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The Greatest Tournaments 2001-2009

Zdenko Krnic

Chess Informant is finalizing the manuscript of its new book, The Greatest Tournaments 2001-2009. The tournaments presented in this book all fulfill the following criterion:

minimum category is 17
it must be a round-robin tournament
minimum number of players 6
time limit: regular tempo of play.

There are total of eighty-six tournaments outlined in the book, seventeen of which were played in 2009. Each tournament is represented by a winning game, the best game played at the tournament, and the game with the most important theoretical novelty, as well as a selection of the most beautiful combinations and tactical solutions in endings.

Fans of chess statistics can find plenty of interesting data. The tournament played in Bilbao in 2008, at Category 21, is one of the strongest in the book. We have chosen the following games for our readers: the winning game of the tournament: Topalov – Anand, the most beautiful game of the tournament: Carlsen – Radjabov, and the most important theoretical game: Carlsen – Ivanchuk.

BILBAO 2008

Grand Slam Final cat. XXI (2769)

Three points for a win and one for a draw

TOPALOV – ANAND [E15]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 Bb7 6.Bg2 c5 7.d5 ed5 8.cd5 Nd5 9.0-0 Be7 10.Rd1 Qc8 11.a3 Nf6

12.Bg5! [a novelty; 12.Nc3 see 98/385] d5 [better is 12...0-0] 13.Bf6 Bf6 14.Nc3 Bc3 15.bc3 Na6 [15...Nd7 16.e4! with the idea 16...de4 17.Bh3 Bc6 18.Rd7! Bd7 19.Qe4 Be6 20.Ng5 and White is winning; 15...0-0 16.Ng5 g6 17.Bd5 Bd5 18.Rd5 Nc6 19.Rad1 with initiative] 16.Nh4 g6 [16...Qe6 17.Nf5 0-0-0 18.Ng7 Qg6 19.Nf5 and White is slightly better] 17.Bd5 Bd5 [17...0-0? 18.Ng6!] 18.Rd5 0-0

19.Rad1 (and White is superior) Nc7 20.Rd7 Ne6 21.Qe4 [21.Qa4!? with the idea 21...c4 22.R7d6] Qe8 [21...Nd4 22.Qe7 Nc6 23.Qf6 Nd4 24.Re7 Nc6 25.Ng6! hg6 26.Re4 Qf5 27.Qc6 and White is superior; 21...Qa6 22.Rf7! Rf7 (22...Kf7 23.Rd7 Kf6 24.Nf3 and White is winning) 23.Qa8 Nf8 24.Rd3 Qa3 25.Qd5 and White is superior] 22.Nf3 c4 [22...Rd8 23.Qb7 and White is winning; 23.Ne5 and White is winning; 22...Nd4 23.Ne5 (23.Re7 Qa4!) Nc6 24.f4! Ne5 25.fe5 Qe6 26.R1d6 Qh3 (26...Qa2 27.e6 and White is winning) 27.Rc7 and White is winning] 23.Qh4! and White is winning [23.Qc4 and White is winning] Nc5 [23...Rd8 24.Ne5] 24.Re7 Rd8 25.Rf1! 1-0 [Topalov]

CARLSEN – RADJABOV [B78]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rb8 11.Bb3 Na5 12.Kb1 b5 13.h4 [13.Bh6 see 99/(153)] Nc4 14.Bc4 bc4 15.Ka1 h5 16.Rb1 Qa5 [a novelty; 16...Re8] 17.Bh6 Bh6 18.Qh6 Rb6 19.g4 [19.Qg5 Ra6 20.Qa5 Ra5 equal] hg4 20.Qe3 [20.h5 g5! with the idea 21.Nf5 Bf5 22.Qg5 Kh7 with initiative] Rfb8 [20...Qh5!?] 21.h5 g5 [21...Nh5 22.fg4 (22.Nd5 Ra6 23.a3 c3!) Bg4 23.Rh4 Bd7 unclear] 22.fg4 Ng4 23.Qd2 f6 24.Nf3! [with the idea e5] Ra6?! [24...Kh8!] 25.Rhg1 [25.e5!? Bc6 26.ef6 Bf3 27.Rhf1 with the idea 27...Nf6 28.Rf3 Ne4 29.Qe3 Nc3 30.Qe6 Kh8 31.Qh6] Rb4 [25...Rbb6!? 26.a3 Qc5 unclear] 26.a3 Be6? [26...Qc5 27.e5! (27.Qd5 Qd5 28.Nd5 Rb8 29.Ne7 Kg7 and Black is slightly better) Qe3 28.Qd5 Kg7 29.ef6 ef6 30.Rbe1 Qc3 31.Re7 Kh6 32.Rh7! equal]

27.e5! de5 28.Ng5 Bf5 [28...Ra4 29.Qc1] 29.Nge4 Kh7 [better is 29...Kf7 30.Rg3 and White is superior] 30.Qe2 Nh6 31.Rg3 Be6 [better is 31...Rb8] 32.Rg6 [32.Qg2! Nf5 33.Rg7!! Ng7 34.Qg6 Kh8 35.Qh6 Kg8 36.Rg1 Kf7 37.Rg7 Ke8 38.Nf6 and White is winning] Nf5 [32...Bf5 33.Qg2 Be4 34.Qe4 Qa3!! 35.ba3 Ra3 36.Na2 Ra2! 37.Ka2 Ra4 38.Kb2 c3 39.Kc3 Re4 40.Rb7 Ng8 41.Ra7 Rh4 42.Rg1 Rh5 43.Kb4 and White is superior] 33.Qg4 Nh4 34.Ng5! fg5 35.Qg5 Ng6 36.Qg6 Kh8 37.Rg1 1-0 [Timman]

CARLSEN – IVANCHUK [D37]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dc5 Bc5 8.Qc2 Nc6 9.a3 Qa5 10.0-0-0 Be7 11.h4 Rd8 12.Nd2 a6!? [with the idea b5; 12...dc4 see 99/281] 13.Be2 [a novelty; 13.g4!?]

13...b5! 14.cd5 [14.cb5?! ab5 a) 15.Bb5 Bd7 (15...Bb7!?) 16.Nb3 Qb6 a1) 17.Kb1 Nb4 18.Qe2 (18.ab4 Bb5) Ne4 19.ab4 Nc3 20.bc3 Bb5 21.Qb2 Ra4 and Black is superior; a2) 17.a4 Rdc8 18.Kb1 e5 with initiative; b) 15.Nb5 e5 16.Bg3 (16.Qc6 Bd7 17.Qc2 Bb5 and Black is winning) Ba6 with initiative; 14.Bf3 b4! (14...bc4 15.Nc4 Qc5 16.Na4 Qb5 17.Ncb6!; 14...Qb6 15.cd5 ed5 16.Nb3 Be6 with initiative; 14...Bb7!?) 15.Nb3 Qb6 a) 16.cd5 ed5 17.Nd5 Nd5 18.Bd5 (18.Rd5 Be6 19.Rd8 Rd8 20.Qc6 Rc8 and Black is winning) Rd5 19.Rd5 ba3 and Black is superior; b) 16.Na4 Qa7 17.c5 e5 18.Bg5 e4 19.Be2 ba3 20.ba3 Rb8 and Black is superior] ed5 [14...Nd5 15.Nd5 ed5 16.Bd3!? (16.Qc6 Bf5 17.Bc7 Qa3 18.Nb1 Qa1 19.Bd3 Bd3 20.Rd3 Rdc8 with counterplay, with the idea 21.Rc3 b4 22.Rc2 b3 23.Rc3 Bb4 with attack) Be6 17.Bh7 (17.Kb1 Rac8!) Kh8 18.Kb1 Rac8 19.Nf3 b4 20.Ng5 Bf6 with attack] 15.g4?! [15.Bf3?! Be6 16.Nb3 Qb6 17.Nd4 Nd4 18.Rd4 Rac8 and Black is superior; 15.Nb3 Qb6 16.Nd4 Nd4 17.Rd4 Bc5 18.Be5 Bd4 19.Bd4 with counterplay] Be6 16.Nb3 [16.g5 Ne4 17.Nde4 (17.Nb3 Qb6 see 16.Nb3) de4 18.Rd8 Rd8 19.Rd1 (19.Ne4 Rc8 20.Kb1 b4 with initiative) Rc8 and Black is slightly better] Qb6 [with attack] 17.g5 [17.Kb1 Rac8 18.f3 b4 with attack] Ne4 18.Ne4 de4 19.Rd8 Nd8!? [19...Rd8?! 20.Kb1 (20.Rd1? Rc8) Rc8 21.Rc1 equal; 19...Qd8 20.Kb1 (20.Nc5 Bc5 21.Qc5 Rc8 22.Rd1 Nd4 23.ed4 Bb3 24.Rd2 f5 25.gf6 gf6 26.Be3 and Black is superior) Qd5 21.Nc1 Rc8 22.Qd1 Qc5 23.Nb3 Qf5 with initiative] 20.Kb1 [20.Bc7 Qa7 21.Ba5 (21.Be5 Rc8 22.Bc3 Nc6 with attack) Rc8 22.Bc3 b4 23.ab4 Bb4 24.Nd4 and Black is slightly better; 22...Nc6 with the idea b4 with attack] Rc8 21.Qd1 [21.Qe4? Bb3 22.Qe7 (22.Bd3 Qg6 and Black is winning) Qc6 23.e4 Ne6 (23...Qc2 24.Ka1 Ne6 25.Bg4 Qe4 and Black is winning) 24.Rc1 Bc2 (24...Qe4 25.Ka1 Rc1 26.Bc1 Qc6 and Black is winning) 25.Ka1 Nf4 26.Bd1; 25...Nd4 and Black is winning] Nc6 22.h5

22...a5! 23.g6 [23.h6 a) 23...g6 24.Nd2 (24.Nd4 Rd8 and Black is slightly better) b4 25.a4 b3 with attack; b) 23...a4 24.Nd4 Rd8 25.hg7 b4 26.Qa4 (26.ab4 a3! 27.ba3 Nd4 28.ed4 Bb4 and Black is winning) Nd4 27.ed4 ba3 28.Qb5 Qd4 29.Be3 (29.Rd1 a2) Qg7 and Black is winning] a4 24.Nd2 [24.Nd4 Nd4 25.ed4 (25.Qd4 Qc6 and Black is winning) Qc6 26.Bg4 f5 27.d5 Qd5 28.Qd5 Bd5 29.Rd1 (29.Bf5 Rf8 and Black is winning) Be6 30.Be2 and Black is superior; 25...b4] b4 25.gf7 [25.Nc4 Bc4 26.Bc4 ba3 27.Qc2 (27.Bf7 Kh8 28.Qc2 Nd8 29.Qd2 Bf6 and Black is winning) h6 (27...Kh8 28.h6 hg6 29.hg7 Kg7 30.Qc3 Nd4 31.Be5) 28.Bf7 Kh8 29.Be5 Bf8! 30.Bc3 (30.Qe4 Ne5 31.Qe5 Rc5 and Black is winning) Ne5 31.Ba2 Nd3 (31...Bb4 32.Bd4 Rc2 33.Bb6 Rb2 34.Ka1 Nd3 35.Bd4 Rf2 36.Rd1 and Black is supe9rior) 32.Bd5 Rc7 (32...ab2? 33.Bg7!!) 33.Rh4 Nb2 34.Ka1 Nd3 and Black is winning] Bf7 26.Nc4 [26.Bc4 ba3 27.Bf7 Kf7 28.Nc4 Qb5 29.Qd7 Qc4 30.Qc8 Qd3 and Black is winning] Qb7! [26...Qc5 27.Bd6!] 27.Qa4 ba3 28.Na3 Ba3 29.Qa3 Nb4! 30.b3 Nd3 31.Bd3 ed3 32.Rc1 d2 [33.Rc8 Qc8 34.Qd6 Qc1 35.Ka2 Qc2] 0-1 [Ivanchuk]

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Chess Informant
5-99 Endings Section
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The Best of the Best

Informant 1-100 (CD)

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