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Sergey Karjakin vs Levon Aronian
4th FIDE Grand Prix 2009  ·  Spanish Game: Closed Variations (C84)  ·  1-0


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Kibitzer's Corner
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Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: <whiteshark: Well, <notyetagm>, even after your <32.Rc8 Rxf2 33.Rxc7+ <IT'S STILL A DRAW> after <33...Rxc7!>>.>

Monokroussos (http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/fil...) says White wins the position:

< 32.Rc8 c6? Now it's very easy. <<<[32...Rxf2 33.Rxc7+ Rxc7 34.Kxf2 Ra7 35.Ke3


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White is winning here, but it's not yet a trivial task.>>> 35...Ke6 36.Kd4 Kd6 37.Kc4 Kc6 38.Kxb4 Kb6 39.Kc4 (39.Re1 Kxa6 40.Ra1+ Kb6 41.Rxa7 Kxa7 42.Kc5 g6 43.Kd5 f5 44.gxf5 gxf5 45.Ke5 f4 46.Ke4 Kb6 47.h4 gxh4 48.Kxf4 Kb5 49.Kg4 Kb4 50.Kxh4 Kxb3= ) 39...g6 (39...Rxa6 40.Rxa6+ Kxa6 41.Kd5 g6 42.Ke6 ) 40.Rf1 Rf7 41.Kd5 f5 42.Ke6 Rf8 43.gxf5 gxf5 44.Rxf5 Rh8 45.Rf2 Kxa6 46.Rg2 Kb6 47.Kf6 Rh5 48.Kg6 Rh8 49.Rd2 Rg8+ 50.Kf5 Kb5 51.h3 Kc5 52.Rd3 Kb4 53.Kf6 Ka3 54.Rg3 ]>

Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: 24 ?


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24 Nc4-b6!


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MONOKROUSSOS (http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/fil...):

<24.Nb6! Rab8 <<<[24...cxb6 25.axb6 Rd2 26.h4 gxh4 27.b7 Rb8 28.Rxa6 ]>>>>

(VAR)
24 ... c7xNb6


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28 Ra1xa6


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Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: 30 ?


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30 g2-g4!


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MONOKROUSSOS (http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/fil...):

<30.g4! Very nice, and quite possibly something Aronian missed. <<<Karjakin not only takes care of any back rank worries, he also prevents ...Rf5.>>> Black will have to take another tempo to build an attack on f2, and in the meantime White's a-pawn will advance further.>

Apr-18-09   FlashinthePan: I don't get it, why doesn't black play 27...Ra8 to protect a6 and avert the number one threat of a5 becoming a passer, which actually caused black's loss in the game? It would then seem much harder for white to progress.
Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: 27 ... ?


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27 ... Rb8-b5?


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MONOKROUSSOS (http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/fil...):

<The game has been very well played by both sides, with each player finding new resources for attack and counter-attack. <<<But now Aronian falters. Instead of continuing in an active vein with 27...Rd2, he makes a single semi-passive move and it costs him.>>>

27...Rb5? [27...Ra8 28.g3 Ra7 29.Ra4 Rd4 30.c4! Ke7 31.Rxb4 Kd7 32.Rc5 Kd6 33.Rf5 Ke6 34.Rf3 Ra8 ; <<<27...Rd2! 28.g3 Re8!= ]>>>>

(VAR)
27 ... Rd7-d2! 28 g2-g3 Rb8-e8!= with the idea 29 ... Re8-e2 <counterplay>


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A great example of the need for <COUNTERPLAY>, active plans for one's own pieces. Instead of the <ACTIVE> 27 ... Rd7-d2!, 28 ... Rb8-e8!=, 29 ... Re8-e2, Aronian chose the <PASSIVE> 27 ... Rb8-b5? and lost

Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: <whiteshark: Maybe <27...Rd2> would have been a better choice here?>

Yes, see my last post.

<FlashinthePan: I don't get it, why doesn't black play 27...Ra8 to protect a6 and avert the number one threat of a5 becoming a passer, which actually caused black's loss in the game? It would then seem much harder for white to progress.>

27 ... Rb8-a8???????


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That is a *horribly* passive move that no master would make. The correct idea is to play 27 ... Rd7-d2!, 28 ... Rb8-e8!=, 29 ... Re8-e2 with <COUNTERPLAY> against the <7TH RANK>.

No strong player would play a passive move like that 27 ... Rb8-a8 unless no <COUNTERPLAY> was available. Here Black *does* have an <ACTIVE> plan.

In which position does Black have more <ACTIVITY>?


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Apr-18-09   Warheart: <Emms is wrong>

:)

Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  whiteshark: <notyetagm> I've to admit that Monokroussos line is winning. I had the position after <47.Kf6> on the board and thought that black could hold it due to a stable evaluation. Only now I realise that this is wrong. It's often a 6men tb win in 40-50 moves and my 5men tb just don't get it straight.

Well, another lecture on horizon-effects for me. Thanks for your persistency!

Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  euripides: <FlashinthePan> Your suggestion is sensible and it is indeed not obvious how White should make progress. I see that Monokroussos on the link provided above gives the line <27...Ra8> 28.g3 Ra7 29.Ra4 Rd4 30.c4! Ke7(Monokroussos doesn't consider 30...Rb7 31.Rxa6 Rd3 but I think White has 32.Rc6 Rxb3 33.a6 Ra7 34.Rc5 heading for b7) 31.Rxb4 Kd7 32.Rc5 Kd6 33.Rf5 Ke6 34.Rf3 Ra8 and assesses it as . It's quite a delicate line as for instance the natural 28.f3 doesn't seem to work because it blocks the rook's escape later. But you're right that giving up the a pawn is a major concession.

<notyet> <27 ... b8-a8???????> I know you're trying to be helpful, but can I suggest you might be a little gentler with the suggestions of new posters even when you think they're very bad ? Actually, this suggestion is not as bad as you suggest and in my view it needs concrete analyis to assess - sometimes the best way to hold an ending is to try to hold a fortress.

Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  euripides: After <27...Rd2> 28.Re1 or 28.Kf1 look worth considering.
Apr-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: <whiteshark: <notyetagm> I've to admit that Monokroussos line is winning. I had the position after <47.Kf6> on the board and thought that black could hold it due to a stable evaluation. Only now I realise that this is wrong. It's often a 6men tb win in 40-50 moves and my 5men tb just don't get it straight.

Well, another lecture on horizon-effects for me. Thanks for your persistency!>

Yes, Aronian knew that line was a loss, not a draw, and so he avoided playing into it.

Apr-19-09   FlashinthePan: <notyetagm: Yes, Aronian knew that line was a loss, not a draw, and so he avoided playing into it.>

QED! Therefore, 27... Ta8 was indeed at least worth considering and certainly not deserving of a peremptory '!!!!!!!'. As you wrote, no master would make such a move, but perhaps a full-grown GM would. What's your name again?

Apr-19-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: <FlashinthePan: ... QED! Therefore, 27... Ta8 was indeed at least worth considering and certainly not deserving of a peremptory '!!!!!!!'. As you wrote, no master would make such a move, but perhaps a full-grown GM would. What's your name again?>

Look at those two diagrams again, smartass.

Apr-19-09   shintaro go: Nb6 is a nice move.
Apr-19-09   FlashinthePan: <notyetagm: Look at those two diagrams again, smartass.>

The more I look at them the more I realize that it is crucial for Black to maintain a rook on the 8th rank, on a8 for that matter, both to protect a6 AND prevent a white rook from invading the 8th rank winning a tempo with a check. By so doing, not only would White allow the promotion of the a5 passer, but he would also gain access to the h file via h8 and thus annihilate the power of the "pigs" on the 2nd rank, in the very same way that it happened in the game: in other words, Black's presumed counterplay would vanish in thin air and a5 would be unstoppable. It is therefore clear that doubling the rooks on the 2nd rank is a flawed plan. As a matter of fact, you yourself wrote that Aronian knew that line was doomed. So what other move(s) does that leave us?

Besides, activity in itself and at all costs is nothing: you may acquire a very active position and be mate in two. IMHO, all chess is about is prioritizing your moves by assessing a given situation and not quoting general principles that don't match the context, but that of course requires some insight!

Apr-19-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Ulhumbrus: Instead of 19...Bxe5, 19...Bf5 attacks the c2 pawn.
Apr-20-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  euripides: If <27...Rd2> 28.Kf1 what does Black have ? 28...Re8 runs into 29.Re1. 28...Rb5 can produce lines a tempo ahead of the game if White takes on a6, but 29.Ke1 looks promising for White e.g. 29...Rad5 30.Rc1 and the pawns are still vulnerable.

<Ul> If <19...Bf5> I think White could play 20.Be3 with the idea of Bxa7 and Nc6. If Black stops this with 20...Nb5 then perhaps 21.Nc6 Re8 22.Nxd6 Nxd6 (cxd6 23.Nxb4 looks winning for White) 23.Nd4 and White seems to keep the extra pawn with an active position.

Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  whatthefat: <Warheart>, <notyetagm>

Oh wow, you're actually arguing over what's official chess terminology and what isn't. Truly amazing.

And <notyetagm>, was it really necessary to use umpteen posts - each <<littered>> with your <absurd> <USE OF TERMINOLOGY> to <<CLASSIFY EVERYTHING>>, obselete <LONG ALGEBRAIC NOTATION>, and <completely gratuitous> <<FENs>> - to essentially say:

"24.Nb6! is strong, since 24...cxb6? 25.axb6 is winning. 32.Rc8! is also impressive, since 32...Rxf2 is now obviously met by 33.Rxc7+ winning.

27...Rb5? is the losing move; it was better to seek counterplay with 27...Rd2! 28.g3 Re8! =

30.g4! not only provides an escape for the king, but also prevents ...Rf5.

Finally, 34.Rh8! is another strong move, covering the h2 pawn, preparing promotion."

Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  ahmadov: I read lots of such comments but I am still far from becoming a GM :-)
Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  notyetagm: <whatthefat: <Warheart>, <notyetagm>

Oh wow, you're actually arguing over what's official chess terminology and what isn't. Truly amazing.

And <notyetagm>, was it really necessary to use umpteen posts - each <<littered>> with your <absurd> <USE OF TERMINOLOGY> to <<CLASSIFY EVERYTHING>>, obselete <LONG ALGEBRAIC NOTATION>, and <completely gratuitous> <<FENs>> - to essentially say:>

Censor me or bite me.

Apr-30-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: <notyetagm: Anyone have a <RYBKA 3 EVAL> for the acceptance of Karjakin's piece sacrifice above? 24 c4-b6! c7xb6? 25 a5xb6> No idea but after careful examination, I would say there is no forced win. However, White has very dangerous prospects. For instance, 24...axb6? 25.cxb6 Re8 26.b7 Rab8 (26...Ra7? 27.Re1+ (threatens Rxe6) Kf7 28.Rc4 (followed by Rce4), White wins) 27.Rxa6 (threatens c7) Ke7 28.c4! (28.c7 Rxb7 29.Rxe6+ Kxe6 30.c8Q Rxc8 31.Rxc8 g4! (xh2) could offer drawing prospects) bxc3 32.Rxc3. Then, White has so many threats and Black so little counterplay, I would say White should win slowly.
May-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: 32...c6 is a clear loss. More stubborn was 32...Ra2 33.Rxc7+ Ke6 34.Rxa2 Rxa2 35.a7 g6. Not easy to find the winning idea here... Maybe 36.Kg2 trying to bring the King to c4. So Black will have to bring his King to the d file sooner or later. Then Rg7. It is sophisticated and quiet long to explain but I think White wins.
May-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: < Mateo: <notyetagm: Anyone have a <RYBKA 3 EVAL> for the acceptance of Karjakin's piece sacrifice above? 24 c4-b6! c7xb6? 25 a5xb6> No idea but after careful examination, I would say there is no forced win. However, White has very dangerous prospects. For instance, 24...axb6? 25.cxb6 Re8 26.b7 Rab8 (26...Ra7? 27.Re1+ (threatens Rxe6) Kf7 28.Rc4 (followed by Rce4), White wins) 27.Rxa6 (threatens c7) Ke7 28.c4! (28.c7 Rxb7 29.Rxe6+ Kxe6 30.c8Q Rxc8 31.Rxc8 g4! (xh2) could offer drawing prospects) bxc3 32.Rxc3. Then, White has so many threats and Black so little counterplay, I would say White should win slowly.> 28.c3 also seems strong
May-01-09   WhiteRook48: why does black resign? no counterplay?
May-02-09   Granny O Doul: <WhiteRook> Because that's a white pawn on a7.
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing >

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