In the 1992 Olympiad, Uzbekistan finished second to Russia. In 1996 and 1998, Ukraine finished second and third. In 2004 it topped the Olympiad, edging Russia by 3 points! In 2006 and 2008, Armenia reigned.
Ukraine has been consistently producing world class GMs even when it was a Soviet republic. Among its superstars: Boleslavsky, Bronstein, Taimanov, Geller, Stein, Romanishin, Beliavsky, Tukmakov and Ivanchuk. Bogulyubov, who challenged Alekhine twice for the world crown, was from Ukraine.Former FIDE champ Ponamariov is another Ukrainian who belongs to the world elite. Ditto young Karjakin before he moved to Russia last year.
Ukraine’s current top player is a 27-year-old law graduate, GM Pavel Eljanov, the winner of the recent FIDE Grand Prix in Astrakhan. With an ELO of 2755, he is the world’s number 8.
Game of the week. Here he is in action against Topalov’s second. Pavel annotates.
White: P. Eljanov (2716)
Black: I. Cheparinov (2678)
King’s Indian Defense
Jermuk, FIDE Grand Prix 2009
1.d4Nf62.c4g63.Nc3Bg74.e4d65.Nf30-06.Be2e57.0-0Nc68.d5Ne79.Ne1Nd710.f3f511.g4!?An interesting opening plan which I had already used in my game against Radjabov in the Elista Grand-Prix. 11…Kh812.Nd3[In that game I played 12.h4 which is the basic idea in this variation to stop the black kingside expansion by rolling forward my own pawns. But maybe it’s a bit premature in this position. 12…c613.Kg2Nf614.Nd3b5!15.b3Rb816.Nf2b417.Na4Bb718.Bg5Qd719.Qd2cxd520.cxd5Neg821.Rac1Ba822.Qc2Rf723.Qd3Ne724.Kg1h525.Bxf6Rxf626.g5fxe427.fxe4Rf428.Rc4Rxh429.Qg3Rf430.Nd3Bxd531.exd5Rxc432.bxc4Qxa433.c5Qxa234.cxd6Nf535.Rxf5Qxe236.Rf2Qe437.d7Qxd538.Kh2Kh739.Rf6Qxd740.Nxe5Qd2+ 0-1 Eljanov,P (2720)-Radjabov Teimour (AZE) (2751)/Elista (Russia)] 12…f4!?Not a novelty but I found only one game from 1967 between high-class GMs of that time. 13.Rf2An interesting but a bit risky idea as I’m losing too much time to regroup my pieces. [Mecking played the logical 13.Bd2 but I’m not sure that it’s the best square for the dark-squared bishop. I like the way Bouaziz played: 13…g514.Rc1Rf7!15.b4Nf616.c5Ng617.Rf2Bf8!18.Qb3h519.h3Rh720.Rh2Bd721.Qc4Kg722.Rf1Be7 Black’s position is very strong, although it’s not so easy to break through. 23.Rff2Qh824.Bd1hxg4(24…Rh625.c6bxc626.dxc6Be827.Bb3 ) 25.hxg4Rh326.Be1Rg3+27.Rfg2Rxg2+28.Rxg2Qg829.Bb3Nh430.Bxh4gxh431.Rh2Nh732.Nb5Ng533.Ne1Qc834.cxd6cxd635.Nc7b536.Qc1Rb837.Rc2Qb738.Ne6+Bxe639.dxe6Qb6+40.Kh1h341.Qd2h242.Qf2Qxf243.Rxf2Rc844.Kxh2Rc145.Ng2Nh346.Rc2Rxc247.Bxc2Ng548.Nh4Nxe649.Nf5+Kf850.Kg2Ke851.Kf2Kd752.a4bxa453.Bxa4+Kd854.Ke2Ng555.Bd1Kd756.Ba4+Kd857.Bd1Kd758.Nxe7Kxe759.Kd3Ne660.Kc4Nc761.b5Ne662.Kb4Nd463.Ka5d564.exd5Kd665.Ka6Kxd566.g5Ke6 1/2 Mecking,H-Bouaziz,S/Sousse 1967/IZT; The problem is that after 13.h4 Black has a perpetual at least: 13…Bf6(or 13…Ng814.Qe1 (14.g5h6 ) 14…Bf615.g5Bxg5 (15…Be716.Rf2) 16.hxg5Qxg5+= ) 14.g5Bxg515.hxg5Nxd516.cxd5(16.Rf2Nxc317.bxc3Qxg5+18.Rg2Qe7with compensation.) 16…Qxg5+=; 13.Kh1g5!? ] 13…Bf614.Rg2Bh415.b4h5[I was more afraid of 15…Nf6!?16.c5h517.Bb2(17.h3Nh718.Bf1Ng519.Rc2Kg7with attack.; 17.gxh5Bh3 ) 17…hxg418.fxg4Nh719.Nb5 and the position is still far from clear, but I do not wish to play this position next time 🙂 (19.Ne1?Bxe1 ) ] 16.g5!A strong pawn sacrifice as 3-4 tempi in this kind of position are more important! [16.gxh5g517.Nf2Nf618.c5Nxh5(18…Rg819.Ng4Nxh520.Bb2 ) 19.Bb2(19.Ng4Nf6 [With attack] ) 19…Nf6 [with initiative] ] 16…Ng817.Kh1Rf718.c5Nf819.Nb5Bh3The only move as after [19…a620.Nxc7!Qxc721.cxd6Qxd622.Bb2Nd723.Rc1 despite the fact I have just one pawn for the piece, Black is in very deep trouble I believe.] 20.Rg1a621.Na3Now all sacrifices are equally dubious as Black is just in time to defend everything. [21.Nxd6cxd622.Bb2Bxg523.cxd6Bf624.Bxe5Bxe525.Nxe5Rg726.Qd2g5 with a small black advantage.; 21.Nxc7Qxc722.cxd6Qxd623.Bb2Re8 ] 21…Bxg5[21…Nh722.Nc4Rg723.Bb2Bxg524.Bf1 with a clear advantage for White.] 22.Nc4Bf623.Bf1[If 23.Bb2 I don’t like that after 23…Qe724.Bf1 Black has 24…Bd7 hat.] 23…Bc824.Bb2g5?A huge mistake. [24…Kh7!? ; After the game Ivan proposed 24…Rg7 and this is a good idea although I do not agree of course with his evaluation that Black is much better. My intention was to play something like 25.Qe1 to transfer my queen to f2 (Rybka suggest another way to put Black’s queenside under pressure: 25.Qa4!?Bd7 (25…g526.Qa5Qe827.cxd6b528.Ncxe5cxd629.Nc6Bxb230.Nxb2Nf631.Qa3g432.Qc3 with white initiative.) 26.Qb3 (26.Qa5Bb527.Rc1g528.Nf2Nh6 with black initiative.) 26…Bb527.Na5 (27.a4Bxc428.Qxc4g529.Nf2Nh630.Be2Qd7 ) 27…Rb828.a4Be829.b5 with good compensation.) 25…g526.Qf2Ng6(26…g4?27.cxd6cxd628.Qb6with white initiative.) 27.cxd6cxd628.Qb6(28.Rc1b529.Nb6Rb830.Nxc8Rxc8 ) 28…Qxb629.Nxb6Rb830.Rc1(30.Nc4Rd7 ) 30…Bd731.Nc4(31.Nxd7Rxd732.Bh3Rg733.Be6Nh4 ) 31…Nh4(31…Be732.Ncxe5dxe533.Nxe5Be834.Nxg6+Bxg635.Be5Rd836.Bxg7+Kxg737.Rc7with a small white advantage.) 32.Nxd6Nxf333.Rg2g434.Rgc2 and the position remains very complicated.] 25.cxd6cxd626.Rxg5!Bxg527.Ncxe5!?Not bad, but another possibility which I saw also was stronger: [27.Nxd6!Nh628.Nxe5Kg829.Nexf7Nxf730.Nxc8(30.Nxf7!?Kxf731.Qd4 ) 30…Nd7(30…Rxc831.Qd4+- ) 31.Qd4!Bf632.Qg1+!Kf833.Bxf6Qxf6(33…Nxf634.Nb6 ) 34.Bh3Rxc835.Bxd7Rc736.Be6+- ] 27…dxe528.Nxe5Kg7[28…Qe729.Nxf7+Kh730.Nxg5+Qxg531.Qd4 ] 29.Nc6+Qf630.Bxf6+Bxf631.e5bxc632.exf6+Nxf6?The final mistake. [After 32…Rxf6 I don’t see a clear way to victory. Probably the best is 33.dxc6(33.Bc4Ne734.dxc6Nxc635.Qd5Ng636.Bd3Ra7 ; 33.Qd4Ne7 ) 33…Rxc634.b5!?(34.Qd5Ne735.Qe5+ (35.Qxh5Nfg636.Bd3Bb7 ) 35…Kf736.Qxf4+Rf637.Qe4Ra7 ) 34…axb535.Bxb5Rg6(35…Rf6?36.Qd5 ) 36.Be8(36.Qd4+Nf637.Qxf4Ba6with a small white advantage.) 36…Rf637.Qd4(37.Qd5Raa638.Rg1+Ng6 ; 37.Bxh5Ra5 ) 37…Bb738.Bxh5Kh839.Qb2Bd540.a4 with a clear advantage for White.] 33.dxc6Be634.Rc1Raa735.a4Rae736.b5axb537.axb5N8d738.Bc4Bxc439.Rxc4Ne540.Rxf4Re641.Qg1+Kh842.Qc1Nxc643.bxc6Rc744.Rc4Kg745.f4Kf746.f5Rd647.h3Ng848.Rc2Ne749.Qg5Rcxc650.Qxh5+Kf851.Qh8+Kf752.Rg2Nxf553.Qh7+and 1-0.
Puzzler.
White: Qa1, Nd5, Bg5, Kh7
Black: Ke5
White to play and mate in three.
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