Elista R9: Gashimov catches Grischuk

FIDE Grand Prix in Elista 2008

The Third FIDE Grand Prix tournament is taking place in Elista from December 13 to 29, 2008. Despite the recent withdrawals (Carlsen, Adams) and the absence of players like Anand, Kramnik and Topalov the tournament is very strong, with a category of 19. The venue, originally Doha, is now "City Chess" in Elista, Kalmykia.

Results

Jakovenko,D (2737) - Kasimdzhanov,R (2672) [B90]
FIDE Grand Prix Elista RUS (9), 23.12.2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 Ng4 10.Kb1 Be6 11.g3 Nc6 12.f4 Nxe3 13.Qxe3 Rc8 14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.exd5 exf4 16.gxf4 Nb8 17.Bd3 Nd7 18.Qe4 g6

With all his pieces aimed at the enemy king White mounts a ruthless attack: 19.h4 Bf6 20.h5 Bg7 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.c3 Qf6 23.Nd4 Rfe8 24.Qf3 Nb6 25.f5 g5 26.Rdg1 Re5 27.Qh5 Kf8 28.Nf3 Rxc3

Black is desperately seeking counterplay, probably dreaming of something like 29.bxc3 Rxf5 30.Bxf5 Qxc3=. But White does not allow himself to be distracted: 29.Nxe5. Good enough, though 29.Nxg5 with the treath of 30.Nh7+ was more forceful. 29...Rc7 30.Qxg5 Qxg5 31.Ng6+ Qxg6 32.fxg6 Nxd5 33.gxf7 Nf4

34.Rxg7. Beautiful: 34...Kxg7 35.Rh7+ Kf8 36.Rh8+ Kxf7 37.Rh7+, so 1-0.

Showing the press how it all happened: Dmitry Jakovenko, Rustam Kasimdzhanov

Gashimov,V (2703) - Mamedyarov,S (2731) [B63]
FIDE Grand Prix Elista RUS (9), 23.12.2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 Be7 8.0-0-0 a6 9.f4 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 b5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Bd3 Qc7 13.Qe3 Bd7 14.Kb1 Qc5 15.Qg3 0-0-0 16.Ne2 Kb8 17.f5 Rdg8 18.Qf3 h5 19.Nf4 h4 20.Rhe1 Bd8 21.c3 Bc7 22.Bc2 Qe5 23.g3 Qc5 24.g4 Bc8 25.h3 Qe5 26.Nh5 Bb6 27.Qf1 Re8 28.Nf4 Rhg8 29.Re2 Bc7?

30.Nd3. Oops, the queen has just one square: 30...Qg3 31.Nf4. And now she is sealed in, entombed, buried alive. 31...Bb6 32.Rde1. The next move is 33.Rg2 and the queen is dead. 1-0.

I don't know how I could get my queen trapped like that – Mamedyarov, Gashimov

With this ninth round victory Wang Yue is now at 50%, Cheparinov at minus one

Teimour Radjabov (left) defeated Pavel Eljanov (right) to come within striking distance of the top

Question of the day: How do you cope with failures?

Questionnaire conducted by FIDE

• Vugar Gashimov: Many chess players usually suffer from defeats or overall tournament failures. I think one should take defeats philosophically, because it is impossible to win all the time. On the other hand, if you prepare comprehensively for the competition and aim at struggle, then there will be more successes than failures, or, moreover, you will have no defeats in the tournament. As for me, I easily stand failures, defeats, and I try not to get stuck on them. I consider such an attitude to failures as one of my fortes. I prefer not to think too much and about my victory or draw in the lately played game, and not to revolve in my head some separate moments of it.

• Teimour Radjabov: I also try to treat losses philosophically. Failure is one of the three possible results in the game, and from time to time it happens anyway, no matter what the player wants. But no defeats are alike, there are losses which you feel very bad about, and it is very difficult to switch from them. For example, yesterday I lost to Ernesto Inarkiev because of the blunder under the time trouble, though throughout the game I had a clear advantage. I regretted the outcome very much, so I cannot give any advice about the way to overcome such offensive failures. As far as I cannot master my emotions, I feel very bad in such situations. I would prefer to lose the game due to the opponent’s flawless performance, but not to experience such a disappointing loss when you have done everything to win, but a single incomprehensible blunder in the time trouble ruins everything.

• Rustam Kasimdzhanov: A defeat is the most upsetting, I would even say, the ugliest thing for a player, at least for a professional chess-player. I even think that grandmasters are happy not to face frequent life stresses comparable to a defeat in a significant and important game. After the upsetting loss one needs time to recover not only morally and psychologically but physically as well. It happens this way to me actually. I cannot offer any ready recipe for feeling better after a loss.

• Peter Leko: Like any sportsman I don’t like losing. This year I held the traditional commercial eight-game match in Miskolc, Hungary. Magnus Carlsen, the fourth in the world ranking, was my opponent. Unfortunately I lost the match without a single victory. The game was a utter frustration: I missed a number of opportunities and made awful blunders. Certainly I was very much upset about a defeat and my poor performance. This was, I remind you, an unofficial match of no sporting importance. I recovered from it only after the victory in the traditional Dortmund Super Tournament.

• Evgeny Alekseev: I try to forget the defeat as fast as possible and concentrate on the coming game. Sometimes I cannot do it however. Yesterday I lost to Grischuk, for example, today once again I was defeated by Cheparinov. I don’t know how I will overcome this failure but of course I’ll try to compose myself and aim at struggle in the coming game. One should fight until the very end.

• Ernesto Inarkive: Of course failures occur in my tournament practice. I cannot say anything new on the point. You should toil at the preparation, theory, analyze a lot in order not to lose but to win. The basis of success is nothing else but elaborate and comprehensive theoretical preparation.

• Shakhriyar Mamedyarov: Speaking about defeats in the tournament and not just some losses in some games, I should say I am not satisfied with my performance in ten tournaments out of the last eleven I participated in. Still I believe that very soon there will be victories. Such is the life of a professional chess-player.

• Ivan Cheparinov: Defeat is an ordinary phenomenon. Everyone can lose a game, and you shouldn’t take failures too close to heart as life goes on. Any defeat can teach us a lesson and not only in chess. You should of course make a comprehensive analysis of the lost game to find the cause, but preferably not in the course of the tournament. You just have no time for this, you got to prepare for the coming game. Yesterday I lost to Eljanov, but today I managed to rally my thoughts and defeat Alekseev.

• Etienne Bacrot: Defeats do not put me out that much. Even after a most unpleasant loss I come to the next game as if nothing had happened. You should treat chess as a game but not as a cut-throat battle.

• Dmitry Jakovenko: After any failure, whether it is a defeat or an offensive draw, I try not to pay attention to it and am thinking about my coming game. In case I fail my last game … my thoughts switch to the following tournament. It is the only way for me to overcome the unpleasant consequences of sport failures.

• Pavel Eljanov: Yesterday I played the longest game in my tournament career. It lasted no less than 7.5 hours! Though it ended with my victory it’s been a stress for me because the resistance was very stiff. After the game I had a sound sleep and got up only at 11 a.m. I haven’t even had lunch before today’s game because I spent the rest of the time preparing for the coming game and analyzing my opponent’s opening variations. I recommend a sound sleep, ideally ten hours, especially after a defeat to get rid of unpleasant thoughts. During such enduring and tiresome tournaments sound sleep is especially useful. Furthermore this tournament has a strict rule that forbids the players to offer a draw. Many games drag on for long and blunders and disappointing breakdowns take place. After failures you shouldn’t give up, just pull yourself together and recover fully to do your best the next game..

• Vladimir Akopian: Losses and defeats are a part of a professional chess player’s life just like upheavals and victories. Of course I‘d like to have fewer defeats. For me losing a game or an overall tournament failure is not a tragedy. But there are chess-players who are extremely hurt by failures and take it too close to heart. I have on quite a few occasions seen players who were totally down-spirited after a loss. Every sport and every game means defeat for one of the parties. Someone succeeds and someone fails. It’s normal and we have to take it philosophically.

• Wang Yue: Life is life, chess is chess. OK. I lost. So what?

Standings after nine rounds

FIDE Grand Prix Elista 2008 – Schedule and results

Links Tournament web site All games in PGN The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download ChessBase Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use it to read, replay and analyse the PGN games. Download free PGN reader ChessBase Light