Morozevich´s first game after the Olympiad

[Javier]

GM Alexander Morozevich.

 

Everyone was hoping that the Super Tournament at Reggio Emilia (Italy) which is being held these days would see a recharged (you know, like the batteries) Alexandar Morozevic, after his bad result at the Olympiad this year and a few other tournaments over the last 2 years (he's actually lost nearly 100 points, he was 2788 back in 2008).

 

Unfortunately, it didn't happen in the first game of this event. Alexandaer went down against England's (or is it Greece´s?) excentric Nigel Short. Morozevich had a winning position but short is a "natural surviver" and he proved it again:

 

 

[pgn][Event "53° Tornei di Capodanno"]

[site "Reggio Emilia/Italy"]

[Date "2010.12.29"]

[Round "2"]

[White "Short, Nigel D"]

[black "Morozevich, Alexander"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "C11"]

[WhiteElo "2690"]

[blackElo "2715"]

[Annotator "Robot 4"]

[PlyCount "87"]

[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

[TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"]

 

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 {2 world experts on the French defence. This should be an

interesting game!} 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. dxc5 Nc6 7. a3 Bxc5 8. Qg4

O-O 9. Bd3 Qe7 10. Bd2 f6 11. Qh4 h6 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. O-O-O {Intending a

quick g4-g5, but Alex is not gonna wait...} e5 14. fxe5 Nxe5 15. Nf3 {

Development is more important than preserving that bishop...} Nxd3+ 16. cxd3 b5

{Black has the initiative now...} 17. Rhe1 (17. Nxb5 Rb8 18. Nbd4 Bxa3) 17...

Qb7 18. Be3 Bxe3+ 19. Rxe3 a5 20. Rde1 b4 21. Re7 Qb6 22. axb4 axb4 23. Nd1 Bg4

{Things are beginning to look pretty bad for white at this point. Few people

believed that Nigel could survive black s attack, except himself, but I even

doubt that!} 24. Kd2 b3 25. Ke2 {It s not the first time Short has used his

King in such a way. One of his best games is his famous victory over Jan

Timman in 1991. Log off facebook, which is bloody waste of time, and take a

look at it!} Ra4 26. Qg3 Nh5 27. Qe5 Rf5 (27... Bxf3+ 28. gxf3 Nf4+ 29. Kd2 (

29. Kf1 Qg6) 29... Qg6 {And white is still under enormous pressure...}) 28. Qc3

Bxf3+ 29. gxf3 d4 {A mistake, cutting off the diagonal of his own queen.} 30.

Re8+ Kh7 31. Qc8 {Rh8 was a better try.} (31. Rh8+ Kxh8 32. Qc8+ Kh7 33. Qxf5+)

31... Nf4+ 32. Kf1 Qb5 33. Nf2 {White is still in trouble. 33...Ra2 would have

been good now. Instead, Morozevich blunders...} Nxd3 34. Rh8+ Kg6 35. Qe6+ Kh5

(35... Rf6 36. Qe4+ {Picking up the knight on d3.}) 36. Rb8 {This was probably

the move that Morozevich overlooked. The tables have turned now, the knight on

d3 is lost.} Qe5 {Best chance} 37. Rxe5 Ra1+ 38. Re1 Rxe1+ 39. Qxe1 Nxe1 40.

Kxe1 Rxf3 41. Rd8 Re3+ 42. Kf1 Rc3 {A desperate try, but it was lost anyway.}

43. bxc3 dxc3 44. Nd3 {And black resigned.} 1-0

[/pgn]

 

You can follow the Reggio Emilia tournament HERE