GM Gelfand (2733) – GM Morozevich (2758) [E17]
19.09.2007
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 Ne4 7.Bd2 f5 8.d5 Bf6 9.Qc2 Qe7 10.Nxe4 fxe4 11.Qxe4 Bxb2 12.Rd1 Bf6 13.0–0 Na6 14.Nd4 Nc5 15.Qe3 exd5 16.cxd5 Qxe3 17.Bxe3 0–0–0 18.Rb1 Rhe8 19.Nb5 Rxe3 20.fxe3 a6 21.Nd4 Re8 22.Nf5 d6 23.Rb4 h5 24.g4 a5 25.Rbf4 Rh8 26.gxh5 Rxh5 27.Rg4 Rh7 (White is better in this position. It is obvious because of the material advantage. However, the question how does White break through to capitalize on it. The Black Knight is on a great square. The White pawn on d5 is weak. But White is the one with chances to win.)
28.Nxg7 Rxg7 29.Bh3 Rxg4+ 30.Bxg4+ Kd8 31.Rxf6 Bxd5 32.a3 (Excellent chances for Gelfand to go to +2 and join Anand at the leaderboard. White should be winning but it is not quite over yet. He has to just be careful with the Black pawns on the Q-side. The simplest way is Rf4 to stop the pawns then march his own h pawn.)
32.. b5 33.h4 b4 34.axb4 axb4 (Still “almost” winning for White but 33.Rf4 would probably be simpler. It looks like Gelfand will join Anand at the top.)
35.Rf4 b3 36.Bf5 Bf7 37.Kf2 Ke7 38.Ke1 Kf6 39.Bd3+ Kg7 40.Kd2 Be6 41.Kc3 (This is way more complicated than it should be. Gelfand is still a lot better but…Moro is spending a lot of time on this move, more than 15 minutes so far.)
41…Bf7 42.Bc4 (If Black trades Bishops, White should be able to win. So Black should probably move the Bishop away to h5.)
42…Bxc4 43.Rxc4 Kg6 (I don’t think Morozevich can hold this. It is just a matter of technique from here.)
44.e4 (Rxc5 is a draw.)
45… Ne6 45.Kxb3 Kh5 46.e5 d5 47.Rb4 Kg6 47.Rb8 +- (It is just about over. 47…Kf5 49.h5 Kxe5 50.h6 Ng5 51.Rg8 +-)
47…Kg6 48.Rb8 Nd4+ 49.Kb2 Nf5 50.Rf8 (Now even more decisive. Black has no way of holding this. Gelfand will join Anand at the top.)
50…Morozevich finally resigned.
Sorry if I’m wrong but instead of 36…Bf7 what if 36…Be4!! 37.Bxe4 Nxe4 38.Rxe4 c5! 39.Rf4 (only move) b2 40.Rf1 c4 and 41…c3 etc 0-1!!!!
Giannis from Greece
And what would you play after 37. Rxe4?
Stefan from Germany
Nice variation but after 41. h5 white wins .. The white h-pawn is faster than the black pawns ..
Yep… stefan you’re right… nice point 🙂
It seems I rushed a little.
Giannis
Moro is one of the most overrated player! His unpredictable nature earns him undeserving respect and score. His game is more of others inferior play and inaccuracies than anything good on his part. He lost to Kramnik, was losing to Anand and today also almost lost !!
though I wish he some how draws today!
Pyada:
Moro is overrated by whom? I don’t recall any expert predicting that the tournament because his style of play that earned him many spectacular wins against players Top 20 and beyond does not work well against the top GMs. But his style is fascinating to watch, his participation assures that boredom does not occur.
Sorry, make that ” that he wins the tournament”
can’t white just take the knight and win??
This was only interesting game, make up for Topalov Veselin be cheated of the world championship by Fritz Deep and the wires in the bathroom. Bravo Moro!!!
I shouldn’t do this…ah well, I’m bored:
1. Did you forget about Grischuk-Svidler? Or do you belong to the group of brain-addled spectators who dismiss any draws as boring no matter how they happened?
2. You…know they switched personal toilet rooms after each game in Elista, right?
3. You…know they were scanned with metal detectors before they entered the are with the bathrooms, removing any chance for them to carry a receiving device, right?
Its official, 1-0.
Silken:
Anonymous forgot to mention that he saw Kramnik carrying the ladder into the bathroom to connect the little mystery device to the wires in the ceiling. As the ladder was made from wood the metal detector did not notice it. You got to love our conspiracy experts. The world would be so boring without them.
Moro really doesn’t deserve to be here. Frankly, only 4 players do.
This is the problem; someone like Moro makes idiotic aggressive moves like 0-0-0? (in a position where Black is probably slightly better after 0-0 instead, or at least easy equal) and a ridiculous exchange sac just because he is in the mood against one player and plays normal against another, and his irregular play (and Aronian, and Grishuk) is what determines a World Champion, not the play of the top players themselves.
This is why tournaments must go and match play return, games this bad have no place deciding finishers in a WC.
Thank God the idiocy is over after this and a real match will definitely happen.
Thanks, as always, for your insightful commentary, Susan. It is appreciated.