Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Look out Mainz! GM Arkadi Naiditsch is in form and ready to tear up the field in his home country. After his roller coaster performance in Dortmund, he got a much needed morale booster in Spain.
GM Arkadi Naiditsch, 2697, engaging the enemy.
His tournament started off well, with six consecutive victories, putting him a full point clear of the field. In the seventh round, he decided to take a break, drawing GM Alexander Grischuk in 14 moves, while maintaining his distance from the pack. Then, disaster struck in round 8, when GM Vadim Milov dismantled Naiditsch in a 47-move fight in the Panov-Botvinnik Attack of the Caro-Kann. This loss allowed not only Milov to pull even with Naiditsch in the standings, but also GM Hua Ni.
Milov,V (2659) - Naiditsch,A (2697) [B14]
XXIV Rapid Villarrobledo ESP (8), 26.07.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Qc2 h6 8.Nf3 c5
9.0-0 cxd4 10.exd4 Nc6 11.a3 Be7 12.Qe2 b6 13.Rd1 Bb7 14.Qe4 Nf6 15.Qh4 Re8
16.Qg3 Nh5 17.Qh3 Nf6 18.Ne5 Nxd4 19.Be3 Nb3 This move undervalued the gravity
of the coming reply, giving White a long-term advantage, which he never let
slip.
20.Bg6 fxg6 20...Qxd1+ 21.Rxd1 fxg6 22.Qxe6+ Kh7 23.Qxb3 and; 20...Qc7 21.Bxf7+ Kf8 22.f4 Bc5 23.Bxe6 Bxe3+ 24.Kh1 Red8 (24...Re7 25.Ng6+ Ke8 26.Bxb3) 25.Bxb3 both leave White with a decisive advantage. 21.Rxd8 Bxd8 22.Re1 g5 23.Nb5 Bd5 24.Nc3 Bb7 25.f4 g4 26.Nxg4 Nxg4 27.Qxg4 Bf6 28.Bf2 Nd4 29.Ne4 Bxe4 30.Rxe4 Nf5 31.Qe2 Rac8 32.g4 Nh4 33.Bxh4 Bxh4 34.Rxe6 Red8 35.Kg2 Bf6 36.Re4 Kh7 37.Rc4 Rxc4 38.Qxc4 Rd2+ 39.Kg3 Rxb2 40.h4 Rd2 41.Qe4+ Kg8 42.g5 hxg5 43.hxg5 Bb2 44.Qe3 Bc1 45.Qe6+ Kh7 46.Qf5+ Kh8 47.Qc8+ 1-0. [Click to replay]
It seemed Arkadi was an irresistable force, until this man proved otherwise:
GM Vadim Milov, 2659
As is typical of this fighter, however, Arkadi did not despair, and his diligence paid dividends. In the ninth and final round, taking advantage of some overzealous play on the part of GM Ruslan Ponomariov in the Keres Attack of the Sicilian Scheveningen, Arkadi managed to dispatch his opponent in 29 moves. Coupled with a 12-move draw between his co-leaders, this win was enough for the German grandmaster to claim the title for this year's edition of the Villarrobledo Rapid Tournament.
Naiditsch,A (2697) - Ponomariov,R (2727) [B81]
XXIV Rapid Villarrobledo ESP (9), 26.07.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 h6 7.h3 Nc6 8.Bg2 Bd7
9.Be3 Ne5 10.Qe2 Rc8 11.0-0-0 Rxc3 12.bxc3 Qa5 13.f4 Qxc3 14.fxe5 dxe5 15.Rd3
Qa1+ 16.Kd2 Bb4+ This move was an inaccuracy, which left White a Rook to
the good, with the given reply essentially ending the game for Black.
16...Qxa2 was called for, pinning the pawn, and allowing 17.Nb3 Bb4+ to follow. 17.c3 Qb2+ 18.Nc2 Ba5 19.Qd1 Bc6 20.Qb1 Qxb1 21.Rxb1 Nxe4+ 22.Kc1 f5 23.Nb4 Bxb4 24.Rxb4 Kf7 25.Bxe4 Bxe4 26.Rd7+ Kf6 27.Rxe4 fxe4 28.Rxb7 Rd8 29.c4 1-0. [Click to replay]
The Champion, in high spirits, receives his prize.
| Rk. | Title | Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 |
| 1 | GM | Naiditsch Arkadij | GER | 2697 | 7.5 | 51.0 | 55.5 | 41.5 |
| 2 | GM | Grischuk Alexander | RUS | 2733 | 7.0 | 50.0 | 55.0 | 36.5 |
| 3 | GM | Moiseenko Alexander | UKR | 2682 | 7.0 | 48.5 | 53.5 | 36.5 |
| 4 | GM | Shirov Alexei | ESP | 2732 | 7.0 | 48.5 | 53.0 | 35.5 |
| 5 | GM | Ni Hua | CHN | 2701 | 7.0 | 48.5 | 52.5 | 38.0 |
| 6 | GM | Milov Vadim | SUI | 2659 | 7.0 | 48.0 | 51.5 | 37.5 |
| 7 | GM | Fridman Daniel | GER | 2665 | 7.0 | 45.5 | 49.5 | 34.5 |
| 8 | GM | Bacrot Etienne | FRA | 2721 | 6.5 | 51.0 | 54.5 | 36.5 |
| 9 | GM | Khenkin Igor | GER | 2634 | 6.5 | 47.0 | 51.0 | 33.5 |
| 10 | GM | Strikovic Aleksa | SRB | 2523 | 6.5 | 45.5 | 47.0 | 33.5 |
| 11 | GM | Ponomariov Ruslan | UKR | 2727 | 6.0 | 49.5 | 54.5 | 35.5 |
| 12 | IM | Larino Nieto David | ESP | 2455 | 6.0 | 48.5 | 53.0 | 33.5 |
| 13 | GM | Hou Yifan | CHN | 2584 | 6.0 | 48.5 | 52.5 | 34.0 |
| 14 | IM | Milchev Nikolay | BUL | 2351 | 6.0 | 48.5 | 52.0 | 33.0 |
| 15 | GM | Ljubojevic Ljubomir | SRB | 2553 | 6.0 | 48.0 | 52.5 | 33.5 |
| 16 | GM | Tkachiev Vladislav | FRA | 2650 | 6.0 | 48.0 | 51.5 | 36.0 |
| 17 | GM | Ibrahimov Rasul | AZE | 2543 | 6.0 | 46.5 | 50.5 | 34.0 |
| 18 | GM | Paunovic Dragan | SRB | 2533 | 6.0 | 46.0 | 49.5 | 32.5 |
| 19 | GM | Guliyev Namig | AZE | 2555 | 6.0 | 45.5 | 50.0 | 34.0 |
| 20 | GM | Rusev Krasimir | BUL | 2543 | 6.0 | 45.5 | 49.5 | 31.0 |
| 21 | GM | Lalic Bogdan | CRO | 2517 | 6.0 | 44.0 | 48.0 | 32.5 |
| 22 | GM | Pogorelov Ruslan | UKR | 2441 | 6.0 | 44.0 | 47.0 | 30.5 |
| 23 | GM | Potkin Vladimir | RUS | 2619 | 6.0 | 43.5 | 48.0 | 31.5 |
| 24 | Torres Sanchez Jose | ESP | 2322 | 6.0 | 43.5 | 46.0 | 29.5 | |
| 25 | GM | Cifuentes Parada Roberto | ESP | 2539 | 6.0 | 43.0 | 45.5 | 31.0 |
| 26 | GM | Ubilava Elizbar | ESP | 2547 | 6.0 | 42.0 | 46.0 | 31.5 |
| 27 | IM | Ninov Nikolai | BUL | 2562 | 6.0 | 41.0 | 45.0 | 26.0 |
| 28 | IM | Granero Roca Antonio | ESP | 2433 | 6.0 | 41.0 | 44.5 | 29.0 |
| 29 | GM | San Segundo Carrillo Pablo | ESP | 2570 | 6.0 | 41.0 | 44.0 | 29.5 |
| 30 | IM | Ibarra Jerez Jose Carlos | ESP | 2517 | 5.5 | 44.0 | 46.5 | 31.5 |
| 31 | WGM | Zhukova Natalia | UKR | 2465 | 5.5 | 43.5 | 47.5 | 31.0 |
| 32 | GM | Mirzoev Azer | AZE | 2559 | 5.5 | 42.5 | 46.5 | 30.5 |
| 33 | IM | Pedersen Nicolai Vesterbaek | DEN | 2431 | 5.5 | 42.0 | 45.0 | 27.5 |
| 34 | GM | Vazquez Igarza Renier | ESP | 2570 | 5.5 | 41.5 | 45.0 | 27.5 |
| 35 | WGM | Melnikova Yana | RUS | 2285 | 5.5 | 41.5 | 44.5 | 28.5 |
| 36 | IM | Arnaudov G Petar | BUL | 2443 | 5.5 | 41.0 | 44.5 | 28.0 |
| 37 | Abul Qasem | ESP | 2022 | 5.5 | 40.0 | 43.5 | 24.5 | |
| 38 | FM | Fernandez Barrera Victor | ESP | 2309 | 5.5 | 37.5 | 40.5 | 25.5 |
| 39 | GM | Djuric Stefan | SRB | 2437 | 5.5 | 36.5 | 39.5 | 27.0 |
LinksA selection of the games is 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 the program to read, replay and analyse the PGN games. |
|
