Akobian on top of world

For once, it was lonely at the top at the World Open.The giant annual Swiss blowout over the Independence Day holiday in Philadelphia is famous for producing huge knots of co-winners, but this year was different. California GM-elect Varuzhan Akobian, a rising young star on the U.S. chess scene, took first with a superb 71/2-11/2 score, a half-point ahead of a group of nine grandmasters.

Among Akobian’s victims were U.S. champion Alex Shabalov and former U.S. champion Alex Wojtkiewicz. More than 1,200 players competed in this year’s tournament.

Russian GM Evgeny Najer was one of those finishing just out of the big money, but he celebrated the Fourth of July with some nice fireworks in his win over U.S. IM Enrico Sevillano. In a rare Closed Sicilian sideline, Sevillano’s king never finds a secure home, and a timely piece sacrifice by Najer puts the king in mortal danger.

After 9. Qg3 g6 10. d3 d6 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bh6!, the Black king-side is no longer safe, and snatching a pawn with 17…Qxb2? shows the perils on the other flank: 18. e5! Be7 (dxe5 19. fxe5 Be7 20. Rab1 Qxc2 21. Rf2, trapping the queen) 19. Rab1 Qa3 20. Rb3, and the queen is lost.

Black castles queen-side, but Najer moves immediately to open things up with 21. e5! Be7 22. exd6 Bxd6 23. Bg5 (White’s coverage of d8 gives him control of the file) Rde8 24. Bf6 Rhg8 25. Nc3 Bc6 (see diagram).

With a little time, Black might be able to make something of his two bishops, but White lands the first blow with 26. Nb5! axb5?! (this is not forced, and the more discreet 26…Bb8 27. a5 Bxg2+ 28. Kxg2 Qc6+ 29. Kg1 axb5 30. cxb5 Qxb5 31. a6 bxa6 32. Ra3 c4 33. Rfa1 e5 was worth a look) 27. axb5 Bd7 (it’s already too late for 27…Bxg2+ 28. Kxg2 Kc7 29. Rfd1 Ra8 30. Rxd6! Kxd6 (Qxd6 31. Be5) 31. Qd2+ Kc7 32. Be5+ Kc8 33. Rxa8 mate) 28. Rfd1.

White’s pressure on the d- and a-files proves too much — 28…e5 (White gets a crushing endgame bind on 28…Bb8 29. Ra8 e5 30. Bxe5 Rxe5 31. Qxe5 Qc7 32. Rxb8+! Qxb8 33. Qxb8+ Kxb8 34. Rxd7 Rf8 35. b6) 29. Qd2 exf4 (Bf5 30. Qxd6 Qxd6 31. Rxd6 e4 32. b6 Kb8 33. g4 Bc8 [Be6 34. Be5 and the discovered check will be devastating] 34. Rd8! Rgf8 [Rxd8 35. Be5+ Rd6 36. Bxd6 mate] 35. Ra5! Rg8 36. Rxc5 e3 37. Rcxc8 mate) 30. Bc3 f3 (desperation, as 30…Kb8 31. Ba5 Qa7 32. Qxd6+ is equally bleak) 31. Ra8+ Kc7 32. Ba5 fxg2+ 33. Kg1.

About to lose his queen and his king soon thereafter, Black resigned.

• • •

Unheralded GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov has emerged as the giant killer in FIDE’s world-championship knockout tournament, in its final days in Tripoli, Libya.

The 24-year-old Uzbek was seeded just 26th in the 128-player pack but finds himself in the six-game final against English GM Michael Adams, one of the pre-tournament favorites. The first game of the finals, with Kasimdzhanov playing Black, was drawn, and play continues through the end of next week.

On his way to the finals, Kasimdzhanov upset three of the event’s four top seeds, ousting Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk; Russia’s Alexander Grischuk; and, most stunningly, top-ranked Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov. Topalov had plowed through the field with ease before hooking up with the Uzbek in the semifinals.

Kasimdzhanov drew all four games with Topalov at classical time controls, then beat him twice in the rapid-chess playoff to advance. Needing just a draw in the second rapid game to advance, Kasimdzhanov instead played aggressively from the outset and took it to his opponent.

White’s opening choice — a Queen’s Indian by transposition — is intriguing, for it allows Topalov as Black to get the kind of open, imbalanced position he wanted. But on 15. Bd4 Qc7 16. Nc3 (Bxg7?! Qxc2 Rxc2 18. Bxh8 Rc1+ 19. Ke2 Rxh1) Nf6 17. Rh3 0-0 18. e5!, White shows he’s not about to back down.

In fact, White breaks decisively on top after 20 h5 f5 21. Bxf5! Nf4 (Rxf5? 22. hxg6 Rg5 23. e6! Bf6 [Rxg4 24. gxh7+ Kf8 25. h8=Q+ Rg8 26. Qxg8+! Kxg8 27. Rh8 mate] 24. Qxg5! and wins) 22. Rg3 Rf5?!. Black’s exchange offer is a desperate attempt to keep the position alive, but Topalov’s own king ends up in a world of trouble while the exposed White king proves frustratingly hard to pin down.

After 27. g7 Rc8 (Rf7 28. Qh7+! Kxh7 29. g8=Q+ Kh6 30. Qxf7 hxg3 31. Kd2 will track down the Black king) 28. Qe4! hxg3 29. Qxf4 Qc6 (gxf2+ 30. Kxf2 Bc5 31. Nd5 Bxd4+ 32. Qxd4 Qc2+ 33. Kg1 Kxg7 34. e6+ Kh7 35. exd7 and wins) 30. Qxg3 Qh6 31. Qh3 Qg6 32. Qxd7, White is three pawns to the good, and Black is reduced to a series of one-move threats.

Inevitably, Black’s wild swings leave him open to a calm counterattack, and Topolav is eliminated from the running after 39. Qg3+ Bg5+ 40. Kd1 Qh5+ (Qh1+ 41. Kc2 Qh7+ 42. Kb2 does not change the equation) 41. f3 Qg6 (working up one final mate threat, but it’s White’s turn to move) 42. Qb8+, and the coming 42…Kh7 43. Qh8 mate forced Black to give up.

32nd World Open, Philadelphia, July 2004

NajerSevillano

1. e4c518. Qd3Bd7

2. Nc3Nc619. Ne2Bf6

3. Bb5Nd420. Qe30-0-0

4. Bc4a621. e5Be7

5. Nf3Nxf3+22. exd6Bxd6

6. Qxf3e623. Bg5Rde8

7. a4Ne724. Bf6Rhg8

8. 0-0Nc625. Nc3Bc6

9. Qg3g626. Nb5axb5

10. d3d627. axb5Bd7

11. Bg5Be728. Rfd1e5

12. Bh6Bh429. Qd2exf4

13. Qe3Bf630. Bc3f3

14. Kh1Ne531. Ra8+Kc7

15. h3Nxc432. Ba5fxg2+

16. dxc4Qb633. Kg1Black

17. f4Bd4 resigns

FIDE World Championship, Semifinals, Tripoli, Libya, July 2004

KasimdzhanovTopalov

1. e4c522. Rg3Rxf5

2. Nf3e623. hxg6h5

3. b3b624. Qxf5Rf8

4. d4cxd425. Qc2Ba6+

5. Nxd4Bb726. Ke1h4

6. Bd3Bc527. g7Rc8

7. Be3Qf628. Qe4hxg3

8. c3Nc629. Qxf4Qc6

9. Bc2Nxd430. Qxg3Qh6

10. cxd4Bb4+31. Qh3Qg6

11. Kf1Rc832. Qxd7Rxc3

12. a3Be733. Qd5+Kxg7

13. h4e534. Bxc3Qc2

14. dxe5Qxe535. Qd2Qh7

15. Bd4Qc736. e6+Kg8

16. Nc3Nf637. Qe3Qh1+

17. Rh30-038. Kd2Qh4

18. e5Nd539. Qg3+Bg5+

19. Qg4g640. Kd1Qh5+

20. h5f541. f3Qg6

21. Bxf5Nf442. Qb8+Black

resigns

David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at dsands@washington times.com.