The Next Three Days

Anish Giri – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 24, 2015
King’s Indian Defence E60

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. e3 0-0 5. Be2 b6 6. 0-0 Bb7 7. Nc3 d5 8. cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bd2 c5. 9. ... Nd7 10. Qb3 e6 11. Rfd1 c5 transposes into the game Dubov – Vachier-Lagrave, Qatar Masters, Doha 2014. 10. dxc5 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nd7 13. cxb6 axb6 14. Qd4. From now on, Vachier-Lagrave will have to play a Pawn down. 14. ... Qc7 15. Rfb1 Ra5 16. Qb4 e6 17. Qe7 Qd8 18. Qxd8 Rxd8 19. Rd1 Bc6 20. Nd4 Ba4 21. Rdb1 e5 22. Nb3 Ra7 23. Nd2 Rc8 24. c4 Bc6 25. Rb2 Kg7 26. f3 Re8 27. Kf2 e4 28. Nb3 exf3 29. gxf3 Ba4 30. Rd1 Re5 31. Rd5 Rxd5 32. cxd5 Bxb3 33. axb3 Kf6 34. f4 g5 35. Rc2. 35. Kf3 gxf4 36. Kxf4 would seem to make more sense. 35. ... gxf4 36. exf4 Ke7 37. Rc6 Nf6 38. Bf3 Rd7 39. Rxb6 Nxd5 40. Bxd5 Rxd5 41. Kg3 h5 42. Kh4 Rf5 43. Rb4 Rd5 44. Rc4 Kf6 45. b4 Kg6 46. Rc6+ f6 47. Rc2 Rb5 48. Rb2 Kf5

49. Kg3. Instead 49. Kxh5? Kxf4+ 50. Kg6 f5 51. Rf2+ Kg4 leads to a draw. 49. ... Ke4 50. Rb1 Kd3. “After the game Giri told Chess.com that 50. ... Ke3! draws, e.g. 51. Re1+ Kd4 52. Re6 (instead 52. Kf3! seemingly wins 52. ... f5 53. Kg3 Rxb4 54. Kh4 Rb2 55. Kxh5 Rxh2+ 56. Kg5 Rh8) 52. ... Rxb4 53. Kh4 Rb5 54. Rxf6 Ke4”, writes Grandmaster Dejan Bojkov. 51. Kf3 Kc2 52. Ra1 Rxb4 53. Ra5 Rb3+ 54. Ke4 h4 55. Kf5 Kd3 56. Kxf6 Ke4 57. f5 h3 58. Ra4+ Kf3 59. Kg5! Rb5 60. Ra2 Rb4 61. f6 Rg4+ 62. Kf5 Rf4+ 63. Ke6. If, instead, 63. Kg6? then Black saves the day with 63. ... Rg4+ followed by ... Rg4-g2. 63. ... Re4+ 64. Kd6 Rd4+ 65. Ke7 Re4+ 66. Kf8 Rb4 67. f7 Rf4 68. Rb2 Ra4 69. Rb6 1 : 0. For if 69. ... Kg2 then 70. Kg7 Rg4+ 71. Rg6 Rxg6+ 72. Kxg6 Kxh2 73. f8=Q and White wins by merit of one tempo: 73. ... Kg2 74. Qa8+ Kh2 75. Qf3 finis. “MVL off form today. Volunteered for slight disadvantage, sacrificed Pawn for no reason. Almost like he had decided he’d lose”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson said

Anish Giri
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Jonathan David Tisdall (@GMjtis )