Rondo - Shredder 1-0

Today Rondo faced another of the top competition, Shredder. Shredder played a strange book move, and Rondo was out of book at move 6. It was quite happy though, giving a score of about .80 pawns. Shredder's pieces became pretty cramped, while Rondo's were active. The game continued for a while, with a bit of shuffling--the programs didn't really have any plans, and weren't making progress. The score never dropped much, and eventually Rondo was able to build up an attack on the queenside. After a lot of tactics, and getting very close to mate, Stefan resigned for Shredder.

Rondo is now tied for first with Rybka, with 5/6. It plays Darmenios in the next round, and then there is the Blitz championship later (all played in one day). Tomorrow it plays Thinker, and Deep Junior on Friday. Rybka plays Fridolin, Deep Junior, and Shredder, so it's quite possible there will be a playoff. I'm hoping Shredder or Junior will steal a half point or more from Rybka (and of course, that Rondo wins its other games), and I don't have to play Rybka any more!

[Event "WCCC 2010 Japan"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2010.09.29"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Rondo"]
[Black "Shredder"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B56"]
[PlyCount "107"]

{2252MB, RONDO WCCC 2010.ctg, PC-25} 1. e4 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} c5 {
[%emt 0:00:07]} 2. Nf3 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} d6 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 3. d4 {
[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 4. Nxd4 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:
00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 5. Nc3 {[%eval 0,0] [%emt 0:00:00]} Qc7 {[%emt 0:
00:07]} 6. Bg5 {[%eval 74,31] [%emt 0:07:22]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:13] (Bd7)} 7. Bxf6
{[%eval 74,30] [%emt 0:04:10]} gxf6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 8. Qf3 {[%eval 79,31]
[%emt 0:04:58]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:13] (Nd7)} 9. O-O-O {[%eval 67,30] [%emt 0:04:
31]} a6 {[%emt 0:00:20]} 10. Qg3 {[%eval 59,29] [%emt 0:05:52]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:
00:13] (Kf8)} 11. Qg7 {[%eval 71,30] [%emt 0:02:24]} Rf8 {[%emt 0:02:12]} 12.
Nb3 {[%eval 54,31] [%emt 0:03:22]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:04:15] (b5)} 13. Rd2 {[%eval
80,32] [%emt 0:02:29]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:09]} 14. Kb1 {[%eval 80,33] [%emt 0:03:
32]} O-O-O {[%emt 0:02:52]} 15. Qh6 {[%eval 80,33] [%emt 0:00:00]} Rh8 {[%emt
0:07:01]} 16. Qh5 {[%eval 77,34] [%emt 0:00:00]} Rdg8 {[%emt 0:04:57]} 17. f4 {
[%eval 77,33] [%emt 0:01:59]} Rg7 {[%emt 0:03:47] (Bf8)} 18. g3 {[%eval 80,34]
[%emt 0:03:01]} Kb8 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 19. Be2 {[%eval 80,34] [%emt 0:02:37]}
Rhg8 {[%emt 0:04:26] (Qe3)} 20. Rhd1 {[%eval 80,35] [%emt 0:02:13]} Qc7 {[%emt
0:03:27]} 21. Rd3 {[%eval 80,36] [%emt 0:00:00]} Nb4 {[%emt 0:02:48]} 22. Rd4 {
[%eval 81,36] [%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 23. R4d2 {[%eval 81,35]
[%emt 0:04:40]} Be8 {[%emt 0:00:16]} 24. a3 {[%eval 81,35] [%emt 0:01:55]} Bd7
{[%emt 0:03:49] (Ka8)} 25. Bf3 {[%eval 83,33] [%emt 0:02:12]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:05:
30] (Rc8)} 26. Rd3 {[%eval 89,32] [%emt 0:01:58]} Be8 {[%emt 0:00:50] (Qc7)}
27. Ne2 {[%eval 89,32] [%emt 0:05:13]} Na7 {[%emt 0:00:13]} 28. Ned4 {[%eval
89,32] [%emt 0:01:42]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:00:55] (Nb5)} 29. Nd2 {[%eval 96,31] [%emt
0:01:34]} Be8 {[%emt 0:10:46]} 30. f5 {[%eval 105,34] [%emt 0:00:00]} Qd8 {
[%emt 0:04:07]} 31. Be2 {[%eval 106,34] [%emt 0:00:00]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:04:06]
(e5)} 32. Nc4 {[%eval 117,30] [%emt 0:01:56]} Ne5 {[%emt 0:00:18]} 33. Rc3 {
[%eval 116,30] [%emt 0:04:04]} Bd7 {[%emt 0:08:01] (Nc6)} 34. Rb3 {[%eval 139,
28] [%emt 0:01:32]} Ba4 {[%emt 0:03:53]} 35. Rb4 {[%eval 136,31] [%emt 0:00:00]
} Bd7 {[%emt 0:03:07]} 36. Nb6 {[%eval 140,32] [%emt 0:00:00]} Be8 {[%emt 0:04:
22] (Nc6)} 37. Bxa6 {[%eval 195,26] [%emt 0:01:34]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:07:59] (d5)}
38. Nxc6+ {[%eval 253,29] [%emt 0:01:41]} Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 39. Bc4 {
[%eval 260,29] [%emt 0:01:39]} Qe8 {[%emt 0:01:57] (Rg5)} 40. Qf3 {[%eval 322,
28] [%emt 0:01:30]} exf5 {[%emt 0:02:20] (Bd8)} 41. Bd5 {[%eval 386,28] [%emt
0:01:20]} fxe4 {[%emt 0:10:36]} 42. Qc3 {[%eval 510,33] [%emt 0:00:00]} e3 {
[%emt 0:03:44] (Bxd5)} 43. Qxe3 {[%eval 613,29] [%emt 0:00:57]} Rg4 {[%emt 0:
00:13] (Bxd5)} 44. Bxc6 {[%eval 635,30] [%emt 0:00:56]} Qxc6 {[%emt 0:00:11]}
45. Qxe7 {[%eval 651,30] [%emt 0:00:47]} Rxb4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 46. Nd7+ {
[%eval 719,30] [%emt 0:03:19]} Kc8 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 47. Nxf6 {[%eval 778,30]
[%emt 0:03:34]} Rb6 {[%emt 0:00:15] (Rbg4)} 48. Nxg8 {[%eval 784,27] [%emt 0:
00:53]} Qc3 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 49. Qe8+ {[%eval 868,28] [%emt 0:01:08]} Kc7 {
[%emt 0:00:10]} 50. Qxf7+ {[%eval 883,28] [%emt 0:00:35]} Kb8 {[%emt 0:00:09]}
51. b3 {[%eval 919,29] [%emt 0:01:40]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:13] (Rc6)} 52. Qxd5 {
[%eval 1192,25] [%emt 0:00:40]} Rc6 {[%emt 0:00:17] (Qc7)} 53. Qe4 {[%eval
1753,26] [%emt 0:01:31]} Rc8 {[%emt 0:00:10] (Rc5)} 54. Ne7 {[%eval 1869,27]
[%emt 0:01:00]} 1-0