[Event "Aeroflot Open"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "2009.02.22"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar"]
[Black "Kurnosov, Igor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D70"]
[WhiteElo "2724"]
[BlackElo "2602"]
[Annotator "Igor Kursonov / Mike Rosa"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[Source "Chess Tigers"]
[SourceDate "2009.02.23"]

{Dear colleagues and chess fans! In response to the letter circulated in the
press by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, I have to clarify the situation. I suggest you
take a look at the game Mamedyarov-Kurnosov from round six of the Aeroflot
Open, together with my brief comments.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 d5 4. cxd5
Nxd5 5. e4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. O-O-O f5 10. h4 fxe4 11. h5
gxh5 {A well-known theoretical position, which I believe, favors black. Here
my opponent made a move that was new to me.} 12. d5 Ne5 (12... Na5 13. Bh6 Bxh6
14. Qxh6 Qd6 15. Rxh5 Qxh6+ 16. Rxh6 Nac4 17. Re1 Bf5 18. fxe4 Bg6 19. Nf3 c6
20. dxc6 bxc6 21. Rh4 Rab8 22. b3 Nd6 23. Bd3 Nd7 24. Bc2 Nb5 25. Kb2 Nc7 26.
e5 Bxc2 27. Kxc2 Rf5 28. Rc4 Nb5 29. Kb2 Nxc3 30. Kxc3 Rc8 31. Rd1 Nb6 32. Rc5
Rff8 33. Rd2 Nd5+ 34. Kc2 Rfd8 35. Kb2 Nb4 36. Rxd8+ Rxd8 37. Rc4 Nd3+ 38. Kc3
Rd5 39. Rd4 Rxd4 40. Kxd4 Nc1 41. Kc5 Nxa2 42. Kxc6 Kf7 43. Kd7 h6 44. e6+ Kf6
45. Nh2 h5 46. g4 Nc1 47. gxh5 Nxb3 48. Ng4+ Kg5 49. Kxe7 Nd4 50. h6 Kg6 51.
Kd7 Nf5 52. Ne3 {1-0 Kuzmin, A. (2567) - Danin, A. (2332), St. Petersburg 2004}
) 13. Bh6 Nec4 ({I have also considered} 13... Rf7 $6 {, but I did not like
that, after taking} 14. Rxh5 {, the Knight loses tempo.} (14. Bxg7 Rxg7 15.
Rxh5 Nbc4 16. Qd4 b5 17. Rxe5 Nxe5 18. Qxe5 exf3 19. Nxf3 Qd6 20. Nxb5 Qxe5 21.
Nxe5 Bf5 22. Nd4 Be4 23. Bc4 Rxg2 24. Re1 {1-0 Sakaev, K. (2664) - Timofeev, A.
(2577), Istanbul 2003}) 14... Nbc4 15. Bxc4 Nxc4 16. Qe2 Ne5 17. Nxe4 Rf5 18.
Bxg7 Rxh5 19. Ng3 Nd3+ 20. Rxd3 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 Qxd5 22. Qxe7 Bf5 23. Bc3 {1-0
Banikas, H. (2572) - Filippas Ntekouan, S. (2221), Rhodes 2008}) 14. Qg5 Rf7 {
The only move.} 15. Bxc4 {This seemed questionable to me, even though
objectively it is not bad.} (15. Rh4 Nxb2 (15... Nd6 16. fxe4 Bg4 17. Be2 e5
18. Bxg4 Qxg5+ 19. Bxg5 hxg4 20. Rxg4 Kh8 21. Nf3 Nd7 22. Rh4 Re8 23. Rdh1 Nf8
24. b3 Bf6 25. Bxf6+ Rxf6 26. Rh5 Nf7 27. Kd2 h6 28. Nh4 Kh7 29. Nf5 Nd7 30. g4
Rg8 31. R5h4 a6 32. Ne2 Rg5 33. Ke3 Rfg6 34. Kf3 Nf6 35. Rc1 Ne8 36. Ng1 Rf6
37. Nh3 Rgg6 38. Rh1 Kg8 39. Ke3 Kf8 40. Nf2 c6 41. dxc6 Rxc6 42. Nd3 Nf6 43.
Rg1 h5 44. g5 Ng4+ 45. Ke2 Rc2+ 46. Kd1 Rxa2 47. Rxh5 Nf2+ 48. Nxf2 Ra1+ 49.
Kd2 Rxg1 50. Nd3 R6xg5 51. Rh3 b6 52. Nb4 R5g2+ 53. Kd3 Rd1+ 54. Kc4 Nd6+ 55.
Nxd6 Rd4+ 56. Kc3 Rxd6 57. Nxa6 Rg4 58. Nb4 Rxe4 59. Rh7 Re3+ 60. Kc2 Rg6 61.
Rh2 Rd6 62. Rh5 Kf7 63. Kb2 Kg6 64. Rh8 Kg5 65. Rg8+ Kf4 66. Rf8+ Kg3 67. Rg8+
Kf2 68. Rf8+ Ke2 69. Rf5 Kd2 70. Rg5 Re2 71. Rh5 e4 {0-1 Meessen, R. (2303) -
Swinkels, R. (2379), Eupen 2006}) (15... Qd6 16. Bxg7 Rxg7 17. Qxh5 Bd7 18.
Rxe4 Qb4 19. Rd2 Qc5 20. Bxc4 Nxc4 21. Rdd4 Nd6 22. Rf4 Nf5 23. Nge2 Nxd4 24.
Nxd4 b5 25. a3 a5 26. Kb1 b4 27. Ne4 Qc4 28. Ne6 Qd3+ 29. Kc1 Qf1+ 30. Kc2 Qc4+
31. Nc3 Rxg2+ 32. Kc1 Rg1+ 33. Kc2 Ba4+ {0-1 Aleskerov, F. (2321) - Sanikidze,
T. (2411), Istanbul 2005}) 16. Rf4 Qd6 17. Rxf7 Qxh6 18. Rxg7+ Qxg7 19. Qxg7+
Kxg7 20. Kxb2 exf3 21. Nxf3 Bg4 22. Re1 e6 23. Nd4 exd5 24. Re7+ Kh6 25. Rxc7
Rf8 26. Bd3 Rf2+ 27. Nce2 Rxg2 28. Kc3 Nd7 29. Rxb7 h4 30. Rb1 Kg5 31. Kd2 h3
32. Rh1 Ne5 33. Bb5 h2 34. Ke3 Kh4 35. a4 a5 36. Ba6 h5 37. Kf4 Ng6+ 38. Ke3
Ne5 39. Kf4 Nc4 40. Nf3+ Bxf3 41. Kxf3 Rg4 42. Rxh2+ Kg5 43. Bb5 Nd2+ 44. Kf2
d4 45. Bc6 d3 46. Ng1 Rf4+ 47. Ke1 Rc4 48. Bb5 Rc1+ 49. Kxd2 Rxg1 50. Kxd3 h4
51. Kd4 Kg4 52. Bd7+ Kg3 53. Rh3+ Kg2 54. Kc4 Rb1 55. Rb3 Rd1 56. Bc6+ Kh2 57.
Kb5 Rd6 58. Bb7 h3 59. Bc8 Rd5+ 60. Ka6 Rd8 61. Rxh3+ Kg2 62. Rc3 Kf2 63. Kxa5
Ke2 64. Bb7 Kd2 65. Rc5 Re8 66. Kb6 Kd3 67. a5 Kd4 68. a6 Re1 69. a7 Rb1+ 70.
Rb5 {1-0 Rodshtein, M. (2354) - Sanikidze, T. (2269), Chalkidiki 2003}) 15...
Nxc4 {After the 40-minute thought on the previous move, my opponent offered a
draw. But I felt that I had serious advantage and didn't see the grounds to
accept the draw.} 16. Rd4 $2 (16. Nxe4 Qf8 17. Ne2 Kh8 18. Bxg7+ Rxg7 19. Qxh5
Bf5 20. Rd4 Bg6 21. Qh2 Nd6 22. Nf4 Qf7 23. Ng5 Qf5 24. Nxg6+ Qxg6 25. Ne6 {
1-0 Meessen, R. (2326) - Peschlow, P. (2301), Germany 2006}) 16... Qd6 $6 $146
{I thought that 16... Qd6 would give me strong initiative. It turned out that
16...Nxb2! led to decisive advantage, but this move I had not considered.
Imagine what would be the story had I previously analysed this variation at
home!?} (16... Nd6 17. fxe4 Bg4 18. Bxg7 Rxg7 19. Qe3 e5 20. dxe6 Qe7 21. Nh3
Qxe6 22. Nf4 Qf7 23. Rf1 Re8 24. Qd3 Qe7 25. Nfd5 Qg5+ 26. Kb1 Rf8 27. Rxf8+
Kxf8 28. Nxc7 Rxc7 29. Rxd6 Qc5 30. Qd2 Rf7 31. Qh6+ Ke8 32. Rd2 Rf1+ 33. Kc2
Rf7 34. a3 a5 35. Qd6 Qxd6 36. Rxd6 Rf2+ 37. Rd2 Rxd2+ 38. Kxd2 h4 39. Ke3 h3
40. gxh3 Bxh3 41. Kf4 Be6 42. Kg5 Ke7 43. Ne2 Bf7 44. Nf4 b5 45. e5 Be6 46. b4
axb4 47. axb4 Bf7 48. Kh6 Bg6 49. Kg7 Bf5 {1/2-1/2 Rodshtein, M. (2344) -
Margvelashvili, G. (2181), Budva 2003}) (16... Nxb2 $1 17. Rxe4 (17. Kxb2 c5 $3
{[%cal Gd8b6]} 18. Rxe4 Qb6+ 19. Kc2 Qxh6 $17) (17. Nxe4 c5 $3 18. Rd2 $5 (18.
Nxc5 Qb6 $19) 18... Nc4 19. Rc2 b5 20. Bxg7 Rxg7 21. Qxh5 Bd7 22. Ne2 Qa5 $40)
17... Nd3+ $1 18. Kd2 Bf5 19. Kxd3 e6 $3 20. Qxd8+ Rxd8 21. Bxg7 exd5 $1 $17)
17. Bxg7 Rxg7 {The only move! *** Der einzige Zug!} 18. Qxh5 Qf4+ $19 {Also
unique, the checkmate was threatening and the Knight was in danger. Now I
invite all qualified chess players to set this position and withing three
minutes find the next three simple moves for Black! I believe most if will be
forced!} 19. Kb1 Bf5 20. fxe4 Bg4 21. Nge2 $2 {loses immediately!} (21. Qh6 Qf2
) 21... Qd2 $1 {Black is in winning position. Here the opponent stopped the
clock and, without shaking my hand or signing the formular, reached out to the
arbiter's table. The rest of the story you already know ... I believe that all
players, regardless of title or rating, should respect themselves and their
colleagues, instead of blaming them on computer assistance without reason. At
the same time playing relatively weak! Mamedyarov's claim that I took the coat
and went to the toilet after each move, does not correspond to reality. On the
first 12 moves, which we played relatively fast, I didn't get up from the
table. When my opponent thought for 40 minutes on the move 15, I went twice to
the smoking area which is only 2 meters from the hall entrance, and always
full of players, arbiters, there was also a guard. And on few occasions I went
to wash my face with cold water, but I never talked to anybody while doing so.
The arbiters had no pretensions towards me, either before or after the protest.
Thereat, I simply did what I always do. While opponent thinks, it is much
easier for me to contemplate about the position while walking and not looking
at the board. As far as I know, most players do the same. Unfortunately, all
this negativity affected my play later in the tournament ... I would also like
to thank all those who supported me on the Internet or in private
conversation! I would suggest: 1. Organizers of major tournaments to equip the
entrance of the playing area with metal detectors and other means which would
exclude the possibility of assistance, and would eliminate all baseless
accusations and insults, which affect the image of the player. 2.
International chess organizations to develop a set of rules that would execute
serious sanctions for those who use assistance, as well as for those who
unjustly accuse the others of receiving the aid! GM Igor Kurnosov, 28.02.2009}
0-1

