• Ukraine’s veteran GM Vassily Ivanchuk dominated the top Czech GM, 24-year-old David Navara, in an eight-game rapid match in Prague. Ivanchuk won 4, lost 1 and drew the rest of the games.
• GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly of India and Zhang Xiaowen of China won the Asian Open and Women’s Championships 2009 in Subic Bay Freeport Zone north of Manila, the Philippines. Veteran Filipino GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. and five other players — four Chinese and one Vietnames — finished half a point behind Ganguly and Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi who tied for fist place. The top 10 qualify for the FIDE World Cup.
Game of the week. Today, we look into the game that was adjudged the best by Chess Informant Vol. 103’s panel of GM judges. According to the editor, the panel “had a very tough choice. There were many high-quality games to choose from and any one of them could have claimed the prize. The vote was so close that a winner was not established until we received the very last ballot.” The winner annotates.
White: Ukraine GM Andrei Volokitin (2672)
Black: Russian GM Ernesto Inarkiev (2675)
Queen’s Gambit Declined Slav
Poikovsky 2008
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nc4 Qc7 8.g3 e5 9.de5 Ne5 10.Bf4 Nfd7 11.Bg2 g5 12.Ne3 gf4 13.Nf5 0-0-0 14.Qc2 Nc5 15.0-0 Ne6 16.Qe4 fg3 [16…f3?! 17.ef3 Nc5 (17…Nd3 18.Rad1! Nb2 19.Rd8 Qd8 20.Bh3 and White is superior) 18.Qc2 Ned3 19.Bh3 and White is superior; 16…Ng4 17.b4! a) 17…Ng5 18.Qc4! (18.Qf4?! Qf4 19.gf4 Ne6 20.e3 Bb4 with counterplay) Qe5 19.Rad1! Rd1 (19…Bb4 20.Qb4 Qf5 21.Nb5! cb5 22.Qe7! Rd7 23.Rd7 Qd7 24.Rc1 and White is winning) 20.Rd1 Nf2! 21.Rd5! (21.Kf2? Qf5 with counterplay) Qc7 22.Qd4! Nfh3 (22…Rg8 23.Kf2! cd5 24.Nd5 fg3 25.hg3 Ne6 26.Qa7 and White is winning) 23.Bh3 Nh3 24.Kg2 Rg8 (24…fg3!?) 25.Re5 and White is superior; b) 17…Nf6 b1) 18.Qc4 Qe5! 19.a5! (19.e4 f3! 20.Bf3 Ng5 21.Bg2 Qe6!) a6 20.Bc6! Kb8! b11) 21.Bb7?! Kb7 22.b5 Qc5! 23.ba6 (23.Qb3 Ka8 24.Rab1 Rb8 and Black is superior) Ka8 24.Qa4 Rc8! and Black is slightly better; b12) 21.b5! Qf5 22.ba6! (22.Bb7? Qc5! 23.Qc5 Bc5 and Black is slightly better) Qc5! 23.Qc5 Nc5! 24.Rab1 Ne8! 25.Na4 Ka7 26.Nc5 Bc5 27.ab7 and White is slightly better; b2) 18.Qb1! Qe5 19.Rc1 and White is slightly better b21) 19…Kb8 20.b5! c5 21.b6! a6 22.e3! b211) 22…fg3 23.hg3 c4 24.Nb5! Bc5 25.Rc4 ab5 26.ab5 Bb6 27.Qa2 Nc7 28.Rc7 Kc7 29.Rc1 Bc5 (29…Kb8 30.Bb7 and White is winning) 30.b6 and White is winning; b212)22…fe3 23.f4! Nf4 24.gf4 Qf4 25.Rd1! (and White is superior) Qf2 26.Kh1 Rd2 27.Ne3! Qe3 28.Rd2 Qd2 29.Qf1 and White is winning, with the idea 29…Qc3 30.Qf4 Ka8 31.Bb7 Kb7 32.Qc7 Ka8 33.Qa7 mate; b22) 19…Ng4 20.b5! c5 (20…Bc5? 21.bc6 b6 22.Ne4 and White is superior) 21.b6! a6 22.e3! fe3 23.f4 Nf4 (23…Qb8 24.Nd5 and White is winning) 24.gf4 Qf4 25.Qe4! Qe4 26.Ne4 and White is superior; c) 17…Qe5 18.Qe5 Ne5 19.b5 and White is slightly better, with the idea 19…cb5 20.Nb5! Kb8 21.Rab1 Bc5 22.Nc3! b6 23.a5 and White is superior] 17.hg3 h5 [a novelty]18.b4! [18.Nb5 cb5 19.ab5 a) 19…Bc5 20.b4 Bf2! with counterplay; 20.Rfc1! a1) 20…Kb8 21.b6! Bf2 (21…ab6 22.Qa4 Kc8 23.b4 with attack) 22.Kf1 Qb6 23.Qe5 Ka8 24.e3 Bg3 25.Ng3 and White is superior; a2) 20…Ng4 21.e3 Kb8 22.b4 Ng5 23.Qb1 Rd2 24.Rc5 Qd7 25.Rc2 and White is slightly better; b) 19…Nc5! 20.Qe3 (20.b6 Ne4 21.bc7 Kc7 22.Be4 Kb6 23.Ne3 a6 with counterplay) Kb8! 21.b4 Ng4! with counterplay] h4 [18…Ng5 19.Qe3! Bb4 20.Rac1! Qa5 21.Nb5 f6 22.Qa7 Qa7 23.Na7 Kb8 24.Nc6! bc6 (24…Nc6 25.Rb1! and White is superior) 25.f4 Ngf7 26.fe5 Ne5 27.Bc6 and White is superior] 19.Nb5! cb5 [19…Qb8 20.f4! (20.Na7? Qa7 21.Qe5 Bb4 22.Nh4 Bd6 23.Qc3 Nd4 with compensation) Ng4 21.Rad1! Rd1 22.Rd1 h3 23.Nbd6 (23.Bh1!? cb5 24.Rc1 Kd7 25.Qd3 Bd6 26.Qb5 Kd8 27.Qd3 Kd7 28.Rd1 and White is superior) Bd6 24.Nd6 Kc7 25.Nf7 h2 26.Kf1 Ne3 27.Qe3 h1Q 28.Bh1 Rh1 29.Kg2 Rd1 30.Qe5 Kc8 31.Qe6 Kc7 and White is superior] 20.Rfc1 Nc6 21.ab5 hg3 22.bc6! gf2 23.Kf2! b6 24.Ra6!! [24.Rd1 Rd1 25.Rd1 Qf4! 26.Qf4 Nf4 and White is slightly better] Bb4! [24…Bc5 25.bc5 Nc5 26.Rc5 bc5 27.Ne7 Kb8 28.Nd5 and White is winning; 24…Rg8 25.Rca1 Bc5 26.Kf1! and White is winning] 25.Qb4 Nd4 [25…Rh5 26.Ra5! Kb8 27.Bf3! Rh2 28.Kf1 Rdh8 29.Ke1 and White is winning; 25…Rd4! a) 26.Qa3? Qf4! 27.Qf3 Qc1 28.Nd4 Qc5! (28…Nd4? 29.Qf6 Rd8 30.Ra7 and White is winning) 29.e3 Nd4 30.ed4 Qd4 31.Qe3 Qb2 equal; b) 26.Qc3 Qf4 27.Ke1 Qf5 28.Ra7! Qg5 29.Ra8 Kc7 30.Rh8 Qg2 31.Qe3 and White is superior; c) 26.Rc4 Qf4 27.Ke1 Rc4 28.Nd6 (28.Qc4 Qf5 29.Ra7 Qb1 30.Kf2 Qf5 31.Bf3 Nc7 32.Qd4 Qc5 33.Bg4! f5 34.Qc5 bc5 35.Bf5 Kd8 and White is slightly better) Kd8 29.Nf7! Qf7 30.Qc4 and White is superior] 26.Ne7 Kb8 27.e3! Rh6? [27…Rh2 28.Ra7? Ka7 29.Qa4 Kb8 30.Ra1 Rg2! 31.Kg2 Qe7 equal; 28.Ra2! and White is winning; 27…Rh3 28.Bh3! Qh2 29.Bg2 Qh4 30.Kf1 Qf6 31.Nf5! Qf5 32.Ke1 and White is winning; 27…Rh4 28.Ra7! Ka7 (28…Rf4 29.Ke1 and White is winning) 29.Ra1 Kb8 30.Qa3! Rf4 31.ef4 Qf4 32.Bf3! Qh2 33.Kf1 Qh3 34.Bg2 Qa3 35.Ra3 and White is winning; 27…Rh5 28.ed4! Qf4 29.Ke2 Qg4 30.Ke3 Qg5 31.Kf3 Qf6 32.Ke2 and White is winning] 28.Nd5! [28.ed4 Qf4 29.Ke2 Re6 30.Kd3 Qg3 31.Kc4 Rd4 32.Kd4 Qe3 33.Kc4 Qe2 34.Kb3 Re3 35.Rc3 Qd1 36.Ka2 Re2 37.Qb2 Rb2 38.Kb2 Qe2 39.Rc2 Qb5 40.Kc1 and White is superior] Nc6 [28…Rd5 29.Qf8 Rd8 30.Qh6 and White is winning] 29.Qf4! Qf4 30.ef4(and White is winning)Rh2 31.Ra2 Rg8 32.Kf1 Nd4 33.Ne7 [33.Nb4! a5 34.Na6 Ka7 35.Rc7 Ka6 36.Bb7 Ka7 37.Rh2] Rgh8 34.Nc6 Nc6 35.Rc6 R2h6 36.Rac2 Rc6 37.Rc6 Rd8 38.Rf6 Rd7 39.Bf3 Kc7 40.Bh5 a5 41.Rf7 a4 42.Ke2 a3 43.Rd7 Kd7 44.Bf7 Kd6 45.Kd3 Kc5 46.f5 b5 47.Ba2 and 1-0.
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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