GM Mikhail Golubev  annotates games

Round 6

Dominguez - Sasikiran

"Topalov's" variation in the Sicilian Najdorf: 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.Qd2 b4 9.Na4 Nbd7 10.c4 (first used by Anand against Topalov in Sofia-2006) 10...bxc3 11.Nxc3 Bb7 12.Be2 and now instead of 12...d5 Sasikiran played 12...Be7, a move which he twice used in the ACP Christmas Blitz 2006. A complex middlegame position arose. In spirit of the Hedgehog system Black started a risky kingside assault by ...g7-g5. He was forced to sacrifice material. Instead of 26...Qxb8 interesting was 26...g3. Possibly Sasikiran underestimated the move 27.Nb6!. Instead of 29.Bxf3, stronger was 29.Bd3! with a winning position for White. Despite this omission Dominguez preserved good winning chances in the endgame, but Sasikiran managed to escape.

0.5-0.5

Shirov - Nisipeanu

Alexei is playing against his assistant from the Elista Candidates Matches. In the Scandinavian (Central Counter) Defence with 3...Qd6 Shirov unexpectedly started to advance his pawns on the kingside: 7.f4, 8.g4. An interesting, unusual position emerged. Instead of 12...Bg7 at the first glance safer was 12...Be6. Shirov's 13.c5! seems to be strong: after 13...Nbd5 White has 14.Nd6+. In the game White practically by force obtained a better ending with two minor pieces for a rook. Possibly, White's 24th move (24.Bxb6) was imprecise: instead, 24.a4!? deserved attention. Another good possibility was on the previous move: 23.a4 Be6 24.b4. After 30 moves chances seemed to be equal.

0.5-0.5

Svidler - Karjakin

Once again in Foros Svidler started the game with 1.d4. A Shabalov-Shirov acute variation 7.g4 in the Anti-Meran System. The move 12...Qb6 is probably new. Three moves later, Svidler sacrificed a pawn for the positional compensation. Quite a level fight ended in a draw.

0.5-0.5

Rublevsky - Onischuk

An interesting theoretical discussion in the Scotch Defence. After the forced play Rublevsky was two pawns down in the endgame, for, as it seems, adequate compensation, because many of the black pawns are weak. Soon it was already White who had an extra pawn in the endgame with the opposite coloured bishops. Still, he hardly had winning chances there.

0.5-0.5

Eljanov - Jakovenko

Eljanov was not ready to fight for the advantage in the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. The game ended in a theoretical draw by the perpetual check.

0.5-0.5

Van Wely - Ivanchuk

White obtained a slight advantage in the calm line of the English Opening. But, nothing special happened. After the White's 17th move opponents agreed for a draw.

0.5-0.5