1.e4
e5
2.Nf3
Nf6
3.Nxe5
d6
4.Nf3
Nxe4
5.Nc3
Nxc3
6.dxc3
Be7
7.Be3
Nc6
8.Qd2
Be6
9.0-0-0
Qd7
10.Kb1
a6
11.Be2
Bf6
12.Ng5
Bxg5
13.Bxg5
f6
14.Be3
0-0-0
15.Rhe1
Rhe8
16.b3
Bg4
17.f3
Bf5
18.Bf1
Bg6
19.Kb2
Re5
20.Bf2
Qf5
21.Bg3
Rxe1
22.Bxe1
Qg5
23.Qxg5
fxg5
24.c4
Ne7
25.Bd2
h6
26.Bc3
Nf5
27.Re1
Re8
28.Rxe8+
Bxe8
29.Bd3
g6
30.Kc1
Nh4
31.Bf1
Kd7
32.Kd2
Ke6
33.Ke3
Nf5+
34.Kf2
Kf7
35.Bd3
Ne7
36.g4
Nc6
37.Be4
Nd8
38.Bd5+
Ke7
39.Bg7
h5
40.Bd4
Bc6
41.Be3
Kf6
42.Kg3
Ne6
43.a4
Ke5
In the super-grandmaster tournament which has just finished in Sofia, the tragic figure was indubitably Vassily Ivanchuk. In the first round he missed a tactical shot against Alexei Shirov and went down in only 24 moves with White. But there was an even more bitter pill to swallow in round 2: White can actually not lose, because for example 44.Bxe6 Kxe6 45.Bxg5 secures for him a very comfortable draw. But Ivanchuk absolutely wanted to make amends for his defeat and went on to play with fire by liquidating to a pawn ending:
44.Bxg5?
Bxd5
45.f4+
[45.cxd5
Nxg5
46.f4+
Ke4
changes nothing.]
45...Ke4
46.cxd5
[46.gxh5
Nxg5
47.fxg5
Bg8-+
]
46...Nxg5
47.fxg5
Now there is a surprise waiting for him.
47...h4+!!
This lures the king to its doom and Black wins in all variations, because the white king is either locked in or condemned to passivity.
48.Kxh4
[Nor does it help him to decline the two-edged gift: 48.Kf2
b5
49.axb5
axb5
50.c4
bxc4
51.bxc4
Kf4!
firstly a step in the other direction in order to shut off the route via h3 52.h3
Ke4-+
]
48...Kf3
49.b4
Whatever he does, White has to allow a black passed pawn to be created on the queenside, e.g. [49.a5
b6
50.axb6
cxb6
51.Kh3
Kf2
the prison remains shut and its walls close in: 52.c4
a5
53.Kh4
Kg2
54.h3
Kh2-+
and White finally has to advance one of the pawns on the queenside.]
49...b5
50.a5
[50.axb5
axb5
51.Kh3
Kf2
52.Kh4
Kg2
53.h3
Kh2
54.c3
Kg2-+
]
50...Kg2
51.h3
Kh2
An almost study-like win by Wang Yue. 0-1