A Rook and a Chariot

Pentala Harikrishna – Romain Édouard

53rd Biel International Chess Festival; Grandmaster Triathlon — Classical; Biel/Bienne, July 28, 2020

Sicilian Defence B53

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 a6 5. Be2 Nc6 6. Qe3 Nf6 7. 0-0 g6 8. h3 Bg7 9. c4 0-0 10. Nc3 Rb8 11. Rd1 Nd7 12. Rb1 b6 13. b3 Bb7 14. Bb2 Ba8 15. Nd5. Also good is 15. Rd2 Re8 16. Rbd1 Qc8 17. Nh4 Nd8 18. Bg4 h5 19. Bxd7 Qxd7 20. Nd5 Bxb2 21. Rxb2 b5 22. c5 Bxd5 23. Rxd5 Qe6 24. Nf3 dxc5 25. Rxc5 Nb7 26. Nd4 Qb6 27. Rc6 Qa7 28. Nf5 Qxe3 29. Nxe3 Ra8 30. Nd5 Nd8 31. Rb6 Ne6 32. Rc2 Kf8 33. h4 Rac8 34. Rcc6 Nd4 35. Rxc8 Rxc8 36. Rxa6 Rc1+ 37. Kh2 Rc2 38. f4 e6 39. Nf6 Ne2 40. f5 exf5 41. exf5 Nf4 42. Kg3 Ne2+ 43. Kh3 Nf4+ 44. Kg3 Ne2+ 45. Kh3 Nf4+ 46. Kg3 Ne2+ 47. Kh3 Nf4+ ½ : ½ 倪华 (Ní Huá) – 赵骏 (Zhào Jùn), 3rd Singapore Masters International Open Tournament, Singapore 2006. 15. ... b5 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 17. b4 bxc4 18. Bxc4 a5 19. b5 Nce5 20. Nxe5 Nxe5 21. Bf1 Nd7 22. Rbc1 Bxd5 23. exd5 Nc5

24. Rd4! Kg8 25. Rh4 f5 (25. ... h5? 26. Rxh5!+−) 26. Rd4 a4 27. h4! Qe8

28. Rxc5! A disrupting sacrifice. 28. ... dxc5 29. Rxa4 Rxb5. Black returns the Exchange in the vain hope of avoiding the inevitable. 30. Ra7 Rf7. 30. ... Rb6 31. Bc4! is likewise bad for Black. 31. Bxb5 Qxb5 32. Rxe7 Rxe7 33. Qxe7 Qb1+ 34. Kh2 Qxa2 35. Qxc5 Qd2 36. d6 Kf7 37. f3 Qe1 38. Qd4 Qe8 39. Qd5+ Qe6 40. Qxe6+ Kxe6 41. Kg3 Kxd6 42. Kf4 Ke6 43. Kg5 Kf7 44. Kh6 1 : 0. Black resigns, for 44. ... Kg8 45. f4 Kh8 46. h5 gxh5 47. Kxh5 Kg7 48. Kg5 is an elementary win for White.

Thanks to their victories in today’s games, both Pentala Harikrishna and Michael Adams can still hope to overtake Radosław Wojtaszek with only one round to go. Photo: Simon Bohnenblust.