All Boards Drawn, Linares 2010

Image via Wikipedia

At Linares, Spain the category 21 Super-Tournament turned up all draws for the three boards played in round 1, 13th February 2010. This year’s event has only six players, though last year there was eight and three years before there were sixteen players. As they say, the show must go on!

Here are the round 1 results as shown in the table below:-

White	Black	Result
B Gelfand	V.Gashimov	0.5:0.5
F Vallejo	V Topalov	0.5:0.5
L Aronian	A Grishuk	0.5:0.5

Table 1. Round 1 Results, Linares 2010.

Here is one game of the Linares Super Tournament between Gelfand, the World Cup 2009 Champion playing white against V Gashimov. A modern benoni opening transpired during the game.

  

(pictures courtesy of Chessbase Big Database 2009)
[Event "XXVII Torneo Int'l de Ajedrez Ciudad de"]
[Site "Linares/Spain"]
[Date "2010.02.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "B. Gelfand"]
[Black "V. Gashimov"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A61"]

{A61: Modern Benoni: Nf3 without early e4} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Bf4 Bg7 8. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qb3 b5 10. Bxd6 Qb6 11. Be5  O-O

(11... c4 12. Qd1 O-O 13. e3 b4 14. Nb1 (14. Na4 Qa5 15. b3 c3 16. Bc4 Na6
17. Qd4 Nh5 18. O-O Rfe8 19. Bxg7 Nxg7 20. e4 Rac8 21. a3 Rxc4 22. Qxc4 Bb5 23.
axb4 Bxc4 24. bxa5 Bxf1 25. Kxf1 Rxe4 26. Nxc3 Rb4 27. Nd2 Nf5 28. Ra4 Rb8 {
Vovk,Y (2549)-Perez Ponsa,F (2363)/ICC INT 2008/Mega2009 Update 01/1-0 (42)})
14... Bb5 15. Nbd2 Rc8 16. Rc1 Nbd7 17. Bxc4 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Bxc4 19. Ndxc4 Qa6
20. O-O Re8 21. Nc6 Re4 22. Qb3 {1-0 Yakovich,Y (2530)-Zelcic,R (2415)/
Belgorod 1991/CBM 023 ext})

After White played 12. e3, b5 is attacked thrice by White.
12. e3 {b5 draws heavy fire} b4 13. Nb1 a5 N

(13... Bb5 14. Bxb5 Qxb5 15. Nc3 (15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nbd2 Nd7 17. a4 Qa6 18. a5 c4 19. Qxc4 Qxc4 20. Nxc4 Rfc8 21. Nfd2 Ne5 22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23. Ke2 Rc2 24. Rhc1 Rxb2 25. Rab1 Rb8 26. Rxb2 Bxb2 27. Rc2 Bg7 28. Nb3 Bc3 29. Kd3 f5 {Kekelidze, M (2477)-Pantsulaia,L (2386)/Tbilisi 2002/EXT 2004/1/2-1/2 (50)})

15... Qa6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Ne4 Qe7 18. Ned2 Nd7 19. O-O Nb6 20. Rac1 a5 21. Rc2 a4 22. Qd3
Rfd8 23. e4 f5 24. exf5 Rxd5 25. Qb5 Qf6 26. fxg6 Qxg6 27. Rxc5 Qd6 28. Rxd5 {Khenkin, I(2460)-Jaulin,M (2235)/Paris 1991/TD/1-0}) (13... Bf5 14. Nbd2 Nbd7 15. Bf4 a5 16. Nh4 Be4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qc2 Ndf6 19. Nf3 Nxd5 20. Qxe4 Nxf4 21. Qxf4 Bxb2 22. Rd1 Bc3+ 23. Nd2 b3 24. axb3 Qxb3 25. Bc4 Qb2 26. e4 Rad8 27. Bd5 Rxd5 28. exd5 {Steadman,M (2231)-Beach,P (2164)/Queenstown 2006/CBM 110 ext/1-0 (45)})
(13... Bf5 14. Nbd2 Nbd7 15. Bf4 ±)
14. a4 (14. Nbd2 Bg4 ±)
14... Bg4 (14... Bf5 15. Nbd2 Nbd7 16. Bg3 ±)
15. Nbd2 ± Nbd7 16. Bb5 Rfd8
(16... Bxf3 ?! 17. Nxf3 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Qc7 ±)
17. Bg3 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Qa7 (18...Nh5 ±)

Position after white played 19. 0-0.
19. O-O (19. d6 +- {White missed this excellent chance})
19... Nxd5 $14 20. Bc6 c4 21. Nxc4 Nc5 {Black threatens to win material: Nc5xb3}
 
Black played 21… Nc5 threatening to win the white queen at b3.
22. Qc2 Rac8 23. Bxd5 Rxd5 {Black has an active position} 24. Nd6 {White
threatens to win material: Nd6xc8} Rc6 25. Rad1 (25. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Qa6
$14) 25... Rxd1 (25... Rh5 26. Rd2 (slight advantage for white)) 26. Rxd1 $14 Qa6 27. Nb5 {'the knight
is the knight!'} Ne6 28. Qb3 h5 29. h4 Bf6 30. Rd6 (30. Kg2 Qb7 slight advantage for white) 30... Rxd6
(30... Qc8 31. Kg2 Rxd6 32. Nxd6 (Slight advantage for white) (32. Bxd6 $143 Bxh4 33. Nd4 Qd8 34. Nxe6
Qxd6 $15)) 31. Nxd6 ({Not to play as follows} 31. Bxd6 Qc6 32. Kg2 Bxh4 $17) 31... Qc6 {Black threatens to win material: Qc6xf3} 32. Qc4 (32. Kg2 Kg7 $14) 32... Qxf3 33.
Qc8+ Nf8 34. Qc2 Be7 35. Nc4 {White threatens to win material: Nc4xa5}
 
White played 35.Nc4 attacking black’s undefended pawn at a5.
35…. Qd5 36. b3 Ne6

After black played 36… Ne6, the queens faced off for a showdown!
37. Qd2 Qxd2 38. Nxd2 {A minor pieces endgame occured} Nc5 39. Kf1 Bd8 40. Ke2 f5 {Black has a new backward pawn: g6} 41. Bd6 {White threatens to win material: Bd6xc5} Nb7 {Black threatens to win material: Nb7xd6} 42. Bg3 Kf7 43. e4 (43. Kd3 Ke6 =) 43... fxe4 (slight advantage for black) 44. Nxe4 Ke6 45. Kd3 Kd5 46. f3 Be7 47. Bf2 Nd8 48. Bb6 {White threatens to win material: Bb6xa5} Nc6 49. Bf2 Ne5+ 50. Ke2 Bd8 51. Nd2 Nc6 52. Kd3 Ne5+ 53. Ke2 {Twofold repetition} Nc6 54. Kd3 1/2-1/2

Position after white played 54.Kd3. Drawn after a two-fold repetition of moves.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Scotch, part 5: a dynamic endgame opportunity (guardian.co.uk)