Qe2+/=; 12.Bxf6
gxf6 13.Qe2+/=) 12...Be7 13.Qe2 0-0 14.Rad1 a6 15.Rd2 Qc7 16.a4 Bd7 17.Nb3
1/2-1/2 David,P-Bernal Moro,L/Odessa 1990/EXT 97 (17); 11...Qxb2? is a mistake
almost losing on a spot after 12.Nb5+/- trapping the queen b2. E.g. 12...f6
(12...Bc5 13.0-0 Nxc3 14.Nc7+ Kf8 15.Qc1+-) 13.Rb1 Qxc3+ 14.Nxc3 Nxc3
15.Qb3 Nxb1 16.Qxb1 fxg5 17.Nxg5+/-. 12.Nxd4 Bc5 Here again 12...Qxb2?
13.Nb5+- loses; But intermediate 12...h6!? deserved the most serious attention.
13.Bxd5 After 13.0-0 h6 14.Bh4 Bxd4= the position is equal. 13...Bxd4
Here my opening preparation stopped. I only looked at the computer
move 13...exd5 after which White is slightly better after 14.Qe2+ Be6 15.Be3
+/=. 14.0-0!? 14.Qxd4 Qxd4 15.cxd4 exd5 16.Rc1 +/= followed by Rc1-c7
with a very pleasant safe position was a worthy alternative to the text. 14...Bc5?!
Here Emil finally makes a serious mistake. Well, solving an opening problem
after 10.Bg5 was obviously not an easy task... 15.Qe2. Now I get my favourable
type of position which I get very often from the various openings and feel very
well. 15...h6 16.Bf4 0-0 17.Bc4 Bd7 18.Rad1+/-
Until here I was making all natural simple moves rather quickly and at this
point I realised that Black without doing anything specially wrong stands on
the edge of losing. I was looking at the board and saw no defence for Black.
White just plays Rd1-d3-g3, followed by Qe2-g4, and/or Bf4-e5, and the mating
attack comes... 18...Rad8 19.Rd3 Bc8 20.Rg3 Bd6 [20...Kh7 21.Qh5 e5
22.Qxe5+- is lost for Black] 21.Qg4 g6 22.Bxh6 Bxg3 [22...Rfe8 23.Rh3+-
loses] 23.Qxg3 Qc5 [23...Rfe8 is impossible because of 24.Qe5 f6 25.Qxf6
Qc7 26.Qxg6++-]
24.Bxf8 The natural move, but not the strongest move in the
position. Here White bishop h6 is stronger than the black rook. 24.Qf4
Qf5 25.Qxf5 exf5 26.Bxf8 Kxf8+/-; Only computer engine can offer the following
line 24.Bd3 Qd6 25.Qh4 Qe5 (25...e5 26.Re1 Rfe8 27.Bg5 Kg7+-) 26.Bxf8
Rxd3 (26...Rxf8 27.Rd1+-) 27.Qc4 Rd8 28.Be7+- with a winning position.
24...Kxf8. Although White has managed to win a pawn his task to convert
his material advantage into a full point is far from easy. First of all, White
should try to exchange some pieces and/or try to seize the control of the 'd'
line. 25.Bb3?! Allowing unnecessary complications. It was better to
choose 1 line from the following 2: 25.Qf4 g5 26.Qf6 Rd2 27.Bb3 Ke8+/-; or 25.Bd3
Qd5 26.Bb1 Qd2 27.Qc7 Ke8 28.b3 Qe2 29.h3+/-] 25...Kg7?! We both during
the game thought that 25...Rd2 26.Rd1 Rxb2 27.Qh4 Kg7 is impossble for Black,
but actually because of the weakness of the 1st rank White cannot win directly.
Nevertheless after 28.h3 +/= White keeps the upper hand. (28.Rd8 Rb1+ 29.Bd1
Qh5 30.Qd4+ e5 31.Qd6 Be6 is unclear.) 26.Qf4
Now White is back on track to win this game safely! 26...b6 27.Rd1
[27.Re1+/- was also possible, but my aim was to make it as simply as possible.
27...Rxd1+ 28.Bxd1 e5 29.Qd2 Be6. Objectively speaking this ending is
technically won for White! 30.a3. 30.b3+/- was possible but I didn't
want to put my pawn on the square of the same colour as my bishop (as was taught
during the childhood). 30...Bd5 31.Bc2 Qc4 32.Bd3 Qc6. [32...Qa2 33.h3+/-]
33.Qg5 e4 [33...Qd6 34.Qe3+/-] 34.Qe5+ Kh7 35.Be2 Bc4 36.Bd1
[36.Bxc4 Qxc4+/-] 36...f5 [36...Qd7 37.Qd4+/-] 37.Qd4 Bf7 38.g3 Qe6
[38...Qb5 39.b4+/-] 39.b3 g5 40.Qd2 Qf6 41.Qd4
Here the time control was over! And White has not spoiled anything, keeping
all his advantage intact. 41...Qe7 42.b4 f4? 43.Bg4+-. Now the game is
basically over. White has a compete domination by his pieces, also Black king
is not safe anymore from the possible white checks. 43...e3 44.fxe3 fxe3
45.Kf1 b5 46.Ke1 Bc4 [46...Kg8+- was more stubborn.]
47.Qd7! The arising bishop ending is won for White easily. 47...Qxd7
48.Bxd7 Kg6 49.Bg4 Kf6 50.Be2 Bd5 51.Bxb5 Bf3 52.h4 gxh4 53.gxh4 Ke5 54.Be2
Be4 55.h5 Kf4 56.c4 Ke5 57.c5 Kd4 58.h6 Ke5 59.b5 1-0. [Click
to replay]
Top standings after eleven rounds (total 337 players)
1 |
GM |
Tiviakov Sergei |
2634 |
NED |
8.5 |
2 |
GM |
Volkov Sergey |
2633 |
RUS |
8.0 |
3 |
GM |
Tregubov Pavel V |
2629 |
RUS |
8.0 |
4 |
GM |
Movsesian Sergei |
2695 |
SVK |
8.0 |
5 |
GM |
L'Ami Erwin |
2600 |
NED |
8.0 |
6 |
GM |
Vachier-Lagrave Maxime |
2632 |
FRA |
8.0 |
7 |
GM |
Grachev Boris |
2610 |
RUS |
8.0 |
8 |
GM |
Baklan Vladimir |
2647 |
UKR |
8.0 |
9 |
GM |
Kryvoruchko Yuriy |
2612 |
UKR |
8.0 |
10 |
GM |
Nyback Tomi |
2587 |
FIN |
8.0 |
11 |
GM |
Sutovsky Emil |
2630 |
ISR |
7.5 |
12 |
GM |
Laznicka Viktor |
2578 |
CZE |
7.5 |
13 |
GM |
Pavasovic Dusko |
2595 |
SLO |
7.5 |
14 |
GM |
Efimenko Zahar |
2660 |
UKR |
7.5 |
15 |
GM |
Papaioannou Ioannis |
2566 |
GRE |
7.5 |
16 |
GM |
Khalifman Alexander |
2628 |
RUS |
7.5 |
17 |
GM |
Najer Evgeniy |
2627 |
RUS |
7.5 |
18 |
GM |
Mamedov Rauf |
2617 |
AZE |
7.5 |
19 |
GM |
Akopian Vladimir |
2673 |
ARM |
7.5 |
20 |
GM |
Areshchenko Alexander |
2650 |
UKR |
7.5 |
21 |
GM |
Fressinet Laurent |
2656 |
FRA |
7.5 |
22 |
GM |
Smirin Ilia |
2630 |
ISR |
7.5 |
23 |
GM |
Lupulescu Constantin |
2558 |
ROU |
7.5 |
24 |
GM |
Bologan Viktor |
2665 |
MDA |
7.5 |
25 |
GM |
Khismatullin Denis |
2584 |
RUS |
7.5 |
26 |
GM |
Galkin Alexander |
2606 |
RUS |
7.5 |
27 |
GM |
Gustafsson Jan |
2603 |
GER |
7.5 |
28 |
GM |
Sargissian Gabriel |
2643 |
ARM |
7.5 |
29 |
GM |
Andreikin Dmitry |
2580 |
RUS |
7.5 |
30 |
GM |
Hracek Zbynek |
2613 |
CZE |
7.5 |
31 |
GM |
Roiz Michael |
2659 |
ISR |
7.5 |
32 |
GM |
Vajda Levente |
2582 |
ROU |
7.5 |
33 |
GM |
Markowski Tomasz |
2598 |
POL |
7.5 |
34 |
GM |
Gurevich Mikhail |
2611 |
TUR |
7.5 |
Women's section
The women's section was dominated, during the second half of the tournament,
by Kateryna Lahno, who is a full grandmaster (one of only a dozen or so women
who have achieved the title). Katya did not lose a single game, scoring four
wins with the white pieces and two with the black. Five games were drawn. Her
performance was 2616. Congratulations to this very
talented young lady, who is just 18 years old.

European Women's Champion 2008: GM Kateryna Lahno
Top standings after ten rounds (total 159 players)
1 |
GM |
Lahno Kateryna |
2479 |
UKR |
8.5 |
2 |
IM |
Ushenina Anna |
2474 |
UKR |
8.0 |
3 |
WGM |
Zhukova Natalia |
2450 |
UKR |
8.0 |
4 |
IM |
Cmilyte Viktorija |
2466 |
LTU |
8.0 |
5 |
IM |
Mkrtchian Lilit |
2413 |
ARM |
8.0 |
6 |
IM |
Skripchenko Almira |
2443 |
FRA |
8.0 |
7 |
IM |
Dembo Yelena |
2429 |
GRE |
8.0 |
8 |
GM |
Cramling Pia |
2539 |
SWE |
7.5 |
9 |
WGM |
Pogonina Natalija |
2470 |
RUS |
7.5 |
10 |
IM |
Muzychuk Anna |
2486 |
SLO |
7.5 |
11 |
GM |
Stefanova Antoaneta |
2538 |
BUL |
7.5 |
12 |
IM |
Dzagnidze Nana |
2443 |
GEO |
7.5 |
13 |
IM |
Danielian Elina |
2479 |
ARM |
7.5 |
14 |
IM |
Lomineishvili Maia |
2400 |
GEO |
7.5 |
15 |
WGM |
Demina Julia |
2337 |
RUS |
7.5 |
16 |
IM |
Socko Monika |
2505 |
POL |
7.5 |