Friday, December 30, 2005

Ponomariov Wins Pamplona


The Pamplona International was held from December 23-29 2005 in Pamplona, Spain. It was won by Ruslan Ponomariov with 5/7, followed by Pentala Harikrishna and Ivan Cheparinov half a point behind. Veteran Dutch GM Jan Timman came in an out-of-form seventh. Games and results.

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

CHESS PIECE: PARAGUA BOWS TO DREEV

[Bobby Ang]

The FIDE World Chess Cup is being staged from 26 November to 18 December 2005, in Khanty-Mansyisk, Russia. This the 128-player event replaces what was known as the "FIDE Knockout World Championship" and serves as a qualifier for the Candidates stage of the world championship. The prize fund is US $1.5 million, with FIDE’s President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov providing $300,000 for organizational costs.
The World Cup consists of 7 rounds of knock-out matches to determine the top 10 who will proceed to the candidates’ matches for the next world championship. 128 players representing their respective continents or zones answered the starting bell for round one, and from that number only 64, Mark Paragua included, proceeded to round two.
In round 2 the games were even more hard fought than previously. Many matches went to speed chess tie breaks and some to the "Armageddon" where a game of blitz is contested with white having more time but Black needing only a draw. In the first round tie-breaks three matches went to the final sudden-death blitz game. Black, with draw odds, moved on in every case. In the current round, white won three out of four armageddon battles.
When the clocks had stopped the 64 player field was reduced to 32. Here they are:
Armenia. GM Levon Aronian 2724
Azerbaijan. GM Teimour Radjabov 2704
Bulgaria. GM Ivan Cheparinov 2618
China. GM Xu Jun 2582
Cuba. GM Lazaro Bruzon 2677
France. GM Etienne Bacrot 2725, GM Joel Lautier 2679
Georgia. GM Baadur Jobava 2601, GM Levan Pantsulaia 2578
India. GM Penteala Harikrishna 2673
Israel. GM Boris Gelfand 2717, GM Ilia Smirin 2673, GM Emil Sutovsky 2654
Netherlands. GM Sergei Tiviakov 2699, GM Ivan Sokolov 2696, GM Loek Van Wely 2648
Norway. GM Magnus Carlsen 2570
Russia. GM Alexander Grischuk 2720, GM Alexey Dreev 2694, GM Evgeny Bareev 2675, GM Evgeniy Najer 2641, GM Vladimir Malakhov 2670, GM Konstantin Sakaev 2668, GM Sergei Rublevsky 2652
Spain. GM Alexei Shirov 2710, GM Francisco Vallejo Pons 2674
Ukraine. GM Ruslan Ponomariov 2704, GM Zahar Efimenko 2637, GM Pavel Eljanov 2663, GM Alexander Areshchenko 2653
USA. GM Gata Kamsky 2690, GM Yuri Shulman 2565
Some statistics:
highest rated: GM Etienne Bacrot FRA 2725
lowest rated: GM Yuri Shulman USA 2565
oldest: GM Xu Jun (43 yrs old). He is also the only one above 40 years of age.
youngest: GM Magnus Carlsen (15 yrs old)
trivia: there was a time when the world was dominated by “B” (Botvinnik, Bronstein, Boleslavsky, Bondarevsky) and then we had the “K” (Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Korchnoi, Kamsky). In fact, Khalifman used to spell his name “Halifman” and only shot into the top echelons of chess after adding the “K” to his name. So what’s going to be the new letter? It is still unclear, but maybe “S”
Only two Asians are left to carry the colors of the East, that is Harikrishna of India and Xu Jun of China.
Mark Paragua entered the round fresh from an upset win over the highly-fancied superGM Sergei Movsesian, the champion of Slovakia. He was given little chance against Alexey Dreev, who last April was rated 2705 (!). But Mark has been making slow but sure progress in his chess development, and what might have seemed impossible before was now only improbable. With black in the first game he surprised Dreev with a Queen’s Gambit Accepted and maintained the balance to simplify into an equal rook and pawn endgame, which he held with ease.
Dreev,A (2694) - Paragua,M (2596) [D20]
WCC Khanty Mansyisk (2.1), 30.11.2005
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.e5 Nd5 9.Nb3 Nb6 10.Bb5 Qd5 11.Nbxd4 Bd7 12.Bxc6 Bxc6 13.Nxc6 Qxc6 14.Bg5 h6 15.Rc1 Qd5 16.a3 hxg5 17.axb4 g4 18.Ng5 Qxd1 19.Rfxd1 Rh5 20.f4 gxf3 21.Nxf3 Rc8 22.b5 Nd7 23.Re1 Kf8 24.Re4 Rh6 25.Nd4 Rh5 26.Nf3 Rh6 27.Rd1 Ke8 28.Rg4 Rg6 29.e6 Rxe6 30.Rxg7 Rg6 31.Rh7 Nf6 32.Rh8+ Rg8 33.Rxg8+ Nxg8 34.Ra1 Ra8 35.Kf2 Nf6 36.Ke3 Ke7 37.h3 Ne8 38.Kf4 Nd6 39.Nd4 Kf6 40.Re1 a6 41.Ra1 Re8 42.bxa6 bxa6 43.Kf3 Rb8 44.Rxa6 Rxb2 45.g4 Rb4 46.Ke3 Rc4 47.Nf3 Rc3+ 48.Kf4 Rc4+ 49.Kg3 Kg7 50.Ra2 Ne4+ 51.Kg2 c5 52.h4 Rc1 53.Re2 Nf6 54.Ne5 Nd5 55.Rd2 Nf4+ 56.Kg3 Ng6 57.Nxg6 Kxg6 58.Rd6+ Kg7 59.Rc6 c4 60.g5 c3 61.Kg4 c2 62.Kh5 Kf8 63.Rc7 Ke8 64.Kh6 Rh1 65.Rxc2 Rxh4+ 66.Kg7 Rf4 67.Re2+ Kd7 68.g6 fxg6 ½–½
In the second game Mark decided that he wanted to go into the rapid tie-breaks and played a short draw. This might have to do with some financial considerations. Anyone who loses in the second round would receive US $9,000, but if he draws the standard 2-game match then he is entitled to half of the difference between the 2nd and 3rd round purse. This means that even if he now loses the tie-breaks he will be receiving an extra US $2,500 (3rd round losers get $14,000).
Now for the big surprise. The next day was dedicated to tie-breaks, and the two combatants played at an active time control (25 minutes for the whole game with a 10 second increment added after every move). Dreev played well and had the initiative but overreached and the Filipino rushed down the board with rook and pawn to turn the tables and win. The Russian was now against the ropes!

Paragua,Mark (2596) - Dreev,Alexey (2694) [D45]
WCC Khanty Mansyisk (2.3), 02.12.2005

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 a6
The first surprise. Dreev, a former Wch-quarter finalist and arguably the world's greatest authority on the Semi-Slav, has gotten this position hundreds of times in his practice, but always continued here 5...Nbd7.
The position we have on the board was popularized by the Russian-turned-Belgian GM Mikhail Gurevich. His treatment of this system is to play 6...dc4 in response to 6. Bd3, and after 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 c5 and we have a favorable version of the Queen's Gambit Accepted.

6.a3
The critical continuation is 6.c5 which was what Kasparov used to defeat Fritz in their famous match 2 years ago. 6...Nbd7 7.b4 a5 8.b5 e5 9.Qa4 Qc7 10.Ba3 e4 11.Nd2 Be7 12.b6 Qd8 13.h3 0–0 14.Nb3 Bd6 15.Rb1 Be7 16.Nxa5 Nb8 17.Bb4 Qd7 18.Rb2 Qe6 19.Qd1 with a pawn extra and black suffocating. Kasparov,G (2830)-Comp Fritz X3D/ New York 2003 1–0 (45).

6...Nbd7 7.b4 g6
Now we see Dreev's idea, he puts his bishop on the long diagonal rather than Gurevich's treatment of putting it on d6.

8.Bd3 Bg7 9.0–0 0–0 10.Bb2 b5 11.cxd5 exd5 12.e4 Nb6 13.Ne5 Bb7 14.exd5 Nfxd5 15.Rc1 Nxc3 16.Bxc3 f6 17.Ng4 Qd6 18.h4 Bc8 19.Nh2 Be6 20.Re1 Bc4 21.Bb1 Rfe8 22.Qf3
This move doesn't seem quite so correct, as he is putting the queen on a spot where it can be harassed. Perhaps better is 22.h5 Rxe1+ 23.Qxe1 Bf7 and both sides have chances.

22...Bd5 23.Qh3 Be6 24.Qf3 Bd5 25.Qh3 Bh6 26.Rcd1 Be6
[26...Bb3 27.Ng4!? complicates things too much]

27.Ng4 Bg7 28.h5 Bxg4 29.Qxg4 f5 30.Qf3 Nd5 31.Bb2 Qf4
White's attacking attempts have been parried and Black sets his sights on the isolated d4-pawn.

32.Qxf4 Nxf4 33.hxg6 hxg6 34.g3 Nd5 35.Ba2 Kf8 36.Rxe8+ Rxe8 37.Kf1 Rd8 38.Ke2 Ke7 39.Rc1 Kd6 40.Bxd5 Kxd5 41.Kd3 Rh8 42.Rc5+ Kd6 43.Bc1 Rh1 44.Bf4+ Kd7 45.Bd2 Ra1 46.Bc1 Ra2 47.f3 Bf8 48.Rc2 Ra1?
Black should have agreed to the exchange of rooks. Now his rook is cornered.

49.g4 Bd6 50.gxf5 gxf5 51.d5! cxd5 52.Kd4 Rb1
Sets a trap which white doesn't fall into. Instead, 52...Ke6 53.Rc6 Kd7 54.Rc2 will result in a handshake.
See diagram
caption: position after 52...Rb1

53.Rc3!
Dreev’s idea was that 53.Kxd5? is met by 53...Rb3! (threatening mate via ...Rd3) 54.Kd4 (54.Rd2? Bf4 55.Rd1 Rb1 white's bishop is lost) 54...Rxf3 the f5-pawn becomes a monster.

53...Bg3 54.Kxd5 a5?
This move is good only if Black's bishop were on c7 or d6.

55.bxa5 b4 56.axb4 Rxb4 57.Rd3 Rb5+ 58.Kc4+ Kc6 59.f4 Rc5+ 60.Kb4 Rxc1 61.Rxg3
The endgame is winning for white.

61...Rf1 62.Rc3+ Kb7 63.Rc4 Ka6 64.Rd4 Re1 65.Rd6+ Kb7 66.Kc5 Ra1 67.a6+ Kc7 68.Rc6+ Kd7 69.Rg6 Ra4 70.a7! Kc7
[70...Rxa7 71.Rg7+]

71.Rg8 1–0
Black will be forced to exchange rooks, after which it would be an easy matter for White to go after the f5-pawn and win with his remaining pawn.

Mark needed only to draw the next game to advance to the 3rd round, but he could not contain the sheer strength of Dreev. We had the same opening as in game 1, and a queenless middlegame arose where Dreev outplayed the Filipino. With two knights running roughshod against his rooks Mark cracked under the pressure the blundered on the 39th move.

Dreev,A (2694) - Paragua,M (2596) [D20]
WCC Khanty Mansyisk (2.4), 02.12.2005

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.e5 Nd5 9.Nb3 Nb6 10.Bb5 Qd5 11.Nbxd4 0–0
In game 1 Mark had played 11..Bd7 to avoid the doubling of his pawns.

12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Qc2 c5 14.Ne2 c4 15.Nf4 Qb5 16.a3 Be7 17.a4 Qc6 18.Be3 Bb7 19.Nd4 Qe4 20.Qxe4 Bxe4 21.Nb5 Rfc8 22.Nc3 Bc6 23.a5 Nd7 24.Nfd5 Bf8 25.Bd4 Rab8 26.Bxa7 Rxb2 27.Bd4 Nc5 28.a6 Rd2 29.Bxc5 Bxc5 30.Ra5 Bb6 31.Ne7+ Kf8 32.Nxc6 Bxa5 33.Nxa5 Ra8 34.Nb5 Rxa6 35.Nxc4 Rc2 36.Ne3 Rc5 37.Nd4 Rxe5 38.Rb1 g6 39.g3 Rd6? 40.Nc4 1–0
The rest was an anti-climax, as Paragua was clearly dispirited by how close he came to eliminating his famous opponent. In the two blitz tie-breaks (5 minutes for the game plus 10 second increment after every move) that followed Dreev won the first and easily drew the second to advance.

Mark Paragua gave a good account of himself. Despite being outrated in both of his matches he scored 3 draws and a win, which adds up to an additional 9 ELO points. This, together with the points gained from tying for first in the Zonals would definitely put him past the ELO 2600 mark, what we generally call the Super-GMs, the first Filipino ever to achieve that distinction.

We should also mention Mr. Hector Tagaysay of Filway Marketing, who I believe sponsored Mark’s trip from his own pocket.

If you are reading this Mark, text me when you come home to the Philippines. I feel a great need to buy dinner for you and your dad.

Reader comments/suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bang@bworldonline.com
"This article first appeared in Bobby Ang's column in Businessworld (Philippines) on 05 Desember 2005"

Saturday, December 3, 2005

SEMI-SLAV: PARAGUA vs DREEV

CHESS PIECE: PARAGUA UPSETS MOVSESIAN

[Bobby Ang]

The FIDE World Chess Cup is being staged from 26 November to 18 December 2005, in Khanty-Mansyisk, Russia. This the 128-player event replaces what was known as the "FIDE Knockout World Championship" and serves as a qualifier for the Candidates stage of the world championship. The prize fund is US $1.5 million, with FIDE’s President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov providing $300,000 for organizational costs.
Last Sunday 128 players representing zones and continents from all over the world sat down to play 2-game knock-out matches to qualify 64 of them to the next round. The losing 64 get to go home right away with $6,000 (less 20% FIDE tax) in their pockets.
GM Vladimir Akopian, the Vice-Champion in the 1999 Las Vegas FIDE World Championship, fell ill and had to forfeit both his games to Englishman-turned-Australian IM Gary Lane.
Aside from Akopian the top 20 all won in the 1st round including Vassily Ivanchuk, Etienne Bacrot, Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk, Boris Gelfand, Alexei Shirov, Teimour Radjabov, Ruslan Ponomariov, Sergei Tiviakov, Ivan Sokolov, Alexey Dreev, Gata Kamsky, Viorel Bologan, and Joel Lautier.
In fact, we have to look all the way down to board 24 to see the first upset – the Vietnamese GM Cao Sang, now representing Hungary (geez, imagine that, for the first time someone from Southeast Asia is imported to represent an East European chess powerhouse), knocked out Ukraine’s superGM Andrei Volokitin.
At least Volokitin is in good company. His co-finalist in the Young Masters’ tournament held in Lausanne last September, US Champion GM Hikaru Nakamura, was also eliminated, the Indian GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly doing the honors. Nakamura had fought his way to the 4th round of the 2004 Tripoli World Championship and his supporters were hoping that he would advance farther this year, but he was outplayed by Ganguly in both games and went down to a 0-2 defeat.
On board 32 the 15-year old Norwegian sensation Magnus Carlsen upset superGM Zurab Azmaiparashvili. The youngster won the first game but Zurab came back in the second game to tie the match. The first tie-break game (25 minutes each with 10 second increment added after every move) saw another win by Magnus, and he stopped Azmaiparashvili’s attempt to come back again with a nice crush in the second tie-break:
Carlsen,M (2570) - Azmaiparashvili,Z (2658) [B06]
WCC Khanty Mansyisk RUS (1.4), 29.11.2005
1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.f4 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.Be3 c5 8.dxc5 Nxc5 9.Bxc5 dxc5 10.e5 Ra7 11.Qe2 Nh6 12.a4 Qa5 13.0–0 b4 14.Ne4 0–0 15.Qf2 Rc7 16.Nfd2 Be6 17.Nc4 Bxc4 18.Bxc4 Nf5 19.Rfd1 Qb6 20.c3 h5 21.a5 Qc6 22.Qe2 Rb8 23.Bd5 Qb5 24.Bc4 Qc6 25.Bd5 Qe8 26.Bc4 Bh6 27.g3 Rd8 28.Bxa6 Rxd1+ 29.Rxd1 Qa4 30.Bc4 Qxa5 31.e6 fxe6 32.Nf6+ Kh8 33.Rd8+ Kg7 34.Rg8+ 1–0
Of course for us Filipinos the most important match was between GM Mark Paragua (PHI 2596) vs Slovakian champion GM Sergei Movsesian (SVK 2635). As we had written last Friday Movsesian was an extremely tough adversary – he had reached the quarter-finals (last 8 players standing) in the 1999 Las Vegas World Championship and had won a few super-tournaments, including the 2002 Sarajevo category-16 event ahead of Shirov and Sokolov.
Movsesian obviously did not take Paragua seriously and was going for his usual tactic in knock-out tournaments of drawing the two standard games quickly to move over to the tie-breaks at faster time controls. Movsesian has an excellent reputation as a blitz player and did not think he would have much trouble in disposing of the Filipino once they reach the tie-breaks (although even here matters are not so clear – Paragua is also a terrific blitzer).
Their first game was a short draw:
Movsesian,S (2635) - Paragua,M (2596) [B90]
FIDE World Cup, Khanty Mansyisk RUS (1.1), 27.11.2005
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 h5 9.f4 exf4 10.Bxf4 Nc6 11.Qd2 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 Qxd5 14.0–0–0 0–0–0 15.Bd3 Bd6 16.Be3 Nb4 17.Kb1 Nxd3 18.cxd3 Kb8 19.Ka1 Rc8 20.h3 f6 21.Rhe1 Bf7 22.Bg1 ½–½
Mark saw his chance. In the second game, with White, he surprised Movsesian by starting off with 1.d4 instead of his usual kingside opening. Then he revealed his deep preparation by going into a line which Movsesian favors and springing a surprise. By this time the Slovakian smelled a fight to the death and tried to create counterplay for himself, but Paragua was in brilliant form and broke through with a sacrificial attack to force resignation.
Paragua,Mark (2596) - Movsesian,Sergei (2635) [D15]
FIDE World Cup, Khanty Mansyisk (1.2), 27.11.2005
1.d4
In his previous stint at the world championships Mark lost to Bologan because he didn't have sufficient knowledge of the queenside openings. It appears that he has been doing a lot of work in the two years since, because now we see Mark opening with 1.d4 and, with black, answering 1.d4 with a Queen's Gambit Accepted instead of his usual King's Indian.
1...Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 Nbd7 6.Bf4 Nh5 7.Bd2 Nhf6 8.Bf4 Nh5
This system does not have a good reputation, but some people, including Movsesian, play it regularly with black.
9.e3
The alternative is to preserve the bishop with 7.Bd2.
9...g6 10.h4 Nxf4 11.exf4 Bg7 12.h5 b6 13.cxb6 Qxb6 14.Qd2 Rb8 15.b3 Nf6 16.hxg6 fxg6?!
The text leaves the square e5 open for white to create an outpost for his knight. However, capturing the other way does not equalize either. There could follow 16...hxg6 17.Na4 (17.Rxh8+ Bxh8 18.Rc1 Ne4 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Ne5 Bb7 21.Rc5 was agreed drawn in the game between Farago,I (2507)-Seres,L (2497) from Budapest 2004. Probably there were other considerations affecting the players' decision, because White had a plus in the final position and could well be justified in playing for a win) 17...Ne4 18.Nxb6 Nxd2 19.Rxh8+ Bxh8 20.Kxd2 Rxb6 with slightly the better prospects for White.
17.Ne5 Ng4 18.Na4 Qc7
[18...Qb4!? to exchange off the major pieces loses a pawn to 19.Nxc6 Qxd2+ 20.Kxd2 Nxf2 21.Nxb8 Nxh1 22.Bxa6 Bxa6 23.Rxh1 Bb5 24.Nc3]
19.Rc1
So now in addition to the white knight on e5 Black is also saddled with a weak pawn on c6. Movsesian realizes that he is in deep trouble and tries to complicate the position, but if you ask me he is already lost at this point.
19...Nxe5 20.fxe5 0–0 21.Bd3 Qd7 22.Rh4 e6 23.Ke2 Qf7 24.f3 Bd7 25.Rch1
The h-pawn cannot be defended - it has to move.
25...h5 26.R1h3 Be8 27.Qg5 c5 28.Nxc5 Bb5 29.Rg3 Bxd3+ 30.Kxd3 Kh7
See diagram
caption: position after 30...Kh7
31.Nd7!
Heading for f6. The knight is immune to capture because of 31...Qxd7 32.Qxg6+ Kg8 33.Qxh5.
31...Rg8 32.Rgh3
Threatening to take the h5 pawn.
32...Rgd8
Movsesian wanted very much to play 32...Qf5+ but after 33.Qxf5 exf5 34.Nxb8 Rxb8 35.g4 his game is likewise hopeless.
33.Nf6+ Bxf6 34.exf6 Rb7 35.g4 Qe8 36.gxh5
Black should now resign. Instead he goes on a spree of spite checks.
36...Rxb3+ 37.axb3 Qb5+ 38.Ke3 Qxb3+ 39.Kf2 Qc2+ 40.Kg3 Qg2+ 41.Kxg2 1–0
Well done Mark! By winning in the first round he has guaranteed himself a minimum of US $9,000 (well, $7,200 if you take out the 20% which FIDE deducts as some sort of tax).
Paragua will now proceed to the second round where he will face one of the top players of Russia – superGM Alexey Dreev, who sports an ELO rating of 2694, almost 100 pts above Mark. Dreev is one of the world’s greatest experts in the Semi-Slav with Black, the same opening that Movsesian used in his fatal second game above. I am already very excited to see what else Mark has in store against it.
Let us dream a bit – if Mark beats Dreev his guaranteed prize goes up to US $14,000, and if he wins in the third round he becomes a millionaire, because the minimum prize that he will be taking home is US $21,000.
C’mon Mark, you can do it!
Reader comments/suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bang@bworldonline.com

"This article first appeared in Bobby Ang's column in Business World (Philippines) on 02 December 2005"