The world’s number 7 and Israel’s top GM, the 41-year-old Gelfand was born in the former Soviet republic of Byelorussia, which is now the independent nation of Belarus. He’s a former junior champ of the mighty USSR and a former European junior champion. He finished first in the 1988 world junior championship, tying with French Joel Lautier, who edged him, however, on tiebreak. Gelfand is a veteran of several world championship cycle events, and has won about 30 tournaments. In 1990, he won the Olympiad team gold medal playing board 2 for Soviet Union. In 2008, he won the silver medal playing board 1 for Israel, where he emigrated in 1998.
Gelfand likes to open with 1.d4 as white and is a specialist in the Najdorf Sicilian, Petroff Defense and Gruenfeld Defense as black. He is noted for his strong positional awareness.
He reached the finals in Khanty-Mansiysk by beating Obodchuk, Amonatov, Judit Polgar (rapid tiebreak), Vachier-Lagrave (blitz tiebreak), Jakovenko (rapid tiebreak) and Karjakin.
Ponomariov may be 26 years old only but he has been a GM since he was 14! In 2002, he beat Ukrainian superGM Ivanchuk in the FIDE championship match by a score of 4.5-2.5 to win the world title at the age of 18.
As white, Ponomariov likes to start with 1. e4 and is willing to enter the main lines of the Ruy Lopez and the Sicilian Defense. With black, he has played the Sicilian against 1. e4 and also 1… e5, going into the Ruy Lopez. Against 1. d4 he has essayed the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, the Queen’s Indian Defense and the King’s Indian Defense. His style was once described as “basically strategic, so that he was often likened to Karpov. But Ruslan is also very willing to sacrifice material, which is unusual for a positional player.”
He reached the World Cup finals by besting El Gindy, Akobian (rapid tiebreak), Motylev, Bacrot (rapid tiebreak), Gashimov (rapid tiebreak) and So’s conqueror, Malakhov (rapid tiebreak).
Game of the week. Here’s how Boris taught Ukraine’s rising superstar a chess lesson in their match. Mark Crowther annotates.
White: S. Karjakin (2723)
Black: B. Gelfand (2758)
Two Knights Defense
World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 One of the few ways of avoiding the Petroff Defense. However Karjakin seems all at sea almost from the start. 2…Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Bb3 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.h3? I’m not at all sure this is a good idea. At the very least it reveals that white has already lost the initiative. Later this becomes a weakness that black exploits. 8…a5 9.a4 Nd4 [9…Be6 10.Re1 Bf6 11.Nbd2 Nf4 12.Bxe6 Nxe6 13.Nc4 Re8 14.Bd2 Nc5 15.Bc3 e4 16.Bxf6 1/2-1/2 Tiviakov,S (2663)-Onischuk,A (2663)/Sochi RUS 2007] 10.Nxd4 [10.Bc4 Nb6 11.Nxd4 exd4 12.Bb3 Bd7 13.Nd2 Bc6 14.Nf3 1/2-1/2 Sturua,Z (2540)-Yandemirov,V (2490)/Peristeri 1993; 10.Bc4 Nxf3+ 11.Qxf3 Be6 12.Re1 Nb4] 10…exd4 11.Re1[11.Nd2; 11.Qf3 Be6 12.Nd2 Bg5 (12…Nb4 13.Qd1 Bd5 14.Re1 Re8 15.Bxd5 Qxd5 16.Nc4 Bh4 17.Rxe8+ Rxe8 18.Bf4 Bd8 19.Bd2 Be7 20.Rc1 Bg5 1/2-1/2 Dyakov,A (2280)-Leisebein,P (2100)/IECG 2004) 13.Ne4 Bxc1 14.Raxc1 b6 15.Rfe1 Qh4 16.g3 Qd8 17.h4 h6 18.Nd2 Qd7 19.Re5 Nb4 20.Bxe6 fxe6 21.Qg4 Rf5 22.Nc4 Raf8 23.Re2 Qxa4 24.Qxd4 Nd5 25.Qe4 R8f6 26.Ne3 Qa2 27.Nxf5 Qxb2 28.Rce1 Nc3 29.Nxh6+ Rxh6 30.Qa8+ Kh7 31.Rxe6 Rxe6 32.Rxe6 Qxc2 33.Qe8 Qd1+ 34.Kg2 Qg4 35.Re5 1-0 Stepovaia Dianchenko,T (2440)-Jaracz,B (2205)/Warsaw 1999] 11…Ra6 Black has quite some lead in development. He must be a lot better here. 12.Qh5?! [12.Bxd5 leads to a scary variation which leads to a draw. White needs to get pieces off. 12…Qxd5 13.Rxe7 Rg6 14.f3 Bxh3 15.Re2 Qxf3 16.Qf1 Bxg2 17.Rxg2 Rxg2+ 18.Qxg2 Qd1+ 19.Qf1 Qg4+ with a draw.] 12…Nb4 13.Na3 Rg6 14.Bf4 [14.Re4 with some additional defensive forces for the kingside is maybe better. 14…Nc6 (14…Be6 15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.Qe2) 15.Bf4 Be6 16.Bc4] 14…b6 15.Qf3 Be6 16.Bxe6? Now every black piece is in action. [16.Bc4] 16…fxe6 17.Qe4 Bd6 18.Bxd6? The final error. Now black gets an unstoppable attack. [18.Bg3] 18…cxd6 19.Qxd4 [19.g3 e5] 19…Qg5 20.g3 Qf5 21.g4 Now black has many ways to win. 21…Nd5 is undoubtedly the best option; h5 doesn’t spoil anything in the end however. [21.Kh2 Nxc2 22.Nxc2 Qxf2+ 23.Qxf2 Rxf2+ 24.Kh1 Rxc2 25.g4 e5; 21.Re2 Qxh3] 21…h5 [21…Nd5 is quite a lot nastier and also pretty obvious. Gelfand takes a slightly longer route. White is totally busted. 22.c4 (22.Kh2 Qf3 23.Qe4 Qxf2+ 24.Qg2 Rxg4 25.Qxf2 Rxf2+) 22…Qf3 23.cxd5 Qxh3 24.Re3 Rxg4+] 22.Re4 d5 23.Kh2 [23.Re5] 23…Qf3 24.Ree1 hxg4 25.Qe3 gxh3 26.Qxf3 Rxf3 27.Rg1 Rxf2+ 28.Kxh3 Rxg1 29.Rxg1 Nxc2 Black will win many pawns. 30.Nb5 Rf3+ 31.Kg4 Rxd3 32.Nd6 Ne3+ 33.Kf4 Nc4 and 0-1.
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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