On the sidelines

Wesley So – Fabiano Caruana
7th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 21, 2019
English Opening A20

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c6 4. Nf3 e4 5. Nd4 Qb6 6. Nb3 a5 7. d3 a4 8. N3d2 Bc5. Caruana more often played 8. ... d5; for instance: 9. cxd5 exd3 10. 0-0 cxd5 11. exd3 Be7 12. Nc3 Qa5 13. Re1 Nc6 14. b4 axb3 15. Bb2 Qd8 16. Qxb3 (Svidler – Caruana, 5th Sinquefield Cup, Saint Louis 2017) and now 16. ... Nd4 17. Qd1 Bg4 seems perfectly playable for Black. 9. 0-0! This is a new move, and probably an improvement over 9. e3 exd3 10. Nc3 Qa6 which looks very satisfactory for Black, G. Meier – Baklan, 49th Biel Master Open, Biel/Bienne 2016. 9. ... e3! 10. fxe3 Bxe3+ 11. Kh1 Ng4 12. Ne4 0-0 13. Nbc3 d5 14. cxd5 Bxc1 15. Qxc1 Ne3 16. Rf3 Nxg2 17. Kxg2 Qd8 18. Qg5. White’s position looks promising, but almost surely they both are still in their own theory. 18. ... f6! This looks like playing with fire, but obviously Caruana didn’t like 18. ... Qxg5 19. Nxg5 h6 20. Nge4 leaving White with a much comfortable edge. 19. Nxf6+ Rxf6 20. Ne4 Nd7 21. Raf1

21. ... Kh8! This only move keeps everything together, and one could well guess it was not improvisation. So now switches to another dynamic balance, just to reveal the final pointe of a well-prepared opening line: 22. Nxf6 Nxf6 23. e4 Bd7 24. Rxf6 gxf6 25. Rxf6 Qe7 26. Qf4 Kg8 27. d6 Qg7 28. e5 Re8 29. Qc4+ Kh8 30. Rf7 Qxe5 31. Rxd7 Qe2+ 32. Kh3 Qf1+ 33. Kh4 (33. Kg4?? h5+!−+) 33. ... Qf6+ 34. Kh3 Qf1+ 35. Kh4 Qf6+ 36. Kh3 Qf1+ ½ : ½.

So’s and Caruana’s fireworks eventually bursted into a draw. Photo: Crystal Fuller/Grand Chess Tour.