Midnight Express

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – Baskaran Adhiban
17th Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 26, 2019
Semi-Slav Defence D45

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 0-0 8. Be2 b6 9. 0-0 Bb7 10. Bb2 Rc8 11. e4 Nxe4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Qxe4 Nf6 14. Qh4 c5 15. Rad1 Ne4 16. Qxd8. A colourless decision which brings nothing except a quite uncomfortable game. White should have looked for something between the lines of 16. Qh5 cxd4 17. Bxd4 Qe7 18. Bd3 f5 19. Bxe4 fxe4 20. Ne1 Rf5 21. Qg4 Bb8 22. Be3 Rf6 23. Bg5 Qc7 24. Qh4 Rg6 25. Be3 Rf8 26. g3 Qf7 27. Rd8 Bc7 28. Rxf8+ Qxf8 29. Ng2 e5 30. Rd1 Bd6 31. Rd2 Bc6 32. h3 h6 33. g4 Kh7 34. Qg3 Bb4 35. Rc2 Qf3 36. Kh2 Rd6 37. c5 Re6 38. cxb6 axb6 39. Bxb6 Qd1 40. Rc4 Be7 41. Be3 Qb1 42. g5 h5 43. Bc5 Bxc5 44. Rxc5 Qxa2 45. b4 Qb2 46. Qc3 Qxc3 47. Rxc3 Rg6 48. h4 Bb5 49. Ne3 Be2 50. Rc5 Kf7 51. Kg3 Ra6 52. Rxe5 Bd3 53. Ra5 Rb6 54. Ra7+ Kg6 55. Nd5 Rb5 56. Nf4+ Kf5 57. Ra5 1 : 0 Caruana – Gustafsson, 28th Mitropa Cup, Rogaška Slatina 2009. 16. ... Rfxd8 17. Rd3. New but not better than 17. Nd2 Nxd2 18. Rxd2 Be5 which gave Black fine play, Schlosser – van Wely, French Team Chess Championship Top 12, Belfort 2012. 17. ... cxd4 18. Bxd4 Nc5 19. Rdd1 f6 20. b4. Another nervous move which only makes Black’s Queenside more vulnerable to invasion. Comparatively better was 20. Be3 e5(!) with a much easier game for Black. 20. ... Ne4 21. a3 e5! 22. Ba1 a5! 23. Rb1 axb4 24. axb4 Be7 25. Rfc1

25. ... Kf8. Or likewise, 25. ... Ra8!∓ 26. Bf1 Kf8 and pretty soon White’s position will fall apart. 26. Rb3 Nd6. Adhiban decides to besiege the c4-Pawn, in fact dissipating most of his advantage. It was not too late for 26. ... Ra8!∓ and if 27. Bb2 then 27. ... Nd2 with a prompt invasion of White’s field. 27. Bb2 Ba6. And this accomplishes the impossible, which means an “unhopable“ draw for Khademalsharieh, who, together with the young Chinese Candidate Master 左一帆 (Zuǒ Yīfān), is confirming herself as one of the revelations of the Rock. 28. Nd2 Rc7 29. Bf1 Nf5 30. Bc3 Nd4 31. Ra3 Bb7 32. Nb3 Nxb3 ½ : ½.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh vs. Baskaran Adhiban. Photo © John Saunders.