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Home » Chess News » Events » FIDE World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2011 » 5 playoffs follow a most dramatic day 2 of round 4 of the World Cup

Judit Polgar recovered from a loss to Leinier Dominguez Perez in the first game to beat him in 112 moves with black to take the match to a playoff. But this was a fluctuating struggle to say the least.

It was extremely difficult today.

Yesterday my preparation didn't work. exd5 was not very promising I should have played Bxd5 with roughly equal position.

But somehow I got in a great mental mood and I was also lucky to get the kind of opening we got.

My opponent was thinking pretty much and got in time trouble. He sacrificed the piece.

I don't know he had a difficult position. Then it became very complicated, then I was a little bit better, then he fought well, around 40 I think more or less it was equal if he plays accurately he could guard the Rook + Bishop against Rook somehow or even easier draw.

Then when I got my two bishops, I'm pretty sure I was easily winning at one point. I could play Rh8 Kc1!! Which actually would be mate. I ruined it before.

But then I lost my patience and actually I think when I played Rb2, instead of his Rg4 Rb4 with a beautiful stalemate draws.

After that I got a completely winning position, which I know, but when you have tension I was just screwing up, luckily I won at the end.

Well I was really cursing myself. I know the theoretical position and I just cannot think properly. A couple of moves ahead but at the end somehow.

A relieved Polgar at the press conference. Slightly edited.

Here 74...Kc1! is mating for her.

Now 74...Rxh8? 75. Rxd4+ Bd3 76. Rxb4 Kc3 77. Ra4 Rh2+ 78. Ka3 Rb2 79. Rg4?

Losing again 79. Rb4!! (79.Ra7 also should hold) 79....Rb1 80. Ka2 with a beautiful stalmate is the cleanest as pointed out by Polgar.

Polgar eventually converted but only after allowing a three fold repetition that Dominguez suspected as he was looking at his scoresheet but didn't claim with 107. Rh2. Same position as after 95. Rh2 and 105. Rh2. It was then Polgar immediately found the winning plan and made no further errors.

79... Rxb3+ 80. Ka4 Rb1 81. Ka5 Rb5+ 82. Ka4 Rf5 83. Rg3 Rf4+ 84. Ka3 Rf1 85. Rg2 Rh1 86. Rb2 Ra1+ 87. Ra2 Rb1 88. Rg2 Rb3+ 89. Ka4 Rb4+ 90. Ka3 Rb6 91. Rg4 Ra6+ 92. Ra4 Rb6 93. Rg4 Rb7 94. Rh4 Rb1 95. Rh2 Rb6 96. Rh4 Bf1 97. Rg4 Rb5 98. Rg3+ Bd3 99. Rg4 Rb1 100. Rg2 Rb3+ 101. Ka4 Rb5 102. Rg4 Rf5 103. Ka3 Rf1 104. Rg2 Rb1 105. Rh2 Bf5 106. Rg2 Bd3 107. Rh2 Bf1 108. Rf2 Bc4 109. Rf3+ Bd3 110. Rf2 Rb3+ 111. Ka2 Rb6 112. Ka1 Rg6 0-1

Polgar will have very decent chances in the rapid where she has major scalps including Topalov last year but the faster the time rates after that will probably favour Dominguez.

I discuss Peter Svidler's fine win against Gata Kamsky in a separate article Based on his Press Conference Comments.

Dmitry Jakovenko professed himself to be exhausted and ready to return home after his draw in the second game against Teimour Radjabov cost him further progress in the tournament. After "one critical moment where I didn't find the right move" in the first game Jakovenko was in a must win situation. He was glad to see the King's Indian rather than the Queen's Gambit that Radjabov used in the Candidates. He said he again played an "imprecise move" after which he was fighting only for a minimal advantage which soon turned out to be a draw.

Alexander Grischuk made light work of the task of beating his friend Vladimir Potkin to level his match and take it to the playoff. Grischuk played the French Classical System and there were lots of options for both sides. 9.Nd1 is probably a little unusual, and I'm not sure Potkin doesn't go wrong quite quickly. 19...f6 is wrong and loses but I'm also not sure how black is supposed to develop without this, even if he takes dark-squared bishops and queens off as well. 22.Bxe6+ won straight away but the truth black is busted anyhow. Grischuk should be favourite for the playoffs but Potkin has been a tough customer so far.

Peter Heine Nielsen got a nagging queenside initiative in a Gruenfeld he needed to win against Vugar Gashimov and his a-pawn on a6 created many possibilities. Completely winning by move 52 and missing the straight-forward 58.Rc7 winning straight away it took him 112 moves to convert, although in truth Gashimov could have resigned earlier perhaps he thought Nielsen would feel the effects of a long game more than him. Just as his press conference was finishing Nielsen made it clear that he was almost wiped out by today's effort.

Ruslan Ponomariov tried his best to finish off Lazaro Bruzon without a playoff, his 22.Rxe6 being tricky rather than winning, nevertheless it set his opponent problems but a few moves later he gave perpetual check taking the match into a playoff.

Vassily Ivanchuk drew with Bu Xiangzhi in 96 moves which was only the 3rd longest game of the day. It was a fluctuating struggle. Ivanchuk seemed to have a nice initiative on the kingside but his decision to shut things with f6 didn't work out well and quite soon was seeking repetitions for the draw. He did miss a chance on move 24. 23...Nbc6 puts the queen in peril but 24.N1d2 wins material but probably only if you're a computer. Later as the game ground on Ivanchuk won a pawn but never came close to winning.

David Navara only needed a draw against 18 year old Yaroslov Zherebukh. Even though he won the match easily he said "The match was difficult for me." and that he struggled with the idea of playing for a draw with white. Zherebukh was slightly worse but got a sharp position out of the French however 28...Rf6 (28...Rh7 is better) was not good and Navara finished things off cleanly.

FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS Sun 28th Aug 2011 - Tue 20th Sep 2011 Round 4 Results
Bd	Score	Name	FED	Res	Name	FED
1	1-1	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	CUB	0-1	Polgar, Judit	HUN
2	1-1	Ivanchuk, Vassily	UKR	1/2	Bu, Xiangzhi	CHN
3	2-0	Navara, David	CZE	1-0	Zherebukh, Yaroslav	UKR
4	1-1	Ponomariov, Ruslan	UKR	1/2	Bruzon Batista, Lazaro	CUB
5	1-1	Nielsen, Peter Heine	DEN	1-0	Gashimov, Vugar	AZE
6	1-1	Grischuk, Alexander	RUS	1-0	Potkin, Vladimir	RUS
7	0.5-1.5	Jakovenko, Dmitry	RUS	1/2	Radjabov, Teimour	AZE
8	0-2	Kamsky, Gata	USA	0-1	Svidler, Peter	RUS

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