Technological determinism

Péter Lékó – Anish Giri
6th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Baku, September 17, 2015
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Nf6 8. f3 e6 9. Be3 b5 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. g4 h6 12. 0-0-0 b4 13. Nce2 Qc7 14. h4 d5 15. Bf4 e5 16. Bh2 dxe4 17. g5 hxg5 18. hxg5 Rxh2! A very timely Exchange sacrifice “patented” by Russian Grandmaster Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman. 19. Rxh2 exd4 20. Rh4 Ng4! 21. Rxg4. After 21. Nxd4 Nge5 22. Rxe4 Bb7 Black’s forces were well coordinated, Akopian – Khalifman, 13th European Individual Championship, Plovdiv 2012. 21. ... Nc5 22. Rh4. On 22. Rxe4+ Nxe4 23. fxe4 Bg4 Black stands well. 22. ... d3 23. Nd4 Bb7 24. Rh8. Equally after 24. fxe4 0-0-0 Black is fine. 24. ... 0-0-0. Nihil sub sole novum.

25. g6!? Theoretical novelty. Instead 23. Kb1 dxc2+ 24. Qxc2 exf3 leads to a very double-edged situation, Jakovenko – Artemiev, 66th Russian Chess Championship, Yekaterinburg 2013. 25. ... fxg6 26. fxe4 Bxe4 27. Nb3 Nxb3+ 28. axb3 Be7 29. Bxd3 Rxh8 ½ : ½. Chess in the time of computers.

Péter Lékó vs. Anish Giri. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.