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Viswanathan Anand – Adrien Demuth
14th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 30, 2016
Spanish C72

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. 0-0 Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. d3. This is a sound continuation that avoids all the theory, even though if it hardly promises White any significant advantage. 8. ... Bxf3 9. Qxf3. 9. c3 can eventually transpose into 9. ... Qxf3 10. gxf3 Ne7 11. f4 exf4 12. Bxf4 f5 13. Na3 g5 14. Bd2 f4 15. f3 Ng6 16. Kf2 Be7 17. Nc2 Kd7 18. Nd4 Nh4 19. b4 Rhg8 20. Rg1 Bf6 21. Rab1 Rg6 22. Rb3 Rag8 23. h3 h5 24. Ne2 g4 25. fxg4 hxg4 26. Nxf4 Nf3 27. Nxg6 Rxg6 28. Rxg4 Rxg4 29. hxg4 Nxd2 30. Ra3 Nb1 31. Rxa6 Bxc3 32. Ra8 Bxb4 33. a4 Bc5+ 34. Kf3 Nc3 35. Kf4 Ke6 36. a5 Nb5 37. a6 Bd4 38. Re8+ Kf7 39. Rd8 Ke7 40. Rg8 Ke6 41. Rf8 d5 42. g5 Bc5 43. Rf6+ Kd7 44. g6 1 : 0 Ravinsky – Sokolsky, 13th USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1944. 10. ... Qf6 10. Qd1 g5 11. Nc3 Ne7 12. g3 Bg7 13. Kh2 Qg6 14. f4!? “If you are not willing to assume risks, go deal with another business”. Sorry, I can’t remember the title of the movie, but surely it was a scary American movie. 14. ... exf4 15. gxf4 g4 16. f5 Be5+ 17. Bf4 Qf6 18. Qd2 Rb8 19. Rab1 Rg8 20. Bxe5 Qxe5+ 21. Qf4 Qc5 22. Rg1 Kd7 23. h4 g3+!? Monsieur Demuth does not hesitate to sacrifice a Pawn in order to upset his opponent’s balance. 24. Rxg3 Rxg3 25. Kxg3 Rg8+ 26. Kh3 Rg4 27. Qf3 Qd4 28. Rf1 Nd5 29. Ne2 Qf6 30. Qf2 Ne3 31. Rg1 Nxc2 32. Nf4 Rxg1 33. Qxg1 Qxb2 34. Qg8 Qxa2 35. Nxh5. Anand is a Pawn down, but his strong passed h-Pawn evidently compensates. 35. ... Ne3 36. Nf6+ Ke7 37. Nh7 Kd7 38. h5 Qe2

39. Kh4?? Vishy’s grave miscalculation, incredibly enough, is not due to time shortage. The right way – and it was indeed quite easy to see! – was 39. Qxf7+ Kc8 40. Qg8+ Kb7 41. Nf6 with feeble chances of winning. 39. ... Qh2+ 40. Kg5 Qg3+ 41. Kh6 Qxg8 42. Nf6+ Ke7! This is the move apparently overlooked by Vishy. 43. Nxg8+ Kf8. Anand has regained his Queen but not his kingdom. The Black a-Pawn is inexorably unstoppable. 44. Nf6 a5 45. Kh7 a4 0 : 1. If there was a way to lose, Anand undoubtedly found it – and a very artistic one.

Viswanathan Anand vs. Adrien Demuth
Photo: John Saunders