Candidates in action

American GM Gata Kamsky has drawn a tough assignment as he faces rock-solid Israeli GM Boris Gelfand in the FIDE world title candidates’ finals, which began this week in Elista, Russia.

The Brooklyn GM had an unexpectedly easy time dismissing French GM Etienne Bacrot in the first round of matches, but in Gelfand he has drawn a veteran opponent with excellent technique and a history of never beating himself. Gelfand drew all his first-round games against Uzbek GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov, then dispatched the former FIDE world champion in the rapid playoff.

Kamsky and Gelfand played a pair of draws to open their six-game match, the only one of the four finals matches without a decisive game. In other matches, No. 1 seed GM Levon Aronian of Armenia leads Spain’s Alexei Shirov 11/2-1/2; Hungary’s Peter Leko leads Russian Evgeny Bareev, 1 1/2-1/2; and Russian Alexander Grischuk has the edge on compatriot Sergei Rublevsky, also at 11/2-1/2.

The four match winners earn a slot in FIDE’s world-title tournament in Mexico in September.

Grischuk, a former Russian champion, got off to a great start with a convincing demolition of Rublevsky in Wednesday’s Game 1. In a Sicilian Scheveningen, Black once again comes to grief after a thematic White piece sacrifice on the d5-square.

Rublevsky is an expert in this line, but it is White who gets in a strong novelty on 15. b6 Qc6 16. Bf3!, leading Black to close the center to try to fend off his opponent’s pressure. But Black’s uncoordinated game makes a very poor impression, and Grischuk strikes with 17. Rae1 Nd7 (see diagram) 18. Nxd5! exd5 19. Bxd5 Qc5 20. e6!, with tremendous pressure even after the coming exchange of queens.

White gets his investment back with interest on 20…Qxd4 21. Bxd4 Nf6 22. Bb3! (ChessBase.com analyst GM Mihail Marin notes that 22. Bxf6? is premature because after 22…gxf6 23. exf7+ Bxf7, White’s hanging bishop makes 24. Rxe7 impossible) Rd8 23. Bxf6 Bc5+!? (returning the piece, but Black does gets good counterplay against the cornered White king) 24. Kh1 gxf6 25. e7.

Black’s bishop and rook zero in on g2, but White uses his humble b-pawn to gain a decisive edge in the ensuing complications: 27. Rc7 Rd2 28. Re1! (intending to meet 28…Rxg2 with 29. Rxc6!, and 28…Bxg2+ with 29. Kg1 and a double attack) Rf2?! (Kg7 was stingier, but White still has good pressure) 29. h3 Rxf4 30. Ree7 Rf1+ 31. Kh2 Rf2 32. Rxc6! bxc6 33. Rxf7!.

The point of White’s combination is that after 33…Rxf7 34. b7!, neither Black rook can do anything to stop the passed pawn. Rublevsky tries 33…Rf4, but 34. c3!, preventing the rook from reaching the b-file, ensures the White pawn’s advance. Short of time, Black hangs a rook with 34…Re4 35. Re7+ and resigned instantly.

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Sometimes being up a piece can be a terrible burden.

In an extraordinary game from last month’s Springfield Open, Northern Virginia expert Matt Grinberg sacrifices a piece on Move 16 and then proceeds to simplify ruthlessly to the ending. The counterintuitive strategy works to perfection as the entombed extra bishop of his opponent, Class A player Patrick Ramsey, proves in time to be a fatal weakness.

Black’s 16. b5 f4!! (on the prosaic 16…Na5, White can take a promising gamble with 17. Nxe5!? dxe5 18. Bxe5+ Nf6 19. f3 Bh5 20. exf5 with good compensation) is based on a simple but profound idea: He wants to imprison the White bishop on g3, not capture it. After 17. bxc6 Qxc6 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. Qd5 20. Qxd5 Qxd5 20. Bxd5 Bxf3 21. gxf3 (Bxf4? Nxf4 22. gxf3 c6 23. Bd3 Ne2+ wins a pawn) 21. c6, Black’s trap is sprung.

After 26. Rxd1 Rd8!, inviting White to enter the ending a full piece up, Grinberg explained why he refused to capture the bishop on g3: “If I don’t take, then both it and his king-side pawns are completely useless. The position effectively becomes a [Black] knight and three pawns versus a bishop and two pawns, with all the pawns on the same side of the board.”

With best play and a timely sacrifice of his useless bishop, Ramsey probably could hold the ending. But the idea of trying to salvage a draw while a piece up is galling, and White hurts his cause by pressing too hard: 42. Be8?! Ka4 43. c4?? (playing right into Black’s hands by mobilizing the Black queen-side pawns; 43. Kb2 was “likely a draw,” according to Grinberg) Kxa3 44. Bxb5 Nb4+, and the Black knight is headed for the dominating d4-square.

Story Continues →