The erratic Ukrainian grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk has scored an overwhelming victory in a rapidplay tournament sponsored by the Latvian railway. Leading scores were as follows: Ivanchuk 13 (out of 14); Malakhov 10; Fridman 9½; Bologan 9; Shirov (and many others) 8½. There is something symptomatic about the colossal scale of Ivanchuk’s victory in this event.
Rapid games do not count for ratings or titles, hence it is possible to play without experiencing the kind of pressure which causes Ivanchuk’s ups and downs in classical chess. Although Ivanchuk can defeat anybody, with his victims including Kasparov, Karpov, Anand, Carlsen and Kramnik, he regularly succumbs to nerves in championship events and fails to reproduce the form which he showed when performing for the Latvian Railway System.
Vladimir Sveshnikov-Ivanchuk: Latvian Railway Open, Riga 2014; Scotch Game
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Bc5 5 Nxc6 Qf6 6 Qf3 bxc6 7 Nc3 Qxf3 8 gxf3 I had long considered this position to be at least equal, if not slightly favourable to black. The reason is that the f4-square seems to me to be a source of potential weakness and that White’s doubled pawns are more rigid than their black counterparts. The game Kalton-Keene, Dulwich 1963 continued 8 … Ne7 9 Be3 Bb4 10 Bd4 f6 11 a3 Bd6 12 0-0-0 Be5 and Black is already seeking to take over the central dark squares. 8 … d6 9 Rg1 g6 10 Be3 Bxe3 I like the retreat 10 … Bb6 encouraging White to straighten out the black pawn structure after 11 Bxb6 axb6. There is, however, nothing at all wrong with the text. 11 fxe3 f5 12 0-0-0 Nf6 13 exf5 Bxf5 (see diagram 1) 14 e4 Once again this converts f4 into a vaguely weak point. After 14 Bd3 the position is completely level. 14 … Be6 15 f4 White advances boldly but he must be careful to avoid this pawn becoming a target for attack. 15 … 0-0-0 16 Ba6+ Kb8 17 Rd4 With the transparent threat of 18 Rb4+ which Black easily parries. The solid course is 17 Rdf1. 17 … Nd7 18 Rb4+ Nb6 19 e5 c5 20 Re4 d5 21 Ree1 Rhf8 (see diagram 2) 22 Rgf1 Better is 22 Ref1 to prevent … Bg4 at a later stage. 22 … c6 23 Be2 A panic reaction, doubtless fearing … c4 cutting off his bishop. 23 … Rf7 24 Rf2 Rdf8 25 Ref1 Bh3 This annihilates White’s defence of the perennial weakness on f4, after which White’s position collapses. 26 Re1 Rxf4 27 Rxf4 Rxf4 28 a4 Kc7 29 a5 Nd7 30 Bd1 Be6 31 b3 Rh4 32 Re2 Rh5 White resigns
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