1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 a6 5. c5 g6 6. Bf4 Nh5 7. Be5 Bg7 8. e4 True to his style, Shirov finds a very sharp way to treat Kamsky's favorite Chebanenko. 8. Bxg7 Nxg7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. Rg1 Nd7 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nf6 13. Nc3 Be6 14. Be2 Bd5 Zilberman-Rotman, London 1994 8... dxe4 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Be2 Nd7 11. Nfg5!? 11. Bxg7 11... Qa5+ 12. Kf1 Bd5 13. Bxg7 Nxg7 14. Nc3 h6 15. Nxd5 hxg5 16. Ne3 Rd8 17. Qb3 Qc7 18. g3 Nf6 19. Rd1 Qd7 20. Bc4 e6 21. Kg2 Kf8 22. h3 Nf5 23. Nxf5 gxf5 24. Qe3 Rg8 25. h4 Ng4 26. Qe2 gxh4 27. Rxh4 Qe7 28. Rh3 Qg5 29. Qd2 f4 30. Be2 Nf6 31. Bf3 e5

32. Qc2? A big mistake after which White will be under an attack being a pawn down as compensation! An important Zwischenzug was 32. Qa5 to be able to take on e5 on the next move. 32... exd4 33. b4 Qe5 34. Qd2?! It's not something you like to do, but going for the ending with 34. Qe2 was probably the best defence against Black's threats. 34... fxg3 35. Re1 The alternatives look pretty hopeless as well: 35. Rxg3 Rxg3+ 36. fxg3 Ne4 35. fxg3 Ng4! (35... Ne4 36. Qh6+ Ke7 37. Qh4+) 36. Bxg4 Rxg4 37. Re1 Re4 35... gxf2+ 36. Kxf2 Qg5! 37. Qxg5 Rxg5 38. Rh8+ Ng8 39. Rd1 Tougher, but probably also losing, was 39. Be4 39... Kg7 40. Rh4 d3! Kamsky plays the final phase very strongly. 41. Re4 Nf6 42. Re7 Rf5 43. Rxb7 Ng4+ 44. Kg3 Ne3 45. Re1 Nc4 Two losses - a disappointing start for Shirov. 0-1

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Re1 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nxd5 Qxd5 10. d4 cxd4 11. Qxd4 Qxd4 12. Nxd4 Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Na6 13... O-O 14. Be3 Bc5 15. Red1 Na6 16. a3 Rfc8 17. Rac1 Kf8 18. Rc4 e5 19. Nf5 Bxe3 20. Nxe3 Nc5 21. Kf3 Rd8 22. b4 1/2-1/2, Alekseev-Gelfand, Russian Team Championship (Sochi) 2007 14. Be3 Bf6 15. Rac1 O-O 16. Rc4 Bxd4 17. Bxd4 Rfd8 18. Be3 b5 19. Rc3 Nb4 20. Bc5 Nd5 21. Rc2 h6 22. Rec1 f5 23. f3 a6 24. e4 fxe4 25. fxe4 Nf6 26. Be7 Rd7 27. Bxf6 gxf6 28. Kh3 Kf7 29. Kg4 Kg6 30. Rc6 e5 31. Rf1 Rf8 32. Rf5 Rd2 33. Rxa6 Rxh2 34. Rxe5 h5+ 35. Kf4 Rf2+ 36. Ke3 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. d5 exd5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. O-O Be7 10. Rd1 Qc8 11. a3 11. e4 Nc7 12. Nc3 O-O 13. e5 Ne6 14. Nd5 Bxd5 15. Rxd5 Nc6 16. Qe4 Qb7 Carlsen-Anand, Mainz rapid 2008 11... Nf6 12. Nc3 d5 13. Bg5 Nbd7 13... d4 14. Bxf6 gxf6 (14... Bxf6 15. Nb5 Qd7 16. Nfxd4 Bxg2 17. Ne6 Qc6 18. Nd6+ Ke7 19. Nf4 Rd8 20. Nf5+ Kf8 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. Nxg2 g6 23. Rd1 Bc7 24. Qc3 f6 25. Nd6 Nd7 Slugin-Grekh, Lipetsk 2008) 15. Ne4 O-O 16. Rac1 Qe6 17. Nh4 Bc6 18. Nd2 Bxg2 19. Nxg2 Bd6 20. Nf3 Nc6 Rodshtein-Pashikian, Yerevan 2006 14. e4 d4 15. e5 Nxe5 16. Nxe5 Bxg2 17. Qa4+ Nd7 18. Bxe7 Kxe7 19. Re1 Nxe5 20. Rxe5+ Kf8 The safe continuation. Leko didn't want to test his opponent's preparation in the line 20... Kf6 21. Kxg2 Kxe5 22. Re1+ Kf6 23. Ne4+ Ke7 24. Nxc5+ Kf8 25. Nd7+ Kg8 26. Re7 21. Kxg2 dxc3 22. bxc3 g6 23. Rae1 Kg7 24. Re7 Qf5 25. Qc4 Rhd8 26. R1e5 Qf6 27. R5e6 Qf5 28. Re5 Qf6 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qc2 O-O 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3 c6 10. Nd2 Qe8 11. e3 11. f3 Qe6 12. Bh4 Re8 13. Bf2 b6 14. e3 Bb7 15. Be2 c5 Sargissian-Bagirov, Abu Dhabi 2003 11... Ne4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Bf4 Qe6 14. Be2 Nb6 15. Bg3 Qg6 16. Qc5 Bg4 17. Bxg4 Qxg4 18. Qe7 Nd7 19. Qb4 Nb6 20. Qe7 Nd7 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bb5+ c6 8. Ba4 O-O 9. Ne2 e5 10. O-O Re8 11. Qc2 Nd7 12. Bb3 b6 12... Qe7 13. f3 b6 14. Be3 Ba6 15. Rad1 Rac8 16. Rfe1 c5 Gleizerov-Kozul, Oberwart 1995 13. f4 exd4 14. f5 gxf5 15. cxd4 Nc5 16. e5 Nxb3 17. axb3 c5 18. Bb2 cxd4 19. Nxd4 Rxe5 20. Nc6 Rc5 21. Qxc5 bxc5 22. Nxd8 Bxb2 23. Rae1 Bd7 24. Nb7 Bd4+ 25. Kh1 Rb8 26. Nd6 Rxb3 27. Re7 Be6 28. Rxa7 c4 29. Ra4 Rc3 30. Nb5 Rd3 31. Nxd4 Rxd4 1/2-1/2