Shadow on Stone

Fabiano Caruana – Arkadij Mikhailovich Naiditsch
5th GRENKE Chess Classic; Baden-Baden, April 4, 2018
8/pp3p1k/7p/5Np1/P7/6PP/1nQ2PK1/3q4 w - - 4 34

Position after 33. ... Qe1-d1

Fabiano Caruana continues his magic moment. In today’s game against Naiditsch he could claim very little, at least until the position of the diagram was reached, when after 34. Qe4, with 4. ... Qd7(!)∞ Black could have probably hold his own. Instead, nerves played a bad joke on Naiditsch: 34. ... Qxa4? 35. Qxb7 Qa2. 35. ... Qe8 36. Nd6 is no better at all. 36. Ne3! Kg7 37. Qb4 Qb1 38. g4 Kg8 39. Nf5 Qc2 40. Qb8+ Kh7 41. Qb7 Kh8 42. Qe7! 1 : 0. For after 42. ... Qc6+ 43. Kh2 Qg6 44. Qe5+ Black loses the Knight.

Fabiano Caruana (left) vs. Arkadij Mikhailovich Naiditsch (right). Photo: Georgios Souleidis/GRENKE Chess Classic.