Vishy Anand collects three 1st prizes in Monaco
By Kristianus Liem
JAKARTA (JP): Viswanathan Anand decisively won the Six Amber Tournament which was held in Monaco from April 18th through May 1st.
The Indian grandmaster (GM), who now lives in Spain, scored a total of 15.5 out of a possible 22 points. As usual, the twelve- player Amber event consisted of a Rapid round-robin (time-limit 25 minutes for all moves plus 20 extra seconds per move) and a Blinfold round-robin (same time-limit, except for 10 extra seconds per move).
Anand was the clear winner in both sections and won a total of US$25,000 ($5,000 from the rapid, $5,000 from the blindfold, and $15,000 for overall). He became the first player to win two Ambers (he first won in 1994) and the first to take first in both sections.
The final scores (combined rapid and blinfold) of the 1997 Amber Tournament were: 1. GM Viswanathan Anand (India) 15.5; 2. GM Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) 14.5; 3. GM Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) 13.5; 4. GM Anatoly Karpov (Russia) 13; 5. GM Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) 12.5; joint 6. GM Predrag Nikolic (Bosnia) and GM Alexey Shirov (Spain) 11.5; 8. GM Ljubomir Ljubojevic (Yugoslavia) 9.5; joint 9. GM Jeroen Piket (Nederland) and GM Loek van Wely (Nederland) 9; 11. GM Joel Lautier (France) 8; 12. GM Ulf Andersson (Sweden) 4.5.
The scores in blindfold only: 1. Anand 8; 2. Ivanchuk 7.5; 3. Topalov 7; joint 4. Karpov and Nikolic 6.5; joint 6. Kramnik and Shirov 5.5; joint 8. Piket and Lautier 4.5; 10. Ljubojevic 4; 11. Andersson 3.5; 12. Van Wely 3.
The scores in rapid only: 1. Anand 7.5; joint 2. Ivanchuk and Kramnik 7; joint 4. Kramnik and Topalov 6.5; joint 6. Shirov and van Wely 6; 8. Ljubojevic 5.5; 9. Nikolic 5; 10. Piket 4.5; 11. Lautier 3.5; 12. Andersson 1.
Here is one of Anand's best games, played without seeing the board, in round nine.
White: GM Loek van Wely Black: GM Viswanathan Anand Queen Gambit Accepted
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Nc6 6.0 0 Be6 7.Bb5 Karpov against Anand in Dos Hermanas 1997 played 7.Bxe6 fxe6 8.Qb3 Qd7 9.Qxb7 Rb8 10.Qa6 Nf6 11.Nbd2 Bb4 with the main idea of threatening to take on d2, Black provokes White to play Nc4 with the Queen still stuck on a6. Finally the game ended in a draw by perpetual check in 34-moves.
7... Bc5 8.Qc2
For 8.b4 Bb6 9.Bb2 Nge7 10.Nxd4 00 was agreed drawn a few moves later in Van Wely-Sermek, Bukfurdo 1995.
8... Bb6 9.a4 a5 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qxc6+ Bd7 12.Qc2 Ne7 13.Na3! A new and stronger idea from Loek, the moves 13.Ne5 and 13.Rd1 were played before but yielded White nothing.
13... 00 14.Nc4 Nc6 15.Rd1 Nb4 16.Qb3 c5 17.Bd2 Bc7 18.Bxb4 Rb8
Also good for Black here 18... axb4 19.Qc2 Ra6! with the idea of 20... Rg6.
19.Qc2 Rxb4 20.Nce5 Bd6
20... Be8 fails to 21.Nd3 and Black will lose his c-pawn. So now Black has to give up one of his Bishops. But, still the pressure on the b-file compensates for this.
21.Nxd7 Qxd7 22.b3
After 22.Nd2 d3! Black had got a strong attack going.
22... Qe6
On 22... Rfb8 23.Rd3 with Nf3-d2-c4 to come. In the game White accomplishes this, but with his Rook on b1, not d3.
23.Nd2 Rfb8 24.Rab1 h5 25.Nc4 Bc7 26.Qd3 g6
Black has to wait and see. Generally speaking, it is quite difficult fot White to do much, since his King has to be on the queen-side before b3 is secured, so that he can proceed to the king-side. Loek decided to give it try.
27.h4 Qc6 28.g3 Qb7 29.Nd2 Bd6 30.Rdc1 Be7
Not necessary, it should go to f8 at once.
31.Rc4 Rb6
Black must keep both Rooks.
32.Kf1
White should have acquiesced to the draw, as Black now develops a strong attack.
32... Bf8 33.Ke2 Re8 34.Kd1
34.f4 Rbe6 35.Kd1 (for 35.Re1 Rxe4+ 36.Nxe4 f5! 37.Kf3? loses to 37... fxe4+ 38.Rxe4 Rxe4 39.Qxe4 Qxb3+) 35... Rxe4 36.Nxe4 Rxe4 and no defence to 37... Re3.
34... Rbe6 35.Kc2 f5 36.exf5?
A wrong move, 36.f3 was necessary, but Black replies 36...Bh6 with a strong attack after 37.Rxc5 (or 37.Rd1 Qb6 38.exf5 Re3 39.Qf1 d3+ 40.Kc1 Re2 41.f4 gxf5) 37...Bxd2 38.Qxd2 fxe4 39.Qxd4 exf3 40.Qc4 Qf7.
36... Re2
Now the game it's over.
37.fxg6
37.Rd1 Rxf2 38.Kb1 Re3 and Black is winning.
37... Bh6 38.Rd1 Qd5 39.Kb1 Rxf2 40.Qc2
On 40.Rc2 Ree2 wins for Black.
40... d3 41.Qc3
See diagram.
41... Rxd2!
Black finishing the game in a beautiful way.
42.Rxd2 Re1+ 43.Ka2 Bxd2 44.Qf6 Re2 0-1
White resigned here because after 45.Qf7+ Qxf7 46.gxf7+ Kxf7 47.Kb1 (If 47.Rxc5? White's King will be mated in two moves 47...Bc3+ 48.Kb1 (48.Ka3?? Bb4#) 48...Re1+ 49.Ka2 Ra1#) 47... Be3 and the d-pawn will be queening.