Canadian Open 2013 Rd2-Part 1

Part One-Games 1-10
Game 7
GM Hansen had a tough game and needed a cooperative blunder to earn the victory.

Game 2
GM Short's long term exchange sac for a central pawn was the game of the round.

Black(Short) to Play

Armstrong's Blog comes back to life!
Starting the Day Off Right – The Wee Hours of the Morning
'Well, I can’t say the day started off OK. You may wonder what I’m dong back! Early this morning, shortly after midnight, I posted my Day 1 blog, and then “quit”. 

My problem was using Mario’s laptop – I have almost never used one, and I found my adaptation quite slow, and there were a few little glitches happening because I kept dragging the palm of my hand over the pointer pad when typing. And we weren't sure how to disable it.

 I also may have been a bit tired this morning, since I had only 3 hours sleep that morning, and I just got too frustrated to continue. Anyway, I got the blog posted just before midnight, and went to bed about 1:00 AM. Mario stayed up using his laptop after I left ‘til about 1:30 AM.

So why am I back?? Read on.(more)'

Bob Armstrong

Canadian Champion GM Sambuev

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Game 1
Black had too many hanging pieces on the kingside.

Bruzon Batista,Lazaro (2758) - Dorrance,Adam (2185)

Gurgenidze 6.Nbd2[B06]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.1), 14.07.2013

 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 g6 4.f4 h5 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Nbd2 e6 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Nxf3 Nh6 9.g4 Be7 10.Bd3 Bh4+ 11.Ke2 hxg4 12.hxg4 Nxg4 

12...Nxg4 

13.Qg1 Kd7 14.Qxg4 Be7 15.Be3 Na6 16.Ng5 Bxg5 17.fxg5 Nb4 18.Qf3 Qe7 19.Rh6 Nxd3 20.cxd3 Raf8 21.Rf1 Ke8 22.a3 b5 23.Bd2 a5 24.Bxa5 Qa7 25.Bb6 1–0

Game 2
GM Short made the extra central pawn count after giving up the exchange early in the game.

Marincovic,Mate (2231) - Short,Nigel (2697)

English Opening Botvinnik System[A25]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.2), 14.07.2013

 1.c4 e5 2.g3 d6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 Nc6 6.Nge2 Nd4 7.Nxd4 exd4 8.Ne2 a5 9.d3 Ne7 10.0–0 0–0 11.Nf4 Bd7 12.Re1 b5 13.b3 c5 14.e5 dxe5 15.Bxa8 Qxa8 16.Ng2 Nf5 17.f3 Bc6 18.Kf2 Rc8 19.Rg1 Nd6 20.Ba3 b4 21.Bb2 f5 22.a3

22.a3

22..e4 23.Ne1 Qb7 24.Bc1 Nf7 25.axb4 axb4 26.fxe4 fxe4 27.dxe4 Nd6 28.Rf1 Nxe4+ 29.Kg1 d3 30.Be3 d2 31.Nd3 Qd7 32.Nxc5 Nxc5 33.Bxc5 Bxa1 34.Qxa1 Qh3 35.Rf2 Qh5 36.Rxd2 Qxc5+ 37.Qd4 Qe7 38.Rd1 Qe2 39.Qd2 Qf3 0–1

Game 3
GM Sambuev went for concrete play early with 14.c5!

Sambuev,Bator (2688) - Yu,Jonathan (2224)

Zukertort System[D05]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.3), 14.07.2013

 1.Nf3 e6 2.d4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.Bd3 d5 5.b3 Nc6 6.0–0 Bd6 7.Bb2 cxd4 8.exd4 Ne4 9.c4 0–0 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.Bxc3 a5 12.a3 b6 13.Qc2 h6 14.c5 bxc5 15.dxc5 Bxc5 16.Bd2 Nd4 17.Qxc5 Nxb3 18.Qc6 Bd7 19.Qc3 Nxa1 20.Rxa1 f6 21.Bc2 Rc8 22.Qd3 f5 23.Re1 Qf6 24.Ne5 Bb5 25.Qxb5 Rxc2 26.Qxa5 Rfc8 27.h3 Kh7 28.Qb4 Ra2 29.Bc3 Ra8 

29...Ra8

30.Bb2 Qf8 31.Qd4 Qf6 32.Qb6 Qh4 33.Qb7 R8xa3 34.Nf3 Rxb2 35.Qxb2 Rxf3 36.gxf3 Qxh3 37.Rxe6 Qxf3 38.Qe2 Qf4 39.Qh5 Qg4+ 40.Qxg4 fxg4 41.Rd6 h5 42.Kg2 1–0

Game 4
Pacey played aggressively but the bishop trek to c7 cost too much time.

Pacey,Kevin (2223) - Sokolov,Ivan (2642)

Queen’s Indian 4.g3 c5[E15]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.4), 14.07.2013

 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 b6 3.Nf3 Bb7 4.g3 c5 5.d5 b5 6.Bg2 g6 7.0–0 Bg7 8.d6 bxc4 9.Na3 e6 10.Nxc4 0–0 11.Bd2 Bd5 12.Ba5 Qc8 13.Ne3 Qa6 14.Bc7 Nc6 15.Nxd5 Nxd5 16.e4 Nxc7 17.dxc7 

17.dxc7 

17...Nd4 18.e5 Nxf3+ 19.Bxf3 Rac8 20.Qxd7 Bxe5 21.Rfe1 Rxc7 22.Qd2 Bd4 23.Be2 Qb6 24.Rab1 c4 25.Qf4 e5 0–1

Game 5
GM Arencibia got a suffocating bind on the queenside based on the bad Bb7.

Arencibia,Walter (2610) - Plotkin,Mark (2223)

Nimzo-Indian 4.e3 d5[E51]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.5), 14.07.2013

 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d5 5.Nf3 0–0 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 a6 8.a3 Be7 9.b4 b5 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.0–0 Nbd7 12.e4 c6 13.Qc2 g6 14.Bd2 a5 15.e5 Ne8 16.Ne4 axb4 17.Bxb4 Bxb4 18.axb4 Rxa1 19.Rxa1 Qb6 20.Qd2 Ng7 21.Nd6 Nf5 22.Bxf5 exf5 23.h4 Ra8 

23...Ra8

24.Rxa8+ Bxa8 25.Qa2 1–0

Game 6

Valdizon,Armando (2219) - Rozentalis,Eduardas (2601)

Nimzo-Indian 4.Qc2 0-0[E32]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.6), 14.07.2013

 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0–0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 Ba6 8.Nf3 d6 9.e3 Nbd7 10.b4 c5 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.b5 Bb7 13.Be2 h6 14.Bxf6 Nxf6 15.0–0 Ne4 16.Qb2 f5 17.Nd2 Nxd2 18.Qxd2 Qg5 19.g3 Rfd8 20.Qc3 Qe7 21.Rfd1 Rac8 22.a4 Qc7 23.Ra2 a5 24.Bf1 Bf3 25.Rb1 Qb6 26.Bg2 Bxg2 27.Kxg2 

27.Kxg2 

27...d5 28.cxd5 Rxd5 29.Rd2 Rxd2 30.Qxd2 Rd8 31.Qc2 Kh7 32.Rc1 ½–½

Game 7
GM Hansen had the initial edge but misplayed the position. Later black blundered to give Hansen a tough victory.

Hansen,Eric (2587) - Babb,Jeff (2212)

Spanish Open 9.c3 Bc5[C82]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.7), 14.07.2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.c3 Bc5 10.Nbd2 0–0 11.Bc2 Bf5 12.Nb3 Bg6 13.Nfd4 Bxd4 14.cxd4 a5 15.Be3 a4 16.Nc1 a3 17.b3 b4 18.Nd3 f6 19.Qg4 f5 20.Qf4 Bh5 21.h4 Nc3 22.Rfe1 Ne2+ 23.Rxe2 Bxe2 24.Nc5 Qe7 25.f3 g6 26.Qh6 Rae8 27.Re1 Bb5

27...Bb5 

28.h5 Qg7 29.Qg5 Nd8 30.Bd2 Nc6 31.Be3 Nd8 32.Qh4 Ne6 33.Nxe6 Rxe6 34.Bd2 c5 35.dxc5 Rxe5 36.Qxb4 Rxe1+ 37.Bxe1 Qa1 38.Kh2 Qe5+ 39.f4 Qe2 40.h6 Re8 41.Bd2 Bc6 42.Qd4 Qe7 43.Kg1 Kf7 44.Bd3 Qf6 45.Qxf6+ Kxf6 46.Bc3+ Ke6 47.Kf2 Kd7 48.Be5 Ba4?? 49.bxa4 Ra8 50.Bb5+ Kc8 51.Ke3 Ra5 52.Kd4 1–0

Game 8
IM Hambleton got a massive pawn center-the diagram says it all.

Botez,Alexandra (2204) - Hambleton,Aman (2580)

London System[A46]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.8), 14.07.2013

 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.dxc5 Bxc5 5.Bd6 Na6 6.Bxc5 Nxc5 7.Nc3 Qb6 8.Rb1 d5 9.Qd4 0–0 10.e3 Bd7 11.Bd3 Rfd8 12.Ne5 Be8 13.0–0 Nfe4 14.b4 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Nxc3 16.Qxc3 Rac8 17.Qb2 Qc7 18.Rfc1 Qc3 19.Nf3 Ba4 20.Nd4 e5 21.Qxc3 Rxc3 22.Nf3 f6 23.Rb2 

23.Rb2 

23...d4 24.exd4 exd4 25.Ne1 d3 26.Rd1 Re8 27.Kf1 dxc2 28.Rc1 Bb5+ 29.Kg1 Rxe1+ 0–1

Game 9

Miller,Evgeni (2234) - Perelshteyn,Eugene (2571)

Sicilian 2.c3 g6[B22]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.9), 14.07.2013

 1.e4 c5 2.c3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 d5 5.Nc3 dxe4 6.Bc4 Nf6 7.Qb3 e6 8.d5 Qb6 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Be3 Bc5 11.Bxc5 Qxc5 12.dxe6 fxe6 13.Qxe6+ Qe7 14.Qxe7+ Kxe7 15.Nge2 Bxb5 16.Nxb5 Nc6 17.0–0 Rhd8 18.Ng3 Rd2 19.Rab1 Kf7 20.Rfe1 Re8 

20...Re8 

21.Nc3 Rd4 22.Re2 Nb4 23.a3 Nd3 24.Nb5 Rd7 25.Nc3 Nf4 26.Ree1 Nd3 27.Re2 Nf4 28.Ree1 ½–½

Game 10
The tactics worked out nicely for black after 21..Rd4!

Petty,David (2161) - Gerzhoy,Leonid (2571)

Philidor 7.h3[C41]

Canadian Open 2013 (2.10), 14.07.2013

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0–0 0–0 7.h3 c6 8.a4 b6 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.Qe2 Bb7 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.Ne1 a6 13.Nd3 b5 14.Ba2 Rfe8 15.Bg5 Nf8 16.Rd2 Ng6 17.Re1 Rad8 18.Qd1 b4 19.Nb1 c5 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.Bc4 

21.Bc4

21..Rd4 22.b3 Bxe4 23.Bxa6 Bxg2 24.f4 Bc6 25.Nxc5 Rxd2 26.Nxd2 Qb6 0–1