King's hunting at chess olympiad

Rodshtein, Maxim(2632) vs. Novita, Anjas(2356)
39th Olympiad Men - Khanty-Mansiysk RUS - 2010.09.22

[Event "39th Olympiad Men"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"] [Date "2010.09.22"] [Round "2.4"] [White "Rodshtein, Maxim"] [Black "Novita, Anjas"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E01"] [WhiteElo "2632"] [BlackElo "2356"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2010.09.21"] [EventType "team"] [WhiteTeam "ISR"] [BlackTeam "INA"] {This game was played in the match Israel vs Indonesia} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 c6 5. Bg2 dxc4 6. Ne5 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Qxd4 8. Bxb4 Qxe5 {white sacrificed 2 pawns to get the dark-squared bishop and keep the black king in the center. The hunting is open !} 9. Na3 b5 10. Bd6 Qxb2 {third pawn !} 11. O-O a6 12. Rb1 Qc3 {black don't want the fourth :-)} ( 12... Qxa2 {the computer wants !} 13. Bxb8 Rxb8 14. Ra1 Qb2 15. Qd6 Rb6 16. Qc7 {but he agrees the price is a whole rook !} O-O 17. Qxb6 Qxe2 { with a crazy position, probably winning for white though}) 13. Bxb8 Rxb8 14. Qd6 {still no castle} Rb6 15. Nxc4 ({another good possibility was} 15. Rfc1 Qa5 16. Qc7 {white lets black castling but creates a very unpleasant pin} O-O 17. Nxc4 bxc4 18. Qxb6 Qxa2 19. Rb2 Qa3 20. Bxc6 $16) 15... Qxc4 16. Rbc1 Qxe2 ( 16... Qxa2 17. Rxc6 Rxc6 18. Bxc6+ Bd7 19. Bxd7+ Nxd7 20. Rd1 Qd5 (20... g6 $2 21. Qxd7+ Kf8 22. Qd6+ Kg7 23. Qe5+ $18) 21. Rxd5 exd5 22. Qxd5 { and white is winning}) 17. Bxc6+ (17. Rxc6 $2 Rxc6 18. Bxc6+ Nd7 19. Bxd7+ Bxd7 20. Rd1 g6 $1 {and black survives}) 17... Nd7 18. Rfd1 $5 ({Rodshtein would like more than this: } 18. Bxd7+ Bxd7 19. Qxb6 O-O 20. Qxa6 $16) 18... Kd8 {only move} 19. Qd4 Rxc6 20. Rxc6 Ke7 {black is still ahead in material but his king is still hunted !} 21. Rc7 h5 {black tries to create some counter play} 22. Rdc1 h4 $2 (22... f6 {was better, the position remains very unclear}) 23. Qxg7 hxg3 24. Qg5+ f6 25. Qg7+ { the black king is forced to try his luck in the center of the board} Kd6 26. Qxg3+ e5 $2 ({More resilient was} 26... Ne5 27. R7c2 Qd3 28. Rxc8 Qxg3+ 29. hxg3 Rxc8 30. Rxc8 a5 31. Kf1 $16 {and white has to work to win that}) 27. R7c6+ Kd5 {unfortunately forced} 28. Qg2+ e4 29. Qg3 e3 30. Rd6+ {the simplest} (30. Qg2+ {was even stronger} Kd4 31. Rd6+ Ke5 32. f4+ Kxd6 (32... Kxf4 33. Qxe2) 33. Rc6+ Ke7 34. Qg7+ Kd8 35. Qxh8+ Ke7 36. Qg7+ Kd8 37. Qg8+ { and black will be mated}) 30... Ke4 31. f3+ Qxf3 32. Rd4+ Kxd4 33. Qxf3 $18 Ne5 34. Rd1+ Kc4 35. Qxe3 Rh3 36. Qd4# {The king was finally trapped !} 1-0

This game was played in the match Israel vs Indonesia 1. d4 Cf6 2. c4 e6 3. Cf3 d5 4. g3 c6 5. Fg2 dxc4 6. Ce5 Fb4+ 7. Fd2 Dxd4 8. Fxb4 Dxe5 white sacrificed 2 pawns to get the dark-squared bishop and keep the black king in the center. The hunting is open ! 9. Ca3 b5 10. Fd6 Dxb2 third pawn ! 11. O-O a6 12. Tb1 Dc3 black don't want the fourth :-) ( 12... Dxa2 the computer wants ! 13. Fxb8 Txb8 14. Ta1 Db2 15. Dd6 Tb6 16. Dc7 but he agrees the price is a whole rook ! 16... O-O 17. Dxb6 Dxe2 with a crazy position, probably winning for white though ) 13. Fxb8 Txb8 14. Dd6 still no castle 14...  Tb6 15. Cxc4 ( another good possibility was 15. Tfc1 Da5 16. Dc7 white lets black castling but creates a very unpleasant pin 16... O-O 17. Cxc4 bxc4 18. Dxb6 Dxa2 19. Tb2 Da3 20. Fxc6 +/- ) 15...  Dxc4 16. Tbc1 Dxe2 ( 16... Dxa2 17. Txc6 Txc6 18. Fxc6+ Fd7 19. Fxd7+ Cxd7 20. Td1 Dd5 ( 20... g6? 21. Dxd7+ Rf8 22. Dd6+ Rg7 23. De5+ +- ) 21. Txd5 exd5 22. Dxd5 and white is winning ) 17. Fxc6+ ( 17. Txc6? Txc6 18. Fxc6+ Cd7 19. Fxd7+ Fxd7 20. Td1 g6! and black survives ) 17...  Cd7 18. Tfd1!? ( Rodshtein would like more than this: 18. Fxd7+ Fxd7 19. Dxb6 O-O 20. Dxa6 +/- ) 18...  Rd8 only move 19. Dd4 Txc6 20. Txc6 Re7 black is still ahead in material but his king is still hunted ! 21. Tc7 h5 black tries to create some counter play 22. Tdc1 h4? ( 22... f6 was better, the position remains very unclear ) 23. Dxg7 hxg3 24. Dg5+ f6 25. Dg7+ the black king is forced to try his luck in the center of the board 25...  Rd6 26. Dxg3+ e5? ( More resilient was 26... Ce5 27. T7c2 Dd3 28. Txc8 Dxg3+ 29. hxg3 Txc8 30. Txc8 a5 31. Rf1 +/- and white has to work to win that ) 27. T7c6+ Rd5 unfortunately forced 28. Dg2+ e4 29. Dg3 e3 30. Td6+ the simplest ( 30. Dg2+ was even stronger 30... Rd4 31. Td6+ Re5 32. f4+ Rxd6 ( 32... Rxf4 33. Dxe2 ) 33. Tc6+ Re7 34. Dg7+ Rd8 35. Dxh8+ Re7 36. Dg7+ Rd8 37. Dg8+ and black will be mated ) 30...  Re4 31. f3+ Dxf3 32. Td4+ Rxd4 33. Dxf3 +- Ce5 34. Td1+ Rc4 35. Dxe3 Th3 36. Dd4# The king was finally trapped ! 1-0

Ivanchuk 5/5 at Chess Olympiad!

Vassily Ivanchuk must play between 2900 and 3000 Elo when he is in good shape. For now he is, he won all his Olympiad games so far. You can find them below. In all 5 games the same feeling: he wins effortlessly...

[Event "39. WCO"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.21"] [Round "1"] [White "Ahmed, Abdul Sattar abdul"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C27"] [WhiteElo "2342"] [BlackElo "2754"] [PlyCount "48"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Iraq"] [BlackTeam "Ukraine"] [WhiteTeamCountry "IRQ"] [BlackTeamCountry "UKR"] 1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Bc4 Nxe4 4. Nxe4 d5 5. d4 dxc4 6. Qe2 Qxd4 7. Nf3 Qd5 8. Nc3 Bb4 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Nc6 11. Ba3 f6 12. Nd4 Bd7 13. Rfd1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 Qf7 15. Nc5 b6 16. Nxd7 Rxd7 17. Rxd7 Qxd7 18. Qxc4 Rd8 19. h3 Kb7 20. Rb1 Qd5 21. Qa4 Qxa2 22. Rb2 Qd5 23. Kh2 Qd2 24. Bc5 Qxc3 0-1 [Event "39. WCO"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.22"] [Round "2"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "McNab, Colin A"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E94"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2445"] [PlyCount "75"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Scotland"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "SCO"] 1. d4 d6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nd7 5. e4 e5 6. Be2 Ngf6 7. Be3 O-O 8. O-O b6 9. Re1 exd4 10. Nxd4 Bb7 11. f3 Re8 12. Qd2 c6 13. Rad1 Qc7 14. b4 Rad8 15. Bf1 Ne5 16. Bg5 a6 17. b5 axb5 18. cxb5 c5 19. Nc2 c4 20. Kh1 Nd3 21. Bxd3 cxd3 22. Nb4 Qc5 23. Bxf6 Bxf6 24. Ncd5 Bg7 25. Qxd3 Rc8 26. a4 h5 27. Na6 Bxa6 28. bxa6 Qa5 29. Qb5 Be5 30. f4 Bc3 31. Re2 Kg7 32. g3 h4 33. gxh4 Rh8 34. Rc2 Be1 35. Qb2+ Kh6 36. Rxc8 Rxc8 37. Qg2 Bxh4 38. Qh3 1-0 [Event "39. WCO"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.24"] [Round "4"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Beliavsky, Alexander G"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B13"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2632"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Slovenia"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "SLO"] 1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 dxc4 7. Bxc4 Nxd4 8. Nf3 Nxf3+ 9. Qxf3 Qc7 10. Bb5+ Bd7 11. O-O Bc6 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Rad1 e6 14. Nd5 O-O-O 15. Bxc6 exd5 16. Bxd5 Kb8 17. Rc1 Qd7 18. Rcd1 Be7 19. g3 Qc7 20. Rc1 Qd7 21. Rfd1 Rc8 22. Bxb7 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Qxb7 24. Qf4+ Ka8 25. Rc7 1-0 [Event "39. WCO"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.25"] [Round "5"] [White "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A57"] [WhiteElo "2641"] [BlackElo "2754"] [PlyCount "50"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Bosnia Herzegovina"] [BlackTeam "Ukraine"] [WhiteTeamCountry "BIH"] [BlackTeamCountry "UKR"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Qc2 bxc4 5. e4 d6 6. Bxc4 g6 7. b3 Nxe4 8. Bb2 Qa5+ 9. Kf1 Nf6 10. Nc3 Bg7 11. Re1 Qd8 12. Qe2 Nbd7 13. h4 Ne5 14. Bb5+ Bd7 15. f4 Nh5 16. Bxd7+ Qxd7 17. Qe3 Qf5 18. Nh3 Qd3+ 19. Kg1 Qxe3+ 20. Rxe3 Ng4 21. Rf3 Bd4+ 22. Kf1 Ne3+ 23. Ke2 Nxg2 24. Ng5 h6 25. Nge4 Ngxf4+ 0-1 [Event "39. WCO"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk"] [Date "2010.09.27"] [Round "6"] [White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D46"] [WhiteElo "2754"] [BlackElo "2724"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Ukraine"] [BlackTeam "Hungary"] [WhiteTeamCountry "UKR"] [BlackTeamCountry "HUN"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. Rd1 b5 11. Bd3 Qc7 12. Bd2 c5 13. dxc5 Qxc5 14. a4 bxa4 15. Rxa4 Bb7 16. Rc4 Qa7 17. Ne4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rac8 20. Qd4 Bc5 21. Qc3 Rcd8 22. Qc2 Rfe8 23. Ng5 g6 24. Ba5 Bb6 25. Bc3 e5 26. Ne4 Re6 27. Bb4 Kg7 28. Rc6 Nf6 29. Rxe6 fxe6 30. Nxf6 Kxf6 31. Ra1 Qb7 32. Bc3 a5 33. Qa4 g5 34. h4 h6 35. Qg4 Qh7 36. Qh5 Qg6 37. Bxe5+ Kf7 38. Qf3+ Kg8 39. Qc6 1-0

1. Ahmed, Abdul Sattar abdul vs Ivanchuk, Vassily 0-1 39. WCO Rnd:1 Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.09.212. Ivanchuk, Vassily vs McNab, Colin A 1-0 39. WCO Rnd:2 Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.09.223. Ivanchuk, Vassily vs Beliavsky, Alexander G 1-0 39. WCO Rnd:4 Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.09.244. Sokolov, Ivan vs Ivanchuk, Vassily 0-1 39. WCO Rnd:5 Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.09.255. Ivanchuk, Vassily vs Leko, Peter 1-0 39. WCO Rnd:6 Khanty-Mansiysk 2010.09.27

1. e4 Cf6 2. Cc3 e5 3. Fc4 Cxe4 4. Cxe4 d5 5. d4 dxc4 6. De2 Dxd4 7. Cf3 Dd5 8. Cc3 Fb4 9. O-O Fxc3 10. bxc3 Cc6 11. Fa3 f6 12. Cd4 Fd7 13. Tfd1 O-O-O 14. Cb3 Df7 15. Cc5 b6 16. Cxd7 Txd7 17. Txd7 Dxd7 18. Dxc4 Td8 19. h3 Rb7 20. Tb1 Dd5 21. Da4 Dxa2 22. Tb2 Dd5 23. Rh2 Dd2 24. Fc5 Dxc3 0-1

Vachier-Lagrave outplayed Gelfand

Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime(2721) vs. Gelfand, Boris(2751)
39th Olympiad Men - Khanty-Mansiysk RUS - 2010.09.23

[Event "39th Olympiad Men"] [Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"] [Date "2010.09.23"] [Round "3.17"] [White "Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2721"] [BlackElo "2751"] [PlyCount "73"] [EventDate "2010.09.21"] [EventType "team"] [WhiteTeam "FRA"] [BlackTeam "ISR"] {This game was played on the first board of the France-Israel match} 1. d4 {No Petroff, thanks!} d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 {Maxime prefers this sharp anti-moscow gambit} 9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 Rg8 12. Bxg4 Nbd7 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bf3 b4 (14... c5 {was played 3 times in the Gelfand - Leko match last month, Gelfand was white and scored 2,5/3. By playing b4 he probably wanted to avoid some home preparation... but according to Rybka it's the best move and Maxime was ready}) 15. Na4 c5 {attacking both white central pawns} 16. Nxc5 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Nxe4 18. Qxd7+ Kxd7 19. O-O-O+ (19. Rd1+ Ke7 20. Bd6+ Ke8 $11) 19... Ke8 20. Bf4 Nxc5 21. Bxb7 Nxb7 22. Bxh6 Nc5 (22... Rxg2 23. Be3 { and the Nb7 is not very impressive, but the h pawn is still ready to run}) 23. Be3 Nd3+ 24. Kb1 Rxg2 25. h5 {in the interview after the game, Vachier-Lagrave said he was prepared until there approximatively. White has sacrificed a pawn to get the h-passed pawn} f5 {this move looks logical to come with the king} 26. h6 Kf7 27. h7 Rh8 {White played h5 h6 h7 but what to do now ?} 28. b3 $1 { destabilizing the knight} e5 {black wants to stop Bd4 to take in f2} (28... Nxf2 29. Rd7+ Ke8 (29... Kf6 $2 30. Rh6+ Rg6 31. Bd4+ e5 32. Bxe5+ Kxe5 33. Rxg6 $18) 30. Rxa7 Nxh1 31. Ra8+ Kf7 32. Rxh8 Rh2 33. bxc4 Ng3 34. Bf4 Rh1+ 35. Kc2 Ne2 36. Be5 f4 37. Kd2 Nc3 38. Bxf4 Rh5 39. Be5 $1 Ne4+ 40. Kd3 Nf2+ 41. Kc2 Ng4 42. Bd6 $18) 29. bxc4 {Wath carefully this second passed pawn...} Nxf2 30. Bxf2 Rxf2 { at first sight one could think this endgame is balanced} 31. c5 { the sentence of this game is : passed pawns should be pushed !} Rf3 { Boris knows since a very long time that rooks should be behind passed pawns, so he is going to c3. But amazingly he is already dead lost!!} (31... e4 32. c6 e3 33. c7 e2 34. Rc1 $18) 32. c6 $18 (32. Rc1 $2 Rd3 33. c6 Rdd8 34. c7 Rc8 {beautiful picture :-) But it must be draw}) 32... Rc3 33. Rd7+ Kg6 (33... Ke6 34. Rh6# {is unexpected !}) (33... Ke8 34. Rg1 Rxc6 35. Rxa7 $18) 34. c7 { impressive: 2 pawns reached the seventh rank after a mere 34 moves} f4 35. Rd6+ Kg7 36. Rg1+ Kf7 (36... Kxh7 37. Rh1+ Kg7 38. Rd7+ Kg8 39. Rd8+ Kg7 40. Rdxh8 $18) 37. Rd8 {Maxime still had 1 hour on his clock. Very few players can say they defeated the ultra solid and experimented Boris Gelfand with so much ease. } 1-0

This game was played on the first board of the France-Israel match 1. d4 No Petroff, thanks! 1...  d5 2. c4 c6 3. Cc3 Cf6 4. Cf3 e6 5. Fg5 h6 6. Fh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Fg3 b5 Maxime prefers this sharp anti-moscow gambit 9. Fe2 Fb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ce5 Tg8 12. Fxg4 Cbd7 13. Cxd7 Dxd7 14. Ff3 b4 ( 14... c5 was played 3 times in the Gelfand - Leko match last month, Gelfand was white and scored 2,5/3. By playing b4 he probably wanted to avoid some home preparation... but according to Rybka it's the best move and Maxime was ready ) 15. Ca4 c5 attacking both white central pawns 16. Cxc5 Fxc5 17. dxc5 Cxe4 18. Dxd7+ Rxd7 19. O-O-O+ ( 19. Td1+ Re7 20. Fd6+ Re8 = ) 19...  Re8 20. Ff4 Cxc5 21. Fxb7 Cxb7 22. Fxh6 Cc5 ( 22... Txg2 23. Fe3 and the Nb7 is not very impressive, but the h pawn is still ready to run ) 23. Fe3 Cd3+ 24. Rb1 Txg2 25. h5 in the interview after the game, Vachier-Lagrave said he was prepared until there approximatively. White has sacrificed a pawn to get the h-passed pawn 25...  f5 this move looks logical to come with the king 26. h6 Rf7 27. h7 Th8 White played h5 h6 h7 but what to do now ? 28. b3! destabilizing the knight 28...  e5 black wants to stop Bd4 to take in f2 ( 28... Cxf2 29. Td7+ Re8 ( 29... Rf6? 30. Th6+ Tg6 31. Fd4+ e5 32. Fxe5+ Rxe5 33. Txg6 +- ) 30. Txa7 Cxh1 31. Ta8+ Rf7 32. Txh8 Th2 33. bxc4 Cg3 34. Ff4 Th1+ 35. Rc2 Ce2 36. Fe5 f4 37. Rd2 Cc3 38. Fxf4 Th5 39. Fe5! Ce4+ 40. Rd3 Cf2+ 41. Rc2 Cg4 42. Fd6 +- ) 29. bxc4 Wath carefully this second passed pawn... 29...  Cxf2 30. Fxf2 Txf2 at first sight one could think this endgame is balanced 31. c5 the sentence of this game is : passed pawns should be pushed ! 31...  Tf3 Boris knows since a very long time that rooks should be behind passed pawns, so he is going to c3. But amazingly he is already dead lost!! ( 31... e4 32. c6 e3 33. c7 e2 34. Tc1 +- ) 32. c6 +- ( 32. Tc1? Td3 33. c6 Tdd8 34. c7 Tc8 beautiful picture :-) But it must be draw ) 32...  Tc3 33. Td7+ Rg6 ( 33... Re6 34. Th6# is unexpected ! ) ( 33... Re8 34. Tg1 Txc6 35. Txa7 +- ) 34. c7 impressive: 2 pawns reached the seventh rank after a mere 34 moves 34...  f4 35. Td6+ Rg7 36. Tg1+ Rf7 ( 36... Rxh7 37. Th1+ Rg7 38. Td7+ Rg8 39. Td8+ Rg7 40. Tdxh8 +- ) 37. Td8 Maxime still had 1 hour on his clock. Very few players can say they defeated the ultra solid and experimented Boris Gelfand with so much ease. 1-0

39th chess Olympiad

I know it's not very original but Chess Olympiad are such a beautiful event I can't resist speaking of it!

In 2010 it will be played in Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia).

In the Open section, 150 teams are expected.
A tough battle is predictable between Russia-1 (Kramnik, Grischuk, Svidler, Karjakin) and Ukraine (Eljanov, Ivanchuk, Ponomariov, Efimenko). But there are a lot of other strong teams like China, Hungary (with Judit), Armenia (2006 and 2008 titles holder!!), Azerbaijan (withouth Gashimov), France (without Bacrot), Israël, England (experience+youth), etc.
Russia (last time winner in... 2002) will have 5 teams in Open, Russia-2 being 4th seed and Russia-3 19th!
Past winners

In the Women section, 108 teams are expected.
Here too Russia-1 is the hot favorite but hasn't win since... 1986!! Main rivals will be China, Ukraine and Georgia, as usual.
Past winners

First round will be played on September 21^st, 11^th round on October 3^rd.

My Youth Ratings page

I worked on it for a while and I'm finally happy to announce the creation of my page on youth chess players sorted out by their FIDE ratings. You will find:

• World tops 10 (boys&girls) in each category (U10 U12 U14 U16 U18 U20)
• Full world ranking (all players) in each category
• Country ranking in each category
• Possibility to compare each country ranking to the world ranking 

Feedbacks are welcome!

I will probably update these pages on each new ratings list.
Next month (19-31 October) will take place 2010 World Youth Chess Championship in Greece.

Crazy computer tactical pattern

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2010.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "NN"] [Black "NN"] [Result "*"] [ECO "?"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "6k1/pb1q1pp1/1pR1p2p/3r4/Q7/P3PN2/1P2BPPP/6K1 w - - 0 21"] [PlyCount "11"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] [SourceDate "2000.01.01"] 21. Rc4 b5 22. Ne5 Rxe5 23. Qxa7 Rg5 24. Qb8+ (24. Rg4 Rxg4 25. Bxg4 Qc6) 24... Kh7 25. Rd4 Rxg2+ 26. Kf1 *

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 abcdefgh

White took a knight in c6, Black (thus a piece down) just played Qd7, pinning the rook. After 1.Rc4 b5 The computer says white can stay in the game with the stunning 2.Ne5!! . Try to understand why.

(you can see the answer by clicking one time on the board and then with the right arrow of your keyboard)

Armageddon blitz

Vladimir Kramnik earned the 4th place for the 2010 Bilbao tournament (October) by winning the sudden death blitz game against Levon Aronian. Before that they played two 4'+3'' games, Kramnik won the first and had an easy draw in the second but forgot his clock and lost by time.
Here you can see these 3 blitz games :
http://www.bilbaofinalmasters.com/2010/en/fotos-y-videos/
As we can see, the end of the last one was somehow chaotic, but that's forced with only a few seconds on the clock. I would even say that these player are really dexterous and nifty.
It would have been quite unfair if Kramnik wouldn't have qualified because in slow games he won 1,5/2 against Aronian. I have no idea why direct encounter is still not the first criterion to decide between 2 players when one of them won, it's an heresy!

But no chess fan could be satisfied with this kind of end between world class players. It makes me remember 2 famous cases of sudden death in 2008 :

Krush - Zatonskih (US championship)



Socko - Foisor S. (Women World Championship) (beginning at 1:15)




In Socko - Foisor, first the arbiter decided it was a draw, but then Socko made an official claim which was accepted and she won the game, thus qualifying for the next round.

Losing the way Krush lost or the way Foisor lost, are definitely unsatisfactory for chess. I understand that at a point organizers want to put an end to the match, but in my opinion armageddon blitz should never be played without increments. Why not playing these armageddon with 5+2 for white (forced to win) and 4+2 for black? Would this really be an advantage for black? I'm not sure.
What is your opinion?

Double exchange sacrifice stories

The 5th game of the Gelfand - Leko rapid match played some days ago was a fantastic battle featuring 2 Rooks against Bishop+Knight+pawn+activity. Here is this great game, I added some comments and variations to the already good job of match commentators Berkes and Meszaros.
This made me think of another game with a double exchange sacrifice, Zhu Chen - Taimanov 1997. You can see it here too. Let me know if other games with this pattern come in your mind.

[Event "Miskolc Rapid"] [Site "?"] [Date "2010.08.28"] [Round "?"] [White "Gelfand, Boris"] [Black "Leko, Peter"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [Annotator "Berkes/Meszaros/SR"] [PlyCount "89"] [EventDate "2010.03.07"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 Rg8 12. Bxg4 Nbd7 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bf3 c5 15. e5 {Novelty. In the first game 15.dxc5 happened. This move opens the way for the c3 knight.} Nd5 16. Ne4 O-O-O 17. O-O {#} Rxg3 $1 { very interesting exchange sacrifice!} 18. Nxg3 (18. fxg3 $2 Ne3) 18... Nf4 $1 { It's a very deep plan! For the exchange Black has stong pressure on the d-line and better pawn structure. For now he has a strong Nf4 and d4 won't stay here. } 19. dxc5 (19. Qd2 Qxd4) (19. a4 b4) 19... Qc7 20. Bxb7+ Qxb7 (20... Kxb7 $2 21. Qf3+ Nd5 22. Ne4 $18) 21. Qf3 Qxf3 22. gxf3 Bxc5 23. Ne4 Bd4 24. Nd6+ Rxd6 $1 {Second beautiful exchange sacrifice !!} 25. exd6 {#} Kd7 $5 { Leko misses his chances! He could capture the b2 pawn for example:} (25... Bxb2 26. Rab1 c3 27. Rxb2 $8 (27. Kh2 $2 Kd7 28. Kg3 Nd3 $17) 27... cxb2 28. Rb1 Nd3 29. Kf1 a5 $1 30. Ke2 (30. a3 $2 a4 $1 {is a pleasant move} 31. Ke2 b4 32. Kxd3 bxa3 33. Kc2 a2 34. d7+ Kd8 $19) 30... Nc1+ 31. Kd2 Nxa2 32. Rxb2 Nb4 $132 { with an exciting position.}) 26. a4 $1 {Gelfand is trying to break Black queenside pawns and open new lines for his rooks.} (26. Rab1 Kxd6 27. Rfd1 e5 { is drawish. Black pieces are really impressive.}) 26... b4 27. Rac1 $1 (27. Rfc1 c3 28. bxc3 Bxc3 29. Kf1 Bxa1 30. Rxa1 a5 31. Rc1 Kxd6 32. Rc8 Nd5 33. Rb8 Kc5 {and black plays for the win}) 27... c3 {#} (27... Ne2+ 28. Kg2 Nxc1 29. Rxc1 c3 30. bxc3 Bxc3 $11) 28. Rfd1 $3 {This fantastic move uses the x-ray power of his rook and opens the way for the king!} (28. bxc3 Bxc3 29. Rb1 a5 30. Rfd1 Nd5 {and I don't think black is in danger. Perhaps it's black who is playing for a win!}) 28... e5 (28... Ne2+ $2 29. Kf1 Nxc1 30. bxc3 Bxc3 31. Rxc1 Kxd6 32. Ke2 Ke5 (32... Kd5 $6 33. Kd3 h5 34. f4 $1 a5 35. f3 $16) 33. Ke3 Bd4+ 34. Kd3 Bxf2 35. h5 $13 { with good practical winning chances for White, according to Berkes/Meszaros.}) (28... cxb2 29. Rc7+ Kxd6 30. Rc4 $1 Nd5 (30... e5 $2 31. Rxb4 Kc5 32. Rdxd4 $1 exd4 33. Rxb2 $16) 31. Rcxd4 Kc5 $1 { #This is one of the most beatiful endgames we ever saw!} 32. R4d2 Nc3 { N+2 pawns against 2 rooks!} 33. Rc2 Kc4 34. Rb1 b3 35. Rcxb2 (35. Rbxb2 bxc2 36. Rxc2 a5 $44) 35... Nxb1 36. Rxb1 Kc3 37. Kg2 Kc2 38. Re1 b2 39. Kg3 h5 $8 ( 39... a5 40. Kg4 b1=Q 41. Rxb1 Kxb1 42. Kh5 Kb2 43. Kxh6 Kb3 44. h5 Kxa4 45. Kg5 $18) 40. Kf4 f6 41. Ke4 b1=Q 42. Rxb1 Kxb1 43. f4 $1 a5 44. f5 exf5+ 45. Kxf5 Ka2 46. Kxf6 Kb3 47. Kg5 Kxa4 $11) 29. bxc3 bxc3 (29... Ne2+ 30. Kf1 Nxc3 (30... Nxc1 $4 31. cxd4 $18) 31. Rd3 a5 32. f4 f6 33. fxe5 fxe5 34. f4 $18) 30. Kf1 {#} f6 $6 (30... a5 {was better possibility to try to save the game!} 31. Rc2 Nd5 32. Ke1 h5 $1 33. Rd3 (33. Rb1 Nb4 34. Kd1 Kxd6 $44 { and another time B+N are at least worth 2R here}) 33... f6 34. f4 $16 Nxf4 35. Rdxc3 Bxc3+ 36. Rxc3 Kxd6 37. Kd2 $14) 31. Rc2 Nd5 (31... Ng6 32. Rd3 Nxh4 33. f4 Nf5 34. fxe5 fxe5 35. Rdxc3 Bxc3 36. Rxc3 Kxd6 37. Rc8 e4 38. Ra8 e3 39. f4 Ng3+ 40. Ke1 Nh5 41. f5 Ke5 42. Rxa7 Ng3 43. Rf7 h5 44. f6 h4 45. Rf8 h3 46. f7 Ke6 47. Rh8 Kxf7 48. Rxh3 Ne4 49. Rxe3 Nc5 50. a5 $18) 32. Rb1 a5 33. Ke2 Nb4 { #} 34. Kd1 {This is also winning, but} (34. Rxb4 { was easier, according to Berkes/Meszaros} axb4 35. Kd3 Kxd6 (35... b3 $2 36. Rxc3 $18) (35... Bb6 $2 36. Kc4 Ba5 37. h5 Kxd6 38. Rc1 Ke6 39. Kb3 Kf5 40. Rd1 Kg5 41. Rd6 f5 42. Re6 Bc7 43. Kxb4 Kxh5 44. Kxc3 Kg5 45. Rc6 Bb8 46. Kd3 h5 47. Ke2 h4 48. Rc8 Ba7 49. a5 $18) 36. Kc4 Bc5 37. a5 Kc6 38. a6 Bd4 39. Ra2 Kb6 40. Kxb4 Ka7 41. Kc4 $18) 34... Kxd6 35. Rb3 Nxc2 36. Kxc2 h5 37. Rb5 Bxf2 38. Rxa5 Bxh4 39. Rb5 Bf2 40. Rb7 Kc6 41. Rf7 $18 {The rest is easy} Kb6 (41... h4 42. Kxc3 Kc5 43. Rxf6 Bg3 44. Rh6 Be1+ 45. Kb3 Bf2 46. a5 Kb5 47. a6 h3 48. Rxh3 Kxa6 49. Kc4 $18) 42. Rxf6+ Ka5 43. Rf5 Kxa4 44. Rxe5 h4 45. Kxc3 { With this victory Gelfand again leads the match!} 1-0 [Event "Veterans-Women"] [Site "Copenhagen"] [Date "1997.??.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Zhu Chen"] [Black "Taimanov, Mark E"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E11"] [WhiteElo "2515"] [BlackElo "2425"] [Annotator ",Sylvain"] [PlyCount "117"] [EventDate "1997.07.23"] [EventType "schev"] [EventRounds "10"] [EventCountry "DEN"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. Qc2 { a rare move, usually white play 5.g3 or 5.Nc3} O-O 6. g3 d5 7. Bg2 { somehow we are back in a catalan line} Nc6 8. O-O Bd7 9. Rc1 { pressure on the c-file will be a major theme of the game} Re8 10. Bf4 { increasing pressure on c7 and making the bishop in b4 feel a little stupid} Bd6 {back to a good place!} 11. cxd5 Nb4 $1 (11... Nxd5 12. Bxd6 cxd6 13. e4 $14) 12. Qd1 Nbxd5 (12... Bxf4 13. gxf4 exd5 $11) 13. Be5 Bc6 14. Nbd2 Nb6 $11 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. e4 e5 17. d5 Bb5 18. a4 Bd7 {black have a very safe position} 19. Ne1 {aiming for c5} h5 $5 20. Nd3 (20. Qxh5 Nxa4 $11) 20... h4 { black creates some play on the white castle, nothing really dangerous though} 21. b3 g6 $1 {with the idea to convey a rook in h8, this kind of move is difficult to find for a computer} 22. Qe2 Kg7 23. Qe3 { typical queen centalization} Rh8 { have a look at how black wait with the h4 pawn} 24. Nc5 Bc8 {black want to keep this important attacking piece, even if it means no job for the a8 rook yet.} 25. Nd3 {white changes his mind} Bd7 26. Rc2 hxg3 27. fxg3 Rh5 28. Rac1 { you may wonder why white is doubling here whereas c7 is defended by a bishop. You will understand very soon!} Rah8 29. Nf1 {human typical defense. The computer wants to play some dangerous defenses based on h2-h4. I can't recommand this kind of move at all!} Qg5 $6 (29... Ba3 {trying to disturb white} 30. Rxc7 $1 Bxc1 31. Nxc1 Bc8 32. Qc5 {with compensations}) (29... Qd8 { was solid, even if a5 is weak}) 30. Qxg5 Rxg5 31. Rxc7 $1 {First exchange sacrifice. A very logical one, white get bishop and pawn for the rook, a strong passed pawn in d5, and activity.} Bxc7 32. Rxc7 Bc8 $2 { this loses the e-pawn} (32... Rc8 {activity against activity!} 33. Rxb7 Rc3 34. Nxe5 Rxe5 35. Rxb6 Re8 36. Nd2 $14) 33. h4 Rgh5 34. Bf3 R5h7 35. Nxe5 { white must be winning now} Kf6 36. Nd3 Rd8 37. e5+ {impressive central pawns} Kg7 38. e6 Kf6 39. Nf4 (39. Nc5 Nxd5 40. Bxd5 Rxd5 41. Rxc8 fxe6 42. Ne3 { was easier}) 39... Na8 $1 {I always like knight-corner-moves} 40. e7 $1 { Zhu Chen measures up!} (40. Rc5 b6 41. Rc6 Bb7 42. Rc3 fxe6 43. Nxe6 $14) 40... Re8 41. Rxc8 $1 {and here comes the second exchange sacrifice!!} Rxc8 42. d6 { So, what do we have ? White are two exchanges down, but have 2 pawns in compensations, and what pawns! Central, passed, connected, on the 6th and 7th rank!} Nb6 {forced to prevent d7} 43. Bxb7 Rhh8 (43... Rb8 44. Nd2 { and the bishop is untouchable}) 44. Ne3 (44. Bxc8 Nxc8 45. e8=Q Rxe8 46. d7 $16 ) 44... Rb8 45. Bc6 Ke5 (45... Nc8 46. Nfd5+ Ke6 47. e8=Q+ Rxe8 48. Bxe8 Nxd6 49. Bb5 $1 $16) 46. d7 Nxd7 47. Bxd7 {a piece back} Kd6 48. e8=Q Rhxe8 49. Bxe8 {and an exchange back} Rxe8 { so now white is just winning, even if she has to be careful nevertheless} 50. Nc4+ Kc5 51. Nxa5 Kb4 52. Nb7 Kxb3 53. a5 { without this pawn maybe it wouldn't be so winning, but it's on the board!} Re1+ 54. Kg2 Ra1 {good old rule: the rook behind the passed pawn} 55. Nd6 Rxa5 56. Nxf7 {but it's too easy for white} Rf5 57. Nh6 (57. Nh8 $4 { it's never too late to make a mistake} g5 $11) 57... Rf6 58. Ng4 Ra6 59. Ne5 { very nice game from Zhu Chen} 1-0

1. Gelfand, Boris vs Leko, Peter 1-0 Miskolc Rapid 2010.08.282. Zhu Chen vs Taimanov, Mark E 1-0 Veterans-Women Rnd:4 Copenhagen 1997.??.??

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Cf3 Cf6 4. Cc3 e6 5. Fg5 h6 6. Fh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Fg3 b5 9. Fe2 Fb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ce5 Tg8 12. Fxg4 Cbd7 13. Cxd7 Dxd7 14. Ff3 c5 15. e5 Novelty. In the first game 15.dxc5 happened. This move opens the way for the c3 knight. 15...  Cd5 16. Ce4 O-O-O 17. O-O # 17...  Txg3! very interesting exchange sacrifice! 18. Cxg3 ( 18. fxg3? Ce3 ) 18...  Cf4! It's a very deep plan! For the exchange Black has stong pressure on the d-line and better pawn structure. For now he has a strong Nf4 and d4 won't stay here. 19. dxc5 ( 19. Dd2 Dxd4 ) ( 19. a4 b4 ) 19...  Dc7 20. Fxb7+ Dxb7 ( 20... Rxb7? 21. Df3+ Cd5 22. Ce4 +- ) 21. Df3 Dxf3 22. gxf3 Fxc5 23. Ce4 Fd4 24. Cd6+ Txd6! Second beautiful exchange sacrifice !! 25. exd6 # 25...  Rd7!? Leko misses his chances! He could capture the b2 pawn for example: ( 25... Fxb2 26. Tab1 c3 27. Txb2 ( 27. Rh2? Rd7 28. Rg3 Cd3 -/+ ) 27... cxb2 28. Tb1 Cd3 29. Rf1 a5! 30. Re2 ( 30. a3? a4! is a pleasant move 31. Re2 b4 32. Rxd3 bxa3 33. Rc2 a2 34. d7+ Rd8 -+ ) 30... Cc1+ 31. Rd2 Cxa2 32. Txb2 Cb4 with an exciting position. ) 26. a4! Gelfand is trying to break Black queenside pawns and open new lines for his rooks. ( 26. Tab1 Rxd6 27. Tfd1 e5 is drawish. Black pieces are really impressive. ) 26...  b4 27. Tac1! ( 27. Tfc1 c3 28. bxc3 Fxc3 29. Rf1 Fxa1 30. Txa1 a5 31. Tc1 Rxd6 32. Tc8 Cd5 33. Tb8 Rc5 and black plays for the win ) 27...  c3 # ( 27... Ce2+ 28. Rg2 Cxc1 29. Txc1 c3 30. bxc3 Fxc3 = ) 28. Tfd1!! This fantastic move uses the x-ray power of his rook and opens the way for the king! ( 28. bxc3 Fxc3 29. Tb1 a5 30. Tfd1 Cd5 and I don't think black is in danger. Perhaps it's black who is playing for a win! ) 28...  e5 ( 28... Ce2+? 29. Rf1 Cxc1 30. bxc3 Fxc3 31. Txc1 Rxd6 32. Re2 Re5 ( 32... Rd5?! 33. Rd3 h5 34. f4! a5 35. f3 +/- ) 33. Re3 Fd4+ 34. Rd3 Fxf2 35. h5 with good practical winning chances for White, according to Berkes/Meszaros. ) ( 28... cxb2 29. Tc7+ Rxd6 30. Tc4! Cd5 ( 30... e5? 31. Txb4 Rc5 32. Tdxd4! exd4 33. Txb2 +/- ) 31. Tcxd4 Rc5! #This is one of the most beatiful endgames we ever saw! 32. T4d2 Cc3 N+2 pawns against 2 rooks! 33. Tc2 Rc4 34. Tb1 b3 35. Tcxb2 ( 35. Tbxb2 bxc2 36. Txc2 a5 ) 35... Cxb1 36. Txb1 Rc3 37. Rg2 Rc2 38. Te1 b2 39. Rg3 h5 ( 39... a5 40. Rg4 b1=D 41. Txb1 Rxb1 42. Rh5 Rb2 43. Rxh6 Rb3 44. h5 Rxa4 45. Rg5 +- ) 40. Rf4 f6 41. Re4 b1=D 42. Txb1 Rxb1 43. f4! a5 44. f5 exf5+ 45. Rxf5 Ra2 46. Rxf6 Rb3 47. Rg5 Rxa4 = ) 29. bxc3 bxc3 ( 29... Ce2+ 30. Rf1 Cxc3 ( 30... Cxc1?? 31. cxd4 +- ) 31. Td3 a5 32. f4 f6 33. fxe5 fxe5 34. f4 +- ) 30. Rf1 # 30...  f6?! ( 30... a5 was better possibility to try to save the game! 31. Tc2 Cd5 32. Re1 h5! 33. Td3 ( 33. Tb1 Cb4 34. Rd1 Rxd6 and another time B+N are at least worth 2R here ) 33... f6 34. f4 +/- Cxf4 35. Tdxc3 Fxc3+ 36. Txc3 Rxd6 37. Rd2 += ) 31. Tc2 Cd5 ( 31... Cg6 32. Td3 Cxh4 33. f4 Cf5 34. fxe5 fxe5 35. Tdxc3 Fxc3 36. Txc3 Rxd6 37. Tc8 e4 38. Ta8 e3 39. f4 Cg3+ 40. Re1 Ch5 41. f5 Re5 42. Txa7 Cg3 43. Tf7 h5 44. f6 h4 45. Tf8 h3 46. f7 Re6 47. Th8 Rxf7 48. Txh3 Ce4 49. Txe3 Cc5 50. a5 +- ) 32. Tb1 a5 33. Re2 Cb4 # 34. Rd1 This is also winning, but ( 34. Txb4 was easier, according to Berkes/Meszaros 34... axb4 35. Rd3 Rxd6 ( 35... b3? 36. Txc3 +- ) ( 35... Fb6? 36. Rc4 Fa5 37. h5 Rxd6 38. Tc1 Re6 39. Rb3 Rf5 40. Td1 Rg5 41. Td6 f5 42. Te6 Fc7 43. Rxb4 Rxh5 44. Rxc3 Rg5 45. Tc6 Fb8 46. Rd3 h5 47. Re2 h4 48. Tc8 Fa7 49. a5 +- ) 36. Rc4 Fc5 37. a5 Rc6 38. a6 Fd4 39. Ta2 Rb6 40. Rxb4 Ra7 41. Rc4 +- ) 34...  Rxd6 35. Tb3 Cxc2 36. Rxc2 h5 37. Tb5 Fxf2 38. Txa5 Fxh4 39. Tb5 Ff2 40. Tb7 Rc6 41. Tf7 +- The rest is easy 41...  Rb6 ( 41... h4 42. Rxc3 Rc5 43. Txf6 Fg3 44. Th6 Fe1+ 45. Rb3 Ff2 46. a5 Rb5 47. a6 h3 48. Txh3 Rxa6 49. Rc4 +- ) 42. Txf6+ Ra5 43. Tf5 Rxa4 44. Txe5 h4 45. Rxc3 With this victory Gelfand again leads the match! 1-0

Ivan's oversight

Docx, Stefan(2342) vs. Sokolov, Ivan(2641)
InventiChess 2010 - Antwerp - 2010.09.03

[Event "InventiChess 2010"] [Site "Antwerp"] [Date "2010.09.03"] [Round "1.4"] [White "Docx, Stefan"] [Black "Sokolov, Ivan"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D11"] [WhiteElo "2342"] [BlackElo "2641"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "1r4k1/R2b1ppp/2p4q/3p4/Q5nP/2BBr1P1/P4P2/5RK1 w - - 0 22"] [EventDate "2010.??.??"] 1-0

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 abcdefgh

Black just played Rxe3. Which tactical problem did he overlook ?

New FIDE ratings: young leaders

Boys: U20: Carlsen, Magnus 2826 NOR U18: Caruana, Fabiano 2700 ITA U16: Giri, Anish 2677 NED U14: Nyzhnyk, Illya 2538 UKR U12: Artemiev, Vladislav 2356 RUS U10: Sevian, Samuel 2105 USA

Girls: U20: Muzychuk, Anna 2535 SLO U18: Muzychuk, Mariya 2464 UKR U16: Hou, Yifan 2578 CHN U14: Zhai, Mo 2148 CHN U12: Sidorova, Anna 2124 RUS U10: Rosado Perez, Maria Jose 1981 COL

August report of the blog

Chess all over the world in August, it was :

• 31 articles
• 2 games commented in video
• 10 commented games
• 9 endgames
• 11 selected exercises (all answers are here)
• the first 3 games of Hammer in Arctic Stars commented here the same day at 21:07
• Andreikin-Stupak commented some days before chess.com
• Edouard-Tkachiev commented one day before chessbase.com
• comments on French championships, British championships, World junior championships, among others
• 1108 pages seen, thanks!

In September I will probably publish once every 2-3 days.