Compiled By Scorpionchess
Heavily Annotated Games
Compiled By Scorpionchess
Heavily Annotated Games
Unive Matches 2014
1
1
C50
Shirov,Alexei
2691
Giri,Anish
2768
Unive Matches 2014 (1.1)
12.10.2014
[Multi]
1.e4 e5 2.
f3 c6 3.c4 c5 4.d3 f6
5.
c3 d6 6.0-0 a5 7.b3 a6 8.d4!?
The computer doesn't like this move but Giri
had expected it. "Otherwise I just take the
bishop. Harikrishna played both 8.Be3 and 8.
B g 5 a g a i n s t m e . I l e a r n t a l o t a b o u t t h i s
position from him."
xb3
9.axb3
exd4
10.
xd4
h6
D i a g r a m [ # ]
11.
f5
xf5
12.exf5 0-0 13.g4
[
Perhaps premature.
13.
f3 d5 ]
13...
d7 14.d5 xd5 15.xd5
Diagram
a
b
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d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
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8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
b5!
Shirov had missed this move.
16.
f3
fe8 17.g2
[ 17.c4
c6 18.xc6 bxc6
followed by 19...
Reb8.
]
17...
e2 18.c3 e4 19.a4 ae8 20.xe4
xe4 21.h3
[
Giri thought
21.
f4
was better.
]
21...d5 22.b4
b6 23.f6
[
Trying to force matters but perhaps
23.
g1
or trading queens (Giri) was better.
]
23...g5 24.
f5 e5 25.c8+
Diagram
(Diagram)
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
h7! 26.f8
[ 26.
e3!? xe3! 27.f8 f3+ 28.g1
g3+!
29.fxg3
e8+
30.
c5
xc5+
31.bxc5
e2
and wins - Giri.
]
26...
e4+ 27.g3 g6 28.f4 gxf4+
[
Not
28...
xf6? 29.fxg5! xf1 30.g6+!
and wins!
]
29.
xf4 e2 30.xh6
[
Giri said that
30.
c1 e3 31.xe3 xe3+
32.
f3
xf3+
33.
xf3
xf6+
was winning.
]
30...
xh6 31.xf7+ h8 32.f3 g1!
33.h4
[ 33.
d3 e3+ 34.xe3 xe3+
should also
win.
]
33...
h2+ 34.h3 d6
0-1
2
E11
Timman,J
2601
Jobava,Ba
2717
Unive Matches 2014 (1.2)
12.10.2014
[Multi]
1.d4
f6 2.c4 e6 3.f3 b4+ 4.d2
xd2+ 5.xd2 d5 6.g3 bd7 7.g2 c6
This set-up was often employed by Ulf
Andersson in the 1980’s. Through the years,
Jobava played it several times as well, but no-
one had played the most popular move
against him:
8.0-0 dxc4 9.a4
b8 10.c1
b6
In order to meet the natural 11.Na3 with
11...b5!.
11.
xc4 c5
Diagram
Unive Matches 2014
2
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
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g
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8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
12.b4
A nice, thematic move, which removes
the white weaknesses on the b-file and piles
up the pressure.
a6 13.c2
After 13.b5 Bb7,
c5 is solidly protected and Black has achieved
his aim.
cxb4
‘Only move’, said Jobava. The
computer also gives 13...0–0 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.
bxc5 Ne4 16.Qe3 Nexc5 and due to the check
on the bottom rank White cannot take twice on
c5.
14.
xb4 e7 15.a3 b7 16.bd2
It looks pretty unpleasant for Black. He
cannot ‘pass’ anymore.
xa3 17.xa3 e7
18.
e5 xg2 19.xg2 hc8
A tactical save.
After 19...Rb7 20.Nc6+ Kf8 21.a5 White is
clearly better, and after 19...Rbc8? 20.Nc6+
Kf8 21.Rac3 the queen’s rook is too passive.
20.
c6+ e8
‘Here I had to choose’, Jobava
said. ‘If I play 20...Kf8, then follows 21.Rac3
Tb7 22.Nb4 and White occupies the c-file. If I
put my king on e8, it can always go to d8 later.
White’s next move looked dangerous.’
21.e4
a8 22.e5 d5 23.e4 c7 24.d6+ f8
Diagram
(Diagram)
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b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
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g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Here Timman went for the draw with...
25.
b5
cc8 26.d6 c7 27.b5
‘I didn’t see how
to make progress’, he said. ‘Certainly in the
first game of such a match it seemed unwise
to take risks.’ Jobava also thought that other
attempts by White would be risky, for
example: 27.a5 Nb8 28.axb6 Nxb6 29.Nb4
Rxc2 30.Nxc2 a5 and White has to reckon
with Black’s passed pawn.
½-½
3
D46
Giri,Anish
2768
Shirov,Alexei
2691
Unive Matches 2014 (2.1)
13.10.2014
[Multi]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.
c3 f6 4.e3 e6 5.f3
bd7 6.c2 d6 7.d3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4
9.
xc4 b5 10.e2
[
In 2010 Giri played
10.
d3
against the
same opponent.
]
10...
b7 11.e4 e5 12.dxe5 xe5 13.d4
Th is lo oks d an gerou s b eca use o f...
eg4
Diagram
[ 13...
g6
14.
f5
e5
15.f4
xc3
16.bxc3 c5 17.
f3 c4 18.e5 xf3 19.exf6
b7 20.fxg7 e8 21.e3 e4
Moiseenko,
A (2707)-Kasimdzhanov,R (2693) Poznan
2014
]
Unive Matches 2014
3
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
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8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
14.g3!
[ 14.h3?
h2+ 15.h1 xf2+! 16.xh2
xd4
is good for Black, but nonetheless Giri
had hoped Shirov would go for this. "I had
found something there."
]
14...
c5
[
Everything à tempo.
14...
xg3
15.hxg3
xd4 16.d1 ( 16.f4 c5!
17.b4
h5 ) 16...xd1 17.xd1 fd8
a n d a p p a r e n t l y W h i t e h i s e n o u g h
co m p e n s a t io n h e r e . S h ir o v p l a ye d th i s
earlier this year, but not today.
]
15.
f5
Diagram
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b
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d
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a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
e8!
[ 15...
b6 16.xg4 xg4 17.b4 xb4
( 17...
d4 18.b2 ) 18.b2 xc3 19.xc3
f6 20.e3
is nice for White.
]
16.
f4 b6
Diagram
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b
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d
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h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
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8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
17.
g2! xf2
[ 17...g6!?
is another option, e.g.
18.h3 gxf5
19.hxg4
xe4 20.gxf5 xc3 21.bxc3 e7
with an edge for White.
]
18.e5
[
Niet direct
18.b4?
xb4 19.xf2 xc3
and e4 drops.
]
18...
d7
19.b4
xb4
20.
xf2
xe5
Spectacular, but even this position Shirov had
played before in the Bundesliga!
21.
e4
[
Only this is a novelty! In the game Dennis
Wagner-Shirov, Eppingen 2014, the hyper
sharp
21.
xg7
followed:
c5+
22.
h3
c8+
23.g4
xg7
24.
xe5+
xe5
25.
xf7+ xf7 26.xh7+ e6 27.g6+
e7
28.
g7+
e6
29.
h6+
e7
30.
h7+ e6 31.g6+ e7 32.g7+
e6 33.g6+
draw.
]
21...c5
Diagram
(Diagram)
Unive Matches 2014
4
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b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
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8
7
6
5
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3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
22.
f1!
Tha t's th e id ea .
xe4
23.
xe4
g6!
[
Not
23...
g4?? 24.e7+ ]
24.
d5 xf4
[ 24...
ad8
25.
d6!
( 25.
d6?
f8! )
25...
e6 26.f3 ]
25.
e7+! h8 26.xf4 c4 27.c6 c3
[ 27...
e3 28.f3 c5 29.g2 ]
28.
b1 ac8 29.f3 a6 30.e4!?
[ 30.
xb5 xa2 31.e4
and the threat of
31.Rh4 is killing.
]
30...
xa2 31.xb5 xh2 32.d7 f8
33.
h4
[
Giri: "In my calculations I had missed
B l a c k ' s r e p l y . I w a s l o o k i n g a t
33.
h5
Maar na
xg3
I didn't see it."
]
33...
c2 34.xh7+ xh7 35.h5 xh5
36.
xh5 g6 37.e2 g7 38.xc4 ce8
39.
xa7 f6 40.d7 e3 41.g2 c3
42.
d5 e3 43.f2 ee8 44.d7 e4
45.
d5 ee8 46.c7 c8 47.b7 ce8
48.
d7 a8 49.c4 ae8 50.f3
[
Not
50.
xf7?
e7!
51.
xe7
xe7
52.
xe7? xf7+ ]
50...
e1 51.d5 e6 52.d7 e1
Diagram
(Diagram)
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b
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d
e
f
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a
b
c
d
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8
7
6
5
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3
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1
8
7
6
5
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3
2
1
53.g4!?
A g o o d tr y - th e o n ly t ry.
g5
54.
d5 f5
[
B l a c k w o u l d r a t h e r p l a y
54...
f6
but then comes
55.g5
a1
en nu
56.
g2
( 56.
d8? c1 57.xf7? xc4 ) 56...e3
57.
d6
and no w e.g.
e4 58.d1 b2
59.
c2 ]
55.
e5 fxg4+ 56.g2 e3 57.d7+ h6
58.
xg4+ h5 59.f6+!
wins the exchange.
xf6 60.h3+ g5 61.g3+ h6 62.xe1
f4 63.h4+ g7 64.g8 h6 65.d4
f4 66.e6 b8 67.h3 f4 68.d7+
h6 69.g8 e3 70.h7+ g5 71.d5
f2 72.e7 d4 73.e4 f4 74.c2 e5
75.
b4+
1-0
4
A50
Jobava,Baadur
2717
Timman,Jan H
2601
Unive Matches 2014 (2.2)
13.10.2014
[Multi]
1.d4
f6 2.c4 e6 3.f3 b6 4.a3 a6
5.
c2 b7 6.c3 c5 7.e4 cxd4 8.xd4
c6 9.xc6 xc6 10.f4 h5 11.d2
[ 11.
e3
d6??
12.
d1
1-0 was the
famous game Christiansen-Karpov, Wijk aan
Zee 1993.
]
11...
c7 12.g3
[
Timman was following a game Jobava-
Iturrizaga, Khanty-Mansiysk 2009, which
continued
12.
d5
b7
13.
d3
d6
14.0-0
b8 15.g3 exd5 16.exd5 b7
Unive Matches 2014
5
17.
fe1+ d8 18.c3 f6 19.b4 c7
20.
b2 c8 21.xf6 gxf6 22.xf6 d8
23.
ac1 f8 24.c5 bxc5 25.bxc5 a5
26.c6 dxc6 27.dxc6
a6 28.f5+ b8
29.
xd8+ xd8 30.c7+
1-0. Jobava: "I
tried to remember that game but of course
I couldn't."
]
12...
c5 13.g2 0-0 14.0-0 ac8 15.ac1
f6 16.b4 e7 17.d3 b8 18.h3 fd8
[
Jobava said
18...d6
was better.
]
19.
fe1 b7 20.e5 e8 21.e4 d6
22.exd6
xd6
[ 22...
xd6!? 23.f4 a8 ]
23.
e2 e5
[ 23...
e7!?
Jobava
]
24.c5
[
Promising waso
24.
g5! xg2 25.h5
e.g.
b7 26.xh7+ f8 27.h8+ e7
28.
xe5 xd2 29.g8
with a huge attack.
]
24...bxc5 25.bxc5
[ 25.
g5!? ]
25...
c6 26.a5 d7
[
Jobava: "Perhaps
26...
d4
was better. The
r o o k m a y g o t o a 4 a n d o n
27.
c3
y o u c a n g o
d7
28.
xe5
xe5
Ah, no, White wins material with
29.
d6!
"
]
27.
g5
xg2
28.
xg2
f6
29.c6
"To try something." (Jobava)
[ 29.
e4 a8! ]
29...
d5??
Jobava was in time trouble too but
he doesn't miss his chance.
[
A blunder in the opponent's time trouble.
29...
d6
is fine for Black.
]
30.
xf7!
Dat buitenkansje laat ook een
Jobava in vette tijdnood zich niet ontgaan.
xa5 31.xe6 f8 32.cd1?
[
Here
32.
d7!
was winning. The threat
R c 1 - b 1 - b 7 i s h a r d t o p a r r y a n d
a6
is answered by
33.
e6!
threatening Rce1, e.
g.
c7 34.h6! ]
32...
c7?
[
Timman could save himself with
32...
a8!
when
33.
d8
fails to
xd8 34.d7 xd7
and the queen protects Ne8, e.g.
35.
xd7
c5
and wins.
]
33.
d8! xd8 34.d7
"Incredibly stupid,"
Tim man sigh ed. "I gu ess I wa s a little bit
lucky", smiled Jobava.
1-0
5
D38
Shirov,Alexei
2691
Giri,Anish
2768
Unive Matches 2014 (3.1)
14.10.2014
[Multi]
1.d4
After the failure in the opening game
Shirov changes tack.
f6 2.c4 e6 3.f3 d5
4.
c3 b4 5.g5 h6 6.xf6 xf6 7.e3 0-0
8.
b3 c5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.a3
10.Qxd5 Nc6
followed by 11...Rd8 is not exactly Shirov’s
style.
xc3+ 11.xc3 d7
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
12.
e2
Here Van der Wiel proposed the plan
12.Rc1 and if 12…b6 13.Bb5. Now Black is
pretty much obliged to play 13...c4, but that
doesn’t seem such a bad thing: after 14.b3 a6
15.Bxd7 Bxd7 it wouldn’t be wise to win a
pawn on c4.
b6 13.0-0
b7 14.ac1 c4
15.
d2 b5 16.f3
16.f3 would be too slow
now on account of 16...Rfe8.
e7
Keeping an
eye on a3 and keeping the positional threat of
...a7-a5 in the position. But with hindsight, Giri
wasn’t happy about this move.
17.
a5 c6
18.b3
d6
19.bxc4
bxc4
20.
b1
A Karpovian manoeuvre with which W hite
increases the pressure on d5.
ab8 21.c3
b3
There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong
with 21...Nf6, because taking on a7 remains
unattractive. Giri opts for more activity.
22.
xd5
Diagram
(Diagram)
Unive Matches 2014
6
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
xa3
Even after the game Giri wasn’t sure
about 22...Rb5!? 23.Qa4 (after 23.Qa6 Black
can take on d5 with the rook as well, but he
also has the alternative 23...Nb8!?) 23...Rxd5
24.Qxc4 Ba8 25.Bxd5 Bxd5. ‘For the “small
exchange” White has two strong centre pawns,
this is hard to assess. On the other hand, the
endgame was also very dangerous for me.’
23.
c7
23.Qb4 Qxb4 24.Nxb4 Bxf3 25.gxf3
and perhaps the white knight is a little better
positioned than in the game.
xc7 24.xc7
xf3 25.gxf3 b6 26.b5
26.Ra1 Rxa1 27.
Rxa1 Rc8 is risky, but White still has 28.Na6.
b3
27.
xa7
The computer gives the
extremely hard-to-find 27.Nd6!? c3 28.Rb1
Rxb1 29.Rxb1, holding off the black rook,
whereas on ...Td8 W hite can go after the c-
pawn immediately with Nb5. But here W hite
still has to deal with the a-pawn as well.
c3
27...Ra8! 28.Nc6 c3 29.e4 (29.Rb1? Rb2!)
29...Ra2 and Black doubles on the second
rank, with enough counterplay for the draw.
‘During the game I thought this didn’t work’,
said Giri.
28.
b1 xb1 29.xb1 d5 30.f1
c2
A little subtler may have been first 30...Ra8
3 1 . N b 5 R a 5 .
31.
c1 b4 32.e2 b8
33.d5
xd5
Certainly not 33...Rd8? 34.Nc6!.
34.
xc2 e7 35.f4 b7
Giri: ‘His knight is
bad over there, and the rook ending is
completely drawn.’
36.
c6 xc6 37.xc6 g6
38.f5 gxf5 39.
xh6 b4
Diagram
(Diagram)
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
The doubled f-pawn defends everything, so
Black only has to keep the h-pawn in control.
Shirov kept trying until move 61, but the draw
was inevitable.
40.
f3 g7 41.d6 h4
42.
g2 g4+ 43.h1 b4 44.d4 b1+
45.
g2 g6 46.d6+ f6 47.d4 a1
48.
f3 h1 49.h4 a1 50.h3 a4
51.
g3+ f7 52.g2 b4 53.h3 a4
54.f4
a1 55.h4
½-½
6
E70
Timman,Jan H
2601
Jobava,Baadur
2717
Unive Matches 2014 (3.2)
14.10.2014
[Multi]
1.d4
f6 2.c4 g6 3.c3 g7 4.e4 0-0
5.
d3
Diagram
(Diagram)
Unive Matches 2014
7
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
The move that is also often played by Sokolov
and Seirawan. Jobava now improvises:
c6
The idea is known, and it has been played by,
among others, King’s Indian expert Eduard
Gufeld and also Luke McShane. On 6.Nge2
Black wants to play 6...e5 and then after 7.d5
Nd4 8.Nxd4 exd4 9.Ne2 it becomes clear why
Black has postponed ...d7-d6: here he has 9...
c5! 10.dxc6 dxc6 with a good position, as
commentator John van der Wiel explained.
Timman of course knew this and played:
6.
f3 d6 7.d5 b4 8.e2 a5 9.0-0 g4!?
Slightly strange with the bishop on e2, as
Timman doesn’t mind exchanging it:
10.
g5!?
Van der W iel thought that 10.Nd4 Bxe2 11.
Ndxe2 was more natural.
xe2 11.xe2 c6
12.
e3 d7!?
Taking away a square from his
knight, and sometimes Na4 is possible now.
But it turns out that Black can afford to play
like this.
13.h3 cxd5 14.exd5!
The pressure
o n e 7 is wo r t h m o re t o T i m m a n th a n t h e
possible break with e4-e5.
a4 15.
ac1 fc8
16.
fd1 a6 17.e1 c5
The consequence
of putting the knight here is that the pawn on
e7 may be lost in some lines. Black hopes to
get active counterplay for it.
18.
cd1
b6
Diagram
(Diagram)
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
19.
xc5
bxc5
Jobava opts for
counterchances along the b-file instead of
holding onto the pawn with 19...Rxc5 20.b3
axb3 21.axb3.
20.
xe7 h6 21.xd7 xd7
22.
ge4 a3
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
23.bxa3
Interesting is 23.b3!? f5 24.Nxd6
Bxc3 25.Nxc8 Rxc8 26.Re7 and the d-pawn
m a y j u s t g i v e B l a c k a h a r d t i m e .
xc3
24.
xc3
e5
25.
b5
xc4
26.
e4!
26.Rc1 looks better, but after 26...Rcb8 27.
Rxc4 Rxb5 28.Re7 Rb1+ 29.Kh2 Rd1 30.Rf4
f5 Black has solved most of his problems.
cb8 27.a4!
The point. White cannot very well
t a k e t h i s p a w n i n v i e w o f 2 8 . N x d 6 .
b2
28.
d2 xa4 29.xa4 xa4 30.xd6 b1+
31.
h2 b4
Diagram
Unive Matches 2014
8
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
32.
c8?
Timman called this the decisive
mistake. Better was 32.a3! Rb8 33.Nc4 f6 34.
Re2 Rd8 35.d6 and the white rook will have a
f i e l d d a y .
f8 33.d6 e8 34.d7+ d8
35.
d6!
Still his best chance. Possibly in his
calculations Timman had hoped to win here
with 35.Ne7, but then 35...Rb6 holds.
xd7
36.
xf7+ d4
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
37.
c2
With hindsight, Timman said that
p e r h a p s h e s h o u l d h a ve tr i e d t h e kn i g h t
ending after 37.Rxd4+ cxd4 38.Kg3 Kc6 39.
Kf3. This indeed looks good for White. In the
pressroom, Oleg Romanishin produced the
following line off-hand: 39...Kd5 40.Nxh6 Kc4
41.Ng4 Kc3 42.Ne5 Nc5 43.h4 Kc2 44.Kg4 (or
44.g4) 44...Nd7 and now 45.Nc6! wins.
c6
38.
xh6 c4 39.g4 c3
Still it looks pretty
dangerous with that c-pawn, but Timman was
convinced: ‘White is always better here.’ It
looks like there is no win anymore, though.
40.
e3 c5 41.g4 b4 42.h4 b6 43.c1
d2 44.g3 c4 45.c2+ c5 46.e1
46.h5 gxh5 47.gxh5 might have given better
w i n n i n g c h a n c e s .
b4
47.
c2+
c5
48.
e1 b4 49.h5 gxh5 50.gxh5 d6
51.
c2+ c4 52.e3+ d3
Now Timman
had had enough of the gadfly on c3, and he
steered towards the draw with...
53.f3
xe3
54.
xc3+ d4 55.a3
½-½
7
D45
Giri,Anish
2768
Shirov,Alexei
2691
Unive Matches 2014 (4.1)
16.10.2014
[Multi]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.
c3 f6 4.e3 e6 5.f3
bd7 6.c2 d6 7.d3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4
9.
xc4 b5 10.e2 b7 11.d1 c7
12.
d2
"Here I had already forgotten what
Black should do", Shirov said, "for the last
time I studied this was two years ago. But I
think my next was the worst possible move."
fe8
[ 12...a6
13.e4
e5
was the better move
order according to Giri. "But the way the
m a t ch wa s d e ve l o p i n g, I h a d h o p e d h e
would play like this. This order gives me
the opportunity to play a trick on move 15."
]
13.
ac1
a6
14.e4
The Latvian said on
Chess24: "Now it is strategically inferior by
fo rce. No t so nice wh e n yo u 're d o wn two
points."
e5 15.
d5 d8
[
After
15...
xd5 16.exd5 exd4 17.dxc6
xe2 18.cxb7 xb7 19.xd4
Shirov didn't
trust the position. Black will have to retreat
with e.g.
ee8 20.f5 ( 20.c6 xc6
21.
xc6 e5 22.e3 c7
may also be
playable.
) 20...
f8 ]
16.
xf6+ xf6 17.c3
[
Giri: "I had other possibilities here." For
instance,
17.
g5
g6
18.h4
h6
Now White has the possibility
19.h5!
since
xh5
is met by
20.dxe5
xe5 21.xe5
xg5 22.xf7!
with some advantage.
]
17...
ad8 18.g3
A pretty move, said Cor van
W ijg e rd e n i n th e c o m m e n ta r y r o o m . T h e
knight wants to go to f5 and the white bishop
Unive Matches 2014
9
can go to g4.
c5 19.d5 c4
Quickly played.
Giri didn't mind putting his opponent in a pin
(Bh3 versus the Nd7), but with hindsight he
thought that the immediate 20.b3 might have
been better.
20.
a5 c8
[
T h e d i r e c t
20...
b8
looks cleverer, but
Shirov thought this would give W hite too
many chances on the queenside.
]
21.
h4 g6 22.g4 e7 23.d2 b8
24.
xd7 xd7 25.b3
[
In the post mortem Giri opted for
25.
b4
xb4
26.
xb4
A downside to this line is
t h a t B l a c k c a n r e a c t a c t i v e l y w i t h
a5
"Also, after 26...Rbc8 we could end up in the
same position as in the game", Shirov said.
]
25...cxb3 26.axb3
bc8
[
"I've looked at
26...
e7
here, but I thought
it wa s to o slow" , said S h iro v. " Ma ybe it
would have been better."
]
27.
b4
The general idea is that after the
exchange of the dark-squared bishops White
p l a y s b 3 - b 4 , a f t e r w h i c h h i s k n i g h t i s
completely superior to the black bishop.
xc1
28.
xc1 c8 29.xc8+ xc8 30.xd6
xd6 31.c3
[
This runs into a brilliant saving combination.
31.
f3
was worth considering. Then Shirov
w a n t e d t o t r y
g4!
There can follow:
32.
g2 f5 33.c3 fxe4 34.xe5 d1!?
and the queen on d6 will defend the black
king successfully.
]
31...
h3!! 32.b4
[
Now on
32.
f3
Shirov had planned
a3
f o r e x a m p l e
33.
g5 b4 34.e1 d7
and the march of the a-pawn gives Black
sufficient counterchances.
]
32...a5!
33.bxa5
b4
34.
c6
d8!
Shirov: "I saw that the plan ned 34... Qb 8
would mean big trouble for Black after 35.a6.
Luckily I found the text move right on time. I
d i d f e e l i n t u i t i v e l y t h a t I h a d t o h a v e
something with that bishop on h3."
35.a6
a5
The point. Due to the mate threat on the back
rank, White now has to give perpetual check,
for after 36.f4 the white king won't survive the
attack either.
36.
e8+ g7 37.xe5+ g8
38.
e8+ g7 39.e5+ g8 40.e8+ g7
½-½
8
C53
Jobava,Baadur
2717
Timman,Jan H
2601
Unive Matches 2014 (4.2)
16.10.2014
[Multi]
1.e4 e5 2.
f3 c6 3.c4 c5 4.c3 f6
5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.
e2
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
One of Jobava’s specialties; he played this
against Karjakin, amongst others. Timman got
the position earlier this year against Naiditsch.
Instead of the common 7...Ne4 Timman now
came up with an interesting novelty:
d3!?
If White takes everything is fine for Black: 8.
Bxd3 Ng4! 9.0–0 0–0 (9...Ncxe5!?) 10.Bf4
Re8! 11.Qe2?! (11.Bb5) 11...f6 and White is
in trouble.
8.exf6
dxe2
9.
xe2+
f8
9...Be6 10.fxg7 Rg8 11.Bg5 was played in two
rather obscure games in 2013, but Timman
called the text move ‘forced’. By the way,
Black lost in those two games.
10.b4
Diagram
(Diagram)
Unive Matches 2014
10
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
A do-or-die move Timman hadn’t looked at.
Commentator Cor van Wijgerden thought it
was ‘a very crazy move’: ‘Activity is good, but
you also have to consider vulnerability. Jobava
said after the game: ‘I was playing “over-the-
board”. Maybe this was wrong, and I should
have played 10.Bg5.’
d6
10...Bb6? 11.b5
Na5 12.Ba3+ Kg8 (12...c5 13.bxc6+ Kg8 14.
B e 7 Q c7 is n e ce ssa r y, b u t a ls o go o d f o r
W hite) 13.Be7 Qd7 14.fxg7 Kxg7 15.Qe5+
and Black gets mated.
11.b5
a5 12.g5
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
e8
Van Wijgerden thought there was
nothing wrong with 12...gxf6 13.Bh6+ Kg8
followed by ...Bf8, but Timman called this line
‘very unpleasant. White has very good
compensation for the pawn.’ After the queen
exchange, on the other hand, Black has a
pleasant endgame.
13.
xe8+ xe8 14.fxg7
g8 15.f6 e7 16.xe7
On 16.Be5, 16...
a6! is even stronger than 16...c6 followed by
...f7–f6, as after 17.Bxc7 axb5 something may
happen on b3, so the g7-pawn is lost.
xe7
17.
bd2 a6 18.a4 xg7 19.0-0 h3
Well, well. Did Shirov perhaps see this move?
20.
fe1+ d6 21.g3 f6 22.d4 e7
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
23.
ed1
It’s understandable that with the
black king in the centre, Jobava wants to keep
all the rooks on the board, but now Black gets
the initiative. 23.Rxe7 Kxe7 24.Ne2 was about
equal.
c5!
Improves his own structure and
worsens his opponent’s.
24.bxc6
bxc6
25.
ab1 c7 26.c2 f5 27.b2 d3
With hindsight, Timman thought that 27...Bxc2
28.Rxc2 Rb8 might have been better. ‘But I
wanted to keep it complicated.’
28.
b4 e2
29.
e1 ae8 30.g2 d6!?
Not the best,
Timman said. ‘I had various alternatives here,
such as 30...f5 or first 30...Nb7.’
31.
c2 d3
32.
e3 b7
Diagram
(Diagram)
Unive Matches 2014
11
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
33.
b4!
A very strong manoeuvre, Timman
thought, with which White keeps things under
control.
c5 34.f4 c7 35.xf6 xa4
36.
b3 e4+
The immediate 36...Nxc3? 37.
Rc1 loses material.
37.
g1
Timman called
this a critical moment. White could also play
37.Kh3, but then what’s his reply to 37...Re6 ?
xc3 38.d4 b5 39.xc6 e6 40.xe6
xe6 41.b4
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
d4
After the game it was found that 41...Kb7!
still offered Black good possibilities here.
White has no checks, and he cannot take on
d5 o n a ccou nt of the pin alo ng the e-f ile .
There can follow: 42.Ra1 Nc3, intending 43...
Rb 6 a n d a n e xch a n ge o f th e ro o ks, a f te r
which the black a-pawn is the greatest enemy
o f t h e wh it e kn igh t s. A f te r th is th e ga m e
peters out to a draw.
42.
c4 c3 43.f3 a5
44.
xa5 b6 45.fxe4 xb4 46.e5 d3
47.
c1 d2 48.xc3+ b6 49.d3 b1+
50.
g2 d1 51.xd1 xd1 52.c4+ c5
53.
e3 d2+ 54.h3 e2
½-½
9
E54
Shirov,Alexei
2691
Giri,Anish
2768
Unive Matches 2014 (5.1)
17.10.2014
[Multi]
1.d4
f6 2.c4 e6 3.f3 d5 4.c3 b4
5.e3
Deviating from 5.Bg5 in Game 3.
0-0
6.
d3 c5 7.0-0 dxc4 8.xc4 cxd4 9.exd4
b6
10.
g5
b7
11.
e5
A pretty
straightforward approach. Other plans are 11.
Rc1, 11.Qe2 or 11.Re1.
xc3 12.bxc3 bd7
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Here Shirov took a long think: should he enter
th e we ll-kn o wn liqu ida tio n to a d ra w th a t
follows?
13.
xd7
The alternative is 13.Qe2,
which of course has been played quite often.
But Shirov didn’t expect anything good to
come from this. ‘It makes no sense to try this
against such a well-prepared opponent. I saw
not a single way to set him any traps. It’s
been a preparation problem, this whole match.
At crucial moments I always had the feeling
that I would only take a risk against him if I
deviated. It’s a very embarrassing situation. I
hope that tomorrow with white he will fight and
we will have a good game.’
The remaining moves were:
xd7
14.
xf6
gxf6 15.d5
xd5
15...exd5? 16.Bd3 is very
Unive Matches 2014
12
dangerous, as is well-known.
16.
g4+ h8
17.
h4 xc4
For a moment Shirov hoped for
17...Qd8 18.Rfd1 Rc8 19.Ba6 Rxc3 (19...Rg8
20.Bxc8! Rxg2+ 21.Kf1 – this is why White
played the f-rook to d1 on move 18) 20.Bd3
and now White wins the exchange because
20...f5 is not possible due to 21.Qd4+. But of
course Giri had no reason whatsoever to go
for this kind of scenario.
18.
xf6+
g8
19.
g5+
h8
Match winner Anish Giri had
the following explanation: ‘We were both
bluffing. He hoped I would not go for this line.
I didn’t remember it exactly, but saw it during
the game. He seems to be not so well
prepared. In his best days he could
compensate this with his ideas behind the
board, now this has become much more
difficult, against players who use a strong
computer.”
½-½
10
B43
Timman,Jan H
2601
Jobava,Baadur
2717
Unive Matches 2014 (5.2)
17.10.2014
[Multi]
[Notes by FM Peter Boel]
1.d4 e6 2.
f3 c5
3.e4
Perhaps both players were surprised to
find themselves in a Sicilian. In any case
Jobava thought for a long time here.
cxd4
4.
xd4 a6 5.c3 b5 6.d3 b7 7.0-0
c6 8.xc6 xc6 9.e2
[ 9.
e1 c5 10.h5 b6 11.e3 xe3
12.
xe3 e7 13.d5 d8 14.xe7 xe7
15.e5
h6
Delgado Ramirez,N (2602)-
Kamsky,G (2706) Tromsø 2014
]
9...
e7
Shirov said he didn't entirely trust the
knight manoeuvre to g6.
10.
e3
[ 10.
d2 g6 11.a4 b4 12.d5 a5 13.c3
b3 14.g3
d6 15.e3 0-0 16.c4 c5
Ponomariov,R (2727)-Vallejo Pons,F (2629)
Linares 2002
]
10...
c8!?
And this made Anish Giri frown.
What is Black's plan? Jobava wanted to carry
through 11...d5 and for this purpose he moved
his queen from the d-file. An alternative was
10...b4 11.Nb1. Now Timman prevents this.
11.a3 d5!? 12.f3?!
Creative, but it couldn't
be right in Giri's opinion: "After 12. Bd4 or
also 12.Bc5 or one of the rooks to d1 White is
fine."
dxe4 13.fxe4
g6 14.ad1
[ 14.
d4!?
looks interesting. Possibly
Timman didn't trust
e5 ]
[ 14.a4
b4
15.
d5
doesn't work either:
Black can just play
exd5
16.exd5
xd5
and then he can interpose the bishop on e6
if necessary.
]
14...
e7 15.h5 c7 16.d4 0-0 17.f3
h6 18.
xf7!?
[
P o s s i b l y T i m m a n t h o u g h t t h a t
18.
df1
ad8 19.e3 e5
was too slow. In any
case the audience had something to enjoy
again. But soon the consensus was that
Timman had gone too far.
]
18...
xf7 19.xg6 d8
[ 19...
d6 20.e2 e8
was also possible,
but it doesn't really look comfortable.
]
[
Shiro v suggeste d
19...
f6
Jobava was
afraid of
20.e5
but after
xe5 21.e2 f6
22.
h7+
f7
White has no way of
continuing the attack.
]
20.
d5!
The only way to make something out
of this — and, of course, spectacular.
xd5
[
Not
20...exd5?
and now White has a
winning attack after
21.e5!
f8 22.h7
xa3 23.e6 f4 24.b6 ]
21.exd5
c5 22.c3
[ 22.dxe6
xd4+ 23.h1 f4
is winning for
Black.
]
22...
xd5 23.xe6 xd4+ 24.cxd4 d6
25.
f5!?
[
Artistry in chess, Timman knows all about it.
The attempts
25.
h7+ f8 26.c8+ d8 ]
[
and
25.
e3
do not offer much.
]
25...g6!
But this way Black remains an
exchange up. White had to exchange queens
a n d d id n 't ge t a ch a n ce in th e e n d ga m e .
26.
xg6+ xg6 27.xg6 fd7 28.f2
g7 29.e4 xd4 30.xd4 xd4 31.e3
d1 32.e2 h1 33.h3 f6 34.d3 e5
35.
b7
a5
36.
c6
b4
37.
c2
d4
38.
b3 c5 39.f3 e1 40.a4 e7
41.
d1 d7 42.g4 d3 43.f5 e3
44.
c8 h5 45.f5 e2 46.xa5 b3 47.g4
hxg4 48.hxg4
xb2 49.a4 c4 50.g5
e2
0-1
Unive Matches 2014
13
11
B33
Giri,Anish
2768
Shirov,Alexei
2691
Unive Matches 2014 (6.1)
18.10.2014
[Multi]
1.e4
chess.com
c5 2.
f3 c6 3.d4 cxd4
4.
xd4 f6 5.c3 e5
Shirov recently won a
friendly match against the father of this line,
Evgeny Sveshnikov himself, so it is safe to
presume he will be well-booked on this. On
the flip side, Anish will know this also and can
be equally expected to be ready.
6.
db5 d6
7.
g5 a6 8.a3 b5 9.d5 e7 10.xf6
xf6 11.c3 g5 12.c2 0-0
chess.com:
'This moves is mostly avoided nowadays and
12...Rb8 is preferred, and in this game Giri
s h o w s w h y . '
13.a4
bxa4
14.
xa4
a5
An example of just how heavily-trodden this
line is, after 14 moves, the online database
still contains well over 5000 games.
15.
c4
b8 16.b3 h8 17.ce3
[ 17.0-0
chess.com
f5
18.exf5
xf5
19.
ce3 g6 20.d3 xd3 21.xd3
xe3 22.fxe3 xf1+ 23.xf1 xb3 24.c4
Kasimdzhanov,R (2696)-Gelfand,B (2751)
Tashkent 2012
]
17...g6 18.h4
Still completely theoretical, this
very aggressive move aims to open the h-file
one way or the other as quickly as possible. if
Black takes with
xh4
the file is opened with
19.g3
and if not, then h5 would follow.
g5
20.f4
exf4
21.gxf4
h4+
22.
f1
This move is more than a little surprising. Of
the nearly 300 games in the online database,
less than ten chose anything other than Kd2,
and the six games with Kf1 did not end well
for White. chess.com: '!'
[ 22.
d2
(chess.com) was the more
common move here, but Giri had found out
t h a t t h e t e x t m o v e p o s e s B l a c k
considerable problems.
]
22...f5 23.
a2
This is the point of Kf1 instead
of Kd2. W hile Kd2 brings the king to a safer
part of the board, Kf1 allows this rook lift with
Ra2-h2 to quickly attack the h-file. In spite of
th e p o o r t r a ck r e c o r d i n th e g a m e s , o n e
cannot argue with the consistency of this
choice, and it should be noted the engines do
not chastise it either.
fxe4
24.
ah2
g5
25.
h5
This key move in Giri's preparation is
what ensures a very difficult struggle for Black.
Shirov later noted that the more he looked at
this position, the less he liked it.
[ 25.
g2
chess.com
b7 26.xh4 gxh4
27.
xh4 g7 28.h5 e6 29.xh7+ xh7
30.
xh7+ g8 31.h8+ g7 32.8h7+
g8
33.
h8+
g7
34.
8h7+
g8
35.
h8+ g7
1/2 Radulski,J (2552)-Spasov,
V (2571) Panagyurishte 2012
]
25...
b7
26.
e2
e6
27.
h6
g8
chess.com: '?!'
[
Too passive. Black's best chance seems to
be
27...
xd5
chess.com
28.
xd5 ff7
(Shirov hadn't seen this latter move), though
after
29.
e6
White still has the upper
hand.
]
28.
g2 bf7
Diagram
[
After this the black position collapses. The
c o m p u t e r g i v e s
28...
e5
chess.com
29.fxe5 dxe5 30.
xh4 gxh4 31.h5 e8
but that doesn't look too attractive.
]
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
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1
29.
xh4! gxh4 30.f5!
The knight cannot
be taken because of Qg7 mate. chess.com:
'30.f5 also wins, due to the threat of 30.f6 and
31.Qg7+. Black cannot take on f6 because
the bishop on g8 is hanging: 30...h3 31.Rg5
and W hite wins.'
h3 31.
h4!
The threat is
the not-so-subtle Ng6 mate!
xh4 32.xg8+
xg8 33.xh4 g2+ 34.f1 h2 35.e3
g7 36.f6 h1+ 37.f2 h2+ 38.e1
h1+ 39.d2 h2+ 40.c1 e7 41.f5
hg2
[ 41...
xf5? 42.f8+ g8 43.xg8# ]
42.
xg7 xg7 43.f8+ g8 44.xg8
Unive Matches 2014
14
xg8 45.f6+ g7 46.h4
The h-pawn fall
and there is nothing to hope for, so...
1-0
12
A29
Jobava,Baadur
2717
Timman,Jan H
2601
Unive Matches 2014 (6.2)
18.10.2014
[Multi]
chess.com: '[Notes by FM Peter Boel]'
1.c4
chess.com
e5 2.
c3 f6 3.f3 c6 4.g3
c5 5.g2 d6 6.d3 h6 7.a3 a6 8.b4 a7
9.0-0 0-0 10.
e3
chess.com: '!?' chess.com:
'Job a va 's first un usu al mo ve fo r the da y,
though it had been played before by, among
others, Daniel Fridman. "A tempting move for
me," Jobava said. "The strong bishop on a7 is
t r a d e d o f f , a n d I ' m c h a n g i n g t h e p a w n
structure."'
[ 10.
b2
chess.com
d4 11.xd4 exd4
12.
d5 xd5 13.cxd5 e8 14.e1 a5
15.
c2 d7 16.ac1 axb4 17.axb4 b6
Istratescu,A (2667)-Navara,D (2708) Saint
Quentin 2014
]
10...
xe3
[
The principled move. Others have played
10...
d4
(chess.com) e.g.
11.
c1 xf3+
12.exf3
e8 13.d2 f5 14.fe1 c6
15.
xa7 xa7 16.d4 a8
Fridman,D
(2602)-Balogh, C (2632) Bastia 2013
]
11.fxe3
e6 12.h4
[ 12.
d2
chess.com
b8
13.
h4
c6
14.
f5 d5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.e4 xf5
17.
xf5 dxe4 18.af1 d4+ 19.e3 xd3
20.
xe4
xd2
21.
xd2
bd7
Mamedyarov,S (2660)-Delchev,A (2601)
Mallorca 2004
]
12...
g4
[
Jobava liked
12...
b8
(chess.com) "Then I
play
13.
d2
with a slow game."
]
13.
c1 g5
[
Jobava thought this wasn't the best move
e i t h e r . T h e a l t e r n a t i v e w a s
13...f5
(chess.com) Then White wins a pawn with
14.h3
f6 15.xf5
but Black gets some
c o u n t e r p l a y w i t h
d7
16.g4
h5
Jobava: "Now I can destroy his structure."
]
14.
xc6
bxc6
15.e4
h5
chess.com:
'According to the Georgian the queens had to
b e e x c h a n g e d . '
16.h3
f6
17.
g2
chess.com: 'Now White wants to steamroll on
the queenside with a3-a4-a5 and b4-b5. So
Timman takes action:'
d5
18.cxd5
cxd5
Diagram
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
'But the black pieces are wrongly placed for
this:'
19.
xf6!
A powerful exchange sacrifice
that throws Black's position into chaos.
gxf6
20.exd5
d7 21.e3
[
"Maybe
21.e4
(chess.com) was still better",
Jobava said. "But I wasn't sure, so I chose a
more forced line."
]
21...
g5?
[ 21...f5
was more resilient, but Black still
has trouble fighting the powerful knights.
22.
f1 f4?! 23.f3! xf3+ 24.xf3 ae8
25.gxf4
exf4
26.
d4
and White has an
edge thanks to the strong knights and many
pawn targets. Notice how Black's pawns are
broken into four islands. Ex:
e3
27.
xf4
xh3 28.e4 c8 29.b5 axb5 30.xb5
g7 31.xc7 ]
22.
c5 f5 23.xc7 ad8
[ 23...
ac8
chess.com
24.
xd7
xc3
25.
xf5 c2 26.e1
isn't a problem for
White either.
]
24.
f3 h5 25.xe5 b5 26.c4 fe8
27.
f1 d7
[ 27...
c8
(chess.com) was in Jobava's
opinion a better version, for example:
28.
f4
xe2+ 29.xe2 xe2+ 30.f2 xd3
31.
e3 e4+
with good winning chances
for White in the endgame.
]
28.
f4 xe2+ 29.xe2 xe2+ 30.f2
xd3
31.
e3
e7
chess.com: 'After the
Unive Matches 2014
15
trade with 31...Qe4+, the rook would be more
passive on d7 than on c8.'
32.
xf5
xd5+
33.
h2 d7 34.g4+
1-0