Homœopathy

Samuel L. Shankland – Fabiano Caruana
62th U.S. Chess Championship; Saint Louis, April 22, 2018
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D27

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. 0-0 a6 7. a4 cxd4 8. exd4 g6?! A new but not particularly impressive idea. For 8. ... Nc6 9. Nc3 Be7 10. Re1 0-0 11. h4 Nb4 12. Ne5 Nc6 13. Be3 Qc7 take a look at Jobava – Ivanchuk, 38th Chess Olympiad, Dresden 2008. Just crazy stuff. 9. Nc3 Bg7

10. d5! exd5 11. Re1+ Be6 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. Bxd5 0-0 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Qe2. Thus White wins a Pawn. Therefore, the most Caruana can hope to obtain from his theoretical novelty is hopefully to be a 2 vs. 3 Pawns on the same side Rook and Knight or Rook endgame. After his endgame technique display in the previous round’s game against Zviad Izoria, maybe he thought this was the best way to raise his own mood. 15. ... Qd5 16. Rd1 Qf5 17. Ng5 Nc6 18. Qxe6+ Kh8 19. Qxf5 Rxf5 20. Ne6 Be5 21. Be3 Re8 22. Nc5 Bf4 23. Bxf4 Rxf4 24. f3 Rb4 25. Rd2 Re7 26. Kf1 a5 27. Re1 Rxe1+ 28. Kxe1 Kg8 29. b3 b6 30. Rd6 Ne7 31. Nd7 Rxb3 32. Rxb6 Ra3 33. Nc5 Ra2 34. Re6 Nd5 35. Re2 Ra1+ 36. Kf2 Nc3 37. Re8+ Kf7 38. Ra8 Ra2+ 39. Kg3 g5 40. Kg4. 40. Kh3 Ne2 41. Kg4 (41. Rxa5 h5!=) 41. ... Nd4 42. g3 Rxh2 43. Rxa5 h5+ 44. Kxg5 Nxf3+. 45. Kf4 Nd4 should hold for Black anyway. 40. ... Rxg2+ 41. Kf5 Rxh2. 41. ... Nd5! 42. Ra7+ Ne7+ 43. Ke5 Rd2! is another drawing line spotted by computer analysis. 42. Ra7+ Ke8 43. Rxa5 Rf2 44. Kxg5 ½ : ½.

Samuel L. Shankland (right) vs. Fabiano Caruana (left). Photo: Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (@STLChessClub).