UK-China Match Round 5: China beat UK 5.5 - 2.5

China beat UK 5.5-2.5 in round 5. I was following the match lives and in my opinion the "actual" score should be vice versa. UK was better in majority of the board but as Steve Giddins said in his report The most striking feature of this UK-China match has been the bulldog tenacity with which all of the Chinese players defend bad positions.

Bellow are one of the example:-

GM Gawain Jones (2526) vs B: Wang Yue (2696)

UK-CHINA Match 2007, 08.09.2007, Round 5

Analysis by Fritz and hairulov

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nd5 f5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.0-0 Bxd5 13.exd5 Ne7 14.c3 [14.Nxb5 Bg7 15.Nc3 e4 16.Bc4 Qc7 17.Bb3 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Qxc3 Black will regain the pawn with better position] 14...Bg7 15.Qh5 Qd7 16.Rad1 0-0 [16...Rc8 17.Nc2 Rc5 18.Ne3 e4 19.Bb1 0-0 20.g3 b4 21.cxb4 Rb5 22.a3 Bxb2 23.Kh1 Rc8] 17.Bb1 h6 18.f4 e4 Black gains space 19.Nc2 a5 20.Kh1 b4 21.Ne3 The knight blocks e4 21...bxc3 22.bxc3 Rfc8 23.c4 Qa7 24.Rfe1 Bd4? I don't understand the motif off this move, it seems that white will playing Nxf5 anyway so i think the bishop is better stay at g7. [24...Rab8!?; 24...Qd7 25.g4] 25.Nxf5+- Nxf5 26.Qxf5 Re8 27.Bxe4 Bg7 28.g4 Kf8 29.g5 hxg5 30.Qxg5 Qf2 [30...Qe7 31.Qg4 Qf6 32.Re2+-] 31.Rg1 Qb2 32.Rg2 Qc3 [32...Qf6 33.Bf5 Re3 34.Rdg1+-] 33.Rg3 [33.Qf5 Ra7 34.Rdg1 Qe3+-] 33...Qf6 34.Bh7 Qxg5 35.Rxg5 Rac8 36.Rdg1 Bc3 37.Bd3 Bd2 38.R5g4 Rc7 39.f5 Bc3? [39...Re1+-] 40.Rg8+ Ke7 41.h4 [41.f6+ and White has prevailed 41...Bxf6 42.Re1+ Be5 43.Rxe5+ dxe5 44.d6+ Kxd6 45.Rxe8+-] 41...Rcc8+/- 42.R8g3 Kf6 43.h5 Bd4 44.Rb1 Rh8 45.Rh3 Rcg8 46.Re1 Bc5 47.h6 [47.Be2 Re8 48.Rh2 Re3+/=] 47...Rh7+/= 48.Re4 [48.a4 Rgh8+/=] 48...Rgh8= 49.Reh4 Bf2 [49...Rg8 50.a4=] 50.Rh5+/= Be1 51.Be2 Bd2 52.Rd3 Rxh6 53.Rxd2 Rxh5+ 54.Bxh5 Rxh5+ 55.Kg2 Ke5 56.c5 dxc5 57.d6 Rh8 58.d7 Rd8 59.Kf3 c4 60.Ke3 c3 61.Rd3 c2 62.Kd2 Kxf5 63.Kxc2 Ke6 64.Ra3 Rxd7 65.Rxa5 f5 66.Ra3 [66.a4!?= must definitely be considered] 66...Ke5 67.Rd3 Ra7 68.Kd2 Rxa2+ [68...Kf4 69.a3-/+] 69.Ke3=/+ Rh2 70.Rd8 Rh3+ 71.Kf2 Ke4 Black activates its king 72.Ra8 Kf4 73.Ra4+ Kg5 74.Rb4 Rh2+ 75.Kg3 Ra2 76.Kf3 f4 [76...Ra3+!? 77.Kf2 Ra8=/+] 77.Rb5

Compare this diagram and the previous diagram. Surely you would say Jones have ruin his position but i think the most accurate explanation is as Steve Giddins report in the official website about of one of UK players performance in the 2nd round ..."as the pressure of making a move every 30 seconds proved too much. Once again, her Chinese opponent deserves great credit for her tenacious defence, but even so, it was all too painful to watch. At one point, I feel sure I felt an earth tremor, caused by Akiba Rubinstein revolving in his grave, at the thought of what these FIDE dunderheads (to coin a phrase) have done to the endgame!..."

[77.Rxf4 Ra3+ 78.Ke4 Ra4+ 79.Ke5 Rxf4 80.Kd6 Kf5 81.Kd5 Kf6 82.Kc6 Ke5 83.Kc5 Ke6 84.Kb6 Kd6 85.Kb5 Rd4 86.Kb6 Rd5 87.Kb7 Rb5+ 88.Ka6 Kc6 89.Ka7 Ra5+ 90.Kb8 Ra1 91.Kc8 Ra8#] 1/2-1/2