Esthétique analytique

Wesley So – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 21, 2015
English Opening A33

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Bf4 d5 7. e3 Bb4 8. Be2 0-0 9. 0-0 Bxc3 10. bxc3!? For 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. bxc3 Ne4 12. Qc2 Qf6 13. Rac1 e5 14. Bg3 Bf5 15. Bd3 Qg6 see Zhigalko – Vachier-Lagrave, 12th MetLife Amplico European Rapid Championship, Warsaw 2012. 10. ... Re8 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Qb3 Rd8 15. Bf3. The Pawn structure makes White slightly better as d5 turns out to be weaker than c3. 15. ... Na5 16. Qb5 Qb6! Maxime rightly opts for a dynamic strategy. If 16. ... b6 then 17. Bxd5 a6 18. Qa4 when 18. ... Rxd5?? loses to 19. Qe8+ Kh7 20. Qe4+. 17. Qxb6 axb6 18. Rfb1 Nc4 19. Rb4 Ra3 20. Nb5 Ra5 21. h3. A colourless move! 21. Rd1 was more to the point, e.g. 21. ... Be6 22. Rxc4 Rxb5 23. Rcd4 Rc8 24. Bxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Rxd5 26. Rxd5 Rxc3 27. Rd8+ Kh7 28. g3 and White stands slightly better. 21. ... Bd7! 22. Bxd5? Wesley badly goes astray. Instead, after 22. a4 Bxb5 23. Rxb5 Rxb5 24. axb5 White retains a microscopic plus. 22. ... Ne5! Sic et simpliciter. Perhaps Wesley was hoping for 22. ... Bxb5? 23. Bxc4 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 with a distinct advantage to White. 23. Re4 Ng6 24. Bxf7+. White must try to pick up as many Pawns as possible for the piece. 24. ... Kxf7 25. Nd6+ Kg8 26. Nxb7 Bc6 27. Rd4 Rxd4 28. Nxa5 Rd6 29. Nxc6 Rxc6 30. a4 Rxc3 31. a5 bxa5 32. Rxa5. White has only two Pawns for the piece, but Black must work hard to convert his advantage into a win. 32. ... Rc1+ 33. Kh2 Rc2 34. Kg3 Nf8 35. h4 Nd7 36. Kf3 Kh7 37. Rf5 Nc5 38. g4 Nd3 39. Kg3 g6 40. Rf7+ Kg8 41. Rf6. “The subtle 41. Ra7 was his last, best chance to save half a point, with the idea that if Black takes on f2 a series of checks will eventually force Black to cough up his g-Pawn. Instead, 41. Rf6 allowed Black to lock up his remaining Kingside Pawns in a way that guaranteed that the h-Pawn would survive and that Black could swap off the Rooks”, Dennis Monokroussos said. 41. ... Kg7 42. g5 h5! Black must keep Pawns on the board. 43. f3 Ne1 44. e4 Rc3 45. Kf2 Nd3+ 46. Kg3 Ne5 47. Kg2 Rc6! The exchange of Rooks puts an end to any further resistance. 48. Rxc6. If 48. f4 then 48. ... Rc2+ 49. Kg3 Rc3+ 50. Kg2 Nf3 and wins. 48. ... Nxc6 49. f4 Kf7 50. Kf3 Ke6 51. Ke3 Kd6 52. Kd2 Kc5 53. Kd3 Kb4 54. Kd2 Kc4 55. Ke3 Kc5 56. Kd3 Nd8 57. Ke3 Nf7 58. Kd3 Nd6 59. Ke3 Kc4 60. f5

60. ... Ne8! The magic move that wins! 61. fxg6. Also after 61. f6 Nc7 62. f7 Ne6 Black is in Zugzwang. 61. ... Ng7 62. e5 Kd5 63. Kf4 Kd4 64. e6 Kd5 65. e7 Ke6 66. Ke4 Kxe7 67. Ke5 Ke8 68. Kd5 Kd7 0 : 1. “Vachier-Lagrave is as good as Stockfish in that endgame. He was insanely accurate. I’m so impressed!”, Grandmaster Zsuzsa Polgár said.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Europe Échecs (@EuropeEchecs)