Poikovsky is in the Nefteyugansky region and its name comes from the Poika river. In 1998, Poikovsky was hailed as the “most comfortable municipal urban and settlement center.” Its population is around 20,000.
Playing in the tournament were Alexei Shirov of Spain, 2741; Vugar Gashimov, Azerbaijan, 2717; Dmitry Jakovenko, Russia, 2709; Sergey Rublevsky, Russia, 2699; Wang Hao, China, 2691; Viorel Bologan, Moldavia, 2686; Ernesto Inarkiev, Russia, 2675; Andrei Volokitin, Ukraine, 2672; Alexander Onischuk, U.S., 2670; and Emil Sutovsky , Israel, 2654.
Shirov was leading after seven games only to lose in the next round to young Gashimov. The last round games were all drawn, leaving Rublevsky, Jakovenko, Gashimov and Shirov in a tie for first place.
The average rating of the participants was 2691, making it a category 18 event.
Game of the week. This week’s annotator, IM Malcolm Pein, has this to say about our featured partie:
“When faced with his favorite weapon, the Sicilian Najdorf, Bobby Fischer countered with Bc4. Garry Kasparov also used the move and it has had a renaissance recently. On c4 the bishop is immensely powerful as it attacks f7 and if Black castles kingside the bishop’s influence extends all the way to the king on g8. Black typically plays the move e7-e6 to limit the bishop but often has to reckon with a White sacrifice on e6 that gains two pawns and access to the black king.
“This year we have seen many games where Black has failed to exchange the bishop after its customary retreat to b3 and suffered the consequences. The games Naiditsch-Van Wely from Dortmund and Nisipiean-Grischuk from Aerosvit come readily to mind and there was another at the 9th Karpov Poikovsky tournament in Siberia….
“If I was defending this kind of position I would hasten to exchange the bishop. In this ‘Wacky Race’ to deliver checkmate the lesson has to be, as the song ‘Catch the Pigeon’ from the wonderful 1970s cartoon series goes (almost) ‘Nab him, jab him, tab him, grab him, stop that bishop now!”
White: V. Gashimov
Black: A. Volokitin
Sicilian Najdorf
9th Karpov, Poikovsky 20081.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 (Play reaches the 6.Bc4 lines via 6.Bg5) 6…e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Bc4 (8.Qf3 is standard) 8…Qb6 (8…b5 9.Bxe6 fxe6 10.Nxe6 is dangerous) 9.Bb3 (9.Qd2 Qxb2 10.Rb1 Qa3 a la Poisoned Pawn is also possible) 9…Be7 10.f5 Nc5 11.Qf3 (11.fxe6 fxe6 12.Na4 Qc7 13.Nxc5 dxc5 14.Nxe6 Bxe6 15.Bxe6 Qe5 16.Bxf6 Qxe4+ equalizes) 11…Ncxe4?! (Brave or foolhardy, Black “wants to be shown” and he certainly is, 11…Bd7 12.0–0–0 0–0–0 13.Qh3 Nxb3+ 14.axb3 Qa5 15.Kb1 was playable. White has the edge but at least the bishop is in the box) 12.Nxe4 Qxd4 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.c3 Qb6? (14…Qe5 was essential) 15.0–0–0 15…d5 (15…0–0 16.fxe6 fxe6 17.Qg3+ Kh8 18.Nxd6) 16.fxe6! (Using the latent power of the bishop on b3) 16…dxe4 (16…fxe6 17.Nxf6+) 17.exf7+ Kf8 18.Qxe4 f5 (18…Qc6 19.Qe3 h5 20.Rhe1 Qc7 21.Qe4 heading for g6 and g8!) 19.Qf4 Qg6 (19…Be6 20.Qh6+ Kxf7 21.Rhe1 Bxb3 22.Qxb6) 20.Rhe1 Be6 (20…Qg4 21.Qh6+ Qg7 22.Rd8+ Bxd8 23.Re8 mate) 21.Qe5 (Regaining the sacrificed piece to achieve a winning position, can you hear Mutley sniggering?) 21…Qg5+ 22.Kb1 Bxb3 23.Qxh8+ Kxf7 24.Qxh7+ Kf8 25.axb3 1–0.
Puzzler.
White — pawns on b3, b4, h2; Qa8, Ke1, Be4, Ne7
Black — pawns on a5, b5, e5, g5; Na7, Bb6, Ke3
White to play and mate in three moves.
Send your answers to “64” c/o Marianas Variety, P.O. Box 500231, Saipan MP 96950. Our fax no. is 670-234-9271. You can also e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
