Dortmund, Rd.5: Vachier-Lagrave and Ponomariov win

by André Schulz
7/15/2016 – After a long fight the top game between Vladimir Kramnik and Fabiano Caruana in the fifth round of the Sparkassen Chess-Meeting in Dortmund ended in a draw. But Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ruslan Ponomariov could win. Vachier-Lagrave played against Najer and showed how well he knows the Najdorf. Ponomariov won against Buhmann. Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu and Leinier Dominguez drew. With two rounds to go Vachier-Lagrave leads with 4.0/5.
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The stage

Fabiano Caruana vs Vladimir Kramnik

Vladimir Kramnik, the 14. World Champion

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is famous for his good knowledge of the Najdorf. But Evgeniy Najer seemed to have his doubts and dared to play the Poisoned Pawn Variation of the Najdorf against the French Grandmaster. But Vachier-Lagrave could rely on his theoretical knowledge and won the game. With this victory he is now number two on the virtual ranking list.

The new number two

Evgeniy Najer lost the theoretical duel

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Qb6 9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 11.e5 The game now transposed into the ultra-sharp Tal-Variation. Who has the better memory is better and who found a new idea with his engines? dxe5 12.fxe5 Nfd7 13.Ne4 Qxa2 14.Rd1 Qd5 15.Qe3 Qxe5 16.Be2 Bc5 17.Bg3 Qd5 17...Bxd4 18.Rxd4 Qa5+ 19.Rd2 0-0 20.Bd6 Nc6 21.0-0 f5 22.Bxf8 Nxf8 23.Nd6 Ne5 24.Kh1 Nfg6 25.Nc4 Nxc4 26.Bxc4 Kh7 27.Bb3 Ne5 28.h3 Bd7 29.Rd6 Rc8 30.Re1 Nc4 31.Bxc4 Rxc4 32.Rxd7 Re4 33.Qxe4 fxe4 34.Rxe4 Qb5 35.Rc7 Qb6 36.Rec4 Qf2 37.Re4 b5 38.Rc6 a5 39.Rexe6 a4 40.Re7 a3 41.Rcc7 Qf6 42.Ra7 a2 43.c3 Qxe7 0-1 (43) Najer,E (2670) -Nepomniachtchi,I (2602) Mainz 2008 18.c4 Bxd4 19.Rxd4 Qa5+ 20.Rd2 0-0 21.Bd6 f5 21...Re8 22.Qg3 Qf5 23.Bd3 Qg6 24.Qxg6 fxg6 25.Bg3 Rd8 26.Nd6 g5 27.Rf1 Nc6 28.Be4 Nc5 29.Bxc6 bxc6 30.Be5 Rd7 31.Rf3 a5 32.Bd4 Nb7 33.Ne4 a4 34.Bb2 Rxd2 35.Kxd2 Na5 36.Nd6 Ba6 37.Kc3 Rb8 38.Ba3 c5 39.Bxc5 Rb3+ 40.Kd2 Rxf3 41.gxf3 Nb3+ 0-1 (41) Mekhitarian,K (2511)-Fargere,F (2478) Dieren 2010 22.Bxf8 Nxf8 23.Nd6 Nbd7 24.g4 All this is still "theory". fxg4 24...Qe5 25.Qxe5 Nxe5 26.gxf5 exf5 27.0-0 g6 28.Rb1 Be6 29.c5 a5 30.Ra1 a4 31.Ra3 1/2-1/2 (31) Yu,Y (2667)-Wei,Y (2629) China 2014 25.Bxg4 Qa1+ 26.Rd1 Qe5
27.Rd3? A blunder. But 27.Qxe5 Nxe5 28.Bh3 Bd7 also looks good for Black. 27...Nc5 28.0-0 28.Qxe5 Nxd3+ costs the rook. 28...Nxd3 29.Qxd3 Bd7 After regaining the exchange Black remains with the better position and a couple of extra pawns. 30.Nxb7 Rb8 30...Bc6 31.Bf3 Bxf3 32.Rxf3 Qc7-+ 31.Bf3 Qc7 32.Nd6 Qc5+ 33.Rf2 a5 34.Nb7 Qb4 35.Qe4 Nh7 36.c5 Ng5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Najer,E2687Vachier Lagrave,M27980–12016B9744th GM 20165

Rainer Buhmann and Ruslan Ponomariov fought a sharp battle in the Queen's Indian Defense. The German sacrificed a pawn in the opening but Ponomariov defended well and had the upper hand. But with a few inaccuracies Ponomariov let Buhmann back into the game - however, the German Grandmaster failed to grab these opportunities and lost.

Missing a draw

Buhmann-Ponomariov

 
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 Bb7 4.Bg2 e6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d4 0-0 7.d5 The main line is 7.Nc3 Ne4 and now the modern line is 8.Bd2 . 7...exd5 8.Nh4 c6 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Nf5 Nc7 11.Nc3 d5 12.e4 Bf6 13.exd5 cxd5 14.Bf4 Nba6 15.Re1 Bc8 15...Qd7 16.Bh3 Qd8 17.Nd6 Bc6 18.Rc1 Nc5 19.b4 N5e6 20.Nce4 dxe4 21.Rxc6 Nxf4 22.gxf4 Ne8 23.Nxe4 Qxd1 24.Rxd1= 1-0 (58) Wojtaszek, R (2733)-Eljanov,P (2723) Biel 2015 16.Nd6 Bxc3 17.bxc3 Be6 18.a4 Nc5 19.h4 Qd7 19...a6 20.c4 dxc4 21.Nxc4 Bxc4 22.Qxd8 Raxd8 23.Bxc7 Rde8 24.Rxe8 Rxe8 25.Bxb6 1/2-1/2 (25) Diermair,A (2488)-Efimenko, Z (2656) Zalakaros 2015 20.a5 Bg4 21.f3 21.Bf3 Bxf3 21...Bh3? 22.g4 22.Qxf3= 21...Be6 22.g4 Qc6
Asking the knight on d6 about its plans. 23.Rb1 Rad8 24.axb6 axb6 25.Nf5 Bxf5 26.gxf5 White's pawn structure on the kingside is no reason to be happy and White is also far away from having compensation for the pawn he sacrificed in the opening. Nb5 27.Be5 Rfe8 28.f4 f6 28...Ne4!? 29.c4 fxe5 30.Bxd5+ Rxd5 31.Qxd5+ Qxd5 32.cxd5
32...Nc3? Correct was 32...Nd4-+ 33.Rxb6 Nxd5? Better was 33...Nd3 34.Ra1 34.Re3 Nxd5 34...Nxf4 35.d6 Ne4 Black is better though White can still fight. 34.Rd6? This loses. 34.Rxe5 Should be a draw. 34...Nxf4 35.Ra1 e4 36.Rc6 e3 36...e3 37.Rxc5 e2 38.Rcc1 Nd3-+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Buhmann,R2653Ponomariov,R27060–12016E1744th GM 20165


Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu drew against Leinier Dominguez and is still unbeaten.

 

Results of round five

  Title Name Country ELO Res. Title Name Country ELO
1 GM Leinier Dominguez Perez
 
 2732 ½ - ½ GM Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu
 
 2669
2 GM Rainer Buhmann
 
 2651 0 - 1 GM Ruslan Ponomariov
 
 2715
3 GM Evgeniy Najer
 
 2681 0 - 1 GM Maxime Vachier Lagrave
 
 2788
4 GM Vladimir Kramnik
 
 2801 ½ - ½ GM Fabiano Caruana
 
 2804

Games - Rounds 1 to 5

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 e5 8.d5 Ne7 9.0-0 a6 10.a3 Bc5 11.Bg5 Ne8 12.b4 Ba7 13.e4 h6 14.Be3 f5 15.Bxa7 Rxa7 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Qd2 Nf6 18.Nh4 Bh7 19.f4 exf4 20.Rxf4 g5 21.Rf2 gxh4 22.Qd4 Ra8 23.Rxf6 Nf5 24.Qg4+ Kh8 25.Re6 hxg3 26.hxg3 Rg8 27.Qf4 Rxg3 28.Ne4 Rg6 29.Rf1 Qh4 30.Rxg6 Qxf4 31.Rxf4 Bxg6 32.c5 Rd8 33.Nc3 Kg7 34.c6 b5 35.a4 bxa4 36.b5 axb5 37.Nxb5 a3 38.Ra4 Ne3 39.Nxc7 Kf6 40.Bf3 Rc8 41.Rxa3 Rxc7 42.Rxe3 Re7 43.Rc3 Bf5 44.Kf2 Ra7 45.Kg3 Kg5 46.c7 Bc8 47.Rc6 h5 48.Rxd6 h4+ 49.Kf2 Rxc7 50.Rc6 Rxc6 51.dxc6 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nisipeanu,L2674Ponomariov,R2706½–½2016E3244th GM 20161
Najer,E2687Buhmann,R26531–02016C1144th GM 20161
Caruana,F2810Vachier Lagrave,M27980–12016B9044th GM 20161
Dominguez Perez,L2713Kramnik,V2812½–½2016C6744th GM 20161
Buhmann,R2653Dominguez Perez,L2713½–½2016E9744th GM 20162
Caruana,F2810Nisipeanu,L2674½–½2016B1244th GM 20162
Ponomariov,R2706Najer,E26871–02016D1944th GM 20162
Vachier Lagrave,M2798Kramnik,V2812½–½2016C6744th GM 20162
Najer,E2687Caruana,F28100–12016B1244th GM 20163
Nisipeanu,L2674Vachier Lagrave,M2798½–½2016D8544th GM 20163
Dominguez Perez,L2713Ponomariov,R27061–02016B9044th GM 20163
Kramnik,V2812Buhmann,R2653½–½2016C1144th GM 20163
Vachier Lagrave,M2798Buhmann,R26531–02016C9544th GM 20164
Nisipeanu,L2674Najer,E2687½–½2016D0244th GM 20164
Caruana,F2810Dominguez Perez,L2713½–½2016C4244th GM 20164
Ponomariov,R2706Kramnik,V2812½–½2016D4144th GM 20164
Dominguez Perez,L2713Nisipeanu,L2674½–½2016B1244th GM 20165
Buhmann,R2653Ponomariov,R27060–12016E1744th GM 20165
Najer,E2687Vachier Lagrave,M27980–12016B9644th GM 20165
Kramnik,V2812Caruana,F2810½–½2016B4844th GM 20165

Standings after five rounds

Rg. Title Name Nation Elo Perf. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pkt. Wtg.
1 GM Maxime Vachier Lagrave
 
 2788 +174       ½ ½ 1 1 1 4.0 / 5  
2 GM Leinier Dominguez Perez
 
 2732 +66     1 ½ ½ ½   ½ 3.0 / 5 7.25
3 GM Ruslan Ponomariov
 
 2715 +62   0   ½ ½   1 1 3.0 / 5 5.00
4 GM Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu
 
 2669 +75 ½ ½ ½     ½ ½   2.5 / 5 7.00
5 GM Vladimir Kramnik
 
 2801 -63 ½ ½ ½     ½   ½ 2.5 / 5 6.75
6 GM Fabiano Caruana
 
 2804 -69 0 ½   ½ ½   1   2.5 / 5 5.50
7 GM Evgeniy Najer
 
 2681 -102 0   0 ½   0   1 1.5 / 5  
8 GM Rainer Buhmann
 
 2651 -148 0 ½ 0   ½   0   1.0 / 5  

 

Photos: Georgios Souleidis

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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