Zherebukh and Navara amongst ten to progress from World Cup Round 3 playoffs

18 year old Yaroslav Zherebukh eliminated another seed by defeating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 1.5-0.5 in a rapid playoff. David Navara finally eliminated Alexander Moiseenko with a very convincing 2-0 win in the rapids. Ivanchuk, Ponomariov, Kamsky, Svidler, Potkin, Peter Heine Nielsen, Bruzon and Dominguez Perez joined them.

Vassily Ivanchuk progressed against Emil Sutovsky 2-0 in the 25 minutes + 10 seconds per move section. The first rapid game was another Pirc and after first resisting the idea of h4 with h3 Sutovsky eventually went for h4 again. Unfortunately for him later Ivanchuk got the use of the file and in spite of not playing the most accurate moves (according to Ivanchuk himself) he broke through against Sutovsky's King. Sutovsky got the advantage (27...Qc2 maybe) in the second game but he was very short of time and couldn't make it count and eventually went on to lose.

18 year old Yaroslav Zherebukh progressed yet again this time beating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and really announcing his arrival as a player. He didn't really expect to advance against Pavel Eljanov so now almost everthing is a bonus. As Daniel Fridman pointed out in the previous round Mamedyarov didn't seem in full health and his play wasn't all that convincing in that match either. Here in the first playoff game Zherebukh got a decisive advantage in a Najdorf with white after Mamedyarov's 23....c4 and he made no mistake. Mamedyarov got the sharp position he needed in the second game in a Semi-Slav but Zherebukh played powerfully to reduce the position to a very drawish one after only 27 moves and only had to show care before the game was agreed drawn in 70 moves. At the press conference it was revealed that Baadur Jobava is part of his team working not only on openings but on specific GM craft. He suggested that it was important to keep the quality of work high over sheer quantity.

In the all-Ukrainian battle Ruslan Ponomariov gradually pushed Zahar Efimenko back on the black side of a Berlin Defence and converted rather smoothly. Ponomariov quickly got a decisive advantage against the Pirc Defence in game two but used it just to take perpetual check and qualification.

Gata Kamsky beat the amazing talent Ian Nepomniachtchi 2-0 in their playoff. The first game was heading for a draw when 26.Rd2 allowed Kamsky a combination that gave him a great position with the exchange sacrifice 26...Rxe3. Kamsky grabbed a pawn with 37...Bxh3 which at least guaranteed him long term winning chances but he misplayed them (final chance 52...Bc1) and a drawn rook and pawn ending was reached. Unbelievably Nepomniachtchi lost an absolutely standard Rook and Pawn ending (64.Ra2+ should be played) that every strong player should know in his sleep. Kamsky won the second game pretty easily too as Nepomniachtchi struggled to give himself any winning chances at all.

Peter Svidler outplayed his opponent Fabiano Caruana from two worse positions to win 2-0 in the playoffs. He will now face Gata Kamsky. He was interviewed on the English video broadcast afterwards.

After all the controversy of the previous day David Navara who had dominated the entire match beat Alexander Moiseenko 2-0 to go through. Navara's fast play consistantly had his opponent under pressure. Apart from tireness from the lengthy games Navara looks to have a chance to go further against Zherebukh.

The press conference for the match was at: 17:15. On the previous day Navara said "I thought the whole world would think I won in an unfair way." apparently Navara stopped the clocks and they then had to be replaced because they weren't working. But I'm still not really clear that Navara did anything wrong. Anyhow he went through so the natural order of things is continued,

Leinier Dominguez Perez and Igor Lysyj, mostly through short draws went to the final single game playoff where Dominguez as white won with white very easily.

http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/chessnews/events/fide-world-cup-khanty-mansiysk-2011/zherebukh-and-navara-amongst-ten-to-progress-from-world-cup-round-3-playoffs

pgn games: http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/assets/files/pgn/wcup11_3_3.pgn

Caruana,Fabiano (2711) - Svidler,Peter (2739) [E04]
FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (3.4), 05.09.2011
Notes based on comments by Peter Svidler on the live broadcast

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6

Svidler had intended to play the Gruenfeld but somehow picked up the e-pawn instead leaving his preparation behind.

3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c5 6.0-0 Nc6 7.dxc5 Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Bxc5 9.Nbd2 c3 10.bxc3

Svidler thinks that theoretically this position is supposed to be equal.

10...Bd7 11.Nb3 Be7 12.c4 0-0 13.Bb2 Rfd8 14.Nfd4

[14.Ne5 Rac8 15.Nxc6 Bxc6 16.Bxc6 Rxc6 17.Na5 Rc7 18.Be5 1/2-1/2 Yermolinsky,A (2518)-Baginskaite,C (2309)/Stillwater USA 2009/The Week in Chess 746]

14...Rac8 15.Nb5 Be8 16.c5 Rxd1+ 17.Rxd1 Nd8 18.Nd6 Bxd6 19.cxd6


Frankly white has two bishops and a passed pawn and a potential initiative on the kingside. I think I defended reasonably well, I can't really blame myself, but objectively I'm sure this position is hugely unpleasant for black.

19...Ba4

I managed to create some sort of blockade with Ba4 and Nd7. The plan is to play f6 and e5 and cut off the knight on b3. The important thing is to try and cut off as many pieces on the Queenside as possible. So they don't join in the play.

20.Rd2 Nd7 21.f4 f6 22.Kf2 Kf8 23.g4

A very decent plan.

23...b6

Maybe white should have considered playing Nd4 here or at some point. Just not to allow me to play e5 and leave it on b3.

24.g5 fxg5 25.fxg5 e5

Maybe this position is still much better for white but at least here I can understand what I'm playing for. I'm almost always willing to give up the knight on d7 and the pawn on e5 for the light squared bishop.

26.h4 Rc4 27.Kg3 Bc6 28.Bh3 Ke8

This is pretty much the ideal position for me because I've managed to get the rook out so it harasses white along the fourth rank, the bishop is back on the long diagonal

29.e3

[29.Bxd7+ Kxd7 30.Bxe5 Ne6 it is very hard to image white winning this position, for the price of one pawn I wasn't really that attached to anyway I've managed to exchange his best piece and get all my pieces out and have some counter play on the queenside. And also this is just very drawish. I think white will have to play Nd4 and trade off the knights and then it should be fine for black.]

29...g6

I'm sure the machine will pose a lot of problems for black but objectively my play is rather simple. I want to play Nf7 and start attacking the d6 pawn and also a5-a4 driving the knight away is good in some positions.

30.Bg4 Be4 31.Be2 Rc8 32.Bb5 Nf7

As planned in conjunction with the last move.

33.Ba3 a6 34.Be2

[34.Bxa6 Ra8]

34...a5 35.Bb5 a4!

Now I think I'm just fine.

36.Nc1?

Trying to avoid lines that are equal as he needs to win the game but this loses.

[36.Bxa4 Ra8 37.Bxd7+ Kxd7 38.Bb4 Rc8 and I'm just not worse in spite of being a pawn down because the white pieces just have no squares to play. There are no prospects at all and I can just play Rc2 the next move and win the pawn back or play Rc4 and play positionally, this position is just totally drawn.]

36...Rc3! 37.Bb4?

Now very short of time Caruana blunders a knight.

[37.Bb2 Rxe3+ 38.Kf2 Rf3+ White's position is already ruined. I will probably play a3 next move driving the bishop to a1 and he really has no prospects anymore. I can play Rh3 and start collecting the kingside even.]

37...Rxc1 0-1