Eduard Fomichenko claims first price in Rochefort.

Russian IM was the most solid participant in the “town of cheese”. Not losing a single game, and winning five he won the tournament half point ahead of group of six rivals to share 2-7. Excellent tournament for my teammate from Migne Xavier Bedouin, who is second on tie. Elo-favourite Valentin Iotov started disastrously with only half a point after two rounds, but recovered, and even had a chance for a clear first, had he have won the final game against the winner. Still, he managed to perform some nice games there:
Iotov,Valentin (2495) - Inkiov,Ventsislav (2456) [D36]
Rochefort (8.9), 22.02.2008
[Valentin Iotov]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 c6 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Qc2 0–0 9.Bd3 Re8 10.0–0 Nf8 11.h3 [11.Rae1 Be6 12.Ne5 N6d7 13.Bxe7 Rxe7 14.f4 f6 15.Nf3 Nb6 16.f5 Bf7 17.g4 h6 18.h4 (18.Nh4 Qd6 19.Ng2 Rae8 20.Qf2 Nbd7 21.Re2 a6 22.Nf4 b5 23.h4 b4 24.Nd1 c5„ 1/2 Agrest,E (2601)-Asrian,K (2605)/Tripoli 2004 (49)) 18...Qd6 19.Qg2 Rae8 20.e4 Technically speaking this move is new; 20.Јf2 was once played between amateurs and is not really relevant. (20.Qf2) 20...dxe4 (20...Nfd7!? 21.g5 Kh8 22.g6 Bg8ч) 21.Nxe4 1–0 Mamedyarov,S (2752)-Gurevich,M (2627)/Crete 2007] 11...Be6 12.Ne5 N6d7 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.f4 f6 15.Nf3 Better than: [15.Nxd7 Qxd7 16.f5 Bf7 17.Rf3 Re7 18.Qf2 Rae8 19.g4 Qd6 (19...h6 20.h4 Nh7 21.Re1 is a slight edge for White) 20.h4 Nd7 21.Kh1 c5 22.Rg1 c4 23.Bc2 b5 24.g5 b4 25.Ne2 Bh5 26.Rfg3 Bxe2 27.Qxe2 c3 and Black is ahead in his play.] 15...Bxh3?!

16.gxh3 Qxe3+ 17.Kg2 [17.Rf2 Qxf4 18.Ne2 Qh6 19.Kh2 Re3 20.Ng3 Qf4 21.Kg2 g6 with some compensation.] 17...Qxf4 18.Rae1 g6 19.Ne2 Other possibilities are: [19.Qf2 Ne6 20.Qg3 Qh6 21.Ne2 Re7 22.Bf5 Rae8 23.Bxe6+ Rxe6 24.Nc3 Nf8 25.h4; 19.Re2 Ne6 20.Rfe1 Ndf8] 19...Qd6?! Black had to search an endgame: [19...Qh6

20.Qc1 Qxc1 21.Nxc1 Ne6 22.Rg1 (22.Kg3 f5 23.Ne2 Nf6 24.Nf4 Ne4+ 25.Bxe4 dxe4 26.Nxe6 Rxe6 27.Nd2 Rd6 28.Nb3 a5 is what Black is aiming for.) 22...f5 23.Kf2 Kf8 24.Ne2 Nf6 and White is slightly better in the endgame, but Black has chances.] 20.Qd2 Ne6 [20...Re7 21.Nf4 Rae8 22.Rxe7 Rxe7 23.h4 with better prospects] 21.Kh1 Re7 22.Rg1 Rae8 23.Qh6 [23.Bxg6 leads only to a draw after: 23...hxg6 24.Rxg6+ Kh8 (24...Rg7 25.Rxg7+ Nxg7 26.Rg1 Qe6 27.Qh6 Re7 28.Ng3 Qe3 29.Qxe3 Rxe3 30.Nf5 Rxf3 31.Rxg7+ Kf8 32.Rxd7 Rxf5 33.Rxb7 a5=) 25.Rh6+ Rh7 26.Rxh7+ Kxh7 27.Nf4 Ndf8 28.Qd3+ Kh8 29.Ng6+ Kg8 30.Rg1 Ng7 31.Nxf8 Rxf8 32.Nh4 Rf7 33.Nf5 Qf4 34.Rg4 Qc1+ 35.Rg1 Qf4=] 23...Ndf8 24.Ref1 [24.h4 Nd8 25.h5 Nf7 26.Qd2 g5] 24...Rg7 [24...Qb4 25.Nh2 Nd7 26.Ng4 Rf8 27.Nf4 Nxf4 28.Rxf4 Rg7 29.Bf5 Qd6 30.Bxd7 Rxd7

31.Ne3 and my advantage grew.] 25.Nh2 [25.h4 c5 26.h5 deserves attention.] 25...Nd7 26.h4 [26.Ng3 Qf8 27.Nf3 (27.Nh5 Rf7 28.Ng4 f5 29.Qxf8+ Kxf8 30.Nh6 Nxd4 31.Nxf7 Kxf7 32.Nf4 Re3) 27...c5 28.Bb5 a6 29.Bxd7 Rxd7 30.Qh4] 26...c5 27.Ng3 [27.h5 c4 (27...Ng5 28.hxg6 hxg6 29.Bxg6 Rxe2 30.Nf3) 28.hxg6 cxd3 29.gxh7+ Kh8 30.Rxg7 Nxg7 31.Nf4 Nf8 32.Rg1 Qd7 33.Nxd3] 27...c4? Better was: [27...Nxd4

28.Nh5 Qf8 29.Bxg6 (29.Qxg7+ Qxg7 30.Nxg7 Kxg7 31.Nf3 Nxf3 32.Rxf3 Ne5 33.Rfg3

and in this wild position, White chances should still be preferable, although it is not easy to see how will he braek through ) 29...Rxg6 30.Rxg6+ hxg6 31.Qxg6+ Kh8 32.Nf4 f5 33.Qh5+ Kg7 34.Rg1+ Kf6 35.Qh7 Ne5 36.Rg7 Qh8 37.Nxd5+ Ke6 38.Nc7+ Kd6 39.Nxe8+ Qxe8 40.Qg8 Qxg8 41.Rxg8 and due to his passed "h" pawn White should be winning.] 28.Nf5!

28...gxf5 29.Bxf5 Ndf8 30.Ng4 [30.Bxe6+! Nxe6 31.Ng4 Kh8 32.Nxf6 Ree7 33.Qxh7+ Rxh7 34.Rg8#] 30...Kh8 31.Nxf6 Qe7 [31...Ree7 32.Bxh7] 32.Nxe8 Qxe8 33.Bxe6 [33.Qf6 Kg8 34.Re1] 33...Nxe6 34.Qf6

34...Kg8 Black is not only meterial down but his king is deperately weak. The rest is easy. 35.Rxg7+ Nxg7 36.Rg1+- Qd7 37.Kh2 b5 [37...h5 38.Rg5] 38.h5 Qc7+ 39.Kh3 Qd7+ 40.Rg4 h6 41.Qxh6 Qf7 42.Qg5 Kh8 43.Rf4 Qe6+ 44.Qg4 Qe7 45.Rf3 Ne6 46.Rf5 Ng7 47.Re5 Qf6 48.Rxd5 b4 49.Rc5 Ne6 50.Rf5 Qh6 51.d5 Qe3+ 52.Qg3 1–0

Final Ranking:

1. m Fomichenko Eduard 7
2. f Bedouin Xavier 6,5
3.m Collas Silvia 6,5
4.m Pytel Krzysztof 6,5
5.m Iotov Valentin 6,5
6.m Stets Dmitry 6,5
7 Le Bourhis Dominique 6,5
8.f David Vincent 6
9.g Inkiov Ventzislav 6
10 Saada Julien 6
Etc. -106 participants.