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Sergei Rublevsky wins Aerosvit International
Russian Grandmaster Sergei Rublevsky hung on to his slender half point lead over Vassily Ivanchuk to win the Aerosvit International Chess tournament.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 10:35 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Crimea, Ukraine:
Russian Grandmaster Sergei Rublevsky hung on to his slender half point lead over Vassily Ivanchuk to win the Aerosvit International Grandmasters Chess tournament. Rublevsky played it safe in the last round by taking a short draw against fellow Russian Alexander Grischuk, which did not affect his position at the top as Ivanchuk failed to beat Alexei Shirov. Rublevsky, playing with black pieces, chose an unusual set up in the Taimanov variation of Sicilian defence and played a novelty as early as move eight. Grischuk reacted with characteristic aggression and sacrificed a piece for two pawns. A wildly complicated position arose on the board with chances for both sides. However, the battle was cut short when the players decided to play safe by agreeing to a draw after 16 moves. The Ivanchuk-Shirov encounter was an exciting affair with both players showing superb tactical skills. Shirov employed the Archangelsk variation against the Ruy Lopez and sacrificed a pawn for active central play. Ivanchuk reacted solidly and returned the pawn a few moves later to obtain a small but stable advantage. Shirov broke out of the bind by sacrificing an exchange and forced an endgame where Ivanchuk had no winning chances despite his material advantage. Ivanchuk reconciled himself to a draw and second place in the tournament after 80 moves. (PTI)Topics mentioned in this article
Chess
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