Candidates Final Matches Round 5

Leko over the bar (3.5-1.5); Bareev out
Gelfand over the bar (3.5-1.5); Kamsky out
Aronian-Shirov, 3-2
Grischuk-Rublevsky, 2.5-2.5

Greengard points out something interesting that I had overlooked - Leko is the only one of the four candidates who played in San Luis 05 who will be playing in the 2007 world championship. Adams, Polgar and Kasimdzhanov were all eliminated in the first round of matches.

Kamsky,G (2705) - Gelfand,B (2733) [B52]
WCh Candidates Finals Elista RUS (5), 11.06.2007
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 0-0 10.f3 Rc8 11.b3 d5! 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 e6 14.Bh6 exd5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.c5 [This had been played just once before. Most games go 16.Nb5 with equal play. - Marin] 16...Na6 17.Nc2 [This is a novelty maintaining equality. After 17.Qd2 Nxc5 Black was a pawn up in Kovalevskaya-Kosintseva, Krasnoturinsk 2005. - Marin] 17...Nxc5 18.Qd4+ f6 19.Ne3 Ne6 20.Qh4? [Kamsky will never get even a faint shadow of compensation for the pawn. 20.Qxd5 would have most probably led to a draw. - Marin] 20...Rc5 21.Rad1 d4 22.Ng4 Rf8 23.Rfe1 Rh5 24.Qg3 Rd5 25.Rd2 Qd6 26.Qh4 h5 27.Nf2 g5 28.Qe4 Re5 29.Qb1 Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1 Rd8 31.g3 Nc5 32.Qe2 a5 33.Qb5 b6 34.a3 Qe6 35.Rb2 d3 36.b4 axb4 37.axb4 Nb3 38.Qa4 Nd4 39.Kg2 Nc2 40.Rxc2 dxc2 41.Qxc2 g4 42.fxg4 hxg4 43.Kg1 Rd4 44.Qc7+ Kg6 45.Qc2+ f5 46.Qc3 Rc4 47.Qd2 Kh7 48.h3 gxh3 49.Nxh3 Qc6 50.Qe3 Rc1+ 51.Kf2 Qc2+ 52.Kf3 Rf1+ 53.Nf2 Rxf2+! [With mate on e4 to follow. - Marin] 0-1

Leko,P (2738) - Bareev,E (2643) [B19]
WCh Candidates Finals Elista RUS (5), 11.06.2007
1.e4 c6 [Quite a risky move. Not from purely chess point of view, of course, but from the perspective of the unfavourable score. It seems like if Bareev had not prepared any "emergency case" openings for this match. In a game where he desperately needs to win, he sticks to his ultra-solid repertoire. - Marin; Bareev dully plays his usual Caro-Kann't in a must-win situation with black. - Greengard] 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 e6 11.Bd2 Ngf6 12.0-0-0 Be7 13.Ne4 Qb6 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.g4 c5 16.Bc3 0-0-0 17.dxc5 Qxc5 18.Bd4 Qc6 19.Rhe1 Rhe8 [Having completed his development, Bareev offered to his opponent a draw - and the qualification for Mexico. - Marin; This draw looks straight out of a meaningless team competition, not an elimination game for the right to go to the world championship. Pathetic. Maybe a leopard can't change its spots, but what the hell? If it's all or nothing you spray-paint some stripes on your raggedy leopard ass and go out like a tiger.] 1/2-1/2