In Time

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler – Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik
23rd Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 4, 2016
Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 c5 6. g3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. 0-0 0-0 13. a4. For 13. Rfc1 Nd7 14. a4 Rc8 15. a5 Rxc1+ 16. Qxc1 Qb8 see P. C. Benkö – F. Ólafsson, Lone Pine 1979. 13. ... Nc6. For 13. ... a5 14. Rfc1 Na6 15. Qf4 Nb4 16. Qc7 Bd5 see Janković – Nabaty, Zagreb 2014. 14. Ne5 Rc8 15. a5 b5 16. Qb2 a6 17. Nd3 Ba8 18. Bxc6 Rxc6 19. Nb4 Rc4 20. Nxa6 Qd5 21. f3 Rxd4 22. Nc7 Qc5 23. Kh1 Bc6 24. Rfc1

24. ... Rc4! “Black’s threat is 25. ... Rc8 and if 26. Na6 Bxf3+ winning thanks to his tripled heavy pieces on the c-file”, writes Europe Échecs’s editor-in-chief Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly. 25. Na6? Svidler completely loses the thread of his embroidery. Correct was 25. a6 Rc8 26. a7 Rxc7 27. Rxc4 Qxc4 28. a8=Q+ Bxa8 29. Rxa8+ Rc8 with equality. 25. ... Qf2! Threatening ... Bc6xf3+. 26. Qe5 Bd5 27. Nc7. Making matters even worse, but 27. Rf1 Qa7 28. e4 f6 is equally hopeless. 27. ... f6 28. Qd6 Rxc7! 29. Qxc7 Qxe2 30. Ra3 0 : 1. Svidler resigned without waiting for 30. ... b4.

Pyotr Veniaminovich Svidler (R.) vs. Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (L.)
Photo: Chess-News.ru