Wijk aan Zee

(1) Carlsen,M (2810) - Kramnik,V (2788) [E04] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (9), 26.01.2010 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 An interesting choice, confronting Kramnik with one of his own favourite weapons. 4...dxc4 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 a5 7.Nc3 0-0 8.a3 Be7 9.Qa4 c6 10.Qxc4 b5 11.Qb3 Ba6 12.Bg5 Nbd7 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Qc2 b4 15.Na4 Rc8 16.0-0 c5 17.d5 A very interesting pawn sacrifice. 17...exd5 18.Bh3 Bb5 19.axb4 axb4 20.Rfd1 d4 21.Bf5 Ne5 22.Bxh7+ Kg7 23.Nxe5 fxe5 24.Bf5 Rc6 25.Qe4 Rh8 26.Qxe5+ Bf6 27.Qe4 Re8 28.Qg4+ Kf8 29.Be4 c4!? [F12 strongly prefers 29...Rc7 but Kramnik decided to bet on his passed central pawns.] 30.Bxc6 Bxc6 At this point, Carlsen had just 2 minutes, plus increment time, to reach more 4- - little enough in any position, and in this one, I am sure he would have preferred a couple of hours. 31.Qh5 Re5 32.Qh6+ Ke7 33.e4 d3 34.Qe3 And now, with his flag tottering (yes, I know digital clocks don't have flags...), the world blitz champion produced the horror blunder 34...Bxe4 35.Nb6?? and a piece was lost after 35...Bb7 36.Qf4 Qxb6 37.Qxc4 Re2 38.Rf1 0-1

(2) Ivanchuk,V (2749) - Shirov,A (2723) [C78] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (9), 26.01.2010 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3 Bg4 12.Nxb5 0-0 13.Re1 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Nh5 15.Kh1 Qf6 16.Rg1 exd4 Caruana's novelty, introduced in his game against Leko two rounds ago. 17.Bg5 Qe5 18.Bd5 dxc3 19.Bxc6 cxb2 20.Rb1 Bxf2 21.Rg2 Rb6 22.Qd5 [The game Leko-Caruana had gone 22.Rxf2 Qxg5 and White eventually won a long battle. 23.Rc2 Nf4 24.Qf1 d5 25.exd5 Nxd5 26.Bxd5 Qxd5 27.Rcxb2 Qc5 28.Rc1 Qe5 29.Rbb1 Rfb8 30.Na3 Rb2 31.Rxb2 Rxb2 32.Rc2 Rb8 33.Nc4 Qf4 34.Nd2 h5 35.Qe2 Ra8 36.Rc4 Qd6 37.Nf1 f5 38.Ng3 Ra1+ 39.Kg2 f4 40.Qe8+ Kh7 41.Qxh5+ Kg8 42.Qe8+ Kh7 43.Qe4+ Kg8 44.Qxf4 Ra2+ 45.Kh3 1-0 Leko,P (2739)-Caruana,F (2675)/Wijk aan Zee NED] 22...Bc5 23.Rbxb2 Rxc6! 24.Qxc6 Ng3+!! A remarkable concept, but naturally, one the computer finds very quickly. 25.hxg3 Qxg5 And White cannot avoid perpetual. 26.Rb1 Qh5+ 27.Rh2 Qxf3+ 28.Rg2 Qh5+ 1/2-1/2

(3) Van Wely,L (2641) - Leko,P (2739) [A30] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (9), 26.01.2010 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 d6 9.Bg5 a6 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Qf4 Bxf3 12.exf3 Ra7 13.Rfd1 Rd7 14.Ne4 Be7 15.Qe3 0-0 16.f4 g6 17.Rac1 b5 18.b3 bxc4 19.bxc4 Nc6 20.h4 h5 21.Rb1 Na5 22.Qe2 Rc7 23.Rd4 Rxc4 24.Rxc4 Nxc4 25.Qxc4 d5 26.Qxa6 dxe4 27.Bxe4 Qd2 28.Kf1 Rd8 29.Qe2 Ba3 30.Rb7 Bc5 31.Rb2 Qd4 32.Rc2 Ba3 33.Kg2 Rd6 34.Rc4 Qb2 35.Qe3 Ra6 36.f5 exf5 37.Bd5 Qb8 38.Qc3 Bb2 39.Rc8+ Kh7 40.Qc4 Qd6 41.Bb7 Rb6 42.Qxf7+ Bg7 43.Rc7 Qf6 44.Qxf6 Rxf6 45.a4 f4 46.a5 fxg3 47.fxg3 Rf5 48.a6 Ra5 49.Rd7 Ra3 50.Re7 Ra2+ 51.Kh3 Kh6 52.Re6 Bd4 53.Bd5 Ra3 54.Be4 Kg7 55.Rxg6+ Kf7 56.Rg5 Rxa6 57.Rxh5 Ra3 58.Kg4 Bc3 59.Rb5 Kf6 60.Bc2 Be5 61.Bb3 Ra1 62.Rb6+ Kg7 63.Re6 Bf6 64.h5 Ra5 65.h6+ Kg6 66.Bc2+ Kf7 67.Rc6 Rg5+ 68.Kf4 Rh5 69.h7 Be5+ 70.Kg4 Rh2 71.Rc8 Bb2 72.Bf5 Bd4 73.Kf4 Bb2 74.g4 Rh1 75.Rc7+ Kf8 76.g5 Rf1+ 77.Kg4 Re1 78.Kh5 Re7 79.Rc2 Be5 80.Bg6 1-0

(4) Short,N (2696) - Dominguez Perez,L (2712) [B23] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (9), 26.01.2010 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.Nge2 Nf6 4.f4 a6 5.g3 g6 6.Bg2 Bg7 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d3 0-0 9.h3 Nd7 10.Be3 b5 11.a3 Bb7 12.Qd2 Nd4 13.Rae1 e6 14.Nd1 Qc7 15.Nc1 f5 16.c3 Nc6 17.exf5 exf5 18.Bd5+ Kh8 19.Qg2 Rae8 20.Bf2 Nb6 21.Bf3 Nd8 22.Ne3 Bxf3 23.Qxf3 Qc6 24.Kg2 Kg8 25.Re2 Qxf3+ 26.Kxf3 Ne6 27.Rfe1 Nc7 1/2-1/2

(5) Nakamura,Hi (2708) - Karjakin,Sergey (2720) [E21] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (9), 26.01.2010 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 Ne4 7.Qd3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Be7 9.Bg2 0-0 10.0-0 d6 11.Rd1 a6 12.Nb3 Qc7 13.Bf4 e5 14.Be3 Nd7 15.Nd2 f5 16.Rab1 Rb8 17.Ba7 Ra8 18.Be3 Rb8 19.Ba7 Ra8 20.Bd5+ Kh8 21.Qe3 Nf6 22.Bb6 Qd7 23.f4 Qe8 24.Nf3 Qh5 25.Kh1 Re8 26.Qg1 Nxd5 27.cxd5 Bf6 28.Qf2 Bd7 29.c4 Rac8 30.Rdc1 h6 31.e3 Re7 32.c5 exf4 33.gxf4 dxc5 34.Bxc5 Re4 35.Rxb7? [Now 35.Bd6 would leave the position unclear, but a time-troubled Nakamura instead makes a fatal pawn grab.] 35...Bb5 36.Qg2 Rc4 37.Rg1 Rc2! 38.Qg3 [38.Qxc2 Qxf3+ 39.Qg2 (39.Rg2 Qxd5-+ ) 39...Qxg2+ 40.Kxg2 Rxc5-+ ] 38...Be2 39.Ne1 R2xc5 40.e4 fxe4 41.Rxg7 Bf3+ 42.Nxf3 Qxf3+ 43.Qxf3 exf3 44.R7g6 Bg7 45.Rxa6 Rc1 46.Rc6 Rxg1+ 47.Kxg1 Bd4+ 48.Kh1 Rb8 0-1

(6) Tiviakov,S (2662) - Anand,V (2790) [B22] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (9), 26.01.2010 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 d5 7.exd6 Qxd6 8.0-0 c4 9.Bc2 Bg4 10.Qe2 Qe6 11.Qe3 Qxe3 12.fxe3 e5 13.b3 f6 14.Na3 Bxa3 15.Bxa3 0-0-0 16.Rf2 Kc7 17.Nh4 Rd7 18.Kf1 Be6 19.Ke1 Ne7 20.Rb1 Nbc8 21.g3 Nd6 22.e4 b5 23.Ng2 Nec8 24.Ne3 Nb6 25.Bb4 Ra8 26.g4 a5 27.Ba3 Kc6 28.Nf5 Nxf5 29.gxf5 Bf7 30.Rg2 b4 31.Bc1 cxb3 32.axb3 Bh5 33.Rg3 Kb7 34.Ra1 g6 35.fxg6 Bxg6 36.Rf3 Rd6 37.cxb4 axb4 38.Rxa8 Nxa8 39.d3 Rc6 40.Rf2 Nc7 41.Be3 Nb5 42.Bd1 Nc3 43.Bg4 Rd6 44.Bh6 Rxd3 45.Rxf6 Nxe4 46.Rf3 Rd4 47.Be3 Rd6 48.h4 Ra6 49.h5 Be8 50.Rf8 Ra1+ 51.Ke2 Bb5+ 52.Kf3 Rf1+ 53.Kxe4 Rxf8 54.Kxe5 Bd3 55.Bc5 Re8+ 56.Kf6 Kc6 57.Bxb4 Rb8 58.Be7 Rxb3 59.Be6 Rb1 60.Bf8 Rf1+ 61.Kg7 Kc7 62.h6 Kd8 63.Bf7 1/2-1/2

(7) Smeets,J (2657) - Caruana,F (2675) [B41] Corus A Wijk aan Zee NED (9), 26.01.2010 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qd3 0-0 8.e5 Ne8 9.a3 Ba5 10.Be2 Bc7 11.Bf4 d6 12.exd6 Bxd6 13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.Qe3 Qc7 15.0-0 b6 16.Rfd1 Bb7 17.Qg3 Qe7 18.Na4 Nd7 19.Bf3 Bxf3 20.Qxf3 Nef6 21.Nc6 Qe8 22.Rd6 Rc8 23.Rad1 Nb8 24.Nxb8 Qxa4 25.Nc6 Rc7 26.Ne5 b5 27.Rd8 bxc4 28.Ng4 Ne8 29.Qg3 Rc8 30.h3 h5 31.Ne5 Nf6 32.R8d4 Qc2 33.R4d2 Qf5 34.Qe3 Nd5 35.Qd4 c3 36.bxc3 Rxc3 37.a4 Rfc8 38.Re1 Nf4 39.Qe4 Qg5 40.Rd7 Nxh3+ 41.Kf1 f5 42.Qb7 Nf4 43.g3 Nd5 44.Qxa6 Qf6 45.Qe2 Rc1 46.Rxc1 Rxc1+ 47.Kg2 Qg5 48.Nd3 Kh7 49.Rxd5 exd5 50.f4 Rg1+ 51.Kxg1 Qxg3+ 52.Kf1 Qh3+ 53.Kf2 Qh2+ 54.Ke3 Qg1+ 55.Kd2 Kh6 56.Qe6+ g6 57.Qe5 Kh7 58.Qe7+ Kg8 59.Qd8+ Kh7 60.Qc7+ Kh6 61.Qc8 Kh7 62.a5 h4 63.Qd7+ Kh6 64.a6 h3 65.Qd8 Qa1 66.Qh4+ Kg7 67.Qe7+ Kh6 68.Qg5+ Kg7 69.Qe7+ Kh6 70.a7 Qa2+ 71.Ke3 h2 72.Qh4+ Kg7 73.Qe7+ Kh6 74.Nf2 Qb3+ 75.Ke2 Qc4+ 76.Kf3 Qf1 77.Qh4+ 1-0