A Deal Before the Altar

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Fabiano Caruana
7th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 26, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

In the end, Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) took the sole lead of the 7th Sinquefield Cup by winning respectively with Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana. Particularly impressive was the victory won by the Chinese Grandmaster over Miami’s Grandmaster in what might as well have been billed as a showdown between two “human calculators”. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 0-0 6. e3 b6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Ba6 9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Qe2 Qc8 11. 0-0 Qb7 12. a3 c5 13. Nb5 Rac8!? A novelty that does not change much with respect to 13. ... Ne4 14. Rac1 Rac8 15. Ne5 Nd6 16. Nxd6 Bxd6 17. Qg4 cxd4 18. Rxc8 Rxc8 19. Nxf7 Bxf4 20. Qxe6 Nc5 21. Nh6+ Kh8 22. Nf7+ Kg8 23. Nh6+ Kh8 ½ : ½ Carlsen – Nakamura, 7th World Blitz Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. 14. b4 Nd5 15. bxc5 bxc5 16. Rab1 Rc6 17. Be5 Rb6. The game is a draw near, but not yet a draw, as Black is subjected to a gentle but continuous pressure which forces him to play very carefully and precisely. 18. a4 Nac7 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Rbc1 Nxb5 21. Rxc5 Nd6 22. a5 Rc6 23. Bxd6 Rxd6 24. Rfc1 h6 25. h3 Rfd8 26. Ne5 Nf6 27. Nc6. 27. Rc7 Rd1+ 28. Kh2 Qe4 29. Qb2 may still leave White with some initiative. 27. ... R8d7 28. a6 Qb6 29. Ne5 Rd8 30. Rc8 Qa5 31. f4 Rd2. There is probably nothing wrong with this move, although 31. ... Nd7 seems safer. 32. Qf3. The engines’ zwischenzug 32. Qf1! Qa3 33. Qf3 could be an improvement. 32. ... Rd5 33. R1c7 Kh7. 33. ... Qxa6 was perhaps simpler, for if 34. Rxd8+ Rxd8 35. Rxf7 there may follow 35. ... Qa1+ 36. Kh2 Qe1 37. Qb7 Nh5 38. Qf3 Nf6 repeating moves. 34. Kh2. Mirror moves: 33. ... Kh7/34. Kh2. 34. ... Rxc8 35. Rxc8 Qxa6 36. Ra8(!) Qb7 37. Rf8 Rb5? In playing his “natural” move, Caruana completely overlooked White’s refutation. Correct was 37. ... Qb4! 38. Rxf7 Qb1! with a draw in sight (if 39. Rxa7 Black can reply with 39. ... Rd1).

38. Qf1!± Qd5 39. Nxf7 Nd7 40. Rd8 Rb8 41. Rxb8 Nxb8 42. Qb1+ Qf5 43. Qb7 Nc6! 44. Nd6 Qc5 45. Ne4 Qc2?? The last and decisive mistake. 45. ... Qxe3! 46. Qxc6 Qxf4+ would have offered the toughest resistance. 46. Nf6+ Kg6 47. Ne8 Qc3 48. e4 a5 49. Qd7 a4 50. Qxe6+ Kh7 51. e5 Nd4 52. Qd7 Kg6 53. Qxg7+ Kf5 54. Nd6+ Kxf4 55. Qf6+ Ke3 56. e6 Kd3 57. e7 1 : 0.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and Caruana exchange their points of view right after the end of the game. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.