Boris Gelfand wins Odessa ACP World Rapid

The 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup is organised by the PIVDENNY Bank and the Association of Chess Professionals in Odessa, Ukraine. This knockout tournament is taking place 22nd-24th May 2009 in the Odessa National Academy of Law. The prize fund is US $57,000. 16 grandmasters are participating: 13 players who performed best in the ACP Tour 2007/2008 + three wild cards given by the organizers.

Final day report

It was an exciting final day and final match in the 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup. The first two games between the most experienced players in the event, Boris Gelfand of Israel and Peter Svidler of St Petersburg (where else?) ended in draws.

Peter Svidler vs Boris Gelfand in the Final of the 3rd ACP World Rapid Cup

Three moves into their first game, which ended in a draw

The audience in the Odessa National Academy of Law theatre

In the third game Gelfand took a big chance and went three pawns behind. But the strategy paid off, his opponent went astray and lost. In the final game Svidler was well on the way to victory and equality when disaster struck.

Peter Svidler, who self-distructed in the second session against Gelfand

Gelfand,B (2733) - Svidler,P (2726) [A32]
3rd ACP World Rapid Cup Odessa UKR (4.3), 24.05.2009
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.g3 a6 6.Bg2 Qc7 7.Nc3 Qxc4 8.0-0 Nc6 9.Nb3 d5 10.Bf4 Bb4 11.Rc1 Bxc3 12.Bd6 Ne4 13.Nd2 Qd4 14.Nxe4 Qxd1 15.Rfxd1 Bxb2 16.Rc2 Bd4 17.Nc5 f5 18.e4?! It takes a lot of guts to play a move like this. 18.Rb1 looked more normal and promising.

18...fxe4 19.Nxe4 Bd7? [19...dxe4 is good for Black: 20.Bxe4 (20.Rxc6 bxc6 21.Rxd4 Bb7 22.Rxe4-/+) 20...e5 21.Rxc6 bxc6 22.Bxc6+ Kf7 23.Bxa8 Rd8 24.Bxe5 Bxf2+ 25.Kxf2 Rxd1. In addition 19...e5 with winning ambitions is also playable for Black. 20.Bc5 Be5 21.f4 dxe4 22.fxe5 Nxe5 23.Rd6.

Black is three pawns up (count them!) 23...Nd3. It is all horribly complicatd – and tremendously exciting: 23...Nf3+ was probably better for Black: 24.Bxf3 exf3 25.Rcd2 Bc6 (25...0-0-0 26.Bb6 f2+ 27.Rxf2 (27.Kxf2 Rdf8+) 27...Rdf8 28.Rc2+ Bc6 29.Rxe6) 26.Rxe6+ Kf7 27.Re7+ Kf6.

24.Ba3 Rc8 25.Rxc8+ Bxc8 26.Bxe4 Ne5 27.Rd1

27...b5? Giving up a pawn. 27...Nc4 was better. 28.Bb2 Ng6 29.Bxg7 Rg8 30.Bb2 and Black is helpless against the power of the two bishops. 30...Nf8 31.Kf2 Rg5 32.Rc1 Bd7 33.Bf6 Rh5 34.h4 b4 35.Bg5 h6 36.Bf3 Rxg5 37.hxg5 hxg5 38.Rc5 Ke7 39.Be2 Kd6 40.Rxg5 Bc6 41.Ra5 Nd7 42.Bxa6 Nc5 43.g4 Bd5 44.Be2 b3 45.axb3 Nxb3 46.Ra7 Nd4 47.Bd3 e5 48.Ke3 Ne6 49.Bf5 Nd4 50.Be4 Be6 51.g5 Nf5+ 52.Kf3 Nd4+ 53.Kg3 Nf5+ 54.Kf2 1-0.

Hardly able to believe what his happening: in the front row Anatoly Karpov, Viktor
Korchnoi and the Chairman of “Pivdenniy” Bank (and the President of ACP) Vadim Morokhovsky

In the forth game Peter Svidler needed to win, and did everything right, until move 56.

Svidler,P (2726) - Gelfand,B (2733) [A28]
3rd ACP World Rapid Cup Odessa UKR (4.4), 24.05.2009
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e3 Bb4 5.Qc2 Bxc3 6.Qxc3 Qe7 7.a3 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Qb3 Nb6 10.d3 0-0 11.Be2 a5 12.Bd2 a4 13.Qc2 Be6 14.Rc1 Bb3 15.Qc5 Qd6 16.0-0 Nd7 17.Qxd6 cxd6 18.Bc3 Nc5 19.d4 exd4 20.Nxd4 Nxd4 21.Bxd4 Ne6 22.Bc3 d5 23.f3 Rfd8 24.Rf2 d4 25.exd4 Nxd4 26.Bf1 Rac8 27.Rd2 f6 28.Kf2 Kf7 29.Re1 Nc6 30.Rxd8 Rxd8 31.Re4 Ne5 32.Bb5 Bc2 33.Rh4 h6 34.Ke3 Ra8 35.Rd4 Bb3 36.f4 Ng4+ 37.Kf3 h5 38.h3 Nh6 39.Rd7+ Kg8 40.Kf2 b6 41.Rb7 Rd8 42.Rxb6 Nf5 43.Ra6 Nd6 44.Bxa4 Ne4+ 45.Ke3 Bc4 46.Rc6 Bd5 47.Ba5 Ra8 48.b4 Ng3 49.Rc2 h4 50.Bb5 Kh7 51.Bd3+ Kh6 52.Kf2 Re8 53.b5 Nh1+ 54.Kg1 Re3 55.Bc4 Rxa3

White can put an end to all Black aspirations with the simple 56.Kxh1 and now e.g. 56...Bxc4 57.Rxc4 Ra1+ 58.Kh2 Rxa5 59.Rb4. Instead he played 56.Bxd5?? Ra1+ and Black mates: 57.Kh2 Ng3 and White cannot prevent ...Rh1 mate. 0-1.

Click to replay all games from the final

Final results

On Sunday, just before the final, there was a traditional "Children vs Grandmasters" event. Time comtrol: five min blitz, with the GMs playing blindfold. The Children scored half a point in ten games (there is a PGN file with the game on the official website).

Arkadij Naiditsch playing a blindfold blitz game against a youthful opponent

Group picture of the opponents – you will probably recognise the GMs: Alexander Moiseenko, Mikhail Gurevich, Vugar Gashimov, Arkadij Naiditsch and Sergey Movsesian.

Petrov said: "We are very pleased that Vadim Morokhovsky, the President of the ACP, is promoting chess throughout Ukraine. Today, it is especially important. Chess in this country is experiencing a difficult phase in its development."

Sergei Ravnyago of VISA Ukraine, one of the sponsors of the World Rapid

"The company VISA appreciates the Pivdennyi Bank's social initiatives, and we are honored to serve such major partners and interesting activities. We are proud of the cooperation with the Bank Pivdennyi, which allowed us to create a unique payment instrument – the especially Visa card developed for the Cup, with an original chess morif."

All pictures by Boris Bukhman

Links Official tournament site All games so far in PGN The games were 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.