CEZ Trophy: Navara and Ivanchuk score, Ivanchuk leads 4:2

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 thee: Navara fights back, Ivanchuk strikes

Trailing 1:3 from their first four games Czech GM David Navara came out fighting in round five, dominating his opponent for most of the game and then playing a nice ending to take the full point.

David Navara (left) vs Vassily Ivanchuk on day three of the CEZ Trophy in Prague

Navara,D (2654) - Ivanchuk,V (2746) [D76]
Cez Trophy Rapid Prague CZE (5), 30.05.2009
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.Nc3 Nc6 8.e3 0-0 9.0-0 Re8 10.Re1 e5 11.d5 Na5 12.e4 c6 13.b3 cxd5 14.exd5 Bg4 15.Ba3 e4 16.Nxe4 Nxd5 17.Rc1 Nc6 18.Nd6 Rxe1+ 19.Qxe1 Rb8 20.Nxb7 Rxb7 21.Rxc6 Rd7 22.h3 Nc3 23.Kh2 Bxf3 24.Bxf3 Nb5 25.Qc1 Qe8 26.Rc8 Rd8 27.Bc6 Rxc8 28.Bxe8 Rxc1 29.Bxc1 Nc3 30.a3 Bd4 31.Kg2 Kf8 32.Bc6 Nd1 33.f4 Be3 34.Bxe3 Nxe3+ 35.Kf2 Nc2 36.Be4 Nxa3 37.Bd3 Ke7 38.Ke3 Kd6 39.Kd4 f6?! 40.g4 Kc6 41.g5 fxg5 42.fxg5 a5?

Things looked grim for Ivanchuk already, but the last move sealed his fate. 43.Ke5 Kc5 44.h4 Nb5 45.Kf6 [45.Bxb5 also wins: 45...Kxb5 46.Kf6 Kb4 47.Kg7 Kxb3 48.Kxh7 a4 49.h5 gxh5 50.g6 a3 51.g7 a2 52.g8Q+] 45...Nd6 46.Bxg6 hxg6 47.Kxg6 Kd5 48.h5 Ke6 49.h6 Nf7 50.h7 Ke7 51.Kg7 1-0.

In the second game of the day Ukraine's top player Vassily Ivanchuk struck back.

Ivanchuk,V (2746) - Navara,D (2654) [C69]
Cez Trophy Rapid Prague CZE (6), 30.05.2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Qf6 6.d4 exd4 7.Bg5 Qd6 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.Be3 Nf6 10.f3 c5 11.Ne2 b6 12.Nbc3 Bb7 13.Qxd6 Bxd6 14.Bf4 Nh5 15.Bxd6 cxd6 16.Rad1 0-0-0 17.Rd2 Rd7 18.Rfd1 Rhd8 19.g4 Nf6 20.g5 Ne8 21.Nf4 Nc7 22.h4 b5 23.Kf2 Ne6 24.Nh5

24...Rg8. If there is a moment in this game where we can say Navara sealed his fate it is with this move, giving up the pawn. 25.Rxd6 Rxd6 26.Rxd6 Kc7 27.Rd2 Rh8 28.Nd5+ Bxd5 29.exd5 Rd8 30.Ke3 Nd4 31.Nxg7 b4 32.c3 bxc3 33.bxc3 Nb5 34.c4 Nd6 35.Kf4 Rb8 36.Re2 Kd8 37.h5 Rb4 38.h6 Rxc4+ 39.Ke5 Kd7 40.Nh5 Rc3 41.Nf6+ Kc7 42.Ne4 Nc4+ 43.Kf4 Rd3 44.Nf6 Rd4+ 45.Re4 Nd6 46.Rxd4 cxd4 47.Nxh7 Nf5 48.Nf6 d3 49.Ne4

This time it was Navara who was comprehensively outplayed by his Ukrainian opponent. 1-0.

• Click to replay the games of day three

Standings

The spectators, with Czech-American GM Lubos Kavalek commenting

On the previous (free) day GM Kavalek gave a simul display in the venue

His youngest opponent, U8 champion Karin Nemcova, whose progress in the game is monitored by...

The head of state takes a special interest in the simul display, especially since his
sons Jan and Václav jn. are playing (both were able to hold a draw against Kavalek)

Further schedule

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.