The games in this section will be all from the MTEL tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria. Vassily Ivanchuk has made a stellar performance by winning his first four games in a row and achieving an Elo rating 3530 against some of the top rated players in chess.

Here are the videos of all four of his games plus interesting videos:

Aronian,L (2763) - Topalov,V (2767) [E00]

4th M-Tel Masters Sofia BUL (1), 08.05.2008

Analysis from Chessbase

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 Nc6 8.Bc3 0-0 9.0-0 d5 10.Nd2 Bd7 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Bxd5 exd5 13.Qb3 Bf6 14.N2f3 Bg4 15.Rfd1 Rb8 16.Qa4 Bxf3 17.exf3 Bxd4 18.Bxd4 Qd7 19.b4 b6 20.Rac1 Rbc8 21.Bb2 Rfd8 22.Rc2 Ne7 23.Rxc8 Nxc8 24.b5 Ne7 25.Qb3 Nf5 26.a4 

Let the hostilities begin. After a fair bit of manoeuvring Black, in typical Topalov style, moves away from any thoughts of a peaceful settlement of this encounter. 26...h5 27.h3 Qe6 28.Kg2 Qe2 29.g4?! A strange decision by White, which allows the knight to re-deploy and really participate in the attack. 29...Nh4+ 30.Kg3 Ng6 31.gxh5 Ne7 32.Kg2 Nf5 33.Bd4 Qe7 34.Qd3 Qg5+ 35.Kh2 Re8 36.Bb2? Not a good idea – 36.Qd2 was the essential defensive move.

36...Re3!? Computers want to continue with 36...Qf4+ (with a substantial advantage for Black). Topalov's move really confuses his Armenian opponent. Fire up Fritz and see if Black can do any real damage after 37.Qxd5. The lines go 37...Qf4+ 38.Kg1 Qg5+ 39.Kh2 Qf4+ 40.Kg1 Qg5+ 41.Kf1 Ng3+ 42.Kg2 Nf5+ and draw since 43.Kh1 immediately loses: 43...Re1+ 44.Rxe1 Ng3+ 45.fxg3 Qxd5. What White must not do is take the rook: 37.fxe3? Qg3+ 38.Kh1 Qxf3+ 39.Kg1 Nxe3 40.Rd2 Qg3+ 41.Kh1 Qxh3+ 42.Kg1 Qg3+ 43.Kh1 Qe1+ 44.Kh2 

Topalov is in his element, really enjoying the attack: 44...Qxd2+ 45.Qxd2 Nf1+ 46.Kg2 Nxd2. Black has two extra pawns which in knight vs bishop is not always decisive. But the Bulgarian GM knows how to play these endings. 47.Be5 Ne4 48.Kf3 Nc5 49.Ke3 Nxa4 50.Kd4 Nc5 51.Kxd5 a6 52.bxa6 Nxa6 53.Kc6 Nc5 54.Bc7 Kh7 55.Bxb6. Black wins back the pawn: 55...Ne4 56.Be3 [56.Bd4 Nf6 57.Bxf6 gxf6–+] 56...Nf6 57.Kd6 Nxh5 58.Ke5 Kg6 59.Bd2 f5 60.Be1 Kg5 0-1

0-1

Veselin Topalov (2767)

 Vassily Ivanchuk (2740)

Mtel Masters (2)

Sofia, 2008

Analysis from Chessbase

Topalov,V (2767) - Ivanchuk,V (2740) [C11]

4th M-Tel Masters Sofia BUL (2), 09.05.2008

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6 8.a3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bc5 10.Be2 0-0 11.Qd2 Qc7 12.Bf3 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Nb6 14.Ne2 Bxd4 15.Qxd4 Bd7 16.b3 Bb5 17.Nc3 Rfc8 18.Nxb5 axb5 19.Be2 

We bring you a diagram here to show you how Ivanchuk executes a plan with his knight. It is interesting that Fritz also comes up with the same idea. 19...Nd7 20.Ra2 Nb8 21.0-0 Nc6 22.Qd2 Qb6+ 23.Kh1 Qa5 24.Qxa5 Rxa5 25.Raa1 Rca8 26.Rad1 

26...Rxa3 27.Bxb5 Nb4 28.c4 R8a5 29.f5 exf5 30.g4 Rxb3 31.gxf5 Re3 32.Rb1 Nd3 

Things are looking better for White, who might be slightly better. Unfortunately the super-aggressive continuation does not really work. 33.e6? d4 34.Be8 Nc5? Better was simply 34...Kf8 – both players are in time trouble. 35.Bxf7+ Kf8 36.f6 gxf6 37.Rxf6 Ke7 38.Rh6 d3 39.Rxh7 d2

The excitement on the Playchess server – and we assume in the tournament venue in Sofia – reached fever pitch. Black is now clearly better, but White can still fight and hope to hold the draw. Unfortunately on the last move before the time control Topalov falters. 40.Rg1? This allows a forced win: Re1 41.Bh5+ Kxe6 42.Rhg7 Ne4 43.R7g6+ Ke5 0-1.

Analysis from Chessbase

Ivanchuk,V (2740) - Bu Xiangzhi (2708) [A11]

4th M-Tel Masters Sofia BUL (3), 10.05.2008

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.e3 a6 5.Qc2 b5 6.b3 Bg4 7.Ne5 Bh5 8.cxb5. This position, achieved by a somewhat unusual move sequence, has occurred before, in Agamaliev,G (2516)-Khaghani,M (2289) Teheran 2005, where it continued 8...Qc7 9.Nxc6 Nxc6 10.bxc6 Qxc6 and White won in 30 moves. In Sofia Bu played the catastrophic 8...cxb5?? and could have resigned the shortest game of the decade at this level of chess.

Naturally our hawk-eyed readers will immediately see the refutation:

9.Bxb5+ axb5 10.Nxb5 (threatening 11.Nc7+ against the smothered king) 10...e6 11.Nc7+ Ke7 12.Nxa8. Count the pieces: White has a rook and two pawns for a bishop – and things are going to get worse for Black, with his king dragged out into the open. 12...Nfd7 13.Ba3+ Kf6 14.Bb2 Nxe5 15.f4 Nbd7 16.Nc7 Bg6 17.Bxe5+ Nxe5 18.fxe5+ Kxe5 19.Qc3+ Kf5

Bu Xiangzhi is playing on for one reason only: to try to get the move count as high as possible before he resigns. He wants to stay out of the record books. Now Ivanchuk had an opportunity to force mate and make this a truly memorable miniature: 20.e4+ Kg4 (20...dxe4 21.0-0+ leads to a slightly shorter mate) 21.Qf3+ Kh4 22.g3+ Kh3 23.Qf1+ Kg4 24.h4 Qf6 25.Qh3+ Kf3 26.g4+ Kf4 27.Rf1+ Ke5 28.Qg3+ Qf4 29.Qxf4+ Kd4 30.Qf2+ Ke5 31.Nb5 Bc5 (or 31...d4 32.Qxd4#) 32.Qf4#. You should play through this line and enjoy the merry king hunt that leads to the following kill

Ivanchuk's strategy lead to certain victory, but not quite as spectacularly: 20.0-0+ ["Sure, he missed a quicker mate," writes Rick Massimo of Providence, RI USA. "But you can never criticize someone for castling with check, can you? It's one of the most satisfying moves in chess." Indeed it is.] 20...Kg5 21.a4 Kh6 22.Rf3 Bf5 23.Raf1 Bd6 24.Nb5 Bb8 25.Nd4 Be4 26.Rh3+ Kg6 27.d3 Bf5 28.Rhf3 Be5 29.Qe1 Bxd4 30.Rg3+ Kh6 31.exd4 g6 32.Rgf3 Qh4 and with 32.Qxh4 coming up Bu resigned – 32 is an acceptable move count. 1-0

See a video and a link to analysis of this fourth round game:

http://www.chessdom.com/mtel-masters-2008/ivanchuk-cheparinov-live

Analysis from Chessbase

Ivanchuk,V (2740) - Cheparinov,I (2696) [E99]

4th M-Tel Masters Sofia BUL (4), 11.05.2008

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f5 11.Bd2 Nf6 12.f3 f4 13.c5 g5 14.Rc1 Ng6 15.cxd6 cxd6 16.Nb5 Rf7 17.Qc2 Ne8 18.Nf2 h5 19.a4 Bf8 20.h3 Rg7 21.Qb3 Nh4 22.Rc2 g4 23.fxg4 Nf6 24.Be1 hxg4 25.hxg4 Nh5 26.Nh1 f3 27.Bxf3 Nf4 28.Ng3 Bxg4 29.Bxg4 Rxg4 30.Nc7 Rc8 31.Ne6 Rxc2 32.Qxc2

In this King's Indian tussle Ivan Cheparinov has been feeling the pressure from the top-form Vassily Ivanchuk, but now, eight moves before the time control, he seems to have found enough counterplay to ensure the draw. With error-free play, naturally. 32...Qb6+? A better choice would have been 32...Qe8. Now the game quickly goes down the drain. 33.Kh1 Nhxg2 34.Nf5 Qa6 35.Rg1 Qd3 36.Qxd3 Nxd3 37.Bh4 Rxe4 38.Rxg2+ Kf7 39.Nxd6+ Bxd6 40.Ng5+ and after capturing on e4 White will be a full rook up. 1-0.

Aronian,L (2763) - Ivanchuk,V (2740) [D12]

4th M-Tel Masters Sofia BUL (5), 12.05.2008

Aronian,L (2763) - Ivanchuk,V (2740) [D12]

4th M-Tel Masters Sofia BUL (5), 12.05.2008

Analysis from Chessbase

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.a3 Nbd7 9.g3 Be7 10.b3 e5 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Qa5+ 13.Nc3 Qxc3+ 14.Bd2 Qb2 15.d5. Wang Yue (2644) vs Bobras,P (2542), Cappelle la Grande 2007 continued 15.Bg2 exd4 16.exd4 Qxd4 17.0-0 0-0 and a fairly equal position which the Chinese player won in 75 moves. Aronian sacrifices a pawn to keep the black king in the center. 15...cxd5 16.Bb5 a6 17.Bxd7+ Kxd7 18.0-0 e4

The black queen is a thorn in White's side. Aronian decides to sacrifice a bishop for two pawns on the queenside. 19.Bc3 Qxc3 20.Qxd5+ Ke8 21.Rac1 Qd3 22.Qxb7 Rd8 23.Rfd1 Qxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 25.Kg2 a5 26.g4

Black has two rooks and a bishop for White's queen and two pawns (the e4 pawn is about to go), and clearly on the offensive. Wouldn't it be sweet to now play 26...0-0? But of course the king has moved and so castling would be illegal. Never you mind, Ivanchuk knows how to do it the hard way: 26...Kf8 27.Qxe4 g5 28.Qf5 Bd8 29.Qc5+ Kg8 30.Qe5 g6 31.b4 axb4 32.axb4 Kh7 33.b5 Rf8 34.Qc5 Kg8 

See, 0-0 is for sissies, Ukrainian men castle manually. A disconcerted Aronian makes his final error, giving Ivanchuk a key pawn and the game: 35.b6? Rb1 36.f4 Rb2+ 37.Kg3 gxf4+ 38.exf4 Bxb6 39.Qc3 Rb1 40.f5 Rg1+ 41.Kh3 Re8 42.Qf6 

Now it is a forced mate for Black, in 17 moves, Fritz tells us, although colleague Hiarcs 12 thinks it can do it faster. 42...Bf2 43.Qg7+ Kxg7. Do you understand the queen sacrifice? Aronian is fishing around for a stalemate. 44.f6+ Kf8. Now if the white pawn had been on g5 instead of g4 White would have no more moves, the game would be drawn and the audience would have given Aronian a standing ovation for the miracle save. But it is on g4 and Black will mate with 45...Re3. 0-1. Incidentally you can see the final phase unfold in the Europe Echecs video given below.

Materially, Ivanchuk is far ahead in the position below. White's queenside pawn majority is powerful, but Ivanchuk's black bishop is strong enough to stop Aronian. Ivanchuk played this game in a balanced way that avoiding any excessive risks. Right now, his 5/5 winning streak is amazing and illustrates the power of his play. Ivanchuk has his bishop in an ideal position even though his rook on h8 is completely misplaced and his doubled pawns on the g-file serve little purpose. Ivanchuk receives more than enough compensation for these weaknesses; therefore, he is able to win. At a high level of play, it is important to see which players has greater weaknesses. It is impossible not to have weaknesses towards the endgame. The side with fewer weaknesses and a material advantage is able to win.