[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

{ This game pairs the two finalists of the FIDE world championship. Ponomariov won that match. This could be seen as a continuation, if one desired; though that's not really productive. }
1. e4
{ Ponomariov plays 1. e4 in much the same way as any of the other top-level GMs. }
1...e6
{ Now, along with Pe4 there is an indication Black will place pawns on light-color squares to prevent Bf1 from ever being dangerous. White will probably have to meet 2...d5 with e4-e5 to open the d3-h7 diagonal. So, White needs a Pd4 to support Pe5. }
2. d4 d5 3. Nc3
{ I've had doubts about this move for a long time. It's not so easy to prove it's wrong, but by blocking Pc2 it makes d3 less hospitable for a bishop and it makes Pd4 a little weaker. }
 ( 3. e5 
{ favored by Nimcovics (at least in commentaries) and leaves open the way for c2-c3, so Bf1-d3 can't be chased off the d3-h7 diagonal by ...c7-c5-c4. However, This variation offers Black a natural point of attack (Pd4) and that allows him to keep the balance. }
 ) ( 3. Nd2 
{ aims to support Pe4, so White might still have use of central squares. But, this also fails to pressure Black in any substantial way and so offers only a slight advantage. }
 ) ( 3. exd5 
{ opens lines in hopes of catching Ke8 on the open e-file, but in practice doesn't generally cause many problems. Black can develop his pieces freely. }
 ) 3...Bb4 $1
{ Winawer Variation -- by pinning Nc3 Black keeps Nc3 awkward. It does, however, give White time for e4-e5. }
 ( 3...dxe4 
{ prevents e4-e5, but releases Nc3, so it's not to be recommended for all occasions. It will be seen in several games later in this tournament. }
 ) 4. e5 c5
{ Black attacks in a most natural way, though he does leave Pg7 exposed for the moment. }
 ( 
{ an interesting alternative way to defend Pg7 is }
 4...Qd7 5. Qg4 f5 6. Qg3 b6 
{ when Black plans ...Bc8-a6xf1 to trade off his bad bishop and clearing the way for further developments; while leaving open options for Ke8. It changes the king-side pawn structure before White can impress his will there. The downside is that it weakens Pe6 and brings Pf5 closer to White, so a move such as g2-g4 is closer to forcing a line-opening. }
 ) ( 
{ Another idea, similar to ...Qd8-d7 is }
 4...b6 5. a3 Bf8 
{ where Black believes he has fixed Pd4 on a weak square and he isn't about to trade ...Bb4xNc3 until forced. The downside is that Nc3 is now free to move, freeing up c2-c3 and ensuring Bf1-d3 will be comfortable. There's also a chance White might use Pa3 to support b2-b4 in an effort to clamp down on Black's queen-side "break" ...c7-c5. }
 ) 5. a3
{ This is a saving grace which helps White straighten-out his queen-side a bit. }
5...Bxc3+ ( 5...Ba5 
{ has been tried, to keep the pressure on, but it hasn't proven to be more effective than the game move }
 ) 6. bxc3
{ After this it's clear White has to attack at the base of Black's pawn chain (Pf7, g7, h7) and Black can attack Pc2, Pc3 & Pd4; but both will also be keeping their eyes on the opponent's king, hoping to ensnare him in an attack. }
6...Ne7 ( 6...Nc6 7. Qg4 
{ might be awkward for Black because he doesn't want to play ...g7-g6 and ...Ke8-f8 leaves Rh8 stuck in the corner }
 ) 7. Qg4 O-O
{ For a time this was considered bad, but has recently made a come-back. The king seems a little out of place (unlike after ...O-O-O) , but with ...f7-f5 he's been able to slow White's attacks. }
 ( 
{ Previously and still a favorite is }
 7...Qc7 
{ offering Pg7 (the Poison Pawn Variation ) in exchange for time to attack Pd4 & Pc3 and possibly even Ke1 }
 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. Qd3 ) 8. Bd3 ( 8. dxc5 
{ in preparation for Bf1-d3 should also be considered }
 ) 8...f5 ( 8...c4 
{ chases Bd3 off this ideal diagonal, but also leaves Pc3 & Pc2 less vulnerable. Whether this is good depends upon how safe Kg8 is from other attack plans and whether Black can generate any serious offense on the queen-side without pressure on Pd4 }
 ) 9. exf6 Rxf6
{ Black hasn't blocked-out Bd3, but has more room for his pieces to defend Kg8. The backward Pe6 is hardly of importance when a king's safety is at stake. There is even the possibility of ...e6-e5 (discovering an attack on Qg4) and then ...e5-e4 to block out Bd3. }
10. Bg5 Rf7 11. Qh5
{ threatening Qh5xh7+ or Bd3xh7+ }
11...g6
{ this secures Ph7 and may serve to provide a support for ...Ne7-f5 }
12. Qd1
{ Although he could have played 12. Qh4 I think he might have had it in mind to play h2-h4-h5xg6 to continue the attack on Kg8. In any event after Qd8 moves Black would have ...Ne7-f5, so Qd1 is safer. }
 ( 12. Qe2 $4 c4 
{ traps Bd3 }
 ) 12...Nbc6 13. Nf3
{ It seems to me this is the moment for Black to define (and begin) his middle-game plan. To develop Bc8-d7 isn't much: ideally Black could now (without White's Pe5) aim for ...e6-e5 when Bc8 could develop to g4 or f5. So, 13...c4 14. Be2 Qd6 might be a good start. If one doesn't like ...c5-c4 then 13...Qd6 could still be played. White can't fight for square e5 so easily. }
13...Qf8 $6 ( 13...Qd6 ) ( 13...c4 14. Be2 Qd6 ) 14. O-O c4 15. Be2 h6
{ further weakening the king's position seems unnecessary. }
 ( 
{ Better might be }
 15...Qg7 ) 16. Bc1 ( 16. Bd2 ) 16...Bd7 17. Ne1 $5 $146
{ I'm told this is a novelty, which means all which preceded it had been played before. This amazes me because it seems to me Black's play was far from perfect. }
17...g5 ( 17...e5 $5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Qd4 N5c6 20. Qh4 ) 18. g3
{ While Black is moving the pawns in front of his king White aims to control f4, leaving Black's center and king weak. Those two factors (if achieved by White) could lead to a won position. }
18...Nf5 19. Ng2 Qg7 20. f4 Nd6 21. Qe1 b5
{ White might have found it useful to play a3-a4, but Black uses Pb5 to bind Pa3 & Pc3 which blocks Bc1 and Ra1. This isn't essential to a resolution of the pressures on Pf4, but it could contribute to the pressure on Ponomariov to find his way. }
22. fxg5
{ Ponomariov prefers to simplify the position; rightly so I think. His pieces need room to fight, before Black gets in ...e6-e5. }
22...Rxf1+ 23. Bxf1 hxg5 24. Ne3 Rf8 ( 24...a5 ) 25. Bg2 a5 26. Bd2 Qg6 27. Ng4 $1
{ Offering Pc2 isn't a problem because Pg5 would fall too. }
 ( 27. Qe2 
{ prevents ...g5-g4 and clears the way for Ra1 }
 ) 27...Rf5 $6
{ Since Black can't play ...e6-e5 this rook move doesn't help much. Better is to stir up trouble all across the board by breaking through White's "strong" dark squares with ...b5-b4. }
 ( 27...b4 28. axb4 axb4 29. cxb4 ( 29. Ra6 ) 29...Nxd4 30. Ne5 ) 28. Qe3 Kg7 29. Rb1 Kh7 30. a4 $5
{ Now it's White who controls b5! An invasion by the White rook could help win the game. One curious thing about this move is that, despite it being White who is forcing matters, Black can benefit to some extent by capturing the gambit pawn and advancing it. }
30...bxa4 ( 30...b4 31. cxb4 axb4 32. Bxb4 Nxb4 33. Rxb4 $16 ) 31. Bc1 Rf7 ( 31...e5 32. dxe5 Nf7 33. Nf6+ ) 32. Ba3 Qxc2 $4
{ It's not so easy to see, but this backfires on Black. Had it worked to achieve a victory or draw then we might have to reconsider the notation ("?!") . Black is trying to achieve, despite unorthodox means, the primary offensive plan -- to bash White's queen-side and, since White's king remains safe, to advance a pawn to promotion. Considering the alternatives this seems a reasonable try; and by doing so he distracts White, to some extent, from his king-side plans. }
 ( 32...Nf5 33. Qd2 Nh6 ) 33. Rc1 Qf5 34. Bh3
{ White threatens Nd6 and to move Ng4-e5. }
34...Ne4 35. Ne5 Qf2+ 36. Qxf2 Rxf2 37. Nxd7
{ Black's combination allows the "bad" Bd7 to be traded-off, so he has Rf2 and Ne4 activated, but at a cost. The question now is whether White can neutralize Ne4 & Rf2. To that end Nd7-c5 is in the offing. There may also be an opportunity for Bh3xe6. }
37...Ra2 38. Bc5 ( 38. Bf8 
{ is riskier because it's vulnerable to Kh7, but it leaves c5 available for ...Nd7-c5. }
 ) 38...Nd2 39. Bg2 ( 39. Bxe6 $4 Nf3+ 40. Kf1 Nxh2+ 41. Ke1 Nf3+ 42. Kf1 $11 ( 42. Kd1 Rd2# ) ) 39...a3 40. Nf8+ Kh6 $4
{ Black needs one or two very valuable tempi for his plan to advance Pa3. What can White do in the meantime, nothing except capture Pe6; unless Black puts his king in a dangerous spot! }
 ( 40...Kg8 
{ threatening ...Nc2-b3 to be followed quickly by ...Nb3xc5 to undermine Nf8 or ...Ra2xg2+ and ...a3-a2-a1=Q }
 41. Nxe6 Nb3 42. Rf1 Rxg2+ 43. Kxg2 a2 44. Ba3 
{ White threatens not only Ba3-b2, but gets both the bishop and knight in place to guard against the advance of Pa5. }
 ( 44. Nxg5 
{ an obvious try which doesn't deal quickly enough with the queen-side problems }
 44...a1=Q 45. Rxa1 Nxa1 46. Nf3 Nc2 47. Kf2 a4 48. Ne1 Nxe1 49. Kxe1 Na7 50. Kd2 Nb5 51. Kc2 Kg7 ( 51...a3 52. Bb4 
{ and Pa3 will fall after Kc2-b1-a2, but White will still be trading it for Pc3. This is, by no means, a win for White since Black will always have one great passed pawn }
 52...Kg7 53. Kb1 Kg6 54. Ka2 Kg5 55. Bxa3 Nxc3+ 56. Kb2 Ne2 57. Bc5 Kg4 ) 52. Kb2 Kg6 ) 44...a1=Q 45. Rxa1 Nxa1 46. Nc5 Nb3 ( 46...Nc2 
{ a little risky because the knight might get stuck }
 47. Bc1 g4 48. Kf2 Ne7 49. Na4 ) 47. Na4 ) 41. Re1
{ White is looking for moves which capture material AND check Black's king. This is to gain time for clearing the board of Black pawns. He'll probably have to gambit Bc5xa3 to get rid of that one. Bg2 is purely for defensive work at the moment, but if Pe6 disappears Bxd5 could also become useful. }
41...e5 ( 41...Kh5 42. Nxe6 ( 42. Rxe6 $4 Ra1+ 43. Kf2 a2 44. h3 g4 45. hxg4+ Kxg4 
{ and Pa2 might yet promote to have the last word }
 ) 42...g4 43. Bxd5 Nf3+ 44. Bxf3 gxf3 45. Nf4+ Kg4 46. d5 $18 ) 42. dxe5 g4 ( 42...Nxe5 43. Rxe5 Ra1+ 44. Kf2 a2 45. Re6+ Kh5 ( 45...Kg7 46. Rg6+ Kf7 47. Bxd5+ Ke8 48. Re6+ Kd8 ( 48...Kf7 49. Re1+ $18 ) 49. Bb6+ Kc8 50. Re8# ) 46. h3 g4 47. Be3 
{ and Black's king gets mated }
 ) 43. e6
{ moving off a square where Black's Nc6 could sacrifice itself desperado-style }
43...Nf3+ 44. Bxf3 gxf3 45. Kf1
{ It looks complicated enough to continue, though White clearly has the upper hand with Pa3 already attacked and Pe6 prepared to advance. White only needs to gobble up a bunch of pawns, so his knight & rook could win an ending without being distracted by Black pawns on the queen-side. }
 ( 45. e7 $2 Nxe7 46. Rxe7 Ra1+ 47. Kf2 a2 ) 1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B49"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6
{ It could be argued the ideal pawn formation for Black is with ...d7-d6 and ...g7-g6 as in a Dragon or with ...e7-e6 and ...b7-b6 as in a Queen's Indian Defense. Both and everything else between are played. I've played the Najdorf and Scheveningen variations, but can easily see the advantages of the Dragon too. I haven't been too fond of 2...e6 because there's no added control of square e5, but that doesn't mean Black can't play ...Ng8-f6. 2...e6 serves a similar purpose to 1...e6 in a French Defense. It limits the scope of Bf1 and frees the way for Bf8 to develop. }
 ( 2...d6 ) 3. d4 ( 3. c3 d5 ) 3...cxd4
{ In this Sicilian Variation Black grabs the d-pawn before it can ever serve to support e4-e5. Now, usually, White must use f2-f4 to support the e4-e5 advance. But, that isn't the only plan White can utilize. Instead White aims for general piece activity and freedom of movement to hit Black wherever he can. }
4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 ( 5. Nb5 d6 
{ is also played }
 ) 5...Qc7 6. Be2 a6
{ Black's pawns limit White's knights and Be2. Black seeks to keep open options while discouraging White from any active operations. }
7. O-O Nf6
{ This normal developing move creates an interesting threat: ...Bf8-b4xc3 and ...Nf6xe4. White tends to disregard this as a threat, to some extent, because the weakening of Black's dark squares is compensation for doubled c-file pawns. However, the loss of Pe4 requires more compensation. }
8. Be3 ( 8. Bg5 Bb4 9. Bxf6 gxf6 
{ and Black might use the g-file to threaten Kg1 }
 ) 8...Bb4 9. Na4
{ This is a most unusual variation, not often played, but popular for a time in the 1980s. It was "discussed" several times in the Polugaevsky Memorial/Sicilian Love tournament, Buenos Aires 1994. White exploits the weak dark squares in exchange for Pe4. It might seem impossible, at this early stage, for this to be sufficient compensation for a pawn, but it has shown to be effective. }
9...Be7 ( 9...Nxe4 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8 13. Qd3 d5 ( 13...Nc5 $4 14. Qd4 
{ threatens Bb4, Nc5 and Pg7 }
 ) 14. Qxa6 
{ So, White regains the pawn and leaves a very unbalanced pawn structure for an endgame. }
 ) 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8
{ With 9...Be7 Black has threatened ...Rb8xb2, but left Pe4. White's two bishops and freedom of movement should give him some lasting advantage. Whether Black can utilize Nf6 with advancing central pawns, meant to block White's pieces, is unclear. }
13. Bd4 O-O 14. Qd3 ( 14. Bd3 $2 
{ intending c2-c4 and e4-e5 }
 c5 15. Bxf6 ( 15. Bc3 c4 16. Be2 Nxe4 ) 15...Bxf6 
{ looks very good for Black }
 ) ( 14. f3 d5 15. e5 Nd7 
{ and White's efforts to slow Black might backfire because the closer the two armies come into contact the quicker Black's pawns will have their say. White does better to stay back from or go around Black's central pawns. }
 ) ( 14. e5 Nd5 
{ causes Black to block his Pd7 for a time }
 ) 14...Qc7 15. b3 a5 16. Rad1
{ White threatens Bxf6 followed by Qxd7 and seems interested only in simple piece play -- tactical opportunism. }
 ( 16. c4 
{ tries to prevent ...d7-d5 from occurring without several pawn exchanges opening up the board, but it weakens Pb3 }
 16...e5 ( 16...a4 $2 17. e5 Ne8 ) 17. Be3 d5 18. cxd5 cxd5 19. exd5 e4 20. Qd2 Rfd8 ) 16...d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 $5
{ Black accepts that his pawns will be broken up and just improves the knight. From d5 it threatens ...Nd5-f4 to snare Be2 or ... Nd5-b4 to grab Pa2. }
 ( 17...cxd5 
{ makes Pa2 & Pb3 vs. Pa5 a clear endgame advantage for White }
 ) ( 17...exd5 18. c4 
{ ensures Black's pawns will be broken up }
 ) 18. Bf3 Rfd8 19. c4 Nf6
{ Black obviously threatens ...c6-c5 }
20. Qc3
{ White turns the tables a bit and threatens Bd4-e5 which either wins the exchange (Be5xb8) or forces ...Be7-d6 which allows Be5xf6 to win a pawn and weaken Kg8. }
20...Bd6
{ It's amazing he'd offer to trade king-side pawns when Black's pawns are split, leaving Ph7 very weak. }
21. g3
{ White simply defends his pawn and "asks" Black if he can manage to do as well. }
 ( 21. Bxf6 gxf6 ( 21...Bxh2+ $4 22. Kh1 gxf6 23. g3 ) 22. Qxf6 Bxh2+ 23. Kh1 Be5 ) 21...c5 ( 21...Ne8 $4 22. c5 Bf8 23. Be5 ) ( 21...e5 
{ blocks Bd4 and on simple positional terms would be better than the game move, but the forcing variation it inspires is winning for White }
 22. c5 exd4 23. cxd6 dxc3 24. dxc7 $18 ) 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Qxf6 Be7 24. Qh6
{ White has won the pawn, weakened Ph7 and now plans Bf3-e4 (where else could the bishop be of use?) . }
24...Qe5 25. Rde1
{ White tries to get Bf3-e4 without allowing Black to undercut the effort by ...Rd8xd1. }
25...Qf6 26. Qh5 Bf8 27. Re4 ( 27. Be4 h6 28. Qe2 Rd4 ) ( 27. Re5 Rd4 28. Be4 28...h6 
{ might lead to an awkward placement of Re5 or Be4 }
 29. Bb1 ) 27...Rd4 28. Rxd4 Qxd4
{ preferring not to let White have a three-to-one queen-side pawn majority, even in exchange for a good passed central pawn }
29. Re1 ( 
{ less powerful is }
 29. Rd1 Qf6 30. Be4 h6 31. Bb1 
{ because it allows Black to fight Rd1 with his own rook }
 31...Rd8 32. Rxd8 Qxd8 33. Qg4+ Bg7 34. Qe4 Qc8 
{ defending against an invasion at c6 or b7 }
 ) 29...Qf6
{ clearing the d-file in preparation for ...Rb8-d8 }
30. Re4
{ but, White's king-side attack comes first }
30...Bg7 ( 30...Rd8 $2 31. Rg4+ Bg7 ( 31...Kh8 32. Rf4 ) 32. Be4 h6 33. Qxc5 Qa1+ 34. Kg2 f5 35. Qe7 ) 31. Rf4 ( 31. Qxc5 Qxf3 ) 31...Qe7 32. Rh4 h6 33. Rg4 f5 ( 33...Kh7 $4 34. Rxg7+ Kxg7 35. Qe5+ Qf6 36. Qxb8 Qxf3 37. Qe5+ Kg6 38. Qxc5 
{ gives White a clear endgame advantage, though it's never all that easy to win queen & pawn endings }
 ) 34. Rg6
{ courageous or risky? White threatens Qh5xh6 or Rg6xe6 with Bf3-d5 to follow. }
34...Kh7 35. g4
{ White has to pry the position open before Rg6 is completely trapped and lost. }
35...Rf8 ( 35...Qf7 $2 36. Rxh6+ Kg8 37. Rxe6 ) 36. gxf5 Rxf5 37. Be4 ( 37. Qg4 $4 Rxf3 38. Rxg7+ Qxg7 $19 ) 37...Rxh5 38. Rxe6+ Kh8 39. Rxe7
{ So, they've both survived the confusion and White has the extra pawn, but there are no queens and the bishops travel on different colors. Only the simple back rank mate threat is a concern. }
39...Re5
{ In one stroke Black forces further simplification while avoiding Re7-e8#. }
40. Rxe5 Bxe5 41. Kg2 Kg7 42. Bb1 Kf6 43. h4 Bf4 44. Kf3 Ke5 45. Kg4 Bc1 46. f3 Bd2 47. Kh5 Kf6 48. Bc2 Bc1 49. Be4 Bd2 50. Bd5 Bc1 51. a4 Be3 52. Bg8 Bd2
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3
{ Since White hasn't yet "declared" where Pd2 will be advanced it's not yet clear whether Bf1 will move to g2 (to complement Pc4) or, after d2-d4, go to d3 where it might threaten Black's king-side. Black's next is an ordinary good development move which happens to impede d2-d4 and might be used later ( by ...e5-e4) to fight White's light square bishop. Naturally Black has various plans at his disposal. This is just one. White won't get much of a clue about Black's intentions, so he has to decide what kind of position he wants and go for it. }
2...e5
{ Kasparov has played the King's Indian Defense extensively, but not recently. He's also played the Gruenfeld Defense, but 2...d5 isn't considered all that good, so he finds another choice. }
 ( 2...e6 ) ( 2...g6 ) ( 2...c5 ) 3. Nf3 ( 
{ After }
 3. g3 
{ Black isn't so likely to play ...Nb8-c6. That would weaken square d5. He's more likely to play 3...d5. But, after White's 3. Ng1-f3 it's harder for White to exploit the slightly weak d5, so ...Nb8-c6 is safe. }
 ) 3...Nc6 4. e4
{ This certainly weakens the c5-f2 diagonal and makes it less possible to utilize Bf1 offensively, unless he can also achieve d2-d4 without his position falling apart. }
 ( 4. d4 ) ( 4. d3 ) ( 4. g3 ) 4...Bb4
{ Kasparov keeps the pressure on. This is usually intended to get rid of Nc3, so Black won't have to worry about Nc3-d5. However, in this position it threatens to undermine Pe4. That causes White to postpone d2-d4. }
5. d3 ( 5. Nd5 $2 Nxe4 6. Nxb4 ( 6. a3 
{ doesn't help }
 6...Bc5 ) 6...Nxb4 
{ and White has trouble regaining the pawn because Black is ready with ...Qd8-e7 to defend Pe5. }
 ) ( 5. Bd3 $5 ) 5...d6 6. h3
{ He seems intent on limiting Bc8, but in so doing sets up his own position as a target. It's already getting difficult to find a great plan for White. Expanding on the queen-side by a2-a3 would have to be prefaced with Bc1-d2 and Black could generate some king-side offense before that expansion ever becomes a threat. Essentially Black has three minor pieces ready to fight on the king-side (Nc6, Bc8, Nf6) , whereas White has two (Nf3 and Bc1) . }
6...O-O 7. Be2 Ne7
{ He's apparently decided he can't play on the wing and must fight in the center with ...c7-c6, ...d6-d5, but to do that he has to reorganize a bit. }
8. O-O c6 9. a3 Bxc3 ( 9...Bc5 $6 10. b4 Bb6 
{ gives White a running start on a queen-side offense }
 ) 10. bxc3
{ White will have use of the open file, but in an endgame, or late middle-game, his pawns might be targets. On the king-side White's pieces are pretty well situated to meet the oncoming attack, but can do nothing aggressive. }
10...Ng6 11. Re1 ( 11. Rb1 ) ( 11. Nh2 
{ aiming for immediate piece trades would ease White's slight cramp; though Black can avoid them he does so at some risk }
 11...h6 12. Ng4 Nh7 13. d4 ) 11...Re8
{ This seems to indicate Kasparov is considering ...d6-d5, but one would think opening the center could only be good for White's bishops. }
12. Bf1 Bd7 13. Qb3 Qc8 14. Rb1 b6 15. Kh2
{ Black probably counted on meeting Bc1-g5 with ...Nf6-h5-f4 with pressure on Ph3. But, Kh2 provides Ph3 extra support, so ...Nf6-h5 is immediately met by g2-g3, leaving Nh5 stranded. So, Bc1-g5 should be prevented. }
15...h6
{ Kasparov is making useful moves, but without committing to a specific plan of offense. Perhaps there isn't one and he's just playing an equal position, in hopes his opponent will allow things to slip a bit. }
16. g3
{ This might appear to weaken Nf3, but with Bf1-g2 he shores up his king's position rather neatly. This is the kind of position he could've had straight away. Instead, it's taken him a few moves to get to this and Black is ahead in advancing a plan. }
16...Qc7 17. Bg2 Be6 18. Nd2 Rad8 19. a4
{ Is White's position well-coordinated or a shambles? Neither I suppose, but Black's looks more robust and capable of handling a few line openings. Earlier I said ...d6-d5 would favor White's bishops, but now it's not so clear. Black's rooks would benefit from the d-file opening and Bc1 looks useless. }
19...d5 20. a5
{ White leaves the lines closed to keep Black's pieces from raging all over his pawns. }
 ( 20. cxd5 
{ Getting rid of the doubled pawn should make sense. }
 20...cxd5 21. exd5 Nxd5 
{ and Bg2 is opened, but has no targets and Pd3 & Pc3 are very weak. }
 ) 20...dxc4 21. axb6 axb6 22. dxc4 Nd7
{ Black quickly redistributes his pieces toward the queen-side. But, wasn't he ideally prepared for the ...d6-d5 push beforehand? This seems like overkill or overcaution perhaps. }
 ( 22...b5 $5 23. Qb4 c5 24. Qxb5 Rb8 25. Qa4 Rxb1 26. Nxb1 
{ and White's surviving because Black's knights aren't yet over to the queen-side. Apparently his decision during the game to maneuver his knights was correct. }
 ) 23. Bf1 Ne7
{ Now the Black rooks don't look so terrific. Only the more-or-less permanent White pawn structure problems seem to justify Black taking this time to maneuver. Of course, if White doesn't take advantage of this moment Black might well jump all over him. Bf1 is blocked. Bc1 is blocked. Nd2 is passive. Re1 is blocked and passive. Only Qb3 & Rb1 are doing something significant. }
24. Qc2 Nc8 25. Nb3 c5
{ effectively "killing" Nb3 and Bc1! }
26. Be3 Nd6 27. Nd2 Ra8 28. Ra1 f6 $5
{ He leaves square c6 open for the moment, hoping to maneuver a knight through there before Qc6. }
 ( 
{ However, }
 28...Qc6 29. Ra2 Rxa2 30. Qxa2 Ra8 
{ and it's Black who is on the a-file first }
 ) 29. Ra2 Rxa2 30. Qxa2 Nb8
{ Apparently Kasparov intends ...Nb8-c6-a5 and possibly ...Qc7-f7 to threaten Pc4. So, Pb6 is a more proper target for White, than invading on the a-file. }
31. f4
{ Opening this second front when he's arguably positionally worse is dangerous. }
 ( 31. Rb1 ) 31...Nc6 32. f5 Bf7
{ By chasing the bishop onto f7 he prevents ...Qc7-f7. This keeps Pc4 safer. But, it also weakens White's king's safety. }
33. g4 Na5 34. h4 Kf8 35. g5 hxg5 36. hxg5 Ke7 ( 36...b5 $4 37. Qa3 Ndxc4 ( 37...Rc8 $2 38. cxb5 $16 ) 38. Qxc5+ Qxc5 39. Bxc5+ Kg8 40. Nf3 ( 40. g6 $2 Nxd2 41. gxf7+ Kxf7 42. Kg2 ) ) 37. Kg1 ( 
{ Black has several options in the coming moves, even in what appears to be completely forcing situations. }
 37. g6 Rh8+ ( 37...Bg8 ) 38. Kg1 Bg8 ( 38...Be8 ) ) 37...Rh8
{ Kasparov takes advantage of the newly opened file. With time control nearing this could have a disastrous effect on his opponent's composure. There are many White weaknesses and only a limited number of pieces to defend. }
38. Bf2 ( 38. g6 ) 38...Rh5 39. Nf3 Qc6 40. Qc2 Bxc4
{ It's hard to change gears and not follow through on a plan. And, in this case, it looks pretty good for Black. }
 ( 40...Nxf5 
{ offering not to trade pieces (as a capture at c4 would) , but only to open lines for Black's pieces }
 41. exf5 $2 Qxf3 42. Be2 $4 42...Rh1# ) 41. Bg2 Nf7
{ Going toward the king-side isn't necessary now. Kasparov is split between winning on the queen-side and bashing the exposed Kg1 (well at least it was a couple of moves ago) and this fragments his play. Sticking to winning on the queen-side, in this particular game, should be sufficient to win. }
 ( 41...Bb3 ) 42. Qd1 Bb3 $6 ( 42...Rh8 $17 ) 43. Nxe5
{ a very nifty tactical shot! }
43...Bxd1 44. Nxc6+ Nxc6 45. Rxd1 Nxg5
{ Kasparov has won a pawn, but his attack on Kg1 evaporated and White has the two bishops in a position which is rapidly opening up. }
 ( 45...Rxg5 
{ keeps Nf7 closer to Pb6, but can't save it; and it's risky because there's the danger Rg5 might become trapped by White's bishops }
 46. Rb1 Nfe5 47. Rxb6 Kd6 ) 46. Rb1 Nh3+ 47. Bxh3 Rxh3 48. Rxb6
{ There goes the extra pawn. }
48...Kd6 49. Kg2 Rxc3
{ After 50. Bg3+ Black's Pg7 might well fall, so they call it a draw; though Pc5 is still a threat and one could see Black fighting on. Kasparov was a bit unlucky to have only drawn. Most of the time he'd win that kind of game. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e5
{ Unlike a Sicilian or French Defense here Black firmly places a pawn in front of Pe4, and says "no further". White has tried some extreme measures, such as a King's Gambit, to get rid of Pe5, but the more common approach these days is to apply pressure to Black's position all over the board. }
2. Nf3 Nc6 ( 2...Nf6 
{ (Petrov's Defense) has also been fairly popular amongst the top GMs ever since Karpov and Kramnik achieved moderate successes with it. }
 ) 3. Bb5
{ Spanish Game or Ruy Lopez (named after a Spanish priest who was at one time one of the world's best players -- White threatens to undermine Pe5 by capturing Nc6. 3. Bc4 (Giuoco Piano or Italian Game) has also been played a lot. }
3...Nf6
{ This is the Berlin Defense. It's not been considered sufficient to achieve more than equality, but Kramnik used it very successfully against Kasparov in the Braingames World Championship match. Whether it's the appropriate "weapon" against Anand is questionable. }
 ( 3...a6 
{ has been the most common move for many years. }
 ) 4. O-O
{ White offers Pe4 as a way of forcing open the e-file when White has castled and Black hasn't. }
4...Nxe4 5. d4
{ trying to get rid of Pe5 while Ne4 blocks it's path. But, Black can let White capture and leave a pawn on e5. So, Black can keep the e-file closed. White still tries to get at Ke8. }
 ( 5. Bxc6 bxc6 6. Qe2 Nc5 7. Qxe5+ Ne6 
{ keeps the e-file closed and Black has the two bishops in exchange for the doubled c-file pawns. }
 ) 5...Nd6
{ Forcing a resolution of the pressure this way is considered safest. }
 ( 5...Be7 6. d5 
{ is more complicated }
 ) 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 ( 7. Nxe5 
{ opens the e-file, but doesn't achieve much more than that. It would certainly be a sound move worth playing to face Black with a different puzzle. }
 ) 7...Nf5 8. Qxd8+
{ This is the main advantage of 7. dxe5. It isn't so easy to clobber Ke8 with queens off the board, but White has an easier time developing and has a five to four king-side pawn majority. Black, on the other hand, has the two bishops. }
8...Kxd8 9. Nc3 ( 9. Ng5 
{ forces ...Kd8-e8, keeping the king in the middle of the Black empire or ...Bc8-e6 where White can capture it to regain one of the bishops. More useful, and what most players aim for, is to have a Pf5 to prevent ...Be6 before threatening Pf7. This isn't so easy to achieve. }
 ) ( 
{ A variant on the theme of 9. Ng5 is }
 9. Rd1+ Ke8 ( 9...Bd7 $2 10. Ng5 ( 10. e6 fxe6 11. Ne5 Bd6 12. Nf7+ Ke7 13. Nxh8 Rxh8 
{ isn't as bad for Black because it speeds Black's development }
 ) 10...Nh6 11. e6 fxe6 12. Nxe6+ Kc8 13. Nxf8 Rxf8 ) ) 9...Ne7
{ I suppose he is clearing the way for ...Bc8-f5, but those squares on the king-side in front are risky to occupy. White's pawns might race forward. }
 ( 9...h6 
{ prevents Nf3-g5 and/or prepares ...Bc8-e6 }
 ) 10. Re1 h6 11. h3 Ng6 12. Bd2
{ This is a modest move which leaves the bishop capable of moving to c3 to back up Pe5 or simply guarding square f4. One noticable key thing about the move is it doesn't weaken his queen-side the way the b2-b3, Bc1-b2 plan does. }
12...Bd7 13. Ne4
{ With Ph3 White restrains Black's light-square bishop. With Bd2 & Ne4 he restrains Black's dark-square bishop. This is sensible, but far from an indication of how he might win the game. I suppose he's just playing a slightly better position and will squeeze Black while he develops more pieces. }
13... Kc8
{ Black is far from completing his development, but if White doesn't execute a concrete attack he'll have time. That was the idea Kramnik utilized (as Black) to slow Kasparov. }
14. Ng3 c5 15. Nh5
{ This looks promising: he holds Bf8 in place. }
15...b5 16. Nh2 Kb7 17. f4 Nh4 18. Re2
{ prepares Bd2-e1 to kick Nh4 and to defend Pc2 while keeping square f3 firmly in hand }
 ( 
{ The more forceful way to execute the plan is to kick Nh4 around to gain time. }
 18. g3 Nf5 19. g4 Nd4 20. Rac1 Bc6 21. Kf2 Rd8 ) 18...Bc6
{ now Re2 and Nh5 are aligned perfectly for a Bf3 to fork! All Black needs is for 19. g3 Nf3+ 20. Nxf3 Bxf3. Also, the d-file is cleared, so Ra8 can come into play. }
19. c3 ( 19. Be1 Nf5 20. c3 ) 19...g6 20. Nf6 Be7 21. Be1 Nf5
{ Black would rather keep lines closed, at least until all his pieces are equal to White's. Then he might seek to open lines for his bishops. }
 ( 21...Bxf6 $6 22. exf6 Nf5 
{ makes Pc5 weaker and opens the e-file for Re2. Only the question of whether Pf6 might be weak is worth considering. It serves well to support a White piece landing on e7. Probably g2-g4-g5 to support Pf6 is all that's needed. Certainly Nh2-g4-e5 would make the trade on f6 favor White. }
 ) 22. Ne4 Ng7
{ Black is aware of the importance of White achieving f4-f5 to mobilize Pe5. It looks a little awkward, but White's maneuvers behind the pawns (Pe5 & Pf4) look a little awkward too. }
23. Ng4 Rad8 24. Ngf2 ( 24. Bf2 Ne6 25. g3 h5 26. Ngf6 h4 ) 24...h5 25. Bd2 ( 25. g3 ) 25...h4
{ by preventing g2-g3 he keeps Pe5 & Pf4 slightly weak and always in need of piece support }
26. Be3 Ne6 27. Nf6 a5 28. N2e4 b4 29. Ng5
{ It has taken White a lot of maneuvering moves to threaten Pf7, and it is completely ineffective. }
29...Rd3
{ This is a strong indication Black has his king-side well organized for defense. If 30. Nxf7 Rf8 Black will regain the pawn by capturing at f6. This game is another indication of how difficult it can be to get at Black's thorny position. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. d4 d5
{ Despite Shirov's reputation he doesn't always play the most blood-thirsty unbalanced defenses. 1...d5 weakens e5, but directly aims to prevent White from gaining too much ground with c2-c4 and e2-e4. }
 ( 1...Nf6 ) 2. c4 ( 2. Nf3 
{ (London System or Torre System) seeks to exploit the weakness of e5 without committing to the weakening c2-c4 }
 ) 2...c6
{ Slav Defense -- It' a simple idea: to capture Pc4 and defend it with ...b7-b5. This requires White to pay attention to his weakness (Pc4) . Ideally, for Black, White would have to play e2-e3, blocking Bc1. The downside is that many of it's variations are quite drawish or difficult for Black to win. At the top level of competition it's enough to stop White and perhaps take the opponent away from the kind of game he wanted to play. }
3. Nf3 Nf6
{ Black hasn't yet moved Pe7, so there's no pin after Bc1-g5. That makes Black's army more mobile. And, the more developed he becomes the more likely ...dxc4 will succeed. }
 ( 3...dxc4 4. e3 b5 5. a4 
{ and it's quite difficult for Black to hold his queen-side pawns together }
 ) 4. Qc2
{ This is a poor place for the queen. It weakens Pd4 and could easily become aligned with a ...Bc8-f5. }
 ( 4. e3 e6 ) ( 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 
{ is considered the main line and is played frequently }
 ) 4...g6 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 Bg7 $2 ( 6...Nc6 
{ threatens ...Qd8-b6 followed by ...Bc8-f5 and ...Nc6-b4-c2+ }
 ) 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. e3 O-O 9. Be2
{ Now White is ready to O-O, so there's little to be gained by maneuvering ...Nc6-b4-c2. With e5 controlled and the king safe White is probably better. Bg7 can't do much except defend Kg8. }
9...Ne4 10. O-O ( 10. Nxe4 $5 
{ stirs up complications and avoids sterile piece exchanges }
 10...Bf5 ( 10...dxe4 $6 
{ over-extends the pawn }
 11. Nd2 ( 11. Qxe4 $4 Bf5 $19 ) ) 11. Nfd2 Rc8 $13 ) 10...Bf5 11. Nh4 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Be4 13. Nf3
{ Ivanchuk didn't seem to be in an adventurous mood, but I like that he achieved a draw without the histrionics he sometimes displays. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6
{ Black could use ...b7-b5 to get rid of the Bxc6 "threat", but so long as that doesn't hurt Black he'll ignore it. }
5. O-O ( 5. d3 
{ isn't as aggressive as the game move, but it prevents the Open Variation and immediately threatens Bxc6 followed by Nxe5 }
 ) 5...Be7 ( 5...b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. d4 ) 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6
{ By defending Pe5 Black is free, if he were to choose, to play ...Nc6-a5xb3, so one often sees White move either his c- or a-file pawns to make room for the Bishop to retreat. }
 ( 7...O-O 
{ indicates an intent to play the Marshall Gambit (...d7-d5) . It would be interesting to see how Adams might play against the Marshall Gambit (he plays it as Black) or avoid it. }
 ) 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 ( 9. d4 Bg4 ) 9...Re8 ( 
{ the Zaitsev Variation }
 9...Bb7 10. d4 Re8 
{ prepares to open the e-file and apply pressure to Pe4 }
 ) 10. d4 Bb7
{ a mere transposition to the Zaitsev Variation, one of the most aggressive variations Black can choose }
11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. d5
{ White keeps the center closed and will willingly fight around the perimeter to keep Bf8, Re8 and Bb7 quiet. }
 ( 12. a4 h6 
{ is (or was) most common. This variation has undergone some changes and several greatly different branches are played. }
 ) 12...Nb8
{ Black generally retreats just for the moment and regroups with ...Nb8-d7 and ...c7-c6xd5; producing a position (for Black) which is much like a Sicilian Defense. }
13. Nf1 Nbd7 14. N3h2
{ preventing ...Nf6-h5-f4 and, in general, maneuvering his pieces so they can flow toward the king-side or the center. He might also be considering f2-f3 (or Qd1-f3) to defend Pe4, so he can follow-up with Nf1-e3, guarding f5 and d5. }
 ( 14. a4 
{ attempting to make Pb5 a weakness may be worthwhile }
 ) 14...Nc5 15. Bc2 c6 16. b4 $5
{ This makes Pc3 awkward, but more importantly it pushes Nc5 back, again giving White time to promote his own plan. }
16...Ncd7 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Bg5 h6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6 20. Ng4 Nxg4 21. Qxg4
{ and with that there's no major pressure on Pe4. But, there is the backward Pc3 and White hasn't yet secured square d5. There's a fight yet to be fought. }
21...d5
{ If Black hadn't done this White would have Ra1-d1 and Bc2-b3 very quickly, so that Bf8 would be forever entombed. Also, Nf1-e3 (or g3) would secure f5. }
22. exd5 ( 22. Rad1 d4 23. cxd4 exd4 24. e5 $13 ) 22...Qxd5 23. Bb3 Qd8 ( 23...Qd7 
{ also gives White some advantage, so long as Bf8 is quiet and Nf1 can come into play }
 24. Qxd7 Bxd7 25. Rad1 Bc6 ( 25...Bf5 26. Ne3 Bg6 27. Rd7 ) 26. Ne3 ) 24. Qh5
{ There are sometimes more than one way to gain an advantage. Ra1-d1 is also good. }
 ( 24. Rad1 ) 24...Ra7 ( 24...Qe7 
{ looks horrendous. Black would rather give Pe5 and counter-attack. }
 25. Rxe5 $2 
{ is a little premature and doesn't seem to lead to anything substantial }
 25...Qxe5 26. Qxf7+ Kh7 27. Qg8+ Kg6 ) ( 24...Qf6 
{ doesn't completely solve Black's problems }
 25. Ne3 Ra7 26. Ng4 Qf4 27. Rxe5 ) 25. Rxe5 Rxe5 26. Qxe5 Qg5 27. Qxg5 hxg5 28. Ne3
{ From this point forward White is just activating pieces, trading-off bad pawns and keeping his king safe. He will naturally seek to keep Black's pieces quite or to trade rooks, but Black will avoid most trades, so he can keep fighting. }
28...g6 29. Rd1 Rc7 30. Kf1 ( 30. a3 
{ intending c3-c4-c5 might be better }
 30...Bd7 31. Nd5 ( 31. c4 $2 Be6 32. Nd5 Bxd5 ( 32...Rd7 $4 33. Nf6+ Kg7 34. Nxd7 ) 33. cxd5 Rc3 ) 31...Rc6 32. Nf6+ Rxf6 33. Rxd7 $16 ) 30...Kg7 31. Ke2 Be7 32. Bd5 Bd7 33. Rd3 Bf6 ( 33...a5 $5 34. bxa5 ( 34. a3 axb4 35. axb4 ) 34...Ra7 35. a6 Rxa6 36. Bxf7 Bxh3 37. Bb3 Bc8 ) 34. c4 bxc4 35. Bxc4 Bc8
{ perhaps planning ...Bc8-b7-e4 }
 ( 35...Bf5 $4 36. Nxf5+ gxf5 37. Bxa6 Rc2+ 38. Rd2 ) 36. a3 Bb2 37. Kd2
{ White wants to support his pawns with his king, but it's complicated. }
37...f5 38. Kc2 Bxa3 $5
{ Black gets of one of the queen-side pawns, but gives up the "two bishops" to do so. After the smoke clears White will still have an extra pawn, but it won't be much easier to advance it. }
39. Rxa3 f4 40. Kb3 fxe3 41. fxe3 Re7 ( 41...Rc6 42. e4 Kf6 43. Ra5 Be6 44. Bxe6 Rxe6 45. e5+ Rxe5 ( 45...Kf5 46. Kc4 Ke4 47. Rd5 Rc6+ 48. Rc5 Re6 49. g4 
{ and Black can't maintain both Re6, defending Pg6 & Pa6, and Ke4, which prevents White's Kc4-d5. }
 49...Kf4 50. Kd4 Kg3 51. Kd5 Re8 52. e6 Kxh3 53. Rc4 $18 ) 46. Rxe5 Kxe5 47. Ka4 Kf4 48. Ka5 Kg3 49. Kxa6 Kxg2 50. b5 Kxh3 51. b6 g4 52. b7 g3 53. b8=Q g2 $18 
{ is slightly different from what one would see in an endgame theory book because of Pg6, but it is still a win for White }
 ) 42. Ka4 Re5 43. Rd3
{ White can aim for Bc4-d5, e3-e4 to block out Re5; thus allowing Ka4-a5 to get at Pa6. }
43...Bf5 44. Rd2 Rxe3 ( 44...Bc8 45. Rd8 Bb7 46. Rd7+ $18 ) ( 44...a5 45. bxa5 Re4 46. Rd4 Rxe3 47. Bd5 $16 ) 45. Bxa6 Be4 46. Rf2 Kh6 47. Bf1
{ Even if Black had to sacrifice a bishop for Pb4 he might manage a draw if there's sufficient counter-play on the king-side. }
47...g4 ( 47...Kh5 48. g4+ 
{ and Ph3 is hard to get at with Bf1 defending it }
 ) 48. hxg4 Re1
{ aiming for something like 49...Re1-a1+ 50. Ka4-b5?? Rxf1 51. Rxf1 Bd3+ -+ }
 ( 48...Kg5 49. Be2 Rg3 50. Bf3 Bxf3 51. gxf3 Kf4 52. b5 Rxf3 53. Rxf3+ Kxf3 54. g5 Kf4 55. b6 Kxg5 56. b7 Kh4 57. b8=Q g5 58. Qh2+ $18 ) 49. Be2 Ra1+ 50. Kb3 ( 50. Kb5 $4 Ra2 ) 50...Rb1+ 51. Kc3 Rc1+ 52. Kd4 Bb7 53. Bf3 ( 53. Bc4 Rg1 54. Bf1 ( 54. Bd5 $4 Rd1+ $19 ) 54...Kg5 55. b5 Kxg4 56. Kc5 Kg3 57. Rf7 Bxg2 58. Bxg2 Rxg2 59. Rg7 Kf4 60. b6 g5 61. b7 Rb2 ) 53...Ba6 54. Rb2 Bb5 55. Be2 Bc6 56. Bf3 Bb5 57. Be2 Bc6 58. Ba6
{ After having made several repetitions he goes ahead with his offensive plan. He's slowed Black as much as he could and now Pg2 will fall, but Pb4 will advance too. }
58...Rg1 59. b5 Bxg2 60. b6 Kg5 61. Bc8 $1
{ This is a crucial move because it slows Black's king-side play. }
 ( 61. Rxg2 $5 
{ This move should be considered because it removes one of the defenders, preventing Pb6 from advancing. It does, however, appear to be insufficient to force a win. }
 61...Rxg2 62. Kc5 Rb2 $1 ( 62...Rh2 $2 63. b7 ( 63. Bc8 $4 Rc2+ ) 63...Rh8 
{ a poor location from which to defend against White's king and Pb7 }
 64. Be2 Kf4 65. Kc6 g5 66. Kc7 Ke3 67. Bd1 Kd2 68. Ba4 Ke3 69. b8=Q Rxb8 70. Kxb8 Kf4 71. Bd7 $18 ) 63. Bb5 Rc2+ 64. Bc4 Rb2 65. Be6 
{ White must prevent Black from sacrificing his rook for one pawn and then capturing the other with his king. }
 65...Rc2+ 66. Kd6 ( 66. Kb4 $4 Rc6 67. Kb5 Rxe6 $19 ) ( 66. Kb5 Rb2+ 67. Ka5 Rb1 $11 ) 66...Rd2+ 67. Kc7 Rc2+ 68. Kb8 Rb2 69. b7 Rb6 70. Bc8 Rb1 $11 ) 61...Kf4 62. Kc5 Be4 ( 62...Rc1+ $4 63. Kd6 Rxc8 64. Rxg2 g5 65. b7 Rg8 66. Kc7 Rg7+ 67. Kb6 Rg8 68. Ka7 Kf3 69. Rg1 Kf2 70. Rb1 Kf3 71. Rb4 $18 ) 63. Rb4 Ke5 64. b7 Rc1+ ( 64...Bxb7 $2 65. Bxb7 $18 ) 65. Kb5 Bxb7 66. Bxb7 Kf6
{ Unfortunately for Black he can't win Pg4. White can always keep his rook and bishop in position to defend it. }
 ( 66...Rc3 
{ a plan to prevent Bb7-f3 or Bb7-c8 and then ...Ke5-f6-g5 isolates Pg4 from defense, but Black couldn't then play ...Rc3-g3xg4 before White can play Bb7-c8. }
 ) 67. Rc4 Rb1+ 68. Kc6 Kg5 69. Bc8 Rd1 70. Bd7 Kh4 71. Kc7 Rd2 72. Kd8 Re2 73. Rc6 g5 ( 73...Kg5 74. Be6 ( 74. Be8 
{ This is a mistake because it would allow Black to get rid of the last White pawn. It's much more difficult, if not impossible, to win with rook & bishop vs. rook than to have the pawn advance and promote to a queen. }
 74...Kxg4 75. Rxg6+ ) 74...Kf4 ( 74...Kf6 75. Bf5+ Kg5 76. Rxg6+ ) 75. Ke7 g5 76. Kf6 ) 74. Bf5 Re3 75. Re6 Rg3
{ While it looks like he's desperately trying to get rid of Pg4 he might also humorously, since there's no saving tactic, be allowing White the final check. }
76. Rh6#
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

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
{ Adams does play the Marshall Gambit and many people don't like to play against it, so they play such moves as 8. a4 to avoid it. Still, that doesn't end Black's attempts to play actively. }
8...Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. Nc3 ( 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 
{ and Black isn't so likely to risk any further aggressive king-side play, though he might play to trade-off Bh4, so as to avoid difficulty fighting for control of d5. The problem is that Black might just play }
 11...d6 
{ and leave Bh4 with nothing to do. }
 ) ( 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. Na3 
{ is also interesting }
 ) 10...b4 11. Nd5 Na5 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. Ba2
{ White's Pe4 is under assault, so it's difficult for him to consider d3-d4. However, White has the two bishops, so at some point he'll want (or need) open lines and seek out targets. }
13...d5 $6
{ seems quite dubious to me }
 ( 13...h6 ) 14. Bg5 $2 ( 
{ I haven't a clue why Shirov wouldn't play }
 14. exd5 Bxd5 15. Bxd5 Nxd5 16. Rxe5 Qd7 17. Bd2 ) 14...dxe4 ( 14...d4 
{ intending ...c7-c5-c4 might be interesting. Bb7 would be out of place for that, but it would certainly give Black a huge queen-side space advantage and perhaps an open c-file for his rooks. It seems highly unlikely White would play b2-b3 to secure square c4 at the cost of permanently blocking-in Ba2. }
 ) 15. dxe4 Rad8 16. Qe2 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6
{ This position is much more balanced and unexciting. Each has a little pressure on the other's central pawn and only Black has slightly weakened queen-side pawns. }
18. Rad1 Qe7 19. h3 g6 ( 19...Qc5 20. Nh4 
{ gives White a slight chance to make trouble on the king-side }
 ) 20. Qe3 Kg7 21. Bd5 Bxd5 22. exd5
{ This change in pawn structure makes Black's queen-side look disjointed and weak, but it also appears to free Black's king-side pawns to advance (if he would dare) . }
22...Nc4 23. Qb3 Na5 24. Qe3 Nc4 25. Qb3 Na5
{ Both seemed a little nervous about starting any major plan of offense, so they conceded to a draw. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C26"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 Nf6
{ Wow! This is interesting. None of the top GMs plays anything this provocative. It is, of course, played by many people at all levels of chess, except at the top. Why does Ivanchuk choose it for this game? One possibility is that he saw Vallejo Pons playing rather solid positions and "offered" a possibility of something more unbalanced and tactical. }
2. Nc3
{ And already White flinches from the main contest (2. e5) . With this I suspect both players are on their own (out of book) . With Nc3 White isn't able to support a d2-d4 with c2-c3, so f2-f4 is more likely. In that case the game could resemble a King's Gambit more than an Italian or Spanish Game. }
2...e5 ( 2...d5 
{ is a more typical Alekhine's Defense response; continuing to force Pe4 to move or be removed. }
 ) 3. Nf3
{ After Black's first-move provocation Vallejo Pons is proceeding very cautiously, perhaps even more than he might normally. Can Ivanchuk play aggressively to exploit that over-caution? How would he go about it? Oftentimes when one player doesn't use pawns much the other can overwhelm him with pawns. But, it depends upon the opening. Too much use of pawns in some openings just leads to difficulties. }
 ( 3. f4 ) 3...Nc6 4. g3
{ After this it's quite possible Black will aim for ...Bh3 to trade-off Bg2, thereby weakening all the light squares on the king-side. Opening the center with ...d7-d5 would be unwise because it opens the diagonal for Bg2, making it stronger. }
 ( 4. Bb5 ) ( 4. d4 ) 4...Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. d3
{ By defending Pe4 White is now free to play Nc3-a4xc5. This would get rid of the bishop, but at the cost of opening the d-file for Black. Still it might be good. }
6...a6
{ Ivanchuk clearly wants to keep Bc5 to keep control of d4 and perhaps to have a piece which reaches all the way to f2 (or g1) to threaten White's king. This extra pawn move seems justified. }
7. h3
{ White clearly has an idea of how to coordinate his king-side, to avoid damage. But, such a passive position might still allow Black chances. }
7...O-O $6
{ The king-side seems the natural place for active play (for both White or Black) , so removing the king to the queen-side, where it's adequately defended by Bc5 and Nc6, should be safer and enables freer offensive actions on the king-side. }
 ( 
{ More adventurous is }
 7...h6 8. O-O Be6 9. Kh2 Qd7 
{ planning ...g7-g5-g4 and general king-side line opening combined with ...O-O-O }
 ) 8. O-O b5
{ This is an interesting plan. Black shows he had something more in mind when he played 6...a6. }
9. a3 ( 9. Bg5 $2 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nd5 Qg6 
{ and Pg3 is as weak as Pc7, so Black's queen gets into position for king-side offensive play at no cost }
12. Kh2 Qh5
{ prepares ...Nc6-d4 and ...c7-c6 to enable ...Ra8-a7 when all Black's pieces are on their way to the king-side }
 ( 12...f5 $6 
{ Allowing White to open the g2-a8 diagonal bears a cost. }
 13. Nh4 Qg5 14. Nxf5 Bxf5 15. exf5 Qxf5 ( 15...Rxf5 16. Nc3 ) 16. Nxc7 Ra7 17. Bxc6 Rxc7 18. Bd5+ Kh8 ) ) 9...Rb8 10. Kh1
{ White is interested in prosecuting his offensive plan on his terms. He'd rather not be pushed into something by ... b5-b4. }
10...a5 11. Bg5 ( 11. Nh4 $6 b4 12. axb4 axb4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Ne7 
{ and Black might be able to counter-attack at Pd5 with ...Bc8-b7xd5 }
 ) 11...h6 12. Bh4 $5
{ This is certainly intersting and puts in question 7...O-O. How does Black continue on both wings when his king wouldn't be safe after ...g7-g5? }
12...Be6 13. Nd5
{ How else could White proceed? }
 ( 13. Nh2 $4 g5 ( 13...b4 $2 14. axb4 axb4 15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Nd4 17. Ng4 g5 $4 18. Nxh6+ Kg7 19. Bxg5 ) ) ( 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. Nh4 $13 ) 13...Bxd5
{ Black is forced to give up one of his valuable bishops and Pd5, though doubled, will be well supported by Bg2. }
14. exd5 Nd4 15. Nxd4 exd4 ( 15...Bxd4 $2 16. c3 Bb6 17. f4 
{ and the f-file can open to White's advantage }
 ) 16. g4
{ idea: to give Bh4 a retreat square and possibly to break up Black's king-side (with g4-g5) when White has both bishops in that area of the board (for both offensive and defensive uses) , but Black has Bc5 stuck on the other side of the board }
16...Re8 17. Re1 ( 
{ premature is }
 17. g5 $2 Nh7 ) ( 17. Qd2 
{ Unlike the game move this avoids the rook trade and seeks a more full-blooded fight. It also aims to resolve the queen-side possibilities without too much damage being done there. On the king-side White has to recognize also that if he uses f2-f4 Black could respond with ...Re8-e3, mucking up the whole operation. Whether 17...Ne4 is of much consequence is hard to say. }
 ) 17...Rxe1+ 18. Qxe1 b4 19. axb4 Bxb4 ( 19...axb4 20. b3 
{ and Bc5 isn't much more than a tall pawn }
 ) 20. Qc1
{ This is a multi-purpose move: it defends Pb2, prevents ...Bb4-d2 and aims at Black's king-side where g4-g5 might be played. }
 ( 20. c3 $1 Bc5 21. Qd2 
{ produces a tense situation where either side could go awry very easily. I think it favors White, but that's not easily provable. }
 ) 20...Rb5
{ Here's where Black tries to exploit the exposed Pd5. }
21. c3 ( 21. g5 Nxd5 22. Be4 
{ is complicated, but it seems a bit premature to gambit the pawn. Ra1 and Qc1 aren't able to quickly switch to the king-side offense. }
 ) 21...Bc5 22. c4 ( 
{ Resolving the confusion on the queen-side might be to White's advantage. The following pawn sacrifice leads to a late middle-game position where opposite-color bishops and a very active White queen make it difficult for Black to do more than stay safe. }
 22. b4 axb4 23. cxb4 Bxb4 ( 23...Rxb4 24. Bxf6 ( 24. g5 $2 Nh7 
{ challenges Pg5 straight-away }
 ( 24...Nd7 $2 25. Qf4 hxg5 26. Bxg5 ) 25. gxh6 Qxh4 26. Ra8+ Nf8 27. hxg7 Kxg7 ) 24...Qxf6 25. Ra8+ Kh7 26. Be4+ g6 
{ might still be fine for Black because Kh1 is a little more exposed than before }
 ) 24. Qc4 Rb8 ( 24...Bc3 25. Qxb5 Bxa1 26. Bxf6 Qxf6 27. Qb8+ Kh7 28. Be4+ g6 29. Kg2 Qe7 30. Qc8 ) 25. Qxd4 g5 26. Bg3 Bc5 27. Qc3 ) 22...Rb3 23. Rxa5 g5 24. Bg3 Qb8 ( 24...Rxd3 $4 25. Qc2 
{ traps Rd3 }
 25...Rxg3 26. fxg3 $16 ) 25. Bf1 ( 25. Ra2 $4 Rxd3 
{ and suddenly Black's pieces seem pretty useful while White's bishops aren't going anywhere! }
 ) 25...Rxb2 26. Ra8 Qxa8 27. Qxb2
{ At this point both sides have negated the other's primary advantages. White has no more king-side attack (it appears this would weaken his own king's safety too much) and Black's queen-side demonstration has quieted. }
27...Nd7 28. Bg2 Qa3 29. Qe2 Qc1+ 30. Kh2 Ne5
{ At first glance I thought this game was "remarkably equal throughout", but upon further study I realized there was a gradual shift to Black in the opening, then back to White in the middle-game and with Black's queen-side action (which White apparently didn't handle properly) the balance was restored. Though there wasn't any direct attack on a king there wasn't a static balance throughout. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B49"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5
{ Anand has played the Sicilian Defense, Spanish Game (Open or closed variations) , Scandinavian Defense and (against some opponents) the French Defense or Caro-Kann Defense. Recently he has been playing the Sicilian Defense with ...e6. }
2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7
{ Black's opening seems particularly aimed at preventing any Sozin-like variation (Qc7 makes Bf1-c4 unlikely) or a Richter (Bc1-g5 to pin a Nf6) as there is no Nf6. So, White develops more quietly and will latch onto a concrete plan a bit later, after he's seen how Black has developed. }
6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Be3 Bb4 ( 8...d6 
{ completes a transformation to a classical Scheveningen Variation. }
 ) ( 8...b5 9. Nxc6 dxc6 ( 9...Qxc6 $4 10. e5 
{ and Be2-f3 will be tremendously advantageous to White }
 10...Bb7 11. Bf3 Nd5 12. Nxd5 exd5 13. Qd4 $16 ) ) 9. Na4 Be7 ( 9...Nxe4 
{ has also been played }
 ) 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8
{ With this short flurry White has the two bishops and a simpler pawn formation. It's the next phase of the game which will resolve whether those two bishops are powerful. }
13. Bd4 O-O 14. e5
{ Earlier in the tournament Shirov played 14. Qd3, which gave a small advantage. }
 ( 14. Bd3 c5 15. Bc3 c4 16. Be2 Nxe4 ) 14...Nd5 15. c4
{ Kasparov advances pawns to help ensure Black's pieces get chased around and Pd7 stays backward (gaining a grip on d6) . But, in so doing he makes moves like ...f7-f6xe5 possible, and he blocks the attack on Pa6 (however slight or insignificant that might seem) . }
15...Nf4 16. Bf3
{ This is a far less desirable square for the bishop than d3, but I suppose it is heading to e4. }
16...Qc7 17. Re1 Ng6 18. c5
{ One of the curious aspects of this kind of position is the difficulty of getting at Pd7, despite it being on an open file and almost indefensible. Defense of the exposed Pe5 and Pb2 keep White busy. }
18...f6
{ Anand doesn't wait for Bf3-e4xg6 because that would weaken his king's position, probably making a later ...f7-f6 impossible. }
19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Be4 Nf4 21. Bxf6 ( 21. g3 $4 
{ allows Black's knight too many possibilities }
 21...Nh3+ 22. Kg2 Bxd4 ) 21...Rxf6
{ With two open files occupied by rooks it appears Black has adequate compensation for the backward Pd7. All those Black pawns on light squares limit Be4 (only Ph7 is truly exposed to the bishop) }
22. Qc2 h6 23. Rad1 Nd5 24. g3
{ It's not so easy for Black to find a very good plan here. Certainly Pa2, Pb2 and Pc5 are worth attacking, but he must also realize White can fight with f2-f4-f5 to undermine Nd5 and to weaken Kg8. There is also Bxd5 cxd5 to mobilize Pc5. White holds the central files and Black has to use his long-distance pieces (queen and rooks) to work from the edges, hitting all the crucial points. }
24...a5 ( 24...Qa5 25. Bxd5 cxd5 26. a3 ( 26. c6 $2 Rc8 ( 26...dxc6 27. Qxc6 Rb6 ) ) 26...Rc8 27. Rc1 Rc6 28. Re3 
{ defending Pa3 to prepare b2-b4 }
 28...d6 29. b4 Qb5 30. Rc3 dxc5 31. Rxc5 Rxc5 $13 ) ( 24...Qb7 
{ As with Qa5 this plans some offense, but it stays in touch with square c6. }
 25. Rd2 Qb5 26. f4 
{ and White threatens f4-f5 to undermine Nd5 }
 ) ( 24...Rbf8 25. f4 Nxf4 $2 26. gxf4 Qxf4 27. Rd2 Qg4+ 28. Bg2 
{ and White seems secure enough to begin thinking about ways to repel Black and go on the offense }
 ( 28. Kh1 $4 Rf1+ 29. Rxf1 Rxf1# ) ) ( 24...g5 $5 
{ exposes Kg8, but gets a grip on the important f4 square }
 ) 25. a3
{ Before committing to such weakening moves as f2-f4 he prevents ...Nd5-b4, which would gain a valuable tempo, hitting Qc2. This also prevents ...Rb8-b4. }
25... Rff8
{ I suppose he might have an idea of adding pressure on the b-file with doubled rooks, but it seems unlikely this could succeed and he would be removing a valuable defender from his king. }
26. Re2 ( 26. Rd4 
{ prevents ...a5-a4, thus freeing the way for Qc2-e2-g4-g6. The maneuver ...Qc7-e5-g5 is prevented by Be4-h7+. }
 ) 26...Qd8
{ So, Anand brings Qd8 toward the king-side, but that would leave Pa5 weaker. How does he think this will succeed? }
27. Rd4 Rb7 28. Bh7+ ( 
{ an appealing, but false trail: }
 28. Qd1 Qf6 29. Bxd5 exd5 30. Rxd5 Rxb2 31. Rxd7 Rxe2 32. Qxe2 Qa1+ 33. Kg2 Qxa3 ) ( 28. f4 $5 
{ idea: f4-f5 to undermine Nd5 and further weaken Kg8 by opening lines for White's rooks }
 28...e5 $4 29. Bxd5+ cxd5 30. Rxe5 $16 ) 28...Kh8 29. Bd3
{ White's pieces look active, but they get in each other's way. Ideally he'd like to get his queen in front of Bd3 (at e4 for example) to attack Kh8, but he can't because Re2 is in the way. All the weaknesses put demands on his pieces and they're not free to just attack. }
29...Qf6 30. Ra4 Ra8 31. Qd2 Qd8 32. Bb1 Rb5
{ This is consistent with his plan to defend Pa5 and threaten Pc5, but Rb5 can't easily get to the king-side for defense. Black depends upon his queen, knight and possibly Ra8 to defend the king-side. White might be able to bring all his pieces to bear on the king-side. }
33. Rh4 ( 33. Qd3 Nf6 ) 33...Qe7
{ This is a gutsy move. It allows White to win Ph6 and continues the plan to pressure White's queen-side. Or, perhaps he just overlooked that Kasparov might capture Ph6. }
 ( 33...Qf6 $4 34. Qd3 Kg8 35. Qh7+ Kf7 36. Rg4 
{ and White's attack gains ground }
 ) ( 33...Qf8 $5 
{ defends Ph6, leaves open f6 for the knight and attacks Pc5 }
 ) 34. Rxh6+ Kg8 ( 34...gxh6 $4 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Re4 ) 35. Rh4 Rab8 36. Bh7+ Kf7 37. Qd3 Qg5
{ This seems aggressive because he's keeping his king safe and still expecting to break through on the queen-side. To capture Pb2 and allow White to succeed in the attack on Kf7 wouldn't be good. But, however scary it may seem, it's not clear White has anything. }
 ( 37...Rxb2 38. Bg6+ Kg8 39. Qf3 
{ idea: Rh4-h8+ (to pull Black's king onto the h-file) Qf3-h5+-h7+-h8# }
 39...Nf6 ( 39...Qf6 $4 40. Rxb2 Rxb2 41. Rh8+ Kxh8 42. Qh5+ Kg8 43. Qh7+ Kf8 44. Qh8+ Ke7 45. Qe8# ) ( 39...Qg5 $4 40. Qf7# ) 40. Re5 
{ intending Re5-h5-h8# }
 ( 40. Qf4 Qxc5 ) 40...R8b3 ( 40...Qf8 
{ This very computer-ish move, aimed at generating counterplay at f2, would have to be found on the time control move, no doubt with little time. With Kg8 boxed-in Black couldn't have much confidence in the situation, even if it really would hold a draw. }
 ) 41. Reh5 Nxh5 42. Qxh5 Qxh4 43. Qxh4 Rb8 44. Qh7+ Kf8 45. Qh8+ Ke7 46. Qxg7+ Kd8 47. h4 $18 ) ( 37...Qxc5 $5 
{ This is an anti-intuitive move which might have the best chance of winning. Walking away from the king's defense actually opens a path for the king to perhaps walk away from the attackers. However, this probably wasn't his original plan intention. }
 ) 38. Qd4 Rxb2
{ a tactical trick in time trouble? If 39. Rxb2 Qc1+ regains the rook. }
39. Bg6+ Kg8 ( 
{ Another computer-ish move which one probably wouldn't be considering is }
 39...Kxg6 40. Rxb2 $4 ( 40. Rg4 Rxe2 41. Qd3+ ( 41. Rxg5+ $4 Kxg5 ) 41...Kf6 42. Rxg5 Re1+ 43. Kg2 Kxg5 44. Qd2+ Ne3+ 45. fxe3 Reb1 ) 40...Qc1+ 41. Kg2 Qxb2 42. Rg4+ Kh5 43. Rh4+ Kg5 ) 40. Bh7+ Kf7 41. Bg6+ Kg8 42. Bh7+
{ The complications can be overwhelming and the players choose not to lose when they don't see a way to win. For example, Anand could have tried 42...Kf8 to end the attacking checks, hoping for time to continue his plan. But, being down a pawn and seeing Kasparov grasping at perpetual check, he probably felt like it was a good idea to draw. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ Ponomariov's two previous games were decisive, so it will be interesting to see if he enters into complications or steers to a quiet draw. Ponomariov was "odd man out" round three and didn't play. }
1...c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5
{ It hasn't been that long ago players wouldn't play 3...e5. It was feared White could use the c4-f7 diagonal. But, in the past year or so 3...e5 has been seen quite a few times. For the time being f2-f4 is blocked by Nf3 and Black's pawns prevent d2-d4, so White will necessarily lose time reorganizing. In the long run Black's weak d5 may tell, but he should be able to develop pieces actively. }
4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 ( 
{ There's no need to hurry with }
 5...Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 
{ because it helps White solve his slight cramp and perhaps to clear the way for f2-f4. Black isn't ready yet to play ...Nc6-d4 because that one piece can't do much damage to White by itself. Black needs more piece development before beginning significant offensive operations. }
 ) 6. Nd2 Bg5 7. h4 ( 7. Nf1 Bxc1 8. Rxc1 
{ leaves d4 weaker, but also ensures White will have Nf1-e3, Nc3-d5, c2-c3 to secure both light squares and d4. }
 ) 7...Bxd2+
{ He is trading his "bad bishop" (the one which clashes with his central pawns) for a White knight which might maneuver Nd2-f1-e3-d5. Whether this is necessary isn't clear, but it is consistent positional play. }
8. Bxd2 Nf6
{ I'm not certain I like this move, but ...Ng8-e7 has some problems too. Qd8 needs room to move, to give Ke8 an option to O-O-O. That means he needs ...Bc8-e6 and perhaps ...Qd8-d7. It's not clear what's required and what's optional here. After all, after the game move White can't maintain a pin on Nf6 with 9. Bg5 in light of 9...h6. }
 ( 8...Nge7 ) 9. Bg5 Be6 ( 9...h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Nd5 Qd8 12. Qh5 Be6 13. Nc7+ 
{ is certainly questionable because of }
 13...Qxc7 14. Bxe6 g6 ) 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. Bxd5 h6
{ Now that White has the two bishops v. two knights he decides to regain one of them. Though his position is fine it's hard to know how valuable those bishops might become later. }
12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd2 Ne7
{ With this move Black doesn't commit himself to a queen-side action, but he certainly makes it clear White's bishop is a target. }
14. Bc4 O-O
{ Now Black's ready for ...a7-a6 and ...b7-b5 to squeeze White's queen-side, particularly the bishop, and perhaps to gain control of which files might open for rooks. }
15. Kf1 Rad8
{ This move surprises me completely. I'd have thought he was happy with the cooperation of his Ne7 with the dark-square pawns. He must be thinking Kf1 is uncomfortable and White's rooks are split, so he should go right down the middle at Qd2 (e.g. ...d6-d5xe4) . }
 ( 15...a6 16. a4 b6 17. Rh3 Rfb8 18. Rf3 Qxh4 $13 
{ and it's very unclear who's better. I think Qh4 is better than Qd2, but Bc4 and Rf3 are quite good together. }
 ) ( 15...b5 $6 16. Bxb5 Rfb8 17. a4 a6 18. Bc4 Rxb2 19. a5 
{ and Pa6 would be a long-term weakness }
 ) 16. Re1 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Qe2 Rfe8 19. Qe4 Nb6 20. Bb3 ( 20. Qxb7 Nxc4 21. dxc4 Rd2 ) 20...Rd4
{ smashing through at the cost of a pawn or two. Will Black get to Kf1? A more cautious player might take time for ...Re8-e7 to defend the rook (Re7) and Pb7. }
21. Qxb7 c4 22. dxc4 ( 22. Bxc4 Nxc4 23. dxc4 
{ gets rid of Nb6 to prevent it from ever becoming an attacking piece, but gives up on the bishop v. knight advantage. }
 23...e4 ) 22...e4 23. Kg1 Rd7 24. Qa6 e3 25. fxe3
{ Leaving Black's pawn on the board is probably more dangerous than exposing the king further to checks. }
 ( 25. f3 $4 e2 26. c5 Qd4+ 27. Kh2 Qxh4+ 28. Kg1 Qxe1+ 29. Kh2 Qh4+ 30. Kg1 e1=Q+ 31. Qf1 Qxf1+ 32. Kxf1 Re1# ) 25...Rxe3 26. Rxe3 Rd1+ 27. Kh2 Qxh4+
{ and White (or is it Black) must concede to a draw by perpetual check after 28. Rh3 Qf4+ 29. Rg3 ( 29. g3?? Qf2# ) Qh4+ ( 29...Rxh1+ 30. Kxh1 Qxf4 should be good for White because Pc4 is passed and Pa7 about to fall ) = }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
{ He seems to have absorbed the Kasparov-Kramnik games with this opening and feels it's safe enough in this event. He's probably not more ambitious than to hope for a draw in his games with the Black pieces. }
4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 ( 9...h6 ) 10. b3 ( 10. Rd1+ Ke8 ( 10...Bd7 $2 11. Ng5 
{ and Kd8 is busy defending Bd7, so Pf7 will disappear }
 ) 11. h3 Bf5 12. Ne1 Rd8 13. Be3 b6 14. g4 Be6 15. Kg2 h5 
{ and it's difficult for White to proceed without making a concession or two }
 ) 10...Bg4 ( 10...Bf5 ) ( 10...h6 ) 11. Ng5 Ke8
{ Black has achieved much of his plan to develop Bc8-g4 and clear the way for Ra8-d8. But, this does nothing for Bf8 and Rh8 AND Bg4 is a little vulnerable to White's king-side pawns. White has to find a way to keep Pc2 safe (as usual) as he chases Bg4 back -- bringing more pawns to the aid of Pe5, so White can force another line opening before Black can get Bf8 & Rh8 developed. }
12. Bb2 Nd5 13. h3 Bf5 14. g4 Bd7 ( 14...Bxc2 $4 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. Rfc1 Bg6 17. Rxc7 ) 15. Ne2 ( 15. f4 $2 h5 16. f5 hxg4 17. hxg4 Rh4 ) 15...h5
{ Just when White appears to have his pawns storming up the board Black undermines them, and before Ne2-g3 could secure square h5! }
16. c4 Nb4 17. Rad1
{ One should never assume Adams (in particular) ever makes a move such as this without some intention. Black can respond to Rad1 and leave ...hxg4 for later. }
17...hxg4 ( 17...Rd8 ) 18. Nxf7 Kxf7 ( 
{ Though it seems a little risky it might be safe enough to play }
 18...Rxh3 19. Nf4 Rf3 20. e6 Bxe6 21. Nxe6 Kxf7 22. Nxf8 Rxf8 23. Rd7+ Ke6 ) 19. Rxd7+ Ke6 20. Rxc7 Nd3 21. Bd4 Rxh3
{ Though Pb7 is en prise it appears Black's pieces are all active enough and White's seem uncoordinated. That might change in a few moves though; the position is quite fluid. }
22. Be3 g5
{ guarding against Ne2-f4+, so he can capture Pe5 }
23. Rxb7 Nxe5 24. Kg2
{ I suspect White still has some advantage because Ke6 is exposed and Black's pawns are split. But, Adams might have been in some time pressure or he may not have seen any specific way to make headway. And, with a draw they both remain tied for the lead, at this early point of the tournament. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. Nf3
{ Ivanchuk is an enigma. He's capable of some horrificly complicated tactical melees and of some brilliancies, but he's also capable of exceedingly odd play. He usually begins with 1. e4, but will play whatever suits his needs. Here he plays 1. Nf3, it's first occurrence of the tournament, and what kind of game does he desire? Who knows, perhaps not even him. }
1...c5
{ Kasparov offers a transposition to a Sicilian Defense by 2. e4. But, Kasparov can also play many kinds of openings, so this might remain a closed position. }
2. g3
{ With Pc5 White won't get d2-d4 without having to consider ...cxd4. But, it could become an English Opening with c2-c4 or a King's Indian Attack with d2-d3 and e2-e4. }
2...g6 ( 2...Nc6 ) 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O
{ White waits to see how Black is organized before committing any pawns. But, does that gives Black time to make any White pawn move a bad one? With ...Nb8-c6 he makes d2-d4 impossible and c2-c4 weakens d4. }
4...Nc6 5. c3
{ This isn't so terrific. It's an indication Ivanchuk doesn't want to play a King's Indian Attack (5. d3) , but wants to fight Kasparov's pieces head-on. However, in this opening you can't always force such things without dire consequences. Nb1 won't be able to develop to c3 and Black is probably already equal. }
 ( 5. d3 ) ( 5. c4 ) 5...d5 6. d4 cxd4
{ In many of Kasparov's games an exposed Pc4, or in this case Pc5, has given him problems. His choice to exchange-off that pawn probably didn't take him long. It gives the c3 square back to White, so Nb1-c3 will be available. But, Black's Ng8 isn't required to develop to f6 to block Bg7 (as Nf3 does to Bg2) . It can develop Ng8-h6-f5 or with ...e7-e6, Ng8-e7 and Black's position will be very harmonious. }
7. cxd4 e6 8. Nc3 Nge7 9. b3 O-O 10. Qd2
{ Before Bc1-b2 or Bc1-a3 he takes the c1-h6 diagonal to prevent ...Bg7-h6. This preserves control of c1 without having to also play e2-e3. }
10...b6 11. Ba3 Ba6 12. Rac1 Qd7 13. Rfd1 Rfd8
{ This breaks the pin on Ne7 and also prepares to meet e2-e4 with pressure on Pd4. }
14. g4 Rac8 15. h3
{ Both sides have developed sensibly, but now what? Bg2 isn't especially terrific, so White might think of e2-e4, but Black has aligned against Pd4 to prevent that. So, if the central files are to remain closed it would be natural to double rooks on the c-file. }
15...h6
{ Why so passive? }
 ( 15...Rc7 
{ intending either ...Ne7-c8-d6-e4 or ...Rd8-c8 }
 ) 16. e3
{ If Bg2 can't be useful on the h1-a8 diagonal then perhaps he'll just trade it at f1. }
16...Kh7 17. Rc2 $1 Ng8
{ He seems terribly concerned White will get to play e3-e4 in an advantageous way; so it appears he will also play ...Ng8-f6 to control square e4. This goes against his opening development, so one could also expect he will have to pay some cost for this. }
18. Rdc1 Qe8
{ This move is a bit hard to decipher. He might be intending ...f7-f5 to expand on the king-side, while threatening to open the f-file for a Black rook. But, on the c-file it looks like White might be able to force an opening and trade rooks. }
19. Ne1 ( 19. Bf1 $6 Bxf1 20. Kxf1 f5 
{ and the weakness of White's king-side light squares becomes obvious }
 ) 19...Nf6 20. f4
{ Ivanchuk beats Kasparov to the punch and makes his own king-side gesture. Of course there's no way to know, just yet, whether this could succeed or backfire. If the c-file opens and rooks are traded it might not mean anything. If many pieces stay on the board it could lead to a file opening on the king-side and a wild fight all over the board. }
20...Kg8 21. Nd3 ( 
{ leading to terrible confusion is }
 21. g5 hxg5 22. fxg5 Nh7 23. h4 f6 24. Nf3 fxg5 25. hxg5 e5 ) 21...Bxd3
{ With 17...Ng8 Kasparov seemed to be just maneuvering, but here he seems to be saying knights are much better than bishops in this kind of position (with this many pawns and few or no good open diagonals for a bishop) . Certainly e5 would be an excellent outpost square for a knight, so Nd3 had to be removed. On the other hand, White has good control of e4, so ...Nf6-e4 isn't going to be possible. }
22. Qxd3 Bf8 23. Bxf8 Qxf8 24. Qd2 ( 24. f5 Nb4 ) 24...Nb4 25. Rb2 Kg7 26. a3 Nc6 27. b4
{ If Ivanchuk is in the mood to move pawns he might eventually over-extend and leave his backdoor open. At the moment everything seems under control; Pa3 & Pb4 do well to block the diagonal and Qf8. }
27...Ne7 28. Rbc2 Ne8
{ Kasparov does some remaneuvering (again) and has his eye on c4. }
29. Bf1 ( 29. Nb5 
{ while Qf8 is somewhat away from the queen-side }
 29...Rxc2 30. Rxc2 Rd7 31. Qc1 a6 32. Nc3 Nd6 33. Na4 Qb8 ) 29...Nd6 30. Ba6
{ keeps excellent control of the c-file and attempts to keep Black's pieces from defending one another }
30...Rc6 31. Qd3
{ If he can't prevent Kasparov from ...Nd6-c4, then at least he can make Nc4 a bad exposed piece. Here he prepares to defend Pe3 & Pa3 and to play e3-e4 or a3-a4 to advance around a Nc4, while it is made into a target. }
31...h5
{ As in his game with Villejo Pons, Kasparov sees an opportunity to open a second front, aimed at Kg1. This is partly a matter of necessity since Ivanchuk controls the queen-side very well, and it's partly opportunism to take advantage of the weakened light squares Bg2 previously guarded. }
32. Qe2 ( 32. gxh5 
{ should be quite good because Rc2 can move across to the king-side before any Black rook could, and removing pawns from in front of Kg7 should be good. The only downside is giving control of f5 to Black. }
 ) 32...Qh8 33. Kg2 Qh7
{ What a horrible place for the queen. If White could simply lock up the king-side with g4-g5 and then force a quick opening of the c-file he might invade on the queen-side to win. But, Pe3 is weak and ...Ne7-f5xe3 is a serious threat. It's tempting. }
34. g5
{ That puts an end to the second front. It gives up square f5, but that's of little concern compared to keeping Kg2 safe. This was an amazingly indirect maneuvering game. I haven't seen these two play this kind of game before. I suppose it shows they each have great respect for the other's tactical prowess. If anyone it was Ivanchuk, in the final position, who has the advantage! }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6
{ Odd, from someone who generally plays the Black side of a Spanish, hoping for a Marshall Gambit. }
3. Nxe5 ( 
{ also popular is }
 3. d4 ) 3...d6 ( 3...Qe7 4. d4 d6 5. Nf3 
{ leaves Qe7 misplaced and Bf8 blocked by Pd6 }
 ) ( 3...Nxe4 4. Qe2 Qe7 ( 4...Nf6 $4 5. Nc6+ $18 ) 5. Qxe4 d6 6. f4 
{ and Black will regain the piece, but generally White can maintain a slight piece development advantage }
 ) 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
{ White tries to undermine Ne4 or force it to retreat, opening the d3-h7 diagonal and making it easier for White to develop without simplifying piece exchanges. }
8...Nb4 9. Be2 O-O ( 
{ I believe the original idea of 8...Nb4 was to chase Bd3 away and then take the d5 square by }
 9...dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nd5 
{ but that gave away control of d3 and weakened Ne4. So, players decided to leave Nb4 until forced away. }
 ) 10. a3 ( 10. Nc3 Bf5 ) 10...Nc6 11. cxd5 Qxd5 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3
{ White has gotten rid of Ne4, but Black has Qd5 and no significant cramp. His pieces can maneuver freely. }
13...Bf5
{ and he can, once again, challenge for control of the d3-h7 diagonal! }
14. Re1 ( 14. c4 Qe4 ( 14...Qd6 ) ) 14...Rfe8 15. Bf4 Rac8 16. c4 Qe4
{ The queen seems very strong, but is in fact quite exposed so all of White's smaller forces. }
 ( 16...Qd7 17. d5 
{ and Nc6 has to move, leaving e5 in White's hands }
 ) 17. Be3
{ It would appear Kasparov lost a tempo by moving Bc1-f4-e3, but he forced Ra8-c8, so now Be3 will be aligned with Pa7 when it's a tad weaker than before. If he can't use the d3-h7 diagonal to attack Kg8 he must use his bishops more conservatively to align against Black's queen-side. }
17...Bf6 18. Ra2 b6
{ This changes a lot. Black's pieces are active and Be3 has no target and Be2 can't get active. What's White to do, perhaps Ra2-d2 to threaten Be2-d3? }
19. h3 ( 19. Rd2 $5 Qe7 ( 19...Bg4 20. h3 Bh5 21. g4 Bg6 22. Bd3 ) ) 19...Na5 $2 ( 19...h6 ) 20. g4
{ Wow! This is a drastic measure. How can he get away with this? }
20...Bg6 21. g5 ( 21. Rd2 h5 22. Bd3 Qe6 23. Bxg6 fxg6 24. g5 Be7 
{ and White's got multiple weak points he would find it difficult to defend }
 ) 21...Be7 22. Ne5
{ Qe4 looks awkwardly alone and surrounded by enemy pieces. }
22...Bd6 ( 22...Bf5 $4 23. Bd3 ) 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. c5 $5
{ It must have been a difficult choice, to make this move. His pawns are weak, but they chase Black's pieces. How much is gained is unclear. Do White's pieces really benefit enough? }
24...Bf8
{ It's still hard to tell whether White is trouncing Black or his position is falling apart. }
25. Bg4 Rcd8 26. Rae2
{ There are the doubled rooks behind a minor piece; a theme which played such a prominent role in his previous round game against Ivanchuk. }
26...Qd5 ( 26...Qc6 ) 27. Bf4 Rxe2 28. Qxe2 c6 $4 ( 28...bxc5 $4 29. Bxc7 ) ( 
{ Perhaps sufficient is to peck away at White's weak pawns while keeping Kg8 safe: }
 28...Qxd4 29. Bxc7 Rd5 30. Qe8 Qxc5 ) 29. Bc7 Ra8
{ After this White's pieces dominate the center. }
30. Qe5 Qxe5 31. Rxe5 Nc4 32. d5 $3
{ This must have been the move Adams didn't see. It's difficult when you're on the defensive to see all the (often random) possibilities which may arise for the attacker. Still, it takes courage to play such a move as this -- and Kasparov has plenty of that. }
32...Nxe5
{ This is certainly a Greek gift, but he should've thought twice. Perhaps they were facing time pressure and could only act instinctively. }
 ( 32...cxd5 
{ If you think of this as removing a potential queen then it seems far more important than to capture Re5. }
 33. Rxd5 Bxc5 ) 33. Bxe5 cxd5 ( 33...Bxc5 34. dxc6 ( 34. d6 $4 
{ would allow Black to meet d6-d7 with ...Bc5-e7 }
 ) 34...Bxa3 35. c7 b5 36. c8=Q+ Rxc8 37. Bxc8 a5 38. Bd7 b4 39. Ba4 Bc1 40. Bc7 Bd2 41. Bxa5 b3 42. Bxd2 b2 43. Bc2 $18 ) 34. c6 f5 35. gxf6 gxf6 36. Be6+ Kg7 37. Bg3 Bxa3 ( 37...Be7 
{ intending ...Be7-d8 to give the bishop for Pc6, rather than the rook }
 38. c7 ) 38. Bxd5 Rc8 39. c7 Bc5 40. Bb7 Rxc7 41. Bxc7 a5 42. Bc6
{ and that slows Black tremendously }
42...g5 43. Kf1 Kg6 44. f3 Kh5 45. Be8+ Kh6 ( 45...Kh4 46. Kg2 
{ threatening Bc7-g3# }
 46...g4 47. hxg4 ) 46. Ke2 f5 47. Bd8
{ Black's queen-side pawns are blocked and his Kh6 can't be activated and Bc5 is just one piece which White can go around. White has a free king to attack Pf5 (and Kh6) or Pb6. This was a terrific, exciting, perhaps error-filled game; but it's one of the most interesting of the tournament. With this victory Kasparov moves into the lead. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6
{ Sicilian Defense, Lasker-Pilnik or Sveshnikov Variation -- Black secures the dark squares and then begins to fight on the light squares. Whether he uses ...Bc8-e6 or ...a7-a6, ...b7-b5, ...Bc8-b7 depends in part on how White proceeds. Oh, and one musn't forget there is the Pelikan Gambit variation with ...d6-d5. }
7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 ( 8. Bxf6 
{ has also been played extensively. The idea is that Black has to recapture with a pawn to avoid Nb5-c7+ and that the messed up pawns will cause him problems. }
 8...gxf6 9. Na3 ) 8...b5
{ This has become the most common move. Black takes away Na3-c4 or Bf1-c4 and threatens ...b5-b4. }
 ( 8...Be7 $2 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Nc4 Be7 11. Nd5 ) 9. Bxf6
{ This is a little unusual. Black isn't forced to recapture with a pawn, so there's no major cost. And, after Black recaptures at f6 there's still the threat of ...b5-b4, so Nc3-d5 seems quite likely. I wonder what he had in mind? }
 ( 
{ Commonly played is }
 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 ) 9...gxf6
{ But, Ivanchuk isn't avoiding doubled pawns; he might, after the closed maneuvering game against Kasparov in the previous round, relish the exciting fight which can sometimes ensue when Black uses his pawns aggressively to bludgeon White in the center. He may also think this is an ideal sort of opening and variation to use against Anand; hoping he (Anand) will lose his balance in the highly tactical lines which can arise. There are also times when Black can use the open g-file for offense. }
10. Nd5 f5 11. c3 ( 11. Bd3 f4 ) ( 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. Qf3 Nd4 ) 11...Bg7
{ Sometimes Bg7 is useful to enable ...Nc6-e7 to challenge the light squares. }
 ( 
{ Morbidly humorous is }
 11...Ne7 $4 12. Nf6# ) 12. Bd3
{ Now that Black has blocked the g-file Anand doesn't fear ...f5-f4 (generally cramping White's king-side) . }
12...Be6
{ perhaps dubious }
 ( 12...Ne7 13. Nxe7 Qxe7 14. Nc2 ( 14. Qh5 
{ can be met by the very unlikely }
 14...d5 ) ) 13. Qh5 O-O ( 13...fxe4 $6 14. Bxe4 Rc8 
{ and White has terrific light-square activity and a safe king. He only needs to maneuver Na3 into play to have a clear overall advantage. }
 15. Nc2 ) 14. exf5
{ else Black can capture ...fxe4 and follow-up with ...f7-f5! }
 ( 14. Nc2 fxe4 15. Bxe4 f5 16. Nf6+ Rxf6 17. Bxc6 Ra7 ) 14...Bxd5 15. f6 h6
{ Showing terrific confidence Ivanchuk doesn't try to block Bd3 just yet. He intends, I suppose, to use ...f7-f5 (a standard device in this opening) and leave Bd5 unblocked (by a Pe4) to attack Pa2 & Pg2. }
 ( 
{ Though complicated the following seems pretty good for Black: }
 15...e4 16. Qxd5 ( 16. fxg7 Re8 ( 16...exd3 $4 17. gxf8=Q+ ) 17. Be2 ( 17. Qxd5 exd3+ ) 17...Re5 ( 
{ also good is }
 17...Ne5 ) ) 16...exd3 17. O-O Ne5 18. fxg7 Re8 ) 16. fxg7 Kxg7 17. Nc2 Be6 18. Ne3 d5
{ Now Black can consider ...Qd8-g5 to defend Ph6 and force a queen trade. That would put an end to White's middle-game attack and force an ending favorable to Black. }
19. h4 ( 19. Nf5+ Bxf5 20. Qxf5 e4 21. Bc2 Re8 22. O-O Re5 ) 19...Qf6 20. Bf5 Bxf5 21. Nxf5+ Kh7 22. Rd1 Rad8 23. Rh3 Qg6 24. Qxg6+ fxg6 25. Ne3 d4 26. Nc2
{ Who stands better? Black's pawns are targets, but well-supported. Black's king is safer, but White's might jump in to participate if there are several piece trades. I suppose it's close to equal. }
26...Rf4 $1
{ This ties Rh3 to Ph4. }
27. Rd2 ( 27. h5 g5 
{ and Rh3 still can't leave the h-file because of ...Rf4-h4xh5 }
 ) 27...h5 28. b3 Rd5 29. Kd1 Kg7 30. Ke1 $15
{ If White can't undertake anything active then Black has time to bring Kg7 forward and perhaps advance a pawn or two, gaining for the simpler endgame to follow. }
30...a5 31. Kd1 Kf6 32. Ke1 Rc5 33. cxd4 exd4 34. Kd1 Rd5 35. Ne1 Ne5 36. Ke2 ( 36. g3 Re4 37. Rh1 Kf5 ) 36...Re4+ 37. Kd1 Rf4 38. Ke2 Re4+ 39. Kd1 a4 ( 39...Kf5 40. Nd3 ( 40. f3 $2 Re3 41. Nc2 Rd3 ) ) 40. Nd3 axb3
{ It's nearly impossible to know for sure, but the opening of the a-file should favor White more than Black because both Black rooks are blocked from the a-file by pawns. }
 ( 40...Ng4 41. Rf3+ Ke7 42. Nf4 ( 42. g3 ) 42...Rd6 43. g3 ) 41. axb3 Nxd3 42. Rdxd3 Ke5 43. Rdg3 Rg4 $6
{ appears to be the typical Ivanchuk over-reaching }
 ( 43...Rd6 44. Rg5+ Kf6 45. Rxb5 d3 46. Rf3+ Kg7 47. Rb7+ Kg8 48. Rb8+ $11 ) ( 43...Kf6 
{ seems safest }
 ) 44. Kd2
{ Why so timid? }
 ( 44. Rxg4 hxg4 45. Rh1 Ke4 
{ preventing h4-h5 }
 ( 45...d3 $2 46. h5 gxh5 47. Rxh5+ Kd4 48. Rxd5+ Kxd5 49. Kd2 Kd4 50. f3 gxf3 51. gxf3 b4 52. f4 Ke4 53. f5 Kxf5 54. Kxd3 Ke5 55. Kc4 Kd6 56. Kxb4 Kc6 57. Ka5 $18 ) 46. Kd2 d3 47. Re1+ 
{ gives White some advantage }
 ) 44...Rc5 45. f3 Rxg3 46. Rxg3 Kf6 47. Kd3 ( 47. Rg5 $4 Rxg5 48. hxg5+ Kxg5 49. Kd3 Kf4 50. Kxd4 Kg3 51. Kc5 Kxg2 52. Kxb5 h4 $19 ) 47...Rc3+ 48. Kxd4 Rxb3 49. Rg5 Rb4+
{ Anand is an excellent defender and this endgame demonstrated that skill. This was a very interesting game from a theoretical perspective too. Black had little difficulty gaining an equal or better position. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. c4
{ In earlier rounds he has played 1. c4 against Kasparov (barely surviving) and 1. e4 against Ivanchuk (preferring a closed line with 2. Nc3 and g2-g3, Bf1-g2) . Apparently he believes it will be difficult for his opponents to come and get him if he maintains a safe position. }
1...e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3
{ a big improvement over 4. e4 Bb4 from his first round game versus Kasparov }
4...d5
{ Black refuses to allow White to control d5, holding back Black's pieces in the center. }
5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6
{ This kind of Reversed Sicilian Dragon, Classical Variation isn't too bad for Black. Black has played ...Nd5-b6 to avoid tactical difficulties. White threatened Nf3xe5 when Bg2 and Nc3 double attack Nd5. He'd also rather retreat than capture Nc3. Allowing White to open the b-file with 6...Nxc3? 7. bxc3 isn't very good for Black. Usually White (and possibly Black) has to play on the wing (White with a2-a3, b2-b4-b5 and Black with ...Bf8-e7, ...g7-g5-g4) to fight for central squares. }
7. O-O Be7 ( 7...g5 
{ is probably premature because it's not well supported }
 8. d4 exd4 9. Nb5 
{ and ...g5-g4 doesn't chase Nf3 backward since it can capture Pd4 }
 ) ( 7...Be6 ) 8. a3
{ White realizes Black might play ...g7-g5-g4, so he begins his own threat of b2-b4-b5 to counter it. They're fighting over control of e5 and d4. }
8...O-O
{ White's quick queen-side threat (b2-b4-b5) prevented Black from getting to play his own ...g7-g5-g4, so Black simply castles and continues normally. }
 ( 8...g5 
{ is still premature because of }
 9. d4 ( 
{ too slow is }
 9. b4 g4 ) ) ( 8...Be6 
{ allows Black to meet b2-b4 with ...Nc6-d4 when Pe5 is immune because of ...Be6-b3 }
 ) 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 ( 11. b5 Nd4 ) 11...Nd4
{ This is a surprising move. Usually Black would avoid a trade of Nf3 in order to keep Bg2 under cover. But, in this case it appears Black intends to get his queen-side better organized before White could play Bc1-e3 and Nc3-e4-c5. }
 ( 11...a6 ) 12. Nd2 ( 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Ne4 Bd5 
{ and Pb7 doesn't become a problem }
 ) 12...c6 13. e3 Nb5
{ again a curious choice. The knight has no better square, but it's odd to see Black allowing doubled pawns this way. }
14. Nxb5 cxb5 15. Nb3
{ Unfortunately for White he hasn't won a pawn, but does have a weak Pd3 and undeveloped Bc1. }
 ( 15. Bxb7 Rb8 16. Be4 f5 17. Bg2 Qxd3 $17 ) 15...Na4 16. Bb2 Bd5
{ There were a number of interesting possibilities for Black. I don't know whether trading light square bishops is particularly useful for Black. Was Bg2 really that much of a problem? }
 ( 16...Rc8 17. Bxb7 Nc3 18. Bxc3 ( 18. Bxc8 Nxd1 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. Rfxd1 
{ is also interesting }
 ) 18...Rxc3 19. d4 Qc7 20. Bg2 Rd8 ) ( 16...Qd7 ) ( 16...Kh8 
{ Giving up Pb7 so easily doesn't seem wise. Something more direct and forcing is needed. }
 17. Bxb7 Rb8 18. Bg2 ) 17. e4 $6
{ Bg2 is blocked out of play for quite some time. }
 ( 17. d4 ) 17...Bf7 18. d4
{ This seems to solve White's problems. The threat of d4-d5 to block Bf7 or the threat of d4xe5 should force Black to exchange pawns and that opens up the way for Bb2. Pe4 will still be blocking Bg2, but if square e5 opens then there's still a chance for e4-e5 to free that bishop too. }
18...Rc8 $5 19. d5 ( 19. dxe5 Nc3 20. Bxc3 Rxc3 
{ and the threat to exchange queens to undermine Nb3 forces White to leave Pe5 for the moment }
 ) 19...Qd7 20. Qe2 ( 20. Qd2 
{ avoids a fork by ...Na4-c3 and keeps better control of c1. But, d2 is possibly a crossroads square which both Bb2 and Nb3 might need to use for maneuvering, so it's not completely clear Qd2 is any better than Qe2. }
 ) 20...Bd8 21. Ba1
{ This phase of the game is where the players reorganize their pieces to suit the new pawn structure. }
21...Bb6 22. Rbc1 a6 23. h4 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Rc8 25. Rc2 Rc7 26. Bf3 Qc8 27. Rxc7 Qxc7 28. Qd3
{ White is pretty well organized to avoid incursions except at c4. Moving Qe2-d3 allows Bf3-e2, securing c4. }
28...Qc4
{ So, Black doesn't waste time. }
 29. Be2 Bg6 
{ White can't support Pe4 with f2-f3 because it's pinned and he won't want to move Nb3-d2 because that would allow ...Qc4-c1+, with further damage to follow. }
30. Qxc4 ( 30. Nd2 Qc1+ ) 30...bxc4 31. Bxc4 ( 31. Nd2 $4 c3 32. Nc4 c2 $19 ) 31...Bxe4
{ Finally, after that phase the position opens a bit and it appears Black's pieces are a little better. Pe5 blunts Ba1 and Na4 & Bb6 restrain Nb3. So, Be4 and Bc4 duel. It appears to me Pd5 is exposed and weak, so ...Kg8-f8-e7-d6 would be an obvious continuation for Black. }
32. Nd2 Bf5
{ Even after this there's a threat of ...Kg8-d6 and ...Bf5-g6-f7xd5. }
33. d6+ Kf8 34. Bd5
{ This is a very nifty tactic as it attacks two Black pawns (Pb7 & Pa6) and opens the way for Nd2-c4. Black wasn't given any time to establish a bind by blockading Pd5 and now he even has to spend moves on defense. }
34...Bc8 35. d7 ( 35. Nc4 $2 Ke8 
{ and Pd6 isn't a weapon any more! }
 ) 35...Bxd7 36. Bxb7 Bb5
{ Time to re-evaluate: Pa6 is defended, but White has a two-to-one queen-side pawn majority. Fortunately for Black the pawns are blockaded and his king has approached the center, so that shouldn't be dangerous. White has a problem bishop (Ba1) , but even that may evaporate if White gets f2-f4 or Nd2-e4-c3. It's about as equal as can be. }
37. Be4 ( 37. Ne4 ) 37...h6 38. Bc2 Ke7 39. Kg2
{ After this it is clearer that Black's king can't approach Pa3 because Bc2-b3, in particular, will chase him away. Nd2 helps secure square c4, so Black can't use Bb5 to worm his way in by opposing Bc2. }
 ( 39. Ne4 Ke6 40. Nc3 Nxc3 41. Bxc3 Kd5 42. Bb3+ $4 ( 42. a4 Kc4 43. Bd2 Bc6 44. Kf1 Bd4 45. Ke2 Bc3 46. b5 ( 46. Bd3+ Kxb4 47. Bxc3+ Kxc3 48. Bxa6 Bxa4 $15 ) 46...axb5 47. axb5 Bb7 48. Bd3+ Kb4 49. Be3 $13 ) 42...Ke4 43. Bc2+ Kf3 44. Bd1+ Be2 $19 ) 39...Bd4 ( 39...Ke6 40. Bb3+ ) 40. Nb3 Bxa1 41. Nxa1 Kd6 42. Bb3
{ keeping Kd6 away is essential! }
42...Nc3 43. Nc2 Bc6+ 44. Kf1 Bd5 45. Bxd5 Kxd5 46. Ne3+ Ke4
{ After all that Black's king still makes some headway. But, Pf2 isn't endangered, so the real Black plan still is to get to White's queen-side pawns. At the moment Ne3 guards both c4 and c2, so Black must either move Nc3 to open square c3 or use ...f6-f5-f4 to kick Ne3 away. }
47. h5 $1 f5 48. Nc4
{ threat: Nc4-d6+ to win Pf5 }
48...f4 49. Nd6+ Kf3 ( 49...Kd5 50. Nf5 ) 50. gxf4 exf4 51. Nf5
{ White's queen-side pawns await the call to advance while Nf5 charges about threatening Black's king or any loose pawns it can target. }
51...Nb5 ( 51...Ne4 $4 52. Nd4+ Kg4 53. f3+ 
{ and after Ne4 is captured White's queen-side pawns will be free to advance, quickly. }
 ) 52. a4 Nc3 53. Nxg7 ( 
{ Not terribly obvious, but still to the point is to advance the queen-side pawns, now that they're unhindered. }
 53. Nd4+ Ke4 54. b5 axb5 55. axb5 Kd5 ( 
{ the obvious }
 55...Kxd4 $4 56. b6 
{ runs into a small problem: how to stop the lowly pawn!! }
 ) 56. b6 Kd6 
{ and the pawn is stopped, so White still has to go back to the king-side }
 57. Nf5+ Kc6 58. Nxg7 Kxb6 59. Nf5 Ne4 60. Nxh6 Nf6 61. Nf7 Nxh5 62. Ne5 Kc7 63. Ng6 $11 ) ( 
{ even more direct is }
 53. b5 axb5 54. Nd4+ Ke4 ( 54...Kg4 $6 55. axb5 Nd5 56. Ne6 f3 ( 56...Kxh5 $4 57. Nxf4+ Nxf4 58. b6 ) 57. Nxg7 ) 55. axb5 
{ transposed to the other variation beginning with 53. Nf5-d4+ }
 ) 53...Nxa4 54. Nf5 Kg4 55. Nxh6+ Kxh5 56. Nf5
{ Most of the pawns disappeared because they weren't mobile and that's also an indication there wasn't enough piece support for them. Now there are only a few pawns, so the pieces will be working in close support of them. But, that means there's less chance for complication to induce an error; hence a draw is likely. }
56...Nc3 57. Nd4 Kg4 58. Kg2 Nd5 59. f3+ Kg5 60. Nc6 Kf6 61. Kh3 Kf5 62. Kh4 Ne3 63. Nb8 Nc2 64. Nxa6 Nd4 65. Kh3 Nxf3
{ This was a game Vallejo Pons can be proud of. He played very well througout and especially in several situations which were not easy. He also retained a share of the lead, a tie with only Kasparov! That's something to write home about. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e6
{ Anand has played the French Defense a few times, though it doesn't really seem ideal for his style. His 3rd round game with Kasparov was a Sicilian, but one where he was hunkered down and counter-attacking. Perhaps that's just his mood for this game too. The French Defense is one of the ideal defenses for that attitude (Alekhine's Def. and the Pirc/Modern/Gurgenidze Def. being others) . }
2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4
{ This indicates a desire for a simple game with many exchanges, leading to a draw. Various methods have been created for White, but none has been a sure-fire way of generating an advantage; the position is too open and with no serious weaknesses, except the difficulty Black has developing Bc8. }
 ( 3...Nf6 
{ is probably ideal for provoking White forward, only to be met with a stiff counter-attack }
 ) 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ ( 6. Bg5 
{ has been played in the past, but recent games indicate it offers Black too many opportunities to exchange minor pieces with 6...Be7. }
 ) 6...Nxf6 7. c3
{ I'm not sure why he'd give up on O-O-O so quickly. What's Black's threat? Yes, Pd4 needs defense, but even after Bf1-d3 it's fine. }
 ( 
{ Another way of developing, with an eye toward O-O-O is }
 7. Bd3 c5 8. dxc5 
{ keeping open the c3-h8 diagonal for a White bishop }
 8...Bxc5 9. Bd2 ( 9. Qe2 Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Bb4 
{ forces either a bishop trade or a weakening of White's queen-side, which ought to prevent O-O-O }
 11. c3 Bd6 ) 9...Ng4 
{ forcing White to give up on the O-O-O idea unless he wants to try Rh1-f1 }
 10. O-O O-O 11. h3 
{ White regains control of e5, so Black can't develop ...Bc8-d7 without Nf3-e5 to capture it }
 11...Nf6 12. Qe2 
{ and White has a slight advantage with Bd2-c3 to bear down on Black's king-side. }
 ) 7...c5 8. Be3
{ This is a very unusual square for the bishop; it's vulnerable to ...Nf6-d5 or ...Nf6-g4. But, moving Nf6 makes the a4-e8 diagonal even weaker. }
8...Qc7 ( 8...cxd4 9. Bxd4 
{ is good for White }
 ) 9. Ne5
{ It seems odd this could be good, but the a4-e8 diagonal is weak. }
9...a6
{ This prevents Bf1-b5, but not Qd1-a4+. It does force White to commit to one way of utilizing the queen, rather than waiting until Bb5+ forces Black into a rigid defensive position before Qd1-a4 or Qd1-f3 might win outright. }
 ( 
{ Let's examine forcing variations: }
 9...cxd4 10. Bxd4 Nd7 ( 10...Bd6 
{ weakens Pg7 and gives White a small chance to gain a significant advantage }
 11. Bb5+ Nd7 12. Nxd7 Bxd7 13. Bxd7+ Qxd7 14. Bxg7 Rg8 15. Qd4 ) 11. Bb5 a6 12. Qf3 $5 ( 12. Qa4 
{ tries to fight directly through Black's pieces, but going around to Pf7 seems better }
 12...Rb8 13. Bxd7+ Bxd7 14. Nxd7 Qxd7 15. Qxd7+ Kxd7 16. O-O-O Kc6 ) 12...axb5 ( 12...f6 $4 13. Qh5+ ) 13. Qxf7+ Kd8 $13 ) ( 9...Nd7 10. Bb5 a6 $2 
{ leaves Pc5 hanging after exchanges at d7 }
 11. Bxd7+ Bxd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. dxc5 ) 10. Qa4+ Nd7 11. O-O-O
{ d4 becomes a crossroads square. White would like to have it open, so Rd1 can hit d7 and so Qa4 could move across to f4 (or g4) . But, Ne5 needs the support. White threatens Bf1-b5 to overwhelm Black's defenses at d7 and then using dxc5 to complete the crush. Black has to act fast to avoid all this. }
11...cxd4 12. Nxd7 ( 12. Bxd4 ) 12...Qxd7 13. Qc2
{ This is an interesting move since he could have immediately captured Pd4, allowing a queen trade. He could have also used 13. Qb3 to keep an eye on Pb7 and square d5 (though that doesn't necessarily prevent 13...Qd5) . }
13...Bc5 14. Bxd4 Bxd4 15. Rxd4 Qc7 16. Bd3
{ White's lead in development is significant and his Kc1 isn't terribly weakened by the early c2-c3. }
16...Bd7 17. g3
{ I like this move. It blocks Qc7 and moves from a weak square (so Bd7-c6 can't threaten it) and might re-threaten Bxh7. }
 ( 17. Bxh7 O-O-O 18. Be4 Rxh2 19. Rhd1 Rhh8 ) 17...h6 18. Rd1 O-O-O
{ Black seems to have all his ducks in a row, except his king is weaker than Kc1. There's only two pawns around Kc8 and they're already on light squares. This would make White think it's possible to consider a piece sac to expose Kc8. }
 ( 18...O-O $4 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. Rxd7 $18 ) 19. Rc4 Bc6 20. Be4 Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1 Rd8 22. Qf3 Rd6 23. h4 Kb8
{ Black intends ...Bc6xe4 to simplify the position. }
24. Bxc6 Rxc6 25. Rxc6 bxc6
{ One step closer to a draw because there's less material or one step closer to a win because there are many pawns and only one Black queen to defend them? I think the latter is likely -- especially since Pg7 and Ph6 aren't on secure squares (...g7-g6, ...h6-h5) . }
26. h5 $1
{ And, now they can't move at all! }
 ( 26. Qd3 Kb7 27. Qd4 f6 ( 27...g6 $6 28. h5 gxh5 29. Qf6 
{ Black's pawns are split badly. That means there are more weak points which will need defense. }
 ) ) 26...Kb7 27. Kc2 ( 27. Qe4 e5 ) 27...f5
{ I suppose Anand was tired of doing all the defending and feels it's his turn to do some offense. Of course, chess isn't that way. You sometimes just take what is served to you. 27...f5, by itself, isn't so bad. But, it indicates he wants more than to just connect the dots, defend everything, call it a draw and go home. It might be the first step toward a random outcome. }
 ( 27...f6 ) 28. Qd3 Qf7 29. Qe2 f4
{ trying to lure Pg3 toward the center, so that after ...g7-g6 Black would emerge with a passed Ph6 (or Ph5) . }
 ( 29...Qf6 30. f4 
{ keeps Pe6 backward }
 ) 30. g4 g6 31. Qe5 $1
{ prevents Black from gaining queen activity }
 ( 31. hxg6 Qxg6+ 32. Kb3 
{ and White still has one-on-one coverage of Ph6, with Qe2 and Pf2 to guard against the advance of Black's Pe6. }
 ) 31...g5
{ Pe6 is backward. Imagine that! But, how did this happen? Black played 27...f5 and made it so. }
 ( 31...gxh5 $2 32. gxh5 
{ and Black's queen is nearly immobile }
 ) 32. Qh8
{ Ph6 is amazingly without defense. }
32...e5 ( 
{ No better is }
 32...f3 33. Qxh6 Qf4 34. Qg7+ Kb8 35. Qd4 ) 33. Qxh6 e4 34. Qg6 
{ White has no time to capture Pg5. Black's advancing pawns are dangerous. }
 ( 33. Qxg5 e3 34. f3 ( 34. fxe3 f3 ) 34...Qd7 
{ and Black might be able to force the advance of Pe3 })
Qc4 35. Qg7+ Kc8 36. Qh8+ Kb7 37. Qg7+ Kc8 38. Qf8+ Kc7 39. Qe7+ Kc8 40. Qe8+ Kc7 41. Qe7+
{ Many of these checks were to get to the time control safely, before committing to a specific plan. However, he had to have some idea of what he intended before he played Qh8 to capture Ph6. At e7 he guards square b4 to prevent Black's queen from perpetually checking along the b5-f1 diagonal. }
41...Kc8 42. h6 c5 43. Qe8+
{ After Black's pawn move blocked the b4-e7 diagonal he had to switch to guarding b5 instead. Black has no perpetual check and Ph6 is impossible to stop. }
43...Kc7 44. h7
{ This win puts Adams back into a tie for the lead with Kasparov and Vallejo Pons. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4
{ Adams wasn't able to break through this defense in round four, so why not try it again. }
5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 ( 9...h6 ) 10. h3 ( 10. b3 Bg4 
{ Adams-Villejo Pons, round 4, 1/2-1/2 in 24 moves }
 ) 10...Ng6
{ This is a curious move. It threatens Pe5 which forces White, at least for the moment, to leave Nf3, which blocks Pf2 from advancing. Also, it prevents Bc1-f4 and clears the way for Bf8 to develop. I suppose Black decides how to develop his king-side pieces depending upon where White develops Bc1. If b2-b3, Bc1-b2 then Bf8 probably has to remain in place for a while to defend Pg7. }
11. Bg5+ Ke8 12. Rad1 Be7 13. Bxe7
{ This seems to end Black's cramp and White's chances to play for a win. But, perhaps I'm overestimating it's importance. White still has the king-side pawn majority and safer king. }
13...Kxe7 14. Nd4 Nf4
{ again perventing f2-f4-f5 }
15. Ne4 Rd8 16. Rfe1 Rd5 17. c4 Rd8 $6 ( 17...Rxe5 18. Ng5 Rxe1+ ( 18...Kf6 $4 19. Nxh7+ 
{ and Re5 falls }
 ) 19. Rxe1+ Kf8 ( 19...Kf6 $2 20. Nxh7+ Kg6 21. Nf8+ $16 
{ and Re1-e8 prevents Black from developing Bc8 & Ra8 }
 ) 20. Nxh7+ Kg8 21. Ng5 Kf8 $14 ) 18. Kh2 a5 19. g4 a4 ( 19...g6 20. Kg3 Ne6 ) 20. Kg3 Ne6 21. Nf5+ Kf8 22. f4 b6 23. Rxd8+ Nxd8 24. Ne3 Ne6 25. f5
{ White has achieved a lot. To get this far is significant. The next step is usually some key invasion which pins a piece or attacks two targets when the defender can't maneuver his pieces because they have no squares or are busy defending one another. }
 ( 
{ Another plan is: }
 25. Rd1 c5 26. Nd5 Ra7 ( 26...Bb7 27. Nec3 ) 27. Nec3 Nd4 28. f5 
{ and there are several weak points in Black's camp: Kf8 and Bc8 are aligned on the back rank, so Nd4 can't move without concern for Rd1-d8+. Pc7 and Pa4 are attacked, so Ra7 is overworked and nearly immobilized. Nc3 threatens to come in to b5 to chase Ra7 from it's key defensive square. }
 ) 25...Nd4 26. Kf4 Bb7 27. c5 a3 28. b3
{ After this (good move) Black begins to envisage ...Nd4xb3; axb3 a3-a2; and ...Bb7-a6-d3-b1 to allow a2-a1=Q or if White has placed Rd1-a1 to trap it, so Ra8 can be unopposed. This plan is merely an idea at this point, and hardly enforcable, but something to work toward. White, will have to avoid that and still find a way to break through Black's queen-side; where he's been holding Black in place and now hopes to hit hard. }
28...Ba6 29. cxb6 cxb6
{ Black might use ...Nd4-e2+ to chase Kf4 back }
30. Nd6
{ This gives Kf4 another square near the center, to support Pe5. }
30...Rd8 31. Ndc4 Bxc4 32. Nxc4 b5 33. Nd6 ( 33. Nxa3 Ra8 34. Nb1 Rxa2 
{ looks very good for Black. Pb3 is weak and Nb1 isn't very good. }
 ) 33...f6
{ Black's ability to undermine every step forward White would like to make is keeping the balance. And, Pa3 has to be watched carefully. If Pa2 is threatened the entire empire is in danger. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3
{ White has a big choice, but the system chosen by Ponomariov has been popular for a few years now. It was invented by the American GM Robert Byrne and popularized (as the English Attack) during the 1980s by English GMs Nigel Short and John Nunn. Nowadays all the top players (who play 1. e4) use it. }
 ( 6. Bc4 ) ( 6. Bg5 ) ( 6. Be3 ) ( 6. Be2 ) ( 6. f4 ) ( 6. g3 ) ( 6. a4 ) 6...e6 ( 6...e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Bg5 ( 8. g4 Nxg4 9. fxg4 Qh4+ 10. Kd2 
{ might be something White could survive, but not without feeling a little nervous }
 10...g6 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 ) 8...Nbd7 ) 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2 Be7 9. g4
{ White keeps Pe4 safe and begins a king-side attack, not entirely unlike the Yugoslav Attack of the Dragon Variation. }
9...O-O 10. O-O-O Nxd4 11. Bxd4 ( 11. Qxd4 $5 b5 12. g5 Nd7 13. h4 Ne5 14. Be2 ) 11...b5 12. a3 $1 Nd7 13. h4
{ White would be happy to give Ph4 to open the h-file for Rh1 (and possibly Qh2) to attack Ph7 and Kg8. }
13...Rb8 14. f4 ( 14. Qe3 $4 e5 15. Ba7 Ra8 16. Qf2 Bxh4 ) ( 14. Bd3 Ne5 ) ( 
{ Perhaps best is to continue the king-side play begun earlier. }
 14. g5 Ne5 15. Be2 b4 16. axb4 Rxb4 17. Nd5 Ra4 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Kb1 ) 14...Bb7
{ He sees the weakened Pe4 and attacks it, but has, more or less, wasted 13...Rb8. }
 ( 
{ The consistent follow-through is }
 14...b4 15. axb4 Rxb4 16. Nd5 Ra4 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. Kb1 Bb7 19. Bg2 e5 ) 15. g5 Nc5 ( 
{ It's not absolutely necessary to fight White's pawns in the center. The attack on Kc1 should be a higher priority. }
 15...e5 $2 
{ to get rid of one of White's attacking pawns }
 16. Be3 exf4 17. Bxf4 Ne5 18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. Qxd5 Qc7 ) 16. Bg2 a5 17. Bxc5
{ White takes this opportunity to trade pieces because the ending slightly favors him. Black's Be7, Pa5 and Pc5 are awkward. }
17...dxc5 18. Qxd8 Rfxd8 19. Nxb5 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Rxb5 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. f5 exf5 23. Bxf5
{ This forced simplification lead to approximate equality. White's rook is better than Rb5 and Kg8 is a little cramped, but not terribly so. A few accurate moves and Black will be fine. }
23...g6 ( 23...c4 $4 24. Re1 Kf8 25. Bd7 $18 ) 24. Re1 Kg7 25. Bd3 Rb7 26. Re5 Be7
{ Black may be threatening 27...f7-f6 because 28. gxf6+ (not forced) Bxf6 counter-attacks Re5 AND Pb2. }
27. c3 ( 27. b3 c4 28. Bxc4 Bxa3+ 29. Kd2 
{ is almost dead equal }
 ) ( 27. a4 $4 
{ makes Pb2 even more backward }
 27...f6 28. Rd5 fxg5 29. hxg5 h6 30. gxh6+ Kxh6 $17 ) 27...h6 28. Kc2 hxg5 29. hxg5 Kf8 ( 29...f6 
{ forces further simplification and creates a passed pawn }
 ) 30. Rd5 Rb8 31. Rd7
{ a courageous thing to do against Kasparov, but maybe he felt pushed into it because Black could yet create a passed pawn by using ...f7-f6xg5. White needs an offensive threat to balance that. }
31...Bxg5 32. Bc4 Be7
{ The scary thing is Black has two (!) connected passed pawns, not just one. Can White defend or counter with his own queen-side pawns in time? It's a race. }
33. Ra7 g5 34. Rxa5 g4 35. Bd5 f5 ( 35...Kg7 36. Ra7 ) 36. Be6 g3 37. Bd5 Rd8 38. Bf3 Kf7
{ How does White intend to stop the speedy Pg3? }
39. b4 Rh8 ( 39...Rc8 
{ helps to keep Ra5 blocked from the king-side }
 ) ( 
{ I wonder if the most direct move is tactically sound. It's certainly complicated. }
 39...Rg8 40. Bd5+ Kf6 41. Ra6+ Ke5 42. Bxg8 
{ The gimmick is to distract the bishop and block out Ra6 to make a queen of Pg3. If Bd5 doesn't dare to capture Rg8 then the original check at d5 was just wasted time. }
 42...Bd6 ( 42...f4 43. Re6+ Kf5 44. Rxe7 f3 45. Bd5 g2 46. Rg7 Kf4 47. Bxf3 Kxf3 48. bxc5 $18 ) 43. bxc5 g2 ) 40. Kb3 ( 40. bxc5 Rh2+ 41. Kb3 g2 42. Bxg2 Rxg2 43. c6 Ke6 ) 40...Rh2 41. Bd5+ Kf6 ( 41...Kg7 42. Ra7 Kf6 43. Ra8 Ke5 44. Bb7 Bg5 45. bxc5 Rh7 
{ and the bishop has no completely safe square on the diagonal. }
 46. c6 g2 47. c7 g1=Q 48. c8=Q Qb1+ 49. Kc4 Qxb7 ) 42. Ra8 Rd2 43. Bf3 Kf7
{ This is probably the wrong way for the king to go. }
 ( 43...Rd3 
{ doesn't give the bishop time to rest }
 ) 44. bxc5 Bxc5
{ White might continue, but Black's pawns are further advance, so there's the risk Kasparov would find some way to advance them further. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
{ This makes me wonder what Shirov had in mind that might make Kasparov change direction. This move is so out of character for Kasparov that I have doubts he has any kind of theoretical novelty; instead I think he just wants to prevent Shirov from having his way. }
 ( 3. d4 ) 3...g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nf6
{ This is a typical, and necessary, response to White's effort to get the central pawn duo (Pe4 & Pd4) . Black continues developing, castles and hits Pe4 to force a resolution of the central pawns. }
6. Re1 O-O 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4
{ White threatens d4-d5 when Nc6 is awkward. }
8...d5
{ This is the usual solution: Black fixes White's pawns and then finds some way to chip into them to open the g7-a1 diagonal again. }
9. e5 Ne4
{ This is risky. If Nf3 can move to allow f2-f3 then where would Ne4 run away to? }
 ( 
{ The alternative is }
 9...Ne8 
{ and it's hard to say whether it's too passive. }
 ) 10. Nc3
{ I would have loved to see White find a move to challenge Ne4 with f2-f3. }
 ( 10. Re2 Qb6 ( 10...Bg4 $2 11. h3 Bxf3 12. gxf3 $16 ) 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Ne1 c5 13. Be3 ( 13. f3 $2 cxd4 14. fxe4 d3+ 15. Re3 Bh6 ) 13...cxd4 14. Qxd4 Qxd4 15. Bxd4 Ba6 16. Rc2 Rfc8 ) 10...Bf5 
{ There are a couple of elements of this position which resemble a Slav, Exchange Variation. The main difference, of course, is the pawn at e5 rather than (say) e3. White's Bc1 can still develop freely and Bg7 is blocked, but Pd4 is also permanently weak. }
11. Nh4 Be6 12. Bxc6 ( 12. Nxe4 dxe4 
{ and the attack on Pd4 is exposed while Nh4 is momentarily stuck. }
 13. Bxc6 ( 13. Rxe4 $2 Nxe5 
{ and all of Black's pieces are free to move! }
 ) 13...bxc6 14. Rxe4 
{ Grabbing the pawn is risky because White's position is a little awkward and not fully developed. }
 14...Qb6 ) 12...bxc6 13. Na4
{ Ne4 has no easy way out. White threatens f2-f3xe4. }
13...g5
{ Yes, this is ugly, but it's the only way to force Nh4 back, block Pf2 and free Bg7. It doesn't appear to hurt the safety of Kg8 since there are several pieces around him to defend. There is, however, still a possibility of Ne4 becoming stuck, as in the Kasparov-Adams game (Petrov's Def.) where Black's Qe4 got stuck. }
14. Nf3 f6 15. Be3 g4 16. Nd2 fxe5 17. Nxe4 dxe4
{ Black's pawns look funny, but his pieces look fine. }
18. Nc5 Bf5 19. dxe5 Qxd1 20. Raxd1 Bxe5 21. Nd7
{ If the best Kasparov can do is regain one of the bishops then he has to admit Black's success, or rather his own inability to put a dent in Shirov's fine play. This game shows Shirov's strength, despite his odd results against some of the lower-finishing players (in this event; I wouldn't rank Anand or Adams as "lower or weaker players" by any measure) . }
21...Bxd7 22. Rxd7 Bxb2
{ For the moment Black is ahead two pawns, but they are strew all around and weak. }
23. Rxe7 Rfe8 24. Rc7 ( 24. Rxa7 Rxa7 25. Bxa7 Ra8 26. Be3 Rxa2 27. h3 gxh3 28. gxh3 Ra1 29. Rxa1 Bxa1 
{ is certainly to be avoided by Kasparov! }
 ) 24...Rec8 25. Re7 Re8 26. Rc7
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5
{ Earlier in the event he played the Black side of a Spanish Game against Michael Adams. Perhaps he's versatile or just playing the opening he feels will cause his opponent the most difficulty (a la a former world champion Emanuel Lasker or his countryman GM Vassily Ivanchuk (!) ) . }
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5
{ This is less common than 4...Nf6 5. Nc3 e5, but it has it's own interesting character. Black avoids an early ...Ng8-f6 to prevent White from developing Bc1-g5 with a pin. }
5. Nb5 d6
{ Neo-Sveshnikov or Kalashnikov Variation }
 ( 5...a6 
{ The Lowenthal Variation is rarely played nowadays. }
 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 ) 6. c4
{ Pc4 and Pe4 seem perfect for securing d5 and keeping Pd6 backward, but those pawns also get in the way of Be2 and Qd1, so it's not an advantage without a downside. }
 ( 6. N1c3 
{ is preferred by some players }
 6...a6 7. Na3 ) 6...Be7
{ continuing to avoid ...Ng8-f6. In fact, some players use ...Ng8-e7, after ...a7-a6 chases Nb5 away. }
7. Be2 a6 8. N5c3 Bg5
{ He's exchanging-off his bad bishop, it's blocked by pawns on dark squares. But, which is better, to trade them and weaken Pd6 or to leave it at e7 and have a bad bishop? }
9. Nd2
{ White is weak at d4, so he's not so crazy about exchanging Bc1. }
 ( 9. Bxg5 Qxg5 10. O-O ( 10. Qxd6 Qxg2 11. Rf1 ) 10...Nd4 11. Nd5 Qd8 
{ and Black can hold the dark squares }
 ) 9...Nf6
{ Bg5 certainly looks odd, but as long as it can be exchanged for Nd2 or Bc1 it's fine. White isn't about to go chasing after it with pawns. }
10. O-O O-O 11. b3 ( 11. Nf3 Bxc1 12. Rxc1 Bg4 
{ and after removing Nf3 Black will have sufficient control of d4 to plant a knight there }
 ) 11...Nd4 12. Nf3 Bxc1 13. Rxc1 Nxf3+
{ Be2 is blocked by his pawns, so Nf3 could be more dangerous to Black. }
14. Bxf3 Be6 15. Qd2 Qc7 16. Rfd1 Rfd8
{ How many times have we all seen, in books on the middlegame or in annotated GM games, examples of severe weaknesses, such as Pd6, leading to a decisive game result? In this case Black has a bad weakness, but has also exchanged a couple of minor pieces, so that he's not terribly cramped. If Black had another weakness he might lose, but with only the one he's got a decent chance of drawing. }
17. h3
{ not very adventurous and it doesn't seem so necessary when both Black minor pieces are needed to guard square d5 -- there's no real threat of a Black incursion at g4 }
 ( 17. Nd5 Bxd5 ( 17...Nxd5 $4 18. cxd5 
{ and Be6 is lost }
 ) 18. cxd5 
{ gives White the first crack at utilizing an open file }
 18...Qd7 19. Rc3 Rdc8 20. Rdc1 
{ and Black can't dissipate the pressure with exchanges because ...Rxc3 is met with Qxc3, dominating the c-file }
 ) 17...h6 18. Qe2 Rac8 19. Bg4 Qa5
{ Ponomariov shows he won't be suckered away from guarding square d5 and prepares ...b7-b5 to completely break the central bind. }
20. Nd5
{ Anand didn't play horribly, but he certainly missed one big opportunity with 17. Nd5. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ Though this move isn't unusual for Ivanchuk he had played 1. d4 and 1. Nf3 earlier in this tournament. }
1...e5 2. Nf3 Nc6
{ No more Petrov's Defense, as he played against Kasparov! }
3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
{ an anti-Marshall Gambit idea }
8...Bb7 9. d3
{ Pe4 needs defense to avoid ...Nc6-a5xb3 when Pe5 and Pe4 would just be traded. With Pd3 White might also consider the maneuver Nb1-d2-f1-g3, avoiding simplifying exchanges and aiming to attack on the king-side. }
 ( 9. Nc3 b4 10. Nd5 Na5 11. Nxf6+ Bxf6 12. Ba2 ) 9...Re8
{ Adams keeps hoping he'll find a way for ...d7-d5. }
10. Na3 $5
{ This is certainly more contentious and forceful than Nb1-d2. He tries to force Pb5 away, so he can move Na3-c4 to add pressure to Pe5. }
 ( 
{ Noticing that Nf6 has no good squares might lead one to consider }
 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. f4 Ng6 12. e5 
{ but }
 12...Nd5 
{ and Black escapes without harm. }
 ) 10...Bxa3
{ This might be considered a downside of 10. Na3 since it stops White's plan, or it might be considered a positional gain since Black is giving a bishop for the knight. Such exchanges can be difficult to evaluate. }
11. bxa3 $5
{ This avoids any misplacing of Ra1 and he knows Pa4 can be exchanged-off, so he needn't worry about doubled pawns. The bigger question is whether this turns over control of the direction of the game to Black. How much can Black achieve now that he has a move to begin forcing events. }
11...d5 12. exd5
{ White naturally seeks simplifying exchanges now, and more open positions should be good for his bishops. }
12...Nxd5 13. Bb2 $2 ( 13. Bg5 
{ should be a free development tempo because Black would be foolish to play ...f7-f6, self-pinning Nd5. }
 13...Qd6 ( 13...f6 $6 14. Bd2 ) 14. c4 
{ forcing open lines which should allow White's pieces to become as active as Black's }
 ) 13...Nf4
{ Black takes advantage of the moment and hops right in; this also opens the diagonal for Bb7. }
14. Bc1
{ Ivanchuk recognizes his mistake and tries to rectify it, even at the cost of another tempo. But, this gain of time surely gives some initiative to Black. }
14...Nxg2 $5
{ leading to amazing complications. The knight is obviously immune because of 15...Nd4 when Nf3 would be pinned, won and an attack on Kg2 would begin. }
 ( 14...Qf6 ) 15. Ng5 $1
{ Amazingly this gives White a very good chance to turn the tables. Ng2 and Re1 remain en prise while White begins to attack at Pf7 and/or Ph7. White turns the question of whether White's king is exposed into one of which side's queen can participate in an attack best: and the answer to that question is White! }
15...Nxe1
{ Black grabs material and White begins an attack... }
 ( 15...Nf4 $4 16. Bxf7+ 
{ followed by Bxf4 }
 ) 16. Qh5
{ It's amazing that Black can survive this position for more than a couple of moves. }
16...Qd7 $1
{ unable to defend Pf7 or Ph7 he avoid checkmates and gives Kg8 a path to walk away from the attack on dark squares (... Kg8-f8-e7-d8-c8 or ...Kg8-f8-e7-d6-c5-b6) . }
 ( 16...h6 $2 17. Bxf7+ $2 ( 17. Qxf7+ $2 Kh8 18. Kf1 
{ threatening to remove Ne1 and avoiding the check resulting from ...Ne1-f3 }
 ( 18. Qg6 $2 
{ allows an amazingly nifty response from Black }
 18...Nf3+ 
{ first one knight }
 19. Nxf3 Nd4 20. Ng5 Nf3+ 
{ then the other (!) to clear the way for Bb7 to play }
 21. Nxf3 Bxf3 22. Bxh6 Qd7 $19 ) 18...Nd4 $1 ( 18...Nf3 $4 19. Qxf3 
{ doesn't stop White from jumping right back to the light squares with mating threats and incidentally has the immediate threat of Ng5-f7+ }
 ) 19. Kxe1 Nxb3 20. Qxb3 hxg5 $19 ) ( 17. Nxf7 $1 
{ gaining time by threatening Qd8 (with a discovered check to boot) and clearing the way for Bc1xh6 to completely break through Black's defenses }
 17...Qe7 18. Bxh6 
{ smashing through with every piece!!! }
 ) 17...Kh8 18. Qg6 Nf3+ 19. Nxf3 Ne7 ) ( 16...Qd6 $2 17. Qxf7+ Kh8 18. Qh5 
{ sets up Qd6 & Kh8 for a fork }
 ) 17. Bxf7+ ( 17. Nxf7 Kf8 18. Qxh7 Qg4+ 19. Kf1 Nd4 $17 ) 17...Kf8 18. Be3 $1 ( 
{ The straight-forward forcing variation }
 18. Nxh7+ Ke7 19. Bg5+ Kd6 20. Rxe1 Nd4 
{ gives Black a chance to do more than survive }
 ( 20...Rh8 $2 21. Qg6+ Kc5 22. Be3+ Nd4 23. c3 ) ) 18...Nd4 19. Rxe1
{ threatening Bxd4 followed by Nxh7+, winning }
19...Nf3+ $2
{ Why would he move Nd4 when that piece was doing valuable service preventing Be3-c5+? }
 ( 
{ It seems to me that }
 19...Qc6 
{ pretty well puts an end to White's attack. }
 20. Ne4 $2 ( 20. Nxh7+ Ke7 21. Bg5+ Kd6 22. Re4 $13 ( 22. Qg6+ $4 Re6 ) ) 20...Re7 ) 20. Kf1 Nxg5 ( 20...Nxe1 $4 21. Bc5+ Re7 22. Nxh7# ) 21. Bc5+ Re7 22. Rxe5 Nxf7 23. Rxe7 Qxe7 24. Bxe7+ Kxe7
{ Adams did a fantastic job to stay alive. But, the White queen can do some real damage. }
25. Qc5+ Kd7 26. Qd4+ Ke7 27. Qxg7 bxa4 $2 ( 27...Bd5 
{ keeps the piece coordination much better }
 ) ( 27...h6 28. Qc3 c6 29. Qc5+ Kd7 30. Qb6 Rb8 
{ and Black might hold it all together. That would be a truly amazing turnaround. }
 ) 28. Qc3 Kd7 29. Qd4+ Nd6 ( 29...Ke6 30. Qc4+ Kf6 31. Qxc7 
{ is very awkward for Bb7 }
 ) 30. Qxa4+ Ke6 31. Qg4+ Nf5 32. Qc4+ Bd5 33. Qxc7 h5 34. c4 Bh1 35. f4
{ threatening Qe5+ to win Nf5 }
35...Rf8 36. Qb6+ Kf7 37. Qa7+ Ne7
{ Black guards against checks and prepares to threaten Pf4 with Rf8 }
 ( 37...Kg6 $4 38. Qg1+ 
{ catches Bh1 }
 ) ( 37...Kg8 $4 38. Qg1+ 
{ catches Bh1 }
 ) 38. Qxa6
{ Meanwhile, White grabs another pawn. This is such an unusual mix of pieces, I don't know quite how to explain it. Black appears to be ahead in pieces, but White's queen is everywhere and Ph5 is weak. When will White advance a pawn for promotion? How can Black attack Kf1 or stop the pawns, there are so many? }
38...Rb8
{ Black aims for 39...Rb8-b1+ 40. Kf1-e2 Rb2+ 41. Ke3?? Nf5# }
39. d4 Rb1+ ( 39...Rb2 40. d5 
{ preventing ...Ne7-f5 because of Qa6-e6+ keeps Kf1 safe from an immediate mating attack }
 40...Ng6 41. Qe6+ Kg7 42. f5 ) 40. Ke2 Rb2+ 41. Kd3 Rb3+ ( 41...Rxh2 42. d5 
{ is where the game gets after move 44. Kd3 }
 ) 42. Kd2 Rh3 43. d5
{ The White pawns sort of cut Black's "army" in half. Bh1 and Rh3 are separate from Ne7 and Kf7. At the moment White's Kd2 is also separated from the area where Qa6 can play offense, but with Pd5 it doesn't matter. Black's king and knight can't defend against White's queen and pawn. This forces a crisis upon Black; he has to get rid of Pd5. }
43...Rxh2+ 44. Kd3 Nxd5 45. cxd5 Bxd5 46. f5 ( 
{ Here's a very nice problem-like conclusion which might have occurred. }
 46. Qa7+ Ke6 
{ not entirely forced }
 47. f5+ Kxf5 48. Qc5 Ke6 49. Qc8+ Kf6 50. Qd8+ Ke6 51. Qg8+ 
{ chases Black's king away from the bishop or onto the dark-square diagonal b8-h2, so that Qg8-b8+ wins Rh2 }
 ) 46...Ra2 47. Qa7+ Kf6 ( 47...Ke8 48. f6 ) ( 47...Kg8 48. Qb8+ Kf7 49. Qc7+ ) 48. Qd4+ Kg5 49. Qxd5 Rxa3+ 50. Ke4
{ Wow, what a game! It might take both players a few weeks to recover from the given and take of this game. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ Going into this game Anand stands in last place by himself. This is uncharacteristic. Also, Kasparov has the lead by himself and this is characteristic. It's a slender lead of only one-half point over the next five (5!) tied players. A win by either player puts him into contention and severely hurts the other player's chances. }
1...c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5
{ It's curious Shirov would play this only a round after Ponomariov did the same versus Anand (result, a draw) . }
5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3
{ But, Anand varies; not repeating 6. c4 from the earlier game. White threatens Nc3-d5, Nb5-c7+. }
6...a6 7. Na3 b5
{ As in a Sveshnikov Black threatens ...b5-b4 and uses Pb5 to prevent Na3-c4-e3. }
8. Nd5
{ After this White might intend Bc1-e3-b6 followed by Nd5-c7+. But, Black won't leave Nd5 unchallenged. }
8...Nf6 ( 8...Nge7 
{ is probably more in keeping with the idea of the Kalashnikov }
 ) 9. c4
{ This is different from the c2-c4 he played against Ponomariov. In this situation the pawn is almost assured of being exchanged for Pb5. In any case it makes sense to support Nd5 and doing it with this threat to Pb5 is useful. Of course, he had to calculate the effects of 9...Nxe4 10. cxb5 Qa5+. }
 ( 9. Bg5 Qa5+ 10. Bd2 ) 9...b4 ( 9...Nxe4 $4 10. cxb5 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Nxd2 12. Qxd2 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 $18 
{ because of the threat to Nc6 and Nd5-c7+ to win Ra8 }
 ) 10. Nxf6+
{ ending the threat to Pe4 and gaining time to move Na3 }
10...Qxf6
{ Though this leaves d5 weak Black can use it as an opportunity to do some damage on the king-side; usually Black doesn't get the queen out in front until much later in the middle-game. }
11. Nc2 Qg6 $5
{ This creates an opportunity for White to show d5 isn't sufficiently guarded, or to be more precise that d5 and all of Black's queen-side is weak. }
 ( 11...Be6 ) 12. Qd5 Bb7 13. Nxb4 Rc8 ( 13...Nxb4 $4 14. Qxb7 Nc2+ 15. Kd1 Rd8 16. Kxc2 $18 ) 14. Be3 Be7 15. h4
{ avoiding ...Be7-g5xe3 }
15...O-O
{ After this Rc8 is defended, so that ... Nc6xb4 is a real threat. Any move such as ...Nc6-d8 also uncovers a strong threat to Pe4. }
16. h5
{ attempting to kick Qg6 off Pe4 }
16...Qg4 17. f3 Qg3+ 18. Kd1
{ I suppose he had his choice of chasing Qg3 onto the c1-h6 diagonal, but Be3 seems better than Bf2. Also, by having Kd1 he avoids ...Nc6xb4-c2+. }
18...Bg5 19. Nxc6 Bxe3 ( 19...Bxc6 20. Qd2 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 
{ and Black's initiative is dissipated }
 ) 20. Ne7+ Kh8 21. Qd3
{ But, now Black's really in a pickle: Be3 and Rc8 are both attacked. }
21...Bg5 ( 21...Rce8 22. Nf5 ) 22. Nxc8 Rxc8
{ This way Black is behind an exchange, but White's king is in the middle of the board and his rooks are nearly impossible to activate. Black has to do more than this though. He has to win to avoid the eventual loss which would occur when the rooks do become active. }
23. h6 gxh6 ( 23...Bxh6 24. Qxd6 Bg5 25. Kc2 ) 24. Kc2 d5 $4
{ Is this the only way to hope to activate Bb7 and force line openings to get at Kc2? }
 ( 24...Qf2+ 25. Be2 ( 25. Qe2 Rxc4+ 26. Kb3 Qb6+ 27. Kxc4 d5+ 
{ would worry even the bravest soul }
 ) ( 25. Kb3 Rc6 26. Rb1 Rb6+ 27. Ka3 Qc5+ ( 27...Bc1 $19 ) 28. b4 Bc1+ $19 ) 25...d5 26. exd5 Bxd5 ) 25. exd5 Bxd5 26. Qxd5 Rd8 27. Qc5
{ preventing ...Qg3-f2+, so that Black's queen can't join in the attack so quickly }
27...Rd2+ 28. Kb3
{ with the minor threat Qc5-f8# }
28...Kg7 29. a3
{ Anand isn't bashful about spending tempi to set up a safe place for his king. }
29...e4 30. Rh3 Qf4 31. fxe4
{ I suppose this might be an indicator that Shirov's 11...Qg6 was more dubious than good. These things are always easier to evaluate in hindsight. It also shows how dangerous either of these players can be, despite their inconsistency in this tournament. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D23"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. d4 d5
{ Ponomariov generally plays either the King's Indian Defense or the Queen's Gambit Accepted against 1. d4. }
2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 ( 3. Bf4 
{ I suppose one ideal set-up would have both c2-c4 and Bc1-f4, so that White could utilize the open c-file and try to invade at c7. }
 ) 3...dxc4
{ To transpose to a Queen's Gambit Accepted at this point has it's interesting points. For one White can't continue with an immediate e2-e4. Black also doesn't have to worry about the double attack which would result from the move-sequence 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 a6 4. Bxc4 b5?? 5. Qf3 because there's a Nf3. }
4. Qa4+
{ Ivanchuk avoids complications stemming from 4. Nc3 a6 and just regains the pawn. He's also left Nb1, so as to not get in the way of his queen. If there's a Nc3 and Qc4 (after regaining the pawn) it can be awkward. }
 ( 4. Nc3 a6 ) 4...Nc6
{ Ponomariov is aiming for completely free and easy development with no pawn weaknesses. There is a similar variation in the Catalan opening, but in that one White gets in Nf3-e5xc6 to force tripled pawns on Black. Here White will have to develop solidly and yet threaten to meet such moves as ...e7-e5 with d4-d5 to cramp Black. The battle is on! }
5. Nc3 ( 5. Qxc4 Be6 ) 5...Nd5
{ This is sort of nifty. He's trying to get rid of a pair of minor pieces before White can utilize his extra central pawn to cramp him. }
6. Qxc4 Nb6
{ I don't understand. How could the knight be better on b6 than f6? Why not trade at c3? }
7. Qb3 ( 7. Qd3 ) 7...e5
{ Black isn't going to delay the development of his pieces! This takes unreal confidence or large doses of courage. }
 ( 7...Nxd4 8. Nxd4 Qxd4 9. Nb5 Qd8 10. Bf4 e5 ( 10...Nd5 $4 11. Qxd5 $18 ) 11. Bxe5 Be6 12. Qg3 Bb4+ 13. Bc3 Bxc3+ 14. Qxc3 O-O 15. Qxc7 Qh4 $13 ) 8. dxe5 ( 8. d5 $2 Nd4 ) 8...Be6 9. Qc2 Nd4 10. Qd3 Bc5
{ This makes ...Be6-c4 possible. }
11. e3 Nxf3+ ( 11...Bc4 $6 12. Qd1 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 
{ seems a little easier for White to manage }
 ) 12. gxf3 Qxd3 13. Bxd3 O-O-O 14. Be2 Bb4 15. Bd2 Na4
{ Quickly, before White can castle and bring rooks into play, the Nc3 and it's supporters (Bd2 and Pb2) are threatened. }
16. a3 Bxc3 17. Bxc3 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Rd5
{ Ponomariov's strategy for this game seems to be eXtreme piece activity with very few pawn moves, giving Ivanchuk no time to use his pawns or to build up any kind of pressure. At the first sign of that sort of thing Ponomariov has gone for exchanges. }
19. f4 Rc5 20. Rc1
{ Ivanchuk could continue, despite this not being his kind of position, but it would be difficult to achieve anything, even if White gave back the pawn. Black's piece activity and immediate threats to Pa3 & Pc3 makes it difficult for White to make even one free offensive move. These two creep forward and are tied with Anand for 2nd-4th, now one full point behind Kasparov (who beat Vallejo Pons this round) . }
 ( 20. Kd2 $2 Rd8+ 21. Kc2 Bf5+ 22. Kb3 Rd2 
{ and White's king might get checkmated! }
 ) 
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5
{ I suppose it's ironic that Vallejo Pons should NOT play the Black side of a Spanish, Berlin Variation against Kasparov. Of all his opponents this one, who had such difficulty against that opening variation in his match with Kramnik, is the one he trusts will have something prepared, an improvement which might beat him. }
2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6
{ Paulsen's idea was to delay committing pieces before limiting White's Nd4 and Bf1 and seeing how White develops his others. He would sometimes play ...d7-d6, Nb8-d7 and sometimes ...Qd8-c7 with ...Nb8-c6. More recently GM Taimanov of Russia has employed this kind of opening flexibility. The 4...a6 line carries Paulsen's name and 4...Nc6 carries Taimanov's name. }
5. c4
{ Though this is an acceptable move I'm surprised to see Kasparov use it. He's hard to predict. Sometimes it's clear he has an idea he wants to try, other times he just seems to be preventing his opponent from playing from his home preparations. This kind of improvisation can stymie the opponent or backfire. Which will it be this time? }
 ( 5. Bd3 ) 5...Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 $2
{ There are good normal-looking development moves and there are plausible normal-looking, but bad moves. This move seems aimed at developing ...Nb8-c6 without an exchange forcing him to recapture with a pawn at c6. But, that completely disregards White's bold c2-c4 and the clamp on d5. Moving Qd8 off the file makes ...d7-d5 impossible. Not pinning Nc3 leaves Pe4 completely safe. I'd say it's usually not so terrific to play a Hedgehog formation, but against Kasparov it has to be bad; but that's what Black has to do now. }
 ( 6...Bb4 
{ challenged for control of e4 and d5. Black might follow-up with ...Nb8-c6 and ...d7-d5. }
 ) 7. a3 $5
{ Kasparov emphasizes his bind on the center and leaves Black to find some other way to break it open. The bad side of this move isn't so obvious, but with experience in Maroczy Bind positions (such as this) the pawns are better at a2 & b2 or a2 & b3. Once there's a pawn at a3 the queen-side is weaker and Black will threaten Pc4 as much as he can. If then b2-b3 defends Pa3 will be weaker. }
7...b6 8. Be3
{ preparing to align Rc1 with Qc7 and aiming at Pb6 }
8...Bb7
{ With this it looks like Black is ready for ...d7-d5. }
9. f3
{ Kasparov leaves Bf1 at home for the moment. He doesn't want Bb7 to get a free shot at Pg2 if the lines should suddenly open. }
9...Nc6
{ After this it's difficult for Black to get ...d7-d5. }
 ( 9...d5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Bxd5 13. Rc1 $14 ) 10. Be2 Rb8 11. b4
{ Though he's making a lot of pawn moves which Black should be able to counteract, he's playing to the idea which Black seems to be happy with, that there should be no quick break-out and Black should wait for a mistake or to find some weakness to counter-attack. But, Kasparov isn't going to give him anything once he gets developed; Black should fight back quicker, before White gets all his pieces active. }
11...Be7 ( 11...Ne5 12. Rc1 
{ and Pc4 is more or less poison }
 ) 12. O-O O-O 13. Rc1 Ne5 $2
{ too late to create a serious threat to Pc4, but it's provocative. If White continues with f3-f4 there will be more room for Black to play (Pe4 will be weaker for one thing) . }
 ( 13...d6 ) 14. f4 Ng6 ( 14...Nxc4 15. Bxc4 Qxc4 16. Ncb5 Qa2 17. Rf2 ) 15. Bd3 $16
{ but not without some chances for Black to counter-attack. These positions can be very difficult to convert to victory because so much of the board comes into play. }
15...Ba8 16. Qe2
{ I'm not sure why he doesn't commit to the direct e4-e5, but this move allows Rf1 to defend Rc1 and it takes aim at Pa6 as well as getting behind Pe4. }
 ( 16. e5 Qb7 17. Qe2 ) 16...Kh8 ( 16...d6 $4 17. f5 
{ The double attack on Pe6 and Ng6 when Pe6 can't be defended in one move forces a major weakness in black's pawn structure. }
 ) ( 16...Qb7 
{ doesn't really add pressure to Pe4 because White is defending with two minor pieces. }
 ) 17. e5 Ng8 18. Qh5
{ This clearly takes aim at Ph7 and applies extra pressure to Ng6. But, Qh5 needs a Rh3 if it's to break through, and Black controls f3, so Rf1-f3-h3 isn't yet possible. }
18...a5 $1
{ Here's where White transitions from a nice solid position to an offense, and it's where Black counter-attacks to poke holes and generally make a mess of the whole board, as a way of distracting Kasparov from Kh8. }
19. Ndb5 Qc6
{ not only threatens checkmate at g2, it stays in touch with Pc4 to keep White under some pressure }
 ( 19...Qb7 20. Be4 
{ is extremely awkward for Black's queen-side }
 ) 20. Rc2
{ Why is he ignoring this possibility to play Rf1-f3? }
 ( 20. Rf3 axb4 21. axb4 Bxb4 22. Ne4 ) 20...axb4 21. axb4 Bxb4 22. Ne4
{ It appears Kasparov is satisfied to keep Pc4 to restrain Pb6 (or Pd7) and Rc2 & Bd3 keep that structure solid. Meanwhile he'll swing several pieces to the king-side. }
22...f5 $1 23. Ng5 ( 23. exf6 Nxf6 24. Nxf6 Rxf6 
{ and amazingly Black's pieces come to life! }
 25. Kh1 
{ idea: ...Bb4-c5 Be3-c1-b2 }
 ( 25. Rf3 $2 Bc5 ) ) 23...Nh6 24. Kh1 Bc5 25. Bc1
{ White's pieces are well coordinated, but he's down a pawn. Black has kept his king safe, but his extra pawn is Pd7 -- backward as all can be! }
25...Qc8
{ So, he seeks an endgame where he might finally utilize the pawn. This plan isn't so easily realized. Kasparov won't allow a queen trade if he can avoid it. }
26. h3 Kg8 27. Kh2 Ne7 28. Nd6
{ prevents ...Qc8-e8 and the only way to continue the plan. The game continuation helps Bc1 become very active. }
28...Bxd6 29. exd6 Nc6 30. Bb2 Nb4 ( 30...Qe8 
{ The original idea to get rid of White's queen seems safest. }
 ) 31. Rd2 b5
{ This seems safe now, but several moves later when it's captured the position is drastically different. How can a position change so fast, so that this one minor element becomes huge? }
 ( 31...Nxd3 $2 
{ helps White's rook get to g3 where it could do some damage }
 32. Rxd3 Qe8 ( 32...Qxc4 $4 
{ gives Black a passed Pb6 and a queen which might harass Kh2. But, it is a change of direction he hadn't planned (remember the ...Qc8-e8xh5 plan) . }
 33. Rg3 Be4 $4 ( 33...Qxf1 $4 34. Nxe6 
{ gives White a lot of possibilities for offense. It may be winning. }
 ) 34. Nxe6 Qxe6 35. Rxg7+ Kh8 36. Rg6+ Qf6 37. Bxf6+ Rxf6 38. Rxf6 ) 33. Qe2 Nf7 34. Rg3 Nxg5 35. Rxg5 Rf7 36. Qe5 Qf8 37. Bd4 h6 38. Rg3 Bc6 39. Rb1 b5 40. cxb5 Be4 41. Rb2 
{ is somewhat similar to the game }
 ) 32. Rc1 Qe8 33. Qe2 Nxd3 34. Rxd3 Nf7
{ He has to do this to get rid of Ng5, so he can play ...Rf8-f7 to defend Pg7. He's lucky that Qe2-e5 is also prevented by Nf7. }
35. Rg3 Nxg5 36. Rxg5 Rf7 37. Qe5
{ Clearly White is in charge and has offensive threats on both Pg7 and Pb5, with Rc1-c7 in the offing. }
37...Qf8 38. cxb5 $18 h6 39. Rg3 Kh7 40. Bd4 Bd5 41. b6 Rf6 42. Rcc3 Rf7 43. Rc7 Be4 44. Rb3 Bd5 45. Rb5 Bb7
{ Black is just defending Pg7 and waiting. }
46. Ra5 Qd8 47. Ra7 Be4 48. Qxe6 ( 48. b7 $2 
{ blocks the cooperation of the two rooks }
 48...Qe8 49. Qc5 Rf8 50. Qc3 Qg6 ) ( 48. Qb5 $2 
{ gives up the checkmate threat when it's not absolutely necessary and it gives Black a move to counter-attack -- at the moment when White is most stretched between offense and defending Kh2. }
 48...Qh4 
{ desperate situations demand desperate measures }
 ( 48...Bc6 $4 49. Qxc6 dxc6 50. Rxf7 ) 49. Be3 ( 49. g3 $4 Qh5 50. Rxd7 Qd1 51. Bg1 Qd2+ $19 ) 49...Qe1 50. Rxd7 Qxe3 51. Rxf7 Qxf4+ 52. Kg1 Qe3+ 
{ and Black has counter-play }
 ) 48...Qh4 ( 48...dxe6 49. Rxf7 Rb7 50. Raxb7 Bxb7 51. Rxb7 $18 ) 49. Qxf7 Qxf4+ 50. Kg1
{ Black is down a rook and has no more checks. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e5
{ Adams lost in round six and was the odd man out in round 7, so he really needs to win. But, he beat Ponomariov in round 2, so is it really to be expected that he could beat him again? }
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O
{ Considering his need to win this is a good choice. }
 ( 7...d6 
{ Adams-Ponomariov, Spanish, Zaitsev Variation, round 2, 1-0 in 76 moves }
 ) 8. c3
{ Taking on the Marshall Gambit head-on is a curious choice,but if he should win he'd again be in a tie for first with Kasparov (who is odd man out this round) . Apparently this is a crucial game for both players. And, Ponomariov would probably like to get revenge for his earlier loss to Adams. }
 ( 8. a4 
{ has been used quite frequently to avoid a Marshall Gambit }
 ) 8...d5
{ One doesn't often see the Marshall Gambit at the highest GM levels. It's not refuted or considered to be overwhelming, but most players simply don't like to walk into a variation with which they're not fully prepared and their opponent may know the theory 30 moves deep. }
9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 ( 12. d3 ) ( 
{ Here's another approach, somewhat different from the usual: }
 12. Bxd5 cxd5 13. d3 Bd6 14. Re3 Qh4 15. g3 Qh3 16. a4 Bg4 17. Qf1 Qh5 18. Nd2 Rae8 19. axb5 axb5 20. Nb3 f5 ( 20...Rxe3 21. Bxe3 Be2 22. Qg2 Bxd3 23. Nd4 ) 21. Nd4 f4 22. Rxe8 Rxe8 
{ threat: ...Bg4-h3 to trap Qf1 }
 23. Bd2 ) 12...Bd6 13. Re1 ( 13. Re2 ) 13...Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Re4
{ Rather than develop pieces White immediately threatens Re4-h4 to eject Qh3. }
 ( 
{ Often played in the past was }
 15. Be3 Bg4 16. Qd3 Rae8 17. Nd2 ) 15...g5 16. Qe2
{ This indicates an intention to give back some material (as Re4 is pretty well stuck in the middle of the board) and not to spend time chasing Qh3 back. He's only committed to this after Black weakened his king's position with 15...g5. }
16...Nf6
{ Black has no reason to give his Bc8 for Re4 when the knight can do the job. }
17. Nd2 Bf5 18. f3
{ White's Nd2 is a key to this formation. If it moves Black breaks through at e4. If White can cause Black to capture at e4 he'll recapture Nd2xe4 and from e4 the knight threatens Bd6 or Ne4-f6+ and in some cases Ne4-f2. }
18...c5
{ With White's Re4 and Qe2 clogging the e-file Black can't find a way to activate his rooks, so he tries to create another target with c5xd4, or does he only intend ...c5-c4 to block out Bb3? It's hard to know what's on his mind at this point. }
 ( 18...h5 19. Nf1 ( 19. Qg2 $6 
{ It doesn't necessarily make sense to offer a queen trade now that White is offering an exchange at e4. }
 19...Qxg2+ 20. Kxg2 g4 21. Bc2 
{ and White avoids danger to his king while keeping the center secured }
 21...gxf3+ 22. Kxf3 Bxe4+ 23. Nxe4 Nxe4 24. Bxe4 ) 19...Rae8 20. Re5 
{ threatening Bc1xg5 or just Bc1-d2 and Ra1-e1 }
 ) 19. Qf2 c4
{ Though he kicks Bb3 back he's also extended the pawn further than it can easily be supported. This fact gives White an opportunity to counter on the queen-side, where one should recall/recognize White has more pawns. }
 ( 19...cxd4 $5 
{ I'm not certain which way White might want to recapture, but none was part of his earlier plan and that might make his piece organization fall apart. }
 ) 20. Bc2 h6 21. b3 cxb3 22. axb3 Rfc8 23. Bb2
{ a way of developing which I'd bet is extremely rare for this opening variation }
23...Bb4
{ The position is changing, away from the earlier direct assault on Kg1, and Re4 might be lost for no perceptible gain. It's a wide open tactical slugfest! }
24. Re5 ( 24. cxb4 $4 Rxc2 ) 24...Bxc2 ( 24...Bxc3 $4 25. Bxf5 ) 25. cxb4 Bg6
{ Black still wants ...Rc8-c2. }
26. Rc5
{ After this White has things secured and he might consider d4-d5 to open up Bb2 (and possibly Qf2-d4) or Ra1-c1. }
26...Re8
{ Black begins a plan of invasion: ...Bg6-d3, ...Re8-e2. This keeps Qf2 tied down, but it doesn't really prevent d4-d5-d6 to create general piece activity for White. }
27. Nf1 Rad8 ( 27...Bd3 
{ threatening ...Re8-e2, can be met by Ra1-e1 or Nf1-e3 or Rc5-e5 }
 ) 28. d5
{ threatening Bxf6 }
28...Nd7
{ It's hard to find a better move, but he shouldn't play this unless he really intends to capture Rc5. }
 ( 28...Nxd5 $4 29. Qd4 ) ( 28...Rd6 ) 29. Ne3
{ White offers Rc5 again, knowing the two advanced connected passed pawns (a Pc5 and Pd5) would be powerful and very unappealing to Black. Black's offense is quickly receding and Kg1 looks completely safe. }
 ( 29. Qd4 $2 
{ is premature because of }
 29...Ne5 ) 29...h5 30. f4
{ White does a good job of restraining Nd7 with some offense. Pf4 prevents ...Nd7-e5, but it can also advance to block Bg6. }
30...h4 31. f5 hxg3 32. hxg3 Bh5 33. d6
{ crucial to prevent ...Nd7-e5-f3+ }
33...Re4 34. Rac1
{ White's plan now seems to be to trade-off or get rid of Rd8 and Nd7, so Pd6 can advance. Black has generated enough of a threat to Kg1 so that he'd be risking a lot to move away Qf2. So, Kg8 remains safe for now. }
34...Nxc5 ( 34...Rxb4 $4 35. Rc8 Rxc8 36. Rxc8+ Kh7 ( 36...Nf8 37. d7 ) 37. Rh8# ) 35. bxc5 Kh7 36. Bf6 Rg8 37. d7 Rh4
{ threat: ...Qh3-h1#. Rg8 helps to make it impossible for White to capture Rh4. White intends to spend as few tempi as possible defending, so he can push through Pd7. }
38. Qg2 Bf3 39. Qxh3 ( 39. Qf2 Qh1# ) 39...Rxh3
{ Black threatens ...Rh3-h1+ and ...Rxc1 to get behind Pc5. He'd sacrifice Rg8 for one pawn, but he has to stop the other from advancing. }
40. Kf2 g4 41. Nf1 Rh5 42. d8=Q Rxd8 43. Bxd8 Rxf5 44. Ne3 Rh5 45. Bh4
{ This neat retreating move blocks the rook completely, so Pc5 will advance and promote, probably forcing Black to give another of his pieces for it. So, Ponomariov moves into a tie with Kasparov for the lead and Adams, with three defeats in his nine games falls far behind. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ Shirov almost exclusively plays 1. e4, but he played 1. d4 quite a lot in his youth. His book, Fire On Board actually has very few games with 1. e4. This game is very important to both players. Ivanchuk needs to win to keep a share of the lead and Shirov needs the win to get back in the race. He could climb out of the cellar and back to second place with a win. }
1...e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
{ Ivanchuk will, and does, play just about any opening as White or Black. He's a pure player who chooses openings to match a particular opponent. I wonder what he has in mind for Shirov. }
3...a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O
{ threatening (!) a Marshall Gambit }
8. a4
{ trying to avoid it }
8...Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. Nbd2
{ Shirov chooses a less confusing course, but does leave open a possibility for Black to play ...d7-d5. }
 ( 10. Na3 
{ was played by ... Ivanchuk! in his round seven game against Adams }
 ) ( 10. Nc3 
{ is probably safest }
 ) 10...Bf8 11. c3
{ This is a useful move for several purposes: one is to prevent ...Nc6-d4; another is to allow Qd1 to defend Pa4, so that after ...Nc6-a5 White can retreat Bb3-a2 (on the better diagonal) without losing Pa4. He may have some idea of playing d3-d4, but at the moment that would probably help Black more than White. White would rather maneuver Nd2-f1-g3 (defending Pe4 again) before committing to d3-d4 (which would weaken Pe4) . }
11...Na5 ( 11...d5 ) 12. Ba2 c5
{ Apparently Ivanchuk feels he's put enough pressure on White's central pawns to keep them in place (as targets I suppose) and he secures that with Pc5. His next step would be to play more actively on the light squares. White is secure on the light squares, but might not have time to transition from that (a defensive duty) to something more aggressive. }
13. d4
{ The glass shatters and White simply steps over it. He says there never was a "bind" or pressure. }
13...d6 14. b4 exd4
{ Leave it to Ivanchuk to break all the rules and create something amazing like this. Is it good or just silly horrible? Nobody can know without playing it out. }
 ( 14...Nc6 15. bxc5 ( 15. d5 ) 15...dxc5 16. d5 ) 15. bxa5 dxc3
{ I suppose one of the key ideas is that Nd2 will now have to move and that gives Pe4 to Black. Pa5 might or might not be gathered-in as the game progresses. Anyway, the central Pe4 is much more important as it blocked Black's pieces. }
16. Nf1 Nxe4
{ I'd generally want to put the "biggest, most dangerous" piece in front. In this case he may have felt it was simply unsafe to capture with the rook or bishop. But, if safe, either would be preferable to the knight. }
 ( 16...Rxe4 $2 17. Ng5 Re7 18. Rxe7 Qxe7 19. Bxf7+ Kh8 ) ( 
{ Perhaps better is to immediately control the square in front of Pc3, threatening ...b5-b4 with a terrific permanent threat to advance those pawns. }
 16...Bxe4 17. Ng5 Bg6 ) 17. axb5 axb5 18. a6 Bc6 ( 18...Rxa6 19. Bxf7+ Kxf7 20. Rxa6 Bxa6 21. Qd5+ 
{ when Ne4 falls and Black's king will be in need of safe cover for some time }
 ) 19. Rxe4 $1
{ White might have to do this to avoid having Ba2 shut out of play. }
19...Bxe4 ( 19...Rxe4 20. Bxf7+ Kh8 21. Bd5 Bxd5 22. Qxd5 Re8 23. Ng5 
{ and White's pieces are ruling the day }
 ) 20. Bxf7+ Kxf7 21. Ng5+ Kg8 22. Nxe4
{ How does one judge such a position? It's probably easier to not make judgments, since it's already a fact that these imbalances exist. It's easier to just figure out what to do next and do it. Clearly Black needs to get rid of Pa6, but not to allow his Kg8 to become mincemeat. It would be nice to play ...d6-d5, but Ne4xc3 just hops around knocking off one pawn after another. }
22...Qc8 23. Nxc3 Rxa6 24. Rb1 $1
{ It's better to leave Pb5 than to give up on an attack against Kg8. So, he leaves Rb1 on the back rank to slow Black's pawns and perhaps to help protect Kg1. }
 ( 24. Rxa6 Qxa6 25. Qd5+ ( 25. Qb3+ $2 c4 26. Qxb5 Qxb5 27. Nxb5 d5 
{ solves Black's king safety problems and would probably lead to victory }
 ) 25...Kh8 26. Qf7 Rb8 
{ and it's not completely clear how White should continue the offensive; but Black's plan IS completely clear -- advance a pawn to make a queen }
 ) 24...b4 25. Nd5 Ra7 26. Rb3 $1
{ Now this is interesting. I'd thought the rook was to serve defensively and already he's moving it to an offensive placement. }
26...Ra1
{ If both sides throw everything they've got into their offensives it's going to be difficult for either side to defend. }
27. h3
{ The position has a lot in common with some of the Spanish, Zaitsev Variation games. }
27...Re5
{ Qd1 is overworked defending both Bc1 and Nd5, so something's got to give. }
28. Nf4 Qe8
{ threatening ...Re5-e1 to win Bc1 and probably the game. }
29. Rf3 $5
{ a tricky defense which continues the effort to generate some king-side offense }
 ( 29. Ne3 $2 
{ blocks the e-file, but also Rb3. Square e3 is a crossroad which Nf1, Bc1 and Rb3 might need to go through. }
 ) 29...c4 ( 29...Re1 $2 30. Qd5+ Kh8 31. Re3 Rxe3 32. Bxe3 $16 ) 30. Kh2 b3 $2 ( 30...c3 
{ gets in the way of Bc1, but opens the b3-g8 diagonal }
 ) ( 30...Qa4 $5 
{ Trying to exchange queens might be good. Even though White has the extra minor piece Black has to remember his pawns could still be strong. }
 ) 31. Qd2 d5 32. Ne3 $1
{ Shirov courageously takes on the Black pawns, rather than trade minor pieces for a rook & pawns, as in the note. }
 ( 32. Nxd5 Rxc1 ( 32...Bd6 $6 33. Ng3 Re1 $4 
{ aiming for ...Ra1xc1, ...Re1-h1# }
 34. Re3 Raxc1 35. Rxe8+ Kf7 36. Rxe1 $18 ) 33. Qxc1 Rxd5 34. Qxc4 Qb5 35. Qxb3 $14 ) 32...Bd6
{ This is based on the "trick" that Bd6 is aligned with Kh2. }
 ( 32...Bb4 33. Qxb4 Rxc1 34. Nfxd5 ) 33. g3 $6 ( 33. Bb2 
{ Getting this one last important piece into play might nullify Black's pawns and turn the tide decisively in White's favor. }
 ) 33...Qc6
{ Black spots that Rf3 is undefended and immobile. As Lasker said, that which is immobile may be uprooted and destroyed by the winds. }
34. Ng4 ( 34. Bb2 Ra2 
{ keeps the pressure on, but pretty much gives upon ...d5-d4 to discover an attack on Rf3 }
 ( 34...d4 35. Bxd4 Qxf3 36. Bxa1 ( 36. Bxe5 $4 Rh1# ) ) ) 34...d4 $1
{ This is a major crisis because Black's pawns will either smother White or White will fight through them, one way or another, and finally get to Kg8. }
 ( 
{ Another interesting possibility is }
 34...Rf5 $13 ) ( 34...Ra2 $6 
{ doesn't seem to work quite as well }
 35. Nxe5 Rxd2 ( 35...Bxe5 36. Qxd5+ Qxd5 37. Nxd5 
{ threatening Nd5-e7+ to checkmate }
 ) 36. Nxc6 b2 37. Bxb2 Rxb2 38. Nxd5 $16 ) 35. Qxd4 $1
{ Courageous! }
35...Re4 $4
{ a slight misstep, perhaps in time pressure }
 ( 35...Qxf3 $1 
{ consistent with previous play }
 36. Qxa1 $4 
{ This misplaces the queen. }
 ( 36. Nxe5 
{ continuing to head toward Kg8 }
 36...Rxc1 ( 36...Bxe5 $4 37. Qd8+ 
{ and suddenly Kg8 is defenseless! }
 ( 37. Qxe5 $4 Qxf2+ 38. Ng2 Rxc1 $19 ) 37...Kf7 38. Qd7+ Kf6 39. Qe6+ Kg5 40. h4# ) 37. Ng2 Bxe5 38. Qxe5 $19 ) 36...Re1 37. Ng2 Re2 
{ threatening ...Bxg3+ }
 ( 37...Bxg3+ $4 38. fxg3 Re2 39. N4e3 ) ) 36. Qxa1
{ Wow! What a dramatic way for the game to end. This is one of the more interesting games so far in the tournament. I don't know if Ivanchuk lost by time forfeit, but the loss of Ra1 was probably enough to cause his capitulation. As a last-gasp effort I'd think 36...Re1 should be tried. If White responds with 37. Rc3 to remove the rook from danger and to over-protect Bc1 then he leaves himself open to 37...Qh1#. And, if Shirov played 37. Kg2 (leaving Rf3 pinned) Black could go ahead with a pawn push, hoping for a miracle comback. So, Ivanchuk climbs toward the top, now tied with Ponomariov and Anand, only one-half point behind Kasparov (though Ponomariov has already had his odd-man-out day off) . }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 ( 4. e4 
{ Vallejo Pons - Kasparov, round 1, 1/2-1/2 in 49 moves (Kasparov probably missed a win) }
 ) 4...Bb4
{ There's no pin on Nc3, but he might remove it to prevent White from keeping control of d5 }
 ( 4...d5 
{ Vallejo Pons - Ponomariov, round 5, 1/2-1/2 in 65 moves }
 ) ( 4...Nd4 $5 
{ Black seeks a knight trade to allow ...c7-c6, leaving few or no weaknesses in his position. This move also contains a small trick. }
 5. Bg2 ( 5. Nxe5 $4 Qe7 
{ and Ne5 is stuck. If it moves Black has ...Nd4-f3# }
 6. f4 d6 7. e3 dxe5 8. exd4 exd4+ 9. Ne2 d3 $19 ) 5...Nxf3+ 6. Bxf3 Bc5 
{ with ...c7-c6, guarding d5, to come }
 ) 5. Nd5
{ White would rather trade for Nf6 and leave Bb4 to look for something to do. }
5...Bc5 6. Bg2 ( 6. Nxe5 $4 Nxe5 7. d4 Nxd5 
{ gives both Ne5 and Bc5 an out: ...Ne5xc4 and ...Bc5-b4+ }
 8. dxc5 Nf6 $19 ) 6...d6 7. O-O O-O 8. e3
{ White takes away d4 and will also probably play a2-a3, b2-b4 to chase Bc5 and Nc6. The cost is that it blocks in Bc1 for a time. It also prepares to meet ...Nf6xd5. }
8...a6
{ This isn't to play ...b7-b5, as that would weaken Nc6 far too much. Instead, it gives Bc5 room to retreat. }
 ( 8...Nxd5 9. cxd5 Ne7 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 ) 9. b3
{ Since Black has spent a tempo on ...a7-a6 White decides to play Bc1-b2 and d2-d4. This seems perfectly reasonable. }
 ( 9. a3 Ba7 10. d3 ) 9...Ba7 10. Nxf6+
{ I don't quite know why he'd allow Black's queen to come out so easily. Leaving Nf6 kept Qd8 blocked. }
 ( 10. Bb2 Nxd5 11. cxd5 Ne7 12. Ne1 ) 10...Qxf6
{ threat ...e5-e4 with a two-fold attack on Ra1 and Nf3 }
11. Bb2 Bg4
{ This pin is important and has to be broken with h2-h3. The immediate threat is NOT ...e5-e4 because Bb2 still pins Pe5 to Qf6. But, Black might play ...Qf6-e6 to prepare ...e5-e4 and/or ...Bg4-h3xg2. }
12. h3 Bh5 13. d3 Qe7 14. Qd2
{ This position doesn't offer many possibilities for White to win, but Ba7 and Nc6 are blocked, so Black doesn't have much either. }
14...f5 15. Rae1 Rae8 16. Bc3 Kh8 17. Nh4
{ White is feeling squeezed and uses this tactic to force f2-f4 or another simplification. }
 ( 17. d4 ) 17...Qg5
{ preventing f2-f4 for the moment }
 ( 17...g5 18. Nxf5 Rxf5 19. g4 Rf7 20. gxh5 ) 18. Kh2 f4 $1 19. exf4 exf4
{ After this White is more free to play d3-d4, completely shutting out Ba7. However, king safety comes first, so he forces simplification. }
20. Rxe8 Bxe8
{ What's the bishop doing on e8? I don't think he wanted to risk an endgame a pawn down, even if he had compensation. }
 ( 20...Rxe8 21. Be4 $1 ( 21. Re1 Be3 22. Qb2 ( 22. fxe3 $2 Qxg3+ 23. Kh1 Qxh4 24. exf4 Rxe1+ 25. Qxe1 Qxf4 ) 22...Ne5 ) ( 21. Qxf4 $2 Qxf4 22. gxf4 Re2 $17 
{ White's extra pawn is doubled and isolated, but Black's pieces are terrific. }
 ) ) 21. Nf3 fxg3+
{ It seems to me Anand played terrific up to a point and then became gun-shy. So, Vallejo Pons continues racking up the draws. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5
{ I don't know how much fighting spirit is left in these two. They've both had their ups and downs and probably feel there's little chance to climb back into the fight for first place. Adams has played five decisive games, so there's no doubt any of his games might follow suit. }
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
{ While it was odd for Kasparov to use this against Shirov it makes more sense for Adams. Still, it's odd that two players would choose this when facing Shirov. }
3...e6
{ Shirov must suspect Adams has some improvement over the Kasparov-Shirov game or else he just wants to test Adams a bit by forcing him to find his own way. }
4. O-O Nge7
{ I like this move because it makes Bb5 less effective. It can't force doubled pawns by capturing Nc6. }
5. c3 a6 6. Ba4
{ Refusing to capture Nc6 leaves Ne7 awkwardly placed. }
6...b5 7. Bc2 Bb7
{ This approach leaves the question of how Black will play Pd7 for later, but it also leaves Pe4 in place and gives White time for d2-d4, if he should so choose. }
 ( 
{ A perfectly good alternative for Black is }
 7...d5 8. e5 d4 ) ( 7...Ng6 $6 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nb4 10. Bb3 
{ and Nb4 is likely to get pushed back after having achieved no lasting gain }
 ) 8. Qe2
{ Clearly one of White's aims is to keep his pawns supported, so he can get in d2-d4 without a major disruption. How does Black prevent this "obvious" plan? }
 ( 
{ White isn't likely to play }
 8. d4 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nb4 
{ because Bc2 is vulnerable and can't run away because it has to defend Pe4. }
 ) 8...Ng6 ( 8...e5 $5 
{ weakens the light squares, but tries to hold White back. That it moves the pawn a second time shouldn't be a bigger concern than whether it gets the job done. I suspect Shirov was satisfied with the pawn structure and wanted to just develop his pieces further. }
 9. a4 bxa4 
{ creates an odd weakness in Black's pawn structure, but gets rid of the weakness so he can get on with other developments }
 ( 9...Ng6 $6 $13 
{ Pb5 is not immune from capture, but in the future might escape by advancing, so the question passes to White, "How should Whit develop to gain advantage or even stay equal?" Should he take Pb5 and lag behind with the development of his other minor pieces? }
 10. axb5 axb5 11. Rxa8 Qxa8 12. Qxb5 Ba6 13. Qa4 
{ a saving move because now Ba6 is pinned to the undefended Qa8! }
 13...Nf4 14. d3 Ne2+ 15. Kh1 Nxc1 16. Rxc1 Qb7 17. Na3 ) ) 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nh4
{ trying to undermine Pd4 and exchange a minor piece to ease Black's slight cramp }
11. Nbd2
{ This blocks Bc1 for the moment, but it makes room for Bc2-b1 (if needed) and defends Pe4 again. }
11...Rc8 12. Bb1 Bd6
{ The bishop may take an odd route (Bf8-d6-b8-a7) to find a weak White pawn it can target. This is the kind of contortions one has to endure when the opening play hasn't secured adequate space for the pieces. I suppose I should add, though it's guesswork, that Shirov may have played this way to provoke Adams into rash pawn moves which might weaken his position so that Shirov could counter-attack successfully. It's an odd thought though. Adams isn't known for doing anything rashly or out of control. }
13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 Nxf3+ 15. Nxf3 Nb4
{ From here the knight defends Pa6 and keeps Ra4 inactive. After an e4-e5 it could go back ...Nb4-d5. However, it's tied to Bd6, so e4-e5 would shove ...Bd6-e7 which isn't a very active square for the bishop. }
16. Bd2
{ White immediately challenges this "bone in his throat". Adams is the kind of player who will emphasize coordination and mobility for his pieces. It's a little unusual for an 1. e4 player, but, it doesn't take much effort to recall how effective GM Anatoly Karpov was with 1. e4. }
16...a5
{ This secures Nb4, but it also forces Nb4 to remain because it defends Pa5 from Ra4 & Bd2. It also sneakily (perhaps by accident) threatens ...Bb7-a6! }
17. Rd1 O-O 18. Bc3 Qb6
{ This isn't terribly appealing. The queen might be much more useful on the king-side, but he has to over-protect Nb4 to allow Bd6 to maneuver. }
 ( 18...f6 ) 19. Ra1 Bf4
{ Now it's clear Black is trying to box-in Qe2 and threatens ...Bb7-a6 to chase her back further. Black can't challenge Pd4 & Pe4, but he can play around them with good effect. }
 ( 19...f6 20. Nh4 
{ and the absence of Black's queen from the king-side is keenly felt }
 ) 20. Ne5 Qc7 21. Qg4 Bxe5 22. dxe5
{ This creates a kind of wall on the e-file. Black's queen-side pieces will find it difficult to cross that wall to help defend Kg8. White might use Ra1-a3, Bc3-d4, Ra3-g3 to bring at least one more big piece to the king-side. There is also Bc3-d2-h6, but Pe5 needs defense. }
22...Bc6 23. h4 ( 23. Bd4 ) 23...Kh8 24. Ra3 Rg8 25. h5 h6 26. Qf4 Rcf8
{ Black might be preparing ...f7-f6 since Qf4 isn't defended, but any move (s) such as that would end up opening lines to Kh8. }
27. Bd4 Bb5
{ probably hoping for ...Bb5-e2xh5-g6 }
28. Rc3 Nc6 29. Bc5 Be2 30. Rd2 Bxh5 31. Rh3
{ This is most direct to the point. He could have played Bc5-d6, but that isn't really necessary. Only if counter-play via the capture of e5 was going to be effective would White take the time to prevent it. In the final position Black can't do much. If 31...Bh5-g6 Rxh6+ forces mate and 31...g5 allows 32. Qf6+ and 33. Rxh5, winning the piece and/or checkmating. This has got to be one of the strangest tournaments for Adams. That's six decisive games out of ten! }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5
{ I wonder why he's sticking to this defense after his loss with it in round 8 to Kasparov. }
2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3
{ Kan Variation }
5...Nf6 6. O-O
{ White could play e4-e5 next. }
6...d6 ( 6...Bc5 7. Nb3 
{ leaves Bc5 under attack and e4-e5 still possible }
 ) ( 6...b5 ) 7. c4
{ Ivanchuk establishes the Maroczy Bind, as Kasparov did. Will Vallejo Pons have learned anything, so his result could be better this time? Already he has Pd6 to prevent e4-e5! I've seen a few games where Ivanchuk has done very well with this formation, so I wouldn't want to try the Black pieces against him. }
7...Be7 8. Nc3 O-O
{ As in the game with Kasparov Black's position is relatively weakness-free. But, the most likely place for White to attack is at g7 or h7 and that places Black's king in danger. White, on the other hand, has no major weakness of a similar quality (Pc4, for example) . }
9. f4
{ I'm surprised at this, before Kg1-h1. Can Black respond with ...Qd8-b6 to pin Nd4? }
 ( 9. Qe2 
{ defends Pb2 and prepares to support Bc1-e3, if needed. By defending Pe4 & Pc4 it also would allow Bd3 to retreat to c2 or b1 if Black attacks it. }
 ) 9...Re8
{ In the game with Kasparov he had problems with the weakness of Pe6 after he fianchettoed ...Bc8-b7. This time he prepares to have it nicely defended. I suspect Ivanchuk would only begin to look at Pf7 as another weak spot to include in his offensive plans. }
 ( 9...Qb6 $5 10. Be3 Nc6 ) 10. Kh1 Nbd7 11. Qe2
{ certainly a curious move-order, these last three moves. At the moment White might be considering e4-e5 because Nf6 has no good retreat square. }
11...g6
{ It's amazing how a move like this can be appealing and yet it weakens Nf6 quite a lot. And, after f4-f5 (whenever White chooses to play it) open lines would soon follow. }
12. Bd2
{ This is a tepid move, but he is gradually mobilizing his pieces while keeping an eye on Black's formation and where he will need to focus his attention. Right now it looks like e4-e5 or f4-f5, but there's also a possibility of moving heavy pieces onto the h-file. }
12...Bf8 13. Rad1
{ Mysterious? No, he expects ...Bf8-g7, so Pd6 would be the big weakness. Of course this will leave Black wondering what to do with Bf8. }
13...Nh5
{ In his 9th round game (Vallejo Pons - Anand) he had to meet an f-file attack against his castled king and Nf3-h4 was played to gain space for f2-f4. Is he replaying that game or does he have some original idea here? }
14. Nf3
{ Ivanchuk doesn't appear to be in a hurry, but he's not going to allow ...Qd8-h4 either. He's incidentally (?) clearing the d-file and may plan Bd2-e3-d4. This is an amazingly quiet maneuvering noncomittal game for Ivanchuk. }
14...b6 15. e5
{ Now the flood gates open and Black has Nd7 and Nh5 and Re8 developed. Most of his pieces are passively on the back rank. That's not to say this will be a crush, but White clearly has an advantage. }
15...Bb7 16. Ng5
{ Now Pd6, Pf7 and Ph7 are all threatened. It's no coincidence. }
16...Ng7 17. Be4
{ Since the bishop is blocked by Pg6 he decides to trade it for Bb7, so he might use square e4 for another piece. This move also continues to clear the d-file. }
17...Qc7 18. Qf3 Bxe4 19. Ncxe4 h6 ( 19...dxe5 20. fxe5 Nxe5 21. Nf6+ Kh8 22. Qh3 h5 23. Bc3 ) 20. exd6 Qd8 $6
{ I wonder why he'd give up the pawn so readily. }
 ( 20...Bxd6 21. Nxd6 Qxd6 22. Bc3 Qe7 23. Ne4
{ and White is clearly better, but Black is hanging on }
 ) 21. Qh3 hxg5 ( 21...Nf5 22. Bc3 $16 ) ( 21...h5 22. Bc3 $16 ) 22. fxg5 e5 ( 22...Nf5 23. Bc3 Bg7 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. g4 ) 23. Qxd7
{ The bad news is that the attack doesn't end. The f-file is open and Ne4 has good control of f6 and the h-file is open, so Kg8 still isn't safe after a queen trade. I suppose his worst frustration is that he's given a pawn and hoped to keep some material edge as compensation for his positional woes, but now he's just behind material and position. One of the things I liked most about this game is that Ivanchuk didn't force much. He let Vallejo Pons strangle on his own inability to develop and maneuver properly. Ivanchuk just kept flexible and attacked when he had specific targets and all his pieces involved. Chess looks so easy sometimes. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6
{ It's rather amazing to me that this opening variation should continue to be the primary defense of many top GMs. It was invented in the 1950s by Najdorf (originally of Poland, but after World War II of Argentina) and fought over throughout the 1960s and 70s. Bobby Fischer utilized it and honed it like a knife. Many years later, after other defenses have been tried and many discarded, this is Kasparov's favorite. It's interesting also to note that there are a zillion 6th moves White can choose from, and the one played most these days by the top GMs is 6. Be3, a move (and system) created by GM Robert Byrne, a New Yorker who was a childhood (and perhaps lifelong) friend of Bobby Fischer. Did he invent this opening variation to combat Fischer? I don't know. It was taken up by Englishmen and made more popular in the 1980s and 90s. Now it's commonplace. }
6. Be3
{ Fischer preferred 6. Bc4 and that's still considered good, but it's not to the taste of today's players. I suppose I should also add that 6. Bg5 was "all the rage" during the 1960s and 70s when Fischer played actively, but his "Poison Pawn Variation" (after 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2 Qxb2) is still considered good, and it's one reason 6. Bg5 isn't played much now. }
6...e5
{ Particularly against 6. Be2 this move (6...e5) was Fischer's response. It is named for Opocensky, but like many variations, Fischer played it a lot and made it popular. It makes sense that as White he'd play 6. Bc4 if he thought Black might play 6...e5, leaving the c4-f7 diagonal open. }
7. Nb3
{ Now there are a couple of weaknesses in Black's pawn structure, so White will have a clear idea of where to play (d5, d6, b6) . However, Pe5 controls d4 and with ...Bc8-e6 Black controls d5 pretty well too. Only Bf8 will be noticably bad. }
7...Be6 8. f3
{ There's no immediate need for this. He wants to play g2-g4-g5 to gain better control of d5. Playing Qd1-d2 is mainly to prepare O-O-O and I guess he doesn't want to commit to that yet. }
 ( 8. Qd2 Ng4 9. Bg5 
{ is awkward for Black }
 ) 8...Nbd7 ( 8...d5 9. Nxd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 Qxd5 11. Qxd5 Bxd5 12. c4 
{ is considered premature for Black because his remaining pieces don't coordinate so well }
 ) ( 8...h5 
{ is a recent innovation aimed at preventing g2-g4-g5. It leaves g5 weak and makes ...O-O more risky. }
 ) 9. g4 b5 ( 9...h6 ) 10. g5 b4 ( 10...Nh5 11. Nd5 ) 11. Ne2 ( 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Bf5 
{ makes the entire effort worthless. White wouldn't have use of square d5 and Black's Nf6 is traded, rather than being chased off to the edge of the board. And on top of all that White's pawns are a mess. }
 ) ( 11. gxf6 bxc3 12. fxg7 Bxg7 13. bxc3 ) 11...Nh5 12. Qd2 a5 13. Ng3 Nxg3 14. hxg3
{ White gains by having the open h-file, but Black retains sufficient control of the central squares. It's also less clear where White's king will be safe. After the king-side pawns advanced he wouldn't be expected to O-O, though he might play Ke1-f2. With Black's queen-side pawns far advanced it's highly unlikely he'll O-O-O. On the other hand, Black's king seems perfectly safe, but Rh8 is going to be out of play if Ke8 stays in the middle of that rank. }
14...a4 15. Nc1 Qa5 16. Nd3 d5 17. exd5 Qxd5 18. Bg2 Qb5
{ He has to keep Pb4 defended. }
19. Bh3 Bxh3 20. Rxh3 Be7 21. Rh4 $1
{ White works around the edges as well as he can (Black can't do any better yet) and Pb4 stands out as a major weakness. }
21...f5 $5 22. O-O-O
{ This isn't bad. It puts the king behind some pawns and develops Ra1-d1, to create a threat to Nd7. }
 ( 22. Nxb4 $2 f4 ) ( 
{ Aiming to open lines to Ke8 might help. }
 22. gxf6 gxf6 23. Nxb4 f5 24. Nd5 Qxb2 25. Nc7+ $13 ) 22...b3 23. a3 Rc8
{ I don't see the benefit of allowing White to close up the pawns around his king. }
 ( 23...bxc2 ) 24. c3 Nf8 25. Rh2 Ng6 26. Nb4 ( 26. Rdh1 Rd8 ) 26...Rd8 27. Nd5
{ It seems a little risky to allow Nd5 to be pinned this way. Of course, it threatens Nd5-c7+, but Black will prevent that. }
 ( 27. Qe1 ) 27...Kf7 28. Qd3 Qxd3 29. Rxd3 f4
{ It might be a little odd for this to be Black's only tactic, but Rh8 is still well stuck behind Ph7 and Nd5 is proving to be strong enough and White's king's position is plenty safe. }
30. gxf4 exf4 31. Nxf4 ( 31. Bxf4 Rxd5 32. Rxd5 Nxf4 33. Rd4 Bxg5 34. Rxa4 h5 
{ is a little complicated by the fact both sides have some offense, for once in this game, but Black's two minor pieces might give him an advantage }
 ( 34...Nd3+ 35. Kb1 Re8 36. Re4 ) ) 31...Nxf4 ( 31...Bxg5 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. Ng2 Bxe3+ 34. Nxe3 Re8 ) 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. Bxf4 Rd3 34. Rh3 Kg6 35. Bd2 Bd8
{ Black has to wait. }
 ( 35...Bxg5 $4 36. Bxg5 Kxg5 37. f4+ Kxf4 38. Rxd3 h5 39. c4 g5 40. c5 g4 41. c6 g3 42. c7 g2 43. Rd1 h4 44. c8=Q $18 ) 36. Rg3 Be7 37. Rh3 ( 
{ White can't quite get his king out of the box made by Pb3 and Rd3. }
 37. Kd1 Bxa3 38. bxa3 b2 39. Kc2 Rxd2+ 40. Kb1 ) 37...Bd8 38. Rg3 Kf5 39. Kd1 Bc7
{ Their repetition of moves near the end could well have been due to time pressure. White might be better, but his pawns are weak (all of them) and Black's pieces are very well placed to capitalize on even the smallest misstep, such as 40. Rh3 Bf4, winning Bd2. Instead White has to prevent ...Bc7-f4 by 40. Rg4 Rxf3. This takes the game off in an altogether different direction. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. Nf3
{ He varies from 1. c4, perhaps because he thinks his opponents are now focusing on him and finding particular plans to defeat him, rather than taking him for granted. He might just be tired (for the moment) of his usual opening. }
1...Nf6 2. c4
{ His move-order has prevented the 1. c4 e5 defense for Black. Now if Black wants ...e7-e5 he'll have to provide it's support first. This is one reason some people meet 1. Nf3 with 1...d5. It takes the game out of the realm of the English Opening (generally) . There are others who don't depend so fully on ...e5, so they might consider a King's Indian Defense set-up (generally aiming for ...e7-e5 after some development moves) or a symmetrical ...c7-c5. }
2...e6
{ This move continues to hide Black's intentions, to a certain extent. Often it's played like a Nimzo-Indian Defense, so that 3. Nc3 Bb4 helps Black fight for control of d5 and e4. To achieve the same end he might continue with the direct and classical ...d7-d5 or with a more modern Queen's Indian Defense (...b7-b6, ...Bc8-b7) . There are also other approaches: something completely different like ...c7-c5, delaying the development of Bc8 until he has ...Nb8-c6. To add to the confusion there is also a possibility of a Benoni Defense (3. d4 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6) when Black fianchettoes the dark-square bishop after all. It's potentially quite confusing. }
3. Nc3 c5
{ Black has had good success with this, with GM Nick DeFirmian as one of it's best proponents. It aims to play an open position after d2-d4 cxd4 very actively before White can develop and remove his king from the center. White should move with some caution. }
4. g3 b6
{ Black chooses a kind of Queen's Indian Defense formation with an early ...c7-c5. By attempting to nullify White's Bg2 early-on Black should do alright. He's also kept Pd7 to keep Ke8 safe and to guard c6. Keeping those pawns (Pd7, Pe6, Pf7) on light squares can be very useful if Bc8 is traded off. If there is no early trade we might see those pawns move to other squares (...d7-d5 for example) . }
5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1
{ GM Walter Browne utilized this plan against GM Alexander Ivanov several years ago in the United States championship. It was copied by many people soon after and usually with good results. Black hadn't planned (perhaps) on having to deal with another White pawn advancing in the center so quickly. White threatens e2-e4-e5 when Nf6 isn't well prepared to move. }
7...Ne4
{ This is a nice response. Just get rid of the knight. White can't utilize the diagonal because ...Ne4xc3 hits White's queen. So, White would have to move Nc3 to avoid the trade and then try to exploit the exposed Ne4. }
8. Nxe4
{ This continues the plan with no loss of time, but also without as much impact. }
 ( 8. Nb1 O-O 9. d3 Ng5 
{ continuing the theme of trying to trade the knight and perhaps Bb7 for Nf3 and Bg2 }
 ( 9...Nf6 10. e4 ) 10. Nfd2 Bxg2 11. Kxg2 
{ Nf6 has no square, so White threatens h2-h4xg5. }
 11...h6 
{ and White hasn't made significant progress! }
 ) 8...Bxe4 9. d3 Bb7 10. e4
{ Vallejo Pons used the Pc4 & Pe4 formation in his game against Kasparov, so this isn't unfamiliar to him. Those pawns block both Bg2 and Bb7, so let's look at other factors to decide who is better or has a better continuation. With e4-e5 it's hard to see Black getting a grip on the dark squares with ...Nb8-c6, ...d7-d5, ...Be7-f6, but Black could challenge Pe4 more directly with ...d7-d5 or ...O-O and ...f7-f5. White will have to concede to pawn exchanges (else his central pawn structure would become broken) or to moving Nf3, so he can advance f2-f4. I'd favor Black, but that's just personal taste. }
10...O-O 11. d4
{ This is an interesting change of tack. White opens things up, but he doesn't have the best grip on d5 since Nc3 is gone. Maybe now Black can play on the dark squares a little more actively. }
11...cxd4 12. Nxd4 d6 13. b3
{ White quickly moves everything off the f6-a1 diagonal, so now Black will have to open the position up. }
13...a6 14. Be3 Nd7 15. f4 Re8 ( 15...Nc5 16. Bf2 ) 16. Bf2 Qc7
{ defends Bb7 to prepare ...Be7-f6 }
 ( 16...Bf6 17. e5 Bxg2 18. exf6 Bb7 19. fxg7 
{ weakens Pd6 and Black's king's safety }
 ) 17. Rc1 Bf6 18. Qd2 Rad8
{ White's position isn't terribly weak, but Black isn't cramped and can develop or maneuver with relative ease. }
19. g4 Nc5 20. b4 ( 20. g5 Bxd4 21. Bxd4 e5 
{ and Black has no fear about a weak d5 (remember White has no Nc3 to hop in there) and Pe5 will definately force the e-file open to expose Pe4 }
 ) 20...g6
{ It appears Adams decided he might need that bishop for later duty, perhaps defending Pd6, and so he gives it a retreat square. Nc5 can only be captured if White is willing to lose Nd4 in return; the d-file would open and Nd4 would be pinned to Qd2. }
 ( 20...Bxd4 $5 ) 21. Nc2 Nd7 22. g5 Bg7 23. Ne3
{ I wonder if after Ne3 Adams regretted not capturing it on move 20. Now the knight controls d5, to keep the central bind, and it might hop over to g4 to threaten invasion at f6 or h6. Black no longer has ...e6-e5 to fork two pieces and force a favorable line opening. Now ... e6-e5 would be met by f4-f5 to advance a king-side attack. }
23...h5
{ This is an attempt, perhaps even a bluff, to keep the h-file from being available to White. But, it's not that simple. He has to creatively find some central thrust to control the location of the conflict. }
 ( 23...Ba8 
{ freeing Qc7 from it's defense and possibly intending ...Nd7-f8, ...Qc7-e7 or ...Qc7-b8, . ..b6-b5 }
 ) ( 23...d5 $6 
{ an interesting tactical shot, but not terribly effective }
 24. e5 $16 
{ locks in Bg7 and threatens cxd5 }
 ) 24. gxh6 Bxh6 25. Ng4 Bf8 26. Bh4 Rc8
{ This looks very bad for Black and one would expect a strong GM to be very pleased with White's prospects. }
27. Bg5 ( 27. Nf6+ Nxf6 28. Bxf6 Bg7 29. Bxg7 Kxg7 30. f5 
{ Leaving e5 to Black is a little different now that Black has no knight or bishop to set there. In this case the idea is to strip Kg7 of his pawn cover. }
 ( 30. Qb2+ 
{ hoping for ...e6-e5 which can be met by f4-f5 to get at Kg7 without Black opening the e-file }
 ) 30...exf5 31. exf5 Bxg2 32. Qxg2 Rxe1+ 33. Rxe1 Qxc4 34. fxg6 
{ and neither king is very safe from the heavy dinosaurs (the enemy queen and rook) roaming this board }
 ) 27...a5 28. a3 axb4 29. axb4 Ba6 30. f5 Bxc4
{ Black materialistically grabs the pawn and hopes to use ...d6-d5 or ...b6-b5 to support it. But, he gives White an interestng shot at Kg8 by allowing f5-f6. }
31. f6
{ This seems to nail the coffin shut on Kg8. How can Black get rid of Pf6 or move Bf8 to allow Kg8 to run away from the open h-file? }
31...Ne5 32. Nh6+ Bxh6 33. Bxh6 b5 ( 33...Nd3 34. Bg7 Nxc1 35. Qh6 $18 ) 34. Bg7 ( 34. h3 ) 34...Qb6+ 35. Kh1 Ng4
{ this prevents Qd2-h6 and it threatens ...Ng4-f2+ }
36. h3 Qf2 37. Qg5 Be2
{ Black is hanging on by a thread. }
38. hxg4 Bf3 39. Bxf3 ( 39. Rg1 $4 Rxc1 40. Qxc1 Qh4# ) 39...Qxf3+ 40. Kh2 Qf2+ 41. Kh1 Qf3+
{ Adams was a little slow with his offense, but it was just in time, as time control neared. He narrowly avoided defeat. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ Kasparov has also played 1. d4 against Ivanchuk. }
1...c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6
{ I don't recall Ivanchuk previously using this system against Kasparov. His flexibility with openings is shared by some other GMs, but few people truly play many defenses (or openings for White) with equal skill. There is simply too much specialized detail about most openings for this to be possible. Ivanchuk does better than most, but still has an occasional flub, as in the first round game of his FIDE wch match with Ponomariov. }
5. c4
{ Wow, Kasparov sticks to the c2-c4 he used against Vallejo Pons of round 8. }
5...Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7
{ See the Kasparov-Vallejo Pons game for notes to the opening. }
 ( 6...Bb4 ) 7. a3 Be7 ( 7...b6 
{ Kasparov-Vallejo Pons, round 8 }
 ) 8. Be3 O-O 9. Rc1 Nc6 10. Be2 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 d6
{ Black's position isn't very enterprising. It's quite passive. He's traded off one minor piece, so his cramp won't be too terrible, but he will have to be in a mood to counter-attack if he's to find any chance to win. }
12. O-O Rb8
{ Usually one wouldn't consider moving Pb7 when there's a Be2 to target Pa6, but Black has to be able to play ...b7-b6 to prevent c4-c5 and possibly to play ...b7-b5 (or ...b6-b5) to chop into White's central pawns, making more room for Black pieces to maneuver. Naturally White will make this more difficult. }
13. Qb6 Qxb6 14. Bxb6 Bd7 $1 ( 14...Nd7 $2 
{ not really so crucial as Bb6 can't do much damage without help from other pieces }
 15. Bc7 Ra8 16. Rfd1 ) 15. Rfd1 Rfc8
{ preventing Bb6-c7xd6 and targeting Pc4. Kasparov isn't gaining much ground and without queens he won't have any king-side attack. Still, Black has no particular advantage (s) . }
16. b4 Be8 17. Ba7 Ra8 18. Be3 Nd7
{ It isn't obvious, but Black might be aiming for ...g7-g5 to secure square e5 for ...Nd7-e5. That would put a constant pressure on Pc4. }
19. Na4 Rc6 20. f3 Kf8
{ If White hadn't played Nc3-a4 Black's Nd7 could go to e5, but in this situation Na4-b6 hits Ra8 and guards Pc4. So, Black just keeps playing good position-improving moves. }
21. Kf2 h6 22. g3 Rc7
{ Enticing White to play Na4-b6 which would allow Black to trade off another minor piece. And, perhaps considering a move of Nd7 to discover an attack (by Be8) on Na4. }
23. Bf4 Rc6 24. Be3 Rc7 25. Bf4 Rc6 26. h4 Ra7
{ It's this kind of move which seems so mysterious. What does it do, except keep the status quo? One obvious offensive idea is to double rooks on the d-file to threaten Pd6, but that's met by ...g7-g5 to chase Bf4 back. I suppose Kasparov just decided it wasn't worth the risk to try any major offensive thrust; so, he'll just wait for the next game and see what develops. }
27. Nc3 Ra8 28. Na4 Ra7 29. Nc3 Ra8
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4
{ This is more aggressive than 3. Nf3, but it also offers Black more choices for defense. Common responses are 3...c5, 3...e5 or 3...Nf6. All of them challenge White's central pawns immediately. There were a couple of these played in the FIDE wch match of Ivanchuk and Ponomariov. If White is allowed time to develop pieces to support his pawns then Black would have real problems. It's essential to know precisely what White's pawn formation is, so that Black's developments will be most effective. If White can keep his pawns as a duo they might advance in any fashion to foil Black's early developments. }
3...Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bd3
{ Now Black knows not to fianchetto either bishop. Instead ...Bc8-e6-d5 followed by ...e7-e6, ...c7-c5 and ...Nb8-c6 would be coherent and apply terrific pressure to White's central pawns. Incidentally Pd4 isn't en prise because 6...Qxd4 is met decisively by 7. Bb5+. }
6...Nc6 7. Be3
{ White's early pawn advances and Bishop developments creates a curious appearance and flaunts the classical rule of developing knights before bishops. }
 ( 7. Nf3 $2 Bg4 ) ( 7. Ne2 
{ has also been tried }
 ) 7...Nb4 8. Be4 f5
{ Black too does some non-classical things: moving knights multiple times and now weakening Ke8 with ...f7-f5. It's often difficult to explain the rationale for such play. In this case Black can't get Bc8 developed as early as he'd like, so he uses Pf5 to control light squares. Black has to stake out control of the light squares to fix White's central pawns in place, then the assault on them would begin. This also explains why Black doesn't move ...Nb4-d5. He needs to leave open the possibility of ...c7-c5xd4, so control of d5 is sufficient; he doesn't have to occupy the square. }
9. exf6 exf6
{ This is a dramatic change of the landscape. White doesn't continue with the central pawns now that he's gained a concession (king's weakness) from Black. Now piece play can become prevalent. White would probably like to play Qd1-h5+, but he can't afford to until he's hobbled Nb4. It threatens to jump into c2 if White walks away from that square. }
10. Nc3 ( 10. a3 f5 ( 10...N4d5 $2 11. Qh5+ ) 11. Bf3 N4d5 12. Bd2 ) 10...f5 $1
{ Consistently Black uses a pawn to block Be4 and this incidentally (and usefully) prevents Qd1-h5+ from being effective. Now Nb4 could retreat if necessary. }
11. Bb1 N4d5 12. Nf3
{ It doesn't look like any stodgy closed Queen's Gambit Declined! }
12...Bd6 ( 12...Nxe3 13. fxe3 Bd6 
{ creates the backward Pe3 (probably temporary) and takes aim at the king-side, but it doesn't put any sustained pressure on White }
 ) ( 12...Bb4 
{ attempts to apply pressure without allowing immediate simplification. It also allows Black to meet Be3-g5 with ...Qd8-d6 or ...Nd5-f6 }
 13. Bg5 Qd6 14. Qe2+ Be6 15. Bxf5 Nxc3 
{ is certainly a confusing mess for tacticians (and computer programs) to solve }
 ) 13. Bg5 Be7
{ Black immediately moves the bishop again, but White has moved his bishop twice also. And, who should be concerned about how many times a piece has moved after all the other peculiar-looking maneuvers which preceded this? Most importantly Black threatens Bg5 and keeps Ke8 safe. }
14. Bd2
{ Now who's lost the tempo? }
14...O-O 15. O-O Nxc3 ( 15...f4 
{ finally frees Bc8 to develop, but opens the b1-h7 diagonal. I'd say Black is well enough developed to handle White's few tactics with Rf8 ready to support ...Bc8-f5 and Nd5 well supported, so no pin can do damage. }
 16. Qb3 ( 16. Qc2 Bf5 17. Qb3 Bg4 18. Be4 c6 ) 16...Bf5 
{ Preventing Bb1-e4xd5 from being a problem is one Black option. He might also choose ...Bc8-g4xf3 to begin an offensive against Kg1. }
 ) 16. bxc3 Be6 17. Re1 Bd5
{ Oddly, the position closely resembles one arising from a Petrov's Defense. }
18. Bd3 ( 18. Ne5 ) 18...Nc4 19. Bxc4
{ It's a sad day for White when he has to trade his good bishop for a lowly knight, and Black continues his light square control. }
19...Bxc4 20. Ne5 Bf7 21. Nxf7
{ Well, at least he gets the bishop back. This simplifies the game considerably and White's multiple pawn "islands" is balanced to some extent by Black's slightly weakened king's position. }
21...Rxf7 22. Qb3 c5
{ Finally (!) , there's the crucial strike at Pd4. Of course it's different than if it had occurred early in the game. But, opening the position and getting rid of another White pawn will leave White with an isolated pawn, a much easier target. This is an example of attacking the pawn chain at it's head, Nimcovics (Nimzovitch) wouldn't have given this as an example of excellent play, but he also played such things. }
23. d5 $1
{ If White gets time for c3-c4 he'll have made Bf6 worse by blocking Pc5 which blocks Be7. It also removes the pawns from dark squares where they're targets. }
23...b5
{ Black has to prevent c3-c4 and in so doing offers a pawn trade which would give White a slightly better bishop (after 24. Qxb5 Qxd5 25. Bf4) if he can target Bc5 without ...f5-f4 chasing it off the e3-c5 diagonal. }
 ( 23...Bf6 24. Rad1 Qd6 25. c4 $14 ) 24. Re6
{ If Ponomariov had the White pieces he might well have played the same move. Both these players will go to extremes, at times, to gain the initiative for their pieces. In this case Black can work to isolate Pd5 and block Qb3 over on the queen-side, several tempi from the central action. }
 ( 24. c4 bxc4 25. Qxc4 $14 ) 24...Qd7 25. Rae1 c4 $5 ( 25...Kf8 ) 26. Qd1 Rd8 27. Qe2 Qxd5 28. Rxe7 Rxe7 29. Qxe7 Qxd2
{ This particular simplification has left the weakness of Kg8 more noticable, but Black's incursion at Qd2 which threatens Pc3 is consistent with his plan to make something of the extra queen-side pawn. The balance is still there. }
30. Qe6+ Kf8 ( 30...Kh8 $4 31. Qe8+ Rxe8 32. Rxe8# ) 31. Qxf5+ Kg8 32. Qe6+ Kf8 33. Qe7+ Kg8 34. Qe6+ Kf8 35. h4
{ He can afford this because Pc3 is poison. }
35...Qd7
{ Black wants a queen trade to end the threats to Kf8. That would make it easier for him to redirect attention to his queen-side pawns. }
 ( 35...Qxc3 36. Qe7+ Kg8 37. Qxd8+ 
{ captured with check, so Re1 isn't captured }
 37...Kf7 38. Qe8+ Kf6 39. Qe6# ) 36. Qa6
{ The attack on Kf8 has to take a break and this move prevents Black from putting his Pa7 into motion. }
36...Qd2 37. Qe6 Qd7 38. Qe5
{ Apparently he doesn't want to just repeat moves; but this is risky. }
38...Re8 39. Qc5+
{ White prefers to make something of his ability to threaten (or at least to check) Black's king with queen & rook. }
 ( 39. Qxe8+ Qxe8 40. Rxe8+ Kxe8 41. Kf1 a5 42. a3 Ke7 43. g4 Kd6 44. Ke2 Kc5 45. f4 b4 46. cxb4+ axb4 47. axb4+ Kxb4 48. Kd2 c3+ 49. Kc2 Kc4 50. f5 Kd4 51. g5 Ke5 52. f6 gxf6 53. gxf6 Kxf6 54. Kxc3 Kg6 55. Kd3 Kh5 56. Ke3 Kxh4 57. Kf2 $11 ) 39...Kg8 40. Rxe8+
{ Trading rooks is difficult to avoid, but it limits White's attacking chances. There are few positions where a queen can checkmate the opponent king by itself. However, it can perpetually check. }
40...Qxe8 41. Qd5+ ( 41. Qxa7 Qe1+ 42. Kh2 Qe5+ 43. g3 Qxc3 44. Qb8+ Kf7 45. Qxb5 
{ and Black's passed Pc4 gives him plenty of opportunity to draw }
 ) 41...Kh8 42. Kf1 ( 42. g3 
{ is safe because Pc3 is poison. After 42...Qe1+ 43. Kg2 Qxc3?? 44. Qd8 is checkmate. }
 42...h6 
{ renews the threat of ...Qe8-e1+xc3 }
 ) 42...h6 43. f3 a5 44. Kf2 Qg6 45. Qa8+ Kh7 46. Qxa5 Qc2+ 47. Kg3 Qg6+ 48. Kf2
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ Theoretically this is Ponomariov's best chance to win and get back into the race for first. But, in practice Vallejo Pons has proven tough to beat. }
1...c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3
{ Finally, someone chooses not to play c2-c4. However, 5. Bd3 is considered better by most people. Nc3 is a waiting target for ...b7-b5 or might be pinned by ...Bf8-b4. Black usually plays strongly on the dark squares, as in many Sicilian Defense variations, with White defending Nd4 & Nc3 and trying to find a way to open lines to Ke8 or make something of the half open d-file. }
5...b5 6. Bd3
{ preparing to meet ...b5-b4 with Nc3-e2 }
6...Bb7
{ Taking aim at Pe4 isn't going to succeed the way it would in many other variations. Here White has taken extra precaution to keep Pe4 safe and left Nd4 a little weaker. Black should adjust his play in recognition of this. }
 ( 6...Qb6 
{ If Black can chase Nd4 back then there would be very little danger to Black; only the possibility of Nc3-d5 would have to be prevented. }
 ) 7. O-O Nc6 $6 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Qe2
{ preparing Nc3-d5. This is a common tactic in a variation where Black hasn't quickly developed Ng8 and Bf8 to enable ...O-O. Ke8 is definately a target! }
9...Ne7
{ This takes care of the immediate threat, but also leaves Black's position awkward. }
10. Bd2
{ With Bf8 blocked from action on the queen-side White decides to threaten Pb5. Bd2 prepares a2-a4. }
10...Ng6 11. a4 b4 12. Nd5
{ Now he's combining both tactics (pressure on Pb4 and Nc3-d5) which might have the effect of overwhelming Black. }
12...a5 13. c3 b3 14. g3
{ He's preparing Nd5-e3 and disallowing ...Ng6-f4. It's not terribly pretty, but Nd5 will have to move eventually. }
 ( 14. f4 Bc5+ 15. Kh1 ( 15. Be3 Bxe3+ 16. Qxe3 O-O 17. Nb6 Rb8 18. Nc4 ) 15...O-O 16. Ne3 ) 14...Bd6 15. Ne3 O-O
{ For a position which has arisen from a Sicilian Defense this is very odd. The queen-side pawn formation is quite unusual and White's bishops on the d-file and Pg3 are peculiar. White should try to play on the d-file and perhaps try to win Pb3. He shouldn't allow Black to open the f-file with ...f7-f5. That would make Bc6 too good. So, Bd3-b5 to trade bishops might be useful. But, Pe4 needs defense, so Ne3 must move first. }
16. Nc4 Bc5 17. Be3 Qe7 18. Nd2
{ White threatens Pb3 and is ready to play Bd3-b5. }
18...Ne5 ( 18...Rab8 19. Bb5 
{ and Pb3 is still weak because a bishop trade opens the a-file to expose Pa5 }
 ) ( 18...Rfb8 19. Bc4 ) 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Nxb3 Qd6 ( 20...Qb6 
{ attempts to overwork Qe2 in her defense of Pb2 and Bd3 }
 21. Nd4 Bb7 ( 21...Nxd3 22. Qxd3 Qxb2 $4 
{ but Black has to be careful too }
 23. Rfb1 $18 ) 22. Bb5 ) 21. Bb5 f5
{ Black tries to activate pieces in a desperate attempt to threaten Kg1, as compensation for the lost pawn. }
22. f4 Ng4 23. e5 Qd5 24. Bxc6 $16
{ Sometimes it's just that simple. White keeps the f-file closed, gets rid of Bc6 and consolidates all his advantages while letting Black have none. }
24...dxc6 25. Nd4 c5 26. Nb5 Rad8 27. h3 Nh6 28. Rfd1 Qb3 29. Rd6
{ Black has absolutely no offense, but he does have a weak Pe6 and trapped Qb3. White threatens Ra1-a3xb3. This looked as easy as Ivanchuk's victory and is more to be expected than the struggle Kasparov had to endure before gaining the full point against Vallejo Pons. It also puts Ponomariov right back into a tie for first with Kasparov. This sets up the climactic struggle between those two in the next round -- winner take all! }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3
{ This is a flexible move which might still be followed by c2-c4, but could also lead to a Torre System (Bc1-g5) or London System (Bc1-f4) or Colle depending upon Black's response. }
2...e6
{ Is there much purpose to such a move or is he simply giving Ivanchuk something to think about, considering alternatives he might not have thought about during his pre-game preparations. Sometimes giving a person alternatives lets them go astray of their own accord. }
 ( 2...Nf6 
{ is most common }
 ) 3. g3
{ Since Pd5 will oppose White's Bf1 White will probably try c2-c4, but Black could still support Pd5 with ...c7-c6 (and Anand has played the Semi-Slav Defense) . }
 ( 3. e3 f5 ) ( 3. Bf4 Bd6 ) 3...Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. c4
{ This can be effective to fight Pd5 because Black would be risking a lot to just play ...c7-c6 and hold on. Usually Black captures Pc4 and fights to activate his pieces with the belief White isn't so likely to play or be able to utilize e2-e4 because Bg2 would be blocked. }
5...O-O
{ After this Black is conceivably threatening to take Pc4 and hold onto it. }
6. Qc2 ( 6. b3 ) 6...c5
{ This is an attempt to show White hasn't put enough pressure on the center or developed quickly enough to avoid simplification. I wouldn't say this is a sharp attempt by Black to play for a win, though it is conceivable one would still win with the Black pieces. Pd5 is weaker than before, so cxd5 might loosen up Black's position a bit. }
7. dxc5 ( 7. cxd5 ) 7...Qa5+ 8. Nc3
{ blocking the check and blocking the c-file, so that after ...Qa5xc5 the threat to Pc4 can be met by cxd5 }
8...dxc4
{ This makes it a little more contentious. Black can easily capture Pc5. Can White get to Pc4? }
9. O-O Nc6 10. Bg5 Qxc5 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Rfd1 ( 
{ It's not so easy for White to recover the material after }
 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. Qxc4 Qxb2 15. Rab1 Qf6 16. Rfd1 Rd8 17. Nd2 
{ headed for c5 or d6 to pressure Pb7 }
 17...Rd4 18. Qc5 ) 13...b5 14. a4 Ba6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 ( 15...gxf6 16. Ng5 fxg5 17. Bxc6 ) 16. Rd6 Rac8
{ Black is steadfastly holding onto the pawn. White doesn't want to capture axb5 because he likes the alignment of Rd6 with Ba6; though opening the a-file at some point might be useful. }
17. Nd2
{ uncovering an attack on Nc6 from Bg2 }
 ( 17. Ng5 Qxg5 18. Rxc6 Rxc6 19. Bxc6 Qc5 20. axb5 Bxb5 21. Bxb5 Qxb5 22. Rxa7 ) ( 17. h4 
{ Threatening Nf3-g5 might be useful. }
 ) 17...Nd4 18. Qd1 Rcd8
{ Ba6 is stuck, so he prepares to meet Rxa6 with ...Nd4-b3 to win Nd2. It's getting very complicated. }
19. Ne4
{ This threatens Qxd4, so Black's queen has to continue defending Nd4. }
19...Qe5 20. f4
{ Now the queen has no choice, but to sacrifice for Rd6. }
 ( 20. Rxa6 $2 Nf3+ 21. Bxf3 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 b4 
{ and Pb2 is weak and Qe5 is very strong }
 ) ( 20. Qxd4 $4 Qxd4 21. Rxd4 Rxd4 $17 ) 20...Qxd6 21. Nxd6 Rxd6 22. e3 Nf5 23. Qe1
{ The mix of pieces is unusual and that complicates the task of both players. I wonder who offered the draw. I also find it interesting that Ivanchuk didn't make any headway against Ponomariov's Queen's Gambit Accepted or against Anand with the Catalan, where the basic idea of Black threatening to take and hold onto Pc4 is primary and for Black to play strongly with his pieces while Bg2 is (at least temporarily) blocked by Nf3 seems to give Black easy equality. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5
{ Playing Adams in this tournament has been something akin to walking through a minefield. If Kasparov can get through unscathed he'll stay in the lead and get to the climactic matchup with Ponomariov in the next game. But, if he should lose he'll be the underdog in that big matchup. Adams or Shirov in the last round, could act as spoilers, but the fight is between Kasparov and Ponomariov. }
2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 ( 5...g6 
{ might be a good choice against the generally very quiet positional Adams }
 ) ( 5...Nc6 
{ seems to have almost disapeared from top-level tournaments (and matches) , though I don't know precisely why }
 ) 6. Be3 e6 7. Qf3
{ Wow, now this is something interesting. I've seen a New In Chess magazine theoretical article on 6. Qf3 and played 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qf3, but I've never seen it played after 6. Be3. The idea is usually to allow O-O-O without having Qd2 blocking the d-file and to be able to meet ...e6-e5 with Nd4-f5 (and possibly ...g7-g6 with Nf5-e3, so putting Be3 seems odd. It's weakness is that it blocks Pf2 from immediately moving to f4, so that means Black can use square e5 or at least he doesn't have to worry much about e4-e5. }
7...Nbd7 8. Be2
{ preparing g2-g4-g5 }
 ( 8. O-O-O) 8...h5
{ Yes, it prevents g2-g4, but what does Ke8 have to say about it? Does he feel safer now? I think Adams would be happy to have another weakness he can play against, without having extended his own position; just so he doesn't lose Qf3 because of it's exposure. }
9. Bg5 Qa5
{ threat: ...Qa5xg5 and possibly in some cases ...Nf6xe4 }
10. Bd2
{ Apparently he's willing to go to some length to not create any weaknesses Kasparov might utilize/exploit. }
 ( 10. Qe3 $2 Nxe4 ) ( 10. h4 $5 ) 10...Qb6 11. Nb3 Qc7
{ It would appear Black wants to play ...Nd7-e5-c4 or ...b7-b5 and ...Bc8-b7. }
12. a4
{ This move is slightly effective. It prevents ...b7-b5, so that after ...b7-b6 Pa6 will still need a defender. It also indicates White won't be castling to the queen-side and if he goes king-side one has to ask, "Is Qf3 well placed?" }
 ( 12. Qh3 b5 13. a3 Bb7 14. Bd3 ) 12...b6 13. Bg5
{ In many instances this freezes Nd7 as defender of Nf6. But, Black could spend a tempo on ...Bf8-e7 to take over that duty. }
13...Bb7 14. Rd1 Be7 15. Qe3
{ Adams is slowly rearranging his pieces to suit his needs in regard to playing against the slightly odd Black position. He might yet O-O and play f2-f4, but he is wisely repositioning his queen to prevent ...Nd7-c5 from being effective. Of course, that doesn't prevent ...Nd7-e5-c4. }
15...Nc5 $5 16. Nd2 $6
{ Why on earth is he avoiding that knight trade? Now Rd1 is blocked and Black can hardly be worse. }
 ( 16. Nxc5 bxc5 17. f4 ) 16...Rd8 ( 16...Bc6 
{ threatening Pa4 and preparing ...Qc7-b7 to pressure Pe4 }
 17. Bxf6 $6 gxf6 ( 17...Bxf6 $2 18. Nd5 Qd8 ) 18. Nd5 $2 exd5 19. exd5 Bxd5 ) 17. O-O Ng4 18. Bxg4 hxg4
{ Kasparov was fully prepared to have his Ng4 captured. With or without that he was hitting Ph2, so that ...d6-d5 could clear the way for ...Qc7xh2#. He wasn't going to ...O-O anyway, so this just gives Rh8 a way to play. That Black gains the two bishops is probably incidental, but may prove useful later. }
19. Bxe7 d5 20. Qg3 Qxg3 21. fxg3 Kxe7
{ And this is the result. Pe4 is en prise and Ph2 is very weak; if Black were to double rooks on the h-file it would probably fall. The open f-file isn't so bad for Black. He could play ...f7-f6 in a pinch, but Pg4 is quite weak. One Black advantage which could easily be overlooked is that his king is centralized and would be better in an endgame (I think the current situation is too complicated to be called an endgame and neither king would feel safe playing offensively) . }
22. exd5 $1
{ This creates a small conundrum for Black. If he recaptures with the bishop to keep the d-file open he has to allow Nc3xd5, but a pawn recapture blocks Bb7. }
22...exd5 23. Rde1+ Kf8 24. b4 Ne4 25. Ncxe4 dxe4 26. Nc4 $6 ( 26. Nxe4 $1 Bxe4 ( 26...Rd4 27. Rf4 Bc8 ( 27...g5 $4 28. Nxg5 ) ( 27...Rxb4 $4 28. Nd6 
{ threatening Re1-e8# }
 28...Bc6 29. Rxb4 ) 28. c3 $16 ) 27. Rxe4 Rd2 28. Rxg4 Rxc2 29. Rd4 $14 ) 26...Rh5 ( 26...Rh6 27. Ne5 ( 27. Rd1 ) 27...f6 28. Nxg4 Rh5 29. Rd1 Rhd5 30. Ne3 ) 27. Nxb6 Rd6 28. Nc4 Rd4 29. Ne3 Rxb4 30. Rd1 Re5 ( 30...Rxa4 31. Nf5 Kg8 32. Rd8+ Kh7 33. Rd7 ( 33. Nd6 Bd5 34. Nxf7 Bxf7 35. Rxf7 ) 33...Bc8 34. Rxf7 Bxf5 35. R1xf5 Rxf5 36. Rxf5 $15 ) 31. Rd7 Re7 32. Rd8+ Re8 33. Rd7 Re7 34. Rd8+
{ This was certainly one of the more curious oddly intricate games. It might have been the game of the tournament if he'd played 26. Nxe4 and went on to win. But, unlike the other players who've upset one another, this game (and the result) are more according to Kasparov's plan and he remains in first place. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6
{ Adams use of Petrov's Defense against Kasparov didn't fare too well. I wonder why he's repeating it here. }
3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7
{ This is perhaps the most popular move at this point. It prepares ...O-O and blocks the e-file, but isn't very aggressively placed. }
 ( 7...Bg4 
{ is often followed by ...f7-f5 to fight on the light squares in a big way, but the danger is over-extension and a weakening of Pb7, e6 and f7 (near Ke8) }
 ) ( 7...Bd6 
{ aims for most effective piece development aimed at White's king-side, but leaves Black a little weak on the e-file }
 ) 8. c4
{ Since Black hasn't put any pressure on Nf3 or Pd4 White feels free to threaten Pd5 & Ne4. This adds more weight to White's offense before Nb1-c3. }
 ( 8. Re1 Nf6 ( 8...f5 9. c4 
{ and Black's center isn't easily supported }
 ) ) 8...Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 ( 10. a3 
{ Kasparov-Adams, round 5, 1-0 in 47 moves }
 ) 10...Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6
{ and even after this knight has retreated Black uses Bf5 to challenge for control of the most useful diagonal b1-h7 }
13. cxd5 Qxd5
{ By transposition they've arrived at the same position as Kasparov-Adams. }
14. Re1
{ I don't see that this move makes much sense until he's prepared another place for Be2. As things stand Be2 can hardly move, so Re1 is pretty well blocked. }
 ( 14. c4 
{ quickly before Black gets in ...Nc6-a5 (controlling c4) and possibly even ...c7-c5 to break up White's central pawns }
 14...Qe4 ( 14...Qd6 ) ) 14...Rfe8 ( 14...Na5 15. Ne5 ( 15. Bd3 Bd6 ) 15...c5 16. Bf3 Qb3 17. Qxb3 Nxb3 18. Ra2 cxd4 ) 15. Bf4 Rac8 16. c4 Qe4 17. Be3 Bf6 18. Ra2 b6 19. h3 Na5 20. g4 Bg6 21. g5 Be7 22. Ne5 Bd6 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. c5 Bf8 25. Bg4 Rcd8 26. Rae2 Qc6
{ The preceding moves with no notes should not be taken as perfect or needing no commentary. It's just they are the same moves as Kasparov-Adams from round 5. It's curious that Adams lost that game and yet drew this one with only one new move. That's quite a feat. }
27. cxb6
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

{ At this point in the tournament these two share the lead and this game will probably decide the tournament winner. }
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4
{ Before this tournament I'd have said this was a pretty good way to aim for a draw. But, the Adams-Anand game showed a new plan which should be studied closely. }
4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3
{ Kasparov follows in the footsteps of Adams. Pc3 defends Pd5 and clears the way for Qd1-a4. }
7...c5
{ else White plays b2-b4 and makes it extremely difficult for Black to get any queen-side }
8. Ne5
{ The aim of this is to exploit the weak a4-e8 diagonal. }
 ( 8. Be3 Qc7 9. Ne5 a6 
{ Adams-Anand, round 6, 1-0 in 44 moves }
 ) 8...Nd7 ( 8...cxd4 9. Bb5+ Nd7 10. Qxd4 
{ with a threat of Qd4-f4xf7# }
 ) 9. Bb5 Bd6 10. Qg4 Kf8
{ As in a Caro-Kann variation Black accepts that Pg7 is weak and must be defended this awkward way. However, Qg4 is exposed and Pd4 & Ne5 are ill-supported, so Black has plenty of chances to survive. Perhaps one of the more important details is that White needs to retreat Ne5 to avoid another minor piece exchange. The more exchanges the easier it will be for Black to complete his development and the harder it would be for White to generate an attack. }
 ( 10...O-O $4 11. Bh6 ( 11. Bxd7 Bxd7 ( 11...Bxe5 $4 12. Bxc8 Bxd4 13. Bxb7 Rb8 14. Be4 Bf6 $18 ) 12. Bh6 Qf6 13. Bg5 $18 ) 11...Bxe5 ( 
{ Malcolm Pein: }
 11...Qf6 12. Nxd7 Bxd7 13. Bg5 Qg6 14. Bxd7 h6 
{ pinning }
 ) 12. dxe5 g6 13. Bxf8 $16 ) 11. O-O $5
{ Kasparov has a lot of courage. Here he offers a pawn, so he can spend the tempo developing pieces. He obviously thinks there's a way to fight for a win if his piece activity is sufficient. }
 ( 11. Nf3 Nf6 12. Qh4 Bd7 
{ when Black's development probably compensates for the awkward Kf8. }
 ) 11...Nxe5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Bg5 Bf6 ( 13...Qc7 ) 14. Rad1 Qc7
{ I'm not sure why he's allowing White to capture at f6 to double his f-file pawns, exposing Kf8 a little. Perhaps he thinks he'll be able to play ...Rh8-g8 to help his own piece development. }
 ( 14...Qe7 
{ Malcolm Pein: }
 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 ( 15...gxf6 16. Qh4 
{ with very good compensation }
 16...a6 ( 16...h6 17. Rd3 
{ and Black still cannot free himself with ...a6 }
 17...a6 18. Rfd1 axb5 19. Rd8+ Kg7 20. Rxh8 Kxh8 21. Qxh6+ Kg8 22. Rd3 ) 17. Qh6+ Kg8 18. Rd3 $18 ) ) 15. Qh4 ( 
{ Malcolm Pein: }
 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Qh4 Ke7 17. Rd3 Rd8 18. Qxh7 Rxd3 19. Bxd3 Bd7 
{ and the worst is over }
 ) 15...Bxg5 ( 15...Qe7 ) 16. Qxg5
{ threat: Rd1-d8+ }
16...f6 17. Qh5
{ threat: Qh5-e8# }
17...g6 18. Qh6+ Kf7 19. Rd3 a6 20. Rh3 Qe7 ( 20...axb5 21. Qxh7+ Rxh7 22. Rxh7+ Kg8 23. Rxc7 $18 ) 21. Bd3 f5
{ Pawns don't generally fight pieces very well. The pawns move to block and the pieces just go around them. }
22. g4
{ But sometimes, to break through a mass of pawns and when a piece sac. isn't going to be enough, another pawn must be used. }
 ( 22. Rg3 $6 
{ threatening Rg3xg6 while Rh8 is undefended }
 22...Bd7 23. h4 Rag8 $15 
{ to meet h4-h5 with ...g6-g5, keeping lines closed }
 ) 22...Qf6
{ Malcolm Pein: Ponomariov had been playing much quicker than Kasparov and his next couple of moves came quite fast to my surprise. }
 ( 22...Bd7 23. Rd1 Rad8 24. gxf5 gxf5 
{ tries to keep Bd3 at bay, but seems to open up Kf7 to checks from Qh6 and Rh3. It's hard to know whether this is safe. }
 ( 24...exf5 25. Bc4+ Be6 26. Bxe6+ Qxe6 ( 26...Kxe6 27. Re3+ ) 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 ( 27...Qe1+ 28. Kg2 Qe4+ 29. Kf1 Qb1+ 30. Ke2 Rxd8 31. Qxh7+ Ke6 32. Re3+ Kd5 33. Rd3+ $18 ) 28. Qxh7+ Kf6 ( 28...Kf8 $4 29. Qh8+ Qg8 30. Qf6+ $18 ) 29. Qh4+ g5 30. Qh6+ Kf7 31. Qh7+ Kf8 32. Re3 ( 32. Qh8+ Ke7 33. Rh7+ $18 ) 32...Qf6 ) ) 23. Rd1 b5 ( 23...fxg4 24. Rg3 b5 25. Rxg4 ) 24. Be2 e5 ( 24...Ra7 $1 25. Rd6 $4 ( 25. gxf5 exf5 
{ This might be a good defense for Black. Ra7 can come toward the center, possibly even defending Ph7 in some cases. }
 ( 25...gxf5 26. Bh5+ Ke7 27. Qe3 $13 ) 26. Qxh7+ $5 Rxh7 27. Rxh7+ ) 25...Qe5 ) 25. Rhd3 Ra7 26. Rd6 Qg7 27. Qe3 Rc7
{ One by one White attacks a weakness and Black defends. If White can find two weaknesses (or create them) Black will be hard-pressed to hang on. }
28. a4 e4
{ To this point Black has made nine pawn moves compared to White's four. Certainly the extra four moves could have been used by Black to keep his king safer and his pieces more active; but at the beginning it seemed so much easier. It's like watching a small snowball rolling down a hill, growing larger and faster as it goes. }
 ( 28...c4 29. Qb6 ) 29. axb5 axb5 30. Bxb5 Qe5
{ Is there's still no way for Rh8 to move into play? Apparently Pc5 is too weak to spend any "free" tempos on general piece activation. }
 ( 30...Rf8 31. R6d5 ( 31. Bc4+ Ke7 32. R6d5 ) ) 31. Qg5 Qe7 32. Qh6 Be6 33. Qf4
{ Malcolm Pein: John H tells me GK made the control with a couple of minutes to spare. Looks like he missed the kill first time round. MH: This almost looks like an admission his attack has run out of steam. If he can't move Rd6 with an effective discovery on Rc7 and if he can't break through the light squares around Kf7 then Black might be only a little worse (his king is still less secure than Kg1) . }
33...Bc8
{ He avoids the most obvious discovery, Rd6xe6. }
 ( 33...Ra8 34. gxf5 gxf5 ( 34...Bxf5 $4 35. Rd7 ) 35. Rxe6 Kxe6 ( 35...Rg8+ 36. Kf1 Kxe6 37. Bc4+ Kf6 38. Bxg8 $18 ) 36. Bc4+ Kf6 37. Qh6+ Ke5 38. Rd5# ) 34. Qh6
{ threatening Rd6xg6 (again) }
34...Be6 35. gxf5 gxf5 36. Be2 Qf6 37. Bh5+ Ke7 38. Rxe6+
{ The capture works after all. 38...Qxe6 allows 39. Qg7+ to win Rh8 and 38...Ke6 allows 39. Rd6+ which wins Qf6. This relentless attack wasn't so flashy as many, but it was very accurate and showed the pawns can't leave a king exposed without major consequences. In this case the defense was good, but the position was (apparently) irreparable. That the White pieces won this and the Adams-Anand games using this same (new to my knowledge) opening idea is notable. Anand didn't lose because of it, he misplayed a queen and pawn ending, but Ponomariov never quite recovered from the positional weaknesses around his king, created during the opening and early middle-game. Kasparov takes the lead in the tournament with only one round to go! }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B50"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4
{ I'm surprised to see this move. I'd been thinking about it and then saw a game GM Yudasin - IM Nakamura from a recent event and now here it is again. White's idea is to not commit to d2-d4 and to perhaps threaten c2-c3, d2-d4 when he's used Bc4 to prevent the counter ...d6-d5. Black can easily play ...Ng8-f6 or ...Nb8-c6, but he must realize White's possible plan to achieve d2-d4, else he'll have no offensive potential. }
3...Nf6 4. d3
{ perhaps planning 5. Ng5 e6 6. f4 }
4...e6
{ Shirov aims to blunt the bishop and prepares ...d6-d5. He might also use ...a7-a6 and ...b7-b5. }
5. Bb3
{ so that 5...d5 can be met by 6. e5 if he wishes }
5...Be7 6. O-O O-O ( 6...d5 7. e5 Nfd7 8. c3 Nc6 9. d4 b5 
{ would be similar to the game except that Black wouldn't yet have committed his king to any position }
 ) ( 6...Qc7 
{ trying to find a way to play ...c5-c4 to split apart White's central pawns }
 7. c3 O-O ( 7...c4 $4 8. Bxc4 Nxe4 9. Bb5+ $18 ) 8. Re1 b5 9. Bc2 Bb7 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 e5 12. Nf1 Rfe8 13. Ng3 Bf8 
{ seems like a fairly safe Spanish-like position for Black }
 ) 7. c3 Nc6 8. Re1
{ He's over-protected Pe4, so Pd3 can advance. Black has a couple of choices after d3-d4. One is ...d6-d5 e4-e5 which produces a French Defense kind of pawn structure, but the early ...O-O might not be favorable. Another is ...e6-e5 which produces a Ruy Lopez kind of structure except Black hasn't weakened his queen-side (or gained space if that's a plan you prefer for Black) . Now that White has a Pc3 and couldn't utilize a weaker square d5 it might be good for Black to play 8...e6-e5 in anticipation of 9. d3-d4 Bg4. }
8...b5 9. Nbd2 d5 $6 10. e5 Nd7 11. d4
{ White supports Pe5 and prepares for Bb3-c2 to take aim at Ph7 (and Kg8) . }
11...Ba6
{ I wonder if later he might miss this piece from c8 where it could defend Pe6 in a few critical cases when Black would want to play ...f7-f5 to block the b1-h7 diagonal. }
 ( 11...b4 ) 12. Nf1
{ student body right }
12...b4 13. Ba4
{ This is certainly an odd utilization of the bishop. }
 ( 13. Ng3 
{ preventing ...Ba6xf1, keeps the knight for offense and leaves Ba6 doing nothing }
 ) 13...Rc8 ( 13...Bxf1 $4 14. Bxc6 Rc8 15. Bxd7 Qxd7 16. Kxf1 $18 ) 14. Bxc6 Rxc6 15. cxb4 Bxf1 16. Rxf1 cxb4
{ This certainly solves a lot of Black's problems. Kg8 is a lot safer and Black already has control of the only open file (Rc8) . By trading a couple of minor pieces it should also be easier for Black to maneuver comfortably. }
17. Be3 Qa5 18. g3 Rfc8 19. Ne1 Qb5 20. h4 a5 21. b3
{ This slows Black's pieces considerably. Be7 is plainly blocked by Pb4 and White's central pawns block Nd7. Ne1 is necessary to prevent ...Rc2. Black could even look at ...f7-f6xe5 to open some lines. Unfortunately it's the f-file which would open for Rf1. The fact is there's no easy way for Black to force a confrontation of his pieces with White's, or to get at Kg1. Black has to be patient and await developments. }
21...a4
{ I'm not terribly fond of this move. It places the pawn enprise and can only advance, leaving Pb4 backward or exchange for b3, opening the a-file for White. }
 ( 21...Rc3 ) 22. Nd3 Rc3 ( 22...Rc2 $2 23. Nc5 Rc3 24. Bd2 ) 23. Nf4 Nf8 24. Qg4
{ White offers Pb3, knowing he threatens a strong attack.}
 ( 
{ White could just get rid of the weak pawn before proceeding with his king-side offensive. }
 24. bxa4 ) 24...Qd7 ( 
{ The following variation (and subvariations) are probably far from perfect, but outline a couple of the plans of attack and defense which could occur. }
 24...axb3 25. axb3 Rxb3 26. Nh5 g6 ( 26...Ng6 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. h5 Ra3 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. Bg5 Bxg5 31. Qxg5 Rxa1 32. Rxa1 Qe2 33. Qf6+ Kg8 
{ and Black has developed sufficient counterplay possibilities against Kg1 such that White can't go ahead with the offense by Ra1-a7 }
 ) 27. Nf6+ Bxf6 28. exf6 Ra3 29. Qg5 Nd7 30. Bf4 Qd3 31. Be5 Qf3 
{ and Black staves off the mating attack by threatening to get rid of Pf6 }
 ) 25. h5 $6 ( 25. Nh5 ) ( 25. bxa4 ) 25...axb3 26. axb3 Rxb3 ( 26...h6 $4 27. Ne2 Rxb3 28. Bxh6 $18 ) 27. h6 g6 28. Nh3
{ It appears he's repositioning to attack Pf7, but that's probably not true. Pf7 is very easily defended by Qd7. Instead he's probably aiming to play Be3-g5xe7 to weaken the dark squares. That would give his queen a more clear path to g7 to give mate. }
28...Rbc3 29. Bg5 b3 30. Rfb1
{ This is a tense phase where White has to bring every single piece into play and yet prevent Pb3 from advancing very far. }
30...Rb8 ( 30...b2 $4 31. Rxb2 $11 ) 31. Kg2 Rc7 $6 ( 31...b2 
{ gets the pawn a little out of reach of White's queen -- it won't be able to attack the Pb2 and Pf7 simultaneously }
 32. Ra2 Rcb3 ) 32. Rb2 Bxg5 ( 32...Qd8 33. Rab1 Bxg5 34. Nxg5 Rcb7 35. Qf4 Qe7 36. Qe3 Nd7 37. Nf3 $11 ) 33. Qxg5 Qe7 34. Qe3 Qb4 35. Qf4 Qe7 36. Qf3
{ There it is, the ideal location where he threatens Pb3 and Qf3-f6-g7#. }
36...Rcb7 37. Rab1 Nd7 38. Rxb3 Rxb3 39. Rxb3 Qf8 40. Rxb8 Nxb8 41. Ng5 Nd7
{ Even here it seems White's advantage isn't big enough to win. But, Black's cramp is dangerous. One false step and it's over. }
42. Qf4 Qe7 43. Qc1 Qd8 44. Nf3 ( 44. Kf3 ) 44...Kf8 45. Ng5 Kg8 46. Nf3 Kf8 47. Kg1
{ Apparently this is a critical situation: if Qd8 moves away from the d8-h4 diagonal he weakens e7 and g5 (two squares White would like to gain entree to) too much. Maybe he should just leave Qd8 and move ...Kf8-g8, however odd it may seem to move the king into such a dangerous situation. }
47...Qb8 48. Qa3+ Ke8 ( 48...Kg8 $4 49. Qe7 Nf8 ( 49...Qc8 50. Ng5 $18 ) 50. Qf6 $18 ) 49. Ng5 Nf8
{ Now White would like to get to a square on the seventh rank to hit Pf7, but Black has them all guarded. }
50. Qa4+ ( 50. Qf3 Qb1+ ( 50...Qb7 51. Qf6 Qe7 52. Kg2 ) 51. Kg2 Qf5 52. Qe3 Qc2 53. Qa3 $16 
{ and White is making inroads to Ke8 & Pf7 and Black's queen is not going to be able to administer a perpetual check against Kg2 }
 ) 50...Ke7 51. Kg2 Qb7 52. Qa3+ Ke8 53. Qf3 Qe7 54. Qf6
{ Wow! That's dramatic. I don't think I'd considered the possibility of offering a queen trade, as a way of zugzwanging Black away from Pf7. That's nifty and quite creative. }
1-0

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ Although Kasparov is one point ahead he might lose his last round game to Shirov, so it's important for Ponomariov to try to win this one. He's the only player who could catch Kasparov. }
1...e5
{ After seeing the Sicilian Defense so many times it's quite a curious thing to see this recent trend (at least amongst the top-level GMs) toward 1. e4 e5 with both the Petrov's Defense and 2. Nf3 Nc6 being played. The so-called hypermodern defenses have been relegated to the back-burner. I haven't seen a Modern/Pirc or Alekhine's Defense game for a long time. And, although the Caro-Kann and French Defenses are still played they're clearly in the minority. }
2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O
{ Now this is interesting. I don't recall seeing Anand threaten or play the Marshall Gambit. Why on earth has this variation experienced a resurgence in recent years? Of course, it goes through ups and downs as people play it, discover problems, study it and then play it again. Perhaps it's just that other defenses seem to have a few more adherents than this one, so that the ups and downs of some Sicilian Defense or Queen's Gambit variation is hardly noticed. One must remember also, there are many variations of a Spanish and this is but one. }
8. c3
{ Ponomariov takes on the bigger challenge. }
 ( 8. a4 ) ( 8. d3 ) 8...d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Re4
{ It seems odd to move the rook so many times, but White must use whatever pieces are available to get the job done. It was once thought White should develop Bc1-e3, Qd1-d3, Nb1-d2, Qd3-f1. But, Re1-e4 forces either a retreat or other concession from Black and enables Qd1-f1. }
15...g5
{ Because of this Black's king shouldn't be quite as safe and that gives White some counter-attacking possibilities. }
16. Qe2 f5
{ In Ponomariov-Adams from round 9 Ponomariov established Re4 as a perimeter and offered for Black to capture it with a minor piece. He also played f2-f3 to support that perimeter. As a result his king was weakened a bit, but Black didn't quite break through and was pushed back. In this game Anand is using a pawn to challenge Re4, so this game ought to have a different appearance and the clash might occur more on Black's terms. }
 ( 16...Nf6 
{ Ponomariov-Adams, round 9, 1-0 in 45 moves }
 ) 17. Bxd5+
{ I'm not quite certain why he chose this moment to get rid of Nd5. }
17...cxd5 18. Re6
{ It's amazing that White isn't developed and he continues to offer this exchange sac AND Black refuses to take it because the pawn pushes have exposed his king -- he needs to keep pieces on the board to keep his king safe, at least from a perpetual check. How can Black get free to continue his offensive if White mucks it up by threatening Bd6 or checks to Kg8? }
18...f4
{ Whether this is correct is hard to say, but it's certainly courageous? threat: ...Bxe6 }
 ( 18...Bb8 19. Bxg5 f4 20. Re8 ) 19. Rxd6 Bg4 ( 19...f3 $5 20. Qf1 Re8 21. Be3 
{ and Black can't break through on the dark squares }
 21...Qf5 22. Nd2 $13 
{ White's rook will probably be exchanged for Black's bishop (though there is a slight chance it might remain on the board) and White's queen might find it difficult to become active, so White has to resort to a2-a4 (as is quite usual) to open a line for piece activation. Pf3 is a bone in White's throat and continues to give Black chances to win. }
 ) 20. Qf1 Qxf1+ ( 20...Qh5 21. Rxd5 
{ and Rd5-e5 could again block the e-file }
 ) 21. Kxf1 Rae8
{ Black has at least gotten past White's rook, though it now threatens to win Black's pawns. So, the task of defending Kf1 falls upon White's other pieces. threat: 22...Bg4-h3+ 23. Kg1 Re1# }
22. Bd2 Bh3+ 23. Kg1 fxg3 24. hxg3 Re2 ( 24...g4 
{ would have locked-in Bh3 when it's not at all clear Black's rooks can force their way through to checkmate }
 25. Rxd5 
{ aiming for Rd5-e5 to block out Re8 }
 ( 25. Be3 Rxe3 26. fxe3 Rf1+ 27. Kh2 Rf2+ $11 ) 25...Re2 26. Re5 Rexf2 27. Bf4 ( 27. Re1 Rf1+ 28. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 29. Kh2 Rf2+ $11 ) 27...Rf1+ 28. Kh2 Rf2+ ) 25. Be3 Rxe3 26. fxe3 Rf1+ 27. Kh2 g4 28. Rxd5
{ So Ponomariov hangs on to the draw and second place -- not a bad debut to the most prestigious tournament (some say world championship of tournaments) in the world. }
1/2-1/2

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garri"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4
{ At this point in the tournament Shirov has drawn with everyone but Adams and has beaten Ivanchuk (3rd-5th place finish) , but lost (with Black) to Anand, Adams and Vallejo Pons (3rd-5th and 6th place finishers) . This is an odd sort of result except that each and every one of these contestants is very strong. One gets the sense Shirov is trying to figure out how to beat the top players and this tournament was (for Shirov) as much for experimentation as anything; or maybe he's just in a bit of a slump. }
1...c5 2. Nf3 Nc6
{ Already this is a surprise. I can't recall the last time Kasparov played this. Here are some of his "surprises" from the tournament: round 1 as Black against Vallejo Pons' English Opening he played 2...e5; round 8 as White against Vallejo Pons' Sicilian Defense he played c2-c4 to establish a Maroczy Bind; round 7 against Shirov's Sicilian Defense he played 3. Bb5 and, now in this Sicilian Defense game against Shirov he has played 2...Nc6. }
3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5
{ I don't recall ever seeing Kasparov play this. And, why would he play such a double-edged opening when all he needs is a draw to win the tournament. He risks a lot with this choice because a loss here and a win by Ponomariov would give Ponomariov a tie for first with Kasparov. }
 ( 5...d6 
{ would certainly be more expected, as it easily leads into a Scheveningen Variation, Kasparov's favorite }
 ) 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bxb5
{ This isn't unknown, but it is uncommon. There aren't so many players who wish to enter into a tactical melee this quickly. The strategic idea is that White's bishop isn't very good and this way it gives it's life to make Na3 very good and to open some lines to Ke8, so it will never find a safe haven. }
 ( 11. c3 
{ Anand-Ivanchuk, round 5, 1/2-1/2 in 49 moves }
 ) 11...axb5 12. Nxb5
{ threat: Nc7+ }
12...Ra4 13. b4 Qh4
{ Black enters the attack vs. counterattack situation and makes room at d8 for Black's king to move around a bit. The center is clogged up, so he plays with Ra4 and Qh4 on the wings. }
 ( 13...Nxb4 $4 14. c3 $16 ) 14. O-O Rg8
{ White might like to think his king is safe behind the pawns, but there's room for Black to play on that wing and the g-file is open. It's still anybody's game. }
 ( 14...Qxe4 $4 15. Nf6+ $18 ) 15. f4
{ I like this move. It makes Rf1 active and opens the second rank, so White can defend Pg2 more easily. Besides, there's no rule only Black can play on the king-side. Black's pawns block the center pretty well, so play on either or both wings is mandatory. }
15...Kd8
{ This ugly-duckling move allows Qh4 to move without Nd5-f6+ picking up Rg8. }
16. c3 Ra6
{ If you'd shown me this game without telling me who was playing I might have guessed Shirov, as he plays this Bxb5 variation occasionally, but I'd never have guessed Kasparov would play this variation. I'm not saying it's bad (I don't know about that) , just that it doesn't seem to be his usual style. }
17. a4 fxe4 18. f5 Bb7 19. Ra2 e3
{ This isn't exactly "playing in the center" so much as getting out of the way of Bb7, so he can play on the wing at g2. }
20. Nxe3 ( 
{ Now might be the time to make a breakthrough to get at Kd8. }
 20. Nxd6 Bxd6 21. b5 Ra7 22. bxc6 Bxc6 23. Nb4 ) 20...Qe4 21. Re1 ( 21. Nxd6 $4 Qxe3+ 22. Kh1 Bxd6 ( 22...Kc7 $4 23. Nxb7 Kxb7 24. Qd7+ ) 23. Qxd6+ Kc8 $19 ) ( 21. Re2 ) 21...Nxb4
{ After this all the offense is Black's. }
22. cxb4 Bh6 23. Kh1 Bxe3 24. Qe2 Rc6
{ Be3 is poison because Black would exchange queens and then play ...Rc8-c1+, mating. }
25. a5 Qxb4 26. Nxd6 ( 26. Qxe3 Qxb5 ) 26...Rxd6 27. Qxe3 Qd4 28. Qc1 Qd5
{ Black pieces are perfect for offense at d2 and along the d-file AND he defends Kd8 and against the advance of Pa5 very well. White has no hope. I don't know the opening theory of this game, but it appears to me Kasparov out-dueled Shirov in his own "pet" line. Bravo! This tops a fine tournament victory as well. }
0-1

[Event "SuperGM"]
[Site "Linares ESP"]
[Date "2002.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "Hathaway, Mark"]

1. e4 c5
{ Adams and Ivanchuk both, with a victory in this game, would tie for second place. }
2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3
{ After Kasparov and Ponomariov used c2-c4 Anand used Nb1-c3, but Bf1-d3 (Kan Variation) , used by Ivanchuk in round 10 (he also followed with c2-c4 after he'd castled) , is supposed to be the "main line". White prepares to O-O and keeps open the option of c2-c4. }
5...Nf6 6. O-O d6
{ This is typical of a Paulsen Variation. Black leaves open his specific piece development and just uses pawn moves early-on to limit White's pieces. The down-side of this approach is that it's not very contentious and allows White to choose his set-up. }
 ( 6...d5 7. e5 Nfd7 8. Qe2 ( 8. f4 $6 Bc5 9. c3 Nc6 
{ and it appears White has over-extended a bit. }
 ) 8...Bc5 9. Nf3 
{ is similar to a French Defense, Advance Variation }
 ) 7. c4
{ Maroczy Bind }
7...b6
{ Hedgehog - Also see Ivanchuk-VallejoPons, round 10, 1-0 in 23 where 7...Be7 was played. }
8. Nc3 Bb7 9. f4
{ Adams plays as though he had Pc2 rather than Pc4. This tells me he considers having Pc4 as an unqualified advantage which requires no limitation on how he might otherwise play the position. Ivanchuk did the same when he played the White pieces. }
9...Be7 10. f5
{ This is where his approach differs with Ivanchuk's. Ivanchuk played Kg1-h1, Qd1-e2 and slowly developed while Vallejo Pons self-destructed. Here Adams goes for the throat. }
10...Nc6
{ Black takes the pressure off Pe6 immediately. Black can hardly afford to play ...e6-e5 and leave Pd5 completely in White's hands. }
11. Be3 Nxd4
{ getting rid of the pressure on Pe6, so he doesn't have to play ...e6-e5 which weakens d5 }
12. Bxd4 O-O 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Qe2
{ White may attack Pb6 to peck away at Black's weak points while he maneuvers into some formation to attack Kg8. Threatening at two or three points can help the White cause. }
 ( 14. e5 $2 dxe5 15. Bxe5 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Qe8 
{ and Black's pieces are very active & coordinated }
 ) 14...Kh8 15. Rad1 ( 15. Qe3 $5 Ng4 ( 15...Nd7 16. Qh3 ) 16. Qh3 ) 15...Nd7 16. Rxf8+
{ Adams saw that Rf1 had no great offensive value if it was always going to be traded for Rf8, so he forced the trade on his terms. This way Rd1 continues to take aim at Pd6 & Qd8 and the rook trade forces at least one Black piece onto an awkward square (f8) . }
16...Qxf8 17. Na4
{ This simple attack on Pb6 puts Black's position into crisis! }
17...Bf6 18. Bxf6 ( 18. Qf2 ) 18...Qxf6 19. Qe3 Rd8
{ defending Nd7, so he can meet 20. Nxb6 with 20...Qxb2. Swapping pawns is better than just losing Pb6. }
20. b4 ( 20. Nxb6 Qxb2 ) ( 20. b3 ) 20.. a5 21. Nxb6 axb4 22. Rf1 Qh6
{ Leave it to Ivanchuk to come up with such an outlandish move. He'd prefer the doubled h-file pawns than for his queen to be forced into passivity! }
 ( 22...Qe7 23. Nxd7 
{ and Pb4 is very weak }
 ) 23. Qxh6 gxh6 24. Nxd7 Rxd7 25. Rb1 ( 
{ It appears }
 25. Rf6 
{ isn't quite as good as the game move because there is a risk Pb4 might become very good if Pa2 disappears, so getting rid of Pb4 first is the better way to go -- at least in theory. In a well-analzyed variation one might show Black can capture at e6 and Black can't go after Pa2 because he'll be too tied-up defending against Re6, Pc4 and Pe4. }
 25...d5 26. exd5 ( 
{ Also good is to get past Bb7 with }
 26. cxd5 exd5 27. e5 
{ when Pd5 blocks Bb7 and Pe5 isn't blocked. }
 ) 26...exd5 27. c5 Rc7 28. Rxh6 
{ and Pc5 is safe for the moment because Rh6xh7+ would snare Bb7. This gives White time to play Rh6-h4 to threaten Pb4. }
 ) 25...Ba6 26. Rxb4 d5
{ This forces a liquidation which leaves White ahead, but without the proper material to find a win. }
27. Ra4 Bxc4 28. Bxc4 dxc4 29. Rxc4 Rd1+ ( 29...Kg7 
{ Leaving Pa2 on the board is riskier. Every pawn has the potential to become a queen, so one should think long before leaving it. In this case it's a serious question because Black has the option of gaining Pa2 in exchange for Pe6 or leaving both pawns on the board. }
 ) 30. Kf2 Rd2+ 31. Kg3 Rxa2 $14 32. Rc6 Ra3+ 33. Kh4 Ra2
{ Constantly harassing the pawns is essential as it keeps White's king tied-up far from Ph6. }
34. Kh3 Ra3+ 35. g3 Ra2 36. Rxe6
{ There's the completion of the pawn exchange. Now White has an extra pawn and Black has a slightly weak doubled h-file pawn. Black's saving grace is the small number of pieces and that Kh3 is tied to Ph2. }
36...h5 37. Re7 ( 37. Re5 Re2 ) 37...Re2 38. e5 h6
{ After this White's king can't move to h4 because ...Rxh2 is checkmate. }
39. Re8+ ( 39. Kh4 Rxh2# ) 39...Kg7 40. Re7+ Kg6 41. e6 Kf6 42. Re8 Kg6 43. e7 Kg7
{ Black has to get to g7 or h7 to avoid Re8-g8+ to promote the pawn. }
 ( 43...Kf7 $4 44. Rh8 Kxe7 45. Rxh6 Re5 46. Kh4 $18 ) 44. g4 hxg4+ 45. Kxg4 Kf7
{ Now that White is down to one rook pawn this is safe. }
46. Rh8
{ Good defense from Ivanchuk. He's played very well in recent events. }
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