Such big, big words

Wesley So – Gataulla Rustemovich Kamsky
61th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 8, 2017
Slav Defence D10

After yesterday’s masterpiece, today’s game must have been such a drag for So... 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Bf4 e6 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bxd6 Qxd6 8. Bd3 0-0 9. f4 b6 10. Qe2 a5 11. Nf3 Ba6 12. Bxa6 Nxa6 13. Rc1 Nc7 14. 0-0 Rfc8 15. Rc2 Nce8 16. Rfc1 Qd8 17. Nb5 Ne4. “No way Kamsky will lose today :) no way!”, Grandmaster Teimour Radjabov screamed. 18. Rc6 N4d6 19. b3 Nxb5 20. Qxb5 Nd6 21. Qd3 f6 22. a4 Rxc6 23. Rxc6 Rc8 24. Qc2 Rxc6 25. Qxc6 Kf7 26. Nd2 h6 27. h3 g5 28. g4 Ke7 29. Kf2 Qb8 30. Kf3 f5 31. Kg2 gxf4 32. exf4 fxg4 33. hxg4 h5! Black has played perfectly so far, and probably now So should content himself with a draw by 34. g5 Nf5 35. Nf3 Qxf4 36. Qb7+ with a perpetual somehow and somewhere.

34. Nf3!? The most risky choice. 34. ... hxg4 35. Ne5 Qc8 36. Ng6+ Kf6 37. Qxd6 Qc2+ 38. Kg3 Qxb3+ 39. Kxg4 Qd1+ 40. Kh4 Qe1+ 41. Kg4 Qe2+ 42. Kg3 Kxg6. Finally, the Queendom of Géza Maróczy, the undisputed virtuoso of Queen endgames. Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, while kibitzing in the shadow of the limelight, even assessed the ending as winning for Kamsky... Such big, big words! 43. Qxb6 Kf5 44. Qxa5 Qg4+ 45. Kf2 Qxf4+ 46. Ke2 Qe4+ 47. Kf1 Qd3+ 48. Ke1 Qe3+ 49. Kf1 Ke4! Gata is playing fantastically well! In fact, he kept his opponent on the defensive all the time! 50. Qb6 Qf3+! Tricky to the end! 51. Kg1. Clearly not 51. Ke1?? because of 51. ... Qc3+! forcing the exchange of Queens, or giving mate. 51. ... Qd1+ 52. Kg2 Qc2+ 53. Kg3 ½ : ½.