Twelve Years Later

Garry Kimovich Kasparov – Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi
Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Grand Chess Tour 2017; Saint Louis, August 15, 2017
Grünfeld Defence D90

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. h4!? Kasparov is just playing into the enemy’s hand – at least in a theoretical sense. 5. ... c6 6. Bg5 dxc4 7. e4 Be6!? Nepomniachtchi aims to improve on 7. ... b5 8. e5 Nd5 9. h5 h6? 10. hxg6! hxg5 11. Rxh8+ Bxh8 12. gxf7+ Kxf7 13. Nxg5+ Kg6 14. Qf3! with a vehement attack, Nepomniachtchi – Giri, 3rd SportAccord World Mind Games, Blitz Event, 北京 (Beijīng) 2013. 8. e5 Nd5 9. h5 Nd7. Not 9. ... h6? on account of 10. hxg6! hxg5 11. Rxh8+ Bxh8 12. Nxg5 followed by Qd1-h5 with a powerful attack. 10. h6! Bf8 11. Ne4. With the threat of winning the Queen by Ne4-d6+. 11. ... f6 12. Bd2 b5 13. a4 Bf5 14. Ng3! e6 15. Nxf5 exf5 16. axb5 cxb5 17. Be2 Be7 18. 0-0 a5 19. b3! White energetically seizes the initiative. 19. ... c3 20. Bxb5 cxd2 21. e6 0-0 22. exd7? Afterwards, Kasparov bitterly regretted getting rid of his e-Pawn, and indeed it was a big mistake! After 22. Bxd7 Nb6 23. Bb5 White would have kept a powerful edge. 22. ... Nc3 23. Bc4+ Kh8 24. Qxd2 Ne4 25. Qe3 Qxd7 26. Nd2 Nxd2 27. Qxd2 Bb4 28. Qd3 Qd6 29. Ra2 Rae8 30. Re2 Qf4 31. g3 Qxh6 32. Kg2 f4 33. Rh1? Losing a crucial tempo. 33. Rxe8 Rxe8 34. Bf7 is still tenable enough, and might have been successfully defended to the end. However, just to make things worse, Kasparov was terribly short of time. 33. ... Qg5 34. Rxe8 Rxe8 35. Bf7? And this is the end. White should have aimed to defend the ending a Pawn down by 35. Qf3.

35. ... Re3! A pretty solution. 36. fxe3 Qxg3+ 37. Kf1 f3 0 : 1.