Nanjing: Carlsen draws, Topalov beats Jakovenko

by ChessBase
10/4/2009 – Dmitry Jakovenko had the world's rating leader Veselin Topalov struggling in a very dangerous position. But then the Russian GM started to lose the thread, and on move 25 blundered badly and actually lost the game in just four more moves. Peter Leko pressured Magnus Carlsen's Gruenfeld, but the Norwegian sacrificed an exchange and held the game. Round six report.

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Second Nanjing Pearl Spring Chess Tournament

This event, organized by the Municipal People’s Government of Nanjing, is taking place from 27th September to 9th October 2009 in Nanjing, China. Time controls are 90 minutes for 40 moves and 60 minutes for the rest of the game, with no increment. The tournament is a six-player double round robin and has a total prize fund of 250,000 Euros, with the winner taking 80,000 Euros.

Round six

Round 6: Sunday, October 4th, 2009
Peter Leko 
½-½
 Magnus Carlsen
Dmitry Jakovenko 
0-1
 Veselin Topalov
Teimour Radjabov 
½-½
 Wang Yue

Leko,P (2762) - Carlsen,M (2772) [D72]
2nd Pearl Spring Nanjing CHN (6), 04.10.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nb6 7.Ne2 c5 8.d5 e6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nbc3 Na6 11.Nf4 e5 12.Nd3 Nc4 13.Qe2 Qa5. In this relatively obscure position Carlsen plays a novelty. 14.a3 Bd7 15.Bg5 Rfc8 16.Be7! Qb6 17.d6!

A pawn sacrifice that Black does not accept: 17...Be6! After 17...Nxd6 18.Nd5 Qc6 19.f4 White has excellent compensation. Carlsen decides to invest an exchange. 18.Nd5 Bxd5 19.d7 Be6 20.dxc8Q+ Rxc8 21.b4 cxb4 22.axb4 Bf8 23.Bxf8 Rxf8.

After the smoke has cleared Black, an exchange down for a pawn, has better coordinated pieces and can play for a draw. 24.Rfc1 Rd8 25.Bf1 Rd4 26.Rd1 Nxb4 27.Nxb4 Rxd1 28.Qxd1 Qxb4 29.Qa4 Qxa4 30.Rxa4 Nd6 31.Rxa7 Nxe4 32.Rxb7

After trading down a draw becomes more likely. 32...Kg7 33.Rb5 Kf6 34.f3 Nd6 35.Rb6 Ke7 36.Kf2 h5 37.Bd3 Nf5 38.Ra6 Nd6 39.Ke3 Nc4+ 40.Kf2 Nd6 41.Bb1 Nf5 42.Ba2 Bxa2 43.Rxa2

The position is drawable, but definitely not easy to hold. You need a world-class player to do it against a world-class player like Leko. 43...g5 44.Ra4 h4 45.g4 Nd6 46.Ke3 Ke6 47.Ra6 Kd5 48.Kd3 f6 49.Ra5+ Ke6 50.h3 Nb7 51.Ra6+ Nd6 52.Kc3 Kd5 53.Ra5+ Ke6 54.Kb4 e4 55.fxe4 Nxe4 56.Rf5 Nd6 57.Rf1 f5 58.Kc3 fxg4 59.hxg4 Ne4+ 60.Kd4 Nf6 61.Re1+ Kf7 62.Rg1 h3 63.Rh1 Nxg4 64.Rxh3 Kg6 draw. This was the first time in this tournament that Magnus Carlsen was in any real danger – even in his only previous draw he had a theoretically winning position.


Jakovenko,D (2742) - Topalov,V (2813) [D90]
2nd Pearl Spring Nanjing CHN (6), 04.10.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Qa4+ Bd7 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 0-0 8.Bf4 Na6 9.e4 c5 10.e5 Nh5 11.Be3 cxd4 12.Qxd4 Bc6 13.Be2 Qa5 14.0-0 Nb4. The novely – previously Loek van Wely had played 14...Bxf3 against Ican Sokolov and drawn. 15.Qh4 Nc2 16.g4 Nxe3 17.fxe3 Bh6 18.Nd1 Kh8 19.gxh5 Rg8 20.Kf2 Rad8.

Now after 21.b4 Qb6 22.Qxe7 (or even 21.Qxe7 Bxf3 22.Kxf3) White is a piece up and must be winning. 21.hxg6?! Bxf3 22.Kxf3 Rxg6 23.Qe4 f5 24.Qc4 Qd2

25.Rc1?? Jakovenko was not in time trouble when he played this blunder, giving away the win and in fact the game (our chess engines play 25.a4 or 25.Rf2 to retain an advantage for White). 25...Rc6 26.Qh4 Qxc1 27.Qxe7 Rg8

28.e6. White should at least try 28.Qxb7, althout Black has 28...Rc4! 29.Bxc4 Qxc4 30.Re1 Qg4+ winning. 28...Qd2 29.Kf2?? Completely demoralised. 29...f4 0-1.


The third game was a Queen's Gambit Declined and drawn in 30 moves


The spectators at the Pearl Spring tournament. All of them. Well, almost. Really.

Current standings

Schedule and results

Round 1: Monday, September 28, 2009
Magnus Carlsen 
1-0
 Peter Leko
Veselin Topalov 
½-½
 Dmitriy Jakovenko
Wang Yue 
½-½
 Teimour Radjabov
Round 2: Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Magnus Carlsen 
1-0
 Veselin Topalov
Peter Leko 
½-½
 Teimour Radjabov
Dmitry Jakovenko 
½-½
 Wang Yue
Round 3: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wang Yue 
½-½
 Magnus Carlsen
Teimour Radjabov 
½-½
 Dmitry Jakovenko
Veselin Topalov 
½-½
 Peter Leko
Round 4: Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Wang Yue 
½-½
 Peter Leko
Dmitry Jakovenko 
0-1
 Magnus Carlsen
Teimour Radjabov 
½-½
 Veselin Topalov
Round 5: Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Peter Leko 
½-½
 Dmitry Jakovenko
Magnus Carlsen 
1-0
 Teimour Radjabov
Veselin Topalov 
½-½
 Wang Yue
Round 6: Sunday, October 4th, 2009
Peter Leko 
½-½
 Magnus Carlsen
Dmitry Jakovenko 
0-1
 Veselin Topalov
Teimour Radjabov 
½-½
 Wang Yue
Round 7: Monday, October 5th, 2009
Teimour Radjabov 
-
 Peter Leko
Wang Yue 
-
 Dmitry Jakovenko
Veselin Topalov 
-
 Magnus Carlsen
Games – Report
Round 8: Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Peter Leko 
-
 Veselin Topalov
Magnus Carlsen 
-
 Wang Yue
Dmitry Jakovenko 
-
 Teimour Radjabov
Games – Report
Round 9: Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Dmitry Jakovenko 
-
 Peter Leko
Teimour Radjabov 
-
 Magnus Carlsen
Wang Yue 
-
 Veselin Topalov
Games – Report
Round 10: Friday, October 9th, 2009
Peter Leko 
-
 Wang Yue
Veselin Topalov 
-
 Teimour Radjabov
Magnus Carlsen 
-
Dmitry Jakovenko 
Games – Report

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