Time control is two hours for 40 moves, then one hour for 20, then 20 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30 second increment (starting from move 61).
The participants are Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, Alexander Grischuk of Russia, Francisco Vallejo of Spain, Levon Aronian of Armenia, Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan and Boris Gelfand of Israel. After four rounds, Topalov and Grischuk are in the lead. Stay tuned.
In other news, the World Chess Federation, or FIDE, will hold the final Grand Prix tournament on May 5 in Astrakhan, Russia. According to IM Jack Peters, “the six-tournament series was supposed to conclude in 2009, but three of the six cities that promised to host tournaments backed out. FIDE deserves credit for finding replacements, despite the delay in the schedule.”
The Grand Prix offers a total of 300,000 euros, or about $410,000, to the top 10 cumulative scorers. Peters said Aronian, who won two tournaments and tied for second in another, “has already clinched the first prize of 75,000 euros (about $102,000). More than half of the 14 players in Astrakhan retain a mathematical chance for the 50,000 euros (about $68,000) second prize and a berth in the Candidates matches that will select the challenger in the 2011 world championship.”
In Gibraltar, New Yorkers GM Gata Kamsky and IM Alex Lenderman scored 7 1/2 -2 1/2 and tied for first place with seven others at the Gibtelecom Masters tournament. “The tournament, in its eighth year, has become one of the most lucrative opens in the world, awarding 112,500 pounds (about $176,000) in prizes, plus expense money for titled players. There were 34 GMs in the field of 224 players,” Peters reported.
Game of the week. At the recently held Corus tourney, word champ Anand seemed to be coasting along, drawing one game after other, before scalping erstwhile tournament leader Shirov and, in round 12, ex-world champ Kramnik who appeared to be on the verge of topping the event. But it wasn’t meant to be. IM Jack Peters annotates.
White: GM Viswanathan Anand ( 2790)
Black: GM Vladimir Kramnik (2788)
Corus A, Wijk aan Zee 2010
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6 The Petroff Defense, a signal that Kramnik was content to draw. He led the tournament by a half-point before this penultimate-round game. 3 Nxe5 d6 4 Nf3 Nxe4 5 d4 d5 6 Bd3 Nc6 7 0-0 Be7 8 c4 White has nearly abandoned the old main line, 8 Re1 Bg4 9 c3 f5. Nb4 9 Be2 0-0 10 Nc3 Bf5 11 a3 Nxc3 12 bxc3 Nc6 13 Re1 Re8 14 cxd5 Qxd5 15 Bf4 A popular position with a drawish reputation. Rac8 After 15…Bd6 16 c4 Qe4 17 Be3, White may gain time with c4-c5. 16 h3 Discouraging 16 …Bf6, as 17 Nh2 Qa5 18 Bd2 Rcd8 19 Bf3 h6 20 Ng4 Bxg4 21 hxg4 gave White an edge in Kramnik-Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2003. Be4 17 Qc1 New. A round earlier, Kramnik had drawn as Black against Shirov after 17 Nd2!? Bxg2 18 Bg4 Bh1 19 f3 Bh4 20 Re4!? f5 21 Kxh1 fxg4 22 hxg4 Qf7. In 2008, Kramnik drew as Black against Ivanchuk after 17 Be3 Na5 18 Nd2 Bf5 19 c4 Qd7 20 Nf3 Bf6 21 Rc1 c5. Na5 18 Qe3 Bf8?! Losing ground in the center. Black would have few worries after 18…Bf5 19 Ne5 c5. 19 c4! Qd8 As 19…Nxc4?? drops a piece to 20 Bxc4 Qxc4 21 Nd2 Qd5 22 Nxe4 f5 23 Nc3. 20 Ne5 Bf5 21 Qc3 b6 22 Rad1 Qf6?! Black’s position deteriorates after this second slip. Instead, 22…f6 23 Ng4 Bd6 limits White to a minimal advantage. 23 Qg3 Nc6 Possibly 23…c5 24 d5 Bd6 improves, although the computer likes White after 25 Bh5 g6 26 Re3. 24 Ng4 Qg6 25 d5 Na5 26 Bxc7! A powerful exchange sacrifice. White gets nothing from 26 Ne3 Qxg3 27 Bxg3 Bd7. Bc2 27 Rc1 Nb3 28 Rxc2 Qxc2 29 Nh6+ Kh8 30 Nxf7+ Kg8 31 Nh6+ Kh8 32 Nf7+ A first for Anand, the legendarily quick calculator who claimed he had never repeated moves to gain time on the clock. Kg8 33 Nh6+ Kh8 34 Be5! White’s swarming pieces will overwhelm Black. For example, White refutes 34…Qd2 by 35 Nf7+ Kg8 36 Bc3 Qc2 37 Ne5, followed by the Bishop’s entry at g4 or h5. Qg6 35 Bg4 Rxc4? Dropping material. Black’s last hope is 35…Rcd8 36 Nf5 Nc5. 36 Qxb3 Rxe5 If 36…Re4, then 37 Rxe4 Qxe4 38 Nf7+ Kg8 39 d6 sets up a fatal discovery. 37 Rxe5 Rc1+ 38 Kh2 Bd6 Black cannot solve his back-rank problem after either 38…Qxh6 39 Re8 Qf6 40 Qf3 or 38…gxh6 39 Re6! Qg7 40 Re8. 39 f4 Bxe5 No better is 39…gxh6 40 Qb2! Bxe5 41 Qxe5+ Qg7, when the game might conclude 42 d6 Rc5 43 Qe8+ Qg8 44 d7 Rd5 45 Be6. 40 fxe5 gxh6 Or 40…Qxh6 41 Qf3! g6 42 d6. 41 Qe3 White’s pawns are unstoppable. He can overcome the flimsy blockade 41…Rc5 42 d6 h5 43 Bf3 Qe6 by 44 Qd4 Rc8 45 Bd5, or 44…Rc4 45 Qd5. Qb1 42 d6 Rh1+ 43 Kg3 Re1 44 Qf4 Rf1 45 Bf3, Black Resigns.
Puzzler.
White — Ka4, Ba6, Nb8, Nc6, Qc1, pawns on e3 and h4
Black — Kd5, Nd6, Rf7, Bh7, Rh3, pawns on b3, c4, c7, d4, e6 and f3
White to play and mate in four.
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