Closing Gala in Gibraltar

[Event "Gibraltar Masters TB 2014"] [Site "Caleta ENG"] [Date "2014.02.06"] [Round "1.3"] [White "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D28"] [WhiteElo "2737"] [BlackElo "2739"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "83"] [EventDate "2014.02.06"] [SourceDate "2014.01.04"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nc6 {Committing the knight to c6 is not the usual approach in the Queen's Gambit Accepted. The move a6 first is preferred, although it scores horrendously at the grandmaster level.} 7. Qe2 a6 8. Rd1 {This is the difference with the move order, White doesn't need to fear b5 here.} b5 9. Bb3 $6 (9. dxc5 $1 Qc7 10. Bd3 Bxc5 11. a4 $14) 9... c4 10. Bc2 Nb4 11. e4 Bb7 12. d5 {The central expansion looks dangerous, but both players are out of their opening theory knowledge.} Nxc2 13. dxe6 $6 {Fighting chess. Black isn't actually forced to sacrifice anything here, but Ivanchuk sees a chance.} Nxa1 (13... Qc7 14. exf7+ Qxf7 15. Qxc2 Bc5 $17 {with obvious compensation for the pawn.}) 14. Rxd8+ Rxd8 15. exf7+ Kxf7 16. Ng5+ Kg8 {Black has more than enough material for the queen, the question is wether his king will survive and will his knight be rescued from a1.} 17. e5 Ne4 18. Ne6 Re8 19. Nxf8 Kxf8 20. f3 Nc5 21. Be3 Nd3 22. Bd4 Rd8 23. Bb6 Rd5 24. f4 Kf7 $2 {A bad blunder. It was already mandatory to ptay attention to the knight. The king is actually safer on f8 than on f7.} (24... Nxf4 $1 25. Qf3 Ke8 $1 {The knight on f4 is poisoned, so the game turns very complex.} 26. Nc3 $13 (26. Qxf4 Rd1+ 27. Kf2 Rf8 $19)) 25. Nc3 h5 26. e6+ Ke7 27. Nxd5+ Bxd5 28. f5 {Black's still ahead in material, but that knight is doomed and his king is unsafe.} Kd6 29. Bd4 Rg8 30. Qxh5 Nc2 31. Bb6 Kc6 32. Qf7 Rc8 33. Qd7+ Kxb6 34. Qxc8 Nd4 35. h3 Nxf5 36. e7 Nxe7 37. Qd8+ Kc6 38. Qxe7 Nxb2 39. Qxg7 Na4 40. h4 c3 41. h5 c2 42. Qg6+ {Truly complex game, but one in which Ivanchuk got lost on his own.} 1-0

[Event "Gibraltar Masters TB 2014"] [Site "Caleta ENG"] [Date "2014.02.06"] [Round "2.2"] [White "Vitiugov, Nikita"] [Black "Cheparinov, Ivan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A65"] [WhiteElo "2737"] [BlackElo "2672"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "114"] [EventDate "2014.02.06"] [SourceDate "2014.01.04"] {After a relatively uninteresting game in which Vitiugov simply blundered near the end, Cheparinov needed only a draw to win the first prize in Gibraltar. His opening choice was less than orthodox for the situation.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 $5 {Even the Grunfeld has more drawish lines than the King's Indian Defense!} 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Nge2 c5 7. d5 e6 8. Ng3 exd5 9. cxd5 a6 10. a4 h5 11. Bg5 Qe8 12. Bd3 Nh7 13. Bf4 Qe7 {A Benoni structure has arisen and Vitiugov couldn't have been unhappy with the double edged nature of the position. However Black isn't without his chances. White is fighting to contain black who will fall apart without counterplay, meanwhile Black searches for breakthroughs all over the board.} 14. Nge2 Nd7 15. O-O h4 16. h3 {Allowing h3 is not in White's plans.} Ne5 17. Bc2 Bd7 18. a5 Rae8 19. Ba4 f5 20. Bxd7 (20. exf5 Rxf5 (20... gxf5 21. Re1 {isn't as comfortable as in the game.}) 21. Bc2 $5) 20... Qxd7 21. exf5 gxf5 22. Ra4 $5 {The rook is surprisingly well placed on a4, where it pressure h4.} Ng6 23. Bc1 Nf6 24. Bg5 $1 Nh7 25. Bxh4 {Vitiugov has won a pawn, but Black keeps compensation in the form of kingside pressure. In Rapid game this is not easy to deal with.} f4 26. Bf2 Ng5 27. Kh2 {Avoiding mating sacrifices is the main purpose of this move, but the kingside starts to feel uncomfortable.} (27. h4 $2 {Riskier, forcing Black to prove an all or nothing attack now.} Nxf3+ $1 (27... Nh7 28. h5 {is positionally horrible as he will lose f4 next.}) 28. gxf3 Qh3 29. Ne4 $1 Bh6 $1 {And Black's attack rages on.}) 27... Rf5 28. Ng1 Be5 {The x-ray is always annoying.} 29. Qc2 Kg7 30. Ne4 Rh8 {It's hard to suggest a plan of action for White. He is up a pawn but pinned down, however his next move is not good.} 31. Nxg5 Rxg5 32. Re4 Qb5 $6 {Too risky!} (32... Rh6 $1 33. Rfe1 Ne7 $1 {And the pressure continues.}) 33. Rb1 Qxa5 34. b4 cxb4 35. Rexb4 b5 {Pawns are now equal, but how does Black's king feel about that L-Shaped attack coming his way?} 36. Re4 (36. Ne2 $1 {Was better, the knight isn't doing much now that there are no sacrifices to be worried about.}) 36... Nh4 37. Bxh4 Rxh4 38. Ne2 Qb6 39. Rf1 b4 40. Nc1 Rh6 41. Qc4 Rhg6 42. Re2 Qb5 $1 {Exclamation mark because of the tournament situation. Cheparinov correctly predicts that he can hold the draw in the ensuing endgame rather than keep the position double edged.} 43. Qxb5 axb5 44. Nd3 b3 45. Rb1 b2 46. Nxe5 Rxe5 47. Rxe5 (47. Rexb2 Rxd5 48. Rxb5 Rd2 $11 {got White nowhere.}) 47... dxe5 48. Rxb2 Rb6 $1 {The power of the rook behind the passed pawn! White's rook is passive and his king is still far from the action.} 49. g4 fxg3+ 50. Kxg3 b4 51. Kg4 Kf6 52. h4 b3 53. h5 Rb4+ 54. Kg3 Kg5 55. Kf2 Kxh5 56. Ke3 Kg6 57. d6 Kf6 {With no hopes to win the game Vitiugov concedes the draw and Cheparinov emerges the winner of Gibraltar!} 1/2-1/2