18th February, 2003

IT looks as if chess is finally coming home to Moscow, as the
grandmasters turned up in force for one of the strongest Open
tournaments of all-time in the Russian capital, with the staging there
of the second Aeroflot Open at the Hotel Rossija, which has a $150,000
prize fund - not bad considering the average monthly wage in Russia
these days is just $200.

Ironically, one of the main reasons for the Soviet GM exodus from Mother
Russia was financial reasons following the collapse of communism, as
many players lost their state aid. Now, due to this new tournament with
a massive prize fund and subsidized air travel, the former Soviets are
going back home in an effort to win one of the biggest prizes of the
year in chess, save for the US Championships.

One such ex-Soviet returning home is last year's winner Gregory
Kaidanov, who is now one of the top players in the US. A convincing
fifth round win from Kaidanov put him into joint first in the tournament
and a possible second successive victory. However, he's part of a GM
logjam of fourteen in first place on 4/5, and ominously on their tail
just a half point behind is a further group of 26 grandmasters.

Standings: 1-14 GM A Aleksandrov (Belarus), GM V Bologan (Moldova), GM L
Fressinet (France), GM A Galkin (Russia), GM G Kaidanov (USA), GM A
Lastin (Russia), GM A Lugovoi (Russia), GM S Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), GM
A Moiseenko (Ukraine), GM E Najer (Russia), GM S Rublevsky (Russia), GM
K Sakaev (Russia), GM M Ulibin (Russia), GM V Zvjaginsev (Russia) 4/5.
Z Efimenko - G Kaidanov
Aeroflot Open 'A', (5)
Open Lopez
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dxe5
Be6 9 Be3 Be7 10 c3 0-0 11 Re1 Na5 12 Bc2 Nc4 13 Bc1 Bc5 14 Nd4 Nxf2 15
Kxf2 Qh4+ 16 Kg1 Bg4 17 Re2 Bxe2 18 Qxe2 Bxd4+ 19 cxd4 Qxd4+ 20 Qf2
Qxf2+ 21 Kxf2 Nxe5 22 Bf4 Rfe8 23 Nc3 Rad8 24 h3 d4 25 Ne4 Ng6 26 Bg5
Rd5 27 h4 d3 28 Bb3 Rf5+ 29 Ke3 Rfe5 30 Kxd3 Rxe4 31 Rf1 Nh8 32 Bd5 Re1
33 Rxe1 Rxe1 34 b4 Ng6 35 Kd4 h6 36 Bd2 Rd1 37 Kc3 Nxh4 38 Bb7 Nf5 39
Bxa6 Nd6 40 Kd4 0-1

JOHN B HENDERSON