[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: Dortmund, Round 4: Nepomniachtchi joins the tie for first

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
Dortmund, Round 4: Nepomniachtchi joins the tie for first
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1215018778.shtml


   Round 4 of the [1]Sparkassen Chess-Meeting in Dortmund saw three more
   draws, but it had its moments.
   The first game to finish was Kramnik-Leko (shock, horror), a 22 move
   draw by repetition. Despite the quick and uninspiring conclusion,
   there were places where the game could have livened up, and the game
   may have a little theoretical significance as well.
   Another short draw, finishing just a few seconds later, was
   Gustafsson-Ivanchuk, but this game was almost everything Kramnik-Leko
   was not. The opening was very sharp and neither player backed down
   from the complications. Ivanchuk's opening choice was quite clever: he
   entered the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit, but then went down
   a sideline resulting in what looks like a favorable version of the
   Botvinnik Variation of the Semi-Slav. I think he had a very nice edge,
   but on move 16, perhaps overly concerned with the possibility of
   17.d5, he preferred solidity over aggression, and that allowed
   Gustafsson to level the game.
   After another hour or so, the remaining games finished in a near
   dead-heat. First came the only non-draw of the round,
   Nepomniachtchi-van Wely. White sacrificed a pawn for control of d5 and
   kingside prospects. Black's position was okay, but he wasn't able to
   find a solution to those problems - even after sacrificing the
   exchange, the same difficulties remained. White won a further pawn,
   and despite a hiccup on move 27, Nepomniachtchi's technique was good
   enough to win with the extra exchange.
   Finally, Naiditsch-Mamedyarov ended too, a Taimanov Sicilian where
   first White and then Black enjoyed a very small edge, but accurate
   play from both players kept the game balanced.
   The games, with my comments, are [2]here.
   Standings after Round 4:
   1-3. Gustafsson, Leko, Nepomniachtchi 2.5
   4-6. Mamedyarov, Naiditsch, Kramnik 2
   7. Ivanchuk 1.5
   8. van Wely 1
   Pairings for Round 5: (On Friday; Thursday is a rest day)
   Mamedyarov - Kramnik
   Ivanchuk - Naiditsch
   van Wely - Gustafsson
   Leko - Nepomniachtchi

References

   1. http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de/
   2. http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/files/dortmund2008_rd4.htm