The Bitter Drink

Jon Ludvig Nilssen Hammer – Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Grand Prix 2017; second stage; Moscow, May 13, 2017
Pirc Defence B07

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 c6 5. Qd2 b5 6. e5 Ng4 7. exd6 Nxe3 8. Qxe3 Qxd6 9. 0-0-0? A grave error of judgment. Here opposite-side castling simply favours Black’s initiative. White should have looked for improvement between the lines of 9. a4 Bg7 10. Nf3 bxa4 11. Rxa4 0-0 12. Ne4 Qc7 13. Qa3 Bf5 14. Bd3 Nd7 15. 0-0 Nb6 16. Ra6 Rfd8 (which gave Black an excellent play), van der Wiel – J. Piket, Leiden 1986, match game 3, or, alternatively, settling out for a dry balance with 9. Nf3 Bg7 10. Be2 0-0 11. 0-0 Bf5 as occurred in Levitt – Akhsharumova, World Chess Festival, Saint John 1988. 9. ... Bg7! 10. g3 Nd7 11. Bg2 Nb6 12. Qf3 Bd7 13. Ne4 Qc7 14. Nc5 Rc8 15. h4. White’s conceptful but convoluted attacking “work in progress” is suddenly overcome by his opponent’s hits. 15. ... Na4! 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. h5 0-0 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. Ne2 Qd6 20. c3? This sounds a bit too for Black to decline, but also after 20. Kb1 c5 Black’s initiative spreads itself easily and powerfully.

20. ... b4! 21. c4 c5 22. b3 Nc3 23. Nxc3 bxc3 24. Qxc3 Bxd4 25. Qd2 Qa6 26. Kb1 Rb8 27. g4 Bg7! Threatening ... Qa6-f6. 28. g5 Qxc4 29. Bd5 Qg4 30. Rhe1 e6 31. Be4 c4! 32. Qe3 cxb3 33. axb3 Rb4 34. Rd3 Rfb8. White’s position is disastrous. The water-loving mammal (© Hammer), however, decides to drink the bitter drink to the very end. 35. f3 Qg2 36. Re2 Qh1+ 37. Re1 Qh2 38. Re2 Qe5 39. Ra2 a5 40. Kc2 a4 41. Rxa4 Rxa4 42. bxa4 Qa1 43. Rd2 Qb1 mate.

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi. Photo © Valery Sharifulin/TASS.