62 Russian Championship Finals
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
http://tal.russiachess.org/
Between the 20th and the 30th of this month the 62nd Russian Championship ‘superfinals’ is taking place at the prestigious Moscow Central Chess Club. This consists of two parallel tournaments, one for the men and the other for the women. Both events are 10-player round robbins. The prize funds are, respectively, 66k euros and 27k euros. The winner of the men’s tournament will be considered the absolute Russian champion, while the winner of the female event will be considered the female champion of Russian.
The time control is 1hr 40 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, and then 10 minutes for KO. (Plus 30 seconds per move from move 1)
Grischuk ground down Tomashevsky in a long Queen and Pawn ending
Opening ceremony of the Russian Championship
Will Grischuk win this tournament?
Round 1 Snapshots: MEN
Denis Khismatullin – Alexander Riazantsev 1-0
Peter Svidler – Nikita Vitiugov draw
Alexander Grischuk – Evgeny Tomashevsky 1-0
Sanan Sjugirov – Evgeny Alekseev draw
Artyom Timofeev – Dmitry Jakovenko draw
Grischuk won a pawn early on from Tomashevsky, and then hung on to it like a pitbull, finally winning a pawn-up Queen and Pawn ending. Probably Tomashevsky was a bit unfortunate to lose, as he seemsed to have some/enough compensation early on. Timofeev and Jakovenko drew a complex game where White was a bit better in the ending, but unable to do much damage.
Svidler vs Vitiugov
Black has just played 43…Rd1
Svidler was suffering a bit right from the opening, it seemed to me, but he kept Black from getting any real chances. White should now play 44.Kf2. Instead, Svidler played a second best move, that while it probably does not lose, would lose a pawn for no good reason.
44. Rd2 Rbb1?!
After this all of Black’s chances disappear into thin air. Correct is 44… Rg3! 45. Rxd1 (45. Rxe4? Rxd2 or 45.R4a2 Rc1 46.Kh2 Rg4) 45… Rxg2 46. Kh1 Rd2 47. Rxe4 Rxd1 48. Rb4 Rxf1 49. Kg2 and while the game should be a draw, Black is up a pawn and can still press White.
Peter Svidler (Пётр Свидлер; Pyotr Svidler, born June 17, 1976, in Leningrad) is a Russian chess grandmaster. On the November 2009 FIDE rating list he has an ELO rating of 2738, making him the number thirteen in the world.He is five-time Russian champion (1994, 1995, 1997, 2003. 2008). In 2001, he reached the semi-finals of the FIDE World Championship. Andrei Lukin is his coach.
45. Rxd1 Rxd1 46. Kf2
The game is now pretty dull. The draw comes quickly now
46… Bd3 47. Nh2 Rd2 48. Kg3 Rb2 49. Ra7 Be4 50. Nf3 Bxf3 51. Kxf3 [½:½]
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Sjurigov vs Alekseev
Black has just played 68…d4
An exciting game up until here. White had excellent chances in the first part of the game but he became frustrated not being able to find a clear way to make progress. The last moves saw him throw caution to the wind and now White has to find a way to avoid losing! The Black centre pawns have become very dangerous…and Black often has the key move (Nh1!) to help the push forward.
White should now force the draw with 69. Rh7! Ke6 70. Kc2! preventing the d-pawn from advancing. After 70… Nh1 71. Kd3! Nf2 72. Kxd4! e2 White can squeak to a draw with 73. Rh8! Kd7 74. Rh7 Kd6 75. Rh6 Kd7 76. Rh7 forcing a repetion.
A lucky escape in the first round!
Instead, play continued 69. Ra6? d3?
Black can win with 69… Nh1! 70. Kc2 Nf2 71. Ra3 d3 72. Rxd3 e2!
The game continued 70. Ra4 [70. Ra3 d2] 70… Nh1
It looks as though Black wins, but White can escape!
71. Re4! Kd6! 72. Rd4 Ke6
White also draws after 72… Kc5 73. Rxd3 Nf2 74. Ke2 Nxd3 75. Kxd3 Kb4 and now 76. g4! guarantees the draw: 76… fxg3 77. Kxe3 Kc4 78. f4 Kd5 79. Kf3 Kd4 80. Kxg3 Ke4 etc.
73. Rxd3! Nf2 74. Ke2 Nxd3 75. Kxd3 Ke5 76. Kc3
Black can not make progress. If he moves his King over to the Q-side then White can draw with the g4 theme given in a note to the 72nd move. DRAWN
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Khismatullin, D – Riazantsev, A
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3
4…b6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 g5 7. Bg3 Ne4 8. Qc2 Bb7 9. e3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 d6 11. Bd3 Nxg3 12. hxg3 Nd7 13. Be4 Bxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qd3
A popular opening has produced an interesting position. Theory considers it about equal
15… Nd7 16. a4 a5 17. Qe4 Nf6 18. Qb1 g4 Praxis has shown that Black can hold quite comfortably with 18… Ke7 Perhaps Black did not know this, and White now builds up some pressure.
19. Nd2 Qe7 20. Ke2 Kf8 21. Rh4 Kg7 22. e4 h5 23. Qb5 e5 24. f3
Both Kings are in the open, but Black’s is a bit more vulnerable because White can try to manoeuvre his Knight to f5. Black should now play 24… Rh6! and if White then plays 25. Nf1? he gets into trouble after 25…exd4 26. cxd4 Nxe4 27. fxe4 Qxe4 etc
24… Rag8?! Like this White has an easier time building up threats 25. Nf1 Kf8 Instead now 25… exd4 is not as good: 26. cxd4 Nxe4 27. fxe4 Qxe4 28. Ne3 Re8 29. Qg5 25. Ne3 Rg5
Black has an uncomfortable position and finds it difficult to shake White’s creeping pressure
27. Qc6 gxf3 28. gxf3 Rhg8 29. Rg1
Both players looking at the game in post mortem
29… Qd7 [ Probably 29… R8g6 is a better chance] 30. Qxd7 Nxd7 31. Nf5 Nf6 32. dxe5 dxe5 33. Rd1
Black is lost. His Rooks are tied up and out of play, and White has c5 coming in to decimate the Black Q-side. Here Black becomes desperate and hastens the end.
33… Rxf5?! Black had to bite the nail with 33… Ke8 34. c5! and just try to hang on. The end now comes quickly 34. Rd8 Ne8 35. exf5 Ke7 36. Rd5 Nd6 37. Kf2 Kf6 38. Rxh5 Nxc4 39. Rh6 Kxf5 40. g4 Kg5 41. Rc6
Black resigns. Everything falls.(1:0)
Round 1 Snapshots: WOMEN
Natalia Pogonina – Marina Romanko 1-0
Maria Manakova – Elena Zaiatz 0-1
Alisa Galliamova – Tatiana Stepovaia 1-0
Nadezhda Kosintseva – Valentina Gunina 1-0
Anastasia Bodnaruk – Tatiana Kosintseva 1-0
The women players were in great fighting moods today, and as a result not 1 game ended in a draw! Galliamova played a great game and crushed Stepovaia in fine style. The other games contained some ‘hic-up’ moments…
Bodnaruk, A – Kosintseva, T
Position after White’s 30.Qe1 Black has a large, if not winning, advantage.
Black should now play the pragmatic 30… Rh7 to keep her advantage: 31. Rxh7 Bxh7 32. Rf7 Bc2 33. Nf3 Qg2 34. Nc3 Bb3 35. Qe7 Rc8 etc.
Tatiana Kosintseva (Russian: Татьяна Косинцева) (born April 11, 1986 in Arkhangelsk) is a Russian chess player who has achieved the FIDE title of Grandmaster (October 2009). As of November 2009 her FIDE Elo rating is 2522, making her the eighth ranked female player in the world.
Instead, Black blundered with 30… Bc2?? and the advantage changed sides! 31. Rff7 Rc8 32. h4
Now the only chance to hold on is 32…Qg8. Instead, Black played 32…Qg4?? and the game soon abruptly ends. 33. Qe5 Qd1 34. Ka2 [1:0] A bit unfortunate for Black, but luck tends to level out over time…
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Kosintseva,N vs Gunina was quite a good fight up until the 40th move (time control!) when Black moved her King to the wrong square
A complex position. White has the initiative, but Black’s Knights are very active.
Here Black played the mistake 40… Ke7?! She should have kept the King on the King-side: 40… Kg7! 41. d5!? cxd5 42. Qxd5 Rc6 with a tought fight ahead and both sides having chances. Now the game ends quickly once White breaks open the centre
Nadezhda Kosintseva (born January 14, 1985) is a Russian chess player. She holds the titles of International Master and Woman Grandmaster.Being of similar strength, the two sisters normally play on consecutive boards of the national women’s team at the Chess Olympiad and other team events.In December 2008 she won the Russian Women’s Championship in Moscow.
41. d5! Rg8? 42. Rbd3 g4 43. hxg4 h5
White’s attack is faster and stronger. The Black Knights are silent
44. dxc6!Qxc6 45. Nd5 Kf8 46. Nxf6! Qxe4 47. Rd8 Kg7 48. Rxg8 Kxf6 49. Bxe4 hxg4 50. Rxg4 Nc3 51. Rd7 Rc4 52. Rf7 Ke5 53. e7 Rc8 54. Rf8 [1:0]
Manakova, M – Zaiatz, E
Black has just played 27…Rd3 ch. White should now retreat his King to b2, and while White would be a bit worse, there would be no real danger of losing with correct play. Instead, Manakova moves her King up the board and into a mating net!
Elena Zaiatz (b.1969) is a WGM
28. Kb4?? Kb6 ! White must have completely overlooked this obvious move. White now gets mated!
The threat is mate in one (…Rb3)
29. Rb1 Bc2!
Black threatens mate in 1 with …Nxa6, as well as just taking the Rook on b1. White resigns
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Pogonina, N – Romanko, M
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 g6 !?
An ugly move! I don’t understand the logic of players avoiding theory by playing inferior moves in the opening. Isn’t it better –if you don’t know all the theory—just to play the theoretical move and then work it out over the board? In anycase, the text move is played from time to time…
Natalia Andreevna Pogonina (Russian: Наталья Андреевна Погонина) (born March 9, 1985 in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai) is a Russian chess Woman Grandmaster and member of the Russian chess Olympic team.
7. Bxf6 exf6 8. Be2 This justifies Black’s risky 6th move. Correct was 8. Bc4! Bg7 9. Ndb5! with advantage in a sharp position. Now the game becomes chaotic. 8… Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ndb5 f5 11. Nxd6
7. Bxf6 exf6 8. Be2 This justifies Black’s risky 6th move. Correct was 8. Bc4! Bg7 9. Ndb5! with advantage in a sharp position. Now the game becomes chaotic. 8… Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Ndb5 f5 11. Nxd6
Now Black should play 11… fxe4 and after 12. Ncxe4 (12. Ndxe4 Bf5! is nice for Black) 12… Bxb2 the position offers chances for both sides.
11… Bxc3?! Black will later miss this Bishop! 12. bxc3 fxe4 13. Nxe4 Qe7 14. Bd3
White’s position does not look like much at first sight, but her pieces can grab the open lines very quickly!
14… b6 15. Qf3 Bb7 16. Rfe1 Kg7 17. Qf4 Na5 (17… Qe5 18. Qh4!) 18. Re3 Rad8 19. Ng3 Qc5 (Last chance was 19… Qd6!)
Black has a beautifully developed position….and is DEAD LOST! Romanko seems to have forgotten about her King-side…WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN!
20. Nf5! Kg8 (Black can not take the Knight: 20… gxf5 21. Qg5 Kh8 22. Qf6 Kg8 23. Rg3#; or if instead 20… Kh8 21. Rh3 Qxc3 22. Rxh7 etc) 21. Qh6! Ouch…
White is relentless in the attack!
21… Qxc3 Desperate, but what else?
Now if White plays 22. Bf1! Qxa1 (what else?) 23. c3! Black would have to resign. Mate on the King-side would be inevitable!
Instead, White played the much weaker 22. Rh3? This move still wins, but it now becomes hard work! 22… Qxa1 23. Bf1 Qxf1 24. Kxf1 Ba6 25. Ke1 Rfe8 26. Ne3
26… Re6?! Black loses confidence! After 26… Bc4! 27. Qxh7 Kf8 Black can still put up stiff resistance. Now White has a much easier time.
27. Qxh7 Kf8 28. Rf3! Rd7 29. Qh8! Ke7 30. Qg7 !
Now White wins the f-pawn. Black decides to throw in the towel here. Further resistance is futile in anycase. White will simply advance his King-side pawns. [1:0]