The Wild Bunch

Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
7th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 25, 2019
Grünfeld Defence D86

Thanks to their victories this evening, both Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin and Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi joined Viswanathan Anand, Fabiano Caruana and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) at the lead of the 7th Sinquefield Cup. Magnus Carlsen, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Wesley So are following just a half point behind. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 0-0 10. 0-0 b6 11. dxc5 Qc7 12. Nd4 Ne5 13. Nb5 Qb8 14. Bd5 Ng4 15. g3 Nxe3 16. fxe3 a6 17. Nd4. Vachier-Lagrave, playing White against Boris Abramovich Gelfand six years ago, continued with 17. Bxf7+ Kh8 18. Nd4 bxc5 19. Bd5 Rxf1+ 20. Qxf1 cxd4 21. Rb1 Qa7 22. Qf7 Be6 23. Qxe6 dxc3 24. Bxa8 Qxe3+ 25. Kg2 Qe2+ 26. Kh3 Qh5+ 27. Kg2 Qe2+ ½ : ½ Vachier-Lagrave – Gelfand, 5th Chess World Cup, Tromsø 2013, match game 1. The memory of that game must have made him a little confused: 17. ... bxc5? (17. ... Bh3!∞) 18. Rb1 Qa7? (18. ... Qc7!? 19. Bxa8 cxd4 20. cxd4 Bh3 21. Bd5 Bxf1 22. Kxf1!?± seems a little better) 19. Nc6 Qc7 20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 21. Bxa8 Bh3 22. Bd5 Bxf1 23. Qxf1 Bxc3 24. Qxa6. White is a Pawn ahead (furthermore, a passed one!) and enjoys a powerful initiative which is made devastating by the presence of opposite-coloured Bishops. Black is by now doomed.

24. ... Qg5 25. Qe2 Kh8 26. Kg2 f5 27. Qd3 Be5 28. Rf1 Kg7 29. exf5 Rxf5 30. a4 Rxf1 31. Kxf1 Bd4 32. Bc4! Bxe3 33. Qd7+ Kh6 34. Qh3+ Kg7 35. Qe6 Bd4 36. Qf7+ Kh6 37. a5 Bf6 38. Kg2! Qd2+ 39. Kh3 Qg5 40. Qf8+ Bg7 41. Qf3 Bd4 42. a6 Qe7 43. Qa8 Bf6 44. a7 Qd7+ 45. g4 Qe7 46. Qf3 Qxa7 47. Qxf6 Qa3+ 48. Bd3! Not 48. Kh4?? Qh3+! (idem to say 48. ... Qg3+!) and stalemate follows. The “dual” is 48. Bb3 instead. 48. ... Qxd3+ 49. Kh4 Qd4 50. Qf8+ Qg7 51. g5 mate.

“It always happens with me because I normally mix up moves when I play. This time when I was preparing to the game I repeated the line one hundred times”, Karjakin finally said. Photo © Justin Kellar/Grand Chess Tour.