FIDE Grand Prix 2008/09 Sochi/Russia (5), 04.08.2008

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3 b5 9 Ne5< Seems to be the fashion at the moment. Cheparinov played this when he beat Nepomniatchi at Corus B this year. Carlsen lost to Anand at Linares 2008 with this move and Radjabov drew with Aronian at Linares 2008 with this move Oh and Grischuk drew with Karjakin in the Baku grand prix. So it's all about a theoretical discussion with both players having played this position previously> Bb7 <9...h5 is also popular. >10.h4 g4 11.Nxg4 Nbd7 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.Be2< Novelty I think. Previous 2 games in the database played 13 Qd2 14 0–0–0. Radjabov chooses a completely different plan and eventually castles kingside.> 13...0–0–0 14.e5 Qf5 15.a4 <This sets up a little trap >15...b4 <Cheparinov didn't see it.> 16.Bxc4! <Nice move. If 16...bxc3?? 17 Bd3 traps the queen would you believe! >16...Nc5 17.Ne2 Rg8 18.0–0 Be7 19.Qc1 Ne4 20.Ba6 <Threatening mate in 2 starting with 21 Qxc6+ [20.Qxh6 Ng5 21.hxg5 Rh8 22.Rfd1 Rxh6 23.gxh6 Doesn't seem to be to Radjabov's taste just yet. But it will be in a few moves time.>20...Kb8 21.Bxb7 Kxb7< An interesting point here is that black is threatening to win a pawn back with 22..Bxh4 23 Bxh4 Qg4 24 g3 Qxe2 25 Qd1 ( 25 Bxd8?? Nxg3! winning.) Qxd1 26 Rad1 Rd5 and black is ok.> 22.a5!< Radjabov has read the position well. Now black can't. play 22...Bxh4 23 a6+ and the king has to go to b6 or c7, and after 24 Bxh4 the 24...Qg4 line doesn't work because of Bxd8+ with an important check and white is material up and winning.> 22...Rc8 23.a6+ Kb8 24.Qxh6!? <Risky, but Radjabov decides it's time to go in for this line.> 24...Ng5 25.d5< More aggressive because of the 26 Nd4 threat.> 25...Rg6 26.Qxg6 Qxg6 27.d6 Bd8 28.hxg5 Bb6 29.Rfd1 Qxg5 30.Rac1 Qg4 31.d7 Rd8 32.Kf1 Kc7 33.Rd6 Rxd7??< Disaster. Now it's time for Radjabov to have some good fortune. [33...c5 34.Rd4 Qh5 35.Rxb4 Rxd7 36.Rh4 Qf5 and everything looks ok for black.]> 34.Rcxc6+ Kd8 35.f3 Qh5 36.Rxb6 Qh1+ 37.Ng1< Now black can't get to a1 with his queen to stop the a6 pawn queening. [37.Kf2?? axb6 38.Rxb6 Qa1]> 37...Rxd6 38.exd6 1–0

What goes around comes around. Cheparinov found himself at the top of the leaderboard, when he just as easily could have been at the bottom (he should have lost to Kamsky and Gashimov.) But now it’s his turn to suffer in the blunder stakes. Probably some justice there.

Radjabov probably deserves to get this point back. He’s been the most exciting player so far. Nice idea in the opening 15 a4 provoking 15…b4 and then the cool 16 Bxc4! And his knight is safe because amazingly blacks queen is in danger of being trapped.

Nobody has took the tournament by the ‘scruff of the neck' so far, and it’s pretty clogged at the top, but Radjabov is telling everybody that he is here for a fight.

<XMarxT3hSpot: Thanks <Ezzy>, reading your annotation has always been very helpful in understanding the game.>

Analysing the game and writing about it also makes me try to understand the game. It's a good method for improving my chess. It makes you realise that there is more going on than you originally thought.

It isn't easy to avoid mistakes in games like these, according to Chesspro Radjabov meant that 24. Qxh6 just didn't fit in at all with his plan in the game. Engines confirm that for example Qe3 instead keeps a big advantage for white.

Vasiliev asks if he can explain why he played it, and Radjabov says that he wanted to win a pawn, that the pawn turned out to cost him the queen was the downside of the operation.