Beauty Conquers Injustice

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Sanan Vyacheslavovich Sjugirov
23rd Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 5, 2016
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4. It’s quite rare, but it’s quite sound. 5. ... Be7 6. d4 0-0 7. Bd3 Ng5 8. Nc3 Bg4 9. Bxg5! A deeply conceived theoretical novelty. For 9. Be2 Nxf3+ 10. Bxf3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Nc6 12. Be3 Bg5 see Tseshkovsky – Makarichev, 47th USSR Chess Championship, Minsk 1979. 9. ... Bxg5

10. Bxh7+! Kxh7 11. h4!! The most difficult move of the whole game. Then Nepomniachtchi recognized it as Grandmaster Daniil Dmitrievich Dubov’s idea and credited him for it: “[...] honor and glory to Daniil Dubov, who shared this beauty with me!”. 11. ... Bd2+!? If 11. ... Bxh4 then 12. Qd3+ Kg8 13. Rxh4 f5 14. Rh2 followed by long castling, with an overwhelming attack. 12. Qxd2 Re8+ 13. Kf1 Bxf3 14. Qd3+ Kg8 15. Qxf3. White is up a Pawn and has the better game. Black’s decision to bet on the endgame is hardly commendable, but it is even harder to suggest a more constructive policy. 15. ... Nd7 16. Rd1 Qf6 17. Qxf6 Nxf6 18. f3 d5 19. c5 b6 20. cxb6 axb6 21. Kf2 b5 22. a3 b4 23. axb4 Rab8 24. b5 c6 25. Rhe1. Nepomniachtchi brings home the point with easy confidence. 25. ... cxb5 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Rc1 Ra8 28. Nxb5 Ra4 29. Rc8+ Kh7 30. g4 Rb4 31. Nd6 Rxd4 32. Kg3 1 : 0.

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Photo: Chess-News.ru

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisq)