TWIC is 29. First issue 17th September 1994.
Zurich Chess Challenge 2013 (2)
Gelfand and Caruana draw tense struggle in 2nd round of Zuerich
Mark Crowther - Sunday 24th February 2013
Caruana and Gelfand discuss their game. Photo © | http://www.zurich-cc.com
The Zuerich Chess Classic saw two more draws in the second round. Vladimir Kramnik admitted he is not playing any of his front line openings and intended to play the Reti until World Champion Viswanathan Anand offered transposition into a Catalan ending which has a lot of theory. Anand had studied up (along with the Nimzowitsch-Larsen "quite interesting really") and knew the lines well. Kramnik admitted that whilst his notebook probably contained a definitive answer to the position he was struggling to remember the precise details over the board in a position where precision is everything. As it was Anand held the draw relatively comfortably. Boris Gelfand played a fascinating idea against Fabiano Caruana's Gruenfeld Defence where he gave up his dark squared bishop for attacking ideas on the h-file a counter-intuitive idea. Whilst computer analysis favoured Caruana he in reality had to work hard to achieve a playable position. Gelfand himself thought there were a number of possible setups but 21...Qe7!, 23...d4! turned out to be comfortable for Caruana and indeed he hoped for more on the run up to first time control. Everything turned out to be more complicated and a level position and a draw was agreed on move 40. Round 3: 25th Feb 2013 2:00pm GMT: Anand-Gelfand and Caruana-Kramnik.
Kramnik,Vladimir (2810) - Anand,Viswanathan (2780) [A07]
Zuerich Chess Challenge Zuerich SUI (2.1), 24.02.2013
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 4.0-0 Nc6 5.d4
Kramnik had intended to play a Reti setup with d3 until offered the Catalan in a form that Anand hasn't played before. Anand it turns out wanted this variation and was well prepared for it.
5...e6 6.c4 dxc4 7.dxc5 Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Bxc5 9.Nbd2 c3 10.bxc3 0-0 11.Nb3 Be7 12.c4 Bd7 13.Bb2 Rfd8 14.Nfd4 Rac8 15.c5
Viswanathan Anand
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Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 15.c5
Kramnik had studied this position in detail but not for this game and couldn't remember his analysis in detail.
[15.Nb5 b6 16.Rac1 Be8 17.Rxd8 Rxd8 18.Bxc6 Bxc6 19.Nxa7 Bb7 20.Bd4 Nd7 21.Nb5 Ra8 22.Rc2 Ra4 23.f3 f5 24.Kf1 Bc6 25.Bf2 Kf7 26.N3d4 Bb7 27.Nc7 Nc5 28.Nb3 Bc6 29.Nxc5 bxc5 30.h4 g6 31.Nb5 h6 32.Be3 g5 33.hxg5 hxg5 34.Rd2 Rxc4 35.Nd6+ Bxd6 36.Rxd6 Bd5 37.Rd7+ Kg6 38.Rc7 Ra4 39.Bxc5 Rxa2 1/2-1/2 Gelfand,B (2755)-Alekseev,E (2714)/Jermuk ARM 2009/The Week in Chess 772]
15...Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Bc6
Viswanathan Anand
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Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 16...Bc6
17.Rab1
Kramnik was already working things out for himself and wasn't sure here. This certainly has practical value.
[17.Na5 Ba4 18.Nxb7 Bxd1 19.Nxd8 Rxd8 with a pin.; 17.Bxc6 bxc6 (17...Rxc6 18.Na5 Rc7 19.Rab1 e5 (19...Rdd7 20.c6 bxc6 21.Rb8+ Bf8 (21...Bd8 22.Kg2 (22.Rd3) 22...Ne8 I'm not thrilled - Anand.) ) 20.Bxe5 (20.Be3 Rxd1+) 20...Rxd1+ 21.Rxd1 Rxc5 22.Bxf6 Bxf6 23.Nxb7 Rc2 24.e4 Rxa2 25.Rd7 is equal.) ; 17.Rac1]
17...Bxg2 18.Kxg2 h6!
Viswanathan Anand
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Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 18...h6!
Very precise from Anand.
[18...Rd7 19.Na5 Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Rxc5 (20...b6 21.Rxd7 Nxd7 22.Bd4 bxa5 23.Rb7; 20...Rxd1 21.Rxd1 b6 22.Nc6!) 21.Rxb7]]
19.e3
[19.Rbc1]
19...Nd7
"I somehow missed Nd7." Kramnik.
20.Na5
[20.c6 bxc6 21.Bxa7 c5 22.Rbc1]
20...Nxc5 21.Nxb7 Nxb7 22.Rxb7 Bf6 23.Rdb1 Bxd4 24.exd4 a5!
Viswanathan Anand
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Vladimir Kramnik
Position after 24...a5!
The ending is drawn for players at this level.
[24...Ra8 25.Rc1 Rdb8 26.Rcc7 Rxb7 27.Rxb7 Rd8 28.Rb4 should be a draw. Kramnik wanted to get his king to e3 but even then there seems nothing.]
25.Ra7 Rd5 26.Rbb7 Rf5 27.Rc7 Rd8 28.Rc5 Rxd4 29.Rxf5 exf5 30.Rxa5 f4 31.a4 g5 32.Ra8+ Kg7 33.a5 fxg3 34.hxg3 Ra4 35.a6 h5 36.Kf3 Ra3+ 37.Kg2 h4 38.gxh4 gxh4 39.a7 Kf6 40.Rh8 h3+ 41.Rxh3 Ke5 1/2-1/2
Gelfand,Boris (2740) - Caruana,Fabiano (2757) [D70]
Zuerich Chess Challenge Zuerich SUI (2.2), 24.02.2013
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Qd6 10.Nb5 Qd7 11.Kb1 Rd8 12.d5 a6 13.Nc3 Qe8 14.Qe1 Na7N
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 14...Na7
May well have been discussed in notes to Caruana's game against Aronian because it is Gelfand that comes up with a prepared idea.
[14...Ne5 15.Be2 e6 16.Bxb6 cxb6 17.f4 Nd7 18.dxe6 Qxe6 19.Nf3 Qe8 20.Qh4 Bf6 21.Ng5 Nf8 22.Bc4 Kg7 23.Qg3 Bxg5 24.fxg5 Be6 25.Nd5 Bxd5 26.Bxd5 Rd7 27.h4 Rc8 28.a3 Qd8 29.Qf2 Ne6 30.Ka2 Qe7 31.Rhf1 b5 32.Rd3 Rcc7 33.Kb1 a5 34.g4 a4 35.Rf3 Qd6 36.Rf6 Qc5 37.Qg3 b4 38.axb4 Qc2+ 39.Ka1 a3 40.bxa3 Rxd5 41.exd5 Nd4 42.Rxf7+ Rxf7 43.Qe5+ Kf8 44.Qb8+ Kg7 45.Rxf7+ Kxf7 46.Qxb7+ Ke8 47.Qb8+ Kd7 48.Qa7+ Kd6 49.Qxd4 Qc1+ 50.Ka2 Qc2+ 51.Qb2 Qc4+ 52.Ka1 Qxg4 53.Qf2 Kxd5 54.Qc5+ 1-0 Aronian,L (2825)-Caruana,F (2770)/Moscow RUS 2012/The Week in Chess 919]
15.h4 Nb5 16.Nge2 Nc4 17.Bd4!
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 17.Bd4!
Giving up the bishop to open lines against the black king.
17...Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Nb6!?
[18...Nxb2!? Kramnik. 19.Kxb2 This is a man's move which doesn't mean he would do it. 19...c5 20.Nc2 b5 21.e5 and black's attacking chances don't look sufficient.]
19.h5 e6
[19...c5 20.Nb3 e6 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.d6 with complications.; 19...Na4!?]
20.hxg6 hxg6
[20...fxg6 If I play this move and it turns out to be bad.... Caruana.]
21.f4
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 21.f4
"I pinned my hopes on long term compensation." - Gelfand.
21...Qe7!
Gelfand was impressed with this strong move which took Caruana well over half an hour to find. Houdini liked this position for black but Gelfand and Caruana didn't have much doubt it was black that was under pressure.
[21...exd5; 21...e5 22.fxe5 Qxe5 23.Qh4 Qf6 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Be2 Too many open lines I think. Caruana.]
22.Nf3 exd5 23.e5 d4!
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 23...d4!
"I saw so many mates I was happy to get away from that. I wasn't really thinking of an advantage." - Caruana on d4 which seems to ease the difficulty of his task.
[23...Bf5+ 24.Bd3 d4 25.Ne2 Bxd3+ 26.Rxd3 c5 27.f5 was Gelfand's intention.(27.Ng5 but isn't Ng5 also dangerous? Caruana who was really worried about the possibility of Rdh3 and an attack down the h-file. 27...Bxe5 (27...f6 Gelfand.) 28.Ng3) ]
24.Nxd4
[24.Ne4 Nd5; 24.Rxd4 Bg4 (24...Bf5+ 25.Ka1 Qc5) ]
24...c5 25.Nf3 Bf5+ 26.Ka1 Rxd1+ 27.Qxd1 Rd8
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 27...Rd8
28.Qe1
[28.Qc1 c4 29.Be2 Bd3 30.Qe3 Nd5 31.Nxd5 Rxd5 with probable equality.; 28.Qb3 Qc7 "and my queen is in a little bit of trouble." Gelfand. 29.Be2 c4 (29...Bf8!? Gelfand. 30.Ng5 c4 31.Nce4!? is an imaginative idea that is probably equal after the forced: 31...Bg7) 30.Qb4 Bf8 31.Qa5 Qc5 32.Qxc5 Bxc5 33.Ng5 Be3 34.g3 and I don't feel black is worse here. Caruana.]
28...Qd7 29.Be2 Nd5 30.Nxd5 Qxd5 31.Qc1 Be6 32.b3 Qc6
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 32...Qc6
33.Rd1?!
Gelfand didn't like this move after the game and Caruana too expected Bc4 here.
[33.Bc4 Bxc4 34.Qxc4 b5 with f6 coming somewhere as white's king is very much weaker than his opponents now.]
33...Rxd1 34.Qxd1 Qe4 35.g3
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 35.g3
35...Bf5
Possibly it is here Caruana might improve a bit.
[35...Bd5 36.Kb2 (36.Ng5? Bxe5+! 37.fxe5 Qxe5+ 38.Kb1 Qxg5) 36...b5 (36...f6! 37.Qxd5+ Qxd5 38.Bc4 Qxc4 39.bxc4 may lead to a fortress.) 37.Qd2 was how Gelfand was intending to play but he wasn't confident about his position. 37...Bh6]
36.Bc4 Bh6!
[36...Be6; 36...Qe3 was almost played by Caruana but it loses to forced mate. 37.Qd8+ Bf8 (37...Kh7 38.Ng5+ Kh6 39.Nxf7+ Kh5 (39...Kh7 40.Qh4+ Kg8 41.Nd6+ Be6 42.Bxe6+ Kf8 43.Qd8#) 40.Qh4#) 38.Bxf7+ Kxf7 39.Ng5+ Kg8 40.Qd5+ Kh8 41.Qh1+ Caruana initially missed this move in his calculations.]
37.Bd5 Qe3
Fabiano Caruana
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Boris Gelfand
Position after 37...Qe3
Playing for a win but it is uncalled for as the game pretty soon heads for a draw.
38.Qd2 Qxd2 39.Nxd2 g5 40.Bxb7 gxf4 1/2-1/2
| Zurich Chess Challenge Zuerich (SUI), 23 ii-1 iii 2013 | cat. XXI (2772) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| 1. | Anand, Viswanathan | g | IND | 2780 | * | * | ½ | . | . | . | ½ | . | 1 | 2783 | |||
| 2. | Caruana, Fabiano | g | ITA | 2757 | ½ | . | * | * | ½ | . | . | . | 1 | 2760 | |||
| 3. | Gelfand, Boris | g | ISR | 2740 | . | . | ½ | . | * | * | ½ | . | 1 | 2783 | |||
| 4. | Kramnik, Vladimir | g | RUS | 2810 | ½ | . | . | . | ½ | . | * | * | 1 | 2760 | |||
| Round 2 (February 24, 2013) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gelfand, Boris | - Caruana, Fabiano | ½-½ | 40 | D70 | Gruenfeld Defence | |
| Kramnik, Vladimir | - Anand, Viswanathan | ½-½ | 41 | A07 | Barcza System | |
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