The Longest Yard

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
6th Chess World Cup; tie-break game 2 (25+10); Baku, October 5, 2015
King’s Indian Attack A08

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 e6 4. 0-0 Be7 5. d3 0-0 6. Nbd2 c5 7. e4 Nc6 8. Re1 b5 9. e5. The classical approach. In the first classical game Svidler had preferred 9. exd5. 9. ... Nd7 10. Nf1 b4 11. h4 a5 12. N1h2 Re8 13. h5 h6 14. Ng4 Bf8 15. Bf4 a4 16. a3 bxa3 17. bxa3 Rb8 18. Ne3 Bb7 19. c4 dxc4 20. Nxc4 Nb6 21. Nxb6 Qxb6 22. Qxa4. White has won a Pawn, but it’s not easy to convert it into a win. 22. ... Ra8 23. Qc2 Ra6 24. Reb1 Qa7 25. Be3 Ba8 26. Qc3 Rd8 27. Nd2 Nd4 28. Bxd4 cxd4 29. Qc2 Bxg2 30. Kxg2 Rxa3 31. Rxa3 Qxa3 32. Ne4 Qa6 33. Rb3. “No more extra Pawn, but I’m really liking Peter’s position now. I have faith in more tie-breaks!”, Grandmaster David Smerdon said. 33. ... Qa5 34. f4 Ra8 35. Qb1. Grandmaster Evgeny Miroshnichenko on Svidler’s position: “It’s an ideal position to play if a draw is fine...”. 35. ... Qd5 36. Rb5 Qc6 37. Kf3 Ra3? Karjakin should have held on with 37. ... Qc7 38. Rb7 Qc8. 38. Rb8 Ra8 39. Qb7! Qxb7 40. Rxb7 Ra3

41. Rb8! Come on, Peter Veniaminovich! You can win! 41. ... Rxd3+ 42. Kf2. The threat is Ne4-c5-d7. 42. ... g6 43. Nc5. Nevertheless, 43. Nf6+ Kg7 44. hxg6 h5 (44. ... fxg6 loses to 45. Rb7+) 45. f5! is also probably winning. 43. ... Rd2+ 44. Ke1 Rb2 45. Rxb2 Bxc5 46. hxg6 fxg6 47. Ke2. “If this is not winning you can’t win a game of chess!”, Miroshnichenko said. 47. ... d3+ 48. Kxd3 h5 49. Kc4 Be3 50. Rb3 Bf2 51. Rf3 Bg1 52. Kb5 Kf7 53. Kc6 Ke7 54. Rb3 Bh2 55. Rb7+ Kf8 56. Kd6 Bxg3 57. Kxe6 Bxf4 58. Rf7+ 1 : 0.

Peter Veniaminovich Svidler
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili