Day by Day

Levon Grigori Aronian – Fabiano Caruana
Candidates Tournament; Berlin, March 18, 2018
Queen’s Gambit Declined D44

As it was foreseeable, Caruana ended up beating Aronian, who seems to have become the sacrificial lamb designated by the company. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. Bxc4 c5 9. 0-0. If 9. e5 then 9. ... Qd8 10. d5 exd5 11. Bxd5 0-0 12. Rc1 Nc6 13. 0-0 Nd4 14. Be4 Re8 15. Nd5 Bf5 16. Bxf5 Qxd5 17. Nxd4 Rxe5 18. Nb5 Qxd1 19. Rfxd1 Rxf5 20. a3 c4 21. axb4 Rxb5 22. Rxc4 a5 23. g3 ½ : ½ Aronian – Kramnik, 4th Memorial Tal, Moscow 2009. 9. ... cxd4 10. e5 Qd8 11. Ne4 0-0 12. Qe2 Be7. The alternative is 12. ... Bd7 13. Rfd1 Nc6 and if 14. Ng3 (sounder seems 14. a3 Be7 15. b4 Qb8 16. Ng3 b5 17. Bxb5 Nxe5 with a precarious equality, Grischuk – Aronian, 27th Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez Ciudad de Linares, Linares 2010) then 14. ... Bc5 15. a3 Ne7 16. Ne4 Bb6 17. Nxd4 Ng6 18. Qh5 Qh4! targeting the e5-Pawn, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Aronian, 7th Chess World Cup, Tbilisi 2017, match game 4. 13. Rad1 Qc7 14. Bd3!? An unsubstantial novelty. The following games by German Grandmaster Georg Meier provide an illustration of the respective strategies: 14. Ng3 Rd8 15. Nh5 (or 15. Bd3 Nd7 16. Bb1 Nf8 17. Nh5 d3 18. Bxd3 Bd7 19. Rc1 Bc6 20. Rc4 g6 21. Nf6+ Kg7 22. Be4 Nd7 23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Nxd7 Qxd7 25. Rd4 Qb7 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Rc1 Rd5 28. b3 Qd7 29. h3 Bc5 30. Kh2 Bb6 ½ : ½ Iotov – G. Meier, 12th President’s Cup, Herndon 2012) 15. ... g6 16. Nf4 Nc6 17. Qe4 Bf8 18. h4 Bg7 19. Rfe1 Bd7 20. Bd3 Be8 21. Bb1 d3 22. Nxd3 Ne7 23. h5 g5 24. Rc1 Bc6 25. Nb4 Bxe4 26. Rxc7 Bxf3 27. gxf3 Nc6 28. Nxc6 bxc6 29. Rxc6 Rac8 30. Rxc8 Rxc8 31. Kg2 ½ : ½ Moiseenko – G. Meier, 20th Maccabiah, Jerusalem 2017. 14. ... Nd7 15. Rc1 Qa5

16. g4!? The g-Pawn is coming. White gives up a Pawn for going all out on the Kingside. 16. ... Nxe5 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 18. f4 Qa5 19. g5 Qd8!? 20. h4 Bd7 21. gxh6 g6 22. h5 Kh8! 23. Kh2!? The King is none too well placed here, but by now Aronian burned all bridges behind himself. 23. ... Bc6 24. Rf3 Bd6. 24. ... Qd5! 25. Rh3 Rg8 is Stockfish’s dictate, which would have apparently rewarded Black, but after much complications. 25. Qf2 Bc7 26. Kh3 Qe7 27. Ng5!?? Aronian’s last-ditch make-it-or-break-it. Objectively speaking, however, 27. Rg1(!) Rg8 28. Rfg3 seems to offer much better opportunities for tactics and fires. 27. ... e5? Best was 27. ... gxh5! as after 28. Rg3 e5! White has no resources for posing dangers to Black’s King. 28. Rxc6! bxc6 29. Nxf7+! Rxf7 30. hxg6 Rf6? Caruana wasn’t too happy to content himself with 30. ... Rxf4 31. Rxf4 exf4 32. Qxd4+ Qe5 33. g7+ Kg8 34. Bc4+ Kh7 35. Qd3+ Kxh6 36. g8=Q Rxg8 37. Bxg8 Qh8 38. Bb3 Kg5+ 39. Kg2 Qxb2+ 40. Bc2 Qf6 remaining two Pawns up in a not-too-easy Queen and Bishop of opposite colour endgame. Whatever it were, however, it was his best chance to play for the win. 31. g7+ Kg8 32. Bc4+? This inversion of moves has tragic consequences. Aronian had to play 32. Qh4! at once, for after 32. ... Qd6? 33. Qg5! Rxh6+ 34. Kg2 White wins immediately. So, after 32. Qh4! Black should have played 32. ... e4!? (Stockfish’s 32. ... exf4 33. Bc4+ Kh7 34. Bd3+ may be a simpler dual to force White’s way to a perpetual check) 33. h7+! Kxg7 34. Rg3+ Kh8 35. Rg8+! Rxg8 36. h8=Q+ Kxg8 37. Bc4+ Kg7 38. Qg5+ Kh7 39. Qg8+ Kh6 40. Qg5+ and draw by perpetual check. 32. ... Kh7 33. Qh4 e4! 34. Rg3 Bxf4 35. g8=Q+ Rxg8 36. Bxg8+ Kh8 37. Rg7. Or 37. Rg6 Qd7+ and finis. 37. ... Qf8! 0 : 1.