CORUS round 8

A decisive game coming up. If not the decisive game.
Today it is Shirov who faces Number one.
How will he fare?
He's lucky to be White in this encounter.

PELIKAN, aka SVESHNIKOV.

Great! Let's hope they feel in belligerent mood.



after:


The modern main line with 10...Bg7

13.c4 puts pressure on =b5=, which is nice, but at the same time weakens White on the long diagonal. This makes Black's 13...f5 an obvious reply.
White could have played 13.c3 or the more normal one 13.0-0.

Black can't defend =d5= and =f5= with pawns.
Kramnik played 13...f5 against Svidler in Tilburg in 1997, drawn in 26 moves.



They are going like a run-away train.
And I wonder if Carlsen isn't being taken for a ride again....
Maybe not, as they are still following along the line of their game in Sofia last year.
When will they deviate?



Shirov has deviated from Svidler's line and chosen the more aggressive 15.Qh5, rather than 15.Qf3, and Carlsen has gone equally forceful with 15...Rb8 (he could have chosen 15...Qb7 as in Markov - Shipkov in 1987)



23.Qh3 is throwing Junior into a tizzy.
Not that that means much. I might even be on the wrong board. Hard to keep up with these two.

Carlsen has finally departed from their previous game and played 22...Bc3 rather than 22..Be5 as in Sofia, so he had obviously prepared this game thoroughly. Not surprising, taking into account the defeat in this line at the hands of Shirov last year. I hope it pays off.
Junior much prefers Bc3 to Be5 (1.35 versus 1.65 points, so not good but less bad.)
Still a pawn down needs taking care of.



Instead of 23...Qf6, Black might have tried the exchange on =e1=, but he prefers to push ahead and take full advantage of his position.

Again on move 24 Shirov tempts him to take, and again, Carlsen refuses.
Psychology is as much part of the game as chess moves themselves.

25.Bc4 and now Carlsen has no option but to take the piece.
At least I don't think he has.

Oh yes he does!!

25...Rg8!!!!!!!

26.g3 Still tempting the exchange of Rook and Bishop.
This is a real headbanger of a game.

26...Rbe8 I can't comprehend. Has he missed 26...d3 ?

Can't stand the tension, have to get out for a quick walk in the faint winter sunshine.
Back soon.

On my return 5 moves later, the position was too volatile to pursue this game for a win and they did the sensible thing and drew by repetition.






Meanwhile Nakamura is falling apart and I can see Kramnik gain the full point.
This will mean that these will change places on the leaderboard and Kramnik and Carlsen will share second place still behind Shirov.



The play-through game between Shirov and Carlsen will be posted later.

But first the important outcome of the Kramnik vs Nakamura game.

I joined it just at the moment that Black fell to pieces and messed up a perfectly equal game. Not my fault: I never said a word.

Here is the game from the position where I came in on.