Out of the wreckage of the chess superpower that was the Soviet Union, a mighty new chess country is emerging: Ukraine. In the championship of Ukraine this year two of the most ambitious and talented young grandmasters took part: the 14-year-old Sergey Karjakin, and Yuriy Kuzubov. In a recent interview, Karjakin was asked what his greatest fear in life is. His response suggests he is highly ambitious: “Not to become the world champion.” In the final game of the tournament, the 18-year-old Andrey Volokitin won the title against 19-year-old Anton Korobov. But the most remarkable game of the championship featured Oleg Romanishin, who defeated the highest rated Ukrainian player, the champion of Europe, Vasiliy Ivanchuk.

ROMANISHIN VS. IVANCHUK (white) (black) Slav Defense

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.g3 dxc4 6.Bg2 Nbd7 7.0-0 b5 8.Bg5 The alternative 8.e4 proved to be good in the recent game: 8…Bb7 9.e5 Nd5 10.Ng5 N7b6 11.Qh5 Qd7 12.Nce4 g6 13.Qh3 – Tregubov-P-Dorfman, Montpellier 2004 8… Bb7 9.a4 b4 More popular and, maybe, stronger is 9…Qb6 as was played in two games of Romanishin against Sveshnikov: 10.Ne5 Rd8 (inferior is 10…Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.Ne4) 11.a5 (11.Nxd7 Rxd7 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.e3 f5 14.b3 Bb4 15.Na2 a5 16.Nxb4 axb4 17.a5 Qa6 – Romanishin-Sveshnikov, Bled 1998) 11…Qa6 12.Nxd7 Rxd7 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Ne4 Be7 15.Qc1 c5 16.Nxc5 Bxc5 17.Bxb7 Qxb7 18.dxc5 Qd5 19.b4 cxb3 20.Rb1 0-0 21.Qa3 Rc7 (Romanishin-Sveshnikov, Nova Gorica 1999) with an approximately equal position in both games. Ivanchuk expected that his opponent had prepared a novelty in one of these lines. To avoid this, he unveiled a novelty himself. 10.Ne4 c5!? Ivanchuk’s innovation. In the previous game black played 10…Be7 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Qc1 Ba6 13.Qh6 Qa5 and here 14.Rfc1 instead of 14.Qg7 could give an advantage to white in the game Sosonko-Sokolov. 11.Nfd2 A logical move: White attacks the bishop on b7 and the pawn on c4. The alternative 11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.Nxf6+ gxf6 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Bxb7 Rd8 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Qc2 leads to an unclear position. 11… Qc7 12.Bf4 Qc8 13.Rc1 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 f5!? A risky decision. Much better was a more modest approach: 14…Bd5! 15.dxc5 Nxc5 16.Nxc5 Bxg2 17.Nxe6 Qxe6 18.Kxg2 Be7 19.Qd4 Rc8 and bad for white is 20.Qxg7? Bf6 21.Qh6 Bxb2 15.Nxc5 Nxc5 16.dxc5 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Qxc5 18.e4! Here this thrust is even stronger than on the first occasion. 18… Qc6 19.Qd4 Rc8 20.Rfe1 Kf7 21.f3! Kg6 Black cannot develop his bishop and rook at h8. Bad for him is 21…Be7? 22.exf5 exf5 23.Rxe7+ Kxe7 24.Qxg7+. 22.exf5+ exf5 23.Re5 h6 24.Rce1 Kh7 25.Rxf5 c3 26.b3! Qg6 27.g4 c2?! The only chance for defense is 27…Rg8! with the intention of hiding the king on h8. 28.h4 Rc3

(See diagram)

29.Qe4! With the very nasty threat of h4-h5. 29… Qc6?! This loses a piece but 29…Rg8 30.Bd2 Rc8 31.Bxh6! gxh6 32.h5 was not better. 30.Rxf8+! Qxe4 31.Rxh8+ Kxh8 32.Rxe4 Rxb3 33.Rc4+- Rb2 34.Bc1 Ra2 35.g5? The simple win was 35.Rxb4 Ra1 36.Bf4 c1Q 37.Bxc1 Rxc1 38.Rb7. 35… hxg5? Black misses 35…Kh7! 36.Rxb4 (or36.gxh6 b3) 36…Ra1 37.Bf4 c1Q 38.Bxc1 Rxc1 39.Rb7 Rc4 with excellent drawing chances. 36.hxg5 Kh7 37.Rxb4 Ra1 38.Rh4+ Kg6 39.Rh1 Rxa4 40.Kf2 Rd4 41.Ke2 a5 42.Be3

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