Bucharest 08: Caruana Unstoppable

by ChessBase
10/15/2013 – Fabiano Caruana keep showing excellent form in Bucharest. Today he beat Ruslan Ponomariov with black, catapulting him to a full point lead over Nisipeanu, and having played one game less. The Italian moves to third in the world in the live rating list and is grazing the 2800 mark. The other game was a draw between Wang Hao and Nisipeanu. Player analysis.
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The opening ceremony of the 7th edition of Kings Tournament Romgaz took place on the 6th of October in the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (Piata Romana Nr.6). This international tournament is organized by the Sports Club “Elisabeta Polihroniade” and is a part of the Grand Slam circuit. The Kings Tournament will be a double round robin competition with 5 world-class participants: Fabiano Caruana (Italy, GM, 2779), the former World Cham pion Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, GM, 2756), Wang Hao (China, GM, 2736), Radjabov Teimour (Azerbaijan, GM, 2733) and Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, (Romania, GM, 2665). This year’s edition will be played in the Magna Auditorium and Conference Hall "Virgil Madgearu" of the  Bucharest University of Economic Studies – a partner of the Kings Tournament. The rounds will start every day from the 7th until the 17th October at 3:30 p.m. (last round starts at 1:30 p.m) and entrance will be free for spectators.

Round 8

Round 8 – October 14, 15:30h
Wang Hao 2733
½-½
 Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
0-1
 Caruana, Fabiano 2779
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
bye
    

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Analysis of Round 8

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In the 8th round of Kings Tournament Caruana made another important step to overall victory: the Italian GM won with the black pieces against Ponomariov. In a rare sideline of Sicilian Caruana played quicker and more precise than his opponent, who had one of those bad days when nothing works out well. Wang Hao-Nisipeanu saw another quiet draw in Petrov’s Defense. Thus the Romanian GM is solely in the second place with 50 per cent points. Ponomariov, Radjabov and Wang Hao didn’t win any games in Bucharest yet and find themselves on the bottom of the table with the “minus one” result. 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2
4...Nf6 One year ago Caruana played 4...d5 but didn't equalize completely: 5.exd5 exd5 6.d4 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Be3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 0-0 10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Qd3 a6 12.Rfe1 Qd7 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.Na4 Qf5 15.Bf4 Bb4 16.Qxf5 Bxf5 17.c3 Jones,G (2635)-Caruana,F (2767) Reykjavik 2012 5.Qe2 e5!? Also here 5...d5 is an important option for Black. 6.0-0 Be7 7.c3 0-0
8.d4 Curiously, this logical and most direct move hasn't been played before. In case of 8.d3 d5 we get the Kings Indian Defense with reversed colours. 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 d5
10.exd5 Nxd4 10...e4 is bad in view of 11.dxc6 exf3 12.Qxf3 bxc6 13.Qxc6 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Qe5 Keeps the bishop e7 under attack in order to prevent the move Qd8-b6. After 12.Qc4 Black can protect the pawn with Qb6 12...d3 13.Nc3 13.Bf4!? 13...Re8
14.Bf4? White misses Black's answer. 14.Qd4 Bf5 15.Bf4 leads to a complicated, approximately equal middlegame. 14...Ba3 15.Qd4 Bxb2 16.Qxd3 Bxa1 17.Rxa1 Bd7 18.h3
The bishop is heading for square d4. From the human's point of view White has compensation for the exchange: the bishops' pair supports the passed pawn d5 and his pieces are well centralized. Nevertheless black rooks will control the open files and Black has the advantage. 18...Rc8 According to Caruana, not the best. 18...Qa5!? 19.Be3 Bf5 Played this move after a long thinking. It is not an easy decision to exchange the only bishop and leave White with his mighty bishop's pair against the rook and knight. On the other hand every exchange of pieces favours Black. The main alternative was 19...Qc7 and Black must be "easily winning", as Wang Hao put it. Things are certainly not so trivial for Black after 20.Bd4, though. After 19...a6 White should stop Black's intention to advance the b-pawn by continuing 20.a4 20.Qxf5 Rxc3 21.Bd4 Rc4 22.Rd1
22...Qd6 After the game the Italian wasn't happy with this move either, although Black doesn't have a clear plan to improve his position. 22...Qd7 23.Qd3 23.Bf1 Rb4 23...Rcc8 24.Bd3 is also not convincing. 24.Bc3 As indicated by Caruana, after the strongest 24.Qc2 White should be able to keep the position. 24...Rbe4 24...Rb6 25.Bd4 brings Black nowhere. 25.Bb5 25.Bd3? Qxd5 26.Qxd5 Nxd5 27.Bxe4 Nxc3-+ 25...Qc5!
26.Bxf6? 26.Bxe8 Qxc3 27.Bb5 g6 28.Qg5 Re1+ 29.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 30.Kg2 Qe4+ 31.Kh2 Nxd5 32.Bf1 would have allowed White to put up a long resistance. 26...Re1+ Now Black is winning in all variations. 27.Kh2 27.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28.Kg2 Qxb5 29.Qc8+ Re8-+ or 29...Qe8 27.Kg2 Qxb5 threatening Qf1. 27.Bf1 Rxd1 28.Qg4 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Qb5+ 30.Kg1 Qb1+ 31.Kh2 Qg6 32.Qd7 Qe4-+ 27...Rxd1 28.Bxe8
28...Rxd5! After this the rest is simple. Not 28...gxf6 29.Qg4+ Kf8 30.Qxd1 29.Be5 Rxe5 29...f6 is even more convincing: White can't save the bishop and Black keeps his f-pawn alive. 30.Qxf7+ Kh8 31.Bd7 Qe7 32.Qf4 Qf6 33.Qd2 b5 34.Bg4 h5 35.Bd1 h4 36.Bg4 Re8 37.gxh4 Qxh4 38.Kg2 Qe7 39.Bf3 Rd8 40.Qf4 Qf6 41.Qg4 g6 42.Qe4 Qg5+ 43.Kf1 a5 44.h4 Qf5 45.Qc6 Rf8 46.Qc3+ Kh7 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ponomariov,R2751Caruana,F27790–120137th Kings Tournament8
Wang,H2733Nisipeanu,L2674½–½2013C427th Kings Tournament8

Information and photos by Dorian Rogozenco

Standings

Schedule

Round 1 – October 07, 15:30h
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
½-½
 Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
0-1
 Caruana, Fabiano 2779
Wang Hao 2733
bye
    
Round 2 – October 08, 15:30h
Wang Hao 2733
½-½
 Radjabov, Teimour 2723
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
½-½
 Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
Caruana, Fabiano 2779
bye
    
Round 3 – October 09, 15:30h
Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
1-0
 Wang Hao 2733
Caruana, Fabiano 2779
½-½
 Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
bye
    
Round 4 – October 10, 15:30h
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
½-½
 Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
Wang Hao 2733 ½-½ Caruana, Fabiano 2779
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
bye
    
Round 5 – October 11, 15:30h
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
½-½
 Wang Hao 2733
Caruana, Fabiano 2779
1-0
 Radjabov, Teimour 2723
Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
bye
    
Round 6 – October 12, 15:30h
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
½-½
 Radjabov, Teimour 2723
Caruana, Fabiano 2779
½-½
 Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
Wang Hao 2733
bye
    
Round 7 – October 13, 15:30h
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
½-½
 Wang Hao 2733
Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
½-½
 Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
Caruana, Fabiano 2779
bye
    
Round 8 – October 14, 15:30h
Wang Hao 2733
½-½
 Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
0-1
 Caruana, Fabiano 2779
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
bye
    
Round 9 – October 15, 15:30h
Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
Caruana, Fabiano 2779
Wang Hao 2733
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
bye
    
Round 10 – October 16, 13:30h
Wang Hao 2733
Ponomariov, Ruslan 2751
Radjabov, Teimour 2723
Caruana, Fabiano 2779
Nisipeanu, L.-D. 2674
bye
    

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