Armenian GM Levon Aronian is number three while the unpredictable Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk returns to the top five.
The top 10 based on FIDE’s March 2011 rankings:
1 Anand, Viswanathan IND 2817
2 Carlsen, Magnus NOR 2815
3 Aronian, Levon ARM 2808
4 Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 2785
5 Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR 2779
6 Karjakin, Sergey RUS 2776
7 Topalov, Veselin BUL 2775
8 Nakamura, Hikaru USA 2774
9 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar AZE 2772
10 Grischuk, Alexander RUS 2747
In the Women Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar, Anand’s compatriot, Humpy Koneru, caught up with the tournament leader Elina Danielian of Armenia by scoring 5.5 in the last six rounds to finish in a tie for first. Koneru, who beat Danielan in their individual game, had the better tie-break score and was awarded the solo grand prize — and the right to challenge the women’s world champ, Hou Yifan of China. Koneru, who will be 24 this month, has a dismal score against the 17-year-old Chinese: 2 wins, 7 losses and 6 draws. Asked about Koneru’s chances, Anand described Hou as “ridiculously talented,” and advised Humpy “to be tactically much more alert.” He added, “The initiative has to be converted into a point. She has to find a way to improve her technique. There is no point in outplaying someone if [the opponent] can find an escape tactically. Hou is not a clear favorite as such. But she is dangerous.”
Game of the week. Darwin Laylo, born in 1980, is one of the Philippines’ 10 grandmasters. He won the national championship in 2004 and 2006 and was on the Philippine Olympic team in those years. In 2007, he earned his GM title. In the same year, he placed in the top 10 of the 2007 Asian Chess Championship held in Cebu, the Philippines, earning a place in the 2007 World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. Laylo was eliminated in the first round match 1½–½ by French GM Étienne Bacrot.
At the recently held Aeroflot tournament in Moscow, he played in the “B” event which featured 30 GMs and 27 IMs. Laylo finished in a tie for first place with five wins and four draws. Here is one of his victories as annotated by his former trainer, Philippine chess writer Bobby Ang
White: D. Laylo (2516)
Black: A. Gavrilov (2484)
King’s Indian Defense
Aeroflot Open (B), Moscow 2011
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 d6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 Bf5 Nowadays the Yugoslav Variation with 7…a6 8.d5 Na5 9.Nd2 c5 10.Qc2 Rb8 11.b3 b5 is not so popular anymore, which is a pity because it leads to quite interesting chess. The only top GMs who still go for this once in a while are Zhigalko (Belarus), Sjugirov (Russia) and Anton Korobov (Ukraine). That’s right — no Yugoslavs! The variation you see on the board now with 7…Bf5 is the more fashionable variant in current day. The two ex-Soviet-now-Israeli GMs Ilya Smirin and Emil Sutovsky and the Greek Eftratios Grivas are the ones responsible for this. 8.d5 Na5 9.Nd2 Take note here that 9.Nd4 is a playable alternative. He is not sacrificing a pawn, for after 9…Nxc4?! White recovers it with 10.Nxf5 gxf5 11.Qd3. 9…c6 This is the difference between the new and old Yugoslav — Black has the option of playing the c-pawn to c6. 10.e4 The reader might be wondering what Black would do if his opponent plays 10.b4, ostensibly trapping the knight. He has two choices, both of which are not doing too badly: a) 10…Nxd5 11.cxd5 Bxc3 12.e4 Bxa1 13.exf5 Bg7 14.Qe2 cxd5 15.bxa5 gxf5 16.Bxd5 Qxa5 17.Bxb7 Rae8 18.Nf3 e6 Jirovsky,M-Rasik,V/ Czech Rep 1993 1/2 (23); b) 10…Nxc4 11.Nxc4 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Bxa1 13.Bh6 Bg7 14.Bxg7 Kxg7 15.Nde3 Be6 16.a4 Bxc4 17.Nxc4 d5 18.Nd2 Qd6 and the position is equal. Black’s loss in Nielsen,P (2638) vs Nataf,I (2569) in the Reykjavik Open 2004 had nothing to do with the opening. 10…Bg4 Trying to provoke White to weaken his position by means of 11.f3. 11.Qa4 cxd5 12.cxd5 [12.exd5?! is not so good as it gives Black a target on c4. 12…Rc8 13.Nb3 Nxc4 14.Qxa7 Qd7 15.Nd2 Ne5 16.Qe3 Bh3 17.Bxh3 Qxh3 This position is not comfortable for White. Jacobsen,B (2335)-Hvenekilde,J (2275)/ Aarhus 1981 0-1 40] 12…Bd7 13.Qb4 Qc7 14.e5!?Typical Darwin. While everyone is concentrating on the queenside he suddenly shifts the action to the other side. 14…Ne8 [14…dxe5 15.Qxe7] 15.e6!? fxe6 16.Bh3 Nf6 Of course not 16…exd5? 17.Nxd5! (17.Bxd7 Qxd7 18.Qxa5 e6 is not as effective — White has an extra knight but Black’s center pawns rob them of good squares to position the knights) 17…Qd8 18.Bxd7 Qxd7 19.Qxa5 Rf5 20.Nc4 White is doing fine. 17.dxe6 Bc6 18.Nde4 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Qb6 20.Qe1 A mistake would be 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.Nc3 because now 21…Bxc3! 22.bxc3 Nb3.
20…Bb5 21.Be3 Qd8 A pity that Gavrilov does not play the “obvious” 21…Bd4. Darwin had planned 22.Bxd4! Qxd4 23.Rd1 Qb6 24.Rxd6!! exd6 25.e7 Rfe8 26.Be6+ the attack is winning. 22.Ng5 Bxf1 23.Qxf1 Nc6 24.Bg4 Intending to continue the attack with Qh3. 24…Ne5 [24…h6 25.Nf7 Qa5 26.Qb1! Ne5 27.Nxe5 Qxe5 28.Qxg6 Qf6 29.Qd3 Darwin’s two bishops are a match for Black’s quality up] 25.Qh3 h6 Both players were in time trouble here and I don’t think Gavrilov even considered playing 25…h5 for after 26.Bxh5 (what move did you expect?) 26…gxh5 27.Qxh5 Rf6 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.f4 Nc6 (otherwise 30.Bd4) 30.Qh5 Qe8 31.Nh7+ Kg8 32.Nxf6+ Bxf6 33.Qg4+ Kh7 it is still a game. 26.Nf7 Nxf7? Black should be going after the white-squared bishop of Darwin, which is the anchor behind the attack. Better (although not easy to find with the clock ticking by your side and with your enemy pieces circling around your king) is 26…Qa5 27.Bxh6 Nxg4! 28.Bxg7 Kxg7 29.Qxg4 Qf5 the queen gets back into the defense just in time. 27.exf7+ Kh7 28.Be6 Qa5 29.Rc1 Bringing the rook directly to d1 makes more sense, but again I should emphasize that they were in time trouble. 29…d5 30.Rd1 Rad8 31.Rd4! Rd6 Of course he cannot take the rook because of Qxh6 mate, and neither will 31…h5 work because of 32.Bf5! Rxf7 33.Qxh5+ Kg8 34.Bxg6 Rf6 35.Qh7+ Kf8 36.Bh5! followed by Rg4. 32.Rh4 Nothing can save him now. 32…g5 33.Qf5+ Kh8 34.Rxh6+! Bxh6 35.Bd4+ 1-0
Black is mated after 36…Bg7 37.Qh3.
Puzzler.
White: Ka5, Nb5, Qc1, Bd3, pawn on d4
Black: Kd5, Ne5, pawns on a6 and f3
White to play and mate in three moves.
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