Mainz 2007 – Navara wins the Ordix Open

by ChessBase
8/21/2007 – With 762 players it is one of the biggest Rapid Chess Opens in the world. You will find a GM on place 188 in the final standings. At the top, after a long, nerve-wracking fight, was Czech Champion David Navara, who survived the final strech Indian onslaught of Harikrishna and Sasikiran to win the Ordix Open with 9.5/11 points. Big pictorial report.

ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024 ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024

It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.

More...

Chess Classic Mainz 2007

The event toos place from August 13 to 19 in the Rheingoldhalle of the Congress Centre in Mainz, Germany. It included matches and Opens in traditional and Random Chess.

David Navara wins Ordix Open

Report by Eric van Reem

Sunday morning, 10.00 a.m. Beautiful weather in Mainz. Time to enjoy a quiet breakfast? No way, 762 (corrected number) chess players came to the Rheingoldhalle to play six more rounds in the “battle of endurance”, the world-famous Ordix Open. The first day closed with six players having a perfect score of 5.0/5, but on Sunday only David Navara from the Czech Republic could keep the murderous pace by scoring 2.5 points in the first three rounds before the lunchbreak.


7.0/7 points: Czech Champion David Navara before round eight

In round eight Victor Bologan, the winner of the FiNet Open was abel to score a draw against the Navara Express, which was now in the sole lead with 7.5/8 points. Born in Prague, in 1985, Grandmaster David Navara has been playing chess since he was six. Numerous coaches helped shape his talent, including Josef Pribyl, Ludek Pachman, and Vlastimil Jansa. He won the championships of the Czech Republic in his age category in 1993-95, but his first great achievement was at the 2001 European Team Championship in Leon, where he scored 7 out of 9 points (performance rating: 2775).

In the 9th round we saw the top pairing between Pentala Harikrishna and David Navara. “Hari”, as the young Indian is called by his friends, has had an unbelievable week. He won a tournament in Hungary, the György Marx Memorial this week, just made it on time to play the FiNet Chess960 open and then went on to play some fantastic games in the Ordix Open as well. Pentala Harikrishna (born May 10, 1986) is a chess player from Andhra Pradesh, India. He is rated third amongst the top Indian players, after Viswanathan Anand and Krishnan Sasikiran. Harikrishna became the youngest grandmaster from India in 2001. In November 2004, he won the World Junior Chess Championship. In August 2006, he won the Chess960 Junior Chess Championship in Mainz, beating Arkadij Naiditsch 4.5-3.5 in a breathtaking match.


What a game! The fateful ninth round with Navara facing Harikrishna

Harikrishna and Navara played a long game, in which the young Indian showed his magnificent endgame technique. In a winning position he lost on time against Navara, who still leads the field with 8.5 points. “I played a fine game, but made a mistake and was actually lost. I wanted to resign, but tried one more move. Suddenly my opponent lost on time”, Navara said after the game. “I was just lucky”.

Pentala,H. (7 points) - Navara,D. (7.5 points)
ORDIX Open Chess Classic Mainz (9.1), 2007
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 a6 6.b3 Bb4 7.Bd2 0-0 8.Bd3 Nbd7 9.0-0 Qe7 10.Qe1 dxc4 11.bxc4 e5 12.Bc2 b5 13.Rb1 Bd6 14.h3 Re8 15.Ng5 Bc7 16.cxb5 cxb5 17.Bb3 Rf8 18.Rc1 exd4 19.Nxb5 axb5 20.Rxc7 Qe5

21.Nxf7 Qxc7 22.Ng5+ Kh8 23.Bb4 Bb7 24.Bxf8 Rxf8 25.Nf7+ Kg8 26.Nh6+ Kh8 27.Nf7+ Rxf7. Navara is better and refuses to repeat. 28.Bxf7 Ne5 29.Bb3 d3 30.Qb4 h6 31.Qxb5 Be4 32.Qb4 Kh7 33.Qd4 Nc6 34.Qc5 Qd8 35.f3 Bd5 36.Bxd5 Qxd5 37.Qxd5 Nxd5 38.Rd1 Ncb4 39.Kf2 Nc3 40.Rd2 Ncxa2

White has rook and pawn for two knights. Harikrishna. We are treated to a titanic endgame struggle: 41.Rb2 Nc3 42.Ke1 Nc2+ 43.Kd2 Nxe3 44.Kxd3 Ncd5 45.Kd4 Kg6 46.Rb3 Kg5 47.g3 Nf5+ 48.Kxd5 Nxg3 49.Rb4 Kf5 50.Rg4 Nh5 51.Kd4 g5 52.Ke3 Nf4 53.h4 Nd5+ 54.Kf2 Nf4 55.hxg5 hxg5 56.Rg3 Kf6 57.Ke3 Kf5 58.Rg1 Nd5+ 59.Kf2 Nf4 60.Ra1 Nh5 61.Ra5+ Kf4 62.Ra4+ Kf5 63.Ke3 Nf4 64.Ra5+ Kg6 65.Ke4 Kh5 66.Ra1 Kh4 67.Rg1 Ne2 68.Rg4+ Kh5 69.Kf5 Kh6

Black is completely lost and decided to play one last move before resigning. Is there a trick, is it wrong to take the pawn. Harikrishna pondered carefully and went for 70.Kf6. Unfortunately his clock had zeroed and the point went to Navara. 0-1. [Click to replay this incredible game]


Devastated: Harikrishna in the press room after his loss to Navara

Fortunately young Hari bounced back with a win in the next round. In the same penultimate round David Navara also took a full point off Tigran L. Petrosian and looked quite unstoppable with a full point lead. In the final round he had to face India's Krishnan Sasikiran, to whom he lost. But still David Navara remained at the top of the table, winning the 14th Ordix Open on progressive score tiebreak.


Krishnan Sasikiran (left) vs David Navara in the final round

A word to the names of our Indian friends: Harikrishna and Sasikiran are both one-namers, like Anand used to be, before his colleagues invented the first name "Vishy" for him. Harikrishna is called Harikrishna or Hari by his friends, that is what his future wife will call him, while the Prime Minister of India will address him as Mr Harikrishna. Nobody says Pentala, which is his father's name. Similarly say Mr Sasikiran, or call him Sasikiran or Shashi if you know him well enough.

Final standings (8.0 point or higher)

Rnk Player Rtn Nat W D L Pts TB1 TB2
1. GM Navara,David 2656 CZE 9 1 1 9.5 63.0 71.5
2. GM Mchedlishvili,Mikhail 2624 GEO 8 3 0 9.5 57.5 66.0
3. GM Sasikiran,Krishnan 2674 IND 9 1 1 9.5 56.0 67.0
4. GM Petrosian,Tigran L. 2613 ARM 8 2 1 9.0 58.0 72.0
5. GM Bologan,Victor 2650 MDA 7 4 0 9.0 58.0 69.5
6. GM Pentala,Harikrishna 2664 IND 8 2 1 9.0 57.0 67.0
7. GM Almasi,Zoltan 2682 HUN 7 4 0 9.0 56.5 70.0
8. GM Drozdovskyy,Yuriy 2572 UKR 8 2 1 9.0 56.0 65.0
9. GM Moiseenko,Alexander 2641 UKR 7 4 0 9.0 55.0 67.5
10. GM Nielsen,Peter-Heine 2638 DEN 7 4 0 9.0 54.5 66.0
11. GM Volokitin,Andrej 2698 UKR 9 0 2 9.0 54.0 66.5
12. IM Seel,Christian 2495 GER 9 0 2 9.0 54.0 65.5
13. GM Khenkin,Igor 2602 GER 7 3 1 8.5 56.5 67.0
14. GM Ivantschuk,Vassili 2766 UKR 6 5 0 8.5 56.0 70.0
15. GM Karjakin,Sergey 2678 UKR 7 3 1 8.5 55.0 66.5
16. GM Horvath,Adam 2491 HUN 8 1 2 8.5 53.5 70.5
17. GM Bareev,Evgeny 2653 RUS 6 5 0 8.5 53.5 66.0
18. GM Kamsky,Gata 2717 USA 8 1 2 8.5 53.5 64.5
19. GM Lalic,Bogdan 2509 CRO 7 3 1 8.5 52.5 63.5
20. IM Schaefer,Markus 2411 GER 7 3 1 8.5 51.5 65.5
21. GM Vogt,Lothar 2473 GER 8 1 2 8.5 51.5 63.0
22. IM Smerdon,David 2461 AUS 8 1 2 8.5 50.0 60.0
23. FM Becking,Stephan 2387 GER 8 1 2 8.5 48.0 60.0
24. GM Sargissian,Gabriel 2667 ARM 7 2 2 8.0 57.0 68.5
25. GM Burmakin,Vladimir 2592 RUS 6 4 1 8.0 55.5 67.5
26. GM Gyimesi,Zoltan 2607 HUN 6 4 1 8.0 55.0 67.0
26. GM Lysyj,Igor 2578 RUS 6 4 1 8.0 55.0 67.0
28. GM Iljin,Artem 2569 RUS 7 2 2 8.0 54.5 71.5
29. GM Meier,Georg 2552 GER 7 2 2 8.0 54.5 67.5
30. GM Döttling,Fabian 2537 GER 6 4 1 8.0 54.0 70.0
31. GM Ruck,Robert 2563 HUN 6 4 1 8.0 53.5 66.5
32. GM Akopian,Vladimir 2708 ARM 7 2 2 8.0 53.0 69.5
33. GM Grischuk,Alexander 2726 RUS 7 2 2 8.0 53.0 66.0
34. GM Shirov,Alexey 2735 ESP 6 4 1 8.0 52.5 67.5
35. GM Landa,Konstantin 2669 RUS 7 2 2 8.0 52.5 66.0
36. GM Al-Modiahki,Mohamad 2563 QAT 7 2 2 8.0 52.5 65.5
37. GM Naiditsch,Arkadij 2644 GER 8 0 3 8.0 52.0 67.5
38. GM Medvegy,Zoltan 2512 HUN 8 0 3 8.0 52.0 64.5
39. GM Gashimov,Vugar 2655 AZE 7 2 2 8.0 52.0 63.0
40. WGM Sebag,Marie Rachel 2491 FRA 7 2 2 8.0 51.5 62.0
41. IM Hausrath,Daniel 2494 GER 7 2 2 8.0 51.0 65.0
41. Kuklin,Valentin 2340 CZE 7 2 2 8.0 51.0 65.0
43. GM Hort,Vlastimil 2471 GER 7 2 2 8.0 50.0 64.5
44. Zuyev,Igor 2265 GER 8 0 3 8.0 50.0 61.5
45. IM Leon Hoyos,Manuel 2484 MEX 8 0 3 8.0 50.0 61.0
46. GM Ubilava,Elizbar 2540 ESP 6 4 1 8.0 50.0 61.0
47. IM Meszaros,Tamas 2425 HUN 7 2 2 8.0 50.0 60.0
48. IM Casper,Thomas 2421 GER 8 0 3 8.0 49.0 64.0
49. GM Zhu,Chen 2522 QAT 7 2 2 8.0 49.0 59.5
50. IM Csiszar,Csaba 2430 HUN 8 0 3 8.0 49.0 59.0
51. GM Sumets,Andrey 2529 UKR 7 2 2 8.0 49.0 59.0
52. GM Ginsburg,Gennadij 2514 GER 8 0 3 8.0 48.0 59.5
53. GM Saltaev,Mihail 2522 UZB 7 2 2 8.0 47.5 58.0
54. IM Boidman,Yuri 2444 GER 8 0 3 8.0 47.0 57.0
55. GM Farago,Ivan 2501 HUN 7 2 2 8.0 46.0 56.5
56. Gazic,Josip 2278 GER 8 0 3 8.0 45.0 58.5
57. Upleger,Martin 2300 GER 7 2 2 8.0 45.0 56.5

A full table with all results (of 762 players) can be found here. You will find a GM at place 188 (and one who broke off the tournament at 436). There were many prizes and many winners: Vlastimil Hort scored 8.0 points to win the senior category, Marie Rachel Sebag clinched the women’s section with the same score. Best Junior U20 was GM Igor Lysyj, with 8.0 points, GM Parimarjan Negi from India won the U14 competition with 7.5 points.


The winner of the Ordix Open 2007: David Navara


Second: GM Mikhail Mchedlishvili, 2624 of Georgia


Pure, undiluted concentration: Krishnan Sasikiran came third


Winners of the combined FiNet Chess960 and Ordix Opens: Victor Bologan and David Navara with 18.5 points, with third place going to Krishnan Sasikiran.


Prize winners in the ladies' section: Marie Sebag, Zhu Chen, Nora Medvegy, Viktorija Cmilyte, Elisabeth Pähtz


U14 prize winners, led by Parimarjan Negi (left)


Gigantic: the Ordix Open had 762 players participating


World class GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, rated 2755, came 59th


Vassily Ivanchuk, 2766, scored 8.5 points and was 14th


GM Gabriel Sargissian or Armenia, rated 2667, finished 24th


Playchess king GM Fabian Döttling of Germany, 2537, came 30th

All pictures by Carsten and Natalia Straub

Downloads

Note that the Chess960 games can be played with ChessBase Light


Links


Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register