1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 Bg7 12. Nxf7 It's no surprise that a player like Shirov also lies to try out Cheparinov's piece sacrifice. 12... Kxf7 13. e5 Nd5 14. Ne4 Qb6 15. Nd6+ Ke7 16. Bg4 h5!? Karjakin is starting to become known as the theoretician in the circuit! 16... Raf8 17. Qc2 Qxd4 (17... Rhg8! 18. a4 Ba8 19. Rfe1 Nc7 20. d5 cxd5 21. axb5 a5 Timman-Ljubojevic, Wijk aan Zee 2008) 18. Qg6 Qxg4 19. Qxg7+ Kd8 20. Nxb7+ Kc8 21. a4 b4 22. Rac1 Topalov-Kramnik, Wijk aan Zee 2008 17. Bxh5 Raf8 18. Qg4 Bh6 19. h4 Rhg8 Here Rybka comes up with the surprising 19... c5!? 20. hxg5 Bg7 20. hxg5 Bxg5 21. Ne4!? This means sacrificing the queen, but White will get lots of pieces for her majesty. 21. Rfe1!? 21... Ne3!? 22. Qxg5+! Rxg5 23. Bh4 Kd8 23... Nd5 24. Bxg5+ N5f6 25. exf6+ Nxf6 26. Rad1! is a worse version. 24. fxe3 Rh8 25. Bxg5+ Kc7 26. Bg4 The smoke has cleared and we're looking at irregular and quite interesting position. The players' route to the draw seems quite forced, but still looks pretty exciting. 26... c5 27. dxc5 Nxc5 28. Rf7+ Kb8 29. Nd6 Rg8 30. Raf1 Rxg5 31. Rf8+ Kc7 32. R1f7+ Nd7 33. Rxd7+! Kxd7 34. Rf7+ Kd8 Black cannot escape because 34... Kc6 35. Bf3+ Kc5 36. Rxb7 followed by 37.Ne4+ is good for White. 35. Rf8+ Kd7 36. Rf7+ 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qa4 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. dxc5 bxc5 8. O-O Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Rd1 d6 11. Bf4 Qb6 12. Rd2 h6 13. Rad1 e5 14. Be3 Nc6 15. Qb5 Qc7 16. Qb3 16. Qa4 Nd4 17. Ne1 Rfb8 18. b3 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Rb6 20. f3 Qb7 21. Qa3 Borges Mateos-Van Wely, Matanzas 1995 16... a6 17. Nh4 Rfb8 18. Bxc6 Qxc6 19. f3 e4 20. Qc2?! Strange, because 20. Nf5 looks very logical. 20... Re8! A much better square for the rook by now. 21. fxe4 Eljanov prefers to continue the middlegame. 21... Qc8!? 21... Nxe4 22. Nxe4 Qxe4 23. Qxe4 Bxe4 also looks a bit better for Black. 22. Nf3 Qh3 23. Kh1 Bf8 24. Rd5 Trying to avoid more trouble by closing the long diagonal, but White won't get any compensation. 24... Bxd5 25. cxd5 Ng4 26. Bg1 g6 27. e5 Nxe5 28. Ne4 Ng4 29. Nh4 Rab8 30. Ng2 Rxe4! A nice finish; the ending is hopeless for White. 31. Qxe4 Qxh2+ 32. Bxh2 Nf2+ 33. Kg1 Nxe4 34. b3 h5 35. Rc1 Bg7 36. Rc2 g5 37. Ne1 Re8 38. Kf1 Nc3 39. Rd2 g4 40. Ng2 Bh6 0-1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. a4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. Be3 O-O 10. f4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 12. Bf3 Bd7 13. Nb3 b6 14. g4 Bc8 15. Bg2 Bb7 16. g5 Nd7 17. Rf3 Bf8 18. Rh3 g6 19. Qe1 Nb4 20. Qf2 Bg7 21. Rf1 Re7 22. Bd4 e5 23. fxe5 Bxe5 23... dxe5 24. Be3 Rd8 25. a5 bxa5 26. Nc5 Nf8 27. Nxb7 Qxb7 28. Bb6 Rb8 29. Bxa5 Nc6 30. b4 Ne6 Grischuk-Rublevsky, Candidates Match (Elista) 2007 24. Bxe5 dxe5 25. Rf3 Nf8 26. a5 bxa5 27. Nxa5 A nice pointe - White is using the whole board. We can't call it a sacrifice. 27... Rb8 After 27... Qxa5 White wins back the material and more: 28. Rxf7 Qd8 29. Qf6! Rxf7 30. Qxf7+ Kh8 31. Qxb7 28. Nxb7 Qxb7 29. Rf6 Is the Schevenin gen better for White anyway? Is this how Karpov should have played it against Kasparov? 29... Qa7 More active is 29... Ne6 but after 30. Nd5 Nxd5 31. exd5 Nf4 White wins by force with 32. Rxf4! exf4 33. d6 Re4 34. Qf3! Rb4 35. Qxb7 R4xb7 36. Bxb7 Rxb7 37. Rd1 30. Nd5! Nxd5 31. Qxa7? Allowing Black good drawing chances. Better was 31. exd5 Qxf2 32. R6xf2 e4 (32... Rxb2? 33. d6 Rd7 34. Bd5) 33. c4 e3 34. Re2 with a big advantage. 31... Rxa7 32. exd5 Rxb2 Now this is possible. 33. d6 Ne6 34. Bd5 Kg7 35. Rxe6!? fxe6 36. Bxe6 Rb6 37. d7 Ra8 38. Rf7+ Kg8 39. Re7+ Rxe6? It looks like Black could have held the draw with 39... Kf8 40. Rxh7 Rxe6 41. Rh8+ Ke7 42. Rxa8 Kxd7= 40. Rxe6 Kf7 41. Rxa6! Rd8 42. Rd6 Ke7 43. Rd1 Rxd7 Black has to take, but the pawn ending is lost because of the distant passed pawn. 44. Rxd7+ Kxd7 45. Kg2 Ke6 46. Kf3 Kf5 47. h4 e4+ 48. Ke3 Ke5 49. c4 Kf5 50. c5 Ke5 51. c6 Kd6 52. Kxe4 Kxc6 53. Ke5 1-0

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O Nc6 8. Nb3 O-O 9. Kh1 a6 10. f4 b5 11. Bf3 Bb7 12. a4 12. Qe1 Rc8 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nd4 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. c3 Bg7 17. a4 Koenig-Napolitano, Munich 1936 12... b4 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Na5 15. c3 Safer, but also slightly better for Black, is 15. Nxa5 Qxa5 16. Re1 Bf6 17. Qd3 Rac8 18. Bd2 15... bxc3 16. bxc3 Rc8 17. Rb1 Ba8 18. Nd2 Nc4 19. Nxc4 Rxc4 20. Bd2 Qa5 With simple moves Black has gained a big advantage already. 21. Qe1 Bxd5 22. Be2 22. Qxe7 Bxf3 23. Rxf3 Qd5! 24. Qe2 Rxa4 22... Qxa4! With two pawns and a target on c3 you don't have to worry about the compensation. From now, White can only hope for a miracle. 23. Bxc4 Bxc4 24. Rf2 e6 25. Be3 Bd5 26. Rfb2 Qe4 27. Qd2 h5 28. Bd4 Bh6 29. Be3 a5 30. Rb8 Kh7 31. h3 Rxb8 32. Rxb8 Bg7 33. Bd4 Bxd4 34. cxd4 a4 35. Kh2 a3 36. Rb4 a2 37. Ra4 Qb1 37... Qb1 38. Qc3 Qf1 and White loses another pawn (with check). 0-1