“I’ll Do It All Tomorrow”

Boris Abramovich Gelfand – Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov
Grand Prix 2017; 4th stage; Palma de Mallorca, November 24, 2017
Queen’s Indian Defence E18

Also Teimour Radjabov will play all out tomorrow, thanks to his remarkable victory in today’s game against Israeli Grandmaster Boris Abramovich Gelfand. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Qxd2 d6 10. Rad1 Nd7 11. Rfe1 c5 12. e4 a6 13. d5. Playing for space. 13. e5 Bxf3 14. Bxf3 cxd4 15. Qxd4 Nxe5 was the (quite complex) alternative, Moroni – Romanov, 6th International Open, Llucmajor 2017. 13. ... e5 14. b3 g6 15. Rf1 Bc8 16. Ne1 Rb8 17. a4 f5 18. f4 exf4 19. gxf4 fxe4 20. Nxe4 b5 21. a5 bxc4 22. bxc4 Rb4 23. Rc1 Nf6 24. Ng5 Qxa5 25. Nd3 Ra4 26. Qe3 Qd8 27. Rce1 Bf5 28. Bh3. I have not much to say except that such a game could well have ended in a draw.

28. ... Nxd5! Bravo, Radjabov! In a must-win situation, and without particular certainties, he does the only thing he has to do: so he sacrifices the Knight for three Pawns, hoping to get more possibilities from such an unclear balance of powers. 29. cxd5 Bxg5 30. Bxf5. 30. fxg5 Re4 31. Qg3 Rxe1 32. Nxe1 Bxh3 33. Rxf8+ Kxf8 34. Qxh3 Qxg5+ 35. Qg2 Qe5 was another version of the same story. White should not lose such and endgame, but he is definitely the only one who may lose it. 30. ... Rxf5 31. Qe6+ Kg7 32. fxg5 Qxg5+ 33. Kh1 Ra2 34. Qe7+? This might be Gelfand’s crucial mistake (if not the only one), who wrongly thought that without Queens the ending might have been more easily drawable. On the contrary, without the help of Her Majesty, the White Rook and Knight won’t succeed in stopping (all) the enemy Pawns. Stockfish gives here 34. Qe4(!) Qd2 35. Qe7+ with a likely perpetual check – and if it were right (and if it had happened), it might have been all another story to tell. 34. ... Qxe7 35. Rxe7+ Kf8 36. Ree1 Rxf1+ 37. Rxf1+ Ke7 38. Re1+? According to Grandmaster Dejan Bojkov, who analysed the game in detail for the Chess.com web site, here White in time trouble misses the not easy to see 38. Nf2! which should eventually ensure him a draw. Just take a look at his analysis. 38. ... Kd7 39. Re3 a5! 40. Rh3 h5! 41. Nf4 a4 42. Nxg6 a3 43. Rf3. 43. Rc3 is probably less complacent, but after 43. ... Ra1+ 44. Kg2 a2 45. Ra3 c4 it’s hard to imagine that White will survive. 43. ... c4! 44. Nf4. 44. Rc3 Ra1+ 45. Kg2 a2 46. Ra3 c3! is just a preview of what is to come. 44. ... Ra1+ 45. Kg2 a2 46. Ra3 c3! 47. Ne2 c2 48. Kf2 Rh1! 0 : 1. For if 49. Rxa2 then 49. ... Rxh2+ 50. K~ Rxe2+ 51. Kxe2 c1=N+ with a didactic win.