Archive for January 22nd, 2010

At last: Nigel Short chose a favourite variation of the main line Spanish and held a comfortable draw against Alexei Shirov. The Spaniard is now at 5.5/6, with his performance rating at “just” 3094. With his second win Vladimir Kramnik has joined the follower group 1.5 points behind Shirov. In Group B it is Anish Giri and Group C Ray Robson who are dominating. Both are 15. Round six report.

When left on its own, a knight frequently has difficulties holding together
one flank in problems. If the pawns are not occupying one of the few
formations which suit it, it generally cannot manage the task. This motif underlies the piece sacrifice
35.Rxc4!? Rxc4 36.Nxc4 Kxc4 37.Ke4! – played in
the game Lock-Webb from the Masters in Hastings – with which White set his opponent serious practical problems. How would you evaluate the resulting position?
Can Black still hold the draw or will the white pawns triumph? GM Karsten Müller has
analysed the position for Chess Base Magazine Online.