Half of a Yellow Sun

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler – Fabiano Caruana
Candidates Tournament; Moscow, March 19, 2016
English Opening A35

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 g6 7. Ng5 e6 8. d3 Bg7 9. Nge4 0-0. If 9. ... b6 there could follow 10. Qa4 Bd7 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Nd6+ Ke7 13. Nxf7 Ne5 14. Bg5+ Kxf7 15. Bxd5+ Ke8 16. Qh4 Qb8 17. 0-0 h6 18. Bf6 Bxf6 19. Qxf6 Rf8 20. Qg7 Bc6 21. Bxc6+ Nxc6 22. Qxg6+ Kd7 23. Qg7+ Ne7 24. d4 Rg8 25. Qh7 cxd4 26. Rad1 Qe5 as occurred in the game Dzindzichashvili – Polugaevsky, New York 1989. 10. h4! b6 11. h5 Bb7 12. hxg6 hxg6 13. Bh6. The classic attack down the h-file, directly towards the enemy King. 13. ... Nxc3 14. bxc3 f5

15. Qc1! Svidler sacrifices his Knight for a vehement attack! 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Qd2! simply transposes to the game. 15. ... fxe4 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. Qh6+ Kf6 18. dxe4 Rh8 19. e5+! Kf7. Not 19. ... Kxe5?? 20. Qf4 mate. 20. Qf4+ Kg7 21. Rxh8 Qxh8 22. 0-0-0 Kg8 23. Rd7 Rf8 24. Qg4 Qh6+ 25. f4 Re8. Apparently best, but now White can enter a very pleasant endgame. 26. Rxb7 Nxe5 27. Qh3 Qxh3 28. Bxh3. “Svidler will be a Pawn up with good winning chances, but still work to do!”, Grandmaster Jan Gustafsson said. 28. ... Nc4 29. Rxa7 e5 30. Bg2 Ne3 31. Bc6. But not 31. Be4?? exf4! and wins. 31. ... Re6 32. Bb5 exf4 33. gxf4 Rf6 34. Kd2 Nf1+ 35. Kd3 Rxf4 36. e4 Ng3 37. e5 Rf3+ 38. Kc4 Ne4 39. Bc6 Rxc3+ 40. Kb5 Re3 41. Kxb6 c4!? 42. Bd5+ Kh8 43. e6. Apparently 43. Bxc4 Nd2 44. Bf7 Rxe5 45. a4 would have made things much harder for Black. 43. ... c3 44. Rc7 g5 45. Bxe4 ½ : ½. “Ow. So frustrating for Svidler. [He] deserves more”, Grandmaster Jonathan David Tisdall said.

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler vs. Fabiano Caruana
Photo: Worldchess.com