World Championship Hardenberg 2007 round 4
Schwarzman,A. - Tsjizjow,A. 0-2 (2007.05.15)
≡ 1.32-28 17-22 2.28x17 12x21 3.33-28 21-26 4.31-27 7-12 5.37-31 26x37 6.41x32 19-23 7.28x19 14x23 8.39-33 11-17 9.46-41 10-14 10.41-37 5-10 11.44-39 6-11 12.37-31 14-19 13.42-37 10-14 14.47-42 17-22 15.49-44 11-17
During the rest of the game Schwarzman doesn't find a suitable way to develop his left wing. On the 29th move he plays the poor exchange 31-26, but that surely wasn't what he had in mind. The question is, where did it go wrong?
16.34-29 23x34 17.39x30 19-23 18.30-25 23-29 19.33x24 20x29 20.44-39 13-19 21.40-34 29x40 22.45x34 19-24 23.34-30 4-10 24.30x19 14x23 25.39-33 10-14 26.43-39 8-13 27.48-43 13-19 28.50-44 9-13 29.44-40 19-24
This is where I started following the live games, and it was immediately clear to me that Schwarzman had a difficult position. Of course 30.40-34? isn't possible due to 16-21 31.27x16 24-30 32.35x24 23-28 33.32x23 18x40. And so he is forced to play the weak move 30.31-26 now, since ≡ 30.39-34 3-9 only means a slight delay.
≡ 30.31-26 22x31 31.36x27 2-8 32.33-28 14-19
Now 33.38-33? wasn't possible due to 23-29! 34.42-38(?) 19-23 35.28x30 18-23 36.33x24 23-28 37.32x23 17-21 38.26x17 12x41 B+ A more serious alternative was ≡ 33.40-34. This looks dangerous, but after 1-7 white can play 34.38-33!! without fearing the combination 23-29 35.34x14 13-19 36.14x23 18x49 37.28-22 17x28 38.32x23 49x21 39.26x17 12x21, and after ≡ 24-30 34.35x24 19x30 35.28x19 13x24 36.25-20 24-29 37.34x25 15x24 38.39-33 17-22 a possible defense is 39.25-20 24x15 40.33x24 22x31 41.26-21 16x27 42.37x26.
≡ 33.39-33 17-21 34.26x17 12x21 35.43-39 3-9 36.40-34 9-14
Schwarzman is left with a weak piece on 42, and because of that he must find his way out of the classical game. The normal continuation 37.34-30 8-12 38.39-34 21-26 39.34-29 23x34 40.30x39 18-23 41.39-34 12-18 would quickly lose. A tempting alternative was Dussaut's sacrifice ≡ 37.35-30 24x35 38.27-22 18x27 39.33-29, since black cannot close with 13-18? due to 40.29-24 19x30 41.28x10 15x4 42.39-33 30x28 43.32x3. But black has much better than that: ≡ 21-26! 40.29x20 15x24 41.32x21 16x27 42.39-33 27-31! 43.34-29 35-40 44.29x20 40-44 and white is in great danger.
≡ 37.28-22 24-30! 38.35x24 19x30
Here 39.33-29? wasn't possible due to 23-28 40.32x3 21x41 41.3x20 15x44.
The situation looks hopeless for white. After 40.38-33 30-35 41.42-38 there are no moves left, and ≡ 40.39-33 30x39 41.33x44 23-29! is losing too, since the exchange 42.22-17 21x12 43.28-23 19x28 44.32x34 fails due to a little combination: 15-20 45.25x14 13-19 46.14x23 18x49 B+ It is remarkable that Schwarzman finds a way to keep the game going.
≡ 40.25-20! 15x24 41.34x25 1-7 42.39-34 7-12 43.37-31!! 21-26 44.42-37 16-21 45.27x16 18x36 46.16-11 12-17 47.11x22 26-31 48.37x26 36-41
At first sight it still looks lost for white. But here the move 49.26-21! was enough to secure a draw. Wladimir Wawilow from Sebastopol was the first to discover this variant. After 41-47 white has a narrow escape using 50.25-20 47x40 51.20x9 8-13 52.9x18 40x26 53.22-18 26-3 54.28-22! (and not ≡ 54.32-27? 3-8! B+). And after ≡ 41-46 50.21-16 the black king is too inactive to prevent white from promoting his front piece to a king. Due to time trouble Schwarzman didn't find this escape, and so he loses the game.
≡ 49.34-30 24x35 50.25-20 23-29 51.20-15 41-46 52.32-27 46x23 53.15-10 35-40 54.22-17 8-12 55.17x8 13x2 56.10-4 40-45 57.4-22 45-50 58.22-6 23-18 59.26-21 18x36
And the white player resigned. Another convincing victory of Tsjizjow!
Podolski,M. - Scholma,A. 2-0 (2007.05.15)
≡ 1.32-28 17-21 2.33-29 21-26 3.39-33 11-17 4.44-39 17-21 5.50-44 6-11 6.38-32 1-6 7.42-38 20-25 8.47-42 14-20 9.29-23 18x29 10.34x14 10x19 11.40-34 12-18 12.31-27 19-23 13.28x19 13x24 14.32-28 21x23 15.34-30 25x34 16.39x28 20-24 17.44-39 5-10 18.45-40 7-12 19.40-34 16-21 20.37-31 26x37 21.41x32 9-13 22.36-31 15-20 23.31-27 21-26 24.46-41 20-25 25.41-37
With his next two moves Scholma accepts a slight disadvantage, namely an inactive piece on 15. This weakness will become the theme of the game.
The more natural move ≡ 8-13 was not possible due to the combination 27.27-22 18x27 28.32x21 26x17 29.28-23 19x28 30.33x22 17x28 31.34-30 25x34 32.39x17 11x22 33.38-32.
≡ 27.37-31 26x37 28.32x41 18-23 29.38-32 4-9 30.41-37 8-13 31.37-31 2-7 32.31-26 12-18 33.42-38 7-12 34.27-22 18x27 35.32x21 23x32 36.38x27 13-18 37.43-38 11-16 38.27-22 18x27 39.21x32 6-11 40.32-27 9-13 41.38-32
Black now escapes to the corner using the exchange 24-30. This seems overly defensive, since black could easily wait a couple of moves (3-8, 12-18, 8-12) to see what white would do.
24-30(?) 42.35x24 19x30 43.32-28 30-35(?)
And here 15-20 followed by 20-24 seemed more logical, since this makes it much easier for black to put the white right wing under pressure, when launching a counter attack.
Brings the threat 22-18 into play, thus forcing black to take a difficult decision. Especially due to black's 43rd move, the exchange ≡ 11-17 46.22x11 16x7 looks dangerous now. After 47.28-22 20-24 48.48-43 13-19 49.27-21 24-30 50.43-38 19-23 black has enough counterplay, but when white starts with the more subtle ≡ 47.26-21!, the situation is less clear. So one can imagine that Scholma decides to complicate the situation using his next move. It is conceivable however, that the game is lost after that.
≡ 12-17 46.48-43 3-9? 47.39-33!
Now there is no longer doubt about the outcome. Podolski's next moves are both logical and strong.
20-24 48.34-29 24-30 49.43-39 9-14 50.44-40 35x44 51.39x50 30-35 52.29-23 35-40 53.33-29 13-19 54.22-18 25-30 55.18-12 17x8 56.29-24
With very simple means Podolski managed to achieve another victory, which definitely makes him a candidate for the world title.
© Wieger Wesselink https://10x10.org