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Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Andrey Esipenko
King Salman World Rapid Chess Championship; ar-Riyāḍ (Riyadh), December 27, 2017
Caro-Kann Defence B11

1. e4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Nc3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 Nf6 6. d3 e6 7. Bd2 Qb6 8. 0-0-0 d4 9. Ne2 c5 10. e5 Nd5 11. Nf4?! A rather naive novelty. After 11. Qe4 Nc6 12. Kb1 0-0-0 13. g4 c4! 14. dxc4 Ba3 15. b3 Ne3! Black seized a volatile initiative which, however, soon resulted in quite a balanced game, Domínguez Pérez – Rodshtein, 30th European Chess Club Cup, Bilbao 2014. 11. ... Nb4! 12. Kb1 Nd7! 13. Qe4 Nc6 14. Nh5!? 0-0-0! If 14. ... Ndxe5 (idem to say 14. ... Ncxe5) White would have probably continued with f2-f4-f5. 15. f4? This move, which looks so natural, actually exposes itself to an impressive refutation, that I guess Esipenko had prepared for. 15. ... c4!! On the footsteps of Israeli Grandmaster Maxim Rodshtein, but under much favourable circumstances since the Black Queen’s Knight is on d7 rather than on c6. As a matter of fact, Black’s Pawn sacrifice is now devastating. 16. dxc4 Ba3! 17. Bc1. It doesn’t make any difference (for the better) 17. b3 Nc5 followed by ... d4-d3. 17. ... Nc5 18. Qf3 d3! A deadly interference. 19. cxd3. 19. c3 Na4 is all the same a tragedy. 19. ... Na4 20. Rd2 Nd4! 21. Qf2 Nc3+ 22. Ka1

22. ... Qb3! Esipenko’s Queen pseudo-sacrifice is as much spectacular as it is easy. 23. bxc3. Or 23. axb3 Nxb3 mate. 23. ... Qxc3+ 24. Bb2 Bxb2+ 25. Rxb2 Qc1+ 26. Rb1 Nc2+ 27. Qxc2 Qxc2 28. g3 b5! Black goes for the last detail of his long prepared line: the opening of the b-file sounds like an epitaph to White. 29. cxb5. If 29. Rxb5 then 29. ... Qc1+ 30. Rb1 Qc3+ 31. Rb2 Kc7 and the Black Rook enters the stage via the b-file. 29. ... Rd4! 0 : 1.