[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.05.28"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Pirc, Vasja"]
[Black "Matanovic, Aleksandar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C00"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The Staunton Centenary started on 26 v 1951, exactly 100 years after London
1851. Sixteen players from Western Europe and Yugoslavia participated. The
event happened in three English cities. Six rounds occurred in Cheltenham.} 1.
e4 e6 2. d3 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. g3 Nf6 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Ne2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nf4 $5 (
{Known is} 8. h3) 8... Rb8 9. Re1 Re8 10. e5 Nd7 11. Nf3 Qc7 12. Qe2 {
The advanced pawn e5 gets a sufficient protection.} b5 $1 13. c3 Nf8 14. d4 b4
$1 {The attack on the queenside starts.} 15. Be3 $5 bxc3 16. bxc3 Qa5 $1 17.
Bf1 $6 c4 $6 ({Pirc rejected} 17... Qxc3 18. Rac1 Qa3 19. dxc5 {but} Nd7 $1 {
favours Black.}) 18. Qc2 Bd7 19. Reb1 a6 20. Ne2 $5 Na7 21. Bg5 Ba3 22. Qd2 Rb5
23. Rxb5 Qxb5 $6 ({Preferable is} 23... axb5 $5 24. Rb1 Nc6 25. Qc2 b4 $1) 24.
h4 Rb8 25. Bf6 $2 {White should defend passively.} Qb2 $1 (25... gxf6 26. exf6
Ng6 27. h5 Qb2 28. hxg6 Qxd2 29. gxf7+ Kxf7 30. Nxd2 {brings less advantage.})
26. Qg5 Ng6 27. Re1 h6 28. Qg4 Bf8 $1 29. h5 Ne7 $1 {
Black is going to gain material.} 30. Qf4 (30. Bxe7 Bxe7 31. Qf4 Qxa2 {
costs a pawn.}) 30... gxf6 31. exf6 Nec6 32. g4 Qc2 33. Qg3 Nb5 34. g5 Bd6 35.
Qg2 Kh8 $1 36. Ng3 Rg8 37. g6 fxg6 38. f7 Rg7 39. Nh4 gxh5 40. Qf3 Bf8 41. Kh1
Qxc3 42. Qf4 Rg4 43. Nxh5 $5 Qxd4 ({Not} 43... Rxf4 $4 44. Ng6+ Kh7 45. Nxf8+
Kh8 46. Ng6+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 44. Bh3 Rxh4 45. Qg3 Ne7 46. Rg1
Rxh3+ 47. Qxh3 Nd6 48. Rg4 Qxf2 49. Rf4 Qe1+ 50. Kh2 Qe5 51. Kg1 Nef5 {
Matanovic countered successfully.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.05.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Alexander, Conel"]
[Black "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B63"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O O-O 9. Nb3 a5 $1 10. a4 Qb6 11. Qe3 Qb4 $6 {
Exchange prevents the next charge.} 12. f3 h6 13. h4 $1 d5 $1 ({The pointe is} 
13... hxg5 $2 14. hxg5 Nh7 15. f4 $1 {and White wins (Pirc).}) 14. exd5 Nxd5
15. Rxd5 $1 hxg5 16. Rxg5 Bxg5 17. hxg5 {
Alexander has sacrificed the exchange for an attack.} Rd8 18. Ne4 $6 (18. Bd3
$1 e5 19. Bh7+ Kf8 20. Be4 {gains an advantage.}) 18... e5 19. Bd3 Bf5 $2 (
19... Ne7 $1 20. Nf6+ gxf6 21. gxf6 Qf4 $1 22. Qxf4 exf4 23. fxe7 Re8 {
defends properly.}) 20. Nf6+ $1 {White refutes the counter.} gxf6 21. gxf6 Qf4
22. Qxf4 exf4 23. Bxf5 {White wins elegantly.} Rd6 24. Bh7+ Kf8 25. Be4 $5 Kg8
26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Nc5 $1 Re8 28. Nd7+ $1 Rxd7 29. Bf5 Re1+ $5 30. Rxe1 Rd6 31.
Re4 Nd4 $5 32. Bc8 b6 33. Ba6 Ne6 34. Bc4 Nc5 35. Rxf4 Nd7 36. g4 Rxf6 37. Rxf6
Nxf6 38. Kd2 Nd7 39. Ke3 Ne5 40. Be2 Ke7 41. Ke4 {Alexander has two extra
pawns in the endgame. He started with three wins. A best game prize of 10
pounds was awarded for this game.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.05.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Pirc, Vasja"]
[Black "Unzicker, Wolfgang"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E56"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 O-O 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O d5 8. Re1
$5 a6 9. Ne5 $6 ({Preferable is} 9. a3) 9... Nxe5 $1 10. dxe5 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nd7
$1 12. f4 b5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Qc2 f5 15. b3 Nb6 16. a3 Bxc3 17. Qxc3 Rc8 {
Black has a plus on the queenside.} 18. Bf1 $5 Rf7 19. Qa5 Rd7 20. Bb2 Nd5 $6 (
20... c4 $1 21. bxc4 Nxc4 22. Qxd8+ Rdxd8 {(Pirc)} 23. Bd4 Be4 {favours Black.}
) 21. Qxd8+ Rcxd8 22. Rac1 Rc8 23. Kf2 Nb6 24. Bc3 Bd5 $5 25. Ba5 Rb7 26. Rc3
Nd7 $6 ({The alternative is} 26... c4 $5 27. Rec1 Kf7 28. Bxb6 Rxb6) 27. Rec1
Ra8 28. h3 Kf7 29. g4 {White becomes active on the queenside at last.} g6 30.
Be2 Rg8 31. Rg1 Be4 32. Rcc1 Bd5 33. Rg3 $5 Bxb3 $2 ({Correct is} 33... fxg4 $1
34. hxg4 Bxb3) 34. e4 $1 Ba2 35. gxf5 exf5 36. exf5 gxf5 37. Rxg8 Kxg8 38. Bf3
Rb8 $6 39. Bc6 $2 (39. Rg1+ $1 Kf7 40. Bh5+ Kf8 41. Bc7 {wins for White.})
39... Be6 40. Bxd7 Bxd7 41. Rxc5 {The extra pawn has little importance.} Kf7 $5
42. Rd5 Be6 43. Rd6 Rb7 $2 (43... Ra8 {protects a pawn.}) 44. Rxa6 {Thank you.}
Rd7 45. Bb4 Rd3 46. Ra7+ Kg6 47. Bf8 $1 Rd7 48. Ra6 $1 Kf7 49. Bd6 Bc4 50. Rc6
Ke6 51. Ke3 Bd5 52. Ra6 Kf7 53. Kd4 Bc4 $5 54. h4 Bf1 55. Ra8 Kg7 56. Kc5 Bc4
57. a4 $1 {Pirc came back after a poor start.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.02"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Tartakower, Saviely"]
[Black "Trifunovic, Petar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A45"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e3 {Tartakower utilises an odd idea by Nimzowitsch.} Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Nd2 Bg7
4. f4 $5 c5 5. c3 d6 6. Bb5+ Nbd7 7. dxc5 dxc5 8. e4 a6 9. Bxd7+ $2 ({
Preferable is} 9. Be2 $1 b5 10. a4) 9... Qxd7 $1 10. Ngf3 O-O 11. Qe2 b6 12.
O-O Bb7 13. Ne5 Qe6 14. Re1 Rad8 15. a4 Bh6 16. Qf2 Ng4 $2 (16... Qc8 $1 {
keeps an advantage.}) 17. Nxg4 Qxg4 18. Nc4 $5 Rd1 19. Bd2 $6 ({Correct is} 19.
h3 Rxe1+ 20. Qxe1) 19... Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Bxe4 21. Nxb6 Rd8 22. Nc4 Qe6 23. b3 Qd5
24. Be3 Bg7 25. Rc1 Qd1+ $1 26. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 27. Qf1 Rxf1+ 28. Kxf1 {
Black has the two bishops in the endgame.} Bxc3 29. Bxc5 Bc2 30. Bxe7 Bxb3 31.
Nb6 Bd4 32. Bd8 Kf8 $5 {Gaining a pawn does not win the game.} 33. Ke2 Ke8 34.
Bc7 Ke7 35. Kd3 Bg1 36. h3 Ke6 37. a5 $2 (37. Kc3 $1 Bxb6 38. Bxb6 Bxa4 39. g4
{draws.}) 37... Bd5 38. Nxd5 Kxd5 {Black has advantages in the bishop ending.}
39. g4 f5 40. gxf5 gxf5 41. Bb8 {White has two weak pawns.} Bf2 42. Bc7 Bg3 43.
Bb8 Be1 44. Bc7 Bb4 $1 {Black has a subtle plan.} 45. Bb6 Bd6 46. Be3 Bc7 47.
Bd2 h6 $1 {Zugzwang has been achieved.} 48. Ke3 Kc4 $1 49. Be1 Bd8 50. Bd2 Be7
51. Be1 Bc5+ $1 52. Kf3 Bb4 $1 {Pawn a5 is lost.} 53. Bh4 Bxa5 54. Bg5 $5 h5 $5
55. Bf6 Bb4 56. Kg3 Be1+ 57. Kf3 a5 58. Ke2 Bc3 {
Trifunovic has won the ending elegantly.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.04"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Van Scheltinga, Theo"]
[Black "Donner, Jan Hein"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D56"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Nf3 Ne4 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. Rc1 Nxc3 10. Rxc3 c6 11. Bd3 Nd7 12. cxd5 exd5 13. O-O Nf6 $5 14. Qb1
Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Nd2 Re8 17. Rc5 f6 18. b4 $1 {
White starts a minority attack.} Bd7 19. Rfc1 a6 20. a4 Rad8 21. Nc4 $1 Bg4 22.
h3 Be2 23. Qa2 Bxc4 24. Qxc4+ Qf7 25. b5 $1 cxb5 26. axb5 Qxc4 27. R5xc4 $5 Re7
$2 (27... Kf7 $1 28. bxa6 bxa6 29. g4 Rd5 30. Rc7+ Re7 {
saves time in the defence.}) 28. bxa6 bxa6 29. Ra4 Rd6 30. Rc8+ Kf7 31. Ra8
Ree6 32. Ra7+ Kg6 33. g4 $1 {Several black pawns are becoming weak.} Rb6 34.
Ra5 Rec6 35. h4 h5 $5 36. gxh5+ $6 {Capture by the rook wins more easily.} Kh6
37. Kg2 Rb5 38. Rxb5 $5 axb5 39. Rb7 Kxh5 40. Kg3 f5 41. Rxb5 {
White has gained a pawn in the rook ending.} g6 42. d5 $1 Rc2 43. Rb4 g5 44.
hxg5 Rd2 45. Kf4 $1 (45. Rd4 $2 Rxd4 46. exd4 Kxg5 {
leads to a drawn pawn ending (Pirc).}) 45... Rxf2+ ({Or} 45... Rxd5 46. Rb6)
46. Ke5 Kxg5 {Van Schetinga won the Dutch battle.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.05"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Klein, Ernst"]
[Black "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E68"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 e5 7. Nge2 exd4 8. Nxd4
Nbd7 9. O-O Re8 10. f3 c6 $5 {This move was a new idea in those days. The
weakening of pawn d6 poses no problem.} 11. Nc2 $6 ({Preferable is} 11. Bf4 $1
d5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Ncb5 $1) 11... Nb6 12. Ne3 Be6 13. Qd3 Qc7 14. f4 Rad8 15.
Bd2 $6 (15. f5 $1 Bc8 {(Pirc)} 16. g4 {defends actively.}) 15... d5 $1 16. cxd5
cxd5 17. Nb5 dxe4 $1 18. Nxc7 Rxd3 19. Nxe8 Nxe8 {
Black has a positional advantage.} 20. Bc1 Bd4 21. Re1 $2 (21. Bxe4 Bxe3+ 22.
Bxe3 Rxe3 23. Bxb7 {almost equalises.}) 21... Nc4 $1 22. Bxe4 Rxe3 23. Bxe3
Nxe3 24. Kh1 Nd6 25. Bg2 Nxg2 26. Kxg2 Bd5+ 27. Kf1 Bxb2 28. Rad1 Bc4+ 29. Kg2
Nf5 30. g4 Nd4 31. Kg3 b5 32. Re8+ Kg7 33. Ra8 Ne2+ 34. Kf3 Nc3 35. Rdd8 Be2+
$1 36. Kg3 Ne4+ 37. Kh3 $6 (37. Kg2 Bxg4 38. Rxa7 {prolongs the game.}) 37...
Bf1+ 38. Kh4 Bf6+ 39. g5 Bxd8 40. Rxd8 a5 41. Ra8 a4 42. a3 Bc4 43. Re8 Nd6 44.
Re1 Nf5+ 45. Kg4 Nd4 46. Rc1 Be6+ 47. Kh4 Bb3 {
Gligoric scored well after a poor start.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.08"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Trifunovic, Petar"]
[Black "Pirc, Vasja"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B91"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "163"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Round 7 and 8 were played in Lemington Spa.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 Nbd7 7. Bg2 e6 8. b3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bb2 Qc7 11.
Nb1 $5 (11. Kh1 Rd8 12. Qe2 {happened in Penrose - Bogoljubow, Southsea 1950.})
11... Nc5 12. Re1 Re8 13. c4 e5 14. Nc2 b5 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Nc3 Bg4 17. Qd2 {
The chances are about even.} Reb8 18. Nb4 Bf8 $5 19. Ncd5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5 Qd8 $6
{Black makes passive moves.} ({Preferable is} 20... Qb7 $1 21. f4 f6) 21. Bc3
Be6 22. Bb4 Bxd5 23. exd5 Qb6 24. Rac1 Rc8 25. Rc2 Ra7 26. Qe3 Qb8 27. Rec1 Re8
28. Bd2 Ra3 29. Bb4 Ra7 30. Be1 Ra3 31. Bb4 Ra7 32. Bf1 $1 {
White makes an effort to win.} f5 $6 {The f-pawn becomes vulnerable.} 33. Bxc5
dxc5 34. Qd3 $1 {White gains a pawn.} b4 $2 (34... e4 $1 35. Qxb5 Rb7 36. Qc4
Bd6 {offers more resistance.}) 35. Qxf5 Rf7 36. Qe4 Bd6 37. Bd3 g6 38. Kg2 Ref8
39. Rf1 Rf6 40. Be2 Qb7 41. Bg4 $1 Kh8 42. f3 $1 Qg7 43. Be6 Qe7 44. Rff2 Kg7
45. Qe1 Ra8 46. Rce2 Qc7 47. Qc1 Rff8 48. Qa1 Rf6 49. Re4 Raf8 50. Qc1 Kh8 51.
Qg5 Qg7 52. h4 h6 53. Qe3 Kh7 54. Rg4 Qb7 55. Qd3 Kg7 56. h5 g5 57. Re4 Kh8 58.
Qe3 Qg7 59. Bg4 Qe7 60. Rc2 Rb8 61. Kh3 Ra8 62. Qe1 Re8 63. Kg2 Qf7 64. Qd1 Ra8
65. Qd3 Kg7 66. Rce2 Kh8 67. Kh3 Rf8 68. Rxe5 $5 {
White opens a stubborn defence by force.} Bxe5 69. Rxe5 Re8 $2 70. Qe4 $6 ({
He misses the opportunity} 70. Rxe8+ Qxe8 71. d6 $1) 70... Rxe5 71. Qxe5 Qf8
72. Be6 Kg7 73. f4 $6 {The advance should be prepared.} gxf4 74. gxf4 Kh7 75.
Kg4 $2 (75. Kg3 $1 Qg7+ 76. Bg4 Qf8 77. Kf3 Qd6 78. Ke4 {
utilises the king as an attacker.}) 75... Qg7+ $1 76. Kf3 Rf8 77. Bf5+ $5 Kg8
$1 78. Qe6+ Kh8 79. d6 Qc3+ 80. Kg4 Rg8+ $4 (80... Qg7+ $1 81. Bg6 Qd4 82. Qe5+
Kg8 $1 83. Qxd4 cxd4 84. d7 Ra8 {defends properly.}) 81. Bg6 $1 Qb2 82. Qe5+ $1
{Trifunovic decides the game, finally.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Golombek, Harry"]
[Black "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A40"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. Nc3 e5 7. d3 Re8 8. Qc2
$5 ({Theory is} 8. Rb1) 8... c6 9. Bd2 a5 10. Rac1 Nbd7 11. Rfd1 Nc5 12. Ng5
Qe7 13. h3 Nfd7 14. Nce4 Na6 $5 15. a3 f5 16. Nc3 h6 17. Nf3 Nac5 18. b4 axb4
19. axb4 Ne6 20. e3 g5 21. b5 Nf6 22. bxc6 bxc6 23. Ne1 Bd7 24. Rb1 Nc5 25. d4
$6 ({Better is} 25. Rb6 Reb8 26. Rdb1 Rxb6 27. Rxb6) 25... exd4 26. exd4 Nce4
$1 {Black occupies the centre.} 27. Rb7 Rab8 28. Ra7 $2 Qd8 $2 (28... Nxf2 $1
29. Kxf2 Ng4+ $1 30. hxg4 Bxd4+ 31. Kf1 Bxa7 {wins for Black.}) 29. Nxe4 Nxe4
30. Ba5 Qe7 31. Nf3 Ra8 32. Rxa8 Rxa8 33. Be1 Re8 34. Ba5 Qf7 35. Bf1 $5 Kh8 $5
36. Qd3 $5 f4 $5 37. g4 h5 $1 38. Nh2 d5 $1 39. c5 $6 hxg4 40. hxg4 Qf6 {
Probably, this was the end of time pressure.} 41. Bg2 Qh6 42. f3 $2 Ng3 $1 43.
Re1 Qg6 $1 44. Rxe8+ ({The pointe is} 44. Qxg6 $2 Bxd4+ 45. Re3 Bxe3# {(Pirc).}
) 44... Bxe8 $1 45. Qd2 Qb1+ 46. Bf1 Bg6 47. Bc3 Nxf1 48. Nxf1 Bd3 49. Qf2 Kg8
$1 {The game ends by zugzwang. Gligoric and Trifunovic joined the lead after
eight rounds.} (49... Kg8 50. Qg2 (50. Kg2 Bxf1+ 51. Qxf1 Qc2+) 50... Qd1 51.
Bb2 Be2) 0-1

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Rossolimo, Nicolas"]
[Black "Broadbent, Reginald"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D41"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d4 O-O 6. c4 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Nc3
Nc6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Bg5 f6 12. Bf4 Be6 13. Rc1 Qe7 14. a3 $5 (
14. Ne1 Rad8 15. Nd3 {was played in Maderna - Guimard, Argentina 1938.}) 14...
Rfd8 15. b4 Bb6 16. b5 Na5 17. Bd2 Nc4 18. Bb4 Qd7 19. Rb1 d4 20. Ne1 Rac8 21.
Nd3 Re8 22. Nf4 Bf7 23. a4 Ne5 24. Qd2 Bc5 25. Rfd1 Red8 26. Bh3 f5 27. Nd3
Nxd3 28. Qxd3 Be6 29. Bxc5 Rxc5 30. Rb4 g5 $6 ({The alternative is} 30... Rd5
31. Bg2 Rd6 {(Pirc).}) 31. Rxd4 Qxd4 32. Qxd4 Rxd4 33. Rxd4 b6 34. f4 $1 g4 35.
Bg2 Kf7 36. Kf2 Rc4 37. Ke3 Rxd4 $2 ({Better is} 37... Kf6) 38. Kxd4 Bb3 $2 {
The exchanges favour White.} (38... Kf6 $1 39. Bd5 Bc8 40. e4 fxe4 41. Bxe4 h6
{will be hard to win for White.}) 39. Bd5+ $1 {
White wins the resulting pawn ending easily.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Unzicker, Wolfgang"]
[Black "Van Scheltinga, Theo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B05"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 Bg4 5. Be2 Nc6 6. c4 Nb6 7. exd6 cxd6 8. d5
$5 ({Known is} 8. O-O) 8... Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Ne5 10. Be2 g6 ({The pointe is} 10...
Nexc4 $2 11. Bxc4 Nxc4 12. Qa4+ Qd7 13. Qxc4 Rc8 14. Qf4 {
and White wins (Pirc).}) 11. Be3 Bg7 12. Nd2 O-O 13. O-O e6 14. dxe6 fxe6 15.
Qb3 Ned7 $5 16. Rad1 $5 Nc5 17. Qc2 Nca4 $2 ({Correct is} 17... Qe7) 18. Ne4 $1
Nxb2 $2 (18... d5 19. b3 Nb2 20. Rd2 Qe7 {offers more resistance.}) 19. Rxd6
Qc7 20. Bg4 N6xc4 21. Bxe6+ Kh8 22. Rd7 Qc6 23. Rxg7 $1 Qxe6 (23... Kxg7 24.
Qc3+ {leads to mate.}) 24. Rxh7+ $1 Kg8 25. Bd4 $1 {
Unzicker has a winning attack.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.12"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Stahlberg, Gideon"]
[Black "Wade, Robert"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E95"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The remaining rounds occurred in Birmingham.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 e5 4.
Nf3 Nbd7 5. e4 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 Re8 9. Bf1 c6 10. d5 c5 11. a3
h6 $5 (11... Rf8 {was played in Christoffel - Boleslavsky, Groningen 1946.})
12. h3 Nf8 13. g3 g5 14. h4 N6h7 $6 ({Better is} 14... g4 $1 15. Nh2 h5 {
(Pirc).}) 15. hxg5 hxg5 16. Nh2 Qf6 17. Be2 Qh6 18. Bg4 $1 Nd7 19. Nf3 Nb6 20.
Bxc8 Rexc8 $6 21. Qb3 $6 (21. Nh4 $1 {can be played at once.}) 21... Bf6 $2 ({
Correct is} 21... Qh5) 22. Nh4 $1 {The knight decides the game.} Qf8 23. Nf5 $1
Be7 24. Kg2 Rc7 25. Nb5 Rd7 26. Rh1 $1 Nc8 27. Qd1 Bd8 28. Rxh7 $1 {
White wants to deliver mate.} Kxh7 29. Qh5+ Kg8 30. Bxg5 f6 31. Bh6 Qf7 32.
Qg4+ ({Stakhlberg has planned} 32. Qg4+ Kh8 33. Rh1 $1) 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.14"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Tartakower, Saviely"]
[Black "Klein, Ernst"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B33"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 Nc6 $5 ({Theory is} 
6... e6) 7. Nxc6 $1 bxc6 8. e5 $1 Nd7 ({The trick is} 8... dxe5 $4 9. Bxf7+ $1)
9. exd6 exd6 10. O-O Be7 11. Bf4 Nf6 12. Re1 d5 $1 13. Bd3 O-O 14. h3 Be6 15.
Qf3 Re8 16. Ne2 $5 c5 17. Ng3 g6 18. b3 Bf8 19. Rad1 Bg7 20. Be5 Nd7 21. Bxg7
Kxg7 22. c4 Qa5 23. Re2 ({Not} 23. cxd5 $2 Bg4 $1) 23... Nf6 24. Qf4 Rad8 25.
Qd2 $2 {The next exchange favours Black.} Qxd2 26. Rexd2 d4 {
Black has a pleasant endgame.} 27. Re2 Bd7 28. Rde1 Rxe2 29. Rxe2 Re8 30. Kf1
Kf8 31. Ke1 Bc6 32. f3 a5 33. Kd2 Rxe2+ 34. Nxe2 Ke7 35. a3 Kd6 36. b4 $6 {
White should remain passively.} axb4 37. axb4 cxb4 38. Nxd4 Ba4 39. Nb5+ Kc5 $1
40. Nc7 Kd4 41. Nb5+ Bxb5 $1 {He plays for a win.} 42. cxb5 Nd7 $5 43. Bc2 h6
44. Bb3 f6 45. h4 g5 46. hxg5 hxg5 $5 47. Be6 Nb6 {
Black has an advantage in the knight versus bishop ending.} 48. f4 $2 (48. Kc2
Kc5 $1 49. Kd3 Kxb5 50. Kd4 Na4 51. Bc4+ Kc6 52. g3 {
will be hard to win for Black.}) 48... gxf4 49. Ke2 $2 {Tartakower collapses.}
(49. Bb3 Nd5 50. Ke1 f3 51. gxf3 Kc5 52. Kd2 Nc3 53. Kd3 Nxb5 {
costs a pawn in a difficult endgame.}) 49... Nd5 $1 50. Kf3 $2 (50. Bg8 $1 f3+
$1 51. gxf3 Nc3+ 52. Kd2 Nxb5 53. Kc2 {offers more resistance.}) 50... Ke5 51.
b6 $5 Nxb6 52. Bb3 Nd7 53. Ke2 Nc5 54. Bc2 b3 55. Bb1 Kd4 56. Kf3 Nd3 57. Kg4
Ke3 58. Kf5 Ne1 59. Kxf6 Nxg2 60. Ke5 f3 61. Be4 b2 {
Gligoric and Trifunovic kept the lead.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.15"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Black "Stahlberg, Gideon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B82"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 e6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 $5 8.
Qf3 Nc5 9. O-O Nxd3 10. cxd3 Be7 11. Be3 O-O 12. Rac1 e5 $1 {
Black has to counter in the centre.} 13. Nde2 $5 Bg4 14. Qf2 Bxe2 15. Qxe2 Rc8
16. Kh1 h6 $5 17. d4 $1 exf4 18. Rxf4 $5 Nh7 $6 ({More active is} 18... b5 $1
19. a3 Qd7) 19. Rcf1 $1 Bg5 20. Rf5 g6 $6 {He weakens the kingside again.} 21.
R5f3 Qe8 22. Bf2 $1 Bd8 23. Bg3 Qe6 24. d5 Qd7 25. Qe3 h5 $5 ({Preferable is} 
25... Ng5 $1 26. R3f2 f6 27. h4 Nf7) 26. e5 $5 dxe5 27. Bxe5 Bg5 28. Qb6 Be7 $4
(28... f6 $1 29. Bd4 Qc7 {defends properly.}) 29. Rxf7 $1 Bd6 30. Rxf8+ $1 ({
Not} 30. Rxd7 $4 Rxf1+ 31. Qg1 Rxg1+ 32. Kxg1 Bxe5 {and Black wins (Golombek).}
) 30... Rxf8 31. Rxf8+ $1 {Gligoric took the sole lead.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.16"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Stahlberg, Gideon"]
[Black "Broadbent, Reginald"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E29"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 Nc6 8.
Ne2 d6 9. e4 e5 10. d5 Ne7 11. O-O $5 (11. f3 {
was played in Stahlberg - Jacobo Bolbochan, Mar del Plata 1946.}) 11... Nh5 $5
12. Ng3 Nxg3 $5 13. fxg3 $1 Bd7 14. g4 {White takes the initiative.} Nc8 $6 15.
g5 Nb6 $6 16. Bd2 Na4 $6 {He makes useless knight jumps.} 17. Rb1 Rb8 18. Qh5
Qe7 $6 19. Rf3 $1 Nb6 $5 20. Rbf1 Qe8 21. Qh4 $6 (21. g4 $1 f6 22. gxf6 Qxh5
23. gxh5 Rxf6 24. Rxf6 gxf6 25. Rxf6 {wins quickly.}) 21... Qc8 $1 22. Rg3 Na4
$2 {He doesn't know what he is doing.} 23. Rf6 $1 Kh8 24. Rxd6 g6 25. Rf6 b5
26. Rgf3 $1 Kg8 27. Rf1 bxc4 28. Bxc4 Nb2 29. Be2 c4 30. Qf2 Be8 31. Be3 Rb5
32. Bxa7 Na4 33. Qg3 Qc7 34. Bd4 $1 Rb2 35. R6f2 Qe7 36. Bxe5 Qxa3 37. Bd6 Qxc3
38. Bxf8 Qd4 39. Bh6 Rxe2 40. Qd6 Qc5 41. Qf6 {Broadbent will be mated.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.19"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Donner, Jan Hein"]
[Black "Unzicker, Wolfgang"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D30"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nbd2 Be7 $5 ({Theory is} 4... c5) 5. g3 dxc4 6.
Nxc4 c5 7. Bf4 Nd5 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9. Bd2 Nc6 10. Bg2 O-O 11. a3 $5 ({
Preferable is} 11. O-O $1) 11... b5 $1 12. Nce5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 Bd4 14. Nd3 Bb7
15. O-O Qd7 16. e3 Bb6 17. Qe2 Rfd8 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Nb4 $5 a6 $2 (19... Qe8
20. Rac1 Rxc1 21. Rxc1 Qd7 {keeps the initiative.}) 20. Nxd5 Bxd5 21. Bc3 f6
22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Rd3 Qe6 24. Rad1 Rd7 25. Qd2 Rcd8 26. Ba5 $1 Bxa5 27. Qxa5
Kf7 28. Rd4 $1 Ke7 29. Qb4+ Kf7 30. Qd2 {He pressures on the isolated pawn.}
Ke7 31. Qd3 h6 32. Kg2 f5 33. Rc1 g6 34. Rc5 Rd6 35. Qc3 Qe5 36. Rc7+ R6d7 $2 (
{Correct is} 36... R8d7 $1 {(Pirc).}) 37. Qc5+ $1 Kf7 (37... Qd6 38. Rxd7+ Rxd7
39. Rxd5 Qxc5 40. Rxc5 {costs a pawn.}) 38. Rc6 $1 Rd6 39. Qa7+ $1 R8d7 40.
Qxa6 {Donner gains material.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.19"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Black "Broadbent, Reginald"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E42"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Nge2 cxd4 6. exd4 d5 7. a3 Be7 8. c5
Nc6 9. b4 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nd4 O-O 12. Be2 a5 13. Rb1 $5 (13. Bf4 Ng6 14.
Bg3 {was played in Becker - Kunert, Wien 1931.}) 13... axb4 14. axb4 Ne4 $1 15.
Nxe4 dxe4 {Black has equalised.} 16. O-O Bf6 17. Be3 Qd5 $2 {He loses a tempo.}
({Better is} 17... Qe7 18. Nb5 Rd8 19. Nd6 Be6) 18. Nb5 $1 Qxd1 19. Rfxd1 Ra2
20. Nc3 Rc2 21. Rbc1 $5 Rxc1 $6 (21... Rb2 $5 22. Rb1 Rc2 23. Bd4 Bf5 {
defends well.}) 22. Bxc1 Nf3+ $1 23. gxf3 Bxc3 24. b5 $1 exf3 25. Bxf3 Re8 $2 (
25... Bf6 {offers more resistance.}) 26. Be3 $5 (26. c6 $1 bxc6 27. Bxc6 Re1+
28. Rxe1 Bxe1 29. b6 {wins quickly.}) 26... f5 $5 27. c6 $1 bxc6 28. Bxc6 {
Gligoric led half-a-point ahead of Trifunovic.} (28. Bxc6 Rf8 29. Bc5 {
gains material (Pirc).}) 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.20"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Pirc, Vasja"]
[Black "Golombek, Harry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D26"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O O-O 8. a3
cxd4 9. exd4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Be7 11. Re1 a6 12. Bf4 b5 13. Ba2 b4 14. Na4 bxa3
15. bxa3 Bxa3 16. Qc2 Bd7 $5 {Black has an extra pawn.} (16... Nxd4 17. Nxd4
Qxd4 18. Be5 Qb4 19. Bc3 {
drew by perpetual in Ragozin - Chekhover, Moscow 1935.}) 17. Nc5 Bxc5 18. Qxc5
Rc8 19. Bg5 Qe7 20. Bc4 Qxc5 21. dxc5 Nb8 $5 22. Be3 Nd5 23. Bxd5 exd5 24. Red1
Be6 $5 25. Bf4 Nd7 26. Bd6 Rfe8 27. Rdc1 Ra8 28. Nd4 {
White has a fine positional compensation for the pawn.} Rec8 29. Ra5 g6 $2 ({
Correct is} 29... Nb6 $1 30. Rca1 Nc4 31. Rxa6 Rxa6 32. Rxa6 Nxd6 33. Rxd6 Kf8
$1 {draws (Unzicker).}) 30. f3 Nb6 31. Rca1 Nc4 32. Rxa6 Rxa6 33. Rxa6 Nxd6 34.
cxd6 Kf8 35. Kf2 Bd7 36. Ke3 g5 $5 37. Ra5 $1 Be6 $2 ({Better is} 37... f6 $1
38. Rxd5 Ra8 $1) 38. Nxe6+ fxe6 39. Kd4 $1 Ke8 40. Ke5 {
White has a mate attack.} Rc2 41. Ra8+ Kd7 42. Ra7+ Kd8 43. Kxe6 Re2+ 44. Kxd5
{He threatens pawn h7.} h5 $5 45. g4 $1 hxg4 46. fxg4 Rxh2 47. Ke6 Re2+ 48. Kf5
Rd2 49. Ra6 Ke8 50. Kxg5 Kf7 51. Ra7+ Ke8 52. d7+ Ke7 53. Kh5 {
Pirc wins the rook ending.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.20"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Trifunovic, Petar"]
[Black "Bogoljubow, Efim"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D52"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Gligoric played a quiet draw. Trifonovic got the opportunity to catch up.} 1.
Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e3 Qa5 8. Bd3
Ne4 9. O-O Nxg5 10. Nxg5 Nf6 11. Re1 $5 Be7 12. Qc2 Bd7 13. Rac1 Rd8 14. a3 Bc8
15. h3 Qc7 16. Na4 Bd6 17. Nc5 h6 18. Nf3 O-O {The chances are equal.} 19. b4
Qe7 20. Nd2 Bb8 21. Rb1 Rfe8 22. a4 a5 $2 ({Preferable is} 22... Bd6 23. a5 b6)
23. bxa5 $1 Qc7 24. Nf3 $1 Re7 25. Bf5 Ne4 26. Bxc8 $2 (26. Nxe4 $1 dxe4 27.
Bxe4 Qxa5 28. d5 cxd5 29. Rb5 {gains material.}) 26... Qxc8 27. Nxe4 dxe4 28.
Nd2 Qc7 $1 29. Nxe4 Qh2+ 30. Kf1 Qh1+ 31. Ke2 Qxg2 32. Nf6+ $1 Kf8 $1 33. Rg1
Rxe3+ $3 (33... Qxh3 34. Qh7 $1 {wins for White.}) 34. Kxe3 Qxh3+ 35. f3 $6 (
35. Ke2 $1 gxf6 36. Qe4 f5 37. Qe3 Qh5+ {(Pirc)} 38. Kf1 {keeps an edge.})
35... gxf6 36. Qd3 $2 (36. Qh7 $1 Re8+ 37. Kd3 Qxf3+ 38. Kc4 Qd5+ 39. Kd3 {
leads to perpetual check.}) 36... Qh2 $1 37. Qe4 ({Or} 37. Qa3+ c5 $1 38. Qxc5+
(38. Qb2 Bf4+ 39. Kd3 Rxd4+) 38... Bd6 {also wins for Black.}) 37... f5 $1 38.
Qxf5 Re8+ 39. Qe4 (39. Kd3 Qe2+ 40. Kc3 Re3+ 41. Kb4 Bd6+ {
will mate in two (Pirc).}) 39... Bf4+ $1 40. Kd3 Qd2+ 41. Kc4 Rxe4 42. fxe4
Qc2+ {Bogoljubow delivers mate in one. He scored six wins, one draw and eight
losses. Gligoric led by half-a-point on Pirc at the end of the penultimate
round.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Centenary"]
[Site "England"]
[Date "1951.06.22"]
[Round "15"]
[White "Matanovic, Aleksandar"]
[Black "Rossolimo, Nicolas"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C90"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "1951.05.??"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Gligoric and Pirc played quiet draws. So Gligoric became the winner.
Matanovic and Rossolimo fought a great game.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4.
Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. d3 h6 11. g4 $5
Bg6 12. Nh4 Qd7 $5 13. Qf3 $5 Na5 14. Bc2 Nh7 $5 15. Nf5 $5 Bf6 16. Nd2 h5 17.
Nf1 hxg4 18. Qxg4 $5 Nc6 19. N1g3 Nf8 20. a4 Rb8 $5 21. axb5 axb5 22. Ra6 Ne6
23. b4 $5 Kf8 24. Bb3 Ncd8 $5 25. d4 exd4 26. f4 $6 ({Preferable is} 26. cxd4
Nxd4 27. Nxd4 Qxg4 28. hxg4 Bxd4 29. Be3) 26... dxc3 27. e5 $1 dxe5 $5 28. fxe5
Be7 29. Rd1 Qe8 30. Rf1 Rb6 $2 31. Rxb6 $2 {Matanovic misses a chance.} (31.
Ra8 $1 c2 32. Qxg6 $1 fxg6 33. Nd6+ Kg8 34. Nxe8 {wins a piece.}) 31... Bxf5 $1
32. Nxf5 cxb6 33. Rf3 Qc6 34. Rg3 g6 35. Nxe7 Kxe7 36. Bg5+ Ke8 37. Bf6 Rh5 38.
Qd1 Rf5 $5 39. Rd3 Qc7 40. Qc1 $2 ({Correct is} 40. Qc2 $1 {
and White has an advantage.}) 40... Nf4 $1 41. Re3 ({The pointe is} 41. Rxc3 $4
Ne2+) 41... Nde6 42. Bc2 Nd4 $1 43. Qa1 Nfe2+ 44. Kg2 Qb7+ 45. Be4 Nc2 $1 46.
Bxb7 Nxe3+ $1 {Rossolimo strikes elegantly!} (46... Nxa1 $2 47. Rxe2 c2 48.
Bc6+ Kf8 49. e6 $1 Rxf6 50. e7+ Kg7 51. Rxc2 {wins for White.}) 47. Kh1 Rf1+
48. Qxf1 Nxf1 {Black has gained material.} 49. Bc6+ Kf8 50. Bxb5 c2 51. Bg5
Nfg3+ 52. Kg2 Ne4 $6 (52... Nd4 {wins easily.}) 53. Bh6+ Ke7 54. Bd3 c1=Q 55.
Bxc1 Nxc1 56. Bxe4 Na2 {White has regained two pawns.} 57. b5 Nc3 58. Bc6 Ke6
59. Kf3 Kxe5 60. Be8 Ke6 61. Kf4 $2 Nd5+ 62. Kg5 Nc7 63. Bc6 Ke5 64. h4 Ne6+
65. Kg4 Nd4 66. Be8 Ke6 67. Kf4 Ke7 68. Ke4 Kxe8 69. Kxd4 f6 {The final standin
gs became: Gligoric 10/15 (125 pounds), Trifunovic, Stahlberg and Pirc 91/2
(65 pounds), Alexander, Matanovic, Rossolimo and Unzicker 81/2 (25 pounds),
Donner and Klein 7, Bogoljubow 61/2, Golombek 6, Tartakower and Broadbent 51/2,
Wade and Van Scheltinga 5. Non-prize winners got 2 pounds per point.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 1"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2003.08.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Black "King, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2589"]
[BlackElo "2503"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2003.08.25"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Samuel Reis's Cigar Divan was opened in 1828. Its name became Simpson's Grand
Divan Tavern in 1848. The 175th anniversary was celebrated in August 2003.
Four Englishmen played double rounds. The event was named after Howard
Staunton, the strongest chess player during the 1840s.} 1. Nf3 e6 2. g3 b6 3.
Bg2 Bb7 4. O-O Nf6 5. c4 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. Re1 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. d4 Na6 10.
Bf4 c5 11. Rc1 Ne4 12. a3 Bf6 13. Be5 Re8 14. e3 cxd4 $5 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. exd4
Rac8 $6 ({Preferable is} 16... Qf5) 17. Nxe4 $1 dxe4 18. Rxc8 $1 Rxc8 19. Ne5
Qf5 20. Qb1 {White pressures on pawn e4.} g6 $6 (20... Nc7 $1 21. Bxe4 Bxe4 22.
Qxe4 Qxe4 23. Rxe4 Nd5 {blockades the extra pawn.}) 21. Bxe4 Bxe4 22. Rxe4 Nc7
23. Nc6 $1 Nd5 24. Nxa7 Ra8 25. Nc6 Rc8 26. Nb4 $6 (26. Ne5 {
keeps the advantage.}) 26... Nf6 $2 (26... Nxb4 $1 27. axb4 Qd5 {
reduces the disadvantage (Ftacnik).}) 27. Re1 Qh3 28. f3 $1 Nh5 29. Qe4 Nxg3
30. Qg4 $5 Ne2+ $5 31. Rxe2 Rc1+ 32. Kf2 Qf1+ 33. Ke3 h5 34. Qg3 $5 Qd1 35. Nd3
Rc8 36. Qe5 Qg1+ 37. Kd2 Rd8 38. Qe3 Qb1 39. Re1 Qa2 40. Qe7 Rxd4 41. Qe8+ Kh7
42. Re7 Kg7 43. Ke3 Rh4 44. Re4 Rh3 45. Qd7 $1 {
This win became decisive in the tournament.} ({The pointe is} 45. Qd7 Rxh2 46.
Qd4+ Kf8 47. Qh8#) 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 1"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2003.08.26"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B09"]
[WhiteElo "2323"]
[BlackElo "2589"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2003.08.25"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. f4 Nf6 5. a3 O-O 6. Nf3 Na6 7. Be3 c5 8. Bxa6
cxd4 9. Bxd4 bxa6 10. O-O $5 Bb7 11. Qe2 Nh5 12. Qd2 $5 Bh6 13. Be3 Nf6 14. f5
Qb6 $1 15. Bxb6 $6 ({Preferable is} 15. Nd4 Bxe3+ 16. Qxe3) 15... Bxd2 16. Nxd2
axb6 {Black has a pleasant endgame.} 17. Rae1 Rfc8 18. e5 $5 dxe5 19. Rxe5 Rc7
20. Rfe1 Kf8 21. h3 Rd8 22. Nf1 Nh5 $5 23. fxg6 hxg6 24. g3 $2 {
He weakens his pawn structure.} Ng7 $1 25. R5e2 Nf5 26. Rf2 Rd6 $5 27. g4 Nd4
28. Re3 Rf6 $1 29. Rxf6 exf6 30. Rd3 Nxc2 {Black has gained a pawn.} 31. Kf2 b5
32. Ne3 Nxe3 33. Kxe3 Ke7 34. Rd4 Ke6 35. Rd8 $5 (35. a4 bxa4 36. Nxa4 Ke5 {
also favours Black.}) 35... f5 $1 36. g5 Rc4 37. Rd4 $6 (37. Ne2 Ke7 38. Rb8
Bd5 39. Nc3 {offers more resistance.}) 37... Rxd4 38. Kxd4 f4 39. Ne4 Ba8 $5
40. h4 Kf5 41. Nf2 (41. Nf6 a5 42. Kd3 b4 43. axb4 axb4 44. Ke2 Be4 {
wins for Black.}) 41... f3 42. Ke3 a5 43. Nd3 Kg4 44. Nf2+ Kxh4 45. Kf4 Bb7 $1
46. Nd3 Kh3 47. Ke3 Kg3 48. Nf2 Bd5 49. b4 axb4 50. axb4 Ba8 $1 51. Nd3 Bb7 52.
Kd2 $5 f2 53. Ke2 Bf3+ $1 {Speelman scored his second win in a row.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 1"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2003.08.27"]
[Round "3"]
[White "King, Daniel"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2503"]
[BlackElo "2323"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2003.08.25"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 Re8 11. Nf1 Bf8 12. Bd2 g6 13. c4 b4 14. a5 Rb8 15. Ba4
Nd7 16. Ne3 Bh6 17. Nd5 Bxd2 18. Qxd2 Nc5 $2 {
Howell blunders in a poor position.} (18... Kg7 {
brought a plus for White in Grischuk - Sulskin, Moscow 2002.}) 19. Qh6 $1 f6
20. Nh4 $1 Nxa4 $2 (20... Rf8 21. Nxg6 $1 Rf7 22. Re3 hxg6 23. Rg3 Rg7 24. Rxg6
Rxg6 25. Qxg6+ Kf8 26. Nxf6 {also wins for White.}) 21. Nf5 $1 gxf5 22. Re3 $1
Nd4 ({Or} 22... f4 23. Rh3 $1) 23. Rg3+ $1 Kf7 24. Rg7+ Ke6 25. Qxf6+ $1 {
King attacked wonderfully.} ({The pointe is} 25. Qxf6+ Qxf6 26. Nxc7#) 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 1"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2003.08.30"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "2589"]
[BlackElo "2323"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2003.08.25"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. c3 d6 6. e3 Qe8 7. Be2 e5 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. a4 h6 10. Bh4 Nh7 11. e4 $5 Bf6 $5 12. Bg3 $1 Qe7 13. Re1 h5 14. h4 Re8
15. a5 a6 16. Nc4 Nhf8 17. Qd2 Ne6 18. Rad1 Bg7 19. Bf1 f6 $6 ({Preferable is} 
19... Nd8 $5 20. b4 Nc6) 20. b4 Kh7 {Black has a passive game.} 21. Ne3 Bh6 22.
Qc2 Ndf8 23. Nd5 Qg7 24. dxe5 dxe5 25. c4 {White controls more territory.} Nd8
$5 26. Nd2 Nfe6 27. Nb3 Nc6 {The black knights have been activated.} 28. Qc3
Rd8 $5 29. b5 $1 Ncd4 $2 {He should withdraw.} ({Correct is} 29... Nb8) 30.
Nxd4 Nxd4 31. Rxd4 $1 {An elegant positional sacrifice decides the game.} exd4
32. Qxd4 Kh8 ({The pointe is} 32... Be6 33. Nxf6+ $1 Kh8 {(Hazai)} 34. Qa1 $1)
33. Qb2 axb5 34. cxb5 Qf7 35. Ra1 Rxd5 $5 (35... Bg4 36. a6 bxa6 37. bxa6 Ra7
38. Nxf6 Bg7 39. Be5 {also wins for White.}) 36. exd5 Qxd5 37. Qxf6+ $1 Bg7 38.
Qxg6 Bxa1 39. Bd3 Qd7 40. Qh6+ Kg8 41. Bc4+ {
The final standings became: Speelman 41/2/6, King 31/2, Emms 3, Howell 1.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 2"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2004.08.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Levitt, Jonathan"]
[Black "King, Daniel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D53"]
[WhiteElo "2432"]
[BlackElo "2512"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2004.08.23"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The second Staunton Memorial was played from 23 until 29 viii 2004 at
Simpson's-in-the-Strand in London. Again four participants carried out double
rounds.} 1. d4 e6 2. c4 d5 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 h6 7. Bf4
O-O 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. O-O c5 11. Bb3 b5 12. d5 $1 ({Known is} 12. Ne5)
12... exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Qxd5 Ra7 15. a4 Qb6 16. a5 $6 {
Pawn a5 becomes weak.} (16. axb5 axb5 17. Rxa7 Qxa7 18. Qc6 {
keeps the initiative.}) 16... Qg6 17. Rfc1 $6 ({Better is} 17. Qd2) 17... Bb7
$1 18. Qxd7 Bxf3 19. Qh3 Be4 20. f3 Bf5 21. Qg3 Qxg3 22. Bxg3 c4 23. Bc2 $2 (
23. e4 Be6 24. Bc2 {avoids an unfavourable exchange.}) 23... Bxc2 24. Rxc2 Rd8
{Black has a better endgame due to the pawn majority on the queenside.} 25. Kf1
Rd3 26. e4 Rad7 27. Ke2 Bb4 28. Be1 Bxe1 29. Rxe1 Kf8 30. Kf2 Ke7 31. Re3 Rxe3
32. Kxe3 {White has problems in the rook ending.} Rd3+ 33. Ke2 Kd6 {
Black threatens to gain pawn a5 in a few moves.} 34. Rc3 $5 Rxc3 35. bxc3 Kc5
36. f4 b4 37. cxb4+ Kxb4 38. e5 Kxa5 39. Kd2 ({The pointe is} 39. f5 Kb6 40. e6
fxe6 41. fxe6 Kc6 {and Black wins.}) 39... Kb4 40. g4 Kc5 41. h4 Kd4 42. h5 Ke4
43. g5 hxg5 {King wins the pawn ending.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 2"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2004.08.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Houska, Jovanka"]
[Black "Levitt, Jonathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C00"]
[WhiteElo "2375"]
[BlackElo "2432"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2004.08.23"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e6 2. b3 d5 3. Bb2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Qg4 c5 6. f4 Nc6 7. Nf3 g6 8. Be2 h5
$5 ({Usual is} 8... Bg7) 9. Qg3 Bh6 10. O-O Ne7 11. Nh4 Nf8 12. d4 Qc7 13. Na3
Bd7 14. c4 Qa5 15. Rac1 cxd4 16. Rfd1 Bc6 $5 17. Rxd4 Rd8 18. Kh1 Rg8 19. Rf1
a6 20. Nc2 $5 dxc4 ({Not} 20... Qxa2 $2 21. Qc3 $1) 21. Rxd8+ Kxd8 22. bxc4 Nd7
23. Rd1 Kc8 24. Ba3 Re8 25. Qe3 Qb6 26. Nd4 Bf8 27. Bd6 Ba4 28. Rc1 Nc6 29. c5
Qb2 30. Nxc6 Bxc6 31. a3 Bxd6 32. cxd6 Kb8 33. Bf3 {White has an edge.} Rc8 34.
h3 $6 (34. Bxc6 $1 Rxc6 35. Rxc6 bxc6 36. Nf3 {keeps an advantage.}) 34... g5
$1 35. fxg5 Qxe5 36. Qxe5 Nxe5 37. Bxc6 $6 {The exchange favours Black.} Rxc6
38. Re1 Rc5 39. Rf1 b5 40. g6 fxg6 41. Rf8+ Rc8 42. Rf6 Rd8 43. Rxe6 Nc4 $1 44.
Nxg6 Rxd6 45. Rxd6 Nxd6 {Black has a better knight ending.} 46. g4 hxg4 47. h4
$2 (47. hxg4) 47... Nf5 {Black has an extra pawn.} 48. Kg2 Kc7 49. h5 Kd6 50.
Nf4 a5 51. Nd3 Kd5 52. Nf2 b4 $1 53. axb4 axb4 54. Kf1 ({The pointe is} 54.
Nxg4 b3 55. h6 b2 56. h7 Nh4+ 57. Kg3 Ng6) 54... b3 55. Ke2 Kd4 56. Kd2 g3 57.
Nh3 g2 58. Ng1 Ke5 59. Kc3 Nd4 60. Nh3 Kf6 61. h6 Kf7 $1 ({The last trap is} 
61... Kg6 $4 62. Nf4+) 62. Kb2 Kg8 {Levitt won an uneven game.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 2"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2004.08.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "King, Daniel"]
[Black "Houska, Jovanka"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "2512"]
[BlackElo "2375"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2004.08.23"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qc8 8.
Nd2 e6 9. Ngf3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Rae1 Bh5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. c4 $5
({Usual is} 14. Qc2 Bg6 15. Bxg6 hxg6) 14... h6 $2 ({Preferable is} 14... Nc5
$1 15. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 16. Qh3 g6 $1 17. g4 {(Dautov)} Qd8) 15. Bb1 $1 Bg6 16.
cxd5 Bxb1 17. Rxb1 exd5 18. Qxd5 {White has gained a pawn.} Nc5 19. Ne4 Qf5 $5
20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Bg3 b6 22. Rbd1 a5 23. Rd3 a4 24. Rfd1 Ra5 25. Qc6 Kh7 26. h4
Ra7 27. Qd5 Re8 28. Rf3 Qg4 29. Kh2 Kg8 30. Rdd3 Qg6 31. Qc4 Qc6 32. Qg4 Rae7
33. h5 Kh8 34. Bf4 Qe4 35. Rg3 Rg8 36. Rd8 Qh7 $2 ({Right is} 36... f5 $1 37.
exf6 Rxd8 38. fxe7 Qxe7) 37. Rgd3 $6 (37. Rxg8+ Qxg8 38. Bxh6 {wins at once.})
37... Ree8 38. Rxe8 Rxe8 39. Rd7 Kg8 40. f3 $4 (40. e6 $1 Rxe6 41. Rd8+ Bf8 42.
Bd2 {wins for White.}) 40... Qb1 {Black delivers perpetual check.} 41. Bxh6 {
This was Houska's only positive score.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Staunton Memorial 2"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2004.08.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Black "Houska, Jovanka"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2375"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2004.08.23"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. Be3 Qb6 6. Qd2 Qxb2 7. Rb1 Qa3 8. exd5
Qa5 $5 ({Theory is} 8... Nf6) 9. dxc6 bxc6 $5 (9... Nxc6 $6 10. Nb5 Qxd2+ 11.
Kxd2 Kd8 12. d5 {favours White.}) 10. Bc4 $1 Nd7 11. Nge2 Nb6 12. Bb3 Nf6 13.
Na4 Qxd2+ 14. Bxd2 O-O 15. Kf2 Rd8 16. Ba5 Nfd7 17. c4 Ba6 18. c5 Bxe2 $6 (
18... Nxa4 $1 19. Bxd8 $5 Nc3 $1 20. Nxc3 Bxd4+ 21. Kg3 Rxd8 22. Ne4 Nxc5 23.
Nxc5 Bxc5 {brings equality.}) 19. Kxe2 Nxa4 20. Bxa4 Rdc8 21. d5 $1 Nxc5 22.
Bxc6 Rab8 23. Bb4 Ne6 24. Bxe7 Rxb1 $6 (24... Nd4+ $1 25. Kd3 Nxc6 26. dxc6 Bb2
{regains the pawn.}) 25. Rxb1 Nd4+ 26. Kd3 Nxc6 27. dxc6 Be5 $2 (27... Bf8 $1
28. Bxf8 Kxf8 29. Rb7 Rxc6 30. Rxa7 {
leads to a better rook endgame for White (Lukacs).}) 28. Rc1 Bxh2 29. Kd4 Bc7
30. Kc5 Re8 31. Bd6 Bb6+ 32. Kb5 Re2 33. a4 Rxg2 34. c7 Rg5+ 35. Kc6 Bxc7 36.
Bxc7 Rf5 37. a5 Rxf3 38. Kb7 Ra3 39. a6 f5 40. Kxa7 Kf7 41. Kb7 g5 42. Rc6 f4
43. a7 f3 44. a8=Q Rxa8 45. Kxa8 h5 46. Rc3 g4 47. Bg3 {The final standings
became: King and Speelman 4/6, Levitt 31/2, Houska 1/2. King got the trophy on
tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.20"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Day, Lawrence"]
[Black "Levitt, Jonathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2270"]
[BlackElo "2441"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "139"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The third Staunton Memorial was played in London from 19 until 30 viii 2005.
Six participants carried out double rounds.} 1. e4 e6 2. d3 c5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3
g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O Nge7 7. Re1 e5 8. c3 O-O 9. a3 d6 10. b4 b6 11. b5 Na5 12.
c4 h6 13. Nfd2 $5 a6 14. a4 Ra7 15. Nc3 f5 16. Rb1 f4 $1 17. Nd5 axb5 18. axb5
g5 19. Bf3 Ng6 20. Bg4 Raf7 $2 21. Bxc8 Qxc8 22. Qh5 $1 (22. Nxb6 $2 Qh3 $1 {
gains a sufficient compensation for the pawn.}) 22... Qe6 23. f3 $6 {
Pawn b6 could be captured.} Rb8 24. Bb2 Ra7 25. Bc3 Ne7 26. Ra1 Nxd5 27. exd5
Qf7 28. Qxf7+ Rxf7 29. g4 $6 (29. Bxa5 e4 30. Nxe4 Bxa1 31. Rxa1 bxa5 32. Nxd6
{wins for White.}) 29... Nb7 30. Ra6 Nd8 31. Rea1 Rfb7 32. Ra8 Bf8 33. Ne4 Be7
34. Be1 Kf7 35. R1a6 Ke8 36. Nc3 Kd7 37. Na4 $2 (37. Rxb8 Rxb8 38. Na4 {
gains a pawn.}) 37... Rxa8 38. Rxa8 Kc7 $2 (38... Nf7 $1 39. Kg2 Bd8 {
defends the fortress.}) 39. Ra6 e4 40. dxe4 Bf6 41. Nxb6 $1 {
He wins a pawn at last.} Nf7 42. Ba5 Bd4+ 43. Kg2 Ne5 44. Ra8 Rxb6 45. Ra7+ Kb8
46. Bxb6 Nxc4 47. Ra6 Kb7 48. Ba5 Ne3+ 49. Kh1 Be5 50. Rb6+ Ka7 51. Rc6 Nc4 52.
Bc7 Kb7 53. Kg1 Ka7 54. Kf1 Kb7 55. Ke2 Ka7 56. h3 Kb7 57. Kd3 Nb2+ 58. Kd2
Nc4+ 59. Kc2 Ka7 60. Ra6+ Kb7 61. Ba5 Ne3+ 62. Kb3 c4+ 63. Ka4 Nc2 64. Rc6 Nd4
65. Rc7+ Kb8 66. b6 Nxf3 67. Kb5 Nd4+ 68. Ka6 Nb3 69. b7 Nc5+ 70. Rxc5 {
Levitt lost to an outsider.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.20"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Houska, Jovanka"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2342"]
[BlackElo "2549"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 g6 4. h3 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Nd7 6. Nf3 Ngf6 7. Bd3 Nxe4 8.
Bxe4 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 c5 11. c3 cxd4 12. Nxd4 Nc5 13. Bc2 e5 14. Nb3 Qc7
15. Nxc5 Qxc5 16. Be3 Qc7 17. Bb3 b6 $5 18. Bd5 Bb7 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 {
The chances are about equal.} 20. Qb3 Kh8 21. Rad1 f5 22. Rd5 Rad8 23. Red1 Qe7
24. f3 h6 25. a4 Rfe8 26. Qb5 e4 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Rxd8+ Qxd8 29. fxe4 fxe4 30.
Kf2 Kh7 31. Ke2 Qd6 $5 32. Qc4 Qe5 $2 ({Right is the retreat} 32... Qe7) 33.
Qf7 $1 {White threatens Bd4.} Qh5+ 34. Kd2 $1 Kh8 35. Qxa7 Qd5+ 36. Kc1 $1 Qd3
37. Qxb6 {He has gained two pawns.} Qf1+ 38. Kc2 Qd3+ 39. Kb3 Qd1+ 40. Kb4 Bf8+
41. Bc5 Bxc5+ 42. Qxc5 Qe2 43. b3 e3 44. a5 $5 Qd3 45. Qf8+ Kh7 46. Qe7+ Kh8
47. a6 $5 Qxa6 48. Qxe3 Qb7+ 49. Kc4 Qxg2 50. Qxh6+ Kg8 51. Qe3 Qc6+ 52. Qc5
Qa6+ 53. Kb4 Qb7+ 54. Qb5 Qe7+ 55. Ka5 Qc7+ 56. Ka6 Qc8+ 57. Ka7 $1 Qxh3 ({
The pointe is} 57... Qc7+ 58. Ka8 $1) 58. c4 Qe3+ 59. c5 g5 60. b4 Kg7 61. Qb7+
Kg6 62. Qb6+ Kh5 63. c6 {Jovanka Houska defeated a strong grandmaster after
many poor results in the Staunton Memorial.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.21"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Black "Day, Lawrence"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2549"]
[BlackElo "2270"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d6 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. e4 Nbd7 5. Ne2 g6 6. O-O Bg7 7. a4 O-O 8. a5 e5
9. Nbc3 exd4 10. Nxd4 Re8 11. h3 Nc5 12. Re1 d5 13. exd5 Rxe1+ 14. Qxe1 Nxd5
15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Be3 Ne4 $6 17. c4 $1 {White takes an advantage by a novelty.}
Nf6 18. Rd1 Be6 $2 ({The pointe is} 18... dxc4 19. Nc6 $1) 19. cxd5 $1 Bd7 (
19... Nxd5 20. Ne2 Bxb2 21. Bxd5 Bxd5 22. Nf4 {costs material.}) 20. Ne6 $1
fxe6 21. dxe6 Qe7 22. exd7 Rd8 23. Bxb7 Rxd7 24. Rxd7 Nxd7 25. Qd2 Ne5 26. Qd5+
Kh8 27. Bxa7 {Speelman has gained three pawns.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Day, Lawrence"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "2270"]
[BlackElo "2471"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "196"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 d6 5. c3 Nbd7 6. e3 O-O 7. Be2 h6 8. Bh4
e5 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qc2 b6 $5 11. Nc4 Qe8 12. Nfd2 Nc5 13. e4 Bb7 14. f3 Ne6
15. Bf2 Nd7 16. O-O f5 17. exf5 gxf5 18. Rfe1 Qg6 19. Bg3 Ng5 20. Kh1 Rae8 21.
Ne3 Kh8 22. Rad1 Bc6 23. Bc4 Nc5 24. b4 Ba4 25. Nb3 Nce6 26. b5 Nc5 27. Nd5 c6
28. bxc6 Qxc6 29. Nb4 Qg6 30. Bf2 Rc8 {Little has happened in the game, so far.
} 31. Bd5 $2 ({Better is} 31. Nd5) 31... e4 $1 32. c4 $2 (32. f4 Nge6 33. Bxe6
Nxe6 34. Nd5 {avoids the loss of material.}) 32... a5 $1 33. h4 Nh7 34. fxe4
axb4 35. exf5 Bxb3 36. axb3 Qxf5 37. Qxf5 Rxf5 38. Bxc5 Rxc5 {
Black has gained a piece for a pawn.} 39. Re7 Nf8 $6 40. Rb7 $1 Rf4 $6 41. g3
Rf2 $5 42. Rxb6 Ra5 43. Rxb4 {White has regained matter.} Be5 $1 44. Ra4 Rxa4
45. bxa4 Bxg3 46. Rd4 $5 Rh2+ 47. Kg1 Rxh4 48. Rxh4 Bxh4 {
Black awaits a lengthy ending.} 49. a5 Bd8 50. a6 Bb6+ 51. Kg2 Kg7 52. Kf3 Nd7
53. Kf4 Nc5 54. Bb7 Kf6 55. Kg4 Kg6 56. Bc8 h5+ 57. Kh4 Nb3 58. Kg3 $5 Kg5 59.
Kf3 Nd2+ 60. Ke2 Nxc4 61. Kf3 h4 62. Be6 Ne5+ 63. Kg2 Nc6 64. Bd5 Ne7 65. Bf7
Kf6 66. Bc4 Ng6 67. Bb5 Nf4+ 68. Kh2 Ke5 69. Bc6 Kd4 70. Bd7 Ke3 71. Bc6 Kf2
72. Bb5 Ba7 73. Bc6 Ke3 74. Bb5 Kd2 75. Bc6 Bf2 76. Bd7 Kc3 77. Bc8 Kb4 78. Bh3
Ka5 79. Bf1 Kb6 {Now, the king stops the a-pawn.} 80. Kh1 Bg3 81. Kg1 Ne6 82.
Kg2 Ng5 83. Bd3 Be5 {Black threatens ..h3+.} 84. Bf5 Kxa6 85. Bg4 Kb5 86. Bf5
Kc4 87. Bc8 Kd4 88. Bd7 Ke3 89. Bc8 Bg3 90. Kf1 Kf3 91. Bb7+ Kf4 92. Bc8 h3 $1
93. Bb7 Bh4 94. Kg1 Kg3 95. Kh1 h2 $1 96. Bg2 Ne6 {
The knight has not been exchanged and delivers the final blow.} 97. Be4 Nf4 98.
Bf5 Bd8 {Howell delivers mate in two.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Levitt, Jonathan"]
[Black "Day, Lawrence"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A53"]
[WhiteElo "2441"]
[BlackElo "2270"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 4. f3 e5 5. e4 exd4 6. Qxd4 Nc6 7. Qd2 Be6 8. b3
Be7 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Nge2 Nd7 11. g3 $5 ({Usual is} 11. Nd5) 11... Bf6 12. Bg2
Nc5 13. O-O a5 14. Nd5 Bxb2 15. Qxb2 Ne5 16. Qd4 f6 17. f4 Nc6 18. Qd2 Re8 19.
Rfe1 Qd7 20. Nec3 Kh8 21. Re3 Ne7 22. Rae1 {
White wants to attack in the centre.} Nxd5 23. cxd5 $5 Bf7 24. h4 Bh5 25. Kh2
Bg4 26. Qd4 b6 27. Bf1 Qf7 28. Nb5 Re7 29. Bg2 Qh5 $2 (29... h5 $1 {
(protects the bishop in the right way)} 30. e5 fxe5 31. fxe5 dxe5 32. Rxe5 Rxe5
33. Qxe5 Rc8 {defends well.}) 30. e5 $1 fxe5 31. fxe5 Rf8 ({The pointe is} 
31... dxe5 32. Rxe5 Rxe5 33. Rxe5 Bf5 34. d6 {and White wins.}) 32. exd6 Rxe3
33. Rxe3 cxd6 34. Nxd6 Nd7 35. Re7 Qg6 36. Nc4 Nf6 37. Ne5 Qf5 38. d6 $1 Bh5
39. d7 $1 {Levitt triumphed in the centre.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "McNab, Colin"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2451"]
[BlackElo "2471"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5 4. d4 e4 5. Ng5 Bb4 6. Nh3 Nf6 7. Nf4 O-O 8. h4
d6 9. e3 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qe7 11. c5 Nd8 12. cxd6 $5 cxd6 13. Ba3 Ne6 14. Qb3 Kh8
15. Nd5 Nxd5 16. Qxd5 Rd8 17. Be2 Nc7 18. Qb3 b6 19. c4 Be6 20. d5 Bd7 21. h5
h6 22. Qb4 Bc8 23. Bb2 Na6 24. Qd2 Nc5 25. f4 exf3 26. gxf3 f4 $2 27. e4 $2 {
He misses the chance.} (27. Rg1 $1 Qh4+ 28. Kd1 Rg8 29. Qc3 Na4 30. Qxg7+ $1
Rxg7 31. Bxg7+ Kh7 32. Bd4 {wins for White.}) 27... Rf8 28. O-O-O Nd7 29. Rhg1
Ne5 30. Bxe5 Qxe5 31. Qb2 Qxb2+ 32. Kxb2 {
White has the initiative in the endgame.} Rf6 33. Kc3 Bd7 34. Kd4 Re8 35. Rg2
Re7 36. Rh1 Be8 37. Rh4 Kg8 38. Rgg4 Ref7 $6 39. Bd3 Bd7 $2 (39... Re7 40. Rxf4
Rxf4 41. Rxf4 Bxh5 {defends properly.}) 40. Rg6 $1 Kf8 41. Rxf6 Rxf6 $5 42. e5
$1 dxe5+ 43. Kxe5 Be8 44. d6 $5 Bf7 $5 45. Bf5 Bxc4 46. Rxf4 b5 47. a3 Be2 48.
Rd4 Ke8 49. Rg4 Bxf3 50. Rxg7 Rf8 51. Be6 {Black will be mated.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.27"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Day, Lawrence"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2270"]
[BlackElo "2549"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. e4 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. O-O Bd7 5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 Nf6 7. Re1 b5 8. Bc2
c4 9. d4 cxd3 10. Qxd3 g6 11. a4 $5 Rb8 12. axb5 axb5 13. Na3 Ng4 $1 14. Nd4
Nge5 15. Qd1 b4 $1 16. Nb1 $6 ({Preferable is} 16. Nxc6 Nxc6 17. Nc4) 16...
bxc3 17. bxc3 Bg7 18. h3 O-O 19. Nd2 Qc7 20. N2b3 Rfc8 21. Ne2 Na7 22. Nbd4 Nb5
23. Nxb5 Bxb5 24. Bd2 Bxe2 25. Rxe2 Nc4 $1 26. Rc1 $2 ({Better is} 26. Be1 Nb2
27. Qd2 Bxc3 28. Qxc3 Qxc3 29. Bxc3 Rxc3 30. Rb1 {
but Black gains a pawn anyway.}) 26... Nxd2 27. Qxd2 Bxc3 {
Speelman has gained a pawn.} 28. Qe3 Be5 29. Rd1 Rb2 30. Bd3 Rb3 31. Red2 Qa5
32. Qe2 Rcc3 33. g3 Kg7 34. Kg2 Ra3 35. Rb1 Qa7 36. Rbd1 Bf6 37. h4 h5 38. Bb1
Rcb3 39. Bc2 Rb2 40. Bd3 Rbb3 41. Bc2 Rb4 42. Rb1 Bc3 43. Rd3 Rxb1 44. Bxb1 Ra1
45. Rd1 Qa3 46. Rf1 Qa5 47. Qc4 Ra4 48. Qe2 Rb4 49. Rc1 Rb2 50. Qc4 Be5 51. Bd3
Rb4 52. Qc2 Bd4 53. Qe2 Qb6 54. Rc2 e6 55. Rc4 Rb3 56. Bc2 Rb2 57. Qd2 e5 58.
Qe2 Qb5 59. Qd3 d5 60. exd5 Qxd5+ 61. f3 Qb5 62. Kh3 Qd7+ 63. Kg2 Ra2 64. Rb4
Qc6 65. Rc4 Qa6 $1 {Black makes progress.} 66. Kf1 Qe6 67. Rc7 ({Or} 67. Kg2
Ra1 68. Rxd4 Qb6 $1) 67... Qh3+ 68. Ke2 Qg2+ 69. Kd1 Ra1+ 70. Bb1 Qg1+ 71. Ke2
Rxb1 72. Rxf7+ Kxf7 73. Qc4+ Kg7 {Speelman and McNab competed for the lead.}
0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 3"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2005.08.30"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Levitt, Jonathan"]
[Black "McNab, Colin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E96"]
[WhiteElo "2441"]
[BlackElo "2451"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2005.08.19"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Speelman and McNab led by half-a-point before Levitt. Speelman concluded the
event by a short draw. So Levitt and McNab could fight for the overall win.} 1.
d4 d6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nd7 5. e4 e5 6. Be2 Ngf6 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 c6
9. Bf1 a5 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Na4 Qe7 12. Qc2 b6 13. Be3 Rb8 14. Rac1 $5 Ba6 15.
h3 Rfc8 16. Nd2 Bf8 17. Red1 Qe6 18. Nb3 Qe7 19. a3 h5 20. c5 $1 Bxf1 21. Kxf1
b5 22. Nb6 $1 Nxb6 23. cxb6 a4 $5 24. Nc5 $5 Rxb6 25. Nxa4 Rb7 26. Nc5 Rbc7 27.
Rd3 {
White has an advantage. He blockades the queenside and controls an open file.}
Qe8 28. Na6 Rd7 29. Rc3 Qd8 30. Kg1 Qa5 31. Nc5 Bxc5 $2 (31... Rdc7 32. f3 Be7
{prolongs the game.}) 32. Rxc5 $1 Qc7 33. f3 $1 Rd6 34. Rxb5 {
Levitt gains a pawn.} Nd7 ({Or} 34... cxb5 35. Qxc7 Rxc7 36. Rxc7) 35. Rb3 Qa5
36. Rc3 Qb5 37. b3 Kg7 38. a4 Qa5 39. Rc4 Rb8 40. Qc3 Qa6 41. Bf2 g5 42. h4
gxh4 43. Kh2 Rc8 44. Bxh4 f6 45. Bf2 Nb8 46. Qb4 Rcd8 47. Bc5 Rd3 48. Be7 Rg8
49. Bd6 c5 $5 50. Bxc5 Qe6 51. R4c3 Rd7 52. Qc4 Qe8 53. Be3 Kh8 54. Qe2 Rdg7
55. R3c2 Qg6 56. Rc8 Qxg2+ 57. Qxg2 Rxg2+ 58. Kh1 $1 {The final standings
became: Levitt and Speelman 6/10, McNab 51/2, Howell and Day 41/2, Houska 31/2.
Levitt got the trophy on tie-break.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Lanchava, Tea"]
[Black "Wells, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E46"]
[WhiteElo "2389"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The fourth Staunton Memorial happened in London from 14 until 25 viii 2006.
Six rounds were played in Simpson's-in-the-Strand. Jan Mol was the new sponsor.
The event became an encounter between six British and six Dutch players, as a
consequence.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nge2 Re8 6. a3 Bf8 7.
g3 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bg2 c6 10. Nf4 $5 ({Theory is} 10. O-O) 10... g6 11. O-O
h5 12. Re1 Bg7 13. h4 Bf5 14. f3 $1 {Tea plans an attack.} Na6 15. Qb3 $5 {
She hesitates.} Re7 16. Bd2 Ne8 $6 (16... Qd6 {moves forwards.}) 17. Kh1 Nd6 $6
(17... Kh7 $1 18. e4 dxe4 19. fxe4 Bg4 {defends properly.}) 18. e4 $1 Bd7 19.
Be3 $1 Kh7 $2 (19... Nc4 $1 20. Bf2 Qb6 21. Qa2 Nc7 {offers more resistance.})
20. exd5 Rxe3 $5 21. Rxe3 Nf5 ({Or} 21... Bxd4 22. Re2 Nc5 23. Qa2) 22. dxc6 $1
Nxe3 23. cxd7 Nxg2 24. Ne4 $5 Nxf4 25. Ng5+ $1 Kg8 26. Qxf7+ Kh8 27. gxf4 Qf6
28. Qe8+ $1 {
Tea Lanchava is a Dutch lady from Georgian descent. She attacks well.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.15"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Levitt, Jonathan"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2431"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Nbxd2 Nf6 7. e3 O-O 8.
Be2 Nbd7 $5 9. O-O Qe7 10. Qc2 c5 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Bb5 cxd4 13. Nxd4 N7f6 14.
Rac1 Rd8 15. Rfd1 Bd7 16. Bxd7 Rxd7 17. Nb5 Rad8 18. Nb3 Ra8 19. Qc5 Qd8 20.
Qc2 Qb6 21. Qc5 Qd8 22. Qc2 Qe8 $5 {Sokolov avoids a repetition of moves.} 23.
e4 $2 ({Better is} 23. Qe2) 23... Ne3 $1 24. fxe3 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 Qxb5 {
The white position has been weakened.} 26. Rc5 Qb6 27. Qc2 Rd8 28. Nd4 Ng4 $1 {
He threatens ..Nxe3 or ..e5.} 29. Rb5 Qd6 30. e5 $1 Nxe5 31. Qc5 $2 (31. Qe4 $1
Nc6 32. Rxb7 Nxd4 33. Qxd4 Qxd4 34. exd4 g6 35. b4 $5 Rxd4 36. bxa5 Ra4 37. Rb5
{tries to survive in a rook ending.}) 31... Qxc5 32. Rxc5 Ng4 33. Rxa5 $2 e5 $1
{Black gains a piece.} 34. h3 exd4 35. exd4 ({The pointe is} 35. hxg4 d3 $1)
35... Nf6 36. Ra7 b6 37. Rb7 Nd5 38. Kf2 g6 39. Ke2 Rd6 40. g3 h5 41. Kd3 Kg7
42. Kc4 Ne3+ 43. Kb5 Nf5 44. Rxb6 Nxd4+ 45. Kc5 Rxb6 46. Kxb6 f5 47. Kc5 Nb3+
48. Kc4 g5 $1 49. Kd3 ({Or} 49. Kxb3 f4 50. gxf4 g4 $1 {and Black wins.}) 49...
Kf6 50. Ke3 Ke5 51. a4 f4+ 52. gxf4+ gxf4+ {Sokolov started by 3/3.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Visser, Yge"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C90"]
[WhiteElo "2516"]
[BlackElo "2732"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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. d3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Nbd2 Nd7 12. Nf1 Nc6 13. Ne3 Nb6 14. Bb3 $5 Be6
15. d4 $6 exd4 16. cxd4 Nxd4 17. Nxd4 cxd4 18. Qxd4 Bf6 19. Qd3 Rc8 20. Rb1 Nc4
21. Bxc4 bxc4 22. Qa3 Be5 $1 {The simplifications gave Black an easy game.} 23.
h3 $5 (23. Qxa6 $2 Ra8 24. Qb5 Qh4 25. Nf1 Rfb8 {wins for Black.}) 23... Qd7
24. Bd2 f5 25. exf5 Bxf5 26. Nxf5 Qxf5 27. Be3 d5 $1 28. Rbd1 ({The pointe is} 
28. Qxa6 d4 29. f4 dxe3 30. fxe5 e2) 28... d4 29. f4 dxe3 30. fxe5 Qf2+ 31. Kh2
e2 {Adams attacks elegantly.} 32. Rc1 Rc6 33. Qc3 Kh8 34. e6 $1 Rxe6 35. Qxc4
Re3 $5 36. Qg4 $5 h6 37. Rc7 Qf6 38. Rcc1 $2 (38. Rc8 $1 Rxc8 39. Qxc8+ Kh7 40.
Kg1 {defends properly.}) 38... Qd6+ 39. Kg1 Qd2 40. Kh2 Qxb2 41. Rc8 Rfe8 42.
Qd7 Qe5+ $1 43. Kg1 Qh5 44. Qc6 a5 45. a4 Rxc8 46. Qxc8+ Re8 47. Qc6 Qe5 48.
Qb5 Qe3+ 49. Kh1 Re5 50. Qb8+ Kh7 51. Qb1+ g6 52. Qb8 Re7 53. Qf8 h5 54. Qf6
Qe4 55. h4 Kg8 56. Kg1 Rf7 57. Qd6 $5 Rf1+ $1 {Adams competed well.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.16"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wells, Peter"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2541"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. h3 Nf6 6. e5 Ne4 7. Bd3 Nxc3 8. bxc3
c5 9. O-O c4 10. Be2 f6 $5 ({An alternative is} 10... Qa5 11. Bd2 f6) 11. exf6
exf6 12. Ba3 $1 Kf7 $5 13. Rb1 Qa5 14. Bxc4 $3 {
Wells delivers a surprising sacrifice.} dxc4 15. Qe2 Qc7 (15... Qxa3 $5 16.
Qxc4+ Ke7 $1 {(Timman)} 17. Qc7+ Nd7 18. Rfe1+ Kf7 19. Qc4+ Kf8 20. Qd5 {
leads to mutual chances.}) 16. Rfe1 Bf8 $2 {A blunder brings a forced loss.} ({
Right is} 16... Rd8 $1 17. Rxb7 $1 Qxb7 18. Qxc4+ Rd5 19. Re7+ $5 Qxe7 20. Bxe7
Be6 {and Speelman slightly favours White.}) 17. Qe8+ Kg7 18. Bxf8+ Rxf8 19.
Re7+ Kg8 20. Qxf8+ $1 {Wells got the prize for the best game.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2594"]
[BlackElo "2541"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 Nge7 7. Na3 cxd4 8. cxd4
Nc8 9. Nc2 Nb6 10. O-O Be7 11. Bd3 Rc8 $5 12. Re1 Nb4 13. Nxb4 Bxb4 14. Bg5 $1
Be7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7 16. b3 h6 17. Qd2 Qa3 18. Re3 $1 O-O 19. Ne1 $1 Rc7 20. b4 {
Timman threatens Bh7+.} Qa4 21. Rg3 Kh8 22. Bc2 Qa6 23. a4 $1 Bxa4 24. Bd3 Nc4
25. Qf4 b5 $5 ({The alternative is} 25... Qc6 26. Rh3 Kg8 27. Rxh6 $1 gxh6 28.
Qxh6 f5 29. exf6 Rff7 30. Qg5+ Kf8 31. Bg6 {and White charges.}) 26. Rh3 Kg8
27. Rg3 $5 Kh8 28. Rh3 Kg8 29. Qg3 $1 Nd2 ({Or} 29... Nb2 30. Rxh6 Nxd3 31.
Nxd3 Qc6 32. Nc5) 30. Rxh6 Ne4 31. Bxe4 dxe4 32. d5 $5 Qc8 33. Rh5 f6 34. exf6
exd5 35. Qh4 (35. Rc1 $1 {decides the game elegantly.}) 35... Qe6 (35... gxf6
36. Rh6 Qb7 {(Timman)} 37. Ra3 $1 {wins for White.}) 36. f7+ Kxf7 37. Qf4+ Kg6
38. Qg5+ Kf7 39. Qf4+ Kg6 40. Rg5+ Kh7 41. Qxf8 Rf7 42. Qd8 {
Speelman suffered from another attack.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Lanchava, Tea"]
[Black "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A35"]
[WhiteElo "2389"]
[BlackElo "2586"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. e3 g6 4. d4 Bg7 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Nh6 7. d5 Na5 8. Qc2 $5
({The alternative is} 8. e4) 8... O-O 9. h4 $5 {Tea wants to attack.} a6 $5 10.
h5 Ng4 $1 11. hxg6 fxg6 $1 {Black keeps the h-file closed.} 12. Ng5 $2 {
She intensifies the confrontation.} ({Preferable is} 12. e4 Bd7 13. Nd1) 12...
Rxf2 $1 13. Rxh7 (13. Bd2 Rxg2 14. Qe4 Rxe2+ $1 15. Kxe2 Nf6 16. Qd3 {(L'Ami)}
Bg4+ {favours Black.}) 13... Qf8 $1 {Black supports his counter.} 14. Qxg6 $2 (
{Better is} 14. Nd1 $1 Rxg2 15. Qxg6 Rg1+ 16. Kd2 Nf6 17. Rh4 b5 {
but Black has an advantage.}) 14... Rxe2+ $1 15. Kxe2 Qf2+ 16. Kd1 Qf1+ ({
The forced win is} 16... Qf1+ 17. Kd2 Nxc4+ 18. Kc2 Ngxe3+ 19. Bxe3 Nxe3+ 20.
Kd2 Nc4+ 21. Kc2 Qf2+ 22. Kb3 Qxb2+ 23. Kxc4 Qxc3#) 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2652"]
[BlackElo "2479"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Qa4+ Qd7 8.
Qb3 O-O 9. Nf3 b6 10. Be3 Bb7 11. Bd3 c5 12. O-O Nc6 13. Rad1 Na5 14. Qb1 cxd4
15. cxd4 e6 16. h4 f5 $5 (16... Rac8 {
was played in Milov - Rowson, Port Barcares 2005.}) 17. Bb5 Qd6 18. d5 $1 {
Sokolov takes the initiative by two pawn sacrifices.} exd5 19. e5 $1 Bxe5 20.
Nxe5 Qxe5 21. Bd4 Qe4 $2 ({Better is} 21... Qd6 $1 22. Qc1 Rad8) 22. Qc1 $1
Qxh4 {The capture of a third pawn indicates desperation.} 23. Qc7 $2 (23. Qe3
$1 Rf7 24. Rfe1 $1 Raf8 25. Be8 {wins for White.}) 23... Rf7 24. Qe5 Re7 $1 {
Black creates an opening for his king.} 25. Qh8+ Kf7 26. Qg7+ Ke6 27. Rfe1+ Kd6
28. Be5+ Kc5 {The black king has escaped from the mating net.} 29. Bd4+ Kd6 $1
30. Rxe7 $5 Qxe7 31. Qh6 Bc6 32. Bc3 Kc7 33. Bb4 Qd7 (33... Qxb4 34. Qxh7+ Kb8
35. Qg8+ Kb7 36. Qf7+ Kb8 37. Qg8+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 34. Ba6 Bb5 $2
(34... Bb7 35. Rc1+ Nc6 36. Rxc6+ Qxc6 37. Qxh7+ {still draws.}) 35. Bxb5 Qxb5
36. Bxa5 Qxa5 37. Qxh7+ Kc6 38. Rc1+ $1 Kb5 39. Qb7 $1 {
The resumed  king hunt becomes successful.} Rh8 40. Rb1+ Kc4 41. Qc6+ Kd3 42.
Rd1+ Ke4 43. Qe6+ Kf4 44. Rd4+ {Sokolov is going to deliver mate in two.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Wells, Peter"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2732"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The last five rounds were played in Wellington College at Crowthorne outside
London. Sokolov had the lead.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. Qb3
c5 6. a3 Ba5 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 g4 10. Nd2 cxd4 11. Nb5 Ne4 12. Nc7+
Kf8 13. O-O-O Nxd2 14. Rxd2 Bxd2+ 15. Kxd2 Bb7 16. Bd6+ Kg7 17. Qg3 Nc6 18.
Nxa8 Bxa8 19. Qxg4+ Qg5+ 20. Qxg5+ hxg5 21. b4 Kf6 {Adams has little advantage.
} 22. c5 $5 ({The alternative is} 22. e3 {
and Black won in Gretarsson - Adams, Reykjavik 2003.}) 22... Ne7 $1 23. cxb6
axb6 24. e3 $2 ({Preferable is} 24. h4 $5 Rxh4 25. Rxh4 gxh4 26. a4) 24...
dxe3+ 25. fxe3 e5 26. h3 $5 {It is problematic to develop the white kingside.}
Nf5 $1 27. Bc7 Ng3 28. Rg1 Ne4+ {Adams chased the leader Sokolov.} (28... Ne4+
29. Kd1 Nc3+ 30. Kd2 Nd5 31. Bd6 Ke6 32. e4 Kxd6 33. exd5 f5 {wins for Black.})
0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "Visser, Yge"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2531"]
[BlackElo "2516"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 Na6 7. O-O e5 8. Be3
h6 9. d5 Ng4 10. Bd2 f5 11. g3 f4 $5 12. Nh4 Qg5 13. Ng2 $5 h5 $5 14. f3 $5
Nxh2 $5 {Visser starts an adventure.} 15. Kxh2 fxg3+ 16. Kg1 Rf4 $2 (16... Qe7
$1 17. Qe1 h4 18. Bd1 Qd7 19. Qe2 {activates the white queen as a defender.})
17. Qc1 Bh3 18. Rd1 Raf8 19. Bf1 Bxg2 20. Bxg2 Qh4 $1 21. Bxf4 exf4 22. Kf1 Qh2
23. Ne2 Nc5 24. Ng1 Nxe4 25. Qc2 $1 Nf2 26. Qxg6 Ng4 27. Re1 Ne3+ 28. Rxe3 fxe3
29. Qe6+ Kh8 30. Qxe3 (30. Nh3 $1 {ends the game.}) 30... Qh4 31. Re1 $2 Bd4 $2
(31... Qxc4+ 32. Ne2 Qxd5 {grabs two pawns.}) 32. Qd3 Bf2 33. Re6 {
Werle has an extra knight.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2531"]
[BlackElo "2594"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. g3 Qb6 6. Nb3 Ne5 7. N1d2 {
They play an adventurous opening.} Bb4 $5 ({Known is} 7... a5) 8. a3 Qc6 $1 9.
axb4 $2 {The sacrifice of an exchange is too ambitious.} Qxh1 10. Nd4 Nf6 11.
N4f3 {The black queen has been imprisoned.} d6 12. b3 $5 O-O 13. Bb2 Nxf3+ 14.
exf3 ({Or} 14. Nxf3 e5 $1 15. Qd2 Bh3) 14... e5 $1 15. h4 Bh3 16. Qe2 Bxf1 17.
Nxf1 Qh3 18. O-O-O Qe6 {The queen has escaped.} 19. Ne3 b5 20. f4 bxc4 21. f5
Qe8 22. bxc4 Qa4 23. b5 a6 24. b6 Qc6 25. g4 Rfe8 26. g5 Nd7 27. f6 Nxb6 28.
fxg7 Nxc4 {Timman was chasing Sokolov.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 4"]
[Site "London/Crowthorne"]
[Date "2006.08.25"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2541"]
[BlackElo "2652"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2006.08.14"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Sokolov, Timman and Adams shared the lead, when the last round began. Adams
played a quiet draw and Timman escaped from a difficult position. So Sokolov
could aim at the overall victory.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5.
a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe2 Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. e4 Bxf3 12.
Qxf3 Nb6 13. Bb3 Qxd4 14. a5 $5 ({An alternative is} 14. Rd1 Qe5 15. Bf4 Qh5)
14... Nbd7 15. Rd1 Qc5 16. a6 bxa6 $5 17. Be3 Qe7 18. Qg3 $6 ({The natural} 18.
Rxa6 {keeps the equality.}) 18... O-O 19. Bg5 Qc5 20. Be3 Qh5 21. Bc2 a5 22.
Bg5 e5 $1 23. Rd3 Qg6 24. Qh4 h6 25. Be3 Rfe8 26. Ba4 Rac8 27. Bxa7 Be7 28. Rg3
Qh7 29. Rf3 Nf8 30. Qg3 Ng6 31. Rf5 Bb4 32. Bb3 Re7 {
Black has little advantage.} 33. Rd1 $4 {Speelman blunders a piece.} ({Right is
} 33. Be3) 33... Rxa7 {Final standings: Ivan Sokolov 9/11, Timman and Adams 81/
2, Werle 7, L'Ami 61/2, Wells 51/2, Speelman 5, Lanchava 41/2, Visser 4,
Howell 31/2, Levitt 3, Day 1. The Dutch players were more successful.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.07"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McNab, Colin"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2416"]
[BlackElo "2666"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The fifth Staunton Memorial happened in Simpson's-in-the-Strand from 7 until
18 viii 2007. Again six British and six Dutch players participated. They were
lodged in the Staunton Hotel.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 Nd7 4. d3 e6 5. Nbd2
Bd6 6. h3 Bh5 7. e4 c6 8. O-O Ne7 9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 a5 11. a3 f6 12. Qe1 $5 e5
13. d4 Qc7 14. c4 Bxf3 15. Bxf3 exd4 16. exd5 c5 $5 ({Preferable is} 16... Be5)
17. Qe6+ Kh8 18. Ne4 Nc8 19. Bg2 Ra6 20. Nxd6 $5 Nxd6 $1 21. Qe2 a4 22. b4 b6
$2 {Sokolov misses a trick.} 23. Bxd4 $1 Raa8 ({The pointe is} 23... cxd4 24.
c5 $1) 24. bxc5 Nxc5 25. Rae1 Nb3 26. Bc3 Rae8 27. Qh5 $6 (27. Qg4 $1 Qxc4 28.
Qxc4 Nxc4 29. Bb4 {attacks.}) 27... Qxc4 28. Bb4 Nc5 29. Rc1 Qb5 30. Rfe1 f5 $6
(30... Rxe1+ 31. Rxe1 Qd7 {offers more resistance.}) 31. Rxe8 Rxe8 32. Bf1 Qd7
33. Bxc5 bxc5 34. Rxc5 Ne4 35. Bb5 Qd8 36. Qxe8+ Qxe8 37. Bxe8 Nxc5 38. d6 Kg8
39. Bxa4 $1 Kf7 40. d7 Ke7 41. Bb5 f4 42. gxf4 Ne6 43. a4 {
The winner of the previous event had a poor start.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.08"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E19"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2724"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qc2
Nxc3 9. Qxc3 c5 10. Rd1 d6 11. b3 Bf6 12. Bb2 Qe7 13. Qc2 Nc6 14. e4 e5 15. d5
Nd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. Rab1 Rae8 18. Ne1 g5 $5 ({An alternative is} 18... g6)
19. Nd3 Bc8 20. Rf1 Bg7 21. Rbe1 g4 $1 22. Qd2 Qf6 23. Re2 Re7 24. b4 Rfe8 25.
Rfe1 Qg6 $1 {Black has the initiative.} 26. Nf4 $6 ({Preferable is} 26. f4 gxf3
27. Bxf3 Bh6 28. Nf4) 26... Qg5 27. bxc5 bxc5 28. Qc2 Be5 29. h4 $2 {
The knight should retreat.} gxh3 30. Nxh3 Qh5 31. Nf4 Bxf4 32. gxf4 f6 {
The kingside has been opened for an attack.} 33. Rd2 Rg7 34. Rd3 Qg4 35. Rg3
Qxf4 {He has gained a pawn.} 36. Qa4 Rf8 $5 37. Rxg7+ Kxg7 38. Qxa7+ Kh8 {
White has regained the pawn, but he cannot stop the charge.} 39. Qa3 Rg8 40.
Kf1 Bg4 (40... Qh2 $1 41. Bf3 Rg3 42. Ke2 d3+ $1 43. Qxd3 Bg4 {
wins for Black (Adams).}) 41. Qb3 Qd2 42. Qg3 Be2+ {
Adams had the highest rating of the players.} ({The pointe is} 42... Be2+ $1
43. Rxe2 Qc1+ $1 44. Re1 Qxc4+) 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.08"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D26"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2666"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 a6 5. Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 b5 7. Be2 e6 8. Nf3
c5 9. e4 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Nxd4 b4 $5 {Black makes a sharp new move.} 12.
Na4 Nxe4 13. Nb6 Bc5 $1 14. Nxc8 ({The alternative is} 14. Nxa8 $5 Bxd4 15. f3
Nc3) 14... Nd7 (14... Bxd4 15. Bf3 Nd7 16. Nd6+ Nxd6 17. Bxa8 {
slightly favours White.}) 15. Be3 Rxc8 16. Bxa6 Rb8 17. Ke2 $5 {
The charge by the white king will end fatally.} e5 18. Nf5 g6 19. Ng3 $2 ({
Preferable is} 19. Nh6 $1) 19... Bxe3 20. Kxe3 Nec5 21. Bc4 f5 $1 {
Sokolov takes the initiative.} 22. f4 Nb6 23. Rac1 $6 ({More active is} 23.
Bb5+ Ke7 24. Rhd1) 23... exf4+ 24. Kxf4 Nxc4 25. Rxc4 Nd3+ $1 26. Kg5 $6 (26.
Ke3 Nxb2 27. Rd4 b3 28. axb3 Rxb3+ 29. Kd2 {tries to survive.}) 26... h6+ $1
27. Kxg6 $5 Ne5+ $1 28. Kg7 Ke7 $1 29. Nxf5+ Ke6 30. Nd4+ $5 Kd5 31. Rxb4 Rbg8+
$1 32. Kf6 Rg6+ 33. Ke7 Rh7+ 34. Kf8 Rf7+ 35. Ke8 Rg8# {
Sokolov attacked forcefully.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.10"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2552"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2
Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. e5 bxc3 11. exf6 Nxf6 12. bxc3 Bd6 13. O-O O-O 14. Bg5 c5 15.
dxc5 $5 ({Known is} 15. Rb1) 15... Bxc5 {White has a weak pawn.} 16. Qa4 h6 17.
Rad1 Qe7 18. Bh4 Rfd8 19. Ne5 Qc7 $5 20. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 21. Nd7 $1 Be7 $1 {
The knight has been caught.} 22. Rd3 Kh7 23. Rfd1 $2 (23. Qd4 $1 Rg8 24. Rg3
Rxg3 25. fxg3 Kh8 26. Bd3 Qc6 27. Rf2 Qd5 28. Nxf6 Qxd4 29. cxd4 {equalises.})
23... Qc6 $1 24. Qxc6 Bxc6 25. c4 $6 (25. Bf3 Bxf3 26. Rxf3 Rab8 27. Rfd3 Rb2 {
also favours Black.}) 25... Rac8 26. g3 Ba4 27. R1d2 Kh8 28. Kg2 $5 Rc7 $5 29.
Nc5 Rxd3 30. Nxd3 Rxc4 31. Nb2 Bc6+ 32. Bf3 Bxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Rc7 {
Black has gained a pawn.} 34. Nd3 Rc3 35. Ke2 Kg7 36. Rb2 Ra3 37. Nc1 Bc5 38.
Rb5 Bb6 39. Rb2 f5 40. Rc2 Kf6 41. Rc4 Ra5 42. Rc2 Ra4 43. Nd3 Ke7 44. Nf4 Re4+
45. Kf3 Kd6 46. Ng2 Ra4 47. Ne3 Ra3 48. Kf4 Bxe3+ 49. fxe3 Ra4+ {
The rook ending is hard to win.} 50. Kf3 Ke7 51. Rb2 Kf6 52. Rc2 h5 $1 53. h4
a5 54. Rb2 Rb4 $1 55. Rc2 a4 56. Rd2 Rc4 57. Rb2 e5 58. Rb6+ Kg7 59. Ra6 $5 (
59. Rb2 Kg6 60. Rd2 a3 {will lose by a passive defence.}) 59... f6 60. a3 Kg6
61. Ke2 f4 $1 {Van Wely makes a breakthrough at the kingside.} (61... f4 62.
gxf4 exf4 63. Kd3 f3 $5 64. Kxc4 f2 {wins for Black.}) 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Houska, Jovanka"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B10"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2401"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 e6 7. d4 Nxc3 8.
bxc3 Qc7 9. Qc2 $5 Nd7 10. Bd3 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Re1 Bd6 13. Be4 Bxe4 14. Rxe4
Nf6 15. Rh4 $5 Rc8 16. Bd2 h6 17. Re1 Nd5 18. Qe4 Nf6 19. Qb1 Nd5 20. Rg4 Kf8
$5 21. Rc1 Qc4 22. Re4 b5 23. Ne5 $1 {Adams takes the initiative.} Qa4 24. f4
Bxe5 $2 25. fxe5 $2 (25. Rxe5 $1 Rd8 26. f5 $1 exf5 27. c4 $1 bxc4 $2 28. Rxd5
$1 {wins for White.}) 25... Ke7 $5 26. Rf1 Rxc3 $6 27. Bxc3 Nxc3 28. Qc1 $1
Nxe4 $2 (28... Rc8 $1 29. Kh1 $1 Nxe4 $1 30. Qxc8 Nf2+ 31. Kg1 Nh3+ 32. gxh3
Qxd4+ 33. Rf2 Qd1+ 34. Kg2 Qd5+ 35. Kg3 Qxe5+ 36. Kf3 Qf6+ 37. Ke3 Qe5+ 38. Kd3
Qd5+ 39. Ke2 Qxa2+ 40. Ke3 Qb3+ 41. Kd2 Qb2+ 42. Qc2 Qd4+ 43. Ke2 f5 {
tries to escape.}) 29. Qc7+ Ke8 30. Qc8+ Ke7 31. Qb7+ $1 Ke8 $5 32. Qxe4 Qa5
33. Qc6+ {Adams scored well.} (33. Qc6+ Ke7 34. Qb7+ Ke8 35. Rc1 $1 {
decides the game.}) 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jones, Gawain"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2526"]
[BlackElo "2552"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Bc4 e6 5. Nge2 Nf6 6. O-O a6 7. d3 b5 8. Bb3
Nxb3 9. axb3 Bb7 10. Bg5 d6 11. f4 h6 $5 ({Theory is} 11... Be7 $1) 12. Bh4 $5
g5 $5 13. Bg3 Bg7 14. Qd2 Nh5 15. f5 $5 ({Preferable is} 15. Bf2 $1 Nxf4 16.
Nxf4 gxf4 17. Qxf4) 15... Nxg3 16. Nxg3 h5 17. Qd1 $2 ({Better is} 17. Nge2 $1
h4 18. Rf2 h3 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. g3) 17... g4 $1 18. Nge2 Qg5 19. Qc1 Qxc1 20.
Raxc1 Ke7 {The two bishops give an edge to Black.} 21. Nf4 Rh6 22. Nd1 exf5 23.
exf5 Kd7 24. Nc3 $2 (24. c3 {prevents the next move.}) 24... Bd4+ $1 25. Kh1 h4
$1 26. Ncd5 h3 $1 27. g3 Bxb2 28. Rce1 Be5 $1 29. Kg1 Re8 30. c4 Bd4+ 31. Kh1
Re5 32. Re4 Rh8 33. Nf6+ Kc8 34. N4d5 Rxe4 35. Nxe4 Kd7 36. Ng5 Re8 $1 37. Nxf7
Re3 $1 38. Rd1 Rf3 39. Nh6 Bg7 40. Nxg4 Rxf5 41. Nge3 Rf3 42. Nb6+ Ke6 43. Ned5
Bd4 44. Nc7+ Kf5 45. Nbd5 Rf2 46. Ne8 Be5 47. Nec7 Rb2 48. Rf1+ Kg6 $1 49. b4
$5 bxc4 {Werle played enterprising chess.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Rc1
d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bg2 Bb7 11. O-O Na6 12. Bf4 Re8 13. Ne5 c5 14. Nb5 Ne4 $5
15. a4 Bf8 16. h4 $1 f6 17. Nd3 Qd7 18. Kh2 Rad8 $2 {
Black lifts the protection of pawn a7.} 19. Bh3 $1 (19. Nxa7 $2 c4 $1 {
(Van Wely)} 20. bxc4 dxc4 21. Nb2 Ba3 {favours Black.}) 19... Qf7 20. f3 $1 Nd6
21. Nxa7 {Now the capture is safe.} c4 $1 22. bxc4 dxc4 23. Nb2 Nb4 24. Bxd6
Bxd6 25. Nxc4 $2 ({Correct is} 25. e4 $1) 25... Bb8 $1 26. Nb5 Na2 27. Rc2 Nb4
28. Rc1 Na2 29. Rc2 Nb4 30. e4 $1 {White has to make a positional sacrifice.}
Nxc2 31. Qxc2 Bc8 32. Qd3 Bxh3 33. Kxh3 f5 $5 34. exf5 Rd5 35. Ne3 Rd7 36. Nc4
g6 37. fxg6 Qe6+ 38. Kg2 hxg6 39. f4 $5 Rc8 40. Ne5 Bxe5 41. fxe5 Qxe5 $1 42.
Qxg6+ Rg7 43. dxe5 Rxg6 44. Re1 $1 {He has an advantage.} Re8 $2 (44... Rd8 $1
45. Nd6 Re6 {defends properly.}) 45. Re4 Rc6 46. Nd6 Rf8 47. Kh3 Kh7 48. h5 Kh6
49. Kg4 Rg8+ 50. Kh4 Rc1 51. Nf7+ Kg7 52. Ng5 Rh1+ 53. Nh3 Kf7 54. g4 Ke7 55.
h6 Kf7 56. g5 Kg6 57. Kg4 {Van Wely played a fine tournament.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.13"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2526"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 g6 6. Qb3 e6 $5 ({
A spicy alternative is} 6... cxd4 7. Bc4 Qe4+ 8. Kf1 e6) 7. Bc4 $1 Qd6 8. Na3
a6 9. dxc5 Qxc5 10. Be3 Qe7 $5 11. O-O-O Nc6 12. Qb6 Nd7 13. Qc7 Nde5 $2 ({
Better is} 13... Nf6 $1 14. Qf4 Bg7 15. Bb6 O-O {(Adams).}) 14. Qxe7+ Bxe7 15.
Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bd4 Bf6 17. Be2 $1 Nd7 18. Nc4 Bxd4 19. Rxd4 Ke7 {
Black has a crammed position.} 20. Rhd1 $1 Ra7 $5 21. a4 a5 22. Kb1 f6 23. Bf3
f5 $6 ({Preferable is} 23... e5 $1 24. Rd5 b6) 24. Nd6 Ne5 25. Be2 b6 26. f4
Nf7 27. Nxf7 Kxf7 28. Rd6 Bb7 29. g3 Be4+ 30. Bd3 Bxd3+ 31. R1xd3 Rc8 $2 {
He gives a pawn in despair.} (31... Rb8 $1 32. Re3 Re7 33. Re5 Kf6 34. h4 h6
35. Rb5 $1 Reb7 36. Rc6 $1 Kf7 37. Kc2 {(Adams)} Kf6 38. b4 axb4 39. cxb4 Kf7 {
tries to survive by a passive defence.}) 32. Rxb6 h6 33. Rdd6 Re7 34. Rb5 Ra8
35. Ka2 g5 36. Ka3 gxf4 37. gxf4 Rc7 38. Re5 Rb7 $5 39. Rexe6 Rab8 40. Re2 {
Adams fought for the lead.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.13"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Smeets, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2538"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. a4 b4 11. Ne4 c5 12. Nxf6+ Nxf6 13. dxc5 Nd7 14. c6 Bxc6 15.
Nd4 $5 (15. Qe2 Nc5 16. Rd1 {drew in Sokolov - Smeets (round 5).}) 15... Bb7
16. Be2 Be7 17. Bf3 Qc7 18. Bd2 Ne5 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. Qh5 Bf6 $1 21. Rfd1 O-O
22. Be1 Rfd8 23. Qe2 Rac8 24. b3 Nd7 25. Rac1 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Bxd4 27. exd4 Nf6
28. Qc4 Nd5 29. Qc6 Qxc6 30. Rxc6 Kf8 $5 {Smeets tries to win.} 31. a5 (31.
Rxa6 $6 Rc8 32. Kf1 Rc1 {favours Black.}) 31... Ke7 32. Rxa6 Rc8 $1 33. Bd2 Kf6
$1 34. Kf1 $1 Rc2 35. Ke2 Rb2 36. Kd3 Rxb3+ 37. Kc2 Ra3 38. Bc1 $6 (38. Kb2 $1
Rd3 39. Bc1 {draws.}) 38... Rc3+ 39. Kd2 $4 ({Right is} 39. Kb2 Rc7 40. Ra8)
39... b3 $1 40. Kd1 Rd3+ 41. Ke2 Rc3 42. Kd1 Rc2 $1 43. Bd2 Rxd2+ 44. Kxd2 b2 {
Black wins the rook. Timman played a poor tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.15"]
[Round "8"]
[White "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2598"]
[BlackElo "2666"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. gxf3
Nbd7 9. f4 e6 10. c5 h6 $5 11. h4 h5 12. Bd3 Be7 13. Qf3 g6 14. Qh3 Ng4 15. Ne2
Nh6 16. Ng1 $2 (16. Bd2 Nf5 17. O-O-O) 16... Bxc5 $1 {
Sokolov delivers a surprising sacrifice.} 17. Nf3 ({The pointe is} 17. dxc5 Qf6
$1 18. Rb1 Qc3+ 19. Ke2 Nxc5 {and Black wins.}) 17... Bb4+ 18. Ke2 Bc3 19. Rb1
Nf5 20. Bxf5 exf5 21. Bd2 $2 (21. Bb2 $1 Bxb2 22. Rxb2 c5 23. dxc5 Nxc5 24. Rc1
$1 Ne4 25. Nd4 {achieves positional compensation.}) 21... Bxd2 22. Nxd2 c5 23.
Nf3 (23. dxc5 Nxc5 24. Rhc1 Rc8 $1 {also wins for Black.}) 23... Rc8 24. Rhd1
c4 25. Ne5 Nf6 {Sokolov scored well after a poor start.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2552"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8.
O-O Nf6 9. Re1 Be7 10. e5 Nd7 11. Qg4 g6 12. Bh6 c5 13. b3 Bb7 14. Na4 Qc7 15.
Qf4 Bf8 16. Bxf8 Kxf8 $5 (16... Rxf8 {drew in Adams - Mamedyarov, Sofia 2007.})
17. c4 d4 18. Qh6+ $1 {Adams takes the initiative.} Kg8 19. Be4 Rb8 20. Nb2 Qd8
21. Nd3 Qf8 22. Qd2 Bxe4 23. Rxe4 Kg7 24. h4 h5 $6 ({Preferable is} 24... Qe7
$5 25. h5 Rhd8 26. h6+ Kg8) 25. b4 $1 cxb4 26. Rxd4 Qe7 27. Rd6 Rhc8 28. Qe3 $1
Rb7 (28... Rxc4 $2 29. Qa7 Rd8 30. Rd1 {wins for White (Adams).}) 29. Qd4 Nb8
30. c5 a5 31. Rd1 Nc6 32. Qe4 Na7 $2 {Werle allows a 'petite combinaison'.} ({
Better is} 32... Rbc7 $1) 33. Nf4 $1 Rxc5 $6 (33... Rbc7 $5 34. R1d3 Nb5 35.
Rxe6 $1 fxe6 36. Qxg6+ Kh8 37. Rg3 Qg7 38. Qxe6 Rc6 39. Rxg7 Rxe6 40. Nxe6 Re8
41. Rb7 {wins for White.}) 34. Rxe6 $1 fxe6 35. Qxg6+ Kh8 36. Qh6+ Kg8 37. Ng6
$1 {Adams and Van Wely joined the lead by 7/9.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 5"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2007.08.17"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Jones, Gawain"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2526"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2007.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5 Nd4 6. O-O a6 7. Bd3 b5 8. Nxd4
Bxd4+ 9. Kh1 Bb7 10. e5 $1 {Jones delivers a fine novelty.} Ra7 11. Be4 Bxc3
12. Bxb7 Bxb2 $1 13. Bxb2 Rxb7 14. f5 Nh6 15. Qf3 Qb6 $2 (15... Qc7 $1 16. e6
f6 17. fxg6 hxg6 18. Bxf6 $1 exf6 19. Qxf6 Qxh2+ $1 20. Kxh2 Ng4+ 21. Kg3 Nxf6
22. Rxf6 Ke7 23. Rxg6 Rb6 24. Rg7+ Kf6 25. Rxd7 Rg8+ 26. Kf2 Kxe6 {
defends properly.}) 16. e6 $1 f6 17. fxg6 hxg6 18. Bxf6 $1 exf6 $6 (18... Rf8
$5 19. Qg3 $1 Rxf6 20. Rxf6 exf6 21. Qxg6+ Ke7 22. exd7 Rxd7 23. Re1+ Kd8 24.
Qxh6 {gains a pawn.}) 19. Qxf6 Rg8 20. Rae1 d5 21. Qg5 $1 Re7 22. Qxh6 Qa5 23.
Rf6 Qxa2 24. Rxg6 Rf8 25. Qxf8+ $1 {Adams took the sole lead. Van Wely played
a quiet draw against Speelman in the last round. The final standings became:
Adams 81/2/11, Sokolov and Van Wely 71/2, Jones, Smeets and Werle 61/2, L'Ami
and Timman 5, Wells 4, Speelman 31/2, McNab 3, Houska 21/2. The Dutchmen
scored more points again.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.07"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2593"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The sixth Staunton Memorial happened in Simpson's-in-the-Strand from 7 until
18 viii 2008. Again British and Dutch players battled in London.} 1. e4 e5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8. c4 Ba6 9.
b3 O-O-O 10. Bb2 Qg5 11. Qf3 $5 {
Smeets makes a risky choice in the Scotch Game.} (11. Qe4 $6 Bb4+ 12. Kd1 {
favoured Black in Blackburne - Zukertort, London 1881.}) 11... Bb4+ 12. Kd1 Nf4
$1 {Adams takes the initiative.} 13. h4 Qh6 14. g3 $1 (14. Bc1 $6 d6 15. e6 $2
Qf6 $1 {wins for Black (Adams).}) 14... Ne6 15. Bc1 Qg6 16. h5 Qc2+ $1 {
An elegant exchange is made.} 17. Kxc2 Nd4+ 18. Kd3 $2 {
The white king will fail as an attacker.} ({Better is} 18. Kb2 $1 Nxf3 19. Be2
$1 Nd4 $1 20. Bg4 {and White has an edge.}) 18... Nxf3 19. Ke4 Nxe5 $1 20. h6
$5 ({Or} 20. Kxe5 Be7 $1) 20... Ng4 $1 21. hxg7 Rhg8 22. Kf5 $2 {
The king commits suicide.} (22. Kf3 $5 Rxg7 23. Bb2 {delivers more resistance.}
) 22... Rxg7 23. f3 Nf2 $1 24. Rh2 Bc5 25. Bh6 Rg6 26. Nd2 Bd4 27. Bg5 Re8 28.
Rxf2 Re5+ {Adams made a brilliant start.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.07"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2644"]
[BlackElo "2524"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c6 7. e3 Be7 8.
Qc2 Nh5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. O-O-O g6 11. Bd3 Ndf6 12. Nd2 $5 ({An alternative is} 
12. h3 Ng7 13. g4 Be6) 12... Be6 13. Nb3 Nd7 $5 14. f3 Ng7 $5 {
Speelman defends passively.} 15. Rhe1 O-O 16. Kb1 Rfc8 17. e4 $1 {
Van Wely takes the initiative in the centre.} a5 18. Nc1 Nb6 19. Qf2 a4 20. a3
Ra5 $5 21. h3 dxe4 $2 ({Preferable is} 21... Nh5) 22. fxe4 Bb3 23. d5 $1 {
White attacks knight b6.} Qc5 24. Qxc5 Rxc5 25. Nxb3 axb3 {
Pawn b3 becomes a weaking.} 26. Be2 Ra8 27. dxc6 bxc6 28. Rd4 Ne6 29. Rb4 Nd7
30. Rxb3 {Loek has gained the weak pawn.} Rg5 31. Bf1 Rg3 32. Ka2 Nec5 33. Rb4
Ne5 {Black has a positional compensation.} 34. Rd1 h5 35. Rd2 Kf8 36. Rc2 Ne6
37. Ne2 Re3 $5 38. Nd4 $1 Nxd4 39. Rxd4 Re8 $5 40. a4 $1 Ra8 41. b3 h4 42. Rb4
Ra7 43. Rc1 Ke7 44. Kb2 Kd6 45. Rd4+ Ke7 46. Kc2 f6 47. Ra1 c5 48. Rd5 Nc6 49.
Kb2 Nd4 50. Ra3 Re1 51. Bc4 Rg1 $2 (51... Ra5 $1 {
continues the restraint of the queenside.}) 52. Rxc5 Rxg2+ 53. Kc3 Ne6 $5 (
53... Nf3 54. Rc6 Ng5 {prolongs the game.}) 54. Bxe6 Kxe6 55. b4 $1 Rd7 $5 56.
Kc4 Re2 57. Rc6+ Ke5 58. a5 $1 Rxe4+ 59. Kb5 $1 {
The pawns on the queenside decide the game.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.08"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C99"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2591"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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 Nc6 14. Nb3 a5 15.
Be3 a4 16. Nbd2 Bd7 17. Rc1 Qb7 18. Qe2 Rfe8 19. Bd3 Rab8 20. dxe5 Nxe5 21.
Nxe5 dxe5 22. Bc5 Bc6 23. Nf3 Nd7 24. Bxe7 Rxe7 25. Rc3 Nf8 26. Rec1 Be8 {
Many moves are known in the Closed Ruy Lopez.} 27. b3 $5 (27. b4 f6 28. a3 {
will draw in Alekseev - Akopian, Jermuk 2009.}) 27... Ne6 28. g3 axb3 29. Rxb3
Nd4 $6 ({Preferable is} 29... Qa6 30. Kg2 Qa5) 30. Nxd4 exd4 31. Rb4 Qd7 32.
Kh2 $5 Qd6 33. Qb2 Rd8 34. Rd1 $1 Qe5 $6 ({Better is} 34... Qf6 35. f4 h5) 35.
Bxb5 $1 Qxe4 36. Rbxd4 $1 Rxd4 37. Rxd4 Qb7 38. Qb4 h5 $2 39. Rd8 $1 Re2 40.
Qc5 $1 {Adams scored his second win.} (40. Qc5 Rxf2+ 41. Qxf2 Qxb5 42. h4 {
gains an exchange.}) 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.10"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C83"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2562"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Adams and Timman had scored 21/2/3.} 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. Be3 Be7 10. c3 Nc5 11. Bc2 Nd7
12. Re1 Ndxe5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Bd4 f6 15. a4 b4 16. f4 $5 (16. cxb4 Bf7 17.
Nc3 {drew in Svidler - Carlsen, Monte Carlo 2007.}) 16... Bg4 17. Qd2 Nc6 18.
Bf2 Bh5 $6 ({Better is} 18... Qd6 19. Bb3 O-O-O) 19. c4 $1 b3 ({The pointe is} 
19... dxc4 $2 20. Be4 $1 Qxd2 21. Nxd2 O-O-O 22. Nf3 {(Adams).}) 20. Bxb3 d4
21. c5 $1 Bf7 22. Bxf7+ Kxf7 23. Qd3 {
White has regained the pawn and achieved a positional plus.} Qd7 $2 (23... Re8
24. Qc4+ Kf8 {defends properly.}) 24. Qc4+ Kf8 {The king blocks a rook.} 25. b4
a5 26. b5 Nb4 27. Nd2 Qd5 28. Qxd5 Nxd5 29. Nb3 $5 Kf7 $5 30. Rad1 $1 {
He attacks in the centre.} Nb4 (30... Nxf4 31. Rxd4 Ng6 32. Rd7 $1 {
also wins for White.}) 31. Bxd4 Rhd8 32. Rd2 Rd5 33. Red1 c6 34. b6 Na6 35. Be3
Nb4 36. Rxd5 Nxd5 37. Bd2 Ke6 38. Kf2 Kd7 39. Kf3 f5 40. Rc1 Bf6 41. Ke2 Bb2
42. Rc4 Ba3 43. Nxa5 Bb2 44. Kd3 Bf6 45. g3 Re8 46. Rc1 Ra8 47. Rb1 Be7 48. Kc4
Bf6 49. Re1 Rb8 {Adams became the sole leader.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.11"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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 Nbd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Be5 Qe7 14. b3 cxb3 15.
axb3 Bg7 $5 ({The solid alternative is} 15... a6 16. O-O h5) 16. O-O O-O 17.
Bxg4 {White regains the pawn.} c5 $5 18. Nxb5 Rfd8 $1 19. Bf3 cxd4 20. Nd6 $6 (
{Preferable is} 20. Rc1 $1) 20... Ng4 $5 21. Bxg4 $6 ({Better is} 21. Bf4 Ne5
22. Nxb7 Qxb7 23. Ra5) 21... Bxe5 22. Nxb7 Qxb7 23. f4 Bg7 24. Qd3 Rac8 25.
Rac1 Qe7 26. Rc4 $6 (26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. e5 Qxh4 28. Bh3 Bf8 29. Kh2 Rd8 30. g3 {
offers more resistance.}) 26... Qxh4 27. Bh3 Rxc4 28. bxc4 e5 29. c5 exf4 30.
c6 Be5 31. Rc1 Bc7 32. Bd7 Rb8 33. e5 Rb2 $1 34. Qe4 d3 {
Van Wely kept chasing Adams.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B14"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2524"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Nf3 Be7 8. c5
Ne4 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Qd3 Nxc3 11. Qxc3 O-O 12. Be2 $5 ({Theory is} 12. Bb5)
12... b6 $2 ({Better is} 12... f6 $1 13. Rd1 Rd8 14. O-O e5) 13. b4 $5 e5 $5
14. Nxe5 Nxe5 $6 (14... Re8 $5 15. O-O Nxe5 16. dxe5 bxc5 17. bxc5 Qxe5 {
defends properly.}) 15. dxe5 a5 $5 16. Qd4 $1 {Adams protects the extra pawn.}
axb4 17. cxb6 $1 Re8 18. O-O Qxe5 19. Qxb4 $1 Bb7 ({The pointe is} 19... Qxe2
$2 20. Rae1 $1) 20. Bf3 Qe7 21. Qd4 Qa3 22. h3 Ra4 23. Qd2 Qd6 24. Rfb1 h6 25.
Rb5 Bc6 26. Rb2 Qf6 27. Rab1 Rd4 28. Qc1 Bb7 29. Rc2 Rf4 30. Rb3 Rc4 31. Rb1
Rf4 32. Qd1 Rd4 33. Rd2 Rxd2 34. Qxd2 Re6 35. Qb4 Qg6 36. a4 Rf6 37. Rb3 Qg5
38. a5 Rf4 39. Qd2 Qf6 40. Re3 d4 {Speelman lost on time.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Cherniaev, Alexander"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C27"]
[WhiteElo "2431"]
[BlackElo "2658"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bc5 4. d3 c6 5. Qf3 d6 6. h3 b5 7. Bb3 a5 8. a4 b4
9. Nb1 $5 ({Known is} 9. Nd1) 9... Be6 10. Nd2 Nbd7 11. Ne2 d5 $1 {
Sokolov seizes the initiative.} 12. g4 $6 {White weakens his position.} h6 13.
Ng3 g6 14. Ndf1 Bd4 15. Ne2 Nc5 16. Nfg3 $6 ({Correct is} 16. Nd2) 16... Nxb3
17. cxb3 Bc5 $1 {Black has a substantial positional advantage.} 18. Bd2 Be7 19.
O-O-O Qb6 $5 20. Kb1 O-O-O 21. Nc1 Nd7 $6 22. Be3 $6 (22. Nf5 $1 gxf5 23. gxf5
{improves the white game.}) 22... d4 $1 23. Bd2 Nc5 24. Kc2 Bh4 25. Rdg1 Qc7
26. Qd1 f6 27. Kb1 Kb7 28. Rg2 Qf7 29. f4 (29. Ka2 Nxa4 $1 {also costs a pawn.}
) 29... Bxb3 30. Nxb3 Qxb3 31. Qxb3 Nxb3 32. Kc2 Nxd2 33. Kxd2 exf4 34. Nf1 f3
35. Rgh2 h5 36. Kc2 Rde8 37. Kb3 f5 38. gxf5 gxf5 39. exf5 Rhf8 {
Sokolov carried out an attack successfully.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2562"]
[BlackElo "2591"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8.
Re1 Bg4 9. Bxe4 dxe4 10. Rxe4 f5 11. Re1 Nc6 12. c3 Qf6 13. Qb3+ Kh8 14. Qe6
Qxe6 15. Rxe6 Rae8 $5 ({Known is} 15... Bxf3 16. gxf3 Rae8) 16. Rxe8 Rxe8 17.
Nbd2 {White has an extra pawn, but the chances are almost equal.} b5 $2 {
Black weakens his queenside.} ({Preferable is} 17... h6 $5 18. b3 Kh7) 18. Kf1
Ne7 $5 19. a4 $1 b4 20. h3 Bh5 21. Nc4 $1 {
He develops the queen's knight at last.} bxc3 22. bxc3 Bf7 23. Nfe5 Bg8 24. Ba3
Bxe5 25. Nxe5 Nd5 26. Re1 $1 {
He has completed the development and threatens 27.Ng6+.} Ra8 27. c4 $1 Nb6 28.
d5 $1 Nxa4 29. Nc6 Nb6 30. Na5 $1 Rd8 31. Bc5 a6 32. Nc6 Rc8 33. Re7 $1 Nxc4
34. Bd4 $1 Bxd5 35. Rxg7 {Adams led by 7/9, one point ahead of Van Wely.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.17"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C96"]
[WhiteElo "2593"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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 Nd7 12. Nbd2 exd4 13. cxd4 Re8 14. dxc5 dxc5
15. e5 $1 {Smeets takes the initiative.} Nf8 16. Qe2 Bb7 17. Ne4 Ne6 18. h4 $5
Qc7 ({The pointe is} 18... Bxh4 $2 19. Nd6 Rf8 20. Nxb7 Nxb7 21. Qe4 {(Smeets).
}) 19. Neg5 Bxg5 20. Nxg5 Nxg5 $2 (20... g6 $1 21. Nxe6 Rxe6 {defends properly.
}) 21. Bxg5 h6 22. Qd3 $1 hxg5 23. Qh7+ Kf8 24. Qh8+ Ke7 25. Qxg7 {
White has a strong attack for the knight.} Rg8 $5 26. Qf6+ Kf8 27. e6 $1 Nc6 $5
(27... Qe7 28. Qh6+ Rg7 29. Rad1 $1 Bc6 30. exf7 Qxf7 31. Re5 Kg8 32. Bf5 $1 {
wins for White.}) 28. hxg5 $5 Rd8 ({Or} 28... Rg7 29. Rad1 $1 Rd8 30. g6 Rxd1
31. Rxd1 Qe7 32. Qxe7+ Kxe7 33. exf7) 29. Qh6+ Rg7 30. g6 $1 fxg6 31. Qh8+ Rg8
32. Qf6+ Ke8 33. Bxg6+ Rxg6 34. Qxg6+ Kf8 35. Re3 {
Smeets punished Short in a tactical game.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.17"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2658"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 d6 8.
Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. Qc2 h5 12. d5 $5 {
Sokolov plays a sharp novelty.} Nxg3 (12... exd5 $5 13. cxd5 Bxd5 14. Nd2 f5 {
brings mutual chances.}) 13. hxg3 Qf6 14. Qd2 g4 15. Nd4 Nd7 16. Nb5 O-O-O $1
17. Nxa7+ Kb8 18. Nb5 Nc5 {Black has compensation for the pawn.} 19. Qc3 Qg5
20. Rd1 exd5 21. cxd5 {Sokolov refuses the offer of a draw.} Bxd5 {
Black has regained the pawn.} 22. b4 $1 {White takes the initiative.} Ne6 23.
e3 Rhe8 24. a4 $1 c6 $6 ({More useful is} 24... Rd7) 25. Nd4 Rc8 26. Nxe6 $6 ({
Preferable is} 26. Ba6 $1 Rc7 27. O-O) 26... Rxe6 27. Qd4 {
White still has the initiative in an equal position.} Kc7 28. a5 $1 Rb8 29. b5
$1 Qe5 30. Qd2 (30. a6 $1 Qxd4 31. Rxd4 Re5 32. Kd2 $5 cxb5 33. Bxb5 Bxg2 34.
Rc1+ Rc5 35. Rf4 Rf8 36. Rf5 {gains a plus.}) 30... Be4 31. axb6+ Rxb6 32. Rc1
Re8 33. Qa2 Kb7 34. Qxf7+ Re7 35. bxc6+ Rxc6 36. Qb3+ {
Sokolov delivers perpetual check.} Ka8 37. Qg8+ Kb7 38. Qb3+ Ka8 39. Qa2+ Ra7
40. Qg8+ Kb7 41. Qf7+ Kb6 42. Qb3+ Kc7 43. Qf7+ Kb6 44. Qb3+ {
Adams kept the lead.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.17"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Cherniaev, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A81"]
[WhiteElo "2644"]
[BlackElo "2431"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. b4 c6 6. c4 Ne4 7. Bb2 O-O 8. a4 $5
({Theory is} 8. O-O) 8... d5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Qb3 $5 Be6 $5 11. b5 Nd7 12. a5
Kh8 13. e3 Rc8 14. Nc3 Bg8 15. Ne2 $6 (15. O-O {completes the development.})
15... Qc7 16. O-O Qc2 $1 {Black has the initiative.} 17. Nc1 $1 g5 $6 (17...
Qc4 $1 18. Ba3 Rfe8 {keeps the edge.}) 18. Qxc2 Rxc2 19. Ba3 g4 20. Ne1 Rc4 21.
Ned3 Nc3 $2 (21... Bf6 {protects the weakness.}) 22. Bxe7 Re8 23. Bh4 Nxb5 24.
Nf4 $1 Nc3 25. Na2 $1 {The counterattack begins.} Ne4 26. Rfb1 $1 b6 27. Nb4 $1
Nc3 28. Rb2 Rec8 {Black cannot defend his central pawn.} 29. Nbxd5 Nxd5 30.
Bxd5 {Van Wely neared Adams.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.18"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B52"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "30"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Adams leads by half-a-point on Van Wely, when the last round begins. The
decisive game begins.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nc6
6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bg7 9. Nde2 Nf6 10. f3 O-O 11. O-O Rfc8 12. Be3
Qd8 13. b3 a6 14. a4 Nd7 15. Rb1 Nc5 {Adams and Van Wely have played 15 known
moves. Mickey has a plus in a solid position. So a draw was acceptable for
Loek.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.18"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Cherniaev, Alexander"]
[Black "Smeets, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2431"]
[BlackElo "2593"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4 Nb6 8. Bb5
a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Qc2 Qc7 11. O-O d5 12. h3 $5 a5 13. a4 Ba6 14. Re1 e6 15.
b3 Bb4 16. Bd2 Nd7 17. Bxb4 axb4 18. Rc1 Rc8 19. Qd2 Qa5 20. Ra2 c5 $1 {
He liberates his position.} 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Rac2 O-O 23. Qe3 Rfc8 24. Rxc5
Rxc5 25. Rxc5 Nxc5 26. Nbd2 Qc7 27. Ne1 Nd7 28. Ndf3 h6 29. Qd4 Qc3 $1 30. Qxc3
$2 ({Right is} 30. Qe3 $1 Nc5 31. Nd4) 30... bxc3 {
Black's passed pawns become very strong.} 31. b4 Bc4 32. a5 $2 (32. Nd4 $1 g5
$1 33. g3 Nxe5 34. b5 {offers more resistance.}) 32... f6 $1 33. exf6 e5 $1 {
The c-pawn is going to queen soon.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 6"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2008.08.18"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Wade, Robert"]
[Black "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B50"]
[WhiteElo "2167"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2008.08.07"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Robert Wade participated at the age of 87. He lost all games.} 1. e4 c5 2. b3
Nc6 3. Bb2 Nf6 4. Nc3 d6 5. Nf3 e5 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. Qe2 g6 8. Nd5 Bg7 9. Nxf6+
Qxf6 10. h3 O-O $5 ({Known is} 10... a6 11. Bxc6 Bxc6) 11. d3 a6 12. Bc4 Qd8
13. O-O $2 ({Preferable is} 13. a4 Qa5+ 14. c3) 13... Ne7 $1 14. c3 b5 15. Bd5
Nxd5 {Black makes a favourable exchange.} 16. exd5 f5 $1 17. c4 g5 $1 18. Rae1
b4 19. Bc1 h6 20. Nh2 $5 Qf6 21. Bb2 Qg6 22. g4 $6 a5 23. Ra1 a4 24. a3 $6 axb3
25. axb4 cxb4 26. Qd2 fxg4 27. hxg4 Rxa1 28. Rxa1 e4 29. Ra7 $6 Bxb2 30. Qxb2
Qf6 31. d4 $2 (31. Qxf6 Rxf6 32. Rb7 exd3 33. Nf1 Bxg4 34. Rxb4 {
prolongs the game.}) 31... Qxf2+ $1 32. Qxf2 Rxf2 33. Rb7 b2 34. Rxb4 Rc2 35.
Nf1 e3 $1 36. Nxe3 Rc1+ 37. Kf2 b1=Q 38. Rxb1 Rxb1 39. c5 Rb4 {The final standi
ngs became: Adams 8, Van Wely 71/2, Smeets 7, Timman 61/2, L'Ami and Sokolov 6,
Speelman, Short and Werle 51/2, Wells 5, Cherniaev 31/2, Wade 0. The Dutchmen
won again. Wade died before the end of the year, but this was no direct
consequence of the Staunton Memorial.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Jones, Gawain"]
[Black "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2554"]
[BlackElo "2593"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The seventh Staunton Memorial was played at Simpson's-in-the-Strand from 8
until 17 viii 2009. Five British and five Dutch players carried out double
rounds, according to the Scheveningen System. Short, Howell, McShane, Jones
and Adams battled versus Smeets, Van Wely, Sokolov, L'Ami and Werle. I will
analyse the decided games.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+ 5. c3
Bc5 6. Be3 Bb6 7. Nf5 Bxe3 8. Nxe3 Nf6 9. f3 O-O 10. c4 d6 11. Qd2 $5 ({
Theory is} 11. Nc3) 11... Ne5 12. Be2 Be6 13. Nc3 Kh8 $6 {
Black has a passive game.} 14. f4 $1 Neg4 15. Nc2 $1 {
Knight g4 meets a problem.} Nh6 16. O-O-O a6 17. f5 $5 ({
The pawn avalanche after} 17. h3 $1 {is even worse for Black.}) 17... Bd7 18.
Qf4 $1 Bc6 19. g4 Nd7 20. g5 Ng8 21. h4 Re8 22. f6 $6 {
The advance is premature.} gxf6 23. Bg4 $6 Ne5 24. Bf5 $6 Bd7 $2 (24... Nxc4 $1
25. Qg4 Bd7 $1 26. Bxd7 Ne5 {equalises.}) 25. Ne3 Be6 26. Kb1 $2 b5 $2 ({
He misses the chance} 26... Nxc4 27. Bxe6 $6 Nxe3 $1) 27. c5 $1 b4 28. Ncd5 Rb8
29. gxf6 $5 Nxf6 30. Qh6 $1 Bxd5 31. Rhg1 $2 (31. Rxd5 $1 {wins at once.})
31... Ng6 $1 32. Nxd5 Nxd5 33. h5 Nc3+ $5 34. bxc3 $2 ({The cold-blooded} 34.
Ka1 $1 {wins for White.}) 34... bxc3+ 35. Kc1 c2 $2 ({Better is} 35... Qh4 $1
36. Bxg6 fxg6 37. Rxg6 Re7 38. Rf6 Rg7 39. Rdf1 Kg8) 36. Kxc2 $2 (36. hxg6
cxd1=Q+ 37. Rxd1 fxg6 38. Rh1 Re7 39. Qxg6 Qg8 40. Qf6+ Rg7 41. Rxh7+ Qxh7 42.
Bxh7 Kxh7 43. cxd6 cxd6 44. Qxd6 {brings a plus.}) 36... Qh4 $1 37. Rd2 $6 ({
Preferable is} 37. Qe3 $5 Ne5 $1 38. Qg3 Qxg3 39. Rxg3 dxc5) 37... Rxe4 $1 38.
Bxe4 Qxe4+ 39. Rd3 Qc4+ 40. Kd2 Rb2+ 41. Ke3 Qe6+ {
White is mated in a sudden counterattack.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 Bb6 6. Bb3 d6 7. h3 Ne7 8. Nbd2
c6 9. Nc4 Bc7 10. Qc2 $5 Ng6 11. g3 $5 d5 $1 12. Ne3 h6 13. Bd2 Be6 14. c4 Ne7
$5 15. g4 d4 $2 16. Nf5 Bxf5 17. exf5 $6 {Black weakens the centre.} ({
Preferable is} 17. gxf5 g6 18. fxg6 Nxg6 19. O-O-O) 17... e4 $1 18. dxe4 d3 $1
19. Qc3 O-O $1 20. Bc2 $2 {McShane sacrifices a piece.} (20. e5 $1 Ne4 21. Qc1
$1 Nxd2 22. Kxd2 $1 Ba5+ 23. Ke3 $1 Qd7 24. Kf4 d2 25. Qc2 Rad8 26. Kg3 {
defends in an adventurous way.}) 20... dxc2 21. Qxc2 c5 22. e5 Nd7 23. O-O-O
Nxe5 24. Bxh6 $1 Qb8 25. Bxg7 $5 Kxg7 26. Ng5 Ng8 27. Qc3 Nf6 28. Kb1 Nc6 29.
Rd7 Nd4 30. Ne6+ Nxe6 31. g5 $5 Nxg5 32. Rg1 Bf4 33. h4 Qe5 34. Rxg5+ Kh8 $1 {
Sokolov has stopped the attack and gained material.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C49"]
[WhiteElo "2684"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. O-O O-O 7. Nd5 Bd6 $5 {
This move looks clumsy, but it is alright.} (7... Bc5 8. d3 h6 {
drew in Weiss - Hruby, Wien 1882.}) 8. Re1 Nxd5 9. exd5 b5 $2 ({Preferable is} 
9... Nd4 $1 10. c3 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3) 10. dxc6 bxa4 11. Nxe5 dxc6 12. d4 Qh4 13.
c3 Be6 $1 14. Qxa4 Bd5 15. Qd1 Rfe8 16. Bd2 Bxe5 17. dxe5 Rad8 18. b3 Re6 19.
Re3 Rg6 20. Rg3 Rxg3 21. hxg3 Qe4 22. Qf1 h6 $6 (22... Bxb3 $1 23. axb3 Rxd2
24. Qxa6 g5 $1 {offers the last chance.}) 23. Bf4 Qc2 24. Qc1 Be4 25. g4 Qxc1+
26. Rxc1 g5 27. Be3 Kg7 28. f3 Bg6 29. Bd4 Rd5 30. b4 $1 Bd3 31. e6+ Kf8 32.
Re1 Bc4 33. Bc5+ $1 Ke8 34. exf7+ Kxf7 35. Re7+ Kg6 36. Rxc7 Rd1+ 37. Kh2 Bd5
38. Bd4 h5 39. gxh5+ Kxh5 40. a4 g4 41. Rh7+ {
The Netherlands led by 3-2 on Britain.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2632"]
[BlackElo "2684"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 c6 6. Be2 Bf5 7. O-O Nd7 8. c4
N5f6 $5 ({Known is} 8... Nb4) 9. Bf4 Qb6 $5 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Qd2 e5 $5 12.
dxe5 O-O-O 13. Nc3 Nc5 14. Nd5 $6 {
White should sacrifice a pawn instead of a piece.} (14. Qe3 $1 Qxb2 15. Bg5 Rd7
16. Rad1 {gains a plus.}) 14... cxd5 15. cxd5 Kb8 $6 (15... Ne4 16. Qc2+ Kb8
17. Bd3 Rc8 18. Qb3 Qxb3 19. axb3 Bc5 {slightly favours Black.}) 16. Be3 $1 f6
$2 ({Right is} 16... Re8) 17. b4 $2 (17. Rfc1 $1 fxe5 18. b4 {
achieves an advantage.}) 17... Ne4 18. Bxb6 Nxd2 19. Bxd8 Bxb4 $1 20. a3 Rxd8
21. axb4 Nxf1 22. Bxf1 fxe5 {Black has a material equality.} 23. Bc4 a6 24. Re1
e4 25. g4 $6 ({Wiser is the preparatory move} 25. h3) 25... Bxg4 26. Rxe4 {
All white pawns are weak.} Bf5 27. Re5 g6 28. f4 Kc7 29. Re7+ Rd7 30. Re8 $2 (
30. Rxd7+ Bxd7 31. Kf2 b6 32. Ke3 a5 33. bxa5 bxa5 34. Kd4 Kd6 35. Bb3 a4 36.
Bc2 {tries to survive in a bishop ending.}) 30... Kd6 31. b5 $2 a5 $1 {
Short scored his second win.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2554"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nh5 8. g3
Bh3 9. Re1 exd4 10. Nxd4 Nf6 11. Bf1 $5 ({Usual is} 11. Bg5 h6 12. Be3) 11...
Bxf1 12. Kxf1 Nc6 13. Nc2 $5 Nd7 14. Ne3 Bxc3 $6 ({The alternative is} 14...
Nc5 $1) 15. bxc3 Nc5 16. f3 Ne5 17. Ba3 $1 Qf6 $2 ({Better is} 17... Ned3 18.
Re2 Qf6) 18. Bxc5 $1 dxc5 19. f4 $1 Nc6 20. Nd5 Qd8 21. Qa4 Nb8 $2 ({
Preferable is} 21... Ne7 22. Rad1 Nxd5 23. cxd5 a6) 22. Rab1 $1 c6 ({Or} 22...
b6 23. Red1 $1) 23. Nb6 $1 Qd3+ 24. Kg1 axb6 25. Qxa8 Qxc4 26. Qxb7 b5 27. Rbd1
$1 Qxc3 28. e5 Qc2 29. Qe7 Qc3 30. e6 Kg7 31. Qxf8+ $1 {Van Wely won elegantly.
} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D58"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2699"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Rc1
Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Be2 c5 12. O-O cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nc6 $5 14. Ncb5
Nxd4 15. Nxd4 Rc8 16. Qa4 a5 {The chances are equal.} 17. Rcd1 Qe7 18. a3 g6
19. Rd2 h5 20. Rfd1 Rc5 21. Qb3 Qc7 22. Bf3 Rd8 23. Qd3 Qc8 24. Qf1 Ba6 25. Be2
Bc4 26. b4 axb4 27. axb4 Bxe2 28. Qxe2 Rc4 29. Qf3 Kg7 30. Qf4 b5 31. g3 Qd7
32. Ra2 Qe7 33. Ra6 Rdc8 34. Qf3 Bxd4 35. exd4 $2 ({Better is} 35. Rxd4 Rxd4
36. exd4 Qxb4 37. Qxd5) 35... Rxb4 36. Qxd5 Rd8 37. Qc6 Rbxd4 38. Rxd4 Rxd4 39.
Qxb5 $2 Rd1+ $1 40. Kg2 Qe4+ {Britain equalised the match to 5-5.} (40... Qe4+
41. Kh3 Rg1 $1 42. f3 Qc2 43. Qe5+ Kh7 {wins for Black.}) 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Smeets, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2699"]
[BlackElo "2632"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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. cxd5 Nxd3 10. Qxd3 Qxd5 11. Re1 Bf5 12. Ne5 O-O-O 13. Qf3 g6 14. g4 Bb4
$5 ({The alternative is} 14... Bh4 15. Nc3 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Be6 17. g5 Rhe8) 15.
Re2 $2 ({Correct is} 15. Re3 $1) 15... Bxg4 $1 16. Nxg4 Nc3 $1 17. Qxd5 $6 ({
Preferable is} 17. Re3 Qxf3 18. Rxf3 Ne2+ 19. Kg2 Nxc1 20. Nc3 Rxd4 21. Ne5)
17... Nxe2+ 18. Kf1 Rxd5 19. Kxe2 Rxd4 {Black has a pleasant endgame.} 20. Ne3
Rh4 21. Nf1 Bd6 22. Be3 Bxh2 23. Nxh2 Rxh2 24. Nd2 Re8 {
He has kept his advantage.} 25. Rc1 b6 26. Kf3 Rh3+ 27. Kg2 Rh5 28. Rc4 Rd5 29.
Kf3 Re6 30. b3 Kd7 31. Rf4 f6 32. Rh4 h5 33. Nc4 c5 34. Ke2 Rd4 35. Rh1 Ke7 36.
Nb2 Kf7 37. Kf3 Rd5 38. Ke2 Rd4 39. Kf3 Rd7 40. Ke2 Re4 41. Kf3 Re8 42. Kg3 Rh8
$1 {Black threatens .. g5.} 43. f4 Ke6 44. Kf3 Kf5 45. Rg1 Rg7 $6 46. Rd1 g5
47. fxg5 fxg5 48. Rd5+ Ke6 49. Ke4 ({Or} 49. Rxg5 Rxg5 50. Bxg5 h4 $1) 49... h4
$1 {Smeets played an accurate game.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B21"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. d3 g6 3. f4 Bg7 4. Nf3 d5 5. Be2 Nc6 6. O-O Nf6 7. e5 Ng4 8. c3 d4
9. Ng5 Nh6 10. Bf3 $5 ({Known is} 10. Ne4) 10... dxc3 11. bxc3 Nd4 $5 12. cxd4
$1 {Jones accepts the provocation.} Qxd4+ 13. Rf2 Qxa1 14. Rb2 $1 {
The queen is imprisoned.} Nf5 $2 (14... f6 $1 15. Nd2 $1 fxg5 16. Nb3 Qxb2 17.
Bxb2 gxf4 18. Nxc5 O-O {gets two rooks for the queen and almost equalises.})
15. Nc3 $1 Nd4 16. Nge4 Nxf3+ 17. gxf3 b6 18. Qc2 O-O 19. Rb1 {
He catches the queen.} Qxb1 20. Qxb1 Rd8 21. Kg2 h6 22. Be3 Be6 23. Nf2 f6 24.
Ne2 Kh7 25. d4 Bc4 26. Qc2 cxd4 27. Nxd4 Rac8 28. Qa4 fxe5 29. fxe5 a5 30. Nc6
$1 b5 31. Qxa5 Rd7 32. Qa6 Rf8 33. f4 g5 34. fxg5 Bd5+ 35. Kg1 hxg5 36. Nb4 Bf3
37. Qxb5 Rdd8 38. h3 Rf5 39. Nbd3 Be2 40. Qb1 Kh8 41. Nc1 Rxe5 42. Nxe2 Rxe3
43. Qb6 {Luke wins a lot of material.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C58"]
[WhiteElo "2684"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8.
Bd3 h6 9. Ne4 Nd5 10. O-O g6 11. Re1 Bg7 12. Bf1 O-O 13. d3 f5 $5 14. Nc5 Qd6
15. Nb3 Nb7 ({The alternative will become} 15... Nxb3 $5 16. axb3 c5) 16. g3
Be6 17. c4 Nb6 18. Qc2 Nd7 19. Nc3 a5 20. Na4 g5 21. Bd2 Bf7 $6 (21... f4 $1 {
takes the initiative.}) 22. Bc3 Rfe8 23. d4 $1 e4 (23... exd4 24. Nxd4 Bxd4 25.
Bxd4 Qxd4 26. Red1 Qe5 27. Rxd7 {also favours White.}) 24. Rad1 Bg6 $6 ({
Slightly better is} 24... Qg6 $5 25. Be2 f4) 25. c5 $1 Qc7 26. d5 $1 cxd5 27.
Rxd5 Bxc3 28. Qxc3 Ne5 29. Red1 f4 30. c6 $1 Qxc6 31. Rxe5 $1 {
Britain took the lead by 8-7.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B76"]
[WhiteElo "2632"]
[BlackElo "2554"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. O-O-O d5 10. Kb1 Nxd4 11. e5 Nf5 12. exf6 exf6 13. Bc5 d4 14. Bxf8 Qxf8
15. Nb5 Ne3 16. Rc1 $5 {
White has a slight material advantage but Black has a positional compensation.}
({Usual is} 16. Re1 f5 17. f4) 16... f5 17. Nxd4 f4 18. c3 Qd6 19. Bd3 Bxd4 20.
cxd4 Be6 $6 ({Preferable is} 20... Qxd4 21. Qc3 Qd5 22. Bc4 Bf5+ 23. Ka1 Qd7)
21. Be4 Rd8 22. g3 Nc4 23. Qc3 b5 24. gxf4 Qxf4 25. Rhd1 b4 26. Qd3 Nb6 $6 (
26... Ne3 $5 27. Re1 Nf5 28. d5 Ne7 29. Rc5 Qxh2 {offers more resistance.}) 27.
Qd2 Qd6 28. Qg5 Re8 29. Qg3 Qd8 30. Qc7 Qf6 31. d5 $1 Bd7 32. d6 Ba4 33. b3 Bb5
34. Qxa7 Nd7 35. Qd4 Qh4 36. Bc6 Qh5 37. Bxb5 Qxb5 38. Qd5 Qa6 39. Re1 Rd8 40.
Re7 Kh8 41. Rxf7 {Smeets won a solid game.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D76"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2614"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. cxd5 Nxd5 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8.
d4 Nc6 9. d5 Na5 10. Qc2 c6 11. dxc6 Nxc6 12. Rd1 Bf5 13. e4 Bd7 14. Qe2 Qc8
15. Be3 Bg4 16. Rac1 Qe6 17. h3 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 h5 $5 ({Theory is} 18... Ne5 19.
Bg2 Nec4) 19. Bg2 Nc4 20. Bg5 Rad8 $6 ({'Preferable is} 20... Nb6 21. f4 Bd4+
22. Kh2 Rad8) 21. Nd5 $1 Nxb2 22. Rd2 Na4 23. Qd1 f6 $1 24. Bf4 $5 Nb6 25. Bc7
Rc8 $5 26. Nf4 Qf7 27. Bxb6 axb6 28. e5 $1 {White threatens Bd5!} Kh7 29. Bd5
Qe8 30. Ne6 Rh8 $2 (30... Bh6 $1 31. Nxf8+ Qxf8 32. f4 fxe5 $1 {
offers more resistance.}) 31. exf6 exf6 32. Bb3 Nb8 33. Rxc8 Qxc8 34. Rd6 Re8
35. Qd5 Bh6 36. Qd4 Qc1+ 37. Kg2 Re7 38. Qxf6 Nc6 39. Nf8+ {
Black will be mated in two.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Be3
Re8 9. d5 Nh5 10. g3 Bf8 11. Ne1 Ng7 12. Nd3 f5 13. f3 Be7 14. Qd2 a5 15. Rac1
$5 b6 16. b4 $5 axb4 17. Nxb4 Bb7 18. Nc6 Bxc6 19. dxc6 Nc5 {
White has weakened his queenside.} 20. Rcd1 Nce6 21. Nd5 Rf8 22. Bd3 f4 $1 {
Black delivers a positional sacrifice.} 23. gxf4 exf4 24. Nxf4 Nxf4 25. Bxf4
Ne6 26. Be3 Bg5 27. f4 $2 {White blunders a pawn.} ({Better is} 27. c5 Bxe3+
28. Qxe3 Nxc5 29. Bc4+ Kg7 30. f4 {and the chances are equal.}) 27... Bxf4 28.
Rxf4 Qg5+ $1 29. Kh1 Rxf4 30. c5 $5 Qh5 31. Bxf4 Qf3+ 32. Kg1 Nxf4 33. Bf1 Qg4+
34. Kh1 Qf3+ 35. Kg1 bxc5 36. Re1 Qg4+ 37. Kh1 Qf3+ 38. Kg1 Rf8 39. a4 Qg4+ 40.
Kh1 Qf3+ 41. Kg1 Nh3+ $5 42. Bxh3 Qxh3 43. a5 c4 44. Qe2 Qc3 45. Rd1 Qxa5 46.
Qxc4+ Kg7 47. Qd4+ Rf6 48. Kh1 Qb5 49. Qc3 Qe2 50. Re1 Qg4 51. Re3 Qd1+ 52. Re1
Qg4 53. Qd3 Qh4 54. Re3 Re6 55. Re2 Re5 56. Qc3 Qf6 57. Qh3 Rh5 58. Qd7+ Kh6
59. Rg2 Qf1+ 60. Rg1 Qf3+ {The standings became 10-10 in Britain - Netherlands.
} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "Werle, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2614"]
[BlackElo "2575"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qf3 bxc6 7. Nc3 Qxf3
8. gxf3 Ne7 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. fxe3 d6 11. Rg1 O-O 12. f4 Kh8 13. O-O-O f5 14. e5
dxe5 15. Bc4 exf4 $6 ({Usual is} 15... Ng6 $1) 16. exf4 Rb8 17. Rde1 Ng8 18.
Na4 $1 {White has an excellent compensation for the pawn.} Bd7 $6 ({
More useful is} 18... g6) 19. Nc5 Rbd8 20. Rg3 Bc8 21. Ra3 $1 Rd4 22. b3 Rxf4
23. Rxa7 Rd4 24. Rxc7 {He has regained the pawn in a superior position.} f4 25.
Bxg8 $5 Rxg8 26. Rf7 $5 Rd5 27. b4 $5 Rf5 28. Rxf5 Bxf5 29. a4 g5 30. a5 f3 $2
({Better is} 30... g4 $1 31. a6 g3 32. hxg3 fxg3) 31. Kd2 $1 g4 32. a6 h5 $5
33. Re5 Bg6 34. Ke3 h4 35. Kf2 Bh7 36. a7 Bxc2 $5 37. Rg5 $2 (37. Nd7 $1 Ra8
38. Ra5 {wins for White.}) 37... Ra8 $6 (37... g3+ 38. hxg3 hxg3+ 39. Rxg3 Ra8
40. Rxf3 Rxa7 {tries to survive.}) 38. Rxg4 Rxa7 39. Rxh4+ Kg7 40. Kxf3 Ra1 41.
Rc4 Bd1+ 42. Kf4 Ra2 43. h4 Rh2 44. Ke5 Bf3 45. Ne6+ Kh6 46. Nd4 Bd5 47. Rc5
Bg2 $6 (47... Bh1 $5 48. Nxc6 Rxh4 49. b5 {favours White.}) 48. Rc2 $1 Kh5 49.
Ne6 {Werle scored poorly.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jones, Gawain"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C63"]
[WhiteElo "2554"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 {Sokolov plays an ancient opening.} 4. d3 fxe4 5.
dxe4 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. Re1 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Qd3 $1 Qd7 10. Nc3 a6 11. Bxc6 bxc6
12. Ne2 h6 13. Ng3 Bf7 14. Qc3 g6 $2 {This blunder costs a pawn.} 15. Rd1 $1 {
White threatens Nxe5!} Qc8 16. Qxc6+ Ke7 17. b3 Be6 18. Bb2 Kf7 $1 19. Rd3 Be7
20. Qc3 Nd7 21. Rf1 Qb7 22. Nh2 Raf8 23. f4 Qb6+ 24. Kh1 exf4 25. Qd2 $5 g5 $5
26. Bxh8 Rxh8 27. Nf3 $2 ({Correct is} 27. Qe2) 27... Nc5 $1 28. Rd4 fxg3 $2
29. Rb4 $1 Qa5 30. Ne5+ $1 Kg7 31. Nc6 Qxa2 32. Nxe7 $6 Qb2 $1 33. Rd4 $2 (33.
Nf5+ $1 Bxf5 34. exf5 {wins for White.}) 33... Re8 $1 34. Nf5+ Bxf5 35. exf5
Ne4 $1 36. f6+ $2 (36. Qb4 Qxc2 37. Rc4 Nf2+ 38. Kg1 Nxh3+ 39. Kh1 Nf2+ {
leads to perpetual check.}) 36... Kf8 37. Qb4 Nf2+ 38. Kg1 Qxc2 $2 39. Rd2 $1
Qc6 40. f7 Re4 41. Qb8+ Kxf7 42. Rdd1 $2 {The tables turn for the last time.} (
{Right is} 42. Rd3 $1) 42... Qc5 $1 43. Rc1 Qe3 44. Rxc7+ Kg6 $1 45. Qg8+ Kh5
46. Qf7+ Kh4 47. Rc4 d5 48. Rxe4+ dxe4 49. b4 Nxh3+ 50. Kh1 Qg1+ $1 {
Sokolov decides the game elegantly.} 51. Rxg1 Nf2+ 52. Qxf2 gxf2 53. g3+ Kh3
54. Ra1 e3 {The standing was equal halfway during the match.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.13"]
[Round "6"]
[White "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2593"]
[BlackElo "2554"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "176"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. Be3
c6 9. d5 c5 10. Ne1 Kh8 11. Nd3 Ng8 12. Qd2 Qe7 13. Rae1 Nb6 $5 ({Usual is} 
13... f5) 14. b3 f5 15. exf5 gxf5 16. f4 e4 $1 17. Nf2 Qf6 18. Rc1 Bd7 19. Kh1
Nh6 20. Ncd1 Qg6 21. Qe1 Bd4 22. Bd2 {Erwin retreats.} Rg8 23. g3 Rg7 24. Ne3
Re8 25. Bd1 Nc8 26. Bc3 Qf6 27. Qd2 b5 28. Bh5 Rf8 29. Rfd1 $1 Bxc3 30. Qxc3
Qxc3 31. Rxc3 b4 32. Rc2 {The chances are equal.} Ne7 33. a3 Rb8 34. Ra1 Neg8
35. Bd1 Bc8 36. axb4 Rxb4 37. Rca2 a6 38. Kg1 Rb6 39. Kf1 Nf6 40. Ke1 Nhg4 41.
Nfxg4 fxg4 42. Re2 h5 43. Ng2 Kg8 44. Bc2 Re7 45. Kd2 Kf7 46. Kc3 Bf5 47. Ne3
Kg6 48. Ree1 Re8 49. Ng2 Kf7 50. Ra2 Reb8 51. Rea1 Ra8 52. Nh4 $1 Bh7 53. Re1
Re8 54. Ra3 Re7 55. Rea1 Ra7 56. Kd2 Kg7 57. Ke3 Kh6 58. Rh1 Ra8 59. Bd1 Rg8
60. Ra2 Rg7 61. Re2 Rgb7 62. Kd2 a5 $1 63. Re3 a4 64. bxa4 Rb1 65. Rhe1 R7b4
66. Kc3 Rc1+ 67. Bc2 Rxc2+ $1 68. Kxc2 Rxc4+ 69. Kb3 Rd4 70. a5 $5 Nxd5 71.
R3e2 c4+ $5 72. Ka4 c3+ 73. Kb5 $2 ({Correct is} 73. Ka3 $1 Rc4 74. Rd1 Rc5 75.
a6 Ra5+ 76. Kb3 Bg8 77. Rxe4 Ne3+ 78. Kb4 Nxd1 79. Kxa5 c2 80. Nf5+ Kg6 81.
Ne7+ Kg7 82. a7 c1=Q 83. a8=Q Qc5+ 84. Ka6 Bc4+ 85. Kb7 Bd5+ 86. Nxd5 Qxd5+ 87.
Kb8 {and Black will deliver perpetual check.}) 73... e3 $1 {
Suddenly Black wins.} 74. f5 Rd2 75. Rg2 c2 76. Rc1 e2 $1 77. Rgg1 Rd1 78. a6
Rxg1 79. Rxg1 Nc3+ 80. Kb6 Bg8 $1 81. a7 Bd5 82. f6 Nd1 $1 83. Nf5+ Kg5 84. f7
c1=Q 85. f8=Q {White queens but Black charges.} Qc6+ 86. Ka5 Qc5+ 87. Ka6 Qc6+
88. Ka5 Qc7+ {Jones has a mate attack.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.13"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C99"]
[WhiteElo "2632"]
[BlackElo "2614"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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 Nc6 14. a3 Bd7 15.
d5 Na5 16. b4 Nb7 $5 {Howell defends passively.} ({An alternative is} 16...
Rfc8) 17. Nb3 Nh5 18. Bd3 g6 19. Bh6 Rfc8 20. Rc1 Qd8 21. Qe2 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8
23. Rxc8 Qxc8 24. Qe3 Qc3 $2 (24... Nd8 25. Qa7 Qb7 26. Qxb7 Nxb7 {is alright.}
) 25. Qa7 $1 Qxb3 26. Qxb7 Nf6 27. Bf1 Qc2 28. Qxa6 Nxe4 $5 29. Qa8+ Bc8 ({Or} 
29... Qc8 30. Qxc8+ Bxc8 31. Bxb5) 30. Bd3 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 $1 {
Smeets has a mate attack.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.13"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E70"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bd3 O-O 6. Nge2 a6 7. h3 Nbd7 8. Be3
c5 9. O-O b6 10. a4 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bb7 12. b4 $5 {
White becomes vulnerable on the fourth rank.} (12. a5 Nc5 13. axb6 Qxb6 {
was played in Sokolov - Bologan, Poikovsky 2006.}) 12... Rc8 13. Nf3 a5 14. Rb1
axb4 15. Rxb4 Nc5 16. Qb1 Nfd7 17. Nd5 Bc6 18. Nxb6 $6 {
The following exchanges weaken the white position.} Nxb6 19. Rxb6 Nxa4 20. Rb4
Nc5 21. Nd4 Bd7 22. Qc2 Ra8 $1 23. Rfb1 Ra3 24. Be2 Qa8 $1 {
Black takes the initiative.} 25. Bf3 Be5 26. Nb5 Ra2 $1 27. Qd1 Bc6 28. Nc7 Qa7
$5 29. Nd5 Rc8 30. Bg4 $5 e6 $1 31. Rb6 Kg7 $2 {Black is short of time.} (31...
h5 32. Rxc6 Rxc6 33. Nb4 Rc8 34. Nxa2 hxg4 {achieves an advantage.}) 32. f4 $1
Ba4 $5 33. Qf3 $5 Ba1 34. Kh2 $5 Bd7 $5 (34... exd5 35. Bxc8 dxe4 36. Qg3 Qc7
37. Rxa1 $1 Rxa1 38. Bd4+ Kf8 39. Bxa1 Qxb6 40. Qc3 $1 {also wins for White.})
35. Rxd6 Kf8 36. Nb6 Qc7 37. Bxc5 {Sokolov has gained material.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.13"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Werle, Jan"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D63"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2684"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Be7 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1
Re8 9. a3 a6 10. c5 Ne4 $5 ({Known is} 10... c6 11. b4 a5) 11. Bxe7 Qxe7 12.
Be2 Nxc3 13. Rxc3 c6 14. O-O e5 $1 {Short equalises.} 15. b4 e4 16. Nd2 Nf8 17.
Qc2 $6 ({Wiser is} 17. f3 exf3 18. Bxf3) 17... Bf5 $1 {
He directs his pieces to the kingside.} 18. Rb1 Qg5 19. Qd1 Re6 20. a4 $6 ({
Better is} 20. Nf1 $1 Rg6 21. Ng3) 20... Bh3 $1 21. g3 $2 (21. Bf1 $1 {
keeps the defence intact.}) 21... Qf5 22. Bf1 $5 Bg4 $5 23. Qe1 h5 24. Rcb3 h4
$1 25. Be2 Rf6 26. Bxg4 Qxg4 27. Qd1 Qf5 28. Qe2 Nh7 $1 {
Short has developed a strong attack.} 29. g4 $5 {White becomes desperate.} Qe6
30. Kh1 Ng5 31. Rg1 Rf8 32. Rbb1 Nf3 33. Nxf3 Rxf3 34. Rg2 f5 $1 35. gxf5 Qxf5
36. Rf1 h3 $1 37. Rg3 Rxf2 38. Rxf2 Qxf2 39. Qxf2 Rxf2 40. Rxh3 Rb2 {
Black has a great positional advantage in the rook ending.} 41. b5 axb5 42.
axb5 cxb5 $1 43. Rh5 b4 44. Rxd5 b3 45. c6 $5 ({Or} 45. Rd7 Rc2 46. Rxb7 b2)
45... bxc6 46. Rd8+ Kh7 47. Rb8 Kg6 48. Rb7 Kh5 49. Kg1 g5 {
Four games were decided in the sixth round. The standing had become 15-15.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.14"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2614"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+ 5. c3 Bc5 6. Be3 Bb6 7. Qg4 g6 8.
Nd2 Nge7 $5 (8... Qe7 {drew in Radjabov - Aronian, Sochi 2008.}) 9. Qh4 $1 Nxd4
10. cxd4 d5 11. Bg5 $1 {Howell gives a pawn for the attack.} Bxd4 12. O-O-O $1
h6 $5 13. exd5 hxg5 (13... Bxf2 $2 14. g3 $1 Qxd5 15. Bxe7 g5 16. Qb4 $1 c5 17.
Qb5+ Kxe7 18. Qe2+ Be6 19. Qxf2 {wins for White.}) 14. Qxd4 Rh4 15. Ne4 $1 Bf5
16. f3 Bxe4 17. fxe4 Kf8 $5 18. g3 Rh7 19. Bc4 Qd6 20. Rhf1 b5 $5 21. Bxb5 Rxh2
$5 ({Or} 21... Qb6 22. Bc4 Qxd4 23. Rxd4 Rxh2 24. d6 $1) 22. Rf6 $1 Qxg3 23.
Rdf1 Rh7 24. Bc4 Ke8 25. Bb5+ Kf8 26. Bd7 Nc8 27. R6f3 Qh2 28. Qh8+ $1 Ke7 ({
The pointe is} 28... Rxh8 29. Rxf7+ Kg8 30. Rf8+ Kg7 31. R1f7+ Kh6 32. Rxh8#)
29. Rxf7+ $1 {White has a mate attack.} (29. Rxf7+ $1 Rxf7 30. Qe8+ $1 Kd6 31.
Qe6+ Kc5 32. Qc6+ Kd4 33. Qc3+ Kxe4 34. Re1+ {wins quickly.}) 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.14"]
[Round "7"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B11"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2593"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 Nf6 6. d3 e6 7. a3 Nbd7 8. g3
d4 9. Nb1 h5 $5 10. h4 Be7 11. Nd2 Qc7 12. Qe2 O-O-O 13. Bh3 Kb8 14. Nf3 e5 15.
Bd2 Ka8 16. b4 g6 17. Ng5 Rdf8 18. f4 Bd6 19. f5 gxf5 20. Bxf5 Nb6 21. O-O Qe7
22. Rf2 Ne8 23. Bh3 f6 $2 24. Ne6 $1 Rfg8 25. Kh2 Na4 26. Raf1 a6 27. Qd1 Bb8
28. Qb1 $1 b5 29. Qb3 Ba7 30. Rf3 Bb6 31. c3 dxc3 32. Bxc3 Nxc3 33. Qxc3 Qd6
34. a4 $1 Rh7 35. Nc5 $2 (35. Rc1 $1 Kb7 36. a5 Bd4 37. Qxc6+ $1 {
wins for White.}) 35... Ra7 $1 36. Rf5 a5 $1 37. Qb3 Rh8 38. axb5 cxb5 39. d4
$1 Qxd4 $2 ({Right is} 39... axb4 40. Qxb4 Qxd4 41. Qxd4 exd4) 40. Qe6 $1 {
He threatens Qc8#.} Nd6 41. Rxf6 Rd8 42. Rf8 Rb7 43. Nxb7 Kxb7 44. Qe7+ {
Britain led in the match by 181/2 - 161/2.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.15"]
[Round "8"]
[White "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D93"]
[WhiteElo "2593"]
[BlackElo "2614"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Rc1 c6 7. Nf3 Be6 8. Qb3
Qb6 9. c5 Qxb3 10. axb3 Nh5 11. Be5 f6 12. Bxb8 Rfxb8 $5 ({Known is} 12...
Raxb8) 13. b4 a6 14. Nd2 Re8 15. Be2 Bf8 16. f4 Ng7 17. Kf2 Nf5 18. Nf3 Bg7 19.
g4 Nh6 20. h3 Rad8 21. g5 Nf7 22. h4 Bf5 23. Rcg1 h5 24. Bf1 $1 Kh7 25. Bh3
Bxh3 26. Rxh3 f5 27. Ra1 Rb8 28. Na4 Nd8 29. Nb6 Ne6 {
Black seems to defend without problems.} 30. b5 $1 axb5 31. Ra7 {
White has the initiative.} Red8 32. Rh1 Kg8 33. Rha1 Kf7 34. Ke2 Nf8 $2 (34...
Ke8 35. Nd2 Bxd4 $1 36. exd4 Nxd4+ 37. Kf2 Ne6 {counters timely.}) 35. Nd2 $1 {
White has a decisive advantage.} Nd7 36. Nb3 $1 Ke8 37. Na5 Nxb6 38. cxb6 Rd7
39. Nb3 $1 e6 40. Nc5 Bf8 41. Nxe6 $5 (41. Rxb7 $1 Rdxb7 42. Nxb7 Rxb7 43. Ra8+
$1 Ke7 44. Ra7 {also wins for White.}) 41... Kf7 42. Ra8 Rxa8 43. Rxa8 Kxe6 44.
Rxf8 Ke7 45. Rb8 Kf7 46. Kd2 Re7 47. Kd3 Kg7 $5 48. Kc3 $1 {
The king finds the hole in the position.} Kf7 ({The pointe is} 48... Rxe3+ 49.
Kb4 Re7 50. Kc5 Rd7 51. Rxb7 $1) 49. Kb4 Rd7 50. Kc5 Ke7 51. Rxb7 $1 {
L'Ami decided the game elegantly.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.15"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Be3
Re8 9. d5 Nh5 10. g3 Bf8 11. Ne1 Ng7 12. Nd3 f5 13. f3 a5 14. a3 Be7 15. Rc1 $5
b6 16. b4 axb4 17. axb4 Ba6 $6 ({Preferable is} 17... Bg5 $1 18. Qd2 Bxe3+ 19.
Qxe3 g5) 18. Nb5 Nf6 19. Nf2 Bxb5 $5 20. cxb5 f4 $6 {
He delivers a positional sacrifice.} ({Better is} 20... Nfh5) 21. gxf4 exf4 22.
Bxf4 Nfh5 23. Bd2 Bg5 24. Nh3 $1 {The knight controls g5 and f4.} Bxd2 25. Qxd2
Qh4 26. Kg2 Re7 27. Rc4 Qf6 28. Rfc1 Ra7 29. R1c2 Ne8 30. f4 Neg7 31. R2c3 h6
32. Rf3 Qa1 33. Bd3 Ra2 34. Rc2 Rxc2 35. Bxc2 Qf6 36. Qf2 Kh7 37. Bb1 Qa1 38.
Qc2 Qd4 $6 {Black allows the exchange of queens.} 39. Qc3 $1 Qxc3 40. Rxc3 Nf6
41. Kf3 Nge8 42. Rc1 Kg7 43. Rg1 $1 Kf7 44. Bd3 Nd7 45. Ke3 Nef6 46. Kd4 $1 g5
$2 {He helps the opponent.} 47. fxg5 hxg5 48. Nxg5+ Ke8 49. Rf1 Rg7 50. h4 Rg8
51. Rc1 Rh8 52. Nf3 Kd8 53. Rg1 Ke7 54. Be2 Rh5 55. Ke3 Rh8 56. Nd4 Kf7 57. h5
$5 Ra8 $5 58. Ne6 $1 Ra3+ 59. Kf4 Ne8 60. h6 Ndf6 61. h7 $1 Nxh7 62. Bh5+ Ke7
63. Bxe8 Kxe8 64. Rg8+ Ke7 65. Rg7+ {The Netherlands equalised the match.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2614"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 c4 7. Bc2 Qc7 8. Qe2
g5 9. h3 Bg7 10. O-O Nxe5 11. Nxg5 h6 12. Nf3 d5 13. a4 O-O 14. Re1 Nbd7 15.
Na3 a6 16. b3 $5 ({Theory is} 16. d4 cxd3 17. Bxd3 Nxd3 18. Qxd3) 16... Rd8 $6
({The alternative is} 16... cxb3 17. Bxb3 Nc5 18. Bc2 Ng6) 17. Rb1 Nxf3+ 18.
Qxf3 Ne5 19. Qg3 Qd6 20. bxc4 dxc4 21. Re3 Be6 $1 22. Rxb7 Bd5 23. Rb4 Rac8 {
Black has compensation for the pawn.} 24. Qh4 Rc6 25. Rg3 Kf8 26. Qh5 Qc7 $6 ({
Better is} 26... Ng6 27. Bxg6 fxg6) 27. Bh7 $1 Rf6 $5 28. Nc2 $1 Ba8 $5 ({Or} 
28... Be6 29. Nd4 $1 Qc5 30. d3 cxd3 31. Bxh6) 29. Ne3 $1 Qc5 30. Qh4 Bc6 $5
31. Ba3 $1 a5 32. Rb8 $1 Qxa3 33. Rxd8+ Be8 34. Nf5 {
Howell carried out a strong attack.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Jones, Gawain"]
[Black "Smeets, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2554"]
[BlackElo "2632"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8.
g3 g6 9. c4 Ba6 10. b3 Bg7 11. Bb2 O-O 12. Nd2 d6 {
They play an enterprising line of the Scotch Game.} 13. Qe4 $2 (13. O-O-O $5
Bxe5 14. Nf3 {sacrifices a pawn for the initiative.}) 13... Nb4 $2 (13... Bxe5
$1 14. cxd5 (14. Bxe5 f5 $1) 14... cxd5 15. Qe3 Bxb2 16. Qxe7 Rfe8 17. Qe3 d4
18. Bxa6 dxe3 {gains an advantage.}) 14. a3 d5 $1 15. cxd5 Bxf1 16. Kxf1 Nxd5
17. Kg2 f6 $5 18. exf6 Bxf6 19. Qxe7 Bxe7 20. Rhe1 Rfd8 21. Nc4 a5 22. Rad1 Bf8
23. Kg1 a4 24. b4 c5 25. bxc5 Bxc5 26. Re5 c6 27. Re6 Nb6 28. Rc1 Nxc4 29. Rxc4
Bxf2+ $4 (29... Rd2 30. Rxc5 Rxb2 31. Rexc6 Rf8 {
brings survival in a double rook ending.}) 30. Kxf2 {Black has lost a bishop.}
1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.16"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "L'Ami, Erwin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B11"]
[WhiteElo "2684"]
[BlackElo "2593"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 Nf6 6. Be2 dxe4 7. Nxe4 Nxe4
8. Qxe4 Qd5 $5 {L'Ami wants a quick draw.} 9. Qg4 Nd7 10. O-O Nf6 11. Qa4 Qe4
$5 12. Qxe4 Nxe4 {The exchange of queens has occurred, but White has a
positional edge due to the two bishops.} 13. Re1 g6 14. d4 $1 Bg7 15. Bf3 Nf6
16. c4 Rd8 17. Be3 O-O 18. Rad1 e6 19. g4 h6 20. h4 $1 {
White applies restraint.} Rfe8 21. Kg2 Nd7 $6 ({Better is} 21... h5 $1 22. gxh5
Nxh5) 22. d5 $5 Ne5 $5 (22... cxd5 23. cxd5 exd5 24. Bxd5 Bxb2 25. Bxb7 Ne5 26.
Rxd8 Rxd8 {exchanges a lot.}) 23. dxc6 Nxf3 24. Kxf3 bxc6 25. b3 a5 26. g5 hxg5
27. hxg5 Ra8 $2 (27... Bc3 {utilises the bishop.}) 28. Rd7 $1 Bf8 $5 29. Red1
$1 a4 30. Rc7 axb3 31. axb3 Rec8 32. Rdd7 Rxc7 33. Rxc7 Rb8 34. Rxc6 Rxb3 35.
Rc8 $1 {White has a winning attack.} f5 $5 36. gxf6 Kf7 37. Ke4 Rb7 38. Bd4 g5
39. c5 Rb1 40. c6 Rc1 41. Be3 {Britain took a decisive lead by 24-21.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.17"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Smeets, Jan"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2632"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 h6 10. h3 Ne7 11. Be3 Ng6 12. Rad1+ Ke8 13. a3 Be7 14.
Rfe1 Nf8 $6 {He defends the Berlin Wall too passively.} ({Preferable is} 14...
Bd7 {(Volokitin - Jonkman, Germany 2002).}) 15. Nd4 c5 $6 16. Nd5 $1 Bd8 ({Not
} 16... cxd4 $2 17. Nxc7+ Kd7 18. Nxa8) 17. Ne2 b6 18. Ng3 Ne6 19. Ne4 {
White occupies the centre.} Kf8 $5 20. f4 $1 c6 21. Ndc3 g6 22. Nd6 Kg7 $6 (
22... Bh4 $1 23. Rf1 Ba6 24. f5 $1 Bxf1 25. fxe6 Bb5 {counters.}) 23. Nce4 $1
h5 24. f5 gxf5 25. Nxf5+ Kg6 26. Rf1 Ng7 27. Nxg7 $5 Kxg7 28. Nd6 f6 29. exf6+
Bxf6 30. Nxc8 $1 Raxc8 31. Rd7+ Kg6 32. Rd6 $1 Rhf8 33. Bd2 Rcd8 ({Or} 33...
Kg7 34. Rfxf6 $1 Rxf6 35. Bc3 Rcf8 36. Rxc6 $1 {and White wins.}) 34. Rfxf6+ $1
{The Dutchmen had to win two more games in the last round.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.17"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E34"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2684"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "schev"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. e3 c5 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8.
bxc3 O-O 9. Nf3 b6 10. c4 Qh5 $5 ({Usual is} 10... Qc6) 11. Be2 Bb7 12. O-O
Nbd7 13. a4 Qg6 $6 ({Preferable is} 13... Be4 $1) 14. Qxg6 hxg6 15. Bb2 {
White has the two bishops and exerts pressure.} a5 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. Nd2 Rac8
18. f3 cxd4 19. exd4 Ba6 20. Kf2 Rc7 21. Rac1 Rdc8 22. Ba3 Ne8 23. f4 $5 Bb7 $1
24. Re1 Bc6 25. Bd1 Ndf6 26. g4 Rd7 27. Ke3 Rcd8 28. Bb2 Nd6 29. h3 Rc8 30. Ba3
Bb7 31. Be2 Ba6 32. Bd3 Rc6 33. Rc2 Rdc7 34. Rec1 Rc8 35. Ke2 Kh8 $2 36. Kd1 $2
(36. c5 $1 bxc5 37. Rxc5 Rxc5 38. Rxc5 Bxd3+ 39. Kxd3 {gains an advantage.})
36... Nfe8 $5 37. Ke2 $1 Nf6 $6 38. Ke3 $2 {
Van Wely misses the last opportunity for the Netherlands.} ({Again} 38. c5 $1
bxc5 39. Rxc5 Rxc5 40. Rxc5 {favours White.}) 38... Kg8 39. g5 Nh5 40. d5 $4
exd5 41. cxd5 Rxc2 42. Rxc2 Re8+ $1 43. Kd4 Bxd3 44. Rc6 $5 ({Or} 44. Kxd3
Nxf4+ 45. Kd4 Nf5+) 44... Nf5+ $1 {
Short had won his sixth game. Britain prevailed by 261/2 - 231/2.} 0-1

[Event "Staunton Memorial 7 International"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2009.08.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Cherniaev, Alexander"]
[Black "Wiersma, Eelke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A83"]
[WhiteElo "2428"]
[BlackElo "2403"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2009.08.08"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{An international all-play-all group was the second part of the 7th Staunton
Memorial. The Staunton Gambit was applied in one game.} 1. d4 f5 2. e4 fxe4 3.
Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 {This position occurred in Staunton - Horwitz, London (11).} Nc6
5. d5 Ne5 6. Qe2 c6 7. O-O-O Qa5 8. f4 Nf7 $5 ({The alternative is} 8... Ng6)
9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Qxe4 Bg7 11. Nge2 e6 12. f5 O-O $5 {
Black responds quietly to the attack in the centre.} 13. fxe6 dxe6 14. dxe6 Ng5
15. Qh4 Nxe6 $5 (15... Bxe6 $1 {develops a piece.}) 16. Kb1 {
White has the initiative.} Rd8 $6 ({Preferable is} 16... f5 $1 17. Qc4 Kh8 18.
g3 Qc5) 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Ng3 Ng5 $2 ({Correct is} 18... f5 $1 19. Qxd8+ Nxd8
20. Bc4+ Be6) 19. Bc4+ Kh8 20. Nh5 Bf5 21. Qf4 $1 Bg6 22. Nxg7 Kxg7 23. h4 $1
b5 24. Bb3 b4 25. Qxb4 Nf7 26. h5 {The final standings became: Timman 7/9,
Cherniaev 61/2, Kortschnoj 6, Davies 5, Hendriks, Wiersma and Williams 41/2,
Wells 4, Trent 2, Chapman 1.} 1-0

[Event "Staunton Memorial Dinner Alternate Move"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2010.09.08"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Short/Vujatovic, Nigel/Rajko"]
[Black "Kasparov/Crumiller, Gary/Jon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2812"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2010.09.08"]
[EventType "match"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{A Staunton Memorial Dinner was carried out in 2010. Karpov got support in his
FIDE campaign. Four players carried out a game with alternate moves. Each
couple got one hour.} 1. e4 {(Rajko)} c5 {(Jon)} 2. Nf3 {(Nigel)} e6 {(Gary)}
3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. Qg4 g6 8. Qe2 d6 9. O-O Nd7 10.
a4 b6 11. Na3 Qc7 12. Nc4 Bb7 13. a5 b5 14. Nb6 Nxb6 15. axb6 Qxb6 16. Na5 Bc8
17. Be3 Qc7 18. c4 b4 19. e5 Rb8 $5 (19... dxe5 20. Be4 Rb8 21. Nc6 f5 22. Nxb8
Qxb8 {happened in Lindberg - Akesson, Vaxjo 2008.}) 20. Bd4 {
White has an excellent compensation for the pawn.} f6 $1 21. exf6 $6 ({
Better is} 21. Qe3 $1 fxe5 22. Ba7) 21... Nxf6 22. c5 O-O 23. cxd6 Bxd6 24.
Rfc1 $2 (24. g3 {protects the attacked pawn.}) 24... Bxh2+ $1 25. Kh1 Qf4 $1
26. Rxc8 Qxd4 27. Rc4 ({The pointe is} 27. Rxf8+ Rxf8 28. Kxh2 Qh4+ 29. Kg1 Ng4
30. Qxe6+ Kg7) 27... Qd6 28. Rd1 Kh8 $2 (28... Rb5 $1 {continues the attack.})
29. g3 $2 Qd5+ (29... Bxg3 $1 30. fxg3 Qd5+ 31. Kh2 Qxa5 {wins quickly.}) 30.
Kxh2 Qxa5 31. Qxe6 $2 (31. Kg1 {prolongs the game.}) 31... Qh5+ 32. Rh4 Qxd1
33. Bxg6 Ng4+ $1 {The wild tactics end with a mate charge.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{When the Staunton Memorial events were finished, a new large tournament was
started. Again British players encountered foreigners, but there were
important differences: 1. Four Englishmen met four grandmasters from the rest
of the world. 2. The event happened in December. 3. Quick draws were not
allowed and soccer scores were produced. 4. Bankers gave a support of 120,000
euro.   The first London Chess Classic was played at the Olympia Conference
Centre from 8 until 15 xii 2009. Carlsen and Kramnik were the favourites.} 1.
c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3
O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 a5 12. b5 Nd4 13. Nd2 Qc8 14. e3 Nf5 15. Qc2
Rd8 16. Bb2 a4 17. Rfc1 Nd6 18. Nde4 Ne8 19. Qe2 $5 ({Known is} 19. Ne2 $6 Bb3
20. Qc3 Qd7 $1 {and Black gains a pawn.}) 19... Bf8 20. f4 exf4 21. gxf4 Qd7
22. d4 {Carlsen hopes to achieve the initiative.} c6 $6 ({Preferable is} 22...
Bg4 $5 23. Qf1 Qe6) 23. Nc5 $1 Bxc5 24. dxc5 Nc4 25. Rd1 Qc7 26. Bc1 Na5 27.
bxc6 bxc6 28. Nxa4 $5 {Carlsen accepts the challenge.} Rxd1+ $6 (28... Bb3 $1
29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Nb6 Rd1+ 31. Kf2 Qe7 {counters.}) 29. Qxd1 Rd8 30. Qc2 Qf7
31. Nc3 Qh5 32. Ne2 Bf5 $2 (32... Kf8 $3 {threatens ..Bb3. Then} 33. Nd4 $6 {
is answered by} Rxd4 $1 34. exd4 Bf5 {and equality (Carlsen).}) 33. e4 Bg4 34.
Ng3 Qf7 35. Bf1 $1 Be6 36. Qc3 Ra8 37. Rb4 {White has a winning advantage.} Qd7
38. f5 Bf7 39. Bf4 Qd1 40. Kf2 Nb3 $5 41. Be2 Qb1 42. Bc4 Rxa3 43. Ne2 {
Black lacks a defence of his king. Carlsen had an ideal start.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2707"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "325"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qf3 bxc6 7. Nc3 d6 8.
Qg3 Qg6 9. Bd3 a5 10. Bd2 $5 Nf6 11. f3 Ba6 12. Ne2 Nd7 13. Bxa6 Rxa6 14. Qxg6
hxg6 15. Nf4 Bd4 16. Nd3 c5 17. c3 Bf6 18. O-O-O a4 19. Kc2 g5 20. h3 Be7 21.
Nf2 Nf8 22. Ng4 Ne6 23. Ne3 f6 24. Nc4 Kf7 25. Be1 Nf4 26. Rd2 g6 27. Bg3 Nh5
28. Bh2 Ng7 29. Bg3 Nh5 30. Bh2 Ng7 31. Re1 Rb8 32. Rdd1 Rba8 33. Rd2 Rb8 34.
Ra1 Rba8 35. Rc1 Rb8 36. Bg3 Nh5 37. Bh2 Ng7 38. Rg1 Rh8 39. Rf1 Rh7 40. Rd3
Rh8 41. Rdd1 Ne6 42. Rh1 Ng7 43. Rhe1 Rha8 44. Bg1 Ne6 45. Rd2 Rh8 46. Be3 Bf8
47. Rh1 Bg7 48. Rd5 Ke7 49. Rh2 Raa8 50. Rh1 Ra6 51. Rd2 Raa8 52. Re1 Ra6 53.
Bf2 Raa8 54. Bg3 Ra6 55. Ne3 Kf7 56. Rd5 Bf8 57. Rdd1 Bg7 58. Rh1 Raa8 59. Rh2
Ra6 60. Rdh1 Raa8 61. h4 $1 gxh4 62. Rxh4 Rxh4 63. Rxh4 Ra7 64. Rh1 Ra8 65. Bf2
Nf8 66. Be1 Ra7 67. Bd2 Ne6 68. Bc1 Ra8 69. Bd2 Rd8 70. Bc1 Re8 71. Rh4 Ra8 72.
Kd3 Ra6 73. g3 Nf8 74. f4 $1 Nd7 75. Rh2 Ra7 76. Bd2 Rb7 77. Be1 Bf8 78. g4 Kg7
79. Bg3 c6 80. f5 $1 g5 81. Rd2 Nb6 82. Ke2 Rd7 83. b3 d5 $1 84. c4 $5 axb3 85.
axb3 {White goes forwards very slowly.} dxe4 $2 {
Black should not accept the temporary sacrifice.} (85... d4 $1 86. Nd1 Ra7 87.
e5 fxe5 88. Bxe5+ Kf7 {equalises.}) 86. Rxd7+ Nxd7 87. Bc7 Kf7 88. Nd1 Ke8 89.
Nc3 Be7 90. Nxe4 {White has achieved an edge in the endgame.} Bd8 $5 91. Nd6+
Ke7 92. Nc8+ Ke8 93. Nd6+ Ke7 94. Nc8+ Ke8 95. Bg3 Nb6 $5 96. Nd6+ Kf8 97. Nb7
$1 Ke8 (97... Be7 98. Na5 {also costs a pawn.}) 98. Nxc5 {
McShane has gained a pawn.} Be7 99. Ne4 Kd8 100. Be1 Nd7 101. Bc3 c5 102. Bb2
Ke8 103. Kf2 Kd8 104. Kg2 Ke8 105. Kh3 Kf7 106. Kg3 Ke8 107. Bc3 Kd8 108. Kh3
Kc7 109. Bb2 Kc6 110. Nc3 Nb6 111. Kg3 $6 Bd8 $6 ({Preferable is} 111... Bd6+
$1 112. Kf3 Be5 113. Nd1 Bxb2 114. Nxb2 Nd7) 112. Kf3 Be7 113. Ke3 Bd8 114. Kd3
Be7 115. Ke4 Bd8 116. Nd5 Nd7 117. Bc3 Kd6 118. Be1 Kc6 119. Bg3 Nf8 120. Kd3
Nd7 121. Kc2 Nf8 122. Be1 Nd7 123. Bg3 Nf8 124. Kb2 Nd7 125. Ka3 Ba5 $5 126.
Ne7+ Kb6 127. Bd6 Ka6 128. Nd5 Bd8 129. Bg3 Ba5 130. Ka4 Bd2 131. Bc7 Bc1 132.
Bd8 Bb2 133. b4 $1 {The decisive advance is made.} Bd4 134. b5+ Kb7 135. Kb3
Be5 136. Kc2 Bd4 137. Kb3 Be5 138. Be7 Bd4 139. Bd6 Bf2 140. Kc2 Ka7 141. Kd3
Kb7 142. Ke4 Bd4 143. Be7 Be5 144. Ne3 $1 Bf4 145. Ng2 Bg3 146. Kd5 $1 {
The centre is conquered.} Bf2 147. Ke6 Ne5 148. Bxf6 Nxc4 149. Bxg5 Na3 150. f6
Bd4 151. f7 Bg7 152. Bf6 Bf8 153. Be7 Bg7 154. Bxc5 Nxb5 155. f8=Q Nc7+ 156.
Kf7 Bxf8 157. Bxf8 Kc6 158. Nf4 Kd7 159. g5 Nb5 160. g6 Nd4 161. g7 Nf5 162.
g8=Q Nh6+ 163. Bxh6 {At last the battle is over.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Ni Hua"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 e5
9. dxe5 Bb4 10. Bd2 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Ne4 12. Bb4 bxc4 13. Qg4 c5 14. f3 cxb4 15.
fxe4 O-O 16. exd5 {They play a sharp opening.} cxb3 $5 ({Known is} 16... Qxd5
17. Bxc4 Qxe5) 17. Qd4 Nd7 $5 {Ni Hua delivers a temporary sacrifice.} 18. axb3
Qg5 19. Qf4 Qxe5 $2 {The endgame favours White.} ({Better is the counter} 19...
Qg6 $1 20. Rd1 Qc2) 20. Qxe5 Nxe5 21. Bxa6 Rfc8 $6 ({Preferable is} 21... Rfd8
22. Ke2 Rxd5 23. Bb7 Rxa1 24. Rxa1 Rd8 {(Kramnik).}) 22. Kd2 $1 Rc3 23. Rhb1 $5
f5 24. Ra4 Rc5 $1 25. e4 $1 fxe4 26. Ke3 $1 Rc2 $5 (26... Rd8 27. Rxb4 Rcxd5
28. Rxe4 R5d6 29. Bb5 {also favours White.}) 27. Bd3 $3 Rxa4 28. Bxc2 Ra2 29.
Bxe4 {Kramnik has a decisive advantage.} Kf7 30. Rc1 Kf6 31. Rc2 Ra1 32. Kd4
Rd1+ 33. Kc5 h5 34. Rf2+ Ke7 35. Re2 Nd7+ 36. Kc6 Rc1+ 37. Bc2+ $1 Kd8 38. Kd6
$1 Nf6 39. Ke6 h4 40. d6 Rf1 41. Re5 $5 Rf2 $5 ({Or} 41... Ne8 $1 42. Re4 Rf6+
43. Ke5 Nxd6 44. Rxh4) 42. Bf5 g6 43. Bxg6 Nd7 44. Rg5 $1 Rf6+ 45. Kd5 Nb6+ 46.
Kc6 Nc8 47. Kc5 Nxd6 48. Bd3 {The black pawns are going to fall.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.11"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Na6 8. Re1
Qe8 9. Bf1 c6 10. Rb1 Bg4 11. d5 c5 12. Be2 $5 Kh8 13. a3 Bd7 14. b4 b6 15. Bg5
Ng8 16. Nb5 f6 17. Bh4 Qe7 18. Nd2 Nh6 19. Nf1 Rfc8 20. Ne3 Nc7 21. bxc5 Nxb5
22. cxb5 Rxc5 {Black has almost equalised.} 23. f3 Rac8 24. Bd3 $1 {
Carlsen strengthens his position.} Qf8 25. Bf2 f5 26. a4 R5c7 27. h3 Bf6 28.
Qd2 Bg5 29. a5 fxe4 30. fxe4 Nf7 $2 ({Better is} 30... bxa5 31. Qxa5 Nf7) 31.
axb6 axb6 32. Qe2 Rb7 33. Nc4 Qd8 34. Rf1 Kg7 35. Kh1 Be8 36. Qb2 Nh6 $6 {
McShane misses a point.} 37. Bxb6 $1 Qe7 $5 (37... Rxb6 38. Qf2 Bxb5 39. Nxb6
$1 Bxd3 40. Nxc8 Bxf1 41. Qa7+ {wins for White.}) 38. Qf2 Rcb8 39. Rb3 Ng8 40.
Be2 $5 Nf6 41. Bf3 Rxb6 $5 42. Nxb6 Qc7 43. h4 $1 Bh6 44. Na4 $1 Rxb5 45. Be2
$1 Rxb3 46. Qxf6+ Kg8 47. Nc5 $3 {Carlsen triumphs beautifully.} Rg3 48. Ne6 $5
Qf7 49. Qxf7+ Bxf7 50. Rb1 $1 Be8 51. Bf3 Kf7 52. Rb7+ Kf6 53. Rxh7 Bf4 54.
Nxf4 exf4 55. e5+ $1 dxe5 56. d6 e4 (56... Kf5 $5 57. Rf7+ $1 Bxf7 58. d7 e4
59. Be2 Re3 60. d8=Q Rxe2 61. Qg5+ Ke6 62. Qg4+ {gains material (McShane).})
57. Bxe4 Re3 58. Bd5 $1 Kf5 59. Kh2 Re5 60. Bf3 Kf6 61. d7 {Carlsen won again.}
1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C27"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2772"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 4. Nf3 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. c3 $5 ({
Known is} 7. Nxb6 axb6 8. O-O) 7... Be6 8. Bb3 Bxb3 9. axb3 Nbd7 10. b4 Bxf2+
$1 11. Kxf2 b5 12. Bd2 bxa4 13. Qxa4 c5 14. b5 d5 $1 {
Kramnik takes the initiative.} 15. exd5 $2 ({Preferable is} 15. Rhe1 $1 dxe4
16. dxe4) 15... Nb6 16. Qc2 c4 $1 {He delivers a temporary pawn sacrifice.} 17.
Nxe5 Qxd5 18. d4 Ne4+ 19. Kg1 Rfe8 20. Nf3 Qxb5 21. h4 $5 Qb3 $1 22. Qb1 $5 {
The exchange of queens also favours Black.} Nd5 $1 {The centre is blockaded.}
23. Rh3 $2 h6 $2 (23... Rab8 $1 24. Rxa7 Qxb2 {wins quickly.}) 24. Qc1 Qb6 $5
25. Ra4 $5 Rab8 26. Ra2 Qb3 $5 27. Qa1 Rb6 28. Kh2 $5 Ndf6 $5 29. Be1 Ng4+ $1
30. Kg1 Nef6 $5 31. d5 $5 Nxd5 32. Rg3 Ndf6 33. Bd2 Rd6 34. Ra3 Qb6+ 35. Kh1
Nf2+ 36. Kh2 N6g4+ $1 {Kramnik triumphed elegantly. He neared Carlsen.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.13"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E94"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Na6 8. Be3
Ng4 9. Bg5 Qe8 10. c5 exd4 11. Nd5 Be6 12. Be7 Bxd5 13. Bxf8 Qxf8 14. exd5 dxc5
15. Qb3 Rb8 {Black has a knight and two pawns for a rook.} 16. Rfe1 $5 Qd6 17.
h3 Nf6 18. Bxa6 Qxa6 19. Rac1 Bf8 20. Ne5 Qb6 21. Qf3 $6 (21. d6 $1 Qxb3 22.
dxc7 $1 Rc8 23. axb3 Rxc7 {equalises.}) 21... Qd6 22. g4 Bh6 23. Rc2 Re8 $1 24.
Rce2 Rf8 25. Nc4 $5 Qxd5 {Black captures a weakling.} 26. Qxf6 Bg7 27. Qh4 Qxc4
28. Re8 Qd5 29. Rxf8+ Bxf8 30. Re8 Kg7 $1 31. g5 $5 Qd6 32. Kf1 b5 33. Ke1 c4
34. Qe4 c5 $2 ({Correct is} 34... a5 35. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 36. Rxe5 c6) 35. h4 c3 36.
bxc3 dxc3 37. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 38. Rxe5 a5 {
Black delivers an avalanche on the queenside.} 39. Kd1 a4 40. a3 b4 41. Kc2 h6
$1 42. Rd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 42. Re8 hxg5 43. hxg5 Bd6 44. Ra8) 42... hxg5
43. hxg5 Kh7 $1 44. Rd7 $2 ({A miraculous escape brings} 44. axb4 $1 cxb4 45.
Rb5 $1 Kg7 46. f3 Be7 47. Rb7 $1 {and White survives (McShane).}) 44... Bg7 $1
45. Rxf7 b3+ 46. Kb1 Kg8 47. Ra7 Bd4 $1 48. Rxa4 Kf7 $1 49. Ra6 Be5 $1 50. Ra4
Ke6 51. Rh4 Kd5 52. a4 c4 53. Rh1 c2+ 54. Kc1 c3 55. Rh4 Bd6 {
McShane will mate.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.13"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 a6 5. Bxd7+ Bxd7 6. dxc5 dxc5 7. Nc3 e6 8.
Bf4 Ne7 9. Ne5 Ng6 10. Qh5 Bc6 $5 11. Bg3 Nxe5 12. Bxe5 c4 $5 13. O-O Qa5 14.
Qg5 h6 15. Qg3 f6 16. Qg6+ Ke7 17. Bf4 Be8 18. Qg3 Kf7 $1 19. Rad1 Bc6 20. Rd2
e5 $1 {Carlsen battles for the initiative.} 21. Be3 Bb4 22. f4 Rhe8 23. f5 Bc5
24. Rfd1 Rad8 25. Rxd8 Bxe3+ $1 26. Qxe3 Rxd8 27. Rxd8 Qxd8 {
The endgame is about even.} 28. Kf2 Qd6 29. a3 a5 30. Kf3 Kg8 31. g3 $6 {
Ni Hua loses time.} b5 $1 32. Ke2 b4 33. axb4 axb4 34. Nd1 Ba4 $1 35. b3 $2 ({
Correct is} 35. Qd2 $1 Qd4 36. Qxd4 exd4 37. Kd2 {(Ftacnik).}) 35... cxb3 36.
cxb3 Qa6+ $5 37. Kd2 Bb5 38. Qc5 Qa2+ 39. Qc2 $6 ({The last chance brings} 39.
Kc1 Be2 40. Ne3 Bf3 41. Qd5+ Kh7 42. Nc2) 39... Qa7 $1 40. Qc8+ $5 Kh7 41. Kc1
Qa1+ 42. Kc2 Qd4 {Carlsen scored his third win.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.14"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D38"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2707"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 c5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. dxc5 Nc6 8.
Bg5 Be6 9. O-O-O Qa5 $5 ({A more neutral move is} 9... O-O) 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11.
Nxd5 {Kramnik grabs a second pawn.} O-O-O $2 (11... Qxc5+ 12. Qc2 Bxd5 13. Qxc5
Bxc5 14. Rxd5 Bxf2 {almost equalises (Kramnik).}) 12. e4 $1 f5 13. Bc4 Bxc5 $5
14. Ng5 $5 fxe4 15. Nxe4 $5 Bd4 $1 16. Ndc3 Rhe8 $6 ({Preferable is} 16... Bxc4
17. Qxc4 f5) 17. Bxe6+ $6 (17. Nb5 $1 {gains an advantage.}) 17... Rxe6 18. f3
$5 Ne5 $2 ({Correct is} 18... Rg6 19. g4 f5 20. gxf5 Qxf5) 19. Nb5 $1 {
White strikes in the right way.} Rb6 20. Qc2+ Rc6 21. Nec3 Bxc3 22. Rxd8+ Kxd8
23. Nxc3 Kc7 24. Rd1 a6 25. Qxh7 $5 Kb8 (25... Qxa2 $1 26. Qg8 Nd7 {
offers more resistance.}) 26. Kb1 Nc4 27. Qh8+ Rc8 28. Qd4 Qb4 29. b3 a5 30.
Ka1 Na3 31. Qxb4 axb4 32. Nd5 Rc2 33. Nxb4 Rxg2 34. Rh1 Ka7 35. h4 Kb6 36. h5
Ka5 37. h6 $1 Kxb4 38. h7 Nc2+ 39. Kb1 Na3+ 40. Kc1 {
Kramnik neared Carlsen again.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.14"]
[Round "6"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Ni Hua"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C07"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "160"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. exd5 Qxd5 7. Nb5 Na6 8.
c4 Qc6 9. a3 Be7 10. b4 O-O 11. Qf3 $5 Nb8 $1 12. Rb1 $5 (12. Be2 {
develops quietly.}) 12... a5 13. bxa5 Qxf3 14. Nxf3 Rxa5 15. Be2 Nbd7 16. O-O
b6 17. Bd2 Ra4 18. Bb4 Nc5 $5 19. Rfd1 Bb7 20. Ne5 Ba8 21. f3 Rb8 22. Rd2 Ne8
23. Nd7 Rb7 24. Rbd1 g5 $5 25. Nxc5 $5 (25. Ne5 $1 {takes the initiative.})
25... bxc5 26. Bc3 Rb8 27. Be5 Rc8 $5 28. Rd7 $1 Bf6 29. Nd6 $5 (29. Bxf6 $1
Nxf6 30. Rd8+ Rxd8 31. Rxd8+ Kg7 32. Rc8 {attacks on the queenside.}) 29... Bc6
30. Nxc8 Bxd7 31. Bxf6 Nxf6 32. Nb6 Ra7 33. a4 Kf8 34. Nxd7+ $2 (34. a5 $1 Bc6
35. Rd8+ Ke7 36. Nc8+ Kxd8 37. Nxa7 Bb7 38. Nb5 {keeps the equality.}) 34...
Nxd7 35. Ra1 Ke7 36. Kf2 Ne5 37. Ke3 Nc6 38. Kd3 Rb7 39. Kc3 Na5 $1 {
The queenside has been blockaded.} 40. Bd3 Rb3+ 41. Kc2 h5 42. g3 g4 43. f4 f5
44. Re1 Kd6 45. Rd1 Kc7 46. Re1 Rb6 47. Kc3 Nb3 48. Bc2 Nd4 $1 49. Ra1 Rb8 {
Black has the initiative.} 50. Bd1 Rh8 51. Kd2 h4 $1 {
Ni Hua has an advantage on all fronts.} 52. Ra3 Kb6 53. a5+ $6 Ka6 54. Ke1 hxg3
55. hxg3 Rh1+ 56. Kd2 Rg1 57. Ba4 Rg2+ 58. Ke1 Kxa5 $1 59. Bc6+ Kb4 60. Ra4+
Kb3 61. Bxg2 Kxa4 {He wins the knight versus bishop ending.} 62. Bb7 Kb4 63.
Ba6 Ka5 $5 {Black should go forwards.} 64. Bc8 Kb6 65. Kd2 Kc7 66. Ba6 Nc6 67.
Bb5 Na7 68. Ba4 Nc8 69. Ke3 Nd6 70. Kf2 Kd8 71. Bc2 Ke7 72. Bd3 Kd7 73. Kg2 Kc6
74. Bf1 Kb6 75. Kf2 Ne4+ 76. Kg2 Ka5 77. Bd3 Nd6 78. Kf2 Kb4 79. Bb1 Kc3 80.
Kg2 Ne4 {The return of the black pieces decided the game.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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 c6 15.
a4 Qc7 16. Be3 Rad8 17. Qc1 h6 18. b3 Qb8 19. Rb1 Qc8 20. Qb2 $5 (20. b4 Qc7
21. Nd2 d5 $1 {drew in Adams - Morozevich, Lugo 2007.}) 20... Qc7 21. Rbd1 Bc8
$5 {Black hesitates.} 22. c4 $5 {Adams had discussed this idea with Morozevich.
} bxc4 $5 23. bxc4 exd4 24. Bxd4 c5 25. Bc3 Bb7 26. Nf5 {
White controls more territory.} Re6 27. Nd2 Rde8 28. f3 Nh5 $5 29. Nf1 Ne5 30.
N1e3 Rg6 $5 {McShane wants to counter.} 31. Kh1 Nf4 32. Qc1 Qc8 $1 33. Ng4 $1
Nxg2 $1 {He accepts the consequence of his plan.} 34. Kxg2 ({The alternative is
} 34. Re2 $1 Ne1 $1 35. Rdxe1 Nxf3 36. Rf1 Ng5 37. Qf4 Qe6 {(Adams)} 38. Re3 $1
h5 39. Nf2 Qxc4 {and White has little advantage.}) 34... h5 35. Kf2 Nxf3 36.
Nfh6+ $1 ({Not} 36. Kxf3 $4 Qxf5+) 36... Kh7 $5 (36... gxh6 37. Nf6+ Rxf6 38.
Bxf6 Ne5 $1 39. Qf4 $1 Qe6 40. Bxe5 Qxe5 41. Rg1+ {favours White.}) 37. Kxf3 f5
$2 ({Preferable is} 37... hxg4+ 38. Nxg4 f5) 38. Kg3 fxg4 39. e5 $1 h4+ ({Or} 
39... gxh6 40. Qf4 $1) 40. Kxh4 $1 Be7+ 41. Kg3 $5 Rf8 42. Rf1 gxh6 43. Qb1 h5
44. Bxg6+ Kh6 45. Bxh5 Rg8 46. Bd2+ {Adams won one game and drew the rest.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ni Hua"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2597"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. Nc3 b4 10. Nd5 Na5 11. Ba2 Nxd5 12. exd5 b3 13. cxb3 Bxd5 14. Nxe5 Rb8
15. Nc4 Nc6 16. Bd2 Be6 $5 {Black has compensation for the pawn.} 17. Rc1 Re8
18. Re1 Bc5 19. Ne3 Ba7 20. Bc3 Nd4 21. Qh5 h6 22. Nc4 Qg5 23. Qxg5 hxg5 24.
Nd2 Bf5 25. Bxd4 $2 ({Correct is} 25. Ne4 $1 d5 26. Ng3 Bg6) 25... Bxd4 26. Ne4
Bxb2 27. Rb1 $6 Ba3 $1 {White has a poor position.} 28. f3 $6 d5 $1 29. g4 $2 (
{Preferable is} 29. Nf2) 29... dxe4 30. gxf5 exd3 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 32. Rd1 Re2 $1
33. Bb1 d2 34. Bc2 Bc5+ 35. Kh1 a5 36. Rf1 Kf8 37. Bd1 Re1 38. Kg2 Ke7 39. Bc2
Kf6 40. h3 Ke5 {Howell scored plus one.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 1"]
[Date "2009.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B76"]
[WhiteElo "2707"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2009.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2
O-O 9. O-O-O d5 10. Kb1 Nxd4 11. e5 Nf5 12. exf6 exf6 13. Bc5 d4 14. Bxf8 Qxf8
15. Nb5 Ne3 16. Rc1 Bh6 17. Qxd4 Nf5 18. Qc3 Bxc1 19. Kxc1 Bd7 20. Bd3 {
Smeets - Radjabov, Novi Sad 2009 was ended as a draw at this point. Carlsen
has to continue.} Rc8 $5 21. Qd2 Bxb5 22. Bxb5 Qc5 23. Bd3 Ne3 24. Re1 Re8 25.
Qf2 f5 26. f4 Qd4 27. g3 Re6 {Black threatens ..Nc4!} 28. Qd2 Ng4 29. h3 Rxe1+
30. Qxe1 Nf2 31. Bf1 Ne4 32. Bg2 b6 33. c3 Qd3 34. g4 Ng3 35. b3 Ne2+ 36. Kb2
Kf8 37. Bc6 fxg4 38. hxg4 h5 $1 39. gxh5 gxh5 40. a4 a6 {Kramnik's game has
ended in a perpetual after a fight. Short and Carlsen have to proceed due to
the rules.} 41. f5 $1 h4 42. Bg2 Ng3 43. f6 Qd6 ({
The alternative is the exchange} 43... Qe2+ $1 44. Qxe2 Nxe2 45. Kc2 $1 Nf4 46.
Bf3 Ke8 {and Black has an edge.}) 44. Qf2 Kg8 45. b4 a5 46. bxa5 $6 bxa5 47.
Kc2 $6 Kh7 48. c4 $2 {White weakens his position three times.} Qa3 49. Be4+ Kg8
$1 50. Qf4 Qxa4+ 51. Kd2 Nxe4+ 52. Qxe4 Qa2+ {
Black has gained a pawn and charges.} 53. Kc3 Qa1+ 54. Kb3 Qd1+ $2 ({
The obvious move is} 54... Qxf6 {and} 55. c5 Qg5 56. c6 h3 {(Schulz)} 57. Qf3
Qb5+ 58. Kc2 Qa4+ 59. Kd2 Qd4+ 60. Kc2 Qd6 $1 {leads to a black win.}) 55. Kb2
Qh5 56. c5 h3 $1 57. c6 a4 $1 ({Avoids} 57... h2 $4 58. c7 h1=Q 59. c8=Q#) 58.
Ka2 Qd1 59. Qe8+ Kh7 60. Qxf7+ Kh6 61. c7 Qc2+ 62. Ka3 h2 63. Qg7+ Kh5 64. Qh8+
Kg6 65. Qg8+ Kxf6 66. c8=Q Qxc8 67. Qxc8 h1=Q 68. Qa6+ Ke5 69. Qb5+ Qd5 70.
Kxa4 Qxb5+ 71. Kxb5 {The board has been cleared. Final standings: Carlsen 13/7,
Kramnik 12, Howell and Adams 9, McShane 7, Ni Hua and Nakamura 6, Short 5.
Carlsen became number one in the next elo-list.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{London Chess Classics number two was played from 8 until 15 xii 2010. The
prize fund increased to 145,000 euro. Top British players encountered famous
foreigners.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Be7 6. Qe2 Nd6 7.
Bxc6 bxc6 8. dxe5 Nb7 9. c4 O-O 10. Nc3 f6 11. Re1 fxe5 12. Qxe5 Bf6 13. Qg3 $5
{Adams makes a new move in the Berlin Defence.} (13. Qh5 g6 14. Qh6 Bg7 15. Qh3
d5 16. Qg3 {drew in Ehlvest - Marciano, France 1992.}) 13... Nc5 14. Bg5 Nd3 $6
({Better is} 14... d6) 15. Re3 $1 (15. Re2 Bxg5 16. Qxg5 Qxg5 17. Nxg5 {draws.}
) 15... Nxb2 $6 (15... Bxg5 16. Nxg5 Nf4 17. Rae1 d6 {defends properly.}) 16.
Rae1 $1 Bxg5 $2 (16... Ba6 $1 17. Ne4 {(Adams)} Bxg5 18. Nexg5 Qf6 {
avoids a disaster.}) 17. Nxg5 {He threatens 18.Re7.} Qf6 18. Rf3 $1 Qd8 19.
Nce4 Ba6 20. Nxh7 $1 {Mickey selects the elegant way.} Rxf3 $5 21. gxf3 Kxh7
22. Ng5+ Kg8 23. Qh4 Bxc4 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Re5 Be6 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qxg7+ Kd6
28. Ne4# {Adams attacked forcefully.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. O-O Nh6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Bxh6
Bxh6 9. Nxd4 Ne5 $5 ({Usual is} 9... Bd7) 10. Qb3 O-O 11. Rfd1 Nd7 12. Qa3 a5
13. b4 Ra6 $5 14. b5 Ra8 15. e3 a4 16. Rab1 Bg7 17. Ne4 Qb6 18. Nc6 $1 {
White has the initiative.} Re8 ({The alternative is} 18... bxc6 $5 19. bxc6 Qa5
20. cxd7 Bxd7) 19. Nb4 f5 $5 20. Nc3 $5 Qc5 $2 ({Correct is} 20... Qa5) 21.
Nxa4 $1 Qa7 22. Na6 $1 {McShane shows tactical wit.} bxa6 23. b6 Nxb6 24. Rxb6
Rb8 25. c5 $1 Be6 (25... dxc5 $6 26. Qb3+ $1 c4 27. Qxc4+ Kh8 28. Qf7 $1 Rf8
29. Rxb8 Rxf7 30. Rxc8+ Bf8 31. Nc5 {wins for White (Saunders).}) 26. Rdb1 $5
dxc5 $5 (26... Qc7 27. c6 $1 Rxb6 28. Nxb6 Rb8 29. Qxa6 Bc8 30. Qb5 Kf7 {
offers more resistance.}) 27. Rb7 Rxb7 28. Rxb7 Qa8 29. Nxc5 $1 Qc8 30. Qxa6 {
White has gained a pawn.} Bf7 31. Bc6 Rd8 32. Nd7 $1 Rxd7 33. Bxd7 Qc1+ 34. Qf1
Qxf1+ 35. Kxf1 Bc4+ 36. Kg1 Bxa2 37. Ba4 e5 38. f3 Bh6 39. Bb3+ {
McShane scored a sensational win.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.08"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Qe2 Bc5 4. d3 O-O 5. Bg5 c6 $5 6. Nd2 h6 7. Bh4 Re8 8.
Ngf3 Bf8 $5 9. a4 d5 $1 10. Bxf6 gxf6 11. Ba2 f5 {Black has the initiative.}
12. O-O Na6 13. Rfe1 Bg7 14. c3 Be6 15. exd5 Bxd5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 {
He occupies the centre.} 17. g3 $6 {White weakens the kingside.} Bf6 $5 18. Qe3
Kh7 19. Nb3 Qd7 20. Nc5 Nxc5 21. Qxc5 a6 22. Re2 Re6 23. Rae1 Rae8 24. c4 $6 ({
Slightly better is} 24. a5 Qc6 25. d4) 24... b6 $1 25. Qb4 d4 $5 26. Qb3 $6 ({
More active is} 26. a5 e4 27. Nd2) 26... e4 $1 27. Nd2 e3 $1 {
The attack starts.} 28. fxe3 dxe3 29. Nf3 f4 $1 30. d4 $5 ({The pointe is} 30.
gxf4 $2 Bd4 $1 31. Qd1 Rg6+ 32. Kh1 Qc6 33. Rf1 Rg4 {and Black wins.}) 30...
Re4 $5 31. Qxb6 Bxd4 32. Qxa6 $6 fxg3 $1 33. Qb5 Qg4 34. Nxd4 gxh2+ 35. Kh1
Rxd4 36. Qb7 Qf5 37. Rxh2 e2 38. Qg2 Rd1 {Short played passively.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2723"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O O-O 7. d3 a6 8. a3
Ba7 9. b4 Be6 10. Nd2 $5 Rb8 11. Rb1 Ne7 12. a4 Qd7 13. b5 Bh3 14. Ba3 h6 15.
e3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Bc5 17. Bxc5 dxc5 18. Nf3 Qe6 19. e4 c6 20. Qb3 Rbd8 21. bxa6
bxa6 22. Qc2 {The chances are equal.} Ng6 23. Ng1 Rb8 24. a5 Nd7 25. Na4 Qd6
26. Ne2 Qc7 27. Qc3 Rfd8 28. Rxb8 Rxb8 29. f4 exf4 $5 30. gxf4 Qd6 31. Kh1 Rb4
32. Qc2 Nh4 $5 33. Nac3 Qg6 34. Ng3 Nf6 $5 35. e5 $1 Nh5 $5 36. Nxh5 Qxh5 37.
Ne4 Kh8 $2 ({Better is} 37... Qf5 $1 38. Qf2 Qh3) 38. Qf2 $1 Nf5 39. Nxc5 $1 {
White has gained a pawn.} Qh3 40. Re1 Nh4 $6 41. Qg3 Qxg3 42. hxg3 Nf3 43. Rf1
Nd4 44. Kg2 Ne6 45. Nxa6 Ra4 46. f5 Ng5 47. Nc7 Kg8 ({The pointe is} 47... Rxa5
48. e6 $1 fxe6 49. fxe6 Re5 50. d4 $1 {and White wins (Saunders).}) 48. a6 Kf8
49. Kf2 {Carlsen grabbed a pawn.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. d4 Bxc3 8. bxc3
Qe7 9. dxc5 dxc5 10. Ne5 Qc7 $5 11. Bf4 Nh5 $1 12. Qd2 $2 ({Preferable is} 12.
e3 $1 Nxf4 13. exf4) 12... g5 $1 13. Bxg5 Qxe5 14. Rad1 $6 (14. f4 Qc7 15. f5
f6 16. Bh4 {counters on the kingside.}) 14... f6 15. Bh6 Ng7 16. Bf4 Qh5 17.
Bd6 Re8 18. Qf4 Nd7 $1 {White has little compensation for the piece.} 19. g4
Qf7 $5 20. Rd3 $5 e5 $1 21. Qh6 Qg6 22. Qxg6 hxg6 23. Be4 Kf7 24. f4 exf4 25.
Bd5+ Ne6 26. Bxf4 Nb6 $2 (26... Kg7 $1 27. Bxb7 Nxf4 28. Rxf4 Rb8 29. Bxc8 Ne5
30. Rd6 Rexc8 {wins for Black (Nakamura).}) 27. Be5 $1 Nxd5 28. cxd5 Nf8 29.
Rxf6+ Kg8 30. Bd6 Kg7 31. Rf4 g5 32. Rf2 b6 33. Rdf3 Ng6 34. Rf7+ Kh6 35. h3
Ba6 36. R2f6 Bxe2 37. Be7 Bc4 38. Rd6 Bxd5 39. Bxg5+ $1 Kxg5 40. Rxd5+ Kh4 41.
Rf3 $2 (41. Kg2 $1 Re2+ 42. Kf3 Re5 43. Rh7+ Kg5 44. h4+ Kf6 45. Rd6+ Re6 46.
g5+ Ke5 47. Rxe6+ Kxe6 48. h5 Ne7 49. g6 {fights for a draw.}) 41... Re5 42.
Rxe5 Nxe5 43. Rf5 Nd3 44. Kh2 Rh8 45. a4 Rh6 46. Kg2 a5 47. Kf3 Nb2 48. Kf4
Nxa4 49. c4 Nc3 50. Ke3 a4 51. Kd3 Nd1 52. Rf8 Kxh3 53. g5 Rd6+ 54. Ke4 Kg4 {
Nakamura utilised his chances.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.09"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B76"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2
Nc6 9. g4 Be6 10. Nxe6 fxe6 11. O-O-O Rc8 12. Bc4 Qd7 13. Bb3 Na5 14. h4 Nc4
15. Qd3 Qc6 $5 16. Ne2 Nd7 17. Nd4 Qa6 18. f4 $1 e5 19. fxe5 Ndxe5 20. Qe2 Kh8
21. h5 $1 gxh5 $2 (21... g5 $1 {stops the mate attack.}) 22. g5 $2 {
Both players lacked time.} ({Right is} 22. Rxh5 $1 Nxe3 23. Qh2 $3 {
and White wins (Saunders).}) 22... Ng4 $1 23. Bg1 Nce3 $1 24. Qxa6 bxa6 25.
Bxe3 Nxe3 26. Rd3 Bxd4 27. Rxd4 Rc5 $1 28. Rd3 $2 (28. Rxh5 Rf1+ 29. Kd2 Nxc2
30. Rc4 {equalises in the endgame.}) 28... Ng2 $1 29. Rg3 Nf4 30. Kd2 Re5 31.
Re1 Kg7 32. Ke3 Kg6 33. c3 Rxg5 34. Rxg5+ Kxg5 35. Rg1+ Kh6 36. e5 dxe5 {
Black has three doubled pawns.} 37. Ke4 Ng6 38. Bc4 a5 39. Kd5 Rf2 40. b4 axb4
41. cxb4 h4 42. a4 h3 43. a5 h2 44. Rh1 Kg5 45. b5 Kg4 46. b6 axb6 47. a6 Kg3
48. a7 Rf8 $1 49. Kc6 Nf4 50. Ra1 e4 51. Ba6 Nh3 52. Bb7 Ng1 {
Luke McShane led by two wins!} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.10"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

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. b4
Rc8 16. axb5 $5 cxb5 $1 17. Bb2 d5 $1 {Carlsen counters immediately.} 18. exd5
exd4 19. Rxe8 Qxe8 20. c4 $1 bxc4 21. Nxc4 $6 {The bishop should have captured.
} Nxd5 22. Nxd4 Nxb4 {White has given a pawn for the initiative.} 23. Nf5 $1
Nxd3 24. Qxd3 Be4 $2 (24... Rc5 $1 25. Nfd6 Qe6 $1 26. Nxb7 Rxc4 27. Nd8 Nc5
28. Nxe6 Nxd3 29. Nxf8 Kxf8 {leads to a better endgame.}) 25. Qd4 $1 Bxf5 $6
26. Nd6 Qd8 27. Nxf5 f6 $5 28. Rd1 Rc2 $5 (28... Rc7 29. Qd5+ Kh8 30. Qf7 a5
31. Ba3 a4 32. Bd6 $1 {wins for White (Anand).}) 29. Nh6+ $1 gxh6 30. Qg4+ Bg7
31. Qe6+ Kh8 32. Rxd7 Qf8 33. Ba3 $2 (33. Rf7 $1 Qc8 34. Qe7 Rxb2 35. Rxg7 {
wins quickly.}) 33... Qg8 34. Qxa6 Qe8 $5 35. Qa7 Qg8 36. Be7 $5 Rc8 37. Qa6
Qe8 38. Ra7 Kg8 $1 39. Qe6+ Kh8 40. Qa6 Kg8 {
White has an advantage after the time control.} 41. Qe6+ Kh8 42. Kh2 Rc6 43.
Qb3 Rc8 44. Bd6 Qg6 45. Qb7 Rd8 46. Bg3 Rg8 47. h4 Qf5 48. Qc7 Qd5 49. Ra5 Qe4
50. Qd7 Qc4 51. Qf5 Qc8 52. Qf3 Qd7 53. Bf4 Qf7 54. g3 Re8 55. Be3 Rg8 56. Ra6
Re8 57. Ra7 Re7 58. Qa8+ Qf8 59. Ra6 Re8 60. Qc6 Rc8 61. Qf3 Qf7 62. Ra7 Qe6
63. Qb7 Qg8 64. Bf4 Rd8 65. Qa6 Re8 66. Rc7 Ra8 67. Qc6 Re8 68. Be3 Rb8 69. Bd4
$1 {Anand attacks pawn f6 at last.} Qf8 70. Qc3 Re8 71. Rc6 $1 Qf7 72. Bxf6 Rf8
73. Bxg7+ Qxg7 74. Qe3 Qb2 75. Kg2 Qb7 $5 (75... h5 76. Rc7 Qf6 77. Rc5 $1 Qf7
78. Rg5 Qb7+ 79. f3 Qb2+ 80. Kh3 Qf6 81. f4 Qa1 82. Qf3 {prolongs the game.})
76. Qxh6 Qf7 77. Rc2 {
The world champion had defeated the number one in the rating.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Nge2 O-O 7. O-O e5 8. b3
Nbd7 9. d3 c6 10. Ba3 $5 Qc7 11. Qd2 Re8 12. Rae1 Nc5 13. h3 e4 14. dxe4 Nfxe4
15. Qc2 Nxc3 16. Nxc3 Be6 17. Rd1 Rad8 18. Bb2 Bf7 19. Rd2 a5 20. Rfd1 Be5 21.
Ne2 a4 22. b4 $1 Nd7 23. Bd4 Nb6 24. Bxb6 Qxb6 25. Rb1 Qc7 26. Nd4 Rc8 27. Rc1
Qe7 $1 28. Rd3 ({The pointe is} 28. Qxa4 $2 Bxg3 $1) 28... c5 29. bxc5 Rxc5 30.
Qxa4 Rec8 31. Rb1 Rxc4 32. Qd1 b6 $5 33. Nb5 $1 R4c5 $2 ({Right is} 33... Rd8 {
and pawn d6 gets protection.}) 34. Nxd6 Bxd6 35. Rxd6 Bxa2 36. Ra1 Rc1 37. Rxc1
Rxc1 38. Rxg6+ $1 hxg6 39. Qxc1 {White has an extra pawn in the endgame.} Qd6
40. h4 Bf7 41. h5 $5 Kh7 42. hxg6+ Kxg6 43. Qc2 b5 $5 (43... Qc5 44. Qxc5 bxc5
45. Kf1 {leads to a won bishop ending.}) 44. g4 $1 Qe5 45. gxf5+ $1 {
He gains a second pawn.} Kg7 46. Qe4 Qd6 47. Qh4 Bc4 48. Bf3 Qf6 49. Qxf6+ Kxf6
50. Be4 $1 Ba2 51. f4 b4 52. Kf2 b3 53. Bd5 $1 {
A pawn sacrifice decides in the ending.} Kxf5 54. Kf3 Kf6 55. e4 Kg6 56. Ke3
Kh5 57. Kd4 Kg4 58. f5 Kg5 59. Ke5 {Carlsen had won and lost two games.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8.
Rc1 Qa5 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Nf3 Rd8 11. d5 e6 12. Bg5 f6 13. Be3 exd5 14. exd5 Na6
$5 ({Theory is} 14... Nc6) 15. Be2 Be6 16. c4 Qxd2+ 17. Nxd2 $1 Bd7 18. Ne4 {
White controls more territory.} b6 19. h4 Bf5 20. Nc3 Nb4 21. Kd2 Nc6 22. h5 $1
Kf7 $6 ({Preferable is} 22... Ne5 23. hxg6 hxg6 24. f3 g5) 23. g4 $1 Bc8 24.
hxg6+ hxg6 25. Ne4 Ba6 26. Rh7 Kg8 27. Rch1 {He exerts a lot of pressure.} Ne5
28. Kc3 $6 ({Correct is} 28. g5 fxg5 29. Bxg5) 28... Nf7 $6 (28... Rxd5 $1 29.
g5 $1 fxg5 30. cxd5 Bxe2 31. Nxg5 Bf6 $1 {leads to chances for both parties.})
29. Bd3 Ne5 30. g5 $1 fxg5 31. Bxg5 Rf8 $1 32. Be2 Nf3+ 33. Nf6+ $1 Rxf6 34.
Rxg7+ Kxg7 35. Bxf6+ Kxf6 36. Bxf3 {White has a positional advantage.} Re8 $6 (
36... Rf8 $1 37. Rh7 Rf7 38. Rxf7+ Kxf7 {almost equalises.}) 37. Rh7 Re7 38.
Rh8 Ke5 $2 ({Better is} 38... Kg7 39. Ra8 Bb7 $1) 39. Bg4 b5 $5 (39... Kd6 40.
Rg8 Re4 41. Rxg6+ Ke7 42. Re6+ Rxe6 43. dxe6 Bc8 44. Kd3 Bxe6 45. Bxe6 Kxe6 46.
Ke4 {brings a won pawn ending.}) 40. Rd8 Rf7 41. Re8+ $1 Kf4 42. Be6 $1 {
The d-pawn moves forwards.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.11"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2680"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Be2 Bg7 6. O-O Nf6 7. Qe1 O-O 8. d3
e6 9. Kh1 b6 10. Bd2 Bb7 $5 ({The alternative is} 10... Re8) 11. Qh4 Ne8 12.
Qh3 Nd4 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. Nd1 f5 {Black takes the initiative.} 15. c4 dxc3 16.
Nxc3 Qd7 17. Rae1 Nc7 18. Bf3 Rab8 19. exf5 exf5 20. Bxb7 Rxb7 21. Qf3 d5 22.
Rf2 Rbb8 23. Rfe2 Rf7 24. a3 d4 $1 25. Nd1 Qd5 $1 26. Qg3 {
An exchange of queens favours Black.} Rff8 27. h4 Rfe8 28. h5 $1 gxh5 $6 {
He weakens the kingside.} 29. Re7 Rxe7 30. Rxe7 Ne6 31. Rxa7 $5 Kh8 $5 32. Nf2
Bf6 33. Nh3 h4 34. Qf2 h6 35. Ng5 $2 ({Preferable is} 35. Rf7 Rf8 36. Rxf8+
Nxf8) 35... Nxg5 $1 36. fxg5 hxg5 37. Bxg5 $2 ({Better is} 37. Qe2 g4 $1 38.
Bf4 Rg8 39. Kg1) 37... Bxg5 38. Qe2 Qd6 $1 {Anand refutes Short's idea.} 39.
Qh5+ Qh6 40. Qf3 Rc8 41. Qxf5 $2 Rc1+ 42. Kh2 Qd6+ 43. Kh3 Qg3# {
Anand and McShane led.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2611"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e6 7. g4 Be7 8. Bg2
Nfd7 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Qd2 O-O 11. O-O Nde5 12. b3 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Ng6 14. Be3 $5
Qc7 15. Ne2 b5 16. c4 bxc4 17. Rac1 Bb7 18. Rxc4 Qd7 19. Rfc1 Rac8 20. Bb6 Rxc4
21. Rxc4 Rc8 22. Qc2 Rxc4 23. Qxc4 Qe8 24. a4 Qa8 25. f4 $5 h6 26. Bf2 Bh4 27.
Be3 Bf6 28. Qd3 Bc6 29. Ng3 Be7 30. Nh5 Bf8 31. Bf2 Qb7 32. Qc4 Ne7 33. Qd3 d5
34. e5 d4 35. Bf1 $1 Bd5 36. Qxa6 $5 Qxb3 37. Qd3 Qxa4 38. Qxd4 Qa8 39. Qa7 Qc8
40. Qc5 Nc6 41. Qc3 Qa8 {Black has little advantage.} 42. g5 $2 {
Howell commits a tactical error.} Qa4 $1 43. Qg3 $2 ({The pointe is} 43. gxh6
$6 Qe4 44. Ng3 Qxf4 45. hxg7 Bxg7) (43. Qe3 $5 Qd1 44. Qe2 Qxe2 45. Bxe2 hxg5
46. fxg5 Nxe5 {tries to survive (Saunders).}) 43... Qd1 $1 {
He attacks Nh5 and threatens ..Bc4.} 44. Nf6+ $5 gxf6 45. gxf6+ Kh8 46. Qd3
Qxd3 47. Bxd3 Nb4 48. Bb1 Ba2 49. Be4 Nd5 50. f5 Nf4 51. Kh2 exf5 52. Bxf5 Be6
53. Bg4 Bxg4 54. hxg4 Ne6 55. Kg3 Bc5 {
Carlsen, Anand and McShane joined the lead.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.12"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 e4 {Short plays a doubtful line.} 10. dxc6 exf3 11. g3 Re8 12. d4
Bg4 13. Bg5 h6 $5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd2 Qd6 16. h3 $1 Bh5 17. Qc2 $1 Bg5 18.
Ne4 Qxc6 19. Nxg5 hxg5 20. Qf5 {White has a positional advantage.} Rxe1+ 21.
Rxe1 Re8 22. Re5 Rxe5 23. dxe5 $1 Bg6 $5 (23... Qg6 24. Qxg6 Bxg6 25. Bd5 {
(Saunders)} Kf8 26. Bxf3 Ke7 27. Bg4 Bb1 28. a3 Ba2 29. f4 gxf4 30. gxf4 {
also leads to a white win.}) 24. Qxg5 Qe4 25. Qd8+ Kh7 26. Qh4+ Qxh4 27. gxh4 {
He wins the bishop ending.} f6 28. exf6 gxf6 29. Bd5 a5 30. b4 axb4 31. cxb4
Bd3 32. Kh2 Bc4 33. Be4+ $1 Kh6 34. a3 $1 {Nakamura gains another pawn.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.14"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D07"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "169"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 Nc6 {Carlsen plays the Chigorin Defence.} 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Nc3 e6
5. Bf4 Bd6 6. Bg3 Nf6 7. e3 O-O 8. a3 $5 ({An alternative is} 8. cxd5 exd5 9.
Be2) 8... Ne7 9. Qb3 b6 10. Ne5 c5 11. Nxg4 Nxg4 12. Rd1 Bxg3 13. hxg3 Nf6 14.
cxd5 exd5 15. Be2 Qd6 16. Qc2 h6 17. O-O c4 $5 18. b3 $1 Qxa3 $2 ({
Preferable is} 18... cxb3 19. Qxb3 a5) 19. bxc4 dxc4 20. Bf3 $1 Rab8 21. Ra1
Qd6 22. Nb5 Qd7 23. Qxc4 {
Kramnik has regained the pawn and achieved a positional edge.} a5 24. e4 Rfc8
25. Qe2 Rc6 26. Rab1 Rd8 27. Rfd1 Rdc8 28. d5 Rc2 29. Qe3 R2c5 30. Nd4 Re8 31.
Qd3 Qd6 32. Qa6 Rb8 33. Nb3 Rc2 34. Nd4 Rc5 35. Nb3 Rc2 36. Qd3 Rcc8 37. Nd2
Ng6 38. Be2 Qc5 39. Rb5 Qc3 40. f4 a4 $2 (40... Qxd3 41. Bxd3 Rc3 42. Nb1 Rc5
43. Rxc5 bxc5 {hinders the advance in the centre.}) 41. e5 $1 Nd7 42. Qxc3 $5
Rxc3 43. Ne4 Rc7 44. Ra1 Ra7 45. d6 $1 Ngf8 46. Nc3 Nc5 47. Nd5 Ra5 48. Rxb6
Rxb6 49. Nxb6 Nfe6 50. Bc4 Kf8 51. f5 Nd8 52. Rf1 Ncb7 53. Re1 a3 54. e6 $5
fxe6 55. fxe6 Nxd6 56. e7+ Ke8 57. exd8=R+ Kxd8 58. Rd1 Kc7 59. Ba2 Rg5 60.
Nd5+ Kc6 61. Nc3 Rc5 62. Rxd6+ $5 Kxd6 63. Ne4+ Kc6 64. Nxc5 Kxc5 65. Kf2 Kd4
66. Kf3 Kd3 67. g4 Kd2 68. Be6 Kd3 69. Kg3 $5 Ke3 70. Kh4 $2 ({Correct is} 70.
g5 $1 hxg5 71. Ba2 Ke2 72. Kg4 Kf2 73. g3 {and White wins slowly.}) 70... Kf2
71. Bd5 g6 $1 72. Kh3 g5 $1 {Carlsen has created a bastion.} 73. Kh2 Kf1 74.
Be6 Kf2 75. Bc4 Ke3 $1 76. Kg3 Kd4 77. Be6 Ke3 78. Kh2 Kf2 79. Bc4 Ke3 80. Kg1
Kf4 81. Be6 Ke5 82. Bb3 Kf4 83. Be6 Ke5 84. Bb3 Kf4 85. Be6 {
Carlsen, Anand and McShane kept the lead at the end of the penultimate round.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 2"]
[Date "2010.12.15"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2680"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2010.12.08"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bc4 Ngf6 7. Nxf6+ Nxf6
8. O-O O-O 9. Ne5 c5 10. dxc5 Qxd1 11. Rxd1 Bxc5 12. Be2 $5 Ne4 13. Nd3 Be7 14.
Be3 h6 $2 (14... b6 $1 15. Ne5 Bd6 16. Nc4 Bc7 17. Bf3 Bb7 {
solves the black development.}) 15. a4 $5 a5 16. g3 Rd8 17. Ne5 Nf6 18. Nc4 $5
Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 Nd5 20. Nb6 $1 Nxe3 $1 21. fxe3 Rb8 22. Kf2 e5 $2 {
Black sacrifices a pawn for the problems of his queen's bishop.} ({
More prudent is} 22... f6 $1 23. c3 Kf7 24. Bf3 f5 {
and Black moves forwards slowly.}) 23. Rd5 $1 Be6 24. Rxa5 Rd8 25. Bd3 $1 Bf6
26. e4 Rd4 27. Rb5 g6 28. a5 Kg7 29. Ke2 Bg4+ 30. Kf2 Be6 31. Kf3 h5 32. Nd5
Bd8 33. b4 Bc8 34. Ke2 Bg4+ 35. Ke1 f5 36. Rxb7+ Kh6 37. Ne3 Bf3 38. a6 $1 fxe4
39. Be2 Bg5 40. a7 $1 {Carlsen scored the decisive win. The final standings
became: Carlsen 13, McShane and Anand 11, Kramnik and Nakamura 10, Adams 8,
Howell 4, Short 2.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.03"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2826"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The third London Chess Classic was played from 3 until 12 xii 2011. Four
Englishmen encountered five foreigners.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3
Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O Re8 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4 Bf8 $5 ({Usual is} 8... a6) 9. Nbd2
d6 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Bd3 Be7 14. f4 Qb8 15. Bxf6 Bxf6
16. e5 $5 {Carlsen starts an adventure.} ({More solid is} 16. Qc2 Qb6+ 17. Kh1)
16... dxe5 17. Ne4 $1 Qxb2 {A second pawn falls.} 18. f5 $5 Red8 $5 19. Bc4 Be8
20. Qh5 Rd6 $6 ({Preferable is} 20... Qb6+ 21. Rf2 c5 {and Black has an edge.})
21. Rab1 Qc2 22. Qg4 Kf8 23. h3 Rad8 24. Kh2 Qa4 25. Rb4 Qa3 26. Rb7 R6d7 27.
Qf3 Qa4 28. Qe2 Re7 $2 (28... Qa3 $1 29. Qh5 Qa4 30. Qe2 Qa3 {
leads to a repetition of moves.}) 29. Nxf6 $1 gxf6 30. Qe3 Red7 ({Or} 30... Kg7
31. Rb4 Qa5 32. Rf3 {and White wins.}) 31. Qc5+ Rd6 32. Rxc7 Qc2 33. Rc8 $3
R8d7 34. Be6 $1 Ke7 35. Bxd7 Bxd7 36. Rh8 Qd3 37. Rf3 Qd5 38. Qxa7 e4 39. Qb8
$5 Qe5+ 40. Rg3 {Carlsen won an enterprising game.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2802"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nge2 Nd7 8.
Ng3 Bg6 9. Be2 Nb6 10. Be5 Nf6 $5 11. h4 h6 12. h5 Bh7 13. Bd3 O-O 14. Bxh7+
Kxh7 15. Qc2+ Kh8 16. Nf5 Nc4 17. b3 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Ng4 19. f4 Qd7 20. O-O-O $5
f6 21. e4 fxe5 22. Qe2 Nf6 23. Nh4 exf4 24. Ng6+ Kg8 25. Nxf8 Bxf8 26. exd5
cxd5 {Black has an edge.} 27. Qd3 Rd8 28. Kb1 Bc5 29. Rhf1 Be3 30. g3 d4 31.
gxf4 Qe7 $5 (31... Qc6 $1 32. Rde1 Rd7 {keeps a plus.}) 32. Rde1 Rd7 33. Nd1
Nd5 34. Nxe3 dxe3 35. Rc1 Rd8 36. Qf5 Qe8 37. Rfe1 b6 38. a3 $5 Kh8 $5 39. Kb2
a5 $2 ({Correct is} 39... Qf8 40. Qxf8+ Rxf8 41. Rc4 Rf5) 40. Rc4 $5 Nf6 41.
Qe5 Qf8 42. Qxe3 b5 $5 43. Rd4 b4 44. a4 Rxd4 45. Qxd4 Nxh5 46. Re5 Nxf4 47.
Rxa5 Ne6 48. Qd2 g5 49. Ra6 Qf6+ 50. Ka2 Qe5 51. Qb2 $1 Qxb2+ 52. Kxb2 Nf4 53.
Rxh6+ Kg7 54. Rd6 {Nakamura played aggressively.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.04"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 dxc3 7. exf6 Qxf6
8. dxc3 Bc5 9. Qe2+ Qe6 10. O-O O-O 11. Qf3 $5 ({Theory is} 11. Bf4) 11... d6
12. Bg5 Qf5 13. Be7 $2 {Exchange of queens forces the draw.} Qxf3 14. gxf3 a6
$1 15. Ba4 b5 $1 16. b4 $6 ({Kramnik analyses} 16. Bxf8 bxa4 17. Be7 f6 $1 18.
b4 axb3 19. axb3 Bb7) ({and} 16. Bb3 Re8 17. Rfe1 Bd7 {
White has a great advantage in both lines.}) 16... Re8 17. Rfe1 Bb6 18. Bb3 Bb7
19. Kg2 d5 20. Re5 c6 {The bishop on b3 has become inactive.} 21. Rae1 Bc7 22.
R5e2 Bc8 23. a4 Bd7 24. Bh4 Rxe2 25. Rxe2 Re8 26. Rxe8+ Bxe8 27. Bg3 Bd8 28.
Be5 f6 29. Bb8 Bg6 30. axb5 axb5 31. Kf1 Kf7 32. Ke2 Ke6 {
Black advances on the kingside.} 33. Ke3 Bb6+ 34. Ke2 Bh5 35. Ba2 g5 36. Bb3 f5
37. Ba2 f4 38. Bb3 Kf5 39. Bd6 ({Or} 39. h3 Bd8 40. Ba7 Bf7 41. Bb8 Bf6 42. Kd2
Bh5) 39... g4 $1 40. Kf1 (40. fxg4+ Kxg4 41. f3+ Kh3 $1 42. Bxf4 Kg2 {
wins for Black (Kramnik).}) 40... g3 41. fxg3 fxg3 42. Bxg3 Bxf3 43. Ba2 Be3 {
Bishop a2 looks pathetic.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 Bb6 8. Nc4
Ne7 9. Ba4 Ng6 10. h3 Be6 11. Bc2 h6 12. a4 c5 $5 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. d4 Qc8 15.
Re1 b5 16. Bd2 bxa4 17. Rxa4 Rxa4 18. Bxa4 Bxh3 $1 19. Nh2 $2 {
Adams does not accept the challenge.} (19. gxh3 Qxh3 20. Qe2 Qg4+ 21. Kh1 Ra8
22. Bd1 Ra2 23. dxe5 Qh3+ 24. Kg1 Qg4+ {leads to perrpetual check.}) 19... Bd7
{Black has gained a pawn.} 20. Bb3 Be6 21. d5 Bd7 22. Nf1 b5 23. Qf3 Nh7 24.
Ng3 Ne7 25. Qh5 f5 26. f4 Nf6 27. Qe2 c4 28. Bc2 fxe4 29. fxe5 dxe5 30. d6 Qc5+
31. Be3 Qxd6 32. Nxe4 Nxe4 33. Bxe4 Bf5 34. Rd1 Qg6 35. Bxf5 Rxf5 36. Rd7 Rf7
37. Bf2 Qb1+ 38. Be1 Ng6 39. Rd6 Kh7 40. Kh2 Qf5 41. Bg3 Nf4 42. Qf3 Qc2 43.
Re6 Rf5 44. Bxf4 Rxf4 45. Qh5 Rf2 46. Qg4 Qd3 47. Rxe5 Rxb2 48. Qf4 Qg6 49. Qf3
Rd2 50. Rxb5 Qd6+ 51. Kg1 Rd1+ 52. Kf2 Qd2+ 53. Kg3 Qe1+ 54. Kg4 Rd6 55. g3 Rf6
56. Rf5 Qe6 57. Qd5 h5+ 58. Kg5 Rxf5+ 59. Qxf5+ Qxf5+ 60. Kxf5 Kh6 61. Kf4 Kg6
{McShane scored his first win.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2802"]
[BlackElo "2698"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Ba6 7. b3 O-O 8.
Bg2 d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. O-O Qd6 11. Nc3 Nc6 $5 ({Known is} 11... Nbd7 12. Qf4
Qxf4 13. gxf4 c6) 12. Rac1 Rfe8 13. Qf4 Rad8 14. Rfe1 g6 15. a3 Kg7 16. Bf1 Na5
17. Qxd6 Rxd6 18. Nd2 Ne4 $6 ({Preferable is} 18... c5 19. dxc5 bxc5 20. b4
cxb4 21. axb4 Nc4 22. Nxc4 Bxc4) 19. Ncxe4 $1 dxe4 20. b4 Nc6 {
Pawn c7 remains a weakling.} 21. e3 Bxf1 22. Kxf1 Re7 23. Nc4 Rd8 24. Re2 f6
25. Rec2 Nb8 26. a4 $6 (26. b5 {continues the restriction.}) 26... Na6 $1 27.
Nd2 c5 $1 28. bxc5 bxc5 29. Nb3 cxd4 30. Nxd4 Nb4 31. Rc7 Rdd7 32. Rxd7 Rxd7
33. a5 Kf7 34. g4 Nd5 $6 ({More active is} 34... Nd3 35. Rc8 Ne5 36. h3 h5 37.
gxh5 gxh5) 35. Rc8 Ke7 36. h4 Rb7 37. h5 f5 $2 {Short gives a pawn.} 38. hxg6
hxg6 39. gxf5 gxf5 40. Nxf5+ {Aronian grabs a pawn.} Kd7 41. Rc5 Nb4 $6 (41...
Ke6 42. Nd4+ Ke5 43. Rc8 Nf6 {defends the centre.}) 42. Ng3 $1 Nc6 43. Nxe4
Rb1+ 44. Ke2 Ra1 45. f4 Rxa5 46. Rc2 $5 Nb4 47. Rd2+ Ke7 48. Kf3 Rh5 49. Ng5 a5
50. e4 $1 Rh1 51. e5 $1 Rf1+ 52. Kg4 a4 53. e6 $1 a3 54. Rd7+ Ke8 55. Ne4 {
White has a mate attack.} Nd5 $5 56. Rxd5 a2 57. Rd7 a1=Q 58. Nd6+ Kf8 59. e7+
Kg8 60. e8=Q# {Aronian leveled his score.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.05"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2826"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. Bb3 a6 7. Nbd2 Ba7 8. Nf1
h6 9. Ng3 O-O 10. O-O Be6 11. h3 Qd7 12. Be3 Ne7 $5 13. Nh4 Ng6 14. Nhf5 Ne7
15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Bxa7 Rxa7 17. f4 c5 18. Bc2 b5 19. Qd2 Rb7 20. a3 a5 21. Rf2
b4 22. axb4 axb4 {The chances are equal.} 23. Raf1 bxc3 24. bxc3 exf4 25. Rxf4
Nh7 26. d4 cxd4 27. cxd4 Qg5 28. Kh2 Nf6 29. Bd1 Rfb8 $6 ({Preferable is} 29...
Ra8 $1 30. h4 Qa5 $1) 30. h4 Qg6 31. Rxf6 $1 {A sacrifice opens the kingside.}
gxf6 32. Qf4 Rb2 $6 ({Slightly better is} 32... Rb6 $1 33. d5 Bc8) 33. Bh5 Qg7
34. Bf3 $6 (34. d5 $1 Bxd5 $5 35. exd5 R8b4 36. Qxf6 Qxf6 37. Rxf6 Rxh4+ 38.
Kg1 Rb1+ 39. Rf1 Rxf1+ 40. Kxf1 {gains a large advantage.}) 34... Ra8 $2 (34...
Rd8 35. d5 Bc8 {defends properly.}) 35. d5 Bc8 36. Nh5 $1 Qf8 37. Nxf6+ Kh8 38.
Rc1 Kg7 39. e5 $1 dxe5 40. Nh5+ $1 Kh7 41. Be4+ $1 {
Carlsen leads due to his second win.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.06"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C03"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2698"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 h6 4. Bd3 c5 5. dxc5 Bxc5 6. Ngf3 Nc6 7. O-O Nge7 8.
Qe2 $5 O-O 9. Nb3 Bb6 10. c3 dxe4 11. Qxe4 Ng6 12. Bc4 Kh8 13. Qc2 Nce5 14.
Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Be2 Qh4 16. g3 $5 Qh3 17. Be3 Bxe3 $5 18. fxe3 Ng4 19. Bxg4 Qxg4
20. Rad1 f6 21. Nd4 e5 22. Nf5 Be6 {The chances are level.} 23. e4 Rfd8 24. Ne3
Qg6 25. Kg2 b5 26. b3 a5 27. c4 bxc4 28. bxc4 Qh5 29. h4 Bd7 30. Rf2 Bc6 31.
Nd5 Rab8 32. Qe2 Qg6 33. Qf3 Rd7 34. Kh2 $6 ({Preferable is} 34. Rd3 $1 Rdb7
35. Rb3 a4 36. Rxb7 Rxb7 37. Qd3) 34... Rdb7 35. Rdd2 a4 $1 36. Qe3 Bd7 37. Qf3
Bg4 38. Qe3 Be6 39. Qf3 Rb1 $1 40. Ne3 $2 (40. Qg2 $1 Rc1 41. Rc2 $1 {
hinders the advance.}) 40... Rc1 $1 {Black has the initiative.} 41. Rd6 Qf7 42.
Rfd2 Rbb1 43. g4 Kh7 44. h5 Rc3 45. Kg2 $5 Rxe3 $1 46. Qxe3 Bxg4 47. Rb6 Ra1
48. Qc3 Re1 49. Rf2 Rxe4 50. c5 $5 Bxh5 $5 {
He has a bishop and three pawns for a rook.} 51. Rb4 Bg6 52. Kh2 Qe6 53. Rg2
Bf5 54. Rb7 Bg4 55. Rf2 f5 56. Rb4 Rxb4 57. Qxb4 e4 58. Qd4 e3 59. Rf1 Qxa2+
60. Kg3 Qe2 61. Qf4 Qd2 62. Qe5 e2 63. Rg1 h5 64. c6 f4+ $1 65. Kh4 Qd8+ $1 66.
Qg5 Qxg5+ 67. Kxg5 f3 68. c7 f2 69. Rxg4 f1=Q 70. c8=Q Qf6+ 71. Kxh5 Qh6# {
Short had been fighting for a spectacular win in a lengthy game.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.06"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2811"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. b4 Ne8 10. c5 f5 11. Nd2 Nf6 12. a4 g5 13. Nc4 h6 14. f3 f4 {
Nakamura plays a risky line.} 15. Ba3 Ng6 16. b5 dxc5 $5 (16... Ne8 17. a5 Rf7
{drew in Smyslov - Ciocaltea, Sochi 1963.}) 17. Bxc5 Rf7 18. a5 h5 19. b6 g4
20. Nb5 cxb6 $5 21. axb6 g3 $5 22. Kh1 $5 Bf8 23. d6 $6 ({Preferable is} 23.
Rxa7 $1 Rb8 24. d6) 23... a6 24. Nc7 Rb8 25. Na5 Kh8 26. Bc4 Rg7 27. Ne6 $5
Bxe6 28. Bxe6 gxh2 29. Nc4 $2 (29. Bh3 {defends properly.}) 29... Qe8 30. Bd5
h4 31. Rf2 h3 $1 32. gxh3 Rc8 33. Ra5 $5 Nh4 34. Kxh2 $5 Nd7 $2 (34... Nxd5 $1
35. exd5 Rg3 {wins for Black.}) 35. Bb4 Rg3 36. Qf1 Qh5 37. Ra3 a5 $5 38. Be1
Rxc4 39. Bxc4 Bxd6 40. Rxa5 $2 (40. Rd3 $1 Bc5 41. Be6 Nf6 42. Rc2 {
keeps the equality (Nakamura).}) 40... Bc5 41. Be2 Bxb6 42. Rb5 Bd4 $6 43. Bd1
$6 Bxf2 44. Bxf2 Nxf3+ 45. Bxf3 Qxf3 46. Rb1 Rg6 47. Rxb7 Nf6 48. Rb8+ Kh7 49.
Rb7+ Kh6 {The King's Indian Defence is too hard for humans.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.06"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Howell, David"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2633"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+ 5. c3 Bc5 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d6 8.
O-O Ne7 9. Nd2 O-O 10. b4 Bb6 11. a4 a5 12. Nc4 axb4 $5 (12... Be6 13. Qe2 Kh8
{was played in Amonarov - Zubarov, Ohrid 2009.}) 13. Nxb6 cxb6 14. cxb4 c5 15.
Bb2 Be6 16. Re1 f6 17. Qd2 Nc6 18. Bc3 Qc7 19. b5 Na5 20. Bc2 Rfd8 21. Rab1 Kh8
22. Qf4 Ba2 $5 23. Rb2 Bg8 24. Rbb1 Qf7 25. h3 h6 26. Re3 Bh7 27. Rd1 Qe7 28.
Bxa5 Rxa5 29. Red3 $2 ({Correct is} 29. Bb3) 29... Qxe4 $1 30. Rxd6 $5 Qxf4 31.
Rxd8+ Bg8 32. Bg6 ({The pointe is} 32. Bb3 c4 $1) 32... Qc4 $1 33. g3 Rxa4 34.
Re1 f5 $5 35. Re7 f4 36. gxf4 Qxf4 $6 37. Bf7 $6 (37. Rxg8+ $1 Kxg8 38. Re8+
Qf8 39. Bh7+ Kf7 40. Bg6+ Kxg6 41. Rxf8 Rb4 {
leads to a won rook ending for Black.}) 37... Qg5+ {
McShane and Carlsen joined the lead.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d5 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8.
O-O dxc4 9. Na3 e5 10. Nxc4 e4 11. Nfe5 Nb6 12. Ne3 $5 a5 13. Rac1 c6 14. b3
Re8 15. Rfd1 Be6 16. Rc5 a4 17. b4 a3 18. Ra5 Qd6 19. Rc1 Nbd5 20. Nxd5 Bxd5
21. Nc4 Qe7 22. e3 h5 $6 ({Preferable is} 22... Rxa5 23. bxa5 Nd7) 23. Rxa8
Rxa8 24. Nb6 Rd8 25. Nxd5 Nxd5 26. Rc5 h4 $5 27. Bf1 g6 28. b5 $1 cxb5 $2 (
28... Nc7 $1 29. Qa5 Ra8 30. Qe1 Nxb5 31. Bxb5 cxb5 {
fights back on the queenside.}) 29. Rxb5 Qc7 30. Qa5 b6 31. Qxa3 {
White has gained a pawn.} Rd6 32. Qb3 Nf6 33. Rb4 Kg7 34. Rc4 Rc6 $6 35. Rxc6
Qxc6 36. gxh4 $1 {He grabs a second pawn.} Ng4 37. h3 Nh6 38. Qb5 Qf6 $5 39.
Qe5 Nf5 $5 40. Bg2 Nd6 41. a4 Qxe5 42. dxe5 {White wins the ending.} Nc4 43.
Bxe4 Nxe5 44. Kg2 Kh6 45. Kg3 f6 46. Bc2 Nc4 47. Bd3 Nd6 48. Kg4 Nf7 49. Be2
Nd6 50. Kf4 Nb7 51. h5 $1 gxh5 52. Kf5 Nc5 53. Kxf6 Ne4+ 54. Kf5 Nxf2 55. h4 $1
{Kramnik won his second game.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bb4 4. Nf3 Bxc3 5. bxc3 Nc6 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Re8 8.
d3 e4 9. Nd4 exd3 10. exd3 Nxd4 11. cxd4 d5 12. Be3 h6 $5 (12... Be6 {
drew in Botvinnik - Basman, Hastings 1966.}) 13. h3 b6 14. Rc1 Qd7 15. Bf4 Bb7
16. Be5 Nh7 17. c5 Rac8 18. h4 Nf8 19. Kh2 bxc5 20. Bh3 Ne6 21. Rxc5 f6 22. Bf4
Qd8 $5 23. Ra5 c5 $5 (23... Ra8 {protects the a-pawn.}) 24. Rxa7 Qb6 25. Ra4
Nxd4 26. Qh5 Qc6 $2 ({Better is} 26... f5 27. Be3 Bc6) 27. Rb1 $1 Ra8 $2 28.
Rxa8 Rxa8 29. Bg2 $2 (29. Re1 Kf8 30. Bxh6 $1 {wins for White.}) 29... Ne6 $2 (
29... f5 30. Be5 Rf8 {defends properly.}) 30. Rxb7 $1 Qxb7 31. Bxd5 Qc8 32.
Bxh6 Ra6 33. Be3 Rd6 34. Bxc5 Rxd5 35. Qxd5 Kf7 36. Be3 Qa6 37. Qc4 Qa8 38. d4
{Nakamura took the lead by this win.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B52"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2811"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. O-O Nc6 6. Qe2 g6 7. c3 Bg7 8.
Rd1 e5 9. b4 $5 ({An alternative is} 9. Na3 Nge7 10. d4) 9... cxb4 10. cxb4
Nge7 11. d4 exd4 12. Bb2 O-O 13. b5 Ne5 14. Nxd4 Rac8 15. Nd2 d5 16. h3 Rfe8
17. Rab1 Qc7 18. Rbc1 Qb6 19. Rxc8 Nxc8 20. exd5 Nd6 $1 {
The extra white pawn has little importance.} 21. Qf1 Rc8 22. N2b3 Nec4 23. Ba1
Na3 $5 24. Qe1 Rd8 25. Qe7 Re8 26. Qg5 $6 (26. Qd7 $5 {protects b5.}) 26...
Naxb5 27. Nxb5 Qxb5 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Qf4 Qb6 30. Rc1 h5 $5 31. Nc5 Qd8 32. Qb4
Qe7 33. a4 b6 34. Na6 $2 {The knight moves outside.} Qf6 35. Re1 $5 Rc8 36. Qb1
Rc4 $1 37. Nb4 Qc3 38. Nc6 Rxa4 {Now, Black has an extra pawn.} 39. Qd1 b5 40.
Kh2 Qf6 41. Qd2 Ne4 42. Qe3 Qd6+ 43. Kg1 Qxd5 44. Nxa7 Qb7 45. Qd3 Qxa7 46.
Rxe4 Rxe4 47. Qxe4 Qa1+ 48. Kh2 Qc3 {Black has a won the queen ending.} 49. f4
Qc5 50. Qd3 b4 51. f5 h4 52. Qd7 g5 53. Qd8 Qxf5 54. Qd4+ Kg6 55. Qd6+ Qf6 56.
Qxb4 Qf4+ 57. Qxf4 gxf4 {The pawn ending is elementary.} 58. Kg1 Kf5 59. Kf1
Ke4 60. Ke2 f3+ $1 61. gxf3+ Kf4 62. Kf2 f6 {
Anand had compensated his previous loss.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.09"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2811"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The world champion meets his predecessor.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3
Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 dxc4 8. O-O c5 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Bxc4 Qxd1 11.
Rfxd1 b6 12. Nd4 Bb7 13. f3 $5 (13. Rac1 a6 14. b4 Nce4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 {
drew in Gelfand - Kramnik, Moscow 2011.}) 13... Rfc8 $5 14. Rac1 a6 15. a3 Nh5
16. Be5 Nf6 17. Bg3 Kf8 18. e4 Ke8 19. Bf1 g6 20. Bf2 $5 e5 $1 21. Nc2 Nb3 22.
Rb1 b5 23. Ne3 Rd8 24. a4 Nd2 25. axb5 $5 {Anand makes an attempt to win.} Nxb1
26. Rxb1 Bc5 27. Nc4 Bxf2+ 28. Kxf2 axb5 29. Nxb5 Kf8 30. Nxe5 Bxe4 $5 31. fxe4
Nxe4+ 32. Kg1 Nd2 $1 33. Rc1 Ra2 34. Na3 Rxb2 35. Nac4 $5 Nxc4 36. Nxc4 Rc8 37.
Ra1 Rc2 38. Ne5 Rc1 39. Rxc1 Rxc1 {White's material advantage does not suffice.
} 1/2-1/2

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.10"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2826"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 d5 8.
cxd5 $5 ({Theory is} 8. Bg5) 8... Qxd5 9. e3 Nbd7 10. b4 O-O 11. Bb2 a5 12. Bd3
axb4 13. axb4 Rxa1+ 14. Bxa1 Qa2 15. O-O Nd5 16. Qe1 c5 $5 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. b5
Ra8 19. Qc1 h6 20. h3 Qa3 21. Qd2 Qb4 22. Qc2 Qa4 23. Qb2 f6 24. Rc1 Nb4 25.
Be2 Bxf3 26. gxf3 Nd5 27. f4 N7b6 28. Bg4 Kf7 29. Qb1 Qa3 30. Rd1 f5 31. Bf3
Ra4 32. Be5 Qb4 33. Qd3 Ra3 34. Qf1 g6 35. h4 {White has a plus.} Nc4 $4 ({
Better is} 35... Nd7 36. h5 Nxe5 37. fxe5 g5) 36. Rxd5 $1 Nxe5 ({The pointe is
} 36... exd5 37. Bxd5+ Ke7 38. Bxc4) 37. Rxe5 $1 Qc3 38. Kg2 {
Carlsen has an extra bishop.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.10"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2633"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. a3
b5 9. Ba2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Qc7 11. Rd1 Rd8 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Be7
15. e4 O-O 16. g3 $5 Na5 17. Bf4 Qc8 18. a4 b4 19. Rac1 Bc6 $2 (19... Rfe8 20.
Bxb7 Qxb7 {is alright.}) 20. Bg5 $1 Bxg5 (20... Qb7 21. Bxe7 Qxe7 22. Qxa6 {
also costs a pawn.}) 21. Rxc5 $1 Bf6 22. Rxa5 {White has gained a pawn.} Bxd5
23. Raxd5 Rxd5 24. Rxd5 Qc1+ 25. Kg2 Bxb2 26. Qxa6 Qc2 27. Rd2 Qb3 28. a5 Bc3
29. Rd5 Qc2 30. Qb7 b3 31. a6 b2 32. Rb5 Qa4 33. a7 h6 34. e5 Kh7 35. Rb3 $1
Qa2 36. h4 $5 Kg8 37. h5 Qa5 38. Qb8 Qa2 39. Rxc3 $5 b1=Q 40. Rc8 $1 {
Kramnik won his third game.} (40. Rc8 Qf1+ 41. Kxf1 Qa6+ 42. Kg2 Rxc8 43. Nd4
$1 {wins for White.}) 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.10"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C34"]
[WhiteElo "2698"]
[BlackElo "2671"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 h6 4. d4 g5 5. Nc3 d6 6. g3 fxg3 7. hxg3 Bg7 8. Be3
{Short has compensation for the sacrificed pawn in the King's Gambit.} Nf6 $5
9. Qd3 Ng4 $5 10. O-O-O c6 11. Re1 Nd7 12. e5 $5 ({More prudent is} 12. Bg1 O-O
13. Bg2) 12... dxe5 13. Bh3 $2 {He sacrifices another pawn.} ({Correct is} 13.
dxe5 $1 Nxe3 $2 14. Qxe3 Qb6 15. e6 Qxe3+ 16. Rxe3 fxe6 17. Rxe6+ Kf8 18. Re3 {
and White might survive.}) 13... Nxe3 14. Rxe3 O-O 15. Ne4 $5 Nf6 ({
Even better is} 15... exd4 $1 16. Nexg5 Nf6 $1) 16. Bxc8 $5 exd4 $1 17. Bxb7 $5
dxe3 18. Bxa8 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Qb6 $1 20. Ne5 Rxa8 21. Qxc6 Qxc6 22. Nxc6 Re8 {
Black has gained a valuable pawn.} 23. c3 Re6 24. Nxa7 ({Or} 24. Nd4 Bxd4 25.
cxd4 Kg7 26. Kc2 f5 {(Saunders).}) 24... Be5 $1 25. Nb5 e2 $1 26. Kd2 Bxg3 27.
Re1 Bxe1+ 28. Kxe1 h5 29. Nd4 Ra6 30. a3 h4 31. Kxe2 g4 32. c4 h3 33. Kf2 h2
34. Kg2 Rh6 35. Kh1 g3 36. Nf5 g2+ $1 {
Carlsen, Kramnik and McShane took the lead, ahead of Nakamura.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.11"]
[Round "8"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2671"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Two of the three leaders met in the penultimate round. It became the decisive
game.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. b3 Bg4 $5 7.
Nbd2 Nd7 8. Bb2 f6 9. Nf1 Nf8 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Ne6 12. Ne3 Qd7 13. h4 a5
14. a4 O-O 15. h5 Bxe3 16. Qxe3 c5 17. Qh3 Qc6 18. O-O Nf4 19. Qh2 Qe8 $5 20.
h6 g5 $5 21. g3 Ne6 22. f4 $5 {McShane carries out a sacrifice.} gxf4 23. gxf4
Nxf4 24. Rxf4 exf4 25. Kf2 Rf7 $1 26. Qh5 $5 Qe6 $5 27. Qxc5 Kh8 28. Qc4 $5 Re8
29. Rh1 Qd7 30. Qb5 Re6 31. Qxd7 Rxd7 {
Black has a material advantage, but White has a sufficient compensation.} 32.
Rg1 $1 Rc6 33. Kf3 $1 Rd8 34. Rg5 $1 Rf8 35. Rg2 $6 {He should not retreat.} ({
Better is the materialistic} 35. Rxa5 {(Kramnik).}) 35... Rg8 $1 36. Rh2 Rg1
37. d4 $5 Rf1+ 38. Kg4 f3 39. d5 $5 Rd6 $5 ({He misses the winning} 39... f2 $1
{by time pressure.}) 40. c4 Kg8 41. c5 $2 (41. Bd4 Kf7 42. Rh3 f2 43. Kf4 {
offers a stubborn resistance.}) 41... f5+ $1 42. Kxf5 Rg6 43. Bd4 Rd1 44. Be3
Rg2 45. Rh3 f2 46. Bxf2 Rxf2+ 47. Ke6 Rf7 48. d6 c6 49. Ke5 Kf8 50. Rh2 Rg1 51.
b4 axb4 52. Rb2 Rg5+ 53. Ke6 Rg6+ 54. Ke5 Rxh6 55. a5 Rh5+ 56. Ke6 Rh6+ 57. Ke5
Rh5+ 58. Ke6 Ke8 59. a6 Rh6+ 60. Ke5 bxa6 61. Rxb4 Ra7 62. Rb8+ Kf7 63. Rc8
Re6+ 64. Kf5 a5 65. Rh8 Rf6+ 66. Ke5 Kg7 67. Rc8 a4 68. Rxc6 a3 69. d7 a2 $1 {
Kramnik defeated the fourth Englishman and took the lead.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 3"]
[Date "2011.12.12"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C36"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2011.12.03"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 {Nakamura wants to win.} exf4 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 Nf6 5. Bc4 Nxd5
6. O-O Be6 7. Bb3 c5 8. Kh1 {Black has a plus.} Nc6 $5 9. d4 c4 10. Ba4 Bd6 11.
b3 c3 12. Qd3 O-O 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Nxc3 {White has regained the pawn.} Re8 15.
Nxd5 Bxd5 16. c4 Be4 $1 {Adams keeps an edge.} 17. Qc3 a5 18. a3 f6 19. Bb2 Ra7
20. Rad1 Rae7 21. b4 axb4 22. axb4 Kh8 23. Qb3 Rb7 24. Bc3 Qb8 25. b5 cxb5 26.
c5 $1 b4 $1 27. Bd2 $1 Bf8 28. Rde1 g5 29. Qc4 g4 $5 30. Nh4 $5 f3 $5 (30... b3
$1 {wins quickly.}) 31. d5 $5 fxg2+ 32. Nxg2 Bf3 33. Kg1 Rc8 34. c6 Rb5 35. Nf4
Bc5+ $5 36. Be3 Bxe3+ $2 (36... Qb6 37. Qc1 Bxe3+ 38. Qxe3 Qxe3+ 39. Rxe3 b3 {
wins for Black.}) 37. Rxe3 Qb6 38. Rfe1 b3 $2 ({Correct is} 38... Ra5 39. Kf1
Ra1 $1) 39. Qc3 $1 Rf8 40. Ne6 $1 b2 41. c7 {Nakamura gained the second place.
The final standings became: Kramnik 16/8, Nakamura 15, Carlsen 14, McShane 13,
Anand and Aronian 9, Short 6, Howell 4, Adams 3.} ({The pointe is} 41. c7 b1=Q
42. Qxf6+ $1 Rxf6 43. c8=Q+ {and mate in two (Saunders).}) 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.01"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A31"]
[WhiteElo "2815"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The fourth London Chess Classic was played from 1 until 10 xii 2012. Three
Englishmen encountered six foreigners.} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
Nf6 5. g3 e5 6. Nb5 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 a6 8. N5c3 d5 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bg2 Be6 11. O-O
Nb6 12. Be3 $5 ({Known is} 12. Ne4 Be7 13. Be3 {
(Shchekachev - Edouard, Caen 2011).}) 12... Nc4 $1 13. Qc1 $6 ({More active is
} 13. Qa4 Nxe3 14. fxe3 O-O 15. Bxc6 Bxc3 16. Nxc3 bxc6 17. Qxc6 Qd2) 13... O-O
14. Rd1 Qc7 15. a3 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 Ba5 17. Nd2 Bb6 18. Qf3 Rad8 19. Na4 Ba7 20.
Qc3 Rd4 21. Qc2 f5 22. e3 Rdd8 23. b4 e4 24. Nb3 Qf7 25. Nbc5 Bd5 26. Rd2 $2 ({
Correct is} 26. Nc3 Bxc5 27. Rxd5 Rxd5 28. Nxd5 Qxd5 {(Nakamura)} 29. Qxc5 Qxc5
30. bxc5 Ne5 {and Black has a small advantage.}) 26... b6 $1 27. Rxd5 (27. Nxa6
Bb3 28. Qxc6 Rxd2 {costs material.}) 27... Rxd5 28. Nxa6 Ne5 29. Rd1 Rfd8 30.
Rxd5 Qxd5 31. Nb2 Qd2 32. Qc7 Ng4 {Nakamura's aggression scored successfully.}
0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.01"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Jones, Gawain"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E46"]
[WhiteElo "2644"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "182"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Nge2 d5 6. a3 Bd6 7. c5 Be7 8. b4 b6
9. Nf4 c6 10. Be2 Nbd7 11. Bb2 Qc7 12. O-O bxc5 13. bxc5 e5 14. Nd3 e4 15. Nf4
$5 ({Known is} 15. Nb4) 15... Re8 16. Rb1 Nf8 17. f3 $5 {
White opens the centre.} exf3 18. gxf3 $6 Bd8 19. Bc1 Ng6 20. Nxg6 hxg6 21. Bd3
Bf5 22. Rf2 Qc8 23. Ne2 Bc7 24. Ng3 Bxd3 25. Qxd3 Qh3 26. Qf1 Qh4 27. Qg2 Rab8
28. Rfb2 Rxb2 29. Rxb2 Rb8 30. Rxb8+ Bxb8 {Black has a pleasant game.} 31. Bd2
Bc7 32. Be1 Nh7 33. Kf1 Qf6 34. Qe2 Ng5 35. f4 $5 {
Square e4 becomes a weak point.} Ne6 36. Kg1 Qe7 37. Kf1 Bd8 38. Qa6 Qd7 39.
Ke2 Bh4 40. Kd2 Nf8 41. Ne2 Bxe1+ 42. Kxe1 Nh7 43. Kd2 $5 g5 $1 44. Ng3 gxf4
45. exf4 Nf6 $1 46. f5 Qc7 47. Kc2 Kh7 48. Kb1 Ng4 49. Qf1 Kg8 $5 {
Long manoeuvring starts.} (49... Qb8+ $1 50. Ka2 Kg8 $1 {wins for Black.}) 50.
Qe2 $5 Nf6 $5 51. Qa6 Ng4 52. Qe2 Nf6 53. Qa6 Kf8 54. Qd3 Qa5 $5 55. Qe3 Kg8
56. Kb2 Kh7 57. Kc2 Qa6 58. h3 Qb7 59. Qe2 Qd7 60. Kd1 Kg8 61. Qe3 a5 62. Qf3
Qb7 63. Kc2 a4 64. Qe3 Qb8 65. Qf3 Kf8 66. Qe3 Ne8 67. Kc1 Qd8 68. Ne2 Qb8 69.
Ng3 Nf6 70. Kc2 Qb5 71. Kc1 $2 ({Better is} 71. Qd3 $1 {(M.Notkin).}) 71...
Qc4+ 72. Kb2 Qb5+ 73. Kc1 Qc4+ 74. Kb2 Ne4 75. f6 $5 (75. Nxe4 dxe4 76. Qxe4
Qb3+ 77. Kc1 Qxa3+ 78. Kc2 Qb3+ 79. Kd2 Qxh3 80. Qxc6 Qh6+ {
wins for Black (Krasenkow).}) 75... Nxf6 76. Nf5 Qb5+ 77. Kc2 Ne4 78. h4 Qc4+
79. Kb2 Qb5+ 80. Kc2 Qc4+ 81. Kb2 Qf1 82. Nd6 Qg2+ 83. Kc1 Qh1+ 84. Kb2 Qh2+
85. Kc1 Qh1+ 86. Kb2 Qh2+ 87. Kc1 Nxd6 88. cxd6 Qxd6 89. Qh3 g6 90. Qf3 Kg7 91.
Qe3 Qf6 {Black has gained two pawns.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.01"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A36"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 d6 5. e3 e5 6. Nge2 Be6 7. Nd5 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Nec3 $5 Nb4 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. d3 d5 $2 ({Correct is} 11... Qd7 $1 12.
a3 Nc6) 12. a3 $1 dxc4 13. axb4 cxb4 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 f5 16. Bg2 Rfd8 17.
d4 $1 {White has gained a piece for two pawns.} a5 18. Qe2 e4 19. f3 $1 Bd5 20.
fxe4 fxe4 21. Rf5 Qd7 22. Re5 Re8 23. Bh3 Qc6 24. Rxe8+ Qxe8 25. Bd2 Qe7 26.
Qh5 Qd8 27. Rf1 g6 28. Qe5 Ra6 29. Bd7 Bf7 30. Rxf7 $5 Kxf7 31. Bb5 Rf6 32.
Bxc4+ Kg7 33. Qxe4 Qc7 34. Qd5 Rf8 35. e4 b5 36. Qxb5 Qd6 37. Qb7+ Kh8 38. Qa7
g5 39. Bxg5 Qc6 40. Qe7 {Vladimir defeated Judit again.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.01"]
[Round "1"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2713"]
[BlackElo "2848"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nf5 8.
Nf3 O-O 9. d4 d5 10. g3 Bf6 11. c3 Re8 12. Rxe8+ Qxe8 13. Bf4 Qd8 14. Bd3 $5 (
14. Na3 {was played in Felgaer - Kurnosov, Moscow 2011.}) 14... Nfe7 15. Na3 a6
16. Nc2 Bf5 17. Bxf5 Nxf5 18. g4 $1 Nfe7 19. Ne3 g6 20. Qf1 $1 Qd7 21. Qh3 Bg7
22. Qg3 Rc8 23. g5 Nd8 24. Be5 {White has the initiative.} Ne6 25. Bf6 Re8 26.
Ne5 Qd6 27. Kh1 $6 (27. h4 $1 {continues the pressure.}) 27... Nxg5 $1 28. Bxg5
f6 29. Bxf6 Qxf6 30. Re1 c6 {The chances are equal.} 31. Kg2 Nc8 32. N3g4 Qd8
33. Nd3 Rxe1 34. Nxe1 Nd6 35. Nd3 Nf5 36. Qh3 $5 Bf8 $5 37. Ne3 Qg5+ 38. Kf1
Nxe3+ 39. fxe3 Kg7 40. Nf4 Qf6 41. Ke2 Bd6 42. Qg4 Kf7 43. h3 h5 44. Qc8 Qe7
45. Nd3 Kf6 $1 {Black wants to attack.} 46. b3 Kg5 47. c4 $2 (47. Qg8 $1 Qf6 $5
48. c4 $1 dxc4 49. Nf2 Qe7 50. Qxc4 {stops the black plan.}) 47... Kh4 $1 {
The advance proceeds.} 48. c5 $5 Bg3 49. b4 Qf7 50. a4 g5 51. Kd2 Bh2 $1 52.
Ne1 Kg3 53. Nc2 Bg1 54. Qd8 Kh4 55. Qc8 Bf2 56. Ke2 Kg3 57. Qd8 $6 ({Better is
} 57. Kd2 Kg2 $1 58. Qd8 Bh4 59. Qc8 Kf1 $1 60. Qh8 Be1+ $1 61. Nxe1 Qf2+ {
but Black wins anyway.}) 57... Qf5 $1 58. Kd2 Kxh3 59. b5 g4 60. bxc6 bxc6 61.
Nb4 g3 62. Nd3 g2 {Carlsen played a fine endgame.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.02"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2848"]
[BlackElo "2815"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Nd5
Nxd5 9. Bxd5 Rb8 $5 10. O-O Ne7 $5 {Black delivers a pawn sacrifice.} 11. Nxe5
{White accepts the challenge.} Nxd5 12. exd5 Re8 $5 ({Carlsen prefers} 12...
Bb7 $1 13. c4 Re8) 13. d4 Bf8 14. b3 Bb7 15. c4 d6 16. Nf3 Qf6 17. Be3 Bc8 18.
Qd2 Qg6 19. Kh1 h6 20. Rac1 Be7 21. Ng1 $5 Bg5 $5 22. Bxg5 Qxg5 23. Rfd1 bxc4
24. bxc4 $6 ({Preferable is} 24. Qxg5 hxg5 25. Rxc4 $1) 24... Qxd2 25. Rxd2 a5
{The endgame is almost equal, despite white's extra pawn.} 26. h3 Rb4 27. Nf3
Bf5 28. c5 Kf8 29. Nh2 Reb8 30. Ng4 Rb1 31. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 32. Kh2 a4 $6 {
Aronian does not exchange the knight, because he imagines to have a plus.} 33.
Ne3 $1 Bg6 34. Kg3 Rb4 35. Kf3 Ke7 36. Ke2 Kd7 37. f3 Rb5 38. Nd1 Rb4 $5 39.
c6+ Kc8 40. Nc3 f6 41. Ke3 Rc4 42. Ne2 a3 43. h4 Rb4 $5 44. g4 {
White improves his position slowly.} Rb1 $2 (44... Rb2 $1 45. h5 Bc2 $1 46. Nc3
Kd8 {almost levels the game (Carlsen).}) 45. h5 $1 Bh7 46. f4 $1 f5 $1 {
He prevents the imprisonment of the bishop.} 47. g5 $1 Rh1 48. Ng3 Rh3 49. Kf3
hxg5 50. fxg5 g6 ({More resistance is offered by} 50... Kd8 $1 51. g6 Bg8 52.
Kf4 Bxd5 53. Nxf5 Rxh5 54. Nxg7 Rh1 55. Nf5 Rf1+ 56. Kg5 Bxc6 57. d5 Rg1+ 58.
Kf6 Be8 $1 59. Nh4 $1 Rf1+ 60. Kg5 Rh1 61. Rg2 $1 Rh3 {(Speelman), but} 62. Re2
$1 {wins for White.}) 51. Re2 Kd8 52. hxg6 Bxg6 53. Re6 Bf7 54. g6 $1 Bg8 ({Or
} 54... Bxe6 55. dxe6 Rh6 56. g7 Rg6 57. Nxf5) 55. g7 f4 $5 56. Kxf4 Rh2 57.
Nf5 Rxa2 58. Rf6 Re2 59. Rf8+ {Aronian lost again.} ({The pointe is} 59. Rf8+
Re8 60. Nxd6 $1 cxd6 61. c7+ Kxc7 62. Rxe8 a2 63. Re1 Bxd5 64. Ke3 {
and white's king moves to b2. Thereafter the rook decides the game.}) 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.02"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "174"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Qe2 d6 7. g3 Be7 8.
Bg2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 $5 10. c4 Nd7 11. Be3 Bf6 12. Qc2 $6 ({Preferable is} 12.
Na3 $1 Rb8 13. Rab1) 12... Ne5 $1 13. Nd2 Ng4 14. Rae1 Rb8 15. b3 Nxe3 16. Rxe3
c5 $5 17. h3 a5 18. Kh2 a4 19. f4 Bd4 20. Re2 g6 21. Nf3 axb3 22. axb3 Bg7 23.
Rd1 Rb6 24. e5 Bb7 25. Rdd2 Qa8 26. exd6 Rxe2 27. Rxe2 Rxd6 28. Ne5 Bxg2 29.
Rxg2 Bxe5 30. fxe5 Re6 {Black has a plus in the endgame.} 31. Re2 Qf3 $1 32.
Qd2 $5 Qxb3 33. Qd8+ Kg7 34. Qxc7 Qf3 $1 (34... Qxc4 35. Rf2 Ra6 36. e6 Qxe6
37. Qxc5 {brings less advantage for Black.}) 35. Rg2 Qe3 36. Qa7 h5 37. h4 Rxe5
{Black has gained a pawn.} 38. Qa1 Kh7 39. Qb2 Rf5 40. Re2 Qf3 41. Qc2 Qf1 42.
Qd2 Rf6 43. Qc2 Rf3 44. Qb2 Rf5 45. Qc2 Rf6 46. Rd2 Kg7 47. Qc3 Kh7 48. Qc2 Qa1
49. Rf2 Kg7 $5 50. Rxf6 Qxf6 51. Qe2 Qd4 52. Kg2 Kf8 53. Kh2 Qg4 54. Qd3 Ke7
55. Qe3+ Kd6 56. Qd3+ Qd4 57. Qe2 Qe5 58. Qd3+ Ke6 59. Kg2 g5 $5 60. hxg5 Qxg5
61. Qe4+ Qe5 62. Qc6+ Ke7 63. Qb7+ Kf8 64. Qa8+ Kg7 65. Qf3 Kg6 66. Qd3+ Qf5
67. Qd6+ f6 $1 68. Qe7 $2 {A blunder costs more material.} ({Right is} 68. Qa6
Qe4+ 69. Kf2) 68... Qc2+ 69. Kh3 Qxc4 {Kramnik has captured another pawn.} 70.
Qe8+ Qf7 71. Qe4+ Kg7 72. Qf5 c4 73. Kg2 Qb7+ 74. Kh2 Qb2+ 75. Kh3 Qe5 76. Qc8
c3 77. Qc4 Qe1 78. Qc7+ Kg6 79. Qc6 Qf1+ 80. Kh4 Qe2 $1 81. Kh3 c2 82. g4 Qe3+
83. Kh4 Qg5+ 84. Kg3 Qxg4+ 85. Kf2 Qf4+ 86. Kg2 c1=Q 87. Qe8+ Kg5 {
Carlsen and Kramnik shared the lead after two wins.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.03"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. Qe2 d5 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Be7 8.
Rd1 O-O 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Rxd4 Bf6 12. Rd1 Qc7 $5 ({Known is} 12...
Qb6) 13. c4 $1 Nb4 $2 ({Preferable is} 13... Nb6 $1 14. Nd2 $5 {(Adams)} Bd7)
14. Nc3 a6 15. Bf4 e5 16. Be3 Be6 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. cxd5 Bf5 19. d6 Qd7 20. Bb6
$1 {The restriction increases.} Rac8 21. Bc7 Bg4 22. Bf3 h5 23. Rac1 Rfe8 $6 (
23... b5 24. Qe4 Bd8 {saves a tempo.}) 24. Bxg4 hxg4 25. Qe4 $1 Bg5 26. Rc5 $1
Bd8 ({Or} 26... b5 27. Qc6) 27. Qxb7 Re6 28. Rdd5 Rf6 29. Qxa6 $1 {
Mickey has gained two pawns.} Qf5 30. Qe2 Qb1+ 31. Rd1 Qxa2 32. Rxe5 Bxc7 33.
Re8+ Rxe8 34. Qxe8+ Kh7 35. dxc7 Qa7 36. Qe4+ {Adams won again.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.03"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2848"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. O-O Nge7 7. a3 a5 8. Ne1
d6 9. Nc2 O-O 10. d3 Rb8 11. Rb1 Be6 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 cxb4 14. Nxb4 Nxb4
15. Rxb4 d5 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Rb5 Bxg2 $6 ({Preferable is} 18...
Bc6 19. Bxc6 bxc6 20. Rc5 Qd7 {and White has little advantage (Kramnik).}) 19.
Kxg2 Qd7 20. Qb3 Rfc8 $5 (20... Qc6+ 21. Kg1 Rfc8 {
ended as a draw in Radovanovic - Szabo, Valjevo 2010.}) 21. Bb2 Qd6 22. Rb1 Rc5
$1 23. Rb6 Rc6 $5 (23... Qd5+ 24. Qxd5 Rxd5 25. Ba3 Rd7 {defends stubbornly.})
24. Rxb7 Rxb7 25. Qxb7 {White gained a pawn and has minor winning chances.} Rb6
26. Qc8+ Qf8 27. Qd7 $1 h5 28. e4 $1 (28. Rc1 Rxb2 29. Rc8 Rxe2 30. Rxf8+ Bxf8
31. Qd5 Bg7 {draws.}) 28... Qd6 29. Qe8+ Qf8 30. Qd7 Qd6 31. Qxd6 Rxd6 32. Rd1
f5 33. f3 fxe4 34. fxe4 Rb6 $1 {He activates the rook timely.} 35. Bc3 Rb3 36.
Ba1 Kf7 37. Kf3 Ke6 38. h3 Bh6 39. Ke2 Bg5 40. Rg1 Bh6 41. h4 Kd6 42. Rd1 Ke6
43. Rf1 Rb4 $1 44. Rd1 Rb3 45. Rg1 Kf6 46. Rh1 Ke6 47. Rd1 Kf6 48. d4 {
Kramnik makes the last effort to win.} Re3+ 49. Kf2 Rxe4 50. dxe5+ Kf5 51. Rd7
Kg4 $1 52. Rd6 Be3+ $1 53. Ke2 Bf4+ $1 54. Kd3 Re3+ 55. Kc4 Bxe5 56. Rxg6+ Kf3
57. Bxe5 Rxe5 58. Rg5 Re4+ 59. Kd5 Rg4 $1 60. Ke5 Kxg3 61. Rxh5 Rxh4 62. Rxh4
Kxh4 {Bare kings remain on the board. Carlsen survived the pressure by Kramnik.
} 1/2-1/2

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.04"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B53"]
[WhiteElo "2848"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 a6 5. h3 Nc6 6. Qe3 g6 7. c4 Bg7 8. Be2
Nf6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. O-O Nd7 11. Rb1 a5 12. b3 Nc5 13. Bb2 f5 14. exf5 Bxf5 15.
Rbd1 a4 16. Ba3 Qa5 17. Nb5 axb3 18. axb3 Qxa3 {
Black delivers a risky sacrifice.} ({Wiser is} 18... Rf6 19. Bxc5 Re6 20. Qd2
dxc5) 19. Nxa3 Rxa3 20. Nd2 Bd4 21. Qg3 Be5 22. f4 {
All moves have been played before.} Bf6 $5 (22... Nd4 23. Bf3 Bf6 {
occurred in the little known Rombakloni - Sorcinelli, Bergamo 2009.}) 23. Bg4
Nd4 24. Kh1 Bc2 25. Rde1 Kh8 26. Re3 h5 27. b4 h4 $6 (27... Nd3 $5 28. Bd1 $1
h4 29. Qxg6 Nf2+ 30. Rxf2 Bxg6 31. Rxa3 {also wins for White (Mekhitarian).})
28. Qf2 Nd3 29. Qg1 {White wins easily.} Nf5 30. Bxf5 gxf5 31. Nf3 Rc3 32. c5
Bb3 33. Ne1 Bd4 34. Nxd3 dxc5 $5 35. Qf2 Rf7 36. Rc1 cxb4 37. Rxc3 bxc3 38. Qe1
{Carlsen took the sole lead.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.04"]
[Round "4"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C55"]
[WhiteElo "2713"]
[BlackElo "2815"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "152"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4
Bd7 9. c3 O-O 10. Nbd2 Na5 11. Bc2 c5 12. Re1 Re8 13. Nf1 Nc6 14. Ne3 b4 15. h3
$5 (15. Bb3 {drew in Kamsky - Leko, Dresden 2008.}) 15... Rb8 16. Nc4 Be6 17.
Bb3 h6 18. Be3 bxc3 19. bxc3 d5 $1 20. exd5 Nxd5 21. Qc2 $2 ({Correct is} 21.
Bd2 Bf6 22. Rb1) 21... e4 $1 22. dxe4 Nxe3 23. Rxe3 Rxb3 $1 24. Qxb3 Na5 25.
Nxa5 Bxb3 26. Nxb3 Qb6 {Black has a material advantage.} 27. Nbd2 Qb2 $1 28.
Rae1 Rd8 29. Nf1 c4 30. Ne5 Bc5 31. Rf3 Qb3 32. a5 Rd6 $2 (32... f6 {
wins easily.}) 33. Nxf7 Rf6 34. Rxf6 gxf6 35. Nxh6+ Kf8 36. Ng4 Qxc3 37. Rd1
Qb4 38. Nxf6 Kf7 39. Nd5 Qb2 40. Nde3 c3 41. Rd5 Be7 42. Rf5+ Ke8 43. g4 c2 $1
44. Nxc2 Qxc2 45. Ng3 Qc7 46. Nh5 Bd8 47. Kg2 Qc6 48. Re5+ Kf7 49. g5 Qa4 50.
h4 Bxa5 51. Rf5+ Ke6 52. Nf4+ Kd7 53. f3 Qc2+ 54. Kh3 Qf2 55. Kg4 Be1 56. Ng6
a5 57. Rf7+ Kd8 58. e5 a4 59. e6 $6 (59. Rf8+ Kd7 60. Rf7+ Kc6 61. Rf6+ Kb5 62.
e6 Bb4 63. e7 Bxe7 64. Nxe7 a3 {seems to win for Black.}) 59... Bb4 $1 60. e7+
Bxe7 61. Nxe7 Qc5 62. Kh5 a3 63. Kh6 a2 64. g6 Qc4 65. Nf5 a1=Q 66. Rf8+ Kc7
67. g7 Qc6+ 68. Kh7 Qxf3 69. g8=N Qh5+ 70. Ngh6 Qe5 71. Ng7 Qxh4 72. Rf7+ Kb6
73. Ngf5 Qee4 74. Kg6 Qe6+ 75. Kg7 Qg5+ 76. Kf8 Qc8# {Aronian had to work hard.
} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.06"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2848"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4
Bd7 9. h3 O-O 10. Be3 Be6 $5 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Nbd2 b4 13. c3 d5 $5 14. cxb4
Bd6 15. b5 axb5 16. axb5 Rxa1 17. Qxa1 Nb4 18. d4 exd4 19. Nxd4 Qe8 20. Qa4
Nxe4 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Nc6 Nd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 22... Nxc6 23. bxc6 Qg6) 23.
Qxe4 Nxe3 24. Qxe3 {
Adams has small advantages.  Carlsen is going to turn the tables.} Rf5 25. Nd4
Re5 26. Qb3 Rd5 27. Qc4 Qf7 28. b3 Qd7 29. Nf3 $6 {
The knight should return to c6.} Rxb5 $1 30. Ra1 Rd5 31. g3 h6 32. Qe4 Qe8 33.
Kg2 Kf7 34. Ra2 Qd8 35. Re2 Qf6 $1 36. h4 Qf5 {The chances are equal.} 37. Qc4
$5 Rd3 $1 38. Re3 $5 Rxe3 39. fxe3 Qb1 40. e4 $2 (40. Nd2 Qe1 41. Qf1+ Qxf1+
42. Nxf1 Bb4 {leads to a plus for Black (Speelman).}) 40... Qb2+ 41. Kh3 Qf2 $1
42. e5 $1 Qxf3 43. exd6 Qh1+ $1 44. Kg4 Qd1+ 45. Kh3 Qxd6 {
Black has an extra pawn in the queen ending.} 46. h5 $5 c5 $1 47. g4 Qd4 48.
Qf1+ Ke7 49. Qf3 $5 Qd5 $1 50. Qc3 e5 51. Kg3 Kd6 52. Qc4 $5 Qxc4 53. bxc4 e4
$1 {Magnus wins the pawn ending in a subtle way.} 54. Kf4 e3 $1 55. Kf3 Ke6 $1
56. Ke2 (56. Kxe3 Ke5 {brings the opposition.}) 56... Kf6 $1 57. Kf3 Kg5 $1 58.
Kxe3 Kxg4 59. Ke4 Kxh5 60. Kd5 g5 $1 61. Kxc5 g4 62. Kd4 g3 63. Ke3 Kg4 {
Carlsen kept the lead.} ({The pointe is} 63... Kg4 64. c5 Kh3 $1 65. c6 g2 66.
Kf2 Kh2) 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.06"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jones, Gawain"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D70"]
[WhiteElo "2644"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2
e5 9. d5 c6 10. h4 cxd5 11. exd5 N8d7 12. h5 Nf6 13. hxg6 fxg6 14. Nh3 $5 ({
Theory is} 14. O-O-O Bd7 15. Kb1) 14... e4 $5 (14... Nfxd5 15. Nxd5 Qxd5 16.
Qxd5+ Nxd5 {exchanges a lot.}) 15. fxe4 Ng4 16. Bf4 $6 ({Preferable is} 16. Bc5
$1 Bh6 17. Qd3 Rf7 18. Bd4) 16... Ne5 17. Bg5 $6 (17. O-O-O Bg4 18. d6 Bxd1 19.
Qxd1 {sacrifices for the initiative.}) 17... Qd6 18. Nb5 $2 (18. Rb1 {
avoids a disaster.}) 18... Qc5 $1 {He threatens ..Rxf1+.} 19. Na3 Bxh3 $1 20.
Be3 ({The pointe is} 20. Rxh3 Nbc4 21. Nxc4 Nxc4 22. Qc2 Rxf1+ 23. Kxf1 Rf8+
24. Rf3 Ne3+) 20... Qc8 $1 21. Rc1 Qg4 $1 22. Rxh3 Qxh3 $1 23. gxh3 Nf3+ 24.
Ke2 Nxd2 25. Bxd2 Bxb2 26. Nb5 Bxc1 27. Bxc1 Nxd5 $1 28. exd5 Rae8+ 29. Be3
Rxf1 $1 {The world champion showed great tactics.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.06"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2713"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. g3 dxc4 6. a4 e6 7. Bg2 c5 8. O-O
cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nbd7 10. Nc2 Qc7 11. Bf4 $5 (11. Qd4 Bc5 12. Qh4 {
happened in Kramnik - Gelfand, Linares 1997.}) 11... e5 $1 12. Bd2 Nc5 13. Bg5
Be6 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Nce3 Nb3 17. a5 $1 Rc8 ({The alternative is} 
17... Nxa1 $5 18. Qa4+ $1 Bd7 19. Qxa1 $5 Bc5 20. Nxc4 {
and White has the initiative (Kramnik).}) 18. Ra4 Nd4 $6 ({Preferable is} 18...
Bc5 19. Nxc4 Nd4) 19. Nb6 Rc7 20. Rxc4 $1 Bxc4 21. Nexc4 Nb5 $2 ({Correct is} 
21... Be7 $1 22. e3 Ne6 23. Qa4+ Kf8 24. Nd5 Qd7 25. Qc2 Rc5 26. b4 Rxd5 27.
Nb6 Qc7 28. Qxc7 Nxc7 29. Nxd5 Nxd5 30. Bxd5 Kg7) 22. Qb1 $5 Qd4 23. Rd1 Qc5
24. e3 $5 Be7 25. Qf5 Kf8 26. Bd5 Kg7 27. Qg4+ Kh6 28. e4 $1 {
He plays for mate brilliantly.} Nd4 29. Ne3 f5 30. Qh3+ Kg7 31. Rxd4 $1 exd4
32. Nxf5+ Kf8 33. Qh6+ Ke8 34. Bxf7+ $1 Kd8 ({Or} 34... Kxf7 35. Qg7+ Ke6 36.
Nxd4+ Kd6 37. Qh6+ Ke5 38. Nb3 {and White has a decisive attack.}) 35. Qg7 Rf8
36. Nxd4 Rc6 37. Nxc6+ bxc6 38. Qg4 $1 Kc7 39. Qd7+ Kb8 40. Qd2 $5 Kc7 41. Qd7+
Kb8 42. Kg2 Bd6 43. b4 $1 Qd4 44. Qxc6 Ka7 45. Kh3 Qd1 46. Nc8+ Rxc8 47. Qxc8
Qf1+ 48. Kg4 h5+ $5 49. Kxh5 {Kramnik remained at the second place.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.06"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. axb5
axb5 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. d4 Bxd4 11. Qxd4 d6 12. f4 Nc6 13. Qc3 Ne7 14. Nd2 O-O
15. e5 Nfd5 16. Bxd5 $5 ({Known is} 16. Qf3) 16... Nxd5 17. Qd4 Bb7 18. Ne4 f5
19. Ng5 Qd7 20. Nf3 Ra8 21. Bd2 c5 22. Qd3 c4 23. Qd4 dxe5 24. Nxe5 Qc7 {
The chances are equal.} 25. Rfd1 h6 26. Be1 Rfe8 27. Bd2 Red8 28. Rxa8 Rxa8 29.
h3 Ra2 $1 30. Rb1 $6 (30. Bc3 $1 b4 31. Be1 Kh7 32. Qxc4 Qxc4 33. Nxc4 Nxf4 {
exchanges.}) 30... Nf6 31. Bb4 $2 Be4 $1 32. Re1 Bxc2 {Black has gained a pawn.
} 33. g4 Qa7 34. Qxa7 Rxa7 35. Nc6 Ra6 36. Ne7+ Kf7 37. g5 hxg5 38. fxg5 Ne4
39. Nxf5 Nxg5 40. Re7+ Kg6 41. Nd4 Bd3 42. Rb7 Nxh3+ 43. Kh2 Ng5 44. Nxb5 Rf6
45. Bc5 Rf4 46. Nc3 $2 (46. Be3 Rh4+ 47. Kg1 Rg4+ 48. Kf2 Ne4+ 49. Kf3 {
defends properly.}) 46... Rg4 $1 47. Nd1 Bf1 {White will be mated soon.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.07"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2775"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Bg2 O-O 8.
O-O Re8 9. Nc2 d6 10. Bd2 a6 $5 (10... Ne5 11. b3 c6 {
drew in Spassky - Bacrot, Cannes 1998.}) 11. Rc1 Ne5 12. b3 c6 13. Be3 Nfg4 14.
Bd4 c5 $1 15. Bxe5 Bxe5 16. Nd5 Rb8 17. h3 Nf6 18. Nce3 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Qa5 20.
Rc2 Bf5 21. Qd2 $1 Qd8 $1 22. Rcc1 b5 {Black has the initiative.} 23. cxb5 axb5
24. Rfd1 h5 25. h4 Bg4 26. Ne3 Bd7 27. Bf3 Bd4 28. Nd5 b4 29. Rc4 Be5 30. Kg2
Ra8 31. Ne3 Ra7 32. Rcc1 Qe7 33. Nc4 Be6 34. Rc2 Bf5 35. e4 Be6 36. Nxe5 dxe5
37. Qe3 Ra5 38. Be2 Rd8 39. Rxd8+ Qxd8 40. Rxc5 Rxa2 41. Bc4 $4 ({Correct is} 
41. Rxe5 Qd2 42. Qxd2 Rxd2 43. Bc4 Bxc4 44. bxc4) 41... Qd1 $1 42. Qh6 Bh3+ $1
{The world champion will be mated.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.07"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A33"]
[WhiteElo "2848"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. a3 Bc5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. e4
O-O 9. Be2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 11. Bf4 d6 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Re1 Ne5 14. Nd2 Nfd7 15.
Be3 $5 Qc7 16. b4 Qb8 17. f4 Ng6 18. g3 Rfe8 19. Bf3 Qa8 20. Bf2 Ngf8 21. Qe2
Qb8 22. Red1 g6 $2 {
Judit weakens her position. A waiting move would have been better.} 23. e5 $1
Bc6 ({The pointe is} 23... dxe5 24. fxe5 Bxf3 25. Nxf3 {
and pawn e5 is protected.}) 24. Bd4 Red8 25. Bxc6 Rxc6 26. Nf3 dxe5 27. fxe5
Rdc8 $5 28. Ne4 $1 Qc7 29. Nfd2 a6 30. Nf2 Bg5 31. Rf1 $1 Bxd2 32. Qxd2 Nxe5
33. Bxe5 Qxe5 34. Ng4 $1 {White strikes.} Rd6 35. Nh6+ Kg7 36. Rxf7+ Kh8 37.
Qf2 Qd4 38. c5 $5 bxc5 39. Qxd4+ $1 Rxd4 40. Rxc5 Rcd8 ({Or} 40... Rxc5 41.
bxc5 e5 $1 42. c6 $1 Rc4 43. Ng4 $1 {and White wins.}) 41. Rcc7 Rd1+ 42. Kg2
R1d2+ 43. Kh3 R2d5 44. Ng4 Rh5+ 45. Kg2 Rd2+ 46. Kf3 Rf5+ 47. Ke3 Rxf7 48. Rxf7
Rd8 49. Nf6 Rb8 50. Kf4 h6 51. Ke5 a5 $5 52. bxa5 Ra8 53. a6 $1 {
Carlsen increased his lead.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.07"]
[Round "6"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2713"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 c5 2. g3 Nc6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Nc3 e5 6. O-O Nge7 7. a3 O-O 8. d3
d6 9. Rb1 a5 10. Ne1 Be6 11. Nc2 d5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Ne3 Nde7 14. Nc4 Rb8 15.
Bg5 f6 16. Be3 b6 17. f4 f5 $5 18. fxe5 Nxe5 19. Bf4 Nxc4 $1 ({
The alternative is} 19... Bxc4 20. dxc4 Qxd1 21. Rfxd1 Bf6) 20. dxc4 Bxc4 21.
Bxb8 Qxb8 {Black has a sufficient compensation for the exchange.} 22. Qa4 Be6
23. Rbd1 Qe5 $6 ({Preferable is} 23... Be5 $1) 24. Kh1 c4 25. e4 $1 {
White opens files for his rooks.} Qc5 26. Rde1 Bd4 27. Qd1 Rd8 $2 (27... Bf7 {
defends properly.}) 28. exf5 $1 Bxf5 29. Qe2 $1 Nc8 30. g4 $1 Bd3 31. Qe6+ Kh8
32. Rf7 {White attacks.} Nd6 33. Rd7 Rxd7 34. Qxd7 Bf6 35. Nd1 $5 (35. Re6 $1
Qg5 36. Na2 {wins quickly.}) 35... Qd4 $1 36. g5 Bf5 37. Re8+ $1 Nxe8 38. Qxe8+
Kg7 39. gxf6+ Qxf6 40. Qe3 $5 Bd7 41. Kg1 b5 42. Qa7 Qd6 43. Nf2 Qd2 44. Bh3 $1
Qg5+ 45. Bg4 h5 46. Qxd7+ Kh6 47. Qd4 Kh7 48. h4 Qxh4 49. Qa7+ Kh6 50. Qe3+ Kh7
51. Bd7 b4 52. axb4 axb4 53. Bb5 c3 54. bxc3 bxc3 55. Bd3 Qd8 56. Qc5 Qh4 57.
Qxc3 Qg3+ 58. Kf1 h4 59. Qc8 {Jones should have kept his position closed.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Jones, Gawain"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A14"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. b3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb2 e6 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 b6
9. Nc3 Bb7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. d4 Ne4 12. dxc5 Nxc3 13. Bxc3 bxc5 14. Qe2 Re8 $5
15. Rfd1 $1 {White puts pressure on the hanging pawns.} Bf8 $6 ({Preferable is
} 15... Qd6 $1 16. Rac1 Rad8) 16. Qb5 Qb6 $2 (16... Rb8 {
avoids the following tactics.}) 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Rxd5 $1 Nd4 $1 19. Nxd4 $1
Bxd5 20. Bxd5 cxd4 21. Bxd4 {
Kramnik has given a rook for a bishop and two pawns. He controls the centre.}
Ra5 $5 22. e4 $1 Bc5 23. Bc3 Ra3 24. Bb2 Ra7 25. a4 Rc7 26. Ra2 h6 27. Kg2 Kh7
28. f4 f6 29. Kf3 {Vladimir occupies the central area.} Rd7 30. a5 {
A dangerous pawn is created.} bxa5 31. Rxa5 Rc8 32. Rb5 Rd6 $5 33. Rb7 $5 Rb6
34. Rf7 $1 Rf8 $2 ({Correct is} 34... Rd8 $1 35. Rc7 Bd6) 35. Rc7 $1 Bd6 36.
Rd7 $1 Ra6 37. Bd4 $1 Bb8 38. Bc5 Re8 39. Kg4 Ra2 40. h4 Rc8 41. b4 $1 Ra3 42.
h5 $1 Rc3 43. Bd4 R3c7 44. Rxc7 Bxc7 45. Kf5 $1 Bd6 46. b5 Rc1 47. b6 {
The past pawn becomes too strong.} Bb8 48. Ke6 Rh1 49. Bc5 {
Kramnik neared the leader Carlsen.} 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.09"]
[Round "8"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2713"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. c4 g6 2. g3 Bg7 3. Bg2 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 b6 6. O-O Bb7 7. d3 Nf6 8. Bg5
h6 9. Bd2 d5 $5 10. Qc1 $5 Rc8 11. Rb1 Qd7 12. b3 d4 $1 13. Nb5 h5 14. b4 $6 ({
Preferable is} 14. Qe1 $1 a6 15. Na3) 14... cxb4 15. Bxb4 a6 16. Na3 Nxb4 17.
Rxb4 Nd5 $1 18. Rb3 Nc3 $1 {Judit attacks.} 19. Qd2 Bxf3 $5 20. Bxf3 h4 21. g4
$5 b5 22. h3 $2 ({Better is} 22. e3 $1 f5 23. h3) 22... O-O $1 23. cxb5 axb5
24. Nc2 Rc5 25. Ne1 $6 {McShane defends passively.} Bf6 26. Ng2 Bg5 $1 27. Qb2
Rfc8 28. Kh1 Qd6 29. Ra3 Na4 $1 30. Rxa4 bxa4 31. Ne1 Rc1 32. Qb7 Rb8 33. Qa7
Bd2 {Polgar crushed the resistance at all fronts at the end.} 0-1

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.10"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2848"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Kramnik needed a win in the last round, but he could not gain an advantage
against Adams. Carlsen encountered the world champion.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3.
Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nc3 d6 6. Na4 Bb6 7. Nxb6 axb6 8. c3 Bd7 9. Ba4 Ne7 10.
Bc2 Ng6 11. h3 O-O 12. O-O h6 13. Re1 Re8 14. d4 Bc6 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Qxd8
Rexd8 $5 17. g3 Nd7 18. Be3 Nc5 19. Nd2 Nf8 20. f3 Nfe6 21. h4 Bb5 22. a3 Rd7
$5 23. b4 Nd3 $5 24. Reb1 Ba4 25. Bxa4 Rxa4 {
Anand has the initiative on the queenside.} 26. Kf1 b5 27. Ke2 Ra6 28. h5 c5 $6
{Black gives a pawn.} ({Preferable is} 28... Kf8) 29. bxc5 Ndxc5 30. Rxb5 Na4
31. Rc1 Rc7 32. Nb1 {White protects his extra pawn.} f6 33. c4 b6 34. Rd5 Nac5
35. Rc2 Rc6 36. Rb2 Kh7 37. Rb4 g6 $5 38. hxg6+ Kxg6 39. Rd2 h5 40. Nc3 $5 {
Magnus goes forwards and returns the pawn.} Rxa3 41. Nd5 Kf7 42. Nxb6 Nb3 $1
43. Rd7+ Ke8 44. Rb7 Nbd4+ 45. Bxd4 Nxd4+ 46. Kd1 Kd8 $6 {
Vishy plays a doubtful move after a long contemplation time.} (46... Ra1+ 47.
Kd2 Nxf3+ 48. Kc3 Kf8 {brings little advantage for White.}) 47. Rd7+ $6 ({
Better is} 47. Kc1 $1 Nxf3 48. Rg7 $1 Ne1 49. Rb5 Nd3+ 50. Kc2 Nf2 $1 51. Nd5
Kc8 52. Kb2 $1 {and White attacks.}) 47... Ke8 48. Rb7 Kd8 $5 49. Nd5 $5 Ra1+
50. Kd2 Ra2+ 51. Rb2 Rxb2+ 52. Rxb2 Nxf3+ 53. Kd3 Ng5 54. Rb8+ Kd7 55. Rb7+ Kd6
$1 56. Nxf6 Ra6 {Black has a sufficient compensation for the pawn.} 57. Ne8+
Kc5 58. Rc7+ Kb4 59. Rb7+ Kc5 60. Rc7+ Kb4 61. Rb7+ {
Carlsen won the tournament and reached a record rating of 2861.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "London"]
[Site "Chess Classic 4"]
[Date "2012.12.10"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "McShane, Luke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2713"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2012.12.01"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. c5 Nbd7 6. g3 g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Qc2 Re8 10. Rd1 e5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 $5 12. Nxe5 Rxe5 13. e4 $1 Bg4 14. f3
Bd7 15. Bf4 Re8 16. Na4 a5 $5 17. Nb6 Ra6 18. Qf2 Be6 19. Bf1 Rxb6 $5 20. cxb6
Qe7 21. Be3 Nd7 22. Bd4 dxe4 23. fxe4 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Nxb6 25. b3 Nd7 26. Rad1
Ne5 27. h3 h5 28. Bg2 Kh7 29. Qf4 Bd7 30. Kh2 c5 31. Rd6 a4 32. R1d5 Kg7 $4 {
Black misses the threat.} ({Correct is} 32... Bc6 $1 33. Rd1 axb3 34. axb3 b5)
33. Qxe5+ $1 {White gains a piece. The final standings became: Carlsen 18/8,
Kramnik 16, Nakamura and Adams 13, Anand 9, Aronian 8, Polgar 6, McShane 5,
Jones 3.} 1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.14"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2754"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The fifth London Classic was played from 11 until 15 xii 2013. Sixteen
grandmasters participated in four groups. Six rapid games were carried out in
three gays. Qualifiers became Adams and Anand in Group A, Svidler and Kramnik
in Group B, Nakamura and Gelfand in Group C plus Caruana and Short in Group D.
Four quarter final matches of two rapid games happened in one day. The time
control was 25 minutes per game plus 10 seconds per move.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6
3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 Nf6 5. Qe2 d5 6. d3 g6 7. e5 Nd7 8. c4 $5 Bg7 9. Bf4 Qa5+ 10.
Nbd2 dxc4 $6 (10... O-O 11. O-O Re8 {keeps the equality.}) 11. dxc4 h6 12. h4
Nd4 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. O-O Bxe5 $6 ({Preferable is} 14... g5 15. hxg5 hxg5 16.
Bxg5 Qxe5) 15. Nb3 $1 Qc7 16. Bxe5 Qxe5 17. Qd2 $1 {White has the initiative.}
Qd6 18. Rfe1 Kf8 19. Nxd4 e5 20. Nb3 Qxd2 21. Nxd2 a5 $5 22. Rad1 Ra6 23. Bh3
Kg7 24. Nf3 Nc5 25. Bxc8 Rxc8 26. Rxe5 {Adams has gained a pawn.} Rb6 27. Rdd5
Ne6 28. b3 a4 $1 29. Rb5 Rcc6 30. Kg2 axb3 31. axb3 Nc7 32. Rxb6 Rxb6 33. Nd4
Kf6 34. Re3 Rd6 35. Ne2 b5 $5 36. Nc3 $1 {He threatens a fork.} Rd4 37. Nxb5 $5
Nxb5 38. cxb5 Rb4 39. Kf3 Kf5 40. Ke2 Kg4 41. Kd3 $1 g5 $2 42. Re4+ $1 {
Adams exchanges the rooks and wins the pawn ending.} 1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.14"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B25"]
[WhiteElo "2683"]
[BlackElo "2786"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. Nge2 Rb8 7. a3 b5 8. O-O e6
9. Be3 b4 $5 10. axb4 cxb4 11. Na4 Nge7 12. Qd2 O-O 13. Bh6 Bxh6 14. Qxh6 a5
15. b3 Kh8 16. Ra2 $5 e5 17. Qe3 Qc7 18. Nb2 Bg4 19. f3 Be6 20. Nc4 d5 $5 21.
exd5 Nxd5 22. Qc5 Rfc8 23. Re1 Qd8 24. Qf2 Nc3 $5 25. Nxc3 Bxc4 26. bxc4 bxc3
27. Ra3 Rb2 28. Rxc3 Qd4 $1 29. Qxd4 Nxd4 $5 ({The alternative is} 29... exd4
30. Ra3 Rxc2) 30. Rxe5 a4 $1 31. f4 $2 ({Better is} 31. Ra3 Rxc2 32. Re1) 31...
Nb5 $2 (31... f6 $1 32. Re4 Nb5 $1 {wins an exchange.}) 32. Rxb5 Rxb5 33. Ra3
$2 (33. Kf2 Rb2 34. Ke3 {achieves a plus.}) 33... Rb2 34. Rxa4 Rxc2 35. Bd5 Rb8
36. Ra8 Rxa8 37. Bxa8 Rd2 38. Be4 f5 $1 39. Bg2 Rxd3 40. c5 Rc3 41. c6 Rc1+ 42.
Kf2 Rc2+ 43. Kg1 Kg7 44. Bf3 Kf6 45. h4 Ke6 46. Kf1 Kd6 47. Ke1 Kc5 48. Kf1 Kd4
49. Kg1 Ke3 50. Bd5 Rc5 $1 51. c7 Rxc7 52. Ba8 h6 53. Kg2 Rg7 54. Bd5 g5 55.
hxg5 hxg5 56. fxg5 Rxg5 57. Bf3 f4 $1 58. g4 Rc5 59. Bb7 Rc2+ 60. Kh3 f3 {
Nakamura drew the second game and qualified.} 0-1

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.14"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D40"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2793"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The first game between Kramnik and Anand was drawn.} 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 e6 3. d4
Nf6 4. Nc3 c5 5. e3 Nc6 6. a3 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. b4 Bd6 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qc2 Qe7
11. Rd1 Rd8 12. Be2 dxc4 13. Bxc4 b5 14. Bd3 Bb7 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 Rac8 17.
Qb1 $2 (17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Qb1 Nxb4 $1 19. axb4 Bxb4+ 20. Ke2 f5 21. Bxf5 $1
exf5 22. Qxf5 {happened in Fuller - Lindberg, Copenhagen 1984.}) 17... f5 $1 {
Black needs no sacrifice for the advantage.} 18. Bd3 a5 $1 19. bxa5 Nxa5 20.
O-O ({Or} 20. Bxb5 Bb4+ $1 21. Ke2 Bxa3) 20... Nc4 $1 21. Be2 $5 Be4 22. Qa1
Nxb2 23. Qxb2 b4 $1 24. axb4 Rc2 $1 25. Qb3 Rxe2 26. Nd4 Bd5 $1 27. Qd3 Qh4 $1
{Kramnik qualified.} 0-1

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.14"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A20"]
[WhiteElo "2758"]
[BlackElo "2754"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. g3 e5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nd4 d5 6. cxd5 Qxd5 7. Nc2 Qh5 8. h3
Na6 9. Nc3 Qg6 10. Ne3 Bc5 11. Qa4 b5 12. Qc2 $1 (12. Qd1 O-O 13. O-O {
was played in Leko - Svidler, Monte Carlo 2005.}) 12... Nb4 13. Qb1 $1 Bxe3 $2
(13... O-O $1 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Qxe4 16. Bxe4 f5 17. Bb1 Be6 {
brings chances for both sides.}) 14. dxe3 Bf5 15. a4 bxa4 16. Nxa4 O-O 17. Bd2
Nfd5 18. Nc5 Rfe8 19. Qc1 a5 20. O-O h5 21. Kh2 Qd6 22. Kg1 h4 23. g4 Bg6 24.
Bxb4 Nxb4 25. Rd1 Qe5 $5 26. Rd4 $1 Rad8 27. Rc4 f5 $2 (27... Rd5 28. Nxe4 Red8
29. f4 Qc7 {offers more resistance.}) 28. gxf5 Qxf5 29. Rxa5 {
Svidler gains a pawn.} Rf8 30. Qe1 $5 Rd5 31. Rxb4 Rxc5 32. Rxc5 Qxc5 33. Bxe4
{A second pawn falls.} Qg5+ 34. Bg2 Bf5 35. Qc3 $5 Bxh3 $1 36. Qxc6 Bxg2 37.
Qxg2 Qxg2+ 38. Kxg2 h3+ $1 39. Kg3 h2 40. Rh4 $1 {The rook ending is won.} Rb8
41. Rxh2 Rxb2 42. f3 Kf7 43. e4 Kf6 44. e3 Rb3 45. Kf4 g5+ 46. Kg4 Rxe3 47.
Rh6+ Ke5 48. Rg6 {Svidler equalised the standings in the quarter final.} 1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.14"]
[Round "1.3"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2754"]
[BlackElo "2758"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Qc7 8. a4
Be6 9. Be2 h6 10. O-O Nbd7 11. h3 Be7 12. Nh2 O-O 13. Ng4 $5 Qc6 14. Qd3 Rfc8
15. Rfd1 Rab8 16. a5 Nc5 $2 ({Correct is} 16... Nh7) 17. Nxf6+ $1 Bxf6 (17...
gxf6 18. Bxc5 Qxc5 19. Bg4 {leads to a positional disaster for Black.}) 18.
Qxd6 Qxd6 19. Rxd6 {White has gained a pawn.} Be7 20. Rd2 Bg5 21. Bxg5 hxg5 22.
Bg4 b5 $5 23. axb6 Rxb6 24. Nd5 $1 Rb7 25. f3 Rcb8 $5 26. b4 $1 {Svidler lost
the fourth game by a poor treatment of the opening. So Adams qualified.} 1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.14"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A80"]
[WhiteElo "2777"]
[BlackElo "2782"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{Gelfand and Caruana had drawn game one and two. Caruana blundered in the
third game.} 1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bg5 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7.
Bxf6 $5 gxf6 8. Ne5 $1 {Gelfand makes a smart move.} h5 $5 {
Caruana has to make an inferior move, if he wants to continue the game.} (8...
fxe5 9. Qh5+ Ke7 10. Qg5+ Ke8 11. Qh5+ {
draws by perpetual check and Gelfand wins the match.}) 9. Ng6 $1 Rh7 10. Nxf8
Kxf8 11. O-O Nc6 12. dxc5 Qe7 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. b4 {
White has won a pawn temporarily.} b6 15. Ne2 bxc5 16. Nf4 Kf7 $1 17. bxc5 Rg8
$1 18. Qd3 Rhg7 {Black has a plus.} 19. g3 Qxc5 20. Nxh5 $6 Rh7 $1 21. Nf4 Bb5
22. c4 $1 Bxc4 $5 23. Rfc1 Rc8 24. Qc2 Qc6 25. Rab1 Kg8 26. Qd2 Rhc7 27. Rb2 e5
28. Ng2 Qe6 29. Rbc2 Rh7 30. f4 Kf7 31. Qb4 Rch8 32. Nh4 exf4 $2 {
A dangerous attack is allowed.} ({Better is} 32... Re8) 33. Qb7+ $1 Kg8 34.
Qb8+ Kf7 35. Qc7+ Ke8 36. Qb8+ Kd7 $5 37. Qxa7+ $5 Kc6 $2 {
He avoids perpetual check but will be mated.} 38. Rxc4+ $1 dxc4 39. Qa6+ Kd7
40. Rd1+ Ke7 41. Qb7+ Ke8 42. Qb8+ Kf7 43. Qc7+ {
Gelfand won again and became the fourth qualifier for the semi finals.} 1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.15"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2777"]
[BlackElo "2754"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The semi finals and final were played on the last day.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. g3 dxc4 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Ne5 c5 8. dxc5 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 Bxc5
10. Ne3 c3 $5 11. bxc3 Nbd7 12. Nd3 Rb8 13. Nc4 b6 14. Nxc5 Nxc5 15. Ba3 Ba6
16. Ne5 Rfc8 17. Nc6 Rb7 18. Bxc5 $5 bxc5 19. Ne5 $6 ({Preferable is} 19. c4 $5
) 19... Rb2 $1 20. c4 h5 21. Bf3 Ng4 22. Nc6 Rc7 23. h3 Nf6 24. Ne5 $1 Nd7 $2 {
He expects to gain pawn c4.} 25. O-O-O $3 {
White wins material in a brilliant way.} Nxe5 26. Kxb2 Nxf3 27. exf3 Bxc4 {
Gelfand has gained an exchange, but Adams has compensation.} 28. Rd8+ Kh7 29.
Rc1 Bd5 30. Rc3 Kg6 31. h4 Kf6 32. a3 Ke5 33. Rh8 g6 34. g4 hxg4 35. fxg4 Kd4
36. Re3 f5 37. gxf5 gxf5 38. h5 {He advances his passed pawn.} f4 39. Rh3 $1
Rb7+ 40. Kc1 Be4 41. Rd8+ Ke5 $6 42. h6 $1 c4 43. Kd2 $6 (43. Rh5+ Bf5 44. Kd2
Ke4 45. Kc3 Kf3 46. Rh2 {wins easily.}) 43... Rb2+ 44. Ke1 Rb1+ 45. Rd1 Rb7 46.
Rh5+ Kf6 $2 ({Right is} 46... Bf5) 47. Rd4 $1 Rb1+ 48. Kd2 Rb2+ 49. Kc3 Rc2+
50. Kb4 Bh7 51. Rxf4+ Kg6 52. Rh3 e5 53. Rxc4 Rxf2 54. Rc7 $1 {
Gelfand drew easily in the lengthy second game and qualified for the final.}
1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.15"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2786"]
[BlackElo "2793"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The first game had been a long draw.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5
Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. a3 g6 8. Nf3 Bg7 9. h4 $5 Nc6 10. Be3 Qa5 11. Qd2
cxd4 12. cxd4 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 {The chances are equal.} O-O 14. Bb5 Bd7 15. Rhd1
$5 Rfd8 $5 16. Ke1 $2 ({Correct is} 16. Bd3) 16... Nb4 $1 17. Bxd7 Nc2+ 18. Kd2
Nxa1 19. Ba4 b5 $1 20. Bxb5 Nb3+ {Kramnik has gained an exchange for a pawn.}
21. Ke2 Rac8 22. d5 exd5 23. exd5 Nc5 24. Rc1 Ne4 25. Rxc8 Rxc8 26. Bc6 Rb8 $6
27. Bxa7 Rb2+ 28. Kf1 Ra2 29. a4 Ra1+ 30. Ke2 Nc3+ 31. Kd3 Nxa4 32. Bxa4 $6
Ra3+ $1 33. Ke2 Rxa4 34. Bb6 Kf8 35. g3 Ke8 36. Be3 Ra5 37. d6 Rd5 {
Black has achieved a won position.} 38. Bf4 f6 39. Nd2 Kd7 40. Ne4 Ke6 41. Bd2
h6 42. d7 $1 Kf7 $2 {He expects to have another decision.} ({
Kramnik had noticed} 42... Bf8 $1 43. Be3 f5 {and Black wins.}) 43. Nc5 $1 Bf8
44. Ba5 $1 Be7 45. Bb6 Rd6 46. Ba5 Rd5 47. Bb6 h5 48. Kf3 f5 49. Kg2 Rd2 50.
Ba5 Rd5 51. Bb6 f4 52. Kf3 fxg3 53. fxg3 Rd6 54. Ba5 Rd4 55. Bb6 Rd1 56. Ba5
Rd5 57. Bb6 Rd1 58. Ba5 g5 59. hxg5 Kg6 $5 60. Bb6 Bxg5 61. Ne6 Rd3+ $2 {
Many moves draw easily.} 62. Ke4 Rd6 63. Nxg5 Rxd7 $1 64. Nf3 Re7+ 65. Ne5+ $1
Kf6 $4 {Kramnik panics.} 66. Bd8 {Nakamura became the second finalist.} 1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.15"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D97"]
[WhiteElo "2786"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

{The first game of the final starts.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7
5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 a6 8. e5 b5 9. Qb3 Nfd7 10. Ng5 Nc6 $5 {
Black sacrifices an exchange.} ({Usual is} 10... Nb6) 11. Nxf7 $5 Rxf7 ({
The pointe is} 11... Nxd4 $2 12. Nh6+ Kh8 13. Qg8+ Rxg8 14. Nf7# {
and smothered mate.}) 12. e6 Nxd4 $6 ({Preferable is} 12... Nde5 $5 13. exf7+
Nxf7) 13. exf7+ Kf8 14. Qd1 Nc5 15. Be3 Bf5 16. Rc1 $1 Qd6 17. b4 Ne4 18. Nxe4
Bxe4 19. f3 Bf5 20. Qd2 Rd8 21. Kf2 Kxf7 22. Be2 Qf6 $2 23. Rxc7 {Thank you!}
Ne6 24. Rd7 $1 {White has gained a pawn.} Rc8 25. Bd3 Rc3 26. Bxf5 gxf5 27. f4
Rc4 28. Rc1 Re4 29. g3 h5 30. h4 Qg6 31. Bc5 Bf6 32. Re1 Qg4 33. Rxe4 fxe4 34.
Qd1 Qf5 35. Rd5 Qh3 36. Qf1 {Nakamura took the lead.} 1-0

[Event "London Classic 5 KO"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "2013.12.15"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E74"]
[WhiteElo "2777"]
[BlackElo "2786"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2013.12.14"]
[EventType "rapid"]
[SourceDate "1999.07.01"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 c5 7. d5 a6 8. a4 Qa5
9. Bd2 e6 10. Nf3 exd5 11. exd5 Bg4 12. O-O Nbd7 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 Qc7 15.
Qc2 Ne8 16. Rae1 Be5 17. Bd1 Ng7 18. f4 $5 Bd4+ 19. Kh2 f5 20. Ne2 Bf6 21. Ng1
b5 22. cxb5 axb5 23. axb5 {Gelfand gains a pawn temporarily.} Qb7 24. Be2 Ra2
25. Bc3 Bxc3 26. Qxc3 Nb6 27. Nf3 Ra4 28. Ng5 h6 29. Ne6 Nxd5 $1 30. Bf3 Nxc3
31. Bxb7 Rb8 32. Bc6 Nxb5 33. Nc7 $1 Nxc7 34. Bxa4 Rxb2 {
The material has become uneven, but the chances remain equal.} 35. Rf3 $6 ({
Preferable is} 35. Rb1 Rxb1 36. Rxb1) 35... Rb4 $1 36. Bd7 Kf7 37. g3 Kf6 38.
Ra3 Rb6 39. h4 d5 40. Ra7 Nge6 41. Rea1 c4 $1 42. Bxe6 Nxe6 43. Rd7 Rb2+ 44.
Kg1 c3 45. Re1 Rb6 46. Rxd5 c2 47. Rde5 Nd4 48. Rc5 Nf3+ 49. Kf2 Nxe1 50. Kxe1
{Black has an extra pawn in the rook ending, but Nakamura is satisfied with a
draw.} Rb3 51. Rc6+ Kf7 52. Kf2 Rb2 53. Ke3 h5 54. Kd4 Rb3 55. Rxc2 Rxg3 56.
Rc7+ Kf6 57. Rc6+ Ke7 58. Ra6 Rg1 59. Ra7+ Ke6 60. Ra6+ Ke7 61. Ra7+ Ke6 62.
Ra6+ {Nakamura had won the final.} 1/2-1/2

