The grandmasters still rule in the Open. Almost all of them can be found in the top end of the list. It’s nice to see veteran grandmaster Beliavsky doing so well. Today he completely overplayed his young colleague Bartlomiej Heberla. We can recognize a pattern: he who wins the daily prize for the most beautiful game will have trouble in the following round. This happened to Lucas van Foreest, Andrey Vovk (draw), Danny de Ruiter (incentive prize), and, in the fourth round, the grandmaster from Poland.
Beliavsky – Heberla
Beliavsky won with powerplay:
34.c6! Bxd6 35.Bxd6 Rbc8
It’s clear that Black cannot take anything.
36.c7 Re8 37.Rb8 Qf5 5.Reb1
And Black wasn’t able to get out of this iron grip.
1–0 (42)
Alexander Beliavsky | Photo: Peter Doggers
The best fireworks keep coming from Vovk. ‘Not a polished player, but a calculating animal’, was how commentator John van der Wiel typified him. The way he treated the Fianchetto Variation of the King’s Indian with black was a feast for the eye. But then you think you’ve overplayed your opponent with black, and he will always throw a spanner in the works.
Ris - Vovk
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Lg7 4.Bg2 0–0 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.0–0 e5 8.e4 c6 9.h3 exd4 10.Nxd4 Qb6 11.Re1 Re8 12.Re2!?
An interesting move, White protects both the f2- and b2-pawns, but his pieces are a little awkward.
12...Qb4! 13.Rc2!?
Consistent, but now Black is able to weave a few pretty tactical tricks into the position.
13...Nc5! 14.f3
14...d5! 15.a3
After taking three times on d5, d4 is hanging, but Black can also consider 17...Re1+.
15...Qb6 16.b4
16...Nxe4!?
Entirely in style. Black had a good alternative in 16...Ne6 17.c5 Qd8, as White will still have a problem on d4.
17.fxe4 Nb3! 18.c5 Bxd4+
The point. But now Ris comes up with an attractive rejoinder:
19.Rf2! Qd8
After 19...Bxf2+ 20.Kxf2 Nxc5 White has 21.Be3!. Then it isn’t over yet, for Black replies with 21...dxe4 22.Bxc5 e3+! 23.Kg1 Qc7 with nice attacking chances.
20.Qxb3 Bxf2+ 21.Kxf2 Qf6+?!
According to Ris, better was 21...dxe4 22.Be3 Be6 23.Qb2 f5: ‘It wasn’t entirely clear to me who’s better here. My bishop on g2 and my knight are not really doing much.’
22.Kg1 Bxh3
Quickly played, possibly a bluff. It did work.
23.Bxh3 Qf3 24.Bf4! d4
25.Qd1?
Here Ris could have won with 25.Rc1 dxc3 26.Bg2 Qd3 27.Rxc3 ‘and now I put my bishop on d6 and play e4-e5. He has no open lines for his rooks.’
25...Qxc3 26.Rc1 Qxa3 27.Qxd4 Rad8 28.Qf6 Qxb4
29.e5?!
The white player had seen 29.Be5 Rxe5 30.Qxe5. ‘But I thought that wouldn’t win. It’s a quite interesting position, probably White doesn’t have to lose this.’
29...Rd5 30.Bg2?
Now things go from bad to worse. It was still a draw after 30.e6 Qd4+ 31.Qxd4 Rxd4.
30...Qd4+ 31.Kh2 Rdxe5 32.Bxe5 Rxe5
This is hopeless. After...
33.Rf1 Rh5+ 34.Bh3 Qxf6 35.Rxf6 Rxc5
… the white bishop was no game for the five black pawns. After a few more moves White resigned.
