Wijk R13: Sergey Karjakin wins Wijk aan Zee 2009

Results of round thirteen

GM Group A – Final standings

GM Group B – Final standings

GM Group C – Final standings

They think it's all over...

Round thirteen report by Steve Giddins

Family events apart, great sporting moments are probably the things which remain longest in the memory. Whatever one's favourite sport, there will be certain magic moments, which one can always recall with pleasure. Generations of English soccer fans still remember the 1966 World Cup, and TV commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme's dramatic words near the end of extra time: "Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over. [Hurst thumps in the fourth goal]. It is now!" In my case, the final day of the 1981 Headingley Test between England and Australia takes some beating. They call it the "Botham Test", in recognition of Ian Botham's heroics with the bat, but for me, the match will always be associated with the memory of Bob Willis, steaming in like a whirlwind during the Australian second innings. It was Willis' career-best Test figures of 8-43 that finally enabled England to pull off the unlikeliest-ever Test victory. And then there was the 1985 world snooker championship final, when I sat up until the early hours of Monday morning, to see Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis on the final black of the deciding frame.

One of my other favourite sports is American football, and the first Superbowl I ever watched on TV is another of my most treasured sporting memories. It was January 1983, a strike-shortened season, and the Washington Redskins met the Miami Dolphins in the end of season finale. As it happens, when gridiron had been introduced to English TV audiences earlier that season, a special one-off documentary had been filmed in the Redskins training camp, so I had accidentally become a Redskins supporter. It was an inspired choice, as they went on that year to win the first of three Superbowls in ten years. It will be a icy day in Hades before I forget "Diesel" John Riggins, taking Theisman's fourth quarter handoff on 4th and inches, breaking a tackle and rushing 43 yards for the decisive touchdown. I am afraid that legions of unsuspecting American tourists, meeting me in Cafe Gollem, my favourite bar in Amsterdam, have had to listen to my cogently-argued case for why Joe Gibbs should be regarded as possibly the greatest of all the so-called "dynasty" coaches. You see, the point is that, unlike Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll and Bill Walsh... well, another time, perhaps.

As it happens, today is a great sporting Sunday. As I write this introduction, the two greatest stars of contemporary tennis, Federer and Nadal, are renewing their thrilling rivalry in the Australian Open Final. Later this evening, the Steelers and Cardinals will face off in Superbowl XLIII, but before that great event is played out, the day will also see the climax of the most exciting Wijk aan Zee for years. No fewer than six players enter the final round tied for the lead, with all manner of permutations possible.

The first to finish was Aronian. He showed some aggressive intentions, by abandoning his almost invariable 1...e5 in favour of the Sicilian, against Smeets. However, his ambitions were quelled when Smeets offered a repetition at move 22, and after long thought, Aronian decided that he could not afford to avoid it. Radjabov looked on paper to have the best chance of all the leaders, since he had the white pieces. However, Daniel Stellwagen continued the excellent showing by the two young Dutch GMs in this event, and held solidly, duly being rewarded with a draw offer at move 24. Movsesian drew against Kamsky, after surviving a position where White had some pressure. In the end, the battle for Wijk aan Zee 2009 came down to the two young guns, Kariakin and Carlsen. The former found himself in the clubhouse on 8 points, after a sharp battle with Dominguez. In the end, the Cuban's nerves and time-trouble got the better of him.

Sergey Karjakin enters the arena for the critical 13th round

The start of the game that would bring the Ukrainian victory

Dominguez Perez,L (2717) - Karjakin,Sergey (2706) [B90]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (13), 01.02.2009
Commentary by Sergey Shipov, translation by Steve Giddins

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4. A raid, designed to prevent White's planned set-up with f2-f3, Qd1–d2, 0–0–0, etc. 7.Bc1. A change of plan? The main line is 7.Bg5. 7...Nf6. Black has nothing better. Let's hope the players are not just going to repeat moves. 8.Be3 Ng4 9.Bg5. Yes! 9...h6 10.Bh4 g5 11.Bg3 Bg7. With active, tempo-gaining play, Black has solved the problem of his kingside development, and created a counterattack in the centre. But in so doing, he has seriously weakened his kingside. 12.h3. On 12.Be2 there is the reply 12...h5 with the idea of 13.h3 h4! 12...Nf6 13.Qe2. This is what is often called an ultramodern scheme of development. Only in our day, one might think, can one even consider shutting in the bishop on f1 in such a fashion, for the sake of long castling. Yet the truth is that the young Karpov played the same way in the early 1970s, and if you go further back, you can even find other pioneers. 13...Nc6. A serious challenge. 14.Nxc6. Forced, in view of 14.0–0–0? Nxd4 15.Rxd4 Nh5. 14...bxc6 15.e5. White takes up the challenge. 15...dxe5 16.Bxe5. So White has the better structure, with two pawn islands against Black's three. 16...0–0. But Black also cause to be proud. He has managed to evacuate his king from the centre, whilst White has not yet done so.

17.g4. The bishop seeks a new diagonal. In the game Ponomariev-Polgar, Benidorm 2002, the line 17.h4 g4 was tested. There followed 18.g3 Qb6 19.0–0–0 Be6 20.Bg2 Rfd8 21.Rhe1 h5 22.b3 (22.f3!) 22...Rac8 23.Na4 Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Qb5 25.Bf1? Bc4! and Black obtained the advantage. 17...a5. A logical response. Black's light-squared bishop has also found itself a good diagonal. 18.h4. Naked aggression! Dominguez sacrifices a pawn to open lines on the kingside. Now we see that the point os the move g2-g4 was to fix the enemy pawn on g5, as an object of attack. I suspect that the line 18.Bg2 Ba6 19.Qe3 Qd7 20.Qd4 Qxd4 21.Bxd4 struck Lenier as not amounting to much. And indeed, after 21...Rfd8! White ahs no advantage. After 22.0–0–0 there is even the interesting tactical blow 22...Nxg4! 23.Bxg7 Nxf2. 18...Bxg4. The most principled reply. After 18...Ba6 there is 19.Qf3. 19.f3 Bf5 20.hxg5 hxg5. The first reult is clear – the h-file is open. For Tal, this would have enough to give mate. The young Cuban GM does not yet command quite such authority... But he has his future before him. 21.Qe3. Seeking to combine attack and development. Another interesting try was 21.Qg2 Nh7 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.Bd3 Bxd3 24.0–0–0! with a fierce initiative. 21...a4. The most accurate reply, but it needs a microscope to discern its finer points. The a5 square is freed for the queen, and the advance a4-a3 may later undermine the knight on c3. In the meantime, though, it is White's move, and he has excellent attacking prospects. In my analysis, capturing on c2 led to a line where the black king was mated on move 35! Here it is: 21...Bxc2 22.Qxg5 Bg6 23.Rd1 Qc8 24.Bh3 Qb7 25.Be6! fxe6 26.Qxg6 Qxb2 27.f4!! (Premature is 27.Rd2? Qa1+!) 27...Rf7 28.Rd2 Qc1+ 29.Nd1 Kf8 30.Rdh2 Ng8 31.Rh8 Rd8 32.Rxg8+ Kxg8 33.Qh7+ Kf8 34.Qh8+ Bxh8 35.Rxh8#; In any event, Black could not defend the g5 pawn: 21...Nh7? 22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.Qe5+ Kg6 24.Rxh7! 22.Qxg5 Bg6. It seems clear that Sergey has not even considered taking on c2. 23.Bd3. Advancing the f-pawn does not work: 23.f4 e6 24.Bd3 Nd7! 25.Bxg6 (There is an improvement in 25.Qxd8! Raxd8 26.Bd6 Rfe8 27.0–0–0 and White is still a bit better.) 25...Qxg5 26.Bh7+ Kh8 and White has no more than perpetual check. 23...a3! An excellent move. Now the idea of a3-a4 is clear. 23...Bxd3? is just bad after 24.0–0–0 with an overwhelming attack.; Trying to follow the game plan by another move-order is also inferior: 23...Qa5 24.0–0–0 a3 25.Bc4! axb2+ 26.Kb1 ensuring his king a quiet life, and creating serious threats against the enemy monarch. 24.b4. 24.0–0–0 axb2+ 25.Kb1 looks very strong. I have not found anything better than 25...Qa5 26.Bc4 as given above. Let us continue the line: 26...e6 How else to defend the bishop on g6? 27.f4 Nd5 (27...Nh7 28.Rxh7!) 28.Nxd5 cxd5 29.Bxg7 dxc4 30.Qxa5 Rxa5 31.Bc3 and wins.; After 24.b3 Qa5 25.Bxg6 fxg6 26.f4 Nd7! Black saves himself by exchanges. 24...Qb6. On the edge of the precipice, Black defends himself with only moves.

25.Rh4. Maybe played too fast. What has he seen against 25...Nh7! - ? I analysed it to a forced draw, which can hardly be regarded as a success for White... I believe a better move was 25.Ke2! eg. 25...Qxb4 26.Rab1 Qc5 27.f4 Rad8 28.Bxf6 Qxg5 29.Bxg5 and the threat of f4-f5 forces Black to part with the exchange: 29...Rxd3 30.cxd3 Bxc3 but White should still win. 25...Nh7! Correct. Kariakin immediately exploits a temporary lack of harmony in the white camp. 26.Rxh7. What else? 26.Qf4 Bxe5 27.Qxe5 Qg1+ 28.Bf1 Rad8 makes no sense – what does White have to attack? 26...Kxh7. Perpetual check results from 26...Bxe5 27.Qxe5 Qg1+ 28.Kd2 Qg2+ 29.Ne2 Kxh7 30.Rg1 Qxf3 31.Qh2+ Kg7 32.Nd4 Qf6 33.Nf5+ Kg8 34.Nh6+ Kg7 35.Nf5+ (White can of course, not return the knight to f5, but after 35.Nxf7 Kxf7 36.Rf1 Bxd3 37.Rxf6+ Kxf6 38.cxd3 chances are still only equal.) 27.0–0–0. 27.Kd2 Bxe5 28.Rh1+ Kg7 29.Bxg6 Bxc3+ 30.Kxc3 fxg6 31.Qe5+ Rf6 32.Qxe7+ Rf7 33.Qe5+ is again perpetual check. 27...Qxb4. Sergey continues to find the most accurate moves, without spending much time. 28.Rh1+ Kg8 29.Bxg7? I suspect the Cuban GM may have missed, after 29.Bxg6 fxg6 30.Qxg6 Rf6 31.Bxf6? the reply (So he must instead play 31.Qh7+ Kf8 32.Ne4 but even here Black has 32...Rd8 33.f4 (33.Nxf6? Qd2+ 34.Kb1 Qd1+; 33.Bxf6 exf6!) 33...Bh6 34.Qh8+ Kf7 35.Ng5+ Bxg5 36.Qh5+ Rg6 37.fxg5 Qd2+ 38.Kb1 Qxg5 winning) 31...Qf4+! winning for Black: 32.Kb1 (32.Kd1 Qxf3+ 33.Kd2 Rd8+–+) 32...Rb8+ 33.Ka1 Qxf6. 29...Kxg7 30.Qh6+ Kf6 31.Ne4+ Ke6. The black king easily escapes the enemy fire. 32.Rd1. On 32.Qh3+ f5 there follows 33.Qg3 Rg8 34.Ng5+ Kd7 35.Qe5 Qb2+! exchanging queens. 32...Qb2+ 33.Kd2 Kd7 34.Qf4. Also hopeless is 34.Nc5+ Ke8 35.Bxg6 Qb4+ 36.Kc1 Qxc5. 34...Rfd8 35.Ke2 Ke8 36.Rh1 Ra5 37.Qc7 Rad5 38.Ke3 Kf8 39.c3 Rxd3+ 40.Kf4 f6 41.Rh8+ Kf7

and mate to follow (e.g. 42.Rxd8 Qh2+ 43.Kg4 Bf5+ 44.Kxf5 Qh3+ 45.Kf4 Qxf3# or 42.Qxd8 Qc1+ 43.Nd2 e5+ 44.Kg3 Qg1+ 45.Kh3 Bf5+ 46.Kh4 Qh2#. 0–1. [Click to replay]

He has won the game, and Sergey knows that he is at least equal first

That left Magnus Carlsen needing to beat Wang Yue as Black, to come equal first. The Norwegian worked up a small endgame advantage, with his queenside majority, but could not turn it into anything decisive, and suddenly passed the time control, to find himself worse. Even so, a draw looked inevitable, but to the shock of the watching Internet audience, which included a prominent Russian opposition politician, he blundered and lost.

OJ and determination: Magnus prepares to do battle in round thirteen

What's going to happen, why am I doing this? Wang Yue at the start of the game

Wang Yue (2739) - Carlsen,M (2776) [D45]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (13), 01.02.2009

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 b6 7.Bd3 Bb7 8.0–0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 c5 10.Rd1 Qc8 11.d5 exd5 12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.Bxd5 Nxd5 14.Rxd5 Be7 15.e4 0–0 16.Bg5 Re8 17.Rad1 Nf8 18.Qc4 Qe6 19.b3 h6 20.Bf4 Ng6 21.Bg3 Bf8 22.Nd2 Ne7 23.Rd3 Nc6 24.Qxe6 Rxe6 25.a4 a6 26.f3 b5 27.Bf2 Rc8 28.axb5 axb5 29.Nf1 Nb4 30.Rc3 Ra6

31.Ne3 Ra3 32.Be1 Nc6 33.Rb1 Rca8 34.Kf1 Nd4 35.Rd3 Ra2 36.b4 R8a3 37.Rbd1 Ne6 38.bxc5 Bxc5 39.Rxa3 Rxa3 40.Nd5 Rb3 41.h4 b4 42.f4 Rb2 43.f5 Nd4 44.Bxb4 Bxb4 45.Rxd4 Rb1+ 46.Ke2 Rb2+ 47.Kf3 Be1 48.h5 Rf2+ 49.Ke3 Rxg2 50.Ra4 Bh4 51.Ra8+ Kh7 52.Rf8 Bg5+ 53.Kf3 Rh2 54.Rxf7 Kg8 55.Ra7 Rxh5 56.e5 Rh3+ 57.Ke4 Rh1 58.e6 Re1+ 59.Kd4 h5 60.Kc5

60...Re5?? An incredulous Garry Kasparov watching the game commented: "Simply 59...g6 or 60...g6 was a draw! What happened??" 61.f6! Bxf6 62.Kd6 Rf5 63.Nxf6+ Rxf6 64.Kd7 h4 65.e7 Rf7 66.Kd8 Kh7 67.Ra6 1–0. [Click to replay]

Still optimistic: Magnus Carlsen searches for a possibility to win

Meanwhile Fabiano Caruana and Nigel Short battle it out, with Sergey Movsesian and Rustam Kasimdzhanov kibitzing.

Suddenly things have gone astray for the young Norwegian

... and soon he has to accept a very bitter defeat

In the day's other two games, neither of which affected the prize list, Adams and van Wely drew...

... whilst Morozevich salvaged a little pride by beating Ivanchuk

So it is 18-year old Sergey Kariakin who wins Wijk aan Zee 2009, and our heartiest congratulations go to him. He has been somewhat overshadowed by Magnus Carlsen for the past couple of years, but in this tournament he showed not only great chess strength, but tremendous psychological resilience, twice recovering from highly painful defeats at critical moments in the tournament.

The winner of Wijk 2009, Sergey Karjakin, in the postgame press conference

... and receiving his trophy from the chairman of the sponsor Corus

The winner: Sergey Karjakin, former chess prodigy who has just turned 19,

There was similar drama in the B Group, when a blunder by Nigel Short, deep into the sixth hour of play, saw him defeated by Fabio Caruana.

Ivanchuk and Kasimdzhanov watch as Nigel Short starts to lose his game against Fabiano Caruana

The young Italian-American thereby wins the group, qualifying for next year's A Group.

Youthful winners: Anish Giri, 14, and Wesley So, 15, second and first in the C-Group

The triumph of youth at this year's Wijk aan Zee was completed by Wesley So of the Philippines, who easily collected the half point that he needed to win the C Group.

And so another Wijk aan Zee ends, one of the most exciting of recent years. I hope you have enjoyed our coverage here on ChessBase. My name's Steve Giddins. They think it's all over – it is now!

Pictures by John Nunn (Canon 40D) and Frederic Friedel (Lumix FZ50)

Videos reports by Europe Echecs

GM Robert Fontaine wraps up each round for the French Chess magazine and portal Europe Echecs

Schedule and results of Grandmaster Group A

Schedule and results of Grandmaster Group B

Schedule and results of Grandmaster Group C

Links Official web site All games in PGN: Group A – Group B – Group C All ChessBase reports on Wijk aan Zee 2009 Live coverage is available on the Playchess server The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use it to read, replay and analyse the PGN games.