[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: The Daily Update: Bundesliga and Cap D'Agde

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
The Daily Update: Bundesliga and Cap D'Agde
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1225162593.shtml


   It's a two day update, actually, but since the Cap D'Agde games were
   such a mess and the information almost non-existent, I decided to wait
   until today. Now that Mark Crowther of [1]TWIC has gotten the games in
   shape, we're ready to go.
   First, yesterday's [2]Bundesliga round. I'm not interested in the team
   results, but as many of the world's best grandmasters participate, I'm
   always eager to check out the games. Here are some of yesterday's
   games that caught my eye:
   Harikrishna-Bromberger is noteworthy for Semi-Slav fans. Harikrishna
   played the usual 10.d5 in the Meran (rather than Kramnik's 10.e5 from
   games 3 and 5 vs. Anand), but was nevertheless quickly lost against
   his lower-rated opponent. He escaped with a draw, but it's surely good
   news for Semi-Slav fans.
   What wasn't good news was the game Sargissian-Gustafsson. Same line,
   but this time Black resigned on move 24 to what looks like a fiendish
   piece of prep from Sargissian. Black's 21st move looks like a clear
   culprit, but even if he's computer-OK on moves like 21...Bc8 or
   21...Kd7, his life won't be an easy one.
   Miezis-Uhlmann caught my attention for the same reason as on
   [3]Saturday: the old guy again drew a higher-rated opponent, and this
   time with Black. Those old-timers knew something! (In fact, it was his
   opponent who was fortunate to draw.)
   Stellwagen-Efimenko was interesting if you're a Berlin fan, and who
   isn't, really? But seriously, folks, it was pretty lively, and the
   rook ending was interesting too - Stellwagen did very well to save it
   two pawns down.
   Peng Zhaoqin-Rustemov wasn't a masterpiece, but the way a staid
   opening quickly transformed into a wild middlegame was remarkable.
   Rustemov accepted tripled f-pawns for dynamic chances, and they paid
   off. Eventually the game reached an ending that reminded me of a game
   I won many years ago, in which, with Black, I had two bishops and an
   h-pawn against my opponent's light-squared bishop. My opponent assumed
   that it must be a draw, that the light squared bishops canceled each
   other out, leaving me with a bishop plus wrong-colored rook pawn draw.
   To that end, he offered repeated draws, huffed and puffed, looked at
   me as if I was playing out king vs. king, and generally making a
   donkey of himself.
   Fortunately, I wasn't cowed by his display. It turned out to be a
   pretty easy win. I brought my king to g3, pawn to h3, bishop on the
   a7-g1 diagonal, forcing his king to h1, and then played ...Bf1-g2+. He
   got his bishop trade all right, but not exactly the way he wanted it.
   Back to Peng Zhaoqin-Rustemov. Here it was a bishop and wrong-colored
   rook pawn ending with rooks on the board, and once again the extra
   pieces did not "cancel out", but let Rustemov win. Working out the
   winning procedure from, say, move 54 might be a good exercise for
   expertish-rated players.
   In the [4]Cap D'Agde rapid event, the challenge is to pick games that
   aren't interesting. Let's stick to the positive though: I enjoyed
   Lahno-Ivanchuk ("Chuky" seized the initiative right from the opening),
   Caruana-Bu Xiangzhi (enterprising sacrificial play in the opening),
   Kosteniuk - Vachier-Lagrave (Schadenfreude: Kosteniuk made a losing
   combination from a winning position), Kosteniuk-Sebag (best combo in a
   losing cause), Ivanchuk-Bu Xiangzhi (it's surprising to see Ivanchuk
   outplayed in an equal ending, but Bu did it), Kosteniuk-Lahno (nice
   combo by the winner), Karpov-Radjabov (Karpov blundered a pawn to a
   simple tactic, then drew easily as if nothing had happened),
   Nakamura-Carlsen (Nakamura had very good winning chances almost start
   to finish, but was fortunate at the end that Carlsen repeated instead
   of playing the probably winning 55/57...Rf5), and especially
   Carlsen-Skripchenko (an unbelievable game where Skripchenko had a
   queen and two pawns for three minor pieces; she had her chances, but
   resisting the swarm of White pieces ultimately proved too difficult).
   The standings: there are two groups of eight players, and since the
   event will resolve after quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches,
   I'm tentatively assuming that the top four from each group will
   advance. There are still two rounds left for one group and three for
   the other; here are the top four from each thus far:
   Group A [my label]:
   Caruana 4.5 (of 5)
   Ivanchuk 3.5
   Vachier-Lagrava 3
   Bu Xiangzhi 2.5
   Group B:
   1-2. Radjabov, Carlsen 3.5 (of 4)
   3-4. Karpov, Nakamura 2.5

References

   1. http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html
   2. http://www.schachbundesliga.de/index.aspx
   3. http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1224983913.shtml
   4. http://www.europe-echecs.com/articles/a-la-une-8e-rencontres-du-cap-d-agde-1451.html