World Teams R05: Egypt gives India a scare!
After a thumping win against USA in round four, it was expected that India would breeze through their match against Egypt. However, it was far from easy. Adhiban was the only winner giving us a 2.5-1.5 victory. In quite a few of the games we were in grave trouble. In the women's section Tania, Eesha and Vijayalakshmi scored wins to give us a three point lead. The surprise of the day was Harika's loss to a 2141 opponent Wafa Shrouk. Although the matches were tough, no damage was done! We have the game analysis as well as Team India wishing a happy International Yoga Day from Khanty Mansiysk.
Photos by Anastasiya Balakhontseva
Indian men beat Egypt by 2.5-1.5, women beat Egypt 3-1
Team India made the bold decision of resting Sasi and getting Karthikeyan to play against Egypt
When you have Adhiban in the team, you are bound to have high energy levels!
Parimarjan Negi is immune to the excitement!
And the games begin!
Team India has been lucky to some extent that Adhiban is back in form. Since he has begun winning, India has won all their matches! And just like round three against Bulgaria, he provided the crucial win of the match by beating Adham Fawzy. The final position tells you about how the Indian player dominated the game.
Who needs a queen, when you have pawns!
[Event "11th World Teams 2017"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "Fawzy, Adham"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2418"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Adhiban, Baskaran"]
[Black "Fawzy, Adham"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2418"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 b5 {
This is very similar to the Sveshnikov, just that the knight is not on f6. So
we call it the Kalashnikov. Now White can jump in to d5 with his knight.} 8.
Nd5 Nge7 9. Bd3 Nxd5 10. exd5 Ne7 11. c4 g6 (11... bxc4 12. Nxc4 {is
definitely the stronger move.} (12. Bxc4 g6 {Might be another way to play.})
12... g6 13. Qa4+ $18 {is a cute win!}) 12. cxb5 Bg7 {Black sacrifices his
queenside pawns for quick development and gaining the centre.} 13. O-O O-O 14.
Re1 Bb7 15. bxa6 Bxd5 {A very interesting and imbalanced position has arisen.
Black has the centre, White has this chunk of pawns on the queenside. In
general I think White should be better, because there is absolutely nothing
wrong with his development and the pawn on a6 is just two steps away from
queening.} 16. Bf1 Be6 17. b4 d5 18. b5 e4 19. Rb1 {Black central pawns are
now going nowhere, where as White pawns are ready to expand.} Qb6 20. Nc2 Nf5 (
20... d4 {It could have been interesting to give the e4 pawn and complicated
the game further.} 21. Rxe4 Nd5 22. Bd2 Rad8 $16 {I don't belive in Black's
play, but perhaps he has some compensation.}) (20... Rxa6 21. Be3 $18) 21. a4
Rac8 (21... Rxa6 22. Be3 Nxe3 23. bxa6 $18) 22. Bd2 Be5 23. g3 Rxc2 {Black
indulges in an incorrect sacrifice.} 24. Qxc2 Nd4 25. Qd1 $1 {Adhiban has seen
it until the end.} Nf3+ 26. Qxf3 exf3 27. Rxe5 {White has a rook and a piece
for the queen, but look at those queenside pawns. It's all over!} Rc8 28. Rxe6
$5 (28. a5 {was also just winning.}) 28... fxe6 29. a5 Qd4 30. b6 {[%csl Ga5,
Ga6,Gb6] Yes, the d2 bishop is also falling, but those pawns on the queenside
have won the day for White.} 1-0
This is very similar to the Sveshnikov, just that the knight is not on f6. So
we call it the Kalashnikov. Now White can jump in to d5 with his knight.} 8.
Nd5 Nge7 9. Bd3 Nxd5 10. exd5 Ne7 11. c4 g6 (11... bxc4 12. Nxc4 {is
definitely the stronger move.} (12. Bxc4 g6 {Might be another way to play.})
12... g6 13. Qa4+ $18 {is a cute win!}) 12. cxb5 Bg7 {Black sacrifices his
queenside pawns for quick development and gaining the centre.} 13. O-O O-O 14.
Re1 Bb7 15. bxa6 Bxd5 {A very interesting and imbalanced position has arisen.
Black has the centre, White has this chunk of pawns on the queenside. In
general I think White should be better, because there is absolutely nothing
wrong with his development and the pawn on a6 is just two steps away from
queening.} 16. Bf1 Be6 17. b4 d5 18. b5 e4 19. Rb1 {Black central pawns are
now going nowhere, where as White pawns are ready to expand.} Qb6 20. Nc2 Nf5 (
20... d4 {It could have been interesting to give the e4 pawn and complicated
the game further.} 21. Rxe4 Nd5 22. Bd2 Rad8 $16 {I don't belive in Black's
play, but perhaps he has some compensation.}) (20... Rxa6 21. Be3 $18) 21. a4
Rac8 (21... Rxa6 22. Be3 Nxe3 23. bxa6 $18) 22. Bd2 Be5 23. g3 Rxc2 {Black
indulges in an incorrect sacrifice.} 24. Qxc2 Nd4 25. Qd1 $1 {Adhiban has seen
it until the end.} Nf3+ 26. Qxf3 exf3 27. Rxe5 {White has a rook and a piece
for the queen, but look at those queenside pawns. It's all over!} Rc8 28. Rxe6
$5 (28. a5 {was also just winning.}) 28... fxe6 29. a5 Qd4 30. b6 {[%csl Ga5,
Ga6,Gb6] Yes, the d2 bishop is also falling, but those pawns on the queenside
have won the day for White.} 1-0
Vidit has been close to 2700 on the live ratings for quite some time now. Today's draw has not helped his cause.
Usually when it comes to opening play, Vidit is quite careful. But today he seemed to be in some sort of an enterprising mode where he sacrificed a pawn. To put it into simple words, "He was a pawn down with a bad position!" Hesham Abdelrahman made many mistakes which let Vidit back in the game. At some point the Indian was also better. But in the end good defense by the Egyptian GM led to a draw.
[Event "11th World Teams 2017"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Hesham, Abdelrahman"]
[Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2372"]
[BlackElo "2692"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Hesham, Abdelrahman"]
[Black "Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2372"]
[BlackElo "2692"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. a3 Be7 6. e4 d6 7. Qc2 Nfd7 8.
Nb1 e5 9. d5 a5 10. Nc3 Nc5 11. Be3 Nba6 12. Be2 f5 13. O-O Qe8 14. b3 Qg6 15.
Kh1 fxe4 16. Nd2 Bf5 17. g4 Bd7 18. Ndxe4 a4 {[%cal Ga5a4] This seems some
sort of a misjudgement on Vidit's part.} (18... Bxg4 $5 {An interesting option!
} 19. Rg1 Rf3 $1 20. Rg2 Raf8 21. Rag1 h5 $44 {And Black seems to have enough
compensation.}) 19. b4 Nb3 20. Rad1 Nd4 21. Bxd4 exd4 22. Rxd4 {Yes it's true
that White's position looks overextended, but just have a glance at that poor
guy on a6 and you will realize that something has gone terribly wrong for
Black.} Rf4 23. Qd1 (23. Qd2 Raf8 24. Rg1 $16) 23... Raf8 24. b5 $2 {The
knight on a6 really was poorly placed. There was absolutely no need to let it
back in the game.} (24. f3 $16) 24... Nc5 25. Nxc5 Rxd4 26. Qxd4 dxc5 27. Qe4
Qf6 {Now Black has decent compensation and the worst is over.} 28. Qe3 Re8 29.
Ne4 Qb2 30. Bd3 Rf8 31. Rb1 Qe5 32. h3 h5 33. Rg1 b6 34. Nd2 {Hesham is unable
to hold the tension in the position. The queen exchange is to Black's benefit.}
Bd6 35. Qxe5 Bxe5 36. Rg2 hxg4 37. hxg4 Bb2 $17 {Now it's Black who is pushing.
At this point it seemed as if Vidit would win.} 38. Bc2 Bxa3 39. Bxa4 Rf4 40.
Bc2 Bxg4 41. Be4 Bb4 42. f3 Bh5 43. Rh2 g6 44. Kg1 Kg7 45. Rf2 Kf6 46. Nf1 Bc3
47. Kg2 Bd4 48. Ra2 Be5 49. Ng3 {White has defended well, kept his
disadvantage to a minimum.} Bd6 50. Ra8 Rh4 51. Re8 Kg5 52. Re6 Rf4 53. Re8 Rf6
54. Rg8 Kf4 55. Kf2 Be5 56. Re8 Bd6 57. Rh8 Kg5 58. Kg2 Rf7 59. Rg8 Kh4 60.
Nxh5 gxh5 61. Bg6 Rf6 62. Be4 Rf4 63. Kf2 Rf7 64. Kg2 Be5 65. Bg6 Rd7 66. Bf5
Re7 67. Be6 Bd6 68. Kf2 Rh7 69. Rg6 Rh8 70. Bg8 Bf4 71. Kg2 Rh6 72. Rxh6 Bxh6
73. d6 cxd6 74. Bf7 Be3 75. Bg8 Kg5 76. Bf7 h4 77. Bg8 Kf4 78. Bd5 Bd4 79. Bc6
{A interesting game. Perhaps if Vidit wouldn't have played ...a4 in the
opening, he would have been able to win this game. After ...a4 it is a nice
result to have split the point!} 1/2-1/2
Nb1 e5 9. d5 a5 10. Nc3 Nc5 11. Be3 Nba6 12. Be2 f5 13. O-O Qe8 14. b3 Qg6 15.
Kh1 fxe4 16. Nd2 Bf5 17. g4 Bd7 18. Ndxe4 a4 {[%cal Ga5a4] This seems some
sort of a misjudgement on Vidit's part.} (18... Bxg4 $5 {An interesting option!
} 19. Rg1 Rf3 $1 20. Rg2 Raf8 21. Rag1 h5 $44 {And Black seems to have enough
compensation.}) 19. b4 Nb3 20. Rad1 Nd4 21. Bxd4 exd4 22. Rxd4 {Yes it's true
that White's position looks overextended, but just have a glance at that poor
guy on a6 and you will realize that something has gone terribly wrong for
Black.} Rf4 23. Qd1 (23. Qd2 Raf8 24. Rg1 $16) 23... Raf8 24. b5 $2 {The
knight on a6 really was poorly placed. There was absolutely no need to let it
back in the game.} (24. f3 $16) 24... Nc5 25. Nxc5 Rxd4 26. Qxd4 dxc5 27. Qe4
Qf6 {Now Black has decent compensation and the worst is over.} 28. Qe3 Re8 29.
Ne4 Qb2 30. Bd3 Rf8 31. Rb1 Qe5 32. h3 h5 33. Rg1 b6 34. Nd2 {Hesham is unable
to hold the tension in the position. The queen exchange is to Black's benefit.}
Bd6 35. Qxe5 Bxe5 36. Rg2 hxg4 37. hxg4 Bb2 $17 {Now it's Black who is pushing.
At this point it seemed as if Vidit would win.} 38. Bc2 Bxa3 39. Bxa4 Rf4 40.
Bc2 Bxg4 41. Be4 Bb4 42. f3 Bh5 43. Rh2 g6 44. Kg1 Kg7 45. Rf2 Kf6 46. Nf1 Bc3
47. Kg2 Bd4 48. Ra2 Be5 49. Ng3 {White has defended well, kept his
disadvantage to a minimum.} Bd6 50. Ra8 Rh4 51. Re8 Kg5 52. Re6 Rf4 53. Re8 Rf6
54. Rg8 Kf4 55. Kf2 Be5 56. Re8 Bd6 57. Rh8 Kg5 58. Kg2 Rf7 59. Rg8 Kh4 60.
Nxh5 gxh5 61. Bg6 Rf6 62. Be4 Rf4 63. Kf2 Rf7 64. Kg2 Be5 65. Bg6 Rd7 66. Bf5
Re7 67. Be6 Bd6 68. Kf2 Rh7 69. Rg6 Rh8 70. Bg8 Bf4 71. Kg2 Rh6 72. Rxh6 Bxh6
73. d6 cxd6 74. Bf7 Be3 75. Bg8 Kg5 76. Bf7 h4 77. Bg8 Kf4 78. Bd5 Bd4 79. Bc6
{A interesting game. Perhaps if Vidit wouldn't have played ...a4 in the
opening, he would have been able to win this game. After ...a4 it is a nice
result to have split the point!} 1/2-1/2
It's tough to be in Karthikeyan's shoes
Karthikeyan Murali must be learning a lot from this experience. However, for him things are not so simple as they look. He knows that he wouldn't be getting too many games to play. And when he gets the opportunity, he has to win! That's quite a bit of pressure. Karthikeyan was fine out of the opening, but soon landed in grave trouble. At some point none of his pieces were moving. And if the White king were to enter the black position it would have been all over. Somehow Murali managed to trick his opponent and the game ended in a draw.
[Event "11th World Teams 2017"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.3"]
[White "Abdelnabbi, Imed"]
[Black "Karthikeyan, Murali"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B55"]
[WhiteElo "2428"]
[BlackElo "2582"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Bb5+ Nbd7 7. Nf5 d5 8.
exd5 a6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 Nc5 11. Ne3 Nxb3 12. axb3 Bc5 13. c4 O-O 14. Nc3 Qb6
(14... e4 $5) 15. Qe2 Nh5 $6 16. Nc2 $1 {A very strong move. The threat is
simply b4.} bxc4 17. Na4 $1 Qb8 $1 (17... Qa7 18. bxc4 $18 {is a bad position
for Black.}) 18. Nxc5 cxb3 {If the knight on c2 moves, then Qb4+ wins the
other knight.} 19. O-O bxc2 20. Qxc2 Nf6 {Black has equalized.} 21. Rd1 Nd7 $2
(21... Qd6) 22. Be3 Nxc5 23. Bxc5 $16 {White is just better now.} Re8 24. b4
Bd7 25. d6 Qb5 26. Ra5 Qb7 27. Qe4 Bc6 28. Qe3 Bd7 29. h3 h6 30. Kh2 Re6 31.
Rda1 Bb5 32. Qe4 Rb8 (32... Bc6 $6 33. Qe2 Bb5 34. Qxb5 $1 axb5 35. Rxa8+ Kh7
36. R1a7 Qd5 37. d7 $18) 33. Qxb7 Rxb7 34. Rxa6 $5 Bxa6 35. Rxa6 {Although
technically this is an interesting exchange sacrifice, Black is out of danger
of losing.} Re8 36. Rc6 Rd8 (36... f5 $1 {planning to not only create a passer,
but also activate the king would have put quite a lot of pressure on White.}
37. Kg1 (37. Rc7 Rxc7 38. dxc7 Kf7 39. b5 Ke6 40. b6 Kd7 $17) 37... Kf7 38. Kf2
Ke6 39. Ke3 Ra8 $17 {Black is clearly pushing.}) 37. Rc7 $5 Rd7 (37... Rxc7 38.
dxc7 Rc8 39. Bd6 $18) 38. Rc8+ Kh7 39. Kg3 Kg6 40. Kf2 Kf6 41. Re8 {White has
been able to create this bind which is very difficult for Black to
breakthrough from. It is almost a miracle that Karthikeyan managed to survive.}
Kg6 {A practical decision.} 42. Rxe5 (42. Ke3 f6 43. Kd3 (43. Ke4 Kf7 44. Ra8
Ke6 $11) 43... Kf7 44. Ra8 Ke6 45. Kc4 $16 {I think Black is under a lot of
pressure here. Perhaps the most practical thing would be to give back an
exchange.} Rxd6 46. Bxd6 Kxd6 47. Ra6+ Kd7 48. b5 $16 {But I am not sure if
this will hold.}) 42... f6 43. Re2 (43. Re4 $1 Rd8 44. Ke3 $18 {It was
important to get the king activated and hence Re4 instead of Re2.}) 43... Rd8
44. Ke1 Kf7 45. Kd2 Re8 46. Rf2 Ke6 47. Kc3 Kd7 48. Kc4 Re1 {Things are now
under control and Karthikeyan managed to hold the draw.} 49. Ra2 Rc1+ 50. Kd5
Rd1+ 51. Ke4 Ke6 52. Ra8 f5+ 53. Ke3 Re1+ 54. Kf2 Rb1 55. Re8+ Kf7 56. Re2 g5
57. Rd2 Ke6 58. Kg3 h5 59. Re2+ Kf7 60. Re5 Kf6 61. Re8 f4+ 62. Kh2 g4 63. Rf8+
Ke5 64. g3 Rb2+ 65. Kg1 Rb1+ 66. Kh2 Rb2+ 67. Kg1 Rb1+ 1/2-1/2
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.3"]
[White "Abdelnabbi, Imed"]
[Black "Karthikeyan, Murali"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B55"]
[WhiteElo "2428"]
[BlackElo "2582"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Bb5+ Nbd7 7. Nf5 d5 8.
exd5 a6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 Nc5 11. Ne3 Nxb3 12. axb3 Bc5 13. c4 O-O 14. Nc3 Qb6
(14... e4 $5) 15. Qe2 Nh5 $6 16. Nc2 $1 {A very strong move. The threat is
simply b4.} bxc4 17. Na4 $1 Qb8 $1 (17... Qa7 18. bxc4 $18 {is a bad position
for Black.}) 18. Nxc5 cxb3 {If the knight on c2 moves, then Qb4+ wins the
other knight.} 19. O-O bxc2 20. Qxc2 Nf6 {Black has equalized.} 21. Rd1 Nd7 $2
(21... Qd6) 22. Be3 Nxc5 23. Bxc5 $16 {White is just better now.} Re8 24. b4
Bd7 25. d6 Qb5 26. Ra5 Qb7 27. Qe4 Bc6 28. Qe3 Bd7 29. h3 h6 30. Kh2 Re6 31.
Rda1 Bb5 32. Qe4 Rb8 (32... Bc6 $6 33. Qe2 Bb5 34. Qxb5 $1 axb5 35. Rxa8+ Kh7
36. R1a7 Qd5 37. d7 $18) 33. Qxb7 Rxb7 34. Rxa6 $5 Bxa6 35. Rxa6 {Although
technically this is an interesting exchange sacrifice, Black is out of danger
of losing.} Re8 36. Rc6 Rd8 (36... f5 $1 {planning to not only create a passer,
but also activate the king would have put quite a lot of pressure on White.}
37. Kg1 (37. Rc7 Rxc7 38. dxc7 Kf7 39. b5 Ke6 40. b6 Kd7 $17) 37... Kf7 38. Kf2
Ke6 39. Ke3 Ra8 $17 {Black is clearly pushing.}) 37. Rc7 $5 Rd7 (37... Rxc7 38.
dxc7 Rc8 39. Bd6 $18) 38. Rc8+ Kh7 39. Kg3 Kg6 40. Kf2 Kf6 41. Re8 {White has
been able to create this bind which is very difficult for Black to
breakthrough from. It is almost a miracle that Karthikeyan managed to survive.}
Kg6 {A practical decision.} 42. Rxe5 (42. Ke3 f6 43. Kd3 (43. Ke4 Kf7 44. Ra8
Ke6 $11) 43... Kf7 44. Ra8 Ke6 45. Kc4 $16 {I think Black is under a lot of
pressure here. Perhaps the most practical thing would be to give back an
exchange.} Rxd6 46. Bxd6 Kxd6 47. Ra6+ Kd7 48. b5 $16 {But I am not sure if
this will hold.}) 42... f6 43. Re2 (43. Re4 $1 Rd8 44. Ke3 $18 {It was
important to get the king activated and hence Re4 instead of Re2.}) 43... Rd8
44. Ke1 Kf7 45. Kd2 Re8 46. Rf2 Ke6 47. Kc3 Kd7 48. Kc4 Re1 {Things are now
under control and Karthikeyan managed to hold the draw.} 49. Ra2 Rc1+ 50. Kd5
Rd1+ 51. Ke4 Ke6 52. Ra8 f5+ 53. Ke3 Re1+ 54. Kf2 Rb1 55. Re8+ Kf7 56. Re2 g5
57. Rd2 Ke6 58. Kg3 h5 59. Re2+ Kf7 60. Re5 Kf6 61. Re8 f4+ 62. Kh2 g4 63. Rf8+
Ke5 64. g3 Rb2+ 65. Kg1 Rb1+ 66. Kh2 Rb2+ 67. Kg1 Rb1+ 1/2-1/2
Parimarjan Negi was also in trouble, but a draw offer at the right moment did him a world of good.
[Event "11th World Teams 2017"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.4"]
[White "Negi, Parimarjan"]
[Black "Farahat, Ali"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2402"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.4"]
[White "Negi, Parimarjan"]
[Black "Farahat, Ali"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2402"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8.
a4 a5 9. h3 b6 10. Be3 Ne8 11. Qd2 e5 12. Bh6 f6 13. Nh2 Ra7 14. Kh1 g5 15.
Bxg7 Nxg7 16. Ne2 h5 17. h4 Ne6 {Black has space and an aggressive position.
White is just passive.} 18. g3 f5 (18... c4 $5) 19. exf5 Rxf5 20. hxg5 Nxg5 21.
Nc3 Be6 22. Qe3 Qd4 23. Rae1 Raf7 24. f3 Kh7 25. Kg2 Rg7 26. Kh1 Rgf7 27. Qe2
c4 28. Ne4 cxd3 29. cxd3 {The final position is clearly in Black's favour and
it was a good decision by Negi to offer the draw.} 1/2-1/2
a4 a5 9. h3 b6 10. Be3 Ne8 11. Qd2 e5 12. Bh6 f6 13. Nh2 Ra7 14. Kh1 g5 15.
Bxg7 Nxg7 16. Ne2 h5 17. h4 Ne6 {Black has space and an aggressive position.
White is just passive.} 18. g3 f5 (18... c4 $5) 19. exf5 Rxf5 20. hxg5 Nxg5 21.
Nc3 Be6 22. Qe3 Qd4 23. Rae1 Raf7 24. f3 Kh7 25. Kg2 Rg7 26. Kh1 Rgf7 27. Qe2
c4 28. Ne4 cxd3 29. cxd3 {The final position is clearly in Black's favour and
it was a good decision by Negi to offer the draw.} 1/2-1/2
Results of round five:
| Round 5 on 2017/06/21 at 15:00 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | SNo. | Team | Res. | Team | SNo. |
| 1 | 3 | UNITED STATES | 2-2 | BELARUS | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | EGYPT | 1.5-2.5 | INDIA | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | TURKEY | 2-2 | CHINA | 1 |
| 4 | 6 | UKRAINE | 1-3 | POLAND | 9 |
| 5 | 7 | RUSSIA | 3-1 | NORWAY | 8 |
Crosstable Open:
| Rank | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | MP | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RUSSIA | * | 2 | 2½ | 3 | 3 | 3½ | 9 | 14 | ||||
| 2 | CHINA | * | 2 | 2½ | 2 | 3½ | 3½ | 8 | 13½ | ||||
| 3 | POLAND | * | 1½ | 2½ | 3 | 2½ | 3 | 8 | 12½ | ||||
| 4 | TURKEY | 2 | 2 | 2½ | * | 2 | 2½ | 7 | 11 | ||||
| 5 | INDIA | 1½ | 1½ | * | 3½ | 2½ | 2½ | 6 | 11½ | ||||
| 6 | UKRAINE | 1½ | 1 | 2 | * | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9½ | ||||
| 7 | UNITED STATES | 2 | 1½ | ½ | * | 2½ | 2 | 4 | 8½ | ||||
| 8 | NORWAY | 1 | 1½ | 1 | 1½ | * | 2½ | 2 | 7½ | ||||
| 9 | BELARUS | 1 | ½ | 1½ | 2 | 2 | * | 2 | 7 | ||||
| 10 | EGYPT | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1½ | 1½ | * | 0 | 5 |
India is in the fifth position. Turkey refuses to lose and held China to a draw. It will be interesting to see if India can beat the team who hasn't lost to Russia or China.
Women's section:
The first three games of the match ended just as predicted. Tania, Eesha and Viji all got home the full points and India was leading 3-1 against Egypt. I give the three games without any annotations below:
Tania Sachdev beat Moaataz Ayah with white. It was a complex game where Black had her share of chances, but went wrong around move 18.
[Event "11th World Teams Women"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Tania, Sachdev"]
[Black "Moaataz, Ayah"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2408"]
[BlackElo "2020"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.2"]
[White "Tania, Sachdev"]
[Black "Moaataz, Ayah"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2408"]
[BlackElo "2020"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Qc2 b6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Bf4 a6 8. e3
O-O 9. Bd3 c5 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. O-O Nc6 12. a3 g6 13. Rfd1 Qa5 14. e4 Bg4 15.
exd5 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Nd4 17. Qb1 Nh5 18. Bh6 Nxf3+ 19. Kg2 Nh4+ 20. Kh1 Rfb8 21.
Be4 Bf6 22. Qc2 Re8 23. d6 Ra7 24. d7 Rb8 25. Nd5 Qd8 26. Nxf6+ Qxf6 27. Qxc5
Rxd7 28. Rxd7 Qxb2 29. Rb1 1-0
O-O 9. Bd3 c5 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. O-O Nc6 12. a3 g6 13. Rfd1 Qa5 14. e4 Bg4 15.
exd5 Bxf3 16. gxf3 Nd4 17. Qb1 Nh5 18. Bh6 Nxf3+ 19. Kg2 Nh4+ 20. Kh1 Rfb8 21.
Be4 Bf6 22. Qc2 Re8 23. d6 Ra7 24. d7 Rb8 25. Nd5 Qd8 26. Nxf6+ Qxf6 27. Qxc5
Rxd7 28. Rxd7 Qxb2 29. Rb1 1-0
Eesha's opponent gave her stiff resistance, but she managed to outplay her and end the game with a nice tactic:
Black to play and stun your opponent!
[Event "11th World Teams Women"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.3"]
[White "Elansary, Eman"]
[Black "Karavade, Eesha"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D04"]
[WhiteElo "1887"]
[BlackElo "2388"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.3"]
[White "Elansary, Eman"]
[Black "Karavade, Eesha"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D04"]
[WhiteElo "1887"]
[BlackElo "2388"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 c5 4. b3 Nc6 5. Bb2 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. Nbd2
O-O 9. c4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Qa5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. b4
Qa3 15. Rfb1 Qa4 16. Qd3 Rfc8 17. a3 h6 18. Rc1 Rc6 19. Rxc6 bxc6 20. f3 Nd7
21. Nb3 Nf8 22. Bc5 Bf6 23. Bd4 Be7 24. Bc5 Bg5 25. f4 Bf6 26. Bd4 Nd7 27. Bxf6
Nxf6 28. Nd4 a5 29. Rc1 axb4 30. axb4 Qxb4 31. Nxc6 Qb2 32. Qc2 Qa3 33. Re1 Ne4
34. Nd4 Qxe3+ 0-1
O-O 9. c4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Qa5 13. cxd5 exd5 14. b4
Qa3 15. Rfb1 Qa4 16. Qd3 Rfc8 17. a3 h6 18. Rc1 Rc6 19. Rxc6 bxc6 20. f3 Nd7
21. Nb3 Nf8 22. Bc5 Bf6 23. Bd4 Be7 24. Bc5 Bg5 25. f4 Bf6 26. Bd4 Nd7 27. Bxf6
Nxf6 28. Nd4 a5 29. Rc1 axb4 30. axb4 Qxb4 31. Nxc6 Qb2 32. Qc2 Qa3 33. Re1 Ne4
34. Nd4 Qxe3+ 0-1
Viji scored a fine win with the white pieces
[Event "11th World Teams Women"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.4"]
[White "Vijayalakshmi, Subbaraman"]
[Black "Ehab, Tasneem"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A49"]
[WhiteElo "2375"]
[BlackElo "1750"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 Qc7 8. c4
Bg4 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. d5 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Ne5 12. Bg2 a6 13. h3 Nh5 14. e4 b5 15.
cxb5 axb5 16. Nxb5 Qb6 17. a4 Rfc8 18. Kh2 Rab8 19. Qe2 c4 20. f4 cxb3 21. Rac1
Nd7 22. e5 dxe5 23. fxe5 Bh6 24. Rc6 Qe3 25. Qg4 Rd8 26. Bc1 Qd3 27. Rc3 Nxe5
28. Rxd3 Nxg4+ 29. hxg4 Bxc1 30. Rxc1 Nf6 31. Kh3 Rb6 32. Rxb3 Nxd5 33. a5 Ra6
34. Bxd5 Rxd5 35. Nc7 Raxa5 36. Nxd5 Rxd5 37. Re1 e6 38. Rb8+ Kg7 39. Rb7 h5
40. Rf1 hxg4+ 41. Kxg4 Rd4+ 42. Rf4 1-0
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.4"]
[White "Vijayalakshmi, Subbaraman"]
[Black "Ehab, Tasneem"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A49"]
[WhiteElo "2375"]
[BlackElo "1750"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "India"]
[BlackTeam "Egypt"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "IND"]
[BlackTeamCountry "EGY"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. b3 c5 7. Bb2 Qc7 8. c4
Bg4 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. d5 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Ne5 12. Bg2 a6 13. h3 Nh5 14. e4 b5 15.
cxb5 axb5 16. Nxb5 Qb6 17. a4 Rfc8 18. Kh2 Rab8 19. Qe2 c4 20. f4 cxb3 21. Rac1
Nd7 22. e5 dxe5 23. fxe5 Bh6 24. Rc6 Qe3 25. Qg4 Rd8 26. Bc1 Qd3 27. Rc3 Nxe5
28. Rxd3 Nxg4+ 29. hxg4 Bxc1 30. Rxc1 Nf6 31. Kh3 Rb6 32. Rxb3 Nxd5 33. a5 Ra6
34. Bxd5 Rxd5 35. Nc7 Raxa5 36. Nxd5 Rxd5 37. Re1 e6 38. Rb8+ Kg7 39. Rb7 h5
40. Rf1 hxg4+ 41. Kxg4 Rd4+ 42. Rf4 1-0
The biggest upset of the day was Wafa Shrook's victory over Harika Dronavalli. Harika was rated 400 points above her opponent, but the girl from Egypt simply played sublime chess. She hardly made any mistakes and outplayed Harika.
Harika is clearly in distress, as her opponent Wafa Shrook made one strong move after another
[Event "11th World Teams Women"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Wafa, Shrook"]
[Black "Harika, Dronavalli"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2141"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
[Site "Khanty-Mansiysk RUS"]
[Date "2017.06.21"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Wafa, Shrook"]
[Black "Harika, Dronavalli"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2141"]
[BlackElo "2535"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2017.06.17"]
[WhiteTeam "Egypt"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "EGY"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. a4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3
Bg4 9. f3 Be6 10. Bc4 Rc8 11. O-O Be7 12. Kh1 O-O 13. Bg5 $2 {This was clearly
an error which was not punished by Harika.} Kh8 (13... Nxe4 $1 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 $1
(14... Nxc3 {is also fine.}) 15. Nxe4 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Rxc4 17. Qxd6 (17. Nxd6 Rd4
$19) 17... Qxd6 18. Nxd6 Rxc2 $17) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Bh4 16. c3 Rb8 17. Qd3
Ne7 18. Rad1 Ng6 19. g3 Bg5 20. Ne3 Bh3 21. Rfe1 Qb6 22. b4 a5 23. Nb5 {
White has played a very logical game. She has slowly and steadily built up her
position and pushed Harika back. Now the d6 pawn is pretty weak.} Be6 $2 24.
Bxe6 $1 fxe6 25. Nc4 $1 Qd8 26. Nxa5 $18 {White has just won a pawn and is
simply winning.} Qf6 27. Rf1 h5 28. Nxd6 h4 29. Qe2 Kh7 30. f4 (30. Naxb7 $18)
30... Bh6 (30... exf4 31. gxf4 (31. Qh5+ Bh6 $16) 31... Nxf4 32. Qg4 Bh6 $16 {
Black can fight on.}) 31. f5 Ne7 32. Qg4 hxg3 33. hxg3 b6 34. fxe6 Qxf1+ 35.
Rxf1 Rxf1+ 36. Kg2 {White has a completely winning position here.} Rc1 37. Nac4
Rc2+ 38. Kh3 Rxc3 39. Nxe5 Ra8 40. Nf5 Rc7 41. Nxe7 Rxe7 42. Qf5+ Kg8 43. Nc6
Rc7 44. Qd5 Kh7 45. Ne7 Rf8 46. Qd6 Rb7 47. Nd5 Re8 48. Nc7 Rc8 49. e7 Rbxc7
50. e8=Q Rxe8 51. Qxc7 Be3 52. Qc6 Re7 53. Kg4 Kg8 54. Qd5+ Kh7 55. e5 g6 56.
e6 Kh6 57. Qe5 Bd2 58. Qh8+ Rh7 59. Qxh7+ {A very strong game by Wafa Shrook.}
1-0
Bg4 9. f3 Be6 10. Bc4 Rc8 11. O-O Be7 12. Kh1 O-O 13. Bg5 $2 {This was clearly
an error which was not punished by Harika.} Kh8 (13... Nxe4 $1 14. Bxe7 Nxe7 $1
(14... Nxc3 {is also fine.}) 15. Nxe4 Bxc4 16. Nxc4 Rxc4 17. Qxd6 (17. Nxd6 Rd4
$19) 17... Qxd6 18. Nxd6 Rxc2 $17) 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nd5 Bh4 16. c3 Rb8 17. Qd3
Ne7 18. Rad1 Ng6 19. g3 Bg5 20. Ne3 Bh3 21. Rfe1 Qb6 22. b4 a5 23. Nb5 {
White has played a very logical game. She has slowly and steadily built up her
position and pushed Harika back. Now the d6 pawn is pretty weak.} Be6 $2 24.
Bxe6 $1 fxe6 25. Nc4 $1 Qd8 26. Nxa5 $18 {White has just won a pawn and is
simply winning.} Qf6 27. Rf1 h5 28. Nxd6 h4 29. Qe2 Kh7 30. f4 (30. Naxb7 $18)
30... Bh6 (30... exf4 31. gxf4 (31. Qh5+ Bh6 $16) 31... Nxf4 32. Qg4 Bh6 $16 {
Black can fight on.}) 31. f5 Ne7 32. Qg4 hxg3 33. hxg3 b6 34. fxe6 Qxf1+ 35.
Rxf1 Rxf1+ 36. Kg2 {White has a completely winning position here.} Rc1 37. Nac4
Rc2+ 38. Kh3 Rxc3 39. Nxe5 Ra8 40. Nf5 Rc7 41. Nxe7 Rxe7 42. Qf5+ Kg8 43. Nc6
Rc7 44. Qd5 Kh7 45. Ne7 Rf8 46. Qd6 Rb7 47. Nd5 Re8 48. Nc7 Rc8 49. e7 Rbxc7
50. e8=Q Rxe8 51. Qxc7 Be3 52. Qc6 Re7 53. Kg4 Kg8 54. Qd5+ Kh7 55. e5 g6 56.
e6 Kh6 57. Qe5 Bd2 58. Qh8+ Rh7 59. Qxh7+ {A very strong game by Wafa Shrook.}
1-0
Harika's loss did not affect the match result. But if India has to beat teams like Russia and China, it is extremely important for her to fire.
Results of round five:
| Round 5 on 2017/06/21 at 15:00 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | SNo. | Team | Res. | Team | SNo. |
| 1 | 3 | POLAND | 2-2 | UKRAINE | 10 |
| 2 | 4 | EGYPT | 1-3 | INDIA | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | RUSSIA | 2-2 | UNITED STATES | 1 |
| 4 | 6 | CHINA | 3.5-0.5 | GEORGIA | 9 |
| 5 | 7 | VIETNAM | 2.5-1.5 | AZERBAIJAN | 8 |
For a board wise break down, click here
Indian women's team now face the top seeds Russia in round six.
Crosstable Women:
| Rank | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | MP | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RUSSIA | * | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2½ | 2 | 8 | 12½ | ||||
| 2 | UKRAINE | * | 2½ | 2 | 2 | 2½ | 3 | 8 | 12 | ||||
| 3 | INDIA | 1½ | * | 2½ | 2½ | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11½ | ||||
| 4 | CHINA | 1 | 2 | * | 2½ | 3½ | 2 | 6 | 11 | ||||
| 5 | POLAND | 2 | 1½ | * | 2 | 2 | 3½ | 5 | 11 | ||||
| 6 | UNITED STATES | 2 | 1½ | 1½ | 2 | * | 3½ | 4 | 10½ | ||||
| 7 | VIETNAM | 1 | 1 | 1½ | * | 2½ | 4 | 4 | 10 | ||||
| 8 | GEORGIA | 1½ | 2 | ½ | 2 | * | 4 | 4 | 10 | ||||
| 9 | AZERBAIJAN | 2 | 2 | ½ | 1½ | * | 4 | 4 | 10 | ||||
| 10 | EGYPT | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | 0 | 1½ |
India is in third place now and we are in with good chances for a podium finish. Although we still have the strong Russian and Chinese team to play against.
International Yoga Day:
The International Yoga day is celebrated all over the world on 21st of June. Yoga is India's gift to the world. And so after the match, we saw some of the Indian players showing off their yoga skills and also wishing the world "A very happy International Yoga Day!"
If you are a chess player (and if you are on this website, you most probably are) then doing this asana and holding it for as long as you can will help you to increase your concentration and balance.
The superman pose!
The coach shows the way! Ramesh is a big believer in the benefits of yoga!
The charismatic commentator Anna Rudolf was not to be left out from the yogic experience!
Happy International Yoga Day back! 😊 Re: @ChessbaseIndia #TeamIndia 🇮🇳 #wtcc2017 #ugrachess pic.twitter.com/sYsJKBkyGO
— Anna Rudolf (@Anna_Chess) June 21, 2017
Live broadcast and GM commentary
Evgenij Miroshnichenko and Anna Rudolf are doing a great job giving the live commentary
ChessBase India has setup a live games page where you can not only listen to the GM commentary, but also play over the live games, and also check some light annotations by the Tactical Analysis feature.
Previous reports on World Teams 2017:
India has excellent chances at World Teams 2017
Opening ceremony of World Teams 2017
Live Games from the World Teams 2017
Round one: Viji's unbelievable miss
Round two: Tania powers team India to a win over USA
Round three: The tale of two Hedgehogs
R1-3 on Firstpost: World Team Chess Championship 2017: Vidit Gujrathi shows mettle, but India blunder in initial rounds
Round four: Indian explosion in Khanty Mansiysk