[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Smyslov, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The first VAM tournament was played at the town hall of Hoogeveen from 11
until 17 x 1997. Principle organiser was the major Sytze Faber. Chess players
participated in various groups. We will only follow the crown group.   Each
year four persons took part in the crown group: a former world champion, the
best female of the world, the strongest Dutch player and the youth world
champion. This formula became less strict later.   Double rounds were carried
out by Smyslov, Judit Polgar, Timman and Sutovsky in 1997. They used glass
chess pieces.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Be7 6. dxe5 O-O
7. Qd5 Nc5 8. Be3 a6 9. Bxc5 axb5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nc3 b4 12. Nb5 Ra5 13. a4
b6 14. Rfe1 Ba6 15. Rad1 Nb8 16. b3 Re8 17. Qd2 Bxb5 18. axb5 Rxb5 19. Re4 h6
20. Rg4 Qe6 21. h3 Nc6 22. Qxd7 Qxd7 23. Rxd7 Rc5 24. Rf4 Re7 25. Rxe7 Nxe7 26.
Rxb4 Rxc2 27. Rd4 Nc6 28. Rd7 Rc5 29. Kf1 Nxe5 30. Nxe5 Rxe5 31. Rxc7 g6 32. g3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.11"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Kh1 Qc7 10. g4 Be6 11. g5 Nfd7 12. Nd5 $5 Bxd5 13. exd5 Nc5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 13... Nb6 14. a4 a5) 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Be3 Qc7 16. a3 Nd7 17. c4
$1 {White controls more territory.} a5 18. b4 Rfc8 $5 19. Bg4 Rd8 $5 20. Qb3
Ra6 $5 21. Rfc1 axb4 22. axb4 Rda8 $2 ({Better is} 22... Rxa1 23. Rxa1 g6) 23.
Rxa6 Rxa6 24. c5 $1 {White breaks through.} Ra8 ({The pointe is} 24... dxc5 25.
bxc5 Nxc5 26. Bxc5 Bxc5 27. Qb5 {and White wins (Sutovsky).}) 25. Qc4 Nf8 26.
Qb5 Bd8 27. Qe8 Rb8 28. Qa4 h6 29. h4 hxg5 30. hxg5 Qe7 31. Qa7 Bc7 32. c6 $1
b5 33. Bf5 g6 34. Bh3 Nh7 35. Bd7 Qd8 36. Ra1 Kg7 37. f4 $1 exf4 38. Qd4+ $1
Kg8 39. Qxf4 Ra8 40. Re1 Nf8 41. Bd4 $1 Nxd7 42. cxd7 Qxd7 43. Qh4 {
The young man attacked forcefully.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B47"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. g3 a6 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O
Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 10. Bf4 d6 11. Qd2 h6 12. Rad1 e5 13. Be3 Ke7 {
This line favours White.} 14. Bxc5 Qxc5 15. Na4 Qc6 16. f4 a5 17. Qd3 Ra6 $2 {
Black plays a poor novelty.} ({Theory is} 17... b5 18. Nc3 Be6) 18. fxe5 dxe5
19. Qa3+ Ke8 20. Rf3 $1 b5 ({The pointe is} 20... Qxc2 $2 21. Nc3 $1) 21. Rc3
$1 Qb7 22. Qc5 $1 Bd7 23. Qxe5+ Re6 24. Qd4 $1 bxa4 $5 25. e5 $1 {
White regains the piece.} Qb6 26. exf6 gxf6 27. Bh3 Qxd4+ ({Or} 27... Re1+ $2
28. Rxe1+ {and White delivers check.}) 28. Rxd4 Ke7 29. Rc7 Rd8 30. Bxe6 fxe6
31. c4 e5 32. Rd2 {Sutovsky had won two games in a row.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Smyslov, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8.
g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 f6 12. O-O Be6 {
This position has a notorious reputation since the 1930's.} 13. Nxe5 fxe5 14.
Be3 Bc5 15. Qc1 O-O 16. Rd1 $5 (16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. Qe3 {
happened in Bogoljubow - Araiza, San Remo 1930).}) 16... Bxe3 $5 17. Qxe3 a5 $6
({Preferable is} 17... Nf6) 18. Ne4 Kh8 $5 19. Rac1 Rad8 $6 ({Better is} 19...
Nf6 20. Nxf6 gxf6 {(Van Wely).}) 20. Nd6 $1 Nf6 21. Qxe5 Bb3 $5 22. Rd3 $1 Ng4
({Or} 22... Bxa4 23. Qe6 Bb3 24. Qxb3 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Qxd6 26. Qxb7) 23. Qd4 Nxf2
{He regains the pawn at a price.} 24. Rxb3 Rxd6 25. Rxb7 $1 Rxd4 26. Rxc7 {
Black reaches a hopeless endgame.} Ne4 27. R7xc6 Rxa4 28. R6c4 Rxc4 29. Rxc4
Nd2 30. Ra4 Rb8 31. Rxa5 Nc4 32. Ra4 Nxb2 33. Rd4 g6 34. Kf2 Rc8 35. Bd5 Rc1
36. Bb3 Rc3 37. Rb4 Rc7 38. Ke1 Kg7 39. Kd2 Kf6 40. Bd5 {
Van Wely gains a knight.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B71"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 Nc6 7. Be2 g6 8. O-O
Bg7 9. Nb3 b6 10. Be3 O-O 11. f4 Bb7 12. Bf3 Nd7 13. Qe1 Na5 $5 14. Nxa5 bxa5
15. Rd1 Qc7 $1 16. h4 $5 Rab8 ({The alternative is} 16... Rac8 $1 17. h5 Nb6)
17. h5 Ba8 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. e5 $1 {Both sides attack.} Bxf3 20. Rxf3 Rfe8 21.
Qh4 $5 {Judit accepts a great risk.} Rxb2 22. Nd5 Qxc2 23. Rd2 Rb1+ (23... Qxa4
24. Nxe7+ Kf8 $1 25. Rxb2 Qa1+ 26. Rf1 Qxb2 27. f5 Rxe7 28. f6 Rxe5 (28... Nxf6
{(Van Wely)} 29. Bd4 $1 {favours White}) 29. fxg7+ Kxg7 30. Bh6+ Kg8 31. Qd8+
Kh7 32. Rxf7+ Kxh6 33. Qh4+ Rh5 34. Qf4+ Rg5 35. Qh4+ {brings perpetual check.}
) 24. Kh2 Qc1 25. Nxe7+ Kf8 26. Nxg6+ $1 fxg6 27. Rxd6 Qh1+ 28. Kg3 Qxh4+ 29.
Kxh4 Re7 30. Rxg6 Kf7 31. Rxa6 Rb4 $1 32. g4 Rxa4 {
A forced line has led to an equal endgame.} 33. Bd2 Kg8 34. Rxa5 Rxa5 35. Bxa5
Nxe5 $5 36. fxe5 Rxe5 37. Bd2 Rd5 38. Bg5 Kh7 39. Rb3 Bd4 40. Bf4 Kg6 41. Kh3
Ra5 42. Kg2 Bc5 43. Bc1 Ra6 44. Rb5 Rc6 45. Kf3 Be7 46. Bf4 Bf6 47. Rh5 Rc3+
48. Ke2 Rc4 49. Kf3 {A great fight ended quietly.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.13"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Smyslov, Vassily"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. e3 d6 6. c3 h6 7. Bh4 Nh5 8. Be2
g5 9. Bg3 f5 10. Ng1 Nxg3 11. hxg3 e6 12. f4 b6 13. Ngf3 g4 14. Nh4 d5 15. Ng6
Rf7 16. Ne5 {Sutovsky led after one cycle.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Smyslov, Vassily"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D03"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 d5 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 b6 8. O-O
Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qe2 Bg7 $5 11. Rad1 Nd7 12. Rfe1 c4 13. Bc2 f5 $6 (13...
b5 $1 {advances on the queenside.}) 14. Ng5 $1 Rf6 15. f4 $5 b5 16. g4 e6 17.
Qg2 Qe7 18. Ndf3 h6 19. Nh3 a5 $6 (19... Rff8 20. Ne5 Nxe5 21. fxe5 g5 {
guards the kingside.}) 20. Ne5 $1 g5 $6 {The kingside should remain closed.} ({
Preferable is} 20... Qe8 $1 21. g5 Rf8 22. gxh6 Bxh6) 21. gxf5 Nxe5 $5 (21...
exf5 22. fxg5 hxg5 23. Nxd7 Qxd7 24. Qxg5 {costs a pawn (Hansen).}) 22. dxe5
Rxf5 23. Bxf5 exf5 24. fxg5 d4 $5 25. e4 dxc3 26. bxc3 $2 (26. gxh6 cxb2 27.
Qg6 $1 Bxe4 28. Ng5 {wins for White.}) 26... hxg5 $2 ({Right is} 26... Bxe5)
27. Nxg5 b4 28. e6 Bc6 29. Nf7 $5 Qf6 30. Rd6 $2 Qxc3 $2 31. Red1 $2 (31. Nh6+
$1 Kh7 32. Qf2 Bxh6 33. Rxc6 {still wins.}) 31... Bxe4 32. Rd8+ Rxd8 33. Rxd8+
Kh7 34. Ng5+ Kh6 35. Nf7+ {Polgar escaped from a lost position.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.15"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Nc6 6. O-O Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8.
Qb3 Qd7 9. Qxb7 Rb8 10. Qa6 Nf6 11. Nbd2 Bb4 12. Nc4 O-O 13. a3 Bc5 14. b4 Nxe4
$1 {Sutovsky delivers a fine novelty.} 15. Re1 ({The pointe is} 15. bxc5 Rxf3
$1 16. Na5 (16. gxf3 $2 Nxc5 $1) 16... Nxa5 17. gxf3 Nb3 18. fxe4 Nxa1 19. Qxa7
Rf8) 15... Qd5 16. Rxe4 Qxe4 17. Ncd2 Qd5 18. bxc5 Qxc5 19. Qc4 $5 Qxc4 20.
Nxc4 Rf5 $1 21. Kf1 Rc5 22. Nfd2 d3 23. f3 $1 {
White consolidates his hard position.} Nd4 24. Kf2 Rbb5 25. f4 a5 $1 26. a4 Rb4
27. Ne5 Rc3 28. Ba3 Rxa4 29. Bb2 Rxa1 30. Bxc3 Ra2 31. Nec4 Nb3 32. Ke3 Nxd2
33. Nxd2 h5 34. Kxd3 {He has conquered an important pawn.} Kh7 35. g3 a4 36. h3
Kh6 37. Be5 Ra3+ 38. Bc3 Ra2 39. Be5 c6 40. Bc3 g6 41. h4 Kh7 42. Kc4 Kg8 43.
Kb4 Rc2 44. Ne4 Re2 45. Nd6 Re3 46. Bf6 Rxg3 47. Nc4 $5 a3 48. Nxa3 c5+ 49. Ka4
Kf7 50. Bd8 $5 Ke8 51. Bf6 Rg4 52. Kb5 $1 Rxf4 53. Bg5 Rf5 54. Nc4 Kd7 55. Be3
e5 56. Kxc5 Ke6 57. Nd2 Rf8 58. Kc4 Rd8 $1 59. Ne4 Kf5 60. Nf2 $1 e4 61. Kc3
Ke5 62. Kc2 Ra8 63. Kd1 Ra1+ 64. Ke2 Kd5 65. Kd2 Ra2+ 66. Ke1 Ra8 67. Ke2 Rf8
68. Bh6 {Van Wely defended well.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.16"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Black "Smyslov, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C60"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. d4 exd4 5. Bg5 Be7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. O-O Qc5 8.
Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nxd4 Nf6 10. Nb3 Qd6 11. Nc3 Be6 12. Qe2 Nd7 13. Rad1 Qe7 14. Qe3
Bxb3 15. axb3 a6 16. Rd2 O-O-O 17. Rfd1 Nb6 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Rxd8+ Kxd8 20.
Qd4+ Qd6 21. Qh8+ Ke7 22. g3 Qd2 23. Qe5+ Kd8 24. Qf6+ Ke8 25. Qh8+ Ke7 26.
Qxh7 Qxc2 27. Qh4+ Kd7 28. Qg4+ Ke8 29. Qf4 Qxb2 30. Qe5+ Kd7 31. Qd4+ Ke8 32.
Qh8+ Kd7 33. Qd4+ Ke8 34. b4 Qb3 35. h4 Qc4 36. Qh8+ Kd7 37. g4 Qe6 38. f3 Qd6
39. Ne2 Qxb4 40. Kf2 Qc5+ 41. Kg3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.16"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A35"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. d4 d5 5. dxc5 e6 6. a3 Bxc5 7. b4 Bd6 8. Nf3
O-O 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nb5 Bb8 11. Bb2 $5 a5 $1 12. bxa5 $2 ({Correct is} 12. Be2
) 12... Ne4 13. Be2 Qxa5+ 14. Kf1 {White experiences positional problems.} Rd8
15. h3 Qb6 16. g3 Re8 17. Qe1 ({She had planned} 17. Qxd5 Bxg3 $1) 17... Na5
18. Bd4 Qg6 19. Kg2 Nc4 {Black has the initiative.} 20. Nh4 Qc6 21. a4 Ra6 22.
Bg4 f5 $5 {Judit delivers a positional sacrifice.} 23. Bxf5 $6 (23. Nxf5 $1
Bxf5 24. Bxf5 Nxg3 25. fxg3 Nxe3+ 26. Bxe3 d4+ 27. Kh2 Rxe3 28. Nxd4 Rxe1 29.
Nxc6 {defends well (Polgar).}) 23... Rf8 24. Bxc8 $2 (24. Bxe4 dxe4 25. Qb4 {
delivers more resistance.}) 24... Qxc8 25. Ra2 Rh6 26. Qd1 g5 27. Nf3 g4 $1 28.
hxg4 $5 Rxh1 29. Qxh1 Qxg4 30. Nh2 Rxf2+ {Judit attacked forcefully.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.17"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Be2 h5 11. Bxg4 Bxg4 12. f3 Bd7 13. Bf2 Nc6 14. O-O e6 15.
Nce2 Ne5 16. Qd2 b5 $5 17. b3 Ng6 (17... g4 $6 18. f4 $1 {favours White.}) 18.
Rad1 Rc8 $5 19. c3 $1 Be5 $6 ({More prudent is} 19... Bf6 20. Nc2 Be7) 20. Nc2
Nf4 $5 21. Nxf4 gxf4 22. Bd4 a5 $5 23. Ne1 {White has an edge.} Qf6 24. Bxe5
Qxe5 25. Nd3 Qxc3 26. Qxf4 Qd4+ 27. Nf2 Qe5 28. Qd2 Ke7 29. Qxa5 {
The white pressure has led to the gain of a pawn.} Rc2 30. Rd2 $6 (30. Nd3 $1
Rg8 $1 {(Sutovsky)} 31. Rf2 $1 Qd4 32. Kf1 {achieves an advantage.}) 30... Ra8
$1 {Black equalises in a bright way.} 31. Qxa8 Rxd2 32. b4 Qd4 33. Qg8 e5 34.
Qg5+ Ke8 35. Qg8+ Ke7 36. Qg5+ {White delivers a perpetual check. Sutovsky had
won the event and gained f 10,000.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 1"]
[Date "1997.10.17"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Smyslov, Vassily"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B73"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1997.10.11"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Be2 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8.
Be3 O-O 9. Kh1 Bd7 10. Nb3 Na5 11. f4 Bc6 $5 ({Known is} 11... Nxb3 12. axb3
Bc6) 12. Qd3 Nd7 13. Bf3 b6 $6 ({Preferable is} 13... Nxb3 14. axb3 Qc7 $1) 14.
Nxa5 bxa5 15. Rad1 Nb6 $6 ({Better is} 15... Rb8) 16. b3 $1 Rc8 17. Ne2 a4 18.
Bd4 Bxd4 19. Nxd4 Bb7 20. c4 $6 (20. e5 $1 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 {favours White.})
20... a5 21. e5 $5 {The advance comes too late.} Bxf3 22. Qxf3 axb3 23. axb3 a4
$1 24. Qb7 $5 axb3 25. Nc6 $6 (25. c5 $1 Nc4 26. cxd6 exd6 27. Qxb3 {
is alright.}) 25... Qc7 $1 26. Nxe7+ Kg7 27. Qxc7 $6 (27. Qa6 Rcd8 28. exd6
Rxd6 29. Rxd6 Qxd6 30. Nd5 Rb8 31. Qa1+ {offers more resistance.}) 27... Rxc7
28. Nd5 Nxd5 29. cxd5 b2 30. Rb1 Rc2 31. Kg1 Rfc8 $5 32. exd6 $1 Kf6 33. d7 $1
Rb8 34. Rfe1 Rd8 35. Kf1 Rxd7 36. Re2 Rc1+ 37. Re1 Rxb1 38. Rxb1 Rb7 $1 {
Black wins the rook ending.} 39. Ke2 Rb5 40. Ke3 Ke7 $1 41. Kd3 Kd6 42. Kc2
Kxd5 43. Rd1+ Ke4 44. Kb1 Rb7 45. Rf1 f5 46. Rf3 Rd7 47. Rf2 Ke3 48. Rf3+ Ke2
49. Rb3 Kf1 50. Rxb2 Re7 $1 {The final standings became: Sutovsky 4/6, Polgar
and Van Wely 3, Smyslov 2. Sutovsky had won the first Hoogeveen tournament.}
0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Spassky, Boris"]
[Black "Shaked, Tal"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C19"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2490"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The second VAM tournament happened in Hoogeveen from 18 until 24 x 1998.
Participants were the former world champion Boris Spassky, the best female
Judit Polgar, the best Dutch player Jan Timman and the youth champion Tal
Shaked.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. a4
Nbc6 8. Nf3 Qa5 9. Bd2 Bd7 10. Be2 f6 11. exf6 gxf6 12. O-O c4 13. Nh4 O-O-O
14. g3 e5 $5 15. f4 exd4 $5 16. cxd4 Qc7 17. c3 Nf5 18. Ng2 $1 Na5 $1 19. Bf3
$6 ({Preferable is} 19. Ra2 Nb3 20. a5 Nxd2 21. Qxd2) 19... Nb3 20. Ra2 Qa5 21.
g4 $5 Nd6 22. f5 h5 23. Ne3 $5 hxg4 24. Bxd5 Rde8 {Black dominates the board.}
25. Bg2 Ne4 $6 (25... Nxd2 26. Qxd2 Ne4 {gains an advantage (Shaked).}) 26. Be1
Nxc3 27. Bxc3 $2 ({Better is} 27. Nxc4 $1 Nxd1 28. Bxa5) 27... Qxc3 28. Nxc4
Kb8 29. Nd6 Qe3+ 30. Rff2 $1 Qe1+ $6 {Shaked suffers from time troubles.} 31.
Rf1 Qe3+ 32. Rff2 Qe1+ $6 {Spassky escaped in a difficult game.} (32... Qxd4
33. Qxd4 Re1+ $1 34. Rf1 Rxf1+ 35. Kxf1 Nxd4 {leads to a black advantage.})
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Bg5 c5 6. d5 d6 7. Rc1 exd5 8. cxd5
Nbd7 9. e3 h6 10. Bh4 Qa5 11. Nd2 $5 (11. Bd3 $6 Qxa2 12. O-O {
favoured Black in Golz - Taimanov, Dresden 1959.}) 11... b5 $1 12. Be2 Bb7 13.
e4 Rae8 14. f3 Nh5 $5 15. O-O $5 Nf4 16. Nb3 Nxe2+ 17. Qxe2 Qa6 $1 18. Rfd1 $6
(18. Nxb5 $5 Qb6 $1 19. Kh1 f5 {brings chances for both sides.}) 18... Bxc3 $1
19. bxc3 f5 20. Nd2 Qa4 $6 (20... Bxd5 $1 21. a4 fxe4 22. axb5 Qa2 {
achieves an advantage.}) 21. c4 Ba6 22. Bg3 $2 ({Better is} 22. Qe3 f4 23. Qb3)
22... f4 $1 23. Be1 Ne5 {Black dominates the board.} 24. Rc3 Rb8 25. Ra1 bxc4
26. Nb1 Nd3 27. Na3 Rb2 28. Qd1 Qxd1 29. Rxd1 Rfb8 30. Nxc4 Bxc4 31. Rxc4 Nxe1
32. Rxe1 Rxa2 {Polgar wins the double rook endgame easily.} 33. g3 fxg3 34.
hxg3 Rb3 35. e5 dxe5 36. Rd1 Rxf3 $1 37. d6 Rxg3+ 38. Kh1 Rgg2 39. Rcc1 ({
The pointe is} 39. d7 Rh2+ 40. Kg1 Rag2+ 41. Kf1 Rh1+ 42. Kxg2 Rxd1 {(Polgar).}
) 39... Rh2+ 40. Kg1 Rag2+ 41. Kf1 Rd2 42. Kg1 Kf7 {Judit had an ideal start.}
0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shaked, Tal"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A36"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 b6 5. e4 Rb8 $5 6. Nge2 d6 $6 7. O-O $6 (
7. d4 $1 {gains an edge.}) 7... e5 8. d3 Be7 9. h3 a6 10. a4 O-O 11. f4 Nd4 12.
g4 $5 Bb7 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. Ne2 $6 ({More active is} 14. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 15. exd5)
14... Nd7 15. b4 a5 $1 16. b5 Nc5 $1 {Black blockades the queenside.} 17. Kh1
Ne6 18. f5 $6 ({Preferable is} 18. Ng3 $1 exf4 19. Nf5) 18... Nc5 $1 {
The knight returns to the right square.} 19. Ng1 Bg5 $1 20. Ra3 $5 f6 $6 {
Black should exchange.} 21. Nf3 $6 Bxc1 22. Qxc1 Qe7 23. Rg1 Rbc8 24. Nd2 g6 $1
25. Bf3 Kh8 26. Nf1 gxf5 27. gxf5 d5 $5 {The breakthrough is wonderful.} (27...
Rg8 28. Rg4 Rcf8 {keeps a plus.}) 28. exd5 e4 $1 29. dxe4 $2 ({Correct is} 29.
Qe1 $1 e3 30. Qh4 Qe5 {and equality (Polgar).}) 29... Nxe4 30. Qh6 Ng5 $1 31.
Rxg5 $5 fxg5 32. d6 Qe2 $1 33. Bxb7 Qxf1+ 34. Kh2 Rxf5 $1 {
Black has a mate attack.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Spassky, Boris"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 d5 7. Be3 Nf6 8. e5
Nd7 9. Qd2 Bc5 10. g3 O-O 11. Bg2 Qc7 12. Nce2 Ba7 13. O-O Nc5 14. c3 Bd7 15.
Rac1 Rfd8 16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. Qe1 Be8 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Qf2 Qe7 20. b4 Ne4 21.
Bxe4 Bxe3 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. Qxe3 c5 24. bxc5 Rxc5 25. Nd4 Kg8 26. f5 Rc4 27.
Qf4 exf5 28. Nxf5 Qf8 29. Rd4 Bd7 30. Rxc4 dxc4 31. Nd4 Rb8 32. Rf1 Bh3 33. e6
fxe6 34. Qxf8+ Rxf8 35. Rxf8+ Kxf8 36. Nc6 Kf7 37. Ne5+ Kf6 38. Nxc4 Kf5 39.
Kf2 Ke4 40. Ke2 Bg4+ 41. Kd2 e5 42. Ne3 Be6 43. a3 Bd7 44. Ke2 Bb5+ 45. c4 Bd7
46. h4 g6 47. g4 Kd4 48. Kd2 Be8 49. Nd5 Bf7 50. Nf6 e4 51. h5 gxh5 52. gxh5
e3+ 53. Ke1 Bxh5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.21"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 exd4 14. cxd4 d5 $6
({Known is} 14... Bf8) 15. e5 $1 Ne4 16. N3d2 Nxd2 17. Bxd2 c5 18. Ne3 $1 {
White has an advantage.} g6 19. Ng4 Bf8 20. dxc5 Bxc5 $2 ({Better is} 20... Bg7
$1 21. Bh6 Bxh6 22. Nxh6+ Kg7 {and White has a plus.}) 21. Nh6+ $1 {
White charges forcefully..} Kg7 22. Qf3 f6 $1 23. e6 Nf8 24. b4 Bb6 25. e7 $6 (
{More effective is} 25. Qg4 $1 Bc8 26. Bf5 {(Polgar).}) 25... Rxe7 26. Rxe7+
Qxe7 27. Re1 Qd8 28. Ng4 $1 Nd7 (28... Bd4 29. Bh6+ Kh8 30. Qd3 Bb2 31. Bb3 {
also wins for White}) 29. Qf4 Kf7 30. Qh6 Qg8 ({Or} 30... Qh8 31. Bf5 gxf5 32.
Qh5+ Kf8 33. Bh6+ {and White has a mate attack.}) 31. Qh4 Qh8 32. Nh6+ Kf8 33.
Qg4 f5 34. Nxf5 Qf6 35. Bg5 Qc3 36. Re2 Bc7 37. Ng3 Ne5 38. Qe6 Nf7 39. Be7+
Kg8 40. Nh5 $1 gxh5 41. Bf6 {Polgar scored her third win in a row.   It rained
hard during the event. Hoogeveen was almost flooded. The arbiter Geurt Gijssen
made contact between Spassky and me. When Boris came to Margraten after the
tournament, it was still raining and he stood dripping at my door.
Nevertheless, he talked a lot about his loss against Polgar. We worked on the
book "Grand Strategy" later.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.21"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Shaked, Tal"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2490"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. c3 a6 6. Be2 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. d4
cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. Bf3 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Bc6 12. Nd2 Qc7 13. Nc4 b5 14. Qe5 O-O-O
15. Qxc7+ Kxc7 16. Ne5 Be8 17. c4 bxc4 18. Nxc4 Bb5 19. b3 Bb4 20. Bb2 f6 {
White has an edge.} 21. a3 $5 (21. Rac1 {
was played in De Gleria - Naumann, Halle 1996.}) 21... Bc5 22. Rfc1 $1 Kb8 23.
Ne5 $1 Rc8 24. a4 Be8 25. Nd3 $6 ({Preferable is} 25. Bg4 $1 Nf4 26. Rc4 h5 27.
Bf3) 25... Bd6 26. Bd4 Bg6 27. Nc5 Bxc5 28. Bxc5 Rc6 $5 29. b4 Rhc8 30. a5 Bd3
31. Re1 Rd8 32. Rad1 Bb5 33. h4 Kc8 34. Rd4 Rd7 $2 ({Better is} 34... g6) 35.
Rde4 $1 Nc7 ({The pointe is} 35... e5 36. Bg4 $1 {(Smirin).}) 36. R4e3 Nd5 37.
Rxe6 Rxe6 38. Rxe6 {White has gained a pawn.} Nf4 39. Re4 {The standings after
one cycle were: Polgar 3/3, Timman 11/2, Spassky 1, Shaked 1/2.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 6. Nf3 Bf5 7. Bc4 e6 8.
Qe2 Nd7 9. Bb3 Qc7 10. Bd2 O-O-O 11. O-O-O Nb6 12. g3 Bg7 13. Bf4 Qe7 14. Nh4
Bg6 15. Kb1 Rd7 16. Bc1 Rhd8 17. Nxg6 hxg6 18. c3 f5 19. h4 Bf6 20. Bf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Shaked, Tal"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 dxc6 7. Nc3 Be6
8. Na4 Rd8 9. Bd3 Bd4 10. O-O b5 11. Nc3 Nh6 12. a4 a6 13. Qf4 Ng4 14. Qxf6
gxf6 15. Ne2 Bb6 16. Nf4 h5 17. h3 Ne5 18. Be2 h4 19. Kh2 Bc4 20. b3 Bxe2 21.
Nxe2 Rg8 22. f3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.23"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shaked, Tal"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2490"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 Bc5 4. b4 Bf8 5. Bb2 c6 6. Ne3 f6 $5 7. Qa4 Ne7 8.
g3 $5 d5 $1 9. Bg2 $6 ({Better is} 9. c5 b5 10. cxb6 Qxb6 11. Bg2) 9... d4 10.
Nc2 Be6 11. d3 Nd7 12. e3 $2 (12. Qa5 Qxa5 13. bxa5 {
makes an important exchange.}) 12... dxe3 13. fxe3 a5 $1 {
The white position will be crushed.} 14. O-O-O Nf5 $1 15. Qb3 axb4 16. d4 b5
17. d5 Nc5 18. dxe6 Nxb3+ 19. axb3 Qb6 20. cxb5 Qxb5 21. g4 Nd6 22. Nf3 Be7 23.
Nh4 O-O 24. Bf1 Qc5 25. Nf5 Nxf5 26. gxf5 Rfd8 27. Rd7 Kf8 28. Bc4 Ra7 29. Rhd1
Ke8 30. Rxd8+ Bxd8 31. Kb1 Be7 32. h4 Ra8 33. h5 Rd8 34. Kc1 Rxd1+ 35. Kxd1 e4
36. Nd4 Qd6 37. Kc1 Qg3 38. Nxc6 Qxe3+ 39. Kb1 Qg1+ 40. Ka2 Qf2 {
Timman scored an easy win.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.23"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Spassky, Boris"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E71"]
[WhiteElo "2545"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Bg5 Na6 7. f4 Nh5 $5 {
Polgar plays a risky novelty.} ({My preference has} 7... c5 $5 8. d5 Re8) 8.
Nge2 h6 9. Bh4 f5 $6 {Opportunism continues.} ({Better is} 9... c5) 10. exf5
gxf5 11. g3 $5 Qe8 12. Bg2 e5 $1 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Qxe5 15. Qd5+ $1 Qxd5
16. Bxd5+ Kh7 17. Bf3 Nf6 18. O-O-O Nc5 19. Nf4 Nfe4 20. Be7 Re8 21. Ncd5 Be5
22. Rhe1 c6 $1 23. Bxc5 cxd5 24. Rxd5 Bxf4+ 25. gxf4 Be6 26. Re5 Bxc4 {
White has little advantage.} (26... Bxc4 27. R5xe4 $5 fxe4 28. Bxe4+ Rxe4 29.
Rxe4 Bxa2 30. Re7+ Kg6 31. Rxb7 Rc8 {leads to equality.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.24"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Shaked, Tal"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2490"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 O-O 8. Bd3
f5 9. Qh3 Qa5 10. Bd2 Nbc6 11. Nf3 Qa4 12. Rg1 c4 13. Be2 Qxc2 14. Rc1 Qb2 15.
g4 Na5 16. Bd1 Nb3 17. Rc2 Qxa3 {White has sacrificed two pawns.} 18. Bh6 $1 {
A bishop is given additionally.} (18. Ng5 $6 h6 19. Nf3 {
should have favoured Black in Velimirovic - Drasco, Niksic 1996.}) 18... Ng6 $1
({The pointe is} 18... gxh6 19. Qxh6 Ng6 20. gxf5 Rxf5 21. Nh4 Qf8 22. Nxf5
Qxf5 23. h4 Qf8 24. Rxg6+ hxg6 25. Qxg6+ {
and White delivers perpetual check (Polgar).}) 19. gxf5 Rxf5 20. Be3 Bd7 (20...
Na1 21. Rc1 Nb3 {
is going to draw in Langheinrich - Kindermann, Bundesliga 2002.}) 21. Ng5 Nf8
22. f4 $1 Na1 $5 23. Rcg2 $1 Qxc3+ 24. Kf2 g6 $2 {He makes the decisive error.}
({Right is} 24... Rxg5 $1 25. Rxg5 Qb2+ 26. Kf1 g6) 25. Nxh7 $1 Rxf4+ $1 (25...
Kf7 $5 26. Rxg6 $1 Nxg6 27. Rxg6 $1 Kxg6 28. Nf6 Rxf6 29. Qh5+ $1 {
brings a mate attack by White.}) 26. Bf3 Qc2+ ({Or} 26... Nxh7 27. Rxg6+ Kh8
28. Bxf4 Qxd4+ 29. Be3) 27. Kg3 Rxf3+ 28. Kxf3 Qe4+ 29. Kf2 {Polgar charged.} (
29. Kf2 Qc2+ 30. Kg3 Nxh7 31. Rxc2 Nxc2 32. Kf2 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 2"]
[Date "1998.10.24"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2545"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[EventDate "1998.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8.
O-O Ne7 9. Qf4 Qxf4 10. Bxf4 dxe4 11. Bxe4 Bd6 12. Bxd6 cxd6 13. Re1 Be6 14.
Nd2 Rb8 15. b3 h6 16. Nf3 c5 {The final standings became: Polgar 5/6, Timman
31/2, Spassky 21/2, Shaked 1. Judit won in an impressive way.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sadvakasov, Darmen"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2468"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The third VAM tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 17 until 23 x 1999. VAM
was a recycling company. The former world champion was Karpov, the strongest
woman Polgar, the junior Sadvakasov and the best Dutch player Timman in the
crown group.} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6
7. N1f3 Bd6 8. Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. O-O c5 13. Qh4
b6 14. Be4 Rb8 15. Rd1 c4 $5 ({The alternative is} 15... Ba6) 16. Ne5 Nf6 17.
Bf3 Bb7 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. b3 cxb3 20. cxb3 Nd5 $1 {
Karpov has equalised the game.} 21. Bf4 Qe7 22. Qg3 {
White avoids the exchange of queens.} Bxe5 $5 (22... Nxf4 23. Qxf4 {draws.})
23. Bxe5 Qg5 24. Qd3 $1 Rd7 25. Rac1 Qd8 $6 ({Better is} 25... Ke7 $5) 26. Qa6
Ne7 27. Qc4 $6 (27. Qe2 Kg8 28. h4 {keeps a plus.}) 27... Kg8 28. Bc7 $5 Qa8
29. Qa4 Qe8 30. Bb8 $5 Kh7 $1 31. Bc7 ({The pointe is} 31. Bxa7 $2 Rb7 $1)
31... Nd5 32. Be5 Qe7 33. Qc4 Qg5 34. Qd3+ Qg6 35. Qe2 $6 ({Preferable is} 35.
Qb5 Rhd8 36. h3 f6 37. Bg3) 35... Rhd8 $1 36. h4 h5 $1 37. Rd3 Qg4 $1 38. Qd2
$2 {White should accept the exchange and hope for the best.} f6 $1 39. Bg3 Ne7
$1 40. Qe3 ({The pointe is} 40. Rd1 e5 $1) 40... Rxd4 41. Rxd4 Rxd4 {
He has gained a pawn.} 42. f3 Nf5 $1 43. Qxe6 Qxg3 44. Qxf5+ Kh6 45. Qc2 Qxh4
46. Rd1 Qf4 47. Rd3 h4 {Black wins the endgame easily.} 48. Kh1 g6 49. Qc3 Rxd3
50. Qxd3 h3 51. gxh3 Qg3 52. Qd2+ Kh5 53. Qe3 Qxh3+ 54. Kg1 Qf5 55. Qe2 Qe5 56.
Qd1 Kh4 57. Kf2 Qh2+ 58. Ke3 Qe5+ 59. Kf2 f5 60. a4 Qg3+ 61. Ke3 Qe5+ 62. Kf2
Qh2+ 63. Ke3 g5 $1 64. Qd5 Qg1+ 65. Ke2 Kg3 $1 ({Notice} 65... Kg3 66. Qxf5
Qf2+ 67. Kd3 Qxf3+ {(Karpov).}) 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A33"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 e6 6. a3 Qc7 7. Ndb5 Qb8 8.
g3 a6 9. Nd4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 b5 11. e4 $5 (11. Bg2 {
happened in Tunik - Dvoirys, Moscow 1996.}) 11... e5 $5 12. Qe3 Qc7 $6 ({
Preferable is} 12... Bb7 $1 13. cxb5 axb5 14. Bxb5 Bb4 15. f3 Bxc3+ 16. bxc3
Bxe4 $1) 13. cxb5 Bc5 $5 14. Qf3 Bd4 15. Bg5 $1 {A great fight starts.} Bxc3+
16. bxc3 {White threatens Bxf6.} Nxe4 $1 17. Qxe4 $1 Bb7 ({The pointe is} 17...
Qxc3+ $1 18. Ke2 $1 Qb2+ 19. Kf3) 18. Qb4 f6 $1 {Black prevents mate.} 19. b6
Qc6 20. O-O-O $1 {White sacrifices an exchange.} Qxh1 21. Bh3 Qe4 $1 22. Qd6 $6
(22. Bxd7+ $1 Kf7 23. Qb3+ Kg6 24. Be3 Rad8 25. Rd6 {gains an edge.}) 22... Kf7
$1 {Polgar defends brilliantly.} 23. Qxd7+ Kg6 24. Be6 Rhf8 $1 25. Be3 $1 {
The critical position has been reached.} Rad8 $2 (25... Bc6 $1 26. Bd5 $5 Bxd5
27. Qxd5 Qa4 {(Timman)} 28. b7 $5 Rad8 29. Qxd8 Rxd8 30. Rxd8 Qxa3+ 31. Kc2
Qa2+ 32. Kc1 Qa1+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 26. g4 $3 {
Timman strikes in a grand manner.} Rxd7 27. Bf5+ Qxf5 28. gxf5+ Kxf5 29. Rxd7 {
White wins the endgame.} Be4 30. Rxg7 Ke6 31. Kb2 $1 {The king moves forwards.}
Rd8 32. Kb3 f5 33. Kb4 f4 34. Bc5 Rd7 35. Rg8 $1 {
Exchange of rooks has to be avoided.} Bb7 36. Re8+ Kf5 37. c4 e4 38. Ka5 h5 39.
Rb8 e3 40. fxe3 f3 $1 41. e4+ $1 Bxe4 42. Kxa6 Kg4 43. a4 $1 Rf7 44. a5 Kh3 45.
b7 Kxh2 46. Kb6 Rf6+ 47. Ka7 Rf7 48. a6 $1 Bd3 49. Rc8 Kh3 50. Kb6 Rf6+ 51. Rc6
{Timman won a wonderful game.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Ba6 8.
e3 d6 9. b4 Nbd7 10. f3 Re8 $5 11. Nh3 h6 12. Bh4 Rc8 13. Bf2 d5 $5 14. b5 Bb7
15. cxd5 Nxd5 16. Qb2 e5 $6 ({Preferable is} 16... c5 $1 17. bxc6 Rxc6 18. Bb5
Rc7) 17. e4 $1 exd4 18. Bxd4 Nc5 $1 (18... N5f6 19. Be2 {favours White.}) 19.
Bxc5 $1 ({The pointe is} 19. Bxg7 $2 Nxe4 $1 20. fxe4 Qh4+) 19... bxc5 20.
O-O-O {White will gain a piece.} c6 $1 21. bxc6 $2 ({Better is} 21. exd5 cxd5
22. Bd3 Qa5 23. Bc2 {and White has a plus.}) 21... Bxc6 22. exd5 Qa5 $6 (22...
Ba4 $1 23. Bc4 Rb8 {brings a black attack.}) 23. dxc6 Rb8 24. c7 $5 Rxb2 25.
Kxb2 Qb6+ $2 (25... Qxc7 26. Bc4 Re3 $1 27. Nf2 Qe5+ {
achieves a great advantage.}) 26. Ka2 Qe6+ 27. Kb2 c4 $5 28. Rd8 Qb6+ 29. Kc3
Qb3+ 30. Kd4 Qb6+ 31. Kc3 Qa5+ 32. Kc2 Qa4+ 33. Kd2 c3+ $5 34. Kxc3 Qxa3+ 35.
Kc2 Qa2+ 36. Kc1 Qa3+ 37. Kc2 Qa4+ 38. Kc1 Qa1+ 39. Kc2 {
The game ends in a draw by perpetual check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sadvakasov, Darmen"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2468"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Qxe2+ 8.
Bxe2 Be7 9. Nc3 c6 10. O-O Na6 11. Rfe1 Nc7 12. Nd4 Ne6 13. Be3 g6 14. Bf3 Bd7
15. Nxe6 Bxe6 16. Ne2 Kd7 17. Nd4 Bd5 18. Bg5 h6 19. Bd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Sadvakasov, Darmen"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2671"]
[BlackElo "2468"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3
h5 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. a4 Be7 11. Be2 Rc8 12. O-O Nb6 $5 13. Rfd1 d5 $1 {
Black had prepared the liberating move.} 14. a5 d4 $1 15. axb6 Bxb3 16. cxb3
dxe3 $1 17. Qxd8+ Bxd8 $5 18. Ra5 Nd7 19. Rad5 Nxb6 20. Rxe5+ Kf8 $5 21. Rc5 $1
Ke8 $6 ({Preferable is} 21... Rb8 $1 22. f4 g5 {(Polgar).}) 22. Rxc8 Nxc8 23.
Nd5 Ne7 24. Nxe3 {White has gained a pawn.} Bb6 25. Rd3 $1 Ng6 $6 ({
Slightly better is} 25... Nc6 26. Kf2 Rh6) 26. Kf1 Nf4 27. Rc3 Nxe2 $6 (27...
Kd7 $5 28. g3 Bxe3 29. Rxe3 Nxe2 30. Kxe2 Rh6 {offers more resistance.}) 28.
Kxe2 Kd7 29. Rd3+ Kc6 30. Nf5 Bc5 31. Rd5 $1 g6 32. Nd4+ Bxd4 33. Rxd4 {
She has an extra pawn in the rook ending.} a5 34. Ke3 Kc5 35. e5 Re8 36. f4 Re6
37. Ke4 b5 38. g3 Re7 39. h3 Re8 40. Rd7 $1 Kb4 41. Rxf7 Kxb3 42. g4 hxg4 43.
hxg4 Rb8 ({Or} 43... Kxb2 44. Rb7 b4 45. f5 $1 {also wins for White (Hecht).})
44. e6 Kxb2 45. e7 Re8 46. f5 gxf5+ 47. gxf5 a4 48. f6 a3 49. Rh7 $1 a2 50.
Rh2+ Ka3 51. Rh1 Kb2 52. Kd5 a1=Q 53. Rxa1 Kxa1 54. Ke6 {
Judit played a fine positional game.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. Qb3 Qe7 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 Bb7 8.
e3 O-O 9. Be2 d6 10. O-O Nbd7 11. b4 c5 12. Bb2 a5 $5 13. Rfd1 axb4 $6 {
The activity on the queenside helps White.} ({Preferable is} 13... Ne4 14. Qb3
cxd4 15. Nxd4 Qg5) 14. axb4 Rfb8 $5 15. Nd2 Qd8 16. f3 Rxa1 17. Bxa1 Ra8 18.
Bd3 Qc7 19. Bc2 Rc8 $6 ({Better is} 19... cxd4 20. exd4 b5 $1 21. cxb5 Qxc3 22.
Bxc3 Nd5) 20. dxc5 dxc5 21. b5 $1 {White has a positional advantage.} Ne8 22.
Ne4 f6 23. Qd3 Bxe4 24. Qxe4 Nf8 25. Qd3 Kf7 $5 26. Bc3 Ke7 27. Ra1 Rd8 28. Qe2
Nd6 29. f4 Kf7 30. e4 $1 Nc8 31. e5 $1 {He gains more territory.} f5 32. Qf3
Ne7 33. h3 Kg8 34. Kh2 Nfg6 35. g3 Kf7 36. h4 $1 Kg8 37. h5 Nh8 38. g4 $1 Rf8
$2 (38... Nf7 $1 39. gxf5 Nxf5 40. Bxf5 exf5 {defends well.}) 39. gxf5 Nxf5 40.
Bxf5 Rxf5 ({Or} 40... exf5 41. e6 $1 {(Timman).}) 41. Ra8+ Rf8 42. Rxf8+ Kxf8
43. Qa8+ Kf7 44. Qxh8 Qb7 45. h6 $1 {
Timman led comforably after the first cycle.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Sadvakasov, Darmen"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2468"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "152"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 c5 5. Bxc4 e6 6. O-O a6 7. Bb3 cxd4 8.
exd4 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. d5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 O-O 13. Be3 Nb4 $5 {
Black wants to exchange.} 14. Be4 Qxd1 15. Rfxd1 f5 16. Bb1 Nc6 $6 ({
More solid is} 16... Be6 17. a3 Nc6) 17. Bd3 Be6 18. Ng5 Bd5 19. Bxa6 $1 Rxa6
20. Rxd5 Bf6 21. Rxf5 Rfa8 $6 ({Better is} 21... h6 $1 22. Ne4 Bxb2 23. Rxf8+
Kxf8) 22. Ne4 Bxb2 23. Rb1 Rxa2 24. Rb5 Nd4 25. Rxb7 {White has gained a pawn.}
Ne2+ 26. Kf1 Nc3 27. Nxc3 Bxc3 28. g4 Ra1 29. Rxa1 Rxa1+ 30. Kg2 Ra4 31. h3 Bd4
32. Bf4 Ra7 33. Rb4 Rd7 34. h4 g6 35. Rb5 Rf7 36. Bg3 Kg7 37. h5 Kh6 $5 38. Rd5
Bb2 39. Bd6 Bc1 40. Kg3 g5 $5 41. Bc5 Kg7 42. Bd4+ Kf8 43. Be3 Bxe3 44. fxe3 {
Karpov will play for a win in the rook ending.} Re7 45. Kf3 h6 46. e4 Ra7 47.
Ke3 Ra4 48. Rd7 Kg8 49. Rd6 Kg7 50. Rg6+ Kh7 51. Rc6 Kg7 52. Rg6+ Kh7 53. Rc6
Kg7 54. Kd3 Rb4 55. Rg6+ Kh7 56. Rc6 Kg7 57. Rc4 Rb3+ 58. Rc3 Rb4 59. Rc4 Rb3+
60. Kd4 $5 Rg3 $1 61. Rc7+ Kg8 62. Rc6 (62. e5 Rxg4+ 63. Kd5 {(Hecht)} Rg2 $1
64. Ke6 g4 {draws.}) 62... Kg7 $2 (62... Kh7 $1 63. e5 Rxg4+ 64. Kd5 Rg2 $1 {
leads to the previously mentioned line.}) 63. Rg6+ $1 Kf7 64. Rxh6 Rxg4 65. Rg6
Rg1 66. Ke5 Rg4 67. Rf6+ Ke7 68. Ra6 Rh4 69. Ra7+ Ke8 70. Rh7 Kf8 71. Kf6 $2 (
71. h6 $1 Kg8 72. Rg7+ Kf8 73. Rg6 g4 74. Kf4 $1 Kf7 75. Kg5 Rh1 76. Rf6+ Ke7
77. Rf4 g3 78. Rg4 {wins for White.}) 71... Rf4+ 72. Kg6 g4 $1 73. Rh8+ Ke7 74.
Rg8 g3 75. Kh6 Rf6+ 76. Kh7 Rf7+ {Karpov missed a win in the endgame!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C22"]
[WhiteElo "2671"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Nc3 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8.
Qg3 Nxc3 9. Bxc3 Bf6 10. Bb5 Qd5 $6 (10... O-O {
was played in Walbrodt - Mieses, Berlin 1894.}) 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Bxc6+ Qxc6 $6
({Better is} 12... bxc6 $1 13. Ne2 Ba6 14. Qe3+ Qe5) 13. O-O-O $6 (13. Qg7 $5
Ke7 14. Qxh8 Qe4+ 15. Kf1 b6 (15... Bh3 $4 16. Qg7 $1) 16. Qg7 Ba6+ 17. Ne2
Bxe2+ 18. Kg1 {gains an advantage.}) 13... Bd7 14. Qa3 Qb6 15. Re1+ Be6 16.
Qa4+ $5 c6 17. Rd1 Rg8 18. Nf3 $5 Rxg2 19. Qf4 Qc5 $1 20. Qe4 $5 Qf5 $5 21. Qe2
$6 ({Preferable is} 21. Qe3 $1 Rg4 $1 22. Nd4 Qe5 23. Rhe1) 21... Qf4+ 22. Kb1
Qc4 23. Qxc4 Bxc4 24. Rhg1 Rxg1 25. Rxg1 Kf8 {Black has a better endgame.} 26.
Rg4 Bd5 27. Rf4 Re8 28. Kc1 Re2 29. c4 Re4 30. Rxe4 Bxe4 31. Nd2 Bf5 32. b4 Ke7
33. Kb2 Ke6 34. Kc3 Ke5 35. a4 h5 36. c5 $5 Be6 37. Kd3 a5 $5 38. bxa5 Kd5 39.
Kc3 Bf5 40. Kb4 Bd3 41. Kc3 Be2 42. Nb3 Bd1 43. Nd4 Kxc5 $1 44. Nf5 Bg4 45. Ne3
Bf3 $6 (45... Bh3 $5 46. f4 Be6 47. h4 Kd6 48. Kd4 c5+ 49. Kc3 Bg4 {
brings no serious winning plan.}) 46. h4 Be4 47. Nf1 $1 Bf3 48. Ng3 f5 $5 49.
Nxf5 Bg4 50. Nh6 Be6 51. Ng8 f5 52. Nf6 Bf7 53. Nd7+ Kd6 54. Nb6 f4 55. Kd4 Bd5
56. Nc8+ Kd7 57. Nb6+ Kd6 58. Nc8+ Kd7 59. Nb6+ Kd6 {
It took a great effort to draw this game.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.22"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. Bc3
d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 O-O 12. O-O Nf6 13. e4 b5 14. Re1 dxe4 15.
Qc2 Rc8 16. Rad1 Nd5 17. Bxe4 Nxc3 18. Qxc3 Bf6 19. Qc2 g6 20. Nf3 bxc4 21.
bxc4 Qa5 22. c5 Bb5 $5 ({Timman diverts from} 22... Rfd8 {
(Karpov - Adams, Dos Hermanas 1999).}) 23. Qc1 Qxa2 24. Qf4 Bg7 25. Ra1 Qb2 26.
Reb1 Qc3 27. Rc1 Qb2 28. Rab1 Qa2 29. Ra1 {The grandmasters were well prepared.
} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.22"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sadvakasov, Darmen"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2468"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. Nc3 d6 6. O-O Nf6 7. d3 Nc6 8. Ng5 $5
({More solid is} 8. Re1) 8... h6 $1 9. Nh3 Qd7 10. f4 O-O-O 11. f5 Kb8 12. Nf4
$5 Qe8 $5 13. a4 g5 14. fxg6 $5 fxg6 15. Nfe2 $6 ({Preferable is} 15. Bh3 $1
Bc8 16. Be3) 15... Ng4 $1 16. h3 Nge5 17. d4 $6 cxd4 18. Nxd4 Nxd4 19. Qxd4 Bg7
20. Kh1 Rf8 21. Bd2 Qd7 22. Qb4 Rxf1+ 23. Rxf1 Rc8 24. Nb5 Rc4 $6 (24... Nc4 {
keeps a positional advantage.}) 25. Qxd6+ Qxd6 26. Nxd6 Rd4 27. Ne8 $1 Rxd2 28.
Nxg7 Bc8 $1 29. Rf8 Kb7 30. b3 $2 (30. b4 $1 Rxc2 31. Rf6 $1 Rc6 32. b5 Rd6 33.
Kg1 {defends well.}) 30... Rxc2 31. Ne8 (31. Rf6 $6 Rc6 $1 32. b4 Kc7 33. b5
Rc1+ 34. Kh2 Kd6 {wins for Black, because can protect his pawns timely.}) 31...
Kc6 $1 32. Nf6 Kd6 33. Ng4 Nxg4 34. hxg4 a5 35. Rf6 $5 Bb7 $1 36. Rf7 ({
The pointe is} 36. Rxg6 $2 Rxg2 $1) 36... Bc6 37. Rh7 Kc5 38. Re7 Kb4 39. Rxe6
Kxb3 40. Rxg6 Kxa4 41. Rxh6 b5 $1 {Polgar neared the leader Timman.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.23"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2671"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Re1 Bg4 9. c4 Nf6 10. Nc3 Nxd4 11. cxd5 Bxf3 12. gxf3 c5 13. dxc6 Nxc6 14. Bb5
O-O 15. Qxd8 Bxd8 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Be3 Bb6 18. Rad1 Rfd8 19. b4 Bxe3 20. fxe3
Kf8 21. Kf2 Ke7 22. e4 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 a5 24. b5 cxb5 25. Nxb5 Rc8 26. Ke3 g6 27.
Rd3 Rc2 28. Ra3 Rxh2 29. Rxa5 h5 30. Ra7+ Nd7 31. Nc3 h4 32. Nd5+ Kd6 33. Ra6+
Kc5 34. Ra7 Kd6 35. Ra6+ Kc5 36. Ra7 Ne5 37. Ra5+ Kd6 38. Ra6+ Kc5 39. Ra5+ Kd6
40. Ra6+ Kd7 41. Kf4 Nd3+ 42. Ke3 Ne5 43. Kf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "VAM 3"]
[Date "1999.10.23"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Sadvakasov, Darmen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2468"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1999.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O a6 7. e3 O-O 8. d4
Ba7 9. h3 h6 10. b3 Re8 11. Ba3 $5 exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. exd4 Rb8 14. Qd3 Bd7
15. Rfe1 b5 16. Bb2 b4 17. Ne2 c6 18. a4 a5 19. Nf4 g5 $5 20. Ne2 $6 (20. Ng6
$1 Rc8 $1 21. Rac1 {favours White (Ftacnik).}) 20... d5 $1 21. h4 $5 Ne4 $5 22.
hxg5 hxg5 23. g4 $6 ({Preferable is} 23. f3 dxc4 24. bxc4) 23... Qf6 24. Rf1 $2
({Correct is} 24. Bxe4 Rxe4 25. f3) 24... Bxg4 $1 25. f3 Nc5 $1 26. Qd1 ({Or} 
26. dxc5 Qxb2 27. fxg4 Bxc5+ 28. Kh1 Re3) 26... Bf5 27. Ra2 Nxb3 28. c5 Qg6 29.
f4 Bc2 30. f5 Bxd1 31. fxg6 Rxe2 32. gxf7+ Kf8 33. Rxd1 Kxf7 $1 34. Bf1 Rd2 35.
Rxd2 Nxd2 36. Be2 Nc4 37. Bh5+ Kg7 38. Bc1 b3 $1 39. Rf2 b2 40. Bxb2 Rxb2 41.
Rf7+ Kh6 42. Bf3 Bb8 {The final standings became: Timman and Polgar 31/2/6 (f
8750), Karpov 3 f 5000), Sadvakasov 2 (f 2500). Timman became the winner on
tie-break.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Galkin, Alexander"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2587"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The fourth Hoogeveen tournament was played from 15 until 21 x 2000. Essent,
an energy distributer, was the new sponsor. Participants were the FIDE
champion Khalifman, strongest woman Polgar, best Dutch player Timman and the
junior Galkin.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7.
Qg4 Ne7 8. bxa5 dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nbc6 11. Nf3 Qc7 12. Bf4 Bd7 13. Bd3
O-O-O 14. Bg3 Qxa5 15. O-O Rh8 16. Qxf7 Rdf8 17. Qg7 Rhg8 18. Qh6 Rxf3 19. gxf3
Nd4 20. Qf4 Nef5 21. Kh1 {They play a colourful opening.} Bb5 $5 (21... Qc5 {
was played in Lutz - Lyrberg, Katrineholm 1999.}) 22. Rfd1 $1 Bxd3 23. Rxd3 Qc5
24. Qc1 $1 {Passive consolidation is needed.} Kb8 25. Qd1 $1 Rc8 26. Bf4 Nc6
27. Qe1 Qc4 28. Bg5 Ncd4 29. Qd1 Qa4 30. Ra2 Qc4 31. Ra1 Qa4 32. Ra2 Nb5 $5 33.
f4 $5 Qe4+ 34. f3 $1 Qa4 35. Qe1 d4 36. h4 $6 ({Preferable is} 36. Qe2) 36...
Nc7 37. Qe4 $4 {White misses a fork.} ({Better is} 37. Kg1 Na6 38. Qd1 $1) 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.15"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C72"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. d4 Nxd4 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8.
Nxd4 exd4 9. Qxd4 Nf6 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Qg4 13. Bg3 O-O 14. Rad1
Rfe8 15. Qc4 Rac8 16. h3 Qg6 17. Bh2 Nd7 18. f4 c6 19. Qe2 f5 20. Kh1 Nc5 21.
exf5 Qxf5 22. g4 Qf7 23. Qg2 d5 24. Ne2 Ne4 25. c3 Bd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Galkin, Alexander"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B20"]
[WhiteElo "2587"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Ne2 d6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. c3 e5 6. d4 cxd4 7. cxd4 Qa5+ 8.
Nbc3 Bg4 9. f3 exd4 10. Nxd4 Bd7 11. O-O Be7 12. Be3 O-O 13. Qb3 Rfe8 14. Rfd1
Bf8 15. Bf2 Ne5 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. Ndb5 Be6 18. Qa3 Qxa3 19. bxa3 a6 20. Nxd6
Bxd6 21. Rxd6 Nc4 22. Rdd1 Nxa3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2667"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Ne5 f6 12. Nf3 Kh8 13. Re1 c6 $2 ({Preferable is
} 13... f5 14. a3 Nc6) 14. a3 $1 Na6 15. cxd5 cxd5 {
A knight is misplaced on a6.} 16. Bd3 f5 17. Bf4 Rc8 18. Qb3 Bf6 $1 ({Or} 18...
Qb6 19. Qxb6 axb6 20. Rac1) 19. Be5 $1 ({The pointe is} 19. Qxb7 $6 Nac5 $1 20.
dxc5 Nxc5 21. Qxa7 Nxd3 22. Rxe6 Nxf4 {(Khalifman).}) 19... Qe7 20. Rac1 Bg8 $6
21. Bxa6 $6 (21. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 22. Nh4 {wins for White.}) 21... bxa6 22. Ne2
Bxe5 23. Nxe5 Rb8 24. Qh3 $1 {White threatens mate in one.} Rb6 25. Nf4 Bf7 $2
(25... Qg5 26. Qe3 Qd8 {offers more resistance.}) 26. f3 $1 g5 27. fxe4 gxf4
28. exf5 Qg5 29. Rc8 $1 Qg7 30. Rxf8+ Qxf8 31. Nd7 Qg7 32. f6 Rxf6 33. Nxf6
Qxf6 34. Kh1 Qxd4 35. Qc3 Qg7 36. Re7 {Khalifman played like a world champion.}
1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. bxa5
dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nbc6 11. Nf3 Qc7 12. Bf4 Bd7 13. Bd3 O-O-O 14. Bg3
Qxa5 15. O-O Rh8 16. Qg7 (16. Qxf7 {happened in Galkin - Khalifman, round 1.})
16... d4 17. Qg4 $5 (17. Rfe1 {
was played in De Firmian - Lyrberg, Denmark 1998.}) ({
An interesting alternative is} 17. Bh7) 17... Nf5 $1 18. Rfb1 ({
A novelty will become} 18. Rfe1 $5 {(Jakovenko - Werle, Oropesa del Mar 2001).}
) 18... Nxg3 19. Qxg3 Qc7 $1 20. Kf1 $6 {White loses times.} ({Preferable is} 
20. Qf4 $5 f5 21. Nxd4 Nxe5) 20... Rhg8 21. Qf4 f5 $1 22. h3 Kb8 $5 23. Re1 $6
Bc8 24. Ng5 Rd5 25. Nf3 Ne7 $5 {Black keeps the initiative.} 26. Rab1 Ng6 27.
Qh2 Qh7 28. Rb4 $5 Nh4 29. Nxd4 $2 (29. Nxh4 Qxh4 30. g3 Qh8 31. f4 {
defends passively.}) 29... Nxg2 30. Reb1 Qd7 $1 31. Ne2 Rxd3 $1 {
Alexander decides the game elegantly.} 32. cxd3 Qxd3 33. Rc1 c2 34. Rd4 $1 Qf3
35. Nf4 b6 $1 {He develops his last piece.} 36. Nxg2 Ba6+ 37. Kg1 Bb7 {
Khalifman had scored 3/3 in the first cycle.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Galkin, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2639"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8.
Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. O-O c5 13. Qh4 b6 14. Be4 Rb8
15. Rd1 c4 16. d5 e5 17. Bf5 Kg8 18. Be3 $5 ({Known is} 18. Nd2) 18... Nf6 19.
Bxc8 Rxc8 20. a4 Qd7 $1 {The chances are equal.} 21. c3 Rc7 22. Nd2 (22. a5 b5
23. h3 Qf5 {leads to equality (Galkin).}) 22... Ng4 23. h3 Nxe3 24. fxe3 f5 25.
e4 f4 26. Nf3 g5 27. Qh5 Qf7 28. Qg4 Qd7 29. Qh5 Qf7 30. Qg4 Qd7 31. Qh5 {
The threefold repetition draws.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.19"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Galkin, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2667"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 e6 4. e4 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. e5 Ne7 7. Nf3 $5 ({
Usual is} 7. Bd3) 7... c5 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Nbc6 10. Be2 Bg4 $5 11. O-O O-O
12. Rb1 Qc7 $6 ({Preferable is} 12... b6 $1) 13. h3 Bh5 $5 14. a4 Bg6 15. Bd3
Rfd8 16. Bg5 Rd7 $5 17. Rb5 b6 18. Re1 a6 19. Rb1 c4 20. Bc2 Nd8 21. Nh4 $1 Rb8
$6 ({Better is} 21... Bxc2 22. Qxc2 {(Khalifman)} Ng6) 22. f4 Bxc2 23. Qxc2 b5
$2 (23... Ne6 24. Bxe7 Rxe7 25. f5 $2 Ng5 26. f6 $5 gxf6 27. exf6 Re6 {
defends properly.}) 24. f5 $1 Ndc6 25. f6 Ng6 26. Nf5 h6 27. e6 hxg5 28. exd7
Qxd7 29. axb5 axb5 30. Nxg7 b4 31. Qd2 Nf4 32. cxb4 Qa7 33. Nf5 {
Khalifman scored his fourth win.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.19"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2639"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. Bc3
d5 9. Ne5 Ne4 10. O-O Nxc3 11. Nxc3 O-O 12. Rc1 Bf6 13. f4 $5 ({Known is} 13.
cxd5 cxd5 14. f4 {(Van Wely - Adams, Groningen 1997).}) 13... Bxe5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 13... Be7 $5 14. f5 f6) 14. fxe5 Nd7 15. cxd5 cxd5 16. Rf2 Rc8
17. e4 $1 dxe4 18. Nxe4 f6 19. Bh3 Qe7 20. Rxc8 Bxc8 21. Nd6 $1 fxe5 22. Rxf8+
Nxf8 23. Nxc8 Qc7 $1 24. Nxa7 $1 Qxa7 25. d5 {White has the initiative.} Qd7 $2
(25... b5+ $1 26. Kh1 Qa8 $1 27. Bg2 Qxa2 28. dxe6 Nxe6 29. Bd5 Kf7 30. Qh5+
Kf6 {is alright (Timman).}) 26. d6 $1 Qc6 27. a4 e4 28. b4 Kf7 $2 (28... e3 $1
29. Bf1 g6 $1 30. Bb5 Qe4 {tries to survive.}) 29. Bf1 $1 Qd5 30. Qxd5 exd5 31.
a5 $1 bxa5 32. bxa5 Nd7 33. a6 Nb6 34. Bh3 h5 35. a7 g5 36. Bf5 e3 37. Kf1 d4
38. Ke2 Kf6 39. Kd3 $1 h4 40. Bg4 hxg3 41. hxg3 {
Timman attacked in the centre successfully.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Galkin, Alexander"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B83"]
[WhiteElo "2587"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[PlyCount "34"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. f4 O-O 8. O-O
Nc6 9. Be3 e5 10. Nb3 exf4 11. Bxf4 Be6 12. Kh1 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Qxd5
15. Bf3 Qc4 16. Be2 Qd5 17. Bf3 Qc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A70"]
[WhiteElo "2667"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. e4 Bg7 8. h3
O-O 9. Bd3 a6 10. a4 Qc7 11. O-O Nbd7 12. Re1 Re8 13. Bf4 Rb8 14. Bc4 Nb6 15.
Bf1 Nfd7 16. Rc1 Ne5 17. Nxe5 Bxe5 18. Bxe5 dxe5 $5 {
Black plays a doubtful opening.} ({Known is} 18... Rxe5 $2 19. f4 Re8 20. e5 $1
) 19. Qd2 Nd7 $6 ({Preferable is} 19... Bd7) 20. d6 Qa5 $6 ({Better is} 20...
Qc6) 21. Red1 Kg7 22. Qe3 b6 $6 {The black queen is imprisoned.} 23. b3 $5 Bb7
$5 24. Bc4 Bc6 25. Bd5 Rbc8 26. f4 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. fxe5 Rxe5 $1 29. Qf4
Bxd5 30. Nxd5 Qd8 $5 31. Ne7 $5 Ra8 32. Nc6 Qg5 $1 33. Qxg5 Rxg5 34. Ra1 Rxa1
$5 35. Rxa1 c4 36. bxc4 bxc4 37. Ra7 c3 38. Nd4 $1 Rc5 39. Nc2 Rb5 $5 40. Rxd7
Rb2 41. Ne3 Re2 42. Nd5 {Khalifman had won his fifth game.} (42. Nd5 c2 43. Rc7
Re1+ 44. Kh2 $1 c1=Q 45. Rxc1 Rxc1 46. d7 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Galkin, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D42"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Nf6 11. a3 b6 12. Bg5 Bb7 13. Bc2 Nd5 14. Qd3 g6 15.
Bh6 Re8 16. Rad1 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Bf6 18. Be4 Rc8 19. Qe3 Na5 20. Ne5 Bxe4 21.
Qxe4 Nc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 4"]
[Date "2000.10.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2639"]
[BlackElo "2667"]
[PlyCount "28"]
[EventDate "2000.10.15"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. Nc3 O-O 7. e5 Ne8 8. d3
Nc7 9. a4 b6 10. Bxc6 dxc6 11. a5 Bg4 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Ne6 14. Be3 Qc7 {
The final standings became: Khalifman 51/2/6, Timman 3, Galkin 2, Polgar 11/2.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Black "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D54"]
[WhiteElo "2639"]
[BlackElo "2226"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The fifth Essent tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 14 until 20 x 2001.
Participants were Kortschnoj former challenger, Polgar best female, Van Wely
best Dutchman and Bruzon Batista the junior.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4.
Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1 h6 7. Bh4 b6 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7
11. Bd3 c5 12. Ne2 Nd7 13. O-O Nf6 14. b3 $5 Bb7 15. Ng3 g6 16. Re1 Rfc8 17.
Qd2 h5 18. Ne2 Ne4 $5 {Black weakens his position slightly.} 19. Bxe4 $1 dxe4
20. dxc5 $1 Rxc5 21. Rxc5 Qxc5 {White has a plus.} 22. Nf4 $5 ({
The alternative is} 22. Rc1 Qe7 23. Rd1) 22... Rc8 23. Rd1 Qc2 24. h4 Qxd2 25.
Rxd2 Bc6 $5 26. Kh2 Kf8 $6 ({More active is} 26... Kg7 $1 27. Rc2 Kf6) 27. Rc2
$1 Ke7 28. Ne2 Kd6 29. Nd4 Bd7 30. Rxc8 Bxc8 31. Kg3 a5 32. Kf4 Bb7 33. a3 Bd5
34. Kg5 Ke5 35. Kh6 $1 Kf6 36. Kh7 Bb7 37. Kg8 Ke7 {
Black stops a dangerous advance.} 38. Kg7 Bd5 $5 39. f4 $1 exf3 40. gxf3 Ba8
41. e4 $1 Bb7 42. e5 Bd5 43. Kh6 $1 Bb7 $6 (43... f6 $1 44. Kxg6 fxe5 45. Nf5+
Ke6 46. Ng7+ Kd6 47. Nxh5 Bxf3 {draws.}) 44. Kg5 Bd5 $6 (44... Bc8 $5 45. f4
Bg4 46. b4 axb4 47. axb4 Bd1 48. f5 gxf5 49. Kxf5 Bg4+ {seems to survive.}) 45.
f4 Be4 46. f5 $1 gxf5 47. Kf4 $1 Kd7 48. b4 axb4 49. axb4 Bd3 50. Nxf5 Ke6 $2 {
The black king loses two vital tempi.} ({Right is} 50... Kc6 $1 51. Kg5 Kb5 52.
Nd6+ Kxb4 53. Nxf7 Kc5 54. e6 Kd5 55. e7 Bb5 {and Black draws.}) 51. Ng7+ Kd5
52. Nxh5 Kc4 53. Kg5 $1 Kxb4 54. Nf4 Be4 55. h5 b5 56. e6 $1 fxe6 57. Ng6 Ka3
58. h6 b4 59. h7 b3 60. h8=Q b2 61. Qc3+ Ka2 62. Qc4+ {
Kortschnoj played a fine endgame.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3 c5 7. O-O Nxe4 8.
Bxe4 Nf6 9. Bg5 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Be7 11. Bf3 O-O 12. Re1 Qb6 13. Nb3 $5 Rd8 14.
Qe2 Bd7 15. Bd2 Bb4 $1 16. c3 Bd6 17. c4 a5 $1 18. Rac1 $5 ({More solid is} 18.
Bc3 Bc6 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Red1) 18... a4 19. c5 Bxh2+ $1 20. Kh1 $6 (20. Kxh2
$1 Qc7+ 21. Kg1 axb3 22. axb3 {leads to equality (Finkel).}) 20... Qc7 21. Na5
Bb5 $1 22. Qxb5 Rxd2 23. Nc4 $1 Rxf2 24. Qxb7 Rb8 $6 ({Preferable is} 24... Ra7
25. Qxc7 Bxc7) 25. Qxc7 Bxc7 26. Kg1 Bg3 27. c6 $1 Ne8 28. Red1 $6 (28. Re3 $1
{gains a plus.}) 28... a3 $1 29. bxa3 Rxa2 30. Rd7 g6 $1 31. Rb7 Rd8 32. Rd7
Rc8 33. Rb7 Rd8 34. Rd7 Rc8 35. Rf1 Nf6 $1 36. Rb7 Rc7 37. Rd1 Kg7 $5 38. Nd6
Bxd6 39. Rxd6 Rc8 40. Rxe6 Rxa3 41. Ree7 Rf8 42. Kf2 Rc3 43. Rb5 Ra8 44. Rbb7
Rf8 45. Rb5 Re8 46. Rxe8 Nxe8 47. Ke2 Nd6 48. Rb1 Kf6 49. Kd2 Rc5 50. Kd3 Nb5
51. Bg4 Nc7 52. Bd7 Ke7 53. Rb8 h5 54. Rc8 Nb5 55. Re8+ Kd6 56. Rf8 Ke7 57.
Re8+ Kf6 58. Rb8 Nd6 59. Rb1 Ke7 60. Rb8 Rg5 61. Rb2 Kd8 62. Kd4 Kc7 63. Ra2
Nb5+ 64. Ke3 Re5+ 65. Kd3 Kd6 66. Kc4 Rc5+ 67. Kd3 Nc7 68. Ke4 Re5+ $5 69. Kf3
g5 70. Rb2 Nb5 71. Kf2 Rd5 72. Be8 Rf5+ 73. Kg3 Ke7 74. Re2+ Kf6 $5 75. Rd2 Ke7
76. Re2+ Kd6 $6 (76... Kd8 $1 {makes an effort to win.}) 77. Rd2+ Ke7 78. Re2+
{A threefold repetition brings a draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2226"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d3 Bb4 5. Bd2 a5 6. g3 O-O 7. Bg2 d6 8. O-O
h6 9. Nd5 Nxd5 $5 10. cxd5 Ne7 11. Ne1 c6 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. Nc2 Bxd2 14. Qxd2
Qb6 15. d4 d5 $1 16. Qc3 e4 17. Ne3 Ba6 18. Rfe1 Rfb8 19. Rab1 Qb4 {
Black has the initiative.} 20. Bf1 Rb6 21. Rec1 Rab8 22. b3 Qxc3 23. Rxc3 a4
24. Nc2 $6 (24. f3 f5 25. Kf2 {counters in the centre.}) 24... Bc4 $1 25. Na1
axb3 26. Nxb3 Ra8 27. Rb2 Nf5 28. e3 Nd6 29. Rc1 Kf8 30. Rbc2 Ke7 31. Bxc4 Nxc4
32. Nd2 Na5 $6 (32... Nb2 33. Rxc6 Rxc6 34. Rxc6 Rxa2 35. Nb1 Ra1 36. Rc1 Nd3 {
keeps the initiative.}) 33. h4 Kd6 34. Kf1 g6 35. Ke2 f5 36. Ke1 Nb7 37. Nb3
Ra3 38. Rd2 Rba6 39. Rcc2 Ra7 40. Kf1 Ra8 41. Rb2 Kc7 42. Rdc2 R8a7 43. Kg1 Ra8
44. Kf1 R3a7 45. Kg1 g5 46. hxg5 hxg5 47. Kf1 Ra3 48. Kg2 R8a7 49. Kf1 R7a4 50.
Ke2 Ra8 51. Kf1 Rf8 52. Rc3 f4 53. gxf4 gxf4 54. exf4 Rxf4 55. Rbc2 Rf6 56. Ke2
Ra8 57. f3 Re8 58. fxe4 Rxe4+ 59. Kd2 Rf2+ 60. Kc1 Rxc2+ 61. Rxc2 Rh4 {
Van Wely cannot make progress.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2639"]
[BlackElo "2686"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ c6 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qd3 Bb7 8. e4
b4 9. Na4 Qa5 10. b3 Nbd7 11. e5 Nd5 12. Bd2 N7b6 $5 13. Ng5 $5 {
Kortschnoj begins an adventure.} ({The pawn sacrifice} 13. Nc5 $5 {
will become a novelty.}) 13... Nxa4 14. Qf3 $5 f6 $1 15. exf6 gxf6 16. Qh5+ Kd7
17. Qf7+ Be7 18. Nxe6 Rae8 $2 {The tables turn.} (18... Nac3 $1 19. Bd3 Rag8 {
(Kortschnoj)} 20. O-O Kc8 {favours Black.}) 19. bxa4 Kc8 20. Ng7 Rhf8 $5 21.
Qh5 b3 22. Be2 $5 b2 23. Rb1 Bb4 24. O-O $1 Re7 25. Bh6 Ba6 26. Qg4+ f5 27.
Nxf5 Rxe2 28. Ng3+ Kc7 29. Nxe2 Rf6 30. Qg7+ Be7 31. Rxb2 Re6 32. Rfb1 Kd7 33.
Be3 Nxe3 34. fxe3 Rg6 35. Qe5 Qxe5 36. dxe5 Bc5 37. Rd1+ Ke7 38. Nd4 Rg5 39.
Rc2 Bb6 40. a5 {Viktor the Terrible ruled again.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C91"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2226"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. d4 Bg4 10. d5 Na5 11. Bc2 Qc8 12. h3 Bd7 13. Nbd2 c6 14. b4 Nb7 15. dxc6
Qxc6 16. Bb2 Nd8 17. Bd3 Ne6 18. c4 Qb7 19. c5 dxc5 20. bxc5 Nxc5 21. Bc2 Rfd8
22. Bxe5 Rac8 23. Qb1 h6 24. Nd4 Re8 25. N2f3 Nh7 26. Qd1 Bd8 27. Re2 Ng5 28.
Qe1 Nxf3+ 29. Nxf3 Bc7 30. Bxc7 Qxc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 Na6 8. Ne5
d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nc3 c5 11. Bf4 Ne4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Qc2 Qc8
15. Red1 $5 ({Known is} 15. h4 $6) 15... g5 16. Be3 Qe6 17. Nc4 $6 (17. Bxc5
Bxc5 18. Nd7 Rfc8 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20. Qb3 {keeps the equality.}) 17... Rac8 $1
18. b3 h6 19. Bd4 Bd5 20. Bb2 $6 ({Preferable is} 20. Qb2 Na4 21. Qb1 Bxc4 22.
bxc4 f5 23. g4 $1) 20... Rfd8 21. Rac1 $6 b5 $1 22. Qc3 f6 23. Ne3 Nxb3 $1 24.
Qxc8 Rxc8 25. Rxc8+ Qxc8 26. Rxd5 Nc5 {Black has achieved a material advantage.
} 27. Nf5 Bf8 28. Bh3 Kh7 29. Kg2 h5 30. Ne3 Qc6 31. Bf5+ Kg7 32. Bd4 Kf7 33.
Bxc5 Bxc5 34. Rd7+ Kf8 $6 (34... Ke8 $1 35. Nd5 Bb6 36. Re7+ Kf8 37. Rd7 e3 {
plays for a win.}) 35. Nd5 $1 Bb6 {The standings after one cycle became:
Kortschnoj 21/2/3, Van Wely 11/2, Polgar and Bruzon 1.} (35... Bb6 36. Ne7 Qc4
37. Ng6+ Ke8 38. Re7+ Kd8 39. Rd7+ Ke8 {leads to perpetual check.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2226"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "143"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. Ngf3 Be7 5. g3 b5 6. Bg2 Bb7 7. O-O b4 8. e5
Nfd7 9. Re1 c5 10. h4 Nc6 11. Nf1 Qc7 $5 ({Usual is} 11... a5) 12. Bf4 h6 13.
Ne3 Nb6 14. a3 d4 15. Nc4 Nxc4 16. dxc4 O-O-O $2 ({Preferable is} 16... a5 17.
axb4 axb4 18. Rxa8+ Bxa8) 17. axb4 cxb4 18. Qd3 Qb6 {
Black has to protect weaknesses.} 19. h5 Kb8 20. Nd2 b3 $5 (20... Bg5 21. Ne4
Bxf4 22. c5 Qc7 23. gxf4 {also favours White.}) 21. Qxb3 Qxb3 22. Nxb3 Nb4 23.
Bxb7 Kxb7 24. Re2 g5 $5 25. hxg6 fxg6 26. c3 $1 g5 27. Bd2 $6 (27. Nxd4 gxf4
28. Nxe6 {wins for White.}) 27... d3 28. Re4 Nc2 29. Rc1 Rc8 30. Na1 Nxa1 31.
Rxa1 Rhd8 32. b4 Rc6 33. g4 Bf8 34. Kf1 Rdc8 35. c5 Rd8 36. Ke1 Ra6 37. Rxa6
Kxa6 38. c4 $5 Kb7 39. Be3 a5 $1 40. bxa5 $2 ({Better is} 40. b5 $1 a4 41. c6+
Kc7 42. c5 $1 Rd5 43. Rxa4 Bxc5 44. Bxc5 Rxc5 45. Rb4 Kb6 46. f3 Rxe5+ 47. Kd2
Rd5 48. Rb3 {and White wins.}) 40... Ra8 41. Kd2 Rxa5 42. Kxd3 Ra3+ 43. Ke2
Ra2+ 44. Kf3 Rc2 45. Rd4 Bxc5 46. Rd7+ Kc6 47. Rd8 Rxc4 48. Bxc5 Kxc5 49. Rd6
Rd4 $2 (49... h5 $1 50. gxh5 Rh4 51. Rxe6 Kd5 52. Re8 Rxh5 53. Kg4 Rh2 54. f3
Rf2 {escapes (Kortschnoj).}) 50. Rxe6 Kd5 51. Rxh6 Kxe5 {
White has an extra pawn in the rook ending.} 52. Kg3 Rd5 53. Rg6 Ke4 54. Re6+
Re5 55. Rxe5+ Kxe5 {White has a complicated win in the pawn ending.} 56. Kf3 $1
(56. f3 $2 Ke6 57. Kf2 Kd6 58. Ke2 Ke6 $1 {draws (Hecht).}) 56... Kd4 57. Ke2
Ke4 58. f3+ $1 Kd4 59. Kd2 $1 {He has the opposition.} Ke5 60. Ke3 $1 Kd5 61.
f4 $1 Ke6 62. fxg5 $5 Kf7 63. Ke4 Kg6 64. Kf4 Kh7 65. Kf5 Kg7 66. g6 Kh6 67. g7
$1 Kxg7 68. Kg5 Kh7 69. Kf6 Kh6 70. g5+ Kh7 71. Kf7 Kh8 72. Kg6 $1 {
Bruzon had defeated a famous player.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2686"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. O-O
d5 9. Qc2 Nbd7 10. Rd1 Rc8 11. Bf4 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Qb2 O-O 14. Nc3 Bb4 $5
(14... Ng4 {was played in Kramnik - Leko, Budapest 2001 (rapid).}) 15. Ne5 $6
b5 $1 16. a3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 bxc4 18. b4 $1 {
White has to accept the loss of a pawn.} Bb7 19. e4 $6 dxe4 $1 20. Nxd7 Nxd7
21. Be5 f6 22. Bd4 Qc7 23. Bxa7 Ne5 $1 24. a4 e3 $1 25. Qxe3 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Qb7+
27. Kg1 $2 ({Better is} 27. f3 $1 Qxb4 28. Rdb1 Qe7 29. Bd4) 27... Nf3+ $6 (
27... c3 $1 {wins at once.}) 28. Kf1 Nxh2+ 29. Kg1 Nf3+ 30. Kf1 e5 31. Bc5 Rfd8
32. a5 Nd4 33. Kg1 Nf3+ 34. Kf1 Qc6 35. a6 Nd2+ 36. Kg1 Nb3 37. a7 Nxa1 38.
Rxa1 Rd3 39. Qe2 Qd5 40. Kh2 $6 (40. b5 $1 Ra8 41. b6 $1 Qxc5 42. b7 Rdd8 43.
bxa8=Q Rxa8 {favours Black.}) 40... Ra8 41. Be3 Qe4 $5 42. b5 f5 43. Re1 f4 $6
(43... Rxe3 44. Qxe3 Qxe3 45. Rxe3 Rxa7 46. Rxe5 {draws (Van Wely).}) 44. Bc5
fxg3+ 45. fxg3 Qd5 46. Qxe5 Rd2+ 47. Kh3 Qg2+ 48. Kh4 Qh2+ $5 49. Kg4 h5+ 50.
Kg5 Qh3 $5 51. Re4 Rd3 $2 ({Correct is} 51... Qd7) 52. g4 $1 hxg4 53. Qe6+ Kh8
54. b6 Rad8 55. Re5 $2 (55. Bd4 R3xd4 56. Rxd4 Rxd4 57. a8=Q+ {wins for White.}
) 55... Qh1 $2 ({Right is} 55... c3) 56. Qxg4 $4 {The tables turn.} (56. b7 $1
{ends the game.}) 56... Qh6+ 57. Kf5 Qf6+ 58. Ke4 Qc6+ 59. Kf5 $5 Rf3+ 60. Qxf3
Qxf3+ 61. Ke6 Qf6# {Polgar took the second place from Van Wely.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A13"]
[WhiteElo "2226"]
[BlackElo "2686"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. b3 Be7 4. Bb2 Bf6 5. Qc2 Bxb2 6. Qxb2 Nf6 7. g3 O-O 8.
Bg2 c5 9. O-O b6 $5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. d4 Bb7 12. Nc3 Nbd7 13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. Rac1
Rfd8 15. e3 Rac8 16. Rc2 h6 17. Rdc1 Ba6 18. Bh3 Rb8 19. Rd1 Bb7 20. Ne2 Re8
21. Bg2 Ne4 22. Nf4 Ndf6 23. Nd3 Rbc8 24. Nfe5 Ba6 25. Rdc1 Ng4 26. Bh3 h5 27.
Nf4 $5 {Little happened in this game so far.} Nxe5 28. dxe5 Rcd8 29. e6 $1 Bc8
30. Nxh5 $6 (30. exf7+ Qxf7 31. Bxc8 Rxc8 {keeps the equality.}) 30... fxe6 31.
Bg2 $2 (31. Qe5 $1 Qg5 32. Qxg5 Nxg5 33. Bg4 e5 34. Bxc8 Rxc8 35. g4 {
slightly favours Black.}) 31... e5 $1 32. f3 Ng5 33. f4 exf4 34. Nxf4 Qxe3+ 35.
Kh1 Bg4 36. Rf1 d4 37. h3 Bf5 38. Kh2 Bxc2 39. Qxc2 d3 40. Qc4+ Kh7 41. h4 Rd4
42. Qb5 Nf7 43. Rf3 d2 $1 44. Rxe3 Rxe3 {Polgar utilised a blunder.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A32"]
[WhiteElo "2639"]
[BlackElo "2714"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. Nf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Qc7 6. Nd2 Nc6 7. Nb5 Qb8 8.
Bg2 a6 9. Nc3 b5 10. O-O Be7 11. a3 O-O 12. Rb1 $5 ({The alternative is} 12. b4
) 12... Rd8 13. e4 Bb7 14. Qe2 b4 15. axb4 Bxb4 16. Na4 Qc7 17. Nb3 Ne5 18. Bd2
Bxd2 19. Nxd2 d6 {The chances are about equal.} 20. b4 Rac8 21. Rfc1 Bc6 $5 22.
b5 $1 Be8 $6 ({Better is} 22... Bb7) 23. f4 $1 Ned7 24. b6 $1 {
White conquers territory after provocative moves by the black bishop.} Qc6 25.
e5 $1 Qxa4 26. exf6 Nxf6 27. Ra1 (27. b7 $1 Rb8 28. Ne4 {gains an advantage.})
27... Qb4 28. Qe3 $2 {The queen becomes vulnerable.} ({Better is} 28. Rcb1 Qc3
29. Rxa6) 28... Ng4 $1 29. Qd4 e5 $1 30. fxe5 dxe5 31. Qxg4 Qc5+ 32. Kh1 Rxd2
33. Ra5 $2 (33. b7 $1 Rb8 $1 34. Rxa6 Rxg2 35. Kxg2 Bc6+ 36. Kf1 Bxb7 37. Rb1 {
(Ribli)} g6 38. Rb5 Qc7 39. Rab6 Bg2+ 40. Kxg2 Rxb6 {favours Black.}) 33... Qf2
34. Rg1 Bd7 $1 35. Qe4 Qxb6 36. Rxe5 g6 37. Qe1 Qb2 38. Rd5 Re2 39. Qa5 Bh3 $1
{Polgar led ahead of Kortschnoj and Van Wely at the end of the penultimate
round.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C13"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Nbd7 6. Nf3 Be7 7. Nxf6+ Bxf6
8. h4 O-O 9. Qd2 e5 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. O-O-O exd4 12. Qxd4 Qxd4 13. Rxd4 Nb6 14.
Bd3 h6 15. Rd1 Be6 16. Be4 Rab8 17. Nd2 Rfe8 18. Bf3 c6 19. Nb3 Bd5 20. Bxd5
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 5"]
[Date "2001.10.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2714"]
[BlackElo "2226"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2001.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{Van Wely will catch up with Polgar, if he wins.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6
4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 c6 10. Qc2 h6
11. O-O b6 12. b4 bxc5 13. bxc5 Qa5 14. Rab1 Ba6 15. Bxa6 Qxa6 16. Rb3 $5 ({
Known is} 16. Rb4) 16... Rfb8 17. Rfb1 Bd8 $5 {
Black could exchange more quickly.} 18. Ne2 Bc7 19. Ne1 Rxb3 20. axb3 Qb7 21.
b4 a6 22. Nd3 Re8 $6 {Black defends passively.} (22... Nf8 23. g3 Ng6 24. Ne5
Ne7 25. Nc3 Nf5 {activates a knight.}) 23. Nc3 Qc8 24. g3 Nb8 25. h4 f6 26. Re1
Qd7 27. Qa4 Qf7 28. Kg2 {White has the initiative.} Kf8 29. Re3 Bd8 30. Qa2 Bc7
31. Qe2 Nd7 32. Nc1 Nb8 33. h5 Kg8 34. Nb3 Qd7 35. Nb1 $5 {
The knight wants to go towards the kingside.} e5 36. fxe5 fxe5 37. dxe5 Qf5 38.
Nc3 Rxe5 39. Nd4 Rxe3 $1 40. Qxe3 Qe5 41. Qxe5 Bxe5 {
An interesting endgame arises.} 42. Nce2 {
Black has weaknesses on the queenside.} Kf7 43. f4 Bc7 44. Nb3 Nd7 45. Ned4 Nf6
$1 {Bruzon awakes.} 46. Nxc6 Nxh5 47. Nbd4 {
The blockaders have exchanged their position.} g5 $1 48. Ne5+ Kf6 $2 ({
Better is} 48... Ke7 $1 49. Kf3 gxf4 50. gxf4 Bxe5 51. Nc6+ Ke6 52. Nxe5 Ng7)
49. Ng4+ Ke7 50. Ne3 $2 (50. Nxh6 gxf4 51. g4 $1 Ng7 52. Nhf5+ Nxf5 53. Nxf5+
Ke6 54. Nd4+ {plays for a win.}) 50... Nf6 51. Nef5+ Kd7 52. c6+ Kc8 53. Nxh6
gxf4 54. g4 $1 Bd6 $2 (54... Be5 $1 55. Ne2 Kc7 56. g5 Nh7 57. g6 Nf8 58. Nxf4
Kxc6 {draws.}) 55. g5 Ne8 56. b5 $1 Kc7 $1 (56... axb5 $2 57. Nxb5 Be5 {
(Dautov)} 58. g6 Ng7 59. Kf3 Bb8 60. Nf7 Ne6 61. Kg4 {wins for White.}) 57.
bxa6 Kb6 58. Nhf5 Be5 59. Nf3 Bb2 $2 60. Ne7 $2 ({Correct is} 60. N3d4 $1 Kxa6
61. Kf3 Kb6 62. g6 Ng7 63. c7 $1) 60... Nc7 61. Ne1 Ne6 $2 (61... Kxa6 62. Nd3
Bg7 63. Nxf4 Kb6 {tries to escape.}) 62. g6 Kxa6 63. Nd3 Bd4 64. Nb4+ Kb5 65.
Nbxd5 Kc5 66. c7 Nxc7 67. Nxc7 Be5 68. Ne8 {The final standings became: Polgar
and Van Wely 31/2/6, Kortschnoj 3, Bruzon 2. Polgar won the tournament on
tie-break. She got another glass chess set.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Acs, Peter"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The sixth Essent tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 13 until 19 x 2002.
Participants were Khalifman as former FIDE champ, Polgar as strongest woman,
Van Wely as best Dutchman and Acs as junior.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4.
Bb5 Nd4 5. Ba4 Bc5 6. Nxe5 O-O 7. Nd3 Bb6 8. e5 Ne8 9. Nd5 d6 10. Ne3 c5 11. c3
Nf5 12. exd6 Qxd6 13. Bc2 Nf6 14. O-O Bc7 15. g3 {Black has a sufficient
compensation for the pawn in the Rubinstein variation of the Four Knights.} b5
$5 ({Known is} 15... Qc6) 16. Nf4 Nh4 $1 17. d4 Bb7 18. d5 Rad8 19. a4 Qd7 20.
gxh4 $1 Bxf4 21. Qf3 $5 Qc7 $5 22. Rd1 $6 ({Better is} 22. axb5 $1 Rxd5 23. Ng4
{and equality (Khalifman).}) 22... Bxh2+ 23. Kf1 $5 a6 $1 24. axb5 axb5 25. Ng4
$6 ({Preferable is} 25. Ra7 Rfe8 26. Qh1 $1 Bd6 27. Nf5) 25... Nxg4 26. Qxg4
Bxd5 27. Bxh7+ $2 (27. Rxd5 $1 Rxd5 28. Bxh7+ Kh8 29. Be4 $1 Qd6 30. Bg5 {
almost levels the game.}) 27... Kxh7 28. Rxd5 Qc6 $1 29. Qh5+ Kg8 30. Rxd8 Qh1+
31. Ke2 Rxd8 {Khalifman mates or gains material.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2681"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 O-O 13. g3 Be6 14. h4 Bh6
15. Bg2 Ne7 16. Nce3 Bxe3 17. Nxe3 Qb6 18. a3 a5 19. O-O b4 20. axb4 axb4 21.
Rxa8 Rxa8 22. Nf5 Bxf5 23. exf5 Rd8 24. Qd3 d5 25. Rd1 bxc3 26. bxc3 g6 27.
fxg6 hxg6 28. h5 gxh5 29. Qe2 e4 30. Qxh5 Ra8 31. c4 Ra2 32. Rf1 dxc4 33. Bxe4
Qd4 34. Qh7+ Kf8 35. Kg2 Rd2 36. Qh6+ Ke8 37. Qf4 f5 38. Qb8+ Kf7 39. Bf3 c3
40. Kh3 Rxf2 41. Qb3+ Kf6 42. Rxf2 Qxf2 43. Qxc3+ Ke6 44. Qc4+ Kd7 45. Qb5+ Kd6
46. Qa6+ Ke5 47. Qa3 Ke6 48. Qa6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Acs, Peter"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2681"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. g4 h6 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. h4 b4 12. Na4 Qa5 13. b3 Nc5 14. a3 Rc8 15.
axb4 Nxb3+ 16. Nxb3 Qxa4 17. Kb2 d5 18. c3 dxe4 19. Na5 $5 ({The alternative is
} 19. Ra1) 19... Bd5 $1 20. Ra1 Qd7 21. Bxa6 exf3 $1 {
If Black moves his queen's rook, White gets the time to strike.} 22. Bxc8 Qxc8
23. g5 $1 Ne4 24. Qc2 Bd6 25. Bd4 $1 e5 $6 {He weakens his pawn structure.} ({
Better is} 25... O-O $1 26. gxh6 Qb8 {(he threatens ..Rc8)} 27. Rhg1 g6) 26.
Be3 hxg5 $6 (26... f5 27. c4 Be6 {offers more resistance.}) 27. hxg5 Rxh1 28.
Rxh1 Qg4 $2 (28... Ke7 $1 29. Rd1 Ba8 30. Qd3 Ke6 {defends actively.}) 29. c4
$1 Be6 30. Rh8+ Bf8 31. Qd3 Bd7 32. Nb7 f2 33. Nc5 $1 f1=Q 34. Qxf1 Bf5 35. Qd3
f6 36. Nxe4 Bxe4 $5 37. Qd6 Qe2+ 38. Bd2 {Acs has a mate attack.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E16"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Nbd2 d5 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. cxd5
exd5 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. b3 c5 11. Bb2 Nbd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. e4 d4 $5
(14... Rad8 {drew in Kramnik - Anand, Frankfurt 1999.}) 15. Re1 {
White overprotects a centre pawn.} a5 16. a4 Qe6 17. Rc1 Ng4 $1 18. Ba3 Ne5 $1
{Black threatens ..Nd3.} 19. Bf1 Rfc8 20. f4 Nd7 21. Nc4 Rcb8 22. Bg2 {
Both sides have a solid position.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Acs, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C99"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2591"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 cxd4 13. cxd4 Bd7 14. Nf1 Rac8 15.
Ne3 Nc6 16. Bb3 Na5 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. Bxd5 Nc4 19. Bg5 Bxg5 $5 ({Usual is} 19...
Qd8) 20. Nxg5 h6 $5 {Acs provokes the next tactics.} 21. Nxf7 $1 Rxf7 22. Rc1
$1 Qb8 $2 ({Correct is} 22... Bc6 $1 23. Bxf7+ Qxf7 24. b3 Nb6 {
and White has little advantage (Polgar).}) 23. b3 Nb6 24. Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. Bxf7+
Kxf7 26. dxe5 Ke7 $5 ({Or} 26... dxe5 $6 27. Qd8 $1) 27. exd6+ Qxd6 28. Qc2 Bb7
29. Rd1 Qc6 30. Qd2 Nd7 31. Rc1 Qf6 32. a4 Bc6 33. Qa5 bxa4 34. bxa4 Ne5 35.
Qc7+ Bd7 36. Rd1 Qe6 37. Qc5+ Ke8 38. Rd6 Qe7 39. Qc7 a5 40. Ra6 $1 {
Judit strangles her opponent.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E58"]
[WhiteElo "2681"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3
Bxc3 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Nh4 Ne7 12. a4 Be6 13. Qe1 Rac8 14. f3 cxd4
15. cxd4 Qc3 16. Ba3 Rfe8 17. Qxc3 Rxc3 18. Bb5 Nc6 19. g4 Rxe3 20. Kf2 Bd7 21.
g5 Nh5 22. Ng2 Rc3 23. Rfc1 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 a6 25. Bxc6 Bxc6 26. a5 f6 27. h4 Re6
28. Rc5 Kf7 {The standings after one cycle became: Khalifman and Polgar 2, Van
Wely and Acs 1.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Acs, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2591"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Be2 Bb7 10. h4 g4 11. Ne5 Rg8 12. Nxg4 Nxg4 13. Bxg4 Nd7 14. O-O Nf6 15. Be2
Qb6 16. a4 Bb4 $5 ({Known is} 16... O-O-O) 17. Be5 Nd7 18. Bf4 Rd8 19. Be3 $6 (
{The alternative is} 19. Bxh6 $5 Be7 20. axb5 cxb5 21. Be3) 19... c5 20. axb5
$5 Nf6 $1 21. dxc5 $5 Bxc5 22. Bxc5 Qxc5 23. Qc2 Rd4 $1 24. Bf3 Rd3 {
He threatens ..Rxf3.} 25. Qe2 Rg3 $1 {Now the threat is ..Rdxf3.} 26. Na4 $2 (
26. Kh1 $1 Rgxf3 $1 27. gxf3 Qh5 28. Kg2 Qg6+ 29. Kh2 Qh5 30. Kg2 {
leads to a repetition of moves (Acs and Hazai).}) 26... Qd4 27. Rfd1 (27. Kh1
Rgxf3 28. gxf3 Rxf3 {wins for Black.}) 27... Bxe4 $1 28. Bxe4 Nxe4 29. Nc3 Nd2
$1 30. b6 Rxg2+ $1 31. Kxg2 Qg7+ 32. Kh2 Nf3+ 33. Qxf3 Rxf3 34. Rg1 Rxf2+ 35.
Kh1 Qd4 {Acs carried out a wonderful attack.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2681"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qa4 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. O-O
O-O 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Rd1 Na6 11. Bf4 Nc5 12. Qc2 Qc8 13. Nd4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Rd8
15. e4 Qb7 16. f3 Rac8 17. Qe2 d6 18. Ndb5 Ne8 19. b4 Na6 20. Rab1 Nb8 21. a4
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Acs, Peter"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B44"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3
b6 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Ne5 11. Be3 Be7 12. f3 O-O 13. Qe1 Rc8 14. Qf2 Ned7 15.
Rfd1 Qc7 16. Rac1 Rfe8 17. Kh1 Qb8 18. Bf1 Bd8 19. Bf4 $5 Ne5 20. Bxe5 $5 dxe5
21. Nc2 Nh5 22. b4 Qc7 23. Qd2 $5 Be7 $1 24. a3 h6 25. Rb1 f5 $2 ({
Preferable is} 25... Rcd8 26. Qf2 Nf6) 26. exf5 exf5 27. Nd5 $1 {
White conquers the centre.} Qd6 $5 28. Nce3 $5 Qe6 $2 (28... Bg5 29. Qc2 Bxd5
30. Nxd5 e4 {counters.}) 29. Nxe7+ $1 Rxe7 30. Qd6 {
White controls the position.} g6 31. c5 $1 b5 32. a4 $1 Bc6 33. axb5 axb5 34.
Nd5 Bxd5 35. Qxd5 Rb8 36. c6 Nf4 37. Qc5 Rc7 38. Rd6 Qe8 39. Bxb5 e4 40. Bc4+
Kh7 41. Rbd1 Nd3 42. Bxd3 exd3 43. b5 Qe7 44. Rd5 d2 45. Qxe7+ Rxe7 46. R5xd2
Rxb5 47. Rd7 Rg7 48. Rxg7+ Kxg7 49. Rc1 Rb8 50. c7 Rc8 51. Kg1 Kf6 52. Kf2 Ke5
53. Ke3 f4+ 54. Kd3 Kd5 55. h4 g5 56. hxg5 hxg5 57. Rc2 Ke5 58. Rc5+ Kd6 59.
Kd4 {Acs had scored three wins and two losses. He took the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2681"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qb3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. Nc3 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. e3
O-O 9. Rd1 Ne4 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Be2 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 dxc4 13. Bxc4 b6 14. O-O Bb7
15. Be2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[PlyCount "34"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Nb8 11. Nc3 Nbd7 12. a4 c6 13. axb5 axb5 14. Rxa8 Bxa8 15.
Ne2 Nc5 16. c3 Nxb3 17. Qxb3 Bb7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 6"]
[Date "2002.10.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Acs, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E48"]
[WhiteElo "2681"]
[BlackElo "2591"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "36"]
[EventDate "2002.10.13"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The decisive game of the tournament starts. If Van Wely wins, all players
will score 3 points.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. cxd5
exd5 7. Nge2 Re8 8. O-O Bd6 9. a3 Ng4 10. h3 $2 {Van Wely makes a risky choice.
} ({Known is} 10. Nf4) 10... Nh2 $1 11. Re1 Nf3+ $1 {
Black draws at least by a piece sacrifice.} 12. gxf3 Qg5+ 13. Kh1 Qh4 $1 {
Black can play for a victory.} 14. Nf4 $5 (14. Kg1 Bxh3 $1 15. f4 Bg4 $1 16.
Qb3 Bf3 17. Ng3 Bxf4 $1 18. Nce2 Bd6 $1 19. Bd2 Nd7 {
wins for Black (Acs and Hazai).}) 14... Bxh3 15. Ncxd5 ({Or} 15. Ng2 Qxf2 16.
Rg1 Re6 $1) 15... Re6 $1 {Acs triumphs in a very elegant way.} 16. Nxe6 Bf5+ $1
17. Kg1 Qh2+ 18. Kf1 Bg3 $1 {
The final standings became: Acs 4/6, Polgar and Khalifman 3, Van Wely 2.} ({
The pointe is} 18... Bg3 19. fxg3 Bh3#) 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.12"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The seventh Essent tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 12 until 18 x 2003.
Participants were Karpov the former world champion, Polgar the best woman,
Sokolov the strongest Dutchman and Aronian the junior.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3.
Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. a3
Nc6 11. cxd5 Qxd5 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qd6 $5 ({Theory is} 13... Bf5) 14. Rb1
b6 15. Re1 Be6 16. Bd3 Rae8 17. Rb5 $1 {White has the initiative.} Na5 $2 (
17... Bf6 {prevents the next move.}) 18. Rbe5 $1 Nc6 $2 (18... g6 $1 19. Bh6
Bf6 20. Bxf8 Rxf8 21. R5e3 c5 {counters at the cost of an exchange.}) 19. R5e2
$6 (19. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 20. Qc2 Rxf3 21. Bxh7+ Kf8 22. gxf3 {continues the attack.
}) 19... Bd7 20. d5 Na5 21. Ne5 Bf6 22. Bf4 $1 Bxe5 23. Bxe5 Qxa3 $5 24. Re3
Qc5 $4 (24... g6 $1 25. h4 f6 26. Bxc7 Rxe3 27. Rxe3 Qc5 28. d6 Nc6 {
defends properly.}) 25. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 26. Qh5+ {Suddenly Karpov was crushed.} (
{Judit has calculated} 26. Qh5+ Kg8 27. Bxg7 $1 Kxg7 28. Rg3+ Kf6 29. Qg5#) 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.12"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2649"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. e5 h6 8. Bd2
Bxc3 9. bxc3 Ne4 10. Bxc4 Bd7 11. d5 O-O 12. O-O exd5 13. Bxd5 Bc6 14. Bxe4
Bxe4 15. Be3 Nc6 16. Nd2 Bd3 17. Re1 Nxe5 18. Bxc5 Re8 19. Nf3 Qd5 20. Rxe5
Rxe5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.13"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2649"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8.
f3 d6 9. Nh3 h6 10. Bh4 Nbd7 11. e3 Rc8 12. Bd3 c5 13. O-O Ba6 $5 14. dxc5 Nxc5
15. Be2 d5 16. Rfd1 $2 ({Right is} 16. b3 Ncd7 17. a4) 16... Bxc4 17. Bxc4 Ncd7
$1 18. b3 b5 $1 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Qd4 bxc4 21. bxc4 Qa5 22. Rdc1 $5 dxc4 23.
Rxc4 e5 24. Qd3 e4 $1 25. fxe4 Rxc4 26. Qxc4 Ng4 $1 27. Nf4 $5 Nxe3 28. Qe2 Qc5
29. Kh1 Re8 30. Qf3 Qd4 31. Re1 Rxe4 32. g3 Qd2 $2 ({Better is} 32... f5 33.
Qf2 Nc2 $1 34. Rf1 Nxa3 35. Qxd4 Rxd4 36. Ra1 Nb5 {
and Black has grabbed a second pawn.}) 33. Ng2 $1 f5 34. Rxe3 Qc1+ 35. Re1
Rxe1+ 36. Nxe1 Qxe1+ {
Black has an extra pawn in the queen ending, but White will escape.} 37. Kg2
Qd2+ 38. Kh3 Qd7 39. Kg2 Kh7 40. h4 a5 41. h5 a4 42. Kh3 Qf7 43. Qe2 Qb7 44.
Kh2 Qc6 45. Qd3 Qe4 46. Qb5 f4 47. gxf4 Qxf4+ 48. Kh3 Qe4 49. Qc5 Qe6+ 50. Kg3
Kg8 51. Qa5 Qe3+ 52. Kg4 Qd4+ 53. Kg3 Qd3+ 54. Kh4 Qc4+ ({Or} 54... Qxa3 55.
Qd5+ Kf8 56. Qf3+ $1 Qxf3 {stalemate.}) 55. Kg3 Qd4 56. Qa8+ Kf7 57. Qb7+ Ke6
58. Qc8+ Ke7 59. Qc7+ Qd7 60. Qe5+ Kf8 61. Qf4+ Kg8 62. Qb8+ Kf7 63. Qf4+ Ke8
64. Qe4+ Kd8 65. Qa8+ Ke7 66. Qe4+ Kf6 67. Qf4+ Ke7 68. Qe4+ Kf8 69. Qf4+ Ke8 {
Polgar cannot avoid perpetual check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.13"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 e5 8. Bd3
Nc6 9. Ne2 b6 10. O-O Ba6 11. f4 Nd7 12. Be3 Na5 13. c5 Bc4 14. cxd6 cxd6 15.
Ng3 Qc7 16. Nf5 f6 $5 (16... Kh8 {happened in Short - Karpov, Dortmund 1997.})
17. Rf3 Rf7 18. Raf1 Kh8 19. h4 Rc8 20. h5 Be6 $6 ({Preferable is} 20... b5 $1)
21. Ba6 $1 Rcf8 22. fxe5 fxe5 23. h6 g6 24. Ng7 Bc4 25. Rxf7 Rxf7 26. Rxf7 Bxf7
27. d5 Qd8 $2 ({Better is} 27... Nc5 $1) 28. Qf2 $2 (28. Ne6 $1 Qe8 29. Bg5 $1
Bxe6 30. dxe6 Qxe6 31. Bc8 {wins for White.}) 28... Qe7 $2 29. Bb5 $2 Nc5 30.
Qf3 Kg8 31. Qg4 Qc7 $2 ({Right is} 31... Nab7) 32. Qh4 $5 Nab7 33. Bc6 Qc8 $5
34. Kh2 $5 Qd8 35. Bg5 Qc8 $5 36. Be7 g5 37. Bxg5 Bg6 38. Be7 $5 Nxe4 39. Bxb7
$2 {Sokolov was pressured by time.} ({He should have played} 39. Nh5 $1 {
(Sokolov)} Qf5 40. Bd7 $1 Qxh5 41. Be6+ Kh8 42. Qxh5 Bxh5 43. Bf8 {and mate.})
39... Qxb7 40. c4 Qc7 41. Ne6 Qd7 42. Bf8 Kf7 43. Bg7 Ke8 44. Qg4 Qf7 45. Qh4
Qe7 46. Qg4 {Karpov escaped several times.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.14"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2649"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qa5 10. Nb5 Nxe4 11. Bf4 O-O 12. O-O Bd7 13. a4 Bc6 14. Bc7
$5 {Karpov diverts from a previous game.} (14. Qg4 {
happened in Karpov - Lautier, Biel 1997.}) 14... b6 15. Bd6 $1 Nxd6 16. Qxd6 {
White has gained a plus.} a6 17. Nc7 Qg5 $1 18. Qg3 Qxg3 19. fxg3 $1 Ra7 20.
Nxe6 $1 {A knight sacrifice achieves the advantage.} Rc8 ({The pointe is} 20...
fxe6 $2 21. Bxe6+ Raf7 22. Rad1) 21. Ng5 Be8 22. Rae1 h6 23. Rxe8+ $1 Rxe8 24.
Rxf7 Rxf7 25. Bxf7+ Kf8 26. Bxe8 Kxe8 27. Ne6 {
White has a better knight ending.} Kf7 28. Nc7 a5 $1 29. Kf2 Nd7 30. Ke3 Nc5
31. Kd4 Nxa4 32. Nd5 b5 $5 {Black forces the draw.} 33. Nc7 b4 34. cxb4 axb4
35. Kc4 Nc3 36. Kxb4 Ne4 $5 37. Nb5 $5 Nd2 38. Nd4 Nf1 39. Nf3 Kf6 40. Kc4 Kf5
41. Kd3 Kg4 {The young grandmaster defended well.} (41... Kg4 42. Ke2 Nxh2 $1
43. Nxh2+ Kxg3 {draws (Ribli).}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.14"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a4 h6 13. Bc2 b4 14. a5 Rb8 $5 15.
Ba4 Re7 16. Bb3 Re8 17. d5 Ne7 18. Nc4 {White has the initiative.} bxc3 19.
bxc3 Nxe4 $5 {Black sacrifices material for control over the centre.} ({
More solid is} 19... c6) 20. Rxe4 Nxd5 21. Qc2 Nxc3 $1 22. Rg4 $1 Bxf3 23. gxf3
Ne2+ 24. Qxe2 Rxb3 25. Bxh6 $1 Qf6 26. Nd2 $5 Rb5 27. Bg5 Qe6 28. Kh2 $5 ({
Preferable is} 28. f4 $1 f6 29. Bh4 exf4 30. Qxe6+ Rxe6 31. Rxf4) 28... d5 $1
29. Rag1 Rxa5 30. Nf1 d4 $1 31. Ng3 $5 f5 $5 32. Bd2 fxg4 $6 ({Better is} 32...
Ra2 $1 33. Rg5 Bb4 $1 34. Ne4 Re7 35. Rg6 Qb3 36. f4 $1 fxe4 37. Qg4 Qf7 38.
Bxb4 Rxf2+ 39. Kh1 Rxf4 {(Polgar).}) 33. Bxa5 Qd5 $2 (33... gxf3 34. Qe4 $1 Qa2
35. Qxf3 Qf7 36. Qxf7+ Kxf7 37. Bxc7 Bb4 {offers a strong resistance.}) 34. Ne4
$1 Re6 35. Rxg4 c5 36. Nd2 e4 $5 37. fxe4 d3 38. exd5 Rxe2 39. Kg2 Re5 40. Ne4
Kf7 41. Rf4+ Ke8 42. d6 Rd5 43. Bc3 Bxd6 44. Rf5 $1 {
Polgar scored 21/2/3 during the first cycle.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2649"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nf3 Re8 6. O-O e4 7. Ng5 Bxc3 8.
bxc3 h6 9. Nh3 Nc6 10. Nf4 d6 11. Nd5 Bf5 12. f3 Nxd5 13. cxd5 exf3 14. Rxf3
Ne7 15. d3 Bd7 16. Rf2 Ng6 17. Rb1 b5 18. d4 Rc8 19. Bd2 a6 20. Qb3 Bg4 21. e3
Qd7 22. c4 Bh3 23. Bxh3 Qxh3 24. cxb5 Rb8 25. Qc2 Qd7 26. Rbf1 Nh8 27. Qc6 Qxc6
28. bxc6 Rb5 29. Rf5 f6 30. a4 Rb3 31. Ba5 Rc8 32. e4 Nf7 33. R5f3 Rb2 34. h4
Ra2 35. Rb3 Rxa4 36. Bxc7 Rxc7 37. Rfb1 Re7 38. e5 Rxd4 39. Rb8+ Kh7 40. exf6
gxf6 41. R8b7 Re2 42. Rxf7+ Kg6 43. Rf8 Rdd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. e4 d5 6. e5 Ne4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3
c5 9. Bd3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Kf1 Bd7 12. Ne2 Ba4 $5 ({Known is} 12... f6 $1
) 13. Qb2 Nc6 $1 14. cxd5 $1 exd5 15. Be3 f6 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. exf6 Rxf6 18.
Kg1 Bb5 19. Ng3 $6 (19. d5 Bxe2 20. dxc6 Ba6 21. cxb7 Rb8 {keeps the equality.}
) 19... Bd3 $1 20. Rc1 Raf8 $5 21. h4 b6 $6 ({Preferable is} 21... R6f7) 22.
Qb3+ Kh8 23. h5 h6 24. Rh4 $1 Rd6 ({The pointe is} 24... Nxd4 $2 25. Bxd4 Qg5
26. Rc7 $3 Qxh4 27. Rxg7 $1 Kxg7 28. Nf5+ {and White wins (Postny).}) 25. Rf4
$1 Rxf4 26. Bxf4 Rf6 27. Be3 Ne7 28. Rc7 Qd5 $1 29. Qxd5 Nxd5 30. Rxa7 {
White has gained a pawn.} Rf8 31. Kh2 $6 (31. Rd7 $1 {plays for a win.}) 31...
Kg8 32. Kh3 Nf4+ 33. Kh2 $5 Nd5 34. Rd7 Nf6 35. Rd6 Ra8 36. Rxb6 Rxa3 37. Kh3
Ra5 38. Kh4 Rd5 39. Rb7 Bc2 40. Bf4 $5 Rxd4 41. Rxg7+ $5 {
Karpov applies fine tactics, but it is not enough to win.} Kxg7 42. Nf5+ Kh7
43. Nxd4 Bd1 44. Nf5 Bxh5 45. Nxh6 Nd5 46. Bc1 e3 $1 47. fxe3 Kxh6 48. e4+ Kg6
49. exd5 {A theoretical draw has been reached.} Bd1 50. g4 Bb3 51. d6 Be6 52.
Bg5 Bc8 53. Be7 Bd7 54. Kg3 Bc8 55. Kf4 Bd7 56. g5 Kf7 57. Ke5 Be8 58. Kd5 Ba4
59. Bd8 Ke8 60. Ba5 Kf7 61. Bc3 Be8 62. Bb2 Ba4 63. Bc1 Be8 64. Bb2 Ba4 65. Kc5
Ke6 66. g6 Kd7 67. g7 {This time Polgar escaped in the encounter with Karpov.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.17"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E39"]
[WhiteElo "2649"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 c5 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Bg5 Be7 8.
Rd1 h6 9. Bh4 b6 10. e4 Bb7 11. Be2 a6 12. O-O Ne8 $6 {
Karpov plays a poor novelty.} ({Preferable is} 12... Nc6) 13. Bg3 $5 ({
Even better is} 13. Bxe7 $1 Qxe7 14. Qd2 Qc5 15. Na4 Qc6 16. Qb4) 13... d6 14.
e5 $1 Qc7 15. exd6 Nxd6 16. Rd4 Qc6 $6 ({Right is} 16... Nc6 17. Rd2 Rad8) 17.
Bd3 Ne8 18. Bh7+ $1 Kh8 19. Be4 Qc8 20. Na4 $1 Bc5 $6 (20... Bxe4 21. Qxe4 Qc6
22. Nxb6 Qxb6 23. Qxa8 Nf6 24. c5 $1 Bxc5 25. Ra4 Qxb2 26. Bxb8 Rxb8 27. Qxa6
Rd8 {defends actively.}) 21. Nxc5 bxc5 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Rd2 Nf6 24. Rfd1 Qc8
$2 (24... Nbd7 25. Ne5 Nxe5 26. Bxe5 {(Postny)} Qe4 {defends passively.}) 25.
Bd6 Re8 26. Ne5 Kg8 27. Be7 $1 Qc7 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Qe4 $1 Ra7 30. Ng4 Kg7 31.
Qe3 Rh8 32. Rd8 $1 {Karpov was defeated in his own subtle style.} ({
The pointe is} 32. Rd8 Rxd8 33. Qxh6+ Kg8 34. Nxf6#) 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.17"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. a3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Qc2 Nxc3 8.
bxc3 Be7 9. e4 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Qc8 12. Qe2 Ba6 13. Rd1 Rd8 14. h4 $5
cxd4 15. cxd4 Bxd3 16. Rxd3 Nd7 17. Bg5 f6 $6 (17... Bxg5 $1 18. hxg5 Qa6 {
will draw in I.Sokolov - Bologan, Poikovsky 2004.}) 18. Bf4 Qb7 19. h5 Rac8 20.
Rad1 {White utilises the chance to build an attacking position.} Qa6 21. e5 f5
$5 22. d5 $5 exd5 $2 (22... Nc5 $1 23. d6 Nxd3 24. Qxd3 Qxd3 25. Rxd3 Rd7 {
equalises.}) 23. Nd4 Rf8 24. Qf3 $2 (24. Bh6 $1 Nc5 25. Rg3 $1 Qxe2 26. Rxg7+
Kh8 27. Nxe2 {gains an advantage.}) 24... Nc5 $1 25. h6 g5 $5 26. Bxg5 Bxg5 27.
Qh5 Bf4 $2 (27... Bxh6 $1 28. Rh3 Rc7 29. Qxh6 Rg7 {defends properly.}) 28. Rf3
$1 Bxe5 29. Nxf5 Qb7 $5 30. Rxd5 Rce8 31. Qg5+ Kh8 32. Rxe5 (32. Ne7 $1 Ba1 33.
Re5 $1 {wins quickly (Sokolov).}) 32... Rxe5 33. Ne7 $3 Re1+ ({The pointe is} 
33... Rxg5 34. Rxf8+ Rg8 35. Rxg8#) 34. Kh2 Qb8+ 35. Rg3 $1 Rxe7 36. Qxe7 Ne6
37. Qxe6 Qf4 38. a4 a6 39. Qxb6 Rb8 40. Qe3 Qh4+ 41. Rh3 Qf6 42. Qc3 {
Judit was beaten in an exciting game, but she kept the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. e3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 7. Be2 e6 8. h3 Bh5
9. Ne5 Bxe2 10. Nxe2 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bd6 12. O-O O-O 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Rc1 Nbd7
15. Nc6 Qb6 16. Ba5 Qb7 17. Nb4 Rac8 18. f3 Nb8 19. Qd2 Nfd7 20. Rfd1 h6 21.
Kf2 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8 23. Rxc8+ Qxc8 24. Nc1 Nc6 25. Nxc6 Qxc6 26. Nd3 Bc7 27.
Qc3 Qxc3 28. Bxc3 Nb8 29. Bb4 Nc6 30. Bc5 f5 31. Ke2 Kf7 32. Nb4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 7"]
[Date "2003.10.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C90"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2649"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2003.10.12"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{Judit needs a draw, but she wants more.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4
Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d3 d6 9. c3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Nbd2 Nc6
12. Nf1 Re8 13. a4 Be6 14. Ne3 h6 $5 15. d4 $1 {White takes the initiative.}
exd4 16. cxd4 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 cxd4 18. Qxd4 Nd7 19. axb5 $1 axb5 20. Bd2 Bf6 21.
Qxd6 Rxa1 22. Rxa1 Bxb2 23. Rb1 Be5 24. Qd3 Qc7 $6 ({Preferable is} 24... Bf4
$5 25. Rxb5 Ne5 26. Qxd8 Rxd8 {(Polgar).}) 25. Nd5 Bxd5 $5 26. exd5 Nf6 27. g3
Rc8 $6 ({Better is} 27... Rb8 $5) 28. Bd1 Qc4 $4 (28... Ra8 29. Rxb5 Ra1 30.
Be3 Qd7 {defends properly.}) 29. Rc1 $1 Qxc1 ({The pointe is} 29... Qxd3 30.
Rxc8+ Kh7 31. Bc2 $1) 30. Bxc1 Rxc1 31. d6 Nd7 32. Kg2 Bf6 33. Bc2 g6 34. Bb3
Kg7 35. Qd5 {The final standings became: Polgar 4/6, Sokolov and Aronian 3,
Karpov 2. Judit had won the event for the third time.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E35"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2687"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The eighth Essent tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 17 until 23 x 2004.
Participants were Short former challenger of the world champion, Sokolov the
best Dutchman plus Stellwagen and Carlsen as juniors.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c5 7. dxc5 h6 8. Bh4 Nc6 9. e3 g5 10. Bg3
Ne4 11. a3 Bxc3+ 12. bxc3 Qa5 $5 13. Bd3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 d4 $5 {
Short plays aggressively.} 15. exd4 Nxd4 16. Qb2 Bd7 $1 17. Kf1 $1 Ne6 18. Qxb7
$1 Qxc3 $1 19. Rd1 ({The pointe is} 19. Qxa8+ $6 Ke7 20. Qxh8 Qxh8) 19... Rd8
20. Ne2 Qxa3 $6 (20... Qxc5 $1 {equalises.}) 21. c6 Bc8 22. Qb1 Ke7 23. g4 $6 (
23. Kg1 $1 Rd6 24. Be4 {gains an advantage (Sokolov).}) 23... Rd6 24. Rh3 Rhd8
25. Re3 Kf8 26. Kg1 $1 Rxc6 27. Bb5 Rxd1+ 28. Qxd1 Rd6 $1 29. Qb1 $1 Qa5 $1 30.
Ng3 $1 Rb6 31. Qb2 Kg8 $1 32. Qc2 Bb7 33. Bc4 Qc5 $2 ({Better is} 33... Qb4 $1
34. Nf5 Qb1+) 34. Nf5 Bd5 $2 (34... Rb4 $5 35. Nxh6+ Kg7 36. Nf5+ Kf6 {
tries to survive.}) 35. Nxh6+ $1 Kf8 ({Or} 35... Kg7 36. Qf5 $1) 36. Qh7 Rb1+
37. Qxb1 Qxc4 38. Qb8+ {Sokolov won convincingly.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Stellwagen, Daniel"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2512"]
[BlackElo "2581"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{Stellwagen and Carlsen were 17 and nearly 14 years old during the event.} 1.
e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nc3 Nc7 8. Bxc6
dxc6 9. Ne4 Ne6 10. d3 O-O 11. Be3 b6 12. Qd2 f5 13. exf6 exf6 14. Bh6 a5 15.
Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Ng3 Ra7 17. h4 h5 18. Re4 $5 ({Known is} 18. Qc3) 18... Re7 19.
Rae1 Rfe8 20. Qe3 Kf7 $5 21. Qh6 Rh8 22. Qd2 Rhe8 23. a3 Ng7 24. Qf4 Ne6 $6 (
24... Rxe4 25. dxe4 Ne6 {defends solidly.}) 25. Ne5+ $1 Kg7 26. Nxh5+ $1 {
Stellwagen applies ingenious tactics.} gxh5 27. Qg3+ Kh8 $2 {
Carlsen misses a brilliant resource.} (27... Kf8 $1 28. Nxc6 Qc7 29. Nxe7 Qxg3
30. fxg3 Rxe7 31. c3 Kf7 32. d4 cxd4 33. cxd4 Bb7 34. R4e2 Bd5 {
survives the attack.}) 28. Nxc6 $1 Qc7 29. Nxe7 Qxe7 (29... Qxg3 30. fxg3 Rxe7
31. c3 $1 Bd7 32. d4 cxd4 33. cxd4 Re8 34. d5 Ng7 35. Rxe8+ Nxe8 36. Re7 Bb5
37. Rb7 {wins for White (Short).}) 30. Qg6 Bd7 31. Qxh5+ Qh7 32. Qxh7+ Kxh7 33.
g4 Kg7 34. f4 Kf7 35. f5 Nd4 36. Rxe8 Bxe8 37. Kf2 Nxc2 38. Re6 b5 39. g5 fxg5
40. hxg5 Bd7 41. g6+ Kg8 42. Re5 Nd4 43. f6 Ne6 44. Rd5 Be8 45. Rd6 Bxg6 46.
Rxe6 Bxd3 47. Ke3 Kf7 48. Rb6 Bf1 49. Kf4 b4 50. Ke5 Be2 51. Rb7+ Kf8 52. Ra7
c4 53. Rxa5 {Stellwagen won in a subtle way.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Stellwagen, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B47"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2512"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Kh1 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 10. Qd3 b5 11. f4 Bb7 12. Bf3 h5 13. e5 Ng4 14. Bxb7 Qxb7
15. Ne4 Rc8 16. a4 b4 17. c4 bxc3 18. bxc3 O-O $5 ({The alternative is} 18...
Be7) 19. h3 Nh6 20. Qf3 $1 {White threatens Nf6+!} Qb3 $1 21. Qxh5 Nf5 22. Kh2
Be7 23. Bd2 Rc4 24. Qe2 Rxa4 $5 {The capture is premature.} ({Preferable is} 
24... Rfc8 $1 25. Qd3 Qb7) 25. Rxa4 Qxa4 26. g4 d5 $5 (26... Nh4 27. f5 Rc8 28.
f6 Bf8 {looks risky for practical play.}) 27. Nf6+ $1 Bxf6 28. gxf5 ({Or} 28.
exf6 Nd6 29. fxg7 Re8 $1 {(Short).}) 28... Bd8 29. f6 g6 $2 ({Better is} 29...
Qe4 $1 30. Qxe4 dxe4 31. Rg1 g6) 30. Qg4 $1 Qb5 31. Rf2 Bb6 32. Rg2 Rb8 33. Qh5
$1 {He threatens Rxg6+!} Qe8 34. f5 $1 exf5 35. Qh6 $1 ({He avoids the trap} 
35. e6 $4 Bc7+ 36. Kh1 Rb1+ {and Black wins.}) 35... Qxe5+ 36. Bf4 Qxf6 37.
Bxb8 Qxc3 38. Bd6 $1 {Short attacked brilliantly.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2581"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 c6 8. h3 b6
9. b4 a5 10. a3 Ba6 11. Bxa6 Rxa6 12. O-O Qa8 13. Nd2 $5 ({The alternative is} 
13. Rb1) 13... Qb7 14. Rb1 axb4 15. axb4 Ra3 16. Qc2 Rfa8 17. Rfc1 bxc5 $6 18.
bxc5 {The opening of the b-file helps White.} Qa6 19. Nb3 Bd8 20. Qb2 Qc4 21.
Nd2 Qa6 22. Nf3 $1 h6 $5 23. Ne1 $1 {The knight moves to the queenside.} Ne4
24. Nxe4 dxe4 25. Nc2 Ra2 26. Qb3 $1 Qe2 $6 ({More solid is} 26... Qc8 27. Nb4
R2a4 {(Dautov).}) 27. Bg3 $1 Nf6 28. Nb4 R2a3 $2 {
Carlsen misses a brilliant defence.} ({Correct is} 28... Bc7 $3 29. Bh4 g5 30.
Nxa2 Rxa2 31. Re1 Qd2 32. Rbd1 Rb2 $1 33. Qc4 Rc2 $1) 29. Qc4 $1 Qxc4 30. Rxc4
Ra1 ({The pointe is} 30... Rc8 31. Nxc6 $1) 31. Rcc1 Rxb1 32. Rxb1 Rc8 33. Nxc6
$1 Rxc6 34. Rb8 Kh7 35. Rxd8 Nd5 36. Rd7 Kg6 37. Ra7 Rc8 38. Kf1 Nb4 39. f3 Nc6
40. Rb7 f5 41. Bd6 Na5 42. Rd7 Nc4 43. Kf2 Ra8 44. fxe4 fxe4 45. Bf4 Kf6 46. c6
g5 47. Bg3 Ra2+ 48. Kg1 Ra1+ 49. Kh2 Kg6 50. c7 Nxe3 51. c8=Q {
Sokolov won his second game.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2581"]
[BlackElo "2687"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8.
cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. a3 Nc6 11. Bd3 Bb6 12. O-O d4 13. e4 Bg4 14. h3 Bh5
15. g4 Bg6 16. Nd2 f6 17. Rc1 Kh8 18. Nc4 Bc7 19. Bxc7 Qxc7 20. f4 Rae8 $5 ({
Known is} 20... Bf7) 21. Qf3 Qe7 22. Rce1 Bf7 23. Nd2 g5 $5 24. Bb5 a6 $2 {
White gets the chance to ruin the hostile posituion.} (24... Be6 25. fxg5 fxg5
26. Qd3 Rxf1+ 27. Rxf1 Qd6 {defends properly.}) 25. Bxc6 bxc6 26. fxg5 fxg5 27.
Qf6+ $1 Kg8 $2 {Exchange prolongs the game.} 28. Qxd4 c5 29. Qf6 Qxf6 30. Rxf6
Rb8 31. Nf3 Rxb2 32. Nxg5 Ba2 33. Rxf8+ Kxf8 34. Nxh7+ Ke7 35. Ng5 c4 36. Rc1
Rb3 37. Kf2 c3 38. e5 Rxa3 39. Ne4 c2 40. Rxc2 Rxh3 41. Rc7+ Kd8 42. Ra7 Bc4
43. g5 Rh4 44. Nd6 Be6 45. g6 Rg4 46. g7 a5 47. Kf3 Rg1 48. Nb7+ Ke8 49. Nc5
Bf7 50. Ne4 Rxg7 51. Nd6+ Kf8 52. Ra8+ Ke7 53. Nf5+ Kd7 54. Ra7+ {
The young man defeated a strong opponent.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Stellwagen, Daniel"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C96"]
[WhiteElo "2512"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 cxd4 12. cxd4 Bb7 13. Nbd2 Nc6 14. d5 Nb4 15.
Bb1 a5 16. Nf1 Na6 17. Ng3 Bc8 18. Be3 Qc7 $5 (18... Rb8 {
happened in Unzicker - Portisch, Hastings 1969.}) 19. Nh2 $6 ({Preferable is} 
19. Bd3) 19... Bd7 20. Ng4 Nxg4 21. hxg4 g6 22. Bd3 Nc5 23. Rc1 Qd8 $1 24. Bxc5
$6 ({Better is} 24. Bc2 Bg5 25. Nf1) 24... dxc5 25. b3 a4 26. Nf1 axb3 27. axb3
Qb6 28. Qe2 Ra3 29. Rb1 Rfa8 30. Ne3 Bd6 31. Red1 Kg7 32. Qf3 Qd8 $5 33. g3 $5
Ra2 34. Kg2 Qg5 35. Rh1 h6 36. Bc2 $2 {Stellwagen misses the decisive tactics.}
({Right is} 36. Rhe1 $1 R8a3 37. Re2) 36... c4 $1 37. bxc4 Bc5 $1 38. Bb3 Bxe3
$1 39. Bxa2 Rxa2 {The standings after one cycle became: Sokolov 3/3,
Stellwagen, Short and Carlsen 1. All games were decided.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Stellwagen, Daniel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2581"]
[BlackElo "2512"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5
Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Ngf6 11. Bf4 e6 12. O-O-O Nd5 13. Bd2 Nb4 14. Qb3 a5
15. Kb1 a4 16. Qe3 Nd5 17. Qe2 b5 18. Ne5 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Qb6 20. Rh3 $5 a3 21.
b3 Qd4 22. c3 Qxc3 $1 {Black gains a pawn.} 23. Be1 $6 (23. Bxc3 Nxc3+ 24. Kc2
Nxe2 25. Nxe2 Rg8 {brings a black edge.}) 23... Qb2+ $1 24. Qxb2 axb2 25. Kxb2
Nf4 $1 26. Rh2 c5 {Black has a positional plus instead of an extra pawn.} 27.
Ne4 c4 28. Kb1 Ba3 29. g3 Nd3 $1 30. Bc3 O-O 31. f4 Rfd8 32. Rhd2 Rd5 33. Ba1
Bb4 34. Bc3 Ba3 35. Ba1 Rd7 36. Rc2 Rb8 $5 ({The alternative is} 36... Rad8 37.
Rdd2 Rd5 38. Nc3 Rc5 {(Lukacs).}) 37. Nc3 $2 ({Correct is} 37. Rcd2) 37... b4
38. Ne4 c3 $1 {A bishop has been imprisoned.} 39. Nd6 Nc5 40. Re2 Nb7 $1 41.
Re4 Nxd6 42. exd6 Rb5 43. Rc4 Rxh5 44. Rc7 Rxc7 $1 45. dxc7 Rc5 $1 {
Stellwagen defeated Carlsen for the second time.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C91"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. d4 Bg4 10. a4 Bxf3 11. gxf3 Na5 12. Ba2 c5 $5 13. Na3 Qb8 14. f4 $5 cxd4
15. cxd4 Nc6 16. Nc2 bxa4 17. Bb1 $5 Bd8 $6 {Short refused the offer of a draw.
} ({Preferable is} 17... Qb5 $1 18. Na3 Qb3) 18. Rxa4 Bb6 19. d5 Ne7 $6 ({
More active is} 19... Nd4 $5 20. fxe5 Nxc2 21. Bxc2 dxe5) 20. f5 Qa7 21. Qf3
Kh8 22. Na3 Qd7 23. b3 Bc5 24. Bd2 Rfb8 25. Bc2 Ne8 26. Kh1 f6 27. Rg1 $1 {
White makes a slow progress.} Nc7 28. b4 Bd4 29. Rg3 Rc8 30. Bd1 $5 Nb5 $1 31.
Nxb5 $6 (31. Qg4 Ng8 32. Qe2 {keeps an edge.}) 31... axb5 32. Rxa8 Rxa8 33. Rh3
Qe8 $1 {The chances are equal.} 34. Kg2 Ra2 35. Be1 Ra1 36. Bd2 Ra2 37. Qd3 $5
g6 38. fxg6 Nxg6 $6 ({Better is} 38... Qxg6+ $1 39. Rg3 Qf7) 39. Bh5 $1 Qf7 40.
Bxg6 Qxg6+ 41. Rg3 Rxd2 $2 (41... Qe8 $1 42. Be3 Bxe3 43. Qxe3 {(Short)} Qd8 {
defends passively.}) 42. Qxd2 Qxe4+ 43. f3 Qxd5 44. Qc2 Qa8 45. Qc7 Qf8 46. Qd7
Be3 47. Kf1 $6 (47. Kh1 $1 Bd2 48. Qxb5 {wins immediately.}) 47... Bg5 $6 (
47... Bd2 48. Rg2 Bxb4 49. Qb7 {favours White.}) 48. f4 $1 Qa8 $5 49. fxg5 Qh1+
50. Kf2 Qxh2+ 51. Rg2 Qf4+ 52. Kg1 Qc1+ 53. Kh2 Qf4+ 54. Rg3 Qf2+ 55. Kh3 Qf1+
56. Kh4 $5 Qh1+ 57. Rh3 Qe4+ 58. Qg4 $1 fxg5+ 59. Kxg5 Qg6+ 60. Kh4 Qh6+ 61.
Kg3 Qe3+ 62. Kg2 Qd2+ 63. Kh1 Qe1+ 64. Kh2 Qd2+ 65. Qg2 Qf4+ 66. Rg3 e4 $5 {
He runs out of checks.} 67. Qb2+ {Sokolov was stopped after the restday.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.22"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B25"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2581"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. Bg5 Nf6 7. Nge2 Rb8 8. O-O
b5 9. a3 Bd7 10. h3 O-O 11. Kh2 a5 12. Qd2 b4 13. axb4 axb4 14. Nd5 Nxd5 15.
exd5 Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 17. c3 bxc3 18. bxc3 Bf6 19. Bxf6 exf6 20. Ra7 Re8 21.
Rfa1 Bf5 22. g4 Bc8 23. c4 Kg7 24. d4 cxd4 25. Qxd4 Re2 26. Bf1 Rc2 27. Re1 Rb7
28. Kg1 Rxa7 29. Qxa7 Bd7 30. Kg2 h6 31. Qd4 Ra2 32. Re3 Kg8 33. Bd3 Kg7 34. h4
g5 35. h5 Ra3 36. Kg3 Rb3 37. Rf3 Qe7 38. Re3 Qd8 39. Kg2 Ra3 40. Rf3 Qe7 41.
Re3 Qd8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.22"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Stellwagen, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E70"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2512"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. Qd2 c5 7. d5 b5 8. cxb5 a6
9. bxa6 Bxa6 10. Bxa6 Nxa6 {Black's pawn sacrifice slightly favours White.} 11.
Nf3 $5 ({Usual is} 11. Nge2 $5) 11... c4 $1 12. O-O Nc5 $1 13. Qe2 Nd3 14. Ne1
Qb6 $5 ({Preferable is} 14... Nc5 $1 15. Qxc4 $5 Nfxe4 $1 16. Nxe4 Ra4) 15. Rb1
$5 Qa6 16. Nxd3 cxd3 17. Qd2 Rfc8 18. Rfd1 $5 Rxc3 $1 {
Stellwagen delivers a fine positional sacrifice.} 19. Qxc3 Nxe4 20. Qe1 $1 (20.
Qc1 $6 Bd4 $1 21. Be3 Rc8 22. Bxd4 Rxc1 23. Rbxc1 f5 {
brings a complicated position.}) 20... Nxg5 21. h4 Qxa2 22. Qxe7 $1 Nh3+ $5 ({
The alternative is} 22... Nf3+ $1 23. gxf3 Be5) 23. gxh3 Bxb2 $2 ({Right is} 
23... Be5 24. Qb7 Kg7 {(Sokolov)} 25. Qb5 {and White has a plus.}) 24. Qxd6 Bd4
25. Rb8+ Rxb8 26. Qxb8+ Kg7 27. Qg3 Qe2 28. Qxd3 Qxf2+ 29. Kh1 Be5 $5 30. Rd2
Qe1+ 31. Kg2 Bd6 32. h5 $1 gxh5 33. Re2 Qh4 34. Qf5 h6 35. Kh1 Qc4 36. Rf2 Qc7
37. Qf6+ Kg8 38. Qxh6 Bg3 39. Re2 Qd8 40. Qxh5 {Sokolov won again.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.23"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2581"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8.
Ne5 a5 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 e6 11. e4 Bh7 12. Be2 Be7 13. f3 Nfd7 14. Bxe7 Qxe7
15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. O-O O-O 17. Qd2 Qb4 18. Nb1 Rfd8 19. Rd1 f5 20. Qxb4 axb4 21.
Nd2 fxe4 22. fxe4 Nf6 23. e5 Ne8 24. Nc4 Bc2 25. Rd2 Rxa4 26. Rxa4 Bxa4 27. Bg4
Nc7 28. Nd6 b6 29. Rf2 Rf8 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. Nc8 Bb3 32. Nxb6 Nb5 33. Nd7+ Ke7
34. Nc5 Nxd4 35. Kf2 Bd5 36. Ke3 Nc2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 8"]
[Date "2004.10.23"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Stellwagen, Daniel"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2512"]
[BlackElo "2687"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2004.10.17"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15.
a4 c5 16. d5 c4 17. Bg5 h6 18. Be3 Nc5 19. Kh1 Rb8 20. Qd2 h5 21. axb5 axb5 22.
Ng5 Bg7 $5 (22... Bh6 23. f4 h4 24. fxe5 Rxe5 25. Nf3 Bxe3 26. Qxe3 Re8 27.
Nxh4 {drew in Jansa - Van der Sterren, Kerteminde 1991.}) 23. f4 exf4 24. Bxf4
h4 25. Nf1 Nh5 26. Be3 Bf6 27. Nh2 Bc8 $5 28. Nhf3 Ng3+ 29. Kh2 Ncxe4 30. Nxe4
Nxe4 31. Bxe4 Rxe4 32. Ba7 $5 (32. Bb6 $1 Qxb6 33. Rxe4 {favours White.}) 32...
Rxe1 33. Rxe1 Ra8 34. Bd4 Bd7 35. Qf4 Bxd4 36. Nxd4 Ra6 37. Ne6 $5 Bxe6 $5 (
37... fxe6 38. dxe6 Be8 39. e7 Qd7 40. Qf8+ Kh7 41. Rf1 d5 42. Rf7+ Bxf7 43.
Qxf7+ Kh6 {draws by perpetual check.}) 38. dxe6 Ra7 39. Qd4 $5 Qg5 40. Qxd6 $5
Re7 41. exf7+ Kxf7 42. Rf1+ Kg7 43. Kh1 Qe5 44. Qd8 Kh7 45. Qf8 Rd7 46. Qf2 Qg5
47. Qf8 {Both sides cannot play for a win. The final standings: Sokolov 41/2/6,
Short 3, Stellwagen 21/2, Carlsen 2. Magnus had a long way to go until he
became the world champion.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2494"]
[BlackElo "2696"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The ninth Essent tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 23 until 29 x 2005.
Participants of the crown group were Sutovsky as the experienced player,
Harikrishna as the youth champion, Stefanova as the female world champion and
Sokolov as best Dutchman.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5
exd5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. e3 c6 8. Qc2 Nh5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. O-O-O Nb6 11. Ne5 g6 12.
g4 Nf6 $5 ({The alternative is} 12... Ng7) 13. Rg1 Be6 14. Bd3 Nfd7 15. Nxd7
Qxd7 {The chances are equal.} 16. h3 h5 17. Rde1 O-O-O ({The pointe is} 17...
hxg4 18. hxg4 Bxg4 19. Bxg6 $1 {(Sokolov).}) 18. Qd1 $5 hxg4 19. hxg4 Rh2 20.
f4 $6 ({Preferable is} 20. f3 $1 Rdh8 21. Kb1) 20... Rdh8 21. Re2 R2h3 22. Rf2
Qe7 23. f5 Bd7 24. Rf3 Qg5 25. fxg6 fxg6 26. Qf1 R3h4 27. Nd1 $6 ({
More active is} 27. Rf8+) 27... Rxg4 28. Rxg4 Bxg4 $5 29. Rg3 $5 Qh4 $1 30. Qf4
Bxd1 31. Qxh4 Rxh4 32. Kxd1 Rh2 33. Rxg6 Rxb2 $6 (33... Na4 $1 34. Bf5+ Kd8 35.
Rg7 Rf2 36. Be6 Nxb2+ 37. Ke1 Nd3+ 38. Kd1 Rf6 39. Bg8 Kc8 {keeps a plus.}) 34.
Rg8+ Kc7 35. Rg7+ Kd6 36. Rg6+ Ke7 37. Rg7+ Ke6 38. Rxb7 Rxa2 39. Rh7 Na4 40.
Kc1 Nc3 41. Bg6 Ne2+ 42. Kd1 Nc3+ 43. Kc1 a5 44. Be8 a4 45. Rh6+ $5 Ke7 46.
Rxc6 Ne2+ 47. Kb1 Ra3 48. Bh5 Rb3+ 49. Ka1 Nc3 50. Bg6 Ne4 51. Ra6 a3 52. Ka2
Rxe3 53. Rxa3 Nc3+ 54. Kb2 Nd1+ 55. Ka2 Re2+ 56. Kb1 Ne3 {
Black delivers perpetual check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Penteala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2654"]
[BlackElo "2673"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15.
Bg5 h6 16. Bd2 Bg7 17. Qc1 Kh7 18. h4 c5 19. d5 c4 20. h5 $5 Nxh5 21. Nxh5 gxh5
22. g3 Nc5 23. b4 Nd3 $1 24. Bxd3 cxd3 25. Nh4 $5 Bc8 26. Kg2 f5 27. Qd1 $6 (
27. Qb1 $1 {attacks the extra black pawn.}) 27... fxe4 28. Qxh5 Qf6 29. Rxe4
Bb7 30. Rg4 Bxd5+ 31. f3 Bf7 32. Qf5+ Qxf5 33. Nxf5 Bg6 34. Nxd6 Red8 $6 (34...
Rf8 35. Rh4 a5 {keeps a plus.}) 35. Ne4 a5 36. bxa5 Rxa5 37. c4 Raa8 38. cxb5
Rdb8 39. a4 Rxb5 $1 40. axb5 Rxa1 41. Kf2 Rb1 42. Nc3 $6 (42. Ke3 Rxb5 43. Kxd3
{equalises.}) 42... Rb2 43. Ke3 h5 44. Rxg6 $5 Kxg6 45. Kxd3 e4+ 46. fxe4 Bxc3
47. Kxc3 Rxb5 48. Bf4 Kf6 49. Kd3 Ke6 50. Ke2 Rb7 51. Kf3 Rg7 52. Ke3 Rg4 53.
Bb8 Kd7 54. Kd4 Kc6 55. Be5 Rg5 56. Bf4 Rb5 57. Bh6 Kd6 58. Bf4+ Ke6 59. Ke3
Rb3+ 60. Kf2 Rb2+ 61. Kf3 Rb3+ 62. Kg2 Ra3 63. Kf2 {
Black has a better ending, but he cannot win.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D80"]
[WhiteElo "2696"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 dxc4 7. e3 Be6 8.
Nf3 c6 9. Ng5 Bd5 10. e4 h6 11. exd5 hxg5 12. dxc6 Nxc6 13. Bxg5 Qd5 14. h4 Bh6
$5 ({Known is} 14... Bg7) 15. Bxh6 Rxh6 16. Be2 Qe4 $5 17. Qd2 (17. f3 $1 {
will become a novelty.}) 17... Rxh4 18. O-O-O Rxh1 19. Rxh1 O-O-O 20. Bf3 Qe6
21. Qc2 Qd7 22. Qa4 Ne5 $5 23. Qxd7+ Nxd7 24. Rh7 Rf8 25. Bd5 e6 26. Bxc4 {
White has regained his pawn and reached equality.} Nf6 27. Rh1 Kd7 28. Bd3 Ng4
$6 {The knight is going to make a useless trip.} 29. f3 Ne3 $5 30. g3 Nf5 31.
g4 Nd6 32. Rh7 $1 Rc8 33. Kd2 Ke8 34. Rh8+ Kd7 35. Rxc8 Nxc8 36. g5 $1 {
Black pawns are restricted in the bishop versus knight ending.} Ne7 37. c4 Nc6
38. Kc3 b6 $2 (38... e5 $1 39. dxe5 Nxe5 40. Be4 {(Krasenkow).} b6 {
should draw.}) 39. Be4 Ne7 40. f4 Nc8 $5 41. c5 $1 Ne7 42. Kc4 Kc7 43. Kb5 $1
Nf5 $2 (43... bxc5 $1 44. Kxc5 Nc8 $1 45. d5 Nd6 46. Bf3 Nb7+ 47. Kd4 exd5 48.
Bxd5 Nd8 49. Ke5 Kd7 50. Kf6 Ke8 {seems to build a small fortress timely.}) 44.
Bxf5 gxf5 45. Kc4 Kc6 46. a4 $1 {Black cannot stop the advance d4-d5.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Penteala"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2494"]
[BlackElo "2673"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2
Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. a3 a5 11. Bd2 O-O 12. Qc2 Qb8 13. Rab1 b4 14. Na4 c5 15.
Nxc5 Bxc5 $1 {Harikrishna delivers a novelty.} 16. dxc5 Be4 17. Bd3 b3 18. Qc3
Nxc5 19. Bxe4 Ncxe4 20. Qc4 a4 21. Bb4 Rc8 22. Qd4 Qc7 23. Rfc1 $2 Qxc1+ $1 24.
Rxc1 Rxc1+ {The exchange favours Black.} 25. Ne1 e5 $1 26. Qd3 ({The pointe is
} 26. Qxe5 $2 Nxf2 $1) 26... Ng5 $2 (26... Rac8 27. f3 h6 $1 28. fxe4 R8c2 {
wins for Black.}) 27. Qb5 h6 28. Qxe5 Rd8 29. Qa5 Rdd1 30. h4 Nge4 31. f3 Nd5
$5 32. Qxa4 $2 (32. fxe4 $1 Nxb4 33. axb4 Rxe1+ 34. Kh2 Rc2 35. Qxa4 Ree2 36.
Qxb3 Rxg2+ 37. Kh3 Rh2+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 32... Nef6 $1 33. Ba5 Nxe3
34. Qxb3 Nc2 35. Qb8+ $6 (35. Bc3 Nxe1 36. Kh2 {prolongs the game.}) 35... Kh7
36. Qf4 $5 Nxe1 37. Kh2 Nxf3+ $1 38. Qxf3 ({Or} 38. gxf3 Rc2+ 39. Kh3 Rh1+ 40.
Kg3 Nh5+) 38... Rh1+ 39. Kg3 Rcf1 40. Qe2 g6 {Sokolov and Harikrishna led.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Harikrishna, Penteala"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2673"]
[BlackElo "2696"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 a6 6. Bb3 O-O 7. O-O d6 8. h3
Ba7 9. Be3 Bxe3 $5 10. fxe3 Ne7 $5 11. Nh4 Ng6 12. Nf5 c6 13. Nd2 d5 14. Qf3
Be6 15. d4 a5 16. exd5 cxd5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Qg3 Ng6 19. Nd4 $1 Qb6 20. Rab1
Bd7 21. Bc2 Rae8 22. b4 $5 {White weakens his pawn structure.} Re7 $1 23. bxa5
Qxa5 24. Rxb7 Qxc3 25. Nb1 Rxe3 $5 26. Nxc3 Rxg3 27. Nce2 $1 Bc8 28. Ra7 Re3
29. a4 $1 {White has a great compensation for the pawn.} Ne5 30. Rb1 Ra3 $2 ({
Better is} 30... Bd7 31. a5 Ra3 32. Bb3 $5 Rb8) 31. Bb3 $1 {
A rook is locked up.} Be6 $6 (31... Bd7 32. Nc2 Rxb3 33. Rxb3 Nc6 {
offers more resistance (Lukacs).}) 32. Nc3 Rc8 33. Ncb5 Rxb3 34. Nxb3 h5 35.
N3d4 Rc4 36. a5 Ra4 37. a6 Kh7 38. Ra8 Nc4 39. a7 Ra2 40. Re1 {
Harikrishna took the sole lead. It became the decisive game of the tournament.}
1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Black "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C97"]
[WhiteElo "2654"]
[BlackElo "2494"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. d5 Bd7 13. b3 Rfe8 14. Kh2 $5 ({
Usual is} 14. Nbd2) 14... g6 15. g4 h5 $5 16. g5 Nh7 17. Rg1 c4 18. b4 Nb7 {
Black's knights are restricted.} 19. Nbd2 $5 Qc8 $5 20. Rg3 {
White dreams of an attack on the kingside.} h4 $6 ({Preferable is} 20... a5 $1)
21. Nxh4 Bxg5 22. Ndf3 $1 Bf6 23. Qg1 $1 Qd8 $2 (23... Kf8 $1 24. Rxg6 fxg6 25.
Qxg6 Ke7 26. Qxh7+ Kd8 {defends swell.}) 24. Bh6 $1 a5 25. Rxg6+ $1 fxg6 26.
Qxg6+ Kh8 27. Qf7 $6 (27. Ng5 $1 Nxg5 28. Bxg5 {wins quickly (Sutovsky).})
27... Rg8 28. Rg1 Qe7 29. Ng6+ Rxg6 30. Qxg6 Rf8 $5 31. Nh4 Be8 32. Qg4 axb4
33. cxb4 Qf7 34. Bxf8 Qxf8 35. Nf5 Bg5 36. h4 Bf6 37. Nh6 Bg7 38. Nf5 Bf6 39.
Rg3 $1 Bd7 40. Ra3 Nd8 (40... Bxf5 41. Qxf5 Bxh4 42. Qxf8+ Nxf8 43. Kg2 {
wins for White.}) 41. Ra7 Bxf5 42. Qxf5 Nf7 43. Kg2 $1 Qg7+ 44. Kf1 Nf8 45. Bd1
Ng6 46. Qc8+ Bd8 47. Rxf7 $1 Qxf7 48. Qxd8+ Kh7 49. Bg4 Qf4 50. Bf5 Kh6 51.
Qxd6 $1 {The standings after one cycle was: Harikrishna 21/2, Sokolov and
Sutovsky 11/2, Stefanova 1/2.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Harikrishna, Penteala"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A31"]
[WhiteElo "2673"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d5 6. cxd5 Bc5 7. d6 O-O 8.
Nc7 Ne4 9. e3 Bxd6 $5 {
Sutovsky delivers a novelty after a contemplation time of 40 minutes.} ({
Theory is} 9... Bb4+ $1) 10. Nxa8 Bb4+ 11. Nd2 Qh4 $1 12. g3 $1 Qf6 13. f3 Nxd2
14. Bxd2 Rd8 $1 {Black has enough compensation for the sacrificed rook.} 15.
Bxb4 $1 Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Nc6 {Sutovsky has foreseen this position.} 17. Bc5 $1
Qxf3 18. Rg1 Bg4 19. Rd2 $1 {The white pieces cooperate sufficiently.} Nd4 $1
20. Bxd4 ({Not} 20. exd4 $4 Qe3+ 21. Be2 Qxg1+) 20... exd4 21. Rd3 $1 Qc6 22.
Rg2 $1 {He activates the second rook.} Qc1+ 23. Kf2 dxe3+ 24. Rxe3 Qxb2+ 25.
Be2 h5 $6 (25... g6 $1 26. Rg1 Bxe2 27. Rxe2 Qf6+ 28. Kg2 Qc6+ 29. Kf2 Qc5+ 30.
Re3 Qc2+ 31. Kf3 b5 $1 {gains an advantage (Sutovsky).}) 26. Re8+ Kh7 27. Kg1
Qc1+ 28. Bf1 $1 Bh3 29. Rf2 Bxf1 30. Rxf1 Qc5+ 31. Rf2 $1 (31. Kg2 $4 Qc6+ {
costs a rook.}) 31... Qc1+ 32. Rf1 Qc5+ {Perpetual check ends the game.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2696"]
[BlackElo "2494"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. a4 e6 6. Bg5 a5 7. e3 Na6 8. Be2 Be7
9. O-O O-O 10. Rc1 Nb4 11. Qb3 b6 12. Na2 Nxa2 13. Qxa2 Ne4 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15.
Ne5 Bb7 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Qa3 Qxa3 18. bxa3 Rfc8 19. Nd7 Nc3 20. Bb5 Rc7 21.
Nxb6 Ra7 22. h3 Ba6 23. Kh2 Bxb5 24. axb5 Nxb5 25. Rxc7 Rxc7 26. Rb1 Nxa3 27.
Rb3 Rb7 28. Rxa3 Rxb6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Harikrishna, Penteala"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2696"]
[BlackElo "2673"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8.
g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 g5 12. Bxe5 Nxe5 13. Qd4 f6 14. O-O-O
Rd8 $5 15. Qe3 Be7 ({Hübner mentions} 15... Rxd1+ 16. Rxd1 Be7) 16. Rxd8+ Kxd8
17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. Qxa7 Ba3 $1 19. Rd1+ Kc8 20. Qd4 Qxd4 21. Rxd4 Bc5 22. Rd2
Be6 23. e3 Kc7 24. Kc2 h5 25. b3 h4 26. Bf1 hxg3 27. hxg3 Bb4 28. Bc4 Bxc4 29.
bxc4 Ra8 30. f4 gxf4 31. gxf4 Bxc3 32. Kxc3 Rxa4 33. Rh2 Kd6 34. Rh6 Ke6 35. e4
b5 36. cxb5 {A lot has been exchanged.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Black "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D91"]
[WhiteElo "2494"]
[BlackElo "2654"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 dxc4 7. e3 Be6 8.
Nf3 Bg7 9. Qb1 b6 10. Nd2 O-O 11. Be2 c5 12. Nxc4 Nc6 13. O-O cxd4 $1 {
Black achieves an advantage.} 14. cxd4 Nxd4 15. exd4 Qxd4 16. Bxe7 Rfe8 17. Qb4
a5 18. Qa3 Bxc4 {He has gained a pawn.} 19. Rad1 Qe5 $6 ({Preferable is} 19...
Qf4 $1 20. Bg5 Qc7 21. Bxc4 Qxc4) 20. Bxc4 Rxe7 {
The bishops have a different colour.} 21. Rd5 Qe4 22. Rfd1 Bf8 23. Qa4 Rae8 24.
Qb3 Qg4 25. h3 Qf4 26. g3 Re1+ 27. Bf1 Qf6 28. Kg2 $2 Rxd1 $2 (28... R8e3 $1
29. Qxe3 Rxe3 30. fxe3 Bc5 {enlarges the advantage.}) 29. Rxd1 Re4 30. Qf3 Qe6
31. Rd8 Re5 32. Qa8 Qe7 33. a4 Rf5 34. Bd3 Rf6 35. Re8 Qc5 36. Re2 Rd6 37. Bb5
Rd1 38. Qc6 Qb4 39. Qf3 Rd8 40. Re8 Rxe8 41. Bxe8 Qe7 42. Bb5 Qc7 43. h4 h5 44.
Qc6 Qd8 45. Qe4 Qf6 46. Qf3 Qe6 47. Qc6 Qxc6+ 48. Bxc6 {
Sutovsky missed winning chances.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.29"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Harikrishna, Penteala"]
[Black "Stefanova, Antoaneta"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2673"]
[BlackElo "2494"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 a6 6. Bb3 O-O 7. O-O Ba7 8. h3
d6 9. Be3 Be6 10. Bxa7 Rxa7 11. Nbd2 {Harikrishna secured the first place.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 9"]
[Date "2005.10.29"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Sutovsky, Emil"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C83"]
[WhiteElo "2654"]
[BlackElo "2696"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "2005.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
Be6 9. Nbd2 Be7 10. c3 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 Qd7 13. Nbd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 c5 15.
Nxe6 Qxe6 16. f3 Ng5 17. a4 g6 18. Be3 Qc6 19. Bxg5 Bxg5 20. f4 Be7 21. Qf3 $5
c4 22. Rfd1 Rad8 23. b4 a5 $5 24. bxa5 $6 (24. axb5 $1 Qb6+ 25. Qf2 Qxf2+ 26.
Kxf2 axb4 27. cxb4 Bxb4 28. Ke2 {gains a plus.}) 24... b4 $1 25. cxb4 Bxb4 26.
Kh1 Qc5 27. a6 $1 Rf7 28. Rac1 Qa5 29. h4 Kh8 30. e6 $6 (30. h5 $1 {attacks.})
30... Re7 31. Qe3 Qxa6 32. Qe5+ $6 Kg8 33. Rb1 $6 (33. Rxd5 $5 Rxd5 34. Qxd5
Qxe6 {(Sokolov)} 35. Qxe6+ Rxe6 36. Rb1 {almost equalises.}) 33... Qa5 34. Qf6
Rf8 35. Qe5 Rd8 36. h5 $6 (36. g4 Bc3 37. Qe2 fxg4 38. f5 {counters.}) 36...
Bc3 $1 37. Qe2 Qc7 38. Qf3 d4 39. Rb5 Rxe6 40. Rb7 Qc6 41. Qxc3 $5 dxc3 42.
Rxd8+ Re8 43. Rdd7 Qf6 44. Kg1 gxh5 45. a5 Qg6 46. Re7 Rxe7 47. Rxe7 Qd6 48.
Re2 Qc5+ 49. Kh2 Qxa5 50. Kg3 Qd5 51. Kh4 Qd3 $1 52. Bxd3 cxd3 53. Re3 d2 54.
Rd3 c2 55. Rxd2 c1=Q 56. Rd8+ Kf7 57. Kg5 h6+ {The final standings became:
Harikrishna 4/6, Sokolov 31/2, Sutovsky 21/2, Stefanova 2.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.22"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2728"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The tenth Essent tournament was played from 22 until 28 x 2006. Participants
of the Crown Group were Topalov as former world champion, Polgar as best woman,
Mamedyarov as junior and Sokolov as best Dutchman.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3
Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5
11. e5 Nd5 12. Nxc5 Nxc5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. O-O h6 15. Nd2 O-O 16. Ne4 Bd4 17.
Nd6 Bc6 18. Bh7+ Kxh7 19. Qxd4 f6 20. Bd2 Qd7 $5 ({Theory is} 20... fxe5 21.
Qe4+ Kg8 22. Qxe5 Qd7 23. Rfe1) 21. Rac1 a5 22. Qd3+ f5 $6 ({Better is} 22...
Kh8) 23. Rc5 Ne7 24. Rfc1 Ra7 25. Be3 Rfa8 26. Qe2 Ra6 27. h4 Qd8 28. Bg5 $6 (
28. Qh5 $1 Be8 29. Qf3 $1 {plays  for a win.}) 28... hxg5 29. Qh5+ Kg8 30. Qf7+
Kh7 31. Qh5+ Kg8 32. Qf7+ Kh7 33. hxg5 Ng6 $5 34. Rxc6 Qxg5 35. Rc8 Nf4 $2 (
35... Rxc8 36. Rxc8 Rxd6 $1 37. exd6 Qd2 38. g3 Qe1+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ {
leads to perpetual check.}) 36. g3 Rxc8 37. Rxc8 Qg4 38. Qg8+ Kg6 39. Qe8+ Kh7
40. Qh8+ Kg6 41. Rc7 $1 Qd1+ 42. Kh2 Qh5+ 43. Qxh5+ Nxh5 44. Re7 Rc6 45. Rxe6+
Kh7 46. Nf7 $1 Rxe6 47. Ng5+ {The young champion made a great start.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.22"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C83"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
Be6 9. Nbd2 Be7 10. c3 O-O 11. Bc2 f5 12. Nb3 Qd7 13. Nfd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 c5 15.
Nxe6 Qxe6 16. f3 Ng5 17. a4 Rad8 18. axb5 axb5 19. Ra7 $5 Rd7 $1 (19... c4 $5 {
will be played a few days later in Bologan - Timman, Barcelona 2006.}) 20. Rxd7
Qxd7 21. Kh1 f4 $6 ({Preferable is} 21... Ne6 22. f4 g6) 22. b4 $1 {
The black pawn centre is weakened.} c4 23. Qd2 Ne6 24. Rd1 {
Pawn d5 has become a weakling.} Nc7 25. Qf2 Qe6 26. Qd4 Qc6 27. Kg1 g6 28. Kf1
Bg5 29. Bb2 Ra8 30. Qd2 Ne6 31. Bb1 Rd8 32. Qe1 Qc7 33. h4 Be7 34. Bc1 Qc6 35.
Qf2 {The long-winded manoeuvres had no success.} Rf8 36. Bc2 $5 Bd8 37. Qd2 $2
{He makes a positional blunder.} Bxh4 $1 38. Qxd5 Qb6 $1 {
Mate in one is threatened.} 39. Qd2 Bg3 $6 (39... Rd8 40. Qe2 Rxd1+ 41. Bxd1
Bg3 {keeps an advantage.}) 40. Qe2 Qa7 $5 41. Be4 Kh8 42. Bd5 Ng7 43. e6 Qe7 $2
{He defends too passively.} 44. Qe5 $1 Qh4 45. Ke2 $1 h5 $2 (45... Re8 $1 {
prolongs the game.}) 46. Be4 Rg8 47. Rd7 Qh1 48. Bd2 $1 {
Mamedyarov and Polgar shared the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4 h6 8. Bg2
g5 9. Qe2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Ne5 11. h3 Nfd7 12. f4 gxf4 13. Bxf4 b5 14. Rhf1 Bb7
$5 ({Known is} 14... b4) 15. Qf2 Rc8 16. Nce2 Bg7 $6 ({More active is} 16...
Be7 $1 17. Kb1 h5) 17. Ng3 $1 Rh7 18. Nh5 Bh8 19. Kb1 Nc5 $2 20. Bg3 $2 ({
Judit misses the opportunity} 20. Bxe5 Bxe5 21. Nf5 $1 exf5 22. Qxf5) 20...
Nxe4 21. Bxe4 Bxe4 22. Bh4 Qc7 23. Bf6 $1 Bg6 24. Bxh8 Rxh8 25. Nf6+ Kd8 26. h4
Qc5 $2 ({Better is} 26... Rb8 27. Qf4 Kc8 28. h5 Bh7) 27. h5 $1 Bh7 28. Qh4 $1
Bxc2+ 29. Nxc2 $5 Qxc2+ 30. Ka1 Rc4 31. Ne4+ Kc7 32. Nxd6 Rf4 33. Qe7+ Kb6 34.
Qb7+ Ka5 35. Qa7 $1 b4 36. Rfe1 Nf3 37. Rc1 Nxe1 38. Rxc2 Nxc2+ 39. Kb1 {
Polgar won beautifully.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2728"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. Nf3 d6 4. c3 Nf6 5. Bd3 O-O 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Re1 e5 8. Bg5
h6 9. Bh4 b6 10. a4 a6 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. Nc4 Qe8 14. b4 Nh5 15.
Ne3 $5 ({Known is} 15. Qc2) 15... Nf4 16. Bb1 $5 Nf6 17. Nc4 Rd8 18. Qc1 g5 19.
Bg3 Nxe4 $5 {Great complications are started.} ({More solid is} 19... Qe6 $1
20. Bxf4 exf4 21. Ncd2 Nd7) 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 Qc6 22. Qc2 f5 $1 {
Black regains material.} 23. Bxf4 fxe4 24. Nfxe5 Qe6 25. Bg3 b5 $1 26. axb5 $2
(26. Na5 $1 Bxe5 27. Bxe5 Qxe5 28. Nc6 Qf4 29. Nxd8 Rxd8 {keeps the equality.})
26... axb5 27. Qxe4 $2 ({The pointe is} 27. Na5 $6 Bxe5 28. Bxe5 Qxe5 29. Nc6
Ra8 $1 {and Black refutes the white tactics}) ({Better is} 27. Ne3 $1 Bxe5 28.
Qxe4 Rde8 29. Qd3) 27... bxc4 28. Qxc4 Qxc4 29. Nxc4 Bxc3 30. Rc1 Rd4 $1 31.
Ne3 Bd2 32. Be5 Re4 $1 {Mamedyarov and Polgar kept the lead.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2728"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. O-O Ne4 8. Bd2
f5 9. Qc2 Bf6 10. Rad1 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Be4 12. Qc1 d6 13. Bh3 Qe8 14. Ne1 Nd7 15.
f3 Bb7 16. Nd3 Qh5 17. Nf4 Qh6 18. Bg2 Bg5 19. h4 Bxf4 20. Qxf4 Qxf4 21. gxf4
Nf6 22. Kf2 Nh5 23. e3 a5 24. Bh3 d5 25. cxd5 exd5 26. Rc1 Rae8 27. Rc2 Ba6 28.
Rfc1 Bd3 29. Rd2 Bb5 30. Rdc2 Bd3 31. Rd2 Bb5 32. b3 Re6 33. Rdc2 Bd3 34. Rd2
Bb5 35. Rdc2 Bd3 36. Rb2 Rfe8 37. Bd2 Rg6 38. Be1 Rge6 39. Bd2 Rg6 40. Be1 Rge6
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Qe2 Bg4 10. Rd1 Qa5 11. e4 Qh5 12. Rd3 e5 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Rxf3 exd4 15.
g4 Qc5 16. Na2 O-O 17. Rf5 Qe7 18. e5 d3 19. Bxd3 Nd5 20. Bg5 Qe6 21. Nxb4 Nxb4
22. Bc4 Nd5 23. Rd1 Rae8 24. Bxd5 cxd5 25. Qb5 Nxe5 26. Qxd5 Qxd5 27. Rxd5 f6
28. Be3 b6 29. g5 Kf7 30. gxf6 gxf6 31. Rd6 Re6 32. Rd1 Nc4 33. Rd7+ Re7 34.
Rxe7+ Kxe7 35. Rh5 Rg8+ 36. Kf1 Nxe3+ 37. fxe3 Rg7 38. Kf2 Ke6 39. Kf3 Rc7 40.
h4 f5 41. Rh6+ Ke5 42. h5 Rf7 43. b4 Kd5 44. Kf4 Kc4 45. b5 Kb4 46. Re6 Kxa4
47. Re5 a5 48. bxa6 b5 49. Rxf5 Ra7 50. Rf6 b4 51. e4 b3 52. Rb6 Ka3 53. e5 b2
54. e6 Ka2 55. Ke5 b1=Q 56. Rxb1 Kxb1 57. Kf6 Rxa6 58. Kf7 Ra2 59. e7 Rf2+ 60.
Kg7 Re2 61. Kf7 {The standings after one cycle became: Mamedyarov and Polgar
21/2, Topalov and Sokolov 1/2.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E49"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 dxc4 8.
Bxc4 c5 9. Ne2 Qc7 10. Ba2 b6 11. O-O Ba6 12. Re1 Nc6 13. Ng3 Rad8 14. Bb2 e5
15. Qc2 $5 Rd7 16. Rad1 Rfd8 17. h3 c4 18. a4 Re8 $5 19. Ba3 e4 20. Bb1 Rd5 21.
Ne2 $5 Rg5 22. Nf4 Bc8 23. Qe2 Qd7 $5 {Polgar takes the initiative.} ({
More solid is} 23... Na5) 24. Qxc4 Na5 25. Qb4 $6 (25. Qe2 $1 Qxa4 26. Bb4 {
gains an edge.}) 25... Nd5 26. Nxd5 Qxd5 (26... Rxg2+ $5 27. Kxg2 Qxh3+ 28. Kg1
Qg4+ 29. Kf1 Ba6+ 30. Bd3 exd3 31. Nc7 $1 Bc4 32. Rd2 Qh3+ 33. Kg1 Qg4+ {
leads to perpetual check (Polgar).}) 27. h4 Rg4 28. Qb5 Qd8 29. g3 a6 30. Qb4
$2 ({Right is} 30. Qf1 $1 Qxh4 31. Bd6 $1) 30... Qxh4 $1 31. Bxe4 Rxg3+ $1 32.
fxg3 Qxe4 33. Rd2 $2 (33. Qb1 Qf3 34. Qa2 Nc4 35. Bc1 Bg4 36. Qf2 {
tries to survive.}) 33... Qf3 34. Kh2 Qh5+ $5 35. Kg1 Qf3 36. Kh2 Bf5 $1 37. e4
Bxe4 38. Rxe4 Qxe4 39. d5 Nc4 $1 {Sokolov was crushed.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2728"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd3 c6 15.
Rb1 $5 (15. b4 {shows more aggression.}) 15... Qc7 16. Qc2 g6 17. axb5 axb5 18.
dxe5 dxe5 19. Nb3 Reb8 20. c4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 Ba6 22. Nbd2 Nc5 23. Bxa6 Rxa6 24.
Nc4 Nfd7 25. Rd1 Ne6 26. Be3 Raa8 $5 27. Qd2 $1 {White takes the initiative.}
Rd8 28. Qc3 c5 $1 29. Nfxe5 Bg7 30. f4 g5 31. g3 gxf4 $5 32. gxf4 Nxe5 33. Nxe5
Bxe5 34. fxe5 {White's extra pawn has little value.} Kh8 35. Bf2 Qe7 36. Qf3
Rg8+ 37. Kh1 Rg6 38. Rd5 Rag8 39. Rg1 Rxg1+ 40. Bxg1 Rg6 41. Kh2 Kg7 ({
Even better is} 41... Ng5 $1 42. Qf5 Qb7) 42. Be3 c4 43. Rd6 Qc7 $5 44. h4 Qa5
$2 ({Correct is} 44... h5 $1 45. Qxh5 $5 c3 $1 46. bxc3 $2 Qxc3 {
and Black wins.}) 45. Rd5 $1 {Topalov starts a brilliant manoeuvre.} Qe1 46.
Kh3 $1 Kf8 $5 47. Rd7 $1 Rg3+ 48. Qxg3 Qh1+ 49. Kg4 Qxe4+ 50. Kh5 $3 {
Polgar took the lead.} ({The pointe is} 50. Kh5 $3 Ng7+ 51. Qxg7+ $1 Kxg7 52.
Bh6+ Kg8 53. Rd8#) 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2728"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15.
b3 d5 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 g5 18. Nxg5 hxg5 19. Bxg5 exd4 20. e5 Rxe5 21. Rxe5
Nxe5 22. cxd4 Nc6 23. Nf5 $2 ({Theory is} 23. Nh5 $1) 23... Bc8 $1 {
Black refutes the novelty.} 24. Rc1 Bxf5 25. Bxf5 Qd6 $1 {
He has a decisive material advantage.} 26. Bh4 Ne7 27. Bg3 Qb4 28. Bb1 c6 29.
Be5 Bg7 30. a3 Qxa3 31. Rc3 Nd7 32. Rg3 Nxe5 33. dxe5 Qb4 34. Rg4 Qc3 35. f4 d4
36. Kh2 Nd5 37. f5 d3 38. Qxd3 Qxe5+ 39. Rg3 Nf6 40. Qf3 Rd8 {
Mamedyarov caught up with Polgar.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A43"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. Bb5+ Nfd7 7. a4 Na6 8. O-O
Nc7 9. Re1 Nxb5 10. axb5 O-O 11. Bf4 Nb6 12. e5 $5 {Sokolov wants action.} ({
Usual is} 12. h3) 12... Bf5 $1 13. h3 h6 $1 {Topalov reacts quietly.} 14. Qe2
$5 (14. g4 $1 Bc8 15. Qd3 {gains a plus.}) 14... g5 $1 15. Bg3 Qd7 16. h4 $5 f6
17. e6 $6 {White overreaches his possibilities.} ({Preferable is} 17. hxg5 fxe5
18. gxh6 Bxh6 19. Nh4) 17... Qe8 $1 {Black counters with subtlety.} 18. Nh2 Bg6
19. f4 Bh5 20. Qd3 gxf4 21. Bxf4 Qg6 {Topalov has manoeuvred well.} 22. Nf1 $5
f5 23. Kh2 Qg4 24. Qg3 Qxg3+ 25. Nxg3 Be8 26. Nge2 Kh7 27. Bg3 $5 Nc4 28. b3 $6
(28. Ra2 f4 $1 29. Nxf4 Bxc3 30. bxc3 Bxb5 {also favours Black.}) 28... Ne3 29.
Rac1 Rg8 30. Nd1 Nxd5 31. c4 Nb4 32. Ne3 $2 a6 $2 (32... Nd3 {gains material.})
33. bxa6 Rxa6 34. Nxf5 Bf6 35. Nf4 Ra2 36. Nd5 $5 Nxd5 37. cxd5 Bh5 38. Rf1 Rd2
39. Ne3 Bd4 40. Nc4 $2 (40. Nf5 $1 Bf6 41. Ne3 {offers more resistance.}) 40...
Rd3 $1 41. Bf4 Rxb3 42. Nd2 Rb2 43. Rb1 Bg6 44. Rxb2 Bxb2 45. Rf3 Rf8 46. Nc4
Be4 47. Bxd6 Bxf3 {Topalov won his second game.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2728"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{When the last round begins, Mamedyarov and Polgar share the lead. Their games
will become exciting after a slow start.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6
5. Nf3 Nd7 6. Bd3 Bxd3 7. Qxd3 Ngf6 8. O-O Be7 9. e4 O-O 10. cxd5 exd5 11. exd5
cxd5 12. Ne5 $5 ({Known is} 12. Bf4) 12... Bd6 13. Re1 Re8 14. Bf4 Bb4 15. Re2
Qa5 16. Nd1 Nf8 17. Ne3 Ng6 $6 (17... Ne6 {keeps the equality.}) 18. Nxg6 hxg6
19. a3 Rac8 20. Be5 {White has taken the initiative.} Nd7 21. Qb3 $6 ({
Preferable is} 21. Rd1 Bf8 22. b4) 21... Qa6 22. Rc2 Rxc2 23. Nxc2 Bf8 24. Bg3
Qb6 25. Qc3 $5 Nf6 26. f3 Re6 27. Ne3 Rc6 28. Qd2 Qb3 29. Rc1 Rxc1+ 30. Qxc1
Qd3 31. Be5 Nd7 32. Qc3 Nxe5 33. dxe5 Qxc3 34. bxc3 Bc5 $5 (34... Bxa3 $1 35.
Nxd5 Bc5+ 36. Kf1 g5 {leads to an unpleasant position for White.}) 35. Kf2 d4
36. cxd4 Bxd4 37. f4 b5 38. Ke2 Bc5 39. Nc2 Kf8 40. Kd3 a5 41. Ke4 Bg1 $5 42.
h3 Ke7 43. Kd5 Kd7 44. g4 Bf2 45. Nd4 Bxd4 $2 {A premature exchange is made.} (
{Right is} 45... b4 $1 46. axb4 axb4 47. Kc4 Bxd4 48. Kxd4 Ke6 49. h4 f6 50.
exf6 Kxf6 51. Kc4 Ke6 52. Kxb4 Kd5 53. f5 gxf5 54. g5 g6 55. Kc3 Ke5 56. Kd3 {
drawn.}) 46. Kxd4 Kc6 47. h4 $1 b4 48. axb4 axb4 49. Kc4 $2 {
White misses an unexpected opportubity.} (49. f5 $1 b3 50. Kc3 Kd5 51. e6 fxe6
52. f6 gxf6 53. h5 {wins for White.}) 49... b3 50. Kxb3 Kd5 51. g5 $1 Ke6 ({
The pointe is} 51... Ke4 $2 52. h5 gxh5 53. g6 $1) 52. Kc4 Ke7 53. Kb5 f6 $2 {
A passive defence is needed.} ({Correct is} 53... Kd7 54. Kb6 Kd8 55. Kc6 Ke7
56. Kd5 Kd7 57. f5 $5 gxf5 58. h5 Ke7 59. h6 gxh6 60. gxh6 Kf8 61. Kd4 $1 Kg8
62. Ke3 Kh7 63. Kf4 Kxh6 64. Kxf5 Kg7 {drawn.}) 54. gxf6+ $1 gxf6 55. Kc5 Ke6
56. Kd4 Kd7 $5 57. Kd5 Ke7 58. e6 Kd8 ({Or} 58... Ke8 59. Kd6 Kd8 60. e7+ Ke8
61. Ke6 f5 62. Kf6) 59. Kd6 Ke8 60. e7 $1 {
Mamedyarov won the pawn ending at the end.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 10"]
[Date "2006.10.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2006.10.22"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Nf3 Bb7 8.
e3 c5 9. Be2 cxd4 10. exd4 d5 11. b3 $5 Nbd7 12. O-O dxc4 13. bxc4 Qc7 14. a4
Rac8 15. Re1 Rfe8 16. Bb2 Ng4 17. g3 Ndf6 18. Nd2 h5 $5 19. h3 Nh6 20. Bf3 Red8
21. Re5 Nf5 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. d5 $1 {Topalov attacks in the centre.} h4 $2 ({
Better is} 23... Rxd5 $1 24. Rxd5 exd5 25. Qf3 Qd7 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. cxd5 Kg7)
24. g4 Ne7 25. Ne4 $6 (25. Rg5 $1 Ng6 26. Ne4 $1 Ne8 27. dxe6 $1 Qxe4 28. exf7+
Kxf7 29. Re1 Qc6 30. Qb3 {charges.}) 25... Ne8 $6 26. Re1 $2 (26. Rg5 Ng6 27.
dxe6 {wins in the same way.}) 26... Nxd5 27. Qf3 $5 Rxc4 28. Rg5 Qe7 $2 (28...
f6 $1 {wins for Black.}) 29. Bxg7 $1 Nxg7 30. Rxd5 Rxd5 31. Nf6+ Kf8 32. Nxd5
$5 {White could have delivered perpetual check.} Qd6 33. Nf6 Ne8 34. Qa8 Qe7
35. g5 Rd4 36. Rc1 Rd8 37. Qf3 $5 Rd5 $5 38. Kf1 $5 Nxf6 39. gxf6 Qd8 40. Rc4
Rf5 41. Qa3+ Kg8 42. Rg4+ Kh7 43. Rxh4+ $2 (43. Rg7+ Kh8 44. Qe7 Qd1+ 45. Kg2
Qf3+ 46. Kh2 {draws.}) 43... Kg6 44. Rg4+ Kxf6 45. Qc3+ Ke7 46. Rd4 Rd5 $5 47.
Rc4 Kd7 48. h4 $5 Qb8 49. Qf6 Rf5 $1 50. Rd4+ Kc6 $1 {The black king escapes.}
51. Rc4+ Kb7 52. Qe7+ Ka6 $1 53. Rc7 $4 (53. Qc7 $1 Qxc7 54. Rxc7 {
defends properly.}) 53... Qa8 $1 54. Kg1 Rf4 $1 55. f3 Rxf3 56. Qg5 f5 $1 {
The final standings became: Mamedyarov and Polgar 41/2, Topalov 21/2, I.
Sokolov 1/2. The top two shared the first and second money prizes. Mamedyarov
had a better tie-break and received the special glass chess set as the formal
winner.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The eleventh Essent tournament was played from 14 until 20 x 2007.
Participants in the Crown group were Mamedyarov the previous winner, Van Wely
the strongest Dutchman, Ponomariov as a strong player and Andriasian the youth
champion of Europe.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Bg5 h6 5. Bxf6 Qxf6 6. Nc3
c6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 g6 9. O-O Bg7 10. Rc1 O-O 11. e4 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Rd8 13. e5
Qe7 14. Re1 b6 15. Qe2 a6 16. Bd3 Bb7 17. Be4 {White controls more territory.}
Rab8 $5 ({Known is} 17... b5) 18. Na4 c5 $5 19. Bxb7 Rxb7 20. Qxa6 Nb8 21. Qe2
cxd4 22. Red1 Qb4 $5 ({Preferable is} 22... Rc7 23. Nxb6 d3 24. Qe3 Rc2) 23. b3
$5 Qa5 $1 24. Qd2 $5 Qa7 $6 {The exchange of queens equalises.} 25. Nc3 $5 b5
26. Ne4 Rc7 $2 ({Correct is} 26... Nd7 27. Qxd4 Qxd4 28. Rxd4 Ra8 29. Rd2 Nxe5)
27. Nd6 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 Nd7 29. Nxb5 $5 Qb6 30. Nbxd4 Nxe5 31. Qe2 Ng4 $6 ({
Better is} 31... Rd5 32. h3 Qd6) 32. Nc6 Ra8 33. h3 $5 Nf6 34. Nce5 $5 Nd5 35.
Rc6 Qb7 36. Rd6 $2 (36. Rc4 {gains an edge.}) 36... Nf6 $2 (36... Nf4 $1 37.
Qe3 Bxe5 38. Qxe5 Nxh3+ 39. Kf1 g5 {brings equality (Ftacnik).}) 37. Qc2 Qb4 $2
({Right is} 37... Qb8 38. Rd2 Nd5) 38. Qc7 Rf8 39. Rd8 Rxd8 40. Qxd8+ Kh7 41.
Nxf7 {White has two extra pawns. This game would become the decisive encounter
in the Crown Group.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Andriasian, Zaven"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2546"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
b6 9. Nc3 Bb7 10. Rc1 Rc8 11. Qe2 c5 12. cxd5 $5 ({Usual is} 12. Rfd1) 12...
Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Ba6 Rc7 15. e4 $1 Ba8 16. Rcd1 Qe8 17. a3 Be7 $6 (17...
Bf4 $1 18. g3 Bh6 {activates a bishop in the right way.}) 18. d5 $1 exd5 19.
exd5 Bd6 20. Qd3 $1 Qd8 21. Rfe1 Bb7 22. Bc4 Bc8 $6 (22... Re8 {
develops a rook.}) 23. Re6 $1 {A penetration decides the game.} Nf6 $5 ({
The pointe is} 23... fxe6 $2 24. dxe6 Be7 25. Ng5 Bxg5 26. e7+) 24. Rxd6 $1
Qxd6 25. Be5 Qd8 26. Ng5 $1 g6 27. Bxc7 Qxc7 28. d6 Qd7 29. Re1 b5 30. Bxb5 Qg4
31. Ne4 Nxe4 32. Rxe4 Qg5 33. f4 Qf6 34. d7 Bb7 35. Re8 $1 Qa1+ 36. Kf2 {
Ponomariov concluded a successful centre attack.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Andriasian, Zaven"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A53"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2546"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c6 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 d6 5. d4 Bg4 6. Be3 Nbd7 7. h3 $5 ({
Theory is} 7. Be2 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. d5) 7... Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Qc7 9. O-O-O Be7 10.
g4 $1 exd4 11. Bxd4 h6 12. h4 Qa5 $5 13. Be2 O-O-O 14. Qf5 $5 Qxf5 15. exf5 {
White has achieved a favourable position.} g5 $2 (15... d5 $1 16. cxd5 c5 17.
Be3 Nb6 {counters well.}) 16. fxg6 fxg6 17. f4 Rhf8 18. g5 $1 Ne8 $5 19. Rdf1
$5 Rf7 20. Bd3 hxg5 21. fxg5 Rxf1+ 22. Rxf1 c5 23. Bf2 Ne5 24. Be4 $1 Nc7 25.
Bg3 Rh8 26. b3 b6 27. Rd1 Rh7 28. Kb1 Bf8 $2 29. Bxe5 $1 dxe5 30. Bxg6 Rxh4 31.
Bf5+ Kb7 32. Rd7 $1 Rf4 33. Rf7 Bd6 34. g6 {Andriasian has been outmanoeuvred.}
1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 c5 8. cxd5
Nxd5 9. Nxd5 exd5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Be5 Bf6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd4 Qe7 14. Rd1
Rd8 15. Bd3 b6 16. h3 Nxd3+ 17. Qxd3 a5 18. Nd4 Ba6 19. Qf5 Rac8 20. Qf4 b5 21.
O-O b4 22. Rfe1 bxa3 23. bxa3 Qxa3 24. Ra1 Qc5 25. Nb3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Andriasian, Zaven"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2546"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 Bd7 8. O-O
Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qe2 a6 11. Rad1 Qc7 12. a4 Rab8 13. f4 Nxd4 $5 14. Bxd4 e5
$1 15. Be3 b5 16. axb5 axb5 17. Rfe1 $6 ({Preferable is} 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Nd5)
17... Bg4 $1 18. Bf3 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 b4 $1 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. Rxd5 $2
({Right is} 22. exd5 Bd6 23. Rd2) 22... Qxc2 {Black has gained a pawn.} 23. Re2
Qb3 24. Kg2 ({The pointe is} 24. Rxe5 Bf6 25. Rd5 Bxb2) 24... f6 25. Qf5 Kh8
26. Rd7 Rf7 27. Bf2 Bf8 28. Rd5 Re8 29. Red2 g6 30. Qf3 Qc4 31. b3 Qc6 32. Qd3
Rc8 33. Ra5 Kg7 34. Ra6 Qc1 35. Qd5 h5 36. Rda2 $5 Bc5 $1 37. h4 Bxf2 38. Rxf2
Rc2 $5 39. Ra2 $2 (39. Ra8 $1 Rxf2+ 40. Kxf2 Qc2+ 41. Kf1 $1 {defends properly.
}) 39... Rc3 40. Rad2 Qb1 41. Rf3 Rfc7 42. Qd6 Qxe4 43. Qxf6+ Kh7 44. Kf2 Rc2 {
Andriasian lost again.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C79"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. c3 g6 7. d4 Bg7 8. Re1 b5
9. Bb3 Nf6 10. Be3 O-O 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. Bc5 Re8 14. Nd2 Be6 15.
Bxe6 Rxe6 16. Nb3 Qxd1 17. Raxd1 a5 18. f3 a4 19. Nc1 Bf8 20. Be3 Rd6 21. Kf2
Nd7 22. Ke2 f6 23. Rxd6 Bxd6 24. Nd3 Kf7 25. Rc1 c5 26. c4 b4 27. g4 Ke6 28.
Rd1 Rh8 29. h3 h5 30. b3 hxg4 31. hxg4 Ra8 32. Nb2 axb3 33. axb3 Ra3 34. Rd3
Ra2 35. Rd2 Ra3 36. Rd3 Ra2 37. Rd2 {The standings after one cycle became:
Mamedyarov 21/2, Ponomariov 2, Van Wely 11/2, Andriasian 0.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Andriasian, Zaven"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B83"]
[WhiteElo "2546"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 d6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Be2 Be7 8.
O-O O-O 9. f4 Bd7 10. Bf3 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Bc6 12. Qe2 a6 13. Rad1 Qc7 14. Kh1 e5
15. Be3 b5 16. a3 Rac8 17. Rd2 Qb7 18. fxe5 $5 dxe5 19. Bg5 Ne8 20. Bxe7 Qxe7 {
Andriasian has achieved an equal position.} 21. Qe3 Nf6 22. Rfd1 Bb7 23. h3 h6
24. Rd6 Rc4 25. R1d2 Rfc8 26. Kh2 $5 R4c6 $5 27. Rxc6 Bxc6 28. Qb6 Bb7 29. Kh1
Qc7 30. Qe3 $5 {Exchange would be easier.} Kh7 31. Kg1 g6 32. Kf2 Kg7 33. Qd3
$2 (33. Kg1 {is a correct waiting move.}) 33... b4 $1 34. axb4 Qb6+ 35. Qe3
Qxb4 {White has to lose a pawn.} 36. Kg3 $2 Qxb2 37. Nd1 Qc1 38. Rd6 Rxc2 39.
Rb6 Qxe3 40. Nxe3 Rc7 41. Kh2 Bxe4 42. Bxe4 Nxe4 43. Rxa6 h5 {
Black has two extra pawns in the endgame.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D86"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qd8 12. Bc3 O-O 13. O-O Bg4 14. f3
Bd7 15. Qd2 a6 16. a4 Rc8 17. Rfc1 b5 18. axb5 axb5 19. Bxb5 Nxd4 20. Bxd4
Bxd4+ 21. Nxd4 Bxb5 22. Rxc8 Qxc8 23. Rc1 Qd7 24. Qb4 Qa7 25. Qc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Qb3
c6 9. Rd1 Nd7 10. Bd3 a6 11. Bb1 g6 12. h4 Bg7 13. Qc2 Re8 14. e4 e5 15. cxd5
exd4 16. Nxd4 Nb6 17. h5 c5 18. Nde2 g5 19. O-O Be5 20. Ng3 Qf6 21. d6 Bg4 22.
Nd5 Nxd5 23. Rxd5 Rad8 24. Qxc5 Rxd6 25. Rxd6 Qxd6 26. Qxd6 Bxd6 27. b3 Kg7 28.
Nf5+ Bxf5 29. exf5 Re2 30. Rc1 Ba3 31. Kf1 Rxa2 32. Bxa2 Bxc1 33. b4 Bd2 34.
Bd5 Bxb4 35. Bxb7 a5 36. g4 a4 37. Ke2 a3 38. Bd5 Kf6 39. Ke3 Bc5+ 40. Ke4 Bxf2
41. Ba2 Ke7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Andriasian, Zaven"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2546"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. e4 e5 11. Ne2 Bb7 12. Qc2 Re8 13. Bg5 h6 $5 14. Bh4 Qb6 15.
a4 a6 16. Rad1 $2 (16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 {keeps the equality.}) 16...
Rac8 $6 (16... exd4 $1 17. Nfxd4 c5 18. Nf5 Bf8 {favours Black.}) 17. dxe5 Nxe5
$5 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Nh4 $1 {Positional problems arise for Black.} c5 20. Nc3
c4 21. Be2 bxa4 $6 ({Preferable is} 21... Bf8 $5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Nf5 Ng6) 22.
Nxa4 Qb4 23. Nc3 Bf8 24. Nf5 Red8 25. Nd5 $1 {
The white knights are placed ideally.} Bxd5 26. exd5 Rc5 $6 (26... Qb3 27. Qe4
Qxb2 28. d6 Qb5 {offers more resistance.}) 27. d6 $1 Qb3 28. Qe4 Qb5 ({Or} 
28... Qxb2 29. f4 Nd3 30. Bxd3 cxd3 31. Rxd3 {(Van Wely).}) 29. f4 Ng6 30. g4
$1 Qb6 31. Kh1 Qc6 32. Bf3 Qxe4 33. Bxe4 Rb5 34. Rd2 Rb4 35. Bd5 a5 36. h4 c3
$5 37. bxc3 Rxf4 38. Rxf4 Nxf4 39. Bc6 $1 {
White has two connected passed pawns and active pieces.} Ne6 40. c4 Nc5 41. Rd5
Ne6 42. Bb5 Nf4 43. Rd1 Ne6 44. Kg2 Nc5 45. Rd5 Ne4 46. d7 a4 $5 47. Bxa4 Nc3
48. Bc6 $1 {A subtle way to victory is found.} Nxd5 49. cxd5 Kh7 50. d6 Kg6 51.
h5+ Kg5 52. Kf3 Rb8 53. Bb7 $1 {The rook is dominated.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Andriasian, Zaven"]
[Black "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2546"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f3 c6 5. Be3 b5 6. Qd2 Nbd7 7. g4 Nb6 8. g5
Nfd7 9. h4 b4 10. Nd1 c5 $5 11. h5 cxd4 12. Qxd4 e5 13. Qd2 Bb7 14. Bxb6 $5
Qxb6 15. Bc4 $5 {White has prevented ..d5 at a positional cost.} Be7 16. Nh3 $6
{The knight moves off-side.} Qc5 17. Ne3 Nb6 18. Bb3 Bc8 19. Ng4 a5 20. a3 bxa3
21. Rxa3 gxh5 22. Ngf2 a4 $1 23. Bd5 $2 ({Better is} 23. Nd3 Qa5 24. Qxa5 Rxa5
25. Nhf2) 23... Nxd5 24. Qxd5 Qxd5 25. exd5 Rb8 26. Rxa4 Rxb2 27. Kd2 Rb5 28.
c4 Rb3 29. Ke2 O-O $1 {He completes the development.} 30. Ne4 Rb2+ 31. Ke3 Bf5
32. Nhf2 Rfb8 33. Ra3 Rc2 34. Nf6+ $6 (34. c5 $1 dxc5 35. d6 {
counters in the centre.}) 34... Kg7 35. N2e4 Kg6 36. Ng3 h6 37. Rxh5 $2 (37.
Nxf5 Kxf5 38. Ne4 hxg5 39. Kd3 {offers more resistance.}) 37... hxg5 38. Ng4
Bxg4 39. fxg4 Rxc4 40. Ne4 f5 $1 {Poor Andriasian lost all games.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 11"]
[Date "2007.10.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2007.10.14"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2
Be7 9. O-O-O Nbd7 10. f4 Ng4 11. g3 Nxe3 12. Qxe3 b5 13. Kb1 Nf6 $5 14. Be2 Qb8
$5 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Qc7 $5 17. g4 O-O 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. g5 Ne8 $1 {
He has to control d6.} 20. Bg4 a5 $1 21. Rhe1 Bd6 22. Qd3 $6 (22. Nd2 a4 23.
Ne4 {keeps a plus.}) 22... a4 $1 23. Nc1 $5 ({The alternative is} 23. Nd2 a3
24. b3 Bb4 $1 {(Van Wely)} 25. Re3) 23... a3 24. b3 Bb4 $1 {
Black takes the initiative.} 25. Re4 $5 Be7 26. Qe3 Bc5 27. Qc3 Nd6 $1 {
Van Wely blockades.} 28. Rxe5 $2 ({Right is} 28. Re2 $1 b4 29. Qxe5) 28... b4
$1 29. Qd3 Rae8 $1 {Black attacks.} 30. Re2 Rxe2 31. Nxe2 Qe7 $1 32. c3 Qxg5
33. Bd7 Qe5 34. Rc1 Qxh2 35. cxb4 Bxb4 36. Rc2 Qh1+ 37. Nc1 Rd8 38. Bc6 f5 39.
Re2 Qg1 40. Re6 Rf8 41. Qe2 Ne4 $1 42. Kc2 Qd4 {The final standings became:
Mamedyarov 41/2/6, Van Wely 4, Ponomariov 31/2, Andriasian 0.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.19"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Adly, Ahmed"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2604"]
[BlackElo "2586"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The twelfth Essent tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 19 until 25 x 2008.
Participants of the Crown Group were Sokolov and Smeets as strong Dutchmen,
Sebag as a fine woman and Adly as junior.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3
cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. Nf5
Bxf5 12. exf5 Qa5 13. Qd5 Nbc6 14. Qxa5 Nxa5 15. Nd5 Rc8 16. O-O-O e6 17. f6
Bf8 18. Bxe5 dxe5 19. Nc3 Nc6 20. Be2 Nd4 21. Bh5 Bb4 22. Rd3 Bxc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.19"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Sebag, Marie"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E01"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2533"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. g3 Nbd7 6. Bg2 dxc4 7. O-O Bb4 8. a3
Be7 9. e4 $5 ({Known is} 9. a4 a5 10. e4) 9... O-O 10. Re1 Re8 11. Bf4 a6 12.
a4 $1 Bb4 13. Nd2 c5 $6 ({\/Preferable is} 13... e5 $1 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxe5
Rxe5 16. Nxc4 Re8) 14. Bd6 $1 cxd4 $2 (14... Bxc3 15. bxc3 cxd4 16. cxd4 c3 {
offers more resistance.}) 15. Bxb4 a5 16. Ba3 dxc3 17. Nxc4 cxb2 18. Rb1 $5 Qc7
$6 (18... e5 19. Rxb2 b6 {fights for survival.}) 19. Nd6 Rd8 20. Nb5 Qb6 21.
Be7 Re8 22. Bd6 $1 Nc5 23. e5 Nd5 24. Bxd5 exd5 25. Qd4 $1 Nd7 26. Qxb2 Nf8 27.
Nc7 Qxb2 28. Rxb2 Bd7 29. Nxe8 Bxe8 30. Rxb7 Bxa4 31. Reb1 Nd7 32. Ra1 Bc6 33.
Rc7 {White threatens Rxa5!} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.20"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Adly, Ahmed"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A09"]
[WhiteElo "2586"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 Be6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Ng5 Bg4 $5 6. f3 Bd7 7. Bxc4 e6 8.
d4 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. f4 c5 11. Qe2 Nc6 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Kh1 Rc8 14. Bd2 h6
15. Nge4 Bb6 16. Nd6 Rb8 17. Rad1 Qe7 18. Be1 Ne8 19. Nce4 Nxd6 20. Nxd6 Bc7
21. Nb5 Bb6 22. Qg4 Kh8 23. Bc3 f6 24. Bd3 Be8 {Black has a crammed position.}
25. a3 Rd8 26. Bc4 $6 ({Preferable is} 26. Bb1) 26... Qc5 $1 27. b3 $4 ({
Right is} 27. Be2 $1 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Qxe3 29. Nd6 {
and White has compensation for the pawn.}) 27... Bh5 $1 28. Rxd8 Bxg4 $1 29.
Rxf8+ Qxf8 30. e4 a6 {White has collapsed.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.20"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Sebag, Marie"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2604"]
[BlackElo "2533"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 O-O 13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 a5
15. Bc4 Rb8 16. b3 Kh8 17. Nce3 g6 18. Qe2 f5 19. h4 Bxe3 20. Nxe3 $5 ({
Usual is} 20. Qxe3) 20... f4 21. Nf1 $1 Bd7 22. Nd2 Ne7 $6 ({Slightly better is
} 22... Qe7 23. Ra1 Rfc8) 23. Ra3 Qc7 24. Qd3 h6 25. O-O Ra8 26. Rfa1 Bc6 27.
b4 axb4 28. cxb4 Rxa3 29. Rxa3 Bb7 30. b5 Rd8 31. Rb3 Qb6 32. Rb1 Kg7 33. Qh3
$5 Bc8 34. Be6 Bb7 35. Ba2 Bc8 $2 (35... d5 $1 36. Qc3 Qd6 {
counters at the right time.}) 36. Qb3 $1 d5 $5 37. exd5 Rxd5 $5 38. Qb2 Rd4 39.
Nf3 Bf5 40. Nxd4 Bxb1 41. Ne6+ $1 {White wins material.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.21"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sebag, Marie"]
[Black "Adly, Ahmed"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B67"]
[WhiteElo "2533"]
[BlackElo "2586"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qc7 8. Bxf6
gxf6 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. O-O-O Bd7 11. Kb1 Rg8 $5 ({The main line of the Rauzer is} 
11... O-O-O 12. Bc4 Kb8) 12. g3 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Qc5 14. Qd3 $5 O-O-O 15. Be2 Bc6
16. Rhf1 Kb8 17. f5 Be7 18. Bh5 Rgf8 19. Bf3 Rc8 20. Qd2 Qe5 $5 21. Qh6 $1 b5
$5 22. a3 $1 a5 23. Qd2 $1 Rc7 24. Ne2 b4 $1 25. axb4 axb4 26. Qxb4+ Rb7 {
Black has sacrificed a pawn for an attack.} 27. Qc3 Rc8 28. Qxe5 fxe5 $6 ({
Better is} 28... dxe5 29. Nc3 Ba3 30. b3 Be8) 29. fxe6 fxe6 30. b3 Rb4 $5 31.
Nc3 Be8 $5 32. Kb2 $1 Bg6 $2 ({Preferable is} 32... Rb7) 33. Bg4 $1 Bxe4 34.
Nxe4 $2 (34. Rf7 $1 Rc7 35. Bxe6 {plays for a win.}) 34... Rxe4 35. Bxe6 Rc7 {
The bishops of a different colour help the defence.} 36. Bc4 h5 37. h4 Rg4 38.
Rf5 $5 Rxg3 39. Rxh5 e4 40. Rb5+ Rb7 41. Rxb7+ Kxb7 42. Bd5+ Kc7 43. Bxe4 Bxh4
44. c4 $5 Re3 45. Bd5 Re2+ 46. Ka3 Re1 47. Rd3 Ra1+ 48. Kb2 Bf6+ 49. Kc2 Ra2+
50. Kd1 Ra1+ 51. Ke2 Ra2+ 52. Kf3 Rc2 53. Ke4 Rc3 54. Rd1 $5 Rxb3 55. Rf1 Bg5
56. Rf7+ Kd8 57. Kf5 Be7 58. Rh7 Re3 59. Rh8+ {White cannot charge anymore.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.21"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Smeets, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E01"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2604"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. g3 dxc4 6. Bg2 Nbd7 7. a4 Bb4 8. O-O
O-O 9. Qc2 Qe7 10. Bf4 Nd5 11. Bg5 f6 12. Bd2 $5 c5 $6 ({Preferable is} 12...
a5 $1 13. e4 N5b6 14. e5 fxe5 15. Nxe5 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Nd5) 13. Nxd5 exd5 14.
Bxb4 cxb4 15. Nh4 $1 {He conquers square f5.} Qe6 16. e4 Qb6 $6 (16... Qf7 $1
17. exd5 Nb6 18. d6 b3 19. Qc3 Be6 20. a5 Nd5 $1 {defends solidly.}) 17. exd5
$5 Qxd4 18. Rfd1 Qc5 19. d6 $1 Ne5 20. Rd5 $1 Qb6 21. a5 Qd8 $5 22. f4 Ng4 23.
Rh5 $1 g6 24. Bd5+ Kg7 25. Rxh7+ $1 Kxh7 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 27. h3 $5 Qxd6 28. Qh5+
$1 Kg7 29. hxg4 f5 30. Qg5+ Kh7 31. Re1 {White has a mate attack. The
standings after one cycle became: Sokolov 3, Smeets 11/2, Adly 1, Sebag 1/2.}
1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.23"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adly, Ahmed"]
[Black "Smeets, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2586"]
[BlackElo "2604"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. d4 Bg4 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. Nc3 e6 7. Bd2 Bd6 8. h3
Bh5 9. Qb3 dxc4 $5 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Be2 O-O 12. Rc1 a6 13. Ng5 Bxe2 14. Nxe2 Qc7
15. e4 h6 16. e5 hxg5 17. exd6 Qxd6 18. Bb4 c5 $1 19. dxc5 Qd5 $5 20. c6 Ne5
21. Qxd5 Nxd5 22. Bxf8 Nd3+ $1 23. Kd2 Nxc1 24. Rxc1 Kxf8 25. Nc3 Nb6 $5 26.
Ne4 Rc8 27. b3 f6 $5 (27... Ke7 $1 28. Nxg5 Nd5 {draws.}) 28. Nc5 $1 Ke7 29.
Nxa6 Nd5 30. a4 bxa4 31. b4 $5 Kd6 32. b5 Nc7 $1 33. Nxc7 Rxc7 $2 ({Correct is
} 33... Kxc7 $1 34. Kc3 a3 35. Kb4 Ra8 36. Kc5 Ra5) 34. Rc3 Rc8 35. Kd3 $1 Kd5
$6 (35... Kc7 $5 36. Kc4 Kb6 37. Rd3 $1 Rc7 38. Kb4 $1 Ra7 39. Rd6 a3 40. c7+
$1 Kxc7 41. b6+ $1 {wins for White.}) 36. c7 $1 a3 37. b6 a2 38. Rc1 $1 e5 39.
Kd2 f5 40. b7 Rxc7 41. Rxc7 a1=Q 42. b8=Q Qd4+ 43. Kc1 {Adly has gained a rook.
} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.23"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Sebag, Marie"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C87"]
[WhiteElo "2533"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 d6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8.
d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. h3 Re8 12. Bf4 Rb8 13. b3 Qc8 14. Nf3 Qb7
15. Qd2 Rbd8 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bh4 Be6 18. Rad1 Qc8 19. Nd4 Bd7 20. Qd3 Nh7 21.
Bg3 Bf6 22. f4 Nf8 23. Nf3 Qb7 24. Qd2 Ng6 25. f5 Ne5 26. Nxe5 dxe5 27. Qe3 Bc8
28. Qc5 Qb6 29. Bf2 Qxc5 30. Bxc5 Bg5 31. Rxd8 Bxd8 32. Be3 h5 33. Rf1 h4 34.
Nb1 Be7 35. Nd2 Bb7 36. Re1 Bb4 37. Re2 c5 38. Bg5 f6 39. Bxh4 Bxd2 40. Rxd2
Bxe4 41. g4 c4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.24"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adly, Ahmed"]
[Black "Sebag, Marie"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2586"]
[BlackElo "2533"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 h6 8. Bd2
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. Rg1 Rc8 12. h4 b4 13. Ne4 $6 ({
The better alternative is} 13. Na4) 13... Nxe4 14. Qxe4 Qb6 15. g5 c5 16. dxc5
Nxc5 ({A novelty will become} 16... Rxc5 $5) 17. Qd4 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Be5 19. Qc4
$1 hxg5 20. hxg5 a5 $1 (20... Bxb2 $6 21. Rb1 Ba3 22. Ke2 {
improves the white position.}) 21. g6 f6 $5 22. Rh1 $5 Rxh1+ 23. Bxh1 Ke7 24.
f4 $5 Bxb2 $1 {Black has gained a pawn.} 25. Rb1 Qd6 $1 26. Ke2 $5 Rh8 $1 27.
Kf3 f5 28. Bg2 Bf6 29. Rc1 Ne4 30. Be1 Bc3 31. Qb5 Qd5 32. Qxd5 exd5 33. Ke2
Bxe1 34. Kxe1 Nc3 35. Rc2 Rh6 36. Kd2 Kd6 37. Kd3 Kc5 38. a3 Rxg6 39. axb4+
axb4 40. Bh3 Rg3 41. Bxf5 d4 $1 42. Rh2 dxe3 43. Rh1 e2+ 44. Kd2 Kd4 45. Bc2
Rf3 46. Ke1 Rxf4 47. Bb3 g5 48. Rg1 g4 49. Kd2 Rf1 50. Rxg4+ Ke5 {
The girl defeated a boy.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.24"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C87"]
[WhiteElo "2604"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 d6 7. c3 Bg4 8. h3
Bh5 9. d3 Qd7 10. Nbd2 g5 11. Nf1 g4 12. hxg4 Bxg4 13. d4 b5 14. Bb3 Rg8 $5 (
14... exd4 15. cxd4 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Nxd4 17. Qd1 c5 {
drew in Nisipeau - Mamedyarov, Tripoli 2004.}) 15. Bd5 $5 (15. a4 $1 {
attacks on the queenside.}) 15... exd4 16. Bxc6 $1 Qxc6 17. Nxd4 $5 Qb7 $5 18.
f3 c5 19. Nf5 $5 Bxf5 20. exf5 O-O-O 21. a4 Nd5 22. axb5 axb5 23. Ra5 Bg5 24.
Nh2 $2 (24. Bxg5 Rxg5 25. Ne3 $1 {gains an edge.}) 24... h5 $1 25. Re4 $5 Nc7
26. Kh1 $5 d5 27. Re2 d4 28. Bxg5 Rxg5 29. cxd4 Rxd4 $1 30. Qa1 Qd5 $1 31. Re1
Rd2 $2 {He should capture pawn f5.} 32. Ra7 Rgxg2 33. Rxc7+ $2 (33. Nf1 $1 Qxf3
34. Rxc7+ Kxc7 35. Qa7+ {leads to perpetual check (Sokolov).}) 33... Kxc7 34.
Qa7+ Kd6 $1 35. Qb8+ Kc6 36. Qa8+ Kb6 $1 37. Qxd5 Rxh2+ $1 38. Kg1 Rxd5 39.
Kxh2 Rxf5 40. Kg3 c4 {Black has two extra pawns in the rook ending.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.25"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Sebag, Marie"]
[Black "Smeets, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2533"]
[BlackElo "2604"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3 b5 7. Bc2 d5 8. d4
dxe4 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Ng4 12. Bxe4 Nxf2 13. Bc6+ Ke7 14. Rd5
Bb6 15. Bxa8 Nd3+ 16. Kf1 Nxc1 17. Na3 Be6 18. Rxc1 Rxa8 19. Rd3 Bf5 20. Rdd1
Bg4 21. Re1 $5 {White plays for a win.} (21. Rd3 Bf5 22. Rdd1 Bg4 23. Rd3 {
leads to a well-known repetition.}) 21... Rd8 22. h3 Bf5 23. g4 Be6 24. Rcd1 {
She has to give a pawn.} (24. b3 $2 Rd3 $1 {favours Black.}) 24... Rxd1 25.
Rxd1 Bxa2 26. Nc2 Ke6 27. Re1 a5 28. Nd4+ $1 Kd5 $5 ({The alternative is} 28...
Bxd4 29. cxd4 Kd5) 29. e6 fxe6 30. Nxe6 Kc4 $1 31. Nxg7 $4 (31. Re2 b4 32. cxb4
Kxb4 33. Ke1 Bxe6 34. Rxe6 Kb3 35. Re2 Bd4 {brings equality.}) 31... Kb3 $1 32.
Re2 Bb1 $1 33. Ke1 Bc2 $1 {An elegant manoeuvre nets a pawn.} 34. Re5 b4 35.
cxb4 a4 $3 {This pawn cannot be stopped.} 36. Ne6 Kxb2 37. Nc5 a3 38. Re8 a2
39. Ra8 Bxc5 40. bxc5 a1=Q+ 41. Rxa1 Kxa1 {
Smeets won the endgame with subtlety.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Essent 12"]
[Date "2008.10.25"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Adly, Ahmed"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D24"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2586"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2008.10.19"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O
Be7 9. Qe2 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. exd4 O-O 12. Rd1 Qa5 $5 13. Bd2 Bb4 14. Be1
Bd7 15. d5 Rfe8 16. d6 Bc6 17. Rd4 Rad8 18. Nb5 Bxe1 19. Qxe1 Qxe1+ 20. Rxe1 a6
21. Nc7 Rf8 22. a5 Ne8 23. Nxe8 Rfxe8 24. f3 Kf8 25. Rd3 Rd7 26. b3 Red8 27.
Red1 g5 28. h4 h6 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. Kf2 Kg7 31. Kg3 Kf6 32. Kg4 Ke5 33. Re1+
Kf6 34. Red1 Ke5 35. Re1+ {Adly defended well. The final standings became:
Sokolov 5/6, Adly and Smeets 21/2, Sebag 2.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2756"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The insurance company Univé became the new sponsor of the Hoogeveen chess
event. Number thirteen was played from 18 until x 2009. Participants of the
Crown Group were Ivanchuk as world class player, Polgar as strongest woman,
Tiviakov as strongest Dutchman and Giri as youngster.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. e3 c5 8. Be2 Qa5 9. O-O c4 10.
Nd2 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qxc3 12. e4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Rc1 Qa5 15. Bd2 Qf5 16.
Rxc4 O-O 17. Qc2 Nb6 18. Rc5 Qg6 19. Rg5 Qc6 20. Rc5 Qg6 21. Rg5 Qc6 22. Rc5
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nc4 Qc7 8.
a4 g6 9. g3 Bg7 10. Bg2 Nb6 11. Nxb6 axb6 $5 (11... Qxb6 {
drew in Radjabov - Nisipeanu, Bazna 2009.}) 12. Bf4 Qd8 13. O-O Be6 14. Re1 Qd7
15. Qd3 O-O 16. Rad1 Nd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. b3 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rfd8 20. Qe4 Bf6
21. h4 h5 22. c4 b5 23. axb5 cxb5 24. d5 $1 {Polgar has a plus.} Rac8 25. Be3
$6 bxc4 26. bxc4 Qa4 $1 27. Bb6 Rd7 $6 (27... Rxc4 28. Qxc4 Qxc4 29. Bxd8 Bd4 {
keeps the equality.}) 28. c5 Qxe4+ 29. Rxe4 e6 30. d6 Bd8 31. Bxd8 Rdxd8 32.
Re5 Rd7 33. Rb1 f6 $5 34. Rxe6 Rxc5 $6 (34... Kf7 {draws.}) 35. Rxf6 Kg7 36.
Re6 Kf7 37. Rbe1 Rc6 38. Re7+ Rxe7 39. Rxe7+ Kf6 40. Rxb7 Rxd6 41. Kf3 Rd2 42.
Ke3 Ra2 43. Rd7 Ra5 44. Rd6+ Kf5 45. f3 Ra3+ 46. Rd3 Ra4 47. Rd5+ Kf6 48. Rd4
Ra3+ 49. Ke4 Ra6 50. g4 Re6+ 51. Kf4 hxg4 52. fxg4 g5+ 53. hxg5+ Kg6 {
White has two extra pawns, but the rook ending is drawn.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E16"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 c6 7. O-O O-O 8. Bf4
b6 9. Nc3 Bb7 10. Rc1 Nbd7 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Nb5 Ne8 13. Qd3 a6 14. Nc7 Rc8 15.
Nxa6 Ra8 16. Nc7 Rxa2 17. Qb3 Ra5 18. Bd2 Ra7 19. Nb5 Ra8 20. Bb4 Ba6 21. Ne5
Nxe5 22. dxe5 Bc5 23. Na3 Bxb4 24. Qxb4 Bxe2 25. Rfe1 Ba6 26. Rc6 Rb8 27. Nc2
Bc8 28. Nd4 Bd7 29. Ra1 Rb7 30. Rc3 g6 31. g4 Ng7 32. h3 f6 33. Qd6 fxe5 34.
Qxe5 Qb8 35. Nf3 b5 36. Rac1 Qxe5 37. Nxe5 Ne8 38. Rc5 Kg7 39. Re1 Kf6 40. h4
Ng7 41. b4 Rfb8 42. Rc3 Ke7 43. Ra1 Ne8 44. Nd3 Rc7 45. Nc5 Nf6 46. Re1 Kd6 47.
g5 Ne8 48. Bh3 Bc8 49. Bxe6 Re7 50. Rce3 Ng7 51. Bxc8 Rxe3 52. fxe3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2756"]
[BlackElo "2687"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "150"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. Bd2 Bb7 6. g3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Bg2
O-O 9. O-O Na6 10. a3 $5 Be7 11. b4 Rc8 12. Qb3 Qc7 13. Rfd1 $1 Rfd8 ({
The pointe i} 13... Qxc4 $2 14. Qxc4 Rxc4 15. Ne5 Rc7 16. Nb5) 14. Nb5 Qb8 15.
Bf4 d6 16. Rac1 h6 17. h3 e5 18. Bd2 Nc7 19. Nc3 Qa8 20. Be3 Bf8 21. Kh2 Ne4
22. Nh4 Nxc3 23. Rxc3 Bxg2 24. Nxg2 Ne6 25. f3 d5 26. cxd5 Rxc3 27. Qxc3 Rxd5
28. Rc1 Qd8 29. Qc8 g6 30. Qa6 Qd7 31. Rc8 Kg7 32. Rb8 Qe7 33. Bc1 Rd7 34. Bb2
Nd4 35. h4 h5 36. Bxd4 exd4 37. Nf4 Kh7 38. Qc8 Kg7 39. Qc2 Rc7 40. Qd1 Qd7 41.
Qd3 Qd6 42. Re8 Rc3 43. Qb5 Be7 44. Ra8 Re3 45. Rxa7 $2 d3 $1 46. exd3 Rxf3 $2
(46... Qd4 $1 47. Nxh5+ gxh5 48. Qxh5 Qxd3 {gains an advantage.}) 47. Kg2 $1
Re3 48. Kf2 Re5 49. Qd7 Qf6 50. d4 Re4 $1 51. Kf3 Re1 52. Kf2 Re4 53. Kf3 Re1
54. Ra8 Ra1 55. Qe8 Kh6 56. Qh8+ Qxh8 57. Rxh8+ Kg7 58. Rb8 Rxa3+ 59. Kg2 Bxb4
60. Rxb6 Be1 61. Ne2 Re3 62. Rb2 Kf6 63. Kh3 Kf5 64. Rb5+ $6 Kf6 $6 (64... Ke4
$1 {plays for a win.}) 65. Rb6+ Ke7 66. Rb2 f6 67. Kg2 Kd6 68. Ra2 Kd5 69. Kh3
Ke4 70. d5 $1 Kxd5 71. Nf4+ Kd6 72. Rg2 Ke5 73. Nxg6+ Kf5 74. Nf8 Rd3 75. Rg1
Re3 {The charge by Black has ended.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.20"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2552"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "36"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. dxe5 Be7 6. O-O Nc5 7. Be2 O-O 8.
Nc3 c6 9. Nd4 Qc7 $5 10. Bf4 Nbd7 11. Nf3 $6 ({Preferable is} 11. Re1) 11...
Ne4 $6 (11... Ne6 $1 12. Bg3 Ndc5 {gains an edge.}) 12. Bd3 $5 Ndc5 13. Re1 Qb6
14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Nd2 Qxb2 16. Ndxe4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Bf5 18. Nd6 Qxc2 {
The battle ended quickly.} (18... Qxc2 19. Qxc2 Bxc2 20. Nxb7 {equalises.})
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.20"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2756"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "292"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Bc4 Bf5
8. Qe2 e6 9. Bg5 Qa5+ 10. c3 Bg4 11. Qe5 $5 Nd5 12. Nd2 f6 13. Qg3 h5 14. h3 $6
({Preferable is} 14. Bf4) 14... Bf5 $1 15. Be3 g5 16. Qf3 g4 $1 17. Qe2 gxh3
18. gxh3 O-O-O 19. Nb3 Qa4 20. Bd3 Bxd3 21. Qxd3 c5 22. Qe2 cxd4 23. Nxd4 e5
24. Qc2 Qc4 25. Qe2 Nxe3 26. fxe3 Qxe2+ 27. Nxe2 Rd3 {
Black has achieved a better endgame.} 28. Rf1 Rxe3 29. Rxf6 Be7 $5 30. Rf5 e4
31. Kd2 Rxh3 32. Re5 e3+ 33. Kd3 Bd6 34. Rxe3 Rxe3+ 35. Kxe3 h4 {
He has a dangerous passed pawn.} 36. Rd1 Bc7 37. Ng1 Bb6+ 38. Kf4 Rf8+ $6 (
38... h3 39. Nf3 Bc7+ 40. Ke3 h2 {makes progress.}) 39. Ke4 Rf2 40. Nf3 Rxb2
41. Nxh4 Rxa2 {Black has an extra pawn.} 42. Nf5 Kc7 43. Rh1 Bc5 44. Kd5 Ra5
45. Kc4 a6 46. Ng7 Bb6 47. Ne8+ Kb8 48. Nd6 Rc5+ 49. Kb3 Rc6 50. Rh8+ Kc7 51.
Nc4 Bf2 52. Rh7+ Kb8 53. Rd7 Bg3 54. Ne3 Be5 55. Nd5 Rc5 56. c4 Rc8 57. Nb6 Rc6
58. Nd5 Bd6 59. Rd8+ Ka7 60. Rd7 Bf8 61. Rd8 Bc5 62. Rd7 Rh6 63. Rc7 Rh3+ 64.
Kc2 Bd4 65. Re7 a5 66. Re4 Bh8 67. Re3 Rh2+ $5 68. Kb3 Bd4 69. Re8 Bc5 70. Ka4
b6 71. Rg8 Rb2 72. Rg7+ Ka6 73. Nc7+ Kb7 74. Nb5+ Kc8 75. Na7+ Kd8 76. Nc6+ Ke8
77. Rh7 Ra2+ 78. Kb3 Ra3+ 79. Kc2 Re3 80. Ra7 Re6 81. Nxa5 $5 bxa5 82. Rxa5 {
White has reached a theoretical draw, but he has to suffer.} Re5 83. Kd3 Kd7
84. Ra6 Kc7 85. Rg6 Re3+ 86. Kd2 Rh3 87. Rf6 Bb4+ 88. Ke2 Rc3 89. Rf3 Rc2+ 90.
Kd3 Rd2+ 91. Ke4 Kc6 92. Rf5 Rd1 93. Rd5 Rc1 94. Kd3 Rc3+ 95. Kd4 Rh3 96. Rg5
Bc3+ 97. Ke4 Bb2 98. Rd5 Ba3 99. Rg5 Bd6 100. Rd5 Bc5 101. Re5 Re3+ 102. Kf5
Rc3 103. Re4 Bb4 104. Re6+ Kc5 105. Re4 Rd3 106. Kf4 Bd2+ 107. Kg4 Bc3 108. Kf4
Bd4 109. Re2 Kxc4 {Tiviakov has to survive the next fifty moves.} 110. Ke4 Rh3
111. Rc2+ Bc3 112. Re2 Rh4+ 113. Ke3 Bd4+ 114. Kd2 Rh1 115. Kc2 Ra1 116. Kd2
Bc3+ 117. Ke3 Kd5 118. Kd3 Bd4 119. Kc2 Ra3 120. Re8 Kc4 121. Rc8+ Bc5 122. Rc7
Ra2+ 123. Kc1 Rg2 124. Rc8 Kd4 125. Kb1 Kd5 126. Rc7 Be3 127. Rc2 Rg1+ 128. Ka2
Bd4 129. Rc8 Ke4 130. Kb3 Rb1+ 131. Ka4 Kd5 132. Ka3 Rb7 133. Rc2 Ke4 134. Ka4
Kd3 135. Rc8 Bc3 136. Rc5 Rb6 137. Rb5 Ra6+ 138. Kb3 Ra1 139. Rd5+ Bd4 140. Rb5
Rc1 141. Rb4 Bc5 142. Rb5 Rc3+ 143. Kb2 Ba3+ 144. Ka2 Kc4 145. Rb8 Bc5 146. Kb2
Rh3 {All games in the first cycle were drawn.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D14"]
[WhiteElo "2756"]
[BlackElo "2552"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Bf4 Nc6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nf3 e6 8. Bb5
Nd7 9. Qa4 Qb6 10. Nh4 Be4 11. O-O a6 $5 12. Rac1 Be7 13. f3 $1 Bg6 14. Nxg6
hxg6 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Rc2 c5 $5 17. Rfc1 c4 18. e4 $5 Bd6 ({The alternative is
} 18... Qxd4+ $5 19. Kh1 Qf6 20. Bg3 Qg5 {and Black has a difficult defence.})
19. Bxd6 Qxd6 20. exd5 $5 {Ivanchuk allows a spectacular finish.} Qxh2+ 21. Kf1
Qh1+ 22. Kf2 Qh4+ 23. g3 $5 Qh2+ 24. Ke3 Qh6+ 25. Kf2 (25. f4 $6 g5 $1 {
allows a black attack.}) 25... Qh2+ 26. Ke3 Qh6+ {
Giri delivers perpetual check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2687"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 d6 7. Bg2 Bd7 8. O-O
Nf6 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. a4 Be7 11. Be3 O-O 12. a5 Nd7 13. Qd2 Qc7 14. Rfe1 Rac8
15. Bd4 Ne5 16. b3 Be8 $5 17. Re3 Nd7 $5 18. Re2 Bf6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Na2 Bd7
$5 {Polgar moves passively.} 21. c4 $1 Rfd8 22. Nb4 e5 $5 23. Kh1 $5 Ra8 24. f4
Re8 $1 25. Re3 b5 $5 26. axb6 Qxb6 27. Rae1 $5 a5 $5 28. fxe5 Rxe5 $1 29. Nd3
Qd4 $2 ({Right is} 29... Ree8 $1 30. e5 Ng4 $1 31. Bxa8 Rxa8 32. exd6 Nxe3 33.
Qxe3 Qxd6) 30. R3e2 $1 Rb8 ({The pointe is} 30... Rh5 31. e5 $1) 31. Nxe5 Qxe5
32. Qd3 h5 33. Rd2 Rb6 34. Qd4 Rxb3 35. Qxd6 Qxd6 36. Rxd6 Be6 37. c5 Ng4 38.
c6 Rc3 39. e5 a4 40. Kg1 a3 41. Rd8+ Kh7 42. Rd3 $1 Rc5 ({Or} 42... Rxd3 43.
Be4+ g6 44. Bxd3 a2 45. c7 Nxe5 46. Be2 {and White wins (Tiviakov).}) 43. Rxa3
Nxe5 44. Ra6 g6 45. c7 Bc8 46. Rd6 Ng4 47. Rc6 Ra5 48. h3 Ne5 49. Rd6 Rc5 50.
Rd5 $1 Rxd5 51. Bxd5 f6 52. Kg2 {
This would become the only decided game in the tournament.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.23"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2687"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 c5 6. d5 exd5 7. cxd5 Bb7 8. Bg2
Nxd5 9. O-O Be7 10. Rd1 Nc6 11. Qf5 Nf6 12. e4 g6 13. Qf4 O-O 14. e5 Nh5 15.
Qg4 Ng7 16. Nc3 Ne6 17. Be3 Rb8 18. Nd5 Nb4 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Rd2 h5 21. Qc4
b5 22. Qe2 c4 23. Rad1 Nd3 24. Ne1 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Nxe1+ 26. Qxe1 Rb7 27. a3 b4
28. axb4 Qxb4 29. Qe2 Rc7 30. Qf3 Qb7 31. Qxb7 Rxb7 32. Ra1 Rfb8 33. Rc2 Rxb2
34. Rxc4 R8b5 35. Rxa7 Rxe5 36. Bc1 Rb8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.23"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2756"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{Ivanchuk attacks the leadership of Tiviakov.} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6
4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Bf4 Nd5 8. Nxd5 Qxd5 9. Nf3 Nb6 10. Be2 Bf5
11. c3 e6 12. O-O Be7 13. a4 $5 (13. Re1 {
was played in Vila Gasquez - Tiviakov, Benidorm 2008.}) 13... a5 $5 ({
The alternative is} 13... O-O 14. a5 Nc4) 14. Bc7 Bd8 15. Bg3 Qd7 16. Qb3 Bc7
17. Rfe1 O-O 18. Rad1 Nd5 19. Ne5 Qc8 20. Rd2 Rd8 21. Bh5 Bg6 22. Bg4 Re8 23.
Bf3 Nf6 24. c4 Bd6 25. c5 Bxe5 26. Bxe5 Nd5 27. h4 $1 h6 28. h5 Bf5 29. Rde2
Rd8 30. Bd6 Nf6 31. Qe3 Rd7 32. Qf4 Qd8 33. Qg3 $5 Ne8 $1 34. Be5 Qg5 $5 35.
Qh2 $5 Rad8 36. Re3 Qe7 37. g4 Bh7 38. Bd1 Kf8 $5 39. Bb3 Qg5 40. Qg3 Nf6 41.
f3 $5 Nd5 $2 ({Correct is} 41... Rxd4 $1 42. Bxd4 Rxd4 43. Bxe6 fxe6 44. Qb8+
Kf7 45. Rxe6 Rxg4+ 46. fxg4 Qxg4+ {and perpetual check follows.}) 42. Bxd5 Rxd5
43. f4 Qe7 44. g5 hxg5 45. fxg5 Bf5 46. h6 $1 Rxd4 $1 {
Black fights for his last chance.} 47. Bxd4 $2 {White misses an ingenious win.}
({Better is} 47. Bxg7+ Kg8 48. Bf6 $1 Qxc5 49. g6 $3 Bxg6 50. h7+ Kxh7 51. Bxd8
{and White wins (Tiviakov).}) 47... Rxd4 48. Re5 Bg6 49. Qh3 gxh6 50. Qxh6+ Kg8
51. Rxe6 fxe6 52. Qxg6+ Qg7 53. Qe8+ Qf8 54. Qxe6+ Qf7 55. Qc8+ Kg7 56. Qh3 Qg6
57. Kh1 Rd5 58. Re7+ Kf8 59. Re1 Kg7 {Tiviakov kept the lead.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.24"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2687"]
[BlackElo "2756"]
[PlyCount "34"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Bf4 O-O
8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O Nc5 10. Nd4 Re8 11. f3 Ne6 12. Be3 Bg5 13. h4 Bxe3 14. Qxe3
Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Qe7 16. Bc4 Qe3+ 17. Qxe3 Rxe3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 13"]
[Date "2009.10.24"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2552"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2009.10.18"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 Bd6 6. Nc3 dxe4 7. Ng5 O-O 8.
Ncxe4 Nxe4 9. Nxe4 Bf5 10. Qf3 Bxe4 11. dxe4 Nd7 12. O-O Nc5 13. Bc4 b5 14. Be2
Qe7 15. c3 Rfd8 $5 (15... a5 16. Be3 a4 {
drew in Efimenko - Golod, Montreal 2005.}) 16. g3 Rab8 17. h4 h6 18. Rd1 Bc7
19. Be3 Na4 20. Bc1 $5 Bb6 21. Rb1 b4 22. Kg2 bxc3 23. bxc3 Qe6 24. Rb4 Rxd1
25. Bxd1 Nc5 26. Be2 Qe7 27. Bc4 Rd8 28. Rb2 Nb7 29. Rd2 Rxd2 30. Bxd2 Na5 31.
Be2 Qe6 32. Qg4 Qxg4 33. Bxg4 Nc4 {
Black should play for a win, but White has a slight advantage in the endgame.}
34. Be1 Ba5 35. Bd7 c5 36. Kf3 Nd6 37. Ke3 Bb6 38. f4 Kf8 39. Bc6 Ke7 40. Bd5
c4+ 41. Kf3 f6 42. h5 Ba5 43. a4 Bb6 44. Bd2 Ba5 45. fxe5 fxe5 46. g4 Kf6 47.
g5+ hxg5 48. Kg4 g6 49. Bxg5+ Kg7 50. Bd2 Bb6 51. Bc1 Ba5 52. Bd2 Bb6 53. Be1
Ba5 54. Kg5 Bd8+ 55. Kg4 {He cannot make any progress.} Ba5 56. Bd2 {
The final standings became: Tiviakov 31/2/6, Ivanchuk and Giri 3, Polgar 21/2.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The fourteenth Unive tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 25 until 30 x
2010. Participants of the Crown Group were Shirov as a top player, Vachier
Lagrave as youngster plus Tiviakov and Giri as best Dutchmen.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3
Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxd7 Bxd7 7. O-O Bd6 8. Qh5 Qf6 9. Nc3
Qxd4 10. Be3 Qe5 11. Qxe5+ Bxe5 12. Nxd5 Nf6 13. Rfe1 O-O 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. c3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D24"]
[WhiteElo "2721"]
[BlackElo "2749"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O
Be7 9. Qe2 cxd4 10. Rd1 O-O 11. exd4 Nd5 12. Ne5 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nxe5 14. dxe5
Qc7 15. h4 Bd7 16. Bg5 Bc6 17. Bb5 Bxg5 18. hxg5 Rfd8 19. Qe3 a6 20. Bxc6 Qxc6
21. Rd4 Rxd4 22. Qxd4 Rc8 23. Rd1 g6 24. Qd7 Qc4 25. Rd3 Qc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2749"]
[BlackElo "2637"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. f4 Nb6 8.
g4 Nbd5 9. Bg2 $5 ({Known is} 9. g5 Nxc3 10. bxc3) 9... g6 10. g5 Nxc3 11. bxc3
Nd5 $2 {Tiviakov blunders in his pet opening.} ({An improvement will become} 
11... Nd7 $5 12. O-O h6 {(Wan - Tiviakov, Moscow 2011).}) 12. c4 $1 Nc7 13. c5
Qd8 14. d5 $3 {A breakthrough opens the position.} cxd5 $2 (14... Bg7 $5 15.
dxc6 Qxd1+ 16. Kxd1 b5 17. cxb6 axb6 {leads to a hard defence.}) 15. c4 $1 e6
16. Bb2 Bg7 $5 17. Nc6 $1 bxc6 18. Bxg7 Rg8 19. Be5 Bd7 20. O-O Rb8 21. Qa4 Rb7
22. Rab1 Qc8 23. Rxb7 Qxb7 24. Rf2 $1 d4 25. Qa5 Kd8 26. Be4 {The solid Tiviako
v was defeated quickly. Shirov got a beauty prize for this game.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2721"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Be2 Bb7 10. Ne5 Nbd7 11. Qc2 Bb4 12. O-O Qe7 13. a3 Ba5 14. Nxd7 Nxd7 15. d5
e5 16. a4 a6 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 O-O 20. Bf3 Ra7 21. axb5 axb5
22. Qf5 Re8 23. Rfd1 Qd6 24. h4 gxh4 25. Bxh4 Nf8 26. Be4 Bb6 27. Rxa7 Bxa7 28.
Ra1 Bc5 29. b4 cxb3 30. Rb1 Ng6 31. Bf6 Bb6 32. Rxb3 Bd8 33. Bxd8 Rxd8 34. Rxb5
Qc7 35. Qf3 Kg7 36. Bxg6 fxg6 37. g3 Rd7 38. Qe4 Qd6 39. Qb1 Qe7 40. Qb2 Kh7
41. Qc2 e4 42. Qb3 Qf7 43. Rb4 Qxd5 44. Qxd5 Rxd5 45. Rxe4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.27"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2749"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a3 a5 12. e4 e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15.
h3 Ba6 16. Rd1 $5 (16. Be3 {was played in Aronian - Shirov, Novi Sad 2009.})
16... Qc7 17. Be3 b4 18. axb4 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 axb4 20. Rxa8 Rxa8 21. Na4 c5 $2 {
This sacrifice has no point.} 22. Bxc5 Qc6 23. b3 Qxe4 $2 24. Qxe4 $2 (24. Qd8+
$1 Ne8 25. Qe7 $1 h6 26. Nb6 $1 {wins for White.}) 24... Nxe4 25. Bxb4 {
White has gained a pawn.} f5 26. Rd5 Bf6 27. Ba5 Rc8 28. Bb6 $2 (28. Rxf5 Rc1+
29. Kh2 g6 30. Rd5 Nxf2 31. Bd8 {plays for a win.}) 28... Rc1+ 29. Kh2 f4 30.
Rd3 Bh4 31. g3 fxg3+ 32. fxg3 Rc2+ 33. Kg1 Bxg3 {Black has regained the pawn.}
34. Bd4 h5 35. Nc3 $5 Bh2+ 36. Kf1 Nd2+ 37. Kg2 Nxb3+ 38. Bf2 Nc5 39. Rd5 Bg3
40. Kxg3 Rxc3+ 41. Kh4 Ne4 42. Bd4 Rd3 43. Rd7 $5 g6 44. Rg7+ $1 Kf8 45. Rxg6
Rxd4 46. Kxh5 Kf7 47. Ra6 Nc5 48. Ra1 Ne6 49. Rf1+ Kg7 50. Rg1+ Kf6 51. Rf1+
Ke5 52. Kg6 Nf4+ 53. Kg5 Nxh3+ {
Although a theoretical draw has been reached, White has to suffer.} 54. Kg6
Nf4+ 55. Kg5 Ne6+ 56. Kg6 Rg4+ 57. Kf7 Rg7+ 58. Ke8 Nf4 59. Re1+ Kd6 60. Rd1+
Nd5 61. Kf8 Rg3 62. Kf7 Rb3 63. Kg7 Ke6 64. Ra1 Re3 65. Ra6+ Kf5 66. Ra5 Re7+
67. Kf8 Rd7 68. Ra1 Ne7 69. Ke8 Rb7 70. Kd8 Ke6 71. Ra6+ Kd5 72. Rh6 Nf5 73.
Rh1 Kd4 {Giri survived the pressure.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.27"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2721"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Be2 h5 11. Bxg4 hxg4 12. O-O e6 13. Nb3 $6 {
Tiviakov delivers a poor novelty.} ({Better is} 13. Re1 $1) 13... Bxc3 $1 14.
bxc3 e5 $1 15. c4 Nc6 16. Qd3 Qe7 17. Rfd1 Be6 $1 {Black has a fine position.}
18. Qxd6 Rd8 19. Qc5 $5 f6 20. Rxd8+ $5 Qxd8 $1 {
Black has a fine compensation for the pawn.} 21. f3 gxf3 22. gxf3 Kf7 23. Rb1
Kg6 24. Bf2 Rh3 25. Kg2 $6 ({Preferable is} 25. Qe3) 25... Qh8 $1 26. Bg3 $2 ({
Correct is} 26. Rh1 Qh5 $1 27. Bg3 g4 28. Qf2) 26... Rxg3+ $1 27. hxg3 Qh3+ 28.
Kf2 Qh2+ 29. Ke3 Qxc2 30. Rc1 Qxa2 31. Rc3 Qb1 $1 32. Nc1 Nd4 33. f4 Qb2 $1 34.
f5+ Kh5 $1 35. Kd3 Bd7 36. Qa5 Qf2 37. Qa2 Qxg3+ 38. Kd2 Qg2+ 39. Kd1 Qh1+ 40.
Kd2 Qxe4 {The standings after one cycle became: Shirov and Vachier Lagrave 2,
Giri 11/2, Tiviakov 1/2.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B36"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2637"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 d6 8.
Be2 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd2 a5 11. Rd1 Be6 12. O-O a4 13. f4 Qa5 14. Bd4 Rfe8 $5
({The alternative is} 14... Qb4) 15. Qd3 Rad8 16. Kh1 Bd7 17. Qe3 Rc8 18. h3
Bc6 19. e5 Nd7 20. exd6 exd6 21. Qf2 Nf6 $6 (21... Bxd4 22. Qxd4 Qb6 23. Qxb6
Nxb6 24. Rxd6 Re3 {plays for a draw.}) 22. f5 $1 g5 23. h4 g4 $2 (23... Ne4 24.
Nxe4 Rxe4 25. hxg5 Bxd4 26. Rxd4 Rxd4 27. Qxd4 Re8 {almost equalises.}) 24. h5
Ne4 25. Nxe4 Bxd4 26. Rxd4 Rxe4 27. Rxe4 Bxe4 28. Bxg4 {
White has gained a pawn.} Rxc4 $2 {This capture allows a charge.} 29. Be2 $1
Rc6 30. Qh4 Qe5 31. Qd8+ Kg7 32. f6+ Kh6 33. Qf8+ Kg5 34. Qg8+ Bg6 35. hxg6
hxg6 36. Qxf7 Qxe2 37. Qd5+ Kg4 38. Rf3 Qe1+ 39. Kh2 Qh4+ 40. Rh3 Qxf6 41. Qe4+
Qf4+ 42. Rg3+ {The mate attack has netted a queen.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.28"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2749"]
[BlackElo "2721"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The leaders met in round four.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5.
e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bd7 11. h4 $5 {
He makes a premature move.} ({Theory is} 11. Rb1) 11... Na5 12. Bd3 e5 13. Bg5
Qc7 14. dxe5 $5 Rfe8 $5 15. f4 $5 Bg4 $1 16. Qe1 h6 17. Bf6 Bxf6 18. exf6 Rad8
{White has little advantage.} 19. Qg3 $2 {Shirov blunders tactically.} ({
Correct is} 19. Bc2) 19... c4 $1 20. Qxg4 ({Or} 20. Bxc4 Nxc4 21. Qxg4 Rxe4)
20... cxd3 21. Ng3 Nc4 22. e5 Ne3 23. Qf3 Nxf1 24. Rxf1 d2 25. Rd1 Qc4 26. Nf5
$5 Rd3 $1 27. Ne7+ Kh7 $1 28. Qxb7 Red8 $1 29. Qxa7 Rxc3 {
This game would decide the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.29"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E52"]
[WhiteElo "2749"]
[BlackElo "2677"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 b6 7. cxd5 exd5 8. O-O
Bb7 9. Ne5 Bd6 10. f4 c5 11. Bd2 Nc6 12. Ne2 Rc8 $5 13. Bc3 Ne7 $5 14. Ng3 Ne4
15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qg4 $5 f5 $1 17. Qh3 c4 18. d5 $6 ({Preferable is} 18. Ne2
Nd5 19. a3) 18... Bc5 $5 19. Rad1 $1 Bxe3+ $6 ({Wiser is} 19... Bxd5 20. Nh5 g6
) 20. Kh1 Nxd5 $4 ({Correct is} 20... Bc5 21. Nxe4 Bxd5) 21. Nxf5 {
White threatens Nxe3.} Bxf4 22. Nh6+ $1 gxh6 ({Or} 22... Bxh6 23. Qe6+ Kh8 24.
Rxf8+ Qxf8 25. Nf7+ $1 {and White wins.}) 23. Qe6+ Kg7 24. Nc6+ Nxc3 25. Rxd8 {
Shirov has gained a queen.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.29"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2721"]
[BlackElo "2637"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "147"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Be2 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qd7 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Bxf3 O-O-O
8. d3 Nd4 9. O-O e6 $5 10. Be3 Ne7 11. Bxd4 Qxd4 12. Ne4 Nc6 ({The pointe is} 
12... Qxb2 $2 13. Rb1 Qe5 14. Rxb7 $1 Kxb7 15. Nd6+) 13. Qc1 Be7 14. Rd1 f5 15.
c3 Qd7 16. Ng3 g6 17. d4 Bd6 $5 18. b4 Bxg3 19. fxg3 Qd6 20. b5 Na5 $6 {
The knight becomes vulnerable.} ({Preferable is} 20... Ne7 $1 21. c4 Kb8) 21.
c4 $1 e5 22. c5 $1 Qe7 23. Qc3 e4 $1 24. Bxe4 $5 (24. Qxa5 exf3 25. Re1 $1 {
achieves an edge.}) 24... fxe4 $2 (24... Qxe4 25. Qxa5 Rxd4 26. Qxa7 $4 Ra4 {
gains a queen.}) 25. Qxa5 Kb8 26. Qc3 Rd5 27. Re1 Rhd8 28. Rad1 Qd7 $5 29. c6
$1 Qd6 30. Rxe4 Rxb5 31. cxb7 Rxb7 {White has an extra pawn.} 32. d5 Rb5 33.
Kh2 Qb6 34. a4 Rb3 35. Qc4 Rb2 36. Re7 Rf8 37. Qe4 Rb4 38. Qe5 Rb2 39. Re8+
Rxe8 40. Qxe8+ Kb7 41. a5 $1 Qc5 42. a6+ $1 {He has a winning attack.} Kxa6 43.
Qc8+ Kb5 44. Qb8+ Qb6 45. Qe8+ {The king is chased.} Ka6 46. Qc8+ Kb5 47. Rc1
Qe3 48. Qb8+ Qb6 49. Qe8+ Kb4 50. Qe4+ Ka3 51. Ra1+ Ra2 52. Qd3+ Qb3 53. Qa6+
Kb2 54. Qf6+ Ka3 55. Qe7+ $5 (55. d6 $1 cxd6 56. Qxd6+ Kb2 57. Qe5+ Ka3 58.
Qc5+ Kb2 59. Qc1# {wins quickly.}) 55... Ka4 56. Rxa2+ Qxa2 57. Qxc7 Qxd5 58.
Qxa7+ Kb5 59. Qxh7 {White has two extra pawns in the queen ending.} Qe6 60. h4
Kc5 61. Qh6 Qe8 62. Qf4 Kd5 63. g4 Qe1 64. Qg5+ Kd4 65. Qf6+ Kd5 66. h5 $1 gxh5
67. gxh5 Qe8 68. Qf5+ Kd4 69. h6 Qb8+ 70. Kh3 Qb3+ 71. g3 Qb7 72. h7 Qh1+ 73.
Kg4 Qd1+ 74. Kg5 {Vachier Lagrave kept the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.30"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D76"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]
[BlackElo "2721"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. e3
O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Re1 e5 11. d5 Ne7 12. e4 Bg4 13. a4 c6 14. a5 Nc4 15. a6 Rb8
16. h3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 cxd5 18. exd5 Nf5 19. d6 Ncxd6 20. axb7 Nxb7 21. Qxd8
Rexd8 22. Rxa7 Nc5 23. Bd5 Rd7 24. Rxd7 Nxd7 25. Kg2 Nd4 26. Rd1 Nc5 27. b4
Nce6 28. Na2 Bf8 29. Bd2 Rd8 30. Bc4 Nc2 31. Bb3 Ncd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 14"]
[Date "2010.10.30"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2637"]
[BlackElo "2749"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2010.10.25"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Qe2 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. d3 d6 8. c3 h6
9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. Qxe3 Na5 12. Bc2 c5 13. Nbd2 Nc6 14. a4 Rb8 15.
axb5 axb5 16. Rfd1 Qb6 17. Nf1 d5 18. exd5 Nxd5 19. Qe4 Nf6 20. Qe2 Re8 21. Ng3
Be6 22. Re1 Bd5 23. Nd2 {The final standings became: Vachier Lagrave 41/2/6,
Shirov 31/2, Giri 3, Tiviakov 1.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The fifteenth Unive tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 16 until 22 x
2011. Participants were Kramik the former world champion, Polgar the strongest
woman, Vachier Lagrave as youngster and Giri as best Dutchman.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2.
c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. b4 Nh5
10. g3 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Bf3 c6 13. Ba3 $5 {This move looks somewhat clumsy.}
cxd5 $1 14. exd5 e4 15. Be2 $1 {The king's bishop stand more actively on e2.}
Ne8 ({A novelty will become} 15... h6 $5 16. Ne6 Bxe6 17. dxe6 f4 {
(Wang Hao - Bacrot, Biel 2012).}) 16. Rc1 h6 17. Ne6 Bxe6 18. dxe6 Nc7 $6 ({
Better is} 18... Qc8 $1 19. Nd5 Qxe6 20. Nf4 Qd7) 19. b5 $1 Be5 $2 (19... Nxe6
$1 20. Qxd6 Qxd6 21. Bxd6 Bxc3 22. Rxc3 Nd4 23. Bd1 Kf7 {defends well.}) 20.
Qb3 $1 Kg7 ({Giri overlooked} 20... Nxe6 21. c5 $1 d5 22. Nxd5 $1 Nxd5 23. Rfd1
Nd4 24. Rxd4 $1 Bxd4 25. Rd1 {and White wins.}) 21. Rfd1 Nxe6 22. c5 Nd4 23.
Rxd4 $1 Bxd4 24. cxd6 Ng8 25. Nd5 Kh8 26. Rc7 Be5 27. Bb2 $5 Qxd6 28. Rxb7 g5
29. b6 $5 a5 30. Bh5 Rab8 31. Ra7 Bxb2 32. Qxb2+ Nf6 33. Bf7 Kg7 34. Rd7 Qc6
35. Be6+ {Kramnik had a fine start.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2701"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Re1 a5 8. Bg5
c5 $5 9. Nc3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Qd2 Na6 13. Rac1 Rc8 14. b3 Nc5
15. Nd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 d5 17. cxd5 Ne4 $6 ({More solid is} 17... exd5 18. Red1
Ne4) 18. Nxe4 Qxd5 19. Qd3 Qxd4 20. Qxd4 Bxd4 21. Nd6 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rd8 $6 (
22... Bc5 $1 23. Nb7 Rc8 24. a3 Rc7 25. Nxc5 Rxc5 26. Rxc5 bxc5 27. Kf3 Kf8 28.
Ke3 Ke7 29. Kd3 Kd6 30. Kc4 Kc6 {brings an equal pawn ending.}) 23. Rc6 $1 Bc5
24. Nc4 Rd1 25. a4 Re1 26. e3 Rb1 27. Nxb6 Bb4 $1 28. Nc4 Rxb3 29. Ra6 g5 $5
30. Nxa5 Bxa5 31. Rxa5 {White has an extra pawn in the rook ending.} Ra3 {
But the hostile rook moves behind the passed pawn.} 32. g4 Kg7 33. Ra8 Kg6 34.
a5 Ra4 35. h3 Ra2 36. a6 Kf6 37. Ra7 Ra4 38. Kf3 Ra2 39. Kg3 Kg6 40. Ra8 Kg7
41. f4 Ra3 42. Kf3 gxf4 43. Kxf4 Kf6 44. h4 Ra4+ 45. e4 Ra5 46. h5 e5+ 47. Ke3
Ra4 48. a7 Kg7 49. Kd3 Rd4+ 50. Kc3 Ra4 51. Kb3 Ra1 52. Kb4 Ra2 53. Kc5 Ra6 54.
Kd5 Ra5+ 55. Kd6 Kh7 $1 56. Kc6 Ra1 57. Kb6 Rb1+ 58. Kc5 Ra1 59. Kd6 Ra5 $1 60.
Re8 Rxa7 61. Rxe5 Kg7 62. Rf5 Ra6+ 63. Ke5 f6+ 64. Kf4 {
The extra pawn has no importance.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D90"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Qb3 Nb6 6. d4 Bg7 7. Bf4 Be6 8.
Qa3 Nc6 9. O-O-O Nd5 10. Bg3 Bf5 11. h4 O-O 12. e3 Bg4 13. Bc4 Nxc3 14. Qxc3 e6
15. Rd2 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Qf6 17. Be2 h5 18. d5 Qxc3+ 19. bxc3 exd5 20. Rxd5 Bxc3
21. Rhd1 Rad8 22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Rxd8+ Nxd8 24. Bxc7 Nc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E43"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2701"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd3 c5 7. O-O O-O 8. Na4
cxd4 9. exd4 Re8 10. a3 Bf8 11. Re1 d6 12. Nc3 Nbd7 13. b4 Rc8 14. Bb2 Qc7 15.
d5 e5 16. Nd2 g6 17. Bf1 $5 Qd8 18. Qa4 a6 19. Nce4 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 Rc7 {
Black has a crammed position.} 21. f4 $1 b5 $4 {
Polgar wants to liberate, but loses material.} (21... exf4 22. Nf6+ Nxf6 23.
Bxf6 Be7 {defends accurately.}) 22. cxb5 Bxd5 23. bxa6 Qb8 24. Kh1 exf4 25. b5
h6 26. Rad1 Ba8 27. Qd4 $1 Re5 28. Nxd6 Rcc5 29. Rxe5 Rxe5 30. Nc4 Bc5 31. Qxd7
Re8 {Kramnik won his second game.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C47"]
[WhiteElo "2701"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 O-O
8. O-O d5 9. exd5 cxd5 10. Bg5 c6 11. Na4 h6 12. Bh4 Be6 13. c3 Be7 14. Re1 Re8
15. Bc2 Nd7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. f4 Qf6 18. Qd4 Qxd4+ 19. cxd4 g6 20. Rac1 Rab8
21. a3 Nb6 22. Nxb6 axb6 23. Ba4 Bd7 24. Re5 Ra8 25. Bb3 f6 26. Ree1 Kf7 27.
Kf2 g5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 dxc4 7. e3 Nd5 8. Bxc4
Nxf4 9. exf4 Bf6 10. Qd3 c5 11. O-O-O cxd4 12. Ne4 Nd7 13. Kb1 b5 14. Bxb5 Bb7
15. Bxd7 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Qxd7 17. Ne5 Bxe5 18. fxe5 Rfd8 19. Rd3 Qa4 20. Rc1 Rd5
21. Rc7 Rad8 22. Ka2 h6 23. Qf3 Qe8 24. Qe4 a5 25. g4 Rb8 26. Rxd4 Qb5 27. Rc2
Rxe5 28. Qd3 {The standings after one cycle became: Kramnik 21/2, Vachier
Lagrave 11/2, Polgar and Giri 1.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.20"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. d3 Be7 7. Be3 O-O 8.
Rc1 Re8 9. Qc2 Bf8 10. a3 h6 $5 11. Nf3 Nc6 12. O-O Bg4 13. Ne4 Qd7 14. Rfe1
Rad8 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Bxc5 Nd5 17. b4 b6 $6 ({Preferable is} 17... a6) 18. Be3
Re6 19. Qc4 Rd6 20. Bd2 Bxf3 21. exf3 $5 Rf6 $5 22. f4 $1 exf4 23. Bxd5 fxg3
24. hxg3 Qxd5 25. Re8+ $1 Kh7 26. Rxd8 Qxc4 27. Rxc4 Nxd8 28. Rxc7 Rd6 29. Rxa7
Rxd3 30. Be3 {White has a better endgame.} b5 31. Ra5 Nc6 32. Rxb5 Rxa3 33. Rb7
Rb3 34. b5 Na5 35. Rb8 Nc4 36. Bd4 Rd3 37. Rd8 h5 38. Kg2 Rb3 39. Rd5 Kg6 $5
40. Rc5 Nd2 41. b6 Ne4 42. Rc7 Ng5 43. Rc2 Rb4 44. Bc5 Rb5 45. Be3 Ne6 $1 46.
Rc7 Kf6 47. Kf3 g5 48. Rd7 Nf8 49. Rd8 Ne6 50. Rd7 Nf8 51. Rd6+ $6 (51. Rc7 $1
Ne6 52. Kg2 $1 {keeps a plus.}) 51... Ne6 52. Ke4 h4 53. gxh4 gxh4 54. Rd1 Ke7
55. f4 f5+ 56. Kf3 Rb3 57. Rd5 h3 58. Rd2 Nc5 59. Rh2 Nd7 60. Rxh3 Nxb6 61.
Rh7+ Kd6 62. Rh6+ Kc7 63. Rh7+ {The exchange of pieces draws as well.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.20"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2701"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nde2 h5 8. g3
Be6 9. Bg2 Nbd7 10. a4 Rc8 11. Be3 Nb6 $5 ({The alternative is} 11... Be7) 12.
Bg5 Be7 13. b3 h4 $5 14. Bxh4 Rxh4 $5 {
Vachier Lagrave sacrifices in order to attack.} 15. gxh4 Nh5 16. Bf3 Nf4 17.
Bg4 Bxh4 18. Nxf4 exf4 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Rc3 21. Kf1 $5 Qc7 $5 22. a5 Qc5
$6 23. Qe1+ $1 Re3 $5 24. Qd2 $1 Nxd5 25. c4 $2 (25. fxe3 $1 fxe3 26. b4 Qc4+
27. Qd3 {wins for White.}) 25... Rd3 $1 26. Qe2+ Re3 $5 27. Qc2 $5 Nb4 $5 28.
Qd2 Bxf2 $2 ({Better is} 28... Rxb3) 29. Qxf2 Nd3 30. Qd2 f3 $6 31. Rh2 $1 Qe5
32. Rd1 $1 Kf8 33. Rf2 $6 ({Polgar misses the win} 33. Bf5 $1) 33... Nxf2 34.
Qxf2 Qe4 $6 35. Qd2 Kg8 36. Qxd6 g6 37. Qd8+ Kh7 38. Qf6 $2 (38. Qd5 $1 Qf4 39.
Rd3 {decides the game.}) 38... Rd3 39. Qxf7+ Kh6 40. Qf8+ Kh7 41. Re1 $5 Rd1 $1
42. Qf7+ Kh6 43. Qf8+ Kh7 ({Vachier Lagrave avoids the trap} 43... Kg5 $4 44.
Qd8+ $1) 44. Qf7+ Kh6 {The game ends by perpetual check. Judit made a
remarkable number of tactical errors in this game.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.21"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2701"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nf3 e5 5. Nc3 d6 6. O-O Be7 7. d3 O-O 8. a3 h6
9. Ne1 Rb8 10. b4 $1 ({Known is} 10. Rb1) 10... cxb4 11. axb4 Nxb4 12. Rxa7 d5
$5 13. cxd5 Bc5 $5 14. Ra1 Bd4 15. Ra3 Nbxd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. e3 $1 Bc5 18.
Ra1 Re8 19. Bb2 Nf6 20. Nf3 Bg4 21. Qb3 Bd6 22. Rfc1 Qd7 23. Ra5 b5 24. Qa2 $5
{White has the initiative.} Qf5 25. Ra7 Rf8 26. Ne1 Bb4 $5 27. e4 $5 Qh5 28. d4
$5 Bd2 $5 29. Ra1 b4 $1 30. dxe5 Be6 $1 31. Qa5 Bxe1 $5 32. Rxe1 Ng4 33. h3
Nxf2 $1 34. Kxf2 Rfd8 35. Re2 $5 Bc4 36. Bf3 $1 Qxh3 37. e6 $1 Qxe6 38. Rc2 $5
Bb5 $2 {Judit fails when the contemplation time becomes short.} (38... Bb3 $1
39. Re2 Bc4 40. Be5 $1 Bxe2 41. Bxb8 Rxb8 42. Bxe2 Qxe4 {nearly equalises.})
39. Kg2 $6 (39. Rb7 $1 Qb3 40. Qc7 {gains an advantage.}) 39... g5 $2 (39...
Bd3 40. Rf2 Bxe4 41. Rxf7 $1 Qxf7 42. Bxe4 Qd7 {defends well.}) 40. Kh2 $1 Qb3
41. Qc7 $1 Bc4 42. Rf2 Qe3 43. Kg2 Re8 44. Bh5 $1 Qxe4+ 45. Kh2 Rf8 46. Ra6 Be6
47. Rxe6 $1 (47. Rxe6 $1 Qxe6 48. Bxf7+ $1 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.21"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A16"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "173"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Qa4+ Bd7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 a6 7. d4 b5 8.
Qd3 Bg7 9. g3 b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Qxe4 Bc6 12. Qf4 O-O 13. Bg2 Qd6 $5 (13...
Bxd4 14. O-O e5 15. Nxe5 Bxe5 16. Qxe5 {drew in Popov - Petrosian, Moscow 2004.
}) 14. O-O Nd7 15. Qh4 e5 16. d5 $5 {
Whiote delivers a positional pawn sacrifice.} Qxd5 17. Be3 Qb5 18. Rac1 Bd5 19.
Rxc7 $5 Rac8 20. Ng5 h6 21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Ne4 g5 $5 23. Qh3 $5 Be6 24. Qh5 Rc4
25. Rd1 b3 $1 26. a3 Rd4 $2 ({Right is} 26... Qa4 $1 27. f3 Nf8) 27. Bxd4 exd4
28. h4 $1 Ne5 $5 29. hxg5 Bg4 30. Qh4 Qxe2 31. Rxd4 Nf3+ 32. Bxf3 Bxf3 33. Rd8+
Kh7 34. Nd2 $1 Bc6 35. gxh6 $5 Bxb2 36. Qg5 $2 (36. Qh3 $1 Qd1+ 37. Qf1 Qxf1+
38. Kxf1 {(Stohl)} Ba4 39. Ke2 Bxa3 40. Rd4 Bb5+ 41. Kd1 b2 42. Kc2 {
plays for a win.}) 36... Qd1+ 37. Nf1 Qf3 38. Qg8+ Kxh6 39. Rd6+ Bf6 40. Qh8+
Kg5 41. Qg8+ Kh6 42. Rxc6 Qxc6 43. Ne3 Qf3 44. Ng4+ Kh5 45. Nh2 $1 Qd1+ $1 46.
Kg2 Qd5+ 47. Kh3 $5 Qe6+ 48. Ng4 $1 Bg5 49. f3 Qf5 50. Qh8+ Kg6 51. Qg8+ Kh5
52. Qg7 $1 Be3 53. Qc3 Qe6 54. Qg7 Bh6 55. Qh8 $1 f5 56. Nxh6 Qxh6 57. Qg8 Qd6
58. Qxb3 {White has gained a pawn in the queen ending.} Kg6 59. Qg8+ Kf6 60.
Qh8+ Kg6 61. Qg8+ Kf6 62. f4 Qd3 63. Qf8+ Kg6 64. Kh4 Qd5 65. Qe8+ Kf6 66. Qh8+
Kg6 67. Qh5+ Kg7 $2 {Black misses a trick.} (67... Kf6 $1 68. Qh6+ ({or} 68. g4
Qh1+ $1) 68... Kf7 69. Kg5 $5 Qd8+ 70. Kxf5 Qd5+ 71. Kg4 Qd1+ {
and perpetual check.}) 68. g4 $1 Qh1+ 69. Kg5 Qc6 70. gxf5 $1 Qg2+ 71. Qg4 Qb2
72. Qf3 Qf6+ 73. Kg4 Qb6 74. Qc3+ Kf7 75. Qe1 Qd4 76. Qe6+ Kf8 77. Qc8+ Kf7 78.
Qe6+ Kf8 79. f6 Qg1+ 80. Kf5 Qc5+ 81. Qe5 Qc2+ 82. Kg5 Qg2+ 83. Kh6 Qh2+ 84.
Kg6 Qc2+ 85. Qf5 Qc3 86. Qd5 Qc2+ 87. f5 $1 {
Kramnik scored in the classical way: he won as White and drew as Black.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2701"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5
8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. Rxe8+ Nxe8 12. d5 d6 13. Nd2 Bf5 14. Nc4
Bg5 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Nxe3 Bd7 17. Qd4 a5 18. c3 Nf6 19. Re1 Qb8 20. Bd3 Qa7 21.
Qxa7 Rxa7 22. f3 Kf8 {Judit Polgar participated for the last time in Hoogeveen.
She had won three times.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 15"]
[Date "2011.10.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Vachier Lagrave, Maxime"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "192"]
[EventDate "2011.10.16"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. a3 c5 7. dxc5 Ne4 $5 ({
Theory is} 7... Bxc5) 8. Qc2 Na6 9. Nxe4 dxe4 10. Rd1 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qc7 $1 12.
Qxe4 Nxc5 {Black has given a pawn for a positional advantage.} 13. Qe5 Qc6 $5
14. g3 Bf6 15. Qe3 Bxb2 16. Bg2 Qc7 17. O-O b6 18. Nd4 Bb7 19. Nb5 Qe7 20. Bxb7
Qxb7 21. Bb4 a6 22. Rd2 Bf6 23. Nd6 Qc6 24. Bxc5 bxc5 25. Ne4 Be7 {
The chances are equal.} 26. Rfd1 Rfd8 27. Qf3 Kf8 28. Qf4 f6 29. Nc3 $5 {
Better is the immediate exchange of rooks.} Rd4 30. Rxd4 cxd4 31. Qxd4 Rd8 32.
Qh4 Rxd1+ 33. Nxd1 h6 34. Qf4 Bxa3 35. Qb8+ Kf7 36. Qb3 Bc5 37. Qc2 Bd4 38. Qd3
Qd6 39. Nc3 Be5 40. Qc2 $5 Bxc3 41. Qxc3 Qd1+ 42. Kg2 Qxe2 {
Black has gained a pawn in the queen endgame.} 43. Qd4 Ke8 44. c5 Qa2 45. Qb4
Qd5+ 46. Kg1 Kd7 47. Qb6 Qc6 48. Qa7+ $5 Qc7 49. Qxa6 Qxc5 50. h4 {
White can survive in the ending.} Ke7 51. Qb7+ Kf8 52. Qd7 Qe7 53. Qc8+ Kf7 54.
Qc6 Qa7 55. Kg2 Ke7 56. Qc8 Kf7 57. Qc6 Qd4 58. Qc7+ Kg6 $5 (58... Kf8 {
tries to plat for a win.}) 59. h5+ $1 Kh7 60. Qf7 {
The black king has been imprisoned.} Qe4+ 61. Kg1 Qf5 62. Qe8 e5 63. Kg2 Qe4+
64. Kg1 Qc4 65. Qg6+ Kh8 66. Qe8+ Qg8 67. Qe7 Kh7 68. Qd7 Qf8 69. Qf5+ Kh8 70.
Qe6 Qb8 71. Kh2 Qg8 72. Qd7 Qf8 73. Qe6 Qd8 74. Kg2 Qg8 75. Qd7 Qa8+ 76. Kg1
Qb8 77. Qe6 Kh7 78. Kh2 Qd8 79. Kg2 Qa8+ 80. Kg1 Kh8 81. Kh2 Qe4 82. Qe8+ Kh7
83. Kg1 Qf5 84. Kg2 e4 85. Kg1 Qg4 86. Kg2 f5 87. Kh2 Qg5 88. Kg2 Qf6 89. Kh2
Qg5 90. Kg2 Qf6 91. Kh2 Qb6 92. Kg2 Qd6 93. Kh3 Qd5 94. Kh2 Qc5 95. Kg1 Qd6 96.
Kg2 Qf6 {The final standing became: Kramnik 41/2/6, Giri 3, Vachier Lagrave 21/
2, Polgar 2.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.21"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The sixteenth Unive tournament was played in Hoogeveen from 21 until 27 x
2014. Participants of the Crown Group were Nakamura as top player, Hou Yifan
as female champion, Tiviakov as strong Dutchman and Giri as youngster.} 1. e4
e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Be3 Bd6 8. Bd3
b6 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Qf3 Nd5 11. Bd2 Bb7 12. c4 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Ne7 14. Qg3 Ng6 15.
O-O-O Qd4 16. Rhe1 Qh4 17. f3 Qxg3 18. hxg3 Rfd8 19. Bg5 Re8 20. Bxg6 fxg6 21.
Rd7 Rac8 22. Red1 Bc6 23. Rd8 b5 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Rd8+ Rxd8 26. Bxd8 bxc4 27.
Kd2 Kf7 28. Bxc7 g5 29. Kc3 g4 30. fxg4 Bd5 31. a3 Ke8 32. Kb4 Kd7 33. Bb8 a6
34. Kc5 c3 35. bxc3 Bxg2 36. Bd6 Bf3 37. g5 g6 38. c4 Be2 39. a4 Bf1 40. a5 Be2
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.21"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5
8. Rxe5 O-O 9. d4 Bf6 10. Re1 Re8 11. c3 Rxe1 12. Qxe1 Nf5 13. Bf4 c6 (13... d6
{happened in Steinitz - Zukertort, USA 1886 (4).}) 14. a4 $5 a5 $6 {
He weakens the queenside.} 15. Bc7 $1 Qf8 16. Bd3 d5 17. Bb6 $5 Nd6 18. Nd2 Be6
19. Qb1 $5 g6 20. b4 axb4 21. Qxb4 Bf5 22. Bc5 $5 Bxd3 23. Bxd6 Qe8 24. Nf3 Ba6
25. Be5 Be7 26. Bd6 Bf6 27. Re1 Qd7 28. Be7 Bg7 29. Ne5 Qf5 $5 30. Qd6 $1 {
White becomes active.} Re8 31. h3 Qe6 32. Qxe6 fxe6 33. Bc5 {
The chances have become equal.} g5 $5 {He weakens the kingside.} 34. Bb4 $5 h6
35. Nd7 $1 Kf7 36. Re3 Kg6 $6 ({Slightly better is} 36... Bc4 $5 37. a5 Ba6)
37. Bd6 $1 h5 38. Nc5 Bf6 39. g4 hxg4 40. hxg4 Kf7 41. Kg2 Ra8 42. a5 Re8 43.
Re1 $5 Bd8 $1 44. Ra1 $1 Rh8 45. Be5 Rh7 46. Bd6 Rh8 47. f3 Rh6 48. Be5 $5 Rh7
49. Kg3 Rh6 $6 ({Preferable is} 49... Be7 50. Nxa6 bxa6) 50. Rb1 Bxa5 51. Nxb7
Bxb7 52. Rxb7+ Ke8 53. Rg7 $1 Bd8 54. Kg2 Be7 55. Rg8+ Kd7 56. Ra8 $6 (56. f4
$5 Rh4 57. Kg3 gxf4+ 58. Bxf4 Rh1 59. Kg2 {attacks on the kingside.}) 56... c5
$1 57. Rg8 cxd4 58. cxd4 Rh7 59. f4 gxf4 $2 {
Errors are made under time pressure.} 60. g5 $1 Bd6 61. Bf6 $2 Be7 $2 ({
He misses the opportunity} 61... f3+ $1 62. Kxf3 Rh4 $1 63. Ra8 Rf4+ {
(Safarli).}) 62. g6 $1 f3+ 63. Kxf3 Rh5 64. Be5 {The passed pawn will queen.}
1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.22"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B93"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 e5 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. a4
Qc7 9. Bd3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Kh1 Nc5 12. Qe2 Bd7 13. fxe5 dxe5 14. Bg5 Be6
15. Nh4 Nxd3 16. cxd3 Ne8 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nf3 $5 f6 19. d4 Rc8 20. Rac1 exd4
21. Nd5 Qd6 22. Rxc8 Bxc8 23. Qc4 Be6 24. Nxd4 Rf7 25. h3 Bxd5 26. exd5 Nc7 27.
Nf5 $1 Qxd5 28. Qg4 $1 h5 $5 29. Qxh5 Rd7 30. Re1 $1 Kf8 $1 31. Qh8+ Qg8 32.
Qh4 a5 33. Qg4 Qf7 $1 34. Nh4 g5 $5 35. Nf5 Qd5 36. Rf1 Qd3 37. Ng3 Ne8 38. Rf3
$6 (38. Kh2 $1 {keeps a plus.}) 38... Qd1+ 39. Kh2 Rd3 $1 40. Qxg5 Rxf3 41.
Qc5+ Qd6 $5 42. Qxd6+ Nxd6 43. gxf3 Nc4 44. Ne4 Nxb2 45. Nc5 Kf7 46. Nxb7 Nxa4
47. Nxa5 Kg6 48. Kg3 Nc3 49. Nb3 Ne2+ 50. Kg4 f5+ 51. Kh4 Kh6 52. Nd2 Nd4 53.
Kg3 Kg5 54. Nf1 f4+ 55. Kg2 Kh4 56. Nd2 Nc2 57. Nc4 Ne1+ 58. Kf2 {
The knight ending is drawn, despite the extra pawn.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.22"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B52"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Bg7 9. f3 O-O 10. Be3 Nc6 11. O-O a6 12. a4 e6 13. Nde2 Rac8 14. Rc1 Rfe8
15. Bf2 Qe7 16. b3 Nd7 17. Nd4 Nb4 18. Kh1 Nc5 19. Bg1 h5 20. Rb1 Qd8 21. Nde2
Qc7 22. Qd2 Red8 23. Nd1 Nc6 24. Ne3 f5 25. exf5 gxf5 26. Nc2 Qf7 27. Nf4 Ne7
28. Ne3 Bh6 29. Nd3 Nxd3 30. Qxd3 d5 31. cxd5 Nxd5 32. Nxd5 Rxd5 33. Qe2 Rd2
34. Qe5 Rcc2 35. Rf2 Rxf2 36. Bxf2 Kh7 37. Kg1 Bg7 38. Qd6 e5 39. Qd3 Ra2 40.
h3 e4 41. Qe3 Bh6 42. Qc3 Bd2 43. Qe5 exf3 44. gxf3 Bh6 45. Rd1 Rc2 46. Qd5
Qg6+ 47. Kf1 Rc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.23"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Be3 Bd6
8. Bd3 Bd7 9. Qe2 Qe7 10. O-O-O Nd5 11. Bg5 f6 12. Bd2 Nf4 13. Bxf4 Bxf4+ 14.
Kb1 O-O-O 15. Rhe1 Qd6 16. Be4 g6 17. c4 Qa6 18. Bd3 Rhe8 19. c5 Qa4 20. Bc2
Qb5 21. Bd3 Qa4 22. Be4 Bb5 23. Bxb7+ Kxb7 24. Qe4+ Rd5 25. b3 Qb4 26. Qxf4 e5
27. Qxf6 e4 28. c6+ Kb6 29. Qf4 Qc3 30. Qe3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.23"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. g4 h6 7. Rg1 e5 $5 {
Hou delivers an interesting novelty.} 8. Bb5+ Nbd7 ({Hou will play} 8... Bd7 $1
{in future games.}) 9. Nf5 a6 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. g5 $1 Nxe4 $6 ({Preferable is
} 11... hxg5 12. Bxg5 Qc6) 12. Nxg7+ $1 Bxg7 13. Nxe4 Qc6 14. Qd3 $1 (14. Nxd6+
Ke7 15. Nxc8+ Raxc8 16. Qg4 $5 {brings little advantage.}) 14... Ke7 15. gxh6
Bxh6 16. Bxh6 Rxh6 17. Qe3 $1 Rh5 $1 18. Rd1 Bf5 19. Ng3 Bxc2 $4 ({Right is} 
19... Rah8 $1 20. c3 Ke6 $1 21. Nxh5 Rxh5) 20. Nxh5 Bxd1 21. Kxd1 {
White has gained a piece.} Qd5+ 22. Ke2 Qxa2 23. Qg5+ Kd7 24. Qf5+ $5 Ke7 25.
Qc2 Qa5 26. Ng3 Qb5+ 27. Kf3 Qc6+ 28. Qe4 Rh8 29. Nf5+ Kd7 30. h4 Qb5 31. Rd1
Qxb2 32. Nxd6 Kc7 33. Nc4 Qb5 34. Nxe5 f6 35. Rc1+ Kb8 36. Rb1 f5 37. Qxf5 Qd5+
38. Qe4 Rf8+ 39. Ke3 Qc5+ 40. Qd4 Qxd4+ 41. Kxd4 Rf4+ 42. Ke3 Rxh4 43. f4 Kc7
44. f5 Kd6 45. Ng6 Rh7 46. Rd1+ Kc7 47. Kf4 b5 48. f6 Rf7 49. Ke5 {The standing
s after the first cycle became: Nakamura 21/2/3, Tiviakov 11/2, Giri and Hou
Yifan 1.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg5
Nc6 9. Nc3 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nb5 Na7 12. a3 Bd6 13. Nc3 b5 14. a4 Bb7 15.
axb5 Bb4 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 Qd8 18. Kg1 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Nxb5 20. Qc2 Qd5 21.
e4 Qd6 22. Rfc1 c5 23. Nxc4 Qc7 24. d5 exd5 25. exd5 Nd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B52"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Bg7 9. h3 Qc7 10. Qe2 Nc6 11. Nc2 O-O 12. O-O a6 13. Bd2 e6 14. Rac1 Rfe8
15. Be3 $5 ({Known is} 15. Ne3) 15... Ne5 16. Na3 Rac8 17. b3 Qa5 18. Nab1 d5
19. f4 Nc6 20. e5 Nh5 21. Qf2 $5 d4 $1 22. Bxd4 Nxd4 23. Qxd4 g5 $1 24. fxg5
Bxe5 25. Qf2 $6 Bf4 $2 (25... Ng3 $1 26. Rfe1 Red8 {gains an advantage.}) 26.
Ne4 $1 Bxc1 27. Rxc1 $5 Qe5 28. Re1 Kh8 29. Nbd2 Red8 30. Nf3 Qf4 31. g3 Qc7
32. Qb2+ Ng7 $2 ({Better is} 32... Kg8 33. Ne5 b5) 33. Ne5 Qb6+ 34. Kg2 $6 (34.
Kh2 $1 Rc7 35. Rf1 Qd4 36. Qxd4 Rxd4 37. Nxf7+ Rxf7 38. Rxf7 Kg8 39. Rf4 {
wins for White.}) 34... Rc7 35. c5 ({Or} 35. Rf1 Qe3 $1 36. Rf4 Rd1) 35... Qb4
36. Qf2 Rd5 $5 37. Nd6 $5 Nf5 38. Nexf7+ Rxf7 39. Nxf7+ Kg7 40. Nd6 Nxd6 41.
Qf6+ Kg8 42. Qxe6+ $1 Kg7 43. cxd6 Qxd6 44. Qxd6 Rxd6 45. Re7+ Kg8 46. Rxb7
Rd2+ 47. Kf3 Rxa2 48. Kg4 Rd2 49. h4 a5 50. Kh5 Rd6 51. Ra7 Rb6 52. Kg4 Rb4+
53. Kh3 Rb5 54. Kh2 Kh8 55. Kg2 Kg8 56. Kh3 Kh8 57. Kg4 Rb4+ 58. Kf5 Rxb3 59.
h5 Rf3+ 60. Kg4 Rf8 61. Rxa5 Rb8 62. h6 Kg8 63. Kh5 Kf7 64. Rf5+ Ke6 65. Rf4
Rb3 66. Rf6+ Ke7 67. Ra6 Kf7 68. Ra7+ Kg8 69. Ra8+ Kf7 70. Rh8 {
White wins the rook ending.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.26"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Hou, Yifan"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B56"]
[WhiteElo "2623"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 e5 5. Qd1 Nf6 6. Nc3 h6 7. Bc4 Be6 8. Bb3
Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Nc6 11. Qe2 Na5 12. Rfd1 Qc7 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Nc4
$5 ({The alternative is} 14... Bxd5 15. Rxd5 Nc4) 15. c3 Rac8 16. Rac1 a6 17.
b3 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Bd7 19. Rc2 Kh7 20. Nd2 g6 $6 ({Preferable is} 20... b5 $1 21.
c4 Bg5 22. Qe2 Qb6) 21. Qa7 $1 Rb8 22. Nc4 $1 {White takes the initiative.} f5
$5 (22... Bd8 23. Nb6 $1 Bg4 24. Rd3 {also favours White.}) 23. Qb6 $5 Rfc8 24.
Qxc7 Rxc7 25. Nb6 Bc6 26. f3 Bg5 27. Nc4 $5 b5 $5 28. Bxc6 bxc4 $5 29. Bd5 cxb3
30. axb3 Rb6 31. Kf2 a5 32. Ra1 Rc5 33. Ke2 Kg7 34. Kd3 Rb8 35. Ra4 Bd8 36. b4
axb4 37. cxb4 Rxc2 38. Kxc2 Bb6 39. Kb3 Kf6 40. Kc4 Ke7 {
White has little winning chances.} 41. h3 Kd7 42. Bf7 fxe4 43. fxe4 Ke7 44. Bd5
({Or} 44. Bxg6 Rg8 45. Bf5 Rxg2 46. Kb5) 44... Kd7 45. Ra3 Rf8 46. Ra6 Kc7 47.
Ra2 g5 48. Rc2 Rf2 49. Rxf2 Bxf2 {
The ending with bishops of a different colour is elementary.} 50. g4 Be1 51.
Be6 d5+ $5 52. exd5 e4 53. Kd4 Bxb4 54. Kxe4 Kd6 55. Kf5 Ba5 56. Kg6 Bd8 57.
Kxh6 Ke5 58. Kg6 Be7 59. Kf7 Bb4 60. Ke8 Kd6 61. Bg8 Bd2 62. Kf8 Ba5 63. Kg7
Ke5 64. Kg6 Bd8 65. Kg7 Be7 66. Kf7 Bb4 67. Kg6 Be7 68. Be6 Bd8 69. Kf7 Kd6 70.
Ke8 Ba5 71. Kf7 {Nakamura had to suffer in a long game.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.26"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4 e6 8. O-O
Be7 9. Qe2 O-O 10. Rd1 Bd7 11. Bd2 Qb6 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 dxe5 14. dxe5 Rfd8
15. h4 Be8 16. h5 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Rd8 18. Rxd8 Qxd8 19. a3 Bf8 20. Qd3 g6 21.
hxg6 hxg6 22. Qxd8 Nxd8 23. Nd2 Bc6 24. Bd3 Be7 25. Ne4 b6 26. f4 Bh4 27. Kh2
Kf8 28. g4 Be7 29. Kg3 Nb7 30. b4 a5 31. Nf6 axb4 32. axb4 Ba4 33. Kf2 Kg7 34.
Ke3 Kf8 35. Ba6 Bxf6 36. exf6 Nd6 37. Be5 Nb5 38. Bb7 Na3 39. Kd3 Ke8 40. Bd4
Kd7 41. Bxb6 Bc6 42. Ba6 Bb5+ 43. Bxb5+ Nxb5 44. Bc5 Kc6 45. Ke4 Nc3+ 46. Kd4
Nb5+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.27"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2623"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qa4 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bd2 Be4 11. Qc1 Bb7 12. Bf4 Nd5 13. Nc3 Nxf4 14. Qxf4 Nd7 15.
Rfd1 Bd6 16. Qe3 Nb6 17. a4 bxa4 18. Nxa4 Nxa4 19. Rxa4 Rb8 20. b3 Bd5 21. Nd2
Bb4 22. Bxd5 Bxd2 23. Qf3 Qxd5 24. Qxd5 exd5 25. Rxd2 Rb6 26. Rda2 Ra8 27. Ra5
c6 28. g4 g5 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. h4 gxh4 31. Kh3 Rxb3+ 32. Kxh4 Rb6 33. Kg5 h6+ 34.
Kf5 Re8 35. e3 Re6 36. Kf4 Rb1 37. Ra1 Rb2 38. Kg3 Rg6 39. Rh1 Rb6 40. Kf4 Rf6+
41. Kg3 Rg6 42. Kf4 Rf6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 16"]
[Date "2012.10.27"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2012.10.21"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{Tiviakov trails Nakamura by half-a-point. They play the decisive game of the
tournament in the last round.} 1. e4 e6 2. d3 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 cxd4
6. Nxd4 a6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. c4 Bg7 9. Bg2 Ne7 10. O-O d6 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bg5 Qc7
$5 (12... Ra7 {was played in Tseitlin - Gheorghiu, Biel 1999.}) 13. Qd2 Rb8 14.
Rfd1 Rd8 15. Rac1 c5 $1 {Black opens his crammed position.} 16. b3 Bb7 17. h4
h5 18. Qd3 Bc6 19. Qe2 Be8 20. Rd3 {He wants to put pressure on the d-file.}
Rdc8 $2 ({Better is} 20... f6 $1 21. Bf4 Nc6 22. Bh3 Qe7) 21. Qd2 $1 Rb6 22.
Bf4 Be5 $6 ({More useful is} 22... Bd4 $1) 23. Rd1 $1 Kh7 $6 (23... Nc6 $1 24.
Rxd6 Qxd6 25. Qxd6 Bxd6 26. Bxd6 Nd4 27. Bxc5 Rxc5 28. Rxd4 Kf8 {
almost equalises.}) 24. Kh1 $5 Ng8 $5 25. Be3 $5 Bg7 $5 26. Ne2 $1 {
White reopens the attack on d6.} Rd8 27. Bf4 e5 28. Bg5 f6 29. Be3 Ne7 30. Nc3
Qc8 31. Kh2 Rc6 32. f4 $1 Qb7 33. fxe5 fxe5 34. Bg5 Rd7 35. Bh3 Rdc7 36. Rf1 $5
Bd7 37. Bg2 Bg4 38. Rxd6 {The weakling is captured finally.} Rxd6 39. Qxd6 {
The final standings became Nakamura 41/2/6, Tiviakov 3, Giri 21/2, Hou Yifan 2.
} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.20"]
[Round "1"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E46"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The seventeenth Unive tournament was played from 20 until 26 x 2013.
Participants of the Crown Group were Adams as an international player, Van
Wely as a strong Dutchman plus So and Van Kampen as juniors.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4
e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nge2 d5 6. a3 Be7 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Nf4 a5 9. Bd3 c6
10. O-O Na6 11. f3 Nc7 12. Bd2 $5 c5 $5 {The centre becomes vulnerable.} 13.
dxc5 Bxc5 14. Kh1 Ne6 15. e4 dxe4 16. Nxe4 Bd4 17. Qc2 h6 18. Rad1 Bd7 $6 ({
Preferable is} 18... Nxf4 19. Bxf4 Qb6) 19. Ne2 Rc8 20. Qb1 Be5 21. Bc3 Bxc3
22. N2xc3 Bc6 $6 23. Nd6 $1 Rc7 24. Rfe1 $6 (24. Bc4 $1 Qe7 25. Qf5 {
gains an advantage.}) 24... Nd4 $1 25. Nc4 Qa8 $5 {The queen moves offside.}
26. Ne5 Rd8 $6 ({Better is} 26... Re8 $1) 27. Bc4 Be8 28. Ne4 Nh5 29. Qd3 $6 b5
$6 (29... Nc6 $1 30. Qc3 Rxd1 31. Rxd1 Nxe5 32. Qxe5 Rxc4 33. Nd6 Qd8 34. Qxe8+
Qxe8 35. Nxe8 {equalises.}) 30. Ba2 b4 $5 31. Bb1 Bb5 $2 32. Qe3 Ne6 $2 (32...
Qd5 33. f4 $1 Ba4 34. Rd3 Bb5 35. Rd2 {defends properly (Stohl).}) 33. Nd6 Ba4
34. Nexf7 Nhf4 35. Nxd8 Qxd8 36. Rd2 bxa3 37. Ba2 Qf6 38. Qxa3 Bc6 39. Bxe6+
Nxe6 40. Qa2 Bxf3 41. gxf3 Qxf3+ 42. Rg2 {White has an extra rook.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.20"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C16"]
[WhiteElo "2607"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 b6 7. Qg4 Ng6 8. h4
h5 9. Qd1 Qd7 10. Be2 Ba6 11. Bxh5 Qb5 12. Nh3 $5 Nc6 13. Bxg6 fxg6 14. Qd3
Rxh4 15. Qxb5 Bxb5 {The chances are equal.} 16. a4 Bc4 17. Bg5 Rh8 18. Kd2 a5
$6 ({Preferable is} 18... Na5 $5 19. Nf4 Kf7 20. Ke3 Ba6 {
and Black has counter-play on the queenside.}) 19. Nf4 $1 Kf7 20. Rhe1 $1 Raf8
21. Re3 Ke8 22. Rf3 Rh2 $2 ({Correct is} 22... Kd7 23. Nxg6 Rxf3 24. gxf3 Rh2)
23. Ke3 $1 Nxe5 $5 24. dxe5 Rf5 25. Rh3 $5 Rxe5+ 26. Kd2 Rxh3 27. Nxh3 Re2+ 28.
Kd1 Re4 29. Kd2 $5 Re2+ $5 30. Kd1 Re4 31. Be3 $5 e5 32. Ng5 Rh4 33. Kc1 d4 34.
Bd2 dxc3 35. Bxc3 Rg4 36. Nf3 Rxg2 37. Nxe5 Bd5 38. Bd4 Ke7 39. Kb2 Kd6 40. Nd3
Rg4 41. Be5+ Kc6 42. Bxg7 Kb7 43. Bc3 Kc8 44. Ne5 Rg2 45. Bd4 Kb7 46. Be3 Be4
47. Rd1 Bf5 48. Rd4 Rh2 49. Nf3 Rh7 50. Bf4 Re7 51. Nh4 {
The youngster surprised an old hand.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.21"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nxe5
8. Rxe5 O-O 9. Nc3 Ne8 10. Nd5 Bd6 11. Re1 c6 12. Ne3 Bc7 13. Nf5 d5 14. Ne7+
Kh8 15. Nxc8 Rxc8 16. d3 Nf6 17. Qf3 Qd7 18. g3 Rce8 19. Bd2 Kg8 20. Bc3 Ng4
21. Bh3 f5 22. d4 Bd6 23. Bd2 g6 24. Qd3 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 Re8 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 27.
b3 Nf6 28. Bg2 Ne4 29. c4 Qd7 30. Bc1 Be7 31. Bf4 Bf6 32. Be5 Kf7 33. Bxf6 Nxf6
34. Bf3 Qe7 35. Kg2 Qe1 36. cxd5 Nxd5 37. Qc4 Qe6 38. Qc5 a6 39. h4 Nf6 40. Qa7
Qe7 41. Qb8 Ne4 42. Qh8 Nf6 43. Qb8 Ne4 44. Qh8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.21"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2607"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. c4 Bd7 8. Nc3
Nc6 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. a4 Be7 11. a5 O-O 12. Be3 d5 13. e5 Nd7 14. cxd5 exd5 15.
Bd4 Bc5 16. Bf5 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 Re8 18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. Rfe1 Rab8 20. Rad1 Qc7 21.
b4 b6 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. Qxd5 bxa5 24. Qxa5 Qxa5 25. bxa5 Rb5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.22"]
[Round "3"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. b3 O-O 7. Bb2 b6 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. Qc2 c5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. O-O Rc8 12. Rac1 Bd6 13. Qe2 Qe7 14. Ba6 Bxa6
15. Qxa6 Nb8 16. Qd3 $1 {White improves his position by a novelty.} Rfd8 17.
Nb5 Nc6 $6 ({Preferable is} 17... Ne4 $5 18. dxc5 bxc5) 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. dxc5
bxc5 20. Bxf6 gxf6 {Black's pawn structure has been ruined.} 21. Rfd1 Ne5 22.
Qe2 Nxf3+ $5 23. Qxf3 Qe6 24. g3 Kg7 25. Rd3 d4 $2 {
Black makes his central pawns vulnerable.} ({Better is} 25... Rc6) 26. Rc4 $1
dxe3 27. Rxe3 Qd6 28. b4 $5 Qd1+ 29. Qxd1 Rxd1+ 30. Kg2 Rd4 $6 (30... Rd2 $5
31. Rxc5 Rxc5 32. bxc5 Rxa2 33. Rc3 Re2 34. c6 Re8 35. Kf3 {favours White.})
31. Rxc5 Rxc5 32. bxc5 Rc4 33. Ra3 Rxc5 34. Rxa7 {He has gained  pawn.} Rc2 35.
Kf3 Kg6 36. a4 Ra2 (36... Rc3+ 37. Ke2 Rc2+ 38. Ke3 Rc3+ 39. Kd2 Ra3 40. a5 Kf5
41. Kc2 Ke6 42. Kb2 {wins for White.}) 37. a5 h6 38. a6 Kf5 39. Ra8 Kg6 $5 ({Or
} 39... Ra3+ 40. Kg2 $1 Ke6 41. a7 Ke7 42. f4) 40. Ke4 Kg7 41. Kd5 Rxf2 42. Rb8
$1 Ra2 43. Rb6 {Hereafter, the white king will support the passed pawn.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.22"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E55"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4
cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. Qe2 Bb7 11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. d5 Bxc3 13. dxe6 Bxf3 14. gxf3
fxe6 15. bxc3 Qc7 16. Bxe6+ Kh8 17. Qc4 Qb7 18. Bxd7 Nxd7 19. Qd5 Qxd5 20. Rxd5
Nc5 21. Be3 Rxf3 22. Re1 Ne6 23. Rd7 Kg8 24. Bxb6 axb6 25. Rxe6 Rxa2 26. Re8+
Rf8 27. Ree7 Rfxf2 28. Rxg7+ Kf8 29. Rxh7 Rg2+ 30. Kh1 Kg8 31. Rh3 Rge2 32. Rd1
Kf7 33. Kg1 Rg2+ 34. Kh1 Rgc2 35. Re1 Rf2 36. Kg1 Rg2+ 37. Kh1 Rgf2 {The standi
ngs after one cycle became: So 21/2/3, Van Kampen 11/2, Adams and Van Wely 1.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.24"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B47"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. g3 a6 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O
Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 10. Qd3 Ng4 11. Qe2 h5 12. Kh1 b5 13. e5 Bb7 14. Bf4 Bd4 15.
Rae1 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Bxg2+ 17. Kxg2 Qxc3 18. Rd1 Rc8 19. h3 Nh6 20. Qxh5 Qxc2 21.
Rc1 Qe4+ 22. Qf3 Qxf3+ 23. Kxf3 Rc6 24. Rfd1 Nf5 25. Rxc6 dxc6 26. Bg5 Ne7 27.
Rd6 Rxh3 28. Bxe7 Kxe7 29. Rxc6 Rh5 30. Ke4 Rh2 31. Ke3 Rh5 32. Ke4 Rh2 33. Ke3
Rh5 34. Kd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.24"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bd6 a6 14. a4 b4 15. Nb1
Nf6 16. e5 Ne4 17. Bxb4 c5 18. dxc5 $5 (18. Ba3 $1 {
was played in Topalov - Gelfand, Monte Carlo 2011.}) 18... Bxe5 19. Na3 Qc7 20.
Nxc4 Bxh2+ 21. Kh1 Rd8 $1 22. Qb3 $6 ({Better is} 22. Qe1 Rd4 23. Ba5 Qf4 24.
Ra3) 22... Qf4 $1 23. Qf3 $5 Qh4 $1 24. Qg4 {White has a hard defence.} Nxf2+
25. Rxf2 Qxf2 26. c6 $2 (26. Rf1 $1 Qg3 27. Nd6+ Rxd6 28. Qxg3 Bxg3 29. cxd6
Bf4 {defends properly (Martinovic).}) 26... Bxc6 27. Rf1 Qg3 28. Qxg3 Bxg3 29.
Bh5 Rd4 30. Bxf7+ Kd7 31. Bc3 Rh4+ 32. Kg1 Bh2+ 33. Kf2 Rf4+ {
So carried out a fine attack.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.25"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2693"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. Qf3 Nbd7 8.
O-O-O Qc7 9. Qg3 Nc5 10. f3 Bd7 11. Nb3 Na4 12. Nxa4 Bxa4 13. Kb1 $5 Rc8 14.
Bd3 h5 15. Rhe1 e5 $5 16. Qf2 Be7 17. Bb6 Qb8 18. Na5 Nd7 19. Nc4 Bxc2+ $5 ({
More solid is} 19... O-O) 20. Kxc2 Nxb6 21. Qxb6 Bd8 22. Qb3 b5 23. Kb1 bxc4
24. Qxb8 Rxb8 25. Bxc4 Rb6 {Black protects his weaknesses.} 26. Rd3 Rf8 27. Rc1
f5 28. Bd5 Kd7 29. exf5 Rxf5 30. Be4 Rf4 31. g3 Rf6 32. h4 a5 33. Rc5 $1 Rf8 $5
34. a3 ({The pointe is} 34. Rxa5 $2 Rxb2+ $1) 34... Ke6 35. Rc8 Be7 36. Rc7 Rb5
37. Bc6 Rb6 $2 (37... Rc5 $1 38. Bd7+ Kf6 39. Rxc5 dxc5 {
almost equalises (Paunovic).}) 38. Bd5+ $1 Kf6 39. g4 $1 hxg4 ({Or} 39... Re8
40. g5+ Kf5 41. Bc6) 40. fxg4 e4 $5 41. Bxe4 Bd8 42. Rc2 g5 43. Rf3+ Kg7 44.
Rxf8 Kxf8 45. Rc8 Ke7 46. h5 d5 $5 47. Bxd5 Kd7 48. Ra8 Rf6 49. Be4 Rf1+ 50.
Ka2 Rf2 51. Bf5+ Ke7 52. h6 Bb6 53. h7 Bd4 54. h8=Q $1 {
Van Wely played a poor tournament.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.25"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2607"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. d4
Bb6 9. Re1 d5 10. Nxe5 Nxe4 11. Nd2 Nd6 12. Bd3 f6 13. Nef3 Bf5 14. Nf1 Ng6 15.
Ng3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Re8 17. Bd2 Qd7 18. b3 Qf7 19. h4 c6 20. h5 Nf8 21. Bf4 Bc7
22. c4 Ne6 23. Bd2 Rad8 24. cxd5 cxd5 25. Rac1 Bb8 26. Re2 Nc8 27. Qf5 Bxg3 28.
fxg3 Nd6 29. Qxd5 f5 30. Re5 Ne4 31. Qc4 Nxd2 32. Nxd2 Rxd4 33. Qe2 Rdd8 34.
Nf3 h6 35. Re1 Nc7 36. Qc2 Nd5 37. Nh4 Rxe5 38. Rxe5 f4 39. gxf4 Qxf4 40. Ng6
Qd4+ 41. Kh2 Nf6 42. Re1 Qd3 43. Qxd3 Rxd3 44. Nf4 Ng4+ 45. Kg1 Rd2 46. g3 Rxa2
47. Re7 b5 48. Rb7 Ra1+ 49. Kg2 Ne3+ 50. Kh2 Ra6 51. Rxb5 Rb6 52. Rxb6 axb6 53.
Kg1 Nf5 54. Kf2 Kf7 55. Nd5 b5 56. Nc3 Nd4 57. Ke3 Nxb3 58. Nxb5 Nc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.26"]
[Round "6"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E34"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nf3 Qf5 7. Qb3 Nc6 8.
Bd2 O-O 9. h3 a5 10. g4 Qg6 11. a3 a4 12. Qc4 Bxc3 13. Bxc3 Qe4 14. Rg1 Nd5 15.
Nd2 Qf4 16. Bg2 Rd8 17. Rc1 Nb6 18. Qc5 Nd7 19. Qc4 Nb6 20. Qc5 Nd7 21. Qc4
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 17"]
[Date "2013.10.26"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2693"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2013.10.20"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8.
e3 O-O 9. Bd3 c6 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Bg3 Nh5 12. O-O-O Nxg3 13. hxg3 Nf6 14. Kb1
Bd6 15. Nh4 Be6 16. Bf5 Qd7 17. Bxe6 Qxe6 18. Ne2 Qe4 19. Nf5 Bf8 20. Nc3 Qxc2+
21. Kxc2 h5 22. a3 g6 23. Nh4 Bd6 24. Nf3 Kg7 25. Ne1 a5 26. Nd3 a4 27. Rhe1
Ra5 28. Kb1 Re7 29. Re2 Re8 30. Rde1 Re7 31. Nc1 Re8 32. Nd3 Re7 33. Kc2 Kf8
34. e4 dxe4 35. Nxe4 Nxe4 36. Rxe4 Rxe4 37. Rxe4 Rd5 38. Kc3 f6 39. g4 hxg4 40.
Rxg4 Kf7 41. Rh4 Kg7 42. Re4 Kf7 43. Rh4 Kg7 44. Re4 Kf7 45. Rh4 {
The final standings became: So 41/2/6, Adams and Van Kampen 3, Van Wely 11/2.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 1"]
[Date "2014.10.12"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "2691"]
[BlackElo "2768"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The 18th Univé tournament was played from 12 until 18 x 2014. Sponsor Univé
changed the formulae. The Crown Group competition was replaced by two matches.
Tournament director became Loek van Wely. The main match was Giri - Shirov.
Six games were played.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6.
O-O Na5 7. Bb3 a6 $5 {They start quietly.} 8. d4 Nxb3 9. axb3 exd4 10. Nxd4 h6
11. Nf5 Bxf5 12. exf5 O-O 13. g4 $2 {White will not be able to start an attack
on the kingside. His pawn structure becomes weak.} Qd7 14. Nd5 $5 Nxd5 15. Qxd5
Qb5 $1 16. Qf3 Rfe8 17. Kg2 Qe2 18. c3 Re4 $1 19. Ra4 $1 Rae8 20. Rxe4 Rxe4 21.
h3 (21. Bf4 $5 a5 22. h3 Re7 23. Qxb7 Qxb2 {also favours Black.}) 21... d5 22.
b4 Bb6 23. f6 $5 g5 24. Qf5 Re5 25. Qc8+ Kh7 $1 26. Qf8 $1 Qe4+ 27. Kg3 Qg6 $1
28. f4 gxf4+ (28... Qxf6 $4 29. fxg5 $1 Qxf1 30. g6+ {wins for White (Boel).})
29. Bxf4 Re2 30. Bxh6 $2 {Shirov wants to attack desperately.} (30. Bc1 {
offers more resistance.}) 30... Qxh6 31. Qxf7+ Kh8 32. Rf3 Bg1 33. h4 Bh2+ 34.
Kh3 Bd6 $1 {Black threatens mate in one. White has no serious defence.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 1"]
[Date "2014.10.13"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2768"]
[BlackElo "2691"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. e4 e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nd4 Neg4 14. g3 Bc5 ({
The alternative is} 14... Bxg3 15. hxg3 Qxd4 16. Qd1 Qxd1 17. Rxd1 Rfe8 {
(Fressinet - Ragger, Germany 2012).}) 15. Nf5 Re8 16. Bf4 Qb6 17. Kg2 Nxf2 18.
e5 Nd7 19. b4 Bxb4 20. Rxf2 Nxe5 21. Ne4 $1 {Giri delivers a fine novelty.} (
21. Nxg7 $5 c5+ 22. Kh3 Bc8+ 23. g4 Kxg7 24. Bxe5+ Rxe5 25. Rxf7+ $1 Kxf7 26.
Qxh7+ {led to perpetual check in Wagner - Shirov, Germany 2014.}) 21... c5 22.
Kf1 $1 Bxe4 23. Qxe4 Ng6 $1 24. Qd5 $1 {White has gained an advantage.} Nxf4
25. Ne7+ $1 Kh8 26. Rxf4 {He has a knight for three pawns.} c4 27. Nc6 Bc3 28.
Rb1 Rac8 $6 (28... Qe3 29. Bf3 a6 {defends properly.}) 29. Bf3 Qa6 $5 30. Re4
$6 (30. Rxb5 Qxa2 31. Be4 {(Boel)} f5 32. Ne7 $1 Qxh2 33. Rh4 Qxg3 34. Rxh7+ $1
Kxh7 35. Bxf5+ Kh6 36. Qh1+ Kg5 37. Bg6+ {wins in an elegant way.}) 30... Qxa2
$5 31. Rxb5 $5 Qxh2 32. Qd7 Rf8 33. Rh4 Qc2 34. Rxh7+ $1 Qxh7 ({The pointe is} 
34... Kxh7 $2 35. Rh5+ Kg6 36. Ne7+ Kf6 37. Qd6#) 35. Rh5 Qxh5 36. Bxh5 g6 37.
Be2 Kg7 38. Bxc4 Rce8 39. Qxa7 Bf6 40. Qd7 Re3 41. Kg2 Rc3 42. Qd5 Re3 43. Kf2
Ree8 44. Qd7 Re4 45. Bd5 Ree8 46. Qc7 Rc8 47. Qb7 Rce8 48. Qd7 Ra8 49. Bc4 Rae8
50. Kf3 Re1 51. Qd5 Re6 52. Qd7 Re1 53. g4 $1 Bg5 54. Qd5 f5 $5 55. Ne5 $1
fxg4+ 56. Kg2 $1 Be3 57. Qd7+ Kh6 58. Nxg4+ Kh5 59. Nf6+ Rxf6 60. Qh3+ Kg5 61.
Qg3+ Kh6 62. Qxe1 {White has a queen for a rook plus a pawn.} Bf4 63. Qh4+ Kg7
64. Bg8 $1 Bh6 65. Qd4 Bf4 66. Be6 Bb8 67. Kh3 Bf4 68. Qd7+ Kh6 69. Bg8 Be3 70.
Qh7+ Kg5 71. Bd5 Bf2 72. Qe7 $1 Bd4 73. Be4 Kf4 74. Bc2 Be5 75. Qb4+ {
Giri won again after a long endgame.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 1"]
[Date "2014.10.14"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2691"]
[BlackElo "2768"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Qb3
c5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. a3 Bxc3+ 11. Qxc3 Nd7 12. Be2 b6 13. O-O Bb7 14. Rac1 c4
15. Nd2 $5 b5 16. Bf3 Qe7 17. Qa5 Bc6 18. b3 Qd6 19. bxc4 bxc4 20. Nb1 Rab8 21.
Nc3 {Shirov pressures on d5.} Rb3 $5 22. Nxd5 Rxa3 $5 (22... Nb6 23. Nc3 Bxf3
24. gxf3 Qxa3 25. Qxa3 Rxa3 {keeps the equality.}) 23. Qc7 $5 Qxc7 24. Nxc7
Bxf3 25. gxf3 Nb6 26. Nb5 Rb3 27. Nxa7 c3 $5 (27... Ra8 $1 28. Nc6 c3 29. e4
Ra2 {gives a sufficient counter-play (Boel).}) 28. Rb1 Rxb1 29. Rxb1 Nd5 30.
Kf1 c2 31. Rc1 Nb4 32. Ke2 Rb8 33. d5 $1 Nxd5 34. Rxc2 Ne7 35. f4 Rb7 36. Nc6
Nxc6 37. Rxc6 {White has an extra pawn in the rook ending.} g6 38. f5 $1 gxf5
39. Rxh6 Rb4 40. Kf3 Kg7 41. Rd6 Rh4 42. Kg2 Rg4+ 43. Kh1 Rb4 44. Rd4 Rb1+ 45.
Kg2 Kg6 46. Rd6+ f6 47. Rd4 Ra1 48. Kf3 Rh1 49. Rh4 Ra1 50. Rh3 Ra4 51. Rg3+
Kf7 52. Kg2 Rb4 53. Kh3 Ra4 54. f4 $5 Ra1 55. Kh4 Ra8 56. Rg2 Re8 57. Re2 Rh8+
58. Kg3 Rg8+ 59. Kf3 Rh8 60. Rg2 Rh3+ 61. Ke2 Rh8 {
Shirov cannot make any progress.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 1"]
[Date "2014.10.16"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2768"]
[BlackElo "2691"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. Bd2 Rfe8 {
Shirov complains about this move later.} 13. Rac1 a6 14. e4 $1 {
Giri prepares an attack in the centre.} ({Usual is} 14. b4 e5 15. h3) 14... e5
15. Nd5 $1 Qd8 (15... Nxd5 16. exd5 exd4 17. dxc6 Rxe2 18. cxb7 Qxb7 19. Nxd4
Ree8 {looks risky for Black (Boel).}) 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. Bc3 Rad8 18. g3 c5 19.
d5 c4 20. Ba5 Rc8 21. Nh4 {White has an edge.} g6 22. Bg4 Qe7 23. Qd2 Rb8 24.
Bxd7 Qxd7 25. b3 cxb3 26. axb3 Rbc8 27. Bb4 Rxc1 28. Rxc1 Rc8 29. Rxc8+ Bxc8
30. Bxd6 Qxd6 31. Qc3 {Anish seems to have an advantage.} Bh3 $3 {
A brilliant escape follows.} 32. b4 a5 $1 {Black counters.} 33. bxa5 b4 34. Qc6
Qd8 $1 (34... Qb8 $2 35. a6 b3 36. Qb7 Qc8 37. Qxc8+ Bxc8 38. a7 b2 39. a8=Q
b1=Q+ 40. Kg2 Qxe4+ 41. Nf3 {favours White.}) 35. a6 Qa5 $1 36. Qe8+ Kg7 37.
Qxe5+ Kg8 38. Qe8+ Kg7 39. Qe5+ Kg8 40. Qe8+ Kg7 {
Giri has to deliver perpetual check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 1"]
[Date "2014.10.17"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Giri, Anish"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E54"]
[WhiteElo "2691"]
[BlackElo "2768"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 c5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4
cxd4 9. exd4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Ne5 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nbd7 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bxf6
gxf6 15. d5 $5 ({The usual} 15. Qg4+ Kh8 16. Qh4 {also plays for a draw.})
15... Bxd5 16. Qg4+ Kh8 17. Qh4 Bxc4 18. Qxf6+ Kg8 19. Qg5+ Kh8 {
A draw is okay for Giri, because he has won the match.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 1"]
[Date "2014.10.18"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Giri, Anish"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2768"]
[BlackElo "2691"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 O-O 13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 a5
15. Bc4 Rb8 16. b3 Kh8 17. Nce3 g6 18. h4 Bxh4 19. g3 Bg5 20. f4 exf4 21. gxf4
Bh4+ 22. Kf1 f5 23. Ra2 fxe4 24. Rah2 g5 {
White has sacrificed two pawns in the Sveshnikov.} 25. Qh5 $1 (25. Ng2 Rb7 26.
Nxh4 gxh4 27. Rxh4 {brings no advantage.}) 25... Rb7 $1 ({Known is} 25... Ne5
$6 26. Ke2 Nxc4 27. fxg5 Rxb3 28. Rxh4 {and White has an advantage.}) 26. Ke2
Be6 27. Qh6 Bg8 $2 ({Better is} 27... Bxd5 28. Nxd5 Rff7 $1 29. Qe6 {
and White has a plus (Boel).}) 28. Rg2 Rbf7 $2 (28... Ne5 29. fxe5 dxe5 30. Rf1
Rxf1 31. Kxf1 Rg7 {tries to survive.}) 29. Rxh4 $1 gxh4 30. Nf5 $5 h3 31. Nh4
Qxh4 32. Rxg8+ $1 Rxg8 33. Qxh4 {White has won material.} Rg2+ 34. Kf1 Rh2 35.
Ne3 Rg7 36. Qf6 Rh1+ 37. Kf2 Rh2+ 38. Ke1 $1 Rh1+ 39. Kd2 Rh2+ 40. Kc1 Ne7 41.
Nf5 Rhg2 42. Nxg7 Rxg7 43. Qf8+ Ng8 44. Bxg8 Rxg8 45. Qf6+ Rg7 46. Qh4 {
Giri had defeated Shirov by 41/2-11/2. The young star showed himself superior
to the old hand.} 1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 2"]
[Date "2014.10.12"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2601"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

{The second match happened between Jan Timman and Jobava.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d5 6. g3 Nbd7 7. Bg2 c6 8. O-O dxc4 9. a4 $5
Rb8 10. Rc1 b6 11. Rxc4 c5 12. b4 {White has the initiative.} Ba6 13. Rc2 cxb4
14. Qxb4 Qe7 15. Qa3 Bb7 16. Nbd2 Qxa3 17. Rxa3 Ke7 18. Ne5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rhc8
20. Nc6+ Ke8 21. e4 Ra8 22. e5 Nd5 23. Ne4 Rc7 24. Nd6+ Kf8 25. Nb5 Rcc8 26.
Nd6 Rc7 27. Nb5 {The first game ended as a quiet draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 2"]
[Date "2014.10.13"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Nc3 c5 7. e4 cxd4 8. Nxd4
Nc6 9. Nxc6 Bxc6 10. Bf4 Nh5 11. Bd2 Qc7 12. g3 $5 ({
Jobava played the spectacular} 12. Nd5 $1 {in a previous game.}) 12... Bc5 13.
Bg2 O-O 14. O-O Rac8 15. Rac1 Nf6 16. b4 $1 {White takes the initiative.} Be7
17. Qd3 Qb8 18. h3 Rfd8 19. Rfe1 Bb7 20. e5 Ne8 21. Ne4 d6 22. exd6 Bxd6 23.
Qe2 Be5 $5 24. c5 $1 bxc5 25. bxc5 Bc6 26. Ba5 Rd7 27. Ng5 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 Bf6
29. c6 $5 {Jobava keeps the game going, despite his time pressure.} Rd5 $2 ({
Right is} 29... Rd6 $1 30. Ne4 Rdxc6 31. Rxc6 Rxc6 32. Rd1 {
and White has sufficient compensation for the pawn.}) 30. Nxf7 $1 Rxa5 ({
The pointe is} 30... Kxf7 $2 31. Qxe6+ Kg6 32. Qxd5) 31. Qxe6 Kf8 32. Rcd1 $2 (
32. Qd7 $1 Qa8 33. Re6 $1 Rxa3 34. Nh8 {wins for White.}) 32... Qc7 $2 (32...
Qa8 $1 {saves the day (Boel).}) 33. Nd8 Rxd8 34. Rd7 {Timman lost by blunders.}
1-0

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 2"]
[Date "2014.10.14"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E70"]
[WhiteElo "2601"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Nf3 d6 7. d5 Nb4 8. Be2
a5 9. O-O Bg4 {
The King's Indian Defence is better for White, due to the knight on b4.} 10.
Ng5 $5 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 c6 12. Be3 Qd7 $5 13. h3 cxd5 14. exd5 $1 a4 15. Rac1 Rfc8
16. Rfd1 Na6 $5 {The reorganisation costs two tempi.} 17. Re1 $1 Nc5 18. Rcd1
b6 $5 {Black sacrifices a pawn.} 19. Bxc5 bxc5 20. Qxe7 {
White has gained a pawn.} h6 $6 ({More active is} 20... Qxe7 21. Rxe7 Ne8 22.
Re3 Bd4) 21. Qxd7 Nxd7 22. Nge4 $1 a3 23. bxa3 $6 (23. b3 $1 f5 24. Nxd6 Bxc3
25. Nxc8 Rxc8 26. Re7 {gains an advantage (Boel).}) 23... Bxc3 24. Nxc3 Ne5 25.
Nb5 Nxc4 26. Re4 $1 Rcb8 27. a4 $1 Nb2 $1 28. Rd2 Rxa4 29. Rxa4 Nxa4 30. Nxd6
Rb1+ 31. Kh2 Rb4 32. Nc8 $6 (32. a3 $1 Rd4 33. Rxd4 cxd4 34. Nc4 f6 35. Kg3 {
plays for a win.}) 32... Kf8 33. d6 Ke8 34. d7+ Kd8 35. Nd6 $1 Kxd7 36. Nxf7+
Rd4 $2 ({Better is} 36... Ke6 $1 37. Nxh6 c4) 37. Rc2 $2 (37. Rxd4+ $1 cxd4 38.
Kg3 Kc6 39. Kf3 Kd5 40. Nxh6 Kc4 41. Ng4 {(Romanishin)} Nb2 $5 42. Ne5+ Kc3 43.
h4 d3 44. Nxd3 Nxd3 45. Kg4 $1 Nxf2+ 46. Kg5 {wins theoretically.}) 37... Kc6
$2 (37... h5 $1 38. Ne5+ Ke6 39. Nxg6 Kf6 40. Nf8 Kf7 41. Nh7 Kg6 {
draws by repetition.}) 38. Nxh6 c4 39. Ng4 c3 40. Ne3 Kc5 41. g4 Kb4 42. h4 Nb6
43. Rc1 Rd2 44. Kg3 Nc4 45. Nc2+ Kc5 46. Ne1 Kb4 47. Nc2+ Kc5 48. Ne1 Kb4 49.
h5 $1 gxh5 50. gxh5 $2 {Jan misses an intermediary move.} (50. Nc2+ $1 Kc5 $1 (
50... Rxc2 $5 51. Rxc2 hxg4 52. Kxg4 Na3 53. Rc1 c2 54. Kg5 $1 {wins for White.
}) 51. gxh5 Nd6 52. Kf3 Nf7 53. Na3 $1 Rxa2 54. Rxc3+ Kb4 55. Re3 Rxa3 56. Rxa3
Kxa3 57. Kf4 {leads to a theoretical win of two pawns versus a knight.}) 50...
Nd6 51. Nc2+ Kc4 52. Ne3+ Kd3 53. f3 Kxe3 54. Rxc3+ Kd4 55. Ra3 {
Timman let his opponent escape several times.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 2"]
[Date "2014.10.16"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 d5 7. Be2 d3 ({
Theory is} 7... Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb6 {(Charousek - Schlechter, On the Rhine 1898).})
8. exf6 dxe2 9. Qxe2+ Kf8 $1 ({Known is} 9... Be6 10. fxg7 Rg8 11. Bg5) 10. b4
$5 {Jobava wants to fight in the spectacular opening.} Bd6 $1 {
Black protects square e5.} 11. b5 Na5 12. Bg5 Qe8 $5 13. Qxe8+ Kxe8 14. fxg7
Rg8 15. Bf6 Be7 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Nbd2 a6 18. a4 Rxg7 19. O-O Bh3 $1 20. Rfe1+
Kd6 21. g3 f6 22. Nd4 Re7 23. Red1 $5 {More solid is the exchange of rooks.} c5
$1 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Rab1 Kc7 26. Nc2 $5 Bf5 $1 27. Rb2 Bd3 $5 28. Nb4 Be2 29.
Re1 Rae8 30. Kg2 Kd6 31. Nc2 Bd3 32. Ne3 Nb7 33. Rb4 $1 Nc5 34. Rf4 Kc7 35.
Rxf6 Nxa4 36. Nb3 Be4+ 37. Kg1 $6 ({Preferable is} 37. Kf1 $5 Re6 38. Rf7+ R8e7
39. Rxe7+ Rxe7 40. Rc1) 37... Nxc3 38. Nd4 Nb5 39. Nxc6 Re6 40. Rxe6 Rxe6 41.
Nb4 d4 $6 (41... Kb7 $1 {gains an advantage (Boel).}) 42. Nc4 Nc3 43. f3 a5 $1
44. Nxa5 Rb6 45. fxe4 Rxb4 46. e5 $1 d3 47. Rc1 d2 48. Rxc3+ Kb6 49. Rd3 Rb1+
50. Kg2 d1=Q 51. Rxd1 Rxd1 52. Nc4+ Kc5 53. Ne3 Rd2+ 54. Kh3 Re2 {
They fought for the draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 2"]
[Date "2014.10.17"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2601"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 c5 3. e4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Qe2 Ne7 10. Be3 $1 ({Usual is} 10. Bd2) 10... Qc8 $6 ({
A better move is} 10... b4) 11. a3 $1 d5 $5 12. f3 $6 {
Development of a piece should be more useful.} dxe4 13. fxe4 Ng6 14. Rad1 Be7
15. Qh5 Qc7 16. Bd4 O-O 17. Rf3 h6 $1 {Black achieves an edge.} 18. Rxf7 $6 {
Timman creates chances by a sacrifice.} Rxf7 19. Qxg6 Rd8 20. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 $1 ({
The pointe is} 20... exd5 $2 21. e5 $1 Kf8 22. Qh7 Bxa3 23. e6 Qf4 24. Bb6 {
(Boel).}) 21. exd5 {White threatens mate in two.} Bc5 $1 22. c3 Rxd5 23. Qxe6
Bxd4+ 24. cxd4 Qd6 25. Bf5 $5 g6 $1 {He has to avoid the exchange of queens.}
26. Qxg6+ Qxg6 27. Bxg6 Rfd7 {
Black has kept the material advantage of an exchange.} 28. Kf2 Kg7 29. Be4 Rxd4
30. Rxd4 Rxd4 31. Ke3 Rd1 32. Ke2 Rh1 33. h3 Kf6 34. Kd3 Ke5 35. Bb7 a5 36. Bc6
b4 37. Kc2 Kd4 38. Kb3 Kc5 39. Bf3 Re1 40. Ka4 Re7 41. Bd1 Rd7 42. Bg4 Rd3 43.
Bf5 Re3 44. Bc8 h5 45. Bf5 Re2 46. Kxa5 b3 $1 47. g4 hxg4 48. hxg4 Rxb2 49. Ka4
Kc4 50. g5 Re2 {Jobava had won the match.} 0-1

[Event "Hoogeveen"]
[Site "Unive 18 match 2"]
[Date "2014.10.18"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Jobava, Baadur"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2601"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2014.10.12"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1998.01.31"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. d3 h6 7. a3 a6 8. b4 Ba7
9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. fxe3 Be6 12. Nh4 $5 (12. Qd2 {
drew in Mamedyarov - Delchev, Calvia 2004.}) 12... Ng4 13. Qc1 Qg5 14. Bxc6
bxc6 15. e4 Qh5 $5 {The exchange of queens is preferable.} 16. h3 Nf6 17. Kg2
d5 $2 {Timman makes a premature advance.} (17... Rad8 {supports the centre.})
18. cxd5 cxd5 19. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 20. exd5 Bd7 21. Qe3 {
White attacks at a small cost.} Qg5 $2 ({Better is} 21... f5 $1 22. Qxe5 Rfe8
$1 23. Qf4 Rxe2+ $1 24. Nxe2 Qxe2+ 25. Kh1 Qxd3 26. Qf3 Qe4 {
and White has little advantage.}) 22. Qc5 $1 f5 23. Qxc7 Rad8 24. Nf3 Qh5 25.
Nxe5 Bb5 26. Nc4 Rfe8 27. Rf1 Rd7 28. Qf4 Rxe2+ $5 29. Nxe2 Qxe2+ 30. Rf2 Qxd3
31. Ne3 Re7 32. Nxf5 Qxd5+ 33. Kh2 Rd7 $2 34. Qg4+ {White delivers mate.
Jobava had defeated Timman by 41/2-11/2. The old hands made no chance against
the young stars.} 1-0

