CEZ Trophy: Ivanchuk strikes again, leads 3:1

ČEZ CHESS TROPHY 2009
Navara vs Ivanchuk

The eight-game match in rapid chess, with the best Czech player David Navara playing against grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk, who belongs to the absolute world chess top, is taking place between 27th to 31st May 2009 at the Best Western Kampa hotel in Prague.

Forty-year-old Vassily Ivanchuk has been among the world's top players for the last twenty years. In the January 1st 2009 ratings he was third in the world.

The match of grandmasters Navara vs Ivanchuk is the main attraction of the chess festival ČEZ CHESS TROPHY 2009, which is held by a civic association Prague Chess Society. All games will be commented on for the audience by the Czech-American grandmaster Lubomír Kaválek. All games will be shown on-line. The match will be complemented by a chess simul and by lectures by grandmasters Lubomír Kaválek, Vlastimil Hort and Ján Plachetka.

The chess festival ČEZ CHESS TROPHY 2009 is being held in a partnership with the capital city Prague.

Day two: Ivanchuk wins again, leads 3.0:1.0

After a nice fighting game three that ended in a draw after 38 moves. In the second game the Ukrainian world class GM struck for a second time.

The two opponents in front of one of the most beautiful cities in Europe

David Navara and Vassily Ivanchuk on the stage for game three

The audience in the beautiful domed venue

Ivanchuk,V (2746) - Navara,D (2654) [D30]
Cez Trophy Rapid Prague CZE (4), 28.05.2009
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qb3 dxc4 8.Qxc4 Nd7 9.Rd1 g6 10.g3 Bg7 11.Bg2 0-0 12.Qb3 Qe7 13.0-0 b6 14.e3 Bb7 15.Nd2 Nf6 16.Rc1 Rfd8 17.Rfd1 Rac8 18.Nc4 c5 19.Bxb7 Qxb7 20.dxc5 Rxd1+ 21.Qxd1 Rxc5 22.b3 Qc6 23.Qd6 Nd5 24.Qxc6 Rxc6 25.Ne2 b5 26.Nd2 Ra6 27.Rc8+ Kh7 28.Nc1 Nc3 29.Kf1 Nxa2 30.Nxa2 Rxa2 31.Ne4 a5 32.Rc7 Rb2 33.Rxf7 Rxb3 34.Ra7 a4?

What a pity: David Navara was doing fine, pinning his hopes on his two passed pawns, which pose a long-term danger for Vassily Ivanchuk. But the Czech GM has underestimated the lethal danger to his king and the pinned bishop: 35.Nf6+ Kh8 36.Ra8+ Bf8 37.Nd7 a3 38.Nxf8 b4 39.Nxe6+ Kh7 40.Nd4 Rb2 41.h4 a2 42.Kg2 Rd2 43.Nb3 Rb2

After 44.Nc1 Rc2 45.Rxa2 Rxc1 46.Rb2 it is all over for Black. 1-0.

• Click to replay the games of day two

Ivanchuk in Prague

With his friend and second, Mexican GM Manuel Leon Hoyos (in the background St Nicolas Church)

Two Czech GMs (Vlastimil Hort lives in Germany) in front of their picturesque city

Czech GM Jan Plachetka does a lecture on the famous Richard Reti, who was an ethnic Jewish Austrian-Hungarian but later became Czechoslovakian and died in 1929 in Prague (of scarlet fever, at the age of 40). Note that Plachetka is using the "Dossier" function of ChessBase with Mega Database – Ctrl-F2, "Reti", "Dossier".

GM David Navara in the audience listening to his older colleague

GM Lubos Kaválek, originally from Czechoslovakia but now living in the USA, comments for an audience that includes Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer (second from right)

The Prime Minister chats with David Navara's father and main organiser Pavel Matocha

Pavel the Colorful with commentator Vlastimil Hort

Vlastimil was one of the world's strongest players during the 1960s and 1970s
and reached the Candidates stage for the world chess championship.

Further schedule

Friday 29th May
5 p.m. – simul by GM Lubomír Kaválek

Saturday 30th May
4 p.m. – “About the Beauty of Chess, Beautiful Games and the Price of the Beauty” – lecture by Lubomír Kaválek.
5 p.m. – 5th game of the match
7 p.m. – 6th game of the match

Sunday 31st May
4 p.m. – Chess history quiz hold by GM Vlastimil Hort
5 p.m. – 7th game of the match
7 p.m. - 8th game of the match 

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN If you are not a member of the chess server Playchess.com 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.