Review of FIDE World Championship Semi-Finals

By IM Yuri Drozdovskij
15.12.2001

 
The current world championship system was and is criticized by many competent but conservative-minded people. Their main argument is: the role of chance is too high, next to best grandmasters play at top stages. However, more and more people are inclined to think that the chess is still a sport, though a specific one. But a Chance has always had no small share in sport. Why is it so that nobody raved about the imperfect World Football Championship system when the French team won over Brazilians in the final while the majority of experts claimed that Brazilians are stronger? On the contrary, Khalifman, the «knock-out» chess champion heard plenty of acid remarks to his address.
 
The critics of the current system ignore its apparent merits one of which is a possibility for the young chess players to introduce themselves. Quite recently A.Grishchuk shined out and now - R.Ponomariov. Yet, it is hard to say that Ruslan's success was sensational. Lately he permanently improved his ELO rating and it is natural that the quantity should sooner or later become a quality. It is likely that this championship revealed a grandmaster with a prefix «super». Therefore, it was still more fascinating to watch Ponomariov's duel with Petr Svidler, the sophisticated top level «veteran». No least intriguing was the second pair of finalists: two top grandmasters - Anand and Ivanchuk - who have a crow to pluck from the time when they contended for the title of the best young chess player of the planet...
 
Playing White in the first game, Ivanchuk gained a minimum advantage in the French Defense and tried hard to force Anand into making a mistake but the Indian grandmaster played accurately and achieved a deserved draw.
In the other semi-final Ponomariov (Black) played the Petroff Defense and leveled the adversary's initiative quite soon, once he even attempted to play for the win, however it looked that the position remained about equal and a peaceful result was agreed in due time.
 
In the second game Anand has chosen, rather unexpectedly, the unambitious 3.Nc3 in the Sicilian - a couple of accurate moves by Ivanchuk and an obligate peace was concluded as early as at the 18th move.
The game of the other semi-final developed in a more interesting way. Ponomariov (White) did not wish, when playing the Sicilian, to choose the standard 11.Kb1 (probably, because this move is included into Svidler's repertoire for White) and sacrificed a piece. A series of accurate moves followed and the Russian grandmaster proved this sacrifice to harmless for Black, and now it was Ponomariov's turn to seek rescue.
 
In the third game Ivanchuk, being White for the second time, slightly modified the French Defense line that occurred in the first duel but could not achieve anything tangible again. The Indian exchanged several pieces in the center and after some struggle in the equal position the opponents made peace.
Playing as White in the third game, Svidler unreasonably tried in the Petroff Defense to cause weakening (by 12.Qh5 instead of the more modest 12.Qf3), however, after 12...f5 it became clear that this move just assists Black to control e4 square. Several moves later the Ukrainian grandmaster made a positional exchange sacrifice. Had Svidler grabbed the exchange (18.Bxe4), white squares would have remained helpless but he preferred 18.Bf4 that turned no better. Black developed the attack and soon made White to play an ending of two rooks against the queen and a strong and protected passed pawn where Ruslan professionally accomplished his advantage. Having won as Black, Ponomariov almost ensured getting out to the final because the task of «not losing as White» was not insurmountable.
 
The fourth game was decisive and Anand (White) applied 3.Nc3 in the Sicilian again but this time Ivanchuk declined 3...Nf6 that occurred in the second game and played 3...e5. The first surprise on the part of the Indian was a somewhat unnatural move 12.fxe3. I dare to assume that having chosen here a «normal» 12.Bxe3, Anand would never have lost this position. However, even after 12.fxe3 the game was still within equality margins - until 23.Bc3. That was the move absolutely unlike the Indian grandmaster, it does not just lead to «nowhere» but removes the bishop from the place where it controlled the important f4 square - Black's active counterplay could have been achieved only by a breakthrough f5-f4... Having used two tempos that his adversary lost, Ivanchuk relocated his forces on the kingside where he developed a strong attack thereby forcing the shift to the winning pawn ending.
Ponomariov as White could satisfy himself with a draw in the fourth game, so he selected a modest but reliable variation with 3.c3 in the Sicilian where he was confidently achieving his goal. Svidler was attempting to trouble waters by sacrificing the knight but accurate moves of the young Ukrainian assured a great advantage and Ponomariov made a draw from a position of strength.
 
Now, two Ukrainian chess players will meet in the final of the FIDE World Championship. This fact should add to the already high rating of Ukraine as a chess state and initiate a new wave of interest to chess in our country.
 
 
 
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