Sochi R10: fighting chess, five decisive games after rest day

FIDE Grand Prix in Sochi 2008

The Second FIDE Grand Prix Tournament is taking place in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, from July 30 to August 15, 2008, with 14 players from ten different countries. The field is dominated by Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk, who is 37 points ahead of the next highest ranked player in the field.

Report after round ten

Cheparinov,I (2687) - Aronian,L (2737) [D11]
2nd FIDE GP Sochi RUS (10), 11.08.2008
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.h3 Bxf3 6.Qxf3 e6 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.0-0 Bd6 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Bd2 Re8 11.Qd1 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Qe7 13.Qc2 e5 14.Rae1 Rad8 15.Bb3 Bb8 16.Ne2 Qd6 17.g3 Nb6 18.Qf5 Nbd5 19.Qf3 e4 20.Qg2 h5 21.Nf4 g6 22.Rc1 Nh7 23.Ba5 b6 24.Bd2 Ng5 25.Bd1 h4 26.gxh4 Nxf4 27.exf4 Ne6 28.h5 Nxd4 29.Be3 c5 30.Bxd4 cxd4 31.Ba4 Re7 32.Rc6 Qxf4 33.hxg6 f5 34.Rfc1 d3 35.Rc8?

Things have gone bad for Cheparinov in this Slav game, but his last move really blows it: 35...Kg7 36.R1c4 Rxc8 37.Rxc8. Now 37...e3 38.fxe3 Rxe3 sets up a mate threat that can only be defended against by unacceptable material sacrifice. But White has a number of checks, which is why Aronian took the "safe" path: 37...Rc7 38.Rxc7+ [38.Rxb8 is met by 38...Rc1+ and mate to follow] 38...Bxc7 39.Bd7 a6 40.h4 b5 41.Qh3 d2 0-1.

Gelfand,B (2720) - Ivanchuk,V (2781) [A30]
2nd FIDE GP Sochi RUS (10), 11.08.2008
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.Re1 d6 8.e4 a6 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Qc7 11.Be3 0-0 12.Rc1 Re8 13.f4 Bf8 14.f5 h6 15.Rf1 Nbd7 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.Bh3 Qc5 18.b4 Qxc4 19.Nd5 Qxa2 20.Rf2 Qxf2+ 21.Bxf2 exd5 22.Bxd7 Nxd7 23.Rc7 Bc8 24.Nf5 Ne5 25.Qh5 Re6 26.Bd4 Rf6

Vassily Ivanchuk has been thoroughly outplayed in this Symmetrical English by Boris Gelfand, who is a year older (40 years vs 39 for the Ukrainian). Now the Israeli GM, who has a queen for a rook, bishop and two pawns, finishes him off with some elegant strokes: 27.Bxe5 dxe5 28.Nxh6+! gxh6 29.Qxe5 Rd6 30.Qh5 Bd7 31.e5 Be8 32.Qf3 Rdd8 33.Qf5 Bg7 34.Qg4 Bf7 35.e6 Rf8 36.Rxf7 Rxf7 37.exf7+ Kxf7 38.Qd7+ 1-0.

15.Nxg6?! Peter Svidler sacrifices a piece for an extra pawn and an uncastled king, but it does not work out in his favour. 15...hxg6 16.Qxg6+ Kd8 17.a3 b5 18.e4 Nb6 19.Nc3 Ne6 20.b4 cxb4 21.Nd5 Nf8 22.Qg7 Rh7 23.Qg8 Nxd5 24.exd5 d6 25.axb4 Qf5 26.Be3 a6 27.Rac1 Rc8 28.Bb6+ Ke8 29.h4 Qg6 30.Qxg6+ Nxg6 31.Rxc8+ Bxc8 32.Rc1 Bf5 33.Ra1 Rg7 34.Kh2 Bc8 35.Rc1 Bb7 36.f4 Bd8 37.Bd4 Kf7 0-1.

Radjabov,T (2744) - Navara,D (2646) [B46]
2nd FIDE GP Sochi RUS (10), 11.08.2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.f4 Bb4 8.Bd3 d6 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.0-0 e5 11.h3 exf4 12.Bxf4 0-0 13.e5 Bxc3 14.bxc3 dxe5 15.Bxe5 Nd5 16.Qh5 f5 17.Rae1 Qe8 18.Qh4 Qd8 19.Qd4 Qd7 20.c4 Nf6 21.Bd6 Ne8 22.c5 Nxd6 23.cxd6 Qa7 24.Qxa7 Rxa7 25.Re7

Teimour Radjabov has brutalised David Navara in this Sicilian Taimanov, and now the game might have continued 25...Rxe7 26.dxe7 Re8 27.Bc4+ Kh8 28.Rd1 and Black cannot take the e-pawn because of the back-rank mate threat. 1-0.

Gashimov,V (2717) - Al Modiahki,M (2556) [B57]
2nd FIDE GP Sochi RUS (10), 11.08.2008
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Qb6 7.Nde2 e6 8.Bb3 Be7 9.Be3 Qc7 10.Qd2 a6 11.0-0-0 Ng4 12.f4 Nxe3 13.Qxe3 0-0 14.Rhf1 b5 15.f5 b4 16.Na4 Na5 17.Ng3 Nxb3+ 18.axb3 Kh8 19.Nh5 exf5 20.exf5 Bb7 21.f6 gxf6 22.Rde1 Rfe8 23.Nb6 Rab8 24.Qh6 Rg8 25.Nxf6 Rg7 26.Nbd5

Here the Qatari GM goes on the offensive with an immediate 26...Qa5 (perhaps he should have exchanged on f6 first). The black queen gives some harassing checks, but Gashimov has little trouble escaping them and in the end the Azeri GM's own attack on the enemy king is irresistible. 27.Nxe7 Qa1+ 28.Kd2 Qxb2 29.g4 Qc3+ 30.Kd1 Bf3+ 31.Rxf3 Qxf3+ 32.Kc1 Qc3 33.Re3 Qa1+ 34.Kd2 Qd4+ 35.Ke2 Qc5 36.Nf5 Qxc2+ 37.Kf3 Qd1+ 38.Kf2 Qc2+ 39.Re2 Qc5+ 40.Kf1 and it is a forced mate. 1-0.

Standings after ten rounds

After this turbulent round there are four GMs, Wang Yue, Gashimov, Aronian and Radjabov, in the lead with 6.0/10 points. They are followed by Cheparinov, Kamsky and Karjakin, who lurk, ready to strike, half a point behind. The event has been a disappointment for Grischuk and Ivanchuk (5.0/10), a big disappointment for Boris Gelfand (4.5/10), and a real trauma for Peter Svidler (4.0/10). Although Qatari GM Al-Modaihki is in last place, with 3.0/10, he is playing slightly above his rating level.

Videos by Europe Echecs

FIDE Grand Prix Sochi 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