It got worse for Alexei in the seventh — Nakamura scalped him. Meanwhile, former world champ Kramnik not only beat Nakamura in the eighth, he also gonged Kasparov’s student, Carlsen, in the ninth! Young Magnus quickly recovered in the next round by besting his rival Karjakin. Shirov, for his part, dropped another game, this time to world champ Anand, and so with three rounds left, Kramnik has a half-point lead, with Carlsen and Shirov sharing second-third places. Kramnik still has to face Shirov, Anand and Karjakin. While Carlsen’s next assignments are Dominguez, Leko and Caruana. Shirov also has to play Dominguez and Karjakin.
Anything can still happen.
Game of the week. Our featured partie should be one of the turning points of Corus 2010. Michiel Abeln, our annotator, says although Shirov “played below his standard level…this was also certainly caused by the fact that Nakamura managed to face him with an unusual opening line, where both players had to think on their own without relying on some big preparation.”
White: H. Nakamura (2708)
Black: A. Shirov (2723)
Sicilian Defense
Corus A, Wijk aan Zee 2010
1.e4 c5 A strange choice, considering a draw would have been a perfect result for Shirov, everyone expected 1…e5. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 9.Na3 f5 10.Nc4 Nd4 Exactly what Nakamura was hoping for; both players are now in unknown territory. [10…b5 11.Ne3 b4 12.Ncd5 fxe4 13.Qh5 Bg7 14.Be2 0-0 15.Bg4 Nd4 16.Bxc8 Rxc8 17.c3 bxc3 18.bxc3 Kh8 19.0-0 Rc5 20.Rac1 Ne6 21.Qf5 Qg5 22.Rfd1 Qxf5 23.Nxf5 Rd8 24.g3 h5 25.Kf1 Kh7 26.Rb1 Nd4 27.Nfe3 Nb5 28.Rb3 Nc7 29.Rb6 Nxd5 30.Rxd5 Rxc3 31.Rxa6 Rd3 32.Ke2 Rd4 33.Rb5 Kg6 34.a4 1/2-1/2 Gutierrez Jimenez,J-Parligras,M/Tarragona 2006/EXT 2007] 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.Ne3 Bg6?! [More logical was 12…Be6 13.Bc4 (or 13.g3 Bg7 14.Bg2 Qd7 with an interesting position) 13…Qg5 14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.Ne4 Qg6 16.Ng3 Bh6 17.0-0 0-0 18.c3 Nf5 19.Ngxf5 exf5 20.Nd5 Kh8 21.f4 Rg8 22.Qd2 Rae8 23.Rae1 Rg7 24.Kh1 Qe6 25.c4 Rf7 26.Qa5 Qc8 27.b3 Bg7 28.Qb4 Qc6 29.a4 e4 30.Qd2 Qc5 31.Rd1 b5 32.axb5 axb5 33.Ne3 bxc4 34.bxc4 Ra7 35.Rfe1 Ra3 36.Qxd6 Qxd6 37.Rxd6 Bc3 38.Re2 Ra1+ 39.Rd1 Rxd1+ 40.Nxd1 Ra8 41.g4 Ra1 42.gxf5 Rxd1+ 43.Kg2 Rd4 44.c5 Bd2 45.Kg3 e3 46.Kf3 Rc4 47.Rg2 Rxf4+ 0-1 Rabeyrin,J-San Emeterio Cabanes,J/France 2007/EXT 2009] 13.Ncd5 Bh6 Not the right plan. [13…f5!? was a lot more interesting and also more in the style of the real Shirov! 14.c3 f4 15.cxd4 fxe3 16.fxe3 (16.Nxe3 Qa5+ 17.Qd2 Qxd2+ 18.Kxd2 exd4 19.Nd5 Bh6+ 20.f4 0-0 and black has nothing to complain about) 16…Qa5+ 17.Nc3 Bh6 with clear compensation for the pawn] 14.c3 Ne6 15.Bd3 And now Shirov started to realize that normal continuations would not give him the desired position. 15…Bxe3 [15…e4 16.Bxe4! Bxe4 17.Qa4+; 15…0-0 16.Nf5 with complete control over the white squares] 16.Nxe3 Qb6 A complete surprise. 17.0-0 [17.Rb1] 17…Nf4 18.Be2 Rg8 [Taking the pawn is impossible: 18…Qxb2 19.Qxd6 Nxe2+ 20.Kh1 Rd8 21.Qxe5+ Kd7 22.Rad1+ Kc8 23.Nd5 Rxd5 24.Qxh8+ Kc7 25.Rxd5] 19.Bf3 Nh3+? A serious mistake. [Also not good was 19…Bd3 20.Nd5 Nh3+ 21.Kh1 Qxf2 22.gxh3 (22.Qxd3 Qg1+ 23.Rxg1 Nf2#) 22…Bxf1 23.Qxf1; 19…0-0-0 was quite playable, because if white sacs the b2 pawn, he doesn’t really get any compensation due to the bishop on g6 20.Nd5 Nxd5 21.Qxd5 Qxb2] 20.Kh1 [not possible is 20.gxh3 Bc2+] 20…Nxf2+ 21.Rxf2 Qxe3 22.Bxb7 Rb8 [22…Qxf2 loses to 23.Qxd6 f6 24.Bxa8] 23.Re2 [Not good would be 23.Qxd6 Rxb7 24.Rd1 Qb6 25.Qxe5+ Kf8] 23…Qb6 24.Bd5 Rg7 25.Qd2 f5 26.Rf1 Kd7 27.b4 f4 28.a4?! [28.a3 with the idea of c4 was probably better, it will be easier for white to breakthrough on the queenside] 28…a5 29.b5 Rd8 Here Nakamura had a long think; he’s clearly better because his king is much safer and his pieces are more active, but it’s only a matter of 2 moves before black will be OK, so white needs to act quickly. 30.g3 Opening the f-file, because on the queenside there is no direct way to open up. 30…fxg3 31.hxg3 Kc8 32.c4 Kb8 33.Rf6 Re7 34.Kh2 To make sure that if black takes a bishop on d5, there is no check.[34.c5 Qxc5 35.Qxa5 Qxd5+] 34…e4 35.Qc3 [An immediate 35.c5 is not winning 35…Qc7 36.cxd6 Rxd6 37.Rxd6 Qxd6 38.Qxa5 Ra7 (38…Qxd5 39.Rd2) 39.Qd2 Rd7] 35…Rc8 36.Re3 Ka7? A blunder in time trouble, but black could probably not hold the position anyway 37.Bc6 Rd8 38.c5 dxc5 39.Bxe4 Rd6 40.Rxd6 Qxd6 41.Qxa5+ [41.Qxa5+ Kb8 42.Rd3 Qxd3 43.Bxd3 Bxd3 44.Qd8+] and 1-0.
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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