GM Mikhail Golubev  annotates games

Round 11

Grischuk - Rublevsky

In the Sicilian Taimanov White played a rare 5.Nc3 a6 6.f3!?. On the 13th move Grischuk sacrificed a knight: 13.Ndxb5. A correctness of this idea is under question. After 16.Bf2 Rublevsky accepted Grischuk's draw offer. The final position is quite complex, but Black is at least not worse. Rublevsky considered 16...Qd8 17.Nxd6+ Bxd6 18.Qxd6 Qxd6 19.Rxd6 Bxe4 20.Bg3!? to be a main line. But maybe he underestimated Black's chances in the line 16...Qc6 17.Na7 Nc4 18.Bxc4 Qxc4 19.Nxc8 Qxc8 20.c4!? with the idea 20...Qxc4 21.Rc1. (Earlier, When Grischuk sacrificed his knight, he missed that 16.Nxd6+? Bxd6 17.Qxd6 is refuted by 17...Nc6!). 0.5 - 0.5

Ivanchuk - Shirov

The old rivals! Score in their previous classic encounters is (approximately) +13 =17 -4 in the Ivanchuk's favour. Ruy Lopez, the acute Neo-Arkhangelsk Variation. Shirov played 13...d5, following the game Topalov-Shirov, Wijk aan Zee 1996. Ivanchuk deviated from that game by playing 14.h3. After 16.Bg5! (a novelty) Ivanchuk stands clearly better. After all, opponents entered into endgame with an extra exchange for Ivanchuk. Shirov preserved chances for a draw. Finally, Black has managed to built up the fortress. 0.5 - 0.5

Mamedyarov - Bologan

A quick draw in the King's Indian Defence. Bologan, in his own words, prepared for the game during five hours. But his opponent, who had White, was in the peaceful mood. 0.5 - 0.5

Areshchenko - Harikrishna

"The Giuoco Piano". On the 15th move White could win a pawn, but after 15.fxe3 Qxd6 16.Ne4 Qg6 17.Nxg5 Qxg5 18.e4 Qg6 Black has some compensation. Instead, Areshchenko played 15.Ne4 with a slight advantage. By the move 22 Harikrishna equalised, but opponents fought for two more dozens of moves. 0.5 - 0.5

Ponomariov - Nisipeanu

A rare line of the Scheveningen: 10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4 b6. The game quickly transposed into an endgame with a slim White's advantage. Ponomariov tried to win, but without success. 0.5 - 0.5

Karjakin - Volokitin

A classical main line of the Ruy Lopez; Black played 9...Nd7 (sometimes called the Karpov Variation). Instead of the most common 15...Ba6, Volokitin sacrificed a pawn by 15...c6!?. His 19th move (19...Rd8) is a sensible novelty. Black obtained a more active position. It is hard to judge, however, whether the compensation for the pawn is fully sufficient - White has no weaknesses. After 29.Qxc5 White's advantage became obvious. (Probably Black could play stronger before: e.g. 26...Qa6, 24...Be7, 23...Bh6.) In desperation, Volokitin sacrificed a rook: 29...Rd1!?. Soon, White returned a rook, obtaining the queen endgame with a "healthy" extra pawn. 36.Rd2! was an important move. (Instead, 36.Ke4? fails to 36...Qh1+!). Finally, Karjakin achieved his first victory! 1 - 0