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Vasyl Ivanchuk vs Boris Gelfand
FIDE Jermuk Grand Prix (2009), Jermuk ARM, rd 8, Aug-17
English Opening: King's English Variation. General (A20)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35434 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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sac: 88.Kxe5 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

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Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-17-09  wanabe2000: Nice finish!
Aug-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: If 84...Nxh6 85 Be6 puts Black into zugzwang
Aug-17-09  cdubz: well after 85.Be6 black still has Kf6 but then 86.Kd6 and black can safely resign
Aug-17-09  Aspirador: My guess is that Chuky completely missed 18...Bxd3 but mysteriously obtained a position where he had a lot of compensation. 24.Bh3 with the idea e4! would have been pretty strong as well instead of 24.g4!?

After the queen exchange, computers already favor white, even though he is a pawn down.

Aug-17-09  chaq: Welcome back to top 10 Mr. Ivanchuk!
Aug-18-09  zealouspawn: I doubt ivanchuk missed 18..Bxd3 -- as a class A player its one of those moves that i probably would have seen and avoided without finding the compensation for (like I believe Ivanchuck forsaw)
Aug-18-09  arsen387: there's no way Ivanchuk missed Bxd3 and 21.Nd5 is a great reply (threatening Nxb6). I think he foresaw also 24.g4 then, to keep the diagonal for light-square B clear after which the b7 pawn is too weak and Gelfand eventually decided to give it back. This is a great game by Chucky imo, including the zugzwang theme 84...Nxh6 85.Be6!
Aug-18-09  Aspirador: 20...Nxa3! would have been better preventing 21.Nd5. Sorry guys, but I think Chuky was caught sleeping here. :)
Aug-19-09  arsen387: <Aspirador: 20...Nxa3! would have been better preventing 21.Nd5.> I think even after 20...Nxa3 21.Nd5 again works. now blacks can't bring out the N immediately with 21...Nac4 bcz of 22.Rc1 and blacks are losing a piece (e.g. 22...Ne6 23.Nxb6). The line with 21...Nbc4 is much harder to analyze without an engine but I guess it still works with smth like 22.Rec1.
Aug-19-09  Aspirador: <arsen> 20...Nxa3 21.Nd5 Nxd5 simply hangs a piece.
Aug-19-09  arsen387: <Aspirador> LOL, right, missed the obvious while trying to go into some wild complications :) anyway I'll try to give the position to engine, I'll post the eval in a couple of days
Aug-21-09  arsen387: Actually Chessmaster evals Nxa3 (-0.38) a little better than Bxa3 (-0.09) but I didn't went further than 14ply. Maybe Ivanchuk's thinking deeper than 14ply, but at least I gonna agree with <Aspirador> that Nxa3 was better for Gelfand than Bxa3
Aug-22-09  whiteshark: " In the game against Gelfand, white played the new <13. Nf5>, but may have slipped with <18. Ba3>, giving black equalizing chances.

Black later won a pawn, but handed white an active game, and with the powerful flagship bishop on g2, a good game. With <24. g4?!> white sacrificed a 2nd pawn - a very interesting choice, that while maybe not objectively the best, an intriguing idea and posed certain practical problems to black.

With a firm control of the white squares, white pushed hard, gave back a pawn, and seemed to be in control as some uncertainty appeared in black's game, while move by move white was improving his position.

By the move <41. Ke2>, white had a sizable advantage. Possibly, black was unable to transition from being 2 pawns up, and with <43...Nxa4?!>, black's position collapsed.

A creative effort from Ivanchuk as he joins Leko in first place. "

fide round bulletin

Sep-07-09  DiscerningKing: 84. lol h6!! wow, Great Move!!!
Sep-18-09  kingsindian2006: move 24 g4... is where i think chucky got the mental edge on his opponent. gelfys probably thinking the rest of the game what does this guy have planned with a move like that... this is why chucky can move up 50 rating points in a couple months even at the 2700 level...

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