Cupio dissolvi

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; match game 3; Baku, October 3, 2015
Sicilian Defence B53

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4. The so-called Chekhover Variation – a sound choice. 4. ... a6 5. c4 Nc6 6. Qe3 Nf6 7. h3 g6 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Be2 Nd7 10. Rb1 Nde5 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Rd1 Nxf3+ 13. Bxf3 f5!? Another continuation is 13. ... Bd7 14. Be2 f5 15. f3 f4 16. Qf2 Be5 17. Nd5 Rb8 18. Nb6 Be6 19. b3 Qe8 20. Bb2 Rd8 21. c5 Qf7 22. cxd6 Bxd6 23. Bc4 Bxc4 24. Nxc4 Bb8 25. Kh2 g5 26. Qc5 Qg6 27. Na5 ½ : ½ Vydeslaver – Duda, 14th Najdorf Memorial, Warsaw 2014. 14. exf5 Bxf5 15. Be4 Qd7 16. Nd5 Qe6 17. Bxf5 Qxf5 18. Bd2 Rae8 19. Bc3 e6 20. Nb6 d5 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qc5 Rf6 23. b4 Ne5. Karjakin feels that he must undertake something. 24. cxd5 Nd3 25. Qe3

25. ... Nxf2? Karjakin is desperately playing to win! The right way (for surviving), however, was 25. ... Qxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Nxf2 27. Re1 Nd3 28. Re3 Nf4 with roughly equal chances. 26. Rf1! Qe4 27. Rbe1. Apparently 27. Rfe1 was still stronger. 27. ... exd5. As bad as any other move. 28. Rxf2? Svidler’s first blackout! Here 28. Qc3 leads to an easy win for White. 28. ... Qh4 29. Qd2?? Catastrophe for Svidler! 29. Qxe8 was compulsory, since after 29. ... Qxf2+ 30. Kh2 Qxb6 Black’s extra Pawn is not significant at all. 29. ... Rxf2 30. Qc3+ d4. A trivial move which appears to have been overlooked by Peter Veniaminovich! 30. ... 0 : 1. It looks like a badly prearranged game – would say Bobby Fischer :(.

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