GM Mikhail Golubev annotates games
Shirov, Alexei (2740) - Ivanchuk, Vassily (2740)
Aerosvit-2008 (Foros), 06/16/2008
Round 8 [D85]
A surprising opening choice from Ivanchuk: he plays the Gruenfeld Defence, in which Shirov is considered to be a great expert. Shirov responds with a 5.Bd2 line. Strangely looking 8.Bb5 is in fact the main move. The idea is that 8...a6 weakens the b6 knight (this is important in some lines) while 8...c6 abandons the idea ...Nc6. As it seems after 11.Bd4 White is slightly better. But Ivanchuk managed to develop some counterplay and stands OK after 18...Nb4. After Black's 28th move White started to play carelessly, and Shirov's 32nd move was a direct blunder after which Ivanchuk won a game with a nice 32...Rd3!.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
g6 3.Nc3 d5
4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2
Bg7 6.e4 Nb6
7.Be3
0-1
Svidler, Peter (2746) - Karjakin, Sergey (2732)
Aerosvit-2008 (Foros), 06/16/2008
Round 8 [E12]
The Petrosian's System 4.a3 in the Queen's Indian Defence. Position after 13.Bb2 is well known, but then opponents deviated from the main theory. By playing 15.Nd2 Svidler transposed to the game Kasparov-Kramnik, Linares 2004. 15...Nb8 is a novelty (Kramnik played 15...Nf6 instead). 16.d5!? exd5 17.exd5 Rxd5 18.c4 Rg5 19.Nf3 Rh5 could have led to some complications, but Svidler played 16.Nc4 with the ideš of 16...Nc6?! 17.d5!. After 16...Ba6 Svidler played 17.d5! anyway (not good was 17.Rac1 Bg5 18.Rc2? b5!). A very interesting, sharp play started. White developed the initiative on the kingside. Maybe Karjakin could have tried 24...Rxd1+ 25.Rxd1 h5 26.Qg5 (26.Qxh5?! gxf6 27.Ng4 Bc3!) 26...Nh7 27.Qe5 Qxe5 28.Bxe5 with a not so clear ending. But there is nothing wrong with his move, 24...Rd2!?. Svidler's 27.h3!? is an interesting decision: in a sharp position White calmly prepares escape for his king. After 32.e5 Karjakin maybe could have tried a risky 32...Nf4, though 33.Nf6+ looks dangerous. One move later, 33...Qg3!? deserved serious attention. The game ended in a draw by repetition of moves in the mutual time trouble. An interesting deviation was 37.Qf3 with the approximate line 37...Nd3 38.Bxc5 (38.Bxd3 cxd3 39.Qf7 Qxf2+! 40.Qxf2 Bxf2+ 41.Kxf2) 38...Qxc5 39.Qf7 Qf8 (39...gxh6? 40.Qf6+ Kg8 41.Bxd3 cxd3 42.Qxe6+) 40.Qxe6 (40.Bxd3 cxd3 41.Qxe6 Bc4!) 40...Qxf2+ 41.Kh1 Qxg2+ 42.Kxg2 Nf4+, etc.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
e6 3.Nf3 b6
4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3
d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5
7.Qc2 Nxc3 8.bxc3
Be7 9.e4 Nd7
10.Bd3 c5 11.
1/2-1/2
Van Wely, Loek (2676) - Volokitin, Andrei (2684)
Aerosvit-2008 (Foros), 06/16/2008
Round 8 [D56]
The Queen's Gambit Decilned. Again Volokitin plays the Lasker Variation with 7...Ne4, which he already used in the Round 4 against Shirov. All moves up to 17.0-0 were played by Van Wely very quickly. Still, nothing new so far. But the next Black's move, 17...a5, seems to be new. After 20.a3 White has a minimal advantage. 24...Nf6?! was a wrong move, after which White achieved a big advantage.
1.d4 d5 2.c4
e6 3.Nc3 Be7
4.Nf3 Nf6
5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4
1-0
Alekseev, Evgeny (2711) - Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter (2684)
Aerosvit-2008 (Foros), 06/16/2008
Round 8 [B83]
The Sicilian Scheveningen, which Nisipeanu uses as Black quite often. 9.Qd2 e5 is, generally, a sideline. 13...Nb4 is a new move (in the game Chiburdanidze-Kupreichik, Frunze 1985 Black tried 13...Rc8). After 14.Bxd6 Rc8 Black hardly has enough for a pawn. Gradually Nisipeanu regained the pawn, but got a worse ending. Nisipeanu had chances for a draw, but misplayed the endgame. For example, instead of 28...Nf6 better was 28...Nc5. Eventually, White won.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3
e6 3.d4 cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nf6
5.Nc3 d6 6.f4
Be7 7.Be3
1-0
Carlsen, Magnus (2765) - Onischuk, Alexander (2664)
Aerosvit-2008 (Foros), 06/16/2008
Round 8 [E05]
For the third time in the tournament, a move 10...Bd6!? in the main line of the Catalan Opening is discussed. Carlsen introduces a novelty, 11.Be3!?. As it seems, after 14...e5 Black equalised. Five moves later Carlsen sacrificed a pawn for the initiative, but hardly it can be particularly dangerous for Black. Carlsen could have played 21.Re4, but then 21...Qf3 is good for Black (not 21...f5?? 22.Qd5+! and wins). After 22.Be5 White is fighting for equality. Instead of 22...Bxe5 deserved attention 22...Qf5!?, provoking 23.g4. After 24.Rae1 Carlsen is threatening with 25.Qxa8!. Instead of 24...g6?! better was 24...Qd6!. After 25.Rd5! bad for Black is 25...Qf3? 26.Nd2 Nd4 27.Qc5 Ne2+ 28.Kh2, and he loses a piece. So, Onischuk was forced to play 25...Qc4 with equality.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
e6 3.g3 d5
4.Nf3 Be7
5.Bg2
1/2-1/2
Eljanov, Pavel (2687) - Jakovenko, Dmitry (2711)
Aerosvit-2008 (Foros), 06/16/2008
Round 8 [D53]
7.cxd5!? in the Queen's Gambit Declined is a very rare line. Maybe Jakovenko could have tried 13...e4!? but he followed the path of the game Van der Sterren-Andersson, Wijk aan Zee 1987. Eljanov's 15.Qa4 is a novelty which hardly changes the assessment of the line: approximate equality. After the White's 24th move a draw was agreed.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4
e6 3.Nf3 d5
4.Nc3 Be7
5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4
1/2-1/2