#71

Alireza Firouzja – Garry Kimovich Kasparov
3rd Fischerandom Chess (Online) Showdown; Lichess, September 11, 2020
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Position #71

The 3rd edition of the Saint Louis Chess Club’s Fischerandom Chess Showdown is exceptionally held this year online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The format is a 10-player round robin at a rapid time control of 20 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. 1. g3 d5 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nb3. 4. Bf4 Na6 5. e4 e5! gave Black no problems in Domínguez Pérez – Nakamura, 3rd Fischerandom Chess (Online) Showdown, Lichess, September 11, 2020. 4. ... f5! (4. ... e5 5. dxe5 Bxe5 6. e4⩲) 5. f3 Nc7 6. Qf2 Ne6 7. Bd2 Nd7 8. 0-0-0 Nb6 9. Kb1. It makes room for the Bishop at c1. 9. ... Qf6 10. Bc1 Nc4 11. Rge1 0-0 12. Qg1 (12. Bg2 Nc7=) 12. ... f4! 13. gxf4 Nxf4 14. e3 Nh3 15. Qg3 Qg5 16. Rf1 Qxg3 17. hxg3 e5 18. dxe5 Bxe5 19. f4 Bg7 20. Rde1. 20. Bg2 h5 should lead to similar play as in the game. 20. ... g5 21. Bg2

21. ... Bf5. Both 21. ... Na3+ and 21. ... h5 give Black a very comfortable play. The text may be motivated by considerations of psychological order. 22. Nd4 Bxd4?! Objectively speaking, Black has nothing better than 22. ... Bg4, but Kasparov does not hesitate to unbalance the situation, trusting in his own intuition under intense time pressure. 23. exd4 g4 24. b3 Nd6 25. Ba3 Rf7 26. Re5. White dominates the board. 26. ... h5 27. Kb2. If 27. Nxd5!? cxd5 28. Bxd5 there may follow 28. ... h4! 29. gxh4 Ne4 30. Bxf7+ Kxf7 31. Re1 Rd5! 32. Rxd5 Nc3+ 33. Kb2 Nxd5 34. Re5 Bc8 35. Rxd5 g3 36. Re5 g2 37. Re1 g1=Q 38. Rxg1 Nxg1 39. d5 Nf3 with a likely draw. 27. ... Kg7 28. Bxd6 Rxd6 29. Nd1 Re6 30. Ne3 Rxe5 31. dxe5 Kg6 32. c4?? This throws away any advantage White has. After 32. Kc3 followed by Kc3-d4 Black had very little, if any, hope of saving the day. 32. ... d4 33. Nxf5 Kxf5

34. Re1? And Firouzja finally cracks under time pressure. 34. Rh1 h4 35. Bxh3 gxh3 36. e6! seems to be good enough for a draw. 34. ... h4! 35. Be4+ Ke6 36. f5+ Kxe5 37. Bd5+ Kf6 38. Bxf7 Kxf7 (38. ... hxg3−+) 39. Re2 hxg3 40. Rg2 Kf6 41. Rxg3 Kxf5 42. c5 Kf4 43. Rd3 g3 44. Rxd4+ Ke3 45. Rh4 Nf2 46. Rh7 g2 0 : 1.

Kasparov won despite the forty years of difference. Screenshot from the live stream.