Poikovsky Final: Eljanov at the top

by ChessBase
9/6/2013 – An eventful last round so Pavel Eljanov barely hold his game against Viktor Laznicka to win the tournament. Also interesting was Ivan Cheparinov's absolutely crazy win against Emil Sutovsky who narrowly missed second place. Also a full interview with Alexander Onischuk on the state of the game in America and in Russia. Analysis and final standings.

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The 14th Karpov Poikovsky tournament is taking place from August 27th to September 6th in Poikovsky, which is in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Russia.

Poikovsky, originally an oil drilling village, today has a population of 20,000

The name of the town comes from the Poika river. It is situated in the Nefteyugansk region which is between the rivers Ob' and Irtysh. The region is about a three hour drive away from Khanty-Mansiysk, the host of the 2010 Chess Olympiad.

14th Karpov Poikovsky final

The Karpov Poikovsky tournament has concluded and Pavel Eljanov was able to retain his lead with a draw against Viktor Laznicka while Motylev was unable to win his game. This gives the Ukrainian the tournament victory with half a point lead.

Also important for the leaderboard was the fact that Cheparinov was able to win his last round game against Sutovsky, which meant that the latter had to content himself with a huge tie for fourth rather than tying for second. The game was absolutely spectacular:

[Event "14th Karpov GM"] [Site "Poikovsky RUS"] [Date "2013.09.06"] [Round "9.5"] [White "Cheparinov, Ivan"] [Black "Sutovsky, Emil"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D90"] [WhiteElo "2678"] [BlackElo "2660"] [Annotator "Ramirez Alvarez,Alejandro"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2013.08.28"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Qb3 Nb6 6. d4 Bg7 7. e4 Bg4 8. Bb5+ c6 9. Ng5 O-O 10. Be2 Bxe2 11. Nxe2 Na6 12. Qh3 h6 13. Nf3 h5 14. Rg1 Nd7 15. e5 Nb4 16. g4 $5 {The position is already very complicated. White is potentially losing a lot of material because of the fork on c2, but he has a strong attack on the kingside.} Nc2+ 17. Kf1 Nxe5 $5 {Very powerful play from both sides. Sutovsky decides that he does not want to sit passively and wait for the incoming onslaught, but instead he will try his hand at a counterattack using White's frail king position to open the center.} 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 (18... hxg4 $2 19. Nxg4 Nxa1 20. Nh6+ Bxh6 21. Qxh6 {gives White a decisive initiative as Black is helpless against the rook maneouver Rg3-h3.}) 19. gxh5 Qc8 $1 {This is a very important move. White cannot afford the trade of queens yet as his rook on h2 will be hanging and Black will enjoy the better position.} 20. Rg4 Qf5 21. dxe5 Rad8 22. hxg6 $1 {Cheparinov is a fearless player. Despite the potential onslaught, he continues on with his threats.} Rd1+ (22... fxg6 23. Nf4 Rd1+ 24. Kg2 Qe4+ 25. f3 Ne1+ {is very complicated.}) 23. Kg2 Ne1+ 24. Kg3 $1 {The king starts what looks like a suicidal walk up the board, but Black is just short of mating his opponent.} Qf3+ 25. Kh4 Qxf2+ 26. Kg5 f6+ 27. Kh6 $1 {The king has finally achieved his haven... in h6! Black has completely run out of fuel in the attack and the combination of White's extra piece and his strong attack will easily give him the victory.} f5 28. Rg3 Qxe2 29. Kg5 $1 {Amazing! The king comes out of his hiding spot in this one move where he cannot be touched. It is now Black's king that is in lethal danger from Qh7 mate.} Rf7 30. gxf7+ Kxf7 31. Qxf5+ Ke8 32. Bf4 Rxa1 33. e6 {Black will soon be mated. A spectacular game!} 1-0

Alexander Onischuk is probably the most interesting player at the Karpov Poikovsky tournament. An accomplished player who now represents America, he is also now a chess coach for one of the strongest teams in the American collegiate circuit: the Texas Tech Knights. After the event was over an interview was conducted in honor of his birthday and his achievements:

Reporter: Hello, Alexander. We congratulate you on your recent birthday. As a gradnmaster of this level, chess is all that there is in life. Tell us how you started this hobby, and what it means to you to have the title of grandmaster.

Alexander Onischuk: I began to play chess in my childhood. You have to start early, no later than 10 years old. I am a graduate of the Soviet chess schools and grew up with the Karpov-Kasparov games. The GM title was unattainable, it was a big goal. When I became grandmaster it was a great event, it is of course the highest rank. When I did so there were not so many of them, maybe one hundred in the world.

 

Repoter: You are a permanent member of the Poikovsky tournament. Over the fourteen years the tournament has certainly improved in their professional experience and the rating of the competitors. How strong would you say this tournament is?

A.O.: The tournament has become stronger. These 13 years, it's basically an era. Computers came in and changed chess. This tournament, it is getting stronger, it is keeping pace with the passing of time and this tournament was always strong. For me, it is not only a place where you can play and relax, but also learn. In a tournament in which you play strong opponents - that is the best school you can imagine.

Reporter: You came second in the World Junior championship and were the American champion in 2006. What do you think of chess in the USA, is it stronger in your opinon in Russia or somewhere accross the ocean?

A.O.: I've been living in America for twelve years. After the fight between Fischer and the Soviet Union, chess had a boom which has kept it popular until now. Unlike Russia, where chess kids are taught early. Chess is taught as an amateur sport, but in Russia it is professionally delivered. Of course, if you compare the two teams Russia is stronger. As in any sport, anything can happen, but no country can match Russia.

Reporter: The issue of the series of superestitions: Do you prefer white or black, and do you have any rituals for good luck?

A.O.: White and black is a professional matter. The advantage is for white and any chess player would pick them. As far as superstitions, I try to keep a routine to repeat success. A game at the same time helps, and keeping up the day's schedule.

Reporter: Thank you Alexander.

You can see the full interview here (in Russian).

Onischuk finished the tournament with 50%, a little better than his rating would have predicted

Jakovenko unfortunately missed many chances in this tournament, and had to content himself with 4.5/9

Eljanov will have a tough match against Viktor Laznicka in the last round, and he will need to win to guarantee himself first place.

Replay games from round nine

Select games from the dropdown menu above the board

Standings after eight rounds

Schedule

Round 01 – August 28 2013, 15:00h
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
1-0
Emil Sutovsky 2660
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
1-0
Victor Bologan 2672
Alexander Motylev 2663
½-½
Alexander Onischuk 2667
Pavel Eljanov 2702
½-½
Ian Nepomniatchi 2717
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
½-½
Viktor Laznicka 2684
Round 02 –August 29 2013, 15:00h
Emil Sutovsky 2660
½-½
Viktor Laznicka 2684
Alexander Motylev 2663
0-1
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
Alexander Onischuk 2667
½-½
Pavel Eljanov 2702
Victor Bologan 2672
0-1
Alexander Motylev 2663
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
½-½
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
Round 03 – August 30 2013, 15:00h
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
½-½
Emil Sutovsky 2660
Alexander Motylev 2663
½-½
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
Pavel Eljanov 2702
½-½
Victor Bologan 2672
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
½-½
Alexander Onischuk 2667
Viktor Laznicka 2684
½-½
Ian Nepomniatchi 2717
Round 04 – September 01 2013, 15:00h
Emil Sutovsky 2660
½-½
Ian Nepomniatchi 2717
Alexander Onischuk 2667
1-0
Viktor Laznicka 2684
Victor Bologan 2672
1-0
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
0-1
Pavel Eljanov 2702
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
½-½
Alexander Motylev 2663
Round 05 – September 02 2013, 15:00h
Alexander Motylev 2663
½-½
Emil Sutovsky 2660
Pavel Eljanov 2702
1-0
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
0-1
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
Viktor Laznicka 2684
1-0
Victor Bologan 2672
Ian Nepomniatchi 2727
½-½
Alexander Onischuk 2667
Round 06 – September 03 2013, 15:00h
Emil Sutovsky 2660
1-0
Alexander Onischuk 2667
Victor Bologan 2672
1-0
Ian Nepomniatchi 2717
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
1-0
Viktor Laznicka 2684
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
½-½
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
Alexander Motylev 2663
1-0
Pavel Eljanov 2702
Round 07 – September 04 2013, 15:00h
Pavel Eljanov 2702
1-0
Emil Sutovsky 2660
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
½-½
Alexander Motylev 2663
Viktor Laznicka 2684
½-½
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
Ian Nepomniatchi 2717
½-½
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
Alexander Onischuk 2667
½-½
Victor Bologan 2672
Round 08 – September 05 2013, 15:00h
Emil Sutovsky 2660
1-0
Victor Bologan 2672
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680
½-½
Alexander Onischuk 2667
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
½-½
Ian Nepomniatchi 2717
Alexander Motylev 2663
½-½
Viktor Laznicka 2684
Pavel Eljanov 2702
1-0
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
Round 09 – September 06, 13:00h
Ivan Cheparinov 2678
1-0
Emil Sutovsky 2660
Viktor Laznicka 2684
½-½
Pavel Eljanov 2702
Ian Nepomniatchi 2717
½-½
Alexander Motylev 2663
Alexander Onischuk 2667
½-½
Dmitri Jakovenko 2713
Victor Bologan 2672
1-0
Ernesto Inarkiev 2680

Links

The games will be broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.


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