FIDE World Championship 2001: Shovunov-Ivanchuk

 
Baatr Shovunov - Vassily Ivanchuk
FIDE Wch KO Moscow RUS (1.1), 27.11.2001
Sicilian Dragon B76
Notes: Mikhail Golubev, 29.11.2001
 
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.0-0-0
9.g4 Be6 10.0-0-0 Ne5 11.h3 Qa5?!N Richagov-Ivanchuk, Novosibirsk tt 1986 (...1-0, 47).
 
9...d5
9...Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 Qc7 12.g4 Rfc8 13.h4 Qa5 14.Qg5!?N Ivanchuk-Ki.Georgiev, Tilburg rpd 1993 (...1-0, 47).

10.Nxc6
10.Qe1 e6 11.Kb1N Ivanchuk-Ki.Georgiev, Tilburg 1993 (...1/2-1/2, 19);
10.Kb1 Nxd4 11.e5 Nf5 12.exf6 Bxf6 13.Nxd5 Qxd5 14.Qxd5 Nxe3 15.Qd2 Nxd1 16.Qxd1 Be6 17.Bd3 Rfd8 (Thiel-Golubev, Senden 1996) 18.Qe1N Adams-Ivanchuk, Dortmund 1998 (...1/2-1/2, 39).
 
10...bxc6 11.exd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5!? cxd5 13.Qxd5 Qc7!

14.Qc5
14.Qxa8 Bf5 15.Qxf8+ Kxf8 is good for Black.
 
14...Qb7
The alternative is 14...Qb8:
A) 15.b3 Bf5 16.Bd3 Rc8 17.Qa5 Rc3 18.Bxf5 Rxe3 19.Be4 Qf4 with compensation, Ivanchuk-Hodgson, Amsterdam 1996 (...1-0, 28).
B) 15.Qa3 Be6 (15...Bf5 16.g4 Bxc2? 17.Rd2! +- Miles/Moskow; 15...Qc7!?, as in Rowson-Hodgson, East Kilbride 1996, was recommended in the P.Motwani's book S.T.A.R. Chess) 16.Ba6 Qe5 with some compensation, Adams-A.Fedorov, Wijk aan Zee 2001.
C) 15.c3!? ... P. de Laat - New in Chess YB/59 (NIC-Forum).
 
15.Qa3
15.b3 Bf5 16.Bd3 Rfc8 (16...Rac8!) 17.Qa5 Bxd3 18.Rxd3 Qc6 19.Qd2N (19.c4) Ivanchuk-Savchenko, Tashkent 1986 (...1-0, 47).
 
15...Bf5 16.Bd3
This idea for White became popular after the game Ivanchuk-Fedorov, Polanica Zdroj 2000.
(16.Ba6 Qc7 17.Qc5 Qb6 18.Qxb6 axb6 19.Bc4 Rfc8 20.Bb3 Rxa2! 21.Rd8+! Rxd8 22.Bxa2 = Ravinsky-Beilin, Leningrad 1955).

16...Rab8
Another possibility is 16...Rfb8 17.b3 (17.c3 e6!?) 17...a5 (proposed by Mikenas) 18.Bxf5 gxf5, and here White tried 19.Qc5, 19.Qa4, 19.Bd4, 19.Rhe1 and 19.Rd3!?.
 
17.b3

17...Rfc8
The alternatives are:
A) 17...Rbc8 18.Bxf5 gxf5 19.Rd3!N Qc6 20.c4 Qf6 21.Rhd1! Rc6 (21...a5 22.f4 a4 23.Bd4 Qh6 24.Bxg7 Qxf4+ 25.Kb1 Kxg7 26.Qxe7 +- or 21...Qa1+ 22.Kc2 Qe5 23.g3 - Ivanchuk, Chess Informant 79) 22.Bd4 e5 23.Bc3 Ra6 24.Qb2 Qh6+ 25.Kb1 Qxh2 26.Rd8 +/- Ivanchuk-A.Fedorov, Polanica Zdroj (2nd Round) 2000 (...1-0, 39).
B) 17...Qc6!? 18.Bxf5 (18.Qc5 Qf6 19.Bxf5 Qb2+ - 18.Bxf5; 18.Kd2!?)

18...Qc3!N M.Golubev, New in Chess YB/60 (18...gxf5? +/-) 19.Bd3 (19.Qc5!? Qb2+ 20.Kd2 gxf5 with compensation - KOramboll-Golubev, blitz www.KasparovChess.com 2001) 19...Rbc8 (or first 19...Rfd8) with serious threats: 20.Rhf1 (20.Bf2?! Rfd8 21.Be1 Qa1+ 22.Kd2 Rxd3+ 23.cxd3 Bh6+ 24.Ke2 Rc2+ 25.Bd2 Rxd2+ 26.Rxd2 Qxh1 -+) 20...Rfd8, etc.
C) 17...Qd5 (Tako-R.Horvath, Balatonlelle 2001) is a fresh idea.
D) 17...Bxd3 18.Rxd3 Rfc8 looks dubious.
 
18.Bxf5
18.Qxa7? Qb5!! -+ (Schneider/Sapi).
 
18...gxf5

19.Qa5
19.Bd4 Qc7 20.Qb2 e5 with compensation, Tverskaya-Laesson, Moscow OL wom 1994.
More critical is 19.Rd3 and then:
A) 19...Qc6 20.c4
A1) 20...f4 21.Bxf4 Qf6 22.Bxb8 Qa1+ 23.Kc2 Qxh1 24.Bf4 Qxg2+ 25.Bd2 +/- Giaccio-A.Hoffman, Buenos Aires 2001.
A2) 20...Qf6 21.Kc2!? (21.Rhd1) 21...f4 22.Bc1 Qg6 23.Rhd1 +/- A.Vajda-Radu, Bucharest 2001.
A3) 20...Qg6 21.Rhd1 (21.f4 Qxg2 22.Rg1 Qe2 23.Rc3 Kh8 24.Rxg7 Rxc4! Zakharstov-Timofeev, Russian Ch Elista 2001 25.Rxh7+! Kxh7 26.Rxc4 Qxe3+ 27.Kb1 = Zakhartsov; unclear is 21.Rd2, Rogozenko) 21...Qxg2 22.Bd4 with a good chances for White, G.Pinter-Kanovsky, TCh-Europe Boys U18 2001.
B) 19...Qc7 20.c4 Rb5!? (20...Qe5 21.Rhd1! +/- De Laat-Van der Cruijsen, Nederland tt 2001; 20...a5 21.Rhd1 Ra8 22.Rd7 Qe5 23.Bd4 Qf4+ 24.Kb1 Bf8 25.Qc1 Qxc1+ 26.Kxc1 +- Movsesian-A.Fedorov, Polanica Zdroj (4th Round) 2000 ...1-0, 56) 21.Rhd1? Ra5! 22.Rd7 Qe5! 23.Rd8+ Bf8 24.Qxa5 Qxa5 25.Rxc8 Qc3+ 26.Kb1 Qxe3 -+ Srebrnic-Velickovic, Bled 2001.
 
19...Qc6 20.c4 Qe6

21.Rd3!N
21.Rhe1 Rxc4+ 22.Kb1 Rcc8 =/+ Einarsson-Angantysson, Reykjavik 1984.
 
21...Rxc4+ 22.Kb1 h5!
22...Rcc8 23.Rhd1!.
 
23.Rd8+?!
Safer for White is 23.Rhd1 Rcb4 24.Rd8+ Kh7 25.Rxb8 Rxb8 26.Rd3 Qg6 27.f4 =.
 
23...Rxd8 24.Qxd8+ Kh7 25.bxc4 Qxe3

As far as I can see, Black has very good compensation.
 
26.Rd1
26.Rc1!?.
 
26...e6
«Sometimes Ivanchuk produces the kind of moves that are very hard to find, understand and estimate ...» - M.G., Chess Today-328 (1.10.2001).
Why not 26...Qe5 or 26...Qc3 (?).
 
27.Qd3 Qb6+ 28.Qb3
It seems that now White has good chances.
1/2-1/2

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...
wcc2001.fide.com
Shovunov,B (2348) - Ivanchuk,V (2731) [B53]
2001/2002 World Chess Cha Moscow (1), 27.11.2001
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 [] 01:30:30 2...d6 [] 01:30:49 3.d4 [] 01:29:02 3...Nf6 [] 01:30:18 4.Nc3 [] 01:29:24 4...cxd4 [] 01:30:43 5.Nxd4 [] 01:29:50 5...g6 [] 01:30:35 6.Be3 [] 01:23:29 6...Bg7 [] 01:30:48 7.f3 [] 01:23:47 7...0-0 [] 01:31:13 8.Qd2 [] 01:24:14 8...Nc6 [] 01:31:37 9.0-0-0 [] 01:22:08 9...d5 [] 01:32:03 10.Nxc6 [] 01:16:58 10...bxc6 [] 01:32:30 11.exd5 [] 01:17:23 11...Nxd5 [] 01:32:16 12.Nxd5 [] 01:15:17 12...cxd5 [] 01:32:40 13.Qxd5 [] 01:14:29 13...Qc7 [] 01:33:02 14.Qc5 [] 01:13:21 14...Qb7 [] 01:33:25 15.Qa3 [] 01:03:14 15...Bf5 [] 01:32:40 16.Bd3 [] 01:01:33 16...Rab8 [] 01:24:19 17.b3 [] 00:59:07 17...Rfc8 [] 01:23:43 18.Bxf5 [] 00:45:22 18...gxf5 [] 01:23:56 19.Qa5 [] 00:36:47 19...Qc6 [] 01:17:35 20.c4 [] 00:33:55 20...Qe6 [] 01:14:48 21.Rd3 [] 00:27:33 21...Rxc4+ [] 01:12:25 22.Kb1 [] 00:27:33 22...h5 [] 00:57:04 23.Rd8+ [] 00:19:34 23...Rxd8 [] 00:56:43 24.Qxd8+ [] 00:19:59 24...Kh7 [] 00:57:08 25.bxc4 [] 00:19:08 25...Qxe3 [] 00:56:10 26.Rd1 [] 00:11:28 26...e6 [] 00:40:25 27.Qd3 [] 00:06:43 27...Qb6+ [] 00:39:43 28.Qb3 [] 1/2-1/2