Held from 10 to 20 August, the nine-round Swiss comprised 488 players and was won by the Russian-American Alex "Swiss King" Yermolinsky after a blitz play-off between six players tied on 7.5/9 - the rest comprised four other grandmasters - Alexander Goldin (Israel), Eduard Rozentalis (Lithuania), Alexander Shabalov (US) and Gabriel Schwartzman (US) - and the 20-year-old American Michael Mulyar, a Fide master.
As always, there was a huge pile-up just below the top, with no fewer than 16 players seventh equal on 7/9, 12 of whom are grandmasters. This grandmaster group comprised the Estonian Jaan Ehlvest; the Poles Alex Wojkiewicz and Bartlomie Macieja; the Americans Joel Benjamin, Grigory Serper, Anatoly Lein and Eduard Gufeld (who, just recently, must have changed his chess nationality from Russian); Pavel Blatny of the Czech Republic; Yuri Shulman of Belarus; Cuba's Walter Arencibia; Dibyendu Barua of India; and our own Tony Miles.
On Monday, I gave Tony's staunch defensive effort against Walter Browne. He also had to defend himself against Gufeld but still made a draw in the end with something to spare.
Miles has used this line of the Berlin Defence extensively recently. Black has to move his king and accept doubled pawns but in return he gets the two bishops and he's had excellent results.
This time, Tony gave up a bishop with 12 ...Bxc3 to stablise the position but after 17 Ne4! he had to jettison a pawn since if 17 ...b6 18 Bxf6! gxf6 19 Nxf6+ Kf8 (or 19 ...Ke7 20 Nd5+) 20 e7+ Nxe7 21 Rd8+ Kf7 22 Rxh8 Kxf6 23 Rxh7 is utterly disastrous.
Perhaps White should have supported the e6 pawn, though e.g. 22 Bxd4 Rxd4 23 f5 gxf5 24 gxf5 Rd5 25 Rf1 Ba6 is far from clear. Not 25 ...Rxd8 26 Rc1 Kxe6 27 Rxc2 gxf4 Nf3 when Black doesn't have enough for the piece. Miles battled through and, after 30 ...Bxe6, he had equalised.
White: Eduard Gufeld vs
Black: Tony Miles
US Open Reno 1999
Ruy Lopez Berlin Defence
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 Nf6
4 0-0 Nxe4
5 d4 Nd6
6 Bxc6 dxc6
7 dxe5 Nf5
8 Qxd8+ Kxd8
9 Nc3 Ke8
10 h3 a5
11 Bd2 Bb4
12 Rad1 Bxc3
13 Bxc3 c5
14 Rfe1 Ne7
15 Ng5 Nc6
16 e6 f6
17 Ne4 Ke7
18 Nxc5 b6
19 Nd3 Rd8
20 f4 g6
21 g4 Nd4
22 Kf2 Ba6
23 g5 fxg5
24 Ne5 Nxc2
25 Rxd8 Kxd8
26 Nc6+ Ke8
27 Rc1 Nb4
28 Bxb4 axb4
29 Nxb4 Bc8
30 Rxc7 Bxe6
31 fxg5 Ra5
32 h4 Bxa2
33 Rxh7 Kf8
34 Ke3 Bf7
35 Rh8+ Bg8
36 Nd3 Kg7
37 Rh6 Bf7
38 Kd4 Rd5+
39 Ke4 Rb5
40 Ne5 Rb4+
41 Kd3 Rxb2
42 Nxf7 Kxf7
43 h5 gxh5
44 Rxh5 Kg6
45 Rh1 Kxg5
46 Rf1
Draw agreed
