The JR Chess Report (January 15): Wijk aan Zee Begins; Ukrainians face off for 1st in New Delhi

[Jack Rabbit]

Corus Tata Steel Tournament Begins in Wijk aan Zee

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament, formerly known as Corus, formerly known as Hoogovens, began today in the Dutch Seaside resort of Wijk aan Zee.

The tournament is divided into three groups of 14 players who will play a round robin tournament (13 games) against each other. The event concludes January 30.

The A group is this year a category 20 featuring six of the world's top ten players: Magnus Carlsen, world champion Vishy Anand, Levon Aronian, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik, Alexander Grischuk and American GM Hikaru Nakamura. Group B is a category 17 led by four players rated over 2700: Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek, David Navara of Czechia, Laurent Fressinet of France, and Ukrainian GM Zahar Efimenko. Category C is a category 11 led by GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan and Serbian GM Ivan Ivanisevic. This group also features six international masters hungry for grandmaster norms, and the world's newest and youngest grandmaster, 14-year-old Ilya Nyzhnyk of Ukraine.

In today's first round action, Anand defeated Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Jan Smeets (Holland) upset Alexei Shirov (Spain) and Nakamura took down Grischuk; In group B, Navara won a Rook and pawn ending from Wojtaszek, Gabriel Sargissian (Armenia) won with Knight and pawns from Surya Ganguly (India), Luke McShane (England) beat Wouter Spoelman (Holland) and Efimenko exploited his extra piece in a Rook and Bishop against Rook ending to defeat Jan Ludwig Hammer (Norway); in Group C, Nyzhnyk started his Wijk aan Zee record on a positive note by beating the top-seeded Kazhgaleyev, Polish GM Dariusz Swiercz bested Dutch IM Jan Willem de Jong, Italian GM Daniele Vocaturo took down Dutch IM Robin van Kempen and Indian IM Tania Sachdev scored a huge upset victory with Black against Ivanisevic in just 30 moves.

Although then name is new, the tournament most certainly is not. This is the 73rd edition of the tournament that began in 1938 when Koninklijke Hoogovens, a Dutch steel manufacturer, sponsored a three-round event among four Dutch master in the city of Beverwijk. It has been played every year since except 1945, when the Dutch nation was battling for liberation from the Nazis. Despite the war and occupation, the tournament grew in size and was a ten-player event from 1946 until 1963, when the event featured 18 players, including former world championship challenger David Bronstein. From 1964 to 1980, the event had 16 contestants and has had its present number of 14 since 1981. In 1968, the tournament venue was changed from Beverwijk to the nearby fishing village of Wijk aan Zee, which was building a tourist industry. In 1999, Hoogovens merged with British Steel to become the Corus Group, and the following year the event became known as the Corus Chess Tournament. The Corus Group was purchased by Tata Steel of India in 2007 and last year took the name Tata Steel Europe, thus prompting the event's new name.

The action can be seen on the official website. Games begin atm 1:30 pm local time (6:30 am PST).


Areshchenko, Kabuzov Tied Going to Last Round in New Delhi

Ukrainian grandmasters Alexander Areshchenko and Yuriy Kuzubov are tied for first place going to the eleventh and final round tomorrow in the 9th Parsvnath International Open in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

Areshenko and Kuzubov have 8½ points each in the first ten rounds. Ten players are tied for second with 8 point apiece, including 17year-old Indian GM Parimarjan Negi, who won his first 6 games in a row and led the tournament most of the way.

Tomorrow's round begins at 10 am in Delhi (8:30 pm tonight PST) and can be viewed at the official website.

Over three hundred chess players are competing in the event.


COMING ATTRACTIONS

Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival 24 January-3 February.
Moscow Open 28 January-7 February. This year the Moscow Open features a new format.
Aeroflot Open, Moscow 8-17 February.
27th International Open, Cappelle-la-Grande 26 February-5 March.
Reykjavik Open 9-16 March.

[Jack Rabbit]

1. This week's games

Your humble hare acknowledges the assistance of Rybka 4 and Fritz 6.0 on analysis.

Diagrams on the Jack Rabbit Chess Report are made with Aquarium, a commercially available interface for Rybka.

Diagrams and other images are hosted on imgur.com.

BLACK



WHITE
White to move
(This position is a theoretical draw)


I would like to thank my impressive and loyal staff: Buccaneer, Spitfire, Desperado, Swashbuckler, Pancho and Robin Hood.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. 9th Parsvnath International Open, New Delhi

Akshardham Temple, New Delhi
Photo by Swaminarayan Sanstha from Akshardham.com in Wikipedia (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Areshchenko - Vinoth, Round 5

Alexander Areshchenko
Photo by karpidis modified from flickr in Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)


Alexander Areshchenko - Kumar Vinoth
9th Parsvnath International Open, Round 5
New Delhi, 10 January 2011

Closed French Game: Nimzo-Winawer Defense

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 b6

• The Main Line is 4...c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7. See Pähtz-Cioara, Bundesliga 0910, Eppigen, 2009.

5.a3 Bf8 6.Bb5+

• 6.Nf3 Qd7 7.Bb5 c6 8.Ba4 Ba6 9.Ne2 Bb5 10.Bb3 a5 11.c3 Ne7 12.0-0 gives White a slight advantage in space (Zawadzka-López-Martínez, Euro Ch, WaRSAW, 2005).

6...c6 7.Ba4 Ne7

• If 7...Ba6 8.Nce2 Bb5 then:
• If 9.Bb3 c5 10.c3 Nc6 11.Nf3 Nge7 12.0-0 then:
• If 12...Nf5 13.Re1 Be7 14.Bc2 g6 15.Nf4 then:
• 15...Nh4 16.Nxh4 Bxh4 17.g3 Be7 18.h4 Rc8 is equal (Domínguez-Armas, Cuban Ch, Matanzas, 1998).
• 15...cxd4 16.cxd4 Rc8 17.Bxf5 exf5 18.h4 0-0 is equal (Cabrilo-Arencibia, ITZ, Manila, 1990).
• 12...a5 13.Re1 a4 14.Bc2 Qd7 15.Nf4 Ng6 16.Nh5 gives White a small advantage in space (Cabrilo-Bronstein, Pancevo, 1987).
• 9.Bxb5 cxb5 10.Qd3 Qd7 11.f4 Ne7 12.Nf3 h5 13.Be3 Nf5 14.Bf2 Nc6 15.g3 Na5 16.b3 Be7 17.h3 0-0-0 18.Kd2 Kb8 is equal (Loskutov-Kurdakov, Op, Moscow, 2007).

8.Nf3

• 8.Nce2 b5 9.Bb3 Nd7 10.Nf3 c5 11.c3 Nc6 12.0-0 Be7 gives White a slight advantage in space.

8...Nf5

• 8...a5 9.Ne2 b5 10.Bb3 Nd7 11.c3 c5 12.0-0 Nc6 13.Bg5 Be7 14.Qd2 h6 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Rfe1 gives White a small advantaage in space(Korneev-Karlsson, Euro Ch, Warsaw, 2005).

9.Ne2 (N)

• 9.0-0 Bd7 10.Bg5 Be7 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Re1 0-0 is equal (Seminara-Grynszpan, COOP, Buenos Aires, 1997).

9...b5 10.Bb3

• White has a slight advantage in space and development.

10...c5

• 10...Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.c3 a5 13.Bc2 a4 14.g4 gives White a stronger advantage in space.

11.c3!?

• White gives Black an opportunity to equalize.
• 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Bg5 Qc7 13.c3 h6 14.Bc1 continues to give White a slight advantage in space.

11...Nc6!?

• Black should grab more space while he can.
• 11...c4! 12.Bc2 Be7 13.Ng3 Nc6 14.Nxf5 exf5 15.Qe2 is equal.

12.h4

• As is often the case in the Closed French Game, or any other opening that features a locked center, each side staskes out territory on opposite wings. Black has aloready advanced on the queenside, so White will seek riches on the kingside.

12...h5!?

• Black does not want White's pawn advancing any further, but this will not keep White's mior pieces away from the kingside.
• 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Be7 14.Bg5 Qa5+ 15.Nc3 f6 16.g4 gives White a small advantage in space.

13.Bc2!

• White threatens to trade his Bishop for Black's most effective piece.

13...g6?!

• This creates a backward pawn at f7 and a gaping hole at f6.
• 13...c4 14.Bg5 Be7 15.Nf4 then:
• 15...a5 16.Qe2 Rb8 17.Bxf5 exf5 18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Ng5 wins a pawn.
• 15...g6 16.Bxf5 exf5 17.0-0 0-0 18.a4 leaves Black weak on the dark squares.

BLACK: Kumar Vinoth



WHITE: Alexander Areshchenko
Position after 13...g7g6

14.Bg5!

• White immediately atacks the hole and gains a significant advantage.
• 14.Bxf5 gxf5 15.Bg5 Qc7 16.0-0 a5 17.Nf4 gives White the advantage in space.

14...Qb6 15.0-0

• Even stronger is 15.Bf6! Rg8 16.0-0 when:
• 16...a5 17.dxc5 Bxc5 18.Bxf5 gxf5 19.Nf4 Ba6 20.b4 gives White excellent winning chances.
• 16...c4 17.Nf4 Bh6 18.Bxf5 gxf5 19.Ng5 Bxg5 20.Bxg5 wins a pawn.

15...cxd4 16.cxd4 b4 17.Bf6 Rg8 18.Ba4

• White has several good options here.
• 18.axb4 Bxb4 19.Qd3 a5 20.Ba4 Ba6 21.Qc2 gives White a considerable advantage in space.
• If 18.Bd3 Bd7 19.Bxf5 gxf5 20.Nf4 Rg4 21.Bg5 also gives White the advantage in space.

18...Bd7 19.axb4 Bxb4 20.Qc2 Rc8?!

• The question now is who will command the queenside. Black needs the queenside to hold on to the game. For White, the queenside give him the fexibility to attack there or to shift to the kingsdie and attack Black's backward f-pawn.
• 20...a5 21.Rac1 Na7 22.Nc3 Bxc3 23.bxc3 Bxa4 24.Qxa4+ leaves Black with some fight in his game.

21.Rfc1 Be7

• 21...Rc7 22.Qd1 Be7 23.Rc3 Bxf6 24.exf6 Nd6 25.Rac1 leaves Whites pieces better protected, his King safer and more good moves available.

22.Qd2 Rc7

• If 22...Bxf6 23.exf6 Qb7 then:
• 24.Bxc6 Bxc6 25.Qa5 a6 26.Qxa6 Qxa6 27.Rxa6 leaves White a pawn up and winning.
• 24.Qc3 Nce7 25.Qa5 Nc6 26.Bxc6 Bxc6 27.Ne5 also wins.

23.Rc2 Kd8

• Black's position is deterriorating quickly.
• If 23...Bxf6 24.exf6 then:
• 24...Nd6 25.Qf4 Na5 26.Rxc7 Qxc7 27.Bxd7+ Kxd7 28.Ne5+ continues to give White a huge advantage.
• If 24...Nb8? 25.Rxc7 Qxc7 26.Qb4 then:
• 26...Qb6 27.Qxb6 axb6 28.Ne5 Bxa4 29.Rxa4 is an easy win for White.
• If 26...Bxa4 then White wins after 27.Qxa4+ Kd8 28.Qxa7.

24.Rac1 Kc8?

• Black should capture on f6. That he allows White to take on e7, thus creating a backward pawn at f7, weighs significantly in White's favor.
• If 24...Bxf6 25.exf6 Nd6 26.Qf4 then:
• 26...Nc4 27.Bxc6 Rxc6 28.Ne5 Nxe5 29.dxe5 Rxc2 30.Rxc2 gives White a strong advantage in space
• If 26...Nf5? then after 27.Ne5! Nxe5 28.Rxc7! Bxa4 29.dxe5 Bd7 30.R7c5 Black is toast.

BLACK: Kumar Vinoth



WHITE: Alexander Areshchenko
Position after 24...Kd8c8

25.Bxe7!

• See previous note.

25...Nfxe7 26.b4 a6 27.Rc5

• If 27.Nf4 Kd8 then:
• 28.Nd3! Ra7 29.Nc5 Be8 30.Ng5 Nb8 31.b5
• 28.Ng5!? Rg7! 29.Rc5 Rb7 30.b5 Nb8 31.bxa6 Nxa6 opens the door for Black to get back in the game.

27...Rb7

• Black would present White with more difficulty winning after 27...Kd8 (moving thye King toward the defense of the keyston f-pawn) 28.b5 axb5 29.Bxb5 Ke8 30.Qf4.

28.b5 axb5 29.Bxb5 Kb8

• Once again, better for Black is 29...Kd8 30.Ng5 Rf8 31.Bxc6 Bxc6 32.Qf4 Ke8, but after 33.Nh7! the end is near.

30.Qf4!

• Also good is 30.Nc3 Nxd4 31.Qxd4! Rc8 32.Rxc8+ Nxc8 33.Bxd7 leaves White a piece to the good.

30...Nb4 31.Rb1 Na6

• If 31...Bxb5 32.Rxb4 Qa5 then:
• 33.Qd2 Qxb4 34.Qxb4 Bxe2 35.Qa3 Bxf3 36.Ra5 is crushing.
• 33.Rb1 Rc8 34.Rxc8+ Kxc8 35.Qxf7 Bxe2 36.Qf8+ leads to further material gains for White.

BLACK: Kumar Vinoth



WHITE: Alexander Areshchenko
Position after 31...Nb4a6

32.Bxa6!!

• White sacrifices the exchange with check.

32...Qxb1+ 33.Rc1 Qf5

• 33...Qb2 34.Bxb7 Qxe2 35.Qxf7 Qb2 36.Rc5 Re8 37.Ba6 leaves White a pawn to the good with Black's remaining pawn seriously weakened.

34.Qd2 Rb3

• If 34...Nc6 35.Bxb7 Kxb7 36.Ng3! wins the Queen.

35.Ng3!

• Please click here.

35...Qb1

• Black loses the Queen no matter what he plays.

36.Rxb1 Rxb1+

• White is essentially up a piece.

37.Kh2 Rd8

• If 37...Rb6 38.Qa5 Kc7 then:
• 39.Qc5+ Nc6 40.Bd3 Rgb8 41.Ng5 Black's pawns begin to fall.
• White wins after 39.Qa3 Nc6 40.Bd3 Rb4 41.Qc1 Rgb8 42.Qc5!.

BLACK: Kumar Vinoth



WHITE: Alexander Areshchenko
Position after 37...Rg8d8

38.Ne2

• White has an easy win from here.

38...Nc6 39.Nc3 Rb6

• If 39...Rb4 40.Be2 Kb7 41.Nb5 Ra8 42.Nd6+ Kc7 43.Nxf7 White wins.

40.Bb5 Na5 41.Bxd7

• 41.Bf1 Nc4 42.Qg5 Rc8 43.Qe7 Be8 44.Bxc4 dxc4 also wins for White.

41...Nc4

• If 41...Nb3 then 42.Qd3 Rxd7 43.Na4 Rb4 44.Nd2 Nxd4 45.Nc5 wins.

42.Qh6 Rxd7 43.Qf8+ Ka7

• If 43...Kc7 then White wins after 44.Ng5 Rb8 45.Qc5+.

44.Na4 Rb8 45.Qc5+ Kb7 46.Qb4+ Ka7 47.Qc3 Rdb7

• If 47...Rb5 48.Ng5 Rc7 49.Nc5 Kb6 50.Qg3 White will dismantle Black's pawns.

48.Nd2 Rb4 49.Nxc4 1-0

• If 49...Rxc4 50.Qa5+ Kb7 51.Qb6+ Kc8 52.Qa6+ leaves Black in a mating net.
• Vinoth resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Negi - Sangma, Round 6

Parimarjan Negi
Photo by rorkhete from Wikipedia (Creative Commons License, Attribution/Share Alike)


Parimarjan Negi - Rahul Sangma
9th Parsvnath International Open, Round 6
New Delhi, 11 January 2011

Grand Spanish Royal Game: Clam Opening (Bronstein Defense)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0

• For an overview of this opening, see Stefansson-Nataf, Op, Reykjavik, 2010.

5...Qd6 6.d3

• If 6.Na3 Be6 7.Qe2 f6 8.Rd1 then:
• If 8...Bg4 9.c3 then:
• If 9...c5 10.h3 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 Ne7 12.d4 cxd4 13.cxd4 exd4 14.Bf4 Qd7 15.Rac1 then:
• 15...Nc6 16.Nc2 Rd8 17.Qg3 Qf7 18.Bxc7 Rd7 is equal (Solzhenkin-I. Ibragimov, Russian Ch, St. Petersburg, 1998).
• 15...Rc8 16.Nc4 Ng6 is equal (Swinkels-Ragger, Bundesliga 0809, Wattenscheid, 2008).
• If 9...Qe6 10.Nc2 Bd6 11.Ne3 then:
• 11...Ne7 12.d4 Ng6 13.Nxg4 Qxg4 14.h3 Qe6 15.dxe5 Bxe5 16.Nxe5 fxe5 17.Be3 0-0 18.b3 gives White the advantage in space (C. Balogh-Olszewski, Najdorf Mem, Warsaw, 2008).
• 11...Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Ne7 13.Qg4 Qf7 14.d4 0-0 15.Nf5 Nxf5 16.Qxf5 Rfe8 17.Bd2 Rad8 18.b3 a5 19.g3 gives White the advantage in space (Rozentalis-Roamnishin, Op, Bad Godesberg, 1994).
• If 8...0-0-0 9.d4 Bg4 then:
• If 10.Be3 Qe6 11.dxe5 then:
• 11...Rxd1+ 12.Qxd1 Bxa3 13.bxa3 Ne7 14.Nd4 Qd7 15.f3 fxe5 16.fxg4 Rd8 17.c3 c5 18.Bg5 exd4 19.cxd4 cxd4 gives Black fewer pawn weaknesses (Kejo-Ivanchuk, Tal Mem Blitz, Moscow, 2008).
• 11...Re8 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 Bxa3 14.bxa3 fxe5 is equal (Naiditsch-Krasenkow, Euro Ch Playoff (Rpd), Antalya, 2004).
• If 10.c3 Qe6 11.Nc2 Re8 then:
• If 12.Re1 exd4 13.Ncxd4 Qd7 14.h3 Bh5 15.Bf4 Ne7 16.Rad1 c5 17.Nb3 Qc6 18.Bh2 Bf7 19.Qd2 b6 20.e5 then:
• 20...Bg8 21.exf6 gxf6 22.Qd3 c4 23.Nbd4 cxd3 24.Nxc6 gives White the advantage in space (Fester-Sorota, Corres, 2000).
• 20...Ng6 21.e6 Bxe6 22.Nbd4 cxd4 23.Nxd4 Qd7 24.Rxe6 Rxe6 25.Nxe6 Bd6 26.Qe2 gives White more freedom and a huge advantage in space (Gessler-Piccoli, Corres, 2002).
• 12.Qe3 exd4 13.Nfxd4 Qd7 14.Rd3 c5 15.Ne2 Qa4 is equal (Howell-Wells, Op, Gibraltar, 2004).

6...Ne7

• 6...f6 7.Be3 c5 8.Nbd2 Be6 9.Qe2 Ne7 10.c3 Nc6 11.Nb3 Bxb3 12.axb3 Rd8 13.Rfd1 gives White a slight advantage (K. Georgiev-Short, IT, Plovdiv, 1982).

7.Be3

• 7.Nbd2 Ng6 8.Nc4 Qf6 9.d4 exd4 10.Bg5 Qe6 11.Nxd4 Qd7 12.Nf5 gives White the advantage in space (Vi. Gurevich-Curdo, New England, 1992).

7...c5

• If 7...Ng6 8.Nbd2 then:
• 8...Be7 9.d4 exd4 10.Nxd4 Ne5 11.h3 c5 12.N4b3 b6 13.f4 Nc6 14.Qf3 Bb7 is equal (Socko-Gyimesi, EU Ch, Cork, 2005).
• 8...c5 9.a4 b6 10.Nc4 Qe6 11.Ng5 Qf6 12.Qh5 h6 13.Nh3 Bxh3 14.Qxh3 Bd6 15.Qg4 gives White the advantage in space (Kasimdzhanov-Adams, FIDE Knock Out, Tripoli, 2004).

8.Nbd2 Nc6 9.Nc4 Qf6 10.h3 (N)

• 10.c3 Bg4 11.Ncd2 Be7 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Nxf3 0-0 14.Qe2 Rfd8 is equal (Sekulic-Blagojevic, TT, Jahorina, 2001).

10...Bd6

• The game is equal.
• 10...Be6 11.b3 h6 12.a4 0-0-0 is also equal.

11.Kh1 0-0 12.c3

• 12.a4 (slowing Black's queenside expansion) 12...Be6 13.Nxd6 cxd6 14.a5 h6 remains equal.

12...b5 13.Nxd6 Qxd6

• If 13...cxd6 14.Re1 then:
• 14...Re8 15.a3 a5 16.b3 Qg6 17.Nh4 is equal.
• 14...Bb7 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 exd4 17.Nxd4 Ne5 is equal.

14.Qe2 f5 15.exf5!?

• Perhaps White is atempting to rope a dope, but he surrenders the center and opens lines for Black's pieces.
• Objectively better is 15.Rfd1 f4 16.Bc1 when:
• 16...Rb8 17.b3 b4 18.cxb4 cxb4 19.Bb2 Nd4 20.Bxd4 exd4 is equal.
• If 16...h6!? 17.b3 then:
• 17...Be6 18.Bb2 Rae8 19.Qc2 Bf7 20.d4 Bh5 is equal.
• 17...b4 18.Qc2 Qg6 19.cxb4 Nd4 20.Nxd4 cxd4 21.Rg1 gives White a weak extra pawn..

15...Bxf5!

• Black assumes a small advantage in space.

16.Rfd1 Qd5!?

• This is an obvious attempt to control e4.
• Better is 16...Rad8 17.Ne1 Be6 18.Nf3 h6, maintaining Black's advantage.

17.Ng5

• The game is again equal.

17...h6 18.Ne4 c4 19.f3 cxd3 20.Rxd3 Qe6 21.Bg1 Qg6

• 21...Bxe4!? 22.Qxe4 Rad8 23.Rad1 Rxd3 24.Rxd3 gives White a minute advantage in space.

22.Rad1 Bxe4 23.fxe4 Rad8 24.Rd5 Rde8!?

• Black cedes command of the open file to White.
• 24...Rb8 25.Bc5 Rf4 26.Re1 Kh7 27.Rd7 Rc8 28.Qd3 remains equal.
• If 24...Rxd5?! then 25.exd5! Nd8 26.c4 c6 27.Bc5 Re8 28.d6 gives White a menacing passed pawn.

BLACK: Rahul Sangma



WHITE: Parimarjan Negi
Position after 24...Rd8e8

25.a4!

• White takes a small advantage in space.

25...bxa4

• If 25...Rf4?! 26.axb5 axb5 27.Re1 b4 28.Qc4 Kh7 29.cxb4 gives White an extra pawn.

26.Qc4

• Slightly better is 26.Ra1! a5 27.Rxa4 then:
• 27...Kh7 28.Bc5 Rf4 29.Kh2 Rd8 30.Rxd8 Nxd8 31.Qd3 gives White a slight advantage in space.
• If 27...Rb8?! 28.Qc4! Kh7 then:
• 29.b4! axb4 30.cxb4 Qe8 31.b5 Nd4 32.Bxd4 exd4 33.Qd3! wins the d-pawn while the b-pawn remains safe.
• 29.b3!? Rf6 30.Ra1 Rf4 31.Rc5 Rb6 32.Rd1 gives White a slight advantage in space.

26...Kh7 27.Rd7!?

• White goes pawn hunting and misses a better line.
• Better is 27.Qxa4 Rf4 28.Qxa6 Re6 29.Qd3 Rxe4 30.b4, giving White a small advantage in space.

27...Rd8 28.Qxa4 Rxd7 29.Rxd7 Nd8?!

• Black gives White an opportunity to break the game open.
• 29...Rd8 30.Rxd8 Nxd8 31.Bh2 Qd6 32.Qc4 Ne6 is equal.

.

BLACK: Rahul Sangma



WHITE: Parimarjan Negi
Position after 29...Nc6d8

30.Qc4?!

• White misses an opportunity that may not be immediately obvious.
• If 30.Kh2 Qe8 31.Be3 Rf7 32.Rd4! then:
• 32...Qxa4 33.Rxa4 Rf6 34.Ra5 Nf7 35.Rc5 wins a pawn.
• If 32...exd4?? comes up one move short after 33.Qxe8 dxe3 34.Qxd8 when:
• If 34...Rf2 then the pawn falls after 35.e5! Rxb2 36.Qd3+.
• 34...e2 35.Qd2 wins for White.

30...Ne6!

• White must be content with a small advantage in space.

31.Qxa6 Rf6 32.Qe2 Ng5 33.Bh2 Nxe4 34.Bxe5 Re6?!

• Since the White Bishop cannot be prevented from taking on c7, the move is a self-pin.
• Correct is 34...Rf5! 35.Bxc7 Rf2 36.Qg4 Rf1+ 37.Kh2 then:
• 37...Rh1+ 38.Kxh1 Nf2+ 39.Kh2 Nxg4+ 40.hxg4 Qxg4 gives Black a small advantage.
• 37...Nf2?? 38.Qxg6+! Kxg6 39.c4 Rh1+ 40.Kg3! leaves White up by two connect remote passed pawns.

35.Qb5 c6 36.Qb8 Re8??

• This blunder loses immediately.
• Black is still in the game, if barely, after 36...Nf6 37.Bxf6 Qxf6 38.Kh2 c5 39.Rd8 Rb6 40.Rh8+.

BLACK: Rahul Sangma



WHITE: Parimarjan Negi
Position after 36...Re6e8

37.Qxe8!!

• White sacrifices his Queen to cap off the game.

37...Ng3+ 38.Kh2 1-0

• If White takes the Queen, 38...Qxe8, then White emerges a whole Rook to the good after 39.Rxg7+ Kh8 40.Re7+.
• Sangma resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. Steffansson - Kidambi, Round 8

Unheralded Indian GM Sundararajan Kidambi was in the running for first prize until today's round.

This game contains an easy-to-understand yet particularly instructive Bishop ending.



There is no photo of Sundararajan Kidambi available with an internet-friendly copyright
Photo by Jon Sullivan from public-domain-photos.com (Public Domain)


Hannes Stefansson - Sundararajan Kidambi
9th Parsvnath International Open, Round 8
New Delhi, 13 January 2011

Semi-Slav Queen's Gambit (Stoltz Opening)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2

• For an overview of the Stoltz Opening, see Ivanchuk-Aronian, IT, Linares, 2009.

6...Bd6 7.Be2 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b5 10.Bd3

• If 10.Be2 Bb7 11.Rd1 then:
• If 11...Qb8 12.e4 e5 then:
• If 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nd4 then:
• 14...Neg4 15.g3 g6 16.Bf3 is equal (Koneru-Pérez, IT Merida, 2008).
• If 14...Ng6 15.g3 Re8 16.Nf5 then:
• 16...Bf8 17.Bf3 b4 18.Nb1 c5 favors Black since White's queenside is cramped (Evdokimov-Asrian, Euro Ch, Dresden, 2007).
• 16...Bc5 17.a3 a5 18.Bg5 Qe5 19.Bf3 Rac8 20.Bxf6 Qxf6 21.Na4 Bf8 22.Nc5 Ne5 23.Be2 Rc7 24.Nxb7 Rxb7 is equal (Alverez-Scheffner, cyberspace, 2000).
• 13.g3 Re8 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Bg5 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Be5 17.Rd2 h6 draw (Morovic-Fridman, Ol, Calvia, 2004).
• If 11...Qc7 then:
• If 12.e4 e5 13.g3 Rfe8 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Bg5 then:
• 15...b4 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Nxe5 Rxe5 18.Nb1 c5 19.Nd2 Bf8 20.Bg4 Rae8 21.f3 Rg5 22.Bf5 Bd6 23.Nf1 c4 gives Black the advantage in space (Szeberenyi-Pavasovic, Hungarian ChT, Hungary, 2003).
• 15...Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 Qe7 17.Bg2 Be5 18.Ne2 Qb4 19.Rd2 Rad8 20.Rad1 Rxd2 21.Rxd2 Qa5 22.b3 c5 23.Rd1 h6 24.Bd2 Qa6 25.Bc3 Bxc3 26.Nxc3 b4 27.Nd5 Nxd5 28.exd5 Qd6 is equal (Ibragimov-Asrian, Op, Dubai, 2000).
• If 12.Bd2 Rfe8 13.Rac1 a6 14.b4 e5 then:
• 15.h3 h6 16.a3 exd4 17.exd4 Nb6 18.Re1 Nbd5 19.Nxd5 Nxd5 20.Bd3 a5 21.Bh7+ Kh8 22.Be4 gives White the advantage in space (Beliavsky-Pavasovic, Vidmar mem, Terme Zrece, 2003).
• 15.a3 h6 16.Bd3 exd4 17.exd4 Nb6 18.Re1 Rad8 19.Ne2 Nbd5 20.Ng3 Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Ng4 22.Bh7+ Kh8 23.Bf5 gives White the advantage in space (Soltau-Benejam, cyberspace, 2003).

10...Bb7 11.Rd1

• If 11.e4 e5 then:
• If 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Bxe5 14.h3 Re8 15.Be3 Qe7 then:
• 16.Rfd1 a6 17.Ne2 c5 18.Bxc5 Qc7 19.f3 Bxb2 20.Qxb2 Qxc5+ is equal (Krämer-Shirov, Bundesliga 1011, Hamburg, 2010).
• 16.Ne2 Rad8 17.f4 Rxd3 18.Qxd3 Bxb2 19.Rab1 Qxe4 20.Qxe4 Rxe4 21.Rxb2 Rxe3 is equal (Kononenko-Medic, Euro ChW, Warsaw, 2001).
• 12.h3 exd4 13.Nxd4 Nc5 14.Rd1 b4 15.Na4 Nxd3 16.Qxd3 Qa5 is equal (Shen Yang-Wang Yu, Chinese ChW, Xianghua, 2009).

11...Qc7

• 11...Qe7 12.e4 e5 13.Ne2 Rfe8 14.Ng3 g6 15.Bg5 draw (Nieman-Wiley, Op, Goch, 2008).

12.h3

• 12.a3 a5 13.e4 e5 14.Ne2 c5 15.dxc5 Bxc5 16.Be3 draw (Butnorius-Sakalauskas, Lithuanian Ch, Siauliai, 2007).

12...b4 (N)

• 12...a6 13.a4 b4 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Bxe4 Nf6 16.Bd3 c5 gives Black a small advantage in space (Muhammad-Kaufman, World Op, Philadelphia, 2004).

BLACK: Sundararajan Kidambi



WHITE: Hannes Stefansson
Position after 12...b5b4

13.Ne4

• The game is equal.

13...Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Nf6 15.Nd2

• 15.Bd3 c5 16.dxc5 Bxf3 17.gxf3 Bxc5 gives Black a small advantage in space.

15...Rac8 16.b3 c5 17.Bxb7 Qxb7

• The game remains equal.

18.Nc4 Be7 19.Bb2

• 19.dxc5 Bxc5 20.Bb2 Qe7 21.Qe2 Rfd8 remains equal.

19...Rfd8 20.dxc5 Rxd1+

• This is simplest and probably best.
• On the other hand, 20...Rxc5 21.Rxd8+ Bxd8 22.Bd4 Rc7 23.a3 bxa3 24.Rxa3 looks like a lot more fun.

21.Rxd1 Rxc5 22.Bd4 Rc8 23.Qb2 Ne8

• If 23...a6 24.Bxf6 Bxf6 25.Qe2 then:
• If 25...Rd8 26.Rxd8+ Bxd8 27.e4 then:
• If 27...Be7 28.Qe3 h6 then:
• 29.Kh1 Qd7 30.f4 Qd1+ 31.Kh2 Bf8 32.e5 Qd5 33.Nb6 Qc6 remains equal.
• 29.Qd4 Qc7 30.g3 Bc5 31.Qd3 Qc6 32.Ne5 Bxf2+ 33.Kxf2 Qc5+ gives Black a slim advantage.
• 27...Bg5 28.Nd6 Qc6 29.e5 Qc1+ 30.Kh2 Qd2 remains equal.
• 25...Be7 26.e4 Qc7 27.e5 Rd8 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 remains equal.

24.Qe2 Rd8 25.Rc1 Rc8 26.Rc2 Qa6!?

• Black pins White's Rook, but leaves the b-pawn weak.
• If 26...Rc7 27.e4 Nf6 28.Bxf6 Bxf6 29.Nd6 Rxc2 30.Qxc2 remains equal.

27.Qd1!?

• White takes no action against the b-pawn.
• If 27.e4 Bf8 28.e5 Rd8 29.Qe3 Rd7 30.Bc5 gives White a slight advantage in space.

27...f6!?

• Black is somewhat cramped on the queenside.
• 27...Nd6 28.Nxd6 Rxc2 29.Qxc2 Bxd6 30.e4 Bf8 remains equal.

BLACK: Sundararajan Kidambi



WHITE: Hannes Stefansson
Position after 27...f7f6

28.e4

• The engines really like this move, but it really gets White nothing.
• If 28.Rd2 e5 29.Bb2 Qe6 30.a3! then:
• 30...e4 31.axb4 a6 32.Bc3 Nc7 33.Nd6 gives White the advantage in that his pieces are much more active.
• If 30...bxa3!? 31.Bxa3 Rxc4 then:
• 32.Bxe7! Rc3 33.Rd7 a5 34.Rb7 gives White more activity.
• 32.bxc4?! Bxa3! 33.Rd8 Qc6 34.Qg4 Kf8 35.Rc8 Qa4 gives Black the advantage with the more remote passer.

28...Nd6!?

• Black fails to keep the game balanced.
• If 28...Nc7! (protecting the e-pawn) 29.Be3 then:
• If 29...Nb5 30.e5 then:
• 30...Qc6! 31.Qg4 f5 32.Qg3 Rd8 remains equal.
• 30...fxe5 31.Qg4 Kh8 32.Qh5 Qc6 33.Rd2 gives White a significant advantage with more space and an attack on two pawns.
• 29...Rd8?! 30.Rd2! Rxd2 31.Qxd2 Nb5 32.Qd7 gives White a strong initiative which Black must play extremely carefully.

29.Nxd6!

• White double attacks the Rook and assumes a significant advantage.

29...Rxc2

• Obviously forced.

30.Qxc2 Bxd6 31.f3!?

• White should move his Bishop to a more flexible post.
• 31.Be3 Qb7 32.Qc4 Kf7 33.Qd4 Be7 34.e5 gives White a small advantage in space.

31...Kf7!

• The game is again equal.
• 31...Qb7 32.Be3 Qd7 33.f4 Kh8 gives White a small advantage in the center.
• If 31...e5 then 32.Be3 Qb7 33.Qd3 Bf8 34.Kh1 a6 35.Qc4+ gives White a very slight advantage.

32.Kf2 Ke7 33.g3!?

• This lackluster move presents Black an opportunity.
• 33.Be3 Kf8 34.Kg1 Ke7 35.f4 g6 36.Qd2 Qb7 remains equal.

BLACK: Sundararajan Kidambi



WHITE: Hannes Stefansson
Position after 33.g2g3

33...e5!?

• Black closes the center without taking action.
• 33...Bxg3+ 34.Kxg3 Qd6+ 35.Kf2 Qxd4+ gives Black an extra pawn.

34.Be3 h5

• The game is equal.
• 34...Qb7!? 35.Qc4! Kf8 36.f4 exf4 37.gxf4 Ke7 38.Ke2 a5 39.f5 gives White a slight advantage.

35.h4

• If 35.Ke1!? Ke8 36.Qd1 then:
• 36...Ke7 37.Qd2 Qc8 38.g4 hxg4 39.hxg4 a5 is drawish.
• 36...Be7 37.f4 exf4 38.Qxh5+ Kf8 39.Qh8+ Kf7 40.Bxf4 is also drawish.
• 35.Kg1 g6 36.Bf2 Qb5 37.h4 a6 38.Kg2 Kf7 is a lifeless position.

35...g6 36.f4 exf4

• 36...Kd7 37.Qd2 Qc6 38.fxe5 fxe5 39.Qd3 remains equal.

37.gxf4 Kd7 38.Qd2 Ke7 39.Bd4

• 39.e5 fxe5 40.fxe5 Bxe5 41.Qxb4+ Kd7 42.a4 remains equal.

39...Kf7 40.Kg3 Be7 41.Be3

• 41.Qc2 Kf8 42.e5 fxe5 43.fxe5 Qe6 remains equal.

41...Qe6 42.Qd5 f5

• 42...Qxd5 43.exd5 a6 44.Kf3 f5 45.Kg3 Bd6 remains equal.

43.Qxe6+ Kxe6 44.Kf3?!

• Black gets far more from this exchange than White as White's queenside majority is under restraint.
• 44.e5 a6 45.Bf2 Kd5 46.Bb6 Ke6 47.Bd4 Kd5 remains equal.

44...Bxh4 45.Bxa7

BLACK: Sundararajan Kidambi



WHITE: Hannes Stefansson
Position after 45.Be3a7:p

45...Be7!

• The Bishop finds its ideal post. From here, the Bishop:
  • Covers the b-pawn;
  • Covers h4, the passed pawn's next stop on its way to queenhood; and
  • Blockades White's e-pawn, if and when White plays e4e5.
• If 45...fxe4+!? 46.Kxe4 Be1 then:
• If 47.Bg1 h4 48.Kf3 Kf5 then:
• If 49.Be3! h3 50.Bc5 then:
• 50...Ke6 51.Bg1 Kd5 52.Bh2 Bc3 53.Kg4 Ke4 gives Black a small advantage in space.
• 50...h2!? 51.Kg2! Kxf4 52.Kxh2 is essentially equal as Black's g-pawn is balanced by White's ability to pass one of his queenside pawns.
• 49.Bc5?! Bd2! 50.Bf2 Bxf4 51.Bxh4 g5! 52.Be1 g4+ 53.Kg2 Bd6 gives Black a clear advantage, but it is not yet a decisive one.
• 47.Bd4 h4 48.Kf3 h3 49.Bg1! gives Black only a small advantage in space.

46.Bf2!?

• White's best shot iks to create his own passer.
• 46.e5 g5 47.fxg5 Bxg5 48.Bb8 Bd2 still leaves Black better, but Black must use some energy to blockade White's e-pawn.

46...Bd6!?

• Black misses the opportunity to end once and for all White's ability to inconvenience him with a passed pawn.
• 46...fxe4+! 47.Kxe4 h4 48.Kf3 Kf5 49.Bd4 Bd6! forces White to use all of his resources into stopping the h-pawn.

47.Bh4!?

• Again, 47.e5! should be played.

47...Be7 48.Bf2 h4 49.Be1 h3!?

• 49...fxe4+! 50.Kxe4 h3 51.Kf3 Kf5 52.Bf2 h2 gives a tremendous initiative as another passer will rise to take the place of the on e about to fall.

50.exf5+?

• This was the last chance to play 50.e5!.
• If 50.e5 Kd5 then:
• 51.Bd2! Kd4 52.Be1 Kd3 53.Bf2 h2! 54.Kg2 Ke4 gives Black a clear advantage, but White's passed pawn must be watched closely.
• If 51.Bg3?! then after the pawn sacrifice 51...g5!! 52.fxg5 Bxg5 53.Bh2 Bh4 54.Kf4 Ke6 gives Black a strong advantage.

50...Kxf5 51.Bf2

• White is lost.
• 51.Bg3 Bd6 52.Bh2 g5! wins at least the pawn and then wins the game.

BLACK: Sundararajan Kidambi



WHITE: Hannes Stefansson
Position after 51.Be1f2

51...h2!

• The threat to queen is well timed. White must abandon the defense of the f-pawn and allow Black time to bring his King to the other wing.

52.Kg2 Kxf4 53.Bg3+ Ke3 54.Bxh2

• No better is 54.Kxh2 Kf3 55.Be5 g5 when:
• 56.Kg1 Bc5+ 57.Kf1 Bf2 58.Bb8 g4 59.Bd6 g3 Black threatens mate on the next move, forcing White to surrender his Bishop.
• 56.Bb8 Bc5 57.Be5 g4 58.Bc7 Bf2 it will cost White the Bishop to stop the g-pawn, and that will leaves Black's King closer to the remaining pawns.

54...Kd3

• The King attacks White's queenside.

55.Kf3

• White's King will arrive just in time to cover the b-pawn.

55...Kc2 56.Ke2 Kb2 57.Kd3 Kxa2

• Black wins because his pawn rams against White's last pawn while resting on a dark squre, where it can be protected by the Bishop.

58.Kc2

• Black's winning plan is twofold:
• First, he will exchange the g-pawn, which otherwise cannot be stopped, for the Bishop; if the g-pawn is not exchanged, it will Queen.
• Then, usiong the reserve tempo in the extra Bishop if needed, he will force the White King away from the White pawn, which falls and clears a path for the Black pawn.
• If 58.Kc4 g5 59.Be5 g4 60.Bh2 Kb2 then:
• If 61.Be5+ Kc2 62.Bf4 Kd1 63.Kd3 Ke1 then:
• If 64.Bg3+ Kf1 65.Ke3 Bc5+ 66.Kd3 Bf2 then:
• 67.Bd6 g3 68.Bxg3 Bxg3 69.Kc4 Bd6 wins for Black.
• If 67.Bxf2 Kxf2 68.Kc4 g3 69.Kxb4 g2 70.Kc4 g1Q 71.b4 Ke3 then:
• If 72.Kd5 then White is soon mated after 72...Qc1 73.b5 Qf1 74.Kc5 Ke4 75.b6 Qf8+ 76.Kc6 Qf6+ 77.Kc5 Qd4+.
li]If 72.Kc5 Ke4+ 73.Kc6 Kd4 then 74.b5 Qg6+ 75.Kc7 Kc5 76.Kd7 Qf7+ 77.Kc8 Qe7 Black mates in two.
• If 74.Kb6 then 74...Kc4+ 75.Ka5 Qa7#.
• 64.Bb8 Kf2 65.Be5 g3 66.Bxg3+ Kxg3 leaves White unable to either defend his pawn or take Black's.
• 61.Bg3 Kc2 62.Bf4 Kd1 then:
• If 63.Kd3 Ke1 64.Bg3+ Kf1 65.Be5 Kg2 66.Ke3 g3 then:
• If 67.Kf4 Bc5 68.Kg4 Bf2 69.Bc7 Kf1 then:
• If 70.Bxg3 then 70...Bxg3 71.Kxg3 Ke2 wins for Black.
• If 70.Bd6 then 70...g2! 71.Bxb4 g1Q+ wins.
• If 67.Bf4 Bf8 68.Kd3 Kf2 69.Bxg3+ Kxg3 even though White's King arrives first, he can neither take Black's pawn nor prevent Black from taking his.
• 63.Kd5 Ke2 64.Bc7 Kf3 65.Ke6 Bh4 66.Ke5 Bg3+ wins the defending Bishop.

58...g5 59.Bg3 Bc5 60.Be5 g4 61.Bg3 Ka3 0-1

• Hannes resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. Ni Hua - S. Grover, Round 2

Indian IMs continue to impress. In this game, Sahaj Grover takes down world class GM Ni Hua.



There is no photo of Sahaj Grover available with an internet-friendly copyright
Photo by Jon Sullivan from public-domain-photos.com (Public Domain)


Ni Hua - Sahaj Grover
9th Parsvnath International Open, Round 2
New Delhi, 8 January 2011

Closed French Game: Tarrasch Opening

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.Nf4

• If 9.exf6 Nxf6 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Nf3 then:
• If 11...Qc7 12.Bg5 0-0 then:
• If 13.Rc1 Ng4 14.Ng3 g6 15.Nh4 then:
• If 15...e5 16.Be2 Nf6 17.dxe5 Bxe5 18.b4 Bf4 19.Bxf4 Qxf4 20.b5 Nb4 21.Nxg6 hxg6 22.a3 Be6 23.axb4 Qxb4 then:
• 24.Qd3 Kg7 25.Qe3 Qd6 26.Bd3 gives White stronger pawns and the advantage in space (Geller-Dolatov, Moscow, 1985).
• 24.Rc7 Rf7 25.Qc2 Kg7 26.Rxf7+ Bxf7 27.Qc7 White's active Queen tilts the game heavily in his favor (Garbett-Wallace, TT, Aukland, 1992).
• 15...Nf6 16.Qd2 Rf7 17.h3 Bd7 18.Nf3 Qb6 19.Be3 gives White a small advantage in space (Geller-Vaisser, IT, New Delhi, 1987).
• If 13.Bh4 Nh5 14.Qc2 h6 15.Bh7+ Kh8 16.Bg6 then:
• 16...Rxf3 17.Bxh5 Rf8 18.Bg3 Bd7 19.Rac1 Rf6 20.Qd2 Raf8 21.Rc3 Be8 22.Bxe8 Rxe8 23.b4 Qb8 24.a3 Ref8 25.Qe3 is equal (Vachier Lagrave-Ganguly, Masters', Gibraltar, 2009).
• 16...Nf4 17.Nxf4 Bxf4 18.Bg3 Bd7 19.Rad1 Qb6 20.Rfe1 Rac8 21.Qb1 Bxg3 22.hxg3 Rf6 23.Bh5 Be8 24.Bxe8 Rxe8 is equal (Pogonina-Rakhmanov Op, Moscow, 2006).
• If 11...Qb6 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Be3 Bd7 then:
• 14.a3 Be8 15.Ng5 Ne7 16.h3 Bc7 17.Qc2 Bg6 18.Bxg6 Nxg6 19.Rac1 Rac8 is equal (Mogranzini-De Val, Italian ChT, Arvier, 2010).
• 14.Re1 Kh8 15.a3 Be8 16.Ng5 Bh5 17.Qb1 Nxd4 18.h3 e5 19.Bxh7 e4 20.Qa2 Nxh7 21.Nxh7 Rf5 leaves the Kniht at h7 no quarter (van der Wiel-Ree, Dutch Ch, Hilversum, 1985).

9...Nxd4 10.Qh5+ Ke7 11.exf6+ Nxf6 12.Ng6+ hxg6 13.Qxh8 Kf7 14.0-0

• If 14.Qh4 e5 15.Nf3 then:
• If 15...Nxf3+ 16.gxf3 Bf5 17.Bxf5 gxf5 18.Bg5 then:
• If 18...Qa5+ 19.Kf1 g6 20.Bxf6 Qa6+ 21.Kg2 Qxf6 22.Qa4 then:
• If 22...Qc6 23.Qb3 then:
• 23...Bh6 24.Rad1 (24.Rhd1 Rd8 25.Rd3 Kf6 26.Rc3 Qd7 27.Rc5 b6 28.Rb5 d4 is equal (Belov-Kosyrev, Chigoin Mem, St. Petersburg, 2001).
**24...Rd8 25.Rd3 Kf6 26.Rc3 Qd7 27.Qc2 d4 28.Rc7 Qd5 is equal (Ni Hua-Wang Hao, IT, Singapore, 2006).
• 23...Bc5 24.Rac1 b6 25.Rhe1 Kf6 26.Qe3 Qd6 27.Qh6 a5 28.Rg1 Qf8 is equal (Kurnosov-Iljushin, Russia Cup, Samara, 2002).
• 22...Qe6 23.Rad1 b6 24.Rhe1 Be7 25.Rc1 Bd6 26.Rc6 e4 27.Kf1 f4 28.fxe4 Re8 29.Qb3 Kf8 30.e5 Black resigns in the face of losing at least a Bishop (Miroshnichenko-Nosenko, Ukrainian Ch, Ordzhonikidze, 2002).
• 18...Rc8 19.0-0 Rc4 20.Qh3 Qd7 21.Rad1 Qe6 22.Rfe1 Nd7 23.Re2 a5 24.f4 a4 gives White more material and Black more space (Timman-Morzevich, IT A, Wijk aan Zee, 2000).
• 15...e4? 16.Nxd4 Bb4+ 17.Bd2 Bxd2+ 18.Kxd2 Qa5+ 19.Kd1 exd3 20.Nb3 Qc7 21.Rc1 Qe5 22.Re1 Bg4+ gives Black the better game (Furguson-Mossison, 4NCL, Birmingham, 2001).

14...e5 15.Nb3 Nxb3 16.axb3 Bf5

• 16...e4 17.Bb1 Nh5 18.Be3 Bf5 19.b4 Qc7 renders Wite's Queen useless while Black enjoys the advantage in space (Heredia-Xhang Xiaowen, World Jr ChW, Puerto Madryn, 2009).

17.Bxf5 gxf5 18.Bg5 Bc5

• 18...Be7 19.Qh3 Qd7 20.b4 Bxb4 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Rfd1 gives White a small advantage in space (Sorass-Simonson, Op, Tromsø, 2006).

19.Qh3 Qd7 20.Bxf6 Kxf6 21.Rac1 Bb6

• 21...Bd4 22.Rc2 Rc8 23.Rfc1 Rxc2 24.Rxc2 leaves White with a slight advantage in space.

22.Rc3 g6 23.Qh4+ Ke6 24.g4?!

• If 24.Re1 e4 then:
• If 25.g4?! 25...Rf8! 26.Rec1 Qe7 then:
• 27.Qh6 fxg4 28.Qxg6+ Ke5 gives Black more space and a menacing threat to f2 (T. Horvath-Barsov, Op, Val Thorens, 1996).
• 27.g5 d4 28.Rc4 Qg7 29.Qg3 Qe5 gives Black the advantage in space and an advanced passer.
• 25.Rec1 d4 26.Rc4 Rd8 27.Qh6 Kf6 is equal.

24...f4!

• Black has only one pawn for the exchange, but he has connected passers in the center as compensation.

BLACK: Sahaj Grover



WHITE: Ni Hua
Position after 24.g2g4

25.Rfc1 Rg8!?

• Black should cover the pawn with the Queen and reserve the Rook to occupy an open file or get behind a passed pawn.
• 25...Qf7! 26.R3c2 e4 27.Rd1 Rd8 28.Qh3 f3 gives Black a clear advantage in space.

26.Qh3!?

• White misses the opporunity to level the game.
• If 26.g5 Qf7 27.R3c2 e4 then:
• 28.Qh3+ Qf5 29.Qh7 Rd8 30.Qxb7 Qxg5+ is equal
• 28.Kh1 Rd8 29.Rc8 Rxc8 30.Rxc8 e3 gives Black the advantage as the e-pawn inches closer to its promotion point.

26...e4!?

• It's not the best move and is really unncessarily risky.
• Better is 26...Qf7! 27.b4 e4! 38.R3c2 Rd8 29.b3 f3 gives Black the advantage as mthe center pawn mass is mobile.

27.Rc8?!

• This move is about as bad as one can make without lowering it to the level of a blunder.
• 27.R3c2 does little better as 27...Re8 28.Kf1 Kd6 29.Qh4 Qe6 30.Qg5 f3 contiues to give Black a comfortable advantage.
• White's best retort is 27.g5+! Kd6 28.Qh4 Qf5 29.Rf1 e3 with equality.

27...Rxc8 28.Rxc8 Kd6!?

• When in doubt, play aggressively.
• After 28...e3 29.fxe3 Kd6 30.Rc2 Bxe3 Black continues to enjoy a comfortable advantage with more pawns, stronger pawns and a pssed pawn.

29.Rf8 f3!?

• 29...Qe6 30.Kf1 e3 31.fxe3 fxe3 32.Qf3 d4 demonstrates the potential strength of Black's center pawn duo.

30.Rf6+ Kc5 31.Rxg6 Qb5 32.Qg3?

• This is a horrible waste of time. White will have make amends immediately since Black, as a result of this move, threatens mate in two.
• If 32.Qf1 Qe2 33.Qa1 Kd4 34.Qc1 Ba5 35.Rd6 Bd2 is equal.

BLACK: Sahaj Grover



WHITE: Ni Hua
Position after 32.Qh3g3

32...Qa5!

• This is the strongest move. It wins quickly and threatens 33...Qe1#.
• IAlso good is 32...Qxb3 (threatening 33...Qd1#) 33.Qh3 Qxb2 34.Qf1 Qe2 35.h4 Qd2, but the test is stronger.

33.h4

• White is lost.
• If 33.Qh3 Qd2 34.Qf1 Kb4 35.h4 Kxb3 then:
• If 36.Rf6 Kxb2 then:
• If 37.g5 then Black wins after 37...Ka2 38.g6 Bc7 39.g7 e3 40.Rxf3 e2.
• No better is 37.Qb5+ Kc1 38.Qf1+ Kc2 39.Rf8 Bc5 40.Rf7 e3 when Black wins easily.
• 36.Rd6 loses quickly to 36...Kc2 37.Re6 Qf4.

33...Bc7! 0-1

• If 34.b4+ then 34...Kxb4 35.Qh3 Qa1+ 36.Qf1 Bh2+ wins.
• Grandmaster Ni resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Kidabmbi - Kuzubov, Round 10

Yuriy Kuzubov
Photo by Tomasz Tokarski from Wikipedia (Public Domain)


Sundararajan Kidambi - Yuriy Kuzubov
9th Parsvnath International Open, Round 10
New Delhi, 15 January 2011

West India Game: Indian Queen's Gambit (Catalan Opening) (Grünfeld Defense)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bg2 Bg7 6.Nf3 Nb6 7.Nc3

• For more about this opening, see Potkin-Areshchenko, Bundesliga 0910, Katernberg, 2010.

7...0-0 8.0-0 Nc6 9.d5

• If 9.e3 Re8 then:
• If 10.d5 Na5 11.Nd4 Bd7 12.e4 c6 then:
• If 13.Re1 cxd5 14.exd5 Rc8 then:
• If 15.Bf4 then:
• If 15...Nac4 16.b3 Nd6 then:
• 17.Qd2 Nf5 18.Nde2 h6 19.h4 h5 20.Rac1 gives White a slight advantage in space (Kuljasevic-Kozul, Croatian Ch, Zagreb, 2004).
• 17.Rc1 Bg4 18.Qd2 Rxc3 19.Qxc3 Nb5 20.Nxb5 Bxc3 21.Nxc3 Qd7 gives Black a slim advantage in space (v. Filippov-I. Johannesson, Euro Club Cup, Izmir, 2004).
• 15...h6 16.h4 h5 17.Bg5 Nac4 18.b3 Nd6 19.Rc1 Nf5 20.Nde2 Rc5 is equal (Romanko-Ushenina, Russian ChTW, Dagomys, 2010).
• If 15.Rb1 Nac4 16.b3 Nd6 17.Bb2 then:
• 17...Na8 18.Nce2 Qa5 19.a4 Bg4 20.h3 Bxe2 21.Nxe2 Bxb2 22.Rxb2 Nb6 23.Nf4 Qb4 is equal (Tkachiev-Gopal, Ol, Dresden, 2008).
• 17...Rc5 18.Rc1 Qc8 19.Qd3 Bh3 20.Ba3 Bxg2 21.Kxg2 Rc7 22.Ncb5 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Qg4 24.Nxd6 exd6 is equal (Bocharov-Predojevic, Aeroflot Op, Moscow, 2007).
• 13.Bf4 Bc8 14.Nde2 cxd5 15.exd5 e5 16.Bc1 Nac4 17.b3 Nd6 18.a4 Bg4 is equal (Smejkal-Khalifman, Bundesliga 9900, Germany, 1999).
• If 10.Re1 a5 11.Qe2 then:
• If 11...e5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 Bxe5 14.e4 Be6 15.f4 then:
• 15...Bd4+ 16.Be3 Nc4 17.Bf2 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Qd2 19.Qxd2 Nxd2 20.f5 gxf5 21.exf5 Bxf5 22.Bxb7 gives White a small advantage with two Bishops patrolling an open center (Hirneise-Gopal, Masters', Gibraltar, 2010).
• 15...Bg7 16.Be3 Qe7 17.e5 Rab8 18.Ne4 Red8 19.Bc5 Qd7 20.Rad1 Qe8 21.Nd6 cxd6 22.Bxb6 dxe5 23.Bxd8 Rxd8 24.Rxd8 Qxd8 25.fxe5 Bxa2 26.Kh1 Qb6 27.Rd1 draw (Rogozenco-Areshchenko, Bundesliga 0910, Bremen, 2009).
• 11...Be6 12.Nd2 a4 13.Rd1 Na5 14.Nde4 Bc4 15.Qc2 Nc6 16.Nc5 has Black tied up in knots attempting to defend unmoved pawns (S. Brunello-Alsina Leal, Ol, Khanty-Mansiysk, 2010).

9...Na5 10.e4

• If 10.Qc2 c6 11.dxc6 Nxc6 12.Rd1 then:
• If 12...Qe8 13.Be3 Bf5 14.Qc1 Rc8 then:
• 15.Bh6 e5 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.b3 Qe7 18.Qb2 f6 19.Rac1 Rfd8 is equal (Ribli-Vachier Lagrave, Bundesliga 0809, Tegernsee, 2009).
• 15.Nd4 Bd7 16.Ndb5 Nc4 17.Bf4 N6e5 18.Nd4 b5 19.b3 Nb6 20.Bxe5 Bxe5 is equal (Romanishin-Mamedyarov, Euro ChT, León, 2001).
• If 12...Bf5 13.e4 Bd7 14.Bf4 Rc8 15.Qe2 Qe8 then:
• 16.h3 Be6 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 Nb4 19.Ne1 Qd7 20.Qd2 Na6 draw (Tukmakov-Khalifman, Soviet Ch, 1st League, Simferopol, 1988).
• 16.Nd5 Na4 17.Rd2 Nc5 18.Rad1 e5 19.Bg5 Bg4 20.Qe3 Nd7 21.Qa3 gives White the advantage in space (Chiburdanidze-T. Bae, Euro Ch, Batumi, 2002).

10...c6 11.Bf4

• If 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bf4 cxd5 then:
• If 13.exd5 Nac4 14.Qe2 g5 15.Bc1 then:
• If 15...Bg4 16.h3 Bh5 then:
• If 17.g4 Bg6 18.h4 then:
• 18...Qd7 19.hxg5 Qxg4 20.gxh6 Bf6 21.Re1 Rac8 22.Ne4 Qxe4 23.Qxe4 Bxe4 24.Rxe4 Nxd5 draw (Krogius-Hort, IT, Varna, 1969).
• 18...Bxc3 19.bxc3 f6?! 20.hxg5 hxg5!? 21.Nd4 Ne5 22.Ne6 gives White an impressive advantage in space (Tshekov-Chernyakhovsky, Corres, 1990).
• 17.Re1 Re8 18.a4 a5 19.g4 Bg6 20.h4 e6 21.hxg5 exd5 22.Qxe8+ Qxe8 23.Rxe8+ Rxe8 24.gxh6 is equal (Krogius-Tukmakov, Soviet Ch, Leningrad, 1971).
• 15...e6 16.h4 g4 17.Nh2 exd5 18.Nxg4 d4 19.Nxh6+ Bxh6 20.Bxh6 dxc3 21.Rad1 Qf6 22.Bxf8 Kxf8 23.bxc3 Whites's pieces work in better harmony (Wojtkiewicz-Kindermann, Op, Debrecen, 1990).
• 13.Nxd5 Nac4 14.Nc7 Rb8 15.Qxd8 Rxd8 16.Rad1 Bg4 17.b3 Rxd1 18.Rxd1 Ne5 19.Bxe5 Bxe5 is equal.(Romanishin-Ftacnik, Euro Ch, Istanbul, 2003).

11...Nac4

• If 11...cxd5 12.exd5 Nac4 13.Qe2 then:
• If 13...Nxb2 then:
• If 14.Qxb2 Na4 15.Nxa4 Bxb2 16.Nxb2 Qxd5 17.Rfe1 Qb5 18.Nd1 Re8 19.Nc3 Qa5 20.Rac1 then:
• 20...f6 21.Nd2 g5 22.Nb3 Qa6 23.Bf1 Qa3 24.Be3 b6 is equal (Urban-Staniszewski, Polish Ch, Polanica Zdroj, 1999).
• If 20...Be6?! then:
• If 21.Rxe6?! fxe6! 22.Bh3 then:
• If 22...Rec8!? 23.Bxe6+ Kf8 then:
• 24.Ne4? Rxc1+! 25.Bxc1 Rd8 gives Black a sturdy material advantage (Rogers-Yang Xian, ZT, Djakarta, 1993).
• 24.Rd1 Rd8 25.Nd5 Rd6 26.Bxd6 exd6 27.Rc1 is equal.
• 22...Rf8 23.Bxe6+ Kg7 24.Kg2 Rxf4 25.gxf4 Qa3 gives Black the material edge and the initiative.
• 21.Nd4! Bc8 22.Nd5 Bh3 23.Rxe7 Red8 24.Re5 gives White the kind of piece center of which most grandmasters can only dream.
• If 14.Rac1 N2c4 15.Nb5 then:
• If 15...Nd6 16.Nc7 Rb8 then:
• If 17.Rfe1 Bf6 18.Bh6 then:
• 18...Bd7? 19.Bxf8 Kxf8 20.Rc2 Rc8 21.Ne6+ fxe6 22.Rxc8 Qxc8 23.dxe6 Bb5 Black goes on to win (Arsovic-Sarenac, Serbian Ch Qual, Belgrade, 2007).
• 18...Bg7! 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Nd4 Bf5 21.Nxf5+ Nxf5 22.g4
• 17.Bg5 Bf6 18.Bxf6 exf6 19.Nd4 Bd7 20.Rc2 Na8 gives Black a slight advantage in space after the Knights are exchanged.
• 15...Bd7 16.Nc7 Rc8 17.Rxc4!! Nxc4 18.Qxc4 Bf5 19.Rc1 Bb2 20.Re1 gives White a noticeable advantage in space.
• If 13...Bg4 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Bxf3 Rc8 16.Rac1 then:
• 16...Nd6 17.Rfe1 Re8 18.Qd3 Nf5 19.Be4 gives White a slight advantage in space (Neverov-Zezulkin, Op, Seidnica, 1997).
• 16...Qd7 17.Bg4 f5 18.Bf3 Nxb2 19.Qxb2 Rxc3 20.Rxc3 Na4 21.Rc7 Black, down a Rook and facing more material loss, resigns (Wojtkiewicz-Vegh, Op, Geneva, 1999).
• If 13...Bf5 14.Rac1 Rc8 then:
• If 15.b3 Nd6 16.Be5 Bh6 17.Rcd1 then:
• 17...Qd7 18.Bd4 Bg4 19.h3 Nf5 20.hxg4 Nxd4 21.Nxd4 Rxc3 22.Rfe1 Nc8 23.Bh3 Rc5 24.Ne6!! fxe6 25.g5! Black resigns as he must lose material and allow White total command of the board (Kransenkow-Dvoirys, It, Podolsk, 1993).
• 17...Re8 18.Bd4 Bg4 19.h3 Nf5 20.Be5 Bxf3 21.Qxf3 f6 gives Black a Small advantage in space (Salo-Holmsten, Op, Turku, 1999).
• 15.Nh4 Bd7 16.b3 Nd6 17.Be5 Bg4 18.f3 Bxe5 19.Qxe5 gives White a slight advantage in space (Lin Weiguo-Ye Jiangchuan, IT, Beijing, 1997).

12.Qb3

• 12.Qe2 Bg4 13.h3 e5 14.dxe6 Bxe6 15.Rac1 h6 16.g4 gives White dome advantage in the center (Lin Weiguo-Ftacnik, IT, Beijing, 1996).

12...e5

• 12...cxd5 13.exd5 Bf5 14.Rad1 Rc8 15.Bc1 Nd6 16.Rfe1 Nbc4 gives Black a slight advantage with stronger pawns (Szoen-Gluszko, Najdorf Mem Op, Grodzisk Mazowiecki, 2007).

13.Bg5

• The game is equal.

13...f6 14.Nd2

• 14.Bc1 cxd5 15.exd5 Nd6 16.Rd1 remains equal.

14...Na5 15.Qb4 fxg5

• 15...Nxd5 16.exd5 fxg5 17.Rad1 gives White a slight advantage.

16.Qxa5 Bd7

• The game remains equal.
• 16...g4 17.Rad1 Bd7 18.Qc5 Qg5 19.Nc4 Nxc4 20.Qxc4 gives White a slight tactical advantage; he is threatening to create a passed pawn with dicovered check.

17.Rad1 Qe7!?

• There isn't a lot the Queen can do at e7 that she can't do at d8, but first Black should open a line for it.
• If 17...g4 (both clearing g5 for the Queen and restraining White's kingside) 18.Qc5 Rf7 19.dxc6 then:
• 19...bxc6 20.Nc4 Nxc4 21.Qxc4 Qe7 is equal.
• 19...Bxc6 20.Nc4 Nd7 21.Qe3 Qe7 22.Na5 is equal.

18.Nb3

• White has a small advantage in space.

18...Rf6

• If 18...Rf7 19.Nc5 Bg4 20.f3 Bc8 then:
• 21.b3 Nd7 22.Nd3 b6 23.Qb4 c5 24.Qa3 gives White a small advantage in space and a passed pawn that will distract Black.
• 21.dxc6 bxc6 22.b3 Rb8 23.Nd3 Rb7 24.Qc5 gives White a small advantage, mostly in space.

19.Nc5 Bg4 20.Rd3?!

• White's defense would be less burdensome if Black's Bishop were somewhere else.
• If 20.f3! Bc8 21.b3 then:
• If 21...Bf8 22.Nd3 Qc7 23.b4 cxd5 then:
• 24.Rc1 Qc4 25.Nxd5 Qd4+ 26.Kh1 gives White a small advantage in space.
• 24.Nxd5!? Nxd5 25.Qxd5+ Be6 26.Qxe5 Qxe5 27.Nxe5 is equal.
• 21...Qf7 22.Nd3 Qe7 23.Qc5 Qxc5+ 24.Nxc5 retards White's development by theatening b7.

20...Bf8

• Black has more freedom and seizes the initiative by threatening the Knight.

21.b4?!

• White misses the strength of Black's next move.
• If 21.h3! then after 21...Bc8 22.N3a4 Nc4 23.Qc3 b5 Black continues to enjoy more freedom.

BLACK: Yuriy Kuzubov



WHITE: Sundararajan Kidambi
Position after 21.b2b4

21...Nc4!!

• Black plays a brilliant tactical maneuver that should net him a Rook.

22.Qa4 Nb2!

• White must win the Rook.

23.Qb3 Nxd3 24.dxc6+

• 24.Nxd3 Kh8 25.f3 Bc8 26.Qb2 Bg7 27.Rd1 Rd6 puts White's pawn chain under restraint.

24...Qf7?!

• What a shame! Black misplays the tail end of his maneuver and returns the Rook to White.
• Better is 24...Be6! 25.cxb7 Rb8 26.Nxe6 Qxe6 when:
• 27.Nd5 Rf7 28.Qxd3 Rbxb7 29.a3 g4 leaves Black up by a Rook with considerably more freedom.
• If 27.Qxe6+? then Black wins after 27...Rxe6! 28.Rb1 Rc6 29.Nd5 Rxb7 30.Bf1 Rc1.

25.cxb7

• Better is 25.Qxf7+! Rxf7 26.Nxd3 Bd6 27.h3 Be6 28.Nb5 Bb8, giving Black a small advantage derived from several elements, but most notably Black has a free and happy light bound Bishop whereas White's only Bishop is fianchettoed and blocked by its own pawn.

25...Qxb3 26.bxa8Q!

• White gets the Queen back.
• If 26.axb3!? Rb8 27.Nxd3 Rxb7 28.Nxe5 Be6 29.Nd3 Rff7 gives White a small advantage.

BLACK: Yuriy Kuzubov



WHITE: Sundararajan Kidambi
Position after 26.ba8Q:R

26...Qxc3!

• Any other move loses.

27.Qd5+

• The game is equal.
• 27.Qd8? loses to 27...Rd6 28.Qxg5 Be2 29.Nxd3 Rxd3 30.Rc1 Be7.

27...Kg7 28.Nxd3 Be6!

• Black takes the initiative.
• If 28...Be2?! 29.Nxe5! Bxf1 30.Bxf1 Be7 31.b5 is equal.

29.Qd8 Rf7 30.Rc1 Qd2 31.Rc7!?

• White gains nothing from the proposed Rook exchange.
• 31.Qe8 Qxd3 32.Qxe6 Qd4 33.a3 Rxf2 34.Kh1 a5 remains equal.

31...Bxb4!

• This is the only practical move.
• If 31...Bxa2!? 32.b5! Bb4 33.Bf1 then:
• 33...Bc3! 34.Rxc3 Qxc3 35.Qxg5 gives White enough activity to compenate for the exchange.
• 33...Ba5? 34.Rxf7+!! Bxf7 35.Qe7 Bb6 36.Qxe5+ gives White an extra pawn and more activity.
• If 31...Rxc7?! 32.Qxc7+ Kh6 33.Bf1! Qd1 34.a3 Bd6 then:
• 35.Qc6! Bh3 36.Qc1! Qxc1 37.Nxc1 leaves White a pawn to the good.
• If 35.Qc1 Qxc1 36.Nxc1 g4 37.Nd3 Kg7 38.Nc5 then:
• 38...Kf6 39.Kg2 Bc7 40.Ba6 Bf7 41.Bb7 Ke7 42.h3 gxh3+ 43.Kxh3 gives White an extra pawn and a queenside majority.
• 38...Bg8 39.Kg2 h5 40.Bb5 g5 41.f3 gxf3+ 42.Kxf3 then:
• 42...g4+ 43.Ke3 Kg6 44.Kd3 Kf6 45.Bc6 Bf7 46.a4 puts the queenside majority on the march.
• If 42...Kf6 43.h4 gxh4 44.gxh4 Bf7 45.Bc6 Bc7 46.a4 mobilizes White's pawn majority.
• If 38...Bxc5? then White wins after 39.bxc5 Bc8 40.f4 when:
• 40...gxf3 41.Kf2 g5 42.h3 Kf6 43.Kxf3 Ke6 44.Kg4.
• Or if40...Kf6 41.Bc4 a6 42.Kf2 then:
• 42...h5 43.Bd5 exf4 44.gxf4 h4 45.e5+ Ke7 46.Ke3 wins for White.
• If 42...a5 then White wins after 43.Ke3 Bb7 44.Bd5 Ba6 45.Ba8 Ke6 46.c6 followed by 47.Bb7.
• 35.Qxd6?! Bh3! 36.Qf8+ Kh5 37.Ne1 Qxe1 38.Qf3+ gives White only a slight advantage.

32.Bf1!?

• The Queen is already protecting the Knight. White should not play this unless the redeployment of the Queen becomes more likely.
• If 32.Rxf7+ Bxf7 33.Bh3 Bc3 34.Qd7 Qxa2 35.Nc5 g4 is equal.

32...Bc3 33.Rxf7+!?

• The threat is stronger than the execution. --Nimzovich
• White helps out by relieving Black of having to defend the threat of Rc7xf7 by simply playing it.
• If 33.a3 Bd4 34.Kh1 Qd1 35.Rxf7+ Bxf7 36.Kg2 Qd2 leaves Black with a slim advantage in space.

33...Bxf7 34.Qe7

BLACK: Yuriy Kuzubov



WHITE: Sundararajan Kidambi
Position after 34.Qd8e7

34...Bd4!

• A shot at first place is on the line; neither player wants a draw.
• 34...Qxa2?! 35.Nxe5 Qe6 36.Qxf7+ Qxf7 37.Nxf7 Kxf7 comes down to a game of Bishops of opposite colors that is extremely likely to end in a draw.

35.a4 g4 36.Kg2 a5

• 36...h6 37.Qd7 Qa2 38.Kg1 a6 39.Qc7 g5 gives White a slight advantage in space.

37.h3 gxh3+ 38.Kxh3 Qd1 39.Kg2 Qg4?!

• This won't stop White from attacking Black's center.
• 39...Qc2 40.Kf3 h6 41.Qd7 Ba1 42.Kg2 Qc4 continues to give Black a small advantage in space.
• 39...Qxa4?! 40.Nxe5! Qe8 41.Qxf7+ Qxf7 42.Nxf7 Kxf7 is equal and drawish.

40.Nc5?

• White not only misses a chance to equalize, but finds a way to lose.
• 40.f4! exf4 41.Nxf4 Qc8 42.Bd3 Ba1 43.Qa7 Bc3 is equal.
• 40.Qb7 Kf6 41.Qa8 Ke7 42.Qb7+ Qd7 43.Qb8 Qd6 44.Qb7+ etc. draws.
• 40.Nxe5? drops a piece to 40...Qxe4+! 41.Kh2 Qxe5 42.Qxe5+ Bxe5.

BLACK: Yuriy Kuzubov



WHITE: Sundararajan Kidambi
Position after 40.Nd3c5

40...Bxc5!

• Black clears the fourth rank of his Bishop, giving the Queen a clear shot at the White's pawns.

41.Qxe5+

• Black will lose both fourth-rank pawns. The only alternative is to lose a piece.
• 41.Qxc5 Qxe4+ 42.f3 Qxa4 43.Qxe5+ Kg8 44.Qb8+ Qe8 leaves Black with a passed pawn.

If 41.Qb7 Qe6 42.Qc7 Bb6 then:

• 43.Qc3 g5 44.Ba6 Bxf2 45.Kxf2 Qxa6 leaves Black up by a piece.
• If 43.Qb8 h5 44.Be2 Bd4 then:
• 45.Qb1 Be8 46.Bb5 Bxb5 47.axb5 a4 Black's passed pawn and extra piece triumph.
• If 45.Qb5 Qa2 then:
• 46.Qd3 Qxa4 gives Black an extra Bishop.
• 46.Qxa5 Qxe2 47.Qa8 Qxf2+ 48.Kh3 Be6+ 49.Kh4 Qf6#.

41...Kg8 42.Qxc5 Qxe4+ 43.f3

• 43.Kh2 Qxa4 44.Bg2 h5 45.Bd5 Qd7 leaves Black with a passed pawn.

43...Qxa4

• Black takes the a-pawn.

44.g4

• White puts another nail in his own coffin.
• Not much better is 44.Bb5 Qa2+ 45.Kf1 Qb3 46.Qc6 g5 47.Ke2 Qe6+ when an exchange of Bishops clearly favors White.

BLACK: Yuriy Kuzubov



WHITE: Sundararajan Kidambi
Position after 44.g3g4

44...Qb4!

• This simple and easy move is the fastest route to a win.

45.Qc8+ Kg7 46.Qc7 a4!

• The passed pawn manifests its lust to expand.

47.Qe5+ Kg8 48.g5

• If 48.Bd3 then Black wins after 48...a3 49.Be4 a2 50.Kh3 Qa3 51.Qb8+ Qf8.

48...a3 49.Kg3

• If 49.Bb5 then Black wins the Bishop after 49...a2 50.Bc6 Qd2+ 51.Kg3 a1Q 52.Qxa1 Qd6+.

49...a2 50.Bh3

• It doesen't matter what Black plays now.

50...Qb6

• The text wins faster than 50...Qb1 51.Be6 Qg1+ 52.Kh4 Qf2+ when:
• 53.Kg4 h5+ 54.gxh6 Qg2+ 55.Kh4 g5+ 56.Qxg5+ Qxg5+ 57.Kxg5 Bxe6 is a clear win.
• 53.Kh3 Qxf3+ 54.Kh4 Qf2+ 55.Kg4 Qg2+ 56.Kh4 Qh1+ 57.Kg3 a1Q leaves White a Queen to the good.

51.Kg2 Qa7 52.Qa1 Qe3 0-1

• If 53.Kg3 Qb6 then:
• 54.Qc1 Qd4 assures that the pawn will queen.
• 54.Bg4 Qb1 wins.
• Kidambi resigns.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. Update (Sunday)

Parsvnath International Open, New Delhi

The tournament ended earlier today with five players tied for first at 9 points out of 11: Alexander Areshchenko (Ukraine), Parimarjan Negi (India), Yuriy Kuzubov (Ukraine), Markus Ragger (Austria) and Ni Hua (China).

Areshchenko, who compiled the best tie break scores, is awarded the official title of tournament champion.

Tata Steel Tournament, Wijk aan Zee

• Second Round decisions, Sunday, 16 January:
• Group A:
• Ian Nepomniachtchi (Black) over Wang Hao.
• Group B:
• Surya Ganguly (White) over Jan Ludwig Hammer;
• Luke McShane (Black) over Li Chao.
• Group C:
• Mark Bluvshtein (White) over Dariusz Swiercz;
• Murtas Kazhgaleyev (White) over Robin van Kampen;
• Katya Lahno (Black) over Tania Sachdev;
• Sebastian Siebrecht (Black) over Mark van der Werf.