World Cup R4.2: Grischuk, Nielsen and Polgar level scores

FULL REPORT After losing their first games of the FIDE World Cup's 4th round, Alexander Grischuk, Peter Heine Nielsen and Judit Polgar all managed to level the scores. David Navara, Teimour Radjabov and Peter Svidler reached the quarter-finals already.

General info

The 2011 FIDE World Cup is a 128-player knock-out taking place August 27-September 20 in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia. The tournament delivers three participants for the next Candidates tournament/matches, as part of the new World Championship cycle. Except for the final, all rounds have 2-game matches at the FIDE time control: 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes to finish the game, with a 30-second increment from the first move. In case of a 1-1 tie, on the third day of the round there's a tie-break with rapid games and if necessary blitz games and an Armageddon. More info here.

Round 4.2

Chess can be such a wonderful sport to watch, and thanks to the Russian Chess Federation the dramatic second game between Judit Polgar and Leinier Dominguez in the World Cup's fourth round was indeed wonderful to watch. We really think that the live page is designed close to perfection, with easy access to the games, computer analysis and a TV screen all together. Here's what happened in that game:

Dominguez-Polgar
Khanty-Mansiysk, 2011

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qb6 5. Nb3 Nf6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Qf3 Be7 9. Qg3 d6 10. O-O-O O-O 11. Kb1 Rd8 12. f4 Qc7 13. Bd3 b5 14. Qh4 h6

15. Bxh6!
A correct sacrifice. Dominguez probably thought he'd get a perpetual somewhere.
15... gxh6 16. Qxh6 Ne8
16... b4 looks risky but might be possible: 17. Nd5 exd5 18. Qg5+ Kf8 19. Qh6+ Ke8 20. Qh8+ Bf8 21. Qxf6 d4
17. e5 f5 18. Bxf5! exf5 19. Nd5 Bf8 $1 20. Nxc7 Bxh6 21. Nxa8 Bxf4 22. exd6 Bxd6

In a must-win situation an unbalanced ending with the bishop pair is something Polgar could be happy with.
23. Nb6 Be6 24. Nd5 Kf7 25. Ne3 Nf6 26. g3 Ng4 27. Nxg4 fxg4 28. Nd4 Nxd4 29. Rxd4 Bc7 30. Rf1+ Ke7 31. Re4 Rg8 32. a4 Bd6 33. axb5 axb5 34. Rf5 b4 35. Rh5 Rg6 36. h3 gxh3 37. Rxh3 Kd7 38. Rh7+ Kc6 39. b3 Bd5 40. Re3 Bxg3

It's very difficult to win this, but at least one can try for long.
41. Ra7 Rg4 42. Ra4 Bf4 43. Re1 Bd2 44. Rd1 Bc3 45. Ra6+ Kb7 46. Ra5 Be4 47. Ra4 Rg2 48. Ra2 Kb6 49. Rd6+ Kb5 50. Rd1 Bf3 51. Rf1 Kc5 52. Ra7 Be4 53. Rc1 Kb6 54. Ra2 Rg3 55. Rf1 Bg7 56. Kc1 Rg2 57. Kb1 Rd2 58. Kc1 Rh2 59. Kb1 Bc3 60. Rd1 Bf3 61. Rf1 Kc5 62. Ra7 Be4 63. Rc1 Kd4 64. Rd7+ Ke3 65. Re7 Rh6 66. Ra7 Bd2 67. Rg1 Kf2 68. Rd1 Ke2 69. Rg1 Be3 70. Re7 Rh4 71. Rg8 Bd4 72. Ka2 Kd2 73. Rd7 Bxc2 74. Rh8?

74... Rxh8?
With 74... Kc1! Black could have decided the game immediately. Now the famous RB-R ending appears.
75. Rxd4+ Bd3 76. Rxb4 Kc3 77. Ra4 Rh2+ 78. Ka3 Rb2 79. Rg4 Rxb3+ 80. Ka4

This is actually a version where the stronger side is winning, but with the clock ticking and the huge pressure, for long Polgar cannot find the winning plan.
80... Rb1 81. Ka5 Rb5+ 82. Ka4 Rf5 83. Rg3 Rf4+ 84. Ka3 Rf1 85. Rg2 Rh1 86. Rb2 Ra1+ 87. Ra2 Rb1 88. Rg2 Rb3+ 89. Ka4 Rb4+ 90. Ka3 Rb6 91. Rg4 Ra6+ 92. Ra4 Rb6 93. Rg4 Rb7 94. Rh4 Rb1 95. Rh2 Rb6 96. Rh4 Bf1 97. Rg4 Rb5 98. Rg3+ Bd3 99. Rg4 Rb1 100. Rg2 Rb3+ 101. Ka4 Rb5 102. Rg4 Rf5 103. Ka3 Rf1 104. Rg2 Rb1 105. Rh2 Bf5 106. Rg2 Bd3 107. Rh2

107...Bf1!
Finally the winning idea. Dominguez was looking at his score sheet all the time, but didn't really have time to check if there was a threefold repetition. As far as we can see, there was never a position three times with the same player to move.
108. Rf2 Bc4 109. Rf3+ Bd3 110. Rf2 Rb3+ 111. Ka2 Rb6 112. Ka1 Rg6 0-1

This means Polgar and Dominguez have to fight it out in a tie-break on Thursday. After the game Polgar was all smiles at the press conference of course, and said she did know the ending, and how to win it, but the circumstances made her forget about it.

Peter Heine Nielsen also levelled the score against his opponent Vugar Gashimov; the first loss for the Azerbaijani GM.

Nielsen-Gashimov
Khanty-Mansiysk, 2011
Nielsen has played an excellent game so far, keeping an advantage right from the start. The following move wins two pawns, but the game isn't finished until much later.



53. Nxh5+! gxh5 54. Bb5 Nf4+ 55. gxf4 Qe4+ 56. Qxe4 Rxe4 57. Rxc5 Bxh4 58. Rxh5 and White won the ending 54 moves later.

The third player who lost the first game, but not the match yet, was Alexander Grischuk. He beat Potkin convincingly.

Grischuk-Potkin
Khanty-Mansiysk, 2011



27... Rc8?
In a difficult position already Black now loses quickly.
28. Rb2 Rc7 29.Rb6 Nc4



30. Bg4! g6 31. Bxe6+ Kg7 32. Rxb7! 1-0

In a classical Scheveningen, Ivanchuk was slightly worse at some point but then the tables turned. Bu Xiangzhi then defended well and so they will go to the tie-breaks too, like Ponomariov and Bruzon who also drew their second game. Navara again beat Zherebukh and reached the quarter-finals, together with Radjabov, who held Jakoveno to draw, and Svidler:

Kamsky-Svidler
Khanty-Mansiysk, 2011



This position will be included in many future tactics books.
26... Re2!! 27. Qc3
27. Qxe2 Qg3!
27... Rxf2 28. Nc6 Rxf1+ 0-1

Of course Svidler was happy with this game and the mini-match in general. At the wonderful press conference, which he did in both Russian and English, he said he has huge respect for Kamsky, and that he's always had difficulties playing the American and his 'slow, grinding style'.

Games round 4.2

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