All or Nothing at All

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Anton Sergeyevich Korobov
11th World Team Chess Championship; Khanty-Mansiysk, June 19, 2017
Sicilian Defence B94

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 Qa5 8. Qd2 e6 9. Bb3 Be7 10. 0-0-0 h6!? 11. Be3!? Nc5 12. Kb1 Bd7 13. f3 Qc7 14. g4 b5 15. a3 Qb7 16. h4 a5 17. g5 Nh5 18. gxh6 g6 19. Bg5 f6 20. Be3 b4 21. axb4 axb4 22. Na2 d5? The fight between two great tacticians could not but produce dangerous uncertainties. Korobov apparently decided to cling to dogmas, aiming at enlightening the basics of the Sicilian Defence, but here his strategic solution seems doomed to fail. Stockfish’s line 22. ... Qa6! 23. Qxb4 Nxb3 24. Qxb3 0-0! 25. Nxe6 Rfb8! would have led to an unbalanced position with unclear chances for both colours. 23. Qg2 Kf7 24. Rhg1 Rag8

25. Nxe6!? A purely intuitive sacrifice which, however, is based on speculative considerations as Korobov had only 12 minutes left for the next 15 moves. Stockfish’s 25. exd5 exd5 26. Nc1 seems much sounder, but nothing is more tempting than imagination. 25. ... Nxe6? Black probably rejected 25. ... Nxb3 because of the interference 26. Ng7, but 26. ... g5! 27. hxg5 fxg5 28. Rxd5 Ra8! would have – at least subjectively – led to a very unclear game. 26. exd5 Nef4 27. d6+ Be6 28. Bxe6+ Nxe6 29. dxe7 Qxe7 30. Nxb4! Other moves won as well, but Nepomniachtchi’s one is very elegant and well calculated. 30. ... Qxb4 31. Rd7+ Ke8. No better is 31. ... Kf8 32. f4! and the White Queen penetrates with fatal consequences. 32. Rgd1 Nf8 33. Qe2! Ng3. Of course 33. ... Nxd7 drops the Queen to discovery (34. Bc5+). 34. Bc5+ 1 : 0. For if 34. ... Nxe2 then 35. Re7 mate.

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Photo: Anastasiya Balakhontseva/Ugra Chess Academy