Leko fumbles and Bologan takes the point
Round 4: Sun. Aug. 3, 15:00h |
A. Naiditsch |
1-0 |
T. Radjabov |
V. Anand |
1/2 |
V. Kramnik |
P. Leko |
0-1 |
V. Bologan |
|
|
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Someone had better beat Viktor Bologan soon, or maybe just wake him up! The
Moldovan GM is cruising through the first supertournament of his life as if
he usually eats 2700s for breakfast. He disposed of the world #3 on Saturday
and on Sunday it was time for #4, Peter Leko.
46 moves later Bologan became had extended his lead in Dortmund to a full point
ahead of world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Leko got a solid plus against Bolo's
Caro-Kann Defense but then went astray trying to convert his advantage after
sacrificing a pawn. Bologan played good defense and grabbed the first opportunity
to steal the initiative.

Standings after round four

You'll notice in this pre-event publicity photo from the official site,
Bologan (back-left) is the one with the biggest smile. Was it because he was
just happy to be there or because he knew something the other guys didn't? Maybe
it's his lucky lime-green jacket and brown shirt combination. (It'll be all
the rage at your next tournament.) Leko is clearly being punished for changing
his wardrobe, which is usually very colorful.
Are you ready for some new math? After four rounds Arkady Naiditsch has
more wins than Peter Leko and Vishy Anand combined. He defeated fellow teen
Teimour Radjabov (therefore validating one of our little pre-event predictions)
when the Azerbaijani aggressively sacrificed a piece, and then a rook, for a
mass of central pawns but couldn't keep up the attack.
Some
of Naiditsch's comments to the press on his game: "It looked more like
Rajdabov's nature to sacrifice a knight, take the center, but I was prepared."
... "From outside my position might have looked suspect, with king in the
center, pawns rolling down etc., but White was always holding on." ...
"With accurate defense, he was getting it tough and sacrificed his rook
more in a last ditch effort, but by then it was gone." ... "Despite
the menacing pawns in the center, my rook up position was assuring and I was
confident of victory."
Anand used the white pieces to take a day off to recover from his two consecutive
losses. Against Kramnik he repeated a queen sacrifice line of the (guess) Sveshnikov
introduced by Topalov against Leko in 2000. That game went for 87 moves before
the draw was agreed, this one only lasted 25 with nary a new move to its (dis)credit.
A few years ago it would have been strange to hear about Peter
Leko pressing too hard for a win and losing. In the last two years his style
has been reinvented and despite his three draws to start this event Leko has
been playing hard. Against Bologan he played well enough to win but at key moments
he missed promising continuations that would have given him excellent winning
chances.
Leko,P (2739) - Bologan,V (2650) [B17]
Dortmund GER (4), 03.08.2003
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Bc4 Ngf6 6.Ng5 e6 7.Qe2
Nb6 8.Bd3 h6 9.N5f3 c5 10.Be3 Qc7 11.Ne5 a6 12.Ngf3 cxd4 13.Bxd4
Nbd5 14.0-0 Bc5 15.Bb5+ Kf8
[15...axb5? 16.Qxb5+ Nd7 (16...Bd7 17.Qxc5 Qxc5 18.Bxc5 Rc8
19.Ba3 Rxc2 20.Rac1 Re2 21.Rfd1±) ; 15...Ke7 16.Nc6+ bxc6 17.Bxc5+ Ke8 1-0
Gasanov,E-Zubov,O/Kramatorsk 2002/EXT 2003 (30).]
16.Bxc5+ Qxc5 17.Bc4 (D1)
17...Ke7N
[17...g6 18.Bxd5 Nxd5 19.c4 Nf6 20.a3 1-0 Rublevsky,S-Karpov,A/Polanica
Zdroj 1998/CBM 67/[Lukacs] (69). (68)(Or 20.Rfd1 Kg7 21.a3±) ;
17...b5 18.Bxd5 Nxd5 19.Rad1 Kg8 20.Rfe1± Bb7? 21.Nxf7! Nf4 22.Qe5+-]
18.Bxd5 Nxd5 19.c4 Nf6 20.Rfd1 Bd7 21.b4 Qc7 22.Nd4 Rhd8 23.Rd3
Kf8 24.Rad1 Be8 25.h3 Nd7 26.Ng4!? A dangerous pawn sacrifice creating Nxh6
threats in many lines.
[26.Rf3 With the idea of playing Ng4 after protecting the pawn.
26...Nf6 (26...Kg8 27.Nxf7! Bxf7 28.Nxe6 Bxe6 29.Qxe6+ Kh8 30.Qe7)
27.Ng4 Ba4 (27...Qe7? 28.Rxf6! gxf6 29.Qe3 Ba4 30.Qxh6+ Ke8 31.Rd2! Qxb4
32.Nxf6+ Ke7 33.Nf5+ exf5 34.Re2+ Kd6 35.Nd5+) 28.Rd2 e5 This is probably
forced. 29.Qxe5 (29.Nxe5 Re8 30.Re3) 29...Qxe5 30.Nxe5] 26...Qxc4
(D2)
27.Qd2
Missing a good winning try.
[27.Qe4! The logical follow-up to the pawn sacrifice. 27...h5
(27...Kg8? 28.Nxh6+! gxh6 29.Rg3+ Kf8 30.Qf4 Nb6 (30...Qd5 31.Qxh6+ Ke7 32.Rg5
Ne5 33.Qg7 (33.Nf5+? exf5 34.Rxd5 Rxd5 35.Rxf5) ) 31.Qxh6+ Ke7 32.Nf5+
(32.Qh4+ f6 33.Rf3 Rd5 34.Qxf6+ Kd7 35.Rfd3 Rc8 36.Qg7+ Kd6 37.Qxb7 Qc7 38.Qxa6
Ra8 39.Nf5+ Ke5 40.Rxd5+ exd5 41.Qd3) 32...exf5 33.Re3+ Qe4 34.Rxd8 Rxd8
35.Qxb6)
28.Ne3 Qc7 29.Qh7 Nf6 30.Qh8+ Ng8 31.Ndf5 exf5 32.Nxf5 Qe5 33.Rxd8
Rxd8 34.Rxd8 Qxf5 35.Rxe8+ Kxe8 36.Qxg8+ Ke7 37.Qxg7]
27...Rac8 28.Nb3 [28.Nxh6 Ne5 (28...gxh6?? 29.Qxh6+
Ke7 30.Nf5+ exf5 31.Qd6#) 29.Nxe6+ Qxe6 30.Rxd8 Rxd8 31.Qxd8 gxh6] 28...Qc7
29.Rc1 Qb8 30.Rxc8 Qxc8 31.b5! Qc4 [31...axb5 32.Qb4+ Kg8 33.Nxh6+] 32.bxa6
bxa6 (D3) [32...Qxa6? 33.Qb4+
Kg8 34.Nxh6+]
33.Rd6?
[33.Ne5 What could be more natural than forking the pinned knight and the
queen? This seems to force the win of the exchange. 33...Qc7 (33...Qb5 34.Qa5!
Paradoxically forcing the queen trade. Black's remaining pieces are completely
paralyzed. 34...Qxa5 35.Nxa5 Black has no piece moves and Nb7 is coming.
35...Nxe5 (35...f6 36.Nb7) 36.Rxd8 Ke7 37.Ra8 Bb5 38.Ra7+
Kf6 39.Nb7) 34.Qb4+ Kg8 35.Qe7 Black is paralyzed. The threat is Nxd7 Bxd7 Nc5.
35...Qxe5 (35...a5 36.Nxd7 Bxd7 37.Nc5) 36.Qxd8 Qe1+ 37.Kh2 Nf6]
33...Qb5 34.Nd4 Qb1+ 35.Kh2 Rc8 Finally Black is starting
to unwind. 36.Nb3 Nc5 37.Nxc5 Rxc5 38.Rxa6 Regaining the pawn but now
Black's attack is serious. [38.Rd8 Qb7] 38...Qb8+ 39.Kg1 (D4)
Underestimating the threats against his king. [39.g3 A dangerous weakening of
the long diagonal.; 39.f4 Rd5]
39...Rb5
Now Black takes over the initiative. 40.Ne3? The famous final move
of the time control. White's best chance was to get the queens off and defend
a difficult endgame.
[40.Qd6+ Qxd6 41.Rxd6 Rb1+ 42.Kh2 Rb2]
40...Rb1+ 41.Nd1 Qe5! A winning centralization threatening
..Qd5 or ..Qa1. 42.Ra3 The rook can't leave the a-file or ..Ba4 is a
killer. 42...Qg5 The other threat generated by ..Qe5. 43.Re3 [43.Qc2
Qc1]
43...Ba4 It's over. 44.Kh2 Qf4+ 45.g3 Rxd1 46.Qd8+ Rxd8
0-1
Mig
Results and schedule
Round 1: Thurs. July 31, 15:00h
|
V. Kramnik
|
1-0
|
T. Radjabov
|
A. Naiditsch
|
0-1
|
V. Bologan
|
V. Anand
|
1/2
|
P. Leko
|
|
|
Round 6: Wed. Aug. 6, 15:00h |
T. Radjabov
|
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V. Kramnik
|
V. Bologan
|
|
A. Naiditsch
|
P. Leko
|
|
V. Anand
|
Games – Report
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Round 2: Friday. Aug. 1, 15:00h
|
V. Anand
|
0-1
|
T. Radjabov
|
P. Leko
|
1/2
|
A. Naiditsch
|
V. Bologan
|
1/2
|
V. Kramnik
|
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Round 7: Thurs. Aug. 7, 15:00h |
P. Leko
|
|
T. Radjabov
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V. Anand
|
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V. Bologan
|
A. Naiditsch
|
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V. Kramnik
|
Games – Report
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Round 3: Sat. Aug. 2, 15:00h
|
T. Radjabov
|
1/2
|
P. Leko
|
V. Bologan
|
1-0
|
V. Anand
|
V. Kramnik
|
1/2
|
A. Naiditsch
|
|
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Round 8: Fri. Aug. 8, 15:00h |
T. Radjabov
|
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A. Naiditsch
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V. Kramnik
|
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V. Anand
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V. Bologan
|
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P. Leko
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Games – Report
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Round 4: Sun. Aug. 3, 15:00h |
A. Naiditsch |
1-0 |
T. Radjabov |
V. Anand |
1/2 |
V. Kramnik |
P. Leko |
0-1 |
V. Bologan |
|
|
Round 9: Sat. Aug. 9, 15:00h |
V. Bologan
|
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T. Radjabov
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P. Leko
|
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V. Kramnik
|
V. Anand
|
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A. Naiditsch
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Games – Report
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Round 5: Mon. Aug. 4, 15:00h |
T. Radjabov
|
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V. Bologan
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V. Kramnik
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P. Leko
|
A. Naiditsch
|
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V. Anand
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Games – Report
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Round 10: Sun. Aug. 10, 12:30h |
T. Radjabov
|
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V. Anand
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A. Naiditsch
|
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P. Leko
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V. Kramnik
|
|
V. Bologan
|
Games – Report
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