Round five of the Hoogeveen Masters Tournament was held on Friday 21st October. It saw British Grandmaster Nigel Short seal victory over Yifan Hou of China. With wins in rounds three and four, Short was two points ahead of his opponent and only needed to draw in this penultimate round. This he duly did. The game was an English opening and Hou’s choice of the Symmetrical Variation was perhaps not the most ambitious. When the Queens were exchanged on move eight, her ability to generate something with which to prolong the match looked unlikely. The game was a nice, controlled display by Nigel Short, in which he did exactly what he needed to, limiting the aggressive options of his opponent and taking no risks. Hou did not take any, either, and there was ultimately nothing left to do for her but agree the draw and in effect resign the match.
In the other match, Jorden Van Foreest finds himself yet again a point down and having to win the final game in order to draw the match. Again, the round saw a win with White, which resulted in Ivan Sokolov being a point ahead and having only to draw the final game in order to claim victory. This has been a very exciting pairing, with the players coming out with their sleeves rolled up in each round and prepared to fight. This game saw Van Foreest place his pieces quite untidily, with both knights developed to the rim and his bishops more or less twiddling their fingers. Bad Queen positioning allowed Sokolov to strike with 18.a3(!) and from here Black was just too poorly developed to fight equally. White won a pawn, and from there his position just took on a life of it’s own. Sokolov could have played a little more optimum in places, but he converted the point nicely in a very instructive endgame.
This leaves things with Nigel Short having won his match against Yifan Hou, who is now playing to try to make the score more respectable. She will at least have White in the final game. So will Jorden Van Foreest, and he needs to make it pay and keep up the tradition of White winning every game in this match, if he is to save it.
Short 3½ vs 1½ Hou
Sokolov 3 vs 2 Van Foreest
[Site “Hoogeveen NED”]
[Date “2016.10.21”]
[Round “5”]
[White “Sokolov, Ivan”]
[Black “Van Foreest, Jorden”]
[Result “1-0”]
[BlackElo “2615”]
[BlackFideId “1039784”]
[BlackTitle “GM”]
[ECO “E73”]
[EventDate “2016.10.16”]
[Opening “King’s Indian”]
[Variation “Semi-Averbakh system”]
[WhiteElo “2623”]
[WhiteFideId “14400030”]
[WhiteTitle “GM”]
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Be2 O-O 6.Be3 Nc6 7.d5 Ne5 8.f4 Neg4 9.Bd2 Nh6 { This is new, …h5 had been played a couple of times. } 10.Nf3 c6 11.O-O { It is a bit surprising to me that White has chosen to castle, here. With his aggressive setup on the Kingside, I would have expected Sokolov to be looking to castle Queenside, perhaps after Qb3. } 11…cxd5 12.cxd5 b5 13.Bd3 { Again, Qb3 was a very good alternative, here. } 13…b4 14.Na4 Bd7 15.Kh1 { White is most likely right to decline the b4-pawn and get his King off of the g1-h7 diagonal. } ( 15.Bxb4 Nhg4 { eyeing e3 } 16.Bd2 Bxa4 17.Qxa4 Qb6+ { and Black is equal at worst. } ) 15…Nh5 16.Rc1 Qa5 17.b3 { There is a certain something about White’s position, now, Black’s development leaves something to be desired, especially with those two knights on the rim. } 17…Rac8 18.a3 { ! The optimum move by Sokolov, taking advantage of the Black Queen’s placement in order to put great pressure on the Black Queenside. Things are happening for White here. } 18…Bc3 { As good as anything. The textbook counter-strike in the centre, by way of f7-f5, works out no better in the long run. The problem with …Bc3 is that White’s continuation is a lot more natural. } ( 18…f5 19.axb4 Rxc1 20.Qxc1 Qd8 21.exf5 Bxf5 22.Bc4 { and White has the much better stance, Black’s pieces are extremely badly placed for this position. } ) 19.Nxc3 bxc3 20.Rxc3 Rxc3 21.Qa1 Rfc8 22.Bc4 { Very convincing play by Sokolov, here, with a huge edge. } 22…Bb5 ( 22…R3xc4 23.Bxa5 Rxe4 24.Re1 Rxe1+ 25.Qxe1 Kf8 26.Qf2 { and White has a very nice longterm advantage. } ) 23.Bxc3 Qa6 24.Nd2 Bxc4 { This seems rather complicit, Black really has to be thinking about activity, so I am not sure that trading here does much for his cause. } 25.bxc4 Rb8 ( 25…e6 { is probably unwise. } 26.dxe6 fxe6 27.Qb2 { would keep things nice and tidy for White. } ) 26.a4 Ng4 27.Rf3 Qb6 28.h3 Ne3 { After …Ngf6, White plays g4 and Black is really under the kosh. } 29.a5 Qc5 30.Bd4 { Very steadily increasing his superiority. } 30…Nc2 31.Bxc5 Nxa1 32.Bd4 Nc2 33.Bxa7 Rb2 { …Ra8 was quite pointless, White simply plays Bb6 and the potential of the Black rook is almost zero. } 34.g4 { White expands with tempi, and really Black has been the disaster of his own destiny here, due to the horri placement of his pieces. } 34…Nf6 35.e5 dxe5 36.fxe5 Nd7 37.Rb3 Ra2 38.Rb7 { This is ok, but the e5-pawn did not have to be given up so readily — Nf3 would have caused Black more effort. } ( 38.Nf3 Rxa5 39.Rb7 Ra3 40.Kg2 Nf8 41.Rxe7 { is overwhelming. } ) 38…Nxe5 39.Rxe7 Rxa5 { When compared with the Nf3 variation, above, it is easy to see that Black has been allowed more than was necessary, here. White’s position is still, huge, never-the-less, and Black should not survive, but the thumb screws could have been twisted a bit more. } 40.Nb3 Kf8 41.Rxf7+ Kxf7 42.Nxa5 Na3 43.c5 Nb5 44.Bb6 Nc3 45.d6 Ke6 46.c6 Nxc6 { Of course, whopping the pawns off is very much forced, …Kxd6 was perhaps slightly better, but doesn’t change things in the long run. } ( 46…Kxd6 47.c7 Kd7 48.Bd4 Nxg4 49.Bxc3 Nf2+ 50.Kg2 Nd3 51.Kf3 Kxc7 { and White should covert, but it will need very accurate play. } ) 47.Nxc6 Kxd6 48.Nb4 Ke5 49.Kg2 h5 50.Nd3+ Ke4 { A very noble defence, this from Van Foreest, but it is doomed to fail with good play from his opponent. } 51.Nf2+ Kf4 52.Bc7+ Ke3 { Black endeavours to limit the King’s potential to support the final push. } 53.g5 Nd5 54.Bg3 Ke2 55.h4 { Fixing the pawns in place. With them being on white squares, White’s plan will be to sacrifice his knight on h5 — well, I say ‘sacrifice’ but any capture of the knight will leave the g-pawn to march to its Queening square of course. An exchange of pieces will also be sufficient, and this is what Sokolov achieves. } 55…Ne3+ 56.Kh3 Nf1 57.Nh1 Kf3 58.Be5 Ne3 { This of course allows the White knight to hop to g3, ready to capture the h5-pawn. However, to have moved the King was even worse. } ( 58…Ke4 59.Ng3+ Kxe5 60.Nxf1 Kd4 61.Kg3 Kd5 62.Kf4 Ke6 63.Ne3 { etc. 1-0 } ) 59.Ng3 Nc4 60.Bc7 Ne3 61.Bb8 { Just waiting for the knight to hop further away from where the action is taking place. Very instructive from Sokolov. } ( 61.Nxh5 gxh5 62.g6 Nd5 63.g7 Ne7 { and White still has to win this game. } ) 61…Nc4 { And now the knight has no potential to be awkward where the g-pawn is concerned, so White pounces. } 62.Nxh5 Ke4 { And Van Foreest resigned after playing this move. After Ng3+ Kd5, White pushes on with h5 and Black is completely lost. } 1-0
[Event “Short-Hou Yifan m”]
[Site “Hoogeveen NED”]
[Date “2016.10.21”]
[Round “5”]
[White “Short, Nigel D”]
[Black “Hou, Yifan”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[BlackElo “2649”]
[BlackFideId “8602980”]
[BlackTitle “GM”]
[ECO “A30”]
[EventDate “2016.10.16”]
[Opening “English”]
[Variation “symmetrical variation”]
[WhiteElo “2670”]
[WhiteFideId “400025”]
[WhiteTitle “GM”]
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.e3 f5 5.d4 e4 6.d5 exf3 7.dxc6 { Short finds a way to get the Queens off nice and early. His objective, here, is to win the match and being 2 points up with only one more game afte this one means that he does not have to win this game. } 7…dxc6 { …bxc6 is horrible and after Qxf3 White would have quite an edge. } 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.gxf3 { One already gets a feeling that Black will have her work cut out for her to generate anything, here. } 9…Nf6 10.b3 g6 11.Bb2 Bg7 12.Ne2 Ke7 13.Nf4 { The knight is on its way to d3 and from there to e5, where it will be extremely imposing on Black. } 13…a5 14.Nd3 b6 15.Bg2 { The long diagonal is the best longterm location for the bishop. Black’s backward c-pawn is quite the longterm liability and should White achieve f3-f4 and Ne5, then Black will have some sorting out to do. } 15…Bd7 16.a4 Rhd8 17.h4 Be8 18.Ke2 Ra7 19.Ne5 Ke6 20.Rad1 Raa8 21.Nd3 Nh5 22.Bxg7 Nxg7 { White will be very happy to have achieved this exchange. Minimising active pieces is what he wants to do — along with the very tight and solid position, Black will find it very hard to create any chances. } 23.f4 Nh5 24.Ne5 Rxd1 25.Rxd1 Rc8 26.Bf3 Nf6 27.Kf1 Ke7 28.Kg2 Ke6 29.Kg3 Ke7 30.Re1 Rd8 31.e4 { It makes sense to try to open the e-file, seeing that the White rook is lined up with the Black King, which is a bit exposed. There is absolutely no point in taking the c6-pawn. } ( 31.Nxc6+ Bxc6 32.Bxc6 { This is about equal, but after …Rd2 Hou has a little more activity than Short wants to allow. } ) ( 31.Bxc6 { This looks good, but appearances can be deceptive. Black will not be too upset to see the c6-pawn disappear, it is rather inconsequential and after …Rd2, White is actually having to be very careful. The threat being …Ne4 and then …Rxf2. Black may actually have a little initiative. } ) 31…fxe4 { There is not really anything better than taking, here, …Kf8 gives White a bit of something after exf5 and White will be quite pleased with …Nh5+, Bxh5. } 32.Bxe4 Nxe4+ 33.Rxe4 Kf6 { Balck would be quite happy here, if she was not two points behind in the match with only one more game to play after this one. She has comfortably achieved equality, but needed more. } 34.Re3 { Short has the luxury of just being able to keep things solid and sit tight. He does not have to take any risks. } 34…Rd1 35.Ng4+ Kf7 36.Ne5+ { Already, perhaps, an offer to repeat and a signal to Black that he doesn’t think she has anything. } 36…Kg7 37.f3 Bd7 38.Nxd7 Rxd7 39.h5 ( 39.Re6 Rd3 40.Rxc6 Rxb3 41.f5 { totally equal, and the position is fast becoming resolved. } ) 39…Kf7 40.hxg6+ hxg6 41.Kg4 Kf6 42.Re8 Rd1 43.Rf8+ { The game is heading towards a draw fast now, there is not much potential in the position for either player. A nice, controlled game from Nigel Short, in which he did absolutely what he needed to. } 43…Ke6 44.Rb8 Rg1+ 45.Kh3 Kf5 46.Rf8+ Ke6 47.Rb8 Kf5 48.Rf8+ 1/2-1/2
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