Twin Peaks

Fabiano Caruana – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
7th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 23, 2019
Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. h3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f4 g6. A recent game continued: 8. ... exf4 9. Bxf4 Nc6 10. Qe2 Be7 11. 0-0-0 Qc7 12. g4 0-0 13. g5 Nd7 14. Qe3 Rac8 15. Kb1 Rfe8 16. h4 b5 17. Qg3 Nce5 18. Nd4 Nb6 19. Bh3 Bxh3 20. Qxh3 Nec4 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. exd5 Nb6 23. Bc1 Nxd5 24. h5 Bf8 25. g6 h6 26. Qg2 Nf6? (26. ... Ne3 27. Bxe3 Rxe3 28. Nf5 Re6 seems tenable) 27. Bxh6! fxg6 28. Rdf1 Qc4 29. Rxf6 Qxd4 30. Rxg6 Kh7 31. Bc1 Qe4 32. h6! Qxg6 33. hxg7+ Kxg7 34. Bh6+ Kf7 35. Rf1+ Qf6 36. Qd5+ Ke7 37. Bg5 and White finally won on move 60, van Foreest – Nepomniachtchi, 81st Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Leiden 2019. 9. Be2 Nbd7 10. g4 Rc8. More usual is 10. ... exf4 that not long ago brought Black very good luck: 11. g5 Nh5 12. Bxh5 Qxg5 13. Bf3?? (13. Bg4 was obviously called for) 13. ... Qg3+ 14. Kd2 Ne5 15. Rf1 Bxh3−+ van Foreest – Ivić, 20th European Individual Chess Championship, Skopje 2019. 11. f5 Bxb3 12. axb3 Rxc3! 13. bxc3 Nxe4 14. 0-0 Qh4 15. Bf3! gxf5 16. Bxe4 fxe4 17. Kh2 Rg8! Vachier-Lagrave’s new novelty radically changes the evaluation of the line, which was grounded so far upon 17. ... Be7 18. Rf5 Rg8 19. Be3 Nf6 20. g5 h5 21. Bf2 Ng4+ 22. Qxg4 Qxf2+ 23. Rxf2 hxg4 24. h4 f6 25. Kg3 fxg5 26. h5 Kd7 27. Kxg4 Ke6 28. c4 b5 29. cxb5 axb5 30. h6 Rh8 31. Rh2 e3 32. h7 d5 33. Ra6+ Kf7 34. Kf5 d4 35. Kxe5 g4 36. Kf4 Bf6 37. Kxg4 Be5 38. Rh5 Bg7 39. Kf3 Rc8 40. Rf5+ Ke7 41. Ra7+ Ke6 42. Rxg7 1 : 0 Forcén Esteban – Riff, 35th Andorra Open, Les Escaldes 2017. 18. Ra4 Nf6 19. g5

19. ... Rxg5! And that’s the point: Black sacrifices the second Exchange, increasing to three Pawns his material compensation, and obtaining, from a positional standpoint, a formidable Pawn centre. 20. Bxg5 Qxg5 21. c4! Qh4 22. Qe1! Thus White forces an asymmetrical endgame two Exchanges ahead, but just to realise that Black can (relatively easily) set a “fortress” draw. 22. ... Qxe1 23. Rxe1 Bh6 24. Rd1 Kd7! 25. c5 d5 26. Rb4 Kc7 27. Rb6 Bf4+ 28. Kg2 Nd7 29. Rxd5! More for the audience than himself. 29. ... Nxb6 30. cxb6+ Kxb6 31. Rd7 a5 32. Rxf7 h6 33. Kf2 Kc6 34. Ke2 b5 35. Rf6+ Kc5 36. c3 a4 37. bxa4 bxa4 38. Ra6 Kb5 39. Ra7 Bg5 40. Ra8 Be7 41. Kd2 a3 42. Ke3 Kc4 43. Kxe4 Kxc3 44. Kxe5 Kb3 45. Ke4 a2 46. Rxa2 Kxa2 47. Kf3 Kb3 48. h4 Kc4 49. h5 Kd3 50. Kg2 Ke2 51. Kh1 Kf2 52. Kh2 Bd6+ 53. Kh1 Be5 stalemate.

Many eyes, including those of Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi (standing in blue T-shirt), are watching at the game between Caruana and Vachier-Lagrave. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour.