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Home » Chess News » Events » 53rd Reggio Emilia 2010-11 » Vallejo new leader after defeating Navara, Short loses to Caruana

Francisco Vallejo Pons ground down David Navara in a game where I can't quite pinpoint where things started to go wrong for black. Navara did appear to turn down a repetition on move 17 with 17...Rb8 but at that stage there didn't seem any reason for him not to continue. However his position went downhill so fast afterwards this was probably just a mistake. This win takes Vallejo to 2.5/3 and the sole lead.

17...Be2 18. Nxe5 Qe8 19. Rxd6 cxd6 20. Re1 dxe5 21. Rxe2 Ng6 22. Rd2 Qe6 23. Nc5 Qxa2 24. Kh2 Qc4 25. Rd7 Rab8 26. Qxc6 Rxb2 27. Rxg7 Rfxf2 28. Bxf2 Rxf2 29. Qc8+ Kxg7 30. Ne6+ Qxe6 31. Qxe6 Rxg2+ 32. Kh1 Rg3 33. c4 Rc3 34. Qd7+ Kh8 35. h4 h5 36. Qc8+ Kg7 37. Qd7+ Kh8 38. Qd6 Kg7 39. c5 Rh3+ 40. Kg1 Rxh4 41. c6 Rg4+ 42. Kf2 Rf4+ 43. Ke3 Rf6 44. Qd8 Rf7 45. c7 Ne7 46. Qd6 1-0

Nigel Short's luck did not hold for a 3rd game in succession. He lost on the black side of a French to local favourite Fabiano Caruana. Short seemed to have almost equalised at one stage but perhaps there was slight pressure with accurate play from Caruana. Caruana missed a precise series of moves for a quick win just before first time control but Short couldn't hold an unfavourable Queen and Pawn ending anyhow.

33...bxc3?

(33... Bxd5 34. Rxd5 Re8 35. Rd8 Qe1+ 36. Kh2 bxc3 37. Qc4+ Kg7 38. Rxe8 Qxe8 39. Qxc3+ with similar problems to the game.)

34. bxc3?

34. Bxf7+ Kxf7 35. Qc4+ Kf8 36. Qf1+ Kg8 37. Re7 wins immediately.

34... Bxd5 35. Rxd5 Rxd5

35... Rb8 36. Rd8+ Rxd8 37. Qxd8+ Kf7 38. Qf6+ Kg8 is an alternative.

36. Qxd5+ Kg7 37. Qd2

There are always chances for black to hold here with perpetual check. I don't know the accurate assessment of this position, Short doesn't seem to do a whole lot wrong in losing fairly straightforwardly.

37...Qc7

37... Qb8

38. Qd4+ Kg8 39. c4 Qe7 40. c5 Qxg5 41. Qc4+ Kf8 42. c6 Qd8 43. Qf4+ Kg8 44. Kh2 Qd5 45. Qf6 Qh5+ 46. Kg3 Qc5 47. Kg4 Qd5 48. Kh3 Qh5+ 49. Kg3 Qc5 50. Qe6+ Kg7 51. Kf3 Qc3+ 52. Ke4 Qc2+ 53. Kd4 Qxg2 54. c7 Qd2+ 55. Kc5 Qa5+ 56. Kd6 Qa3+ 57. Kd7 Qa4+ 58. Ke7 Qa7 59. Qd7 1-0

Once again Michele Godena had few problems from the opening, this time as black in a Ruy Lopez against Sergei Movsesian. He held a small advantage into the ending which wasn't enough for him to win.

Vassily Ivanchuk played the Dutch as black again, this time aginst Alexander Onischuk. He equalised very comfortably and the game was drawn by repetition of position.

Alexander Morozevich's rustiness showed again today. Very slightly worse out of the opening he at first seemed to have equalised before allowing Gashimov what looks like some winning chances. The Rook-Pawn is supposed to be the enemy of the knight so I wouldn't be surprise if black missed a win in this position:

77....Kf6

If there is to be a win then it should probably start: 77... Kf5 78. Kxd4 Bxh5 79. Ne7+ Kg5 80. Nd5 Bg4 81. Ke4). As it was Morozevich navigated his way to a draw.

78. Kxd4 Bxh5 79. Ne5 Be8 80. Ng4+ Kg5 81. Nxh6 Kxh6 82. Kc5 Kg6 83. Kb6 Kf6 84. Kxa6 Ke6 85. Kb6 Kd6 86. a6 Bc6 87. a7 Kd5

(87... Kd5 88. Kc7 Ba8 89. Kb8 Bc6 90. Kc7 Ba8 91. Kb8 Bc6 is just a draw)

1/2-1/2

On another note Peter Doggers draws attention to old film footage of Euwe, Alekhine, Capablanca, Bolgojubov and Donner amongst others made available at the Geschiedenis website. Fascinating to hear Alekhine speak (I think in French), not the extravert I imagined from his writing, Capablanca calling Alekhine's game 20% bluff (worth persevering with to hear Capablanca speak in English even with the truly embarrassing presentation. Apparently the presenter was called Han Hollander the first Dutch Radio Sport's Reporter. He was murdered by the Nazi's in 1943). The great footage of the World Championship in 1948 is probably my favourite, followed by Euwe and Bogoljubov playing blitz in 1928 (but man, don't they know you're supposed to push the clock with the same hand you move with?) There's also Euwe and Botvinnik playing blindfold, something Peter is rather more keen on than I am.

I have some great footage on video-tape from the era of Fischer-Spassky II in 1992 which some day I might transfer. I do think there is great chess footage out there. For instance I think that the French TV coverage of the 2nd half of the 1990 Kasparov-Karpov Match set some great standards that still haven't been equalled for World Championship matches including overhead footage of all the moves which gave really great indication of the emotions of the players (and Kasparov and Karpov demonstrating wins towards the end of the match). A quick flick through You Tube also revealed some great stuff. Tal and Karpov simul, A terminally ill Tal beating Kasparov in one of the games in this Moscow Blitz event, his final tournament just before he died, A Young Tal giving a simul in colour, Genuine BBC Alekhine Radio Interview in 1938 in English, Belgrade Candidates 1959 (I've seen quite a lot of footage of this event) and History, Kasparov's final minutes as a professional player, losing to Topalov

53rd Masters Reggio Emilia (ITA), 28 xii 2010 - 6 i 2011															cat. XVIII (2695)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0
1.	Vallejo Pons, Francisco	g	ESP	2698	*	.	½	.	.	.	1	1	.	.	2½	2946
2.	Short, Nigel D	g	ENG	2680	.	*	.	0	.	.	.	.	1	1	2	2839
3.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2764	½	.	*	½	½	.	.	.	.	.	1½	2696
4.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2709	.	1	½	*	.	.	0	.	.	.	1½	2717
5.	Onischuk, Alexander	g	USA	2683	.	.	½	.	*	½	.	½	.	.	1½	2678
6.	Movsesian, Sergei	g	SVK	2721	.	.	.	.	½	*	.	½	½	.	1½	2655
7.	Navara, David	g	CZE	2708	0	.	.	1	.	.	*	.	.	.	1	2703
8.	Godena, Michele	g	ITA	2549	0	.	.	.	½	½	.	*	.	.	1	2575
9.	Gashimov, Vugar	g	AZE	2733	.	0	.	.	.	½	.	.	*	½	1	2575
10.	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2700	.	0	.	.	.	.	.	.	½	*	½	2513

Round 3 (December 30, 2010)
Vallejo Pons, Francisco	- Navara, David	1-0	46	C69	Ruy Lopez Exchange
Caruana, Fabiano	- Short, Nigel D	1-0	59	C09	French Tarrasch
Onischuk, Alexander	- Ivanchuk, Vassily	½-½	26	A85	Dutch
Movsesian, Sergei	- Godena, Michele	½-½	54	C78	Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence
Morozevich, Alexander	- Gashimov, Vugar	½-½	87	D11	Slav Defence

View the games on this Page

Download the PGN from this page

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