不死鳥 (Phoenix)

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Fabiano Caruana
Candidates Tournament 2020; Yekaterinburg, March 19, 2020
Slav Defence D17

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 Bb4 8. Nxc4 0-0 9. Kf2 e5!? Caruana introduces a novelty which involves a very interesting (and probably sound) Pawn sacrifice, mistakenly thinking — however — that, after two defeats in a row, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) would have collapsed by inertia — without even giving a fight. In any case, it’s something different from what he had seen before: 9. ... c5 10. e4 Bxc3 11. bxc3 Bxe4 12. fxe4 Nxe4+ 13. Kg1 Nxc3 14. Qe1 cxd4 15. Ba3 Nc6 16. Bxf8 Qxf8 17. h4 Qc5 18. Nd2 Nb4 19. Qf2 Rd8 20. Rh3 Nbd5 21. Rd3 e5 22. Re1 Qc7 23. Ne4 Nxa4 24. Rg3 Nf4 25. Nf6+ Kh8 26. Ne8 Rxe8 27. Qxf4 Re7 28. Qg4 f6 29. Ra3 Qc6 30. Rea1 Nb6 31. Rxa7 e4 32. Qh5 h6 33. Qg6 Qc8 34. Re1 Qc6 35. Kh1 d3 36. Bxd3 Qc3 37. Raa1 f5 38. Qxf5 1 : 0 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – 周健超 (Zhōu Jiànchāo), 1st 海南 (Hǎinán) 儋州 (Dānzhōu) Super Grandmaster Chess Tournament, 儋州 (Dānzhōu) 2010. 10. Nxe5 Bc2 11. Qd2 c5 12. d5 Bb3 13. e4 Re8 14. Qf4 c4! A (temporary) second Pawn sacrifice — which probably is the analytical corollary of the first one. 15. Nxc4 Nbd7 16. Be3 Nf8 17. Bd4 Ng6 18. Qf5 Bxc4 19. Bxc4 Qc7 20. Be2 Bc5 21. Bxc5 Qxc5+. 21. ... Re5! 22. Qh3 Nf4∞ was also quite interesting. 22. Kf1

22. ... h6? 22. ... Re5! 23. Qh3 Qb4 would still have offered Black some compensation for his two Pawn deficit. 23. Rd1 Qb6 24. Rd2 Qe3 25. Rc2 a6 26. Qh3 b5. Furiously pushing for “something to get the ball rolling”. 27. Qg3 b4 28. Nd1 Qb3

29. Rd2! White had to give back a Pawn, but succeeded at consolidating his material and strategic advantage. There’s very little Caruana can do now, except wait for 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) to capitalise on it. 29. ... Qxa4 30. Qf2 Qd7 31. g3 Qh3+ 32. Kg1 a5 33. Qd4 Nh5 34. Nf2 Qd7 35. f4 Nhxf4 36. gxf4 Nxf4 37. Kf1 Qd6 38. Rg1 f6 39. Bb5 Re7 40. b3 Rf8 41. Rc2 Ne6 42. Qe3 Ng5 43. h4 Nf7 44. Rc6 Qb8 45. Qc5 Qd8 46. Rxf6 Kh8 47. Rf5 Rc7 48. Bc6 a4 49. bxa4 b3 50. Rg3 b2 51. Rb3 Nd6 52. Rxf8+ Qxf8 53. Rxb2 Qf4 54. Rb8+ Kh7 55. Qc2 Re7 56. e5+ Nf5 57. Qe4 Qc1+ 58. Kg2 g6 59. Rb3 1 : 0.

Finally, after about three months of confinement, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) has arisen like a phoenix from the ashes of 温州 (Wēnzhōu). Photo © Lennart Ootes.