The Week in Chess

[10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Bg2 d5 13.0-0 dxc4 14.bxc4 Rad8 15.Rd2 Bb4 16.Qb3 Bxc3 17.Qxc3 Na5 18.c5 Nc4 19.Rc2 bxc5 20.Qb3 cxd4 21.Rxc4 Rb8 22.Qc2 Bxc4 23.Qxc4 e5 24.Qxc7 Rfe8 25.Qxa7 Rb2 26.Re1 g6 27.a4 Rd8 28.Qa5 e4 29.Nd2 e3 30.fxe3 d3 31.Ne4 Qe7 32.exd3 Rxd3 33.Qa8+ Kg7 34.Qc6 f5 35.Nf2 Rdd2 36.Qc3+ Kh7 37.Rf1 Rbc2 38.Qb3 Rb2 39.Qc3 Rbc2 40.Qb3 Rb2 41.Qc4 h5 42.Qf4 Re2 43.Bf3 Rec2 44.Nd3 Ra2 45.Nb4 Rxa4 46.Nxc2 Rxf4 47.gxf4 Kh6 48.Rb1 Qe6 49.Re1 Qa2 50.Nd4 h4 51.Be2 g5 52.fxg5+ Kxg5 53.Rf1 Kg6 54.Rxf5 Qb1+ 55.Rf1 Qe4 56.Kf2 1-0 Grischuk,A (2736)-Topalov,V (2805)/Linares ESP 2010/The Week in Chess 799]

10...Bxc1

Logical according to Navara.

[10...Bb4 was also considered by Navara. 11.Bg2 b5 12.cxb5 Bxb5 13.Bd2 Rb8 1/2-1/2 Ionov,S (2538)-Beliavsky,A (2667)/Dagomys RUS 2004/The Week in Chess 494 (82)]

11.Rxc1

[11.Qxc1 and Navara hoped to later pick up a tempo on the rook with the knight in some lines. 11...d5 (11...Bb7 12.Rd2) 12.cxd5 Nb4 but Landa thinks that the Rook is stronger on d2 in some lines.]

11...d5

Playing very quickly.

12.cxd5

[12.Bg2]

12...Nxd5

[12...exd5]

David Navara

Alexander Grischuk

Position after 12...Nxd5

13.Bg2

Navara decided to push c7c5 at any cost because otherwise "black is worse" and the knight on c6 is misplaced obstructing the c-pawn.

[13.Nxd5 Qxd5 14.Bg2 Rad8 is completely fine for black because he can transpose to some endgame which is just equal. 15.0-0 Nxd4 16.Nxd4 Qxd4 17.Qxd4 Rxd4 18.Rxc7 Bxe2 19.Re1 Rd2 20.Rxa7 Rfd8 similar to an Anand-Kramnik endgame.]

13...Nxc3

"Very logical."

14.Rxc3 Nb4

[14...Qd6 was Konstantin Landa's suggestion with forced equalisation similar to lines already discussed. Navara hadn't seen it. 15.0-0 Rad8]

15.a3 Nd5 16.Rc2

David Navara

Alexander Grischuk

Position after 16.Rc2

Navara had been hoping to win a tempo back attacking the a-pawn but when he got here he realised that things were not so simple. He considered 4 possible moves if he didn't want to remain passive and with the weakness on c7. All aimed at pushing c7c5 but he did not know which is the best.

16...Qe7

[16...Rc8 17.Qd2; 16...c5 17.dxc5 (17.0-0 Rc8 and white is slightly better after either: 18.Qd2 (18.Qa1 c4 was possible but "I don't like the move" - Navara.) ) 17...bxc5 18.Rxc5 Qb6 With strong compensation for the pawn.]

17.Qa1

"I have missed this move which is embarrassing as I was thinking for 23 minutes."

[17.Qc1 was the move that Navara expected.; 17.b4? Bb5 is good for black.]

17...Rac8

[17...c5 was also possible.]

18.0-0 c5 19.Rfc1

David Navara

Alexander Grischuk

Position after 19.Rfc1

Navara was not satisfied with his position being a little passive for his taste.

19...Rc7

"I decided to compromise my pawn structure." - Navara.

[19...cxd4 20.Nxd4 Rxc2 21.Rxc2 Bb7 22.Qc1 improving black's pawn structure would have been Navara's preference but ideas of e4 followed by Rc7 or Nc6 did not appeal to him. White is "certainly better, maybe just slightly better but it is an unpleasant position.]

20.dxc5

[20.e4 Nf6 21.Ne5 Rfc8 22.dxc5 (22.d5 exd5 23.exd5 Qd6) 22...Rxc5 23.Rxc5 Rxc5 24.b4 Rxc1+ 25.Qxc1 and at least black has managed to exchange the rooks. 25...Bb7 26.f3]

20...Rxc5

Simplifying to make the defence easier.

[20...bxc5 21.e4 (21.Ne5 Rfc8 22.Rd1 with the eventual doubling on the d-file looked unpleasant to Navara. 22...Nb6 23.Rcd2 c4 (23...h6 24.Rd6 maybe not so bad but at the board Navara didn't like it.) 24.Nc6) 21...Nb6]

21.Rxc5 bxc5 22.Nd2!

David Navara

Alexander Grischuk

Position after 22.Nd2

A surprising tactic for Navara.

22...Rc8

[22...Bxe2 23.Re1 Bg4 24.Bxd5 Qd8 25.Bf3 wins a piece.]

23.Bf3

[23.Qe5 was a move that Navara was more afraid of. 23...Nb6 24.Ne4 Bxe2 25.Rxc5 Rxc5 26.Qxc5 Qxc5 27.Nxc5 and the endgame should be better for white with the queenside pawns being an asset. Black has to be careful and white has some chances.]

23...h6

A useful move while waiting to decide whether he wants to play Nb6.

[23...Nb6 24.Qc3 c4 25.Qa5]

24.h4

It isn't clear what white should play here but Navara didn't think this was such a good move.

24...Nb6 25.Qe5

Around this time Navara was so nervous he couldn't sit at the board but instead paced around.

25...c4

David Navara

Alexander Grischuk

Position after 25...c4

Played very quickly by Navara.

26.bxc4

[26.b4 Bb7 and black is fine.]

26...Qxa3

This is even simpler than taking the c-pawn.

[26...Nxc4 27.Nxc4 Bxc4 and h4-h5 might be useful in some positions. (27...Rxc4 28.Rxc4 Bxc4) ; 26...Rc5]

27.Ra1 Qb4 28.Qa5

Taking the draw. Grischuk only had 1min 10 seconds left to reach move 40. But the position is so similified it is just a draw.

[28.Rxa6 Qxd2]

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Judit Polgar against Peter Svidler. Photo © FIDE World Cup Khanty Mansiysk 2011 Website

Peter Svidler had a day off yesterday whilst Judit Polgar had a roller-coaster of a ride before winning against Leinier Dominguez Perez. It could not really have gone any better as she got a draw in just 1 hour 15 minutes with black. Her 8...d5 seemed to come as a surprise to Svidler and her 14.... Bxg2! opened up his king for a perpetual.

Svidler,Peter (2739) - Polgar,Judit (2699) [B32]
FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (5.1), 09.09.2011

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 5.Nb3 Nf6 6.Bd3 e6

[6...d5; 6...d6; 6...Nxe4; 6...g6]

7.0-0

[7.Be3; 7.c4; 7.Qe2]

7...Be7

[7...d6; 7...d5; 7...a6]

8.c4

[8.Be3; 8.Kh1; 8.Re1; 8.a4]

8...d5!

Judit Polgar

Peter Svidler

Position after 8...d5!

Not new but I could only find a couple of games. Svidler did not seem pleased to see it at the board.

[8...Ne5; 8...d6]

9.cxd5

[9.exd5 exd5 10.Nc3 dxc4 11.Bxc4 0-0 12.h3 Bf5 13.Be3 Qb4 14.Bd5 Rad8 15.Qf3 Bd3 16.Rfd1 Ne5 17.Qg3 Nxd5 18.Qxe5 Nxe3 19.Qxe3 Bc4 20.a3 Qxb3 21.Qxe7 Rde8 22.Qb4 b6 23.Rd6 Re7 24.Rc6 Qxb4 25.axb4 Bd3 26.Rd6 Bc4 27.f3 h6 28.Kf2 Rc8 29.Rad1 Rcc7 30.g4 f6 31.h4 Kf7 32.h5 Be6 33.R1d4 Bb3 34.Rd8 Be6 35.Ne4 Rc2+ 36.Kg3 g5 37.hxg6+ Kxg6 38.R4d6 Kg7 39.Rd2 Rxd2 40.Rxd2 f5 41.gxf5 Bxf5 42.Kf4 Bg6 43.Nd6 Kf6 44.Ne4+ Kg7 45.Nd6 Rd7 46.Ke5 Re7+ 47.Kf4 a5 48.b5 Rc7 49.Ne4 Bxe4 50.fxe4 Rc5 51.e5 Rxb5 52.Kf5 Rb3 53.Ke6 Re3 54.Rg2+ Kf8 55.Rf2+ Kg7 56.Kd6 h5 57.e6 h4 58.e7 Rd3+ 59.Kc7 Re3 60.Kd8 Rd3+ 61.Ke8 h3 62.Rf7+ Kg6 63.Kf8 Re3 64.e8Q Rxe8+ 65.Kxe8 Kg5 66.Kd7 b5 67.Kc6 1-0 Jenni,F (2483)-Ramesh,R (2475)/Bled SLO 2002/The Week in Chess 418]

9...exd5 10.Nc3

[10.Be3 Qc7 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Bc5 Be6 13.Na3 0-0 14.Nb5 Qf4 15.Bxe7 Ndxe7 16.Qc1 Qxc1 17.Nxc1 Rad8 18.Nc3 Ne5 19.Be4 b5 20.Re1 Rd2 21.Nb3 Bxb3 22.axb3 b4 23.Nb5 f5 24.Bb7 N7g6 25.Rxa7 Nd3 26.Rf1 Ngf4 27.h4 Nxb2 28.Bf3 Nbd3 29.Rd7 Rb2 30.Rd4 Kh8 31.Bd1 h6 32.h5 Re8 33.Kh2 Re1 34.Be2 Rxf1 35.Bxf1 Rd2 36.Bxd3 Nxd3 37.Nd6 f4 38.Nf7+ Kh7 39.Ne5 Nxe5 40.Rxd2 Ng4+ 41.Kh3 Nf6 42.Rd4 1-0 Dworakowska,J (2358)-Arakhamia,K (2437)/Leon ESP 2001/The Week in Chess 366]

10...Be6 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.Be3 Qb4 14.Qc2 Bxg2!

This game could hardly have gone any better for Polgar who must have been tired after he marathon against Dominguez. Now she gets an extra half a rest day for relaxation and preparation.

15.Kxg2 Qg4+ 16.Kh1 Qf3+ 17.Kg1 Qg4+

Draw by perpetual check.

1/2-1/2

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