GM Mikhail Golubev  annotates games

Round 10

Harikrishna - Ponomariov

The Queen's Gambit Declined. After the Ponomariov's 21...Qc8 chances are approximately equal. Rather a calm draw. On the 18th move acceptable for Black would have been 18.e4 Bxc4 19.Rxd8 Rfxd8 20.Rd1 Bb5! (Ponomariov) with sufficient compensation for the queen. 0.5 - 0.5

Nisipeanu - Karjakin

The Fischer Attack in the Sicilian. Nisipeanu followed the game Christiansen-Wojtkiewicz, USA Ch. After Karjakin's novelty 14...Kf7!? the game quickly ended in a logical draw by perpetual check. Both opponents found this line in their home preparations. 0.5 - 0.5

Volokitin - Mamedyarov

A classical Ruy Lopez with 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Nd7. On the 20th move Mamedyarov deviated from the game Anand-Piket, Wijk aan Zee 1999. Volokitin, as it seems, blundered a pawn by playing 24.Bg5. Still, after losing the pawn White could obtain a sufficient compensation. After 27 moves, the draw was agreed. (A possible continuation was 28.Ne3! Ng6!, with a complex play.) 0.5 - 0.5

Bologan - Grischuk

The Sicilian with 3.Bb5+. Grischuk opted for 3...Nc6. After 15...d5! Black hardly should have any problems. Later Black won the pawn and preserved his advantage with a help of the nice trick 21...Nd2!. On the 23rd move 23...Bxd4 could not work because of 24.Rxc6 Qxc6 25.Bxd4 Qa4 26.Re4 e5 27.Bb6!!, so Grischuk played 23...Nxd4, transposing to the endgame with an extra pawn, but with the opposite colored bishops. In such situation, it is not easy for Black to win. Instead of the tempting 32.Ва6, stronger for White was 32.Rb2!. Still, later Black did not manage to win anyway. 0.5 - 0.5

Rublevsky - Ivanchuk

The key game of the round - leaders face each other. One more Sicilian with 3.Bb5+. Ivanchuk played the main line with 3...Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7. Instead of the usual 11...Be7, he made an extremely rare move, 11...f5!?. The play was tense: White planned to attack the centralized black knight. Black successfully retreated with a knight to f8 (via g5 and h7), keeping the balance. The game ended in a draw on the 29th move by repetition of moves. 0.5 - 0.5

Shirov - Areshchenko

The Gruenfled Defence. Areshchenko repeated his favourite line 10...Bd7 11.Rb1 Qc7. Shirov's 15.Bd2 is probably new (Sakaev-Avrukh, Cesme ECC 2004 saw 15.Bg3). The position after 21...Rae8 seems to be playable for Black. Still, Shirov gradually grabbed the initiative. (Possibly, 23...Bg4 and 24...gxh5 was not so good idea for Black). Shirov was much better until he blundered (rather terribly) on the 52nd move: 52.d5??, missing 52...Rxd5. After that, only miracle saved Shirov from a loss. 0.5 - 0.5