Wijk R01: Top seeds Ivanchuk, Morozevich falter

Results of round one

The Gathering of the Clans

Round one report by Steve Giddins

Wijk aan Zee 2009 is underway! Yesterday afternoon, the 42 players in the three GM groups, plus the officials, sponsors and guests, gathered in the famous Pavilion tent, opposite the de Moriaan playing venue, for the opening ceremony and drawing of lots. Having attended such events in the past, I can testify to the fact that it is like a great gathering of the clans, as old friends and rivals come together for the annual event. Mind you, any similarity with the meetings of Scottish highlanders soon ends, as the latter tended to turn up dressed in that quintessentially Scottish items of costume, the kilt. You will not find many kilts around in Wijk aan Zee, and quite rightly so, given the nature of the vicious North Sea wind that dominates this little Dutch seaside town. The eternal mystery of what a Scotsman wears under his kilt would soon be resolved, if he wore one in Wijk. I fear it would be very much a case of "I'm not sure where that wind is coming from, but I really don't like where it's going!"

No, it was a firmly betrousered Grandmaster community that collected in the Pavilion, where they heard some highly encouraging news about the future of the event. Despite the grim economic climate, the sponsors have confirmed that the tournament is secure at least until 2013. Ironically, this most welcome statement came on the day that other chess news sites reported the apparent collapse of the Karlovy Vary leg of the FIDE Grand Prix, at least the third event in the six-tournament series to have foundered! As I wrote two days ago, "The only remotely interesting aspect of FIDE's Grand Prix  is the suspense of wondering which will be the next tournament in the series to collapse...". You read it here first! 

The other main business yesterday was the drawing of lots. This immediately threw up two big pairings for today's first round, namely Carlsen-Radjabov and Aronian-Wang Yue. Both yielded highly interesting struggles, which were eventually drawn, with the former, in particular, producing plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" from the watching internet audience.

Carlsen,M (2776) - Radjabov,T (2761) [B40]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 17.01.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bg4 7.0–0 Be7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Qe1+ Be7 10.Ne5 Be6 11.c4 Nf6 12.Nc3 Rc8 13.cxd5 Nxd5

14.Bh6. Spectacular, but it looks stronger to insert 14.Bxd5! Bxd5 and only then play 15.Bh6, after which Black has some serious problems to solve. 14...Nxe5. Certainly not 14...gxh6? 15.Nxd5 Bxd5 16.Rd1. 15.Rd1 gxh6 16.Qxe5 Bf6 17.Qe2 Bxc3 18.Bxd5 Qe7 19.Qb5+ Qd7 20.Qb3 Rc5 21.Bxe6 Qxe6 22.Qa3 b6 23.bxc3 0–0

After the complications, we reach a heavy piece ending where the more exposed black king gives White some initiative, but careful defence enables Radjabov to hold. 24.Qxa7 Rxc3 25.Rfe1 Qf6 26.Qa4 Rc5 27.Re4 Rf5 28.Rg4+ Kh8 29.Qb4 Rc8 30.Rc4 Re8 31.Re4 Rc8 32.Re2 Rfc5 33.Re4 Rf5 34.Rde1 Rg8 35.Re8 Rfg5 36.R8e4 Rf5 37.R1e2 Qa1+ 38.Kg2 Qf6 39.a4 Qc6 40.Qb2+ Qf6 41.Rb4 Qxb2 42.Rexb2 Ra8 43.Rxb6 Rxa4 44.Rxh6 Kg7 45.Rd6 h6 46.f4 Rfa5 47.Rdd2 Ra6 48.Kh3 R6a5 49.Kh4 Ra6 50.Rbc2 R6a5 51.Rf2 Ra6 52.Kh5 R4a5+ 53.f5 Rg6 54.g4 Ra3 55.Kh4 Rb6 56.h3 Rbb3 57.Rh2 Rf3 58.Rcf2 Rfe3 59.Rf1 Rab3 60.Rfh1 Rf3 draw. [Click to replay]

Magnus Carlsen filling out his scoresheet before the start of the game

Trying to remember how to spell Radjabov

Magnus' father Henrik, who is in Wijk, writes: "Magnus played 1.e4 and was met with c5 2.Nf3 e6 against Teimur Radjabov. He thought 3.g3 was an interesting way of deferring d4 and both players, and especially Radjabov, spent lots of time on the clock in the opening. Magnus thought he was clearly better already after 7...Be7 8.cxd5 Bxc5. He kept building up the pressure against the centre with the black king still on e8 and thought 14.Bxd5 would give white an advantage but that Bh6 would be even better. After having moved, he discovered that the planned continuation was unclear due to 14...Nxe5 15.Bxg7 Nd3! White still he had an advantage in the game after 15.Rd1 but it is small. With his poor pawn structure, black continued to face problems throughout his long time trouble, but found a good defence to reach a double rook and two versus three pawn ending. Magnus played on for a while, but Radjabov found a nice way of securing the draw with 53?. Rg6 54.g4 Ra3 and a draw was agreed after move 60.

The big news of the day was that the only two decisive games saw the top two seeds lose! The biggest sensation of all was Ivanchuk's defeat at the hands of Jan Smeets, the 22-year old Dutch champion. His inclusion in the event, along with Daniel Stellwagen, had raised a few eyebrows, and many expected the pair of them to go through without winning a game, but already such pessimistic forecasts can be thrown out of the window. Ivanchuk achieved a small advantage from the opening, but it gradually dwindled, and he ended up losing on time in an inferior, but probably drawn opposite-coloured bishop ending.

Bottom seed beats top seed: 23-year-old GM Jan Smeets of Holland, rated 2601

Ivanchuk,V (2779) - Smeets,J (2601) [D44]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 17.01.2009
1.c4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.a4 Bb4 7.e4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 Qa5 9.e5 Ne4 10.Bd2 Qd5 11.Qc2 c5 12.Be3 cxd4 13.cxd4 Qa5+ 14.Nd2 Nxd2 15.Bxd2 Qd5 16.Qxc4 Qxc4 17.Bxc4 Nc6 18.Bc3 Ne7 19.a5 Bd7 20.Bb4 Rc8 21.Be2 Nc6 22.Bc5 Nxe5 23.Rb1 Nc6 24.Rxb7 Nxa5 25.Rxa7 Nc6 26.Rb7 Nd8 27.Rb3 Bc6 28.0-0 Nb7 29.Ba3 Kd7 30.Rc1 Nd6 31.Rb6 Nf5 32.d5 exd5 33.Bg4 g6 34.Bb2 Rhe8 35.Bxf5+ gxf5 36.f3 Re2 37.Bd4 Rd2 38.Be3 Rd3 39.Bf4 d4

and Ivanchuk lost on time! 0-1. [Click to replay]

Kariakin's win against Morozevich was altogether shorter and sharper

The youngest GM in history, Sergey Karjakin, turned 18 on Monday

Karjakin,Sergey (2706) - Morozevich,A (2771) [B48]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 17.01.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.Qd2 Nf6 8.0–0–0 Be7 9.f3 0–0 10.g4 b5 11.g5 Ne8 12.h4 Ne5 13.Kb1 Bb7 14.h5 Rc8 15.Qg2 b4 16.Na4 f5 17.gxf6 Nxf6 18.Bd3 Rf7 19.b3 Rcf8 20.Rdg1 Ne8 21.Rh3 Bf6 22.Nb2

22...Nc6?! 22...Qc3; 22...Nd6 are both safer. 23.Nxc6 Qxc6?? 23...Bxc6 is still fine, e.g. 24.Nc4 d5. 24.Nc4. 24.e5! was equally convincing. 24...d5. There is no good defence to the threat of 25.e5 and 26.Bxh7+, e.g. 24...d6 25.e5 dxe5 26.Bxh7+. Fritz 11 offers 24...Bc3 as the best hope, but even then 25.Na5 Qc7 26.Nxb7 Qxb7 27.e5 yields a winning attack. 25.exd5 exd5 26.h6 1–0. There is no adequate defence to 27.Bxh7+. [Click to replay]

World's number five ranked grandmaster Alexander Morozevich of Russia

Stellwagen missed a chance to make it an even better day for the Dutch. He was clearly better throughout the game, and agreed a draw in a position where he appeared to be a good pawn up, with excellent winning chances:

Stellwagen,D (2612) - Movsesian,S (2751) [B80]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 17.01.2009
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be3 Be7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.g4 d5 10.g5 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Nh5 12.0-0-0 Bxg5 13.Kb1 Kh8 14.Bxg5 Qxg5 15.Rg1 Qf6 16.Qb4 Bd7 17.exd5 exd5 18.Nxd5 Qxf3 19.Bg2 Qf5 20.Qxb7 Ba4 21.b3 Rac8 22.Rd2 a5 23.Qa7 Bc6 24.Ne7 Qg5 25.Bxc6 Qxd2 26.Nxc8 Rxc8 27.Qxf7 Qd4 28.Re1 Nf6 29.Qe6 Rd8 30.Qe5 Qb4 31.Kb2 h6 32.a3 Qb6 33.Bf3 Qf2

and Stellwagen offered a draw. [Click to replay]

Kamsky-Adams was a quiet draw, whilst van Wely and Dominguez played the longest game of the day. It reached an ending with White having an extra exchange for a pawn, but the fact that all pawns were on one side always made the draw likely, and that was eventualy the outcome.

Top Dutch GM Loek van Wely facing top Cuban GM Dominguez

Van Wely,L (2625) - Dominguez Perez,L (2717) [D85]
Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (1), 17.01.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 0–0 9.Be2 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Qxa2 12.0–0 Bg4 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 a5 16.Rxb7 a4 17.h3 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 Nc6 19.e5 Qc4 20.Rb2

20...Nxd4 21.Bxa8 Rxa8 22.Rd2 Ne6 23.Rd7 a3 24.Qf3 Ra6 25.Ra1 a2 26.Kh2 Qc5 27.Qe2 Ra5 28.Rb7 h5 29.Kh1 Qc3 30.Qb2 Qxb2 31.Rxb2 Bxe5 32.Bxe5 Rxe5 33.g3 g4 34.Rbxa2 Kg7 35.Ra5 Re2 36.R5a2 Re5 37.Ra4 f5 38.Ra5 Rxa5 39.Rxa5 Kf6 40.h4 Nd4 41.Ra8 Nf3 42.Kg2 e6 43.Kf1 Nd2+ 44.Ke2 Ne4 45.Ke3 Kg6 46.Rh8 Nd6 47.Kd4 Nf7 48.Ra8 Kf6 49.Kc5 Ne5 50.Kd6 Nf7+ 51.Kc7 Ne5 52.Rd8 Nf7 53.Rd4 Ne5 54.Kd6 Nf7+ 55.Kd7 Ne5+ 56.Ke8 Nf3 57.Rd7 Ne5 58.Rh7 Nd3 59.Rxh5 Nxf2 60.Rh6+ Kg7 61.Rxe6

61...Ne4 62.Ke7 Nxg3 63.Rf6 Ne4 64.Rxf5 Kg6 65.Rf8 g3 66.Ke6 Nc5+ 67.Kd5 Nd7 68.Rg8+ Kh5 69.Rxg3 Nf6+ 70.Ke5 Kxh4 71.Rg6 Nh5 72.Kf5 Ng3+ 73.Kf4 Nh5+ 74.Kf3 Kh3 75.Rg4 Nf6 76.Rf4 Nh5 77.Ra4 Nf6 78.Kf4 Nh5+ 79.Kf3 Nf6 80.Rh4+ Kxh4 draw. [Click to replay]

One of the most interesting players around: Leinier Dominguez from Cuba

All pictures by Jeroen van den Belt

Schedule and results of Grandmaster Group A

Schedule and results of Grandmaster Group B

Schedule and results of Grandmaster Group C

Links

• Official web site
• All games in PGN: Group A – Group B – Group C
• All ChessBase reports on Wijk aan Zee 2009
• Live coverage is available on the Playchess server