Crown of Cinders

Hikaru Nakamura – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
10th London Chess Classic; tie-break game 4 (5+3); London, December 17, 2018
English Opening A34

Hikaru Nakamura won the 10th London Chess Classic and the 4th Grand Chess Tour Final as well by winning the last blitz game of the tie-breaker against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. Bb5+ Bd7 8. Be2 Bg7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. d4 Bc6 11. Ba3 cxd4!? Theory for tie-breakers is by now a genre in itself: 11. ... b6 12. dxc5 Bxc3 13. Rc1 Bf6 14. Qb3 Qd7 15. Bb2 Bd5 16. Qa3 Nc6 17. Rfd1 Qe6 18. Bxf6 exf6 19. Qc3 Rac8 20. Ba6 Rb8 21. Bc4 Bxc4 22. Qxc4 Qxc4 23. Rxc4 Rfd8 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Kf1 b5 26. Rc2 Kf8 27. Ke2 Ke7 28. Rd2 Rc8 ½ : ½ Fressinet – Nepomniachtchi, 6th Chess World Cup, Baku 2015, tie-break game 6 (5+3). 12. cxd4 Re8 13. Rc1 Qa5 14. Qb3 Nd7? 14. ... e6(!) was almost called for. 15. Bb4 Qf5? Perhaps Vachier-Lagrave thought the République could be saved only if the Queen put herself in the forefront of a cul de sac. 15. ... Qa4 16. Qb1! Rac8 17. Bd2 e6 was obviously a little better than the text. 16. Bd3 Qh5 17. e4 e6 18. h3 Rad8 19. Rfe1 a5 20. Bd2 a4 21. Qb1 Rc8 22. Be2 Bf6. Black’s Queen appears doomed. If else, 22. ... Bh6 23. Ng5 Qh4 24. g3 gives up Her Majesty for something in exchange, though not enough to hope for miracles. 23. Rcd1 Red8 24. Ng5 Qh4 25. g3 Qh6 26. Nxf7 Qxh3

27. Bf1. It’s really a mystery why Nakamura didn’t play 27. Bg4! at once, so maybe let’s say he repeated moves to gain time on the clock. 27. ... Qh5 28. Be2 Qh3 29. Bg4! 1 : 0. “Apparently the key to securing a victory is to move the King’s Bishop 7 times! Pretty finish for the title”, 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kimovich Kasparov tweeted on congratulating Nakamura. And probably it was an euphemism to say that the only way to give sense to such a “Magical Mystery Tour” was to move the Black Queen 8 times.