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Home » Chess News » Events » 54th Reggio Emilia 2011-12 » Nakamura leads at half way stage of Reggio after beating Ivanchuk

Hikaru Nakamura was somewhat fortunate to lead at the half-way stage after defeating Vassily Ivanchuk in the 5th round. A complex English Opening became very complicated when Ivanchuk sacrificed a whole rook to open up Nakamura's King. Ivanchuk in severe time pressure didn't find the best and checks on the run up to time control cost him even a draw in the end. It seems that 37...Ng4 was the winning try he missed and 40...Nh2 would probably have held.

Nakamura,Hikaru - Ivanchuk,Vassily [A22]
54th Reggio Emilia Reggio Emilia ITA (5), 31.12.2011

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.g3 Bb4 4.Nf3 Bxc3 5.bxc3 d6

[5...e4 6.Nd4 0-0 7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 Qxd5 9.f3 c5 10.fxe4 Nxe4 11.Qb3 Qh5 12.Bxe4 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.Bb2 Bh3 15.Bf3 Qg5 16.Rc1 Rad8 17.Rc5 Qf6 18.Rh5 Bc8 19.d5 Nd4 20.Bxd4 Qxd4 21.Rh4 Qe5 22.0-0 b6 23.d4 Qg5 24.e4 Ba6 25.Rd1 Rc8 26.Rf4 Qd8 27.e5 Bc4 28.Qb2 Bxd5 29.Qb5 1/2-1/2 Kamsky,G (2714)-Gelfand,B (2736)/Moscow RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 679]

6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 Re8 8.Ne1 c6 9.d3 h6 10.Rb1 d5 11.Qb3 b6 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.Nc2 Nc6 14.h3 Bb7 15.Nb4 Na5 16.Qb2 d4 17.c4 Rc8 18.Bxb7 Nxb7 19.e4 dxe3 20.Bxe3 Qd7 21.Kh2 Nd6 22.Rbc1 Nf5 23.Rfd1 h5 24.Qe2 h4 25.Nc2 b5 26.Qf3 bxc4 27.dxc4 hxg3+ 28.fxg3 Qe6 29.c5 Red8 30.Bf2 e4 31.Qb3 Qe5 32.Ne3 Rxd1

[32...Nd4 33.Qc4 Nh7 34.c6 Ng5 35.Ng4 Ndf3+ 36.Kg2 Qf5 37.Rxd8+ Rxd8 38.c7 Rc8 39.Be3 Ne6 40.Qb4]

33.Qxd1 Rxc5!

A rook sacrifice which may give black a decisive advantage but it is a whole rook and it isn't easy.

34.Nc4 Qc7 35.Bxc5 Qxg3+ 36.Kh1 Qxh3+ 37.Kg1

37...Qg3+?!

According to the computer black is much better here.

[37...Ng4 38.Qe2 Nh4 39.Nd2 Qg3+ 40.Kh1 Nf3 41.Nxf3 exf3 42.Qe8+ Kh7 43.Rc2 f2 44.Rxf2 Nxf2+ 45.Bxf2 Qxf2]

38.Kf1 Ng4 39.Qd8+ Kh7 40.Qd5

40....Qf3+?!

[40...Nh2+ 41.Ke2 Nd4+ 42.Bxd4 (42.Qxd4 Qg4+ 43.Ke3 Qg3+ 44.Kxe4 Qf3+ 45.Ke5 Qf6+ 46.Ke4 Qf3+) 42...Qf3+ 43.Ke1 Qf1+ 44.Kd2 Qd3+ 45.Ke1]

41.Ke1

After time trouble is over it is not longer clear that black can force a draw.

41...Ng3 42.Rc2 f5 43.Kd2 Nf6 44.Qd8 Ne2 45.Ke1 f4 46.Rxe2 Qc3+ 47.Kd1 Qxc4 48.Qd4 Qb5 49.Rh2+ Kg6 50.Kc2 a5 51.Be7 Qc6+ 52.Qc5 Qa4+

[52...Qxc5+ It's hard to believe white isn't just winning if black takes queens off.]

53.Kc1 f3 54.Bxf6 Kxf6 55.Rd2 g6 56.Rd6+ Kg7 57.Rd8 1-0

Terribly played game by both of us, but great for the fans.

Hikaru Nakamura on Twitter.

Anish Giri scored his first win beating local player Fabiano Caruana. Neither player has been at his best and this game proved no different. Giri got a nice initiative on the black side of a Petroff Defence soon out of the opening. Caruana attempted to keep his two bishops rather than simplify and quickly drifted rather planlessly into trouble. 22.Qc4? wasted time and 24.Kf1? should have lost immediately to 24...Nxf2, as it was Caruana couldn't find a defence and 25...Nxf2 proved decisive.

A victory with Petroff to conclude the year- what can be better! Happy New Year! :)

Anish Giri on Twitter.

Caruana,Fabiano - Giri,Anish [C42]
54th Reggio Emilia Reggio Emilia ITA (5), 31.12.2011
[Crowther,Mark]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.c4 Bb4+ 8.Nbd2 0-0

[8...Nxd2]

9.0-0

[9.h3]

9...Bf5

[9...Bxd2; 9...Nxd2; 9...Re8; 9...Nf6]

10.Nb3

[10.c5; 10.a3; 10.Qc2; 10.Be2]

10...dxc4 11.Bxc4 Nc6 12.Bd3 Bg6 13.a3 Bd6 14.Re1 f5 15.Qc2 Kh8 16.Be3 Qf6 17.Nc5 Bxc5!

In returm for the two bishops black gets a lasting initiative on the kingside.

18.dxc5 Rae8 19.Rad1 Bh5 20.Be2 f4 21.Bc1

Perhaps white should be prepared to give up the two bishops to try and simplify the position.

[21.Bd4 Qf5 22.Qc4 Nxd4 23.Nxd4 Bxe2 24.Nxe2]

21...a5 22.Qc4?

This just loses time.

[22.h3]

22...Re7 23.h3 Rfe8 24.Kf1?

White has drifted horribly in the last moves and this should lose straight away.

[24.Rf1]

24...h6?!

Black can win immediately with Nxf2 but is still well on top after this.

[24...Nxf2 25.Kxf2 Bxf3 26.gxf3 Qh4+ 27.Kf1 Qxh3+ 28.Kg1 Re6 29.Qxf4 Rg6+]

25.Qc2

[25.Qb3 a4 26.Qd3 Bxf3 27.Qxf3 Nd4 is huge for black,; 25.Qd3 a4 26.b4 axb3 27.Qxb3 Bxf3 28.Bxf3 Nd4 29.Qa4 Nxf3 30.gxf3 Nxc5 31.Qc4 Rxe1+ 32.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 33.Kxe1 Qe6+ 34.Qxe6 Nxe6 ought to be winning for black.]

25...Nxf2!

and it is over.

26.Kxf2 Bxf3 27.gxf3 Qh4+ 28.Kf1 Qxh3+ 29.Kf2 Qg3+ 30.Kf1 Re5 31.Bxf4 Qxf4 32.Qc4 Re4 33.Qb5

[33.Qc3; 33.Qb5 Qg3 and mate can't be prevented.]

0-1

Alexander Morozevich got back to winning ways in defeating Nikita Vitiugov in 41 moves. Morozevich went for complications right out of the opening compromising his pawn structure and castling queenside. A difficult middle-game transposed to a heavy piece endgame, possibly Vitiugov could have held by putting his rooks on the seventh rank but once he didn't his position was just lost.

Morozevich,Alexander - Vitiugov,Nikita [E39]
54th Reggio Emilia Reggio Emilia ITA (5), 31.12.2011
[Crowther,Mark]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5 0-0 6.a3 Bxc5 7.Nf3 b6 8.e4 Nc6 9.b4

[9.Bd3 1/2-1/2 Morozevich,A (2747)-Jakovenko,D (2671)/Pamplona ESP 2006/The Week in Chess 634 (114)]

9...Nd4 10.Qd2

[10.Qd3 Nxf3+ 11.gxf3 Be7 12.e5 Ne8 13.Rg1 Bb7 14.Ne4 Bxe4 15.Qxe4 a5 16.b5 f5 17.Qe2 Rc8 18.Bb2 Bc5 19.Rd1 Rf7 20.f4 g6 21.Qh5 Bf8 22.Qf3 Ng7 23.Be2 Bc5 24.Bd4 Ne8 25.Bxc5 Rxc5 26.Qe3 Rg7 27.Rg3 Qc7 28.h4 Qd8 29.h5 gxh5 30.Rxg7+ Nxg7 31.Qd4 d5 32.exd6 e5 33.fxe5 Ne6 34.Qe3 f4 35.Qe4 Qg5 36.d7 Rxe5 1-0 Marcetic,N (2295)-Cabrilo,G (2475)/Mataruska Banja 1997/EXT 2002]

10...Nxf3+ 11.gxf3 Be7 12.Rg1 Kh8 13.Bb2 a5 14.b5 d6 15.0-0-0

A double edged position.

15...Rg8 16.Kb1 Bb7 17.h4 Qc7 18.h5 h6 19.Na4 e5 20.Qe3 Bd8 21.Bd3 Nd7 22.f4 Bf6 23.fxe5 Bxe5 24.Bxe5

24...Nxe5

[24...dxe5 Looks safer.]

25.Nxb6 Rae8 26.Nd5 Bxd5 27.exd5 Nxd3

[27...Nxc4 28.Rxg7 With complications. 28...Kxg7 29.Rg1+ Kf6 30.Qxh6+ Ke5]

28.Qxd3 Re5 29.Rde1 Rxh5 30.Qd4 Qc8 31.Kb2 Kh7 32.Re7 Rf5 33.f4 g5 34.fxg5 Rgxg5 35.Rge1 Rg4 36.Qd3 Kg7 37.Qc3+ Kg6 38.b6

38...Qc5?

For better or worse black has to go for counterplay with 38...Rf2+

[38...Rf2+ 39.Ka1 Rgg2 40.b7 Ra2+ 41.Kb1 Qf5+ 42.R7e4 Rae2 43.R1xe2 Rxe2 44.Qg3+ Kh7 45.Qf4 Qg6 46.Qg4 Re1+ 47.Ka2 Qxg4 48.Rxg4 Re8]

39.b7 Rg2+ 40.Ka1 Rf3 41.b8Q 1-0

54th Reggio Emilia Reggio Emilia (ITA), 27 xii 2011 - 6 i 2012											cat. XX (2744)
					1		2		3		4		5		6
1.	Nakamura, Hikaru	g	USA	2758	*	*	½	.	1	.	1	.	½	.	1	.	11	2981
2.	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2762	½	.	*	*	0	.	1	.	1	.	1	.	10	2889
3.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2775	0	.	1	.	*	*	½	.	1	.	½	.	8	2810
4.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2714	0	.	0	.	½	.	*	*	1	.	½	.	5	2678
5.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2727	½	.	0	.	0	.	0	.	*	*	1	.	4	2598
6.	Vitiugov, Nikita	g	RUS	2729	0	.	0	.	½	.	½	.	0	.	*	*	2	2507

Round 5 (December 31, 2011)
Nakamura, Hikaru	- Ivanchuk, Vassily	1-0	57	A22	English Opening
Morozevich, Alexander	- Vitiugov, Nikita	1-0	41	E39	Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Caruana, Fabiano	- Giri, Anish	0-1	33	C42	Petroff's Defence

54th Reggio Emilia w Reggio Emilia (ITA), 27 xii 2011 - 6 i 2012
					1		2		3		4		5		6
1.	Guramishvili, Sopiko	wg	GEO	2374	*	*	0	.	1	.	1	.	1	.	1	.	12	2431
2.	Sharevich, Anna	wg	BLR	2267	1	.	*	*	0	.	½	.	1	.	1	.	10	2361
3.	Brunello, Marina	wm	ITA	2221	0	.	1	.	*	*	½	.	1	.	½	.	8	2293
4.	De Rosa, Mariagrazia	wf	ITA	2122	0	.	½	.	½	.	*	*	1	.	½	.	6	2241
5.	Chierici, Marianna	wf	ITA	2048	0	.	0	.	0	.	0	.	*	*	1	.	3	2016
6.	Videnova, Iva	wg	BUL	2297	0	.	0	.	½	.	½	.	0	.	*	*	2	1966

Round 5 (December 31, 2011)
Sharevich, Anna	- Guramishvili, Sopiko	1-0	35	D10	Slav Defence
Brunello, Marina	- De Rosa, Mariagrazia	½-½	36	B22	Sicilian Alapin
Videnova, Iva	- Chierici, Marianna	0-1	41	B04	Alekhine's Defence

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