Biel: the usual two wins

In the 4th round of Biel we got our usual dose of two wins. Evgeny Alekseev caught up with Magnus Carlsen by beating Yannick Pelletier, while Leinier Dominguez was victorious against the luckless Etienne Bacrot.

By Michael Schwerteck

Click here to download the games.

Onischuk – Carlsen:

For what it’s worth, Carlsen had the opportunity to climb up to first place in the live rating list with another win. However, he never had any realistic winning chances against Onischuk’s rock solid play. The game would have been mildly interesting if the short tactical sequence around move 14 had been something original, but all that stuff has already been played several times. In the endgame Onischuk had the slightly more active minor piece but couldn’t find any way to make serious progress.

Dominguez – Bacrot:

The nightmare goes on for Bacrot. Facing Dominguez‘ Anti-Marshall, he managed to more or less hold his own for some time but once again misplayed his position shortly before the first time-control. Don’t ask me why he didn’t simply take that annoying knight at move 36. Instead he blundered his c3-pawn and, probably out of frustration, didn’t offer much resistance after that. I’m still waiting for the Frenchman’s awakening. I know he can play much better.

Pelletier – Alekseev:

I don’t understand why Pelletier played the whole game so passively. As long as he plays like this, he can’t expect to score more than a few half-points. Excuse me, but in my eyes a move like 23.Sd2-b1 is a crime that deserves to be punished, which is exactly what happened. Another easy victory for Alekseev, slightly reminiscent of his first round win against Bacrot (the queenside majority again).

Current standings:

1.-2. Magnus Carlsen and Evgeny Alekseev 3/4; 3.-4. Leinier Dominguez and Alexander Onischuk 2,5/4; 5.-6. Etienne Bacrot and Yannick Pelletier 0,5/4.

Pairings of the 5th round:

Carlsen – Dominguez
Alekseev – Onischuk
Bacrot - Pelletier