[Event "Match"]
[Site "Donetsk"]
[Date "2001.01.22"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ponomariov R., UKR."]
[Black "Korchnoi V., SUI."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "IM E.Miroshnichenko, IM O.Berezin"]
[BlackElo "2639"]
[ECO "C10"]
[EventDate "2001.01.16"]
[PlyCount "147"]
[Source "Mikhail Golubev"]
[SourceDate "2001.02.24"]
[WhiteElo "2677"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Nbd7 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. Nf3 h6 ( { The main continuation is } 7... c5 8. dxc5 Qxd1+ $6 ( 8... Qa5+ ) 9. Rxd1 Bxc5 10. Bb5+ Ke7 11. O-O h6 12. Bf4 Bd7 13. Bxd7 Nxd7 14. a3 Rhc8 $2 15. b4 Bb6 16. c4 $1 $16 { Yakovenko - Dolmatov, St.- Peterburg, 2000. } ) 8. Bh4 c5 9. Be2 ( 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Qxd7+ Kxd7 14. Ke2 Ke7 15. Rhd1 Rhd8 16. c3 f5 17. Ne1 e5 $11 { Yudasin - Korchnoi, St.- Peterburg, 1997. } ) 9... cxd4 ( 9... Bd7 10. O-O Qb6 $2 ( 10... Be7 $5 ) ( 10... cxd4 ) 11. Ne5 $1 cxd4 12. Bxf6 $2 { Rozentalis - Vaganian, Budapest, 1996 } ( 12. Bh5 $1 Nxh5 13. Qxh5 g6 14. Nxg6 $18 ) ) 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Nxd4 $14 Bc5 12. Nb3 Bd6 13. Bf3 Ke7 14. Bg3 $5 ( 14. c4 $6 Bb4+ $1 15. Ke2 $2 g5 16. Bg3 g4 $19 ) ( 14. O-O-O $5 { with the idea c4,c5 } ) 14... Bxg3 15. hxg3 a5 $1 ( 15... Rb8 16. Na5 $5 $16 ) 16. O-O-O Ra7 17. Rhe1 ( { Deserves attantion } 17. Rh4 Bd7 18. Nc5 $14 ) 17... Bd7 18. Nd4 g6 19. Re3 { with the idea to press on b7 after Rb3 and Rb6 } 19... a4 ( { After } 19... b5 20. Bc6 b4 21. Bxd7 Rxd7 22. Nc6+ { White has a pawn more } ) 20. Rc3 Rc8 $8 21. Rxc8 Bxc8 22. Nb5 Ra6 23. Rd4 Bd7 24. Nc3 b5 25. a3 ( 25. Be2 $5 Rb6 26. Rb4 Nd5 27. Nxd5+ exd5 $14 { with good draw chances for black } ) 25... Ne8 26. Be2 Nd6 27. Rb4 Ra5 { Now the set-up of black pieces is very passive, so White can activate his King. } 28. Kd2 Bc6 29. Bf1 h5 30. Ke3 e5 31. f4 Ke6 ( 31... Nf5+ 32. Kf2 Nd4 33. fxe5 Nxc2 34. Rf4 $14 ) 32. Kf2 Kf6 { Waiting for something...Interesting was to try } ( 32... f5 $1 { and White has no real winning chance. } ) 33. Be2 Ke6 34. Bd3 Kf6 35. g4 $1 { Black rook is out of the board - so White must open the position. } 35... hxg4 36. fxe5+ Kxe5 37. Rxg4 Bd7 38. Rg3 Ra7 $6 39. Re3+ Kf6 40. Nd5+ Kg5 41. Re5+ $5 ( 41. Re7 Rb7 42. Ke3 Bc6 43. Rxb7 Bxb7 44. Kd4 f5 45. Kc5 Nc4 $1 46. Bxc4 bxc4 47. Kxc4 f4 { and strong bishop alows Black to defend position. } ) 41... f5 42. Ke3 Bc6 43. Nf4 Ra8 $8 44. Nxg6 Kf6 $1 45. Rc5 $2 ( 45. Kd4 $1 Rd8 46. Nf4 $1 Nc4+ 47. Nd5+ $18 ) 45... Bxg2 46. Nh4 $6 ( 46. Ne5 $5 $14 ) ( 46. Nf4 $5 $14 ) 46... Be4 47. Bxe4 fxe4 48. Rc6 Ke5 49. Ng6+ Kd5 50. Ne7+ Ke6 $1 51. Nf5 Kxf5 52. Rxd6 Re8 $8 53. Rh6 { It looks like easy way to viktory... } 53... Kg5 $8 54. Rh2 Re7 55. Rf2 Re5 $1 56. Rf4 ( 56. Rf1 $5 Rc5 ( 56... Re8 57. Rf4 Re5 ( 57... Rc8 58. Rxe4 Rxc2 ( 58... Kf5 59. Rb4 Rc5 60. Kd4 $18 ) 59. Re5+ Kf6 60. Rxb5 Ke6 61. Kd3 Rh2 62. Kc3 Kd6 63. Rb4 Rh3+ 64. Kc4 $18 ) 58. Rxe4 $18 ) ( 56... Kg6 $3 57. Kd4 Re8 58. Rf4 e3 59. Rf1 Kg5 60. Kd3 Kg4 61. Ke2 Re4 62. Rf3 Rc4 63. c3 Re4 64. Rxe3 Kf4 65. Rxe4+ Kxe4 66. Kd2 Kd5 67. Kd3 Kc5 68. c4 b4 69. axb4+ Kxb4 70. Kd4 Kb3 71. c5 Kxb2 72. c6 a3 73. c7 a2 74. c8=Q a1=Q $11 ) 57. Kxe4 Rxc2 58. Rf5+ Kg6 59. Rxb5 Kf6 60. Kd3 Rh2 61. Kc3 $18 ) 56... Rc5 57. c3 Re5 $1 { The point of Black's defence. } 58. Rf8 Re7 59. Rb8 Re5 60. Rb6 Kf5 61. Rd6 Re8 62. Rh6 Kg5 63. Rh1 Re7 64. Rf1 Re8 65. Rf4 Re5 66. Rxe4 Kf5 67. Rxe5+ Kxe5 $11 { After Korchnoi's horrible
mistakes in previouse game Ponomarev still hoping on something... } 68. Kd2 Kd6 69. Kc2 Kc6 70. b4 axb3+ 71. Kxb3 Kb7 72. a4 bxa4+ 73. Kxa4 Kc6 74. c4 1/2-1/2