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14th Monarch Assurance Isle of Man International
22 Sept - 2 Oct 2005
Last updated: Monday, August 21, 2017 6:37 PM
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Round 4 - 27 September 2005 - "And Then There were Six..."
The two Round 2 leaders, Tiviakov and Korneev, awarded themselves the
day off...
They have been joined in the lead by four other players ...
... Alexander Shabalov and Mikhail Kobalia, and ...
... Vyacheslav Ikonnikov and Evgeny Postny
The six players shown above are some of the most experienced grandmasters on the circuit. It is interesting to consider their age range. The oldest is Vyacheslav Ikonnikov (39), Korneev, Shabalov and Tiviakov are in their thirties, while Mikhail Kobalia is 27 and Israeli grandmaster Evgeny Postny, 24. I guess that represents the prime age range for modern grandmasters. But we have some highly talented teenagers in this field. Most British readers, and also some fans abroad, will be familiar with David Howell and his exploits as a prodigy for the last few years. David is knocking on the door of his final grandmaster norm as he approaches his 15th birthday in November. But Ukraine is represented by two teenagers who are already holders of that title. They were in the thick of the fourth round action.
Yuri Kuzubov looks a little older than he is, which is 15 years 8 months. He is yet another high quality product from the assembly line of A.V. Momot Chess Club in Kramatorsk which has already produced Ruslan Ponomariov, Sergei Karyakin and Kateryna Lahno. He started making a big impression last year at the Ukrainian Championship. He is less well known than some of the names mentioned, but I have a feeling that could change quite soon. In round four he was given a stern test by tournament third seed Mikhail Kobalia. The opening was very similar to that played in Palliser-Malakhatko in round two, but Kobalia played it more solidly. A long manoeuvring game ensued with Kobalia giving up the exchange for a pawn to break out of a bind set up by his youthful opponent. Kuzubov may have had a an edge some time after the first time control but he could never seem to make progress against Kobalia's resolute play.
Yuri Kuzubov (left) versus Mikhail Kobalia
Kuzubov,Y (2535) - Kobalia,M (2614)
Monarch Assurance Port Erin IOM (4.2), 27.09.2005
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Alexander
Areschenko (pictured left) is 19 years 3 months old, and is also
a product of the A. V. Momot Club. Despite his youth he is the tournament's
second rating favourite after Sergei Tiviakov. After a steady start to
the tournament, with draws against two sub-2400 rated playeds, he now
seems to be revving up his engine. Today, after an inauspicious opening,
he produced a vicious finish to sink the young Russian GM Vitaly Kunin.
Areshchenko,A (2625) - Kunin,V (2448) [B07]
Monarch Assurance Port Erin IOM (4.8), 27.09.2005
1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e5 4 dxe5 dxe5 5 Qxd8+ Kxd8 6 Bc4 Ke8 7 Nf3 Bd6 8 h3 a6 9 a4 Nbd7 [After this rather tame beginning, one was beginning to suspect that the players were going to adjourn to the hotel lounge fairly soon, some of their older confreres had already done.] 10 Be3 b6 11 Ke2 Bb7 12 Nd2 h6 13 f3 Bc5 14 Nf1 Ke7 15 h4 g6 16 g4 c6 [After this, you might have expected b6-b5 to follow, but Black never does this.] 17 h5 Bxe3 18 Nxe3 Nc5 19 b4 Ne6 20 Bxe6 Kxe6 21 hxg6 fxg6 22 Nc4 Rad8 [Very strange. Perhaps Black did not like the look of 22...b5 23 Na5 and then having to do something about the attacked bishop, but it looks better than simply gifting the b-pawn.] 23 Nxb6 h5 24 gxh5 Nxh5 25 Ke3 Rd4 [Now we are getting a glimmer of an idea why Black gave up his b-pawn; he is trying to cut off the b6 knight's retreat and attack the b4 pawn. But Areshchenko finds a way to exploit a flaw in this idea.] 26 Rag1 Kf7 27 Ne2! Rxb4 28 Nd7! [Black may not have known it yet, but he is a dead man walking. The e-pawn and g-pawn are doomed.] 28...Ke6
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29 Nxe5!! [I saw this move played. For a moment Black looked like he had been dazzled by the headlights of a big truck about to run him over.] 29...Rxa4 [29...Kxe5 30 Rxg6 and Black has to give up at least two pieces to prevent the threat of Rxh5+ followed by f4 mate.; The best Fritz can come up with is 29...Rh6 but then 30 Nxg6 and the h5 knight will soon be lost.] 30 Rxg6+ Ke7 31 Rg5 1-0 [The knight must fall, and the ridiculous bishop on b7 may as well be back in the box.]
I
may be a bit old-fashioned, but I think the following sort of thing should
not happen to a lady...
Galkin,A (2598) - Dworakowska,J (2401) [B92]
Monarch Assurance Port Erin IOM (4.10), 27.09.2005
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be2 e5 7 Nb3 Be7 8 0-0 0-0 9 Kh1 b5 10 a4 b4 11 Nd5 Nxd5 [This is a rather dubious line. 11...Bb7 is probably better.] 12 Qxd5 Ra7 13 Be3 Be6 14 Qd2 Rb7 15 f4 [15 a5 was played by Joanna Dworakowska herself against Mahini Salman at the Istanbul 2004. It makes it the more surprising that she should have played this line with Black.] 15...Qc7? [15...f6 and 15...exf4 have been played here previously. They are both vastly superior to the text.] 16 f5 Bd7
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Boards one and three both finished within 15 minutes of the round starting at 1.30pm. Leaders after round 4: Korneev, Tiviakov, Kobalia, Shabalov, Ikonnikov and Postny all have 3½/4. Note that the score of Ulibin-Shabalov has been corrected (5...a6 was played, not 5...d6 - the rest of the score is correct - my thanks to Alex Shabalov for pointing this out).
Round 4 Bd WHITE Result BLACK PIN 1 KORNEEV,Oleg 2594 (3) ½ - ½ TIVIAKOV,Sergei 2678 (3) 8 1 2 KUZUBOV,Yuri 2535 (2½) 0 - 1 KOBALIA,Mikhail 2614 (2½) 22 3 3 BRODSKY,Michail 2554 (2½) ½ - ½ EPISHIN,Vladimir 2600 (2½) 19 5 4 ULYBIN,Mikhail 2529 (2½) 0 - 1 SHABALOV,Alexand 2593 (2½) 23 9 5 KIDAMBI,Sundarar 2484 (2½) 0 - 1 IKONNIKOV,Vyache 2560 (2½) 28 14 6 PALLISER,Richard 2389 (2½) 0 - 1 POSTNY,Evgeny 2559 (2½) 43 16 7 GORMALLY,Daniel 2557 (2) 1 - 0 GOLETIANI,Rusuda 2332 (2½) 17 53 8 ARESHCHENKO,Alex 2625 (2) 1 - 0 KUNIN,Vitaly 2448 (2) 2 32 9 GHAEM MAGHAMI,Eh 2603 (2) ½ - ½ ZATONSKIH,Anna 2435 (2) 4 36 10 GALKIN,Alexander 2598 (2) 1 - 0 DWORAKOWSKA,Joan 2401 (2) 6 40 11 LALIC,Bogdan 2491 (2) ½ - ½ ERENBURG,Sergey 2595 (2) 27 7 12 HOWELL,David W 2471 (2) 1 - 0 KOGAN,Artur 2580 (2) 29 10 13 DAVID,Alberto 2579 (2) 1 - 0 SAREEN,Vishal 2385 (2) 11 44 14 NEELOTPAL,Das 2467 (2) 0 - 1 MIKHALEVSKI,Vict 2572 (2) 31 12 15 FRIDMAN,Daniel 2566 (2) ½ - ½ GUPTA,Abhijeet 2380 (2) 13 46 16 KOLBUS,Dietmar 2416 (2) 0 - 1 MALAKHATKO,Vadim 2556 (2) 39 18 17 AAGAARD,Jacob 2442 (2) 0 - 1 KRITZ,Leonid 2544 (2) 33 20 18 SULSKIS,Sarunas 2535 (2) 1 - 0 ALLEN,Keith 2210 (2) 21 62 19 COX,John 2385 (2) 1 - 0 WELLS,Peter 2529 (2) 45 24 20 FAIRBAIRN,Steve 2065 (2) 0 - 1 BOBRAS,Piotr 2525 (2) 82 25 21 YAKOVICH,Yuri 2560 (1½) 1 - 0 ZOZULIA,Anna 2314 (1½) 15 55 22 VITOUX,Colomban 2264 (1½) 0 - 1 ADLY,Ahmed 2503 (1½) 58 26 23 ASHTON,Adam 2294 (1½) 0 - 1 KONONENKO,Tatian 2442 (1½) 56 34 24 GLADYSZEV,Oleg 2436 (1½) 1 - 0 HUGHES,Howard R 2194 (1½) 35 67 25 GREET,Andrew N 2425 (1½) ½ - ½ MIRZOEVA,Elmira 2223 (1½) 37 60 26 KLENBURG,Mikhail 2400 (1½) ½ - ½ GRANT,Alan 2152 (1½) 41 71 27 KIRSCHBAUM,Gunna 2204 (1½) 0 - 1 ROEDER,Mathias 2393 (1½) 65 42 28 NEGI,Parimarjan 2376 (1½) 1 - 0 ADAMS,Phil 2138 (1½) 47 73 29 MANNION,Steve R. 2331 (1½) 1 - 0 DUHAYON,Yves 2230 (1) 54 59 30 WADEMARK,Helge 2182 (1) 0 - 1 NEUBAUER,Martin 2468 (1) 68 30 31 LOHOU,Stephane 2144 (1) 0 - 1 ZUDE,Erik 2424 (1) 72 38 32 RUSTON,Mark 2116 (1) 0 - 1 ZIMMERMAN,Yuri 2375 (1) 75 48 33 PEEK,Marcel 2373 (1) 1 - 0 SMITH,Andrew P 2204 (1) 49 64 34 HANLEY,Craig 2367 (1) 1 - 0 DUNN,Andrew 2197 (1) 50 66 35 BENNION,David A. 2074 (1) 0 - 1 BOSBOOM-LANCHAVA 2363 (1) 81 51 36 RADOVANOVIC,Jovi 2357 (1) 1 - 0 WALTHER,Cliff 2175 (1) 52 69 37 HEYL,Thomas 2101 (1) 0 - 1 PERIC,Slavisa 2280 (1) 77 57 38 SPENCE,David 2218 (1) 1 - 0 HENRICHSEN,Jens 2075 (1) 61 80 39 GROFFEN,Hans 2210 (1) ½ - ½ MARTIN,Katie 1953 (1) 63 89 40 GOODGER,Martyn 2162 (½) 1 - 0 YOUNG,Mel 1971 (½) 70 88 41 FOX,Anthony 2118 (½) 0 - 1 FOX,Pierre 1815 (½) 74 91 42 WERNER,Gert 2047 (½) ½ - ½ HICKMAN,John 2115 (½) 83 76 43 DE LAGONTRIE,Jea 1988 (½) 1 - 0 FRASER-MITCHELL, 2098 (½) 87 78 44 HENDERIKSE,Bert 2028 (0) 0 - 1 SPANTON,Tim 2032 (½) 85 84 45 HUTCHINSON,Norma 2097 (0) ½ - ½ MARKS,Ian A 1889 (0) 79 90 46 MCKENZIE,Mark 1249 (0) 0 - 1 NICHOLSON,John 2000 (0) 92 86