[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: This Week's ChessBase Show: Shirov-van Wely

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
This Week's ChessBase Show: Shirov-van Wely
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1183606444.shtml


   In the United States, weâre celebrating the countryâs birthday on the
   Fourth of July, but the chess world is â or should â celebrate another
   birthday on that date, that of Alexei Shirov. Shirov, who is now 35,
   is not just one of the worldâs very best players; heâs one of the most
   popular players, too. His ability to stir up wild complications â to
   create âfire on boardâ â and successfully navigate his way through the
   blaze has made him a fan favorite since he burst on the world scene in
   1990.
   Whatâs really fun is when he plays another barn-burner like Kasparov,
   Topalov, or his co-star this week, Loek van Wely. When these two face
   off, violent play is almost guaranteed. Of their 40 games, an
   incredible 33 of them have been decisive (25-8 in Shirovâs favor). The
   two players go at each other as if theyâre enemies, and that
   competitive zeal combined with the sharp openings van Wely loves to
   play pretty much ensures that fans will be treated to exciting and
   bloody battles.
   And thatâs what weâll see this in this weekâs game: excitement and
   blood â van Welyâs, on this occasion. In this contest from the 2002/03
   Bundesliga season, the play starts off a little slowly when Shirov
   employs an anti-Sveshnikov line against his opponentâs Sicilian, but
   it sharpens quickly. Chess is often a game of imbalances, and one of
   the most common imbalances in the Sicilian pits Whiteâs speedier
   development and extra space against Blackâs potentially awesome pawn
   center. If Black can neutralize Whiteâs dynamic advantages, the
   endgame will often be his; if he canât, really bad things can happen
   to him. On this occasion, really bad things happened to him, as Shirov
   finished him off with flair.
   We may not be able to attack like Shirov, but we can learn from him,
   and this Thursday night weâll have entertainment and education alike.
   The time is 9 pm ET; hope to see everyone there! (Directions for
   watching the show, which is free, can be found [1]here.)

References

   1. http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1114234449.shtml