ODT111213

=**Tal Memorial strongest ever**=




 * Problem:** White to play and mate in 4.

The sixth Tal Memorial event in Moscow was the strongest ever tournament in terms of FIDE ratings. All four players currently ranked over 2800 took part, with all ten players drawn from the world elite. A notable feature of such a heavyweight contest was the high percentage of draws, though the games were mostly hard-fought and entertaining contests. Top seed and favourite, Norway's Magnus Carlsen won his last round game to catch up with Armenia's Levon Aronian and share first place on just 5½/9, half a point ahead of a three-way tie for third.

Today's game is a demonstration of what it takes for one in-form supergrandmaster to beat another. It is Aronian's eighth round win over Russian champion Peter Svidler (playing Black), which took him into the lead.

media type="custom" key="25633964" An unambitious approach to the Grü nfeld Defence compared to the exchange 4 cxd5. Black obtains even chances with an early c7-c5 counter. More common is14 Nd5, but neither this nor the text is supposed to promise more than equality. Prefering to keep the balance rather than exchange on f3 to give White the two bishops in return for broken pawns. White has the tiniest initiative based on slightly better development, which barely subsists through the next phase. Black must allow the queen to invade the back rank as 29...Qd7? abandons the e-pawn to 30 Qc4 Bf8 31 Qxe4! The exclaim is because the fascinating sequence 31... g5!? 32 Nh5 Qd1+ 33 Kh2 Qxh5 34 Qxb7 picking up both queenside pawns is in White's favour. Rejecting the tempting 32 Nxg6!? hxg6 33 Bd6 Qd8! 34 Qxd8 Bxd8 35 Bxb4 Kf6 36 Kf1 Ke5 37 Ke2 Kd5 and the black king will win his pawn back on the queenside. Black's b7 pawn is now a source of discomfort. Considered by commentators to be too passive. The counter-attacking 36...Qa2! held better chances of a successful defence as 37 Bxd8 Qa1+! 38 Nc1 (38 Kh2?? Be5+) Qxc1+ 39 Kh2 Bxd8 is equal. 37 Nf4?! Qxa4! 38 Bxd8 Qd1+ loses a pawn, so 37 Nd4 Qd5 with a nicely centralised black queen looks to be White's best option. After the game Aronian considered 37...Nc6 better. Cementing in a key asset - the b6 pawn - in preparation for an astonishing sacrifice. White's amazing conception, dominating the knight with passed pawns on both wings, had to calculated precisely. Here 47 Qxa6?! Ng5! 48 Qa7 Nf3+ 49 Kg2 Ne1+ leads to a perpetual check and 47 Qxc6?! Kxc6 48 h4 Ng7 holds up the pawns. After the text, White had to see that there is no perpetual after 47...Qc1+!? 48 Kg2 Qd1 49 Qa8+! Kc5 50 b7! Qf3+ 51 Kg1 Qd1+ 52 Kh2 Qf1! 52 Qc8+ Kd5 53 Qd7+ Kc5 54 Qe7+ Kd5 55 Qxf6 defending f2. A doomed counterattack. But after the trickier 52...Nd3!? 53 h7 Qc8 54 Kg2 Ne1+ 55 Kh3! Nf3 56 Qg8! Qc1 57 Kg3 Qg1+ 58 Kf4 the king escapes.
 * 1.d4 Nf6**
 * 2.c4 g6**
 * 3.Nc3 d5**
 * 4.Bf4 ---**
 * 4.--- Bg7**
 * 5.e3 c5**
 * 6.dxc5 Qa5**
 * 7.Rc1 dxc4**
 * 8.Bxc4 O-O**
 * 9.Nf3 Qxc5**
 * 10.Bb3 Nc6**
 * 11.O-O Qa5**
 * 12.h3 Bf5**
 * 13.Qe2 Ne4**
 * 14.Nxe4 ---**
 * 14.--- Bxe4**
 * 15.Rfd1 Qh5**
 * 16.Bc2 Bxc2**
 * 17.Qxc2 Qb5**
 * 18.a4 Qb4**
 * 19.Ne1 e5**
 * 20.Bg3 Rfd8**
 * 21.Nd3 Qe7**
 * 22.Qc5 Rd6**
 * 23.b4 Rad8**
 * 24.b5 Rd5**
 * 25.Qc2 e4**
 * 26.Nf4 Rxd1+**
 * 27.Rxd1 Rxd1+**
 * 28.Qxd1 Nb4**
 * 29.Qc1 Bf6**
 * 30.Qc8+ Kg7**
 * 31.Qb8 a6**
 * 32.b6! ---**
 * 32.--- Nc6**
 * 33.Qc8 h5**
 * 34.Ne2 Nd8**
 * 35.Bc7 Qe6**
 * 36.Qb8 Qd7?!**
 * 37.Be5 Ne6**
 * 38.Nc3 Qc6**
 * 39.a5! ---**
 * 39.--- h4**
 * 40.Bxf6+ Kxf6**
 * 41.Qh8+ Kf5**
 * 42.Qxh4!! Qxc3**
 * 43.g4+ Ke5**
 * 44.Qh8+ f6**
 * 45.Qb8+ Kd5**
 * 46.Qxb7+ Qc6**
 * 47.Qb8! ---**
 * 47.--- Nc5**
 * 48.Qg8+ Qe6**
 * 49.Qxg6 Kc4**
 * 50.h4 Kd3**
 * 51.h5 Ke2**
 * 52.h6 Qc4**
 * 53.h7 Ke1**
 * 54.Qxf6 Resigns**


 * 1-0**


 * Solution:** 1 Rg6+! hxg6 (1...Kf7 2 Qxf5+ Qf6 3 Qxf6#) 2 Qxg6+ Kd5 (2...Qf6 3 Qxf6+ Kd5 4 Qe5#) 3 Qxf5+ Qe5 4 Qxe5#.