Zigzag

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 4 (Blitz 10+10); Baku, September 25, 2015
Larsen’s Opening A01

1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6 5. Ne2 0-0 6. 0-0 Re8 7. Ng3 a6 8. Be2 Bf8 9. c4 d5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nc3 Be6 12. Rc1. For 12. a3 Qd7 13. Nce4 f6 14. Rc1 see Arribas López – Meneses González, 4th Abierto Internacional de Ajedrez Carlos I, Sanxenxo 2012. 12. ... Ndb4 13. d3 Qd7 14. a3 Nd5 15. Nce4 a5 16. Ng5 Nb6 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. Bg4 Qd6 19. Qc2 Nd5 20. Rfd1 Red8 21. Bf3 g6 22. Ne4 Qe6 23. Nc5 Bxc5. Svidler seizes what the founder of the Russian School of chess Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin often used to play for: two Knights against two Bishops! 24. Qxc5 Ra6! A very effective Rook-lift, possibly inspired by a Great Predecessor: Saidy – R. J. Fischer, New York 1968. 25. Qc4 Rb6 26. g3 Nde7! Sound judgement of the position: after the exchange of Queens the White’s b-Pawn would turn out to be weaker than Black’s doubled Pawns. 27. Qxe6? “His last chance to keep an edge – and to not be worse – came on move 27, when 27. Rc3 or 27. b4 would keep some pull”, writes Dennis Monokroussos. 27. ... fxe6 28. b4. Now the Pawn sacrifice appears hardly justified. 23. ... axb4 29. axb4 Nd5 30. Bc3 Rd7. “[韦奕 (Wéi Yì)] is trying to be Svidler; get a good position and then not win it”, Grandmaster Evgenij Miroshnichenko joked. 31. d4 exd4 32. Bxd4 Rxb4 33. Bc5 Ra4 34. Be2 Ra5 35. e4 Nf6 36. Rxd7 Nxd7 37. Be3 Kf7 38. Rb1 Nd8 39. f4 b6 40. Rd1 Ke7 41. f5 exf5 42. exf5 Nf7 43. Bf4 Nde5 44. Rc1 c6 45. Be3 b5 46. Bc5+ Kf6 47. fxg6 hxg6 48. Rf1+ Ke6 49. Bd1 Ng5 50. Bb3+ Nc4 51. Kg2 Ra8 52. Bb4? White is gradually losing ground. After 52. Bc2 Ra2 53. Rf2 Rxc2! 54. Rxc2 Kd5 Black has obvious compensation, but no forced win in sight. 52. ... Ne4 53. Re1 Kd5 54. Rd1+ Ke5 55. Re1 Kd4 56. Rd1+ Ke3 57. Rc1? The losing move. After 57. Re1+ Kd3 58. Rd1+ Ncd2 Black keeps excellent winning chances, but the game is not yet over.

57. ... c5! The End. 58. Re1+ Kd4 59. Rd1+ Ke5 60. Bxc4 bxc4 61. Be1 Ra3 62. Kf1 Ra2 63. Rc1 Kd4 64. Rd1+ Ke3 65. Rc1 Kd3 66. Rd1+ Nd2+ 67. Bxd2 Rxd2 68. Ke1 c3 0 : 1.

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili