Overtime Work

韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – Bator Sambuev
7th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Tbilisi, September 4, 2017
6k1/p2b4/1pnBp2p/3nP1qp/P1p1R3/5P1B/2r3P1/R3Q2K w - - 0 35

Position after 34. ... Rd2xc2

With only four minutes left and the mandatory need to win for living another day, 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) boldly plays all out: 35. f4!? Qg6? After Stockfish’s 35. ... Nxf4 36. Qe3 Nd3 it is very hard to imagine that Black may lose his promised land. 36. f5! exf5 37. Qd1! fxe4? This is another serious error by Sambuev, who apparently didn’t keep his nerves under control. Here 37. ... Nc3 38. Qxc2 Nxe4 39. Qxc4+ Qf7 was Black’s best chance, however unpleasant it might appear. 38. Qxd5+ Kg7. If 38. ... Kh7 then 39. Rg1 very much the same. 39. Rg1. 39. Bf8+! would have closed things off immediately, but 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) is rightly apprehensive to reach time control. 39. ... Be8 40. Rf1. And finally it’s done! 40. ... h4 41. Bf8+ Kh8 42. Ba3 Kg7 43. Rf6 e3 44. Rxg6+ Bxg6 45. Qd7+ Kh8 46. Bf8 1 : 0.