Judit Polgar bows out of Chess World Cup

CHENNAI: Finally, the Judit Polgar machine came to a halt. In the reverse game with black, the Hungarian fought all the way, declined a draw by repetition and surrendered in 45 moves to Peter Svidler of Russia in the quarterfinals of the Chess World Cup at KHanty-Mansiysk on Saturday. The scoreline should have been 1-1, instead of 1.5-0.5 in favour of Svidler but then Judit is not a common chess player and probably did not want to go into the tiebreak lottery with a draw.
The Sicilian is by practice the most sought after opening if you want a decisive result and the Hungarian's intentions were very clear right from the beginning when she employed the Najdorf variation. Svidler should thank his stars that he had in fact got a position in his time trouble to force a draw by repetition by move 34.
Maybe, his time trouble enticed Judit to press for a win and in the process she landed in trouble with two weak moves just before the first time control. In a queen, rook and opposite-coloured bishop ending, Judit pushed her kingside pawn after a dubious rook move and in a matter of seconds, the game and the match had slipped from her hands. Svidler, who played solid chess throughout the championship, reached the semifinals, getting closer to a berth in the next world championship cycle.
Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan stopped Vassily Ivanchuk's march at the right moment, winning with white in the return game to take the match to the tiebreakers. Radjabov attacked the queenside castled king of Ivanchuk and had his kingside exposed. First he won an exchange and then another as the Ukrainian wilted under the pressure of a queen and rooks raid to hand the game after 28 moves.
Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine played a remarkable game with black in Ruy Lopez against Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan to get a bishop versus knight ending after winning a pawn in the middle game. Creating a queenside passed pawn, Ponomariov won the game with his knight in full flight after 103 moves.
David Navara of Czech Republic and Alexander Grischuk of Russia took their match into the tiebreaker with a 54-move draw in a knight versus bishop ending.