Think tank

Stockfish – Leela Chess Zero

Top Chess Engine Championship Season 17 — Superfinal; match game 33; tcec-chess.com, April 12, 2020

King’s Indian Defence E69

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 d6 5. Bg2 0-0 6. Nc3 Nbd7 7. 0-0 e5 8. e4 c6 9. h3 Qb6 10. c5 dxc5 11. dxe5 Ne8 12. Na4 Qa5. Back in the90s, the alternative 12. ... Qa6 gained a certain notoriety after a sensational loss by Garry Kimovich Kasparov to Robert Hübner: 13. Bg5 b5 14. Nc3 Nc7 15. Be7 Re8 16. Bd6 Ne6 17. a4 b4 18. Ne2 Qa5 19. Nd2 Ba6 20. f4 c4 21. Kh2 Rad8 22. Qc2 Nb6 23. Rfd1 Bf8 24. Nf3 c3 25. Ned4 Nxd4 26. Nxd4 cxb2 27. Qxb2 Nc4 28. Qb3 Qb6 29. a5 Qb7 30. Bxf8 Kxf8 31. e6 c5 32. e5 Qc7 33. exf7 Qxf7 34. Nc6 Rxd1 35. Rxd1 Nxe5 36. Bd5 Bc4 37. Qc2 Ng4+ 38. hxg4 Re2+ 39. Qxe2 Bxe2 40. Bxf7 Bxd1 41. Bc4 b3 42. Nxa7 b2 43. Ba2 Be2 44. Kg2 Bd3 45. Kf3 Ke7 46. Ke3 b1=Q 47. Bxb1 Bxb1 48. Nb5 Kd7 49. a6 Kc6 50. f5 1 : 0 Hübner – Kasparov, 20th Sparkassen Chess Meeting, Dortmund 1992. 13. Qc2. A novelty, although after 13. Bd2 Qb5 (Kononenko – Kozak, Dnepropetrovsk 2005) White has probably nothing better than to transpose into the actual game with 14. Qc2. 13. ... Nc7 14. Bd2 Qb5 15. Rfd1 c4 16. Nc3 Qa6 17. Be3 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. f4 Bg7 20. g4 Re8 21. Qf2 Nb5 22. Nxb5 Qxb5 23. Bd4 Bxd4 24. Rxd4 Qc5 25. f5 b5 26. Rad1 Ba6 27. a3 Rab8

28. h4!↑/→ Bb7 29. h5 gxh5 30. gxh5 Qe5 31. Qh4 c5. Probably a lesser evil is 31. ... h6!? 32. Rd7 Bc8 33. R7d6 Rf8, though after 34. Qh2! Qxh2+ 35. Kxh2 b4 36. axb4 Rxb4 37. R1d2± White will soon regain its Pawn with interest.

32. Rd7 b4. Not 32. ... Bxe4? on account of 33. f6! (threatening Rd1-d5) 33. ... Kh8 34. Re7! winning easily. Instead 32. ... Bc6 33. f6! Kh8 (33. ... Bxd7? 34. Rd5!+−) 34. Rxf7 b4 transposes into the game. 33. f6 Kh8 34. Rxf7 Bc6. Of course, 34. ... Bxe4?? 35. Bxe4 Qxe4 36. Rf8+! is a cheap trick.

35. Rg7!! The winning move (and a most elegant one!), placing Black in a deadly zugzwang. Instead 35. Rxa7 Red8 36. Rf1 Rg8 was still rather unclear. 35. ... c3. There’s no way of avoiding the inevitable: 35. ... bxa3 36. Rg5!+− or 35. ... Qxb2 36. Qg5! Rg8 37. Qh6!+− or 35. ... Rg8 36. h6!+− — Black is inexorably zugzwanged. 36. bxc3 Rf8 37. Rf1 bxc3 38. h6! Threatening Qh4-g4 followed by Rg7xh7+. 38. ... Be8 39. f7! Bxf7 40. Rfxf7 Rxf7 41. Rxf7 c2 42. Rf1 Rg8 43. Rc1 Qd4+ 44. Qf2 Qd1+ 45. Qf1 Qd4+ 46. Kh1 Qd6 47. Rxc2 Qxh6+ 48. Kg1 Qe3+ 49. Qf2 Qxa3 50. Qf6+ Rg7 51. Rb2 Qe3+ 52. Kh1 Qe1+ 53. Bf1 Qxe4+ 54. Kh2 Qe8 55. Bh3 h5 56. Be6 Kh7 57. Qe5 Kh6 58. Rb8 Qxb8 59. Qxb8 h4 60. Qf8 c4 61. Bxc4 h3 62. Bd3 Kh5 63. Qxg7 1 : 0.