It is not down in any map; true places never are

Fabiano Caruana – Garry Kimovich Kasparov
Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Grand Chess Tour 2017; Saint Louis, August 16, 2017
Sicilian Defence B52

I just watched Kasparov destroying David Navara in the first game of the day, which, however, he managed to lose in a way that would have been impossible for Siegbert Tarrasch to forgive! And then, I watched him praying for a gift from Lê Quang Liêm (who promptly gave him one even greater of what he prayed for!). Now finally the High Midnight with Fabiano Caruana: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. c4 Nc6 6. Nc3 g6 7. d4 Bg7 8. Be3. Another modus operandi is 8. d5 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Na5 10. 0-0 f6 11. Nd2 b6 12. Qe2 Qa4 13. f4 Nh6 14. e5 0-0-0 15. Rb1 Nf5 16. g4 Nh4 17. exf6 exf6 18. Qf2 g5 19. Ne4 Qe8 20. Re1 Qg6 21. fxg5 Rhe8 22. Nxd6+ Rxd6 23. Rxe8+ Qxe8 24. Bf4 Nxc4 25. Bxd6 Nd2 26. Rd1 Qe4 27. Bg3 ½ : ½ Shirov – Kasparov, 32nd Chess Olympiad, Yerevan 1996. 8. ... cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nf6 10. f3 0-0 11. 0-0 a6 12. Na4. The strategic alternative is 12. a4 e6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. a5 as occurred, for instance, in A. O. Muzychuk – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014, 1st stage, Geneva 2013. 12. ... Rab8 13. Nxc6. It could be a novelty, but who knows? Whatever it is, the recorded instance 13. Nb6 Qd7 14. c5 Nd7 doesn’t worry Black at all, Smeets – Yilmaz, Schachbundesliga 2012-2013, Solingen 2013. 13. ... Qxc6 14. Nb6 Nd7 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. Rf2 b5 17. c5 Qa7 18. Rc1 dxc5 19. Bxc5 Qc7 20. f4 Rfd8 21. Qe1 Rd3! Black’s position is just a little easier to play, but probably nothing more than that. Ben entendu, this might even matter... if they had the same age!

22. e5 Qd7 23. h3 Qe6 24. Rd2 Rxd2 25. Qxd2 f6 26. exf6 Bxf6 27. b4 Re8 28. Rf1 Kf7 29. Rf3 h5 30. a3 Qc4! Very well played, at least from a psychological viewpoint. Kasparov plays in middle game style, carrying metaphorical pinpricks on his opponent’s fortress. But unfortunately he has not enough time to deal with any disappointments that might arise with respect to unexpected change of strategy. 31. Qd7 a5! 32. f5 g5! 33. Qe6+!! I believe Caruana was lucky to find this, and of course wise enough to play it at the right time! Maybe I’m wrong, but I think he might have collapsed if he did not succeed in exchanging Queens, even though, objectively speaking, his position was not worse than that of his opponent. 33. ... Qxe6 34. fxe6+ Kxe6 35. bxa5 Ra8? This will turn out to be a fatal loss of time and the losing move, which is due to the lack of time, as well as the twelve-year absence from the chess wars. Black had to play 35. ... Kd5! 36. Rf5+ e5! 37. Rxf6 Kxc5 and, however complicated, the ending was probably drawable and most likely drawn. 36. Bb6! Now, instead, it is a lost cause. 36. ... Kd5 37. Rf5+ Kc4 38. Rc5+ Kb3 39. Rxb5+ Kxa3 40. Kf2 Ka4 41. Rf5 Kb3 42. Ke3 Kc4 43. Ke4 g4 44. Rxh5 gxh3 45. gxh3. Just like against Nakamura in Round Two, Garry Kimovich finds himself having to deal with the a- and h- passed Pawns’s nightmare, but this time it’s not a “lucky” exception. 45. ... Bc3 46. Rc5+ Kb3 47. h4 Bb4 48. Rg5 Kc4 49. h5 Bd6 50. h6 1 : 0. As it was expected, Kasparov suffered a bit in the rapid format, mainly due to time management. On the other hand, he got very good openings and showed deep and fresh understanding of the middle game. I’d even say that he did a very courageous thing coming back to his epic (absolute) past knowing that he would have seen himself older in the mirror. Not everyone has this courage. Finally, I am sure he will play much better — and with much more profit — in the blitz grand finale. It’s a normal thing: when you stop playing you become insecure, and the more you think, the more you doubt.

Kasparov looking for the goddess. Photo © Lennart Ootes.