Game On

Nihal Sarin – Eltaj Safarli
8th Chess World Cup; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, September 13, 2019
Spanish Game C95

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 g6 15. a4 Bg7 16. Bd3 c6 17. Bg5 h6 18. Be3. 18. Bd2 Kh7 19. Qc2 is the “vintage reissue series”, which after 19. ... d5? (19. ... exd4!? 20. cxd4 c5) 20. exd5 Nxd5 21. h4! exd4 22. h5→ gave White a tremendous attack, Karpov – Kavalek, 3rd Interpolis Chess Tournament, Tilburg 1979. 18. ... Qc7 19. Qd2 Kh7 20. b4 Nb6? Black somehow hold his own after 20. ... d5 21. dxe5 Nxe4 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. Bxe4 Nxe5 24. Nxe5 Qxe5 25. Bd4 Qd6 26. axb5 axb5 27. Bf3 Rxa1 28. Rxa1 Bxd4 39. cxd4 Bc8 30. Rc1 Bd7 31. h4 h5 32. g3 Qf6 33. Bg2 Re6 34. Rc5 Rd6 35. d5 cxd5 36. Rxd5 Rxd5 37. Qxd5 Qe6 38. Qxe6 Bxe6 39. f4 Kg7 40. Kf2 Kf6 41. Bf1 Bd7 42. Ke3 Ke7 43. Kd4 Kd6 44. Be2 f5 45. Bf3 Be6 46. Be2 ½ : ½ Zhigalko – Doležal, 16th Czech Open GMA, Pardubice 2007, but it’s highly likely that White may do better with other moves somewhere here and there. So maybe it’s better to prepare for ... c6-c5 by 20. ... Rac8(!) with reasonable chances of defending. 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. a5 Nbd7? At least from a practical perspective, Black ought to have preferred 22. ... Na4 23. Bc2 Red8, however good or however bad it might be. Now it’s all very easy for White. 23. c4 Rad8 24. Qa2 Kg8 25. Bc2 Qd6 26. Bb3 Qe7 27. Rad1 Rc8 28. Nh4 Kf8 29. c5 Nb8 30. Rd6 Red8

31. Ngf5! gxf5 32. Nxf5 Qc7 33. Nxg7 Kxg7 34. Bxh6+! Kxh6 35. Rxf6+ Kg5 36. Rf5+ Kh6 37. Qe2 1 : 0.

The legend says that, at three years of age, Nihal Sarin could recognise the capitals and the flags of all the world’s 190-odd countries. Photo: Kirill Merkuryev/FIDE World Cup 2019.