Melody Amber 2007 Rondas 3 y 4
Standing Combinado Ronda IV
1. Kramnik, Vladimir 6.5
2. Aronian, Levon 6.0
3. Ivanchuk, Vassily 5.5
4. Svidler, Peter 5.0
5. Anand, Viswanathan 4.0
Gelfand, Boris
Leko, Peter
Morozevich, Alexander
9. Carlsen, Magnus 3.0
10. Radjabov, Teimour 2.0
Vallejo, Francisco
Van Wely, Loek
Tueday March 20 Round IV
15.00 Blind Radjabov-Ivanchuk 1/2-1/2
Kramnik-Anand 1-0
Van Wely-Morozevich 1-0
16.30 Blind Vallejo-Svidler 0-1
Aronian-Carlsen 1-0
Leko-Gelfand 1/2-1/2
18.15 Rapid Ivanchuk-Radjabov 1-0
Anand-Kramnik 1/2-1/2
Morozevich-Van Wely 1-0
19.45 Rapid Svidler-Vallejo 1-0
Carlsen-Aronian 1/2-1/2
Gelfand-Leko 1/2-1/2
In the fourth round of the 16th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament little changed at the top of the table, except for the fact that the first three in the standings strengthened their leading position. Vladimir Kramnik kept a perfect score in the blindfold and maintained the lead in the overall standings half a point ahead of Levon Aronian, who spilled his first half point in the rapid competition, and Vasily Ivanchuk, who defeated the surprising tail-ender Teimour Radjabov 1½-½.
Tomorrow is a rest day in Monaco. Play is resumed on Wednesday with Round 5.
The blindfold game between Teimour Radjabov and Vasily Ivanchuk saw a funny ‘incident’ when the Azerbaijani grandmaster asked the arbiter permission to go to the toilet. Normally speaking the players can go there alone if they go through a door at the back of the playing room and follow a route that doesn’t allow them to see any of the monitors where the games are shown. As this door turned out to be locked Radjabov had to go through the other door, but in this case he’d be able to see the monitors for the spectators in the playing room if he turned around. So, accompanied by chief arbiter Geurt Gijssen he left the room watching straight ahead and when he came back he had to cover his eyes with a napkin!
By the way, the game Radjabov played against Ivanchuk was an old sharp variation of the Austrian Attack against the Pirc Defence that was analyzed in great depth many years ago. Radjabov won an exchange against a pawn, but the balance was never unsettled and after 32 moves Black’s draw proposal was accepted.
The rapid game was also a sharp affair. Radjabov ‘defended’ himself with his beloved King’s Indian and before soon he was piling up pieces against the white king. Chances looked about equal, but Black lost control when he embarked on an audacious but flawed combination with 36…Bd7. Of course, Radjabov kept trying, but Ivanchuk kept a cool head and slowly but surely hauled in the point.
The blindfold game between Vladimir Kramnik and Vishy Anand produced the biggest blindfold error so far. To be honest, the ‘clash’ between two of the favourites had not been too exciting when in a drawish ending, where White was only marginally better, Anand played his rook to f2, assuming he was trading it there for its white counterpart. Unfortunately for him that white rook was on f1, a fact that had not escaped Kramnik’s mind, which one move later meant the end of the game.
Eager to have his revenge in the rapid game, Anand unleashed a ferocious attack. Sacrificing a full rook he aimed as many pieces at the black king as possible and although it seemed hard to believe that the white offensive was correct, this feeling of doubt was gradually replaced by the question how on earth Kramnik could survive the onslaught. But carefully treading through the minefield he did survive and when after 56 moves the game was drawn it was hard to decide who deserved more praise, the attacker or the defender.
Loek van Wely gladly accepted the challenge of Alexander Morozevich to battle another King’s Indian in their blindfold game. Morozevich looked surprised when he arrived for the game and discovered that he was Black in the first game. Probably playing his preparation for the rapid game, he repeated the variation that had won him a full point last year. Van Wely thought this repetition was a clear case of superstition as his defeat then had not been connected with the opening. This time the Dutchman had no problems either. On the contrary. ‘I believe that the play after 17…Nexd5 18.Bc4 is very favourable for White.’ In fact the game was practically over after 19…Nfd5. ‘I didn’t see a direct win after 19…Nxe4, but probably the computer will show a way’, Van Wely added. And indeed it does, after 19.Nxe5.
Morozevich levelled the score in the rapid game of their mini-match. Van Wely commented that he had left his opponent too much space and that his cramped position had left him in a precarious situation. Perhaps he should have given a pawn with 18…Nxc5 19.dxc5 Nd5 20.Qxb7. Now he lost an exchange and this deficit proved too big in the remainder of the game.
In the blindfold game between Paco Vallejo and Peter Svidler a calm Paulsen Sicilian suddenly became very sharp when White captured with the pawn instead of the queen on move 10. Now Black had to take action against the plan Qd2 and 0-0-0 and White develops a dangerous attack. Svidler found 10…Qc7 planning to answer 11.Qd2 with 11…d5. Vallejo’s next move was a mistake, the king would have been better on d2, because in the game after 12…Nh5, White doesn’t have 13.Rh1 because of 13…Ng3+. In the ensuing complications White just was too slow to embarrass the black position. Or as Svidler put it, ‘This is why I still play the Paulsen after all these years. Your pawn structure is so healthy.’ The game ended quicker than expected after Black’s original 23…Rhe8. In fact it was so original that Vallejo believed Svidler had played 23…Ke8. Which explains why he took on f6 on move 26 and resigned right away when he saw Black’s reply.
‘I guess it’s my lucky day’, Svidler quipped as he walked into the hospitality lounge after the rapid game. Again he had given 1.d4 a try, but the pawn sacrifice that he went for, although it looked similar to other such sacrifices, wasn’t too impressive. On move 21 he decided to seek his chances in an exchange sacrifice which perhaps wasn’t correct, but would leave Black with a complicated task if he wanted to win. Not much later White gave his queen for rook, bishop and a pawn, and although it was hard to believe that this was enough he already was back in business after 31.Bb5 thanks to the vulnerability of the black king. The next phase was fascinating to watch and ended in a marvellous mate (well, not really a mate, as Black can give his queen to prevent it, but still). Svidler regretted afterwards that the combination was ‘flawed’ because Black could have played 43…g3 instead of 43…Nc3 (and so he should have forced a draw earlier on), but perhaps he’ll find some consolation in the fact that most beauty in chess exists thanks to imperfection.
Levon Aronian admitted that his opening play in the blindfold game against Magnus Carlsen had not been very ambitious. ‘I just wanted to play something slow and develop some pressure.’ Carlsen equalized, but went into the wrong direction when he played 26…Ne8, when the right plan was to move his king to the centre. Now White got a grip on the centre and after Black’s 31…Nc5 he was winning. Aronian’s only problem was that he still wanted to keep things simple and when he exchanged rooks he almost ‘simplified to a draw’. Carlsen’s problems were compounded by his shortage of time and although he fought with a will till the very last moment he nevertheless succumbed after long moves.
In the rapid game Aronian was lucky and he was the first to admit it. Following ‘a horrible opening’ he ended up in a lost position where he depended on the mercy of Carlsen to survive. Fortunately for the Armenian his opponent missed his chances and after 71 moves the game was a draw. White could have won in the position after 31…g6, where he can continue with f4, Bg2, Rd1 and Rxd5.
Peter Leko felt he was better after the opening in the Najdorf discussion he conducted with Boris Gelfand in their blindfold game. However, as the game went on he discovered that Black’s position was more solid than he had expected. In fact, Gelfand had nothing to complain about and when under these comfortable circumstances he offered a draw, Leko, as he candidly confessed, was in fact happy to accept.
The rapid game was a long and tense fight. The opening went fine for Leko, but move by move Gelfand managed to increase the pressure on the black position. However, all these fine moves cost him a lot of time and when he had to make the most crucial decision he had about one minute left (plus the 10 seconds increments per move). After the game the players found that instead of 29.Rd7, White could have gotten a decisive advantage with 29.f4. The game lasted another 43 moves and Black even got the better chances, but in the end the rook endgame was a draw.
Monday March 19 Round III
15.00 Blind Leko-Vallejo 1-0
Gelfand-Aronian 1-0
Carlsen-Svidler 1/2-1/2
16.30 Blind Van Wely-Radjabov 0-1
Morozevich-Kramnik 0-1
Ivanchuk-Anand 1-0
18.15 Rapid Vallejo-Leko 1/2-1/2
Aronian-Gelfand 1-0
Svidler-Carlsen 1/2-1/2
19.45 Rapid Radjabov-Van Wely 0-1
Kramnik-Morozevich 1/2-1/2
Anand-Ivanchuk 1-0
After three rounds (of eleven) it’s obviously way too early to speculate about the outcome of the 16th Amber tournament. However, that need not stop us from drawing some conclusions. So far Vladimir Kramnik has been dominating the blindfold (3/3), just like Levon Aronian has been dominating the rapid (3/3). In the overall standings the World Champion is leading with 5/6, half a point ahead of the Armenian. Last year’s winners Vishy Anand and Alexander Morozevich have some catching up to do. Anand is trailing the leader by one and a half points. Morozevich is two points behind. They’ll find comfort in the fact that there are sixteen more games to be played.
Peter Leko and Paco Vallejo agreed after their blindfold game that Black had not gotten sufficient play out of the opening. In fact, the middle and endgame were torture for the Spanish grandmaster. His new move 13…f5 looked aggressive but turned out to be not very effective when White controlled the centre with 14.Nd2. Normally in this kind of position Black depends on dynamic counterplay, but sadly for Vallejo under these circumstances all dynamism was lacking. With a steady hand he increased his advantage before he decided the issue with the advance 38.c5!.
The rapid game saw the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez. Leko opted for 5…Ne7, which is less usual than the main lines, but probably perfectly playable. Certainly if we go by this game, where Black had no real complaints. Vallejo didn’t feel too happy with his position and on move 23 he offered a draw. After the game the players analyzed for about an hour to reach no other conclusion than that the situation was very complicated. In the final position Black could have continued 23…Kb7. Had he tried to force a draw with 23…Bg5, White would have had the option to decline with 24.Bc1. (And in case you wondered if Black could take the rook on a1 on move 11, no, he cannot. White plays 12.Nc3 and the black queen will be trapped with Bb2.)
After their blindfold game Boris Gelfand wondered why he hadn’t played the line he chose against Levon Aronian in the game they played some months ago at the Tal Memorial in Moscow. There he went for the dubious 10.Nd2, now he played a move he liked better, 10.Rc1. His idea was 11.Be5 (yesterday Leko played 11.Bxb8 against Aronian), a move that was played once before in Bogdanovsky-Rodriguez at the 1996 Yerevan Olympiad. In that game Black withdrew his knight to f6 on move 13, which was a better plan than the blunder Aronian made, 13…f6?. After White’s 14.exd5 Black had no choice as in case of 14…fxe5 15.Nxe5 both the knight on h5 is hanging and the pawn at c6 is attacked twice. After 16.Nh4! White was winning and the course the game followed in the next seven moves was probably only one of several ways for White to win.
Aronian hit back in the rapid game, but he wasn’t too proud about his achievement. Objectively he was worse and he only won because Gelfand lost the thread. Aronian knew before the game that he wasn’t fully informed about the line they played, but he wanted to try it anyway, as he was looking for a sharp fight. And a sharp fight it certainly was, which might be a good reason to forgive Gelfand the mistakes that he made. Probably 24…0-0-0 was stronger than 24…Kd8, and his 25th move was certainly a blunder. After 25…Bf4 there would still be all to play for. After the move in the game, 25…Bd7?, the game was essentially over.
In his blindfold game against Magnus Carlsen, Peter Svidler defended himself with an old pet line of his, that he used to play when he was a teenager. At first sight it looks slightly suspect for Black, but the black set-up contains a lot of resilience. Carlsen was not too pleased with his thirteenth move, where he felt that he should have taken with the knight on d5 instead of the bishop. And he was outright unhappy with 19.Be3, where he believed he would have had an edge after 19.h4. Now he had to turn to defence and this he did with great precision. The way he held the rook endgame to a draw must have been highly instructive for a good part of the crowd that was watching the game online.
In the rapid game, in which he was Black, Carlsen had little trouble to make another draw. In an Open Ruy Lopez, Svidler tried to be creative with 15. a4, but had to recognize quite soon that in fact the position was too sterile to hope for any real adventures. Black could comfortably have ignored the push with 15…0-0 (Svidler) when he might even be slightly better, but Carlsen’s solution 15…b4 also equalized easily. After 31 moves, when both players had three pawns left (on the same side) plus a rook and a king each, no one blamed them for ceasing the hostilities.
Not surprisingly, Loek van Wely and Teimour Radjabov continued their King’s Indian discussion in their blindfold game. As you may remember Van Wely inflicted a defeat on Radjabov at the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2005, but the roles were reversed last January in Wijk aan Zee. This time the Dutch grandmaster seemed to get a pleasant advantage from the opening. However, once the smoke had cleared the general consensus was that the game was heading for a draw, even if Black’s position was a little more active. Was Van Wely finally going to score half a point? Unfortunately for him he wasn’t. With his 40th move he blundered a piece (correct was 40.Rd2) and although he kept fighting tenaciously his fifth consecutive loss could not be averted.
Before the rapid game between Radjabov and Van Wely, a smiling Vladimir Kramnik asked the Dutchman if it wasn’t time he was going to score a point? Good-humouredly Van Wely answered that he was certainly trying everything, as might have been clear from the fact that he had started using his opening novelties (referring to 17.Rxe4 in the blindfold game). And so, in the rapid game he uncorked another novelty, 14…Kf7, a move he had been preparing for a game against Ivan Sokolov in the Dutch League (which didn’t take place as they didn’t play each other in that match). Radjabov’s reply (15.Be3 and 16.Qe2) didn’t look like the refutation of Van Wely’s idea and soon Black had a very comfortable position. The only moment he still had some worries was before White’s 26th, when he was looking at 26.Bh5+ g6 27.Qh6 and believed he would have to play 27…Ke6. Radjabov continued differently and once the black queenside pawns started rolling it was clear that White was in dire straits. Which didn’t stop him from offering a draw on move 31, a ‘trap’ that Van Wely didn’t fall for either.
Vladimir Kramnik reacted with a laconic smile on his win over Alexander Morozevich in their blindfold game. ‘I first picked up one pawn and then another’, the World Champion summed up. Of course, it wasn’t all that simple, although we cannot exclude that to a player of Kramnik’s calibre it must have felt this way. Morozevich’s pawn offer, 15.Nc4, was too optimistic. Had he recaptured on e4 White would have been slightly better. Now Black got an easy game and after 17…e5 he was a healthy pawn up. But let’s repeat, that’s the clinical conclusion in hindsight that might belittle Kramnik’s achievement. There must be numerous players who were a pawn up against Morozevich and didn’t live to tell the tale.
The rapid game was easily Kramnik’s worst game so far. From the opening he got nothing and ‘blundering several moves’, as he put it, he ended up in an uncomfortable position where he had to play carefully to save the draw. He never got into any real danger of losing, but he certainly was pleased when after 70 moves the ordeal was over.
If there is one player who motivates Vasily Ivanchuk more than anyone else it’s Vishy Anand. As might be expected the Ukrainian grandmaster arrived fully concentrated for the blindfold game against his Indian colleague (particularly, we guess, after the chances he missed yesterday against Morozevich). Ivanchuk executed his moves with great determination and at high speed. All in all the game took him about ten minutes. Perhaps Anand was affected by this speed, but in any case he soon ended up in a precarious position. His 18th move wasn’t very fortunate (he should have tried 18…Na4) and then the end was near. The logical looking 21…Qxg5 cost a piece and two moves later Anand resigned. In the final position 23…Qg5 would run into 24.Rae1 and the pin on the e5 knight decides.
Anand struck back hard in the rapid game, blitzing out his moves and only slowing down after he had pocketed Ivanchuk’s queen. Again the white player spent little more than ten minutes on the clock. As Anand walked into the analysis room an amused Peter Leko asked him, ‘Vishy, why the hurry?’ As if he didn’t know. Anand explained that he didn’t believe that Black’s 20…cxd3 was such a good move, although he only found out as the game continued. ‘I though I’d have some compensation after 21.Nxh4 dxc2, but I had no idea that Black’s position would go downhill so quickly.’ A modest assessment of a ruthless act of destruction.
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