Jaw crusher

Wesley So – Krishnan Sasikiran
French Team Championship Top 12; Port-Camargue, June 7, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 Nbd7 7. a3 a6. The alternative is 7. ... c6, e.g. 8. h3 a6 9. c5 b6 10. b4 a5 11. Bd3 Ba6 12. 0-0 Qc8 13. Qc2 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Qb7 15. Rfb1 axb4 ½ : ½ B. Larsen – Spassky, Palma de Mallorca 1968. 8. c5 Ne4 9. Rc1 f5 10. h3 c6 11. Bd3 Bf6 12. Na4 Ng5 13. Nxg5 Bxg5 14. b4 Bf6. A sharper and more convincing strategy would be 14. ... Bxf4 15. exf4 g5 since after the text Black will inexorably squeezed out. 15. Bd6 Be7 16. Bh2 Rf7 17. 0-0 g6 18. Kh1 Bf6 19. f3 Bg7 20. Qd2 e5 21. e4 f4 22. exd5 cxd5 23. Bc2 exd4 24. Bb3 Ne5 25. Nb6! Obviously, this move is not hard to find, but its effects are surprisingly crushing. 25. ... Be6 26. Nxa8 Qxa8 27. Qxd4 Nxf3 28. Qd3 Nxh2 29. Kxh2 Rf5 30. Rcd1 Bf7 31. Qf3 Qd8 32. Rd3 Qd7 33. Kh1 h5 34. Rfd1 d4 35. Re1 Bxb3 36. Rxb3 Kh7 37. Re4 Qf7 38. Rb1 g5 39. Rbe1 g4 40. Qd3 Kh6 41. Re6+ Kg5 42. Re7 Qf8 43. Re8 Qf7 44. R1e7 Qf6 45. Re6 Qf7 46. R8e7 Qf8

47. Rxg7+! Qxg7 48. h4+ Kxh4 49. Qxf5 Kg3 1 : 0. For after 50. Qxh5 mate is unavoidable.

Wesley So
Photo: Fédération Française des Échecs