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My participation in World Chess Championship (New Delhi)
and in Tan Chin Nam Cup (Beijing)by Alexey Dreev
During last years we can watch the rise in chess on the Asian continents. And not accidentally in 2000 year the FIDE World Championship took place in Asia - New Delhi (India) and Tehran (Iran). I participated at this Championship and I would like to tell you a little bit about my imaginations.
In the first similar tournament (1997, Groningen, Holland) I have reached a quarter-final, where has lost on tie-break (in 15-minutes games) to Boris Gelfand. In a 1999 (Las Vegas, USA), in a duel of 1/8-final, I was stopped (also on tie-break) by Michael Adams. And now - third knock-out tournament.I began to play from 2nd round. My opponent was young Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Malakhov. Both games in "classical" chess were drawn. First tie-break game I played Black and in drawn position with bishops of opposite colours my mind was "blanked", I made a blunder, and lost… It is always difficult to win "to order" the second game. However, at the endgame Malakhov was overplayed. In 15-minutes games I played more confidently and won tie-break 3:1.
Next my opponent was GM Loek van Wely from Netherlands. I played Black first game and I would like to tell more detailed about this game.Van Wely,L - Dreev,A [D46]
New Delhi 20001.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 a6
The whole variation is started by this move. The aim of this variation - first of all, to prepare advance b7-b5, and then - to play c6-c5. Also other variation was possible - immediate 9...b5. But there is a deference between two variation: in case of 9...a6 Black sometimes can play c6-c5 without b7-b5. Exactly this was happened in current game.
10.a4 White preventing the advance b7-b5. Other line: 10.Rd1 b5 11.Be2 etc.
10...c5 11.Rd1 Interesting moment. This position arose at the game of my opponent against G.Kasparov (Internet). Kasparov played 11...Qc7. This move was considered as quite reliable, but after 12.Ne4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Nf6 14.Qh4 cxd4 15.Bd3! White sacrificed the pawn and obtain the dangerous initiative. During preparation to this game, of course, I took into consideration this possibility and I thought: "Why simply not to play cxd4?".
11...cxd4 12.exd4
Move 12.Rxd4 looks very unnatural.
12...Qc7 13.Bd3 b6 14.Be3! Bb7 15.Qe2
White found original opportunity in order not to lost the tempos for protecting h2-pawn. If Black now will play "greed": 15...Bxf3 16.Qxf3 Bxh2+ 17.Kh1 Bd6 than after 18.g3 with ideas Kg2, Rh1, etc, appears, that the combination of opened file "h", advantage of pair bishops, passive disposal of Black's pieces is very good compensation for White's pawn. Black's position is slightly "crowded"; also he can not move the rook from a8, because pawn a6 is on the aim. That's why next move, I think, is logical.
15...Nd5!? 16.Ne4?!
By this move White gives the initiative to Black's hands. Correct was 16.Rac1! and Black can opted between: 16...Nxc3, 16...Nxe3 or 16...Qb8).
16...Nf4! 17.Bxf4 Bxf4 18.g3 Bh6
Probably, White believed, that he can use the unusual position o bishop on 'h6'. However, White already has no pair bishops; rook can not move to 'c1'; and pawn 'd4' is isolated. All this factors could lead to serious problems in future.
19.h4?!
White do not sense the danger; he should not lost the time to "shake the air". It was necessary to consider with next Black's move. In this connection the move 19.Ra3 deserved attention. 19...Qc6!
Emphasizing the weakness of the diagonal "a8-h1", which appear after g2-g3. Now f7-f5 is threatening.
20.Ra3
This move prevents immediate 20...f5 because it will followed by 21.d5! exd5 (21...Qxd5 22.Bc2 fxe4 23.Rxd5 exd5 24.Nd4 to White's favour.) 22.Nd4 Qg6 23.h5! (could find peace nowhere!) with further 24.Nd6. Bad was 20.Ne5 Nxe5 21.dxe5 Rad8 with idea Rd3.
20...Qd5!
After this retort become clear that White will only defend.
21.Bb1 Rac8 22.Re1 Rfd8 23.Neg5 Bxg5 24.hxg5 Nf8 25.Re3?!
The White's desire to be free from Black's pressure on diagonal a8-h1 with simultaneous keeping the queens is understandable. However, White has no time for it; it was necessary to continue 25.Be4 Qxe4 26.Qxe4 Bxe4 27.Rxe4 and submit to slightly worse endgame.
25...Qc4!
This continuation looks more reliable than 25...Qa5!? 26.Be4 Bxe4 27.Rxe4 Qxa4 28.d5; the more so that it was left not too much time before the first time-control.
26.Qxc4
Otherwise White lost one of the pawns.
26...Rxc4 27.b3 Rb4 28.Bd3!
I should give Loek's inventiveness the due! He finds interesting possibility to continue the struggle.
28...a5 [28...Rxb3?? 29.Bxh7+] 29.Bc4 Bxf3 30.Rxf3 Rxd4
Black is an extra-pawn now, but his rook is walled up. Frankly, I went to this position deliberately, because I believed that I will be able to free from captivity.
31.Rf4!
Only this move allows to capture the d-file.
31...Rd6 32.Ree4 Rd1+!
The important nicety! After 32...Ng6 33.Rd4 Rxd4 34.Rxd4 the disposal of king on g1 is better for White than on h2. That's why preliminary check is so important. The is no "trifles" in chess!
33.Kh2
Bad is 33.Kg2? Ng6 and 34.Rd4 is impossible.
33...Ng6 34.Rd4 Rxd4 35.Rxd4 Kf8 36.Rd8+ Ke7 37.Rb8
More weak is 37.Rg8 because of 37...h6! 38.gxh6 gxh6 39.f4 Kf6 with further e6-e5 or Ng6-e7.
37...Ne5
38.Rb7+?!
The idea to take the pawn with check was wrong. Correct was 38.Bb5 and if 38...Nf3+ 39.Kg2 Nxg5 40.Rxb6 Rxb3 41.Ra6 and not all is clear; pawn 'a' is very strong.
38...Kd6 39.Bb5 Rxb3 40.f4
Became clear that 40.Rxb6+ Kc5 41.Ra6 lost due to 41...Rxb5 42.axb5 Kxb5 43.Ra7 a4 44.f4 Nc6.
40...Nf3+
After 40...Rxb5 41.axb5 Nc4 42.Rxf7 a4 43.Rxg7 a3 44.Rg8! (44.Rxh7 a2) the position is not clear.
41.Kg2 Nd4 42.Rd7+ Kc5 43.Rc7+ Kd5 44.Bc4+ Kd6 45.Rxf7 Rc3 46.Ba6 Nf5?!
Immediate 46...Rc7 is much strong. White should play 47.Rf8 with some practical chances for draw.
47.Kf2
I did not watch this move when played 46...Nf5; so, I simply lost two tempos.
47...Rc7 48.Rxc7
The only one advantage of move 46...Nf5 - now White can not evade the exchange of the rooks, because 48.Rf8 Rc2+ leads to White's losing.
48...Kxc7
The position is close to equal.
49.Bd3 g6 50.g4 Nd6 51.Ke3 b5 52.axb5 a4 53.Kd2
The very precise way. White do not play 53.Kd4 a3 54.Kc3 Kb6 55.Kb3 Nxb5 and now he can not play 56.f5 gxf5 57.gxf5 exf5 58.Bxf5 because of 58...Nd4+.
53...Kb6 54.Kc1 Kc5 [54...Nxb5 55.f5=] 55.Kb2 e5
The only one option to play for victory. After 55...Kd4 56.Bf1 Ke3 57.b6 Kxf4 58.Ka3 Kxg4 59.Kxa4 Kxg5 60.Kb4 Kf5 61.Kc5 Ke5 62.Bd3 White hold out.
56.Ka3??
Blunder. White can make a draw by "etude" way: 56.fxe5 Nxb5 57.e6 Nc7 58.e7 Kd6 59.e8Q! (59.Bb5 a3+-+) 59...Nxe8 60.Bc4!.56...e4 57.Bf1 Nxb5+ 58.Kxa4 Nd4 0-1
So, after this victory I made draw as White and entered to 1/8-final match against Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), GM of top-10 ELO-list. I won first game (as White). In the second game I went to sharp and principal variation (so named "Anti-Moscow" Variation). Before the tournament we with my assistants have prepared a new line. The position is very complicated, there are many options for White; one of them, which was preferred by my opponent, was not yet analyzed up to the end… So, I lost the second game. May be, I should not try to capture the initiative; but I should try to play more calm variation. On tie-break the luck was on the side of my opponent and he won the match…
V.Anand's victory and the Champion Title is well-deserved, he played very confidently during whole tournament. Some resistance to Anand was exerted from GM Smbat Lputian. But the mostly stubborn match was against FIDE Champion-1999 Alexander Khalifman. Khalifman is very dangerous in match struggle. Alexander has the whole arsenal of openings. Like in 1997, he played with Anand adequately, but all time does not suffice something…
I was astonished, that Vassily Ivanchuk was eliminated so quickly. He is one of the best contemporary players, but he is very unlucky in these knockout tournaments.
The World Championship was my third trip to Asian Continent during half-year. In September I took part at FIDE Cup. And just 1 month before (in July) I participated at round-robin tournament of 16th category in Beijing - 6th Tan Chin Nam Cup. Now it is the strongest traditional tournament in Asia. Dato Tan Chin Nam is the famous chess Maecenas, he really supports chess. The tournament was well organized. My result was quite successful - I shared 1-4 places.Interesting game was played against one of the perspective Chinese GMs - Zhang Zhong. I would like to share with you the ideas of this game:
DREEV,A. - ZANG ZONG [?81]
Beijing 20001.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.0?0 0?0 6.b3 d6 7.Bb2 Ng4!?
There is a simple idea - Black is striving to prepare the advance e7-e5; and, at the same time, he is preventing possible White's advance d4-d5. Zang Zong employed this move not once. To tell the truth, before this game I forget about this possibility. However, I was not upset too much, because I had no objections against the positions of such sort.
8.c4 Nd7.
Up to this moment, my opponent played very quickly. But I was thinking a lot, before I found the correct continuation.
9.Ng5!
The only one, but quite enough antidote for "program" pawn advance.
"Where to move the knight from d7?", - that is the question for Black, not so pleasant. In case of 9…Nb6 possible is: 10.h3 Nh6 11.Qc1 e5 12.c5, and it is uncomfortable for Black.
9…Ndf6 10.h3 (of course, 10.d5? e5! 11.de N:h2 is not profitable for White)
10…Nh6 11.d5 Nf7 12.N:f7 R:f7
Now we can make a first conclusions: Black did not fulfill the advance e7-e5; so, the initial part of this game is to White's favour.
13.Nd2 Bd7 14.Nf3.
Black is going to make the advance c7-c6. Right now it is not possible in view of 15.dc bc (bad is 15…B:c6 due to 16.Ng5!) 16.c5! d5 17.b4 with obvious White's advantage. That's why Zang Zong preferred more passive move 14…Rf8, though he could think about 14…a5, in order to trouble White's advance b2-b4.
15.b4 c6?!
It is inaccuracy. After the game I and my opponent agreed that more strong was 15…a5 16.a3 c6, and White's position is pleasant only a little.
16.dc bc.
Probably, not the best option. After 16…B:c6 17.Qb3 Qe8 18.a4 Black is worse, of course; however it would be the less evil.
17.c5 Qb8.
No more good moves. After 17…d5 18.Be5 with further a2-a4 and b4-b5 the Black's position is a mournful sight. If 17…dc then 18.bc, and on Rb8 White always can play Be5.
18.cd ed (or 18…Q:b4 19.de Q:e7 20.Ne5, and Black's position is hard)
19.Rb1!
Strong move! Move 19.Qb3+ looks more natural; but queen should take aim at d6-pawn. Also, move 19.Rb1 is not losing a tempo, because Black should be protected from b4-b5.19…a6 20.Qd3 Re8?! (better was 20…Ne4) 21.Rfc1! (with threat 22.Nd4)
21…Qb6.
Here again Black could think about 21…Ne4 22.B:g7 K:g7 23.Qd4+ Kg8 with some chances for defense. There is a trap in last Black's move. If now White plays 22.Q:d6, then Black will not play 22…Q:f2+? 23.K:f2 Ne4+ 24.Kg1 N:d6 25.B:g7 K:g7 26.Rd1 with White's victory, but: 22…Ne4! 23.Bd4 Qd8 24.Qf4 g5, and White's queen has no good squares to go away. Also not possible is 22.B:f6 B:f6 23.Q:d6 R:e2 24.Rf1 Bg7 25.Q:d7? Rd8, and queen is caught.
22.e3. This solid "tough" move destroys the Black's hopes to counter-play.
22...d5? The decisive mistake. There was Black's last opportunity to play 22…Ne4; nevertheless there are no doubts in evaluation of the position after 23.B:g7 Kg7 24.a4.
23.Ne5 (threatening 24.N:d7 and 25.R:c6) 23…Re6.
After 23…Re7 24.N:c6 B:c6 25.B:f6 B:f6 26.R:c6 Black lost immediately. Black can resist by 23…Rad8.
24.Nd7 Nd7 25.Rc6! Qc6 26.Bd5 Qd6 27.Bg7 Nb6 (or 27…Kg7 28.Qc3+) 28.Be6+ Qe6 29.Ba1 Qa2 30.Rd1 Qc4 31.Qd6. Black resigns .
© GM Alexey Dreev
specially for Millenium 2000 Club Web-site
December 2000 - January 2001
Moscow
