Rodshtein Wins 45th Rilton Cup

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The 45th Rilton Cup, has been won by Israel’s Maxim Rodshtein.

The event, held in Stockholm, Sweden, had seen a few changes of the guard at the top of the table. Poland’s Michal Krasenkow had been leading after round 5, the only one with a 100%, 5/5, score. However, Norwegian Grandmaster, Jon Ludvig Hammer, would end Krasenkow’s undefeated run in round 6, to take the lead with 5.5/6. Rodshtien would join him there at the end of round 7, thanks to the following win over early leader Krasenkow, who, after making a great start, was now finding the going tough.

[Event "45th Rilton Cup 2015-16"]  [Site "Stockholm SWE"]  [Date "2016.01.03"]  [Round "7.2"]  [White "Krasenkow, Michal"]  [Black "Rodshtein, Maxim"]  [Result "0-1"]  [BlackElo "2678"]  [BlackFideId "2806851"]  [BlackTitle "GM"]  [ECO "D45"]  [EventDate "2015.12.27"]  [Opening "QGD semi-Slav"]  [Variation "Stoltz variation"]  [WhiteElo "2610"]  [WhiteFideId "1113100"]  [WhiteTitle "GM"]   { Annotations by John Lee Shaw for www.hotoffthechess.com. } 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 { As a Meran player, I always get excited when I see this setup. } 6.Qc2 { Awww, boo, the anti-Meran -- mainline Meran would be 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5. } 6...Bd6 7.b3 O-O 8.Be2 b6 { Rather than being confrontational, with 8...e5, Black prefers to contain and continue to develop, aiming to place his pieces on optimum squares, the c8-bishop will line up along the long diagonal. } ( { Another way is } 8...e5 { and this seems to result in some liquidation } 9.cxd5 Nxd5 10.Nxd5 cxd5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Bb2 { With the slightest of edges to White, due to the isolated Queen's pawn. However, Black has nice activity and so things are far from clear cut here. } ) 9.Bb2 Bb7 10.O-O Qe7 11.e4 { This move, really, is essential. Manoeuvring is all well and good, but if White hangs about too much, he risks passivity. } 11...dxe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Nf6 { Natural, and probably the best move. However, moving a rook in to the centre along the d-file is also very viable I think. } 14.Qh4 c5 { It is always very satisfying to play this kind of move as Black. In the Sicilian Defence, it is usually e6-e5. it is usually indicative that Black has solved his problems and is competing. The computer seems to like ...Ba3, but parting with one of his nice bishops is not something that Black should be doing I think. } 15.dxc5 Bxc5 16.Rad1 { The position is about equal, so now it is a matter of which player can generate something. The d-file is of course one important avenue, so White quickly stakes a claim. } 16...Rfd8 { It is important that Black competes along the d-file. } 17.Ne5 Ba3 { Like I said previously, I don't think that Black should be exchanging his bishops, and it is no surprise to me that the evaluation score leaps up a bit in White's favour, here. However, it is possible that Black felt that White's dark-squared bishop was a little better than his own, being along the long diagonal and just wanted it off. } ( 17...Rac8 { Is quieter in appearance, but a good alternative to trying to force something with ...Ba3. It is, after all, White who has to do something, so why not make a constructive waiting move and see what he thinks he has? } 18.Rfe1 Ne4 { It makes sense to try and exchange Queens, due to the activity of the Queen on h4. But also, White has lined up nicely along the central files. It would be prudent, for example, to think about moving the Queen out of the potential line of fire from White's rook on e1, where it currently is under a masked threat. Exchanging it, in this instance, is even better. } 19.Qxe7 Bxe7 20.Bh5 f6 { The crux of ...Rac8 I think -- I think Black would be feeling rather satisfied. } 21.Nd3 { I think White would be playing this through clenched teeth, it's not a very positive move. White, therefore, could consider Bf7+ } ( 21.Bf7+ { results in material imbalance via the following line: } 21...Kf8 22.Bxe6 fxe5 23.Bxc8 Rxc8 { And this has not really worked out great for White, Black has more than enough compensation for his rook. Infact, when taking the activity of his major pieces in to account, Black may even be a little better. } ) 21...e5 { I think Black would be feeling quite ok, here. } ) 18.Bxa3 Qxa3 19.Bh5 ( { A nice move, taking advantage of the vulnerability of d8, is } 19.Ng4 Qb2 20.Bd3 h6 21.Nxf6+ Qxf6 { taking with the pawn is ludicrous and losing, of course. } 22.Qxf6 gxf6 { and White is ready to double along the d-file. Perhaps Krasenkow felt this was too drawy. } ) 19...Rf8 { This is the only way to defend, anything else and White is the boss. } 20.Nd7 Nxd7 21.Rxd7 { Nice play by White, his command of the d8-square gives him the upper hand at the moment. } 21...Bc6 22.Rd2 { Rc7 was interesting, as shown in the variation. For an endgame specialist, a very valid alternative. } ( 22.Rc7 Qd6 23.Rxc6 Qxc6 24.Bf3 Qc5 25.Bxa8 Rxa8 26.Rd1 { Should be on its way to a draw with two experienced Grandmasters. } ) 22...a5 23.Rfd1 Qc5 24.Be2 h6 25.Rd6 { White is better, here, Black having not taken a couple of opportunities to play a5-a4 and generate some counterplay. } 25...Rfc8 26.Bf1 $2 { A little slow, this, squandering the initiative that has been accumulated over the last few moves in one. 26.a4 was correct, neutralising Black on the Queenside. Both players seem to lose their way a little, here. } 26...Rab8 27.Qf4 Be8 28.h4 { Again, wrong wing pawn, this, a4 was correct. } 28...Qc7 29.g3 Qc5 30.Bd3 { Not quite sure how many chances White wants to play a2-a4 and lock Black's possibilities on the Queenside up. } 30...Bc6 { Also not quite sure how many chances Black wants to play a5-a4, either. } 31.a3 Be8 32.Bc2 $2 { This is a bad move, it is in effect begging Black to play ...b5 due to the total vulnerability of the Bc2. } 32...b5 { Finally, Black feels ready to punish White's slow play. } 33.Qe4 g6 34.Qf4 bxc4 35.Qxh6 { Setting up Bxg6, which explains Black's next. } 35...Qh5 ( 35...cxb3 { sees Black tied down: } 36.Bxg6 fxg6 37.Rd7 Bf7 38.Rxf7 Kxf7 39.Rd7+ Ke8 40.Qh7 Qf8 41.Ra7 ) 36.Qe3 { And things are neither here nor there again. } 36...Qc5 37.Qh6 Qe5 38.bxc4 Rxc4 39.Rd8 $4 { Inexplicably dropping a piece ... and point. R6d2 would have kept him in the fight. } 39...Rxc2 { and White resigned. } 0-1

And so, after Round 7, Rodshtein and Hammer were neck and neck at the top of the standings, with 6/7. Rodshtein would occupy the position on his own after round 8, with 7-points, thanks to a convincing win over Alexander Donchenko in round 7, while Hammer was held to a draw by Samuel Sevian.

So, with a half point between them, along with 3 other players being within a point of the lead, lots still depended upon the 9th and final round. This would see a fight of almost 70-moves, and would see Rodshtein deciding the tournament in style, checkmating his opponent.

[Event "45th Rilton Cup 2015-16"]  [Site "Stockholm SWE"]  [Date "2016.01.05"]  [Round "9.1"]  [White "Tikkanen, Hans"]  [Black "Rodshtein, Maxim"]  [Result "0-1"]  [BlackElo "2678"]  [BlackFideId "2806851"]  [BlackTitle "GM"]  [ECO "B19"]  [EventDate "2015.12.27"]  [Opening "Caro-Kann"]  [Variation "classical, Spassky variation"]  [WhiteElo "2515"]  [WhiteFideId "1706446"]  [WhiteTitle "GM"]   { I have not been able to annotate this game as yet, I may do so in a future update. } 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.O-O-O Bd6 13.Ne4 Qc7 14.Nxd6+ Qxd6 15.g3 O-O 16.Bf4 Qd5 17.c4 Qe4 18.Ne5 Rfd8 19.f3 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 Qxd3 21.Rxd3 b5 22.c5 Rd5 23.g4 a5 24.a4 b4 25.Kc2 Ra7 26.Kb3 Rad7 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Kc4 f5 29.Re1 fxg4 30.fxg4 Rg5 31.Re4 Kf8 32.Rf3 Ke7 33.Ref4 Rg7 34.Rf6 Rd5 35.R3f4 Rh7 36.Kd3 Rg5 37.Ke4 Rgg7 38.Kf3 Rg8 39.Kg3 b3 40.Rf3 Rb8 41.R6f4 Rg7 42.Re3 Rg5 43.Kf3 Rb4 44.Rfe4 Rd5 45.Kg3 Rxa4 46.Rxb3 Rdxd4 47.Rxd4 Rxd4 48.Rb6 Kf6 49.Kh4 Ke5 50.Kg3 Rd3+ 51.Kh4 Kf4 52.Rxc6 Rd1 53.Kh3 Kf3 54.Kh2 Kxg4 55.Ra6 Rd2+ 56.Kg1 Rxb2 57.Rxa5 Rc2 58.Ra7 f6 59.Ra6 Kf5 60.Rc6 e5 61.Rc8 e4 62.Rc6 Kg5 63.Re6 f5 64.Re5 Kf4 65.Rd5 e3 66.Kf1 Ke4 67.Rd6 Kf3 68.Rxh6 Rc1# 0-1

Maxim Rodshtein would finish in clear first, with 8-points from the 9 rounds. Jon Ludvig Hammer finished in second place with 7.5/9 and Erik Blomqvist would take clear third with 7/9.

Top Final Standings:

Rk.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	TB1	TB2	Rp
1	GM	Rodshtein Maxim	2678	ISR	8	48	53	2876
2	GM	Hammer Jon Ludvig	2695	NOR	7.5	51	55.5	2790
3	GM	Blomqvist Erik	2493	SWE	7	45.5	50.5	2695
4	GM	Hillarp-Persson Tiger	2521	SWE	6.5	47	51	2636
5	GM	Sevian Samuel	2578	USA	6.5	46	50.5	2600
6	GM	Socko Monika	2437	POL	6.5	36	39	2432
7	GM	Krasenkow Michal	2610	POL	6	49	53.5	2618
8	GM	Donchenko Alexander	2588	GER	6	49	53.5	2622
9	GM	Tikkanen Hans	2515	SWE	6	44.5	47.5	2590
10	IM	Zumsande Martin Dr.	2442	GER	6	42.5	45.5	2567
11	GM	Goganov Aleksey	2597	RUS	6	41.5	44	2521
12	IM	Poetsch Hagen	2509	GER	6	40	44	2452
13	IM	Tari Aryan	2556	NOR	6	40	42	2429
14	IM	Nikita Meskovs	2511	LAT	6	39.5	40	2530