1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15. Be3 Bg4 16. Qd3 Rae8 17. Nd2 Qh5 18. Bc2!? f5 19. f3 Lately, White players often have sought for an advantage against the Marshall by giving back their extra pawn and liquidate to an ending with the bishop pair. Ponomariov is doing exactly this, and it seems his plan is completely new here. 19... Bxf3 20. Nxf3 Qxf3 21. Bd2 Qxd3 22. Bxd3 f4 23. Rxe8 Rxe8 24. Kf2 fxg3+ 25. hxg3 c5 26. c4 Nb6 27. cxb5 c4 28. Bf1 axb5 29. Bg2 Rf8+ 30. Bf3 Be7 31. Ba5

31... Na4? After this Black gets into trouble; Leko might have miscalculated already. 31... Nd5 32. b3 Bf6 32... Nb2 33. Ke2! threatening 34.Rb1 Nd3 35.bxc4 and 36.Bd5+ is also very difficult for Black. 33. Kg2! Bxd4? The losing mistake, although the alternative is no fun for Black either. 33... Nb2 34. Bc3 Nd3 35. bxc4 b4 36. Bd2 Bxd4 37. Rf1! is a healthy pawn which still needs to be converted. 34. Rf1! Rxf3 35. Rxf3 Nb2 35... cxb3 36. Rxb3 36. Rf5 c3 37. Rxb5 c2 38. Rb8+ Kf7 39. Rc8 Nd1 40. Bd2 Bc3 41. Bc1 1-0

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 d6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Be3 Be7 9. f4 O-O 10. Qe1 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5 12. a3 Bb7 13. Qg3 g6 14. Bf3 a5 15. b4 Rc8 16. Rad1 16. Qf2 Rc4 17. Rad1 axb4 18. axb4 Qc8 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nxb5 Rxc2 21. Qe3 Ba6 22. Nxd6 Qb8 23. b5 Bxb5 24. Nxb5 Qxb5 25. Kh1 Bindrich-Balinov, Pulvermuehle 2005 16... axb4 17. axb4 Rc4 18. Kh1 Nd7 19. Be2 Rxb4 20. Nxb5 20. Bxb5 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 Rxb5 22. f5! Rxf5 23. Rxf5 exf5 24. Nxd6 20... Bxe4

21. Bg7!? A fantastic move that doesn't (one would almost add 'unfortunately') yield White very much. 21. Bc3 Ra4 22. Nxd6 Bxd6 23. Rxd6 Qc7 24. Rd4 Rxd4 25. Bxd4 Qxc2 21... Bxc2! Cool play by Mamedyarov. Black will get two pawns for the exchange which more than enough in such positions. 22. Bxf8 Qxf8 23. Rd4 d5 24. Rxb4 Bxb4 25. Rc1 Be4 26. Rc7 Qd8 27. Qe3 Qh4 28. Qg3 Qf6 29. Qe3 Qa1+ 30. Qc1 Qa2 31. Rc8+ Kg7 32. Qd1 Nf6 33. h3?! In a difficult position, and probably in timetrouble as well, Kamsky goes down. 33. Nc3 Qb2 34. Nxe4 Nxe4 35. Qf1 d4 is probably winning as well, though. 33... Bd2! This wins on the spot. 34. Qf1 Bxf4 35. Nc7 Qd2 36. Ne8+ Nxe8 37. Rxe8 Qe3 38. Bf3 Bxf3 39. gxf3 Qd2 40. Qg1 Qe2 0-1

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c4 The new thing in the Svesh. 11... b4 12. Nc2 a5 13. g3 O-O 14. h4 Be6 15. Bg2 15. Bh3 Be7 16. Bg2 Qb8 17. Nce3 Bxd5 18. Nxd5 Bd8 19. O-O Bb6 20. Bh3 Ra7 21. Qh5 Ne7 22. Bf5 h6 23. Nxe7+ Rxe7 24. Rad1 Bd4 25. b3 Predojevic-Wang Yue, Moscow 2007 15... g6 16. Nxf6+ Qxf6 17. b3 a4 18. O-O axb3 19. axb3 Rxa1 20. Qxa1 Qd8 21. Rd1 Qa5 22. h5 Qxa1 23. Rxa1 gxh5 24. Ra6 Rc8 25. Kh2 Kf8 26. Bh3 Ke7 27. Rb6 Kd7 28. Nxb4 Nxb4 29. Rxb4 Kc6 30. Rb5 Ra8 31. Bxe6 fxe6 32. f4 Ra2+ 33. Kh3 exf4 34. gxf4 Re2 35. e5 d5 36. Rb8 d4 37. Rd8 Kc5 38. Rd6 Re4 39. Kg3 h4+ 40. Kxh4 Rxf4+ 41. Kg3 Re4 42. Rxe6 Re3+ 43. Kf4 Rxb3 44. Re7 Excellent defence by Shirov. He's clearly back on track, and might start winning now! 1/2-1/2

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. Qd2 Be6 9. O-O-O Qd7 10. Kb1 O-O-O 11. Bb5 a6 12. Ba4 Bf6 13. Bg5 Two weeks ago, Ivanchuk played this position with the Black pieces: 13. Rhe1 h6 14. Nd4 Bd5 15. f3 Rhe8 16. Ne2 Bc4 17. Ng3 Bh4 18. Be3 f6 19. Bf2 Bxg3 20. hxg3 Rxe1 21. Rxe1 Re8 22. Bxc6 Qxc6 23. b3 Bf7 24. Rxe8+ Qxe8 25. Qe3 1/2, Karjakin-Ivanchuk, Sochi GP 2008 13... Bxg5 14. Qxg5 b5 15. Bb3 f6 16. Bxe6 Qxe6 17. Qf4 h5 18. h3 g5 19. Nd4 Qd5 20. Nxc6 To reach the draw, 20. Qf5+ Qxf5 21. Nxf5 seems possible as well, but in the rook ending it's very clear. 20... Qxd1+ 21. Rxd1 gxf4 22. Nxd8 Kxd8 23. Kc1 Rg8 24. Rg1 f3 25. g3 Re8 26. Rd1 Re2 27. Rd2 Re1+ 28. Rd1 Re2 1/2-1/2

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Bf4 Nbd7 9. Qc2 b6 10. Rd1 Ba6 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Nd7 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. e4 Rc8 15. Nc3 d4 16. Rxd4 Qc7 17. Rad1 Rfd8 18. h4 Nb8 It might surprise you that this is all still theory. A bit of a masochistic line for Black players, isn't it? 18... h6 19. h5 Nc5 20. Rxd8+ Rxd8 21. Bf1 Bxf1 22. Kxf1 a6 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. Be3 and White managed to win in Miton-Berczes, Budapest 2003 19. Rxd8+ Rxd8 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 21. Qa4 Qd7 22. Qxd7 Nxd7 23. Bf1 Bxf1 24. Kxf1 a6 25. Be3 White returns the pawn to activate his bishop and king. 25... Nxe5 26. Bxb6 Nc4 27. Na4 Nd2+ 28. Ke2 Nxe4 29. Kd3 f5 30. Nc3 Nc5+ 31. Kc4 Nd7 32. Bc7 Bc5 33. Nd1 Kf7 34. b4 Ba7 35. b5 Perhaps 35. a4 Bb6 36. Bd6 was a better try. 35... axb5+ 36. Kxb5 e5 37. a4 Ke6 38. a5 g6 39. a6 h6 40. Ne3 Nc5! Black will be right in time. 41. Bb6 41. Bb8 Bxb8 42. Kxc5 Ba7+ 43. Kb5 Kd7= 41... Bxb6 42. Kxb6 Nxa6 43. Kxa6 f4 44. gxf4 exf4 45. Ng4 Kf5 46. f3 h5 47. Nf2 Ke5 48. Nd3+ Kd4 49. Nxf4 Ke3 50. Nxg6 Kxf3 51. Kb5 Kg4 52. Kc4 Kf5 1/2-1/2