Also held in Mainz was the Chess960 World Rapid Chess Championship which Levon Aronian dominated initially only to be beaten by Nakamura in the finals, allowing the young American to take the 2009 title.
In the rapid championship, world champ Vishy Anand failed to qualify for the finals which Aronian won by beating Ian Nepomniachtchi.
At the FiNet Chess 960 Open, likewise held in Mainz, America’s Gata Kamsky was leading before losing to former world champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov in the final round. The winner in the end, however, was top seed Alexander Grischuk.
At the 42nd Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland, the main event was a Category 19 double round robin tournament with six players averaging 2716 Elo points and 28.3 years of age.
Before the final round, Ivanchuk and Morozevich were in hot pursuit of Vachier Lagrave, the surprise leader in this year’s edition of Biel. Draws in the last round allowed the 18-year-old French GM to take the gold with veterans Morozevich and Ivanchuk getting silver and bronze.
Finally, at the Canada Open, GM Mark Bluvshtein and fellow Canadian IM Edward Porper topped an impressive field, garnering 7.5 points. Russian-born Bluvshtein was declared winner on tiebreak. Among those finishing in a tie for third to eighth places were veteran GMs Shirov and Adams.
Game of the week. Here’s the Latvian-Spanish superGM against one of India’s rising stars in a game annotated by IM Jack Peters.
White: GM Alexei Shirov (2748)
Black: GM Surya Ganguly (2637)
Canadian Open, Edmonton 2009
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 The exciting Winawer variation of the French Defense. 4 e5 c5 5 a3 Bxc3+ 6 bxc3 Ne7 7 Qg4 Qc7 The main line for decades, although Black usually relies on 7…0-0 now. 8 Qxg7 Rg8 9 Qxh7 cxd4 10 Ne2 Nbc6 11 f4 Bd7 12 Qd3 dxc3 13 Qxc3 A paradoxical position. White trails badly in development and lacks shelter for his King, yet he can snatch a pawn and hope to regain the initiative. Thousands of tests have rendered an unsatisfying verdict: unclear. 0-0-0 Sometimes Black tries 13…Nf5 14 Rb1 Rc8. 14 Rb1 Nf5 15 Rg1 Challenging Black to exploit his quicker development before g2-g4 makes him retreat. d4 The plausible 15…f6?! 16 g4 Nh6 17 exf6 Rxg4 18 Rxg4 Nxg4 fails, as 19 f7 sets up 20 Qg7. 16 Qd3 Na5 To meet 17 g4 with 17…Ba4 18 gxf5 Bxc2. 17 Rb4!? Nc6 Did Black expect 18 Rb1 Na5, repeating? The aggressive 17…a6! 18 g4 Nh4 19 Nxd4 Bb5! 20 Nxb5 axb5 gives Black sufficient counterplay. For example, 21 Qe4 Qc3+ 22 Kf2 Rd1 23 Bb2 Rd2+ 24 Be2 Qh3 hits g4 and h2. 18 Rc4 Odd, but it limits Black’s counterplay. Be8 Preparing…f7-f6. The immediate 18…f6 19 exf6 Be8 lets Black answer 20 g4 by 20…Nd6, but 21 Rc5 b6 22 Rxc6 Bxc6 23 Nxd4 appears excellent for White anyway. 19 g4 Nh4 20 Rg3 Gradually White’s pieces reach active posts. He threatens both 21 Qh7 and 21 Nxd4. f6 21 exf6 Bg6 22 Rxc6! Even stronger than 22 Qb3. Qxc6 Black chooses a middlegame debacle to the endgame reached by 22…bxc6 23 Qa6+ Qb7 24 Qxb7+ Kxb7 25 c3 c5 26 cxd4 cxd4 27 Rh3 Rh8 28 Bb2 d3 29 Nd4, when White’s pawns are overwhelming. 23 Nxd4 Foreseeing 23…Bxd3 24 Nxc6 Bxf1 25 Ne7+ Kc7 26 Nxg8. Qh1 Other attempts (such as 23…Qd7 24 Qc4+ Kb8 25 Be3 and 23…Qb6 24 Qc3+ Kb8 25 Nb5) suffer a bit longer. Cutest is 23…Qc5 24 Qc3 Qxc3 25 Rxc3+ Kd7 26 f5! exf5 27 Bf4, creating threats of 28 Bb5 mate and 28 Rc7+. 24 f5! exf5 25 Bf4 The first move by the Bishop dooms Black’s King. Be8 Or 25…Qe4+ 26 Qxe4 fxe4 27 Rc3+ Kd7 28 Bb5 mate. 26 Qc4+ Bc6 27 Qe6+ Bd7 28 Rc3+ and Black Resigns. The other Bishop will end it with 28…Qc6 29 Rxc6+ bxc6 30 Ba6 mate.
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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