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 Qb6 11. Bf4 Rd8 12. Rd2 d6 13. Rad1 Ne8 14. e4 Bc6 15. Qc2 Nd7 16. e5 dxe5 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Bxe5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nf6 20. Ne4 Rxd2 20... Qc6 21. f3 Nxe4 22. Qxe4 Qxe4 23. fxe4 Kf8 24. Kf3 f6 25. Bc7 Rxd2 26. Rxd2 Ke8= Braun-Tischbierek, Tegernsee 2007 21. Rxd2 Rd8 22. Bxf6 gxf6 22... Bxf6? 23. Rxd8+ Bxd8 24. Qa4 Kf8 25. Qd7 is erg onaangenaam voor zwart. 23. g4 Wit heeft een plusje maar veel is het niet. 23... h5!? 23... Rd4!? 24. h3 Na 24. gxh5 f5 25. Ng3 Rd4 heeft zwart compensatie maar misschien had wit het toch moeten proberen. In de partij bereikt-ie niet veel. 24... hxg4 25. hxg4 Rxd2 26. Qxd2 Qc6 27. f3 f5 28. gxf5 exf5 29. Nc3 Qg6+ 30. Kf1 Qh5 31. Qg2+ Kf8 32. Nd5 Qh6 33. f4 Bd6 34. Qg1 Qh5 35. Kf2 Qh8 36. Qc1 Qd4+ 37. Kf3 Qd3+ 38. Kf2 Qd4+ 39. Kf3 Qd3+ 40. Kf2 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. dxc5 Qxd1 10. Rxd1 Bxc5 11. Bd2 b6 12. Bd3 Bb7 12... Nb4 13. Be2 Bb7 14. a5 bxa5 15. Rxa5 Be7 16. Ne5 O-O 17. f3 Rfd8 18. e4 I.Sokolov-Wells, London/Crowthorne 2006 13. Ne4 Be7 14. Nxf6+ Bxf6 15. Rac1 O-O 16. Be4 White's advantage is very small and somehow Black should be able to equalize here. 16... Rfc8 17. b3 Na5 18. Bxb7 Nxb7 19. Bb4 Bb2 20. Rxc8+ Rxc8 21. Rd7 Na5?! 21... Nd8 22. g4 Nc6 23. Bd6 b5 looks better. 22. Bxa5 bxa5 23. g4 h6 24. Kg2 Bc3?! "Threatening" 25...Rb8 but Black cannot win the b-pawn like this. 25. g5! Rb8 26. Rd3 Rc8 26... Rxb3? 27. Nd4 Ra3 28. Nc2 Rb3 29. gxh6 gxh6 30. e4 and Black finds himself caught in an "eternal pin". 27. h4 hxg5 28. hxg5 Kh7 29. Kg3 Kg6 30. Kf4 Rc6 31. e4 f6 32. Kg4 fxg5 Perhaps Black should have waited with something like 32... Bb2 33. Nxg5 e5 34. Nf3 Kf6 35. Kh5 Ke7 36. Nh4 Kf6 37. Rf3+ Ke6 38. Nf5 Kd7 Black's last chance might have been 38... Kf7 39. Ne3+ Ke8 40. Nc4 Be1! 41. Nxe5 Rc5 42. Rf5 Bxf2 43. Kg6 Ke7 39. Rd3+ Kc7 40. Nxg7 This is probably winning - especially with Ivanchuk's technique. 40... Be1 41. f3 Rc3 42. Ne6+ Kc6 43. Rxc3+ Bxc3 44. Kg6 Kd6 45. Kf5 Kc6 46. f4 exf4 47. Kxf4 Bf6 48. e5 Be7 49. Ke4 Bh4 50. Kd4 Bg3 51. Ng5 Bf4 52. Nf3 Bg3 53. Kc4 White's next move is 54.Nd4+ gaining control over d5. A great game by Ivanchuk that started a bit dull and was indeed close to a draw at some point. But fighting spiritprevailed! 1-0

1. c4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxd4 7. Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8. Be2 Na6 9. Ba5 Gustafsson feels that the important alternative 9. Bd6 is more dangerous for Black. As an example, we give the stem game: 9... Bd7 10. Nf3 c5 11. Ne5 Bc6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. O-O Ne7 14. Qa4 Nb4 15. Bxc5 a5 16. Bf3 Qc2 17. b3 Rc8 18. Qxa5 Nd3 19. Be4 Qe2 20. Bxd3 Qxd3 21. Rad1 Qf5 22. Qa7 1-0, Taimanov-Steiner, Saltsjobaden 1952 9... b6 10. Qd6 Bd7 11. O-O-O O-O-O 12. Bc3 f6 13. Bf3? Van Wely mixes up the move order and this is critical in such a sharp line. Also not good is 13. b3? Qxg2 14. Bf3 Qg5+ 15. Kb2 Qc5 16. Qg3 Ne7 17. Qxg7 Nf5 18. Qxf6 Rhf8 19. Qg5 Qxf2+ 20. Rd2 Qe3 Van Wely-Shirov, Amber rapid 2002 Normally White plays 13. Qa3 Kb7 14. Bf3 for example 14... Qf4+ 15. Rd2 Qc7 16. Ne2 e5 Atalik-Pavasovic, Nova Gorica 2003 13... Qxc4 14. Be2 Only this is new, but it's already bad for White. 14. Qa3 was played in Bick-Balazs, Budapest 2006 14... Qxa2 15. Nf3 Nc5 16. Ne5 Ne4 17. Bc4 Qa1+ 18. Kc2 Qa4+ and White resigned because of 18... Qa4+ 19. Bb3 Qxb3+ 20. Kxb3 Nxd6 21. Rxd6 fxe5 0-1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nc6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nf6 9. h3 Bg7 10. Be3 O-O 11. O-O Rfc8 12. b3 e6 12... a6 13. a4 Qd8 14. Qd2 Nd7 15. Rab1 Nc5 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Bd4 Petschar-Wohlmann, Oostenrijk 1996 13. Rc1 Qe7 14. Qd2 a6 15. Rfd1 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 Rc6 17. a4 Rac8 18. Re1 Qf8 19. Rcd1 Nd7 20. Bxg7 Qxg7 21. Ne2 Het pionoffer 21. e5!? Nxe5 22. Ne4 ziet er interessant uit omdat 22... Rd8 23. Qg5 irritant is voor zwart. 21... Nc5 22. Nd4 R6c7 23. Qe3 Rd7 24. a5 Rdd8 25. Rd2 e5! Zwart wacht niet af. 26. Ne2 f5 27. exf5 gxf5 28. Red1 Ne4 29. Rd5 Kh8 30. f4 Helaas biedt Leko andermaal in een vroeg stadium remise aan. Er is nog genoeg om voor te schaken in deze stelling, toch? 1/2-1/2