When Drawing a Lot Is a Way to Win.

The 5th Wichern Open in Hamburg was obviously stronger than the previous one, there were 30 GMs in the enrollment list. I was closing the over 2500 list with the number 26. It is 2*13 for those who believe, and I join the most chessplayers, which consider the devils dozen to have more to do with luck.
Due to such an impressing participants list, the playing went on the way, that seem to me a characteristic one for strong Swiss tournaments: many interesting fights, lots of mistakes, and not those playing "brilliant" are successful, but those capable of keeping the pressure and the tension during all the game and hold on afloat during the whole tournament. The winner of such a tournament usually just gets more luck.
As long as I was asked to write "a few words", I decided to comment on only my own impressions and games for the following reasons: it is much easier, it usually doesn’t offend anybody, and let the others comment on theirs themselves - they are sure to do it better.
I was taking part in the Wichern open for the second time. And the second time it is a success and a great pleasure for me. Mostly it is due to my staying both times at the private accomodation - living in the families of the participants. I must say I have never encountered such an immense hospitality. I felt like being another one child. I was shown some of Hamburg: the Harbour, the St. Michaelis Church, the Elbe tunnel and more, and I really liked this beautiful city. I think that playing in such conditions was doomed to success.
Before the tournament I took to be favourites many GMs, especially I.Novikov, E.Rozentalis, V.Eingorn, Y.Yakovich, G. Giorgadze, Z. Sturua and others. But the characteristic features of the Swiss system are among others also that you don’t play against all the monsters and that favourites’ fights often end up in draws, so the one who can reach success in one or two of these games has good chances to win the tournament.
I had got quite a substantial portion of luck in this tournament: the first part of it in the first round, when I could once even lose. I won in a mutual time trouble after my opponent declined my draw offer. So in the first three rounds I defeated three German amateurs. I would like to share some of my impressions about the German amateurs playing at all. They always play carefully and thouroughly and often understand position good, but first, they don’t like some complicated tactics, and second, they often don’t expect themselves to defeat a titled player and do it only being forced to. But why? The difference between us is not so great. Yes, GMs are professionals, but often an amateur can get a fresher look and be more inventive. Mind the great psychological pressure: a GM must win and can’t lose! An amateur may play for his pleasure. After losing to some amateur many GMs used to say something like: "I could give him no more than 2 points in ten games. That’s the first one." However close or far from truth it may seem, who cares - there is only one game, and you may believe me that very often only a lack of will can prevent an amateur from winning.
The fourth game was a draw against the australian GM I.Rogers. I was discontent with playing that game, because my position was better, but I had to transform a game to an endgame being afraid of the forthcoming time trouble, then I was playing not the best way and after heavy complications the game ended up in draw.
I chose two fragments for commenting. They both illustrate the same expedient, which is well described in M.Dvoretsky’s books - setting up a hidden trap which meanwhile lays within framework of a strategical plan.
The first one is from the fifth round. I played with black against the well-known ukrainian GM V.Eingorn. He has quite an unpleasant style enjoying a slight edge when winning against him seems rather problematic, but the draw is always further then it seems to be. I played a bit carelessly in the opening, but then white was inaccurate and his advantage were leaking out. The diagram illustrates the crucial moment.

Zug Eingorn

23.e4? An unexpectedly sharp and risky way of fighting for advantage and a mistake. White could preserve a slight edge by 23.Ra1 Nb6 24.Qa2 Na4 25.Be1 Re8 26.Nd3 Na6 27.Nb2! (after 27.Nc5 N4xc5 28.dxc5 Ra8 black equalizes due to 29...Nc7) 27...Nxb2 28.Qxa6 Qd7! 29.Qa7 Qe6 (exchanging queens is not bad but doesn’t change the score: 29...Qxa7 30.Rxa7 f5 31.Kf1 Nc4 32.Rc7 Re6) 30.Ra6 h5 31.Qc5 Rc8 32.Ra7.
23...dxe4 24.Qxe4 Nb6!? That’s the moment. Black is a little better because of the white’s bishop. Now he is taking the "d5" square under control and... 25.Bd2?? f6 26.Qg4 Qc8! The point. The knight retreat loses the queen, although after 27.Nf3 Re1 28.Re1 Qg4 29.Re8 Kf7 30.Rb8 some chances remain, black’s position is winning. As well after 27.Bh6 Re7 28.Qh4 Nd5 29.Ng4 gxh6 black playing accurately enough soon converted an extra piece to a point.
It was a kind of luck, but saying it’s a lottery you have to admit, that I have drawn one lot. The next round brought me a win with white against one of the "over 2600" GMs Z.Sturua. I am really proud of this game, in spite of several inaccuracies and mistakes from both sides, because I won in Ruy Lopez, while my opponent is a well-known specialists in this opening, and I was holding an advantage and tension during all the game. It was a hard battle, and for me it is a subject for a separate article.
In the seventh round I had white pieces the second time in a row against Rozentalis. He is one of the sample players of the Petroff’s defence, so I had to confess that I had no opening against him very soon. This game can’t be called fighting for advantage. By this time I didn’t consider myself as a likely winner.
I planned to survive with black and hope for possible luck to get white in the last round. But then I saw that I was going to play against the young chechian GM T. Oral. He is dangerous, but suffers from terrible time troubles. That was the first time I realized I had got my chance. I chose the proper opening - the popular C67 endgame 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8. My opponent was wasting his time with extravagancy without improving his position, and I felt I was close to overtaking the initiative, but I may have been overestimating my position. So when he reached his time trouble, the position undesirably simplified in white’s favour. After several inaccuracies from his side I could equalize, but he had got only two minutes left, me having more than five! So I took a risk and drew another lot.

Zug Oral

27...c5?! I was aware, that after 27... Nf5 white’s edge is minimal. 28.Nf6+ Kd8 29.Rh1?! This case is a bit different than the one above. The black’s 27th move was more a trap than a part of a strategic plan. One of the ideas was to frighten white with the continuation 29.Ne6 Be6 30.Re6 Nf5 and 31...Nd4 winning the pawn "c2" and getting chances to win. But after 29.Nf3 black’s position seems awkward, although he can defend by 29...Bf5 30.Ne5 Rf8.
29...cxd4 30.Rxh3 Nf5+ 31.Kg4 Rxh3 32.Kxh3 Nd6 Another idea. It may be not so easy to defend the pawns having less than two minutes. 33.Kg4? The simplest way was 33.b3 Nb5 34.Ne4 Na3 35.c3=. 33...Nc4 34.c3 34.Kf5!? deserved attention. 34...d3 35.Kf3 Nxb2 36.Ke3 c5 37.Nd5? The decisive mistake. Now black supports his passed pawn and wins. After 37.c4 Kc7 38.f4 white retained good drawing chances. 37...b5 38.Nf4 c4 39.Ne6+ Kd7 40.Nd4 b4 41.cxb4 axb4 42.Nf3 Kd6 0-1 After this game I stood a half-point ahead the tournament. My coefficient was the highest, so draw with white against the other georgian GM G.Giorgadze would be enough to be the first in any case. But as long as the prizes were not to be shared, for me the differenece between win and draw was only 6 ELO points. That’s why the psychological advantage of my opponent was enormous, and I had apprehensions about the result. But luckily the last round started early in the mourning, and because of it my opponent was totally unwilling to fight, so he didn’t try hard to beat me. I was very happy to accept draw, because I have not won a strong tournament for several years.

GM Vassilij Yemelin