Wild West

Samuel L. Shankland – 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng)
63rd U.S. Open Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 22, 2019
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Qf6 5. Nb3 Qg6 6. f3 Nf6 7. Bf4 Bb4+ 8. Kf2!? An interesting novelty in place of 8. c3 Be7 9. Qe2? (but 9. Qd2 was called for) 9. ... d5! 10. e5 Nh5 11. Bc1 Bh4+ 12. Kd1 Bg5 with an overwhelming bind, Mousavi – Safarli, 18th International Chess Open, Nakhchivan 2018. 8. ... 0-0 9. a3 Be7 10. Bd3 Nh5! 11. Bxc7 d6 12. e5 Bh4+! 13. Kf1 Qh6 14. exd6 Re8 15. Nc3 Ne5 16. Nc5? Also bad was 16. Bb5? on account of 16. ... Be6! so as to meet 17. Bxe8?? with 17. ... Bc4+ 18. Ne2 Qe3 winning right off. Comparatively best seems to be 16. Ne4, though after 16. ... Nf4 Black would have nothing to complain of.

16. ... Nxf3! This plain refutation, however strange it may appear, might well have been overlooked by Shankland. 17. N3e4. Clearly not 17. gxf3?? on account of 17. ... Bh3+ 18. Kg1 Qe3 mate. 17. ... Bg4? 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) much complicates the picture. Simply 17. ... f5! would have posed White insurmountable problems. 18. d7! Re5! Of course, after 18. ... Nxh2+?? 19. Rxh2 Bxd1 20. dxe8=Q+ Rxe8 21. Rxh4 Black pays too much for Her Majesty. 19. Bxe5. Black’s Exchange sacrifice must be accepted due to the threat of ... Re5-f5, as the Knight was still taboo: 19. gxf3?? Bh3+ 20. Ke2 (or 20. Kg1 Qe3+ and mate next move) 20. ... Nf4+ 21. Ke3 Ne6+ 22. Ke2 Nd4 mate. 19. ... Nxe5 20. Qd2 Qc6 21. h3 Bxd7 22. Nxd7 Nxd7 23. Qc3 Qh6. White is the Exchange up; Black has no material compensation, but he does have all the initiative. Furthermore, they both are very short of time already! 24. g4? Probably best is 24. g3!? Nxg3+ 25. Nxg3 Qf4+ 26. Ke2 Re8+ 27. Kd1 Qxg3 28. Kc1 Qg2 followed by ... Bh4-f6 with fine play for Black. 24. ... f5? 24. ... Qf4+! followed by ... Nd7-f6 seems much stronger. 25. gxf5 Re8 26. Qc4+?? This is a catastrophic mistake! 26. Rh2! Kh8 27. Qd2! Qc6 28. Rg2 Ndf6 was unclear but quite balanced, though easier for Black. 26. ... Kh8 27. Rg1. Now it’s too late for 27. Rh2 on account of 27. ... Qf4+ 28. Kg2 Ne5 with irresistible attack. 27. ... Qe3! Threatening Qe3-f3+. White has no decent defence, and 熊奕韬 (Jeffery Xióng) finishes in style. 28. Rg2 Nf4 29. Rh2 Nxh3 30. Kg2 Nf4+ 31. Kh1 Qf3+ 32. Kg1 Qg4+ 33. Kh1 Qf3+ 34. Kg1 Bd8! 35. Rf1 Bb6+ 36. Nf2 Qg3+ 37. Kh1 Qf3+ 38. Kg1 Nh3+ 39. Rxh3 Qxh3 40. Qf4 Nf6 41. Bb5. It is as bad a way as another to surrender. 41. ... Re4! 0 : 1.

Samuel L. Shankland looking at Black’s Knight on f3 as if he had missed something. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.