Position after 18…Bh6
GM Gelfand – GM Kamsky [D94]
Candidate’s Match – Game 4, 10.06.2007
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 a6 5.e3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0–0 0–0 8.a4 Be6 9.Ng5 Bc8 10.Qb3 b6 11.Bd2 e6 12.Nf3 Nbd7 13.cxd5 exd5 14.a5 b5 15.Rfd1 Re8 16.Rac1 Bf8 17.Na2 Bb7 18.Bb4 Bh6 +/- (Black is not doing so good. The c6 pawn is very weak and the c5 square is also a problem. Black has not much of a counter play right now.)
19.Rc2 Ne4 20.Nc1 Re6 21.Nd3 Qf6 22.Nfe5 Nxe5 23.dxe5 Rxe5 (Gata has no choice but to make this sacrifice. Otherwise, his position is too passive.)
24.Nxe5 Qxe5 (White is still better but Black can breathe a little easier now)
25.Bf3 Re8 26.Bxe4 Qxe4 27.Bc5 (Black’s best hope is a draw and that is hard to do.)
27…Bg5 28.Qd3 Qe6 29.Bd4 Be7 30.Rdc1 h5 31.Qd2 Bd6 32.b4 f6 33.Qd3 Kf7 34.Bc5 Bb8 35.f3 (White cannot win unless he’s willing to open up the position with e4 at some points. The key problem for Black is the pawn on c6. It ties up his Bishop on b7)
35…Bc8 36.Re2 h4 37.Qc3 (The interesting move here is Qe5 exchanging Queens. There is a good chance Gata can draw this Queenless position. Gelfand is in time pressure. Therefore, he seems to be making “safe” moves and I think that opens up the door for Gata to hold.)
37…h3 38.g3 Bd7 39.Rce1 g5 40.e4 dxe4 41.Rxe4 +/- Qa2 42.R1e2 Qb1+ 43.Re1 Qa2 44.R1e2 Qb1+ 45.Qe1 (45…Qxe1+ 46.Rxe1 Be6 is a possibility. Black has to work hard to draw.)
45…Qxe1+ 46.Rxe1 Be6 47.Kf2 f5 48.R4e2 Bc7 49.Rd2 (Still hard but Gata does have chances to draw.)
49…Rd8 50.Rxd8 Bxd8 51.Rd1 Bd5 52.f4 g4 53.Ke3 Bf6 += 53.Re1 Be4 (The position is locked up. White cannot break through. Gata should be able to hold this.)
Hi Susan,
Do you know why this game began later than the 3 others matches ?
Thank you
Phil and Shogi from Paris
Webmaster of Chess & Strategy
http://phildornbusch.blogspot.com/
Hard to believe Kamsky can save this.
we’ll have to reconsider how great kamsky can play middle games i guess… (or maybe the mistakes come from the openings already?)
I think 42. Re7+ is winning
Interesting. 46 …Rxe4 seems necessary. Then 47 fxe4? Be5 seems to hold, while 47 Rxe4 Be6 is difficult for Black. But 48 Rd4 (what else?) Bc7 maybe. A little hard to make progress, so Gata has one of those tough survival acts for which he is typecast. Gelfand is a hard worker, but a lazier player would accept a draw.
Anonymous Frank
Aha. Sooner with 46 Be6. Yes. Looks tough for Gelfand to win.
Anonymous Frank
Go Viktor GO!
I think 42. Re7+ was winning and now it is a dead draw. 40. Qd3 would also be a professional move
Bareev-Leko is very interesting. After 47 …Rc1, Leko is looking good. Good enough to win? That is the question.
Anonymous Frank
In the Kamsky game, 42Re7+ looks appealing but after Rxe7 43Rxe7+ Kg6, then what?
Anonymous Frank
The Shirov-Aronian game is interesting. Shirov permitted his R to be trapped after a long think. Brilliant or flawed? Looks like a bizarre way of attacking the b-pawn!? After 50…Re4, seems like 51gxf5+ when …Kxf5? 52 Rh5+ winning the g-pawn, so 51…exf5 52 Kf2, but then what? How to extricate the R?
Anonymous Frank
Don’t quite understand Shirov’s 51Kg2. Must be he didn’t have a good answer after 51 gxf5 exf5. But now 51…Rxf4 seems fine for Aronian and he might even have chances to play for a win. Is Shirov trying too hard? The R manouvre that got it trapped looked a little suspect.
Anonymous Frank