Khanty-Mansiysk: Aronian, Svidler, Bareev knocked out

A total of 126 participants turned up on November 23 for the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, located about 1400 miles (2250 km) east of Moscow. The competition is taking place from November 24 to December 18.

Round four Tiebreaks (Wednesday, December 5th)

The former winner of the World Cup is out. Aronian lost his first rapid game against Jakovenko and couldn't level the score. Svidler and Bareev go home as well.

Round four results

No.	Name	Nat	Rtng	G1	G2	R1	R2	B1	B2	SD	Tot.
01	Karjakin, Sergey	UKR	2694	½	1						1.5
	Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter	ROU	2668	½	0						0.5
02	Cheparinov, Ivan	BUL	2670	½	1						1.5
	Wang, Yue	CHN	2703	½	0						0.5
03	Ponomariov, Ruslan	UKR	2705	1	½						1.5
	Sasikiran, Krishnan	IND	2661	0	½						0.5
04	Aronian, Levon	ARM	2741	½	½	0	½				1.5
	Jakovenko, Dmitry	RUS	2710	½	½	1	½				2.5
05	Akopian, Vladimir	ARM	2713	0	½						0.5
	Shirov, Alexei	ESP	2739	1	½						1.5
06	Svidler, Peter	RUS	2732	½	½	½	0				1.5
	Kamsky, Gata	USA	2714	½	½	½	1				2.5
07	Carlsen, Magnus	NOR	2714	1	½						1.5
	Adams, Michael	ENG	2729	0	½						0.5
08	Alekseev, Evgeny	RUS	2716	½	½	1	1				3.0
	Bareev, Evgeny	RUS	2653	½	½	0	0				1.0

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Five players are through, six will play tiebreaks

Commentary by GM Dorian Rogozenko

Start of game three between Levon Aronian, left, and Dmitry Jakovenko

Jakovenko,D (2710) - Aronian,L (2741) [C88]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (4.3), 05.12.2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.h3. 8.c3 d5 leads to the Marshall Attack – a gambit, which offers Black a reach compensation for the pawn and therefore became extremely popular in the past years. 8...Bb7 9.d3

9...d5. Black still sacrifices a pawn, but here White didn't play c2-c3 and Black's initiative is not as strong as in the classical Marshall. Nevertheless he achieves a decent compensation. 9...d6. 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxe5 Nd4. 11...Nxe5 12.Rxe5+/=.

12.Bd2. 12.Nd2 c5 13.a4 Nf4 14.Nef3 Bxf3 15.Nxf3 Nxb3 16.cxb3 Ne6 17.Be3 Bf6 18.Qc2 Qd5 19.Rec1 h6 was good for Black in Karjakin,S (2694)-Bacrot,E (2695)/Khanty-Mansiysk 2007. The usual continuation is 12.Nc3 after which Black plays either immediately 12...Nb4, or after first exchanging on b3. 12...c5. Perhaps even here the strange looking 12...Nb4!? is possible, but in a rapid game it's not wise to go for such variations without home preparation. 13.Bxf7+!? Rxf7 14.Nxf7 Kxf7 15.Bxb4 Bxb4 16.c3 Nf3+! (16...Qg5 17.Re4!) 17.gxf3 Qg5+ 18.Kf1 with a complete mess (18.Kh1 Bd6 and then Qf4). 13.Nc3 Nxb3 14.axb3 Nb4 15.Rc1 f6 16.Nf3 Qc7 17.Ne4 Rfe8 18.Bxb4 cxb4 19.c4 bxc3 20.bxc3 Ba3 21.Rc2 Rad8 22.Qa1 Bf8

23.Rce2! The immediate 23.Nd4? is bad due to the pin on the c-file 23...Bxe4 24.dxe4 Rxd4 and Black wins a piece. 23...Re7. 23...Rxd3? 24.Nxf6+ gxf6 25.Rxe8+-. 24.Nd4

Black's bishop pair can offer compensation for the pawn only if White won't have stable squares for his knights. 24...Rde8? Necessary was 24...b4 in order to weaken square d4. 25.b4! Now the knight on d4 secures White advantage and the question is only if Black will be able to escape. This is a very difficult task with limited time and the former winner of the World Cup failed to do so. 25...Kh8 26.Ng3 g6 27.Rxe7 Rxe7 28.Rxe7 Qxe7 29.Qd1 f5 30.Qe2 Kg8 31.Qxe7 Bxe7 32.f4 h5 33.Nge2 Kf7 34.Kf2 Bf6 35.Nf3 Ke6 36.Ned4+ Kd6 37.Ne2 Bd5 38.Ke3 Bd8 39.g3 Bb6+ 40.Nfd4

40...Bg2? Allowing White to advance the c-pawn. Better was a move like 40...Bd8. 41.c4! [41.h4 Bd5] 41...bxc4 42.dxc4 Ba7 43.Nc3. 43.h4 is possible too, since after 43...Bf1 44.c5+ Kd5 45.Nc3+ Kc4 White has 46.Nc6! Bxc5+ 47.bxc5 Kxc3 48.Na5 and Black must give up his bishop for the c-pawn. However, Jakovenko's choice is the most precise. 43...Kd7. 43...Bxh3 doesn't help: 44.c5+ Kd7 45.Nf3 Bb8 46.Kd4 Bg2 47.Ne5+ (or 47.Nh4 ) 47...Bxe5+ 48.Kxe5+-. 44.h4 Bf1 45.c5 a5 46.Ncb5 Bxb5 47.Nxb5 Bb8 48.Kd3 axb4 49.Kc4 Ke6 50.Nd4+ Kd7 51.Kxb4. The rest is elementary. 51...Bc7 52.Kb5 Bd8 53.Nf3 Kc7 54.Ne5 Bf6 55.c6 Be7 56.Nxg6 Ba3 57.Ne5 Bb2 58.Nf7 Bd4 59.Nh6 Bg1 60.Nxf5 Bf2 61.Ng7 Bxg3 62.Nxh5 Bxh4 63.Kc5 Kd8 64.Kd6 Be1 65.Nf6 Bb4+ 66.Ke6. In the second game Aronian fought for 114 moves, but Jakovenko always kept good control and achieved a draw confidently. 1-0. [Click to replay]

Okay, you win. Aronian accepts the draw and knockout in game four

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Alekseev,Evgeny (2716) - Bareev,E (2653) [B12]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (4.3), 05.12.2007

In the first game Bareev was defending well against the aggressive strategy of the Russian Champion, but at the end Black blundered. 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nd2 e6 5.Nb3 Nd7 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.Bf4 Ne7 8.Be2 c5 9.dxc5 Bg4 10.Nfd4 Bxe2 11.Qxe2 a6 12.0-0 Ng6 13.Bg3 Bxc5 14.f4 0-0 15.c3 Rae8 16.Kh1 Bb6 17.Rae1 Qc8 18.h4 Ne7 19.h5 h6 20.Bh4 Nc6 21.Qg4 Kh8 22.Qg3 Nxd4 23.cxd4 Nb8 24.Rc1 Nc6 25.Qe3 Qd7 26.g4. Burning all bridges. More cautious is 26.Nc5 with approximate equality. 26...f6 27.exf6 gxf6 28.g5

28...fxg5. With 28...e5! Bareev could have punished his opponent for such a risky play. In that case white king would have been more exposed to attack. 29.fxg5 hxg5 30.Bxg5 Qh7. Black has good play after 30...Qg7 ; or 30...Rf5. 31.Bf6+ Rxf6 32.Rxf6 Qxh5+ 33.Kg2 Rg8+ 34.Kf1 Qh1+ 35.Ke2 Rg2+ 36.Rf2

36...Qh2?! Bareev still had good chances to make a draw after 36...Qh5+ 37.Qf3 (37.Kd2 Rxf2+ 38.Qxf2 Qh6+ 39.Qe3 Qh2+ and if 40.Kd1 then 40...e5 with enough play) 37...Qxf3+ 38.Kxf3 Rxf2+ 39.Kxf2 Nxd4. 37.Rcf1 e5? 38.Qf3! 1-0. [Click to replay]

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Bareev,E (2653) - Alekseev,Evgeny (2716) [A63]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (4.3), 05.12.2007

As it often happens, in the must-win situation it is easily to cross the limit. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.Nc3 g6 7.Nf3 Bg7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 Nbd7 10.a4 a6 11.Nd2 Nh5 12.Nce4 Ndf6 13.Nxf6+ Qxf6 14.Nc4 Rb8 15.Nb6 Qd8 16.a5 Bd7 17.Bg5 f6 18.Bd2 f5 19.Rb1 Bb5 20.b4 cxb4 21.Rxb4 Qe7 22.Re1 Rbe8 23.Qb3 Nf6

24.Rxb5 axb5 25.Qxb5 Ne4 26.Bxe4 fxe4 27.Be3 h5 28.Rb1 Kh7 29.Qd7 Bh6 30.Bd4 Bg7

31.Bxg7. Unfortunately for Bareev, repeating the position with 31.Be3 was not an option for him. However, the exchange of bishops leave White with the weakness on f2 and hands Black over the advantage. 31.Be3=. 31...Kxg7 32.Qxe7+ Rxe7 33.Nc4 Ref7 34.Nxd6 Rxf2 35.Re1 e3 36.Nxb7 h4 37.Nc5 Kh6

38.d6? 38.gxh4 keeps some chances to survive, but that would have made no difference for Bareev anyway. 38...h3! 39.Ne4 Rg2+ 40.Kh1 Rxe2! 41.Rd1 Ra2 [42.d7 e2-+] 0-1. [Click to replay]

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Svidler,P (2732) - Kamsky,G (2714) [C76]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (4.3), 05.12.2007

In the first rapid game between Kamsky and Svidler the fight was equal. The second one seemed to lead to a similar result, until Svidler made a mistake in a relatively simple position. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 Bd7 6.d4 g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.d5 Nce7 9.c4 Nf6 10.Bxd7+ Qxd7 11.Nc3 0-0 12.c5 Nh5 13.cxd6 cxd6 14.Be3 Rac8 15.Na4 Qb5 16.Nb6 Rcd8 17.Rc1 Nc8 18.a4 Qe8 19.Qb3 Nxb6 20.Bxb6 Rd7 21.Rc4 Bh6 22.Be3 Bxe3 23.Qxe3 f5 24.Ng5 Nf4 25.g3 h6 26.Nf3 fxe4 27.Qxe4 Nh5

The position is equal. 28.Nd2? Unexpectedly this natural move loses a pawn. The balance could be kept for instance with 28.Nh4 Rg7 (After 28...g5 29.Nf5 Black has no good way to defend on h6.) 29.Qd3 Qf7 30.Ng2. 28...Qf7 29.Qd3 Nf6. White can't protect the pawn on d5 and suddenly Svidler was faced with the unpleasant task to defend against an opponent who is particlarly strong in such positions. 30.f4 Kg7! Black needs to protect g6 in order to create the threat 31...Qxd5. 31.fxe5 dxe5 32.d6 Qe6 33.Rc7 Rff7! 34.Ne4 Rxc7 35.dxc7 Qb6+ 36.Kg2 Qxc7 37.Nc3 Qc6+ 38.Kg1 Qb6+ 39.Kh1 Qxb2

After winning the second pawn by Kamsky there were little doubts left about the outcome. 40.Qc4 Qb6 41.Ne4 a5 42.Nc5 Qc6+ 43.Kg1 Re7 44.Qb5 e4 45.Qxc6 bxc6 46.Rc1 Nd5 47.Kf2 Kf6 48.Nb3 Rb7 49.Nxa5 Rb2+ 50.Ke1 Nb4 51.Rc3 Rxh2 52.Nxc6 Nd3+ 53.Kd1 Ra2 54.a5 h5 55.Rc2 Ra3 56.Kd2 Ne5 57.Nxe5 Kxe5 58.Rc5+ Kd4 59.Rg5 Ra2+ 60.Kd1 Kd3 61.Rd5+ Ke3 62.Rg5 Kf2 63.Rxg6 Rxa5 64.Rf6+ Kxg3 65.Ke2 Rg5 66.Rf1 h4 67.Ke3 h3 68.Rg1+ Kh4 69.Rh1 Rg2 70.Kxe4 h2 71.Kf3 Kh3 0-1. [Click to replay]

The end is neigh (71.Kf3) ...

... and Peter Svidler resigns the game

Tomorrow we have the matches Karjakin-Alekseev, Jakovenko-Shirov, Ponomariov-Kamsky and Carlsen-Cheparinov.

About the author Dorian Rogozenko was born on 18.08.1973 in Kishinev, Moldova. He has been a grandmaster since 1995 and played several Olympiads for Moldova, and then for Romania. Rogozenko has produced several CDs for ChessBase, and two chess books. He is the editor-in-chief of the Romanian chess magazine Gambit (since 2002).

Links Official tournament site All games from round four in PGN Download free PGN reader ChessBase Light The games are being broadcast on Playchess.com