Candidates Matches-2011. Day 1: Four draws in a row
Friday, 06 May 2011
The Candidates Matches has taken their start. High officials have made their first moves to officially open the Event. And remarkable to state, that all the four games of the day 1ended in a draw, with just one to be characterized as peaceful.
Prestigious Korston Hotel of Kazan, Russia. We are in the competition hall before the start. There are still no participants. And only photographers are looking for the best positions to take pictures. Behind their backs, there is a non-transparent screen to exclude the contact of players with spectators. The least can watch the main characters play, while vice versa that’s hardly impossible. There are two large demonstration screens in both sides from of stage. They are to broadcast games and display pictures from the two cameras in the playing zone. Doctors are entering the spectators hall. Don’t be surprised. That’s a sport competition after all, and there will is be doping control as well. Chess, no doubt, have got something to do with football.
On the way to the playing hall Alexander Grischuk is greeting local grandmasters Andrey Kharlov and Sergey Rublevsky, both Kazan born. Rublevsky together with the «64» editor in chief Mark Glukhovsky are getting ready to comment on the coming games. One can join their commentaries taking a set of headphones at the entrance.
Radjabov and Kramnik are at the table now. They seem puzzled by the noise, coming from the spectators’ hall. It turns out, that officials have already come to make the Event officially open. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is asking spectators about the best possible move for Kramnik. “Nf3” – they answer in chorus. And…Kramnik will play Black… Officials are coming up to the players.
Mintimer Shaimiev is making the opening move on that chessboard: е2-е4! A bit later Timur will return the pawn back and make the one more typical for him “1.d4”. Shaimiev is spending most of his time near Kamsky, Tatarstan born. He even shows him a physical exercise to keep him fit to amaze the perfectly calm Topalov.
Officials are conducting the press-conference. The First President of the Republic of Tatarstan confesses, that he has got a favorite of his own at the Candidates Matches. However, he will not disclose his name until the end. «I confess, I support Alisa Gallyamova, - escapes Mintimer Shaimiev diplomatically, – We have from the same Motherland-village”. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announces, that Gallyamova will enter the next FIDE Women Grand Prix to be staged within 1-15 June, 2012 in Kazan.
Ilya Levitov, Russian Chess Federation Board Chairman speaks on the measures taken to tackle cheating. “To begin with, there is a screen to part spectators from players. Then, all participants are to undergo thorough control to enter the competition hall; in case the leave it deliberately they automatically have a technical defeat. And more than that, - he promises, - all the radio waves are blocked”.
And now let’s come to the competitions, which took their start at 3 p.m. local time. The first game finished at 05.03 p.m. Radjabov and Kramnik concluded a draw. Vladimir in his inimitable manner explained, that that had very much to do with the warming up to feel the game.
- I chose a strong opening, Timur answered with 10.Be2, a very rare following, but there was something in it. I took some time to analyze the situation and came up to 17…Be6! Psychologically the move is uneasy to take, since bishop is normally stronger than the knight, but here there was no use to beat it. The Black wanted to place the bishop on d5, to have no problems. The final position is clear, no sense to proceed playing.
Radjabov confessed, that after 17…Be6 he had been very distressed, realizing, that the White had no advantage at all. He started to consider the opportunity to play 18.Kh1 and after 18…Bd5 let exchange for f3 with doubled pawns, but opted not to take such a risk. In case the Blacks had the plan to transfer the knight through d7 to е5 and attack the broken White king’s wing.
Comments by Sergey Rublevsky:
– Radjabov and Kramnik didn’t manage to have a fight. Radjabov set no challenges at all. At the end, the Black had a more agreeable situation, though one could hardly squeeze something out of that.
Post-game press-conference started in an unexpected manner. Journalists wondered, why the Azeri chess player came to Kazan without a coach (to say, he is the only player without a coach at the Cadidates Matches-2011 in Kazan).
– I just don’t want to get disturbed, - he answered, - In long games, it’s quite OK to lock the coach in the room so that he could develop an opening for the next game, and it’s not of that importance to have him doing that in short games.
Timur added, that he had assistants, but he decided not to bring them to Kazan, and they help him off-line.
Boris Gelfand and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov went to see journalists soon after the first drawers. The Azeri grandmaster could hardly hide his disappointment:
– I think, I had a good margin in the opening, I won a pawn, and was supposed to play securely afterwards to preserve the advantage. I don’t know how I should have played, and where exactly I have made my mistake, but I am sure, that I have had a good advantage.
- Well, after the opening I had a weaker position, - confessed Boris Gelfand, - I had to play defensively all the game long. It seems to me, that I did that not that bad, and I didn’t see where I was loosing exactly. However, all the game long I was forced to make strong defensive moves.
Comments by Sergey Rublevsky:
-It seems to me, that Gelfand had a principal answer for 17.Nc3 - 17…Bg4, and that’s difficult to characterize what result they have come in the end. I didn’t like the move 22.а4, it was too concrete. I think, one should better have either 22.Ne2 or 22.Rd3, and something like that in the game, but there were pawns «а» left, and the White would have better chances. To go on, I consider strange the following 30.Kf1, when Mamedyarov was forced to go with Rb1, and it was quite unclear how to make the denouement in this case with the view not to miss the pawn f2. He seemed likely to overestimate this endgame. There could have been a beautiful position with the knight on с5, with the pawn «b» standing still. Shakhriyar lost his chances; he was a pawn up after all, and he didn’t attack the Black practically, rushed somewhere and exchanged everything. That’s all.
– I very much liked the way Kamsky played in some moments, - commented Sergey Rublevsky on Kamsky vs Topalov, - He was almost brilliant! It would have been interesting if Topalov answered the novelty of 7.а5 by 7…Nxа5 to be followed by 7…е6 8.Nхс6, the pawn а5 is of some importance there. It seems to me, that the principal objection to the is 7…g6 and Bg7, and the position is totally unclear. However, tastes differ. It’s possible, that Topalov doesn’t like Sicilian with the bishop on g7, that’s why he preferred to play what he likes better. There started a tactical clash. It seemed to me, that Topalov didn’t see 20.Nа4 from afar, and then just couldn’t change anything, since he had been forced to make the endgame, a bit heavy somewhat. The sacrifice exchange performed by force, though too bad if otherwise. In that moment within the 4 moves Kamsky could have played much stronger, though he seemed not to be winning. It was clear, that Gata doesn’t know, what to do with the rook against bishop; as a result, the Black had the full compensation. It’s possible, that the White should better not play 23.b4. And at the end just Topalov could have played to win, but there was no ground for that. Kamsky consolidated his grip after 33.h4, and the Black had no way to advance.
Aronjan vs Grischuk finished to play after almost 7 hours.
Comments by Sergey Rublevsky:
– Judging upon the opening, it seemed that the Black should level more concretely, the position should have been drawn. However, there was not a clear way to reach that, and after the 4 moves I started to dislike Grischuk’s position. Levon stabilized, and it was 50/50 won or lost. Initialy, it seemed, that the Black should change the bishops as soon as possible. I don’t know how, but this position should not be lost, anyway. The Black had had heavier position, but the fight had been on.
In spite of the late hour, both grandmasters went to the press-conference to speak to the journalists.
– It seemed, that there was an interesting theoretical duel, - Aronjan told reporters ironically, - I didn’t consider 20…Bg4 as the major one. The plot was interesting: the Black had the hope to conclude a draw at the expense of their activity. It seems to me, that I have spoiled the position, and it was closer to the draw. Then the Black made a mistake 28…Rc8 to provide me with the absolute winning position, which I managed to end in a draw.
– 28…Rc8 – it was a yawn indeed, - Alexander Grischuk noted, - After 29.Ne3 I was going to move to 29…Ne6 and didn’t notice, that after 30.Nd5 I didn’t manage to beat the bishop with the knight because of the 31.Nb6, and I lost exchange. It was a key moment, after which the game went downhill. The White had been a pawn up, which was out of the opening, but all the compensation started to disappear gradually, providing the White with the better position, besides the pawn up. The luck started to follow me on and on. Knight ending is of some etude character. I believe, that 67…h4 – brings the better chances since the White wants to move Nc5, and I need the f4, to make up a fork with с d5. After that we ended with a draw.
Vladimir Barsky for the Press-center of the Candidates Matches-2011
