1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Ngf3 cxd4 6. Bc4 Qd6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Nb3 Nc6 9. Nbxd4 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 a6 11. c3 Qc7 12. Bb3 Bd7 13. Bg5 O-O-O 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Qh5 Be8 16. Rad1 Kb8 17. Rd2 Rc8 17... f5 18. Rfd1 Rc8 19. Kh1?! (a bit of a strong move) 19... Rg8! 20. Qxh7 Rg6 21. Qh3 Rh6 22. Qg3 Bd6 23. Nc6+ Bxc6 24. Qxd6 Rch8 Vachier Lagrave-Akopian, Moscow 2006, which was eventually drawn as well. 18. Rfd1 Rg8!? Stellwagen must have known the above mentioned game, and decides the pawn sacrifice also works with the king on g1. 19. Qxh7 Rg6 (threatening 20...Rh6) 20. g3 f5 21. Qh5 f4 22. Qf3 Bc5 23. Kf1 Black has cre ated quite some pressure for the pawn, and White decides to go out of the pin, attacking f4 again. 23. Bc2!? 23... Rh6 Black could have played for a win with 23... e5! e.g. 24. Nf5 (24. Ne2 Rh6 25. Qg2 fxg3 26. hxg3 Rf6) 24... Rg5 25. Qe4 Bc6 26. Bd5 Bb5+ 27. Kg2 Bd7 24. Qxf4 Qxf4 25. gxf4 Rxh2 26. Nf3 1/2-1/2

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Bd6 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 f6 8. Be3 Ne7 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. Rfd1 Ng6 11. Nc4 Bxc4 12. Qxc4 Qe7 13. Rd4 Qf7 13... O-O-O 14. Rad1 Bf4 15. Bxf4 Nxf4 16. g3 Ng6 17. Rxd8+ Rxd8 18. Rxd8+ Qxd8 19. Kg2 Prie-Flear, Hyeres 1992 14. Nd2 Ne5 15. Qxf7+ Kxf7 16. Nc4 Nxc4 17. Rxc4 Rhe8 This line played by Nijboer looks like a very good (and easy) answer to the Ruy Lopez Exchange. 18. Rd1?! And this natural move seems to be leading to trouble already. 18. g3 Re6 19. Kg2 Rae8 20. Kf3= 18... Re6! 19. f3 (White can't avoid this move anymore) 19... f5! 20. Bc5 fxe4 21. Bxd6 cxd6 22. Rxe4 Rxe4 23. fxe4 Ke6 Black is now slightly better in the rook ending but White should probably be able to hold it. However, Nijboer's experienced GM technique decides the matter. 24. Rf1 a5 25. Rf3 a4 26. Kf2 Ra5 27. Ke3 Rh5 28. h3 Rc5 29. Kd3 Rg5 30. g4 h5 31. gxh5 Rxh5 32. Rg3 Kf6 33. Rf3+ Ke5 34. Rg3 b5 35. b3 a3 36. Kc3 c5 37. b4 c4 38. Kd2 Kd4 39. Rxa3 Rg5 40. Ra6 c3+ 41. Ke2 Rg2+ 42. Kf3 Rxc2 43. Rxd6+ Kc4 44. a3 Rh2 45. e5 c2 46. e6 Rh1 47. e7 Re1 0-1

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bg4 5. h3 Bxf3 6. Qxf3 e6 7. Nc3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 Bb4 9. Bd2 O-O 10. a3 Ba5 11. b4 Bc7 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. O-O Nb6 14. e4 dxe4 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 g6 17. Bh6 17. Qxb7 Qd6 18. g3 Qxd4 19. Qxc7 Rfc8 20. Qb7 Qxd3 21. Be3 Qd5 22. Qxd5 Nxd5 23. Rfc1 1/2 Ernst-Smeets, Dutch League 2008 was only played three days ago! 17... Qd6 18. g3 Rfb8 19. Rac1 Nd5 20. Bc4 Bb6 21. Qe5 Qxe5 22. dxe5 Ne7 23. Rfd1 Nf5 24. Bf4 1/2-1/2

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 d4 11. Ng5 This move, introduced by Anatoli Karpov in his match for the world championship against Viktor Korchnoi in 1978, is still almost as spectacular as it was back then. 11... Qxg5 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Bxe6+ fxe6 14. Qxc6 Qxe5 15. b4 Qd5 Reinderman knows what he's doing. It reveals ambition, because apparently Dimitri has looked at some new openings for this championship. 16. Qxd5 exd5 17. bxc5 dxc3 18. Nb3 d4 19. Ba3 g6 20. Bb4 Bg7 21. c6 The immediate 21. a4 is also played, but will transpose. 21... d3 22. a4 d2 23. axb5 This line is known to be good for Black because of 23... Kb8! but Smeets has found something interesting here: 24. Bc5! Wrong was 24. Rad1? Rd5 25. bxa6 Rhd8 26. Na1 Ka7 27. Nc2 Rb8 28. Rb1 Shirov-Anand, Mainz (rapid) 2004 and now Black could have won with 28... Bf8! 24... c2 This (by the way first new move, in a tournament game that is, as many people must have analysed it) leads to a draw immediately. More testing (and played on the internet once) is 24... Rhe8! 25. Nxd2 (25. Rxa6? Re1) 25... cxd2 26. Rab1 a5! and Black had a winning position in Burnett-Becerra Rivero, ICC 2006 After 24... Rhe8! Rybka gives 25. g3 Re5 26. Kg2 c2 27. Ba7+! Kc8 28. Nxd2 Rxb5 29. Rac1 Rxd2 30. Be3 Rd3 31. Rxc2= 25. Rxa6 d1=Q 26. Ba7+ Kc8 27. Bd4 Kb8 28. Ba7+ 1/2-1/2

1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. a3 c5 5. d4 dxc4 6. Bxc4 a6 7. O-O b5 8. Ba2 Bb7 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Qe2 O-O 11. Rd1 Nbd7 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. b4 Ba7 14. Bb2 Rc8 14... Qe7 15. h3 Rfd8 1/2, Panno-Braga, Mar del Plata 1982 15. Ne5 The two IMs decide to start with an easy first day, physically preparing for tougher ones. 1/2-1/2

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 O-O 7. Bb3 a6 8. Be3 Bxe3 9. fxe3 Na5 10. Bc2 10. Nbd2 Nxb3 11. axb3 Ng4 12. Qe2 f5 Barua-Safin, Mumbai 2003 10... Ng4 11. Qe2 f5 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. h3 Nh6 14. Nbd2 c5 15. Rf2 Qe7 16. Raf1 b5 17. b4 cxb4 18. cxb4 Rac8 19. Qd1 Nc6 20. a3 Bg6 21. Bb3+ Kh8 22. Ne4 Nf5 23. Qe2 Nh6 24. Nfg5 Rxf2 25. Qxf2 Nb8 26. Be6 Re8 27. Qa2 Nd7?! Necessary was 27... Bxe4 28. Nxe4 and only then 28... Nd7 28. Bf7! This strong move already decides the game. White will end up with two strong knights and a centralized queen - a killing combination. 28... Rf8 28... Nxf7 29. Nxf7+ Bxf7 30. Rxf7 29. Bxg6 Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 hxg6 31. Qd5 Nf6 32. Qxd6 Qxd6 33. Nxd6 Kg8 34. g4 Kf8 35. Nge4 Nd5 36. Ke2 Nf7 37. Nb7 Ke7 38. Nbc5 Nc7 39. h4 Nd6 40. Kf3 Nde8 41. g5 Nd6 42. Nxd6 Kxd6 43. e4 Ke7 44. Kg4 Ke8 45. h5 gxh5+ 46. Kxh5 Kf7 47. Nd7 Ke6 48. Nb8 Kf7 49. Nc6 Ke6 50. Kg6 1-0