Live Another Day

Samuel L. Shankland – Wesley So
61th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 30, 2017
Spanish Game C67

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nf5 8. Nf3 0-0 9. d4 d5 10. c3 Bd6 11. Bd3 Re8 12. Rxe8+ Qxe8 13. Qc2 Nce7 14. Nbd2 f6. Similar consequences arise from 14. ... c6 15. Nf1 f6 16. Ng3 g6 17. Bd2 Qf7 18. Re1 Ng7 19. h3 Bxg3 20. fxg3 Bf5 21. Bxf5 Nexf5 22. g4 Nd6 23. g5 Re8 24. gxf6 Rxe1+ 25. Bxe1 Qxf6 26. Bg3 Ngf5 27. Be5 Qe7 28. Qe2 Ng3 29. Qc2 Ngf5 30. Qe2 Ng3 ½ : ½ Robson – Nakamura, 60th U.S. Chess Championship, Saint Louis 2016. 15. Nf1 g6 16. Bd2 Be6!? A new half move. For 16. ... b6 17. Re1 c5 see Shomoev – Pridorozhni, 38th Nezhmetdinov Memorial, Kazan 2016. 17. Re1 Qd7 18. Ng3 Ng7 19. Nh4 c6 20. Bh6 Re8 21. Re3 Kf7 22. Kf1 Bxg3 23. hxg3 Ngf5 24. Nxf5 Nxf5. 24. ... Bxf5 might be better from a strategic viewpoint, but hardly implementable. 25. Bxf5 Bxf5 26. Qe2 Rg8 27. f3 g5 28. g4 Bb1

29. Qd1! Bxa2 30. Kf2! After b2-b3 both Bishops would be trapped, and very likely that was another way to draw. However, Shankland did it much more neatly (and prettily as well). 30. ... Rg6 31. Qh1! Intending Bh6xg5 followed by Qh1xh7+ with a perpetual check. 31. ... Qd6. Alternatively, 31. ... Kg8 32. Qe1! Rxh6 33. Re7 Qd6 34. Re6 Qd7 35. Re7 draws by repetition. 32. g3 Qd7. Now Black cannot avoid perpetual check: 33. Bxg5 Rxg5 34. Qxh7+ Rg7 35. Qh5+ Rg6 36. Qh7+ Rg7 37. Qh5+ ½ : ½. Wesley lived another day, thus compiling a 58-game unbeaten streak.

Samuel L. Shankland vs. Wesley So
Photo: Lennart Ootes (Flickr)