Carlsen Speeds Up

The world champion woke from the slow start and starting his rally. In round seven of Tata Steel he won his third consecutive win:

[Event "Tata Steel Chess - Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.01.23"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2844"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:03:33"]
[BlackClock "0:10:36"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ {A fashionable Anti-Catalan reply in
Wijk.} 5. Bd2 Be7 {Diagram [#] In contrast to Mamedyarov yesterday Carlsen
drops the bishop back to e7.} 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Qc2 Ne4 {Playing in a
Stonewall fashion.} 9. Bf4 c6 10. Nc3 g5 {[%csl Yd4][%cal Gf7f5,Gg5g4] Diagram
[#] It makes sense to chase the bishop away from the active position. Plus,
Black wants to advance on the kingside anyway.} ({The immediate} 10... f5 {
is also possible although after} 11. Rad1 b6 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Rc1 {White's
position seems preferable, Abasov,N (2492)-Kuderinov,K (2480) Baku 2013}) 11.
Be3 Nd6 $1 $146 {[%csl Rc4,Re3][%cal Rd6c4,Rd6f5,Rf5e3] Diagram [#] The world
champion uncorks strong novelty! Previously only the straightforward} (11... f5
{had been tested. One short example-} 12. Rad1 Nd6 13. b3 Nf7 {1/2-1/2 (13)
Nogueiras Santiago,J (2533)-Jobava,B (2637) Havana 2005}) 12. b3 {Eljanov
sacrifices a pawn for the initiative.} ({In case of} 12. cxd5 {Black will
recapture} exd5 {and the knight on d6 is perfectly placed for the Carlsbad
pawn structure.}) 12... Nf5 {The point of the novelty. Since the pawn on d4 is
hanging Black gets a chance to grab a gorgeous bishop.} ({Instead} 12... dxc4
13. Ne4 {will give a lot of central play for the sacrificed pawn.}) 13. g4 $5 {
[%csl Yf5][%cal Gg3g4] Diagram [#] A courageous decision!} ({As mentioned above
} 13. Bc1 g4 {wins the pawn on d4.}) ({While} 13. Qd3 g4 14. Ne1 Nxe3 15. Qxe3
Bg5 {looks very comfortable Stonewall for the second player.}) 13... Nxe3 14.
fxe3 $5 b5 {[%csl Rb5] Diagram [#] Carlsen sacrifices a pawn on his turn!} ({
Black could have also developed kingside initiative with} 14... h5 {and if} 15.
gxh5 g4 16. Ne1 Bg5) 15. e4 {But Eljanov does not take it and concentrates on
central play.} ({There was nothting wrong with} 15. cxb5 cxb5 16. Nxb5 Ba6 (
16... Qb6 17. Nc3 Ba6) 17. a4 Rc8 {when Black has enough initiative to
compensate the pawn.}) 15... b4 ({The computer advocates} 15... bxc4 {but this
seems wrong after} 16. bxc4 dxc4 17. e5 {[%csl Yc4,Yc6,Rg8][%cal Gc3e4]
Diagram [#] The white knight will jump on e4 and the pawns on the "c" file
will soon perish.}) 16. exd5 {A courageous decision! Both players have
sacrificed pawns for initiative that far. Eljanov beats Carlsen on the number
of sacrifices now.} ({Objectively better was} 16. Na4 {to which I suspect
Carlsen would have gone for} dxe4 (16... Bb7) 17. Qxe4 Nf6 {with the idea} 18.
Qxc6 (18. Qd3 {is correct to sacrifice a pawn again...}) 18... Rb8 {Black is
already much better and if} 19. h3 $2 Bb7 20. Qb5 Nxg4 $1 {[%csl Yb5][%cal
Ge7g5] Diagram [#]} 21. hxg4 Bxf3 22. Qe5 Bf6 {wins for Black.}) 16... bxc3 17.
dxc6 Nb8 18. Qe4 {[%csl Gc4,Gc6,Gd4,Ge2] Diagram [#] For the piece Eljanov has
two pawns and powerful pawn mass in the center.} ({Or} 18. Rad1 Nxc6 19. Nxg5
Bxg5 20. Bxc6 {when both} Rb8 ({and even} 20... Bd7 21. Bxa8 Be3+ 22. Kg2 Qxa8+
{lead to advantage for Black.})) 18... f5 $1 {Black has to play actively if he
wants not only to convert his advantage, but even to survive. For example:} (
18... Na6 19. Ne5 Nc7 $2 20. Nxf7 $1 {and all of a sudden Black is in trouble.
Say} Rxf7 $2 21. Rxf7 Kxf7 22. Qxh7+ Ke8 23. Qg6+ Kf8 24. Rf1+ {[%csl Rf8]
Diagram [#] and it is over.}) 19. gxf5 exf5 20. Qd5+ {Alas, White has to trade
queens.} (20. Qe3 Nxc6) 20... Qxd5 21. cxd5 Na6 {The problem with the pawn
massive is that it does not get anywhere. If the white pawn from e2 was on e5
instead, this would have been a different story. Now Black is clearly better.}
22. Rac1 ({Or} 22. Ne5 Nc7 23. Nc4 Rd8 24. e4 fxe4 25. Bxe4 Nxd5) 22... Nc7 23.
Ne5 f4 24. Nc4 Rd8 25. Rxc3 Nxd5 {Diagram [#] The most dangerous pawn is gone
and White hurries to get some material back.} 26. c7 Nxc7 $1 {The best.
Greediness is as usual punished after} (26... Rd7 27. Rcc1 Bb7 28. Ne5 Rd6 29.
Rc5 {and White is most likely better.}) 27. Bxa8 Nxa8 28. e3 Bb4 {[%csl Gb4,
Gc8] Diagram [#] Normally a rook and a pawn are at least as good as the two
light pieces in the endgame. But not if those are two bishops.} 29. Rc2 Bb7 30.
h4 {White is correctly trying to get rid of the pawns.} Be4 31. Rh2 {This
makes things easier for Carlsen. Better was} (31. Rcf2 Nb6 32. exf4 Nxc4 33.
bxc4 gxh4 {although here too, Black should have serious winning chances.})
31... Nb6 32. Ne5 {Nothing helps:} (32. Nxb6 axb6 33. exf4 g4 $1) (32. hxg5
Nxc4 33. bxc4 fxe3) (32. exf4 Bc3 $1) 32... fxe3 33. hxg5 Rxd4 34. Ng4 Nd5 {
Diagram [#] Once that Carlsen wins a game things get scary for everyone.} 0-1

Report.

A Good Start

The start of the super-tournament Wijk an Zee could not have been better! Three games in the Master section were decisive and none of teh Challengers games ended in a draw! Probably the most exciting battle of this first round was the following one:

[Event "Tata Steel Chess - Masters"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.01.16"]
[Round "1.5"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:03:18"]
[BlackClock "0:01:00"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 {Diagram [#] Caruana was a bit
surprised by this capture. "I do not think he had ever played this way."} 5. e4
Bb4 6. Bxc4 {A topical pawn sacrifice in the Vienna variation. The main line
goes} (6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qa5 {which leads to huge
complications, heavily explored by both men and machines. The result of this
co-operation- most often a draw.} 10. Bb5+ Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Qxc3+ 12. Kf1 gxf6 13.
h4 a6 14. Rh3 Qb4 15. Be2 Ne5 16. Rb1 Qd6 $11 {Giri,A (2773)-Aronian,L (2780)
Stavanger 2015}) 6... Nxe4 7. O-O Nf6 ({The other approach for Black is to try
and delay 0-0 until he is certain in king's safety. One fresh example went}
7... Nxc3 8. bxc3 Bd6 (8... Bxc3 {looks too greedy, although Black held
confidently after} 9. Rb1 c5 10. dxc5 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Bf6 12. Bb5+ Bd7 13. Bxd7+
Nxd7 14. Rxb7 Nxc5 15. Rc7 Na6 16. Rb7 Nc5 17. Rc7 Na6 18. Rb7 Nc5 {1/2-1/2
(18) Chandra,A (2495)-Bodek,M (2425) Saint Louis 2015}) 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. Qe2 Qe7
11. Re1 h6 12. c4 c5 13. d5 e5 14. Nd2 O-O 15. f4 f5 {with excellent prospect
for Black in Korobov,A (2709)-Naiditsch,A (2689) Reykjavik 2015}) 8. Bg5 O-O 9.
Qe2 {[%csl Yc7] Diagram [#] Funnily, similar position without the c7 pawn will
arise in plenty of lines- the QGA, Nimtzo-Indian and Panov attack in the Caro
Kann. As a compensation for that pawn White has some extra tempos though.} h6
(9... Be7 {at once is also possible with the idea} 10. Rad1 Nbd7 11. Ne5 Nd5 {
(Caruana)}) 10. Bh4 Be7 11. Rad1 Nbd7 12. Ne5 Nb6 ({In case of the immediate}
12... Nd5 {Caruana planned} 13. Nxd5 Bxh4 14. Nf4 Nxe5 15. dxe5 {with nice
development and attacking possibilities.}) 13. Bd3 Nfd5 {Just like in the
lines where Black plays against the isolated pawns he is happy to trade as
many pieces as possible.} 14. Bg3 Bd7 $146 {Diagram [#]} ({A novelty in
comparison to the risky} 14... f5 15. h3 Bd6 16. Rfe1 Qg5 17. Qf3 Nf6 18. Bf4 {
with strong pressure for White, Mamedyarov,S (2719)-Kramnik,V (2772) Moscow
2009}) 15. Ne4 {Slightly provocative move.} (15. Qe4 $2 f5 16. Qf3 f4) 15...
Ba4 $1 {[%csl Rc3][%cal Rd5c3,Yb2b3,Yd1c1] Diagram [#] And a provocative
answer in return. Eljanov wants to kick the rook away from the "d" file or to
provoke the weakening b2-b3 move.} ({Black cannot win a piece after} 15... f5
$2 16. Nc5 f4 17. Nexd7 $18) 16. Rc1 (16. b3 Be8 {with the threat f7-f5 and
Nd5-c3 is annoying.}) 16... Nd7 $1 {The knight was doing nothing on b6 plus
you remember that the second player wants to trade pieces, do not you?} 17. b3
{At this stage of the game Caruana did not quite like his position.} (17. Nc5
Bxc5 18. dxc5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Bc6 {is not fully compensating for the pawn
(Caruana)}) 17... Nxe5 18. dxe5 Bc6 19. Rfd1 $6 {Diagram [#]} (19. Bb1 $5 {
with the idea to build battery on the b1-h7 diagonal seems more dangerous for
Black. The ultimate goal is to weaken the black king} Ba3 (19... a5 20. Qc2)
20. Rcd1 Qe7 21. Qc2 {[%csl Rh7][%cal Rc2h7,Gd1d5,Ge4f6] Diagram [#] when
either g7-g6 or f7-f5 is forced now.} Nb4 $4 22. Nf6+ gxf6 23. Qh7#) 19... a5 {
The effect of the provocation. Interestingly Caruana considers this a mistake
as he is not getting a tempo after his next move.} ({Instead the American GM
suggested the immediate} 19... Qe8 {with the idea to meet} 20. h4 {with} h5 21.
Qxh5 ({However, Caruana missed in his preliminary calculations the pretty
sacrifice} 21. Nf6+ $1 gxf6 22. Qxh5 f5 23. Rc4 $3 {[%csl Yg8][%cal Rc4g4]
Diagram [#] with the unstoppable Rc4-g4+ and mate.}) 21... f5 22. Qxe8 Raxe8 {
and Black is good.}) 20. a4 $1 {Naturally, Caruana does not want to allow any
counter-play on the queenside. In the future he wants to swing his rook along
the fourth rank for kingside attack with Rc1-c4-(g4) and he is happy that
Black has no Bc6-b5 resource.} Qe8 21. h4 ({In case of} 21. Nf6+ {Diagram [#]
Eljanov has a pleasant choice of playing on with} Nxf6 ({Black can accept the
draw if he wishes} 21... gxf6 22. Qg4+ Kh8 23. Qh3 Kg7 $11) 22. exf6 Bxf6 23.
Bxc7 $15) 21... Rd8 22. h5 (22. Nf6+ Nxf6 23. exf6 Bxf6 24. Bxc7 Rd5 $15) 22...
Nb4 $1 {Clears the road for the rook and takes away the c2 and d3 squares for
the battery.} 23. Bb1 Kh8 {Not a bad move but there was a better one! After
great defense Eljanov starts to play over cautiously and this will finally
lead him to real problem. The king stepped away from the check on f6 and this
is useful, but it was far more useful to regroup with} (23... Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1
Qa8 $1 {[%cal Gb7b6,Gf8d8,Ra8h1] Diagram [#] followed by Rf8-d8 and b7-b6.
Black's position will be clearly better in this case.} ({Now instead of the
suggested move by Caruana} 24... Bd5 {which might lead indeed to a forced draw
after} 25. Nf6+ gxf6 26. Qg4+ Kh8 27. Qf4 Kg7 ({But not} 27... f5 28. Qxh6+ Kg8
29. Rd4 $1 {with the familiar checkmate after Rd4-g4!}) 28. Qg4+ Kh8 $11)) 24.
Bf4 {With the idea to sacrifice on h6.} Rg8 25. Bd2 Rd5 $6 {Diagram [#]
Inaccuracy.} ({In case of} 25... Rd4 {Caruana planned} 26. Bc3 ({Not} 26. Bxb4
Rxb4) 26... Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Nd5 28. Bxa5 f5 29. exf6 gxf6 {with unclear play.})
(25... Qf8 $5 {would be a good follow up of Black's kingside regroupment.}) 26.
Bxb4 axb4 ({White believed} 26... Rxd1+ {is a bit more accurate} 27. Rxd1 axb4
28. Qd3 g6 (28... f5 {is better}) 29. Qe3 (29. Nf6 $5 Bxf6 30. exf6) 29... Qf8
{Although it seems as he missed the strong move} 30. Nf6 $1 {with clear edge
for White.}) 27. Rxd5 exd5 (27... Bxd5 28. Qc2 $1 {is strong for White. For
example} Bxe4 29. Qxe4 g6 30. Qxb7) 28. Ng3 {[%csl Rh7,Yh8][%cal Gg3f5,Ge5e6,
Ge2d3,Ge2c2,Rc2h7,Yc6d5,Ye7b4] Diagram [#] "This is positionally very
desirable for me" (Caruana)} Bg5 29. Re1 g6 30. Qg4 (30. hxg6 fxg6 31. e6 {
was unclear.}) 30... Qe7 {Perhaps Eljanov had to give the pawn back-} (30...
Qe6 31. Qxb4 $11 {Diagram [#]}) 31. Qd4 $1 {An excellent spot for the queen.}
b6 {The losing move.} ({White is better after} 31... Rg7 32. e6 $1 (32. hxg6
fxg6 33. Ne2 $1 {with the idea f2-f4.}) 32... fxe6 33. hxg6 {when the black
king is not safe enough.}) ({But it was not too late for} 31... Qe6) 32. e6+ {
Diagram [#]} Bf6 (32... Kh7 33. Nf5 $1 {is brutal.}) ({In case of} 32... Rg7 {
White has the fabulous sacrifice which would make Mr Afek happy} 33. exf7 $3 {
Diagram [#]} Qxe1+ 34. Kh2 Qe7 35. hxg6 Bf6 36. Nf5 Bxd4 37. Nxe7 {Diagram [#]
and this is perhaps the line that Caruana saw during the game and which he
could not remember at the press conference...}) 33. Qf4 g5 (33... Kg7 34. hxg6
fxg6 35. Bxg6 Kxg6 36. Qf5+ Kg7 37. Nh5+ {Diagram [#] is another pretty finish.
}) 34. Qf5 Rg7 35. Qc2 Qc5 36. Qxc5 bxc5 37. Nf5 Rg8 (37... Bc3 38. Re2 {
changes nothing.} Rg8 39. exf7 Rf8 40. Re6 {with lethal threats.}) 38. exf7 {
Diagram [#]} 1-0

Report.

Eljanov's Icelandic Masterpiece

Pavel Eljanov is having the probably best chess year of his live. At least this far. He made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup, lifted his rating again above the 2750 mark and above all, played a lot of great games. A game with a creative player like Grzegorz Gajewski of Poland suggests an interesting, colorful battle. This game in round eight of ETCC indeed became a candidate of a best game in Reykjavik:

[Event "Open European Team Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.11.21"]
[Round "8.2"]
[White "Gajewski, Grzegorz"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2647"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:02"]
[BlackClock "0:03:19"]

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. Qc2 {Diagram [#] A popular Anti-Slav
move order. Another one goes:} (5. h3 $5 e6 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 Nc6 8. cxd5 exd5 9.
Rc1 {Kovalenko,I (2700)-Malakhov,V (2694) Berlin 2015}) 5... e6 6. b3 c5 {
Since White did not occupy the center Black has every right to lose a tempo
and fight for t.} 7. Bb2 d4 $146 {[%csl Ya8,Yb8,Yc8,Gd4,Yf8][%cal Gd5d4]
Diagram [#] Looks risky as Black is not yet prepared for the open play and
indeed none had tested this move before. All the games so far saw the move:} (
7... Nc6 {For example} 8. a3 Be7 9. Bd3 b6 10. O-O Bb7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Ne2 g6
13. Nf4 O-O 14. h4 $5 {with irational position, Janssen,R (2520)-Buhmann,R
(2603) Germany 2010}) 8. Ne4 Nc6 9. Nxf6+ Qxf6 10. exd4 {Gajewski wants to
take the maximum of the position. Another way to play is:} (10. Bd3 e5 11. Be4
Bd6 {although here Blck consolidates the position.}) 10... cxd4 {Better than} (
10... Nxd4 11. Nxd4 cxd4 12. Qe4 Bc5 13. Bd3 {Diagram [#] with advantage for
White.} ({Or} 13. b4 $14)) 11. Bd3 Bd6 {Catching up with the development.
Black would be happy to take the bishop pair with} (11... Nb4 {but after} 12.
Qb1 Nxd3+ 13. Qxd3 e5 14. O-O Bd6 15. Rfe1 O-O (15... Bf5 $2 16. Qxd4) 16. c5 {
Diagram [#] White firmly seizes the initiative.}) 12. O-O (12. Be4 $5 $14 {
also makes sense.}) 12... h6 {Once more} (12... Nb4 13. Qb1 Nxd3 14. Qxd3 e5
15. Rfe1 {transposes into the line above.}) 13. Be4 e5 {Gajewki is at
crossroads. To continue playing for initiative, or to cash in his lead in
development. In the game he chose the latter.} 14. Bxc6+ $6 {[%csl Gc8,Gd4,Gd6,
Ge5] Diagram [#] This wins a pawn but gives too much compensation for Black in
return.} ({Both} 14. Rfe1 O-O 15. a3 {followed by c4-c5 and b3-b4.}) ({Or the
immediate} 14. a3 O-O 15. b4 {expanding on the queenside should give some
advantage to the first player.}) 14... bxc6 15. Qe4 O-O 16. Qxc6 Bg4 {[%csl
Yb2,Yc6,Gd4,Ge5][%cal Ge5e4,Gf6g6,Gf7f5,Gg4h3,Gd6h2,Gf8e8] Diagram [#] In
return for the pawn Black has more space, strong center (thus opportunity for
a kingside attack) and bishop pair. Eljanov must have been happy of the
opening suprise that he had uncorked earlier.} 17. Rfe1 Rac8 18. Qe4 Bf5 19.
Qe2 {Forced as} (19. Qh4 g5 $1 {works well for Black.}) 19... Rfe8 20. d3 Bb4
$1 {[%csl Ya2,Yb3,Yc4][%cal Ga6a5] Diagram [#] A nice idea. Eljanov blocks the
queenside pawn majority of his opponent and prepares the storm on the opposite
wing.} 21. Red1 a5 22. a3 Bc5 ({Also interesting was} 22... Bc3 23. Bxc3 dxc3
24. Rac1 {with the idea} e4 25. dxe4 Rxe4 26. Qa2 a4 $1) 23. Re1 {Back into
"e" file control. Black is better after} (23. Nd2 Rb8 $1 ({Even better than}
23... Qg6 24. Ne4 Bf8 25. f3 $15) 24. Qf3 Qg6 $17) 23... Bg4 {Black continues
the preparation. The central break was already in the air:} (23... e4 $5 24.
dxe4 Bxe4 25. Rad1 Qg6 {with initiative on the center and the king's flank.})
24. Rab1 ({The result of the Black queenside operation can be seen in the line
} 24. Qe4 Bxf3 25. Qxf3 Qxf3 26. gxf3 Rb8 {and Black wins a pawn.}) 24... Rb8
25. Bc1 Qd6 {[%csl Ra3,Rb4][%cal Gf7f5,Ge5e4,Rd6b4,Rb4a3] Diagram [#] With the
obvious intention f7-f5 and e5-e4 (or sometines e5-e4 at once).} (25... Qc6 $5
{deserved attention too as if White tries the same idea as in the game} 26. h3
(26. Nxe5 Bxe2 27. Nxc6 Bxd3 {is clearly better for Black.}) 26... Bh5 27. g4 (
27. Bd2 {is the right move.}) 27... Bg6 28. Nxe5 (28. Nh4 {is still playable.})
28... Qc7 29. f4 f6 {Black would simply win a piece.}) 26. h3 Bh5 27. g4 Bg6
28. Nh4 e4 $1 {Diagram [#] Eljanov forces things. He opens the king's flank
and the center and goes directly for the white king.} (28... Bh7 {would lead
to risk-free advantage for Black.}) 29. Nxg6 fxg6 $1 {Black needs every open
file!} 30. Bd2 ({In case of} 30. dxe4 d3 31. e5 Qd4 32. Qe3 $2 {Black has the
fantastic resource} (32. Qb2 {is better although Black's attack is ovious here
as well.}) 32... Rxe5 $3 {Diagram [#] with decisive attack after} 33. Qxe5
Qxf2+ 34. Kh1 Qf3+ 35. Kh2 Bd6 36. Qxd6 Qf2+ 37. Kh1 Qxe1+ 38. Kh2 Rf8 $19)
30... e3 31. Bxa5 (31. fxe3 dxe3 32. Bxa5 Rf8 {does not help neither.}) 31...
exf2+ 32. Qxf2 Re3 33. Rxe3 dxe3 {The critical moment of the attack. Gajewski
chose the obvious defense} 34. Qh2 {This is possibly White's best practical
chance. White's intentions are obvious- to trade the queens, but Eljanov have
foreseen something ingenious.} ({In case of} 34. Qf3 {Black has another
fantastic resource} Kh7 $3 {[%csl Rh7][%cal Gf3d5,Yg8h7] Diagram [#] to move
the king away and to prevent the exchange of queens.} (34... Qxd3 $2 35. Qd5+
Qxd5 36. cxd5 e2+ 37. Kg2 {is in fact better for White.})) ({The blockading}
34. Qe2 {would give White chances for survival after} Qg3+ ({But} 34... Rf8 $1
35. Be1 Qc6 {is nevertheless a very strong attack for Black.}) 35. Kh1 Qxh3+
36. Qh2 Qf3+ 37. Qg2 Qf6 38. Bc7 {with chnaces to survive.} ({But not the
greedy} 38. Qd5+ Kh7 39. Qxc5 Qh4+ 40. Kg2 Qxg4+ 41. Kh1 Qf3+ 42. Kg1 Qf2+ 43.
Kh1 Rf8 $19)) 34... e2+ 35. Kh1 {It seems as White is achieving what he wants
but...} Qxd3 $3 {[%csl Yb8,Yg8,Rh1][%cal Rd3b1,Rd3f3,Rf3h3] Diagram [#] A bolt
out of the blue! Eljanov gives away the rook with a check!} 36. Qxb8+ Kh7 {
But now White misses his queen on the kingside. And the rook is hanging. And
the black pawn is getting promoted. Oh, my!} 37. Rg1 ({Or} 37. Kg2 Qxb1 38. Qf4
e1=Q {and wins.}) 37... Bd6 $1 {Diagram [#]} ({Avoids the temptation} 37...
Qxh3+ 38. Qh2 Qf1 39. Qg2 Bxg1 40. Qxg1 Qh3+ 41. Qh2 Qf1+ 42. Qg1 $11) 38. Qxd6
Qxd6 {The rest is easy for the queen and the position is too open.} 39. Bb4 (
39. Be1 Qxa3) 39... Qd3 40. Kg2 Qxb3 41. c5 h5 42. gxh5 gxh5 43. Kh2 Qc2 44.
Rg2 Qe4 45. Be1 (45. Rg1 g5) 45... Qf4+ {Diagram [#] Gajewski resigned due to
the lines:} (45... Qf4+ 46. Bg3 (46. Rg3 h4) (46. Kh1 Qf1+ 47. Rg1 Qxh3#) 46...
Qxg3+) 0-1

Report.

Nakamura on the Ropes

Only eight players remain at the World Cup. The first match games were played yesterday and the rating (and not only) favorite of the event Hikaru Nakamura suffered painful defeat with the black pieces against Pavel Eljanov. The Ukrainian GM has the tournament of his life so far:

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.23"]
[Round "37.2"]
[White "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2814"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:07:59"]
[BlackClock "0:05:58"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qc2 Be4 12. Qc1 {Diagram [#] "A rare, sideline
of the Catalan" Eljanov.} (12. Qd1 {is much more popular. Giri-Leko was played
in this theme in Baku a couple of rounds earlier.}) 12... h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14.
Rd1 a5 15. Nbd2 Bh7 $146 {[%csl Gf6,Gh7] Diagram [#]} ({In the recent
predecessor Black chose} 15... Bxf3 {and Eljanov considered this move the
critical line.} 16. Bxf3 c6 {but after} 17. Nc4 Nd7 18. Qd2 Be7 19. h4 $1 {
Diagram [#] White had slight but long lasting advantage without any
counterplay for his opponent, Sasikiran,K (2682)-Svetushkin,D (2592) Moscow
2015}) 16. Nb3 c6 17. Qc3 {White puts pressure on the a5 pawn thus obstructing
Black's development.} Be7 ({White wins a pawn in case of} 17... Nd7 $6 18. Ne5
$1 {Diagram [#]} Qc7 ({Or alternatively will have large positional advantage
after} 18... Bxe5 19. dxe5 Qc7 20. Rd6 $16) 19. Nxd7 Qxd7 20. Nxa5) ({Or} 17...
Na6 $6 18. Nxa5) 18. Nc5 Qc7 19. Ne5 {Now the d7 square is locked for the
black knight, but a6 is still available. This is where Nakamura goes.} Na6 {
[%cal Ga6b4] Diagram [#] Black wants to put the knight on b4 after which he
will be completely fine. Obviously Nakamura was not afraid of what came next.}
({If Black was afraid of the move in the game he might have chosen the
preperatory} 19... Ra7 {To which White has two interesting plans to pressurize}
20. Bf3 $5 ({Or he may simply push the pawns forward} 20. f4 Na6 21. e4) 20...
Na6 21. Bh5 {In both cases White is somewhat better.}) ({The computer
suggestion} 19... Rd8 {leads to stable advantage for White after} 20. Rac1 Bxc5
21. dxc5 $14 ({Or} 21. Qxc5 $14)) 20. Nxb7 $5 {The only way to create troubles
for Black.} Qxb7 21. Bxc6 Qc7 $6 {Diagram [#] But this is a mistake. The
general rule says that a rook and two pawns are usually better in the endgame
when facing the two light pieces. It is so as the rook becomes significantly
more active as the game opens and has more room to maneuver.} ({I believe
Nakamura should have opted for} 21... Qa7 $1 22. Bxa8 Qxa8 {and after} 23. Qxa5
Rb8 {True, White has three pawns and a rook now (practically an extra exchange)
but the black pieces control the board after say} 24. Qd2 Be4 {Diagram [#] and
the white queenside passers do not go anywhere.}) ({Or} 21... Qc8 $1 {which
would lead to the same.}) 22. Bxa8 Qxc3 ({Or else White will take control of
the open file} 22... Rxa8 23. Rac1 $16) 23. bxc3 Rxa8 24. Nc6 $1 {[%csl Ye7]
Diagram [#] A good practical decision. Eljanov deprives his opponent of the
bishop pair. The les pieces there are on the board, the more dangerous the
passers become.} Bd8 25. Nxd8 Rxd8 26. f3 {"Now I have a clear plan to put my
king on f2 and then slowly push the pawns. It is very unpleasant position for
Black" Eljanov.} Rc8 27. Ra3 $1 {[%cal Ga3a2,Gd1d2,Ga2b2,Rb1b8,Rb8b1] Diagram
[#] At a glance this move seems illogical, but its idea is not only to defend
the c3 pawn. White also wants to occupy the b file and for this reason both
white rooks stand better on the second rank, away from the black bishop. This
is better than} (27. Rac1 Bg6 28. e4 Kf8 {when the white pawns cannot go fast
forward-} (28... Rb8 29. Rb1) 29. c4 Ke7 30. c5 f5 $1) 27... Bg6 {Please, note
that the black rook cannot occupy easily the b file} (27... Rb8 28. e4 Rb2 29.
Raa1 $1 Rb3 30. Rdb1 Rxc3 31. Rb6 Nc7 $4 32. Rb8+ Ne8 33. Rxe8# {Diagram [#]})
28. Kf2 Rb8 29. Rd2 f6 {"After this move, strangely enough he offered a draw"
Eljanov, "I am technically winning."} 30. Raa2 $1 {Now we can clearly see the
idea behind Ra1-a3. White wins the only open file.} Rb3 (30... Rc8 31. Rab2)
31. Rab2 Rxc3 32. Rb5 {[%csl Ra5][%cal Gb5a5] Diagram [#] "I thought it is
already over for Black, but he put some pressure on me" Eljanov.} Bc2 33. Rxa5
Nc7 34. Ra7 f5 35. a5 Kh7 36. Rb7 Rc4 37. Rb6 Ba4 38. a6 Bc6 39. a7 Bd5 40. Ra2
{"I am forced to sacrifice the pawn on d4 as the one on a7 is the most
important." Eljanov} Rxd4 41. Rc2 Na8 42. Ra6 Rd1 43. h4 $1 {[%cal Gh4h5,Ga6d6,
Gd6d7,Rc2c8,Rd7h7,Rc8h8] Diagram [#] "I have a clear plan to play h4-h5 and
then to penetrate with the rooks along the seventh rank and attack the black
king" Eljanov.} h5 {But now the g5 square is weakened and the white king can
march there.} 44. Ke3 Rg1 45. Kf4 Rg2 46. Rd6 Rg1 47. Rc8 Ra1 48. Kg5 {[%csl
Gg5,Yh7] White wins two pawns by force and the game.} ({Eljanov demostrated
the alternative winning plan after} 48. Rxd5 exd5 (48... Nb6 49. a8=Q) 49. Rxa8
g6 50. Ke5 Ra5 51. e3 Kg7 52. Kd6 Kh7 53. Kc6 {[%csl Yd5][%cal Rc6b6,Yc6d5,
Ge3e8] Diagram [#] and the threat Kc6-b6 forces the black rook to abandon the
d pawn. After this White simply advances the e pawn into queen.}) 48... Rxa7
49. Rdd8 g6 50. Rh8+ Kg7 51. Rcg8+ Kf7 52. Rxg6 Ra6 53. Rh7+ Kf8 54. Kxh5 Nb6
55. Kg5 Nc4 56. h5 Nd6 57. Rf6+ Kg8 58. Rd7 {Diagram [#]} 1-0

Nakamura will fight for survival today. Report.

Gamble

Pavel Eljanov made a decisive step towards qualification in the next round at his game against Alexander Grischuk at round three of the World Cup in Baku. The Ukrainian Grandmaster was the only player to win his game with the black pieces and remains the only player with perfect score in the classical chess 5/5! Both players gambled, but Eljanov got luckier.

[Event "FIDE World Chess Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.09.17"]
[Round "19.7"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2771"]
[BlackElo "2723"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:33"]
[BlackClock "0:05:54"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Qa4+ Nbd7 6. Qxc4 c5 7. O-O b6 8.
Nc3 Bb7 9. d4 {Diagram [#] From the Reti the game transposes into the Catalan.}
Rc8 {Eljanov had played this line back in 2004. At the Olympiad he chose
instead} (9... a6 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bg5 O-O 12. Rad1 Qc8 13. Qf4 h6 14. Bxf6
Nxf6 {with approximate equality in Harikrishna,P (2612)-Eljanov,P (2629)
Mallorca 2004}) 10. Qd3 $146 {A novelty. White is usually fighting for the
advantage with} ({Relevant:} 10. Bg5 cxd4 11. Qxd4 Bc5 12. Qh4 O-O 13. Rad1 Qe8
14. e4 {as in Andreikin,D (2580)-Vitiugov,N (2617) Plovdiv 2008}) 10... cxd4 {
Simple and good. Black trades a pair of light pieces and finishes the
development.} 11. Nxd4 Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Bb4 $5 {Diagram [#] An interesting idea.
Instead} (12... Bc5 13. Ndb5 a6 14. Nd6+ Bxd6 15. Qxd6 {would have transposed
to the game.}) 13. Ndb5 (13. Bd2 O-O {promises nothing at all for White.})
13... a6 {After some hesitation Eljanov decided to go to passive defense. He
could have gone for complications instead, seemingly favorable for him:} (13...
O-O $5 {with the idea} 14. Nxa7 (14. Bf4 a6 15. Nd6 Rc6 $11) (14. Rd1 a6 15.
Nd6 Rc6 (15... Bxc3 16. bxc3) 16. Nde4 Qa8 $11) 14... Bxc3 15. Nxc8 (15. bxc3
Rc5 16. Nb5 Qa8+ 17. f3 Ne5 18. Qb1 Qa4 19. Nd6 Qc6 {is great for Black.})
15... Be5 {when the white night is trapped. True, the position after} 16. f4
Bb8 17. Nd6 Nc5 18. Nxf7 Qxd3 19. exd3 Kxf7 20. Be3 {is not clear at all.}) 14.
Nd6+ Bxd6 15. Qxd6 Qe7 {Now White is a bit better, but the symmetrical
character of the positions should not allow much to him.} 16. Qd3 b5 17. Bf4 e5
18. Bg5 h6 19. Nd5 Qe6 20. Bxf6 Nxf6 21. Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Qa3 {[%cal Ra3f8]
Diagram [#] Grischuk squeezed the maximum of the position and kept the black
king in the middle for the time being. But Black's defensive resources are
good enough to keep the balance.} Rc2 23. b3 {White would be happy to try and
win the open file, but} (23. Rac1 {is strongly met with} Qc6+ {when} 24. Qf3
Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Qxc1 26. Qa8+ Ke7 27. Qxh8 Qxb2 28. Qxg7 {Diagram [#] is equal.})
({Perhaps} 23. Rad1 $5 {was more interesting with the tactical idea} Rxe2 $2 (
{However Black can defend with} 23... Qc6+ $1 24. Kg1 Rc5 {[%cal Gc4c5,Ra3c5,
Ye8g8] Diagram [#] followed by 0-0.}) 24. Qd3 {and White wins a rook.}) 23...
Qc6+ 24. Kg1 Qc5 $1 {Nicely played! With all the heavy pieces on board king's
safety is top priority. Eljanov will compensate the pawn with activity.} 25.
Qxa6 O-O 26. a4 {Grischuk gives back the pawn but creates a passer immediately
as} (26. e3 b4 {blocks the white pawns.}) 26... Rxe2 27. a5 e4 {[%csl Ra5,Yg1]
[%cal Ge4e3,Ra4a5] Diagram [#] King's safety, remember? The threat is e4-e3,
White is forced to trade rooks.} 28. Rae1 Rxe1 29. Rxe1 f5 {The same policy,
f5-f4 is coming, the white king will be opened and Black can count on
perpetual check (at least).} 30. Qe6+ Kh7 31. Rd1 Rf6 32. Qd5 Qc2 (32... Qb4 $5
{might have been more subtle, with the idea} 33. Ra1 Qc3 34. Ra2 e3 35. a6 Qe1+
36. Kg2 e2 37. Rxe2 Qxe2 38. a7 Rf8 39. a8=Q Rxa8 40. Qxa8 $11 {Diagram [#]})
33. Rd2 Qc3 34. Ra2 Qe1+ {Eljanov is confident in his heavy pieces and
believes that the attack should be more important than a new white queen
coming on a8.} (34... e3 {would transpose to the above-mentioned line.}) 35. Kg2
f4 36. a6 {The culmination of the battle. One can be certain that time
trouble was involved when it comes to Grischuk.} f3+ 37. Kh3 Rg6 $2 {A blunder!
} ({It was time to force a draw with} 37... e3 $1 38. Qe4+ ({Or} 38. a7 exf2
39. Rxf2 Qxf2 40. a8=Q Qg2+ 41. Kg4 Rg6+ 42. Kf4 Rf6+ $11 {Diagram [#] as if}
43. Ke3 $2 Qe2+ 44. Kd4 f2 {wins for Black.}) 38... Rg6 39. Qxf3 exf2 40. Rxf2
Rxa6 41. Qf5+ Rg6) ({On the other hand bad was} 37... Qf1+ 38. Kh4 {when the
king escapes and White wins after} g5+ (38... Rg6 39. a7 Qg2 40. h3 $18) 39.
Kg4 h5+ 40. Kxg5) 38. Kh4 $2 {Grischuk returns the favor!} ({It seemd as Black
ia mating after} 38. a7 Qh1 {but White has} 39. Qf5 {[%cal Rf5h3] Diagram [#]}
Qg2+ 40. Kh4 Qxh2+ 41. Qh3 {and wins!}) 38... Qb4 {Once more Black was OK after
} (38... Rg5 39. Qd4 Qb1 {(Go find this move even without the time trouble...)}
) ({Or} 38... e3 {with similar line as above.} 39. Qxf3 exf2 40. Rxf2 Rxa6) 39.
Kh3 {With seconds on the clock Grischuk errs last.} (39. Qf5 $1 {[%csl Yg6]
[%cal Rh4h5,Rf5h7] Diagram [#] would have won instead. For example} Qxb3 (39...
e3+ 40. Kh5 $1) 40. Ra1 $1 {Better than} (40. Kh5 Qxa2 41. Qxg6+ Kh8 42. Qe8+
Kh7 43. Qxe4+ Kg8) 40... Qc3 41. Kh5 Qxa1 42. Qxg6+ Kh8 43. Qe8+ Kh7 44. Qxe4+
Kh8 45. Qb7 {when the white king will escape the checks.}) 39... Rg5 $1 40. Qf7
Qc5 {Move fourty missed a clear-cut win.} (40... Qe1 {with the threat
Qe1-h1-g2+ and mate on h2.} 41. Kh4 (41. a7 {does not help due to} Qh1 42. Qg8+
$1 {The last chance} Kxg8 43. a8=Q+ Kh7 44. Qxe4+ Rg6 45. Qf5 h5 $1) 41... Qb1
$3 {[%csl Rh4][%cal Rb3b4,Gc1c4] Diagram [#] What is the idea of this move? To.
..lure the white pawn to b4!!!} (41... Qc1 42. Qe8 Rg6 43. Qe5 {is defendable
for White.}) 42. b4 ({If the rook moves from the second rank} 42. Ra5 Qg1 {
lead to mate} 43. h3 Qxf2) 42... Qc1 43. Qe8 Qc4 {with the deadly threat
e4-e3+!}) 41. g4 Qc1 42. a7 h5 $1 {Eljanov's threats are still huge and
Grischuk has to part with his queen.} 43. Qxh5+ $1 {The best chance. Or else
Black wins after} (43. a8=Q Qf1+ 44. Kh4 Rxg4+ 45. Kxh5 Qh3# {Diagram [#]}) (
43. Qg8+ Kxg8 44. a8=Q+ Kh7 45. Qxe4+ Kh6 $1) 43... Rxh5+ 44. gxh5 Qc8+ 45. Kg3
Qa8 46. Ra6 {Both the black queen and king are arrested and this looks like a
fortress.} Kg8 47. b4 Kf8 48. Kf4 Ke7 (48... Ke8 49. h6 $1) 49. Ke3 {The last
mistake. Now the black king comes out and Black wins. Correct was} (49. h6 $1 {
Diagram [#]} gxh6 50. Rxh6 e3 ({The plan from the game would not work here}
50... Kd7 51. Ra6 Kc7 52. Ke3 Kb7 53. Ra5 Kc6 54. h4 Kd6 55. h5 $11) 51. Rh7+
Kf6 52. Kxe3 {and this seems like a draw, although Black can definitely try to
win further.}) 49... Kd7 50. Kd4 Kc7 51. Ke3 Kb7 52. Ra5 Kb6 53. Ra3 Kc6 54.
Ra5 Kd6 55. Kd4 {Leads to mate but otherwise White will sooner or later get
into zugzwang and allow the black king in} (55. h4 Ke6 56. Kf4 Kd5 57. Rxb5+
Kd4 58. Ra5 Kc3) 55... Qd5+ 56. Ke3 Ke5 {[%csl Ye3][%cal Rd5d3] Diagram [#]
Mate on d3 is coming. Caissa smiled to the brave Eljanov today!} 0-1

Report.

The Move of the Year?

The EICC finished yesterday in Jerusalem and as far as I can see from the various pictures, great coverage of the event and thoughts shared in internet it was a greatly organized event.
It is hard to say which of the games played in Jerusalem was the best, everyone will definitely has his/her own preferences.
The following game however is special. It was played in a crucial moment, round ten of the event and the winner was receiving a chance to play for the title. It was also crowned by a spectacular move which will stay in the treasury of the chess world.

[Event "European Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2015.03.06"]
[Round "10.3"]
[White "Khismatullin, Denis"]
[Black "Eljanov, Pavel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Bojkov, Dejan"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2015.??.??"]
[WhiteClock "0:02:23"]
[BlackClock "0:02:39"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 {The Nimtzo-Indian Defense is a good sign that a
complicated, tough battle is about to come.} 4. e3 O-O 5. Nge2 Re8 6. a3 Bf8 7.
Ng3 d5 8. Be2 a6 {Eljanov chooses the more complicated continuation. The
capture} (8... dxc4 {leads to a symmetrical play and offers better chances of
equality to the second player-} 9. O-O c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bxc4 {Kuzubov,Y
(2661)-Kryvoruchko,Y (2706) Lvov 2014}) 9. O-O c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. cxd5 $146 {
[%cal Gc4d5] Diagram [#] Previously only} (11. b4 {had been checked with
promising position for White after} Ba7 12. Qc2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qc7 14. Bd3 Nbd7
15. Bb2 {El Debs,F (2514)-Henriquez Villagra,C (2466) Praia da Pipa 2014})
11... exd5 12. Bf3 {A somewhat strange version of the IQP arised. The white
knight normally stays on f3 in these positions, and the bishop is on e2. The
different positions of these pieces have their pros and cons. For instance, a
knight on f3 would make it harder for Black to break in the center with d5-d4,
but will allow a chance to the black bishop to get on g4. On the other hand
the white bishop on f3 is far more active than on e2.} Be6 {A natural desire
of the isolated pawn is to go forward. However after} (12... d4 13. Nce4 Bb6
14. exd4 Bxd4 15. Bf4 $1 {White will have big lead in the development and if
Black dares to take the pawn with} Bxb2 $6 {He will get smothered after} 16.
Ra2 $1 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Bf6 18. Rd2 Nd7 19. Nd6 {with domination of the white
pieces.}) 13. b4 Bd6 14. Bb2 {The pawn is untouchable due to} (14. Nxd5 $2 Bxg3
15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 {when the rook is hanging on a1.}) 14... Be5 {Eljanov decided
to get rid of the bishop as it was idirectly helping the attack against the
isolani. This is visible in the line} (14... Nc6 15. Na4 Rc8 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17.
Bxd5 {where the pawn falls. If we continue the line though, we shall see that
Black is OK after} Bxg3 18. hxg3 Red8 19. e4 Ne7) 15. Na4 {Trading the
dark-squared bishops is good for White, as long as he can black the d5 pawn.
In the next moves both sides play around the d4 square.} Bxb2 16. Nxb2 Nc6 17.
Nd3 Qb6 ({Black could have also played} 17... d4 $5 {[%cal Rd5d4] Diagram [#]}
18. Bxc6 ({Or} 18. Nc5 dxe3 19. Qxd8 exf2+ 20. Rxf2 Nxd8 21. Nxb7 Nxb7 22. Bxb7
Ra7) 18... bxc6 19. exd4 Qxd4 20. Nc5 {It seems as White is better, but} Qxd1
21. Rfxd1 a5 $1 {clarifies the situation. Black is OK.}) 18. Rc1 a5 $1 {Good
strategy by Eljanov. He wants to get rid of the queenside pawns and to open
room for his pieces. Black obviously did well in the opening.} 19. Rb1 axb4 20.
axb4 Rad8 {Another promising continuation is the typical} (20... d4 $1 21. b5 (
21. e4 Bc4) 21... Na5 22. exd4 (22. e4 Nc4) 22... Qxd4 {If anyone is better
here, it ain't White...}) 21. b5 Na5 22. Ne2 Ne4 23. Ndf4 Nc4 24. Bxe4 $1 {The
black knights became too active and Khismatullin hurries to get rid of one of
them.} (24. Nd4 Nc3) 24... dxe4 25. Nd4 Bc8 {The position has been modified
but remains approximately equal.} ({Also possible was} 25... Bd7 $11 {with the
idea to prevent} 26. Rc1 $6 Bxb5 27. Rb1 Na3 28. Rb2 (28. Rb3 Qd6 $1) 28... Qf6
) 26. Rc1 Ne5 27. Qb3 Qh6 $1 {A crafty little move!} 28. Rc5 $1 {Khismatullin
is aleart. What can be more natural than occupying the sevent rank?! Nothing,
except that after} (28. Rc7 $2 {[%csl Yc7,Rh2] Diagram [#] Eljanov had
prepared the nasty} Rxd4 $3 29. exd4 Nf3+ $1 {with huge advantage for Black,
say} 30. gxf3 Qxf4 31. Rxc8 Rxc8 32. fxe4 Qxe4) 28... b6 29. Rd5 {The rook
carefully avoids the mines. Now one interesting continuation was} (29. Rxe5 $5
Rxe5 30. Nc6 Qd6 31. Nxd8 Qxd8 32. Rd1 {when White is a tad better but the
game looks drawish.}) ({Just as before} 29. Rc7 $2 {is bad due to} Rxd4 30.
exd4 Nf3+ $1 31. gxf3 Qxf4 32. Qc3 exf3 (32... Bh3)) 29... Bb7 30. Rxd8 Rxd8
31. Rd1 Qg5 32. Kf1 $1 {Another good prophylaxis. Worse is} (32. h3 Nf3+ 33.
Nxf3 exf3 34. g3 h6 {when the f3 pawn will feel like a bone in White's throat.}
) 32... g6 33. h3 Nd3 34. Nc6 $1 {Khismatullin avoids the draw in the line.} (
34. Nxd3 exd3 35. Nc6 Bxc6 36. bxc6 Qc5 37. Rxd3 Rxd3 38. Qxd3 Qxc6 $11) 34...
Bxc6 35. bxc6 Qc5 $1 {So does Eljanov! Black can force a perpetual after} (
35... Nxf4 36. Rxd8+ Qxd8 37. exf4 Qd2 38. Qa4 ({This way of avoding the draw}
38. Qc4 $4 {is not the brightest ever} Qd1#) 38... e3 39. fxe3 Qxe3 40. Qc4 b5
$1 41. Qxb5 Qxf4+ 42. Kg1 Qc1+ $11 {with perpetual.}) 36. Qa4 Kg7 37. Qa1+ Kg8
38. Qa4 {In the time trouble Eljanov rejects the repetion with a blunder} Rd6
$2 {[%csl Rc6] Diagram [#]} 39. Qa8+ $2 {That goes unpunished. Instead} (39. c7
$1 Qxc7 40. Qe8+ Kg7 41. Qxe4 f5 (41... Nxf4 42. Qe5+) 42. Ne6+ Kf7 43. Qxf5+
gxf5 44. Nxc7 {would have won a pawn for White.}) 39... Kg7 40. Qa1+ Kh6 {The
strong threat is Qc5-c2 and Khismatullin goes for the extreme} 41. Nxd3 exd3
42. Qh8 $3 {Thus abandoning his own king. If Eljanov was crafty earlier, then
Khismatullin's devilish at least... Anyway, who would not play here} Qc2 ({
Wrong was} 42... Qxc6 $2 43. Qf8+ Kg5 44. Qxf7 Qc2 $4 45. Qf4+ Kh5 46. g4+ Kh4
47. Qh6#) ({But} 42... Rxc6 43. Rxd3 $11 {should be a draw.}) 43. Qf8+ Kg5 {
[%csl Yf1,Gf8,Yg5][%cal Rc2d1,Rd3d2,Rd2d1] Diagram [#] Now take a deep breath
as what follows is magic.} 44. Kg1 $3 {What a move!!! White gives his rook
with a check! And...wins!!!} Qxd1+ {There was no way back.} (44... Qxc6 45.
Qxf7 $1) (44... Rxc6 45. Qxf7 $1) 45. Kh2 Rxc6 ({Or the prosaic win after}
45... Qc2 46. Qxd6 Qxf2 (46... d2 47. Qf4+ Kh5 48. g4+ Kh4 49. Qh6#) 47. Qxd3)
46. Qe7+ {Before working the lines till the end Khismatullin gives a chance to
his opponent to lose faster. Eljanov has no choice anyway.} Kh6 {Everything
else loses as well} (46... Kh5 47. g4+ Kh6 48. Qf8+ Kg5 49. Qxf7) (46... Kf5
47. g4+) (46... f6 {This one is tricky as after} 47. f4+ Kh6 48. Qf8+ Kh5 {
White has to avoid one more trick with the spectacular} 49. Qg7 $3 ({While the
obvious} 49. g4+ {will be only a draw after} Qxg4 $3 {Forced, but nevertheless
beautiful and White has to find the draw after} 50. hxg4+ Kxg4 {as} 51. Qd8 $2
{even loses!} ({Instead both} 51. Qb4 $1 Rc2+ 52. Kg1 Kg3 53. Qe1+ Kf3 54. Qd1+
Kxe3 55. Qe1+ $11) ({and} 51. f5 $1 $11 {should draw.}) 51... Rc2+ 52. Kg1 Kg3
{[%csl Yg1][%cal Rc2c1] Diagram [#]})) (46... Rf6 47. f4+ {wins as well for
White.}) 47. Qf8+ Kg5 48. Qxf7 $1 {[%csl Yg5] Diagram [#] Unbelievable, yet
true. Despite the extra rook, super strong passer and the fact that White
attacks only with his queen and pawns Black has no defense! The game concluded}
Rf6 49. f4+ Kh6 50. Qxf6 Qe2 51. Qf8+ Kh5 52. Qg7 h6 53. Qe5+ Kh4 54. Qf6+ Kh5
55. f5 $1 gxf5 56. Qxf5+ Kh4 57. Qg6 {And not waiting to see the mate after} (
57. Qg6 d2 58. Qxh6+ Qh5 59. g3# {Diagram [#] Eljanov resigned. Hats off to
Denis Khismatullin!}) 1-0

Report and congratulations to the winninr, GM Evgeniy Najer from Russia!.