Mihail Marin Yuri Garrett - Reggio Emilia 2007-08 Quality Chess 2009 - Editable

Reggio Emilia
Reggio Emilia 2007/2008

The Golden jubilee Tournament
By
Mihail Marin & Yuri Garrett
Quality Chess
www.qualitychess.co. uk
First English edition 2009 by Quality Chess UK LLP
First published in Italian by Caissa ltalia
Copyright © 2009 Mihail Marin & Yuri Garrett
Reggio Emilia 2007/2008

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
electrostatic, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior
permission of the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-906552-32-9
All sales or enquiries should be directed to Quality Chess UK LLP,

20 Balvie Road, Milngavie, Glasgow G62 7TA, United Kingdom
e-mail: info@qualitychess.co.uk
website: www.qualitychess.co.uk
Distributed in US and Canada by SCB Distributors, Gardena, California, US

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Distributed in Rest of the World by Quality Chess UK LLP through
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Typeset by Jacob Aagaard

Proofreading: Colin McNab, Jacob Aagaard and John Shaw
Edited by John Shaw
Cover design by Adamson Design
Cover photos by Yuri Garrett
Photos by Giorgio Gozzi, except photo on page 275,
taken from Wikipedia under free licencing, by "Woodpusher"
Translations from Italian by Yuri Garrett
Translations from Russian by John Sugden
Printed in Estonia by Tallinna Raamatutriikikoja LLC
Contents
Acknowledgements & Key to Symbols used 4
How this Book was Born Yuri Garrett 5
How a Tournament is Born Yuri Garrett 7
Round 1 11
Round 2 39
Round 3 61
Round 4 85
Round 5 105
Round 6 129
Round 7 169
Round 8 189
Round 9 221
In Lieu of a Conclusion Yuri Garrett 236
Appendixes
Memoirs of Reggio Emilia Miso Cebalo 239

When Hari met Ni Hua Yuri Garrett 248
Biographies Yuri Garrett 261
A Triumphant Return Ni Hua 272
50 years in Tables 276
Index of Games and Openings 288
Acknowledgements
The authors and publisher wish to thank:
• The magazine Torre & Cavallo and its publisher Roberto Messa for granting permission to
use excerpts and interviews by Yuri Garrett
• The magazine 64 and its editor-in-chief Oleg Pervakov for granting permission to use
Viktor Korchnoi's annotations to his win over GM Gashimov
• Giorgio Gozzi for all photographs and for his superb on-line bulletin
• Massimiliano Lucaroni and Luca Barillaro for proofreading the original manuscript
• GM David Navara, for his invaluable contribution to the book
• GM Miso Cebalo, for his very interesting memoirs
• The chess club of Reggio Emilia, the Circolo Scacchistico Ippogrifo, for its tenacity in
keeping its traditions alive
• When Hari met Ni Hua was originally published by Torre & Cavallo Scacco! in March 2008.
• Ni Hua for contributing to the English edition with a game from the 2008/2009
tournament.
Key to symbols used

;;!; White is slightly better ? a weak move
+ Black is slightly better ?? a blunder
± White is better a good move
+ Black is better !! an excellent move
+- White has a decisive advantage !? a move worth considering
-+ Black has a decisive advantage ?! a move of doubtful value
equality # mate
=
00 with compensation (n) n'h match game
~ with counterplay ---+ with an attack
00 unclear t with an initiative
N new move
How this Book was Born
By Yuri Garrett
This book was born from a failure. In 2006, when Kramnik and Topalov were battling in their
reunification match, Caissa Italia and Mihail Marin, on the wings of the success of the Italian
version of Learn from the Legends, reached an agreement to produce a book on that match. All
the ingredients for a successfUl book were present: the importance of the title at stake, two players
with opposing styles, a rivalry fed by the so-called "Toiletgate" scandal, and a theoretical debate
on one of the most fashionable openings, the Slav Defence. There was drama unheard of since
the times of the Karpov - Korchnoi matches and if we add a first class annotator, Mihail Marin,
then everything was perfect.
I spoke to Mihail about this idea - the Romanian grandmaster accepted and the "K-T project"
was born. A few days after the end of the match, Mihail had already sent the backbone of the first
annotated game, followed by a second game a couple days later. The material was excellent and
our fantasy was flying towards reality. I dreamt of a stunning cover for the book- a wall covered
with small white tiles interrupted only by a toilet handle (I must confess that my partners did not
appreciate my creativity). At the bottom, in block capitals, KRAMNIK- TOPALOV.The subtitle
would be simply The Reunification.
This would be the long sought after comeback of Italian chess publishing - the creation of a
book without the need to translate it from another language. We were about to produce a work
that would appeal to foreign publishers and which could be translated into foreign languages.
More than that, once it was in English it could battle- why not? - for the BCF Book of the Year
prize! Dreaming costs nothing...
Unexpectedly, the project, and with it our dreams of glory, stumbled on Game Three. Marin's
many engagements and our too-mild pressure, perhaps due to our great respect, kept shifting the
deadline for submitting the remaining material. Slowly the content of the book lost its topicality.
I have a clear recollection of the moment when, together with Mihail, we decided to admit that
we were going nowhere - a painful decision and a harsh return to the real world.
Much later came Reggio Emilia. Later you will read of how, when almost all else had been
arranged, Mihail Marin joined the field of the 50th Tomeo di Capodanno. It was precisely
then that the idea of a sensational "revenge" began to materialize. After all, the line-up of the
tournament suggested it would be a sparkling event. With a grain of luck, Reggio would be the
scene of interesting, although admittedly not epoch-making, clashes.
I took my first step by discussing with Mihail the possibility of authoring a tournament book and,
while I was explaining the project (The revenge!) I heard myself saying, "Mihail, we could write
it together: you analyse the games, I do the rest." This crazy proposal turned out to be the key to
everything: we would enjoy the challenge of creating a book together and Mihail was relieved that
he would only need to annotate the games, leaving all the rest to me. There was still one point
6 Reggio Emilia 2007/2008
Yuri Garrett watches while Mihail Marin works hard- a perfoct division oflabour!
to be sorted out: 45 games were a lot to annotate, perhaps too many. After all, the "K-T danger"
was lurking and we had already been burnt once. Our shoulders could not have borne a second
failure.
I promised Mihail to think about it and then, in one of the last circular e-mails for Reggio Emilia,
I asked the invited players if they were willing to contribute an annotated game or two for a
possible tournament book. After the generous and positive answers from all the players, I went
back to Mihail with the following good news: "Mihail, if all works out well, you should be left
with some twenry games, plus your own, to annotate." This time his "yes" was final and confident.
The plain fact that you are reading these lines means that the players kept their word and that
each did his part. This book features no fewer than 25 games (out of 45) annotated by at least
one of the combatants. Three of these games present the views of both players. The remaining 20
games have been annotated by Mihail, who spared no effort in his analytical and educational task.
In addition to the tournament games, the book features five extra games associated with the
living legend Viktor Korchnoi. Of these, four have been annotated by Mihail, and one (another
revenge!) by Korchnoi. At the last moment we decided to add a small cameo by GM Miso
Cebalo, in many respects one of the stars of the Jubilee edition of the Tomeo di Capodanno.
After his memoirs, Cebalo presents two interesting games played in Reggio Emilia: you will find
them in the appendix.
As for yours truly, I am responsible for the idea and structure of the book (whereas credit is due
to John Shaw if my English proves to be readable). I also authored the pages on the birth of the
tournament, the introduction to each round, the interview with Harikrishna and Ni Hua and the
biographies of the players and authors.
Mihail and I, together with all the players of the Golden Jubilee edition of the Tomeo di
Capodanno of Reggio Emilia, hope that you enjoy our efforts.
How aTournament is Born
By Yuri Garrett
When, back in August 2007, I received a phone call from Giuseppe Silvana "Silver" Ferraroni,
I had no clue of what was to follow. Every chess player in Italy, and most likely all over the
world, knows about Enrico Paoli and "his" Tomeo di Capodanno. Well, on that day I was
asked to become the technical director of the Golden Jubilee edition of the Reggio Emilia
tournament.
This was surprising; especially when one thinks that I had never spoken to Ferraroni before
and was now being asked to accept the most prestigious of tasks as if on a blind date. I was to
revive the great tradition of the Reggio Emilia tournament by organizing a Category 16 event;
a great honour indeed, but also a heavy burden. I had never organized a round robin event, let
alone a strong one, and in accepting I knew I was taking a substantial risk. I immediately set to
work, building upon a cornerstone called Michele Godena (the reigning Italian champion) and
contacting the players I deemed most interesting. However, I found that the budget I had been
allocated was a major obstacle: almost all the players I contacted were not particularly enthusiastic.
Even Fabiano Caruana gently declined the invitation by saying that he had to prepare for the
Corus C tournament in Wijk aan Zee. Only Landa and Tiviakov immediately boarded the ship.
I understood that we had to change something, and do so as early as possible - abolish the B
tournament, even though it also had a fine tradition. By doing so we would free the resources
needed to rise to the challenge.
The moment when Ferraroni agreed to my proposal was the turning point in organizing the
tournament. A strong and close-knit team had been formed, with a sole objective in mind:
bringing Reggio Emilia back to the forefront of the chess world. The next phone call I made
was to a living legend - the evergreen Viktor Korchnoi, who accepted without thinking twice.
Meanwhile, David Navara had contacted us, which was the most delightful news. David, the
number one player in the Czech Republic, had always topped my wish-list. At this point I had
five players, with another five places still to be filled. I needed combative and interesting players,
possibly with contrasting styles. I turned to my friend Mihail Marin, who suggested the young
Azeri Vugar Gashimov. Six! I could feel the tournament growing. Jonathan Rowson, who had
to decline his invitation because of his university commitments, put me in touch with Emil
Sutovsky.
In Emilio, as he likes to be called in view of his passion for the bel canto, I found an excellent
second fiddle. Not only did he heartily accept my invitation (albeit conditionally), but he also
volunteered a list of names he thought would fit the bill. From Emilio's list I chose two young
players, Harikrishna and Ni Hua. There was just one place to go and, calculator in hand, I was
close to Category 17. All I needed was a player rated over 2700.
I spent the best part of October looking for the right candidate, but did not succeed- perhaps
because I also had to take care of the annual Rocca di Papa rapid tournament. Just after Rocca di
Papa we suffered a severe blow: Sutovsky could not free himself from his previous commitments
and waved the white fl.ag. I realized there was no point in chasing the pipe-dream of Category
17. I had two spots to fill and the top seed was still missing; I needed to concentrate on this
task. My first choice became Zoltan Almasi - a fantastic player with a low profile because in his
home country he is overshadowed by Leko and Polgar. As for the last spot, I was now free to
invite my good friend Mihail Marin. With two months to go until the opening ceremony, the
team was ready.
The days fl.ew past and it was time for the tournament. The players started arriving from all
over the world. For instance, Viktor Korchnoi and his wife Petra were travelling by train from
Switzerland, so Silvano and I went to the railway station to meet them. Imagine our surprise when
we saw Petra's face was badly swollen. While changing trains at Zurich, Petra had fallen down
some stairs, repeatedly hitting the steps. She lost consciousness for a few seconds (which allowed
a spineless thief to steal her gold watch) but recovered enough to be led to the emergency room.
After hearing all the doctors had to say, and making a mental note of their suggestion to check
into the hospital, Petra thundered, "Viktor, we'd better move on, otherwise we shall be late!"
7he opening ceremony. First row: Petra and Viktor Korchnoi, Sergei Tiviakov; second row, Mirko and David Navara,
Vugar Gashimov, Zoltan Almasi, Hi Hua and Harikrishna; third row, Miso Cebalo and Michele Godena.
How a Tournament is Born 9
A smiling Tiviakov confirms to arbiter Franca Dapiran that the last number is indeed number one...
And as if nothing had happened, these two sprightly youngsters (who have about 160 years
between them) resumed their journey to Reggio Emilia, informing the organizers that they were
delayed but uttering not a word about the reason.
Now that our merry band was together, everything ran smoothly. A few minutes before the
start of the opening ceremony I asked Ferraroni for a brief private meeting with the players. We
gathered together and I stressed once again what had already been agreed: short draws were to be
considered unwanted guests. No Sofia rules; we were relying on their honour. Lastly, I added a
request- "By the way, can I please ask you to visit the commentary room shortly after the round
and show your game to the public?"
At eleven a.m. sharp, Silvana Ferraroni began the opening ceremony and welcomed everyone
on behalf of the host club (the Circolo Ippogrifo of Reggio Emilia) before giving me the floor. I
introduced the players, mentioned the "ethical code" of the tournament and then moved on to a
new subject- the relationship between chess and the new media.
In contrast to those who would like chess to lower itself to the commercial standards of the
mass-media (which are anything but appropriate for chess, with television being an excellent case
in point), I shared with the audience my view that in the digital era chess is, quite paradoxically,
one of the most media-friendly sports. Thanks to the Internet, the situation has turned in our
favour. The live relaying of games and commentaries has made our sport accessible in a way
that was inconceivable only ten years ago. This abundance of information remains available for
a long time, thus creating a durability of the promotional message that can appeal to sponsors.
If we want chess to be considered an important part of our culture, we should not imitate
inapplicable models such as football or covet old technologies such as broadcast television. We
should instead look forward and develop our own model of communication with chess lovers and
the entrepreneurial community.
This was the logic that prompted me to invite players from ten different countries in preparing
this Jubilee event. In the modern world this translates into a substantially higher number of
"clicks" on the tournament website, an achievement that can be presented with some pride to
those considering sponsoring the event in the years to come.
The final part of the ceremony was dedicated to the drawing of lots under the watchful eyes of
International Arbiter Franca Dapiran - together with Miso Cebalo and Michele Godena one of
the three "survivors" from the legendary 1991 event that Anand won ahead of opponents such as
Karpov and Kasparov.
For the drawing of lots, the Ippogrifo chess club had devised a simple yet ingenious system. On
a large wooden chess board, twenty-two chessmen were laid out in such a way as to compose
the number "50". Each Grandmaster was asked to pick one of the ten pawns that made up the
zero. On the bottom of the pawn was his tournament number. We agreed to make the draw in
alphabetical order, which accounted for the following sequence: Almasi number three; Gashimov
seven; Godena four; Harikrishna eight; Landa two, Marin ten; Navara six; Ni Hua five; and
lastly, Tiviakov had to draw number one. The significance of this draw is illustrated by Marin's
annotations to his first round game, in which the reader will learn how even a seemingly trivial
detail such as his tournament number can affect a player's performance.
As the tournament got under way, the lppogrifo team was simply invaluable: always ready to lend
a helping hand if needed. Giorgio Gozzi's contribution was remarkable: the good old Wolf (as
his friends call him) was a one-man Press Office. Giorgio took all the photographs in the book
and some of my remarks are based on his lively on-line bulletin. Overall, this book owes a lot to
Giorgio's passion and support.
The commentary room was a vital part of Reggio Emilia 2007/08 and was expertly led by
grandmaster Miso Cebalo. Cebalo dissected all the games, generally with the help of assistants
who provided information on the moves as they were broadcast on the Internet. Among the
many who assisted in this task (such as my partners in Caissa ltalia, Francesca Masini and
Augusto Caruso, but also Miso's wife Marina) I would like to make special mention of Luca
Barillaro, who took my place when I fell ill and, when his family commitments prevented him
from attending, delivered his technical help via Skype. Occasionally we would also use runners
who would bring fresh information direct from the playing room; in addition to the ever-present
Gozzi, local talent Marianna Clerici ran a mini-marathon to help the tournament turn into a
success.
In-between commentaries, Cebalo would answer even the most naive of questions from the
audience. On some occasions he would open the floor to a visitor, as happened during Round 8,
when FIDE Master and former Italian champion Carlo Micheli entertained the crowd.
How a Tournament is Born 11
Then, when their battles were over, the Grandmasters would arrive and the show started anew.
The word spread about what was happening at the Astoria (perhaps because we were broadcasting
the audio from the commentary room via Skype) and within three days we were compelled to put
up a sign from the good old days of movie theatres - "No more seats available".
This is the right time and place to thank the players for their performances in the commentary
room. IfKorchnoi, with his three appearances, was undoubtedly the audience's favourite, Navara
and Marin were the most willing and generous. Navara considered that explaining all his games
in the commentary room was a duty he owed the audience: his many variations and very honest
comments gave a tremendous insight into the genius of this good-hearted young man. It is not by
chance that this book ultimately relies on the analyses of Grandmasters Navara and Marin.
It was also interesting to witness the cultural differences between the players, ranging from
Almasi's assertive comments to the hesitant and modest ones by the Chinese warrior, Ni Hua, who
nevertheless had a very clear understanding of what was going on over the board and explained it
very well. Gashimov whispered his fascinating comments, which were characterized by a wildly
tactical approach (albeit with that raw touch so typical of the young player who has yet to fully
exploit his potential). Godena's comments were more positional and mature, and he frequently
had his say from a chair in the audience, as if he were one of the many. Then of course there was
Miso Cebalo, with his charming Italian and his ability to illustrate the most complicated of plans
with just a few words.
I could not have been happier with the way the tournament turned out. All the "boys" behaved
in exemplary fashion, with no exceptions. The atmosphere was tense yet fair throughout the
competition and the players proved to be at home both with the organizers and the audience, who
in turn displayed sincere affection for their champions. During the tournament, I somehow ended
up by mixing especially with Almasi, with whom I shared most of my meals, but Harikrishna
and Ni Hua also turned out to be a pleasant surprise (I will say more about this later in an
interview).
Everyone played their part, but there is a special place in my heart for the Navaras, father and son,
two special individuals who earned universal affection at Reggio Emilia due to their modesty and
amiability. Mirko, Navara senior, is an academic with interests in the development of alternative
models of probability based on quantum and fuzzy logic. Mirko speaks very decent Italian and he
was a regular visitor to the commentary room, where he followed what Cebalo had to say about
all the games and his son's in particular.
As for David, everyone at the Astoria was struck by his gentle manner and his willingness to discuss
his games with anybody, from his opponent to the most humble patzer. At the demonstration
board his analysis was an exhilarating show: he spoke to the audience immediately after sharing
some post mortem thoughts with his opponent (with the sole exception ofViktor Korchnoi, who
left the playing room literally growling - as is customary for him - after being on the receiving
end of David's best performance of the tournament). After a thorough review of the opening,
with comments on the alternatives and typical plans for both colours, David shared with the
audience every thought he had at the board - or at least those he could still remember, because
at times he would utter phrases such as "And here I just can't remember what I was thinking. I
am sorry, I am so very tired ..." only to continue with a fresh torrent of variations and assessments
such as "Well, here the situation is not so clear, and in any case I don't understand it!" Or ''And
here if my opponent had played this, Black would likely have won in this way, but I would not
have seen it for sure ..."
Renato Franzoni relaxes with an exquisite gift from Vugar Gashimov's parents
The beautiful photograph on page 183, shot after the end of Round 7, is worth a thousand
words. Here is how Gozzi describes the situation: "In the analysis room, the ineffable Meli asked
Navara something like: 'But what if you played this move in this position?' To which David
replied 'I cannot quite figure out the position, but I can get there by replaying the game.' There
then followed an unprecedented whirling of pieces as David replayed some forty moves in a few
seconds until he reached the requested position!"
Lastly, I must reiterate that this book owes a great debt to the players and the effort they put
into their play and their annotations. Again, I wish to specially thank David, who, while the
tournament was still underway, provided me with his first five annotated games, and then finished
the job a few hours after the end of the last round- a fine contribution both in terms of quality
and quantity, as you can judge for yourself in the pages that follow.
Round 1 29 December 2007
Almasi - Harakrishna
Ni Hua - Navara
Landa - Korchnoi
Tiviakov - Marin 0-1
Godena - Gashimov
Standings
1 Almasi, Marin
/2
1 Gashimov, Godena, Korchnoi, Landa, Navara, Ni Hua
0 Harikrishna, Tiviakov
As we noted before, the players come from ten different countries and span distant generations
(need we remind the reader that Viktor Korchnoi is 76 and Vugar Gashimov and Ni Hua are
21). Over the board, the differences are just as great: Almasi, Godena, Marin and Tiviakov can be
considered to be positional players; Harikrishna and Gashimov have a more tactical style, whereas
Landa, Ni Hua and Navara can be expected to play anything. Korchnoi, as usual, also defies any
classification. However, attaching labels to such strong players is a dangerous exercise, as they are
skilled in all styles of play.
It was difficult to guess which of the five games from the first round would be the most interesting.
As we shall see, Almasi and Harikrishna were the most spectacular gladiators in the arena today,
playing a very lively game that set the tone for their respective tournaments.
Actually, the manoeuvring had started a few hours before the round, in the pizzeria II Condor, no
more than a few steps from the Astoria Hotel. Rather than secluding themselves in their rooms to
avoid any contact with the world (and their opponent), Zoltan and Hari opted to share a meal,
not only together but also with yours truly and Luca Barillaro. Every well informed player knows
that a light meal is the preferred choice before an important game, and so both the Hungarian
and the Indian opted for a local specialty: pizza with gorgonzola for Almasi, and pizza with
mushrooms, peppers and onions for Harikrishna. If you are wondering which of the two "bricks"
is more beneficial to the royal game, all you need to do is read on ...
At 2:30 p.m. International Arbiter Franca Dapiran started the fiftieth edition of the Reggio
Emilia Capodanno Tournament. She was assisted by local arbiters Angelo Mancini and Antonio
Sfera. As the clocks started, the time control was 1 hour and 40 minutes for 40 moves, then 50
minutes were added, with a 30 second increment from move 1.
The first game to end (in a draw) was the one between Korchnoi and Landa. Encouraged by
Viktor's satisfied look, I approached him and asked if he was willing to pay a visit to Miso Cebalo's
realm (the commentary room) and show his game. "Of course! Where shall we go to?" "Please
follow me, Maestro." Thus a cheerful yet combative Korchnoi entertained the public for almost
three quarters of an hour, explaining the themes and tactics of his beloved French, and relating
the twists and turns of his complicated draw. "Would you like to add anything?" I suggested
to Landa. "How could I? He is a superstar." Korchnoi briefly left the floor to his opponent to
illustrate a line that they had analysed only minutes earlier. Landa had barely time to whisper a
few words before Viktor took over again. "I can't say I'm sitting pretty here, but I've found myself
in this situation so many other times ... " "Now White should have opened the centre with c2-c4,
to give play to his most active pieces, but it is easier said than done. And after c2-c3 I understood
that I would have achieved a draw: I simply needed to carry out my plan." "Finally it would seem
that I could even play for a win, but frankly I cannot see how. So after all, a draw will do."
In my opinion this was a defining moment for the tournament because all the other players,
following the doyen's example, gladly agreed to demonstrate their games. This turned the
commentary room into the beating heart of the tournament, under the skilful control of GM
Cebalo.
Round 1 - 29 December 2007 15
Immediately after Korchnoi, the audience was treated to the straightforward and logical
commentary of Zoltan Almasi, who had overcome Harikrishna in one of the three "Italian"
openings of the day. The Hungarian's pressure was so intense that I think Harikrishna felt relieved
when he was finally freed from the painful task of finding yet another move to play. If you want to
feel the young Indian's suffering during the game, all you have to do is glance (yes, only a glance
is needed) at the diagram after Black's 29th move.
In the second Italian Game of the day, Mihail Marin once again displayed his mastery of the
open games and outplayed (with the black pieces) the bookmakers' favourite Tiviakov. The game
reached its climax around move twenty, when the Dutchman decided to take Black's h5-pawn.
After this inaccuracy, Black built his advantage with great confidence by seizing the dark squares
on the kingside and immediately thereafter in the centre of the board.
Michele Godena also started well by forcing a draw against Vugar Gashimov. The young Azeri
adopted the Pirc Defence, and in reply Godena chose his pet move c2-c3 and emerged from
the opening with a comfortable position. A couple of inaccurate moves relegated the Italian to
a slightly worse position, but from then onwards White bravely went for complicated play and
caused his opponent to err. The ensuing simplifications finally allowed Godena to grab a well-
deserved half point. In a tournament where the average rating of his opponents is almost 100
points higher than his, Godena must capitalize on every chance to add to his score, and so his
renowned solidity with the white pieces will prove quite useful.
The last Giuoco Piano of the day was Ni Hua - Navara, a well-played draw. This game has the
added merit of introducing the reader to David Navara's remarkable analysis.
I Gamel I
Zoltan Almasi - Pentala Harikrishna
Italian Game
Annotations by Zoltan Almasi &

Mihail Marin
Zoltan Almasi won the tournament quite

deservedly. His stability and ambition throughout
the nine days ofplay as well as the strategic and a b c d e f g h
tactical complexity of his games placed him
above all his rivals in Reggio Emilia. Zoltan s.tt::lc3
took the lead as early as the first round and never The main alternative here is 8.lllbd2. The
surrendered it, although at times he had to share following are some possible developments:
it with other players.
8 ... tt:ld4 9.lllxd4 exd4 10.c3 dxc3 ll.bxc3
l.e4 e5 2.tt::\f3 tt::lc6 3..ic4 i.xc4 12.lllxc4 d5 13.llld2 dxe4 14.dxe4 llld7
I did not have much time to prepare, so I 15.e5 lllc5 16.i.a3 llld3 17.l"le4 i.xa3 18.l"ld4
selected the Italian Game instead of allowing lllxf2 19.'Wh5 'We7 20.l"lh4 h6 2l.cj{xf2 'WeSt
the Marshall Attack, which has been analysed 22.cj;Je2 l"lae8 Black soon won in D. Kontic-
to death these days. I know the text offers a Z. Markov, Tivat 1995.
very solid and playable position.
8 ... l"le8 9.a5 i.f8 10.c3 l"lb8 ll.b4 a6
3... tt::lf6 4.d3 .ie7 5.0-0 0-0 6J~el d6 7.a4 12.'Wb3 h6 13.h3 'Wd7 14.i.b2 llle7 15.i.xe6
.ie6 'Wxe6 16.'Wxe6 fxe6 17.c4 llld7 18.i.c3 g5
19.l::1abl ig7 20.lt:lfl l::1f8 21.tLl3d2 lt:lg6

22.g3 tLle7 23.tLle3 lt:lc6 and Black won in
49 moves, Tkachiev- P. Nikolic, Paris (rapid)
1994.
8... \Wd? 9.c3 l::1fe8 10.ib3 if8 ll.a5 hb3

12.1Mfxb3 a6! 13.tLlfl d5 14.ig5 dxe4 15.dxe4
~e6 16.\Wxe6 l::1xe6 17.hf6 l::1xf6 18.tLle3
l::1e6! 19.l::1edl l::1d6 20.ttJd5 l::1c8 21.tLld2 f6
22.lt:lc4l::1dd8 23.b41his was agreed drawn in
A. Grosar- Gostisa, Slovenia (ch) 1994.
A different approach for White is to exchange

a b c d e f g h
bishops: 8.he6 fxe6 9.c3 cj(hs 10.1Mfb3 1Mfd7
11.tLlbd2 ltla5 12.1Mfb5 b6 13.\Wxd? lt:lxd7 ll..J:~ae8?
14.b4 lt:lb7 15.d4 if6 16.ia3 l::1fd8 17.lt:lc4 This natural move looks okay, but it is in fact
a6 18.b5 axb5 19.axb5 ltla5 20.lt:lcd2 l::1a7 wrong! White should not be allowed to play
2l.ib4l::1da8 22.l::1ab1 'tt>g8 With a draw in 45 ttJd5. Possible alternatives were ll...tLld4 or
moves, Movsesian - Kholmov, Czech Republic ll...hc4 12.dxc4 lt:ld4.
1995.
I2.~d5J.ds
8...Y1Vd7 9.a5 a6 IO.h3 This was the idea behind ll...l::1ae8, so that
I looked at a few games in my preparation, the rooks are not cut off from each other. This
among them Anand - Carlsen, Reykjavik manoeuvre is very typical in the Ruy Lopez.
(blitz) 2006, and Malakhov - Tomashevsky,
Russia 2006. I think White was a little bit 13 ..ib3!
better in both games. Better than the "ordinary" 13.c3 hd5
14.exd5 tLle7 15.1Mfb3 c6 16.dxc6 lt:lxc6. Of
IO ... h6 course White has to play on the queenside and
This was a new move to me, albeit a very Black has to try on the kingside.
logical one. Mterwards, I discovered it had
13 ... ~h7?!
already been played in Anka - Z.J. Szabo,
A better choice was 13 ... hd5 14.exd5 tLle7
Hungary 2004.
15.ia4 c6 16.c4.
ll.J.d2
14..ia4
White should not play 11.tLld5? in view of
The situation is now very unpleasant for
11...hd5 12.exd5ttJb4 13.c3tLlbxd5 14.1Mfb3
Black. It is not easy to stop White's attack on
c6.
the queenside.
[Editor's note: Perhaps it is not so simple as 14...Y1Vc8
13.d4! looks good for White. For example, Black has to step out of the pin.
13... e414.ttJd2 or 13... exd4 14.ltlxd4ltlbxd5?
15. 1Mfj3 c6 16. ixh6! gxh6 17.ttJ]5.] 15.b4
It's time to get going!
15 ... £5
Hari is trying to find some counterplay on My idea was to put pressure on Black's
the kingside, but he is much slower. position.
16.c4 18... axb5?

The idea is to stabilize the d5 knight and In my opinion this was the final mistake!
prepare b4-b5. After this, White has a very fast passed a-pawn
that is not easy to stop.
I also calculated the immediate 16.b5 but it
looked rather complicated and unnecessary to To a certain extent, this can be considered
me: 16 ... axb5 17.ixb5 fXe4 18.dxe4 :8:xf3!? the decisive mistake. Harikrishna may have
19.'1Wxf3lt'ld4 20.'1Wd3 c6 (20 ... lt'lxb5 21.'1Wxb5 evaluated the position from a static point ofview
c6 22.'1Wa4) 2l.ia4 :8:f8 22.lt'lb6 ixb6 23.axb6 and even slightly dogmatically. From a structural
ixh3 point ofview, the capture on b5 is correct because
it makes White's pawn chain less compact.
16...~d7 However, the passed pawn White will soon
I did not understand this move, but I cannot create on the a-file will decide the battle in his
see how Black can hold his position. favour.
It may seem that Black has regrouped his forces 19.c!Llxe7t

harmoniously and his kingside counterplay is An important zwischenzug.
developing without problems. However, White's
space advantage in the centre and on the queenside 19.. J~xe7
should not be underestimated. Eventually, it will It was probably better to take with the
become the telling factor in the final part of the bishop.
game.
20.cxb5t
17.b5!
17.exf5 also seems promlSlng: 17 ... :8:xf5
18.b5 lt'le7 19.lt'le3 :8:f7 and White has a great
advantage.
17.. )Lle7 18.'1Wb3 20... ie6looks more natural, but after 21. '1Wc3
fice4 22.dxe4 'il,ef7 White manages to exchange 26•.•.ie8 27•.ia5 gd7 28.¥Na3 .ie7 29 •.ib4
the enemy bishop, which could eventually become This move provokes more weaknesses in
a dangerous attacking piece, with 23. ilb3!. Black's position.
After 23... 'il,xf3 24.gxj3 hb3 25. 'W xb3 t Black
has to lose a tempo with 25... r:JJ hB anyway, 29 •.• c5
when 26. 'il,a3 keeps things under control on the
kingside, while the threat ofa6-a7 is very strong.
For instance, 26... 'Wxh3 21f4! 'Wg4f 28. 'Wg3
and Black can resign.
21.a6 fxe4 22.dxe4 ®h8

Black tries to start an attack against the white
king, but he is too late. 22 ...ile6 is met by
23.axb7 and 22 ... bxa6 23.bxa6 is even worse
for Black because another line opens.
It seems that everything is ready for the thematic

sacrifice on j3, but...
23.a7!
After this move, Black will have to use his
strongest piece for the passive job of blocking the
pawn. Without any contribution from the queen,
the kingside attack will lack power. In fact, it will
soon be White who will start active operations on 32.•. ®h7
that wing, taking advantage ofhis local material Another possible continuation with a similar
superiority. assessment was 32 ... lLlg4 33.hxg4 flxh4
34.'il,h3 ilg5 35.ild2.
23 ...'Wa8
If23 ...ilxh3 then 24.lLlxe5! dxe5 25.'Wxh3. 33.¥Nb3
Now everything is rolling.
24.b6
White's position is winning because of the 33 •.•.if8 34.¥Nf7 YNc8 35.gf3 gd7 36.¥Ng6t
a7-pawn. ®h8 37•.id2 d5
Activity in the centre is not always an adequate
24••• c6 solution to a flank attack. In this case White has
Black plays without his queen and keeps an overwhelming superiority on both wings; in
the position closed, but this is just hopeless. order to compensate for it, Black would need
However, 24 ... flxh3 25.lLlxe5 or 25.bxc7 ilxc7 something like two connected passed pawns on
26.lLlh4 were no better. the second rank...
25.'il,e3 38.gxf6 gxf6 39.gal dxe4 40.a8=YN

Safety first - why not defend everything? 1-0
25 ... ~£6 26J~dl

There's a weakness on the horizon!
Also possible is 14.lLlg5!? g6 15.:B:xa2.

I Gamel I 14 ... :B:xb7 15.'Wc6
This seems to favour White due to his better
Ni Hua- David Navara pawn structure; the b6-bishop is out of play.
Italian Game Moves such as 1l...f5 (or 1l...f6?) enable

12.CLlxd5!. Still, the position is far from clear
Annotations by David Navara after 12 ....ia5t, as 13.lLlc3? (better is 13.Wfl)
fails to 13 ... hf3 14.gxf3 lLlxc3 15.bxc3
l.e4 e5 2.ttlf3 ttlc6 3..ic4 lLlxd4.
This was a surprise for me, and not a pleasant
one; I prepared for the Scotch Opening. 12.YlYb3
12 ..ixc6 bxc6 13.'We2 .ia5!= (Ni Hua). It
3....ic5 4.c3 ttlf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7..ib5 is important that White's rook cannot occupy
ttle4 8.cxd4 .ib6 9.ttlc3 0-0 10..ie3 .ig4 the b1-square after the exchange on c3. Note
11.YlYc2 that the pressure against Black's central pawns
My opponent had played rather quickly. I would be unpleasant if Black instead allowed
did not want to become a victim of his home 13 ... c5 14.dxc5.
preparation, so I chose a quiet continuation.
This decision took me over 20 minutes. 12... ttle7
12 ... CLlxc3 13.bxc3 lLla5 14.'Wb4 did not
.t£5
l l ... appeal to me, as the black knight is misplaced.
Black threatens to play ... lLlg3, thereby
forcing the white queen to make another 13 ..ie2
move. I expected 13.0-0. I probably would
have replied with: 13 ... c6 (The obscure idea
I quickly rejected: 13 ... .ig4, followed by a timely exchange on
11.. ..ixf3 12.gxf3 lLlg5 f3, crossed my mind. The point is that White
12 ... lLlxc3 is met by 13 ..ixc6!. cannot castle queenside anymore. But losing
Because of: two tempos like this can hardly be good, as I
13.0-0-0 lLlxf3 14 ..ixc6 bxc6 15.h4lLlxh4 was perfectly aware.) 14 ..ie2 (14 ..id3 lLld2!=)
15 ... 'Wd7! (Fritz 9) and Black can save his 14 ... f6 With a transposition to the game.
knight.
16.f4 g6 17.'Wh2
Clearly this line is not correct but it shows
that Black should be careful.
It took me a long time to realize that if I

captured on c3 White can play an intermediate
move:
11...lLlxc3 12.hc6!?
12.bxc3 f6!?
12 ... lLlxa2
12 ... bxc6 is possible but after 13.'Wxc3 I
prefer White.
13.hb7 :B:b8 14.:B:xa2
13 ... c6 14 ... i.g6 15.tt::lh4 (Ni Hua) 15 ... tt::lf5 16.tt::lxf5

White's last move gave me an additional i.xf5 (16 ... ctJxc3 17.tt::lh6t!) 17.tt::la4 and
option: Black's knight is rather loose.
13 ... c5!? 14.0-0
14.Ei:d1 c4 15.~a3 should be approximately 15.exf6 gxf6
equal, as is 14.dxc5 ctJxc5 15.\Wd1 tt::le6. It might have been better to recapture with
14 ... cxd4 the knight: 15 ... tt::lxf6 16.ctJe5 i.e6!? 17.tt::la4
14 ... c4 should be roughly level even though tt::lf5=
the thematic advance ... b7-b5-b4 is not easy
to carry out. 16.ctJe5 ctJg6
15.ttJxd4 tt::ld2!?
15 ... i.xd4 16.i.xd4 tt::ld2 17.\Wxb7 probably
also leads to equality.
16.i.xd2 i.xd4
Black's position is safe and good.
14.0-0 f6
This was not the only option. I could instead
have placed the bishop on g6 and the knight
on f5 or vice versa.
14 ... tt::lg6!? 15.tt::la4 (Ni Hua) 15 ... f6 could

transpose to the game after 16.exf6 El:xf6
17.ttJe5.
17.~a4 An imaginative option was:

17.ltJxe4 .L:e4 18.~g5 is too risky, as Black 20 ... l"'g5?
has several tempting options: But this fails to:
18 ... ltJxe5 19.~xf6 (19.dxe5 l"'xf2!) 19 .. .'\Wxf6 2l.~f3!
20.dxe5 Wxe5 2l ..L:g5 Wxg5 enables a fork on d2. Fritz 9
18 .. J~xf2!? 19.l"'xf2 Wxg5 extends the line with: 22.~f3lLld2 23 ..L:d5t!
18 ... ~xd4!? cj;Jh8 (23 ... cxd5 24.Wxd5t cj;Jhs 25.f4 Wd8
26.Wxd8t l"'xd8 is better for White, as Black
But another option for White was 17.f4 and cannot attack the white king) 24.Wg3! Wxg3
this deserved serious attention, as g2-g4 might 25.fxg3 lLlxfl 26.:1'\xfl ~d3 27.l"'f3 ~e2
become a threat. However, so far Black can 28.l"'e3 cxd5 29.l"'xe2 cj{gs Black should
meet it by playing ... ~e6. equalize.
21...l"'g6 22.~xe4 .L:e4 23.f3±
17... ~xe5 White wins a pawn.
17 ... ~c7? loses material in view of 18.f3
ltJd6 19.~g5.
8
18.~xb6 axb6 7
I also calculated lines such as 18 ... ltJf3t?
6
19.gxf3, but there is no mate to follow.
5
18 ... Wxb6? is met by 19.dxe5 Wxb3 20.axb3
4
l"\e6 2l.f3.
3
19.dxe5 ~g6 20..ih5
2
White also has several other options, but
Black seems to hold in all cases: 1
20.Wxb6 Wxb6 21..L:b6 ~h3 22.~f3?! ltJd2
a b c d e f g h
20.~xb6 Wg5 2l.g3 ltJd2
20.f3lLlc5 21..L:c5 bxc5 22.Wxb7 l"'b8 21.f3
A natural alternative is 21.Wxb6, which
leads to equality: 21...Wxb6 22 ..L:b6 c5
(or 22 ... :1'\xe5 and the centralized knight
promises Black equal chances) 23.f3 (23.~c7
l"'c8=) 23 ... ltJd2!? 24.:1'\f2 l"'xb6 25.l"'xd2 g6
26.~g4 ~xg4 27.fxg4 d4= Black's superior
pawn structure compensates for the missing
pawn.
Simply poor are 2l.f4? l"\h6 or 2l ..L:b6?

Wh4.
21. .. ~c5 22..ixc5 bxc5 23.~xb7 g6

23 ... :1'\xe5 24.f4 l"'e7 25.Wxc6 l"'c8 26.Wb5±
promises Black some compensation, but White
20 ... ~e6 is clearly more comfortable.
24.i.g4 several weaknesses, which gives Black sufficient

counterplay.
8 ~.m ~ m•~ 29.@f2
:•e.t.!j 29.~cl leads to equality. For example:

29 ... c4 30.b3 ~xe5 31.bxc4 ~e2 32.cxd5 cxd5
33.~al d4 34.a4 d3 35.';t>fl ~e4 36.a5 d2
"lJ!j "lJ!j ~lJ!j

- "lJ!j -.t.D.t- 37.a6 ~a4=
: ~ ~ ~~ 29 .• J:~xe5 30.a4
3 -M~lJ!j-,.?;j,
~ '~lJ!J ~ ~~
8
-----~ ~ lllJ!j L.J 7

a b c d e f g h 6
24...hg4 5
Black had numerous possibilities. For
example, 24 ... 'Wb8!? 25.'Wxb8t (25.'Wd7 4
'W'xe5) 25 ... ~xb8 26.hf5 gxf5 27.f4!? 3
(27.b3 ~xe5=) 27 ... ~xb2, but this line looked
2
too risky to me. The position seems to be equal
(but pretty sharp) after both 28.~fbl (Ni Hua) 1
28 ... ~xbl t 29.~xbl c4 (Cebalo) and 28.a4
~e7 (Cebalo).
a b c d e f g h
30 •• J~e7
Instead 24 ... ~b8 25.'Wa7 ~xg4 26.fxg4 ~xe5 A couple of moves later I regretted not
27.'Wxc5 was not my cup of tea. choosing 30 ... rj{f7, but the post mortem
showed that this position is also equal. 31.a5
25.fxg4 'We8! ~e7 32.b3 ~a7 33.';t>e3 <;t>e6 34. <;t>d3 rjjld6
It took me a long time to find this idea two 35.<;t>c3= The advance b3-b4 can be quite
moves ago. And not 25 ... ~b8?? 26.'Wf7t. unpleasant when the black king moves to b7.
26J::U7!? 31.b3
I missed this move when playing 23 ... g6. My idea was to meet 31.a5 with 31...~b7!?
Instead 26.~f6 ~xe5 27.'Wxc6 'Wxc6 28.~xc6 32.~a2 (by the way, 32.a6 ~xb2t 33. <;t>e3 ~b8
a:e2 29.~xc5 ~xb2 30.a4 ~e8 31.~b5 ~c2 34.a7 ~a8 35.~a6 should suffice for a draw)
should lead to a draw. 32 ... <;t>f7, thus misplacing the white rook.
Then 33.a6 would be risky as Black can simply
26•..'Wxf7 27.~xa8t ~e8 move his king to b6.
Only here did I realize that the c6-pawn is
sometimes hanging in the event of 27 .. .'j;1g7 3I..J~b7 32.gcl gxb3 33.gxc5 gb6
28.~fl 'We7=1t.. I wanted more than 33 ... ~a3 34.~xc6 ~xa4
with a draw.
28.'Wxe8t lhe8
White is temporarily a pawn up but also has 34.ga5!
Otherwise the connected passed pawns 39.a6 ~a4 40.a7 ®f5

could be dangerous. 40 ... c4 4l.g4= is not dangerous for White,
as both sides can catch the opponent's pawns.
34.a5 ~a6 35. <it>e3 <it>f7 36. 'it>d4 <it>e6
would have been very risky. If White does 41.h5 gxh5 42.~xh5t ®e6 43.~h6t ®e5
not undertake anything, he can end up in 44.~h5t ®e6
zugzwang. 37.<it>c3!? (37.~c3!?) 37... \t>d6 The text move simply repeats as Black must
38.\t>b4 ~a8 39.~cl ~b8t 40.<it>a4 c5 41.a6 avoid 44 ... \t>d4?? 45.~h4t, and 44 ... 'it>d6
c4 42.<it>a5 <it>c5 43.a7 ~a8 44.'it>a6 d4-+ The 45.~h6t <it>c7?? would also lose:
passed pawns will decide.
34... ®f7
a b c d e f g h
46.~h8! ~xa7 47.~h7t 'it>b6 48.~xa7 'it>xa7
49.g4
So instead a draw was agreed.
1/2-1/2
I Game3 I
Konstantin Landa - Viktor Korchnoi
35J~a7t ®e6
French Defence
35 ... <it>f6 36.~xh7 is similar.
Annotations by Mihail Marin
36Jlxh7 c5
Also level was 36 ... ~a6 37.~g7 <it>f6 38.~c7
l.e4 e6
<it>e5 39.h4.
Throughout his outstanding career,
Korchnoi's main weapon with Black has
37.h4 ~b4
been the French Defence. At certain times
Here I realized that continuing to play for
his contributions to another interesting
the win could be hazardous. For example,
opening, the Open Ruy Lopez (5 ... tt:Jxe4),
37 ... c4 38.h5! would have been really risky as
have set the trend in opening fashion, but
38 ... gxh5?? fails to 39.~h6t+-.
lately he seems to have somewhat restricted his
repertoire.
38.a5 ~xg4
38 ... ~a4 is answered by 39.h5.
2.d4 d5 3.c!Llc3 c!Llf6
In his glory days, Korchnoi preferred the Black's next move, this would be too risky in
sharper Winawer variation with 3 ... ~b4. For view of ... b5-b4.) 8 ... ~a5 9.~e2 (Korchnoi
example, this move served him quite well had recently faced the prophylactic 9.a3 when
during his dramatic Candidates match against after 9 ... b5 10.~a2 c4 1l.f5 ~e7 12.fxe6 fxe6
Spassky, back in 1977. However, in the past 13.g3 0-0 14.~g2 lLlb6 he obtained active
ten years Korchnoi has played 3 ... ~b4 only counterplay, although White eventually won
occasionally. in Bologan - Korchnoi, Gibraltar 2006.)
9 ... b5 10.0-0 b4 11.lLld1 ia6! At the cost of
4.e5 ~fd7 5.£4 c5 6.~f3 ~c6 7 ..ie3 some delay in development, Black has solved
his main strategic problem, Jakovenko -
Zvjaginsev, Moscow 2005.
8
7 8 ... cxd4 9.~xd4 .ic5
The main drawback of the otherwise natural
6
developing move 8.~e2 is that it fails to create
5 dangerous kingside threats. Therefore, Black's
decision to continue his development and
4
castle on this wing is entirely justified.
3
IO.Wfd2 0-0
2
a b c d e f g h
8 "-~~
~~.JL~eT~
A \Uli
---,Y-~ i)~ .,Y-_ r
"-~~·~
~~~ ~
7.. J~~b8!?
Characteristically for him, Korchnoi takes : ~'.l.!a'~j
5 %mlwtJ %~ ~
the first chance to deviate from well-trodden
paths- there is a huge mass of theory available 4 ~~ .; ... "m----%o ~~
after 7 ... a6. The game move pursues the same
basic aim (to support the advance of the b7- 3 ~~jm" • "B~j
pawn, although in this case the additional
move ... ~a5 will be needed), but leaves the 2 8dti·1Ei~~o
a6-square available for the generally passive
c8-bishop.
1 ~----"··----"=
a c
b e
%U't d f g h
8.ie2!? llJ~dl
A deviation from the standard plan. This White chooses the safer way to consolidate
move would not be recommendable after the d4-square. If 11.0-0-0 (which has yet
7... a6, because after 8 ... b5 9.0-0 ~b6, Black's to be tested in practice), Black seems to
pressure against the d4-square offers him good have excellent counterplay after 11.. .~xd4
counterplay. 12.ixd4 ~a5 13.Wb1 b5 14.if3 lLlxd4
15.~xd4 b4 16.fLle2 ~a6 followed by ... ~fc8,
Black's main idea is revealed after 8. ~ d2 (White with a strong concentration of forces on the
usually castles long in the main line, preparing queenside.
active kingside operations and strengthening
the d4-square at the same time. However, after ll ... Wfh4t!?
An interesting novelty. ll...a6?! was played White's control of the dark squares in the
recently, but does not make much sense: centre, has also been avoided.
playing both ... l'l:b8 and ... a6 is redundant
and causes Black to lose too much time. Black is just one tempo away from completing
12.0-0 lllxd4 13.hd4 Wfb6 14.Wfe3 with a his development (... i.d7) and, facing no
stable blockade on the dark squares and better immediate danger, can be happy with the
development for White in Borriss - Hertneck, outcome of the opening. His potential pressure
Germany 2006. against the enemy queenside restricts White's
activity (for instance, the light-squared bishop
12.i.f2 is needed to cover the c4-square) while on the
This bishop retreat will reduce White's other wing an eventual .. .f6 could undermine
kingside attacking potential. However, 12.g3 is White's space advantage.
hardly recommendable, because after 12 ... Wfh3
White will face problems getting castled. 14.~cb5 i.d7 15.Wfe3
If 13. <;t>f2 then the following sequence of This does not look natural, but White needs
surprising moves is possible: 13 ... f6! (making to activate his queen somehow.
His Majesty feel insecure on fL.) 14.i.fl Wfh6!
(ignoring the threat against the e6-pawn) 15 ... ~xd4 16.~xd4 gbc8 17.Wfh3
15.lllxe6 he3t 16.Wfxe3 llldxe5! (attacking
the knight and threatening a deadly fork on
8
g4) 17.fxe5 he6 18.Wfxh6 fxe5t (another
intermediate move, preventing White's 7
consolidating) 19.Wff4!? exf4 20 ..!Llxd5 l'l:bd8
6
With active play for Black, who has completed
his development in a favourable way. 5
4
12 ...Wfe713.0-0 ~b6
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
White has made some preparations for an
attack, but the queen's position still seems far
from natural.
17...£5!
Black takes preventive measures against
White's attack before it has even started.
a b c d e f g h 18.c3
A£ a consequence of the intermediate Since he is not entirely coordinated, White
check on h4, White has been deprived of the could hardly expect to gain an advantage by
possibility of a rook lift with l'l:f3. Another opening the centre with 18.exf6. In fact,
typical manoeuvre, Wfel-fL., aiming to increase after 18 ... Wfxf6 the threats ... Wfxf4 and ... e5
(attacking the queen) are hard to meet. Black has solved all his problems and
the time has come for White to give up his
18 .. .'~fe8 ambitious plans and regroup in order to
Now that the position has been blocked, maintain equality. The first priority is to bring
Black prepares the exchange of the French the queen back into play.
Defence's "trademark bad bishop" with
... ib5. 22.'~'f3 E:f7 23.hb5 Wfxb5 24.E:b4 Wfa6
25.hb6
19.ih5 A safe approach: given the blocked character
The weakness induced by this move will not of the position, in the long run the knight
bother Black too much. could become stronger than the bishop.
19 ... g6 20.ie2 hd4 21.E:xd4 ih5 25 ... axb6 26.'\Wf'l b5

Those familiar with the classics will note

that the position is starting to look a lot like I Game4 I
Nimzowitsch- Capablanca, New York 1927.
The third World Champion managed to install Sergei Tiviakov - Mihail Marin
his rooks on e4 and c4 and went on to win a
fine game. Landa must have remembered this Italian Game
game, since he decides to change the course of
events by sacrificing a pawn. Annotations by Mihail Marin
27.a4!? bxa4 28.gb6 ~c4 29.gal gfc7 30.h4 When I started my opening preparation for
gas 31.gb4 ~c6 32.gb6 ~c4 this event, just a couple of weeks before the
Half a century ago, Korchnoi was famous for tournament, I was pleasantly surprised to note
retaining his material advantage in this kind that my analytical efforts should be focused
of situation, even if this meant retreating his on just a few main lines. No fewer than four
pieces onto passive positions. One's style of of my rivals almost invariably answered my
play can go through significant mutations over intended Catalan with ... ~b4t followed by
such a long period and, even if there is no clear ... ~e7. I examined two main plans for White
refutation of 32 .. .'~e8, Korchnoi probably felt thoroughly, and felt very confident about my
that after 33.~g3 followed by h4-h5 White chances.
might get too much play. I was not worried about facing l.e4 with
Black, because I still had fresh memories
33.gb4 about l ... e5 from my work on the companion
33Jhe6 would be dangerous because of volumes A Spanish Repertoire for Black and
33 ... d4!. Beating the Open Games. However, there were
a few players who would occasionally (or
33 ... ~c6 34.gb6 regularly) start their games as White with l.d4.
/z-lfl
1
Happily, this did not create big problems either,
because they all seemed to usually meet my the careless 7 ... d6 and immediately understood
intended surprise weapon with just two main my mistake when he answered with 8.a4. I
lines, offering me a fairly narrow territory to sacrificed a pawn, but never gained sufficient
investigate. Mter my work was done, I felt that compensation and lost without a fight.
I could face l.d4 with the same confidence as Immediately after the game I concluded that
the ...i.b4 t Catalan. 7 ... 0-0 would have solved all the problems, but
The drawing of lots, which took place in fact matters are not so simple. Soon I started
just a couple of hours before the first round, working on updating the first editions of the
provoked an abrupt change in my general aforementioned opening books and, when
state of mind. Since I drew the number 10, looking at the Worrall Attack, I discovered
I could visualize immediately which colour that after 8.d4 d6 9.h3 (preventing ... i.g4)
I had against each player (Black against the play takes an independent character.
first five from the list and White against the
bottom half). Believe it or not, my potentially
reliable clients for the Catalan were grouped
in the upper half, while I was going to play
with Black against most of the players who
had l.d4 in their repertoire. I resigned myself
to the thought that all my work in December
would be useful for another occasion, but I still
hoped to use my specific preparation in the first
round ...
l.e4 e5 2.<~~f3 lt!c6 a b c d e f g h

I play this move automatically, in order to
White has occupied the centre earlier than
defend the e5-pawn and develop a piece at
is usual in the Ruy Lopez and it is far from
the same time. I could not have anticipated
obvious how Black could take advantage of
what a glorious career the Goddess Caissa had
the early development of the enemy queen. In
reserved for my queen's knight in this game.
practice, Black has failed to prove a convincing
way to equality.
3.ic4 After several days of work, I managed to find
This is precisely what was needed in order to
an entirely satisfactory solution. Obviously, I
make my disappointment complete.
hoped that Tiviakov would play this line, but
Tiviakov is a renowned specialist in the
this did not happen ...
Worrall Attack of the Ruy Lopez, and its
highest rated regular practitioner. It arises after
3...J.c5 4.c3ltlf6 5.d3 a6 6.J.b3 0-0 7.J.g5
3.ib5 a6 4.i.a4 lt:Jf6 5.We2. In my book I
I knew that my opponent tries to deviate from
recommended 5 ... b5 6.i.b3 i.e7 7.0-0 0-0,
the classical paths of the Giuoco Pianissimo as
mentioning that 7 ... d6 is premature because
soon as possible and that one of his methods is
of 8.a4, when 8 ... b4 leaves the c4-square
to pin the f6-knight. This partly explains why I
undefended, allowing the double attack 9.Wc4,
had not yet retreated the bishop to a7.
or 9.ixf7t followed by 10.Wc4t. For some
reason, I omitted to analyse 7.c3, which is
7...h6 s.J.h4 J.e7!?
one ofTiviakov's favourite moves. During our
Since White has not castled short, it is
recent team championship (October 2007),
dangerous to play 8 ... g5?!, as I had learned on
Baklan played this move against me. I played
my own skin: 9 ..ig3 d6 10.lt:Jbd2 .ig4 1l.h3 I was not entirely sure about my form (as
.ih5 12.'1We2 .ig6 13.h4 lZ'lh5 14.hxg5 lZ'lxg3 this was the first round), so I aimed to keep
15.fxg3 hxg5 16.0-0-0 ~g7 17.lt:Jc4 f6 18.d4 the position closed for as long as possible.
exd4 19.cxd4 .ia7 20.lZ'le3 Ei:e8 2l..ic2 Wle7 This strategy eventually proved successful, but
22.e5 White had a strong attack in lvanchuk- objectively Black could already have fought for
Marin, Ciudad Real (blitz) 2007. the initiative:
9.ttlbd2 d6 1l...d5!? 12.Wie2 a5! (questioning the stability

When I looked at the whole vanatton of White's queenside before he can complete
(shortly after my blitz game against lvanchuk) his development) 13.lZ'lxe5 (This certainly
I planned to play: 9 ... lt:Jh5 1O..ig3 lZ'lxg3 (If looks risky, but White has problems anyway.
10 ... d6?! as played in the blitz game M. Zaitsev 13.a4?! would leave the bishop hanging on
- Harikrishna, Internet 2004, White can win b3 after 13 ... .ie6 with the threat ... dxe4.)
a pawn with 1l.lZ'lxe5! lZ'lxe5 12.he5 dxe5 13 ... lt:Jxe5 14.he5 a4 15 ..ic2 a3 16.b3 lt:Jg4
13.Wixh5 Wlxd3 14.Wlxe5± and I do not see 17..ig3 dxe4 18.dxe4 .if6 Black will most
clear compensation for Black.) 11.hxg3 d6= probably win the pawn back, with an excellent
But during the game I did not feel like opening position.
the h-file so soon.
12.ttle3 .ie6 13.i.h4!?
IO.i.g3 This is a good moment to pin the knight
Tiviakov was probably worried about ... lt:Jh5 again, but this bishop has moved quite a lot
anyway, but I believe that this voluntary already.
bishop retreat is too passive to offer White an
advantage. 13 ... g6!
The most ambitious continuation. I was not
IO.. J!e8 enthusiastic about the position I would have
We know already that 10 ... lt:Jh5?! loses a after 13 ... .ie7 14.he6 fxe6 15.Wib3 Wid?
pawn to 1l.lZ'lxe5!. 16.0-0±.
ll.ttlfl 14.ttld2
14 ..ixe6 Ei:xe6 15.lZ'ld5 is not dangerous for
Black, because after 15 ... .ig7 16.0-0 lZ'lb8
8
followed by ... lt:Jbd7 and ... c6, he will get rid
7 of the pin without making any significant
concessions.
6
5 14...i.g7 15.¥9£3
Black seems to be under pressure, but
4
White's development is rather artificial. Black
3 only needs to find a way to over-defend his f6-
knight...
2
1 15 ... ttlb8!
We are familiar with this manoeuvre from
a b c d e f g h
the comment above.
ll. ..i.£8
16.i.c2!? 17... ttlf8

This bishop retreat has the concrete purpose
of leaving the e6-bishop somewhat misplaced,
but I believe that my comment about IO.i.g3 s,!~
1110<%a.~--~
"Ill " !!I "" I&!
also applies here.
7 -~~~~-0 ~%lJ~~-~
~~j_··~·
~~ ""'%-------~-----
16... ttlbd7 17.g4 6 ,.
5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "~~~ WAI0"

My opponent was also inclined towards a
slow course of events.
The dynamic alternative was 17.d4, putting

: ~w-J-- ~:"/~-----~w-% ~w-~
~~~~,~,,~~~
3
the e6-bishop under pressure immediately.
However, Black is sufficiently well developed
to counter White's plan satisfactorily: 17 ... 4Jf8
2
1 rd __ %
8 iff!J ______
~ -~~,fiiiff!J if~%
_ _ %-~
(I was not attracted by 17... exd4 18.cxd4 cS
a b c d e f g h
19.dS lUeS, although it would have led to a
Benoni-type position. After 20.~g3 the threat 18.ttlf5
of f2-f4 leaves Black unstable in the centre.) This predictable move looks quite
18.0-0-0 ltJ8h7 threatening, but Black's position remains solid.
However, I must admit that at this moment
I felt under pressure. I do not remember the
precise moment when I looked with some
envy at Harikrishna's development in the
other Italian Game of the first round. Instead
of fooling around with his king's bishop, he
played simply ... i.e? and, after crossing the
d-file with all the important pieces, ... i.d8.
At least this is what I thought. Ironically, the
further course of events did not sustain this
somewhat pessimistic point of view...
a b c d e f g h
18 ... ttl8h7!
The same manoeuvre as in the game. Black
Black continues consolidating. 18 ... gxf5
has over-defended the f6-knight without
19.gxf5 i.d7 20.Elgl would have offered White
restricting the e6-bishop and is ready for active
a decisive attack.
kingside operations starting with ... lUgS.
White cannot achieve anything by forced
19.ttlxg7?!
means: 19.dxeS dxeS 20.ltJdc4 ~e7 (during
It was tempting to eliminate this bishop, but
the game I considered mainly 20 ... ~c8!?
the truth is that White releases the pressure too
21.tt:lxeS i.xa2~) 2I.tt:ldS i.xdS 22.ElxdS I
soon.
considered this to be unfavourable for Black,
but after 22 ... ~e6 23.ElcS b6 24.Elxc7 Elec8
White should have parried the threat of ... gxf5
2S.Elxc8t Elxc8 Black gets strong counterplay.
with 19.Elgl!? when after 19 ... cS 00 the position
For instance, 26.b3 bS 27.ltJd2 lUgS 28.~e3
would have remained uncertain.
if8~. Black's pieces are more active and the
white king's position is vulnerable.
Both of us were aware of the general advice

"Do not move pawns on the wing where one is
under pressure." However, neither of us seems
to have found a concrete way to prove it in this
specific position.
Black would have retained preferable play with

the simple 21...'Wb6!? (which did not cross my
mind during the game), for instance 22 ..!b3
(22.0-0-0 .!xa2 23.b3? fails to trap the bishop
because of23 ... a5! 24. ~b2? a4! 25. mxa2 axb3t
with mate to follow soon. 22.b3? weakens the
dark squares too much, allowing 22 ... 'Wa5
23.c4 'Wc3+.) 22 ... hb3 23.axb3 d5+ Black
has obtained a stable space advantage, while
White has not found a safe residence for his
king yet.
22.gxh5?!
20.h3 c5 21..ig3 A very "cooperative" move after which
Tiviakov was probably concerned about White's position becomes quite unappealing
preventing the opening of the centre with ... d5, because of the weakness of the f4-square. Points
but (again) the bishop stands badly on g3. of tension between pawns must be handled
with care because the way they are treated can
During the game, I was considering two main have a decisive influence of the final outcome
continuations: of the game.
21.tt::lfl is logical, aiming to transfer the knight Immediately after making my previous move,
to e3, in order to take the f5- and d5-squares I became worried about 22.g5!? tt::lxg5 23.'Wg2,
under control. However, after 21...tt::lg5 (I threatening f2-f4, a move that will soon become
planned 2l ... d5!? 22.tt::le3 d4+ which also looks impossible in the game.
great for Black) 22.'We3 'Wb6 the b2-pawn is
not easy to defend. For instance, 23.b3? more Even 22 ..!h4!? was better than Tiviakov's
or less loses to 23 ... 'Wa5 24.md2 (24.'Wd2loses move.
the queen to 24 ... tt::lf3t, while 24 ..!xg5 also
drops material to 24 ... 'Wxc3t 25.'Wd2 'Wxal t) 22 ... lLlxhs; 23.a3 VN£6 24.'?Ne3 b5
24 ... d5-+ and the white king is miserably Mter making this move, I finally understood
placed. that my position was better and my play easier
to carry out. At the same time, there was
Black also has a strong initiative after 21.0-0-0 virtually no risk for Black.
'WaS 22.a3 b5.
25.0-0-0 a5
White's best option might have been 21.'We3!?, In order to stop Black's attack, White has to
inhibiting ... d5 and preventing ... tt::lg5. block the queenside, which leads to chronic
weaknesses on the dark squares, with d4 first
21. .. h5?! in line.
26.a4 b4 27.c4 i.d7 28.~dfl tt:lf4 I refrained from 29 ... tt:lg5! because of 30.i.h4
In view of the weakness of the dark squares, 1=:\hS 31. iWg3 failing to notice that after
an exchange on f4 is out of the question for 31...!=:\xh4! 32.\Wxh4 tt:lxe4 33.'1Wxf6t 'Llxf6+
White. Black will win a second pawn.
29.i.dl 30.h4 ttJf8 31.h3 ~h6 32.~fgl

White fails to create concrete threats after
32.h5 g5 33.1=:\fgl 'Ll8e6 34.i.g4 !':1g8 35.'Llf3
~f8+, when Black would remain in control of
the position.
32 ... ttJ8e6 33.i.g4 ~ah8 34.tt:lf3

34 ... tLJf8!
One of the most difficult moves in the
game: this knight was not at all tired by the
long manoeuvres it had already carried out.
Black forces the exchange of the bishops for
two reasons. First of all, his own bishop was
not doing much because it was covered by the
knight. Secondly, the presence of the enemy
bishop may have enabled an eventual break
with h4-h5.
35.h£4?
Tiviakov was in time trouble and was
probably fed up of defending a joyless
position. His attempt to free his play will fail 36.e5
painfully. Trying to turn the tables.
Somewhat better would have been 35.~xd7 36 ... dxe5 37.'\Wxc5

CLlxd7 36.CLlh2 ~e6+ when White is still Maybe he had initially planned 37.~xe5,
struggling because 37.~xf4? exf4 38.~xf4 but then noticed 37 ... ~c6+ followed by
loses to 38 ... E1xh4 with a deadly pin. an exchange on f3, the elimination of
the h4-pawn, and the knight's transfer to
35 ... exf4+ d4.
37... e4 43J~d5 gxd5 44.cxd5 gh5

The important diagonal has been opened And, while I was enjoying the vanauon
again. 45.ltle6t '.th6 46.'Wd4 'Wxd4 47.lt:lxd4
Ei:xd5 48.lt:le2 f3 49.ltlg3 lt:lxf2 50.Ei:el f5-+,
38.~d4hg4 Tiviakov resigned.
The start of a well-calculated forced 0-1
sequence.
39J~xg4 ~d7 I GameJ I

Undeniably, one of the knight's favourite
squares in this game. Michele Godena- Vugar Gashimov
40.Y;Ya7 Modern Defence

Checks on f5 do not save the game. For
instance, 40.ltlf5t <Jfh7 or 40.'Wd6 'Wxd6 Annotations by Mihail Marin
41.ltlf5t <J!f8 42.ltlxd6 ltle5 43.Ei:g2 lt:lxd3t
44.<J!c2 Ei:xh4, with a decisive material l.e4 g6
advantage in both cases. As he confessed to me a couple of days later,
Vugar was not keen to face Michele's pet 2.c3
40 ... ~e5 41J~g5 Sicilian. However, the Italian Champion has a
During the game I thought that 41.Ei:xf4 solid antidote to the Modern that is also based
was impossible only because of 41...lt:lxd3t, on c3!
failing to notice that I could have captured the
rook with check, which deprives White of the 2.d4 .ig7 3.c3 d6 4.~8 ~f6 5 ..id3 0-0
possibility of a knight fork on e6. 6.0-0 ~c6 7,gel e5 8.h3
41 ... ~xd3t 42.'i!>bl

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
~~~~~~~~~
a b c d e f g h
s... ges
a b c d e f g h This natural move is almost universally played
42 ... Ei:d8 here. However, if Black does not manage to
The knight will soon lose its stability on d4: free his play with ... d5 then his play will soon
the game is over. reach a dead-end and he will be confined to
waiting in a passive position.
I would prefer a regrouping in the spirit of the mxg7 28.hb8 White had a decisive material
Deferred Steinitz variation of the Ruy Lopez: advantage in Godena - Ljubicic, Croatia
8 ...~d7 (a useful move, anyway) 9.lt:Ja3 'We8 2004.
And then for instance, lO.lt:Jc2 (lO.lt:Jb5 is not
dangerous because after 10 ... l"k8 ll.d5 lt:Je7 9 ... d5?! This break is slightly better than in the
12.lt:Jxa7 E!:a8 the knight is trapped) 10 ... lt:Jh5 previous game, but not entirely satisfactory
ll.~d2 <J:?h8 and Black can hope to carry either. This is quite logical, since Black is
out the thematic pawn break .. .f5 in the near slightlyunderdeveloped.lO.exd5 lt:Jxd5ll.~g5
future. f6 12.~h4 exd4 13.E!:xe8t 'Wxe8 14.lt:Jb5 a6
15.lt:Jbxd4 lt:Jxd4 16.lt:Jxd4 <J:?h8 17.'Wf3 'Wf7
9.~a3h6 18.E!:el± White had active play and the better
Gashimov chooses a waiting strategy. He was pawn structure in Godena - Martha Fierro,
probably well aware that Godena knew how Porto Mannu 2007.
to counter a premature opening of the centre.
Here are two examples from his practice: 10.~c2 J.d7 ll.J.d2 ~h5 12.J.fl ~f6
13.J.d3 ~h5 14.J.fl a6!?
9 ... a6 lO.lt:Jc2 h6 ll.~d2 <J:?h7 12.a3 E!:b8 Objectively speaking, Black is not better,
13.E!:cl!? The point behind this move is not but avoiding the repetition is of course a most
entirely clear, but the rook is certainly better welcome decision for fans of fighting chess.
placed here than on al. Since Black has nothing
better to do than sitting and waiting, why not 15.E!:cl gcs 16.a3 'itlh7 17.b4 ~f6 1S.J.d3
improve one's position by any small quantity?
13 ... d5?! Black is not prepared for this. 14.exd5
8
'Wxd5 15.lt:Jxe5 lt:Jxe5 16.E!:xe5 E!:xe5 17.lt:Jb4
The start of a series of intermediate moves, 7
allowing White to take over the initiative.
6
17 ... 'Wd6 18.dxe5 'Wxe5 19.'Wf3 a5 20.E!:el
'Wc5 2l.~e3 'Wd6 22.~f4 'Wb6 5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
18 ... ~b8!
I might be biased in my evaluation of this
move, since the same knight retreat proved
a b c d e f g h successful in my game against Tiviakov in this
same round. However, one cannot deny that it
Black seems to be okay. If the knight retreats,
is Black's only attempt to activate his play. By
then ...~e6 would solve his problems with
clearing the a4-e8 diagonal, he enables ...~b5
development ... 23.E!:e7!! Unfortunately, White
and ...~a4.
does not wish to retreat! 23 ... axb4 24.~xc7
'Wc5 25.E!:xf7 <J:?g8 26.axb4 'Wg5 27.E!:xg7t
19.dxe5
After this small concession, Black's knight The only possible way I see for White to keep
retreat is entirely justified. White intends Black's queenside minor pieces passive is
to place his queen on e2 in order to prevent 19.t/Ja1!?. This move looks paradoxical, but
... ib5 and avoid in advance the pin created in fact the knight is not worse placed than its
by ... ia4. black colleague. However, keeping the whole
board under control is not easy. For instance,
However, the immediate 19. ~ e2 allows the after the logical 19 ... <4?g8!? (anticipating the
exchanging operation 19 ... exd4 20.cxd4 t/Jxe4 next move) 20.~b3 (preparing the return of
2l.ixe4 f5 with counterplay for Black. the knight into play without allowing ... ia4)
20 ... t/Jh5 21.t/Jc2 ~f6 the absence of the queen
The attempt to cause Black some coordination from the kingside makes itself felt. The threat
problems with 19 .d5 fails to 19 ... ia4 of ... t/Jf4xh3 is likely to make the position
20.~e2 t/Jbd7, when, all of a sudden, he has explode tactically, with unclear consequences,
found stable squares for all his minor pieces. which is precisely what Vugar has been aiming
White's knights are unable to challenge for.
the stability of the a4-bishop in the near
future. 19 ... dxe5 20.'1We2 tt:lhS!
Since the bishop's retreat to fl has been cut to play ... ttlc6-e5, Black would gain a stable
off, this move causes White some problems. advantage.
2I..ic4 '!Wf6 22.~e3 ~f4 23.'\Wdl B:cd8 28 ....if5 29.'1Wa2 ~c6

24.~g4 '!We7 25.'1Wc2 h5
8
~~~.~ ~
~£-;r;-;w~-:.!C:mu
1 •
8 -
'w~!
• :?.'•%.JL~m~ • w~
7
6
·%------%------"--,~-
~~ ~-~~.
6 5
~%0''l;; ~~ ~----%%'"//- ~~
5
4
w~~- 8 ~ltJ~
~----%~~-/ltS;- tl
4
3
%~ ~----%~7~ ~?Jr~ ~~
_____
2 ~lf-% JJ~~ ~__
1~~~~~~ a e h
a b c d e f g h
Black has regrouped his pieces perfectly and
26.hf4?! has a very enjoyable position.
With the pawns still on d4 and d6, this
exchange would have increased White's 30.B:e2 .lxe5?!
domination in the centre by removing the This premature release of the tension will
pressure against the d4-pawn. However, in the result in mass simplifications and a draw.
game position the exchange opens the long
diagonal for the g7 -bishop and makes the e5- 30 ... ttlxe5? would lose material to 3l.ttlxe5
square available for Black's pieces. .ixe5 32.ttlf3+-, but after 30 ....ie6 Black
would release the pressure against the f7 -pawn
26.ttle3 would have been safer. and enable the rook's infiltration to d3. White
would face problems defending his e5- and c3-
26 ... exf4 27.~gh2 pawns. Even in the case of the exchange of the
Now the knight has been forced to retreat to e5- and f4-pawns, Black's position would still
this passive square. be better because of his active bishop.
27... ®g8! 31.~xe5 ~xe5 32.B:xe5 '!Wxe5 33..ixf7t

Parrying the threat of .ixf7!. ®g7 34..ixe8 B:xe8 35.~£3 '!Wd6
In view of the weakened position of the
28.e5!? black king, White is now not worse.
Hoping to complicate the fight. If allowed lfz-lfz
Round2 30 December 2007
Korchnoi - Almasi ¥2-¥2

Gashimov - Ni Hua ¥2-¥2
Marin - Navara ¥2-¥2
Tiviakov - Landa ¥2-¥2
Harikrishna - Godena 1-0
Standings
1112 Almasi, Marin
1 Gashimov, Harikrishna, Korchnoi, Landa, Navara, Ni Hua
lf2 Godena, Tiviakov
One round was enough to produce a surprise: Mihail Marin, the last player to join the Reggio
Emilia troupe, is on top by virtue of his resounding first round win with the black pieces. And
since the Romanian Grandmaster does not lack in charm, many in the audience are already
starting to root for him. His opponent today was Czech number one David Navara, who did not
concede a single inch to his opponent and brought home a well deserved half-point.
The other tournament leader, Almasi, faced the difficult task of playing Black against Korchnoi.
Viktor unleashed a novelty in the Catalan after which Zoltan was compelled to find the best
reply to hold a draw. It should be mentioned that the Hungarian Grandmaster had prepared
conscientiously for this game and was hoping to clinch the full point. Afterwards I asked him,
"So, how was your game?" to which he replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Nothing, I could do
nothing. He simply wouldn't let me play."
The encounter between Gashimov and Ni Hua produced the first Ruy Lopez of the tournament.
White side-stepped the "Berlin Wall" and deviated from well-trodden paths with an early
central thrust that opened the position, which suits Gashimov's style. The tenacious Chinese
Grandmaster was not impressed and answered White's novelty (lO.f3) with an accurate bishop
move that secured a lasting initiative. This edge was felt even after Gashimov, who struggled
with his development in spite of his first-move advantage, finally succeeded in liquidating to an
opposite-coloured bishop ending. Ni Hua's last try was a temporary pawn sacrifice, but the Azeri
Grandmaster did not falter and scored a hard-earned half-point. This tough battle between two
interesting players somehow escaped the commentators' attention during the tournament, but
Marin skilfully leads the reader through this subtle draw.
Beyond any doubt, the most spectacular game of the round was co-authored by Tiviakov and
Landa, and annotated for us by the newly-crowned European Champion. The Dutch GM's
annotations reveal the detail of preparation that is needed to take part in such a high-level event
as a Category 16 round robin.
Since he wanted to go for a win in order to break even after his first round loss, Tiviakov opted
for a Bishop's Opening to avoid his opponent's preparation in the Petroff, and unveiled a novelty
on move ten. The real fireworks however began on move 19, when White sacrificed his queen's
bishop on h6. This tense struggle starred in the commentary room, where Cebalo spent quite
some time enjoying the complex variations stemming from Tiviakov's bold sacrifice. After the
game, an understandably relieved Landa was happy to show how he had held a draw.
Today's only win was achieved by a very determined Harikrishna who ground down Michele
Godena in a five-hour session at the board. In this second Ruy Lopez, White also took care to
avoid the Berlin Wall and chose the fashionable 5.d3, which the Italian Grandmaster answered
with his pet 5 ....tc5. However, Black later drifted into a passive set-up and his attempts to lash
out in search of counterplay on the kingside had the sole result of weakening precisely that part
of his position. In spite of some inaccuracies in the technical phase of the game, the young Indian
ultimately wrapped up the full point.
A more usual continuation is 9.'1Wc2 b6

I Game 6 I IOJ~dl when IO ....ib7 would be answered
with ll.tt:lc3, while after IO ... .ia6 White has
Viktor Korchnoi- Zoltan Almasi a choice between ll.a4 and ll ..if4. These
were the lines along which my pre-tournament
Catalan Opening preparation had been directed.
Annotations by Mihail Marin 9 •.• b6
l.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 8

The Catalan has been quite popular over
the past few years, even before Kramnik 7
started employing it regularly and with great 6
success. However, Korchnoi's opening choice
has nothing to do with fashion. Throughout 5
his career he has played the Catalan with both 4
colours, almost always coming up with new
and surprising ideas. This will also be the case 3
in this game, as well as in his 8th round game. 2
3 ... d5 4.i.g2 i.b4t 5 ..id2 .ie7 6.lLlf3 0-0 1
7.0-0 a b c d e f g h
IO.e4!?
Remarkably, this move has never been played
before. Preparing to open the centre with e2-
e4 is one of White's main ideas in the closed
systems of the Catalan, but it usually takes some
time. On the other hand, the last move is a
logical consequence of the early development of
the knight on c3. Had White waited one more
tempo, Black would have attacked the c4-pawn
with ... .ia6. The main drawback of Korchnoi's
novelty is that it allows simplifications, which
increases the probability of a draw.
a b c d e f g h lO •.• lLlxe4!
I must admit that during the game I was The correct reaction. If 10 ... dxe4 ll.tt:lg5!;t
looking at this position with some nostalgia, White would retain his space advantage
due to the circumstances mentioned in the without exchanging many pieces.
introductory comments to my first round
game (page 28). II.lLlxe4 dxe4 12.lLle5
In order to retrieve the temporarily sacrificed
7... c6 8.b3 lLlbd7 9.lLlc3 pawn, White has to exchange the remaining
Typically, White does not define the knight's pair of knights, which will dramatically reduce
position so soon in these lines. the significance of his space advantage.
12 ... CLJxe5 13.dxe5 i.b7 14.he4 Wfc7 to b5, in order to put the black pawns
15.i.c3 c5 placed on dark squares in potential danger.
Admittedly, there is no way all this could
happen.
16.hb7
Maybe Korchnoi's initial intention was
to keep control of the long diagonal with
16.'\Wf3. However, in this case he would have
lost control of another important avenue, the
d-file, after 16 ... ~xe4 17. iWxe4 ~adS 18. ~ad 1
~d7! followed by ... ~fdS. This would also have
led to plain equality.
16...Wfxb7 17.Wfe2 ~fd8 18.~adl Wfc6 19.f4

g6 20.Wig2
This is the only way to try to activate
How realistic are White's chances of retaining his position, but the almost complete
even a tiny edge? In the absence of knights, simplifications that follow lead to a dead
there is no way to take advantage of the relative draw.
weakness of the d6-square. Speaking about
"ifs", under certain circumstances a knight 20 ...Wfxg2t 21. 'i!lxg2 h5 22. 'i!lf3 'i!lf8 23. 'i!le4
jump to f6 would have been devastating. The gxdl 24.gxdl gds 25.gxd8t hd8 26.h3
way it is, I see only one (highly unrealistic) 'i!le8 27.g4 hxg4 28.hxg4 'i!ld7
possibility: exchange all the rooks in order When this position was reached, Korchnoi
to avoid any form of counterplay, install said in a loud voice, "What can I do?" A draw
the queen on e4 to dominate both wings, was agreed.
and advance (by some miracle) the b-pawn lf2-1f2
d6 10J'%el bxa4 ll.tLlxd4 i.d7 12.WI'f3 0-0

I Game11 13.tLlc6 i.xc6 14.'\MI'xc6 d5) 8 ... d6 9 ..id5 when
Black has a pleasant choice between capturing
Vugar Gashimov- Ni Hua on d5 or playing 9 ... i.d7.
Ruy Lopez 7 ... dxc6 8.WI'xd4 Wl'xd4 9.l£lxd4
l.e4 e5 2.l£lf3 l£lc6 3 •.ib5 l£1£6
a b c d e f g h
This position has twice arisen before via an
Exchange variation move order: 3 ... a6 4.i.xc6
dxc6 5.0-0 i.e?!? 6.d4 etc. The transposition
can hardly be called a success for White,
4.d4!? though. Against the rare line starting with
This method of avoiding the Berlin variation 5 ... i.e7, White usually plays 6.d3, leaving the
has never been very popular. However, bishop slightly misplaced, which requires Black
Gashimov also likes to open the centre quickly to spend a lot of time in order to protect his
in the main lines of the Ruy Lopez (3 ... a6 e5-pawn adequately (as ... f7-f6 is completely
4.i.a4 tLlf6). See for instance his 5th round out of place now, he would have to play ....if6,
game against Harikrishna. ... tLle7 and ... tt:lg6). See for instance the game
Leko - Aronian, Dortmund 2006.
4... exd4 5.0-0 i.e7 6J~el a6 7.hc6
Strictly speaking, this is a novelty, although Black can be satisfied that he has achieved the
play will eventually transpose to some typical Exchange variation structure after d2-
previously (though rarely) trodden paths. d4 without having had to weaken his kingside
White aims to get a favourable form of the with .. .fl -f6. Moreover, the white king would
Exchange variation. be best placed on the queenside, contributing
to the defence of this wing where he is one
?.i.fl would be too passive because of7 ... d5. pawn down after all.
7.i.a4 would transpose to a position which is 9 ....id7

considered comfortable for Black after 7 ... b5 In a game played almost a century ago, Black
8.i.b3 (8.e5 is even less ambitious and leaves committed a typical mistake with 9 ... 0-0?.
White struggling slightly after 8 ... lLlxe5 9J'l:xe5 With his c7-pawn insufficiently protected,
his queenside was soon radically weakened: many endings (including those with opposite-
10.i.f4 c5 1l.ll'lf3 c6 12.ll'lc3 h6 13.ll'la4± coloured bishops), he could only be worse.
Fahrni - Burn, Carlsbad 1911.
12.~de2 .ic5t!
10.f3 Another fine move, preventing the natural
This move could be called the second development of the enemy bishop to e3.
(and last) novelty of the game. In a previous
game White tried too obstinately to obtain 13.~fl h6
the initiative with: 1o.lt'ld2 0-0-0 1l.ll'l2f3 Taking another important square away from
~de8 12.i.g5 h6 13.hf6?! hf6 14.e5 i.e? the bishop.
15.e6?! Black was already doing fine with his
strong pair of bishops, but after the text move 14.:B:dl
White will remain underdeveloped. 15 ... he6 If this move is necessary, then something
16.ll'lxe6 fXe6 17.~xe6 i.f6 18.~xe8t ~xe8 must have gone terribly wrong for White.
19.c3 ~e2+ Black was very active and soon Rooks belong on the central files (~ad1 should
won in Dehmelt- Djuric, Philadelphia 1987. have followed soon) and, besides, he should be
striving to complete his development as soon
10... 0-0-0 ll.tLlc3 as possible.
White could have prepared i.e3 with:

14.ll'lf4
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h
At first glance, it may seem that White is
Black has a choice of two moves:
doing fine. He is just two tempos away from
completing the mobilization of his forces,
a) 14 ... g5 seems to be premature and allows
while his strong kingside structure is likely to
White to consolidate after: 15.ll'ld3 i.d4
offer him good long-term chances. However,
16.ll'le2 c5 (16 ...i.b6 17.b3± followed by i.b2
the true situation is much less dear, and Ni
and i.d4 would leave White with a stable plus)
Hua will make full use of his bishop pair and
17.c3 {it makes no sense to prevent ... i.b5
better development to harass his opponent
with 17.a4 because the bishop can threaten
until the very end of the game. to occupy the fl-a6 diagonal again with
17 ... i.e6) 17... c418.cxd4cxd319.ll'lc3±With
ll ....ib4! his bishop severely restricted by White's central
White cannot afford to allow his pawn
pawns, Black cannot save his d3-pawn nor gain
structure to be spoiled with ... hc3 b2xc3. In
adequate counterplay.
b) As frequently happens, the threat is best 16.E:1d2, intending to double rooks, would
met by a developing move: 14 ... E:1he8! 15.i.e3 be unsatisfactory because of 16 ... g5 17 .i.g3
i.xe3 16.E:1xe3 g5 17.'Lld3 <'Lld5! 18.<'Llxd5 cxd5 <'Llb6! and the threat of ... <'Llc4 forces White to
19.e5 i.f5= With comfortable play for Black. give up control of the d-file anyway.
The critical continuation should be 14.i.f4, Perhaps 16.E:1e 1 could be tried, but it would be
although I admit that the bishop does not look difficult to accept losing two tempos in order
too stable here. to repair a previous mistake.
14 ... ie6 1S.if4 16 ... ic4t 17,cj{f2 f6 18.ie3

White could not exchange rooks yet with
15.E:1xd8t because after 15 ... E:1xd8 16.i.f4 <'Llh5
he would have problems preventing the enemy
rook invading on d2.
15 ... ~d7!
But now White was threatening to trade
rooks, annihilating his lag in development.
After Black's last move, it will not be easy to
achieve the aforementioned optimal regrouping
(E:1d 1 and E:1e 1). The next phase of the game
will be marked by Black's initiative, which
will not be extinguished soon. White's strong
central structure will allow him to maintain
a b c d e f g h
approximate equality, although the general
feeling is that he is struggling already. At last, White has regrouped his minor
pieces and threatens to simplifY the position
16.<'Lld4 with <'Llf5.
18 ...g6! 19.tLlce2 case, White would remain under pressure on

White intends to play lt:lf4, threatening both both wings.
lt:lxg6 and lt:lfe6, but Black's accurate reply will
parry the threat. 22 ... tLle5 23.b3 .ia3
IfWhite had tried 19.lt:lde2 then Black would

avoid the exchange with 19 ....td6.
19 ....if7 20.tLlc3
White avoided exchanging all the rooks

a b c d e f g h with 24J::!:xd8t E:xd8 25.E:dl E:xdl 26.l2Jxdl
It is hard to know whether Vugar would probably because of 26 ... a5, which takes
have repeated the position for the third time advantage of the fact that a2-a4 is impossible.
if given the chance, but Ni Hua understands After 27.lt:ldc3 b5 Black would retain some
that the psychological initiative has passed to pressure against White's queenside.
his side, and so he continues to strengthen his
position. A safer continuation was 24.E:xd8t E:xd8
25.-tcl .te7 26 ..te3. Once again, it is not easy
20 ... h5 2I.tLlde2 .id6 22.h4 to understand Gashimov's thoughts. Did he
Not an easy decision. By weakening his want to avoid a possible repetition of moves
control over the g4-square, White makes the or did he simply think that the exchange
enemy knight more secure on e5. that followed in the game would help him to
improve the position of his queen's knight?
However, a neutral move such as 22.b3?! could
be met by the courageous 22 ... hh2! when it 24.. J~xdl 25.tLlxdl .ie7!
would be impossible to trap the bishop, for For the second time in this game, White is
instance 23.f4 g5 24.g3 h4!. seriously underdeveloped. Fortunately, it is his
turn to move.
The more restrained 22.h3 would create some
long-term dangers for White. After 22 ... h4, 26.tLle3
eventually followed by ... g6-g5, White's White could have returned the knight to its
kingside structure could become a tempting previous square with 26.lt:Jdc3, but it is not
target for Black's light-squared bishop. In any very active on c3.
26.. J3d8 27.f4 under strategic pressure for a long time. Black
This voluntary weakening of the e4-pawn is could play ... c6-c5 and transfer his knight to e6
necessary in order to enable the development and his bishop to c6, followed by the gradual
of the bishop without allowing the enemy rook advance of his queenside pawns.
to invade on d2.
I do not believe that Black would gain anything
27... ti:)d7!? concrete with 32 ... ltJf6, because the knight
27 ... ltJg4t 28.ltJxg4 hxg4 29.J.e3! looks would not be doing much on g4.
entirely okay for White.
32 .. )l::lc5!?
28.~8 More ambitious than 32 ... fxe4, when 33.Elel
It looks odd to centralize the king when two J.d5 34.c4 e3t 35.Elxe3 Elxe3 36.<J?xe3 hg2
other pieces are still on their initial squares. would lead to a dead drawn position.
However, it was essential to defend the e4-
pawn now or on the next move, because the 33.exf5 gxf5 34.~xf5 ~e4t 35.~cl
hurried 28.J.b2 J.c5 29.J.d4? loses a pawn to This is the third time that White has been
29 ...Ld4 30.ltJxd4ltJc5+. underdeveloped. It certainly requires good
nerves to resist such a prolonged enemy
28... J.c5 29.J.h2 initiative.
Now the strategic threat of J.d4 is real, but
Black sidesteps it at the last moment. 35 ....ig6 36.~e3 ~g3 37..ie5
Finally, this bishop has achieved total
29...he3! 30.~xe3 ~e8 stability.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a b c d e f g h
1
With opposite-coloured bishops on the
board, the white king is slightly unsafe in the
a b c d e f g h
centre, but his extra pawn in this area allows 38.f5!
him to avoid serious trouble. The safest continuation. Otherwise, White
could not (re-)complete his development
31.ti:)g3 f5 32.~d2 without allowing the already familiar ... Eld2.
For the king's safety, 32.e5 would be best, For instance, after 38.<Jib2 Eld2 39.Eldl Ele2
but in this case White would have remained 40.J.d4 b6 (threatening ... c6-c5) 41.b4 a5
42.a3 axb4 43.axb4 tt::lf5 44.tt::lxf5 hf5+ 6 ... 0-0 7.0-0 a6 8 ..ig5 (or 8.a3) 8... h6 9.hf6
White's position would remain unpleasant. '1Wxf6 10.tt::le4 '1We7 ll.tt::lxc5 dxc5=
38... ttlxf5 39.ttlxf5 Ax£5 40..if4 7.0-0 0-0

Eureka! The time control has been reached I prepared for such a position with the knight
and the d2-square is finally defended. White is already placed on d5. I believed the difference
okay, after all... to be in my favour but later realized that the
opposite could be true.
40 ....ig4 4I.i>b2 gdl
1/z-1f2 8.a3 a6
8 ... a5 weakens the b5-square. White even
I GameS I voluntarily withdraws his knight from d5 in

some lines with ....ib4 after ... a7-a5. But it is
not clear whether White has an advantage or
Mihail Marin - David Navara not.
English Opening 9.b4 L7 IO..ib2 .te6

10 ... .ig4 ll.h3 .ie6 followed by ... '1Wd7 is
Annotations by David Navara & Mihail also an interesting option.
Marin
u.gci
l.c4 e5 2.ttlc3 ttlf6 3.g3 ll.tt::ld2 allows the equalizing ll...d5.
3.tt::lf3 tt::lc6 4.g3 .ic5 allows an additional
option: 5.tt::lxe5 hf2t 6.i>xf2 tt::lxe5 7.e4 ll ...'i'd7 12.e3
when I prefer White.
3 ... ttlc6
I have a vague idea that I had played 3 ... d5
exclusively in such positions, but I might be
wrong.
4 ..ig2 .ic5
During my preparation I considered 4 ....ib4
5.tt::ld5 .ic5 but then I changed my mind. I
also expected the other move orders so 3.g3
was a kind of surprise for me.
5.ttlf3
5.e3 enables Black to continue 5... d5 6.cxd5
a b c d e f g h
tt::lb4 with good chances for equality. 12....ih3
This natural move cost me 24 minutes and it
5... d66.d3 h6 is not very good. 12 ... tt::le7 13.l"'el b5?! 14.c5
This move is not bad, but Black can also did not appeal to me.
try to do without it. I was afraid of .ig5 when
White gets more control over the squares d5 It might have been better to try 12 ... Eiab8
and e4. But it was not so strong, for example: followed by ... b7-b5, ... tt::le7, ... c7-c5 but I
was afraid of such a risky plan and disliked I suggested to Navara that 15.liJxf6t gxf6
options such as 13.'\Wa4 or 13.b5. For example, 16. i>xg2 dxe3 was good for Black. However,
13.~a4 liJe7 14.~xd7;l;. The endgame should later, I analysed this position thoroughly and came
be better for White as the black bishop is out of to the conclusion that White has a very powerful
play. attack after 17.c5, with ideas such as liJM, ~ h5
and l'!c4, with .fxe3 inserted somewhere, as I
13.d4 wrote in my book Grandmaster Repertoire 3 -
For some strange reason, I only considered The English Opening Volume One (page 29).
13.ixh3? and 13.liJd5 liJxd5 14.ixh3 ~xh3
15.cxd5 liJe7 16.e4 c6 17.dxc6 liJxc6 18.d4
exd4 19.liJxd4 ~xd4 20.~xd4 ~e6 21.~b2
8
Wxe4 22.~xd6 Eife8 with equality. 7
6
13 ... exd4
If 13 ... ix:g2, as suggested by Marin, then 5
14.\t>xg2 exd4 and White has only a minimal
4
edge after 15.exd4liJe7 followed by ... c7-c6.
3
14.tLld5!?
2
14.exd4 had already happened in Marin -
Jerez Perez, Andorra 2001, but I did not know 1
that. The game continued 14 ... ix:g2 (I also
a b c d e f g h
considered 14...~g4) 15.i>xg2 Eiae8 16.~d3
d517.c5l"iJe418.l"iJe2~b8 and Black managed 15.cxd5?
to revive his bishop by means of ... c7 -c6. White misses an opportunity to gain a big
advantage: 15.~xh3! ~xh3 16.cxd5 This
would have been far more unpleasant for me,
8 for example:
7
a) 16 ... liJe7 17.Eixc7
6 17.ix:d4 ix:d4 18.~xd4± is also better for
5 White as the complications are not good for
Black: 18 ... ~f5!? (18 ... ~h5? 19.Eixc7liJxd5?
4 20.g4) 19.Eixc7liJxd5 20.liJh4±
3 17 ... liJxd5 18.Eixb7
White threatens to take on a?.
2
18 ... dxe3
1 18 ... liJc3 is better but not good.
19.~xd5 exf2t 20.l'!xf2 ix:f2t 2I.i>xf2±
a b c d e f g h
14... tLlxd5? b) 16 ... liJe5 17.liJxe5 dxe5 18.exd4±
I played this move too quickly because I This is simple and strong; Black should give
wanted to save time. up a pawn.
18 ... exd4
14 ...~xg2 was suggested by Marin, and then 18 ... e4 19.Eixc7 ~f5 20.'\Wb3±
15.i>xg2liJxd5 19.Eixc7
a b c d e f g h
Black has many options here but none of
them is satisfactory. I will give three examples:
bl) 19 .. J'!ad8 20.:!:!xb7 :!:!xd5! (Fritz) 21.Wf3

(2l.Eixa7 Elh5) 2l ... Eid7 White keeps a tangible
advantage after moves like Elel or Wc6.
b2) 19 ... Wf5 20.hd4 Wxd5 (20 ... :!:!fd8

21.i.xa7 Elxd5 22.We2 Elxa7 23.We8t; 19 ... axb4
20 ... i.b8 2l.Eixb7 Wxd5 22.Wg4!?+-) 2l.ha7 I also considered 19 ... Eifc8 but it was not
Wxdl 22.Eixdl Elxa7 23.Eidd7+- I like rook clear to me why I should not open the a-file
endgames in general but not this one in immediately.
particular!
20.axb4
b3) 19 ... Eifd8 20.i.xd4 Elxd5 21.Wf3 is bad 20.Wxb4 Ela7 also does not promise White
for Black because his rook will be located very anything special.
poorly on a7. Fritz 9 indicates the following
lines: 20 .. J:~a4 21.~c3 gcs 22,gd4
21...Wf5 22.Wxf5 :!:!xf5 23.i.xa7 Elxa7 22.Wb3 Wb5 23.Eid4 would have been more
24.a4!± and Black has to give up a pawn in circumspect.
order to activate his rook.
21...Eid7 22.Wxb7
21...We6 22.i.xa7 Elxa7 23.Eidl!± and the
a7 -rook is misplaced again.
15 ...hg2
Now Black is alright again.
16.xg2
16.dxc6 Wh3 17.cxb7 Elab8 should be good
for Black.
16... ~e717.hd4.ixd418.~xd4 a5!=

Otherwise White would remain with a better
pawn structure. a b c d e f g h
22 ... c5 23.dxc6l:!xc6 24.l:!c4l:!xc4 2S.'Wxc4 Here my opponent offered a draw. I mostly

ttlc6 26.l:!dl play till the end so I rejected the offer.
26.!:'1bl Wf5 was a bit risky, for example
27.e4? i!&'xf3t!. Instead 27.ttld2 d5 could also I believe this is a good moment to speak about the
be dangerous, as the black rook might come to incredibly gentle character ofmy young opponent.
a2 in some lines. But the position should be After offiring a draw, I stood up and started to
equal after a move like 28.Wc3. walk around the playing hall. I always do this,
because I do not like to feel like I am waiting for
26 ... l:!xb4 27.'Wd3l:!b2 the verdict. When, after a while, I returned to my
The position remains equal and 27 ... b5 seat, David used a long and polite sentence to let
28.i!&'xd6 Wxd6 29.!:'1xd6 E1c4 30.ct:ld4 ct:lxd4 me know that he was willing to play on. Only
3l.exd4 would have resulted in a draw. after that did he play his next move. I had the
distinct feeling that he had been waiting for me,
28.'Wxd6 'WfS 29.'Wa3 'WbS 30.'Wa8t considering it to be impolite to just play the move.
He sacrificed several minutes on his clock for the
sake of being a perfect gentleman. Admirable,
indeed...
30... 'it>h7 31.'Wc8 tLle7

White is slightly better now. Normally I
would have chosen 3I...We2 32.Wf5t mgs
33.WcSt mh7 but it would have looked too
stupid after I had rejected a draw.
32.'Wd7 'WcS 33.'Wd4 'Wxd4 34.l:!xd4

White thought for ten minutes before

playing this. With less than three minutes left,
he chose an ultra-safe continuation.
White had two other options:
37.lLlg5t lffg6 38.lLlxf7 lfff6

I believed this position was much better for
White, but I failed to find a win in the post
mortem.
I was pessimistic enough to seriously
consider 38 ... b4 39.e4 lZ:lh6. It is not so
a b c d e f g h clear, for example: 40.lZ:lxh6 (40.lZ:le5t!?±)
40 ... Iffxh6 4l.lffg2 (41.Eld6t lffh7 42.h4±
34•••b5? looks stronger) 41 ... g5!? Then ... g5-g4 might
34 ... lZ:lc6 was suggested by Marin. For some be playable, but Black's position does not
strange reason I could see this move in a similar look very tempting.
line with a rook on d3, but not now! 39.e41ffe6
Marin
I also considered 34 ... lZ:lf5 when 35J'!d3 h5 40.Elb7
36.e4 lZ:lh6 37.h3 is a good way to keep my 40.Eld5 lLle3t 41.fxe3 lffxf7 42.Elxh5 b4
knight passive, but this line is still much better 43.h4 b3 (as my opponent pointed out,
than my continuation. 43 ... Elc2 44.Elb5 Elc4 45.~e2 Elxe4 46.1fff3
Elc4 is very risky for Black) 44.Elb5 g6 Black
35J~d7 c!Llf5 36. 'i!lfl should probably be able to save a draw as
Around here I realized that White can defend White's king is very passive.
the e3-pawn and still keep both of his threats. 40 ... lZ:ld4
White should be better but Black's passed
36••• h5 pawn demands some care.
4l.lZ:lg5t ~d6 (Marin)
8 41...~f6 42.f4 Elxh2 43.Elf7t lffg6 44.Eld7
and the black king finds himself in a mating
7 net.
6 42.Elxg7 b4;:!;/ ±
White should be better, but Black's passed
5 pawn promises him serious counterplay.
4
On the other hand, 37.Elxf7lZ:\h6 38.Elf8 lZ:lg4
3 39.lLlg5t lffg6 40.h4 b4=/;:!; might be okay for
2 Black due to the powerful passed pawn.
1 37•• .tihd4
112-lfl
a b c d e f g h
37.c!Lld4?
ll. .. lt:lbd7!?) ll.i.g5 lt:lbd7 12.lt:ld2 ~a5

I Game 9 I 13.exd5 lt:lxd5 14.lt:le4 lt:lc5 15.~el lt:lxe4
16.dxe4 lt:lf4= Black easily reached equality in
Sergei Tiviakov - Konstantin Landa Rublevsky - Svidler, Khanty-Mansyisk (3.1)
2007.
Bishop's Opening
10.0-0 0-0
Annotations by Sergei Tiviakov After 10 ... dxe4 ll.dxe4 ~xdl 12.E!:xdl
lt:lbd7 13.lt:ld2± White has the upper hand in
This game was played in the second round. I the ending due to his bishop pair.
had lost my first game to Marin with White
and wanted to recover... ll.exd5N
This move is new. After ll.i.g5 lt:lbd7=
l.e4 e5 2.J.c4 White has nothing. Rublevsky - Svidler,
Nowadays this is the only option for White Khanty-Mansyisk (3.3) 2007, continued:
to avoid the Russian Game. My opponent 12.lt:lh4 lt:lc5 13.f4 lt:lcxe4 14.fxe5 ~xe5
plays l.e4 e5 2.lt:lf3 lt:lf6 regularly, and with 15.lt:lf3 ~xc3 16.dxe4 lt:lxe4 17.i.h4 ~xa3
good results. 18.c4 ~c5t 19.~d4 ~xd4t 20.lt:lxd4 And the
game was eventually drawn
2... lt:lf6 3.d3 c6 4.~f3 d5 5.J.b3 a5
This is just one of the possible ways Black ll ... cxd5
can develop his pieces. It is understandable that Black keeps his
strong centre intact. After ll...lt:lxd5 12.~el
6.~c3 J.b4 7.a3 hdt 8.bxc3 a4 9 ..ia2 lt:ld7 13.E!:bl White is slightly better although
Recently this position occurred twice in the 13.c4!? also deserves attention.
World Cup in Khanty-Mansyisk 2007, where
Black easily managed to solve all his opening
problems.
12.h3
The text covers the g4-square to prevent
a b c d e f g h the possible development of the black bishop
9.. .'~'d6 there.
9... ~c7!? deserves serious attention. After
10.0-0 0-0 (10 ... dxe4 ll.dxe4 0-0 or There was another very interesting option:
12.d4!? 15.hf6 gxf6 gives White nothing special,

This could lead to a complex position. For but keeping the tension with 15.l2ld2!? was
example: worth trying.
12 ... e4
12 ... exd4 13.cxd4± 15 ... e4
13.l2le5 l2lbd7 14.iJ4 Wxa3 15.i.b3 We? There was also nothing wrong with
15 ... Wb2?! is weaker since the black queen 15 ... ~ad8!?.
can be trapped after 16.Wd2, which forces
Black to sacrifice the exchange after: 16.~h4 J.d7 17.~bl h6
16 ... l2lxe5 (16 ... axb3 17.~xa8 l2lb6 18.~a7 It looks tempting to try to win a piece using
Wxc2 19.Wxc2 bxc2 20.h3±) 17.he5 the awkward position of the white knight on
(17.dxe5 e3 18.Wxe3l2le4 19.~xa4 [19.~a2 h4, but it was also possible to play 17... b5!?
Wxc3 20.~xa4 ~xa4 2l.i.xa4=] 19 ... ~xa4 using the fact that 18.~xb5 can be answered by
20.ha4 l2lxc3 2l.i.b3 i.f5=) 17 ... axb3 18 ... exd3 19.cxd3l2ld4 20.~b2 ~xel t 21.Wxel
18.~xa8± White is clearly better. l'l:e8 22.i.e3 Wxa3 with equal chances.
16.~xa4 ~xa4 17.ha4 We6
The position is unclear. 17... l2ld8 was also an option to consider.
12.~el l2lc6 13.h3 leads to the same position

IS.J.£4 V!Vcs
Mter 18 ... Wf8 19.~xb7 g5 20.i.e3 White
as 12.h3l2lc6 13.~el.
has a very strong attack.
12 .. .lt~c6
12 ... l2lbd7 is interesting or 12 ... ~e8 13.d4
exd4 (13 ... e4 14.l2le5 l2lc6 15.i.f4±) 14.cxd4
with unclear play.
13J~el
13.~bl!? also deserves attention.
13 .. J~e8
Black could also play 13 ... i.e6 14.~bl ~ab8
with unclear chances.
14.J.g5
I wanted to develop the bishop to g5 first, a b c d e f g h
since after 14.~bl!? Black could play 14 ... h6!?
19.i.xh6!?
with complex play.
This sacrifice looks very tempting, but it
was much safer to play 19.~xb7 although the
14...J.f5!? position remains equal after Black's two likely
14 ... Wxa3 looks too risky, although after
replies:
15.hf6 gxf6 16.hd5 Wxc3 17.l2ld2 i.f5 it is
not clear how White can gain an advantage. For
19 ... Wxc3 20.dxe4 ~xe4 2l.~xe4 dxe4
example: 18.l2le4 (18.~e4? l2ld4+) 18 ... he4
22.l2lg6=
19.dxe4l2lb4 20.hb7 ~ad8 with equality.
19 ... exd3 20.cxd3 (20.i.e3 Wxc3 2I.cxd3
IS.V!Vcl Wxcl [21...Wxd3 22.~xd7 l2lxd7 23.Wxc6
ltlf6±] 22.Ei:xcl d4 23.Jild2 l2le5=) 20 ... Ei:xel t 23.flxb7

21.\Wxel 1Wxa3 22.1Wd2= After 23.exd5 Ei:xel t 24.Ei:xel 1Wxa3
(24 ... 1Wd6!?) 25.d6 l2lc6 Black is slightly
19.Jile3 1Wxc3 20.Ei:xb7 exd3 transposes to better.
19.Ehb7 exd3 20.Jile3 \Wxc3.
23 ... ~c6
19... gxh6 2oJWxh6 tLlh7 The computer says that 23 ... 1Wxa3 was
The only move, as both 20 ... \Wxc3? 2l.Ei:e3± possible with a small advantage for Black, but
and 20 ... Ei:e6? 2l.Ei:e3± are bad for Black. this is not a move you can easily make at the
board.
21.dxe4
Now White restores the material balance, as 24.Eib4 Elxe4 2S.Eibxe4 dxe4
he has three pawns for a bishop.
2l.Ei:e3 is less strong after 21 ... ~h8 (21...1Wf8!?)

22.d4 1Wxa3 23.Jilxd5 1Wf8+, followed by
... ltld8.
2I..J1e6!
The text is better than 21...1Wxa3 22.Jilxd5
ie6 23.Ei:e3 with a sharp position.
22.Wd2 tLle7!
Once again Black plays a strong move,
consolidating his position. Instead 22 ... Ei:e7
23.Jilxd5 is better for White.
26J~e3?! Here a draw was agreed although the

During the game I thought that it made following lines demonstrate that White is
no real difference which move to make first, slightly better and Black has to be careful to
the text move or 26.~f4, but later it became stay out of trouble:
clear that 26. ~f4 was more accurate. After
26 .. J''If8 27J'Ie3 ~h8 28.E:g3 we would reach 30 ... ~d5?? loses by force after: 3l.~e2 ~xe2
the same position as in the game, but avoid the 32.~e5t f6 33.~xe7 ~f7 (33 ... E:g8 34.lUg6t
possibility Black has next move. E:xg6 35.E:xg6+-) 34.lUg6t hg6 35.E:xg6
E:g8 36.E:h6 E:g7 37.~f8t E:g8 38.~xf6t E:g7
26...!:1£8?! 39.~d8t E:g8 40.~d4t E:g7 41.E:g6+-
Black also failed to notice the difference
between 26.E:e3 and 26.~f4. 26 ...~d5+ was 30 ... tUg6 3l.~xf7 (31.lUxg6t fxg6 32.~d6;t)
stronger! 3l ... E:xf7 32.lUxg6t ~xg6 33.E:xg6 E:f8;t
27J'Ig3t ~h8 28.W/f4 W/h5 30 ... ~c6 3l.f3 (3l.~e2 ~c5 32.~c4=) 3l ... ~d5
At this point I was already in time trouble. (3l...exf3 32.~d4t f6 33.~a7 ~xh4 34.~xe7
~h6 35.~e6 ~f4 36.~xc6±) 32.~xd5 tUxd5
29.~h2?! 33.~xe4 tUdf6 34.~xa4 White has a slight
29.~c4! was better since 29 ... ~d5?? loses plus.
after 30.~e2 ~xe2 3l.~e5t f6 32.~xe7 ~f7
33.lUg6t hg6 34.E:xg6 E:g8 35.E:h6.
29 ...h8?!
Again Black misses an excellent opportunity IGameiO I
to turn the game in his favour. Mter: 29 ... ~d5
30.c4 ~c6 31.c5 ~xc5 (31...~d5 32.~xd5 Pentala Harikrishna- Michele Godena
~xd5=) 32.hf7 ~e8 33.~b8 ~b5 34.~b7
tUf6! Black is slightly better, whereas 34 ... E:xf7 Ruy Lopez
35.lUg6t tUxg6 36.~xf7 tUhf8 37.E:xg6 lUxg6
38.~xg6 would only be equal. Annotations by Mihail Marin
30..ic4 I.e4 e5 2.<~f3 ttlc6 3 ..ib5 ttlf6 4.d3

White avoids 4.0-0, which usually leads to
the infamous Berlin Wall endgames (or perhaps
8 they are queenless middlegames).
7
4....ic5 5.c3
6 In my opinion, White should not hurry
5 with this move, which weakens the d3-square
prematurely.
4
3 5 ... 0-0 6.0-0 l:'!:e8
Not a bad move, but probably not the best.
2
1 In the romantic era of chess, Adolf Anderssen
won several games with the sharp move 6 ... d5!
a b c d e f g h
when after 7.hc6 bxc6 8.tt:lxe5 dxe4 9.d4 him. There will be nothing to compensate for
either bishop retreat (to b6 or d6) offers Black the chronic weakness of the f5-square.
excellent compensation for the eventual loss
of the c6-pawn. Recent high-level games have It should be said that after ll...g6 12.dxe5
confirmed the soundness of this plan, which dxe5 13.tt:lc4 Black is under serious pressure
explains my reservations about an early c2-c3. anyway.
7.d4 i.f8 SJ:~el d6 12.i.g3 ~xd4!?

This logical move is a novelty over the The only problem with this simplifying
following short draw between two Baltic operation is that it provokes the exchange of
players: 8 ... exd4 9.e5 tt:ld5 10.cxd4 Kulaots- the light-squared bishops, which will only
Berzinsh, Latvia (rapid) 2006. increase the significance of the weakness of the
f5-square.
9.i.g5 i.d7 10.~bd2;1;
13.~xd4 exd414.hd7
Unfortunately for Black, he cannot apply a
well known trick from the Steinitz variation of
the Ruy Lopez. With his rook on f8, he could
have won a pawn with 14 ... dxc3!.
14.. .'1Wxd7 15.cxd4 J.g7
a b c d e f g h
would compare this position with two
well-known variations (although we should
take into account that White has lost a tempo
with d2-d3-d4).
With ... g7-g6 and ... i.g7 played, it would
be a viable form of the Pirc, where the only
unusual thing is the presence of the white
bishop on b5.
There is also a Ruy Lopez line in which the
bishop goes to b6 instead of f8. Obviously,
Black's position is more passive here than in
the other mentioned cases, despite White's loss
of time.
16... dxe5 17.dxe5 ~d5 18.Yl!fb3 b6 19.gadl
IO ...h6 ll.J.h4 g5 Yl!fe6 20.~f3
If Black needs to play like this, then This does not look too bad either; White has
something must have really gone wrong for wonderful development and the safer king.
20 ... ~e7 21.¥Nxe6 fxe6 29 ... exd5. Although after 30.g5 i.g7 3l.~e3,
Black has managed to defend the f5-square eventually followed by ~hl, White's pawns are
quite well, but not to eliminate the general very dangerous, Black's centre could also be a
weakness of his kingside. threat.
22.h4~f5 30.g5 .i£8 31.~g3 b5 32.gcl c4 33.bxc4

Black is not well enough developed to go for gc5
the ambitious 22 ... g4, aiming to establish a Black has managed to create a passed pawn,
light-squared blockade. For instance: 23.4Jd4 but it is less impressive than a pair of pawns.
4Jf5 (after 23 ... ~f7 24.4Jb5 4Jd5 White can Soon, it will become more of a weakness than
win a pawn with 25.~xd5 exd5 26.4Jxc7, a threat.
although he may well consider other ways of
increasing his pressure) 24.4Jc6! A fantastic 34. ~f4 bxc4 35. ~e4 ~f7 36.gc2 .ig7
square for the knight. 24 ... 4Je7 25.4Jxe7t
~xe7 26.h5± The g4-pawn is in great danger.
23.hxg5 ~xg3 24.fxg3 gadS 25.gxh6 .ixh6

26.~f2
8
7
6
5
4
a b c d e f g h
3
37.~d4?!
2 White should not be in a hurry to attack this
1 pawn.
a b c d e f g h He could have strengthened his position first
White has managed to win a pawn, while with: 37.~c3 ~g6 (37 ... ~a5 fails to achieve
keeping the enemy bishop in a sort of cage. counterplay after 38.~xc4 ~xa2 39.~c7t ~g6
The technical phase is not easy, but Black's 40.~e7 ~a4t 41.4Jd4 and the e5-pawn will
defensive task is completely joyless. It should soon become a huge threat to Black) 38.a4
be mentioned that the doubled pawn on g2 is ~f7 And now the line from the game 39.~d4
quite important, because it ensures complete ~d5t 40.~xc4 he5 can be answered with
stability for the knight on a square from which 4l.~d3!+-.
it can dominate the bishop.
37... gd5t 38.~xc4?!
26... c5 27.b3 gd5 28.g4 ged8 29.gxd5 White could have retraced his steps with
gxd5 38.~e4.
Playing safe. Instead Black could have
changed the character of the position with 38 ....ixe5
Black has managed to simplifY the position, 46 ... l3b5?

increasing his chances for survival. However, He should have attacked the pawn and
White's space advantage, superior activity and blocked it at the same time with 46 ... E!:a6!.
outside passed pawns leave him on top.
47.l3h7t c;!;g6 48.l3h6t c;f;g7 49.a6!
39.l3fl .ig3 40.13£1. l3f5 41.a4 .id6 42.l3hl Now Black is in trouble again. White's
l3f4t 43.~b5l3b4t 44.c;!;c6l3b6t 45.c;!;d7 stability looks limited, but in fact it is hard to
White has activated his position dramatically, challenge.
but perfect coordination is still hard to
achieve. 49 ... e5
49 ... .!xg5? loses to the pin 50.E!:h5!. And
45 ....if4 49 .. Jl:xg5 is not much better because of
50.ctJxg5 ~xh6 5l.ctJxe6, winning. For
instance: 51.. ..!e3 52.~c8 ~g6 53.cj;>b7 cj;>f5
54.ct:ld8 cj;>g4 55.ct:lc6 cj;>g3 56.ct:lxa7 ~xg2
57.ctJc8 cj;>f3 58.ct:lb6 Followed by promoting
the pawn. In this line we can see another useful
job fulfilled by the g2-pawn: it keeps the enemy
king busy for a long series of moves, leaving
White with a free hand on the other wing.
50.l3e6 .ig3 51.g6l3a5 5V!Llg5 .ifl53.lL!e4

.ib6 54.g4l3a4 55.lL!d6
Finally, White has regrouped perfectly, deep
in Black's territory. The game is decided.
a b c d e f g h
55 ... l3d4 56.c;!;c6 l3xg4 57.lL!f5t c;f;f8
46.a5? ss.c;!;ds
This impulsive move could have led to a The immediate 58.E!:f6t followed by g6-g7
fairly easy draw. The immediate 46J%h7t! would also have won, but the text is convincing
would have been stronger, with similar play as enough.
in the game after Black's next mistake. 1-0
Round3 31 December 2007
Almasi - Tiviakov ~-~
Navara - Gashimov 0-1

Ni Hua - Harikrishna ~-~
Landa - Marin 1-0

Godena - Korchnoi ~-~
Standings
2 Almasi, Gashimov, Landa
1 1/2 Harikrishna, Korchnoi, Marin, Ni Hua
1 Godena, Navara, Tiviakov
If any spectators were expecting the players to be on holiday for the last game of 2007, then this
eventful round proved them wrong. It turned out to be especially dramatic for the audience's
favourite, the combative Marin. His game against Landa monopolized the attention of the
commentary room where GM Cebalo and partners produced a torrent of analysis.
Marin was Black and replied to Landa's English Opening by setting up a not-too-prickly Hedgehog,
which the Russian GM exploited almost perfectly between moves 15 and 25, obtaining a lasting
initiative. Just as Landa was about to reap the benefits of all his labour, the pressure from his
clock proved to be more than he could bear and on move 36 White committed the mistake that
should have given his opponent the full point. Now that a chance had finally presented itself the
Romanian GM was quick to grasp it. The game reached the time control at move 40 with Black
in the lead and the audience in agitation: would Black decide to play for a win or allow White to
take a perpetual check? What will Marin decide? This was everybody's question for forty minutes,
precisely the time Marin spent in what we all presumed was a thorough examination of all the
subtleties of the position. Then we had a verdict: 44 ... 'it>g7, he plays on! Chez Cebalo, there was
great tension as we waited to see where our analysis diverged from the players' and, first and
foremost, if Marin would be the sole leader after three rounds.
"Marin is great! Now he is winning: he's thought for forty minutes and he's an excellent endgame
specialist. No doubt he knows what he's doing." Those were the prevailing thoughts at the Astoria.
When the Internet page where everybody was following the game showed 46 ... lt>f6, we were
incredulous ... "Is this really possible? How can he have overlooked that White now consolidates
his knight and can no longer lose?" We barely had time to ask ourselves the question before Black
continued to err with the frankly absurd 47 ... b4??- the finishing touch to his suicidal project.
Soon it was all over, with Landa collecting a point that, overall, he probably deserved, even if the
path to victory was rocambolesque.
As for Marin, he enhanced his already high reputation by showing up in the commentary
room just minutes after throwing away the game, despite the bitterness of the moment. Hats off
to him! But let's go back to that one question: "How could he ... ?" Marin's explanation of how
he produced the series of errors that cost him the game is, in my humble opinion, one of the
highlights of this book - a fine insight into high level over-the-board chess.
I think this is the right moment to reveal that, after the end of the tournament, Mihail said to
me, "You know, Yuri, I really need to thank you for having offered me this fantastic opportunity.
Some day, when I am telling my grandchildren about the time I played in Reggio Emilia, I will
not remember my final score of -2 but rather the very strong emotions during my game with
Landa, when I avoided a guaranteed repetition to try and take the sole lead. It was an enthralling
experience, which is in itself worth all the effort I poured into the tournament."
After all this emotion, the other games, such as Gashimov's clear win against Navara (with his
pet Modern Benoni) or Godena's prestigious draw against Korchnoi's French, fade far in the
background and so we shall observe a dignified silence.
An hour after the end of the round, the players, their friends and relatives, and the Caissa ltalia
staff gathered like an extended family to celebrate the New Year in a restaurant (II Mauriziano)
not too far from the centre of Reggio Emilia, which I frankly would not recommend to any of
the readers ...
I Game Ill
In the usual lines of the Maroczy, modern
theory recommends that White avoids
exchanging the dark-squared bishops, because
Zoltan Almasi - Sergei Tiviakov this is supposed to make Black's defence easier
by ensuring his queen has some stable squares.
Sicilian Defence, Accelerated Dragon Variation
In addition, White's bishop can act on both
wings, unlike its rival, which only targets the
queenside. However, with the b-pawn under
latent pressure, the g7-bishop could prove
l.e4 c5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~xd4 g6
quite annoying, for instance 12.E:acl Wa5
5.c4 ~f6 6.~c3 ~xd4 7.Y!!fxd4 d6
13.E:fdl i.e6 14.f3 E:fc8 15.lLlb5lLld716.lLld4
Tiviakov is one of the most enthusiastic
l2lc5 17.l2lxe6 Wxd2 18.E:xd2 fXe6 19.E:bl
adherents of the Maroczy system with Black
'it>f7 20.'it>fl E:a6 2l.i.dl E:ca8 22.g3 E:b6
and this position has occurred countless
and Black has little to complain about, Ribli-
times in his games. It is not an opening that
Parligras, Eppingen 2008.
would suit everyone - many players would be
inhibited by Black's lack of space. Black must
12....ie6 13.Y!!fe3 ~d7 14..ixg7 i>xg7
also display great inventiveness in order to
generate counterplay.
8.ie2 .ig7 9 ..ie3 0-0 10.Y!!fd2
8
7
i.~.i.~ ~~--
rrr------/.w-,Y.~~
6 _____ %a~wJ----~~J-,?~
~-% u
,.,.~
:~8!~!--~
3- ~ -~~m
2 [j*w~-%-----'~~<-·<-{~-----~w-%
~ ~
~%
~
~w~
~ff~ A ~~
/ • %'0%0%'0
%'l.
a b c d e f g h
~----%------/.~----%-----
" ' - ~.: %--.-/.
15.b3!?
A new move. Almasi refrains from the
a b c d e f g h immediate knight jump to d5 which offered
Black a clear plan of counterplay in the games
10... a5!?
played so far. The following is a recent example:
This move is a relatively new trend. For
decades, Black's main (sometimes only 15.l2ld5 hd5 16.exd5 Wb6 17.Wc3t An
adequate) continuation was considered to be exchange of queens would deprive White of
any attacking possibilities, leaving Black with
10 ...i.e6 followed by ... Wa5, .. J:!:fc8, ... a7-a6,
etc. By advancing the a-pawn at a moment enviable stability on the dark squares. 17... l2le5
when White cannot react with the standard b2- Now the c4-pawn is in some danger, so White
has to challenge the stability of the e5-knight
b3 (because of ... l2lxe4), Black ensures that he
as soon as possible. 18.'it>hl Wa5 19.Wd4
will have some extra space on the queenside.
Wa7 20.Wc3 Wa5 21.Wd4 Wa7 22.Wc3 Wa5
In Azarov- Timofeev, Dresden 2007, neither
11.0-0 a4 12..id4
side considered it appropriate to avoid the 20.£4 tLlc6 2I..if3 .id7!

repetition. The bishop is ready to challenge the enemy
knight on b5 and neutralize the f3-bishop
16.axb3 ~c7 17.tLlb5
15 ... axb3 ~c5 (with a further ... ~c6) if necessary.
18.~c3t ~e5 19.~xe5t tLlxe5
22J:Udl l3xal 23.l3xal l3c8 24. <j;lfl <j{£8
8 .~~
~~ ~ ~~ •
~~F{""'YW'l'f~
1 ~£-~r~~~£8£
6 ~ f~.i.~i~
5 ~~~""'%~~~ ~
4 111$.~!~,~~~~m
%~~ ~~~~ ~
3
2
~~-~-~-~-~r~
~ ~j,f~ ~ f~
1 ~~ v~- ~-j=""%
a b c d e f g h
Black has managed to trade queens, but
White's space advantage persists. However,
making further progress is far from easy,
because Black does not have any weaknesses.
The way this game will gradually enter the
"drawing zone" is rather typical of the Maroczy However, a more neutral policy would not have
Bind. offered better chances of making significant
progress. For instance, 25.g4ltlb4 26.ltlc3 ~b8
27.g5 b5 28.E:a7 ~c6 29.lt:Jxb5 ~xb5 30.cxb5

~xb5 3l.~e2 E:b8 32.~c4 e6, followed by I Game Ill
... d6-d5 and the weakness of the b3-pawn
compensates for the activity of White's pieces. David Navara- Vugar Gashimov
25 ... ~b4! Modern Benoni
Threatening a deadly fork.
Annotations by David Navara &
26J~a7 bb5 27.c:x:b5 ~c2t 28.~f2 b6 Vugar Gashimov
29J~b7 ~d4 30J~xb6 ~xb3
The b5-pawn does not have enough support l.d4 ~f6 2.c4 e6 3.~f3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.~c3
tobecome a real threat. Besides, Black's king is exd5 6.c:x:d5 g6 7.~d2
quite close. This move was played twice against me the year
before, and for this reason I was sure someone
31.e5!? wouldplay it against me again. On both previous
Activating the bishop and depriving the occasions I had played 7. .. ~ bd7.
enemy knight of absolute stability on c5, but
simplifYing the position even more.
31 ...dxe5 32.fxe5 ~c5 33J~c6l3xc6 34.bxc6

i>es 35.~e3 ~d8 36..id5 e6 37.~d4 ~a4
38.i.e4
a b c d e f g h
White cannot break the blockade and so his 8.e4
huge space advantage has no significance. Interesting is B.lt:Jc4!? 0-0 9. ~/4 ~e8 00 •
1/2-¥2
8... 0-0 9 ..ie2 l3e8 10.0-0 a6
Another line starts with IO ... lt:Jbd7 ll.a4.
ll.a4 ~bd712.f4
I believed this line favoured White, but it is
not so clear. 12.Wfc2 is a reasonable alternative.
The text move is rare. I believe 12. Wf c2 is Wfxd6 18.e5 Wc5

better. Another possibility is 12.]3 f.Ue5! 13f4? During the game I saw only 19.exf6? f.Uxf6
f.Ueg4 14. f.Uc4 f.Uxe4 15.i.xg4 i.d4t I6.i.e3 and Black's position is very comfortable.
f.Uxc3 17. bxc3 i.xg4 18. Wf xg4 i.xe3 f 19. rJl hI 19.b4! Wd4 (Gashimov)
:B:e4+. We analysed this after the game and came to
the conclusion that Black is fine, but Fritz
12 .. J:~b8 shows that things are not so simple.
My knowledge of theory came to an end 20.Wfd2!! (Fritz)
here, but no fewer than 120 games have This idea has to be executed accurately.
reached this position. Instead 12 ... c4 13.cJlhl Less good is 20.Wfd3 Wfxd3 2l.i.xd3 f.Ub6
f.Uc5 14.e5 dxe5 15.fxe5 :B:xe5 16.f.Uxc4 really 22.exf6 i.xf6 with equality, or 20.:B:dl Wfxb4
is better for White. 2l.ia3 Wxf4.
20 ... Wfxd2
20 ... Wfxb4 2l.ia3 f.Ue4 22.f.Uxe4 Wxe4
23.i.f3 Wfc4 24.:B:fcl and Black has to return
a piece, but the threat of i.d6 will become
annoying after 24 ... f.Uxe5 25.fxe5 Wfh4
26.g3±.
2l.i.xd2 f.Ub6 22.exf6 i.xf6 23.hb5t/±
Black's activity does not fully compensate for
the missing pawns.
13.Whl!
This is the best move. I was afraid of:
13 ... b5?
13 ... c4 14.e5! (14.hc4 f.Uc5 15.e5 00)
a b c d e f g h
14 ... dxe5 15.f.Uxc4 is thought to be better
13.a5?! for White, but Black does not have to play
This is a well-known inaccuracy, as there is so aggressively. But the text move fails to:
no need to activate Black's rook. 14.axb5 axb5 15.ixb5 f.Uxd5 16.exd5 i.xc3
17.ixd7
I rejected the alternative: I did not realize 13 ... b5? is not possible
13.Wic2 against 13.cJlhl. I had calculated it against
Because of: 13.Wic2, but in that line there is a saving check
13 ... c4 ond4.
13 ... b5 14.axb5 axb5 15.i.xb5 f.Uxd5
(15 ... f.Ug4 16.f.Uf3 i.d4t 17.cJlhl±) 16.exd5 13 ... b5 14.axb6 ~xb6
hc3 17.bxc3 :B:xb5 18.c4 This should be It is not easy for White to complete his
better for White. For instance: 18 ... :B:b8 development; Black is by no means worse.
19.i.b2 :B:e2 20.Wfc3! Wf6 (20 ... f6 2U'ifel
Wfe7 22.cJlfl!±) 2l.Wfxf6 f.Uxf6 22.i.xf6 15.@hl
:B:xd2 23.:B:fbl! (Fritz) 23 ... :B:xbl t 24.:B:xbl It might sometimes be useful to have the
:B:e2 25.:B:b6± king on a safer square.
14.f.Uxc4 White must avoid 15.Wfc2? f.Ufxd5! and
14.e5!? dxe5 15.f.Uxc400 15.ha6? :B:a8. I also rejected 15.i.f3 because
14 ... b5 15.axb5 axb5 16.f.Uxd6 Wb6t 17.cJlhl of 15 ... c4 followed by ... f.Ufd7 and ... f.Uc5.
15 ... c4! 16.l='!a3 17.Wc2 lLlfxd5 18.4Jxd5 lLlxd5 19.Wxc4

16.lLlxc4 lLlxc4 17.Jlxc4 lLlxe4 IS already (19.lLlxc4 lLlb4) 19 ... Wxc4 20.Jlxc4 lLlb4
more pleasant for Black. is better for Black whose pieces coordinate
better. 2l.f5 gxf5 22.exf5 d5 23J::1g3 Jlxf5!
I6 ... Wc7 (Gashimov)
17.e5 dxe5 18.fxe5 ~xe5 (18 ... 4Jfxd5 19.4Jxd5

lLlxd5 20.lLlxc4 Jle6 [Gashimov] 2l.~xa64Jb4
22.4Jd6 ~ed8) 19.4Jf3 ~xd5
17.f5 gxf5 18.exf5 ~e5 or 17.Jlf34Jfd7
I did not want to calculate lines like 17.b3lLlg4

18.Jlxg4 (18.bxc4!? lLle3 19.Wel lLlbxc4!?)
18 ... Jlxg4 19.Wxg4 Jlxc3, when White's centre
is very loose.
17... cxb3 18.l='!xb3

It was better to play 18.~xb3+ (Fritz) as
18 ... 4Jbxd5? (better is 18 ... 4Jfd7 19.4Ja4 f5 or
17.b4 18 ... 4Jbd7) fails to 19.4Jxd5. Otherwise Black
This move cost me 13 minutes. Other lines I has a decent position with good counterplay
looked at included: against White's centre, but it is far from clear.
18 ... ~fd7
a b c d e f g h
20 ... ~c3!
a b c d e f g h I missed this move; Black is now winning.
19.~a4?
I played this move very quickly because I had 2U~xc8 YlYxc8 22.VlYe1 ~xe4
already calculated it while playing 17.b4 and I Also possible is 22... ltlc5!?.
wanted to avoid getting into time trouble. I
had about 51 minutes left. 23.~xe4 gxe4 24.VlYd2 ~c5 25 ..ia3
Or 25. ij3 l'l:d4 26. 'W c2 l'l:d3.
If I had seen my opponent's 20th move, I
would have gone for: 19.ib2 lt.Jc5 20J'l:b4 25 ... gd4 26.YlYa2
(20J'l:a3 f5+ Gashimov) After the text Black is 26.'Wa5 l'l:a4-+
better, but White's position is not completely
lost. We saw the following lines in the post
mortem:
8
a) 20 ... f5+ 7
b) 20 ... id7 21.'Wal!?
c) 20 ... a5 21.l'l:b5 ia6 22.e5! With the idea:
6
22 ... dxe5 (22 ... ixb5 23.lt.Jxb5 'Wd7 24.tt:lxd6 5
tt:lxd5 25.tt:l2c4) 23.l'l:xc5
4
19.'Wc2 tt:lxd5 20.l'l:xb8 tt:lxb8 21.exd5 l'l:xe2 3
2
19.e5!? dxe5 (19... ltlc5 20.l'l:xb6'Wxb6 21.lt.Jc4
'Wb4 22.id2 ltlb3 23.ltla2 'Wa4 24.ltlc3 1
'W b4=) 20. tt:lde4 j5 21. ltlg5 ltlc5 22.d6 'W c6
23.ie3! ib7 24.l'l:j2 exf4 25.l'l:xb6 'Wxb6
a b c d e f g h
26.ic4t @hB 27.ltlpt @gB with equality. 26 ... ga4!
7he variation is by no means forced but 19. e5 is 26 ... lt.Je4 27.ic1 is a bit more complicated.
White's only chance.
27.gf3
19 ... ~xa4 20J~xb8 27.idl l'l:a5 with the threats like ... ic3 or
... tt:le4 and ... lt.Jc3 is also bad.
27...WI'f5 28.h3 gxr4 29.-L:cs gxf3 3o.hf3

dxc5 3I.d6 i.e5-+
I. Game 13 I.
The rest is not interesting, especially from
my point of view. Ni Hua- Pentala Harikrishna
Italian Game
l.e4 e5 2.<~f3 ttlc6 3.i.c4 ttlf6 4.d3 i.c5

5.c3
a b c d e f g h
32.d7 Wl'xd7 33.Wl'xa6 WI' d4 34.Wffl c4 35.i.e2
c3 36.i.c4 i.f6 37.i.b3 ~g7 38.WI'e2 i.e5
39.WI'f3 f5 40.WI'e2 h5 41.i.c2 h4 42.i.b3
i'£4 43.~gl i.d4t
Now even the bishop endgames are lost
because of the terrible position of White's a b c d e f g h
king.
5 ... 0-0!?
44.'it>hl Wl'e4 45.WI'fl Wl'e3 46.i.c2 Wl'd2 Despite my considerable practical and
47.WI'bl Wff2 48.WI'dl ~f6 analytical experience with the open games
There is no stopping the black king. as Black, I have never considered this move
seriously. At the time when I started playing
49.WI'c1 Wl'd2 so.WI'bl ~g5 5I.i.a4 ~£4 l...e5 it was considered that Black should
52.'it>h2 ~e3 53.i.c2 ~e2 54.WI'b5t ~f2 ensure a safe retreat for his bishop with 5 ... d6
55.WI'b8 Wl'e3 6.0-0 a6. Later, the immediate 5 ... a6 became
0-1 the main trend, allowing Black to play ... d7-d5
without loss of time in certain cases.
In fact, castling immediately is the most
natural move in the world, avoiding both
"time-wasters" ... a? -a6 and ... d7 -d6.
6.0-0
Now Black's strategy seems to be fully
justified.
White usually plays 6.i.g5 h6 7.i.h4. It would

not be favourable for Black to free himself from
the pin with ... g7 -g5 because White retains
the possibility of castling long. However, after advantage in the centre compensated for his
? ... i.e?!? the position is quite similar to the first slight structural defect, Guido - Brunello,
round game Tiviakov - Marin. The absence Bratto 2007.
of the moves ... a? -a6 and i.b3 rather favours
Black, because advancing the a7-pawn is not 12... £5 13.tLlg3 Lf3 14.YlYxf3 YlYd7 15.~fl
really necessary when the bishop has changed gae8
its path back to e7. As in the aforementioned game, Black has
Actually, I wonder whether Hari was inspired completed his development very satisfactorily.
by that game when making his opening choice
in this game. 16.J.e3
6 ... d5!
If Black had lost a valuable tempo with ... a7- 8 • -.~.~~--
(~l,wA~ _ _ j~w;rr
a6, then he would have failed to equalize with
... d7-d5, but here Black already seems to be
free from any problems.
7
6 %
..
-~-~-~51-
%·~~~------%~
BI:------~~
~-~-
•%-
~.~.J.~~
5
7.exd5 tLlxd5 8J'~el.lg4 9.h3 J.h5 4
~ mwt!f8~~- 8
.i.~ B ~~-- 3
~r/ ~~~ t/1D
3
8 ~ i'""'% .... ~ ,Y-
2
~·-
76 ,.... %~
~~ -~~ .. , .. %~
-~ m ~~tZJ~
~~w~,w~~-A
·- · 1
~%_]£_____,%_~.Jt.
%- a b c d e f g h
45 w•~•~ 16... ~c8
3~~~:-~-8
So far, White has refrained from giving up
fD~)~"~:oZ•
his light-squared bishop, but Black could have
forced this by tactical means with 16 ... 'Lld4!?.
2 Hari's plan is more sophisticated, but probably
1 ~~t[j~if~~
~ entirely adequate.
a b c d e f g h
17.b4 ~8e7 18.tLld2 a6
lO.tL!bd2 Black plays this move only after having over-
Winning the e5-pawn with 1O.g4 i.g6 defended his knight.
1l.ctJxe5 'Llxe5 12J~xe5 would leave Black
with excellent compensation in the spirit of 19.hc6
the Marshall Attack after 12 ... c6. The white Finally giving up any hopes for an advantage.
king's position is much weaker here than in Ni Hua probably thought that Black was very
the Marshall. much okay anyway, and feared that his light-
squared bishop could become a useless piece
lO ... tLlb6 ll.J.b5 J.d6 12.tLle4 without concrete targets.
A recent game with a similar course
continued: 12.a4 a6 13.i.xc6 bxc6 14.'Lle4 The only way to maintain some tension would
f5 15.'Llg3 i.xf3 16.'Wxf3 'Wd7 17.'Llfl l"lae8 have been:
Black's excellent development and space 19 .i.c4 t <J;l h8 20 .i.g5
After a neutral continuation such as 20.a4?! 22 ... e4

Black would obtain a strong initiative with Now the position will quickly simplifY to an
20 ... e4! 2l.dxe4 f4! intending ... tt'le5. Aiming obvious draw.
to avoid this with 22.~d4 would only makes
things worse after 22 ... tt'lxd4 23.cxd4 ~xb4 23.dxe4 fxe4 24.'\1*/e3 ctJeS 2S.etJxeS ~xeS
24.~d3 c5 25.d5 tt'lg6 and Black gets the 26.f4 exf3 27.'\WxeS f2t 28.'~h2 fxel='IW
e5-square anyway. 29.~xel h6 30.'1Wd4
20 ... tt'lg6 2l.~h5 lf2-1J2
However, Black could keep White's slight
pressure under control with:
21...tLld8
IGame 141
Followed by ... tt'le6, when White might have
to give up his bishop anyway.
Konstantin Landa - Mihail Marin
19... tt.:lxc6 20.tt.:lc4 i.e7 2I.i.cS i.xcS English Opening, Hedgehog Variation
22.bxc5
During my pre-tournament preparation

aimed to find out not only which openings
were most probable, but also to understand
my opponents' individual styles. For this latter
aspect I mainly examined games played in the
past year. My reasoning was that ignoring their
taste in the past was sensible, as I wanted an
accurate picture of their current styles.
At least in one case, this restriction in my
research proved to be a mistake. I somehow
a b c d e f g h
came to the conclusion that Landa is a "slow

motion" player, moving the pieces around and
aiming for simplifications towards dead drawn
i. ~ B41l~~--
~~Rilifi"Wt
s
r.
endings that he eventually wins (although
~-.~f'a ~.
not always). The highly imaginative way he 7
played against me came as a complete surprise. 6
When he embarked on the fierce middlegame
5 . . . . . %~~----%~ %~
~-,~~If.
complications, I very much hoped that I would
manage to trick him, because I was convinced
~~m~~~'o
4
that this was not his preferred domain. This
~~-~-----;\ml
8 r~ ~~§~ ~~-%"""%~-~
did not happen and only some luck in time 3
trouble turned the tables in my favour. But
8 r~~r~
then ...
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I
would only mention that shortly after the
2
1 ~----%-~------% .....
a b c d e f g h
tournament a friend of mine mentioned that
Landa was a very interesting attacking player. 14...Yl!fc7?!
I then understood my mistake to its fullest The downside to knowing an opening very
extent ... well is that sometimes I play without thinking.
I like to do things in their natural order and
I.ttlf3 ttlf6 2.c4 c5 3.g3 b6 4 ..ig2 .ib7 5.0-0 here I decided the time had come to connect
e6 6.ttlc3 a6 7.d4 cxd4 s.Yl!fxd4 d6 9J:~dl.ie7 rooks. However, with a knight still on e8, the
IO..ie3 ttlbd7 ll.Yl!fd2 0-0 12..if4 ttle8 last move not only fails to achieve that, but also
leaves the a8-rook undefended, which will be
one of the elements that makes White's tactical
operation possible.
In fact, the game I only vaguely remembered

continued: 14 .. .!k8! 15.b3 h6 16.tt:\(3 ~c6
And now White started an over-ambitious
attack with: 17.g4?! (l?.~acl should be
preferred) 17 ... tt:\ef6 18.g5 hxg5 19.tt:\xg5 tt:\h5
20.i.e3 When after 20 ... b5! 2l.cxb5 ~xc3!+
White failed to keep both wings under control
and eventually lost in Ki. Georgiev - Adams,
Tilburg 1992.
a b c d e f g h 15.Yl!fd3!
The temporary presence of a knight on e8 is Konstantin played this move after very
not considered to be a big problem for Black long thought. I was happy not only because
in the Hedgehog lines of the English. Take, for the game was heading for complications, but
instance, the recent game Kramnik - Carlsen, also about the situation on our clocks. Instead
Wijk aan Zee 2008, where Black eventually 15.~acl would have left Black's carelessness
won. The only point worth mentioning so far unpunished.
is that this position is usually reached via i.cl-
g5-f4 instead of i.cl-e3-f4. 15 ....ixg5 16..ixg5 ttle5 17.Yl!fe4
It is here that the vulnerability of Black's is better. For example: 21...lt:lxc4 22 ..ixh6 (or
rook makes itself felt. 22 ..ixd6 l"i:fd8 23.Wf4 lt:lxb2 24.l"i:d4 lt:lc4!+)
22 ... lt:lxb2 23.l"i:d2 l"i:c4 24.Wxd6ltla4-+
17.. J~c8 18J~ad!
Another fine move. White ignores the threat The main idea of the text move is not so much
against the c4-pawn and simply completes to prevent the king from having to occupy
his development. I enjoy playing this kind of the dangerous back rank, but mainly to take
move, but even when it is my opponent who the e4-square under control. I had failed to
plays it I still gain some aesthetic satisfaction. understand that although the weakness of
the e3-square offers Black the chance to win
Actually, White had little choice. After: material, Black is still worse.
18.b3 b5! (during the game I also considered
18 ... h6 19 ..if4 ltlf6 20.Wd4 lt:lxc4 2l.bxc4 21. .. l£lxc4 22 ..ixh6 gxh6
e5= as a possible line) 19.cxb5 f5! (forcing the 22 ... lt:lxb2? is now impossible because of
white queen off the long diagonal) 20.Wa4 23.ltle4!+-. It is in this line that the control of
'!Wb7t 2l.f3 l"i:xc3 White does not have the e4-square is vital.
sufficient compensation for the piece.
23.¥Nxf6l£le3t 24.~hll£lxdl 25J~xdU
18 ... h6 19.i.f4l£lf6 20.¥Nd4!
Curiously, this was the first new move of the
8
game, but neither of us was aware of it. After
20.Wb1? lt:lxc4 White simply lost a pawn and 7
eventually the game in Ri. Teixeira - Tsuboi,
6
Brazil (ch) 1988.
5
20... ¥Nb7t
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
The complications have calmed down and
we can draw the first conclusions - Black's
material advantage is not making itself felt
because his rooks are not active. Moreover,
the chronic weakness of Black's kingside offers
White excellent attacking chances.
a b c d e f g h 25 ... d5
21.£'3!! Virtually forced; Black intends to meet the
This is the point of the tactical operation enemy rook lift to d4 with ... l"i:c4.
initiated by 15.Wd3. In my previous
calculations I had considered it more or less After 25 ... ~h7? White gains a decisive attack
impossible and expected 21. ~g 1?! when Black with:
26.tt:Je4 Wt'c6 Now 26.g4 would be less dangerous because

[Editor's note: Perhaps Black can defend with of 26 ... mh7 27.g5 hxg5 28.Wxg5 Elg8. For
26. .. E\c2 when many fascinating lines are example: 29.Wh4t ~g7 30.Eigl t mf8 31.1Mfb4t
possible. For example: 27. E\d4 (27.g4 E\xe2 Elc5 32.ti:Ja4 Elxglt 33.mxgl Wc7=
28.g5 E\xe4 29. E\gl E\f4! 30. Wt'xf4 E\g8 may
be better for Black) In his initial calculations Landa had considered
26.Wxh6 and if 26 ... We7? then 27.Eixd5!+-.
8 However, he noticed in time that 26 ... f6 keeps
7 Black relatively out of danger.
6
5 8
4 7
3 6
2
5
4
a b c d e f g h
27. .. b5!! (27. .. E\xe2? loses to 28. lUc5! but not 3
28. tUxd6?? Wf c6) 28. lUg5f (28. tUxd6 Wf a7! 2
[28 ... Wf b6? 29. E\g4] 29. E\h4 Wf e3! 30. tUxj7
1
Elcl t 31. ~g2 Wfxe2t 32. mh3 Wfl t 33. mg4
E\c4t 34f4Wle2f 35. ~h3 Wlflf=) 28... hxg5 a b c d e f g h
29. Wxg5 E\c4= White only has a perpetual.]
26... d4?!
27.g4!
After this nervous move Black will lose most
27.ti:Jxd6 is parried by 27 ... Wc2! and 27.Wd4
of his material advantage without improving
is not dangerous either because of 27 ... Wc4
the safety of his king in any way.
2s.tt:Jf6t mg6!.
27 ... d5 28.g5
I was not too enthusiastic about returning the
White's attack breaks through.
exchange with:
26 ... Eixc3 27.bxc3 dxe4
8 Because after:
28.Eid4 mh7 29.Eixe4
7
Play would have become rather one-sided. It
6 appears that Black can hang on after:
29 ... Wd7
5
But I wanted to maintain at least theoretical
4 chances of a win in the approaching time
trouble.
3
30.Eif4!±
2 The hurried 30.Eih4 leads to a draw after
30 ... Wdit 3Lmg2 We2t 32.mh3 Wflt
1
33.~g4 Elg8t 34.~f4 Wei t 35.me4 Wei t.
a b c d e f g h 30.Eid4 fails to bother Black because of
26.e4! 30 ... 1Mfb5!.
30 ... ~dl t any hurry. Play has become rather one-sided -

Otherwise, Black risks falling into zugzwang. precisely what I wanted to avoid!
Besides, some moves must be avoided.
For instance, 30 ... b5? takes the b5-square
away from the queen and would lose after
3l.~d4! ~c7 32.~h4!.
31.\ilg2 ~e2t 32.\ilh3 ~fit 33.\ilh4 ~f2
34.h3 ~g8 35.~g4 ~xg4t 36.\ilxg4 \ilg8;!;
White's position remains the more active,
but Black can hope for a draw.
Intuitively, I was convinced the right move

was:
26 .. J''ifd8!
Because Black would finally complete his
development (compare this with 18.~acl). I a b c d e f g h
refrained from this move because of:
27.exd5 28 ... gg8 29.®g2!
27.~xh6 d4 28.~g5t @f8= is okay for An immediate attack would have failed
Black. White's best chance to maintain the painfully, for instance: 29.~f4 ~g7 30.lUe4?
tension would be 27.~d4! 'lt>h7 28.exd5 ~g8 ~d5+! 31.~h4? ~dl t 32.'1t>g2 ~c2t 33.\ilh3
29.dxe6 fxe6~. (33.lUf2 ~e2 34.g4 ~xe5-+) 33 ... ~fl#
27 ... exd5 28.~d4
29 ... gg6 30.~£4 ~c7 31.gd6 ®g7 32.tl'le4
Instead 28.~xh6 ~c6 29.~g5t ~g6 looks
gds 33.g4 gxd6
acceptable for Black.
It would probably have been better to avoid
this exchange, but my clock was ticking so
8
fast ...
7
6 34.exd6 ~d7 35.h4
The simple threat ofh4-h5 underlines Black's
5
awful coordination.
4
3 35 ... £5
2
a b c d e f g h
I had failed to spot the saving move:
28 ... ~c6!
When after:
29Jig4t @f8
The black king seems to escape.
27.gxd4 'lt>h7 28.e5±

White has a pawn for the exchange and he
can improve his position gradually, without
36.'1We5t? 4l.f4 loses to 4l...g3.

Chess is really unfair. Just one hurried move 4l...~f6!
is all that is needed to spoil the results of Black should avoid remaining passive.
Landa's excellent previous work. After 4l...~e8? he could even lose. For
example: 42.fXg4 ~g8 43.1ftf3 ~f8t 44.\!te4
Landa had seen the line 36.h5! fXe4 37.hxg6 ~fl 45.g5 hxg5 46.h6= ~hl 47.~f3 ~xh6?
exf3t 38.1ftxf3± with a very difficult endgame 48.d7t+-
for Black, but he hoped for more. 42.f4 g3 43.a3 b4!
It is essential to open lines.
36•.• <!>f7 37.h5 gg7! After 43 ... ~g8 44.lt:lc6 (threatening d6-
Apparently, he had missed this move. White d7) 44 ... ~g7 45.lt:le5 Black has made no
is now left without any attacking chances. progress.
44.axb4 b5
38.ttlf6?! Zugzwang forces White to open the second
38.lt:lf2 would have offered chances to stay rank with:
in the game. 45.b3
45.d7? lfte7-+
38•. .'1Wb5! 45 ... ~a7
With his knight hanging, White cannot Now 46.d7 can be parried with 46 ... ~a2t
avoid the exchange of queens, after which he followed by 47 ... ~d2.
is just lost. And 46.1ftxg3 ~al 47.lt:lg4t l!tg?+ offers
White little chance of survival.
39.'1Wxb5 ax:b5 40.ttld7
By this point I was well aware that I had good
winning chances. The prospect of becoming
8
sole leader with +2 made me euphoric, but
7 soon enough I discovered that White had not
yet exhausted his resources and that proving a
6
clear-cut win was far from easy, in what could
5 easily become a double-edged position.
I believe that under normal circumstances
4
my natural prudence and the tendency to
3 sacrifice the exchange myself would have
prevailed over my sporting ambitions, and
2
I would have agreed to a draw by repetition
1 a few moves later, especially as I knew pretty
well that I had been on the verge of defeat in
a b c d e f g h
the previous phase of the game and I also felt
40 •• J~g8?! tired after my tough defensive efforts. Or, with
This last move in time trouble is not the just a bit more ambition, I would have quickly
most accurate, although it does not let the win chosen a safe variation where the win was far
slip away. from sure, but Black would not be risking
anything.
Right after reaching the time control, I However, the feeling that just one round
regretted that I had not found: earlier I had given up the fight too soon was
40 ... fXg4! 41.lt:le5t still harassing me and I finally decided that the
time had come to repair my mistake. I started

calculating and calculating...
Over the next few moves, which actually do

not change the position, I spent around 40
minutes. Even in the good old days, when
chess was played with slower time controls,
Botvinnik recommended that in such cases one
should offer a draw immediately. Exaggeratedly
prolonged thought is a sign that the mind is
not working properly, as Botvinnik would
have said.
a b c d e f g h
This advice would apply perfectly well here.
After 40 minutes I had managed to calculate 46 ... ~£6?
most of the essential variations with fairly This misses the win that could have been
accurate conclusions, but I did not have the achieved with a different move order, which I
physical strength to put the pieces of the puzzle will explain in the notes to my next move.
in the correct order. Ironically, this resulted in
the game following a course that suggests Black I had also investigated:
did not calculate anything at all... 46 .. .f4?
This is designed to deprive the knight of its
41.~e5t ~f6 42.~d7t ~f7 43.~e5t natural defender - the f3-pawn. However, I
Meanwhile, Landa played rather quickly. discovered that after:
I was intrigued that he did not spend much 47.g5!
time at the board while I was thinking. Was he Clearing the g4-square for the knight.
really so sure that he was out of danger? Or did 47 ... hxg5
he think he was simply lost? After the game I The knight's stability cannot be shaken with
learned from my wife that my opponent used 48 ... ~f6 because of 49.ltlg4t ~f5 50.ltlh6!t
most of the time to look at the position on and the king has to return, because 50 ... ~e5??
the electronic screens in the spectators' area. I loses the rook to 51.ltlf7t.
realized this was quite a good method to refresh I failed to spot an important resource for
one's perception of the position and, during Black, which would not have changed the
the following rounds, I occasionally employed evaluation of the position, but it would have
this technique mysel£ forced White to work hard. Let's see:
43 ... ~£6 44.~d7t ~g7 45.~e5 gds

This is an essential move, designed to reduce
White's dynamism. The careless 45 ... fXg4?
would lose to 46.ltlc6.
46.d7
After this move there is no longer a repetition
available, and I had little time left. Therefore, I
played the next two moves quickly, relying on
my previous calculation.
a b c d e f g h
48. c;f1f2! Before moving further, I must say that I

This is the only good move, for reasons that would be very unlikely to embark on such a
will become clear later. The king rushes to line over the board. White's pawns are very
occupy the best square, anticipating Black's far advanced and strong concentration is
aggressive plan. needed to understand that the knight has no
Instead 48.h6t? blocks the h6-square deadly blow at its disposal.
prematurely. After 48 ... c;f1f6 49.lLlg4t c;f1f5 52.c;f1e2! e4 53.lLlf2!
50.h7, Black can develop his initiative with White has completed his regrouping just in
50 ... e5! with the terrible threat of ... e5-e4. If time and is out of danger.
51. c;f1h3, defending the knight, then 5l..J:!:h8 53 ... c;f1g6
with the threat .. J~xh?t and ... l!xd7. Black has no time for the over-ambitious
Another line that illustrates the dangers 53 ... e3? when after 54.l2Jd3, threatening
connected with keeping the white king on l2Jb4-c6, he would be in trouble. For
the kingside is: 48.a3 g4! (the same idea as instance: 54 ... c;f1g6 55.lLlxf4t c;f1xh7 56.l2Je6!
in the main line) 49.h6t c;f1f6 50.l2Jxg4t followed by a fork on f8.
'it>f5 51.h7 e5 52. c;f1h3 (preventing ... e5- 53 ... exf3t also leads to a drawn endgame
e4) 52 ... l!h8! 53.lLlh6t 'it>g6 54.l2Jg4 'it>g5 after 54.c;f1xf3 'it>g6 55.l2Jd3 'it>xh7 56.l2Je5
55.c;f1g2 c;f1f5 56.l2Jh6t c;f1e6 57.d8=Wf 'it>g7 57.c;f1xf4 'it>f6 58.b4 'it>e6 59.'it>e4 l!a8
l!xd8 58.l2Jg8 Apparently, White is simply 60.'it>d4 c;f1e7 6I.c;f1d5 l!xa2 62.'it>c6=.
winning, but after 58 ... c;f1£7! 59.h8='1Mf Elxg8t 54.fXe4 'it>xh7 55.l2Jd3 Elxd7 56.l2Jxf4
60.W!xg8t c;f1xg8 the opposite is true. White has a pawn for the exchange, the
If instead White tries 48.c;f1h3 then 48 ... b4 better structure and excellent centralization.
is zugzwang. This should be enough to save the
48 ... g4! game.
This move causes some disharmony in
White's camp. 47.f4
8
8
7
7
6
5 6
4 5
3 4
2
3
2
a b c d e f g h
1
49.h6t!
The only move. a b c d e f g h
49.fXg4 'it>f6 or 49.lLlxg4 both lose the d7-
47... b4??
pawn.
This losing move is the fruit of my (almost)
49 ... c;f1f6 50.l2Jxg4t c;f1f5 51.h7 e5
exhaustive analysis of separate vananons
At the cost of one pawn, Black has managed
combined with my inability to put them
to generate the strong threat of ... e5-e4.
together in the right order.
I had spent most of the time investigating the The subsequent analysis confirms my initial
consequences of the natural move: evaluation:
47 ... fxg4 57.@d4 Wg5 58.@d5 @xh5 59.@c6 @g5
White then has a choice of three moves: 60.@xb5 h5 61.@xb6 h4 62.b5 h3 63.@a? h2
64.b6 hl='IW 65.b7
8 The a3-pawn provides some protection for
7
the king, but not for long, as the queen can
approach in a tortuous manner:
6 65 ... \Wgl t 66.@a8 '1Wg2 6?.@a7 Wf2t 68.@a8
5 Wf3 69.a4 Wd5
4 White's counterplay is stopped.
3
c) So far, things looked quite rosy, but then
2
I became worried about a different way of
preventing ... b5-b4:
a b c d e f g h 48.a3!!
a) It was easy to establish that 48.@g3? leaves
White in zugzwang after 48 ... b4!. For instance:
49.Wxg4 (49.b3 b5 does not change anything)
49 ... E!:g8t 50.lLlg6 e5! (I saw this too!) 5l.fxe5t
meG 52.@f4 E!:a8 53.b3 'it>xd7 54.@f5 E!:xa2
55.e6t We8-+ White's counterplay is too slow.
Black will eliminate the b3-pawn and promote
his own b4-pawn.
b) White can try to prevent the zugzwang

position with:
48.b4? a b c d e f g h
However, this leaves him with an I was too tired to calculate the following lines,
unfavourable queenside structure, while his but felt that White's increased queenside
king is still far from the centre. This allows flexibility (when compared with line b)
Black to win with the slightly paradoxical: would make things far less clear. Indeed, the
48 ... We7! 49.lLlc6t position is drawn:
The text is forced, as after 49.@g3 E!:g8 50.a3 48 ... @e7
l"ig7 White is in zugzwang again. The attempt to go around with the king
49 ... Wxd7 50.lLlxd8 Wxd8 51.Wg3 @e? does not promise much either: 48 ... @f5
52.Wxg4 Wf6 53.a3 49.@g3 @e4 50.@xg4 b4!? 51.axb4 b5
White uses his available extra tempo to 52.b3 Now 52 ... @d5? would unexpectedly
prevent ... Wf5, but this does not save him. lose to 53. @f3, when Black's pieces would
53 ... e5! 54.f5 be dominated, but 52 ... E!:g8t 53.@h4 E!:d8=
Or 54.Wf3 Wf5 55.fxe5 @xeS with the same still saves the day.
kind of endgame. 49.lLlc6t @xd7 50.lLlxd8 @xd8 51.Wg3 We?
54 ... e4 55.Wf4 e3 56.@xe3 Wxf5 52. Wxg4 @f6 53.b3! e5 54.a4!
Black will win the h5-pawn and White's The idea of these two moves is to make the
counterplay will be one tempo too slow. shortest path to the b5-square available to the
king, and also to advance as far as possible A study-like saving move.

White's candidate for promotion. 56.mg3? mfS-+ leads to immediate
54 ... bxa4 55.bxa4 e4!? zugzwang, while after 56.mh4? me6 the
After ss ... me6 56.mf3 mfs 57.fxe5 mxe5 white king would not be in time to stop
ss.me3 the black king cannot go to "his Black's invasion: 57.mh3 mdS 5S.mg2 ~d4
left", because the a-pawn would promote 59.~f2 e3t 60.~e2 ~e4-+
first. Therefore, Black should play 58 ... mdS= 56 ... me6
with a draw. 56 ... e3 is not winning because after 57.~g3
mfs 58.~f3 e2 59.~xe2 ~xf4 60.~d3 the
way to b5 is wide open. Black should settle
for a draw with 60 ... ~e5 6l.~c4 ~d6
62.mbs ~c7=.
57.~g2! mds 58.~f2 md4 59.~e2
White is out of danger.
After having examined all these subtleties,

the time has come to mention the winning
variation I missed on move 46. Instead of
46 ... ~f6? Black should have immediately
played 46 ... fxg4!. White has nothing better
than 47.f4, but then Black can play 47 ... b4!:
s6.mh3!!
8 It is all over now; for some reason I had only

considered 49.h6? gxf4 50.h7 ~xe5-+.
7
6 Unfortunately, Landa did not fall for 49.~f3?,
5 which would have allowed Black to remain
4 unpunished with 49 ... g4t 50.~g3 mg?
5l.h6t ~h7 52. ~h4 mg8= and the g-pawn
3
is strong enough to prevent the enemy king's
2 activation.
a b c d e f g h 49 ... gxf4t
There is no time for 49 ... g4 now, because
This leads to the kind of position I had been of 50.h6 followed by h7, h8='W and ltlc6 or
aiming for. ltlf7t, depending on how Black captures on
h8.
Now that I am writing these lines, I am pretty
sure that I had seen this line, but I cannot 50. i>x£4 i>g? 51. i>g5 ~£8 52. i>f4 ~d8
understand what stopped me from playing it.
53.b3 b5 54.h6t i>h7
It could be that I was victim of a persistent
mental image. I have mentioned that the
capture was not possible one move earlier 8 B~l1-~
~~-----Y-~~~~
(45 ... fxg4?) because of 46.ltlc6! and somehow
I might have generalized this conclusion sub-
consciously. : ~~~~!~~~
% ~~ ~%'"//. ~~ ;; __ __
48.g5t! 5~·~
~~~-~ ~·~
~~-/------~ ~~
I had seen this, but thought it would not be 4 ~% ~ ~w~ ~
·----'-~ ~~ -----%~
~~~~~~-~
dangerous.
2.8 ~~~~~~~
3
48 ...hxg5
8
1 ~ ~ ~
a b c d e f
-···
g h
7 55.i>f3!
6 The white king triangulates to place Black
in zugzwang. Much to my chagrin, Black has
5 insufficient space to do the same.
4
55... i>g8 56.i>e3 i>h7 57.i>f4 i>g8 58.i>g5
3 i>h7
2 Now there is no time for 58 .. J'l:f8 because
of59.mg6!.
1
a b c d e f g h 59.i>f6 ~aS 60.i>xe6 f4 61.ttlg4 i>g6
62.i>e7 i>g5 63.d8=~
49.C.tig3! 1-0
This vananon has been a frequent guest

I Game 13 I in Korchnoi's praxis, especially during the
later part of his career. In his matches against
Michele Godena- Viktor Korchnoi Karpov he usually developed his knights on c6
and e7, avoiding the exchange of!ight-squared
French Defence, Tarrasch Variation bishops. (See also his game against Navara
from this tournament).
Annotations by Mihail Marin White has a safe blockade on d4, but Black
enjoys natural development. The absence
l.e4 e6 2.d4 dS 3.tLld2 cS 4.tt:Jgf3 tt:Jf6 S.exdS of light-squared bishops deprives Black of
exdS 6.~b5t ~d7 7.hd7t ctJbxd7 8.0-0 attacking possibilities against the white king,
~e7 9.dxc5 ctJxcS lO.ctJb3 ctJce4 ll.ctJfd4 but at the same time makes his position
'1Wd7 strategically less risky, as he no longer has to
fear an ending with a bad bishop.
12.f3
An old game of Korchnoi's continued:
12.~f4 :J''kS!
Very accurate judgement; controlling the c5-
square is more important than the right to
castle.
After 12 ... 0-0 13.f3 CLld6 14.CLlc5 ~cS
15.CLld3t Black would face some problems
coordinating, because he cannot play ... ~d8-
b6.
13.f3 CLld6 14.~xd6 ~xd6!?
This is the generally desirable capture from 2I. •• tt:lc4!

the point of view of piece activity. The king The knight is heading for c6 to increase the
will be able to castle artificially. pressure on the vital d4-square.
15.Ei:e1t ~f8 16.Wd2 h5 17.g3 g6 18.Ei:e2
~g7 19.Ei:ae1 Ei:he8 22.YlYc1 ttle5 23.YlYd2 h6 24.b3 tt:lc6
Black had comfortable play in Matulovic - With the other knight passively placed on
Korchnoi, Belgrade 1964. e 1, White has no advantage at all.
12••• tt:ld6 13.ttlc5 Wc8 25.a4 YlYe7 26.tt:lxc6

The idea behind this slightly unnatural The text move is necessary to activate
queen retreat will be revealed soon. White's passive knight, but it also improves
Black's structure. The game soon liquidates to
14.tt:ld3 0-0 15•.ie3 .idS! an obvious draw.
Black had left the d8-b6 diagonal open
in order to improve the placement of his 26••• bxc6 27.ttld3 ttld7 28 •.ixb6 axb6 29.a5
bishop, which will put strong pressure on the bxa5 30.YlYxa5 <±>h7 3I.YlYc7 YlYe6 32.<!>fl
blockading square d4. f6 33.ttlf4 YlYf5 34.tt:ld3 YlYe6 35.ttlf4 YlYf5
36.tt:ld3 c5 37.ttlxc5 YlYxc2 38.YlYxd7 YlYxc5
16.ifl ib617.Wd2 ge8 18JUel YlYc7! 39.YlYf5t <±>g8 40.<!>e2 <!>f8 4I.h3 <±>e7
An improvement over a previous game of
Godena which continued with 18 ... Wc4?!. As
8
we shall see in the main game, this square is
needed for the knight, which means it makes 7
little sense to provoke White's next move. 19.b3
6
Wfc7 20.Ei:xe8t Ei:xe8 21.Ei:e1 Wd7 22.Ei:xe8t
li:Jdxe8 23.a4;!; White had more active play in 5
Godena- Sharif, Belfort 2004.
4
19.gxe8t 3
19.b3!? was still worth considering, even
2
though it no longer gains time.
1
a b c d e f g h
l/2-1/:z
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a b c d e f g h
Round4 1 january 2008
Landa - Almasi
Marin - Gashimov
Korchnoi - Ni Hua
Harikrishna - Navara 1-0
Tiviakov - Godena 1-0
Standings
2lh Almasi, Gashimov, Harakrishna, Landa
2 Korchnoi, Marin, Ni Hua, Tiviakov
1 Godena, Navara
After the thrills of the day before and - who knows - maybe after painting the town red for the
New Year, both Landa and Marin, opposed respectively by Almasi and Gashimov, opted for a
gentler round. They both slowed the pace by heading for fairly quick draws. Mission accomplished
for both, but not before a couple of interesting additions to opening theory. Their opponents
were no doubt satisfied, as they were defending the less attractive colour in chess.
The remaining games proved to be more exciting, with Harikrishna befuddling Navara with a
whirlwind of surprises, starting with 1.e4. Having been pushed into wholly unexpected territory,
as he candidly confesses in his analysis, the Czech Grandmaster improvised along a line that
he had read about in Jeroen Bosch's SOS- Secrets of Opening Surprises. After all, could there be
a better occasion to try this, when one considers that his opponent is not a specialist in these
positions and could not possibly be prepared for this counter-surprise?
Unfortunately for Navara, this strategy was a complete failure as Harikrishna refuted his set-up
with energetic play. The game must have been unpleasant for Navara, who nevertheless presents
his annotations with his usual objectivity and the humility we all became fond of in Reggio
Emilia. Naturally, David did not desert the commentary room after the game and, quite to the
contrary, he offered the audience many variations and witty self-criticisms.
Mter this win Harikrishna climbs to the top of the standings, with the Indian newspapers
hailing the feats of their hero (whose first-round loss they attributed solely to jet-lag).
The other decisive game was rather odd. The clash was between Sergei Tiviakov and Michele
Godena, with the former still in search of redemption for his first-round loss and possibly also
seeking revenge for the 2-0 beating he received from the Italian Grandmaster in the play-offs of
the Mondariz Interzonal in 2000, when Godena eventually qualified for the FIDE KO World
Championship.
As is usual for him, Godena was well prepared in the opening phase and unveiled a novelty
on move ten in a hybrid set-up of the French Tarrasch that is well suited to his strategic abilities.
Tiviakov kept his composure and found the best reply, slowly constraining Black's pieces. A
couple of inaccuracies by Black enabled the Dutch Grandmaster to reach move 29 with a stable
edge that apparently was not yet enough for a win. However, the position was unpleasant for
Black who would need to play with great accuracy to defend - a task that is anything but easy
when the clock is ticking furiously. But everyone is so accustomed to the Italian Champion's
struggles with time trouble that no-one - including Tiviakov himself- could believe it when
Black lost on time on move 29!
The only game left is the confrontation between Korchnoi and Ni Hua, in which, not surprisingly,
the evergreen Korchnoi was the first to abandon the usual paths, playing a novelty on move 11.
The Chinese Grandmaster neutralized Korchnoi's new idea with great skill. Eventually Korchnoi
had to agree a truce and, as the photograph on page 95 shows, the Master felt he had faced a
worthy opponent.
Round 4 - 1 January 2008 87
of the c8-bishop for the f3-knight has been

I Game 161 prevented, while the pressure against the d5-
pawn forces Black to make a concession in
Konstantin Landa - Zoltan Almasi order to complete his development. However,
by spending two valuable tempos on a queen
Slav Defence, Schlechter Variation move and now a pawn move, White has also
delayed his own development.
7 •.. dxc4
I.lL!f3 ti)f6 2.c4 c6 3.ti)c3 d5 4.e3 g6 We can describe this as a modern approach:
The game will soon transpose to the Black gives up the centre in order to accelerate
Schlechter system, which was introduced in his development. In his day, Botvinnik might
the tragic last game of the Lasker- Schlechter have preferred a slow course of events, such
World Championship match in 1910. as 7 ... e6 8.i.d3 ttlbd7 9.0-0 b6, followed by
[Editor's note: Schlechter was a point ahead ... i.b7 and eventually ... c6-c5.
going into the final game. He achieved a winning
position, then he had a possible draw, finally he 8.hc4 b5 9..ie2
lost, and Lasker drew the match and retained
his title. Chess historians still debate whether the
.i-.i.~ ~~-
.
match rules stated Schlechter needed a two-point
r~·······'···,%--,Y-~r
8
""•'•"··~
margin to win the title.}
This line combines the ideas of two openings:

the Slav and the Griinfeld. Nowadays, it is not
so fashionable, because it is considered to offer
::~~~--. ~ ,, ~~
Black a solid but slightly passive position.

3~1m"'~~[>,
5.~b3 .ig7 6.d4 0-0
:d-----:~~~:~
;j·'¥!7~~~.,if '~
2
1 -~ 111 ~ ~:s,
a b c d e f g h
9 •.•a5!?
A novelty over 9 ... i.e6 which led to a
powerful attack for White after: 10.'Wc2 b4
ll.ttle4 ttlxe4 12.'Wxe4 i.f5 13.'Wh4 (it appears
that the white queen has been helped to occupy
a threatening position) 13 ... h6 14.i.d2 c5
15.dxc5 hb2 16.0-0 hal 17.1"!xal Salgado
Lopez- Gonzalez de Ia Torre, Elgoibar 2006.
10.0-0 .if5
This is a curious position, which is not easy
7.h3 to play for either side.
A very ambitious set-up, aiming to deprive
Black of any form of counterplay. The exchange u.ti)h4
White prevents an eventual knight jump to players had spent a lot of time already (while
e4, but his knight will be temporarily out of Landa must have been happily exhausted after
play on h4. his previous game) and they decided to call it
a day.
ll ...i.e6 12.'~c2 ~a6 13.gdl ~b4 14.~bl lfl-1/2
~bdS 15.e4 ~xc3 16.bxc3 ~e8 17.~£3
~d618 ..ia3
I Game 111
8~:i m~~?JFJ~;tm
7 ~ r~imi
Mihail Marin - Vugar Gashimov
6"IJ,~&f
~~ ••~~ -,~m
~ ~~ .
English Opening
'~~~,~~~
5 Annotations by Mihail Marin
3~~~,~~~~
4
1.~£3 c5 2.c4 ~c6 3.d4 cxd4 4.~xd4 ltlf6
·trJ'~'-~'~
s.~c3 e6 6.g3 ~b6
This modern variation leads to very
2 ----~~~ %m"----"~-'l'~ complicated play. Black immediately puts the
1 -~•mM~ ~ enemy centre under pressure, but if White
manages to repel this early attack then the
a b c d e f g h
queen might become exposed and Black's
The position is complex and full of development could suffer.
possibilities. White dominates the centre,
but Black's control of the c4-square and his Vugar usually plays the Maroczy system (he had
queenside majority offers him counterchances. done so against me a few months previously in
Personally, I would prefer White, but both the Spanish Team Championship, when the
game ended in a draw). His opening choice for Korchnoi's initial move 9.e3 is best met by
the present game was a complete surprise to 9 ... a6! as introduced into practice by Leko.
me. I suppose he decided it was a good idea to Before that, White had been successful in
force me to work at an early stage of the game, Korchnoi - Greenfeld, Beersheba 1995,
given the emotional shock I had suffered in the and Marin - Komljenovic, Andorra 1997.
previous round. 10.iLJc7t 'ifffxc7 11.'ifffxg4oo Anand - Leko,
Wijk aan Zee 1996.
9... g5
Played after 80 minutes thought. Black agrees
to play a hedgehog-type position where he
will have the bishop pair to compensate for
his early kingside lunge and his slight lag in
7...ic5
development.
This move came as a pleasant surprise.
Over the board, it must have been difficult
to evaluate the consequences of 9 ... 'ifffxf2t
It is generally considered that White has more
10.It>d2 and, I must admit, it is not much
problems against:
easier to do so while analysing at home either.
7... lLle5
1O...'ifffc5 might be relatively best. Il.iLJe4!
Black moves an already developed piece to
Now 11...lLJxc4t? loses material to 12.Wc3!.
attack the relatively vulnerable c4-pawn. I
Better is 11...'1Wc6 although after 12.c5~,
must admit that in allowing this line I was
followed by occupying the d6-square, White
bluffing.
has a promising position.
8.if4!?
IO.ixe5
A move introduced by the indefatigable
The point behind Black's previous move
Korchnoi.
becomes obvious after 1O.ixg5 f6 11.if4
8... lLlfg4
when, having defended the e5-knightwithout
My bluff was that I did not know what to
loss of time, Black can play 11 ... tLJx£2!.
play in this position, but shortly after our
10 ... lLJxe5 11.0-0-0
game the answer came from an unexpected
White has to protect the b2-pawn with his
source: Aronian - Leko, Morelia/Linares
king, but in the long run this will offer Black
2008, continued:
chances for counterplay.
9.~a4!?
Attempting to castle short fails after 11.ig2?!
An interesting novelty that is quite similar in
a6 12.0-0? E1b8+.
concept to 8.ig2 in the main line below.
1l...a6 12.e3 l:%b8 13.lLld4 Wic7 14 ..ie2 .ie7 12•.• d5!

15. 'it>b 1 The correct reaction; Black must open lines
White has slightly better chances in a at any cost.
position that is far from easy to play.
12 ... d6?! left Black uncoordinated after
8.~g2!? 13 ..ie3 Wid8 14.Wic2± in Marin- Sion Castro,
As we can see, the idea of ignoring the threat Benasque 1999.
against the f2-pawn had been used before
Aronian's game. 13.cxd5 gds 14..ie3 m,5
Around this point my opponent offered a
One of my own games had taught me that draw. Considering my previous game, I had
8.lLld6t is fine for Black after 8... 'it>e7 9.lLlde4 nothing against taking a day off, but I thought
CLlxe4 10.CLlxe4 .ib4t 1l..id2 d5 12.cxd5 exd5 it was too early from the spectators' point of
13.lLlc3 .ie6~ Marin- Nisipeanu, Bucharest view. Besides, I felt White might be better!
1998.
15.~c3 hc3 16.bxc3 exd5
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8 ••• a6
a b c d e f g h
8 ... hf2t leaves Black with coordination 17.gbl?!
problems after 9.@f1 lLlg4 10.Wid6~ as in As suggested by Gashimov after the game,
Greenfeld- Yemelin, Beersheba 1998. 17.h4! would have offered more chances for
an advantage. For instance: 17... h5 (17 ...if5
9.~d6t 'it>e7 10.~de4 ~xe4 ll.~xe4 ~b4t allows White to increase his space advantage
12.~£1 with 18.h5 h6 19.l:%h4 f6 20.l:%f4 ih7
Maybe this move is not necessary, but after 21. Wib3 ±) 18 ..if3± White will castle artificially,
having left the f2-pawn undefended, giving retaining the better chances because of his pair
up the right to castle seems like a minor of bishops.
concession for the sake of leaving the enemy
pieces vulnerable. 17••• ~c4 18.~d3 ~xd3 19..ic5t ~f6!
A good square for the king. His Majesty is in
Instead 12 ..id2 hd2t 13.Wixd2 Wib4 left no danger here after the exchange of queens,
Black with a passive but solid position in and on f6 the king also avoids interfering with
Laurier- lzeta, Madrid 1993. the plans of Black's other pieces.
20.exd3 bS 21.cj;,Je2
I Game 181
8 ~~.t~~
'/ ~ ~ Viktor Korchnoi- Ni Hua
~ ~ ~-~-
7·~~~-,~ Semi-Slav
6 -~·~ ~~. ~
5~-~-~ ~ Annotations by Mihail Marin
4 ~.""~~ g '" g I.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.'Llc3 'Llf6 4.e3 a6 s.~c2

3~ ·~bg ~." e6 6.'Llf3
2
~~"···· ·~rO.~JL~
b~ ~'§';;: %. L.%
l~Mg g gM
a b c d e f g h
I felt that White no longer had any advantage
and so I offered a draw, which was accepted. A
possible continuation is 2l ... ~J5 22.a4 lLle5
23.El:hdl El:e8 24Jle3 when the somewhat
exposed position of the white king seems to
counterbalance White's bishop pair and better
structure.
V2-V2
6 ... c5!~ 9...V!ic7 10.~xc6 V!ixc6

Openings where Black loses a tempo with The other possible move 10 ... bxc6 has also
bishop moves (such as ....tf8-b4 t followed by been tried. After 11 ..tf3 cxd4 12.exd4 .td6
....te7 or ... .tc8-a6-b7) have been known for 13.h3 0-0 14.0-0 h6 15 ..te3 lLlh7 16.Eiacl
a very long time. However, this variation, in Wd8 17.tLle2 we can only guess whether Black's
which Black's c-pawn reaches the fifth rank kingside counterplay balances White's pressure
in two moves, has only become fashionable against the backward c6-pawn, because in the
recently. The abstract justification is that after game B. Savchenko - Zvjaginsev, Serpukhov
the early development of the white queen, the 2007, a draw was agreed here.
d4-square is less well defended, allowing Black
to create some pressure in the centre with a ll ..if3
further ... tLlc6. I am not entirely sure about the objective
merits of this new move. Although the bishop
7.cxd5 exd5 8 ..ie2 ~c6 9.~e5!~ may eventually occupy this square later
With this early knight jump into the centre anyway, it is probably better to avoid defining
White aims to release some of the tension. its intentions so early.
After the more natural The following is a typical game in this

9.0-0 variation: 11.0-0 cxd4 12.exd4 .tb4 13 ..tf4
Black usually plays: 0-0 14.Eiacl .td6 15 ..te5 lLld7 16 ..txd6
9 ....te6 Wxd6 17.tLla4 tLlb6 18.\Wc5 Wxc5 19.lLlxc5
By delaying the development of the f8- Eld8 20.Eife 1 i>f8 21 ..tf3;!; White has obtained
bishop, he kindly invites White to capture a slightly more favourable form of the ending
on c5, in order to answer ....txc5 without we reach in the game, because of the more
loss of time. White's main problem is that active placement of his pieces, Tomashevsky-
after the most consistent continuation: Rychagov, Krasnoyarsk 2007.
10.Eid1
Black can take advantage of the exposed ll ... cxd4 12.exd4 .ib413.0-0
position of the queen with:
10 ... ttJb4!? 11.'1Mfd2
8
Now the queen deprives the minor pieces
of the vital d2-square, causing a lack of 7
harmony in White's camp.
6
However, 11. Wb 1 is strongly answered
by 11...'1Mfc8 12 ..td2 .tf5 13.\Wcl c4 with 5
counterplay for Black as in, for instance,
4
Duquesnoy- Lautier, Montpellier 2006.
11...lLle4 12.lLlxe4 dxe4 13.tLle5 3
Unfortunately, 13.tLld2 is not legal.
2
13 ... cxd4 14.exd4 .td6 15.a3 lLld5 16.\Wc2 f5
17.f3 1
White is slightly better developed and
a b c d e f g h
has just provoked the opening of the centre.
However, Black's stability on the light squares 13...0-0
offered him good play in Mamedyarov - Usually, Black is not in a hurry to carry out
Navara, Mainz (rapid) 2007. the strategically double-edged exchange on c3.
However, with the white bishop on f3, taking 14 ... Wxa4 15.lLlxa4 would improve the
on c3 certainly makes some sense: position of the white knight, in view of the
13 ... ixc3 14.bxc3 relative weakness of the b6- and cS-squares.
14.1Mfxc3 offers Black good play after At the same time, the b4-bishop would remain
14 ... 1Mfxc3 15.bxc3 ig4!. This is the point. slightly out of play.
Without queens, the king is not in danger
in the centre after 16.~e1 t ~d7, while the lS.iJ4!
exchange of the light-squared bishops leaves Forcing the strategically favourable exchange
White with structural problems. of the dark-squared bishops.
14 ... 0-0 15.h3
A necessary loss of time, as otherwise ... ig4 15 .. .'~xf4
could follow. 15 ... Wb6 would not avoid the exchange in
15 ... ~e8 16.if4 lLle4 view of 16.ic7! and the black queen will be
Eventually followed by ... ifS and ... Wg6, more passively placed on c7 than on f4.
with active play for Black.
With the bishop still on e2, White could 16.'Wxh4
have refrained from h2-h3 and reacted to White's success is only partial, because his
Black's central activity with id3 and f2-f3. pieces (especially his queen and bishop) are
slightly misplaced. It will take a lot of effort to
14.Wa4! stabilize the position in his favour.
After this well-timed move White's opening
play will be justified. 16 ... :Bd8!
Over-defending the ciS-pawn m order to
I4... Wd6 create the threat of ... ig4.
We have reached a position with the same

material balance as in the aforementioned
game Tomashevsky - Rychagov, but in this
case Black has more active pieces, which allows
him to maintain equality.
a b c d e f g h
17.l:iael!?
This slightly unnatural move is dictated by
concrete circumstances. Generally speaking,
the rooks would be best placed on d 1 and
e1, in order to keep the d4-pawn well
defended and to create pressure along the
a b c d e f g h
e-file. 24... ltld7 25.l:ie2 ltlb6
Black's pressure on the queenside is not
However, 17.~ad1 could be met by 17 ... ~g4! threatening, but it prevents White from
18.~xg4 lLlxg4 19.g3 '1Wh6 20.h4 gS! with carrying out any active operations on this side
adequate counterplay. White cannot avoid of the board. With his next move, Korchnoi
the weakening of his king's position with the starts a positional attack on the opposite
standard manoeuvre 21. ~g2 gxh4 22.~h 1 wing.
because of 22 ... '1Wf6!-+. With the other rook
on e1, he could play 23.f3 now, leaving Black's 26.h4!? i>£8 27.g4
position in ruins. It certainly requires courage and excellent
In this line Black must play 20 ... g5, as understanding of the position to advance the
otherwise his lack of coordination would leave kingside pawns in this way with numerous
him struggling. pieces still on the board. Such a radical way of
fighting for space, involving the move g2-g4, is
17 ....ie6 18.l:ie5 typical of Korchnoi; see also his game against
White is just one step away from freeing Gashimov from this tournament.
his queen from her defensive task with ~d1,
but ... If Black's kingside had been weakened by a
previous ... g7-g6, then White's attack would
18 ... a5! have had greater chances of success. As it
With this well-timed move Black prevents is, with his structure still intact, Black will
his pawns from being blockaded on light place his pawns on dark squares and keep
squares. everything under control with relative ease.
After another 26 moves Korchnoi could not
19.'1Wa4 VNd2 20.l:ie2 '1Wf4 2I.l:ie5 VNd2 find any way to play for a win, and so agreed a
22.l:ibl l:iac8 23.'1Wdl '~Wxdl t 24.l:ixdl draw.
I Game 191
Pentala Harikrishna - David Navara
Sicilian Defence, King's Indian Attack
Annotations by David Navara &

Pentala Harikrishna
l.e4
This was a first surprise. I expected my
opponent to play l.d4.
l...c5 2.ctJf3 e6 3.d3

This was a second surprise.
3 ... ctJc6 4.g3 ~d6

This move is an idea of GM Portisch. It is
not as bad as it looks bur it was not a good
choice. Firstly, my opponent is a very creative
player. Secondly, this move might also be
objectively slightly inferior. Still, I wanted to
try it. I had read an article by GM Mikhail
Gurevich which focused on this variation, but I believed this move to be strong but Pentala
that was a year ago and I did not remember the Harikrishna showed that the opposite was true.
lines very well. Black is slightly behind in development and
White manages to use this very convincingly.
I have mostly played 4 ... lt:Jge7 5.~g2 g6 6.0-0
~g7 7.c3 e5 but my results have not been 8 ... ~a6?!
impressive. I would like to play 4 ... d5 followed This looks very risky in view of:
by ...~d6 and ... lt:Jge7 (and then perhaps 9.d5
... ~c7) but this set-up is impossible if White For example:
plays 'We2. 9 ... exd5
9 ... ~xfl lO.Wxfl lt:Jd4 ll.~xd4 cxd4
An interesting move. My opponent later told 12.'Wxd4 exd5 13.'Wxg7 ~g8 14.'Wxh7
me that this move was suggested in SOS so he 10.exd5 ~xfl ll.i>xfllt:Jd4
decided to try it against me as I am not a regular ll ... lt:Jb4 is not so easy to refute, but Fritz's
l.e4 player. 4 ...g6 is the main variation. recommendation causes Black serious
problems: 12.l2lc3! (12.d6 Ld6 might be
5..!g2 ~ge7 playable for Black after both 13.'Wxd6l2lxc2
Around here GM Korchnoi looked at the and 13.a3l2lbd5) 12 ... d6 13.a3l2la6 14.~e2
board. His face showed that he did not rate l2lb8 15.~el 0-0 16.~g5 f6 17.'Wxe7 fxg5
Black's set-up very highly. 18.'Wxg5± With the threat of~e7. The dark-
squared bishop is placed terribly.
Another option was 5 ...~c7 6.0-0 lt:Jf6. 12.lt:Jxd4 cxd4 13.'Wxd4± 0-0? 14.d6 ctJf5
15.dxc7
6.0-0 i.e? 7 ..!e3 b6
7 ... d6 8.d4 cxd4 9.lt:Jxd4, followed by c2- I saw till 13. 'W xd4 but the engine finds a
c4, looks somewhat better for White to me beautiful way to deal with the threats to g7 and
(by the way, I do not have any hedgehog pawn d6: I3 ... 'WbB! I4.d6 Ld6 I5.l2lc3 (15.LaB
structures in my repertoire). ~e5 I6.'Wb4 'WxaB=) 15... ~e5 I6.'Wd3 0-0
White stands better but it is Jar from winning, as
8.d4 I had initially thought.
I should have preferred a normal theoretical

continuation: 8 ... cxd4 9.l2lxd4 ~a6 lO.l"lel
0-0 ll.l2lc3 l2lxd4 12.'Wxd4 d6 (12 ... lt:Jc6 can
be met by 13.'Wd2;:!; or 13.'Wa4!?) But I think
that White has a slight advantage here, and the
d6-pawn might be vulnerable after 13.~a4
~b7 14.lt:Jb5, as in Marinovic - A. Jovic,
Petrovac 2004.
9.exd5!
There was no need to play lines like 9.ctJc3
cxd4 10.lt:Jxd4 l2lxd4 ll.Ld4 e5 12.exd5
exd4 13.d6, even though Black has to be very
careful in that case.
8 ... d5? 9 ... ~xd5 IO ..!g5!
White has to play energetically to refute 12.~xc6t) 12.~xa8 does not promise Black
Black's set-up. lO.dxcS ~a6! is good for Black. full compensation for the exchange.
ll.c4!
I missed this when playing 8 ... d5.
ll...l!Jde7
ll...fXgS 12.cxd5 exdS 13.Ei:el t Wf8
(13 ... Wf7 14.dxc5 bxcS 15.t/Jxg5t) 14.tt:lc3
and Black's position falls apart.
I wanted to play ll ... t/Jdb4 but it is probably

even worse in view of 12.a3! t/Ja6 and now
13.ctJe5 or 13.tt:lh4.
12.~e3 cxd4
12 ... tt:lf5? 13.tt:lh4!
10... f6
Continuing with 10 ... ~d7 does not look 13.tt:lxd4 ~d7 14.l!Jxc6!
particularly inspiring, as even an aggressive 14.~g4 Wf7 only helps Black to finish his
continuation such as ll.c4 tt:lde7 12.d5!? is development.
very unpleasant.
14... l!Jxc6
lO .. .ltJde7 might have been the best option 14 ... ~xc6? loses immediately to 15.~xc6t
under the circumstances, even though t/Jxc6 16.~a4 ~d7 17.Ei:dl ~d6 18.c5 (or
ll.t!JeS (ll.t!Jc3!?) ll...t/JxeS (ll...~xeS? 18.ctJc3).
Here I sank into thought for half an hour. I

considered 19 ... bxc5, 19 ... lt'lb4 and 19 ... lt'le5
but failed to see a clear-cut refutation of any
8
of these moves! At the same time I understood
7 that White was much better after all of them.
6
19.~fdl ~e7 20.c5 bxc5 21.hc5 ~xc5
5 22.~xd7t ll'le7± looked less convincing to my
opponent.
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
16... ~f7
Another option was:
16... 0-0 17..Lb6
But this leaves Black with no compensation
for the missing pawn, for example:
17 ....Lb6
17 ... axb6 18.i.xc6 i.xc6 19.~xe6t ~f7
20.~xc6 i.e5 21.~b5
a b c d e f g h
18.hc6 ~c8 19...bxc5
18 ...i.xc6 19.~xe6t <Jth8 [19... <Jtg7 19 ... lt'lb4!? was probably worth trying, as
20. ~ xc6 ~c8 21. ~j3 ~xc4 and now 22.lt'l c3 White can easily make a mistake. The black
or 22. ~dl and White is better} 20.~xc6 ~c8 knight heads for the d5-square and ... bxc5
21.~b5 might become a threat.
19.i.xd7 ~xd7 20.lt'ld2
White's queenside pawns would eventually a) 20.cxb6? ~c2! and now Black is alright, as
decide the game. the following lines show:
21.bxa7? ~xe2 22.a8=~ i.xb5 I somehow
16 ... ~e7 17.ll'lc3 ~c8 18.lt'lb5 i.b8 19.~acl missed this move.
followed by c4-c5 did not appeal to me. 21.~g4 hb5 22.~fdl (22.~xb4 hfl
23.~xfl axb6) 22 ... lt'ld5
16 ... ~c8!? 17.ll'lc3 0-0 18.lt'lb5 i.b8 19.c5± 21.~f3 hb5 22.bxa7 (22.~fdl ~e7 or
22.~b7t ~e7) 22 ... i.xa7 (if 22 ....Lfl then
17.tLlc3 23.a8=~) 23.~b7t ~c7 24.~xb5 ~b8
White threatens to play lt'lb5.
White can keep his advantage with many
I7.. J~c8 ts.tLlb5 .ihs moves, but it is not easy to increase it!
18 ... a6 19.~fdl!? ~e7 20.hc6 i.xc6
21.ll'la7 b) 20.~fdl bxc5 (20 ... ~e8) 21.lt'ld6t (21.i.b7)
2l...hd6 22.~xd6 ~e7 23.~adl ~hd8 This
19.c5 looks dangerous but lt'ld5 or i.b5 might soon
become a threat. Black had to avoid 23 ... lLld5? During the game, Pentala Harikrishna
24.l:'!:lxd5 exd5 25.i.xd5t 'kt>e8 26J:!:xf6! and calculated lines like:
White wins. 23.'1Wf3
23.'1We3!± (Fritz) White unambiguously
c) 20.i.b7 bxc5 2l.i.xc8 '!Wxc8 is better for intends to take on a7, but a2-a4 is also a
White but not clear at all as he cannot play powerful threat, and the d7-bishop is a
22.l:'lacl ~b7 23.l:!xc5? lLla6. tactical weakness.
23 ... e5 24.a4 '!Wc6 25.'1Wa3
On the other hand, 19 ... lLle5?! is weaker in 25.'1Wb3t i.e6; 25.'1Wd3 i.f5 26.i.xc6 i.xd3
view of: 20.l:!fdl '!We8 (20 ... bxc5 2l.f4 lLlc6 27.i.d5t mg7 with good chances of a draw.
22.hc5±) 2l.a4! (Harikrishna) 21...bxc5 25 ... '1Wc7
22.f4 ttlc6 (22 ... i.xb5 23.axb5 lLld7 24.i.c6) 25 ... '1We6? 26.i.xa7 i.xa7 27.i.d5
23.hc5± 26.i.d5t i.e6 27.i.xe6t 'kt>xe6 28.'1Wb3t '!Wc4.
Fritz shows some improvements but they are
20.hc5 Y:Ya5 2UUdl rather inhuman and therefore irrelevant, so I
21.ttld6t i.xd6 22.i.xd6 was also possible, will limit myself to saying that White remains
but White would have had to consider much better after 21...lLld4.
22 ... ttld4.
21...lLle5!? 22.lLld6t i.xd6 23.i.xd6 is not
I was concerned about 2l.a4! in some lines, as bad as it seemed to me. The computer
as my queen is placed very badly. For example: shows that Black can exchange one pair of
21...ttlb4? (21...l:!hd8) 22.'1Wd2 minor pieces: 23 ... i.b5 24.'1We3 (24.'1We4 i.c6)
24 ... lLlc4
22.<~~d6t
22.a4!? lLlb4 is also problematic in view of
23.'1Wc4 (Fritz), even though the position is not
totally clear after 23 ... lLld5 24.b4 '!Wa6±.
22 ...hd6 23.hd6±
White is much better. He has the bishop
pair and a queenside majority, plus his king is
better placed.
23 ... e5
8
7
6
21...ttld4!? 5
This move and most of the following lines
come from my opponent.
4
22.hd4 3
22.ttlxd4 '!Wxc5
22 ... ~xb5
2
1
a b c d e f g h
24J~d5?! 30.hd5 'Wxd5 3l.ha7 .ib5;!; with a playable

I was afraid of: position. But I probably would not have found
24.'We3!? that over the board.
With the threat of 'Wh6; the natural
continuation is: 25.i.c5 YHb8?!
24 ... lt:Jd4?! 25 ... 'Wc7 might have been more circumspect.
24 ... ~g7 is better, avoiding the following Black could play ....ie6 and then take on
tactic. d8 with a rook. 26.Eicl should not be so
However, the text move enables White to dangerous.
play:
25.Eixd4! exd4 26.'We7t ~g8 27.'Wxf6 'Wf5 25 ... lt:Jd4? 26.'Wc4 'We6 fails to 27.Eixd4! exd4
28 ..id5t! 'Wxd5 29 ..ie5 'Wxe5 30.'Wxe5 28 ..id5.
And now Black should do something with
the bishop as 30 ... d3 fails to 31.'Wd5t. 26.YHa6
We both saw this. I believed that White I was more afraid of the queen transfer to h6,
should be able to neutralize the passed pawn but it is not as clear as I expected it to be, as the
somehow, whereas my opponent considered following lines show. The text move is perhaps
this an unnecessary complication. not the best, but it is good enough.
After the game we looked at something like:
30 ....ih3 31.Eidl d3 32.'We3 d2 26.'We3!? .ie6
32 ... Eic2 33.g4 26 ... ~g7 27.Eiadl .ie8 28.h4 (White
33.f3 threatens to play 'Wh6t!!) 28 ... h5± is much
White is winning. better for White.
27.'Wh6
27.Eixd8 lt:Jxd8 28.b4±
8 ~.~~~ ~ ~ 27 ... ~g8!
7 ar~t~:~,
""'~~ ~~;~~?fji-~~~
27 ... Eih8 28.Eiadl is positionally very bad
for Black, besides White threatens to play
6 ~41)~ lj%' ~
~ ~~~~-""%~
Eid7t.
,.~.,.~.
27 ... hd5 28.'Wxh7t ~e8 (28 ... ~e6
29 ..ih3t+-} 29 ..ixd5 Eixd5 30.'Wg8t+-
3 ~~~~~~wr 27 ... Eixd5 28.'Wxh7t ~e8 29.hd5 hd5
2~~~~lwtit~
30.Eidl! with a decisive attack, for example
30 ... Eid8 (30 ... 'Wxb2 31.'Wxg6t .if7
'"''""~~
~ ~~""~p::-;J""
32.'Wxf6) 31.Eixd5 Eixd5 32.'Wg8t
1 ~ ~ • 28.Eixd8t Eixd8
28 ... lt:Jxd8 29.'Wf8#
a b c d e f g h
29 ..ixc6 'Wc7
24...VHb6?! White can now win a pawn but the result of
I was reluctant to play 24 ... 'Wa4! as my the game remains in doubt. For example:
queen would have had few vacant squares but 30 ..ie4 'Wxc5 31.hg6 'We7
Black threatens to play moves like ... lt:Jd4 or
....ie6, and so the situation is not clear. Pen tala I will also offer two examples of how White
Harikrishna proposed 25.b3 'Wg4 26 ..if3 (instead of playing 30 ..ie4} might instead have
'We6 27 ..ic5, but Fritz shows that Black can spoiled his advantage:
play 27 ....ie8! 28.Eiadl lt:Jd4 29.hd4 Eixd5 30.Eicl?
Also wrong is 30.b4? 'W'xc6 3l.Jle7 'W'f3! 28 ...i.b5?

32.!xd8 ild5. This move cost me almost all of the remaining
30 .. .'&xc6 31.ile7 ilh3!! time (8 minutes out of 10). I could not decide
between 28 ... '1Wb6 and ilb5. It seems that my
intuition has been suppressed by frequent
analysis with Fritz, because it should be obvious
that the bishop is vulnerable on b5.
28 ... '\Wb6 29.'1Wa3t 'it>e8 30.E!:d6?!

30.h4± (Harikrishna) 30 ... E!:c2?! 31.'1Wf3 and
the pin is decisive. White threatens to play
E!:xd7 or E!:d6.
30.Jlfl ± is rather similar.
30 ... ilb5!
a b c d e f g h My original intention was 30 ... Jlg4 or
30 ...ilf5, but when I found the check on a4
32.'&f8t! E!:xf8 33.E!:xc6 E!:c8 34.E!:xc8t ilxc8
I played 28 ...ilb5.
35.!xf6 e4
3l.ilfl
And Black should be able to hold. My
3l.Ei:xd8t E!:xd8 32.E!:xd8t <;i(xd8 33.'1Wf8t
annotations are full of Fritz's analysis but these
ile8 and the pawn on f6 is defended (unlike
lines are mine!
in the game).
31.h4 E!:xd6 32.E!:xd6 Ei:cl t 33.'it>h2 'W'c5!
26.Eiadl ile6 27.E!:xd8 tt:lxd8 28.b4±; 26.'1Wd2
(33 ... '1Wxf2 loses to 34.E!:e6t when White
ie6 27.'&h6 <;i(g8 transposes to 26.'1We3.
either delivers mate or takes the b5-
bishop.)
26...ltle7
31...E!:xd6!
26...~xb2 27.E!:adllooks grim for Black, or
31...ilxfl? 32.E!:xb6 E!:xdl 33.'1Wa4t
26 ... li:ld4 (Fritz) 27.Jlxd4 exd4 28.E!:dl±.
32.E!:xd6
And now both 32 ... E!:c6 and 32 ... '\Wc5 look
27.ixe7 <t/xe7 28.E!:adl
relatively acceptable.
Black's biggest problem is the pin; unpinning
the bishop costs a pawn.
28 ... '\Wc? is not a bad move but it does not
solve the main problem and loses precious
time. White could play 29.h4.
Simply weak is 28 ... '1Wxb2? 29.'\Wxa?.
29.~a3t
White does not have to calculate lines like
29.E!:xb5? E!:xdl t 30.Jlfl.
29 ... <t/es 30.E!:xd8t

White plans to exploit the bad position of
the black bishop.
a b c d e f g h 30..• E!:xd8 3I.E!:xd8t ~xd8 32.~b3

White's queen controls all the important

squares and Black loses at least one pawn. IGamelO I
8 Sergei Tiviakov- Michele Godena
7 French Defence, Fort Knox Variation
6
5
4 l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.t!Lld2 dxe4 4.t!Llxe4 i.d7
This slightly paradoxical move has been
3 quite fashionable over the past few decades.
2 According to classical rules (you know, those
good old guys like Lasker and Capablanca)
1 one is supposed to develop knights and only
a b c d e f g h then bishops, but here Black has a very clear
plan. He intends to combine the ideas of
32 •••.ie2?! several openings (the French, Caro-Kann
Both 32 ... \Wd3 and 32 ... \Wa5 lose to and Scandinavian) by activating his problem
33.'.We6t. bishop and being ready to exchange it for an
enemy knight.
32 ... .id3! 33.'.Wg8t (33.'.Wa4t!? '.Wd7? 34 ..ic6)
33 ... ~d7 34.\Wxh7t '.We7± looks like a way s.t!Llf3 .ic6 6 ..id3 t!Lld7 7.0-0 t!Llgf6 s.ttlg3
to lose only one pawn, but even the bishop .ie7
endgame should be lost. I now had three
minutes left.
8 ~ m~ -J~i~~-J»
[Editor's note: The increase from two minutes
7 ~i~4lmir~i
after move 28 to three minutes now is of course
6 %----%~ r~ -,~.----%~
explained by the incremental time control.}
~~~~'~
33.~g8t rfle7 34.~xh7t rfle6 35 •.ih3t+- 5 ~% ~% -~ ~~ ~.%~
rfid5 36.~xg6 ~c7 37•.ig2t rfle6 38.~e8t
4-~-~
rfid6 39.h4 ~cit 40.rfih2 ~xb2 41.~c6t
rfle7 42.~c5t rfle6 43 •.id5t 3~~-~-~m
~~l%~~ ~~r%------~-~
_a~~~lf~~Jl!1a~JlJ
Avoiding 43.'.Wxa7?! '.Wd4 44 ..ih3t? f5. 2
My opponent played this game very well.
1 ~Vml!~
1-0 a b c d e f g h
White is at a crossroads. He obviously would
like to know Black's real intentions regarding
his irritating light-squared bishop. Tiviakov's
next two moves aim to force Black to make a
decision.
9.~e2 0-0 IOJ'~dl

This is not the most natural placement of illusion. The queen is unstable in the centre,
these two pieces, but now the threat of tlJe5 while White's next pawn moves will severely
becomes unpleasant, more or less forcing Black restrict the g6-knight, forcing it back into
to finally exchange on f3. passivity.
IO...ixf3 ll.Wfxf3 c6 12.c3 16.g3 c5

However, this thematic break is an important
achievement for Black. Once the centre has
been opened White will find it more difficult
to continue his domination than in Tiviakov's
previous game.
17.ie3 Wfc6 18.h4 tLld5 19.h5 tlJ£8 20.i.cl
a b c d e f g h
12.. J~e8!?
A new move; Black indirectly prepares
to activate his queen in the spirit of the
Scandinavian Defence.
Tiviakov's previous experience with this

position took place a decade ago:
a b c d e f g h
12...~c7 13.a4!? 20 ... tlJf6?!
An interesting prophylactic move. Its hidden This unnecessary retreat from a central
idea will be revealed in the next comment. square gives White time to activate his play.
13 .. J'~fe8 Black should not have feared an eventual c3-
Black is not well-prepared for the thematic c4, because this would weaken the d4-square.
pawn break 13 ... c5?!. Mter 14.~f4! he would
have an unpleasant choice. 14 .. .'~c8 would It was more logical to complete the mobilization
leave the queen passive after, say, 15J:1acl, of his forces with 20 .. J:l:ad8. For example,
while 14 ... ~b6? would put Her Majesty in 21.h6 g6 22.tlJh2 tlJd7 23.tlJf3 cxd4 24.tlJxd4
great danger because of 15.a5!. ~b6, followed by ... ~f6 and ... tlJc5. In this
14.~c2 ~d6 15.~e3 a5 16.<j;lhl! tlJd5 case Black would have had reasonable chances
17.~d2;!; to equalize.
White had continuing pressure in Tiviakov-
Rustemov, St Petersburg 1998. 21.h6 g6
Strategically, the previous structural
13.ic2 tlJ£8 14.tLlfl Wfd5 15.Wfe2 tLlg6 modifications do not really bother Black,
It looks as though Black has considerably because the c2-bishop remains restricted, while
increased his pieces' activity, but this is an in the event of simplifications the h6-pawn
would become weak. However, with queens Here, rather surprisingly, Black overstepped
on the board the black king will feel slightly the time limit. His position was worse, but
insecure. still entirely playable. For example: 29 .. .lbdf6
(29 ... ~f8? loses the g4-knight to 30.ctJd4)
22.ttlh2 cxd4 23J~xd4 ged8 24..ie3 gxd4 30.l"&xd8t ~d8 3l.ctJe5 ctJxe5 32.1Mfxe5 ctJe8
25 ..ixd4 and although White has an active position,
The last few exchanges were not at all forced there is no obvious way to make further
from Black's point of view and they have progress.
improved White's position, who can now 1-0
count on holding the advantage.
25 ... ttl8d7 26.gdl gds 27.ttlf3 a6 28.a4

ttlg4 29 ..lg7;!;
Round 5 2 january 2008
Almasi - Marin
Gashimov- Harikrishna ¥2-¥2
Ni Hua - Tiviakov 1- 0
Navara- Korchnoi 1-0
Godena - Landa ¥2-¥2
Standings
3¥2 Almasi
3 Gashimov, Harakrishna, Landa, Ni Hua
2 Korchnoi, Marin, Navara, Tiviakov
1¥2 Godena
As we shall see, the players showed excellent fighting spirit on the first working day of 2008. But
the most unpleasant opponent turned out to be the flu virus that hovered around the Astoria: it
worked hard from rounds five to nine, from nine to five. One of its victims was yours truly: from
January 2nd I was obliged to spend a lot of time in bed with a temperature well in excess of 39•
Celsius. I realized almost immediately that it was better to stay on my own and avoid spreading
my gruesome germs.
I was not the only "Typhoid Mary" around. Cebalo and Almasi were also clearly suffering:
Cebalo was as hoarse as a commentator can be; Almasi's nose was bright red. Almasi's discomfort
was the most visible, but most of the other players also seemed to be battling against the biological
threat. The only person who was seemingly impervious was, needless to say, Viktor Korchnoi,
who continued to play with his usual energy.
This middle round proved to be one of the most exciting. For a start, there was Zoltan Almasi's
win against Marin. This wonderful effort shows many of the themes of the Open Ruy Lopez
and it deserves to be studied in depth to discover the secrets of the apparent effortlessness with
which White disposed of the Romanian Grandmaster's "impertinent" provocation. In fact, the
refutation required two pawn sacrifices as Almasi showed just how Monsignor Lopez's ancient
opening should be played.
Secondly, the fifth round also hailed Ni Hua's first win - a splendid game against Tiviakov. The
Dutch Grandmaster pinned his hopes on his pet Scandinavian, but soon had to face a very original
idea by Ni Hua, who on move nine withdrew his most advanced piece to avoid simplifications
and thus exploit to its fullest extent his opponent's slight lag in development.
The Chinese Grandmaster's annotations suggest he takes an unusual approach to chess that is
less concrete and more based on an understanding of the dynamic and static relationships in the
position as a whole. Ni Hua almost seems to take for granted the complex calculations he had to
make in the game, and prefers to focus his remarks on the long-term features of the position. The
way White built his explosive attack is highly instructive and, after the game, Ni Hua was rightly
beaming with joy.
Ni Hua's analysis was also enjoyed by Cebalo and the audience in the commentary room. Ni
Hua's comments were so humble and understated that Cebalo was forced to dot the i's and cross
the t's. "Indeed, the Grandmaster is saying that the position is unclear and that he cannot see
where all this is leading, but I'd like to remind you that this gentleman is actually a 2700 player
and thus he has a very deep understanding of all that is happening on the board."
Moving on to the other protagonists, Korchnoi was eventually forced to surrender to Navara.
Korchnoi's infamous post-loss rage was evident as the old lion headed for his room without
breathing a word to anyone (not to Navara, who had asked him in all kindness whether he wished
to have a post mortem, not to the reckless fan who chose the worst possible moment to ask for
an autograph).
David's annotations show respect for the old master, whereas Korchnoi's only remark- written
after having read his opponent's words - is biting and sarcastic as if the battle were still on. The
battle had indeed been very tense at the board, with Black (Korchnoi) finding some defensive
gems in his pet French Defence, before slipping up with a couple of inaccuracies that gave Navara
a chance to display his great talent, which has too often been hidden in this tournament.
The pawn sacrifice that sparks the winning attack (28.c4) is especially brilliant. It is part quiet
move, part forcing move, in the way it vacates a key square and obliges the opponent to lose a
tempo in an unimportant sector of the board. The culmination of Navara's attack was not only
efficient but also of rare beauty and harmony.
Believe it or not, in spite of all the tumultuous events mentioned so far, the game that was actually
the favourite in the commentary room was the one between Michele Godena and Konstantin
Landa. After a few moves I realized that they were following a recent Godena game, played
during his triumph at the EU Championships at Arvier 2007, when the Italian champion beat
the Slovenian GM Likavsky in the final round. I informed Cebalo, and we waited for Landa's
novelty, which was essential if the likeable Russian Grandmaster wanted to avoid trouble. Landa
chose a rook thrust on move fifteen, swerving from Likavsky's path.
With the database's help (but also based on my personal recollections, given that Godena had
found the game interesting enough to ask me to add it at the last minute to his first book La
mia Siciliana, the winner of the Italian Chess Federation's Alvise Zichichi Prize as the best book
in 2008 by an Italian author) the commentary room knew exactly what was going on, and we
watched these two fine players reproduce the best moves one after the other, until Godena's
novelty (on move nineteen!) which however yielded just a draw for White.
In our last game of the day, Gashimov and Harikrishna staged a hard-fought Ruy Lopez in which
the Azeri Grandmaster, as was usual for him in Reggio Emilia, played a central break at the
earliest opportunity. Harikrishna defended stoutly and the players split the point shortly after
move fifty. In a round like today's almost a colourless game ...
a lot on the old Rubinstein variation, 5 ....ie7

IGame 211 6J~el b5 7 ..ib3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 ttla5 10 ..ic2
c5 ll.d4 Wffc7 12.tt'lbd2 tt'lc6 13.d5 ttJd8,
Zoltan Almasi - Mihail Marin to which I dedicated the main chapter of
A Spanish Repertoirefor Black. I have also played
Ruy Lopez, Open Variation this line a few times and not without success.
It would obviously have been a wiser idea to
Annotations by Mihail Marin opt for a solid line like this against the highest
rated player in the tournament, but my general
At this stage of the tournament the temperature strategy was over-optimistic at this point.
outside was close to freezing. Zoltan Almasi The previous games (and especially my
had caught a cold just before he played the dramatic third round loss) had convinced me
following game. This may have caused him to that, while with White I faced some problems
make some mistakes in his calculations, but obtaining a tangible advantage, my best chance
his intuition did not let him down even for a of winning games was to play provocative
single moment. systems with Black. This would tempt my
opponent into taking unnecessary risks, and
l.e4 e5 2.ttla ~c6 3.J.b5 a6 4.J.a4 ~f6 then I would outplay him in time-trouble.
5.0-0 ~xe4!? The present game proved my "strategy" was
My evaluation of this entirely normal and not entirely realistic.
in fact quite popular move refers to subjective
aspects. Quite recently, I have been working 6.d4 b5 7.J.b3 d5 8.dxe5 J.e6 9.~bd2 ~c5
10.c3 seems to be solid after 17 ... lt:le?oo/t.. Even so,

I prefer the game continuation.
15 ..fi.e3
8
15.lt:\xe6 is met by 15 ... Wfxe6! pinning the
7 e-pawn. 16.lt:\d4 lt:lxd4 17.cxd4 lt:lxb3
18.axb3 c5 (attacking White's centre from
6
both sides) 19 ..fi.e3 :gfe8 20.:gael=
5 15 ... .fi.g4!? 16.lt:lxc6 Wfxc6
I spent a long time on this move, because
4
I felt it was not easy to choose the right
3 moment to exchange on b3.
17 ..fi.xc5
2
17.exf6 :gxf6 18.Wfd2 lt:lxb3 19.axb3 would
1 transpose to 16 ... lt:lxb3, meaning that the
move order I chose just gave White an
a c
additional opportunity. Maybe not a good
10 ... g6!? one, though ...
Throughout the years I have played several 17 ... Wfxc5t 18.\WfL. Wfxf2t 19.:gxf2 Lf3
other moves here. My choice in this game was 20.:gxf3
not only in accordance with my ambitious My opponent, German IM Matthias
plans, but also intended as a tribute to Thesing, offered a draw here. The presence
Korchnoi, who has occasionally experimented of opposite-coloured bishops makes this
with this move. result look quite probable, but I really liked
my central pawns because they restrict the
ll ..ic2 enemy bishop. Black's advantage is rather
A year earlier I had the chance to defend symbolic, but it would have been a pity not
Black's cause against what is supposed to be to play on, at least for a few moves.
White's most dangerous continuation:
11.Wfe2.fi.g7 12.lt:ld4 Wid?!?
12 ... lt:\xe5 13.f4 lt:\c4? 14.f5 gxf5 15.lt:lxf5
:gg8 16.lt:lxc4 dxc4 17 ..fi.c2 lt:ld3 18.Ji.h6,
and White soon scored the first win of the
1978 World Championship match, Karpov
- Korchnoi, Baguio City (8) 1978.
Many years later, Korchnoi recommended
13 ... lt:led3 when Black is close to equality,
but I prefer my choice because it keeps the
position double-edged.
13.f4 0-0 14.lt:\2f3N a b c d e f g h
A logical new move, still keeping the
20 ... c6 21.e6!?
tension. 21.exf6 still leaves Black with the slightly
Instead 14.lt:lxe6 fXe6 15 ..fi.c2 d4 gave Black more pleasant position: 21...:gxf6 22.l'!e1
counterplay in Esch- Hase, carr. 1993-95.
.fi.f8!? 23.g3 .fi.c5t 24. 'kt>g2 'kt>f7+
14 ... f6
21...f5+
I disliked 14 ... :gae8 because of 15 ..fi.e3 f6
All Black's pawns are on light squares now,
16.lt:lxe6 lt:lxe6 17.:gad1, but Black still
leaving White's bishop looking very passive on
b3. At the same time, the e6-pawn is doomed of events. As I found out later, the only game
in the long run. Black's main plan is to win this where this was played continued with 14.b4
pawn while keeping one pair of rooks on the lt:Jxb4 15.ia3 lt:Jxc2 16.Wxc2 lt:Je4? (in fact
board, but this is not easy. On the other hand, 16 ... lt:Ja4! 00 is a significant improvement)
I thought that in some cases even the pure 17.lt:Jxe4 dxe4 and now, in Fressinet- Murey,
bishop ending would offer winning chances, Paris 2006, White's simplest way to obtain a
because of Black's strategic advantage. Black strong attack would have been 18.lt:Jxe6 fxe6
eventually won in Thesing - Marin, Predeal 19.1'l:adl.
2007.
13.£4 .ig4 14.V1Yel ~xd4 15.cxd4 ~e6
A previous game between Zoltan Almasi and 16.~b3 aS
one of the other participants in the 50th
Cappodanno tournament continued: ll.:!'l:el
ig7 12.~c2 lt:Jd7 13.lt:Jd4 lt:Jxd4 14.cxd4 cS
15.'Llf3 ~g4 And now, in Almasi - Korchnoi,
Budapest 2003, White could have kept his
advantage with 16.h3;!;.
ll ...ig7 12.lt:Jd4!?
Despite having spent several days analysing
this fianchetto line of the Open Ruy Lopez, I
had never examined this way of sacrificing the
central pawn. I thought for about forty minutes
and eventually decided to reject the sacrifice,
although I understood that this would be less
a b c d e f g h
favourable than in my previous game, because
White has not committed his queen. This is the position I had been aiming for.
Looking at it now, Black's play seems too
speculative to be good, but during the game I
was unaware of that.
17.h3!
A rather unpleasant surprise. I expected
17.Wg3, when I intended to play 17 ... h5. After
the game, Zoltan suggested 18.f5 as a possible
continuation, but Black seems to be holding
his own: 18 ... ixf5 19.ixf5 gxfS 20.lt:Jc5 (if
20.1'l:xf5 Black can regroup with 20 ... if8!,
taking more control of the cS-square and
threatening ... a5-a4 followed by ... lt:Jxd4, even
against 2l.ie3) and now Black has the strong
intermediate move 20 ... h4!.
It should be mentioned that 17.ie3 a4

18.lt:Jcl;!; would also have sufficed for a small
but stable advantage.
17... ~£5 of one pair of rooks, which will not only

A sad necessity; Black is forced to spoil his reduce the power of any black counterplay, but
kingside structure. After 17 ... a4? White has the also leave Black with problems transferring the
intermediate 18.'Llc5! when after 18 ... 'Llxc5 other rook to the queenside.
19 .hxg4+- Black would soon be crushed by
the white pawns supported by the bishop pair. 23 ... ~a6 24.~acl ~c6 25.~d3 ~xcl 26.~xcl
~g8 27.~h2 ~g6
18 ..ix£5 gxf5 19.~e3 a4 20.ttld2
~ ~·~ ~
7•~•i'•fnf
8
6 ~ ~ ~;i~
5~·~·~·~
4 ·~ ~ ~. ~
3~ ~i¥·~~~
~~ ~ ~~~
2
1~
~
a b
~~.. ~
/.--
c d
~
~
e f
w
~
g h
Despite my strategic problems, I was
preparing for a long positional struggle when
my dreaming was interrupted by an unexpected
move:
28.e6!
20 ...~f8 2I.ttlf3 ~e7 22.~bl!? ttld8 White sacrifices his central pawn to clear the
23.~c2 e5-square for his knight and make the e-file
By threatening to create pressure along the available for his rook. Black's contorted piece
c-file, White will practically force the exchange coordination, which was quite functional in the
closed position before Almasi's breakthrough, Black has practically no weaknesses and
will soon lead me to defeat. his structure is much better than White's.
Moreover, if the black knight reaches the e4-
In my dream scenario, I had hoped to sacrifice square, White would be in trouble.
the exchange after 28.g4?! fxg4 29.f5 with
29 ... gxf3! 30.fxg6 hxg6, achieving an entirely 30 .. J~g7
viable position, due to Black's stability on the Once again I had the feeling that Almasi had
light squares. miscalculated something, although I could not
figure out precisely what.
My biggest nightmare was caused by 28.i.f2,
threatening i.h4 to exchange the bishops, 3U~el!
which would leave the f5-pawn in a desperate It may be that when making his previous
situation. I would have had to defend with move Almasi had failed to notice that 3l.i.a5
the rather unappealing move 28 ... :1:\hG, which f6 32.hd8 (32.ttJf3 leads to a dream position
would have kept me alive, though. for Black after 32 ... VNe4!) 32 ... fxe5 33.he7
would be answered by the intermediate move
28 ...YNxe6! 33 ... e4! when the endgame after 34.VNc3 Elxe7
The best way to fight on. 28 ... :1:\xeG 29.ttJe5 35.YNxc6t VNxc6 36.Eixc6 would favour Black.
Wfd6 30.VNxf5, or 28 ... ttJxe6 29.ttJe5 VNd6 Nevertheless, Almasi's 30th move was very
30.Wfxb5t both lead to immediate disaster. strong. White gradually increases his pressure
on the c6-pawn until various important parts
29.ttJe5 c6 of Black's structure drop off. I must confess that
To tell the truth, I was still optimistic at this I did not realize how difficult my position was
point, especially since, judging from his physical until several more moves had been played.
reaction, I knew Almasi had overlooked this
defensive resource. My pleasant state of mind
8
was not altered by his next strong move.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
31 ... i>f8
Unfortunately, 3l...f6 fails because of
a b c d e f g h 32.ttJf3! VNd7 33.ttJh4, taking advantage of the
30.id2!! fact that the black bishop no longer controls
I would have enjoyed playing one of my this square.
favourite type of defensive positions - an
exchange down - after 30.ttJxg6 hxg6. Then 32.YNc2 h5
I was hoping to gain some counterplay based

on the weakness of the g3-square. I Gamelll
33.i.a5 h4 Vugar Gashimov- Pentala Harikrishna
Ruy Lopez
l.e4 e5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.i.b5 a6 4.ia4 c!L!f6

5.d4
This early opening of the centre is better
suited with the development of the bishop on
c4 rather than on the a4-e8 diagonal. In the
Ruy Lopez, this variation is considered to be
harmless.
a b c d e f g h 5... exd4 6.0-0 i.e? 7.e5

The main line is supposed to be 7.E:el
34J~e2! although White does not have an advantage
A final subtlety; White defends his rook to after: 7 ... b5 8.e5 tt:lxe5 9.E:xe5 d6 lO.E:el
unpin the knight and create the threat of hd8 bxa4 ll.tt:lxd4 id7 12.'Wf3 0-0 13.tt:lc6 hc6
followed by tt:lxc6. 14.'Wxc6 d5!=
The immediate 34.i.xd8 would be premature 7 ... ~e48,gel

because of 34 ... hd8 35.'Wxc6 'Wxc6 36.tt:lxc6 A very old move that was frequently played
i.e? 37.tt:le5 f6 38.tt:ld3 E:g3 and Black is by Kurt Richter in the 1930s, although it failed
better! to yield him significant success.
34... ~b7? Modern theory mainly examines 8.tt:lxd4 0-0

A mistake provoked by time-trouble panic, 9.tt:lf5 d5 IO.tt:lxe7t tt:lxe7= with comfortable
but the stronger 34 ... E:g3 would not have play for Black.
saved the game either because of 35.hd8
ixd8 36.tt:lxc6 when the black pawns would 8... ~c5 9.i.xc6 dxc6 10.~xd4 c!Lle6 ll.c!Ll£5
fall one after another. 'IWxdl 12,gxdl
This is what we could call "the Richter
35.~xc6 'IWcS 36.~xe7 '1Wxc2 37J~xc2 ~xa5 tabiya''. It is curious that the author of several
38.~xf5! books on combinations would employ such a
Attacking the rook and also threatening dry variation.
mate. If we compare with the dreaded Berlin Wall,
1-0 there are two elements in Black's favour. First
of all, he has not lost the right to castle, which
will allow him to complete his development
much more quickly. The second point is that
Black's knight is much more stable on e6 than
on f5. We can conclude that objectively White
cannot hope for an advantage, but on the 12 ... i.d8 13.tLlc3 0-0 14.tLle4 b6 15.tLlfg3
other hand there is plenty of play left in the Deviating from their previous game which
position. had continued: 15.i.e3 Ele8 16.tLlfg3 i.b7
17.f4 c5 18.c3 tLlf8 19.tLld2 aS 20.Eie1
i.h4 21.Eiad1 Elad8 22.tLlf3 .ixf3 23.gxf3
fS!+ Black had a perfect blockade on the
light squares in Richter - Bogoljubow, Bad
Pyrmont 1933.
15 ... c5 16.i.e3 Ele8 17.Eid2
In fact, only this is the real novelty, as 17.f4
i.b7 would have transposed above.
17 ... i.b7 18.Eiadl i.c6 19.f4 tLlf8 20.f5!? hS
21.tLlf2 i.h4 22.i.f4 g5 23.fxg6 tLlxg6
Black had adequate counterplay in Richter-
Bogoljubow, Berlin 1937. White's domination
of the d-file is not so significant.
a b c d e f g h
13.ftk3 !d714.!e3
12 ...!£8 A novelty over another game played by
Black decides to castle long. Personally, I Richter, which had continued: 14.tLle4 0-0-0
would be more inclined to place the king on 15.i.e3 c5 16.c3 h6 17.Eid2 i.c6 18.Eixd8t
the other wing, in order to strengthen Black's mxd8 19.tLlfg3 i.e? 20.f4 g6 21.Eifl hS
defences on the kingside, although some might 22.tLlf6 h4 23.tLlge4 b6 24.f5 gxf5 25.Eixf5
argue that His Majesty would be in some .ixf6 26.tt:Jxf6 h3 27.g4 me? 28.Eih5 Eld8
danger there. 29 .Eixh3 Eld 1t 30. 'it?f2 Elb 1 Black had powerful
counterplay and eventually won in Richter -
Below are two fragments of games played B. Nielsen, Munich 1941.
between two legendary players:
14... 0-0-0 15.a3!? will be more one-sided, although the danger

Preventing a later ... .ib4. A5 we shall see, Black faces is rather mild.
White is in no hurry to move his queen's
knight to e4. 38.t£Jf3 ~h8 39.i.g5 ~e8 40.g3 1f5
4t.f4 i.d7 42.i.f6 j,h6t
15 ... h6 16.t£Jg3 i.e? 17.£4 g6 White has a huge space advantage, but Black's
In Richter's game the queen's knight was on bishops prevent the white king becoming even
e4 and Black's light-squared bishop was already more active.
on c6, which caused some practical problems
in carrying out the pawn break f4-f5. Here,
White has no such problems and he can hope
for some initiative, although Black's pair of
bishops will also benefit from the opening of
the position.
a b c d e f g h
43.t£Jg5 b6 44.g3 a5 45.~e2 a4 46.~e4
hg5 47.hg5 f5t
The draw becomes obvious now.
48.f4 i.e6 49.~d2 ~g8 50.~d1 !b3

51.~d2 i.e6 52.~d1
1/2-lfl
25.h4 t£Jd4 26.t£Je3 .ih6 27.t£Jed5 t£Je2t

28.h2 t£Jxc3 29.t£Jxc3 ~h7 30.i.f4 i.g7
31.i.g3 j,h6 32.i.f4 i.g7 33.t£Je2 i.e4 34.c3
i.d3 35.~fl d7 36.t£Jg1 i.g6 37.~d2t
cS?!
Too passive. The king should have moved
forward with 37 ... 'kt?c6!, eventually followed
by a long march to b3. This would have made
the position double-edged, whereas the game
9 ... tLlf6 IO ..ie2

IGamelJ I 1O.h3, to prevent the following exchange,
was also playable, but was not so good. Black
Ni Hua- Sergei Tiviakov could use the time to develop. After 10 ...~[5
1l.~e2 e6 12.0-0 ~e7 13.c4 Wd8 14.Wb3
Scandinavian Defence Wb6 the game would be equal.
Annotations by Ni Hua IO ...J.g4 11.0-0 e6
This game was played in the 5th round, and

I had drawn all my previous four games. To
be honest, I was very cautious from the start
as this was the highest level tournament I
had ever participated in. I had played myself
into good form, and was eager to win this
game. After doing my homework, I found the
Sicilian Dragon and the Scandinavian were my
opponent's favourites.
l.e4 d5
Not a surprise, of course. This rather
unpopular defence is in Sergei's repertoire, and a b c d e f g h
he has had some great achievements with it.
12.h3
2.exd5 Wxd5 3.ti:k3 Wd6 In my game against Ye, I continued with
Nowadays this move is more common than 12.c4
the classic 3.. .'\Wa5!?. Black could have tried:
12 ... Wd8!?
3.d4 tl:l£6 s.lLlf3 c6 6.lLle5lLlbd7 7.J.f4 Instead Ye played 12 ... Wd7 13.Wb3
Another choice was 7.l0c4!?. hf3 14.hf3, when White had a steady
advantage.
7... tlld5 8.lLlxd5 Wxd5 13.Wb3
Later Sergei played 8 ... cxd5 in the Or 13.h3 ~d6 (13 ...hf3 14.hf3 ~d6
tournament. 15.~e3} 14.~xd6 hf3 15.~a3 he2
16.Wxe2 Wxd4 17.Ei:ad1, and White would
9.tllf3!? have the initiative.
I believe this was a novelty to my opponent, 13 ... Wb6! 14.Wxb6 axb6 15.h3 ~h5 16.g4
who had already seen 9.Wd3 and 9.~e2 ~g6 17.l0e5
in his games against Anand and Grischuk White might be slightly better, although I
respectively. did not like this kind of position.
However, it was not new to me as I had
adopted it to defeat Ye Jiangchuan back in 12....ixf3
2005. The intention of the move is to keep 12 ... ~h5 was bad due to 13.c4 and a later
all the pieces on the board and cover g2. Then g2-g4, when Black's position is not stable.
White might start an attack on the queenside
and the centre. 13•.ixf3 ~d714.c4 .id6!
Compared to the game mentioned above, Now White has a small but long-lasting
Black is a tempo ahead. The b8-h2 diagonal is edge, as it is difficult for Black to expand his
vital to both sides. territory and b7 is a weakness.
lS.i.gS 18 ... a5!?

White had to retain the bishop pair. This move could cause many problems
for Black in the future, but I could see no
1S ...i.e7 16.Wfh3 0-0 17.:1Udl better way for him. Black had to defend the
queenside and avoid the recurring threat of a
breakthrough with d4-d5.
19.a3!
Fixing Black's a-pawn.
19 ... a4 20.Wfc2 i.d6 21.i.g5 Wfe7

After 2l...~e7!? White could keep an edge
with 22.:§:d3.
22.~d3!
A subtle move. Black had weakened his
queenside to escape from the pin on b7,
but a4 became a new fragile spot. I did not
a b c d e f g h
need to attack it at this point. Right now, my
17 .. J~fd8?! dark-squared bishop can come back to the
A careless move. 17 ... Wfc7! was necessary al-h8 diagonal and help the action on the
because it continues the key theme of kingside. There would be a black rook doing
controlling this diagonal. nothing but protecting a4, so my pieces are
much more active, especially once the position
18.i.f4! opens.
22 ...h6 23 ..id2 ga6!? 30.. ,gaa8

White was not afraid of Black's only Or 30 ... ~e8 31.ie2! and the bishop will be
counterplay with ... b7-b5. deadly when it reaches b5.
24,gel! .ic7 31.\W£5

If 24 ... b5 25.cxb5 cxb5, then White has
a powerful reply: 26.d5 e5 (after 26 ... '\Wd7
8
27.dxe6 ih2t 28.@xh2 'Wxd3 29.e7
'!Wd6t 30.g3 ~e8 31.ib4 White would be 7
clearly better) 27.ic3 Black has too many
6
weaknesses.
5
25.ib4 '1Wd7
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
3l .. ,ge8
Here the stubborn defence was: 31...'1Wd7!?
32.~xe5!? (32.'1Wxd7 lLlxd7 33.ig4 lLlb6
would allow Black to counterattack) 32 ... ixe5
33.'1Wxe5 'Wd6 34.\Wd4 White has enough
compensation.
a b c d e f g h 32.gdel ttld7 33 ..ih5!?
26,gedl! Actually this move was not as strong as it
I did not spend time calculating the following seemed. Instead 33.ie2!? was simple and
line: 26.d5?! cxd5 27.cxd5lLlxd5 28.ixd5 exd5 good, while 33.ig4 ~e7 would give Black
29.l"'e7l"'c6! This would be in Black's favour. some chances to hold.
26 ....id6 27..ic3 '1Wc7 33... ttlf8?

Perhaps 27 ... l"\c8!? was better. Sergei made a mistake while under pressure.
At this point Black was ready to play ... b7-b5, In fact, after 33 ... lLlf6! White would have
but, unfortunately for him, my preparation nothing clear. For example: 34.ixe5? ixe5
was also done. 35.~xe5 ~xeS 36.'\WxeS 'Wb6!= So it would be
better for me to return to the previous position
28.d5! cxd5 29.cxd5 e5 with 34.if3 lLld7 35.ie2.
After 29 ... exd5 30.ixd5 lLlxd5 3l.~xd5
White would have a positional advantage. 34.gg3!
Suddenly White's advantage has a new form:
30,ge3! Black's king is in danger and this gives me
It was time to attack e5. more tactical chances.
34.. J:~e7 35J:~e4 36.gxg7t!+- ~xg7 37.gg4t l'ilg6 38.hg6

c;!;>£8
Of course not 38 ... fxg6 39.'Wxg6t Wh8
40.'Wg8#.
39..ih7 gd7 40.gg8t?!

This is not the most accurate. The simplest
line was 40.'Wf6! We8 4l.~g8t .if8 42 ..ib4
~ad6 43.'Wxe5t. Anyway, my solution is not
so bad.
40 ... c;!;>e7
35 .. J~a6?
The final mistake. Other possible lines were:
35 ... 'Wd7 36.~eg4! g6 (36 ... 'Wxf5 37J~xg7t

~h8 38.~g8t ~h7 39.~3g7#) 37.i.xg6 fxg6
38.~xg6t ttJxg6 39.~xg6t ~h7 (39 ... Wh8
4o.~xh6t ~g8 4L~g6t whs 42.'Wf6t ~g7
43.~xg7 'Wxg7 44.'Wxd6+-) 40.'Wh5 ~h8
41.'Wxh6t ~h7 42.~xd6+-
35 ... g6 36 ..id2!? 'Wd7 37.'Wxd7 ~xd7 38 ..ig4

~c7 39 ..ixh6 White should win this endgame
due to the extra pawn.
This nice win ensured I was in a good mood.

I really loved this game, which was my best in
the tournament.
1-0
I do not know which of these moves is better.

IGamel41
12.. .'1Wc7
David Navara- Viktor Korchnoi This continuation is not very popular, with
the main moves being 12 ... h6 and 12 ... l'!e8.
French Defence, Tarrasch Variation
12 .. .'1Wb6?! would enable White to exchange
Annotations by David Navara with one queens after 13.he7 lt::lxe7 14.Wd4!t . Black
comment by Viktor Korchnoi would be left with a weak pawn and without
any counterplay. Such an idea was played in
I annotated this game with substantial help from the game Kuzmin - Uhlmann, Leningrad (izt)
Fritz 9 to make my comments more accurate. I 1973, (although White's rook was still on fl).
saw many interesting lines during the game but
some of them needed corrections. 13.h3 i.d7
Black provoked the weakening move h2-
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.~d2 c5 4.~gf3 ~c6 h3 which deprives White of the possibility
I prepared for quite a long time because I very of exchanging bishops on g3 and sometimes
much wanted to make up for the losses in the enables Black to create counterplay along the
previous rounds. Well, this move was a surprise b8-h2 diagonal.
for me, even though GM Korchnoi played it
many times at the top level, most notably in a An alternative was 13 ....ih5 14.lt:Jfd4 he2
match against GM Karpov in 1974, where he 15.Wxe2±. In general, exchanges favour White
played it in seven games, drawing all of them. in this type of position because the isolani can
I did not prepare for this move at all. become weak in endgames.
The game Navara - Korchnoi, Calvia (ol) 14.c3

2004, continued 4 ... lt:Jf6 5.e5 lt:Jfd7 6.c3 lt:Jc6 14.tt:Jbd4 was also an option but I wanted to
7.id3 i.e? 8.0-0 aS 9.l'!e1 c4 10 ..ic2 bS and press against dS.
later finished in a draw. Strong players seem to prefer 14.lt:Jfd4 for
some reason, but I was afraid that Black could
5.exd5 exd5 6..ih5 i.d6 7.dxc5 i.xc5 8.0-0 reorder his pieces on the b8-h2 diagonal.
~ge7 9.~b3 i.d6 10.i.g5
I spent several minutes on this move. I 14... h6
would have liked to try something else but I
could not recall it.
10...0-0 1U~el
Here my opponent also sank into thought.
I knew that White should exchange the dark-
squared bishops after .ih4 and .ig3 and I saw
some games of GM Karpov many years ago,
but I did not know much more about them.
ll ...i.g4 12.i.e2
The pin was too annoying. 12 ..ih4 is an
alternative to the text. Not being a theoretician,
IS.he7 IS ... l2lxe7

An alternative was: The black knight is very far from suitable
15.i.e3 squares like c4 and e4.
Followed by l2lbd4, i.d3, i.c2, iWd3 or even
16.i.c5. This would be very nice but I was 16.ltJbd4 !"1ad8
afraid that Black could attack my dark-
squared bishop with one of his knights. For
example the game Lau - Schulz, Bundesliga
1985, continued:
15 ... l2la5 16.l2lxa5 iWxa5 17.l2ld4
Or 17.iWd2!? intending 18.i.f4.
17 ... 1::\aeS 18.iWd2lLlg6= 19.l2lb5?
19.l2lb3?! also looks rather dangerous, as
the white king is very weak. For example:
19 ... 1.Wc7 20.iWxd5 i.c6 2l.iWc4 i.h2t
22.<Jih1 !"1xe3! 23.fXe3 i.xg2t! 24.<J?xg2
iWg3t 25.<Jih1 i.g1!-+
19 ... i.xb5 20.iWxd5 i.b8! 21.iWxb5
2l.i.xb5 !"1e5
a b c d e f g h
21...1.Wc7 22.i.f3
22.g3 !"1xe3 17.~d3
22 ... iWh2t 23.<Jifl l2lf4 24.g3 l2lxh3 25.iWd3 I wanted to make use of the move ... h7-
iWglt 26.<Jie2 iWxf2t 0-1 h6, and now White's pieces defend many
White's play could be improved upon, but important central squares. This move prevents
this game shows the dangers of the position. Black from playing 17 ... ltJf5 and possibly also
17 ... l2lg6.
Another option was 15 ... !"1ad8 when various
replies are possible: 16.l2lfd4 l2le5 (16 ... a6) Instead 17.l2lb5 i.xb5 18.i.xb5 iWb6 19.~b3
17.i.f4!; 16.i.c5 i.f4!?; 16.ltJbd4 l2la5 and i.c5 20.!"1e2 l2lc6 looked equal to me; Black is
... l2lc4. ready to play ... d5-d4. My line 21.!"1d1 !"1fe8?!
22.l"!ed2 lLlaS 23.Wfa4 l"!e4 loses to 24.b4, but As for the strategic ideas, I am unable even to
21...a6! 22.ixc6 bxc6, as pointed out by Fritz, say which pieces White should exchange, other
is sufficient for equality. than that it would be nice to exchange the h4-
knight for the d6-bishop. The exchange of
17...a6 queens should help the defending side (which
17... l"!fe8 18.ltlb5!;!; is now stronger than on is Black) and the side without an isolani (which
the previous move, because after 18 ... ixb5 is White). It seems to me that White should
19.Lb5 Black has to play 19 ... l"!f8 to avoid keep at least one pair of rooks to be able to
losing a pawn (and not 19 ... 'Llc6 20.l"!xe8t attack the d-pawn.
l"!xe8 2l.Wi'xd5). One final point to note: of course not
20 ... 'Llxh4?? 21.Wi'h7t.
18.ic2
18.l"!cl l"!fe8 19.l"!c2 is interesting but a
bit slow. Moreover, Black can play 19 ...ia4!?
(19 ... 'Llc6 20.l"!ce2) 20.'Llb3 (20.b3 id7 and
the c3-pawn is weak) 20 ... 'Llc6. I did not
want to remove my knight from the centre.
Now 2l.l"!xe8t l"!xe8 22.ifl looks interesting
to me but White is marginally better at
best.
18.. JUe8 19.ifd3 ttlg6

19 ... g6 20.ib3!?;!; prevents Black from
playing moves like ... lLlfS or ... ltlc6. This
happened in the game Short- Houston, British
a b c d e f g h
Championship 1981, but with a different move
order. Instead 20.'Llh4 ie5 enables Black to 2l..ib3
move his bishop towards his king. I also seriously considered:
21.l"!xe8 l"!xe8
19 ... 'it>f8? loses to 20.Wfh7 'Llg8 21.Wi'h8 and 2l. .. ixe8 enables White to take control of
thenih7. thee-file.
22.ib3
20.CLlh4 But I was afraid of some mates on e 1. On
By the way, 20.l"!ad1 l"!xe1t 2l.l"!xe1 would the one hand, the isolated pawn is now very
have transposed to the game. weak. On the other hand, the black rook can
sometimes penetrate on e2 after the pawn
20 ... 'Llf8 is lost. It was probably no better than my
What does Black want to play? During the continuation.
game I thought that a manoeuvre such as 22 ... Wfc5
... ie5 and ... if6 (or even g6) could be strong 22 ...ie6 23.l"!e1 (23.l"!dl) 23 ... if5!? 24.Wfd1
and I also considered the regrouping ... Wfb6, l"!xe1 t 25.Wfxe1 ie4 26.'Llhf5 and White
... ic7 and ... Wfd6, but the most sensible idea keeps an advantage (but not 26.f3? ig3) .
is probably to play ... ic5 in order to keep an 22 ... 'Lle6!? 23.'Llxe6 (23.ixd5!? 'Llf4
eye on squares such as d4 and f2. Black can 24.Wff3=/;!; leads to a very complex position
then activate his queen by means of ... Wff4 or where both sides have to be careful but Black
... Wfb6. has to play more accurately) 23 ... ixe6=/;!;
(23 ... fxe6? 24.j,c2) This is tenable as 22.ti:)hf3?!

24.j,xd5?! j,xd5 25.Wxd5 l'!e2 gives Black It was not good to grab the d5-pawn because
excellent counterplay. of ... hh3, as the following lines show:
23.tt::ldf5 22.l'!xe5 he5 23.tt::lhf3
23.l'!dtt followed by tt::lc2 or tt::ldf5 is also 23.j,xd5 j,xh3 is similar but less accurate for
not bad. White.
23 ... j,c6 24.l'!dl! (Fritz) 23.tt::ldf3 j,f6 (23 ... j,b5 24.Wf5) 24.'~'xd5
24.tt::lxd6 Wxd6 25.lt:Jf5 We5 26.lt:Jd4 tt::le6 hh3 25.Wxf7t Wxf7 26.j,xf7t cj{xf7
27.tt::lxc6 bxc6 28.Wxa6 lt:Jf4 promises Black 27.gxh3 hh4 28.tt::lxh4 l'!d2~ But Black
strong counterplay. can also continue differently.
24 ... j,b8 25.tt::le3 23 ... j,f6 24.hd5 hh3 25.j,xf7t Vfixf7
And White can take the pawn. 26.gxh3 hd4 27.tt::lxd4 tt::le6~
21.tt::lhf5 j,c5 and Black can take on f5 at a 22.tt::lhf5 j,c5 also looks good for Black, who
favourable moment (after ... Wb6 perhaps). can sometimes take on f5. It is important
that 23.tt::lxh6t? gxh6 24.Wg3t tt::lg6 does not
21.l'!adl!?t might have been a reasonable work.
move. White can postpone some decisions,
such as what to do with the h4-knight, whether 22.l'!adl!?±was probably stronger, even though
to play j,b3 or not, and so on. 21...l'!xe 1t it is not so clear whether this moves contains
22.l'!xel is certainly better for White than the any threat. But Black also does not have so
game continuation. many useful moves.
2I..J3e5!? 22 .. J3xelt
Black indirectly defends his isolani. I also considered 22 ... l'!h5!?. It is very
risky because if White manages to defend his
21...j,e6 22.l'!e2 j,e5 23.l'!ael j,f6 24.tt::lhf3± kingside without playing weakening moves
leaves White with strong pressure along the like h3-h4, he obtains a big edge due to the
e-file. eccentric placement of Black's rook. But things
are not so simple:
21...j,c6 allows 22.tt::lxc6 bxc6 23.Wxa6±,
but Black has some compensation thanks to a) My original intention was 23.\Wfl but I soon
the uncertain position of White's king, and realized that the black rook is not the only piece
White's bishop is rather passive and unable to to be trapped in the event of 23 ... tt::lg6 24.g4?
control squares such as f2 and f4. tt::lf4 (not 24 ... j,xg4? 25.hxg4 j,h2t 26.cj{hl)
25.gxh5 j,xh3.
21... Wc5± was definitely possible but White
has several tempting options. For instance, b) 23.j,c2 Wc8 (23 ... tt::lg6 24.tt::le6! he6
22.Wf3 followed by tt::lhf5 or 22.l'!xe8 l'!xe8 25.l'!xe6 and Black has problems with his
which transposes to 21.l'!xe8. rook) 24.Wfll'!xh3! is also not the right choice.
25.gxh3 j,xh3 26.Wd3 (26.j,f5Ft) 26 ... Wig4t
21...l'!xel t?! would have been a concession. leads to mate.
And 21...tt::le6?! 22.tt::lxe6 followed by j,c2 was
really unpleasant (this is better than 22.j,xd5 23J!xel ti:)g6!
lt:Jf4 23.'1Wf3 l'!xel t 24.l'!xel tt::lxd5 25.Wxd5 This was one of many moves which I missed
j,xh3!). or found too late. Black indirectly defends
the isolani and at the same time activates want to give up a pawn, but the computer
his knight. The move ... tt:Jf4 could be very shows a weird line:
unpleasant, therefore I decided to move my 28 ... ~b5 29.lt:Jxg6 l"ixel t 30.lt:Jxel ~h7!
bishop back. 30 ... c.fff7 3I.lt:Jh4 ~f4 32.lt:Jf5 ~cl 33.b3 is
less good because of a check on d6.
24.ic2 3I.lt:Jh4 ~f4 32.lt:Jhf3 ~cl 33.b3 ~b2
I had to calculate lost tempos in order to And only Black can be better.
decide on this move (see the comment to
20.l"iadl). I am envious of people who have a friendly
relationship with the iron box called 'a computer"
24.ixd5 tt:Jf4 25."\We4 lt:Jxd5 26."\WxdS hh3 is but just after this game, without any help from
good for Black, as 27.gxh3 fails to 27 ... ~h2t that cumbersome and nasty pal, I was pretty
sure that 24... "\Wc4 was the equalizing move and
And 24.lt:Je2 did not look particularly 24... ~fl3 the losing one.
inspiring.
25.h4
I was tempted to play 25."\Wd2 tt:Jf4 26.g3
lt:Jxh3t 27.~g2 with a dangerous attack,
but 26 ... lt:Jh5 and then ... tt:Jf6 helps Black to
improve the position of his knight.
Alas, 25.lt:Jh4? lt:Jxh4 26."\Wh7 does not work,
as Black can repel the attack after 26 ... lt:Jg6
27.~xg6 fxg6.
25 ... ®g8
Black's last two moves do not look especially
convincing. On the other hand, White cannot
play lt:Jh4 now.
a b c d e f g h
25 ... ~g4? is losing: 26.h5 hh5 27."\WfS lt:Jf4
24... ®£8?! 28."\Wh7 (28.g3 ~g6) 28 .. .f6 29.g3!+- (instead
Normal options like 24 .. J%e8 25.l"ixe8t 29.lt:Jf5 Wff7 is less clear).
ixe8 26.lt:Jf5:;!; or 24 ... ~c5 25.lt:Jh4 lt:Jf8 leave
White with a slightly better position. 25 ... l"ie8 26.l"ixe8t ~xeS (26 ... ~xe8 27.lt:Jf5:;!;)
This should be slightly better for White but I
I planned to meet: did not see anything special: 27.h5 (27.lt:Jf5:;!;
24 ... "\Wc4! or 27.~b3!?:;!; are also possible) 27 ... tt:Jf4
With the following line (up to and including 28."\Wh7 lt:Jxh5?! 29.~g6 fxg6 30."\Wxg6t This is
move 28): much better for White, but Black can instead
25.'~xc4 continue 28 ...~f8! and only then take on h5.
25.Wfd2 Wfxa2 26.hg6 (26.~b3 "\WaS)
26 ... fxg6 27.lt:Je5 is not very dangerous. 25 ... "\Wc4 is not as good as on the previous
25 ... dxc4 26.~xg6 fxg6 27.lt:Je5 l"ie8 28.lt:Jdf3 move. White has more than one satisfactory
28.f4 would be equal. continuation: 26."\Wd2 Wfxa2 27.hg6 fxg6
After the text move I thought that Black had 28.lt:Je5-+ or 26."\Wxc4 dxc4 27.hg6 fxg6
to exchange his good bishop if he does not 28.lt:Je5±.
25 ... h5 is bad both positionally and tactically 26 ... 4Jf4? loses after 27 ..lt:Jxh6t c,iJfs 28."Wh7.
as it allows 26 ..lt:Jg5.
27.h5
27.'1Wxd5 might be good, but who knows? I
had ten minutes on my dock and did not want
to check my opponent's calculations. Black has
many possibilities, such as 27 ... i.a4 28."We4,
27 ... '1Wb6, 27 ... i.e6 28.'1We4 i.xf5 or 28 ... i.d5,
27 ... 4Jf4 and so on. Even my computer seems
unable to say whether Black can equalize or
not.
27 ....ib5?
This move loses by force, but at this moment
that was not at all evident.
I planned to meet 27 ... hf5 28.'1Wxf5 lLlf8

with 29.i.b3?! (instead 29.:B:dl?! '1Wb6 is poor,
but 29.:B:e2!?± is better) but it is not as strong
as I thought: 29 ... '\Wd?? (29 ... 4Jh7! 30.i.xd5
i.xf2t! [Fritz] 3l.c,iJxf2 '!WeSt 32.4Jd4 :B:xd5
Perhaps I could try to improve my position 33.:B:e8t .lt:Jf8oo) 30.:B:e5!± And White wins a
with: pawn. Instead of 30.:B:e5, less dear is 30."Wxd7
26.g3 .lt:Jxd7 31.i.xd5 .lt:Jf6, and for example 32.i.xb??
Planning c,iJg2, but such an approach is not :B:b8!.
typical for me. Black probably should not
enter the forcing lines: 27 ... 4Jf8! was an even better move. For
26 .. JWc4 example, 28.4Je7t he7 29.:B:xe7 '1Wd6 and
26 ... i.xg3?! 27.h5! .lt:Jf8 28.fxg3 '1Wxg3t ...i.g4=, or 28.'1Wxd5 i.e6 29.'1We5 (29."We4
29.c,iJhl '1Wh3t 30 ..It:Jh2 and the extra piece :B:d5 30 ..It:Jg3? '1Wxg3) 29 ... '\WxeS 30.:B:xe5 lLld?
should outweigh the three pawns; Black's 3l.:B:el .lt:Jf6= and Black regains the pawn.
pieces do not coordinate very well.
27.'1Wd2 '1Wxa2 28.hg6 fxg6 29 ..lt:Je5
And Black should be careful. For example,
the following line is not good:
29 ... i.f5?! 30.h5 i.xe5 3l.:B:xe5 i.e4 32.f3
26....ic5
My opponent spent a quarter of an hour
on this move. During this time I realized that
27.h5 enables ... i.b5. But I thought for 90
seconds and prepared a trap.
If Black had played 26 ... i.b5 then 27.'1Wd4

i.f8 28.g3 and h4-h5 becomes a threat (but
not 28.h5?! .lt:Jf4).
a b c d e f g h
28.c4! 30.ltlg5? would have been very nice after

This double attack is by no means obvious. I 30 ... ltlxd3? 31.ctJh7# but it does not work
believed I was winning after playing this move, because of: 30 ... ixf2t! (later I found out that
but my opponent thought for four minutes 30 ... gxh6 31.WI'h7 id4 also does not lose, but
and this enabled me to see that things were not that is rather irrelevant) 31. ~h 1 (31. ~x£2
as straightforward as I had hoped. lt:lxd3t) 3l...ixel And the black king can
escape.
28 ... ~£4!
Both 28 ... i.xc4 and 28 ... dxc4 lose to 30 ...J.xc4
29.~c3. 30 ... gxh6 31.cxb5 should not be playable:
Black's king is too weak and White threatens
29.~xh6t to play ltle5.
This move cost me over five minutes. Now I
had four minutes left. This practically did not Similar is 30 ... dxc4 31.ltle5! (31.ctJxf7?
change till the end. i.xf2t 32. ~x£2 Wl'xf7 is far weaker)
31...gxh6 (3l...l'!d2 32.Wfxf4 i.xf2t 33.~hl
29.~c3 d4 30.~3xd4 i.xd4 31.ltlxd4 Wl'xc4= i.xe1 34.~g6t) 32.WI'xf4 and White is
is okay for Black, and 29.~e7t? ~f8 is even winning. For example: 32 ... 'kt>g7 (32 ... l'!d6
worse for White. 33.ig6) 33.WI'g3t ~h8 34.lt:Jg6t
29... ~fB 31.tLle5! tLle2t

And not 29 ... gxh6?? allowing 30.WI'h7t. 31...gxh6 32.WI'xf4 also seems to be losing,
for example 32 ... l'!d6 33.ig6.
8
32J~xe2 J.xe2
7 32 ... gxh6 loses to: 33.WI'f4! (but not
33.ctJxc4? dxc4 34.WI'h7 id4) 33 ... l'!d6
6
(33 ... i.xe2 34.ct:lg6t) 34.lt:lg6t ~g7 35.l'!e7 I
5 hope I would have found this.
4
33.lLlhxf7+- @es 34.~g6
3 Black is helpless against the mating threats.
34.WI'e6t Wl'e7 35.ltlxd8 ~xd8 36.Wfxd5t was
2
also winning.
34... ~b6
a b c d e f g h
I expected 34 ... ixh5 35.Wfxh5 i.xf2t
30.~£5! 36.~fl Wl'xc2 37.WI'h8t+-.
At first sight it looked as ifWhi te was winning
after 30.Wfh7? but Black has an excellent 35.tLld6t @e7 36.tLlf5t
reply: 30 ... ltlh3t! 31. 'kt>fl (31.gxh3? Wl'g3t) Grandmaster Korchnoi was just unlucky, as
31. ..ixc4 t After calculating some other lines I mostly played badly in this tournament.
I found: 32.id3 i.xd3t 33.WI'xd3 i.x:£2! (but 1-0
not 33 ... gxh6? 34.WI'h7) 34.WI'h7 Wl'c4t 35.l'!e2
~cl t 36.ltlel Wl'xh6-+
IGamel~ I can retreat his bishop to either e4 or b3, with

a similar verdict as in the game. Black is not
in great danger, but he will have to struggle
Michele Godena- Konstantin Landa slightly before he equalizes.
Sicilian, c3-variation 1he other possibility, 14... axb5, leads to a complex

position for which my opponent was sure to be
Annotations by Mihail Marin& better prepared than I was.
Konstantin Landa
15.~c7!
l.e4 c5 2.c3 This courageous knight will not be easy to
One of Godena's pet variations. trap.
Michele Godena is a well-known Italian 15 .. J~a7

Grandmaster with a very solid opening repertoire. Godena had pleasant memories of this line:
Overcoming him with Black is not at all a simple 15 ... ~b8 16.ltle5 ltlxe5 17.he5 f6 18.ig3
task. I decided to play the Sicilian in the hope of id6 19.~cl ~f7 20.ixd6 '1Wxd6 2l.~el if5
obtaining a position with plenty ofplay. 22.'1Wb3 ie4 23.'1Wg3 ~d7 24.ltle6 '1Wxg3
25.hxg3 if5 26.ltlc5 ~c7 27.~c3 ~d8 28.f3;!;
2 ... d5 3.exd5 '1Wxd5 4.d4 e6 5.~8 ~f6
6 ..ie2 ~c6 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 .ie7 9.~c3 8
'1Wd6IO.~b5 '!Wds II..i£4 ~d5 12..ig3 0-o 7
13..ic4
6
5
8 4
7 3
6 2
5
a b c d e f g h
4
White has obtained a superior ending, with
3 a good knight against a fairly bad bishop.
2 The game came to an abrupt end when Black
blundered with 28 .. .';!;Jf7?? and 29.ltle6! forced
1 him to resign in Godena - Likavsky, Arvier
a b c d e f g h 2007.
This way of treating the isolani position may 16.'1Wb3 .id6

not promise White chances of a big advantage, White is a little better after 16. .. i.g4 17. 'IWxd5!
but it does limit Black's ambitions. Black has (on 17.~ad1 i.d6 18.lt:Jxd5 i.xg3 19.hxg3
little chance of gaining any winning chances i.e6 20.ltl.f6t '1Wxf6 21.d5, as in Sveshnikov
against a well-prepared opponent. - M Gola, Moscow 1989, Black has 21 ... id7
22.dxc6 i.xc6= 23. 'IW b6 ~aa8 24.lt:Jd4 ~feB
13... a6 14..ixd5 exd5 25.ltlxc6 bxc6) 17. .. ixj-3 18. 'IWxj3 'IWxd4
The alternative is 14 ... axb5 when White 19.b3;!;.
17.hd6 en prise: 2I ... Vfixa2! 22.d5 "iJ.aB 23.dxc6 bxc6

White also achieves nothing with the 24.tiJd4 1J.d7=
immediate I7. Wi b6 1J.xg3! (but not I7. .. 1J.b4?
IB."!J.acl! 1J.a5 19. Vfic5t) 18.hxg3 a5! I9.CiJe5 19 ... "iJ.f7
"'J.a6 20.CiJxc6 "'J.xb6 2J.tiJxd8 "'J.xdB 22.b3 Or 19... 1J.g4 20."iJ.c5 1J.xj3 2I.gxf3 "iJ.j7
"!J.b4 23."iJ.fdi a4 24."!J.acl 1J.e6 25.bxa4 "'J.xa4 22. CiJxd5 a5 (22 ... "iJ.a8 23. CiJ b4±) 23. "iJ.e I
26. "'J.bl "!J.bB with full equality. "iJ.aB 24. "iJ.e3± and although Black does have
compensation, it may not be enough.
17...Y«xd6 18.Y«b6 f6
20.lLlxd5!? Y«xd5 2Uk5 Y«d6
Black can't avoid the draw with 2I ... Vfie4?
due to 22. "iJ.el Wid3 23.d5 a5 24.h3 Wia6
(24... "iJ.a6 25. "'J.eBf "iJ.j8 26. "iJ.xj8f ~xj8
27. Vii c7+-) 25. Wi b3 a4 26. Wi c2 1J.d7 27.dxc6
bxc6 28. CiJd4±.
22.d5 Y«c7
lhe only move. Other moves are unsuccessful:
22... "iJ.d7? 23. "iJ.e I±, or 22... "iJ.c7? 23. CiJd2!
WidB 24.CiJc4±.
A key position. My opponent had used up a great

deal of time already, and I was hoping he would
start going wrong. But Michele chose one of the
strongest moves, which leads to a draw by force.
19."!J.fcl!?N
White usually develops the other rook on
this square. By leaving the queen's rook on al,
White intends to keep the a2-pawn defended
in order to enable the following forcing
operation. Under different circumstances, play may have
continued with:
White avoids leaving his pawn on a2 hanging. 23.Vfixc7 "iJ.xc7 24.dxc6
To my opponent's credit, he has coped splendidly Instead 24."iJ.acliJ.d7 25.dxc6 "iJ.xc6 26."iJ.xc6
with the unfamiliar position. 1J.xc6 27.CiJd4 iJ.d5 is far from one-sided
Ifthe other rook goes to cl, then after I9. "'J.acl after 28."iJ.c8t ~f7 29."iJ.c7t ~g6 30.g4ha2
"'J.fl 20.tiJxd5 Vfixd5 2I."iJ.c5 the a2-pawn is 31.CiJf5 ~g5 32."iJ.xg7t ~f4~.
24 ... ~xc6 25.~xc6 bxc6 24... ~d7 25. dxc6 ~xc6 26. ~xc6 bxc6
Black's structural defects offer White hopes On 26. .. ~xc6? 27.ltld4 ~d5 28.~c8f r:lip
of a tiny advantage, although Black's piece 29. ~c7f g6 30.b3 ~aB 3l.g4! ~eB 32}3!±
activity may allow him to maintain the White gains the advantage by restricting the
balance. For example: bishop.
26.~cl ~e6 27.b3 ~d7 28.';t>fl ~d5 29.lt:ld4 27.b3 a5 28.ltld4 ~a6 29.g3 Wj7 30. r:lig2
~xg2t We7=
29 ... a5!?, eventually followed by ... a4, is also Ihe king goes to d6, and Black has no
possible. problems.
30. xg2 ~xd4 3l.~xc6 a5 32.~c5 a4=
23 .. J~d6 24.Vflb6 Vflc7 25.VNb3 VNd6
Ihe alternate line was equal: 26.VNb6
23. Vflxc7 ~xc7 24.~acl And here the game ended in a draw by
24.dxc6 ~xc6 25. ~xc6 bxc6 26. ~cl ~e6 repetition.
27.b3 ~d5 28.ltld4 a5= 1/2-lf2
Almasi - Godena
Korchnoi - Gashimov 'n-'n
Landa - Ni Hua 'n-'n
Tiviakov -Navara 'n-'n
Marin - Harikrishna 'n-'n
Standings
4 Almasi
3'n Gashimov, Harakrishna, Landa, Ni Hua
2'n Korchnoi, Marin, Navara, Tiviakov

2 Godena
The colour of Round Six was white. Not that the men playing White were particularly suc-
cessful; rather, and more mundanely, because in Reggio Emilia it finally snowed. After tem-
peratures of about ooc (and often below it), a white mantle cloaked the town - too late for
Christmas but perfect timing for those, like Harikrishna, who were not familiar with a snowy
landscape.
Our Category XVI brigade worked long and hard at the board, but, for the first and last time in
the tournament, all five games ended in draws. One might think the fighting spirit of the first
days had faded but -luckily for both the organizers and the readers- this interpretation does not
match reality. Quite to the contrary, the sixth round was one of the most dramatic, and its five
games are a joy for chess gourmets.
The feat of the day was Godena's tenacious draw against Almasi. The tournament leader, playing
White against the lowest rated player, had legitimate desires: another win would have strength-
ened his lead and laid a strong claim for final tournament victory. Unfortunately for him, he had
reckoned without his host.
Godena opted for a classic piece of his repertoire, the ...ic5 Ruy Lopez. Almasi avoided the
Italian's preparation and left the centre closed, relying on the slight but lasting pressure that gen-
erally favours White in these slower variations of the Ruy Lopez. In spite of a slight inaccuracy
immediately after Almasi's new move, Godena spotted the best plan and pressed his opponent to
the point that, around the middle of the game, he had turned the tables: it was now clear to every-
one that Black was playing for a win! However, as is all too common in Godena's games, his time
trouble took its toll and eventually Black was forced to retreat onto the defensive and sacrifice a
pawn to create more harmony among his pieces. From that moment onwards Godena's technique
proved unbeatable for the Hungarian ace, and the game ended with a fair result - draw.
Another emotional battle was fought between two players at the stylistic and age extremes of the
tournament, Korchnoi and Gashimov. In the preceding days, the Azeri had made no secret of his
plan to use "his" Benoni to try and lead the Leningrad master towards an unbalanced position
which, in Gashimov's dreams, would favour himself This bold behaviour by Gashimov (who
generally is mild and likeable), and perhaps the generational gap, created the fiercest rivalry in the
tournament. The board that separated the two players was about to be a war zone.
Much to Gashimov's regret, Korchnoi went for an English opening, cutting out any possibility
of a theoretical confrontation in the Benoni. In search of complications at any cost, the Azeri vol-
untarily ran into a cul-de-sac by playing a move that is rare at the top level, 5... 'W'b6. Continuing
in "ugly style", Gashimov chose a rather clumsy set-up, and played a move, ... if5, that provoked
the veteran into action.
"Now I'll jump down his throat," must have been Korchnoi's first thought, and without much
further ado he turned his thoughts into action: there followed the violent g2-g4 and then a spar-
kling game in which the old lion showed his claws and even made his roar heard. Literally so,
since legend has it that Korchnoi was so angry with his opponent for having played so badly that
he was clearly in a state for much of the game. Come on, these youngsters should learn when the
time has come to resign! After the perpetual that put an end to the fight, Korchnoi was furious
(and apparently he also spoke loudly for a few seconds before leaving the playing hall, where his
colleagues were still playing). As Korchnoi's annotations clearly show, the final draw still hurts the
old master - whose only real mistake was to leave the door open for a moment for Gashimov's
surprising tactics. Gashimov was also quite disappointed with his own display. To sum up, a draw
for two malcontents ...
A few months later during the Porto Mannu Open in May 2008, Marin's recollection of Korch-
noi's demeanour was roughly as follows: "How can one forget it? The old man plays e3, tt'lb3,
ie2 and you think that this would go on like this for a long while ... And then, suddenly, g4!, e4!,
f4!, f5!, g5!. You could almost see the blood dripping from his teeth ... Really, there is only one
Korchnoi!"
I think it is only proper to add that the two met again in April at the Russian team championship,
with the colours and plot reversed: this time it was Gashimov who won the opening battle and
Korchnoi who turned the tables in the second half of the game, finding the narrow path to the
win after eighty seven moves. Not bad for an "old man" ...
The idea of presenting a Korchnoi win in this book is so tempting, and the game so exciting, that
I can't find a good reason to resist, so here it is, with the winner's annotations, originally published
in the Russian magazine 64 (Shakhmatnoe obozrenie 512008) with the introduction and conclu-
sion written by Ilya Odessky:
A ferocious grandfather
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi is something unforgettable.

At Dagomys there was no shortage ofparticipants. You would meet several distinguished grand-
masters among them. You would come across some sparkling personalities. Some would sparkle at the
chessboard and others away from it. Some would delight you with their clever moves, others with their
wit in conversation. Some were constantly garrulous. Some, without perhaps wanting to, attracted at-
tention by their flamboyant behaviour. Some were approaching the rank of legends by virtue of their
age, others by their status as players.
Viktor Korchnoi alone united all these qualities.
Nor is this all. During the tournament a curious feeling, which words can scarcely convey adequately,
never deserted me. I felt that all the players - like the actors (or extras) in some drama written long
ago - were playing their parts diligently but without lustre. True, there were sensations here and there.
Yet they foiled to astonish, at least in the measure in which they should have done. This drama was
written without gusto.
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi astonished you every second of the time. More than anything else he called
to mind an actor ofcolossal stature, an AI Pacino no less. The hallmark ofsuch people is the fact that
you can't take your eyes offthem. How they manage this is incomprehensible, but they do. They may be
picking their noses or tying their bootlaces, chewing a hamburger or just standing there without saying
a word- the onlooker, like a rabbit facing a boa constrictor, looks without tearing himselfaway, and
is prepared to sit like that for hours on end.
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi is one ofthese very people. He was absolutely natural and never once played
to the gallery. And yet he had the audience in his pocket. The way he would growl at the captain ofhis
team! And the way he would look on silently at the closing stages ofhis team's match! The way he would
pick up a piece! And the way he would press his clock! The way he rebuked an opponent immediately
after the game: "The stuffyou play.... You can't think up anything ofyour own. You were just repeating
what Karpov thought of ages ago... " This opponent in fact had chosen to repeat the opening of one of
the games .from the Merano match; that was his offence.
The way Korchnoi would lose! And the way he would win!
I tell you, you couldn't take your eyes offhim.
Grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi annotates
Vugar Gashimov- Viktor Korchnoi

Russian Team Championship, Dagomys 11.04.2008
The game Gashimov - Korchnoi attracted the spectators' attention both because it was so hard-
fought and because of the gross errors by both sides. For that reason I don't wish to annotate it in
full; it would clearly have no place in a collection of my best games. However I must show you an
extract from it. In the opening (a MacCutcheon French) White acquired a large plus. The posi-
tion should have been won for him, but Gashimov couldn't pull off a finish in the middlegame.
Just before the time control I managed to exchange queens.
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.ttlc3 c!Llf6 4.i.g5 i.b4 5.e5 h6 6.i.d2 hc3 7.bxc3 c!Lle4 8.~g4 <it>£8 9 ..id3
c!LJxd2 IO.<it>xd2 c5 II.h4 c!Llc6 12J~h3 c4 13.i.e2 b5 I4.a3 aS 15.~f4 ga7 I6..ih5 ~e7
17.gg3 gh7IS.gf3 <!>es I9.~g3 g6 20.gf6 b4 2I..idi h5 22.ttlh3 <it>ds 23.ttlf4 i.d7 24.~g5
bxc3t 25.<it>e3 gc7 26.ttlxh5 gxh5 27.~g8t i.e8 28.~xh7 c!Llxd4 29.<!>£4 ~c5 30.<it>g3 ttlf5t
3l.gxf5 exf5 32.~xf5 ge7 33.gbl i.d7 34.~xh5 d4 35.~h8t E!:e8 36.~f6t <it>c7 37.£4 ggst
38.<it>h2
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
38...'?Nc6!
In the ensuing endgame Black will have the initiative thanks to his active pieces and his central
pawn phalanx. In some circumstances White's extra pawn may play an important role, but at
present this asset is hard to discern.
39.'?Nxc6t
White had to choose berween this move and the line 39.~8 Wxf6 40J~b7t Wc8 4l.exf6. But
that would turn out badly after 41.. .~g4!.
39... <!>xc6
Black has to go in for some "pretty'' play. The position after 39 ...Lc6 40.g4 wasn't at all to
my liking. The capture with the king, on the other hand, tempts White into active play which
is hardly in keeping with the position. But if you regard Black's move as a trap, you must realize
that it was forced.
40.J.f3t
At this point White had to decide whether to seek active play or to place his rook on cl
and continue with h4-h5 and g2-g3, not hurrying to bring his king to f2. Gashimov evidently
thought he was doomed if he played passively. The possibility of exploiting some tactical chances
seemed all the more inviting. However, analysing the position at home, I have not found a way
to breach White's passive defence ...
40... <it>c5 4I.gb7 d3!

Gashimov probably missed this move. If it hadn't been available, what else was there for Black?
Well, either 4l...~e6 or 4l...~b5 would still have given White plenty to think about.
42.:ac?t
I can't guarantee that Black would have had a won game in all variations. I simply felt I was
obliged to play this way. At any rate, let us look at the main line: 42.cxd3 c2 43J'k7t Wd4 (after
43 ... ®b6 44.l'hc4 :gc8 45.:gxc2 :gxc2 46.h5 White has a mass of pawns for the rook) 44.:gxc4t
®xd3 45.:gc7 :gc8 46.:gxd7t ®e3 47.:gdl cxdl='W 48.~xdl ®xf4 49.~b3 :gc3 50.~xf7 :gxa3
51.e6 :ge3 And Black wins.
42 ... <it>b6 43.:ab7t

Or 43.:gxc4 dxc2 44.:gxc3 :gc8.
43 ... <it>a6 44.:abi

Ah, was it worth leaving the back rank then?
44....ia4 45.g4
After this move Black queens by force.
45 ... dxc2!
Against 45.h5 Black would have had to opt for a different manoeuvre: 45 ... Lc2 46.:gcl 'it>b5,
heading for d4.
46.:aci :ads 47.h5 :ad2t 4s.<it>h3

If 48.~g2, then 48 ... ~c6 49.h6 Lg2.
48 ... :adi 49.h6 :axel 50.h7 :ahi t

I am convinced that 50 ... :gfl 5l.h8='W :gxf3t would also have won, but the method I selected
seemed simpler.
SI.hhl cl=9 52 ..lg2

Now I needed to have another think. There were several paths to the win, for instance Spassky's
suggestion of52 ... Wxa3 53.h8='W c2t 54.®h2 We? 55.Wc8t ®b6 56.Wb8t ®c5 57.'Wb2 Wh4t.
The continuation I chose is also good and technically adequate.
52... ~e3t 53.i>h4
8
7
6
a b c d e f g h
This too is a good move. But technically an even better way was 53 ....tc6!. If White captures on
c6, Black takes on f4, and White can't obtain a queen on h8. Otherwise the white bishop is lost.
In a position with the black queen on f2 and the white king on h3, Black could similarly play
...ia4-c6. Then ifWhite took the bishop, Black would win with ... 'We3t.
54.h8=~ ~h2t 55 ..ih3 ~flt 56.i>h5 .ic6 57.~c8t i>h5 58.a4t i>h6
Now what could be simpler than 58 ... c.t>b4 59.'Wxc6 c2 60.'Wb5t i>a3 6l.'Wxc4 'Wd2 62.'Wc5t
ltfa2, when Black makes a second queen?
59.~d8t i>h7
Black's win is plain to see. On 60.'We7t there follows 60 ... c.t>a6 6l.'Wd6 'Wf3 62.-tfl 'Wd5.
60.~xa5
Now again there was a simple way: after 60 ... 'Wb2 with ... c3-c2 to follow, the game is over. But
this was not to be!
60 ...ygb6?? 61.ygxc3 ygb3

How could I have imagined that White wouldn't be able to stop the b-pawn? At the end of the
fifth hour's play, you can have all sorts of hallucinations.
62.ygxb3t cxb3 63.Afl??

You would suppose a youngster in the sixth hour of play would think more clearly? Not a bit
of it! After 63.g5 i.e4 64.e6! White is in no way worse!
63 ...i.e4 64.i.c4 b2 65.L2 ~b6 66.g5 ~a5 67.~h6 ~xa4 68.g6!

The best practical chance! Instead 68.e6 would lose by a tempo: 68 ... fXe6 69.g6 c;t>a3 70.g7
c;t>xa2 7l.g8='1& i.d5!
68 ...fxg6 69.e6 ~a3 70.e7 Ac6!

The only move to win. After 70 ... \t>xa2 7l.e8='1& bl='l& 72.'1&a4t c;t>b2 73.'1&b4t c;t>ci 74.\&elt
White gives perpetual check.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
I must admit that in decades of chess practice I had never set eyes on such a position. To my
own and my opponent's astonishment, it is lost for White. Black must exchange the g-pawn for
thee-pawn. Then if, say, the white king on g5 is facing the black king on e7 with White to move,
Black will succeed in reaching the a3-square- after which, making use of zugzwang, he can trans-
fer his king to c3 oral, winning. With the kings on e3 and c5 (and the pawns still on the board),
Black wins by ... g6-g5, \t>e3-d2 ... g5-g4, i.bl-e4 ... \t>c5-d4.
72 ... ~b4 73. ~f4 ~c3??

As is clear from the previous note, Black could win with 73 ... \t>c5 followed by ... g6-g5.
74.~e3
The position is now a draw. Black has no good move and is obliged to push the g-pawn. If he
could bring about the same position with his opponent to move, it would be harder for White to
hold on. Thus after i.bl-d3 ... g6-g5 White's only move would be i.d3-f5, but the game would
be drawn anyway.
74...g5 75.~f3 .id7

The only move to carry on the fight. Black answers 76.i.f5 with 76 ... i.xf5 77.e8=Wi g4t 78. 'ii?f4
bl='& etc.
76.<!>e3??
In that last line I said "etc.", but then the game would have ended with White giving perpetual
check!
76..• <!>c4 77.~e4??

For the second time running White misses i.bl-f5 with a draw.
77... <!>c5
At last Black has reached the desired square c5. He now wins.
78.<!>e5 g4 79.~£4 ~d6 80.e8=Wi i.xeS 8l.~xg4 ~e5 82.~f3 ~d4 83.~e2 ~c3 84.~e3
ia4 85.~e2 i.c2 86.i.a2 ~b4 87.~d2 ~a3
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
0-1
******
Four queens that took their turn on the board (plus a fifth hypothetical one in the notes). The odd fif
teen pieces and pawns sacrificed by the two players. Eighty-seven moves. just ten more than the number
ofyears that the player ofthe black pieces had lived. And how many hours did he spend at the board?
This was already the ninth round, and during the eight previous ones Viktor Lvovich had taken a
solitary day off
An extremely difficult game. On the following day, with White, Korchnoi would give Rublevsky a
hard time and come very close to success. lhe day after that, he would easily repulse Asrian's attempt
to play for a win. lhe overwhelming impression was that throughout the tournament Viktor Lvovich
was warming himself up; he was still doing so during the last few rounds, when colleagues ofhalfor
one-third his age were already complaining out loud about their tiredness. Finally he attained his
competitive form and exhibited his best play. He had warmed up by the finish.
A ferocious grandfather.
While we are at it, I think this is a good time to tell another Viktor the Great story. In 2006,
while I was preparing to welcome him as the guest of honour at the Rocca di Papa rapid tourna-
ment (which he then won with a convincing 8/9) and the awards ceremony of the Herbert Gar-
rett Scholarship (a scheme in memory of my father to help young players to develop their chess
talents, awarded on this occasion to the then 12-year old Marina Brunella - who in 2008 was to
become the youngest ever Italian champion) I asked him on the phone: "Mr Korchnoi, do you
have any preference between playing eight or nine rounds?" To which he replied, at lightning
speed: "I obviously prefer nine rounds. You know, after many hours of play my opponents tend
to grow tired ..." And sure enough, if the tournament had been only eight rounds the winner
would have been Michele Godena, whose ninth round clash with the talented young IM Daniele
Vocaturo proved to be fatal for his chances.
Before leaving you to the games, I would also like to recommend Tiviakov- Navara, an explosive
"on-the-break" Caro-Kann that offered plenty of excitement especially in its latter stages, when
the clock started dictating its rhythms to the players. Although far from flawless, the play after
move twenty is incredibly tense and the final "irrational" rook sacrifice is spectacular.
Finally, we have the genius of David Navara. Just in case any of the readers think the young
Czech's brilliant annotations are nothing but a printout of his laptop's work, suffice it to say that
almost every single line was shown - or rather, blitzed out by David- in the commentary room
only a few minutes after the end of the game for the benefit of an enraptured audience ...
first rules I learned about the Ruy Lopez was

IGamel6l that ... ig4 is generally unfavourable for Black
ifWhite has not occupied the centre with d4.
Zoltan Almasi - Michele Godena The explanation is that, because his centre is
not under direct pressure, White can slowly
Ruy Lopez push the courageous bishop back with ttJbd2,
h2-h3, Elel, ttJfl and then ttJg3 or g2-g4.
Annotations by Mihail Marin However, the situation is slightly different
after a2-a4. Having opened another front,
l.e4 e5 2.<~jf3 ltlc6 3.i.b5 a6 4.i.a4 ltlf6 White will face some problems keeping every-
5.0-0 i.cS thing under control on both wings, especially
Systems based on developing the bishop to since his b3- and b4-squares have been slightly
c5 have for a long time been considered as weakened.
more active alternatives to the classical lines,
in which ... i.e7 is played. Black puts pressure
on the a7-gl diagonal, but has to take into ac-
count a potential loss of tempo if White plays
c2-c3 and d2-d4. In addition, the pin created
by a later ig5 may prove more difficult to
break.
In the late '70s and in the '80s, the so-called

Arkhangelsk variation, characterized by the
moves 5... b5 6.ib3 ib7 7.Elel ic5, became
increasingly popular. After a while, White
started being successful with the immediate
7.c3, leaving the e4-pawn undefended, which a b c d e f g h
explains why nowadays Black prefers to de-
velop his king's bishop first, with or without a 9.c3
previous ... b5. In doing so, he retains the pos- The threats of ... lt.Jd4 or ... ixf3 followed by
sibility of developing the other bishop to g4, ... tt.Jd4 had to be parried.
thus increasing the flexibility of his play.
9 ... ~b8
6.d3 Black temporarily abandons the a-file in or-
With this modest looking move Almasi de- der to put some pressure on the neighbouring
clares his intention of avoiding a theoretical file and force White to release the tension. Lat-
dispute. He probably relied on Godena's habit er, the rook will return to a8 where it will have
of falling into deep thought in positions where good chances of taking control of the newly
no forced play is available, which inevitably opened file.
leads him into time trouble.
10.axb5
6... b5 7.i.b3 d6 8.a4 i.g4!? The necessity of making this exchange is re-
With the e4-pawn safely defended it makes vealed in the following variation: 10.h3 ixf3
a lot of sense to avoid placing the bishop on 11.1Wxf3 ttJa5! (of course, this is not possible
b7. However, Black's last move requires some when the a-file is open) 12.ic2 (Black has
explanation. When I was a child, one of the little to worry about after 12.ixf7t ~xf7
13.b4 .L:b4! 14.cxb4 lt'lb3 15J''!a3 lt'ld4 and Inserting this attacking move only brings
the strong centralized knight ensures he will the game closer to the first time control. Af-
have no problems) 12 ... b4 With pressure on ter 14 ... 0-0 15.lt'lfl b4 16.lt'lg3 i.xf3 17.~xf3
the queenside. bxc3 18.bxc3 Wfal we would reach the same
position as after Black's 19th move in the
IO ... axb5 ll.h3 .th5 1V~~bd2 game.
15.'i;Ye2 0-0 16.~£1 b4

Black's control of the a-file promises him
very little by itself. Therefore, he prepares to
open another file, while weakening the c3-
square at the same time.
17.~g3
It is curious that, despite the slow course of
the game, only this is a new move.
The over-ambitious 17.g4 i.g6 18.4Je3, aim-

ing to leave the enemy light-squared bishop
out of play, proved too time-consuming after
18 ... Eib8 19.i.c2 Wfal and Black's attack was
dearly ahead of White's in A. Kovacevic-
Anand, Belgrade 1997.
17•••Lf3 18.'i;Yxf3
However, Black had an equally efficient al-

ternative plan, aiming to use the rook on the 8
b-file in order to avoid what, strictly speak- 7
ing, looks like the loss of two tempos. After
12 ... 0-0 13J''!el b4 14.i.a4lt'la5 15.lt'lfl bxc3 6
16.bxc3 .L:f3 17.Wfxf3 lt'lb3 18.i.xb3 Elxb3 5
19.i.d2 lt'ld7 20.:!::\ebl Elxbl 21.:!::\xbl Wfa8
4
Black had solved his opening problems in
Lutz- Adams, Frankfurt (rapid) 1999. With 3
two open files on the queenside, White cannot
focus all his attention on building a kingside
2
attack. 1
13.Eixa8 Wfxa8
a b c d e f g h
White's pieces are rather congested (for ex- White has obtained the advantage of the two
ample, the d2-knight temporarily lacks mobil- bishops, but his queenside remains vulnerable
ity), but since the position is static this element as his queen has been distracted to the other
has only limited relevance. wing.
14J~el 'i;Ya7 18.•. bxc3?!

This is not really a mistake, because Black's 24.&1Jf5 d5

position will remain entirely viable anyway, A logical move; with all his pieces actively
but he could have caused White more seri- placed, Black is entitled to open the centre.
ous problems with the immediate 18 ... '\Wal.
Defending the c3-pawn would have required 25.i.c2
some sort of concession from White. After this modest move White can hardly
Possibly, Godena feared that White would claim anything more than plain equality.
launch a direct attack with 19.ltlf5 bxc3
20.ttlxg7, but this does not seem to work. 25.exd5 lt:lxd5 26.'\Wel seems rather passive,
For example, 20 ... cxb2 21.ltlf5 h5 22.Wg3t but the force of the bishop pair should not be
li:lg4 23.hxg4 h4! and Black's attack will break underestimated. After, for instance, 26 ... Wa2
through first. 27.~dl E:bl White has 28.d4 when the posi-
tion is quite curious. White's pieces lack space,
19.bxc3 'i;Yal 20.i.d2! but Black must be careful to avoid becoming
Obviously, this move would not have been over-extended or uncoordinated.
possible with a white pawn on b2.
25 •.• dxe4 26.dxe4 gd8 27.Wfcl 'i;Yxcl
2o...'i;Yb2 2I.'i;Ydi gbs 28.i.xcl &iJ£4 29.gel g6 30.&iJe3 gaS
The position has simplified and Black re-
mains sufficiently active to compensate for
White's pair of bishops. Despite being under
time pressure, Godena will play the next phase
of the game quite accurately.
3I.&iJc4 ga2 32.i.b2 i.a3 33.i.xa3 gxc2

34.i.e7 ®g7 35.&1Jxe5 &iJe2t 36.®fl &!Jxc3
37.£3 &iJh5 38.i.h4
a b c d e f g h
Even so, Black has little to complain about.
Almasi had a promising situation on the clock,
but otherwise his opening experiment is far
from being a success.
22.ia4 &iJe7 23.gfl &fJg6

Over the past few moves Black has continu-
ously improved the placement of his pieces, a b c d e f g h
while White has mainly re-directed his to The game has gone through further transfor-
their previous positions. However, in doing so mations. White has exchanged one of his bish-
he has managed to stabilize the position and
ops, but retains the more compact structure.
White has some chances of putting pressure on However, this is of little relevance, since Black
the enemy kingside.
has become increasingly active.
38.. )i:Jf4?! 42 ... h5

Finally, Godena goes astray in time trouble. The position is not without dangers for
The knight jump had to be prepared with Black. For instance, the immediate 42 .. J''ie2?
38 ... g5. For example, 39 ..if2 (39.hg5?? drops loses to: 43 ..ih6t ~g8 (or43 ... ~h8 44.l"ial+-)
a piece to 39 .. .f6) 39 ... lt:lf4 40.lt:lg4 li!g6 and 44.l"idl! (44.l"ibl offers Black some chances to
Black is not worse. survive after 44 .. .f5 45.exf6 ~f7 46.l"ib8l"ie8±)
44 ... c6 45.lt:lf6t With a decisive attack.
39.ttlg4!
Probably overlooked by Black; the vulner- 43.ttlf6 ~e2!?
ability of the f6-square places the black king Sacrificing a pawn in order to reduce White's
in danger. attacking potential. If instead 43 ... c6 then af-
ter 44.lt:lxd5 cxd5 45.l"ial the black king feels
39... ttlh5 uncomfortable.
A cold-blooded decision under the circum-
stances. 44.~dl ttle3 45.he3 ~xe3
Black could not continue his "attack" with
39 ... lt:lxg2? because of 40 ..if6t ~f8 41.l"ial
(removing the rook from the attacked square
with gain of time) 4l...~e8 42.hc3 and
Black has simply lost a piece. This is an un-
usual case where there are sharp attacks on the
same wing, despite the reduced material left on
the board.
40.e5
Now White finally has some initiative.
a b c d e f g h
Apparently, Black is close to equality, but
White has not yet exhausted his resources, be-
cause Black's pieces are slightly hanging and
his king still caged.
46.~f2 ttlf5 47.£4!

Defending the e5-pawn and threatening
to win material with g2-g4. The immediate
47.g4?! would fail to 47 ... l"ixe5 48.lt:ld7 ltle3!
and Black saves his pieces and retains an extra
pawn.
47... h4!
Black prevents White from maintaining the
integrity of his pawn structure. This is not only
correct from a strategic point of view, but it
also crosses White's attacking intentions. In- At the cost of one pawn that was weak any-
stead after 47 ... Elc3?! (defending the c7 -pawn) way, Black has improved his position consider-
48.g4±, quickly followed by Eld8 and g4-g5, ably. His pieces are very active and his king has
the black king would be in great danger. managed to approach the centre, avoiding any
immediate danger. With accurate defence, he
48.tt::le8t should be entitled to expect a draw.
Without the participation of the g-pawn,
White cannot create a mating net after 48.l'l:d8 so.'LlbS?!
:tlc3. This move allows Black to simplify to a
drawn ending.
More consistent was:

SO.Eld2
Simply defending the second rank.
so ... Ela4!?
Actually, Black does not need to force mat-
ters. A more neutral strategy such as 50 ... Lt:lg3
51.Elc2 Lt:le4t 52.~el tLlg3 53.tLld5 l"i:a4
leaves White with problems finding a con-
structive plan. I believe that for practical
reasons this would have been Black's best
defence.
51. tLldS tLle7
As a general rule, with 4 pawns against 3 60 ... l'l:a4t 6l.'tt>f3l'l:a6 62.l'l:g4l'l:h6

White has excellent winning chances in Black's rook has been forced into passivity,
knight endings, but rook endings should be but this does not mean much.
drawn. However, the structure is slightly un- 63.<j;lf4l'l:h5 64.l'l:g5 l'l:h8 65.<j;lg4l'l:h6!
usual here and detailed analysis is required. It is important to maintain the rook's mobil-
52.lt:Jxe7 ity.
White cannot make progress with 52. 'tt>f3 65 ... 'tt>f6? would be a typical mistake, illus-
because after 52 .. Jl:a3t the over-ambitious trating Black's practical problems in over-
53.<j;lg4?? leads to mate after 53 ... l'l:g3t the board play. After 66.l'l:h5 l'l:g8t 67.\t>f3
54.<j;Jxh4lt:Jf5#. Black loses the pawn and the game. You may
52 ... 'tt>xe7 53. 'tt>f3 f6 54.exf6t <j;lxf6 understand now why I prefer 50 ... lt:Jg3.
66.l'l:h5l'l:g6t 67.'tt>f3l'l:f6t
8 White cannot make progress. The king has
7 to defend the 4th rank in order to prevent
the rook from defending the h4-pawn, but
6
after:
5 68. <j;Je3 l'l:e6t 69. <j;lf4l'l:g6 70.l'l:f5t 'tt>e7
4 Black holds his defensive line.
3
50 .• J~~a2t 51. <j;l£3 gxg2!
2
Perhaps Almasi overlooked this simplifying
tactic?
a b c d e f g h
52. <j;lxg2 tLle3t 53. <!>£3 tLlxdl 54. ®g4 rlle7
55.<j;lg4
55.<!>xh4 f6 56.tLld4 fxe5 57.fxe5
55.l'l:d6t <j;lf5 56.l'l:d5t <j;lf6 57. 'tt>g4l'l:a2=
55 ... g5!
Forced. After 55 ... l'l:b4 56.l'l:d6t! Black loses 8
after both 56 ... <j;lg7 57.<j;lg5 l'l:a2 58.l'l:xg6t
followed by 59.'tt>h5 and 56 ... 'tt>f7 57.<j;Jxh4
7
l'l:xf4t 58.g4 l'l:a4 59.<j;lg5 l'l:a5t 6o.<j;Jh6 g5 6
6l.l'l:d3 followed by l'l:f3t, <j;lg6 and l'l:f5.
56.l'l:d6t <j;Je7 57.l'l:g6 gxf4
5
Black has managed to maintain material 4
equality, but his pawns are vulnerable. De-
spite that, the weakness of the g2-pawn saves
3
Black. I admit that it would not be easy to 2
aim for this position on the 50th move, un-
1
less one has excellent endgame knowledge
and understanding. a b c d e f g h
58. <j;lf3 l'l:a8 59. <j;lxf4 <j;lf7 60.l'l:g5
White retains his extra pawn in a knight
White's main problem is that he has to win
ending, which usually offers good winning
the h4-pawn. There is no way to win if he
chances. According to Fine (and other famous
gives up the g2-pawn in exchange for it, be-
authors, quoting him), the main thing is to
cause the rook's pawn ensures a win only in
have the possibility of creating a passed pawn
exceptional cases.
and here White has one already! Ifhis king was
closer to the pawn, say on f4, then Black's situ-

ation would have been extremely dangerous. I Gamenl
However, in the game position White's lack of
coordination saves Black. Viktor Korchnoi - Vugar Gashimov
57... ~fl58.'tt>g3 tL'ld3! English Opening
Denying the king access to f4 while attack-
ing the pawn. Annotations by Viktor Korchnoi
59.~8 l.tL'lf3 tL'lf6 2.c4 c5 3.tL'lc3 tL'lc6 4.d4 cxd4

Also leading to a draw is 59.e6 lt:Jc5 60.~g4 5.tL'lxd4 Wfb6
ltlxe6.
8 .i~..t~-~ ~~
~.~r~r--,~--,Y.
59... <.f.>e6 60. 'it>g4
7
% . . %~'"~ . . ,%.....%_
"~~~~······~
: ~~!m~~~~
6"
3 ~~.~~~
~0%" ~ ~00~0.,
2 ~j[j~'0 ~~,[j~t};
1~ ~V~Jt-.:
a b c d e f g h
Judging by the time he took over it, my op-
ponent must have thought up this move over-
the-board. He could hardly have been prepar-
ing for the game in advance in the way that
some grandmasters do. However, appearances
are deceptive. At any rate, I didn't always suc-
ceed in following my young opponent's train
of thought in the course of this game.
After 60 ... tt:Jf2t Black has an easy draw. For
instance, 6l.~h4 g5t 62.~g3 lt:Jd3 (the more
6.e3
spectacular 62 ... tt:Jxh3 63. ~xh3 ~f5= followed
Gashimov may have thought he had flum-
by ... g5-g4 is also possible) 63. ~g4 lt:Jf2t and moxed me with his 5th move. It couldn't have
White cannot make progress.
entered his head that I had already faced this
lf2-lf2 move when he was just getting ready to go to
nursery school. My game with Van der Wiel
(Amsterdam 1988) went 5 ... '1!tfb6 5.lt:Jb3 e6
7.e4 i.b4 8.i.d3 lt:Je5, with an eventual draw.
If I had known how Gashimov was going to
continue, I would have withdrawn my knight
from d4 ...
6 ...g6 it wouldn't be easy for Black to find a

A surprise. The normal way to play for equal- continuation.
ity is 6 ... e6 7.il.e2 d5, but perhaps Gashimov
didn't consider me a worthy opponent ... 13.£5 .id7 14.g5
7.~b3d6
Something is wrong with my youthful an-
tagonist's opening play. He defends against the
threat of c4-c5, but on this and the following
moves it was more important to continue de-
veloping the kingside with ... il.g7, ... 0-0 etc.
s..ie2 i.£5?
The Transcaucasian grandmaster's moves
5 ... ~b6 and 8 ...i/.f5 have not furthered his de-
velopment. They are purely provocative, that
is, they tempt his opponent into advancing.
But I don't need to be provoked - I am ready a b c d e f g h
to go forward! 14... ~xe4
It's hard to call this move a sacrifice. After
s ~~
~ ~ ~·w~
~~w ??a ~,~~ 15 ... lt:Jh5 16.c5 Black would be completely
'% ~~ ~~r~-----~~ ----- defenceless.
7 -~~A- ~~-J~%l ~~
6 ~~-w~~ ••~
-----/.~ -----%~ I-~
15.~xe4 il.x£5
I can't imagine what my opponent had seen
5
ill~ 111111 111111 illJIII at the board. With 15 ... il.xb2 he could have
4 ~%Q~~p~~~ tried to obtain three pawns for a piece: 16J'!bl
il.xf5 17.ttJxd6t ~xd6 18.~xd6 il.c3t 19.id2
3 ~tZJ~ t[j ~
8~------~lZH~~ exd6 20.il.xc3 il.xb 1 2l.i/.xh8 il.xa2
~"~'="•:
2 In view of this, I intended to answer the
capture of the b2-pawn with 16.f6! when
I White has an extremely strong attack.
a b c d e f g h
9.g4! .ie6 IO.e4 ~c8?! 16.~c3
Another move that doesn't wholly make The two pawns for the piece are wholly
sense, played incidentally after ten minutes' insufficient material. Black's only hope is to
thought. Gashimov is displaying an extremely work up an attack on the enemy king, but to
weak grasp of chess fundamentals. After this do this his pieces would need to develop some
move Black will soon be compelled to give up activity. Black's position is lost.
a piece.
16....ih3!
II..ie3 ~d8 12.£4 .ig7 Played after a long think. Obviously after
At last. At this point the spectators were 16 ... 0-0 17.0-0 Black has no trace of an
anticipating 12 ... lt:Ja5, but after 13.c5 initiative.
17.~d2 b6 22 ... tihg4 23.~gl

White's c4-c5 could prove unpleasant for Allowing the knight to exchange itself for
Black. Moreover after 17... 0-0 he might have the white bishop would, after all, have meant a
to fear 18.1xa7ltlxa7 19.We3. certain concession to Black.
18.~d4 ~e5 19.b3 0-0 20-l:~gl 23 ...£5!

White must remove his king from the centre The only possible way to demonstrate some
fairly quickly, but in so doing he has to reckon initiative. In the event of23 ... a6? 24.ltld5 ~b8
with ... ttJg4 and, especially, ... d6-d5. 25.0-0-0 b5 26.ltlc6, Black would be in a very
bad way.
20... Y«d7 2U~g3 .tg4
24.gxf6 exf6
~~.~ ~~-~
With the trap 25.0-0-0?? 1h6.
8
7 (I(P.m!~l-~--a-Y-w~
A% mm~ %AWA
a~ 25.Y*fg2 gfeSt
-----~- ~-----~~ -,~m
"~ "-~~
6
-~-~.-~.--~
~~.!~•t·
~~N/~""';~'0 ~~----~
~8m m ~~
8
7
6
%i~ %~ ~-~
~~~~3P0~~~~-J~~
r~ r~ r~•~
·----~~ -----~.----~~ ~
3
~~ /------r-/r;-"~ -----"w~
2
1
~~~.~!~~~[j
9 ~ mm :~.!.~~~-
~~'"/~""';~ ~~-----
3 ~8m ~ ~~
a b c d e f g h
2 8 _ ~--~
0 ____ , ; _
22.ixg4?
1 ----~~ ~?'b:%~ ~~;~----
Irresolution. At this point White had the
opportunity to get his king away from the
~ ~ ~ ~
centre without fearing anything. At first I had
a b c d e f g h
considered 22.'it>f2. After 22 ...1xe2 23.Wxe2 26.~dl?
f5 24.exf6 ~xf6t 25.<;!(g1 ~cf8, what put Incorrect! After ltld4-e2 with 0-0-0 to
me off was the difficulty of initiating rook follow, White has an overwhelming plus. Here
exchanges on the f-file, thanks to the position are some sample lines that aren't too long:
of the rook on g3. In actual fact, after 26.ltle4 26.ltlde2 ltle5 27.Wd5t 'it>h8 28.0-0-0,
1"!6f7 27.~d1, White would be ready to play or 27 ... ltlf7 1d4. Black, as they say, is a piece
his knight to d2 and then his rook to fl, with down with the worse position in return.
a big advantage. Or 26 ... f5 27.0-0-0 b5 28J!gd3!. Now
against any move that defends the d6-pawn,
Another possibility here was 22.0-0-0. White has c4xb5 with advantage. If instead
Then 22 ...1xe2 would be met by 23.Wxe2, 28 ... bxc4, then 29.~xd6 We7 30.~d7 Wa3t
and if 23 ... d5 then 24.1f4! is winning. Or (30 ... We6 31.~1d6 or 30 ... Wf6 31.1d4)
22 ... d5 23.1xg4 ltlxg4 24.ltlxd5 (24.ltlde2!?) 3l.<;!(b1 cxb3 (3l...~xe2 32.Wxe2 1xc3
24 ... '\Wxd5 25.~xg4 b5 26.Wg2 and White has 33.~d8t ~xd8 34.Wxc4t+-) 32.Wd5t <;!(hs
a won position. 33.1d4 bxa2t 34.'it>a1 ltlf6 35.Wf7 Wf8
36.J\xf6; or 34 ... hd4 35.'Wxd4t lLle5 36.'Wh4 33.lLlxa7, and if 33 ... f4 then 34.'Wd3 'We5
with unavoidable mate. 35.lLlc3; alternatively 33 .. J%a8 34.lLlb5 ~e2
35.a4 or 35.lLlbc3!.
26 ... £5 27.s!?c2 As we know, computers, unlike humans, are
After the mistake last move, White's position not scared of anything!
no longer looks flawless; he will need another
couple of moves to consolidate it. 32.h4!
Now it is White who is playing for the attack,
27... ttlf6 28.gdl d5! while Black must seek salvation in exchanges.
It looks as if Black is seizing the initiative in
earnest and for the long term. However... 32 ... ge4 33.h5 VNf7
29.s!?bl!
An important defensive move. Now on
29 ... dxc4 there follows 30.lLldb5 'We6 31.lLld6
cxb3 32.lLlxe8. White is a rook up, and Black's
attack is easily beaten off. In the case of an
intermediate ... f5-f4, the rook would most
likely go to g5.
29 ... ttle4!
My 29th move came as a surprise to the
young Azerbaijani. All the same, he recovered
his bearings with exceptional speed and opted
for the best practical chance. White will have
to return some of his booty.
30.ttlxd5
After 30.ltJxe4 dxe4 the pin on the d-file
would be extremely unpleasant. The right way was 34.hxg6 hxg6 35.lLlf3!. The
difference is seen in the continuation 35 ... ~g4
30 ... ttlxg3 31.¥9xg3 36.'Wh2 'We6 36.J\d4 'We4t 37.@cl ~xd5
In the position now arising, White has some 38.cxd5 'Wxf3 39.Jixg7 @xg7 40.d6 'Wc6t
material advantage, but the main thing is the 4l.'Wc2, when there is no stopping the pawn!
very active placement of his pieces.
34... gg4 35.¥Nh2
31. .. gcd8 Here again, capturing on g6 was better.
Played after a long think. I was actually
35 ... ¥Ne6 36.h6
expecting the other rook to come to e4,
This idea was conceived at move 34. Now
whereas the move Black played reminds you
on 36 ... 'We4t 37.@cl Jih8 38.J\d4! 'Wxf3
very much of a computer move.
39.J\xh8, Black would have to resign.
The point is that on 3l..J~e4 White has
32.lLlb5, threatening both lLlf6t and lLldc3. Note that at this point 36.hxg6 wouldn't be
Then the obvious 32 ... 'We6 can be met by
so strong, in view of36 ... 'We4t 37.@cl ~xg6,
when the knight on f3 is en prise and Black is 43 ... i>f7

threatening ... ih6t. The black king can't emerge to e5, as after
44.'We7t 'iflf4 45.ih2t E!g3 46.'Wh4t the rook
36...We4t 37.i>cl is lost.
8 44.~d7t
lf:z-lf:z
7
6
5
IGamel8l
4 Konstantin Landa - Ni Hua
3 Slav Defence
2
Annotations by Mihail Marin &
Konstantin Landa
a b c d e f g h
l.~f3 ~f6 2.c4 c6 3.d4 d5 4.~b3
37.. J~xd5! Some years ago this variation was considered
This unexpected move saves the game for to be a positional line and best suited to players
Black. His bishop heads for f8 with the terrible who wished to avoid theory. Nowadays, only
threat of ... ia3t. the first part of the evaluation remains valid,
because theory has made great advances even
38J~xd5 here ...
Now White in his turn needs to play
accurately. 4 ... dxc4 5.~xc4 .if5 6.g3 e6 7 ..ig2 ~bd7
8.0-0 .!e7 9.~c3 0-0
38....i.f8 39.E!d8 Wxf3 40.E!xf8t
Sufficient to draw.
4o ... i>xf8 41.Wd6t i>f7 42.~d7t i>f6

43.Wdst
a b c d e f g h
IO.E!el!?
This move has come into the limelight
recently, after Aronian's brilliant win over
a b c d e f g h
Anand in 2007. Previously, the main line was that will predictably follow will increase the
considered to be 1O.e3 followed by 1Mfe2. probability of a draw, although in practice
White has won more frequently than I would
IO ....ig6!? have expected.
This is supposed to be the safest continuation.
Black does not prevent e2-e4, but instead Black has usually tried to attain equality as
prepares for its arrival in the best way. follows: 1J...b5 12. Wxc6 b4 13.e5 ~c8 14. Vfia6
bxc3 15.exjD lLlxjD 16.bxc3 ~xc3 17.tiJe5
The aforementioned game continued with: Wb6 18.1Mfxb6 axb6 19.d5 .ic5 20.dxe6fice6
lO ... tLle4 ll.Wb3 Wb6 12.tLlh4 .ixh4 13.gxh4 21.tLlxg6 hxg6 22. .ie3 .ixe3 23.~xe3 l"1xe3
tLlef6 14.e4 .ig6 15.1Mfxb6 axb6 16 ..if4 The 24fte3 0-0 Kunte - ~ng Hao, 6th Asian
pair of bishops eventually proved to be more Championship 2007. However, White's play can
significant than the pawn weaknesses in ofcourse be improved.
Aronian- Anand, Morelia/Linares 2007.
12.dxc5 .ixc5 13.e5 gc8 14.'!1ff4!?
ll.e4 Finally, a novelty in this "non-theory'' line.
I had had an unfortunate experience with this In the only game where Black had played
position. A few months back I had played 11.h3 ll...c5 before, White answered with 14.Vfih4,
h6 12.e3 ~c8 13. We2 tLle4 14. tLld2 tLlxc3 but after 14 ... tLld5 15.tLlxd5 exd5 16.Vfixd8
15. bxc3 1Mfa5 16. .ib2 tLl b6, and now 17. 1M! d1? ~fxd8 17 ..ig5 f6 18.exf6 gxf6 19 ..if4 ie4
(highly "unusual"- instead of 11. tLlc4 with an Black's piece pressure in the centre allowed
equal position) 17. .. tLla4 18. Wb3 b5! 19.e4 her to maintain equality, despite the structural
c5 20. tLlj3 tLlxb2 21. 1M!xb2 cxd4 22. tLlxd4 defects, Shen Yang - Korbut, China-Russia
(22. cxd4 .ib4!-+) 22... b4+, Landa- Tkachiev, match, Nizhny Novgorod 2007.
Sochi 2001. My Chinese opponent must have
been hoping for something similar in the present After 14.1Mfh4 tLld5 15.tLlxd5 exd5 16.Vfixd8
game. ~fod8 17..ig5 jD 18.exf6 gxf6 19. .if4 ie4,
Black obtained adequate counterplay in Shen
Ytmg - Korbut, China-Russia match, Nizhny
Novgorod 2001. I am sure that my opponent,
who was present at that match, will have had
something up his sleeve.
14... ttld5 15.ttlxd5 exd5;!;
a b c d e f g h
ll. .. c5!?
This move has rarely been tested. The main
theoretical dispute centres on ll...b5 12.1Mfxc6
b4 13.e5 ~c8 14.Wa6. The simplifications
An interesting structure has arisen. White White has to act quickly in order to retain his
enjoys stable control over the d4-square, while advantage.
the d5-pawn is relatively weak. Black would
solve most of his problems if he could transfer 19.tLlg5! hd4
the knight to the e6-square, but this is not easy It may seem as though Black could more or
to achieve. Therefore, White's chances seem less equalize with 19 ... ixg2 20.Wxg2 ti'Jf8!.
preferable. However, recapturing immediately on g2 is not
necessary. White has the strong intermediate
16.!e3 move 20.e6! after which Black has to say
The computer recommends 16. tiJ h4!? with farewell to the blockade on e6 forever. The
an immediate attack on the d5-pawn. 1hen vulnerability of the d5-pawn would leave him
J6.JiJb6 17.b3! keeps the black knight out of struggling in this case.
c4. In the game I decided to develop my pieces as
quickly as I could. If 19... ixg2 then 20.e6!±.
16...!e4 17J~adl Y!fe7 20J~xd4 tLlc5 2I.Y!fh4!
A more acceptable line for Black is 17. .. h6 A paradoxical move that places the white
18.ih3!±. queen at the sharp end of a pin. The tactical
justification is that White simply wins a pawn,
18.id4 which was not possible to achieve immediately
Here 18. ih3 doesn't turn out well in view of with 21.ti'Jxe4 dxe4 22.ixe4? because of
18.. .j5!. 22 ... ti'Je6!-+.
However, 18. ti'Jg5! looks strong: 18.. .j5 19.exfo 21 ...h6 22.tLlxe4 Y!fxh4 23.gxh4 dxe4
Ci:Jxf6 (not 19... 'fl.x/6 20. ixe4! 'fl.xj4 21. ixd5f) 24.he4 tLlxe4 25J~dxe4
20.ih3!± With a large plus for White. So a rook ending has come about, and as the
pundits aptly put it, ''rook endings are always
18.. J:Ue8 drawn': My opponent must have been thinking
that too. To be sure, the position doesn't seem very
dangerous. But an extra pawn is an extra pawn!
8
7 25 ... gc2
I think Black ought to have kept all four rooks
6 on the board with 25... h5 26. Wg2 g6±.
5
26.gle2 gxe2 27,gxe2±
4 The forced sequence has come to an end.
3 Despite his doubled pawns, White has
reasonable winning chances because of his
2 space advantage on the kingside.
27... ®£8
a b c d e f g h Or 27. .. Wh7?! 28.h5!±.
Both sides have methodically increased
their control over the centre. With his last 28.®g2gc8
move, Black enabled the manoeuvre ... ti'Jf8-e6. Jf28... We7 then 29. 'fl.c2!±.
29.h5
We can note that this pawn is quite useful, as
it blockades Black's kingside pawns on passive
squares.
Blocking the kingside.
29 ... \i7e7 30.f4 f6

A debatable decision. In general, a passive
policy is not recommended in such endings,
but after the opening of the centre White will
manage to activate his rook.
Black also has problems after 30... rJle6 31. rJlg3

rJ-Jj5 32. fi,d2 '8,c7 33. fi,d6 '8,e7 34. fi,dB '8,c7
35. 'fi,g8 ['i,c] 36. rJ-J h3!±. From here, the rook keeps both wings under
control; I feel that White is already close to
31.\i7f3 fxeS 32J'he5t \i7f6 33./:~hS winning.
33... b6 34.a4 gc2 35.h3 gh2 Black should nevertheless have saved himself
He doesn't solve all his problems with 35... :B:c6 by the following complex variation: 46. .. :B:fl f!
either: 36.b4 rJ:lj7 37. mg4 rJ:lj6 38.a5 bxa5 47.rJ:le4 (47.mg3 :B:a1!) 47. .. 1"!e1f! 4B.md5
39.bxa5±. rJ:lj5 49. rJ:lc6 (or 49. :B:c7 rJ:lxf4 50.a6 :B:e5f
51. mc6 :B:xh5 52. :B:xa7 :B:xh3 53. :B:j7t rJ:le4
36.mg3 gd2 37.ma gd4 3S.h3 gd3t 54.a7 1"!c3t 55. mb7 :B:b3t 56. rJ:lcB :B:a3
39. rJ:lg4 ge3 40.b4 gb3 57. :B:xg7 h5 58. mbB rJ:lf4=) 49... mxj4 50. mb7
:B:e7t 51. 1"!c7 :B:e5 52.a6 :B:xh5 53. :B:c4t mg3
54. mxa7 :B:b5 55. :B:g4t mxh3 56. :B:xg7 h5
57.1"!b7 :B:a5=.
[Editor's note: In this line, instead of 50. rJ:lb7,

50.a6!? looks a tricky winning try, avoiding the
double attack along the fifth rank that occurs in
Landa's line. One for the reader to analyse...]
41.a5!
A well-calculated operation, after which
White will increase his space advantage to a
decisive extent.
4I ... bxa5 42,g5t 'i!?e6 43.ge5t 'i!?f6

44.bxa5
Any uncertainty about White's win has
vanished. He has an extra pawn, a space
advantage and an active rook.
44.. ,gbl 45.gc5 ggl t

Passive defence would not have helped,
for instance: 45 ... :B:b7 46.:B:c6t m£7 47.a6 If47. me4 then 47. .. :B:e1 t=.
1"ld7 (aiming to meet mf5 with ... :B:d5t)
48.h4! (putting Black in zugzwang) 47... gxh3t 48.'i!?g4 ghl 49.gc6t!
48 ... rJ:le7 (as mentioned before, the rook Another accurate move, returning to the
is needed on the d-file) 49.mf5 m£7 (after attack from a6, in order to prevent the enemy
the previous move, 49 ... :B:d5t is strongly king becoming active.
met by 50. rJ:lg6!) 50. me5 me? 51.:B:c8 @f7
52.:B:b8 Followed by :B:b7 with an obvious With this pretty resource, events take a new turn.
win. White secures j5 for his king. My opponent had
clearly missed this move. Instead, 49. :B:xa7 is
46.@8 ghl(? Landa) answered by 49... :B:g1 t 50. mj3 :B:h1 =.
49••• c;!.>f7 50J~a6 c;!.>gs Or 51 ... E:gl t 52. ~j5 E:hl 53.a6 'Sxh5t
50 .. J':&al would allow the decisive activation 54.lt>g6+-.
of the king with 51. lt>f5.
52.c;!.>f5
Slightly more stubborn would have been: Activating the king should have decided the
50 .. J'l:h2 5l.E:xa7t lt>f6 game quickly.
Although White should still win:
52.E:a6t 52... c;!.>h7 53.a6
The plan based on advancing the pawn to Now Black's position is hopeless - his king is
a7 fails here after 52.a6 E:a2 53.E:a8 @f7 cut off
54.a7 E:al 55.f5 E:a2 56.f6!? E:al! and White
cannot make progress. 53... c;!.>gs
52 ... @£7 53.E:g6 E:a2 54.a6 Or 53 ... E:a5t 54. lt>e6 E:xh5 55.j5+-.
White has temporarily switched to a lateral
defence to keep Black's kingside under 54. c;!.>e6 ~el t 55. c;!.>d6 ~dl t 56. c;!.>e6 ~el t
pressure. 57.c;!.>d7 ~dlt
54 ... E:a5 55.E:b6 lt>g8 56.f5 @f7 57.1t>f4 lt>g8
58.lt>e4
8
8 7
7 6
6
5
5
4
4
3 3
2 2
1
a b c d e f g h
a b c d e f g h
58 ... 1t>h7
58. c;!.>es??
Aiming to keep the king well-hidden.
This impatient move, overlooking a
After other moves, the pawn advances
well-known defensive resource, destroys
without problems. For instance:
the advantage White had earned with his
58 .. .'it>h8 59.E:b8t ~h7 60.f6 gxf6 6l.E:b7t
superb play in all the previous phases of the
lt>g8 62.a7+- followed by E:b8t.
game.
Or 58 ... @£7 59.E:b7t lt>f6 60.a7 E:a4t
6I.It>d5+-.
The winning continuation was: 58. ~c7 'Sci t
59.~d4 E:xf5 60.a7 E:a5 6l.E:b7+-
59.1t>b8 E:al (or 59 ... E:c6 60.~b7 E:f6 6I.'Sa8t
1he black king is not only safe, but also ...
~h7 62.E:c8+- followed by a7-a8=1&) 60.'Sa8
completely out of play. We can feel the force of
~f7 61.~b7 E:blt 62.~a7+- After a simple
the previously doubled pawn- Black is helpless
regrouping (l::i:b8-b6 and ~b7) the pawn will
against the transfer of the king to b8.
be ready to promote.
5U~xa7 ~al
A gross error. I wanted to play in highly technical
style - first driving the black king to h7, then

advancing the a-pawn to queen. I Gamel9l
There war an elementary win with 58. r.llc7! 'f},cJ t Sergei Tiviakov- David Navara
59. rJlbB (if the king heads for a8, the result is
not so amusing: 59. r.llb7 'f},bJf 60. rJlaB?? 'f},b6! Caro-Kann Defence
and now the position may well be won for Black)
59... '8al 60.fl,a8 r.llj7 61. rJlb7 'f},bJt 62. r.lla7 Annotations by David Navara
"8b5 63. '8b8 fl,xh5 64. rJlb6+-.
I.e4 c6
58.. JM6!= A surprise; I played the Caro-Kann for only
Suddenly, there is no way for White to get his the second time since 1994. The first time I
rook out of the way of the pawn. Landa kept played it was against GM Tiviakov at the
playing for a while before resigning himself to European Team Championship a short time
the painful inevitability of a draw. before this game.
A beautifUl reply; now White has no win. A rare 2.d4 d5 3.ttld2 dxe4 4.ttlxe4 .if5
care ofthe rook handling the defence on its own. In the previous game I chose 4 ... ltld7.
Not 58... '8al 59. '8a8+- when White's dreams
come true. 5.ttlg3 .!g6 6 ..ic4 ttlf6 7.ttlle2 e6 s.ttl£4
.id6 9 ..ib3
59. ride7lU6 60J3a8t ~h7 61.£5 gb6 62. ~d7 9.h4 is not dangerous in view of 9.. :~c7
'f},£6 63. ~c7 gf7t 64. ~c6 gf6t 65. ~d7 gb6 10.Wf3? hc2.
66J:~a7 gf6 67.ga8 gb6 68.~c7 gf6
a b c d e f g h
A fantastically hard-working rook! a b c d e f g h
Unfortunately I foiled to win a totally won IO... ttlbd7
position and reach a "plus 2" score, which would One of Tiviakov's previous games had
have kept me in contention for first place. continued: 10 ... a5 1l.c3 a4 12.ltlxg6 hxg6
V2-V2 13 ..!c2ltlbd7 14 ..!g5 0-0 15.0-0 c5 16.dxc5
Wxc5 17.fl,ad1 Wxg5 18.fl,xd6 Wb5 Y2-Y2,
Tiviakov - Dautov, Bundesliga 2002. It is
interesting that the same opponents had played 15.i.e3

this line already in 2000, and after a further six I wanted to meet 15.d5 with 15.)t:'lxd5
moves also agreed to a draw. I would not have (15 ... e4!?) 16.hd5 l::lhf8, having missed
complained about a draw, but I wanted to play 17.i.g5! (weaker is 17.'\Mfdl cxd5 18.'1Mfxd5 ii:lf6
more originally. Besides, GM Tiviakov could 19.'1Mff3 e4 20.'1Mre2 h5 2l.i.g5l::lde8 and Black
have prepared some improvement. is doing more than fine) 17... l::lxf3 (17 ... Elc8
18.'\Mfdl;:!;) 18.i.xd8 '1Mfxd8 19.hf3 and I prefer
11.0-0 White, as the queen has no targets to attack.
11.h4 e5 12.tt'lxg6 hxg6 should not bring
White more than equality. 15 ... ~hf8 (1.01)
I was tempted to play 15 ... h5 followed by
11 ...0-0-0 tt'lg4, but Black could eventually remain with
Originally I had intended to play as in the pawn weaknesses, and 16.i.e6 also looks a bit
Tiviakov- Dautov games, but during the game annoying.
I changed my mind, having had been inspired
by Tiviakov- Conquest, Mondariz (zt) 2000. 16.~e2 exd4 17.i.xd4
17.cxd4 gives Black a decent place for his
11...0-0 12.tt'lxg6 hxg6 13.i.g5 a5 14.c3 knight.
a4 15.i.c2 c5 16.dxc5 '1Mfxc5 17J~fdl '1Mfxg5
18.l::lxd6 '1Mrb5 could have transposed to the 17... c5
Tiviakov - Dautov games. I rejected 17 ... i.c5=/t, as the bishop could
be stronger than either of my knights, as the
12.c3 ~b8 position is open and the play can proceed on
Black can also play differently; the position both flanks.
remains about equal. For example: 18.l::lad1 (18.hc5 ii:lxc5
19.i.c2 '\Mff4) 18 ... i.xd4 (18 ... l::lde8 19.'%Vd2)
13J:~el
19.l::lxd4 tt'lc5 20.l::lxd8t l::lxd8 2l.i.c2
I missed 13.he6 fxe6 14.tt'lxe6 '1Mfc8 15.i.f4
IS.i.x£6
but the position remains about equal after
15 ... lt:Jb6.
8
13 ... e5 14.tLlxg6 fxg6 (1.19)
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
18 ... tLlxf6?!
I was not overly ambitious but this is an
a b c d e f g h inaccuracy.
Also mistaken was 18 .. J''\xf6? 19.tt'le4 i.xh2t h4 28.i.f5 is not as bad as the game could have
zo.'tt>hl ~fs 2l.g3 ~hs 22.mg2. been.
The equalizing line 18 ... gxf6 19.tt'lfl tt'le5 24.g3

20.'tJe3 c4 2l.tt'lxc4 tt'lxc4 was called for. Mistaken is 24.i.f7? due to 24 ... ~xel
25.~xel tt'lg4 threatening the h2-pawn and a
19 ..!Llfl fork on e5.
White's attacking chances look more real in
the long term. 24 ... g4
I wanted to move my knight to g5, but failed
19 ... h5?! 20 ..ie6! to do that.
I underestimated this idea.
24 ... h4 might have been better, but I cannot
20 ...g5 21.gadl gfe8 22.'1Wc4 a6 23.a4 imagine Black delivering a mate after 25.i.h3.
White is better. In the middlegame he can
move his bishop to g2 and attack my king (I
tried to prevent this but my idea was wrong),
whereas in the endgame Black's kingside pawns
can become weak. Black should keep his
kingside pawns on dark squares in the endgame
but on light squares in the middlegame. How
could one do that?
23 ... g6?
Now this pawn could be a target for White's
bishop in an endgame.
I could have tried 23 ... g4. For example,
24.if5!? ~xel 25.~xel i.f4 26.g3 i.g5 27.i.g6 a b c d e f g h
2SJ~e3? 28 ...Wfc6!? 29.lt:Jxg4 ~h8 is a transposition.

White plays overcautiously.
29.tLlxg4
The move that was called for was: Now I sank into thought. I have some advice
25 ..tf7! for you: do not get into severe time trouble.
For example: Slight time trouble can even be amusing
25 .. -l:hel 26J~xel lt:Jh7 but serious time trouble is exhausting and
My original intention was 26 ... lt:Jd7 devastating.
27 ..txg6 lt:Je5 but it fails to 28.~xe5! he5
29.hl5, or at least I thought so before 29 ...Wfc6 (0.04)
analysing the game with Fritz. I assessed this 29 ... Wfh7 gives Black nothing: 30.~f1 ~h3t
position as winning for White, whereas the 31.cj;Je2 ~de8 32J'!xd6 lt:Jxg4 33.Wfxc5t {or
machine considers it equal and continues 33.~xa6t bxa6 34.~d7t ~b8 35.Wff4t)
with 29 ... Wfb6!. I have to admit that things
are not entirely clear but I insist that White 30..id5 tLlxdS (0.05) 3U:~xd5
must be better, even if he should play the 3l.Wfxd5 would allow 31...Wfxa4.
nasty looking move 30.Wfa2±.
Or if26 ... g5 then 27.Wfe6. 3I....tc7 (0.03)
27.hg6 There was nothing better. For example, if
27 ..td5 lt:Jg5 28 ..tg2 lt:Jf7 3l...~d7 then White must avoid 32.lt:Je5??
27 ... lt:Jg5 28 ..te4 ~e8 .txe5 33.~xd7 Wfhl#, but instead 32.b4! is
28 ... ~f8 29 ..tg2 strong.
29.~e2 ~xe4 30.~xe4 Wfc6 3l.Wfg8t±
32.tLle3 (0.16) 32... ~de8 (0.03) 33.~1d3
25 ••• ~a7 26J~1ed3 Also possible was 33.Wfxc5t Wfxc5 34.l'hc5
White would be a little better after 26 ..tf7 .tb6 (34 ....txg3 is an option, but White is still
~xe3 27.lt:Jxe3 lt:Jd7 28.hg6 lt:Je5 29.Wfe6. better) when White has the advantage, as long
as he avoids the trap: 35.~g5? ~xe3 36.a5 idS
26 .•. h4? 37.~xd8 ~el t
Black's attack is not very dangerous, as the
d6-bishop can hardly join it. 33 ...Wff6 (0.02)
It was the right time for 26 ... lt:Jh7, as 27 ..td5
(27 ..tf7 gives Black decent counterchances
after both 27 ... ~e5 28.hg6 lt:Jg5 [Tiviakov]
and 27 ... ~f8 28.hg6tLlg5.) 27 ... lt:Jg5 28 ..tg2
(this move is by no means forced) 28 ... lt:Jf7!oo
Tiviakov
27.tLle3
Of course not 27 ..txg4?? ~e4.
27... hxg3 28.hxg3 ~h8 (0.14)

I played this quickly because I did not see
any other sensible move. 28 ....txg3? is wrong
due to 29.~xd8 hf2t 30.';tJxf2 Wfh2t 31.lt:Jg2
a b c d e f g h
g3t 32.cj;lf3.
34.Wg4 (0.06) 37.'Wg2 Elel t (37 ... 'Wel t 38.'Wgl) 38.<it>h2

Played after long thought. 'Wf8
37... 'Wxe3
Instead 34.lt:Jg4 can be met by 34 ... 'Wf7! or With a likely draw, for example:
even 34... l:!elt 35.cJlg2 'Wf7! (Tiviakov). 38.<it>h2?! 'Wf2t 39.'Wg2 ixg3t 40.It>h3 'We3!
However, I intended to play 35 ... 'We6 4l.'Wxg3?! 'We6t
(threatening ... Eigl t!) 36.Eie3 Elxe3 37.lDxe3
hg3?. The problem is White can continue The strongest move is: 36... c4! (Fritz) 37.Eidl
38.fXg3 ~xe3 (White's king can easily avoid 'Wxe3 38.l:!fl 'We4t (38 ... ixg3!?+ is also good)
the perpetual after 38 ... 'Wh3t 39. cJlf2 'Wh2t 39.'Wg2 l:!h8t 40.cJlgl ib6t 41.l:!d4 hd4t
40.'.!iel or 40.cJlf3) 39.'Wxc5t 'Wxc5 40.l:!xc5 42.cxd4 'Wxd4t 43.'Wf2+
with a winning rook endgame.
8
Taking on c5 should lead to equality:
34.Wxc5t ib6 35.'Wd6 7
But not 35.l:!d6? Elhlt! and then 36.cJlxhl
6
~h8t! or 36.lt>g2 Elh2t.
35 ... Eihl t! (Fritz) 5
I had planned 35 ... 'Wf3 but missed the
4
brilliant 36.'Wxb6t!! (Fritz) which wins
after either 36 ... cJlxb6 37.lt:Jc4t or 36 ... 1t>a8 3
37.l:!d8t.
2
36.'.!fxhl 'Wxf2 37.!!5d4 Elh8t 38.l:!h4 ixe3
39J'lxe3 ~fl t 40. cJlh2 'Wf2t 41. cJlh3 'Wfl t 1
The position is a draw as White must avoid:
a b c d e f g h
42. 'i!lg4? 'WfS#
37J:!:g5?
34.. J~hlt! White had also fallen into time trouble.
34 ... Eih2 35.Eid2 looked weaker to us,
especially after my opponent showed me Instead 37.lt:Jfl Elh8 38.Eixg3 'Wxfl t 39.1t>h2
35 ... l:!eh8 36.lt:Jfl!, but 35 ... 'Wh8! (Fritz) does not lose immediately, but Black has a big
forces White to play 36. cJlfl, when Black has advantage. For example: 39 ... 'Wf2t 40.\t>hl
a strong attack. 36.lt:Jfl? loses to 36 ... Eihlt Elxh3t 41.Eixh3 'Wei t 42.cJlh2 'We2t 43.\t>gl
37. 'i!lg2 Elxfl. 'Wxb2 44.!1xc5? 'Wb6!
35.i>xhl GM Tiviakov proposed an interesting move:

But not 35.lt>g2? Elh2t. 37J!d2
With the idea:
35 ... \Wxfl (0.02) 36.¥Nh3? 37 ... 'Wel t?
This natural move is a mistake. 36.lt:Jg2 White's concept is very clever, but Black has
E\h8t 37.lt:Jh4 'Wfl t 38. cJlh2 'Wf2t= a couple of good answers:
37 ... 'Wf3t 38.l:!g2 'Wxe3! Fritz {38 ... l:!xe3
36...hg3!? (0.01) 39.'Wxg3=) 39.Eidl (39.'Wxg3 Elh8t; 39.Eixg3
Not the best move, but fairly good. My 'We4t 40.'Wg2 l:!h8t 4l.cJlgl 'Welt 42.'Wfl
original intention was: 'Wxg3t) 39 ... 'Wf3+ Hitting the dl-rook and
36 ... l:!xe3 37.l:!xe3 also planning ... l'!e3.
37 ... ~xe3 38.tj;>g2! (Tiviakov) This is very

nice; I probably would have fallen for it. But
later the ruthless Fritz showed that Black has
a strong attack after 38 ... ~e4t! 39.tj;>xg3
~f8, for example 40.~g4 ~el t or 40.~5d3
~f5 and White will have to give his queen
for the rook sooner or later.
38.@g2! ~xe3 39.~hl!!±
I was very pleased to find this a couple of
hours after the game, instead of 39.~c8 i.b8
40.~xc5t tj;>a8.
The best continuation was: a b c d e f g h

37.~d8! ~e5 38.~h8= (Fritz)
White needs to be precise to avoid defeat. 38 .. J~xe3?
For example: The time trouble takes its toll. I had just a
38.~8d5? ~e4! (Tiviakov) couple of seconds left. I saw that 38 ...if2t
38.~f8? i.f4 39.~xf4 ~xf4 gives Black a 39.@h2 ~f4t 40.tj;>g2 looked promising
decisive attack, for example 40.tt'lg2 ~fl t but was afraid of losing. In fact, 40 ...ixe3 is
4I.tj;>h2 ~h5 42.tt'lh4 ~f2t 43.tj;>hl ~xh4 winning outright, for example 41.~xe3 Wxg5t
or 40.~fl ~h5t 4I.tj;>g2 ~g5t. (Tiviakov). 40.~g3 loses both to 40 ... ixg3t
38 ... ~xe3 4l.~xg3 ~h8t 42.tj;>g2 ~e4t (Tiviakov) and
Black should avoid 38 ... c4? 39.~d7! when 40 ... ~h8 4I.@g2 ~xh3 42.~xh3 We4t (me).
either capture on e3 would allow a forced
mate. For example: 39 ... ~xe3 40.~xb7t! 39.~xg3
tj;>xb7 4l.~d7t i.c7 42.~d5t tj;>a7 43.~a8t 39.~xg3 would have led to a picturesque
tj;>b6 44.a5# position, but 39 ... ~el t 40.@h2 l:'ihl# wins
39.~xe3 ~xe3 immediately.
The game would be heading for a draw.
37... ~f3t 38.®gl

Somehow I thought that 38.~g2 ~h8t
39.tj;>gl i.h2t (39 ... i.f2t? 40.@fl ~hlt
4l.~xhl ~xhl t 42.tj;>xf2 ~h4t) 4o.tj;>hl (if
40.~xh2 then 40 ... ~xh2 4I.tj;>xh2 ~e2t) only
leads to a draw, missing 40 ... i.f4t 4I.tj;>gl
he3t. I was down to seconds, here. This
explains why I did not repeat moves once to
gain time.
a b c d e f g h
And now I accepted a draw offer as I could
not even find a trap. 1/2-lfz
2 ... c6
I GameJO I Of course! The Panov Attack is not possible
now.
Mihail Marin - Pentala Harikrishna
3.d4 d5 4.cxd5 cxd5
Slav Defence, Exchange Variation So we had a symmetrical position again, but
this time I was psychologically prepared for it.
5.tlJc3 ttJc6 6.~f4
l.c4 tt:lf6 2. tlJB
Hari has a flexible opening repertoire, which
i. ~ .i.~-~ ~~
"•nrf.t.~
8
makes it difficult to find the optimal move
order against him. Last year, at the Spanish
team championships, I played 2.ctJc3 keeping
7
6
.t1f
"'--%~ ~~"'---%---,%~
:·=-~~=
the possibility of transposing to the Panov
Attack in the event of 2 ... c6 (by 3.e4 and so
on). However, after 2 ... g6 3.g3, which I had
played numerous times before, he surprised
me with 3 ... c6, which I had never faced in this 3 ~ ~ ~tt:J~
~~-~-----~ ~~-~~-~
concrete position. If played later (after j,g2),
2 b~~ ~b~~b~~
this move would be met by e2-e4, preventing
... d7-d5. Also, with the knight still on bl, I ~~-- -%~v~/1£w~
/ ~
'"" ~ /, ____ %
usually meet the ... c6 Gri.infeld with b3 and a b c d e f g h

~b2.
The way it was, I had nothing better than 6 ... ttJe4
entering the symmetrical variation with a later I believe that this early attempt to break the
c4xd5, which I had never examined seriously. symmetry fails not only to equalize, but also to
The game was drawn after a long fight, with offer any chances for counterplay.
me defending for most of it. As paradoxical as this may seem, Black's best
chance to achieve these aims is 6 ....if5, which 12 ..ie2

keeps the symmetry for the time being. In Later I found out that this natural move is
order to fight for the initiative, White would a novelty.
have to take some risks, while in the game I
will be allowed to play at my leisure. With the kingside undeveloped, I did not
seriously consider capturing on c6. The
7.e3 ~xc3 8.bxc3 g6 following game justifies my evaluation:
This is part of Black's basic idea. For White it 12.'\Wxc6!? e5 13 ..ixe5 he5 14.dxe5 ~a5
is unfavourable to play the generally desirable 15 ..id3 .ib7 16.'\Wxb7 l:'lab8 17.'1Wa6 '!Wxc3t
c3-c4 before castling, because of a check on a5, 18.~e2 l:'lb6 19.l:'lacl! (19.'1Wxa7 would leave
while otherwise this pawn advance would cause the extra bishop undefended: 19 .. J'%b2t
a loss of tempo after ... dxc4 and hc4. The 20. ~f3 'Wxd31he white king is in a dangerous
resulting structure would resemble a Griinfeld, situation.) 19 ... '1Wb2t 20.l:'lc2 '!Wxc2t
with chances for both sides. However, White 21.hc2 l:'lxa6 22 ..ib3 l:'lc6 White has good
can do better. compensation for the exchange, but probably
no advantage, Cifuentes - Akopian, Linares
9.~e5! 1996.
This is a good moment to re-establish
symmetry. Black's king's bishop will not be During the game, I considered 12 ..id3 to
especially well placed on g7, because it will be less natural, although it prevents ...if5.
hit the well defended d4-pawn. White's more Later I discovered a renowned specialist in the
active king's bishop and his extra tempo will Exchange Variation had twice failed to obtain
secure a stable plus. a significant advantage with it:
12 ....id7 13.0-0 c5 14 ..ib5
9 ....ig7 10.~xc6 bxc6 ll.WI'a4 I did not like the placement of the bishop
As we shall see, the purpose of this move is after 14.'\Wa3 c4 15 ..ic2 and indeed Black
not to attack the c6-pawn. I just wanted to had no major worries after 15 ... l:'le8 16.'1Wc5
prevent Black from playing ... 'Wa5. e6 17 ..ic7 .if8 18.'Wxf8 t ~xf8 19 .ixd8
l:'lexd8 20.l:'lfb 1 l:'ldb8 2l.e4 l:'lb6 in Milov-
11 ...0-0
Khenkin, Baden 1998.
This is the move I was expecting, but Hari
14 ... hb5 15.'1Wxb5 'Wb6 16.l:'lfb1 '!Wxb5
took his time before playing it. Of course,
17.l:'lxb5 l:'lfc8
Black has to be sure he would get counterplay
Milov- Rustemov, Polanica Zdroj 1999.
before leaving such a pawn undefended.
12 ....if5
Now both players have equal rights regarding
the b-file. Or, to be more accurate, they do not
have any rights at all!
12 ....id7 13.0-0 c5 14.'\Wa3 c4

Black's light-squared bishop has less influence
than in the game.
15.e4
This is not really necessary yet. Since White
has an extra tempo, he could proceed with
15.l:'labl.
15 ... e6 with a devastating attack, without fearing the

15 ... dxe4 16.ixc4 leaves the queenside at back rank check.
the white bishop's mercy. Moreover, the
threat of~fel would be unpleasant. 18 ... ie6 might have been better, aiming to
16.exd5 exd5 17.if3± meet 19.cxd5 with 19 ...ixd5.
White's bishops are annoyingly active, while
Black's have to remain passive.
13.0-0 i'd714J~ad!
It appears that White does not need the b-file
for his rooks, since he will be able to open the
c-file at the most suitable moment.
14...£6
Black has to fight for space somehow.
15.c4 e5 16.i.g3 gac8 17.gfdl Wff7

Black aims to maintain the tension in the
centre for as long as possible. Instead 17 ... e4
a b c d e f g h
would leave White's bishops much more active
than his. 19.gxd4?!
Faced for the first time in the game with
18.h3! a tough decision, I failed to find the best
This generally useful move, securing the king continuation.
against any back rank dangers and anticipating
an eventual attack by means of ... g6-g5 and I understood correctly that 19 .exd4?! should
... h7 -h5, underlines the stable character of be discarded because of 19 ...~h6, when
White's advantage. this bishop finds some activity. However, I
employed the method of elimination in the
After my loss in the previous round I was wrong way, not taking into account all the
tempted to open the position as soon as possibilities.
possible, but soon realized that after 18.cxd5
cxd5 19.\Wa6 Black gains some counterplay A5 pointed out by Hari after the game, much
with 19 ... ~xcl 20.~xcl ~b8 as White is not stronger would have been:
ready to include his rook in the attack because 19.cxd5!
of the vulnerability of the back rank. White creates a permanent weakness on d5
and at the same time opens the queen's way
18... exd4?! to d4.
After prolonged thought, Hari could find 19 ... cxd5
nothing better than this move, which opens a The simplifications after 19 ... d3 20.hd3
path for the g3-bishop. ixd3 2l.~xd3 cxd5 do not bring any relief.
After 22.~cdl ~fd8 23.'1Wb3±, eventually
A neutral move such as 18 ... ~fd8 would be followed by e3-e4, the isolated pawn is
met by 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.\Wa6. Now 20 ... ~xcl doomed, while the black king's position
21.1'%xcl ~b8 is less effective because of22.dxe5 remains vulnerable.
fxe5 23.\Wd6 ~b2 24.~c7 followed by ~xg7 I might have been put off subconsciously
by the fact that 19 ... dxe3 would provoke a 23.i.c4

slight weakening of my kingside. However, It is not easy to give a final evaluation to
after 20.dxc6 exf2t 2l.~xf2± Black has this move. White will eventually retain a small
insufficient activity to take advantage of this advantage anyway, but for practical reasons the
circumstance, while the strong c-pawn is more consistent 23.~c5 E!:c7 24.~d4 would
likely to decide the game. have been better. The enemy king's position
20.Wi'xd4± would be weakened while avoiding unnecessary
White has the better structure, safer king's simplifications. After 24 ... ~xd4 25.'Wxd4t the
position and more active pieces. The d4-square queen would finally reach the optimal square.
is not easy to unblock, because an eventual 25 ... ha2? would be impossible now because
.. .f6-f5 would be met by ~e5, which reveals of26.E!:xa2 'Wxa2 27.~c4t .
why the queen is better-suited for occupying
the central square than the rook. 23 ....ixc4 24.E!:xc4 E!:ed8
By exchanging the light-squared bishops,
19...i.e6!~ White has weakened the c6-pawn, but now
Black immediately takes advantage of the his remaining bishop finds itself in a slightly
chance he was given, and prepares to activate irritating pin.
both his bishops. Although White retains the
better chances because of his more compact
8
structure, the situation becomes less one-sided
now. 7
6
20J!d2 f5 21.cxd5 hd5 22.i.d6
It will now take much more effort to 5
neutralize the g7 -bishop. I had hoped to get
4
my bishop to d4 in time, but I soon decided
that the pressure from Black's other bishop is 3
even more of a pest.
2
1
a b c d e f g h
25.E!:xc6
White has to provoke the following
simplifications to avoid problems along the
d-file.
Initially, I thought I could play 25.'~a6,

putting the c8-rook under pressure in order
to retreat with the bishop next, while also
maintaining the threat against the c6-pawn. At
the last moment I noticed that 25 ... 'We6! solves
a b c d e f g h Black's problems by defending the c8-rook and
22 .. J'Ue8 providing the c6-pawn with an X-ray defence
22 ... E!:fd8?! 23.~a6! would force the other (the latter meaning that 26J'ixc6? would lose
rook to go back to the corner. material to 26 ... E!:xc6 27.'Wxc6 ~f8).
Facing the threat of ... c6-c5, after which this books consider queen endings with 4 pawns vs.
pawn would become more of a strength than a 3 on the same wing as drawn, but here Black's
weakness, White had to react accurately. structure is unfavourable. With his king wide
open, there are more dangers than if the pawns
25 .. Jhc6 26.~xc6 were arranged on h5, g6 and fl. White would
White is pinned now, but the only thing activate his king, relying on the fact that Black's
Black can achieve is to retrieve the pawn with checks periodically come to an end because of
a slightly inferior position. the possibility of a counter-check. It is hard to
give a final evaluation of this ending, but from
26...ifs a practical point of view Black's defence would
Other moves allow White to free himself be very difficult.
from the pin and retain his material advantage.
For example, 26 .. .'~e6 27.Vflc7±, or 26 ... Vflf6 My opponent took his time before answering
27.'&c4t Wh8 28.ie5+-. with what was for me a totally unexpected
move:
27.ib4 gxd2 28.i.xd2 ~xa2 29.i.c3;t
29 ... i>f7!?
29 ...Vflf7 defends the kingside, but leaves
the a-pawn without sufficient support. After
30.id4 (threatening Wia6) 30 ... a5 31.Wib5
ib4 White wins the pawn by force with
32.Wie5 ~f8 33.ic5t ~g8 34.Vflb8t Wg7
35.ixb4 axb4 36.Vflxb4±.
I expected only:
29 ... Wiblt 30.Wh2 Vflbst
When I was not sure which pawn should
be advanced. During the post mortem
we concluded that the correct move
was:
a b c d e f g h
3l.f4
Despite the simplifications, White remains in 31.g3 ig7 32.Wid5t ~h8 33 ..td4 offers
control of the position and Black's king is very fewer chances. Black should be able to find
exposed. If we compare this position with the a way to exchange his a-pawn for the newly
alternative examined on White's 23rd move, created passed d-pawn.
the objective evaluation is similar. However, During the game, Harikrishna overlooked
the process of reaching this position was more that he can defend with:
complicated and, as we shall see, retaining an 31...ig7
advantage in the next phase requires accurate But then he suggested:
calculation. 32.ia5±
This is much stronger than my planned
Black has to be careful. His queen is far from 32.ie5.
the centre and cannot defend the kingside and White's pieces are more active, his structure
the a-pawn very easily. If he loses the passed more compact, his king safer and the a-pawn
pawn, the endgame could be very unpleasant is blocked. In addition, the threat of g2-g4 is
from a practical point of view. Endgame theory very unpleasant.
8
7
m m ~ m
~ m m•m•
/.::
~""~~
:.:::
Instead 32 ... ~e6 loses the pawn
followed by J,xe7 and ~xa6.
to 33.~a7!
6
mvm m•n 33.@h2 'We4 34.g3!
Necessary prophylaxis, preparing ~a7;
·---·--~
5 the immediate attempt 34.~a7?? loses to
,••
34 ... ~e5t!.
4
~ ~~-~ ~~-/ ~~ ~
~~.,.
3 34... @£6 35.'Wb6t
Just like in my game with Navara, I had
2
a safety net here, which I failed to notice.
1 ~
~ B ~ m
~ B L.J If White is afraid that the a-pawn is too
dangerous in the line I calculated (see below)
a b c d e f g h
he could deviate at the last moment with
After the game move, it is obvious that White 35.J,d4t when Black should repeat the
can force a draw by perpetual, but the question position with 35 ... ~f7. Instead, 35 ... ~e6loses
is whether he can aspire to more, without the pawn to 36.~c8t, while 37 ... ~g5 puts
leaving the a-pawn out of control. I had plenty the king in big danger. White's most elegant
of time and after a while established that win is 38.f3!, overloading the black queen,
White's best chance to fight for an advantage which cannot continue to defend the e7- and
is: f4-squares.
30.'Wc7t! 35 ... 'We6

For a while, we shall follow my over-the- So far so good, but now I missed the
board thoughts, and pretend I played them. __ surprising queen retreat:
30 ...i.e7
Not 30 ... ~g8? because of3l.~e5!
3I.i.d4!
White starts the attack against the a-pawn.
Continuing to play on the other wing
would be harmless, for instance: 31.~e5
~bl t 32.~h2 ~b6 33.~g7t lt>e8 34.J,d4
(34.~xh7? would drop the bishop to
34 ... ~c7t!) 34 ... ~d6t 35.g3 a5 36.~xh7 a4
With sufficient counterplay for Black.
31...a6
The only move; after 31.. .a5 32.J,c5 White
a b c d e f g h
wins the pawn immediately. 36.'Wb2t!
In the line I had calculated, 36.J,xe7t cJ'dxe7
32.i.c5 'Wbl t! 37.~b7t ~f6 38.~xh7, Black would start
Before defending the bishop, Black is best advancing the a-pawn as quickly as possible,
advised to force the enemy king to occupy an without caring much about his kingside
exposed square. pawns.
The way I see it now, White would not have gain of time. The threat is fixe7 followed by
risked anything, because he can resort to a '!Wxa6.
perpetual check any time he wishes. However,
after the sad experience against Landa I was not 37...~e4
entirely sure about the line I had calculated and Or 37 ... a5 38.'!Wa7 with the same result.
feared that I might overlook some hidden line
where the a-pawn would become unstoppable. 38.~a7±
On the other hand, if I had seen the main line
until the end, I would definitely have accepted
this (rather imaginary) risk.
We must return, just for a moment, to

disappointing reality after Black's 29th move
(see first diagram on the previous page).
Having reached this point in my calculations,
I decided to repeat moves with:
30.~f6t i>es 31.~c6t

White can win a pawn with 31.'!We5t fie7
32.~h8t ~d7 33.'!Wxh7, but after 33 ... '!Wbl t
34.'j;lh2 '!Wb6 the a-pawn offers sufficient
a b c d e f g h
counterplay.
White will soon start his winning attempts
3I .. .r~f7 32.~f6t i>es 33.~c6t in the aforementioned queen ending.
A draw was agreed.
112-lfl The conclusion is that I missed my chance here
for two main reasons.
But let's go back to the line I should have Firstly, I did not look for a safety net that
played: would have enabled me to approach the critical
moment without any fear.
36... ~f7 Secondly, I was excessively influenced by the
Again, 36 ... ~g5? leads to mate after: 37.'1Wg7 shock of my previous game. One should trust
1xc5 38.f4t ~h5 39.'!Wxh7# in one's powers - having failed to control the
situation in a recent game does not necessarily
37.V;Yb7 mean that the same would happen again in a
The queen has improved its position with similar situation.
Round 7 4 january 2008
Ni Hua - Almasi
Gashimov - Tiviakov 1- 0
Harikrishna- Korchnoi ~-~
Navara - Landa ~-~
Godena- Marin ~-~
Standings
4 1/2 Almasi, Gashimov
4 Harakrishna, Landa, Ni Hua
3 Korchnoi, Marin, Navara
21f2 Godena, Tiviakov

One begins to wonder if playing poorly against Korchnoi brings good luck in the next game or,
on a more prosaic note, if it simply fosters reflections on your chess in general. Regardless, after
having received a chess lesson in the previous round from a player fifty years his senior, Gashimov
delivered what the audience online considered to be the most spectacular game of the tournament
(but, I controversially wish to add, in my opinion it is far from being the best game played in
Reggio Emilia 2007/8).
Tiviakov's Scandinavian had already suffered a setback in round five, when Ni Hua adopted
an unusual reply to 8 .. .'1Wxd5. On this occasion, Tiviakov preferred 8 ... tt'lxe5, a novelty which
however soon turns out to be hamstrung. Gashimov, just like his colleague a few rounds earlier,
avoided any further simplifications and drew back his remaining knight to the excellent e3-square.
It was excellent to the extent that the white warhorse dwelt there motionless until delivering the
final blow, by demolishing the apex of his opponent's frail pawn chain ...
When playing over the game, one almost has the feeling it is a confrontation between two very
differently rated players, just as was the case in Ni Hua's splendid victory. It is clear Tiviakov will
need to work hard on his pet "Bronstein" Scandinavian before employing it again at this level,
and possibly reflect on why such a provocative move as 3 ... Wd6 was introduced at the highest
level by one of the most eccentric of the chess greats.
Meanwhile, Ni Hua and Almasi were virtually playing for the tournament. With only a half point
between them and just two games to go, both players were clearly aware this game would be
crucial for the final standings. A win by Ni Hua would unexpectedly catapult him into the lead,
whereas a similar achievement by Almasi would effectively end the contest.
Ni Hua was prepared to go "ail-in" and chose a risky (some may call it "Romantic") Two
Knights Defence. The game is a perfect showcase of the resourcefulness of these two great players:
Almasi sacrificed a pawn in the opening to achieve fine piece play and above all to prevent his
opponent coordinating his army; Ni Hua manoeuvred his bishops in style, as we have seen him
do on more than one occasion during the tournament. Finally, the two grandmasters simplified
to a draw. A result that is ultimately acceptable for both - the tournament's verdict will be left to
the final two rounds.
Of the three remaining games, the most interesting was between the two lowest rated players,
Michele Godena and Mihail Marin. Both had reason to be content with their tournament:
Godena, in spite of his -2 score, had stood up to the test of his illustrious colleagues; Marin, on
the other hand, was on a respectable -1 and nurtured legitimate ambitions of reaching par.
The first four moves were a game of "cat-and-mouse" with both grandmasters keen to avoid
the other's preparation. After all the surprise trumps had been played, the position was a hybrid
between a Pirc and a Breyer Ruy Lopez that Marin appeared to master with great skill. However,
an inaccuracy on move seventeen opened a route to a draw, and the Italian Grandmaster trod
the safest path until the very end, unaffected by the full-blown time trouble he had (naturally)
fallen into.
The remaining two games, Harikrishna - Korchnoi and Navara - Landa, were somewhat less
exciting draws. Korchnoi was unable to find a way to convert his comfortable position into
an exploitable advantage and opted for some rest. The other game was a well-played English
opening, with a tense positional struggle in which the only excitement comes in an endgame that
was never seen on the board, but which Navara analysed in great detail in his notes.
compensation. The knight will not rejoin the

IGame3ll game easily; a probable plan is 0-0, ci>h1 and
tt::lg1-f3, but this takes a few moves. Meanwhile,
Ni Hua- Zoltan Almasi White always has to consider the consequences
of an exchange on h3.
Two Knights Defence
The main alternative is 9.tt::lf3, but the knight
Annotations by Mihail Marin still does not have easy life after 9 ... e4.
l.e4 e5 2.ttlf3 ~c6 3..ic4 ~f6 'S'~~ A ~·w~ ~'tilb

From the point of view of general rules, 8 .a.-.Jt.~ms~~w ~a
7 ~ ~~'----%--,~------
this should be the best move - one is
6 ._,._%~ l~ ~-----%~
-~~~-a~•••••
supposed to develop knights and only then
bishops.
~ ~~" '~ ~JJll

5
4.~g5
~JJll ~~ ~~~
4 ,
However, Black has to know what he is doing
·w~·?f~·w~·~
against this apparently unprincipled move. It
is true that White is moving a developed piece 3
2 0 ~0% 0 ~0%~~~ 0 ~0
for a second time, but the threat against the ----z.----%%)·&;;----%:::0-;z-----%-w-----
f7-pawn is not something you can easily l~~~W~ -.:
ignore. a b c d e f g h
The irrational character of the position after 9....id6
this move has led me to play 3 ... ic5 in most Solidly played. Black consolidates his
of my games, and that is what I recommend in central pawn and relies on the fact that his
Beating the Open Games. better development will offer him a long-term
advantage without the necessity of creating
4...d5 immediate threats.
In fact, there are players who ignore the
threat and continue their development with 9 ... ic5 is an important alternative. Some
4...ic5 as if nothing had happened. It should famous names have left their mark on the
be a correct move, but that is not easy to prove theory of this line. Notoriously, the first World
in practice. Champion, Steinitz, had a theoretical dispute
with his great rival from Russia, Chigorin.
5.exd5 ~a5 6.i.b5t c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 s..ie2
h6 A more recent World Champion has also
White has won a pawn, but his pieces lack defended White's cause, although admittedly it
stability in the centre. Still, with his queen's was before he won the title: Fischer- Bisguier,
knight isolated on a5, Black is still far from Poughkeepsie 1963, continued 10.0-0
having strong counterplay. 0-0 11.d3 ixh3 12.gxh3 'Wd7 13.if3!?
'Wxh3 14.tt::ld2 l"'ad8 and Black had obvious
9.~h3 compensation, but Fischer's greater strength
This is considered to be one ofWhite's main eventually told.
continuations, but placing the knight on
such a square proves that Black should have IO.d3 0-0 ll.~c3 gbs 12.0-0
Ei:b5 he might have missed that after 18.d4 he

8
7
~~.tS ~~-~
ii%'""Y-~ '""%~ ,,Y-_ '
has 18 ... .!d6!, and matters are unclear, with a
"----%~ ~~-~ ~f"/_:J----%~F~

tendency to favour Black.
6 -Am ,a1 w.l'""

~ ~~ -----Y-------:~ 8
~~~ "~~lJ!j
:"
3~
~%'"/%~~~~
~8-
~'&/~'"";~
2 8w~8U~D8~
%@ %@
-l[J 7
6
5
1 _Sf----%DIB!M""% 4
3
a b c d e f g h
12 ... ~b7!?N
2
This novelty corresponds to the same 1
strategy as 9 ... .!d6. Before all Black's pieces are
optimally placed, he should not embark on a
a b c d e f g h
direct attack. The following high-level example 16.Ei:bl ~d5
more or less proves this: Black has completed the first part of
12 ... Ei:b4!? 13.cj;Jhl! hh3 his regrouping and has an active position.
13 ... Ei:h4? 14.tLlgl! followed by g2-g3 leaves However, the more difficult part of the game
the rook awkwardly placed. is just about to begin, and this applies to both
14.gxh3 Ei:h4 15.Ei:gl! sides.
Again, White should not hang onto his The game of chess resembles an ocean
material advantage, but instead aim for voyage. When we are close to the shore (the
active play. initial position) we cannot go too far wrong if
15 ..!g4? tLlxg4 16.hxg4 f5! offers Black a we do what other people have been doing for
strong attack. ages (develop pieces, improve their placement
15 ... Ei:xh3 16.Ei:g3 Ei:h4 17.WI'gl along familiar routes, and so on). The further
And, all of a sudden, it was White who had we sail, the less familiar the situation becomes,
pressure on the kingside in Short - Nikolic, until we have to make decisions of our own.
Skelleftea 1989. Indeed, White eventually Given the material imbalance, a storm is likely
won. at any moment ...
13.cj;lhl ~c5 14.~gl V!lc7 15 ..ie3!? 17.~xd5

Inviting Black to win the pawn back. This move helps Black to get rid of his only
structural defect (the c6-pawn) and build up an
15 ... ~e6 impressive centre at the same time. However,
Almasi does not let himself be diverted White gains the possibility of establishing
from his main plan of strengthening his piece immediate contact between the opposing
placement. pawns, which is desirable in order to provoke
simplifications.
15 ... Ei:xb2 was possible, but perhaps Almasi
overlooked that all of White's tactical tries If White had continued playing neutral
can be defused. After 16.hc5 hc5 17.lt:la4 moves, Black had more ways of strengthening
his position further. For instance, 17.t/Jf3 f5 the tension with IS ... Jib7. Personally, I
18.l"lel Jid7 19.Jifl l"lbeS and it is not easy would probably not have chosen the first
for White to generate counterplay. Black's next possibility.
move may well be ... g7 -g5.
19.dxc4 e4
17... cxd5 It appears that the white knight is still not
properly developed, although it has jumped
around quite a lot.
The threat of .. .f5-f4 is quite annoying
and White cannot challenge Black's space
advantage in the centre with f2-f3 because
of ... Jixh2 (which, with the pawn on f2,
would lead to unclear consequences after
g2-g3).
20.'\Wd5
The simple purpose of this radical method of
activating the queen is to defend the kingside.
Instead 20.%bxa7 would allow Black a strong
attack after 20 ... Ei:a8 2I.Jie3 f5.
20 ... ~b7 21.'\W£5 g6 22.'1Wh3 h5

It is clear that Her Majesty will soon feel
uncomfortable. However, the main goal has
been achieved- Black's kingside expansion is lt>g7 26 ..ic4 .ic8 Black is still not threatening
inhibited, at least for the moment. .. .f5-f4, because his knight is hanging, and
White could consolidate with 27.liJe2.
24•.•'1We7 25 •.lc4 .lc8 26•.ih6
8
7
6
5
4
3
a b c d e f g h 2
23J~fdl .le5 1
To illustrate the previous comment, 23 ... f5?
loses to 24.c5 .ixc5 25 ..ic4, followed by Ei:cl abcdefgh
with deadly pins. Almasi's move was probably 26•• J~e8
intended to prepare ... fl -f5, but it may not be The following interesting variation simplifies
best. by force into a slightly better ending for Black:
26 .. ."\Wxc5!? 27 ..ixf8 liJxf8! 28.Ei:dcl (White
23 .. .'1We7!? would have put more pressure on could not defend his queen and bishop at
White, by taking the h4-square away from the the same time, so he also has to resort to
enemy queen and keeping White's queenside tactics) 28 ....ixh3 29 ..ixf7t c;f;xf7 30J~xc5
under control, at least temporarily. For liJd7 3l.Ei:xe5 hg2t 32. c;f;xg2 liJxe5+ White's
example, after 24.a3 tt:lf4~ White is forced to kingside weaknesses and his passive knight
part with his dark-squared bishop, thus losing leave him struggling slightly.
stability on the kingside.
27.'1We3 '!Wxc5
24.c5?! This move allows complete simplifications
This looks like needless panic. and leads to a draw; 27 ... liJxc5!? would have
been more ambitious.
White could have started the systematic
advance of his queenside pawns with 24.b4, 28.'1Wxe4 gxb2 29.gd5 .ib7 30.gxc5 J.xe4
bur he might have feared 24 ... f5 (once again 31.gxb2 c!Llxc5 32.ge2
24 .. .'1We7!? deserves attention) but after 25.c5 1/2-l/2
9.lLle3!
I Game3ll The alternatives are not as satisfactory since
Black always attains equality:
Vugar Gashimov- Sergei Tiviak.ov
a) 9.dxe5 'Wxd5 10.'Wxd5 cxd5 and now:
Scandinavian Defence
a1) 1l.c4 dxc4 12.hc4 e6 13.0-0 .id?
Annotations by Vugar Gashimov 14.E1acl .ic6 15 ..ie3 i.e? 16.E1fd1 0-0=
l.e4 d5 2.exd5 ~xd5 3.ll:k3 ~d6 4.d4 lLlf6 a2) 1l..ib5t .id7 12.hd7t i>xd7 13.E1d1
5.~f3 c6 6.lLle5 lLlbd7 7 ..tf4lLld5 s.lLlxd5 (13.0-0-0 e6) 13 .. .'~e6=
a3) 1l.E1d1 e6 12 ..ib5t .id7 (12 ... i>e7;

12 ... i>d8!? 13.c4 a6 14 ..ia4 b5=) 13.hd7t
i>xd7 14.c4 .ib4t 15.i>e2 E1ac8 16.b3=
b) 9.c4 cxd5 10.he5 'Wb4t 1l.'Wd2 'Wxd2t

12.i>xd2 dxc4 13.hc4 e6 14.d5 exd5
15 ..ixd5 .ib4t 16 ..ic3 .ixc3t 17.i>xc3 0-0
18.E1he 1 .ie6=
9... lLld3t IO.~xd3 ~xf4 ll.d5 cxd5?!

11.. .e6 is better but still not enough to
obtain equal play. The line continues 12.dxc6
bxc6 13.g3 and now Black should avoid
a b c d e f g h
13 ... 'Wc7 in view of 14.'Wc3! E1b8 15.0-0-0,
8... ~xe5 and instead opt for 13 ... 'Wb4t 14.c3 with
A new move. The normal continuation is the following possible continuations:
8...'1Wxd5 9.lt:Jf3 and now the path splits:
a) 9... lt:Jf6 10 ..ie2 .ig4 11.0-0 e6 12.h3±
b) 9... lt:Jb6 with a further choice:
bl) 10 ..ie2 .if5 1l..ig3 'We4 12.!'k1 and

White is slightly better.
b2) 10.a4!? .ig4 1l..ie2 e6 and again White

has a small advantage. If Black instead
answers 10.a4 with 10 ....if5 then White's
edge increases: 1l.a5 'We4t (ll...lt:Jc4 12.'We2
lLlxb2 13.c4 'We4 14.'Wxe4 he4 15.i>d2
e5 16.lt:Jxe5 .ib4t 17.i>cl .ic3 18.E1a2±
is no better) 12 ..ie3 lt:Jd5 13 ..id3 lt:Jxe3
b) 14 ... 'Wxb2 15.E1b1 'Wa3 (not 15 ... 'Wxa2
14.he4 lt:Jxd1 15 ..ixf5 lt:Jxb2 16.a6 b5
17..ie4± 16 ..ig2 'Wa4 17.0-0 .ia6 18.c4 E1d8 19.'Wc3
i.c8 20.lt:lg4 and White's advantage becomes 16.Wff3t <>t>e7 17.Wfe2 @f6 18.Wff3t rlle7
more substantial) 16.i.g2 Wc5 17.0-0 i.e7 19.0-0 Wfc5 20.L4 g6
18.'1We4 0-0 19.'1Wxc6 Wxc6 20.i.xc6 i.a6 20 .. .f6 21.E:ad1 cj;{f7 22.E:d3 i.e7 23.~fdl
2I.i.xa8 i.xfl 22. cj;{xfl E:xa8 23.E:b7 Again is no better.
with a small plus for White.
21J~fel .ig7 22J~adl hb2
12.Wfxd5 If22 ... f5 then 23.b4.
23.c3
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
12••• e6? a b c d e f g h
A bad mistake in a difficult position.
Actually, the game is already over.
The only way to continue the fight was: 12 ... a6
13.0-0-0 Wc7 14.We4 i.d7 (not 14 ... e6 23 •.• £5 24J~bl
15.ltld5 Wc6 16.'1We5 f6 17.ltlxf6t and White Also interesting was 24.i.b3!?.
is winning) 15.ltld5 Wc6 16.'1We5 0-0-0
(16 ... E:c8 17.i.d3 e6 18.i.e4 i.d6 19.ltlf6t 24•.•L3
gxf6 20.'1Wxd6 Wxd6 21.E:xd6 i.c6 22.i.xc6t White wins immediately after 24 ... ~a5
E:xc6 23.E:hdU) 17.E:d3 Wd6 18.'1We3 lifb8 25.i.b3 i.a3 26.'1Wf4.
19.ltlb6 Wc7 20.i.e2 White retains the
advantage. 25J~b5 Wfc6 26.Wfg3 .id7 27.~xf5t
13 ..ib5t ®e7 14.Wfd2 Wfd6 15.Wfe2

White could also have played 15.'1Wc3!?
f6 16.E:d1 '1We5 17.'1Wxe5 fxe5 18.0-0 with a
convincing edge. If, instead of 16 ... '1We5, Black
tried 16 ... '1Wb6 then White would have played
the brilliant 17.E:d5!!.
15 ..• <>t>f6
After 15 ... '1We5 there could have followed
16.0-0-0 f6 17.'1Wc4, but 16.E:d1!? should also
be considered.
a b c d e f g h
27 ... @ds
Another possible line is 27 ... gxf5 28.ihlfg7t
lild6 29.:gdlt ~c7 30.:gxb7t ihlfxb7
3l.:gxd7t. Pentala Harikrishna- Viktor Korchnoi
28.:gb4 '1!9c7 29.'1!9h4t @cs 30.hd7t Bogo-Indian Defenc

<i'xd7
Also 30 ... \iibs 3l.:gxb7t ~xb7 32.:gbl t Annotations by Mihail Marin
~b6 33.ihlfe4 t and 30 ... ihlfxd7 3l.:gc4 t ~b8
32.ihlff4t both lead to a win for White. l.d4 ctJf6 2.tt:lf3 e6 3.c4 ~h4t 4.~d2 cS
S.g3
31.'1!9e7t Possibly not best; White does not gain
1-0 anything by refraining from the exchange
5.~xb4 cxb4.
s... Wfh6!?
~~ ~-~ ~~
This additional possibility (which is not
available after 5.~xb4 cxb4 6.~g2) offers Black 8
reasonable counterplay at an earlier stage than
7-j_~·~·-·
~~·- ~
White would wish to allow.
6 ..L:b4 5.".~-~~
6
~-tn~~~~
After this inoffensive move Black is very
much okay. Curiously, it is the (three times)
younger player who avoids complications ...
As for the living legend, he has tested this line

against the strongest opposition one could
3•n •"•~Dd0
4
2 Jf4•
"3, ~o:tn
f···rt···"~~···"~»>(••
~~ ~ ~M~~
imagine: 6.~g2 CLJc6 7.d5 exd5 8.cxd5 CLlxd5
9.0-0 tt:lde7 10.e4 d6 ll.~e3 'fic7 12.a3 ~a5 a b c d e f g h
13.~f4 CLJe5 White had to fight hard to hold a Another important aspect is that White's king
draw in Kasparov- Korchnoi, Brussels 1986. has to leave the centre, as it lacks a favourable
square there, while the enemy king will always
6 ...~xb4t 7.~d2 etlc6 8.~xb4 etlxb4 have a safe place on e7. In the event of further
9.etla3 simplifications this would tilt the balance in
This move is necessary to defend the c2- Black's favour.
square, but one cannot help thinking that
Black has the more active queen's knight. ll...a6
Technically speaking, this is a novelty,
9 ... b6 10.i.g2 i.b7 11.0-0 although it does not change the character of the
position. After 1l...'kt>e7 12.Eifd1 d6 13.tt'le1

8
ix:g2 14.'kt>xg2 Elhc8 15.f3 a6 16.e4 cxd4
17.Eixd4 g5 Black had excellent counterplay in 7
B. Toth- Cebalo, San Bernardino 1988.
6
12.dxc5 5
Hari probably wanted to avoid the genuine
4
Hedgehog structure, but now his space
advantage in the centre will vanish. 3
2
12... bxc513JUcl gb814.~bl @e715.~c3
d6 16.b3 ghc8 17.gdl 1
a b c d e f g h
8 Korchnoi played this move after long thought
7 and offered a draw. With his centralized king
and compact structure, he could have played
6 on without risk. A possible continuation was
5 22.tt'lxe4 f5 23.tt'lc3 g5 followed by ... g4,
... h7-h5 and so on. White can do little other
4 than sit and wait. He can hardly open the
3 queenside, while a reaction in the centre based
on e2-e4 would leave the d4-square desperately
2 weak; other pawn moves also tend to create
1 weaknesses.
a b c d e f g h Hedgehog aficionados have known about this

Both sides have been continuously improving plan for a long time. Two recent high-level
the placement of their pieces, although for examples are Kramnik - Carlsen, Wijk aan
White it also involved losing some time. In Zee 2008, and Atonian - Leko, Linares 2008.
my opinion (possibly a subjective one, as I Furthermore, the fact that the b6-pawn has
frequently play the Hedgehog with Black), moved to c5 only increases Black's control in
Black's chances are preferable. the centre.
¥2-¥2
17.. JtJe4 18.~xe4 .L:e4 19.~d2 i.c2
20.gdcl .ig6 2l.i.e4 he4!i
8 ...hd6 9.lLlxd6 '.Wb6 10.'.Wd2 lLld4

I GameJ41 11.0-0-0 '.Wxd6 12.'.Wxd4 '.Wxd4 13J:gxd4 b6
14.e4 e5
David Navara - Konstantin Landa 14 ... l"i:d8?! is inferior due to: 15.e5 C/Je8
16.~e2 ~b7 17.l"i:hd1 ~xg2 18.f3! (Landa)
English Opening 18 ... ~h3 19.l"i:xd7±
Annotations by David Navara
used the remarks of GM Landa in my

evaluations.
l.c4 c5 z.c!ljf3 lLlc6 3.d4

The alternative line 3.ctJc3 lt:Jf6 4.d4 cxd4
5.lt:Jxd4 e6 6.lt:Jdb5 allows 6 ... d5 7.~f4 e5
8.cxd5 exf4 9.dxc6 bxc6 10.\Wxd8t ~xd8
11.0-0-ot ~d7 with equality.
3 ... cxd4 4.lLlxd4 e6 5.lLlb5 ~b4t 6.lLlld

l[}£6 7.~£4 0-0
15.l"i:d2 followed by ~d3 was both more natural

and better. For example: 15 ... ~b7 (15 ... !"1d8!?)
16.f3 l"i:fd8 17.g3 l"i:ac8 18.b3 lt>f8 19.ih3
lt>e7 20.l"i:hdl::t
15 ... l"i:d8 16.g3 d6

Also possible was 16 ... lt>f8 with the idea
17.~h3 d5 18.~xc8 l"i:axc8 19.cxd5ctJxe4.
8.~d6 17.~g2 ~f818J:ghdl ~e719.f4~b720.if3

One of my previous games, Navara - h5 21.~d2
Eljanov, Germany 2005, instead continued: White must not lose control of the dark
8.~c7 '1We7 9.~d6 ~xd6 10.\Wxd6 \Wd8! 1l.e4 squares, especially as there is no bishop to
Wa5 12.0-0-0 a6 13.ctJa3 b6 14.f4 ~b7 15.e5 cover them. For example: 2l.h3 l"i:ac8 22.b3
lt:Jg4 16.l"i:d2 lt:Jb4 17.~d3 b5! 18.~b1 l"i:ac8 ~c6 23.g4 hxg4 24.hxg4 g5! 25.fxg5?!
19.'1Wxd7 ~a8! 20.l"i:e1?!+ 20 ... l"i:fd8 21.'1We7 lt:Jh7+
l"i:xd2 22.1t>xd2ctJc6 23.\Wh4 \Wd8t! 24.\Wxd8t
l"i:xd8t 25.\t>cl b4 And Black won rather 21...g6 22. ~e3 ~c6 23.b4 ~ac8 24.c5
quickly. The unambitious 24.fxe5 dxe5 25.!"1xd8
l"i:xd8 26.!"1xd8 lt>xd8 would just be a draw.
24 ... dxc5
8~~~~~
7
6
~~"~-'~
~~--~~f~
5~ ~b~ ~
4 ~~~~~j~r~
3 ~/%~~~~~
2 !~ ~~/, j~~ J~
1 ~ ~~~~ ~~%
a b c d e f g h
30.@f4!?
Attempting to activate the rook on the f-file
is inferior: 30. @d4 l"i:c8 31.1"\fl (31.1"1d2+)
31 ... 1"1c2 32.d6t ~e8 33.d7t when Fritz
suggests 33 ... @e7! stopping White's trick,
White must be accurate with the move due to 34.1"1xf7t? @xf7 35.d8='1W 1"1d2t.
order. 30 ... 1"\cS 31.1"1d2 1"1c4t 32.@g5
A draw would still be likely despite both
Inferior is: sides' ambitious play. White plans 33.d6t
25.fxe5? l"i:xd3t 26.1"1xd3 cud? 27.b5 ~b7 followed by ~f6.
Also good is: 27 ... ctJxe5 28.bxc6 ctJxd3
28 ... bxc3 29J~~xd8 ~xd8
29.@xd3 1"\xcG 30.e5 1"1c8 3l.~d5 During
I spotted 29 ... c2? too late but fortunately
the game this was unclear to me, but I felt
White has a strong reply in 30.1"\dl! (also
that Black could be better and my opponent
30.@d2 probably does not lose).
showed that this was actually the case.
28.@f4
30.i.dl h5 31.a3
White is also worse after 28.ctJd5t ~xd5 White's king cannot chase after the black
29.1"1xd5 c4. pawns. For example: 31. ~d4 b4 32.~c2 a5
28 ... c4 33.~c5? ~d7 34.@b6 a4 35.@a5 b3 36.axb3
Followed by ... 1"1c5 and Black is better. a3 A pawn will queen.
25 .. .l:~xd8 26.fxe5 lt:Jg4t! 31 ... a5 32.~d4 b4 33.axb4 axb4 34.i.c2

The game move is much more threatening
than: 26 ... ctJd7 27.b5 ~b7 28.@f4 g5t?!
(stronger is 28 ... ctJf8 29.ctJd5t @e8 which
is heading for a draw, but White can choose
to play on with 30.~e2!? ctJe6t 31. @e3 cud4
32.~c4) 29.@f5 g4 30.~e2 White would have
an edge.
27.hg4 cxb4! 28.hh5?!

A better option was to head for an interesting
rook ending with:
28.ctJd5t ~xd5 29.exd5 hxg4
34... ~e7?!
Now White escapes with a simple draw.
More threatening was:

34 ... i.b5!
And White has to be very careful, as 35.<;t>c5?
loses to 35 ... i.d3! 36.i.xd3 b3.
Instead of this, White should probably
place pawns on h4 and g3 and wait (~e3,
i.b3) but he has to be very careful. Some
illustrative lines are: a b c d e f g h
35.h4 <;t>e7
38 ... g5
Another try is for Black is: 35 ... i.e2 36.g4
This wins with the king on f8 (when Black is
~e7 (after 36 ... i.xg4 37.~c4 <;t>e7 38.<;t>xb4
in time to stop g5-g6) but not now.
~e6 39.<;t>xc3 ~xe5 Black will have the
Instead 38 ... <j{fg 39 .i.xe6 fxe6 40.g4 is a
more comfortable side of a draw) 37.h5
drawn pawn ending. [Editor's note: 38.. ]6!
gxh5 38.gxh5 <j{fs 39.h6 ~g8 40.e6! fxe6
looks to be winning. For example: 39.exj6t
41.e5 White looks to be just holding. One
<;t>xj6 and Black is threatening to simplifY to a
blundering winning attempt by Black is
won pawn ending.}
41...i.g4? 42.<;t>c4 i.f5? 43.i.xf5 exf5 and
39.hxg5
now White wins with either king to d3 or
After 39.h5?? g4 the black king can collect
b3.
the h-pawn then return to win on the
36.i.b3 i.d7 37.~d3 i.e6 38.i.d5
queenside.
An optical illusion; Landa is playing Navara, not Korchnoi

39 .. .'~f8 40.g6!=
White would finally have a draw.
35.@c4 @e6 36.@xb4 @xe5 37.@xc3 he4

38.ib3 f6 39. @d2
112-lf2
''I'm sorry, I don't remember the position, but maybe I

can get to it!?"
3 ... e5 4.c3 tiJbd7!?

IGameJ~ I 4 ... Lt:lc6 looks more active, but in this phase
of the game both players seem to be trying to
Michele Godena- Mihail Marin surprise the opponent as often as possible.
Pirc Defence 5.J.d3 g6 6.tiJe2!? ig7 7.0-0 0-0 8.ic2!?

A very solid move, which I completely
Annotations by Mihail Marin failed to anticipate. White is not threatening
anything concrete yet, but by retreating
l.e4 d6 the bishop to a safer square he prevents
For ten years I almost invariably played this Black's hoped for counterplay in the
interesting, though risky, opening. These days centre.
I am getting more serious by playing l...e5
and writing books about it. However, during 8.f4?! is probably premature because of
my pre-tournament preparation I noticed 8 ... exd4 9.cxd4 c5. Now White should
that Michele's repertoire against l ... e5 offers transpose to some sort ofBenoni (a comfortable
Black few chances for active play (although form for Black, because of the placement of
Michele's lines also pose Black few problems) White'sminorpieces)since 10.e5?!Lt:lg411.Lt:le4
and so I decided to unsheathe my old cxd4 12.Lt:lxd6, as suggested by Michele after
sword. the game, can be met by 12 ... Lt:ldxe5! 13.fxe5
ixe5+.
2.d4 tLl£6 3.tLld2
This came as a big surprise. I knew that The mechanical developing move 8.b3?!
Michele employed very solid set-ups against the would allow 8 ... d5! when after 9.ia3 i::le8
Pirc, but he had never played like this before. I White should not play 10.dxe5?! because
was expecting 3.id3 e5 4.c3 d5 5.dxe5 Lt:lxe4 of 10 ... Lt:lxe5, attacking the bishop, which
transposing to a structure that is rypical for the makes the desirable f2-f4 followed by e4-e5
Open Spanish. The reader already knows that impossible.
this opening is not completely alien to me.
~h6, and avoids the central files, where

sl.m'~~,~--,j~ Bi.~-~ ~~'% it could come under attack from the
1 ~.i.W~~~ i ~ i enemy rooks. However, with his rooks
----,%~,~----%~,% ~r/-1A-""'~~ unconnected, White cannot objectively
6 w~
""'%~ w~ -•~
""'%~/------~ claim an advantage.
: ~~~~8'~~~
14 ... exd4!?
Curiously, 14 ... dS only offers the
3 ~
~%!'~----%~
it~ ~~}0:
~~:"//~ microscopically worse side of a drawn
position after lS.dxeS tt:lxe4 16.he4 dxe4
2 ~D~~~Oti';~
'''i'''''%~,'l"~~%''''i,{''''%.,,,,
17.tt:lxe4 lUxeS 18.tt:lxeS heS 19.ig5
:i'l:c8 20.tt:lf6t ~xf6 21.ixf6. Black's better
1 m ~§'~a k~ development allows him to neutralize
White's attacking chances and simplifY with
a b c d e f g h
2l...:i'l:xel t 22.Wffxel Wid6 23.~gS cS 24.f3
When we reached this point I first tried to ~dS 2S.:i'l:dl Wffe6= eventually followed by
understand the similarities and differences ... cj;lg7.
compared with known lines of the Pirc. Soon 1S.cxd4 cS 16.dS bSoo
I understood that such a comparison was
inappropriate and that I should refer instead 12 ... exd4!?
to the Breyer Variation of the Ruy Lopez. The plan initiated by this move apparently
Somehow I thought I was one or two tempos loses a tempo, but I could find no other way
ahead, but then I decided to just look for a of exploiting the vulnerable position of the
good move, without making any comparison enemy bishop. For example, 12 ... tt:lg4 is useless
at all. because of 13.~gS.
ll ... c6!? 13.cxd4 c5 14.dxc5

Black prepares to develop the queen to It is obvious that after this way of releasing
c7, followed by .. Jl:ad8. With the enemy the tension Black will have no problems at all.
bishop still on c1, Black would have fewer The point behind Black's plan is that after
chances for counterplay than in the game after the strategically most consistent continuation
ll...exd4 12.cxd4 cS 13.dS, although the 14.dS he has 14 ... tt:lg4! lS.~gS Wfc7?-
position would remain unclear. followed by ... lUgeS and then expanding on
the queenside.
12 ..ie3
My opponent thought for a very long time Messing around with his bishop would hardly
before playing this move; meanwhile I was offer White an easy life: 14.~f4 cxd4 15.ixd6
investigating the more natural continuation: lUeS 16.eS tt:lfd7! (16 ... tt:lg4 17.Wffxd4 ixf3
12.h3 Wffc7 13.~e3 .:i=l:ad8 18.Wfff4+) 17.b4 (17.Wffxd4 ~xf3 18.gxf3
First things first. Black completes his lUxeS+) 17 ... d3 18.bxcS dxc2 19.'Wxc2 ixf3
development before undertaking any active 20.gxf3 lUxeS 21.he5 heS 22.l"!adl Wff6
operations. 23.c6 l"!ac8 24.l"!cl l"!e6+ And the c6-pawn
13 ... dS is probably premature because of will soon perish.
14.dxeS tt:lxe4 1S.~xe4 dxe4 16.tt:lxe4 lUxeS
17.~f4 with an annoying pin. 14... ~xc5
14.Wicl!? Now White faces problems defending the
The queen creates the positional threat of e4-pawn.
Gianpietro Pagnoncelli, President ofthe Italian Federation, plays a very Italian pawn to e4
15 ..id4!? 15 ... lt:lfXe4 with 16.i.xg7 'it>xg7 (16 ... lt:lxg3

An interesting way of indirectly defending 17.i.h6~) 17.i.xe4 (17.b4 lt:lxg3 18J''1xe8
the pawn. 'Wxe8 19.hxg3ctJe4 20.i.xe4 'Wxe4 2l.'Wxd6+)
17 ... i.xe4 18.ctJxe4 Elxe4 (18 ... lt:lxe4 19.'\Wd4t
lt:lf6 20.Eixe8 'Wxe8 2l.'Wxd6=) 19.Eixe4lt:lxe4
20.'\Wd4t lt:lf6 21.2:'1dl d5 22.g4!= And the d5-
pawn will soon be lost.
16.~d2
Safely played; White must be careful, as the
following lines prove:
16.b4lt:lcxe4 17.i.xe4lt:lxe4 18.i.xg7 'it>xg7
19.ctJxe4 Elxe4 20.Eixe4 i.xe4 21.'\Wd4t '\Wf6+
16.2:'1cl i.h6!+
16.'\Wd2ctJfXe4!
16 ... 2:'1c7 17 ..ic3 d5?!

I could have delayed opening the centre until
a more auspicious moment. Besides, White's
defence will be much easier in the resulting
symmetrical position, which is especially
relevant if we consider that Michele was in
It appears that White can hold a draw after severe time trouble again.
I considered: Black defends the knight and retains the

17 ... h5!? pressure; White would have been in some
But was not sure whether it was better than trouble.
the text move.
18.\Wf3 d5 19.exd5 ~xd5 20.!::\xeSt
If 20.1Wf4 then 20 .. .lt:Je6 21.\Wh4 ct:lg4
22.\WxdS !:'1xd8.
20 ... \WxeS 21.1Wf4 ct:le6 22.1Wa4+
For some reason I avoided:

17 ... l"!ce7!
19.1Wf4? ct:ld5+ is bad. 19.b4? loses a pawn

to 19 ... ct:l£Xe4!+ because White's pieces are
hanging: 20.~xg7? ct:lxd2!-+
19.!"1e3 ~h6 20.!"1e2 ~xd2 2l.~xd2 'ilfxe4

22.~xe4 ~xe4 23.1Wc3 d5 24.\Wd4
White has to occupy this square at once,
because 24.~e3? is strongly met by 24 ... id3
But not 18.f3? d5!. 25.!"1eel d4-+.
However after the calm: 24 ... ~xg2!? 25.~c3 f6 26.!"1xe6 ctJxe6 27.~xf6
18 ... !"1e6 1Wxf6 28.~xf6 ~h3+
Black has an extra pawn and the better pawn 23 ...V;Yds

structure, which makes the drawish tendency My original intention was 23 ... lt'lg4?! but
induced by the presence of opposite-coloured sadly it does not work because of: 24.ll'lxg4! (but
bishops less relevant. not 24 ..ixg7 ll'lxe3 25.fXe3 'iftxg?+ 26.b4 gd2
27.gcl ll'ld7+ 28.lt'le4? gxc2-+) 24 ... hc3?!
19.:1'iadl h5! 25.ll'lh6t 'iftg7 26.ll'lhf5t! (26.ll'lxf7? .if6!-+)
Continuing to undermine the e4-pawn. 26 ... gxf5 27.bxc3:t
19.. .'Wa8 is premature because of 20 ..ixf6 However, I may have underestimated Black's
ix:f6 2l.b4 ll'ld7 22 ..ia4 ll'le5 23.~a3 gd8 chances of retaining a long-term advantage
24.f4oo. after: 23 ... ll'ld5 24.ll'lxd5 ~xd5 25.hg7 'iftxg7
20.b4 26.b4 (26.a3 ~d4! looks very active for Black)
20.h4!? weakens the h4-pawn and the f4- 26 ... ~d2 27.bxc5 ~xc2 28.cxb6 axb6 29.a4
square and Black could reply 20 .. .'1Mfa8+. gd2+
After 20 ..ixf6 gxf6 2l.~a3 a5 (consolidating
the knight) 22.h4 d5 Black is also a little 24.a3 i.b3 25.i.xb3 lClxb3 26J:~dl lCld4
better. 27.lCle2lClxe2t 2S.V;Yxe2 gxdl t 29.V;Yxdl
20 ... lt'lfXe4! 21.ll'lgxe4 ll'lxe4 22.ll'lxe4 .ixc3 Around this point Michele offered a draw,
23.%Vxc3 he4 24 ..ib3 but I still had some hopes in view of the rapid
24 ..ia4 g8e7 25 ..ib3 d5+ also retains the centralization of my king.
small material plus.
24 ... d5 25.f3 .if5 26.gfl gd6+ 29 ...V;Yxdl t 30.lClxdllCld5 3I.i.d2!
White does not have enough compensation Putting an end to my hopes, which were
for the lost pawn. connected with the variation 3l ..ixg7 ~xg7
32. 'iftfl ~f6 33. ~e2 ~e5 and the knight
18.exd5 ending can still be dangerous for White,
Instead 18.e5?! allows 18 ... d4! 19.exf6 gxel t because of Black's superior activity.
20.%Vxel dxc3 2l.fXg7 cxd2+.
31 ... £5 32.~fl ~f'7 33.~e2 ~e6 34.a4 a6
18...hd5 19.gxe8t V;Yxe8 20.lCldfl gd7
Obviously Black has the initiative, but White
has no weaknesses and should not lose.
21.Yfc1 V;YaS 22.lCle3 i.e6 23.V;Yf1
a b c d e f g h
I could find no reason to play on in this dead
equal position.
lfz-lfz
RoundS 5 january 2008
Almasi - Navara
Landa- Gashimov ¥2-¥2
Godena- Ni Hua ¥2-¥2
Tiviakov - Harikrishna ¥2-¥2
Marin- Korchnoi ¥2-¥2
Standings
51/2 Almasi
5 Gashimov
4 1/2 Harakrishna, Landa, Ni Hua
3 1/2 Korchnoi, Marin
3 Godena, Navara, Tiviakov
The penultimate round proved to be crucial for the final standings. Almasi, who had been in the
lead since Round One, occasionally sharing this privilege with a colleague or two, won his third
game with the white pieces. This provided yet more evidence of his excellent form despite his
collapsing physical state, as he suffered the unceasing attacks of the flu.
Navara was Black and decided to test the tournament leader in an open game and once again
Almasi proved his strategic superiority in a Ruy Lopez, as had happened a few rounds earlier
against Marin. Around move thirty, White converted his strategic edge into a petite combinaison
that was beautiful in its apparent simplicity. I am almost certain that Almasi, in devising his
combination, relied more on his intuition than on calculation. In other words, he saw it in a flash,
without much thought required.
After the game reached its climax, the photo on page 192 is a faithful rendering of the mood
of the players during the rest of their contest: Navara, head bent in search of an unlikely escape;
Almasi, almost bored, and seeming to be asking himself why on Earth his opponent would play
on. However, the usual scrupulous analysis by the Czech number one shows that even in an
apparently hopeless situation one should never lower one's guard ...
Tiviakov- Harikrishna was a vibrant game, in which the future European Champion desperately
tried to rescue a tournament that until then had given him little satisfaction. To achieve his aim,
Tiviakov unleashed an interesting novelty on move eleven that put his young Indian opponent
under strong pressure. After having brilliantly won the opening battle, Tiviakov unfortunately
confirmed his bad form with two serious inaccuracies on moves 28 and 38, which eroded all the
advantage he had deservedly accumulated: on the first occasion he missed the chance to grab a
pawn and avoid all simplifications; on the second, he fell victim to a conceptual mistake in trying
to defend his extra pawn with a passive move rather than playing with greater dynamism.
The remaining games offered little emotion. Landa and Gashimov did not object to sharing the
point and worked for just over twenty moves at the board, escaping my reproach only because I
was still restrained in bed by the pestilential bacillus.
Ni Hua, with the black pieces against Godena, put in a greater effort and achieved good play. Ni
Hua then turned down a possible repetition, only to change his mind a few moves later (most
likely due to Godena's careful defence) and offer a queen exchange that put an end to the game.
Paradoxically, the highlight of this round came months after its conclusion. The careful reader
will have guessed that the only game not mentioned so far is Marin - Korchnoi. For those of you
who are familiar with his Learn from the Legends, or indeed his annotations in this book, it should
not come as a surprise that Viktor the Great is a hero of the Romanian Grandmaster, who not by
chance called his son Victor...
Marin's analysis of the clash with his hero is itself worth the price of admission. Korchnoi
introduced a novelty as early as move seven and Marin accepted the challenge of his experienced
opponent. After a middlegame rich in strategic themes, Marin succeeded in entering an endgame
in which he had the bishop pair against bishop and knight, with hopes of converting his edge. It
is this technical phase of the game that most inspired Marin as an author, as he essentially presents
a review ofKorchnoi's mastery in handling the minor pieces by illustrating three very interesting
endgames against Portisch, Huebner and Ponomariov in which the Leningrader fights against the
bishop pair and nets two points out of three by making the best use of his legendary defensive skills.
Marin's admiration is obvious in every sentence, but the ultimate beneficiary of this infatuation
(which is probably shared by many chess players and fans) is undoubtedly the reader, who can
delight in more than fifteen pages of pure chess poetry.
The immediate 14 ... c6?! 15.dxc6 i.xc6 is

IGame36l much weaker; Black should first provoke the
weakening move b2-b4.
Zoltan Almasi - David Navara
15.i.c2
Ruy Lopez This bishop will become active again after
... c7-c6, therefore White should keep it.
Annotations by David Navara
15 ... c616.b4
l.e4 e5 2.tLlf3 ltlc6 3.i.b5 a6 4.i.a4 ltlf6 16.dxc6?! hc6 gives Black pressure against
5.0-0 !e7 6J~el b5 7.!b3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 e4 and a convenient square on e6 for his
ib7 IO.d4 ges 11.ltlbd2 i.f8 knight.
16... ltlcd7 17.dxc6 hc6 18.i.g5

White fights for the d5-square.
a b c d e f g h
18...~c7
Black wants to carry out the thematic break
... d6-d5. The main alternatives are 18 ... ~c8
I2.d5 tLlbs 13.ltlflltlbd7 I4.ltl3h2 and 18 ... h6 19.i.xf6 'Llxf6 20.'Llg4 'Llxg4
This strange-looking move aims to fight for 2l.~xg4 i.d7.
control of the d5-square. Black plans to play
... c7-c6 and after an exchange on c6 White Against 18 ...i.e7 a sensible reaction is: 19.hf6
would like to exchange all the black defenders (19.Wd3 d5!? might be equal) 19 ... 'Llxf6
of d5 and eventually place his knight there. 20.'Llg4 This is rather similar to the game,
as 20 ... Wc7 transposes to it and 20 .. J''k8
14... tLlc5 21.'Llxf6t i.xf6 22.i.b3 could be slightly better
for White.
19.hf6 c!Llxf6 20.c!Llg4 i.e? direct threat now but his plan of'IWf3, tLle3 and
Black wants to prevent White's knight from i.d5 is rather hard to meet. If he manages to
invading to d5. If instead 20 ... ttJxg4 then exchange the c6-bishop and gain control of the
21.hxg4! '1Wb7 22.'1Wd3 and White is a little d5-square, he can count on a big advantage.
better.
The weaker continuation 22.tLle3 i.g5 allows
21. c!Llxf6t h£6 Black to exchange the dark-squared bishop
for the knight. The recent game Navara -AI.
Ivanov, World Cup 2007, saw 23.tLlf5 g6!
24.t2Je3?! with equality. The double pawn
sacrifice 24.'1Wg4 is more dangerous, but Black
is not worse if he rejects it.
22 ... a5?!
Black should exchange his dark-squared
bishop for White's knight, but it is not so
simple:
22 ... i.g5?! 23.'1Wh5! (Almasi) 23 ... i.h6
There are tactics that must be avoided:
23 ... '1We7 24.i.xf7t!
23 ... i.f4?! 24.g3 g6? 25.'\Wh4!
24.2'%adl
Followed by tLlg3, tLlf5 or tLlh2, tLlg4. This is
very dangerous for Black.
White must avoid 24.tLlh2?! i.d2.
Black should undertake something, as moves Black could and should keep his light-squared
like 22 ...i.d7? or 22 ... g6?! could be met with bishop) 28 ... 'Mfxf6 29.'Mfxf6 gxf6 30.he6 fxe6
23.'Lle3. To prevent this plan, Black should 3l.E1xd6 as bad for Black, but Black can hold
attack a pawn, either c3 or e4. Let's see the after 3l ... E1xc3 32.E1xe6 ~f7 33.E1b6 E1xa2
former plan. 34.E1xb5 E1cc2 (Fritz). During the game I must
22 ... i.b7 23.'Mff3 E1ac8 (Fritz) have overlooked something trivial.
Grandmaster Almasi mentioned an
interesting idea 23 ... d5, but here White 26.tLld5 hd5 27.hd5±
keeps some advantage after 24.exd5 e4 White is much better now. His bishop is
25.E1xe4 'Mfxc3 26.E1dl. much stronger than its black counterpart.
24.E1acl i.g5 25.E1c2 In addition, Black's pawns on b5, d6 and f7
25.E1cdl d5!? might be weak, whereas White has only one
25 ... g6 26.g3 pawn weakness on c3.
26.'Lle3±1= is a safer choice.
26 ... ®g7 27... E1c8 28.E1e3
26 ... h5?! 27.h4 i.h6 28.1Mi'f6! and g6 is
hanging.
27.h4 i.h6
Followed by ... f7 -f5 is interesting. I would
prefer White after 28.'Lle3 or 28.E1dl f5
29.i.d5, but I might be wrong.
22 ... 'Mfb7 23.'Mff3 E1ad8 24.E1adl E1d7± probably

forces White to occupy the d5-square with the
bishop and subsequently with a rook. It is not
altogether clear whether he will manage to
move his knight here.
23.bxa5
23.a3?! axb4 24.axb4?! E1xal 25.'Mfxal 'Mfb7
would have allowed Black to play the thematic
break ... d6-d5.
23 .. J:!:xa5 24. '!Wf3

White wants to play E1adl, E1d3, 'Lle3 and
then place his knight on d5, f5 or even g4. It
takes some time, but it is not altogether clear In reply to 28 ... E1a3 Almasi suggested: 29.E1bl
what can Black do against it (29.i.b3 E1a6 followed by ... E1c6 gives Black
some counterplay as 30.E1d3? E1c6 3l.E1cl ?!
24...J.d7 25.tLle3 J.e6? allows 3l...b4) 29 ... E1xc3 30.E1xc3 'Mfxc3
Also bad was 25 ... 'Mfxc3? 26.E1acl, but Black 3l.'Mfxc3 E1xc3 32.E1xb5 h5!± The white
had a far better option. king will be awkwardly placed after ... E1cl t
and ... h5-h4, but White's position might be
I evaluated the rook endgame ansmg winning anyway.
after 25 ... E1c8 26.'Lld5 'Mfd8 27.E1adl i.e6
28.'Llxf6t?! (28.E1d3± is stronger, but then 28 ... 'Mfe7 29.E1dl g6 30.E1ed3 ~g7
3l ..tb3 Ela6± was Black's best chance, Also losing was 33 ... :!"\xf3 34.:!"\xd? E!:xf2
but with three weaknesses on b5, d6 and 35.'it?h2 Elaxa2 36.~e8t Elf8 37.'1Mfe6t c;t>hs
f7, Black is probably strategically lost 38.~xa2.
anyway.
34.'?9xf'7t
29J~dl .idS?! [Editor's note: Almasi probably did think Navara
I wanted to activate my bishop. This plan was going to resign immediately, which could be
leaves the king too weak and meets a tactical why he did not take the time to spot 34. 'fixe5!
refutation, but it was already difficult to play winning an extra pawn, most likely forcing
this position. instant resignation.}
30.'?9h5 .ib6? 34...'?9xf'7 35J~xf'7 'it?xf7 36J~xh6+-

This manoeuvre is too opttmtstlc, and I
missed the forthcoming combination. It is
m~ ~ D
7-~~~~=··
desirable to activate the bishop, but Black's 8
-~~~-'~
king is too weak.
Essential was 30 ... g6 31.~h6 .tf6 (31...:!"\cS 6

IJ.t.'~ ~-~~
'~ ~~',11,'~ ~~
with the idea 32.:!"\f3 Elxd5 can also be met 5
with 32 ..tb3) 32.:!"\f3 ~e7 (32 ... .tg7 33.Eixf7!)
~IN%~~ ~~
4
even though Black's position is very bad. But if1j
at least White cannot win immediately, for
3 ~ ~~~ ~~-~ ~tz
~~8D
example: 33.h4 :!"\f8 34.h5? (34.g3±) 34 ....tg5
28m m
~-
~ ~ ~
35.:!"\xf7 Elxf7 36.hf7t 'it?h8!
1 ~ ~----~
a b c d e f g h
This endgame is easily winning for White,
8 but I have saved so many lost positions and
7 spoiled so many winning ones that I mostly
resign rather late.
6
5 36...g5
If 36 ... h5 then 37.h4.
4
3 37.g3 h5 38.'it?fl h4 39.'it?g2 gxa2 40J~xb5
'it?£6 4I.gb6t ~e7 42.gxh4 gxh4 43J~h6
2 gel 44J~xh4 gxc3 45.gh5 ~e6 46J~f5 ~c4
1 47.f3 gc2t 48.~g3 gc149.h4 Elgl t so.<bh2
gg6 51.~h3
a b c d e f g h Another possible way to win was 5l.h5 E!:f6
32.hf'7t! gxf'7 33.:!"1xd6! 52.:!"\xf6t mxf6 53.mg3 mg5 54.f4t exf4t
The black queen cannot take the rook 55.mf3 mxh5 56.'it?xf4.
because of a mate on the back rank.
SI...ggs 52.h5 ggi 53.~h4 ghit 54.<bg5
gglt 55.~h6 gg3 56.~h7 gg2 57.h6 l3g3
58.®h8
And here I resigned. I GameJ11
1-0
Konstantin Landa - Vugar Gashimov
For a couple of days I thought that I had
resigned too late, but now it seems to me English Opening
that even the opposite might be true, as Black
can parry the threat of h7, Eif8 and Eig8. My Annotations by Mihail Marin
position remains lost but White has to be a bit
careful, as c;t>hs, Eif8, 8h7 versus c;t>e6, Eigl with l.~f3 ~f6 2.c4 c5 3.g3 ~c6 4.~c3 d6!?
Black to move is a draw because of ... Eial!. An interesting move order. 4 ... g6 is supposed
to be slightly better for White after 5.i.g2 i.g7
After ss.c;t>hs some sample lines are: 6.d4 cxd4 7.lt'lxd4 0-0 8.0-0, because Black
cannot develop his queen's bishop without
8 making a concession. The main line goes
7 8 ... lt'lxd4 9.'\Wxd4 d6 10.'Wd3, when the g2-
bishop certainly looks more active than it does
6
in the game.
5
4 5..ig2 g6 6.d4 cxd4 7.~xd4 .id7
3
2
a b c d e f g h
58 ... Eig6 59.h7 Eig3
Or 59 ... Eigl 60.Eif8 (60.f4 exf4 6l.Eixf4
is also winning but not automatically)
60 ... Eial 61.f4 (61.c;t>g7 Eigl t 62.c;t>h6 Eihl t
leads nowhere) 61...exf4 (61. .. c;t>e7 makes it
easy after 62.Eif5 exf4 63. c;t>g7) 62.Eixf4 Eigl
63.Eif8 Eial and Black can at least continue
for a few more moves.
60.Eif8 Eih3 61.Eie8t c;t>f7 a b c d e f g h
6L..c;t>f6 is simply met by 62.c;t>g8 Eig3t
63.c;t>f8 Eih3 64.Eie7. This is Black's main idea. He has managed
62.Eixe5 Eixf3 63.Eig5!? to more or less neutralize the enemy bishop
And the march of the e-pawn decides the without being forced to exchange on d4.
game
But not 63.Eif5t?? Eixf5 64.exf5 c;t>fs and 8.b3
Black escapes with a draw. White intends to answer with the same
method, by opposing his queen's bishop to the
monster about to arrive on g7. However, the
predictable exchange of these bishops tends to
favour Black, who can dream about a blockade
on the dark squares.
The following two games, played by the 13th I understood that Black's counterplay is not
World Champion, feature a more ambitious easy to start and so I offered a draw, which
plan: was accepted (Itkis - Marin, Romania 1992).
Black's problem is that after 14.l"lacl he cannot
8.e4!? i.g7 9.lLlxc6 hc6 (against 9 ... bxc6 play 14 ... b5 yet (moves such as 14 ... @f8 or
Kasparov gave 10.c5 dxc5 11.e5 lLlg4 12.f4;t, 14 ... l"lc7 prepare this pawn break, but somehow
but after 12 .. .'W'b6 things may not be so clear) do not look right from an aesthetic point of
10.i.e3! 0-0 11.0-0 a5 12J'k1 a4 13.'W'e2 view) because of 15.cxb5 lLlxd4 16.exd4 axb5
'tVa5 14J''lfd1;!; White has obtained a typical 17.'tVxe7±. I remember I was quite impressed
Maroczy position with a stable plus. White by the effectiveness of White's set-up.
eventually won in Kasparov - Ivanchuk,
Manila (ol) 1992. ll.~c2
This is too passive to cause Black problems.
Later, Kasparov refined the move order by
playing 8.lt:Jxc6 first. After 8... bxc6 (if8 ... i.xc6 White had better chances of retaining a space
then 9.e4 would transpose to the previous advantage with 11.l"lcl. For instance, 11...Wa5
game) 9.c5 d5 10.e4 dxe4 11.lLlxe4 lLlxe4 12.e3 a6 13.a3 lLlxd4 14.'tVxd4 i.c6 15.b4
12.i.xe4 i.g7 13.0-0 0-0 14.'tVa4 'tVc8 15J''ld1 'tVh5 16.lt:Jd5 i.xd5 17.i.xd5 l"lc7 18.@g2
a5, in Kasparov - Kramnik, Moscow (blitz l"lfc8 19.i.f3 'tVf5 20.c5!?;!;, Andersson- Tal,
match) 1998, White missed 16.l"lxd7 'tVxd7 Malmo (izt) 1983.
17.i.xc6, which seems to offer an advantage
after, for instance, 17 ... 'tVd4 18.'tVxd4 i.xd4 ll...WI'a5 12.~e3 ~g4!
19.i.xa8 l"lxa8 20.i.e3 i.xb2 21.l"lblt and the This exchange relieves Black's defence.
c-pawn is dangerous.
13.~:xg4 i.:xg4 14.l"lcl ~Ud8 15.Wfd2 a6
8 ...i.g7 9.i.b2 0-0 10.0-0 16.l"lfdl i.e6
8 .~~ ~ ~!%-~
~·~ :r--·Y.~ i
7
"~IS"Wi"~
:
6
3
~~ "~,,~~
~~,~~~~D
~ ~~;"/~-----;~ ~~-~~
~8~~ ~ ¥~
2 ~~-------~n:r~
1 ~'""~~~-j~""
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
IO .. Jk8 The threat of ... b7-b5 becomes serious now
I had this position once with Black and and so White decides to simplify the position.
preferred another, apparently more ambitious,
arrangement of the rooks with 10 ... 'tVa5 11.e3 17.~a4hb218.WI'xa5 ~xa519.~xb2id7
l"lab8 12.'tVe2 l"lfc8. However, after 13.l"lfd1 a6 20.~d3
"Do you really think you can play ... b5?"
~~.~~j_~ ~
White has managed to parry ... b7-b5, at least
temporarily, in view of the strong answer c4-
8 ~ ~. __ a ;,.J
c5. However, it is not easy for him to maintain 7~1.~ ~.t.~.t.
6.f.~ -~.~ ... ~
his space advantage.
5~ ~ ~ ~
4/·~-~-~.
20 ...ie8 21.~d2 ~f8
Black improves his poslt!on gradually,
reckoning that the threat of ... b7-b5 will
always be there. 3~{j~~~ ~
2 8~ ~~[j~JL~
~-~·:·~·/
The immediate 2l...b5 would allow White
some activity after 22.'2Jb4 bxc4 23.CLJd5 <j;>f8
24.Ct'lb6 E1c7 25.b4 CLJc6 26.E1xc4± and the
a b c d e f g h
queenside majority is quite threatening.
Mter 23 ... <j;>e 7 Black would be ready to open
22.~cdl e6 23. ~fl the queenside. White accepted the fact that he
has no advantage at all and offered a draw.
1fz-1fz
This is the kind of move one should think

I GameJ81 twice about before playing. If the queen chase
fails to bear fruit, the weakness of the d4-square
Michele Godena- Ni Hua will offer Black a pleasant game.
French Defence, Tarrasch Variation 8...'?96 9.i.e2 fa.e7 IO.lt:Jf3

A novelty, which does not change the
Annotations by Mihail Marin evaluation of the variation as inoffensive.
l.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.~d2 c5 4.~gf3 After the previously played 10.0-0 0-0 11.ltld4
In my youth, I also preferred this move to Wg6 12.lt:l2f3 l"ld8 13.i.d3 '\Wh5 14.1"le1 ~a5
the more normal 4.exd5. Now I do not have a 15.'\We2 lt:lb4 16.i.b1 i.d7 17.i.f4 i.c6 Black
very clear idea about what might be achieved solved her opening problems in H. Hunt - Z.
with this move order, which seems to give Peng, Leon 2001.
Black a slightly wider choice.
10 ... 0-0 ll.~d6 V9a5t 12.i.d2 '?9b6
4 ... cxd4
Deviating from the main lines, to which
he could have tried to transpose with one of
the moves 4 ... lt:lc6, 4 ... lt:lf6, or 4 ... cxd4 and if
5.exd5 then 5 ... Wxd5.
5.~xd4 ~f6 6.exd5 V9xd5 7.~b5
8 .~ • ..tu•~ ~~
7 ~-·--- ~--,~--,
6 ""' - - - - ·-----%~
: ~~~~~~~~
3 ~~~~~~
l[j-~ if~ ~------~
Jm
%
2
~w.-~ ~%'"/% ~w.-~
fLf,fl~ A ?.~
~%
~~ A ~f(f-
'/
0 %'0~ Q_~: %'0% 0 %'0

1 "st----%~v=£•~
a b c d e f g h 13 .. J~axc814.'?9c2 ~b415.'?9bl fa.c516.0-0
There are some structural similarities between ~c617.i.c3 ~Ud8
this position and some of the Alapin (2.c3) Black has excellent development and good
Sicilian lines, which, as we know already, are control over the key d4-square. White already
not unfamiliar to Godena. However, in the has to be careful.
Alapin, it is the other knight that reaches b5
via a3. 18.'?9c2
18.i.xf6 gxf6 19.'1Wc2 f5+ would leave Black
7 ... ~a68.c4 dominating the dark squares.
18... lLlb4 19.'\&bl lLlc6 20.'Wc2 lLld4

Avoiding a draw by repetition. ~ ~. ~·~
8/.
7~ ~ ~·~
21.lLlxd4 hd4 22.Eiadl hc3 23.'Wxc3 CLle4
6 tl ~·~·~
24Jhd8t Elxd8 25.'We5
5~/~fi~
4 "
*Y~~ ~~~·~~~
3 ~ ~~/ /.~ ~~/ /
2 b~~~ ~ ~
1~
~ ~
~ ~
~ ~
"'/
a b c d e f g h
With almost total stability on the dark
squares. Soon, Black may start a kingside
expansion with ... e6-e5, ... ~g7, ... f7-f5, etc.
My (possibly subjective) evaluation would
be+.
After 25 ... ~d4 a draw was agreed. The worst is

a b c d e f g h behind White. In fact, he could have tried to
25 ... 'Wd4 exploit the theoretical advantage of the bishop
I believe that, as he has a knight versus a against the knight with, for instance, 26.Vfixd4
bishop, Black should keep the queens on the :9:xd4 27.:9:dl e5 28.f3 lt:Jc5 29.~f2 and, in
board. For instance: 25 .. .ltJc5 26.:9:dl :9:xdl t view of the threats of ~e3 or b2-b4, Black
27.ixdl g6 28.'Wd4 (28.h4? li:Jd3+) 28 ... a5 risks losing stability in the centre.
29.h4 h5 30.g3 Vfic7 31.ic2 b6 1/2-lf2
opponent to lose some time, while weakening

I GameJ91 his control over the central dark squares.
It is curious that Tiviakov, who is such an
Sergei Tiviakov- Pentala Harikrishna enthusiast of the Maroczy system with
Black, was very successful in maintaining
Modern Defence White's space advantage in the fairly similar
situations in the games that follow:
Annotations by Mihail Marin 9.h3 i.xf3 10.Wxf3 tt::lbd7 ll.tt::lc3 c6 12.~e2
a5
t.e4 g6 2.d4 .tg? 3.c3 d6 4.c!Lla c!Llf6 s..td3 This is more consistent than prematurely
0-0 6.0-0 c!Llc6 releasing the tension with 12 ... cxd5 13.exd5.
We really could believe that this position
came from a Maroczy, if the white knight
8 was on f3. 13 .. J'!e8 14.i.e3 e6 This plan is
7 effective only with the previous exchange
of the dark-squared bishops. 15.dxe6 l"ixe6
6 16.Wd2;!; White has the better structure
5 and an active pair of bishops, Tiviakov -
D'Amore, Saint Vincent 2006.
4 13.i.c2 Wb6 14J:'(bl :gac8 15.!e3 Wa6
3 Black has put the white centre under serious
pressure; Tiviakov decides to release the
2 tension himself
1 16.dxc6
16.b3 would allow the simplifYing move
a b c d e f g h 16 ... tt::lxd5!.
7.d5!? 16 ... bxc6
In a genuine King's Indian this move would Black is very much okay now, but White's
be an entirely natural reaction against Black's better knowledge of classical games will tilt
slightly provocative knight move to c6. Here, the balance in his favour.
the situation is less clear, because White will l?.:gfel :gb8 18.b3 tt::le8 19.'Wd2 l:iJc7 20.f4
most likely have to lose a tempo with c3-c4, :gfd8 21.i.d3 tt::lc5 22.!c2 tt::ld7 23.!f2 ~e6
in order to maintain his space advantage, 24.tt::le2
while his bishop is more exposed on d3 than it
would be in the Classical KID where it would
be on e2.
It seems that Tiviakov firmly believes in
White's chances. At any rate, his previous
results with this variation have been excellent.
7 ... c!Llb8 8.c4 c6

Naturally Black has other options.
For example:
8 ...i.g4
With the white bishop on d3 this certainly a b c d e f g h
makes some sense. Black will cause his
24 ... c5?! Suddenly, White's superior development

A typical mistake. It has been known since offers him a strong initiative in what looked
Bronstein's book Zurich 1953 that unless he like a static position.
can occupy the d4-square with a piece, Black 20 ... dxe5 2l.d6! Wc6?!
should refrain from this move. Once again, Black shies away from the most
Better would be 24 ... lt:lec5 with comfortable principled continuation.
play. After 21 ... exd6 22.lt:Jd5 :!"i:xc 1! White does not
25.f5t lt:Jd4?! seem to have an advantage if he "wins" the
This sacrifice is not justified at all. queen, but he can gain a threatening position
26.ctJxd4 ixd4 27.ixd4 cxd4 28.Wxd4± with 23.:!"\xcl!? Wd8 24.ig5 (with the threat
White has an extra pawn and a space ofWf3) 24 ... h6 25.ixf6 ixf6 26.:!"i:c7~ and
advantage, Tiviakov-Arizmendi, San Sebastian Black's seventh rank is vulnerable.
2006. 22.lt:Jd5 Wxd5 23.Wxc4 exd6 24.Wxd5 lt:lxd5
25.:!"\fdlt
9.ctJc3 a5 Bronstein - Gerusel, Brussels (rapid) 1991.
Since we have mentioned Bronstein's name,
here is an original interpretation of this position 10.h3
by the wizard himself: White has completed the first phase of piece
9... ig4 10.ie2!? development and intends to make plans for the
10.h3 would more or less transpose above. future. Therefore, it is useful to prevent ... ig4
10 ... lt:lbd7 1I.ie3 a6 12.:!"k1 Wa5 13.a3 fi:fc8 now, in order to avoid being distracted from
14.id2 cxd5 15.cxd5 ixf3 16.ixf3 lt:Je5 his intentions.
17.ie2lt:lc4 18.ixc4 :!"i:xc4
Black has managed to exchange some pieces, IO .. )i~a6
which usually makes the space advantage less
relevant. However, he still needs a tempo to
consolidate.
19.Wb3
Attacking the rook and the b7-pawn.
19 ... Wc7?!
Black should probably have embarked
on the unclear complications that follow
after: 19 ... b5 20.lt:Jxb5 Wxd2 2l.:!"i:xc4 axb5
22.Wxb5 00
20.e5!
a b c d e f g h
II...ltk5 hard to carry out and also leaves the black king
The point behind White's previous move is vulnerable.
that ll...e6 can be strongly met with 12.dxe6!
he6 (12 ... fxe6 13.e5 looks anything but 22.e5±
appealing for Black) 13.j,f4! and White's Everything was ready for this thematic pawn
active development poses problems for Black break. The d5-pawn will be strongly supported
in defending his d6-pawn. 13 ... tt'lc5 14.j,fl by practically all White's pieces.
d5!? 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.e5 tt'lfe4 I?J'kl;!; The
control of the d4-square ensures White has the 22 ... ltlc7 23J3adl
better play. White's concentration offorces is impressive;
only a miracle can keep Black alive.
12 ..ic2 ltlfd7 13 ..ie3;t
White has retained an unchallenged space 23 ... dxe5 24.d6 ltle6 25. V9xe5 c4
advantage after the opening. Black had to restrict this bishop somehow,
but the pawn will remain vulnerable now.
13 ... ltlb6 14..id4 .ixd4 15.YNxd4
26 ..la2 .id7 27.ltld2
8 Black has serious problems defending his
pawn weaknesses.
7
6 27.. J3c8
27 .. .'1Wc8? would leave the f6-square
5 undefended, allowing 28.tt'lde4 with a decisive
4 attack.
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
15 ... e5
The tactical operation initiated by this move
will allow White to increase his advantage.
However, a passive policy is hardly likely to
offer Black viable play.
16.ltlxe5 ltla6 17.ltlf3 c5 18.V9d3 ltlb4

19.V9e2ltlxc4 20 ..ib3 ltlb6 21.a3 ltla6 a b c d e f g h
Black has managed to regain the sacrificed
pawn, but it was not really a fair exchange.
28.ltlde4
From the point of view of building a space This is less clear now than in the previous
comment.
advantage, central pawns tend to be more
important than wing pawns. Moreover, Black's Equally strong was grabbing the pawn with
knights are very badly placed for this Benoni- 28.'1Wxa5±, not fearing the counterplay based
on 28 ... tt'lf4 because of 29.Eie7 with complete
like position, while the absence of the g7-
domination.
bishop makes Black's queenside counterplay
28 ... f5!? Black has managed to exchange queens,

If Black tried 28 ... f6 then 29.~xa5± is again ensuring at least some safety for his king, but
possible. now he loses a pawn.
29 ..!Lld2 1'!c5 30.~e2 tt::\£4 33.tt::\xc4! tt::\xc4 34.1'!d4 i.e6 35.1'!xf4 i.t7
Black has made a couple of moves forward, 36.i.xc41'!xc4 37.1'!xc4 bc4 38.1'!dl?!
but his situation remains difficult; the advance Too passive. After the mass simplifications,
... f7 -f5 has created chronic weaknesses. White will not be able to keep his d6-pawn.
31.~e71'!e8 32.~xd8 1'!xd8 More active would have been 38J''I:e7! Ei:xd6
39.Ei:xb7± !±. White's position is better, but it
is far from a guaranteed win.
38 ... ~!7~
Eventually, the move ... f7-f5 proved useful
by enabling the rapid centralization of the
king.
39.1'!d4 i.h3 40 . .:!Llb5 ~e8 41.1'!h4 i.g8

42.h4 axb4 43.1'!xb4 ~d7
The draw is obvious now.
44.ctJc3 ~c6 45.ctJb5 ~c5 46.1'!hl

lfz-If2
19 ... tt:\bd7 20.:B:fb 1 tt:lxe5 2l.dxe5 ixd3

IGame40 I 22.exd3 tt:ld5 23.:B:b5 a4 24.:B:a3± With four
rooks on the board, the passed pawn is more
Mihail Marin - Viktor Korchnoi of a weakness, while White's space advantage
offers him better prospects of centralizing
Catalan Opening the king.
20.:B:fb1 tt:lxe5
Annotations by Mihail Marin After 20 ...i.xd3 21.tt:lxd3± Black's knights
are poorly placed and tangled together.
l.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3..ig2 tl:)f6 4.d4 dxc4 s.tl:)f3 2l.:B:xb5 tt:lxd3 22.exd3 a4
.ib4t 6 ..id2 aS After 22 ... :B:d8 23.:B:a4± Black must wait
passively as 23 ... :B:ad7? loses to 24.:B:axa5
:B:xd4 25.:B:a8.
23.:B:a3 tt:ld7 24.i.c6 tt:lf6 25.:B:b4 :B:d8
26.:B:axa4 :B:xa4 27.:B:xa4±
In Gleizerov - Luther, Romania 2007,
White eventually converted his extra pawn
into a win.
s.tl:)a3
I believe that I managed to surprise my
experienced opponent.
I did not consider the alternative too

seriously:
8.hb4
And, indeed, after:
8 ... axb4 9.'11Nxc4 :B:c6 10.'11Nxb4 :B:cl t ll.'iffd2
tt:lc6
Black has good counterplay.
7.f!c2 ga6!?N
Of course! This original way of developing
the rook has never been played before.
I was fairly well prepared for:

7 ...hd2t 8.'11Nxd2 c6 9.a4 b5 10.axb5 cxb5
11.'11Ng5 0-0 12.'11Nxb5 i.a6 13.'11Na4 '11Nb6
14.0-0 '11Nxb2 15.tt:lbd2 i.b5 16.tt:lxc4 i.xa4
17.tt:lxb2 i.b5 18.tt:\e5 :B:a7
And here I intended to play:
19.tt:lbd3!
This is more constructive than 19.i.f3 as a b c d e f g h
played in the famous game Kramnik - 12.11Na4
Topalov, World Championship, Elista (1) 12.'11Nb5 :B:c5! (I do not know whether
2006. Korchnoi had analysed this fantastic move,
19 ... tt:lfd7 but during the post mortem he only
suggested 12 .. .:!'%xh1 13.ixh1 e5 14.lt:Jxe5 15 ... ~xe5 16.dxe5 !c6

~xd4t 15.l2ld3 0-0~) 13.Wd3 (13.Wa4 b5)
13...lt'lb4 14.We3 l2lg4 15.Wb3 l2lc2+
12..J'k5! 13.l::ld1
13.lt'lc3l::la5 14.Wc4 e5?
And now Black can force a draw by repetition
if he wishes:
13 ... l::la5 14.Wc4l::lc5=
8...ixa3 9.bxa3 b5 IOJ~bl

The premature 10.a4 would absolve Black
from his worries regarding his queenside. After
10 ... b4 11.Wxc4 ib7 12.0-0 id5? Black has
good play on the light squares.
IO ...!d7
After 10 ... Wd5 11.0-0 ib7 12.l2le1 l2le4 17.£3!
13.he4 Wxe4 14.Wxe4 ixe4 15.l::lxb5 l2lc6 White has to preserve his pair of bishops at
16.f3 ig6 17.ic3;!; White has stabilized the any cost. Otherwise, his doubled pawns might
position and retains the more flexible structure. eventually leave him strategically worse.
Besides, the enemy bishop risks remaining
passive. The attempt to combine threats on both wings
with 17.ixc6 l::lxc6 18.Wg4, intending either
II.tLle5 bxa5 or ih6, fails to the centralizing move
Again, it is too early for 1l.a4 b4 12.Wxc4 18 ... Wd5!+.
ha4 00 •
Closing the long diagonal with 17.e4 weakens
11 ... 0-0 the fl-a6 diagonal prematurely and can be
ll...a4 would stabilize the queenside, but answered by 17 ... l::lb6, eventually followed
after 12.ib4± the black king would remain in by ... ib5, and White will find it difficult to
the centre for a long while. castle.
12.a4 17... axb4 18.i.xb4 ge8 19.i>f2;t

But now White has to play the text move;
if 12.0-0 then Black has a pleasant choice
between 12 ... l2lc6 and 12 ... a4!?.
12... b4 13.Wxc4 ha4 14.a3 ~fd7

After this move White will obtain a
considerable space advantage in the centre.
Instead 14 ... l::ld6!? may have caused White
greater problems.
15.axb4!
I did not want to help him develop with
15.lt'lxd7 Wxd7 16.axb4 ib5 17.Wc5 a4?.
a b c d e f g h
Black will retain the initiative for a while, but A few months previously I had written
it will not last. In the long run, White's bishop an article about Viktor Korchnoi's ability
pair and his space advantage will become the to handle the bishop pair when confronted
telling factors. with a bishop and a knight. Coincidence (if
such a thing really exists) meant that now
19•••.!d5 20.'1Wd3 ga2 21.gal ttlc6 I had just such an endgame position against
A logical centralizing move. White would the great man himself! I was full of optimism
keep the enemy knight under control after and hoped to prove to him that I had been a
2l ... lLla6?! 22.i.a3±. diligent pupil. Much to my disappointment,
my legendary opponent managed to hold the
22 •.ic3 Y*fa8 23.gxa2 Y*fxa2 24.gal Y*fb3 draw with relative ease.
25.gbl Y*fa3 26•.ifl gds 27.gal During the game, I recalled some previous
Also possible was 27.'1We3!?. occasions in which Korchnoi had defended
similar positions against very strong opponents.
27••• Y*fc5t 28.Y*fe3 Y*fh5 I saw the respective positions quite clearly in
my head but could not remember anything
about the critical moments or final evaluation
8
of the endings. Quite logically so, since all I
7 had done decades ago was replay the games
from magazines without really analysing them.
6
My excuse is that the only regular sources of
5 information in Romania were Soviet magazines,
where the dissident Korchnoi's games were
4
usually published without comments (unless
3 his opponent was Soviet). However, one
should be able to analyse a game without any
2
other information than the moves actually
1 played.
After my encounter I decided that time had
a b c d e f g h
come to repair my mistake and examine the
29.g4! games with greater care.
The start of a consistent plan, encouraging
Black to be careful in the middlegame, and
preparing for a favourable ending.
29 •••.!c4 30.h4 h6 31.h5 Y*fb3 32.gcl gd7

White is also a little better after 32 ... lLle7
33.i.a5.
33 •.!al
During the game, I regretted that I had
not played 33.i.el, but afterwards Korchnoi
suggested 33 ... \Wa4!? (as an improvement over
33 ... \Wxe3t? 34.cJ;?xe3± lLlxe5? 35.i.g3+-).
33 ••• Y*fxe3t 34.~xe3

White's space advantage on the kingside is I had a feeling this move made a premature
impressive, but he will face some problems commitment, but could not stop myself from
activating his light-squared bishop, because his playing it.
slightly unusual structure keeps it captive, at
least temporarily. I feared that after 38.~c3 Black would defend
Black's "extra pawn" on the queenside is not his back rank with 38 ... :gd8, preventing his
dangerous at all and seems to be doomed to king from being pushed away from the centre.
become a weakness in the near future. For the However, Black would still be far from equality.
moment, his minor pieces are also hanging, The following is a line we investigated during
but Korchnoi's next few moves will create the post mortem: 39.~g2 ltlb6 40.f4 ltla4
more harmony in his army.
34... ~a5 35.~fl

Avoiding any tactics based on the exposed
king.
35... c6
It appears that Black intends to use his pawn
to ensure some stability for his pieces.
36.ib2
After 36.~c3ltlb3 the white rook would not a b c d e f g h
find it so easy to become active. must confess I was impressed by this
manoeuvre, which Korchnoi demonstrated
36...ib5 37.gal lL!c4 without hesitation. Black's pieces cover all the
open files! In fact, this is an important element
~ ~ ~ ~~
~Iii~~~,;~
in the present analysis - Korchnoi repeatedly
8 shows his ability to regroup his minor pieces
:~.!,!~--
in accordance with the concrete necessities of
Bflii ~-~~'t;
each position.
However, there is a weak spot in Black's
~~~!!~-'~!~
5 defence in this position: the c6-pawn. At some
~~~~~~
point Black will have to defend it by removing
4 his rook from the d-file. For instance: 4I.~a5
~~;~~~~A~~ :gd7 42.:gcl :ga7 43.~d2 :gd7 44.~e3 :gc7
3
2
1
m -8m
~~-----~m ~-:r~
~ 45.:gda White is ready to start advancing
his kingside pawns, putting the enemy king
in danger. However, the position is not really
a b c d e f g h one-sided, as Black's pieces are perfectly placed
to support the advance of the c-pawn.
Both sides have accomplished the first part
of their plans. White has obtained an open file
38... ~h7 39.i.c3 gdl
for his rook, while Black has built a reliable
Having relatively little time left for the last
defensive structure on the queenside.
two moves, I had the distinct sensation that
the activation of the enemy rook was more
efficient than mine. Therefore I returned with:
4o.a:ai However, I thought I still had a winning plan.

But I did not realize this was equivalent to
abandoning any winning hopes. 47.i.f3 i>gs 4S ..idl i>h7 49 ..iel
40... a:xal!
After making this move, Korchnoi offered 8
a draw. Compared with the draw offers I 7
received in other games at Reggio Emilia, this
was an easy decision to make: White can play 6
for a win without the slightest risk. 5
From this point of view, my opponent's
4
draw offer looks premature, but it took me
quite a while to understand that his evaluation 3
was entirely correct: Black should hold a
draw rather easily (by the standards of a star
2
player). 1
4I.hal ~d2 a b c d e f g h
Korchnoi played the next few moves fairly Well, this regrouping did not take me much
quickly, just like the aforementioned sequence time either. I knew how to arrange my bishops
from the post mortem. - from Korchnoi's games, of course.
42 ..tg2 .tc4 43 ..tc3 ~b3 44.£4 .td5 45.e4 49 ... g5!

.ic4 46. i>e3 c5! Korchnoi played this not so obvious move
after prolonged thought. I was completely
8 caught by surprise, although, as we will see
later, this way of fighting for space in passive
7
positions is typical ofKorchnoi's style.
6
Passive play would gradually lead to disaster,
5
for instance:
4 49 ... c;f;g8? 50.~h4
Black is in big trouble already, although I do
3
not exclude the possibility that he still has
2 some way to deviate from the unfavourable
course of the following illustrative variation.
1
50 ... c;f;>f8 5l.~d8 c;f;>e8 52.~c7 c;f;f8
a b c d e f g h 52 ... c;f;e7 would leave the king cut off from
the weak pawns after 53.~d6t c;f;e8 54.g5
Finally, the apparently chaotic movement
when Black would have to dismantle the
of Black's pieces has built a very efficient
barrier because of zugzwang. He would lose
barrier. None ofWhite's pieces can cross it. If
either the c5- or the g7-pawn.
White transferred the king to b2 (quite a long
53.~d6t c;f;g8 54.f5 g6 55.~e7 c;f;g7 56.f6t
manoeuvre) and the light-squared bishop to
c;t>gs 57.~d6 gxh5 58.gxh5 c;t;hs 59.~f8 ~h7
dl, Black would find a way to get counterplay
60.~c2
against the kingside pawns, which would be
This is another zugzwang position. Black
left without any defence.
has to either abandon the h6-pawn at once of thought than my opponent's. Without this
(when White has every chance to win with exchange, White would have no way to activate
ixh6-g7, h5-h6, i.dl-h5xf7t and h6-h7) his dark-squared bishop, but now Black's
or allow the decisive activation of the other position is strategically easier. In some cases his
bishop with: h-pawn could become dangerous.
60 ... tt'ld4 6l.i.a4 tt'lb3 62.i.e8+- Being aware of the fact that White has no
winning chances, I accompanied my move
8 with a draw offer. Korchnoi played:
7
50...fxg6
6
Immediately and without answering my
5 offer. I suspected he had not heard me (a
4 hypothesis confirmed by my opponent later)
3 but, not being entirely sure, I found myself
in a delicate psychological situation. Making
2
another draw offer would not have been in
accordance with FIDE rules and etiquette
a b c d e f g h in general. Of course, I could have won
the c5-pawn with a dead drawn opposite-
coloured bishops ending, but then Korchnoi
During my opponent's long reflection, I was
mainly worried about: would have been entitled to consider my
"playing on" to be demonstrating a lack of
49 ... tt'ld4!?
respect.
Intending to trade the light-squared bishops
with ... i.b3. After:
Fortunately, I found a possibiliry of repeating
50.i.h4 i.b3 5l.i.xb3 tt'lxb3
moves after:
It is not easy to calculate whether the knight
reaches a safe position in time. However, the
following variation proves that Black can 51..th4 ~g7 52..te7 ~f'7 53 ..td6 ~e8
54.~fl ~f'7 55.~e3 ~e8 56.~fl ~f'7
save the game:
52. @d3 lt:Jd4 57.~e3 ~e8 58.£5 ~f'7
And a draw was agreed automatically.
Activating the knight is the higher prioriry.
1/2-1/2
If52 ... g6 53.i.f2 gxh5 54.gxh5 @g7 55.i.e3±
White can hope to win. The c5-pawn will
Reiterating the main question from some of
fall soon, the weakness of the h6-pawn will
my previous games in Reggio Emilia ("Was I
keep the king passive, and the knight cannot
right to play on instead of agreeing to a draw?"
reach a favourable square.
and vice versa) I would answer positively.
53.i.f2 tt'lf3 54.@e2 tt'lh2 55.g5 g6!
Now this move is well-timed. Without the defensive lesson I was taught, I
might not have been stimulated to investigate
Black would complicate his life unnecessarily
the theme further.
after 55 ... hxg5 56.fxg5 tt'lg4 57.i.g3±.
56.hxg6t @xg6 57.i.gl tt'lg4 58.~f3 @h5
Having said this, let's see how Korchnoi
59.gxh6 tt'lxh6 60.i.xc5 tt'lg4 6l.@g3 f6=
employed similar defensive methods in the
Black is out of danger.
past, and how much wiser it would have been
50.hxg6t to examine his games with greater care when I
I played this move after an even longer period was younger.
Lajos Portisch- Viktor Korchnoi started well for my hero. In the quarterfinals he
eliminated Portisch, an extremely strong and
Candidates Quarterfinal (2), Bad Kissingen 1983 experienced opponent, by a margin of three
points. However, in the second game of this
match Korchnoi was struggling:
The situation is not entirely unfamiliar to

us. White's advantage on the kingside is
indisputable, but the possible rook exchanges
along the c-file should be handled with care.
Another issue is that White's only chance of
making progress is on the kingside. On the
other wing, Black can easily build a fortress
with his minor pieces and pawns.
24.!'k3?
This is a serious inaccuracy, after which
a b c d e f g h
White's winning chances become highly
At the time of this match I was already a big questionable. We know from the previous
fan ofKorchnoi, and I had suffered through his game that, in principle, exchanging rooks
repeated losses against Karpov. The Candidates favours the defending side. White should have
cycle that followed the Merano 1981 match tried to make use of the very few available
moments with rooks on the board to make concession in view of 27 ..td6 .tc6 28 ..te2
some significance progress on the kingside. h4 29.l:'&hl ttJcS 30 ..tf3± followed by ~xh4,
when the weakness of the remaining h-pawn
This could be achieved with: leaves Black very passive.
24.h4! ~c8 27 ..td6 :!:'&c8
I have taken this as the main line, in order to Keeping rooks on the board with 27 ... lt'lc6
make the difference compared to the game suits White perfectly after 28.:!:'&hl± when
continuation more clear. It should be said Black has to make a concession such as
that the strong positional threat of h4-h5 is spoiling his structure or abandoning the
not easy to meet with rooks on the board. h-file.
After the solid 24 ... h5 White could switch to 28.~xc8 \t>xc8 29.f5 lt'lc6 30. \t>f4
the game continuation with 25.:1'k3, when
the weakness of the gS-square would have a
~·~ ~ ~
decisive impact.
24 ... h6 is best met by 25 ..td6, over-
8
7 ~~~~~r~.
-----~~-~ ~m-0 ~~ ~~
defending eS in order to prevent ... g6-g5. 6 r~41)~•••~
For instance, 25 ... ~c8 26.h5 and Black has 5 -----%~-----~~8~~
obvious problems defending both his wings. 4 r~ ~~~~~m ~~
25.h5 ~xcl 3~~~:~----%~
It is possible that, when deciding to double
r~~~~~r~
~~~~~~~
2
rooks, Portisch wanted to prevent a later
knight jump to cS.
This is the only possible moment for a b c d e f g h
25 ... lt'lc5, but it does not work out well after
The posltlon is almost identical to that
26.hxg6. Black has a joyless choice:
arising after 30.\t>f4 in the game. The only
I) To lose a pawn with 26 ... hxg6 27.l:'&xh8
difference is that White's rook pawn is on hS
~xh8 28.hc5, when White's space advantage
already, meaning that White is two tempos
and the fact that Black's remaining kingside
ahead. It is easy to see that Black faces huge
pawns are blocked on light squares would be
(possibly unsolvable) problems defending his
decisive.
kingside.
2) To spoil his structure with 26 ... fXg6,
when after exchanges on cS followed by .tc4
There are two main conclusions I would like
and g4, Black would be under unbearable
to emphasize:
pressure.
3) To play the intermediate 26 ... lt'lxd3? which
The difference of two tempos is caused by
would be the worst alternative because of
Portisch's :!:'&c3 and l:'&hcl. (:!:'&hxcl from my
another intermediate move: 27.:!:'&xc8! :!:'&xc8
suggested line is equivalent to Portisch's ~xc3).
28.gxf7 ttJcS 29.~xh7 :!:'&f8 30.g4 White will
This highlights a very important aspect. The
soon promote, or 27 ... \t>xc8 28.:!:'&xh7! with
process of simplification does not mean that
a similar result.
pieces disappear from the board while otherwise
26.~xcl ttJb8
the position remains the same. Simplifications
AI; in the game continuation, Black has to
(and, in a narrower sense, the transition from
lose time with this move before exchanging
the middlegame to the endgame) imply a
rooks, as the immediate 26 ... ~c8? would
fierce fight to grab or maintain the initiative,
lose to 27 ..ta6t!.
or improve the placement of one's pieces. If
26 ... gxhS would be a significant structural
carried out carelessly, simplifications can have 3I.h4

a strongly negative influence on the evaluation The immediate 3l.i.f8 leaves Black with a
of the position. solid position after 3l...g5t 32.'it>e3 lt'lxe5
33.i.a6t ~d7 34.i.xh6 f6. The centralized
We have noticed that the presence of at least knight is not weaker than a bishop.
one pair of rooks makes Black's position harder
to defend. This shows that it is Black who 3I... i>d7 32.i.f8
should force simplifications, even under rather Unfortunately, White cannot delay this
unfavourable circumstances (for example, a move. Mter 32.g4 (intending h4-h5 and only
loss of time). then i.f8) 32 ... ~e8 there would no longer be
a way to attack the h6-pawn. For instance,
If we compare Portisch's inaccurate play with 33.h5 g5t 34.~g3 (otherwise ... i.dl, attacking
my failed attempt to exploit this favourable the g4-pawn) 34 ... lt:ld4. In order to create a
endgame we can note a common element: zugzwang, White would need to transfer his
premature rook activity led to simplifications king to the queenside, when Black's pieces
under "neutral" circumstances (that is, Black would have to remain immobile in order to
did not need to make any concessions). maintain the fortress. However, such a plan
would leave the kingside pawns undefended.
Let's go back to the game now.
24.. J:~c8 25J:~hcl gxc3 26.gxc3 ~ b8 27.i.d6

gcs 28.gxc8 i>xc8 29.£5 ~c6 30.i>f4
8
7
6
5
4
3
a b c d e f g h
2
32... g5t!
1 The same defensive resource as in the
previous game. The similarity is not only
a b c d e f g h optical. Black's main aim is to get rid of the
We have reached the final position from the kingside weaknesses by forcing a favourable
previous comment, but with the white pawn exchange of pawns. The only difference is the
on h3, not h5. means employed to achieve that. Against me,
Korchnoi threatened to restrict my bishop,
30... h6! while here he harasses the white king.
An essential move that prevents an invasion
by the enemy king. With a white pawn on h5, I am sure Portisch had anticipated this course
this move would have been impossible because of events, but not at the right moment (which
of the vulnerability of the g6-pawn. was before doubling rooks). As for me, I
Round S - 5 January 200S 213
have mentioned already that I was caught by 36..ib5t

surprise by this idea, mainly because I did not Failing to find a constructive plan, Portisch
remember the essential aspects of the present decides to repeat moves in order to reach the
endgame. 40th move, followed by adjournment and
home analysis.
33.hxg5 hxg5t 34.~xg5 tiJxe5
Gutman recommended:
36.~f6lLlc6 37.£Xe6t fXe6 3S.e5
~ ~ ~ ~
8
-~0 ~~ ~"'~~ Apparently, Black is in trouble, because
7 ~ u•m•m 0-
"'"%-~~~~~%'"//-·~~,~-~~
of the threatened advance of the g-pawn.
However, the activity displayed by Black's
6
5~
4
;: ____
m ~8~
.tU ~-/8-'B'----~u
pieces is sufficient to save the game after:
3S ... lt:Jd4
We should note that the knight's relative
~~~~~~~~ stability in the centre is ensured by the

3
i llli
!~Jill !~Jill !~Jill
llji
~ !~Jill !~Jill Ill
queenside pawns. White's dark-squared
bishop is optimally placed on the a3-
fS diagonal, preventing the enemy king
transferring from one wing to the other, but
the c5-square (which is needed to harass the
a b c d e f g h
knight) is unavailable.
At first sight it might seem Black has only 39.-ifl
helped his opponent get rid of the doubled White cannot make progress after 39 ..ih5
pawns. However, reality is not so one-sided; .id3 40.g4 .ie2!.
doubled pawns sometimes defend weak 39 ... .if5 40.~g5
squares. In order to make progress on the This is necessary, in order to support the
kingside, White had to weaken the e5-square. pawn.
The relative stability of the knight will allow 40 ... <;!;>eS! 4I..id6 ~f7
Black to defend his dangerous position. With a reliable fortress on the light
squares.
35 ..ie2 .ic2!
An essential move, putting the central pawn The alternate way of attacking the centralized
chain under pressure in order to restrict the knight also fails to bother Black after 36. ~f4
king's activity. lLld3t 37. <;!;>e3 lLlc5 with similar play as in the
final phase of the game.
In principle, Black is interested in provoking
as many kingside exchanges as possible. His 36... ~c7 37.~g7
ultimate defensive resource would be to trade 3 7. ~f6 would lead to undesired
his minor pieces for the enemy light-squared simplifications after 37 ... lt:Jg4t 3S.<;!;>xf7
bishop and the last remaining kingside pawn. exf5=. Black will occupy the long diagonal
In this case, the favourable colour of the aS- soon and start attacking the pawn with his
square would guarantee an easy draw. In fact, knight, leading to an aforementioned drawn
even if the light-squared bishops remained on position.
the board, Black would be out of danger if he
could reach the aS-square with his king while 37... ~d6 38.i.fst ~c7 39.fxe6 fxe6 40.~g7
occupying the long diagonal with his bishop. ~d6 41.~f8t ~c7 42.~g7 ~d6 43.g3
%!'~ ~---
his own bishop on the bl-h7 diagonal).
8 ~ ~~ ~~7~ ~ We can see that here, too, the e5-square is
1ti~ - - ~ critical. Unfortunately, White cannot challenge
"----"- "a'"~-----~~
the knight's stability once it decides to jump
~~""'"~~~
6 there: ~f4 is always met by ... lt'ld3t and against
5
~~ ~~-,8~" '~
~d4 there is the symmetrical ... lt'lf3t.
Portisch played the apparently inoffensive:
3% ~~~~~~
4
2 !~!~~~,,~
56.i.g7
When Black blundered with:
~~~~~~~
1~ ~ ~- 56...i.c4?
This places the bishop on a fatal square, and
a b c d e f g h
is equivalent with an eventual capture on e4 in
This must have been the fruit of home Portisch- Korchnoi. Black resigned after the
analysis. The e4-pawn is indirectly defended elegant:
because 43 ... ixe4? would drop a piece to
44.f4. 57.e5t!
I believe that it was not by chance that The following vanauons prove that his
Portisch chose a set-up based on this small decision was not premature.
trick. Almost two decades earlier he managed
to win a similar drawn position by the same 57... ~c7
method. 57 ... lt'lxe5loses a piece to 58. ~d4. A slightly
longer but similar line is 57 ... Wd5 58.ic2
Lajos Portisch - Klaus Darga lt'lxe5 59.i.e4t ~d6 60.~d4 with the same
result.
Capablanca Memorial, Havana 1964
58.i.f8!
8 Preventing ... lt'le7, which would defend the
7 g6-pawn.
6
58 ...i.d5 59 ..id6t!
5
Another necessary move. After the hurried
4 59.i.c2?! Black could play 59 ... lt'lxe5, because
3 his bishop is defended now.
2
59 ... ~d7 60.i.c2
Winning the g6-pawn and the game.
a b c d e f g h
Portisch had (possibly prematurely) Instead of 56 ... i.c4?, virtually any other move
exchanged rooks more than twenty moves would have drawn, for instance 56 ...ib5
earlier, then built up an impressive space followed by ... lt'le5.
advantage. However, his winning chances
remain questionable unless he can play e4-e5 Quite possibly, this (only partly deserved)
under favourable circumstances and then attack happy ending did Portisch a disservice in his
the g6-pawn immediately (before Black installs later endgame against Korchnoi, causing him
to overestimate his chances after the exchanges Robert Huebner- Viktor Korchnoi
induced by El:c3.
As I am also a Portisch fan, I had seen this Candidates Final (7), Merano 1980
game some years ago, but, again, I failed to
draw the correct conclusions ... The final Candidates match against Dr
Huebner was one of the toughest of the
Let's return to the main game: matches I followed via the Soviet magazines.
When playing with Black, my hero repeatedly
43 ...ibl 44.a3 ic2 45.rit>f4 ~d3t 46.c;i;>e3 chose an unusual line of the French, leading to
c!Llc5 such positions as the diagram below:
The knight has been forced to abandon the
e5-square, but the pressure against the e4-
8
pawn keeps the position equal.
Black's strong centralization convinced 7
Portisch to force a draw immediately with:
6
47.if8t c;i;>es 4S.ig7t c;i;>d6 49.if8t c;i;>es 5
50.ig7t
4
1!2-lf2
3
Black's defence in this game was harder than
2
in the previous one, but Korchnoi managed to
hold his own confidently after the premature 1
rook exchange. This should have acted as an
a b c d e f g h
alarm bell for me before playing El:a8, but it is
always difficult to remember clearly things you The isolani looks quite vulnerable, while
only examined superficially. Well, the fact that Black's kingside is also under serious pressure.
a quarter of a century had passed in between In addition, the threat of ixe5 followed by
also contributed, but, in my opinion, this is ltlb3 or ltlf3 is very annoying.
less relevant and can only be used as a clumsy I do not know whether Korchnoi had reached
excuse if nothing better comes to mind. I am this position in his home analysis, but his next
not going to do that ... move is a very practical (though unexpected)
solution.
If all this was not enough, the next game should
have warned me that Korchnoi's attitude 19...ixd4!? 20J3xd4 ie6
towards the bishop pair is rather neutral. By giving up a bishop for a knight (thus
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, two bishops. can offering his opponent a long-term advantage)
be a formidable weapon in his hands, but in Black has completely solved his dynamic
certain cases he willingly embarked on long problems. After the elimination of the strong
and passive defence on the opposite side of the centralized knight, the e6- and c6-squares
debate. are available to his pieces, enabling a reliable
defence of the d5-pawn. It will take White
a lot of effort to prove this pawn is weak. In
fact, the pawn is quite useful for Black. First
of all, it offers shelter to his pieces, especially
the king. For a long while Black will, in effect,
be defending with an extra piece, because the position without rooks, because this is one
enemy king cannot be centralized easily. This important element in this analysis.
latter aspect is caused by a second important White's king would have better possibilities
part played by the pawn. Together with the of activating, but his rival would also feel
minor pieces, it can create barriers in front of more comfortable in the centre without the
the enemy pieces. permanent pressure along the central files.
This leaves the situation even from this point
It should also be said that the absence of of view.
the dark-squared bishop only weakens one
important square (d4). By placing his kingside Without rooks, Korchnoi's plan of advancing
pawns on dark squares, the enemy queen's his queenside pawns would probably be
bishop will be kept under control. risky. The b5-pawn would need permanent
protection (after either ... a5 or, if the pawn
remains on a6, a2-a4), keeping one important
piece far from the other wing. It is true that
Black could do without advancing his pawns
(he would probably have to play ... a7-a6,
though) but then White might win space by
placing his pawns on b4 and a5, transforming
the b7-pawn into a permanent target. In the
long term, being under pressure on both wings
would have unfavourable consequences.
This is just a provisional evaluation, of
course, but my general feeling is that, for once,
the defending side is not doing worse in the
presence of rooks than without them. In the
event of an exchange, Black's possibilities for
counterplay would be reduced. In fact, this
a b c d e f g h
is not completely illogical, because the player
The knight is not entirely stable on e5, but with a space advantage in the centre should
it will be able to return there after a series of generally avoid exchanges.
jumps such as c4-d6-f7-e5.
Returning to a more concrete world, the
24••• tLlc4 next phase of the game will be marked by the
For the moment, the enemy queenside is players' attempts to make progress on opposite
put under pressure. The shape formed by wings.
the minor pieces and the d5-pawn resembles
the fortress created by Korchnoi in our post 25.h4 a6 26.i.g6 l3c8 27.g4 l3c6 28.l3e2 b5
mortem analysis (L!.c6, .ib5, tt:la4). 29.h5 a5 30.i.d3 l3b6 31.b3 tLld6
Mission accomplished by both players, but
As a consequence of this concentration of black the position remains static for the time being.
forces in the centre, the exchange of rooks is
highly improbable in this ending. Although 32.l3c2
this detail basically frees the annotator from the Probably aimed at discouraging ... b5-b4,
duty of evaluating for whom such an exchange although I am not sure whether Black was
would be beneficial, I will try to imagine the ready to play it.
32... ttlf7 33.i.e2 ~e5 34J~d2 <it>c6 of the minor pieces, while the rook would
White's position looks more harmonious, permanently harass White.
but the inactivity of his king prevents him The only drawback of this plan is that it loses
from creating dangerous threats. With his a pawn, but the simplifications involved will
next moves, Huebner will try to solve this make a draw the most probable (but, as we
problem. shall see, not the only possible) result.
35.<ilg3 gb7 36.i.e3 ~fl 37.i.d4 gbs 44 ... .ic6 would avoid the small material loss,
38..ifl <it>c7 39.<it>f4 but after 45 ..if5 md6 46.E:a2 it would be
White who takes control of the open file.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
The king stands closer to the centre now,
a b c d e f g h
but it is far from obvious yet how he will cross 45.i.e4 i.c6 46.i.e3
the barrier along the 5th rank. One possible A strong preparatory move.
plan would be .id3-f5 followed by E:e2, when
the least White would get is some annoying After the immediate 46.c4 bxc4 47.bxc4
activity along the e-file. Black would maintain material equality with
Korchnoi anticipates this undesirable course 47 ... tLlc7 48 ..ie3 E:b3 (evacuating the rook
of events and immediately moves the barrier from a dangerous diagonal) 49 ..if4t i>c5,
one rank "higher". because the e4-bishop is hanging, too.
39... ~d8! 40.i.d3 i.d7 41.<it>g3 ~e6 46.. ,ga8 47.c4 bxc4 48.bxc4 d4!
42.i.fl A well-timed pawn sacrifice.
Black's position has resisted the first assault,
but home analysis after the adjournment With the rook on a8, the same line as above
seems to have convinced Korchnoi he should does not work anymore. After 48 ... tLlc7
not rest on his laurels, and instead create some 49 ..if4t mc5 50 ..if5 tLla6 51.cxd5+- Black
queenside counterplay. cannot recapture with 5l.. ..ixd5? because of
52.E:xd5t mxd5 53 ..ie4t winning a piece.
42... a4 43.i.c2 axb3 44.axb3 <it>d6
Black intends to place his pieces on optimal 49.i.xd4 i.xe4 50.i.xf6t
squares with ... .ic6 and ... E:a8. If he reached After 50.fxe4 E:a3t 51.mf2 (the pseudo-
this set-up, the king would ensure the stability active 51.i>h4 is met by 5l...i>c7, when the
threat of ... lLlg5 would be quite annoying) And resigned after:

51...lLlxd4 52.gxd4t ~e5 53.gd7 gc3 Black's
piece activity would ensure him an easy draw. 63 ... ltle3t
He might have missed that after 64. c;te5
50... ~c5 5I ..ie7t ~xc4 52.fxe4 lLlxg2 the black rook is defended.
The position has calmed down after a 0-1
short tactical phase. The activity displayed
by Black's pieces against the exposed white Huebner was so depressed about this accident
king and the vulnerable pawns, as well as the that he soon resigned the match in a moment
reduced quantity of material left on the board, when the situation was not yet entirely hopeless
secures entirely adequate compensation for the for him.
pawn.
When preparing the material for this analysis,
52.. J3a7 53..id6ltlg5 54.~£4 rU'7t 55.~e3 I came across a more recent example, when
gf3t 56.~e2 gf7 57..ie5ltlf3 58.gc2t an already veteran Korchnoi held his own
White decides to give up his extra pawn for by familiar (to us!) means against a future
the sake of cutting off the enemy king from the World Champion (well, from the Knock-Out
kingside. Instead 58.gd5 lLlxe5 59.gxe5 ~d4 events).
60.ge8 gf4 would have led to an immediate
draw. Ruslan Ponomariov- Viktor Korchnoi
58... ~b5 59.hl ltlh2 60.~d3 ltlxg4 Cannes 1998

61.gg2 gf3t 62.~d4 gf4
abcdefgh
a b c d e f g h
Ponomariov had confidently exchanged
Another elegant regrouping by Korchnoi. rooks and queens, probably relying on the
Black threatens to eliminate the remaining fact that this ending would promise excellent
white pawns, starting with ... tt:lf6. This would winning chances. Indeed, the threats if4 and
have been a good moment for Huebner to c3-c4 are pretty annoying for Black.
accept the inevitable draw. Instead, he played
for a win for just one more move with: 29 ... ltlb6!!
The first big surprise: Black does not try to
63.~d5?? save his pawn. Korchnoi obviously considered
that the highest priority was to prevent White 39.g5?!

from winning space with c3-c4 by occupying This natural move throws away most
the c4-square with the knight. He also of White's winning chances. Most likely,
understood that the c7 -pawn was not essential Ponomariov did not anticipate Black's 40th
for building the fortress. However, we should move.
not overestimate Black's position. He is still
under a lot of pressure. Black would have faced bigger problems after:
39.ci>g3!?
30.!£4 a4! 31.hc7 tt1c4 Removing the king from a square where it
The queenside is completely frozen, which would be in check after ... hxg5.
is a familiar picture for us. With just a handful 39 ...i.c6 40.g5 hxg5 4Li.h5t!
of pieces, Black has built a barrier that is This intermediate check is the point of
impossible to cross. Obviously, an eventual White's previous king retreat. Now Black
exchange on c4 would offer as few winning will not have ... g7-g6 at his disposal.
chances as the opposite-colour bishops ending 41 ... ci>f8 42.hxg5 fxg5
that was possible in my game. Black cannot maintain the tension forever.
After 42 ... i.b7 43.i.f4 i.c6 44.i.b8 i.b7
White's only constructive plan is to open the 45.i.a7 i.c6 46.i.c5t \!lg8 47.i.e7 there is
other wing. no way to keep the f6-square defended - a
great job by the bishops.
32. ci>fl ci>f7 33.i.f4!? 43.hg5 ctJd6 44.Wf4 l2le4 45.i.d8 ctJxc3
Since White plans to prepare the advance of 46.a3
the kingside pawns, it is useful to prevent any
later knight jumps to e3 or d2. Otherwise, the
light-squared bishop (which will go to f3) or
the f5-pawn could feel rather insecure.
As for the dark-squared bishop, it can be
reactivated later.
33...h6 34.h4 i.b7 35.i.cl i.c6 36. c.t>g3 i.b7

37.ci>f4 i.c6 38.i.f3 i.b7
a b c d e f g h
White has returned the pawn, but his king
will break through, ensuring excellent winning
chances. If 46 ... ctJb5 then White defends both
attacked pawns with 47.i.b6!.
39... hxg5t 40.hxg5 g6!!

After having examined Korchnoi's games
against me and Portisch, this move does not
look entirely unnatural. Compare this with
... g5 from the previous games. Black fights for
a b c d e f g h space on the wing where he is facing a strong
attack, eliminating his last weaknesses on this 55 •.ig3t c,!;>e7 56•.ig2 .ic6 57..if4
side of the board. Restricting the knight, as otherwise the
However, for Ponomariov this must have queenside pawns could become vulnerable.
come as a cold shower.
57... c.!;>e6 58.i.h3t c.!;>e? 59.c.!;>g6 !d7!
60 ..ig2 .ic6 6I.c.!;>g7 c.!;>e6 62.J.h3t tJe7
63.i.g5t c.!;>d6 64.c.!;>ffi .id7 65 ..ig2
And now that White's king is far from any
populated area, Black can start his counterplay
with:
65 ...i.f5
Threatening ... t.b 1. Black should be out of
danger.
For me, this whole analytical experience has

been quite instructive. There are cases when
an apparently huge advantage offered by the
a b c d e f g h
bishop pair is not enough to achieve a win.
41..idl.ic6 42 ..ic2 Sometimes, there are hidden details of the
42.fXg6t ~xg6 43.t.c2t ~g7 44.g6 does position that enable a successful defence. True,
not offer anything concrete after 44 ...t.d7 many players with lesser defensive skills than
45.t.f5 t.e8 46.t.e6 t.c6, as indicated by Korchnoi's would collapse without putting
Victor Mikhalevski. up a real fight, but it is always better to know
in advance (before initiating simplifications)
42 ...fxg5t 43.c.!;>xg5 gxf5 44.i.xfs tLld6 what to expect from such an ending.
45 ..ic2 c.!;>e6! 46. c.tl£4
In this position a draw was agreed. I would add that Korchnoi's endgame play is
lf:z-lf:z equally impressive whether he has the bishop
Slightly prematurely, I must admit, but pair or is defending against it. This suits
the following illustrative line shows Black the description I made about him in one
should be able to defend against White's only of my favourite chapters of Learn from the
constructive plan - the infiltration of the king Legends: a truly universal player. I remember
through the kingside. one Romanian trainer tried to explain the
46... tLlc4 47•.if5t c,!;>£6 48 •.ih3 .ib5 49 ..ig2 incredible longevity ofKorchnoi's chess career:
.ic6 50•.ie3 .ib7 51..ifl.ic6 52•.ih4t c.!;>e6 "He seems to have discovered the secret of the
53•.ih3t relationships between the pieces."
Completely in accordance with the spirit of
the previous section. In any case, his ability to make his pieces work
together in the examples above deserves the
53 ... c.!;>d6 54. c.!;>g5 .id7! highest praise and respect.
The domination of White's bishops should
be challenged whenever possible.
Gashimov - Almasi lh-lh

Ni Hua - Marin 1-0
Harikrishna - Landa 1-0
Korchnoi - Tiviakov lh-lh
Navara - Godena 1-0
Final Standings
6 Almasi
5 1/2 Gashimov, Harakrishna, Ni Hua
4 1/2 Landa
4 Korchnoi, Navara
3¥2 Marin, Tiviakov
3 Godena
Reggio Emilia reached its last leg or - using language that is more common in Texas hold 'em-
the final showdown. This was the moment of truth, when the tournament winner was decided.
The luck of the draw meant the two current leaders, Almasi and Gashimov, faced each other.
Gashimov was only half a point behind the pace-setter and had the advantage of playing White,
after having what was effectively a day off in the previous round. As if this were not enough,
Almasi was still visibly affected by his (not-too-serious) physical ailments.
To make a long story short: everyone was expecting the young Azeri to go "all-in" and try to
beat his Hungarian rival. But all the forecasts were wrong. Gashimov - Almasi was a quick draw
- the only deeply disappointing game of the Reggio Emilia tournament. I still cannot understand
Gashimov's decision. Undeniably, Almasi proved throughout the event that he deserved his final
victory. He impressed his opponents with a series of solid yet inspired performances, but it is no
less true that the Magyar's wins had all been with White. As for Gashimov - if you are not in the
mood to try to win such a prestigious tournament as Reggio Emilia when you are aged 21 and
playing White in the final round, then I doubt there will ever be a better moment for being in
the right spirits ...
One thing I do know: if my amazement at Gashimov's decision put me on a par with my new
friend Almasi, our reaction could not have been more different. I was disillusioned; Zoli was
beaming. Over the tournament as a whole, there is no doubt the best player prevailed- if nothing
else, because he succeeded in frightening his young opponent with a chapped nose ...
Luckily enough, the remaining four games were all up to the mark and created great interest. The
only other draw of the day was between Korchnoi and Tiviakov, two players who were desperately
trying to avoid ending on a minus score. Korchnoi exploited the advantage of the white pieces,
as once again the Master from Leningrad produced a novelty. White obtained a clear positional
advantage that soon netted him a pawn. In the commentary room, everyone was rooting for
Viktor the Great ...
Left alone at the mercy of his opponent, abandoned by the fans and by inspiration, Tiviakov
was to find in Caissa and in his opponent's fatigue two invaluable allies that, with the help of a
couple of inaccuracies in the fifth hour of play, would secure him an unexpected half point. The
photograph on page 231 would fit well in a photo-novel. Landa: "But, Maestro, how did you
fail to win?" Korchnoi, in a surprisingly good mood while illustrating the winning path: "Easy,
my son, from a given point onwards I played like a patzer!" Petra: "Oh my goodness! How am
I supposed to calm him down for lunch?" Tiviakov listened with great care and perhaps learned
the lesson that only a few weeks later would enable him to best all his rivals at the European
Championships in Plovdiv...
It almost goes without saying that this was the last game to end in Reggio Emilia: a parting gift
from Viktor Korchnoi, a true ace who has been honouring chess for the last sixty years or so ...
Thank you, Maestro, for your company and for presenting us with yet more excitement.
The three other games all had decisive results. The most dramatic was the confrontation between
two very motivated players: Ni Hua and Marin. For each of them, a victory would have meant a
prestigious result: an unexpected (on rating, but not in view of the actual games) fifty percent for
Marin, and a possible podium finish for Ni Hua. Unfortunately for Marin, he chose to challenge
the Chinese Grandmaster's pet Giuoco Piano, and stumbled into a poisonous novelty. The story
is revealed with a touch of pride by Ni Hua himself, in his notes to his second Italian win.
Harikrishna resorted to a frankly old-fashioned line (the Bishop's Opening) to try to tame Landa.
However, the young Indian's annotations leave no room for doubts: avoiding the Petroff is
nowadays a must ifWhite needs the full point. A slight inaccuracy by Black allowed Harikrishna
to grasp the initiative and he found the winning path with a truly spectacular move. Despite a
slip by Harikrishna on move 22, perhaps prompted by impatience, Landa made the last mistake
and Harikrishna clinched a top-three finish with two more elegant moves.
The last decisive game was Navara's imperious win over Michele Godena- the only game of
Navara's that has not been annotated personally by the Czech Grandmaster. Once again, David
seemed to be uncomfortable with theoretical debates and chose a little trodden path in the Slav,
one of the Italian's pet openings. This time his instincts proved right and, with the help of a novelty
on move 12, White grasped a long-lasting initiative. A final array of inaccuracies by Godena,
presumably under serious time trouble, forced Michele to lay down his arms and conclude the
tournament in last spot, as his rating had predicted.
were satisfied with their result, but I cannot

IGame4ll help thinking that, with some more ambition
from White, this could have become the most
Vugar Gashimov- Zoltan Almasi interesting game of the whole tournament- the
game to decide (or just confirm) the winner...
Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence 1/2-1/2
One comment by Mihail Marin

IGame421
l.e4 e5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.i.b5 ~f6 4.0-0 ~xe4
s.Y;Ye2 ~d6 6.i.xc6 dxc6 7.Y;Yxe5t V!le7 8. V!ia5 Ni Hua- Mihail Marin
Y;Yds 9.V!ie5t V!le7 lO.V!iaS V!idS ll.V!ic3
c!Llf5 12J~~elt .ie6 13.d3 .le7 14.~bd2 0-0 Italian Game
15.~e4
Annotations by Ni Hua
This encounter happened in the last round.

Up to that point, I had scored 1 win and 7
draws. Of course, I remembered clearly the
organizers had kindly requested that every
player contribute top quality games. And
indeed I tried my best to fight hard every day
for the full point, but somehow I just ended
up being one of the most peaceful warriors. So
this was my final chance to do something.
l.e4 e5 2.~f3 ~c6 3.i.c4

This was the fourth time at Reggio Emilia
a b c d e f g h that I had adopted the Giuoco Piano, which I
This is the only game in the tournament that learnt the first day I studied chess. I wonder if
does not require annotations. Both players anyone else has ever played the Italian Game
four times in an Italian tournament? Or do Black would have many problems if he did
I deserve a special prize? Anyway, this is just not take on f3. For instance, 14 ... f5 15.ixg5
a joke and in fact the Giuoco Piano was quite Wfxg5t 16.i>bl and Black's position is very
popular in this event. unpleasant due to the bishop and doubled
pawns, or 14 ... tiJe6 15.tiJe2! Wfd7 16.ltlg3,
3 ...i.c5 4.c3 ltlf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7 ..ib5 when White could occupy f5 with the knight,
ltle4 8.cxd4 .ib6 9.ltlc3 0-0 IO ..ie3 .ig4 not the queen.
More solid was lO ... .id7!?.
15.Wfe2! ltlh4
ll.Wfc2 If 15 ... tiJg5 16.f4 ttJe4 17.tiJxe4 dxe4 18.f5,
White has a strong attack while the black
bishop is out of play.
16J~hgl!
My game against Navara in the first round had

continued: ll.. ..if5 12.Wfb3 tiJe7 (12 ... tiJxc3
13 ..ixc6 bxc6 14.Wfxc3±) 13.0-0 White
had the better chances in this complicated 16 ... tiJg6 17.h4! Wfxh4 18.~hl Wfe7 19.'Wh5
position. h6 20 ..ixh6+-
16 ... Wfd7 17 ..ig5 tiJg6 18.h4 f6 19.exf6 gxf6

Bad was ll...tiJxc3 12.hc6 ttJxa2 13.hb7
20 ..ih6 ~fe8 2l.Wi'f3
~b8 14.~xa2 ~xb7 (14 ... .ixf3 15.gxf3 ~xb7
16.Wfc6) 15.Wfc6, when White is much better.
16 ... tiJf5 17.Wfg4 Wfd7 18 ..ih6+-
12.gxf3ltlg5 13.hc6 bxc6 14.0-0-0!N 17.Wfh5!
Normal was 14.Wfa4 or 14.Wff5. A few This ought to be the right way to keep the
months ago, I found this move as I prepared attack going, but of course now my preparation
for the final game of the Asian Indoor Games. was over.
14 ... ltlxf3 17... tbg6
I think both sides had seen the following 26.E1h8 E1xh8 27.'Wxh8t ~e7 28.'Wxa8 hd4
variation: 17 ... fxe5!? 18.Ag5 'Wd7 19.'Wxh4 29.'Wh8!
1xd4 20.:1:1xd4 exd4 21.'Wxd4 Obviously Black could hardly save the game. For
White has an edge. example:
29 ... 'Wg4 30.'Wf6t ~d7 31.e6t mc8 32.'Wf8t
18.l3g3 ~b7 33.e7+-
19.l3h3 Wff6
a b c d e f g h
18... fxe5? a b c d e f g h
This was a position no one would like to
20J~~gl!
defend.
The following line would not work either: Perhaps Mihail overlooked this quiet move.
18 ... E1f7 19.e6 l::1e7 20.f4 f5 21.'Wxf5 'Wd6 (or
20... exd4
21...tt:lf8 22.'Wg4 tt:lxe6 23.f5 tt:lf8 24.Ag5+-)
Or 20 ... tt:lf4 21.'Wxh7t m£7 22.dxe5 (but
22.Wfg4 E1xe6 23.f5 E1xe3 24.E1xe3 'Wf4 25.'Wxf4
not 22.E1hg3 exd4 23.E1xg7t ~e8) 22 ... ~xe5
tt:lxf4 26.tt:le2 Black would have no hope.
23.E1f3! ~e8 (23 ... ~e6 24.hb6 tt:le2t
25.tt:lxe2 E1xf3 26.tt:ld4t) 24.hf4 E1xf4
Probably the only chance was:
25.'Wh8t, White would win.
18 ... E1e8
Now the computer suggested:
21.'1Wxh7t i>f7
19.E1h3
During the game, I saw 19.f4!? fxe5 20.fxe5
Wih4 21.'Wf5, when White also maintains an 8
initiative. 7
19 ... tt:lf8 2o.Ah6! g6
20 ... fxe5 loses after: 21.hg7 mxg7 22.E1gl t 6
mf6 23.'Wh6t tt:lg6 24.'Wxh7 E1g8 25.E1xg6t 5
E1xg6 26.E1f3t me6 27.'Wxg6t ~d7 28.'Wf5t
md6 29.'Wxe5t ~d7 30.'Wg7t ~c8 31.l::1f8 4
21.E1gl 'Wd7 22.Axf8 E1xf8 3
Or 22 ... mxf8 23.E1xg6 hxg6 24.'Wh8t mf7
25.'Wxf6t mg8 26.l::1h8#. 2
23.E1xg6t hxg6 24.'Wh8t ~f7 25.'Wxf6t ~e8 1
a b c d e f g h
22J~xg6! ~xg6 23JH3t ~f6 24J~xf6t ~xf6 43.tt:\h6t gxh6 44.Wg6t ~f8 45.Wxh6t ~g8
25.~h4t ~e5 26.~e7t ~f5 27.~d7t 46. Wxcl, everything seems nice.
Also good would be 27.Wg5t! e6 28.Wg4t
E!:f5 29 ..L:d4+-. 37... ~g8 38.~e3 c6 39.~g4 Elf6 40.Wd7
Ele4 41.~£5 Elf7 42.~d8t
27... ~g6
If27 ... e5, then 28.f4t f6 29.Wxc6t and
the game should be over.
28.J.xd4 J.xd4 29.~g4t ~h7 30.~xd4+

E!f6 31.~dl!
The knight is on its way to the battlefield.
31 ... a6
Better was 31...a5! but it would not make
any difference.
32.~e3 Ele8 33.~g4 Elfe6 34.~d3t ~h8

35.~xa6 c5 36.~d3 c4
a b c d e f g h
Black resigned.
8 1-0
7
Black could try42 ... ~h7 43.Wg5 (not43.tt'ld6
6 E!:elt 44.d2 E!:fe7) 43 ... E!:e6 (or 43 ... E!:e5
5 44.Wh5 g8 45.tt:\h6) 44.tt:\e3, followed by
pushing the a-pawn. Winning the game was
4 just a matter of time.
3
This victory owed a lot to my home
2 preparation. Anyway, such an interesting game
1 should have appeared at the start of the event,
not at the end. To conclude my annotations,
a b c d e f g h I would like to express my gratitude to
37.~h3t the organizers of the 50th Reggio Emilia
I could take some risks with 37.Wxd5!? E!:el t Tournament, which, in my opinion, was the
38.c2 E!:8e2t 39.c3 E!:cl t 40.b4 E!:xb2t best tournament I have ever played in.
4l.c5, and then after 4I...c3 42.Wh5t g8
Round 9- 6 January 2008 227
IGame4J I
Pentala Harikrishna- Konstantin Landa
Italian Game
Annotations by Pentala Harikrishna
l.e4 e5 2 ..ic4!
Avoiding the Petroff... ©
2...ltlf6 3.d3 'Llc6 4.lLlf3 .ic5 5.c3 a6 6 ..ih3

d6 7.0-0 0-0 8 ..ig5 h6 9 ..ie3lLlg4
I had this position in my analysis. Initially
I thought that 10.~xc5 would give slightly
better chances, however now I think it is just
equal.
10.d4
As mentioned above, 10.~xc5 dxc5 11.1We2 16.l2Jxd4 d5 17.ctJ2f3!
'!!ie7 12.ctJbd2 ~e6 is no more than equal. This is the move my opponent missed. This
is the reason 15 ... d5 is better.
10....ia7 ll.ctJbd2lLle7 12.h3 'Llxe3 13.fxe3
exd4 14.exd4 c5 15.Whl 17... dxe4 18.lLle5 .ie6
Evidently, the only reasonable continuation;
otherwise the attack on f7 is unstoppable.
19.ctJxe6 'Wxdl
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h a b c d e f g h
20.~xf8!! 25.~xg6! ~e3 26.E!:e5 E!:dS 27.~f4 ~dl
A very important move. I was very proud to 28.E!:d5 ~f2t 29.\f;lg2 E!:cS
make this move as it is not everyday you get a 1-0
chance to make such moves
20 .••Y:Vxb3 IGame441
A sad and unexpected necessity, as both
rooks are taboo: Viktor Korchnoi - Sergei Tiviakov
20 ... ~xal 2l.hf7t \f;lhS (My opponent Queen's Indian Defence

missed this move in his calculations - if
21...\f;lxfS there follows 22.tt:ld7#. Konstantin Annotations by Mihail Marin
later told me that he thought that his queen
would still be on dl, protecting the d7 l.~f3 ~f6 2.c4 b6 3.g3 .ib7 4 •.ig2 e6 5.d4
square ... ) 22.ltJeg6t ltJxg6 23.ltJxg6t \f;lh7 !J.e7 6.0-0 0-0 7.~c3 ~e4
24J'hal White is winning.
20 ... ~xfl t 2l.E!:xfl E!:xf8 22.tt:lxf7 and again

White is winning.
21.axb3 E!:x£8 22.g4?

Correct was 22.E!:adl! as it is very important
to stop the knight from coming to d5. 22.g4
was a very careless move.
22 •.• ~d5 23.E!:ael E!:eS 24.E!:f5 g6?

The last mistake. After this the game is over.
Instead after 24 ... tt:le7 it is still not clear if
White has a decisive advantage. During the a b c d e f g h
game I wasn't able to find a clear way to win.
In fact, after the game in my analysis I still The classical line of the Queen's Indian has
couldn't. One line is 24 ... tt:le7 25.E!:f4 e3;!;. been selected. Both players have huge previous
experience of this line with Black, but there is retains a clear advantage in the centre, Bareev -
an important difference: Viktor Lvovich has Polgar, Candidates Semi-final, Elista (4) 2007.
also faced it with the white pieces countless
times! ll ... tilc6 12.d5 tilb4 13.'1Wd2 exd5 14.cxd5
~f6
8.i'c2
Over the past few decades, ~c l-d2 has
become White's main approach, with orwithout
having castled. Not surprisingly, Korchnoi
(who has made important contributions to the
theory after ~d2 from Black's point of view!)
believes in the soundness of the older lines.
8... ~xc3 9.Yfl'xc3 c5

Korchnoi himself used to play 9 .. .f5 about
thirty years ago. Black avoids immediate pawn
contact in the centre, aiming for a fight on
opposite wings, in the spirit of the Dutch
Defence in an improved version, because
a b c d e f g h
White's fianchetto bishop is neutralized.
Among other results, Korchnoi scored 2.5 Black seems to have achieved active play in
out of 3 in his Candidates matches against this Benoni-like position, while the presence of
Polugaevsky, and a brilliant win against Britain's the white queen in front of the bishop fails to
first grandmaster, the late Tony Miles. impress. However, the situation is not so simple
for Black. The b7-bishop will be out of play
IO.l:~dl d6 ll.Yfl'c2!? for a while and the knight will have to wander
White has certainly moved his queen a lot, around after a further a2-a3. Furthermore, the
but the loss of time is not so relevant because white queen only needs one tempo to "correct"
of his good control of the centre. Besides, its position.
Black has also consumed three tempos with
a piece that has vanished from the board, his 15.a3 tila6
Icing's knight. One of the hidden points is that 15 ... lLlxd5?
By retreating his queen from the long drops a piece to 16.tLlel!.
diagonal, White sidesteps the unpleasant
effects of a potential pin created by ... ~f6. 16.'1Wc2!?
This logical "re-developing" move,
The main line continues ll.b3. The following immediately establishing harmony between
is an example from recent top level practice: White's pieces, is a novelty.
ll...tLld7 (ll...~f6 is more usual) 12.~b2lLlf6
13.d5 exd5 14.cxd5 Here too, as in the main Almost two decades ago, Korchnoi tried to
game, a Benoni-like structure has been reached. design a plan in which the queen remains
14 .. .l':!:e8 15.e4 ~f8 16.lLld2 b5 17.a4! b4 on its current square, but he failed to obtain
(17 ... a6!? would have maintained Black's an advantage: 16.h4 h6 (Salov mentions
structural integrity, but left the b7-bishop 16 ... c4 as a worthy alternative. One of the
completely out of play) 18.Wfc2 g6 19.a5 ~a6 effects of Korchnoi's novelty is that this move
20.~fl ± Having blocked the queenside, White is prevented for the time being.) 17.l"!:bl
i:'!:e8 18.b4 We? 19.Ab2 Ac8! Black's pieces pieces. The next sequence of moves and
are well placed. The bishop covers the g4- short comments will be illustrative for these
square and the knight defends the important aspects.
c5-square. Black won after a complicated
fight in Korchnoi - Salov, Skelleftea 19 ... c4
1989. Black's attempt to generate queenside
counterplay will allow White to consolidate
16 ... b5 17.e4 his advantage.
Another natural move. In the fianchetto
Benoni (as in the fianchetto King's Indian) True, after a neutral move such as 19 .. J~ac8
the advance of the e-pawn is delayed not White can play 20.a4;!:; and if 20 ... tt:lb4
rejected, as White can hardly fight for an 2l.V!Je2 a6 then 22.axb5 axb5 23.~xb5.
advantage without seizing space in the Black's compensation for the pawn is
centre. insufficient, mainly because his b7-bishop
remains passive, while 23 ... Axb2 only makes
17... i:'!:e8 18 ..ie3 things worse because of the unpleasant pin
White completes his development and created by 24.i:l:a7±.
creates the threat of a3-a4. The immediate
18. a4 would be premature because of 18 ... lU b4 However, the more restrained 19 ... ltlc7!1
when the generally desirable 19.We2 drops a deserves attention, in order to meet 20.a41!
pawn to 19 ... Axd5!+. with either 20 ... a6, maintaining structural
flexibility, or 20 ... a5 2l.axb51! lUxb5 followed
18 .. .'\We? by ... ltJd4, one of the Benoni-player's greatest
dreams.
8 This does not mean that 19 ... ltJc7 solves
7 all Black's problems. The knight is rather
passively placed and White could initiate
6
a slow plan, based on re-directing his own
5 knight towards a better route, once the first
goal of consolidating his space advantage has
4
been achieved. It should be mentioned that
3 Black cannot do the same with equal ease
because of his lack of space. 20.liJd3 (creating
2
the threat of lUxc5) 20 ... Wd7 21.l:%abl a5
1 22.liJf4 (threatening ltJh5) 22 ... g6 23.b4
axb4 24.axb4 c4 25.ltJe2 Followed by .td4
a b c d e f g h
and lUc3, with a firm grip on the position.
19.tilel! Black's queenside minor pieces look rather
It is easy to underestimate or overlook the awkward.
hidden force of this knight retreat. Compared
to the more natural way of defending the e4- 20.a4! b4
pawn (19.liJd2) the knight keeps the c2- and Now, 20 ... ltJb4 can be adequately met by
d3-squares under control, thus restricting 2l.V!Jd2!.
"from a distance" the enemy knight and
avoids getting in the way of White's other 21.Wfxc4 hb2 22.i:l:abl .ic3
s !B~B.!B$!~
The only thing that keeps Black (temporarily)
alive is the mini-fortress built by the c3-bishop
7 ifi% .2. ~ %m~ i ifi% i
"
and the b4-pawn, which prevents a massive
~~~-"--~-----~~ invasion by White's forces.
~~-[>,'~~~
6
5 25J3dcl gbs 26.Wfc4 ge7 27.tlJf4 Wfc7
8-VB8m B
3--
28.Wfb3 WaS 29.i.fl gc7 30.i.b5 i.d7
4
2 ~B~--~3B~--jW1~W1
~ ~
1 ~ ~~ lftY/ _ _ zrtjt ___ z
B B ~-----; ,," . %
a b c d e f g h
From a structural point of view, Black has
greatly improved his position. However, his
queenside pieces are passive and vulnerable.
23.tLld3±
Preventing a later jump by the enemy
knight to cS and keeping the b4-pawn under
observation.
23 ...Wfd7 24.Wfb5 i.c8

Unlike Korchnoi's novelty, this cannot be
called a re-developing move. In fact, the lack of
harmony in Black's camp is obvious. It seems
his rooks will never again be connected ...
3l...fxe6 Korchnoi has shown over the past half of

3l...ix:b5 32.lLlxc7 lLlxc7 33.axb5 lLlxb5 century, of course.
34.'\Wc4 h6 35.l'l:b3± Black's compensation
for the exchange is insufficient because his 34... h6
pawns cannot be put into motion easily. 34 ... l'l:xe4? loses material to the double attack
Besides, White could eventually return 35.Wd3!+-.
the exchange (for a pawn) on c3 or b4
under certain circumstances, retaining a 35.h4 lLlbS 36J~c8 gxc8 37,gxc8t l:ld8
space advantage and the more active minor 38,gc4
piece. Black already has to part with one of his
32.ix:d7 l'l:xd7 pawns.
32 ... e5 33.i.e6t 'kt>h8 34.'\Wdl± followed by
Wh5 and i.f5 offers White a strong attack. 38... lLla6 39..ha7 lLlc5 40.hc5 dxc5
The c3-bishop is completely cut off from
the kingside, which remains very poorly
defended against such a simple plan of
action.
33.dxe6l'l:e7
Or, similarly, 33 ... l'l:c7 34.e7t d5 35.l'l:xc3
l'l:xc3 36.Wxc3!+-.
34.l'l:xc3!±
And the rook is taboo because of the weakness
of the back rank.
8 a b c d e f g h
7 Black's queenside pawns are safely blockaded,
while the white centre is ready to advance.
6 The only remaining unfavourable element for
5 White is his relatively passive knight, but this
should not have been too difficult to correct.
4
3 41.£4
White probably wanted to prevent the enemy
2 bishop being installed on d4. However, there
1 was no need to weaken the king's position so
soon.
a b c d e f g h
By simple means, White has obtained a 4l.ltJcl would have been entirely satisfactory.
practically decisive advantage. I more or less For instance: 4l...l'l:a8 42.lLld3 i.d4 43.d6!±
agree with Viktor Lvovich who, during the Black has to remain a mere spectator as White
closing ceremony, briefly mentioned that he gradually strengthens his position, because
had spoiled a winning position. "Winning" 43 ... Wxa4loses immediately to 44.Wxa4 E:xa4
by the incredibly high technical standards 45.lLlxc5.
41. .. gas 42.~g2 .ids

IGame4~ I
David Navara- Michele Godena
Semi-Slav
l.c4 e6 2.~c3 d5 3.d4 c6 4.Yfd3!?

This method of avoiding long theoretical
variations has been persistently and successfully
advocated by Korchnoi. Admittedly, Korchnoi
plays "W'd3 after both sides have developed their
a b c d e f g h king's knights.
43.gc2?! 4 .•• ~£6 s.~a ~bd7

This move lets most of White's advantage The critical line is considered to be 5 ... dxc4
slip away. It was not too late for 43.lt::Jcl .ib6 6.Wxc4 b5, arriving at a well known position
44.lt::Jd3±. that can be reached by various move orders.
43 ....ib6 44.~cl?! 6.e4 dxe4 7.~xe4 ~xe4 8.Yfxe4 i.b4t

After this new inaccuracy, Black can force a
draw.
44.:!'l:a2 would have maintained the tension,

although after 44 ... "W'a6± it would not be
easy for White to keep the pawns blockaded
without making concessions.
44.•."W'xa4 45.ga2 "W'e8 46.gxa8 Yfxa8

47.Yfc4 Yfa3 48.~b3 Yfb2t
Finally, the weakness of the white king tells.
49.~0 Yfb150.~cl b3! 51.~xb3

Accompanied by a draw offer. \X'hite cannot
avoid a perpetual check as if 51... WhIt a b c d e f g h
52.~g4? he would be mated after 52 ... h5t!. Usually, this position is reached from what
lf2-lfl could seem a completely different variation:
4.e3 tLlf6 5.lt::Jf3 lt::Jbd7 6."W'c2 .id6 7.e4 lt::Jxe4
8.tLlxe4 dxe4 9."W'xe4 .ib4t The fact that the
e2-pawn and the f8-bishop have not lost any
time in reaching their current positions has no
relevance.
9.i.d2 hd2t 10.~xd2 c5

Black immediately attacks the enemy centre, justified. For a specific explanation, see the
aiming to prevent White's castling long. next comment.
A recent game played by Navara went: 10 ... 0-0 16 ...'\Wc7

11.0-0-0!? c5 12.tt::lf3 cxd4 13."Wxd4 "We7 [Editor's note: 16. .. \W d4 is met with 17. f1Jj3!}
14 ..id3 tt::lc5 15 ..ic2 b6 16.b4 tt::lb7 17.\Wh4
(by exchanging queens, White avoids any 17.~acl i.d7
possibleattacks) 17 ... \Wxh418.tt::lxh4a519.a3 The line referred to in the previous comment
axb4 20.axb4 l'!a1 t 2l.~b2 !!xd1 22.l'!xd1± is:
And the queenside majority as well as the active 17 ... a5?!
placement of the king (a direct consequence This can be strongly met by:
of castling long) offered White an advantage, 18.b5!
which he eventually converted into a win in When Black faces problems maintaining the
Navara - Akopian, Mainz (rapid) 2007. blockade on c5.
ll.dxcS '\WaS 12.a3 WfxcS 13.i.d3

A new move. White wisely delays the
generally tempting 13.b4, which allowed Black
to obtain counterplay in Kasimdzhanov -
Nakamura, Bastia (rapid) 2007, after 13 ... "We7
14 ..id3 a5! 15.!!b1 axb4 16.axb4 tt::lf6 17."We3
0-0 18.0-0 l'!d8 19.tt::lf3 "Wc7 20.tt::le5 b6
2l.l'!fd1 .ib7. Black's control of the open a-file
limits White to only a nominal advantage.
Ho~ever, White now blundered with 22 ..ifl?
and was in trouble after 22 ... .ie4!. a b c d e f g h
18 ... \Wc5
13 ... ~£6 14.Wfe2 0-0 15.0-0 ~d8 Black has no time to return his knight to
c5. Mter 18 ... tt::ld7 White has 19.c5! f1Jxc5
20.tt::lb3 !!d5 2l."We3 b6 22.tt::lxc5± followed
by either .ie4 or "We4, depending on how
Black recaptures on c5.
19.a4 l'!b8
Necessary prophylaxis.
19 ... b6 20.tt::le4! or 19 ....id7 20.f1Je4!
would allow White to put both wings under
pressure simultaneously.
20 ..ic2 b6 21.tt::lb3! "Wb4 22.c5±
With a strong initiative for White, who is
better developed and will soon have a passed
pawn on the queenside.
a b c d e f g h
18.c5 i.c6 19.~f3 ~dS
16.b4!
By placing the c5-pawn under pressure,
Once the enemy knight has been transferred
Black intends to prepare ... a7-a5. The
far from the c5-square, this move is entirely
immediate 19 ... a5 would allow White to gain 24..• axb4 25 ..ib5 'Wc7 26.axb4
space with 20.b5t, however 19 ... ttld5 looks
more natural.
20.ic4 gh5 21.g3
a b c d e f g h
Black has an unenviable position, but he
could expect to put up tough resistance. In the
game, however, he blundered with:
26 ... b6? 27.tLle8!± 'We5 28.'Wxe5

28.ttlxf6t gxf6 29.c6± also looks promising.
28 ... gxe5 29.tLlc7 gbs 30.tLla6 gas

22 ...id5 23.tLlb5 'Wc6 24.tL!d6~ 31.cxh6+- .ig2? 32.@xg2
Black has achieved his partial aim, but his Black had probably overlooked that after
rook remains isolated on h5. 32 .. J'l:xb5 he loses a whole rook to 33.ttlc7.
1-0
In Lieu of aConclusion
By Yuri Garrett
I can almost hear the reader complaining, "What do you mean, a conclusion? Hasn't everything
already been said? We know who won, who lost, who drew, what they played and what they ate.
Is there anything else we need to know?" Well, the truth is there is not much more to add about
the tournament, since we do hope that the 200 or so previous pages were of some help in this re-
spect. However, there is another event I would like to mention before parting from the reader: the
Mauro Reggiani and Tullio Trincardi Memorial. This simultaneous display was in remembrance
of rwo local masters who passed away berween 2005 and 2007, and was organized by the men's
widows and the Circolo Scacchistico Ippogrifo. Even before the start of Reggio Emilia, ZoltanAl-
masi had agreed to honour their memory, and he was rewarded for this generous gesture with one
of the most important wins in his career (incidentally, the same happened to Ni Hua in 2009!).
The Hungarian Grandmaster had survived nine rounds unbeaten, so trying to take his scalp
in a simul was a tempting prospect. Surely we could find one player out of thirty capable of
troubling the outright winner of the Jubilee Tournament? We had a cunning plan -a few winks
were enough to recruit five fifth columnists (can you think of a more appropriate number?) to
infiltrate the simul. Meanwhile, Almasi was being instructed that his opponents would be seated
in decreasing rating order, from the strongest gradually down to the weaker, finally reaching the
absolute beginners who can be expected in an event of this kind. Once all his opponents were
seated, we let Zoltan into the playing hall only to see - in the last five spots -the following gentle-
men: Marin, Ni Hua, Gashimov, Cebalo and Harikrishna!
As Zoltan looked rather bewildered, I explained to him that everyone has a right to 15 minutes
of glory. Instead of complaining, Zoltan reacted like a true star: "Really? Well, please let everyone
else out while I take care of these five!" While everyone else laughed, the five Grandmasters stood
up as quickly as possible and headed for the exit. Who knows, maybe they realized that during the
celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the Reggio Emilia tournament, and thus also during the
Reggiani & Trincardi Memorial, glory would shine only on their energetic opponent ...
The photographs on the opposite page show the winner's commitment and the pleasant atmo-
sphere that reigned during this heartfelt event. When it was all over, the Hungarian ace signed a
few autographs for his fans. For the record, Almasi ended his simul undefeated after roughly four
hours, with 26 wins and 4 draws against Fabrizio Frigieri, Giulio Lombardini, Mattia Sfera and
Giuseppe Zuccheri.
Lastly, I shall use one more page of the book to present rwo more photographs, one showing all
the players and the President of the Italian Chess Federation, Gianpietro Pagnoncelli, after the
end of the tournament (with Almasi brandishing his trophy), the other portraying the volunteers
from the Circolo Ippogrifo of Reggio Emilia - a tribute I feel is well deserved.
In Lieu of a Conclusion 237
Standing: Ni Hua, Navara, Cebalo, Tiviakov, Godena, Landa, Gashimov, Harikrishna, Garrett, Almmi, Ferraroni,
Korchnoi, Dapiran & Marin. Kneeling: Pagnoncelli, Sfera, Mancini, Chiossi.
Standing: Corradini, Cozzi, Cebalo, Franzoni,l'vfancini, Ferraroni, Monitola, Sfira, Garrett, Chiossi.
Kneeling: Dapiran.
Memoirs of Reggio Emilia
By Miso Cebalo
It is said that old people live out of their memories. I agree, because every time I return to Reggio
Emilia my mind is flooded with images of previous events. My debut in the Torneo di Capodanno
was in December 1985, the year that yielded my greatest chess achievements. However, things
went very badly for me as I finished last in a rather strong Category 13 event.
For that first invitation my thanks go to the father of the tournament, Enrico Paoli, who always
displayed a special friendship towards Croatia and Croatian chessplayers. Despite my disastrous
result, I apparently made a good impression as I was invited again five years later, this time for
a Category 8 'C' tournament. Playing in the same hall as the greatest players of the day inspired
me, and I ended up winning my event.
In 1991, Reggio Emilia staged the first ever Category 18 tournament. By that time, the tournament
had left its original venues (the Verdi and Cavallerizza theatres) and moved to the Astoria hotel,
which prompted our Italian friends to dub it the "Tomeo dell (A)storia'', the "Tournament of
Miso Cebalo shows the secrets ofthe Benoni to an attentive Gashimov

History". With so many World Champions lagging a full point behind me. I wanted to
gathered in the same place (Kasparov and seize control of the situation rather than leave
Karpov as contestants; Tal, Botvinnik and my tournament destiny in someone else's
Smyslov as guests of honour), and with a future hands, so I decided to play as if it were the
World Champion winning the tournament first round.
(Anand), the event was unforgettable.
l.d4 ti:lf6 2.c4 g6 3.ti:lc3 i.g7 4.e4 d6 5.i.d3
Alas, as so often happens, after a peak the 0-0 6.ti:lge2 c5 7.d5 e6 8.0-0 exd5 9.cxd5
decline inevitably starts. The main sponsor, the ti:la6
local Banco di San Geminiano e San Prospero,
merged with a bigger bank that slowly lost
interest in the tournament, so the difficult
task of keeping the tradition alive rested on
the shoulders of the local chess amateurs of
the Circolo Scacchistico Ippogrifo. Despite
many problems, the club succeeded in steering
the tournament to its fiftieth edition, a truly
rare Golden Jubilee in the chess world. I was
delighted to take part in this event as the
official live commentator for the audience -
a role that was introduced in 1991 and that
since then has greatly improved the image of
the tournament. a b c d e f g h
IO.J.g5
I have made seven appearances as a player plus Three weeks later we repeated this variation
another four or five as a commentator, always at Montecatini Terme: 10.h3 (a slight yet
accompanied by my wife. We try to save significant detail - White ensures his light-
these beautiful memories in photographs that squared bishop has a retreat) 1O... l'!b8 11.ig5
occupy a special place in our family album. h6 12.i.h4 g5 (now this plan appears dubious)
We hope we are entitled to say - with great 13.i.g3 tt:lh5 14.i.h2 tt:lc7 15.a4 ie5 I6.f4
pleasure - that we are a small part of a splendid gxf4 17.tt:lxf4 tt:lg7 18.tt:lh5 tt:lce8 19.ixe5
tradition. dxe5 20.tt:lxg7 tt:lxg7 2l.i.c4 W'g5 22.'?Nf3
With a clear edge for White, although the
Vladimir Georgiev- Miso Cebalo game eventually ended in a draw.
Reggio Emilia 2002
IO ... h6 ll.i.h4 g5 12..ig3 ~h5
The most ambitious approach to the
Modern Benoni
position; after removing the g3-bishop Black
will dominate the dark squares.
This game was played in the last round of the
44th edition of the Torneo di Capodanno. I was
13.~hl ti:lc7 14.f4 gxf4 IS.i.x£4 ~xf4
the sole leader, half a point ahead of Delchev
16.ti:lxf4 .ie5
and Chatalbashev, two grandmasters from
The black king seems to be in danger, but
Bulgaria, just like my opponent, who was
the outpost on e5 secures its good health.
Memoirs of Reggio Emilia 241
17.'i'f3 'i'g5 18.~h5 ~e8 A dubious move that gives Black the upper
The knight joins the defence by immediately hand.
parrying the aggressive h5-knight. Since White should avoid the exchange of the
c4-knight for the b5-bishop (which would lead
19.h3 J.d7 20.a4 a6 2l.a5 gc8 to a worse position for White in view of Black's
Objectively speaking, the position is what stronger bishop) the right continuation was
is usually called "dynamically balanced". 26.lt:Je3 and now Black must decide berween
Personally I prefer Black, as his position is 26 ... c4 27.lt:Jf5t ~h8 when White can force
easier to play. a draw with 28.h4 '!Mfd2 29.1':i:f2 '!Mfxd3 30.1Mfh5
El:c7 31.'1Mfxh6t ~g8 32.1Mfg6t, and 26 ... hd3
22.~dl 27.lt:Jf5t ~h7 28.1Mfxd3 Ei:g8 29.'1Mfe2 Ei:b8 with
Intending to manoeuvre the knight towards the idea of advancing the b-pawn.
more interesting squares (such as f5 or c4).
26... c4!?
The plain and simple 26 ... 1':i:c7 would have
secured an advantage without any risk, but at
this stage I was enjoying my position so much
that I could not stop myself from sacrificing the
exchange - an interesting yet risky approach.
In view of the tournament standings, this
emotional rather than rational decision should
be seen as a psychological error.
27.~xc8 gxc8 28.gacl hb2 29.gc2 i.e5

30.i.e2 c3
An interesting alternative was:
a b c d e f g h 30 ... h5!?
22 ...£6 Intending to fix the opponent's structure
This move is too cautious. 22 ... c4!? was with ... h5-h4, which White cannot allow.
better, in order to deprive the dl-knight of one His best reaction is:
of its preferred squares. 31.g3
After 31.1Mfxh51Mfxh5 32.~5 c3 33.~e2~a4
On the other hand, I did not like 22 ... lt:Jg7 Black regains the exchange in all variations,
because of 23.lt:Jf6t i.xf6 24.1Mfxf6, but Black retaining a clear lead. For example, 34.~d3
can play 24 ... lt:Jh5! (to be honest, I had missed hc2 35.hc2 El:c5 36.1':i:al Ei:b5 37.1':i:a2 Ei:b2
this) 25.1Mfxg5t hxg5 26.~h2 lt:Jf4 27.~c2 38.1':i:xb2 cxb2 39.~gl ~c3 40.~f2 ~xa5
~b5 28J'%f2 f6 29.lt:Je3 with a more or less 41.~e3 ~c3 42.1ifd3 ~e5 43.1ifc4 lifg6 and
equal ending. Black is winning.
31...1':i:c5 32.h4 '!Mfg6 33.1':i:gl ~f8 34.g4 hxg4
23.~e3 ~g7 24.~xg7 c.!?xg7 25.~c4 35.Ei:xg4 1Mfh7 36.~g2
25J'%abl!? planning b2-b4 seems With a double-edged position that, however,
interesting. should be considered as balanced.
25 ....tb5 26.~b6?! 31..ixb5 axb5 32.gbl gc5 33.g3 h5 34.h4

If 34. ~g2 then 34 ... ~g6 with the idea of 36J~b4

.. .f6-f5. The game move is more resistant than
36.Wxg4t hxg4 37.'it>f2 f5 38.exf5t \t>xf5
34 .•.Y;Vg4! 39.~b4 ~xd5 40.'it>e2 ~c5 4l.~cl ixg3
Black's plan is straightforward: exchange 42.~fl t 'it>e6 43.~xg4 .te5 and Black is clearly
queens, bring the king to g6, and advance better.
with ... f6-f5, when the d5-pawn collapses and
Black's cluster of passed pawns should decide 36... V;Vxf3t
the game. Again the immediate 36 ... f5! was possible.
For example: 37.Wxg4t hxg4 38.exf5t lt>xf5
35.c.1ig2 39.f2 (White cannot divert the rooks from
This move was accompanied by a draw the passed pawns: 39.~f2t 'it>g6 40.~xg4t lt>h5
offer. 4l.~g5t 'it>h6 42.~c2 b4) 39 ... ~xd5 40.It>e2
~c5 (but not the immediate 40 ...hg3 41 J''1xc3
hh4 42.~cb3 with counterplay) 4l.~cl ixg3
42.~fl t ~e6 43.~xg4 .te5 Black's advantage
is almost winning.
a b c d e f g h
35 ... c.1ig6
I decided to turn down the offer not only
because I thought I had an edge, but also
because I was slightly upset by an offer coming
from the inferior side- another over-emotional
decision.
a b c d e f g h
38.c.1ie3?
It was also possible to advance the f-pawn: This mistake gives White a difficult position.
35 ... f5 This was the correct moment to seek activity
Now there is a split: and counterplay with 38.exf5t 'it>xf5 39.g4t
hxg4 t 40.~xg4 ~xd5 41.~b4, but White could
36.Wxg4t hxg4 37.exf5 ~xd5 38.~fl (38.~b4 even remain idle with 38.~cl.
~f6 39.~xg4?? ~d2t) 38 ... 'it>f6 39.~b4 ~xf5
40.'it>e2 .txg3 41.~xc3 hh4 38 ...hg3 39J~g2 f4t
The time control was two moves away and,
36.exf5 Wxf3t 37.~xf3 ~xd5 with little time on the clock, the decision to
Black has a promising edge in both cases. reject the forced variation after 39 ... c2 was
based more on instinct than on calculation: 54 ... h4 55.d7l"i:d2

40.l"!xg3t ~f6 4l.l"i:gl cl=Wi't 42.l"i:xcl l"i:xcl White is in deep trouble.
43.exf5 (43.l"i:xb5 loses to 43 ... l"i:el t 44.'iflf2
~xe4 45.l"i:xb7 l"i:xh4 46.a6 l"i:a4 47.a7 ~e5) 42J3xg3! fxg3 43.l:~fl
43 ... 'it>xf5 44.l"i:xb5l"i:c5 45.l"i:xb7l"i:xa5 46.l"i:f7t I had completely overlooked the fatal threat
lifg6 47.l"i:f8 l"i:xd5 48.~e4 And I cannot see a of mate on f5 - the tragicomedy is over!
way for Black to win the endgame.
40.'it>d3 ~f6 4I.l"i:bl
a b c d e f g h
1-0
a b c d e f g h Ognjen Cvitan - Miso Cebalo

41. .. ~e5??
Instead of relaxing after the time control and Reggio Emilia 1991
taking a closer look at the position, I played
almost instantly a "logical" move that blunders Queen's Indian/Benoni
away the game and the tournament.
This game between the two favourites, played
After the correct: in mid-tournament, proved decisive in
4l...l"i:c7 determining the final standings.
Black may still be winning, and I certainly
cannot lose. For example: l.d4 tLlf6 2.tLla e6 3.e3 b6 4.i.d3 i.h7 5.0-0
42.l"i:xb5 i.xh4 43.l"i:b6 f3 44.l"i:xd6t ~e5 c5 6.c4 i.e? 7.tLlc3 d6
45.l"i:e6t ~f4 46.l"i:h2 With this provocative move Black eagerly
Or 46.l"i:c2 f2 47.~e2 l"i:c5 48.a6 l"i:b5 and agrees to play an inferior version of the Modern
Black wins after either 49.l"i:cl bxa6 or 49.a7 Benoni. However, the resulting position is very
l"i:bl. dynamic and as a result Black has more chances
46 ... c2 47.l"i:xh4t ~g5 48.l"i:hl cl=Wi' 49.l"i:xcl to play for a win compared to the main line
l"!xcl 50. ~e3 l"i:c3t 51. ~f2 ~f4 52.l"i:f6t ~xe4 after 7 ... cxd4 8.exd4 d5.
53.d6 l"i:c2t 54. ~fl
(Editor's note: 54. ~g3 looks a better drawing 8.d5
try. For example: 54... l"i:g2f 55.~ h4 and White accepts the challenge. The alternative
White still has hope.} was to continue developing and postpone this
central thrust until (with a bit ofluck) a better attack that aims to compromise Black's
moment, by playing something like 8.b3 structure. How should one react to such
tt:lbd7 9 ..tb2. provocation?
8... exd5 9.cx:d5 a6 ll. ..b4

Taking on b4 would be weak, as illustrated
by the following briefline: ll ... bxa4 12.V9xa4t
8
tt:lbd7 13.e5 dxe5 14.tt:lxe5 with a clear plus
7 for White.
6
Another possibility, which I deemed too
5 ambitious for the time being, was to play
4 ll...c4. Now White must choose between:
3 12 ..te2 Followed by advancing the b-pawn:

2 12 ... b4 13.tt:la2 a5 14.hc4 0-0 (14 ... tt:lxe4 is
risky: 15.!l:el tt:lf616 ..tb5ttt:lbd717.tt:ld4and
1
White has a clear plus) 15.!l:el tt:lbd7 16.if4
a c e f g h !l:c8 With some compensation for the pawn,
IO.e4 but not enough in my view.
White could stop Black's queenside
expansion with 10.a4, but after 10 ... tt:lxd5 12 ..tc2 b4 13.tt:le2 0-0 14.tt:led4 tt:lbd7 (also
ll.tt:lxd5 .txd5 12 ..txh7 (the only way to interesting is 14 ... !l:e8 15.tt:lf5 .tf8 16.~d4
restore the material balance) 12 ....te6 13 ..tf5! tt:lbd7 17.V;Vxc4 V;Vc8 18.tt:ld2 g6 19.tt:le3 a5
(or 13 ..td3 .tf6 with a slight edge for Black) 20.V;Vxc8 !l:axc8 2l..td3 tt:lc5 22 ..tb5 liJfxe4
13 ... hf5 14.V;Vd5 tt:lc6 15.V;Vxf5 Black can 23 ..txe8 !l:xe8 with compensation for the
choose between 15 ... V;Vc8 16.V;Ve4 !l:h5 l?.!l:dl exchange) 15.tt:lf5 !l:c8 16 ..tf4 tt:lc5 17.~d4
'i!lf8 and 15 ... V;Vd? 16.V;Vd5 !l:c8 l?.V;Vc4 tt:lb4 !l:e8 18.!l:fe 1 With, I believe, an edge for White,
18 ..td2 d5 19.V;Ve2 aS. In both cases with an although my friend Fritz is not so impressed.
unclear position in which Black has no reason
to complain. 1V~blltlbd7
12 ... a5 is premature: 13 ..tb5t tt:lbd7 14.e5!
10...b5 tt:lxd5 15.exd6 .txd6 16.!l:elt ~f8 17.liJbd2
Both players have laid down their trumps with a dangerous initiative in return for the
and the play is now determined by the pawn pawn.
structures. White's central majority calls for
an e4-e5 thrust, whereas Black will base his 13.ltlbd2
counterplay on his queenside majority. The White decides he is not interested in
only difference compared with the Modern controlling the b6-square that Black needs
Benoni is that Black has not fianchettoed his in order to exchange all the white pieces
king's bishop. that might occupy the c4-square: 13.a5 0-0
14.tt:lbd2 (there is no time for the prophylactic
ll.a4 14.h3 in view of 14 ... c4 15 ..txc4 tt:lxe4 16J'%el
This thematic move is a sort of minority tt:ldc5 and Black solves all his problems)
14 ... li:Jg4 15.li:Jc4 f6 And Black succeeds 19.i.b5 hb2 20.'i'xb2 f6

in exchanging off his pieces by using the A prophylactic move that is needed to hinder
e5-square. the e4-e5 advance.
13... a5 14.b3 2l.h3

Increasing White's control over the important Opening a window for the king and
c4-square and enabling the development of the preparing a manoeuvre for the f3-knight.
bishop on the al-h8 diagonal.
21 ...J.a6
The most natural alternative was 14.li:Jc4 0-0 Black forces another favourable exchange.
15 ..tf4 li:Jb6 16.li:Jfd2 li:Jxc4 17.li:Jxc4 E!:e8
18.E!:el with a slight edge. 22.ha6 E:xa6 23.'i'c2 E:a7 24.E:cl 'i'e7
25.ltlh2 E:c7 26.ltlg4
14... 0-0 15.i.b2ltlb6
Inaugurating the battle for the c4-square,
8
while the e4-e5 thrust is indirectly parried by
the pressure against the d5-pawn. 7
6
16.'i'c2 g6
The threats along the bl-h7 diagonal must 5
be eliminated. 4
17.E:adlltlfd7 18.E:fel i.f6 3

2
1
a b c d e f g h
26... c4!
A typical positional sacrifice that aims to
create counterplay based on the strong passed
b-pawn and the beautiful outpost on c5.
27.ltlxc4ltlxc4 28.bxc4
White was apparently dazzled by the sacrifice
that turned the tables in a game that until then
had been rather one-sided. He overlooked the
a b c d e f g h accurate 28.li:Je3!? E!:fc8 29.li:Jxc4li:Je5 30.Wi'e2
White has mobilized all his forces and is li:Jxc4 31.bxc4 Wfe5~ after which his defensive
ready for action in the centre, but Black has task would have been considerably easier.
also succeeded in manoeuvring his minor
pieces to the optimal squares for controlling 28 ... ltlc5
the critical points (c4 and e5). However, due 28 ... E!:fc8!? was possibly more accurate, but it
to his extra space and more active rooks, White was not easy to decide which of the two pieces it
can still claim an advantage. was better to remove from my king's defence.
29.£4 h5 40.c5 dxc5 41.lt:Jd3

For all its defects, this move is necessary to If 41.d6 then 41...l"!:d4.
parry e4-e5. 41...l"!:d4 42.lt:Jxc5 lt:Jxd5
With an equal position.
30.llJfl b3!
Now the counterplay must strike before 3I..J~~b8 32J:~c3
White succeeds in consolidating his position. Intending to transfer the rook towards the
enemy king.
Other possible lines were:
8
7 32.e5 b2 33.l"!:cdl (this is better than 33.Wfxg6t
6 1MI'g7 34.1MI'xg7t c;t>xg7 35.l"!:bl lt:Jxa4 36.exd6
l"!:xc4 and Black has an edge) 33 .. .f5
5
4 32.li:Jd3 lt:Jxe4 33.tLlf2 f5 34.lt:Jxe4 fxe4
35.l"!:xe4 1MI'f7 36.l"!:e6 c;t>h7 37.l"!:cel l"!:bb7 (but
3
not 37 ... b2? 38.c5!)
2
The final positions ofboth lines are dynamically
1
balanced.
a b c d e f g h
31.V:Vbl 32 ... b2 33.l"!:g3 lt?h7
Keeping an eye on the weak g6-pawn, but
31.1MI'c3!? was more accurate. For example:
31..J''!:b7 32.1MI'xa5l"!:a7 33.1MI'c3l"!:xa4 and Black
retains compensation for the pawn.
Instead of 31...l"!:b7, removing yet another

piece from the defence is possible but risky:
3l ... l"!:b8 32.e5 lt:Jxa4
After 32 ... fXe5 White gains a decisive
advantage with 33.fXe5 dxe5 34.l"!:xe5 1MI'd6
35.l"!:cel b2 36.l"!:e8t l"!:xe8 37.l"!:xe8t c;t>f7
38.l"!:b8.
33.exf6
The alternative is a crazy line that leads to a b c d e f g h
an irrational position that defies evaluation: 34.£5?
33.1MI'xa5 fXe5 34.1MI'xa4 l"!:a7 35.1MI'c6 l"!:c7 At first sight, this is an interesting move, but
36.l"!:xe5 dxe5 37.1MI'xg6t 1MI'g7 38.1MI'e6t in fact it is an error.
c;t>hs 39.d6 b2 40.l"!:bl l"!:a7 41.l"!:xb2 l"!:xb2
42.1MI'e8t c;t>h7 43.1MI'xh5t 'W'h6 (43 ... 1t?g8=) Advancing the e-pawn was stronger, but it still
44.1MI'xe5 fails to solve all ofWhite's problems: 34.e5 f5
33 ... lt:Jxc3 34.fXe7 l"!:xe7 35.l"!:xe7 b2 36.l"!:cel 35.l"!:a3l"!:b4 36.g4l"!:cb7 Followed by 37 ...Wfh4
bl='W' 37.l"!:xbll"!:xbl t 38.lt?h2 a4 39.l"!:a7l"!:b4 and Black retains his edge.
34...Y:Ve5! 36.. .cli~b3!

A strong reply, which White probably The winning move.
overlooked.
37J~e2 a:xc4
35.fxg6t Sacrificing the b2-pawn, until now the pride
Or else 35Jl:xg6 ~g7 36.Wc2 ~xg6 37.fXg6t of my position, because I found an even more
<j;lxg6 38.~bl ~b4 and Black is already interesting target- the white king!
winning.
3S.a:xb2 a:bc8 39.a:axb3 gel t 40.ltldl
35 ... c.t>g7 36J~a3 Y:Vd4t 4I.c.t>h2 a:xdl!
Having passed the time control, White
called it a day.
0-1
When Hari met Ni Hua
Interview by Yuri Garrett
Among the many stars shining in Reggio Emilia, two were from distant exotic lands: the 21-year-
old Pentala Harikrishna and the 24-year-old Ni Hua. During the Golden Jubilee edition of the
Reggio Emilia tournament these two players "hung out" together all the time. This friendship
was, as we shall find out, born on purely dietary grounds ...
Harikrishna and Ni Hua are two well-educated and likeable young men who can on occasion be
rather reserved, as is typical in their cultures. Another leading trait is their great professionalism:
both players honoured Reggio Emilia by displaying the best of their chess and human "repertoires".
Once the tournament had ended, I took the opportunity to ask them a few questions.
Before leaving the floor to our two main characters, I would like to say a few words about their
names. I will start with the Indian gentleman, Pentala Harikrishna. Westerners might be surprised
to learn that Pentala is not his given name but rather the patronymic, that is, the name of his
father (roughly corresponding to our surnames). In India, however, the patronymic is simply not
used, and for this reason he is Harikrishna to all, and Hari to his friends. The same, of course,
applies to Viswanathan Anand: his given name is Anand, so our Western nickname "Vishy" must
sound to an Indian in the same way as if we were to hear someone referring to Garry Kasparov
as Kassy...
The situation gets more complicated with Ni Hua. To my question, "What is your name?" he
replied "Ni Hua." I continued, ''And what do your friends call you?" "Ni Hua." ''And what
does your mother call you?" "Ni Hua." I was on the verge of a crisis, when my counterpart
unexpectedly gave in: "However, Ni is the family name." Back home, I naively thought I had
learnt something ("Chinese names are not too different from Indian names, but for some obscure
reason in China they always use them both together.") when this very cool Chinese sent me an
annotated game of his, in which, quoting a previous battle against Ye Jiangchuan, he refers to his
opponent simply as Ye. Morale of the story: Ni is the family name, Hua the given name, but the
use of names in China is devilishly complicated and an improper use could well offend. A good
suggestion? Call him Ni Hua if you know him well, Ni Hua if you should wish an autograph, and
Ni Hua if you want to introduce your daughter to him!
It is now time to learn more about these two young gentlemen.
When Hari met Ni Hua 249
Hari, when did you first learn chess?

HK: When I was four and half years old.
Did you begin with a book, a friend or what?
HK: No, my grandfather used to play as a pastime in his village and I went to see him play every
day.
So you drew inspiration from your grandfather?
HK: Yes.
Was it he who taught you the game?
HK: Yes, and he also became my first trainer.
For how long?
HK: Actually not for long, since after a month I started to beat him relatively easily.
Is your grandfather still by your side?
HK: No, he passed away in 2005.
Ni Hua, what is your story?
NH: I started to play Chinese chess at the age of four, then my father taught me chess when I
was eight.
Do you still play Chinese chess?
NH: I can play, but not too well.
I imagine it is quite common for Chinese GMs to start out with Chinese chess. Am I wrong?
NH: You are absolutely right. Many of our players started out with Chinese chess and later
turned to chess. But today maybe things are getting better. Today they start with chess, without
the need for starting with Chinese chess.
So this tradition is being lost somehow?
NH:Yes.
Was your first trainer also a relative in your case?
NH: Of course, it was my father!
And how long did it take before you first beat him? More or less than two months?
NH: No, no, a lot more: it took me more than a year.
So then in an imaginary match between your father and Harikrishna's grandfather maybe your father
would have the upper hand...
NH: No, I don't think so! (laughing)
Hari, why were you attracted by chess? I mean, normal kids are not really attracted by chess: they prefer
other things, like football.

HK: Well, I like playing almost anything. As you probably know, cricket is the most popular
sport in India and in our village it was no different: boys of my age were playing cricket and other
games. But somehow these "little men" appealed to me, as did mathematics and calculation,
and the like. This is probably one of the reasons why I like chess, because there is so much to
calculate.
By the way, before I forget: are you studying anything apart from chess?
NH:No.
HK: I finished the 12th grade and now I am attending university, where I study social sciences.
Ni Hua, how did chess come to fascinate you?
NH: I am very fond of sports, all sports: football, badminton. At the very beginning, though,
chess amused me and I believe I began to play for amusement only. Then I started to play well and
I scored my first results. Once, I went to play a youth rapid tournament and before starting the
tournament I was thinking of quitting chess. However, I was very lucky: I won the tournament
and was called to the national team. I then became a professional.
How old were you?
NH: Thirteen.
And how did you play at the time? wt>re you already master strength?
NH: No. But it was then that I became a professional.
At thirteen?
NH:Yes.
Did you have a trainer at that time?
NH: Yes. Mter a few months my father took me to a chess club and there I met my first trainer.
He wasn't a private trainer, it was a class. I never had a trainer all to myself.
Never? Not even today?
NH: Well, at times when the Chinese national team gather together, I get to work with a trainer,
but nothing more than this.
Hari, was there anyone who helped you to develop your talent?
HK: After my grandfather, I took a few lessons from "normal" players and then I started to work
with IM V. Koshy, with whom I worked for two years. With him I became an IM mysel£ At
that point I met Vladimirov and Ubilava, and became a GM in one year. I can say I worked with
many different people as a young player and this helped me a lot because I took different ideas
from each of them.
Are you still in touch with them?
HK: Yes, but we no longer work together.
So at present you have no second and no trainer?

HK: That is correct, I work on my own.
And what about you, Ni Hua, do you have a second?
NH: Actually I work together with the other Chinese players when the national team meets, but I
don't have an "official" second. However, I would like to add that, although I never had a personal
trainer, I received a lot of help from many different teachers- who maybe never worked with me
on an exclusive basis and possibly even for short periods, but beyond any doubt they passed their
knowledge on to me. I owe them a lot.
Hari, your friend Ni Hua became a professional at thirteen. When did you become a professional?
HK: I can't really say I was a professional at the time, but when I was nine I won the World Youth
Championships and since then I simply continued to play. And given that I was winning... So
basically the answer is I was nine or ten, but I don't know if you can call this professionalism.
Somehow chess has always been with you?
HK: Yes. Basically, I am a student but I also invest some time in chess. I cannot think of giving
up my studies for chess: it is not a good idea.
Both ofyou, however, make a living from chess, which means that at the end ofthe month your salary
is earned by those 32 wooden men.
NH and HK: Yes indeed.
Let's change the subject. Do you have any other interests apart from chess?
HK: First of all, I like other sports: badminton, tennis, basketball, table tennis. I like trying a
bit of everything. You know, when I go to tournaments, sometimes I have a chance to play table
tennis, at others it is badminton. In this way I can practise many different sports!
So this is why you are currently lame: someone crippled you while playing rugby!
HK: No, no. It's for a different reason. I also like travelling, and often I need to travel for chess.
This time I went to Mexico [Editor's note: To take part in the Torre Memorial, where he lost in the
finals to /vanchuk.] and I was stupid: I fell asleep on the plane and did not move for hours. A few
days after landing in Mexico my knee started to ache and I still have this same problem now.
Getting back to my interests, I also like computer games.
But don't you spend enough time in front ofa computer already?
HK: Yes, being a chess player requires that I sit in front of a computer a lot, so when I am
preparing I don't play games at the computer. Let's say that I loved computer games as a kid.
Do you like reading?
HK: Yes.
And I bet you also enjoy music.
HK: Of course. I like the music from my region [Editor's note: Hari speaks Telegu.} but I also like
Hindi music.
And what about you, Ni Hua?
NH: I am very similar to Hari. I like sports in general and I like to play football in particular.
When I am in China I spend a lot of time with my friends and we play football. I also like to
play badminton. I like music and I like going to the movies. When I go to a tournament, after
preparing or after the round, I like watching movies on my computer. All in all, I think I behave
like a normal person, nothing too special.
A normalperson, which is actually the exact opposite ofthe stereotype ofthe reclusive chessplayer, always
fiddling with his little wooden men...
HK: But this is only because people only see us at tournament, when we are playing. And when
we are at tournaments our minds are tuned into chess and since we do speak about chess, people
believe that we only think about chess ...
NH: Which of course is not true! Come on, people, even chessplayers tell jokes!
I think both of you have travelled a lot and that chess in a way compelled you to learn English
{something which is not taken for granted, sa~ for a Chinese}. Do you think this has enriched you as
persons?
NH: (laughing) Hari, you first!
HK: Actually I think the question is for you: are you not the Chinese here? And if you did not
travel to other countries then learning English would have been difficult ...
NH: I believe I think in a slightly different manner compared to my fellow Chinese, because when
I travel abroad I listen to different things, which I would not be listening to from a Chinese.
But when you return to China do you feel any different from the rest?
NH: No, I wouldn't say so.
But you would not go back to the times when you were not travelling...
NH: Well, no.
When did you start travelling?
NH: I was twenty years old.
So this means you've been travelling only for the last four years?
NH: Yes. Actually, I must also confess that this is my first round-robin outside China, which
makes it a lot more interesting for me! Of course I played some opens, but Reggio Emilia is my
first round-robin abroad!
Are you joking? A player of your strength? Do you know that your name was suggested to me by
Sutovsky? 'Emilio' told me "Why don't you invite my two friends Ni Hua and Harikrishna?" And once
you were here, we found out that the two ofyou are really friends. Actually, inseparable: you always eat
together and you hang out together before and after the game...
HK: Well, we met at many tournaments in China and also elsewhere, but we really came to know
each other only in Reggio Emilia.
So you became friends here?
NH: I would say that we knew each other before and that we became friends here.
So now Hari has a job as an interpreter: when someone speaks English toNi Hua, Hari translates those
same words into... English for Ni Hua! (both laugh)
NH: Now that I think of it, maybe I played some round-robin in Hungary, some First Saturday.
But perhaps it's not even worth mentioning it.
Let's change the subject, then. You are quite different as players and you come from different traditions.
Do you think that it is correct to speak about an Indian school ofchess and a Chinese school ofchess?
NH: People think we play chess in a different way, whereas I think that we play chess like the rest.
Today China is stronger than it used to be mainly because the players are younger. And I think a
young person can do anything.
Does this also apply to Korchnoi?
HK: Well, of course: Korchnoi can do anything he wants! Actually I think you should give
him a prize as the "fittest player in the tournament". Everyone here has had something: some
temperature, a cold, my knee, your flu. Now look at him: nothing. He is always in perfect shape,
never a problem! He is always there playing chess ...
Let's get back to chess in China. There is a book, The Chinese School of Chess that focuses on the
details ofyour chess...
NH: Right, but I think it is not true. There is nothing particular in the Chinese school of chess.
Nobody plays Chinese chess any longer, except for having fun every now and then. The two
games are very different and there is no reason to play them both.
So you don't think that it can be useful to broaden your mind?
NH: No, not at all.
However, here in Europe we have many different schools, the Soviet school, the British school and so
on so forth, and it is very easy for Grandmasters to talk with each other and circulate ideas. In China
this is more difficult...
NH: This is actually a topic of discussion with the other Chinese players, but apparently we never
get to the end of it. Other players talk and communicate, they develop ideas. We are unable to
do so and we wonder how we could get to do that, without coming to a solution. It is indeed a
problem. We would like to improve the situation. We tackle it continuously but can't find a way
out.
Maybe I could suggest you improve your English as a start?
NH: This could well be a good starting point! I cannot speak for the others, but I feel it is a big
problem, one that I perceive as important.
So you would like to come to Europe more often?

NH: Sure.
Was it interesting for you to come to Reggio Emilia and confront other strong players? Do you think
you learnt something?
NH: Indeed so, also because, as I said earlier, this is my first round-robin abroad. I learnt many
things here.
Hari, let's talk about your school now. Does an Indian school exist in your opinion?
HK: No, there is nothing that can be called an Indian school of chess. Of course, each one of us
has a trainer and there are chess clubs, but there is no common scheme that ensures that every
player knows a given thing. Everyone plays what he feels like.
However, when you say "each one of us has a trainer': this means that in India you are aware ofthe
fact that it is worth paying a trainer because ultimately he will improve your play. Let me strike a
comparison with my country: Italy is the place where modern chess was born, but today- ifyou are a
Grandmaster and you would like to move to Italy- your life will not be so easy because almost nobody
will show up asking for lessons or training sessions, because here everyone thinks they can make it by
themselves (admittedly, this has been changing in the past few years). It is a different cultural approach,
so in a way I do not think it is incorrect to say that you have some sort ofchess schooL
HK: Basically I believe there are certain ideas that a trainer will teach you faster than you could
learn if you had to learn them on your own. Why would we need any schools at all if it were
not so? I mean, after all, we can learn by ourselves, by reading books, but the truth is that this is
a slow path. Of course, you should not rely only on trainers, but I think their role is very, very
important. However, I would also like to answer about the Chinese school of chess. The answer is
easy: their players meet from time to time in some place and they prepare together!
NH: Well, no, we do not prepare all together.
HK: OK, maybe not all together, but let's say that two players prepare together...
NH: Yes, this happens.
HK: In India we do not do anything of the sort. For example, in my ciry there is no other player
with whom I can prepare. But in China this is not a problem, because they all converge towards
a single place. This is the main difference between India and China.
This is because they have an efficient Federation ...
HK: It is a wholly different structure, also at the overall government level. They do it with all the
sports: they gather together and when there is an older player it is his dury to explain things to
the younger generations. In India we are more individualists, even though players in their forties
often open a chess school.
You mean that they remain active players but they no longer only play, they also teach?
HK: Yes, and I think this is important because it is difficult to progress without the help of the
previous generations.
Do you feel indebted towards the generations that came before you?
HK: In a certain way. I myself, when I am past forty, will inevitably pass my knowledge on to
the new generation. However, going back to the Chinese school of chess, maybe today things are
changing but until recently these players had little room for compromises. It's difficult to explain,
but they don't play moves that will secure them a draw: they go all in. Today, however, they have
become more solid.
Ni Hua, do you agree?
NH: I think he is right.
Why is this happening? Because ofcomputers maybe?
NH: No, I believe it is because before we were playing against not so strong opposition, whereas
today we must play stronger opponents and therefore we need to be solid.
HK: Their style is very proficient in open tournaments, where you need to win many games, but
in stronger tournaments it does not work, because in some games you need to be more careful.
Before I forget, Hari, I would like to ask you a couple ofquestions about your manager. What does he
do for you? And, most ofall could you make do without him?
HK: Well, as you can see, I play many tournaments and he takes care of the correspondence
with all the organizers - I am quite sure he took care of you also! In actual fact he takes care of
everything and all I need to do is go and play. I think his role is essential because I no longer need
to worry about all these aspects: for example, while he was discussing with you, I was most likely
playing some tournament. Also, he verifies the trustworthiness of the other side. When all is said
and done, I believe that every strong player should have a manager to help him with his career.
India has the current World Champion and at least two Super-Grandmasters. Are you serious when
you say that you don't have a school?
HK: I am absolutely serious! We have the Number One because he is such a hard worker. He has
extraordinary talent and he is a living legend for us, but this has nothing to do with an Indian
school of chess. The same applies to Sasikiran and me: basically we work with different trainers,
although at times we do work together.
Also with Anand?
HK: Well, he lives in Spain and it is very difficult to find the time to work together. But we do
talk chess when we play together at the Olympiads.
You were telling me that in India Anand is venerated as a great sportsman: is he the most famous
sportsman in your country?
HK: Well, with cricket it's different, but if we leave cricket aside then he is undoubtedly the most
famous of all. There are many sportsmen who manage to be popular for quite some time, but it
is only Anand who stayed at the top for so long.
So, how is life as a chess professional?
NH: Oh, I like it!
You have been a professional for eleven years now and you have been in the 'Jet set" for the last four.
What do you like most about this life?
NH: The answer is actually quite easy: playing chess! And I don't think I need to add anything
else!
Compared to other professions, how does a strong chess player such as yourselffore in your country?
NH: I'd say that a player of my strength has a normal life, but if you are weaker then it's more
difficult. However, things are getting better because chess is spreading.
Hari told us that he will start teaching chess once he is in his forties. Do you intend doing the same?
NH: I don't think about the future!
A truly Chinese answer!
NH: The fact is that I don't like teaching that much.
HK: It's not only teaching: you can hold conferences, give lectures, explain a game ...
NH: Like this it would be OK!
How many tournaments do you play in a year?
NH: About ten.
HK: This year I played a little more.
Actually you look quite tired...
HK: Not really, it's just that I had problems getting to sleep after arriving in Italy...
NH: Well, I also had some trouble in falling asleep, and not due to jet-lag: it's simply that I sleep
awfully at tournaments. I cannot fall asleep because I keep thinking about the game. It's not that
I want to think about it, but my brain does it all by itsel£ It's horrible ...
HK: After my arrival I woke up at eleven, which is quite unusual for me. Then I tried to wake
up earlier, say at eight, but I couldn't. Only after a few days, with the help of an alarm clock, did
I succeed in waking up earlier. In Mexico I was waking up at half past four in the morning, and
actually couldn't do anything about it: whatever time I lay down, I would wake up at half past
four!
Would you like to share your preparation technique? How do you prepare before a game?
HK: A normal thing: I have a computer with all the best databases and many engines. Then I try
to find new ideas, to learn new openings and to improve on previous games - both when I lose
and when I win. Of course, it would be optimal to work with another player, not necessarily of
your own practical strength, but a good analyst.
And for how many hours a day?
HK: When I am not at tournaments I work six hours a day, but during a tournament I can't
because the game itselflasts quite some time, so I work for no longer than one or two hours.
Do you ever take a break from chess during the year?
HK: Well, this year... Let me think. .. I'd like to, but...
''I'd like to, but... " means the answer is no!
HK: Well, now that I think about it, I spent a week in my native village!
I think I have a clear picture now. You work six hours a day, almost exclusively on your own games, and
you take no breaks. What about you, Ni Hua?
NH: No, no, six hours are too many for me! Actually, when I don't feel inspired I don't even sit
at the chessboard. On the other hand, when I feel good, I get to work and I like seeing things
together with my friends.
Your friends?
NH: Well, I mean other strong players. Then I work at the computer, in search of new ideas and
to check some variations.
So your preparation is different from Hari's: he works a lot on his own, with his computer and for six
hours a day. You work considerably less and you spend your time with your Chinese friends?
NH: Yes, I am not too fond of the computer when I study chess. I prefer analysing positions with
my friends and I try to use the computer only for checking the tactics, because in some lines you
simply cannot avoid the computer's assistance. But I don't like the computer that much, although
this is not true of all my Chinese friends. And during tournaments I do not work too much. For
example, here I prepared for five to ten minutes at the very most. I play so many tournaments
that I already know my openings.
So you don't prepare specifically against your opponent?
NH: Sometimes, when I play a strong opponent. But even then, it is never too much: half an
hour, at the very most. When we played the Russia-China match I prepared too intensely, maybe
as long as two or three hours per game. Then I went to the board and I was dead, "very dead".
Hari studies six hours a day, possibly I could make do with six a week! But if during a tournament
I realize that I have a problem, then I set to work and I try to fix it. However, I must admit that
Hari is better than me: I am too lazy!
So let's change the subject again: please name a player and a book that influenced your careers?
HK: As for the player, I have no doubts: Anand. As for the book, Fischer's My 60 Memorable
Games had quite some influence on me, although today I prefer reading Kasparov's On My Great
Predecessors.
NH: I have two idols: Bobby Fischer and Morozevich.
Do you feel you play like Moro?
NH: No, our styles are different. I like his games though, even if I lost to him once ...
[Ni Hua is referring to one ofthe most dramatic games in modern chess history- Morozevich won the
World Team title for Russia in 2005, snatching it away from the Chinese team at the last moment.
After the game, Ni Hua gave in to his emotions and burst into tears.
2S8 Reggio Emilia 2007/2008
Ni Hua- Morozevich, World Team Championship 200S: l.e4 cS 2.tt:lf3tt:lc6 3.c3tt:lf6 4.e5 ttld5
S.d4 cxd4 6.cxd4 d6 7 ..ic4tt:lb6 8 ..ibS .id? 9.exd6 e6 10.0-0 hd6 ll.tt:lc3tt:le7 12.id3 ic6
13.'1We2tt:lbdS 14.Eidl 0-0 lS.tt:leS .ixeS 16.'\WxeS '1Wb6 17.'\WhS tt:lg6 18.hg6 hxg6 19.'Wh4
tt:lxc3 20.bxc3 'IWbS 21.Eiel Elac8 22.'1Wg3 Elfd8 23.h4 '1Wf5 24 ..if4 f6 2S.a4 .idS 26 ..id6 ixg2
27 ..ie7 Eld7 28 ..ixf6 .idS 29 ..ieS Elf7 30.Eie3 aS 31.Eicl Elc4 32.f4 Elxa4 33.'\WgS bS 34.'Wxf5
gxf5 3S.\t>fL. Ela2t 36.Eie2 Ela3 37.Eib2 Elb3 38.Eixb3 .ixb3 39.\t>e3 Eld7 40.Eial a4 4l.lt>d2 ~a?
42 ..id6 Ela6 43 ..ia3 \t>f7 44.\t>e3 Ela8 4S.\t>fL. Elh8 46.Eihl .idS 47.Eih3 ie4 48.We3 Elh6 49.h5
\t>e8 SO.Eig3 ElxhS Sl.dS gS S2.dxe6 g4 53.Wd4 Elh3 54.Eigl g3 55.\t>e5 g2 56.Eidl Elhl 57.~d7
gl='IW 58 ..id6 .ic6 0-1]
Would you like to be like him?
NH: Difficult to say...
And what about the book?
NH: Uh ... I like many books. A name that springs to mind is Dvoretsky. I think all his books are
very instructive.
What are your plans and ambitions for the foture?
HK: Reaching the 2700 threshold. There's not much more to go now, as in Mexico and Reggio
Emilia I gained an extra 14 points which should take me to around 2680.
How do you intend to do that?
HK: By playing different openings, as I like doing.
This reminds me ofthe late David Bronstein? Do you feel similar to him?
HK: I would rather not compare myself to such a great player.
Right. So now, precisely because you do not want to, let's play a game: compare yourselfto a great player
whose style you feel is similar to yours.
NH: (laughing) Ni Hua!
I said a great player!
HK: OK, if I have to say a name then it's Ivanchuk, who plays many different openings. But at
least he knows them, whereas I only try to play them ...
Don't you think that picking Bobby Fischer as an idol and being similar to Ivanchuk are antithetical
in a way? Ifyou think about it, Fischer's approach to chess was the exact opposite: few systems which he
knew to the last detail. I can hardly think oftwo more different players.
HK: This is true. But you asked me to whom I think my play is similar and I can't help you here ...
The truth is I am not too good at theory and so I try many different lines.
Then why don't you work specifically with some trainer?
HK: It's more about a process. I cannot work with a trainer for a month and because of that
"fix" my openings. I am trying to improve day by day and in the last year I am satisfied with my
achievements.
So you still don't feel like a mature player?

HK: Let's say that I play one tournament well and the next one badly.
Like lvanchuk!
HK: Well, this year I played many tournaments and I made a lot of progress, but I also made
stupid blunders and lost 22 points at the Aeroflot Open in February. It took me a lot of time to
recover these points, but during this period I was able to improve my openings.
Now would you please tell me why on Earth an Indian player would want to go to Moscow, amidst all
that snow? After all, you are used to living in the sunshine...
HK: OK, this is another story, but I cannot blame the snow, the food, or anything else. When I
go to a tournament, I go to play and to play well, but I will not always succeed in doing this.
Let's now turn to our Chinese friend.
NH: I would like to play more tournaments, because I think it would help to improve my play.
Also, I should try to change my style and my openings.
HK: By the way, before I forget: in Mexico I happened to beat Ivanchuk and after the game I was
immensely happy. Even though I ultimately lost the match, I was not sad because I had played
him many times and never succeeded in winning a single game. To win against my idol was such
a great feeling ...
Let's get back to Ni Hua's plans.
NH: I also think I should travel more. And I told you that I only study six hours a week. I am too
lazy. I should work more and play more tournaments.
What is your chess dream?
NH: When I was young I dreamt of becoming World Champion, but today I understand that it
is very difficult. Today I am satisfied with doing my best, with playing chess the best I can. And
in 2008 I would like to pass the 2700 threshold, just like Hari. After all, I only need very little,
maybe four points.
[Editor's note: Ni Hua did achieve this aim and his peak, so for, is 2724.}
And how did you feel here in Reggio Emilia?
NH: Wonderful! You know, on my first day, when I opened the window, it was so great! Really!
Everything is so different from my country. I live in Beijing, a huge city, whereas here it's different.
And I like it here, because I don't like huge cities.
HK: Yuri, before you asked me why I went to play in the Aeroflot Open. Well, it was to see the
snow! So when it began snowing here too it put me in a good mood!
Do you have any suggestions for organizers? What could we have done better for you here in Reggio
Emilia?
NH: You start, Hari ...
HK: Sure, and after I speak up, you'll just say "I think the same!" Apparently, Ni Hua is lazy but
clever...
NH: (laughing) Let's put it like this: I am only lazy in chess!
So you shouldn't have any problems in amwering the question!
NH: I have to think about it, because answering is really difficult. I think it all went well.
HK: This is my opinion too, but probably you should do something to solve the problem with
the restaurants.
[Editor's note: The tradition in Reggio Emilia is that the players have to decide where to eat by
themselves}.
HK: Usually we were able to find good places to eat, by alternating Italian and Chinese restaurants,
but then there were days like the first of January when this proved impossible. Also, I think it
would be best not to play on the first day of the year, because it's difficult to play on such a day.
NH: You know, he was very happy to eat Chinese!
HK: Sure, because Chinese cooking is based on rice and vegetables, which is perfect for me as I
am a vegetarian. But here I also have a problem, because they only speak Italian and Chinese, no
English. Had it not been for Ni Hua...
OK, so my last question is: would you come back?
HK: Sure.
NH: At a run!
'/tt a run':· what a fantastic way to end an interview! Thank you, boys.
Biographies
Yuri Garrett rest is regrettably a complete blackout, with
the notable exception of two UISP Team
Championships with my friends of Latina in
Born: Rome, Italy, 29 July 1969
1999-2000, scoring the decisive point against
FM Piero Mazzilli on the first occasion and
The only stranger in this gallery of champions
acting as a mere talisman on the second.
owes much to his good luck in having been born
I did slightly better with Hexagonal Chess,
to special parents. From my first breath, my
a game that distracted me from chess during
parents gave me everything needed to develop
my high school years and in which I was able
a lively kid's curiosity: my first pen, allegedly at
to clinch the GM title aged 18 and play in a
the age of three; a beautiful bicycle; a Mechano
World Championship Final aged 21. But that
set; a fort with the customary cowboys and
is another story...
Indians; an American school with mates from
I was probably more useful to chess as an
all over the world; many, many books; a piano.
organizer, a role I was introduced to by the late
But above all, they taught me about freedom.
and belovedAscenzo Lombardi. At 16 I joined
The fact that, in spite of all these pastimes
the national board of the UISP Chess League
and a build that could only be described as
and stayed there longer than I can remember.
delicate, I ended up on a rugby field testifies
In this period I was lucky enough to organize
to my abuse of this precocious liberty. A few
many Italian Championships (together
weeks after my twelfth birthday I had my
with Ferruccio Ferucci) and many events in
left wrist torn to pieces, for having recklessly
Mogliano (together with Pino Barato). At the
touched-down - as the youngest player on
age of 14, Sebastiano lzzo had introduced me
the field - against the redoubtable Ceccherelli
to chess journalism, a passion I nurtured on
Eagles. After an essential fib to my mother
various magazines, including Torre & Cavallo,
("I fell from a fig tree"), an operation and a
for which I still write now.
cast to be worn for all of 45 days, my restless
Since 1998 I have organized the Rocca di
soul was tamed by the discovery of chess, in
Papa rapid tournament, one of Italy's mo~t
the form of a tournament in Via de' Serpenti
prestigious events with Mariotti, Korchn01,
in Rome. From that day onwards, chess has
Kamsky and lvanchuk on its roll of honour.
always been part of the ebb and flow of my
Since 2007, together with Stefano Lupini,
life.
I have organized the Porto Mannu Open in
I must confess that I was never much of
Sardinia, one of my most cherished events.
player, although I was lucky enough to gratify
And, the reader will not be surprised to learn,
my ego by winning several rapid tournaments
I directed Reggio Emilia 2007/8, an honour I
and the National UISP Rapid Grand Prix in
will still be proud of in my old age (if I last so
1993, in front of many strong masters. The
long).
I will conclude by confessing that, in common

with my good friend Mihail Marin, my best
Mihail Marin
move was made off the board. In my case it
Born: Bucharest, Romania, 21 April1965
was played in 2001, when in the middle of the
most adventurous time of my life I somehow
I learned how to play chess from my father,
lured Francesca Masini into becoming my soul
around the age of 4. My father has always
mate. It was then that I began wondering if, as
been a very passionate chess player (though he
much as I really thought it impossible, a god
reached only the second category). Apparently,
might exist. Had it not been for her, among
he had plans for me from the day I was born,
many other things, I would never have returned
because he named me Mihail (instead of
to my studies and I would not have founded
Mihai, as is more common in Romania) in
(with invaluable help from Augusto Caruso)
similar style to Botvinnik and Tal. I would
the publishing house that today makes me a
never have become a chess player without my
chess professional. In other words, I would be
father's guidance and persistence.
a lot less happy.
Although I occasionally worked with trainers
such as IM Mircea Pavlov, WGM Margareta
Lastly, it is with greatest sorrow that I note my
Teodorescu and FM Marius Chiricuta, I was
father will never hold this book in his hands. To
basically self-taught, which meant I made
him, my guide and master yesterday as today,
fairly slow progress. True, I twice came second
and to my mother, who taught me to smile
in the national Under-16 championship, but
and react forcefully in the face of hardships, I
my level of play was unsatisfactory. Around
dedicate this work.
the age of 16 I became a regular pupil of GM
Theodor Ghitescu and in a couple of years I
moved up the national rankings. I twice won
the Students' Championship (Quite a strong
contest, since in those days all the promising
players were studying at university. My main
rival was Adrian Negulescu, who is three years
older than me, and some years earlier had
put up serious resistance against Kasparov
in the World Junior Championship). I soon
became a regular qualifier for the national
championship, although my first results were
modest. In 1986, at the age of 21, I finished
second in the championship, qualifying for the
Zonal tournament. Completely unexpectedly,
I then qualified for the Interzonal, after beating
Kiril Georgiev twice in just three days (in the
last round of the Zonal and the first round of
a three-player playoff). My chess youth had
finished and I could consider myself a grown-
up ...
In 1990 I started a long-term collaboration
with IM Valentin Stoica. Firstly, he acted as my
Biographies 263
second and trainer, and later we wrote a couple lucky enough to win the ChessCafe Book of
of books and numerous articles together. We the Year prize with my second book, Learn
are also good friends, despite a considerable from the Legends. The Italian translation won
age difference (a whole generation). a similar award in Italy. Now, I have published
I twice (at Szirak 1987 and Manila 1990) five books and hundreds of articles. While
played in the Interzonal, and I have won my this certainly ensures a more stable financial
national championship on three occasions income, it sometimes negatively affects my
(1988, 1994 and 1999). I have represented sporting form. I plan to remain an active player
Romania at ten Olympiads (starting with for a long time because, even though I seem to
Thessaloniki 1988) and another dozen be slightly more successful as a writer, there is
competltlons such as European Team no better feeling in chess than winning a game
Championships and Balkaniads. or a tournament...
In Thessaloniki, I won the bronze medal for
Board 3, achieving my first GM norm. Still, I
had to wait five long years before my second
and final norm arrived. I have won numerous
international opens, mainly in Catalonia. At the
Yerevan Olympiad I won the second "beauty
prize" (for my game against Aleksandrov)
awarded by the Armenian president Levon Ter
Petrosian. I have occasionally beaten top class
players (Shirov, Jakovenko and Akopian) and
drawn with a couple of others.
I am a graduate of the Polytechnic Institute (I

studied Electrical Engineering, like Botvinnik,
but unlike the Patriarch I never practised,
because I consider chess to be far more fun).
In 1990 I met Luiza, who had just finished
4th in the Under-20 World Championship
in Chile. In 1992 I made the wisest move of
my career by marrying her. Since then we have
frequently travelled together to tournaments.
In 1998 a new member joined our club. We
called him Victor, partly because I have always
been a big fan of Korchnoi. Since last year
Victor has travelled with us and played in the
same tournaments. He frequently plays chess
with my father, too ...
In 2000 I reached one of my highest peaks of

form, which resulted in a rating of 2604 on the
first of]anuary 2001. Soon after that, I became
more actively involved in chess writing. I was
264 Reggio Emilia 200712008
Zoltan Almasi in 1992, aged 16, Zoltan obtained the IM

title and a rating of 2470. By now chess was
a major part of his life and in his first three
Born: Ozd, Hungary, 29 August 1976
years in Budapest he won as many National
League titles (at the time of writing this figure
has grown to nine!).
In 1993 he became a professional. This choice
was vindicated by his win in the U18 World
Championship in Bratislava, gaining the GM
title (with a rating of 2580) and winning his
first round-robin as a pro, a Category 12 event
at Altensteig in Germany. In 1994 Zoltan
"came close" to beating Garry Kasparov at the
European Team Championship. As Zoltan
put it, he "obviously" did not succeed and lost
with a bang. However, he managed to cross the
2600 barrier and thus opened the way to the
Olympiad team, side by side with the stars of
the previous generations (Portisch, Ribli and
Sax).
In 1995 Almasi won his first Individual
Hungarian Championship, a result he
The winner of the Jubilee tournament was born
repeated another six times (1997, 1999,2000,
in Ozd, a town of about 40,000 inhabitants in
2003, 2006 and 2008). In 1996, aged 20, he
north-eastern Hungary. Zoltan learned chess
reached what he still considers the peak of his
from his mother Ida at the age of five. Three
career: he topped the national rankings and
years later he started to play on the bottom
was number 17 in the world. It was a golden
board for his local chess club.
period and Almasi's results matched his talent:
In 1986, aged ten, he won his first Hungarian
in the following year he qualified for the round
youth championship, an achievement he then
of 32 at the FIDE World Championship
repeated seven times. At age eleven, during one
in Groningen, but lost to future World
of his many successful youth championships,
Champion, Anand. All in all, it was a great
Zoltan received an offer from a chess club in
period, but- claims Zoli- it gradually became
Debrecen, Hungary's second city, some 180
more and more difficult to gain invitations to
kilometres away from his hometown. The
strong tournaments abroad.
family decided to enlist Zoltan at a college
Zoltan is still one of the strongest players
there, in order to support his talent. However,
in Hungary (behind Peter Leko and Judit
progress was not as fast as expected and in 1989
Polgar) and in 2002 he played on Board 3 as
the Almasis decided to move to Budapest.
Hungary finished in second place at the Bled
In Budapest Zoltan became a member of
Olympiad, scoring an excellent 8Y2!12. In
Honved, the strongest chess club in the city,
2004 he qualified again for the round of 32
with excellent players such as Sax, Pinter and
at the FIDE KO World Championship and
the Horvath brothers. He became a student
again lost to the eventual winner, GM Rustam
of IM Pal Petran, who was very demanding
Kasimdzhanov.
and successful in developing Zoltan's talent:
Biographies 265
Zoltan has won many tournaments, so we Championship cycles.

shall only mention the most important ones: Of his many tournament wins Miso, who
Altensteig 1993, Groningen 1994, Horgen is a great friend of the Bel Paese, would like
1995, Pamplona 1996, Paks 2005 and, of to pick out the ones in Italy: the round-robins
course, Reggio Emilia 2007/8. This last result at Reggio Emilia 1991 and Milan 2001, and
is one of the most prestigious of his career. the open tournaments in Rome 1964, San
Benedetto del Tronto 1969, Caorle 1984,
His hobbies include playing and watching Toscolano Maderno 1996, Genoa 1997, Turin
football, but his favourite indulgence is cars. Scaccomatto and Asti 1998, Bratto 2005
He started out with a white Ford Sierra that (shared first, but second on Buchholz).
only lasted six months; he then switched to a He has also had success as part of a team,
black Honda Civic which he kept for seven with a bronze medal at the Students' Olympiad
years. For the last two years he has been battling in Orebro 1966 (together with an individual
with a Saab 9-3 that simply will not go as fast gold medal for the best result on Board 3)
as he would like. But he is working on it ... and a silver medal at the European Team
Championship at Plovdiv 1983.
Miso Cebalo Miso Cebalo's chess activities are not limited to

playing. He was official commentator at three
Olympiads (Novi Sad 1990, Bled 2002 and
Born: Zagreb, Yugoslavia, 6 February 1945
Turin 2006) and was the FIDE delegate for
his country in the period 1991-1994. During
Miso Cebalo learned chess at the age of 5,
his term he won the diplomatic battle to allow
under the supervision of his father, who was
Croatia to join the international chess family,
an active player in the years immediately
and the Croatian team was allowed to play as
following the Second World War. After a
early as the Manila 1992 Olympiad, where
classical high school education, Miso attended
Miso played on Board 1.
university to study Italian and French. He
became a chess master in 1965, at one of the
Miso has been married to Marina since 1971 ,
strongest ever Yugoslav Championships, but
and is fond of chess literature, bridge, sports
immediately afterwards he stopped playing in
and movies.
order to finish his studies, and after graduating
he concentrated on his academic career.
Miso's professional chess career thus only
started in 1977, at age 32, when he finally
Vugar Gashimov
decided to devote himself entirely to the royal Born: Baku, Azerbaijan, 24 July 1986
game. In 1978 he obtained the IM title, while
the GM title was awarded to him in 1986 The youngest player in Reggio Emilia was born
after his brilliant win at the Kavala Zonal in Baku (the birthplace of Garry Kasparov) and
tournament - one and a half points clear of is one of the strongest players in Azerbaijan- a
Predrag Nikolic. Four months later he took country that in spite of having only 8 million
part in the Interzonal tournament at Taxco in inhabitants has no fewer than 17 GMs. Vugar
Mexico, finishing 6-7th (the first four qualified began to play chess at age 6, under the tutelage
for the Candidates) - this remains the best of his father Kasum, a candidate master and
ever result by a Croat in the classical World
retired Red Army Colonel, who wanted both on Board 3! Reggio Emilia is to date his only
Vugar and his elder brother Sarkhan to become individual tournament in Italy: here he missed
chess players. Sarkhan, however, showed a third place by a whisker...
greater talent for his academic studies and, Immediately after Reggio Emilia, Gashimov
after becoming a FIDE Master, he applied to entered the chess elite by winning Cappelle
university and became his brother's manager. la Grande and immediately thereafter by
Vugar's talent was clear from the start. surprisingly yet convincingly wrapping up
With the help of IMs Rauf Gadjily and Anar the first FIDE Grand Prix tournament in his
Allahverdev, his first successes arrived at age 9: hometown of Baku, for which he had received
he was Azeri champion for his age group, and a wild card from his national Federation.
runner-up at both the European and World Since then Vugar, who is now working with
U10 Championships (1996). In 1998, as a Moldavian GM Viorel lordachescu, has joined
mere 12-year-old, Vugar was awarded the IM the 2700+ club and confirmed he belongs
title. At Christmas that same year, as Vugar there by winning the Poikovsky 2008 super-
proudly relates, he decided to become a chess tournament.
professional after meeting the President of
Azerbaijan, Hejdar Alev. At the board he derives inspiration from
Unfortunately, in February 2000, the first Alekhine's concrete and aggressive style, while
symptoms of a devastating form of epilepsy among contemporary masters he particularly
began to appear and Vugar was repeatedly admires Anand. His favoured chess authors
troubled by this illness. This is probably why include Alekhine, Botvinnik, Capablanca,
the GM title arrived "only" in 2002, when Dvoretsky, Nimzowitsch and Tal. Needless to
Vugar was all of 16 years old. In 2005 Vugar say, he dreams of becoming World Champion,
underwent a successful operation on his brain at but is in no hurry...
the UniversityofBonn (two previous surgeries,
performed in Turkey in 2004, had not solved Away from chess, Vugar loves sport in general
all of his problems). Not surprisingly, his and football in particular (which he also plays).
chess career leapt forward from this moment He roots for Brazil, Valencia and Juventus. He
onwards. listens to music, with a clear preference for
In 2006 Gashimov won the Abu Dhabi ABBA and speaks four languages (Russian,
Masters and took second place at the strong Azeri, English and Spanish).
Cappelle la Grande Open. By now Vugar was
a strong GM, well above 2600 in rating. In
2007, having left his health problems behind, Pentala Harikrishna
Vugar could devote all his energy to chess. He
had an excellent result at Cappelle la Grande, Born: Vinjanam Padu, India, 10 May 1986
where he shared first but was third on tie-
break. Then he was again third at a series of Pentala Harikrishna, the second-ranked player
events - the Casino Magistral in Barcelona, in India, was born in a rural village in Andhra
the Arctic Chess Challenge at Tromso and the Pradesh state in southeast India. He was taught
traditional Capablanca Memorial in Cuba. chess at a very early age by his grandfather
Amazingly enough, he also managed third Tarigopula Ranga Rao, who encouraged his
place at the European Team Championships grandson to take the game seriously. When he
in Heraklion, by scoring 50% - obviously was only 5, Hari (as his friends call him) won
Biographies 267
the state U8 championship, and two years later

he achieved the same result at the pan-Indian
Viktor Korchnoi
level.
Born: Leningrad, Soviet Union, 23 March
Soon enough his junior successes extended
1931
outside of India, with victories at the World
Youth Championships in 1997 and the UI6
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi is a living legend. To
Olympiad in the following year. In 2000, aged
completely cover his career in just a few words
only 14, Hari became the then youngest ever
is impossible, but let's try a quick tour: he has
Indian IM. In 2001, now a 15-year-old, Hari
a degree in history and became a GM in 1956
deprived Viswanathan Anand of his record as
(nine years before the second-oldest competitor
the youngest ever Indian GM (a record later to
at Reggio Emilia was born). He defected from
be smashed by 13-year-old Parimarjan Negi).
the Soviet Union in 1976 (apparently he
After many international youth successes,
first asked Tony Miles how to spell "political
in 2005 Harikrishna began winning adult
asylum") and eventually settled in Switzerland.
contests, such as the Bermuda International,
Korchnoi is famed for his fighting spirit and
the Taiyuan Sanjin International in China,
for keeping his chess strength well into his
and the Essent Open in the Netherlands. The
eighth decade.
good results continued in 2006, when Hari
These are just a few of the bare facts of
won the Reykjavik Open and the 4th Gyorgy
an extraordinary life, but for a summary of
Marx Memorial (in Paks, Hungary). In 2007
Korchnoi's results we will give the floor to
Harikrishna repeated his success at Paks (this
Giorgio Gozzi, who recapped Korchnoi's
time jointly with GM Acs), but played his
outstanding career for the tournament site:
best chess in North America, where he was
second at the Torre Memorial (where he lost
"To list his successes in over 50 years of chess
in the final to Ivanchuk) and then third at the
would require a whole book, so we happily
Montreal super-tournament, behind Ivanchuk
turn to his autobiography Chess is my Life:
and Tiviakov.
four times Soviet Champion (1960, 1962-
63,1964-65 and 1970), Dutch Champion in
After Reggio Emilia, Hari allowed himself a
1977 and three times Swiss Champion (1982,
short break from the royal game to honour his
1984 and 1985), he was a candidate for the
university commitments. Thanks to a special
World Championship no fewer than ten times
arrangement with his academic institution, the
(1962, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983,
Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Hari can
1985, 1988 and 1991). In 1974 he lost a
concentrate his examination sessions into the
match to Anatoly Karpov that was to decide
periods when he is not playing chess. At his
Bobby Fischer's challenger. In Baguio 1978
current rate of progress, Hari believes he will
and Merano 1981 he challenged Karpov for
graduate in social sciences during 2009.
the world title, losing on both occasions. He
is a six-time Olympic Champion and five-time
European Champion with the Soviet team. He
has won tournaments all over the world, and
continues to do so. In 2007, aged a mere 76,
he won the Banja Luka round-robin (Category
II) and was runner-up at the Las Vegas Open
behind GM Nakamura."
Konstantin Landa professional: in 2001 he tried to return to his

former career in IT, but it did not work out.
Possibly, as Landa himself suggests, he will go
Born: Omsk, Soviet Union, 22 May 1972
back to it once he stops playing chess ...
Nina Gavrilova and Yuri Isaakovich Landa,
Since returning to chess with even greater
well-known volleyball players in their
conviction, Landa has won many tournaments.
hometown, had planned a rosy future at the net
A few months before playing in the Jubilee
for their baby Konstantin. Chess spoiled their
tournament, as a consequence of brilliant
plans when 5-year-old Konstantin learned the
results such as winning the 1Oth IHEM
game by watching his father and grandfather
tournament in Hamburg (with 8/9 and a
play. Chess thrilled the young Konstantin,
2779 performance), Landa reached his rating
who started his career by drawing in a simul
peak of 2678 (number 32 in the world).
against Soviet Champion Vitaly Tseshkovsky!
Landa is trained by top German player Arkadij
Six months later, Landa's parents signed him
Naiditsch, and is the trainer of Alexandra
up for a chess school "in order to develop
Kosteniuk and Evgeny Alekseev.
his discipline". At the club, the young Landa
learned at a rapid pace. When he scored his
Married since 2004, Konstantin is the proud
first junior wins the idea of going to a volleyball
father of a daughter who was almost 4 years
school disappeared as there was simply no time
old at the time of the tournament "but she can
for it.
already move the pieces on the chessboard!" At
After first working with the late
the board he draws inspiration from Bronstein,
correspondence master Jakov Rukasov and
Fischer, Kasparov and Anand, whose games
GM Alexander Goldin, Kostja attended the
and annotations he reads with great pleasure.
Sveshnikov and Kasparov-Botvinnik chess
schools, a defining experience in the life of the
Landa had the following to say about the
Russian Grandmaster. At the age of 13, he beat
current chess scene: "Unfortunately, today chess
his teacher Kasparov in a six-board simul (in
is dominated by opening preparation, which
the company of his mates Shirov, Kramnik and
occupies 90% of a contemporary chess player's
Akopian!). Ten years later, after convincing
mind. Creativity is left with a mere 10%, but
wins at the 1994 Oberwart Open and the
our brain needs a lot more incentive than that.
1995 Nojabrsk round-robin, Landa completed
Luckily enough I think that in not too long we
his journey to the GM title.
will switch to Fischer Random chess and then
we will revalue creativity and knowledge of
Meanwhile, after having passed his high school
endgames and typical middlegame positions.
examinations with top marks, Landa graduated
Further, since in my opinion time trouble is
in engineering at the University of Omsk ("I
an interesting and essential part of the game,
want to say this to the younger players: I think
chess would be a lot more interesting if played
this is a necessary path for the development of
with the following time control: 2 hours for 40
personality."). He worked in the IT division of
moves with no increment, then add 30 minutes
a bank for two and a half years, but then moved
with a 10 second increment per move."
to Germany in 1999 with a view to resuming
his chess career. In spite of a hectic chess
schedule (with wins at Ubeda and the Neckar
Open), Konstantin still did not feel like a chess
Biographies 269
Ni Hua David Navara

Born: Shanghai, China, 31 May 1983 Born: Prague, Czechoslovakia,
27 March 1985
Ni Hua was the first ever Chinese player to
compete at Reggio Emilia. He began playing David Navara learned chess at the age of 6,
chess at 6, and came to the attention of the chess when his grandmother showed him a chess
authorities of his country between 1996 (the year book. As there were no other serious chess
in which he decided to play chess for a living) players in his family, David initially learned
and 1999 by winning a number of important mainly from books. Later on, his chess
junior tournaments. Between February 2000 education benefited from the help of strong
and July 2002 he fulfilled the requirements for trainers such as Miloslav Vanka, Josef Pribyl
the GM title, scoring his first norm in Budapest, and GMs Ludek Pachman and Vlastimil Jansa.
the second at the Chinese team championship Between the ages of 8 and 10, David's talent
and the third by winning the Tan Chin Nam began to shine and he won the championships
Cup in Qingdao. In the meantime Ni Hua of the Czech Republic in his age category in
made his debut for his national team: in 2000 the years 1993-95. At the age of 14 he was
he played his first Olympiad in Istanbul, and awarded the IM title.
in 2001 he took part in the China-USA match, In 2001 he finished second in the Czech
where he beat Hikaru Nakamura. Championship, which, as David modestly
Much to his regret, Ni Hua dramatically lost notes, "Actually was not too strong that
to Alexander Morozevich in the decisive game of year". His first international success came at
the World Team Championship in Beer Sheva, the European Team Championships in Leon
Israel in 2005, when the Chinese team needed 2001, when he scored a superb 719 with a
to score at least one point in their final round 2775 performance. In March 2002, a few days
clash against Russia to clinch the title (and before turning seventeen, David earned the
suffered a 3lh-Y2 defeat instead). Despite this GM title. In that same year he scored 7Y2! 11 at
painful psychological blow, Ni Hua continued the Bled Olympiad. David's best performances
to improve: in 2006 he won his first national often come in team events, possibly because
title, and repeated this feat in 2007 and 2008. of his strong sense of responsibility: in the
In 2006 he played on Board 4 of the Chinese Czech League he scored 9/11 and at the 2003
team that won a historic silver medal at the Mitropa Cup he played on top board for his
Turin Olympiad (his personal result was an country and scored 7/9.
undefeated 5Y2/11). In 2003 he won his first international
Shortly before playing in Reggio Emilia tournament at Polanica Zdroj in Poland. In
(which, believe it or not, was his first round- 2004 David won the Czech Championship for
robin as a GM) Ni Hua won the Calvi Open the first time, with a fine 8/11 in front of eight
in Corsica and the Prospera Pichay Cup in fellow GMs. In 2005 and 2006 David enjoyed
Manila. In 2008, Ni Hua's progress continued one of the peaks of his young career: he won the
as he achieved one of his goals by crossing the Czech Championship again in 2005; he scored
2700 threshold. One year later, he succeeded in 7Y219 in the Polish League, 6/6 in the British
winning the 51st edition of the Reggio Emilia 4NCL, 7/9 in the Greek League, and finally
tournament (see his decisive game against 8Y2!12 on Board 1 at the Turin Olympiad.
Zoltan Almasi on page 272). Riding on the crest on a wave, Navara reached
his peak rating in October 2006 at 2726 and an important springboard in his chess career.
number 13 in the world. This led to him being granted a wild card to
enter a GM tournament in Moscow, where
David wrote the following about himself: he scored his first GM norm. In the following
"I should mention that I am single and still two years he finished his secondary school
live together with my parents, which is not so studies in his home town, and also managed
unusual in the Czech Republic and even less to earn the GM title at the age of 18. Sergei
in Italy, as far as I know. Besides Czech, I can then became a student at the State Agricultural
speak English, Russian and a bit of German. University at Kuban.
I like reading, but unfortunately do not In 1994 he qualified for the Candidates, but
have enough time for it. My favourite writer was knocked out by Adams in the first round.
is probably Mr Karel Capek (1890-1938, In 1995, having graduated from university, he
the man who popularized the word 'robot', decided to seek his fortune abroad and gained
originally invented by his brother Josef). I visas for both Italy and the Netherlands. After
read many of his books. I am unpractical a first unsuccessful try in Italy, where the chess
and absent-minded. I also have a bad habit scene offered him little or no prospects, he
of interrupting sentences (and perhaps even finally settled in Groningen in 1997.
articles) in the middle. Since then Sergei has won numerous events
As for chess, I am not purely a professional, throughout the world, with his best year
as I have studied logic since 2004. Frankly being 2005: after winning two important
speaking, I am a rather mediocre student but international tournaments (Gausdal in Norway
still a real one - I attend lessons regularly, only and Neiva in Colombia), he won the European
with some breaks caused by my tournament Team Championship in Gothenburg with his
play. Unfortunately, I am interested in Dutch team-mates, repeating their success of
sociology rather than in logic." Leon 2001. All in all, he won over 100 rating
points and reached his all-time peak of2699.
As David admits, it may take him at least one Soon after his rather lacklustre performance
year longer than usual to complete his degree, in Reggio Emilia, Tiviakov achieved one of the
as he is not as good at studying as he is at chess: most significant results ofhis career by winning
"Compared to the rest, chess is easy... " the European Individual Championship in
Plovdiv, Bulgaria with a convincing last round
win against Sutovsky, who had been in the lead
Sergei Tiviakov since Round 1.
Born: Krasnodar, Soviet Union, Sergei is a rather reserved and seemingly

14 February 1973 solitary person, but he is not lacking in cultural
interests. He is interested in art and listens to
Sergei Tiviakov was born in Krasnodar in Russian pop music. Sergei is also a voracious
southern Russia. His father taught him to play reader, with particular interests in ancient
chess at the age of 5, before passing the baton to civilizations, anomalous and paranormal
his first trainer, Alexei Osachuk. Between 1980 phenomena, and UFOs. His travels have
and 1984 Sergei attended Vassily Smyslov's taken him to 54 countries and every continent
chess school. 1989 was an important year for except Antarctica and Australia. Apart from his
Sergei: he won the USSR Youth Championship, native Russian, Sergei has a good command
Biographies 271
of another four languages: English, Dutch,

Spanish and of course Italian!
Michele Godena
Born: Valdobbiadene, Italy, June 30, 1967
Michele Godena was Italy's top player for many

years, until the arrival of a young man named
Caruana. Michele has been Italian Champion
five times (1992, 1993, 1995, 2005 and 2006),
but he first attracted attention in 1982 by
taking second place behind Evgeny Bareev at
the 016 World Championship in Guayaquil,
Ecuador. He earned the IM title in 1988, and
then in 1996, seven years after his first GM
norm, Michele finally achieved the GM title
- the second Italian (after Sergio Mariotti) to
do so over the board. In the meantime he also
completed his degree in preserving cultural
heritage.
Michele's talent is unquestionable. In 2007,
on home territory in Arvier in Italy, he became
European Union Individual Open Champion.
However, his best result so far was qualifYing
for the final stages of the World Championship
in New Delhi 2000, when he beat Tiviakov
in a rapid playoff to seize the last available
spot. Michele has also won several strong
international open tournaments, including
Cannes 1997. He has represented Italy in no
fewer than 11 Olympiads, and this record will
almost certainly be extended.
Every player has a flaw, and Michele's is an
addiction to time trouble - he frequently has
to blitz desperately to reach the time control,
but years of practice allow him to see a startling
amount in a few moments of analysis.
Michele is married to Francesca and has two

children, Samuele and Alessandro.
ATriumphant Return
Zoltan Almasi- Ni Hua a very energetic opening, and used to be a pet
line of many top players including Kasparov
51st Reggio Emilia, Round 8, 3rdJanuary 2009 and Kramnik.
Annotations by Ni Hua 6.tLldb5 d6 7.J.g5 a6 s.tLla3 b5 9.hf6

My opponent seemed surprised by my choice
Reggio Emilia was a name I saw in chess of opening, and in this well-known position
magazines when I was very young. There he decided to play sharply after a long think.
were many elite players such as Kasparov, After all, he wanted to win!
Karpov and Anand, who defeated Kasparov
and claimed the title in 1991. Almost twenty Safe is 9.lt:Jd5.
years later, I can hardly believe I have the
opportunity to be a part of it. I would like to 9...gxf6 to.tLlds f5 n.J.d3
thank the Italian Chess Association and Mr Yuri If ll.c3 .ig7 12.lDxb5 axb5 13 ..ixb5 ib7
Garrett, for his great help and for inviting me. 14.exf5 'Wg5 and Black is fine. The bishop is
This is really wonderful. obviously better on b7 than d7, since it will
create some chances on the kingside.
This is my second time in Reggio Emilia. In
2008 the tournament featured many young ll ....te6 12.c3 .tg7
talents, but none of us had hit the 2700 mark.
This year both Gashimov and I are already
8
over 2700. Some of the other players have
also made great progress recently, so the 51st 7
edition is even tougher. Last year I finished in
6
second place with 2 wins and 7 draws. GM
Almasi won the tournament and we drew a 5
complicated game in Round 7. This time we
4
met in the penultimate round and I was a half
point ahead. Let's look at the game. 3
2
l.e4 c5 2.tLlB tLlc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.tLlxd4 tLlf6
s.tLlc3 e5 1
I was exhausted from playing 200 games
a b c d e f g h
last year, so I did no special preparation here
and simply checked some of Almasi's games. 13.tLlxb5!?
Usually I would go for the Berlin or the French This was not the first time my opponent had
Defence against l.e4, but my opponent plays made such a move; fortunately I had prepared
the Berlin himself and the French was not safe something.
enough, so I picked the Sveshnikov Variation,
which I often played several years ago. This is 13 ... axb5 14.hb5 J.d7 15.exf5
A Triumphant Return 273
'1Wc7 21.'1Wd3 0-0) 17.ie4 Elb8 Black will play

... f1:Jc7 next.
16.'1Wd3 0-0 17.0-0 ixb5 18.'1Wxb5 f1:Jd7 is

again similar to the game.
16.a4
This seems sharper, but Black is also fine
16 ... 0-0 17.f6
17.'1Wg4 h5! 18.Wf3 e4! 19.Wf4 ie5 20.'1Wh6
ixf5 21.Wxh5 ie6 is slightly better for
Black.
17... ixf6 18.f1:Jxf6t '1Wxf6 19.ixd7 f1:Jxd7
20.'1Wg4t '1Wg6 21.Wxd7 We4t 22.1ftfl
22. 'it?d2 '1Wf4 t 23. 'it?d3 Elfb8 24.b4 Elxb4
(also good is 24 ... d5!?) 25.cxb4 '1Wd4t
26.'it?e2 '1Wc4t is a perpetual check.
22 ... Eifb8
Black has good chances.
The game Almasi -Wang Yue, Hungary 2006,
had instead continued: 15 ... 0-0 16.0-0 Elb8 The idea of ... f1:Jb8-d7-f6 is to exchange on d5
17.a4 Ele8 (after 17 ... h8 18.'1Wf3 f6 19.b4 and then sacrifice some pawns to free the g7-
f1:Je7 20.ixd7 '1Wxd7 21.f1:Jxe7 '1Wxe7 22.'1Wd5 bishop. Although Black will be a few pawns
Black's bishop is bad, while White has the down in some variations, he still manages to
better chances with his queenside pawns) hold.
18.'1Wg4 h8 19.'1We4 f6
White is slightly better thanks to Black's 16... 0-0
passive dark-squared bishop. Almasi eventually Also playable is 16 ... 'it?f8!? but I wanted to
beat Wang Yue, whom I trained with a few be able to move the h8-rook to the centre or
years ago, and this was Wang Yue's only loss the queenside.
with this opening.
17.0-0 h5 18.'1Wf3
16.'1Wg4
A new move to me, as I had only analysed
the following lines:
16.ixd7t f1:Jxd7 17.0-0 f1:Jf6 is similar to the

game.
16.f6 ixf6 17.'1Wf3 ig7 18.f1:Jc7t '1Wxc7

19.ixd7t f1:Jxd7 20.'1Wxa8t e7 21.'1Wf3 Elb8
Black has a lead in development and is slightly
better.
16.id3 f1:Ja6 (also good is the sharp 16 ... ic6

17.ie4 f1:Jd718.0-0 Elb8 19.b4 ixd5 20.ixd5
18••. e4! Black wins the b2-pawn, which is the root of

The key point of the move 15 ... tLlb8. White's pawn chain.
19.YlYxe4 23.YlVa6 Ei:xb2 24.Ei:abl

I saw the following line over the board: Maybe White could try 24.'1Wxd6, but after
19.'1Wxh5 hb5 20.f6 .ixf6 21.tLlxf6t Wxf6 24 ....ie5 25.'1Wxd7 (if25.'1Wh6 .ixh2 and Black
22.'1Wxb5 tLla6 00 Then ... tLla6-c5-d3 will create wins) 25 ... '1Wxd7 26.tLlf6t .ixf6 27.Ei:xd7l:'ie5+
an attack on the kingside. Black seems likely to win the endgame, as f2 is
very weak.
19•. J:~e8!
Bad is 19 ... .ixb5 20.tLle7t 'it>h8 21.'1Wh4 24•.. Ei:xbl 25.Ei:xbl tl)f6 26.YlYd3 ~xd5
.ih6 22.'1Wxh5 'it>h7 23J~fel. I felt this was 27.YlYxd5 Ei:e5 28.YlYd3 YlYf6 29.g3 YlYx5
dangerous and stopped calculating here. The Swapping the queens is good enough to
line might continue with 23 .. J~g8 24.f6 .ic4 secure the victory.
25.Wf5t! 'it>h8 26.'1Wh3! 'it>h7 27.Ei:e4 .ie6
28.'1Wd3 'it>h8 29.Ei:h4 and White wins. 30.YlYx5 Ei:x5 31.Ei:dl i.£8!
It's important to protect d6.
20.YlYd3 hb5 21.YlYxb5 tl)d7i
32.c4 Ei:a5
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
a b c d e f g h
An interesting position. Black has a strong
a b c d e f g h
bishop as compensation for four pawns. I was 33J:~d5?
planning to exchange the knights and attack Perhaps a better try was 33.l:'id2 l:'ia4
the queenside pawns. 34.Ei:c2 'it>g7, but Black would win slowly by
centralizing the king.
22J:Udl?
White's position is not superior and it is hard 33 .•. Ei:xd5 34.cxd5 i.e7-+
to explain this move. Instead after 22.'1Wd3 Now it's simple.
tLlf6oo White maintains a material advantage. I
never expected to be able to seize the initiative 35.a4 i.d8 36.£4 f5 37.h3 'it>f7 38.'it>fl 'it>g6
in such a position. 39.'it>e2 h4 40.g4
If 40.gxh4 'it>h5 and Black wins after either
4l.'it>f3 'it>xh4 42.~g2 .ia5 43.~h2 .id2
A Triumphant Return 275
44.'iffg2 ~xf4 45.a5 ~e3 46.'ifff3 f4 or 4l.~d3

'iffxh4 42.'i!fc4 'i!fg3.
4o... fxg4 41.hxg4 i.as
a b c d e f g h
Black's next move would be ... ~d2. White
resigned.
0-1
LI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 2008/9 Average rating 2482 - Cat.X

I Ni Hua CHN 2710 * I 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 I I I I 7,5
2 Almasi Zoltan HUN 2663 0 * I Y2 I 0 Y2 I I I 6,0
3 Marin Mihail ROM 2556 0 0 * I 0 I Y2 Y2 I I 5,0
4 Gustafsson Jan GER 2634 Y2 Y2 0 * Y2 Y2 Y2 I Y2 I 5,0
5 Landa Konstantin RUS 2613 Y2 0 I Y2 * I 0 I Y2 Y2 5,0
6 Dreev Alexei RUS 2670 Y2 I 0 Y2 0 * I Y2 Y2 Y2 4,5
7 Leon Hoyos Manuel MEX 2535 0 0 Y2 Y2 I 0 * I I Y2 4,5
8 Ronchetti Niccolo ITA 2414 0 Y2 Y2 0 0 Y2 0 * Y2 I 3,0
9 Shytaj Luca ITA 2472 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 * Y2 2,5
10 Cebalo Miso CRO 2493 0 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 * 2,0
I Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1958/9

I Marthaler Otto SUI * 'h 'h I I I 8,0
2 Stupica Janec SLO 'h * I 0 I I 7.5
3 Winiwarter Felix AUT 'h 0 * I Yz I I 7,0
4 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 0 0 * I I I I 6,0
5 Primavera Giuseppe ITA 0 I 0 0 * 'h I I 5.5
6 Seitz Adolf GER 0 0 'h 0 'h * 'h 0 I 3,5 11,00
7 Fricker Jean GER 0 0 0 0 0 Yz * I I 3,5 5,75
8 Siveri Armando ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * I I 2,0
9 Piccinini Giorgio ITA 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 * 0 1,0 3,50
I 0 Vittiglio Giuseppe ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I * 1,0 1,00
II Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1959/60

I Trampuz Cvero SLO * Yz 'h 'h I 6,5
2 Bely Miklos HUN 'h * 'h Yz 'h I 6,0
3 Kinzel Anton AUT Yz 'h * 'h 'h 'h I 5.5 18,25
4 Marthaler Otto SUI 'h Yz 'h * 'h 'h I 5,5 18,25
5 SeirzAdolf GER 0 Yz 'h 'h * 'h 'h 'h I 4,0
6 RomaniElio ITA 0 0 0 0 'h * Yz I 1 3,0
7 Lilloni Luciano ITA 0 0 'h 'h 'h 'h * 'h 0 2,5
8 Siveri Armando ITA 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 Yz * 'h 1,5 4,00
9 Fricker Jean GER 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 'h * 1,5 3,25
III Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1960/1

1 Dely Peter HUN * 1 Yz 0 I Yz 1 Yz 6,5
2 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 * Yz 1 1 'h 1 0 1 6,0 23,75
3 Perez Francisco ESP Yz 'h * Yz I 0 Yz 1 I 6,0 23,25
4 Ulvestad Olaf USA 1 0 Yz * 0 1 Yz 1 1 6,0 23,00
5 Glass Esra AUT 0 0 0 1 * 1 I 1 0 5,0
6 Napolitano Mario ITA 0 'h I 0 0 * 0 1 I 4,5
7 Cuderman Vinko YUG 'h 0 Yz 'h 0 1 * 'h 'h Yz 4,0
8 Castagna Rino SUI 0 1 0 0 0 0 Yz * I 1 3,5
9 Palmiotto Fiorentino ITA Yz 0 0 0 1 0 Yz 0 * Yz 2,5
10 Siveri Armando ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 Vz * 1,0
IV Tomeo di Catodanno di Reggio Emilia 196112

1 Giustolisi AI erto ITA * 1 0 Yz Yz Yz Yz 8,0
2 Lehmann Heinz GER 0 Yz V2 V2 V2 1 'h 7,5
3 Ghitescu Teodor ROM 1 0 * Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 1 1 V2 7,0 35,00
4 Padevsky Nikola BUL 0 Yz Y2 * Yz Yz I 0 I 1 1 7,0 33,00
5 Gragger Fritz AUT 0 'h Yz Yz * 0 Yz 1 1 Yz 1 6.5
6 Pirc Vasja YUG V2 Yz Yz Yz 1 * 1 Yz 0 Yz Yz Yz 6,0 34,00
7 Haag Erwin HUN V2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 0 * Y2 1 I Yz I 6,0 28,75
8 SanzJose ESP 0 0 Yz 1 0 V2 Yz * 0 V2 1 Yz 4.5 22,50
9 Canal Esteban PER Yz 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 * 1 1 0 4,5 20,50
10 Contedini Ennio ITA V2 Yz 0 0 Yz Y2 0 Y2 0 * 0 Yz 3,0 17,75
11 RomaniElio ITA 0 0 Yz 0 0 Yz V2 0 0 1 * V2 3,0 14,00
12 Marthaler Otto SUI 0 0 0 0 0 V2 0 Yz 1 Yz Yz * 3,0 12,75
VTomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1962/3

1 Forinros Gyozo HUN * 'h 1 'h 1 1 1 1 1 10,0
2 Honfi Karoly HUN Y2 * 1 Yz 0 'h 1 1 1 1 8,5
3 Damjanovic Maro YUG 0 0 * 0 1 V2 1 1 1 1 7.5
4 Rabar Braslav YUG Yz Yz 1 * Y2 V2 V2 0 Yz 1 1 1 7,0 32,25
5 Tatai Stefano ITA 0 1 0 Yz * 0 1 V2 1 1 1 1 7,0 28,75
6 Langeweg Kick NED 0 0 0 Y2 1 * V2 1 1 Yz 1 1 6,5 25.50
7 Filih Miroslav CZE 0 'h V2 Yz 0 Yz * Yz 1 1 1 1 6,5 25,00
8 Zic ichi Alvise ITA 0 0 0 1 Yz 0 Yz * Yz I 1 1 5.5
9 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 0 0 V2 0 0 0 Yz * 1 1 1 4,0
10 Gragger Fritz AUT 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 0 0 * 1 1 2,5
11 Fleischmann Claus GER 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * I 1,0
12 Siveri Armando ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 0,0
50 Years in Tables 277
VI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1963/4

I Teschner Rudolf GER * I 0 I 0 Y2 I I I 8,5 40,25
2 Gereben Erno SUI 0 * I 0 I I I I Y2 I 8,5 39,75
3 Barcza Gedeon HUN I 0 * Y2 Y2 I I Y2 I I I I 8,5 39,00
4 Flesch Janos HUN 0 I 1/2 * I 0 I I I I I I 8,5 38,75
5 Beggi Pierluigi ITA 0 0 Y2 0 * I I Y2 I I Y2 I 6,5
6 Castaldi Vincenzo ITA I 0 0 I 0 * Y2 Y2 0 I I I 6,0
7 Trincardi Tullio ITA Y2 0 0 0 0 Yz * Y2 I I I I 5,5
8 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Yz * 0 I I I 5,0
9 Bonlioli Marco ITA 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 I * 0 I 0 3,0 12,50
10 Bratoszewski Jerzy POL 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I * I I 3,0 6,00
II Fricker Jean FRA 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 0 * Y2 1,5 8,25
12 Siveri Armando ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 Y2 * 1,5 3,75
VII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1964/5

I Bertok Mario YUG * Y2 I Y2 Y2 I I 0I I 8,5 42,50
2 Bilek Isrvin HUN Yz * Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 I I II I 8,5 38,50
3 Teschner Rudolf GER 0 Yz * Y2 I Y2 I I II I 8,5 38,25
4 Minic Dragoljub YUG Y2 Y2 Yz * Y2 Y2 I I I II I 8,5 38,00
5 Kozma Julius CZE Y2 Y2 0 Yz * I Y2 I I II I 8,0
6 Palmiotto Fiorentino ITA 0 0 0 Y2 0 * I I 0 II I 5,5
7 Barczay Laszlo HUN 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 0 * 0 0 II I 4,5
8 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 I * I 0I I 4,0
9 Malcanek Oldrich CZE 0 0 0 0 0 I I 0 * Y2 0 I 3,5
10 Siveri Armando ITA I 0 0 0 0 0 0 I Y2 * 0 0 2,5 14,25
II Damele Cesare ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I I * Y2 2,5 6,75
12 Bagnoli Paolo ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I Yz * 1,5
VIII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1965/6

I Parma Bruno YUG * I I I Y2 Y2 I 0 9,0
2 Ujtelky Maximilian CZE 0 * Y2 I Y2 Y2 I Y2 8,0
3 Szilagyi Gyorgy HUN 0 Yz * 1/2 Y2 I 0 I 7,5 34,50
4 Tatai Stefano ITA 0 0 Y2 * Y2 I Y2 I I 7,5 32,00
5 Rabar Braslav YUG Y2 Y2 Y2 Yz * Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 6,5
6 Trincardi Tullio ITA Y2 Y2 0 0 Y2 * I 0 I I Y2 6,0
7 Wagman Stuart USA 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 * I Y2 I Y2 5,0
8 Canal Esteban PER 0 0 0 0 Y2 I 0 * I Y2 Y2 4,5
9 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 0 I 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 * I Y2 Y2 4,0
10 Jagodzinski Waldemar POL I Y2 0 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 0 * 0 I 3,5 19,50
II Beggi Pierluigi ITA 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 I * Y2 3,5 13,75
12 Wagner A CZE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 * 1,0
IX Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1966/7

I Ciocaltea Victor ROM * Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 I 8,0 39,75
2 Ciric Dra~oljub YUG Yz * Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 I I I 8,0 36,50
3 KozmaJu ius CZE Y2 Yz * Y2 I 0 Y2 Y2 I I I 7,5 34,50
4 Honli Karoly HUN 0 Y2 1/2 * Y2 Y2 I Y2 I I I 7,5 33,50
5 Damjanovic Mato YUG Y2 Y2 0 Yz * Y2 Y2 I Y2 I I 7,0
6 Bobotsov Milko BUL Y2 Y2 I Y2 Y2 * 0 Y2 0 I I 6,5 31,25
7 Buljovcic Ivan YUG 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 I * Y2 I Y2 I 6,5 28,50
8 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Yz * Y2 Y2 I 5,0
9 Malcanek Oldrich CZE 1/2 0 0 0 Y2 I 0 Yz * I 0 1/2 4,0
10 Zinser Sylvain FRA Y2 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 * I I 3,5
II Capece Adolivio ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 * Y2 1,5
12 Mondaini Giulio Cesare ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 * 1,0
X Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1967/8

I Matulovic Milan YUG * I 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 10,5
2 Saidy Anthony Fred USA 0 * 0 Y2 Y2 I I 10,0
3 Mista Ladislav CZE I * 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 9,5
4 Ciocaltea Victor ROM Y2 Y2 I * Y2 Y2 0 Y2 I Y2 I 9,0
5 Kurajica Bojan YUG 0 Y2 Y2 Yz * Y2 Y2 Y2 I I Y2 8,5 44,50
6 Bertok Mario YUG Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Yz * Y2 Y2 I Y2 I 8,5 43,50
7 Tatai Stefano ITA 0 0 Y2 I Y2 Yz * Y2 Y2 I I 8,5 42,00
8 Navarovszky Laszlo HUN 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 * Y2 Y2 I 7,0
9 Jahr Ulrich GER Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 Y2 Yz * Y2 I 6,5
10 Canal Esteban PER 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 * Y2 I Y2 5,0
II Huguet Bernard FRA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz * I Y2 3,0
12 Trincardi Tullio ITA 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 0 0 * I Y2 2,5
13 Albano Marco ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 * Y2 1,5
14 Mariotti Sergio ITA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 * 1,0
XI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1968/9
1 Misra Ladislav CZE * Y2 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 h
1 1 Y2 7,0 35,50
2 Radulov Ivan BUL Y2 * 0 I Yz Yz Yz I 0 I 7,0 35,00
3 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 I * 0 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 7,0 34,25
4 Ciocaltea Victor ROM Y2 0 I * Y2 0 Y2 1 Yz 1 7,0 33,75
5 Ghitescu Theodor ROM Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 * Y2 Y2 1 Y2 Yz Y2 I 6,5 33,75
6 Minic Dragoljub YUG Y2 Y2 0 1 Y2 * Y2 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 I 6.5 33,00
7 Damjanovic Maro YUG 1 Yz Yz Y, Y, Y, * Yz Yz 0 I Y, 6,0
8 Bertok Mario YUG Y2 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 Y2 * 1 Yz Yz 1 5,0
9 Zinser Sylvain FRA 0 1 Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 * 0 0 Y2 4,0
10 FilepTibor HUN 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 1 Y2 I * Yz 0 3.5 17,50
II Klein Manfred GER 0 0 0 0 Y2 Yz 0 Yz I Y2 * Y2 3,5 16,25
12 Trincardi Tullio ITA Yz 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 Yz I Yz * 3,0
XII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1969/70

1 Mariotti Sergio ITA * Yz I 1 Y2 0 0 Yz 7,5
2 KozmaJulius CZE Yz * Y, 1 Y2 Yz Y2 Yz I Yz Yz 7,0 36,75
3 Bertok Mario YUG 0 Yz * Yz Yz 1 1 Yz Yz I Yz 7,0 35,25
4 Zichichi Alvise ITA 0 0 Y2 * 1 1 Y2 0 1 I 1 7,0 33,75
5 Damjanovic Mato YUG Yz Y, Yz 0 * Yz 1 Y, Y, 1 Yz 6,5
6 Wagman Stuart USA 1 Yz 0 0 Yz * 0 Yz 1 I 1 Yz 6,0
7 Misra Ladislav CZE 1 Yz 0 Yz 0 1 * 1 Yz 0 1 0 5,5
8 Troianescu Octav ROM 0 Y, Y, I Y, Yz 0 * Y, 0 Yz Y, 4,5
9 Filep Tibor HUN Yz 0 Y2 0 Yz 0 Yz Yz * Yz 1 0 4,0 21,00
10 Strauss Anton AUT 0 Yz 0 0 0 0 1 I Y2 * 0 1 4,0 19,00
II Klein Manfred GER 0 Yz Y, 0 Yz 0 0 Yz 0 1 * Yz 3,5 18,25
12 Micheli Carlo ITA 0 0 0 0 0 Yz I Y2 I 0 Yz * 3,5 16,50
XIII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1970/1

I Parma Bruno YUG * 1 Yz I Yz Y, Yz Yz Yz Yz 11,5
2 Benko Pal USA 0 * Yz Y2 Yz 0 Yz 1 Yz 1 1 10,5
3 Damjanovic Maro YUG Yz Yz * Yz 1 Yz Y, Yz Yz Yz Y, 1 Yz 10,0 68,50
4 Soltis Andrew USA 0 Y, Yz * 1 Yz Yz Yz 1 1/2 Yz I Yz 10,0 66,25
5 B:lrczay L:lszl6 HUN Yz Y, 0 0 * Yz 1 1 0 1 1 Y, 1 Yz 9.5
6 Popov Luben BUL Yz I Yz Yz Yz * Yz Yz Y2 0 I Yz Y2 Yz 1 9,0 65,00
7 Ghitescu Theodor ROM Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 Yz * Yz Yz I 1 Yz Yz Yz 1 1 9,0 59.75
8 Misra Ladislav CZE Yz 0 Yz Y, 0 Yz Yz * Yz 1 0 1 I 1 1 1 9,0 56,00
9 Czerniak Moshe ISR 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz Yz * Yz I 1 I I I I 7.5
10 Trincardi Tullio ITA 0 Y, Y, 0 I Yz 0 0 Yz * Yz Yz Yz 1 Yz 1 7,0
11 Paoli Enrico ITA 0 0 Y2 Yz 0 I 0 1 0 Yz * Y2 Yz Yz Yz 1 6,5
12 Mihaljcisin Mihajlo YUG Yz 0 Y2 Yz 0 0 Y2 0 0 Yz Yz * Yz Yz I I 6,0
13 Cosulich Roberto ITA Yz 0 0 0 Yz Y, Yz 0 0 Yz Yz Y2 * 1 I 0 5,5
14 Mashian Yaacov IRI 0 0 Yz Yz 0 Yz Yz 0 0 0 Yz Yz 0 * Yz 1 4,5
15 Masera Umberto ITA 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 0 0 Y, Yz 0 0 Y2 * I 3,0
16 CardosoRadolfo-Tan BRA 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 * 1,5
XIV Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 197112 Average rating 2324 - Cat. III
I Soltis Andrew USA 2430 +I 07 * YzYz11 YzY21 Y, 8,5
2 Damjanovic Maro YUG 2490 -42 Y,* Yzl YzYzYzYz1 Yz 7,5
3 Lombard Andre SUI 2380 +40 YzY2* Y>YzYzl 0 Yzl 7,0
4 Kovacs L:lszl6 HUN 2390 -5 00Yz*0111Yz1Yz 6,5
5 Masic Ljubomir YUG 2310 +48 0 YzYz1 * YzO I YzYzYz 6,0 30,50
6 Garcia Martinez Silvino CUB 2340 +16 YzYzYzO Yz* YzYzYzYz I 6,0 30,00
7 Klein Manfred GER 2200 +101 YzYzO 01 Yz* YzYzYzYzYz 5,0 26,75
8 Richter Yosef ISR 2385 -99 0 Yzl 0 0 YzYz* I YzYzYz 5,0 25,50
9 Trincardi Tullio ITA 2265 -36 Y>O YzYzYzYzYzO * YzYzO 4,0 23,25
10 Travnicek Peter CZE 2200 +33 0 YzO 0 YzYzYzYzYz* Yzh 4,0 20,00
11 Cappello Renaro ITA 2240 -46 0 0 0 YzYzO YzYzYzYz* Yz 3.5
12 Skalkotas Nikolaos GRE 2260 -108 OOOOOOYzYzl YzYz* 3,0
XV Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1972/3 Average rating 2359 - Cat. V

1 Lengyel Levente HUN 2455 -2 * Yz1 Y2Yz 1/zYzYzYzYz 7,0 37,00
2 Popov Luben BUL 2450 +2 Yz* YzYzYzY>YzYzl 1 Yz 7,0 35.50
3 Torre Eugenio PHI 2400 +57 0 Yz* YzYz1 YzYzYzl I 7,0 35,00
4 Cobo Eldis CUB 2420 -32 YzYzYz* YzYzl YzO I Y>Yz 6,0 32,75
5 Ghizdavu Dumitru ROM 2385 +5 YzYzYzYz* YzYzYzYzYzY21 6,0 32,00
6 Bisguier Arthur USA 2430 -43 Y>YzO YzYz* Yzl I YzYzYz 6,0 31,25
7 Zichichi Alvise ITA 2345 +16 YzYzYzO YzYz* Yzl Yzl 0 5,5 29,25
8 Markland Peter ENG 2400 -44 YzYzYzYzYzO Yz* 10 Yz1 5.5 29,25
9 Kriz Miroslav CZE 2200 +72 Yz0Yz1Yz000*10Yz 4,0 22,00
10 Levy Louis USA 2200 +72 YzO 0 0 YzYzYzl 0 * YzYz 4,0 21,75
II Paoli Enrico ITA 2300 -36 0 YzO Y2YzYzO Yzl Yz* 0 4,0 21,25
12 Wagman Stuart USA 2330 -69 OOOYzOYzl OYzYz1 * 4,0 19,50
XVI Tomeo eli Capodanno eli Reggio Emilia 1973/4 Average rating 2339 - Cat. IV
I Popov Luben BUL 2470 +35 • 112 112 1 112 112 \12 1 112 8,0 38,50
2 Sax Gyula HUN 2450 +57 \12 * \12 \12 \12 I \12 I I \12 8,0 38,25
3 Dueball Juergen GER 2460 +46 \12112* 112112112111211 8,0 36,50
4 Toth Bela ITA 2390 +83 0112112*110\1211 7,5 34,25
5 Mednis Edmar USA 2430 +39 1121121120*\12112111 7,5 33,00
6 Estevez Guillermo CUB 2345 +60 11201120 112* 11211211 6,5
7 Micheli Carlo ITA 2315 +26 11211201 \12112* 0 0112 5,5 27,00
8 Cappello Renato ITA 2300 +43 00\1211201121*1121112 5,5 23,50
9 Paoli Enrico ITA 2290 -84 1120 0 0 0 01 112* 112112\12 3,5
10 Beggi Pierluigi ITA 2200 -26 01120 0 0 01120 112* 1121 3,0
11 Capece Adolivio ITA 2220 -205 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 112 \12 112 • 0 1,5 6,00
12 Luppi Sergio ITA 2200 -183 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1* 1,5 3,25
XVII Tomeo eli Capodanno eli Reggio Emllia 1974/5 Average rating 2316- Cat. III
I Rodriguez Orestes PER 2445 +38 *1121111121112112 112112 8,0 44,00
2 Zichichi Alvise ITA 2355 + 136 112* ll2l ll2l \12ll2l ll2l I 8,0 40,00
3 Lombard Andre SUI 241 0 0 0 112* 101121112112111 7,0 32,75
4 Nikolic Stanimir YUG 2405 +5 000*1111\1211211 7,0 32,50
5 Formanek Edward USA 2420 -11 011210*011112111 7,0 32,25
6 Paoli Enrico ITA 2280 +73 \12011201.1120111121 6,0
7 Wagman Stuart USA 2325 -9 0112000112* 1111211 5,5
8 Beil Zdenek CZE 2310 -26 \12 112 \12 0 0 I 0 * 1 112 \12 112 5,0
9 Valenti Giuseppe ITA 2200 -11 112 0 112 112 \12 0 0 0 • 112 \12 \12 3,5 19,00
I 0 Stoutenborough Ross USA 2200 -11 011201120 0 112\12112* \12112 3,5 17,25
11 Trincardi Tullio ITA 2250 -105 1120 0 0 01120 112112112* 112 3,0
12 Blasi Fernando ITA 2200 -95 1120 0 0 0 0 0 112112112112* 2,5
XVIII Tomeo eli Capodanno eli Reggio Emllia 1975/6 Average rating 2328 - Cat. IV
I Pachman Ludek GER 2510 -76 *112\1211\12011211 6,0
2 Paoli Enrico ITA 2270 +104 \12* II2II20 ll2l I 0 I 5,0 22,25
3 Valenti Giuseppe ITA 2215 +166 112112* 11211201110 5,0 22,25
4 Formanek Edward USA 2420 -61 0 112\12* 1110112112 5,0 21,50
5 Beggi Pierluigi ITA 2250 +87 011120*111210112 4,5 20,25
6 Ciric Dragoljub YUG 2460 -147 112\12100*1121121121 4,5 19,50
7 Schneider Lars SUI 2380 -58 1000112112*11211 4,5 18,75
8 Toth Bela ITA 2375 -52 1120010112112*11 4,5 18,50
9 Magrini Riccardo ITA 2200 +16 010112111200*0 3,0 14,25
10 Cangiotti Claudio ITA 2200 +16 0011121120001* 3,0 12,75
XIX Tomeo eli Capodanno eli Reggio Emilia 1976/7 Average rating 2375 - Cat. V
1 Kuzmin Gennadij URS 2565 -27 • 112 1 1 112 \12 112 1 0 1 8,0
2 Bilek Istvan HUN 2435 +73 \12* \121121 \12ll2l I I ll2ll2 7,5 38,25
3 Haik Aldo FRA 2325 +193 0112*0111111211112 7,5 36,25
4 Toth Bela ITA 2405 +106 01121*00111111 7,5 33,75
5 Trabattoni Franco ITA 2200 +258 112001*11121121011 6,5 32,00
6 Joksic Sinisa YUG 2430 +7 112112010* 11201111 6,5 30,50
7 Bertok Mario YUG 2425 -54 1121120 0 112112* 112112\1211 5,5
8 Kaikamdzozov Zivko BUL 2430 -125 00001121112*112101 4,5
9 Akvist Hakan SWE 2325 -83 I 0112000II2II2* 0 1 0 3,5 19,75
10 Formanek Edward USA 2430 -197 00001011201*01 3,5 15,25
11 Rosino Antonio ITA 2260 -52 011200000101*112 3,0
12 Natalucci Fabrizio ITA 2280 -117 0112112000001 0112* 2,5
XX Tomeo eli Capodanno eli Reggio Emilia 1977/8 Average rating 2337 - Cat. IV
I Kovacs Laszlo HUN 2395 +160 *112111211011 112 8,5
2 Averbakh Yuri URS 2520 -60 112* 1121\121121112112 1121 7,5
3 Formanek Edward USA 2410 +22 0 ll2* I I I ll2l I II20 ll2 7,0
4 Niklasson Christer SWE 2380 +20 11200*112011111121 6,5
5 Coppini Giorgio ITA 2215 +167 0 II20 ll2* ll2ll2l \12ll2l I 6,0
6 Wirthensohn Heinz SUI 2390 -57 011201112*112110112112 5,5 28,75
7 Passerotti Pierluigi ITA 2380 -46 I 0 II20 \12ll2* 0 ll2ll2l I 5,5 27,50
8 Haik Aldo FRA 2400 -68 011200001*1111 5,5 23,25
9 Valenti Giuseppe ITA 2240 +40 OII2001120II20* I l l 4,5
10 Wagman Stuart USA 2325 -87 0011201121 II200* I ll2 4,0
11 Martorelli Antonio ITA 2200 -28 01121 11201120000* 112 3,0
12 Magrin Antonio ITA 2200 -72 11201120 01120 0 0 112112* 2,5
XXI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1978/9 Average rating 2375 - Cat. V
1 Hess Ralf GER 2285 +227 * y, 1 1 1 1 Yz Y2 Y2 Y2 y, 8,0
2 Bykhovsky Anatoly URS 2440 +18 Y2 * Yz 1 Yz 1 y, 1 y, y, 1 Y2 7,5
3 Ca~pello Renato ITA 2365 +27 0 Y2 * y, y, 0 Y2 I 1 Y2 1 1 6,5 30,75
4 Ni olic Stanimir YUG 2350 +44 0 0 Yz * 1 0 Y2 Y2 1 1 1 1 6,5 29,25
5 Messa Roberto ITA 2200 +174 0 Y2 y, 0 * 1 1 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 y, 6,0 31,25
6 Taruffi Daniele ITA 2340 +22 0 0 1 1 0 * 1 Y2 0 1 y, 1 6,0 29,00
7 Zichichi Alvise ITA 2365 -39 Y2 y, y, Yz 0 0 * y, Y2 y, 1 1 5,5 26,75
8 Bertok Mario YUG 2415 -93 Y2 0 0 y, y, Y2 Y2 * Y2 1 1 Y2 5,5 26,50
9 Goldenberg Richard FRA 2300 +32 Y2 Y2 0 0 0 1 Y2 y, * Y2 1 1 5,5 26,25
10 Kovacs Lido HUN 2400 -178 Y2 Yz Y2 0 Y2 0 Yz 0 Y2 * Yz y, 4,0
11 Ljungqvist Lennart SWE 2240 -124 Y2 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 0 0 y, * Y2 2,5 13,25
12 Pederzoli Sergio ITA 2255 -141 0 y, 0 0 y, 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 * 2,5 12,75
XXII Tomeo di Ca~odanno di Reggio Emilia 1979/80 Average rating 2377 - Cat.VI
1 Kochev Alexan er URS 2545 0 * Y2 1YzYzYzY2I y, y, 1 9,5
2 Hess Ralf GER 2335 +160 Y2 * 0Y2 1 Y2 Yz 1 1 Y2 0 1 8,5 49,50
3 Velikov Petar BUL 2440 +47 0 1 * y, 1 1 Y2 y, Y2 0 y, 1 1 8,5 49,00
4 Portisch Ferenc HUN 2475 -19 y, y, Y2
* y, y, Y2 Y2 1 y, Y2 1 1 Y2 8,0
5 Cramling Dan SWE 2355 +51 Y2 0 0Y2 * y, y, 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 7,0 42,25
6 Lengyel Levente HUN 2455 -56 Y2 y, 0
Y2 y, * Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 1 Y2 7,0 41,50
7 Adamski Jan POL 2415 -13 Y2 Y2 Y2 * Yz
Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 y, 0 1 1 7,0 41,00
8 Karaklajic Nikola YUG 2460 -61 0 0 Yzy, 0 Y2 Y2 * Y2 1 1 1 1 y, 7,0 39,50
9 Danner Georg AUT 2335 +72 0 1 Y2 Y2 y,
Y2 0 Y2 * Y2 Y2 Y2 1 1 7,0 39,00
10 Cappello Renato ITA 2405 -30 0 y, 1y, 0 y, Y2 0 y, * Y2 Y2 1 1 6,5
11 Wagman Stuart USA 2315 +39 0 0 Yzy, 0 y, Y2 0 y, Yz * 1 1 1 6,0
12 Chevaldonnet Francois FRA 2345 -21 Y2 1 00 0 0 1 0 Y2 y, 0 * 1 1 5,5
13 Ca~oli Giuseppe ITA 2200 -118 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 1 2,0
14 Kar ajic Milutin YUG 2200 -178 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 0 * 1,5
XXIII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1980/1 Average rating 2311 - Cat.III
1 Renman Nils Gustaf SWE 2425 +95 * Yz Y2 1 y, 1 y, 1 y, Y2 1 10,0 0
2 Wittmann Walter AUT 2365 +123 y, * y, y, y, 1 y, 1 1 Y2 y, 1 9,5 0
3 Trois Francisco RT BRA 2395 -4 Y2 Y2 * Y2 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 0 1 y, Y2 1 8,0 0
4 Taruffi Daniele ITA 2200 +176 0 Y2 Y2 * Y2 Y2 Y2 y, 1 1 0 1 y, 7,5 44,50
5 Bertok Mario YUG 2375 -12 Y2 Y2 Y2 Yz * Yz Y2 Y2 Yz y, Y2 Y2 1 1 7,5 44,50
6 Minic Dragoljub YUG 2405 -44 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 * 1 1 Y2 y, y, 1 1 Y2 7,5 42,50
7 Chevaldonnet Francois FRA 2375 -69 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 0 * y, y, 1 y, Y2 y, 1 6,5 38,75
8 De Eccher Stefano ITA 2285 +28 0 0 Y2 Yz Y2 0 Y2 * 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 1 6,5 34,50
9 Wagman Stuart USA 2300 -15 Y2 0 1 0 Y2 y, Y2 0 * Y2 Y2 Y2 1 Yz 6,0 36,25
10 Paniagua Roberto PAN 2250 +38 y, Y2 0 0 y, y, 0 Y2 y, * Y2 1 y, 1 6,0 35,25
11 Martorelli Antonio ITA 2200 +63 0 0 0 0 Y2 y, y, Y2 Y2 y, * 1 Y2 1 5,5 0
12 Evangelisti Claudio ITA 2315 -89 0 Y2 Y2 1 y, 0 Y2 Yz Y2 0 0 * 1 0 5,0 0
13 Messa Roberto ITA 2265 -168 0 0 y, 0 0 0 Y2 0 0 y, Y2 0 * 1 3,0 0
14 Braunberger Federico ITA 2200 -140 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 0 0 1 0 * 2,5 0
XXIV Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1981/2 Average rating 2341- Cat.IV
1 Duer Arne AUT 2395 +202 * 1 1 1 1 0 Yz Y2 1 y, 1 1 10,5
2 Vafhnian Rafael URS 2565 -59 0 * y, 0 1 1 Y2 1 1 1 Y2 1 1 9,5
3 By ovsky Avigdor URS 2330 +159 0 y, * Y2 y, 1 y, I 1 Y2 I y, I I 9,0
4 Formanek Edward USA 2375 +49 0 I y, * y, 0 I Y2 Y2 I I I y, Y2 8,0 48,00
5 Cuartas Carlos COL 2425 -4 0 0 Y2 y, * 0 I I y, y, I 1 I I 8,0 41,00
6 Rigo Janos HUN 2340 +58 1 0 0 I I * I y, I I 0 0 0 I 7,5 50,00
7 Sisniega Marcel MEX 2450 -60 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 0 0 * 1/z Y2 1 1 I I 1 7,5 38,75
8 Passerotti Pierluigi
9 Messa Roberto
ITA
ITA
2335 +34
2325 +18
y, 0 0 y, 0 y, Y2 * I
0 0 0 y, y, 0 Y2 0
y, 0 y, 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 0
. y, Y2 I I I 7,0
1 1 1 1 1 6,5
10 Trabattoni Franco ITA 2310 -22 * y, I I 1 5,5
II Santolini Luigi ITA 2265 -3 0 Y2 0 0 0 1 0 y, 0 y, • Y2 I I 5,0
12 Reggiani Mauro ITA 2200 -29 0 0 y, 0 0 I 0 0 0 0 y, • y, I 3,5
13 Rossi Carlo
14 Coppini Giorgio
ITA
ITA
2200 -66
2265 -502
0 0 0 y, 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 Y2 * I 3,0
0 0 0 0 0,5 .
XXVTorneo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1982/3 Average rating 2320 - Cat.III

1 Gaprindashvili Nona URS 2355 +140 * Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 1 Y21 8,0
2 Mokry Karel CZE 2420 +29 Yl* Y21 Y2Y2Y2Y21 1 Y2 7,5 38,00
3 Danner George AUT 2395 +57 Y2Y2* Y2Y20 1 Y21 11 7,5 35,25
4 BertokMario YUG 2375 +41 Y20 Yl* Y2Y2Y21 Y21 1 7,0
5 Lengyel Levente HUN 2420 -42 Y2Y2Y2Y2* 1 Y2Y21 01 Y2 6,5 34,00
6 Wiedenkeller Michael SWE 2320 +66 Y2Y21 Y20 * Y20 1 1 1 V2 6,5 33.50
7 Messa Roberto ITA 2350 +1 0 Y20 Y2Y2Y2* 1 Y2Y21 1 6,0
8 Ceschia Ivano ITA 2285 -27 0 Y2Y20 Y21 0 * Y20 Y21 4.5 22,00
9 Lanzani Mario ITA 2200 +64 Y20 0 Y20 0 Y2Y2* 1 Y21 4,5 19,75
10 Koch Robert GER 2260 0 000010Y210*11 4,5 17,50
11 Anceschi Vittorio ITA 2210 -153 OY200000Y2Y20* Y2 2,0
12 Wagman Stuart ITA 2255 -264 OOOOY2Y20000Y2* 1,5
XXVI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1983/4 Average rating 2454 - Cat.IX
1 Mokry Karel CZE 2450 +183 * Y21 Y2Y2Y21 Y2Y21 8,0
2 Hulak Krunoslav YUG 2530 +55 Y2* Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 1 7,5 36,00
3 Tatai Stefano ITA 2440 +153 OY2*Y2V211011 7.5 35,50
4 Rogers Ian AUS 2450 +71 Y2Y2Y2* Y2Y2Y21 10 Y2 6,5
5 Spassky Boris FRA 2605 -131 Y2Y2Y2Y2* 1 Y2Y20 Y2Y2 6,0 32,00
6 Vukic Milan YUG 2470 +16 Y2Y20 Y20 * V21 Y2Y21 6,0 28,25
7 Nunn John ENG 2590 -114 0 Y20 Y2Y2Y2* 1 V21 1 Y2 6,0 28,00
8 Toth Bela ITA 2400 +25 Y2V21 0 Y20 0 * Y2Y2Y21 5,0
9 Zichichi Alvise ITA 2385 +8 Y20 0 01 Y2Y2Y2* Y21 0 4,5
10 Bouaziz Slim TUN 2390 -31 0 0 01 Y2Y20 Y2Y2* Y2Y2 4,0
11 Formanek Edward USA 2325 -81 0 0 0 Y2Y20 0 Y20 Y2* Y2 2,5 12,00
12 Gober Fernand SUI 2415 -179 OOOOOOY20 1 Y2Y2* 2,5 10,75
XXVII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1984/5 Average rating 2537 - Cat.XII
1 Portisch Lajos HUN 2640 +26 * 11 Y21 1 0 1 Y2Y2Y2Y2 7.5
2 HortVlastimil CZE 2475 +134 0 * Y21 Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 1 6,5 32,50
3 Timman Jan NED 2650 -56 0 Yl* Y20 1 Y21 Y2Y21 1 6,5 32,25
4 AdorjanAndras HUN 2580 -12 Y20 Y2* Y21 1 0 1 Y2Y2Y2 6,0 32,25
5 Toth Bela ITA 2410 +172 0 V21 Y2* V21 0 Y2Y21 Y2 6,0 31,75
6 Kurajica Bojan YUG 2530 +41 OY200Y2*11Y21Y21 6,0 29,00
7 Rogers Ian AUS 2605 -74 1 Y2Y20 0 0 * Y2Y2Y21 1 5.5 28,50
8 Miles Anthony ENG 2565 -30 OY20110Y2*1Y201 5.5 27,75
9 Lobron Eric GER 2495 +12 Y2Y2Y20 Y2Y2Y20 * Y21 Y2 5,0
10 Mokry Karel CZE 2485 -9 Y2Y2Y2Y2Y20 Y2Y2Y2* 0 Y2 4,5 25,50
11 Ivanovic Bozidar YUG 2515 -41 Y200Y20Y20101*1 4,5 22,25
12 Garcia Palermo Carlos ARG 2500 -181 Y20 0 Y2Y20 0 0 Y2Y20 * 2,5
XXVIII Torneo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1985/6 Average rating 2556- Cat.xiii
1 Andersson Ulf SWE 2575 +81 * Y2 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 7,0 37,00
2 Ljubojevic Ljubomir YUG 2595 +59 Y2 * Y2 Y2 Y2 0 1 1 1 Y2 1 Y2 7,0 36,50
3 Romanishin Oleg URS 2570 +86 Y2 Y2 * 1 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 1 1 7,0 36,25
4 Portisch Lajos HUN 2635 -19 0 Y2 0 * Y2 1 Y2 1 1 Y2 Y2 1 6,5
5 Nogueiras Jesus CUB 2545 +12 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 * Y2 Y2 1 0 Y2 0 Y2 5.5 31,50
6 Sosonko Gennadi NED 2535 +23 Y2 1 Y2 0 Y2 • Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 5,5 30,50
7 Kavalek Lubomir GER 2555 -32 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 * 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 5,0 26,25
8 Lobron Eric USA 2505 +22 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 1 * Y2 1 1 0 5,0 26,25
9 Smejkal Jan CZE 2555 -32 0 0 Y2 0 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 * Y2 Y21 5,0 24,75
10 Ribli Zoltin HUN 2615 -130 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 * Y2 Y2 4,5 24,75
11 Marjanovic Slavoljub YUG 2505 -10 Y2 0 0 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 • Y2 4,5 24,00
12 Cebalo Miso YUG 2485 -60 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 1 0 Y2 Y2 * 3.5
XXIX Torneo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1986/7 Average rating 2579 - Cat.xiV
1 Ribli Zoltan HUN 2585 +60 * Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 6,5
2 Hort Vlastimil GER 2545 +70 Y2* Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 Y2Y2Y2 6,0 32,75
3 Chernin Alexander URS 2565 +48 Y2Y2* Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 Y2Y2 6,0 32,50
4 Smyslov Vassily URS 2555 +59 Y2Y2Y2* Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 6,0 32,00
5 Spassky Boris FRA 2620 -11 Y2Y2Y2Y2* Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 6,0 32.00
6 Portisch Lajos HUN 2605 -28 Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2* 0 V21 10 Y2 5.5 30,50
7 Nogueiras Jesus CUB 2570 +10 Y2Y2Y2Y2Y21 * Y2Y20 Y2Y2 5.5 30,50
8 Velimirovic Dragoljub YUG 2570 +10 Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2Y2* 0 Y21 Y2 5.5 29.75
9 Beliavsky Alexander URS 2585 -6 0 0 Y2Y2Y20 V21 * Y21 1 5.5 28,25
10 Andersson Ulf SWE 2600 -56 Y2Y20 Y2Y20 1 Y2Y2* Y2Y2 5,0
11 Suba Mihai ROM 2580 -67 0 Y2Y2Y2Y21 Y20 0 Y2* Y2 4,5
12 Vander Wiel John NED 2570 -91 Y2Y2Y20 0 Y2Y2Y20 Y2Y2& 4,0
282 Reggio Emilia 200712008
XXX Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1987/8 Average rating 2601 - Cat.XV
I Tukmakov Vladimir URS 2580 +149 * Yzl Yz\lzl Yz\lz\lz 6,0
2 Christiansen Larry Mark USA 2575 +Ill Yz* YzYzYzO I Vz1 5,5 22,00
3 Beliavsky Alexander URS 2630 +50 0 Yz* YzYz1 Y2Yz1 5,5 21,75
4 Ribli Zokin HUN 2595 +47 Yz\lz\lz* Yz1 YzYzYzYz 5,0 22,50
5 Portisch Lajos HUN 2615 +25 YzYzYzYz* YzYzl 1/zY2 5,0 21,75
6 Korchnoi Viktor SUI 2630 +8 0100Vz*Vz111 5,0 18,75
7 Nikolic Predrag YUG 2620 -21 YzO YzYzYzYz* Yz1 Yz 4,5
8 Andersson Ulf SWE 2600 -80 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 0 Y2 * Y2 Y2 3,5
9 Vaganian Rafael URS 2595 -166 Y20 0 YzYzO 0 Yz* Yz 2,5 11,00
10 Pinter J6zsef HUN 2575 -144 0 0 0 YzVzO YzYzYz* 2,5 10,25
XXXI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1988/9 Average rating 2579 - Cat.XIV
I Gurevich Mikhail URS 2625 +122 * Yz 1 Vz 1 Yz Yz 1 Yz 1 6,5
2 Georgiev Kiril BUL 2595 +64 Yz * Yz Yz Y2 Yz Yz Yz 1 1 5,5 22,25
3 Andersson Ulf SWE 2605 +53 0 Yz * Yz Yz Yz Yz 1 1 1 5,5 21,00
4 Ehlvest Jaan URS 2585 +33 Yz Yz Yz * Yz Y2 1 Yz 0 1 5,0 21,50
5 lvanchuk Vassily URS 2535 +89 0 Yz Yz Yz * I 0 1 Yz 1 5,0 20,00
6 Ribli Zoltin HUN 2620 -46 Yz Yz Yz Y2 0 * 1 Vz Yz Yz 4,5
7 Anand Viswanathan IND 2520 +25 Yz Y2 Yz 0 1 0 * 0 1 Yz 4,0 17,75
8 Damljanovic Branko YUG 2565 -24 0 Yz 0 Yz 0 Yz I * I Yz 4,0 15,50
9 Sax Gyula HUN 2570 -115 1/z 0 0 1 Y2 Yz 0 0 * 1/z 3,0
10 Sokolov Ivan YUG 2570 -217 0 0 0 0 0 Yz Yz Yz Yz * 2,0
XXXII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1989/90 Average rating 2614- Cat.XV
I Ehlvest Jaan URS 2600 +215 * Yz Yz Yz Yz 1 1 1 Yz 1 7,5
2 Ivanchuk Vassily URS 2635 +90 Yz * Yz Yz Yz Yz 1 1 Yz 1 Vz 6,5
3 Karpov Anaroly URS 2750 -75 Yz Yz * Yz Yz Yz Y2 1 Yz Yz 1 6,0
4 Ribli Zoltin HUN 2625 +25 Yz Yz Yz * Yz Yz 1 Vz Yz Yz Yz 5,5 27,00
5 Andersson Ulf SWE 2620 +30 Yz Y2 Yz Yz * Yz Yz 0 1 Yz 1 5,5 25,50
6 Gurevich Mikhail URS 2590 +27 0 1/z Yz Yz Yz * 0 1 1 Vz Yz 5,0
7 Georgiev Kiril BUL 2590 -9 0 0 Yz 0 Yz 1 * Yz Yz Yz 1 4,5 19,00
8 Petursson Margeir ISL 2530 +56 0 0 0 Y2 1 0 Yz * 1 Yz 1 4,5 18,50
9 Portisch Lajos HUN 2610 -68 Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 0 Yz 0 * 1 Yz 4,0 20,00
10 De Firmian Nick USA 2570 -24 0 0 Yz Yz 1/z Yz Yz 1/z 0 * 1 4,0 17,50
II Beliavsky Alexander URS 2640 -279 0 Yz 0 Yz 0 Yz 0 0 Yz 0 * 2,0
XXXIII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1990/1 Average rating 2601 - Cat.XV
I Karpov Anatoly URS 2725 -1 *** Yz\lz Yz\lz YzYz Yz 1 Yz 1 1 Yz 7,5
2 Polugaevsky Lev URS 2610 +101 Yz\lz Yz\lz Yz\lz Yz\lz 1 Yz 1 Yz 7,0
3 Ehlvest Jaan URS 2650 +23 YzYz Yz\lz YzYz I Yz Yz\lz Yz\lz 6,5
4 Ribli Zoltan HUN 2595 +27 Yz\lz YzYz YzYz Yz\lz 'lzl/z YzO 5,5 34,00
5 Gurevich Mikhail URS 2650 -37 Yz 0 Yz\lz 0 Yz YzYz 'lzl/2 I 1/z 5,5 32,00
6 Andersson Ulf SWE 2640 -56 Yz 0 0 Yz Yz\12 Yz\lz YzYz Yz\lz 5,0 29,75
7 Kamsky Gata USA 2640 -56 0 Yz 0 Yz 'lzl/z Yz1 0\lz Yz\lz 5,0 29,75
1 Ljubojevic Ljubomir YUG 2590 +74 Y2Y2 1 Yz YzYz YzO 1\lz 1Yz7,0
2 Vaganian Rafael URS 2585 +49 Yz\lz YzYz Yz\lz Yz\lz Yz\lz 1 Yz 6,5 37,50
3 Gulko Boris USA 2575 +61 0 Yz Y2Yz 0 1 YzYz 1Yz Yz 1 6,5 37,00
4 Romanishin Oleg URS 2610 -10 Yz\lz Yz\lz I 0 I0 Yz\lz Yz\lz 6,0 36,00
5 Beliavsky Alexander URS 2640 -45 1/z 1 YzYz YzYz 0 1 00 Yz I 6,0 35,50
6 Epishin Vladimir URS 2620 -22 0 Yz YzYz 0 Yz YzY2 1 1 Yz\12 6,0 35,25
7 Portisch Lajos HUN 2590 -112 0 Yz 0 Yz Yz 0 Yz\lz YzO Yz\lz 4,0
XXXIV Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 199112 Average rating 2676 - Cat.XVIII
1 Anand Viswanathan IND 2650 +!54 * Yz 1 Yz Yz Yz 1 I 0 1 6,0
2 Gelfand Boris RUS 2665 +94 Yz * Yz Yz Yz Yz I Yz Yz 1 5,5 22,75
3 Kasparov Garry RUS 2770 -21 0 Vz * Yz 1 Yz Yz Yz 1 1 5,5 21,75
4 Karpov Anatoly RUS 2730 -19 Yz Yz Vz * Yz 0 Yz Yz 1 1 5,0
5 Ivanchuk Vassily RUS 2735 -66 Yz Yz 0 V2 * I Yz 1/z Yz Yz 4,5 19,75
6 Khalifman Alexander GER 2630 +51 Yz Yz Yz 1 0 * Yz 0 Yz 1 4,5 19,25
7 Polugaevsky Lev RUS 2630 +51 0 0 Yz 1/z Yz Vz * I Yz 1 4,5 17,25
8 Salov Valery RUS 2665 -28 0 Yz Yz 1/z Yz 1 0 * 1 0 4,0 18,75
9 Gurevich Mikhail BEL 2630 +10 1 Yz 0 0 Yz Yz Yz 0 * 1 4,0 17,00
10 Beliavsky Alexander RUS 2655 -269 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 0 1 0 * 1,5
XXXV Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1992/3

1 Vaganian Rafael ARM 2615 +96 .Average rating 2452 -
~ 0 1 1 ~ 1
Cat.IX
1 1 9,0
2 Portisch Lajos
3 Godena Michele
HUN 2595 -53
ITA 2435 +86 1 1 .
Y2 * 0 ~ 0 Y2 1
Y2 ~ 1 0 ~
1 1
~ ~
Y2
~ Yz
7,0
6,5 38,25
4 Manca Federico
5 Arlandi Ennio
ITA
ITA
2390 +135
2435 +86 0 1 ~ ~ ..
0 Yz Y2 * ~ 1 Y2
0 Y2
Y2 1
1 ~
~
~
1 Y2
1 1
6,5
6,5
32,25
31,00
6 Azmaiparashvili Zurab
7 Belotti Bruno
8 Borgo Giulio
GEO 2620 -115
ITA
ITA
2405 +52
2360 +101
~ ~ 0 0 1
0 0 1 Y2 ~ 1
0 0 ~ ~ 0 0 1
..
0 1 Y2 1
0 0 1
Y2 1
1
1 1
1
Y2 1
6,5
5,5
5,5
30,75
26,50
22,75
9 Braga Fernando ITA 2385 +7 0 0 Y2 0 ~ Y2 1 Yz * ~ 0 1 4,5
10 Garcia Palermo Carlos ITA 2440 -164 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 0 0 Y2 * Y2 ~ 3,0 14,75
11 Sarno Spartaco ITA 2430 -153 0 0 ~ 0 0 0 Yz 0 1 Yz * Yz 3,0 13,25
12 Vezzosi Paolo ITA 2325 -82 0 Y2 ~ ~ 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 Yz * 2.5
XXXVI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1993/4 Average rating 2462 - Cat.IX
1 Porrisch Lajos HUN 2585 +88 * Y2 1 ~~Y2Y2 1 1 1 8,5
2 Cvitan Ognjen
3 Kozul Zdenko
CRO 2530 +64
CRO 2595 -43 0 1 .
Yz * 0 Y2 1 1 Y2
1 0 1 Y2
1 Y2 1
1 0 Y2 1
~ 7,5
7,0 35,00
4 Cebalo Miso
5 Manca Federico
6 Belotti Bruno
CRO 2510 +49
ITA
ITA
2390 +145
2410 +90
Y2 Y2 0 * 1 0 1
Yz 0 1 0
Y2 0 0 1 ~ * ~
.
Y2 Y2
0 1 1
~ 1 Y2
Y2 Y2 1
1
1
Y2 1
7,0 33,00
6,5
6,0
7 Arlandi Ennio
8 Godena Michele
ITA
ITA
2440 +25
2505 -79
Yz Yz Y2 0 ~ Y2 *
0 0 0 1 Y2 Y2 1 .
0 1 Yz
1 Y2
1 Y2
0 Y2
5.5
5,0
9 Cantin Daniel
10 Tatai Stefano
11 Sarno Spartaco
ITA
ITA
ITA
2385 +18
2440 -113
2390 -99
0 Y2 1 0 0 Y2 0
0 0 Y2 0 ~ 0 Yz
0 0 0 0 0 ~ 0
0 * 1
Y2 0
1 ~ Y2
. Y2 1
~ 1
* Y2
4,5
3,5
3,0
12 Borgo Giulio ITA 2370 -172 0 Yz 0 0 0 0 Yz Yz 0 0 Yz * 2,0
XXXVII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1994/5 Average rating 2479- Cat.X
1 Vaganian Rafael ARM 2645 +41 * YzY2~1 ~ 1 1 1 Y2 8,5
2 Epishin Vladimir
3 Romanishin Old;
4 Chernin Alexan er
GER 2650
UKR 2605
HUN 2615
-7
+1
-9
Y2
Y2
Y2
~ .
* Y2 Y2 0 1 1 Y2 1 1
~ ~ *
Y2 0 1 1 Y2 1 1
~ 1 ~ Y2 1 ~
Y2
1
8,0
7,5
7,5
36,50
36,25
5 Tatai Stefano ITA 2430 +87 0 1 1 Y2 * 0 Y2 1 0 Y2 ~ 6,0
6 Garcia Palermo Carlos
7 Martorelli Antonio
8 Arlandi Ennio
ITA
ITA
ITA
2490 -12
2245 +255
2425 +25
Y2
0
0
0 0 ~ ~ 0
~ ~ Y2 0 1 0
..
0 0 0 1 * 1 0 ~ 1
1 1 Y2
0 1
Y2
1
1 ~
5,5
5.5
5,0
24,25
22,25
24,25
9 Godena Michele ITA 2485 -39 0 0 0 0 1 ~ 0 1 * Y2 1 1 5,0 19,25
10 Belotti Bruno ITA 2455 -75 Y2 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 0 Y2 * Y2 1 4,0
11 Cantin Daniel
12 Barlocco Carlo
ITA
ITA
2425 -119
2280 -335
0
0
0 ~ 0 Yz Yz 0 0 0 ~
0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 0
*
0 .1 3,0
0,5
XXXVIII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1995/6

1 Razuvaev Yuri
2 Dreev Alexei
RUS 2585 +80
RUS 2670 -14 ~
.. Average rating 2583 - Cat.XIV
Y2 1 Y2Y2~Y2~~ 1
~ Y2Y2~~Y2 1 1
5.5
5,5
23,25
22,25
3 Epishin Vladimir GER 2640 +19 0 ~ * Y2 Y2 ~ 1 1 ~ 1 5,5 22,00
4 Beliavsky Alexander SLO 2650 -33 Yz Yz Yz * ~ 1 Yz 1 0 Yz 5,0 22,75
5 Chernin Alexander HUN 2600 +21 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 * ~ Y2 Y2 1 Y2 5,0 21,75
6 Azmaiparashvili Zurab
7 Godena Michele
8 Vaganian Rafael
GEO 2620
ITA 2420 +181
ARM 2645 -109
0 Y2
Y2
Y2
~ ~ 0 Y2 *
Yz 0 Yz Y2 ~ .Y2 ~ 1 1
Y2 0 0 ~ Y2 Y2 * 1 Y2
~ Y2 1
5,0
4.5
4,0
20,00
9 Dautov Rustem
10 Belotti Bruno
GER 2620 -123
ITA 2380 -66
~
0
0 ~ 1 0 0 ~ 0 * 1
0 0 Yz Y2 0 0 Y2 0 . 3.5
1.5
XXXIX Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1996/7 Average rating 2511 - Cat.XI
1 Krasenkow Michal POL 2605 +123 * 1 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 ~ 1 1 1 7,0
2 Bologan Viktor
3 Komarov Dimitri
MDA 2600 +74
UKR 2595 -10 ~ 0
.
0 * 1 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 1 1
~ Y2 1 ~ Yz 1 1
6,5
21,00
4 Romanishin Oleg
5 Efimov Igor
6 Razuvaev Yuri
UKR 2555 +33
ITA 2510 +83
RUS 2560 -13
0 Y2 Y2 ~
~ Y2 0 Y2 ~
..
Y2 0 Y2 * ~ ~ 1 1 1 Y2
Y2 1 ~ 1 1
Y2 ~ 1 1
5.5
5,5
5,5
5,0
20,75
20,00
7 Godena Michele ITA 2550 -125 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 0 Y2 * Y2 ~ Y2 3,5

8 Belotti Bruno
9 Tatai Stefano
10 Mantovani Renzo
ITA
ITA
ITA
2400 -50
2375 -22
2360 -124
0 0 Y2 0 Y2 ~ Y2 * 0 ~
0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 1
0 0 0 Yz 0 0 ~ Y2 0
1.. 2,5
2,5
1,5
10,50
5.75
XL Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1997/8 Average rating 2487 - Cat.X

I Komarov Dimitri UKR 2600 +16 * Y2Y2~1 I Y2~Y2 ~ 7,5 38,75
2 Yudasin Leonid ISR 2610 +5 Y2*0Y20Y2111 I 7,5 34.50
3 Efimov Igor ITA 2540 +44 Y2 * ~Y2Y2Y20 Y2 I 7,0 35,25
4 Lputian Smbat ARM 2585 -4 ~ ~ ~ * 0 ~ ~ I I ~ 7,0 34.00
5 Romanishin Oleg UKR 2550 -I 0 I ~ I * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 6.5 34,25
6 Arlandi Ennio ITA 2470 +86 0 ~Y2Y2~* I ~~~I 6,5 31,25
7 Tatai Stefano ITA 2385 +112 ~0 Y2Y2Y20 * Y2l ~I~ 5.5
8 Godena Michele ITA 2515 -63 ~0 I 0 Y2Y2Y2* Y2Y2~~ 5,0
9 Bellini Fabio ITA 2415 +13 ~ 0 ~ 0 Y2 ~ 0 Y2 *I 0 I I 4,5
10 Belotti Bruno ITA 2410 -16 0 0 0 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 * ~ ~ 4,0
II Mantovani Renzo ITA 2375 -55 Y20 0 ~Y20 0 Y20 Y2* ~ 3,0
12 Sarno Spartaco ITA 2400 -177 OOOOOOY2Y20Y2Y2* 2,0
XLI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1998/9 Average rating 2435 - Cat.VIII
I Solozhenkin Evgeny RUS 2535 +116 *I~Y2~1~11 7,0
2 Komarov Dimitri UKR 2570 +23 O*IY2~Y2III 6,5 24,75
3 Lputian Smbat ARM 2615 -26 Y20*IY2II~I 6,5 24,75
4 Aldrovandi Costantino ITA 2280 +212 Y1Y10 * Y2~~1 1 ~ 5,0
5 Efimov Igor ITA 2530 -106 ~ ~ ~ ~ * I 0 ~ 0 I 4.5
6 Vezzosi Paolo ITA 2325 +81 OY20Y20*I~IY2 4,0
7 Borgo Giulio ITA 2445 -136 I/200Y2I0*001 3,0 13,00
8 Tomescu Vlad ROM 2425 -114 OOY20Y2~I* Y20 3,0 12,00
9 Drei Andrea ITA 2340 -19 OOOOIOIY2*Y2 3,0 10,25
10 Anceschi Vittorio ITA 2285 -6 OOOY20~0IY2* 2,5
XLII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 1999/00 Average rating 2443- Cat.VIII
1 Yudasin Leonid ISR 2552 +106 ·~0~111111 7,0
2 Khenkin Igor GER 2633 -37 ~*IY20IY2III 6,5
3 Romanishin Oleg UKR 2567 -11 10*~011~11 6,0 23,25
4 Solozhenkin Evgeny RUS 2544 +13 ~0
Y1Y1Y1* I I I I 6,0 21,75
5 Efimov Igor ITA 2445 +38 011Y2*0~~Y2I 5,0 21,00
6 Vezzosi Paolo ITA 2329 +167 OOOII*Y21Y2I 5,0 17,75
7 Manca Federico ITA 2373 -47 0 Y10 0 Y1Y1* Y1Y1Y1 3,0
8 Drei Andrea ITA 2349 -68 0 0 Y10 Y10 ~· Y1Y1 2,5 9,00
9 Aldrovandi Costantino ITA 2350 -69 0 0 0 0 Y2 1/2Y2Y2* Y2 2.5 8,50
10 Genocchio Daniele ITA 2291 -123 OOOOOO~Y1Y1* 1,5
XLIII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 2000/1 Average rating 2428 - Cat.VIII
I Romanishin Oleg UKR 2602 +99 *IY2Y2Y2IIIII 7,5
2 Efimov Igor ITA 2520 +71 O*Y2IY2Y2IIII 6,5
3 Zaja Ivan CRO 2513 +31 ~ ~ * 1 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ I 6,0
4 Bellini Fabio ITA 2484 +20 ~OO*Y2Y2IIII 5.5
5 Tomescu Vlad ROM 2432 -4 ~Y10 Y1* I Y20 I Y2 4,5 19.50
6 Vezzosi Paolo ITA 2412 +18 OY2Y2~0*Y2~11 4,5 16,25
7 Naumkin Igor RUS 2440 -95 OOY10Y1~*Y1~I 3,5
8 Costantini Roberto ITA 2233 +91 OOY20IY2~·o~ 3,0 12,00
9 Drei Andrea ITA 2350 -38 OO~OOOY2I*I 3,0 8,75
I 0 Iotti Pierluigi ITA 2294 -228 oooo~oo~o· 1,0
XLIV Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 2001/2 Average rating 2436 - Cat.VIII
I Georgiev Vladimir BUL 2564 -15 *Y2~I~IIOY2I 6,0 26,25
2 Delchev Alexander BUL 2634 -93 ~ * ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ 1 1 ~ 6,0 24,75
3 Chatalbashev Boris BUL 2526 +26 Y2Y1* Y2Y21 0 1 1 I 6,0 23,50
4 Cebalo Miso CRO 2492 +64 0 Y1Y1* ~Y2I 11 I 6,0 22,00
5 Naumkin Igor RUS 2414 +65 Y1Y1Y1~* ~Y2Y2~I 5,0 20,75
6 Zaja Ivan CRO 2476 -2 OOOY2Y2*IIII 5,0 16,50
7 Vezzosi Paolo ITA 2401 0 OY2IOY20*Y2IY2 4,0
8 Costantini Roberto ITA 2314 +II IOOOY20Y2*0I 3,0
9 Scalcione Michelangelo ITA 2292 -12 Y2000~00I*Y2 2.5
10 Djingarova Emilia BUL 2256 -91 OY10000Y10~* 1.5
XLV Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 2002/3 Average rating 2436 - Cat.VIII
I Chabanon Jean-Luc FRA 2481 +178 * 'h'h'hl 'h I I I I 7,0 26,50
2 Palac Mladen CRO 2568 +81 Y2 * Y2 'h Y2 I I I I I 7,0 25,50
3 Tomescu Vlad ROM 2432 +178 'h 'h * Y2 Y2 I Y2 I I I 6,5
4 Cebalo Miso CRO 2544 +6 'h Y2 Y2 * Y2 Y2 I Y2 I I 6,0
5 Romanishin Oleg UKR 2562 -56 0 'h Y2 'h * 'h I Y2 I I 5,5
6 MrdjaMilan CRO 2368 -6 Y2 0 0 'h Vz * 'h 'h 0 I 3,5 14,00
7 Vezzosi Paolo ITA 2394 -35 0 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 * I I Y2 3,5 10,25
8 Castaldo Folco ITA 2338 -15 0 0 0 'h Y2 'h 0 * I Y2 3,0
9 Scalcione Michelangelo ITA 2366 -213 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 * Y2 1,5 4,25
10 Iotti Pierluigi ITA 2314 -156 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 'h 'h * 1,5 4,00
XLVI Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 2003/4 Average rating 2440- Cat.VIII
I Miladinovic Igor GRE 2599 +51 * Y2 I 'h 'h 'h I I I I 7,0
2 Komarov Dimitri UKR 2566 -13 'h * I 'h'hl Y2 'h 'h I 6,0
3 Bellini Fabio ITA 2503 +13 0 0 * 0 I I 'h I I I 5,5
4 Georgiev Vladimir MKD 2596 -132 'h Y2 I * 0 0 'h Y2 I I 5,0 20,00
5 ZiminaO~ RUS 2387 +100 'h Y2 0 * 0 'h I Y2 I 5,0 19,50
6 Tomescu ad ROM 2447 -7 'h 0 0 I * Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 4,5 19,50
7 Piscopo Pierluigi ITA 2319 +135 0 'h 'h 'h 'h 'h * 'h 'h I 4,5 17,00
8 Vezzosi Paolo ITA 2371 -5 0 'h 0 Y2 0 'h 'h * Y2 I 3,5 12,25
9 Collutiis Duilio ITA 2417 -56 0 'h 0 0 'h Y2 Y2 'h * I 3,5 12,25
10 Ronchetti Niccolo ITA 2201 -248 0 0 0 0 0 'h 0 0 0 * 0,5
XLVII Tomeo di Cdeodanno di Reggio Emilia 2004/5 Average rating 2444 - Cat.VIII
I Delchev Alexan er BUL 2601 0 * 'h 'h 'h I 'h Y2 I I I 6,5
2 Miladinovic Igor GRE 2611 -145 Y2 * Y2 I 'h 0 I 0 I Y2 5,0 22,25
3 Komarov Dimitri UKR 2555 -82 'h Y2 * 'h Y2 Y2 I 'h Y2 Y2 5,0 22,00
4 Cebalo MiSo CRO 2520 -43 V2 0 V2 * Y2 I 'h I 0 I 5,0 21,25
5 Rombaldoni Denis ITA 2251 +254 0 Y2 Y2 V2 * Y2 Y2 I 1 'h 5,0 20,25
6 Sciortino Massimo ITA 2222 +247 V2 I V2 0 Y2 * V2 Y2 Y2 V2 4,5
7 Naumkin I~or RUS 2479 -79 V2 0 0 Y2 Y2 V2 * 0 1 I 4,0
8 Di Caro C ogero ITA 2317 +58 0 I Y2 0 0 Y2 I * V2 0 3,5 15,50
9 Chatalbashev Boris BUL 2554 -204 0 0 Y2 I 0 Y2 0 Y2 * I 3,5 14,50
10 Tirabassi Maurizio ITA 2330 +I 0 'h Y2 0 'h V2 0 I 0 * 3,0
XLVIII Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 2005/6 Average rating 2468 - Cat.IX
I Landa Konstantin RUS 2600 +80 * Y2 Y2 1 1 I Y2 Y2 I 1 7,0
2 Yevseev Denis RUS 2554 +30 Y2 * 'h 1 'h Y2 'h 'h I 1 6,0
3 Cebalo MiSo CRO 2512 +33 V2 V2 * Y2 1 Y2 0 I 'h 1 5,5
4 Vocaturo Daniele ITA 2364 +156 0 0 Y2 * Y2 V2 1 I 'h 1 5,0
5 Piscopo Pierluigi ITA 2399 +77 0 Y2 0 Y2 * Y2 1 I Y2 Y2 4,5 18,00
6 Fercec Nenad CRO 2512 -49 0 'h V2 V2 'h * V2 'h V2 I 4,5 17,25
7 Kotronias Vasilios GRE 2626 -215 V2 Y2 I 0 0 V2 * Y2 0 1 4,0 17,25
8 ZiminaOlga RUS 2397 +38 V2 Y2 0 0 0 'h 'h * 1 1 4,0 15,25
9 Ronchetti Niccolo ITA 2402 -9 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 0 * Y2 3,5
10 Franchini Gabriele ITA 2315 -207 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 0 0 V2 * 1,0
IL Tomeo di Capodanno di Reggio Emilia 2006/7 Average rating 2482 - Cat.X

I Iordachescu Viorel MDA 2564 +136 * Y2 Y2 1 V2 I 1 Y2 1 7,0
2 Khenkin Igor GER 2620 +20 Y2 * Y2 'h Y2 Y2 1 I I 6,5
3 Landa Konstantin RUS 2570 +27 Y2 Y2 * V2 'h I I I 0 6,0
4 Romanishin Oleg UKR 2542 -26 0 'h Y2 * Y2 1 'h Y2 1 'h 5,0
5 Shytaj Luca ITA 2441 +46 Y2 Y2 Y2 V2 * V2 0 Y2 I Y2 4,5
6 Brunella Sabino ITA 2460 -16 0 V2 0 0 Y2 * 1 I V2 Y2 4,0 15,00
7 Mogranzini Roberto ITA 2401 +49 0 0 0 Y2 I 0 * I 1 'h 4,0 13,75
8 Rombaldoni Denis ITA 2377 -8 V2 0 0 Y2 V2 0 0 * Y2 I 3,0
9 Manca Federico ITA 2425 -110 0 0 1 0 0 V2 0 Y2 * Y2 2,5 10,75
10 Borgo Giulio ITA 2420 -104 0 0 0 Y2 'h 'h Y2 0 Y2 * 2,5 10,00
Reggio Emilia 2007/8 -Table of results N
00
0\
I
Elo I Per£ I 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 9 10 pt cl
1 I Tiviakov Sergei NED 2643 -88 1 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 0 3,5 go
2 Landa Konstantin RUS 2678 -49 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 1 4,5 I so
3 Almasi Zoltan HUN 2691 +56 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 1 Y2 1 6,0 I 10 I
~
&S.
4 I Godena Michele I ITA I 2535 I -10 I 0 I Y2 I Y2 - Y2 I 0 I Y2 I 0 I Y2 I Y2 I 3,0 I 10° I 0
tTl
5 I Ni Hua I CHN I 2641 I +70 I 1 I Y2 I Y2 I Y2 - Y2 I Y2 I Y2 I Y2 I 1 I 5,5 I 3° I ~

;;:;·
N
0
0
6 I Navara David I CZE I 2656 I -63 1 Y2 1 Y2 1 o 1 1 1 Y2 - o 1 o 1 1 1 Y2 1 4,o 1 r 1
--
'-1
N
0
0
7 I Gashimov Vugar AZE 2663 +45 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 5,5 2o I 00
Harikrishna Pentala IND 2668 +40 Y2 1 0 1 Y2 1 5,5 40

8
Korchnoi Viktor SUI 2611 -13 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 4,0 60

9
10 Marin Mihail ROM 2551 +13 1 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 3,5 90

Reggio Emilia 2007/8 -Table of progressive scores
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 cl
1 Tiviakov Sergej NED 2643 0 Yz I 2 2 2Yz 2Yz 3 3Yz go
2 Landa Konstantin RUS 2678 Yz I 2 2Yz 3 3Yz 4 4Yz 4Yz so

3 Almasi Zoltan HUN 269I I I Yz 2 2Yz 3Yz 4 4Yz 5Yz 6 Io
Vl
4 Godena Michele ITA 2535 Yz Yz I 1 IYz 2 2Yz 3 3 IOO 0
~
~
.....
5 NiHua CHN 264I Yz I IYz 2 3 3Yz 4 4Yz 5Yz 30 23,25
'J>
s·
~
70 cr
6 Navara David CZE 2656 Yz I I I 2 2Yz 3 3 4 I5,50 n-
'J>
7 Gashimov Vugar AZE 2663 Yz I 2 2Yz 3 3Yz 4Yz 5 5Yz 20 23,50
8 Harikrishna Pentala IND 2668 0 I IYz 2Yz 3 3Yz 4 4Yz 5Yz 40 22,50
9 Korchnoi Viktor SUI 26II Yz I IYz 2 2 2Yz 3 3Yz 4 60 I8,50
10 Marin Mihail ROM 255I I 1Yz I Yz 2 2 2Yz 3 3Yz 3Yz 90 I4,50
N
00
'-..]
Index of Games and Openings
Numbers refer to pages
Almasi-Harikrishna ZA,MM 16 40 Marin-Korchnoi MM 205
2 Ni Hua-Navara ON 20 Portisch-Korchnoi MM 210
3 Landa-Korchnoi MM 24 Portisch-Darga MM 214
4 Tiviakov-Marin MM 28 Huebner-Korchnoi MM 215
5 Godena-Gashimov MM 35 Ponomariov-Korchnoi MM 218
6 Korchnoi-Almasi MM 41 41 Gashimov-Almasi MM 223
7 Gashimov-Ni Hua MM 43 42 Ni Hua-Marin NH 223
8 Marin-Navara ON 48 43 Harikrishna-Landa HK 227
9 Tiviakov-Landa ST 53 44 Korchnoi-Tiviakov MM 228
10 Harikrishna-Godena MM 56 45 Navara-Godena MM,ON 233
11 Almasi-Tiviakov MM 63 V.Georgiev-Cebalo MC 240
12 Navara-Gashimov VG, ON 65 Cvitan-Cebalo MC 243
13 Ni Hua-Harikrishna MM 69 Almasi-Ni Hua NH 272
14 Landa-Marin MM 71
15 Godena-Korchnoi MM 82
16 Landa-Almasi MM 87
17 Marin-Gashimov MM 88
18 Korchnoi-Ni Hua MM 91
19 Harikrishna-Navara HK,ON 95
20 Tiviakov-Godena MM 102
21 Almasi-Marin MM 107
22 Gashimov-Harikrishna MM 112 Numbers refer to game number~
23 Ni Hua-Tiviakov NH 115 Bishop's Opening 9
24 Navara-Korchnoi ON 119 Bogo-Indian Defence 6, 33
25 Godena-Landa MG, KL 126 Caro-Kann Defence 29
Gashimov-Korchnoi VK 132 Catalan Opening 40
26 Almasi-Godena MM 139 English Opening 8, 14,17,27,34
27 Korchnoi-Gashimov VK 145 French Defence 3, 15,20,24,38
28 Landa-Ni Hua KL,MM 149 Italian Game 1, 2, 4, 13, 42, 43
29 Tiviakov-Navara ON 155 King's Indian Defence 37
30 Marin-Harikrishna MM 161 Modern Benoni 12
31 Ni Hua-Almasi MM 171 Modern Defence 5,39
32 Gashimov-Tiviakov VG 175 Queen's Indian Defence 44
33 Harikrishna-Korchnoi MM 177 Pirc Defence 35
34 Navara-Landa ON 180 RuyLopez 7, 10, 21, 22, 26, 36, 41
35 Godena-Marin MM 183 Scandinavian Defence 23,32
36 Almasi-Navara ON 191 Semi-Slav 18,45
37 Landa-Gashimov MM 195 Sicilian Defence 11, 19, 25
38 Godena-Ni Hua MM 198 Slav Defence 16, 28,30
39 Tiviakov-Harikrishna MM 200 Two Knights Defence 31
GAMES/CHESS
Reggio Emilia
This book celebrates fifty

years of the famous Italian
tournament.
All the games are analysed,
many of them by the players
themselves: those sharing their
wisdom include award-winning
author Mihail Marin, rising star
Ni Hua, tournament winner Zoltan
Almasi and the legendary Viktor
In addition, photographs and entertaining stories take the reader
behind the scenes at a top-class tournament.
Mihail Marin is a grandmaster from Romania. His previous books

for Quality Chess have established him as one of the world's finest
chess authors.
Yuri Garrett is an Italian publisher and tournament organizer.
€23.99 $29.95
ISBN 978-1-906552-32-9
52995
QUALITY CHESS
www.q ua Iitychess.co.u k 9 781906 552329

Mihail Marin Yuri Garrett - Reggio Emilia 2007-08 Quality Chess 2009 - Editable

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Mihail Marin Yuri Garrett - Reggio Emilia 2007-08 Quality Chess 2009 - Editable

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Reggio Emilia

Reggio Emilia 2007/2008

Mihail Marin & Yuri Garrett

Copyright © 2009 Mihail Marin & Yuri Garrett

Reggio Emilia 2007/2008

All sales or enquiries should be directed to Quality Chess UK LLP,

Distributed in US and Canada by SCB Distributors, Gardena, California, US

Typeset by Jacob Aagaard

Memoirs of Reggio Emilia Miso Cebalo 239

• GM David Navara, for his invaluable contribution to the book

• GM Miso Cebalo, for his very interesting memoirs

Key to symbols used

Annotations by Zoltan Almasi &

Zoltan Almasi won the tournament quite

19.l::1abl ig7 20.lt:lfl l::1f8 21.tLl3d2 lt:lg6

8... \Wd? 9.c3 l::1fe8 10.ib3 if8 ll.a5 hb3

A different approach for White is to exchange

16.c4 18... axb5?

It may seem that Black has regrouped his forces 19.c!Llxe7t

21.a6 fxe4 22.dxe4 ®h8

It seems that everything is ready for the thematic

25.'il,e3 38.gxf6 gxf6 39.gal dxe4 40.a8=YN

25 ... ~£6 26J~dl

Also possible is 14.lLlg5!? g6 15.:B:xa2.

Italian Game Moves such as 1l...f5 (or 1l...f6?) enable

It took me a long time to realize that if I

13 ... c6 14 ... i.g6 15.tt::lh4 (Ni Hua) 15 ... tt::lf5 16.tt::lxf5

14 ... tt::lg6!? 15.tt::la4 (Ni Hua) 15 ... f6 could

17.~a4 An imaginative option was:

Simply poor are 2l.f4? l"\h6 or 2l ..L:b6?

21. .. ~c5 22..ixc5 bxc5 23.~xb7 g6

24.i.g4 several weaknesses, which gives Black sufficient

8 ~.m ~ m•~ 29.@f2

:•e.t.!j 29.~cl leads to equality. For example:

"lJ!j "lJ!j ~lJ!j

-----~ ~ lllJ!j L.J 7

Otherwise the connected passed pawns 39.a6 ~a4 40.a7 ®f5

19 ... g6 20.ie2 hd4 21.E:xd4 ih5 25 ... axb6 26.'\Wf'l b5

Those familiar with the classics will note

l.e4 e5 2.<~~f3 lt!c6 a b c d e f g h

9.ttlbd2 d6 1l...d5!? 12.Wie2 a5! (questioning the stability

16.i.c2!? 17... ttlf8

5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "~~~ WAI0"

The dynamic alternative was 17.d4, putting

Both of us were aware of the general advice

Black would have retained preferable play with

29.i.dl 30.h4 ttJf8 31.h3 ~h6 32.~fgl

32 ... ttJ8e6 33.i.g4 ~ah8 34.tt:lf3

Somewhat better would have been 35.~xd7 36 ... dxe5 37.'\Wxc5

37... e4 43J~d5 gxd5 44.cxd5 gh5

39J~xg4 ~d7 I GameJ I

40.Y;Ya7 Modern Defence

41 ... ~xd3t 42.'i!>bl

2I..ic4 '!Wf6 22.~e3 ~f4 23.'\Wdl B:cd8 28 ....if5 29.'1Wa2 ~c6

27... ®g8! 31.~xe5 ~xe5 32.B:xe5 '!Wxe5 33..ixf7t

Korchnoi - Almasi ¥2-¥2

A more usual continuation is 9.'1Wc2 b6

Annotations by Mihail Marin 9 •.• b6

l.d4 lLlf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 8

16...Wfxb7 17.Wfe2 ~fd8 18.~adl Wfc6 19.f4

d6 10J'%el bxa4 ll.tLlxd4 i.d7 12.WI'f3 0-0

Ruy Lopez 7 ... dxc6 8.WI'xd4 Wl'xd4 9.l£lxd4

Annotations by Mihail Marin

l.e4 e5 2.l£lf3 l£lc6 3 •.ib5 l£1£6

5 ~~~~~~~~~~ "~ WAI0"