Ivanchuk wins 51. Capablanca Memorial

by André Schulz
6/21/2016 – The Capablanca Memorial is a tournament with a long tradition. The first of these events to honor the Cuban Champion was played in 1962, this year saw the 51st edition. Six of the previous 50 tournaments were won by Vassily Ivanchuk. This year he won for the seventh time. With four wins and six draws Ivanchuk scored 7.0/10 and was one point ahead of his closest rival.
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Finals standings

The following game is typical for Ivanchuk's smooth play in the tournament. With Black he tried a slighly unusual opening and equalized easily. He then gradually increased the pressure which provoked White to commit a decisive error.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4
4...d6 5.0-0 b5 Another possibility is 5...Bg4 6.h3 h5 e.g. 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.d3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 Qf6 10.Qd1 g5 11.Nc3 Ne7 12.g3 Bg7 13.Kh2 Qg6 14.f4 exf4 15.gxf4 g4 16.f5 Be5+ 17.Bf4 Qf6 18.Qd2 Rb8 19.Rab1 Rg8 20.Bxe5 Qxe5+ 21.Qf4 Qc5 22.Rg1 Kd7 23.h4 g3+ 24.Rxg3 Rxg3 25.Kxg3 Rg8+ 26.Kh3 Rg4 27.Qf3 Qd4 28.Rf1 Nd5 29.Ne2 Qf6 30.Qf2 Ne3 31.Rg1 Nxc2 32.Nf4 Rxg1 33.Qxg1 Qxb2 34.Qg8 Qxa2 35.Nxh5 Ne3 36.Nf6+ Ke7 37.Nh7 Kd7 38.h5 Qe2 39.Kh4 Qh2+ 40.Kg5 Qg3+ 41.Kh6 Qxg8 42.Nf6+ Ke7 43.Nxg8+ Kf8 44.Nf6 a5 45.Kh7 a4 0-1 (45) Anand,V (2784)-Demuth,A (2535) Gibraltar 2016 6.Bb3 Na5 7.d4 Nxb3 8.axb3 f6 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.Nh4 Maybe 10.Qe2 is better, e.g. g6 11.Be3 c6 12.dxe5 fxe5 13.Ng5 Be7 14.f4 Bxg5 15.fxg5 Qc7 16.Qf2 Qe7 17.Rad1 0-0-0 18.Bb6 Re8 19.Qf7 h6 20.Qxg6 hxg5 21.Rf7 Qe6 22.Rxd6 Qxg6 23.Rxg6 Nh6 24.Rc7+ Kb8 25.Rcg7 Bc8 26.Rxc6 Re6 27.Ba7+ Ka8 28.Rcc7 1-0 (28) Pavlovic,M (2560)-Agdestein,S (2578) Catalan Bay 2003 10...Ne7 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Qf3 Qd7 13.Rd1 Qe6 14.Be3 Mark Taimanov and Simen Agdestein liked to play this line with Black. Here's an example in which Agdestein tried it against Anand: 14.Nd5 Nxd5 15.exd5 Qf7 16.c4 Be7 17.Nf5 Rd8 18.Be3 g6 19.Nh6 Qg7 20.Qg3 Bc8 21.h4 Bd6 22.Qf3 Be7 23.Rac1 bxc4 24.bxc4 Rf8 25.c5 f5 26.Bg5 Bxg5 27.hxg5 Qe7 28.Qg3 f4 29.Qh4 e4 30.d6 Qe5 31.dxc7 Rxd1+ 32.Rxd1 e3 33.Rd8+ Ke7 34.Ng8+ Rxg8 35.Rxg8 Be6 36.c8Q exf2+ 37.Qxf2 Bxc8 38.Rxc8 1-0 (38) Anand,V (2505) -Agdestein,S (2565) Baguio City 1987 14...g6 Too risky is 14...g5? which was played in a famous game between Spassky and Taimanov: 15.Nxb5 axb5 16.Qh5+ Qf7 16...Ng6 17.Nxg6 hxg6 18.Rxa8+ Bxa8 19.Qxg6+ 17.Rxa8+ Bxa8 18.Rd8+ Kxd8 19.Qxf7 gxh4 20.Qxf6 Rg8 21.f3 21.Qxh4+- 21...h3 22.g3 Ke8 23.Qxe5 Rg6 24.Qxb5+ Bc6 25.Qb8+ Kf7 26.Qxc7 Rf6 27.Bg5 Re6 28.b4 Kg8 29.Qb8 Ng6 30.Kf2 Ne5 31.b5 Be8 32.Be3 Bd6 33.Qc8 Kf7 34.b6 Rf6 35.Bf4 Bd7 36.b7 Be6 37.Bxe5 Bxe5 38.b8Q Bxc8 39.Qxe5 1-0 (39) Spassky, B-Taimanov,M Moscow 1955 15.Bc5 Kf7N A new move. A previous game continued 15...Rc8 16.h3 Nc6 17.Nd5 Bxc5 18.Nxf6+ Ke7 19.Rd7+ Qxd7 20.Nxd7 Kxd7 21.Qf7+ Ne7 22.Rd1+ Bd6 23.Nf3 Rce8 24.Nxe5+ Kc8 25.Qe6+ Kb8 26.Rxd6 cxd6 27.Nd7+ Kc7 28.Nf6 Bc6 29.Nxe8+ Rxe8 30.f3 Nc8 31.Qf6 a5 32.Kf2 Re5 33.Qf7+ Re7 34.Qf4 Nb6 35.Qd2 a4 36.bxa4 bxa4 37.b3 Re5 38.bxa4 Nxa4 39.Qh6 Re7 40.Qg5 Kd7 41.h4 Nc5 42.Qg4+ Kc7 43.h5 gxh5 44.Qxh5 Nxe4+ 45.fxe4 Bxe4 46.Qa5+ Kd7 1/2-1/2 (46) Paschall,W (2393)-Nikcevic,N (2462) Belgrade 2001 16.Qe3 Bg7 17.Bxe7?! White parts with the pair of bishops but the initiative White gets after this exchange is only temporary. Qxe7 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.Rxd5 Rhd8 20.Rxd8 Rxd8 Black protects the weak pawn on a6 by tactical means. 21.Nf3 21.Rxa6?? Rd1+ 21...Bf8
22.h3 White still cannot take on a6: 22.Rxa6? Rd1+ 23.Ne1 Qc5 and now 24.Rxf6+ fails to Kg8 and now White has nothing better than 24...Kxf6? 25.Qf3+ Kg7 26.Qxd1 25.Rxf8+ 25.Kf1 Qxc2 25.Qe2 Qxc2 25.Rf3 Bh6 25...Qxf8 with a clear advantage for Black. 22...Qe6 Defending a6. 23.Ne1 Rd4 Now Black controls the d-file and seizes the initiative. 24.f3 Qd6 25.Nd3 c5 26.Kf1 To a human eye Black is better - he controls the d-file and has a space advantage. But White has no serious weakness and the engines remain unimpressed. After 26.Nf2= they evaluate the position as absolutely equal. 26...Bg7 27.Qe2 Bh6 Black's bishop gratefully occupies the diagonal White's queen has just left. 28.Rd1 c4 29.bxc4 bxc4 30.Nf2 Ke7 31.Rxd4 Qxd4 32.Nd1 Bc1 33.b3? White wants to get rid of Black's pressure and forces matters. But this is a mistake. With 33.Nc3 White keeps the balance, e.g. Bxb2 34.Nd5+ Kf7 35.Qe1 and the threats of Qh4 or Qa5 give White enough counterplay. c3? so 36.Qh4± 33.c3 Qd2 34.Qxd2 Bxd2 35.Ke2 33...a5
34.c3? A blunder in a difficult position. After 34.g4 Black is only slightly better. 34...Qd2 35.Qxd2 Bxd2 36.Ke2 Bc1 37.bxc4 a4 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Dominguez Perez,L2723Ivanchuk,V27100–12016C7051st Capablanca Mem Elite5.1

 

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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 b6 7.0-0 Bb7 8.Bd2 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nbd7 10.Qe2 c5 11.Rfd1 cxd4 12.Nxd4 Qe7 13.Ba6 Bxa6 14.Qxa6 Bd6 15.Rac1 Nc5 16.Qe2 Rac8 17.b4 Nce4 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Be1 Qb7 20.Rxc8 Rxc8 21.f3 Nf6 22.Nxe6 Bxh2+ 23.Kxh2 fxe6 24.e4 Nh5 25.Rd6 Qe7 26.Qd2 Qf6 27.Rd7 Qe5+ 28.Kg1 h6 29.Qd6 Qxd6 30.Rxd6 Rc1 31.Kf2 Ra1 32.Rd2 Nf4 33.Kg3 Nh5+ 34.Kh4 Rxe1 35.Kxh5 Kf7 36.Rd7+ Kf6 37.Rxa7 Re2 38.e5+ Rxe5+ 39.Kg4 Re2 40.Kg3 h5 41.a4 Ra2 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ivanchuk,V2710Kryvoruchko,Y2682½–½2016E5251st Capablanca Mem Elite1.1
Almasi,Z2688Dominguez Perez,L2723½–½2016A1451st Capablanca Mem Elite1.2
Bruzon Batista,L2681Cheparinov,I2687½–½2016C6551st Capablanca Mem Elite1.3
Kryvoruchko,Y2682Cheparinov,I2687½–½2016C6551st Capablanca Mem Elite2.1
Ivanchuk,V2710Almasi,Z26881–02016A4651st Capablanca Mem Elite2.2
Dominguez Perez,L2723Bruzon Batista,L2681½–½2016C6751st Capablanca Mem Elite2.3
Almasi,Z2688Kryvoruchko,Y2682½–½2016C6751st Capablanca Mem Elite3.1
Bruzon Batista,L2681Ivanchuk,V27100–12016B6651st Capablanca Mem Elite3.2
Cheparinov,I2687Dominguez Perez,L2723½–½2016D3751st Capablanca Mem Elite3.3
Ivanchuk,V2710Cheparinov,I2687½–½2016C4851st Capablanca Mem Elite4.1
Kryvoruchko,Y2682Dominguez Perez,L2723½–½2016C5051st Capablanca Mem Elite4.2
Almasi,Z2688Bruzon Batista,L26811–02016A1451st Capablanca Mem Elite4.3
Dominguez Perez,L2723Ivanchuk,V27100–12016C7251st Capablanca Mem Elite5.1
Cheparinov,I2687Almasi,Z2688½–½2016A1751st Capablanca Mem Elite5.2
Bruzon Batista,L2681Kryvoruchko,Y2682½–½2016D3751st Capablanca Mem Elite5.3
Cheparinov,I2687Bruzon Batista,L2681½–½2016A2951st Capablanca Mem Elite6.1
Dominguez Perez,L2723Almasi,Z2688½–½2016E0651st Capablanca Mem Elite6.2
Kryvoruchko,Y2682Ivanchuk,V2710½–½2016C1151st Capablanca Mem Elite6.3
Bruzon Batista,L2681Dominguez Perez,L2723½–½2016C4251st Capablanca Mem Elite7.1
Cheparinov,I2687Kryvoruchko,Y2682½–½2016D3751st Capablanca Mem Elite7.2
Almasi,Z2688Ivanchuk,V2710½–½2016A1551st Capablanca Mem Elite7.3
Kryvoruchko,Y2682Almasi,Z26881–02016C4551st Capablanca Mem Elite8.1
Ivanchuk,V2710Bruzon Batista,L26811–02016D3151st Capablanca Mem Elite8.2
Dominguez Perez,L2723Cheparinov,I2687½–½2016D3851st Capablanca Mem Elite8.3
Dominguez Perez,L2723Kryvoruchko,Y2682½–½2016D0251st Capablanca Mem Elite9.1
Cheparinov,I2687Ivanchuk,V2710½–½2016E6051st Capablanca Mem Elite9.2
Bruzon Batista,L2681Almasi,Z26880–1201651st Capablanca Mem Elite9.3
Kryvoruchko,Y2682Bruzon Batista,L26811–0201651st Capablanca Mem Elite10.1
Ivanchuk,V2710Dominguez Perez,L2723½–½2016E0651st Capablanca Mem Elite10.2
Almasi,Z2688Cheparinov,I2687½–½2016C6751st Capablanca Mem Elite10.3

 

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

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