A Snapshot in Time

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Viorel Antonovich Bologan
19th Karpov International Chess Tournament; Poikovsky, June 2, 2018
Spanish Game C65

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nbd2 0-0 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nc4 Nd7 8. Qe2 Re8 9. h4 b5 10. Na5 Bb4+ 11. Bd2 Bxa5 12. Bxa5 Nf8 13. Qe3 Qd6 14. h5 c5!? The interpolation of 14. ... h6(!) 15. Nh4 c5 should give Black quite a reasonable game, Kuzubov – Tabatabaei, 18th Dubai Open Chess Tournament, Dubai 2016. 15. Bd2 Ne6. 15. ... h6 might have transposed into the above mentioned game. 16. 0-0-0 b4 17. g4. Nepomniachtchi and Bologan have engaged a typical struggle with heterogeneous castling. So the question is, who’ll come first? 17. ... Nd4? This loses time and grasp. 17. ... a5!? deserved serious consideration, to be soonly followed by ... b4-b3 and ... a5-a4. 18. Nxd4 exd4 19. Qf3 Qa6 20. Kb1 c4!? Black tries to take back time. 21. dxc4 Bb7 22. Rde1 Qxc4 23. h6. No doubt White came first. 23. ... Qe6 24. Qf4 b3!? 25. axb3 d3?! A tricky last-ditch counterattack, which, however, doesn’t work. 25. ... g6 was a lesser evil, although after 26. Ba5 c5 27. f3 White remains a Pawn up with a comfortable advantage. 26. cxd3 Ba6 27. Rh3! Qxb3 28. Qg5! Bxd3+ 29. Rxd3! Qxd3+ 30. Kc1 Qc4+ 31. Bc3 g6 32. Qf6 Kf8

33. Rd1! Qxe4 34. Qg7+ Ke7 35. Re1 1 : 0.