One More Day

Wesley So – Varuzhan Eduardovich Akobian
61th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 4, 2017
Queen’s Gambit Declined D31

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. g4 Be6 8. h4 Nd7 9. g5 h6 10. g6 fxg6 11. Bd3 Nf8 12. Nf3 Bg4!? Akobian is probably improving on 12. ... Bf5 13. Ne5 Nf6 14. Rg1 Ne4 15. Bxe4 Bxe4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Qb3 Qa5+ 18. Kf1 Qb5+ 19. Qxb5 cxb5 20. Rc1 Bxh4 21. Bh2 Bd8 22. Rg4 Nd7 23. Rxg6 Bf6 24. Rc7 Nf8 25. Rg4 Ne6 26. Rxb7 0-0 27. Nd7 Rf7 28. Rxe4 Rd8 29. Nxf6+ Rxf6 30. Rxa7 Rc8 31. d5 Ng5 32. Ree7 Rc1+ 33. Kg2 Rg6 34. Bg3 h5 35. d6 Rd1 36. d7 Kh7 37. Ra8 h4 38. d8=Q Rxd8 39. Rxd8 hxg3 40. f4 1 : 0 Caruana – Melkumyan, 11th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2012. 13. Rg1 Nf6 14. Rg3? So doesn’t want to resign himself to the fact that White might have nothing better than 14. Qc2 Bxf3 15. Bxg6+ Nxg6 16. Qxg6+ Kd7 17. Qf5+ Ke8 18. Qg6+ with perpetual check, and – hopefully unwillingly – commits himself into a very critical situation.

14. ... g5! Black gives up his extra Pawn seizing a powerful initiative. Wesley could have overlooked – or underestimated – Akobian’s strong rejoinder. 15. hxg5 hxg5 16. Bxg5 Rh1+ 17. Bf1 Qc8 18. Qb3 N8h7? 18. ... Bd6! was certainly much stronger; for instance: 19. Ne5 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qf5! 21. Qxb7?? (else 21. f3 Nfd7!−+) 21. ... Qd3! with a mating attack. 19. Bxf6 gxf6 20. 0-0-0 Bd6. Akobian is content with the gain of an Exchange, but in a far lesser clear position. 21. Rxg4 Qxg4 22. Qxb7 Rc8 23. Qa6 Rc7 24. Be2 Rxd1+ 25. Kxd1 Qf5 26. Nd2. Since Akobian is short of time, So quite speculatively begins to play for complications. 26. ... Ng5 27. f4 Nh3 28. Bf3 Bb4! White is on the verge of ruin, but... 29. Nxd5!?? Wesley saves the day by a lucky hazard. 29. ... cxd5 30. Qb5+ Kf7 31. Qxb4 Qd3? Hard pressed by time, Akobian loses the thread of the game. After 31. ... Ng1!−+ White could have done nothing against the Black Queen’s grand entry, either from the forefront (... Qf5-c2+) or from the background (... Qf5-c8). 32. Bxd5+ Kg7 33. Qb3 Nf2+ 34. Ke1 Rc1+ 35. Kxf2 Qxd2+ 36. Kf3. “I wouldn’t be surprised if [So] wins this position, if he can get his King to a safe place”, Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana kibitzed. 36. ... Re1 37. Bc4 Qh2 38. Qb7+ Kh6. The only move! 39. Qe7 Qh1+ 40. Kf2 Qh4+ 41. Kf3 Qh1+ 42. Kf2 Qh4+ 43. Kf3 Qh3+ 44. Kf2 Qh4+ 45. Kf3 Qh3+ ½ : ½.

Wesley So vs. Varuzhan Eduardovich Akobian
Photo: Lennart Ootes (@LennartOotes)