NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Barua crashes out of world chess meet

Indian grandmaster Dibyendu Barua's gallant efforts went in vain when he went down to the fancied Russian grandmaster Alexander Khalifman in a heart-stopping tie-breaker on the third day of the first round of the world chess championship match being played at Hotel Caeser's Palace in Las Vegas.

Barua lost by a 1.5-2.5 margin. GM Khalifman will now meet American GM Gata Kamsky in the second round. Kamsky returns from a self-imposed five year exile, to top flight competitive chess.

In the first game of the tie-breaker, Khalifman won the toss and played white. Both players had 25 minutes each on the clock at the start, with a bonus of ten seconds per move on their specially designed clocks.

The first game followed the lines of the Queens Gambit Orthodox Defence and yet again, the Indian GM found himself saddled with a weak centre pawn. Khalifman targetted the weak queen's pawn with his major as well as minor pieces. Barua tried a desperate queen sacrifice but had to give up the game.

This victory put the Russian in the lead for the first time in the match, and he required just a draw in their next game.

Barua opened with his king's pawn and Khalifman was well prepared with his Sicilian Defence. The Russian played the opening well to equalise the position and it seemed the game was headed for a draw, when Barua noticed that the black queen had insinuated itself too far into Barua's own territory, leaving the black king defenceless.

Barua pounced, attacking with queen and rook, dragging Khalifman's king out of its castle and inflicting checkmate on move 43.

The unfancied Indian had thus tied the match, and fought back to force yet another playoff of 15 minutes each.

This round began with Barua playing white, and producing some brilliant middle game chess to obtain a dangerous offensive against Khalifman's king. The Russian however saved the day with an imaginative sacrifice of his queen, and the game ended in a draw.

In the final game, Khalifman's perseverance paid as a tired Barua made a mess of the endgame, giving his opponent a tiny, but persistent, edge. Once Barua blundered a pawn in the dying stages of the game, he had no chance to draw the game, and bowed out after 89 moves.

Barua's mastery of the white pieces was instrumental in his unexpectedly creditable showing against the Russian superstar. In particular, his handling of white against the Sicilian baffled the Russian, who succumbed twice to the wily Indian from Calcutta.

However, his ability with white was offset by his inability to defend well with black, and that in the final analysis cost him the tie.

Following are the tie-break games between the two players:

White: Dibyendu Barua vs Black: Alexander Khalifman

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf3 h6 8. O-O Be7 9. Re1 O-O 10. h3 Be6 11. Bf1 Qa5 12. Bd2 Qd8 13. Na4 Nh7 14. c4 Ng5 15. Bxg5 hxg5 16. Nc3 Bf6 17. Qd3 g4 18. hxg4 Bxg4 19. Nd5 g6 20. Be2 Bg7 21. b4 Be6 22. a3 Rc8 23. Rad1 Nd4 24. Nxd4 exd4 25. Bf3 b6 26. Re2 Re8 27. Rde1 Bxd5 28. exd5 Rxe2 29. Rxe2 Qc7 30. Rc2 a5 31. g3 axb4 32. axb4 Qa7 33. Qb3 Qa1+ 34. Kg2 Bf6 35. c5 bxc5 36. bxc5 Rxc5 37. Ra2 Rb5 38. Qc4 Rc5 39. Qe2 Qc1 40. Qe8+ Kg7 41. Ra8 Kh6 42. Qxf7 Qg5 43. Ra7 1-0

White: D Barua vs Black: A Khalifman

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nf3 h6 8. O-O Be7 9. h3 O-O 10. Re1 Be6 11. Bf1 Qa5 12. Bd2 Qd8 13. Bc1 Qa5 14. Bd2 Qd8 15. Na4 Nh7 16. c4 Ng5 17. Nc3 Nxf3+ 18. Qxf3 Bg5 19. Rad1 Nd4 20. Qd3 Rc8 21. b3 Bxd2 22. Rxd2 Qg5 23. Red1 Rfd8 24. Qe3 Qe7 25. f4 Bd7 26. Nd5 Qf8 27. Qg3 exf4 28. Nxf4 Ne6 29. Rd3 d5 30. Rxd5 Nxf4 31. Rd6 Bc6 32. Qxf4 Re8 33. e5 Qe7 34. Bd3 Rb8 35. Bf5 Ra8 36. e6 fxe6 37. Bxe6+ Qxe6 38. Rxe6 Rxe6 39. Rd6 Re1+ 40. Kh2 Rf8 41. Qd2 Rff1 42. Rxc6 bxc6 43. Qd7 h5 44. h4 Re4 45. Qd8+ Kh7 46. Qg5 g6 47. Qd8 Rff4 48. Qd7+ Kh6 49. Qd2 Kh7 50. Qd7+ Kh6 51. Qd2 Kh7 52. Qd7+ 1/2-1/2

White: A Khalifman vs Black: D Barua

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 Nbd7 7. e3 Be7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O b6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bg3 Re8 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. dxe5 Nd7 14. f4 Nf8 15. Ne2 c5 16. Nc3 Bb7 17. Qe2 a6 18. Rad1 Bh4 19. Be4 Bxg3 20. hxg3 dxe4 21. Rxd8 Raxd8 22. Rd1 Ne6 23. Rd6 Rxd6 24. exd6 Rd8 25. Qd1 b5 26. Nd5 Kf8 27. Nb6 g6 28. g4 Bc6 29. f5 gxf5 30. gxf5 Nd4 31. exd4 Rxd6 32. Qc1 1-0

White: A Khalifman vs Black: D Barua

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c6 7. h3 Nbd7 8. Qc2 b6 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. O-O a6 12. a4 Nb8 13. Ne5 Nc6 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Rfc1 Bb7 16. Qb3 Bd6 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. a5 b5 19. Na2 Rfc8 20. Qb4 Qxb4 21. Nxb4 Kf8 22. Kf1 h6 23. Ke1 Ke7 24. Kd2 Kd6 25. f3 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Rc8 27. Rxc8 Bxc8 28. Be2 Bb7 29. Nd3 Nd7 30. f4 Bc6 31. Bh5 f6 32. Kc3 Ke7 33. Kb4 Kd6 34. Be8 Nb8 35. Bg6 Bd7 36. Kc3 Nc6 37. b4 Ne7 38. Bh5 Nf5 39. Kd2 Bc8 40. Nc5 Ne7 41. Bf3 Nc6 42. Kc3 f5 43. Bh5 Ke7 44. Nd3 Bd7 45. Nc5 Bc8 46. Bf3 g6 47. g4 Kd6 48. h4 fxg4 49. Bxg4 h5 50. Bf3 Ne7 51. e4 dxe4 52. Bxe4 Nd5+ 53. Bxd5 exd5 54. Kd3 Ke7 55. Ke3 Kf6 56. Kf3 Bg4+ 57. Kf2 Bc8 58. Ke3 Kf5 59. Kf3 Kf6 60. Nd3 Bg4+ 61. Kg3 Bf5 62. Nc5 Bc8 63. Nb3 Bg4 64. Kf2 Bf5 65. Nd2 Bc8 66. Nf1 Be6 67. Ne3 Kf7 68. Kg3 Kg7 69. f5 gxf5 70. Kf4 Kf6 71. Nc2 Bd7 72. Ne1 Bc8 73. Nd3 Be6 74. Kf3 Ke7 75. Kg3 Kf6 76. Nc5 Bc8 77. Kf4 Kg6 78. Ke5 f4 79. Kxf4 Kf6 80. Kg3 Kg7 81. Kf3 Kg6 82. Nd3 Bg4+ 83. Ke3 Be6 84. Nf4+ Kf5 85. Nxh5 Kg4 86. Nf4 Bf7 87. Nd3 Be6 88. Nc5 Bc8 89. h5 1-0