[Event "Izt"]
[Site "Manila"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Lautier, J."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E63"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{Ausfuhrlichst(!)  kommentiert von JOHN NUNN 2001, 208,  in seinem Buch:
"Understanding Chess - Move by Move".} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O
5. O-O d6 6. c4 Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. h3 Bd7 9. Bg5 h6 10. Be3 Rb8 11. Nd5 b5 $5 12.
Nxf6+ exf6 13. cxb5 Rxb5 14. Qd2 g5 15. d5 Ne7 16. Nd4 Rxd5 $5 17. Bxd5 Nxd5
18. Nf5 $1 Bxf5 19. Qxd5 Bxh3 20. Rfd1 Re8 21. Rac1 f5 22. Rd2 Rxe3 $5 23. fxe3
Qe7 24. Kf2 $1 Be5 25. Rh1 $1 Bxg3+ 26. Kxg3 Qxe3+ 27. Qf3 Qxd2 28. Qa8+ Kg7
29. Kxh3 Qxe2 30. Qd5 Kg6 $6 31. Qd4 $6 f4 32. Rg1 f5 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 1991-2"]
[Site "GER"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Nunn, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E99"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

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. Ne1 Nd7 10. Nd3 f5 11. Bd2 Nf6 12. f3 h5 13. exf5 gxf5 14. f4 e4 15. Nf2
Ng4 16. Nxg4 fxg4 17. Nxe4 Bxb2 18. Rb1 Bd4+ 19. Kh1 Nf5 20. Bd3 b6 21. Re1 Bd7
22. Ng5 Rf6 23. Bb4 a5 24. Ba3 Bc3 25. Re2 h4 26. Re6 Nh6 27. Bh7+ Kg7 28. Qd3
Bxe6 29. Qxc3 Bg8 30. Bb2 1-0

[Event "URS-ch58"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Nikolenko, Oleg"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2450"]
[Annotator "Tal, Vaganian"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1991.11.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nce2 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. f4 b5 8. a3 a5
9. Nf3 b4 (9... Rb8 $142) 10. axb4 cxb4 11. f5 $5 exf5 12. Nf4 Nb6 13. Bb5 Bb7
(13... Bd7 14. e6) 14. e6 Bd6 15. exf7+ Kxf7 16. O-O Re8 17. Nxd5 $1 Bxh2+ (
17... Nxd5 18. Ng5+ Kg6 (18... Kg8 19. Qh5 h6 20. Qf7+ Kh8 21. Qxb7 hxg5 22.
Bxc6 Rb8 23. Qf7) 19. Rxf5 $1 Kxf5 20. Bd3+ Kf6 21. Qf3+ Nf4 22. Bxf4 Nxd4 23.
Be5+ $1 Kxg5 24. Qf4+ Kh5 25. g4+ Kh4 26. Qg3+ Kg5 27. h4+ Kh6 28. Qf4+ g5 29.
hxg5+ Qxg5 30. Qh2+) 18. Kxh2 Qxd5 19. c4 Nxc4 20. Ng5+ Kg6 (20... Kg8 21. Rxf5
$1) 21. Bxc4 Qxc4 22. Qf3 Rf8 23. Qg3 Qxf1 24. Ne6+ Kf7 25. d5 Rg8 26. Qc7+ Kg6
27. dxc6 Bc8 28. Nf4+ Kf6 29. Qd6+ Kf7 30. Qd5+ Kf8 31. Be3 1-0

[Event "Op"]
[Site "Oakham"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rublevsky, Sergey"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B45"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 Qa5+ 9. c3 Ba6 10. Bxa6 Qxa6 11. b3 f5 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. Nd6+ Ke7 14. Nc4
d5 15. Ba3+ Ke8 16. Qe2 c5 17. Nd2 Qxa3 18. Qxe6+ Be7 19. O-O c4 20. b4 Qa4 21.
Rfe1 Qd7 22. Qe3 Kf7 23. Nf3 Bd6 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Huebner, R."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "1992.04.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 exd4 6. Nxd4 Qe7 7. Bxc4 Qxe4+
8. Kf1 Bxc3 9. bxc3 Be6 10. Qa4+ Nc6 11. Bg5 Bxc4+ 12. Qxc4 Nce7 13. Re1 Qg6
14. h4 Kf8 15. Qxc7 f6 16. Rh3 Qd3+ 17. Rxd3 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga"]
[Site "GER"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Hort, Vla"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E63"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Bg2 Nc6 7. O-O a6 8. a3
Na5 9. Nd2 Nd7 10. e3 c5 11. Ne2 Rb8 12. b4 Nc6 13. bxc5 dxc5 14. Nb3 cxd4 15.
exd4 Nb6 16. c5 Nd5 17. h3 b5 18. Bd2 Be6 19. Rb1 Qd7 20. Kh2 Rfd8 21. Be3 a5
22. Nd2 b4 23. axb4 Ndxb4 24. Nf3 Bd5 25. Re1 e6 26. Bg5 Rdc8 27. Bf4 Ra8 28.
Ra1 Ra7 29. Bd6 Ne7 30. Nc3 Bxf3 31. Bxf3 Nf5 32. Be5 Nxd4 33. Bxg7 Kxg7 34.
Ne4 Nbc2 35. Nd6 Rxc5 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Azmaiparashvili, Z."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B84"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{59/273} 1. e4 {Shirov,A: 'Boensch'} 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. Be2 b6 $5 {N Shirov,A: 'N 'N' Boensch. '} (7... Qc7 {
- 57/(235)}) (7... b5 $2 {Boensch} 8. Bf3 b4 9. e5 dxe5 10. Nb3 Qxd1+ 11. Rxd1
e4 12. Nxe4 Nd5 13. Rxd5 exd5 14. Nf6+ gxf6 15. Bxd5 $16 {-ECO}) 8. f4 (8. g4
$5 Bb7 9. f3 $13) (8. Bf3 {Boensch} 8... e5 $8 (8... Bb7 $2 {Boensch} 9. e5
dxe5 10. Nxe6 Qxd1+ 11. Rxd1 fxe6 12. Bxb7 Ra7 13. Rd8+ Kxd8 14. Bxb6+ Kd7 15.
Bxa7 $18) (8... Nbd7 $2 {Boensch} 9. e5 dxe5 10. Nxe6 fxe6 11. Bxa8 $18) 9. Nf5
g6 (9... d5 {Boensch} 10. Bg5 d4 11. Nd5 $16) 10. Ng3 Bb7 $14) 8... Bb7 9. Bf3
Nbd7 10. O-O (10. g4 $6 Rc8 { <<c3}) 10... Rc8 11. Qe1 $1 Rc7 (11... Be7 $4
12. e5) (11... e5 $5 {Boensch}) (11... Be7 {Boensch}) 12. Rd1 Qa8 $2 (12... Qc8
$13) 13. e5 $1 Bxf3 $6 (13... dxe5 14. fxe5 Nxe5 15. Bxb7 Rxb7 (15... Qxb7 {
Boensch} 16. Bf4 $16) 16. Bg5 $44 (16. Bf4 Ng6 17. Bg5 $44)) 14. Nxf3 dxe5 $8
15. fxe5 Ng4 16. Bf4 $1 $16 (16. Bd4 Nh6 $13) 16... Rc4 $6 (16... h5 17. h3 Nh6
18. Bxh6 Rxh6 19. Kh1 $16) (16... Bc5+ {Boensch} 17. Kh1 O-O 18. h3 $18) 17.
Qg3 h5 {Shirov,A: ''!' Boensch. '} (17... Bc5+ {Boensch} 18. Kh1 Nf2+ 19. Rxf2
Bxf2 20. Qxg7 Rf8 21. Bh6 $18) 18. h3 Bc5+ 19. Kh1 Be3 20. Ne2 $1 $18 Re4 (
20... Rxc2 21. Nfd4) (20... Qe4 21. Ng5 Qxc2 22. Bxe3 Qxe2 23. hxg4 Rxg4 24.
Qf3) 21. hxg4 $2 (21. Ng5 Bxf4 22. Nxf4 Re3 (22... Rxe5 23. Nxf7 $18) 23. Qh4
$1 Ngxe5 24. Nfxe6 fxe6 25. Nxe6 $18) 21... hxg4+ 22. Nh2 Bxf4 23. Nxf4 Nxe5
24. Rfe1 g5 $1 (24... Rh6 $5 {Boensch}) 25. Rxe4 Qxe4 26. Nd3 Nxd3 27. Rxd3 $1
Qf4 28. Kg1 {Shirov,A: ''+-!' Boensch. '} 28... f5 (28... Qxg3 29. Rxg3 f5 30.
Rb3 (30. Ra3 $18 {Boensch}) 30... b5 31. c4 $18) 29. Qxf4 gxf4 30. Rd4 Ke7 (
30... e5 31. Rd5 Ke7 32. Rxe5+ Kf6 33. Rd5 Re8 34. Rd6+ $18) 31. Rxf4 $18 Kd6
32. Nf1 b5 33. a4 Rb8 34. axb5 Rxb5 35. b3 Ra5 36. Kf2 Ke5 37. g3 Ra1 38. Ne3
Kd6 39. Ra4 Rxa4 40. bxa4 Ke5 41. c3 Ke4 42. Ke2 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Chernin, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{59/320} 1. e4 {Shirov,A: 'Shirov. Shirov: 'Vaiser''} 1... e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3
dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bd7 5. Nf3 Bc6 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. O-O (7. Qe2 $5 {- 59/(320)}) 7...
Ngf6 8. Ng3 (8. Neg5 {- 59/(320)}) 8... Be7 9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 Bxf3 {
Shirov,A: ''?!' Shirov. '} (10... b5 {Shirov}) (10... a5 {Shirov}) 11. Qxf3 c6
12. c4 Re8 13. Rfe1 Bf8 {N} (13... Nf8 {- 57/284} 14. h4) 14. Rad1 (14. Re2 $5
{ <<ae1}) 14... Qa5 (14... g6 15. d5 $5 {Shirov,A: ''!' Shirov. '} (15. h4 h5
(15... Bg7 16. h5 $16 Qa5 $10) 16. d5 exd5 (16... cxd5 17. cxd5 Nxd5 18. Bxg6
fxg6 19. Rxd5 Bg7 (19... exd5 20. Qxd5+ Kh7 21. Qf7+ Kh6 22. Bc1+ $18) 20. Rg5
Bxb2 21. Rxg6+ Bg7 22. Nxh5 Re7 23. Qg3 Qf8 24. Nxg7 Rxg7 25. Rexe6 $18) 17.
Rxe8 Nxe8 18. cxd5 $16) 15... cxd5 (15... exd5 $6 {Shirov} 16. Rxe8 Nxe8 17.
cxd5) 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Bc4 {Chernin,A} 17... Bg7 (17... N7b6 18. Bxd5 Nxd5 19.
Rxd5 $1 exd5 (19... Qxd5 {Shirov} 20. Qf6 e5 21. Rxe5 Qc6 22. Re6 $1 Qc1+ 23.
Bxc1 Rxe6 24. Qc3 $18) 20. Rxe8 Qxe8 21. Qf6 $18) 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Bxd5 exd5
20. Rxe8 (20. Qxd5 $16 {Shirov}) 20... Qxe8 21. Qxd5 $16) 15. Bb1 g6 16. h4 $1
(16. d5 $2 {(Shirov) Vaiser} 16... exd5 17. Rxe8 Rxe8 18. Bxf6 (18. Bc3 {Shirov
} 18... Qd8) 18... Nxf6 19. Qxf6 Re1+ 20. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 21. Nf1 Qxb1 $19) 16...
Bg7 (16... h5 17. Bc3 $1 (17. Ne4 $6 Nxe4 18. Rxe4 Bg7 $11 {} 19. g4 f5 $1
$132) 17... Bb4 (17... Qc7 {Shirov} 18. d5 $1) 18. Bxb4 Qxb4 19. Ne4 $16) 17.
Bc3 $1 Qc7 18. h5 b5 {Shirov,A: 'Shirov: '?! Vaiser''} (18... Rad8 $5 {
(Shirov) Vaiser} 19. h6 $6 Bxh6 20. d5 Bg7 $15) 19. h6 $2 (19. Bd2 $1 {
 20.h6 >>h8 21.>>g5>>} 19... bxc4 20. bxc4 e5 21. h6 $1 Bh8 22. dxe5 Nxe5 23.
Qf4 $1 $16 {} 23... Re6 24. Re2 Rae8 25. Rde1) 19... Bxh6 $1 (19... Bh8 $142 {
(Shirov) Vaiser}) 20. d5 cxd5 21. Bxf6 bxc4 $2 (21... Nxf6 22. Qxf6 bxc4 (22...
Bg7 {(Shirov) Vaiser} 23. Qh4 bxc4 24. bxc4 Qxc4 25. Qxc4 dxc4 $16) 23. Qh4 Bf4
$1 24. Ne2 (24. bxc4 Bxg3 25. fxg3 dxc4 $11) 24... Be5 25. bxc4 dxc4 $13) 22.
Bb2 $1 cxb3 $6 (22... Bg7 23. Bxg7 Kxg7 24. Qc3+ $16 { bc4} 24... Kg8 25. bxc4
Rac8 26. Rd4 $16 {with strong attack}) 23. Nh5 $3 f5 (23... gxh5 24. Qxh5 Qf4
25. Bc1 (25. Rd4 $18 {(Shirov) Vaiser}) 25... Nf6 26. Qh3 $18) (23... bxa2 24.
Nf6+ Nxf6 25. Qxf6 e5 26. Rxe5 Rxe5 27. Bxe5 Qxe5 28. Qxe5 Bg7 29. Qxd5 $18) (
23... Bg5 24. Qg4 $1 Qd8 25. axb3 $16) 24. Rxd5 $1 (24. Rxe6 $2 {
(Shirov) Vaiser} 24... Rxe6 25. Qxd5 Qc6 26. Qxd7 (26. Qd4 {Shirov} 26... Ne5)
26... Qxd7 27. Rxd7 gxh5 28. Bxf5 Re1+ 29. Kh2 bxa2 $19) 24... gxh5 $8 (24...
exd5 25. Qxd5+ Kf8 26. Ba3+ $18) 25. Rxf5 $1 {Shirov,A: 'Shirov: '!! Vaiser''}
25... Nf8 (25... exf5 26. Qd5+ Kf8 27. Qxf5+ Kg8 28. Qxh7+ $18) 26. Rxh5 bxa2
27. Bxa2 Bg7 28. Qg4 $1 (28. Rg5 $6 Ng6 29. Rxe6 Kh8 $1 $16) 28... Kh8 (28...
Re7 29. Rxe6 (29. Ba3 {Shirov} 29... Ree8 (29... Qc3 {Shirov} 30. Re3) 30. Bxf8
Rxf8 31. Rxe6 $1 Qc1+ 32. Kh2 Qc7+ 33. f4 $1 Kh8 (33... Qxf4+ {Shirov} 34. Qxf4
Rxf4 35. Re8#) 34. Rxh7+ Kxh7 35. Qh5+ Kg8 36. Re7+) 29... Kh8 (29... Nxe6 30.
Bxe6+ Kh8 31. Rxh7+ Kxh7 32. Qh5+ Bh6 33. Qf5#) 30. Rxe7 Qxe7 31. Rg5 Ng6 32.
Rxg6 $18) 29. Bxg7+ Qxg7 30. Rg5 Ng6 $8 (30... Qf7 {(Shirov) Vaiser} 31. Re3
Ng6 32. Bb1 Rg8 33. Rh3 Nf8 34. Qd4+ Rg7 35. Rhg3 Ng6 36. Bxg6 hxg6 37. Rxg6
$18) 31. Bb1 {Shirov,A: ''!' Shirov. '} 31... Qc3 $8 (31... Rg8 32. Bxg6 hxg6
33. Rxe6 $18) 32. Rd1 Qf6 $6 (32... Rg8 33. Qh5 $1 (33. Bxg6 $2 Qf6 $13) (33.
Rxg6 $5 Rxg6 (33... hxg6 34. Qh4+ Kg7 35. Rd7+) 34. Bxg6 Rg8 (34... hxg6 35.
Qxg6 $18) 35. Qxe6 hxg6 (35... Rxg6 $2 36. Rd8+ Kg7 37. Qe7+ Kh6 38. Qh4+ Kg7
39. Rd7+ $18) 36. g4 $5 $16) 33... Nf8 (33... Qf6 34. Rd7 Rg7 35. Rxg6 $18) 34.
Rd7 $3 {Ribli,Z Shirov,A: 'Ribli,Z Shirov: 'Ribli''} 34... Qc1+ 35. Kh2 Qf4+
36. Rg3 Rxg3 37. Rxh7+ Kg8 38. fxg3 $18) 33. Rd7 $1 $18 {
Shirov,A: ''!' Shirov. '} (33. Bxg6 $2 {(Shirov) Vaiser} 33... Rg8 $1) 33...
Re7 34. Rxe7 Qxe7 (34... Nxe7 35. Qe4) 35. Bxg6 Rg8 36. Qd4+ Rg7 (36... Qg7 37.
Rh5 $1 (37. Bf7 $1 {Shirov})) 37. Rh5 e5 (37... e5 38. Rxe5) 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Tilburg"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mozetic, D."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D10"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "Hertneck"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nc6 5. e3 Nf6 6. Nc3 a6 7. Bd3 Bg4 8.
Nge2 e6 9. O-O Be7 10. a3 O-O 11. b4 $2 (11. Na4 $142 {Shirov}) 11... b5 (11...
Rc8 $2 12. Na4 a5 $6 13. b5 Nb8 14. f3 Bh5 15. Qb3 $16 {
Hertneck,G-Shirov,A/Munich/1993}) 12. Rc1 $6 (12. f3 Bh5 13. Bg3 Rc8 14. Qd2 (
14. Nf4 $2 Nxd4 15. Bxh7+ Nxh7 16. exd4 Rxc3 $15) 14... Bg6 15. Nf4 Bxd3 16.
Nxd3 Nd7 17. Nc5 $11) 12... Rc8 13. f3 (13. h3 Bh5 14. Bg5 Nd7 15. Bxe7 Qxe7
16. Qb3 $11 {/\ Nf4 Shirov}) 13... Bh5 14. Bg3 Bg6 15. Nf4 Bxd3 16. Nxd3 Nd7
17. Nc5 Nb6 18. Nxa6 Nc4 $1 $36 19. Qe2 $6 (19. Re1 $5) 19... Ra8 20. Nc5 (20.
Nc7 Rxa3 21. N7xb5 Rb3 $15 {Shirov}) (20. a4 Rxa6 21. axb5 Nxd4 $1 22. exd4 Ra3
$17 {Shirov}) 20... Rxa3 21. Nxb5 Rxe3 22. Qf2 Qb6 $1 23. Nc7 (23. Rxc4 dxc4
24. Qxe3 Qxb5 25. Rc1 Rd8 26. Qc3 Rxd4 27. Bf2 Bf6 $1 $19) 23... Nxd4 24. Nd7 (
24. Rxc4 Ne2+ 25. Kh1 dxc4 {Shirov} 26. Qxe3 Nxg3+ 27. hxg3 Qxc7 $19) 24...
Qxb4 25. Rb1 (25. Rxc4 Qxc4 26. Qxe3 Ne2+ 27. Kf2 Nxg3 28. Rc1 Nf5 $19 {Shirov}
29. Rxc4 Nxe3 30. Ra4 Rd8 31. Kxe3 Rxd7 32. Ra8+ Rd8 $19) (25. Nxf8 Re2 $1 $19)
25... Rb3 26. Na6 Qb5 27. Rxb3 Nxb3 28. Nxf8 Qxa6 29. Qc2 (29. Nd7 Qb7 $1 30.
Rb1 (30. Qa2 Nbd2 $19) 30... Nca5 $1 $19) 29... Bxf8 (29... Bxf8 30. Qxb3 Nd2
31. Qd1 Qxf1+ 32. Qxf1 Nxf1 $19) 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{57/382} 1. d4 {Speelman} 1... d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 c5 4. d5 Nf6 5. Nc3 b5 {
'!?' Speelman.} 6. Bf4 Qa5 {N} (6... a6 {- 45/450}) 7. Bd2 $1 b4 (7... e5 $5 8.
dxe6 (8. f4 $2 Nbd7 9. Nf3 Bd6 {} 10. a4 b4 11. Nb5 Bb8 12. Bxc4 a6 $17) 8...
fxe6 9. e5 Nfd7 10. Nf3 $44) (7... Qd8 $5) 8. e5 bxc3 (8... Nfd7 9. e6 $1 $40)
9. Bxc3 Qa6 (9... Qc7 10. exf6 (10. d6 exd6 11. exf6 gxf6 $13) 10... exf6 11.
Bxc4 Bd6 12. Qe2+ $1 $14) 10. exf6 exf6 11. b3 Be7 12. Bxc4 (12. Nf3 $5 { []d2
} 12... Qd6 (12... Bg4 13. h3 $14) 13. bxc4 $5 $14) 12... Qd6 13. Ne2 $5 O-O
14. O-O f5 15. Re1 $1 Nd7 (15... Bf6 $2 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. d6 $16) 16. Ng3 g6 $8
{ >>f6=} 17. Rxe7 $1 Qxe7 18. d6 $6 {'?' Speelman.} (18. Qd2 $1 Qd6 (18... Qh4
$6 19. Bb5 $1 $16 {} (19. Re1 {Speelman} 19... Bb7 (19... Nf6 {Speelman}) 20.
Re3 f4 21. Re4 Rfe8 22. Rxf4 $16 Re1+ 23. Nf1 Qh6 $16) 19... Re8 20. Re1) (
18... Re8 $2 {Speelman} 19. d6 Qf8 (19... Qh4 {Speelman} 20. Qd5) 20. Nxf5 $1
$18) 19. b4 $5 (19. Re1 $5 Nb6 {'!' Speelman.} (19... Bb7 {Speelman} 20. Qh6
$18) 20. Qh6 (20. Be5 {Speelman} 20... Nxc4 21. bxc4 Qa6 $2 (21... Qb6 {
Speelman}) (21... Qd8 {Speelman} 22. Bc3 f6 (22... Re8 {Speelman} 23. Rxe8+
Qxe8 24. Nh5 $1 $18) 23. h4 $36) 22. Qh6 f6 23. Bc7 $1 Bd7 24. Re7 Rf7 25. Rxf7
Kxf7 26. Qxh7+ $18) 20... f6 21. Re7 $1 Qxe7 (21... Rf7 $2 {Speelman} 22. Rxf7
(22. Re8+ {Speelman} 22... Rf8 23. Nh5 $2 gxh5 24. Bxf6 Qxf6 25. Qxf6 Rxe8)
22... Kxf7 23. Qxh7+ Kf8 24. Qxg6) 22. d6+ Qf7 $1 (22... Qe6 $6 23. Nh5 $1 (23.
Nxf5 {Speelman} 23... gxf5 24. Bxe6+ Bxe6 25. Bxf6) 23... gxh5 24. Bxe6+ Bxe6
25. Bxf6 $16) 23. Bxf7+ (23. Bxf6 $4 {Speelman} 23... Nxc4 $19) 23... Rxf7 $11)
19... Re8 $1 20. bxc5 Qxc5 (20... Nxc5 $2 21. Qd4 f6 22. Bb4) 21. Bb3 { []f5}
21... f4 $1 (21... Nb6 22. Nh5 $1) 22. Bb4 Qb6 23. Qxf4 Qf6 24. Qc1 $1 $44)
18... Qh4 19. Qd5 Rb8 20. Nxf5 $2 (20. Re1 Bb7 $8 21. Nxf5 (21. Qd3 $2 Rbe8 22.
Rxe8 Rxe8 23. Nxf5 Qg5 $1 $17) 21... Bxd5 (21... gxf5 $2 22. Qxf5 $18) 22. Ne7+
Qxe7 23. dxe7 Bxc4 24. exf8=Q+ Nxf8 (24... Kxf8 {Speelman} 25. bxc4 Nb6 26. g4
$1 Nxc4 27. g5 $44) 25. bxc4 $11) 20... gxf5 21. Re1 (21. Qxf5 Rb6 $1 $17 (
21... Qh6 $6 22. Re1 Qg6 23. Qxg6+ hxg6 24. Re4 g5 25. Rg4 $44)) 21... Qg4 $1 {
'[]' Speelman.} (21... Nf6 $2 22. Qxc5 $1 $16 (22. Qe5 Qxf2+ 23. Kxf2 Ng4+ $14)
) 22. f3 Qg6 23. Re7 Bb7 24. Qd3 Nb6 25. Ba1 Nxc4 26. Qc3 $8 f6 27. Qxc4+ Kh8
$6 {'~~?' Speelman.} (27... Rf7 $1 28. d7 Bc6 29. Qe6 Kg7 $1 (29... Rd8 $2 30.
Re8+ Rxe8 31. Qxe8+ Kg7 32. Qxf7+ $1) (29... Bxd7 30. Rxd7 $15) 30. Rxf7+ Qxf7
31. Qxc6 Rd8 $17 { 1/4e7, <<f7}) 28. Kf2 Qh6 $6 {'?' Speelman.} (28... f4 $5
29. Qxf4 Qc2+ 30. Re2 Qg6 31. Re7 $11) 29. Bc3 Qg6 $6 (29... Qxh2 30. d7 $44 {
} 30... Qd6 $2 31. Re6 Qd5 (31... Qxd7 $2 32. Rxf6 $18) 32. Rxf6 $1 Rxf6 (32...
Kg8 $2 33. Qh4 $1 $18) 33. Bxf6+ (33. Qh4 Qd6 $1 $11) 33... Kg8 34. Qf4 $1 Qxd7
35. Qxb8+ Kf7 36. Bc3 $16) 30. d7 Rbd8 (30... Bc6 31. Qxc5 $16) 31. Qxc5 (31.
Ba5 Ra8 $1 $132) 31... Rg8 (31... f4 32. Ba5 $1 Rxd7 (32... Rg8 33. Bxd8 Qxg2+
34. Ke1 Bxf3 35. Re8 $18) 33. Rxd7 Rg8 34. Rxb7 Qxg2+ 35. Ke1 $18) 32. g3 f4
33. g4 Rdf8 34. Qd4 $2 (34. Qf5 $1 Qh6 35. Qh5 $1 Qxh5 36. gxh5 $18 { d81/4})
34... Qh6 35. h3 Ba6 $2 {	} (35... Bc6 36. Kg2 $1 (36. d8=Q $2 Qh4+) 36... Bxd7
37. Rxd7 $18) (35... Qh4+ 36. Ke2 Bc6 $1 37. Kd2 $1 (37. d8=Q $2 Bb5+ 38. Kd2
$2 Rxd8 $19) 37... Bxd7 38. Rxd7 $16) (35... Bxf3 $1 {Speelman} 36. d8=Q $2 (
36. Kxf3 {Speelman} 36... Qxh3+ 37. Ke4 Qg2+ (37... Qh1+ {Speelman} 38. Kd3 (
38. Kf5 {Speelman}) 38... Qd1+ 39. Kc4 Qxd4+ 40. Bxd4 $18 f3 41. d8=Q Rxd8 42.
Bxf6+ Rg7 43. Rxg7 $1) 38. Kd3 Qf1+ 39. Kc2 $18) 36... Qh4+ 37. Kxf3 Qxh3+ 38.
Kf2 Qg3+ 39. Kf1 Qh3+ 40. Ke1 Qg3+ $11) 36. Kg2 $18 (36. Kg1 {Speelman} 36...
Qh4 37. Qxf4 {1-0 Shirov,A-Kramnik,V/Linares 1993/[Speelman] (37)}) 36... Qh4
37. Qxf4 {	;  38. d81/4 <<d8 39. >>f6} 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Luzern"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D44"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5
9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. exf6 Bb7 12. g3 c5 13. d5 Bh6 14. Bxh6 Rxh6 15.
Qd2 Qxf6 16. O-O-O Kf8 17. f4 Nb6 18. Bg2 exd5 19. Qf2 Rc8 20. Nxb5 Na4 21. Qc2
Qa6 22. Na3 c3 23. Bxd5 Nxb2 24. Qf5 Rf6 25. Qh7 Qxa3 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Rhe1+
Kd7 28. Qh3+ Kd6 29. Bxb7+ Nxd1+ 30. Kxd1 Qxa2 31. Qg2 Qb1+ 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Luzern"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Hjartarson, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B49"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{59/209} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. Be3
Nf6 8. O-O Bb4 9. Na4 O-O (9... Be7 {- 59/(209)}) 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. f4 Rb8 (
11... Be7 {- 59/(209)}) 12. Bd3 Be7 13. c4 d6 14. g4 $5 {N} (14. c5 {- 58/(222)
}) 14... c5 (14... Nd7 15. g5 $13) (14... e5 $5 15. f5 h6 $1 $13 {} (15... d5
$6 16. g5 Nxe4 17. Bxe4 dxe4 18. f6 $40) 16. h4 Nh7 17. Qe1 d5 $1 $132) 15. g5
Nd7 16. Rf2 (16. h4 $5) 16... g6 17. h4 f5 $5 (17... h5 $5 18. gxh6 Bxh4 $13)
18. h5 (18. gxf6 $6 Nxf6 {(+)h4}) 18... Rf7 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. exf5 gxf5 $1 (
20... exf5 21. Bf1 Bb7 22. Rh2 $14) 21. Rh2 Nf8 22. Nc3 Bd8 23. Rc1 $1 Rh7 24.
Rcc2 Bb7 25. Rxh7 Qxh7 26. Rh2 Qg7 $1 $11 27. Ne2 $5 Bf3 $1 (27... Qxb2 28. Bd2
$1 $44 {} 28... Bf3 29. Qe1 Bxe2 $2 30. Be3 $1) 28. b3 Ba5 $1 29. Kf2 (29. Qf1
Bxe2 $1 { >>c3}) 29... Bg4 30. Qh1 Ng6 31. Rh6 $1 { 1/4c6} 31... Nf8 $1 32.
Rh4 $5 (32. Qc6 Qb7 $11) 32... Ng6 33. Rxg4 $5 fxg4 34. Qh5 Nf8 (34... Kf7 35.
f5 exf5 36. Bxf5 Rh8 37. Qxg4 $44 {} 37... Ne5 $2 38. Qg2 $1 $40) 35. Qxg4 Rb7
36. Ng3 Rf7 (36... Qb2+ 37. Qe2 $14) 37. Nh5 Qb2+ 38. Kf3 Qh2 $2 (38... Bd8 $1
39. Nf6+ (39. g6 Rc7 40. g7 Rxg7 41. Nxg7 Qxg7 $11) 39... Bxf6 40. gxf6+ Kh8
41. Qh5+ Kg8 $11) 39. g6 $1 $18 Qh1+ 40. Kf2 Qh2+ {	} (40... Qh2+ 41. Kf1 Qh1+
42. Bg1 Rg7 (42... Rc7 43. g7) (42... Rf5 43. Bxf5 exf5 44. Qxf5 Qf3+ 45. Bf2)
43. Nxg7 Kxg7 44. f5) 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "München"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Jussupow, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C49"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{57/322} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5
Bxc3 8. bxc3 Qe7 9. Re1 Nd8 10. d4 Bg4 (10... Ne6) 11. h3 Bxf3 (11... Bh5 12.
Bh4 $1 {} 12... Ne6 $2 {'/\' Shirov.} 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nxe5 $16 (14. dxe5 $16))
12. Qxf3 Ne6 $5 {N} (12... h6 $14) 13. Bh4 $5 (13. Be3 c5 $5 14. dxe5 dxe5 $11)
13... Rad8 (13... exd4 14. e5 $1 dxe5 15. Rxe5 dxc3 16. Rae1 $1 $44) (13... Nf4
$5 14. a4 Ng6 15. Bg5 h6 16. Bc1 $14) 14. Rad1 Nf4 { 1/4e6} 15. Bg5 $5 (15.
Bc4 Ng6 16. Bg5 h6 17. Bc1 Rfe8 $11) 15... Ne6 (15... Ng6 $2 16. h4 $1 h6 17.
h5 hxg5 18. hxg6 $16) 16. h4 $5 (16. Bc1 c5 $11) 16... h6 $6 (16... Nxg5 $1 17.
hxg5 Nd7 18. Qg3 c6 {Mueller,K} 19. Bf1 (19. Bc4 Nb6 {} 20. Bb3 $6 c5 $1)
19... f6 (19... g6 $5 $13) 20. g6 h6 $13) 17. Bc1 (17. Be3 $14) 17... Kh8 $6 (
17... Nd7 18. g3 $14) 18. g3 Nd7 19. Qh5 (19. Qg4 $5 c5 $1 (19... Nf6 $6 20.
Qf5 $16) (19... c6 20. Bf1 {} 20... d5 $2 21. dxe5 Nxe5 22. Qh5) 20. d5 Nc7
21. Bf1 $14) 19... c6 (19... c5 $2 20. dxe5 dxe5 (20... Nxe5 21. f4 $16) 21.
Bxd7 Rxd7 22. Qxe5 $16) 20. Bf1 Qf6 21. Be3 Kg8 22. Bh3 $2 (22. Qg4 $1 { f4}
22... d5 23. f4 exf4 24. e5 Qg6 25. Qxg6 fxg6 26. Bh3 Rde8 27. gxf4 $1 Nb6 28.
Rf1 $16) 22... Nb6 23. Rd3 $6 Nc4 24. Rf1 Rfe8 25. f4 Nxe3 $1 (25... exd4 26.
f5 $1 $40) 26. fxe5 Qg6 27. Qxg6 fxg6 28. Rxe3 dxe5 29. Rd1 $6 (29. Bxe6+ Rxe6
30. Rd1 $11) 29... Nc5 $1 $15 {'!' Shirov.} 30. Bg2 Na4 $2 {	 '?!' Shirov.} (
30... Rd6 $1 31. d5 $15) (30... Rd6 $1 $13) 31. Rb1 $1 $13 {'!' Shirov.} 31...
b5 (31... Nb6 $142 $11) 32. d5 $1 a6 $6 (32... Nb6 33. dxc6 a6 $11) 33. c4 $1
$14 {'!' Shirov.} 33... Rd6 34. Ra3 Rc8 (34... Nc5 $5 35. dxc6 bxc4 $14) (34...
Red8 35. Rxa4 bxa4 36. c5 Rf6 $16) 35. Bh3 Rcd8 36. Rxa4 $1 bxa4 37. c5 Rf6 38.
c4 $1 Kf8 39. Rb6 cxd5 $2 (39... Rf3 $1 40. dxc6 Rxg3+ 41. Kh2 Rxh3+ 42. Kxh3
Rc8 43. Rxa6 Ke7 $14) 40. exd5 Rf3 41. c6 {'+-' Shirov.} 41... Rxg3+ 42. Kh2
Rc3 43. c7 Re8 44. Rb8 Rxc4 45. d6 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "München"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Lobron, E."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{57/144} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 Nd7
8. Bg5 Be7 9. Qd2 Nb6 10. Bb3 a5 {N} (10... Qd7 {- 44/156}) 11. a3 a4 12. Ba2
Bxg5 13. hxg5 Ne7 14. Nge2 Ned5 (14... Nbd5 15. f3 $1 $14) 15. Ng3 Bg6 $6 (
15... Nxc3 $5 16. Nxf5 (16. bxc3 Bg6 $11) 16... Nxa2 17. Nd6+ Kf8 18. Qf4 $1 (
18. Rxa2 $2 Nc8) (18. g6 fxg6 19. Qf4+ Kg8 20. Qf7+ Kh7 21. Rxh5+ gxh5 22.
Qxh5+ Kg8 23. Qf7+ Kh7 $11) 18... Qd7 $1 (18... Qe7 $2 19. g6 $1 f5 (19... f6
20. Qg4 $1 $16) 20. Qf3 $1 h4 21. g4 $1 Kg8 (21... Nc8 22. gxf5 Nxd6 23. f6 $1)
22. Nf7 $1) 19. g6 f5 20. exf6 $1 (20. Qf3 $2 Nc4 $1 21. Nxc4 Qxd4 22. Qe2 Nc3
$1 $19) 20... Nd5 21. fxg7+ Kxg7 22. Qe5+ Kxg6 $1 (22... Nf6 $2 23. Nf7 $1 $18
{} 23... Rhf8 24. Qg5) 23. Rh3 $1 h4 $1 (23... Qe7 24. Rg3+ Kh6 25. Rg5 $1 $18
) (23... Rag8 24. Rg3+ Kh6 25. Ke2 $1 $18 { 26.1/4h5 <<h5 27.<<h1#}) 24. Qe4+
Kg7 (24... Kg5 25. f4+ $1 Kf6 (25... Nxf4 26. Qe5+ Kg4 27. Ne4 $1 Nxg2+ 28. Kf2
$18) 26. Qe5+ Ke7 27. Nf5+ Kf7 28. Qg7+ $18) 25. Qg4+ Kf8 26. Nc4 $1 $14 {/^} (
26. Rf3+ $2 Ke7 27. Rf7+ Kxd6 28. Rxd7+ Kxd7 29. Rxa2 Rag8 $132)) 16. Nge4 Nc8
17. g4 $2 (17. Nc5 Nxc3 $1 18. bxc3 b6 19. Nd3 c5 $13) (17. Bxd5 $1 cxd5 18.
Nc5 b6 19. N5xa4 $16) 17... Nxc3 18. Nxc3 Kd7 $1 19. O-O-O Kc7 $2 (19... Ne7
$15) 20. Bb1 $1 $14 Ne7 (20... Bxb1 {~~} 21. Kxb1 hxg4) 21. Bxg6 fxg6 22. Qc2
$1 hxg4 23. Rxh8 Qxh8 24. Nxa4 Nd5 (24... b6 $2 25. Nxb6 $18) (24... Qh5 25.
Nc5 $1 Qxg5+ 26. Rd2 Qf5 27. Qb3 b6 28. Nxe6+ $18) 25. Nc5 Qe8 26. Qe2 b6 27.
Ne4 Qf7 28. Qxg4 Qf5 $2 (28... Rh8 29. Nd6 Qf4+ 30. Qxf4 Nxf4 31. Kd2 $16) 29.
Qe2 Rh8 30. Nd6 $1 Qxg5+ 31. Kb1 Qh5 32. Qc2 Ra8 33. Rc1 Ne7 34. Qb3 Qg4 35. f3
$1 Qh3 36. Qb4 $1 Qh4 $2 {	} (36... Nd5 37. Ne8+ $1 Kb7 (37... Rxe8 38. Qd6+
$18) 38. Qd6 Rc8 39. Qd7+ Kb8 40. Nd6 Rc7 41. Qe8+ Ka7 42. Rxc6 $18) (36... Nc8
37. Rc3 $1 { <<b3+-}) 37. Nc4 Nc8 38. d5 (38. Nxb6 Nxb6 39. Rxc6+ Kxc6 40. d5+
$18) 38... c5 (38... exd5 39. Nxb6 $18) 39. Nxb6 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "München"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B66"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{57/205} 1. e4 {Boensch} 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6.
Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8. O-O-O h6 9. Be3 Be7 (9... Nxd4 {(Boensch) -CBM 36VC} 10.
Bxd4 b5 11. Bd3 Be7 12. f4 Bb7 13. Kb1 O-O 14. e5 $40 {
Mohr,G-Gostisa,L Ljubljana Pirc 1993 1-0 33}) 10. f3 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 12. Be3
Be6 13. g4 (13. h4 Qa5 14. Kb1 Rc8 15. Nd5 Qxd2 16. Nxf6+ gxf6 17. Rxd2 f5 $11)
13... Qa5 {'N?!' Boensch.} (13... Rc8 {Boensch} 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. exd5 e4 $1 16.
Bh3 exf3 17. g5 hxg5 18. Bxc8 Qxc8 19. Qd3 g4 $17 {
Ajapbergenov,A-Serper,G Bishek zt 1993 0-1 31}) 14. a3 (14. Kb1 Rc8 {} 15. h4
$2 Rxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxa2+ 17. Kc1 d5 $17) (14. Qf2 $1 {Boensch} 14... Nd7 15. Kb1
Rc8 16. Nd5 $16) 14... b5 $5 (14... Rc8 15. Bd3 $1 (15. h4 $2 Rxc3 16. Qxc3
Qxc3 17. bxc3 d5 $17) (15. Nd5 Qxd2+ 16. Rxd2 Nxd5 $1 17. exd5 Bd7 { >>g5} 18.
h4 f5 $1 $15) 15... d5 (15... Rxc3 16. Qxc3 Qxc3 17. bxc3 d5 18. g5 $1 Bxa3+
19. Kb1 $13) (15... b5 16. Kb1 $1 $13) 16. Nxd5 Qxd2+ 17. Rxd2 Nxd5 18. exd5
Bxd5 19. Bb5+ $1 Bc6 20. Bxc6+ Rxc6 $11) 15. h4 {N} (15. Kb1 {- 55/227}) 15...
b4 16. Nd5 (16. axb4 $2 Qa1+ 17. Nb1 Rc8 $1 (17... Ba2 $2 18. Qc3 $13) 18. Bd3
(18. c3 d5 19. g5 d4 20. gxf6 dxc3 21. bxc3 Bxb4 $19) 18... d5 $1 19. g5 d4 20.
gxf6 gxf6 $1 $19) 16... Bxd5 17. exd5 Rb8 18. Kb1 (18. Bc4 $2 Qc7) 18... Bd8 $2
(18... Qa4 19. b3 Qxa3 20. Bc4 $1 $44 { g5}) (18... Nd7 $1 19. Bd3 $1 Qa4 (
19... Nc5 $6 20. Bxc5 Qxc5 21. a4 $1 $14) (19... Qxd5 20. axb4 Qxf3 21. g5 $1
$44 {} 21... hxg5 22. Rhf1 Qg4 23. hxg5 Qxb4 24. c3 $40) 20. b3 (20. axb4 $6
Rxb4 21. c3 Rb7 22. Qc2 Qa5 { 0-0, <<fb8/^}) 20... Qxa3 21. g5 $44) 19. axb4
Rxb4 (19... Qxb4 20. Qxb4 Rxb4 21. Bxa6 $14) 20. Qc3 $1 O-O (20... Ra4 21. Qxa5
Rxa5 22. Bc4 $1 $16 {(+)<<a5}) (20... Rb8 21. Qxa5 {'!' Boensch.} (21. Qc6+ {
Boensch} 21... Nd7 22. Qxa6 Qc3 $13) 21... Bxa5 22. Bxa6 $14 Bc3 23. Bc1 $18)
21. Bd2 $1 (21. g5 $2 Nxd5 22. Rxd5 Qxd5 23. Qxb4 Qxf3 $19) 21... Ra4 $5 (21...
Nxd5 22. Qd3 $16 Bb6 23. Bxb4 Nxb4 24. Qa3 Qc5 25. c3 $18) 22. b4 $1 $16 {
(+)<<a4 '!!' Boensch.  Boensch: 'Ra4'} (22. Qxa5 $2 Bxa5 23. b3 Rb8 (23... Rd4
$19 {Boensch})) (22. b3 Qxc3 23. Bxc3 Rf4 24. Be2 a5 $132 {Lutz,Ch}) 22... Qc7
(22... Qxd5 23. Qb3 Qc6 24. b5 $18 axb5 25. Bxb5 $18) 23. Kb2 $1 (23. Qxc7 Bxc7
24. Kb2 Rb8 $1 25. Kb3 Ra5 $1 {} 26. c4 Nd7 $1 $132) (23. Qb3 Qd7 24. Bh3 Qe8
$14) 23... Nxd5 $2 (23... Qd7 $2 24. Qc6 $18) (23... a5 $5 24. Qxc7 Bxc7 25.
Kb3 Rxb4+ 26. Bxb4 axb4 27. Bb5 $16 Rb8 28. Bc6 $18) (23... Qb7 $1 24. Qb3 Qd7
25. Bh3 Qe8 26. Ra1 $1 Rxa1 27. Rxa1 $16 {(+)a6}) 24. Qxc7 Bxc7 25. Kb3 Nb6 26.
Be3 $1 $18 a5 $8 27. c3 $1 (27. Bxb6 $2 {Boensch} 27... Rxb4+ $19) 27... axb4
28. Bxb6 Ra3+ 29. Kxb4 $18 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Oll, L."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{56/274} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5
h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Qd2 {N} 10... Nc6 11. Nb3 Be6 12. h4 $1 (12. O-O-O
Nge5 {} 13. h4 g4 $13) 12... gxh4 13. Bxh4 Rc8 $1 14. O-O-O $1 Nb4 $1 (14...
Na5 15. Nd4 $14) (14... b5 15. Nd5 $14) 15. Kb1 Qb6 $1 (15... Bxb3 16. cxb3 $14
) 16. f3 a5 $4 (16... Rxc3 $2 17. bxc3 Nxa2 18. Kxa2 a5 19. fxg4 a4 20. Bf2 Qa5
(20... axb3+ 21. Kb2 Qb4 22. Bd4 $18) 21. c4 $1 axb3+ 22. Kxb3 $18) (16... Ne5
17. Bf2 Qc7 18. Bd4 $14) (16... Ne3 $1 17. Bf2 $8 Rxc3 $1 (17... Nxf1 18. Rhxf1
$14) 18. bxc3 Nxd1 19. Bxb6 Nxc3+ 20. Kc1 $8 Nbxa2+ 21. Kb2 Nxe4+ 22. Qd4 $8
Bxd4+ 23. Bxd4 Ng3 24. Bxh8 Nxh1 25. Kxa2 Ng3 26. Bd3 f6 $1 27. Bg7 Nf5 $1 28.
Bxf5 Bxf5 $11) 17. fxg4 Rxc3 18. bxc3 Nxa2 19. Bf2 $1 $18 Qc6 (19... Nxc3+ 20.
Qxc3) 20. Kxa2 a4 (20... Bxc3 21. Bb5) 21. Bd4 $1 (21. Kb2 $4 Bxc3+ 22. Qxc3
a3+) 21... axb3+ 22. cxb3 Qa4+ 23. Kb2 Qxb3+ (23... Bxb3 24. Ra1) 24. Kc1 Bxd4
25. Qxd4 Qa3+ (25... Rg8 26. Qb4) 26. Kd2 Rg8 27. Rxh6 Qb2+ 28. Ke3 Rxg4 29.
Qa4+ $1 Kd8 (29... Kf8 30. Qa8+) 30. Qa5+ b6 31. Rh8+ $1 Kc7 32. Qa7+ Kc6 33.
Qa8+ 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljub"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B59"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "Boensch"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8.
Bg5 (8. O-O O-O 9. Be3 Be6 10. Kh1 a6 11. f3 Qc7 12. Qd2 Rfc8 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14.
exd5 Nb8 $11 {Roos,JL-Pinchuk,S Kobanya op (10) 1991 0-1 56}) 8... O-O (8...
Nxe4 9. Nxe4 (9. Bxe7 Nxc3 10. Bxd8 Nxd1 11. Rxd1 Kxd8 12. Rxd6+ Ke7 $11 {- ECO
}) 9... Bxg5 10. Nxg5 Qxg5 11. Qxd6 Qe7 $11 {- ECO}) 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nd5 Bg5
11. a4 Ne7 12. Bc4 Kh8 $1 $15 13. Nxe7 Qxe7 14. Bd5 f5 15. exf5 Bxf5 16. O-O e4
$1 17. Re1 (17. Nd4 e3 18. Nxf5 Rxf5 19. fxe3 Bxe3+ 20. Kh1 Rxf1+ 21. Qxf1 Rf8
$15) 17... e3 18. fxe3 Bxe3+ 19. Kh1 Qe5 $1 $40 {h2} 20. Bxb7 Rab8 21. Bf3 Qf4
(21... Rf6 $2 22. Nd2 $1 Rh6 23. Nf1 $18) 22. a5 (22. Qe2 Rbe8 23. Nd2 Bg1 24.
g3 Rxe2 25. gxf4 Rxh2+ 26. Kxg1 Rxd2 $17) 22... Qh6 23. Re2 Bf4 24. g4 (24. h3
Bxh3 $19) 24... Bc8 25. Rg2 Be5 26. Ra4 Qe3 (26... Rxf3 27. Qxf3 Bb7 28. Re4
$13 (28. Rb4 $2 Qxh2+ $3 29. Rxh2 Bxf3+ $19)) 27. Nd2 Rxb2 $19 28. Re4 (28. Nc4
Qxf3 29. Qxf3 Rxf3 30. Nxb2 Rf1+ 31. Rg1 Bb7+ $19) 28... Qc3 29. Rc4 Qxa5 30.
Nb3 Qa2 31. Nd2 Be6 32. Rc7 Qa5 33. Rb7 Ra2 34. Nb3 Qc3 $138 0-1

[Event "TCh-FRA"]
[Site "FRA"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sokolov, A."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. f4 c6 4. Qf3 d5 5. d3 Nf6 6. h3 e5 7. f5 gxf5 8. exf5
O-O 9. Nge2 e4 10. Qf2 exd3 11. cxd3 Re8 12. Kd1 Nbd7 13. g4 Ne5 14. Ng3 d4 15.
Nce4 Nd5 16. Rh2 b6 17. Nh5 Ba6 18. Qxd4 Bh8 19. f6 c5 20. Qf2 Nxd3 21. Qh4
Nf2+ 22. Kc2 Nb4+ 0-1

[Event "Madrid"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Magem Badals, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{60/127} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Be2 e6 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. c3 cxd4
8. cxd4 Nge7 9. a3 Be4 10. Nbd2 Nf5 11. b4 a5 $6 (11... Qb6 12. Bb2 Rd8 $5 {
Magem Badals,J}) 12. g4 $3 Bxf3 {N} 13. Nxf3 Nh4 14. Nxh4 Qxh4 15. b5 Nb8 (
15... Ne7 16. Bf4 $1 {(+)1/4h4} 16... h5 (16... Ng6 17. Bg3 { f4-f5}) (16...
Nc8 17. b6 $1 $40) 17. Bg3 Qg5 (17... Qh3 18. gxh5 $16) 18. f4 Qg6 (18... Qh6
19. g5 Qg6 20. Bd3 Nf5 21. h4 $16 {(+)1/4g6}) 19. gxh5 $16) 16. f4 Be7 (16...
Nd7 17. b6 $1 $40) (16... Qd8 17. f5 Be7 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Be3 Nd7 20. b6 $1
$40) 17. Be3 $2 (17. g5 h6 18. g6 $5 fxg6 19. Qd3 g5 $1 20. Qg6+ Kd7 $14) (17.
Kg2 Nd7 (17... Bd8 18. a4 $1 $18) 18. Rf3 $1 Bd8 19. a4 $16 {} (19. Rh3 Qe7
20. a4 $16) 19... Qxg4+ $2 20. Rg3 Qh4 21. Rh3 Qe7 22. Ba3 $18) 17... Nd7 18.
Kg2 Bd8 19. f5 Qe7 (19... O-O $142 20. Qd2 $1 $14 (20. Qd3 $6 Bb6 $1 21. Qd2
Qe7 $13)) 20. fxe6 fxe6 $2 (20... Qxe6 21. g5 Nb6 22. Bg4 Qe7 23. Qf3 O-O 24.
h4 $14) 21. b6 $1 $40 Rf8 (21... Bxb6 22. Bb5 {} 22... O-O-O $2 23. Qc1+ Kb8
24. Bg5 $18) 22. Qc2 $18 Rxf1 23. Rxf1 Bxb6 24. Bb5 g6 25. Qc1 $1 Qh4 26. h3
Bd8 27. a4 $6 (27. Bxd7+ $142 Kxd7 28. Rf7+ Ke8 29. Rxb7) 27... Be7 $6 (27...
Rb8 $8 28. Bh6 Be7 29. Qc7 Rd8 30. Bd2 $1 Bb4 (30... Ba3 31. Bxa5) 31. Qb6 $1
Qe7 (31... Ke7 32. Bxb4+ axb4 33. Qd6+) 32. Bg5 $1) 28. Qc7 Rd8 29. Qb6 1-0

[Event "Olm"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Yudasin, L."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E42"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{63/478} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Nge2 cxd4 6. exd4 d5 7. c5
Ne4 8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Qxd2 a5 10. a3 Bxc3 11. Nxc3 a4 12. Bd3 Bd7 13. O-O Nc6 14.
Bc2 (14. Rae1 $2 {- 57/536}) 14... Ne7 15. Rae1 $146 (15. Rfe1) (15. Qd1 $5 Qa5
16. Qg4 g6 17. Qg5 Qd8 $1 18. Qh6 Ng8 $13 {Yudasin,L}) 15... b6 $5 (15... O-O
16. Qd1 Qa5 17. Re3 $5) 16. Qd1 (16. Qg5 O-O 17. cxb6 Ng6 $1 $11) 16... bxc5
17. dxc5 Qa5 18. Qd4 (18. Nxd5 $2 exd5 19. Qxd5 Be6 20. Qg5 Ng6 21. f4 $140 O-O
) 18... O-O $1 19. Re3 (19. Bxh7+ $6 Kxh7 20. Qh4+ Kg8 21. Qxe7 Ra7 $1 {
(/\ Bb5)} 22. Qd6 Rd8 $15) 19... f5 $2 {^D} (19... Rfc8 $1 {(Yudasin)} 20. Rh3
$1 (20. Bxh7+ $6 Kxh7 21. Qh4+ Kg8 22. Qxe7 Qd8 $1 $15) 20... Ng6 21. Bxg6 hxg6
(21... fxg6 22. Ne4 $1 $13) 22. Qh4 f6 23. Qh7+ Kf7 24. Rh6 $1 Rg8 25. Rxg6
Qxc5 26. Qh5 $1 Rac8 $1 $13) 20. Bxa4 $1 Bxa4 21. Rxe6 $16 Ng6 (21... Nc6 22.
Qxd5 $16) 22. b4 $1 (22. Qxd5 $2 Nf4) (22. Nxd5 $6 Bb3) 22... Qa7 23. b5 Qa5
24. b6 Be8 (24... Bb3 25. a4 $5 $16) 25. Nxd5 $5 (25. b7 Rb8 26. Rb6 $1 $16)
25... Bf7 26. Rxg6 $5 Bxg6 $8 27. c6 $44 Rae8 $1 28. b7 Bf7 (28... Re1 29. h3
$1 Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 Re8 31. Kg1 $18 {Yudasin,L}) 29. Nb6 Be6 (29... Re1 30. Qb4
$1 Rxf1+ 31. Kxf1 Qa6+ 32. Kg1 $18) 30. h4 (30. a4 $5 Rd8 31. Qb2 $16) 30...
Qxa3 31. Rb1 $16 Rd8 $2 $138 (31... Qa7 32. Qd6 $1 Qb8 33. Nc8 $1 Rxc8 34.
Qxe6+ Kh8 35. bxc8=Q $18) (31... Qa2 32. Rb4 $16) 32. Qxd8 Rxd8 33. c7 $18 Rf8
(33... Qd6 34. cxd8=Q+ Qxd8 35. Nc8 Bxc8 36. b8=Q) 34. b8=Q f4 $6 35. Re1 Qd6
36. c8=Q (36. c8=Q Qxb8 37. Qxe6+ {/\ Nd7}) 1-0

[Event "PCA cand."]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D11"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Bf5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Qb3 Qb6 6. c5 Qc7 7. Bf4 Qc8 8. e3
Nf6 9. Qa4 Nbd7 10. b4 a6 11. h3 Be7 12. Qb3 O-O 13. Be2 Be4 14. O-O Bxf3 15.
Bxf3 Bd8 16. a4 Bc7 17. Bg5 h6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. b5 e5 20. b6 Bb8 21. a5 exd4
22. exd4 Bf4 23. Qc2 Qd7 24. g3 Qxh3 25. Bg2 Qh5 26. gxf4 Ng4 27. Rfd1 Rae8 28.
Rd3 Qh2+ 29. Kf1 f5 30. Qd2 Rf6 31. f3 Re4 32. Nxd5 cxd5 33. c6 Rxf4 34. cxb7
Re4 35. Rc1 Kh7 36. b8=Q Qxb8 37. fxg4 Qh2 38. Rf3 Rxg4 39. b7 Rfg6 40. Rc2
Rxg2 41. Qxg2 Rxg2 42. Rxg2 Qh1+ 43. Kf2 Qb1 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Pardubice"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Polgar, Zsu"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C19"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{61/294} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Nf3
Bd7 8. dxc5 Qc7 9. Bd3 Ba4 (9... Na6 $5 10. Bxa6 bxa6 11. O-O Qxc5 12. a4 Qxc3
13. Ba3 Nf5 $13) 10. Rb1 Nec6 (10... Nd7 11. Rb4 Bc6 (11... Nxc5 $4 12. Rxa4
$16) 12. O-O {- 24/234} (12. Be3 $14)) 11. O-O Nd7 12. Be3 h6 {N} (12... Ndxe5
13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Bf4 $140 $16 f6 {- 30/228} (14... O-O-O $6 15. Qe2 f6 16. Ba6
Bc6 17. Rxb7 Bxb7 18. Rb1 $18)) 13. Re1 $16 O-O-O (13... O-O 14. Qd2 Ndxe5 15.
Nxe5 Nxe5 16. Bxh6 $1 $16) 14. Rb4 $5 (14. Qe2 $1 { <<b4}) 14... Nxb4 15. axb4
a6 16. Nd4 $1 Nb8 $6 (16... Bc6 $142 17. f4 $140 $1 $16 g6 18. Bxg6 fxg6 19.
Nxe6 Qb8 20. Nxd8 Kxd8 (20... Rxd8 21. Qg4 Qc7 22. Bd4 $18) 21. Bd4 $1 $18 {
 e6}) 17. Qa1 $2 (17. b5 axb5 18. Bxb5 Bxb5 19. Nxb5 Qxe5 (19... Qa5 20. Qb1
$1 { 1/4b2+-}) 20. Bd4 $1 Qg5 21. Na7+ Kd7 (21... Kc7 22. Be5+ Kd7 23. Qb1 $18
) 22. Qb1 $18) 17... Bc6 18. f4 g6 $1 19. Bf2 $5 (19. Rb1 Kd7 $1) (19. Qd1 $5
$16) 19... Rhg8 (19... Kd7 20. Bh4 $1 Rde8 (20... Rc8 $2 21. f5 $1 gxf5 22.
Nxf5 exf5 23. Bxf5+ Ke8 24. Bg3 $1 { e6!/^}) 21. Bf6 Rhg8 22. Rb1 Rc8 23. Qa3
$1 $16) 20. Rb1 $6 (20. Qd1 $142 $16) 20... Kd7 21. Bh4 Rc8 $1 (21... g5 $2 22.
fxg5 hxg5 (22... Qxe5 23. g6 $1) 23. Bg3 $16) 22. Bf6 $5 Ke8 (22... b5 $2 23.
cxb6 Qxb6 24. Bh4 $16) 23. b5 axb5 24. Nxb5 Bxb5 25. Bxb5+ Nc6 $2 (25... Nd7 $2
26. Qa4 $1 Qxc5+ 27. Kh1 Qc7 28. c4 $1 $18) (25... Kf8 $1 26. c6 $1 bxc6 27.
Qa3+ c5 $1 (27... Ke8 $2 28. Ba4 $18 { 29. <<b8 <<b8 30. >>c6 1/4c6 31. 1/4e7#
}) 28. c4 $1 (28. Ba6 $6 Qa7 29. Rb7 Qa8 $1 $11) 28... dxc4 $1 (28... Rg7 $2
29. cxd5 exd5 30. Rd1 $1 Qb7 31. c4 $1 $16) 29. Bxc4 Rg7 30. Qa8 Nd7 31. Bxg7+
Kxg7 32. Qb7 $14) 26. Qa7 $1 { >>c6, <<b7} 26... Kd7 27. Bxc6+ Qxc6 28. Rb6 $1
(28. Kh1 $6 Rb8 $1 29. Rb6 Qc7) 28... Qxc5+ 29. Kh1 $18 Ke8 30. Qxb7 {
 <<d6, <<b5} 30... Rc7 31. Qa6 $1 Rc8 32. Qa4+ Kf8 33. Rb7 Rg7 (33... Qxc3 34.
Rxf7+ Kxf7 35. Qd7+) 34. Qd7 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Beograd"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Leko, P."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{65/341} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3
d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Ng5 Rf8 12. Nf3 Re8 13. a4 h6 14. Nbd2
Bf8 15. Bc2 exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4 17. Bb1 c5 18. d5 Nd7 19. Ra3 f5 20. exf5 (20.
Nh2 {- 65/(341)}) 20... Bxd5 21. Rxe8 (21. Ne4 {- 58/374}) 21... Qxe8 22. Re3
$146 (22. Nh4) 22... Qf7 23. Ne4 bxa4 $5 (23... Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Nf6 25. Re6 Re8
26. axb5 Rxe6 (26... axb5 27. Qe2 $14) 27. fxe6 Qxe6 28. bxa6 Nxa6 $14) 24.
Nfg5 $5 (24. Qxa4 $142 Re8 (24... Bc6 $2 25. Qd1 d5 26. Neg5 $1 hxg5 27. Nxg5
Qf6 28. Re6 Qd4 29. Qh5 $18) 25. Bd2 $1 (25. Neg5 $2 hxg5 26. Nxg5 Rxe3 27.
Nxf7 Re1+ 28. Kh2 Bxf7 $19) 25... Bxe4 26. Bxe4 d5 27. Bb1 Rxe3 28. fxe3 Nb6
$13) 24... hxg5 (24... Qxf5 $6 25. Bd2 $1 (25. Nh7 $6 {Sulipa} 25... Qf7 $1 (
25... Qxh7 $2 26. Nc3 $16) 26. Nxf8 (26. Rg3 Kh8) 26... Rxf8 $15) 25... Bc6 (
25... Bb3 26. Rxb3 axb3 27. Bxb4 cxb4 (27... hxg5 28. Nxc5 $18) (27... Nb6 28.
Bc3 $18) 28. Nxd6 $18) (25... hxg5 26. Bxb4 cxb4 27. Nf6+ Qxf6 28. Qxd5+ Kh8
29. Qxa8 $18) 26. Nh7 $3 Qf7 (26... Qd5 27. Nhf6+ $3 Nxf6 (27... gxf6 28. Qg4+
Kh8 29. Rg3 Qf7 30. Qh4 h5 31. Bc3 Bg7 32. Nxd6 Qd5 33. Nf5 Qd1+ 34. Kh2 $18)
28. Nxf6+ gxf6 29. Qg4+ Qg5 (29... Kh8 30. Rg3 Qf7 31. Qh4 $18) 30. Qe6+ Kh8
31. Rg3 Bd5 (31... Re8 32. Qf7 $18) 32. Bxg5 Bxe6 33. Bxf6+ $18) (26... Qxh7
27. Nxd6 $1 g6 28. Bxb4 $1 (28. Re6 $2 Ne5 $1 29. Rxe5 Rd8 30. Bxb4 Rxd6 $1 31.
Ba2+ Kh8 $17) 28... cxb4 29. Qd4 $1 Qg7 (29... Ne5 30. Rxe5 Qd7 31. Qc4+ Kh8
32. Re6 $1 Bg7 (32... Bxd6 33. Rxg6 $18) (32... Bb5 33. Qe4 $18) 33. Rxg6 Rf8
34. Bf5 $18) 30. Qc4+ Kh7 (30... Kh8 31. Nf7+ Kh7 32. Rg3 $1 $18) 31. Qxc6 Rd8
32. Qc7 Qxb2 33. Bxg6+ $1 Kxg6 34. Rg3+ Kh5 (34... Kh7 35. Qxd8 $18) 35. Nb7 $1
(35. Qxd8 $2 Qc1+ 36. Kh2 Bxd6 37. Qe8+ Kh4 38. Qxd7 Qf4 $1 $13) 35... Ne5 36.
Nxd8 Qb1+ 37. Kh2 Qf5 38. Nc6 Nxc6 39. Qxc6 Qf4 40. Kg1 $18) 27. Rg3 d5 (27...
Kh8 28. Nxf8 Bxe4 (28... Rxf8 29. Bc3 $18) 29. Nxd7 Bxb1 30. Bc3 Qxd7 31. Qxb1
Re8 32. Rxg7 Qxg7 33. Bxg7+ Kxg7 34. Qd1 $18) 28. Nxf8 Rxf8 29. Bxh6 dxe4 30.
Rxg7+ Qxg7 31. Bxg7 Kxg7 32. Qg4+ $14) 25. Nxg5 Qf6 $4 (25... Bb3 26. Qf3 Bd5 (
26... Qd5 $2 27. Be4) 27. Qd1 (27. Qe2 Bc4 28. Qg4 $140 $2 Nf6 29. Qh4 Qd5 30.
Re6 Qd1+ 31. Kh2 Bxe6 32. fxe6 Qh5 $19) 27... Bb3 $11) 26. Re6 $1 Bxe6 27. fxe6
g6 (27... Ne5 28. Qh5 Qh6 29. Bh7+ Kh8 30. Nf7+ Nxf7 31. Bxh6 Nxh6 32. Bb1 c4
33. g4 Nd3 34. g5 $18) 28. exd7 Rd8 29. Qg4 $5 (29. Ba2+ $1 Nxa2 30. Qd5+ Kh8
31. Nf7+ Kg7 32. Bh6+ $1 Kh7 33. Bg5 $18) 29... Be7 30. h4 $1 $18 (30. Ne6 Kf7
$16) 30... d5 31. Nf3 Kg7 32. Bg5 Qxb2 (32... Qd6 33. Bf4) 33. Bh6+ 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "De Firmian, Nick E"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B89"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Be3 Be7 8.
Bb3 O-O 9. Qe2 a6 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. g4 Nxd4 12. Rxd4 Nd7 13. g5 Nc5 14. Rg1 b5
15. Qh5 g6 16. Qh6 Rd8 17. e5 Bf8 18. Qh3 Bg7 19. Rxd6 Bb7 20. Bf4 Rxd6 21.
exd6 Qc6 22. Rd1 b4 23. Ne2 a5 24. Bc4 a4 25. Qe3 b3 26. Nc3 a3 27. Be5 axb2+
28. Kxb2 Na4+ 29. Nxa4 bxc2 30. Rd4 Bxe5 31. Qxe5 Rxa4 32. d7 c1=Q+ 33. Kxc1
Rxc4+ 34. Rxc4 Qxc4+ 35. Kb2 Qb4+ 36. Kc1 Qa3+ 37. Qb2 Qc5+ 38. Kb1 Be4+ 39.
Ka1 Qd6 40. Qb5 Qd4+ 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Biel"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Zvjagintsev, Vadim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B47"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 Nf6 7. Be3 b6 8. g4
h6 9. Qd2 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 e5 11. Nb5 Qb8 12. Be3 Nxe4 13. Qd3 a6 14. Bf3 axb5 15.
Bxe4 Ra4 16. Bd5 Bc5 17. O-O-O O-O 18. g5 hxg5 19. Rhg1 g4 20. b3 Rxa2 21. Rxg4
Qd6 22. Kb1 Ra6 23. Rdg1 Qf6 24. Bg5 Qxf2 25. Bh6 e4 26. Rxg7+ Kh8 27. Qh3 1-0

[Event "Leon"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E44"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{63/479} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 Ne4 6. Bd2 Nxd2 7. Qxd2
Bb7 8. d5 Na6 9. a3 $5 $146 (9. g3 {- 60/514}) 9... Bxc3 10. Nxc3 Nc5 11. Rd1
a5 12. b4 axb4 13. axb4 Na6 $1 (13... Na4 14. Nb5 $14) 14. Nb5 O-O 15. Be2 Qe7
(15... exd5 $5 16. cxd5 Qe7 17. d6 cxd6 $13 18. Nxd6 $140 Bxg2 19. Rg1 Bh3 20.
Qd4 g6 $13) 16. d6 $1 Qg5 (16... cxd6 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 (17... Qg5 18. Rg1 $14) 18.
Nxd6 Bxg2 19. Rg1 Bh3 20. Rg3 Bf5 21. e4 Bg6 22. f4 f5 23. e5 Nxb4 24. Rb3 $44)
17. dxc7 Qxg2 18. Rf1 Qxh2 $6 (18... Bc6 $2 19. c8=Q Rfxc8 20. Nd6 $16) (18...
d5 $1 19. Rc1 $1 $13) 19. Qd6 $1 Qh6 $2 (19... Qg2 20. Qxb6 (20. Rd4 $6 Qc6)
20... Nxb4 21. Na7 $1 $14) 20. Rg1 $1 Bc6 (20... Qf6 21. Qxb6 Nxb4 22. Qxb7
Nc2+ 23. Kd2 $18) 21. Nd4 Nxb4 $2 (21... Be4 22. Qxb6 Qh2 23. Rg3 h5 24. Qd6
$18) 22. Qxb4 Qh2 23. Rg3 Rfc8 24. Nxc6 Qh1+ 25. Bf1 dxc6 26. Qe7 1-0

[Event "Ljubljana"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Leko, P."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{65/343} 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. b4
Nb6 15. a5 Nbd7 16. Bb2 Rb8 17. Rb1 h6 18. Ba1 Ba8 19. Re3 (19. dxe5 {- 45/420}
) 19... g6 (19... Nh7 $5) 20. Qe2 $146 (20. c4) 20... c6 (20... Bg7 21. d5 c6
$11) 21. c4 Bg7 $2 (21... bxc4 22. dxe5 $14) (21... exd4 $1 22. Bxd4 bxc4 23.
Nxc4 d5 $11) 22. dxe5 dxe5 23. c5 $16 Nh5 $6 (23... Bb7 $142 24. Rd3 Qc7 $16)
24. g3 Qc7 25. Rd3 Rbd8 (25... Nf8 26. Nf1 Ne6 27. Rd6 $16) 26. Rd1 Nf8 27. Nf1
Rxd3 28. Qxd3 Nf6 (28... Qc8 29. Kh2 $18) 29. Ne3 Bb7 30. Kg2 Qb8 31. Bb2 Qc7
32. Bb3 Re7 $6 (32... Qb8 33. Ng4 $5 (33. Bxf7+ $5 Kxf7 34. Qb3+ $40) 33...
Nxg4 34. hxg4 $16) 33. Qd8 $1 (33. Qd6 Nxe4 34. Qxc7 Rxc7 35. Bxe5 Rd7 $1 {
Leko,P} (35... Bxe5 36. Nxe5 $18) 36. Re1 $16) 33... Qxd8 (33... Nxe4 34. Ng4
$1 Rd7 (34... Qxd8 35. Rxd8 Rd7 36. Rb8 $1 $18) 35. Qxc7 Rxc7 36. Bxe5 Rd7 37.
Re1 Nd2 38. Nxd2 Rxd2 39. Nf6+ Bxf6 40. Bxf6 Rd3 (40... Bc8 41. Re7 $18) 41.
Re8 Rxb3 42. Be7 Rd3 (42... Rxb4 43. Rxf8+ Kg7 44. Rb8 $18) 43. Bxf8 $18) 34.
Rxd8 N6d7 (34... Rd7 35. Rb8 $18) 35. Nh4 $18 Kh7 36. Nhf5 gxf5 37. Nxf5 Bf6
38. Nxe7 Bxe7 39. Re8 Bg5 40. Bxf7 Kg7 41. Bb3 Bf6 42. f4 Ng6 43. f5 Ngf8 44.
h4 Kh7 45. Kh3 Kg7 46. g4 Kh7 47. Bc1 Bg7 48. g5 hxg5 49. hxg5 Kh8 1-0

[Event "Donner Mem"]
[Site "Amsterdam"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Salov, Valery"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A21"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 Be7 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nxe7 Qxe7 6. Ne2 d5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
a3 O-O 9. Ng3 c5 10. b3 Nc6 11. Bb2 Be6 12. Qc2 Rfd8 13. Bb5 Na5 14. Bxe5 Bd7
15. Bc3 Bxb5 16. Bxa5 Nf4 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. Qc3 Qe6 19. f3 Rd3 20. Qxc5 Nxg2+
21. Kd1 Nxe3+ 22. Kc1 b6 23. Qc7 Rd6 24. Qb8+ Be8 25. Ne4 Rc6+ 26. Nc3 Nd5 27.
Ra2 Rc8 28. Qg3 Nxc3 29. dxc3 Qxb3 30. Rc2 Ba4 31. Qf2 Qxa3+ 32. Kb1 Bxc2+ 33.
Qxc2 Rxc3 0-1

[Event "BL 1995/96"]
[Site "GER"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nunn, J."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Bc4 d6 5. Qf3 e6 6. Nge2 b5 7. Bb3 a5 8. a3 Ba6
{Despite my terrible loss against Judit Polgar in the Donner memorial
(Amsterdam 1995) I still employ this setup. It's hard to believe that with
such a bishop on b3 White should get the advantage.} 9. O-O {Judit played} (9.
d5 {and after} 9... cxd5 10. exd5 e5 11. Ne4 Qc7 12. c4 bxc4 13. Ba4+ Nd7 14.
N2c3 Ke7 $2 15. Nxd6 $1 {I got crashed with the incredible speed. Of course,
this time I hoped to improve somewhere but Nunn decided not to test my
preparation.}) 9... Nd7 10. Bf4 Qe7 11. Rad1 (11. e5 $5 d5 12. Qe3 {was quite i
nteresting as it would create some difficulties for Black to develop.}) 11...
e5 12. Bg5 (12. dxe5 {would be answered by} 12... Nxe5 $1 {
with the unclear game.}) 12... Ngf6 13. d5 $6 {
A very dubios plan but I don't know what to recommend White.} 13... c5 14. a4
b4 15. Nb5 Nb6 $5 {As usual I am being quite ambitios. I saw that simple} (
15... Bxb5 16. axb5 Nb6 {would be very good but I wasn't sure that I would
establish a clear advantage after} 17. Qd3 $1 $15 {with the idea to answer}
17... a4 {with} 18. Bc4 {. The text might objectively be even better but still
it's not as strong as it seems. After White finds a few very good moves (most
of which I of course hadn't seen) the game becomes rather sharp and
complicated.}) 16. Qd3 $1 c4 $1 17. Bxc4 Nxa4 18. Ra1 $1 {This I overlooked.} (
18. Rb1 Nc5 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Qf3 O-O 21. Ra1 Rfc8 $1 22. c3 Qd8 $1 $17 {
would be more according to my plan.}) 18... Nxb2 19. Qb3 Nxc4 20. Qxc4 Rc8 21.
Qd3 Qd8 22. c4 $1 O-O $5 {
I was not at all sure about the position arising after} (22... bxc3 23. Nexc3
Rxc3 (23... O-O 24. Rfb1 $44) 24. Qxc3 Bxb5 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Rfb1 Bd7 27. Rxa5
O-O 28. Ra7 $1 {#. Black has a clear material advantage but his pieces don't
feel extremely comfortable. Meantime White's activity yields him very good
drawing chances.}) 23. Ra2 $1 {Another surprise. Here I realised that if I
choose now a 'normal' continuation, White would soon get full compensation for
the pawn. But then I saw a rook sacrifise. It was difficult to convince myself
to do it - just couple of moves ago I thought I had had a clear advantage and
now I have to take such risks! Some minutes of doubts and I decided let it be.
It's simply the best way.} 23... Rxc4 $3 {Variations like} (23... Bxb5 24. cxb5
Ra8 25. Rfa1 {would just demonstrate White's positional power. But now Black's
pawn are going to be really atrong.}) 24. Bxf6 (24. Qxc4 Qb6 {
would finally lead to the same thing.}) 24... Bxf6 25. Qxc4 Qb6 26. Qc7 Qxb5
27. Qxd6 Kg7 (27... Bd8 $5 {would probably also keep Black's advantage and be
less concrete. The text leads to positions where such a small thing as White's
pawn on h2 and not on h3 will sometimes become a decisive factor.}) 28. Rc1 $1
{Unprotected first rank leads to White's loss in the line} (28. Rfa1 $6 b3 $1
29. Rxa5 $140 $2 b2 30. Qxa6 b1=Q+ $19) 28... Rd8 $1 29. Qc6 (29. Qc5 b3 30.
Rb2 a4 {looks clearly in Black's favour since the queen's exchange -} 31. Qxb5
Bxb5 32. Ra1 Rc8 {is catastrophic for White.}) 29... b3 $1 {Not} (29... a4 $2 {
since in the endgame arising after} 30. Rxa4 Qxc6 31. dxc6 Bxe2 32. c7 Rc8 33.
Rxb4 {only White has chances to win.}) 30. Rb2 {# Here I got a feeling of
horror as if something was completely misplayed. But it was definitely my day
since I quickly found a move that justified all my previous play.} 30... Qd3 $3
{But not} (30... a4 $2 {that would fail to} 31. Nc3 Qxc6 32. dxc6 $16 {
.Now White's pieces are out of coordination, his back rank is still a shame on
him and 31...Rc8 is threatening.}) 31. Rcb1 $2 {
Being short of time Nunn loses immediately. He had to try} (31. Rxb3 $1 {
and it's not sure that in the game I would respond correctly. My home analysis
convinced me that 31...Qxe2 would give White good practical drawing chances
while 31...Qxb3! should maintain Black's edge intact. Here are the variations:
} 31... Qxb3 $1 (31... Qxe2 32. Rf3 Be7 (32... Bg5 $2 33. Qc7 Rf8 34. Qxe5+ f6
35. Rc7+ Kh8 36. h4 Qd1+ 37. Kh2 Qxf3 38. Rxh7+ Kxh7 39. Qc7+ Kg8 40. gxf3 $16)
33. Qc7 Qb2 34. Re1 $1 (34. h4 Rf8 (34... Rd7 $2 35. Qxd7 Qxc1+ 36. Kh2 Qc5 37.
Qe8 $44 (37. h5 $5 $44)) 35. Rcc3 (35. Rc6 Bd8 36. Qd6 Bb7 37. Rc4 Bxh4 38. Rc7
Bc8 $19) 35... Bxh4 36. Qxe5+ Kg8 $19) (34. h3 Rd7 35. Qxd7 Qxc1+ 36. Kh2 Qc5
37. Qe8 Bf6 $19) (34. Rd1 $2 Re8 $19) 34... Re8 35. Qxa5 Bb5 $15 36. Qa1 $140
Qd4 $1) 32. Qxa6 a4 (32... Bg5 33. Qc4 $1 $15) 33. Ng3 $1 Be7 $1 (33... a3 34.
Rc7 (34. Nf1 $2 Be7 35. Rc7 Bd6 36. Rb7 Qc2 37. Qa7 Rf8 $19) 34... a2 35. Ra7
Qb1+ 36. Nf1 Qxe4 37. Qxa2 Qxd5 $15) 34. Rc7 (34. Qa7 Bd6 35. Qa5 Rb8 $17 36.
Qa6 $140 Rb6) 34... Bd6 35. Rb7 Qd1+ $1 (35... Qc2 36. Qb6 $3 Bc5 37. Rxf7+ $1
Kxf7 38. Qe6+ Kf8 (38... Kg7 39. Qxe5+ $10) 39. Qf6+ Ke8 40. Qe6+ Be7 41. Qg8+
Kd7 (41... Bf8 42. Qe6+ $10) 42. Qe6+ Kc7 43. Qxe7+ $10) 36. Nf1 Qd4 $1 $17 {
In this position Black should definitely win due to his a-pawn but it still
requires a good technik.} (36... a3 37. Qb6 $1 Rb8 (37... a2 $2 38. Qa7 $1 $16)
38. Rxb8 Bxb8 39. Qxb8 a2 40. Qxe5+ Kh6 41. Qf4+ $10)) 31... Rc8 {
The rest is easy to understand.} 32. Qa4 (32. Qd6 a4 $19) 32... Rc2 $19 33.
Rxb3 Qxe2 34. Rf3 Bd3 35. Qd7 Bxe4 36. Rxf6 Kxf6 37. Qd6+ Kf5 38. Rf1 Bd3 39.
Qd7+ Kf6 {White resigns. If my analysis is correct then it's one of my best
games so far. The complications starting with 15...Nb6!? went in right
direction.} 0-1

[Event "BL 1995/96"]
[Site "GER"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Van der Sterren, P."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D49"]
[WhiteElo "2535"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 {Normally Paul doesn't mind
playing 5.Bg5 but perhaps he didn't wish to enter the Botvinnik variation
playing at nine A.M.} 5... Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 {
Switching from my usual 8...Bb7} 9. e4 c5 10. e5 cxd4 11. Nxb5 axb5 12. exf6
gxf6 13. O-O Qb6 14. Be4 {Nowadays} (14. Qe2 {
is considered to be more critical.}) 14... Bb7 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. Nxd4 Rg8 17.
f3 Bc5 $5 {In some way this move is a novelty although it finally leads to the
known thing. The other move order would be} (17... Ne5 18. Qe2 (18. Nb3 {
doesn't seem promising in view of} 18... Rd8 19. Qe2 Qd5 20. Be3 $6 Qc4 21.
Qxc4 Nxc4 22. Bc1 f5 $15 {Levin,F-Yasinsky,V/Novgorod op (06) 1995 (31)}) 18...
Bc5 19. Be3 {(Kamsky-Kramnik, Linares 1994)}) 18. Be3 Ne5 19. Qe2 Qb6 $5 {
But now really a new and agressive try. The above-mentioned game went} (19...
Rd8 {Shirov   Kamsky,G-Kramnik,V/Linares (13) 1994}) 20. Rfd1 {
This allows Black to keep on risking.} (20. Nc2 Ke7 {would be just equal})
20... Ra4 $5 {'Normal'} (20... Rd8 21. Nc2 Bxe3+ 22. Nxe3 Nc4 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8
$10 {looked too boring to me.}) 21. Nc2 {
During the game I was slightly afraid of the pawn sacrifice-} (21. Rac1 $5 Nc4
(21... Rc4 $5 22. Rxc4 bxc4 {with equality may be a safer way}) 22. Bf2 Rxa2
23. Rc2 {but now it seems to me that after} 23... Rg5 (23... e5 24. Kh1 {
offers White an excellent compensation for the pawn}) 24. b4 $5 {
( the idea I was afraid of)} 24... Rxc2 25. Qxc2 Bxb4 26. Qxh7 Rd5 {
Black has a good game.}) 21... Rh4 $5 {# Continuing with the same strategy.}
22. Qf2 $1 {I almost disregarded this move in my calculations thinking that it
would lose the way it actually happened in the game. But in reality it is even
stronger than} (22. Kh1 {which I thought was what White should do. But then
Black has a nice rook sacrifice i.e.} 22... Qb8 $1 (22... Nc4 {Shirov} 23. Bxc5
Qxc5 24. b3 Nd6 (24... Qc7 25. g3 Rxg3 (25... Qxg3 26. Rg1 Rxh2+ 27. Qxh2 Qxf3+
28. Rg2 Rxg2 29. Qxg2 Qh5+ 30. Kg1 Qc5+ 31. Qf2 Qg5+ 32. Kf1 $18) 26. bxc4 Rxf3
(26... Rgh3 27. Rd2) 27. Rd4 $18) (24... Rg3 25. Qe1 Qg5 26. Qf2 Ne5 27. Nd4
$16) (24... Ne5 25. Rac1 Qc7 26. h3 $16) (24... Qe5 25. Qxe5 Nxe5 26. Nd4 $16)
25. Qd2 Qe5 26. h3 $16 Qg3 $140 27. Ne3) 23. h3 (23. g3 $2 {loses to} 23...
Rxg3 24. Bxc5 Nxf3 25. Bd6 Nxh2 $1 $19 {and}) (23. Bxc5 Rxh2+ 24. Kg1 Rhxg2+
25. Qxg2 Nxf3+ 26. Kf2 Rxg2+ 27. Kxg2 Nh4+ {also seems in Black's favour})
23... Bxe3 {(but not} (23... Qb7 24. Bxc5 Nxf3 25. Ne3 Rxh3+ 26. gxh3 Ng1+ 27.
Qg2 Rxg2 28. Nxg2 Nxh3 29. Rd2 $18) 24. Nxe3 Rg3 $1 25. Nf1 (25. Qf2 Nxf3 26.
Nf1 {is the same}) 25... Nxf3 26. Qf2 (26. Nxg3 $2 Qxg3 $17) 26... Rhxh3+ 27.
gxh3 Rxh3+ (27... Rg1+ $2 28. Qxg1 Nxg1 29. Kxg1 Qb6+ 30. Kg2 Qb7+ 31. Kf2 Qb6+
32. Ke1 $16) 28. Kg2 Ng5 29. Qd4 Qb7+ 30. Kf2 Qf3+ 31. Ke1 Kf8 $1 {
maintaining very good attacking chances despite material losses}) 22... Qc7 $5
{Straight for the White king!} (22... Rc4 23. Kh1 $14 {
would be a kind of resignation of the previous play.}) 23. Bxc5 $1 {
This should yield White a little more than} (23. f4 {
that would lead to a forced draw after} 23... Rxh2 24. fxe5 Qxe5 25. Bxc5 Qh5
26. g3 Rh1+ 27. Kg2 Qh3+ 28. Kf3 Qf5+ (28... Qg4+ 29. Ke3 Rxd1 30. Rxd1 Qxd1
31. Qg2 $10) 29. Ke2 (29. Ke3 $2 Qxc5+ 30. Nd4 Qe5+ 31. Kd2 Rg4 $1 $19) 29...
Qxc2+ 30. Kf3 Qf5+ 31. Ke2 $10) 23... Nxf3+ 24. Kf1 $4 {
Now Black succeeds in everything. Both players missed that after} (24. Qxf3
Qxh2+ 25. Kf1 Rf4 26. Qxf4 Qxf4+ 27. Bf2 {Black can not take the knight with
27...Qc4+ 28.Kg1 Qxc2? because of 29.Rac1+-, so he should continue} 27... Rg5 {
with the idea} (27... Qc4+ $2 28. Kg1 Qxc2 $4 29. Rac1 Rxg2+ $8 30. Kxg2 Qxb2
31. Rc8+ Ke7 32. Kf1 e5 33. Rc6 Kf8 34. Bh4 $18) 28. Ne3 Rh5 {
and it is him who has to fight for a draw.}) 24... Nxh2+ 25. Ke1 (25. Kg1 {
would be even worse in view of} 25... Rf4 26. Rd8+ Kxd8 27. Bb6 Rxg2+ 28. Qxg2
Qxb6+ $19) 25... Rf4 26. Bd6 $6 {White was obliged to go for} (26. Rd8+ Kxd8
27. Bb6 Rxf2 28. Bxc7+ Kxc7 29. Kxf2 {although the endgame after} 29... Ng4+ {
is, of course, also lost.}) 26... Rxf2 27. Bxc7 Rgxg2 $1 28. Bxh2 (28. Rd8+ Ke7
29. Bxh2 Kxd8 {would make no difference}) 28... Rxc2 {
White resigned as he loses the house.} (28... Rxc2 29. Rac1 Rxh2 30. Rxc2 Rxc2
31. Rb1 Rh2 $19) 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Dos Hermanas"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{66/230} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3
Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Kh1 Qc7 10. f4 b5 11. fxe5 $146 (11. Bf3) (11. Be3) 11...
dxe5 12. Bg5 $5 Nbd7 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. Qf3 h6 15. Bd2 $1 (15. Bh4 Nb6 {/\ Nh7})
15... Nb6 $1 16. Qg3 (16. Rac1 $5) 16... Kh8 (16... Nh5 17. Qg4 (17. Qh3 $6 Nf4
18. Bxf4 exf4 $15) 17... Nf6 18. Qg3 (18. Rxf6 $2 Bxf6 19. Bxh6 Bc8 20. Qg3 Be6
$17) 18... Nh5 $11) 17. Rf5 $1 Bc8 (17... Nc4 18. Raf1 $1 Nxd2 (18... Nxb2 $2
19. Bxh6 gxh6 20. Rxf6 Bxf6 21. Rxf6 $18) 19. Nxd2 $14) (17... b4 18. Raf1 $1 (
18. Nd5 Nbxd5 19. exd5 Bxd5 $13) 18... bxc3 19. Bxh6 $1 g6 (19... gxh6 $2 20.
Rxf6 Bxf6 21. Rxf6 Kh7 22. Qh4 $18) (19... Ne8 $2 20. Bxg7+ Nxg7 21. Rxf7 Rxf7
22. Rxf7 $18) 20. Rxf6 $1 (20. bxc3 Nbd7 $1 $15) 20... Bxf6 21. Rxf6 cxb2 22.
Rf1 $44) 18. Rxe5 $1 Bd6 19. Bf4 g5 $8 20. Rc5 $1 gxf4 21. Qh4 Bxc5 22. Qxf6+
Kg8 23. Nxc5 $1 Qxc5 24. e5 $1 Bb7 $6 (24... Nd7 $1 25. Qf5 Re8 $1 (25... Rd8
26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Qxh6+ Ke8 (27... Ke7 28. Qh4+ Ke8 29. Ne4 Qxe5 30. Re1 $18)
28. Ne4 $1 $18) 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Qxh6+ Ke7 28. Qg5+ (28. Be4 Nb6 $1 $13) 28...
Kf8 29. Qh6+ $11) 25. Qxh6 f5 26. exf6 Rf7 (26... Qc7 27. Qg5+ $1 Kh8 28. Re1
$18) 27. Qg6+ Kf8 28. Qh6+ Kg8 29. Rf1 $1 Re8 30. Qg6+ Kf8 31. Qh6+ Kg8 32. Bg6
$6 (32. Bh7+ Rxh7 33. Qg6+ Kf8 34. Qxh7 Bxg2+ 35. Kxg2 Qc6+ 36. Rf3 Qxf6 37.
Ne4 Qg7+ 38. Qxg7+ Kxg7 39. Rxf4 $16 Nc4 $140 40. Nc5 $1) 32... Qc4 $1 33.
Bxf7+ Qxf7 34. Qg5+ $6 (34. Qxf4 $16) 34... Kh8 35. Qh4+ Qh7 36. f7 Rf8 37.
Qxf4 (37. Qf6+ Qg7) 37... Qg6 $1 38. Rf2 Nc8 (38... Nc4 39. Ne2 $1 $16) 39. h4
$2 (39. Ne2 $1 $18) 39... Kh7 40. Kg1 $6 Qh6 $2 $138 (40... Nd6 41. Qe5 Rxf7
42. Qxd6 Qxd6 43. Rxf7+ Kg6 44. Rxb7 $11) 41. Qe5 $1 $16 Qd6 (41... Qg7 $142
42. Qc7 b4 43. Qxb7 bxc3 44. bxc3 Nd6 45. Qxa6 Nxf7 46. Qd3+ $16) 42. Qe2 $1
Kg7 (42... b4 43. Ne4 $18) 43. Qg4+ Qg6 44. Qd4+ Kh7 45. h5 $1 Qc6 (45... Qxh5
$2 46. Rf4 $18) (45... Qd6 46. Qg4 $1 Qh6 (46... Ne7 $2 47. Qg5 $18) 47. Qf5+
Kh8 {- 45...Qc6}) 46. Qd3+ (46. Qg4 Qh6 $8) 46... Kh8 47. Qf5 $1 Qh6 48. Qe5+ (
48. Nd5 $1 $16) 48... Qg7 49. Qc7 $6 (49. Qf4 $1 $16) 49... b4 50. Ne2 (50.
Qxb7 bxc3 51. bxc3 Nd6 $132) 50... Bd5 $1 51. h6 (51. Nf4 Bxf7 52. Ne6 Bxe6 53.
Qxg7+ Kxg7 54. h6+ Kg8 55. h7+ Kxh7 56. Rxf8 Kg7 $14) (51. Qc5 $1 Bxf7 52. Qxb4
$16) 51... Qg5 52. Qc5 (52. Qf4 Qxf4 53. Nxf4 Ne7 54. Nxd5 Nxd5 $13) 52... Ne7
53. Ng3 $2 (53. c4 $1 bxc3 54. Nxc3 Rxf7 55. Ne4 Qxh6 56. Rxf7 Bxf7 57. Qxe7
$16) 53... Qc1+ $4 (53... Qxg3 54. Qxe7 Qxf2+ 55. Kxf2 Rxf7+ 56. Qxf7 Bxf7 57.
a3 $11) 54. Nf1 Qg5 55. Ne3 $18 Kh7 56. Nxd5 Qxd5 57. Qxe7 Qd1+ 58. Rf1 Qd4+
59. Kh1 Kg6 60. Qe6+ 1-0

[Event "Madrid"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Morozevich, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{66/309} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3
d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Ng5 Rf8 12. Nf3 Re8 13. Nbd2 Bf8 14. a4
h6 15. Bc2 exd4 16. cxd4 Nb4 17. Bb1 c5 18. d5 Nd7 19. Ra3 g6 20. Nh2 Bg7 21.
Ndf3 Nb6 $6 (21... Nf6) 22. Ng4 $1 $146 (22. axb5 {- 62/389}) 22... Kh7 (22...
h5 $2 23. Bg5 $3 f6 24. Nh6+ Kh7 (24... Bxh6 25. Bxh6 {/\ e5+-}) 25. e5 $3 fxg5
(25... Bxh6 26. Bxf6 Qc8 27. Bxg6+ $1 $18) (25... dxe5 26. Bxg6+ $1 Kxg6 27.
Qb1+ e4 28. Rxe4 $18) 26. Nf7 Qe7 27. N3xg5+ Kg8 28. Bxg6 Bxd5 29. Qxh5 Nc4
$140 30. Rf3 Bxf3 31. Nh6+ Bxh6 32. Bf7+) (22... Nc4 $6 23. Bxh6 $16) (22...
Nxa4 23. Bxh6 $1 $40) 23. axb5 $1 (23. Qd2 Nc4 24. Qf4 Nxd5 $1 (24... Nxa3 $2
25. Nxh6 $3 Nxb1 26. Ng5+ Qxg5 27. Qxg5 Nd3 (27... Re5 28. Qh4 Rh5 29. Qe7 $18)
28. Qh4 $1 Nxe1 29. Nxf7+ Kg8 30. Ng5 Re7 31. Qh7+ Kf8 32. Qxg6 Nd3 33. Ne6+
Kg8 34. Bh6 $18) 25. exd5 Rxe1+ 26. Nxe1 Qc7 $5 (26... Nxa3 27. Qxf7 Nxb1 28.
Bxh6 Qf8 29. Qxb7 Re8 30. Nf3 Qe7 31. Ng5+ Kg8 32. Qc6 $1 $44) 27. Re3 Nxe3 28.
Bxe3 $13) 23... Bc8 $5 (23... axb5 24. Rxa8 Bxa8 25. Qd2 $1 h5 26. Nh6 $1 f6
27. Qf4 $1 Qd7 28. e5 $1 dxe5 29. Bxg6+ $1 Kxg6 30. Qe4+ f5 31. Nxf5 Bxd5 32.
N5h4+ Kf7 33. Qg6+ $16) 24. bxa6 $16 Ra7 25. b3 $5 Bxg4 26. hxg4 Kg8 27. g5 h5
28. Bd3 Qd7 29. Bf4 $5 Bb2 30. Ra5 Qd8 31. Bb5 $1 Ree7 32. Qd2 N6xd5 33. exd5
Qxa5 $6 (33... Rxe1+ 34. Qxe1 Qxa5 35. Qe8+ Kh7 36. Bxd6 Nxa6 37. Bc4 (37. Bd7
$5) 37... Bg7 38. Be7 $16) 34. Rxe7 Rxe7 35. Bxd6 Re4 $6 (35... Qa1+ 36. Kh2
Bc1 37. Qxb4 $1 cxb4 38. Bxe7 $16) 36. Qxb2 Qxb5 37. a7 $2 (37. Bf8 $1 Kxf8 38.
Qh8+ Ke7 39. a7 $18) 37... Re8 38. Qd2 (38. Bb8 $5 Rxb8 39. axb8=Q+ Qxb8 40.
Qe5 Qxe5 41. Nxe5 Nxd5 42. Nd7 $16) 38... Ra8 39. Bc7 $1 Rxa7 40. d6 Ra1+ (
40... Ra2 41. Qe1) 41. Kh2 Ra2 42. Qe1 $1 Nd5 (42... Qe2 43. Qxe2 Rxe2 44. d7
Nc6 45. Ne5 Rd2 46. Nxc6 Rxd7 47. Bf4 $3 (47. Be5 Rd3 48. Na5 Kf8 $14) 47...
Rb7 (47... Rd3 48. Na5 Kf8 49. Be3 Rc3 50. Kg3 Ke7 51. Kf4 Ke6 52. Ke4 $18) 48.
Na5 Rb5 49. Bd2 $18) (42... Ra8 43. Ne5 Nd5 (43... Re8 $2 44. Qe4 $18) 44. Qd1
$1 (44. Nxg6 Re8 45. Qd1 Nxc7 46. Qxh5 fxg6 47. Qxg6+ Kh8 $11) 44... Qb4 $3 (
44... Nxc7 $2 45. dxc7 $18) 45. Nc4 $1 (45. d7 Qf4+ 46. Kg1 h4 $1 $11) 45...
Qb7 46. Qf3 Re8 47. Ne3 $1 (47. Nb6 Re5 $132) 47... Re5 48. g3 $1 Rxg5 (48...
Rxe3 49. fxe3 Qc6 50. Qe4 $1 $18) 49. d7 Qxc7 50. Nxd5 Rxd5 51. Qxd5 Qd8 52.
Qc6 $18) (42... Re2 $5 43. Qd1 $1 $16) 43. Qe4 $1 $18 Nxc7 44. dxc7 Qd7 45. Qb7
Qd6+ 46. Kh1 Ra1+ 47. Ng1 Qd1 48. c8=Q+ Kg7 49. Kh2 $8 Qxg1+ 50. Kg3 h4+ (50...
Rf1 51. Qxc5) (50... Rd1 51. Qa6 $1 h4+ 52. Kf3) 51. Kg4 $1 Rf1 $6 (51... Qxf2
52. Qf3 Qd4+ (52... Qxf3+ 53. gxf3 Rb1 54. Qb8 $1) 53. Qf4 Qd1+ 54. Kxh4 Qe1+
55. Kh3 (55. g3 $4 Qh1+ 56. Qh3 Qa8 $3 $11) 55... Qh1+ 56. Qh2 Qe1 57. Qc6 $1
Qe3+ 58. Qf3 Qe6+ 59. g4 $1) 52. Qba8 1-0

[Event "Madrid"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Korchnoi, Viktor"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A20"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 f5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. d3 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 d6 7. Nf3 c5 8.
O-O Nc6 9. Ne1 O-O 10. Nc2 Be6 11. Ne3 Qd7 12. Nd5 Ne7 13. Qb3 Nexd5 14. cxd5
Bf7 15. c4 Bh5 16. f3 Rae8 17. e4 f4 18. gxf4 exf4 19. d4 cxd4 20. Bb2 Nxe4 21.
fxe4 Qg4 22. h3 Qg5 23. Kh1 Qh4 24. Kg1 Rf6 25. Bxd4 Rg6 26. Kh1 Rxg2 27. Kxg2
Rxe4 28. Bg1 Re2+ 29. Kh1 Bg6 30. Bf2 Be4+ 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Tilburg"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Polgar, Ju"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B84"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{68/212} 1. e4 {Shirov. Shirov: ' '} 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. f4 O-O 9. Be3 Qc7 10. g4 {'!' Shirov.} 10...
Re8 (10... Nc6 {- 68/(212)}) (10... b5 {- 68/(212)} 11. g5 Nfd7 12. Bd3 (12. f5
$6 {Shirov} 12... b4 13. fxe6 bxc3 14. exf7+ Kh8 $5 (14... Rxf7 $2 {Shirov} 15.
Rxf7 Kxf7 16. Ne6 $2 (16. Qf1+ $1 {Shirov} 16... Nf6 (16... Kg8 $2 {Shirov} 17.
Bc4+ $18) 17. Bc4+ Ke8 18. gxf6 Bxf6 19. bxc3 Bb7 (19... Nc6 {Shirov} 20. Bd5
Bd7 21. Nxc6 Bxc6 22. Qc4 Rc8 23. Bxc6+ Qxc6 24. Qe6+ Be7 25. Bg5 Qd7 26. Qg8+
Bf8 27. Rf1 Qg4+ 28. Kh1 Qxe4+ 29. Kg1 Kd7 30. Rf7+ Kc6 31. Rxf8 Qg4+ 32. Kf2
Rxf8+ 33. Qxf8 Qxg5 34. Qc8+ Kd5 35. Qxa6 Qf4+ 36. Kg2 Qd2+ 37. Kg3 Qg5+ 38.
Kf2 Qh4+ 39. Kg2 Qe4+ 40. Kg3 Qg6+ 41. Kf3 Qe4+ {
1/2-1/2 Rohl,J-Suba,M/Anibal op4th 1997}) 20. Ne6 Qe7 21. Qh3 Bxe4 22. Bb6 $18)
16... Qc6 17. Bh5+ Kg8 18. Bf7+ Kxf7 19. Qf3+ Nf6 $19 {
0-1 Pogats,J-Orgovan,S/HUN-chT 1992 (42)}) 15. Ne6 Qb7 16. Bd4 Ne5 17. Nxf8
Bxf8 18. Bxc3 Qxe4 $132) 12... Re8 13. Qh5 g6 14. Qh4 b4 15. Nce2 Bb7 16. Rf3
h5 17. Ng3 Bf8 18. Nxh5 gxh5 19. Qxh5 Bg7 20. f5 exf5 21. Nxf5 Nf8 22. Nxg7
Kxg7 23. Bd4+ Re5 24. Raf1) (10... d5 {(Shirov) Boensch} 11. e5 (11. exd5 {
Shirov} 11... Nxd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Bd3 Bc5 14. c3 Nc6 15. f5 Re8 $11 {
1-0 Renner,C-Siepelt,H/Bayern-ch 1991 (43)}) 11... Ne4 12. Nxe4 (12. Bd3 {
Shirov} 12... Nxc3 13. bxc3 Qxc3 14. Rb1 $132 {
1-0 Lauk,U-Odeev,H/Moscow olm 1994 (36)}) 12... dxe4 13. Qe1 (13. g5 {Shirov}
13... Rd8 $1 (13... Nc6 {Shirov} 14. c3 Bc5 15. Qc2 b5 16. Qxe4 Bb7 17. Bf3 $14
{1/2-1/2 Bologan,V-Novikov,I/New York op 1993 (45)}) 14. c3 Nd7 15. Qc2 Nc5 16.
Rad1 b5 17. Nb3 Bb7 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Nxc5 Bxc5 $15 {
1/2-1/2 Nevednichy,V-Timoshchenko,G/Biel op 1994 (44)}) 13... b5 14. Rc1 Nd7
15. c4 b4 16. Nb3 a5 17. c5 a4 18. Nd2 Bb7 $11 {
1-0 Olafsson,F-Stein,L/Stockholm izt 1962 (31)}) (10... Nfd7 {(Shirov) Boensch}
11. g5 Nc6 12. f5 Nde5 (12... Nxd4 {Shirov} 13. Qxd4 Re8 14. fxe6 $1 fxe6 15.
Bh5 Rf8 16. Rxf8+ Bxf8 17. Rf1 Ne5 18. Nd5 $1 Qd8 19. Nb6 $16 {
Short,N-Ljubojevic,L Novi Sad olm (11) ENG-JUG 1990 1-0 43}) 13. f6 Bd8 14. Bd3
Nxd4 15. Bxd4 Qa5 16. fxg7 Kxg7 17. Kh1 Bb6 18. Bxe5+ Qxe5 19. Qh5 Be3 20. Rf3
Bxg5 21. Rg1 f6 22. h4 {1-0 Sutovskij,E-Polgar,J/Tilburg Fontys 1996}) 11. f5
$5 $146 {'!?' Shirov.} (11. g5 {- 62/267} 11... Nfd7 12. Bd3 (12. Bh5 {Shirov}
12... g6 (12... Bf8 $4 {Shirov} 13. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 14. Qh5+ Ke7 15. f5 $18) (
12... Nc6 $2 {Shirov} 13. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 14. Qh5+ $18) 13. Bg4 Bf8 (13... Nc6 $2
{Shirov} 14. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 15. Bxe6+ $16) (13... Bd8 $5 {Shirov} 14. Qd2 $6 Nc6
15. Rad1 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 b5 17. Qf2 Bb7 18. Rd3 Nf8 19. b4 Qc4 20. a3 Rc8 21. Qh4
h5 22. Bxh5 gxh5 23. Qxh5 Qxd4+ $3 $17 {
Xie Jun-Bischoff,K Baden Baden-B (08) 1992 0-1 34}) 14. f5 (14. Qf3 {Shirov}
14... Nc6 15. Qh3 Nb6 16. f5 exf5 17. exf5 d5 18. Rad1 Bc5 $132 {
Zigouris,H-Rychagov,M Katerini op 1992 0-1 28}) (14. a4 {Shirov} 14... Nc6 15.
Qe2 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 b6 17. Qf2 Bb7 18. Rae1 Re7 19. h4 Rae8 20. Bh3 e5 21. fxe5
Nxe5 $10 {Polgar,J-Polugaevsky,L (3) Aruba m 1991 1/2 28}) 14... Ne5 15. fxe6
fxe6 (15... Bxe6 $2 {Shirov} 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Nxe6 $1 Rxe6 18. Qd5 Qc4 19.
Qxb7 Qc6 20. Rxf8+ $1 Kxf8 21. Qxh7 $18) 16. Rf6 Nxg4 17. Qxg4 Nc6 $2 18. Nxc6
bxc6 19. e5 $1 $16 {Shirov,A-Anand,V Buenos Aires 1994 1-0 47}) (12. f5 {Shirov
} 12... Ne5 13. f6 Bf8 14. fxg7 Bxg7 15. Bh5 b5 16. Nce2 Bb7 17. Ng3 Nbd7 18.
c3 Nc5 19. Qc2 Re7 20. Rad1 Rd8 21. Nf3 Nc4 22. Bf4 Nd7 23. Qe2 Nf8 24. b3 Ne5
25. Nxe5 dxe5 26. Be3 Ng6 27. Rxd8+ Qxd8 28. Bxg6 hxg6 29. h4 Qc7 30. c4 bxc4
31. bxc4 Rd7 32. c5 Bf8 33. Rc1 Qc6 34. h5 a5 35. Qf2 Bg7 36. h6 Bf8 37. Qf6
Kh7 38. Qxe5 Qa4 39. Qf4 Qa3 40. c6 {1-0 Arakhamia,K-Palac,M/WchT 4th 1997})
12... Nc6 13. Qh5 g6 14. Qh4 Bf8 15. Rf3 Bg7 16. Nde2 b5 17. Rh3 (17. Raf1 {
Shirov} 17... Bb7 18. Rh3 Nf8 19. f5 Ne5 20. f6 Bh8 21. Nf4 Rac8 22. Bd4 Red8
23. Bxe5 dxe5 24. Nxg6 fxg6 25. f7+ $18 {
Shchekachev,A-Newerovski,G Kstovo op (05) 1994 1-0 33 - EXP 42}) 17... Nf8 18.
f5 Ne5 19. f6 Bh8 20. a3) 11... Bf8 $6 (11... h6) 12. g5 Nfd7 {Shirov: #} 13.
Nxe6 $1 (13. fxe6 {(Shirov) Boensch} 13... fxe6 14. Bh5 g6 15. Bg4 Ne5 16. Rf6
(16. Nxe6 {Shirov} 16... Rxe6 $1 $8 17. Nd5 Qd8 18. Nb6 Nxg4 19. Qxg4 Re8 20.
Qf3 Be6 21. Nxa8 Nd7 $17) 16... Nxg4 17. Qxg4 Nd7 18. Rxe6 (18. Raf1 {Shirov}
18... Ne5 19. Qh3 Bg7 20. Nxe6 Qd7 21. Nd5 Rxe6 22. Qxe6+ Qxe6 23. Rxe6 Bxe6
24. Nc7 Nc4 25. Bf4 Bh3 $15) 18... Ne5 19. Rxe8 Nxg4 20. Rf1 Qf7 21. Rxf7 Kxf7
22. Rxf8+ Kxf8 23. Bf4 Ne5 24. Bxe5 dxe5 25. Nf3 Be6 26. Nxe5 {
1/2-1/2 Nevednichy,V-Nisipeanu,L/Bucharest Ciocaltea 1995}) 13... fxe6 14. Bh5
$18 g6 (14... Qd8 15. fxe6 Nc5 (15... Ne5 16. Bf7+ Kh8 17. Bxe8 Qxe8 18. Nd5)
16. Bf7+ Kh8 17. Bxe8 Qxe8 18. Bxc5 dxc5 19. Nd5 Ra7 20. Qh5 g6 21. Qf3 Bg7 22.
e7 Kg8 23. Qb3 Kh8 24. Nf6) (14... Re7 15. fxe6 Nb6 16. Qf3 Qd8 17. Bxb6 Qxb6+
18. Rf2) (14... Rd8 15. fxe6 Ne5 16. Nd5 Qc4 17. e7 Bxe7 18. Nxe7+ Kh8 19. Qxd6
) 15. fxg6 Re7 (15... hxg6 {(Shirov) Boensch} 16. Bxg6 Re7 17. Qh5 $18) 16. Nd5
$1 exd5 17. Qxd5+ Kh8 18. gxh7 $1 (18. Rxf8+ $6 Nxf8 19. Rf1 Nxg6 $1 (19... Ne6
20. Bd4+ Kg8 (20... Rg7 21. Rf7 $18) 21. Qf5 $1 Qd7 22. Qf6 Rg7 23. Bg4 Qe7 24.
gxh7+ Rxh7 25. Bxe6+ Bxe6 26. Qg6+ Rg7 27. Bxg7 Qxg7 28. Qxe6+ Kh8 29. Qe8+ Kh7
30. Rf7 $18) 20. Bd4+ (20. Bxg6 $2 Be6 21. Bd4+ Kg8 22. Bxh7+ Kxh7 23. g6+ Kg8
24. Qh5 Rg7) 20... Re5 21. Bxg6 Qe7 22. Bxe5+ (22. Rf7 Qxg5+ 23. Kf2 Qh4+ 24.
Kg1 Qg5+ $11) 22... dxe5 23. Bxh7 Qxg5+ 24. Kh1 Nc6 (24... Kxh7 25. Qf7+ Qg7
26. Qh5+ Kg8 27. Qe8+ Kh7 28. Qxc8 $18) 25. Rg1 Qxg1+ 26. Kxg1 Kxh7 27. Qf7+
$16) 18... Rxh7 (18... Kxh7 {(Shirov) Boensch} 19. Rf7+ Kh8 20. Bd4+ Re5 21.
Bg6 $1 Bg7 22. Rxg7 Rxd5 (22... Kxg7 {Shirov} 23. Qf7+ Kh8 24. Qh7#) 23. Rh7+
Kg8 24. Rh8#) (18... Rg7 {(Shirov) Boensch} 19. Bd4 Kxh7 (19... Ne5 {Shirov}
20. Rxf8+ Kxh7 21. g6+ Nxg6 22. Bxg6+ Kxg6 (22... Rxg6+ {Shirov} 23. Kh1 $18)
23. Rh8 $18) 20. Qf5+ Kh8 21. Bg6 $18) 19. Bg6 $5 (19. g6 $1 Rg7 20. Bg4 Rxg6
21. Bd4+ Nf6 (21... Ne5 22. Rxf8+ Kh7 23. Bxe5 Rxg4+ 24. Kh1 dxe5 25. Rf7+ Rg7
26. Rxc7 Rxc7 27. Qxe5) 22. Rxf6 Rxf6 23. Bxf6+ Bg7 24. Qh5+ Kg8 25. Qe8+ Kh7
26. Bxc8 Bxf6 27. Bf5+) 19... Bg7 (19... Qc6 20. Rxf8+ Nxf8 21. Bd4+ Rg7 22.
Bxg7+ Kxg7 23. Qf7+ Kh8 24. Qxf8#) (19... Rg7 20. Bd4 Nc6 (20... Qd8 {
(Shirov) Boensch} 21. Rf4 $18) 21. Rf4) (19... Re7 20. Rf4) 20. Bxh7 Qd8 (20...
Kxh7 21. g6+ Kxg6 (21... Kh8 {(Shirov) Boensch} 22. Qh5+ Kg8 23. Qh7#) 22. Qf5#
) 21. Bf5 (21. Qf7 $1 Kxh7 (21... Ne5 22. Qh5 Bg4 23. Qh4) 22. Qh5+ Kg8 23. g6
Nf6 (23... Nf8 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8 25. Rf1+ Ke8 26. Qd5 Qe7 27. Qg8+ Kd7 28. Rf7)
24. Rxf6 Qxf6 25. Rf1) 21... Ne5 22. Qd1 Bxf5 (22... Qe8 23. g6) (22... Kg8 23.
Qh5 Bxf5 24. exf5) 23. exf5 Qe8 24. g6 Ng4 (24... Nxg6 25. Qh5+ Kg8 26. Rae1)
25. Bd4 Qe4 (25... Nf6 {(Shirov) Boensch} 26. Re1 Qd7 (26... Qf8 {Shirov} 27.
Bxf6 $18) 27. Re6 $18) 26. f6 Nc6 (26... Nxf6 27. Qh5+ $1 Kg8 (27... Nxh5 28.
Rf8#) 28. Bxf6 Qe3+ 29. Rf2) (26... Bxf6 27. Bxf6+ Nxf6 28. Rxf6) 27. fxg7+ Kg8
28. Rf8+ Rxf8 29. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 30. Qf1+ Ke8 31. Qf7+ Kd8 32. Bb6+ Kc8 33. Qc7#
1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Vienna"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 c6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. c5 Bf5 6. Qb3 Ra7 7. Bf4 Nbd7 8. h3
h6 9. e3 g5 10. Bh2 Bg7 11. Ne5 O-O 12. f3 Nxe5 13. Bxe5 Nd7 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15.
e4 dxe4 16. fxe4 Bg6 17. O-O-O e5 18. Qc4 Qf6 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. Qd4 Raa8 21.
Qe3 Rad8 22. Be2 Qe7 23. Rhe1 Nd7 24. Qd4+ Nf6 25. Qe3 Qe5 26. Bf3 h5 27. a3
Rfe8 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Bd1 Rd4 30. Bc2 Rc4 31. Kb1 Rxc5 32. Qd2 Rc4 33. Qd8
Nxe4 34. Bxe4 Bxe4+ 35. Nxe4 Rxe4 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1996.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{65/121} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Nd7 6. O-O Ne7 7. Nh4 (7.
Be3 {- 65/(121)}) (7. Nbd2 {- 64/118}) 7... Be4 $5 $146 (7... c5 {- 60/125}) 8.
Nd2 Nf5 9. Nhf3 c5 10. c3 Be7 $6 (10... cxd4) (10... Qb6 $5) 11. g4 Bxf3 12.
Nxf3 Nh4 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14. f4 $14 cxd4 15. cxd4 Be7 16. Be3 Qb6 17. Bd3 O-O 18.
Qe2 {/\ f5+/-} 18... f6 19. Kg2 $6 (19. Kh1 $1 Rf7 $1 (19... fxe5 $6 20. fxe5
Rxf1+ 21. Rxf1 Rf8 22. Rc1 $16 Qd8 $140 23. g5 $1 Bxg5 $2 24. Qh5 h6 (24... Bh6
25. Rg1 Kh8 26. Bxh6 gxh6 27. Bxh7 $18) 25. Qg6 Qb6 (25... Rf7 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27.
Rc8 Qxc8 28. Qh8+ Ke7 29. Bxg5+ hxg5 30. Qxc8 $18) (25... Bxe3 26. Qh7+ Kf7 27.
Bg6+ $18) 26. Bxg5 hxg5 27. Qh7+ Kf7 28. Qh5+ Ke7 29. Qxg5+ $18) (19... Rac8 $6
20. f5 $1 fxe5 21. fxe6 Qxe6 22. Bf5 $16) 20. Rg1 $5 $14 {/\ Rg3->}) 19... fxe5
20. fxe5 Rxf1 21. Rxf1 Rf8 22. Rc1 Qd8 23. Qc2 $5 (23. g5 $5 Bxg5 24. Qh5 Bh6
$1 (24... h6 25. Qg6 $18) 25. Bxh6 gxh6 26. Qxh6 Rf7 $1 (26... Qe7 $2 27. Rc7
$16) 27. Kh1 (27. Qxe6 $4 Qg5+ $19) 27... Nf8 28. Rg1+ Kh8 $11) 23... Bg5 $1 (
23... h6 24. Qc7 Bg5 25. Qxd8 Bxd8 $14) 24. Bxh7+ Kh8 25. Re1 Bxe3 (25... Bf4
$2 26. Bf2 Qg5 27. h3 $16) 26. Rxe3 Rf4 $2 (26... Qg5 27. Rg3 Qf4 28. Bd3 Kg8 (
28... Qxd4 $2 29. Rh3+ Kg8 30. Bh7+ Kf7 31. Qg6+ Ke7 32. Qg5+ $18) 29. Bh7+ (
29. Qc3 $6 Nb8 $1 $17) 29... Kh8 30. Bd3 Kg8 $11) 27. Rg3 $16 Rxd4 $2 (27...
Qh4 28. Bd3 Kg8 (28... Nf8 29. h3 $16) 29. Qc7 Nf8 30. h3 $16 {/\} 30... Rxd4
$2 31. Rf3 $18) (27... g5 28. Qg6 Rxd4 29. Qxe6 $1 (29. Qh5 Kg7 $1 $13) (29.
Bg8 Rd2+ 30. Kh1 (30. Kf1 Rxh2 $13) 30... Rd1+ 31. Kg2 Rd2+ $11) 29... Rd2+ 30.
Kf1 $1 (30. Kh3 Kxh7 31. Rf3 Qh8 $3 32. Qf7+ Qg7 33. e6 Ne5 34. Qh5+ Kg8 $11)
30... Rxh2 31. Bf5 $16) (27... Nf8 28. Qd2 g5 29. Bb1 Qb6 30. Rf3 $1 Rxg4+ 31.
Kh3 Rh4+ 32. Kg3 $16) 28. Qf2 $1 $18 Rb4 $6 29. Bg6 Qh4 (29... Qe7 30. Rh3+ Kg8
31. Bf7+ Qxf7 32. Rh8+ Kxh8 33. Qxf7 Rxb2+ (33... Rxg4+ 34. Kh3 $18) 34. Kg3
$18) 30. Qf7 Rxb2+ 31. Kf1 Nf6 32. Qf8+ $6 (32. exf6 Qxf6+ 33. Rf3) 32... Ng8
33. Rc3 {/\ Qg8} 33... Rb1+ 34. Bxb1 Qxg4 35. Qf3 1-0

[Event "Olm"]
[Site "Erevan"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ye Jiangchuan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1996.09.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4
Be6 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Ng5 Qd7 11. Qf3 h6 12. Qh3 Nc6 13. O-O-O Rc8 14. Kb1 Nd8
15. Rd3 O-O 16. Nf3 Nf7 17. Nh4 Rc4 18. Ng6 Rfc8 19. f4 exf4 20. Bxf4 Nxe4 21.
Nd5 Bd8 22. Re1 Nfg5 23. Bxg5 Nxg5 24. Qh5 exd5 25. Rf3 Ba5 26. Ne7+ Kh7 27.
Rf6 Qe8 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Groningen"]
[Date "1996.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Korchnoi, Viktor"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "Hübner"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1996.12.20"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 {Shirov Hecht} 1... d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. g3 b5 6. c5 g6 7.
Bg2 Bg7 8. Ne5 O-O 9. O-O Be6 10. h3 Qc8 11. g4 {
Dieser Zug birgt Risiken, ist aber sicher spielbar.} (11. Kh2 Ne4 12. Nxe4 dxe4
13. Bxe4 Rd8 14. f4 Bxh3 15. Rf2 Be6 16. e3 f5 {
Das Opfer des Punktes e5 scheint mir unnotig.} (16... Bd5 $5) 17. Bf3 Bd5 18.
a4 Qe6 19. Qh1 Bxe5 20. fxe5 Bxf3 21. Qxf3 Nd7 22. Bd2 Nf8 {
mit unklarer Lage (1-0 Goldin,A-Bologan,V/New York op 1993 (63)).}) 11... h5
12. f3 Nh7 (12... Nbd7 $11 {Shirov}) 13. gxh5 ({Besser gefallt mir} 13. Bf4 $5
{Scharfes, aber fur Weis nicht ungunstiges Spiel entsteht, wenn Schwarz sofort
die Initiative zu ergreifen versucht:} 13... Nd7 (13... hxg4 14. hxg4 g5 15.
Bh2 f6 16. Ng6 (16. Nd3 f5 17. Be5 fxg4 18. e4 $13) 16... Re8 17. Qd3 $13) 14.
Nxd7 Qxd7 15. Qd2 $11 {fuhrt zu einer ruhigeren, ausgeglichenen Stellung.})
13... gxh5 14. Kh2 Nd7 15. Nxd7 (15. f4 $1 $14 {Shirov} 15... Nxe5 16. fxe5 f6
17. exf6 Nxf6 18. Bf4 $16) 15... Qxd7 16. Rg1 Kh8 17. e3 $6 {Diese plumpe
Attacke gegen den Bh5 auf Kosten des armen schwarzfeldrigen Laufers auf c1 ist
mir unverstandlich.} (17. Bf4 {gefolgt von 18.Dd2 fuhrt zu gleichem Spiel.})
17... Rg8 18. f4 (18. Bd2 $5) 18... Nf6 19. Qe1 (19. Bf3 {Shirov} 19... Bh6 $1)
(19. Ne2 {Shirov} 19... Bg4 $5 20. hxg4 (20. Qf1 Bxe2 21. Qxe2 Qf5 22. Bf3 Bh6
23. Bd2 Rxg1 24. Rxg1 Rg8 $15) 20... Nxg4+ 21. Kg3 Bf6 $1 $40) 19... Bh6 20.
Qh4 Rg7 21. Bd2 (21. Ne2 {Shirov} 21... Rag8 (21... Bf5 $5) 22. Bf3 Rxg1 23.
Nxg1 Bf5 $1 24. Bxh5 Nxh5 25. Qxh5 Kg7 $1 $44) 21... Rag8 22. Ne2 Rh7 23. Bf1 (
23. Bf3 Ng4+ (23... Bg4 $3 $17 {Shirov}) 24. Kh1 Bg7 25. Raf1 Bf6 26. Qe1 Bf5 {
ist naturlich hochst ungemutlich fur Weis.}) 23... Ne4 24. Rxg8+ Kxg8 25. Rd1
Bf5 (25... Bg4 $5 26. Ba5 Bg7 27. Rc1 Bf6 28. Qe1 Bf5 $15) (25... Bg7 $5 $15)
26. Bg2 (26. Ng3 $5) 26... Qe6 27. Bxe4 $2 {Dazu hatte ich mich nicht ohne
weiteres verstanden. Ich sehe keine Einwendungen gegen} (27. Bc1 {
gefolgt von Td1-g1.}) 27... Qxe4 28. Rg1+ Rg7 29. Ng3 $6 {
Danach geht Weis ohne groseren Kampf unter. Mehr Aussichten bot} (29. Qxh5 Qd3
(29... Qc2 30. Qxh6 Rxg1 31. Kxg1 Qxd2 32. Qg5+ Kf8 33. Qh6+ $11) 30. Be1 {
bietet als einziges Moglichkeiten zum Widerstand:} (30. Bc1 Rxg1 31. Kxg1 Qd1+
32. Kf2 Bd3 $19) (30. Ng3 Bg4 31. Qxh6 (31. hxg4 Qxd2+ 32. Rg2 Qxe3 $19) 31...
Bf3 $19) (30. Rxg7+ Bxg7 31. Bc3 (31. Bc1 Qc2 $19) 31... Be4 {
nebst Dd3xe3, und Schwarz gewinnt.}) 30... Bg6 {durfte das Starkste sein:} (
30... Qxe3 {scheitert an} 31. Ng3) (30... Bg4 31. Qxh6 Qxe2+ 32. Rg2 Qxe1 33.
Rxg4 (33. f5 f6 {bedeutet keine Verbesserung fur Weis.}) 33... Rxg4 34. hxg4
Qe2+ 35. Kh1 Qxg4 36. Qxc6 Qh3+ 37. Kg1 Qxe3+ 38. Kg2 Qxd4 39. Qc8+ Kg7 40. c6
{Der starke c-Bauer sollte dem Weisen das Remis verburgen.}) (30... Rxg1 31.
Nxg1 Qxe3 32. Qxh6 ({Nach} 32. Qxf5 Qxe1 {kann Weis seine schwachen Bauern auf
den schwarzen Feldern (d4, f4) nicht mehr ausreichend verteidigen.}) 32... Qxe1
33. Qg5+ Bg6 34. Nf3 Qf2+ 35. Qg2 Qe3 36. Qg4 {
scheint mir auch nicht allzu gewinntrachtig fur Schwarz zu sein.}) 31. Qf3 Qc2
32. b4 Bd3 33. Rg2 Be4 34. Rxg7+ Bxg7 35. Qf2 Qxa2 36. Nc3 Qxf2+ 37. Bxf2 Bc2 {
Schwarz hat vorzugliche Gewinnaussichten, zum Beispiel:} 38. Bh4 {
Andernfalls setzt Schwarz mit Lg7-f6 nebst e7-e6 und Lf6-d8 fort.} 38... Kf8
39. Kg2 Ke8 {und die Drohung a6-a5 b4xa5 b5-b4 (eventuell nach weiterer
Vorbereitung mit Ke8-d7, e7-e6 usw.) ist auf die Dauer kaum befriedigend zu
parieren.}) 29... Qc2 30. Rg2 (30. Qxh5 $1 {Shirov Kortschnoj} 30... Qxd2+ 31.
Rg2 Qxe3 32. Qxh6 Qf3 (32... Qxd4 $4 33. Qxg7+) 33. Qh5 Be4 $1 34. Qxf3 Bxf3
35. Rg1 Kf8 $13) 30... Be4 31. Nxe4 {
Danach ist Weis definitiv verloren, aber auch nach} (31. Rf2 Qb1 32. Re2 ({Nach
} 32. Bc3 Kh7 {gibt es keine Verteidigung mehr gegen die Drohung Tg7xg3.})
32... Rg6 33. b4 Bg7 34. Re1 (34. Qxe7 Qd1 $19) 34... Qxa2 (34... Qc2 35. Nxe4
Qxe4 36. Qf2) 35. Nxe4 dxe4 36. Re2 Qb1 37. Be1 Qd3 38. Qxh5 Qd1 39. h4 e6 {
sind seine Tage gezahlt.}) (31. Re2 Qd3 32. Rf2 Qb1 {kommt auf dasselbe hinaus.
}) 31... Rxg2+ 32. Kxg2 dxe4 33. Qf2 Qxb2 34. Ba5 Qxf2+ 35. Kxf2 {# Hecht  schl
echter wL bei einem Minusbauern.  Gewinnplan fur Schwarz: B-Durchbrauch e5
nachVorbereitung  (Aktivierung des K nach f5 und des L nach h4)} 35... e6 36.
Bd8 (36. Ke2 {Shirov} 36... Kf8 37. Kd2 Ke8 $17) 36... Kg7 37. Ke2 Kg6 38. Kd2
Kf5 39. Bc7 (39. Kc3 {Shirov} 39... Bxf4 40. exf4 Kxf4 41. Kb4 e3 42. Ka5 Ke4
43. Kb6 Kd5 $19) 39... Bg7 40. Kc3 Bf6 41. Kb4 ({Nach} 41. Kd2 Bh4 42. Ke2 (42.
Kc2 Be1 43. Kd1 Bb4 $19) (42. Bd6 Bd8 $19) 42... Be7 (42... Bg3 {Hecht} 43. Kf1
f6 44. Ke2 e5 45. fxe5 fxe5 46. Kd2 h4 47. Bd8 exd4 48. exd4 Ke6 49. Ke3 Kd5
50. Ba5 Bh2 51. Bd8 Bg1+ 52. Ke2 Bxd4 53. Bxh4 Kxc5 $19) 43. Kd2 f6 44. Ke2 Bf8
45. Kd2 e5 46. Bd6 Bg7 {dauert der Gewinnprozes ein wenig langer, doch hat
Weis mit einem Minusbauern und seinen weisfeldrigen Schwachen auf die Dauer
naturlich keine Rettungsaussichten.}) 41... Bh4 42. Ka5 Bf2 (42... Bf2 {Hecht}
43. Kxa6 (43. Kb6 Bxe3 44. Kxc6 Bd2 45. Kd7 e3 46. c6 e2 47. Be5 e1=Q 48. c7
Qc1 49. c8=Q Qxc8+ 50. Kxc8 Bxf4 $19) 43... Bxe3 44. Ba5 $132 {# Hecht  Gesucht
wird ein uberzeugender Gewinn fur Schwarz.  Beispiele: (Variante B riecht nach
Gewinn. Bitte prufen!)} (44. Kb7 {Shirov} 44... Bd2 $19) 44... Bc1 $6 (44... e5
$6 45. d5 Bxc5 46. dxc6 Bd6 47. fxe5 Bxe5 48. c7 Bxc7 49. Bxc7 e3 50. Kxb5 Ke4
51. a4 e2 52. Bg3 f5 53. a5 f4 54. Bh4 f3 55. a6 Ke3 $14) (44... Bxd4 $5 45.
Kb6 Kxf4 46. Kxc6 e3 47. Kxb5 Ke4 48. c6 Be5 49. c7 (49. a4 f5 50. Be1 f4 51.
a5 f3 52. a6 f2 $19) 49... Bxc7 50. Bxc7 f5 51. a4 f4 52. a5 f3 53. a6 f2 54.
a7 f1=Q+ $19) 45. Kb6 e3 46. Be1 Bd2 47. Bg3 e2 48. Kxc6 e1=Q 49. Bxe1 Bxe1 50.
Kxb5 Bg3 51. a4 Bxf4 52. a5 Bb8 53. a6 $18 {verkehrte Welt}) 0-1

[Event "Madrid"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{69/88} 1. e4 {Shirov. Shirov: 'Donev Finkel,A Mueller,Ka   '} 1... d5 2. exd5
Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qa5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Bc4 Bf5 7. Bd2 e6 8. Nd5 (8. Qe2 {
- 66/73}) (8. Ne4 {- 66/(73)} 8... Qd8 9. Ng3 Bg6 10. h4 $14) 8... Qd8 9. Nxf6+
Qxf6 $146 (9... gxf6 {- 63/88}) 10. Qe2 $1 {'N!' Shirov.  Shirov: 'Finkel:
Very typical for a sharp Shirov's style.White has tried other moves in this
position,but did'nt achieve anything from the opening.Probably that's the
reason why 8.Nd5 is cinsidered by modern theory as not so dangerous for black.
May be the following game will change the assesment of this variation. '
Shirov: 'Mueller: Sehr mutig gespielt.Die weise Dame raumt die erste Reihe um
0-0-0 zu ermoglichen, und gleichzeitig bereitet den Durchbruch d4-d5 vor.'} (
10. O-O {- 69/(88)} 10... Nd7 (10... Bg4 $5 {Shirov}) 11. c3 Bd6 12. Bg5 Qg6
13. Qd2 h6 14. Bf4 Be7 15. Rfe1 O-O 16. Bg3) (10. c3 {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka}
10... Nd7 11. Qb3 (11. Bg5 {Shirov} 11... Qg6 12. Qd2 $2 (12. O-O {Shirov})
12... h6 13. O-O-O hxg5 {0-1 Clement,O-Prie,E/FRA-chT 1995/EXT 95ch}) (11. Be3
{Shirov} 11... h6 12. Qd2 Be4 13. Be2 Bd6 14. O-O-O b5 15. Ne1 Nb6 $11 {
0-1 Szylar,E-Prie,E/Le Touquet op 1993/EXT 93op (32)}) 11... Nb6 (11... O-O-O {
Shirov} 12. O-O {1/2-1/2 Djurhuus,R-Westerinen,H/Gausdal 1996/EXP 51}) 12.
O-O-O Bd6 13. Be2 (13. Bg5 {Shirov} 13... Qg6 14. h4 Nxc4) 13... O-O 14. Bg5
Qg6 15. h4 Bg4 {1/2-1/2 Donev,I-Bacrot,E/Biel Credis 1995/EXP 48 (40)} 16. h5 (
16. Ne5 {Shirov} 16... Bxe5 17. Bxg4 Bf6 18. f4) (16. c4 {Shirov} 16... c5 17.
h5 Qe4 18. Bd3 Qc6 19. d5 exd5 20. cxd5 Qc7 21. Rhe1) 16... Qe4 {#} 17. Bd3 (
17. Rh4 $1 {Shirov} 17... Bf4+ 18. Bxf4 Qxf4+ 19. Rd2 $14) 17... Bf4+ 18. Kb1
Bxf3 19. Bxe4 Bxe4+ 20. Ka1 Bxg5 $15 {Donev,I-Bacrot,E/Biel Credis 1995 (40)})
(10. Ne5 {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka} 10... Nd7 (10... Bd6 {Shirov} 11. Bc3 O-O 12.
O-O Bxe5 13. dxe5 Qe7 14. Qe2 Nd7 15. Rad1 $14 {
1/2-1/2 Vausser,P-Prie,E/FRA-chT 1994/TD 94\03 (40)} 15... Nb6 16. Bb3 Nd5 $11
{Vausser,P-Prie,E/FRA-chT 1994 (40)}) 11. Nxd7 (11. Qe2 $6 {Shirov} 11... Nxe5
12. dxe5 Qg6 13. f3 h5 {
1/2-1/2 Schmittdiel,E-Van der Werf,M/Wijk op 1993/CBM 34}) 11... Kxd7 (11...
Qxd4 $5 {Shirov}) 12. c3 Qg6 13. O-O Bd6 14. Re1 h5 15. Bf1 h4 $11 {
1-0 Emms,J-Haveland,B/Gausdal TM 1996/EXP 51 (27)} 16. Qf3 $14 {
Emms,J-Haveland,B/Gausdal Troll 1996 (27)}) (10. Bg5 $2 {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka}
10... Qg6 11. Qd2 $2 (11. O-O {Shirov} 11... Bxc2 12. Qd2 h6 $15 (12... Be4 $4
{Shirov} 13. Nh4 $18)) 11... h6 12. Qf4 hxg5 13. Qc7 Nd7 $19 {
0-1 Schmitz,T-Hoffmann,N/GER-chJ U20 1992/EXT 92ch (22)}) (10. Bc3 $5 {
(Shirov) Finkel,A} 10... Bg4 11. Be2 Qd8 12. h3 Bh5 13. Qd2 Nd7 14. O-O-O Nf6
15. g4 Bg6 16. Ne5 $14 {Koch,J-Relange,E/FRA-chT 1993/0-1 (70)}) 10... Bg4 (
10... Bxc2 11. d5 $40 (11. Bc3 {(Shirov) Finkel,A} 11... Qg6 12. d5 cxd5 (12...
Qe4 $6 {Shirov} 13. dxe6 fxe6 14. Ng5 $1 Qxe2+ 15. Kxe2 Bf5 16. Bxe6 $16) 13.
Bxd5 Nc6 14. Ne5 Nxe5 15. Qxe5 Qf5 $1 (15... O-O-O $6 {Shirov} 16. Bxb7+ $1
Kxb7 17. Qb5+ Kc7 $8 18. Ba5+ Kd6 19. O-O $1 (19. Bxd8 {Shirov} 19... Qxg2 20.
Kd2 Qxf2+ 21. Kc3 Be4 22. Rad1+ Bd5 23. Rhe1 $13) 19... Ke7 (19... Rc8 $2 {
Shirov} 20. Qa6+ Rc6 21. Rad1+ $1 $18) 20. Bxd8+ Kxd8 21. Rac1 $16) 16. Bxb7
Qxe5+ 17. Bxe5 Rd8 18. Bc6+ Ke7 19. O-O f6 20. Bc3 Kf7 21. Rac1 $14) 11... Qxb2
12. O-O $44) (10... Nd7 11. d5 $1) 11. d5 Bxf3 $1 {Shirov: 'Finkel: Again not
accepting the gift and this time probably in vain.After' Shirov: 'Mueller:
Weis hat schon die Initiative errobern, als kleine kompensation hat nach
dieser Abtausch Schwarz bessere Bauernsruktur.Das konte von Bedeutung sein nur
wen der Nachziehenden bis zum Endspiel uberlebt.'} (11... Qxb2 $6 {
(Shirov) Mueller,Ka} 12. O-O Bxf3 13. gxf3 cxd5 14. Bxd5 Nc6 15. Rab1 Qd4 $1 {
Finkel: it's not so clear if an activity of white pieces compensates for the
lack of a pawn.} (15... Qxc2 {Shirov} 16. Rxb7 Nd4 17. Qe3 $40) 16. Bxc6+ bxc6
17. Qa6 $36) 12. gxf3 cxd5 (12... Qxb2 {(Shirov) Donev} 13. O-O cxd5 14. Bxd5
Nc6 15. Rab1 Qxc2 16. Rxb7 Nd4 17. Qe3 Qc5 18. Qxd4 Qxd5 (18... Qxd4 {Shirov}
19. Bc6+ Kd8 20. Ba5+ Kc8 21. Rc7+ Kb8 22. Rb1+ Bb4 23. Rb7+ Kc8 24. R7xb4 $18)
19. Qxd5 exd5 20. Re1+ Kd8 21. Ba5+ Kc8 22. Rc7+ Kd8 23. Rxf7+ Kc8 24. Re8#)
13. Bxd5 Nd7 $1 (13... Nc6 14. O-O-O Ba3 (14... Bd6 {(Shirov) Donev} 15. Bc3
$36) 15. c3 $16) 14. O-O-O (14. Bc3 $2 Bb4 {'!' Shirov.} 15. Bxb4 Qxb2 $15)
14... Ba3 $1 (14... O-O-O {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka} 15. Be4 $14 Be7 16. Be3 $14)
15. c3 O-O (15... O-O-O {(Shirov) Finkel,A} 16. Bxb7+ Kxb7 17. Qe4+ Kb8 18.
bxa3 e5 19. Kc2 $1 $16) 16. Be4 $1 (16. Bxb7 $6 {(Shirov) Finkel,A} 16... Bxb2+
17. Kxb2 Rab8 18. Qb5 Rxb7 (18... Qe7 $6 {Shirov} 19. Bf4 Nc5 20. Bxb8 Rxb8 21.
Ka1 $16) 19. Qxb7 Rb8 20. Qxb8+ Nxb8 21. Be3 $13) 16... Be7 $6 {'?' Shirov.} (
16... Bc5 17. Be3 Bxe3+ 18. Qxe3 $14) 17. Bxh7+ $6 (17. Bxb7 Rab8 18. Be4 (18.
Bc6 Ne5 19. Be4 Rfc8 $44) 18... Rfc8 $44) (17. h4 $1 h6 $8 18. Bg5 $1 hxg5 19.
Bh7+ $3 (19. Rxd7 $2 gxh4) 19... Kh8 20. hxg5 Qf4+ $1 (20... Qxg5+ 21. Kb1 Nf6
(21... Rfd8 22. f4 Qxf4 23. Rd4 Qg5 24. f4 Qc5 25. Qh2 $18) 22. Bc2+ Kg8 23.
Rdg1 Qf4 (23... Qd5 24. Qe3 $3 $18) 24. Qf1 $3 g6 (24... Rfd8 25. Qh3 Kf8 26.
Qh8+ Ng8 27. Rxg7 Ke8 28. Rg4 $18) 25. Qg2 Rfd8 (25... Ng4 26. Qh3 $1 Nh6 27.
Bxg6 Bg5 28. Qh5 $18) 26. Bxg6 Bc5 27. Bxf7+ {'!' Shirov.} 27... Kxf7 (27...
Kf8 28. Qg7+ Ke7 29. Re1 Kd7 30. Rxe6 $18) 28. Qg7+ Ke8 29. Rh8+ Ng8 30. Qxg8+
Kd7 (30... Ke7 31. Qh7+ Kd6 32. Rd1+ $18) 31. Rd1+ Bd6 32. Rh7+ Kc6 (32... Kc8
33. Qxe6+ Kb8 34. Qd5 $18) 33. Qxe6 Qe5 (33... Rab8 34. Rh6 {/\ Rd4+-}) 34.
Rxd6+ {'!' Shirov.} 34... Qxd6 35. Qc4+ Qc5 (35... Kb6 36. Qb3+ Kc5 37. Qb4+
Kd5 38. Qxb7+ $18) 36. Rc7+ Kxc7 37. Qxc5+ Kd7 38. f4 $18) 21. Kb1 Bxg5 (21...
Rfd8 $2 22. Rd4 Qe5 (22... Qxg5 23. f4 $18) 23. Bf5+ Kg8 24. Rdh4 Qxf5+ 25. Ka1
f6 26. g6 $18) 22. Rxd7 Bh6 23. Bc2 $16) 17... Kxh7 18. Qd3+ Kg8 19. Qxd7 {
Shirov: 'White has serious advantage not just because he is a pawn up,but also
because of the fact that he has some attacking chances over the g-file.'} 19...
b6 $1 20. Rhg1 Rad8 {'!' Shirov.} 21. Qxa7 (21. Qb7 Rd3 $132) (21. Qb7 $5 $16 {
(Shirov) Finkel,A}) 21... Bc5 22. Be3 Ra8 23. Qb7 Rxa2 24. Qe4 $1 $14 Bxe3+ $6
{'(+)?!' Shirov.} (24... Rfa8) (24... Ba3 $2 {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka} 25. Bd4 Qh6+
26. Qe3 $18) 25. fxe3 {Shirov: 'Black can't use the fact that white king is a
little bit exposed,because it has very safe shelter on c2'} 25... b5 $2 (25...
Rc8 26. Qd4 Qxd4 27. exd4 Ra5 $1 $14) 26. Kc2 $16 b4 $138 (26... Rc8 27. Qd4
Qxd4 28. Rxd4 $16) (26... Ra4 27. Rd4 $16) (26... Raa8 $5 $16 {
(Shirov) Finkel,A}) 27. Qxb4 Qf5+ (27... Qxf3 28. Kb3 $3 {
Salov,Va Shirov: 'Salov'} (28. Rxg7+ $2 Kxg7 29. Rg1+ Kf6 30. Qh4+ Ke5 31. Qd4+
Kf5 32. Qd3+ Ke5 $11) 28... Raa8 29. Rxg7+ Kxg7 30. Rg1+ Kf6 31. Qh4+ Ke5 32.
Qd4+ Kf5 33. e4+ Kf4 34. Qf6+ Ke3 35. Re1+ Kd2 (35... Qe2 36. Qg5+ Kd3 37. Qb5+
$18) 36. Qxf3 Rfb8+ 37. Kc4 Rc8+ 38. Kd4 Rd8+ 39. Ke5 $18) 28. Kb3 Raa8 $4 (
28... Ra5 29. e4 (29. Rxg7+ Kxg7 30. Rg1+ Kh7 31. Qxf8 Rb5+ 32. Ka3 Ra5+ $11)
29... Qh5 30. Kc2 Rb5 (30... Qxh2+ 31. Rd2 Qxg1 32. Qxa5 $16 Qh1 $140 33. Rd8
$1) 31. Qd4 g6 $16) 29. Rxg7+ (29. e4 $2 {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka} 29... Qxf3 30.
Rd7 Qf4 $40) (29. Rd6 $2 {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka} 29... Qxf3 30. Qg4 Rfb8+ 31. Kc2
Qf2+ 32. Kd3 g6 $40) (29. Qe4 $2 {(Shirov) Mueller,Ka} 29... Rfb8+ 30. Kc2 Qb5
31. Qb4 Qf5+ 32. Qe4 $11) 29... Kxg7 30. Rg1+ Qg6 (30... Kh8 $2 {Shirov} 31.
Qh4+ Qh7 32. Qf6+ Qg7 33. Qxg7#) 31. Rxg6+ fxg6 32. Qe4 $18 1-0

[Event "Ter Apel"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Jussupow, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{69/297} 1. e4 {Stohl. Stohl: 'Shirov '} 1... e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3
d5 ({About 4 years ago Murey shocked his opponent Timman and the chess world
with the suprising} 4... Nc6 $5 {
Stohl But since then adequate methods have been found for White:} 5. dxe5 $1 (
5. Bxe4 $143 {Stohl} 5... d5 6. Bg5 Qd7 $13) (5. d5 {Stohl} 5... Nc5 6. dxc6 e4
7. cxb7 Bxb7 8. Be2 exf3 9. Bxf3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Bd6 $5 $10) 5... d5 (5... Nc5
$142 $5 {Stohl} 6. Bc4 $14) 6. exd6 Nxd6 7. Nc3 Be7 8. O-O O-O 9. Nd5 Bf5 10.
Bf4 Bg6 11. c4 $1 Ne8 12. Bxg6 hxg6 13. Re1 Bd6 14. Bg5 f6 15. Be3 Rf7 16. Qc2
g5 17. Rad1 Qc8 18. c5 Bf8 19. Bxg5 $1 $40 {Movsesjan,S-Hracek,ZGER-Cup/1997/}
19... fxg5 20. Rxe8 $1 Qxe8 21. Nxg5 g6 22. Qxg6+ Bg7 23. Ne6 $1 $18) 5. Nxe5
Bd6 (5... Nd7 {Stohl has currently a better reputation.} 6. Nxd7 Bxd7 7. O-O
Bd6 ({The older} 7... Qh4 {Stohl} 8. c4 O-O-O 9. c5 g5 $5 {
lost most of it's popularity after the following game:} 10. Be3 Re8 11. Nd2 $1
Bg7 12. Nf3 Qh5 13. Nxg5 Qxd1 14. Rfxd1 Nxg5 15. Bxg5 Bg4 16. Rd2 Bxd4 17. c6
Be5 18. Bb5 b6 19. Bh4 Rhg8 20. Ba6+ Kb8 21. Bg3 Bxg3 22. hxg3 Rd8 23. Rd4 $16
{><P_|_,Kasparov,G-Ivanchuk,V/Debrecen EUchT/1992/}) 8. c4 c6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10.
Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 O-O $5 12. Qh5 g6 13. Qxd5 Qc7 14. Bh6 Rfe8 15. h4 Be6 16.
Qf3 Qxc3 17. Qf6 Bf8 18. Bxf8 Rxf8 19. Rfd1 Qa5 20. Be4 Qd8 21. Qxd8 Raxd8 $10
{Tiviakov,S-Jussupow,A/Groningen/1994/}) 6. O-O O-O (6... Nd7 $142 $5 {
(Stohl) This was the last chance to transpose into the line above. Symmetry
usually favours the attacking side.}) 7. c4 Nc6 {'!?' Stohl.} (7... c6 {Stohl}
8. Nc3 $1 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Nd7 10. f4 $36 (10. Re1 $5 $36 {Stohl})) ({
The sharp tactical line} 7... Bxe5 {Stohl} 8. dxe5 Nc6 9. cxd5 Qxd5 10. Qc2 Nb4
11. Bxe4 Nxc2 12. Bxd5 Bf5 {has more or less been refuted by} 13. g4 Bxg4 14.
Bf4 Nxa1 15. Be4 f5 16. Bd5+ Kh8 17. Rc1 c6 18. Bg2 Rfd8 19. Nd2 Rxd2 $6 20.
Bxd2 Rd8 21. Bc3 Rd1+ 22. Rxd1 Bxd1 23. Bf1 $1 Bf3 24. Bd3 $1 Be4 25. Bc4 Bd5 (
25... b5 $2 {Stohl} 26. e6) 26. Bxd5 $1 cxd5 27. Kf1 d4 28. Bxd4 Nc2 29. Bc3 $1
b5 30. e6 $18 {_|_,Zapata,A-Zarnicki,P/Sao Paulo/1992/}) 8. Nxc6 (8. cxd5 {
Stohl} 8... Nxd4 9. Bxe4 Bxe5 $10) 8... bxc6 {Stohl: 'Black's pawn structure
is terrible, but he relies on his active pieces and also counterplay against
the d4-pawn.'} 9. c5 Be7 10. Nc3 (10. f3 {Stohl} 10... Ng5 11. Nc3 Re8 $1 12.
Qa4 Bd7 13. Bd2 Rb8 14. Rab1 Bf6 15. Kh1 h5 16. Ne2 h4 17. h3 Qc8 18. Ba6 Qd8
19. Bd3 Qc8 20. Ba6 Qd8 {1/2,Kasparov,G-Jusupov,A/Horgen/1995/}) 10... f5 {
'?!' Stohl.  Stohl: '><e5,<->e' Stohl: 'Strategically this move is suspect, as
it creates a permanent hole on e5. Yusupov relies on piece counterplay, but
Shirov forcefully exploits Black's weaknesses.'} (10... Nxc3 {Stohl} 11. bxc3 {
><Pc6,c7,/\Qa4,Bf4 is also not good, Black's P are very vulnerable.}) ({
Yusupov has had a bad experience with} 10... Bf6 {Stohl} 11. Qc2 $1 Bxd4 12.
Nxe4 dxe4 13. Bxe4 Qh4 14. g3 Qf6 15. Be3 $1 Bxe3 16. fxe3 Qh6 17. Rf4 g5 18.
Rf2 Bh3 19. Bf5 Rae8 20. Qc3 Qh5 21. Bxh3 Qxh3 22. Qf6 $16 {
Ivanchuk,V-Jusupov,A/Horgen/1995/}) ({Even the more solid} 10... Bf5 $142 $5 {
Stohl} 11. f3 (11. Qc2 {Stohl} 11... Bg6 $1 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Bxe4 Qxd4 14.
Bxg6 hxg6 15. Be3 Qb4 $1 16. a3 Qb5 17. Bd4 Bf6 18. Bxf6 gxf6 19. Qc3 Kg7 $10 {
Shirov,A-Jusupov,A/BRD/1996/}) (11. Qc2 {
(Stohl) Shirov Shirov-Yusupov (Solingen BL 1996)}) 11... Nxc3 12. bxc3 Bxd3 13.
Qxd3 Bg5 14. Qa6 Bxc1 15. Raxc1 Qd7 16. Rfe1 $14 {Shirov,A-Huebner,R/Frankfurt
act/1996/ doesn't solve Black's problems completely.}) 11. f3 ({
Shirov is not interested, where his opponent would improve on} 11. Ne2 {Stohl}
11... Bf6 12. Qa4 Bd7 13. f3 Ng5 14. Nf4 Qe7 15. Bd2 g6 16. Rae1 Qg7 17. Bc3 h5
18. Ba6 Rab8 19. Nd3 h4 20. Ne5 $16 {Timman,J-Jusupov,A/Linares cm (08)/1992/})
11... Ng5 12. Qa4 Bd7 13. Bf4 $1 $146 {'!' Stohl.} (13. b4 Ne6 14. Be3 a6 15.
Qc2 g6 $13) (13. Ne2 Bf6 {- 54/286}) 13... Bf6 (13... Nf7 $143 {Stohl} 14. Qa5
$1 Bf6 15. Ne2 $16) 14. Rae1 Ne6 $5 (14... Nf7 $5 $14) 15. Be5 Bxe5 16. Rxe5
Qh4 17. f4 $5 (17. Rxf5 Qxd4+ (17... Rxf5 $2 18. Bxf5 Nxd4 19. Bg4 $1 Nf5 20.
Nxd5 $18) 18. Qxd4 Nxd4 $11) (17. Bxf5 Rxf5 $1 (17... Nxc5 $2 18. dxc5 Qxa4 19.
Bxh7+ Kxh7 20. Nxa4 $16) 18. Rxf5 Nxc5 (18... Nxd4 $2 19. Re5) 19. dxc5 (19.
Qb4 $2 {Stohl} 19... Nd3 20. Qb7 Qxd4+ 21. Kh1 Re8 $1 {/\Bf5,Nf2}) 19... Qxa4
20. Nxa4 Bxf5 21. Rd1 $1 (21. b3 $14 {
(Stohl) /+/-,><P and White has good winning chances in this endgame.}) (21. Kf2
$5 {Stohl}) 21... Rb8 $1 22. b3 Rb4 $1 $14) (17. Ne2 $2 {Stohl} 17... Nxc5 $15)
17... Nxf4 {'[]' Stohl.} 18. g3 Nh3+ 19. Kg2 Qh6 (19... Qh5 $143 $6 {
Stohl Black will be late with the f5-f4 counterplay.} 20. Nxd5 (20. Be2 $5 {
Stohl}) 20... Rae8 21. Be2 Qh6 22. Nxc7 Rxe5 23. dxe5 f4 24. e6 $1 $18) 20.
Nxd5 (20. Bxf5 $143 $6 {Stohl} 20... Bxf5 21. Rexf5 Rxf5 22. Rxf5 Ng5 23. h4
Ne6 $5 $132 {/\} 24. Qxc6 $4 Nf4+ $19) 20... f4 $2 (20... Kh8 21. Ne3 $1 (21.
Nxc7 Rab8 $44) (21. Nf4 Nxf4+ 22. Rxf4 g5 23. Rf2 f4 $13) 21... f4 (21... Ng5 {
Stohl} 22. Nxf5 Qh3+ 23. Kg1 $18) 22. Nf5 {- 20...f4}) (20... Qd2+ 21. Be2 Rae8
(21... Ng5 22. Nxc7 (22. Qb4 $1 {Stohl} 22... Qxb4 (22... Qc2 {Stohl} 23. Nxc7
{/\Qc4}) 23. Nxb4 $16 {
In the endgame there are no tactics anymore and the weak pawns remain.}) 22...
Rab8 (22... f4 $2 23. Qc4+ Kh8 24. Rxg5 $18) (22... Rac8 23. Rf2 $18) 23. Rf2
$1 $16) (21... f4 22. Qb4 $1 (22. Ne7+ $2 {Stohl} 22... Kh8 23. Qd1 Qxb2 24.
Qd3 Bg4 $19) (22. Nxf4 {Stohl} 22... Nxf4+ 23. gxf4 Rxf4 (23... Qxb2 {Stohl}
24. Qb3+ Qxb3 25. axb3 $14) 24. Rxf4 Qxf4 25. Qb3+ Kh8 26. Qe3 Rf8 (26... Qxe3
{Stohl} 27. Rxe3 Re8 28. Rxe8+ Bxe8 29. Kg3 Kg8 30. Kf4 Kf7 31. Ke5 Ke7 32. b4
$14) 27. Qxf4 Rxf4 28. d5 $14) 22... Qxb4 (22... f3+ 23. Rxf3 Qc1 24. Ne7+ Kh8
25. Nf5 Rab8 26. Qc4 Qxc4 27. Bxc4 Ng5 28. Rf2 Bxf5 (28... g6 29. h4 Bxf5 30.
hxg5 Bh3+ 31. Kg1 Rxf2 32. Kxf2 Rxb2+ 33. Ke3 Rb8 34. Re7 $18) 29. Rexf5 Rxf5
30. Rxf5 Rxb2+ 31. Kf1 h6 32. Rf8+ Kh7 33. h4 $18) 23. Nxb4 $16) 22. Ne7+ (22.
Qb4 Qxe2+ 23. Rxe2 Rxe2+ 24. Kxh3 cxd5 $40) 22... Kh8 23. Qd1 $1 (23. Kxh3 Rf7
$1 (23... f4+ {Stohl} 24. Kg2 Bg4 (24... fxg3 {Stohl} 25. Qd1 $18) 25. Qd1 f3+
26. Kg1 Qxe2 27. Rxe2 fxe2 28. Rxf8+ Rxf8 29. Qe1 $18) 24. Kg2 Rfxe7 25. Rf2
Rxe5 26. dxe5 Qd5+ 27. Bf3 Qxe5) 23... Qg5 24. Qc1 $1 Qf6 25. Qe3 f4 26. gxf4
Nxf4+ 27. Kh1 $14) (20... Rae8 21. Ne7+ Kh8 22. Bxf5 $1 (22. Qc2 $6 f4 23. Bxh7
Rf7 $1 $15) (22. Qd1 f4 23. Rh5 f3+ 24. Rxf3 Rxf3 25. Qxf3 (25. Rxh6 Rf2+ 26.
Kh1 gxh6 27. Qe1 Kg7 28. Qe5+ Kf8 $17) (25. Ng6+ Qxg6 26. Bxg6 Rf2+ 27. Kh1 Bg4
28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29. Bxe8 Bxd1 30. Rxh3 Bf3+ 31. Kg1 Rg2+ 32. Kf1 Rxb2 33. Rh4
Rxa2 $15) 25... Qd2+ 26. Be2 Ng5 27. Qd3 Qxb2 $13) 22... Rxe7 23. Bxd7 $1 (23.
Rxe7 $6 Qd2+ 24. Kxh3 Rxf5 25. Rxf5 (25. Rxd7 Qh6+ 26. Kg2 Qd2+ $11) 25...
Bxf5+ 26. g4 Bxg4+ 27. Kg3 (27. Kxg4 Qg2+ 28. Kf4 Qf2+ $11) 27... Bh5 $1 (27...
Bd7 28. Re5 $1 Qd3+ 29. Kf2 Qd2+ 30. Kf3 $16) (27... Qd3+ 28. Kxg4 Qg6+ 29. Kf3
Qf6+ 30. Ke4 Qxe7+ 31. Kd3 $16) 28. Re5 Qd3+ 29. Kh4 Qf3 $1 30. Rxh5 Qf4+ 31.
Kh3 Qf3+ $11) 23... Rxf1 24. Kxf1 Rf7+ 25. Rf5 Rxf5+ 26. Bxf5 Qe3 (26... Qf6
27. Qc2 g6 28. Kg2 Ng5 29. h4 Nf7 30. Be4 Qxd4 31. Bxc6 $14) 27. Bxh3 Qf3+ 28.
Ke1 Qe3+ 29. Kd1 Qg1+ 30. Kc2 Qxh2+ 31. Kc3 Qxg3+ 32. Kb4 Qxh3 33. Qxc6 $14) (
20... Ng5 $2 {Stohl} 21. Ne7+ Kh8 22. Bxf5 Qh3+ 23. Kg1 $1 $16) 21. Ne7+ Kh8
22. Nf5 $1 $16 (22. Bf5 $2 fxg3 {'!' Stohl.} (22... f3+ {Stohl} 23. Rxf3 Ng5
24. Rf4 $16) (22... Ng5 {Stohl} 23. Bxd7 fxg3 24. Rxf8+ Rxf8 25. hxg3 $18) (
22... Bxf5 $2 {Stohl} 23. Nxf5 $18 {-24.Bf5}) 23. hxg3 (23. Bxd7 $2 {Stohl}
23... Qd2+ 24. Kxh3 Qxh2+) 23... g6 {'!' Stohl.} 24. Bxd7 Qd2+ {'!' Stohl.} (
24... Rxf1 {Stohl} 25. Kxf1 Rf8+ 26. Nf5 gxf5 $13) 25. Kxh3 Rxf1 $19 26. Qxc6 (
26. Bxc6 {Stohl} 26... Qh6+ 27. Kg4 Raf8 $40 {/\R1f4}) 26... Raf8 $40 {><K} 27.
Qe4 Qh6+ 28. Kg4 Rh1 $1 $19) 22... Qg5 {'?' Stohl.} (22... Bxf5 23. Rxf5 $1 (
23. Bxf5 fxg3 24. hxg3 Ng5 $13 25. Rh1 $140 Qf6) 23... Rae8 (23... Rfb8 24. Qc2
$16) (23... Rfe8 {Stohl} 24. Qd1 g6 $14 {White is better due to Black's
misplaced N, but it' still a fight. Now all the tactics start to work in
White's favour.}) (23... g6 $2 {Stohl} 24. Qxc6 $16) 24. Qd1 $1 $16) (22... Qg6
{Stohl} 23. Qc2 $18) (22... Qh5 {Stohl} 23. Qd1 $1 $18 (23. Nxg7 {Stohl} 23...
Qg4 $132)) 23. Nh4 {
'!' Stohl.  Stohl: 'Here the N not only attacks, but also defends his K.'}
23... Qh6 (23... Qf6 $2 {Stohl} 24. Rh5 $1 $18) 24. Bf5 $1 fxg3 (24... Bxf5 25.
Nxf5 Qg6 (25... Qh5 {Stohl} 26. Qd1) 26. Qc2 $1 (26. Nh4 $6 {Stohl} 26... Qg4
27. Qd1 Nf2 $1 $40) 26... Qg4 (26... Ng5 {Stohl} 27. Rxf4) 27. Qd1 $16 Qxd1 28.
Rxd1 Ng5 29. gxf4 $18 {leads to a technical endgame with an extra pawn.}) 25.
hxg3 (25. Kxh3 $2 {Stohl} 25... gxh2 26. Qc2 g5 $19) 25... g6 $6 (25... Bxf5
26. Nxf5 (26. Rexf5 {Stohl} 26... Rxf5 27. Rxf5 (27. Nxf5 {Stohl} 27... Qh5 28.
Qd1 Nf4+ $1) 27... g5 $5 $13) (26. Rfxf5 {Stohl} 26... Nf4+ $1 $132) 26... Qh5
27. Qd1 (27. Qxc6 {Stohl} 27... Ng5 28. Qxc7 Rf7 29. Qc6 Qh3+ 30. Kg1 Raf8 31.
Re8 g6 32. Qc8 $1 $18) (27. Nxg7 $5 {Stohl}) 27... Qxd1 28. Rxd1 Nf2 (28... Ng5
29. Ne7 $16) 29. Kxf2 g6 30. d5 $16) 26. Bxd7 Qd2+ 27. Kxh3 Rxf1 28. Bxc6 Raf8
29. Bg2 $18 {
Stohl: 'Compared with the position after 22.Bf5?! White's K is now safe on h3.'
} 29... R1f2 (29... R1f7 30. Re8 (30. d5 {Stohl} 30... g5 31. Nf3 $1 $18 {/\}
31... Rxf3 32. Bxf3 Rxf3 33. Qe8+ Kg7 34. Re7+ Kh6 35. Qc6+ Kh5 36. Rxh7#)
30... g5 31. Bd5 Rf6 32. Nf3) (29... R1f6 30. Qd7 g5 31. Re7 Rh6 32. Qg4) 30.
Qd7 g5 (30... R2f7 {Stohl} 31. Re7) 31. Re7 Qc2 32. Be4 $5 {'!' Stohl.} (32.
Qg4 $1 Rg8 33. Qe6 Rgf8 34. Qe5+) 32... Rh2+ 33. Kg4 Rxh4+ (33... Qe2+ 34. Nf3
(34. Kxg5 Rg8+ 35. Kf6) 34... h5+ 35. Kxg5 Qe3+ (35... Rg8+ {Stohl} 36. Bg6)
36. Kg6 Rg8+ 37. Rg7 {'!' Stohl.} (37. Kf6 {Stohl} 37... Qh6+ 38. Ke5 $18)
37... Qxe4+ 38. Kh6 Qe3+ 39. Ng5) 34. gxh4 Qe2+ 35. Kxg5 Rg8+ (35... h6+ 36.
Kxh6 Qe3+ 37. Kh5) (35... Qe3+ {Stohl} 36. Kh5 Qe2+ 37. Qg4) 36. Kf6 Rf8+ (
36... Qf2+ {Stohl} 37. Ke5 Qg3+ 38. Kd5 $18) 37. Rf7 Qf2+ 38. Ke6 $18 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Madrid"]
[Date "1997.05.30"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C39"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "Bangiev"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1997.06.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Shirov} 1... e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 d6 6. Nxg4 Nf6 7.
Nf2 (7. Nxf6+ {Shirov} 7... Qxf6 8. Nc3) 7... Nc6 $5 {Ein neuer Plan, der das
schwarze Spiel in dieser Variante betrachtlich verstarkt. Schwarz strebt
danach die Entwicklung des Damenflugel so schnell wie moglich zu vollenden.} (
7... Rg8 {-> Survey. Die Hauptfortsetzung in dieser Variante, die allerdings
den Nachteil hat, das Schwarz nicht mehr uber die notigen Tempi verfugt, um
die Entwicklung seines Damenflugels zu vollenden.}) 8. d4 Bh6 9. Be2 {
Das Manover Bf1-e2-f3 ist eine typische Idee in dieser Variante, die aber viel
Zeit kostet. Eine mogliche Alternative besteht in Bf1-b5 um die Wirkung der
weisen Figuren auf den Punkt e5 zu verstarken.} (9. Nc3 $5 Qe7 $5 (9... Rg8 10.
Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Ne7 (11... Qe7+ 12. Be2 Nd8 13. Kf1 $14) 12. Qe2 $5) 10. Bb5
$5 (10. Be2 {ist Zugunstellung}) 10... Bd7 (10... Rg8 11. d5 a6 12. Ba4 b5 13.
Nxb5 axb5 14. Bxb5 $14) 11. Bxc6 Bxc6 12. d5 Bd7 13. Qf3 {
/\14.Bd2,0-0-0; /\14.Bxf4} (13. Qd4 $6 Rg8 $1 14. Bd2 (14. Kf1 $2 Nh5) (14. Nd3
Rxg2) 14... Rxg2 15. O-O-O (15. Kf1 Rg6 16. Re1 Nh5 $17) 15... Qe5 $1 (15... c5
16. dxc6 bxc6 17. Nd3 $13) 16. Qxe5+ dxe5 17. Nd3 Ng4 $17) 13... Rg8 (13...
O-O-O 14. Bxf4 Bxf4 15. Qxf4) 14. Bxf4 Bxf4 15. Qxf4 Rxg2 16. O-O-O O-O-O 17.
Rdf1 {/\18.Nd3} 17... Re8 (17... Rg7 18. h5 (18. Nd3 Ng4) 18... Rdg8 19. Nd3
$36) 18. h5 (18. Nd3 Nxe4 19. Nxe4 Qxe4 20. Qxe4 Rxe4 21. Rxf7 $15) 18... Rg7 (
18... Ng4 19. Nxg4 Rxg4 20. Qxf7) 19. Nd3 Nxe4 20. Nxe4 Qxe4 21. Qxe4 Rxe4 22.
h6 Rg5 23. Rxf7 Bf5 24. Rf1 $13) 9... Qe7 $5 (9... Rg8 $6 {Shirov} 10. Bf3) 10.
Nc3 Bd7 11. Bf3 O-O-O {Schwarz ist dem Weisen in der Entwicklung zuvorgekommen.
Das weise Bauernzentrum ist unter Druck und auserdem hat der Weise einige
Probleme, seinen Konig in Sicherheit zu bringen.} 12. a3 $5 {Was soll Weis
sonst spielen?   Dieser fur das Konigsgambit untypische Zug soll die
Entwicklung des Damenflugels mittels Qd1-d3, Bc1-d2, 0-0-0 vorbereiten, was
wiederum den Schwarzen dazu zwingt unverzuglich Gegenmasnahmen im Zentrum zu
ergreifen.} (12. Ne2 Rde8 (12... Rhg8 13. d5 (13. Nxf4 Bxf4 14. Bxf4 Nxe4 15.
Nxe4 d5 $15) 13... Ne5 14. Nxf4 $13 (14. Qd4 c5 $1)) (12... d5 $1 {Shirov} 13.
e5 (13. exd5 Nb4 $36) 13... Ne4 14. Nxf4 (14. Bxf4 $2 Bxf4 15. Nxf4 Qb4+) (14.
Ng4 $2 Bxg4 15. Bxg4+ Kb8 $17) (14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Bxe4 Nxe5 16. dxe5 Bc6 $40) (
14. Nd3 f6 $13) 14... Qb4+ (14... Bxf4 15. Bxf4 Qb4+ 16. c3 Qxb2 17. Bxe4 Qxc3+
$1 (17... dxe4 18. Qc1 $14) 18. Bd2 Qxd4 $44) 15. c3 Nxc3 16. N2d3 (16. bxc3
Qxc3+ 17. Bd2 Qxd4 $17) 16... Nxd1+ (16... Qxd4 17. bxc3 Qxc3+ 18. Bd2 Qd4 $44)
17. Nxb4 Nxb4 18. Kxd1 Bf5) 13. d5 (13. Nxf4 $6 Bxf4 14. Bxf4 Nxe4 $1) (13. Qd3
$5) 13... Ne5 14. Nxf4 (14. Bxf4 Bxf4 15. Nxf4 Nxe4 $1) (14. Qd4 c5 $1) 14...
Nxe4 $1 15. Nxe4 f5 $36) (12. Qd3 Nb4 $15) (12. d5 Ne5 13. Qd4 c5 $5 14. dxc6
Nxc6 $15) 12... Nxe4 $1 (12... Rde8 13. Qd3 Nxe4 $5) 13. Nd5 $1 (13. Nfxe4 f5
14. Nd5 Qe8 {-> 14.Nxe4}) 13... Qe8 (13... Qe6 14. Bxe4 f5 15. Nxf4 (15. Bxf4
fxe4 $17) 15... Bxf4 16. d5 Qe5 17. Bxf4 Qxf4 18. dxc6 $16) 14. O-O $6 (14.
Nxe4 f5 15. Ndf6 Qe7 (15... Qf7 16. d5 $13) (15... Qg6 16. h5) 16. Nd5 (16.
Nxd7 {Shirov} 16... Rxd7 17. O-O fxe4 18. Bg4 e3 $36) 16... Qe6 (16... Qe8 17.
Ndf6 $11) (16... Qf7 $2 17. Nec3) 17. Nxf4 Qe8 (17... Bxf4 18. d5 Qe5 (18...
Bg3+ $2 19. Kf1) 19. Bxf4 Qxf4 20. dxc6 $13) 18. d5 Nb8 (18... Ne5 19. Bh5) (
18... fxe4 19. Bh5) 19. Ne6 $13) (14. Bxe4 {Shirov} 14... f5 15. Nf6 Qe7 16.
Nd5 Qg7 $1 $40) 14... f5 15. c3 (15. Bxf4 Bxf4 16. Nxf4 Qe7 $17) 15... Rg8 $15
16. Re1 Qf7 (16... Nxf2 $2 {Shirov} 17. Rxe8 Nxd1 18. Rxg8 Rxg8 19. Bxd1 $14)
17. Bxf4 Bxf4 18. Nxf4 Ne7 $5 {/\ Bd7-c6} (18... Nxf2 {Shirov} 19. Kxf2 Qg7 20.
Nh5 $14) (18... d5 {Shirov} 19. Qb3 $13) 19. Nxe4 (19. Qe2 Bc6 $36) 19... fxe4
20. Rxe4 d5 $36 21. Qb3 (21. Re3 Qxf4 22. Rxe7 Rdf8 $17) (21. Rxe7 {Shirov}
21... Qxe7 22. Nxd5 Qxh4 23. Qe1 Qxe1+ 24. Rxe1 Rg7 $15) 21... Rdf8 (21... Ba4
$6 22. Rxe7 Qxe7 (22... Qxf4 23. Qxa4 Qxf3 24. Qc2 $14) 23. Nxd5 $1 $13 (23.
Qxa4 Qe3+ $17)) 22. Rxe7 $8 Qxe7 23. Nxd5 (23. Bxd5 {Shirov} 23... Qe3+ 24. Kh1
c6 $1 25. Bxg8 Rxf4 $19) 23... Qxh4 $17 24. Ne3 (24. Ne7+ Qxe7 25. Qxb7+ Kd8
$19) 24... c6 (24... Rxf3 $2 25. Qxg8+) 25. Rf1 Qg5 26. c4 Re8 27. Nd1 Qh4 (
27... Re2 {Shirov} 28. Rf2) 28. d5 $2 (28. Qc3 $142 Bg4 $17 (28... Bg4 {Shirov}
29. Ne3 Bxf3 30. Rxf3 Ref8 $19)) 28... Qd4+ (28... Qd4+ {Shirov} 29. Nf2 Re3
30. Qd1 Qxc4 $19) 0-1

[Event "Amber Rapid"]
[Site "Monte Carlo"]
[Date "1998.03.15"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karpov, An"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E63"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "Konikowski"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 {Shirov,A. Shirov,A Shirov,A: 'Konikowski'} 1... Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7
4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 (7... Rb8 {(Shirov,A) - 72/(502)}) 8.
Re1 (8. h3 {(Shirov,A) - 72/(502)}) 8... Rb8 9. Rb1 Re8 10. d5 Na5 11. Nd2 c5
12. a3 {'N!?' Shirov,A.  'N!?' Shirov,A.} (12. b3 {(Shirov,A) - 71/(578)})
12... Ng4 {'!?' Shirov,A.  '!?' Shirov,A.} (12... b5 {Shirov,A} 13. cxb5 axb5
14. b4 cxb4 15. Rxb4 $5 $14) 13. Qc2 Ne5 14. b3 b5 15. h3 {
'?!' Shirov,A.  '?!' Shirov,A.} (15. cxb5 {Shirov,A} 15... axb5 16. b4 $1 cxb4
17. axb4 Nac4 18. Nxc4 bxc4 $14) 15... bxc4 16. bxc4 Rxb1 17. Ncxb1 Qb6 {
'!' Shirov,A.  '!' Shirov,A.} 18. Nc3 {'!' Shirov,A.  '!' Shirov,A.} (18. f4 $2
{Shirov,A} 18... Nexc4) 18... Bf5 {'!' Shirov,A.  '!' Shirov,A.} (18... Naxc4
$2 19. Qa4 $18 (19. Nxc4 {Shirov,A} 19... Nxc4 20. Qa4 $18)) 19. e4 Bd7 20. Nd1
(20. Ne2 $5 {Shirov,A} 20... g5 $13) 20... Rb8 {'!' Shirov,A.  '!' Shirov,A.} (
20... Nb3 $5 {Shirov,A} 21. Qxb3 Qxb3 22. Nxb3 Ba4 23. Nxc5 dxc5 24. Nb2 $13)
21. f4 {'[]' Shirov,A.  '[]' Shirov,A.} (21. Ne3 $2 {Shirov,A} 21... Nb3 $17) (
21. Re3 {Shirov,A} 21... g5 $15) 21... Ba4 $1 22. Qxa4 Nd3 23. Nf3 (23. Rf1 {
Shirov,A} 23... Nxc1 $17) 23... Nxe1 {'!!' Shirov,A.  '!!' Shirov,A.} (23...
Nxc1 {Shirov,A} 24. e5 $13) 24. Nxe1 Qb1 25. Qxa5 {
'?!' Shirov,A.  '?!' Shirov,A.} (25. Be3 {Shirov,A} 25... Nb3 26. Bf3 Bd4 $17)
25... Qxc1 {'-+' Shirov,A.  '-+' Shirov,A.} 26. Bf3 $2 {
Shirov,A: ''?' Konikowski. '} (26. Qa4 $8) (26. Qa4 {Shirov,A} 26... Rb1 27.
Bf3 Qd2 28. Qe8+ Bf8 29. Kf1 Qh2) 26... Bd4+ 27. Kh2 {
'!' Shirov,A.  '!' Shirov,A.} (27. Kf1 {Shirov,A} 27... Rb3) 27... Rb3 {
'?' Shirov,A.  '?' Shirov,A.} (27... Qxc4 $19 {Shirov,A}) 28. h4 {
'!' Shirov,A.  '!' Shirov,A.} 28... Rxa3 {'?' Shirov,A.  '?' Shirov,A.} (28...
Kg7 {Shirov,A} 29. h5 gxh5 30. Bxh5 Rxa3 31. Qd8 Qd2+ 32. Ng2 Ra2 (32... Bg1+
33. Kh3) 33. Bf3 Qd3 34. Qxe7 Bf6 35. Qd7 Qxf3 36. Nde3 Qh5+ 37. Qh3 (37. Kg1
Bd4 $19) 37... Qxh3+ 38. Kxh3 Kf8 39. Nf5 Be7 $19) 29. Qd8+ Kg7 30. e5 {
'??' Shirov,A.  '??' Shirov,A.} (30. h5 {Shirov,A} 30... Rxf3 $1 (30... Qd2+ $2
31. Ng2 Rxf3 32. h6+ Kxh6 33. Qf8+ Bg7 (33... Kh5 34. Qxf7 Rf1 35. Qxh7+ Kg4
36. Qxg6+ Kf3 37. Qh5+ Kxe4 38. Qg6+ $11) 34. Qxe7 f6 35. Qe6 Rxg3 36. Kxg3
Qxd1 37. Qh3+ Qh5 38. Qe6 $11) 31. h6+ (31. Nxf3 Qxd1 32. h6+ Kxh6 33. Nxd4 (
33. Qf8+ Kh5 34. Nxd4 Kg4 $1 $19) 33... cxd4 34. Qxe7 Qe2+ 35. Kh3 (35. Kg1 d3
36. Qg5+ Kg7 37. e5 dxe5 38. fxe5 Qf3 39. d6 h6 $1 $19) 35... Qf1+ 36. Kh2 Qf2+
37. Kh3 Qg1 $1 38. g4 Qe3+ 39. Kh4 Qf2+ 40. Kh3 Qxf4 $19) 31... Kxh6 32. Qf8+
Bg7 33. Qxe7 Rxf4 34. gxf4 Qxf4+ 35. Kg2 Qg4+ 36. Kf1 Qxd1 37. Qh4+ Qh5 38.
Qf4+ g5 39. Qxd6+ f6 $17) 30... Qd2+ 31. Ng2 Rxf3 32. Qxe7 dxe5 33. h5 Qxd1 0-1

[Event "Match"]
[Site "Cazorla"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D70"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "Kramnik,V; Dolmatov,S"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O (7...
Nc6 $5 8. Bb5 O-O 9. Bxc6 bxc6 10. Nge2 Nc4 $13) 8. Qd2 e5 $5 (8... Nc6 {
- 50/(464)}) 9. d5 c6 10. h4 h5 $5 $146 (10... cxd5 11. exd5 f5 $5) (10... Bf6)
11. Be2 cxd5 12. exd5 N8d7 (12... f5 $5) 13. d6 Nf6 (13... Re8 $6 14. Nb5 $16)
14. Bg5 Re8 $6 (14... Be6 $5 15. Nh3 (15. g4 Qd7 $132) 15... Nc4 16. Bxc4 Bxc4)
15. Rd1 $5 (15. Nh3 $6 Bxh3 16. Rxh3 Rc8 17. Rd1 Nc4 18. Bxc4 Rxc4 $11) 15...
Be6 16. Nh3 Nc4 (16... Rc8 $5 17. Nf2 (17. b3 $5) 17... Nc4 18. Bxc4 Rxc4) 17.
Bxc4 Bxc4 18. b3 Ba6 $2 (18... Be6 $8 19. Nf2 Qd7 20. O-O Rac8 21. Rfe1 $14)
19. Nd5 $8 (19. Nf2 Qd7 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Nd5 Bd8 22. Ne4 Kg7 $13) (19. d7 $1
Rf8 $8 (19... Qxd7 20. Qxd7 Nxd7 21. Rxd7 e4 22. Nd5 exf3+ 23. Ne7+ Kf8 24. Kf2
$18) (19... Re6 20. Nf2 $16) 20. Nf2 b6 21. Nd5 Bb7 22. Nxf6+ Bxf6 23. O-O $16)
19... e4 $1 20. Nxf6+ (20. d7 exf3+ 21. dxe8=Q+ Qxe8+ 22. Qe3 Nxd5 23. Rxd5 Qc6
24. Rd8+ (24. Rc5 Qd7 $17) 24... Rxd8 25. Bxd8 Qc2 $17) 20... Bxf6 21. d7 Qb6
$1 $17 22. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 23. Qe3 Bxg5 24. Qxb6 Bxh4+ 25. Kd2 (25. Qf2 exf3+ 26.
Kd2 Bxf2 27. Nxf2 Re2+ $19) (25. Nf2 exf3+ 26. Kd2 Bg5+ $19) 25... axb6 26.
fxe4 Rxe4 27. Kc2 Rg4 28. Rd2 Be7 29. Rg1 Kg7 30. Nf2 Rf4 31. Nd3 Re4 32. Rgd1
$6 (32. a4 $5 b5 33. Re1 Rxe1 34. Nxe1 bxa4 35. bxa4 $17) 32... Bb5 33. a4 Bc6
34. Re1 $2 Rxe1 35. Nxe1 Bb4 36. Re2 Bxe1 37. Rxe1 Bxg2 38. Kd2 h4 39. Ke3 Bd5
(39... h3 40. Kf2 f5 41. Re6 Bd5 $19) 40. b4 h3 41. Re2 f5 42. Rd2 Be4 43. Kf4
Bg2 44. Rd7+ Kf6 45. Rh7 g5+ 46. Kg3 f4+ 47. Kg4 Ke5 48. b5 (48. b5 Kd4 49. Rh6
Ke3 50. Rh7 Kf2 $19) 0-1

[Event "ECC Zone"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ftacnik, Lubomir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nbd7 4. f4 e5 5. Nf3 exd4 6. Qxd4 c6 7. Be3 Be7 8. g4
d5 9. g5 Bc5 10. Qd3 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Qxe4+ Qe7 13. Qxe7+ Kxe7 14. Bd4
Bxd4 15. Nxd4 Nc5 16. O-O-O Rd8 17. f5 h6 18. h4 Ne4 19. Bg2 Nd6 20. Bxc6 Nxf5
21. Bxb7 Bxb7 22. Nxf5+ Kf8 23. gxh6 gxh6 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rf1 h5 26. Rd1 Rb8
27. Rd7 Be4 28. Nd6 Bg6 29. c4 Kg7 30. c5 Kf6 31. c6 Rb6 32. Ne8+ Ke6 33. Rd6+
Ke7 34. c7 Bf5 35. Rxb6 axb6 36. Ng7 Bc8 37. Nxh5 Kd6 38. Ng7 Kxc7 39. h5 Bb7
40. h6 Be4 41. Ne8+ 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B66"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Shirov,A. Hecht Hansen,Cu Stohl} 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 ({Stohl: Earlier Kramnik used to play} 7...
Be7 8. O-O-O O-O 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Bc4 Bd7 {
but currently he prefers the text alternative.}) 8. O-O-O h6 9. Be3 (9. Bf4 {
Stohl} 9... Bd7 10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. f3 d5 12. Qe1 Bb4 13. a3 Ba5 14. Bd2 Rc8 $1
15. Qg3 d4 16. Be3 Bc7 17. f4 Nh5 18. Qg4 Qf6 19. Rxd4 Bxf4 20. Bxf4 Qxf4+ 21.
Qxf4 Nxf4 22. g3 Ng6 23. Kd2 Ne5 24. Be2 Ke7 $15 {
Karpov,An-Salov,V/Buenos Aires Sicilian 1994}) 9... Be7 10. f3 ({
Stohl: More aggresive and popular is} 10. f4 {Stohl} 10... Nxd4 (10... Qc7 $5
11. Bd3 b5 $13) 11. Bxd4 b5 12. Kb1 $1 (12. Bd3 b4 $5 13. Na4 Rb8 14. e5 dxe5
15. Bxe5 Bd7 $1 $132) 12... Bb7 13. Bd3 O-O (13... b4 $5 $132) 14. e5 dxe5 15.
fxe5 Nd7 16. Ne4 Bxe4 17. Bxe4 Rb8 $1 18. c3 $1 (18. Ba7 Nxe5 19. Qc3 Bd6 20.
Qd4 Bc7 21. Qc5 Qc8 22. Rhe1 Nc4 23. Bxb8 Qxb8 24. g3 Be5 25. c3 Rc8 26. Qe7 b4
27. Qxb4 Qc7 28. Qb7 Na3+ 29. Kc1 Bf4+ $1 30. gxf4 Qxf4+ 31. Rd2 Rd8 32. Red1
Rxd2 33. Rxd2 Qf1+ 34. Rd1 Qf4+ {1/2,Shirov,A-Kramnik,V/Linares 1997}) 18...
Qc7 19. Bc2 Rfd8 20. Qf4 Nf8 21. Rhf1 Bg5 22. Qf2 Rd7 23. Bc5 Rc8 24. Bd6 $40 {
Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/Novgorod 1997}) 10... Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 $5 {Stohl: Strategi
cally very committal. Hansen,Cu: It is remarkable that Kramnik avoids the main
line which goes on with:} (11... b5 $142 $5 {Stohl} 12. Kb1 (12. h4 {Hansen,Cu}
12... Qa5 {
As far as I know this line has given black quite
reasonable results.}) 12...
Rb8 13. Qe3 $6 (13. Ba7 $5 Rb7 14. Be3) 13... b4 14. Na4 Qc7 15. b3 O-O 16. Bd3
e5 17. Bb2 Bd7 18. Bxa6 Ra8 19. Qe2 Bxa4 20. bxa4 Nd7 21. Qc4 Nc5 22. Bb5 Qa5
23. c3 bxc3 24. Bxc3 Qa7 25. Rc1 Nxa4 26. Qxa4 Qxa4 27. Bxa4 Rxa4 28. Rc2 f5 {
1/2,Kasparov,G-Kramnik,V/Moscow PCA act 1996}) 12. Be3 (12. Bf2 {Stohl} 12...
Be6 13. Bh4 Qa5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Kb1 Rc8 16. Nd5 Qxd2 17. Rxd2 Bg5 {
1/2,Leko,P-Kramnik,V/Vienna 1996}) 12... Be6 13. Kb1 (13. g4 {Stohl} 13... Qa5
14. a3 Rc8 $1 (14... b5 15. h4 b4 16. Nd5 Bxd5 17. exd5 Rb8 18. Kb1 Bd8 $6 19.
axb4 Rxb4 20. Qc3 O-O 21. Bd2 Ra4 22. b4 Qc7 23. Kb2 $1 Nxd5 24. Qxc7 Bxc7 25.
Kb3 Nb6 26. Be3 a5 27. c3 axb4 28. Bxb6 {1-0,Shirov,A-Lutz,C/Munich 1993}) 15.
Kb1 $142 $14 (15. h4 $2 Rxc3 $1 16. Qxc3 Qxc3 17. bxc3 d5 $36)) 13... Rc8 14.
h4 $5 {Hansen,Cu: Black has to think about where to place his K. If he castles
king-side white might get a strong attack with g4-g5. And if there is no
attack the chasing of Nf6 to a less good square could well give white complete
control over d5.} 14... Qa5 {/\15..Rxc3 16.Qxc3 Qxa2+ 17.Kc1 0-0 ~/=} 15. a3 {
/\g4,Be2,g5,><d5} (15. Nd5 {Stohl} 15... Qxd2 16. Rxd2 (16. Nxf6+ gxf6 $1 17.
Rxd2 f5 $10) 16... Nxd5 17. exd5 Bd7 {/\f5<=>}) 15... b5 $1 $146 (15... Rxc3
16. Qxc3 Qxc3 17. bxc3 d5 18. exd5 (18. Bd3 Bxa3 $44) (18. Kb2 dxe4 $15) 18...
Nxd5 19. Bd2 $16 Bxa3 {Stohl} (19... O-O 20. Bc4 Nxc3+ 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. Bxe5
$16) 20. Bc4 $36 {/\} 20... Ne3 $6 (20... O-O 21. Bxd5 Bxd5 22. Bc1 $1 $16) (
20... Nxc3+ 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. Bxe5 $16) 21. Bxe6 $1 Nxd1 22. Bd5 Nf2 23. Re1 $1
$16 {/\Be3,Re5,><Nf2}) (15... O-O $2 {Stohl} 16. Nd5 $16) 16. g4 $5 (16. Nd5
Qxd2 17. Rxd2 (17. Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Rxd2 f5 $15) 17... Nxd5 18. exd5 Bd7 $11)
16... Rxc3 {Stohl: This sacrifice represents a radical solution. Hansen,Cu: In
principle white did not yet threaten 16. g5 because of 16. - hxg5 17.hxg5?
Rxh1. But black has no way to improve his position before the positionally
necessary exchange-sacrifice.  In fact one could ask if black did not play the
exchange-sac one move to late. If black had played without b7-b5, white in the
game continuation could not have exchanged his weak c3-P with c3-c4 which
could well improve blacks  chances considerably.} (16... b4 $143 {Stohl} 17.
Nd5 Bxd5 18. exd5 Qa4 19. Qxb4 $1 Qxc2+ 20. Ka2 O-O 21. Bxa6 Rb8 22. Rd2 Qc7
23. Qc3 Qd8 24. Rc1 $16 {De la Villa Garcia,J-Ubilava,E/Leon 1994}) (16... Nd7
$6 {Stohl} 17. Nd5 $16 {_|_><<<}) ({Interesting is} 16... Rb8 $5 {Stohl /\b4}
17. Nd5 Qxd2 18. Nxf6+ Bxf6 19. Rxd2 Be7 20. Be2 Bc4 21. h5 Kd7 22. Rhd1 Rhc8
23. Bxc4 bxc4 24. Rd5 Rb5 25. a4 Rxd5 26. Rxd5 Kc6 27. b3 Bg5 28. Bxg5 hxg5 29.
bxc4 Kd7 $11 {Hartman,C-Murugan,K/Wrexham 1996/1/2  (43)}) 17. Qxc3 Qxc3 18.
bxc3 d5 {Hansen,Cu: Blacks has solved a number of his problems. He has
regained control over d5. His problem with finding a safe place for his K is
solved because the Qs have been exchanged.  The question is whether whites
weakened P-structure is enough compensation for the exchange.} 19. exd5 {
'N' Shirov,A.} (19. g5 $2 hxg5 20. hxg5 Rxh1 21. gxf6 Rxf1 $1 22. Rxf1 Bxf6) (
19. a4 {Shirov,A}) 19... Nxd5 20. Bd2 O-O (20... e4 21. fxe4 Bxg4 22. Re1 Nb6
23. Be3 $16) (20... Nb6 21. Re1 (21. c4 $5 Nxc4 22. Bxc4 Bxc4 23. Bb4 {Anand})
(21. Re1 $1 {Stohl} 21... f6 (21... Bxa3 22. Rxe5 O-O 23. g5 $16) 22. f4 Bxg4
23. fxe5 f5 24. Be3 $16) (21. Bc1 O-O {/\Na4,Rc8|^})) (20... Bxa3 $142 $5 {
Stohl} 21. c4 (21. Re1 $143 O-O $5 22. Rxe5 Rc8 $13) 21... bxc4 22. Bxc4 Ne3 $1
(22... O-O $6 {-20...0-0}) 23. Bxe3 (23. Bxe6 Nxd1 24. Bb3 Nf2 $13 {
Compared to the line above,Black's N can go to h3 later on.}) 23... Bxc4 24.
Bc1 $5 $14 {White is better, but his technical task is much more difficult,
than in the game.}) 21. c4 {Exchanging whites weakest P} 21... bxc4 22. Bxc4
Rb8+ {Hansen,Cu: This move was criticised by Kramnik after the game. However I
don't see any improvement.} (22... Nc3+ 23. Bxc3 Bxc4 24. Bxe5 $16) (22... Bxa3
23. Bxd5 (23. Rhe1 $6 {Stohl} 23... Rc8 24. Bb3 Nc3+ $5 25. Bxc3 Bxb3 $14)
23... Bxd5 24. Bb4 $1 $14) 23. Bb3 (23. Ka2 $143 $6 {Stohl} 23... Ne3 $5 24.
Bxe3 (24. Bxe6 Nxd1 25. Bb3 Nf2 $132) 24... Bxc4+ 25. Ka1 Bxa3 $14) 23... Bxa3
24. Rhe1 f6 (24... Bd6 {Stohl} 25. Ka2 $5) 25. Re4 $5 (25. Ka2 Bf8 (25... Bc5
$5 26. Ba5 Nf4 $14) 26. Re3 Kf7 27. Rd3 Rb5 $14) 25... Bc5 26. Ra4 Nc7 27. Kb2
$3 (27. Ka2 Bxb3+ 28. cxb3 Rd8 $44) (27. Ka2 $5 $16 {
Stohl leads to the exchange of B and was probably even better.}) 27... Kh7 (
27... Bxb3 28. cxb3 Rd8 29. Kc2 Nb5 30. Be1 Nd4+ 31. Kb2 $16) (27... Kf8 $142
$5 {Stohl}) 28. Be1 $1 Bd5 (28... Bxb3 29. cxb3 Bd4+ 30. Bc3) 29. Rd3 {
/\Ba5 Stohl: White has developed his R and consolidated his position,therefore 
Kramnik decides to change the material balance in this endgame again.} 29...
Bc6 30. Rc4 $1 (30. Ra1 $2 {Stohl} 30... Bb5 $36) 30... Ne6 31. Bf2 $1 Bb5 $2 {
Hansen,Cu: This seems a very strange decision to me. I think black could have
tried:} (31... Bxf2 32. Rxc6 Nc5 (32... Nd4 {Hansen,Cu} 33. Rxa6 Bxh4 {+/-/+/=}
) 33. Rd5 $16 (33. Rd5 {Stohl} 33... Rb5 34. Ka3 $5 $16)) 32. Rxc5 Nxc5 (32...
Bxd3 {Stohl} 33. cxd3 {-32...Nc5} (33. Rc6 $2 Nf4 $1 $17)) 33. Bxc5 Bxd3 34.
cxd3 {/\h5 '+/-' Shirov,A.  Stohl: White's active ^^ and Black's inactive K
give White very good winning chances. His first task is to liquidate the
a-pawn. # Hecht:   Deutlicher weiser Vorteil mit zwei Laufern gegen Turm +
Bauer  Die Kommentare gehen auf A.Shirov zuruck. Ich habe eine
Endspielmedaille vergeben: Grund: Materialverteilung sowie eine gute
startegische wie taktische Leistung zweier Weltklassespieler.} 34... h5 35. Kc3
Rc8 $138 (35... hxg4 $142 36. fxg4 g6) (35... g5 $2 {Stohl} 36. hxg5 h4 37.
gxf6 Rc8 (37... h3 38. Bg1) 38. Kb4 Rxc5 39. Kxc5 h3 40. Bd5 $18) (35... Kg6
$142 $5 $16 {Stohl}) 36. Kb4 Rb8+ (36... a5+ {Stohl} 37. Kb5 Rb8+ 38. Ka4 {
/\Be6,Ka5+-}) 37. Ka4 Kg6 $2 (37... hxg4 38. fxg4 g6 $16) 38. Be6 $1 $18 {
'!' Shirov,A.  Hansen,Cu: /\ 39. Bf5+ + 40. gxh5. At this point it becomes
clear that whites bishops will have strong enough squares to keep the K-side
intact while white can play actively with hisK} 38... Rh8 39. Bf2 Kh6 (39...
Re8 {Stohl} 40. Bf5+ Kh6 41. g5+ $1 fxg5 42. Be3 g6 43. Bxg5+ Kg7 44. Be4 $18 {
><P}) 40. Ka5 hxg4 (40... g5 {Stohl} 41. Be3 $1 $18 {
keeps Black's K in his box.}) 41. fxg4 g6 {Hecht: zu spat!} (41... Ra8 {Stohl}
42. Be3+ Kh7 43. h5 {/\Bf5-e4+-}) 42. g5+ $1 (42. Kxa6 {Stohl} 42... Rd8 43.
Bc4 (43. Be3+ $143 $6 Kg7 44. Bc4 f5) 43... f5 44. g5+ Kh5 45. d4 $1 Rxd4 46.
Be2+ Rg4 47. Kb5 f4 48. Bxg4+ Kxg4 49. Kc4 e4 50. Be1 $18) 42... Kg7 (42...
fxg5 43. Be3 $18) 43. Kxa6 $1 {'+-!' Shirov,A.} (43. d4 $2 exd4 $1 (43... Rf8
$5 {Shirov,A}) 44. Bxd4 (44. gxf6+ Kxf6 45. Bxd4+ Kxe6 46. Bxh8 Kf5 $11 47. Bc3
g5 48. h5 g4 $11) 44... Rxh4 45. gxf6+ (45. Bxf6+ Kh7 $11) 45... Kh7 46. Bc5
Rf4 47. Be7 g5 $11) 43... Rd8 (43... fxg5 44. hxg5 Rh2 (44... Rh5 {Stohl} 45.
Be3 $18 {/\Kb6-c6-d6,Bd5-e4}) 45. Bc5 Rd2 46. Bc4 $18) 44. Bc4 f5 45. Kb7 e4
46. d4 $3 {# Hecht:   Der weise Freibauer ist bei den starken Laufern mehr
wert als die verbundenen Freibauern.} (46. Kc7 Ra8 $132) (46. Bb6 Re8 $132) (
46. dxe4 $143 $6 {Stohl} 46... fxe4 {o^e<=>}) 46... f4 47. d5 e3 48. Be1 f3 49.
Kc7 $1 Rf8 (49... Rxd5 {Stohl} 50. Bxd5 f2 51. Bc3+ Kh7 52. Bc4 $18) (49... Ra8
{Shirov,A} 50. d6) 50. d6 Rf4 (50... f2 {Stohl} 51. Bc3+ {/\d7}) (50... e2 {
Stohl} 51. d7 f2 52. Bxf2 Rxf2 53. d8=Q {/\Qg8#}) 51. Bc3+ Kh7 (51... Kf8 52.
d7 Rxc4+ 53. Kd6 $18 (53. Kd6 {Hecht} 53... Rxc3 54. d8=Q+ Kg7 55. Qf6+ $18))
52. Bd3 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1998.02.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Shirov,A} 1... c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Qb6 6. Nb3 Qc7
7. Qe2 (7. Nc3 d6 8. O-O Nf6 9. f4 Nbd7 10. Qe2 (10. Qf3 Be7 11. Be3 b5 12. g4
h6 13. Qh3 g6 14. g5 Nh5 15. gxh6 Ndf6 16. f5 gxf5 17. exf5 b4 18. Ne4 e5 19.
Kf2 Bb7 {0-1 Aronian,L-Sulava,N/Cappelle op 1996/ (30)}) (10. Kh1 b5 11. a4 b4
12. Na2 Bb7 13. Qe1 a5 14. c3 Be7 15. cxb4 axb4 16. Nxb4 O-O 17. Bd2 Nc5 18.
Nxc5 dxc5 19. e5 Nd7 20. Nc2 {1-0 Agopov,M-Rowson,J/EU-chJM 1997/ (30)}) 10...
b5 11. Bd2 Bb7 12. a3 Be7 13. Rae1 e5 14. Nd1 O-O 15. Na5 Rfe8 16. Nxb7 Qxb7
17. Qf3 Bf8 18. Ne3 exf4 19. Ng4 Nxg4 {
1/2-1/2 Gallagher,J-Emms,J/Wichern-op 1995/}) 7... Nf6 8. Nc3 d6 9. f4 Be7 (
9... b5 10. g4 Nfd7 11. O-O Be7 12. g5 Nc6 13. a4 b4 14. Nd1 Bb7 15. Be3 g6 16.
Nf2 h6 17. gxh6 Rxh6 18. c3 bxc3 19. Rac1 cxb2 20. Qxb2 Rh4 21. Nd2 Rb8 {
0-1 Kurajica,B-Azmaiparashvili,Z/Strumica 1995/ (37)}) 10. e5 $5 {'N?' Shirov,
A.  Shirov is fully aware, that his e5 pawn is hopelessly exposed, but his
temperament requires space for the pieces.} (10. O-O Nbd7) (10. Be3 {Shirov,A}
10... Nc6 {- 55/187}) (10. g4 $5 {Shirov,A}) 10... dxe5 11. fxe5 Nfd7 12. Bf4
Nc6 13. O-O Ndxe5 {'=/+' Shirov,A.} (13... Ncxe5 $5 14. Rae1 Qb6+ 15. Kh1 (15.
Be3 Qc7) 15... Nxd3 16. Qxd3 Nf6 $13) 14. Rae1 Qb6+ (14... Bf6 15. Ne4 Be7 16.
Qh5 $44) 15. Kh1 (15. Be3 {Shirov,A} 15... Qd8 $15) 15... Nxd3 (15... Ng6 16.
Be3 (16. Bg3 {Shirov,A} 16... O-O 17. Qh5 Nb4) 16... Qc7 17. Na4 b5 (17... O-O
{Shirov,A} 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Nb6 Rb8 20. Nc4 $44) (17... Nb4 {Shirov,A} 18. Be4
$44 f5 $140 19. c3 $1) 18. Nb6 Rb8 19. Nxc8 Rxc8 20. c4 $44) 16. Qxd3 O-O 17.
Qg3 $1 Kh8 $2 {'?!' Shirov,A.  Topalov misses the point of white's last move.
Apart from chances on the kingside white his hoping to exploit the weakness of
b6 square.} (17... f5 18. Ne4 $5 (18. Bc7 Qb4 (18... Qa7 {Shirov,A} 19. Na4 Bd8
20. Nb6 (20. Bd6 $2 {Shirov,A} 20... Rf6) 20... Bxc7 21. Qxc7 Rf7 22. Nxc8 Rxc7
23. Nxa7 Nxa7 24. Nd4 Nb5 25. Nxe6 Rxc2 26. a4 $1 (26. Rxf5 {Shirov,A} 26...
Re8 27. Ref1 h5 28. Rf8+ Rxf8 29. Rxf8+ Kh7 $15) 26... Nd6 27. Rd1 Nc4 28. Rd7
$44) 19. Rf4 (19. a3 Qh4) 19... Bd6 20. Bxd6 Qxd6 21. Rxf5 Qxg3 22. Rxf8+ Kxf8
23. hxg3 $11) 18... fxe4 19. Bh6 g6 20. Qc3 Rxf1+ 21. Rxf1 e5 22. Qc4+ Be6 23.
Qxe6+ Kh8 24. Rf7 $18) (17... Qd8 18. Rd1 Bd7 19. Bh6 Bf6 20. Rxd7 Qxd7 21.
Rxf6 $18) (17... f6 18. Ne4 $44 (18. Bc7 {Shirov,A} 18... Qa7 19. Na4 Bd8 (
19... e5 $5 {Shirov,A} 20. Nb6 Be6 $44) 20. Bxd8 Nxd8 21. Qd6 $1 Nf7 22. Qc5
Qxc5 (22... Qb8 {Shirov,A} 23. Nb6 Ra7 24. Re3 $44) 23. Nbxc5 e5 24. Nb6 Ra7
25. c4 $44)) 18. Bc7 Qa7 19. Na4 f6 (19... b5 20. Nb6 Bb7 21. Nxa8 Qxa8 $14)
20. Bb6 Qb8 21. Bc7 Qa7 22. Nb6 {'!?' Shirov,A.} (22. Bb6 $11 {Shirov,A}) 22...
e5 (22... Rb8 23. Bxb8 Qxb6 24. Bc7 $16) 23. Nxa8 Qxa8 24. Rd1 Re8 $2 {
'!' Shirov,A.  Black badly needs a harmonious piece play to compensate for the
material disadvantage and white's attacking chances.} (24... Bd8 25. Bxd8 Rxd8
26. Rxd8+ Nxd8 27. Qxe5 $18) (24... Be6 25. Bd6 Qe8 26. Nc5 Bc8 $16) 25. Bd6
Bd8 26. Nc5 {'!?' Shirov,A.} 26... b6 27. Ne4 Nd4 {'?' Shirov,A.} (27... Bb7
28. Ba3 {/\ Nd6}) (27... Be6 $5 {Shirov,A} 28. Ba3 Nd4 $44) 28. Bxe5 $1 Nf5 {
'!' Shirov,A.} (28... Rxe5 $4 29. Qxe5 fxe5 30. Rf8#) (28... Qxe4 29. Bxd4 Qxc2
30. Rde1 $16) (28... fxe5 29. Nd6 Nf5 (29... Qc6 30. Qxe5 $1 (30. Nxe8 Qxe8 31.
Qxe5 Ne6 32. Rd6 $18) 30... Ne6 31. Qd5 Qxd5 32. Rxd5 $18) 30. Rxf5 Bxf5 31.
Nxe8 $18) 29. Qg4 $1 (29. Qd3 $2 Bb7 {'!' Shirov,A.} 30. Qd7 (30. Rxf5 {
Shirov,A} 30... Bxe4 31. Qd7 Bxg2+ 32. Kg1 Be7 33. Bd4 Bh3 $19) 30... Bc6 31.
Qxf5 (31. Qf7 {Shirov,A} 31... Nh6 32. Qh5 fxe5 $19) 31... Bxe4 32. Qd7 Be7 33.
Bd4 Bxg2+ $19) (29. Rxf5 Qxe4 30. Rff1 fxe5 $17) (29. Qc3 $2 {Shirov,A} 29...
Bb7 $19) 29... Ne3 $2 {Topalov is a sharp player himself and with this jump he
shows great courage. It is somewhat unpleasant to admit, that such a nice
knight jump turns out to be a decisive mistake.} (29... fxe5 30. Rxf5 Be7 (
30... g6 31. Rxe5) 31. Qf3 Bxf5 32. Qxf5 $14) (29... Nd6 $2 {Shirov,A} 30. Qh5
Qxe4 31. Bxd6 Bg4 32. Qf7 Bxd1 33. Bf8 Qg6 34. Bxg7+ Qxg7 35. Qxe8+ Qg8 36.
Qxg8+ Kxg8 37. Rxd1 $18) 30. Qh5 {'!' Shirov,A.} 30... Rg8 {'?' Shirov,A.} (
30... Rf8 31. Qf7 $3 {'!' Shirov,A.} 31... Rg8 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. Bxf6 Rg8 34.
Bxg7+ Rxg7 35. Qe8+ Rg8 36. Qe5+ Rg7 37. Rf8#) (30... Qc6 $1 31. Rd6 (31. Rxd8
Rxd8 32. Nxf6 $2 Qxg2#) 31... Qb5 (31... Bg4 {Shirov,A} 32. Rxc6 Bxh5 33. Re1
Nxc2 (33... Rxe5 {Shirov,A} 34. Rxe3 Bg4 35. Rd3 Re8 36. h3 Bf5 37. Nd6 Re1+
38. Kh2 Bxd3 39. Rc8 $18) 34. Rxc2 Rxe5 35. Rc8 Rd5 36. Nc3 Rd6 37. g4 Bg6 38.
Rd1 Bd3 39. Kg1 Kg8 40. Ne4 Rd7 41. Nf2 $18) 32. Re1 (32. c4 Qxe5) 32... Bg4 (
32... Nc4 33. Rxd8 Rxd8 34. Nxf6 $18) 33. Qf7 Qxe5 (33... Nc4 34. Rxd8 (34.
Rxf6 Bxf6 (34... Nxe5 35. Qf8+) 35. Nxf6 Nd6 36. Qd5 Qxd5 37. Nxd5 Bf5 38. Re3
$16) 34... Rxd8 35. Bxf6 Rg8 36. Nc3 $18) (33... Nxc2 34. Nc3) 34. Rxe3 Bh5 35.
Qd5 Qf4 $1 (35... Qxd5 {Shirov,A} 36. Rxd5 Bg6 37. Rdd3 Bc7 38. Nf2 Be5 39. Rd2
Rf8 40. Nd3 $18) 36. Qd3 (36. Re1 Bc7 37. Qxh5 g6 $13) 36... Bc7 37. g3 $16 Qf5
(37... Qxe3 {Shirov,A} 38. Qxe3 Bxd6 39. Qxb6 $18) 38. Nxf6 Qxd3 39. Rxe8+ Bxe8
40. Rxd3 gxf6 41. Rc3 $18) (30... g6 {Shirov,A} 31. Rxd8 $18) 31. Qf3 $1 {
'+-!' Shirov,A.} 31... Nxd1 (31... Bb7 32. Nd6 Re8 33. Qxb7 Qxb7 34. Nxb7 Nxf1
35. Bd6 Nd2 36. Bg3 Nc4 37. b3 Na3 38. Nxd8 $18) (31... Nxf1 32. Nd6 Qa7 33.
Nxc8 Qf7 34. Qxf1 $18) 32. Nd6 $1 {Black is a piece up, but he will have to
drop a lot of material because of the threat Nf7 mate.} 32... Qa7 $8 (32...
Qxf3 33. Nf7#) 33. Nxc8 Qd7 34. Nd6 (34. Nd6 Nxb2 35. Qd5 Rf8 36. Bxb2 $18) 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "1998.02.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Shirov,A. Petursson} 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6
6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2 Nbd7 9. f3 h5 10. O-O-O (10. Nd5 Nxd5 (10... Bxd5
11. exd5 g6 12. Be2 Ng8 13. Qb4 Qc7 14. Na5 Bh6 15. Bf2 Ngf6 16. c4 O-O 17. O-O
Rae8 18. Kh1 Bf4 {Tiviakov,S-Tisdall,J/World Cities 1997/1/2-1/2 (40)}) 11.
exd5 Bf5 12. Be2 g6 13. Na5 Qc7 14. O-O Bg7 {
Nijboer,F-Van Wely,L/Hoogovens/1998/}) 10... Rc8 (10... Qc7 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12.
exd5 Nb6 13. Qa5 Rc8 14. c3 Nc4 15. Bxc4 Qxc4 16. Rhe1 Be7 17. Bg5 O-O 18. Bxf6
Qf4+ 19. Nd2 Qxf6 20. Qb6 Rb8 {Shirov,A-Ljubojevic,L/Investbanka 1997}) (10...
b5 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Bf5 13. Kb1 (13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 g6 15. f4 Bh6 16.
Rde1 O-O 17. f5 Bxe3+ 18. Rxe3 Qg5 19. Rf1 Nf6 {
0-1 Kasimdzhanov,R-Sadvakasov,D/WchJM U18 1996/ (41)}) 13... Rc8 14. Bd3 Bxd3
15. cxd3 Be7 16. Na5 Nf6 17. d4 Nxd5 18. dxe5 Nxe3 19. Qxe3 O-O 20. Nb7 Qc7 21.
Nxd6 Bxd6 22. exd6 Qc2+ 23. Ka1 Rfe8 24. Qd4 Re2 {
Hachian,M-Sadvakasov,D/RUS-Cup3 1996/1/2-1/2 (45)}) 11. Kb1 Be7 (11... Qc7 12.
Nd5 (12. g3 Be7 13. h3 b5 14. Qf2 Qb7 15. Na5 Qc7 16. Nb3 Qb7 17. Na5 Qc7 {
1/2-1/2 Sax,G-Leko,P/HUN-ch 1997/}) 12... Nxd5 13. exd5 Bf5 14. Bd3 Bxd3 15.
Qxd3 Be7 16. Nd2 g6 17. c3 b5 18. h4 Qb7 19. Nb3 Bd8 20. Bg5 Nc5 21. Nxc5 Rxc5
22. f4 O-O 23. g4 {0-1 Wang Zili-Van Wely,L/ST Lee Cup 4th 1997/ (41)}) 12. Nd5
(12. h3 b5 13. Be2 h4 14. a4 b4 15. Na2 a5 16. Bb5 O-O 17. Nac1 Qc7 18. Qf2 Rb8
19. Qxh4 Rxb5 20. axb5 a4 21. Na1 a3 22. Qe1 axb2 23. Kxb2 d5 {
0-1 Porubszky Angyalosine,M-Bacso,G/HUN-chT 1993/ (37)}) 12... Bxd5 {
'N!?' Shirov,A.} (12... Nxd5 13. exd5 Bf5 14. Bd3 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Bg5 16. Rhe1
O-O 17. g3 Bxe3 18. Qxe3 Qc7 19. c3 Nb6 20. Qg5 Nc4 21. Nd2 Qb6 22. Nxc4 Rxc4 {
0-1 Kovacevic,A-Gelfand,B/Investbanka Belgrade/1997 (29)}) (12... Nxd5 {
(Shirov,A) - 71/258}) 13. exd5 Nb6 {'!' Shirov,A.} 14. Bxb6 (14. Qa5 Qc7 (14...
Nc4 {Shirov,A} 15. Qxd8+ Bxd8 $11) 15. c3 Bd8 $13) 14... Qxb6 15. g3 {
'!' Shirov,A.} 15... O-O 16. Bh3 Ra8 $6 {'!' Shirov,A.} (16... Rc7 17. Rhe1)
17. Rhe1 a5 $2 {Svidler is impatient and hopes for a quick counterplay. The
problem is weakening of the white squares.} (17... Rfe8 $14) 18. a4 (18. c4 {
Shirov,A} 18... a4 19. Nd4 exd4 20. Rxe7 Rfe8 $13) 18... Qc7 $6 {'??' Shirov,A.
} (18... Qb4 $5 19. f4 e4 (19... Qxa4 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. d6 Rfd8 22. Nc5 Qc6 23.
Nd7 $1 Rxd7 24. Bxd7 Qxd7 25. dxe7 Qxe7 $13) 20. Qxb4 (20. Qd4 Bd8) 20... axb4
{'!' Shirov,A.} 21. Bf5 (21. a5 Bd8) 21... Rxa4 22. Bxe4) 19. Bf1 $1 {
'+/-' Shirov,A.} 19... Rfc8 20. Bb5 Bf8 21. f4 $1 {White pieces are clearly
more active and black must be very careful in order to avoid great
disadvantage.} (21. c4 $5 {Shirov,A} 21... g6 22. c5 $1 $16) 21... exf4 (21...
e4 22. Re2 Qb6 23. Qd4 Qxd4 24. Rxd4 g6 25. Nd2 $16) 22. gxf4 {'!' Shirov,A.}
22... Qb6 (22... g6 {Shirov,A} 23. f5 $18) 23. Re2 Ne8 (23... Rc7 24. Rde1 Rac8
25. Qd3 $16) 24. f5 {'??' Shirov,A.} (24. Rg2 {Shirov,A} 24... Nc7 25. Bd7 (25.
Bd3 {Shirov,A} 25... Nxd5 26. Bh7+ Kxh7 27. Qxd5 Kg8 28. Qxh5 $16) 25... Rd8
26. Bf5 Re8 27. Rdg1 $18) 24... Nc7 $2 (24... Nf6 25. Rde1 Rc7 26. h3 $14) 25.
f6 $1 {Shirov could have only dreamed about the chance like this. White's
attack will be dangerous, since his pieces can use open g file.} (25. Bc4 {
Shirov,A} 25... Qb4) (25. Bd3 {Shirov,A} 25... Nxd5 (25... Qb4 {Shirov,A} 26.
Qg5 Qg4 $13) 26. Qg5 Re8 27. f6 (27. Rg2 $5 {Shirov,A}) 27... Nxf6 28. Rg2 d5
$13) 25... g6 {'??' Shirov,A.} (25... Nxb5 26. fxg7 $1 (26. axb5 g6 27. Nd4 $16
) 26... Bxg7 27. Rg2 Rc4 $1 (27... Nc7 28. Qh6 Ne8 29. Re1 Kf8 30. Rxg7 $1 Nxg7
31. Qh8#) 28. axb5 $1 (28. Rdg1 Rg4 29. Rxg4 hxg4 30. Rxg4 Nc7) (28. h3 Nc7 {
'!' Shirov,A.} (28... Rxa4 {Shirov,A} 29. Rf1 $3 Rg4 (29... Ra1+ {Shirov,A} 30.
Kxa1 a4 31. Rxg7+ Kxg7 32. Qg5+ Kf8 33. Nc5 $3 dxc5 34. Qxh5 $18) 30. hxg4 h4
31. Rgf2 Rf8 32. Qxa5 $16) 29. Qg5 (29. Rdg1 Ne8 30. Rxg7+ (30. Qh6 $2 Rg4)
30... Nxg7 31. Qg2 Qxg1+ 32. Qxg1 Rxa4 $13) 29... Ne8 30. Re1 Kf8 31. Rxe8+ (
31. Qe7+ {Shirov,A} 31... Kg8 32. Qg5 Kf8 $11) 31... Kxe8 32. Qxg7 Rd8 33. Re2+
Kd7 34. Qxf7+ Kc8 35. Qxh5 Rxa4 $13) 28... Rg4 29. Rxg4 hxg4 30. Qg5 Qxb5 (
30... Kf8 31. Qxg4 Be5 32. Nd4) 31. Qxg4 Qe8 32. Nd4 Qe5 33. c3 $18) 26. Bd7 {
'+-' Shirov,A.} 26... Rd8 27. Be6 $1 {The bishop was already on h3 in the 16th
move, but used quite a different route for landing on the e6 square. Black's
king is now in a hopeless situation.} 27... Re8 (27... fxe6 28. Qg5 (28. dxe6
Nxe6 29. Qd5 Re8 30. Rxe6 Rxe6 31. Qxe6+ Kh8 32. Qf7 $18) 28... Kf7 29. Rg2 Ke8
30. dxe6 Nxe6 31. Qxg6+ Kd7 32. Qf7+ $18 (32. Qf7+ {Petursson} 32... Kc8 33.
Qxe6+ Kb8 34. Qd5 $18)) 28. Qg5 (28. Qg5 Bg7 (28... Nxe6 29. dxe6 Kh7 30. e7
Bh6 31. Qd5 Kg8 32. Rg2 $18) 29. Rg1 (29. Qxg6 Nxe6) 29... Nxe6 30. dxe6 $18)
1-0

[Event "Monaco (rapid)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Anand, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B65"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "RR"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{72/210} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2
Be7 8. O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. f4 Qa5 11. Kb1 (11. Bc4 {- 72/(210)}) 11...
Rd8 (11... h6 {- 72/(210)}) 12. h4 Bd7 13. Bd3 h6 14. e5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Bc6 16.
Qe3 $146 (16. Qf4 {- 71/(207)}) 16... Rxd3 $6 (16... Ng4 $13) 17. Rxd3 hxg5 $2
(17... Ng4) 18. hxg5 Bxg2 19. gxf6 Bxh1 20. Qg1 1-0

[Event "Salamanca ES ch tt"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Romero Holmes, Alfonso"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C17"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. bxa5
dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nbc6 11. f4 Qxa5 12. Rb1 Bd7 13. Nf3 O-O-O 14. Qd3 d4
15. g3 Nf5 16. Bg2 Qc7 17. O-O Na5 18. Bh3 Nc6 19. a4 Nce7 20. Ng5 Rxg5 21.
fxg5 Qxe5 22. Bf4 Qc5 23. Bg2 Nd5 24. Be5 Bxa4 25. g4 Nd6 26. Qxd4 Qxd4+ 27.
Bxd4 Bxc2 28. Rbc1 Be4 29. Bxc3 Bxg2 30. Bd4+ Kd7 31. Kxg2 b6 32. Kf3 a5 33. h4
b5 34. h5 Nc4 35. Rfe1 Nb4 36. Bf6 Rc8 37. h6 Nd5 38. Bg7 Ne7 39. h7 Ng6 40.
Ke2 b4 41. Red1+ 1-0

[Event "Spanish TCh"]
[Site "Salamanca ESP"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Lautier, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. Nd2 Bg5 7. h4 Bh6 8. Qh5
g6 9. Qd1 Nf6 10. h5 Nd4 11. hxg6 hxg6 12. Nb3 Ng4 13. Bxh6 Rxh6 14. Rxh6 Nxh6
15. Qd2 Ng8 16. O-O-O Be6 17. Nxd4 exd4 18. Nd5 Kd7 19. Rh1 Nf6 20. Bb5+ Kc8
21. Nf4 Bd7 22. Bc4 Qe8 23. Nd5 Nxd5 24. Bxd5 Kc7 25. Qa5+ b6 26. Qa6 Bc6 27.
Bxc6 Kxc6 28. a4 Rd8 29. a5 Rd7 30. axb6 axb6 31. Kd2 Qb8 32. Rh7 Kc7 33. b4
Qb7 34. Qa2 Kc8 35. b5 d5 36. Rh8+ Rd8 37. Rxd8+ Kxd8 38. Qxd5+ Qxd5 39. exd5
Kd7 40. c4 dxc3+ 41. Kxc3 Ke7 42. d4 c4 43. d6+ Kxd6 44. Kxc4 Ke6 45. d5+ Ke7
46. Kd4 f6 47. f4 Kd7 48. g4 Kd6 49. Ke4 Ke7 50. g5 Kf7 51. Kd4 1-0

[Event "Spanish TCh"]
[Site "Salamanca ESP"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Korneev, O."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Ba7 7. c4 Nc6 8. Nc3
d6 9. O-O Nf6 10. Kh1 h5 11. Bg5 Qc7 12. Qd2 Bd7 13. Rad1 Ne5 14. Be2 Bc6 15.
f3 O-O-O 16. Nb5 axb5 17. cxb5 Be8 18. Rc1 Bc5 19. Nd4 Kb8 20. b4 b6 21. a4 h4
22. a5 Nh5 23. Bxh4 g5 24. Qxg5 f6 25. Qe3 Qg7 26. g4 Nf4 27. bxc5 Nxe2 28.
Nxe2 Rxh4 29. c6 Rc8 30. Qxb6+ Ka8 31. c7 1-0

[Event "Rubinstein mem"]
[Site "Polanica Zdroj"]
[Date "1998.08.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Krasenkov, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "1998.08.17"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 Qc7 9. f4 Qb6 10. c4 Bb4+ 11. Ke2 f5 12. Nf2 Ba6 13. Kf3 Ne7 14. Be3 Bc5
15. Bxc5 Qxc5 16. Qd6 Qb6 17. b3 c5 18. Be2 $146 (18. Rd1) (18. Kg3) 18... Rc8
(18... Nc6 $142 $13) 19. Rhd1 Rc7 20. Ke3 $1 $14 Bb7 21. Bf3 Bxf3 (21... Nc6
22. Rd2 $5 Nd4 23. Rxd4 cxd4+ 24. Qxd4 $44) 22. gxf3 $5 (22. Qxb6 $1 axb6 23.
gxf3 $14 Nc6 $140 24. Rd6) 22... Qb7 $1 23. Rg1 $1 Rg8 $6 (23... Ng6 24. Rad1
$1 Rc6 (24... Nh4 25. Rg3 g5 26. fxg5 f4+ 27. Kxf4 Rf8+ 28. Kg4 Nxf3 (28...
Rxf3 29. Kxh4 Rxf2 30. h3 Rf4+ 31. Rg4 Rxg4+ 32. hxg4 Qf3 33. Qd2 $16) 29.
Qxf8+ Kxf8 30. Rxf3+ $16) 25. Qd2 Ra6 $5 $14) (23... Rc6 24. Qd2 O-O $5 25.
Rad1 Rd8 $14) 24. h4 Nc6 $6 (24... Ng6 25. h5 Nh8 (25... Nh4 26. Rg3 g5 27.
fxg5 Rxg5 $5 (27... f4+ 28. Kxf4 Rf8+ (28... Nf5 29. Ne4 $18) 29. Kg4 Rxf3 (
29... Nxf3 30. Qxf8+ Kxf8 31. Rxf3+ $18) 30. Qd2 $5 (30. Kxh4 Rxf2 31. Qd3 $16)
30... Rxg3+ 31. Kxg3 Qg2+ 32. Kxh4 Qh2+ 33. Kg4 Qg2+ 34. Kf4 d6 35. g6 hxg6 36.
hxg6 Qxg6 37. Ng4 Qf5+ 38. Kg3 Rg7 39. Qe2 $16) 28. Rag1 $3 (28. Rxg5 Qxf3+ 29.
Kd2 Qxf2+ 30. Kd3 (30. Kc3 Qe3+ 31. Kb2 Qxg5 32. Qxc7 Qd2+ $11) 30... Qf3+ $1
31. Kc2 Qf2+ $1 32. Kb1 Kf7 33. h6 Ng6 $11) 28... f4+ 29. Kxf4 Rf5+ 30. Ke3
Rxf3+ 31. Kd2 $3 (31. Ke2 Rxg3 32. Rxg3 Kf7 $14) 31... Rxg3 (31... Rxf2+ 32.
Ke1 Qe4+ 33. Kxf2 Qc2+ 34. Ke1 Qc1+ 35. Qd1 $18) 32. Rxg3 Kf7 33. Qd3 $1 Nf5
34. Ne4 $1 Rc6 35. Rg1 $16) 26. Rg2 Nf7 27. Qd2 $14) (24... Rc6 25. Qd2 Nc8 $14
) 25. Nd3 $1 Nb4 (25... Nd4 26. Nxc5 Qxf3+ 27. Kxd4 Qf2+ 28. Kc3 Qxc5 29. Qxc5
Rxc5 30. Rad1 $18) 26. Nxb4 cxb4 27. h5 $1 $16 Qb6+ 28. Qd4 $1 (28. Qxb6 axb6
$14) 28... Kf7 29. Rg2 $1 Qc6 30. Rd1 a5 31. Qd6 $1 Qxd6 (31... Re8 32. Rdg1
Rg8 33. Rxg7+ Rxg7 34. Rxg7+ Kxg7 35. Qe7+ Kg8 36. Qe8+ Kg7 37. h6+ Kxh6 38.
Qf8+ Kh5 39. Qf7+ Kh4 40. Qxh7+ Kg3 41. Qg6+ Kh3 42. Kf2 Qc5+ 43. Kf1 $18) 32.
Rxd6 Ra8 33. Rd1 $1 (33. Rb6 $5 $16) 33... Rg8 34. Kd4 $1 Rc6 35. c5 $1 Rc7 (
35... Rgc8 36. Rdg1 Rg8 37. Kc4 $18) 36. Rdg1 Rc6 37. Kc4 Rc7 38. Kb5 Ra7 39.
Ka4 Raa8 40. Rd2 $6 $138 (40. Rd1 $142) 40... Ra7 41. Rd6 Rc8 42. Rc1 Ke7 43.
Rb6 Kd8 (43... Kf7 44. c6 Rxc6 45. Rbxc6 dxc6 46. Rxc6 h6 47. Rd6 $1 Ke7 48.
Kb5 Rb7+ 49. Kxa5 Ra7+ 50. Kxb4 Rxa2 51. Rc6 Kd7 52. Rb6 $18) 44. Rc2 h6 45.
Rb5 Kc7 46. Rg2 $1 (46. Rxa5 $2 Rxa5+ 47. Kxa5 Rb8 $132) 46... Rg8 47. Rb6 $1 (
47. Rxa5 Rxa5+ 48. Kxa5 Rb8 $1 49. Rxg7 Kc6 $132) 47... Raa8 48. Kb5 $5 (48.
Rd6 $18) 48... Ra7 49. c6 g5 $6 (49... dxc6+ 50. Rxc6+ Kd7 51. Rd2+ Ke7 52.
Rdd6 $18) (49... Rb8 50. Rxb8 Kxb8 (50... dxc6+ 51. Kc5 Kxb8 52. Kxc6 $18) 51.
Kc5 Rc7 52. Kd6 dxc6 53. Kxe6 $18) 50. hxg6 dxc6+ 51. Rxc6+ Kd7 52. g7 a4 53.
Rd2+ Ke7 54. Kb6 Rd7 55. Rxd7+ Kxd7 56. Rc7+ 1-0

[Event "Rubinstein mem"]
[Site "Polanica Zdroj"]
[Date "1998.08.23"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Markowski, Tom"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2525"]
[BlackElo "2720"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1998.08.17"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. Nf3 {Ftacnik} 1... d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 Nd7 4. c4 e6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. O-O Ngf6
7. d3 c6 $6 (7... Bc5) 8. Qc2 Bc5 9. e4 O-O 10. h3 {'?!' Ftacnik.  Ftacnik:
'xg3' Ftacnik: 'This move only weakens white position since the g3 pawn
becomes vulnerable.'} (10. Nc3 $14) (10. Nbd2 {Ftacnik}) 10... Bh5 11. Nbd2 $6
(11. Nc3) 11... dxe4 $1 12. dxe4 Re8 13. b3 $6 Qe7 $1 $15 14. Bb2 (14. Nh4 Qe5
15. Nf5 Qxa1 16. Bb2 Qxa2 17. Ra1 Qxa1+ 18. Bxa1 Bf8 $15) (14. Re1 {Ftacnik}
14... Bg6 15. Nh4 Qe5 $1 16. Bb2 Qxg3 17. Qxc5 Qxh4 $17) 14... Nxe4 $1 {
'!?' Ftacnik.  Ftacnik: 'A truly fascinating move based on a deepunderstanding
of the position and a razor sharp calculation.'} 15. Rae1 (15. Nxe4 Qxe4 16.
Qc3 Nf6 $1 $17 {'!' Ftacnik.} (16... f6 $1 {Ftacnik} 17. Rfe1 Qb4 $17) (16...
Nf6 17. Ng5 Qf5 18. Ne4 Be7 19. g4 Bxg4 20. hxg4 Qxg4 21. Rae1 $13)) 15... Bg6
$1 (15... Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nxd2 17. Rxe7 (17. Qxd2 Qd6 18. Qxd6 Bxd6 19. Rd1 Ne5
20. Bxe5 Bxe5 21. Rd7 Rab8 22. Re1 $44) 17... Nxf3+ 18. Kg2 Nh4+ 19. gxh4 Bxe7
$13) 16. Nh4 $1 (16. Nxe4 Bxe4 17. Qc3 Qf8 $17 18. Rxe4 $140 Rxe4 19. Ng5 Re5)
16... Bxf2+ $5 (16... Nxg3 $5 17. Rxe7 $1 (17. Nxg6 $2 Qg5 $1 18. Qd3 Nxf1 19.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Qxd7 Rd8 21. Ne4 Bxf2+ 22. Kxf1 Qb5+ 23. Kxf2 Rxd7 $19) 17...
Bxc2 18. Rxd7 Nxf1 (18... Rad8 $2 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Re1 $18) 19. Nxf1 Rad8 $5
20. Rxb7 Re2 21. Ne3 Be4 $1 22. Bc3 (22. Bxe4 $2 Bxe3 $19) 22... Bxe3 23. fxe3
Rxa2 24. Bd4 Rxg2+ 25. Nxg2 c5 26. Re7 Bxg2 27. Bxg7 Bxh3 $15) (16... Nxf2 $2
17. Rxe7 Bxc2 18. Rxd7 Rad8 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. b4 $16) 17. Rxf2 Nxf2 18. Rxe7
Bxc2 19. Rxd7 $1 (19. Rxe8+ $2 Rxe8 20. Kxf2 Nc5 $17) 19... Rad8 $1 (19... Nd1
20. Nc4 $1 $132) 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Nc4 $1 (21. Kxf2 $5 Rxd2+ 22. Ke1 (22. Ke3
$2 Rd3+ 23. Kf2 Bxb3 $19) 22... Rd8 $15) 21... Nd3 (21... Nd1 $5) 22. Ba3 b5 $6
(22... Bb1 $5 $15) 23. Na5 $2 (23. Ne3 $1 Bxb3 (23... b4 24. Nxc2 bxa3 25. Bxc6
) (23... Bb1 {Ftacnik} 24. Be7 Re8 25. Nhf5 Ne5 26. Bc5 Bxa2 27. b4 $15) 24.
Be7 (24. axb3 b4 25. Bxb4 Nxb4 26. Bf1 $13) 24... Rd7 (24... Re8 25. Nhf5) 25.
Nhf5 Bd5 26. Nxd5 cxd5 27. Bf1 Ne5 28. Bxb5 Rb7 $11) 23... b4 $1 $19 {
'!!' Ftacnik.  Ftacnik: 'Yet another fascinating combination with a clear cut
motive- the a3 pawn will be close to the promotion square.'} 24. Nxc6 $8 bxa3
25. Nxd8 Nb4 $1 (25... Bxb3 26. Nf5 Bxa2 27. Nd4 $13) 26. Nf3 Nxa2 27. Nc6 Be4
$1 (27... Nc1 $17) 28. Nfd4 Bxc6 29. Nxc6 a5 $1 (29... Nc1 30. Nb4 a2 31. Nxa2
Nxa2 $17) 30. b4 (30. Nxa5 Nb4 $19) 30... axb4 $19 0-1

[Event "Rubinstein mem"]
[Site "Polanica Zdroj"]
[Date "1998.08.26"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Rublevsky, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "1998.08.17"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Ribli} 1... c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Bd3 Nf6 7.
f4 b5 {Ribli: 'Weis hat Entwicklungsvorsprung und Ubergewicht im Zentrum.
Schwarz kann aber anderseits seine Entwicklung in Abhangigkeit vom weisen
Spiel beenden. Ribli.'} (7... Bb4 {Ribli} 8. Bd2 d6 9. Nb3 Nbd7 10. a3 Bxc3 11.
Bxc3 b6 12. Qe2 Bb7 13. O-O-O O-O 14. Rhe1 Rfe8 15. g4 $40 {
1-0 Hall,J-Chuchelov,V/BL2-W 9798 (42)}) 8. e5 {
'!' Ribli.  Ribli: 'Mit diesem Vorstos reist Weis die Initiative an sich.'} (8.
a3 {Ribli} 8... Bb7 9. Qe2 (9. Be3 b4 10. axb4 Bxb4 11. O-O Bxc3 12. bxc3 Bxe4
13. Bxe4 Nxe4 14. f5 Qxc3 15. Qf3 Nd2 16. Bxd2 Qxd4+ 17. Be3 Qd5 18. Qg3 $36 {
1-0 Prandstetter,E-Langner,L/CSR 1992 (41)}) 9... d6 10. Nf3 Nbd7 11. O-O Be7
12. Kh1 O-O 13. Bd2) 8... b4 9. Ne4 Nxe4 (9... Nd5 {Ribli} 10. O-O $14 (10. Qg4
$5)) 10. Bxe4 Bb7 11. Qf3 Nc6 $5 $146 (11... Ra7) 12. Nxc6 (12. Nb3 $2 Nxe5) (
12. Be3 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 Bxe4 14. Qxe4 Rc8 $11) 12... Bxc6 13. Bxc6 Qxc6 (13...
dxc6 $5) (13... dxc6 $5 {Ribli}) 14. Qxc6 dxc6 {Ribli: 'Wir haben eigentlich
eine Endspielstellung. Ware der schwarze b-Bauer auf b5, konnte Schwarz
zufrieden sein. Auf b4 hingegen ist der Bauer schwach und Weis kann die
Stellung mit a3 oder c3 sprengen.'} 15. Ke2 $5 {'+/=!' Ribli.} (15. a3 bxa3 16.
b3 O-O-O (16... Bb4+ $5 17. Ke2 O-O-O 18. Bxa3 Rd2+ 19. Ke3 Bc3 20. Bd6 Rxc2
21. Rxa6 Kb7 22. Ra4 Rxg2 23. Kd3 Bb2 24. Rb4+ Ka6 $11) 17. Bxa3 Bxa3 18. Rxa3
Kb7 19. Ke2 Rd4 20. Ke3 Rhd8 21. Rha1 Rd2 $11 (21... Rd2 {Ribli} 22. Rxa6 Rxc2
$11)) (15. Be3) 15... O-O-O (15... Bc5 16. a3 bxa3 17. b3 $14) 16. Be3 Rd5 (
16... Be7 $1 17. Rhc1 Rd5 18. c3 bxc3 19. Rxc3 Kd7 20. Rac1 Rc8 $14 {Ribli: 'We
is hat die bessere Bauernstruktur, aber Schwarz kann seine Schwachen halten.'})
17. c3 $6 (17. c4 $1 Rd7 (17... bxc3 18. bxc3 $14) 18. a3 a5 19. c5 $1 $40 {
'|^!' Ribli.  Ribli: 'Und der schwarze Damenflugel ist schwach.'}) 17... bxc3
$6 (17... Be7 $142 18. cxb4 Bxb4 19. Rhc1 Kd7 20. Rc4 Be7 $14) 18. bxc3 Rb5 (
18... Be7 19. c4 Rd7 20. Rab1 Rb7 21. Rxb7 Kxb7 22. Rb1+ Kc7 23. Bb6+ Kc8 (
23... Kd7 24. Rd1+ Kc8 25. Kf3 $14) 24. Kf3 $1 $14) 19. Rab1 Be7 20. c4 Rb4 (
20... Rxb1 21. Rxb1 Bd8 $6 {'+/=' Ribli.} (21... Kc7 $14) (21... Kc7 $14 {Ribli
}) 22. Bc5 $1 Bc7 23. Bd6 $1 $16) 21. Rxb4 Bxb4 22. Rb1 a5 23. Bb6 $6 (23. Rb3
$1 Rd8 24. a3 Be7 25. Rb6 Bxa3 (25... Kc7 26. Ra6 Rb8 27. Rxa5 Rb2+ 28. Kd1
Rxg2 29. Ra7+ Kd8 30. Bb6+ Ke8 31. a4 $1 $18 Rxh2 $140 32. a5 h5 33. a6 Ra2 34.
Ra8+ Kd7 35. c5 h4 36. a7 h3 37. Rh8 h2 38. Rxh2 {
Ribli: 'Und der a-Bauer gewinnt die Partie.Ribli.'}) 26. Rxc6+ Kd7 27. Ra6 Bb4
28. Bb6 Rc8 29. Ra7+ Kc6 (29... Ke8 30. Kd3 $18) 30. Bxa5 Bxa5 31. Rxa5 $16) (
23. c5 $2 Rd8 $1 24. Rb3 Rd5) 23... c5 $1 (23... f6 $2 24. c5 $1 fxe5 25. Rb3
exf4 26. a3 $18) 24. a3 Bxa3 25. Bxa5 {Ribli: 'Wir haben eine vollig
symmetrische Bauernstellung, aber der weise Turm ist sehr aktiv.'} 25... Re8 (
25... Bb4 $142 26. Bxb4 cxb4 27. Rxb4 Rd8 $16) 26. Kd2 $1 (26. Ra1 $2 Bb2 $11)
(26. Rb3 $2 Bc1 27. g3 Re7 28. Kd1 Ra7 29. Bb6 (29. Rb5 {Ribli} 29... Be3)
29... Ra1 30. Kc2 Ba3 $11) 26... Re7 {
Ribli: 'Schwarz mochte seinen Turm aktivieren.'} 27. Rb3 Rd7+ 28. Kc2 Bb4 29.
Bxb4 cxb4 30. Rxb4 $16 {Ribli: 'Weis besitzt einen Mehrbauern, aber im
Turmendspiel reicht das nicht immer zum Gewinn aus.'} 30... Rd4 {Ribli: 'Seine
aktive Turmstellung bietet dem Schwarzen gewisse Rettungschancen.'} 31. g3 g5
$2 {Ribli: 'Dieser scheinbar aktive Zug beschleunigt den Verlust..'} (31... h5
$16) 32. Kc3 $1 Re4 33. Kd3 $1 Re1 34. fxg5 {Ribli: 'Der weise g5-Bauer ist
der Stolz der weisen Stellung. Er druckt auf den Konigsflugel.'} (34. c5 {Ribli
} 34... Kc7 35. Kc4 Rh1) 34... Rxe5 35. Rb5 $1 Re1 36. Rb2 $1 $18 {'!' Ribli.}
36... Rf1 37. Ke3 {Ribli: 'Weis bereitet den Zug 38.Re2 vor.'} 37... Re1+ (
37... Kd7 {Ribli} 38. Rb8) 38. Re2 Ra1 39. Rf2 Ra7 40. Rf6 (40. Rf4 $142) (40.
Kf4 $5 Kd8 41. Kg4 $18) 40... Rc7 41. Kd4 Rd7+ 42. Ke5 {
Ribli: 'Weis hat wegen seiner viel aktiveren Figuren gute Gewinnchancen.'}
42... Rc7 43. Rf4 (43. Rh6 $5 $18) 43... Kd8 44. Kf6 Ke8 45. h4 {
Ribli: 'Weis mobilisiert seine Reserven.'} 45... Kf8 46. Rd4 {
Ribli: 'Es droht einzugiges Matt auf d8.'} 46... Ke8 (46... Rc8 {Ribli} 47. Rd7
) 47. g4 Rc6 48. Kg7 {
Ribli: 'Das Eindringen des Konigs entscheidet die Partie.'} 48... e5 $5 49. Re4
Rg6+ $1 (49... Re6 {Ribli} 50. Kxh7 $18) 50. Kxh7 Kf8 51. Rxe5 Rg7+ 52. Kh6
Rg6+ (52... Rg8 53. g6 Rxg6+ 54. Kh5 $18) 53. Kh5 Rg8 {
Ribli: 'Es droht 54...Rh8 Matt!'} (53... Rc6 {Ribli} 54. c5 Kg7 55. g6 fxg6+ (
55... Rxg6 56. Rg5) 56. Kg5) 54. g6 f6 55. g7+ Rxg7 56. Rc5 Rh7+ 57. Kg6 Rxh4
58. Kxf6 1-0

[Event "Olm"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Blatny, Pavel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "Blatny,P"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1998.09.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

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 Nd7 11. c3 (11. axb5 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. Nf1 Nc5 14.
Bd5 Ne6 15. Ng3 $14 {Shirov,A-Anand,V/Monaco/1997/}) 11... Nc5 12. Bc2 (12.
axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8 14. Bc2 Ne6 (14... Bf6 15. b4 Ne6 16. Nf1 Bb7 17. Ne3
g6 18. Bb3 Bg7 19. h4 Bc8 20. h5 $1 $40 {Kasparov,G-Short,N/London (m7)/1993})
15. b4 Ng5 16. Bb3 Bf6 17. Nf1 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 g6 19. Ne3 Bg5 20. g3 h5 21. h4
Bh6 22. Nd5 Bxc1 {/\Kg7= Zagrebelny,S-Blatny,P/Moscow olm/1994}) 12... Nxa4 13.
Bxa4 bxa4 14. Qxa4 Kh8 $1 {
^^:><Pa6 Heute bin ich uberzeugt, dass diese Fortsetzung starker ist als} (
14... Qc8 $6 {Almasi,Z-Blatny,P/AUT-tch/1998/ was geschah in meiner Partie
gegen Almasi in der Oesterreichischen Staatsliga.}) 15. Nc4 (15. d4 exd4 16.
cxd4 d5 17. e5 Nb4 $132 {Korneev,O-Giorgadze,G/Anibal op/ 1997/}) 15... f5 16.
Ne3 (16. exf5 $6 Rxf5 17. Ne3 Rf4 18. Qb3 Rb8 19. Nd5 Rg4 $13) 16... fxe4 $146
{Erste kritische Entscheidung und Abweichung von der bekannten Partie
Anand-Timman. Meiner Meinung nach soll man die Stellung offenhalten.} (16... f4
17. Nd5 g5 18. h3 h5 (18... Rg8 $5 $132 {Timman}) 19. Qd1 $5 g4 $140 $2 20. Nh2
$1 f3 21. hxg4 hxg4 22. Nxg4 fxg2 23. Kxg2 $18) 17. dxe4 Qe8 $1 (17... Bg5 18.
Nxg5 (18. Nd5 Bxc1 19. Raxc1 Ne7 20. Rcd1 $13) 18... Qxg5 19. Nd5 $14) 18. Nf5
Bd8 {Mit diesem und weiteren zwei Zuegen wollte ich einfach zuviel und wich
daher von eventuellen Ausgleichsfortsetzungen ab.} (18... Qg6 $5 19. Nxe7 Nxe7
20. Qb4 $5 Rab8 (20... Rxf3 $2 21. Qxb7 Raf8 22. Be3 $18) 21. Nxe5 $1 dxe5 22.
Qxe7 Bxe4 23. Qg5 Qxg5 24. Bxg5 Bd3 25. b4 {+/=/= _|_^-}) 19. Bg5 g6 (19... h6
20. Bxd8 Nxd8 21. Qxe8 Rxe8 $14 {_|_}) (19... Bxg5 $5 20. Nxg5 Qg6 (20... Bc8)
21. Nf3 Nd8 $1 {/\Ne6}) 20. Ne3 $1 (20. Bxd8 gxf5 $1 21. Bxc7 Qd7 22. Bb6 Rf6
$1 $44 {/\Rg8,Rh6}) 20... Kg7 $6 (20... Bxg5 $142 $1 21. Nxg5 Qe7 $132 {
/\Nd8-e6-f4,c5}) (20... Rxf3 21. Bxd8 Rf7 (21... Rxe3 $4 22. Bf6+ $18) 22. Bg5
$14 {><f6-g5-h6}) 21. Nd5 Qf7 22. Be3 h6 23. c4 $6 (23. Nd2 $142 Ne7 24. c4 $14
) 23... g5 $1 24. c5 Ne7 (24... g4 25. Nd2 Bg5 26. Qd1 Bxe3 27. fxe3 Kh8 $132 {
/\Qf2-d2}) 25. Nc3 {/\Qb4} 25... Qe6 26. Rad1 $6 (26. cxd6 cxd6 27. Rad1) 26...
Bc6 $1 27. Qc2 (27. Qa3 $2 Rxf3 28. gxf3 Ng6 $40 {/\Qh3,Nh4}) 27... Ng6 $1 {
Wahrend der Partie dachte ich, ich habe eine vielversprechendeQualitatsopfermog
lichkeit versaumt, aber in die Analyse fand ich, dass der Partiezug die besten
Chancen gibt.} (27... Rxf3 28. gxf3 Ng6 29. Kh1 Qh3 30. Qe2 Nh4 31. Rg1 Nxf3
32. Rg2 $16) 28. Nd2 h5 $5 (28... Be7 29. Nf1 dxc5 30. Ng3) 29. cxd6 cxd6 30.
Nf1 h4 31. Qd2 h3 32. Ng3 $1 {In diese Partiephase spielte Alexei einfach
hervorragend und entdeckte auch mit kurzer restlicher Bedenkzeit alle Gefahren.
} (32. Bxg5 hxg2) (32. Qxd6 Qg4 (32... Qc8 33. Ng3 Be7) 33. Ng3 Rf6 34. f3 Rxd6
35. fxg4 Rxd1 36. Rxd1 hxg2 $14) 32... hxg2 33. Qxd6 Qc8 $5 (33... Qxd6 34.
Rxd6 Nh4 (34... Rc8 35. Nf5+ Kh7 36. Ra1 a5 $14) 35. Ra1 (35. Rxc6 Nf3+ 36.
Kxg2 Nxe1+ 37. Kf1 Nd3 $17) 35... Be8 36. Raxa6 Rb8 37. Nf5+ Nxf5 38. exf5 Rxf5
39. Kxg2 Bc7 40. Rd2 $16) (33... Qh3 $4 34. Qxc6 Nh4 35. Qd7+ $18) 34. Nd5 $1 {
Wieder die richtige Entscheidung. Jetzt ist die kritische Stellung entstanden.
Leider spielte meine fehlende Erfahrung mit der "Fischer-Uhr" eine wichtige
Rolle. Statt alles genau durchzurechnen, hat mich Alexei's hangendes Blattchen 
dazu verlockt, schnell "auf Zeit" zu ziehen... Hier aber bekommt jeder 30 sec
pro Zug!} (34. Nf5+ Rxf5 35. exf5 Nh4 $44 36. Nd5 $2 Qxf5 $1 37. Qxc6 Nf3+ $1 (
37... Qh3 38. f4 $1) 38. Kxg2 Qg4+ 39. Kh1 Qh3 40. Bf4 $8 exf4 41. Qb7+ Kf8 $8
(41... Kg6 $2 42. Nxf4+ $1 gxf4 43. Rg1+ $18) 42. Qb4+ Kf7 43. Qb7+ (43. Re7+
Bxe7 44. Qxe7+ Kg8 45. Nf6+ Kh8 46. Rd8+ $8 Rxd8 47. Qxd8+ Kg7 48. Ne8+ Kf7 49.
Nd6+ Kg6 50. Qg8+ Kf6 (50... Kh5 $4 51. Qh7+ Kg4 52. Qd7+ Kh4 53. Nf5+ Kh5 54.
Qh7+ Kg4 55. Nh6+ Kh4 56. Ng8+ Kg4 57. Nf6#) 51. Qd8+ Kg7 (51... Ke5 $2 52.
Nf7+ Ke4 53. Nxg5+ Nxg5 54. Qxg5 $16) (51... Kg6 52. Qg8+ $11) 52. Qe7+ Kh6 53.
Qf6+ Kh7 (53... Kh5 $4 54. Qf7+ $18) 54. Qf7+ Kh8 55. Qf8+ $11) 43... Kf8 $11)
34... Ba4 $2 {Mit richtigem} (34... Nh4 $142 $1 {
ist die Stellung immer noch sehr unklar, z.B.:} 35. Qxe5+ $140 $6 (35. Nf5+
Rxf5 36. exf5 Qxf5 37. Qxc6 Nf3+ 38. Kxg2 Qg4+ 39. Kh1 Qh3 40. Bf4 exf4 41.
Qb7+ Kf8 $11) (35. Re2 $2 Qh3 $1 $19) 35... Kf7 $1 $13) (34... Bxd5 35. Nf5+ $1
(35. Rxd5 Nh4 36. Rc1 Qh3 37. Qd7+ Qxd7 38. Rxd7+ $14) 35... Kh7 36. Rxd5 $18)
35. Nf5+ $1 Rxf5 36. Rc1 $1 Bc2 $2 {Nach diesem Fehler ist alles gelaufen. Ich
ubersah den 38. Zug von Weiss. Ich sollte besser versuchen die Damen zu
tauschen, was gute praktische Rettungschancen bietet.} (36... Qd7 $142 37.
Qxd7+ Bxd7 38. exf5 Nh4 39. Red1 Bxf5 40. f3 Rb8 $1 {+/-/+/= _|_} (40... Nxf3+
41. Kxg2 $16)) 37. exf5 Qxf5 38. Bd2 $1 $18 (38. Bb6 Nh4 39. Re3 $18) 38... Nh4
39. Re3 $1 (39. Qxe5+ Qxe5 40. Rxe5 Nf3+ 41. Kxg2 Nxe5 42. Rxc2 Kg6 $16) 39...
Rc8 (39... Nf3+ 40. Rxf3 Qxf3 41. Bc3 (41. Nc7 Bb3 42. Nxa8 Qxa8 43. Qd7+ Bf7
44. Rc8 $18) 41... Be4 42. Qxe5+ Kf7 43. Re1 $18) 40. Bc3 Kh7 41. Qxe5 Qxe5 42.
Bxe5 Rc5 (42... Bf5 43. Rxc8 Bxc8 44. Bc7 $18) 43. Nb4 Bb6 44. Nxc2 Rxe5 45.
Rxe5 Nf3+ 46. Kxg2 Nxe5 47. Ne3 Nd3 48. Rc6 Bd4 49. b3 1-0

[Event "Olm"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Pelletier, Yannick"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B63"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2525"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1998.09.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Gofshtein,L} 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5
e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8. O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 a6 10. f4 b5 11. Be2 Bb7 12. Bf3 Rc8 13.
Bxf6 gxf6 14. f5 (14. Kb1 O-O 15. f5 Rc4 16. Qd3 Qc7 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Ne2 Rc5
19. Nd4 Re5 20. Rhe1 Re8 21. Bg4 Bf8 22. Nf3 Rc5 {
0-1 Ivanov,A-Zamora,J/USA-ch  G1 1997 (33)}) 14... Rc4 (14... Rc5 15. Kb1 Qc7
16. Qd2 h5 17. fxe6 fxe6 18. Ne2 Bf8 19. Nf4 Kf7 20. Qe2 h4 21. Rhf1 Be7 22.
Bh5+ Rcxh5 23. Nxh5 Qc4 24. Qxc4 bxc4 25. Nxf6 $1 $16 {
1-0 Kreiman,B-Mainka,R/Bad Zwesten op 1998 (44)}) 15. Qd3 Qc7 (15... Rg8 16. h4
(16. Ne2 Qa5 17. Kb1 $14) 16... Qc7 17. g4 $14) 16. fxe6 (16. Ne2 {Gofshtein,L}
16... Qc5 17. Kb1 Qe5 18. Nd4 Bd8 19. Rhf1 Rg8 20. g3 Bb6 21. c3 $132) 16...
fxe6 17. Ne2 {The knight will have better prospects on the square, from which
it will attack the critical point of black's pawn structure- pawn e6.} (17. Bg4
Bc8 $1 (17... f5 18. Bh5+ Kf8 19. exf5 b4 20. Be2 Bg5+ 21. Kb1 Rf4 22. g3 Rxf5
23. Ne4 d5 24. Nxg5 Rxg5 25. Qd2 $16) 18. Bh5+ Kd8 $13) 17... Qc5 18. Kb1 Qe5 (
18... Qg5 {Gofshtein,L} 19. Nd4 Qe5 $132) 19. Nd4 h5 (19... Rg8 20. Rhe1 Kd7
21. g3 $14) 20. Rhe1 Kd7 {'+/-?' Gofshtein,L.} (20... Rg8 {Gofshtein,L} 21. g3
Bf8 22. Bg2 Rc7 (22... h4 23. Bh3 hxg3 24. Nf3 Qh5 25. Bxe6 $16) 23. Bh3 Bc8
24. Nf3 Qc5 25. Nd4 Qe5 $132) (20... Bf8 {Gofshtein,L} 21. g3 Bg7 22. Nf5 $1
$16) 21. g3 Rg8 (21... Bd8 22. Bg2 Ba5 23. Nf3 Qc5 24. Re2 $14) 22. Bg2 Rg4 $2
{Pelletier has a good idea of pressing against e4 pawn, but white can dance
around with the knight and disturb the coordination of enemy's pieces.} (22...
Bd8 23. Bh3 Re8 24. Nf3 Qc5 25. Nd2 Rb4 26. a3 Ra4 27. Bg2 $14) 23. Nf3 (23.
Bh3 Bxe4 24. Qe3 (24. Bxg4 Bxd3 25. Rxe5 hxg4 (25... fxe5 26. Bxe6+ Ke8 27.
Bxc4 $18) 26. Re3 Rxd4 27. cxd3 f5 $11) 24... f5 $5 (24... Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Bxc2+
26. Kxc2 Rxd4 27. Bxe6+ Kd8 (27... Kxe6 28. Qb3+ Rc4+ 29. Kd1 d5 30. Rxe5+ fxe5
$13) 28. Qc3 Qc5 $11) 25. Bxg4 hxg4 $15) 23... Qc5 24. Nd2 Ra4 (24... Rd4 $2
25. Nb3 $18) (24... Rb4 25. a3 Ra4 26. Bh3 $18) 25. Bh3 Rg5 (25... Rg8 26. Qb3
$18 {xe6}) 26. Nf3 $1 (26. Qb3 Re5 27. Nf3 Raxe4 28. Nxe5+ Qxe5 29. Rxe4 Bxe4
$16) 26... Rg7 27. Nd4 Rxd4 {'+-?' Gofshtein,L.  Admitting the defeat, but
losing the nerve center on e6 would be even worse.} (27... Rg4 28. Bxg4 hxg4
29. Nb3 Qe5 30. Nd2 $16) (27... Rg4 $142 {Gofshtein,L}) 28. Qxd4 Qxd4 29. Rxd4
Rg5 30. a4 $1 Re5 (30... bxa4 31. Rxa4 Re5 32. Bg2 $16) 31. axb5 axb5 32. Bg2
f5 33. Kc1 $1 d5 (33... fxe4 34. Bxe4 d5 35. Kd1 $18) 34. Kd1 {
The rook on e1 is supported and white pieces are now well coordinated.} 34...
Bf6 (34... fxe4 35. Bxe4 Bf6 36. Rf1 $1 Ke7 37. Bd3 $18) 35. Rd3 fxe4 36. Bxe4
(36. Rxe4 Rxe4 37. Bxe4 Bxb2 38. Bf3 $18) 36... b4 37. Rf3 Ke7 38. Ref1 (38.
Bg6 Rg5 (38... Rxe1+ 39. Kxe1 h4 40. Rb3 $18) 39. Bf5 e5 40. Bh3 $16) 38...
dxe4 39. Rxf6 Ba6 40. Rf7+ Kd6 (40... Ke8 41. R1f4 e3 42. Ra7 (42. Rf8+ Ke7 43.
R4f7+ Kd6 44. Rd8+ Kc6 $16) 42... Ra5 43. Rxa6 Rxa6 44. Rxb4 $18) 41. R1f4 e3 (
41... Rd5+ 42. Ke1 Ke5 43. Re7 e3 (43... Ra5 44. Kd2 $1) 44. Rxb4 (44. Rh7 $6
Rd2 45. Rxh5+ Kd6 46. Rxb4 Re2+ 47. Kd1 Rd2+ 48. Kc1 Be2 $19) 44... Ra5 45. Rd7
$18) 42. Rxb4 Ra5 (42... e2+ 43. Ke1 Ra5 44. Rb6+ Kc5 45. Rxa6 Rxa6 46. Kxe2
$18) 43. Rb6+ Ke5 44. Rxa6 $1 {
A nice tactical meassure, white transposes in to clearly won rook endgame.}
44... Rxa6 45. Ke2 Rc6 (45... Rb6 46. b3 Rc6 47. c4 Rb6 48. Rf3 $1 $18) 46. c3
Rb6 47. b4 Rc6 48. Rf3 $1 Kd5 (48... Rxc3 49. Rxe3+ Rxe3+ 50. Kxe3 $18) (48...
Kd5 49. Kd3 e2 50. Re3 $18) 1-0

[Event "Match"]
[Site "Ostrava"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Hracek, Zbynek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1998.11.14"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Lukacs} 1... c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 Qb6 {
Lukacs: 'Can't be good, can't be good.'} 5. Nf3 e6 6. Be2 Nd7 7. O-O Ne7 8. b3
a6 $5 $146 (8... c5 {Lukacs See Shirov-Hracek, Ostrava (mc) 1998 CBM 68}) 9.
Na4 (9. Ba3 $2 {Lukacs} 9... Qa5 10. Na4 b5) 9... Qc7 10. c4 {Lukacs: 'Black's
position doesn't seem healthy, and it is not advisable to play this passive
line against a phantastic attacking player like Shirov!'} (10. Ba3 {Lukacs}
10... Ng6) 10... b5 (10... h6 {Lukacs} 11. c5 $16) 11. Nc3 bxc4 12. bxc4 dxc4
13. Bxc4 Nd5 (13... c5 $2 {Lukacs} 14. d5 $18) (13... Nb6 {Lukacs} 14. Bb3 Ned5
(14... c5 $2 {Lukacs} 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Na4 $18) 15. Na4 $14) 14. Bd2 N7b6 (
14... Be7 $5) (14... Nxc3 {Lukacs} 15. Bxc3 Be7 16. Qd2 Nb6 17. Bb3 $14) 15.
Bb3 Nxc3 (15... Be7 $5 16. Rc1 Qd7) 16. Bxc3 Nd5 (16... Be7 $2 {Lukacs} 17. Ba5
$1 $16) (16... c5 $2 {Lukacs} 17. Ba5 $16) 17. Bd2 $1 Be7 18. Rc1 O-O 19. Bxd5
$1 {Lukacs: 'After this strategically good exchange the Black's P structure
with the backward c P becomes vulnerable.'} (19. Ba4 c5 (19... Rfc8 $5 20. Bxc6
Qxc6 21. Rxc6 Rxc6 $44) 20. dxc5 Bd3 (20... Bxc5 21. Nd4 $1) (20... Bxc5 {
Lukacs}) 21. Re1 Bxc5 $13) 19... exd5 20. Qa4 Rfc8 $1 (20... Bd3 21. Rfe1 $1 (
21. Rxc6 $2 Qb7) 21... Bb5 (21... Bc4 22. Bb4) 22. Qc2 $14) 21. Bb4 {
'+/-' Lukacs.} 21... Bd8 (21... Bxb4 {Lukacs} 22. Qxb4 $16 {is a good exchange
for White from strategical point of view, because Black remains with his bad B
against the good N and the weaknesses on the dark squares begin to tell.}) 22.
Rc3 $14 (22. Nd2 {Lukacs allows the activization of the B :} 22... Bd3) 22...
Qb6 (22... Qb7 $142) 23. Rfc1 (23. Bd6 {Lukacs} 23... Qb5 24. Qa3) 23... Qb5
24. Qa3 Qb7 25. Bd6 {'!' Lukacs.} (25. Ba5 {Lukacs is certainly met by} 25...
Be7 {avoiding the exchange of the dark-squared B.}) (25. Nd2 {
Lukacs allows the nasty pin after} 25... Bg5) 25... a5 $1 26. Rb3 {'!' Lukacs.}
(26. Qa4 {Lukacs} 26... Qb5) 26... Qa6 27. Be7 {
Lukacs: 'chasing the B all the time!'} 27... a4 28. Rb2 $1 (28. Re3 Bb6) (28.
Rbc3 Ba5) 28... Bc7 (28... Bb6 $1) 29. h3 {Lukacs: 'This is a healthy
prophilaction securing the white K against back rank motifs.'} 29... Rab8 $6 (
29... h6 $5) 30. Rxb8 Bxb8 31. Bd6 Ba7 32. Bc5 $1 Bb8 {
Lukacs: 'no exchange, please!'} 33. Bd6 Ba7 34. Bc5 Bb8 35. Nh4 $1 {
'+-!' Lukacs.} 35... Be4 36. f3 Bd3 $6 (36... Bg6 37. Nxg6 hxg6 38. Rb1 Bc7 $14
) 37. Rd1 Bc2 $6 38. Rd2 $16 Bb1 (38... Qc4 39. Qb2 Bd3 40. Qb7 Rd8 (40... Qa6
41. Qd7 $1 Bg6 42. Nxg6 hxg6 43. Rb2 Bc7 44. Rb4 $18) 41. Qe7 Rc8 42. Kh2 $1 (
42. Qd7 $2 Qc1+ 43. Kh2 Ba6) 42... Qc3 43. Rxd3 Qxd3 44. Qd7 Qa6 45. Nf5 $18) (
38... Bg6 $16) 39. Rb2 Bd3 (39... Qd3 {
Lukacs leaves the seventh rank unattended:} 40. Qxd3 Bxd3 41. Rb7 Ba6 42. Rd7)
40. Rb4 $1 $18 Bb5 {Lukacs: 'Finally the B has left the b1-h7 /^, after which
the N penetrates on f5 with a great effect.'} (40... g5 41. Rxa4 Qb5 42. Rb4)
41. Nf5 {'!' Lukacs.} 41... Re8 42. Qe3 h6 (42... Qb7 43. Qg5 f6 44. Rxb5 {
'!' Lukacs.} (44. exf6 $2 {Lukacs} 44... Re1+ 45. Kf2 Re2+) 44... cxb5 45. exf6
) 43. Qf4 Qb7 (43... Kh7 {Lukacs} 44. Nxh6 $1) (43... Kh8 {Lukacs} 44. Qg4 Rg8
45. Qh5) 44. Qg4 f6 45. Qg6 Qd7 {Lukacs: '#'} 46. Rxb5 cxb5 47. exf6 1-0

[Event "Match"]
[Site "Ostrava"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Hracek, Zbynek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1998.11.14"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Lukacs: 'Ftacnik'} 1... c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 Qb6 {Lukacs: 'This
idea doesn't seem too healthy to me. The Q can be chased away by Na4 and c2-c4
will come with a tempo plus.'} 5. Nf3 e6 6. Be2 Nd7 (6... Ne7 7. O-O Nd7 {
- 6...Nd7}) (6... c5 $6 7. O-O Nd7 {- 6...Nd7}) (6... Bg4 7. O-O Ne7 (7... Bxf3
8. Bxf3 Ne7 9. Na4 Qa5 $6 (9... Qc7 $142) 10. b3 {This is White's play anyway.}
10... Nf5 11. c4 b5 $2 {
opening up the position without finishing development is a risky business.} (
11... Nd7) 12. cxb5 cxb5 13. Nb2 Qc3 14. a4 b4 15. Be3 $1 {
This is a nice move finishing development at any rate.} 15... Nxe3 16. fxe3
Qxe3+ (16... Qxb2 17. Rc1 $1 {is the tactical explanation.} 17... Nd7 18. Rf2
Qa3 19. Ra1 $18) 17. Kh1 Be7 18. Rc1 O-O 19. Rc7 Bg5 20. Bg4 $1 a5 21. Rfxf7 $1
$18 {Sherzer-Watson, New York (op) 1987}) 8. Na4 $1 Qc7 9. b3 Nd7 10. c4 {
The position resembles the Gurgenidze System, where White has similar plans.} (
10. Ba3 Ng6) 10... Ng6 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 b5 (12... Be7) 13. Nc3 bxc4 14.
bxc4 Be7 15. g3 O-O 16. h4 Bb4 (16... Rfb8 17. h5 Ngf8 18. h6 g6 19. c5 $16 {
with an enormous space advantage, Sutovsky-Magem Badals, Elista (ol) 1998}) 17.
Ne2 (17. Bd2 Qa5 18. Qc2 $14) 17... Ndxe5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Bg2 Nxc4 20. Nf4
$14) 7. O-O Ne7 (7... c5 $6 {
helps only for White, Black has to keep the position closed.} 8. dxc5 Bxc5 9.
Na4 Qc7 10. Nxc5 Qxc5 11. Nd4 Ne7 12. Be3 Qa5 13. b4 Qd8 14. f4 $16 {
Galdunts-Grote, St.Petersburg (op) 1992}) 8. b3 (8. Na4 Qc7 9. b3 $14 (9. Be3
Ng6 10. Ne1 Be7 11. b3 f6 12. f4 O-O-O 13. Nd3 h6 $13 {
Kopmann-Ma.Moeller, Neuwied (op) 1993})) 8... c5 $5 $146 {'?!' Lukacs.  Lukacs:
'Ftacnik: 'Black is trying to prove, that his pieces are located well enough
for opening up the position. White has one obvious advantage in a safe king in
castling location.''} (8... Bg4) (8... a6 {
Shirov-Hracek, Ostrava (mc) 1998 CBM 68}) 9. dxc5 (9. Na4 {
was an other option, for example:} 9... Qc7 10. Nxc5 Nxc5 11. dxc5 Qxc5 12. Nd4
a6 (12... Bg6 13. Be3 $16) 13. Be3 Qc7 (13... Qc3 14. Bd3 Bg6 15. f4 $14) 14.
Bd3 (14. c4 dxc4 15. Rc1 c3)) 9... Nxc5 (9... Qxc5 {
gives White additional tempi:} 10. Nb5 Ng6 (10... Bxc2 $2 11. Qd2 $1 (11. Qd4 {
Ftacnik} 11... Ng6 12. Qxc5 Bxc5 13. Nc7+ Ke7 14. Nxa8 Rxa8 15. Bg5+ f6 16.
exf6+ gxf6 17. Rac1 $14) 11... Nf5 12. Ba3 Qc6 13. Bxf8 Kxf8 14. Rac1 $18) 11.
Be3 $16) 10. Nd4 (10. Be3 Nc6 11. Nb5 $5 (11. Na4 $6 Qa5)) 10... a6 (10... Bg6
$5 {Ftacnik} 11. Be3 Nc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6) 11. Be3 Qd8 (11... Bg6 $5 12. Nxe6 $140
$6 fxe6 13. Na4 Nxa4 14. Bxb6 Nxb6 $15) (11... Qc7 $2 12. Ncb5 $1 axb5 13. Nxb5
Qb6 (13... Qxe5 {Ftacnik} 14. Bxc5 $16) 14. b4 $18 (14. Nd6+ Kd7 15. a3 $16)) (
11... Qa5 12. Qd2 $16) 12. g4 $6 {Lukacs: 'White grabs the |^ on the >>.'} (12.
b4 $6 Nd7 $1 (12... Ne4 $6 13. Nxe4 Bxe4 14. b5 $1 $14) 13. g4 $6 Bg6 14. f4
Rc8 $17) (12. f4 $5 $13) 12... Bg6 (12... Be4 13. f3 $16) 13. f4 {Lukacs: ''!'
Ftacnik. ' Lukacs: 'Ftacnik: 'Shirov plays very sharply, only immediate attack
can take advantage of black's unfinished piece development.''} 13... Ne4 $1 (
13... Be4 14. b4 $1 {White is playing on both wings.} 14... Nd7 15. Nxe4 dxe4
16. c4 $16) (13... Qc8 {Ftacnik} 14. f5 exf5 15. gxf5 Bxf5 16. Nxf5 Nxf5 17.
Qxd5 Be7 (17... Nxe3 18. Qxf7+ Kd8 19. Rad1+ $1 (19. Qxf8+ Rxf8 20. Rxf8+ Ke7
21. Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Kf2 Nxc2 23. Rd1 $11) 19... Nxd1 20. Rxd1+ Nd7 21. e6 Bd6 22.
Qxg7 $16) 18. Rad1 $14) 14. Na4 {'!' Lukacs.} (14. Nxe4 {Ftacnik} 14... Bxe4
15. c4 Qd7 $13) 14... h5 $1 (14... b5 $2 15. Nxb5 axb5 16. Bxb5+ $18) (14... h6
{Ftacnik} 15. f5 $16) 15. f5 $1 (15. gxh5 $6 Nf5) 15... hxg4 16. fxe6 $1 {
Lukacs: 'Ftacnik: 'A masterly move, white concentrates on hitting the weak
spots instead of direct collecting of material.''} (16. fxg6 Nxg6 17. Bxg4 (17.
Qe1 {Ftacnik} 17... Nxe5 18. c4 Qb8 19. Bf4 Nf3+ 20. Rxf3 gxf3 21. Bxb8 f2+ 22.
Qxf2 Nxf2 23. Be5 Ne4 $15) (17. Bf2 $2 Qg5 18. Bxg4 Nxe5 19. h4 Qg6 $19) 17...
Qh4 (17... Nxe5 $13) 18. Qe2 Nxe5 (18... Ng3 $1 19. hxg3 Qxg3+ 20. Qg2 Qxe3+
21. Qf2 Qxf2+ 22. Rxf2 Nxe5 $15) 19. Bf3 Bd6 20. Bxe4 Nc4 $1 $17) 16... g3 $5 {
Lukacs: ''?' Ftacnik. '} (16... f5 $1 17. c4 $5 (17. Bf4 $2 Bh7 $17) (17. exf6
gxf6 18. Bf4 $1 (18. Bxg4 f5 19. Bf3 b5 20. Nb2 Qc7 21. Qe2 Bg7 $17) 18... Bg7
19. c4 $13 dxc4 $140 20. bxc4 f5 21. Nb3 $1 $132) 17... Qc7 $5 (17... g3 18.
hxg3 Nxg3 19. Bf3 $1 Nxf1 20. Qxf1 $44) (17... Rh3 18. Bf4 dxc4 19. bxc4 $13) (
17... Nc6 18. Nxf5 $1 (18. Nxc6 $2 Qh4 19. Bf4 g3 $19) 18... Bxf5 19. Rxf5 Qh4
20. Rxf8+ Rxf8 21. Qxd5 Rf2 22. Qd7+ Kf8 23. Bxf2 Qxf2+ 24. Kh1 g3 25. Qf7+
Qxf7 26. exf7 Nxe5 $11) 18. Rc1 $5 (18. cxd5 $2 Nxd5 19. Nxf5 Qxe5 20. Bf4 Qxe6
21. Nd4 Qf6 22. Bg3 Qg5 $19) 18... g3 19. Bf4 gxh2+ 20. Kg2 $13) (16... fxe6
17. Nxe6 Qd7 18. Bxg4 $18) (16... Rh3 17. exf7+ Bxf7 18. Bf4 $18) (16... f5 $1
$13 {Ftacnik}) 17. exf7+ Bxf7 (17... Kd7 {Ftacnik} 18. Bg4+ $18) 18. h3 $1 (18.
Bg4 $2 gxh2+ 19. Kg2 Ng6 20. e6 Nh4+ 21. Kxh2 Qc7+ 22. Bf4 Ng6+ 23. Kg1 Nxf4
24. exf7+ Qxf7 $19) (18. hxg3 $2 Nxg3) 18... g2 $2 {Lukacs: ''?' Ftacnik. '
Lukacs: 'Ftacnik: 'A very provocative move, that fails to address the problems
of black tangled pieces. Despite dangerous situation Hracek was very much in
play after smarter developing move 18...g5!?''} (18... Rxh3 19. Bg4 $40 (19.
Rxf7 $2 Kxf7 20. Qf1+ Nf2 $1) 19... g2 (19... Rh8 {Ftacnik} 20. Qf3 $18) 20.
Bxh3 gxf1=Q+ 21. Qxf1 $16) (18... Nf2 $1 19. Bxf2 gxf2+ 20. Rxf2 Nc6 $44) (
18... g5 $5 {Ftacnik} 19. Bg4 (19. Bd3 Bg7 20. Bxe4 dxe4 21. Qg4 $13) 19... Bg7
20. Ne6 Bxe6 21. Bxe6 Bxe5 22. Bf7+ Kd7 23. Bxd5 Nf2 $13) 19. Rxf7 $1 {
'+-!' Lukacs.  Lukacs: ''!' Ftacnik. '} (19. Kxg2 {Ftacnik} 19... Qc7 20. Nf5
Qxe5 21. Qd4 Qc7 $17) 19... Kxf7 20. Bg4 $1 $18 Qc7 (20... Ke8 21. Ne6 Qb8 22.
Bb6 Kf7 23. Nc7 $18) (20... g6 21. Qf3+ Kg8 22. Nb6 $1 Qxb6 23. Be6+ Kh7 24.
Qf7+ Bg7 25. Nf5 Qxe3+ 26. Nxe3 Rae8 27. Qf4 $18) 21. Qf3+ Ke8 (21... Kg6 $2 {
Ftacnik} 22. Bf5+ Kf7 23. Be6+ Ke8 24. Bf7+ $18) 22. Be6 $1 {Lukacs: 'Ftacnik:
'Now it becomes clear that something went terribly wrong, the material
relations are losing part of their importance. Black is paralysed and will
lose in few moves because of his haunted king.''} 22... Nc6 (22... Qxe5 23.
Bf7+ $1 (23. Qf7+ Kd8 24. Nc6+ bxc6 (24... Nxc6 25. Qd7#) 25. Bb6+ Qc7 26. Kxg2
$16 (26. Bxc7+ Kxc7 27. Qf4+ Kb7 28. Qe3 Kc7 29. c4 $18)) 23... Kd8 (23... Kd7
24. Nb6+ $18) 24. Rd1 $1 (24. Ne6+ $6 Kd7 25. Nb6+ Kc6 $13 26. Bd4 Qxd4+ 27.
Nxd4+ Kxb6 28. Ne6 $16) 24... Rc8 (24... Nc8 25. Bf4) 25. Ne6+ Kd7 26. Nb6+ Kc6
27. Nxc8 Nxc8 28. Nd8+) (22... Ng6 23. Bxd5 Nc5 24. Qxg2 $1) 23. Bxd5 Nxd4 24.
Qxe4 Ne2+ 25. Kxg2 Qd7 26. e6 Qc7 27. Qg6+ Kd8 28. Rd1 Bd6 29. Bf3 $18 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Beograd"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8.
Re1 Bg4 9. c3 f5 10. Qb3 O-O 11. Nbd2 Na5 12. Qa4 Nc6 13. Bb5 Bh4 $3 $146 14.
g3 (14. Rf1 Nxd2 15. Nxd2 Ne7 $11) 14... Bf6 (14... Nxd2 $2 15. Nxh4 $1 $16)
15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Qxc6 Re8 $1 $44 (16... Kh8 $145 $5 17. Ne5 Bxe5 18. dxe5 Rb8
$44 {Kramnik,V}) 17. Ne5 (17. c4 $145 $2 Nxd2 18. Rxe8+ Qxe8 19. Qxd5+ Kh8 20.
Nxd2 (20. Bxd2 $2 c6) 20... Rd8 $17) (17. Kg2 Rb8 $44 {Kramnik,V}) 17... Bxe5
18. dxe5 Ng5 (18... Rxe5 $145 $2 19. Nb3 $1 (19. f3 Nxd2 20. Bxd2 Rxe1+ 21.
Rxe1 Bxf3 22. Bg5 Qb8 $1 $11) 19... Re8 20. Bf4 $16) (18... Rb8 $5 {Kramnik,V})
19. f4 (19. h4 $145 Re6 20. Qc5 Nh3+ 21. Kg2 f4 $40) (19. c4 $5 d4 $44 20. Qd5+
$140 Qxd5 21. cxd5 Rad8 {Kramnik,V}) 19... Re6 $6 20. Qc5 Ne4 $2 (20... Nh3+
21. Kg2 $14) 21. Nxe4 dxe4 (21... fxe4 22. c4 $5) 22. Be3 $16 a6 23. Qc4 $2 (
23. Rac1 $1 $16) 23... Qd7 $14 24. Rac1 Rd8 25. Rc2 Qf7 26. Rd2 Rxd2 27. Bxd2
Rb6 $1 28. Qxf7+ Kxf7 {[R 9/j]} 29. b4 $14 (29. b3 $5) 29... Rc6 $6 (29... Rb8)
30. Kf2 Rh6 $6 (30... Ke6) 31. h4 Rc6 $6 32. Ke3 Bh5 $6 (32... Ke6) 33. Kd4 Ke7
34. c4 $16 Bf7 35. Rc1 Rb6 36. Kc5 Be8 37. Be3 Rc6+ 38. Kd5 Rg6 39. Bc5+ $138 (
39. Rg1 $142 $16) 39... Kd7 (39... Kf7 $5 {/\ Bc6, Re6-e8}) 40. Rc3 Bf7+ $1 41.
Kd4 h6 $1 $132 42. a4 Rg4 43. b5 $1 axb5 $1 (43... a5 44. Bf8 Ke8 (44... g5 45.
hxg5 hxg5 46. Bh6 gxf4 47. Bxf4 $18) 45. Ba3 g5 46. hxg5 hxg5 47. Bc1 $18) 44.
a5 $3 (44. axb5 g5 $132) (44. cxb5 g5 45. b6 cxb6 46. Bd6 Ba2 $1 $14) 44... e3
$1 (44... g5 45. a6 gxf4 46. a7 Rg8 47. gxf4 Bxc4 48. Ra3 Ra8 49. Ra6 $1 c6 50.
Ra1 Be2 51. Rg1 Bg4 52. Rxg4 $1 fxg4 53. f5 $18) 45. Rxe3 g5 46. e6+ $1 (46.
cxb5 Be6 $5 $16) 46... Bxe6 47. cxb5 gxf4 48. gxf4 Rxf4+ 49. Ke5 Rc4 (49...
Re4+ 50. Rxe4 fxe4 51. a6 $18) 50. Rd3+ Kc8 51. Kxe6 Rxc5 52. Rd5 $1 $18 Rc4
53. Rxf5 $1 (53. h5 $5) 53... Re4+ (53... Rxh4 54. Rf8+ Kb7 55. a6+ Ka7 56. Rc8
Rc4 57. Kd7) 54. Kd5 Rxh4 55. a6 Ra4 (55... Kb8 56. Rf8+ Ka7 57. Rc8) 56. Rf8+
Kd7 57. Rf7+ Kc8 58. Rf8+ Kd7 59. Ra8 $138 (59. b6 $142 Ra5+ (59... cxb6 60. a7
) (59... c6+ 60. Ke5 Ra5+ 61. Kf6 Rxa6 62. b7) 60. Kc4 Ra4+ 61. Kb5) 59... Ra1
(59... h5 60. a7 h4 61. b6) 60. a7 Rd1+ 61. Ke4 Re1+ 62. Kf3 Ra1 63. b6 cxb6
64. Rh8 1-0

[Event "FIDE WCh KO"]
[Site "Las Vegas"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2730"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. Be3
Ng4 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bc1 f5 11. Bg5 Qe8 12. dxe5 dxe5 13. h3 Nf6 14. Bd3 Be6 15.
Re1 Qf7 16. c5 Nd7 17. Bb5 Nd4 18. Bxd7 Bxd7 19. Bh4 Bc6 20. Ng5 Qf6 21. exf5
gxf5 22. Ne2 Rad8 23. Nxd4 Rxd4 24. Qh5 h6 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2694"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Shirov. Shirov: 'Ftacnik'} 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5.
Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Nbd7 9. g4 b5 10. Qd2 Nb6 11. g5 Nfd7 12. f4
$5 $146 (12. Nd5 {- 67/331}) 12... g6 $1 (12... Nc4 $6 13. Bxc4 bxc4 (13...
Bxc4 14. O-O-O $14) 14. f5 $1 cxb3 15. fxe6 fxe6 16. axb3 $14) (12... exf4 13.
Bxf4 $14) 13. O-O-O Nc4 $1 14. Bxc4 (14. Qf2 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 exf4 16. Qxf4 h6 $5)
14... bxc4 15. Nd4 $5 {Shirov: 'Ftacnik: 'Very daring, but white could also
have played strance looking 15.Na1''} (15. Na1 Rb8 $13) 15... exd4 16. Bxd4 f6
$1 (16... Rg8 17. Rhf1 (17. h4 $5 Bg4 18. Rdg1 Bf3 19. Rh3 Bh5 20. Nd5) 17...
Qa5 18. Qg2 $5 $44) 17. gxf6 (17. f5 $5 Bf7 $1 (17... gxf5 {Shirov} 18. exf5
Bxf5 19. Rhf1 Be6 20. gxf6 $13) 18. Bxf6 (18. gxf6 Ne5 $13) 18... Nxf6 (18...
Be7 $5 $13) 19. gxf6 Rb8 $1 (19... Qxf6 $2 20. e5 $3 Qxf5 (20... Qh4 21. Qg2)
21. Rhf1 (21. exd6 {Shirov} 21... Rd8 22. Rhf1 Qd7 23. Rde1+ Be7 24. Ne4 $18)
21... Qh3 22. Kb1 $40) 20. e5 (20. Qd4 {(Shirov) Ftacnik} 20... Qb6 $17) 20...
Qb6 $132) 17... Bh6 $1 (17... Nxf6 $2 18. f5 $1 Bf7 $140 19. Bxf6 Qxf6 {- 17.f5
} 20. e5 $3) 18. f7+ $1 (18. h4 Nxf6 $1 19. h5 gxh5 $1) (18. Qf2 Nxf6 19. Qh4
Bg7) 18... Kxf7 19. Be3 $2 {Shirov: ''?!' Ftacnik. ' Shirov: 'Ftacnik:
'Strange modesty in a very sharp position. It was compulsory to take the rook
with unclear consequences. ''} (19. Bxh8 Qxh8 (19... Qh4 $2 {(Shirov) Ftacnik}
20. Bd4 Bxf4 21. Rdf1 g5 22. Be3 $18) 20. Rhf1 $1 (20. Qxd6 Qb8 $1 21. Rhf1
Qxd6 22. Rxd6 Ke7 $15) (20. Kb1 {(Shirov) Ftacnik} 20... Qb8 21. Rhf1 Qb7 22.
Qxd6 Rb8 $13) 20... Rb8 21. Qxd6 Qc8 22. Nd5 Bf8 23. Qc7 Qxc7 24. Nxc7 Bg4 $13)
19... Bg4 $1 20. Qd5+ Kg7 $1 (20... Be6 21. Qd2) (20... Ke8 {(Shirov) Ftacnik}
21. Rd2 Bg7 22. Qxd6 Bxc3 23. bxc3 $17) 21. Bd4+ (21. Qxd6 Nf6) (21. Rd2 {
(Shirov) Ftacnik} 21... Nf6 22. Qxc4 (22. Qb7+ {Shirov} 22... Qd7 23. Qxd7+
Bxd7 24. Rxd6 Bh3 25. Rd4 Rhe8 26. Rxc4 Bg2 27. Rd1 Re7 $17) 22... Qe7 $15)
21... Nf6 22. Qb7+ Qd7 23. Qxd7+ (23. Bxf6+ Kxf6 24. Rxd6+ Qxd6 25. e5+ (25.
Nd5+ Ke6 26. Nc7+ Kf7 $19) 25... Qxe5 26. Nd5+ (26. Ne4+ Ke6 $19) 26... Qxd5
27. Qxd5 Rhd8 $5 $17) 23... Bxd7 24. Nd5 (24. Kb1 {(Shirov) Ftacnik} 24... Kf7
(24... Bxf4 {Shirov} 25. Nd5 Be5 26. Bxe5 dxe5 27. Nxf6 $11) 25. e5 Bg4 26.
exf6 Bxd1 27. Rxd1 Bxf4 $19) 24... Rhf8 25. Rhf1 $2 {Shirov: 'Ftacnik:
'Another mistake, now black manages to get a great advantage.''} (25. Kb1 Bg4
26. Nxf6 $1 Rxf6 (26... Bxd1 $4 27. Ng4+) 27. Bxf6+ Kxf6 28. Rxd6+ Ke7 $15)
25... Bh3 $1 26. Rf2 (26. Nxf6 {(Shirov) Ftacnik} 26... Rxf6 27. Bxf6+ Kxf6 28.
Rxd6+ Ke7 $19) 26... Rad8 $17 27. b3 Be6 28. Nxf6 Rxf6 29. Kb2 Kf7 30. Bxf6
Kxf6 {Shirov: 'Ftacnik: 'Two bishops are strong compensation in the fight
against the rook, white has only one spare pawn.''} 31. Kc3 (31. e5+ {
(Shirov) Ftacnik} 31... Ke7 32. c3 cxb3 33. axb3 Rb8 34. exd6+ Kd7 35. b4 Bg7
$1 36. f5 Bxf5 37. Kb3 Be6+ 38. Kc2 Rb6 $19) 31... Rc8 $1 32. Kb4 (32. b4 Ke7
$17) (32. Rxd6 {(Shirov) Ftacnik} 32... cxb3+ 33. Kb2 bxa2 $19) 32... Bf8 33.
Ka5 Rc6 34. Rfd2 (34. b4 {(Shirov) Ftacnik} 34... Be7 $17) 34... Be7 35. Rd4
Bd8+ 36. Ka4 Ke7 37. f5 (37. e5 $5 {(Shirov) Ftacnik} 37... Bc7 38. exd6+ Bxd6
39. b4 $17) 37... gxf5 38. exf5 Bxf5 39. Re1+ Kd7 40. Rxc4 Rxc4+ 41. bxc4 Bxc2+
42. Kb4 Bg6 $1 $19 43. c5 $2 d5 44. c6+ Kd6 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "151"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Shirov} 1... c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7.
Bc1 {Shirov: 'After my second round game against Kasparov I wasn't very
convinced about'} (7. Bg5 {Shirov}) 7... Nf6 8. Be2 e5 9. Nb3 Be7 10. O-O O-O
11. Be3 {Shirov: 'I used to employ'} (11. Kh1 {(Shirov) but now decided to go
for the line that Svidler and Short like among others.}) 11... Be6 12. Nd5 Nbd7
13. Qd3 {Shirov: 'The idea is to make quick threats against the d6 pawn (by
exchanging on e7 and putting the rook on d1). Black's reply is now forced.'}
13... Bxd5 14. exd5 Nc5 15. Qd2 Nfe4 16. Qb4 b6 $5 $146 {
Shirov: 'A new and interesting continuation.'} (16... a5 {
(Shirov) was known but it weakens the White squares on the queenside.}) 17. f3
$5 {Shirov: 'Here I thought for some forty minutes. Nothing really attracted
me, for example'} (17. Nxc5 Nxc5 18. a4 a5 $5 19. Qb5 Bg5 $5 20. Bxg5 Qxg5 21.
Qxb6 Qe7 $44) 17... Nf6 18. Qd2 Qd7 $5 {Shirov: 'Now I can repeat the queen's
trip to b4 but already attacking the b6 pawn. An alternative would be'} (18...
Nh5 $5) 19. f4 $1 Nfe4 20. Qb4 Rfb8 $1 21. Nxc5 $6 {
Shirov: 'Losing the touch. I should play'} (21. Bf3 $5) 21... Nxc5 22. fxe5 $6
dxe5 23. Rad1 Bd6 $1 24. Qh4 Rf8 $1 $15 {[/\ f5] Shirov: 'Here I realised that
besides not having any advantage I was also running the risk to get an
inferior position. Now Black wants to play f5 which immediately was not good:'}
(24... f5 {Shirov} 25. b4 Na4 26. Rxf5 $1 Qxf5 27. Bd3 {
and Black is under fire.}) 25. g4 $1 Qa4 $1 26. c4 $1 {Shirov: 'Forced.'} (26.
c3 $2 f5 $1 27. b4 Ne4 $17) 26... Qc2 $6 {Shirov: 'By not taking the pawn
Black also gives White the initiative. It would be extremely difficult to
prove White's compensation after'} (26... Qxa2 $1 27. Rf3 $1 (27. Rd2 $2 Rae8
$17) 27... Qxb2 28. Rh3 h6 $1 (28... Qc2 $6 29. Rd3 $1 (29. Rf1 $2 f6) 29...
Qb1+ (29... h6 30. Bxh6 Qxe2 $2 31. Bxg7 $18) 30. Bf1 h6 31. Bxh6 Nxd3 32. Be3
$40) 29. g5 $1 (29. Bxh6 $2 Qxe2) 29... f6 (29... Be7 30. Qg4 $44) 30. Bg4 $1 (
30. g6 $2 f5) (30. gxh6 $2 Qxe2 31. Re1 (31. Rd2 g5 32. Bxg5 Qf1+ $3 33. Kxf1
fxg5+ 34. Qf2 Ne4 $19) 31... g5 $1 32. Bxg5 Qxe1+ 33. Qxe1 fxg5 $17) 30... fxg5
31. Bxg5 Qc2 $1 (31... Ra7 $2 32. Bxh6 gxh6 33. Qxh6 Qf2+ 34. Kh1 Qf6 35. Qh5
Rff7 36. Rg1 Kf8 37. Rf3 Qg7 38. Bf5 Qf6 39. Rg6 $18) 32. Bxh6 Qh7 33. Be3 Qxh4
34. Rxh4 $15) 27. Rd2 Qe4 28. Qh3 $1 $14 a5 29. b3 {
Shirov: 'White's pieces are now better consolidated so he is not in hurry.'}
29... Qg6 30. Kh1 Qe4+ 31. Kg1 Qg6 32. g5 $1 {
Shirov: 'Probably the best way to keep fighting for the advantage.'} 32... Ne4
33. Bd3 {Shirov: 'The temptation to win his queen was extremely high, so I
didn't realise that'} (33. Bh5 $1 Nxg5 34. Qg4 Nh3+ 35. Kh1 Qxg4 36. Bxg4 Nf4
37. Bxb6 f5 38. Bd1 $14) 33... Nxg5 $8 34. Bxg5 e4 $1 (34... Qxg5+ $4 35. Rg2
$18) 35. Rg2 exd3 36. Bf6 $1 (36. Be7 Bxe7 37. Rxg6 hxg6 38. Qxd3 Bc5+ 39. Kg2
Rae8 $132) 36... gxf6 37. Qxd3 $14 Rae8 38. Rxf6 Bc5+ $1 39. Kh1 (39. Kf1 $4
Re1+ 40. Kxe1 Qxg2 $19) 39... Re3 40. Qd1 (40. Qd2 $5 Rfe8 41. Rf1) 40... Rfe8
$1 41. Rgxg6+ $1 {Shirov: 'Good that the time-trouble ended right before this
move. Otherwise I might have gone for the line'} (41. Rf1 Qxg2+ $1 42. Kxg2
Re2+ 43. Kh1 Bd6 $13 {
Shirov: 'and the immediate draw is the most likely outcome, for instance'} 44.
Qd4 $140 Rxh2+ 45. Kg1 Ree2 (45... Bc5 $5 46. Qxc5 bxc5 47. Kxh2 $13) 46. Qg4+
Kf8 47. Qc8+ Kg7 48. Qg4+ $11) 41... hxg6 42. Rf1 {Shirov: 'So, I gained an
important tempo comparing to the last variation but I also improved his pawn
structure. Black can probably hold this position but I still hoped for
practical chances. And my hopes weren't in vain.'} 42... R8e7 43. Qg4 Kg7 44.
Qh4 f5 $6 (44... Kg8 $1 45. Qf6 Rd3 $44 {Topalov,V}) 45. Rd1 {'!' Shirov. 
Shirov: 'It's extremely important to take the d3 square from Black's rook. Now
his king is more exposed than before, so his chances are mainly in activity.
White is required a high level of precision in his calculations.'} 45... R3e4 (
45... R7e4 $142 46. Qd8 f4 47. Qc7+ $1 $14 Kh6 $140 48. Qf7) 46. Qg3 Kf7 47.
Qb8 $1 Re8 48. Qc7+ R4e7 49. Qg3 (49. Qc6 $5 Rd8 $140 50. a3 $1 (50. d6 $2 Red7
) 50... Rd6 51. Qa4 $16) 49... Re3 50. Qh4 $1 R3e4 51. Qh7+ Kf6 52. Qc7 $1 $16
g5 (52... Re1+ 53. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 54. Kg2 g5 55. Qc6+ $1 Kf7 (55... Ke7 56. Qg6 $1
g4 57. Kg3 $16) 56. d6 $16) 53. Qc6+ Kg7 54. d6 {Shirov: 'Finally this pawn
moves forward. If the tricks don't work, the game should be over for Black.'}
54... g4 55. Rf1 $1 Rf4 (55... Re1 56. Qd7+ $18) 56. Rg1 Bxg1 57. Qxe8 {[Q 5/h]
} 57... Bd4 58. Qe2 $1 {
Shirov: 'In the second time-trouble I nearly overlooked'} (58. Kg2 $2 Rf2+ 59.
Kg3 Rf3+ 60. Kg2 $11 (60. Kh4 $4 Bf6+ 61. Kh5 Rh3#)) 58... Re4 59. Qd2 Kf7 60.
d7 Ke7 61. Qg5+ Kxd7 (61... Ke6 62. d8=N+ $1 $18) 62. Qxf5+ Re6 63. Qxg4 $18 {
Shirov: 'The active pawns are finally taken and the rest is just technic.'}
63... Bc5 64. h4 Ke7 65. Qg7+ Ke8 66. h5 Bf8 67. Qb7 Rf6 68. Kg2 Be7 69. Kg3
Kf8 70. Kg4 Rh6 71. Qa8+ Kf7 72. Qd5+ Kf8 73. Qd2 Rd6 74. Qe3 Kf7 75. c5 bxc5
76. Qxc5 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Shirov. Shirov: 'Wedberg'} 1... 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 Ke8 10. h3 a5 11. Bf4 Be6
(11... a4 {- 72/(315)}) 12. a3 $5 $146 {Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'The latest twist
for White in the Berlin is to put the P on a3 rather than on a4 (or a2). The
reason is that White does not want to wander away with Nc3, so he has to
prevent Bb4. The plan is instead to play g4 and Nd4.''} (12. g4 Ne7 13. Nd4 Nd5
14. Nxe6 fxe6 15. Bd2 Bb4 $1) 12... Bc5 13. Rad1 h6 14. g4 Ne7 15. Nd4 Bxd4 {
Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'In principle opposite coloured B:s is OK for Black,''} (
15... Nd5 16. Nxe6 fxe6 17. Ne2 $14 (17. Nxd5 {Shirov} 17... cxd5 $11) 17... b5
$13) 16. Rxd4 c5 {Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'Maybe alright in itself, but it's part of
a plan that gives White a splendid game.''} (16... h5 $5 {(Shirov) Wedberg})
17. Rd2 Nc6 18. Nd5 Bxd5 $6 (18... Rc8 19. Ne3 $5 $14) (18... Rc8 $142 {
(Shirov) Wedberg Keeping the blockade of the e5-P is paramount in this line.})
19. Rxd5 b6 (19... Nd4 $2 20. Be3 $1 Nxc2 21. Bxc5 $18) 20. e6 $1 $16 {
Shirov: ''!' Wedberg. ' Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'By opening up the position White
changes the structure in favour of the B. Compare to Lutz-Kortschnoj above.''}
20... fxe6 21. Re1 Rd8 (21... Nd4 22. Kg2 c6 23. Rd6 Rf8 (23... Nxc2 24. Rdxe6+
Kf7 25. Re7+ Kf8 26. R1e4 $16) (23... Rd8 {Shirov} 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. c3 $18)
24. Bg3 $1 (24. Be5 Nxc2 (24... Ke7 $2 25. Rd1 $1) 25. Re4 Nd4 26. Bxd4 (26.
Bxg7 Ke7) 26... cxd4 27. Rxc6 Rd8 $1 $14) 24... Ke7 25. Rd1 $1 (25. c3 e5 $1
26. Bxe5 Nf3 27. Re3 Nxe5 28. Rd2 Kf6 29. Rd6+ Ke7 $11) 25... Rfd8 26. Rxd8
Rxd8 27. Bc7 Rd5 28. Bxb6 $1 (28. c4 $5 Rd7 29. Bxb6 Nb3 30. Rxd7+ Kxd7 31. a4
$1 $16) 28... Nxc2 29. Rc1 Nd4 30. Rxc5 $16) 22. Rxe6+ Kf7 23. Rxd8 Nxd8 24.
Re3 $3 {Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'White is better due to two factors: more flexible
P-formation and the advantage of B against N in an open position.''} (24. Re4
Ne6 25. Be3 Rd8 $132) 24... Ne6 25. Be5 $1 {
Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'The B is a giant on e5.''} 25... h5 $1 (25... Rd8 26. Rd3
Rxd3 27. cxd3 g5 28. Kg2 $18) 26. Rd3 $5 (26. Kg2 hxg4 27. hxg4 Rd8 28. Rd3
Rxd3 29. cxd3 $16) 26... hxg4 27. hxg4 c4 28. Rd1 $1 Ke7 (28... Re8 29. Rd7+
Re7 30. Rxe7+ Kxe7 31. f4 g6 32. Kf2 $18) 29. Kg2 Rf8 30. Kg3 g5 31. f3 Rf7 32.
Kf2 {'?!' Shirov.} (32. Rh1 $142 $16) 32... Rh7 33. Ke3 Rh3 34. Rd2 Rh1 35. Ke4
Rf1 {'?!' Shirov.} (35... Re1+ $142 36. Kf5 Re3 37. Bf6+ Ke8 (37... Kf8 {
(Shirov) Wedberg} 38. Rf2 $16) 38. Rf2 $16) 36. Rh2 $1 Kd7 37. Rh7+ Kc6 38. Rh6
Kd7 39. Rh7+ Kc6 40. Kf5 $1 Nc5 41. Rh3 $1 {Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'Connected
passed Ps should win, but Black is fast too, so the race is on.''} (41. Rxc7+ {
(Shirov) Wedberg} 41... Kd5 $13) 41... Rf2 $6 (41... Kd5 42. Bxc7 $16) 42. Kxg5
Rxc2 43. Rh2 $1 Rxh2 (43... Rc1 44. Kf5 $18) 44. Bxh2 Nd3 45. Kh6 $1 $18 (45.
Kf5 $6 Nxb2 46. g5 Kd7 47. g6 Ke8) (45. Kh5 $5) 45... b5 (45... Nxb2 46. g5 Nd3
47. g6 c3 48. Bg1) 46. g5 b4 47. g6 $1 c3 48. bxc3 b3 {
Shirov: 'Wedberg: 'To protect the N from b1.''} (48... bxa3 49. g7 a2 50. g8=Q
a1=Q 51. Qg6+) 49. g7 b2 50. g8=Q b1=Q 51. Qa8+ Kd7 (51... Qb7 52. Qe8+) 52.
Qd5+ Ke7 (52... Kc8 53. Qxa5) 53. Bxc7 Qc1+ 54. Kg6 Qg1+ 55. Kf5 Qc5 (55... Qf1
{Shirov} 56. Bd6+ Kd7 57. Bf4+ Ke8 58. Qe6+ Kd8 59. Qd6+ Ke8 60. Kf6 {and mate.
}) 56. Qxc5+ Nxc5 57. Bxa5 $18 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2726"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 {Shirov. Shirov: 'Huebner,R'} 1... d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5.
Ne5 Nbd7 6. Nxc4 b5 7. Nd2 {'?' Shirov.} (7. Ne3 {Shirov}) 7... Bb7 8. Nb3 $6
$146 {Shirov: 'Huebner,R: 'Der Aufbau des Weisen sieht unnaturlich aus und
scheint mir nicht viel zu versprechen. Erprobt wurde in dieser Stellung''} (8.
e3 e5 9. Be2 exd4 10. exd4) (8. Nf3) (8. e4 e5 $145 $13 {Bareev,E}) (8. e4 $142
{Shirov}) 8... a5 $1 $17 9. Bg5 (9. a4 b4 $17) 9... a4 10. Nd2 a3 11. bxa3 Rxa3
12. Qc2 e6 $2 (12... e5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 $17) 13. e3 Bb4 14. Ncb1 Ra8 (14... Ra7
$5) 15. Bd3 h6 16. Bxf6 Qxf6 $5 (16... Nxf6 $11) 17. O-O O-O 18. a3 {
Shirov: ''?!' Huebner,R. '} (18. Nc3 $5 $11 {(Shirov) Huebner,R}) 18... e5 $5 (
18... Bd6 $11) 19. Ne4 Qe6 20. Qb2 Be7 21. Nbd2 Ra7 $5 22. Bc2 $1 {Shirov: 'Hue
bner,R: 'Weis versucht, die Schwierigkeiten, die ihm die Schwache seines
a-Bauern verursacht, auf taktische Weise zu beheben. In Betracht kam auch''} (
22. Ng3 {(Shirov) Huebner,R} 22... Rfa8 (22... g6 {Shirov} 23. Bc2 Rfa8 24. Bb3
{uberlast dem Weisen Gegenspiel.}) 23. Bf5 Qd6 24. Nge4 Qc7 25. Bxd7 Qxd7 26.
Nc5 Bxc5 27. dxc5 Qd5 28. Rfc1 {nebst Sd2-f3.}) 22... Rfa8 23. Bb3 Qf5 $5 (
23... Qg6 24. dxe5 Rxa3 (24... Bxa3 $6 25. Rxa3 Rxa3 26. Nd6 Rxb3 27. Nxb3 $14)
25. Rxa3 Bxa3 26. Qd4 $13) 24. Ng3 Qd3 25. a4 $2 (25. Bc2 Bxa3 26. Qa2 Bc5 $1 (
26... Qc3 $6 27. Bg6 $1) 27. Qb2 $11) 25... exd4 26. exd4 c5 27. Rad1 $1 {
Shirov: 'Huebner,R: 'Dies ist anscheinend die beste Fortsetzung. Nach''} (27.
Rae1 Bg5 $1 $17) (27. Rae1 {
(Shirov) Huebner,R ist sowohl 27...Lg5 wie 27...Lf6 unangenehm fur Weis.})
27... bxa4 $1 (27... Qxd4 28. Qxd4 cxd4 29. axb5 $11) 28. Bxa4 Bxg2 $3 (28...
Rxa4 29. Qxb7 $11) 29. Bxd7 $4 {Shirov: ''?' Huebner,R. ' Shirov: 'Huebner,R:
'Eine Verrechnung durfte der Wahl dieses Zuges zugrunde liegen. Aussichten auf
Uberleben bot einzig die Fortsetzung''} (29. Bb5 Bxf1 30. Bxd3 Bxd3 $15 31.
dxc5) 29... Bxf1 {Shirov: ''-+' Huebner,R. '} 30. Bf5 Qb5 31. Qc2 Be2 32. Re1 (
32. Rb1 Qa6 $19) 32... Ra2 (32... Ra1 $142 33. Nb1 Bc4 34. Rxe7 Ba2 $19) 33.
Qe4 Bd3 34. Qf3 $6 (34. Qxe7 Rxd2 35. Qe3 Bxf5 36. Qxd2 (36. Nxf5 Qd3 37. Qe5
f6 38. Qe6+ Kh8 $19) 36... c4 $1 $19) 34... Bxf5 35. Nxf5 Bf8 $19 36. Kg2 cxd4
37. Ne4 Qb6 38. Rd1 Rd8 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Yermolinsky, Alex"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2597"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Lukacs} 1... c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 c5 7. h4
h5 {'!?' Lukacs.} (7... h6 {Lukacs looks safer.}) 8. Nf4 Bh7 9. Nxh5 {
Lukacs: 'White wins the h5 P, but his [+] will collapse. A tactical battle
will arise with immense complications.'} 9... cxd4 (9... Nc6 {
Lukacs puts more pressure on White's [+].} 10. dxc5 ({Less clear is} 10. Bb5 {
Lukacs} 10... Nge7 (10... Qb6 {Lukacs can be answered by} 11. Be3) 11. dxc5 d4
12. Bxc6+ Nxc6 13. Ne2 Qa5+ 14. c3 O-O-O 15. Bg5 Rd7 16. b4 Qb5 17. cxd4 Nxe5
$44 {Kotronias-Danielsen, Reykjavik  1994}) 10... Nxe5 11. Bb5+ Nc6 12. Qd4 f6
13. Be3 Nge7 14. O-O-O e5 15. Qa4 {Black's P [+] seems to be impressive, but
he has big problems with his development, and his K is in the [+]. White has
accomplished his development and his pieces are ready for an ->.} 15... Bg8 16.
f4 Qd7 17. fxe5 fxe5 18. Nxd5 $1 {Now Black's seemingly mighty [+] collapses.}
18... Bxd5 19. c4 Qxg4 20. cxd5 Qxa4 21. Bxa4 Rxh5 22. Bg5 O-O-O 23. dxc6 $16 {
Borge-Danielsen, Copenhagen 1994}) 10. Nb5 {'!?' Lukacs.} (10. Qxd4 {Lukacs}
10... Nc6 (10... Bxc2 $2 {Lukacs grabbing for pawns instead of finishing
development is against the principles.} 11. Bg5 Qb6 12. Bb5+ Nc6 13. Qxb6 axb6
14. Rc1 Bg6 15. Nxd5 exd5 16. Rxc6 $1 $18) 11. Bb5 Nge7 $1 12. Bh6 $5 (12. Bg5
{Lukacs} 12... a6 (12... Bxc2 {Lukacs} 13. Rc1 Qd7 $1 {
is an interesting suggestion of Kallai.} (13... Bg6 $2 {Lukacs and not} 14. Qa4
$1)) 13. Bxc6+ Nxc6 {solving the problem of his pinned N.}) 12... Rg8 $1 13.
O-O-O a6 14. Bxc6+ Nxc6 15. Qf4 (15. Qe3 {Lukacs} 15... Qa5) 15... Qa5 16. Qa4
$1 {It looks funny, but White has to exchange the Q.} (16. Kb1 $2 {Lukacs}
16... Nb4 {Surprisingly enough Black takes the |^ and the white K soon feels
himself much worse than his colleague!} 17. Rc1 Rc8 18. a3 Nxc2 19. Rxc2 Rxc3
$1 20. bxc3 Qxc3 21. Qc1 Qb3+ $19 {A.David-Kallai, FRA-chT}) ({or} 16. Rhe1 {
Lukacs} 16... Nb4 17. a3 Rc8 $1 18. axb4 Qa1+ 19. Kd2 Qxb2 {
with a ferocious -> for Black:} 20. Re3 Qxc2+ 21. Ke1 Rxc3 22. Nf6+ gxf6 23.
Bxf8 Rxf8 24. exf6 Rxe3+ 25. fxe3 Kd7 $19 {
M.Chapman-Rogers, Suncoast open Australian 1999}) 16... Qxa4 17. Nxa4 gxh6 18.
Nf6+ Ke7 19. Nxh7 Nxe5 $5 (19... Rxg4 {Lukacs} 20. Nb6 Rd8 21. Nf6 Rf4 22. Ng8+
Ke8 23. Nf6+ $11) 20. g5 Ng4 {/\ Rh8 Kallai}) 10... Nc6 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 $146 {
'?!' Lukacs.} (11... Qc7 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. cxd3 d4 15. O-O g6 16.
Ng3 Bg7 17. Re1 Qd5 18. Qe2 Rxh4 19. Bg5 Rh3 20. Rac1) (11... Nxe5 12. Bb5+ (
12. Bf4 $142 {Lukacs} 12... Nc6 13. Bb5 Rc8 14. Qe2 Qd7 (14... Nf6 $6 {Lukacs}
15. Bg5 $1) (14... Nge7 $5 {Lukacs}) 15. Bxc6 $1 (15. O-O-O {Lukacs} 15... Nf6
({or even} 15... Nge7 {Lukacs} 16. Be5 Rg8 17. Rhe1 a6)) 15... bxc6 16. Nf5 $1
$36 {Other tries are less dangerous:} (16. O-O-O {Lukacs} 16... Nf6 $1 ({
but not} 16... c5 {Lukacs} 17. Nf5 $44) ({or} 16... Ne7 {Lukacs} 17. Rhe1 $44))
(16. Qe5 {Lukacs} 16... Nf6 $1 17. O-O-O (17. Nxf6+ {Lukacs} 17... gxf6 18.
Qxf6 Rg8 $44) 17... c5 $1 18. Nb3 c4 $13 {Schoenicz-Heinze, Germany 1998}))
12... Nd7 13. Qe2 $13 (13. Bg5 {
Lukacs All the white pieces are active, but they are a bit disorganized.} 13...
Qa5+ 14. c3 a6 15. Ba4 (15. Bxd7+ $2 {Lukacs} 15... Kxd7 $15) 15... b5 16. Bc2
Bxc2 17. Qxc2 Ngf6 18. Nf4 Ne4 (18... Nxg4 $2 {Lukacs} 19. Nfxe6 $1 $18) (18...
e5 {Lukacs} 19. Qe2 $1) 19. Nfxe6 fxe6 20. f3 Ndc5 $1 (20... Nxg5 $2 {Lukacs}
21. Qg6+ Nf7 22. Qxe6+ Be7 23. Nc6 $18) 21. fxe4 Nxe4 {
1/2:1/2 Sax-Krizsany, CRO-chT2 1997.})) 12. Qxd4 Ne7 13. Qa4+ $5 Nc6 $6 (13...
Qd7 $44 14. Qxd7+ Kxd7 15. c3) 14. Bg5 $1 Qa5+ $6 {'?' Lukacs.  Lukacs: 'After
exchanging the Q White stabilizes his mighty P chain.'} (14... Qb6 15. O-O-O (
15. Bb5 {Lukacs} 15... Bxc2) 15... Qxf2 {
Lukacs: 'This P is not worth of three tempi.'} 16. Rh3 {Lukacs: '/\ Be3'} (16.
Bb5 {Lukacs} 16... Rc8) 16... Rc8 (16... Qb6 {Lukacs} 17. Rb3 $40 {
with extremely active white pieces.}) 17. Rc3 $1 $14 (17. Be3 Qxc2+ 18. Qxc2
Bxc2 19. Kxc2 Nxe5+ $13)) (14... Qd7 $1 $13 {
Lukacs /\ Nxe5 comes into serious consideration.}) (14... Qc7 $2 {Lukacs} 15.
f4 $18 {keeping the vital e5 P.}) 15. Qxa5 Nxa5 16. f4 $6 {'+-!' Lukacs.} (16.
O-O-O $16) 16... Rc8 $6 (16... Bxc2 17. Bb5+ Nc6 18. Rc1 Bb4+ 19. Ke2 Be4 20.
Rhd1 $14 O-O 21. Bxc6 $16) (16... Be4 $2 {Lukacs} 17. Bb5+ Nc6 18. Rg1 $1 {
defending the P g4.} (18. Rh2 {Lukacs} 18... Bf3 $1) 18... Bxc2 (18... Bc5 {
Lukacs} 19. Rg3) 19. Rc1 Bb4+ 20. Ke2 Be4 21. Rxc6 $1 $18) 17. Bb5+ $1 Nc6 18.
O-O-O $16 a6 19. Bd3 Bxd3 20. Rxd3 Nb4 21. Rb3 $1 Rxc2+ $2 (21... Rc4 $1 22.
Rh2 (22. a3 $6 Nxc2 23. Rxb7 Nxa3+ 24. Kd1 Nb5 $13) 22... b5 23. a3 Nc6 24. Rd3
$16) (21... Nxc2 {Lukacs only opens up the <-> c for White's R.} 22. Kb1 $1 {
/\ Rc1}) 22. Kb1 Rg2 (22... Rc7 {Lukacs} 23. Nxg7+ $1 Bxg7 24. Rxb4 $18) 23.
Rc1 {'!' Lukacs.  Lukacs: 'Now White's last remaining piece is in action,
while Black's >> is totally undeveloped.'} (23. Nxg7+ $143 $6 {
Lukacs was not that clear after} 23... Bxg7 24. Rxb4 b5 25. a4 Bf8 26. Rb3 b4
27. Bf6 Rh7 28. g5 Rh5 29. f5 Rg4) 23... d4 {'?' Lukacs.} (23... Kd7 24. a3 $1
(24. Ng3 {Lukacs is simply met by} 24... a5 25. a3 a4 26. Rbc3 Nc6) 24... Rxg4
25. axb4 (25. Ng3 {Lukacs} 25... Rxg3 26. Rxg3 Nc6 $16 {
and Black can at least continue the battle.}) 25... Rxh5 26. b5 $1 a5 27. Rbc3
$1 Bd6 (27... f6 28. Rc7+ Ke8 29. Rxb7 Be7 30. Rcc7 Bd8 31. Rxg7 $18) 28. exd6
f6 29. Rc7+ Kxd6 30. Rxb7 $1 d4 31. Rc6+ Kd5 32. Rd7+ Ke4 33. b6 $1 fxg5 34. b7
Rh8 35. Rc8 $18) (23... Rxg4 $2 {Lukacs loses to} 24. Rc8+ Kd7 25. Rd8+ Kc7 26.
Rxb4 $18) 24. a3 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Reinderman, Dimitri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2726"]
[BlackElo "2541"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {NUNN, Ribli. NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall'} 1... c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 {
NUNN, Ribli: 'So kann Weis die Sveshnikov-Variante vermeiden. Ribli.'} 3... e6
4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be2 Nge7 {NUNN, Ribli: 'Eine seinerzeit von Taimanov
in die Turnierpraxis eingefuhrtete Fortsetzung. Die schwarze Hauptidee ist ...
Nxd4 nebst ...Nc6 zu spielen.'} 7. f4 {NUNN, Ribli: 'Dieser Zug fuhrt zu
komplitziertem Spiel und ist daher ganz in Shirovs Sinne. Die Alternativen
sind 7.Nb3, 7.Bf4, 7.Be3 und 7.0-0.'} 7... Nxd4 8. Qxd4 b5 9. O-O Qc7 10. Qf2
Nc6 {NUNN, Ribli: 'Endlich steht der Konigsspringer auf c6, aber es ist
gewohnlich in der Sizilianischen Verteidigung besser, den Springer nach d7 zu
entwickeln, denn jetzt ist das Feld b6 ein wenig schwach.'} (10... b4 11. Na4
Qxc2 12. b3 $5 $44) 11. Be3 Be7 12. a4 {'+/=' NUNN, Ribli.  NUNN, Ribli: 'Das
ist eine typische Methode fur Weis in der Paulsen-Variante.'} 12... b4 (12...
bxa4 {NUNN, Ribli} 13. Rxa4 $36) 13. Nb1 {
NUNN, Ribli: 'Der Springer strebt uber d2 nach c4.'} 13... Rb8 (13... O-O $142
14. Nd2 d5) 14. Nd2 O-O 15. Bd3 d6 (15... d5 $142 $14) 16. Rad1 $1 $146 {
'N' NUNN, Ribli.  NUNN, Ribli: 'Weis hat eine potentielle Angriffsstellung mit
etwas besserem Figurenspiel.'} (16. Qg3 {- 43/228} 16... f5 17. exf5 exf5 18.
Nf3 Bf6 19. Rab1 Ne7 20. Rfe1 Bb7 21. Nd4 Qd7 22. Bf2 Qxa4 23. Nxf5 Nxf5 24.
Bxf5 Rbe8 25. Qd3) 16... b3 $6 {NUNN, Ribli: ''?!' Tisdall.   ' NUNN, Ribli:
'Ein interessantes Bauernopfer, aber ich bin von seiner Korrektheit nicht ganz
uberzeugt.'} (16... Bf6 17. b3 $14) (16... Bf6 $5 {NUNN, Ribli}) 17. cxb3 $1 (
17. Nxb3 Nb4 $44 (17... Bf6 $5 18. Bc1 Nb4)) 17... Bf6 18. Rc1 $1 {'!?' NUNN,
ibli.  NUNN, Ribli: 'Weis gibt den Bauern auf und besetzt die c-Linie.'} (18.
Bb1 {NUNN, Ribli} 18... a5 (18... Bxb2 $2 {NUNN, Ribli} 19. Nc4 $16)) 18...
Bxb2 19. Rc2 Ba3 (19... Bf6 20. Rfc1 Bb7 21. Bxa6 $16 Bxa6 22. Rxc6 Qb7 23. Rb6
Qa8 24. Rxd6 $16) 20. e5 $5 {'!' NUNN, Ribli.} (20. Ra1 Bb4 21. Rac1 Bb7 22.
Bxa6 Bxa6 23. Rxc6 Qa5 (23... Qb7 24. Rc7 $1 Qa8 25. Ra7 Rbc8 26. Rxa8 Rxc1+
27. Nf1 $18) 24. Nc4 Bxc4 25. R6xc4 $16) 20... d5 (20... dxe5 21. Be4 (21. Nc4
{NUNN, Ribli} 21... Rxb3 22. Nxe5 $16 (22. Nxa3 $2 {NUNN, Ribli} 22... Rxd3 $17
)) 21... Bb7 22. Ra1 $18) (20... Qd7 21. Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 22. Ne4 f6 23. exf6 $40)
21. Nf3 $1 {NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall: 'The critical position for one of the most
spectacular games of the event. Since this was not analyzed to death in the
way Kasparov-Topalov was, there is more room here for independent
investigation.'  ' NUNN, Ribli: 'Jeder weise Zug kommt mit Tempo..Schwarz hat
Probleme mit seinen c6-Springer und seiner Konigsstellung.'} 21... Qd7 {
NUNN, Ribli: 'Schwarz entfesselt sich in der c-Linie.'} (21... Rxb3 22. Bxh7+ {
'!' NUNN, Ribli.} 22... Kxh7 23. Nd4 $16 {
NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall: '(?!) - Shirov''} (23. Qh4+ $5 {NUNN, Ribli} 23... Kg8
24. Ng5 Re8 (24... Rd8 {NUNN, Ribli} 25. Qh7+ Kf8 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qxg7) 25.
Qh5 $1 Rxe3 26. Rxc6 Qxc6 (26... Qa7 $2 {NUNN, Ribli} 27. Kh1 {seems to help
white. It is better to save a check on a7 for later, since black can hardly
move with his queen needing to defend f7 from a7. For example:} 27... Qd7 28.
f5 {The black queen is misplaced on d7, where it can be hit with fxe6.} 28...
exf5 29. Rf6 $3 {and white crashes through. Poor defence, but it helps to show
some of the themes at work here.}) (26... Qd7 {NUNN, Ribli} 27. f5 Rxe5 28.
fxe6 (28. Qh7+ {NUNN, Ribli} 28... Kf8 29. f6 Qa7+ 30. Kh1 gxf6 {
and white faces an uphill struggle.} 31. Qh6+ (31. Qh8+ {NUNN, Ribli} 31... Ke7
32. Qxf6+ Kd7 {does not seem to lead anywhere.} 33. Rxc8 Rxc8 34. Qxe5 Qf2 $1
$17) 31... Ke7 32. Nxf7 $5 Re1 $5 (32... Rf5 {NUNN, Ribli} 33. Rxf5 exf5 (33...
Qd4 $5 {NUNN, Ribli is far from clear.}) 34. Qg7 $1 {
and black must hope a repetition is the best white can do after} 34... Qb8 $1
35. h3 $5 Kd7 (35... Qb1+ {NUNN, Ribli} 36. Kh2 Qb8+ 37. Nd6+ Ke6 (37... Kd8 {
NUNN, Ribli} 38. Rxc8+) 38. Qf7+) (35... Rg8 $5 {NUNN, Ribli} 36. Qxg8 Qb1+ 37.
Kh2 Qb8+ 38. Qg3 Qxg3+ 39. Kxg3 Bd7 40. Rc7 {and white may be slightly better.}
) 36. Ne5+ Kd8 37. Rd6+ Qxd6 38. Nf7+ Kd7 39. Nxd6+ Kxd6 (39... Re7 {
NUNN, Ribli} 40. Nf7) 40. Qg3+ {and white has the advantage.}) (32... Qf2 $4 {
NUNN, Ribli} 33. Rc7+ Bd7 34. Rxd7+ Kxd7 35. Nxe5+ fxe5 36. Rxf2) 33. Rxe1 Qf2)
28... Qa7+ (28... R5xe6 {NUNN, Ribli} 29. Qh7+ Kf8 30. Nxe6+ Rxe6 31. Rxc8+
Qxc8 32. Qh8+) 29. Kh1 Bxe6) (26... Qb7 $5 {NUNN, Ribli is also possible.}) 27.
Qxf7+ Kh8 28. Qg6 Kg8 29. f5 {
was given in the post mortem, with Shirov having faith in white's attack here.}
) 23... Rb2 $140 {NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall' NUNN, Ribli: '(!) was given by Shirov
as pulling the teeth of white's attack, and in the post-mortem he concentrated
on the intricacies of concentrating on the kingside. Understandable, but it
appears that white maintains a clear edge here after'} (23... Rb6 {NUNN, Ribli}
24. a5 $16) 24. Bc1 $1 {NUNN, Ribli: 'intending'} 24... Nxd4 (24... Rxc2 25.
Qxc2+ Kg8 26. Bxa3 Qb6 27. Bxf8 Qxd4+ 28. Kh1 $18) 25. Qh4+ Kg8 26. Rxc7 Ne2+
27. Kh1 Rb1 28. Qf2 Nxc1 29. Qc2 Rb8 30. Rf3 $1 Bb2 31. Rh3 g6 32. Rh6 $18) (
21... Qb7 {(NUNN, Ribli) Tisdall: also confused Shirov during the game, in the
sense that he was extremely unsure whether or not to sacrifice on h7. His
planned} 22. Qh4 h6 (22... g6 {NUNN, Ribli} 23. Qh6) 23. f5 {
appears to give white a fearsome attack.}) 22. Bxh7+ $1 {'->!' NUNN, Ribli. 
NUNN, Ribli: ''!' Tisdall. ' NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall: 'OK, we have all seen this
before, but it is equally clear that white's attack is not as straightforward
as it usually is in this attacking formation. Shirov bashed this off without a
second's hesitation, and having seen him attack like this live, I can only
imagine how depressed Reindermann must have been to get this bishop in his
face.   As Shirov explained: "Last year, I failed to win even one spectators'
prize. This year, we're already in the eleventh round and I still hadn't
picked up one of those prizes. So I didn't even want to think about other
moves," he said. ''} (22. Bc5 {NUNN, Ribli} 22... Bxc5 23. Rxc5 $14) 22... Kxh7
23. Qh4+ Kg8 (23... Kg6 $2 {NUNN, Ribli} 24. g4 $18) 24. Ng5 Re8 (24... Rd8 25.
Qh7+ Kf8 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qxg7 $18 Rf8 28. f5 $40) 25. Rf3 $1 {NUNN, Ribli:
''!!' Tisdall. ' NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall: 'Most people would have concentrated
on''} (25. Qh7+ {NUNN, Ribli} 25... Kf8 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qxg7 {Tisdall: 'but'}
27... Kd8 $13 {Tisdall: 'does not leave white with a clear continuation of the
attack. Shirov prefers to keep the black king at home.'}) 25... Ne7 $8 (25...
Kf8 $2 {NUNN, Ribli} 26. Nh7+ Kg8 27. Nf6+ {'!' Tisdall.} 27... gxf6 28. Rg3+
Kf8 29. exf6 $18 {Tisdall: 'mates.'}) 26. Qh7+ $1 (26. Rh3 $4 {
(NUNN, Ribli) Tisdall} 26... Ng6 {allows black to set up a defence.}) 26... Kf8
27. Qh8+ $1 Ng8 {NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall: 'It is not obvious what white has
achieved by allowing black to bring his knight into the defence. White follows
through with a new series of line-opening sacrifices.''} 28. f5 $1 {NUNN, Ribli
: 'Schwarz hat eine Figur mehr, aber der weise Angriff ist uberzeugend.'} 28...
exf5 (28... Rxb3 $2 29. f6) 29. e6 $1 {
NUNN, Ribli: 'Weis opfert einen weiteren Bauern fur offene Linien.'} (29. Nh7+
$2 Ke7 30. Bg5+ Ke6 31. Qxg7 d4 $1 $13) 29... fxe6 {NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall:
'Now white has made space for the bishop to join in the attack, as well as
having ventilated the black kingside, in particular, the second/seventh rank.
''} (29... Rxe6 30. Nh7+ Ke7 31. Bg5+ f6 (31... Kd6 {(NUNN, Ribli) Tisdall} 32.
Bf4+ $18) 32. Qxg8 $18) 30. Rg3 $1 {'+/-' NUNN, Ribli.  NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall:
'Now white threatens to blast through to g7, which has added force now that
black's second rank is open. Black's scattered forces make it extremely
difficult to mobilize a defence.''} 30... g6 (30... e5 {NUNN, Ribli} 31. Nh7+
Ke7 32. Rxg7+ Kd6 33. Rg6+ $1 (33. Rxd7+ $16 {NUNN, Ribli}) 33... Re6 (33...
Qe6 {NUNN, Ribli} 34. Qg7 $1 $18) 34. Rxg8 $18) 31. Nh7+ Kf7 (31... Ke7 {
NUNN, Ribli} 32. Bg5+ Kf7 33. Bf6) 32. Bh6 $1 {NUNN, Ribli: ''!' Tisdall. '}
32... Ke7 (32... Nxh6 {NUNN, Ribli} 33. Qf6+ $18 Kg8 34. Rxg6+ Kxh7 35. Rxh6+
Kg8 36. Rh8#) (32... Bf8 {(NUNN, Ribli) Tisdall} 33. Bxf8 Rxf8 34. Rxg6 $1 Qa7+
35. Kh1 Kxg6 36. Nxf8+ Kg5 (36... Kf7 {NUNN, Ribli} 37. Qh7+ Kxf8 38. Qxa7) 37.
Qxg8+ $18 Kf6 38. Nh7+ Ke5 39. Qg3+ f4 40. Re2+ Kd6 41. Qxf4+ Kc6 42. Rc2+) 33.
Bg5+ Kf7 (33... Kd6 34. Bf4+ Ke7 35. Qg7+ Kd8 36. Bc7+) 34. Bf6 $5 {NUNN, Ribli
: 'Weis hat entscheidenden Angriff. Der schwarze Materialvorteil hat da keine
Bedeutung.'} (34. Nf6 $18) 34... Rf8 (34... Bf8 35. Ng5# {#}) (34... e5 35. Rc7
$18) (34... Qa7+ {NUNN, Ribli} 35. Kh1) 35. Rc7 $1 $18 {'!' NUNN, Ribli.  NUNN,
Ribli: 'Ein sehr schoner Zug! Weis opfert noch einen Turm.'} 35... Nxf6 (35...
Qxc7 {NUNN, Ribli} 36. Qg7+ Ke8 37. Qxc7 $18) 36. Qxf6+ Ke8 37. Qxg6+ {
NUNN, Ribli: 'Tisdall: 'Black can no longer avoid massive material losses, and
there are no unexpected technical problems lurking.''} 37... Kd8 (37... Rf7 {
NUNN, Ribli} 38. Nf6+ $18) 38. Rxd7+ Bxd7 39. Nxf8 {'+-' NUNN, Ribli.  NUNN,
Ribli: 'Die Partie ist wegen des grosen weisen Materialvorteils entschieden.'}
39... Bxf8 40. Qf6+ {
NUNN, Ribli: 'Mit einfachen Zugen realisiert Weis sein Ubergewicht.'} 40... Be7
(40... Ke8 {NUNN, Ribli} 41. Rg8 $18) 41. Rg8+ Kc7 42. Qc3+ Kb7 (42... Bc6 {
NUNN, Ribli} 43. Rxb8 $18) 43. Rxb8+ Kxb8 44. h4 Bxh4 45. Qh8+ $18 {Tisdall: 's
o the h-pawn will cost black even more. A textbook attacking game, with a
wealth of instructive, thematic ideas.'} 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "2000.03.01"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, V."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2751"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2000.03.10"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
c6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bg4 12. Rb1 Nd7 13. h3 Bh5 14. Rb5 Nb6
15. c4 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 dxc4 17. Bc2 Qd7 18. a4 g6 19. Be3 Rac8 20. Rfb1 c3 21. a5
Nc4 22. Rxb7 Qe6 23. Ra1 Bb8 24. Bb3 Qd6 25. g3 Nxe3 26. Bxf7+ Kh8 27. Qxe3 Qf6
28. Be6 Rce8 29. d5 Be5 30. Ra2 Bd4 31. Qe1 Qf3 32. Kh2 Qxd5 33. Bxd5 Rxe1 34.
Kg2 Bxf2 35. Rf7 Rxf7 36. Bxf7 Bc5 37. Bb3 Kg7 38. Rc2 Bd4 39. a6 Kf6 40. Ra2
Ke5 41. h4 Ke4 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "2000.05.19"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[Annotator "Finkel"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2000.05.17"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 {Finkel,A. Ftacnik} 1... e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7
6. Bxf6 gxf6 7. Nf3 a6 (7... Nd7 8. Qd2 $6 f5 9. Ng3 h5 $5 10. h4 Bd6 11. Rh3
c6 12. Ng5 Nf6 13. Bc4 Nd5 $15 {Euwe,M-Balla,Z/Bad Pistyan 1922/1/2-1/2 (50)})
(7... c6 $6 8. Qd2 f5 9. Ng3 b6 10. Bc4 Nd7 11. O-O-O Bb7 12. Rhe1 Nf6 13. Kb1
Qc7 14. Ne5 $16 {Kozma,J-Fichtl,J/CSR-ch Prague 1953 (37)}) (7... Qd5 $6 8. Bd3
Nd7 9. O-O Nf8 10. c4 Qh5 11. Qd2 Rg8 12. Ng3 Qg4 13. Rfe1 Bd7 14. Be4 $36 {
Aronson,L-Khanov,K/URS-ch sf 1957/1-0 (49)}) 8. c4 {
This move deserves very serious attention.} (8. Bd3 b5 (8... Nd7 9. Qe2 c5 (
9... f5 10. Ng3 Nf6 11. O-O-O Qd5 12. Kb1 f4 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Qd6 15. Ne5
$14 {Toth,A-Dobos,J/Szekszard op  1995}) 10. dxc5 Qa5+ 11. Qd2 Qxd2+ 12. Nfxd2
Nxc5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 $11 {Cohn,E-Swiderski,R/Wien 1908}) 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. O-O-O Bd5
11. Kb1 c6 12. Nc3 Nd7 13. Rhe1 Qa5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Nh4 Nb6 $13 {
Stjazhkina,O-Grabuzova,T/49th ch-RUS (women) 1999}) (8. g3 b5 9. Bg2 Bb7 10.
Qe2 Bd5 11. Nc3 c6 12. Nxd5 (12. O-O-O Nd7 13. Kb1 Nb6 14. Rhe1 Qc7 15. Nh4 h5
16. f4 f5 17. Nf3 O-O-O 18. Ne5 $14 {
Leko,P-Morozevich,A/Frankfurt-West Masters 1999}) 12... cxd5 13. c3 Nc6 14. a4
O-O 15. O-O Qb6 16. b4 Rfc8 17. Rfd1 $14 {
Lutz,C-Morozevich,A/Frankfurt-West Masters 1999}) (8. Qd2 b5 9. Qh6 $6 Bb7 10.
Bd3 Nd7 11. Ng3 f5 12. Nh5 Bf8 13. Qe3 Nf6 $15 {
Sutovskij,E-Morozevich,A/Torneo de Pamplona 9th 1998}) 8... f5 9. Nc3 Bf6 (9...
c5 10. d5 Bf6 11. Qc2 e5 12. O-O-O O-O 13. Nd2 Bg7 14. f3 ({
It was possible to play} 14. Bd3 $5 {Finkel,A} 14... e4 15. Be2 b5 16. g4 fxg4
17. Ndxe4 Bf5 18. f3 gxf3 19. Bxf3 Nd7 20. Rhg1 $14 {with better prospects.})
14... Qf6 15. Bd3 b5 $132 {Wang Zili-Dreev,A/Tan Chin Nam Cup 5th 1999}) 10.
Qd2 c5 11. d5 O-O 12. O-O-O e5 (12... exd5 $6 {Ftacnik} 13. Nxd5 $16) 13. h4 $5
{A new attitude to the position! In the following game we see Shirov at his
best: original ideas, fantastic determination, accurate calculations... 
 Ftacnik: 'An excellent move preparing a kingside attack and securing the g5
square for white pieces.'} 13... b5 (13... e4 14. Ng5 b5 (14... Qd6 {Ftacnik}
15. f3 $16) 15. f3 $5 (15. d6 $5 Bd4 $5 16. Qf4 $2 Qf6 17. Rh3 $1 Be5 (17...
Rd8 $2 18. Rg3 Kh8 19. Rxd4 cxd4 20. Nxf7+ $18) 18. Qd2 $14)) 14. d6 {
'!' Ftacnik.} (14. Qh6 {Ftacnik} 14... Bg7 15. Qh5 Qd6 $14) (14. cxb5 $5 {
Ftacnik} 14... axb5 15. Bxb5 e4 16. Ng5 Qd6 17. Bc4 $14) 14... Nc6 $2 (14...
Nd7 {Ftacnik} 15. Nd5 $16) (14... Bb7 {Ftacnik} 15. Qh6 Bg7 16. Qh5 Qd7 17.
cxb5 $16) 15. d7 $1 {
Cutting black position on two halfs and penetrating via d6 and d5.} 15... Bb7 (
15... e4 {Ftacnik} 16. dxc8=Q Qxd2+ 17. Rxd2 Rfxc8 18. Nd5 $18) 16. Qd6 $1 {
Ftacnik: 'Shirov strives to prove, that there is lot of potential in passed d
pawn. Black has two unconnected halves of the board and his queen fullfils the
sorry task of blockading d7 pawn.'} 16... e4 (16... Be7 17. Qh6 f6 18. Rh3 (18.
cxb5 $5 axb5 19. Bxb5 Nd4 20. Rh3 $40) 18... Rf7 19. Rg3+ Kh8 20. Qh5 Rf8 21.
Qxf5 $18) (16... Qe7 17. Qc7 $1 Rab8 18. Nd5 Qd8 19. Qd6 Bg7 20. Rh3 $36) 17.
Nd5 $1 Bg7 (17... Bxb2+ {Ftacnik} 18. Kxb2 exf3 19. gxf3 bxc4 20. Bxc4 $18) 18.
Ng5 Nd4 $6 (18... h6 {Ftacnik} 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Bxb5 Nd4 21. Ne7+ Kh8 22. Qg6
$3 fxg6 23. Nxg6+ Kg8 24. Bc4+ $18) 19. Ne7+ $1 {Every move of white deserves
an exclamation mark because of the depth of Shirov's plan.} 19... Kh8 20. Rh3
$1 (20. b4 {Ftacnik} 20... f6 21. Ne6 (21. bxc5 Qa5 22. Qxd4 (22. Nf7+ Rxf7 23.
Rxd4 Bh6+ 24. Kb2 (24. Kd1 Qa4+ 25. Ke1 Qa5+ $11) 24... Qb4+ $11) 22... fxg5
23. Qd2 Bc3 $16) 21... Nxe6 22. Qxe6 $16) 20... f4 (20... h6 {Ftacnik} 21. b4
f6 22. Ne6 Nxe6 23. Qxe6 $18) (20... Qa5 {Ftacnik} 21. Qxc5 Qxa2 22. Rxd4 Qa1+
23. Kc2 Qxf1 24. Qxf5 $18) 21. Kb1 b4 (21... f6 {Ftacnik} 22. Ne6 Nxe6 23. Qxe6
Rb8 24. Nf5 $18) (21... h6 {Ftacnik} 22. b4 e3 23. bxc5 e2 24. Bxe2 Nxe2 25. c6
$18) 22. Be2 $1 $18 {Threatening to come to h5. '!' Ftacnik.  Ftacnik:
'Beautifull trick of calling in last reserves via the square, that seemed to
have been unaccesible. Topalov's king on h8 has very feeble defense.'} 22... f3
(22... Nxe2 23. Qxc5 Nd4 (23... f5 24. Ne6 Qb8 25. Nxg7 Nc3+ 26. Ka1 Kxg7 (
26... Nxd1 27. Ne8 $18) 27. Nxf5+ Rxf5 28. Qe7+ $18) 24. Rxd4 Bxd4 25. Qf5 Kg7
26. Ng8 $3 $18) (22... e3 {Ftacnik} 23. Bh5 f6 24. Ne6 Nxe6 25. Qxe6 exf2 26.
Bf3 Rb8 27. Bxb7 Rxb7 28. Rf3 $18) (22... h6 {Ftacnik} 23. Bh5 hxg5 24. hxg5
$18) 23. gxf3 Nxe2 24. Qxc5 Nf4 25. Qf5 Ng6 26. h5 $1 Qxe7 27. hxg6 (27. hxg6
Qf6 (27... h6 28. gxf7 $18) 28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29. gxf7+ Rxf7 30. d8=Q+ Rxd8 31.
Rxd8+ Qxd8 32. Qxf7#) 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Sarajevo"]
[Date "2000.05.24"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2709"]
[Annotator "Lukacs"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2000.05.17"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. c3 {This is a rather quiet approach from Shirov.
} 4... e6 5. Be3 Qb6 6. Qb3 {White is not against exchanging queens, he wants
to exploit his small space advantage.} 6... h5 (6... Nd7) 7. Nd2 Nh6 (7... Na6
8. Be2 Be7 9. f4 Nh6 10. Bxh5 {White can bravely take the P.} 10... Bg4 11.
Bxg4 Nxg4 12. Qxb6 axb6 13. Nf1 c5 14. Nf3 cxd4 15. Nxd4 Bc5 16. Ke2 Bxd4 17.
Bxd4 $18 {Yakovich-Rahmanov, URS-ch 1986}) (7... Nd7 8. f4 Nh6 (8... Ne7 9.
Ngf3) (8... O-O-O 9. Ngf3 Nh6 10. h3 Be7 11. g3 f6 {
Black has to find counterplay, otherwise he will be pushed to the wall.} 12.
Be2 Rdf8 13. O-O-O Qxb3 14. axb3 a5 $11 {Yakovic-Garcia Gonzales, Sochi 1986})
9. Ngf3 Be7 (9... Bg6 10. g3 (10. Be2 Nf5 11. Bf2 Be7 12. g3 f6 $5 (12... O-O-O
) 13. exf6 gxf6 14. Qc2 $5 Nh4 (14... O-O-O) 15. Bd3 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 Nf5 ({
If Black wants to take the P after} 16... Nxf3+ 17. Nxf3 Qxb2 {
he has to reckon with a strong counterplay after} 18. Rb1 Qxa2 19. Rxb7 $1 (19.
Qg6+ Kd8) 19... Rb8 20. Rxb8+ (20. Qg6+ $6 Kd8 21. Rxb8+ Nxb8 22. O-O Qe2 $132)
20... Nxb8 21. O-O $14) 17. O-O (17. O-O-O $14) 17... Kf7 18. Rae1 Rag8 $2 {
forgets about the vulnerable spot.} (18... Nf8) 19. Rxe6 $1 Kxe6 20. Re1+ Kf7
21. Qxf5 $16 {Palac-Sarno, Aosta op 1990}) 10... Be7 11. h3 O-O-O 12. Qxb6 (12.
Be2) 12... axb6 (12... Nxb6 13. a4 a5 14. Be2 {
with some space advantage for White.}) 13. a4 f5 (13... Kc7 14. Be2 Ra8 15. O-O
Ra5 16. b3 Rha8 17. Rad1 Bc2 18. Rde1 $1 Ba3 19. Ra1 Be7 20. Kg2 Bg6 21. Rad1
Bc2 22. Rde1 $14 {Yudasin}) 14. Ng5 $1 Bxg5 15. fxg5 Ng8 16. Nf3 Ne7 17. Kd2
Kc7 18. Be2 Bf7 19. b3 Ra8 20. Kc2 $14 {
and Black is doomed to passivity, Yudasin-Ponomariov, EUCup Budapest 1999.}) (
9... a5 10. h3 Be7 (10... a4) 11. Be2 a4 12. Qxb6 Nxb6 13. a3 Nd7 14. Bf2 b5
15. O-O-O Nb6 16. Rdg1 Kd7 17. Bh4 Nc4 18. Bxe7 Kxe7 19. g3 Rag8 20. Nxc4 bxc4
21. Rh2 Ra8 (21... f6 $2 {creates weaknesses on the >>.} 22. Bd1 Ra8 23. exf6+
gxf6 24. Nh4 $16 {Aseev-Vyzmanavin, White Knights 1984}) 22. Bd1 Kd7 23. Nh4
Ng8 24. g4 (24. Nxf5 exf5) 24... hxg4 25. hxg4 Be4 26. Rg3 c5 $1 $13) (9... f6
10. h3 Be7 {- 9...Be7}) 10. h3 (10. Be2 a5 (10... Bg6 11. g3 (11. h3 Nf5 12.
Bf2 h4 {blockading the >>.}) 11... h4 $5 (11... Nf5 12. Bf2) 12. Bf2 (12. Nxh4
Bxh4 13. gxh4 Nf5 {and White's P is corrupted.}) 12... Bf5 13. Nxh4 Bxh4 14.
gxh4 Bg4 15. Bd3 (15. Bf1 Bf5 (15... Nf5 16. Rg1) 16. Rg1 Ng4 17. Qxb6 axb6 18.
Nf3 Nf8 19. Bh3 Nh6 20. Bg2 Be4 $44) 15... Bf5 {>< f5} 16. Be2 Bg4 {
1/2:1/2 Kovacevic-Ostojic, Belgrade op 1989}) 11. h3 a4 (11... h4 $2 12. Bf2 {
>< h4}) 12. Qxb6 Nxb6 13. g3 Kd7 14. Kf2 Bxh3 $1 {
This is a nice tactical trick, but even so  White can survive.} (14... Kc7 15.
Kg2 Nd7 16. Nh2 Bg6 17. g4 hxg4 18. hxg4 b5 19. a3 Nb6 $11 {
Pokojowczyk-Dejkalo, POL-ch Poznan 1984}) 15. Rxh3 Ng4+ 16. Kg1 Nxe3 17. Kf2
Ng4+ 18. Kg2 Ne3+ 19. Kf2 Ng4+ (19... Nf5 20. Rah1 h4 (20... g6 21. g4 Ng7 22.
Ng5 $11) 21. gxh4 (21. Nxh4 Nxh4 22. gxh4 a3 23. b3 c5) 21... a3 22. b3 c5 $11)
20. Kg2 Ne3+ {1/2:1/2 Aseev-Asrian, Petrov mem St.Petersburg, 1996}) 10...
O-O-O (10... f6 11. Be2 O-O-O (11... fxe5 12. fxe5 Nf7 13. O-O g5 14. Nh2 Bg6
15. g4 h4 16. Nhf3 O-O 17. c4 Rfc8 18. c5 Qxb3 19. axb3 a6 20. b4 {
White has a big space advantage, but it is not easy to find a breakthrough.}
20... Rab8 21. Ra3 Kg7 22. Rfa1 Rc7 23. Nb3 $1 Nf8 24. Na5 Nh7 25. Bd2 Nd8 26.
Nxb7 $5 Rcxb7 27. Rxa6 $44 {Grigorov-Skalkotas, Nikea op 1985}) 12. O-O-O fxe5
13. fxe5 Nf7 14. Rdf1 Qxb3 15. Nxb3 Rdf8 $11 {
Yudasin-Bagirov, URS-ch Sverdlosk 1984}) 11. Bf2 f6 12. Be2 Rdg8 13. Rg1 Kb8
14. Nh4 fxe5 15. Nxf5 Nxf5 16. fxe5 h4 17. Nf3 Qa5 18. Bd3 Rf8 19. O-O-O $14 {
Gurgenidze-Vasiukov, URS-FL Telavi 1982}) 8. Be2 h4 9. h3 {
fixing the weakness on >< h4.} (9. Qxb6 axb6 10. Bg5 {is met by the prudent}
10... Ng8 11. h3 Ne7 12. Ngf3 Ng6 13. O-O Nd7) 9... Be7 10. Ngf3 Nd7 11. O-O
Bg6 {vacating the square for the N.} 12. Bg5 {The exchange of the dark-squared
B is favourable for White from strategical point of view.} 12... Nf5 13. Bxe7
Nxe7 (13... Qxb3 14. axb3 Kxe7 15. b4 {gaining space also on the <<.} 15... a6
16. Nb3 $14) 14. Qa3 $1 {Now the Q escapes.} 14... Nf5 (14... c5 15. Nb3 Rc8
16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Rxc5 18. Nd4 {with a strong blockading N on d4.}) 15.
Rac1 a5 (15... c5 {runs into} 16. c4 $1 {and the position will be opened,
which is usually good for the better developed party.}) 16. Rfe1 Ne7 17. Bd1 {
/\ Bc2 exchanging Black's active B.} 17... Ra7 $5 (17... c5 {
opens up the /^ for the opponent's B.} 18. Ba4 Nc6 19. Nb3 c4 20. Nbd2 Bd3 21.
b3 $16) (17... Bh5 18. Bc2 {activates the B.}) 18. Bc2 (18. c4 Qb4) 18... Nf8
19. Ng5 Bxc2 20. Rxc2 Nf5 21. c4 $1 {White has to open up the position.} 21...
Nxd4 22. Rcc1 Rh5 23. Qe3 $1 Ne2+ $1 {Black's defence is on the top!} (23...
Nd7 24. cxd5 cxd5 (24... exd5 $2 25. Nxf7 $1 {and Black will collaps soon.})
25. Rc8+ Ke7 26. Rec1 {with the total control of the only opened <->.} 26... f6
$5 (26... Ra6 27. Rg8 $1 Nc6 28. Qf4 Ncxe5 (28... Ndxe5 29. Rxg7 $18) 29. Rcc8
Nf6 30. Qxe5 Nxg8 31. Rxg8 $18) (26... Nb5 27. Qf4 f6 28. Ndf3 $1 Nxe5 (28...
fxg5 29. Nxg5 $18) 29. Nxe5 Rxg5 30. Nf3 Rf5 31. Qb8 $18) 27. exf6+ gxf6 28.
R1c7 $1 {The penetration of the rooks is decisive.} 28... Rxg5 29. Nb3 Ne2+ (
29... Re5 30. Qxd4 Re1+ 31. Kh2 Qd6+ 32. g3 hxg3+ 33. Kg2 $1 gxf2 34. Qxf2 $16)
(29... Nf3+ 30. Qxf3 Rf5 31. Qe3 $18) 30. Qxe2 Kd6 (30... Re5 31. Qd3) 31. Qc2
a4 32. Nd4 $1 Qxd4 33. Rxd7+ Ke5 34. Rc3 $16 {with a centralized K on e5.}) 24.
Qxe2 Rxg5 25. Nf3 Rh5 26. cxd5 exd5 (26... cxd5 $6 27. Nd4 $1 Qxd4 28. Rc8+ Kd7
(28... Ke7 29. Qxh5) 29. Qc2 $18) 27. e6 (27. Nd4 $5 g6 28. Qg4 Ra8 29. e6 $44
{looks also strong.}) 27... fxe6 (27... Nxe6 28. Nd4 Rh6 (28... Qxd4 29. Qxh5
g6 30. Qh7 Qxb2 {
Black has many pawns for the exchange, but his K is still not quite safe.} (
30... Kf8 31. Rc3 $16) 31. Qg8+ Ke7 32. Qb8 Qb6 33. Rxc6 $1 Qxc6 34. Qxa7 $14)
29. Qe5 Qd8 30. Qxg7 Rg6 31. Rxe6+ $1 Rxe6 32. Nxe6 fxe6 33. Rc3 $1 Qe7 34.
Qg8+ $18) 28. Nd4 Rh6 29. Nf5 Rf6 30. Nxg7+ Kd7 31. Rc3 $1 Qb4 (31... Rg6 32.
Nf5 (32. Rf3 Rxg7 33. Rxf8 Re7 34. Qe5 Qc7 35. Qf6 Qd6 36. Rh8 $14)) 32. Qe3 b6
(32... d4 $2 33. Rd1 c5 34. Qe5 $18) 33. a3 Qe7 (33... Qxb2 $1 {
was the brave alternative.} 34. Rb3 d4 35. Rd1 Kc8 36. Rxd4 $1 Qa1+ 37. Kh2
Rxg7 38. Rxb6 Nd7 39. Rxc6+ Kd8 40. Rdd6 Qb2 41. Qa7 Qe5+ 42. Kg1 Qe1+ 43. Kh2
$11) 34. Qxb6 Rc7 35. Rec1 e5 {#} (35... Qxg7 $2 36. Rxc6 Rxc6 37. Rxc6 $18)
36. Nh5 $6 ({missing the witty} 36. Nf5 $1 Qe6 (36... Rxf5 37. Rxc6 $18) 37.
Nxh4 $16) 36... Rh6 37. b4 axb4 38. axb4 Qg5 39. b5 c5 40. Qa5 Ne6 $2 (40...
Rg6 $1 {with counterattack was required, for example:} 41. g4 hxg3 (41... Qxh5
$2 42. b6 Rc8 43. b7 Rb8 44. Qa7 $18) 42. Nxg3 Ne6 43. b6 Rb7 44. Rxc5 Nxc5 45.
Qxc5 Rgxb6 46. Qxd5+ Ke7 47. Rc8 Rd7 48. Qc5+ Rbd6 $44) 41. b6 $16 Rb7 (41...
Rg6 {is already met by the bright} 42. Nf6+ $1 Kd6 43. Ng4) 42. Qa6 $1 (42.
Rxc5 Nxc5 43. Qxc5 Rhxb6 44. Qxd5+ Ke7 $11) 42... Nd8 (42... Kc6 43. Qa8 Rhh7
44. Qc8+ Kd6 45. Rxc5 $1 {ruining the last bastions.} 45... Nxc5 46. Qxc5+ Ke6
47. Qc6+ Kf5 48. g4+ $18) 43. Rxc5 Rhxb6 (43... Ke8 44. f4 $1 Qxh5 45. Rxd5 $18
) 44. Rxd5+ Ke7 45. Qa3+ Kf7 46. Qf3+ Kg6 47. Rc4 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Merida"]
[Date "2000.06.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Polgar, Ju"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2658"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2000.06.20"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Qb6 6. Nb3 Qc7 7. f4 Nf6 8. Qe2
d5 9. e5 Nfd7 10. O-O Nc6 11. Be3 g5 12. f5 Ndxe5 13. Bxg5 Rg8 14. Bf4 Bd7 15.
fxe6 Bxe6 16. Bxh7 Rh8 17. Bf5 O-O-O 18. Bxe6+ fxe6 19. N1d2 Bd6 20. g3 Qh7 21.
c3 Nd3 22. Bxd6 Rxd6 23. Rf6 Nxb2 24. Raf1 Na4 25. R1f3 Kb8 26. R6f4 Nb6 27.
Nc5 Nd8 28. Ndb3 Nc4 29. Rh4 Qg7 30. Rxh8 Qxh8 31. Qf2 Qg7 32. Nd4 Qc7 33.
Ncxe6 Rxe6 34. Nxe6 Nxe6 35. Rf5 Qh7 36. g4 Kc8 37. h4 Qg6 38. Qf3 Ne3 39. Rf6
Qb1+ 40. Kh2 Qe1 41. Kh3 Kd7 42. g5 Qg1 43. g6 Nc5 44. Rf7+ Kc6 45. Qg3 Qh1+
46. Qh2 Qc1 47. g7 Qxc3 48. Qg3 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Merida"]
[Date "2000.06.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Akopian, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C17"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2000.06.20"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. bxa5
dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nbc6 11. Nf3 Qc7 12. Bf4 Bd7 13. Bg3 O-O-O 14. Bd3
Qxa5 15. O-O Qc5 16. Qxf7 Rdf8 17. Qh7 Rxf3 18. gxf3 Nxe5 19. Be2 d4 20. Rfe1
Bc6 21. Kf1 Nxf3 22. Bxf3 Bxf3 23. Re5 Bd5 24. Kg1 Kd7 25. Rd1 Qxa3 26. Qh4 Qa4
27. Rxe6 Rxg3+ 28. hxg3 Nf5 29. Qh7+ Kxe6 30. Qg6+ Kd7 31. Qxf5+ Kc6 32. Qf6+
Kc5 33. Qe7+ Kc4 34. Qe5 Kc5 35. f4 b5 36. f5 Kc6 37. Qf6+ Kc5 38. Qe5 Kc6 39.
Rxd4 Qa1+ 40. Kf2 Qh1 41. Rxd5 Qxd5 42. Qxc3+ Kd6 43. Qd3 a5 44. Ke3 a4 45.
Qxd5+ Kxd5 46. Kd2 b4 47. Kc1 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Montecatini Terme"]
[Date "2000.07.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Rublevsky, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2746"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2000.07.28"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. c4 Bd7 8. Nc3
Nc6 9. Be3 Be7 10. f4 O-O 11. Kh1 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Bc6 13. Qe2 Nd7 14. Rad1 e5 15.
Be3 exf4 16. Bxf4 Ne5 17. Bc2 Qc7 18. c5 dxc5 19. Nd5 Qd6 20. Bg3 Bb5 21. Qh5
f6 22. Rf4 g6 23. Qh6 Rad8 24. Nxf6+ Rxf6 25. Rxd6 Rfxd6 26. Rf1 Bf8 27. Qc1
Bxf1 28. Bxe5 Re6 29. Qxf1 Rxe5 30. Bb3+ c4 31. Qxc4+ Kg7 32. Qc7+ 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Polanica Zdroj"]
[Date "2000.08.21"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Fedorov, Alex"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C39"]
[WhiteElo "2646"]
[BlackElo "2746"]
[PlyCount "46"]
[EventDate "2000.08.26"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 d6 6. Nxg4 Nf6 7. Nf2 Rg8 8. d4
Bh6 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. Nd5 Nxd5 11. exd5 Qe7+ 12. Be2 Nb4 13. c4 Bf5 14. Qa4+ Kf8
15. Qxb4 Re8 16. Qd2 Rxg2 17. Kf1 Rg3 18. Qd1 Be4 19. Rh2 f5 20. Nxe4 fxe4 21.
Bg4 e3 22. Bf3 Qg7 23. Rh1 Rg2 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Polanica Zdroj"]
[Date "2000.08.25"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2746"]
[BlackElo "2643"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2000.08.26"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4 e5 8. Nf5
g6 9. g5 gxf5 10. exf5 d5 11. Qf3 d4 12. O-O-O Nbd7 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. gxf6 dxc3
15. Bxc3 Qc6 16. Qg3 Bh6+ 17. Kb1 Bf4 18. Qd3 O-O 19. Rg1+ Kh8 20. Bb4 Rg8 21.
Rxg8+ Kxg8 22. Be7 h6 23. Be2 Nxf6 24. Qd8+ Kh7 25. Qf8 Be6 26. Qxa8 Bxf5 27.
Ka1 Nd5 28. Qf8 Qe6 29. Bc5 Bxc2 30. Rg1 Bg6 31. h4 Bh2 32. Rd1 Nf4 33. Rd8 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 2000-1"]
[Site "GER"]
[Date "2001.02.18"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Kazimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B62"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2746"]
[Annotator "Stohl"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2000.10.14"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 {Once considered
very dangerous, this move has nowadays a rather tame reputation (despite
Leko's latest tries). Most of the critical lines end in forced draws, but
Black must know his way in the complicated tactical labyrinth.} 6... e6 7. Qd3
$5 {Keres's move is a rare guest in today's top events. In the whole Bg5
Najdorf White tries to combine typical >>-> ambitions (but here the B stands
in way of the Pg2) with [+] activity. This is also the idea behind the text
move, compared with it's usual outpost on f3 the Q is more exposed, but as we
will see later, White has also extra tactical motives.} ({More flexible is} 7.
f4 {Here Shirov tried nearly all the available moves, lately it was the most
popular} 7... Qb6 8. a3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Be7 10. Qf3 h6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. O-O-O Qc7
13. h4 h5 14. g3 Bd7 15. Rh2 O-O-O 16. Rhd2 Be7 17. Qe3 Kb8 18. Kb1 g6 19. Na4
Ne5 20. Nb6 Ng4 21. Nxd7+ Rxd7 $11 {Leko,P-Shirov,A/Wijk aan Zee/2001/}) 7...
Nc6 {An interesting reaction, now we get a Rauzer position (index B62), only
White's Q is on d3 instead of d2.} ({First the bad alternatives:} 7... h6 8.
Bh4 Be7 9. f4 Nbd7 (9... g5 $142 $5 10. fxg5 Nh5 $14 {/<=>}) 10. O-O-O Qc7 11.
Be2 b5 12. Bf3 Bb7 13. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 14. e5 dxe5 15. Qg6+ Kf8 16. Bxf6 $1 Bxf6
17. Bh5 Nc5 18. fxe5 Bxe5 19. Rhf1+ Bf6 20. b4 $1 $16 {
->,Mukhin-Platonov,I/USSR/1969/}) (7... Be7 8. Be2 Nbd7 9. f4 Qc7 10. O-O-O b5
$6 11. Bxf6 $1 Nxf6 12. Bf3 Bb7 13. e5 dxe5 14. Ndxb5 $1 Qb8 15. fxe5 Bxf3 16.
Qxf3 axb5 17. exf6 Bxf6 18. Qc6+ $36) (7... Nbd7 $142 8. f4 b5 9. a3 (9. O-O-O
b4 $5 10. Nce2 Qa5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. e5 Nd5 13. Kb1 dxe5 14. fxe5 Bb7 15. Ng3
O-O-O 16. Be2 Qb6 $15 17. Rhf1 $2 Nc3+ $1 $19 {
Kovalev,A-Bologan,V/Minsk zt/2000/}) 9... Bb7 (9... Qc7 $5 10. Be2 Rb8 11. O-O
b4 12. axb4 Rxb4 13. Kh1 Be7 14. Na4 Nb6 15. Nxb6 Qxb6 16. c3 Rxb2 17. f5 e5
18. Bc1 Rxe2 $1 19. Nxe2 Bb7 $44 {Privara,I-Maeder,KH/corr/1997/}) 10. Be2 Be7
11. Bf3 Qc7 12. O-O-O Rc8 $132 {Compared with the above 7...Be7 line Black has
an extra tempo and has safeguarded himself against [+] surprises.}) 8. O-O-O
Bd7 {With the Q on d2 8...h6 makes more sense, as 9.Bh4? runs into 9...Nxe4!.}
({Here a similar idea has to be connected with a risky >> pawn advance:} 8...
h6 9. Bh4 g5 $5 10. Bg3 Ne5 11. Qd2 Bd7 12. h4 Rg8 13. hxg5 hxg5 14. f3 {
/\Bf2-e3+/=}) 9. f4 Rc8 ({The Pe4 is well protected and the usual <=> with} 
9... b5 {is not so effective, Black must also reckon with} 10. e5 $5 dxe5 11.
fxe5 Nxe5 12. Qg3 {possibly followed by Ndxb5.}) 10. f5 $146 {
A very ambitious novelty.} ({More modest is} 10. Kb1 Be7 11. Be2 (11. Rg1 $6
Nxd4 (11... h6 12. Bh4 g5 13. fxg5 Ng4 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Qe2 hxg5 16. Bg3 Qb6
17. Qxg4 Qxg1 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. Bb5+ axb5 20. Rxg1 Rc4 $44 {
Janosevic,D-Fischer,R/Belgrade m/1958/}) 12. Qxd4 d5 $1 $11 {/\Bc5/=/+}) 11...
O-O 12. Bf3 Qc7 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Qxd6 Bxc3 16. Qxc7 Rxc7 17.
bxc3 f5 $11 {1/2,Tolnai,T-Aseev,K/Kecskemet/1992/}) 10... Nb4 $5 {Shirov wants
to capitalize on the position of White's Q and launches a sharp counterattack.}
(10... e5 $143 11. Nb3 $14) (10... Ne5 11. Qh3 $36) 11. Qh3 {Consistent.} (11.
Qf3 $143 Qa5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. a3 $142 (13. fxe6 $6 Bh6+ (13... Qg5+ 14. Kb1
fxe6 $11) 14. Kb1 Rxc3 $1 15. exd7+ Ke7 $1 16. Nf5+ Kxd7 17. Rxd6+ Ke8 18. a3
Rxf3 19. gxf3 Bf4 20. axb4 Qxb4 $15) 13... Rxc3 14. bxc3 Qxa3+ 15. Kd2 Na2 $15
{gives Black a better version of the game position.}) 11... Qa5 {
A logical follow-up of the previous move.} 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. a3 $8 (13. Kb1 $2
Rxc3 14. bxc3 $8 (14. Qxc3 $4 Qxa2+ 15. Kc1 Bh6+ $19) 14... Qxa2+ 15. Kc1 h5 $5
$40) 13... Rxc3 14. bxc3 Qxa3+ 15. Kd2 Na2 $44 {For a minimal material
investment Black has  chances to harass White's K, if his N doesn't get
trapped on a2 even an _|_ could be promising. But that's still far away and
even Black's K is shaky. The fate of the game depends on how both sides will
manage to mobilize their inactive pieces (Rh1, Bf1; Rh8, Bf8).} 16. fxe6 {
An automatic exchange, which nevertheless must be made with care. Although it
exposes Black's K, it also improves his P-structure and gives him more space
for his pieces. White's main current worry is the tactical Bh6+:} (16. Bc4 $143
$6 Bh6+ $8 17. Qxh6 Qxc3+ 18. Ke2 Qxc4+ 19. Kf3 (19. Rd3 $6 e5 20. Qxf6 Rg8 $40
) 19... Nc3 (19... e5 $2 20. Qxf6 Rg8 21. Qxd6 $1 exd4 22. Rxd4 $18) 20. fxe6 (
20. Qxf6 Rg8 21. Rd3 exf5 $1 $17) 20... fxe6 $142 ({Too ambitious is} 20... Bc6
$6 21. exf7+ (21. Qxf6 Bxe4+ 22. Kf2 Rf8 $1 23. e7 Rg8 24. Qxd6 Rxg2+ 25. Ke3
Re2+ $1 26. Nxe2 Qxe2+ 27. Kf4 Qf3+ 28. Kg5 h6+ $1 29. Kxh6 Qe3+ 30. Kh5 Bg6+
31. Kh4 Qh6+ 32. Kg4 Qh5+ 33. Kf4 Qf5+ 34. Ke3 Qe4+ 35. Kd2 Qxc2+ 36. Ke3 Qe2+
37. Kf4 Qf2+ 38. Ke5 Qf5+ 39. Kd4 Nb5+ $19) (21. Nxc6 $2 Qe2+ 22. Kf4 Qxe4+ 23.
Kg3 Rg8+ $19) 21... Kxf7 22. Qh5+ Kf8 23. Qh6+ $11 {/\} 23... Kg8 24. Qxf6
Bxe4+ 25. Kg3 Nxd1 $2 26. Rf1 $18) 21. Qh5+ Kd8 22. Qf7 Kc8 23. Qxf6 Re8 $17 {
Black's K is much safer than its counterpart.}) ({Not much better are} 16. Qe3
h5 $36) ({or} 16. Ne2 b5 17. Qe3 h5 $44) (16. Rb1 $2 Bh6+ $1 17. Ke1 Nxc3 {
favours Black, because he has} 18. fxe6 Bd2+ $1 19. Kxd2 Nxb1+ $19) 16... fxe6
17. Nxe6 $2 {A miscalculation.} (17. Rb1 b5 $142 (17... Bh6+ 18. Ke1 Qxc3+ (
18... Nxc3 19. Qh5+ $1 {/\Qh6+-}) 19. Qxc3 Nxc3 20. Rxb7 Rg8 $14) 18. Nb3 $5
$13 (18. Nxb5 axb5 19. Bxb5 Bxb5 (19... Ke7 $2 20. Bxd7 Kxd7 21. Rb7+ Kc6 22.
Rhb1 $18) 20. Qxe6+ (20. Rxb5 Bh6+ 21. Qxh6 Qxc3+ 22. Kd1 Qd4+ 23. Ke1 $11)
20... Be7 21. Rxb5 Qxc3+ 22. Ke2 Qxc2+ 23. Ke3 Qc3+ $11 {
alebo skusat dalej stastie v ostrej a nejasnej pozicii po 18.Jb3!?.})) ({
After the game the players analysed mainly} 17. Nb3 Qb2 (17... h5 18. Bc4 Ke7
$13) (17... Ke7 $5 $13) 18. Rb1 Qxb1 19. Bb5 Bh6+ (19... Qxh1 20. Qxe6+ Be7 21.
Qxd7+ Kf7 22. Bc4+ Kf8 23. Qc8+ Kg7 24. Qg4+ $11) 20. Qxh6 Qxh1 21. Bxd7+ Kxd7
(21... Kf7 22. Qh3 $44 {is playing with fire.}) 22. Qg7+ Kc6 (22... Kc8 23.
Qxh8+ Kc7 24. Qxh7+ {/\Qh3=/+/=}) 23. Na5+ Kb5 24. Qxb7+ Kxa5 25. Qc7+ Ka4 26.
Qc4+ $11) 17... Ke7 18. Bc4 (18. Rb1 $143 $2 b5 $19) 18... Bh6+ $1 19. Ke1 (19.
Qxh6 Qxc3+ 20. Ke2 Qxc4+ 21. Kf3 Kxe6 $19 {/\} 22. Rxd6+ $6 Kxd6 23. Qxf6+ Qe6
24. Qd4+ Kc7 25. Qxh8 Qg4+ 26. Ke3 Qg5+ {-> with a mating attack.}) (19. Ke2
Nxc3+ 20. Ke1 Qb4 $1 $19) 19... Qxc3+ 20. Qxc3 Nxc3 21. Rd3 Rc8 $1 {
The key move, now White will remain some P down in the _|_.} (21... Nxe4 $2 22.
Nd4 $13) 22. Rxc3 Bxe6 23. Bxe6 (23. Rb3 Rxc4 24. Rxb7+ Bd7 $19) 23... Rxc3 24.
Bb3 (24. Bd5 $6 Rxc2 $19 {helps Black.}) 24... Re3+ 25. Kf2 Rxe4 26. Bd5 (26.
Re1 Rxe1 27. Kxe1 Bf4 $19) (26. Bg8 Rf4+ 27. Kg3 f5 $19 {/\} 28. Bxh7 $2 Kf6 {
/\Kg7,Rg4-g7,><Bh7}) 26... Rf4+ {Disrupts the coordiantion of White's forces.}
27. Kg3 $6 (27. Bf3 Rb4 28. Re1+ Kd7 29. Be4 Bf4 $5 $19 (29... Bd2 30. Re2 h6 {
/\} 31. Bxb7 Rxb7 32. Rxd2 a5 $19)) (27. Ke2 $142 {
closes the e-file, but offers more resistance after} 27... Rb4 (27... b5 $2 28.
Ra1) 28. Kd3) 27... Rb4 28. Bg8 Bf4+ $19 {
Transferring the B to the long /^ decides.} 29. Kf3 Be5 30. Bxh7 a5 31. Bg8 a4
32. Re1 b5 (32... a3 $2 33. Re4 {/\Ra4=/+}) (32... b5 {/\a3, Rb2} 33. Re3 Rb2
34. c3 Rc2 $19 {o^ a,b}) 0-1

[Event "FIDE WCh KO"]
[Site "New Delhi"]
[Date "2000.12.10"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2746"]
[BlackElo "2702"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2000.11.27"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8.
Qd2 O-O 9. O-O-O Be7 10. Bc4 Nf6 11. Rhe1 Nd5 12. Ne5 f5 13. Bxd5 exd5 14. Nc5
Bg5 15. f4 Bf6 16. h3 Qd6 17. Ncd3 b6 18. g4 c5 19. g5 Bd8 20. Qg2 Rb8 21. g6
c4 22. Nb4 Bb7 23. gxh7+ Kxh7 24. Rg1 Qh6 25. Qf3 Bf6 26. Nd7 Rbd8 27. Nxf8+
Rxf8 28. Nxd5 Kh8 29. Qa3 1-0

[Event "FIDE WCh KO"]
[Site "New Delhi"]
[Date "2000.12.12"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Grischuk, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "2746"]
[BlackElo "2606"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2000.11.27"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. d4 Be7 8.
Qxe4 Ng6 9. f4 c6 10. Bd3 d5 11. Qe2 f5 12. Nd2 O-O 13. Nf3 Nh8 14. Bd2 a5 15.
c4 Nf7 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. Rac1 Bf6 18. b4 a4 19. b5 Re8 20. Ne5 Nd6 21. Bb4 Ne4
22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. Rfd1 Be6 24. d5 Bd7 25. Nc6 Qc8 26. Ne7+ Bxe7 27. Rxc8 Raxc8
28. Bxe7 Rxe7 29. d6 Rf7 30. Rd5 Rc1+ 31. Kf2 Rf8 32. Re5 Rfc8 33. Re7 R1c2 34.
Rxd7 Rxe2+ 35. Kxe2 b6 36. Rb7 Rc2+ 37. Ke3 Rc3+ 38. Kd4 Rd3+ 39. Ke5 e3 40.
Ke6 h6 41. Re7 Rd4 42. Kd7 Re4 43. Rxe4 fxe4 44. Ke7 1-0

[Event "FIDE WCh KO"]
[Site "New Delhi"]
[Date "2000.12.14"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Grischuk, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C96"]
[WhiteElo "2746"]
[BlackElo "2606"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2000.11.27"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

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 Bb7 12. d5 Nc4 13. a4 Nb6 14. Qe2 Nxa4 15. Bxa4
bxa4 16. c4 Nd7 17. Rxa4 Nb6 18. Ra3 a5 19. Nc3 a4 20. Be3 Bc8 21. b3 axb3 22.
Rxb3 Ra6 23. Reb1 f5 24. Bxc5 dxc5 25. Nxe5 Na4 26. Nxa4 Rxa4 27. Nc6 Qc7 28.
e5 Ra6 29. Qf3 f4 30. Re1 Bf5 31. Rb5 Bc2 32. Rb2 Bg6 33. Rd2 Be8 34. Nxe7+
Qxe7 35. d6 Qe6 36. Qb7 Bc6 37. Qxa6 Bxg2 38. f3 Bxf3 39. Kh2 Bg4 40. Qb7 Qh6
41. Qd5+ Rf7 42. Kg1 Qxh3 43. Qg2 Qh4 44. Rf2 f3 45. e6 Rf8 46. e7 Re8 47. d7
Bxd7 48. Qxf3 Qg5+ 49. Kf1 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "2001.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Grischuk, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "NN"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2001.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

{Kommentiert in:RAETSKY 2002, 23 und kurzer in SCHACH 4/2001, 12.} 1. e4 c5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 {
diesen Aufbau empfiehlt RAETSKY 2002 gegen 1.e4 (in: "Meeting 1 e4").} 6. Ndb5
Bb4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3 d5 9. Bd3 $5 {Poldauf} 9... d4 (9... dxe4 $6 10. Nxe4
Nxe4 11. Bxe4 Qxd1+ 12. Kxd1 $16 {RAETSKY 2002, 23: ..  mit einem fur Sw
nachteiligen Endspiel: Ws hat das L-Paar und die Bauernmehrheit auf dem
D-Flugel.}) 10. Ne2 e5 11. O-O O-O 12. h3 Re8 13. Ng3 Be6 $2 $146 {Poldauf: All
es dreht sich um den Punkt e5, den sw nach dem fehlerhaften Textzug und dem ws.
f2-f4 nicht mehr gunstig mit einer Figur wird besetzen konnen.} (13... Nd7 $142
14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Nde5 16. Qh5 f6 17. b4 (17. Rf2 $142 Be6 18. Raf1 {RAETSKY
}) 17... Be6 {Ponomariov-Korchnoi, Donetsk 2001.}) 14. f4 exf4 15. Bxf4 Nd7 $6
(15... h6 $142 {Shirov}) 16. Qh5 $1 g6 17. Qh6 Qf6 18. Bg5 Qg7 19. Qh4 Nce5 20.
Bh6 Qh8 21. Nf5 $1 Bxf5 22. exf5 Nxd3 23. cxd3 Qe5 24. Rf4 Nc5 25. Raf1 Nxd3
26. fxg6 fxg6 27. Rf7 Nc5 28. Rg7+ Kh8 29. Rff7 Ne6 30. Rxg6 d3 31. Rg4 Rg8 32.
Rxh7+ $1 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "2001.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Polgar, Ju"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2001.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Be3
Be6 9. Nd5 Nbd7 10. Qd3 Bxd5 11. exd5 Rc8 12. c4 O-O 13. O-O a5 14. Rad1 b6 15.
Nd2 Nc5 16. Qc2 Nfd7 17. f3 Bg5 18. Bf2 f5 19. Kh1 Qf6 20. Nb1 Qh6 21. Nc3 Rce8
22. a3 e4 23. b4 e3 24. Be1 Nb7 25. Nb5 f4 26. Nc7 Re5 27. Bc3 Re7 28. Ne6 Ra8
29. Qf5 Bh4 30. Qg4 Bf6 31. Bxf6 Qxf6 32. Nxf4 Qb2 33. Qh4 Rf7 34. Bd3 Nf8 35.
Rfe1 Qxa3 36. Ne6 g6 37. Ng5 Rg7 38. Qd4 Qxb4 39. Ne4 Nc5 40. Rb1 Qa3 41. Nf6+
Kh8 42. Rxe3 Nxd3 43. Ne8 Rxe8 44. Rxe8 Kg8 45. Re3 Nf2+ 46. Kg1 Qa4 47. Re2
Rc7 48. Kxf2 Rxc4 49. Qxb6 Rc5 50. Qxd6 Qd4+ 51. Kg3 Rxd5 52. Qf4 Qc5 53. Rc1
Rg5+ 54. Kh4 Rh5+ 55. Kg4 Qd5 56. Rd2 Qe6+ 57. Kg3 a4 58. Qc4 Ra5 59. Re2 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2001.01.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2718"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2001.01.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4 e5 8. Nf5
g6 9. g5 gxf5 10. exf5 d5 11. Qf3 d4 12. O-O-O Nbd7 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. gxf6 dxc3
15. Bxc3 Qc6 16. Qg3 Bh6+ 17. Kb1 Bf4 18. Qd3 Rg8 19. Bh3 Kd8 20. Bb4 Qxf6 21.
Qc4 Rg5 22. Rd6 Qg7 23. f6 Rg1+ 24. Bf1 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2001.01.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Piket, Jeroen"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2632"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2001.01.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qc2 Bg6 11. c5 Bc7 12. Nc3 Nf6 13. Bg5 Nbd7 14. Ne5 Bxd3 15.
Qxd3 Qc8 16. f4 Ba5 17. Qg3 Kh8 18. Qh4 Bxc3 19. bxc3 Ne4 20. Re3 Nxg5 21. Qxg5
h6 22. Qh5 Nf6 23. Nxf7+ Kh7 24. Ng5+ Kg8 25. Qg6 hxg5 26. Re7 Ne8 27. Rae1 Qg4
28. fxg5 Qh4 29. g3 Qh3 30. Rxb7 Qf5 31. Qe6+ Qxe6 32. Rxe6 Rf7 33. Rxf7 Kxf7
34. Rxc6 Rb8 35. Ra6 Rb7 36. h4 Nc7 37. Rd6 Nb5 38. g6+ Ke7 39. Rxd5 Nxc3 40.
Re5+ Kf6 41. c6 Rb1+ 42. Kg2 Rb2+ 43. Kf3 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2001.01.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D03"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2718"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2001.01.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Bg5 Ne4 4. Bh4 c5 5. dxc5 Nc6 6. e3 g6 7. Nbd2 Nxc5 8.
Nb3 Bg7 9. c3 Ne4 10. Bd3 O-O 11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. Qxd8 Rxd8 13. Nfd4 Ne5 14. Bxe7
Re8 15. Ba3 Nd3+ 16. Ke2 b6 17. f4 a5 18. Nc1 b5 19. Nxb5 Ba6 20. c4 Bxb5 21.
cxb5 Rac8 22. Rd1 Rc2+ 23. Kf1 Rf2+ 24. Kg1 Nxb2 25. Re1 Rc2 26. Bxb2 Rxb2 27.
a4 Rc8 28. Kf1 Bc3 29. Rd1 Bb4 30. Na2 Bd2 31. Rdb1 Rcc2 32. Rxb2 Rxb2 33. Nc1
Bxe3 34. Ne2 f5 35. g3 Kf7 36. Ra3 Rb1+ 37. Kg2 Bb6 38. Ra2 Ke6 39. Rc2 Kd7 40.
Rc6 Be3 41. h4 Rb2 42. Kf1 Rb1+ 43. Kg2 Rb4 44. h5 gxh5 45. Rh6 Rxa4 46. Rxh7+
Kd6 47. Rxh5 Ra2 48. Kf1 Ra1+ 49. Kg2 Ra2 50. Kf1 Ra1+ 51. Kg2 Re1 52. Nc3 Rg1+
53. Kh2 Rc1 54. Rh6+ Kd7 55. Rh7+ Ke6 56. Rh6+ Kd7 57. Rh7+ Ke6 58. Rh6+ Kf7
59. Rc6 Rc2+ 60. Kh3 Bg1 61. Kh4 Bd4 62. Nd5 Rxc6 63. bxc6 Ke6 64. Nc7+ Ke7 65.
Nb5 Bb2 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2001.01.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Van Wely, Loek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2001.01.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7 6. Be2 Nge7 7. Na3 cxd4 8. cxd4
Nf5 9. Nc2 Qb6 10. g4 Nfe7 11. O-O h5 12. h3 hxg4 13. hxg4 f6 14. Bd3 O-O-O 15.
b4 Nxd4 16. Ncxd4 fxe5 17. Qe2 e4 18. Bf4 Ng6 19. Rac1+ Bc6 20. Bg3 Bd6 21. b5
Bxg3 22. fxg3 exf3 23. Qe3 Qc7 24. Rxf3 Ne5 25. bxc6 Nxf3+ 26. Qxf3 Qe5 27.
cxb7+ Kxb7 28. Nc6 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee"]
[Date "2001.01.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Tiviakov, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2597"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2001.01.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 Nc6 5. e4 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e5 Ng8 8. f4
Nh6 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Be3 Nf5 11. Bf2 Bxf3 12. gxf3 O-O 13. Rg1 Ncxd4 14. Bxd4
Qh4+ 15. Bf2 Qxf4 16. Bd3 d4 17. Rg4 Qxe5+ 18. Qe2 Qa5 19. O-O-O dxc3 20. Bxf5
Qxf5 21. Rxb4 Rae8 22. Re4 cxb2+ 23. Kxb2 Rxe4 24. Qxe4 Qb5+ 25. Ka1 b6 26. Bd4
Qd7 27. Rd2 Re8 28. Bc3 Qb5 29. a4 Rxe4 30. axb5 Ra4+ 31. Kb2 f6 32. Kb3 Rf4
33. Rd8+ Kf7 34. Rd7+ Kg6 35. Rxc7 Rxf3 36. Rxa7 Rf5 37. Kc4 Rc5+ 38. Kb4 Rd5
39. Rb7 Rd6 40. Kc4 h5 41. Bd4 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Bergen"]
[Date "2001.02.09"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Agdestein, S."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2591"]
[BlackElo "2718"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2001.02.09"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. Qxd3 e6 7. O-O Nbd7 8.
Nc3 Bb4 9. Bd2 a5 10. c5 O-O 11. Na4 Ne4 12. a3 Bxd2 13. Nxd2 f5 14. f3 Nef6
15. b4 axb4 16. axb4 Qe7 17. Nb3 e5 18. Na5 e4 19. fxe4 Nxe4 20. Nxb7 Ndf6 21.
Na5 Ng4 22. h3 Qh4 23. Rf3 Ng5 24. Qe2 Nxf3+ 25. Qxf3 Rae8 26. Nxc6 Rxe3 27.
Qxd5+ Kh8 28. hxg4 fxg4 29. Ne5 Qf2+ 30. Kh1 g3 0-1

[Event "Bundesliga 2000-1"]
[Site "GER"]
[Date "2001.03.31"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Nielsen, PH."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2001.04.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 c5 7. h4 h5 8. Nf4 Nc6
9. Nxg6 fxg6 10. Ne2 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Kd7 12. Be3 Nh6 13. gxh5 Qa5+ 14. c3 Nxd4
15. Bxd4 Nf5 16. hxg6 Bc5 17. Bxc5 Qxc5 18. h5 Raf8 19. Qd2 Ne7 20. Bd3 Rf3 21.
Be4 Rff8 22. Bd3 Rf3 23. Be4 Rff8 24. Bc2 Rf3 25. Qd4 Qa5 26. O-O-O Rhf8 27.
Qa4+ Qxa4 28. Bxa4+ Kc7 29. h6 gxh6 30. Rxh6 Rxf2 31. Rh7 Kd8 32. g7 Rg8 33.
Rg1 Rf7 34. Bd1 Kd7 35. Bh5 Rf2 36. Rh8 b6 37. Bg6 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Astana"]
[Date "2001.05.21"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Morozevich, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2749"]
[PlyCount "145"]
[EventDate "2001.05.20"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Be7 6. Bxf6 gxf6 7. Nf3 a6 8.
c4 f5 9. Nc3 Bf6 10. Qd2 c5 11. d5 O-O 12. O-O-O Bg7 13. h4 exd5 14. Nxd5 Nc6
15. h5 h6 16. Rh3 f4 17. Rh4 Nb4 18. Nxb4 Qxd2+ 19. Rxd2 cxb4 20. Rxf4 Be6 21.
Nd4 Bxd4 22. Rdxd4 Rac8 23. b3 Rc5 24. g4 Rfc8 25. Bd3 Kf8 26. Kb2 Ke7 27. Be4
Re5 28. Bxb7 Re2+ 29. Kb1 Rc5 30. Rde4 Rd2 31. Rd4 Re2 32. Rde4 Rd2 33. Rf5 Kd6
34. Rxc5 Kxc5 35. Rf4 Rd1+ 36. Kc2 Ra1 37. Kb2 Rg1 38. Bd5 Bxd5 39. cxd5 a5 40.
Rxf7 Rxg4 41. Ra7 Rf4 42. Rxa5+ Kb6 43. Ra8 Rxf2+ 44. Kb1 Kc5 45. Rc8+ Kxd5 46.
Rc4 Rf1+ 47. Kb2 Rf2+ 48. Kb1 Rf1+ 49. Kc2 Rf2+ 50. Kd3 Rxa2 51. Rxb4 Kc5 52.
Ra4 Rb2 53. Kc3 Rh2 54. Ra6 Rh3+ 55. Kb2 Kb4 56. Rb6+ Kc5 57. Rxh6 Kb4 58. Kc2
Rc3+ 59. Kd2 Rh3 60. Rh8 Kc5 61. Kc2 Kb5 62. Kd2 Kc6 63. h6 Kb7 64. b4 Ka7 65.
Ke2 Rh4 66. Kf3 Rxb4 67. Rg8 Rh4 68. Rg6 Kb7 69. Kg3 Rh1 70. Kf4 Kc7 71. Kf5
Kd7 72. Kf6 Ke8 73. Kg7 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Astana"]
[Date "2001.06.01"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Sadvakasov, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[PlyCount "143"]
[EventDate "2001.05.20"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nh6 6. a3 Nf5 7. b4 cxd4 8. cxd4
Bd7 9. Bb2 Qb6 10. g4 Nh6 11. h3 Rc8 12. Nc3 Na5 13. Na4 Qc6 14. Rc1 Nc4 15.
Rxc4 dxc4 16. Nc3 Qb6 17. Bg2 a5 18. b5 Bxb5 19. d5 Bc5 20. O-O Rd8 21. d6 Bc6
22. Qe2 Qa6 23. Rb1 Ba7 24. Bc1 Rc8 25. Be3 Bxe3 26. Qxe3 b5 27. Ng5 Bxg2 28.
Kxg2 Qb7+ 29. Qe4 Qxe4+ 30. Ngxe4 O-O 31. Rxb5 f6 32. Rxa5 fxe5 33. Rxe5 Nf7
34. Rxe6 Rce8 35. Rxe8 Rxe8 36. Kf3 Re6 37. Nb5 Re5 38. a4 Rd5 39. Ke2 Nd8 40.
f3 Nc6 41. Ke3 Rd3+ 42. Kf4 Kf7 43. Ng5+ Kf6 44. Ne4+ Kf7 45. Ng5+ Kg6 46. h4
h6 47. h5+ Kf6 48. Ne4+ Kf7 49. g5 Rd5 50. g6+ Kf8 51. Ng3 Rd1 52. Nf5 Rd5 53.
Ke4 Re5+ 54. Kf4 Rd5 55. Ke4 Re5+ 56. Kf4 Rc5 57. Nc3 Nd8 58. Ke4 Ne6 59. f4
Ke8 60. Ng3 Kd7 61. f5 Ng5+ 62. Kd4 Rc6 63. Nge4 Nxe4 64. Nxe4 c3 65. Nxc3 Kxd6
66. a5 Ke7 67. Nd5+ Kf8 68. Nb4 Rc8 69. a6 Ra8 70. Kc5 Ke8 71. Nd5 Kd8 72. f6
1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 2001-2"]
[Site "GER"]
[Date "2001.10.06"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Lutz, Christopher"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2643"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2001.10.06"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Be3 Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Qe1 O-O 11. Qg3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. a3 Bb7 14. Rae1 Bc6
15. Bd3 Rae8 16. Rf3 e5 17. fxe5 dxe5 18. Kh1 Nh5 19. Qxe5 Qxe5 20. Bxe5 Bxa3
21. Bxg7 Bxb2 22. Bxf8 Bxc3 23. Ref1 Rxf8 24. Rf5 Nf6 25. Rg5+ Kh8 26. Rc5 Bxe4
27. Rxc3 Re8 28. Kg1 Bxd3 29. cxd3 Re6 30. Ra3 Rd6 31. Rfa1 Kg7 32. Rxa6 Rxd3
33. Rb6 Rb3 34. Rf1 Ng4 35. Rb7 Ne5 36. h3 Kg6 37. Rb6+ Kg7 38. Rf5 f6 39.
Rbxf6 1-0

[Event "TCh-ESP"]
[Site "Cala Galdana ESP"]
[Date "2001.10.19"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Arizmendi Martinez, J."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2503"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2001.10.13"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. c4 f5 14. O-O O-O
15. Qf3 bxc4 16. Nxc4 d5 17. exd5 e4 18. Qe3 Bb7 19. d6 Qf6 20. Bc2 f4 21. Qh3
Rac8 22. b3 Qg5 23. Rad1 f5 24. d7 Rcd8 25. Nd6 Bc6 26. f3 e3 27. Bxf5 Rxf5 28.
Qxf5 Qxf5 29. Nxf5 Bf8 30. Nd4 Bc5 31. Ne2 Bb5 32. Rd5 Bb6 33. Re1 Ba5 34. Rc1
1-0

[Event "TCh-ESP"]
[Site "Cala Galdana ESP"]
[Date "2001.10.13"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Marin, M."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E66"]
[WhiteElo "2561"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2001.10.13"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nc6 7. Nc3 a6 8. d5
Na5 9. Nd2 c5 10. Qc2 Rb8 11. b3 b5 12. Bb2 e5 13. Rae1 Nd7 14. Nd1 f5 15. f4
e4 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qc3+ Kf7 18. g4 Nf6 19. Nf2 b4 20. Qg3 Qe7 21. e3 Nb7 22.
Qh4 Ke8 23. g5 Nh5 24. Ndxe4 fxe4 25. Bxe4 Kd8 26. Bf3 Kc7 27. Bxh5 gxh5 28.
Qxh5 Bd7 29. Nh1 Qg7 30. Ng3 a5 31. Qd1 h6 32. gxh6 Qxh6 33. Qd2 Rf7 34. Rf2
Rbf8 35. e4 Qh4 36. f5 Rg7 37. Rg2 Re7 38. Rge2 Rg8 39. Rg2 Re5 40. a4 Nd8 41.
Re3 Nf7 42. Qe2 Rg4 43. Qc2 Ng5 44. Rge2 Rf4 45. Kh1 Be8 0-1

[Event "TCh-ESP"]
[Site "Cala Galdana ESP"]
[Date "2001.10.13"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Rodriguez, Or"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2463"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2001.10.13"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 Qf6 6. Qd2 bxc6 7. Nc3 Qg6
8. Qf4 Nf6 9. Be3 Bxe3 10. Qxe3 O-O 11. O-O-O d5 12. Bd3 Ng4 13. Qd4 Qf6 14.
Qxf6 Nxf6 15. Rhe1 Be6 16. f4 Rfe8 17. e5 Ng4 18. Na4 Nxh2 19. f5 Bc8 20. Nc5
Ng4 21. e6 Kf8 22. c4 g6 23. cxd5 Nf2 24. f6 Ng4 25. e7+ Kg8 26. Rf1 cxd5 27.
Bb5 Bf5 28. Bxe8 Rxe8 29. Rxd5 Nxf6 30. Rd8 Kg7 31. Re1 h5 32. Re5 Kh6 33. Rxe8
1-0

[Event "FIDE-WCh KO"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2001.11.27"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Rizouk, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2706"]
[BlackElo "2464"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2001.12.10"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

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 Bd7 10. h3 h6 11. b3 Kc8 12. Bb2 Ne7 13. Rad1 b6 14. Nd4
Ng6 15. f4 a5 16. a4 h5 17. Ne4 Be7 18. Ng5 c5 19. Nxf7 Rf8 20. e6 cxd4 21. f5
Nh4 22. exd7+ Kxd7 23. Ne5+ Kc8 24. Nc6 Bc5 25. Bxd4 Rxf5 26. Rxf5 Nxf5 27.
Bxc5 bxc5 28. Rd5 1-0

[Event "FIDE-WCh KO"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2001.11.28"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "Rizouk, A."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2464"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2001.12.10"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. e5 dxc3 7. exf6 Qxf6
8. dxc3 Qe5+ 9. Be2 Bc5 10. O-O O-O 11. Kh1 d6 12. f4 Qf6 13. f5 Bd7 14. Bd3
Rfe8 15. Qf3 Bc6 16. Qg3 h6 17. Bd2 Re7 18. Rae1 Rae8 19. Rxe7 Rxe7 20. Rf4 d5
21. Rf1 d4 22. c4 Bd6 23. Qg4 b6 24. b4 Bb7 25. a4 c5 26. b5 a5 27. bxa6 Bxa6
28. Rb1 Bc7 29. Bf4 Bd8 30. Bg3 Re3 31. Qf4 Bb7 32. Qb8 Bc6 33. a5 bxa5 34. Qa7
a4 35. Qxc5 Be7 36. Qa7 Bd6 37. Bxd6 Qxd6 38. c5 Qd5 39. Qb8+ Kh7 40. Qd8 0-1

[Event "FIDE-WCh KO"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2001.11.29"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Gyimesi, Z."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E71"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2001.12.10"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 O-O 6. Bg5 Qe8 7. Be2 Na6 8. Nf3
e5 9. d5 Nh5 10. g3 f6 11. g4 fxg5 12. gxh5 gxh5 13. Nxg5 Qe7 14. Rg1 Qf6 15.
Rg2 Kh8 16. Bxh5 Bh6 17. h4 Nc5 18. b4 Qf4 19. Ne2 Qxh4 20. Nf7+ Rxf7 21. Bxf7
Bh3 22. Rh2 Nxe4 23. Qd3 Bd2+ 24. Kd1 Bxb4 25. Rb1 Bf5 26. Qf3 Qg5 27. Rb2 Nc3+
28. Ke1 Nxe2+ 29. Rxb4 Nd4 0-1

[Event "It"]
[Site "Linares"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vas"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2002.03.11"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

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 Re8 10. Nbd2 Bf8 11. c3 Na5 12. Ba2 c5 13. d4 d6 14. b4 exd4 15. bxa5
dxc3 16. Nf1 Nxe4 17. axb5 axb5 18. a6 Bc6 19. Rxe4 Bxe4 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21.
Ng5+ Kg8 22. Nxe4 Qc8 23. Nxc3 Rxa6 24. Rb1 b4 25. Nd5 Ra7 26. Rb3 Ra1 27. h3
Re5 28. Nf4 Qe8 29. Rf3 c4 30. Kh2 b3 31. Qd2 d5 32. Ne3 Bd6 33. g3 Qc6 34. Ng4
d4 35. Qxd4 Re4 36. Qxa1 1-0

[Event "It"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2002.11.07"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2697"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "Kindermann"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2002.07.11"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {auch hier die identische Situation wie bei
Bareev-Morosewitsch: Gelfand mus mit den schwarzen Steinen unbedingt gewinnen,
wahrend Schiro ein Remis genugt. Schirow verhalt sich jedoch wesentlich
kaltblutiger als Bareev. Er wahlt eine aktive Spielweise, ohne sich jedoch auf
ein theoretisches Duell einzulassen oder ein ubertriebenes Risiko einzugehen}
3... d6 4. Bxc6+ bxc6 5. O-O Bg4 (5... e5 6. c3 Bg4 {ist wohl genauer}) 6. h3
Bh5 7. e5 $1 {eine sehr interessante Neuerung, die die schwarze Bauernstruktur
zerstort und den fur Schwarz sehr wichtigen Zug ...e5 mechanisch verhindert}
7... e6 (7... dxe5 $5 {hatte vielleicht bessere Chancen geboten} 8. g4 e4 9.
gxh5 exf3 10. Nc3 Nf6 11. Qxf3 Qd7 12. d3) 8. exd6 Bxd6 9. d3 $14 Ne7 10. Nbd2
O-O 11. Ne4 Nd5 12. Re1 Re8 13. Ng3 Bg6 14. Ne4 $5 {psychologisch ein starkes
Kampfmittel, objektiv ware nun wohl sicherlich 14...Lh5 der beste Zug, aber in
etwas schlechterer Position ist Gelfand gezwungen, der Zugwiederholung
auszuweichen. Nun droht Weis mit 15.Sd6: Dd6: 16.Se5 mit bequemem Vorteil
wegen des schwachen schwarzen Doppelbauern. Gelfand beweist Kampferherz und
last sich auf ein verzweifeltes, objektiv aber inkorrektes Abenteuer ein:}
14... Bc7 {??!} (14... Bh5) 15. Nxc5 e5 16. a3 f5 17. c4 Nf6 18. d4 $1 e4 19.
Ne5 Bh5 (19... Bxe5 20. dxe5 Rxe5 21. b4 $14 {kommt wiederum fur Gelfand nicht
in Frage, da hier seine praktischen Gewinnchancen gleich Null waren. Schirow
schwingt in der Folge die Remiskeule sehr geschickt und zwingt seinen Gegner
zu immer groseren Zugestandnissen}) 20. Qd2 Qd6 21. Qc3 Rad8 22. Be3 Rxe5 {
die letzte Hoffnung: ein wildes Qualitatsopfer auf Chance} 23. Nb7 $1 Qf8 24.
dxe5 Rd3 25. Qb4 $1 Bxe5 26. Qxf8+ Kxf8 27. Nc5 $16 Rd6 28. Nb7 Rd7 29. Nc5 {
grausam, um dem Remis in klar schlechterer Position auszuweichen, mus der
heldenhafte Boris auch noch die einzig offeneLinieabtreten!} 29... Re7 30. Rab1
f4 31. Bd2 Bd6 32. b4 Kf7 33. Bc3 e3 34. Bd4 Bxc5 35. Bxc5 Re5 36. fxe3 f3 37.
gxf3 Bxf3 38. Kh2 Be4 39. Rb2 Rh5 40. Rf1 a6 41. Bd4 Bf5 42. Rf3 Ne4 43. b5
axb5 44. cxb5 cxb5 45. Rxb5 g6 46. a4 Nd2 47. Rf4 Rxh3+ 48. Kg2 Rh5 49. a5 Ke6
50. Re5+ Kd6 51. a6 {und Schwarz muste sich endlich in sein Schicksal fugen}
1-0

[Event "RUS vs. ROW"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2002.09.09"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2697"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2002.09.08"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5
Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bf4 Ngf6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Kb1 O-O 14. Ne4 Nxe4
15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qe2 Qd5 17. Ne5 Qe4 18. Qxe4 Nxe4 19. Rhe1 Nf6 20. g4 Rfd8 21.
f3 Rac8 22. c3 Kf8 23. Kc2 Nd5 24. Bc1 c5 25. dxc5 Rxc5 26. f4 b5 27. a3 Kg8
28. g5 hxg5 29. fxg5 b4 30. Nd3 Rcc8 31. axb4 Bxb4 32. Bd2 Be7 33. Ra1 Rc7 34.
g6 fxg6 35. hxg6 Rcd7 36. Rxe6 Bf6 37. Rd1 Nc7 38. Re3 Nd5 39. Rh3 Ne7 40. Rg1
Rd6 41. Rg2 a5 42. Nc5 Rb6 43. Bf4 Rb5 44. Ne4 Rf5 45. Bd6 1-0

[Event "ch-ESP Final"]
[Site "Ayamonte ESP"]
[Date "2002.10.12"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, F."]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2699"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2002.10.11"]
[SourceDate "2003.04.06"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. Bc4 Be6 7. Bxe6 fxe6 8.
Qh5+ g6 9. Qg4 Qd7 10. Bg5 a6 11. N5a3 b5 12. c3 h6 13. Be3 Kf7 14. O-O Nf6 15.
Qf3 d5 16. Rd1 Kg7 17. Nc2 Bd6 18. Nd2 Ne7 19. Qe2 dxe4 20. c4 bxc4 21. Nxc4
Ned5 22. Nb6 Nxb6 23. Bxb6 Nd5 24. Ba5 Qb5 25. Qxb5 axb5 26. b4 Rhf8 27. a3 Bb8
28. Rd2 Ba7 29. Re1 Rac8 30. Ne3 Nxe3 31. Rd7+ Rf7 32. Rxf7+ Kxf7 33. fxe3 Rc1
34. Kf2 Rxe1 35. Kxe1 Bxe3 36. Kd1 Ke7 37. Kc2 Kd6 38. Kb3 Bf4 39. Bb6 Bxh2 40.
a4 bxa4+ 41. Kxa4 Bf4 42. Kb3 Kc6 43. Bc5 e3 44. Kc3 e4 45. Kc2 e2 46. Bf2 Kb5
47. Be1 Bd6 0-1

