[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: World Cup, Round 5, Day 1: Shirov and Carlsen win

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
World Cup, Round 5, Day 1: Shirov and Carlsen win
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1196982802.shtml


   We're down to the elite eight, and two players are on the verge of the
   final four: Magnus Carlsen and Alexei Shirov. Carlsen's game with Ivan
   Cheparinov took an unusual course: a dry opening (the Torre Attack)
   followed by a wild middlegame leading into an apparently routine
   ending. I emphasize apparently, as the bishop and pawn vs. pawns
   ending they reached was, while "easy" to anyone using their
   tablebases, proved a great challenge to the players, who took turns
   giving away half a point. Carlsen wisely made the next-to-last error
   and brought home the point.
   The Shirov-Dmitrij Jakovenko game was unusual in its own right. White
   normally doesn't grab the second Black d-pawn in the Marshall Gambit
   (the one arising on those occasions when White plays Bx(N)d5), but in
   this game Shirov not only grabbed that one with his queen, but the
   a6-pawn as well! In theory such a policy would be suicidal, with
   Black's light-squared bishop and queen hanging around the White king,
   but the muse deserted Jakovenko. His attempt at an attack was
   short-lived, and Shirov won handily.
   Carlsen and Shirov should have been joined in the winners' circle by
   Ponomariov, who enjoyed an enormous opening advantage against Kamsky.
   Kamsky is nothing if not dogged, however, and Ponomariov's hasty
   attempts to push him around only let the lone remaining American
   escape with a draw.
   Finally, Karjakin and Alekseev seem determined to make sure we'll have
   something to watch on the tiebreaks day, as they drew a non-drawn
   position in just 20 moves. I enjoy watching the rapid games, so as
   long as most of the players are fighting I'm not going to complain.
   [1]Here are the games, with my comments.

References

   1. http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/files/worldcup2007_rd5_1.htm