Kiss of the Frog Prince

Baskaran Adhiban – 王皓 (Wáng Hào)
1st Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship; Sharjah, March 29, 2017
Queen’s Gambit Declined D45

1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Qc2 Bd6 6. d4 Nbd7 7. b3 0-0 8. Bb2 e5 9. Be2 e4 10. Nd2 Re8 11. g4 Nf8 12. Rg1!? Adhiban shows his aggressive intentions. The sacrifice in the text is very probably a (wild) novelty, at least with respect to 12. h3; for instance: 12. ... Be6 13. 0-0-0 a6 14. f3 exf3 15. Bxf3 b5 16. c5 Bc7 17. g5 b4 18. Ne2 Ne4 19. Nxe4 ½ : ½ Rychagov – Lekić, 6th Open, Rethymno 2014. 12. ... Bxh2 13. Rg2 Bd6 14. g5 Bh3 15. Rg1 N6d7 16. 0-0-0 Rc8 17. Rde1 b5 18. c5 Bc7 19. b4 Bf5 20. f3 exf3 21. Qxf5 fxe2 22. e4 dxe4 23. Ndxe4 a5 24. a3 axb4 25. axb4 Ne6 26. Nxe2 Ndf8 27. Rd1 Qd7 28. N4c3? A big blunder which loses at least another Pawn.

28. ... Nxc5! 29. Qc2. Adhiban suddenly realizes that after 29. Qxc5 Bd6 30. Qb6 Rb8 31. Qa6 Ra8 32. Qb6 Reb8 Her Majesty would be trapped. 29. ... Na6 30. Qb3 Bd6 31. Rgf1 Nxb4. So Black emerged three Pawns up, which, of course, will prove enough for 王皓 (Wáng Hào)’s technique. 32. Rf3 Nd5 33. Rdf1 Re7 34. Kb1 Qe6 35. Nxd5 cxd5 36. Nc1 Nd7 37. Nd3 Nb6 38. Bc1 Nc4 39. Qa2 Qe4 40. Qf2 Rce8 41. Re1 Qg6 42. Rxe7 Rxe7 43. Rf5 Ne3 44. Bxe3 Rxe3 45. Qxe3 Qxf5 46. Qe8+ Bf8 47. Qxb5 Qxg5 48. Kc2 Qf5 49. Kc3 h5 50. Ne5 Qe6 51. Qb8 h4 52. Qd8 h3 53. Qh4 Be7 54. Qh5 Bd6 55. Ng4 h2 0 : 1.

Baskaran Adhiban (R.) vs. 王皓 (Wáng Hào)
Photo: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich