Final position
GM Eljanov (2681) – GM Kamsky (2724) [D15]
04.10.2007
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.c5 Bf5 6.Bf4 e6 7.e3 Nbd7 8.Nd2 Be7 9.Be2 Qc8 10.g4 Bg6 11.g5 Ng8 12.h4 h6 13.gxh6 gxh6 14.h5 Bh7 15.Nf3 Bd8 16.Qd2 Bc7 17.0–0–0 Bf5 18.Ne5 Bxe5 19.Bxe5 Nxe5 20.dxe5 Qc7 21.Qd4 Ne7 22.Rhg1 0–0–0 23.b4 Rdg8 24.Kb2 Qd8 25.Qf4 Rxg1 26.Rxg1 Rg8 27.Rg3 Qf8 28.Bf3 f6 29.Kb3 Rxg3 30.Qxg3 Bd3 31.Na4 f5 32.Kc3 Be4 33.Be2 d4+ 34.exd4 Nd5+ 35.Kb3 f4 36.Qg4 Bf5 37.Qg2 Kb8 38.Nc3 Nxc3 39.Kxc3 Qd8 40.Bf3 Qh4 41.a4 Bh7 42.b5 Qe7 43.b6 Qf7 44.Be4 Bxe4 45.Qxe4 Qxh5 46.Qxf4 Qe8 47.Qxh6 Qg8 48.Qf6 a5 49.Qe7 Ka8 50.Kc4 Kb8 51.f4 Ka8 52.f5 1-0
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Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Doesn’t Kamsky still have a perpetual check option in the final position?
Mark
No. Kamsky’s queen cannot leave the back rank unless it is with check. The only check is via exf5+, but White can block it with his pawn. Game over. [The best Black could do from there would be to force a queen trade into a simple lost ending.]
52 f5 deserves an exclamation point (!)
Eljanov might be the surprise of Corus this year. This win is his best answer to the ones doubting whether he deserves to play in Corus, , mentioning Kamsky as a better substitute. I think Kamsky might be over his peak. I am not sure if he can recover the trauma of not making it to Mehico.
I hate to see Gata losing a game such as this one. It appears from my vantage point he simply tried too hard to win a drawn position and lost. Eljanov does play well but he was handed a gift here, something the rest of the 2700+ crowd will not do too often. Gata is not over the hill just yet as Alekhine’s pronouncemnt that chess players reach their peak at 37 seems to have some validity based on the top players in Mexico 38/39 years old and the top players in the latest FIDE top 100 list! Gata still is a force to be reckoned with as he gets his openings systems better prepared.