Grischuk through to World Cup Final - same old story for Ivanchuk

Alexander Grischuk qualified for the all-Russia final against Peter Svidler with a 2.5-1.5 playoff win against Vassily Ivanchuk. Perhaps more importantly Grischuk will return to the Candidates. This means the Ukrainians Ivanchuk and Ruslan Ponomariov play off for the final Candidates place in the other match. For Ivanchuk this is yet another failure of nerve at a crucial time, although particularly in game 3 I'm sure he isn't the only player capable of making such a blunder with such little time for both players. Ivanchuk is good enough to keep getting into these situations in the first place, but avoiding blundering your entire position away in one move is just as important a skill as building up decisive advantages in the first place. Grischuk relishes such adrenaline filled rapid and blitz games and in fact called it a "holiday" in the press conference. 4 game matches Svidler-Grischuk for the title and Ponomariov-Ivanchuk for the final Candidates place start on Friday.

Game 1 Grischuk 1-0 Ivanchuk
A complex French Defence where Ivanchuk got to a technical ending rook and two pawns vs rook and one which should be drawn. Ivanchuk blundered the pawn and game away.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.O-O Nf5 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Bd3 Nfe7 10.Nbd2 Ng6 11.Nb3 Bb6 12.Re1 Qb8 13.Qe2 Bc7 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.h4 Rh5 16.Bg5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Bxe5 18.Qxe5 Qxe5 19.Rxe5 f6 20.Re3 fxg5 21.hxg5 Rxg5 22.Nc5 O-O-O 23.Nxe6 Bxe6 24.Rxe6 d4 25.cxd4 Rxd4 26.Rae1 Rd7 27.g3 a6 28.R1e2 Rf7 29.Rc2+ Kd7 30.Rb6 Kd8 31.Kg2 Ra5 32.a3 g5 33.Rd6+ Ke7 34.Rc7+ Kxd6 35.Rxf7 Rb5 36.b4 a5 37.bxa5 Ke6 38.Rxg7 Rxa5 39.Kh3 Kf6 40.Rxb7 Rxa3 41.Kg4 Ra4+ 42.Kh5



42...g4?

42... Ra2 or 42...Ra5

43. Rb6+ Kf5 44. Rb8 1-0

Game 2 Ivanchuk 1-0 Grischuk
Vassily Ivanchuk beat Alexander Grischuk after exploiting a very bad misjudgement of 16...e5 by black. Ivanchuk took his time but was very certain in converting.

FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 6.4

White: Ivanchuk, Vassily

Black: Grischuk, Alexander

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. g3 Qb6 6. Nc2 Ne5 7. b3 Qc6 8. f3 Nf6 9. Bb2 Qc7 10. Nc3 a6 11. f4 Ng6 12. e4 d6 13. Qf3 b6 14. O-O-O Bb7 15. Kb1 Be7 16. g4 e5?

17. g5 Nd7 18. f5 Nf4 19. Rg1 g6 20. Ne3 Nc5 21. h4 Bc6 22. Rg4 Qb7 23. Rxf4 exf4 24. Ned5 O-O-O 25. b4 Na4 26. Nxa4 Bxa4 27. Rc1 Kb8 28. b5 gxf5 29. Qa3 fxe4 30. bxa6 Qxa6 31. Nxe7 Qa7 32. Bxh8 Rxh8 33. Qxd6+ Qc7 34. Qf6 Rd8 35. Nd5 Qd6 36. Qxf4 Qxf4 37. Nxf4 Rd2 38. Be2 Rd4 39. Nd5 Kb7 40. Rf1 Rd2 41. Rxf7+ Ka6 42. a3 1-0

Game 3 Grischuk 1-0 Ivanchuk
Game three was probably the most complex game of the playoffs. Played at 10 minutes + 10 seconds per move. Ivanchuk obtained a decisive advantage although the position is very complex. I think we should assume that Ivanchuk didn't miss his knight was en-prise but that his mating idea was stopped by a backward bishop move which can sometimes be tricky to see. White let his clock run down to three seconds with Rh2 and Ivanchuk played the fatal 33...Rxc7? with only 8 seconds left (10 seconds were immediately added)

Grischuk,Alexander (2746) - Ivanchuk,Vassily (2768) [C02]
FIDE World Cup 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (6.5), 14.09.2011

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.0-0 Ng6 8.g3 Be7 9.h4 0-0 10.h5 Nh8 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.b4 Be7 13.b5 Na5 14.h6 f5 15.hxg7 Kxg7 16.Kg2 Ng6 17.Rh1 Rf7 18.Bh6+ Kh8 19.Nbd2 Qc7 20.Rc1 Rg8 21.c4 d4 22.Bd3 b6 23.Nxd4 Qxe5 24.N2f3 Qc7 25.Ng5 Bxg5 26.Bxg5 e5 27.Qh5 Bc8 28.c5 exd4 29.cxb6 Bb7+ 30.Kg1 Qe5 31.Rc7 Rxc7 32.bxc7 Rg7

[32...Bxh1 33.Qxh1 Rc8 34.Bd8 Qe1+ 35.Bf1]

33.Rh2

A horrible position. Grischuk thought for some time and let his clock run down to three seconds. Maybe this contributed to Ivanchuk's thought he was just winning.

33...Rxc7?

Overlooking that c1 is covered by the dark squared bishop. White had 8 seconds left when he played this.

[33...f4 Wins but there are still threats on the board and time for both players was very short.; 33...Qe1+ 34.Bf1 Kg8 35.Rh4 is also better for black.]

34.Qxg6 Rc1+?

This move wins but for the ever popular backwards bishop move.

35.Bxc1

If white didn't have this he gets mated.

[35.Bf1 Rxf1+ 36.Kxf1 Qxb5+ 37.Ke1 Qb1+ 38.Ke2 Bf3+ 39.Kxf3 Qe4#]

1-0

Game 4 Ivanchuk 1/2 Grischuk
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Qa4+ c6 6.Qxc4 b5 7.Qc2 Bb7 8.O-O Nbd7 9.a4 a6 10.Nc3 Rc8 11.d3 Be7 12.e4 O-O 13.Be3 Ng4 14.Bf4 Ngf6 15.Rfd1 Qb6 16.a5 Qa7 17.e5 Nd5 18.Nxd5 cxd5 19.Qe2 d4 20.h4 Qa8 21.Ne1 Bxg2 22.Nxg2 Qd5 23.Re1 h6 24.Qg4 Kh7 25.Re2 Rc6 26.Ne1 Rfc8 27.Nf3 f5 28.Qh5 Kg8 29.Nh2 Nc5 30.Rd1 Nxd3 31.Bxh6 gxh6 32.Qg6+ Kf8 33.Qxh6+ Ke8 34.Red2 Nxe5 35.Rxd4 Nf7 36.Qh7 Qe5 37.Nf3 Qh8 38.Qg6 Qh6 39.Qg8+ Qf8 40.Qh7 Qh6 41.Qg8+ Qf8 42.Qh7 Qh6 43.Qg8+ Qf8 ½-½

http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/chessnews/events/fide-world-cup-khanty-mansiysk-2011/grischuk-through-to-world-cup-final-same-old-story-for-ivanchuk

games in pgn: http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/assets/files/pgn/wcup11_6_3.pgn