Round 3 standings:
1 Morozevich 2.5
2 Ponomariov 2.0
3 Sasikiran 1.5
4 Pelletier 1.5
5 Bacrot 1.5
6 McShane 0.0

Replay games at www.ruschess.com and .pgn downloads
Official site: www.bielchessfestival.ch

Bacrot won quickly with white against McShane [28 moves], and in
Moro-McShane there is a very quiet opening followed by a demonstration of
'push that passed pawn!' McShane Pelletier is over in 30 moves. I have been
watching McShane's games for a year now, and he has been playing
impressively and consistently - it is a measure of the strength of these
players that he seems out of his depth in this field [nevermind thathe has
an ELO of 2643.]

RUY INNOVATION?

There are relatively few draws, and many wins by white. The Ruy between Pono
and Saskiran looks like home preparation to move 28. An interesitng position
where white has a supported central passed pawn, and black has two supported
passed wing pawns on the Q side. The questionably move has to be Black's
decision of a piece sac on move 28 which eliminates white's central 2 pawns
at the cost of a knight. By move 41 he has lost his own pawns without
additional compensation. Pono wraps up the game by exchanging his 3 minor
pieces for blacks 2 plus a pawn, to enter a 2 to 1 pawn endgame, Game over
on move 62.

Phil Innes

Round 4:
Ponomariov - Morozevich ½
Sasikiran - McShane 1-0
Pelletier - Bacrot ½

Pono got a passed pawn on the Q side, but couldn't make progress even
though it got to the seventh. Moro fought back on the K side, achieved his
own passer, then went two pawns up in a 4 to 2 pawn endgame with rooks and
opposite coloured Bishops. 20 moves of manoeuver later he couldn't make
progress, and a very fighting draw was achieved.

In anothe ng I suggested the the Ruy below was a post-opening
innovation, but others thought it was (a) an arranged draw attempt, and (b)
not an innovation at all and cited stem games. However, what is unclear is
if black's position at move 27 is tenable? And is black's move 28 an
outright mistake?


Round 4 standings:
1 Morozevich 3.0
2 Ponomariov 2.5
3 Sasikiran 2.5

Phil Innes
________
"Chess One" wrote in message
...
Round 3 standings:
1 Morozevich 2.5
2 Ponomariov 2.0
3 Sasikiran 1.5
4 Pelletier 1.5
5 Bacrot 1.5
6 McShane 0.0

Replay games at www.ruschess.com and .pgn downloads
Official site: www.bielchessfestival.ch

RUY INNOVATION?

There are relatively few draws, and many wins by white. The Ruy between
Pono
and Saskiran looks like home preparation to move 28. An interesitng
position
where white has a supported central passed pawn, and black has two
supported
passed wing pawns on the Q side. The questionably move has to be Black's
decision of a piece sac on move 28 which eliminates white's central 2
pawns
at the cost of a knight. By move 41 he has lost his own pawns without
additional compensation. Pono wraps up the game by exchanging his 3 minor
pieces for blacks 2 plus a pawn, to enter a 2 to 1 pawn endgame, Game over
on move 62.

Phil Innes

McShane bounces back to beat Pono and hold Moro. Current leaders at Round 6

Round 6 standings:
1 Morozevich 4.0
2 Sasikiran 4.0
3 Ponomariov 3.5
4 Pelletier 2.5
5 Bacrot 2.5
6 McShane 1.5

Morozevich finished strongly with 3 points from the last three games,
including the defeat of the second placed player, Saskiriran. //Phil

Final standings:
1 Morozevich 7.5
2 Sasikiran 6.0
3 Ponomariov 4.5
4 Pelletier 4.5
5 Bacrot 4.5
6 McShane 3.0

I knew you would keep me up to date.My man had a strong result.What
happened to
former "World Champion" Ponomariov?


In the last three rounds Moro scored 3 points and Pono only managed one draw
against the tail-ender. They both haven't played much recently. I think
maybe Pono is just a 'normal' kid who had run out of energy, and Moro has
been eating his Wheaties? I don't know what it is about Morozevich, but in
the late middle game he is forever summoning up some thunder and lightning
sequence of moves out of a clear sky, what a nightmare to play against him!

In Moro's game against Pelletier, in a French with dxe4, Moro had virtually
won the game at move 16 with the black bits[!] The remaining moves until 40
were merely technical. His game with White against Sasikiran looked like a
Sokolski pawn wall set-up on move 18, with pawns at a4 b4 c4 d4 and e4, and
both sides hardly in contact with each other, but by move 30 Sasikiran had
lost his Queen! Game over on move 35. Bacrot-Moro looked even at move 20
with neither side having significant weakness, and also at move 27 when both
players have Q + Bishop [same col] and 6 pawns - neither side seems to have
an initiative - then 2712 rated Bacrot gets confused in tactical exchanges
and drives Moro's king towards his own and has to resign since he has set up
a mating net for himself. In their other game when Moro has white its all
over at move 31, but the position at move 27 looks full of promise, no more
than that. The ability to regulalry score whole points from 2700+ opposition
means that surely Moro will be a main contender for the very top spot,
....soon?