日正當中 (High Noon)

Fabiano Caruana – 王皓 (Wáng Hào)
1st Online Nations Cup; India – China (25+10); chess.com, May 9, 2020
Russian Defence C42

By virtue of its half a point difference over Europe, United States will face China in tomorrow’s final. Fabiano Caruana has much merit, having scored, so far, 6½ points out of 8. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 Nf6 10. Bd3 c5 11. Rhe1 Be6 12. Bf4. Varying from their game at the recent Candidates (half)-Tournament: 12. Kb1 Qa5 13. c4 Qxd2 14. Nxd2 Rad8 15. f3 b6 16. g4 d5 17. g5 Nh5 18. cxd5 Bxd5 19. Ne4 f5 20. gxf6 Nxf6 21. Bg5 Kf7 22. Ng3 c4 23. Bf1 b5 24. a4 a6 25. axb5 axb5 26. Nf5 Bc5 27. Re5 Bxf3 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rxc5 Rd1+ 30. Ka2 Rxf1 31. Rxb5 c3 32. Bxf6 Kxf6 33. Ne3 Rf2 34. Rf5+ Ke6 35. Ka3 cxb2 36. Kxb2 h5 37. h4 Rxc2+ 38. Kxc2 Be4+ 39. Kd2 Bxf5 40. Ke2 Ke5 41. Kf3 Bd3 ½ : ½ Caruana – 王皓 (Wáng Hào), Candidates Tournament 2020, Yekaterinburg 2020. 12. ... d5 13. Ng5 Bg4? An unfortunate novelty. A recent correspondence game continued: 13. ... c4 14. Bf1 Bg4 15. f3 Bd7 16. Nh3 b5 17. Kb1 Bxh3 18. gxh3 a5 19. Be5 Qb6 20. Qg5 Rad8 21. Bd4 Bc5 22. Bxf6 Qxf6 23. Qxf6 gxf6 24. h4 Kg7 25. Re2 Rd6 26. Re7 Rfd8 27. Rb7 d4 28. Rxb5 dxc3 29. Rxd6 Bxd6 30. Bxc4 Ba3 31. Bd5 Re8 32. Be4 Rd8 33. Rd5 Rxd5 ½ : ½ Broadway – Sneddon, European Server Championship 2018, Preliminary 25, by correspondence, 2018. 14. f3 Bd7?! One misfortune calls another. 14. ... Bc8 15. c4! was not pleasant at all, but at least would have avoided immediate catastrophe.

15. c4?! Black’s Bishop on d7 allows White to immediately pseudo-sacrifice his Bishop at h7: 15. Bxh7+! with devastating effect. Quite paradoxically, however, Caruana’s move, allowing Black to close the d-file, is not as bad as to definitively compromise his Kingside attacking prospects. 15. ... d4 16. h4 Re8. The immediate 16. ... Bc6 may be a little safer (so as to reply to 17. g4 with 17. ... Bd6). 17. g4 Bc6 18. Qh2 Qa5 19. a3 Bf8. If 19. ... b5 there may follow 20. Nxf7! Kxf7 21. g5 with a crushing attack. 20. Bd2 Qb6 21. Qf4 (Δ Bd3xh7+) 21. ... Bd7. Straight into the fire, but 21. ... h6 22. Nxf7! Kxf7 23. g5+− was hopeless as well.

22. Bxh7+! Repetita iuvant. 22. ... Kh8 (22. ... Nxh7 23. Qxf7+ Kh8 24. Qh5+−) 23. Bf5 Bxf5 24. Qxf5 Kg8 25. h5 Qc6 26. Nxf7 Kxf7 27. g5 Qd7 28. Qg6+ 1 : 0.