The highest rated participant, Russia’s Karjakin, edged Filipino GM Wesley So in their rapid tie-breaks but against the world’s top female player, young Sergey found his match. Judit Polgar of Hungary thumped Cuban GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez in the first round and beat Armenian Sergei Movsesian — who eliminated women’s world champ Hou Yifan — in the second. After knocking out the top seed in the third round, the 35-year-old mother of two said in her post-game press conference: “My opponent played the Berlin which he played against me in the Olympiad as well. I played the rare continuation Ne4. There are very few games on this. This line [Berlin] is very solid with black, I don’t have a very good score with white. It is basically very tense for both players. Usually in this line you make small mistakes that can be the decisive ones. I think after e6…Sergey miscalculated something. I think especially Nc3 was missed by my opponent. Psychologically I think my opponent collapsed, he especially played very fast after this. If I’m very stable in every way in my life then I can be very patient and focused in my games. Of course I make special preparation against every opponent. But generally speaking I am focusing on my own play, to be psychologically stable to play.”
Judit will now face 27-year-old, three-time Cuban champ Leinier Dominguez Perez (2710) in the fourth round. Go Judit!
Game of the week. Here she is against a rising star. Mark Crowther annotates.
White: J. Polgar (2699)
Black: S. Karjakin (2788)
Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense
FIDE World Cup, Khanty-Mansiysk 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ke8 10.h3 h5 11.Rd1 Be7 12.Ne4 A rare sideline in the Berlin. 12…Bd7 [12…Be6; 12…Nh4] 13.b3 h4 A very commital decision with all sorts of ramifications. Black restricts white’s options to expand on the Kingside but the h-pawn is in danger of being weak and maybe ties to the rook to h8. 14.Bg5 White doesn’t fianchetto her bishop. 14…Rd8 15.c4 b6 16.Rd2 Bc8 17.Rxd8+ Kxd8 18.Rd1+ Ke8 19.Bf4 c5 Another commital move, black will have to watch out for a knight landing on d5. 20.e6 Bxe6 21.Bxc7 f6 [21…Rh6] 22.Bb8 a6 23.Ba7 Bd8 24.Nc3 Polgar thought that Karjakin missed this and perhaps collapsed psychologically. She felt that he played far too quickly following this move. 24…Kf7 25.Na4 b5 26.Nxc5 Bc8 27.cxb5 axb5 28.a4 bxa4 29.bxa4 Re8 30.Rb1 White is a pawn up with very good winning chances. 30…g5 31.Bb6 Be7 32.a5 Bxc5 33.Bxc5 Setting up the potential defense of bishops of opposite color. The fact his pawns are on dark squares however means this defense may be harder the usual to set up. 33…Re6 34.Rb6 Ng7 35.Be3 Nf5 36.Rb8 Re8 37.Ra8 Bb7 This loses quickly but there no longer seems a defense. [37…Nxe3 38.fxe3 Bf5 39.Rxe8 Kxe8 40.a6 Kd7 41.a7 Be4 42.Nh2 Kc7 43.Ng4 f5 44.Ne5 Kb6 45.Nf7 g4 46.Nd6 just wins.] 38.Ra7 Re7 39.Bc5 Rd7 40.a6 Bc6 41.Rxd7+ Bxd7 42.Nd2 Ke6 43.Nc4 Bc6 44.Nb6 Nd6 45.Bxd6 The simplest, Polgar has it all worked out. 45…Kxd6 46.a7 Kc7 47.a8Q Bxa8 48.Nxa8+ Kb7 49.f4 The black king cannot return in time. 1-0.
Puzzler.
White: Ka5, Nb5, Qc1, Bd3, pawn on d4
Black: Kd5, Ne5, pawns on a6 and f3
White to play and mate in three moves.
Send your answers to “64” c/o Marianas Variety, P.O. Box 500231, Saipan MP 96950. Our fax no. is 670-234-9271. You can also e-mail [email protected].
