Moonstruck

Fabiano Caruana – Samuel Shankland
60th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 15, 2016
French Defence C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Qg4 0-0 8. Bd3 Nbc6 9. Qh5 Ng6 10. Nh3 Qc7 11. Be3 c4 12. Bxg6 fxg6 13. Qg4. Fabi’s New Deal. The old try was 13. Qh4 b5 14. 0-0 Bd7 15. f3 a5 16. Bd2 Qb6 17. Kh1 b4 18. Rfb1 b3 19. a4 Rfb8 20. cxb3 cxb3 21. Rb2 Qa6 22. Ng5 h6 23. Nh3 g5 24. Qg4 Rb7 25. f4 Rf8 26. Kg1 Qc4 27. fxg5 Nxe5 28. Qg3 Nd3 29. gxh6 Bxa4 30. Rbb1 Bb5 31. Qd6 Qc6 32. h7+ 1 : 0 Stefánsson – Psakhis, 3rd International Tournament, Torshavn 2000. 13. ... Qf7 14. Nf4 Ne7 15. h4 h6 16. Qe2 Bd7 17. g4 b5 18. f3 a5 19. Kf2 Rab8 20. Kg3 Be8 21. Bd2 b4? “A terrible positional blunder by Shankland. He should have stayed put and wait for Caruana to make a statement on the Kingside before opening on the Queenside. Now White gets the best out of both worlds, a comfortable space advantage on the Kingside and an avenue to infiltrate on the Queenside. Black is starting to have serious problems. 21. ... Bd7 22. Rab1 Rfc8 no side can make significant advances and the game should end in a draw”, Grandmaster Cristian Chirila wrote. 22. axb4 axb4 23. Rhb1 Nc6 24. Qe3 b3 25. Bc1! Bd7 26. Ba3 bxc2 27. Rc1 Rfc8 28. Rxc2 Ra8 29. Rca2 Be8 30. Bd6. Black must survive in cramped spaces, and furthemore his Queenside position appears very vulnerable. 30. ... Rxa2 31. Rxa2 Qd7 32. Qc1 Bf7 33. Qb1 Qe8 34. Qb7 Kh7 35. Ra6 Kg8 36. Bc7 Ne7 37. Bd6 Nc6 38. Kg2 Kh7 39. Kh3 Kg8 40. Kg3 Kh7 41. Nh3 Kg8 42. g5 h5

43. Nf4! Fabiano finds the way. Sam is completely helpless against White Knight’s long march Nf4-g2-e3-c3-a3-b5-c7. 43. ... Kh7 44. Ng2 Bg8 45. Ne3 Bf7 46. Nc2 Bg8 47. Na3 Bf7 48. Kf2 Bg8 49. Ke3? The only flaw in an otherwise unimpeachable game. 49. ... Bf7? “49. ... Qf7!! 50. Qxc8 (50. Qxf7 Bxf7 51. Nb5 Be8 52. Nc7) 50. ... Qf5 with a perpetual”, recommends Chirila. 50. Kd2 Bg8 51. Kc2 Bf7 52. Kc1 Kg8 53. Nb5 Ne7 54. Na7 1 : 0. Great show by Caruana!

Fabiano Caruana
Photo by Spectrum Studios