No One Wants to Be Superman

Levon Grigori Aronian – Alexander Igorevich Grischuk
Candidates Tournament; Berlin, March 15, 2018
Modern Benoni A65

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. e4 e6 6. Nc3 exd5 7. cxd5 Bg7 8. Nge2 Nbd7 9. Ng3 h5 10. Be2 Nh7 11. Bf4!? Deviating from 11. Be3 h4 12. Nf1 0-0 13. Qd2 Re8 14. Bh6 Bd4 15. Ne3 a6 16. Nc2 Be5 17. Bf4 b5 18. 0-0 Bxf4 19. Qxf4 Ne5 20. Qh6 g5 21. g3 hxg3 22. hxg3 Qf6 23. Qh2 Ng6 24. Ne3 Bd7 25. Kg2 Kg7 26. Rh1 Rh8 27. Qg1 Qe5 28. Qf2 Nf6 29. Raf1 Nh5 30. Rfg1 Nhf4+ 31. gxf4 Bh3+ 32. Rxh3 Nxf4+ 33. Kf1 Nxh3 34. Qg3 Nxg1 35. Qxe5+ dxe5 36. Kxg1 c4 37. Nf5+ Kf6 38. d6 Ke6 39. a4 Kd7 40. axb5 axb5 41. Nxb5 Ra2 42. Bxc4 Rxb2 43. Nc7 Rhh2 44. Bb5+ Kd8 45. Ne3 ½ : ½ Aronian – 李超 (Lǐ Chāo), FIDE Grand Prix 2017, 3rd stage, Geneva 2017. 11. ... Qe7 12. Qd2 h4 13. Nf1 g5 14. Be3 Ne5 15. g3 Bd7 16. gxh4 gxh4? 16. ... g4!? 17. f4 Nf3+ 18. Bxf3 gxf3 19. 0-0-0 0-0-0 seems to be Black’s best continuation. 17. Rg1 f5 18. f4 Ng4 19. e5! dxe5 20. d6 Qe6 21. Nb5! Black is suddenly on the verge of ruin. 21. ... Rc8 22. Nc7+ Rxc7 23. dxc7 exf4

24. Rd1? It is like Morphy had never castled long in his Opera Game! Perhaps Aronian didn’t play 24. 0-0-0! (which wins easily in all variations; for instance: 24. ... fxe3 25. Nxe3 Bh6 26. Bb5!+− or 24. ... Ng5? 10. Bxf4+−) just to show how wrong may be to leave the King in the centre. 24. ... Ng5! Clearly not 24. ... fxe3? because of 25. Qxd7+! Qxd7 26. Bb5! with devastating effect. Luckily enough, Aronian resists the temptation to self-mate – with much self-criticism – by 25. Bxf4?? Nf3 mate – only to regret having not castled. 25. c8=Q+ Bxc8 26. Qd8+ Kf7 27. Qc7+!? Aronian gamely speculates on his opponent’s time pressure, apparently not satisfied with a fair outcome such as 27. Qxg5 fxe3 28. Rxg4! fxg4 29. Qf4+ Ke7 30. Qg5+ Kf7 31. Qf4+ Qf6 32. Bc4+ Ke8 33. Bb5+ Kf7 34. Bc4+ with perpetual check. 27. ... Kg8? 27. ... Qe7!∞ was a “must” for Black. 28. Rd6 Qf7 29. Qd8+? It would seem that both players enormously overestimated – after 29. Qxc8+ Kh7 30. Qxc5 – the strength of Black’s reply 30. ... Ne4, without noticing the refutation 31. Rxg4! Nxc5 32. Rxh4+ Kg8 33. Rd8+ Bf8 34. Rxh8+ Kxh8 35. Bxc5 with a massacre. 29. ... Qf8! 30. Bxf4 Ne6 31. Bc4 Qxd8 32. Rxd8+ Kh7 33. Rxh8+. It is not too reliable that Aronian may have overlooked – after 33. Rxc8 Rxc8 34. Bxe6 – the Rook pin 34. ... Re8, but, of course, it’s not impossible. 33. ... Bxh8 34. Bd6 Ng5 35. Rg2 Ne4 36. Bb8 Bd4 37. h3 Ne5 38. Bd5 Nd3+ 39. Ke2 Nc1+. 39. ... Nxb2 was an even clearer way of persuading White to agree a draw. 40. Kd1 Nd3 41. Nd2 Nf6 42. Bf3 ½ : ½.