A Long Way to Go

Vladislav Mikhailovich Artemiev – Santosh Gujrathi Vidit

10th 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament; 儋州 (Dānzhōu), July 3, 2019

English Opening A37

1. c4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nb5 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. 0-0 Nge7 10. Nbxd4 0-0 11. b3 Nf5 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Rb1 Qa5 14. Bb2!? A powerful novelty, in place of 14. Qc2 Be6 (as occurred in a recent game Oboladze – Nasuta, 20th European Individual Chess Championship, Skopje 2019). 14. ... Qxa2 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. g4 Ne7. Also worth considering was 16. ... Nd6, after which there might follow 17. Ne5 (17. Qd4+ f6 18. Qc5 Ne4 19. Qxc6 Bxg4 would furnish Black with a better version than that of the game) 17. ... Ne4 18. Rc1 Qd2 19. Nxc6 a5 with reasonable play for Black. 17. Qd4+ f6 18. Qc5 Ng8 19. Qxc6 Bxg4 20. Nd4. White’s dominating Knight and initiative more than compensate for the sacrificed Pawn.

20. ... Qa5 21. h3 Bf5 22. Ra1 Qb6 23. Nxf5+ gxf5 24. Qxd5 Rae8 25. Qxf5. After all, now it is White who has a Pawn more, even though turning it into a win is anything but easy. Artemiev somehow will manage to do it, also thanks to some questionable moves by his opponent. 25. ... Re5 26. Qf3 Rfe8 27. e3 a5 28. Rab1 Ne7 29. Rfd1 Ng6 30. Rd4 f5 31. Rd7+ R8e7 32. Rxe7+ Nxe7 33. Qg3+ Ng6 34. h4 h5?! There was another, indirect way to prevent White’s threat of h4-h5: 34. ... Qf6!? so as to reply to 35. h5? with 35. ... f4! saving everything. Artemiev would have probably continued 35. f4 Rc5 36. h5 Qh4 37. Qf2 Qxf2+ (37. ... Qxh5? loses to 38. Qb2+! Kf7 39. b4! axb4 40. Qa2++−) 38. Kxf2 Rc2+ 39. Kg3 Ne7 40. Bf3 contenting himself with a clearly better endgame a Pawn up — a smell of victory, but no certain win. 35. Rc1 Qf6 36. Rc7+ Re7 37. Rc6 Re6?! 37. ... f4!? 38. exf4 Re1+ 39. Kh2 Qxh4+ 40. Qxh4 Nxh4 41. Bd5 would have brought Black into an ending of Rook and Bishop vs. Rook and Knight likely two Pawns down, which, however, might have set White more technical difficulties. 38. Rxe6 Qxe6 39. Qc7+ Kh6 40. Qxa5 Nxh4 41. Qd5 Qe7 42. Bh1 f4 43. Be4 fxe3 44. fxe3 Qg7+ 45. Kf2 Qb2+ 46. Ke1 Qc1+ 47. Ke2 Qb2+ 48. Qd2 Qe5 49. Qd4 Qe7 50. Bd3 Ng2 51. Qe4 Qf6 52. Qxg2 Qb2+ 53. Kf1 Qc1+ 54. Kf2 1 : 0.

Artemiev (right) bounced back from yesterday’s defeat against 王皓 (Wáng Hào) with a laborious win over Vidit (left). Photo: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).