Live Another Day?

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin
79th Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 25, 2017
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 0-0 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. Nxe5 d5 8. d4 Bb6 9. 0-0 dxe4 10. Bg5 c5 11. Nd2 cxd4? A new idea which doesn’t make good impression. Better seems 11. ... Bb7 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Nb3 Bb6 14. c4 Qd6 as in C. Balogh – Naiditsch, 12th European Chess Championship, Aix-les-Bains 2011. 12. Nxe4 dxc3 13. Qf3 Bb7 14. Bxf6 Bxe4 15. Qxe4 Qxf6. Karjakin didn’t like 15. ... gxf6, and probably with good reasons (16. Ng4), but the decision to give up the Exchange can hardly justify his previous (bad) idea. 16. Nd7 Qg6 17. Qxg6 hxg6 18. Nxf8 cxb2 19. Rab1 Kxf8

20. Rfd1. The endgame will simply prove to be unsustainable for Black. 20. ... Ke7 21. Rxb2 g5 22. Rbd2 Rh8 23. g3 Rh5 24. Kg2 Kf6 25. h3 Rh6 26. Rd8 Ke7 27. R1d7+ Ke6 28. Rd2 Rf6 29. Rg8 Rg6 30. Re8+ Kf6 31. Rd7 1 : 0. Black is virtually in zugzwang, for instance after 31. ... Rh6 32. Ree7. Again an amazing game by 韦奕 (Wéi Yì)!

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) vs. Karjakin. Photo: Alina l’Ami/Tata Steel Chess.