Crash Crush

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, October 2, 2015
Spanish C95

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 0-0 8. c3 d6 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd3 c6 15. Qc2. The most straightforward. After 15. b3 Qc7 16. Qc2 Rac8 17. Bb2 Nh5 18. Bf1 Nf4 19. b4 Nb6 20. axb5 cxb5 Black is already slightly better, Karjakin – Carlsen, World Blitz Championship, Moscow 2010. 15. ... Rc8 16. axb5 axb5. Not 16. ... cxb5?! 17. d5! and White stands better. 17. b4 c5!? This looks like an improvement on 17. ... Qc7 18. Bb2 Ra8 19. Rad1 Nb6 20. c4! bxc4 21. Nxc4 Nxc4 22. Bxc4 h6 23. dxe5 dxe5 24. Bc3 Ba6 25. Bb3! when White has the upper hand, Karjakin – Carlsen, 1st Norway Chess, Sandnes 2013. 18. bxc5 exd4 19. c6 dxc3 20. cxb7 cxd2 21. Qxd2 Rb8 22. Bxb5 Qb6 23. Rb1 Qxb7 24. Bd3

25. ... Qa8 25. Rxb8 Rxb8 26. Bb2 Qa2 27. Re2 h6 28. Qc1 Qb3 29. Bc4 Qb7 30. Qd1 Re8 31. Bxf6 Nxf6 32. e5 dxe5 33. Nxe5 Re7 34. Qd4 Nd7! Peter Veniaminovich has little time on the clock, but plenty of ingenious resources to counter Karjakin’s plans. 35. Nxf7 Rxf7 36. Rb2 Qc6 37. Rb5?? White still has enough time, but no more inspiration. The text is a colossal mistake which blunders the piece and the game. “When you try to be clever in the opponent’s time trouble, don’t forget that the opponent can be better then you anyway!“, then Karjakin bitterly said. After 37. Qd5 Qxd5 38. Bxd5 the most likely result is a draw, as afterwards argued by Svidler. 37. ... Kh8! Sic et simpliciter. Black’s Rook is taboo as 38. Bxf7 Qxb5 leaves White down a piece for a Pawn. 38. Rd5? From worst to worst! But Black’s game was lost in any case. 38. ... Nb6 0 : 1. “I defended fairly well & probably deserved to draw it but I definitely didn’t deserve to win it!”, Svidler finally said.

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin vs. Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili