Captain Hook

Fabiano Caruana – Aleksandr Lenderman
62th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 19, 2018
French Defence C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qa5 7. Bd2 Qa4 8. Qg4 Kf8 9. h4. Caruana is playing in the limelight of vintage Bobby Fischer, who in 1970 busted William “Bill” Hook with 9. Qd1! b6 10. h4! Ne7 11. h5 h6 12. Rh4! Ba6 13. Bxa6 Nxa6 14. Rf4 (Δ d4xc5) 14. ... Qd7 15. Qf3 Nc6 16. Nh3! Rc8 17. g4 Qe8 18. g5! Ne7 19. gxh6 gxh6 20. Rf6 Nf5 21. Nf4! Ke7 22. Nxd5+ Kd8 23. Ne3 Nxe3 24. Bxe3 Rc7 25. dxc5! Nxc5 (25. ... bxc5 26. Qa8+ Kf7 27. Qxe8+ Kxe8 28. Rxh6+−) 26. Rd1+ Ke7 (26. ... Rd7 27. Rxf7+−) 27. Bxc5+ bxc5 28. Rxe6+! 1 : 0 R. J. Fischer – Hook, 19th Chess Olympiad, Siegen 1970. It was such an impressive victory that most commentators did not hesitate to punctuate Black’s 6th move with a question mark! For instance, here is what International Master Stefano Tatai wrote in his notes to the game for L’Italia Scacchistica, No. 11, November 1970, p. 279: “Better is 6. ... Nc6 and only after 7. Nf3 bring the Queen to a5 not giving White the possibility of playing Qd1-g4”. 9. ... Nc6 10. h5 h6 11. Qd1! Back on Fischer’s tracks. 11. ... cxd4? There are situations in which a mistake can soon become endemic! Here 11. ... b6 12. Nf3 Nge7 followed by ... Bc8-a6 was perfectly playable and quite sound. 12. Nf3! dxc3? It wasn’t too late to play 12. ... Nge7 (13. Rh4!). 13. Bxc3. Threatening to trap Black’s Queen with Rh1-h4. 13. ... g5. 13. ... Nd8 14. Nd4 is also very good for White. 14. hxg6 Qe4+ 15. Be2 Qxg6 16. Qd2 Nge7 17. Bd3! Qxg2. Of course, such a Pawn cannot be anything else but deadly poisoned! 18. Ke2! And again White threatens to win Black’s Queen with Ra1-g1. 18. ... Qg4 19. Rh4! Qg7 20. Rg1 Ng6

21. Rf4! A brilliant solution! The Rook is taboo, since after 21. ... Nxf4+ 22. Qxf4 the Black Queen is once again trapped. 21. ... Nce7. This loses on the spot, but also after 21. ... Ke7 22. Rf6! Black is totally lost. 22. Bb4 a5. Or 22. ... Ke8 23. Bxe7 Kxe7 24. Qb4+ and Black can resign. 23. Rxg6 1 : 0.

Fabiano Caruana through the looking glass. Photo: Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (@STLChessClub).