Meteoropathy

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Baadur Jobava
FIDE Grand Prix; Khanty-Mansiysk, May 26, 2015
French Defence C10

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bd7 5. Nf3 Bc6 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. Qe2 Be7 8. Neg5 Bxg5. This move is questionable since Black unnecessarily gives up the Bishop pair. It was preferable to play the immediate 8. ... h6 in order to met the wild 9. Nxe6 by 9. ... fxe6 10. Bg6+ Kf8 11. Bd2 Bd6 12. c4 Qf6 as in the game van der Wiel – Hodgson, Harlingen 1990. 9. Nxg5 h6 10. Nf3 Qf6 11. Ne5. Very dry strategy. 11. ... Nxe5 12. Qxe5 0-0-0 13. Be3 Qe7 14. 0-0-0 Nf6 15. f3 g5 16. c4 b6 17. Bd2 Nh5

18. d5! White energetically seizes the initiative. 18. ... f6 19. Qe2 Ba4 20. b3 Bd7. Unsound is 20. ... Qa3+ 21. Kb1 Bxb3 because of 22. Bc1! Bxd1 23. Qxe6+ (Jobava’s analysis) 21. g4 Ng7 22. Kb1 h5 23. h3 Qf7 24. Bc3 Kb8 25. Be4 Bc8 26. Rhe1 hxg4 27. hxg4 Bb7 28. dxe6 Bxe4+ 29. Qxe4 Rxd1+ 30. Rxd1 Nxe6 31. Qf5 Rh6 32. Rd2 Qg6 33. Qxg6 Rxg6 34. Rd5 Rh6 35. Rf5 Rh1+ 36. Kb2 Rh2+ 37. Kb1. White marks time. 37. ... Rh1+ 38. Kb2 Rh2+ 39. Ka3 a5 40. Rxf6 Re2 41. Rf5 Rf2 42. Re5 Nf4 43. Rxg5 Rxf3 44. Kb2 Nd3+ 45. Kc2 Nb4+ 46. Bxb4 axb4 47. Rf5 Rg3 48. g5. The Rook endgame is very difficult for Black, but not necessarily lost yet. 48. ... Kc8 49. Kd2 Kd7 50. Ke2 Ke6 51. Rb5 Rg2+ 52. Kf3 Rxa2 53. Rxb4 Ra1? On the wrong track. After 53. ... Rd2! 54. Rb5 Rd4 Black has excellent drawing chances. 54. Rb5 Kf7 55. Ke4 Rd1? More stubborn was 55. ... Re1+ 56. Kd5 Re6! 57. Kd4 c5+ 58. Kd5 Ke7 and Black is still fighting for survival. Now it’s very easy for White. 56. b4 Re1+ 57. Kd5 Re6 58. Kd4 Re1 59. c5 Rd1+ 60. Ke4 Re1+ 61. Kd5 Re6 62. Kd4 Rg6 63. cxb6 cxb6 64. Re5 Rc6 65. Kd5 Rc1 66. Kd6 1 : 0.

Baadur Jobava
Photo: Kirill Merkurev