Translated material
Last one out
Alexander Morozevich’s perseverance is bearing fruit
At the men's and women's Russian chess championships taking place in Moscow, six of the 11 rounds provided for by the regulations were played. After unsuccessful play in the first two rounds, the tournament race was headed by Alexander Morozevich, who won four victories in a row.The solid rating head start between the experienced 700 players and the rest of the grandmasters seemed to predetermine the fight for leadership. But, contrary to forecasts, after five rounds the youth were not inferior to the favorites: 20-year-old Evgeniy Tomashevsky also had the same number of points as Morozevich. True, the equality of points did not quite correspond to the energy expended. Especially Morozevich. Against the backdrop of those wishing to quickly part with the world - only in the third round three couples addressed the judges with such appeals - Morozevich seemed to demonstrate to the youth an example of a true sports character, without which improvement of skills is unthinkable. Squeezing everything imaginable and inconceivable out of his position, with enviable regularity he was almost the last to leave the tournament hall.
The efforts of the national team player were not in vain. After mistakes in the first two rounds, it was only in a game with Andrey Rychagov that he made his fans worry, when the assessment of his position, as if on a swing, changed from better to lost, and finally snatched victory. But victories over Evgeny Tomashevsky and Konstantin Sakaev were won in his signature style, with sacrifices of material. In the sixth round, Morozevich, playing black, confidently beat the completely unstuck young Kazan grandmaster Artem Timofeev (he had five zeros in his “asset”) and went ahead of Tomashevsky, who lost to Alexander Grischuk, who replaced him in the role of pursuer. Grischuk, who has not yet lost a single game, is half a point behind the leader, but unlike his senior colleague on the national team, he has invested noticeably less energy. After winning the second round, he “sat in the shadows” for three rounds on draws.
Remembering the past, one cannot help but note that only in fierce competition with experienced chess players did young people sharpen their weapons. In this regard, one cannot fail to note the youngest participants - Evgeniy Tomashevsky and Nikita Vitiugov. The first of them has been playing in the super final for the third year in a row. After losing to Morozevich, he did not lose heart and immediately got revenge on Sakaev (whom, by the way, he beats with enviable consistency), and then beat Artem Timofeev, who “floated” in a very simple position. True, then Evgeniy was completely outplayed by Grischuk, who finally demonstrated his true strength. As for Nikita Vitiugov, I must admit, I was alarmed by the diligent practicality beyond his years shown by the 20-year-old St. Petersburg grandmaster in the qualifying major league, where, having scored the coveted “plus three” to reach the super final in the first four rounds, he sat out on draws. But this time he is playing battle chess. Suffice it to mention his victorious Sicilian attacks against Morozevich and Timofeev. In the fifth round, Vitiugov also made Grischuk quite nervous, and it took him considerable effort to save the endgame. True, in the next round he was punished for incorrect play by Peter Svidler and swapped places with his experienced countryman in the tournament race, dropping into the “50 percent” group.
Peter Svidler won his last title in 2003 in the Swiss tournament in fierce competition with Morozevich. But for some reason he cannot succeed in short round-robin super finals with a fairly soft regime. After the opening defeat, the St. Petersburg grandmaster could not get off the draw track for a long time, although, apart from a short draw with Farrukh Amonatov, he is fighting to the fullest. For example, the highlight of the fourth round was his game with Inarkiev, in which Peter sacrificed his queen, forcing Ernesto to repel dangerous threats, and only after exhausting all possibilities, forced a draw with a beautiful perpetual check. Then, after a tense draw with Jakovenko, Vitiugov was taught a lesson.
Looking at the game of young people, how can one not look at the women? In general, the starting hat-trick of Natalia Pogonina, forcing the favorite Tatyana Kosintseva to tense up, does not seem so sensational. What doesn't happen to women? One cannot help but be surprised by 16-year-old Olga Girya. She loses the first three games without much of a fight, and then, as if nothing had happened, she beats the very experienced Ekaterina Kovalevskaya.
Position after six rounds.
Men . Morozevich - 4.5; Grischuk - 4; Amonatov, Tomashevsky, Svidler - 3.5 each; Vitiugov, Rychagov, Dreev - 3 each; Yakovenko, Sakaev, Inarkiev - 2.5 each; Timofeev - 0.5.
Women . Pogonina, T. Kosintseva, Korbut, Tairova - 4.5 each; Matveeva - 3.5; Gadfly, Shadrina - 3 each; Stepovaya, N. Kosintseva - 2.5 each; Kettlebell - 2; Kovalevskaya - 1; Gunina - 0.5.
Technical results .
Men. 3rd round: Tomashevsky - Morozevich - 0:1, Yakovenko - Timofeev - 1:0, Inarkiev - Grischuk, Vitiugov - Sakaev, Dreev - Rychagov, Amonatov - Svidler - draws. 4th round: Sakaev - Tomashevsky - 0:1, Rychagov - Morozevich - 0:1, Dreev - Amonatov - 0:1, Timofeev - Vitiugov - 0:1, Grischuk - Yakovenko, Svidler - Inarkiev - draws. 5th round: Tomashevsky - Timofeev - 1:0, Morozevich - Sakaev - 1:0, Inarkiev - Dreev - 0:1, Vitiugov - Grischuk, Amonatov - Rychagov, Yakovenko - Svidler - - draws. 6th round: Timofeev - Morozevich - 0:1, Grischuk - Tomashevsky - 1:0, Svidler - Vitiugov - 1:0, Dreev - Yakovenko - 1:0, Amonatov - Inarkiev, Leverages - Sakaev - draws.
Women. 3rd round: Tairova - T. Kosintseva - 0:1, Pogonina - Kovalevskaya - 1:0, Ovod - Shadrina - 1:0, Matveeva - N. Kosintseva - 1:0, Gunina - Step - 0:1, Kettlebell - Korbut - 0:1. 4th round: Shadrina - Gunina -1:0, Kovalevskaya - Girya - 0:1, Stepovaya - Pogonina, T. Kosintseva - Korbut, Tairova - Matveeva, N. Kosintseva - Gadfly - draws. 5th round: Gadfly - Tairova - 0:1, Korbut - Kovalevskaya - 1:0, Gunina - N. Kosintseva - 0:1, Pogonina - Shadrina, Matveeva - T. Kosintseva, Girya - Step - draws. 6th round: T. Kosintseva - Kovalevskaya - 1:0, Tairova - Gunina - 1:0, Stepovaya - Korbut - 0:1, N. Kosintseva - Pogonina, Matveeva - Gadfly, Shadrina - Kettlebell - draws.