World Championship Hardenberg 2007 round 1

The first round of the world championship started with a huge sensation. The world champion of 2005 Tsjizjow started with a victory against runner-up Valneris.

Tsjizjow,A. - Valneris,G. 2-0 (2007.05.12)

1.34-29 18-23 2.29x18 13x22 3.31-27 22x31 4.36x27 8-13 5.41-36 2-8 6.37-31 12-18 7.46-41 7-12 8.41-37 19-23 9.40-34 20-24 10.47-41 1-7 11.44-40 14-19 12.50-44 10-14 13.34-29 23x34 14.40x20 15x24 15.32-28 17-22 16.28x17 12x32 17.38x27 5-10 18.43-38 19-23 19.45-40 14-19 20.40-34 10-14 21.37-32 4-10 22.41-37 10-15 23.49-43 14-20 24.34-29 23x34 25.39x30 18-23 26.44-39 8-12 27.31-26 20-25 28.37-31 25x34 29.39x30 15-20 30.43-39 20-25 31.39-34!

diagram 1

Nothing spectacular has happened so far, but now the white position is slightly better. After closing the position with 12-18 white can entangle the black center with 32.33-29 24x33 33.38x29. This is not immediately dangerous for black, but one can imagine that Valneris prefers to avoid this situation.

24-29 32.33x24

Now of course not 23-28? 33.32x14 9x40 34.35x44 25x34 due to 35.44-39 34x21 36.26x19 with most likely a winning advantage for white.

23-29 33.34x14 9x29 34.32-28 25x34 35.48-43 12-18!

diagram 2

After 3-9? white plays 36.42-37 and black is lost due to several simple combinations, for example 9-14 37.38-33 29x49 38.28-23 49x21 39.26x10 W+

36.28-23 7-12 37.35-30 34x25 38.23x34 3-9

diagram 3

In positions like this, the white fork formation 26/27/31/36 is generally much stronger than the black counterpart 6/11/16/17.

39.38-33 12-17 40.42-38 17-21 41.26x17 11x22 42.38-32 6-11 43.33-29 11-17(?)

diagram 4

With this move Valneris loses control over the game. A safer alternative was 9-14, since the attack 44.29-24 can be neutralized using 14-19 45.34-29 19x30 46.29-23 18x29 47.27x9 29-34 and some calculation learns that black has no problems. Even more safe was the somewhat unexpected sacrifice 18-23 44.29x18 13-19 etc.

44.29-24 17-21 45.31-26 22x31 46.36x27 9-14 47.26x17 14-19 48.24-20 25x14 49.43-38

diagram 5

This position is the logical consequence of black's 43rd move. Black can still force a draw with 19-24, and a Valneris in good shape would have certainly found it, despite the 2 minutes time he had left for his next 2 moves. After 50.27-21 16x27 51.32x21 13-19 52.17-11 18-22! white has no time to advance towards a king because of 53.11-7 22-27 54.21x32 24-29 55.34x23 19x37 with a draw.

18-23? 50.27-21 16x27 51.32x21

Now it becomes clear why Valneris' 49th move was very unfortunate. After 13-18 52.17-11 18-22 white can move the piece on 34 aside with 53.34-30 to neutralize the threat 22-27 and 23-29.

19-24 52.17-12 24-29 53.34-30 13-19 54.12-8 23-28 55.21-16!

The only winning move, so Valneris resigned.

Pierre,R. - Mikhalchenko,I. 0-2 (2007.05.12)

diagram 6

Pierre and Mikhalchenko played a quiet classical game, in which the black player continuously had a small advantage due to a bigger tempo reserve. The next white move is a little questionable, for reasons that will become clear later on.

34.49-43(?) 7-12 35.43-39 3-9 36.30-25 12-17 37.42-37 8-12 38.34-30 9-14 39.39-34 21-26 40.34-29 23x34 41.30x39 18-23

diagram 7

If white would have played 48-43 on the 34th move, the piece on 48 would now be on 49. Then white would have no problems at all, since he would have been able to develop normally using 49-44-40-34-30.

42.39-34 17-21

Considering white's next move, Ricardo Pierre doesn't sense the dangerous situation he is in. At this moment he absolutely needed to play 43.35-30 24x35 44.33-29 13-18 45.29-24 19x39 46.28x10 39-44 47.37-31 26x28 48.25-20 21x43 49.48x50 with a draw.

43.34-30? 12-18 44.48-43 23-29!

diagram 8

This is what Pierre must have underestimated. Black disrupts the normal white development 43-39-34 using a Ghestem attack. The white position is hopeless now.

45.28-22 18-23 46.33-28 2-7 47.43-39 7-12 48.22-17 12-18 49.17-11 16x7 50.27x16 7-12 51.28-22 18x27 52.32x21 26x17 53.37-31 13-18 54.31-26 23-28 55.26-21 17x26 56.16-11 26-31 57.11-6 31-36 58.38-33 29x38 59.6-1 38-42 60.1-6 28-32 61.6-11 42-47 62.11-16 32-37 63.39-33 47x29 64.16-27 37-42 65.27x20 24x15

And the white player resigned.