Buko pie

Alexander Anatolyevich Shabalov – Wesley So
60th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 21, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D44

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5 9. Be2 Bb7 10. Qc2 Nbd7 11. Rd1 Nh5 12. d5 cxd5 13. exd5 exd5 14. Nxd5 Nxg3 15. hxg3 Bg7 16. Ne3 Qa5+ 17. Kf1 Nf6. The alternative 17. ... Rd8 doesn’t look too exciting: 18. Nf5 Kf8 19. Rd6 (else 19. a4 a6 20. N3d4 Ne5 21. Nxg7 Kxg7 22. Bf3 Rxd4 23. Rxd4 Nxf3 24. gxf3 Bxf3 25. Qf5 Bxh1 26. Qe5+ Kh7 27. Qe7 Rg8 28. Qxf7+ Rg7 29. Qf5+ Kg8 30. Qc8+ Kh7 31. Rd8 Qb6 32. g4 Qf6 33. Rh8+ Kg6 34. Rxh6+ Kf7 35. Rxf6+ Kxf6 36. Qxa6+ Ke5 37. Qxb5+ Bd5 38. Qe8+ Kd4 39. Qe3 mate, S. K. Williams – van Delft, 6th Batavia Chess Tournament, Amsterdam 2014) 19. ... Bxf3 20. gxf3 Ne5 21. Qc3 Qc7 22. Rxd8+ Qxd8 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 24. Qxe5+ Qf6 25. Qxb5 1 : 0 Shankland – Bhat, 3rd König Memorial, San Francisco 2012. 18. Qf5. It doesn’t look any better than 18. Nf5 Kf8 19. Nd6 which ensured White the upper hand, Sarkar – Mo, D.C. International Chess Tournament, Arlington 2013. 18. ... Qb6 19. Qe5+ Kf8 20. Rd6? White launches himself into an unsound attack, obviously inspired by the above-mentioned examples. 20. a4 a6 was not particularly good, but it was not so bad. 20. ... Qc7 21. Nf5. Fatally consistent. “It was clear that Shabalov was going for my head, but it just wasn’t his day...”, then Wesley said.

21. ... Ne8!! The coup de grâce. 22. Nxg7 Qxd6 23. Ne6+ Kg8! Did Shabalov overlook this move in his calculations? 0 : 1.

Alexander Anatolyevich Shabalov vs. Wesley So
Photo: Austin Fuller