MOSCOW EVENT HONORS TAL
By David R. Sands
Washington Times, DC
Nov 18 2006
In a tournament honoring the great Soviet world champion Mikhail Tal,
two of Tal’s foremost modern disciples did not exactly shine.
Spanish GM Alexei Shirov and Russian GM Alexander Morozevich finished
at the bottom of the cross table in the Category 20 (average rating:
2727) tournament, which wrapped up Thursday in Moscow. That is ironic,
as Shirov and Morozevich are among the most tactically imaginative and
adventurous players on the elite scene, as was Tal, who died in 1992
at age 55. Those qualities made him one of the most popular players
of all time.
Shirov, who was born in Latvia, even studied under the Wizard of Riga
as a junior star in the 1980s.
Hungary’s Peter Leko, Ukrainian Ruslan Ponomariov and Levon Aronian
of Armenia shared top honors in the 10-player round-robin event,
one of the strongest of the year, all finishing at 51/2-31/2.
Aronian took a full point from both Morozevich and Shirov in Moscow,
with both games doing full honor to the fighting spirit of the
tournament honoree. In both cases, Aronian benefited when his opponent
pushed for more than the position had to offer.
Against Morozevich in the very first round, Aronian found himself
under pressure in a Queen’s Gambit after Black launched a promising
piece sacrifice. However, cool defense and a missed opportunity by
Morozevich allowed the Armenian to turn the tables.
With White’s major pieces clustered on the other flank, Black plays
for a king-side mate with 23. Qc2 Nxg2!? 24. Kxg2 (interesting was
24. Nxe4 Nxe4 25. Qxe4 Bxh3 26. Bd3! g6 27. Rg1, but Aronian picks
up the gauntlet thrown down by Black) h4 25. Bxf7+! (clearing the
c-file for the rook and exposing the Black king as 25…Rxf7?
loses to 26. Rxc8+ Rxc8 27. Qxc8+ Rf8 [Kh7 28. Qf5+] 28. Qxf8+! Kxf8
29. Ne6+) Kxf7 26. Rc5!.
Black again offers a piece to keep his attack alive, but a nice finesse
solidifies the White defenses and hands the initiative back to Aronian:
26…Bxh3+! 27. Kxh3 Qg4+ 28. Kg2 hxg3? (English IM Malcolm Pein
recommended trading rooks first with 28…Rfc8! 29. Rc1 [Rc7+ Kg6 is
fine] Rxc5 30. Qxc5 hxg3 31. Qc7+ Kg8 32. Qxg3, with rough equality,
as White’s next move defangs the Black attack) 29.
f3! exf3+ 30. Nxf3, and Black’s g-pawn is his own worst enemy, as it
blocks the lines to the White king.
The open h-file also forces Black to take extraordinary pains not
to be mated, a key reason Morozevich should have traded a pair of
rooks when he had the chance. The pressure finally forces Black’s
own defenses to falter: 34. Rh4 Nh5 35. Rd5 Rf5 36. e4! (a highly
annoying move that knocks the props out of Black’s alignment) Nf4+
37. Kxg3 Rh4 38. Rxf4, and Black is losing a piece.
White efficiently snuffs out any hopes of counterplay along the h-file
with the killing 39. Kg4 (it was not too late to lose with 39.
Kf2?? Rh2+! 40. Nxh2 Qxh2+, picking off the queen) Re8 40. Rdf5
Rg8 41. Qxg8+! Qxg8 (Kxg8 42. Rf8 mate) 42. Rf8, and Black resigns,
as the ending is hopeless.
Three rounds later, Shirov and Aronian went at it hammer and
tongs in a Ruy Lopez Marshall, perhaps the most richly analyzed and
intricate opening variation in chess. We will not commit journalistic
malpractice by trying to evaluate who wins the theoretical battle
here, but White’s thematic exchange sacrifice on Move 19 appears to
give him perhaps a slight endgame edge by 42. f4 Rbg8 43. Bd6 Ke6,
today’s diagrammed position.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
