Archive for December 9th, 2009

Today will see the first game of the final Gelfand-Ponomariov at the World
Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. Opportunity for us to look back on an exciting moment
from the endgame Karjakin-Mamedyarov. The latter has just played 49…Rb2?
(diagram), thus giving his young opponent the unexpected chance to decide the
game by mating threats. Which surprising move helped the 19-year-old Ukraine
to secure victory now? Use this larger
diagram to work it out for yourself. Grandmaster Karsten Müller has analysed
the endgame Karjakin-Mamedyarov
for ChessBase Magazine Online.

The London Chess Classic is breaking new ground in a number of areas. The games
are being annotated live by two very entertaining experts, who explain everything
to the visitors at the Olympia Centre, and at the same time to visitors on the
Playchess server. After round one Magnus
Carlsen provided his thoughts on the game, for the local guests and for a world-wide audience.

Vladimir Malakhov is the man of the hour at the World Cup in Khanty Mansiysk.
Having beaten his opponents (Smirin, Eljanov and So) in rapid chess,
he went on to defeat Peter Svidler in normal chess with the black pieces – and
once again with his beloved 4…a6 Slav (which had already downed Pavel Eljanov
and Wesley So). Incidentally, the discussed variation – 5.e3 b5 6.c5 g6 – was
extensively analysed by Dorian Rogozenco in his contribution for
CBM 119.
Rainer Knaak has annotated this game.
Svidler-Malakhov on
ChessBase Magazine Online…

Since Ruslan Ponomariov has made it to the finals of the 2009 World Cup, it
seems like an auspicious moment to have a look back at prior success
of his career. At eighteen he won the FIDE knockout world championship, ahead
of Anand, Adams, Morozevich and Ivanchuk. In this week’s Playchess
lecture by FM Dennis Monokroussos we see one of his great and instructive
games. Be there and watch.