Ponomariov,Ruslan

Ivanchuk,Vassily
FIDEWch k.o.
[solution]

2727
2717
2002

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In order to create the TO DO LIST we first have
to evaluate the position.
Black has a large advantage due to the free
pawns from the "a" file. To promote one of the
two doubled pawns is not an easy task because
both sides have pair of bishops which add a
supplementary balance to the position. Both
kings are exposed (when the queens are still on
the board).
TO DO LIST:
-advance a6-a5
-trade the queens
-build a "ladder" with pawns and bishop in order
to clear the path to promotion Bc2, a5-a4,Bc2b3 and the second "stair" a3-a2, Bf8-a3-c1, a4a3, Bc1-a2
-because White has a free pawn on c3, Black's
king should control it (square rule)
-avoid neither interferences nor other moves
which leads to a lack of cooperation if the
queens are still on the board and the king can
be the subject of a direct attack.
The game continued:
47...Kg7?
Black missed White's next queen move (the
piece with the longest rays of action) which
creates counterplay and played an important

1
psichological factor in the game.
After:
[ 47...Be7 controlling the entrance squares
from the Black's camp. 48.Bc1 Kg7 49.Qxb3
Bxb3 50.Bd3 a2 51.Bb2 a5 52.Kf2 Ba3
53.Ba1 Kf7 54.Ke2 Bc1 55.Ba6 a4 56.Kd3
a3 57.Bc4+ Bxc4+ 58.Kxc4 Bb2
or ]
[ 47...a5 48.Bc1 Qxa2 49.Bxa2 Bc5 50.Bd5
Bc2 51.f4 a4 52.Kf3 Bd1+ 53.Kg3 Bb3
54.Kf3 a2 55.Bb2 Ba3 56.Ba1 exf4 57.Kxf4
Bc1+ 58.Kf3 Kg7 following the square rule
59.Ke2 Bxd5 60.exd5 a3 61.Kd3 Bb2
Black is winning ]
48.Qd2! threatening Bxh6+, Qd8 and Ba2 g5
[ 48...Qxb1 49.Bxh6+ Kg8 50.Qd5+ Kh8
51.Bxf8 Qc1= ]
49.Ba2 Qb7 50.Qd3 Be8 with idea Bf7
[ 50...Bb3?? 51.Qb1+- ]
51.Qd5 Qxd5 52.exd5 a5 53.c4 Bb4 54.c5
Kf8 55.Kf2 Bb5 56.c6 Ke7 57.Ba7 Kd8
58.Bb6+ Kc8? 59.Ke3 a4?? 60.Ke4 Be2
61.Kf5 e4 62.Ke6 exf3 63.d6 Bxd6 64.Kxd6
Kb8 65.Be6 Bc4 66.c7+ Kb7 67.c8Q+
1-0
Istratescu,Andrei
Nevednichy,Vladislav
ROMch Iasi
[solution]

2570
2537
1999

(Diagram)
White is a pawn up and we will consider this
when we create TO DO LIST:
- trade the queens and the bishop from a6
which stops the free pawn
- threatening to promote the pawn will force the
black rook to take a passive position on a6
- approach the king in order to create piece
superiority on the queenside
- avoid massive pawn trades or a Black's free
pawn on the kingside
- if it's the case, give up the a6 pawn reaching a
won pawn-endgame.

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39.Qxb5 Rxb5
[ 39...Bxb5 40.Bb7! and the a-pawn is free to
advance ]
40.Ra1 Rc5 41.Bf1 Rc6
[ 41...Bb7 42.a6 Ba8 43.Bg2+- ]
42.Bxa6 Rxa6 43.Kf1 Ke5 44.Ke2 f5
Black is threatening by f5-f4 to trade two pairs of
pawns or to create pawn weaknesses on g3 and
e3, so white must remeber TO DO LIST!
45.f4+ gxf4 46.gxf4+
White stabilized the pawn structure on the king
side (trading just one pawn) and the base of the
pawn chain e3 can be defended with Ra3.
Kd5
[ 46...Ke4 47.Rd1 Rxa5 48.Rd4# ]
47.Kd3 h4 48.Ra3! Kc5 49.Kc3 Kd5
[ 49...Kb5 50.Kd4! Kb4 51.Ra1+- Rxa5
52.Rxa5 Kxa5 53.Kd5 and White wins
( 53.e4 is also good )]
50.Kb4 Ra8 51.a6 Ke4 52.Kb5 d5
[ 52...Kf3 53.Kb6 Kg2 54.a7 ]
53.Kb6 d4 54.exd4 Kxf4 55.a7 Ke4 56.Kb7
Rxa7+ 57.Rxa7 f4 58.Kc6
[ 58.Kc6 Kxd4 59.Rh7 Ke3 60.Rxh4 f3
61.Rh8 f2 62.Rf8+- ]
1-0

Minasian,Artashes
Dreev,Alexey
URSch58 Moscow
[solution]

2510
2610
1991

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White has a small edge due to:
- queen side pawn majority (where White can
create a free pawn)
- better pawn structure (no obvious weaknesses,
while Black has a7 and f7)
- Nb5>Na6.
TO DO LIST:
- restrict black pieces activity with b2-b4 (Na6)
and g2-g3, f2-f4 (Bh6)
- ...and, at the same time, fixing black weak
pawns on f7, e6, f5
- keep Black's rook passive on the 7th rank to
protect a7
- improve knights' positions, trying to reach the
ideal foreposts d6 and e5
23.b4!
RESTRICT FIRST, GRAB LATER
[ 23.Nxa7 Nc5
Suddendly, all Black's pieces became very
active; the counterplay is based on the first
rank weakness: Rd8-d1, Nc5-d3 and Bh6-c1. ]
23...Rd1+ 24.Nf1 Rd7 25.g3
Followed by f2-f4 restricting Bh6 for good.

3
Kf8
[ 25...f4 26.g4!
Followed by f2-f3 and Kg1-f2 and Bh6 is out of
play either. ]
26.f4 Ke7 27.Rd2! Rb7
[ 27...Rxd2 28.Nxd2 e5 29.Nxa7 Kd7
30.Nb3 exf4 31.b5 Nc7 32.c5 bxc5
33.Nxc5+ Kd6 34.b6! ]
28.Ne3 Bg7 29.Kf2 Nc7 30.Nd6 Rb8
31.Nxf7! a5
[ 31...Kxf7 32.Rd7+ ]
32.b5
Fixing the weakness on b6 and avoiding pawn
trades (as in the previous example, the player in
advantage should avoid pawn trades in the
endgame).
Nxb5 33.cxb5 Kxf7 34.Rd7+ Kf6 35.Nc4
Bf8 36.Ne5 Bc5+ 37.Kf3
1-0
Short,Nigel D
Timman,Jan H
Tilburg
[solution]
(Diagram)

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[ 29.Qg5
Threatening Rd4-h4 and keeping the queen
flexible (Qg5-f6 or Qg5-h6)
h6 30.Qf6+ Kg8 31.Nh4
The threat is f2-f3 (defending g2) followed by
Nxg6.
h5 32.f3 Qc5 33.Nxg6+- ]

2660
2630
1991 29...Kg8 30.h4 h5
Forced. White managed to determine new
weaknesses on the king side.
A brilliant idea occurred to create piece
superiority: White brings the monarch into the
battle!

White has just exchanged the dark-square

bishops creating a weak square complex around
the black king. White is also dominating "d" file
and the 7-th rank but for a win, TO DO LIST is
necessary:
- emerge with Rd1 on the 4-th rank defending
c4 and e4 (releasing the queen from defending
it and avoiding queen-trade) which also creates
a piece superiority on the king side
- force Black to push the h7 pawn, leaving g6
weak
- defend g2 in order to bring Nf3 in attack
- threat to double the rooks on the seventh rank
28.R1d4 Rae8 29.Qf6+
According to our TO DO LIST, even better was
:

31.Kh2 Rc8
[ 31...Bc8 32.Re7 Bb7 33.Kg3 Rxe7
34.Qxe7 Kg7 35.Kf4 Qxa4 36.Ng5 Qc6
37.Qf6+ Kg8 38.Nxf7 Kh7 39.Ke3 Qe8
40.Ng5+ Kg8 41.Rd8+- ]
32.Kg3 Rce8 33.Kf4 Bc8 34.Kg5
[ 34.Kg5 Bxd7 35.Kh6 ]
1-0

4
Petre,N
Zhadko,V
Deva
[solution]

White is trapping the knight and preparing a

second weakness on the king side:
1998 31.Bd3 Nxa3 32.h4 f6 33.g4 e5 34.f3 Kf7
35.g5 Ke6 36.gxf6 Kxf6 37.Kf2 exd4
38.exd4 Ke6 39.Ke3 Kd6 40.Kf4 h6
41.Kg4!
[ 41.Bxg6? Nb5 42.Ke3 Ke7 43.Bd3 Nc7
44.Bf5 Nb5 45.Kd3 Nd6 46.Bh7 Kf7
47.Ke3 Nb5 48.Bd3 Nc7 49.f4 Ne8 50.Bb5
Nd6 51.Bd7 Ke7 52.Bh3 Kf6 53.Kf3 h5= ]
41...Ke6 42.f4 Kf6 43.h5 gxh5+ 44.Kxh5
Kg7 45.f5 a4 46.bxa4 Nc4 47.Bf1+1-0

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21...Nb6
Which are the CQS of Black's last move?
Black is threatening Nb6-c4 and b5-b4 to trap
the Ba5. Is this a real threat? The answer is no,
because a6 and b4 will be weak and the bishop
can escape after b5-b4 and Qb7-b5 on c7 or d8
(depending where the black dark-square bishop
will be).
TO DO LIST:
- push b2-b3 to stop Nb6-c4
- allure Black to push b5-b4 in order to make the
queen side pawns, a6 and b4, vulnerable
- prepare Nc1-d3 to take under control the dark
squares b4 and c5
- trade the dark square bishops
- besides a6 and c-file, White must create a new
weakness in Black's camp
The game continued:
22.b3 Nc8 23.Bf1 Bd6
[ 23...b4 24.Nd3 ]
24.Nd3 Ne7 25.Bb4 Bxb4 26.Nxb4 a5
27.Nxc6 Qxc6 28.Qxc6 Nxc6 29.Bxb5 Nb4
30.a3 Nc2