Hexadecimal time

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Hikaru Nakamura
Candidates Tournament; Moscow, March 12, 2016
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Nc3 Nbd7 11. Qc2 Re8 12. Rfd1 Nf8. It appears to be a novelty. For 12. ... Bd6 13. Bc1 c6 14. Bb2 Qe7 15. Rac1 Rac8 16. Nh4 g6 see Pashikian – Hayrapetyan, 3rd Chess Classic, Al Ain 2014. 13. Ne5 Bb7 14. Bc1 Ne6 15. Bb2 Bd6 16. e3 a6 17. Ne2 c5 18. dxc5 Nxc5 19. Nd3 Nce4 20. Rac1 Rc8 21. Qb1 Qe7 22. Bd4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 b5 24. b4 Nd7 25. a3 Nf8 26. Ba1 Ne6 27. Qa2 Bc7 28. Nd4 Bb6 29. h4. Black’s position is not too comfortable, but there is no indication of what is about to happen.

29. ... Nxg3?? Nakamura has a hallucination. After 29. ... Nxd4 (comparatively best) 30. Bxd4 Bxd4 31. exd4 White stands better, but the game is not over yet. 30. fxg3 Nxd4 31. Bxd4 Bxd4 32. exd4 Qe3+ 33. Qf2 Qxd3 34. Rc7. This trivial move was evidently overlooked by Nakamura. Black could well resign here. 34. ... f5 35. Rxb7 h6 36. Bxd5+ Kh7 37. Bg2 Re2 38. Bf1 1 : 0. “I did many things quite badly”, finally Nakamura said.

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin vs. Hikaru Nakamura
Photo: ruchess.ru