The rest of the standings: Wang Yue of China, 4 1/2 -5 1/2 ; Leinier Dominguez Perez of Cuba, 4-6; and Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, 3-7. Ivanchuk won this tournament in 2008 but appears to be on a slump so far this year.
Born on July 4, 1972 in Riga, in the then-Soviet republic of Latvia, Shirov is noted for his attacking style and for seeking complications, “a tendency which has led to comparisons with fellow Latvian and former world champion, Mikhail Tal, under whom he studied in his youth.”
Shirov, who beat Kramnik in a 10-game match in 1998, is also a well-regarded chess author. Although he has been a citizen of Spain since 1994, he still resides in Latvia.
Winning this year’s M-Tel is his greatest triumph of his career so far.
Game of the week. IM Malcolm Pein annotates.
White: A. Shirov (2745)
Black: V. Ivanchuk (2746)
Ruy Lopez Open
5th MTel Masters Sofia, 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Be7 10.Re1 Nc5 11.c3 d4 12.Bc2 (12…d4-d3 is tempting but the pawn could become weak. Ivanchuk probably feared some home analysis) 12…0-0 13.cxd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Qxd4 15.Nf3 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Rfd8 17.Nd4! Bd5 18.Nf5 Bf8 19.Bg5 Rd7 20.Ne7+! (Aiming for an endgame where the white bishop is superior to the black knight) 20…Bxe7 21.Bxe7 Rxe7 (21…Ne6 looks better keeping opposite colored bishops) 22.Rxd5 Ne6 23.g3 g6 24.f4 c5 25.Kf2 Kg7 26.Rad1 c4 27.Ke3 (White has a more active king and control of the only open file) 27…f6 28.Rd7 Kf7 29.Be4 Rae8 30.Rxe7+ Rxe7 31.exf6 Kxf6 32.Rd6 Kg7 33.f5! (33.Rxa6?? Nc5) 33…gxf5 34.Bxf5 Nf8+ (Black’s queenside pawns are vulnerable and the knight is dominated by the bishop 34…Ng5+!?) 35.Kd2 35…Re5 36.g4 a5 37.Ra6 a4 38.Rb6 Ng6 39.Kc3 Ne7 (Losing a pawn but if 39…Re2 40.Rxb5 Rxh2 41.Kxc4 or 39…Rd5 40.Rb7+ Kh8 41.Be4 Re5 42.Kd4) 40.Rb7 Kf6 41.Bxh7 Kg5 42.h3 Kf4 43.Rd7 Re2 44.a3 Nc6 (44…Kg5 45.Rb7 Nd5+ 46.Kd4 Rd2+ 47.Ke5 c3 48.Rxb5!) 45.Rf7+ Kg3 46.g5 Re3+ 47.Kd2 Rb3 48.g6 Rxb2+ 49.Kc1 and Black resigned.
Puzzler.
White — Qc2, Nd3, pawn on d5, Bd6, Re7, Kh3
Black — Bb2, Qc3, Re4, Nf3, Kh8, pawns on d7, f4
White to play and mate in two.
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