Golden Fleece

Wesley So – Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev
7th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Tbilisi, September 16, 2017
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Nbd2 Bf5 9. Re1 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 0-0 12. c3 Qd7 13. Bf4 a6 14. Re2. Or 14. Re3 Rae8 15. Rae1 Bd8 16. h3 Rxe3 17. Rxe3 (17. Qxe3 Qf5!) 17. ... f6 18. Re2 Rf7 19. Nd2! with a very slight plus for White, Kasparov – Karpov, Tournament of the Stars, Moscow 1981. 14. ... Rae8 15. Rae1 Bd8 16. Nd2 Rxe2 17. Qxe2 a5!? The older try is 17. ... Be7 18. Nb3 Rb8 19. h3 h6 20. Qg4 Qxg4 21. hxg4 Bd6 22. Bxd6 cxd6 23. Nc1 Kf8 24. Kf1 b5 25. a3 Re8 26. Rxe8+ Kxe8 27. Nd3 ½ : ½ Brkić – Jovanić, 13th Open, Zadar 2016. 18. Nb3 b6 19. Nc1 f6. This is not wrong in itself, but Fedoseev is following a wrong idea. 20. a4 Ne7 21. Nd3 g5? This super-ambitious strategy will immediately show its intrinsic weakness. After 21. ... Rf7 followed by ... Ne7-g6 Black’s position is just a little cramped, but apparently tenable. 22. Bc1 Ng6 23. b3 Be7

24. h4! This straight blow has a demolishing effect on Black’s position. 24. ... gxh4. Fedoseev has apparently no choice because of the threat h4-h5. If 24. ... Rf7 there might follow 25. h5 Nf8 26. f4! with sad consequences for Black. 25. Nf4 Rf7 26. Qe6! Qxe6 27. Rxe6 Nxf4 28. Bxf4 Bd8 29. b4 Kg7. If 29. ... axb4 then 30. cxb4 Kg7 31. Rc6! Be7 32. a5! Bxb4 33. a6 and White, in spite of being (temporarily) two Pawns down, should win. 30. bxa5 bxa5 31. Ra6 c6 32. Rxc6. White has finally won back his Pawn and is dominating the board. Despite a strenuous defence by Fedoseev, as usual So performs his technical execution in the most effortless and elegant way. 32. ... Kg6 33. Rc5 Rd7 34. f3 Kf5 35. Bd2 Ke6 36. Rc6+ Kf5 37. Be1 Kg5 38. Rc5 f5 39. Kh2 Kh5 40. Bf2 Rd6 41. Be3 Bb6 42. Rb5 Bd8 43. Bf4 Rd7 44. Be5 Kg5 45. Rc5 f4 46. Rc6 Kf5 47. Ra6 Kg5 48. Kh3 Kf5 49. Rc6 Kg5 50. Re6 Be7 51. Rc6 Bd8 52. Bd6 Kf5 53. Kh2 Rg7 54. Be5 Rd7 55. Rd6 Rxd6 56. Bxd6 Kg5 57. Kg1 Kf5 58. Kf2 Kg5 59. Kf1 Kf5 60. Ba3 Ke6 61. Ke2 Kf5 62. Bc1 Kg5 63. Kf1 Bc7 64. Bd2 Bd8 65. Be1 Kf5 66. Ke2 Ke6 67. Kd3 Kd7 68. c4 Kc6 69. Bc3 Bb6 70. Bb2 Bd8 71. Bc1 Bc7 72. Bd2 h5 73. Bc3 Bb6 74. Bb2 Bc7 75. Ba3 Bd8 76. Bf8 Bg5 77. Bg7 Kd6 78. Be5+ Kc6 79. Kc3 Bh6 80. Bf6 Bf8 81. Kd3 h3 82. gxh3 Bd6 83. Be5 1 : 0.